#Disciples of California

[kimbapchan]

I’ll be on vacation at california for 12 days so it might take a while before I upload the new Scum Disciple au episode so I’ll spoiler 2 panels for this week🤭

But trust that I am working on it at the moment 🤣 I’m excited to show more of the story ❤️

[chimichaching]

I know it's bland, having an art block type moment ig.

After fiddleford left the project, Ford started to become delusional, having no one to keep him grounded in reality. He lets Bill possess him more frequently, to keep the one he trusted in the most in his life, he isolated himself from everyone, and Bill was all he had left. He hears Bill in his head, in his thoughts, and sees him in his dreams. When he wasn't in them, Ford would beg, or pray, to bill, afraid he'll lose him. Sitting in his room full of bill cipher relics, drawings, and tapestries for hours, he'd be finishing up the portal as Bill requested. When Ford did go out for food and toiletries, he'd ramble to others about Bill, how powerful he was, and how they'd benefit from his wisdom and power. Some would brush him off, others, looking for answers and already suseptible to manipulation and promises of an easier life listened. Bill, the narcissistic being he is, commands Ford to grow a following, a place of worship, Ford being the priest, his disciple.

As Ford loses his sanity, he believes anything bad or good that's happened to him was because of Bill being either pleased or displeased with him. He sees him in anything that had any resemblance of Bill, a yield sign, triangle perfume bottles, children's books, hell, even pizza and doritos! Feeling as if he was watching, anywhere at anytime.

Ford has finished the portal, or has put the finishing touches on it, allowing Bills plan to finally begin, Ford, his henchmaniacs and his cult help Bill in various ways, destroying the forcefield around the town, Bill begins his never-ending "party" with Ford as his devoted disciple and partner. The world goes into chaos.

The twins, dipper and Mabel, never visit gravity falls, Stanley never getting that call from Ford. The twins were not born yet, never stopping Bill, fiddleford still created the blind eye, but the group is forced underground to avoid danger as the cult grew. "The all seeing eye" was Ford's new cult he made for Bill, mocking the blind eye's group.

Dipper and Mabel are born into chaos, raised to fear and worship Bill and his henchmaniacs, however they rebeled, Dipper researching how to stop Bill, his henchmaniacs...and his grunkle Ford. Mabel has a knack for building weapons and is able to evade detection from gangs as she searches for food, water, and supplies for her and dipper in their hometown, piedmont, California.

Ok, ok, I know it's long, but i just needed to put this somewhere, I'm not a good story teller and I haven't truly read the journals or the book of bill just yet, I'm going off by the little I know from the show and what I've seen and read. I wanted to see an angsty AU, didn't find one or just didn't search hard enough, so...forgive me if it's totally out of order, thank you for reading and I hope I did ok. <3 it's also 4 AM where I'm at..so there might be mistakes.

[wombatwisdom]

The Institution

In the version of the first vision that is most frequently quoted by church members, I find the question posed by the 14 year old, soon to be prophet, rather telling.

He does not ask a personal question, such "how can I be a better disciple of Jesus Christ?" Or even more biblical "what lack I yet?"

Nor does he ask a more general question like "how can I help people more fully come unto Christ?"

The question he poses is an institutional one: "Which of all the sects was right, that I may know which to join." (JS History 1:18)

It should be noted that this account was not drafted until 1838, and is likely not a perfect recounting of events but rather a recounting with a purpose. If you are trying to convince people that a church is the one true church of God, the question that initiated the vision had better be about churches.

I think, however, this institutional focus looms large in our church, exacerbated by correlation efforts in the latter half of the 20th century. In many ways, the church has survived and thrived off its institutional design.

As I see it, the church has two aspects that constantly create tension: the centralized institution (think church headquarters) and the local congregation (think your ward or branch). Historically, the church has oscillated between different approaches: at times highly centralized, others more localized. In the modern church, it has struck a rather successful balance between the two, and landed in what I like to call the "franchise model".

My mother likes to say she loves that church is the same no matter where she attends. And generally that's true--she knows she can share her testimony on the first Sunday of the month, she knows what class to attend for second hour, and she knows when to sit, stand, sing, and say amen.

In truth the structure of the church on this tightrope between the top down approach of the centralized church and the bottom up approach of the localized church is a marvel. The average member feels empowered at the local level while supported by a larger framework maintained by a centralized group. Local leaders are volunteers (sort of), so less likely to be swayed to corruption, while the central leadership is full time with the capacity to address sweeping and large issues.

But these two structures pull against each other too. Local congregations can veer too far from the comfort of Central planning and can have their autonomy reduced (see women on the stand in California). Central leadership can implement policy that is difficult to enforce at the local level that will just kind of be forgotten (see the countless examples of leadership roulette).

Central leadership's goal is to maintain the institution and keep the train on the tracks, where the local congregation's goal is to foster community. And between the two is the estuary of middle-management who are trying support both at the same time (a confusing and thankless task if there ever was one).

These goals can be tricky to support and are often contradictory but can be advantageous to the church as a whole.

You've probably seen this in action. If someone in your ward mistreats you and you offer this as reason for no longer attending, you are often reminded that the church is more than the local community, it is a global Church run by God and you shouldn't abandon it because of a less than stellar ward environment. Similarly, if Central Leadership proposes a policy that marginalizes you or othes, the defense is to remember how great a community of saints exists and how much you are loved.

This makes it difficult to criticize, advocate or create positive change in the church. While grassroots movements can work, it is important to see how both sides of the church work and in what ways they are interconnected and how they are separate. A movement solely focused on improving the community does not change damaging centralized policy or teachings, likewise even perfect policy will not create the desired effect if the local community is hostile or otherwise unable to implement it.

From the very beginning of the LDS tradition there has been an eye towards institutionalism. Much more can and needs to be said regarding how Christ fits into the institution, but this post is already too long to tackle that. So, I'll leave it here for now.

[shewhoworshipscarlin]

Evelyn Preer

Evelyn Preer (née Jarvis; July 26, 1896 – November 17, 1932), was an African American pioneering screen and stage actress, and jazz and blues singer in Hollywood during the late-1910s through the early 1930s. Preer was known within the Black community as "The First Lady of the Screen."

She was the first Black actress to earn celebrity and popularity. She appeared in ground-breaking films and stage productions, such as the first play by a black playwright to be produced on Broadway, and the first New York–style production with a black cast in California in 1928, in a revival of a play adapted from Somerset Maugham's Rain.

Evelyn Jarvis was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, on July 26, 1896. After her father, Frank, died prematurely, she moved with her mother, Blanche, and her three other siblings to Chicago, Illinois. She completed grammar school and high school in Chicago. Her early experiences in vaudeville and "street preaching" with her mother are what jump-started her acting career. Preer married Frank Preer on January 16, 1915, in Chicago.

At the age of 23, Preer's first film role was in Oscar Micheaux's 1919 debut film The Homesteader, in which she played Orlean. Preer was promoted by Micheaux as his leading actress with a steady tour of personal appearances and a publicity campaign, she was one of the first African American women to become a star to the black community. She also acted in Micheaux's Within Our Gates (1920), in which she plays Sylvia Landry, a teacher who needs to raise money to save her school. Still from the 1919 Oscar Micheaux film Within Our Gates.

In 1920, Preer joined The Lafayette Players a theatrical stock company in Chicago that was founded in 1915 by Anita Bush, a pioneering stage and film actress known as “The Little Mother of Black Drama". Bush and her troupe toured the US to bring legitimate theatre to black audiences at a time when theaters were racially segregated by law in the South, and often by custom in the North and the interest of vaudeville was fading. The Lafayette Players brought drama to black audiences, which caused it to flourish until its end during the Great Depression.

She continued her career by starring in 19 films. Micheaux developed many of his subsequent films to showcase Preer's versatility. These included The Brute (1920), The Gunsaulus Mystery (1921), Deceit (1923), Birthright (1924), The Devil’s Disciple (1926), The Conjure Woman (1926) and The Spider's Web (1926). Preer had her talkie debut in the race musical Georgia Rose (1930). In 1931, she performed with Sylvia Sidney in the film Ladies of the Big House. Her final film performance was as Lola, a prostitute, in Josef von Sternberg's 1932 film Blonde Venus, with Cary Grant and Marlene Dietrich. Preer was lauded by both the black and white press for her ability to continually succeed in ever more challenging roles, "...her roles ran the gamut from villain to heroine an attribute that many black actresses who worked in Hollywood cinema history did not have the privilege or luxury to enjoy." Only her film by Micheaux and three shorts survive. She was known for refusing to play roles that she believed demeaned African Americans.

By the mid-1920s, Preer began garnering attention from the white press, and she began to appear in crossover films and stage parts. In 1923, she acted in the Ethiopian Art Theatre's production of The Chip Woman's Fortune by Willis Richardson. This was the first dramatic play by an African-American playwright to be produced on Broadway, and it lasted two weeks. She met her second husband, Edward Thompson, when they were both acting with the Lafayette Players in Chicago. They married February 4, 1924, in Williamson County, Tennessee. In 1926, Preer appeared on Broadway in David Belasco’s production of Lulu Belle. Preer supported and understudied Lenore Ulric in the leading role of Edward Sheldon's drama of a Harlem prostitute. She garnered acclaim in Sadie Thompson in a West Coast revival of Somerset Maugham’s play about a fallen woman.

She rejoined the Lafayette Players for that production in their first show in Los Angeles at the Lincoln Center. Under the leadership of Robert Levy, Preer and her colleagues performed in the first New York–style play featuring black players to be produced in California. That year, she also appeared in Rain, a play adapted from Maugham's short story by the same name.

Preer also sang in cabaret and musical theater where she was occasionally backed by such diverse musicians as Duke Ellington and Red Nichols early in their careers. Preer was regarded by many as the greatest actress of her time.

Developing post-childbirth complications, Preer died of pneumonia on November 17, 1932, in Los Angeles at the age of 36. Her husband continued as a popular leading man and "heavy" in numerous race films throughout the 1930s and 1940s, and died in 1960.

Their daughter Edeve Thompson converted to Catholicism as a teenager. She later entered the Sisters of St. Francis of Oldenburg, Indiana, where she became known as Sister Francesca Thompson, O.S.F., and became an academic, teaching at both Marian University in Indiana and Fordham University in New York City.

Still from the 1919 Oscar Micheaux film Within Our Gates.

[patriottruth]

Earthquake: 15:44:00 GMT+2 Jerusalem, Israel, 05:44:00 PST Local Time Furnace Creek, California (5 minutes, 59 seconds (359 seconds) after the 13:38:01 UTC "Abortion" truth post)

Matthew 13:38 The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. Matthew 13:39 The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels. Matthew 13:40 “Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world. Matthew 13:41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. Matthew 13:42 And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 13:43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand! Matthew 13:44 “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 1457 Psalm 38:1 A psalm of David. Lehazkir. Psalm 38:2 O Lord, do not punish me in wrath; do not chastise me in fury. Psalm 38:3 For Your arrows have struck me; Your blows have fallen upon me.

Mark 15:44 Pilate couldn’t believe that Jesus was already dead, so he called for the Roman officer and asked if he had died yet. Mark 15:45 The officer confirmed that Jesus was dead, so Pilate told Joseph he could have the body. Mark 15:46 Joseph bought a long sheet of linen cloth. Then he took Jesus’ body down from the cross, wrapped it in the cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone in front of the entrance. Mark 15:47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where Jesus’ body was laid. Mark 16:1 Saturday evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body. Mark 16:2 Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise, they went to the tomb. Mark 16:3 On the way they were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb? Mark 16:4 But as they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled aside. Mark 16:5 When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, Mark 16:6 but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. Mark 16:7 Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.”

John 5:44 No wonder you can’t believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don’t care about the honor that comes from the one who alone is God. John 5:45 “Yet it isn’t I who will accuse you before the Father. Moses will accuse you! Yes, Moses, in whom you put your hopes.

