#Seeking Peace for Survivor Sundays

[justbeingme4177]

Master My Peace 👩🏿‍💼 ☮️

http://eo2inspire.com/2024/06/23/master-my-peace-%f0%9f%91%a9%f0%9f%8f%bf%f0%9f%92%bc-%e2%98%ae%ef%b8%8f/

[natsuki-bakery]

⁎˚ ఎ Agere HSR Headcanons ໒ ˚⁎

hii! can you do headcanons for cg sunday and little aventurine from honkai star rail, if that's okay? if not, i understand!! take care of yourself and have a good day!

•Sunday’s rational and nurturing nature makes him a fitting caregiver. He is known for being dignified, benevolent, and understanding of the emotional needs of others. His overarching goal to protect people from suffering resonates strongly in this dynamic. Despite his complex, prideful demeanor, he views Aventurine’s regression not as weakness but as a natural way for him to escape the harshness of reality

•Sunday would be extremely patient with Aventurine during his regressed states. He understands Aventurine’s troubled past, particularly the traumatic loss of his family and home. His caregiving would be built on providing Aventurine with a safe, non-judgmental space where he can express vulnerability without the pressure to constantly be strategic or perform at the high stakes he’s used to in his adult life

•He would take on a guiding role similar to how he crafts grand plans in his larger life, Sunday would know exactly what Aventurine needs, whether it's emotional reassurance, playtime, or comfort, without Aventurine needing to ask

•Aventurine’s past trauma from losing his family and being the sole survivor of his people would naturally lead him to use age regression as a coping mechanism. When he regresses, he would retreat to a time when life was simpler and when the weight of high-stakes investments and the manipulations of the IPC didn’t hang over him

•Despite his normally risk-taking and confident nature, in his regressed state, Aventurine would seek comfort and reassurance from Sunday. His normally sharp and cunning exterior softens considerably, and he might exhibit behaviors typical of a child longing for affection and attention, like clinging to Sunday or seeking physical comfort

•Aventurine might find it hard to trust others because of his past experiences, but with Sunday, there would be a deep bond of trust. Sunday’s constant, calm presence would give Aventurine the security to drop his usual defenses. In his regressed state, Aventurine might find it comforting that Sunday doesn’t push him to "grow" or "become better" but instead accepts him as he is in the moment, offering him the peace he seeks

•Sunday’s ability to manipulate dreams and realities could come into play here, crafting comforting dreams or safe spaces where Aventurine can regress without fear of danger. Aventurine could enjoy moments of childlike wonder in these created realities, exploring places that remind him of his home before its destruction, free from the pain of his past

•Given Aventurine’s connection to the gemstone aventurine and his past with the Avgin, he might have comfort objects that connect him to his past, such as a small aventurine stone or something from his childhood, like a toy. Sunday, understanding the importance of these symbols, would ensure Aventurine always has access to these comforting items during his regressive moment

•Sunday’s "wings" and halo could become symbols of comfort for Aventurine. Perhaps, in his regressed state, Aventurine finds the sight of Sunday’s wings soothing and might even reach out to touch them for comfort. Sunday, despite his usual dignified and aloof appearance, would indulge these gestures, letting Aventurine find safety and warmth in his presence

•In contrast to his adult persona, in his regressed state Aventurine would likely become playful and curious. Sunday, though normally rational and serious, would recognize the importance of letting Aventurine explore and engage in childlike activities. He might indulge Aventurine’s curiosity by teaching him little puzzles or games, but ones that have no stakes and are simply meant for fun

•Aventurine, nicknamed "Little Peacock" by Sparkle, might lean into this identity during regression, showing a bit of flamboyance and joy in playful activities. Sunday might even affectionately call him by this nickname, acknowledging Aventurine’s need for playfulness while still maintaining a gentle, guiding hand

•Sunday, who values order and peace, would gently guide Aventurine back to reality when needed, but never forcefully. He would recognize that Aventurine’s regression serves as an escape from the harsh world of survival that Aventurine despises. Sunday’s approach would always be soft and calm, leading Aventurine out of regression with gentle conversation or soothing touches

•He would create an environment where Aventurine feels free from expectations, perhaps even manipulating small realities or dreams where Aventurine can be in peaceful, childlike spaces, unbothered by the demands of adulthood and the pressures of his position in the IPC

•Even in his regressed state, Aventurine might seek validation from Sunday, reflecting his need to prove himself in his adult life. Sunday would offer quiet but firm reassurance, telling Aventurine that he doesn’t need to gamble his life or take risks to be valued

•Sunday would encourage Aventurine to explore his emotions without judgment, providing emotional stability . He might tell Aventurine that it’s okay to escape and rest in this childlike state because growth comes from self-care as well

If you're in the basic criteria , are DSMP fans, vivziep0p fans , h0tel/h3lluva b0ss fans, Owl h0use fans, St4r butterfly fans, Ghibli fans, ddlg/abdl blogs, nsfw/k!nk blogs, anti-agere blogs, or anti Christians/Christianity blogs : just dont interact !

[butwhatifidothis]

Have you ever considered, once you finish sporking that fic, washing the taste out of your mouth by taking a look at fics in the fandom you like/think deserve more attention?

Even one of my favourite sites, Cake Wrecks, does a feature on Sundays were it's cakes they think are really nicely-decorated so it's not all downers.

😭 i think i need to clear up something lmao

I already read fics that I enjoy - reread old ones, look out for new ones, write a good few myself (here's two of them lol). I read my trashy little otome isekai villainess manhuas that I love to death. I play the shit out of Hades. I play DnD with irl buds every Wednesday. I'm watching - and rewatching - episodes of the new Bleach anime, and am eagerly awaiting for June to come around to give more. I play Smash Ultimate with my big sis and lil bro. I replay VW every now and then. I play BBS and hope to finally pull the last couple Valentine's/Academy Momo's I need to have fully completed all the Momo's in the game (so far).

I already do plenty of things that I thoroughly enjoy doing - I talk about the fic a lot here, but y'all don't have to worry; I do, in fact, do things I enjoy doing lmao.

But! I do want to give some attention to fics I really enjoy! I've already talked about most of them before, but it never hurts to do it again lol. Most of them are dmcl so if that's not up your alley, well, rip, but if it is then yeah!

Princes of Silver and Gold is sooo good - and very meaty! It deals with Dimitri and Claude getting bopped back to the prologue after the events of Saving Derdriu, after a mysterious spell seems to ambush them during a moment of peace. It's has a lot per chapter to take in - 4 chapters, +129,000 words, a very dense read - but imo it never feels like too much. I've reread this a good few times actually! There's a lot of 3H's lore that's played around with and given more oomph to it that really makes the fic feel alive, which is always nice.

Be Not Proud: an absolute downer for sure, can't ever get through it without snivellin' and snottin', but it's a really touching look into Nader and Claude's relationship. It revolves around Claude's last moments on a CF run where he isn't spared - very sad oneshot, but very memorable imo.

Everyone Leaves Eventually: an interesting oneshot about the Black Eagles leaving Edelgard's side one by one as she gets more and more aggressive with her war, from Hubert's POV. Granted, Hubert is more than a smidge OOC for it to work - he's given a good bit more morality than he's shown to ever have canonically - but as a concept it's interesting, and it's a neat read all around. If you're willing to accept that this Hubert is less like canon!Hubert than he ought to be, I'd definitely recommend it!

Survivor's Burden: another one that's kind of a downer, but with a much happier ending than Be Not Proud. Revolving around the idea of Claude and Dimitri surviving SS Gronder, with Claude doing his best to keep him and Dimitri alive in the woods. It's a bit long for a oneshot - a bit over 30,000 words for one sitting - but! It's definitely worth it imo. Plus! It was part of the dmcl Big Bang that happened a couple years ago, so this one also has great art to go along with it at certain points!

to this vow, i hold fast: yet again this is being recommended by me lmao because it is beyond amazing. It's a slow-burn dmcl political-marriage AU of post-war Fodlan, and it's just a joy to read through. The one thing I'll say about this one, as much as I love it to bits, is that, hm... you can tell the author also ships Dimi///leth. Understandable what I mean by that once you read it, and it can be quite a bit annoying to see it imo, but also imo it doesn't take enough away from the quality for me to ever do anything but recommend it lol. This multi-chapter fic is actually almost complete, from what I understand! So there's that too.

seeking humanity: a dmcl AU where Claude is a traveler and Dimitri is (seemingly, anyway) the god of death, and they make a pact: Claude either gets Dimitri to like humans in half a year's time, or he gives up his soul to Dimitri. I am a huge fan of how the characters are, well, characterized in this fic; everyone is just a joy to read through! Even characters I don't care that much for (especially with how they tend to be written in fics), like Leonie and Lorenz, are just great. And the mysteries this fic has in it are also really fun to think about, with all the crumbs the story lays down to try and follow.

please give them a shot!! If they're up your alley anyway lol

[roomchailimited]

Montevideo’s Magic: Uruguay’s Coastal Charm and Rich Culture

Montevideo, Uruguay’s laid-back capital, offers a delightful blend of coastal scenery, rich history, and vibrant culture. From strolling along the waterfront promenade to immersing yourself in its thriving arts and music scene, the city delivers a unique experience. Here’s a guide to uncovering the charm of Montevideo.

Begin your adventure at Ciudad Vieja (Old Town), Montevideo’s historical core. Wander through its cobbled streets lined with colonial buildings, visit charming cafés, and explore iconic sites like Plaza Independencia, which bridges the past and present. Don’t miss the Solis Theatre, a neoclassical gem that hosts performances ranging from ballet to contemporary plays.

Montevideo’s Rambla, a 22-kilometer waterfront promenade, is perfect for a leisurely walk or bike ride. Locals and tourists alike enjoy the scenic route, which offers panoramic views of the Rio de la Plata. It’s also a great spot to take in the sunset, with the sea breeze setting a relaxing tone.

For a deeper dive into Uruguay’s culture, head to the Mercado del Puerto, a bustling market where the aroma of grilled meats fills the air. Try Uruguay’s national dish, asado (barbecue), or sample a variety of empanadas while enjoying live street performances.

Art lovers will appreciate the Museo Nacional de Artes Visuales, home to an impressive collection of works by Uruguayan artists. For those interested in history, the Museo Andes 1972 offers a moving account of the survivors of the 1972 plane crash in the Andes Mountains.

Montevideo also has a thriving music scene. Stop by local bars for a night of candombe, a drum-based rhythm unique to Uruguay, or enjoy live tango performances—proof that the spirit of dance is alive here just as much as it is across the river in Buenos Aires.

Take some time to explore Montevideo’s green spaces, like the Parque Rodó, which features a peaceful lake and is surrounded by museums and art exhibitions. On weekends, the park comes alive with families, musicians, and food vendors, creating a festive atmosphere.

Whether you’re browsing antique shops in the Sunday Tristán Narvaja Market or simply enjoying a mate (a traditional herbal tea) by the river, Montevideo’s relaxed pace invites you to slow down and soak in its charm.

With its fusion of old-world elegance, coastal beauty, and a lively cultural scene, Montevideo is a destination that appeals to every type of traveler. For those seeking well-organized tours or custom itineraries, agencies like Roomchai Limited, Montevideo Tours, or South Atlantic Travels offer great services to enhance your experience.

[risingleomoon]

A Return to Reading

Since realizing that I have not one but two libraries barely a stones throw from the Paul Brown Lofts, I've been taking some time to fall in love with books again. Oh, don't get me wrong, I never stopped reading! Once a Kindle was placed in my hands, I never stopped! But the truth is, I started reading exclusively ebooks and lost the passion for reading. Prior to moving, I had relied on old stand-by's like 'Survivor' (Tabitha King) or the Beautiful Creatures series. Anything I already knew because I had enough guessing going on in my real life. Toward the end, I devoured the Fear Street saga by R.L. Stine (which started a whole new rabbit hole of mental clarity) and was "in between books" at the time of my move.

Week one Downtown I stumbled upon the Central Library Annex; or as I call it the "little library". This pocket-sized land of books is no bigger than my entire loft x 2 and situated in Post Office Square. Other offices for FOCUS St. Louis and people like the Secretary of State plus a small gallery paying tribute to bald men in power share space with the newest and greatest tomes of knowledge and entertainment. That first day I was with Kiki. We tiptoed in through the revolving door, quietly past security and into an enormous atrium. It was there I smelled the paper. I followed my nose. The selection is small, as I prefaced. We were able to get our accounts all set up in minutes and walked out an hour later with the best credit limit I can receive from anyone: 100 books at a time. Each!

This initial visit yielded a powerful boon. I stumbled upon the phenomenal Tina Turner's newest title; "Happiness Becomes You". The dam broke. I read this book everywhere. At work, in the bath, lounging in bed on Sunday, over coffee and a Jay in the morning. Everywhere. It isn't a particularly long book and my nose only remained stuck for 3 or 4 days, but I absorbed so much more than words on pages. Everyone knows the Tina Turner story. That isn't what her new book covers. This book is different from "I, Tina". In "Happiness", Tina teaches us to look inward for the peace and balance we all seek so desperately. These were not new words to me, mind you. I've heard them before. Buddhist teaching crosses over my own Witchery pretty much regularly. When it doesn't it crosses over with my Jewish Mysticism and bounces off Scientific Theory quite nicely. I'm well rounded like that. I was also unsurprised that Tina "The Goddess" Turner was teaching Buddhism. After all, Angela Bassett basically just chanted her way through the second half of the movie. Maybe this time I was ready to listen.

My return to reading had less to do with enjoying books and more to do with getting my shit together. Circumstances aside, my one true soulmate has always been books. I outlined my grand plan for Bookstagram and reviews on Goodreads while registering my SLPL accounts. Nowhere in my plan did I specify enjoying it. As I'm sure you can tell, I never made it past the outline and brainstorm and managed to wrap up whatever had been lingering from JeffCo but failed to execute the new plan. I did post a few sporadic 'Grams. Still not ready to actually begin drafting (let alone publishing) my own content, I took this new creative passion to the back burner and returned for inspiration in books.

