#I was looking this up because the people who run the orchard i live in are putting out squirrel poison next to these holes that the skunks- | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

sarahdogoc80 · 1 month ago

Text

"Native Gene". What the Hell does that even mean Lily Orchard?

Jesus Christ I step away for a while and I come back to craziness. What the fuck is a native Gene? Does she mean her skin is Darker then her siblings? Does that mean her DNA alines more with natives compared to her full blooded sister?.

While I don't like to get into race and it's ugly history it should probably be stated that Lily came from two white parents (I've seen their pictures) and has mostly white grandparents. So at the very least she is way more white then not. Plus I know is trying to darken her skin with makeup.... Which feel a little iffy.

I am uncomfortable with people claiming to be something they aren't for some kind of street cred. I've almost been killed because of my race. But because Lily is white she likey hasn't been victim of a race related crime. I know she claims she was stabbed but I think that's because she was trans not ""native""".

My mom after she had me was cut off form her dad's side of the family because my dad was Mexican. So almost two years later when her dad's parents claim they wanted to meet me because I was their first ever great grand child my mom was so excited for me to meet them. So we go over there and I'm running around because I'm a baby who is finally walking. Well my great grandpa pulls out a gun and "starts cleaning it". Note because of how my mom grew up she didn't think it was odd he decided to clean a gun right then and there. So I have eventually stopped running around and started just bouncing myself up and down while holding onto the couch. That's when my great grandpa takes the shot. He missed by mer inches. Infact you can still see when the bullet went into the floor as my mom now owes that house. My mom quickly picked me up and ran out of there. My great grandpa tried to play it off as an accidently discard. But my mom is a lot of things but stupid sure as hell isn't one of them. So just because of my race my great grandpa was willing to shoot me his own family as a fucking baby. Just because my dad wasn't white. Well she didn't talk to them till after my chemo. At which point because she wanted to see her dad more regularly (he lived with his parents after my grandma divorced him). So she eventually took me and my brother over there. And they fucking hated my brother because he looks more Mexican then I do. Especially after the chemo. Due to almost dying and avoiding sun light for years like a vampire my skin had become lighter. And all of a sudden my great grandparents loved me. They started buying me gifts, started wanting me to come over all the time. Actually you know interacting with me. But they did non of that with my brother. So after mom starts trusting them again she lets her dad take us over there without her supervision.

Well one of the worse cases of racism I seen happen against my brother was one day we were over there. My great grandpa gave me a bag of chips. Now my brother was like 3/4ish at the time and still mute. So when my grandpa sees his dad give me chips he tells my brother to go get some. Now because my brother can't speak at this time. He runs up to him and hugs his leg with one up and does the gummies hands with the other. My great grandpa without care or hesitation kicks my toddler brother away and he hits the TV stand. He is shocked and so am I. He sits there moves his hand to the back of his head (where I assumed he hit it) looked at my great grandpa with the most betrayed and saddest look and start crying. My great grandpa didn't say sorry and when I asked why he did that. He said he doesn't want no "r*traded Wetback" touching him. So I went over to my brother to check him and he raised his arms and wanted to be picked up so I picked him up and almost fell because he was half my size. But I get us to the couch and he starts biting his pointer finger (note this is a stress behavior he did well into his teens) while crying. I check the back of his head and while there is a lump forming no blood. So I thought he would be fine. And while he specifically was fine (my mom rushed him to the ER when my grandpa gave us back to our mom and she seen the lump. And they said was going to be okay. But if he had a concussion or something I don't remember I just wanted to know if he was going to be okay.) if this happens to a child and a lump forms take your kid to the ER. I had to soothe my brother because my great grandma and my grandpa were ignoring the whole situation. I eventually offered to give him a back scratch and he calmed down. After this I tried to share my chip (another note chips are and always have been my brother's favorite food) and my great grandpa yells telling me not to share with him. I asked why and he said he doesn't deserve chips. And because I was scared I pretended to eat the chips while my brother kept trying to get me to give him some and actually tried to grab the back to which my great grandpa yelled at him that he'd pop him in his mouth if he didn't sit down and shut the fuck up. He's yelling this at a mute autistic toddler because he has the audacity to be born. I eventually don't care anymore and throw the half eaten bag away. They don't notice it's half eaten he wasn't that crazy. So now me and my brother are stuck in this living room watch a show we don't care about. My brother has one hand rubbing his lump and the other one he is bite on. I have to keep taking his finger out because he actually started to break he skin. He was under so much stress he kept biting even while he was bleeding. So I (I was a weird kid and always had bandaids on me) band aid his finger and had to keep stopping him for bitting. My great grandpa starts taunting us and say he can already tell my brother is going to be a drug dealer and stuff like that. But the breaking point were I did the first time asked my grandpa to take us home. Was when my great grandpa noticed my brother had asked for a hug and he said "Watch out *my name* one day the little spick's hand will be around your throat when he needs drug money." I then yelled "stop it popal (what we called him)" and asked my grandpa to take us home. To which he said no. Eventually the old bastard goes down for his nap. At which point I ask again for my grandpa to take us home. He says no your mom is sleeping I can't drop you off till 6. He then gets up and gives us each a bag of chips from his dad's stash and tell us to go play up in the playroom. So that what we did. It was more like we were hiding in there because we didn't want to have to deal out great grandpa.

These are my worse personal experiences with racism. This is what it is on a personal level. Just fear, hatred, abuse, and traumatizing. I feel Lily is also glamorizing the idea of what us people of non white skin colors have to face. And if I'm being honest the Hispanic/Latino, Blacks, and Native Americans get it the worse. And because Lily has neither black or Hispanic/Latino heritage anywhere she can remotely leech off of but does have a Native line she can. It's probably why she pushed this idea that she is one. Because she wants to be part of something she isn't. She is still trans and bisexual and those are two groups she could be fighting for. But no she wants to play dress up and pretend to be a race she isn't and didn't have to live her whole life as. Just so she can be a part of something she's not. Because she fetishizes and glamorizes the struggle and victories she only knows a fraction about. You are gross Lily. You don't actually care about what racism is. You don't care about how it effects us in life for the rest of our lives on a personal level. I almost died and my brother was abused for no other reason then our dad's heritage. You need help Lily. You need to look at the human side of racism and not the clean markable racism you were taught in school.

Edit I didn't get to participate in the cool Internet racism. Were you can drop one liners and own the conservative/ racist. I had to live in the racism that was ugly and cruel. I got to be told my own brother would one day kill me because he looked a little too Mexican for mein führer. I lived in the racism that tried to teach me I am worth more because I am lighter skinned. I lived in the racism with abuse because my brother wasn't the right skin tone. I hope I made my point clear as to my opinion on Lily's race and why it does matter

#lily orchard #lily peet #lily orchard critical #mikalia orchard #tw racsim #tw child abuse #Racism #discrimination #Mexican discrimination

16 notes · View notes

kob131 · 3 months ago

Text

Lily Orchard and Pokemon: Gen 4

Yay, we get to hear Lily bitch more from now on.

"Gen 4 runs like shit because the game is trying to process 3D graphics all the time, like with battle transitions, health bars and movement!"

Then how the fuck do you explain Platinum, which ended up fixing all these issues then?

"Also I'm modding the game to remove the FPS cap and give myself a Ralts as the starter-"

W-w-wait, what?!

Why the fuck are you modding the games...in a retrospective all about looking back at the games as they hold up? Your complaints and footage WON'T line up, thus weakening your arguments!

Also, I don't give a fuck about how much you like Gardevoir. Ralts doesn't get an attacking move until Level 6. Starters start at Level 5. And Ralts is INTENTIONALLY weak to compensate for how strong it is fully evolved. Modding in a Ralts WILL affect your gameplay because the games aren't built for that.

For fuck's sake- USE A DIFFERENT TEAM!

"I encourage Barry to try and jump over the grass because I wanna see him get mauled by a Bidoof-"

Wait a minute. Was-was that fucking Peanut Butter from Pokemon Rusty?

...Oh great, Lily Orchard is probably taking her takes from Dorkly. That explains a lot.

"Well Ralts doesn't get an attacking move so I 'threw the match-'"

Sounding pretty salty there, Lily. Maybe you should try diversifying your teams and actually ENGAGE with the Pokemon by using a damn starter.

"I'm getting stopped all this time like a small child in a brony conve-"

I will call Taka in here to maul you, Lily. You were kicked out, deal with it.

"Uh oh! My Ralts is worse than a Magikarp! Whoopsie!"

Keep this in mind. It will be important later.

"Oh no! It takes a whole minute and ten seconds for me to get through an encounter with Team Galactic! TOO LONG!"

Speaking as someone who has played every Gen of Pokemon...as well as playing a few games with Pokemon's older, edgy brother SMT- You are making mountains out of mole hills Lily.

Games, especially RPGs given how they don't tend to be very interactive games, tell stories to stimulate the player's brain. This requires time, Lily. I know that you like being lulled into a silent stupor as evidenced by your love of Team Aqua/Magma and later Lysandre (No I am not joking) but most ACTUAL people like having some kind of engagement with the game. Pokemon, even at it's most verbose, is fucking SMALL POTATOES compared to your usual JRPG.

I brought up SMT for a reason Lily- that series compensates for having a less engaging battle system than Pokemon's by having a more robust story. If you played any SMT, even one like Nocturne- your brain would likely shut down.

JRPGs like having stories. You signed up for this with Pokemon. Now judge it accordingly.

"People gas up Cyrus as one of the best villains-!"

No they don't. They gas TEAM GALACTIC as one of the best villains because they fuck with the fundamental forces of existence, giving them an air of a series threat. I don't agree, I like Cyrus for being the only one with a reason for doing what he's doing. But people usually like him for the stuff OUTSIDE his home game.

"Reading Pokemon stories is just like watching subbed anime: reading the most inane bullshit!"

... Lily, you hate anything anime, don't you?

"Sinnoh ugly because grey and mud and forest gross!"

... 1- Lily, you literally show a grey tiled route being dyed orange in evening light.

2- Yes Lily. Mountainious regions and marshlands have mud and rocks.

And 3- The forest looks dark and damp because that's a fucking FOREST. If you paid attention the BGM in the previous forests, you'd notice that is what the developers intend the forest areas to be like. You basically just said ''the previous three gens completely failed at their jobs!'

*Lily proceeds to have a fake existential nightmare about Pokemon and Youtube*

Cool Lily. Too bad you mention these minor things and not...you know...the strewn path of broken lives you've left in your wake on this planet.

Could have had some kind of respect for you.

"Pokemon games hold your hand like a creepy uncle with a MLP collec-"

@takashi0 get in here! Lily's being an ass about bronies again!

"Oh my god! So many forced tutorials! Why won't they let me skip everything like the Underground tutorial! POKEMON BAD!"

