#It’s also soooo interesting how stories of one religion can come from other religions and beliefs and practices can merge and split

[imsosocold]

DANA YOU CAN’T HAVE BELOS BE RELIGIOUS  AND NOT GO INTO WHAT HIS BELIEFS ARE WHEN IT’S A DRIVING FACTOR TO HIS CHARACTER !!! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY DENOMINATIONS THERE ARE?!!! EVEN THOSE WHO ARE  SUPPOSED TO BE PART OF THE SAME RELIGIOUS GROUP CAN HAVE THEIR BELIEFS AND PRACTICES VARY!!! THEY  CAN BE INFLUENCED BY LARGE FACTORS SUCH AS TIME PERIOD AND LOCATION AND SEEMINGLY MINUTE FACTORS SUCH AS WHAT CHURCH THEY GO TO!!! ONE’S BELIEFS AREN’T STAGANT AND TEND TO EVOLVE OVER TIME  EVEN FOR THE MOST DEVOUT!!! YOU CAN’T JUST BE LIKE “HE’S A PURITAN WITCH HUNTER” AND LEAVE IT AT THAT!!!!

[sesshy380]

Your ask fed the brainworm soooo nice, so I'm returning the favor! No pressure if you don't want to answer all of them tho!

1, 2, 4-8, 12, 15, 28, 29, 41, 42, 49, 64, 101

Yay! Lot's of DA questions!

1- How did you get into Dragon Age?

I honestly don’t remember. I vaguely recall looking through the games section at Walmart and seeing it. Don’t remember if I’d heard about it before that, or if it just looked interesting so I decided to give it a go. I don’t even remember if I had it for PC or Xbox originally (though I have a feeling it was for PC for some reason). All I know is I somehow decided to buy the game and fell in love with it.

2- Have you finished all three games?

Technically, yes. I finished all of what was available for Inquisition prior to the DLC releases. I think that’s the only one I haven’t played the DLC’s for (though I do own them).

4- What was your first Warden (gender/class/race/personality)?

First Warden, oh boy. I want to say Female Dalish Rogue? As far as personality, I could not tell you. I played it when it first came out, and I’ve replayed that game more times than I can count.

5- What was your first Hawke like (gender/class/temperament)?

This one I do remember. I am very much a Purple Hawke person (is there any other?). And Rogue ofc, bc I like collecting all the things, which means I don’t like depending on others to (unsuccessfully) open chests.

6- First Inquisitor (gender/class/race/personality)?

Another Dalish Rogue (I really like the Dalish, okay). I did one thing different though, this one was a MALE Dalish Rogue. His personality was very ‘I’m here, this sucks, but going to make the best of it, because wtf else am I supposed to do?’.

7- Favorite DA:O backstory?

All? I honestly have a really hard time starting new DA:O playthroughs simply because the origins are my favorite part. Especially when you come across all the little easter eggs later on from not only the origin you choose, but also the others that you don’t.

8- Preferred class overall?

So, I usually do my 1st playthrough of a new game as a rogue because I like the ability to open chests, but I actually like playing as a mage.

12- Do you prefer DA:O, DA2, or DA:I most?

Unpopular opinion time. I like DA2 the best. The day/night cycle thing is annoying, but unlike a lot of people, I don’t have a problem with reused maps. It makes it easier to find those nooks and crannies that have things hidden in them. The story though…it is one of those angsty ones that I just can’t tear myself away from. Like, I know what’s coming, and each time it still manages to just rip my heart out for poor Hawke.

15- Favorite DA:O companion overall?

It’s a close tie between Zevran and Shale. Zevran is…well…he’s called the Antivan Sex Pest for a reason lol. Shale is pretty much the Hulk. Point at something/someone you want destroyed, and I swear they rush over, kicking their feet like a giddy school girl lol.

28- Inquisitor’s feelings on being the Herald of Andraste?

I’ve only played one Inquisitor that took the role seriously. The rest were like ‘Ummm…this isn’t even my religion? I don’t even believe in the Maker? WTF???’. I even had one human Inquisitor that was very much atheist (he was my Dorian romance), and he absolutely hated the title.

29- What are your feelings on the Chantry?

I am torn between ‘Anders’ solution was a bit extreme’ and ‘Anders did nothing wrong’, and leave it at that.

41- Who did you romance in your first playthrough for each game?

Origins- Alistair

DA2- Anders

Inquisition- Cassandra (hardest romance imo and will never do it again)

42- Who do you wish you could romance that you can’t?

Varric. Fuck you Bianca (The bitch that dared threaten me, not the crossbow. The crossbow stays during sex lol)

49- Something you do in EVERY DA playthrough, no matter what?

I’m a completionist, so I have to recruit and make friends with all the companions. I failed to become friendly enough with Fenris on one playthrough where I was a mage and romancing Anders. I had to fight Fenris in the final battle. I wanted to cry.

64- Favorite achievement?

As much of a completionist as I am, I don’t pay attention to the achievements lol. I honestly can’t name a single one off the top of my head.

101- If you could meet your Warden/Hawke/Inquisitor, what would you say?

Warden- Don’t trust Zevran when he says he can disable a trap/open a lock. He lies.

Hawk- To hell with buying your mother’s old home. Use that Deep Roads coin and move somewhere that isn’t Kirkwall.

Inquisitor- (Specifically Lavallan) Don’t trust Solas. Stab him in the heart before he stabs you in yours.

101 Dragon Age Questions

[glasswinggames]

ooohhh!!! i see i see! i had a feeling that it was something to do with magical stones! ive been around the isekai manga/manhwa/manhua scene to pick up on some common tropes for those (clearly. not the same as this game but like. u know theres been the whole. what i am saying is that i recongnize the magic stone as a power source thing from multiple fantasy settings, this game has NONE of those isekai story vibes minus everyone being soooo hot amen) but i also find it hilarious that helios is the one who basically launched idols into being more readily accessible, cold duke is the reason you can watch your babygirl trip on stage on that note, I am SO curious about Noah- he seems like the most overtly sweet out of all the interests so far and I am so damn curious about his actual religious views- the world believes the saints to be chosen by the gods right? does Noah believe that the Saint has been chosen by the Gods? or is there another reason Noah has such faith in the temple and/or the saint? (if u cant answer this without spoilers that is) im also just curious about any religious facts of tidbits you could give me! i love exploring religion in fantasy settings

I'm so sorry for the delay in answering this!! Things got super hectic over the holidays and I ended up using social media very little! 😅🙏

I'm also a huge fan of the isekai manhwa scene (I've literally just finished reading the latest chapter for Villains are Destined to die) which honestly thinking of it, has probably inspired certain elements of the world! I definitely do try to make it different though as much as I can and create something new! But yeah I love the idea of magic stones as a power source it's just neat! /insert the meme here

It's also so funny that Helios, the man who swears by only classical and serious music (who is also secretly a theatre kid at heart) essentially propelled the idol scene 😂 it's his secret internal grumble.

There is only so much I can say about Noah but I'll do my best to answer as much as I can! His route is one of the two locked routes, and religion, or at least the God's play a huge part!

For his actual religious views, he does believe in the God's, and believes that you, the MC, has been brought over by the God too. Though he believes and has incredibly strong faith, he doesn't enforce or follow the doctrine as closely as others do though, so he's not very strict and is happy to help you with whatever you need and want to do, even if it bends the rules, because he can relate to your situation in a lot of ways!

Some religious facts!!

> The church is split into sectors, each following a different God, There are three main sectors, each for the three Supreme Rank Gods: Caitel (The God of Materia), Yuliana (The Goddess of Anti-Materia - my physics nerd is showing with her haha) and Tenebra (The God of creation). Noah is under the God Caitel, but he believes in all the God's. There are smaller sectors for the High Rank God's and for medium and lesser God's these are worshipped on a personal level.

> It's not just people who are brought over! Occasionally, different items come over from other worlds, which church scholars can spend decades trying to figure out how they work! The otherworldly travellers can help answer a lot of those questions 😂

> The church used to be equal to the throne, however, due to Helios work developing health care, the increased mercenaries who can be hired for protection, and a sudden appearance of new religions, they have lost power with the people which they desperately want to gain back. Some sectors believe the MC can do this for them, other sectors believe the MC will simply make it worse.

A long answer! But hope this all makes sense!! ☺️🙏 ����

[uchanekome]

A One Piece Theory *SPOILERS*

Okay soooo chapter 1043 happened and even before that I had gone down a rabbit hole of speculation about what the One Piece is why it made Roger laugh so hard he named the freaking island after it? Who was Joy Boy and how does Luffy’s Devil Fruit relate him? Who was the Sun God Nika? What is the Will of D? 

Well I did some digging (and by some I mean a LOT) and if what I speculate is true than it’s all this is connected by a single thread called Hinduism. Now I’m no expert on Hinduism but I did some reading on it and found some very interesting things. Hinduism is the most ancient religion on earth. And so naturally many myths have an origin in Hinduism much like the legend of Joyboy. Joyboy the spirit of music, is a myth that had it’s origin in india, africa and Haiti. The legend told of a smiling man who’s drums where the stuff of legend and his songs would spread hope of liberation to slaves. Jazz drum musicians would strive to be as good as Joyboy. 

In the chapter we hear mention from Zunesha about the “drums of liberation”  

This legend was actually derived from a Javanese story about a man, a king actually named Jayabaya/Joyoboyo or Nika. Here’s a link to the wikipidia all about him https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jayabaya

But to make a long story short the guy was an amazing ruler and his people prospered under him. But it’s hard to tell what was fact and fiction about him cause stories clamed he was one of Vishnu’s incarnations. (We’ll get into that later.) He also was some sort of prophet and foretold Japan’s occupation in WW2 and that the Javanese people would be saved eventually. He also somehow foretold that there would be cars and planes so there’s that. Anyways this guy apparently meditated so long he got supernatural powers. 

Now after I read his Wikipedia article I decided to go to another...Vishnu’s. This was where things got interesting. Apparently whenever the world is threatened with evil, chaos, and destructive forces, Vishnu descends in the form of an avatar to return balance to it. This very much reminds me of Luffy. Whenever there is evil Luffy rights it. Not because of some god granted reason no Luffy just wants to help his friends...but wouldn’t someone like Luffy be the perfect avatar for Vishnu or in other words for Joy Boy? Vishnu’s avatars all had wills of their own. They all had their own goals and wants. But they always aligned with Vishnu’s core beliefs. General goodness, leadership, but most importantly the rights of the individual. Now in the current chapter Luffy seems to have awakened his devil fruit and with it Joy Boy. But what links Joy Boy to the Devil Fruit?

Well the Youtuber “Joy_Boy Theories” (link below) had a fascinating take on this. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NrswMlA9Rk

 He believes that Joy Boy’s spirit IS the devil inside Luffy’s devil fruit. And that Devil Fruit were created using souls from the ancient kingdom. The Shandorians believed souls of the dead resided in the trees. And we know Devil fruit are made from a special tree, than henceforth reincarnated into the nearest fruit after the original eater has died. Given the information we have it’s not hard to come to the conclusion JBT did. Still I think we can take this idea a bit farther. 

But first lets go back to the Hinduism aspect.

I always assumed that the Will of D was the will of the devil or something along those lines. After all they are the ones said to oppose the “gods” AKA the Celestial Dragons. However I think history has it backwards. Remember Doflamingo’s words at Marineford. “Justice will prevail, you say? But of course it will! Whoever wins this war becomes justice! .” In Hinduism there is a rivalry between two factions, the Devas the Suras. The Devas are basically good gods while the Suras are evil demons. There’s always been a tug of war between the two over control. So if Vishnu is a Deva than maybe the Will of D is actually the Will of the Devas. The gods who existed before the false gods took their place. We know that they were gods because NikaAKAJoyBoyAKAJoyoboyoAKAVishnu was said to be a “Sun God” This terminology has never been used towards ANY of the good guys so far. The “Gods” in One Piece are usually selfish and cruel. But Nika was a symbol of good of hope and of liberation for the slaves. Slavery is something the “Gods” of One Piece the Celestial Dragons and by extension the mysterious Im actively participate in. Meaning there used to be a different set of gods. Gods who’s souls were trapped in a tree and who’s individual powers became the devil fruit.

Now I know what your thinking. “If they were gods how were they killed.” I personally think this has a connection to another aspect of the fight between the Hindu gods. Kshira Sagara AKA the ocean of milk. Which finally brings me to The One Piece TM. It’s my belief that PART of it not all of it, is another pirate legend one that is very well known. The fountain of youth. In Hindu belief Devas and Suras got their immortality from the ocean of milk. They each took turns churning it until it became amirita the elixir of immortality. But if it’s youth and not full immortality we can assume their bodies can be killed. For the fountain of youth to exist in One Piece and no one knows about it it would have to be a well guarded secret perhaps only Im knows about it. After all he seems very immortal. As for Roger, a man dying of an illness the One Piece having with it something he’s never cared about but the whole world would give their left arm and a leg for would be amusing. Of course he didn’t drink it cause like Ace he wasn’t interested in living forever, just living today was enough.

Well I’ve reached the end of my theory. Do yall think I’m way off or do you think I’m on to something here. IDK. But I did have fun with this.  

[momowho34]

Ever wondered whats actually in the Old Testament? Well that’s the only testament my religion has! Heres a summary of the Tanakh (old testament) from a jewish lens. I’ve read a lot of these books because I have nothing better to do so I mostly know what I’m talking about. Come on down to Judiasm, we have

The Big Five

The Book of Bereshit (Genesis): the world gets made then flooded and uh oh family drama fuck don’t get more then one wife these people need family therapy oh god oh no

The Book of Sh’mot (Exodus): pssst hey kid, want some freedom??? Wanna fucking starve and die in the desert??? Hey kid, wanna be free to suffer and die???? Or stay where you are as a slave and die a little more every day???? Also leprosy bad don’t do it be nice and have more babies lots of babies the population is at like 17 people right now-

The Book of Vayikrah (Leviticus) we’re going to the promised land I swear, part 1, also learning how to have your own agency as a human being and how to live as a good person now that you’re free. Also hygiene. Remember to bathe you fucks. Basically, the people ask god for laws, and oh boy, does he deliver.