With the floodgates now wide open, I decided to go further. I'd finished my stack from "Pan's Labyrinth" to "The Essential Anthony Bourdain" and it was time to refill. I returned Julie Andrews and Greta Garbo along with Kiki's finished books and during week three we found SLPD's Central Library (or the "big library". I'm not clever and witty all the time, you know). This time I was prepared and took my shopping cart. Gathering a few comfort reads (Cassandra Clare. New Book. Not my fault.) led to "The School of Good and Evil". Shameless brag: by the time you read this I may or may not have met Soman Chainani. Day and night my world expanded again. I continued to read my Kindle exclusives and download my Amazon First Reads because one doesn't turn away from free books. Yet my heart has been in the turning of real pages.

I'm not sure how many weeks in we are now but I know I still haven't been to every section. From classics to science, a media center and kids wing with climbing chairs, I was mostly blown away by my ease and comfort inside. I never felt that way when visiting the Arnold Library in Jeffco. I was happy to collect any holds and leave. Eventually we stopped going altogether Now I'm becoming a local "Belle"

"I've come to return the book I borrowed! Got anything new?"

"Not since yesterday, Belle!"

I'm sure at some point I will unpack the psychology behind my stasis and frenetic return to reading. But for today, I'm going to enjoy another book.

[ask-iamnotanalicorn]

Previous: The Flim Flam Timeline

The Wasteland Timeline:

This is the story of when Equestria fell.

And this it the story of when Equestria rose again.

The trials began as they always do: with the return of Nightmare Moon. The celestial sisters clashed, and Celestia fell. Heedless of the struggle it would be to keep the Sun set with its alicorn princess banished inside it, Nightmare Moon did just that, determined that her traitorous sister experience Nightmare’s punishment.

Nightmare’s reign of Equestria was strained, but Equestria could have borne it. But within a year, the capital was attacked by the Changelings, desperate to replenish their stores of pony love that had been stymied by the nation’s state of fear and uncertainty. Nightmare Moon was barely managing to repel the threat when the Crystal Empire returned, and King Sombra began to march on her northern borders. With attacks from within and attacks from without, a distrusted leader on the throne, and economic failure rippling across the country as readily as the shifting front lines, the ponies of Equestria were more torn than ever.

So of course that’s when Discord escaped.

The upside of Discord’s release was that it temporarily stopped the fighting. Even King Sombra was smart enough to withdraw in the face of the mad draconequus on a quest of vengeance against all ponies. Queen Chrysalis and Queen Nightmare Moon (who had absconded herself at first sign of Discord’s escape, using every possible trick to keep him from finding her) formed a temporary peace treaty in order to seek a solution - for a world ruled by Discord was useless to all of them. (Granted, the Changelings could withdraw to their protected realm, but Chrysalis had tasted power and wasn’t about to let Discord have it all. She was quite looking forward to stabbing Nightmare Moon in the back afterwards.)

Their solution: a magical contract with the long-imprisoned centaur, Tirek. Tirek was more than happy to oblige. He single-handedly decimated Sombra’s troops, gorging himself on the magic of Crystal Empire and Equestrian ponies alike. It is possible that, if Discord hadn’t come to see what all the fuss was about himself, Tirek would have kept right on gorging to the very limit of the contract that bound him.

When the two titans clashed, the battle that ensued sundered hundreds of miles of landscape. Canterlot bore the greatest brunt; the castle collapsed completely from its cliffside home, the city little more than ruins. Discord’s attacks spread wildly unpredictable waves of chaos magic across much of Equestria. And when at long last Tirek had defeated him and sucked him dry, the lingering effects of that chaos magic stayed rooted in the ground like weeds.

It seemed, for the briefest moment, as if the worst problem was over. But of course, a power-maddened Tirek is a worse threat - because at least Discord doesn’t go out of his way to destroy everything in sight. Drunk on chaos magic, Tirek easily broke the tenuous contract with the queens and set across the landscape, draining ponies by the thousands and carving swaths through the countryside for the sheer wicked joy of destruction. His power was even mighty enough to destroy the changeling hive, overpowering its magical protections.

There was no choice - the two remaining rulers of any species in the land had to either defeat their own creation or face the loss of all they held dear. Nightmare Moon called upon the power of the Moon itself, drawing it nearer to Equestria in a desperate gambit. Tidal waves rocked Equestria’s coastlines, submerging Manehattan and other coastal cities entirely, and the alicorn of the night shone with deadly moonlit radiance as she bombarded Tirek with the full brunt of her power. But even Nightmare Moon at the height of her power was not strong enough to stop Tirek at the height of his, and he struck her down against the surface of the Moon itself. Some of the dislodged chunks rained down on the world, damaging more of not only Equestria, but many other countries on that side of the planet.

Tirek seemed to have won; all he had left to deal with was one small, angry changeling queen. An assured victory, no doubt.

He could not have known how wrong he was. For a changeling might give its magic willingly to a spell like Tirek’s with no ill effects, but an unwilling changeling queen will not be robbed of her power easily. As Tirek’s powers drain magic, so changeling powers drain love - and no one in all the world had such self-love as Tirek. The cycle of Tirek draining her magic and Chrysalis draining his became a self-consuming spell spiral that ultimately imploded upon itself, taking both creatures with it.

The resulting explosion could be heard across the celestial sea. For a few moments, there was something like an artificial sun on the horizon - a sun that had set directly on Equestria.

Then came the silence. After three years of war, devastation, and disasters unlike any the world had ever seen, there was silence.

And as the silence stretched, the survivors stirred.

Earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns, crystal ponies, and zebras; yaks, cows, goats, donkeys, and buffalo; gryphons, dragons, hippogryphs, minotaurs, and changelings: in spite of everything, many had survived. They rose from their hiding places to find an Equestria and Crystal Empire in ruins. No major cities still stood; borders and coastlines were unrecognizable. Large swaths of land once green and lush were barren and blasted, and spots of chaos magic lay in wait for creatures unwise enough to enter them unprotected. The moon hung wrecked in a dark sky, shining in shattered glory down on the devastation that had been the once-rich land of Equestria.

But the great destroyers were gone. None of the titans and tyrants who had brought this destruction down on the country remained. The usual monsters hardly seemed a threat anymore; those who had survived thus far had learned to cope with far worse. They could build new settlements, make new ways of life, come together or fall apart on their own merits.

And the most hopeful sign of all came the next day. The first actual day since Nightmare Moon returned and the Thousand Days of Woe began:

The Sun - weak and red in the dust-filled sky - slowly rose over the horizon.

The Princess of the Sun had not returned yet; perhaps she is still trapped by her sister’s spell. Perhaps another way of escape is being laid. But the light fills the ponies’ hearts with hope.

The Equestria they knew is gone. But the New Equestria has a future.

____

Sunday, Aug.10, 4 A.C.

Dear Journal,

It’s really strange dating things this way; but with everything that’s happened, most folks agree it’ll be easier to date our calendars starting with the fall of Princess Celestia. ‘After Celestia’ sounds so grim, though; kinda hope we change it. Maybe when the Princess returns... we’re praying she does.

Anyway, I still can’t believe we found a whole stock of blank paper in the storerooms! We’re saving most of it for bartering, but Mom thinks it’s smart for one of us to make notes for posterity, so it looks like I get to keep you. I’ll try to be short to save space, but it just feels so good to write again!

The move into the Canterlot ruins ruins is going pretty well. A few other families joined us after our last trip to Apple Fort, and we’ve shored up our defenses in case the air pirates make another flyby. Pop and I negotiated a deal with the Apples - food in exchange for books. A few of the unicorns know replication spells and are using some of the paper to make copies of really important texts so we don’t lose valuable knowledge to an accident. It still blows my mind how much we’ve lost in... was life really normal only a few years ago? It feels like another lifetime that I was in this very city, talking to the Princess, sitting at a normal cafe... eating lunch with Cam and Press...

I don’t want to forget them. Camera Shy and Pressing Matters, my best friends. Maybe they’re still out there somewhere. We run into old friends every now and then - my old traveling salespony gig has come in handy, actually! I’ve found a bunch of people who used to be clients, it really helps with forming trade and peace treaties with other groups. So it could happen. Please, Prince, keep them safe wherever they are.

I’m really blessed, though. I have to remember that. I have Mom and Pop and Black and Per and Chewie - although I’m still not used to Chewie flying and talking now. She’s such a character. Lots of ponies are missing family - so are we, we haven’t been able to find most of the extended family, but Pop got word from Aunt Pitter that she and my cousin Light Drizzle are out west somewhere, and Pitch Apple is down at Apple Fort, thank the King.

And we could be worse! We made friends with a tinkerer named Steam Punk, he made me a new wing that works as good as my old one! (Not a HUGE bar to cross, but it’s still really impressive!) I’m talking him into working with me to start a production house that can make and sell them affordably to other handicapped pegasi. And Mom got her flight back thanks to a gem Black and some other mages crafted. I think she still misses her diving mark, but she’s so brave and optimistic, it really inspires everyone. I wish we could do something for Pop’s horn, but he’s finding other ways to help out. Per is... well, I guess if you’re going to get turned into a pony-dragon, you’d want to be as cheerful about it as Per. Who knows, maybe she’ll still get a cutie mark someday! And Black is fully aware that he looks pretty boss with an eyepatch, the dork. 

There’s rumors that Princess Cadance might be alive and organizing the crystal ponies up North; lots of ponies are heading that way, but I think our group will stay here. There’s a lot of resources in the Canterlot ruins and in the castle, although Black leads the expeditions into the castle because of safety issues. I never knew he was so good at exploration and such; guess there were a few skills he was holding out on us over the years, but turns out he was working for the Princess before! What in Equus, I gave him such an earful for being all secretive about being my bodyguard or whatever. 

I’m running out of page, so I’ll wrap up today. We’re holding a worship service later, Pop and Parson Brown are setting it up. We want to keep focusing on what we have to be thankful for. We are GOING to get through this. The King, the Prince, and the Advocate have not abandoned us, and we have each other. 

~Salespitch

----

Fun Facts About The Wasteland Timeline:

- This was my favorite timeline to draw =D I HAD to get some steampunk stuff in there, although there are definitely Mad Max vibes. The convenient thing about this timeline is that it was a literal blank slate, so I could really get creative with it! I feel like this would make a neat bookmark, what do ya’ll think?

- I tried to reference all the major villains in the picture. Extra shoutout to ReversalMushroom, the patron who sponsored this Alternate Timeline Special, for giving me the ideas for the changeling goo and Tirek’s hoofprints, which were added in during the coloring phase. I think they round it out quite nicely!

- The random bit of Candy Forest over the crevice there is one of the pockets left behind by Discord’s chaos magic going wild. Most ponies avoid it because here’s WEIRD stuff in there, and ponies who go in there usually come out a little weirder themselves. 

- Black lost his eye and half his sunglasses in a fight with some Changelings. He gets on quite well with only one eye, though, and he insists his sunglass-lens eyepatch is going to be the height of eyepatch fashion. (He DOES have a sense of humor in case anyone doubted it. ;) ) Black taught everyone basic survival techniques and does most of the more dangerous tasks.

- Sales lost his wing during Tirek’s rampage; he tried to distract Tirek, but they didn’t have time to make the plan from the Tirek timeline, so he got swatted pretty quickly. On the upside, Tirek lost sight of him and didn’t get his magic. Sales can fly about as well now with his new steampunk wing, which combines technology and magic to mimic low-level pegasus flight (which was where he was at anyway, so he made a great first test subject!) Sales’ main job is  negotiating peaceful trades with other groups.

- Sales Patter (Dad) lost his horn while pushing his wife out of the way of some falling rubble. He insists he was only mediocre at magic anyway, and he doesn’t need a horn to do business! He does miss it, though. He helps their new community with allocating resources.

- Pitch Forward (Mom) lost her magic and cutie mark to Tirek’s onslaught. The gem in her coat simulates flight for her, although not quite at the level she was before. She and Sales joke about how he can almost beat her in a race now. She helps with the kids in their small community and teaches flying techniques to pegasi.

- Pitch Perfect got hit with a random blast of Discord magic that turned her half dragon. It took a little getting used to, but she honestly thinks it is super neat. She’s pretty good at sniffing out gems now, which (when she isn’t eating them) helps with family finances. Her friends Codebreak and Castle Crasher are part of their little community, and the three are constantly getting into trouble (which most everyone silently thinks of as a nice bit of familiarity.)

- Chewie ALSO got Discord’d; she has fairy wings now and she can talk. Chewie still likes Sales the best and hovers around him chattering like Navi half the time. The other half of the time she forgets she has wings and just hops around exploring. At this point she’s become less like a pet and more like another tiny sister, to Per’s delight and everyone else’s raised anxiety levels. She is VERY aware of her surroundings and alerts the group to intruders and strangers. She really misses computer games.

- Princess Celestia will eventually return, although by that time I feel that the various groups gathering together will have formed something like a decent society again. It remains to be seen if they’ll go back to a monarchy, create a government of connected micronations, or turn into something like the United States.

- And yes, Camera Shy, Pressing Matters, and Press’s husband Curler are all alive. They’ll meet up someday!

---

A/N: Thank you all for joining me on this journey through time and space to explore the seven MLP timelines and where Sales & Co might have ended up in them! I hope you enjoyed it; I had a good bit of fun coming up with the different scenarios, it was a great brain exercise. =D Thank you again to all my Patrons, and to ReversalMushroom for sponsoring this particular special! There will be a final post next week of all the pictures together, with links back to their storyline posts.

