#Why in the year of our lord 2019 do I have to continue to defend my existence

[weiwuxian-lanzhan]

My Not-Coming out story

So a few years ago I came out to all of my closest friends as Bisexual. I did this while a little drunk, and then cried during the whole thing. My friends were awesome, confused because I had never let on, but were ultimately accepting.

(This is where I tell the stupid story of me being way way drunker a few weeks later, assuming that coming out was easy, and telling a bunch of random acquaintances about being bi before throwing up. The up side is that the guy I was into held my hair up while I threw up and was 100% ok with me being bi because his two male friends had hooked up for the experience of it, and the two of us became friends with benefits later).

But my main tragic story happens after my reveal to my friends, with me trying to decide whether to reveal to my family. So I am at Thanksgiving with my family, and my sister’s extended family, so there are a bunch of new strangers at this gathering that add a bit of unexpected problems. So I decide to approach this delicately, testing the waters if you will.

So somehow (alcohol is how, but goddamn if I know the logical train) I end up in my favorite test the waters train of thought: bi erasure in media. I start a conversation with my father about how bisexual people either don’t exist, or are completely misrepresented as greedy sex fiends who will have sex with any one at any time. My father, in a goddam stroke of luck from my bisexual heart, is actually listening to what I have to say. I have no fucking clue what he is thinking, but in his usual “I’m a fiscal republican but I hate their social policies” way he is actually fucking listening.

And then my sister, from across the room, who had apparently been listening to my rant, chimed in. “Bisexuals don’t exist”

“Um.... yes they do,” said the actual bisexual in the room. 

“I guess,” my sister replied, “But they’re tiny in number.”

“Actually!” I refuted, while being petrified that my knowledge of LGBT statistics would out me. “Bisexual people represent more than 50% of the entire LGBT community, which is why their exclusion in LGBT media is a problem, hence my original point!”

“Pfft!” my sister said. “Sure,” she amended, dripping with sarcasm (a phrase I hate but resonates with me here).

So years and years later, my mantra is this: Don’t bother the social conservatives with my bisexuality until I have a long term partner of the same sex that I want to bring home. Since this has never happened, I am still in the closet with my relatives.

Many people talk about how being open about who you are is freeing. And I am so, so glad that I came out to my friends years ago because they have been nothing but supportive. But I feel like the decision to come out as bi to my parents has come down to this: will I be more loved if I don’t tell them.

To me this answer seems to be: Yes

And I don’t think of my parents as hateful people. I think that they think of homosexually and bisexually as things that are fine, as long as they happen to other people, not my children. 

I long to be proven wrong, to learn that my parents are actually the best LGBT allies in the world once they know that one of their children is a part of that space, but I just don’t have the optimism that would make me make that leap of faith from “I hope you are this way even though I don’t have any evidence” to “I’m going to assume you are this way and base all my future family interactions on this one leap of faith.”

Basically, I’m not that strong. And, fuck, I shouldn’t have to be. The world should be better so I don’t have to spend so much energy on this fucking bullshit every fucking day.      

[licenselesswriter]

Ten Duel Commandments CH3

Have your seconds meet face to face

 Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Isadora sits in front of Zay, in the same Starbucks they were last month, "Now I get why you constantly suggested me to watch The Lord of the Rings," she says, checking her phone, "But seriously, Elrond?" she mocks his word choice.

"Did it work?" Zay asks, taking a sip of his coffee.

"You know it was gonna work, photographic memory, remember?" she asks back.

"I know, that's why I insisted that much in you watching The Lord of the Rings," he comments before getting up and goes to get the pastries he asked before. Once he gets back, he fastly offers a few to Isadora.

"You gonna ask me a huge favor if you're also giving me pastries," she comments on his friend's actions.

"You know, we should this more often," Zay says chuckling,

"If we can agree that this is only platonic and only for the benefit of our friends, I have no reason to oppose," Isadora replies, taking one of the pastries in the table.

"Of course, I mean, even with my eyes that can see that you're a total beauty, the eyes of my heart are only focussing on Vanessa," Zay replies before straightening his posture and look directly at Isadora's eyes, "Now, into the reason I called you here," he starts.

"You want me to coarse my dearest one into giving you a chance to talk and he to listen," Isadora says, almost reading his mind.

Zay looks at her, surprised, "I can't win against you," he admits, "And for the record, in case you want to say no, I'm not looking for him to change sides, I just want him to listen what I have to say," he adds.

"I know, you're loyal to Lucas, but not a manipulative person," Isadora says, "May I ask what you want to talk with him?" she asks.

"I just want for us to be at peace again," Zay replies, "I might be loyal to Lucas, but it pains me looking at our little group separated by this," he adds.

Isadora gives him a caring look, "I know, I'm in the same position, but I decide to be impartial about this," she says, knowing that this might b the right course of action.

"So, would you talk to him?" he asks.

"Yeah, I will, but I won't promise that he will accept," Isadora answers.

"Well, you can always use pastries to coarse him," Zay jokes.

"He's a millionaire, nay, billionaire, do you think I can coarse him with pastries?" she asks, looking at his friend take a few minutes to think, "And for God's sake, if you're gonna suggest sex, I will suggest that you go to your own home and have intercourse with yourself," she adds.

Zay chuckles at her subtle invitation to fuck himself.

Cory looked at his students, and how everything seems normal, but he has known those kids since they were in fourth grade, and he knew that this wasn't normal.

He finally moves and takes a piece of chalk from his desk, before giving his students his back, to write '1947,' on the blackboard, "So, nineteen forty-seven," he starts.

"The cold war," Farkle fastly says.

"Correct," Cory says, "Which was a period of history where, both blocks of the world, didn't engage in any actions that would produce the Third World War, but they were sure to not interact with each other," he explained.

"So basically, we give them the cold shoulder?" Zay asks.

"Well, not, eh, yeah, actually, that's what we did," Cory answers.

"Well, it happens when your enemies are dirty and not polite," Farkle comments.

"Beg your pardon?" Zay asks.

"You heard me. When the loser side decides to not work under the winning side rules," Farkle adds.

"Just because they win doesn't mean they're right," Zay argues back.

"Well, that's how the world works," Farkle says, turning to look at him.

"You're hilarious, Tinman, what makes you think you're in the winning side?" Zay asks.

"Well, this Tinman has an IQ of over 170, so I pretty much know that I'm on the right side," Farkle argues.

"Surprise Tinman, Von Ardenne was a genius too, and he won the fucking Stalin Prize for making a microscope," Zay argues back before looking at Lucas, "Yeah, the cold war is a cool thing to study, sue me," he says to him.

"You do you, man," Lucas says, looking away.

"Ok," Cory says, trying to calm down his class, "Yes, Zay is right, not because you're smart means you're on the winning side, but I agree with Farkle here, a free world is a winning world," he expresses his opinion.

"Why I'm not surprised you're taking the side of your Golden boy?" Zay asks in a low tone.

Lucas turns to Zay in that second and put one of his hands on his shoulder, "Enough," he says in a caring tone.

"Lukey, I knew you loved me," Zay replies, taking his friend's hand.

Lucas looks around, ending in Maya, "I promise I have no idea what he's talking about," he says to her.

"Ok, so, for forty-four years, the two blocks fight against each other after the war, they prevent using any way of armed conflict, but they attacked each other on other fronts, like sports, nuclear developing, and of course, the space race," Cory explains.

.

As soon as classes ended, and Zay separates himself from Lucas and Maya, Farkle intercepted him.

"I honestly don't know if there is any valid reason for me to listen to you when we have different views on this subject, but Smackle asked me to do it, so make it worth," he states.

"We're not gonna get that far with that attitude," Zay states, "But if you're willing to listen to me, and not listen to me talk, but listen to me argue while we share a cup of coffee, I'm sure I can make you understand another point of view, besides the one you have now," he adds.

"Sounds good, let's give it a try," Farkle replies, "Go get us coffee, I will call my father's chauffeur, I know a place where we can talk," he adds before pulling his phone out.

.

After the drive, they both enter Forest Park.

Farkle sits on a bench, and Zay follows his lead, "So, make it worth," Farkle starts.

"Easy," Zay replies, "Remember our discussion about the cold war?" he asks.

"Yeah, a highlight of the day," Farkle replies.

"Remember how you defend the allies and how they are the good ones since they win?" Zay asks this time.

"Yeah? Please tell me you have a point," Farkle says, a bit bored of the chit chat.

"The allies fight for freedom, Farkle," Zay states, "Our freedom of choice, the chance to decide what we want, freedom of decision," he adds.

"This is not the same," Farkle replies, taking a sip of his coffee.

"It's not, but the sentiment is the same," he explains, "I'm fighting for the freedom of choice, you're fighting to force someone to accept something he didn't want to accept," he argues.

"So, I'm a Nazi now?" Farkle asks.

"You're not a Nazi, Farkle," Zay says, "But you need to notice that you're not the most open-minded guy in the world, and I mean it when it comes to Riley, not when it comes to you," he argues.

"So, I'm a Nazi for caring about my friends?" Farkle asks.

Zay stays silent for a second, "Eh, yeah, kinda," he finally admits.

"Bullshit," Farkle says and gets up, "I knew this was a mistake," he says before start walking away from Zay.

"Goodwill is not enough reason to force someone to fall for another person Farkle!" Zay shouts at him.

Farkle gives him the middle finger without looking at him.

Shawn walks into his living room, only to see his daughter sleeping on her secret boyfriend's lap. He softly pats Lucas's shoulder before sending him a text.

Lucas takes his phone and fastly reads the serious 'We need to talk.' Shawn sends him. He gently puts a kiss on Maya's forehead, "Hey, pancakes, do you mind finishing your nap in your room? I can't feel my legs," he softly whispers to her.

"Are you calling me fat?" Maya teases him.

"Never," he fastly answers, before smiling at her, "I don't want to die so soon," he adds very softly, only to receive a hit on his arm.

"Asshole," she says and gets up, "I hate you now, leave my house," she says before leaving to her room.

Lucas chuckles and gets up from the couch before walking to Maya's kitchen, "What can I do for you, Mr. Hunter?" he asks.

Shawn pours coffee in a couple of mugs and gives one to Lucas, "I had a fascinating conversation with your History teacher about his class," he starts.

"The whole Zay-Farkle thing," Lucas states.

"He knows something is happening with you and that you rejected his daughter," Shawn says, "He's my best friend, Lucas," he adds.

"I know Mr. Hunter," Lucas says, "But I made clear my intentions, and honestly, now is everything on Maya's hands, not mine," he adds.

"I don't want to keep secrets from him," Shawn says.

"Permission to speak freely, Mr. Hunter?" Lucas asks.

"Go ahead," Shawn says before taking a sip f his coffee.

"Do you think I want to hide?" Lucas asks, and before Shawn was able to answer, he cuts him first, "No, the answer is no, I don't want to hide, I love your daughter," he states, "There is nothing more than to be 'official' with her," he continues.

"But she doesn't want to hurt Riley," Shawn completes.

"But she doesn't want to hurt Riley," Lucas copies, taking a sip of his cup.

"I guess she doesn't know how you feel about hiding," Shawn inquiries.

"Oh, no, she knows that I don't want to hide, but I respect her opinion about, and if she wants to keep our relationship secret, let it be, no matter how much it kills me," he says, lifting his cup of coffee.

"I can drink to that," Shawn says with a smile, "Cheers," he adds.

Lucas looks at him dead in the eyes, "Funny, cheers," he replies.

While they enjoy their coffee, hiding around the corner, Maya's mind was happy that her father could get along with Lucas, the other half? Not so much. It mortifies her, knowing that she was hurting him by keeping them as a secret.

"Maybe it's time to do something about it," she softly says to herself.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

After another long day at school, Riley finally laid on her bed and decided to give her pain another chance to get depressed. What she didn't count was Maya.

For some reason, after three months of going low contact, Maya was in her bed next to her, making her pop the obvious question, "The Hell you're doing here?" she asks.

"Well, you don't want to talk to me, so I'm gonna force it, and yes, your mother let me in," Maya says, knowing that she will call for her mother.

Riley sits on her bed and looks at her 'best friend' in the eyes, "Fine, want to talk? Talk," she says.

"Riley, I miss you, and yes, I knew that Lucas wasn't interested in you," Maya says, under the shocked look of her best friend.

"Please tell me you had a reason for that," Riley softly says.

"I don't," Maya replies, "At least not a good reason," she adds.

"Do you regret it?" she asks.

Maya stays silent for a few seconds, "Do I regret what?" she asks.

"Keeping me from the truth?" Riley asks, feeling some tears start to flow from her eyes.

Maya goes silent again, taking her time to think her answer, "I do," she replies, "But would that make you not try to aim for Huckleberry?" she asks back.

"We pretty much know that I would go for him anyway," Riley says in a muffled chuckle.

"I'm sorry you have to go through this," Maya softly says, "Remember when you told me you were growing?" she asks.

"Have a point?" Riley asks back.

"Sadly, I do," Maya answers, "It's part of growing up to let got some things, Riley," she adds, "Sometimes, what we want, it's not what the other person wants," she continues, thinking about how she was putting Lucas through keep them secret.

"And you think humiliation was the right way to teach me that?" Riley asks.

Maya looks at her best friend, "I'm sorry, but I don't remember you being humiliated, didn't Lucas turn you down in a very delicate way?" she asks.

"It's not about how he turned me down. It's about me making a fool of myself because you thought that I needed a lesson," Riley argues back.

"The secret of life, Riley," Maya says, "Not because we want something to go like we want it to go, it will go that way," she adds.

Riley looked at Maya, shocked, "I think you've said enough," she says before getting up from her bed and walk to her door, "Please leave," she says, holding the door for her.

"Ok," Maya says before walking to the door. Once she was there, she stopped and looks at her best friend again, "Will this be the end of us?" she asks.

"We share a boyfriend for months, we can overcome this, but not right now," Riley says.

"That's sad," Maya says.

"I know," Riley replies.

"Bye," Maya finally says, leaving her best friend's room.

.

Lucas's phone started to ring when he was in the kitchen making sandwiches for him and Zay, "Hey, Zay, can you pick that up?" he asks him.

"Sure, I got it," Zay says, picking up his phone, noticing it was Maya, "Black, better, and way more handsome here, what can I do for you, dear Maya?" he asks.

"Hilarious, get my boyfriend on the phone, please," she says to him.

"Oh, Uhhhh, I love how you talk about him as your boyfriend," Zay teases her.

"Do you want to be punched tomorrow morning?" Maya asks.

"Gee," Zay replies before looking at Lucas came with food, "Lukey, your girlfriend on the phone, she wants to talk to her boyfriend, her words, not mine," he comments, teasing both of them.

"I'm so close to kicking you out," Lucas replies, "You're lucky I want revenge on Street Fighter 5," he adds, making his friend laugh, taking his phone from his hands, "Hey," he greets Maya.

"Hey," Maya says in a sad tone.

Lucas felt something was wrong and walk to his room, "Something wrong?" he asks.

"Not bad perse," Maya answers, "But things are not great," she adds.

"What happened?" Lucas asks.

"I talk to Riley," she says, making a pause, "About you," she adds.

"Oh," Lucas says, knowing that things weren't great with Riley, "And?" he asks.

"Well, our friendship is a bit bruised," Maya starts.

"I'm so sorry," Lucas apologizes.

"Don't, not your fault," she replies, "It's nobody's fault," she adds, "Well, maybe we have a bit of fault for making this a secret, but, well, you know how things are now," she adds.

"You don't want to lose her," Lucas says.

"What can I say? She's my best friend, and I fall for her first love," she states.

"Don't forget that her first love fall for you too," Lucas replies, smiling.

Maya stays silent for a few minutes, and Lucas mimics her, "Still there?" she asks.

"Yep," Lucas replies.

"Do you think one day I'm gonna feel better for stealing her first love?" she asks.

Lucas chuckles, "You're incredible," he says.

"Don't laugh, asshole, I'm serious," Maya recriminates him.

"Maya, you didn't steal anything from her," Lucas starts, "If you count things right, she stole me from you, since, you know, I was smitten since a certain blonde girl had a ten-second relationship with me in the subway," he adds, making Maya go silent for several seconds, "Maya?" he asks.

"God, now I feel awful for making you go through all this shit," she says.

"I told you this when we started," Lucas says, "If I have to burn every bridge in New York to be with you, I will soak them with gasoline to make them burn faster," he adds.

"God, you're so sap," she says, chuckling a bit.

"Glad I'm making you laugh, Ma'am," Lucas says, tipping an air hat.

[loyalflutist]

Marriage (F!Byleth x Edelgard)

Challenge: Edeleth Twitter Week (09/29/2019 - 10/05/2019)  Day 7: Marriage

A/N: WHEW, finally done with it! This has to be the fluffiest piece I’ve ever written. Hope you enjoy this final ride!

---

Hardships were inevitable in a person’s life. No matter how cautious one can be, they were bound to succumb to difficulties. Everyone had gone through it once in their lifetime. From rich to poor, from nobility to commoner, from allies to enemies, everyone experienced hardships.

Many hands motioned towards the students from the monastery. How terrible! They were fated to clash with one another from the near future! Not a single person would agree with their beliefs and course of action. Edelgard wished to unite Fodlan and eliminate the corrupted Church’s power. Dimitri wished to defend the Church and land from his archnemesis, Edelgard. Claude strived to gain a middle ground between the two nobles, his focus entirely on the background noise. Their struggles landed them into a deadlock for five slow years. There was no end in sight.

Until Byleth came into the picture.

Something about her seems different though. It was as if… she can’t trust all three of them. Not yet, anyway. Shudders ran down all the students’ spine at the sight of the ex-mercenary. The aura she possessed when she first met them shook their core. Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude were ones mostly terrified by her.

“Don’t… you think she’s literally changed overnight?” Claude scratched the back of his head, his dark hues were shifty. “I swear she wasn’t this grumpy.”

“Grumpy? Don’t be silly,” Dimitri shook his head. “She’s always worn the same expression when we first met last night.”

“No no, you don’t understand, Dimitri. She may look the same, but she’s acting strange.”

“I think you need to have your eyes checked.”

“Um, no. How about you get your eyes checked.”

“Wha— How rude of you!”

And… so the two males began to wrestle with one another in hopes of dominating their points with one another. If there was one thing they shared, it was their stubborn nature. Then again, the three lords from the three houses shared this trait. Not even Edelgard was spared from it. The white-haired loudly sighed, placing a hand on her forehead, and felt a bead of sweat run down the side of her face.

“How immature.”

Still… Claude wasn’t wrong. There was something off about Byleth. The ex-mercenary was recently granted a position as a professor for the students. It was abrupt, but to be expected from Lady Rhea. (Though it caught Jeralt by surprise.) What was most shocking was the fact that Byleth chose to teach not just the Black Eagle’s house, but the Blue Lions and Golden Deer too. A deal was struck between Manuela and Hanneman the instant she greeted them.

“You’re telling me that you want to rotate our shifts?” Hanneman raised his brows. “Won’t that place a burden on you, Professor Byleth?”

Manuela crossed her arms as the two teachers heard Byleth out. They nodded their head slowly, their eyes widened.

“My… If that’s the case, then I don’t see why not.”

The rest of the conversation was a mystery to the peeping students. Hubert, Ashe, Lorenz, and Cyril could not help but try to gather intel about the newcomer at the main hall with Rhea. Unfortunately, that was all they could get from their exchange. Their voice ushered into mumbles and faint whispers. The only way they would be able to capture the rest of the story was to stand directly behind them. Of course, their covers would be beyond blown. The four of them scampered away in disappointment.

“The professor is a strange one…” Edelgard mumbled to herself.

She retracted her hand and glanced to her right. Ah— There was Byleth. She was fast approaching them in the field right outside of their lecture halls. Maybe a little too fast as it seems like a vicious sprint. Her heart nearly leaped out of her chest at the terrifying sight. (Was there a dash prompt for the instructor?!) If Byleth doesn’t brake early enough, she might crash into them! Before Edelgard could open her mouth to holler a warning, the older woman immediately skidded to a stop. Then, she grabbed ahold of the noble’s hands.

“I… I will save— save you.”

“?!”

Out of breath, Byleth stared into the future emperor’s eyes. The intensity nearly caused the noble to collapse onto her knees and kneel before the warrior. Yet she managed to keep her legs from becoming wobbly. Edelgard placed great emphasis on her blinking as she bit the bottom of her lip.

“U-Um, I’m not sure what you’re trying to imply.”

“Don’t worry. I promise I won’t let them hurt you anymore,” Byleth squeezed her hands. She vigorously nodded her head in hopes of proving her worth. “I’ll save everyone, and I will save you.”

What was she trying to say? Has she gone mad? Edelgard felt her heart clench as she tried to formulate a theory or two about this particular response. Save her… It doesn’t seem to be about anything physical. Metaphorically? Perhaps, but there must be more… The noble’s jawlines became prominent as she settled for a conclusion. Byleth couldn’t have meant… Those Who Slither in the Dark and the Church of Seiros, right? If she recalls, Jeralt had confessed that he kept the world of politics away from his daughter as much as possible. She wouldn’t have been able to acknowledge the existence of one of these organizations until now.

Right?

Well, how wrong Edelgard was. When she put on the mask of the Flame Emperor, the young lady was unable to carry out her plan. Every single plan she articulated and meticulously drawn out was obliterated by none other than Byleth. However, she was not the only one to be affected. The Church of Seiros seemed to be struggling to move forward with their plans for the new professor. Those Who Slither in the Dark were left scrambling for anything to revitalize their next move in a losing battle.

There were also positive events of the three houses and their members. All three of them were forced to band together as comrades due to their professors’ rotations in shifts. Their curriculums were replicas between the classrooms, so there weren’t any differences in teaching methods. This was accompanied by their weekly field trips for practical battles led by Shamir, Catherine, and Byleth. Relationships that were strained had mended over the months. Fractured bonds healed after the individuals finally sat down to communicate. Edelgard found herself joining hands with Claude and Dimitri once their beliefs aligned.

“Whatever it is, let’s talk it out… together.”

Dimitri chuckled. “Well spoken, my friend. I would never expect to hear that from you.”

“Hey… give me some credit, will ya?” he crossed his arms behind his head and winked. “I’m the brain in the group.”

Edelgard could not resist a giggle, her mouth covered.

“So long as we help each other, I find no issue in that.”

“See? Even our little princess understands our roles.”

“Claude…”

“What? Cat’s caught your tongue?”

And so, their bickering continued. They were so childish, Edelgard wondered if she was the third wheel with their relationship. It was amusing. Perhaps she did not think so hard about staying on the sideline as her heart had already belonged to a certain someone; their teacher. It was a relationship that sowed the seed one evening.

Byleth teetered into the wrong dormitory during the third month of the academic year. She stumbled into the premise of none other than the Adrestian Empire’s princess. Edelgard, who had been reading her tactical textbook, was alarmed at the abrupt appearance of the older woman.

“B-Byleth?”

“How ya doin’?”

The speech was slurred, cheeks were flushed, and eyes were droopy. Edelgard immediately got up from her chair. Byleth was drunk. She had to catch the drowsy female the moment she lurched forward. Oh, what did her professor do now? Was she so stressed that she had to rely on alcohol? Concern riddled her mind as the young student patiently guided her teacher to her mattress. Byleth didn’t waste any second to plop on the bed. She was just like a child… and even more so when her hand latched onto Edelgard’s arm.

“I wanna hug you.”

“…”

“Pwease?”

“…okay.”

Edelgard sighed loudly. She had to admit defeat. Otherwise, Byleth would never let go of her and would never drop the puppy eyes. This was so out of character for the ex-mercenary. Emotions that were rarely conveyed on her features were still there, but the intonation from her spoken dialogues was dripping with them. Should the other students catch a whiff of her demeanor, they would likely rush out and call for an exorcist! Edelgard pursed her lips.

The two eventually went under the covers. One in their loungewear, the other simply stripped of her large overcoat. A strong, musky scent of the fruity product wafted from her instructor’s direction. The noble firmed her lips and began to pat on Byleth’s head like a little kid. This seemed to please the older female. As a result, Byleth instantly flopped onto her side and cuddled up to Edelgard.

“I love you so much, Edie~”

“#@#$&@!”

That was the seed that had been planted. Though Byleth had apologized for her inept and shameful actions the next day, Edelgard could not forget the confession that slipped out of her drunken professor, even if Byleth had no recollection. It started out as a crush… and soon developed into a stronger form of it. The transition soon slithered into a one-sided love that would rival most anybody’s romantic self-destructive fantasies. Had it not been for Claude and Dimitri, she wouldn’t have the guts to face Byleth with a confession.

“I love you, my teacher. I love you so much.”

Rejection never occurred. The proof was evidenced by their current standing. Byleth and Edelgard whispered sweet nectar to each other’s ears, their hands roamed their bare figures at night, and sensitive flesh brushing upon their neck for plantation of hickeys. Physical affections were simply a bonus to their powerful bonds with one another. Their love transcends beyond normal comprehension.

All these activities and events had all occurred during their time as students. It was as if Byleth had incredible luck… No— that wasn’t right. It was as if she could predict the future. Her uncanny ability to nail everyone’s next move down to the grittier details frightened the house leaders and archbishop. Even her girlfriend could not help but wonder what wisdom had possessed Byleth. If her secret identity’s activities were hindered by the ex-mercenary… and her enemies were unable to gather their fractured plans… What was Byleth up to?

Unfortunately, the only thing that remained on course was Byleth’s five-year disappearance.

“BYLETH!!!”

Three of the house leaders, joined side-by-side, screamed out her name when Lady Rhea slammed her staff into the teal-haired. Its metallic cane might have a simple blunt weapon. A single smack from it would likely bring about no more than a bruise. But most everyone had forgotten the incredible strength that possessed the archbishop. Trained in martial arts to the finest level, the amount of energy input into the swing crashed heavily into Byleth’s chest.

CRACK!

Its impact produced an audible sound above the raging flames. Edelgard, Claude, and Dimitri widened their eyes when their professor was tossed backward. The Adrestian Empire’s newly crowned emperor caught her girlfriend. Dimitri rushed to the front to protect the two and flicked his lance downward; Claude standing by Dimitri with his arrow pulled back on his bow.

“You’ll pay for that, Lady Rhea!” Dimitri howled as he sprinted forward. “DIE!”

“Tch.”

Claude would normally say something witty, but he had to agree with Dimitri’s violent nature for once. Rhea would pay for her crime in harming their teacher. Arrows soon flew alongside the running male as they made their way towards the archbishop.

As for Edelgard, she frantically examined her lover’s injuries. Scratches and bruises that littered her exposed skin held nothing to the caved-in chest. Blood seeped out of the corner of Byleth’s mouth non-stop. The bent metallic armored chest plate only served to worsen the damages. Dedue and Hilda arrived to assist in the tearing of the mangled exterior.

“Please, don’t die on us!” Edelgard’s hands brightened light green over her girlfriend’s chest.

Hilda stiffened her upper lip, got up onto her feet, and twirled the axe in one hand. “I’m going to help Claude.”

“I will assist my lord too,” Dedue muttered and followed a similar action as the pink-haired. “Lady Edelgard, please take care of our professor. She needs you more than ever.”

The two were not cruel to leave her behind. Their intentions were simple: to give her privacy to tend to Byleth. Besides, they were not healers. Standing around in midst of the battlefield like gawking ducks would only burden everyone else. In conjunction with their leave, Marianne, Linhardt, and Mercedes quickly joined Edelgard.

“My goodness, the shattered bones might’ve pierced her heart…” Linhardt mumbled, his words leaked with gravity. “We’ll have to use as much white magic as possible to mend her wounds, lest it be too late.”

“I… wouldn’t want that to happen.”

“Let’s do it together then, Marianne.”

Mercedes, Lindhardt, and Marianne hovered their hands above the laying warrior. The green light illuminated to another level of brightness. Sweat glimmered on their foreheads as they exerted as much energy as possible into their spells. Edelgard found it difficult to catch up to their conduction as she was hardly trained in the arts of white magic beyond emergency first-aids. This went on for nearly five whole minutes. The ground occasionally shook from the conflict. Dimitri and Claude were occupied with Rhea. Shamir had managed to dissuade Catherine from staying with the Church. Hilda and Dedue backed up their lords. The other students were slashing and exterminating the soldiers that dare to send them into the afterlife.

“…El…”

Hearing her name quietly whispered snapped her attention to the professor. Evident bags laid under Byleth’s slit eyes as she reached up to touch Edelgard’s face. The white-haired immediately grabbed ahold of it. She nuzzled into her palm, tears threatening to flow.

“You’re alive…”

“…I’m… sleepy…”

Oh no. Oh no no no! This cannot be happening! Those words flashed warning signs at the three healers, their brows furrowed and efforts amplified. They cannot lose Byleth! They absolutely cannot lose Byleth!

“El… I love you.”

Those were her last words before she fell into a deep slumber.

Suffice to say, her slumber was not permanent. The battle had ended with victory on their side. However, the three lords were forced to remain on the monastery’s ground for the sake of their sleeping teacher. Thanks to Linhardt, Marianne, and Mercedes, their teacher’s lives were saved. The extensive damaged that gnawed at her still-heart was too much to bear consciously. Its healing process would have to take place during her dark phase.

They frequently checked in on her. Edelgard was always spending every moment of her spare time by her girlfriend’s side. She would change her clothes, bathe her, kiss her forehead, and speak about stories of the day she spent as if Byleth were her diary. This went on for five years. Once Byleth had awakened, the clock resume and all of the students and staff were prepared to end the deadlocked battle between them and the Church of Seiros.

Victory was in their hands. The Crests were gone, Byleth had survived the ordeal with a new beating heart, and everyone celebrated their survival in this cruel war. They were in this together, and they were no major casualties on their ends.

“…remember when I told you that I would save you?”

“Yes?”

Edelgard turned to look at her fiancée. They were seated on the edge of a low cliff, their legs dangling barely above the grassy patch of the field. Retirement was already in progress in the vast scene now that the ex-noble had given her title to a suitable match. Many of the alumni had gone off to conduct their own businesses. Some got married, some engaged in social justice, some continued to serve their lords, and some simply met the same fate as Edelgard and settled for a simpler lifestyle. As for Dimitri and Claude, they kept their royal titles. The world had moved onward to a better pathway. What more could everyone ask for?

Byleth glanced over to Edelgard.

“I… have a confession to make.”

“I’m all ears.”

“Well… the truth is, I’ve been in timelines where you had died.”

“Really? That’s hard to believe.”

“It’s the truth. Byleth shook her head. “The same could be said for everyone. Everyone had met their demise in the other timelines.”

“So… you’re telling me that you came from the future?”

“I suppose you can say that.”

The explanation was far simpler than one might expect: Sothis and the ability of Divine Pulse. After going through the traumatic events of watching everyone die, Sothis pitied her host and strengthened the time-reversal skill. An option to start right back to the beginning. It was an option Byleth desperately needed. Through trial and error… and plenty of heartbreaks and insanity that plagued the professor, she finally achieved the perfect ending. That led to Sothis finally resting in peace inside of Byleth, never to emerge from her slumber.

In comes present-time, the two stood side-by-side in front of their small cottage. Many of their friends and allies arrived at an isolated location. It was a rare treat to have this many people bustling before them. Even Claude and Dimitri took time off to stop by. Then again, today was a special day. This would be the day they would get married, and everyone was filled with glee for their official commitment. (“Finally!” as Dorothea would bellow in the background.)

Byleth adjusted her white collar. Dressed in a tuxedo, she played the role of the male figure in this holy event. (Besides, she was far more comfortable wearing pants for this occasion.) The final smoothing of her attire in front of the mirror was complete. She glanced over her shoulders within the living room and called out to her lover.

“El, are you ready?”

Edelgard, in her white dress, peeked out from the corner of the room. She slowly approached her professor. A genuine blush tickled her cheeks and nearly blended in with the make-up done by Manuela and Dorothea. The ex-royal figure nodded.

“I’m ready.”

They exchanged a peck on the lips, knowing that the real deal that would seal their future would be coming soon. The anticipation kicked their heartbeats into a new speed. Smiles plastered on their face, their hands were glued together as they turned to the open doorway.

It was time. Through the hardships they went through, through the tears and grief they went through, through the pain and anguish they went through, they finally got their happy ending. And they were together till the end of time.

[thesportssoundoff]

Sometimes Good Enough Just Ain’t Good Enough: 10 Challenges For The Yankees Going Forward

Joey

October 21st

At the end of the year, 29 teams will head into the latter stages of the Fall simply saying they weren't good enough. On Saturday night, it was the Yankees turn to stand up, look in the mirror and say "Not good enough" as they bowed out of the ALCS in the deciding sixth game of the series. When you win 100 games, survive countless injuries, win with a sweep in the ALDS and lose on a walk off in game 6 of the ALCS it's normally a successful season but this is New York where expectations aren't the same as Milwaukee, Oakland, St. Louis or any of the teams who played into October before finally saying "Not good enough!" as they hung up their hats. The Yankees expect championships and it's sometimes mutant fanbase (of which I am firmly a member of) are now going on 10 years of no ticker tape parades. Still let's not lose ourselves to delirium and point out that this is a damn good team with a deep core and plenty of organizational depth to take the next step. The Yankees aren't falling off or in a rebuild; they have a team that guarantees every October, they'll be talking about the chase for 28 in earnest. With the season in the rear view mirror, let's chit chat about ten things the Yankees have to do or figure out as they continue that chase for 28.

1. Fire the training staff

Easy enough! Injuries can sometimes be fluky but good lord, the Yankees were besieged with them. All three starting outfielders (Judge, Stanton, Hicks) saw IL time, their back up OFs saw IL time, their starting catcher saw IL time, starting 1B saw IL time, pitchers both high on the totem pole and in the jabroni ranks went on the IL. Clean house!

2. The same ol' same ol' scramble for a lead starter

Since the end of 2016 when the rebuild was officially over, this team has been chasing  the #1 starter you normally need in the post season. At the end of the day, it's just easier to win in the playoffs when you have a game 1 starter you have endless confidence in. While Boston got away with it in 2018, they also had Chris Sale who maybe didn't pitch like an ace but was clearly one of the top 5 starters in the AL that year.  The big myth is that the Yankees don't have good starting pitching and that is for the most part a lie. The Yankees pitching after the All Star break was pretty solid and in the playoffs they got quality enough from guys like Severino, Paxton and Tanaka on an inconsistent basis. The Yankees pitching rotation is NOT awful and plenty of teams would kill for a 1-2-3 of a healthy Louis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka in big games and James Paxton after the All Star Break where he went 10-3 with a 3.59 ERA and an 11 K/9. In the playoffs, Paxton was more good than bad and Tanaka shoved in two of the three games he pitched in. That said those three have all battled injuries (Paxton admittedly pitched with a knee he never quite felt great about) and all three of them weren't good enough in the playoffs. Maybe that changes with Severino healthy, Paxton more comfortable and Tanaka staying his usual course but it would be difficult to return with the same rotation in tact and say you feel confident about your chances against the Astros. This has been a chase that has spanned three years now as the Yankees tried with James Paxton, Sonny Gray and J.A Happ, were outbit on the likes of Carlos Quintana, Yu Darvish and Gerritt Cole and allegedly never tried for the likes of Marcus Stroman, Patrick Corbin, Justin Verlander and countless others. 2019 will be yet another year where they'll enter Christmas hoping to have a starter locked up.

The two obvious names will play next week when Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg take the bump for Houston and Washington respectively. In the Yankees of old, George Steinbrenner would hand Brian Cashman a blank check and tell him to pay for one IF not both. Time's have changed for better and/or worse with the Yankees. Brian Cashman is a man of due diligence and a man with the longest leash in sports. The Yankees didn't spend on Corbin, didn't try on Harper and made a modicum of effort for Manny Machado last year. In the free agent market, they're likely to not play heavily unless Hal Steinbrenner pretty much demands it.  Paying for Cole and Strasburg is the easier fix but it's an avenue they've shied away from recently plus there are teams who "need" those guys more. The Yankees probably aren't as desperate as, say, the Angels are to win in the Mike Trout era and they've got money to play with so why not? The solution may be the trade market where the Yankees can make some hay in their search for a #1. Brian Cashman has parlayed his farm system (which is still plenty deep) into the opportunity to trade for arms in the past which figures to once again be the case. Conversely in the trade market, the farm is thinner than it's been in recent years AND Cashman prides himself on not losing trades. Also there's not much TO trade out there. Obviously it's his job as a GM to go out and find a potential solution that maybe the public hasn't heard is available but right now who is the best starter knowing that the Mets and the Yankees won't trade? It's not a robust market.

So your solutions are to pull a rabbit out of your hat or pay or hope Severino becomes an ace again after an injury plagued season. I suppose the only potential opt out route would be to sign a Hyun Jin-Ryu or a Jake Odorizzi and hope you can just build a deep rotation of names and faces that will give you quantity (while not high end quality) at the end of it.

3. Figure out Luke Voit

Let's play a game.

Player A- .333/.405/.689 195 wRC+ 14 HR 26.4% K rate Player B- .280/.393/.509 140 wRC+ 19 HR 25.8% K rate Player C- .238/.348/.368 95 wRC+ 4 HR 32.3% K rate

Player A is Luke Voit during his 2018 run with the Yankees Player B is Luke Voit up until he got hurt in the London Series Player C is Luke Voit from July 12th to the end of the year

Voit will never be the guy who took over the MLB in 2018. The sample size was bound to even itself out over time and Voit was bound to cool off when pitchers got to know him better. Player B though is a borderline All Star level first basemen. A power hitter who could hit for average, got on base at a solid clip and play a somewhat manageable first base is an asset for any team but especially a Yankees squad that has been hungry for competent first base play since injuries robbed Mark Texeira of his ability. Then? Voit got hurt. Back issues limited down the stretch and as you can tell by the numbers, Player C was awful. He just looked timid and afraid like he had been sapped of his confidence entirely. Luke Voit got left off the ALCS roster and had to watch as the offense struggled without him. Imagine a confident and healthy Luke Voit at the DH spot instead of Edwin Encarnacion when he went ice cold in the ALCS and maybe the series is a bit different. The Yankees are saddled with determining which half of the Luke Voit story is the real one. The Yankees are a better team when DJ LeMahieu is freed up to play 2B where he's an insanely elite defender and Luke Voit could help in that regard. At the same time? The Yankees have been burnt in the past by gambling at 1B (like when they kept thinking Greg Bird would finally put it together) and options would help. Even if he ran out of gas, Edwin Encarnacion did some good work when he was healthy and few dudes hit dingers the way he does when he's locked in. There's also Greg Bird I guess? Which reminds me....

4. MAYBE chase better balance

I don't believe a team gets better by marrying itself to letters next to names ie: we have to have x amount of leties in our pen. I do think that the Yankees righty heavy lineup could use some better balance. The team was batting Gardner 3rd in the playoffs despite his inability to do much of anything for stretches because they felt like they needed someone to break up the righties at the top of the bill. With two lefties about to hit free agency, maybe the Yankees need to flirt a bit with shaking things up in their lineup. Getting back a healthy Hicks would help of course but in general, this team could benefit from having maybe one more competent lefty bat especially if Did is out of here. It's not the sexiest name alive but given Voit's struggles down the stretch and the fact that they could probably use a more competent 1B defensively, maybe Mitch Moreland (former Red Sox 1B) as a back up/defensive replacement could make sense. Coming off an injury plagued season where he was still pretty damn productive vs righties. Maybe this is even where Mike Ford (who caught on late) fits as a future part of the team.

5. Figure out your free agents

Dellin Betances- There's some serious rebound value in bringing Betances back at fair market value. The Yankees just never had a replacement for what Betances could do as a pseudo fireman; a guy with low contact rates who can K a side and come in the middle of an inning to calm things down. Betances at a multi year deal would be a fair and modest investment.

Brett Gardner- There's a group of mutant Yankee fans who hate Brett Gardner and I feel like people forget Gardner was supposed to be at the very most a part time 4th OF. Injuries forced Gardner to continually play and he answered the bell quite well every time. He'll likely take a step back next year BUT he'll also be asked to play less.

Edwin Encarnacion- Was absolutely brutal in the ALCS but hits for power and usually has composed at bats. Was always a hired gun who the Yankees were probably gonna buy out when the time was right.

Didi Gregorios- Ugh. Didi went from being one of Brian Cashman's biggest steals and a potential cornerstone to a guy who will probably be allowed to test the open market. Didi's strengths are his defense, his clubhouse presence and his better than advertised bat but the Yankees have been waiting on him to take a firm step into top 10 SS for about two years now and it's not coming. He deserves a lot of credit for battling back from injury but he was brutal outside of games vs the Twins. I also sort of feel like his approach is all wrong for the Yankees as its constructed. For a team that preaches patience at the place and commanding the strike zone, Didi's approach often gets worse the more pitches he takes so he often swings at the first pitch and often does so when it's the wrong time. Defensively it looked like he took a step back as well although that may have been due to injury. The Yankees are better with DJ at 2nd and Gleyber at short and a competent 1B manning that spot but they love Didi so much (and he's so valuable when he's right) that they kept forcing him into the spot.

Austin Romine- Catching across the league is bad and Romine, noodle arm aside, is a solid back up catcher. Those tend to get signed for decent coin and normally for multi year deals. As such the Yankees need to maybe consider their options at the BUC spot because they won't have Romine.

Cameron Maybin- I'm not entirely sure Maybin's got a real fit here now. If Stanton, Judge and Hicks are healthy then it's probably him vs Gardner because Mike Tauchman has a long term future here. I wish Cameron Maybin well, he was a breath of fresh of air in the locker room and he deserves to have a good spot on a team somewhere.

6. Figure your outfield situation out

We know Judge, Stanton and Hicks are going to be here. Mike Tauchman was a star and a half for a month and change before injuries finally sapped him of his super powers. Gardner is a free agent but I'm betting the Yankees will bring him back comfortably so. Beyond them you have Estevan Florial (a former Yankees top prospect on a slide), Clint Frazier (a borderline toxic fit for the Yankees) as well as pseudo OFs Tyler Wade and Thairo Estrada. The Yankees OF depth tends to get tested throughout the year but is Clint Frazier better suited to be a trade piece for some team in desperate need of an outfielder?

7. Settle the 'pen out a bit.

Yankees have four tremendous bullpen arms tied up with Britton, Ottavino, Green and Kahnle comfortably under wraps. Aroldis Chapman will probably opt out in a so-so closer's market and the Yankees will probably re-sign him (they took the PR smear after trading for him and then brought him back so clearly they value him). If not? Britton was an ace closer but in general the bullpen needs more arms. Remember the CLOSEST they got for a trade in July was for Bluejays closer Ken Giles so I'd imagine they'll poke around there too. If you can't find a starter of high quality and won't trade for one then you need one more big arm in the pen. It'd be pretty cool to both a) get a stud reliever and b) hurt your primary rivalries by signing either Joe Smith or Will Harris from under Houston.

8. Find a role for whatever J.A. Happ is.

The Yankees got ace level production of J.A. Happ when they had him in 2018 and even including his playoff bust vs Boston, bringing him back in some form or fashion seemed like a can't miss concept. Well it done missed. Pick whatever metric you want and Happ was genuinely bad for a Yankees team that desperately needed him to ONLY be a competent arm. He did improve as the season went along (imagine how awful he had to be that his last five starts with a 2.33 ERA that it managed to ONLY finish at a sub 5 ERA) and a lot of his game felt like it was just blitzed by the juiced ball and a lack of adapting to that. Happ is still under contract for 2020 and it's going to be hard to shake his deal so you're stuck with him. Figure out I guess if he's a long man, a 5th starter or a really overly expensive LOOGY type.

9. Battle royal the 5th spot

Keeping with that, the Yankees were roasted for their lack of SP depth and it showed up big last year. The fact that this team turned to an opener and wound up riding the likes of Chance Adams and Nestor Cortes as long men suggests they got got by the lack of options in the rotation. Turn the 5th spot into a battle royal position. Jordan Montgomery, J.A. Happ, Johnny Lasagna, a few retreads on other teams who are a tinkered arm angle away from being a competent 5th starter etc etc etc. Don't go into the year just figuring your minor league depth options are going to be enough because it probably won't be.

Unless you want to sign Zack Wheeler or Jake Odorizzi and be done with it.

10. Accept Gary Sanchez

I guess this is more for Yankees fans than anybody else. Gary Sanchez is a good catcher. Offensively when he's healthy, he's among the game's best and defensively? He's actually improving really well to be one of the better catches in the AL. He has a crazy throwing arm and while stolen bases are becoming less frequent, he's still got the ability to further mitigate that.  Sanchez is a good player who plays the most physically demanding position in baseball and does a good job at it. His playoff numbers were abysmal this year but I still have faith.

[lianhuawu]

for the honour of bai zhan peak

Happy New Year to the lovely Tori_Lizetbird on twitter! My apologies that this is a little late, wishing you a wonderful 2019 ahead! Your art is such a ray of light, and I hope the new year brings you as much happiness as your art brings the rest of us! I went with your req of ‘embarassing Liu Qingge’, I hope you like it.

Summary: Yang Yixuan is convinced he has the best Shizun in the world. Unfortunately, so is Luo Binghe

.

 It starts at dinner. 

  "Shizun, is the meal to your liking? Is there too much chilli? If so, I could cook you dinner after we retire?

  Before Shen Qingqiu can open his mouth (Yes, the meal is fine. No, not too much chilli. No, no need for that) Yang Yixuan snorts from across the table

 "Bai Zhan Peak's food is of the highest standard. Too much chilli? Are you so maiden-hearted that even that frightens you?,"

  "Eat your food," Liu Qingge frowns, but Yang Yixuan pays him no attention. 

  "My shizun eats chillies each day at dinner, and so do I!," he says. 

  Shen Qingqiu can almost feel Luo Binghe's hackles rise. 

 "Eat your food," Liu Qingge repeats, cutting his disciple a warning glance. Shen Qingqiu is starting to think that coming to the sect's annual meet was a bad idea. 

  "Does he?," Luo Binghe says, a wicked, slightly worrying look in his eyes "My shizun eats chillies for every meal," 

 "My shizun could eat chillies straight off the branch!," Yang Yixuan proclaims. Liu Qingge's face is starting to redden. Perhaps it's all the chillies he's apparently been eating straight off the branch.

  "Binghe," Shen Qingqiu puts a hand on Luo Binghe's arm "Come now, eat," 

  Luo Binghe looks about to protest in the name of Shen Qingqiu's honour, but relents at the placating look on his face. 

____

It starts at dinner, and will apparently end on the training field.

  "You think you can waltz into our sect and spew nonsense about my master?!," 

  "The child has a temper," Shen Qingqiu says lightly, pouring out a cup of tea for Liu Qingge and reclining back into his seat at thd edge of the traning field. 

  Liu Qingge's face is full of black lines "And a mouth, apparently," 

  "How dare you?!," Yang Yixuan glares at Luo Binghe "My shizun is the greatest Peak Lord you will ever meet!," 

   Luo Binghe sneers "If your shizun is go great, then why hasn't he had a lay in his entire life?"

  Liu Qingge chokes. 

  Yang Yixuan fumes "What kind of question is that? Have a lay? Shizun is not the type of person who would lie down and pass off work to his disciples,"

  Shen Qingqiu cuts a glance at Liu Qingge, but immediately looks away. He would most definitely die of laughter if he looked at his shidi's rapidly purpling face for a moment longer. 

  'Ahh martial nephew—,' Shen Qingqiu starts, "Maybe —," 

  Yang Yixuan is not to be deterred from defending his master's honour. "Shizun has never had a lay, and will never have a lay in all his days!," 

  Liu Qingge looks ready to commit murder. 

  "If you shizun has so many lays, then it is no wonder he produced a disciple such as yourself!," Yang Yixuan says hotly. Shen Qingqiu doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. Liu Qingge's fingers are spasming around the hilt of his sword, but whether he wants to stab Yang Yixuan or Luo Binghe or impale himself on it, Shen Qingqiu doesn't know.

 "Explain to me this, then — ," Luo Binghe snarls "How come, for all his greatness, your shizun has never once beat me in battle?," 

  This seems to throw Yang Yixuan off balance for a second, and his eyebrows scrunch up in frustration. 

  Poor child, Shen Qingqiu laments, taking another sip of his tea, Bai Zhan Peak's Lord or not, Luo Binghe is the protagonist. Go heckle your martial uncle Shang for this one.

 "Your shizun was taught swordplay by my master! It is by my master's excellent tutelage that your own sword skills are as good as they are now," Yang Yixuan throws back, crossing his arms. 

  "Very well then," Luo Binghe straightens, turning towards them "Would Shizun and martial uncle Liu consent to a duel?,"

  Shen Qingqiu nearly spits out his tea. Liu Qingge, on the other hand, simply raises his eyebrows.

  "And why should I consent to a duel just for two brats to resolve their pissing contest?,"

  "But—,"

 "Why not duel between yourselves then, if you are so intent on seeing whos training has been superior?," 

  "But master!," Yang Yixuan presses "These disciples simply want to behold the skills of the masters whos wisdom we inherited," 

  "Is swordplay a party trick that you can whip out to display at a moment's notice?," Liu Qingge spears his disciple with a look, and Yang Yixuan's eyes turn downcast, head bowed in embarassment. Shen Qingqiu feels a spark of pity for the boy. 

  Setting his cup down, he claps his hands together with a smile "Come now shidi, a duel would do us no harm," 

  Liu Qingge turns to him with an incredulous look "You cannot be serious,"

  "Just one," he coaxes, patting the hilt his sword "As we used to," 

  "You are out of your mind to encourage such nonsense," Liu Qingge's face is knit in a frown. Nevertheless, he still gets up and draws his sword, flipping it once, twice, three times as he waits for Shen Qingqiu to take his stance. 

  The first clash has their blades singing against each other, but even from a single blow Shen Qingqiu can tell that Liu Qingge hasn't exerted his full force. The pressure on his blade is akin to that of the long hours they spent training on Bai Zhan Peak, walking through stances and blocks and parries until day bled into dusk. 

 "Go Shizun!," Yang Yixuan cheers "Once you win you can have a lay,"

  Liu Qingge's nostrils flare like he's a second away from turning around and slicing both their disciples to ribbons. 

  They continue like that for the next few minutes, an air of relaxed ease blending into their duel. After a while, Liu Qingge steps forward slightly, tightening his grip on his sword.

  Shen QingQiu barely has time to think 'Ah, he's ending this' before his shidi knock his sword clean out of his hands and sends it flying across the field. 

  "As usual, I am no match for Liu shidi," Shen Qingqiu smiles, sheathing his sword. 

  Liu Qingge tilts his head in acknowledgement, huffing out a breath.

  "Come shizun, retire to your quarters," Yang Yixuan says, leading Liu Qingge away "You must have a lay and replenish your strength," 

  There comes the sound of a loud  smack from the corridor, and then silence. 

[feministfocus]

#RapeCultureIsWhen

By Neha Shetty

Harvey Weinstein now settles for the persona of a frail man, beaten down by society and the so-called “feminazis”, who hurl at him with insults.  From “MeToo” hashtags, to op-ed articles, and swear-word filled rants (as actress Zoe Stuckless did when she saw him at a rising actors event). While #MeToo has allowed millions of victims of sexual abuse to stand together and connect in a place of solidarity, others believe that the #MeToo movement has given rise to some imaginary larger-than-life mob of feminists, now loose from patriarchal shackles and preying on undeserving men. In fact, it is this idea that Weinstein, and many other rapists before him, such as Bill Cosby and Jeffrey Epstein, use to pander sympathy from those who don’t care to have an opinion, don’t want to be associated with the word “feminism”, or are skeptical about rape accusations.

This is exactly where our culture has gone wrong. 

A close look into our country’s history and its patriarchal values reveals the truth of our system. Even as early as the 17th century, Lord Matthew Hale, a judge in England, warned jurors that rape charges are “accusations easily made and hard to prove and harder to be defended by the party accused”. He also advised that the victim’s testimony should be cautiously examined. In the past few years, it has become clear that this same sentiment has been passed through the legislative branch, cementing in our culture as time passes. Harvey Weinstein, after being accused by over 80 women,  is still on trial and may not even go to prison. Bill Cosby was finally imprisoned after more than 60 women came forward with allegations of abuse and harassment. Christine Blasey Ford continually faces death threats while her rapist, Brett Kavanaugh, is now a judge in the highest court in the land. The case of Jeffrey Epstein, which describes allegations against a man who sexually assaulted more than a hundred underage girls through a network of abuse and power-dynamics, was dropped after Epstein’s supposed suicide while in jail. Brock Turner, who raped his unconscious victim during a party, was released after serving half of his six-month sentence. If anything, these instances blare the message “Don’t report your rape!”. 

Throughout our country’s history, rape has rarely been deeply investigated, prosecuted or punished. Sexual assault is joked about. It is a crime thrown to the side when many voters make decisions on what candidate to vote for. It is almost easy to get away with. Out of every 1000 instances of rape, 13 get referred to a prosecutor and only 7 cases lead to a felony conviction. Last year, more than 20,000 women decided not to proceed with a rape investigation. 

The way that rape is treated in this country, and in most other countries, is despicable. If a victim wants to get a rape kit done, they must not wash, eat, drink, change clothes, or clean up any mess. They must provide every possible piece of evidence proving that the rape wasn’t consensual. In most cases, the victim is thrown questions like “What were you wearing?” “Were you drinking?” “What is your relationship with your accuser?” “How often do you have sex?” and other questions. Victims are forced to relive their nightmares and share intimate details of their sexual and personal lives, as well as removing their veil of privacy. Not to mention, the trauma that comes with speaking out, places an almost unbearable mental load on the accuser. One of Cristine Blasey Ford's most powerful quotes echoes this sentiment exactly: “Apart from the assault itself, these last couple of weeks have been the hardest of my life. I have had to relive my trauma in front of the entire world.” 

Rape culture, in essence, tells people to not be raped instead of teaching people to not rape. It manifests in victim-blaming, normalizing sexual violence, glossing over sexual assault with terms like “sexual misconduct” and through the hyper sexualizing of women and girls. If we are to truly revolutionize our system, we must start by believing and supporting victims, standing in solidarity with those who speak out and those who are shouldering their burden alone, calling out rape culture, and protesting fervently against a legal system that doesn’t do justice to survivors of rape and sexual assault.

References

“What Is Rape Culture? | WAVAW Rape Crisis Centre.” WAVAW Rape Crisis Centre, 19 Mar. 2019, www.wavaw.ca/what-is-rape-culture/.

Bowcott, Owen, and Caelainn Barr. “Half of Rape Victims Drop out of Cases Even after Suspect Is Identified.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 10 Nov. 2019, www.theguardian.com/society/2019/nov/10/half-of-victims-drop-out-of-cases-even-after-suspect-is-identified.

Hagerty, Barbara Bradley. “American Law Does Not Take Rape Seriously.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 29 Jan. 2020, www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/01/american-law-rape/605620/.

Hesse, Monica. “Perspective | #MeToo Voices Aren't Too Biased for the Harvey Weinstein Jury. They're Necessary.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 14 Jan. 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/metoo-voices-arent-too-biased-for-the-harvey-weinstein-jury-theyre-necessary/2020/01/13/ef642496-32f5-11ea-9313-6cba89b1b9fb_story.html.

Moore, Suzanne. “Rape: Why Isn’t Justice Being Done?” The Guardian, The Guardian, 22 Oct. 2018, www.theguardian.com/society/2018/oct/22/rape-why-isnt-justice-being-done. Accessed 5 Feb. 2020.

[tinypigeonlord]

The Hunger Games - Muse Shenanigans V

Even in 2019, muses are not safe from Hunger Games Shenanigans. Some of these poor fools had to experience another horrifying death after coming back from the previous ones. The newcomers aren’t safe either, as you’ll see in the results. So who get to duke it out this year? Here’s the roster:

For previous shenanigans, click this link

We always start out with our first event, the Cornucopia, also known as The Bloodbath. Our tributes can gather supplies, or just run for their life. The choice is theirs. So let’s see what everyone decided to do:

Most of our tributes make a run for it, or grab the nearest thing they can find before heading off. Some kindhearted souls share their new supplies. One fight breaks out, but ends peacefully.

But how does the rest of this first day play out? We’ll have a look:

I end up scaring a ghost away, some tributes received explosives, while others work for their resources instead. Our local fairy made the choice to stab Vivian in the back, presumably because she posed a serious threat. Dove is not gonna be happy his daughter died once he found out. Meanwhile our dear Sheep Mom gets a knife to the chest from Buttons. She did not survive.

The first night falls, which usually brings a lot of tension. Can our tributes handle this? We’ll see:

Our Demon King of Lust is apparently afraid of the dark and tries to call for help. Dove forgets how to summon his fire and sleeps without warmth. Thankfully he hails from a frozen wasteland so he should be able to handle it. Ace makes a questionable choice by sleeping together with literally every man who has tried to hurt her in the past. Liran and Hattie pick a better adult in King Candy. Some tributes stay up to tell each other stories, others receive more dangerous weapons they should probably not be given.

Aside from Vivi and Kaelon, everyone survives the first night, and make it to Day 2. But will they get past this day?

The next day is quite eventful. More dangerous weapons are handed out, and some cause more deaths. Our Flowercrown Murderer strikes and ends Sidonai’s life for not playing her mindgames. Jarkova kills his fellow wrath demon Sabrael, and Asmodeus tracked down and killed Sheimi, who we can only guess rejected the bastard’s advances previously.

Atleast Sidonai and his mother are finally reunited in death...

Onwards to the night!

We have two dragons spending the night singing songs with a fairy, and Dove and Jarkova truced so they too can sing some songs to pass the time. King Candy and the Flowercrown Murderer developed a friendship, while Michael stopped chasing Ace and is now alone and crying. Tamiel chased two pretty girls away because they came with Snape attached and it was just not worth it.

Let’s see what the next day has in store for our tributes:

Most of the day is pretty uneventful. Everyone is minding their own business or running away from other people’s business... except Castiel, who decided to stalk our local pigeon demon, Dove. Theo overpowers Silver, but decides not to finish the fight and leaves him alive. Surprisingly, there are no deaths today...

But will the night go by peacefully as well?

Theo and Silver seem to have worked out their issues, as they spend the night sleeping together, along with Hattie, Castiel and Ace. I still question Ace’s choice in sleeping partners, but this is still better than her other options. Buttons and Liran snuggle, and King Candy and Ghosty share a shelter too. Jarkova feels remorse over his murder-y actions, while Asmodeus feels none and destroys Livia’s supplies like the bastard he is. Marie, while very much anti-demon, decides that angels are okay and leaves Michael be.

It seems everyone made it through the entirety of day 3, and we’re onward to Day 4:

Unfortunately Marie, Flip and Snape are unsuccessful at gathering resources, and they die from thirst and hunger. Ace and Buttons cleverly split up to find more resources. The Flowercrown Murderer helps a fellow murderer out and tends to his wounds. Tamiel got overconfident and forgot he’s not the only one who was given explosives by a supporter. He goes keboom.

Let’s see if the hunt for resources will go better during the night:

Dove’s daughter is as successful at making fires as he is, which is to say they both suck.Liran and Theo instead stay warm by holding hands. Gaaaaaaaay :v Two pigeons tell each other stories, and so do one of the angels and an ex-angel. That’s gotta be interesting. Two of the more dangerous tributes receive new weapons. Wonder how that will work out.

Everyone survives the night! Now let’s find out what they will do for the next day:

Ace tends to her father’s wounds, being the kind soul she is. Even though he’s a prick :v Livia did not tend to her own wounds and dies from an infection. No more pigeon tales... Castiel proves why he should not be given dangerous weapons, as he killed Liran, Buttons and King Candy with an explosive. Jarkova decides to take a break from actively murdering people and tries to sleep through the entire day, unlike Michael who constructs a shack. I do wonder if all the effort will help him any.

We say goodbye to these four beebs, and carry on into the night:

Dove still derps on how to fire, unlike Asmodeus. Theo, Castiel, Jarkova and I instead stay warm by snuggling. Poor Ghosty is all alone and screams for help. She wants snuggles too :(

Perhaps the next day will bring more snuggles? We’ll see.

Castiel found himself a new target to stalk, namely Dove’s daughter. Dove in the meantime goofs and sprains his ankle while escaping the Flowercrown Murderer. Still a clever decision though. Theo derps as well, and Asmodeus goes Stealth 100.

Aside from some stalking, no one is harassed today.

Will The Flowercrown Murderer catch up to Dove before the end of the night though? And will Castiel murder Ace? Will Silver use his explosive? And what plans does Asmodeus have? Let’s find out:

Dove seems to have dodged Hattie, but instead gets attacked by another youth. Fortunately for him, Silver and Theo renewed their differences, and Silver kills Theo to protect Dove. Castiel meanwhile lost sight of Ace, and his position. Ace found safety with Michael and Ghosty. Asmodeus is still lurking in the bushes, subtly treating his infections. Ace and Hattie aren’t around to tend to his problems this time. Hattie is occupied with food she received.

Castiel still hasn’t found his targets back, but instead steals from Asmodeus to keep going. I help Jarkova and Dove track down and kill Silver. Shame on you Dove, the boy even protected you earlier! As for Hattie... well unfortunately as good as she is at treating Asmodeus’ injuries, she ignored her own and bled out.

The best die young, they always say... These three kiddos prove that saying.

Ah well, let’s see how the others fare this next night:

Some of us receive supplies, others trick angels into not killing them, only to kill them instead. And then there are angels who cause their own death by stepping on landmines on accident. GG

The next day is a special day! The cornucopia is replenished, giving tributes a chance to restock. But will they take the risk?

Aside from Jarkova and Ace, no one decides to go to The Feast, which is probably for the best, because Jarkova kills the poor defenseless girl to steal her supplies. She must’ve stumbled upon something damn good. Me, I didn’t even reach the Feast, I froze my ass off in a lake and drowned. Sucks...

Two angels, a halfling and a pigeon died, leaving behind a young ghost girl and a bunch of old demons causing mayhem.

Poor Ghosty spends the day running from Jarkova, while Dove sprains his other ankle this time while running from Asmodeus. No sexy times right now, Momo.

And for the night, poor girl has to fend all three of these old bastards away from her fire. Dove still doesn’t recall how to make his own, Jarkova and Asmodeus are just lazy. That’s gotta be rough for here.

Will she continue to fend the demons off the next day?

A sponsor noticed Ghosty’s plight and gifted her a hatchet to help her defend herself. Dove won’t bother her anymore however, as he wasted all his energy and dies from hunger. Jarkova meanwhile betrays Asmodeus and kills him in his sleep.

That leaves Ghosty with just one demonic bastard to deal with. He’s the worst of them though...

Will she make it through the night?

Alas, though she did her best, she fell into Jarkova’s trap, and dies as a result. And with that, we have our winner for the Hunger Games Shenanigans: Muse Edition V

And here are the final placements and tags:

@mus-brunneis (Ace, Marie & Buttons), @winged-gentleman (Jarkova, Dove & Vivian), @inferno-principe (Asmodeus, Liran, Tamiel, Sabrael, Sidonai & Kaelon). @ghostlyanon (Ghosty), @tinypigeonlord (Pigeon Lord), @dork-in-a-trenchcoat (Castiel), @cruelseraph (Michael), @silvcrsoul (Silver), @volpe-infernale (Theo, Terrance & Hattie), @ask-his-puffiness-king-candy (King Candy), @pigeontales (Livia), @ask-flip-frost (Flip), @half-blood-master-of-potions (Snape)

[bountyofbeads]

I miss Barack Obama soooooooooo much!! 😢😭😭😭I miss his wisdom, compassion, humanity, comfort, diplomacy and oratory.

Read Barack Obama’s Eulogy for Elijah Cummings

“His commitment to justice and the rights of others would never, ever waver.”

Christian Paz | Published October 25, 2019 1:34 PM ET | The Atlantic | Posted October 25, 2019 |

Former President Barack Obama delivered a eulogy today honoring Representative Elijah Cummings of Maryland, who died last week after a decades-long career in the House of Representatives. Cummings was known in Congress as a staunch defender of voting rights and for his perch as chair of the House Oversight Committee, which put him at the center of the impeachment inquiry now facing President Donald Trump. The widespread bipartisan adulation Cummings’s colleagues had for him was made clear yesterday, when he lay in state at the Capitol—the first African American lawmaker to be afforded that honor in the nation’s history.

Below, the full text of Obama’s remarks as delivered.

To the bishop, and the first lady, and the New Psalmist family, to the Cummings family, Maya, Mr. President, Madam Secretary, Madam Speaker, governor, friends, colleagues, staff.

The seed on good soil, the parable of the sower tells us, stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. The seed on good soil.

Elijah Cummings came from good soil. And in this sturdy frame, goodness took root. His parents were sharecroppers from the South. They picked tobacco and strawberries, and then sought something better in this city, South Baltimore. Robert worked shifts at a plant, and Ruth cleaned other people’s homes. They became parents of seven, preachers to a small flock. I remember I had the pleasure of meeting Elijah’s mother, Ruth, and she told me she prayed for me every day, and I knew it was true, and I felt better for it. Sometimes people say they are praying for you, and you don’t know. They might be praying about you, but you don’t know if they are praying for you. But I knew Miss Ruth was telling the truth.

So they were the proverbial salt of the earth, and they passed on that strength and that grit, but also that kindness and that faith to their son. As a boy, Elijah's dad made him shine his shoes and tie his tie, and they’d go to the airport—not to board the airplanes, but to watch others do it. I remember Elijah telling me this story. Robert would say, “I have not flied. I may not fly, but you will fly one day. We can’t afford it right now, but you will fly.”

His grandmother—as Elijah related—and as grandmothers do, was a little more impatient with her advice. Your daddy, she said, “he’s been waiting and waiting for a better day. Don’t you wait.” And Elijah did not wait. Against all odds, Elijah earned his degrees. He learned about the rights that all people in this country are supposed to possess, with a little help, apparently, from Perry Mason. Elijah became a lawyer to make sure that others had rights, and his people had their God-given rights, and from the statehouse to the House of Representatives, his commitment to justice and the rights of others would never, ever waver.

Elijah’s example: a son of parents who rose from nothing to carve out just a little something, a public servant who toiled to guarantee the least of us have the same opportunities that he had earned. A leader who once said he would die for his people, even as he lived every minute for them—his life validates the things we tell ourselves about what’s possible in this country. Not guaranteed, but possible. The possibility that our destinies are not preordained. But rather, through our works, and our dedication, and our willingness to open our hearts to God’s message of love for all people, we can live a purposeful life. That we can reap a bountiful harvest. That we are neither sentenced to wither among the rocks nor assured a bounty, but we have a capacity, the chance, as individuals and as a nation, to root ourselves in good soil.

Elijah understood that. That’s why he fought for justice. That’s why he embraced his beloved community of Baltimore. That’s why he went on to fight for the rights and opportunities of forgotten people all across America, not just in his district. He was never complacent, for he knew that without clarity of purpose and a steadfast faith, and the dogged determination demanded by our liberty, the promise of this nation can wither. Complacency, he knew, was not only corrosive for our collective lives, but for our individual lives.

It has been remarked that Elijah was a kind man. I tell my daughters—and I have to say, listening to Elijah’s daughters speak, that got me choked up. I am sure those of you who have sons feel the same way, but there is something about daughters and their fathers. And I was thinking, I would want my daughters to know how much I love them, but I would also want them to know that being a strong man includes being kind. That there is nothing weak about kindness and compassion. There is nothing weak about looking out for others. There is nothing weak about being honorable. You are not a sucker to have integrity and to treat others with respect. I was sitting here and I was just noticing The Honorable Elijah E. Cummings and, you know, this is a title that we confer on all kinds of people who get elected to public office. We’re supposed to introduce them as honorable.

But Elijah Cummings was honorable before he was elected to office. There’s a difference. There is a difference if you are honorable and treated others honorably outside the limelight. On the side of a road; in a quiet moment, counseling somebody you work with; letting your daughters know you love them. As president, I knew I could always count on Elijah being honorable and doing the right thing. And people have talked about his voice. There is something about his voice. It just made you feel better. There’s some people, they have that deep baritone, a prophetic voice. And when it was good times and we achieved victories together, that voice and that laugh was a gift. But you needed it more during the tough times, when the path ahead looked crooked, when obstacles abounded. When I entertained doubts, or I saw those who were in the fight start to waver, that’s when Elijah’s voice mattered most.

More than once during my presidency, when the economy still looked like it might plunge into depression, when the health-care bill was pronounced dead in Congress, I would watch Elijah rally his colleagues. “The cost of doing nothing isn’t nothing,” he would say, and folks would remember why they entered into public service. “Our children are the living messengers we send to a future we will never see,” he would say, and he would remind all of us that our time is too short not to fight for what’s good and what is true and what is best in America.

Two hundred years to 300 years from now, he would say, people will look back at this moment and they will ask the question “What did you do?” And hearing him, we would be reminded that it falls upon each of us to give voice to the voiceless, and comfort to the sick, and opportunity to those not born to it, and to preserve and nurture our democracy.

Elijah Cummings was a man of noble and good heart. His parents and his faith planted the seeds of hope, and love, and compassion, and righteousness in that good soil of his. He has harvested all the crops that he could, for the Lord has now called Elijah home, to give his humble, faithful servant rest. And it now falls on us to continue his work, so that other young boys and girls from Baltimore, across Maryland, across the United States, and around the world might too have a chance to grow and to flourish. That’s how we will honor him. That’s how we will remember him. That’s what he would hope for. May God bless the memory of the very honorable Elijah Cummings. And may God bless this city, and this state, and this nation that he loved. God bless you.

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 14 October 2019

Quick Bits:

Absolute Carnage #4 is pretty damn big as we head towards the conclusion. Donny Cates, Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer, Jay Leisten, Frank Martin, and Clayton Cowles set up near insurmountable odds for Eddie and Spider-Man to face, as Carnage inches closer to victory. It’s very daunting, especially as we potentially see hope fade as other dominoes fall into place. Though a shock revelation might lead to something good for the conclusion. The tension mounting and the continued blend of the rest of the tie-ins to the main story are very entertaining.

| Published by Marvel

Absolute Carnage: Avengers #1 gives us a lead-in to how the previously symbiote-afflicted heroes got to Venom in Absolute Carnage #3 in addition to a bit about beacons in New York and San Francisco calling all symbiotes to feed something. It’s more elaboration on some details between panels for the event, but it’s rather entertaining and covers an element that was otherwise glossed over in the main series. Great art from Alberto Alburquerque, Guiu Vilanova, and Rachelle Rosenberg.

| Published by Marvel

Aquaman #53 reveals more about Thomas Mauer and his history in the founding of Amnesty, complete with some really weird powers regarding manifesting beasties. Then, a reunion of Arthur and Mera is basically aborted as Black Manta attack. Kelly Sue DeConnick, Robson Rocha, Eduardo Pansica, Daniel Henriques, Julio Ferreira, Sunny Gho, and Clayton Cowles continue to deliver one of the best stories from DC.

| Published by DC Comics

Archie #708 sees everything start to come together as all of the disparate story threads begin to converge somehow with Fox Forest. Nick Spencer, Mariko Tamaki, Sandy Jarrell, Matt Herms, and Jack Morelli really build tension here, with a rather spooky feel for what’s going on.

| Published by Archie Comics

Batman #81 continues this next stage of Batman’s assault on the “City of Bane” as all of his “kids” work together to try to take down his father and he attempts to bring the fight to Bane himself. Tom King guides us through a narration essentially putting together some of the missing pieces in Gotham Girl’s story and further protections that he left in the city after Batman’s “breaking”.

| Published by DC Comics

Bettie Page Unbound #5 serves as a coda to the first arc, from David Avallone, Moy R, Ellie Wright, Sheelagh D, and Taylor Esposito. It gives a bit of perspective on Bettie’s trip through alternate realities, while dealing a bit more with the spies who’ve been chasing her.

| Published by Dynamite

The Black Ghost #2 is firing on all cylinders. The story that Alex Segura, Monica Gallagher, George Kambadais, Ellie Wright, and Taylor Esposito are telling here is incredibly compelling, going deep into Lara’s downward spiral following the death of the Black Ghost and all of the mounting problems in her life. There’s a very interesting theme of the intersection of solving a mystery and obsession, complete with the black hole of alcoholism, that just grabs you.

| Published by New Wave Comics

Black Panther and the Agents of Wakanda #2 concludes this opening arc from Jim Zub, Lan Medina, Craig Yeung, Marcio Menyz, and Joe Sabino. We get an interesting mix of Okoye and Janet facing their greatest fears, while elaborating further on the current state of the Sentry. I like this quick, two-part introductory arc structure, further giving this title the feel of a specialized group for certain threats.

| Published by Marvel

Captain Marvel #11 concludes the “Falling Star” arc, revealing more fallout from the first arc and the sheer damage that it’s done to Ripley after she fell into the Nuclear Man’s reality. Kelly Thompson, Carmen Carnero, Tamra Bonvillain, and Clayton Cowles develop a rather demented look on “heroism” here that is quite disturbing.

| Published by Marvel

Chastity #2 unveils more of the human trafficking operation that Chastity has found herself in. It’s not very pretty, but there are some nice funny moments to break up the dark subject matter. Leah Williams, David Maine, Bryan Valenza, and Carlos M. Mangual are telling an interesting story here.

| Published by Dynamite

Contagion #3 continues to escalate the terror of the fungus plaguing New York, and now possibly beyond. There are appearances here of some very interesting near forgotten characters that are nice to see. Great art from Mack Chater, Stephen Segovia, Veronica Gandini, and Andrew Crossley.

| Published by Marvel

Cult Classic: Creature Feature #1 is an interesting start to this second series. You don’t need to have read Return to Whisper before this, but I still highly recommend that series. Here Eliot Rahal, John Bivens, Jerrie, Monahan, and Taylor Esposito kick off a rather hectic beginning with alien creatures. The art from Bivens, Jerrie, and Monahan is wonderful.

| Published by Vault

Dark Red #7 continues to develop the current state of the vampires after taking out the Nazis who were trying to take over, while Chip works to get the little were back to her werepeople. Definitely an interesting society that Tim Seeley, Corin Howell, Mark Englert, and Carlos M. Mangual are creating here.

| Published by AfterShock

Excellence #6 concludes the first arc in rather spectacular fashion. Brandon Thomas, Khary Randolph, Emilio Lopez, and Deron Bennett have been doing some excellent character and world-building in this story and it really pays off here as we get a confrontation between Spencer and his dad, followed by one hell of a revelation that practically changes everything. Great stuff here.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Gideon Falls #17 begins “The Pentoculus” as things start to coalesce again into a sort of “normalcy” in both of our “main” Gideon Falls realities, even as something horrible takes hold of Sheriff Miller’s father. Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino, Dave Stewart, and Steve Wands establish even more horror here and the feeling that something more is very, very wrong.

| Published by Image

Guardians of the Galaxy #10 catches up with the new baby Magus as we find out that the new incarnation might be as dangerous and deadly as the earlier ones. Also, what Donny Cates is doing with Rocket just cuts to the core.

| Published by Marvel

Hit Girl: Season 2 #9 is the first part of “India” from Peter Milligan, Alison Sampson, Tríona Farrell, and Clem Robins. It sends Mindy off to the street of Mumbai where she’s trying to deal with a bizarre child trafficking/labour ring, and finding out that her actions may have caused more complications than good. There’s a very different feel to this new arc so far.

| Published by Image

Inferior 5 #2 sure is...something. I’m still not entirely sure of the experiments or the characters or the setting, but Jeff Lemire, Keith Giffen, Michelle Delecki, Hi-Fi, and Rob Leigh are doing something that might be interesting here when we see a broader picture. It’s very “huh?” issue to issue so far. The back-up featuring Peacemaker, though, continues to be very compelling. Especially as it reveals that he may well be completely insane.

| Published by DC Comics

The Island of Doctor Moreau #2 concludes this adaptation of the HG Wells story from Ted Adams, Gabriel Rodríguez, Nelson Dániel, and Robbie Robbins. Other than a few minor changes, it’s fairly faithful to the original. The story here is mostly told in double page spreads from Rodríguez and Dániel and they’re absolutely beautiful.

| Published by IDW

Justice League #34 reminds us that revenge isn’t necessarily the correct path to take all the time, or possibly any time, as the endgame plays out across the different timelines and the combined forces gather for one final push against Perpetua. Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Bruno Redondo, Howard Porter, Hi-Fi, and Tom Napolitano lay out a wonderful tale of the final battle and a stupid, selfish act that has possibly doomed everything.

| Published by DC Comics

Killer Groove #5 concludes what has been an excellent crime tale from Ollie Masters, Eoin Marron, Jordie Bellaire, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. There’s an incredible nihilism here that feeds into a very fitting end.

| Published by AfterShock

KI-6: Killers #4 gains a bit of a title change with the “KI-6″ bit in this penultimate issue of the series. Not really sure why, but it doesn’t ultimately make a difference for the story being told by B. Clay Moore, Fernando Dagnino, José Villarrubia, and Jeff Powell. We get a nice bit of the Jonin’s history before the two rival groups of former Ninjas show up.

| Published by Valiant

The Marked #1 begins a new series from the Sonata team of David Hine, Brian Haberlin, Geirrod Van Dyke, and Francis Takenaga. It blends magic and tattoos as we learn of the history of a group of magicians who have defended the world from evil through the eyes of their newest recruit Saskia. Beautiful art as usual from the Haberlin/Van Dyke team.

| Published by Image / Shadowline

The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask #1 is kind of a strange return for the property, in a story from Christopher Cantwell, Patric Reynolds, Lee Loughridge, and Nate Piekos. It’s dark and deranged, which fits very well overall. While it does follow on from the previous stories, all that you really need to know to enjoy this story itself is revealed here. The political element adds an even greater feeling of being put off-balance.

| Published by Dark Horse

Midnight Vista #2 very nicely develops what Oliver remembers of his abduction and the fallout that has been happening in the ensuing years since he’s been missing. Eliot Rahal, Clara Meath, Mark Englert, and Taylor Esposito are doing some interesting things here, especially as other forces are trying to guide Oliver’s story.

| Published by AfterShock

Psi-Lords #5 elaborates a bit further on the societal structure of the Gyre and the various gangs on it, while we see one of the Starwatchers try to turn Steve. It’s interesting as we get a little bit that gives us more of an insight into the ties to the broader Valiant Universe here and some very nice character building. Renato Guedes art remains phenomenal.

| Published by Valiant

Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons - Chapter II: Painscape #2 guides us through some of Rick’s history with D&D, creating some horrible characters that anyone who’s played the game will be familiar with, and an entertaining dungeon crawl. I’m still loving how perfectly Jim Zub, Troy Little, Leonardo Ito, and Crank! are integrating D&D into Rick and Morty.

| Published by Oni Press & IDW

Rumble #17 follows a similar format as last issue’s selection of three stories, only this time there are only two stories, with one split between two different creators. That two-part story is a wonderful crossover between Rumble and Head Lopper, with Andrew MacLean and James Harren handling the line art. It’s pretty great overall, with a natural melding of the two properties, and very nice to see Harren’s return. 

| Published by Image

Savage Sword of Conan #10 begins a new arc from Roy Thomas, Alan Davis, Cam Smith, Chris Sotomayor, and Travis Lanham. It’s wonderful to see a new Roy Thomas story and the art from Davis, Smith, and Sotomayor is great. The story itself is interesting, drawing from some traditional Conan elements of a tavern fight and being hired as a bodyguard.

| Published by Marvel

Savage Tales: Red Sonja Halloween Special is essential if you’re reading the ongoing Red Sonja series. It works well on its own as well, but for readers of the series it builds on Sonja’s trip to the tower of sorcerers in her youth and gives some great insight into her past. Wonderful work here overall from Mark Russell, Jacob Edgar, Dearbhla Kelly, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.

| Published by Dynamite

Something is Killing the Children #2 is even better than the first issue, fleshing out our monster hunter a bit and causing all sorts of complications for her. There are some great characterizations here, nicely capturing some of the reactions from people experiencing the tragedy of a lost or murdered family member. James Tynion IV, Werther Dell’Edera, Miquel Muerto, and AndWorld Design are doing something great here.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Star Wars Adventures: Return to Vader’s Castle #3 gives us a central story of Ventress hunting a quarry, illustrated by Nick Brokenshire. I’m still very much enjoying how Cavan Scott is using the central tale and its context to elaborate on what he, Francesco Francavilla, and AndWorld Design are doing with the framing story.

| Published IDW

Steeple #2 features all of the charm and humour of Giant Days, but then adds some rather over-the-top supernatural elements that just manages to elevate that charm and humour further. John Allison, Sarah Stern, and Jim Campbell are delivering a rather wholesome look at monster hunting and finding common ground with your local hooligans and Satanists.

| Published by Dark Horse

Strayed #3 advances towards oblivion, as Lou finds the flower-maker and the Premier enacts another piece of his plan for total control. Carlos Giffoni, Juan Doe, and Matt Krotzer continue to tell the heartbreaking tale of this brave little kitty being used and abused by his humans. It’s really sad as to how monstrous humanity is.

| Published by Dark Horse

Superman Smashes the Klan #1 is really damn good. Inspired by the radio serial of the same name, Gene Luen Yang, Gurihiru, and Janice Chiang present a wonderfully nuanced tale of the struggle that a young Chinese family have moving to Metropolis and the overt and casual racism that greets them. The characterizations of the family are impeccable, giving us what feels like very real people, and it makes the story even more heartbreaking when you see what’s happening to them. Especially through the gorgeous art from the Gurihiru pair.

| Published by DC Comics

Tales from the Dark Multiverse - Batman: Knightfall #1 is the first of these one-shots examining some of the most popular events of the DC Universe as they played out in dark reflection. Your enjoyment of this will definitely be predicated on how much you enjoy the grim and gritty Batmen who went wrong during Metal. As a story, though, Scott Snyder, Kyle Higgins, Javier Fernandez, Alex Guimarães, and Clayton Cowles give us an interesting one, with some nice twists, and a suitably bleak Gotham. The art from Fernandez and Guimarães is really good.

| Published by DC Comics

Teen Titans #35 gives us new perspective on the traitor to the team, with Adam Glass, Bernard Chang, Marcelo Maiolo, and Rob Leigh building up sympathy for their decisions, even if they are somewhat demented. It also continues to point that what Damian has been doing is rather villainous. The shades of grey are fairly interesting.

| Published by DC Comics

Trees: Three Fates #2 delves a bit more into the mystery of the dead man and also a great depiction in the past of the romance blossoming between Klara and Sasha. Warren Ellis, Jason Howard, Dee Cunniffe, and Fonografiks are building a very compelling story here, complete with some interesting big ideas to make you wonder about Sasha.

| Published by Image

Vampirella #4 is still rather odd, told in a rather disjointed way that’s pretty much Priest’s style to its natural extreme. Weird stuff with the nuns and all sorts of temptation. The art from Ergün Gündüz remains a huge draw for this story.

| Published by Dynamite

X-Men #1 begins the first wave of the “Dawn of X” titles in this next stage of the brave new world the X-Men have found themselves in, from Jonathan Hickman, Leinil Francis Yu, Garry Alanguilan, Sunny Gho, and Clayton Cowles. It’s much more “normal” compared to the HOXPOX event, operating more standard hero/villain conflict and setting up the continued threat of Orchis, but there are still moments to bask in the new with Magneto and the potentially unsettling as we see Corsair react to all of his family together and the strangeness of Krakoa. This feels like a way to make more traditional X-elements work within this new framework, giving us a great start.

| Published by Marvel

Other Highlights: Absolute Carnage: Scream #3, Absolute Carnage vs. Deadpool #3, Aero #4, Analog #9, Ask for Mercy - Season 2 #3, Captain America #15, Crazy #1, The Crow/Hack/Slash #4, Dead Beats, Death-Defying Devil #3, Firefly #10, History of the Marvel Universe #4, Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - Alliance #2, Lucifer #13, Marvel Action: Black Panther #4, Once & Future #3, The Realm #15, Sparrows Roar, Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #4, Titans: Burning Rage #3, Wonder Woman: Come Back to Me #4

Recommended Collections: Bad Luck Chuck - Volume 1, Black Hammer: Streets of Spiral, Calamity Kate - Volume 1, Coda - Volume 3, Critical Role: Vox Machina - Origins - Volume 1, Gideon Falls - Volume 3: Stations of the Cross, Goddess Mode, Gogor, Justice League Dark - Volume 2: Lords of Order, The Life & Death of Toyo Harada, Ms. Marvel - Volume 1, Planet of the Nerds - Volume 1, Robots & Princesses - Volume 1, Runaways - Volume 4: But You Can’t Hide, Spider-Man: City at War, Star Wars: Tie Fighter

d. emerson eddy still thinks that Pumpkin Spice was the most underutilized of the Spice Girls.

[dailyaudiobible]

11/27/2019 DAB Transcript

Daniel 4:1-37, 2 Peter 1:1-21, Psalms 119:97-112, Proverbs 28:17-18

Today is the 27th day of November. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It's great to be here with you today as we pass through the center of the last week of this month. And I guess traditionally here in the United States, this a big cooking day like a big preparation day. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, which is a national holiday for us here…here in the United States and then the day after that’s Black Friday and I think worldwide that sort of kicks off the Christmas season. So, here we are right at the threshold of a busy season for us but we have a rhythm that we've established all year and we come around this Global Campfire where there is peace and where there is calm and we let God's word speak into our lives. And, so, that's what we'll do. We’re reading from the New International Version this week. Today, Daniel chapter 4. And when we get to the New Testament we’ll be beginning of Peter's second letter known as second Peter but first Daniel chapter 4.

Introduction to Second Peter:

Alright. So, as we mentioned at the beginning, we finished first Peter yesterday, which brings us to second Peter today. And the second letter of the apostle Peter is thought to be the final writing of Peter's life, but it's also important to understand that the authorship of this particular letter has been questioned, going all the way back into antiquity. The acceptance of the idea that the apostle Peter wrote this letter, that happened over time and the letter was considered Scripture by the fourth century. In the more modern era scholars have observed stylistic differences between first and second Peter. So, those who would defend Peter's authorship would say he…he was dictating…like he…he may have been illiterate...he wasn't writing these things, he was saying them, and they were being written down by a secretary. So, he just used two different secretaries who wrote down the thoughts that he was saying. But all in all there are compelling reasons to consider this letter like we do the letter to the Hebrews or the book of Hebrews as in the author is unknown, but there are equally compelling reasons to consider the author to be the apostle Peter as is named in this letter. So, if the apostle Peter wrote second Peter it would've likely been in the late 60s. A.D. and he would've been martyred shortly thereafter. And our church tradition holds that during his execution period Peter was crucified upside down at his own request and that may in fact be the true truth. The Bible doesn't verify that. It's a very long-running tradition of the church. And Peter didn't explicitly say who he was writing to in second Peter. He said he was writing to you who share the same precious faith that we have. So, we assume that he was writing to the same people he wrote his first letter to because he referred to the first letter in the second one, the one that we’re about to read. And these letters have different purposes. First Peter sought to bolster and encourage and instruct believers about how to endure the pressures that were coming against them. Second Peter will warn about false teaching and evil behavior from within. But rather than like just looking at this letter as another encouragement and try to live better, we have to know that Peter's about to die and he says as much in this letter. This is Peter, right? This is the man who walked with Jesus along the Sea of Galilee. This is a person who saw Jesus perform His miracles. This is a person who was a friend of Jesus, laughed with Him, cried with Him, lived with Him, ate his last supper with Him. And of course, we know the story of Peter. This is the man who denied Him and watched him die, but this is also the man who saw Jesus raised to life again. And this is the man who preached the first sermon after the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and 3000 people decided to follow Jesus. So, this letter, these may be the final living words of the apostle Peter. And, so, we should give them the weight that they deserve in our lives. And, so, we begin. Second Peter chapter 1.

Commentary:

Okay. So, we have…well…we have talked about second Peter and we've begun to read it and so let’s just…let's look at what we read today for just a quick second because we have some addition, some spiritual addition to do. We’ll have to kind of unpack the introduction to this letter. The letters in the Bible…the greetings in the letters in the Bible…they’re…they’re usually really long comprehensive sentences and you’ve gotta go, “let's read that slower.” So, let's do that. “Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life.” Alright, we could just pause there and think of that for a minute. We have been given what we need to live this life. And we've been given it through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. “Through these”, through God's divine power and our knowledge of him, “through these, He has given us His very great and precious promises. So, through His divine power and through our knowledge we have been given these precious promises, so that through them”, the promises, “so that through those promises we get to participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” That's two verses and one paragraph that says an awful lot about our status as brothers and sisters, as children of God in this world. But we’re…we’re still working through this. “For this very reason. So, for the reason that we just talked about, that we get to participate in the divine nature of God because He has given us that promise, because of that, for that very reason we need to do some adding. “Make every effort to add to your faith goodness and add to goodness, knowledge, and add to knowledge, self-control, and add to self-control, perseverance, and add on to perseverance godliness, and add to godliness, mutual affection, and add to mutual affection, love. If you possess these qualities” and I'm quoting Peter here. “If you possess these qualities in increasing measure”, in other words, “if you keep adding to these things, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Whoever doesn't have these things is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they’d been cleansed from their past sins.” That's an awful lot. I mean there's…there's a bunch here that's going on because we walk around feeling like we’re like weighted down by this…by our sins because we fail all the time. And, so, we’re estranged from God. There's so much in this that we can look and go, “okay. If this is true, this weight of sin that I carry around all the time feeling as if God is angry at me, it's an illusion, He’s not angry at me, He doesn't see them, they are not a part of my life. I certainly can choose to…to rebel in some way against God, but all of the things that have led me to this point, God has forgiven…they are not a part of my life, they are not a part of my identity anymore. So, rather than adding shame to guilt and then adding condemnation and then adding rebellion and then following that spiral down. I have a different math problem to do. I need to be adding to my faith, goodness and knowledge and self-control and perseverance and godliness and mutual affection and love. Then I will not wonder what's going on and I will not wonder why am living in unproductive life. If I'm adding these things together, I will be effective and productive in my knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ”, according to second Peter. So, that can explain a lot about the state we’re in about the status of our lives. And, so, let’…I mean there's a lot…reread it today. Think about these things. