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@munitumaltare
𝑴𝑬𝑬𝑻 𝑷𝑰𝑳𝑨𝑹 𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑺𝑷𝑬𝑹𝑶 ... a priest that is known for letting his faith lead the blind. will it cure all wounds? no. will it make life a little more bearable? yes. he'll fight like hell to make it work too. use his mental fortitude to become phsyical.
... in a den of rabbits and wolves, there was only ever enough room for teeth. to bite. to tear. to eat. to feel. to worship. he had always been led to believe that he was the son of a god ────── at least, in virtue. they were the chosen ones, nourishing the sun to stave off the black days. everyone in the commune believed in their purpose ... the power of human blood and its necessity as sustenance for the sun. and so, violence had always been part of his nature : an entire life reared to be a master of blood and blade. to be the one to provide offerings to the sun, with all the blood spilled and every heart carved out. most people would probably at a loss if they found out that one of their parent was a god, but it only made the most sense to him. not just by virtue or belief, but he was huitzilopochtli's child through and through. but it didn't have to be all teeth here. or at least that seemed to be what the mentors were going for. and without the strict routines he was accustomed to, he would need to find new things to fill the time. and he could start with making bonds ────── a smirk curling one side of his mouth upwards, sheathing his rapiers in one fluid motion. and he looked at the offered hand with a slight tilt of his head, then gazing back up to the priest's eyes, as if considering something. ❝ pleasure is a thing easily shared, father ... ❞ rafe stepped closer, grasping pilar's hand firmly with such a warm grip, lingering just a moment too long. his dark eyes flickered with something playful, a glint of mischief mixed with calculated intent. ❝ and i find it more enjoyable when savored slowly ... ❞ he lowered his hand back to his side, but decided to take another step forward to make up for the lost contact. ❝ i've met a man like you before. tlamatini, we called him. he served the gods, and i served him, too. ❞ he said, curiosity evident in how his gaze lingered on the older man. everyone here lived different lives and rafe couldn't help but wonder how a demigod came to serve another god from a different pantheon. ❝ is it true about what they say ? the catholics being repressed ? ❞
... every religion had its different system and set of beliefs, none of which were wrong. pilar was raised to believe that everyone was a child of god, made in their image. although he always took a much more modern approach with christianity in his church. he never bashed the gays. women were equally venerated. the bible was never taken literally. the mexican priest found that it was a way to bring in union to a religion that often times alienated people. a way to protect everyone from their daily sins in order to help find salvation. he even had a different view on sex. if your body was a temple, then you should seek out pleasures as long as you didn't hurt anyone.
still, there were many rules that he still had to play along with. he couldn't change a whole belief system by himself. for some reason though, he was extremely persuasive. a man of the cloth with a silver tongue.
there didn't need to be any sermons on ark island to get people to believe. they were all aware of the higher powers that governed their life. at least he hoped. otherwise, what the hell were they all doing there? now he could just focus on the beauty of partnering up with others. making connections that could last a lifetime, no matter how short that life was going to be. ❝ you're right. plus, who am i to take that pleasure away from such a determined man? ❞ something about rafael has stroke him as familiar. he returned the handshake. grasping his hand with a firm grip as well while his left lightly covered the other's warm hand. something he was used to as a priest. ❝ i hope you don't let life pass you by while you're taking things slow. ❞
if he was as pure as someone in his profession normally was, this interaction would be enough to make him sweat. again, he was modern, so he stood his ground. ❝ i'm glad you played your part then. i had a server as well, but he went down a dangerous slope. christ's body was no longer the one he craved to worship. service became obsession. ❞ he moved his right hand up again, back of his fingers brushing against rafael's arm. ❝ that might be true for others, but i embraced my sins instead of running from them. temptation was never something i shied away from. it's a natural part of life. the body needs certain releases to survive and those are always better with company. ❞
Fleabag 2.06 | The Exorcist 2.10 "Unworthy"
... it wasn't at all difficult to think that he had been born into this role. butcher. killer. blood-spiller. after all, it was all he had ever known. and some might argue that he might have been different if circumstances were different ────── if he wasn't born into a strict intentional community where blood was shed to demonstrate their reverence, but then rafe didn't think he would be himself at all. he didn't know anything else like a precise cut to the neck and seeing blood pouring out that allowed him to tap into something so ... primal. something so undeniable. and although the rapiers in his hands were nothing like his favorite butcher's knife, rafe had always been a quick learner. and training for combat wasn't the all different from butchering animals ... or the methodical ritual of sacrifices. hack. slash. puncture. he danced between the training dummies, each strike deliberate and precise. the rapiers whistled through the air, stabbing the necks of the dummies with accuracy. and with unsettling speed, he twisted the blades, severing heads cleanly from their bodies. one by one, the heads thudded to the floor, decapitated dummies left standing there as rafe smiled at himself. ❝ sorry about the mess ... ❞ he said politely, seeing that someone had been watching him all this time. and quite ironic how someone so dangerous didn't not look threatening at all ────── such a prepossessing smile on his lips as he approached the other. he rarely ever met people outside of his community. but rather than being intimidated, he allowed it to be a source of excitement. rafe believed that they were all here for a reason : to be their divine parent's blades. and there was nothing like a common cause to bring people together. ❝ i'm rafe. well, rafael ... but friends call me rafe. ❞
... bloodshed was inevitable in a place of war. he had come to terms with that when they had to get rid of the evil king in order to save snow white. pilar didn't have an issue with people dying. he just knew he wasn't going to be the one that performed the killing blow. that's why he was always intrigued when he saw people that fighting came natural to. this new arrival was the perfect example of that. he tore up those training dummies like there was nothing else in the world to do. like it was his purpose. on some level, that was also commendable.