I also want to thank you for bearing with me as the regular updates continue to be on hiatus. This has been a rough and strange year for all of us, and I hope you all are safe and healthy and know that you are loved. Jesus has really been with me through this year, and even tonight as I write this; there are things I struggle with, but I know that they do not define my value, HE does. =) And I, like Sales, want to count my blessings, the biggest one (aside from my faith in God) being that I have family around me who love me and care for me. I’m very much looking forward to Christmas! =D  

Merry Christmas! May your Christmas and New Year contain joy and peace, and may Christ Jesus rest His hands on you and draw your heart to His. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

~River Babble

[coochiequeens]

Maybe if the pigs worked to protect actual women has hard as they work to protect the gender feelz of men Scotland would have less violence against women.

J.K. Rowling is being slammed by transgender activists — again — after criticizing the Scottish police for saying they'd allow rape suspects to self-identify as female should Scotland's proposed pro-trans policies take effect next year.

The Harry Potter author, who’s past transphobic comments have created a major rift among her fans, took to Twitter on Sunday by sharing an article from The Times of London that examined the issue.

“War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength,” Rowling wrote, referencing George Orwell’s dystopian novel, 1984, before adding, “The Penised Individual Who Raped You Is a Woman.”

The debate comes in the midst of plans to reform the Gender Recognition Act, which would make it easier for trans people in Scotland to be legally recognized by their true gender identity. In part, the new policies would remove medical checks for those seeking a gender recognition certificate and shorten the time frame people must live as their gender identity before it’s legally recognized.

While plans to add these new policies to the Gender Recognition Act were shelved by the Scottish government last term over concerns about women’s rights, the government aims to complete the process by mid-2022, according to several reports.

Gary Ritchie, assistant chief constable, confirmed with the Scottish Sun that should the new laws take effect, anyone facing rape allegations would indeed be “recorded as a woman” if they were biologically born male but self-identify as women, even if they don’t “have a full gender recognition certificate.”

Detective Superintendent Fil Capaldi also confirmed this was the case, citing that referring to someone by their true gender identity would not just be in line with the law, but also with their own values.

“The sex/gender identification of individuals who come into contact with the police will be based on how they present or how they self-declare, which is consistent with the values of the organization,” he told the paper. “Police Scotland requires no evidence or certification as proof of biological sex or gender identity other than a person’s self-declaration, unless it is pertinent to any investigation with which they are linked.”

It should be noted that the rapes highlighted in these debates are theoretical and only represent arguments in line with Scotland’s proposed transgender laws, as mentioned above.

Meanwhile, Harry Potter fans and trans activists alike are speaking out about Rowling’s fixation on trans issues, criticizing the author for linking trans identity with rape and for not using her platform to highlight the number of sexual assaults committed by cisgender men.

"As a survivor of sexual assault, I’m outraged that J.K. Rowling has once again used her enormous platform to cause harm and to conflate transgender identity with rape,” trans journalist and activist Dawn Ennis tells Yahoo Life. “As a writer, I’m gobsmacked that Rowling would categorize rape as something that only involves a penis, and that she’d steal so blatantly from Orwell without so much as a tip of the hat.”

YouTuber and trans activist Kate Blaque chimed in, writing on Twitter: "As a survivor and a trans woman, it will always upset me how seemingly desperate people are to establish transgender women as inherently sexually predatory in a world that views us as un-rapeable.“

"Anyone is capable of rape, trans women included, but I have a very hard time seeing the over emphasis on trans women as justified," she continued. "Especially when contrasted with just how many trans women are raped because they are trans."

Blaque, who's been vocal about Rowling's transphobic remarks in the past, tells Yahoo Life that while she tries to "mostly ignore" Rowling's anti-trans posts, she acknowledges the author is "very much making publicly maligning trans women and defining them as rapists very normalized."

Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, executive director for the National Center for Transgender Equality, tells Yahoo Life that Rowling's tweet adds to the "dangerous" narrative that trans women are predators, which can be terribly traumatic for trans youth.

“She has an incredible platform, and she is using it to hurt transgender people," Heng-Lehtinen says. "Imagine what it must mean to a young transgender person falling in love with her novels only to learn that the author uses her tremendous power to attack your humanity. We are seeing a record-breaking number of murders of transgender people, especially Black transgender women, and political leaders around the world are trying to keep trans youth from playing sports or receiving appropriate health care. Rowling’s tweet adds to the dangerous, false narrative that transgender women are predators. The stakes are incredibly high for trans lives, and Rowling’s continuing attacks make it worse."

"The biggest threats of violence against women has [sic] always been cisgender men," Queer Eye's Jonathan Van Ness wrote on Twitter. "Not trans women, unless JK’s constant transphobic cherry picked vitriol convinces you otherwise. But as trans women are assaulted, deprived of work, killed, and raped, JK is safe in her mansion."

On the flip side, some leaders in Scotland say the proposed policy changes would do more to harm women than protect the transgender community.

“As a lawyer for 20 years and justice secretary for almost eight, I’ve seen some legal absurdities. But this tops it all and is dangerous," Kenny MacAskill, the former Scottish justice secretary and current member of the Scottish nationalist Alba Party, told the Scottish Sun. "It's physically impossible and is about dogma overriding common sense. Women prisoners are being harmed by this and vital crime statistics rendered useless.”

And Lisa Mackenzie, a member of the Edinburgh-based policy research group MurrayBlackburnMackenzie, which lobbies for "sex as a protected characteristic," wants Scottish police to log the theoretical rapist's gender by their sex at birth, she tells the Sun, arguing that "it’ll only take a few mis-c­lassified cases to skew statistics.”

Other Rowling supporters have given their two cents on Twitter, with one commenter writing, "Thank you for calling out the insanity," with another adding, "Thank you. You have no idea how important your voice is, or how much it means to women and girls."

Still, trans activists are standing their ground, many of them criticizing Rowling and others like her for routinely spewing misinformation about the trans experience — and praising the Scottish police for their stance on the issue.

"As a woman of transgender experience, I am going to ignore this increasingly irrelevant attention-whore and enjoy my self-identified life as the woman I am: safe in the knowledge that at least the police in Scotland respect human rights, even for the most ghastly of criminals," Ennis tells Yahoo Life. "What Rowling does in her comfortable castle is her choice. But how sad, that this is how an author who has given the world such imaginative tales wastes her remaining days."

Sunday's tweet is the latest in a series of battlesbetween Rowling and the trans community.

Last month, the tension reached a new level when activists shared the author's home address on Twitter, prompting Rowling to address them by noting that "best way to prove your movement isn’t a threat to women, is to stop stalking, harassing and threatening us."

It all began, though, in December 2019, when the author gave her public support to Maya Forstater — a U.K. woman who was fired for noting, among other beliefs, that it is "impossible to change sex" — after a judge ruled that her views were not protected under Britain’s anti-discrimination laws. (She later won an appeal and posted a video thanking Rowling for her support.)

Then, in May 2020, Rowling accidentally tweeted a message with an expletive that misgendered a trans woman named Tara Wolf, who was convicted in 2017 of assaulting a woman she referred to as a TERF(“trans-exclusionary radical feminist”), a term used to describe anti-trans feminists or women who exclude trans women in conversations about women’s rights. Rowling apologized for the tweet and later deleted it.

The author went viral again in June 2020 when she criticized an article using the inclusive phrase “people who menstruate,” which recognized that not every person who experiences a period identifies as female.

“I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?” she wrote at the time, responding with a series of tweets — as well as a lengthy personal essay defending her position.

[newstfionline]

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Difficult Times for Flight Attendants (NYT) One flight attendant needed medical attention for a crippling migraine brought on by confronting a passenger who refused to wear a mask. Aviation safety officials have received dozens of confidential complaints in the past year from attendants trying to enforce mask safety rules. The reports, filed in the Aviation Safety Reporting System database, at times describe a chaotic, unhinged workplace where passengers regularly abuse airline employees. The coronavirus pandemic and political divisions of the past year have caused fear, economic pain, and social and family rifts around the country, but for airline workers, and flight attendants in particular, the unease and tension have often converged in a tiny cabin space. The tension is at a level flight attendants have not seen before, said Paul Hartshorn Jr., a veteran attendant and a spokesman for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants union. “I think we’re pretty well trained on how to handle a disruptive passenger,” said Mr. Hartshorn, 46. “What we’re not trained to do and what we shouldn’t be dealing with is large groups of passengers inciting a riot with another group of passengers [over political differences].” “It’s insane,” he added.

Fight The Man: What GameStop’s surge says about online mobs (AP) It’s a fable for our times: Small-time investors band together to take down greedy Wall Street hedge funds using the stock of a troubled video-game store. But the revolt of online stock-traders suggests much more. The internet is shifting society’s balance of power in unanticipated ways. In the world of pseudonymous internet message boards, pranks-gone-wild and logic turned upside down amid a global pandemic, revolts come in all shapes, sizes and aims. Last week they gave us the Great GameStop Stock Uprising. Who knows what this week will bring. “The internet can democratize access, upsetting power dynamics between the people and traditional institutions,” tweeted Tiffany C. Li, a law professor and tech attorney focusing on privacy and technology platform governance. With GameStop, she added in an interview Friday, the goal was to upset the interests of a few large hedge funds. “But in other places the goal can be more nefarious. Online spaces are being used to radicalize people toward extremism, to plan hate crimes and attacks,” she said. “The internet isn’t really the villain or the hero.”

Pandemic Pushes More Parents to Go All-In for Home Schooling (WSJ) As parents grow increasingly frustrated with remote learning during the pandemic, some are deciding to pull their children out of school and try teaching on their own. In North Carolina, the state’s home-school monitoring website crashed on the first day of enrollment, and more than 18,800 families filed to operate a home-school from July 1 to Jan. 22—more than double the school-year before, according to the state Division of Non-Public Education. In Connecticut, the number of students who left public schools to be home-schooled jumped fivefold this school year, to 3,500. In Nebraska, the number of home-schooled students jumped 56%, to 13,426, according to state education officials. “The vast majority [of parents] are saying, ‘We’ve been really trying to do what the schools are asking us to do, but we just can’t do this anymore,’ “ said J. Allen Weston, executive director of the National Home School Association, which has been fielding inquiries on the topic. Vanderbilt University’s Joseph Murphy, who studies home schooling, said “We are in a major shift from how we thought about teaching children and running schools for 100 years. Parents have shifted to the place where they feel they need more direct involvement and greater responsibility for what happens with their children.”

Vaccine skepticism lurks in town famous for syphilis study (AP) Lucenia Dunn spent the early days of the coronavirus pandemic encouraging people to wear masks and keep a safe distance from each other in Tuskegee, a mostly Black city where the government once used unsuspecting African American men as guinea pigs in a study of a sexually transmitted disease. Now, the onetime mayor of the town immortalized as the home of the infamous “Tuskegee syphilis study” is wary of getting inoculated against COVID-19. Among other things, she’s suspicious of the government promoting a vaccine that was developed in record time when it can’t seem to conduct adequate virus testing or consistently provide quality rural health care. “I’m not doing this vaccine right now. That doesn’t mean I’m never going to do it. But I know enough to withhold getting it until we see all that is involved,” said Dunn, who is Black. The coronavirus immunization campaign is off to a shaky start in Tuskegee and other parts of Macon County. Area leaders point to a resistance among residents spurred by a distrust of government promises and decades of failed health programs. Tuskegee is not a complete outlier. A recent survey conducted by the communications firm Edelman revealed that as of November, only 59% of people in the U.S. were willing to get vaccinated within a year with just 33% happy to do so as soon as possible. Health experts have stressed both the vaccines’ safety and efficacy.

As Biden prays for healing, Catholics clash over president’s faith (GMA) On his quest to heal a divided America, Joe Biden may first have to confront bitter division over his presidency from within his own church. Since his inauguration two weeks ago as the nation’s second Catholic president, Biden’s devout Christian faith has become a new flashpoint within the church. While millions of Catholics have celebrated the ascension of one of their own to the White House, some have been publicly questioning whether Biden should be considered a model of their faith. Many Catholic clergy and faithful are passionately fixated on Biden’s support for abortion rights, which the church staunchly opposes and considers an issue of “preeminent” importance. Biden opposes abortion as a personal matter, but wrote in his 2007 memoir that he doesn’t “have a right to impose my view on the rest of society.” One in five Americans identifies as Roman Catholic, the largest Christian denomination in the U.S., according to Pew Research Center. While the faithful have long been divided in matters of theology and politics, Catholic values aren’t exclusively red or blue.

Russia Protesters Defy Vast Police Operation as Signs of Kremlin Anxiety Mount (NYT) The Kremlin mounted Russia’s most fearsome nationwide police operation in recent memory on Sunday, seeking to overwhelm a protest movement backing the jailed opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny that swept across the country for a second weekend in a row. But the show of force—including closed subway stations, thousands of arrests and often brutal tactics—failed to smother the unrest. By late Sunday evening in Moscow, more than 5,000 people had been detained in at least 85 cities across Russia, an activist group reported, though many were later released. Previously unseen numbers of riot police officers in black helmets, camouflage and body armor essentially locked down the center of the metropolis of 13 million people, stopping passers-by miles from the protest to check their documents and ask what they were doing outside. “I don’t understand what they’re afraid of,” a protester named Anastasia Kuzmina, a 25-year-old account manager at an advertising agency, said of the police. Referring to the peak year of Stalin’s mass repression, she added, “It’s like we’re slipping into 1937.” The large-scale police response signaled anxiety in the Kremlin over Mr. Navalny’s ability to unite Russia’s disparate critics of President Vladimir V. Putin, from nationalists to liberals to many with no particular ideology at all.

In Myanmar coup, Suu Kyi’s ouster heralds return to military rule (Washington Post) Aung San Suu Kyi defended Myanmar’s generals against genocide charges at The Hague. She praised soldiers as they unleashed artillery against ethnic minority settlements. She took only modest steps toward democratic changes that would chip away at the army’s political power. It wasn’t enough. On Monday, Myanmar’s military seized power in a coup, detaining Suu Kyi, elected ministers from her National League for Democracy (NLD) party and others in a predawn raid. Though condemned internationally for defending the military and its campaign against the Rohingya minority, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate who spent 15 years under house arrest until 2010 now finds herself again at the generals’ mercy. The coup underscored the fragility of Myanmar’s decade-old, quasi-democratic transition that many assumed, despite imperfections, would continue with Suu Kyi as head of the civilian government and still-entrenched powers for the military, led by Min Aung Hlaing. But the military was never comfortable with its enduring unpopularity and Suu Kyi’s godlike status among ordinary Burmese, analysts said, despite its role in engineering the country’s opening after half a century of isolationist rule.