Lily, the reason why the game won't let you skip the Bike is because you NEED it to progress the game and it gives you an improved movement option. It also won't let you skip the Egg tutorial because Pokemon breeding is necessary for getting certain Pokemon or helping you get certain Pokemon (like multiple starters). And this is why you can't skip the catching tutorial: you'd just be throwing Pokeballs at random and failing constantly.

These are necessary aspects of the game. A game for kids who may have never played a Pokemon game before. Deal with it.

"I don't know why I'm here, I just keep ignoring the dialogue."

So you talk about the story being ass...while acknowledging that you aren't paying attention to said story...

Like, I know that Lily is implying she's long since gone through the game and experienced the story, hates it and is now skipping over it but you are now making a retrospective of the games. Now would be a good time to pay attention and possible reconsider your stance.

"HMs are so cool! You can use your Pokemon to transverse the region! People are so dumb for bitching about them. You have 24 moveslots, just set aside some and forget coverage, dumbbnuts!"

So what you're saying is that we should have random required HMs in Pokemon Gyms to challenge them properly? You know, like Chuck's Gym? That you couldn't complete without backtracking?

Or that maybe we should have moves like Cut, Rock Smash, Flash, Whirlpool and Defog (which you basically call useless) be necessary! After all, who cares about player expression? It's just 20.8% of your moveslots!

... This is why you use your BRAIN Lily.

"You need to adapt to roadblocks, you useless clowns!"

Remember this, it will be important later.

"Archie and Maxie were charmingly stupid but Cyrus is completely crazy!"

A- That's intentional with Cyrus and UNINTENTIONAL with your favs.

And B- You outright emphasized that they were gonna blow up a volcano to try and expand water/land for Pokemon. How is THAT not crazy?

"Barry demands yet ANOTHER Battle-"

It's the fourth fucking battle Lily. Just because you cut yourself anytime a rival shows up doesn't make it excessive.

"*another 'cobs bad' joke*-"

Yeah yeah, you want cops gone because your abuse victims keep calling them on you and you have a bad experience with them.

Move on.

"Hey I'm not a cop, it's not unethical if I go on a rampage-"

You REALLY don't know when to keep your mouth shut, do you?

"Cyrus can no be cult leader, HE HAVE NO MOTIVE OR PESONALLITY!"

...

"Fellow members of Team Galactic! Hear me! My name, as I appear to you today, is Cyrus. This world of ours is a crude one. In a word, it is incomplete. It has been, and always will be, a struggle to survive in this world. We humans and Pokémon are likewise incomplete. Because we are all so lacking, we fight, we maim... It is ugly. I hate the incompleteness. That we are all incomplete, I hate it with my entire body and being. The world should be complete. The world must change. Then, who will change it? Me, Cyrus. And Team Galactic. Yes, all of you. Together we pored over myths and exposed their secrets. Together we captured legendary Pokémon. And now, Team Galactic has obtained the energy to change the world! The power of dreams is within our grasp! Understand it, fellow members! My long-held dreamworld is on the verge of becoming reality. All those headed to Mt. Coronet, and those who remain here... Though our missions may differ, our hearts beat as one. Let there be glory for Team Galactic!"

"But, I must say... You are a remarkable specimen. Those Pokémon have nothing to do with you, do they? But still you come to rescue them out of pity? Such pitifully useless emotions... It's illogical and irrational. Pity and compassion are products of the weak and faulty human heart. You were compelled to come here by such vacuous sentimentality! I will make you regret paying heed to your heart!"

Perhaps pay attention to the fucking dialogue, Lily. Because these are pretty blunt and obvious examples. Cyrus appeals to people feeling that the world is harsh and unfair, promising them a bright tomorrow if they listen to him. Then he explains how he believes emotions have caused these problems so he wishes to erase them.

"Oh really Looker? You think I'm so dumb that-"

Lily, you just got done humiliating yourself by being outsmarted by a children's game and will continue that streak throughout this video.

Yes, you are that dumb.

"Cyrus has double the dialogue Maxie and Archie have in these games but it is so stilted and devoid of personality! Archie and Maxie are SOO much better by being stupid and trying to better the world-!"

Lily, those guys were not intended on being stupid. They were intended to be well intentioned extremists. They seem stupid because the games made their acts so dumb that the intentions are overshadowed by their stupidity.

Cyrus does more than try to be evil, you can tell from comparing his dialogue to Giovanni's-

"Blast it all! You ruined our plans for Silph! But Team Rocket will never fall! <Player>, never forget that all Pokémon exist for Team Rocket! I must go, but I shall return!"

And his so-called 'stilted' dialogue would probably fit a man who is OPENLY TRYING TO RID THE WORLD OF EMOTION. If your assessment is correct- that would be good writing.

Archie and Maxie are badly written. You are praising bad writing over good writing.

"Platnium has gotten away from the feeling of adventure that makes Pokemon good-"

You know what helps with a sense of adventure Lily?

A story. Something to give structure and stimulation to the player.

You praised one of the dullest games in the series in Emerald and are going to praise THE dullest game in the series. All while demonizing the games that actually stimulate.

You're full of shit.

#lily orchard and pokemon

23 notes · View notes

mindovermuses · 3 months ago

Text

Something has been tickling the back of my brain ever since we were given a glimpse of the gods in Downfall that I think is starting to come together into some sort of coherent thought process. But I'll we'll see how coherent it is once I've brain dumped it here onto the page I guess...

Most of the gods we've met are children.

Barely filtered ramblings ahead. You've been warned.

Go back and re-watch the opening of Downfall with them on Tengar. See how they run around and play like young children, naive to the world around them. How an elder of their race thought it such a fun thing to take Aru and any of their friends out to the orchard to witness a new tree coming into being. Is that an activity one would do with an adult or a curious child?

How, when Edun disappeared and the world started to disappear as well, other NPCs appeared at their sides, taking charge and telling them not to worry, they'll bring Edun back... before vanishing themselves. The gods/children had no understanding of anything that was happening but other, more mature-sounding characters seemed less lost in the moment.

The former god of death, Nahal, had probably just reached adulthood and that's why they could feel the dread the other adults seemed to sense and why they weren't running and playing. It's probably also part of why the Matron of Ravens was able to ascend to their godly position. Reaching full adulthood and understanding, maybe he chose to seek out oblivion and leave her as his chosen heir.

Given their timeless natures and how they were made into real, immortal beings... who knows how long it would take for them to emotionally mature, especially with no healthy adults of their kind there to guide them.

Can't you just look at some of their decisions and actions in the past and see the subtle nods to a toddler or young child playing make believe or not getting what they want and throwing a tantrum? It wouldn't be a one-for-one match to a child as we know them, but similar none-the-less.

Forsaking their godly abilities and living as humans for a while probably helped them to "grow up" more than anything else as well as finally accepting the Matron of Ravens as more of an equal. They learned first-hand how their actions and in-actions have consequences and that they had been speaking for and making decisions for life on Exandria without considering that they should have a say in things as well. Their puppet playthings are just as real as they are and are driven by the same emotions that they, as the gods, are.

I don't think the gods have fully reached adulthood for their kind just yet- some may be closer than others though. They're still, for the most part, those same scared little children in the orchard of possibilities watching everything they've ever known and loved be taken from them. Watching the only place they've ever known as home be swallowed up by something they didn't understand.

What happened may have been a completely normal thing for Tengar but not something they would have told young children about because they didn't believe they would understand yet. In a panic, the oldest of the children did their best to collect their siblings and escape what they saw as certain doom... but what if it wasn't? What if it was? No one can know for certain (except Matthew Mercer, that is...).

Maybe Predathos was the result of the adults of their world's hubris coming back to destroy them and THEY were the airship of children from Avalir or young Hallis from Aeor who were able to escape and survive the calamity their peoples brought down upon themselves. (Wonder if young Hallis grew up and studied necromancy while building himself a happy little spherical domain? Nah...)

Then again, maybe Predathos doesn't kill the gods it absorbs. Maybe it was a security system to protect Tengar and it sends them to be with the rest of their people and their lost home. Of course, if this is the case, there's always the possibility that perhaps, by choosing to become real to escape along with other later actions, they can no longer travel in those dimensions.

I mean... it's kind of like if fifth dimensional beings took form and became fourth dimensional beings. Gods amongst the peoples they presided over. For a short time, they constrained their potential further and became three-dimensional mortals, but their mortal forms couldn't hold their greater power indefinitely and they re-emerged as their fourth-dimensional selves. But, once you've shaved off enough of yourself to become mortal... how can you possibly ascend back to your former fifth dimensional forms to go home again?

TL;DR: The gods are literally children and potentially unreliable narrators of their own histories because of it.

#critical role #critrole #calamity downfall #critical role meta #critical role theory #mindovermuses ramblings

18 notes · View notes

pisboy · 3 months ago

Text

Continuing from my read more posted last night: my cat Tib went missing thru a door that got unexpectedly opened while I was on vacation and had been open for at least 2 days before someone noticed. so i had to drive myself back home to help search for him. The only saving grace in this scenario is that my other cat Lili was nearby when it was discovered the door was ajar so she is in the house and doing fine

Barely slept at all and the minutes still drag on like hours

I was already running on fumes but I feel despondent. I'm literally surrounded by orchards and farm style properties so it feels impossible to do a thorough search but I can't help but circle and wander calling for him.

He's quite skittish so chances are he's been hiding but it's been 3 days now and it's hot and if he's still alive and not eaten by coyotes I'm worried he'd be in rough condition to make it back

All suggestions online say they're more likely to leave their hiding place when it's dark but I don't know what else to do right now. I can't sleep because my brain is rushing and my gut has been unendingly nauseous since yesterday so I can barely eat either.

We've just posted signs so part of it is a waiting game. After people start getting off work I'm gonna knock on doors and ask if I can look under people's decks and stuff.

I don't know man

I haven't even cried yet. I feel so numb like I'm in a living nightmare.

Tib is the love of my life. Like I can't overstate how much he means to me. I feel like an evil shithead entertaining thoughts on how proportionally relieved I would be if he was here and Lili was the one missing.

But if something killed him I need closure. It feels quite fucked. Every minute that passes feels like I'm wasting it. This isn't the first time the cats have gotten out but it has by far been the longest.

In fact, the last time it happened I was home but didn't latch my stupid door and it was open all night, but in spite of that I got woken up by Tib walking on me, who had returned in the house just to cuddle.

Nevermind now I'm sobbing. Fuck. I miss my funny man.

18 notes · View notes

kingmagnificoofrosas · 6 months ago

Note

Talking to people who worked on the movie, your assertion that Magnifico was once a prince is wrong. The tapestry shows their lives working as farmers. Theres even a panel showing tiny Magnifico working alongside his father among an orchard. You say only nobility had tapestries but that’s also not true. Only nobility COMMISSIONED tapestries. Peasants made them for themselves. That’s why the castle is so far in the background. Because they’re not part of it. (also ‘greedy thieves’ couldn’t invade a castle made of stone)

Oh yippie! Look what we have here!