Strong's Concordance #359 Eloth: "grove of lofty trees" Original Word: אֵילוֹת

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Pages 987, 988, and 989 Isaiah 61:1 The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me; He has sent me as a herald of joy to the humble. To bind up the wounded of heart, To proclaim release to the captives, Liberation to the imprisoned; Isaiah 61:2 To proclaim a year of the Lord's favor And a day of vindication by our God; To comfort all who mourn-- Isaiah 61:3 To provide for the mourners in Zion--To give them a turban instead of ashes,The festive ointment instead of mourning, A garment of splendor instead of a drooping spirit. They shall be called terebinths of victory, Planted by the Lord for His glory. Isaiah 61:4 And they shall build the ancient ruins, Raise up the desolations of old, And renew the ruined cities, The desolations of many ages. Isaiah 61:5 Strangers shall stand and pasture your flocks, Aliens shall be your plowmen and vinetrimmers; Isaiah 61:6 While you shall be called "Priests of the Lord," And termed "Servants of our God." You shall enjoy the wealth of nations And revel in their riches. Isaiah 61:7 Because your shame was double--Me cried, "Disgrace is their portion"--Assuredly, They shall have a double share in their land, Joy shall be theirs for all time. Isaiah 61:8 For I the Lord love justice, I hate robbery with a burnt offering. I will pay them their wages faithfully, And make a covenant with them for all time. Isaiah 61:9 Their offspring shall be known among the nations, Their descendants in the midst of the peoples. All who see them shall recognize That they are a stock the Lord has blessed. Isaiah 61:10 I greatly rejoice in the Lord, My whole being exults in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of triumph, Wrapped me in a robe of victory, Like a bridegroom adorned with a turban, Like a bride bedecked with her finery. Isaiah 61:11 For as the earth brings forth her growth And a garden makes the seed shoot up, So the Lord God will make Victory and renown shoot up In the presence of all the nations.

Those who love, fear, seek out, and turn to the almighty G-d of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and who study the Living Word of the Abrahamic G-d know and understand that wisdom is female…

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 1603 Proverbs 3:13 Happy is the man who finds wisdom, The man who attains understanding. Proverbs 3:14 Her value in trade is better than silver, Her yield, greater than gold. Proverbs 3:15 She is more precious than rubies; All of your goods cannot equal her. Proverbs 3:16 In her right hand is length of days, In her left, riches and honor. Proverbs 3:17 Her ways are pleasant ways, And all her paths, peaceful. Proverbs 3:18 She is a tree of life to those who grasp her, And whoever holds on to her is happy. Proverbs 3:19 The Lord founded the earth by wisdom; He established the heavens by understanding;

Kamala Harris Presidential Campaign Announcement - We Choose Freedom July 25, 2024 (207th day) Duration: 1:20 (80 seconds) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHky_Xopyrw sHky_Xopyrw hkoprswxyy 8+10+50+60+80+90+900+300+400+400=2298. 2298+80=2378. 2378+207=2585.

Strong's Concordance #2585 Chanok: From chanak; initiated; Chanok, an antediluvian patriach -- Enoch; four Israelites, sons of Cain, Jered, Midian and Reuben Original Word: חֲנוֹךְ

Strong's Concordance #2596 chanak: to initiate, train up, dedicate, an apprentice Original Word: חָנַךְ

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 1636 Proverbs 22:6 Train a lad in the way he ought to go; He will not swerve from it even in old age.

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 15 Genesis 9:5 But for your own life-blood I will require a reckoning: I will require it of every beast; of man, too, will I require a reckoning for human life, of every man for that of his fellow man!

In Genesis 9:5, this is the original word for "your lives/human life" in Hebrew that is in the TANAKH that Jesus Christ, an Israeli Hebrew, taught from: Strong's Concordance #5315 nephesh: a soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion Original Word: נֶפֶשׁ

In Genesis 9:5, this is the original word for "man" in Hebrew that is in the TANAKH that Jesus Christ, an Israeli Hebrew, taught from: Strong's Concordance #120 adam: man, mankind, humankind, a human being, a person Original Word: אָדָם

In Genesis 9:5, this is the original word for "his" in Hebrew that is in the TANAKH that Jesus Christ, an Israeli Hebrew, taught from: Strong's Concordance #251 ach: kindred, a brother, a sister, a fellow human being Original Word: אָח

An accurate reading of the original Hebrew for all Jews and Christians is thus: Genesis 9:5 But for your own life-blood I will require a reckoning: I will require it of every beast; of humanity, too, will I require a reckoning for every human being's life, soul, spirit, desire, passion, hopes, dreams, and the entirety/sum of their moment-by-moment human experience on earth, of every human being for that of their fellow human beings!

Strong's Concordance #9 abedah: From 'abad; something lost; destruction, i.e. Hades -- lost, a lost thing Original Word: אֲבֵדָה

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 901 Isaiah 26:3 The confident mind You guard in safety, In safety because it trusts in You.

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 1440 Psalm 26:1 Of David. Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked without blame; I have trusted in the Lord; I have not faltered. Psalm 26:2 Probe me, O Lord, and try me, test my heart and mind; Psalm 26:3 for my eyes are on Your steadfast love; I have set my course by it. Psalm 26:4 I do not consort with scoundrels, or mix with hypocrites; Psalm 26:5 I detest the company of evil men, and do not consort with the wicked;

Earthquake: M 0.9 - 26.3 km (16.3 mi) NW of Furnace Creek, California

2024-11-05 13:44:00 (UTC) 36.596°N 117.082°W 5.0 km depth

In Death Valley at the base of Tucki Mountain near Route 190/Death Valley Scenic Byway, Salt Creek, and Stovepipe Wells Road.

Tucki ciktu 3+9+10+100+200=322.

Strong's Concordance #322 achorannith: from 'achowr; backwards -- back (-ward, again). Original Word: אֲחֹרַנִּית

Strong's Concordance #190 oyah: woe! alas! Original Word: אוֹיָה

Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

Mandisa Ft. TobyMac & Kirk Franklin - Bleed The Same (There's no definition of "United" other than standing and coexisting together as one "We The People" of the United States of America.) Duration: 4:56 (296 seconds) Published: January 14, 2018 (14th day) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVKuA1s5I3o HVKuA1s5I3o (1, 5, 3) HVKuAsIo ahikosuv 1+8+9+10+50+90+200+700=1068. 1068+1+5+3=1077. 1077+14=1091. 1091+296=1387.

Strong's Concordance #1387 Geba: a Levitical city of Benjamin; a hill Original Word: גֶּבַע

Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. Matthew 5:15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. Matthew 5:18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Matthew 5:19 So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 1759 Lamentations 3:45 You have made us filth and refuse In the midst of the peoples.

"Ours was the first revolution in the history of mankind that truly reversed the course of government, and with three little words: 'We the People.' 'We the People' tell the government what to do; it doesn't tell us. 'We the People' are the driver; the government is the car. And we decide where it should go, and by what route, and how fast.

Almost all the world's constitutions are documents in which governments tell the people what their privileges are. Our Constitution is a document in which 'We the People' tell the government what it is allowed to do. 'We the People' are free. This belief has been the underlying basis for everything I've tried to do these past 8 years.

An informed patriotism is what we want. And are we doing a good enough job teaching our children what America is and what she represents in the long history of the world? Those of us who are over 35 or so years of age grew up in a different America. We were taught, very directly, what it means to be an American. And we absorbed, almost in the air, a love of country and an appreciation of its institutions. If you didn't get these things from your family you got them from the neighborhood, from the father down the street who fought in Korea or the family who lost someone at Anzio. Or you could get a sense of patriotism from school. And if all else failed you could get a sense of patriotism from the popular culture. The movies celebrated democratic values and implicitly reinforced the idea that America was special. TV was like that, too, through the mid-60s.

So, we've got to teach history based not on what's in fashion but what's important -- why the Pilgrims came here, who Jimmy Doolittle was, and what those 30 seconds over Tokyo meant. You know, four years ago on the 40th anniversary of D-day, I read a letter from a young woman writing to her late father, who'd fought on Omaha Beach. Her name was Lisa Zanatta Henn, and she said, 'we will always remember, we will never forget what the boys of Normandy did.' Well, let's help her keep her word. If we forget what we did, we won't know who we are. I'm warning of an eradication of the American memory that could result, ultimately, in an erosion of the American spirit. Let's start with some basics: more attention to American history and a greater emphasis on civic ritual.

And let me offer lesson number one about America: All great change in America begins at the dinner table. So, tomorrow night in the kitchen I hope the talking begins. And children, if your parents haven't been teaching you what it means to be an American, let 'em know and nail 'em on it. That would be a very American thing to do.

The past few days when I've been at that window upstairs, I've thought a bit of the 'shining city upon a hill.' The phrase comes from John Winthrop, who wrote it to describe the America he imagined. What he imagined was important because he was an early Pilgrim, an early freedom man. He journeyed here on what today we'd call a little wooden boat; and like the other Pilgrims, he was looking for a home that would be free. I've spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still." - Ronald Reagan (1989 Farewell Speech)

Michelle Branch - You Set Me Free Duration: 3:12 (192 seconds) Published: October 14, 2021 (287th day) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgnMVHcUpI8 DgnMVHcUpI8 (8) DgnMVHcUpI cdghimnpuv 3+4+7+8+9+30+40+60+200+700=1061. 1061+8=1069. 1069+287=1356. 1356+192=1548.

Strong's Concordance #1548 galach: to be bald, shave, shave off, shaved; to lay waste -- poll Original Word: גָּלַח

Anti-American MAGA book bans:

"As President, I was never an 'officer of the United States' and I did not take an oath 'to support the Constitution of the United States'. Therefore, Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution doesn't apply to me, can't be applied to me, and can't prevent me from running for or holding office for my actions on January 6, 2021." - donald j. trump (November 27, 2023)

Avatar: The Last Airbender - Aang vs. Ozai (Final Battle) July 19, 2008 (201st day) Duration: 13:51 (831 seconds) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXShLPXfWZA kXShLPXfWZA afhklpswxxz 1+6+8+10+20+60+90+900+300+300+500=2195. 2195+831=3026. 3026+201=3227.

Strong's Concordance #3227 yemini: right, on the right hand, right-handed Original Word: יְמִינִי

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 145 Exodus 15:6 Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power, Your right hand, O Lord, shatters the foe!

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Pages 1483 and 1484 Psalm 60:1 For the leader; on shushan eduth. A michtam of David (to be taught), Psalm 60:2 when he fought with Aram-Naharaim and Aram-Zobah, and Joab returned and defeated Edom--[an army] of twelve thousand men--in the Valley of Salt. Psalm 60:3 O God, You have rejected us, You have made a breach in us; You have been angry; restore us! Psalm 60:4 You have made the land quake; You have torn it open. Mend its fissures, for it is collapsing. Psalm 60:5 You have made Your people suffer hardship; You have given us wine that makes us reel. Psalm 60:6 Give those who fear You because of Your truth a banner for rallying. Selah. Psalm 60:7 That those whom You love might be rescued, deliver with Your right hand and answer me.

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 1561 Psalm 118:16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted! The right hand of the Lord is triumphant!"

5ive - Keep On Movin' (from Invincible - Special Edition) Duration: 3:18 (198 seconds) Published: September 18, 2015 (261st day) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tli9j-MUVGI tli9j-MUVGI (9) tlij-MUVGI giijlmtuv 7+9+9+600+20+30+100+200+700=1675. 1675+9=1684. 1684+261=1945. 1945+198=2143.

Strong's Concordance #2143 zeker: remembrance, memorial; male Original Word: זֵכֶר

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 1555 Psalm 111:1 Hallelujah. I praise the Lord with all my heart in the assembled congregation of the upright. Psalm 111:2 The works of the Lord are great, within reach of all who desire them. Psalm 111:3 His deeds are splendid and glorious; His beneficence is everlasting; Psalm 111:4 He has won renown for His wonders. The Lord is gracious and compassionate; Psalm 111:5 He gives food to those who fear Him; He is ever mindful of His covenant. Psalm 111:6 He revealed to His people His powerful works, in giving them the heritage of nations. Psalm 111:7 His handiwork is truth and justice; all His precepts are enduring, Psalm 111:8 well-founded for all eternity, wrought of truth and equity. Psalm 111:9 He sent redemption to His people; He ordained His covenant for all time; His name is holy and awesome. Psalm 111:10 The beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord; all who practice it gain sound understanding. Praise of Him is everlasting.