Survivors of Beirut’s explosion endure psychological scars (AP) Joana Dagher lay unconscious and hemorrhaging under a pile of rubble in her apartment after the massive Beirut port blast in August, on the brink of death. She survived because of the courage of her husband who got her out, the kindness of a stranger who transported her in his damaged car and the help of her sisters during the chaos at the overwhelmed hospital. But Dagher doesn’t remember any of that: The 33-year-old mother of two lost her memory for two full months from the trauma she suffered in the explosion, including a cerebral contusion and brain lesions. “I lost my life on August 4,” Dagher said. “I lost my house, I lost my memory, I lost two friends,” she added, referring to neighbors killed in the explosion. “I lost my mental health, and so I lost everything.”       The Beirut explosion, which killed more than 200 people and injured more than 6,000, caused wounds on an even wider scale on the mental health of those who lived through it. Even in a country that has seen many wars and bombings, never had so many people—tens of thousands—directly experienced the same traumatizing event at the same time. It came on top of the stress that Lebanese were already feeling from multiple crises, including an unprecedented economic meltdown, the coronavirus pandemic and a feeling of helplessness after nationwide protests against corruption that failed to achieve their goals. “There are very high levels of anxiety and worry across the population,” said Mia Atwi, psychologist and president of Embrace, an organization working on mental health awareness and support. “There is a low mood bordering on clinical depression for the majority of the population.”

[creepingsharia]

“Kidnapped, Raped, Humiliated, and Forced to Convert to Islam”: Muslim Persecution of Christians, December 2019

Martyred on Christmas Day: Islamic State in Nigeria videotaped the slaughter of 11 Christians

by Raymond Ibrahim

The following are some of the abuses Muslims inflicted on Christians throughout the month of December, 2019; they are categorized by theme:

The Slaughter of Christians

Nigeria:  The Islamic State in West Africa Province released a video of the execution of 11 Christian aid workers on the day after Christmas.  The brief video shows one Christian being shot followed by 10 others being beheaded by masked jihadis standing behind the tied hostages. “This message is to the Christians in the world,” a man’s voice narrates over the footage. “Those who you see in front of us are Christians, and we will shed their blood as revenge for the two dignified sheikhs, the caliph of the Muslims, and the spokesman for the Islamic State [who were killed by the U.S.]”  Before being slaughtered, the captives reportedly made pleas, including to Nigeria president Muhammadu Buhari, to save them.  Buhari, who has himself been accused of turning a blind eye to the persecution of Christians in Nigeria—and even abetting it—condemned the executions, adding that “these barbaric killers don’t represent Islam.”

A separate report cited by Fox News found that more than 6,000 Christians have been slaughtered by Islamic terrorists since 2015—a thousand of them in just 2019.  According to the report,

They attack rural villages, force villagers off their lands and settle in their place — a strategy that is epitomized by the phrase: “Your land or your blood.” In every village, the message from local people is the same: “Please, please help us! The Fulani are coming. We are not safe in our own homes.”

The nomadic Fulani herdsmen “seek to replace diversity and difference with an Islamist ideology which is imposed with violence on those who refuse to comply,” Baroness Caroline Cox commented. “It is—according to the Nigerian House of Representatives—genocide.  Something has to change—urgently.  For the longer we tolerate these massacres, the more we embolden the perpetrators. We give them a ‘green light’ to carry on killing.”

Kenya: After armed Muslim militants stopped and stormed a passenger bus near the Somali border on December 6, they proceeded to separate the 56 passengers into Muslim and Christian groups—reportedly by asking them to recite the Islamic shahada (creed); 11 of those who would or could not due to their Christian faith, were paraded out of the bus. “They were told to lie on the ground face down and were shot at close range,” one report said. “The militants then ordered the bus to leave with the rest of the passengers.” The attackers apparently also relied on whether a passenger appeared to be local (meaning likely Muslim) or not (meaning likely Christian).  “The majority of the population in this region is Muslim,” Rev. Nicholas Mutua, a Catholic priest, explained. “The non-locals had come from other parts of the country and they would definitely have been Christians.” “One of the Muslim men gave me Somali attire, and when the separation was being done I went to the side of the Muslims, and immediately we were told to get [back] into the bus,” a survivor recalled. “As the locals were getting back into the bus, the non-locals who were left behind were fired upon with gunshots.”   Separating Muslims from Christians before slaughtering the latter has long been the modus operandi of Islamic terror groups.  In the Garissa University College massacre of 2015, when militants slaughtered nearly 150 people, a survivor explained how the Islamic terrorists burst into a Christian service, seized worshippers, and then “proceeded to the hostels, shooting anybody they came across except their fellows, the Muslims.”  Another witness said the gunmen were opening doors and inquiring if the people inside were Muslims or Christians: “If you were a Christian you were shot on the spot.  With each blast of the gun I thought I was going to die.”

Burkina Faso:  On Sunday, December 1, Islamic terrorists stormed a church during service and opened fire; 14 worshippers were killed and many injured.  The gunmen fled on motorbikes following the massacre.  Discussing this incident, a separate report offers statistics:

Burkina Faso’s Christian minority used to live in relative peace. Now the violence and persecution of Christians has quadrupled in the last two years and is expected to increase by [another] 60%…  Radical Islamic groups such as the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara and other local insurgents have pushed nearly half a million people from their homes.  Sunday’s attack comes after a Catholic priest was executed in February, five Christians were killed during an attack on a Church service in April, and 13 Christians were killed in a Church arson attack and procession in May. Most recently was on October 26 when unknown gunmen stormed a Christian village and reportedly killed 12 and abducted several others.

Cameroon:  In just the first half of December, Islamic militants “began an onslaught of attacks on Cameroonian Christians that left 7 dead and 21 captive to the terrorist group.”  According to the report:

On December 1, gunmen opened fire at a funeral in Mayo Sava district, in the far north of Cameroon. Four were killed and three were wounded. In another attack on the same day, militants ransacked homes and looted them of food and basic necessities. The next night, three more people were murdered and another was injured in another looting of Zangola village. A few days later on December 5, militants methodically searched for children and young adults and kidnapped them. In the middle of the night they came and stole nine girls and twelve boys from their homes, ranging from 12 to 21 years old. Four of the captives managed to escape. While en-route to their base, the Boko Haram militants attacked Tahert village where one girl was injured and a motorbike was stolen. Nearly 300 people have been killed in Cameroon in 2019 by Islamic militants, with 80% being civilians.

Pakistan: Naveed Masih, a 24-year-old Christian man was found hanging from a tree, dead, because he had earlier prevented Muslim men from harassing and pressuring a married Christian mother to convert to Islam.   Due to this, “a mob of 20 individuals attacked Naveed’s house,” the report says. “The mob beat Naveed and damaged many of the family’s belongings. The mob further threatened Naveed to not interfere with their efforts to convert the Christian woman.”  Two months later, he was lured to a supposed parley.  When he arrived at the meeting point, “he was brutally tortured and he was hanged from a tree as a result of protecting a Christian woman’s faith,” his father, Herbert, recalled:   “Carrying your son’s dead body in your arms is heartbreaking and unbearable.  It almost ended my life when I had to shoulder my son’s funeral….  My family is still under threats to withdraw the case against the culprits.  However, I have nothing to lose now.”

In a separate but similar incident in Pakistan, after sexually abusing him, two Muslim men killed Daud (“David”) Masih, a Christian teenager, on December 14 in a factory.  According to a local Christian activist, “Daud and his elder brother started working at the embroidery factory during the night shift about three months ago. They were additional breadwinners for the family as the mother is sick and their father is a day laborer.”  Weeks before the murder, Masih had complained about the “unethical behavior from his Muslim co-workers.”  Because the owner of the factory did not seem to care or intervene, Masih stopped going to work, until the owner assured him of protection.  He was abused and killed on the same day he returned to work; one of his murderers is allegedly the brother of the owner.  Last reported, the individuals accused of the crime have not been arrested and were pressuring and trying to bribe the victim’s family to drop the case:  “Although I am a poor Christian woman, I want justice for my son and punishment for those who killed Daud,” his mother said. “I will never go for compensation or reconciliation, as my son was killed brutally.”

Attacks on Churches

Philippines:  During Sunday Mass on the evening of December 22, Islamic terrorists detonated a bomb just outside Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Cotabato, a city on the island of Mindanao.  Twenty-two people were injured in the explosion, 12 of whom were soldiers patrolling the church as part of security measures adopted during the Christmas holidays.  Parish priest Zaldy Robles, who called it “a cowardly act on the eve of the Christmas celebrations,” said “casualties would have been unimaginable” had the bomb reached the inside of the church.  In 2009, a similar bomb attack on the same cathedral in Mindanao killed five people and injured 34.  Most of the Philippines’ Muslim minority live in Mindanao, which has been a hotbed of terrorism in recent years.  Among other attacks, “Islamic State-affiliated terrorists were blamed for twin suicide bombings at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Cathedral in Jolo, Sulu Province on Jan. 27 [2019], which killed at least 22 people and wounded more than 100. Jolo is a small island off the coast of Mindanao.”

Iraq: The Catholic Church of Divine Wisdom in Baghdad, built in 1929, was invaded on the day after Christmas in what was described by one report as a “hostile takeover attempt”: “Details remain scarce. Security footage of the invasion show that an Islamic leader was present amongst the invaders, who attempted to open the gate and remove the cross.”  Later reports revealed that the church had been “marked for demolition by the authorities, together with some surrounding buildings, as part of a redevelopment programme in the city,” but that “local residents say the project is driven by commercial and political forces, and does not take into account the significance of the church for the community.”

Indonesia: Several reports appearing around Christmas indicated the difficulties churches experience during the holiday season.  In “Aceh Christians forced to celebrate Christmas in a tent,” the BBC reported on December 23 that:

Christians in the Indonesian province of Aceh are preparing to celebrate Christmas in makeshift tents in the jungle.  Their churches were destroyed four years ago by Islamic vigilante groups and the police.  Indonesia – the world’s largest Muslim population – has a pluralist constitution that is meant to protect the rights of followers of all the major faiths.  But Church leaders in Singkil Aceh say the local authorities are stopping them from rebuilding….

Separately, authorities on the Indonesian island of Sumatra banned Christians from celebrating Christmas in private homes.  According to Sudarto, the director of an intercommunity initiative, “They did not get permission from the local government since the Christmas celebration and worship were held at the house of one of the Christians who had been involved. The local government argued that the situation was not conducive.”  He added that the ban on Christians to celebrate Christmas and the New Year “has been going on for a long time [since 1985], so far they have been quietly worshiping at the home of one of the worshipers, but they have applied for permission several times. Yet the permit to celebrate Christmas was never granted. The house where they performed worship services was once burned down in early 2000 due to resistance from residents.”

Discussing yet another incident, the Jakarta Post reported on Christmas Day that “Christians in Jambi city, Jambi, still struggle to find joy on the eve of the holy day since the authorities sealed a number of local churches in the city….  Several Christians in the region were aghast when they were welcomed by a notice plastered on the closed front doors of the Assemblies of God Church (GSJA) informing them the church was sealed on Dec. 24, instead of the customary Christmas prayers and services.”  This church is among three churches in the area to be closed down by the Jambi city administration following protests by local Muslim residents who cited the lack of building permits.  “This is the second Christmas celebration to feel depressing for us,” said its pastor Jonathan Klaise on Christmas Eve.  “It’s a difficult situation. We have no other choice but to cope with it…  We can only hope that we will soon be able to pray in our church.”

Attacks on Muslim Converts (“Apostates”)  to Christianity

Uganda: A Muslim man with three wives abandoned one of them and their three children on learning that she had converted to Christianity.  Problems began for Florence Namuyiga, 27, when she took her eldest son, aged 7, to the church that she had been secretly attending following her conversion last May. “That evening, while back at home, my son began singing some of the Christian songs that were sung in the church,” she explained. “My husband began questioning me where the son picked such kinds of songs, but I kept quiet. He then turned to our son, who narrated what he saw in church of both men and women worshipping together in one big hall. Thereafter we went to bed with no communication with my husband.”  Then, on November 29, her husband, Abudalah Nsubuga, 34, insisted she to go to Friday mosque prayers.  “I refused,” she said. “He started beating me up with sticks, blows and kicks.

When I fell down, he left me and went to the mosque. I began bleeding with serious injury on my left arm. That evening he did not come to the house but slept in the house of one of my co-wives.”  On the next day,

He arrived [home] and pronounced [ritual Islamic] words of divorce and threatened to kill me if I remained in the homestead…  There and then I left the homestead, leaving all my belongings behind….  I have been supporting my three children by washing peoples’ clothing around the village.  Indeed life is quite difficult for me and the children. I have realized that following Jesus is not easy. Sometimes I spend sleepless nights thinking on my future and that of my small kids, especially their school fees.

Iran: On December 20, Mohammad Moghiseh, the head of Tehran Revolutionary Court, sentenced nine Muslim apostates to a total of 45 years in prison.  “These Christian converts have objected to the verdict issued by the Tehran Revolutionary Court and are awaiting final appeal,” the report states. The day before sentencing, on December 19, the US Treasury Department accused Mohammad Moghiseh and another Revolutionary judge of violating justice and abusing the rights of religious minorities and others.

