#Thess has a family

[thessalian]

Thess vs A Delayed Eulogy

Finished playing Lost Words: Beyond the Page. My bestie was right; it’s sweet and sad ... and for me it was a little too close to home. I mean, I wasn’t there when my grandmother died - I was in no contact mode with my mother at the time and since we moved to the UK, she’s been my primary source of contact with my remaining family in Montreal (the ones that I bother talking to, anyway - still have no intention of talking to my father). But I was there when my grandfather died. I mean, he was apparently my step-grandfather, and not even that since Nanny and Grampa were only married in the ‘common law’ sense of the term, but I still can’t think of him that way. He was the only grandfather I knew, and I only found out that he wasn’t blood-related to me after he died, during the whole mess with his biological daughter and her husband trying to cheat Nanny out of every scrap of inheritance they could. I’m kind of glad of that, to be honest. I don’t think I would have behaved any differently, but he ... well, he was my Grampa.

And I had to watch him diminished and confused and doped out on painkillers. It’s the kind of thing that makes me glad that my mother, and my grandmother, both had their kids young. It was hard enough dealing with that as an adult; I don’t know what I would have been like if it had happened when I was a kid. Then again, I had enough to deal with in terms of my grandparents when I was a kid. They were alcoholics, both of them. It made things difficult when we’d go over to visit when I was a kid. We did that a lot when I was younger, because Nanny and Grampa had a washing machine and dryer, and it was way cheaper to do our laundry there, and let Nanny and Grampa have time with their only grandchild, than to drag ourselves and our laundry to the laundromat. But there was drinking and often there was yelling, and eventually Mum refused to go back except for holidays, somehow scraping together the money for a washing machine of our own. But we still visited; just ... less often.

They lived in a not-great part of the city, in a little narrow apartment with the tiniest patch of ground that I guess was technically a front lawn and a slightly larger patch of gravel in the back that I think even the dandelions refused to colonise. But even with so little ground to work with, even when drunk all the time, my grandparents made a garden. There were cucumber plants and tomato plants and one very lonely rose bush. I contributed a string bean plant one year - I think I’d grown it for a school project or something. Of course, now I look at my own attempts to make a garden when I don’t even have that tiny patch of ground to work with, and I hope they can see it.

They got sober after we left Canada for the US. Went to AA meetings - I know it doesn’t help everyone, but it helped them. I wish they’d been able to do that when we were still living close enough to visit more often than Christmas and Thanksgiving. I wish I’d had more time with them when they weren’t ... you know, volatile. But there was never any question that they loved me, so I guess there’s that. They tried their best. I liked Christmas best, I think, because Grampa would leave the women of the family to snipe at each other over the best way to cook the turkey, and come help me put together whatever “some assembly required” toy I’d got as a gift that year. He was pretty handy in terms of household maintenance, so I’m pretty sure he faked a lot of the grumbling about not being able to do parts of it, just so he could praise me for being able to. “You’d better put this in; my hands are too big and I’ll break it - there you go, see? You’ve got good hands”, that kind of thing. And for my birthdays, Nanny would put together special cakes shaped like animals. She used coconut coloured with food colouring for a lot of the detail work. I never had the heart to tell her I didn’t like coconut. Now I’m more or less okay with coconut, but only in its shredded form. It always makes me think of her.

I guess I don’t really think about them very often. Since we moved farther and farther away, they weren’t so big a part of my life in the day-to-day. Not a part of my life, but a part of my heart all the same. I wasn’t at Nanny’s funeral. I didn’t speak at Grampa’s funeral - I don’t remember if a lot of people did; I spent a lot of the funeral taking care of my Auntie Mickey, who’s intellectually disabled and was very sad and scared and confused, so that Mum and Nanny could grieve in peace. Not that I didn’t grieve. Not that I don’t still. But all they wanted for me was for me to be happy, so I don’t think they’d grudge me not thinking about them all the time. I know they’d be happy that I’m doing better - you know, in myself. I guess it’s hard when you love someone and see them not loving themselves. I guess I wish I could have just ... one more dinner with them. Cook for them; make something for them to eat and enjoy after all the dinners they made for me, with Grampa taking great pains to make sure that I didn’t have to eat turnips (we had a deal - if they didn’t make me eat turnips, I wouldn’t complain about the carrots. I didn’t much like carrots but I hated turnips) or raw onion (he used to put bits of raw onion in the mashed potato and I guess raw onion was too strong for me back then because I didn’t like that either, so he’d take some potatoes out and mash them separately from the servings with onions in; Mum sometimes complained about the effort I was putting them to and tried the “eat what’s put in front of you” thing but Nanny always cut in with, “It’s Christmas;” - or Thanksgiving or my birthday or whatever - “she should have what she likes!”). Show them my balcony garden. Tell them I love them. I know they knew, and probably still know if there is an ‘after’, but sometimes you just want to say it.

I was going to talk a bit more about ... you know, the actual game that kicked all this off? But I’ll do that another time. This is long enough already. But at the end of the day, my grandparents are part of where I came from - the part of me that gardens, and has food as a love language, and knows that you can get better from some things, if you work hard enough and make best use of the available support systems. I guess I don’t miss them often because I didn’t see them often ... well, that and it’s been over two decades since they died. But I guess I still do miss them. Which is good, in a way. Better than letting them be forgotten. So I guess this is kind of the eulogy I never had a chance to give, one way or another.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

True Preachers are God’s Voice Crying to the Church

“The LORD’S voice cries to the city.” – Micah 6:9

Sometimes Christians forget, or disassociate, the preacher with God, and there is a great attempt at making the preaching of the word simply good advice. The Word of God is not simply good advice, the preached Word transforms the soul, and contains everything that Christ gave us for llife and godliness. The biblical mandate is that God’s prophet, herald, messenger, angel or pastor is in fact, God’s mouth. When the preacher preaches God’s word, God is talking to the people. Do you believe this?

In the book of Micah, the prophet by the same name is uncompromising and bold in his delivery of God’s message throughout every chapter. Ministers of God ought to be bold, plain and faithful in their communication of divine truth. Why? They are the mouth of God.

The prophet Micah declares what true worship is in Micah 6:6-8. Though this is God’s message, it is spoken in first person by the prophet here. What should true worshippers say? How should true worshippers think? What do true worshippers do? True worship does not come from living carelessly before the means of grace.

In verse 8 the question must be posed, “what will God be pleased with?” The prophet gives them a theology of walking. The Bible is filled with a theology of walking. Since the time Adam walked in the garden, since the time Enoch walked with God, there has always been a walking to accomplish before God. Justice and mercy equate to walking humbly with God. God loves those who walk humbly with him. God loves to see them reflecting back to him his attributes of justice and mercy in true obedience. God is never pleased with mere outward action. The church must first offer themselves to God, not animals, oil or others. God looks to the heart of the one forsaking his sins, and ordering his conversation before God in a right manner. This requires more than mere superficial worship. The prophet’s message is, “do what is right, and perform what justice requires.” They must perform what God’s righteous character requires.

In all this, the prophet’s voice is the Lord’s Voice (Micah 6:9). Do you, reader, believe that? Most Christians do not believe that. The Lord’s voice, his word, is being preached by Micah. “Hear now what the LORD says,” (Mic. 6:1). God speaks through the preacher. God’s words are communicated through the preacher. “The LORD’S voice cries to the city!” (Mic. 6:9).

The voice of the Lord is in all faithful sermons given by all faithful ministers. The Lord’s voice can be found there. The Lord’s voice cries in such preaching. There is a famous passage of Scripture that compliments this one in Micah. “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe,” (1 Thess. 2:13). The preached word is given by prophets, heralds, messengers, interpreters, elders, pastors, or preachers. These are those who are called and qualified and set apart.