The Book of Bamidbar (Numbers): we’re going to the promised land I swear, part 2, with more rules this time! Soooo many rules. Like too many. Like so many, mostly of the “don’t steal Sherman’s cow even if you really really want it because god keeps a tally of that shit and it’s really not good for your long term health”

The Book of Shevarim (Deuteronomy): more rules, repeat of everything god said, it’s a little doom and gloom, but hey, we finally made it to the fucking promised land! It should be a peice of cake from here on out!

The Interesting But Far Less Impactful Ones

The Book of Yoshua (Joshua): well... we finally made it. Things have gone... alright.... so far, I bet things are gonna be just fine.

The Book of Shoftim (Judges): things get legendarily worse. There are dismembered limbs everywhere. Ain’t pretty. Israel change leaders like a girl changes clothes, and these leaders are (including but not limited to): stabby-stabby left handed guy, a Woman [gasp], whatever the fuck Gideon was supposed to be, basically a pirate whose mom is a prostitute, and mr. strong man don’t cut his hair. Seriously.

The Book of Shmuel 1 and 2 (Samuel I-II): look just... shit goes down. Saul is a shit king so the random ass peasant child David becomes the king of Israel and is a hilarious disaster of a man. A lot of civil wars. A lot of David being a dramatic bitch. These are my favorite books I kind of cried in the beginning when Jonathan died. Hijinks ensue. Things go... okay for a while.

The Book of Malachim 1 and 2 (Kings I and II): Oho boy. David’s son Solomon becomes king, he builds the temple, he’s a fine king until he’s not, Judah splits off from the other tribes and becomes their own kingdom, Elijah gets really tired of babysitting all of these kings all the time, it’s a nebulous time period.

The Books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Ezekiel, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habbakuk, Zephaniah, Zachariah and Malachi: okay, this is... a lot. Most of these books are various essays made by prophets trying to convince people to stop doing whatever sin was prevalent at their time. A lot of it’s boring and not really relevant anymore. Except for Habbakuk, Habbakuk tries to have a fist fight with god, god answers his questions, he leaves satisfied. I think the temple gets ganked at some point and the Israelites get massacred so hard only Judah’s tribe, Benjamin’s tribe, and bits of Levi survive and everyone else faces exile. Anyway that’s booooring let’s move on

End of the Story (Last Section Part 1)

[imma start with some of the later books because they’re relevant to the earlier books and closure is important]

The Book of Daniel: Local Man is almost killed in every way you can think of but god protects him and he pursues his dream... of becoming a Persian bureaucrat. Not kidding.

The Book of Ezra: they return to the land! They rebuild the temple!! The Jews are sort of kind of a thing again!!!

The Book of Nehemiah: except Jerusalem is a wasteland and a perfect target for bandits so Nehemiah has the genius idea of building a wall around the city so awesome and cool that no one will ever mess with them again. Nehemiah is really good because it’s about healing and connection and redemption and all that good shit. Broken people trying to put their lives back together by connecting to their past. Makes me fucking cry damn it-

Miscellaneous (Last Section Part 2)

Lamentations: Jerusalem is fucked. It’s bad. Everything is bad. Again. Oh well. Better luck next time.

Esther: the Jewish queen of Persia manages to outsmart an evil guy who wants to kill her people yayyyyy

Ecclesiastes: its just a philosophy book with a disembodied narrator who was probably Solomon.

Psalms: David is extra and he wants you to know it so he wrote 150 verses of praise to god cause he felt like it

Proverbs: Solomon wants everyone to be good people, the usual.

Song of Songs: okay listen, this is basically a love poem supposedly written by Solomon, and it is like... really horny and genuinely kinda sweet at times. Weird book, don’t know why it’s here

Ruth: a converted immigrant widow follows her mother in law into Israel and marries a pretty cool guy named Boaz. That’s it.

[niphredil-14]

IkeVamp Boys With a Witch!MC

I was actually really excited to write this one because I practice witchcraft. Even though, I’m a total baby witch haha.

Requested by: n-culture-tech Warnings: None 

Sebastian: -As someone from the twenty-first century, when witchcraft is much more accepted, I think that he will, overall, be okay with it.  -Of course, there are still many misconceptions about witches and the craft, so he may have some not-so-correct-ideas still planted in his mind -Please don’t take these personally, just explain to him why they’re not entirely accurate and inform him of what is true about witches and witchcraft in general, and about your craft. - His witchcraft of interest: Kitchen Witchcraft, he’d probably also like the idea of working with herbs

Le Comte:  -Like Sebastian, he has lived in the twenty-first century and is not as prejudiced as some of the others who don’t know anything about it and are misguided by biases.  -When he learns that you are a practitioner, he immediately buys you a bunch of supplies - (which is really nice and considerate and generous of him, but now you have 100+ new tools that all need to be cleansed) (Ahhhhhhh) -He will do research, he will study. He just wants to understand more about you and what you do. You should offer to teach him! -Again, he loves to spoil you, so he will buy you a lot of tools. Please explain to him that witchcraft is about being resourceful and using both what is on hand, and what you are provided with by nature.  -It may take some time for him to understand, but hey, he’s trying. He just has too much money and one person to spend it on. -His witchcraft of interest: Hedge Witchcraft

Leonardo:  - Leonardo, as soon as he learns that you practice the craft, asks you to teach him about it.  -You should definitely agree because how often do you know more about something than your compagno?  -I think he will goof around with it a little bit, which is totally fine. After all, witchcraft is about the person practicing it, and if someone wants to bring fun, games, and laughter into their practice and learning experience, then so be it. -However, if you want him to stop fooling around and take it seriously, as it is something close to your heart, just say the words and he will be completely serious.  -He will probably take an interest after you show him some stuff, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he will practice. But, if you ever want him around during your spellwork or a ritual, just ask him, and he’ll come along. -His witchcraft of interest: Eclectic Witch (He’d also really like cosmic witchcraft and divination)

Isaac: -Not a huge fan right off the bat. - After all, magick is not necessarily science, and it can be hard to comprehend, especially to a logic-based mind (Ugh tell me about it.) -Not to mention, he was alive during a time that witches were persecuted, and prosecuted. -But, he knows that you are not evil, so he hears you out when you say that it isn’t satanic.  -It also wouldn’t hurt to mention that witchcraft is a practice, not a religion. You can worship any god, and believe whatever you want and still practice the craft. -He would probably ask you to help him do a spell or two, as an experiment.  -His witchcraft of interest: Cosmic witchcraft

Arthur: -Gonna write a story about it.  -He is immediately intrigued, especially because it is something that he doesn’t fully understand, and that isn’t common. -He is going to ask you to walk him through a spell, ritual, cleansing, or really anything else related to what you do.  -He is going to have so much fun learning about witchcraft with you! - Going to make bets with you. Like, if I win this game, you have to *insert something magickal*,  -MAGICKAL PICKUP LINES -”Darling, you must have cast a love spell on me, because I’m entranced.”  -”Arthur, stop.”  -His witchcraft of interest: Green witchery/herbology (I know that herbology is the study of herbs, but it can be used in witchcraft)

Jean:  -Hoo boy! -This one’s a doozy.  - Obviously, he s against it. It brings back a lot of bad memories, and was even the reason for his death! -Not to mention that he is a very strict Christian boy, and was taught that not only is witchcraft evil but satanic. None of which is accurate or true.  -You’re going to have to explain to him that it is usually used for the benefit of people and that it has nothing to do with Satan. Tell him that the pentacle is actually a sigil used to represent the element Earth, and it is not actually associated with Satan or evil in the craft. -Even if you tell him, he has a deep-rooted fear of the craft and will not be swayed.  -He still believes that it is Satanic, and will try to convince you to stop and go pray so that you aren’t damned to hell. -Which he is forced to stop when he realizes that you are not going to stop.  -He is just worried about you and wants you to be in heaven in the afterlife. -he stops trying to stop you because he knows he can’t -But he asks you to warn him of when you are going to be “doing your witchy stuff” -His witchcraft of interest: N/A (not available)

Vincent: -We all know that Vincent is too kind to be against almost anything. -But, of course, there are still some misconceptions. But, this man is such an angel that as soon as he learns that you are a practitioner, he asks what is and isn’t true, which just makes your heartthrob.  -You quickly clear up what is and isn’t accurate about witchcraft.  -He is super accepting and could listen to you talk about magick for hours, maybe even days.  -He just loves you, so he is willing to hear you out on anything. -His witchcraft of interest: Probably sigil making, or anything else that lets him use his creative side

Theo: -Doesn’t have a strong opinion on it at first, leaning towards being slightly opposed.  -Teases you, calling you stuff like a “witch pup” and “wolfie” and stuff like that. -That is until his angel of an older brother saves you by pinching Theo on the cheek and telling him to be gentle with girls.  -After that, Theo takes more of an interest in it, especially when you explain to him that there is a lot of creative freedom with witchcraft, such as sigil-making, and constructing things out of natural resources, like making wands or pentacles.  -He’s not too interested in practicing himself but is cool with you doing it. -Likes to watch you practice -His witchcraft of interest: Any of the creative fields, though he is more interested in watching the creative process of others rather than doing it himself.

William: -Fascinated.  -He couldn’t care less about what misconceptions he has heard, he wants you to tell him everything about the craft so that he can accurately represent it in a play.  - He would be very interested in ritual knives, though maybe you should steer him away from those. maybe get him interested in candle magick, or divination. Maybe scrying.  -He will invite you to his villa constantly and ask you to bring some supplies so that he can practice.  -You just turned Will into a witch.  -His witchcraft of interest: Like I mentioned before, he likes the ritual knives, but I wouldn’t trust him with those if I were you. Candle Magick is something I think would be better for him. Just don’t let him set anything on fire that isn’t supposed to be.

Dazai:  -His time is edging closer to the twenty-first century, so although he may not know a lot, and may not be entirely open to it, he is more than willing to listen to you and hear you out.  -Like Leonardo, he is gonna goof off frequently, if you want him to be more serious, again, just tell him that and he’ll calm down. -I think he would be another boy to like sigils (Sigils are very easy to make, and simple, and work well for broom-closeted witches because they look like doodles), but he would like to get some books about other types of witchcraft as well.  - I would suggest getting him into charm bags and/or divination/scrying.  -As we know, Dazai struggled with depression, and if it ever creeps upon him again, a charm bag of happiness would be helpful.  -Divination and scrying are fun, and I think that’s a reason to get him into them. Just be careful, he may try to tell Isaac that he is going to be attacked by an apple in the near future.  -His witchcraft of interest: Divination

Mozart: -He doesn’t necessarily like the idea of witchcraft, but he doesn’t hate it.  -especially if you like it.  - However, he will love the idea of cleansing.  -But other than that, he doesn’t have a very strong opinion on witchcraft.  - He doesn’t mind that you do it, and may even ask for a charm every now and again.  -His witchcraft of interest: cleansing (I know that this isn’t a type of witchcraft, but it is essential to the craft soooo) 

Napoleon:  -Napoleon, I think, wouldn’t care what you are or what you practice.  -Of course, if you are extremely interested in it, then he will most likely want to learn more about it/try it. -So expect him to bombard you with questions, about everything. From zodiac signs to moon signs to tarot and oracle cards to scrying, and hedge witchery. He wants to know everything.  -I think that shadow magick would be really good for him.  -I mean, astral travel could also be pretty cool -His witchcraft of interest: Shadow Magick

[justalarryblog]

💮Thank You, Daddy by @recklessandbrave (10k) | Explicit

Harry’s hot, wet mouth is around him before Louis even has the chance to blink, and it feels so good, the icy sting of the frozen dessert disappearing as Harry’s soft tongue laps it up. After Harry swallows, he pulls off the head of Louis’ cock and then dips down to trail his tongue up the shaft, collecting the bits that dribbled down. “Yummy. Thank you, daddy.” He hums pleasantly.

Or the one where Louis gets an idea, and Harry wears panties

Part 2 of Pastel

💮Teacher Kinks by @Ecila (3k) | Explicit

AU in which Louis is Harry’s teacher, but he really doesn’t care. He fucks Harry and Harry enjoys it.

It’s graphic. Mainly just about their sex.

Part 6 of One-Shots

💮When I hear your cries, praying for life. (I will be there) by @brokenbeauty (5k) | Explicit

Well, I figured we needed Larry birthday sex, soooo….. ;))))

hop hop hop by orphan_account (3k) | Explicit

Suddenly, Harry’s slipping down his jeans, and Louis gasps as he’s met with a very unexpected but delicious sight. A mass of fur nestles between Harry’s cheeks, matching with the pink of the inner part of his bunny ears.

Or, the one in which Harry wears bunny ears and a bunny butt plug and Louis proceeds to fuck him.

💮St. Austin’s School for Boys by @domtommo, @winsomefreak (100k) | Explicit

St. Austin’s School for Boys is a correction school for young men that uses corporal punishment as their means of discipline. After one too many infractions, Harry Styles is sent there till graduation. Upon arriving Harry meets his dorm advisor who also happens to be the first year sex-education teacher and footie coach, Louis Tomlinson. Harry falls in absolute adoration for the teacher and is all too ready to drop down onto his knees for him. During his stay he learns some very interesting things about himself… Welcome to St. Austin’s School for Boys, where the hallways are filled with love, drama, and sex.

Part 1 of St. Austin’s School for Boys

💮Change My Mind by @larry_love13 (155k) | Teen And Up Audiences

Louis was a devout Christian family man with a wife and ten kids who lived a seemingly happy and idyllic life in Oklahoma. He always felt something was missing but he could never figure out what until he met Harry Styles, who made him question every single value he’d ever held dear, including his relationship to God AND his marriage. Harry, a devoutly religious young college student struggling with his own family and personal issues turned to Louis for guidance. They both end up learning a lot about themselves, each other, and their religion as they change a few minds-including their own-during their journey.