not everyone knew what they were meant to do in this world, but something told him that rafe did. ❝ don't feel the need to apologize to me. i'm not the one in charge of cleaning this place up when you're done. i'm just someone passing by and admiring another man's skills with blades. you're pretty good with those by the way. looked like a natural out there. ❞ pilar had half of the mind to set up a force field for himself to block any of the dummy parts flying out to him. he didn't simply for the fact that he kept his distance. hopefully that went to show that he wasn't afraid of what the other could do. there was a thin line between fear and admiration though. he saw it a lot when it came to people worshipping god.
a small smile pressed against his lips as introductions were starting. again, this wasn't much different from his previous world. preaching about a deity, shaking hands while introducing himself, performing miracles. it was like his whole world was building up to this moment. ❝ nice to meet you then, rafe. i'm father pilar, but around these parts i guess you can just call me pilar. the pleasure is all mine. ❞ he stuck out his hand in case the other wanted to shake it. although he wouldn't be offended if he didn't.
𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, being somewhere the reminded him of home. he was like that whenever he was at the beach. it reminded him of the beaches of cuba. he felt comfortable whenever he spent his days there. he laughed when the other spoke. " yes, exactly. " he said. " that's probably why we all end up coming back alive, we work together in quests. " riah studied the man's fast for a second. the priest seemed rather kind, but he wondered how it all must have felt for him. " how are you holding up? "
holding onto a semblance of normalcy was expected. even though pilar wasn't going to host a catholic mass ever again, there were things he could do around the island. cleanse the temples for one. it eased the tension that was starting to build in his shoulders. “ and look at the outcome. not only did we obtain the artifact, but we gained a new ally. ” that to him was invaluable, which was why he was smiling so much. “ as good as i can be. i don't think anything harsh has happened to me yet, so i'm just taking every day for what it is. how are you feeling, riah? ”
Armando shrugged again, "I guess I read too much. Sometimes those things just stick in my head, y'know?" That was the point of reading, he knew that, but some things made more of an impact that others. "Family thing," he said with a small smile, "my father, the God, the night sky is his domain. I'm drawn to it too, so I suppose the stars are on brand, or thematic or something." At this stage he put down most of his personality traits and quirks and life events down to his parentage and the divine nature of it all. "You gave it up for this, or before you knew all this was an option?"
his lips pressed together, a clear sign that he was starting to lose himself deep in thought. “is there such a thing as reading too much? there's no harm in absorbing as much information as you can.” lord knew that he tried to do it all of the time. he nodded slightly at the revelation. now it was all coming together. “makes sense. was this a newfound attraction when your divinity awoke or did you always feel connected to the stars?” one could study the half gods to decide if things truly were nature or nurture. that might have been slightly unethical though. “for this. figured i couldn't keep on living my life as a priest in mexico with a call to war looming over my head.”
"right?? people these days only read a book when their life depends on it." elias wasn't that way, he never had been. he'd always had that indescribable love for technology & a talent for working with it, too, but he still never lost the love for books. if he had to choose between saving humankind & books? humankind wouldn't like his answer. though truth be told, he kept those thoughts to himself & he doubted a choice like that would ever hunt him down. nor that he would actually have that choice. although, now that he thought about it, he would give books for sansa. but the young cub was special to him, so .. there was that. dev might've got there one day, elias hadn't been sure about the man. never would be, it seemed.