True ministers point people to Christ, the Living Word, the Living Voice of God, in the power of God’s Spirit for the edification of the people of God. And if one is a beloved sheep of Christ’s fold, this is said of them, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me,” (John 10:27). The voice of Christ in this way is a glorious voice, mighty in its operation, dividing the very soul and spirit, of a man, (Heb. 4:12).

What is it to hear the Lord’s voice in the sermons and preaching by true ministers? A true minister is one called of God, confirmed by men, qualified for the task, who preaches plainly, boldly and faithfully what God intended men to hear in his word. Preaching is not sharing. It’s not musing at the pulpit. It is not a theological lecture. The pulpit is not an academic chair. Preaching is not a chain of family illustrations that tickle the ear.

God commands that preaching be done to the ears, hearts, souls and consciences of the hearer. Preaching commands and invites the hearer to closer communion with God that the hearer might experience not only the power of God in salvation, but the immense love of God in Christ for spiritual transformation. Preaching centers on God’s Son Jesus Christ, which the whole of Scripture presses men to have a closer communion with God through Him, in the power of the Spirit. William Perkins, a most famous preacher, said that preaching is, “to preach one Christ, by Christ, to the praise of Christ.” There is found the supremacy of God in redemptive preaching. The minister, prophet, herald, messenger or interpreter, has a job to preach God’s message, His word, from Scripture; and the Scripture alone; nothing else.

A messenger or herald of the word is one sent and commission by God, qualified and able to bear the message that God desires to be preached. Ministers must preach the word. “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching,” (2 Tim. 4:2-4). All men, then, whoever they are, should hear intently and patiently what the messengers of the Lord speak. When bold, faithful ministers herald God’s word, it is a true saying, it is the voice of God and not of man. “The voice of the Lord cries to the city,” (Micah 6:9). The voice of the Lord cries to the church. Jeremiah said, “And I have this day declared it to you, but you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, or anything which He has sent you by me.” (Jer. 42:21). Jeremiah spoke, and equated it with the voice of the Lord. Why? God’s people should hear the crying voice of the Lord in the preaching of all true ministers.

Consider, hearing the voice of the Lord in the message of the minister is of utmost importance to the health and happiness of God’s church.

[panzershrike-pretz]

HYDRA SCARLET-IBIS

Source: x x x | x x x | x x x -> song: Dream

I was a little girl alone in my little world Who dreamed of a little home for me I played pretend between the trees And fed my house guests bark and leaves And laughed in my pretty bed of green I had a dream That I could fly from the highest swing I had a dream Long walks in the dark through woods grown behind the park I asked God who I'm supposed to be The stars smiled down on me God answered in silent reverie I said a prayer and fell asleep I had a dream That I could fly from the highest tree I had a dream Now I'm old and feeling gray I don't know what's left to say about this life I'm willing to leave I lived it full and I lived it well There's many tales I've lived to tell I'm ready now, I'm ready now I'm ready now to fly from the highest swing I had a dream

- About;

- Hydra Scarlet-Ibis Serpens - she/her

Hydra's name came, first and foremost, from the Constellation of the same name, which is one of, if not the biggest of the modern constellations. At first her name was an accident, but I learned that it actually fits her. The biggest star in the constellation, Alpha Hydrae, is a giant orange and it plays it's part in Hydra's actual colloration.

The Scarlet-Ibis bit is because of the bird, who can be seen in the aesthetic board. Her name was actually "Hydra Guará" for a bit, which is the Brazilian name for the bird, but I decided to change it to thess english version and use Guará as a nickname.

Finally, Serpens, which is the surname of the family she comes from, derived from the constellation of the same name.

- Potion maker and nurse

Hydra's role aboard of Blithe is, more or less, the eole of mother and guardian to all it's crew - but besides that, she is also in charge of potion making, cook helperand nurse, working alongside Pangey.

Hydra grew up in a very rich family and learned, since she was young, how to take care of people; it actually spilled into her pirate life after she left her husband to join the crew. Hydra had a rough past and made it her mission so her friends would not go through half of what she did.

- Goddess of Family, of Childhood, of Justice and of Fire

She is one of the most important Gods in the Pantheon of Fantasia, being the first one with who every child has contact as soon as they're born. Hydra is considered a protector os children and of relationships.

Her powers include fire manipulation and fire breathing, which are actually considered good during fights and attacks; she's able to make her whole body catch on fire at will, tho it drains too much energy and requires total cincentration.

Besides that, being and Ymbryne such as Athena, she's able to create time-loops for protection; the lack of training in this area makes them very susceptible to colapsing, so she usually refrains from creating them, unless exztremelly necessary.

Finally, the ability to turn into a Scarlet-Ibis and understand birds. This is useful in its own right - although Hydra's bird form is a bright red, it still can be somewhat good in soying missions or swift getaways.

- Personality

Hydra tries to be the most responsible persin on the ship; she's usually the smarter one, to whom everyone goes to if they have any questions.

Her usually calm and kind demeanor make her the official Terapist(tm) of the crew; it's not her job but she never refuses to help.

Even tho she's always there to help, insecurities and trauma that have build up all her life still inhabit her mind and she usually is caught in some serious self-doubt and the paranoia that she's not good enough pr worthy of anything she has.

- Funfact: Hydra is probably the one that went through the most appearance changes, but her backstory mostly stayed the same since her creation, apart from some extremely tiny details.

- Relationship: -----

Her hair is made of feathers. I love it. A lot :]

[takaraphoenix]

From what I remember from the Chasingverse, I think Percy Junior and Hazel Pandora died before Percy's 100th bday? I still think this remains to be the biggest mystery to date bc I wanna know who Dora's love interest is, how Percy Junior and Dora died, how did Silly eventually become a thing with Jimmy and Basty and it quite makes me curious what happens in your universe next

Let's start this slightly in reverse and do Silly and Jimmy first. The fic that would have told their story would have been Mad Magic, and their section of the fic (it was planned to be three parts, spanning the generations between my next gen and the rebirth generation; I had fics in this vein planned for all the tree branches).

And! I actually put a concrete summary into the document! Yay, me! So I can actually tell you how him, Basty and Silly got together!

Seven years after 'Chasing Fireflies', in 2039. Jimmy di Angelo has had enough of watching his best friend Basty swapping spite with his twin-sister, so Jimmy gets himself a girlfriend too, since that's the trend. Everybody gets girlfriends and boyfriends. But Basty and Silly don't like that Jimmy is now dating Bella la Fey, a daughter of Ares.

Percy Junior died on June 6th 2054, so yes, before his 100th birthday.

I can tell you a bit about Dora, I am very mad that I never took more detailed notes on what I wanted to happen in the story itself, like, plotwise, but I do still have some notes.

Her story, and the story that consequently would have seen Percy Junior's death happen, is called The Quest for Firestorm and it would have resolved around Dora and her questing party.

Dora didn't have a fixed planned love-interest, mainly due to Sam-esque reasons (i.e., Sam Raser was never meant to be a main character, much less to develop a romantic relationship with Trend or Derek, it just all... happened naturally as I got to flesh these characters out more while writing the story, and since I had planned a longer multi-chapter fic to tell Dora's story, I didn't want to lock myself in with giving her a definite love interest and instead let the story tell me where she would lean and who she would be with).

The members include Tom Grace, Cal di Angelo, Eli Raser, Anna & Nick Chase (Luke/Thess' twins), Yuki Murdock (Loki/Blance's daughter), Yone Mikaelson (Marshall/Sara's son), Saphira Foxx (Joe/Nico's daughter), and their satryr guide Chuck Hedge (the only non-OC lol).

Sadly, I am an absolute fool and did not include a summary for this fic. It infuriates me.