💮it’s kinda hot in here by @ballsdeepinjesus (3k) | Explicit

“Is that a moth on your stomach?”

or nerdy harry is hiding some stuff under his dorky clothes and louis fucks him in a locker room

💮jump in the deep end by @istajmaal (4k) | Explicit

Louis’s stomach lurches as he closes the last bit of distance, Harry’s nose settling between his arse cheeks and pushing them apart. Harry’s lips brush against the puckered skin around Louis’s hole in a kiss and Louis lets out a whine so high-pitched he barely recognizes it as coming from himself—what if I’m not clean enough, what if Harry hates it, what if Harry pushes me away—but then Harry’s long, wet tongue swoops in a circle around Louis’s rim and Louis feels like all the breath is knocked out of him. He grabs for Harry’s hand, still digging into his thigh, and squeezes over it, until Harry releases his vice grip on Louis’s thigh and laces his fingers through Louis’s.

or, Louis’s arse is a sensitive subject, so Harry approaches it gently. With his tongue.

💮I’ll Crash Until You Notice Me by @stylinsoncity (61k) | Mature

Louis sets off to Barbados to oversee the massive resort his family owns known as Sandy Hill. For years, he’s been looking for a change in the monotony of his life, seeking adventure and perhaps love too. What he doesn’t expect is the bright eyed boy who spills a milkshake on his shoes.

Cue the summer loving.

💮Bloodline by @banana_louis (177k) | Explicit

Louis doesn’t know how to feel when his best friend, Liam, finds out about a brother that he never knew, who was placed for adoption before he was born and is bursting into his life at twenty-four years old.

Louis is very wary of the man who might replace him. He has always thought of Liam as his own brother.

What if Liam doesn’t need him anymore? What if there’s no room for Louis? After all, blood runs thicker than water.

Louis doesn’t like Liam’s new brother and he doesn’t even know him. That’s irrelevant, though.

He doesn’t like him. He doesn’t trust him. He doesn’t want him hanging around. He doesn’t want anything to do with him.

That is, until he meets him.

💮The Arrangement by @daddyy_harryy, @HyFrLarry1224 (218k) | Mature

Louis knew it was his time. Once anyone turned 13, they were watched. And when they were 16 it could be any time. Anytime they could be taken. It was just weeks after his 16th birthday and there he was, sitting in the back of the van.

Or

Louis is forced to marry Harry and bear his children. He is to listen to Harry and do as he says, no matter what. Speaking is a given, and freedom doesn’t exist. Will the sixteen year old boy find himself falling in love with the Leader of the British Mafia? Or will he find himself stuck in a place he doesn’t want to be, with an abusive asshole for a husband?

💮Birds in Gilded Cages by @graveyardwitch (157k) | Mature

There is a hotel in London where beautiful young men and women are kept like birds in a gilded cage, prisoners bound to satisfy your deepest darkest desires….

After being kidnapped as a teenager, Harry Styles was forced into high-class prostitution by the evil Mr Cowell. Louis Tomlinson is heir to his father’s corporation, set to inherit millions…But engaged to a woman he doesn’t love and deeply unhappy. When they meet at a party sparks fly and they embark on a passionate and dangerous relationship…But can it ever be true love when one of you is being paid? And can Louis ever rescue Harry from The Bird Cage Hotel?

Warning-This story is about prostitution so there will be a LOT of sex. I do not own One Direction etc etc. I do ship Larry but I don’t care if it’s real or not, I just like reading and writing the fanfic.

💮TFP by @capriciouslouis (134k) | Not Rated

Harry has known for a while that he wants to have sex with Louis, and nothing says “tonight’s the night” like a nice cup of tea and copious amounts of flowers.

💮12 Hours by @1975sam (2k) | Explicit

If two people who hated/couldn’t stand each other got stuck together in an elevator for 12 hours, what would happen?

💮a cage for every ugly spirit by @sarcasticfluentry (15k) | Explicit

First-year uni student Harry gives up orgasms for Lent, featuring a cock cage and weekly prostate milkings on Sundays. Warning for religion kink. Written for the 1D Novena Ficathon.

💮A Million Years by @sunflowerstyles (3k) | Explicit

Louis always ends up feeling guilty that he’s not ready to give Harry what he wants. Harry shows him how much fun they can have while they wait together.

💮Can’t help but touch myself by @Tita (7k) | Explicit

“I asked what these were, love.” Harry gulps. “Panties,” he explains with heated cheeks, needing more than the light touches from Louis and getting nothing. “What did you get them for? Were they to impress someone else?” He asks, and Harry shakes his head fervently, stumbling over his words as he tries to get his tongue to cooperate. “No, no,” he emphasizes, arching his back to plaster himself to Louis. “For you, always for you, Daddy.”

💮Mark Me Up (My Skin’s Yours to Touch) by @eyesofshinigami​ (2k) | Explicit

They stumble into their bedroom and Louis’ is immediately pushed onto the bed, Harry scrambling after him. Shaky hands pull down his joggers right under his arse and Harry’s tongue circles around the still tender skin, never touching it directly. Despite the heat and desperation between them, Harry’s almost reverential in his touches. “‘s for me, Lou?” he slurs between passes of his tongue. “A place that only I can see?”

Or the one where Harry gets to appreciate Louis’ new tattoo.

💮Champagne by @fanshae (2k) | Explicit

“Look at how pretty you are,” Louis murmurs, Harry’s stockinged toes curling against the floor at the praise, “Give Daddy a twirl, baby.”

💮Give It Up To Me by @krisstylinson (8k) | Explicit

“You’re going to end up making me come with all the boys in our lounge,” he finished, his tone softening the longer he spoke.

“And?” Harry murmured, placing his palm over the crevice of Louis’ arse, keeping the plug nice and tight inside of him. “What if I wanted you to?”

Or the cliché where Louis isn’t supposed to come but he does, and that can’t go unpunished in Harry’s eyes.

💮Gnossienne by @pukeandcry (11k) | Explicit

Louis sets a challenge for himself; it gets a bit out of hand.

💮Hold On To The Words You Spoke (Anchored Down In The Throat) by @justletmegohome (13k) | Explicit

“No, no. Louis, just stop. It’s not stupid, it’s never stupid. Believe it or not, I care. I care so much. Do you honestly think I’d still have my dick in your ass if I didn’t?”

Louis chuckles at that, but it’s sad, Harry notes it’s not right. “That will change when I tell you.”

“Never.” Harry kisses every bit of his face he can reach, he has no idea how that can help but he’s going to do it anyways.

“I don’t like the way I sound. ’S all,” Louis says in one breath, going coy as soon as he’s done speaking, his eyes casting downwards.

For a moment, Harry can’t believe his ears. Or the words Louis just said even if he can see them hanging in the air between them. Harry is not even sure if he listened He doesn’t want to believe them, maybe that’s why he’s having a hard time coming up with his own words.

*** Basically, Louis is loud. And then he isn’t. Harry ties him up to find out why. ***

💮I’m Tired Of Using Technology, I Need You Right In Front Of Me by @Phillipa19 (6k) | Explicit

Louis goes away on yet another business trip, but when he stops calling Harry to check in, Harry decides to take matters into his own hands.

OR- Louis is Harry’s sugardaddy who has gone away on business and Harry feels neglected. Louis is possessive and gets a camera installed in their bedroom so he can check up on Harry, so Harry decides to use the camera to his advantage.

💮Just One Night by @LovelyAnon (7k) | Explicit

Louis is upset and goes to a bar to drown his worries. Harry shows up. Sex ensues. What more is there to say?

💮just one step at a time by @hickeylou, @sowearegay (10k) | Explicit

Louis is insecure and Harry has trouble sometimes.

💮leave you drowning until you reach for my hand by orphan_account (16k) | Explicit

If Louis told him to do something that he really didn’t want to do, it would be different, but Louis’s never done that, never asked anything of Harry that he couldn’t handle. Except—except maybe this; to obey him without praise, reward, approval, or even mere acknowledgement.

💮let’s talk about making love by @istajmaal (25k) | Explicit

“That’s my name, baby, I’m Louis.” The voice on the phone inhales sharply, then says, “Gonna take my cock now, princess?”

Harry lets out a high-pitched mhmm and shudders as he pulls his fingers out of his hole, groping for the vibrator. “Nice to meet you,” he says, feeling a bit dizzy with how hard his untouched cock is.

Louis is just a simple phone sex line operator, but to Harry, he’s Daddy.

💮Push You Over The Edge (So I Can Pull You Back)by orphan_account (16k) | Explicit

It’s after a long two weeks of interviews and non-stop appearances that have got Harry stressed to the limit of yanking his hair out and throwing a fit and crying that Louis shows it to him, walks in the door with a sleek black bag in his left hand and inconspicuous brown one in his right.

💮Skipping Heartbeats by @1dfetusfics (3k) | Mature

Louis doesn’t talk much and for some reason he has a queasy feeling in his belly whenever he’s around boys now, especially around Harry.

💮Sweet Dreams by @dormant_bender (5k) | Explicit

When fantasies become reality.

💮Talk To Me, Baby by orphan_account (3k) | Explicit

Harry loves to talk and whisper little things to Louis during sex. Louis is pretty quiet, loves it, but just listens. But one day Harry really wants to hear Louis say some of the dirty things he loves Harry to do to him, so Harry really encourages Louis to talk to him during sex. Louis is self-conscious at first but then they really get into it and amazingness happens.

💮Thank the Hotel by orphan_account (4k) | Explicit

The hotel messed up the boys’ reservations for after their Red Nose Day performance, causing Louis and Harry to share a single bed hotel room. When Harry wakes up to Louis having a wet dream, he just can’t help himself. He’d have to remember to thank the hotel later.

💮To Be Loved To Be In Love by @Angel_Dust (129k) | Mature

At 18, every Sub must take a Match Test to find their Dom.

Poor, Farm kid Louis Tomlinson is matched with Rich, Businessman Harry Styles.

Or, where Harry thinks giving Money, expensive presents and luxuries proves how much you love someone, but Louis is about to turn his world upside down.

💮turn you on, make you radiate by @ballsdeepinjesus (15k)| Explicit

When he presses inside for the first time in weeks, he’s pretty sure he sees stars behind his eyes at the staggering sensation of Harry’s body squeezing every inch of him. When he bottoms out, he stays buried inside for a minute just to catch his bearings, listening as Harry takes sharp breaths beneath him. When he finally feels like he’s under control, he presses his lips against Harry’s ear and whispers, “Are you ready husband?“

Harry throws his head back and groans. “Call me your spouse.”

[…or, a self-indulgent snapshot of hl’s sex lives over the course of 10+ years]

💮Untitled sugardaddy fic by orphan_account (2k) | Explicit

Harry comes home from a long day at work and has his way with his baby. (That’s Louis.)

Or

The one with all the daddy kink sex and spanking. It’s pure pwp.

✨You can also check My Fic Tags for more fics! ✨

[jackredfieldwasmyjacob]

SAN ISIDRO

Okay, so here it goes. This Wednesday (May 15th) is San Isidro (Saint Isidore), the most important festivity in Madrid (technically it started last friday, but Wednesday is the big day, there isn’t even class, that’s when you know it’s big)

Let’s start!

So, first some context (I’m an atheist and I didn’t attend Religion class when I was little, so all I’m gonna tell you it’s from when we celebrated San Isidro at school and they told us the story so it might not be perfectly accurate).

San Isidro is the saint of the farmers (in fact, his full name is “San Isidro Labrador”, which translates to “Saint Isidore Cropper / Tiller / Farmer”). His story starts with him as a very religious farmer. There are two parts in his legend. The first one was that, during a drought, he prayed to the Virgin Mary and she nurtured the land and all the crops flourished and what not. The second part is more known and interesting. One day, his son was playing by a well (you see where this is going, right?). Of course, the kid fell on the well, Isidro prayed, and God or the Virgin Mary (idk honestly) rescued him.

Ok, now that that’s out of the way, let’s go to the interesting part. The main focus of this festivity is the Pradera de San Isidro (”San Isidro Prairie”)

Sorry for my editing skills, I’m not really the best when it comes to technology stuff. So, as you can see, the prairie (called “parque” or “park” here) is close to the Manzanares River and the former Atlético de Madrid Stadium, the Vicente Calderón, and it also has a space for the fair (”feria”) that stands up during San Isidro, and also a building in the north, the “ermita”  (”shrine”), where there’s an image of San Isidro and one of the central parts of the festivity, the Fountain of San Isidro. Legend says that San Isidro created it (somehow) and it has the ability of heal all problems and illnesses, so it’s become a tradition to go on the 15th to the shrine and drink from it. Of course, there’s always a really large queue for one sip (I really find it funny that water is so important in the main festivity on Madrid, because one of the most stereotypical madrileño things is being proud of our tap water, which is the best of Spain (objectively, of course)).

Here are some photos of the prairie and the shrine from Google Maps (I would put mine but they are really shitty so they wouldn’t help at all):

Okay, that’s the location, but how it’s the day? 

Let’s start with the typical clothing, the “chulapo / a” suit / dress. I present you now with a photo of me and my sister when we were little to see how they look like (I promise you there’s a difference between chulapa and flamenco dresses, they are actually pretty different):

The flowers we have on are “claveles” (carnations) which are the most important flower in Madrid (and I would say of Spain, but I think they are not that significant in other parts of the country). Also, I remember many girls of my class dressing with the chulapo suit so even though you’ll normally find them gender-coded, it’s not mandatory.

There are also typical dishes (of course, we are in Spain, we love food here)

One of these is the most typical madrileño thing ever and also my favourite breakfast / snack / merienda / whatever you want to call it, the marvel that is “chocolate con churros” (hot chocolate with churros)

(I’m actually salivating now, it’s soooo good)

Also there’s a typical bun (also really Spanish, there are like 2846823 types of typical buns or sweet things, some really local). In Madrid they are the “rosquillas” (doughnut / bagel, I don’t know the difference, sorry)

Another foods that are really common during all San Isidro are “barquillos”  (”wafers”) and “almendras garrapi��adas”  (”caramelized almonds”)

Apart from that, we have a traditional dance, the “chotis”, a really slow and intimate dance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MF7lhNNyM-g

One of the most well known chotis is this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hsanfnRjZ4

There are normally also a really weird concept to explain, the “tuna” (yes, like the name of the fish in English). To simplify things, just think of them as the Spanish version of the “mariachis”. They look like this:

And I believe they are itinerant but I’m not sure (fun fact, they freak the hell outta my uncle, is really funny to see his expression whenever they appear). Their most famous song is this one, if you were wondering how they sound like: 

https://youtu.be/Vpq8jkkqeCA

So yeah, that’s basically San Isidro. Hope you liked the post, and let me know about your thoughts please! :)

[starbudspresents]

DGM 231 - Panthaleia’s Translation Notes

Hello, dear friends and fellow fans! We return to the rubble of Tumblr you with DGM 231, the first chapter of this new year. Thanks for sticking with us!