"pleasure's all mine meeting a book lover like me, pilar." elias grinned, bookmark slipped in-between pages so he could close the book & hold it against his chest while they spoke. some ... would never get his attention like that, but a fellow man of intellect? oh yeah. "damn, that's a lot ...all at once. but you made it this far, so i'm guessing it works? wait, do you actually smell more?" that would be crazy, but oh so very interesting. they were halfgods, so maybe that played into it, too, but then again humans are said to have insane powers if they just condition themselves properly.
“ then act surprise when they can't get the answer that they need in the first three pages. ” often times people turned to the bible for that. the final moments of their life they tried to grasp onto some sense of hope. an afterlife with a higher power. clutching onto a rosary for a last minute salvation. even though he thought about it, he never judged. people held onto hope when they feared what was to come after death. who would have known that pilar was going to be introduced to people that had been there, seen it. levin had been in the underworld. aleki had died. forest was close to death. life was finite, but sometimes the end wasn't always the end.
“ whenever i comes to books know that you're never alone. ” instead of explaining things, since he would get lost in his words, the former priest stepped forward. he moved his hands up and pressed them up against elias' eyes. “ close your eyes and smell. ” thankfully he had some fragrance on. notes of leather, fire wood, and oranges. perhaps if elias focused enough, he'd be able to tune into his sense of smell and make note of that. “ after that, just sense the magic around you. yours, mine, the object i put at the end of the maze. tell me what you can smell, what you can sense. ” maybe he'd be able to help him discover another part of himself.
"We all started from the water," Armando mused, mulling over something he'd read once, "back before humans were humans. So it makes sense we're drawn to it whether we can swim or not." He took in a deep breath, looking up at the night sky. "But before that we were stars...which I like more, but maybe I'm biased on that front." Now he was off on a tangent, and he wiped at his face, cooling it with the cove water. "Fath?" He raised a brow, "a different alias?" He smiled. Pilar seemed interesting to say the least.
“that is quite the philosophical way of thinking about it, but you do have a point.” thinking about their origins while they were in the bay made this feel much more natural. like human instinct. “at least we're back in our natural habitat.” now the man had his curiosity and attention. two things that weren't the easiest to steal. “and why are stars better for you?” maybe that would provide more insight into who armando was as a person. “i was a priest. former mundane life. still hard to get over that part.”
𝐚 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 on zachariah's face when he he saw the other. after grabbing some of the stuff that was dropped, he stood up and handed him the incense. " it looks like this is where you probably might be more comfortable? " he teased. " yea, i'm glad i got to help out. those vines were scary. if it wasn't for amant freeing me, we would have been at a loss. " and he was glad that the painting was the reason they were freed and it killed the evil king.
a priest walks into a temple… the joke almost wrote itself honestly. after all of the components were back, he closed the chamber up again and then set it off to the side. “ it's one of the places that reminds me of my church and home the most, so yes. ” this camp was filled with insightful people it seemed. “ i guess it's true when they say that teamwork makes the dream work, huh? ” there was probably going to be a lot of that here. having to work together.
elias hadn't even seen the blindfold - ironically enough, until the other half god waved it around. a blind run through the maze? that sure sounded like a challenge, though did he want to put himself through something like that? probably not. yeah, no - definitely too much effort to put into something he didn't really care about. the mention of his book had him smile brightly, teeth showing & a nod confirming what the smile may already have tried to portray. "yeah! thanks for asking. it's uh, it's a bit special, but it's fun." he stood, holding out his hand for the other to shake.
"i'm elias. i don't think we've met....?" no, he knew. elias remembered handsome guys in his vicinity. it was crazy to him that ..there were more of them out there so that there was this constant trickle of halfgods coming into camp. well, some returned. some had been there before him. but it was all the same. there were so many of them. "so uh, i gotta ask. is this some mental fortitude kind of training with the blindfold or are you just bored and the maze is too easy?" for which he wouldn't judge him. well, either explanation was valid. elias was just curious, really.
special and fun? someone who spoke about books like that already had his attention. he did wonder why elias chose the maze to read, but perhaps it was quiet. “ what else can you ask for when you find a book worth reading? ” a small smile formed on his face. he was definitely a lover of knowledge himself, among other things. he moved his hand over so that he could shake the man's hand. a formal introduction for someone that he could already see himself bonding with. clearly they were using the maze in unconventional ways, even if they were both doing it differently.