What I do remember is that I wanted to reuse the second Great Prophecy for it, in a "what, you thought both Great Prophecies happen within half a year of each other lol no the Giant War wasn't it" kind of way. Hence the name "Firestorm" - the line to storm or fire, the world must fall. The story would have also involved Erebus/Nyx and Hemera/Aether, to stick with the PJO tradition of climbing further up the godly family tree.

[petitabricot]

phil dunphy and "innocent" incompetence

Rewatching modern family and it's shocking to me how Phil Dunphy for a very long time was pushed by MF fans as the ideal husband. At first glance, he is a goofball, kind husband with childlike wonder who helps counterbalance Claire's uptightness and seriousness.

But in reality, Phil is like what many men are expected to be in their married relationships : useless. He is completely useless to Claire, which she brings up all the time : lets her do all the chores, all of the home rearing tasks even though he works so little he might as well be a stay at home husband. Him being so childish and refusing to enforce boundaries with his own children by acting like an adult is a very funny joke for a sitcom, but if it were real life it would make Phil a terrible husband, father and a complete burden on Claire who now has to take care of her husband's incompetence on top of raising her 3 children. If you've ever been in a situation where you had to work with someone else, but the other person doesn't know how to make themselves useful, so you have no choice but to micromanage them, then you KNOW how exhausting that is, even more so than doing it alone.

And before people "it's just a sitcom, it's not real" I KNOW. But there are so many people who watch this show and genuinely believe that Phil is great. I read a post raising the same concerns as me, and people were like "Phil is clueless, so he's harmless" and honestly something sparked in my brain. Women are always expected to forgive men's complete incompetence because they are "clueless". Running a household is after all a woman's task, and men can't be expected to ever learn how to do it, even if they're married with 3 kids. So women need to just happily accept the heavy burden, and accept to deal with a manchild as a husband. Not only do they have to accept this burden, but they should be grateful.

As if that alone wasn't enough, Phil constantly disrespects Claire. The fact that people (and that includes me on first watch), think his behaviour towards his own wife is funny is telling. He is constantly disrespectful of her, openly flirting with other women and openly crossing the line, such as staring at other women when his own wife is talking to him or hesitating when others flirt with him. And people say "oh but it's normal to still be attracted to others when you're married!" but there's a complete difference between attraction and his sleazy behaviour. That's what annoys me so much, not Phil Dunphy who is a gimmick character, but people who are insisting his behaviour is totally acceptable and that's just what a normal, healthy marriage looks like. The whole show, Phil belittles Claire, jokes about her uptightness even though she has to be strict because she literally gets no help, even makes a "marriage is prison" joke (which Claire does call him out on it), he has the most divorced dad energy I've ever seen. And yet people expect women to see him as a perfect cute baby husband who is harmless, and not what he actually is, a grown fucking man.

I keep thinking about how many of my girlfriends dated incompetent, lazy, dependent and pathetic men and excused their behaviour saying "oh no he just doesn't understand thesse things!" "yeah he forgot my birthday for the 3rd time in a row but you know how he is!" "oh yeah i hate it when he does that but you know how guys are!" Women constantly give men the benefit of the doubt (while never offering women the same benefit) and they use it to get away with being more useless.

This just sums up a big problem I have with dating. Women from birth to adulthood are raised into being the perfect wives and eventually the perfect mothers. I mean just look at the women in MF, Claire, a perfect household leader who takes care of everything that needs to be done for her family while her husband gets away with being a disney dad, and Gloria, the hot trophy woman who giggles and makes snarky replies when her husband throws racist or objectifying comments at her. They have created fantasy stereotypes of what a woman should be like that caters to men (all while denegrating said fantasies), but have never done so for men. Men are not, and have never been taught to be good husbands and fathers. The few advice they get on this does not come from women, or with women's needs in mind, but from other men, with the idea of impressing other men down the line.

[fantomcomics]

What’s Out This Week? 3/1

Marching into March with a bevvy of b-e-a-utiful new books!

All Night & Every Day #1 One-Shot -  Ray Fawkes & Andrea Frittella

It's time to party! While celebrating is the last thing grief-stricken introvert Michaela wants to do, her friends drag her out for the night and end up trapping her in a hellish curse: a party that never ends, with no way to escape...not even by dying!

Now she must navigate the labyrinth of the legendary Banquet Hideous all on her own and learn its terrible secrets before she is consumed forever!

And We Love You #1 -  Fell Hound & Angela Wu

In the throes of a violent dystopian war, a young soldier perishes on the battlefield and begins to bleed out all her memories. Mixing heart wrenching emotions with stunningly gripping visuals, this is the tale of one woman's life, death, and the love which transcends both. A brand new epic from the world of the Ringo-nominated Commander Rao!

Buffy The Last Vampire Slayer Special -  Casey Gilly, Joe Jaro & Ario Anandito

It's been 4 years, and Buffy, Angel, and Thess have been living in relative peace as a dysfunctionally cozy family. But nothing can last forever... Tara might not be dead, but they're losing hope for her staying among the living, and strange new vampires have been sighted.

To get to the bottom of these unfolding horrors, our gang will have to head underground... and face the horrifying true cause of the decline in vampire activity!

Deadfellows #1 -  Kody Hamilton & Ramiro Borallo

Pete Miller has just gotten out of his two-year relationship, reeling from the chaos of it all without friends or family around. As he moves into his new awful, one-bedroom apartment Pete attempts to take his own life, but is stopped by a benevolent ghost. Moved by the kindness of this supernatural stranger, Pete sets out to bond with this ghost at all costs-but he quickly learns he doesn't understand the paranormal or their intentions.

Demon Slayer: One-Winged Butterfly GN -  Aya Yajima & Koyoharu Gotouge

Shinobu and Kanae ask Himejima to teach them how to slay demons. After he refuses, they must complete the impossible task of moving a giant rock to convince him to introduce them to trainers. In other tales, Zenitsu tricks Inosuke into helping him dig a hot spring under Uzui's training, Mitsuri grapples with her reason for becoming a Demon Slayer, Genya discusses his family with Sumi, the Hashiras try to make Tomioka smile, and Kimetsu Academy forms a rock band-much to Shinobu's chagrin!

Hunt. Kill. Repeat. #1 -  Mark London, Francesco Archidiacono, & Marc Deering 

It's Kill Bill meets Clash of the Titans in Hunt. Kill. Repeat. The all-new, action packed series by Mark London (Battlecats, Knights of the Golden Sun). When the Greek gods invade Earth, society is quickly forced to comply with their new rulers.   However, one god, Artemis, rejects her brethren's ideology and has found solace in the love of a mortal. When she is called to Olympus to answer for her betrayal, the gods strip away her godly powers and leave her for dead. Now, ten years later, Artemis is on a quest for revenge to confront her father, Zeus, for taking away everything she ever loved.

Phantom Road #1 -  Jeff Lemire & Gabriel Hernandez Walta

Dom is a long-haul truck driver attempting to stay ahead of his tragic past. When he stops one night to assist Birdie, who has been in a massive car crash, they pull an artifact from the wreckage that throws their lives into fifth gear. Suddenly, a typical midnight run has become a frantic journey through a surreal world where Dom and Birdie find themselves the quarry of strange and impossible monsters.

Nayra & The Djinn GN -  Iasmin Oma Ata

Nayra Mansour feels anything but at home in her New England boarding school. There's the constant pressure from her strict family, cruel bullying from her classmates, and exhausting friendship demands from Rami, the only other Muslim girl at school. Nayra has had enough. Just when she's considering transferring schools to escape it all, Marjan appears. As a djinn, a mythical creature in Arab folklore, Marjan uses their powers and wisdom to help Nayra navigate her overwhelming life. But Marjan's past in the djinn realm is fraught with secrets, guilt, and trouble that have a way of following them all the way to the human realm. And so they must face what they've done before Nayra is pulled into the mess they've made.