General Abuse of and Discrimination against Christians

Tajikistan: A Christian pastor who was sentenced to three years in prison on the charge of “singing extremist songs in church and so inciting religious hatred,” was released on December 18, 2020, after serving two-and-a-half years.  In 2017, authorities had raided the Good News of Grace Protestant Church in Khujand. Many of the congregation were beat, lost their jobs, and faced other forms of repercussions in the wake of the raid on their church.  Pastor Bakhrom Kholmatov, a 43-year-old married father of three, was then sentenced on the aforementioned charges.  According to the report,

Officials claimed that Christian songs found on his computer and the book More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell are “extremist materials.” They alleged that religious “experts” recognised the songs Praise God, O Unbelieving Country, Army of Christ and Our Battle is Not Against Blood and Flesh as “extremist and calling people to overthrow the government.”

“I’d like to express my huge gratitude to all the people who supported and prayed for me, my family and my church,” Kholmatov said in a statement. “All these three years I felt your prayers, they helped me to stand, they helped my precious wife and children, they helped the members of my church who were left without a pastor, then kicked by the authorities out of our building.”

Iran:  “The Iranian regime has begun cracking down on evangelical Christians in Iran in the run-up to Christmas,” Al Arabiya reported on December 15. “Security officials routinely arrest Christian citizens during the Christmas season, according to the 2019 US Commission for International Religious Freedom report, which found the regime arrested 114 Christians during the first week of December in 2018.”   Dabrina Tamraz, who experienced persecution as a Christian before she managed to flee the Islamic republic nine years ago, shed light on the plight of Christians by recounting her own experiences:  “Christmas celebrations make it easier for Iranian authorities to arrest a group of Christians at one time,” said the escapee who currently resides in Europe.  During a family Christmas gathering in Tehran in 2014, “My brother opened the door only to be confronted with about 30 plain clothes officers who pushed their way in. They separated men from women and conducted strip body searches. Three people, including my father, were arrested and charged with acting against national security and conducting evangelism.”  The report adds that “The Iranian government considers evangelism—the sharing of the Christian faith—a criminal act.”

As another example of the persecution and discrimination Christians routinely experience around Christmas, the annual Armenian Christian market at Tehran’s Ararat Club, which was supposed to be held between Christmas Eve and the New Year, was canceled by officials.  According to that report,

In a situation where the economy is declining and the business market is sluggish due to the policies of the Islamic Republic … this cancellation for preventing ‘Christian propaganda’ is an irrational decision.  The cancellation of the market, which is a clear sign of discrimination and inequality, has received widespread criticism in the Armenian community… Every year on the eve of Christmas, pressure on the Iranian Christian community by various government agencies is increasing, including arresting Christian activists, obstructing the business of Christian sellers, even those who sell Christmas decorations!…  Christian compatriots are subject to double discrimination, whether in the labor market, employment, job position or in violating their right to run private businesses.

Pakistan:  “A 14-year-old Christian girl from Zia Colony, Karachi, was kidnapped, forcibly converted and married off to a Muslim man,” Asia Times reported on December 3. “Our daughters are insecure and abused in this country,” the mother of Huma Younus, explained. “They are not safe anywhere. We leave them at schools or home but they are kidnapped, raped, humiliated, and forced to convert to Islam.”  The eighth grade student was seen by neighbors being forcefully dragged into a car by three armed men.  “She was kidnapped by Abdul Jabar, a Muslim,” her father said.  After the girl’s family went to police, Jabar sent documents to the family over WhatsApp: “He asked us not to be worried for Huma as she is now his wife and has entered into Islam”; however, “the religious conversion documents are fake,” said the mother, noting that the date of the document of the 14-year-old’s alleged conversion is the same date of her abduction.  “My daughter’s life is in danger. She could be tortured or killed. I beg the authorities to recover my daughter as soon as possible.”   “Christian girls are being abused and forcefully converted,” Fr. Saleh Diego, Director of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Karachi, said while discussing this latest incident:

The kidnappers are misusing religion for their motives and spoiling the lives of hundreds of young girls from the marginalized Christian community….Huma must be recovered with no further delay. This unethical and illegal practice must also be stopped and the kidnappers of Huma and other girls must be brought to justice and punished for their crimes.

To date, police and courts have largely been unresponsive.  “Abducting for the purpose of forced conversion and marriage is a major issue in Pakistan,” Asia Times concludes. “Most of the victims are Christian and Hindu girls and young women, forced to wed against their will to much older Muslim men.”

United Nations: According to a December 4 CBN News report, “Christian Syrian refugees … have been blocked from getting help from the United Nations Refugee Agency … by Muslim UN officials in Jordan.” One of the refugees, Hasan, a Syrian convert to Christianity, explained that Muslim UN camp officials “knew that we were Muslims and became Christians and they dealt with us with persecution and mockery. They didn’t let us into the office. They ignored our request.” “Hasan and his family are now in hiding,” the report adds, “afraid that they will be arrested by Jordanian police, or even killed. Converting to Christianity is a serious crime in Jordan.”  Timothy, another Jordanian Muslim convert to Christianity, confirmed: “All of the United Nations officials [apparently in Jordan], most of them, 99 percent, they are Muslims, and they were treating us as enemies.”  Addressing this issue, Paul Diamond, a British human rights lawyer, elaborated:

You have this absurd situation where the scheme is set up to help Syrian refugees and the people most in need, Christians who have been “genocided,” they can’t even get into the U.N. camps to get the food. If you enter and say I am a Christian or convert, the Muslim U.N. guards will block you [from] getting in and laugh at you and mock you and even threaten you…. [saying]  “You shouldn’t have converted. You’re an idiot for converting. You get what you get,” words to that effect.

Raymond Ibrahim, author of the new book, Sword and Scimitar, Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute, a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center, and a Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum.

About this Series

The persecution of Christians in the Islamic world has become endemic.  Accordingly, “Muslim Persecution of Christians” was developed in 2011 to collate some—by no means all—of the instances of persecution that occur or are reported each month. It serves two purposes:

1)          To document that which the mainstream media does not: the habitual, if not chronic, persecution of Christians.

2)          To show that such persecution is not “random,” but systematic and interrelated—that it is rooted in a worldview inspired by Islamic Sharia.

Accordingly, whatever the anecdote of persecution, it typically fits under a specific theme, including hatred for churches and other Christian symbols; apostasy, blasphemy, and proselytism laws that criminalize and sometimes punish with death those who “offend” Islam; sexual abuse of Christian women; forced conversions to Islam;  theft and plunder in lieu of jizya (financial tribute expected from non-Muslims); overall expectations for Christians to behave like cowed dhimmis, or second-class, “tolerated” citizens; and simple violence and murder. Sometimes it is a combination thereof.

Because these accounts of persecution span different ethnicities, languages, and locales—from Morocco in the West, to Indonesia in the East—it should be clear that one thing alone binds them: Islam—whether the strict application of Islamic Sharia law, or the supremacist culture born of it.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Today, the House of Commons passed NDP Human Rights Critic Cheryl Hardcastle’s unanimous consent motion regarding the atrocities committed in Sri Lanka against the Tamils. Together, all parliamentarians agreed to seek justice for all families, survivors and victims of violence and war in Sri Lanka.

“I’m proud that our second attempt to pass this important motion was passed successfully in the House by all MPs. It was important for us to try again to make sure we do what is right for the community,” said NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh. “I understand the legacy of genocidal acts. The trauma and loss of life. The impact of a missing generation – where thousands of innocent women, children, and men were extrajudicially murdered and disappeared during 30 years of war in Sri Lanka. As elected Leaders in this country, we have a role to confront human rights violations, challenge persecution, and do everything we can to ensure that these atrocities never happen again.”

Here is the official text of the motion tabled by NDP Human Rights Critic Cheryl Hardcastle:

That the House:

a) extend its condolences to all the victims of violence and war in Sri Lanka;

b) call on the Government of Sri Lanka to promote justice for those affected by the Easter Sunday attacks, protect the rights of religious minorities, and defend all places of worship;

c) reaffirm Canada’s call for Sri Lanka to implement its obligations within a clearly specified time frame, as mandated under the UN Human Rights Council Resolutions 30/1 and 40/1; and re-affirms Canada’s support in advancing accountability, peace, and reconciliation among all peoples on the island; and

d) call upon the United Nations to establish an international, independent investigation into allegations of genocide against Tamils committed in Sri Lanka, including the last phase of the armed conflict in 2009.

“It is an honour to have been part of this important moment for the community. We are building on the work of Jack Layton who has been a strong ally for the Canadian Tamil community for a number of years,” added Hardcastle. “To all Tamil Canadians, we want you to know that you have in the NDP, an ally that will always stand with you in your peaceful pursuit of truth and justice. You are a resilient and strong community that has overcome atrocities of the worst kind.”

[crushedbyhyperbole]

Beyond Broken - Chapter One

Summary:  Thor struggles with his failure after losing The Infinity War to Thanos.  He spirals into depression, leaving both The Avengers and his Asgardian kin behind.  He is unable to cope with the scale of his loss so he seeks solitude in a small seaside town in Connecticut, where no one recognised him.  There he meets a woman (Jess) who has also lost everything.  Their connection leads to happiness but something looms on the horizon and threatens everything Thor holds dear.  Just as night is to day, light follows darkness, but as the couple learns in an all-too-bitter twist of fate, darkness comes right back around again to finish the job.

Famdom:  MCU, Thor, Avengers

Words:  30k WIP

Warnings:  Survivor’s guilt, depression, self-loathing, angst, sexual content (explicit and fluffy), mild/hinted homophobia directed to secondary character, violence of the canon-typical variety, bit of stalking, and probably some bad language (as standard).

A/N:  This is the first MCU fic I ever started writing, and I hope to do the characters justice.  It’s an angsty tale with feels but it’s likely to have an unhappy ending, so you have been warned.  There are spoilers for Endgame in here for those who still haven’t seen it, and eventually the story will come to be an alternate plot for Endgame. Once again, it’s going to be dark at the end, but there are other universes than these and this is but one of the fourteen million possible endings spoken of by Dr Strange in Infinity War ;)

For more chapters see my Thor Odinson Mobile Masterlist

The Life of Jessica Walker

It had been ten months to the day when a once happy-go-lucky girl lost her whole world.  Jess Walker remembered that day as if it were only yesterday. Each day since had felt the same; hollow, broken, desperate.  The emptiness was ravenous.  It engulfed and ravaged, sapping all but the bleakest of emotion from her.  Ten months without him.

Will Tanner had been the love of her life.  He’d been with her through the loss of her father and then, soon after, the loss of her mother.  They’d made a life together.  Had a nice house in New London.  Good jobs. Pet iguana.  Holidays around the world.  And an engagement ring with an open-ended shelf-life; they’d been married in every way other than the piece of paper that confirmed their status.  Eight years of love and commitment lost in a finger snap.

She’d awoken that morning to the blaring ringer of the bedside telephone.  Groggily she’d answered to a hysterical David, Will’s younger brother.

“Jess.  It’s David.  I need Will.  Mom’s gone.”

Confused and still shrouded in the slovenliness of sleep, it took her a while to realise that David was saying that their mother had passed away.

“Oh my god!”  She gasped, tears instantly springing to her eyes. Turning quickly on the bed to rouse Will she saw he was not there.  “Hold on, he must be in the bathroom.”  She said to David before calling for Will to come to the phone.

There was no response.

She shuffled out of bed quickly, taking the cordless phone with her out into the hall.  The bathroom door was open and the light was off. None of the lights were on.  Had Will stepped out for a walk or to get some breakfast takeaway.  The clock said 9.15am.  Shit!  They were late for work.

“David, I’m so sorry, I don’t know what to say.”  Jess returned to their bedroom.  Will’s suit hung on the wardrobe door where he’d put it the night before, ready for work. “He’s not here.  Let me try his cell and call you back.”

David sobbed as she hung up without waiting on a reply.

Jess had been frantic after ringing Will’s personal and work phones to find them both in his briefcase. She’d scoured the counters and bedside units for a note he may have left.  It was then that she noticed the dust.  It was all over their bed, under the covers, swirling in the air as she moved the blankets.

What in God’s name was going on?  Maybe Will had somehow heard the news of his mother and left in a hurry, but both sets of car keys were still on their hooks.  Her panic increased.

It wasn’t until later, after an hour of stressing and crying, consoling David, speaking to friends and co-workers that she finally understood what had happened.  There’d been some kind of alien attack and half of the population had been disintegrated.  She didn’t know the ins and outs, she never kept up with the news because it was depressing but she turned the TV on now to see all channels reporting the horrors that had happened in the night.

Numb, and with the heavy lump of despair sitting in her chest, she stared but didn’t really see the TV as the news caster described the events.

They were saying the effect was world-wide, fifty percent of all life on earth, at random, all gone, turned to dust.  And her William had been one, his mother too.  Her friends and co-workers also, she’d not gotten responses from some, had they been vanished as well?  And Iggy? She looked over to the large vivarium but that too was empty.

She sobbed again, even their pet was gone, she truly had nothing left of their life save material possessions and memories.  She was alone.

Ten months on she still felt the pain of loss but she knew Will would not have wanted her to spin out in a downward cycle of despair and depression.  In some ways the world had moved on, in others it was impossible to fully accept the catastrophic changes.  Jess continued to work as a Dentist, she was lucky that the practice had not folded like so many other businesses, although she was just going through the motions each day.  It was difficult to plug away day in day out when you knew life could be sucked away in the blink of an eye.

Ever since that first day, she’d been as supportive to David as possible.  He took it very hard, losing mother and brother in the same day.  It gave her peace to know that she could help them; David and William Sr. were the last ties she had to the life she’d thought she had secured.  She’d found a purpose in this new world of broken things.

Jess finished at the practice and gathered her things to meet David.  The sky was overburdened with ominous dark clouds and the air was thick with the tension of an oncoming storm.  She walked the three blocks to the little coffee shop on Neptune where she and David met five days a week.  He was waiting for her outside with a cup of her favourite tiramisu hot chocolate, a genuinely warm smile, a soft kiss on her cheek and a yappy Papillon called Daisy Duke.