How I love it, when I get accused of saying something I actually never did! Or claimed! So first things first.

Anon over there referred to a little convo I had with somebody on Insta, below that (young Magnifico/Prince) post. I explained that this isn't a canon fact but my headcanon!! Yet, they still found the time to misinterpret my comment and then annoy me with it as if I'm committing a crime by posting my headcanons on my social media accounts!

Normally I would ignore and delete such a message, but I cannot help but show off my inner geek now. Anon wants to be so smart, yes? Knowing so much better and the aim of this message is to - what? Make me feel bad? Hurt me? Insult me? .... Hmmm no!

So they talked to people who worked on the movie? Guess what? I couldn't care less.

Look. If someone wants to "correct" me on something, they should make sure that their claim is valid. If it is, and I do make mistakes too, and I see someone is in the right, I'm the last person to then say "no, but I'm right!" I can admit mistakes or faults if I made some. However, if I'm being accused of saying something I didn't, and then am challanged for something I clearly stated as a headcanon ... that's like running around and bashing people for their OC-ships. Do they also go and attack AshaxStar shippers? Being like "Ehmememe, starwasn'tahumanandtherewasnoromanceplannedforashaandstar-memememe"

Do I go around and bash on Amaya-simps and shippers just because I can't stand her guts? NO! I leave them alone! I don't agree with them and I don't care as long as they leave me alone.

They key of communication always lays in the way the sentences are formed!

A simple "Hi, I saw this post of yours where you call Magnifico a prince. But I found that this isn't a canon fact." Would have been enough.

Then, they could have followed up by saying something nice, despite not agreeing with my headcanons. Not straight up coming at me with "You are wrong!" Followed by a pharagraph of facts that aren't even "facts"! There are so many ways to start a message the nice way. But a message such as the one I got will only make me uncomfortable, make me feel attacked and cause me to block and delete it.

But, again, this challanged my nerd side so ...lets analize the woven tapestry closer then!

Starting in the top left corner, we have a sunflower field on a high hill. Right next to it, the palace. Then we see a few houses. The first house shows a couple.

The second shows a mother with her toddler, followed by the third house and a man, two slightly older children, a couple and their toddler, a woman wearing a poncho/scarf and a toddler, a brown cow and two running children.

Hmm, no working people so far.

Then to our right, we have a forest or a apple tree plantation. Not entirely clear. And yet again, we see a woman with a toddler. Back to the left, horsies! Happy horsies and a foal.

And lastly, we have the biggest part, young Magnifico and his parents. Magnifico is elevated here, indicating he's of importance nr 1. Nr. 2 his clothes are slightly different! He has a blue sash/belt and a golden trim on his garnment.

Nr 3. He and his parents are right below the castle. No where else do we see them a second time.

Also, the very first thing we see appear right next to Magnifico at the beginning, is this :

A zoom-in of the palace and the lands in front of it. No people here this time, just Magnifico right next to it. (Not included here, cause I cropped the screenshot) Not to mention, that the sun looks very similar to the star attached to his belt!

All of this doesn't prove 100% that he's a prince yet but it makes it highly likely. I mean, if the castle isn't important, why show it? Why not show fields and regular houses only? But the castle is there. And as far as I know, the producers hardly said "anything" about Magnifico's past, other than that it's very tragic!

Even if one or more of those who worked on the movie claimed that Mags wasn't born royal, I wouldn't care! My headcanons are mine. And I'll keep them.

Moving on to the next claim. I'm not an expert in history but I'd consider myself nerdy enough to at least google a fact or two before I make a statement or I just mention that I'm not too sure! Now, what exactly does history say about woven tapestry then? Was it common for peasants to have them? Let's see!

Before the mediaval ages, woven tapestry has been a widely spread form of art. It was found in many countries. The egyptians and the incas burried their dead in woven tapestry. Later the greek followed, having the walls of very important civil buildings covered with it. But it was only through the french mediaval weavers, that the things became truly popular.

Going back to what anon accused me of claiming. No, I never said "only royals" had woven tapestry. What I said in that one comment was, I quote : "as far as I know-" (mostly royals and important people got portrayed on tapestry, exceptions being scenes of historic events or made up stories for "art sake") I hadn't done an in depth research at this point because I didn't think I needed it, since ... pff I didn't even consider someone getting offended by a headcanon of mine that literally does no harm!

Anyway!

In the 13th and 14th centuries, the churches recognized the value of woven tapestry and used it to display scenes from the bible. After the 100 years war, woven tapestry became a status symbol among aristocracy. They didn't only look nice, they were also a very practical solution, providing insulation in the castle walls, covers for openings or being a source for privacy around the beds.

Kings and nobels ( knights for example) took them with them on travels for comfort and prestige.

By the 15th century, woven tapestry became similar to paintings. Often certain scenes were portrayed : myths, legends, cartoons or copies of existing art pieces. By 1663 a factory was founded, employing more than 800 weavers to create tapestry for the royal court.

By the 1800s woven tapestry had become very expensive. And even before that, it is to be assumed that royals and nobility paid a great deal for a woven tapestry, making weavers more than poor farmers. Actually the more skilled an artist was and the more important their work was for the "rich" people and the society in general, the better off they were. Many craftsmen were considered "middle class".

That was a lot of info dumping here, huh? But pretty interesting, no?

So what else made me lean into my headcanon? Magnifico's very own words! He called the land "our lands." Now, regular peasants didn't "own" any land, let alone the plural! "Lands" They were lucky to have a roof above their heads. Farmers did own a small part of land, which was basically the fields they grew food and wine. But Magnifico specifically spoke of the lands he and his parents owned. And who owned lands? Aristocrats. Royalty.

So, still not a 100%, but for me this is enough to sustain my headcanon. Either you like it or you don't. Either you agree with me or you don't. If you don't, you ignore me and my headcanons and move along! Coming at me and accusing me of spreading false information won't get anyone anything but getting blocked and or reported by me 🤷🏻‍♀�� and no, I do not feel caught, cause I didn't do anything wrong.

Furthermore, the castle being in the background literally is 0 proof that it isn't Magnifico's former home! That is like saying, the big fancy house in the back doesn't belong to the knight because he is shown riding his horse in the fields! So my claims are "wrong" but theirs are valid?

The last argument made me laugh. For real. "Greedy thieves cannot invade a castle because it's made of stone." Oh really? Do I have to enroll several cases during history, how and where exactly castles and fortesses were invaded?

Let me give a few methods used to invade castles!

Fire

Battering Rams

Ladders

Catapults

Mining

Siege

There are hundreds of historical records of such events!

If "greedy thieves" were able to destroy and murder a whole land and it's community, we are not talking about some itty bitty poor criminals roaming the streets stealing food and other things. We are talking armed, barbarians, who throughly planned their attack. And guess what the main reason for attacks and invations were.

Greed.

Just because someone was of higher status and sat in a castle, didn't save their head. Many were killed despite being royal. Many castles and fortesses were destroyed or invaded over the course of time. Wars got held because of "castles". And it didn't matter if they were made of stone. What do you think happens to a stone wall that is bombaded by canons?

Anyways, be nice and I will return kindness, be rude and I will block you and delete your messages. No rocket science.

Never the less, I had fun breaking this down and blabber about history a little 😆

#anon answered #venting #magnifico headcanons #for once I took that challange

10 notes · View notes

cospple · 3 months ago

Text

costco x apple cider CHAPTER ONE!

TW: fighting, yelling, british, idk what else so i apologise if i forgot anything!!!

Authors Note: there’s like. a lot of grammar issues in here, those are because i was lazy. however any spelling mistakes are on purpose fuck the english language. (also i apologize to anyone who isn’t on mobile because i wrote this in my notes app so it’s formatted for mobile)

without further ado, here is our first chapter, enjoy <3

********************************************

APPLE

hi my name is apple marie cider and i have long light brown hair and brown eyes. i grew up on an apple orchard (which is how i got my name). i’ve lived in the same small town, on the same 50,739 acre apple orchard for my whole life. the only good thing about this town is the people. well, not ALL of the people. take my sworn enemy, Costco, for example. HIS FULL NAME IS LITERALLY COSTCO COSTCO COSTCO!!! him and his family have been my sworn enemy since generations back. you see, it’s a sort of family feud.. years ago, starting with costcos and my parents, (costcos family owns the town market) costcos mother WOULDNT let my parents sell their apple cider at the market and insulted us for being farmers.. the feud passed down generations, which is why Costco bullies me. in our little town, everyone who knows anyone knows that Costco is an Alpha. you can’t go anywhere without hearing about it. not even the library. i myself am more of an omega. i just don’t like the idea of being mean to people!!! anyway, aside from Costco (i roll my eyes just thinking about him), everyone here is pretty great!

i get up out of bed, put on my overalls and a black t shirt, then i head off to town. i was walking the dirt road from my barn to town, when i felt it. Costco was out there somewhere. wandering around. looking for a submissive and breedable type. “not today Costco.” i whispered under my breath. i would NEVER go out with him. i made my way through town, walking fast. a lot of faces passed, but thankfully none of them were Him. i stopped into a few stores, avoiding Costcos family market. then i picked up the dry cleaning, when all of a sudden…

“hey Apple!” a voice shouted at me. i looked up from my grocery list, and who should i see other than Costco.

“great…” i muttered under my breath. “what do you want, Costco?” i said rudely.

“oh, nothing, nothing…i just couldn’t help but notice that you went to every shop in town, but mine! odd, huh?” he said mockingly.

i rolled my eyes at him. “maybe if your parents weren’t douchebags-“

“HEY!” he barked. “don’t talk about my parents that way! EVER.” i began to shake. i don’t like when people raise their voices at me. i shivered and turned away from him, then began the long and treacherous journey back to my barn.

when i got home, momma stopped me at the door. “are ya’lright honey? have ‘nother run in with Costco?” she said empathetically.

i sighed. “it’s nothin’ momma.. i won’t let him get to me.”

she smiled her warm apple pie smile and said “good. he ain’t gonna rattle us now, is he? we got a iron clad foundation.” i smiled softly at her, then made my way into the house. i set our groceries on the counter and brought the laundry to my room. then i thought i oughta go talk to pa about what Costco said.

********************************************

COSTCO

i took the limo back to my mansion up on the hill, overlooking our vast empire that was the town supermarket.

“thanks Lionel.” i said, being sure not to scuff my new italian shoes as i stepped out of the limo.