36.596°N

Strong's Concordance #36 Abitub: From 'ab and tuwb; father of goodness (i.e. Good); "my father is goodness," a Benjamite Original Word: אֲבִיטוּב

Strong's Concordance #596 anan: to complain, murmur, to mourn Original Word: אָנַן

117.082°W

Strong's Concordance #117 addir: From 'adar; wide or (generally) large; figuratively, powerful -- excellent, famous, gallant, glorious, goodly, lordly, mighty(- ier one), noble, principal, worthy, majestic Original Word: אַדִּיר

Strong's Concordance #82 abar: to fly, to soar Original Word: אָבַר

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 446 Deuteronomy 32:9 For the Lord's portion is His people, Jacob His own allotment. Deuteronomy 32:10 He found him in a desert region, In an empty howling waste. He engirded him, watched over him, Guarded him as the pupil of His eye. Deuteronomy 32:11 Like an eagle who rouses his nestlings, Gliding down to his young, So did He spread His wings and take him, Bear him along on His pinions; Deuteronomy 32:12 The Lord alone did guide him, No alien god at His side.

A home of my Father's goodness and defense: אַ דִּיר אֲבִי טוּב אָבַראָנַן

[illuminopseudonymous]

Every single Brawl Stars character as songs

So, I was unhappy with my prior posts on this topic, both because of the song choices I made and because I didn't properly credit the musicians behind them. Ergo, I'm going to compile all of the brawlers into a single list below the cut, and then update and reblog this post each time a new brawler is released.

Feedback regarding song choices is encouraged if you think you have a better fit for a character.

8-Bit: "Pac-Man Fever" by Buckner & Garcia

Amber: "Burnin' Up" by A Flock of Seagulls

Angelo: "There! Right There!" from Legally Blonde: The Musical (written by Nell Benjamin and Laurence O'Keefe)

Ash: "Trash Day" by "Weird" Al Yankovic

Barley: "Bottle Action" by Ms. B'Havin

Bea: "Lord of the Hornets" by Robert Calvert

Belle: "Disciple of Lightning" by DJ the S

Berry: "Skipper Dan" by "Weird Al" Yankovic

Bibi: "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" by Albert von Tilzer and Jack Norworth

Bo: "The Wild West is Where I Want to Be" by Tom Lehrer

Bonnie: "Human Cannonball" by Webb Wilder

Brock: "Rocket Jump Waltz" from Team Fortress 2 (by Valve Studio Orchestra)

Bull: "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen

Buster: "Rock-And-Roll Nerd" by Tim Minchin

Buzz: "Run This Town" by JAY-Z featuring Rhianna and Kanye West

Byron: "A Little Heart-To-Heart" from Team Fortress 2 (by Valve Studio Orchestra)

Carl: "Diggy Diggy Hole" by The Yogscast

Charlie: "Spider-Man (1967) Theme" by Paul Francis Webster and Bob Harris

Chester: "I Remember Larry" by "Weird Al" Yankovic

Chuck: "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" by Johann Sebastian Bach

Clancy: "Crab Rave" by Noisestorm

Colette: "Every Breath You Take" by The Police

Colt: "Shoot to Thrill" by AC/DC

Cordelius: "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane

Crow: "Young Dumb and Ugly" by ""Weird Al" Yankovic

Darryl: "He's a Pirate" from Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (Composed by Klaus Badelt)

Doug: "Surf Wax America" by Weezer

Draco: "Through the Fire and Flames" by Dragonforce

Dynamike: "T.N.T." by AC/DC

Edgar: "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana

El Primo: "Mexican Wrestler" by Jill Sobule

Emz: "Respectless" from Hazbin Hotel (Composed by Sam Haft, Andrew Underberg, Andrew Alderete, Gooseworx, and Parry Gripp)

Eve: "Mean Green Mother from Outer Space" from Little Shop of Horrors (Composed by Alan Menken)

Fang: "Kung-Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas

Frank: "Fireflies" by Owl City

Gale: "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)" by Garth Brooks

Gene: "Arabian Nights" from Aladdin (Performed by Robin Williams)

Gray: "Scheming Weasel" by Kevin MacLeod

Griff: "Big Boss Man" by Jimmy Reed

Grom: "Main Theme" from Bomberman (Composed by Jun Chikuma)

Gus: "Turn the Lights Off" by Tally Hall

Hank: "Send the Marines" by Tom Lehrer

Jacky: "Poundcake" by Van Halen

Janet: "Death from Above" by Turbonegro

Jessie: "More Gun" from Team Fortress 2 (by Valve Studio Orchestra)

Juju: "Friends on the Other Side" from The Princess and the Frog (performed by Keith David)

Kenji: "Title Theme" from Fruit Ninja (Luke Muscat)

Kit: "Nyanyanyanyanyanyanya!"/ "Nyan Cat Theme" by daniwell featuring Hatsune Miku

Larry & Lawrie: "Back to Back" by Pretty Maids

Leon: "Right Behind You" from Team Fortress 2 (by Valve Studio Orchestra)

Lily: "Return of the Giant Hogweed" by Genesis

Lola: "Big Shot" by Billy Joel

Lou: "Sky-High Sundae" from Mario Kart Tour (composer unknown)

Maisie: "What's Up Danger" from Into the Spider-Verse (by Blackway & Black Caviar)

Mandy: "Cookie Land" from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (Composed by Shinobu Tanaka and Kenta Nagata)

Max: "Caffeine" by Psychostick

Meg: "Peach-ball Launches! Robobot Armor" from Kirby: Planet Robobot (Composed by Hirozaku Ando and Jun Ishikawa)

Melodie: "Miku" by Anamanguchi featuring Hatsune Miku

Mico: "Beverly Hills" by Weezer

Moe: "Cripple's Shield Wall" by The Knight in Leslie Fish

Mortis: "Hate the Day" by Behind the Scenes

Mr. P: "Hotel California" by The Eagles

Nani: "Time in a Bottle" by Jim Croce

Nita: "Wild Child" by The Doors

Otis: "Graffiti Crimes" by Mi-Sex

Pam: "You Will Be Okay" from Helluva Boss (Composed by Sam Haft and Andrew Underburg, performed by Bryce Pinkham)

Pearl: "Pass the Biscuits, Mirandy" by Spike Jones

Penny: "You Are a Pirate" from LazyTown (by Stefan Karl Steffanson and composed by Máni Svavarsson)

Piper: "A Spoonful of Sugar" from Mary Poppins (Composed by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman)

Poco: "Spooky Scary Skeletons" by Andrew Gold

R-T: "Eye in the Sky" by The Alan Parsons Project

Rico: "Pinball Wizard" by The Who

Rosa: "Garden Song" by David Mallett

Ruffs: "Send the Marines" by Tom Lehrer

Sam: "Super Macho Man" from Punch-Out!! Wii (Composed by Mike Peacock, Darren Radtke, and Chad York)

Sandy: "Enter Sandman" by Metallica

Shade: to be released

Shelly: "Faster Than a Speeding Bullet" from Team Fortress 2 (By Valve Studio Orchestra)

Spike: "Super Mario Bros. Desert Theme" from Super Mario Maker 2 (Composed by Koji Kondo)

Sprout: "Trees" by Tom Lehrer

Squeak: "Slime Creatures from Outer Space" by "Weird Al" Yankovic

Stu: "Drive Fast (The Stuntman)" by Bruce Springsteen

Surge: "Rules of Nature" from Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Composed by Jamie Christopherson)

Tara: "Hot Rails to Hell" by Blue Oyster Cult

Tick: "Drop Da Bomb" by Doctor Steel

Willow: "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Fishmen" by H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society

[sifu-kisu]

Oakland, San Francisco, Bay Area this one’s coming up soon. Looking forward to seeing all of my amazing friends and family. More details and location TBA.

Coming soon to Northern California

The Northern Shaolin style of Kung Fu as made famous by Grand Master Kuo Yu Chang is a cumulative set of Kung Fu techniques, both northern and southern styles, choreographed by the Grand Master into a curriculum that he taught both in the Nam Jing Kung Fu Institute and his Canton Kung Fu institute. His curriculum increased throughout his teaching years to include techniques of many styles. The Grand Master, being highly skilled in the Northern style of Kung Fu, emphasized the Northern style of Shaolin Kung Fu in his teachings.

Since most of the stories of martial art origins, including that of the Northern Shaolin style, are passed down by word of mouth, we can treat all of this as more a part of a legend than facts.

The Northern Shaolim style of kung fu is one of the most prominent traditional Northern styles of Chinese martial arts. The Northern styles of Gung-fu generally emphasize long range techniques, quick advances and retreats, wide stances, kicking and leaping techniques, whirling circular blocks, quickness, agility, and aggressive attacks.

The system teaches empty-hand techniques and weaponry through predetermined combinations, routines, or movement of sets.

The students learn the basics by practicing the routines until the movements in the routines can be executed naturally based on instinct. Then, two or multiple man sets are practiced to train responses and applications of techniques learned from the sets. The practice sets/routines are not only practical in applications but are also graceful and artistic in nature. The fluidness of the movements combined with acrobatic techniques are trademarks of the Northern Shaolim Kung-Fu sets.

The Northern Shaolim style of Kung-Fu was made famous by the late Grand Master Ku Yu Cheung. There are many legends about the master. According to some related by his close students, Master Ku's father was an accomplished exponent of the Tan Toi (Snapping Kicks) Kung-Fu style. When he was young, Master Ku traveled throughout Northern China to learn all the northern kung-fu systems. He was renowned for his Iron Palm techniques and the application of the long spear weapon. He organized all his learnings into what is the Northern Shaolim Kung Fu today.

Sifu Kisu is a 5th generation Bak Siu Lum Pai disciple (Northern Shaolim Gate) descended from Great Grand Master Ku Yu Cheong. Master Kisu has been a dedicated practitioner of Traditional Chinese Kung Fu for over 40 years and his daily practice has lead him to understand how to transmit the physical/ energetic components in such a way that is open and accessible to the Western mind.

He is a master in the Chinese martial arts focusing on the style of Northern Shaolin Kung Fu as disseminated by his beloved teacher grandmaster Kenneth Hui. He is most famously known for being the chief martial arts director and consultant for the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender and Avatar: The Legend of Korra. From his lifelong experience in martial arts, he created the bending styles seen in the series and linked them to styles of Chinese martial arts.

We are partnering with my kung fu, brother, Mr. David Wei of Wudang West in Oakland, California.

More details will be posted as they become available…

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

22nd September >> Fr. Martin's Homilies/Reflections on Today's Mass Readings for The Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) (Inc. Mark 9:30-37): ‘They did not understand what he said’.

Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

Gospel (Except USA) Mark 9:30-37 Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me.

Jesus and his disciples made their way through Galilee; and he did not want anyone to know, because he was instructing his disciples; he was telling them, ‘The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men; they will put him to death; and three days after he has been put to death he will rise again.’ But they did not understand what he said and were afraid to ask him. They came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the road?’ They said nothing because they had been arguing which of them was the greatest. So he sat down, called the Twelve to him and said, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.’ He then took a little child, set him in front of them, put his arms round him, and said to them, ‘Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’

Gospel (USA) Mark 9:30–37 The Son of Man is to be handed over.…Whoever wishes to be first will be the servant of all.

Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it. He was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him. They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he began to ask them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they remained silent. They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest. Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.�� Taking a child, he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”

Homilies (6)

(i) Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

I came across a story some time ago about a student from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley University in California. The name of this particular Jesuit student was Andreé Masse. After leaving Berkeley University, he went on to work as a teacher at Saint Joseph’s College in Tyre, a city on the coast of Lebanon. His ambition was to provide quality education for both Christian and Muslim young people together, as a way of breaking down barriers between them. He was trying to provide children with an alternative to violence. He was welcoming all children, regardless of their religious background. He was doing what Jesus is portrayed as doing in the gospel reading. There, Jesus welcomes a little child. One day, as the school where Andreé taught was closing, two hooded gunmen came into his office and murdered him. Andreé’s way of welcoming children of different faith backgrounds was an affront to the mindset of these gunmen and their response was to kill him. If the mindset of Andreé reflected that of Jesus in the gospel reading, the mindset of those who killed him reflected that of those referred to as the ‘godless’ in the first reading. They say, ‘Let us lie in wait for the virtuous man, since he annoys us and opposes our way of life... Let us condemn him to a shameful death’. The early church saw in that passage from the book of Wisdom a prophecy of Jesus’ own death. It could be said that Jesus was put to death because his way of welcoming people from diverse backgrounds into one community under God was threatening to those who had a vested interested in keeping people segregated.

The conflict between Andreé and his murderers was a conflict between two different kinds of ambition. Andreé’s ambition was in keeping with God’s ambition for humanity, the ambition that is reflected in the teaching of Jesus and more especially in his life and, indeed, his death. According to John’s gospel, the ambition of Jesus was to gather together the scattered children of God. It was this ambition that shaped Jesus’ life, and for which he ultimately died. This godly ambition finds flesh in the lives of all those who work to bring together those who are normally separated from each other and are often hostile to one another. This godly ambition is what James in the second reading calls the wisdom that comes down from above, a wisdom that makes for peace, that is kindly and considerate, that is full of compassion and that shows itself in doing good. James contrasts this wisdom from above with a different kind of ambition that is clearly not from above, that is not of God, but is merely of this world. This is a self-centred ambition. As James say in that reading it is an ambition to indulge your own desires. It can be a very dangerous kind of ambition; indeed, it can be deadly. As James says, ‘you want something (for yourself) and you haven’t got it, so you are prepared to kill’. James declares that this kind of ambition is at the root of all conflict, ‘you have an ambition that you cannot satisfy, so you fight to get your way by force’. It is easy to see that this kind of ambition is often at the root not only of conflict between individuals, but also of conflict between communities and, indeed, global conflict.

Something of this worldly ambition takes hold of the disciples in today’s gospel reading. Jesus was aware that the disciples had been arguing among themselves as to which of them was the greatest. They may have understood the kingdom of God that Jesus was proclaiming in very worldly terms and they were arguing with each other as to which of them would have the highest place in this kingdom. As James says at the beginning of that second reading, where you find ambition of this kind, you find disharmony. We can all be prone to this mindset from time to time. Yet, Jesus was very clear that this was not his mindset. This was not what Paul in his letter to the Philippians calls ‘the mind of Christ’. Actions can speak louder than words and Jesus not only said something in response to this argument among his disciples, but he did something. He took a child and placed the child among them. Children were among the least in that culture. Socially, only slaves were below them. They had no status, no power, no standing; they were needy and had nothing to give in return for what was given to them. It was this symbol of the least with whom Jesus identifies in a very powerful way, declaring ‘whoever welcomes one of these little children welcomes me’. Jesus is saying there that he comes to us above all in the weak, the powerless, the vulnerable, those who seem to need the greatest care. Jesus declares that true greatness, greatness in God’s eyes, consists in welcoming and serving him in all those symbolized by the vulnerable child. The Lord wants this way of living to be our primary ambition that shapes and determines all our other ambitions. Thankfully, we find such greatness in our parish communities, our neighbourhoods and our families. Every day, people are quietly caring for those who struggle to care for themselves.

And/Or

(ii) Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The may be some people who thrive on conflict but I suspect that they are in a minority. Most of us dislike conflict, and try to avoid it. When we are at odds with somebody over something, it bothers us. When we find ourselves in conflict with a friend or family member, it bothers us all the more. Family rows and rows between friends take their toll. When we are in the midst of such a row or conflict, we often long for it to be resolved, without always knowing what steps to take to resolve it. The longer it goes on, the harder it can be to deal with. It often takes someone who is outside of the conflict to help resolve it.

In the gospel reading this morning, we hear of a conflict among the disciples of Jesus, a family row between the members of the new family that Jesus was forming around himself. As someone external to the row, Jesus addressed himself to it, ‘What were you arguing about?’ The disciples were arguing among themselves as to which of them was the greatest. This may seem to us a rather silly argument. Yet, many a row today in families or among friends or between groups centres on that topic of greatness or power. Who is in charge here? Who makes the decisions? Whose will prevails? At the heart of a lot of conflict is the issue of power and control. In the second reading this morning, James recognizes that a certain kind of ambition can lead to great conflict. ‘You have an ambition that you cannot satisfy, so you fight to get your way by force’. In particular, the ambition to be the greater one, the desire to control and dominate, can often lead to what James calls ‘wars and battles’.

Ambition, of course, is not in itself a bad thing. Jesus encourages his disciples to be ambitious, but he wants them to be ambitious to do things God’s way rather than their own way. A little earlier in Mark’s gospel, Jesus had challenged the nature of Peter’s ambition, ‘You are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things’. It seems that Jesus struggled to shape the ambition of his disciples so that it corresponded in some way to God’s ambition. In the gospel reading the disciples display an ambition that is not of God, an ambition for the kind of power that is ultimately self-serving. Shortly after, James and John were looking for the two places of honour in Jesus’ kingdom, one at his right and the other at his left. This is the kind of ambition that, according to the second reading, creates conflict and puts people at odds with each other.

In the gospel reading, Jesus puts before his disciples a different kind of ambition, the ambition to serve. ‘Anyone who wants to be first will make himself a servant of all’. This is the ambition that dominated the life of Jesus. He stated once, ‘I came not to do my own will, but the will of the one who sent me’, and the will of the one who sent him was that he give himself in loving service to all, even unto death. The ambition to serve will often express itself in welcoming the least, those without status or influence in our world. That is why Jesus took a child and set the child before the disciples, calling on them to welcome the likes of a child. In the culture of the time, children were not highly regarded; they had no power or prestige or status. Jesus was calling on his worldly disciples to welcome and receive those who had nothing to give them, those who had no means to help them up the ladder of fame, fortune and honour.

It is only God who can give us the kind of ambition that Jesus is talking about. Only God can enable us to have something of God’s ambition. We need to pray for this kind of ambition. James in the second reading speaks about the need to pray and to pray properly. He acknowledges that not all prayer is true prayer, such as when we pray for something to ‘indulge our own desires’, as he puts it. True prayer is the prayer for whatever indulges God’s desires. We pray for what God wants. We pray that God’s ambition for our lives and our world would be realized. This is the prayer we make in the Our Father, ‘thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven’. If our ambitions are to be shaped by God’s ambition we need to keep on praying in this way.

Those who try to live their lives out of God’s ambition, those who try to do what God wants, will often find themselves in conflict with others. Jesus, who was the perfect embodiment of God’s ambition, ended up on a cross. This is acceptable conflict in God’s eyes. It is the inevitable conflict that comes to those who work for the realization of God’s ambition in a world that often finds God’s desires threatening. The first reading paints a picture of this kind of hostility to God’s ambition. A group declares: ‘Let us lie in wait for the virtuous person, since he annoys us and opposes our way of life… Let us test him with cruelty and torture’. The long litany of those who have been put to death in the cause of justice and truth bears eloquent witness to the hostility that God’s ambition can evoke. All the more reason why we need to pray, not only for the wisdom to know God’s will, God’s ambition, but also for the courage to give expression to it in our daily lives.

And/Or

(iii) Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Arguments and disagreements are part and parcel of life. Different people can see the same issue very differently, and each person will always be ready to argue in favour of their point of view. Some arguments and disagreements can be healthy. As long as people are open to seeing the truth in the perspective of the other person, disagreements can be a stepping stone on the way to some kind of shared vision and shared endeavour. There are some issues that are worth arguing over until we get as much clarity as possible. There are other issues that are not worth arguing about. We can easily find ourselves getting into unnecessary arguments that serve very little useful purpose.

No doubt, Jesus considered that the argument the disciples were having in today’s gospel reading was not one that was serving any great purpose. They were arguing about which of them should be considered the greatest. Unlike Jesus who was ambitious for the coming of God’s kingdom, his disciples had the wrong kind of ambition. Instead of being ambitious for God’s kingdom, they were, in a sense, ambitious for their own little kingdom. This is the kind of flawed ambition that James talks about in today’s second reading, the ambition to get one’s own way. This type of ambition, James says, results in wars and battles that can be destructive of others, the kind of battle that the disciples were engaged in at Capernaum.

It can be tempting to be rather dismissive of the disciples as they are portrayed in today’s gospel reading, and, yet, if we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit that there can often be something of their attitude in all of us. Of all of the evangelists, Mark is the one who presents the disciples of Jesus in the most negative light. One of the reasons he did that may have been to hold them up as a kind of a mirror to those who would be reading and listening to his gospel. He wanted his hearers and his readers to recognize something of themselves in Jesus’ first disciples and to hear Jesus’ words to his disciples as addressed also to them. The kind of competitiveness that the disciples display in the gospel reading is still very much alive and well today. The mindset of the disciples was that there could only be one winner and for any one of them to win everyone else had to loose; the race was on between them to be that winner. In many ways, this is quite a contemporary mindset that we are all prone too, and yet it is a mindset that is very far removed from that of Jesus whom we claim to follow.

In response to the human tendency to seek greatness for oneself, often at the expense of others, Jesus in today’s gospel reading puts before his disciples and before all of us the value of recognising and welcoming greatness in others. There is a world of difference between seeking greatness for oneself and welcoming greatness in others, between seeking honour for oneself and giving honour to others, between a life that is self-serving and one that is at the service of others.

Jesus was aware that true greatness can often be found where it is least expected. To make this point to his argumentative disciples, he took a little child into their midst. In the culture of Jesus’ time, the child was considered of little consequence, a symbol of powerlessness, weakness and vulnerability, totally lacking in honour and prestige. Yet, Jesus goes on to identify himself fully with the child, and indeed to identify the child with God his Father: ‘Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcome me, welcomes… the one who sent me’. Jesus was saying to his disciples, this child whom you consider to be of no significance represents me and the one who sent me. What you think of as greatness is worth nothing in God’s eyes, what you think as of no value is great in God’s eyes.

Jesus is reminding us that he himself and the God who sent him come to us in the most ordinary and the simple of guises. Our primary ambition as the Lord’s followers should be to recognize and to welcome the Lord in others, especially in the weakness and vulnerability of others. Our calling is to honour others as we would honour the Lord, to relate to all people as we would relate to the Lord, because the Lord comes to us through those who cross our path, especially through those who would not be considered great by the standards of this world. If our ambition is to recognize and welcome the greatness of others, the Lord in others, then the kind of ambition that prevails among the disciples will not take hold of us.

There is at least one other person in the gospels who exemplifies the kind of ambition that Jesus was trying to promote and that is John the Baptist. Even though Jesus came to him for baptism, John recognized and welcomed the greatness of Jesus, declaring, ‘he (Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease’. That is a good motto for all of us who are trying to follow the Lord. We are to live in such a way that the honour always goes to the Lord and not to ourselves.

And/Or

(iv) Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The may be some people who thrive on conflict but I suspect that they are in a minority. Most of us dislike conflict, and try to avoid it. When we are at odds with somebody over something, it bothers us. When we find ourselves in conflict with a friend or family member, it bothers us all the more.

In the gospel reading this morning, we hear of a conflict among the disciples of Jesus, a family row between the members of the new family that Jesus was forming around himself. The disciples were arguing among themselves as to which of them was the greatest. This may seem to us a rather silly argument. Yet, many a row today in families or between groups centres on that topic of greatness or power. Who is in charge here? Whose will prevails? At the heart of a lot of conflict is the desire, the ambition, to be in control of others. In the second reading this morning, James recognizes that a certain kind of ambition can lead to great conflict. ‘You have an ambition that you cannot satisfy, so you fight to get your way by force’.