“It’s nice to see the weather has changed.”  She raised a sarcastic eyebrow, accepting the warmth of the paper cup in both hands. It had been weeks since she’d seen the sun.  She sipped and sighed.  “How are you?”

Today was Tuesday, the first day in her David support week.  Sundays and Mondays she had to herself, but Tuesdays were usually his worst. They walked towards the park.

“Not good.”  He shook his head, hunching his shoulders against the chill carried off the ocean by a strengthening wind.  “Dad’s pretty demanding, I can’t deal with his disappointment.  It’s like, even now, he can’t accept that his other son died and to treasure the one he has left.  To him, the wrong son died.  It’s crippling me, Jess.  You don’t even see it!  He acts differently when you’re there.”

“It’s hard for you both, you’ve lost so much.”  She gave him a reassuring squeeze on the forearm.  “Is he still going to that support group for survivors of Disintegration Day?”

“Yeah, he is.”  David looked at the ground.

“Well that’s great! That should help him loads.”  Jess beamed, her enthusiasm dropping away when she saw the look on his face.  “Why do I get the feeling that it’s not though?”

They crossed the street to Ocean Beach Park where David let Daisy off her leash.  The sky had darkened further with the downward progression of the obstructed sun and the thickening of the clouds.  He kicked pebbles as they walked the paths of the park.

“I dunno, Jess.” David sighed, defeated.  “He’s great when he’s getting ready to go out. Sunday afternoons are nice.  He’s chipper, you know?  Almost happy.  He goes to group in the early evening and it’s like he’s how he used to be when mom…” He swallowed hard.  “But then he comes home, sees me and it’s like he’s disgusted.  Like maybe he knows.  But I’ve been so careful.  I dunno what to do anymore.”

She drew him into a hug and squeezed him tight.  His arms tightened around her back as he sniffed into the shoulder of her jacket. Jess once thought, if she closed her eyes, it almost felt like holding Will again.  After all, they were the same height and build, slim and lean. She knew then, just as she knew now, that she couldn’t ever go down that road, no matter how much she wanted to keep Will alive it could only be in her heart.

“It’s not you.”  She crooned.  “You’re only trying to be happy, David.  No one can blame you for seeking something bright in times as dark as these.”

“I know.”  He nodded, pulling away.

“You’ll feel better once you’ve blown off some steam and that hot man of yours.”  She wiggled her eyebrows comically, grinning the goofiest smile she could muster.

Her reward was a genuinely abashed laugh that burst from him involuntarily.  It both soothed and pained her heart.  He reminded her so much of Will sometimes it nearly killed her.

“You’re terrible!” The blush suited him.  He stuffed his hands into his pockets and settled into a slow walk at her side.  “So what’s new with you since I saw you on Saturday?”

“Oh nothing much, you know me.  Same shit, different day.”  It was easier for him if she didn’t burden him with her feelings.  She knew he struggled enough with his own issues, and for the time being she was coping.   The mantra I can do this chanted over and over in her head each morning seemed to work enough to get her moving, and once she had momentum it was easier to follow it through the day.

At seven o’clock on the dot his phone rang.

“Got to go.”  He handed her the leash.  Daisy was still sniffing around the shrubberies and grasses nearby.  “I’ll meet you back at Neptune’s at ten?”

“Yep, the usual.”  She offered him a weak smile.

“Thanks so much for continuing to do this, Jess.  I dunno what I’d do without you.”  He grinned and dashed off in the direction of amazing sex and short-lived happiness.

It wasn’t that Jess resented being David’s wingman, so to speak, or that he was essentially living a lie. She didn’t even mind that she’d put everything else in her life on hold to be his anchor, or that five days a week she was out in the cold being a dog-sitter.  It was that he’d made no effort to help himself.  No counselling, no psychiatrist, nothing but her; he’d latched onto her almost immediately and she’d gone with it.  She wasn’t exactly one to talk about self-help, mind you, she’d gone to therapy two, three, and four months after Disintegration Day. She’d got to a point where she couldn’t see past the emotions she had, couldn’t see anything else for herself and she’d accepted that as her reality.  Accepted this as her life now.

Daisy came back with a stick, which she threw for the dog again and again.  She seemed to have boundless energy and be completely care free. Jess wished she could feel the same but the sickness of loss had settled too deep, so deep in fact, that she thought she’d never feel any different.  But that was all on the inside, and she covered it over with a warm smile and a bright disposition.  Smile even when the inside is nothing but ash.

Walking the boardwalk with the wind buffeting her hair into a wild mess, Jess was alone.  It was well after nine, all of the people had left save for a few coming and going from a gym up at the top of the park.  She’d been strolling and playing with Daisy for hours, thankfully the dog loved her so it wasn’t a hardship.

Jess hummed a tune into the wind as she walked, it was the most peaceful she felt on any given day. Just her, the ocean, the briny air, the sting of the wind on her cheeks and in her eyes.  The tears that welled up could have been attributed to the blustering wind but they weren’t.  When they fell hot on her cheeks and chilled instantly she swiped them away with her jacket sleeve.  She’d cried enough.  The next droplet to land wasn’t a tear.  The rain had begun.

Urging herself forward she picked up her pace, heading back to the café before the rain became a deluge. Ahead there was a man sat on one of the benches.  The lamp above illuminated his large form, hunched over, elbows resting on his knees. He wore a grey jersey hoodie with the hood up, grey jogging pants and a pair of running shoes.  The peak of a baseball cap poked from under his hood.

The rain had darkened his clothing over his head, shoulders and the tops of his thighs already, and he showed no sign of moving.  As she passed she felt a jolt of fear.  Muggings were rare in New London, but there were still those who sought a thrill in harming or terrorising defenceless women.  She wasn’t exactly defenceless.  She clasped the can of mace in her pocket tightly until she felt safe. The man hadn’t even looked up at her as she’d passed and several glances behind her told her what she needed to know; through sheets of slanting rain he sat there alone, unmoving.

David was apologetic and late.  The barista in Neptune’s had patiently allowed her to remain in the shop even after ten o’clock closing on account of the rain.  He accepted his, now cold, latte with pleading eyes.  A large hickey low on his neck told her that he’d well and truly enjoyed the unplanned overtime on his secret tryst.

With Daisy stuffed inside his jacket they ran the three blocks back to the practice.  In the underground parking garage David babbled about how amazing Silas was, how in love they were, how he wished they could just run away together.

Jess nodded and ahhh’d in all the right places, listening to the happiness bubbling out of him.  It was nice to see him smiling for more than a brief second.  Something must have really happened tonight to make him this excited, but she didn’t pry, he’d tell her eventually, he always did.

Home alone Jess flopped onto the cream leather couch still in her wet coat, where she fell into a troubled sleep.

The rest of the week things panned out in much the same way.  The storm that had blown in on Tuesday night was gone by Wednesday morning only to return again on Wednesday night, Thursday night and also Friday night. By the time she got home on Friday Jess had taken the hint and packed a long waterproof ponceau and some knee-high boots into the trunk of her car, for next time.

David had been late every day that week, leaving her waiting in the rain when the Neptune’s staff had inevitably had to leave at well after eleven o’clock.  Jess had been less than impressed with him, it had felt disrespectful. She soon felt guilty for being annoyed with him, and her frustration hadn’t lasted long.

Each night, on her walk along the boardwalk she had encountered the ‘lonely man’, as she internally named him.  It was as if he sat awaiting the rain, watching as the sky blackened and the air filled with cascading torrents.

On Friday the park emptied earlier than usual, the regularity of the rain driving people away back to their homes.  Jess had no such luck, having to wait on David and his booty call.

“Don’t be bitter.” She muttered to herself.  “He’s happy.”

She’d paused midway along the wooden decked walkway, watching the last of the light die, shrouding the rolling clouds in night.

A noise behind her made her jump.  The lonely man sat on his usual seat, in his grey hoody and jogging pants.  Maybe her talking to herself had disturbed him, maybe her presence distracted him from his meditations, but he looked at Jess with one piercing blue eye. The other was in shadow under his hood.

Daisy was pulling on her leash to go sniff the man.  He didn’t seem phased at all, or indeed amused by all the huffing and puffing the little dog was doing, straining to get closer.  He was stoic, troubled even, obviously wanting solitude.  She could relate.

“Don’t mind us.”  Jess offered a quick smile and a nod before scooping the dog up in her arms and turning back to the waves crashing on the beach.

Half past nine came and there was no rain.  Thunder grumbled in the distance but the sky did not weep.  Jess could almost feel the electricity in the air.  When this storm came it was going to be massive.

AC/DC Back in Black played from her pocket, shocking her out of her daze enough that she nearly dropped the dog over the railing onto the sand.  Fumbling for her phone she swore bitterly.

“Hello, David is everything alright?”

“It’s ten, where are you?” He sounded stressed.

“Still down by the beach, I lost track of time.”

“Seriously?”

“Oh I’m sorry, am I keeping you waiting this time?  Shoe’s on the other foot is it?  At least it’s not raining.”  She snapped.

“Ok I deserve that. Where are you, I’ll come down?”

“I’m by marker twelve. See you in a few.”  She stuffed the phone back into her pocket and repositioned the dog in the cradle of her arms.

David approached at a jog, breathless when he arrived, planting a hasty kiss on her cheek before accepting Daisy into his own embrace.

“I was worried.”  He said with gravity.

“You don’t get to lecture me on punctuality, David, you kept me waiting for hours in the rain three nights in a row.”  Jess let her annoyance flow into her tone.

“I said I was sorry!” He pushed back.

“Yeah, let’s just go.”

Jess turned to leave. The lonely man met her gaze with an amused half-smile, he acknowledged her with a slow blink and a nod.  She returned the gesture and looped her hand through David’s arm as they left.  Part way up the pathway lightning crackled its way across the sky and thunder boomed gun-shot loud overhead.  There was a pregnant pause, a long sighing sound of rain rushing over water and sand, before the curtain closed around them and they were soaked.

Jess glanced back at the lonely man.  He occupied her spot at the railing, his hood down now and face up turned to the sky. There was beauty in the sadness displayed there, in the way he sought to connect with something bigger than himself, maybe the rain washed away that which he wished to be free of.

They hurried to the car and were silent on the drive to drop David at home. Jess packed waterproofs in her trunk before turning in for the night.  Her bed just didn’t feel right, almost like it had those first weeks without Will.  She tossed and turned fitfully late into the night.  Sleep was just beyond reach.

[diarheise]

Explore the story behind my personality!

It was Saturday and the wind blows coldly outside in the ***** day of ******* year 200*. The tick-tock-tick-tock of the clock rings and the time says it was eleven fifty six in the evening (11:56 P.M), the daughter of Mr. ****** and Mrs. ****** ****** was born and named the baby “Heidie ****”. I’m a blessing from God for them and I’m proudly to say that I am their first born.

Green grass, fresh air and a wide sugarcane plantation is the place where I lived and grew up. ****** ***, ******** had a special place in my heart because this is my home and where I truly belong. This is my hometown and this place is my comfort zone.

When I was two months old, my grandmother took care of me since my father and mother always go for work. I am Lola’s girl since then until now. I slept in my grandmother’s house even though our house is just few steps away. As time went by, another blessing from God for our family was born and my younger sister named “****** *****” who was just three years younger than me.

All of us in the family are Iglesia Ni Cristo member and proud of our divine election. I am also a church officer where I always fulfill my church duty every Thursday and Sunday. When I have a problem, I always go to the church to pray and let God help me to pass all the struggles I’m facing.

I really love cooking. Since when I was a kid, I always watched my parents cooked our food and eventually it became one of my hobbies. I also love music even though I can’t play any instrument because music feels so good and relaxing when I am perplexed or distraught. Reading and writing poems and stories are one of my favorite things to do when I’m bored. These help me a lot in expressing my thoughts and feelings and these also help in improving my skills that might be useful for me in the future. Photography is also one of my hobbies, I always capture the beauty of nature because it gives calmness and peace for me. Nevertheless, I felt disappointed in terms of behavior when someone is selfish, self-centered and irresponsible. There’s no improvement when they won’t stop in doing these kind of attitudes.

“Let your weaknesses be your potential strengths” is my motto in life because it inspires me even more to fight and overcome my weaknesses and not just easily give up when I can’t do anything I want. Being motivated by my weaknesses help me to do something great and let it be my strength for some reason.

My Childhood memories is really worth-remembering. During Saturday morning, my cousins and I played tumbang preso, Chinese garter, piko and hide and seek. When my grandmother shouted, I run fast going back home because it’s time for our lunch. We ate lunch outside, under the tall trees while fresh air blows. During Sunday, I woke up early to attend worship service and when the time reached 6:00 P.M, I’m going back home from playing because it’s time to watched my favorite kid show “Goin’ Bulilit”. It was great to look back and reminiscing the days when I was a kid, only outdoor games make me tired, only the games make me hurt. No problems, no worries. But now, we grew up and our childhood memories will remain in our hearts forever.

Year 200*, when I graduated in Day Care and I was just four years old that time. The time passed by and I entered a new school who became my home for six years. I was just five years old when I began to study and be one of those Grade one students once I passed the examination given by our principal. Despite of my young age, I can also do what my classmates do. Way back then, I'm also one of the Band Majorettes in school, that's why, dancing becomes my passion but as I grew up and I entered High School, shyness and low self-esteem filled my system and I wasn't able to dance in school again. Age is just numbers and dream is huge from it. Six years in Elementary was fulfilled and 20** when I graduated. Another chapter in my life book ends and a new chapter began.

Junior High School days are really unforgettable. These days shaped my skills and capabilities. ****** National High School has been a home for me where I can look back because this is where I truly found where I am good at. But just like a movie, it has an ending and 20** marked the calendar, it’s time for us to bid our goodbye to our beloved school.