“pip pip, cheerio!” he called as he drove to the family car park. i swiftly walked into the foyer, where i made sure there wasn’t so much as a spec of dirt on my clothing. i had been far too close to that farm girl during the conversation we had. i was worried she may have given me a disease, like herpes or the bubonic plague.

after i was sure there were no bacteria on my suit, i walked into the mansion. i walked through our pristine, pearly white halls until i reached my fathers study.

“hello, father. you will be happy to hear that i-”

“Costco, how many times have i told you? do not disturb me while i am working.” he sternly told me.

“my apologies father…” i said, backing out of the room. he never listens to me.. and i know not to disturb mother down at the market. if i am there it could scare away potential investors or customers, due to my intimidating nature.

instead, i walked through our large, clean, house, smiling at the large painting of the Costco market, no apple cider family products in sight. it gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling, knowing that they are banished to other markets. a feeling that is, for an alpha like me, unfamiliar. i shrug it off, deciding to go work out in my gym until dinner.

********************************************

APPLE

the next day i woke up in my bedroom. it was raining outside, which is good for our crops. i looked around my pastel pink room, thinking about how happy Costco must be. it’s cold and dreary outside, just like his soul. STOP!! WHY ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT HIM??? i thought angrily. what i SHOULD be thinking about is breakfast. i have to go eat my oatmeal, and then i should put on my red poncho and go feed the horses and check the chicken coop for eggs. Costco has no place in any of that. he’s never worked a day in his life! i put my hair in a ponytail and i pulled on a clean pair of jeans, with holes in the knees from kneeling to wash the horse stalls. i put on a long sleeved navy blue henley and my poncho and rain boots.

after doing my morning chores, i went to find momma and pa, and say goodbye before i head off to school. then i put on my rainboots and began to walk to the bus stop. it was raining hard, so i had to put my backpack under my poncho. after 2.11 miles of walking, i made it to the bus stop. there were a few other kids there, but then came Costco. looking UGLY as ever in his stupid Vicuna suit and dumb Italian shoes. god, he needs to get therapy or something.

“hey Cider, where’d your hunchback come from?” he called out in his stupid stupid accent. OH NO. MY BACKPACK UNDER MY PONCHO LOOKS LIKE A HUNCHBACK?? i thought, feeling like an idiot. everyone at the bus stop began to laugh. hard. this caused me to shake, tears welling up in my eyes.

“aww what’s wrong? not alpha enough to handle some laughter?” something about the way he said it made me shiver.

“shut up…” i mumbled. i won’t let him get to me, even as the tears spill over my eyes. his expression seemed to almost.. soften as he realized how his words affected me. he put his hands in his pockets and looked at the wet ground. his hair began to dampen, he must have been too busy looking at himself in the mirror to put on a rain jacket. i couldn’t help but notice the way his icy blue orbs seemed to glow, even as his hair fell in front of them. i then realized i must look odd, i was staring at my sworn enemy as if i…liked him.. or something. now THAT would be funny!

the bus finally arrived, and we boarded back to front. i ended up somewhere in the middle, sitting alone. no one wants to sit next to me because im a stupid farm girl. suddenly i felt the air seem to grow thicker, the room darker, colder even. and who should sit next to me but the one and only Costco. in the moment i wished i had sat in the back, next to stinky John, because at least then i wouldn’t be stuck here, next to the most wretched, evil creature ever to walk the earth.

“look, i know im an alpha, and.. i don’t usually say stuff like this, ESPECIALLY not to YOU. but… im sorry for what i said at the bus stop. i saw how it affected you and i just… never mind its dumb anyway..” he said shyly. i’ve never heard Costco say something like that before.

“oh. um- i- i- i guess its uh- it’s fine. it’s no big deal- i guess…” i said, hoping he couldn’t tell i was nervous to be around him. i don’t even like him, yet he makes me stumble over every other word. it’s crazy!

we didn’t talk for the whole rest of the bus ride. we finally got to the schoolhouse 20 minutes later. we got off the bus and went our separate ways, thank god. i don’t want to talk to him again today. he kind of scared me, being so…nice…like that on the bus. he’s NEVER like that, especially not to me.

********************************************

COSTCO

i can’t believe i just apologized. to APPLE!! i never apologize! to anyone! i’m too alpha for that. god, that stupid little omega is going to ruin my reputation. i can’t have that. i walked through the hallway, almost hitting the ceiling with my 6’5 frame, making sure to keep my head up. this way everyone knows that im the best. omegas cower at my mere presence. “heh..” i chuckle to myself under my breath. especially that wretched omega farm girl. i thought in my head.

i sit down in finance 101, ready to learn, when all of a sudden..

“hey, Costco! is it true that you got RABIES from Apple Cider??” a girl asked me. i don’t know her, but she seems like a beta type. which means she should NOT be speaking to me.

“excuse me?” i said calmly.

“well..y’know, because you two are like..”

“like WHAT?” i asked, my temper slowly rising.

“well…i dunno. i don’t remember. sorry to bother you, mr.” and then she ran off.

if this stupid beta thinks that ME, COSTCO C. COSTCO, would EVER be associated with that farm girl, i might just murder someone. the whole town seems to think we LIKE each other. which is absurd, obviously. we very clearly despise each other. the mere idea of us being together makes me throw up in my mouth. because if i let the puke out it would get on my new suit. and i cannot let that happen, this is VICUNA for Christs sake!

anyway, that beta clearly knows nothing about me. the closest i’ve been to that lice infected farm girl was sitting beside her on the bus. and even THAT i didn’t want to do. i just hadn’t meant to make her cry. father says making people cry is apart of the job. i don’t want to be anything like him. i want more than this. i always have. i mean, seriously, who wants a trust fund and a job in finance?

my “friend” (aka the son of my fathers business partner) James walks over and takes a seat next to me.

“Hello, Costco!” he says cheerfully.

“hi, what are you so happy about?” his happiness disgusts me.

“Well, if you must know, my dad just signed a contract with a major company, meaning I get to intern there next fall!”

“oh, isn’t that just delightful.” i say sarcastically. who even wants to intern at a finance company?? before James can respond, our teacher begins class.

********************************************

APPLE

“OMGOSH YOU SAT NEXT TO COSTCO ON THE BUS??” my best friend Orange whisper-yelled at me.

“well i- i mean yeah, but like i said, it- its not that big of a deal. it was just.. weird.”

“weird like sexy or weird like odd?”

“ugh, Orange, gross!” i say, scrunching my nose at her.

“just askin!” she shrugs.

“okay, well as i was SAYING. he sat next to me, and then-“

“Ladies, what is so important that you absolutely must talk about it while i am telling you about your assignment?” Mrs. Jones, our biology teacher, said.

we both mumbled apologies, and turned away from each other. for the rest of class, i sat silently taking notes. we were learning about cells, and to be real honest, if we didn’t have a final for this class i wouldn’t be paying attention. cells are really boring. after class, we resumed our conversation.

“yeah! he straight up apologized for making me cry! what has gotten into him??”

“it’s so obvious, Apple!” she says excitedly.

“what?!”

“girl, Costco has a huge crush on you!! why else would an alpha like him express his feelings!! plus, HE literally sat next to YOU! guys don’t do stuff like that unless they like you.” she says, nodding her head like she just bestowed some vast knowledge upon me.

“Orange. you’re delusional. he only sat next to me because he had to! there were no other seats!!” she rolled her eyes and shrugged.

“whatever you say! anyway, im off to algebra. see you at lunch!” she called as she skipped off.

she’s so insane! Costco? having a crush on ME??? never in a million years! he doesn’t even LIKE ME! because we’re SWORN ENEMIES!! gosh, that’s such an absurd idea…

#cospple #costco x apple cider #CHAPTER ONE #please comment with your thoughts and opinions #yes i know it’s very silly and stupid but i love it

6 notes · View notes

satohqbanana · 7 months ago

Text

A Nobleman's Quest to Settle Down

Summary: Lars doesn't fit in with Clearwater. What does a rich and smart guy like him do? Make his own town. AO3 Link

A/N: Separate post so I don't hijack @herecomesremi's gorgeous Larshen art. This is decidedly aligned with canon, because I'd never let ADF Lars act this high and mighty at the end of the quest.

(line break)

When a certain nobleman from the Eastern Empire moved in, Clearwater turned upside-down.

Lars Tenobor doubted if this was a good idea. Living among the commoners brought discomfort for everyone involved, after all. But, by some miracle, his mother agreed that he take his share of the fortune and allowed him to build his life wherever he wanted to. Of course, the sensible thing was to spend that money to build a nice house, buy some land, and hire workers to take care of the said land.

Unheard of, Clearwater said. For generations, the lands had always been shared among the community. Working for a businessman - especially a foreigner - was humiliating and more harmful in the long run.

However, between coming here and making Rhen stay in Ghalarah, this was undoubtedly still the better option.

Weekly incidents involved escalations with the village elders - over, again, the land ownership thing - arguments with passing salesmen - because a lot of people would rather let themselves be scammed by these crooks than listen to him - and, admittedly, from time to time, experiments.

It wasn't really Lars' fault, no. People heard running water on that side, so Rhen asked Lars to help her look into it. He didn't even want to do it in the first place and somehow she got mad. See, he even used dynamites instead of his own magic --

And so a portion of the cave blew up.

Everyone blamed Lars, since it's now, magically, his fault that they had to build a road along the cliffs instead of going through the caves. (They're wrong. The cliffside road, even if it would make him dizzy, was much preferable than the dark cave where he could not breathe and risk having his companions go the wrong way, ambushed by the resident monsters, and get blamed for bringing them to trouble when they ran into the trouble while he was warning them not to get themselves in trouble!)

Anyway, the mayor tried to banish Lars to live on the other side of that newly-opened cave. Before he could defend himself, Rhen opposed for him. Proud of her, of course he treated her to a new pet: a nightingale even more exquisite than that of the Veldtian Queen's.

But, in the end, love did not shield him from the consequences of his actions, and Lars had to cave in. He made sure to tear down his beautiful house and revel in the silence of horrified naysayers who, undoubtedly, was planning to seize it from him in the first place. He wanted to sell the land back to the greedy mayor who took his money when he first bought it. As expected, the terrible old man opposed, so Lars gave portions of the land - including their titles and legal rights - to Old Dyonna and the people Rhen truly cared about.

(The mayor couldn't oppose the former Chosen and ex-princess of Thais who brought salvation to the world, and he finally let them be.)

Lars then moved to the other side of the cave, found a lush forest with a running river, and built his new house there. He hired househelp to keep the manor tidy and the animals well-cared for, then he hired guards to make sure that those annoying Clearwater mugs would never touch his property. He struggled with business for a while (those Sedonian crooks), but soon enough, he had people working on his own orchards.

At this point, he no longer knew if he was still considered a resident of Clearwater or not, but he could, of course, be the better person and simply name this land, have it marked on the map, and start a new town altogether.