Ambition, of course, is not in itself a bad thing. Jesus encourages his disciples to be ambitious, but he wants them to have an ambition that is shaped by God’s perspective on things. In the gospel reading, Jesus puts before his disciples a different kind of ambition to the one that resulted in their arguing among themselves; he encourages them to be ambitious to serve. ‘Anyone who wants to be first will make himself a servant of all’. This is the ambition that shaped the life of Jesus. He stated once, ‘the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many’ The ambition to serve will often express itself in welcoming the least, those without status or influence in our world. That is why Jesus took a child and set the child before the disciples, calling on them to welcome such children. In the culture of the time, children were not highly regarded; they had no power, prestige or status. Jesus was calling on his disciples to welcome and receive those who had nothing to give them, who had no means to help them up the ladder of fame, fortune and honour.

Crosscare is the Diocesan Social Service Agency. Its ambition is to serve those in greatest need, those who are most vulnerable, those who have little voice or influence. The work this Diocesan agency does is being done on behalf of the whole catholic community here in the Diocese. In the past year they have seen an increased demand on their services with more and more people affected by the economic slump. To address this emerging need they have extended many of their services where possible, but this has been made difficult with cuts to the state funding they receive. This is why their annual collection which takes place throughout the Diocese today is so important. Last year Crosscare provided a whole range of services (see sheet).

Crosscare is trying to give expression to God’s ambition for our world. Those who work for the coming to pass of God’s ambition for our world will often find themselves in conflict with others. Jesus, who was the perfect embodiment of God’s ambition, declares in today’s gospel reading that he would up on a cross. Jesus knew that he would experience the inevitable conflict that comes to those who work for the realization of God’s ambition in a world that is often opposed to what God wants. The first reading paints a picture of this kind of hostility to God’s ambition. A group declares: ‘Let us lie in wait for the virtuous person, since he annoys us and opposes our way of life… Let us test him with cruelty and torture’. The long litany of those who have been put to death in the cause of justice and truth bears eloquent witness to the hostility that serving God’s ambition can evoke. James in the second reading speaks of the need to pray properly, rather than praying to indulge our own desires. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches us to pray for the coming to pass of God’s ambition for our world, ‘your kingdom come, your will be done’. In praying for what God desires for our world, we are also called to work for it, as Jesus himself did.

And/Or

(v) Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

We can all struggle at times to listen to someone. It can be especially difficult to listen to people when they are sharing something with us that we find difficult to hear. They may be sharing some painful experience with us that we find troubling and disturbing. We struggle to listen to their story because it arouses painful emotions in us. It could happen that someone might be trying to tell us something about ourselves that we find difficult to hear. We struggle to face the truth about ourselves that is being put to us; we tune it out. We can also find ourselves reading something that forces us to question some of our convictions and beliefs. Again we can easily find ourselves tuning out, putting the book down. In all sorts of ways we can be tempted to keep at bay whatever we find unsettling or disturbing.

That very human tendency is reflected in the behaviour of the disciples in this morning’s gospel reading. Jesus had something very important to say about what was about to happen to him. In the words of the gospel reading, he was telling them that he would be delivered into the hands of others and that they would put him to death. This was something that the disciples found very hard to here. There was a truth here that they were not able to take on board. According to the gospel reading, ‘they did not understand what he said and they were afraid to ask him’. This was the second time in Mark’s gospel that Jesus told his disciples what was likely to happen to him. They were no more open to hearing it the second time than they were the first. They did not understand what he said and they were reluctant to question him because they were afraid. They were afraid that they might not be able to live with the answers he would give them. In some ways that is a very human reaction. We often find ourselves not willing to ask questions because we suspect that we would struggle to live with the answers to our questions.

Yet, in our heart of hearts, we often recognize that there are certain realities we have to face, even if they are painful to face. There are certain illusions we may have to let go of, even if we have come to cherish them. In the second part of this morning’s gospel reading Jesus worked to disillusion his disciples, in that good sense. He needed to prise them away from the illusions of greatest that they harboured. They seemed to have thought that being part of Jesus’ circle would bring them privilege and status. No sooner had Jesus spoken of himself as someone who would end up as one of the least than the disciples began to argue among themselves as to which of them was the greatest. They wanted power and, it seems, that they wanted power for its own sake. This is the kind of self-centred ambition that James talks about in the second reading when he says, ‘you have an ambition that you cannot satisfy, so you fight to get your way by force’. In place of that very worldly ambition, Jesus places before his disciples a very different kind of ambition, an ambition that has the quality of what James in that reading refers to as ‘the wisdom that comes down from above’. This is God’s ambition for their lives and for all our lives. It is the ambition to serve, as Jesus says in the gospel reading, ‘those who want to be first must make themselves last of all and servant of all’. This ambition to serve, again in the words of James in that second reading, is something that ‘makes for peace and is kindly and considerate; it is full of compassion and shows itself by doing good’.

Jesus implies that this is to be our primary ambition as his followers. All our other ambitions have to be subservient to that God-inspired ambition. In his teaching of his disciples and of us all, Jesus elaborates on his teaching by performing a very significant action. He takes a little child and sets the child in front of his disciples, puts his arms around the child and declares that whoever welcomes one such child, welcomes him and not only him but God the Father who sent him. Jesus was saying by that action that the ambition to serve must give priority to the most vulnerable members of society, symbolized by the child who is completely dependent on adults for his or her well being. Our ambition is to serve those who, for one reason or another, are not in a position to serve themselves. Jesus goes, assuring his disciples and us that in serving the most vulnerable we are in fact serving him. In the presence of the disciples who seemed consumed with an ambition for power for its own sake Jesus identifies himself with the powerless, those who are most dependent on our care. Over against the ambition of the disciples to serve themselves, Jesus puts the ambition to serve him as he comes to us in and through the weakest members of society. In our gospel reading Jesus is putting before us what his family of disciples, what the church, is really about.

And/Or

(vi) Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

We can all struggle at times to listen to someone. It can be especially difficult to listen to people when they are sharing something with us that we find difficult to hear. They may be sharing some painful experience with us that we find troubling or disturbing. We struggle to listen to their story because it arouses painful emotions in us. It could also happen that someone might be trying to tell us something about ourselves that we find difficult to hear. We get very defensive and tune it out. In all sorts of ways we can be tempted to keep at bay whatever message we find unsettling or disturbing.

That very human tendency is reflected in the behaviour of the disciples in today’s gospel reading. Jesus was repeating what he had already said to them a little earlier, that, as a result of his mission, he would be delivered into the hands of his enemies who would put him to death. He was identifying with that figure of the virtuous person in today’s first reading who arouses the deadly hatred of others. This was something that the disciples found very hard to hear. According to the gospel reading, ‘they did not understand what he said and they were afraid to ask him’. They were afraid to ask Jesus for clarification lest they might not be able to live with the answer. It is a very human reaction. We often find ourselves unwilling to ask questions because we suspect that we would struggle to live with the answers to our questions.

Having been reluctant to question Jesus about what he said, the disciples were equally reluctant to answer Jesus’ subsequent question to them. He asked them what they had been discussing along the way. Their silence revealed their embarrassment. In the aftermath of Jesus speaking of himself as someone who would end up as one of the least, the disciples had been arguing among themselves as to which of them was the greatest. They were competing for status and position within God’s kingdom, whose presence Jesus proclaimed was at hand. This is the kind of self-centred, worldly, ambition that James talks about in today’s second reading when he says, ‘you have an ambition that you cannot satisfy, so you fight to get your way by force’. In place of that very worldly ambition, Jesus places before his disciples a very different kind of ambition. It is the ambition to serve. This was God’s ambition for their lives and for all our lives. As Jesus says in the gospel reading, ‘those who want to be first must make themselves last of all and servant of all’. This kind of ambition has the quality of what James in the second reading calls ‘the wisdom that comes down from above’. Whereas worldly ambition often leads to conflict, the ambition to serve is an ambition that, in the words of that reading, ‘makes for peace and is kindly and considerate… full of compassion and shows itself by doing good’.

Jesus declares that this is to be our primary ambition as his followers. Any other ambition we might have needs to be shaped by that primary ambition to serve others. This ambition was the core of Jesus’ ministry. As he would say later in this gospel, ‘the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many’. Having spoken of the need to become the servant of all, Jesus demonstrated what he means by performing a very significant action. He sets a little child in front of his disciples, puts his arms around the child and calls on his disciples to welcome such children, to serve them by putting them at the centre of the community. Jesus was declaring that our service must give priority to the most vulnerable members of society, symbolized by the child who is completely dependent on adults for his or her well being. The characteristic feature of children in the time of Jesus was their lack of status and legal rights; they were symbols of powerlessness and vulnerability. Jesus wants us to be ambitious to serve those who, for one reason or another, are not in a position to serve themselves or to give us back anything in return for our service. Jesus further declares us that in serving the most vulnerable, like the child, we are serving him directly and serving God his Father who sent him. In the presence of the disciples who had been so preoccupied with status and position, Jesus identifies himself with those without any status in that culture.

In our gospel reading Jesus is putting before us what his family of disciples, the church, is really about, the service of the Lord in and through the service of the most vulnerable. This, for Jesus, is what constitutes greatness in the eyes of God. We can see evidence of that kind of such greatness in our parish communities, our neighbourhoods, our families. I can see it all around me, and I am sure you can too. People are caring in various ways for those who struggle to care for themselves. So much of that caring work is below the radar and those engaged in it would never consider themselves great, but today’s gospel reading assures us that the Lord certainly considers them great.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

[radical-revolution]

The Dawn of Tantra

The year before Trungpa Rinpoche made Osel Tendzin his regent. and many years before he crowned his son as the Sakyong, Trungpa gave a seminar in Berkeley, California. The year was 1972, and he joined Herbert Guenther at the podium to introduce this new thing called Tantra. One of the difficult topics on that agenda was the guru-disciple relationship. Here is some of what they said that day:

"Having first gone through the shamatha and vipashyana practices, and the four foundations of Mahayana, the student might be ready to have a glimpse of the guru... to make a real commitment to the guru. This is where 'guru yoga' comes in... attaining union with the guru. This union is initiated through what is called abhisheka, which could be translated as initiation or confirmation. This is our entry into the dharmakaya level.

The relationship between guru and disciple is of tremendous importance in Buddhist spiritual transmission, and that relationship is based on trust. But before such trust can be developed, there must be a period during which the guru tests his disciple. Because of the intimacy of that relationship, whatever happens between the two is vital to the teacher as well as the disciple. If something goes wrong, it reflects on the teacher as well as the disciple. The teacher must know better than to accept a student who is not ready to receive the teaching he has to offer.

And because of the intimacy of that relationship, the student must also in his way test the teacher. He must scrutinize him to see if he is really able to transmit the teaching... see if his actions tally with his words. If the conditions are not met on both sides, the relationship is not worthy to be engaged.

The term 'guru' is an Indian word, which has now almost become part of the English language. But properly used, this term does not refer so much to a human teacher as to a shift in attention from the teacher to the teaching (dharma) itself. The human person might more properly be called the kalyanamitra, or 'spiritual friend.' The actual term 'guru' has a more universal sense. The kalyanamitra is just a human who can point the way to the guru.

So it is important that we recognize that the real guru is the dharma and not confound that with the kalyanamitra in the manner of a mere personality cult. This relationship between the guru and the kalyanamitra is not a simple equation. Still, the kalyanamitra can be recognized as one able to show the knowledge which the student requires as a vital factor in his spiritual growth.

In the guru-disciple relationship there is a continual oscillation between success and failure. Sometimes things go smoothly. This is a fine thing; but that may also introduce a new danger. We may become too self-sure, too confident that everything is going to come out as we would like it. Complacency builds up. So sometimes the failures that arise are important too. Out of this experience of failure we come to see things in a new light. And if the person is intelligent, he will learn from the mistakes he has made."

~ Excerpts from 'The Dawn of Tantra' by Herbert V. Guenther and Chogyam Trungpa.

Prophetic words indeed!