SHS in *** truly challenged me not just only as a student but also as an individual. This is where I showcase my skills and capabilities as a person. From being a shy type person turns to a new me that I thought I couldn’t be in the past. I study hard and strive hard to make my parents proud. I also learned in my senior high school journey that time is really important because every seconds passed, opportunity comes, so, don’t waste it. I know one day, I’m going to wake up and new school welcomes me, this year will be a new milestone in my life. Few months to go and we’ll finally hear “Congratulations Batch 20**-20**” and when that time comes, I could finally say that I survived being a senior high school student and I survived being a Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) student. “I am a Humanista and proud to be one” a quote that will stick in my mind and will mark in my heart.

School days won’t be memorable if I’m alone. These people whom I always get along with plays a special role in my life. They’re one of those people who completes my life as a student. They are *******, *****, ******, ******** and ******, my best friends. We’re together in studying hard for our dreams and we’re together in achieving it.

Here's ****** *********, a person who’s also special in my heart. She’s my best friend for life. I met her when we’re junior high school. We’ve study in different school, I’m on ***** while she’s on ***, but despite of this situations, we find time to bond and get along with each other.

Another person a place in my heart. He’s ****** *****, my guy best friend. Distance really matters that’s why we don’t see each other often. He’s also an Iglesia Ni Cristo member and we only see each other in church activities. Despite of the distance, we always supporting and cheering each other whenever there’s a problem or even achievements.

I’m not here to brag, I just want to inspire someone by saying this, I am a consistent honor student since Day Care. Being an honor student isn’t easy. Pressure is always on top. But for me, failures are great because I know I have my weaknesses and failures thought me not to give up and it creates a lesson that I always remember for the rest of my life. Failure is an experience and we shouldn’t be afraid of falling because chance is always there and we need to stand again after we fall and fight for our dreams.

“Proud kami sayo ng Papa, Ate”, these was the words from my mother when I announced to them about my achievements in school. Tears started to fell in my eyes when I read the message of my mother thru SMS. That time, my mother was in the hospital to take care of my aunt who gave birth to my cousin while my father was on work. Deliberation of card was held and my grandmother was the one to attend because my parents weren’t home. Sadness filled me but that loneliness turned in gratefulness because of those message. I’m not expressive to my parents about my feelings and also they are and these message is truly unforgettable one.

I am an aspiring Psychologist who would like to be successful someday. Nobody knows what our future will be but I'll let God help me decide appropriately according to His will and plan. I would like to be a psychologist someday because I was being depressed in an early age but unlike others I'm not suicidal because I believe life is precious, I just lost myself and not being able to find where I'm passionate at. I thought my life isn't interesting but God lead my way and woke me up from the nightmare of depression. I fully regained myself and confidence again and I would like to help those people who undergo depression and motivate them that there's more to life. I am proud to be a depression survivor and life is a blessing, so, make the most of it memorable. God made us and he will never forsake us in different situations we encounter.

Participating in a church activity is really exhilarating but participating in Worldwide Walk for a Cause held in Roxas Boulevard that got a Guinness Book of World Record is extravagant and being one of those choir members who represent our cluster and compete for the District Chorale Competition is truly a great opportunity for me, a worth-participating event it is! It was really unforgettable not just only for me but also for all the brethren around the world. To God be all the glory!

"We have our own purpose in life but we can't see it immediately, we need to strive hard to look for the main reason why God let us live in this world. We need to persevere to make our life worth-living for. Dream high, soar high and aspire, success is on our way if we endeavor for it."

-Heidie **** *****

[jessiewre]

Day 22

Sun 26th Jan 💜

It’s been a year to the day since we lost Nanny. That’s mad isn’t it. Miss that legend.

Woke up at about 5am because we’d gone to bed too early, but managed to power through and stay in bed till 7am. Phil got up and continued researching his new obsession - a half marathon near Kilimanjaro - and I joined him at 8:30am for Spanish omelette breakfast included in our 25$ a night room. Good deal that init. People say that in London you’re never further than like 5 meters away from a rat. Well thats like me and good deals, there’s always one close by for me to sniff out. Maybe I’m more like one of those pigs and the deals are truffles.

I digress...

The hostel manager was now wearing a chefs coat and I realised he was now the chef. What a multi-talented chap he was. I threw him into a frenzy by asking for salt, pepper, ketchup and chilli sauce, and eventually went into the kitchen myself to assist.

The ketchup was in a huge bucket bottle in the fridge and he gracefully glugged it out into a plastic squeezey bottle that he couldn’t find the lid for. Yum.

Shout out to Stella and Helen who will surely boke at that description of keptchup.

We got bodas to the Woman’s Centre for the recommended walking tour starting at 10am - but there was a big bike race on believe it or not, and so road blocks meant we had to walk the last kilometre. Phil was loving the bike race, I could see his legs twitching like he was imagining himself on a bike that moment, but I soon snapped him back to reality by power-walking ahead to avoid us being super late to the walk.

The sky was rapidly turning a dark shade of grey but Phil assured me that the weather report he’d checked stated that there would be no rain until midday or later.

You may be able to sense where this is going.

We arrived at the Centre and sat in the sofa area for the introduction, and the exact moment the woman began to talk and tell us about the community, the rain began to thunder on the metal roof and no one could hear a word she said. After 10 minutes, the intro finished and the rain actually calmed down a little, but then it went totally crazy again and me and Phil looked at each other like...hmm should we just not do this walking tour.

Another English girl there was thinking the same thing and the 3 of us decided to ditch the tour and head back the next day, while the 3 older people and a young American woman went off in the torrential rain with umbrellas. Umbrella’s are all good and well but I couldn’t see another soul on the streets so I seriously doubted how good a community walking tour would be in this weather. We chatted to the English girl, Esther, and she was ending a weeks work doing research for the Princes Trust who she works for. In a nutshell, she creates programmes for local groups in different countries to integrate technology into their lives to improve their prospects and quality of life. Really interesting! Phil mentioned that she should hang at our hostel later if she wanted as we were planning on trying out the bowling alley on site, and she was really up for that, especially considering she was in Kigali on her own and it was her last night.

The rain eventually calmed down enough for us to jump on a boda and we decided that considering the rain, it would be appropriate to visit the Genocide Museum at this point. We knew we were going to visit it at some point so made sense to be inside during the rain.

We were really hungry though and didn’t want to rush through the museum, so thankfully there was a cafe on site where we had a vege burger and vege panini, both with chips. We decided we’d try and lay off the chips for a while after that meal, it was the chip that broke the camels back.

The Rwandan Genocide museum was a harrowing and necessary visit.

The below information is upsetting, I’ll warn you now.

genocide

noun

noun: genocide; plural noun: genocides

1. the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular nation or ethnic group.

To briefly summarise, the problems began when the country was ‘colonised’ - or should we say if we’re being honest, when the country was invaded against its will. The Germans were first in 1899 then the Belgians in 1916 and then the Belgian’s decided to split the country into three different groups. Ultimately this created a sort of competition between the groups of people that had never existed before and this was what they say sparked the issues in the country. Fast forward to 1994, and the genocide officially began, over a period of 100 days - neighbours were murdering neighbours, friends were murdering friends. Relatives even betrayed each other. By turning people against each other, the ringleaders were able to sit back and watch the killings happen for them.

Being in the country now, its very difficult to imagine it happening, as it feels vibrant, friendly and safe. But the images in the museum leave you under no illusions. People were mindlessly slaughtered, no one was spared - children, pregnant women and men. It was absolutely mind-blowingly horrendous.

The museum talks a lot about how the international community sat back and let it happen, like Rwanda was on another planet that no one cared about. There is obviously a lot of pain from that which was difficult to read about.

But there were also a number of people who put themselves on the line by hiding people in their houses and gardens, saving many lives. Unfortunately, there were not enough of those people and over a million people were killed. They are still uncovering mass graves today.

There were videos playing with interviews from survivors talking about the guilt they feel from being the only member of their family who survived. But incredibly, they spoke about forgiveness and said they would like to forgive the perpetrators if they were willing to ask for forgiveness. They spoke about moving forward with only peace in mind, as this was what would move Rwanda forward in a peaceful way. By seeking revenge, the violence and pain would continue, they said. It’s unbelievable to hear that from someone who watched their innocent young siblings and mother murdered by machete in front of their very eyes. You can’t even imagine what this person has gone through.

One of the most difficult parts of the museum was The Children’s Room. This section had beautiful photos of child victims printed in large portraits displayed around the room, with a small plaque underneath each one with bullet points of information about the child, like:

Name

Age

Favourite Snack

Best Friend


Then the final point for every child was

Cause of death

The descriptions here were detailed and distressing.

Obviously there is a huge amount of detail missing from this account of the genocide and I urge you to have a read about it if you have time and are interested.

We left there after a few hours taking it all in and went to find the Inema Art gallery, as we’d read about it being a really cool artists space that has had a lot of international interest.

It was different to what I expected, as there wasn’t actually a lot of pieces in there - more like a few extremely large pieces, each priced around $5000. So obviously, we bought two and headed off.

Well anyway, some of the artists were there stood near their art in smart clothes and were hoping for a super rich muzungu coming in and buying everything. That was not going to be us, so we thanked them and headed to the cafe for a little coffee.

Not before I asked them if there were any female artists there.

One guy said No, the women in Rwanda seem to stick to the craft-making and THEN he said that even though many are good at art, he thinks they are lacking in passion.

I said Hmm perhaps you means Confidence, not passion.

He was like Oh yeah, maybe that.

Yeah MAYBE THAT mate.

We boda’d back to the hostel and Phil donned up in his gear for a run. Just before heading off, he finally booked himself a spot onto the Kilimanjaro half marathon in Moshi, Tanzania on 1st March. FFS. Better get practicing on my excited supportive girlfriend look then.

Meanwhile I sat in the hostel garden watching videos on how to use Procreate on the iPad. Suddenly realised Phil had been gone AGES and then he rocked up having run like 10 MILES and then said Oh also, I may have tripped over and potentially broken my toe.

He’d taken out his phone to check the map and ended up kicking a bit of metal sticking out of the group, and then he’d fallen over and made a few new cracks on his phone screen (to join the 5 that were already there).

Wicked.

Phil had a quick shower and change while hobbling around on his bad foot (I hear broken toes are brilliant for half marathons), and Esther arrived at the hostel, so we went searching for a restaurant open on a Sunday. After a few fails, we eventually stumbled across a place called Afrika Bite and negotiated the 10k per person meaty Rwandan platter down to 5k each for a vegetarian version for all of us. It was so good! Garlic potatoes, peanut sauce, rice, vegetables, fried banana, salad, plus some ‘fish fingers’ ordered as an extra. Such a welcome relief to eat something local and delicious. Shout out to those who are reading this blog mainly for the food descriptions.

We went back to the hostel to play in East Africa’s 2nd bowling alley (the only other one is in Nairobi!) and Esther made sure she mentioned she had a ‘bad neck’. That would explain her unbelievably bad scoring thats for sure. Ok now to be fair, Phil the physio also advised that she use the heaviest ball available which turned out to be truly awful advise and after a stagnant run of about 2 points in 6 goes, she tried a really light ball - and actually hit some pins! Go Esther.

Can I also mention that this bowling alley had a system where a bloke hidden at the end would organise the pins and reset them for us manually using a kind of lever system. He always managed to move his hands out of the way before the ball struck the pins of course.

Esther headed back to her hotel and we ended up playing basketball on the two hoops game with Desire the manager. Our quick game of ‘How many can you score in 1 minute’ managed to take over our lives for over an hour. My record was 23, Phil’s 24 (he’s taller init) and Desire managed 33 (well, he works there so ya know). Was addictive and super fun and I got the impression Desire will spend the next year working on his pb.

[duchessofostergotlands]

The Countess of Wessex’s fantastic speech at an event for International Women’s Day 2019

Good afternoon and may I begin by wishing you all a happy International Women's Day. Your Excellencies, Minister, My Lord’s, Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for giving up your time today in support of not just International Women's Day, but in particular for the Women, Peace and Security and the Preventing of Sexual Violence Initiative.

The efforts to raise awareness of and support women peace-builders form part of the UK's strategy to implement the UNSCR 1325 WPS commitments, and have placed the UK in a pivotal role of putting more women and girls at the centre of conflict resolution, including encouraging more women peace-builders, female mediators, as well as supporting the survivors of sexual violence in conflict.

As someone who firmly believes in the equality of men and women, I feel drawn to your cause and to do what I can to help raise further awareness of your work.  To help give voice to women and girls who are being denied their fundamental rights as humans and are being subjected to harm and violence as a result of conflict, to promote those who seek to play a part in finding peace, and to support others as they attempt to rebuild their lives. Therefore I am publicly committing myself to doing what I can to champion and support WPS and PSVI and make this a central pillar of my work in the coming months and years.

Since last year I have been attending a number of conferences, meetings and events, and have encountered some extraordinary people during this time. People like yourselves who are devoted to doing what they can to tackle these issues from UK government representatives to the international diplomatic community, from academics to survivors. Whether their role be encouraging governments to do more to prevent violence being used as a weapon of war, or working to bring justice to the survivors of brutality, or supporting the many NGO's and agencies working to help women and girls rebuild and retake control of their shattered lives; the level of effort is widespread, but as yet it is sadly still not enough and we all know that so much more needs to be done.

I have also been fortunate enough to be able to meet 2018 Nobel Prize Laureate, Dr Denis Mukwege, who was here to attend the PSVI International Film Festival on his way to Sweden to collect his prize. Up until then I had been researching WPS/PSVI and trying to gain a better understanding.  There is, however, nothing like speaking to someone, who as a gynaecologist, has treated hundreds of victims of the kinds of rape and abuse that defies belief.  Dr Mukwege painstakingly stitches these women back together and does what he can to care for them.  It is so desperately sad therefore, that many of them end up back at his clinic only months later.

I asked him what the biggest barrier to ending this kind of terror in DRC was... He answered me... The silence.  And this is another reason for holding today's event. We must ensure that the silence that hides pain and suffering is turned into voices of hope and a reason to continue to act.