Muros Within Magic Walls: The Case Of The Cemetery Girl GN -  Paolo Chikiamco & Borg Sinaban

Manila-the walled city recently freed from a dictator's iron-fisted rule-is a magical metropolis where monsters flit and feed along neon-lit streets. In this noir-tinged dystopian graphic novel, the capital exists in an alternate reality where myth and fantasy collide. A one-armed Taga-Sagot-a gatherer of information, an answerer of questions, a fount of knowledge-is charged with finding the missing "daughter" of a small-town mayor lost amidst the temptations of the open city, now a den of pleasure districts and corruption. In a city now governed by the mysterious Societies, tensions between the human and nonhuman inhabitants are about to hit a breaking point.

Why Are You Like This: An ArtByMoga Comic Collection - Meg Adams

Finally, comics that answer life's most pressing questions: Is my partner actually upset or just hangry? Whose turn is it to remember the reusable shopping bags? Is it appropriate to put up Halloween décor two months in advance? (Spoiler alert: Yes. Yes, it is.) From the joys of marrying your best friend to the bizarre musings of a twelve-pound pup to the humor and heartbreak of anxiety, Meg's all-too-relatable comics leave no stone unturned.

We’re All Just Fine HC -  Ana Penyas

This heartfelt graphic biography is a tribute to the artist's grandmothers and a generation of women who quietly soldiered through over forty years of Fascist rule in Spain.

Artist Ana Penyas's grandmothers Maruja and Herminia live alone in their respective Spanish towns, largely neglected by their children and relatives, who never visit. But when Ana comes to see them, she realizes that these women, whose day-to-day existences now seem mundane, experienced firsthand an incredibly tumultuous and fascinating period of Spanish history.

In We're All Just Fine, Penyas weaves the memories of her grandmothers to craft a narrative quilt that pieces together what it was like for women to assimilate to Spain's dramatic political and cultural shifts in the late 1970s and '80s. The sudden transition from the authoritarian, repressive Franco regime to lively and liberating democracy was at once incredibly freeing but also destabilizing for women used to their traditional roles as dutiful housewives.

Through this intimate lens into her grandmothers' daily struggle - of their silence, the small acts of rebellion, and great gestures of resilience - Penyas gives voice to an entire generation of "invisible'' women whose stories have rarely been told. Combining collage and rough-hewn pencil drawings, and mixing past and present, Penyas offers a decidedly feminist tribute to the forgotten lives and legacies of her grandmothers.

We Live HC Vol 1 -  Roy Miranda & Inaki Miranda 

The year is 2084 and the world has changed. Wracked by calamities and crawling with monsters, the last remaining humans face a dangerous existence. And now, the Earth has been sent a message from the deepest reaches of space - a dark countdown to the extinction of all humanity. But there is hope! Five thousand children will be rescued by these mysterious message-senders. This is the journey of Hototo, one of the lucky five thousand - but only if his teenage sister, Tala, can safely deliver him to the nearest Beacon before time runs out.

Storyboarding For Visions Of Wim Wenders HC -  Stephane Lemardele

In 2014, storyboard artist Stéphane Lemardelé began work with legendary filmmaker Wim Wenders (Paris, Texas; Wings of Desire) on his newest project, the emotional Every Thing Will Be Fine. The opening scenes Stéphane worked on would become some of the most renowned of the film, but it was the relationship he built with Wenders that would truly change him. Through this graphic novel memoir, Stéphane captures not only the production of this film but moments of artistic reflection from Wim himself as he ponders the trajectory of his career and evolution as an artist, and the use of film as a tool to examine our own humanity. This book is a rare peek behind the curtain for all fans of cinema, featuring actual storyboards from the production.

Red Zone #1 (of 4) - Cullen Bunn, Mike Deodato, Lee Loughridge & Razzah

Randall Crane, an unassuming American professor of Russian and Slavic Studies at NYU, is called in by the US government for a secret international mission back to Russia, where his long-buried secrets come to light. When his support team of commandos is ambushed and killed, it's up to Randall to fight his way out of Russia using his "particular set of skills."

Wildheart: The Daring Adventures Of John Muir GN - Julie Bertagna & William Goldsmith

The exciting life story of John Muir-who sailed to America as a boy and ended up changing the world; told for the first time in a graphic novel. John Muir led an adventurous life, starting with his wild and playful boyhood in Scotland to his legendary exploits in America, where he became an inventor, a global explorer, and the first modern environmentalist; and even became friends with a president! His heart was always in the outdoors and he aimed to experience all he could. Most importantly, though, John Muir told the world about the wonders of nature. His words made a difference and inspired people in many countries to start protecting planet Earth-and they still do.

Whatcha scooping up to start the month, Fantom Fam?

[albertfinch]

HOW TO PRAY FOR YOUR CHILD

1. Pray NOTHING hinders your child from accepting Christ as his/her personal Savior early in life. (Matthew 19:14)

2. Pray your child learns to know God and will have a deep desire to do God's will for his/her life. (Psalms 119:27,30,34,35).

3. Pray child hears stories from the Bible that will be a basis for his/her decisions throughout life. (Ecclesiastes 12:1, Psalms 71:17).

4. Pray child will-develop a keen sense of right and wrong and that he/she will truly abhor evil and cling to that which is good. (Psalms 139:23-4).

5. Pray child will increase in wisdom (mentally) and in stature (physically) and in favor with God (spiritually) and man (socially). (Luke 2:52). This prayer covers his/her total development to his/her full potential.

6. Pray that child will develop a thankful heart and a positive mental attitude. (Psalm 126:2-3, Romans 8:31)

7. Pray that God protects your child from Satan in every area of his/her life. (John 17:55, Psalm 121)

8. Pray that God would destroy the enemies in his/her life whether they be weaknesses, lying, selfishness etc. (Psalms 120:2; 140).

9. Pray that God would make him/her successful in the work God has for him/her to do. (Psalm 118:25, 139:9-10)

10. Pray he/she have a strong sense of belonging to a family that is loving and dwells together in unity (Psalms 133, Colossians 3:12-14).

11. Pray he/she will respect authority. (Romans 13:1, Ephesians 6:1-4).

12. Pray that his/her entire life will be a testimony of the greatness and love of Christ. (Phillippians 2:15-16 Thess 5:2-3)

[carolap53]

Why Work?

TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2 by Os Hillman

01/29/2024

"For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread." (2 Thess. 3:10-13 NKJV) Jesus probably spent most of His life working in His family's carpentry business. We know almost nothing of His youth from adolescence until He began His public ministry at about age 30. But we know that His father was a carpenter (Matt. 13:55) and that Jesus also practiced the trade (Mark 6:3). Carpenters worked with wood, metal, and stone to produce furniture and farm implements, and constructed houses and public buildings. Jesus may have continued His occupation even after He began to teach and travel. Rabbis (or teachers) of the day commonly spent anywhere from one-third to one-half of their time working (most likely with their hands) to provide for themselves. And while Jesus' opponents, many of them rabbis, attacked Him on numerous grounds, they never accused Him of laziness or freeloading. Indeed, He was known to them as a carpenter.[1] That reputation passed on to the early church. Paul tells the Thessalonians that anyone who has an ability to work should do so. It is God's mandate for every believer and is the place where we can best express the nature of God in everyday life. Our work allows us to demonstrate integrity. Our work allows us to provide for our families and others in need. Our work allows us to often connect with non-believers. Our work allows us to live out His calling upon our lives. Our work allows us to experience His power in the midst of daily challenges. Our work can be a place of worship when we do it with a motive to glorify Him. Today, view your work the way God views your work. It is your primary call.

[superjakethegreat]

Chosen to be Holy

January 12, 2024

“But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.”

2 Thess 2:13

There is the impartation of righteousness, as well as the imputation of it; and the impartation of it is the communication of a divine nature to the soul. Have I one grain of holiness in myself? Not one. Can all the men in the world, by all their united exertions, raise up a grain of spiritual holiness in their hearts? Not an atom, with all their efforts. If all the preachers in the world were to unite together for the purpose of working a grain of holiness in one man’s soul, they might strive to all eternity—they could no more by their preaching create holiness, than by their preaching they could create a lump of gold.

But because, by a gracious act of God the Father, Jesus is made unto his people sanctification, he imparts a measure of his own holiness to them. He works in them to will and to do of his own good pleasure; he sends the Holy Spirit, to raise up holy desires—in a word, he communicates a nature perfectly holy, which therefore loves holiness, and has communion with a holy God; a heavenly, spiritual, and divine nature, which bathes in eternal things as its element, and enjoys spiritual things as sweet and precious. It may indeed be small in measure; and he that has it is often exercised and troubled because he has so little of it; yet he has enough just to know what it is.

Has not our soul, though what we feel to be a defiled wretch, though every iniquity is at times working in our heart, though every worm of obscenity and corruption is too often trailing its filthy slime upon our carnal mind—has it not felt, does it not sometimes feel, a measure of holiness Godwards? Do we never feel a breathing forth of our soul into the bosom of a holy God? Heavenly desires, pure affections, singleness of eye, simplicity of purpose, a heart that longs to have the mind, image, and likeness of Jesus stamped upon it—this is a holiness such as the Lord of life and glory imparts out of his fullness to his poor and needy family.

[thessaliah]

You know, I feel you. Some of kids of the new fandom sound like entitled morons. The code-nonsense I just read made me barf.

By kids I mean you. A 22 years old trying to pass themselves as an old fan. Lmao. I couldn't hide my shock when someone linked me to read your arrogant post attempting to pass yourself into a BNF of old yore. No babe, back off. All you address is old, good or bad, you're not a ship police, you are a nobody. A regular fan the same as everyone else. But let me introduce myself, also a fellow fan.

Hello there. I'm Thess, former administrator of all the livejournal Hellsing communities, former ringleader of all the Hellsing roleplayer community in yahoo (oooold shit), former writer with more than 100 fic under my belt (which got awarded and voted by the community and won prizes), former mod and part escalator of the Band of Hawks and other forums, and an original member of the FIRST Hellsing forum in English (formerly localed in hellsing.nu). All those shiny Young King Ours magazines? Were scanned by us, one of my friends, Taylor, owned them and shared them. I was friends with Erin of Shine too. We used to make cooperative Round Robins among all fanfic writers, we used to give giftship, we used to cooperate with artists to do mutual art-fic project frequently too.

You don't know shit. You weren't there waiting the new manga release, speculating, arguing, gushing month by month, all these ten years Hellsing run. We left once it was over. Then you came I guess.

I come from a pre-pixiv era, if you didn't know, most japanese Hellsing fanart was made in personal websites, collected in webshrines. And it was always AlucardxIntegra >>>>>>> PipxSeras >> AlucardxSeras >>>>>>>>>>> other ships popularity wise. Something incredibly novel because seinen manga and works of the era (Trigun and Trinity Blood later) had more yaoi domination. Alucard and Integra was just so amazing that all yaoi fans liked it better than the boring BL options of Hellsing. Also a phenomena noted in the Hellsing guidebook, officially published by YKO. ;)

I am The Original Integra Hellsing fangirl. Claimed her all around social media back in the day which was before Hellsing finished. Hells, my handle was SIR HELLSING lol. The person who guessed Alucard was coming back and was going straight to Integra's bedroom when he does when nobody thought so and later bowed to my actual literacy skills. Because I knew Hellsing was a tribute to Dracula, not just as novel, but as a franchise. I recognize the cliches Hirano was subverting to give the Count his happy ending.

If you call yourself a "cop", I was the Fandom Mafia Donna who literally ran a community to criticize and help fanfiction with challenges and scores (targeting those who bashed Integra because she was "in the way" of their Alucard ship). We had a good system back then, we were bitchy and ate our own. You wouldn't have survived as soon as you spouted that you shipped IntegraxSeras and AlucardxAndersen and tried to tout it as a canon sticker (no issue with those pairings, my friend Jade/DreadNot was and still is the biggest and best writer of AxAA but she knew it was a fanship; and I've written gift fic). You would have gotten laughed at and made a laughing stock.

Let's see... you are against AlucardxIntegra and AlucardxSeras? Oh shit. I might be against the later as notp, but that's bullshit to pretend is some new fan thing (even with the kissy mushy aspect, it's an old tradition, while the other pairings? Newer). This fixation with yuri and yaoi, on the other hand? Clearly a product of this new fandom. AxI vs AxS are the original SHIP WAR. The one that burned and dedicated threads of Hellsing.nu forums to argue against one or the other and you, a literal who fledgling is trying to speak about them? For real? Of course, AlucardxSeras has family-element, but so is your precious IntegraxSeras. Integra acts like her mother surrogate and is even clear in Romancia where she scolds her as she does with a child. Seras' arc, in the manga, is to follow her father figure steps (Alucard), and protect her mother figure (Integra) because she failed to do so in her childhood trauma. That's basically it. She got adopted now by Hellsing. She's the daughteru. You're just taking out of context a lame scene by otaku to titillate them as something that supports a ship. It's ok, but you're using ammo against AxS while ignoring that interaction you ship (with Integra) is also found family to Seras.

Her love interest, the couple "everyone is envious of", is Pip Bernadotte. You can't even write Seras after his "death" without Pip because he's part of her and cannot part at all as a "Combination". And there is still Gonzo show AlucardxSeras which is as canon and part of a "love triangle" officially with AlucardxIntegra even if it's in the loser side.

Hirano, in the Hellsing guide, already declared AlucardxIntegra and SerasxPip are the ships his manga stuck with from the beginning, dismissing the possibility of AlucardxSeras. But see that? It's always those three considered and addressed when they speak on pairings. No AlucardxYour guy of choice, or IntegraxSeras, because they are fanships without real authorial intent or substance that simply aren't even considered in the first place when he began to write the thing. He did choose to not go the AxS direction. If you want to play canon sicker and ship police as you do, you need to acknowledge that your preferences (sans HeinkelxYumie) are beneath AxS in the canon scale.

Don't even make me start on the bullcrap with Integra you brought up. Integra isn't meant to be androgynous (neither is Rip!). She's written straight out Hirano's fetishes and he gets mad when people assume she's androgynous or manly. He just finds girls in suits and with glasses and long hair hot. Rip and Integra are his taste, rather than Seras. You can say that to you she is, but framing it as authorial intent is bullshit. He has no problem to admit Alucard's not male (yes! he said so! Alucard was originally male but after his transformation he/they lose that grip of gender) and Heinkel is intersex, but the idea of anyone trying to pass Integra, his beloved waifu, as manly or androgynous makes Hirano angry. He even chose the VA of the Gundam character he has a crush on as Integra's VA. And declared her as his waifu. And won't even touch your mischaracterization of her and why she stabbed herself in the anime. The ending of both anime and manga are meant to be ambiguous of her choice because it could go either way. All old Integra fans know this if you properly have a grip of her character and notice what she wants (both in anime and manga, that are different things). But you do not have that, huh?

Tone down your arrogance and know your place. It's fine to like a fanship, and you can do it without shitting on canon ships (and try to literally pull "canon" on these while not thinking yours are absolutely outside the canon interpretation - SerasxAnyone is no go after she drinks Pip's blood because she's Pip and Seras, it'll always be a threesome unless you AU it. Period). It's fine to have the "Integra won't become a vampire" interpretation as long as you know she also can become a vampire and is as valid. Be self aware please! When your interpretation (and that "coded" new fan nonsense lmao) clashes with authorial intent, propping it as totally canon-follower is ick. No issue if it's our preference.