Not all who wander are lost,

༺ Ŧoƞpa Ɉoƞ

[sock-kaleidoscope]

Oh boy here we go

EX ROUND 1

General Questions

Can i get a general look of the destroyed cult? not something detailed just something that can give me a mental image

Why are you a sock?

What lead you to create the AU in the first place?

What is impeding Nufosa being a full follower of the lamb and are they aware of this?

Has the Old Faith remains been affected in any way by the catastrophe?

Why does is laptop named "oz" and why is it alive (probably)?

Favorite food?

If you could know at least a little more of official backstory of any specific character, who would it be?

Favorite song?

What would it be Fosa reaction to any new follower?

Hoe, now i remind you that you need to do the cleaning+ it is not gonna do itself

Any Deltarune/Undertale theory you want to get out of your system?

Now do it with Cult of the Lamb

Any fun facts of the three musketeers as a whole?

(Narinder, Yael and Fosa)

Narinder Questions

Do you have any backstory on Narinder as well as what it was is funcion back in the cult?

Did Narinder had any real plans before the catastrophe that thanks to that it was ruined?

Narinder's view of the lamb and how they are tied off

Fav Narinder scene throught the fic?

Worst part about writing Narinder

Fun fact about his relation with Yael!

What if anyone were to hurt Fosa?

Narinder favorite type of food post usurpation (if he had any)

"Hear! the Siren Song Call of Death" there is just a cat sir

Breeak time

Now break your bone time

Can you give a little visual on Narinder relationship with Fosa (obviously not so detailed)

So is Narinder the leader of the three musketeers or is it just "let see what happens next" type of group?

"Ever heared that cats have 9 lives" "Because this one not"

If Narinder talked to its siblings, how it would go?

Narinder relation with Leshy (headcanons)

Narinder relation with Heket (headcanons)

Narinder relation with Kallamar (the voices are back)

Narinder relation with Shamura (headcanons)

The three musketeers questions

When they get another member how am i gonna call this team????

Explain their thoughts on the catastrophe

If member were to die, how it would be the proceding reaction?

Give me a fun fact!!!!!

Give me visual of describe the group as a whole

Break time

Any real threats the group has confronted besides the bishops and their disciples? (like any superpowered preacher)

What would it be their theme song if they had one

Any reason why they don't rebuild the cult?

Have you thought of having them do combos like a dnd?

Is the "force" that did the catastrophe aware of the trio and their intentions?

Is the trio aware of Mystic Seller presence?

"Two cats and lamb were for last time seen at the east of California at 1:17 pm, allegedly guiltys of the death of 13 men"

Is the trio gonna find the fox in the future?

Hardest fight the group has endured?

Has Fosa been mad at any member by any reason?

The same with Narinder

And Yael

-alzsomethinglike EX

This one was light ngl, i am gonna head now to hell

WARNING LONG POST

General Questions

Most of the damage has limited to the busy areas (house, kitchens, temple, ect.)

I am a sock because my mascot character Ezekiel (my pfp) is a sock puppet

The thing that led me to create my au was partly love for the game, partly inspiration from Bam's trod, and also wanting to start participating in the community more.

The thing that stops Nufosa from being considered a follower is a spoiler, but if i were to be vague about it, it was caused by the massacre. They are VERY aware of the thing that impeding them, it is affecting them greatly, but they are trying to ignore it.

What remains of the Old Faith HAS been affected by the catastrophe. The heretics who used to worship the bishops have formed alliance with each other. To put aside their differenced and stay alive in hopes that they'll be able to bring back the bishops with each others help.

My laptop is named "Auzin", nicknamed "Oz" because of the way its pronounced. Auzin was a name i tried out while transitioning, and while i didn't settle on it, I liked it enough that I wanted to name something that. A joke I use often is that it's named "oz" because only the wizard of Oz could fix my laptop. (it is old)

My favorite food is probably bread. I love bread. in any form. If there is a grain-based dish i will probably eat it.

If i could choose a character to more of the backstory of, I think I'd choose the minibosses/disciples in game. I know nothing about them. I have thrown them all out the window in my au because i don't know what to do with them.

OH A FAVORITE SONG IS HARD. My favorite anything changes quite a bit when i discover more. I listen to a lot of Vocaloid, a lot of game osts, and songs from smaller artists. 1 song i like is Out of Touch by Daryl Hall & John Oates. Not sure if its my favorite but its a classic.

When we get new followers you'll get to see! Their default would probably be to tackle them into a bush in order to see if they were real.

My desk is a bit messy, one sec... Okay were a bit neater now.

OH MY GODS I LOVE UNDERTALE AND DELTARUNE SO MUCH. Unfortunately, it already has a pretty cohesive story, so I don't get the urge to theory craft as much. I think the theory that Ralsei is a dark fountain is pretty interesting.

Theories for Cult of the Lamb... I have one about the crowns sprouting roots into people heads! Like with Chemach and Shamura. My theory is that they tried to fuse/absorb the crown and then the crowns recoiled, but they ended up becoming interconnecting somehow.

The three musketeers is SUCH a cute name for the trio! Fun fact: all three of them have birthmarks! Nufosa has one of a heart on their chest, Narinder has the one on his ear, and Yael has one underneath their hoof.

Narinder Questions

Narinder was a leader of his cult before his imprisonment. When he became part of the lamb's cult, he was only there for about an hour before he snuck off on a missionary.

Narinder was ready to plop down and start living once he got back from his missionary, and the massacre def ruined that. He's kinda over it now, since he's living fine during the crusades, but it isnt ideal.

Narinder views the lamb as a stranger. The lamb spoke with him often, but they rarely mentioned things about themselves. Them being so distant right now is throwing him off quite a bit.

Fav Narinder scene so far... I like a lot of the firs chapter. He's basically monologuing to himself, and people being inside their own heads is where i propel at writing.

Worst part about writing Narinder: He is constantly holding himself back from progressing. Since getting closer to Fosa he's been better, but he's having a lot of trouble adjusting his behavior.

Fun fact about the relationship between him and Yael: Neither of them use each other's name. Narinder doesn't know the lamb's name is Yael, and Yael refuses to call him Narinder in fear of it being disrespectful.

If anyone were to hurt Nufosa he would kill them. If it were the lamb they would have to explain themselves quickly before he stabbed them to death with their own horns. If he hurt Nufosa? ...

Narinder hasn't really eaten anything beyond what's necessary since being usurped. The most appealing "meal" he's has so far is when he fished up some seaweed and let it dry in the sun.

Listening to the song while i break time.

I've actually never broken a bone before

I have an old drawing of Narinder and Nufosa you can have!

Kind of a combo of both. Narinder is the main thing keeping up the momentum, but they are just kinda seeing what happens rn.

t's funny you mentin the cats have 9 lives saying, since that comes from Narinder. People saw his ability to defy death on several different occasions. 8 of them happened in the sight of the public, so they figured he had at least 9 lives.

If Narinder were to talk to his siblings all together it would go BAD. IM TALKING BAD BAD. He doesn't communicate well, he has tons of guilt, and all his siblings would not here him out.

Narinder's relationships w/ his siblings:

He and Leshy were around each other the most by far. The used to prank Kallamar together. They had the energy of a shared youtube channel if you get what i mean.

Narinder would go to Heket whenever he needed some quiet. Heket wasn't very talkative, which he appreciated. He would often curl up to nap and wake up to find braids and trinkets in his fur.

Narinder and Kallamar would go to each other whenever they had a big bright new idea to show off. Kallamar also helped him train with his weapon.

Shamura trained Narinder. They sparred with him. They argued. Their relationship was very strained. Shamura had too many duties to give up time for their siblings.

Three Musketeers Questions

When they get more people in the group i propose we call them the caravan!

Thoughts on the catastrophe: Narinder is confused, the lamb feels guilty, and Nufosa is terrified.

If any of the trio were to die, the other two would go out killing. Only exception would be the lamb, in which there would be a week long "wtf do we do" period before they go out killing.

FUNFACT UHHHH The lamb had an Irish twin! Its a sibling from the same parent, where two kids were born within a year from eachother.

Picture for group as a whole:

Break time~

The main threat the trio are facing right now other than the heretics is themselves. (They are all bad at taking care of themselves)

Trio Theme song: Eyelids by Saro + half the TallyHall discography

They havent build the cult back beaus eots a lot of work for 2 1/2 people, and they are also too busy crusading to get anything done.

I've thought of who each person would be in dnd before! Yael would be a hard-hitting cleric. Narinder would be a spell-casting rogue. Nufosa would be a monk.

The forse that caused the massacre has been followinf the trio around. It knows everything it need to.

Narinder and the lamb can see and communicate with the Mystic Seller like normal. Nufosa has a funny feeling and a sort of understanding, but isn't full aware of their presence.

HA, them being in the news would be pretty funny, though i will say that the cult was pretty big, instead of 13 people, it would be closer to 40-50 people.

The trio WILL find the fox in the future

Hardest fight they have endured, the initial ambush. Everyone was caught off guard.

Nufosa has quite a bit of resentment towards almost everyone who was in the cult.

Narinder feels neutral about everyone who was in the cult.

Yael has small resentments with a couple of the troublesome followers. Otherwise, they are more so mournful than annoyed.

[reimulin]

do you guys want to see my American Idiot plot manifesto? no? i don't care, here it is anyway

(under cut)

no i did not watch the American Idiot musical for this. also wake me up when September ends is not included because BJA has stated that it isn't part of the album's story.

i exercised a little bit of artistic liberty but for the most part this is as accurate to the apparent story of the album as possible. ok thank you please enjoy ^^

THE GOSPEL OF THE JESUS OF SUBURBIA

Characters:

Jesús O. Salvador: Middle name unknown. 1st generation Mexican immigrant who now lives in Jingletown (Oakland, California). Nicknames: JOS (pronounced Johss), the Jesus of Suburbia, St. Jimmy (alter ego). 15 (debatably).

“Wisteriya”: Given name Amanda, last name unknown. Mostly just referred to as Whatsername, as Jesús avoids saying her name. (Got the name from squinting really hard at the covered up name in the American Idiot physical lyric book)

Tunar “Tunny” Qurbanov: Jesús’s friend he met in The City. Off the boat Azerbaijani immigrant who makes it big in New York.

Timeline:

(2004) cw for everything under the sun

direct/credible sources: american idiot cd booklet, genius lyrics

narrative speculation/inspiration: "why green day matters" by fort collins productions (youtube), "saint jimmy" by ussnicole (archiveofourown)

February 23rd: (American Idiot) Jesús writes his first diary entry/poem, an angry piece about the government, 9/11, and the dead end he feels like he has reached. While this entry outlines his basic beliefs about the world, it isn’t very important to his personal story.

March 3rd: (Jesus of Suburbia) The “Jesus of Suburbia” suite is born. The first act is more teenage angst, as was in the last entry. However, this one is more focused on his own situation. His step-father (Brad) is a horrible man of Rage, and his mother is a devout Christian of Love, but she lets his father’s behavior slide. He believes himself to be somewhat like his namesake, and he is the most self-centered kid in the world. He centers his religious beliefs around himself, a product of the divided and individualistic country that raised him. Jesús believes the problem is society, not himself. His Christ complex has taken over his mind, and he compares wasting his life away with drugs and tv to crucifixion.

Jesús, when not at home, mainly hangs out at the 7/11. He describes the 7/11 and Jingletown in general as the “City of the Dead”, a place where no one comes or goes, and if you’re born there, you’re stuck there. The graffiti in the 7/11 bathroom, some by those who came before him, some by Jesús himself, is regarded by him to be his own Bible. Likewise, he feels like he is the culmination of this graffiti Bible, fulfilling the prophecies written on the walls. But the bathroom is not only the Bible for him; it’s also the center of the earth, and his own hell. His belief system is a little bit confusing. He’s only 15(?), after all.

After he writes about all of this, he begins to break down, entering the third act of his suite. He screams into the paper about how nobody cares, and neither does he. He sees the world as a bunch of hypocrites who don’t care to understand him. Here he reveals his “kids of war and peace”, his group of freshmen who follow his every word like his disciples. He cares about them, but his own self-centeredness gets in the way of forming a real connection beyond that of their leader.