Please see below the cut for my translation notes and reactions, as per usual. If you have any questions, do feel free to come say hi on Discord at Panthaleia#9705. :3

The Novel I'm Not Writing About DGM & Buddhism

Oooooookay, first things first! The four bubbles across Allen's collar on the cover page say 生々流転 seiseiruten. When spelled 生生流転 (homophonous), it simply means "ever-changing," but when spelled the way it is here (fantastic catch, thank you so much @togaochi​ ♥), it's defined as "all things being in flux through the endless circle of birth, death, and rebirth; the circle of transmigration​."

That concept is much more succinctly described by the Sanskrit term saṃsāra. Now, to preclude confusion: yes, if you look up "samsara" in a Japanese dictionary, you'll get 輪廻 rin'ne rather than this. That said, this term is if anything more specific and descriptive than that one. See also 生死輪廻 seishirin'ne, which has the exact same definition as seiseiruten; think "cell" vs. “cellular phone” vs "mobile telephone." All words for the same thing, with varying degrees of descriptiveness. 

The concept of samsara shows up in several religions (notably Buddhism, Hindu, and Jainism). The one most relevant to DGM by far is Buddhism, and this is far from the first time I've run into it in search of answers.

Crash course on some Buddhist jargon for those of you who aren't familiar:

The word samsara, meaning "continuous flow," describes the beginningless and potentially endless cycle of life and existence, through birth and living and death to re-birth and so on. It could also easily be pictured as a helix, if you'd prefer, and that could in fact make some of DGM a little easier to understand.

(If I may take a moment to get super self-indulgent here: a very related philosophical concept is panta rhei, "everything flows", which is what my "panthaleia" handle is mostly based on. This chapter very nearly literally has my name written on it. IT'S A SIGN. Of.... something. Not sure what, exactly, but IT'S A SIGN.)

Every living thing is trapped within this cycle by its attachments and its ignorance of the truth, which causes great suffering and generates karma, which then affects the shape of one's next life. (Yes, Alma's second name is that for a reason.)

There are a number of branching denominations of Buddhism, much as there are of Christianity, and while they mostly share certain core tenets such as the Eightfold Path, they vary widely in ideals and practice. The influences I see on DGM mostly come from a Japanese variant called Shingon ("True Words") and its predecessors: Shingon is a descendant of Tibetan Vajrayana, which is in turn sometimes considered to be part of the broader East Asian Mahayana umbrella.  

I've talked a little bit about Shingon before, because all the chanted spells used throughout the series follow the pattern of Shingon mantras and Kanda's tattoo is written in Siddhaṃ (theorized to be the predecessor of both modern kana systems, by the way).

Shingon shares its overarching goal with its predecessors: rather than seeking to break the cycle just for one's own self and achieve individual escape from suffering (as in Theravada, for example), one should seek to become an enlightened being — a bodhisattva — and willingly continue to subject oneself to the cycle in order to help those who are struggling and thereby bring the whole world closer to moksha ("liberation") and subsequent/synonymous nirvana one step at a time.

Obviously, reincarnation and transmigration play a massive role in DGM. Let me list just a few of the ways in which this particular concept is a running theme throughout the story:

The Noah fragments being reincarnated into new bodies without also reincarnating the human souls they previously coexisted with;

The Earl's victims having their souls transmigrated in the bodies of their loved ones to rebirth them as Akuma;

The Third Exorcists, also transmigrated into new bodies to bring them back (Helix magic in general, really, including the Atuuda);

Nea's transmigration into Allen (not a rebirth, but an avoidance of death while waiting for a chance at rebirth), as well as Allen's regression to childhood via de-aging and memory loss;

The original Earl (Adam in my theories, fyi, in case I reference that later) deliberately rebirthing himself in smaller pieces for goals as yet unknown;

The Bookmen keeping records of each iteration of the repeating narrative, ever-changing but eternal themselves;

Even fukkin Komlin, lmao, constantly destroyed and improved and remade.

So many others? Soooo many others.

The eureka moment (for me): this chapter is subtitled "Curtain Rise," as in the beginning of a stage play when the curtain goes up. If you'll think all the way back to the very first chapters of the series, you may remember that the Earl's Scenario is meant to bring about curtain fall... on humanity.

Looking at that in the context of samsara, that whole thing suddenly looks very different. Our heroes assumed that the Earl's victory would result in the destruction of the world, the destruction of humanity, but I've never bought that idea from the very start. When the curtains finally close on samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth, humanity will not be "dead" in the tragic sense, but free. Nirvana =/= death. Nirvana is the peace of being one with all, knowing all, loving and being loved by all without the need for suffering. It isn't "heaven" in the Christian sense, but it is an end to suffering, without also being an end to existence.

Tragedy and suffering are the consequences of remaining bound to the cycle. Directly using the energy of them in order to break the cycle creating them, as the Earl claims to be doing with the Akuma, is a very very Vajrayana idea, and fits seamlessly into my existing suppositions as to what the Earl is doing and why. Here, have a relevant quote:

Negative mental factors such as desire, hatred, greed, pride are not rejected as in non-Tantric Buddhism, but are used as part of the path. As noted by French Indologist Madeleine Biardeau, tantric doctrine is "an attempt to place kama, desire, in every meaning of the word, in the service of liberation."

 And another, from the Hevajra tantra:

Those things by which evil men are bound, others turn into means and gain thereby release from the bonds of existence. By passion the world is bound, by passion too it is released.

One more, same source:

One knowing the nature of poison may dispel poison with poison.

Bluntly put, I think the (original) Earl was an enlightened soul — a bodhisattva — who voluntarily returned to the cycle via deliberate rebirth into multiple ignorant beings in order to help heal the struggling world of its suffering via bringing about enlightenment viiiaaaa SUFFERING HARDER. Good Plan™?

Here are a few more related meta posts from a few years ago, just so I can find them again when I inevitably decide to delve deeper into this:

Helix magic will be the key to the plot

It's all happened before

Destroyer of Time

2.) I'm so delighted to see Mana as he was when Allen knew him before, genteel and whimsical and delighted with Allen's existence. It's easy to understand why Allen would become so attached to him.

3.) Raws for the "Therefore I write many of them, as if God can see me doing so. / As if He might find me" lines: こうして神さまに見えるように沢山書くんです　／　見つけてもらえるように  These don’t sit well with me, so I’ll probably change them in the future. The gist is that he’s drawing them in order to draw God’s attention to him.

Raws for "Here I am": 私はここにいる。@togaochi and I concur that he uses watashi here instead of his own preferred boku because he's teaching it to Allen, and means it as a more general "I."

Anyway: hooooo boy, here's some more evidence for the Two Gods theory. And how!

It seems pretty safe to assume he's not calling out to the Order's God, since that god would pretty happily wipe him off the face of the earth. The Noah have called that god "false," though, and expressed their intent and desire to kill it, while still referring to a "God" entity of their own whom they regard as being on their side (or perhaps, they're on its side).

Mana calling out to the Noah god to come find him, without remembering why he wants that, is very interesting. I wonder if and how anyone answered him.

4.) I have a strong hunch that Mana's "secret alphabet" is also related to Siddhaṃ, but that language is written in such a complex way that it's actually impossible for me to be sure without just... learning it. Which! To be clear! I fucking well might. WATCH ME.

5.) This entire scene is so much to me. How furious they both are that the other won't just let themselves be saved/protected. Allen wanted to leave Kanda behind so he and the others would be safe from everything that's hunting him. Kanda wants Allen to stay put so they can save him from what he can't fight alone. All that rage and frustration, because they care.

Quick note: in the first draft we initially posted on Imgur via our Discord server, I had the subject wrong for one of Kanda's lines here, which I caught and fixed. Sorry for any confusion that may have caused!

5.5) ETA: Forgot to mention that I’m fairly sure the beautiful Grecian-style temple they’re hanging out in is referenced from St. Bernard’s Well, again in Edinburgh. Excuse me, “Edinston.”

Thanks to an enterprising anon, we have a much better match for that structure: the Dugald Stewart Monument! 

6.) "maybe I'll go sucker-hunting" CARD SHARK ALLEN LIIIIIVES, where's Tyki when you need him (to lose his shirt again)

7.) fjkldjlkagd the turnaround where Allen finally cracks and is like "fine!! you want in?? IN YOU GET. no take-backsies! happy now???" and Kanda's like "yep, here I am" and neither of them have ANY IDEA how to deal with ANY OF IT. Kanda struggling to pull Allen's story out of him without throwing up his hands and quitting. Allen baffled and twice as guarded as before, put off by Kanda's uncharacteristic interest.

So beautiful, it brings a tear to my eye. (Actually, many tears. So... so many tears.)

8.) That apology, which I never thought I'd get, for Allen having seen what Kanda would never have consented to show him. It wasn't his fault, and they both know that, but the fact still remains that it was a violation, and I've always always wished for that to be addressed somehow and HERE IT IS. RIGHT HERE.

I want to tattoo that look on Kanda's face onto my brain.

9.) And then they're FUCKING INTERRUPTED, AGAIN

But Allen's "ask me again when we're done dealing with this" was such a promise of trust that I can't even be that mad, augh.

Onward to the bitter end, I guess!! Haha!!!! · ͜͜  · - 

Thank you all so much for reading and following along! I’d like to tip my hat to Kougeki Scans, who love this series too and are helping us spoil the fandom rotten. :P  Again, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to either find us on Discord HERE, find me on Discord at Panthaleia#9705, or use the comment box on MangaDex! I’m always happy to geek out with fellow fans. <3

[sfthearts]

Serendipity part 4

Word count: 2090

Ok so before we begin, the timeline in this is off from real life. This is before Panic gets big, presplit, they’re starting to book small shows, only everyone’s in their early/mid 20’s instead of 18/19. You won’t see any band members in this story because I am too lazy to write band scenes and this miniseries is over soon anyway 🤪

Ok I think that’s my only note? Other than that, I never proofread any goddamn thing so as always if something doesn’t make sense lmk I wrote this broken up over like 3 different days so ya

Kbye enjoy 😊

—————————-

(Y/N’s POV)

“Wow, it’s really you! I can’t… I can’t believe this! What are the odds?!” Brendon says, bewildered that the girl he knew so long ago was right in front of him once more.

“This is insane! I never thought I’d see you again!” You agree with him through your giggles.

The shock of everything mostly sobered you up, but a bit of your buzz still stuck around.

“So! Tell me everything, what have I missed out on in the last decade and some without the lovely Y/N by my side? You look fantastic, by the way.”

Your stomach does a little flip, you blush and thank him, telling him how handsome he’s become as well.

Even though it had been so long, you felt just as comfortable talking with Brendon as the day you left town. You observe the tattoos on his forearm as you begin to talk. You tell him everything he requested, How your parents were doing these days, why you ended up here in the city, your job, and even past relationships. Brendon listened with full attention, capturing your every word in his mind. Even back then you recognized that Brendon genuinely cared about you, and it appears that hadn’t changed.

(Brendon’s POV)

“So what about you?! What’s been going on with you!” Y/N asks you excitedly.

“Well, where do I begin?”

You tell her all about your life since she left, how you left your parents religion, and how they hated that but ultimately repaired the relationship you had with them, your move to the city, the small band you were in that was starting to take off, enough to pay your rent at least, and everything in between. She looked at you like you were telling her the most important and interesting story ever told, and you loved it. Just like at the party, her eyes sparkled and you couldn’t get enough of them.

“Wow, So it looks like we’ve both missed out on eachother huh? Tell me more about this band! That’s so cool! You’ve always loved music, I’m so happy for you, Bren.” She says sincerely.

“Thank you. Yeah it’s a lot of fun! It’s myself and a couple of my friends, we mostly play local venues but people are really starting to catch on!” You gush. As she had pointed out, you had always loved music. This was your biggest dream, even if it was still on such a small scale right now.

“Brendon that’s amazing! So do you play an instrument or sing?” She asks. You tell her you do both, but primarily sing in the band.

“I didn’t know you could sing! I can’t wait to hear you sometime. When’s your next gig, I’m totally crashing it” She says while laughing.

“Next weekend! It’s at this little bar downtown, I’m not sure if that’s your scene or not…” you trail off somewhat anxiously. You really want her to go, but you wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t want to go to some sweaty bar just to see you perform.

“Of course I’ll be there! I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Hell, I’ve already missed so much.” She say quietly. You can tell she feels bad about not being around all those years ago. You pull her into a side hug and look down at her.

“Hey, don’t feel bad. You couldn’t help it, Honey. Plus you’re here now, so let’s go right now and make up for lost time!” You say excitedly, an idea forming in your mind.

She looks up into your eyes and you swear your heart stops beating for a second. God, she was so beautiful.

“What do you mean?” She asks. “My friend is still in there, I have to at least tell her I’m leaving and make sure everyone else showed up”

“That’s fine! Let’s go back in and then I’ll take us somewhere cool?”

She nods her head and you stand up, taking her hand and helping her up from the bench as well. She doesn’t remove her hand as you walk with her back to the entrance, so you don’t either. Your brain is going haywire with nerves, you’ve always loved this girl for who she was, funny and fearless and strong but still soft and sweet. These days she’s still all of that and more, plus she’s also added stunning to the list. You still couldn’t believe any of this was real. Even as you looked at the smiley girl walking next to you, her hand in yours. A small smile formed on your face when you looked down at her, she looked up and met your gaze.

“What are you smiling about?” She asks quizzically, still grinning herself.

“Nothing you need to worry about, little one.” You say back simply. She shrugs, continuing your walk to the back of the bar where her friend was seated, now joined by a larger group of girls.