“ we haven't met formally, so rest assured that you didn't forget me or anything. ” now a flirty smile was taking over his lips. “ a pleasure to meet you, elias, i'm pilar. ” he still hadn't made all of his rounds. if the mentors were to believe that he was going to get to know all of them and his fellow half gods that were taking part in the war his first week there they were crazy. although he was there for more than a week now. “ i'm trying to make sure my other senses are also heightened. smell and hearing. i also placed a magical mirror at the end that i'm trying to sense with my arcane knowledge, hoping it's enough to pull me forward. ” all the tests.
despite how it was exactly what he was doing, there was a part of sam that almost wanted to say no. but that might just be muscle memory. or maybe, even his brain was still in shock that he was actually here. he wouldn't be caught dead near a church just a month ago, and now here he was ────── in a temple filled with the statues of gods, desperately trying to make sense of everything. so he just smiled as a response to the question, reluctant to admit it to himself. " i think i'd do pretty well in a zombie apocalypse, actually, " sam chuckled with a gleam of amusement in his eyes, pretending to throw a few playful punches into the air. " give them the one-two combo and they'll be begging for the afterlife again. " but he dropped his hands mid-punch this time, stepping closer as he sized the other man up. he wouldn't exactly call himself a vibes connoisseur, but there was something about the demigod that simply felt reverent. it reminded him of the old tall trees in the forest ; unyielding, carrying this calm, grounded energy. " something about you ... " sam grinned, with a touch more sincerity this time. he paused for a few moments, trying to find the right words. " i don't know if it's weird to say, but the way you carry yourself ... this whole cleansing thing ... the calm and centered demeanor. all very priestly. i bet you're great at bringing people peace when they need it. that's your vibe. " sam laughed to himself, shaking his head, shoulders rising in a slight shrug. " i know, i know, it's probably weird. but hey, i mean it as a compliment. i'm into it. "
faith was something that could be hard, even here. certain creatures were more aligned to rebel with the system that was set in place. with various camps merged together on an island, it was also like asking them to merge their belief systems. imagine sons of iroko and demeter being told that there were tons of other plant deities around. it was human nature to either assimilate or fight the systemic branch that was put into place. pilar was just man however. he wasn't going to change any of that. “ sending someone to the land of the dead twice? that's quite a bold statement. ” although it sparked an intrigued gleam in his eyes. “ you'd give them hell. kind of want to see you fight a zombie now. ”
great, someone that was insightful. pilar didn't mind sam reading him. at least the words that he chose were all good. he could also confidently say that the man was a good judge of character. “ what if i were to tell you that you were spot on? ” brows rise together in unison as he looks over at him. such a young man and yet already wise beyond his years. that could bite him in the ass or be the biggest blessing ever. “ i was a priest back in mexico. worked a lot with the dead too when it came to anointing the sick. ” only one of the sacraments he performed. mass, funerals, marriages, he had a hand to play in all of those as well. “ so don't worry, it's not weird. thank you for seeing me i guess. ” beyond the name and being a half god. samuel saw the real him.
❝ not at all: I've come across some very strong odors due to research: this one was rather pleasant … reverent, to say the least. ❞ which was probably pilar's intent, now that sabri thought about it. as the priest explains his heritage, there is a bit of irony in a man of the cloth being the son of a highly revered fertility goddess, though only in profession, as their brown eyes look a bit more … pilar is very beautiful to say the least. like the kind of beauty you feel guilt for gazing on because of their ties to holiness. ❝ I understand: our godly parents hold a barrage of titles and honorifics to their names. there is still much I learn about my father everyday. ❞ and more they would continue to learn. when proposed with the offer to join pilar back down, sabri looks to the temple: there's nothing there for them in this dusk of night, and what drew them was now found. ❝ I'd like that. do you take a lot of leisurely walks yourself, father ? sorry, pilar. ❞ it was a hard habit to break, using proper titles.
“ good to know that it's one of the more pleasant ones then. although now i am a little curious. how powerful are those negative odors you've encountered? ” if certain scents were strong enough to cleanse areas, he was sure that some could deter foes. perhaps they could cover themselves in something that sabri could make and in turn, be less appealing to be the target in a battle. maybe pilar was going to have to look around the shops to see if something like this already existed. “ separating fact from fiction also seems like something that we're going to be occupied with. the mortals have plenty of stories about our parents. this island, the library, have all of the correct ones though. ” he started to walk down the path that was already laid out for them. finding solace in the fact that he didn't have to focus on anything else aside from sabri. “ if father is what comes naturally, don't fight it. i do though. it helps me clear my head and gives me guidance. how about you? ”
"I took him into my mouth like... I was taking a Holy Communion." - Lito Rodriguez
SENSE8 1.09 | Death Doesn't Let You Say Goodbye
general areas: the entrance and some of the other rooms have an ornate stained glass window. aside from that, it's a pretty quaint but comfortable abode. the walls are all white and the decorations, for the most part, are gold or marble. he enjoys uniformity. the kitchen has a small island and on top, a small plant as well.