As smart as he was, the brilliant new name of this mystical new place for himself never came to his genius. Rhen suggested they go on a walk around 'Tenobor Town' - no, that name was too simple!

Not-Tenobor Town was not exactly a town yet, but in the future, it would grow into one. Right now, all it had was a gorgeous waterfall next to his luxurious mansion, rows of orchards and plains for growing food on the other side. His employees already resided next to the lands they cared for, cozy in their little huts and with their own families. They could still clear more trees on the other side to make way for new members of their ever-growing community.

(And what, have everyone call him their mayor? No, no, he was their Lord. Lord Tenobor. Rhen refused to be called the lady of the land. One day, she'd come to her senses and find that this was a privilege and not a power trip.)

A yet-untouched portion of its former large forest stood across the river. Now, Lars didn't allow anyone to venture beyond the river just yet. He simply had a feeling that he had to leave it be.

Rhen, ever so inquisitive, pulled him towards the forest. Even when not in gear, they should be strong enough to face whatever danger there would be. What would be the danger? They'd gone against beehives, poisonous snakes, and multiple-headed wolves before, and they'd triumphed over each foe as rookies fresh from Shadwood. As adults who'd done in Ahriman, they presented more danger to the local fauna!

But Rhen's little risk proved to be a fruitful effort. The birds and the deer cleared out of their way, and after skipping over a few fallen logs and thick briars, the forest stopped. Lars' jaw dropped when the bright light beyond the woods shone over a meadow. Flowers of all colors grew everywhere, and butterflies hovered all over. Beyond the horizon, a rainbow formed above the mountains.

He definitely should restrict this area for just himself and Rhen's use.

Rhen, ever the childish one, immediately pulled him down to the grass and told him to pick flowers. She wanted to make flower crowns for both of them. Though he was too old for this game, Lars rolled his eyes and humored her request. Of course he picked out only purple and white flowers, assuming he'd make it for himself.

When she saw her choice of flowers, Rhen flushed, but didn't make a comment. Instead, she went on to teach him how to delicately weave the stems and leaves together. Don't pull too hard; get the base going first; add in the smaller ones after.

Luckily for his teacher, he was a fast learner. Once finished, Lars held out his crown proudly. Rhen cut his celebration short by grabbing his crown and wearing it for herself.

"I think this fits me more than you," she declared, before promptly adding her crown over his head.

From the craftsmanship and the form of this crown - which made it seem like there was nothing holding it around his head - she'd gone with something that seemed more difficult to form. Not that it looked like he was wearing something, when his flower crown was almost bare of flowers and full of leaves. (Rhen one-upped him again. Again. Again! He loved, loved, loved her too much to be mad at her.)

Now flushed himself, Lars crossed his arms and huffed.

"I'll make the better one next time. You'll see."

"Oh, you! Come here!"

Rhen laughed and jumped into his arms, and he welcomed her as they rolled onto the grass that she so fondly compared his hair to. Her purple hair fell perfectly over her face, even when this messy. He brushed the strands away from her blue eyes that mirrored the sky above them, and captured her lips in a lasting kiss.

"So, what are we naming this place? Larshen Town?"

"Oh, Rhen, please don't ruin the moment."

His wide smile betrayed his amusement, so she snuggled against his chest and dared him to think of a better name than that.

Moving to Clearwater (and to Maybe-Larshen Town after) wasn't too bad of an idea, after all!

#aveyond #av1 #satoh writes #larshen

6 notes · View notes

whinlatter · 2 years ago

Note

Hermione —> Overrated? Or underrated?

Do you think Harry or Ron would have been incapable of finding the Horcruxes without Hermione? Do you think their capabilities are overshadowed by Hermione since she’s so smart? When they became Aurors do you think they flopped or thrived without Hermione?

Anon are you trying to start a war in my ask box with this one…

You know, I think I would say Hermione is increasingly underrated in certain fandom spaces, after a long time being maaaybe idealised to the point where her character had all her flaws erased and the backlash was bound to happen. I love Hermione as a character, talents, flaws and all. I love thinking about her arc, her motivations and emotions and relationships that we don't glimpse through Harry's narration (her friendship with Ginny being a great example - I loved loved loved playing with it in Orchards). I just always enjoy exploring her inner life and her joy and fears and more intimate feelings when writing or reading fics (something this recent piece, something so tender (i can't explain) by @incalculablepower, does so so well). When I was much younger I used to be a bit ambivalent about Hermione as a character, for reasons that are almost cliche now: a reader who are themselves a bookish girl seeing too much of themselves in Hermione's worst moments and not enjoying the invitation to look inwards that those moments prompted, lol. (I remember little me reading the part where Ron mocks Hermione for jumping up and down in her chair while putting her hand up in class and being like sorry do other people... not like it when I do that in class... oh no oh no)

The boring answer is I don't think Harry or Ron would have been able capable of finding the Horcruxes without Hermione, but I also definitely don't think Hermione would have been able to find them on her own. Back in the day in fandom spaces, I think Harry and Ron were a bit caricatured as useless clowns bouncing off walls with Hermione being the only one with any sense. These days, at least in the fandom spaces I interact with, there've been a lot of big steps towards giving Harry and Ron their completely deserved credit for being smart, strategic and impressive throughout the Horcrux hunt (digression but I was doing a re-read of Malfoy Manor chapter the other day and sorry Harry and Ron double act in that scene is so impressive when they're dealing with Wormtail. Auror skills absolutely at work in that moment). I think Harry and Ron would do well in those early years as Aurors without Hermione, in part because they have learned from her over the years, but not solely because of it.

For me, it's so interesting to think about how a lot of Hermione's character growth and arc would happen after the war. Although I don't think the transition to Auror life would have been straightforward for Harry and Ron, I think Hermione would really struggle with going back to Hogwarts. It definitely makes sense that she would want to go back and try and get back on her pre-war track, but you know what they say: you can never really go home. For Hermione, going back to school would have been extremely dislocating and challenging, for so many reasons: the absence of Harry and Ron socially (and ofc being long-distance with Ron), but also the experience of going from being a war hero on-the-run back to the very controlled and arguably infantilising life of a boarding school, alongside peers who lived a very different war to her and went through Hogwarts under the Carrows. Hermione would have her own post-war traumas to deal with, but no longer be alongside the two people who shared hers most directly. Then there's also the context with her parents... I think the 1998/1999 academic year was a rough one for her, in ways that are so interesting to think about as a writer.

(Now if only someone... would write a fic... about the girls at Hogwarts in their seventh year... where we might explore these themes... that might begin with b and rhyme with feasts... maybe... might be nice...)

#absolutely shameless self promo from me there sorry anon #interesting provocative question thank you!#hermione jean granger i will always love you my little bookish posh prep school girl daughter of dentists rock star #hermione granger #meta #ask

45 notes · View notes

maxsroom-jamesbaldwinsversion · 9 months ago

Text

A complete list of pets my family has had.

A black cat with no name. I was three so either she didn't have a name or I forgot it.

Dennis (AKA menace)- A hamster who decided his three-story cage wasn't big enough and that people were the enemy. Almost daily he would escape his cage and instead live in my ANTIQUE wooden doll house. If you tried to remove him, he would remove your fingers.

Purdy - A King Charles terrier who was very pretty. However, do not go near her mouth. Even with food. It is a death sentence. She lived to thirteen and even while deaf and blind she could tell if you were approaching her pearly whites.

Two Springer Spaniels - Jasper Casper and Jim Diamond. Jasper used to run full force into kitchen cabinets chasing shadows. He somehow made it to thirteen. Jim is still going strong.

Charlie - an obese chihuahua (maybe, we're not sure if he was even a dog).

Betty - a little black chihuahua who managed to get pregnant by Finnley (coming up later) when he was 9 MONTHS OLD.

Declan - a racehorse who is too shy to race.

Darby - a chestnut pony who we bought for casual hacking, however, at the slightest sign of freedom he would bolt (with you on him).

Peanut - a shetland/fallabella pony who broke two of my toes.

Woody & Buzz - two guinea pigs who managed to hide so well in their cage that we routinely thought they had escaped (Buzz was later renamed to Fat Nugget).

Jinx - a demon of a cat who asks for attention and then attacks you for the fact she had to ask.

Rosie and Ronnie - cats! Ronnie got run over the same day we let him outside. Rose is still kicking at 14 but habitually brings mice HEADS to our front door.

Colin - a cockatiel whose only talents are wolf-whistling and sitting on Rosie to test her animal instincts.

Kia - a thoroughbred racehorse.

Sooty - a black feral kitten brought home to us by Jim. In his mouth. Completely unharmed. We think he found her in a field?

Shiela - another cockatiel who we got as a friend for Colin. Her only talent is screeching at the top of her lungs when you're trying to relax.

Alfie - an orphaned lamb. He needed to be bottle fed, however, he would headbutt the groin of anyone who tried to do it. He, in fact, chased my stepfather around the orchard trying to get at his groin.

Mario - a tea-cup cockriel who managed to drown in a kiddie pool we had set up for the ducks (the pool was maybe 30cm deep).

Maggie - a duck who got kidnapped.

Shelly & Lucy - sheep who would run away if you tried to interact with them.

Chickens - too many to name but a few notable ones were; sonic (ran everywhere) and Molly (named after my sister because she strut around like she owned the place).

Finnley - a chihuahua who looks and acts more like the illegitimate son of satan himself than a dog.

Boris - son of Betty and Finnley who was born with an underbite, floppy ears that never stood up, and only one testicle.

Edgar - son of Betty and Finnley who lived each day like he wanted it to be his last.

Elvis - the final son of Betty and Finnley who begs to be picked up and then growls like he never wanted it in the first place.

Lucy - an ex-racehorse who, when in jumping competitions, decides she's not done when the course says so, and bolts.

There might have been a few I missed but that's all for now folks.

#animals #pets #my pets #evil creature #funny #funny post #shitpost

2 notes · View notes

the-firebird69 · 23 hours ago

Text

There are some very huge events that have occurred that we have to follow up on there are two major occurrences one is the shooting of Camilla Parker they shot her in a specific spot to abduct her and it was manipulated down the road by the Mac proper but Tommy f there's a major player and orchestrator in this kidnapping and is holding her thus proving the point and holding half of d as well but not her body. This is triggered the second event

***it is a war between Camilla's people and Tommy f combined with Trump and they're not on the same side but they are full fighting miscellaneous right now is kind of restricted to Camilla and her people a fairly soon it will widen into a much greater conflict and it will involve other people eventually bja and he's forced to get involved because they start to bother him about what he was doing and even stand and the pseudo Empire are sucked into it and they switch sides a little bit until they are aligned against the pseudo Empire and it doesn't take very long and they figure it out there's a going to be a huge war between them probably just in days and it is going to affect everybody on Earth and it is going to be a wider conflict and included in this and are other facts about what's happening and it's pretty big.