“Hey I’m so sorry I ditched you, but this is Brendon. He actually was my childhood best friend and we reconnected tonight!” She explains to her friend, who’s eyes have now lit up with the new revelation. She waves Y/N off with a “no problem” and tells her that everyone showed up right about when we walked outside, so she wasn’t alone for long.

“Do you mind if I steal her away for the rest of the night? We just have a lot of catching up to do and this bar isn’t exactly the best place to do it.” You ask, and before the words can finish leaving your mouth, her friend has turned you both around and pushed you in the direction of the door.

“Have fun! Make good choices!” She yells after you, and you both take this as your cue to leave.

(Y/N’s POV)

“Soooo.. where are we going, B?” You ask once you’re in his car.

“I know this little spot... you know what, I’m going to keep it a surprise. Do you trust me?” He smiles a big, beaming smile.

You nod and grab his free hand. Without question, you trust him.

He nods approvingly at this and continues driving to your destination. As he drives, his thumb absentmindedly rubs back and forth on the top of your hand, and your heart flutters again. You’re crushing on this boy something SERIOUS, you admit to yourself. You silently pray that he felt the same way.

A song plays on the radio and Brendon begins singing along quietly. His voice is phenomenal!

“Holy shit Brendon! You sound so beautiful!” You tell him, he giggles the cutest giggle in the world and thanks you, saying you’re being way too kind.

“No, for real! I’m not just being nice, if you weren’t really that good I wouldn’t have said anything at all. You’re incredible, Bren. Really.” You insist, looking up at the side of his face now. His cheeks are slightly pink and he has a permagrin, the kind someone gets when they don’t want to get their hopes up, but can’t help it.

“Thank you. I really appreciate that.” He says sincerely, and you feel satisfied that he at least somewhat believes you now.

A yawn sneaks out of you and you try to cover it, but Brendon notices.

“Are you tired? You can fall asleep if you want, we’ve got maybe 20 minutes before we get there. O-or I can take you home? I don’t want to keep you out if-“

You stop him short with a smile. “No no, I’ll just take a little power nap. I’ll be fine I promise.” You tell him, squeezing his hand that was still in yours, which you certainly hadn’t forgotten about.

“Alright. Take a nap, I’ll wake you when we get there.” He says with a sweet smile on his face, and that’s the last thing you see before sleep washes over you. The sounds of his quiet humming and the soft music swirl around in your head as you drift away.

(Brendon’s POV)

She’s out cold in less than 5 minutes, and even in her sleep she’s still holding onto your right hand tightly. You look over at her sleeping figure and your heart nearly bursts.

“Oh man. Y/n why are you so damn adorable?” You whisper to yourself with a smile painted on your face.

You know if you told anyone how you felt right now, they’d say you’re crazy for feeling this way in just one night. You know it’s abnormal, and you know it’s a big risk putting your heart out there like you can already tell you’re going to by falling so hard so fast, but you can’t help it. They say when you know you know, and you absolutely know. Being with her already feels like what you always imagined finding “the one” to feel like. This scares the shit out of you, but you couldn’t be more giddy all at the same time.

A short while later, you arrive at your destination.

“Hey Honey, wake up, we’re here!” You say quietly while gently shaking her shoulder.

She stirs and blinks her eyes open, smiling when she sees you. You smile back.

“Hi Bear” she says, her voice soft and small.

“Hi Honey. Are you ready to get out of the car?” You ask her. She nods and unbuckles her seatbelt, releasing your hand from her grasp. Immediately, you miss the warmth and the contact, but probably wouldn’t ever admit that to anyone but yourself.

You reach in the back for the blanket you keep back there for emergencies and get out of the car. You jog to her side, opening her door before she has the chance. She looks up at you and laughs a little.

“My, what a gentleman!” She states as she stands up, stretching. “Where are we anyway?” She asks, looking around at your surroundings. On the surface, you had brought her to what looks like some regular public park outside the city.

“Come with me, there’s the most incredible view of the stars over the lake through this clearing.” You explain, reaching for her hand. She quickly gives it to you and you walk her to your favorite spot.

You would come here at night sometimes to think, or write music, or just be alone. It was your safe place, your place away from the noise and the lights of reality.

Placing the blanket down on the ground, you sit down and pat the space next to you for her to sit. Instead of taking that, she sits down right between your open legs and leans back into your chest. Your heart rate skyrockets, but you hope she doesn’t notice.

You point up at the sky and show her all the constellations that you’ve gotten to know over the past few years you’d been coming out here. She seems to soak up every word you say, which you love her even more for.

“I know you probably don’t care about this stuff but I’m glad you’re listening” you tell her. She shakes her head quickly

“No, no I’m enjoying this. So much, Brendon. Thank you.” She says, and you smile, telling her you’re happy to show her.

She turns around to look at you, neither of you saying a word. Quickly, your eyes dart to her soft looking lips and back up to her eyes. Something in them tells you to listen to your heart, so you do.

(Y/N’s POV)

You see Brendon’s eyes move swiftly from your eyes to your lips and back up, and you’re hoping with everything that he would just-

and his plump, perfect lips were on yours. You kiss him back as soon as you realize it was happening. It was soft and sweet, and his lips tasted like minty lip balm.

You feel him smile into the kiss, making you smile too. You pull back and break the kiss, both of you grinning and blushing deeply.

“You kissed me” you say, smile still plastered on your face.

“You kissed me back, I was so scared you didn’t like me back like that but I had to take a chance and try because I’d regret it forever if I didn’t…” he trails off, as he realizes he’s nervously rambling. You’ve noticed he has a habit of doing that. You beam up at him and lightly brush your hand along the side of his face.

“I’m so glad you did.”

[makotokino]

sunguard - one year

It’s mind boggling to me to realize that I’ve been back in WoW for over a year. When I left at the beginning of WoD, I was pretty certain I was never coming back. The game had lost a lot of love in my heart, partially because of personal circumstances but overall, I was burnt out. BFA’s trailer brought me back in November of 2017, and I spent some time on the outskirts until I poked my head into S.O.S. While the experience was great, I do have some mixed feelings on it now - but one thing I am grateful for is that it brought me to the Sunguard.

This past year has been an absolute boon for me in a lot of ways. Being a member in Sunguard has challenged me creatively, and looking back over my writings last year to now - I can already see an improvement. Not just in how I write, either, but how I create. I spend so much time brainstorming with stories I love, and that’s lead to so much more creativity even outside of Warcraft writing. I’ve started writing original content again, I’ve picked up painting; I’m excited to challenge myself in the future because I feel confident and creative. For someone who has struggled with creativity and especially feeling confidence in my work, this is so wonderful.

Y’all have given me a place to create and express my characters, to grow their stories. So many parts of Sanarissa - a character I’ve been writing for eight years - have grown into something more nuanced, complex, and interesting. I’ve also had the opportunity to create more characters who I love, which I’ve never really done before - being someone who focused only on my main.

So I wanted to say thanks - to everyone I communicate with, write with, and share the experience of TSG with on a daily basis. I also have a few special thank you’s because I’m a giant sap. But for now, thank y’all for this amazing year and I can’t wait for more.

The Officer Corp, with special thanks to Felth @felthier, Jess @jessipalooza, Mel @stormandozone, and Azzy @azriah: From the first moment applying to the Sunguard, the officers made me feel welcome and wanted. That was a huge thing for me. Along the way, y’all have always been supportive, attentive, and nice to talk to. Especially the four of you I mentioned, I feel like I can always come to at least one of you with questions or concerns. So thank you, for making the guild a great place for not only me but everyone else - and for always being there to answer my (sometimes) dumbass questions. Not to mention y’all inspire me so much with your work.

Tiah / @forever-afk: Tiah, you are one of the reasons I joined TSG to begin with. Between you and Thomas after S.O.S., that’s really what pushed me forward. I know we haven’t gotten to RP in a loooong time due to our own lives not meshing, but I’m still so glad Sana and Vaelrin are buddies.

Aimee / @thanidiel: I know we don’t talk super often but I am very glad to have you around to jabber at, get advice and critique from, and joke around with. Having you around during S.O.S. was a boon, and I’ve enjoyed being able to make old MG veterans memes with you sometimes. You inspire me so much to be a better writer, creator, roleplayer, dude.

Cari / @retributionpriest: So I was devastated when Lirelle died without ever really getting the chance to interact, besides like one social event with a couple sentences, because of my own Anxiete. But I am soooo so so so glad that we’ve started talking and roleplaying a little back and forth. Being able to chat with you over Elementalist stuff and the brief RP we’ve been able to do has been so fun. I look forward to so much more in the future.

Harm / @thelaughingvulture: Fave Light cultist, bar none. But honestly, Brae is such an interesting character and I love her and despite the constant Brea/Brae confusion, I am glad we’ve gotten to talk and RP more over the last few weeks. I’m SAD that Sana is a traitor again, but the interactions we are keeping were so good - plus we’ll have bards we can write, or Light nerds. I’m super excited to keep on truckin as your buddy.

Veli / @ocarina-of-what: Hi. I love you. RP with me at some point. No, but really, having gotten to know you a little bit over the past few weeks has been absolutely incredible. You’re such a gem and a darling, I love you to pieces already. I hope we get to know each other much better AND ACTUALLY GET TO RP SOON. LOVE YOU.

Matt / @captainswingbeard: Hello, I know I’m a horribly slow RP partner, but your kind words and genuine interest in my stories are so wonderful and great. I was soooo surprised when you took interest in wanting to RP with me but it’s been so fun and interesting. I love reading your stories and I’m so interested in how everything will play out for the Old Man. And I swear, I’ll reply soon (unless I already have because I wrote this ahead of time - ha!)

Larry / @trained-trainwreck: I genuinely cannot like, preface enough how much your friendship means to me. You are one of my best TSG buddies and you mean a lot to me. We are Team Southern America and that’s important to me to have someone who comes from a similar background and history that I can share my experiences with. On top of that, being able to write with you is one of my favorite things, despite us not having much time to do so. Larry and Sana’s parallels are so interesting and I’m sorry she has yet again betrayed his trust. Also, I love big murder boy and I swear, at some point, I will be able to accept your invitation to level in ESO together.

Jase / @veloestian: Hey. You mean a lot to me. I know I communicate to you in gently bullying terms a lot, but you’re a dear friend to me. I love writing with you even though I’m slow and a horrible partner. You were the first person I wrote Melori with and so much of her grew from the interactions we had early on. You help me feel better when I’m sad and you send me dumb memes and I love that. You’re a good bean and I cherish you.

Gibby / @please-respond: Bridge troll or not, you are like my brother. My horrible gremlin brother who I sometimes want to kill, but brother nonetheless. Our relationship has been based a lot more off of friendship than RP, which makes me sad sometimes - but I’m glad we’re getting to RP and write together. I love the things you create, I love the opportunities you’ve given me towards my character arc for Sana, and I’m thankful for all the advice and talks we’ve had. Thank you.

Archer / @pyrosophist: Hey. Hey Archer. Hi. You’re my favorite fetus in the universe probably. I am so, so honored and consider myself truly lucky to count you as one of my closest RP partners. Of course, I can talk about Team Fel and how much I have loved seeing them grow from enemies to tenuous allies to friends to lovers to ENEMIES AGAIN, how much their natural, organic growth has fascinated me, how much their parallels hurt my soul, how much I enjoy writing them with you and what will come of it in the future.

But there’s so much more than that. It’s become routine to just talk to you everyday, about creation and headcanons and ideas - you have such a creative energy and you inspire me by even being near you. Digging into headcanons and character work with you and throwing ideas at the wall to see what sticks has quickly become one of the highlights of my day; right alongside of planning what kind of stupid shit we can do in roll20. I even love hurling stupid pinterest posts and songs at you, it’s all part of the friendship.

Being able to share lore, ideas, AU’s, and RP with you means so much to me. You’ve made such an impact on my time in the Sunguard, and I can’t thank you for that enough. I can’t wait to see the storylines you unfold, now and in the future, and be there to experience them. Also, you always draw me wonderful things and I cry a lot.

Thomas / @jonathan-nevermore-smith: I had to save you for last, goober. From the moment we started writing together a year ago, I knew that I was in for something special. Writing Ash and Sana with you has been a rollercoaster that I have been happy to be on, even now. They mean so much to me. You’ve given me so much opportunity to revisit and grow the character that I love so much.

But it isn’t just Sana. Because of your brilliant ideas, I’ve gotten to create multiple characters that I love and adore. It was your urging that pushed me to make Melori a fully-formed, true character. It was your fanon lore that brought me Zaerise. You’ve always encouraged my ideas and thoughts, even when I thought they were extra. You’re always excited to talk with me about things - and that means so much to me.

You’ve let me take a lot of your fanon and just run with it. Being able to work out the religion, culture, and history of the Ridges - its customs and what makes it tick - has been such a fulfilling thing for me to do. Not to mention the Coven, and how much I love and adore them and all that you’ve let me do with your inkling of an idea.

You’re way more than an RP partner though. You are one of my best friends. Talking to you everyday just feels like part of the routine - always have to check in and talk with Thomas. You’ve become such a common point of reference in my life. You share my Hulu account with the real life squad. You’ve been there for me in some of my hardest points this year; you’ve listened to me cry, heard me drunk, and you’ve been there for me every moment in between.  I’m more thankful for you than I can easily put into words. So thank you, Thomas, for a year of amazing friendship and roleplay, and here’s to so many more.

[familyofpebbles]

September 10th, 2021

If I’ve learned anything the past couple years, it’s that when I’m repeatedly not accomplishing something that I want to, it’s best to change the strategy instead of trying to force myself into a method that just isn’t working for me. I’ve often struggled with not being able to just FORCE myself to do things- it’s just a matter of willpower and discipline is it not?? So I spent years spinning my wheels on a lot of things. It’s not a waste of time to try out a new strategy, multiple new strategies, if you’re not making progress anyways. It’s an investment. Once you find something you can stick to, suddenly you’re moving again! And with much less agonizing over it!

This applies to smaller things like this blog, too. We’ve lived together, what, three years? Nearly four? And have not managed to write any of it down (except for the last two a month or two ago.) So, instead of writing in such detail, or alternating going through a trip day by day, or writing you romantic letters (I can just tell you in person now!) I’m gonna just try to write once a month. And I’m gonna write about what I want. I’ll try to cover some missed time, but I’m not gonna stress about it too hard. I’m going to try to remind you to write something once a month too. Long or short, detailed or not, doesn’t matter. What matters is that we have SOMETHING. I value the book I made out of our last blog so much. I’m SO thankful we have a record of the beginning of our relationship, messy bits and all. I want that for the rest of our life too, it’s just so good. And I like the idea that one day a grandchild, or someone even further down the lineage (hello, you!) will be interested in what their ancestors lives were like. I wish I had something like this from mine. I hope these books of ours survive that long. It’s like part of us is still living if our story is being told.

-

Well, gosh. Where do I start now? That’s the problem with leaving off for so long.

We live in Germany, as I’m sure the reader has been able to gather. (Who am I writing to? You still, Robert? Or is this a letter to whoever picks this book up? I don’t know and I probably won’t be consistent about it. You’ll just have to keep up I suppose!)

We live in Germany. You’re stationed here- chose Hohenfels because it’s a chill unit that doesn’t deploy. You still got your EIB while here though! Super proud of you for that. You worked so hard, I don’t think you left work mode at all the entire time, it’s all you thought about. And you did it!

I work at a bank now. Again. It’s not bad, but I don’t like the manager. I won’t waste effort talking about him, but trust me, I have stories. Thankfully we’re about to get a new one. I also met one of my new best friends there. Her name is Jordan, and I’m soooo thankful to have found someone here I really vibe with.  It is a tragedy of military life that we will move away from each other sooner rather than later. But it is a perk of military life to have the opportunity to meet people from all over that you never would have otherwise. And it’s a perk of living in this era of easy communication to not have to lose touch.

We love Germany. Like really love it. Like wish we could stay forever love it.

When we got here we arrived late, in the dark. We drove up to a building in the middle of this colorful little gingerbread fairytale town and were told that this was our hotel that we’d be staying in until we had a place of our own. We couldn’t believe it was real.

I can’t imagine a more perfect welcome to Germany. Those first couple months were blissful. We were in a beautiful hotel on the main street of the small town of Velburg- our room sitting on top of the café with homemade pastries, tea, and beer. The beer! It’s as good as they say, truly. Which means a lot, coming from me. Each building was a different color and covered in flowers and vines. Everyone had a beautiful garden. The church at the head of the road rang it’s bells hourly, and our street smelled of wood smoke and fresh bread from the bakery directly across from us. The weather was stunning- bright blue skies and warm sun and a cool September breeze. The food was the best we had ever tasted. The sheep up the road always ran up to us to be loved on. And there were beautiful castle ruins on the hill right above us. The tower has been restored, and we hiked up to it regularly to look out over the countryside. Germany really greeted us with the warmest of hugs.

Now we live in a town called Hohenburg. It’s not as lively, having been cut off from much of the surrounding towns and roads by the base. The buildings on the main street are still bright, but they’re mostly empty, and many of them sag backwards a bit. But I still find it charming. It’s quiet, and feels safe, and there’s a lovely walking path Livvy and I use all the time. And we have our own ruins too! Less intact, but it’s always magical rounding the bend on the way home and looking at our pretty little town with it’s castle overlooking it. Like a fairytale. It’s beautiful around here, year round. My favorite time is early mornings in spring, with everything green and blooming and a cozy fog slowly dissipating in the golden light. I always stop to move snails out of the road. I love it here so much.

-

Ah, you just got home. That makes it harder to write. You’ve been on rotation so have been gone a lot, and have most of today off. If you just wanna play video games, I’ll keep writing, but if not I’ll come back to this tomorrow. Maybe I’ll write more than just once this month. I’m enjoying it.

-

It’s tomorrow! We ended up talking and having a glass of wine and making dinner. My favorite kind of evening with you. I’m so thankful we’re together. The novelty hasn’t worn off.

-

You bought me an electric piano for our anniversary last year. Best gift ever! I really need to set aside more time to play it… I’ve just recently started trying to set aside 30 minutes before going to bed to either read or play piano, but it’s hard to stick to when there’s just oooone mooore thing I could get done. But I think it’s important to try and prioritize that kind of intentional relaxation. I’m trying to learn Gymonopedie no. 1. It’s not actually as technically hard as I thought, the hard part is memorization. It would help a ton if I could read music but… I don’t wanna learn. Maybe eventually.

-

Regensburg was the first city we went to here. We took the train and watched all the storybook towns roll by. Perfect choice. It’s a beautiful place, exactly what you would think of if called on to imagine a classic European city. St. Peter’s was the first cathedral we saw, towering and imposing and intricately carved, impressive in its shadowy heights. But my favorite, forever favorite, was St. Emmeram’s. The beauty touched me in an unexpected way. I’m just going to copy/paste what I wrote about it from Instagram because I put it exactly the way I wanted to then:

“There are conversations to be had about the greed of organized religion throughout history- gold leaf and marble and soaring ceilings while the impoverished of the congregation struggle. Not exactly Christ-like. Not exactly Christian.⁣ ⁣ But I must admit, these are not conversations I wanted to have inside this building.⁣ ⁣ There is something in the human soul that is nourished by beauty. And this was, for lack of a better word, heavenly. I could feel the centuries of people seeking out this space for comfort, inspiration, hope. Maybe on their darkest days, desperately looking for something better, higher. I can understand that. ⁣ ⁣ The way the light cascaded from the windows, illuminating each sculpted figure on the opposite wall at sunset. Serene faces gazing benevolently down upon you. Perfect acoustics for the angelic music to envelop and sooth you. Something is larger than you and your problems, there is more to life than this.⁣ ⁣ It brought tears to my eyes.”

Also- we had the best pasta of our lives in that city. Seriously, every other pasta I ever eat will be compared to that one. Goddamn.

-

Covid limited our travel ability significantly for about a year, which was a bummer. I suppose it would be interesting in historical terms to get into our experience and feelings about that but… not so fun to write. And honestly, we were lucky. It didn’t affect us all that much. We couldn’t travel, couldn’t hang out with groups, and had to wear masks everywhere (still do on that one). It was hard to get used to but once we did… well that’s just how it was. We were still working. We didn’t get sick, no family or close friends got sick, so were alright. And we got vaccinated fairly early on. So we were lucky. Anyway. The POINT is that we haven’t been able to go to as many countries as we would have liked to. But we managed to see a lot in Germany, and we’re beginning to cross borders again this year, which is exciting.

It’s so easy to see amazing things here. You don’t have to go very far at all to see something beautiful or ancient or both. We’ve seen countless castles, ruined and restored. We’ve gone to the oldest monastic brewery in the world and sampled the beer and liquor. We visited Munich and toured the palace and drank and the massive beer hall. We’ve toured museums and gotten tattoos and tried all the limited vegetarian options Germany has to offer. We hiked up to a castle on my birthday so you could take pictures of me in a fancy dress through the fog. We’ve gone on many walks and taken a cable car up to the highest mountain in Germany… it was cloudy but still impressive. We got to experience Christmas markets our first year here, which I absolutely adore and I really hope they come back soon. We go out to dinner with friends, have big beers or ouzo shots with a feast. We have parties and host D&D nights and sometimes go to a lake. We’ve built a little community here like we didn’t bother to do in North Carolina. You got another promotion, I’m planning our wedding (we postponed again). We’re happy. Really happy.

We joke about how everyone says the first year is the hardest, oh wait no, the second year is when reality really sets in… oh well just wait til you have kids!! But it’s so easy. It’s so easy to live with you and love you. Every night is a slumber party still. I’m still happiest when you’re around. You’re still my very best friend. Nothing tops just talking to you.

I suppose our circumstances help, hard to be unhappy with these kind of surroundings! But then again, people are. We see it all the time. Doesn’t matter where you live when your relationship sucks. I’m thankful for you. Everything turned out so well for us, its wild.

-

There are so many trips to write about! It’s a bit overwhelming. I feel like I’ve given us a pretty good start though, so perhaps that’s a next time kind of thing. I’m excited to see what you start us off here with.

[couchmonkey]

PILOT season!!

When I was young, Brandon Tartikoff was a hero of mine. I always fancied myself a closet programmer, so I love pilot season. THR published a list of the projects moving forward and as I was procrastinating, some are already on the air.

Let’s start with Stumptown. Inspired by the Oni Press graphic novels, Dex Parios (Cobie Smulders), a strong, assertive and unapologetically sharp-witted (but, let’s face it, hot mess) Army veteran working as a P.I. in Portland. Michael Ealy plays the cop because there must always be one. His boss is Camryn Manheim (yes!!), and the whole reason I heard about the show is Tantoo Cardinal, a powerful local Native American tied to Dex’s past. Oops, almost forgot the best friend, JakeJohnson of New Girl. His past is a little messy, too. He now owns a bar and employs Dex’s brother Ansel (Cole Sibus). It’s a tight cast, and Dex really is a hot mess nut she gets things done.

All Rise, it looks like, was originally pitched as Courthouse, good thing they changed the name! Simone Missick is a former DA who just became a judge and is encircled by Ruthie Ann Mills as her assistant, Lindsay Mendez as her stenographer, J. Alex Brinson as the deputy in her courtroom, and Marg Helgenberger as her mentor. I was not familiar with the first three when I started the show but they are a strong team. The 2 main lawyers are Wilson Bethel, a DA and old friend of Missick’s judge, and Jessica Camacho, a VERY determined public defender. I like the dynamics of the show, it’s very seldom a case of the week situation (even though there is one). Viewers get little snippets of most of the characters’ lives organically so, in my opinion, you enjoyed the show more the more you watch.

Evil is one of the most unique shows on the air this season. It pits science and religion, Katja Herbers plays a skeptical clinical psychologist who joins a priest-in-training (Mike Colter) and a blue-collar contractor ( Aasif Mandvi)  to investigate supposed miracles, demonic possessions and other extraordinary occurrences to see if there's a scientific explanation or if something truly supernatural is at work.The give and take between science and religion is truly engaging and Michael Emerson is truly creepy and possibly playing for the other side in this battle.

Bob Hearts Abishola follows Bob (Billy Gardell) who, after having a heart attack, falls in love with his Nigerian nurse (Folake Olowofoyeku). I think I saw the pilot, the rest of the episodes are on my DVR at the moment and thanks to some of the promos and Christine Ebersole, I do plan to get to them. ETA: I’ve watched a couple.  Folake Olowofoyeku is really great but because this whole thing seems to involve the progress of their relationship, it runs a little slow for me.

Carol's Second Act is also piling up on my DVR.  I’ve been on bedrest because of an injury and have been mostly streaming. But, like Bob, I do plan to get to it. I do like that Patricia Heaton is the lead, a med student of all things. I have to think it’s also still on the air because it also has a strong male lead, Kyle MacLachlan, although I’ve never personally seen him do comedy.  Cedric Yarbrough is a strong motivator for me as well as I saw every episode of Speechless. ETA: Well, plans change. I erased them all. I thought if I hadn’t gotten to them by now, watching them would be a chore.

The Unicorn is a sitcom I actually have been watching. I didn’t want to at first because, although I’d heard of Walton Goggins, I had never actually seen him in anything. But it’s kind of like Seinfeld in that there is such an impressively strong group playing the couples who are his friends. Omar Benson Miller (yes!!) and  Maya Lynne Robinson are a couple with 4 kids and essentially a no nonsense approach and Rob Corddry and comedy goddess Michaela Watkins are the white color kid with a single kid who is well on her way to nerdhood.  These four a Goggins’ lifeline after his wife passes and he becomes a single father. The whole widower thing is handled well. His wife is mentioned or remembered in a completely organic way and allows the show to stay away from a trajectory that could have become maudlin.

Prodigal Son is another fairly unique concept for this season. Tom Payne plays Malcolm Bright, the son of a notorious serial killer called The Surgeon (Michael Sheen) who understands how killers think. The criminal psychologist uses his skills to help an NYPD unit led by Lou Diamond Phillips, a cop he’s known since his youth. What is interesting for me so far is that Bright’s mom, Bellamy Young, is her own kind of nuts, and Malcolm, who started off as a little nutty (I mean consider his past), is well on his way to possibly off his rocker.

Bluff City Law is a case of the week legal drama set in Memphis. The viewer is getting smidges of the character’s private lives each week but character development seems a little slow. I like Caitlin McGee’s performance but I’d never heard of her before watching this. The anchor for the show and the law firm in it is Jimmy Smits. The supporting cast, especially Barry Sloane who’s mostly navigated a single case for the first part of the season, is just starting to get noticed. It’s not something I race to watch but I like it. ETA: It has gotten cancelled. Poor Barry Sloane.

Emergence was a show I was waiting for as it marked the return of Allison Tolman.  She plays a sheriff who takes in a young child that she finds near the site of a mysterious accident who has no memory of what has happened. The investigation so far has been weird and sometimes violent and definitely is affecting her family, including father Clancy Brown and ex-husband Donald Faison. But, bless her, she is nowhere near ready to give up. The cliffhanger before Christmas break was very illuminating.

I have watched a couple of episodes of Perfect Harmony (the rest are on my DVR). I love that Bradley Whitford is doing outright comedy although his character, an Ivy League music professor, is quite cranky. But I’m not in a rush to get back to it because it doesn’t seem like there’s enough material for it to run for multiple seasons. ETA: Like Carol’s Second Act, these got dumped off my DVR.

While we’re talking about enough material, Sunnyside was one of the first casualties of the season and, I have to say, I saw it coming. The pilot was well done, Kal Penn played Garrett Shah, a disgraced former New York city councilman who finds his calling when faced with immigrants in need of his help and in search of the American Dream. I know the immigration and nationalization process in the US is a lengthy process but it just didn’t seem like there was enough to keep people coming back despite the presence of talent like Diana Maria Riva.

