Feed your dashboard by answering my question, blogger.
My first video game was a pirated copy of Pokemon Blue.
I bought it at a mall kiosk and it had minimal instructions on how to install it on my pc. I figured out the controls by trial and error. And i beat the elite four!
I must have been around 10 or 11 years old...and i believe that this experience is what taught me how to troubleshoot computer problems on my own.
That CD i bought had other Pokemon games on it too but Pokemon Blue was the only one i got to work properly.
I would like to buy tickets but shit has been rough. I havent animated anything a few years so I wouldn't have anything to show and I'm out of the loop of stuff in terms of how the industry is nowadays.
It's been Survival mode for me for years now so I've def stagnated as an artist. Which I'm sad but not really too insecure about >_<
Attending TAAFI would be refreshing i think...if I could afford it lol
Esther brings Crisostomo the Angemon along to the Christmas party held in their church. He's the only digimon in attendance. He's also got a human disguise on.
The only people who know he isnt human are:
• Esther (his partner)
• Monica (her own digimon partners aren't in attendance)
• and Tomas (whom he has existing beef with)
This is super self-indulgent and probably wouldn't make sense to anyone but me lol. But if you do read, i hope you enjoy. Maligayang Pasko!
cw: slight transphobia, extreme poverty mention
• The first time Crisostomo meets Esther's peers in the real world is during a Christmas Eve service held at their cathedral: The Santa Magdalena Cathedral.
• Most of the ppl in attendance are brothers and sisters of the clergy and their family members.
• Of course, everyone is curious about the tall extremely handsome stranger Esther brought along.
• The sisters want a chance with him. The brothers want to be him. Theyre all very heteronormative, you see.
• Any gay ones are extra stealth tonight at the Christian Christmas party because every important old person is also in attendance, including the bishop.
• Tomas avoids Crisostomo like the plague. Those who notice this wave it off as him being jealous bc for tonight he is unseated as the prettiest most angelic golden boy under the roof of Santa Magdalena
• Sister Monica, to the other sisters' surprise, is already friends with Crisostomo so she gets ALL the questions.
• Who IS he??? Brother Esther's friend?
• Where is he from?
• Is he European?
• Is he single?
• Should I give up the cloth?
• Does he enjoy mulled wine?
• Will he eat my potato salad?
• Esther of course is embarassed at all the attention Crisostomo is getting. All they wanted was to spend time together during Christmas festivities. And eat some good food together. Introduce Crisostomo to the intricacies of a Christmas Eve mass.
• Crisostomo takes it all in stride, though. After all, he gets a lot of questions about Esther from his own digimon peers.
• He remembers Dominimon peppering him with questions but strategically spacing them out as to not seem overly eager.
🎶
• The choir forms outside to begin vocal warmups. Sister Monica is part of the choir too.
• Crisostomo asks why theyre making noises like Baby digimon. Esther laughs.
• "Wait for it."
• They begin the caroling sesh with a rousing number of "Pasko Na Naman" followed by "Angels We Have Heard On High"
• Crisostomo has never heard a choir before. The power of all 40 of their voices singing together (plus the audience) smacks him in the face. A veritable wall of sound. It's basically magic.
• They look to Esther and to his surprise, they're singing along.
• The only one not singing is the conductor.
• He points to her.
• "Is she controlling everyone's voices?"
• Esther explains the concept of a conductor and choir.
• "How does everyone know the words?"
• "It's a yearly thing. Everyone starts singing when we're babies."
• Esther quietly reminisces as they watch the performance.
• Wearing only a threadbare dress, as a child they used to go house to house alone and sang christmas carols to afford anything to eat. Their dinner was often a small bag of chips and a piece of gum from the nearest sari-sari store.
• Once, a person was nice enough to offer water and a lozenge when Esther's voice was strained from a week straight of singing for their life.
• Crisostomo doesn't comment when Esther leaves in the middle of the performance. He finds Esther later by the cemetery, smoking alone.
👼
• Dinner is a potluck and Crisostomo has an eggnog thrust into his hands. It's spiked. He gets tipsy. And hungry.
• He samples every dish twice and laughs a lot. It's great.
• Esther has two eggnogs, a mulled wine, and a champagne before they're at the same level of tipsiness.
• A lechon is brought out and people cheer and take pictures with it.
🤱
• Crisostomo learns of the story of Jesus's birth and finds it fascinating how it was heralded by the archangel Gabriel.
• Crisostomo gets super invested in the belen.
• Father Camilo explains that it's handcarved wood whittled by a 90 year old woodcarving master 100 years ago. The master's great granddaughter is in charge of bringing it out every year.
• Crisostomo learns that the whimsical farm animals may not have been canonically there but to emphasize that Mary really did just give birth in a barn.
• He asks too many questions about the angel Gabriel which leads into questions about the annunciation which leads into the immaculate conception, getting into the theological academia side of it all that Father Camilo shuts him up about it by asking him what gender Esther really is.
• Crisostomo gets offended on Esther's behalf and walks away from the conversation. All according to Father Camilo's plan.
• What the fuck Father Camilo? Sister Castula sends him to the kitchen for dish duty as his penance for offending a guest.
👧
• Esther asks Monica if the other Sistermons will be in attendance. Monica laughs and says that if they did, she would have to confiscate their weapons and she doesnt think they'd like that.
• They both chat hiding in one of the cathedral's many tiny unoccupied offices that smell like mothballs and old hymn books from the 50s. They both unzip a bit to breathe. Monica with her corset and Esther with their binder.
• Tomas observes them slightly inebriated, out of breath, rumpled clothing while hiding from everyone else... He has thoughts that are untrue.
• Thankfully Crisostomo showing up makes Tomas shit his pants before he can gossip.