Also stop being so full of yourself and call yourself an "old" fan because us, the real old fans, don't claim you.

Buh-bye.

Hey op just curious what makes you hate the new Hellsing fanbase. As a fellow Hellsing fan I was wondering if I’ve completely missed something strange going on lately.

The new Hellsing fandom honestly irks me because of the surface level probing of the source material*. Yes, to most it's a hard core, dark, violent, mad and bad-ass anime but, like I've said so often, for so long on this dumb blog, it has the BEST female characters I've ever seen, recently rivaled by Arcane. Incredible depiction of platonic relationships and morally grey characters. To me, it's primarily a found family story, among other things.

The side characters are incredible, Yumi and Heinkel are the most underrated of the show. I mean come on priest and nun lesbians (lesbian used liberally). Heinkel is confirmed by the author to be an INTERSEX HUMAN. Alucard shapeshifts into a female (which, looking at the Devilman fandom, everyone took for an obvious trans metaphor, why not here?). The source material is as homoerotic as it can get between a lot of the characters (the tension between Sir Integra and Seras during the blood scene). Let's not forget Rip van Winkle, Pip, Walter, and Alexander. Alucard's teasing, Seras' naivety and subsequent maturity, Pip's endurance and playful wittiness. These characters and relationships are stuck in my head forever, they're all incredibly unique, fleshed out and worth remembering, no matter how short a time they spent on screen. And the character designs? As a long-time vampyr and catholic guilt fan, can I just say. Rawr. This show shaped how I dress like irl and my own shitty characters, as well.

Sir Integra is my favorite character of the show and one of all time. Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing. Like, an actually good depiction of a no-nonsense, androgynous as hell, unabashedly commanding (dare I say) woman? And it's played completely straight? No "Whaaa that's a woman?" every 2 seconds or "heh, you will listen to me despite my womanhood" from her. Powerful in her own right despite being the few "magic"-less humans of the series. 0 sexualized Ultimate scenes (sorry Seras and the "hot down there" comment doesn't count, that was banter). She was fucking knighted by the Queen of England before she was even 25, hence Sir Integra. Canonically bi-racial and South-Asian. I'm not even going to go into her character's willpower and values but. Hellloooo??? 

Not to mention, something noteworthy about the series, but Hellsing works because Hirano made time for silly moments. I mean, hell, one of the scenes I remember most vivdly was the gag of Heinkel lighting Sir Integra's cigar and being mega-pissed about it during the final battle, it's funny yet in character, despite many fans saying the humor throws you out of the "reality" of the show.

Oh no, but what do the new fandom gremlins talk about? "Alufart rails Y/A" "OMG VLADCARD'S BARA HAIRY TIDDIES I WANNA RUB MY FACE AGAINST THEM" (you know who you are) “I drew the most fucked up version of Alucard I could think of in my twisted mind”

and my personal "favorite":

"omg 🥺 what if intewa and alucard kisswdd", it's almost as bad as Seras x Alucard.

Unfortunately, I am a part of the ship police, so I'm gonna say right now that these two are my most hated ships:

1) Sir Integra and Alucard's relationship goes beyond romance to me. Since none of the new fans know the lore, Sir Integra is and will die a virgin (canon), it's literally plot relevant because by having sex, if she gets bit she will become a zombie slave (obvious but apparently needed to be said) and, taking a note from the 2001 anime, gone is any chance to continue the Hellsing mission. If she was bitten, plot armor aside, she'd have to off herself instead of becoming a vampire. (and for you freaks out there/pos, dare I say… ace representation? you can argue about desire and subtext later)

2) Seras and Alucard's relationship was specifically noted by the author to be a father/daughter dynamic, which is kind of obvious in the show. Like I said, fundamentally a found family series. Yeah, you don't need to treat found family like family family but I gen can't stand this ship.

I know that people will ship characters who've never been in a room together before. I can't stop people from shipping them and these two ships have ALWAYS been popular in the fandom. I typically ignore this and, yes, "don't like, don't interact" is my main rule. However, new fans ONLY talk about this stuff. None of the rest of the show seems to matter, just Alucard's hairy mustached tig bitties and him fucking one of the two women in the main cast. Or someone's self insert.

((tangent but personally my favorite ships are Alexander x Alucard (obviously in an enemies to enemies way), Heinkel x Yumi, and a romance only Seras x s.Integra. Like, you want old women yuri??? There ya go! They were in a mansion for like 30 years (I forgot) together, probably going missions alone and sharing their grief over Alucard and their unique experience/history. Like I said, I can't help who people ship, I'm not trying to say the source material is in favor of my ships or "how dare people interpret these obviously gay characters as straight". like no, that's not why I'm upset and ik alucard and alexander weren't yaoi-ing it up but like. alucard and s.integra shippers dni /j))

Not to mention, I couldn't help but notice, despite this information being readily available to my middle school self, no one knows the fckn lore or background of this show?? I honest to god saw someone comment that Hellsing Ultimate™ was a bad “remake” because it diverged from the original anime.

Here's SOME fun facts:

-the 2001 version of the show has a different ending than the manga because it wasn't finished yet (duh). Hellsing Ultimate is "soooo short" because production took almost a decade and it was trying to be a faithful, well-animated (that takes time bruv) adaptation. Oh, and a bunch of directional changes that I won't get into.

-there are multiple OVAs following Walter's youth in WW2 (Hellsing: The Dawn). Young Walter's design honestly was one of my favorites from the series so. Walter enjoyers. Check it out.

-there is a bonus book explaining a lot about the characters and process of creating Hellsing written by Hirano himself. whenever I got a hold of it, though (8+ years ago) there was no English translation.

-Alucard didn't just transform into a girl that one time, he was in his girl form the entire time during WW2 (hence why when people mention his possible affair with the Queen it might've been a sapphic thing but I think that mostly stems from the abridged series. the queen thing not the girl thing)

-Hirano used to be a Hentai mangaka and actually designed many of Hellsing's characters in said hentai or in short stories (such as Crossfire, it's basically extra, non-canonical Hellsing content) beforehand. Which, this used to be the most popular "fun fact" but has been lost to the sands of time now, so prepare for a lot of people rediscovering this.

-personal lore is I almost named myself Rip van Winkle bc of this show (quirked up Portal, Grell Sutcliff, queer-coded, rifle-wielding shawty)

Anyway, to sum it up, I hate when people don't interpret characters in the same way I do. Yes, I am a bad “fandom elder”, idgaf I am fundamentally a hater.

*I keep seeing this happen with old shows that resurface. Unlike newer or more popular shows where every scene gets scoured, characters who showed up for one scene get analyzed, and endless cafe AUs are made- older shows mostly get fan art of the main charas and the ships of the two hottest characters and that's it. Discussion of lore and themes are completely off the table. So I'm not surprised, just disappointed.

[thessalian]

Thess vs TLOVM S3, Ep 2

Right. I've had nap. I've had toast. I'm still tired. But I am going to do another episode of TLOVM, even if I'm being slow about it because new eps don't drop until Thursday and I don't want to spend too long going, "Is it Thursday yet?", even if that is the CR catch-phrase.

"You never bothered to ask." I don't know why that hits me so hard, but it does. Possibly because it highlights how Percy was so blinded by trauma, fear, and anger that he just took what was offered and barely even remembered that it came from somewhere outside, whereas Ripley went into that bargain with her eyes wide open. It definitely highlights that Ripley is not the sort of person whose mercy you want to be at, because she has less of it than "No Mercy Percy" does.

That whole opening just highlights exactly why Taliesin winces every. Single. Fucking time someone in Exandria pulls a gun.