Almost Family revolves around Julia Beckley (Brittany Snow) having her life turned upside down when it's revealed that her father, a pioneering Nobel Prize-winning fertility doctor, used his own sperm to conceive dozens of children over the course of his career. She connects with two “sisters” in particular and I think that’s what they’ve built the show on but I had a hard time believing any of the negative effects of all this coming from Snow and chose to stop watching. I do have the Australian show it’s based on as part of my Netflix list, I think I will probably end up watching that first.

I did start watching Batwoman before my injury, it being female led and all. Ruby Rose does inspire a bit of monotony in the voiceovers that populate the show but I get it, she’s tired, she’s working hard and only making minimal progress, I understand she’s not full of pep. It is kind of weird to watch her slip into the suit and try to make it work for her and watch Camrus Johnson, the steward of the life Bruce Wayne abandoned, do his best to both avoid and become her Alfred. ETA: That got dumped off the DVR, too. There’s SOOOO much TV.

FBI: Most Wanted is a spinoff of FBI (somebody may have to stop Dick Wolf) featuring 
Julian McMahon of Nip/Tuck as the head of team tasked with hunting down fugitives. Sadly, it’s been pretty run of the mill so far except for McMahon’s in-laws, which include Nathanial Arcand as his brother-in-law and a member of his squad.

The CW did reboot Nancy Drew and while I did not hate the concept, I’m still loyal to Pamela Sue Martin and chose not to watch it.

These are the shows that are on the air. Some mid-season shows are still ready to roll out. Some are already being bolstered by promos like Deputy. I am looking forward to that one and watching Stephen Dorff unexpectedly be made the sheriff of LA County. I think and really hope Yara Martinez, last seen and underutilized on Bull, will get to be a meaty part of this drama. ETA: Yara has gotten some featured episodes and done well but she’s essentially in the same boat as David Conrad on the Ghost Whisperer and Jake Weber on Medium.

Tommy is another cop show but thankfully Tommy is Abigail Thomas’ nickname and Edie Falco is front and centre as the first female chief of police for Los Angeles. She got the position as part of a court mandate after some ugliness in the department and often has to deal with the mayor, Tom Sadowski. Tommy’s assembled a pretty tight circle so far and, of course, does things her own way, so I’ve been trying to watch this live.

Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist is SOOOOOO good. I’ve missed Jane Levy so much and this has not only a lovely story but singing and dancing (with choreography by Mandy Moore). After an accident in an MRI machine, Levy’s character can hear people expressing their feelings through song. Her supporting cast is top notch. Alex Newell of Glee plays her neighbor who is trying to help Zoey figure this out, Skylar Astin of Pitch Perfect and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is her BFF, Lauren Graham is her boss, and Mary Steenburgen and Peter Gallagher are her parents. Some of the most touching scenes (and songs) have involved Levy and Gallagher, who has lost many functions, including speech and a lot of movement. Thanks to Zoey’s condition, he is able to express himself to her through song and Gallagher’s voice is so sweet.

Geniuses has become Outmatched and features Maggie Lawson and Jason Biggs as parents of 4 children, 3 of whom are geniuses. I’ve seen 3 episodes so far. Everyone except the “normal” child seems to be waiting for a rimshot. I did enjoy Tony Danza as Jason Bigg’s dad but I am not going to be busting my butt to watch it. 

Uninsured has become Indebted. Adam Pally and Abby Elliott end up having to take care of Dave's parents (Fran Drescher and Steven Weber), who have mismanaged their finances and need help paying down a sizable debt. Sadly, like Outmatched, everyone seems to be waiting for a rimshot and the jokes seem really repetitive. Weber’s character, for example, is constantly talking about spending extravagant amounts of money even though he is deep in debt and I doubt they’re going after a dementia storyline with him. When the name Dan Levy popped up on the credits I did a lightning fast search on IMDB to make sure it was not, in my mind, THE Dan Levy of Schitt’s Creek, and thankfully, there are 2 of them.

Lincoln Rhyme, who was played on the big screen by Denzel Washington, is now Russell Hornsby from Grimm and Fox’s failed Proven Innocent. There’s still an Amelia Sachs, there’s still a Bone Collector, and Michael Imperioli is always a strong utility player but I’m finding it collecting on the DVR because of the plethora of good stuff available on Thursday and my need to get through that because sampling Friday’s mostly guilty pleasures.

Katy Keene has made it air. It’s a Riverdale spinoff on the CW and they are spending a lot on advertising but not enough to rope me in. Not that I think it’s not a good show, I’m just not the target audience.

Of the rest of the list, I know the planned reboots of New York Undercover and NYPD blue did not make it out of the gate. 

I’m never going to get this post finished if I included all of the pilots on the list I still haven’t talked about, so I’ll go with bullet points about the ones that stood out to me:

Nana: Katey Sagal playing a grandmother. Yeah. 

An untitled comedy pairing Leslie Odom Jr. and Kelly Jenrette: GREAT team, well matched I think.

The Republic of Sarah: Sarah Drew of Grey's Anatomy goes from mayor to president. So much story potential there.

Broke: Jaime Camil and Natasha Leggero plus Pauley Perrette - uh, yes please. Sounds like a very strong team to me. 

Next is a vehicle for Jon Slattery of Mad Men, who I adore, but I don’t recognize much of the supporting cast, which could be a problem if none of them are able to rise to his level.

Filthy Rich features Kim Cattrall and Gerald McRaney, a very strong base but I’m wondering how the religious community will respond to a story about how imperfect true believers can be. Another plus for me, it’s supposed to be filmed in New Orleans.

Richard Lovely is a vehicle for the uber talented Thomas Lennon, who plays the disgruntled author of the best-selling children's book series, Mr. Mouse. It looks like he’ll have Wendie Malick as a frequent scene partner and I believe that to be an ideal pairing.

Council of Dads is getting a lot of advertising but will involve death. If they handle it as well as The Unicorn has, I think it might have a chance.

That’s all I’ve got. I wish I’d finished this sooner. My DVR is 63% full. I’m going to match more TV.

[theragamuffininitiative]

Christian Films and Misc Rambling Thoughts on the Subject that Might or Might Not be Actually Connected

@cogentranting​ At some point, years from now, when all else is turned to dust and the sun has set for the last time, a post for this reply, stating I will reply in a longer fashion later (which would actually be now) shall appear. I will likely delete it out of pure spite. Stupid mobile app uploads.

I haven’t seen God’s Not Dead. Or God’s Not Dead 2. I should. Not because I just want to, or because It Is The Inspired Word Of Our Lord™ (hahahah it’s not guys, ok), but because of my overall interest an involvement in the world of film. I should be informed.

Also, I appreciate the sarcasm. XD I hope that was sarcasm or now I look really stupid but you’re going to get an earful either way, so it works out.

So let’s get to it:

I hate the Christian Film Industry™

Whew. There. I said it. Pray for my salvation.

Why? So, soooo many reasons.

1. The Sacrifice of Art in the Name of ‘Message.’

I, for one, want to know why the Christian church is constantly smashing down on the creative outputs of their members for not being enough about God, or published by Thomas Nelson, or advocated by Willie Roberts. Why. We would rather squelch the heartfelt, beautiful, God-given art produced by our brothers and sisters for not showing a clear Conversion Experience rather than be amazed at the ability God has allowed us to have to make such fantastic, whimsical, thought-provoking, emotionally-resonant things.

This is point number one because it. is. my. biggest. issue.

“Message films are rarely exciting. So by their very nature, most Christian films aren’t going to be very good because they have to fall within certain message-based parameters. And because the Christian audience is so glad to get a “safe, redeeming, faith-based message,” even at the expense of great art, they don’t demand higher artistic standards.” ~ Dallas Jenkins, movie reviewer and director of The Resurrection of Gavin Stone??? (Imma have to check back with you later on this, but the quote still stands on its own.)

“We have the makings of a movement that can change this culture. I honestly believe this. But I also believe the first step toward establishing the groundwork for a vibrant, relevant cultural movement based on scriptural thought is to stop producing “Christian films” or “Christian music” or “Christian art” and simply have Christ-followers who create great Art.” ~ Scott Nehring, in his book You Are What You See: Watching Movies Through a Christian Lens.

“If we are trying to evangelize, the fact that most Christian-themed movies are torn to shreds by non-Christian critics becomes an issue. If, however, we just really want to see our fantasies validated on screen, then we will write-off these poor reviews as “persecution.”” ~ Andrew Barber, in his article “The Problem with Christian Films.”

On a similar note, I want to know what the Mormon church is doing that the Christian church is not. Every time I turn around, I discover that another of my favorite artists, whether it be in film or elsewhere, is a professing Mormon:

musicians Imagine Dragons, the Killers, and Lindsey Stirling

authors Brandon Sanderson, Shannon Hale, Heather Dixon, and Brandon Mull

animator Don Bluth

actress Amy Adams and actor Will Swenson (both formerly)

etc, the list goes on

Hi, my Mormon friends. What is your secret. What ways of encouraging art and artists do you employ that my Baptist upbringing, and the Conservative Christian community in general, is so sorely lacking in?

2. The Christian Culture’s Subsequent Villainization of Hollywood.

This past Christmas, my sister gifted me a book titled Behind the Screen, “Hollywood Insiders on Faith, Film, and Culture.”

I sat down after all the gift-giving was done and read the first three sections before the holiday meal was served. But let me quote from the introduction which had me “Amen!”-ing and punching my fist to the sky every third word:

“We obsess about “the culture” endlessly; we analyze and criticize. But we can’t figure out anything to do but point an accusatory finger at Hollywood... Blaming Hollywood for our cultural woes has become a habit... Casting Hollywood as the enemy has only pushed Hollywood farther away. And the farther Hollywood is from us, the less influence we have on our culture. We’ve left the business of defining human experience via the mass media to people with a secular worldview.... In pushing away secular Hollywood, haven’t we turned our backs on the very people Christ called us to minister to - the searching and the desperate, those without the gospel’s saving grace and truth?”

Btw, if this subject is something you are interested in, I highly recommend this book. Written by creatives and executives in the film world (including one of the writers from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the producer of Home Improvement, and even the multi-credited Ralph Winters, among others), it’s a frank, beautiful, and challenging read for artists, Christians, and film buffs.

The point here is that the church culture says if it doesn’t come from Sherwood, or have Kirk Cameron or Ducky Dynasty in it, or have a conversion sequence, it isn’t Christian and therefore Christians should not view or encourage it in any way. This. Is. Crap. Pardon my French.

Beauty can come from imperfection.  Even unregenerate hearts still bear the image of the Divine and are capable of producing so much worthwhile and significant art. Which leads to...

3. Guess What? Secular Film Companies Make Quality Faith Films Too??!

Idk what I should even say here, but I’m just going to go with the one shining example I always think of: Dreamworks’ Prince of Egypt. It is purely a work of art from any standard, and that is the epitome of what Christians should be looking for in their endeavors to create good film. PoE is gorgeously animated, seamlessly directed, well-scripted, morally driven, more Biblically and historically accurate than you would believe (and where it falls down on direct representation, it remains true to theme and character), etc. etc. etc.

I could go on for ages about how much I adore this film. (Joseph, King of Dreams, is also noteworthy, but nearly up to par with the craftsmanship of its predecessor.

I mean

just look at

the art

4. I Do Like Some Films Made By ‘Christian’ Companies

Idk, I might step on people’s toes or surprise you by which of these I actually approve of, but here we go:

I like Fireproof. I have many issues with it, but overall it is a fairly well-made, Hallmark-style emotional flick. The acting leaves much to be desired, but it’s a decent bit of showmanship, story, and truth.

I do not like Facing the Giants. Give me Blind Side any day of the week, except don’t because... sports.

However, both Courageous (some actual real life dialogue and not a completely happily ever after, whaaaat???! Oh, but token conversion experience, of course), and the early-and-forgotten Flywheel (which, although low in camera quality and acting, is actually an enjoyable story), come in as films I would sit down and watch at least a second time.

Risen is well-made and acted and has some establishment of genuine Craft. However, as far as story plots go, a lot was sacrificed. The mountain-top encounter with Christ was, while perhaps the most generally cliche piece of story, to me the most heartfelt and provocative. After that...the film kind of ended in mediocrity. Like...what did the characters do after the credits rolled.

I actually really enjoy Mom’s Night Out. The manic theme almost kills me, but the quiet and the reveal at the end is worth sitting through to see.

And I appreciate Luther. I don’t watch it often, because I personally can’t stomach the more violent aspects (the reason I haven’t/don’t watch The Passion or End of the Spear.) But Luther is a great biographical film, and I would encourage anyone studying Catholic and/or Protestant history, especially Martin Luther, to watch it. This is a Film in both art, message, and class.

Tbh, I’ve been avoiding most of the other Christian films, which is why I won’t talk about them there.

5. You Don’t Have To Slap A Jesus Fish Bumper Sticker On It To Be Christ-Honoring

Walden Media is a prime example, I believe, of what Christians in the film industry should be doing. I mean, they’re not perfect at all, but they are not sacrificing art for message - or vice versa for that matter. While not strictly a Christian Film group, Walden is founded and run by a majority of Christian Conservatives who are actively seeking to make quality and wholesome films for people of all diversities. They’ve had a few flops and several more that just didn’t quite live up to their potential, but they also brought us

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, as well as

Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, and the one I will never stop talking about:

Amazing Grace.

Well-crafted films, put out by *gasp* an assortment of believers and non-believers. Art. Good films. Not Messages dressed up in makeup with a classy Instagram filter and a 30-day challange booklet to get your revival outfit on.

In looking through this stuff, I just found this article, which is a superb read and really gets at the heart of what I feel, and am very badly trying to communicate:

Why Faith-Based Films Hurt Religion

So.

When Christian Films start being an actual representation of creative community and the artistic talents God has given to us as personal and spiritual gifts, rather than a cheap way to try to force morality on Hollywood and on our neighbors without ever leaving the confines of our Bible Boxes in case we might get soiled, I may start appreciating the Christian Film Industry™. Until then??? I’ll stand behind my fellow creatives and my fellow believers and hope and work for the best.

Lastly, two things:

Christians Can Enjoy Secular Film Productions.