--there are a lot of people who are upset and disgruntled and aside from current events are running around fuming and they're reaching a crescendo and is I needed and it's not helping and they are a destructive force on Earth that we must stop we are dispatching troops but this is getting to epidemic proportion they're part of these groups and running around and they're trying to mirage and take things to separatist cities it is a huge emergency it has been developing and getting worse and increasing in magnitude over the past 5 years right now we calculate their 10% of their potential size and of their Force doing this and know the recent figure has says it says they've increased to 20% and in are increasing still we are on high alert we have troops that are ready for action all over the world and it is to specifically deter these people who are doing and performing this kind of activity it is a huge Force massive numbers of them and we simply have to act. We're calling up hours we're getting them in motion we have to have a lot more people and troops we do know this and we are moving out right now to ready them we are looking for assistance from ours in any format we need you to sign on to our military forces and we need that to occur very soon as in now and it is very important that we get moving on it and get it done our son is busy yeah he's trying to keep up with humble abode and it requires a lot of energy case in point right now he's trying to do the dishes and he's trying to get ready for the day and he's having some difficulty during both and also announcing he's getting it done and he's moving but it is a chore but it's you know where on duty and we're helping him and he's aware of that we have several other things to discuss but these two huge events have occurred and now it is in a different stage they are fighting a small war for her release and it is nothing to block at orchard trivialize this is a massive fight and it should be looked at as such and it will involve everybody shortly we are in tune to a few of these people and find what they're doing and saying to be unacceptable we have noted that bja is pushing it and causing it they are talking about it this morning and they have found him to be the one doing it and he's trying to get ships and get them up it's a difficult maneuver that he's attempting yet it's very illegal and it rests on The backs of others they are to die in order for theirs to live and it will probably be another battle or war really and it's going to lead up to that and he says Force his move to occur and what we say is true it will but at what price and yeah there's going to be a price it will probably be fairly steep so he has to keep that in mind other than that we have regular things to report but this is very huge news and we're going to print right now

Thor Freya

We have had a lot of fun this morning no it's kind of tough but he's doing okay he's getting the job done I can see him moving around and I see him getting ready few things are not the greatest but he's doing the job I feel that he is clean and he keeps clean but it's hard to do and he says that he's going to be a lot cleaner soon enough because he'll be healthy but he is trying so we have work to do here and it's serious work and he's performing pretty good pretty soon he says he'll have money to throw away the sponges and get new sponges a lot more often to change the bed sheets more often and I do see what he's saying right now it's a hassle and cost money doesn't have a source of income yet other than social security and free tenuous to risky to have him stuck on it it's constant threat and our people are getting threatened too and we are changing gears and pretty soon it will happen but until then I'm asking people to help with cleanliness to get okay and he's pretty conscious about it but there's some things in the house that I think we need to clean and he should mentioning he doesn't know it's dirty and there's some smells around I think it's under the cabinets or dusty and dirty with the stuff and he sprayed under there with bleach and for a few weeks it smells pretty good then he says he's he's getting a width of it and he says maybe if he sprays like solid bleach underneath the cabinet all the way under the very very bottom onto the floor solid bleach will kill off whatever it is and then you left with just done eventually it's going to be dust but he says that moisture from the kitchen is going there and it's going to be there for a while until it's slowly guys off so I get that so yeah he needs help doing a few things like that he also needs funding and it's an emergency here we are having a constant emergency this month social security in the first of the month and rent and bills for everyone is becoming horrendous these little more lock are refusing people for no reason and they're getting advice and stuff but we have to get more troops out there immediately and we need more infiltrators to simply eliminate them their garbage and you can use them because the max are sitting there watching apartments and stuff to grab the imbecile and take care of them but we need that done we need our people to sign on now we run these operations already but if you're out there you know that we using the force in mental Powers is one thing but their motif is solidified and they are going on and doing these things it's almost every apartment complex we need to get you some real help we need people from each apartment to come to us and we need you to give a report so we can send troops and we need you to do it asap today would be too late

Hera

That means as soon as you can you get it together and you send out someone and Olympus will send assistance and you need it really bad I know I do

If you get a lot of help it's going to make it easier on me

Zues

We do hear all this and we're going to prepare and we have an idea of what you're saying it's a great idea

People of Olympus

We needed this very badly we want you to send it out right now

Olympus

0 notes

dfroza · 1 year ago

Text

On paper and face-to-face

(crossing paths…)

Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the New Testament is the 1st and only chapter of the letter of 2nd John:

I, the elder, to you, a lady chosen by God along with her children. I truly love all of you and am confident that all who know the truth share in my love for you. The truth, which lives faithfully within all of us and will be with us for all eternity, is the basis for our abounding love. May grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Jesus the Anointed, the Father’s own Son, surround you and be with you always in truth and love.

I was so filled with joy to hear stories about your children walking in truth, in the very way the Father called us to live. So now, dear lady, I am asking you to live by the command that we love one another. I’m not writing to you some new commandment; it’s one we received in the beginning from our Lord. Love is defined by our obedience to His commands. This is the same command you have known about from the very beginning; you must live by it. The corrupt world is filled with liars and frauds who deny the reality that Jesus the Anointed has come into the world as a man of flesh and blood. These people are deceivers and antiChrists. Ensure that you do not lose what we have worked for so that you will be fully rewarded.

Any person who drifts away and fails to live in the teachings of the Anointed One, our Liberating King, does not have God. But the person who lives in this teaching will have both the Father and the Son. If any person comes to you with a teaching that does not align with the true message of Jesus, do not welcome that person into your house or greet him as you would a true brother. Anyone who welcomes this person has become a partner in advancing his wicked agenda.

I have so much more to tell you, but I would rather meet with you personally than try to capture these sentiments by ink on paper. I hope to come and see you so that our joy will be complete.

The children of your chosen sister send you warm greetings.

The Letter of 2nd John, Chapter 1 (The Voice)

Today’s paired chapter from the First Testament is the 47th chapter of the book of Ezekiel:

The man whose appearance was like bronze led me back to the temple’s entryway. There I observed a stream of water bubbling up from beneath the temple threshold, flowing eastward in the same direction the temple faced. The water was running parallel to the temple’s wall south of the altar.

My guide led me through the north gate and took me around the outside wall to the east gate. I looked and could see the water trickling out from the south end of the east gate.

The man walked toward the east with a measuring line in his hand and measured off 1,750 feet or about ⅓ mile. Then we walked together through the ankle-deep water. He measured off another 1,750 feet, and we walked together now through water that was knee-deep. He measured as we walked another 1,750 feet, and we waded together through water that was waist-deep. Then he measured off another 1,750 feet, but this time I couldn’t wade any farther because the water was too deep. Now the stream of water had become a river, deep enough for swimming.

The Man: Son of man, have you seen anything like this?

Then my guide brought me back to the river’s edge. When we got back there, I looked and saw orchards along both sides of the river.

The Man: This river flows eastward and runs down into the Jordan Valley to the place where it flows into the Dead Sea. The moment it meets the sea, the salty water becomes fresh. Swarms of creatures will flourish wherever this river flows. Schools of fish will swim through currents of fresh water, for wherever this water flows everything will come alive! From Engedi to Eneglaim, fishermen will stand upon the shore and spread out their nets! They will come there because the waters contain many fish of various kinds, just as the Mediterranean Sea does. However, the swamps and marshes won’t become fresh; these will continue to provide salt. All kinds of trees will flourish along both sides of the river. Their leaves won’t wither, and their fruit won’t fail. Every month they will bear a fresh crop of fruit because they are nourished from the water that flows from the temple sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves will be for healing.

The Eternal Lord has this to say regarding the land:

Eternal One: Here’s how I want you to divide up the land for the inheritance of the twelve tribes of Israel (Joseph’s descendants are to be given two portions of land). I want you to divide it up equally. I made an oath to your ancestors that this land would be your inheritance, and I am keeping My promise.

Here are the boundaries of the land: The northern boundary will run east from the Mediterranean Sea through Hethlon and along to Lebo-hamath and then Zedad. From there it will go through Berothah and Sibraim (which lie on the border between Damascus and Hamath), all the way to Hazer-hatticon (near the border of Hauran). This northern boundary will stretch from the Mediterranean Sea to Hazar-enan (on the northern border of Damascus) and the border of Hamath on the far north. The eastern boundary will run south between Hauran and Damascus along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel to the Dead Sea, all the way to Tamar. The southern boundary will run west from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, then along the brook of Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea. The western boundary will run along the coast of the Mediterranean from south to north, opposite Lebo-hamath.

I want you to divide up this land among the tribes of Israel. Allocate it to yourselves and to the foreigners who have chosen to live among you and raise their children. Consider them native Israelites. They are to be given a portion of the land as their inheritance no different than the tribes of Israel. They are to receive land in the area of the tribe with whom they immigrate.

So says the Eternal Lord.

The Book of Ezekiel, Chapter 47 (The Voice)

A note from The Voice translation:

The distribution of land to resident aliens is a marked change in Israelite custom. Prior to the exile, foreigners and outsiders had a special status among the Israelites. They were considered members of the community, participating in civic (though not governmental) activities, allowed to worship at the temple in a restricted capacity, and protected under God’s law. Leviticus 19 explains that Israelites were to love their foreign neighbors, treating them with special care because they were disadvantaged—as widows and orphans were—because they were not allowed to own land in Israel and therefore often couldn’t provide for themselves.

But God’s new law changes this. For the first time, resident aliens who adopt the worship of Israel’s God may legally join with the tribes and enjoy all of God’s blessings in Israel. This only makes sense for the exiles who return to the land from all over the world and have difficulty proving their Israelite heritage. As generous as this law may seem, it is not the first instance of God’s grace to those outside Israel; His kindness is demonstrated over and over again in the pages of Scripture. The very monarchy of Israel is descended from a resident alien, Ruth, the grandmother of King David. Certainly God loves equally all who know and worship Him.

A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures for Wednesday, december 13 of 2023 with a paired chapter from each Testament (the First & the New) of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A (lengthy) post by John Parsons about doubt:

If you have read the gospels, you are surely familiar with a disciple of Yeshua named "Thomas Didymus," sometimes referred to as "Doubting Thomas." Recall that when Thomas had first heard the testimony of the other disciples that Yeshua was raised from the dead, he was apprehensive and vowed to suspend his judgment until he had sufficient evidence to believe the matter for himself: "Unless I see the wounds from the nails in his hands, and put my finger into the wounds from the nails, and put my hand into his side," he said, "I will never believe it!" (John 20:25). You know the rest of the story. When Yeshua later appeared to the disciples and this time Thomas was present, he said to him: "Put your finger here, and examine my hands. Extend your hand and put it into my side. Do not be become faithless, but believe" (John 20:27).