"Believe me; I've tried--" Gilmooooooooooore ... what did you do? If you're trying coquettish winks at the Hand of Ord, it's because you did some shit. ...That or you tried to get one into bed and you're talking about your famous charm falling flat for once, which you would never do, so-- No. No. Focus on the current bisexual disasters running around Marquet.

...OMG. Ripley's a NRA nut. And the picture she's painting is basically the USA right now. ...Which is not a good thing. Because, Ripley, that force you're talking about someone overwhelming? THEY COULD BUY GUNS TOO.

...That was hesitance and I don't like it. But the twins figuring out crime with the ranger/rogue combo is awesome.

Yeah. That was hesitance. J'mon sa Ord is not stupid. Then again, considering who and what J'mon sa Ord is, they couldn't be. I mean, even without certain parts of the what, you don't rule someplace like Ank'harel if you're stupid.

OMG SCANLAN YOU ARE SUCH A DAD. Without the right as yet to make that kind of brag, but ... you're Scanlan.

...Yes, Kaylie. LITERALLY.

Oh, Percival, you'd better have a plan to wreck shit up while no one's looking.

"Asshole even ripped off my font" OMG.

N'awwwwww Vex! Wait. This might be the instead of the huge fight that killed Percy that one time. It makes sense; Percy's grabbed in the place of the help Ripley hired, we don't have the issue about bringing in Kynan or the whole Allura / Kima thing, they still get Cabal's Ruin at the end of it, and...

Wait. In the campaign, the Plate of the Dawnmartyr was already in the Hells. Is Percy about to wreck up Ripley's plans by sending Orthax and the Plate to the Hells?!?

I have to watch the bisexual disaster Scooby-Doo gang if I want to find that out.

This ... is so Grog. And ... this is how GROG gets the intel they need. Okay, I love this.

See, Season 1 Grog felt infantalised. It feels like Grog's characterisation got closer to how Travis originally played him the more involved Travis got in the writing. ...I wonder if that's why he got more involved in the writing. I guess I would, in his shoes; "Fine! I'll write the loveable idiot myself!"

Aaaand that's where that sneak peek comes from. I've seen this.

He tells Kaylie she's his only family ... but he kinda lies. This is going to be problematic.

I FUCKING CALLED IT!

Vex, your heart was in the right place ... unfortunately in this case, possibly, but how the fuck can you do that to Percy again after he was the reason you died the LAST time?!?

Aw, crap.

Oh, good lord, Scanlan. I was kind of hoping you'd have some conscience about your friends getting chased, but he's just hiding from the law?!?

And the little dragon. Perfect.

Keyleeeeeeth ... no. No you're not.

Yeah, you know how bad this looks, guys-- Oh, for fuck's sake, Percy. I mean, I get feeling responsible for making the thing in the first place, but at some point, you have to forgive yourself, not only because sometimes trauma makes you do dumbass things, but also because HOW ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO MAKE RESTITUTION IF YOU'RE-- wait. Transformation what-now?

...Oh, gods, the second-hand embarrassment is strong. But I take it back about the "hiding from the law" thing; he was just ... too torn to be any good to either of the people he wanted to be with at that time.

Ah. Transformation this-now. Oooooooooooh shit. I hope they can undo this shit-- Scanlan?!?

Scanlan, what--? Oh. Even drunk, you can pull out a last-minute clutch move.

.........All that and it was fake Plate?!? Well. That gives us the trip to the Hells, and the big fight with Ripley later to get Cabal's Ruin. Okay!

I think at this point that my only problem with this element of the series is ... well, the thievery. It feels like trying to fanangle an audience with J'mon sa Ord, while not as visually impressive, could still have resulted in an investigation leading to Ripley. Possibly less tension, though ... but there are ways!

Aaaaaaaaaanyway, this is a good place to leave things until Monday - Sunday's way too full of stuff, given D&D Sunday and Silent Hill 2 remake dropping. My D&D group should feel very flattered. I set aside brand new unread @seananmcguire novels for sessions, and I will be setting aside a game I've wanted to play for at least fifteen years for session too. Because I love them and I love our story.

[raccoonshinobi]

Friday, September 15

I will never leave you, and I will never abandon you.​—Heb. 13:5.

Elders, you have a special responsibility to console fellow worshippers whose loved ones have left Jehovah. (1 Thess. 5:14) Take the initiative to encourage them before and after Christian meetings. Visit them and pray for them. Work with them in the ministry, or at times invite them to join you for family worship. Spiritual shepherds need to show Jehovah’s grieving sheep the compassion, love, and attention they need. (1 Thess. 2:7, 8) Jehovah “does not desire anyone to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance.” (2 Pet. 3:9) Although a person may commit a serious sin, his life is still precious to God. Think of the high price Jehovah has paid​—the ransom sacrifice of his own beloved Son—​for the lives of sinners. Jehovah compassionately reaches out to help such ones return to him. He hopes they will choose to do so, as we can see from Jesus’ illustration of the lost son.​—Luke 15:11-32. w21.09 30-31 ¶17-19

[avisarts]

Thesu Bellatora

Excerpt from the RP I made her in: Thesu Bellatora - “Thesu” is the Hebrew word for “hesitate.” She may be referred to as Thess as a nickname. (•ω•) I don’t know her personality yet, I have an idea (as you can see, based on the name) but I’ll explore her personality as we RP. As for physical features, she is rather small even for her race - 4’11’’. Also she is pretty young but like old enough to sorta function... Think like. 18. Ran away, was previously working at home and learning martial arts and how to handle the spear. She’s not an expert or anything so she isn’t very good.  

I'm so sorry the second drawing is so bad it's just a concept sketch for what this race of birds actually look like. The feathers fade into a bare chest/stomach. There is no reason for this besides that I just don't know how to make this look good. Do note the A- cup titties because they're birds.... why would they need boobies... but I felt like I should have put something there anyway Idk.

Some notes I made on her race of people, also within the rp:

Bellatora Race/Culture: NOTE – it is both race and culture because there are many other Bellatorian cultures which aren’t like what I’m describing but since I don’t know what those cultures are like, I will be talking about the Bellatorians as if all of them are like this. So, as an example, there could be a culture of these Bird-People-Things where they have personalities like parrots and have a lot of colours (and they probably wouldn’t call themselves “Bellatorians” but something else that makes more sense). Bird-Person is the “race,” Bellatora is the “country,” but I’ll talk about them as they’re one and the same entity.  

Bellatora is a word that comes the Latin, “warrior.” Bellatorian’s use spears, bows, or any long-range weapon as their means of fight. They also tend to be reserved and “intense” in their personalities and countenance. They value “country” bonds over family bonds, though the newer generation has had a rebellious attitude towards the older generation for enforcing cold relationships within families. (basically they’re like modern Japan kek ((I can say this as someone with a Japanese mother no worri))). Physical characteristic are they are like anthropomorphic birds, with bird like legs that travel up to a human-like torso, which then “dissolves” into a bird head. They have regular seeming hands but those hands do have talons. They have wings (and I do want to draw the anatomy for this) that are connected to the scapula, with a wingspan of 2ft per 1ft of height. BIG wings. They tend to be extremely short as a result of this (with 6ft being EXTREMELY tall for a Bellatorian) and their bones are not hollow but are less dense than human bones. As for religion and other things, the Bellatorians value physical fighting in martial arts as well as their shrines. They worship multiple gods, usually gods affecting the wind, clouds, weather, sun, etc. In terms of art, Bellatorians of both genders like “anklets” (Ik anklets are an actual thing but I wanna find a different term for them lol) because it is difficult for an anklet to fall off during flight. Painting or dying their feathers is looked down upon, unless for a religious ritual. ((yea Ik I’ve not been a big part of the story but I still like to explain things so here we are. (•ω•`)  