I know that everyone in this room works tirelessly to push these agendas forward, whether you are here in the UK, or abroad, and I thank you for all of your efforts.  What I have learned already is that working against a tidal wave of conflict, engrained cultural behaviours, disputed boundaries and ownership of valuable national resources, as well as a thousand other reasons for conflict, it is difficult, costly, complicated and slow.

However, I know that none of you here will stop doing what you can to continue to strive for peace, for justice and for each and every survivor of sexual violence and torture. The survivors of conflict whether they be female or male, or a child born of rape, are at the heart of everything we all do and this International Women's Day is an opportunity to fill the silence Dr Mukwege speaks of and loudly pay tribute to their braveness and their hope for a better world.  I look forward to working with you all, to championing these important agendas and to finding solutions.

On Sunday I will be travelling to New York to draw attention to the WPS Agenda and will be attending the Commission on the Status of Women at the UN Headquarters.  Over time I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible as I visit countries engaged in advancing the Agenda and witness first hand the work being carried out on the ground to support the survivors of conflict.  As your work continues, my work begins and I will take my place beside you in this vitally important arena.

It is now my pleasure to welcome Visaka Dharmadasa, Chair of the Association of War Affected Women to give further voice to this community.  And then following Visaka, I welcome Lord Tarik Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for PSVI and someone who I am fast getting to know.  We have seen quite a bit of each other of the past number of months and I am so grateful to him for welcoming me so warmly to work alongside him and his team.

Thank you.

[she-and-the-serpent]

An Invitation to My Kindred Spirits

My name is Katerley. I'm a multiethnic genderfluid woman, a 20-year-old college senior with a double major, and I am a creator. I'm a friend, sister, daughter, wife, and witch.

The labels aren't meaningful by themselves. They do little but cast me into a broad, but slightly smaller, pool of Anybodys. There's nothing wrong with that particular pool, but I want you to know me.

My name is Katerley Villarreal. The beautiful surname is a gift from my adoring, kick-ass husband, Juan. We live together in the Pineywoods of Deep East Texas. He and my younger brother Joshua are putting up a fence as I write this. My brother-in-law Roy is gaming in the living room. We have 5 pitbulls, a grandpa mut named Charro, and 11 cats. Of this massive litter my sole contribution is Artemis, a black cat who is just over a year old, an asshole, and dearly loved.

This is my first professional blog. I represent myself as a spiritual practitioner, writer, artist, and entrepreneur. My graduation plan is eclectic and interdisciplinary (crossing into English, history, creative writing, and anthropology), and many of my interests as a student will be reflected here. But this is not an academic pursuit. This is witch work.

In the brief span of my life, I have experienced poverty, childhood trauma, gaslighting, domestic abuse, rape, bullying, (racial/sexual/gender) prejudice, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, self-harmful behavior, and homelessness (cushioned by the couches of true friends). Stories for another time, but stories you will hear. These experiences have shaped me into a survivor.

But these are also just labels. None of the words above can approximate the depth of suffering I endured. Sitting next to my best friend at my high school graduation, I cried because I never expected to live for so long. Sometimes I still cry because of the deep gratitude I feel to be here now, growing and healing with the support of those who love me.

My past was not without its consequences. In addition to genetic joint problems, eczema, asthma, near-sightedness, and life-threatening allergies, I've recently learned that I have endometriosis. My womb, though sacred, is inextricably linked to a lifelong history of pain and trauma.

So much of my pain is tied to being female, and I've allowed this to fester and grow inside of me. It hurts. I write to heal. I write because I'm tired of surviving, I want to thrive. I write because I want to believe that the Universe is safe for vulnerability, authenticity, and love. I write because I believe that self-acceptance is the only path to peace, and I want to share this journey with you. I write because I believe that we are all sacred creatures, and that many of us are just waiting to wake up to our power. Your time is now.

This blog is for witches, women, young people, gay people, genderfluid people, and people of color. This blog is for people who want to connect with their higher selves and raise the vibration of their life. This blog is for people who need encouragement to keep fighting, striving, and aspiring; those who have been knocked down and still pick themselves up time and time again. Specifically, this blog will focus on spirituality, sisterhood, compassionate service, and the appreciation of beauty. If you seek female solidarity, practical humanitarianism, realization of your divinity, and ways to nurture beauty in your life and the world, I write for you.

I believe in the indomitable Spirit. If you are a woman, a witch, a person of color, an outsider, you've felt the struggle. This blog is a reminder that this world is your heritage, wellness is your human right, and joy is your divine inheritance. This is a reminder that you are a divine expression of the Universe. If you choose to walk with me, you'll read reflections on spirituality and culture, guides for holistic well-being, everything I can find about badass goddesses in history and mythology, and encouragement to uplift you on your quest of eternal empowerment. You will also see personal essays and creative works here. It is my hope that providing a window into my soul will create an honest connection between the two of us, you and I, so that we can heal and grow together. Posts will be published every Sunday at 8 AM, with the possibility for additional posts throughout the week. Feel free to respond.

This blog is more than a professional platform or personal project, it is an exploration of faith. My faith is that we are all one, and that each of us yearns deeply for compassion and connection with one another. We live in a world that has hardened many of us around the edges, and some of us to the core, like mud baked beneath the hot Texas sun. This is not the only way to live. I believe that if I extend my hand to you, you'll extend your hand in return, and we can help one another. I am deeply grateful for comments, questions, critiques, and feedback. It is my hope that as we share our stories and heal together, we can send ripples of love and positivity into the world around us. Are you with me?

The ultimate aim of this blog is to share my self-expression and build a community with people who want to deepen their experience of love and unity in this world. Why should we be divided and hateful just because mainstream media and politicians say so? We can choose a different path. My hope for this blog is that, through gentle whispers, knowing nudges, and some cosmic winks, it will lead you and I to deep spiritual transformations. These transformations, in turn, will free us from our self-punishments and delusions, and help us step into happier, more fulfilling lives. When we heal ourselves, we heal humanity. This blog is the humble foundation for a community of love.

There are more "practical" goals as well. My podcast Queens of Heaven: The Forgotten Women of Mythology will air its first episode January 2020. If you're interested in mythology, history, folklore, and badass women, this podcast is for you.

Additionally, Bricolage (this blog) is one part of a larger project: She & the Serpent.

She & the Serpent is a business as well as an organization-in-development. The website will launch this Sunday (November 10, 2019), and will eventually include features from this blog, pieces about Oneness and the Divine Feminine, access to the podcast, as well as ways to integrate spirituality, sustainability, and activism into your day-to-day life. It will be a resource for personal development, witchy advice, spiritual growth, and collaboration. She & the Serpent will also feature a store. (I'll create an additional post describing my services and products.)

Bricolage and She & the Serpent are ambitious projects with humble origins. These dreams can only come true with your help. If you want to to walk the path together, you're already in the right place. Welcome, Kindred Spirit, and thank you.

[jbk405]

Y’know, this rant’s about ten years out of date, but I’ve got to get it off my chest: I am not happy with the way Stargate Atlantis wrote the defeat of the Ancients by the Wraith 10,000 years ago.  It just doesn’t make sense.

As introduced and explained in “Rising”, the SGA premier episode, the Wraith are supposed to have technology that “rivaled” the Ancients (The Ancients’ own words).  This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s superior -- or even directly equal -- to Ancient technology, since it’s also established that the Wraith had vastly superior numbers in the war with the Ancients, but to say the Wraith ‘rival’ the Ancients then it’s got to be at least in the same ballpark.  However, as shown throughout the series, the Wraith not only aren’t in the same ballpark as the Ancients, they’re not even in the same sport.  They’re so far behind that it’s not like comparing a jet fighter to a prop fighter, it’s like comparing a jet to a glider.

Hell, in some areas the Wraith are even technologically deficient when compared to the Goa’uld, the technological scavengers who were outpaced by modern-day Earth after only eight years of research and development.  Wraith hyperdrives are less efficient and slower than Goa’uld ships, and they seem to lack any frontline military shielding technology.  As we see throughout SGA, an attack that a Goa’uld Ha’tak literally shrugged off without concern in their first attack on Earth (SG1 “The Serpent’s Lair”) is capable of disabling (Effectively destroying) a Wraith Hive Ship in one hit.  There are some areas where the Wraith in fact are more advanced than the Goa’uld, but still....come on.

Much is made in the episode “Underground” of the fact that there are at least 60 Hive Ships throughout the galaxy, which is certainly a threat to the resource-strapped and isolated Atlantis expedition, but once we see how (relatively) weak they are it becomes almost laughable to think that this force defeated the Ancients at the height of their power.  During the Battle of Antarctica in “Lost City” (SG1 season 7) a single Ancient chair platform was shown to be able to destroy thirty Ha’taks in a single stroke, so I cannot help but wonder why sixty Wraith ships should prove at all difficult when you add in the extensive satellite defense network the Ancients were known to possess.  You can also add whatever mobile units they had; with their power I can’t imagine it would take more than five Ancient ships to destroy the entire Wraith fleet.

As SGA continued and this clear preponderance of power became obvious to everyone, even the writers, they started writing in explanations and justifications for how it happened.  They had stories about how the Wraith used cleverness and trickery to out think the Ancients, who had become complacent in their power.  They implied that the Wraith at the time of the war had much greater forces that they have disposed of in the intervening years after resources became scarce.  Ultimately, it was revealed that the Wraith used stolen Ancient technology to rapidly increase their numbers and overwhelm the Ancients unexpectedly.  Etc.  But none of these really work once you examine them critically: Yes the Ancients were arrogant (This is a recurring theme of the series), but the war lasted for over a century; eventually they’re going to lose enough of their overconfident leaders to attrition or even old age and have new blood coming in.  Yes the Wraith may have built down over the past 10,000 years, but unless we’re talking a factor of a hundred then even their heavier forces back then should have been laughable compared to the Ancients.  Yes, they used stolen ZPMs and cloning chambers to rapid-breed footsoldiers, but frankly this is the least-worthy explanation because footsoldiers don’t serve any function in a space war.  As presented, I simply cannot accept the Wraith as having defeated the Ancients in any sort of pseudo-equal confrontation.  Not as a clash between two empires.

What they should have done was never give the Ancients an empire in Pegasus in the first place.

As established in SG1, the Ancients who first came to the Pegasus galaxy were refugees.  A plague had swept through their civilization in the Milky Way (Possibly unleashed by the Ori), and after trying many different pathways to a cure (Including time travel) they realized that they could not prevent their own demise.  Many of their number Ascended in this time, many more succumbed to the disease, and finally the last of them took their cityship and fled.  I bold the word “fled” because it needs to be clear that this was a last-ditch hope to save their lives, practically done in a panic, and they even left behind their own people who had been infected.  This wasn’t a planned colonization or exploration of a new galaxy, this was them staring at their own extinction and trying a Hail Mary pass to save something of their society.  Add this to the way they had already started to Ascend back in the Milky Way, and the Ancients should have already been on their way out when they arrived in Pegasus.

After settling in Pegasus they should have turned their efforts to Ascension en masse as the inevitable next step.  They know it’s possible, and it’s the goal their society has been working towards for millennia.  Now that they’re out of the pressure of the plague threat and imminent death it should have been the focus of their scientific and philosophical development, and precluded the sort of wide-scale settlement and resource exploitation which lead to a galaxy-spanning civilization.  They could still explore space to seek knowledge for knowledge’s sake, and they could still seed stargates and human evolution on planets across the galaxy as a means of legacy and hope to have a successor to follow in their footsteps after they’re gone (They did as much in the Milky Way after the plague using the Dakara device), but why would they build new cities and regrow their population when they’re already in the process of leaving this plane of existence?  They could retain Atlantis itself as their home, a place to pursue Ascension and to guide the younger races in their infancy, but why would they need more?

In this way, when they encountered the Wraith and the war began, it’s not a galaxy-spanning civilization facing the monsters, but the last lingering survivors of a single city.  Without the resources to construct a fleet of Aurora-class battleships, or the population to crew them even if they could build them.  Without the ability to absorb even light casualties or replenish them to learn and adapt to combat.  Already suffering from a bunker mentality since they were  planning to abandon this existence anyway, so they’re hesitant to try any daring or offensive actions.

Now the Wraith vastly outnumbering them makes sense; sixty ships is quite a lot when you only have one or two, instead of a fleet.  The Ancients being unable to adapt to the war or emotionally prepared to accept the bloody costs required makes sense if they’re already a dying people who’re expecting an imminent peaceful end.  In this scenario the Wraith wouldn’t be the species that kicked down the Ancients’ door and beat them up, but would instead be the ones who came and smothered them in their sleep, which lines up very well with the species as we see them throughout Stargate Atlantis.

This wouldn’t just help justify the backstory, it would also explain a lot of individual episode plots as well.  Throughout the series the expedition keeps stumbling across desperate, half-completed, and hastily abandoned off-the-wall scientific gambits that the Ancients were trying to find some way to defeat the Wraith.  Unstable power sources (”Trinity”), exploding tumors (”Sunday”), genetic engineering (”Tao of Rodney”), time travel (”Before I Sleep”), hyperdrive disruption (”First Contact”/”The Lost Tribe”), MiniDrones (”Harmony”), etc.  Given how these all seemed so slip-shod and rushed into service, something which the characters themselves remarked upon, it makes much more sense to think of them as springing from unsupported and desperate research carried out in rushed isolation than as products of a wide-spread and fully-functioning R&D civilization.

If they hadn’t felt the need to hype up the Wraith as THE Big Bad of the franchise, treading very heavily on their legacy as the ones who Defeated the Ancients to emphasize their threat, they could have had a much more logical foundation for the series.  They could have told many of the same stories without any modification, and not strained credulity when this supposedly unstoppable force kept being stopped.   The Wraith still could have been shown as a dangerous and powerful adversary, given credit for overwhelming even the weakened Ancients given just how advanced the Ancients were, just not been sold as having somehow used analogue sticks-and-stones to defeat a nuclear power.

Alas.