I would even argue that they should. We were created by a Creator God, who takes pride and joy in making beautiful things, in making each of us. And we are made in His image. We are creators as well, we make art all the time. Scripture tells us to worship God in everything we do. The movement of making “Christian Films for Christian Audiences because of Christian Reasons” is missing the point entirely. We as creatives are not here to make God Art, we are here to make art that glorifies God

Christ Does Not Need Hollywood. However, Hollywood Does Need Christ.

“While many missionaries travel to remote villages in Africa or South America to spread Christianity, [Karen] Covell believes her calling—her mission field, if you will—is right here in Los Angeles, in an industry that many of her fellow Christians find immoral or even downright sinful, both for its on-screen depictions of sex and drugs and the real-life sex, drugs, and other temptations that exist behind the scenes. Covell, who was a film producer in the early 1980s, says "the church did not get how I could justify being a Christian in Hollywood, and Hollywood did not get how I would follow God. It was a divide." It was nearly impossible to meet other Christians working in the industry, let alone ones who would express their faith openly. "I said, 'The church hates Hollywood, Hollywood hates the church. There's got to be some way to bridge that divide.'" - in an article by Jennifer Swan.

As I said in my original little “about me” tag response, I have felt called to ministry in this world. Whether it be film or live theater, that world is calling to me, both in its creative endeavors, and in its desperate need for the hope, truth, life, and light of Christ. Actors and directors in Hollywood and on Broadway are in as much need of the grace of our Lord as the starving orphans in the unreached people groups on the other side of the planet - same as your next door neighbor.

If Christians continue to tie themselves down, and group themselves together, cutting themselves off from the culture and the culture off from them, then we are doing absolutely no heavenly or earthly good to anyone.

So, you see, it’s not just the artistry (or, so often, lack thereof) in the Christian Film Industry™ that gets to me.

It’s the fact that the film media culture is a people group that the church as a whole is ignoring. We are ignoring the impact Hollywood has on the world around us and still trying to be relevant to that world, which is counter-productive and just plain silly.

It’s the fact that I see actors, actresses, producers, writers, who are obviously searching for the Something that will fill the void in their souls, and their primary exposure to Christianity and Christ - the only One who can satisfy them - is the Christian Film Industry™, which is largely full of broad and meaningless substance because heaven help us we should talk about something real, and then just plain bad art.

I believe God has called us to higher things than this.

Higher art, loving to create as he lovingly created us.

High impact, going deeper into the issues of our culture and our nature to address and satisfy problems and needs felt be every human, not just the church-goers who will show up for Sherwood’s next big thing.

So, yes, my pet peeve cracked from its proverbial nutshell:

I have issues with the Christian Film Industry

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Former Members Allege South Korea-Based World Mission Society Church of God, is Actually a 'Cult'

BY CHRIS HARRIS          Updated 12/12/2015

For two years, Michele Colón believed with complete conviction that the end of the world was imminent and that an elderly lady from South Korea was God. For those same two years, Colón, a nurse, attended services at the World Mission Society Church of God in the New Jersey suburb of Ridgewood.

Colón tells PEOPLE she defected from the World Mission Society Church of God more than four years ago. She says she did so because she believes she had been brainwashed into what she alleges is a doomsday cult.

Colón further claims in a civil suit she filed against the 50-year-old World Mission Society Church of God, a copy of which was obtained by PEOPLE, that the group is a "profit-making" cult that "uses a number of psychological control tactics...to prevent its members from exposing its criminal and tortious behavior."

Read full article

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Comments on this article:

I was actually someone they attempted to recruit. I was at my university campus waiting for my ride when I was approached by two women in their early 20s who started asking me about God. They were carrying a Bible with them and began reciting passages to me. I told them I wasn't interested, although I find religion interesting. They then told me they do studies where they try and analyze the historical intent of the Bible, which was all an attempt to get my attention. At this point, it's been about 15 minutes and I'm getting irritated. They wouldn't leave me alone until I gave one of the girls my cell number (which I had the intent of blocking, anyway).

The next day I met up with a friend who was back to visit during her school break. I told her the story as we drove past their church and she told me it was a cult, so out of interest, and curiosity, we decided to take the girl up on her offer and the next day we went to their so called "Bible study." They had us fill out our personal information (which I thought was weird and lied about such stuff as my address), then we were taken into a tiny room with desk and four chairs. It was me, my friend, the one girl who had "recruited" us, and another girl who dominated the conversation. They had us read exerts from the Bible to them, and then presented us with a "Book of Evidence" which was a ridiculous hand-made book with absolutely unfounded "facts." My friend and I couldn't get out of there faster!

After that experience, I knew I never wanted to go back. I received constant texts from my "recruiter" asking me when I'd be back. When I finally responded telling her yet again that I wasn't interested, she asked if we could get together socially. This I never responded to. However, I bumped into her again at my university's cafe, where she came at sat with me. We had a normal conversation for about 1 minute and then she went back to talking about the Mother God. She even pulled a map out of her bag and pointed to South Korea, telling me that the Bible says "He" will come from the other side of the world and that South Korea is on the other side of the world. I politely excused myself, blocked her phone number, and hid whenever I bumped into her again. The whole experience was creepy and actually quite scary. Even back then (touching 3-4yrs ago now), I sensed that there was major brainwashing going on. It's really quite sad...I'll always feel bad for that girl.

Thanks for sharing. My best advice...you want to read about the history of religion? DO it in a public library and form your own opinion. When these people "corner" you, "you" don't exist anymore.

Charmstar  This group is without a doubt a full fledged cult. Unfortunately, my brother got involved with this group through a (former) acquaintance and I've never had a better first hand seat at watching the extreme personality change and behaviors that followed. I used to be a skeptic re: brainwashing and indoctrination, but it's real. I watched him go from an intelligent, independent, loving family member into a cold, robot. Every waking minute of his life, he was filling with time at this church's venues, whether at home or traveling. I have no idea how much money he gave them, but at one point, he was ready to quit his job to devote more time with them and began telling me and other family members that we were satan and going to hell. If you or another loved one are considering joining this group or have recently gotten involved, RUN, do not walk away from these people. Thankfully, my brother finally got out of their spell, but it definitely makes you question that person's mental health to get involved with such a group. There are many legitimate, spiritual groups or teachings that one can follow, stay away from these liars.

So glad your brother got away and I hope is returning to his loving self. That sounds like a nightmare. I think we all wonder how people get so involved that they become so brainwashed, but it does happen. It's really scary and sad to think that you go in believing in a church...wanting to believe the best in a church, and it turns out to be a cult. Thanks for bringing your story to the postings too. That you had a family member be so actively involved will hopefully help others be on guard.

… Things like this take time. And this church, does what cult experts call, "Love bombing". They pretend to care about you soooo much. Then slowly, the love slows, the time and requirements increase, and you’re trapped.

Chris  I'm an ex-member... this post is pretty accurate about my ex-cult.

exlee brother  I am an ex-member and this post describes exactly what I went through. I had the so called missions where I went over 35 hours without sleep multiple times trying to finish their video editings or websites like ZionUSA, Daejayon, and evidence book. There was another guy who was with me who was in charge of the Daejayon website, that guy used to be there everyday until 4 or 5am finishing their website. He even spent half his income and got himself in debt and such. I know Michelle Colon's husband, his name is Mark. That church ruined my life, they talked me out of school, they told me what was the point of finishing school if Father was coming so soon from heaven to lift us up. They made me quit school on Saturdays so that I could attend Saturday worship. Don't join that church, they will suck your life and money.

Untouchable J  I’m also a very recent ex-member. You hit the nail on the head. They send members to comment bomb, anti-Church of God material, to say how the church isn't a lie. I've seen so much there, that I could write a book. … I can say the negativity comes gradually from them. They start with intense care for you. They are very skilled on their tricks.

Heavenly Mother

Another Korean messiah – Ahn Sahng-hong & Chang Gil-jah of the World Mission Society Church of God

Video: Come to Heavenly MOTHER

My experience with a cult and its impact on my religious views

Korean cult of “Mother God” seeks to buy Pocono Dome

The World Mission Society Church of God (Korean: 하나님의교회 세계복음선교협회) was founded by Ahn Sahng-hong (안상홍) in 1964. The church believes that he was the second coming of Christ. Ahn Sahng-Hong was baptized in 1948 and died in 1985. The current leader of the church is Ahn’s spiritual wife, Chang Gil-jah (장길자, sometimes spelt Xhang Gil Cha or Zang Gil-jah). In the church she is known as “the Heavenly Mother”.

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I know it's a bit late, but if you're still doing the relationship meme thing, howsabout Discworld?

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO ASK ME ABOUT DISCWORLD. I fucking love Discworld my god.

My favorite parent-child relationship: Surprising absolutely no one, but THE SAMS.  Look, Snuff is my least favourite Watch book, but goddamn if it doesn’t have some adorable Vimes family moments.  Every time Vimes talks to Young Sam, I scream.  Every time he picks him up, I die.  Every time Young Sam comes running up to Vimes to tell him about his exciting scatacological discoveries and Vimes picks him up, tells him he’s proud of his scientific breakthroughs, and encourages him to follow his passions no matter what they are, and is basically the best father ever, I leave this mortal plane and to arrive at the top of Dunmanifestin to thank Om for blessing me with this family.  

My favorite sibling relationship: The Perkses! Polly did everything for him.  I love it.  She went off on this journey not to follow her love, but to rescue her brother.  Her older brother, in fact.  Their relationship seems rather atypical for stories; it’s the younger sister going to find her older brother, but also that’s how it’s always been because her brother has learning difficulties and she looks out for him even though he’s a year older and bigger and stronger.  And it always reminded me of myself and my relationship with my sister, who’s also a year older, much taller and stronger than me, but ever since we were toddlers, I was the one who did scary stuff for her like get rid of spiders or turn on the light in the scary basement.  And my sister is trans, so the first time I read the book, as far as I knew I had an older brother, too, so I just really relate to the Perks siblings.

My favorite family relationship (other): Is a guy and his god family? I’m going to say yes because I don’t know where else to put them or who else to put here, and the Abrahamic God is referred to as Father and Om is clearly based on Abrahamic religions SOooo.  Brutha and Om.  Their relationship is really interesting!  At first Brutha was just helping him because he always does what he’s told and also Om is his god, and Om only stuck with him because he needed him.  But over the course of their adventure, they started to really care about each other.  And they both learned so much about who they ought to be.  About what religion ought to be.  Om helped Brutha come into his own and stop mindlessly following orders, to decide what his values are.  And in the end, when Brutha is going to die thanks to him, Om decides to try to help him.   Because he’s realized that if you want a thousand followers, you have to be willing to fight for one, and this is the one that he cares about and he’s going to save him even though his mind is screaming at him to leave Omnia behind and get his as to Ankh Morpork. He’s a great and powerful god who has resorted to crawling through the dirt and nearly getting eaten by an eagle to rescue one guy.  Like I could write a whole essay about this book and my relationship with religion and what I think God should be like but just Brutha and Om are so important to me.  

My favorite friendship between two people: Trying hard not to make this “Favourites Vimes relationsips” so even though I could say Vimes and Angua or Vimes and Colon, I Will Not.   So instead, I really like Polly and Mal!  And here’s where I clash with the rest of the fandom because I stopped checking the Monstrous Regiment tag because all of it was Polly/Mal as a ship.  And I just... don’t ship it at all.  Plus, everyone calls them lesbians but I headcanon Mal as nonbinary/masculine leaning so I’m just not seeing them as a lesbian at all.  They have a really cool friendship through the book though.  They tend to be the most stable, level-headed members of their regiment who just gel with each other while everyone else is being quirky.  I just want them to hang out.  

My favorite friendship between a group: The Times Team! Sacharissa, William, and Otto are so cute together.  They’re a trio of lovable dork losers, and William and Sacharissa’s first instinct when seeing something dramatic is to write about it.  How could I not love them.  I’m just gonna quote a post here.  “like honestly my favorite part of The Truth is when otto gets decapitated and william’s like UMMMMM are you okay??? and otto’s just like yeah yeah mustn’t complain then sacharissa makes the darkest fucking joke possible then bursts into tears. like how could i possibly relate more to all three of these dumbys at once?”

My favorite mentorship:  Definitely Vimes to Young Vimes in Night Watch.  It’s a really interesting relationship.  Vimes is so frustrated and embarrassed by Young Sam, and I can’t blame him because I’m embarrassed of my 16 year old self too.  But he’s also a really good mentor to him.  It’s really the first time we see Vimes interacting with a kid long-term, and how he fits into a menotr role - I especially love how he talks to him in the basement in Cable Street, to calm him down after the grisly scene they found.  And this of course is one long demonstration that Vimes has come a long way from the drunkard in the gutter and he’s ready to be a role model now... and cue the other Young Sam being born at the end.  We know for sure now that Vimes is going to be a good father.  He’ll teach Young Sam to walk.  He’s good at teaching people to walk. :’)

My favorite rivalry: I don’t know if you can call Moist and Vetinari rivals, because rival implies a level of equality while Vetinari is leagues ahead of Moist.  But they do have a sort of vaguely antagonistic but also vaguely friendly relationship. I like how they keep each other on their toes.  

My favorite hatred/antipathy: I want more books where Vimes chases Carcer around the city and Carcer is a cocky affable shit about it but I said I’d cut back on the Vimes so.  The ending of Wee Free Men, when Tiffany just shouts down the Queen of the Faeries.  She is just pissed at this lady who came in and fucked her shit up.  And she turns that scorching anger into a inspiring rant.  “Then turn selfishness into a weapon!Make all things yours! Make other lives and dreams and hopesyours! Protect them! Save them! Bring them into thesheepfold! Walk the gale for them! Keep away the wolf! Mydreams! My brother! My family! My land! My world! Howdare you try to take these things, because they are mine!”  I LOVE IT. And I love that this was a story about a bossy, selfish young girl who’s character arc was not about learning to be ‘nice’, or learning to stop being selfish, it was “you’re selfish? ok. turn that into a strength.”  But that’s a feminist essay for another day.  

My favorite potential relationship between characters who never talk in canon: Oh my god, imagine what would happen if Moist and Mal teamed up.  It would be glorious.  Adora would murder both of them.