[god-whispers]

mar 21

only one breathe between here and there

"brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope." 1 thess 4:13

i am now reaching that age where i have many friends and family that are going from this world into the next; too many.  some i am sure know Jesus as savior. some i am sure do not.  some i am doubtful they know Him as savior and now i can no longer ask them if they do?  ask someone you love while it is still today.  and i would remind you, we are commanded to love our neighbor as our self.

the word says, "you do not know what will happen tomorrow.  for what is your life?  it is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." james 4:14 when i was young, i thought schooling would last forever; that i would never grow up.  the years since have rapidly vanished, even as a beginning breeze cannot prevail against tornadic winds when encountered.  it must move with it in ever increasing speed.  likewise, our years evaporate in the journey we all must take.

my good friend has several grown children, but that makes them no less her children still.  she carried them in her body, fed them, bounds up their wounds when needed, loved them and eventually released them to their own life as we all should.  released them to make their own choices and yes, mistakes.

one of her sons suddenly, unexpectedly took his last breath yesterday.  sadly, that day happened to fall only day after my friends birthday, marring it forever.  i cannot say for sure whether he knew Jesus as savior or not.  none of us can make that call but i do not think he did and, if not, his time to make that choice for God is now over.  eternity now lies ahead of him.

laying aside whether one believes there is a heaven and a hell, it will be an eternity with or without God.  the God you either chose to deny or never had time for - time to investigate whether these things be true or not.  scripture says, "since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse."  rom 1:20  all are without excuse.  we choose to believe what we choose to believe.  we ignore what we choose to ignore.

it has often been said, "none of us know how much time we have," and that's true.  our times are in His hands.  we all think we will have time for that last minute prayer but that probably won't not be the case.  the hurriedness of the situation often precludes it.  the death of my friend's son was sudden and dramatic.  ours may be as well.

please pray for my friend.  pray for her son's now widow and children left behind.  and please... please don't put off something so important for the tomorrow that may never be.  God is so good and loving and merciful.  "not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." 2 pet 3:9

"do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom." luke 12:32  yes, He wants to give us the kingdom.  He had you and me in mind when He created it.

oh the blessings and the goodness of God.  "it is like the dew of hermon, descending upon the mountains of zion; for there the Lord commanded the blessing — life forevermore." psa 133:3  just don't wait too long to receive that blessing.

[notquitetwilight]

okay but... but please go on about twilight but in the uk

okay I’m Irish not British so I might not be the most qualified person for this but I think their 800-year occupation of us dominance in our pop culture/tv has educated me enough so:

- Bella is an English Northerner. “Ah nuuh woh ya ahhr.” “Say it, out loud.” “Vampiyah!”

- Edward is even posher than Rob Pattinson and his accent makes him seem like even more of a knob than his know-it-all vampirism so long story short he gets bullied every school they put him in apart from hoity toity proivate schools where everyone is as equally knobby

- If Alaska is the Scottish Highlands, the Denalis are Scottish. If the Denalis are Scottish, they dogwalk Edward rather than put up with his bullshit

- Similarly, if posh boy Eddie treated northerner Bella the way real Edward treats real Bella at the start of the series, she would’ve just told him to piss off and called it a day

- Scot Kate is an Indyref campaigner and that’s why Irishman Garrett fell head over heels so quickly

- As established, the Volturi are the Voltories. Ancient, colonial, conservative, power-trippy, have weird laughs??? It all checks out

- Rosalie is a Chelsea girl let’s be real

- Emmett is a working-class Irish city kid (Rose found him when the Cullens were visiting Siobhán and co) but I haven’t decided if he’s from Dublin or Cork yet. The McCart(h)y surname hails from and is common in Cork buttt I feel like a thick Dublin accent would suit Emmett’s persona and be a funny contradiction to Rose’s posh English vibe

- Chelsea girl Rose: “Is she evuhn Italiuhn?”

Dub Emmett: “Her name’s bleedin’ Belleh!”

- Esme is from Cardiff and Londoner Carlisle learned Welsh for her :))))

- Alice is an Essex hun (but she’s not like other Essex huns™️) because that would be fucking hilarious. If you think I’m wrong please just visualise the Meet the Cullens/Italiano scene where Edward is all, “Alice, what are you doing–” and picture Alice responding “Don’t worry babe, we’re gonna be best friends, ain’t wehhhy? I’ve uwready seen ih!”

- Alice travels to Blackpool sometimes and sets up a fortune teller tent on the pier just for shits and giggles

- Jasper is from Newcastle so instead of saying “pleasure to meet you” or whatever to Bella he just says “yareeet”

- Geordie Jasper anytime he feels Rose ready to set Edward on fire: “Rose is gooin pyuah akka!”

- The wolf pack are Northern Irish Catholics

- Derryman Jacob finding out about Bella and Edward’s honeymoon plans: “Is thess a fuckin jehyoke???? Catch yerselves awn!!!!”

- Paul first angrily turned into a wolf when someone asked him to wear a poppy, while resident Derry Girl Leah only refers to Edward as the “wee English fella”

- SCOUSE CHARLIE SCOUSE CHARLIE SCOUSE CHARLIE. He and Billy watch LFC matches together and he definitely has a “you’ll never walk alone” sticker on his car

- This side of the Atlantic Edward isn’t insulted with “jackass”/“moron”/“idiot” etc but instead his siblings call him any one of these on a recurring basis: prick, prat, twat, twit, dickhead, knobhead, bellend, git, wanker, tosser, eejit (Emmett), gobshite (mostly Emmett)

- Also this side of the Atlantic has a more obvious drinking culture so let’s pretend vamps can get drunk depending on how much blood they drink, in which case you’ll hear Jasper yelling “LET’S GET MORTAL” every hunting trip or Emmett bragging about how “locked”/“legless”/“hammered”/“ossified” he was after 12 bears

- Everyone curses a lot more obviously

- It’s less white than American Twilight so visualise the above characters any way u want!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- On a less funny but v wholesome note, the reason I put the wolf pack as Northern Irish Catholics is bc of the colonial parallels, wolves having a prominent role in Irish mythology, and the historical kinship between Native Americans and Irish people! During Ireland’s Great Famine of the 1840s, the Choctaw Nation sent $170 (a huge sum of money equivalent to a couple of thousand USD today) to families who starved under the rule of a British government that refused to help. The Choctaw people did this despite living in poverty themselves as a result of the Trail of Tears in a display of solidarity between colonised people thousands of miles away from each other. This year, Irish people tried to carry on a similar sentiment by donating to the Navajo & Hopi Covid-19 Relief Fund while these Nations were ignored by the Trump Administration. The Navajo Nation attorney-general estimates approximately $3 million USD of the fund came from donors living in Ireland, so the historical bond between Native Americans and their Irish friends is still very much alive 🥺

[traumacatholic]

“So then, dear brothers and sisters, let us return to Bethlehem, let us return to the origins: to the essentials of faith, to our first love, to adoration and charity. Let us look at the Magi who make their pilgrim way, and as a synodal Church, a journeying Church, let us go to Bethlehem, where God is in man and man in God. There the Lord takes first place and is worshipped; there the poor have the place nearest him; there the shepherds and Magi are joined in a fraternity beyond all labels and classifications. May God enable us to be a worshipping, poor and fraternal Church. That is what is essential. Let us go back to Bethlehem.

It is good for us to go there, obedient to the Gospel of Christmas, which shows us the Holy Family, the shepherds, the Magi: all people on a journey.  Brothers and sisters, let us set out, for life itself is a pilgrimage. Let us rouse ourselves, for tonight a light has been lit, a kindly light, reminding us that, in our littleness, we are beloved sons and daughters, children of the light (cf. 1 Thess 5:5). Let us rejoice together, for no one will ever extinguish this light, the light of Jesus,  who tonight shines brightly in our world.” - Pope Francis, Christmas 2021