You might think this lesson should be obvious enough for us: "Don't doubt, but believe; don't harden your heart; don't withhold your hope; don't trust in human reason more than the testimony of faith; in other words, don't act like Thomas did! And yet today it has become fashionable to "celebrate doubt" and to "deconstruct" the testimony of our fathers. Instead of venerating the Scriptures that tell of the ordained plan of God to send Yeshua to die for our sins (Gen. 3:15; Isa. 53:1-12; John 3:16; Acts 3:18; 1 Pet. 1:20; Heb. 1:1-3, etc.), false teachers have arisen to "tickle the ears" of those who do not want to believe: "For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths" (2 Tim. 4:3-4). This is that time, friends. Instead of abhorring doubt as the sin against faith, people are now encouraged to question everything they thought they knew about God, truth, life, and death - to break free from their theological biases - so that their minds will be opened and their hearts set free from hidebound and "coercive" ways of understanding. Today's "Christian skeptics" deny the authority of the Word of God, reject the Biblical narrative that tells the gospel message about the meaning of life, and are generally skeptical regarding the possibility of doing theology at all. It is not what the Bible says that is important, they say, but how you read it that makes the difference. Surprise! The Bible is more about you than anything else! Affecting humility and sincerity, these dissemblers claim that being skeptical about “traditional assumptions” and disdaining "doctrines of dogmatism" constitute an improved and more authentic way of living the Christian life...

Now while it is true that we should be honest in our convictions and humble of heart, the way of Yeshua is not to "suspend" judgment (epochē) regarding matters of knowledge and truth (John 17:3). The starting point of faith is not the "I doubt, therefore I am" of the philosophers, but rather "I am loved, therefore I am" of the LORD. Philosophical (or rational) reflection approximates the truth of faith but is always at a remove from what faith really is all about, namely, a passionate inner conviction of what is most real "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your being" is the antithesis of tentative reasoning that dispassionately withholds judgment in the reality of love. The message of the gospel is: “Find God or die.” As long as “truths” do not cut us to the heart and to the bone, we have a secret disdain for them...

The epistemology of Yeshua centers on trusting God by means of the heart. As you believe, so you will know: "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he" (John 8:28). Doubt, on the other hand, steps back from faith by attempting to "understand" it. Paradoxically, the attempt to understand by means of answering doubt's questions leads to second-order questions and doubts, and so on, ad infinitum, so that the "way of reason" becomes vertiginous, unstable, uncertain, and ultimately nihilistic. An attitude of skepticism is both unstable and “unlivewithable,” a sickness of the spirit that has no ground of being.

Indeed the epistemology of the so-called postmodern world (or the “metamodern” world as it is now sometimes pretentiously called) is notorious for failing to explain anything of substantive meaning at all.... Everything is left unexplained; no narrative is permitted (except the narrative that there is no narrative, of course); no logical connections to a “real world” are sound; there is no “story” to our lives, and therefore postmodernism entirely misses the essential point of everything. As such, it is a form of nihilism. And it is also a form of sophistry. It is one thing, after all, to affect philosophical sagacity, but that’s a “rich man’s game,” played in places of comfort, ease, and the luxury of speculative indulgences. The message of the gospel, however, is for the poor in spirit, for the heavy laden, the downcast, the hurting, and the lost. And since it does nothing to feed the ego by flattering itself, the gospel is invariably despised by the rich of this world....

It's been said that there are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is... Doubt is a type of fear, a cautionary or "protective attitude" that deems it better to refrain from believing what may be untrue than to believe what may be true. For the doubter, the risk of being wrong outweighs any benefit of being right, and therefore the skeptic lives "suspended in midair."

The life of faith, however, is decisive, a matter of the will, and therefore God commands us to trust, obey, and to know the truth. The Lord calls out to us in the storm saying, “Take heart. It is I; be not afraid” (Matt. 14:27). When Peter answered the call and attempted to walk across the stormy waters, he lost courage and began to sink, but Yeshua immediately took hold of him, saying, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt (lit., think twice)?” Faith is "lived forward" in assurance and unwavering conviction of God's reality and blessing. "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him" (Heb. 11:6). A doubting heart cannot please God because God is known in relationship, but questioning God's love - drawing near and then stepping back - makes genuine relationship impossible. If we are ambivalent in our resolve to believe, regardless of whatever we may wager to hope, we will be unable to stand still long enough to receive the blessing!

The Scriptures warn that a “double minded person is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8). The word translated “double minded” is dipsuchos (δίψυχος), a word formed from δίς, “twice” and ψυχή, “soul.” The word describes the spiritual condition of having “two souls” that both want different things at once. It is therefore a state of inner contradiction, of having two separate minds holding contradictory thoughts. A doubting heart is shattered, fragmented, and multiple. The inner "dialog" of the doubting heart is "legion" as various voices vie for control, since there is no unifying power to unify the will (Psalm 86:11). Note that "doubting" Thomas' was called "Didymus" (Δίδυμος), meaning "twofold" or "twain."

So being double minded makes us “unstable in all our ways.” Such a cross-eyed approach leads to disorientation and confusion. The Greek word used to describe being “unstable” (ἀκατάστατος) is the same word used to translate being "storm-tossed and not comforted" in Isaiah 54:11. The image of a ship being tossed in the sea pictures a state of distress and peril. Interestingly, the description of being “not comforted” is lo nuchamah (לא נֻחָמָה), which comes from the very word translated as “repent” or “regret” (nacham). When we are double-minded, we are “storm tossed” and unable to experience the comfort that comes from genuine repentance. We are like “a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6). Being "single minded" (ἁπλοῦς) on the other hand, concentrates the will and produces wholeheartedness, conviction, stability, inner peace, and genuine character. "Purity of the heart is to will one thing" (Psalm 27:4). No longer wavering in doubt or engaged in duplicity, the heart is able to commune with God and to receive the blessing.

Doubt is a form of torment, an unsettled state of soul that is forever drawing close in hope yet pushing back in fear, lost within itself with no exit, with no means to escape the dread that is behind the rationalizations, the unending questions, the constant hunger for love, the sense of alienation, only to abandon the heart's great need. Being without faith is the ultimate form of human tragedy, a self-imposed prison, a room inside of hell. In this connection Blaise Pascal wrote: "I can feel nothing but compassion for those who sincerely lament their doubt, who regard it as the ultimate misfortune, and who, sparing no effort to escape from it, make their search their principal and most serious business. But as for those who spend their lives without a thought for this final end, I view differently. This negligence in the matter where they themselves, their eternity, their all are at stake, fills me more with irritation than pity: yea, it astounds and appalls me.” (Pascal: Pensees).

Of course questioning has a place in our thinking, in matters of prudence and science, for example, but when it comes to relating to God these modes of thinking are inapplicable, since metaphysically God is not a "what" but a "who," and that implies that knowing God is inherently personal, "subjective" (i.e., inward), and attained by means of faith. The truth for which one lives and dies is never approached "objectively," that is, as something of subjective indifference, but involves all of the heart and soul. As Kierkegaard puts it: "There are two ways of reflection. For objective reflection, truth becomes an object, and the point is to disregard the knowing subject (the individual). By contrast, in subjective reflection truth becomes personal appropriation, a life, inwardness, and the point is to immerse oneself in this subjectivity" (Concluding Scientific Postscript). Kierkegaard did not deny that objective truth (“science”) had its place but maintained that such knowledge only acquired meaning and “weight” when appropriated inwardly. Knowledge apart from value is indifferent; value apart from knowledge is blind... Indeed, the very value we place on knowledge indicates that it is more basic than knowledge itself. “Faith is the contradiction between the infinite passion of inwardness and objective uncertainty. In other words, if I apprehend God objectively, I do not have faith; but because I cannot do this, I must have faith" (for more on this see "Passion and Paradox"). Each person inescapably chooses to live according to the passion of their own heart, and that is the truth that marks that person’s life...

Yeshua asks the uncertain heart, "O you of little faith, why do you doubt?" (Matt. 14:31). Thomas had a skeptical mindset, a doubting heart, perhaps because he was influenced by Hellenistic thinking of his time. Recall that in the “Upper Room” when Yeshua spoke with his disciples during their last Passover together, Thomas questioned Yeshua’s promise that he was going to go and prepare and place for them, and he wondered what Yeshua meant when he said the disciples knew where he was going (John 14:1-5). Yeshua replied to Thomas by saying “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father without me” (John 14:1-6). Thomas’ doubt had blinded his heart to the very reason for Yeshua’s sacrificial death and ministry! Likewise Thomas later refused to believe that Yeshua was resurrected from the dead and insisted on getting confirmation first: he wanted to examine the body of the Lord so that he could judge whether it was really true (John 20:25). As it happened, however, Thomas was given some time to ponder the testimony of his friends. Perhaps he might have recalled how Yeshua repeatedly foretold of his crucifixion and resurrection (see Matt. 16:21; 17:23; Mark 10:32; Luke 9:22; etc.), and perhaps he was beginning to turn away his doubt to believe the miracle. A week later Yeshua appeared again to the disciples, and this time Thomas was present. Turning to him Yeshua said: "Put your finger here, and examine my hands. Extend your hand and put it into my side." Here Yeshua appeared to go along with Thomas' demand for empirical evidence, but instead he rebuked his lack of faith: "Do not be faithless, but believe" (John 20:27). Thomas' blindness was then taken way as he exclaimed: "My Lord and My God." Yeshua then asked him: "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29). It is not those who see in order to believe that are blessed, but those who have not seen and yet believe. A special blessing is given to those who believe in order to see - to those who do not need evidence or "proof" before they will believe.

So seeing is not believing, despite the old adage to the contrary. Just as the Israelites saw innumerable miracles at the time of the Exodus, the ten plagues upon Egypt, the splitting of the sea and the overthrow of Pharaoh's army, the giving of manna from heaven and water from the rock, the pillar of divine fire that led them to Sinai to become God’s people and to be in covenant with him, and so on, nonetheless later, in a time of testing, they had the effrontery to ask whether God was really with them or not (see Exod. 17:1-7). Likewise when crowds of people - including the respected religious leaders of his day - witnessed astounding miracles of Yeshua, such as giving sight to a man born blind, the healing of the lame and the lepers, and even raising Lazarus from the dead, many still refused to believe in him, again demonstrating that seeing miracles is not sufficient for the heart to believe. "This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet" (Luke 11:29). Faith itself is the miracle, and therefore evidence for faith is not found by means of the natural, but by means of God's Spirit.

So we relate to the Living God by faith, and like father Abraham this means we must not doubt or waver in our connection with him. "No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised, and that is why his faith was "counted to him as righteousness" (Rom. 4:20-22).