bathroom: has all of the essentials that you would need. a simple tub, a sink, a mirror, and a toilet. everything is tucked away under the sink, either in the large cabinet or in the small drawers. the shower doors are glass and there's another mirror in there. it can get quite steamy since he prefers hot showers above all else.
bedroom: the bed frame is described as champagne, at least in the catalog that it was picked from. the sheets are all white and soft. the pillows are all satin because he feels like it would be the best to not get any oils on his face. a small lamp and vase are on his nightstand at all times with a rosary hanging from them.
extra details: apparently he is very big on reflections (his own and of others) because there's a lot of mirrors around. he also has a lot of white anointed candles, depictions of both xōchiquetzal & the virgin mary, and flowers. the place feels extremely clean. both in the physical and spiritual sense. he wouldn't have it any other way.
𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐡 𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 to his father's statue. after being given the new ability to heal, he wanted to offer his thanks, and leave some honey and flowers to him. he was in the middle of a small prayer when he heard the loud noise from the other side. he chuckled, giving his final thank you to his father before stepping up and looking over the other man. " you're okay, " riah responded before getting down to help pick up some of the content he dropped. " they're probably thankful someone is here cleansing the place. "
clearly the group can't trust him with stealth. father prospero naturally called attention to himself. there wasn't really anything that he could do about that fact. at least it seemed like zachariah was already done with his prayer. that was a relief. “ you'd think i know better not to disrupt in a place of worship. ” being a priest and all. he thanked the younger man for helping him clean up and then straightened himself up again. “ much like we were thankful when you found that painting of king grim. we all have our part to play. ”
he had never been the most religious or spiritual person, but sam found it quite easy to be lost in thoughts once he knelt before the statue of his father. maybe being the child of god never really sank in until now, suddenly feeling such a deep desire to prove himself to a deity who neither asked for his reverence or attention. iroko might be his father but he never acted as such, and the only proof of his presence were the blessings sam inherited in his veins. yet, sam still felt this yearning ────── a desperation to be seen and heard. he muttered a prayer under his breath, but he before he could finish — a clang ! " you probably didn't mean to, but you certainly know how, " sam responded in mild jest, languidly standing up and stretching his muscles. he didn't know how long he'd been there, but he could certainly feel the need to move around in his bones. " should i be worried ? if you're here to cleanse, then you must have felt some bad juju. don't really want to get infected with all that. "
needing answers from a higher power wasn't uncommon. even if one didn't believe in a higher power to begin with. for some people, the big bang was their god. in his time as a catholic priest, he had seen it time and time again. a miracle happened and they wanted answers. science, religion, something even greater than both combined? even though it wasn't his god, it was a relief to know that some form of higher power existed. standing in the center of the mountain, he was able to see just how many. it was a lot to take in, that was for sure, yet he wasn't going to stop until he absorbed knowledge from all the other pantheons.
“ my apologies again. i promise to be more quiet next time you are … praying? ” pilar figured it was safe to assume. after all, even an angry conversation with a parent would be considered praying now. he finished picking up the contents and then shook his head. “ believe it or not, even good energy needs to be cleansed. you wouldn't want your question to your deity interrupted by someone else asking for their lost loved. then this place would be filled with zombies. ”
The guy seemed amicable enough, not the sort to start cannonballing into the water or splashing around once submerged. Conversation didn't count as disruption, but if the other chose to remain silent, Armando wouldn't begrudge that either. "Can't promise I'm going to be the right person to help if things do go wrong, but you're just here to float and relax and be chilled, there shouldn't be anything to worry about," he offered another smile, letting the other know he was indeed open for conversation. "I'm not sure we've met before," he realised introductions hadn't been exchanged yet, "Armando De Leon."
that at least gave him the confirmation that the man was not an ocean or water half god. good to know. “don't worry, i may not look it, but i enjoy my fair time in the water now and then.” he just didn't do it with company normally. seeing a priest nearly naked and wet was often frowned upon in his hometown. “i don't believe we have.” he found a comfortable spot in the cove and then stayed there, floating while looking at his new friend. “it's nice to meet you, armando de leon, my name is fath -” he needed to stop that. “sorry, habit. i'm pilar prospero.”