Now that he is thinking of them, he writes a cryptic draft of a letter that he will eventually give to his disciples, titled “Dearly Beloved”. In his mind, it’s his own private eulogy. He tries to reflect on his own behavior, but his own complexes get in the way. 

The final part of the suite would eventually be written in the 7/11 bathroom as his “final words” to his disciples and those who hated him alike. He decides to run away from home, moving to The City. He steals Holiday from his stepfather Brad, a 1968 Mercury Monterey convertible that he drills a hand grenade piece to the head of. He vows to never fit into society’s “line” again. He will not keep this promise.

April 1st: (Holiday) Jesús picks up his diary again, as he approaches The City on Holiday. Not even he is sure how long it took to get there. He revisits the ideas of his original entry, writing an angry piece about the government after hearing a particularly egregious speech from a Californian politician on his car radio. Despite his rage, he is starting to regret running away from his old life. He tries to convince himself that it was the right move to escape suburbia.

April 2nd: (BVOBD) With The City in sight, Jesús crashes Holiday for seemingly no reason. However, he is only a couple of miles away, and resolves to walk the rest of the way. He writes as he goes, lamenting how he walks alone now as he always did. The City sleeps as he finally steps foot into the heart of the place he had always dreamed of. When he gets there, though, he realizes how alone he really is, and he doesn’t know what to do next, and he wishes for someone to find him.

April 11th: (Are We The Waiting) Easter Sunday. More than a week after his arrival, Jesús still hasn’t found his true home in The City, and is starting to hate it. The loneliness is eating him alive. He misses the reputation he had in Jingletown, and he misses how his disciples idolized him. He even starts to miss his family. He finally breaks down in an alley, his mental state shattering, as he realizes how wrong he was about his life back home; he was never the Jesus of Suburbia.

May 7: (St. Jimmy) Jesús doesn’t know what happened between Easter and the day St. Jimmy was born. But according to his diary, this is the day he truly lost his mind. And it was taken over by an alter ego: St. Jimmy. He resolves that if he cannot be the Jesus of Suburbia, then he’ll be the patron saint of denial, the suicidal prince of his own religion. He emerges from the alleyway a new man. Jimmy is better than he ever was in his mind: confident, anarchist, and the son of Rage rather than Love. He begins to collect new disciples, the Forty Thieves, named after the Arabian tale, and he becomes their King instead of their savior. His right-hand man is Tunny, who will go on to be more successful than he ever was, who was someone he never appreciated while he had him. Jesús always did drugs, but his addiction spirals out of control, paralleling the “drug” of St. Jimmy’s persona. He even publicly disowns his own parents, stating his father to be Edgar Allen Poe. His followers learn not to question his madness.

June 13th: (Give me Novacaine) Jesús rides the high of St. Jimmy for a while, but in his private moments he’s just as broken as he ever was. Even when it’s just him and his painkillers, Jimmy still pops into his head to taunt him, and he begs for the release from his personal hell. On this night, he overdoses in the alley he now calls home. However, he is found and saved by none other than Wisteriya.

July 4th: (She's a Rebel) After Wisteriya saves him from death, the two become inseparable, and Jesús falls madly in love with her. He absolutely idolizes her, seeing her as the unwavering spirit of rebellion, and the true patron saint of his movement. Her real name is Amanda, but she changed her name and appearance to be more “punk feminist”, in her own words. Wisteriya becomes his new Bible in the absence of his 7/11 bathroom, and she becomes his new Messiah figure, as she seems to fulfill the prophecies that had been written by him since he entered the city. Later, Jesús will refer to her as Whatsername.

(Extraordinary Girl) He doesn’t date the second entry, but it can be assumed it was written a bit later in their relationship. This is where the cracks in their relationship start to form, but Jesús still idolizes her as much as ever. Despite this, he begins to see how she is still human, and he writes about her crying. The troubles in their relationship are not well reported on in Jesús’s diary, so it's unclear what exactly she is crying about. However, Jesús writes about how it feels as if she never really wanted him, but dates him out of desperation for love. This entry appears to be a collaborative effort, as Wisteriya’s handwriting can be seen among Jesús’s. She refers to herself for the first time here as Whatsername.

August 18th: (Letterbomb) A letter is pasted into the diary, given to him by Wisteriya. In one final act of rage and desperation, she breaks off their relationship, telling him that nobody likes him, and hands him her final letter before leaving The City and him behind. Wisteriya tells him that his “movement” failed, and he will never be the revolutionary savior he wants to be so badly. She points out his hypocrisy, and how The City is crumbling around him to his total apathy. She tears down St Jimmy, calling him what he is: a figment of his true parents’ rage AND love, and merely a front for Jesús’s own self-centeredness. She tears down the Jesus of Suburbia, pointing out how much of a poser he is, and how he only ever loved the idea of her. Finally, she tears down Jesús himself, telling him that she’s leaving before he can destroy her too. She leaves him with a plea to stop over-analyzing and actually do something with his life. After she’s gone, Jesús realizes that she was right, and that he was the American Idiot all along. However, her message doesn’t totally reach him, and he chooses quiet apathy to The City burning down around him.

October 19th: (Homecoming) This is probably a year later. His final suite begins with a transcription of his final message to Wisteriya, now referred to as Whatsername. He reflects on the past few months, which he spent trying to change himself and reflect, to questionable results. He asks her to come back to him when he comes home.

After Whatsername leaves, Jesús decides to disband his “cult”, but St. Jimmy steps in and instead tells his disciples that none of their problems are their own fault, and they should blame their parents for everything. This is the final straw for Jesús, as he attempts to kill St. Jimmy in one final religious ritual: the suicide Jimmy craved so badly. He attempts to shoot himself in the head over the bay, and the bullet hits his head, but his life is saved by Tunny, who pushes the gun out of the way just in time. He still retains a horrible injury, but survives. Despite not killing him, Jesús says that the ritual worked, and that even if he didn’t succeed in committing suicide, Jimmy was satisfied by the bullet in his head and was defeated.

With this, Jesús resigns himself to the life of the average American worker, taking an internship and spending his life dealing with paperwork at East 12th Street. (East Jesus Nowhere???) He grows up to live an outwardly normal life, casting away all his past affiliations, but he is filled with self-hatred and regret. He seems to also be developing severe anxiety. Most of all, he can’t seem to let go of Whatsername.

November 10: Jesús’s mental state reaches rock bottom yet again, after months of waiting for Whatsername to show up, or call him, or at least send him a letter, she hasn’t. One night, he stays up as long as he can, downing 10 cups of coffee so he isn’t asleep when she responds. He thinks about what she said to him before she left: Nobody likes you, everyone left you, they’re all out without you having fun.

He does get a message in the mail, but it’s not from Whatsername: it’s from Tunny, whom he attempted to contact along with Whatsername. He sends him a postcard from New York, where his band had made it big. He chastises Jesús, and brags about his new life, inadvertently telling him how much better he has it now, and how Jesús will never be that punk that wanted to change the world again. He ends the postcard with a request for him to stop contacting Tunny complaining about how his life ended up. He doesn’t say so, but he means to tell him that his situation is his own fault.

Finally, he resolves to stop complaining and to look towards the future, accepting that he’ll never have his old life and girlfriend back. He visits his old 7/11 bathroom, what he views as the source of his teenage madness, and paints over his graffiti, erasing the gospel of the Jesus of Suburbia. He sends one final letter to Whatsername, summarizing the Homecoming suite, and finally returns to Jingletown. He walks through the streets of his hometown, singing Whatsername’s words to himself, the only piece of his old life he will keep with him.

January 1st: (Whatsername) Many years later, Jesús encounters Whatsername in a dream. He reminisces on his time with her, and tries to forget her, the final part of his past he needs to put to rest.

thank you for reading! hope this made sense. no i did not proofread this before posting. feel free to ask questions ^^

[artandthebible]

The Sermon on the Mount

Artist: Jan Brueghel the Elder (Flemish, 1568–1625)

Genre: Religious Art

Date: 1598

Medium: Oil on Copper

Collection: Getty Center, Los Angeles, California

The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of sayings spoken by Jesus of Nazareth found in the Gospel of Matthew that emphasizes his moral teachings. It is the first of five discourses in the Gospel and has been one of the most widely quoted sections of the Gospels

In this small painting, the figure of Christ is almost lost amid the dense, multi-colored crowd. Identified by a pale yellow halo, Christ stands on a rustic podium near the crowd's center. He presents his sermon on the conditions of blessedness. Behind Christ, his disciples pay rapt attention, but many in the diverse throng prefer to socialize with one another. In the foreground, a gnarled gypsy tells fortunes and a vendor sells pretzels. To the right, below a distant vista, a man in a long coat and dark hat directs two women in elegant gowns toward the crowd.

Jan Brueghel the Elder painted this festive scene on a thin sheet of copper. The work's bright colors, fine details, and enamel-like finish are accentuated by the hard copper support. Brueghel's unmatched ability to describe figures and landscape in great detail transforms the painting into a jewel-like object intended for close scrutiny.

[llycaons]

Section Three: Part IX

Let’s be brothers again: jiang cheng, you clown

*water’s sweet but blood is thicker by fensandmarshes

summary: the shortest and highest quality reconciliation fic I’ve ever read - efficient and impactful. postcanon, a (drunk) wwx must confront his relationship with jc when jl and lsz call each other cousins. the writing in this is just excellent - wwx and jc are impressively characterized, but jl and lsz are also written so well, in a way that actually got me to care about lsz. their generation breaking the cycles of violence is efficiently and effectively explored compared to fics that treat them as plot devices for shipping or getting wx together. funny, sweet, and very emotional - it made me cry. cql verse work issues: none author issues: none

*all your sums and your pieces by sundiscus

summary: a nice little modern AU work where long-estranged jc and wwx come to an awkward reconciliation point over wwx adopting a-yuan. endorses the ‘jc is good with kids’ agenda, which I’m inexplicably fond of. also lwj is a museum curator in this, which I like a lot even if it’s just a throwaway line work issues: none author issues: fuck or die

the things you have to say by rkivees

summary: a short work on wwx and jc talking a little postcanon. this reconciliation is one of the few that doesn’t coddle jc or reward him for acting like an aggressive and immature dickhead, so I really liked their dynamic. wwx pushes back against jc’s treatment, points out how contradictory and irrational his demands are, and lays down boundaries, and their relationships improves because of it. wwx also has a very emotional aside thinking about and apologizing to his younger self that just ruins me. it’s a little hard to parse because of the style, but I really loved the characterizations work issues: none author issues: none

Stray Dog’s Parable by natcat5

summary: here’s jc immediately after the gc transfer growing himself a tiny, loyal disciple army in the worst possible conditions. raw, unglamorous, and intense, just as it would be in real life. this jc is extremely responsible and a great leader, so he’s quite compelling to read. the atmosphere and tone are incredibly rendered. firmly novel verse in later works (not in a bad way, just very dark), but for this one, it could be either canon I read two of the next fics in this series, but I think this one was the best. the later works edge towards pretentiousness and repetitiveness, but this first one is tight and cleanly written. work issues: none, and nothing in the next two works either. I haven’t read the last one but nothing jumped out when I was scanning the tags author issues: none

*Like the Goddamn Hotel California by KiaraSayre

summary: a modern AU BM fix-it fic from jc’s pov about a curse that causes him to experience moments from songs on a playlist wwx had made in their childhood. goofy enough to veer into comedy, but it has some very nice family moments too, and I do love this jc (he is suffering) there are of course disclaimers: this jc is far more sensible and communicative than canon jc, and the idea of wwx listening to taylor swift pisses me off, but it’s a good time and a lot of fun anyway. and hey, happy ending work issues: none author issues: wrote something tagged ‘mildly dubious consent’ immediately followed by ‘enthusiastic consent’ so idk what’s going on there. something with…consensual mind-control? man idk

Cultivation Unsolved: The Unclean Realm Special by wearealltalesintheend

summary: a very funny modern cultivation au where jc is driving wwx and the juniors across the country (?) on a roadtrip, and they have to stay overnight at a very creepy hotel apparently this was based on something from buzzfeed, but never having seen that I can only say this was a fun read that I could follow perfectly well side note I don’t think the author cares about lwj at all because lxc was discussed more often he was even in relation to wwx, which is odd imo but quite funny work issues: none author issues: none

Back to Start

[pastorrick411]

Certainly! Here’s an overview of Saddleback Church that you can share with others, reflecting its mission, community, and impact:

### Welcome to Saddleback Church

#### Background and Vision

Saddleback Church, founded by Pastor Rick Warren in 1980 in Lake Forest, California, has grown into one of the largest and most influential churches in the world. Our mission is to fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus Christ by spreading the Gospel, making disciples, and loving our neighbors. We believe that everyone is on a journey of faith, and we’re here to support that journey in a welcoming, inclusive environment.