However, when doubt arises within the mind (and it will, if we are earnest), understand it as temptation to return to the double-mindedness of despair. We must therefore renew our minds by resolving to trust in God, especially if we are tempted to qualify our resolution by seeking to understand. We take “every thought captive” to obey the Messiah. We cannot fight doubt by offering reasons, since the reasons themselves express a kind of doubt, and engaging in a debate with the voice of doubt leads to further doubt. Finding reasons to believe in God, to answer questions raised by doubt, is an downward vortex, since doubt rises against reason at every turn. The way out of this circle is to break the cycle - to silence the voice of doubt by making up your mind. "How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." As Kierkegaard says: "Offering to doubt reasons in order to kill it is like offering the tasty food it likes best of all to a hungry monster one wishes to eliminate. No... one must order it to shut its mouth and to that end keep quiet and offer no further reasons" (For Self-Examination).

Regarding the decision of faith, Blaise Pascal famously said "the heart has its reasons that reasons knows not of," which is to say "Enough! I believe!" Doubt is extinguished by an act of self-denial - taking up the cross - and receiving the miracle of the exchange (2 Cor. 5:21). Faith has its own energy and life and it needs no justification outside of itself, and indeed no justification outside of itself is possible. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" (Prov. 9:10). Faith is foundational to everything else.

So we must believe even when we suffer without explanation or reason. This again presents an occasion for self-denial. Again I quote Kierkegaard on this point: "When a person suffers then it seems as if the struggle were about justifying God... The person wants to reverse the relation, to make God the defendant, to make him the one from whom something is required... But right here is faith's struggle: to believe without being able to understand. And when this struggle of faith begins, the consciousness of guilt comes to the rescue... helping the believer not to doubt God but himself. Instead of the duplicity about thinking through the doubt, which is doubt's most dangerous appeal, the consciousness of guilt thunders 'Halt!'" (Upbuilding Discourses). Our struggle, in other words, is with ourselves, not with God, since our doubt derives from our own will which we love more than anything else. The struggle is to surrender in faith: "A Christian is a man of will who no longer wills his own will but with the passion of his crushed will wills what God wills" (Journals of Kierkegaard).

So there is a dual movement of the heart required by faith: negatively, denying the voice of doubt, and positively, abiding in the Messiah who is the Word of God (John 15:5). This is why we cover our eyes when we recite the Shema: we efface the present moment and its fallenness to affirm the unseen truth of God in all things. We press on in faith, looking for the unseen good and stoutly refusing to turn back to the vanity of despair. "In this way you become a knight who vanquishes all, disdaining all that the world possess, both its good and its evil, everything with which the devil can lure and entice or intimidate and threaten" (Luther). "When around you everything has become silent, solemn as a clear, starlit night, when your soul comes to be alone in the whole world, then before you there appears, not an extraordinary human being, but the eternal power itself, then the heavens open, and the 'I' chooses itself or, more correctly, receives itself. Then the personality receives the accolade of knighthood that ennobles it for an eternity" (Either/Or).

Someone might ask, how do we stop being “double-minded”? This is the essence of the problem, isn’t it? How do we stop being of “two minds,” experiencing that ambivalence of both wanting and not wanting something? In other words, how do we repent - both in the sense of “changing our minds” (metanoia) and in the sense of practically turning to God (teshuvah)? How do we find that purity of heart that wills one thing?

The antidote for having a “double mind” is explicitly given in the Scriptures: "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you, cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded" (James 4:8). Note that the verb used in this verse (“draw near!”) means to come close enough to touch someone or something. Understood in this light, we are encouraged to come so close to God that we are able to "touch" Him -- and to be touched by Him as well. Drawing near to God is God's way of drawing near to you... In other words, as you draw near to God, He will draw near and touch you.

In practical terms, here are some specific things we can do to “draw near to God so that He will draw near to you.” First we can simply pray and earnestly cry out to God for help. “Lord I believe; help Thou my unbelief” (Mark 9:24). The LORD is not indifferent to our suffering and has promised to give us the Holy Spirit to help us. But genuine prayer requires honesty and confession (ὁμολογία), which means agreeing with the truth about your condition. This means, among other things, identifying the ways you have withdrawn from your relationship with God. Indeed, the word homologeo (ὁμολογέω) literally means “saying the same thing” - from ὁμός (same) and λόγος (word). There’s little use trying to pretend before God or to rationalize your own double-mindedness before Him. God knows the number of hairs on your head; He surely knows the condition of your heart!

Second, we must vigorously challenge ideas that attempt to seduce us away from the truth and thereby divide our affections. We must learn to take “every thought captive” to Messiah and be on guard for subtle appeals to compromise (2 Cor. 10:5). If we find ourselves in a state of recurring temptation, we must examine the underlying assumptions that are at work in our thinking. If we dig deeper, we are likely to discover that we doubt that God cares for us, or we are fearful that God will not meet our needs. We must therefore counter such assumptions with God’s revealed truth, and that means regularly studying the Scriptures to remind ourselves about what is real rather than what is illusory. We then can learn to look at life as it really is - a spiritual world, a “valley of decision,” a corridor that irresistibly leads to the world to come. Each soul is on a journey to meet with God for judgment... God does not leave us comfortless. He has promised to never leave nor forsake those who trust in Him. We can set the LORD “always before us” (Psalm 16:8) and walk with Him during our sojourn here in this temporal world.

Third, we can practice our faith by keeping up with Torah study, observing Shabbat (and the other appointed times), enjoying fellowship with other believers, singing to worship music, giving tzedakah, ministering to others in need, etc. These are the mitzvot of our lives, the “works of love” (John 15:12). Our faith is not meant to be a "head trip" or an intellectual exercise: we are meant to live it out in the world. And as we live it, our faith itself becomes strengthened and authenticated (John 13:17). Just as loving others increases - not decreases - the love we ourselves have, so also with the practice of faith. The more we believe, the more we receive. The practice of our faith is upbuilding and encourages the inner resolve to be single-minded... "Upon three things the world does stand: upon the Torah and upon worship and upon acts of lovingkindness" (Pirkei Avot 1:2).

Finally, on a spiritual level what ultimately changes the heart is God’s power of salvation, of course. "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail” (John 6:63). This salvation is not simply freedom from the penalty of sin but freedom from sin’s power. Often, however, we are slow to realize this, and God allows us to revisit the various “waste places” of our own lusts until we have become sick of ourselves -- "to the bones." We have to be willing "to give up our sickness." Usually that means that we must experience repeated failures until we have “learned from the heart” that the LORD - and the LORD alone - is our Healer and Deliverer. Heartache and despair can lead to “godly grief (λύπη) that leads to genuine repentance in our lives (2 Cor. 7:10).

Ultimately “Salvation is from the Lord,” and brokenness of our spirit is God’s gift to us... “Blessed are the poor (πτωχός) in spirit.” This word pictures someone crouching as a helpless beggar, totally dependent on God for help. If you are struggling, ask God to help you surrender your “heart sickness” to Him.... It's HIS work, not your own, that saves... God alone truly changes the heart. Repentance is a miracle from heaven given to you, personally...

A voice says, "Cry!" And I said, "What shall I cry?" All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field" (Isa. 40:6). “All flesh is grass” (כָּל־הַבָּשָׂר חָצִיר) - we are here today but gone tomorrow. We have only so many chances to turn to the LORD and make up our minds that we will serve Him. The Torah intimates, “man is a tree of the field," i.e., הָאָדָם עֵץ הַשָּׂדֶה, Deut. 20:19). The righteous man is described as a “tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth fruit in his season” (Psalm 1:3). If you stand in front of a tree to watch it grow, you will see nothing. But if you care for the tree, nurture it over time, and provide for its needs, eventually you will see its fruit appear. God gives us each a season to repent, but if that proves fruitless in our lives, eventually we will be “cut down,” as Yeshua taught:

"A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it but found none. So he said to the vinedresser, 'Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, but I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?' But the vinedresser answered him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'" (Luke 13:6-9)

Yeshua further adominshes his people: "Remember (zachar) how you have fallen; repent (metanao) and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your menorah from its place unless you repent" (Rev. 2:5). If you are lukewarm - neither hot nor cold - Yeshua will “spit you out of His mouth" (Rev 3:16). These are sober words that remind us that time is short for us all. Our lives are not our own; we were redeemed at a great cost to God Himself (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Let us therefore press on in faith, refusing all doubt, friends! "Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth" (Hos. 6:3). Amen.

[ Hebrew for Christians ]

Psalm 86:11 reading:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/psalm86-11-jjp.mp3

Hebrew page:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/psalm86-11-lesson.pdf

12.12.23 • Facebook

from yesterday’s email by Israel 365:

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks offers a profound interpretation. The true miracle of the first day was not the oil burning longer than it should have, but rather, the discovery of the oil itself. Amidst the chaos and desecration inflicted upon the Temple by the Greeks, the Maccabees found a single container of oil, unblemished and sealed. This discovery was against all odds, a beacon of purity in a landscape of destruction.

But this miracle was not just about the physical finding of the oil; it was about the Maccabees’ unwavering faith. They searched amidst ruin, holding onto the belief that something sacred had endured. This act of searching, driven by faith, was the first night’s true miracle – the miracle of faith itself. It was the faith that, even in the bleakest of circumstances, a spark remains from which we can reignite the flame of hope and renewal.

Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research

December 13, 2023

Cain and Abel

“Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.” (1 John 3:12)

These two brothers stand as contrasting prototypes. Cain was the first child born after the Fall who embraced the “wicked one” in spite of all the firsthand and face-to-face knowledge of God’s redemptive plan and offering of grace (Genesis 4). Cain’s arrogant lifestyle is noted in Jude 1:8-11. Abel, in contrast, was a man of great faith (Hebrews 11:4) who was both righteous (Matthew 23:35) and a prophet (Luke 11:50-51).

Adam and Eve would have taught the boys (and their other children) about God and the knowledge of the sacrifice (covering of skins) for their own sin. It is clear that sheep were not kept for food (Genesis 2:16) since Cain provided food (as instructed by God—Genesis 1:29). Abel provided clothing and sacrifice.

The events of the Fall would suggest that this sacrifice was an established practice (Genesis 3, the “covering” of skins—the Hebrew word for atonement means “to cover”). Furthermore, the language of Genesis 4:3 (Hebrew translation “at the end of the days”) requires a specified time period when they brought (Hebrew translation “came with”), probably to the door of the garden (Genesis 3:22-24), an offering (used consistently of voluntary tributes to God, Exodus 30:9-10). It is completely parallel to “the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof” as later used by Moses in Leviticus 9:3-10.

Such specified action is hardly accidental. Thus, Cain’s rebellion and heinous fratricide revealed an evil heart that would not repent. May God protect us from such evil. HMM III

0 notes