🤔
• Sometime during the evening someone says "Crisostomo? Where's Laura?" and laughs. He doesnt get it.
👩🦽
• His Excellency Bishop Joachim is there and hes at the ripe age of 67 thousand. His caretaker takes home a car full of presents and leftovers at the end and is grateful for it all.
• Esther is afraid the wattage of Crisostomo's smile is going to topple the old bishop over lol
• But theyre fine.
• The bishop somehow senses that Crisostomo isnt human.
• "Dont you cause Esther any trouble," he says, wagging a bony finger at him. "He's a good boy. Faithful boy. I don't want to have to call the exorcist on you."
• "Father Joaquim, you have my solemn promise. I will protect Esther with my very life. And for your information, Esther is not a boy."
• Esther hears their gender being discussed from across the hall and internally cringes. But they know Crisostomo has their back.
• They are just desperate for gender talk to not happen tonight.
• "Boy with a woman's name. It's not uncommon. I have a friend Adella who named her daughter Antonia but her nickname is Tony. When I was a boy my uncle had a lady friend named John when he was stationed in..." Father Joachim begins to ramble on.
• Esther is relieved that the conversation isnt about them anymore.
🎁
• Presents are exchanged but the excitement it garners pales in comparison to the chaos of the White Elephant game. There's about 30 participants but im not listing all of them
• 🐘 Presents they brought for White Elephant:
• Crisostomo : a bracelet he crafted himself from chrome digizoit with help from a Zudomon blacksmith and an Venusmon jeweller
• Esther : a box of tableya from a neighboring parish that makes sweets to raise money for charity
• Monica: a 750ml bottle of Jack Daniels with only about 2 shots left in it
• Tomas: an adult coloring book. The drawings inside are softcore
• His Excellency Father Joachim: a clear acrylic lockbox. Inside is about Php3000 in cash. There is no key. There is a note inside saying "You better be in a friendly mood."
• Father Camilo: the key to Father Joachim's lockbox. It isn't labelled but it does have a knockoff Hello Kitty keychain. Has the same note as in Joachim's present.
• Sister Castula: homemade mochi brownies that are to die for with the recipe included. There is a note that is more like a binding contract that ensures the recipient will never share the recipe. But can share the brownies.
• The lockbox and key become the hottest items. The rules of the game have been restated and enforced by everyone who wants their hands on them.
• Impromptu alliances are formed. Promises are made and broken. A marriage is threatened.
• Crisostomo watches the friendly chaos with bewilderment.
• If this was among him and the others in the angel corps (and if they cared about money), there would be a full on brawl.
• Sister Castula admonishes Father Camilo for being a shit starter. They both laugh.
• 🤣 What they ended up with at the conclusion of White Elephant
• Crisostomo: the adult coloring book
• Esther: a pack of hot pink 3-ply toilet paper
• Monica: the mochi brownies with recipe (hard-won). She laughed like an evil villain upon winning it. Sister Castula nods in smug approval knowing her recipe is in good hands
• Tomas: a pair of Minion slippers. Hidden inside the slippers are a pair of Shrek socks
• Father Joachim: a steam key for a copy of Undertale dhfbfjgngkgng
• Father Camilo: a custom mug that says "Baby Slut"
• Sister Castula: A 1st Edition hardcover copy of Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
🕯
• At some point, Esther gets overwhelmed and goes to the kitchen to help with the dishes. Father Camilo is there too. They have a friendly chat.
• Crisostomo is still angry about Father Camilo's out-of-pocket comment earlier and stands menacingly at the kitchen doorway until Monica shoos him away.
• "Go be tall in the sanctuary or something"
🎄
• The night is capped by a group prayer of thanks led by Father Joachim.
• He speaks so slowly that some of the altar boys get fidgety.
• It lasts about 10 minutes. When it's over there is some amount of relief
• There is another round of drinks.
• Esther takes it upon themself to put out the candles before someone trips over their robes and causes a fire.
• Crisostomo helps by flapping an invisible wing. The gust puts out all the candles at once.
• It startles a few nuns. They hold their skirts down.
• Esther laughs and calls him a tryhard. This makes Crisostomo blush.
• Father Joachim notices the display of otherworldly power. But it's innocent enough and has wine in him so he doesnt call attention to it.
🙏
• Monica packs up leftovers for the Sistermons because theyll never let her borrow their clothes again if she doesnt.
• Esther lets their fellow clergymen know that they, Crisostomo, and Monica are going to be off visiting relatives to do Noche Buena and for the rest of the Christmas season and they say their goodbyes.
• When they leave, Tomas quietly follows them to the garden.
• While Esther and Monica jump into the well that serves as their digital gate, Crisostomo confronts him.
• "Stop following us, Brother Tomas."
• Tomas tries him. "The two of them, liars. Disowned by their parents. Where are they really going? I know they don't have family."
• "They do," Crisostomo answers definitively. "They're just too monstrous for you."
• He climbs into the well. "Don't follow us, Brother Tomas. No one wants you to drown on Christmas day."
• Once they've all disappeared into the well, Tomas hazards a look down into it with a flashlight.
• He looks for his reflection to see if he can find the water they've all plunged themselves in. What he does see is an all-encompassing darkness at the bottom of the well.
• Tomas returns to the bright lights of the cathedral and shakes off the irrational fear that sticks to him like slime.
• He cannot fathom why anyone would jump into the dark well willingly. What kind of 'monstrous family' was waiting at the bottom?
• He thinks to himself, if this family were anything like Crisostomo, then they were supernatural beings. Way too beautiful to be human. Attracts everyone's attention with charisma. Loyal and powerful things.
• Could they be of the devil? Could members of the brotherhood and sisterhood of Sta. Magdalena be possessed? Sold their souls in some heretical pact?
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