#### Community and Fellowship

At Saddleback, we embrace diversity and welcome people from all walks of life. Our congregation is a vibrant community of families, singles, young adults, seniors, and individuals from varied backgrounds. We emphasize building deep relationships through small groups and fellowship opportunities.

- **Small Groups**: Our small groups offer a space for members to connect, grow in faith, and support one another. Whether it's through Bible studies, prayer meetings, or shared interests, these groups foster community and connection.

- **Events and Gatherings**: Throughout the year, we host a variety of events, including retreats, family activities, and seasonal celebrations, that promote fellowship and spiritual growth.

#### Worship Experience

At Saddleback Church, our worship services feature uplifting contemporary music, engaging sermons, and an atmosphere that encourages spiritual growth and connection with God.

- **Dynamic Worship**: Our worship includes a blend of music that resonates with our community, led by talented musicians and worship leaders.

- **Inspiring Messages**: As the pastor, I aim to deliver messages that are rooted in scripture and relevant to everyday life, empowering individuals to apply God’s Word in practical ways.

#### Mission and Outreach

We believe that faith is best expressed through action. Saddleback Church is deeply committed to serving others both locally and globally.

- **Local Outreach**: We participate in various community service initiatives, partnering with local organizations to address needs such as food insecurity, homelessness, and health care access.

- **Global Missions**: Our church is actively involved in missions around the world, from disaster relief to long-term partnerships in various countries. We aim to share God's love with those in need and make a lasting difference.

#### Resources for Growth

Saddleback offers numerous resources for spiritual development, including:

- **Sermons and Teaching**: Access our sermons online, allowing you to engage with God’s Word at your own pace.

- **Books and Study Materials**: We provide a variety of resources, including books authored by Pastor Rick Warren, that cover topics such as purpose-driven living and spiritual growth.

#### Get Involved!

We invite you to become part of our community! Whether you are new to faith or looking for a place to grow deeper, Saddleback Church welcomes you.

- **Service Times**: Join us for our weekly worship services, and experience the joy of a collective faith.

- **Newcomers’ Orientation**: If you’re new, we have orientations designed to help you understand our beliefs, get connected, and find your place within our church.

#### Conclusion

Saddleback Church is more than just a place of worship; it’s a community committed to loving God, loving people, and changing the world. We invite you to join us on this journey of faith and fellowship!

---

Feel free to adjust any section or add specific events, stories, or aspects that reflect the current activities and missions of Saddleback Church!

[bb-bare-bones]

Beating a Dead Crop: A Children of the Corn Retrospective

By Tabby Knight (instagram - tabby.knight6)

Artwork by Dy Dawson @xgardensinspace

If you’ve seen all of the Children of the Corn films in the franchise (dear God) I’m both somewhat impressed and also vaguely concerned for your mental wellbeing. I counted a total of 12 entries in the series, including the 2020 reboot and the 1983 short film Disciples of the Crow. Not bad, considering Stephen King’s original short story clocks in at approximately 10,000 words, and ends with a degree of finality that doesn’t exactly invite a sequel.

For those unfamiliar with the source material, Children of the Corn was originally published in Penthouse Magazine in 1977 and later reprinted in King’s short story anthology, Night Shift (1978) and follows a young married couple who accidentally hit a child with their car while driving through rural Nebraska. Burt and Vicky, who are road tripping to California in a last-ditch attempt to save their marriage, decide to put the boy (dead) in the back of their car and drive to the nearest town, Gatlin, for help. The shock of hitting the boy has been abated, somewhat, by the fact that he was likely already dead when they went over him — his throat's been slit from ear to ear. They are a little disturbed, however, to find a crucifix made of corn husks in the boy’s suitcase.

They arrive in Gatlin only to find it deserted, and the only building showing any sign of recent activity is the church, which is defaced, trashed, and decorated with corn. Inside, Burt also finds a record of births and deaths, and manages to piece together the town’s dark history: some twelve years ago, all the adults in town were massacred, and the children appear to have created a corn-worshipping cult in their absence. Since then, every registered death in town has occurred on the victim’s nineteenth birthday.

By the story’s conclusion (Spoilers) Vicky’s been mutilated and crucified on a cross of corn, and Burt finds himself trapped in Gatlin’s cornfields, pursued — and ultimately consumed — by a mysterious entity that lives amongst the rows. It ends with the children, who are informed by their nine-year-old cult leader, Isaac, that He Who Walks Behind the Rows is displeased with their inability to dispatch Burt, and has lowered ‘the age of favour’ from nineteen to eighteen as a punishment. As a result, the town’s eighteen-year-old residents march into the corn to sacrifice themselves to their god. One of those dispatched, Malachi, leaves behind a pregnant girlfriend, who fantasises about setting fire to the corn in retribution. We end with a line that still sticks with me years after I first read it: “Dusk deepened into night. Around Gatlin the corn rustled and whispered secretly. It was well pleased.”

And there you have it. It’s not King’s best short story by any means, but it’s far from his worst, and it has its own grim, mystical charm that appealed to me as a teenager and still appeals to me now. The cult operating in Gatlin works primarily because of its elusiveness, and its ambiguity. We don’t see the children overthrow the town, we see very little of the entity that lurks in the corn, and there’s no flashy final showdown. There’s a tragedy to the children that fails to translate to the films, a quiet sort of helplessness emphasised by their final march into the cornrows. The conclusion feels inevitable – this is the way things are in Gatlin, and it’s horrendous, but it’s unstoppable. It just is.

To the best of my knowledge, none of the film adaptations manage to capture this same sense of quiet horror, the idea that those who commit such atrocious evil are themselves victim to a larger, far more powerful force that cannot be overthrown or disobeyed.

It’s a shame, then, that the very first film adaptation – a 1984 venture starring Linda Hamilton – dispatches this sense of ambiguity and dread entirely. Instead we are left with a standard, far less eerie narrative structure, in which Burt rescues Vicky, teams up with a couple of the less murderous children, and manages to set fire to the cornrows, ostensibly killing (at least temporarily – 5 sequels and several reboots, remember) He Who Walks Behind the Rows. Instead of the quiet despair of the short story, emphasised by the pregnant Ruth’s secret desire to see the corn burn, we get a final jump scare and a happy ending as Burt, Vicky, and the two kids they appear to have adopted set out for Seattle on foot.

There are merits to the first film, at least. John Franklin makes an iconic and genuinely menacing (if a little campy) villain out of Isaac, who outshines the elusive creature behind the rows as the primary antagonist. Courtney Gains makes for a memorable Malachai - morally grey and surprisingly likeable, far more fleshed out than his literary counterpart. The supporting cast of Gatlin kids are suitably freaky, at least until Sarah and Job are established as good kids, which diminishes the effect somewhat, especially when the short story did so well as to establish the children as equal parts good and bad, victims of a larger system as well as perpetrators of violence.

By creating a binary in which children like Sarah and Job are “all good,” while those such as Isaac and Rachel (the crazed adolescent responsible for that final scare) are “all bad,” we lose that sense of dread. Worse still, we lose the last remaining shred of realism in a film that has Burt pursued through the corn by a tunnelling monster right out of Tremors. As I said, we essentially lose the very point the source material is trying to convey.

That’s not to say it’s a wholly unlikeable film, of course, or that it’s universally hated by horror fans. Lots of people, myself included, look at the film with a great deal of fondness. But that doesn’t change the fact that it falls into that famed category of questionable Stephen King adaptations. It also doesn’t change the fact that it didn’t warrant a sequel, let alone five, and a string of ill-fated reboots with sequels of their own.

Horror movies and sequels go hand in hand, obviously, but unlike the other sequel machines of the 1980’s, the Children of the Corn franchise lacks the same fanatical following. When quizzed on franchises and their sequels, diehard horror fans tend to have very specific preferences. They have a favourite Nightmare on Elm Street, (Mine’s 3) a preferred Jason Vorhees (8-bit video game Jason, though I suspect I’m an outlier) and strong opinions on the superior Child’s Play film (It’s Bride). But with Children of the Corn, that level of diehard devotion appears to be lacking. I’ve met a lot of horror fans, and I’ve never had any of them tell me that Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror, for example, is the best of the lot.

I don’t want to generalise, of course, because I’m sure someone out there is getting ready to contact me and tell me of their undying devotion to Urban Harvest. I only mean that as a collective, horror fans are incredibly tolerant of sequels, and often can discuss the merits of part six over part ten. A cursory glance at cinema attendance for the new Halloween and Scream sequels alone indicates a market for the same formula over and over again. I would argue, however, that Children of the Corn doesn’t necessarily fit into that category. With the possible exception of 666, which promises the return of the first film’s Isaac, none of the sequels on Wikipedia’s handy-dandy list either catch my eye or spark my memory, and I can’t be the only one.

The question, then, is why keep churning them out? Let’s not forget that this isn’t just a case of a one-off direct-to-video sequel, or even a trilogy. We’re talking about five direct sequels to the 1984 film, plus three maybe sequels (Revelation, Genesis, and Runaway) and two reboots (2009 and 2020/23).* The obvious answer is of course, money, but you can’t seriously tell me all these direct-to-video sequels are churning out bucketloads of profits. They’re certainly not churning out rave reviews, either from critics or audience members.

My best guess is that, like me, people continue to be drawn to and affected by the original source material, and want to create a film in that same vein. But if that’s the case, why the continual failure to accurately adapt that same source material? Why create a narrative in which He Who Walks Behind the Rows is easily dispatched by outsiders, when the real terror of the story (at least in my opinion) stems from His unrelenting hold over the children, even in the face of their growing resentment?

The 2020 adaptation, much like those that have come before it, has received mostly negative reviews, with an 11% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a 22/100 on Metacritic, and a staggering 1.6/5-star rating on Letterboxd. While I haven’t seen it myself (yet – if I do, it’ll bring my total number of CotC films up to…3) what I can glean from Wikipedia, Bloody Disgusting, and Letterboxd is that once again, the film fails to either accurately adapt the source material or, at the very least, capture the same spirit of terror the original story managed to convey.

In a perfect world, such universally abysmal reviews would signal a long-overdue death for the franchise, and I’d like to say I’m optimistic enough to hope for its end. But this is horror we’re talking about, and we appear to be in an age of unrelenting sequels for all genres regardless. And worst of all, there’s a backlog of twelve films whose very existence leave me pessimistic and cynical.

Incidentally, if you’d like to catch a Children of the Corn film that kind of captures the spirit of the original, consider checking out the aforementioned 1983 short film Disciples of the Crow. It’s not a perfect adaptation (Burt and Vicky still manage to escape unscathed, god damnit) but it goes a long way towards establishing that eerie sense of mindless violence and inevitability I talked about. It’s campy as hell, of course, terribly acted and not exactly scary, but it is only 18 minutes and free to watch on YouTube, and not too bad for a student film. At the very least, Burt isn’t pursued by a tunnelling monster as he attempts to set fire to a cornfield.

*In light of the pandemic, the 2020 rendition of Children of the Corn didn’t receive either mass distribution or a theatrical release until 2023. Interestingly, it was apparently the first film since the 1984 adaptation to even receive a theatrical release. Go figure.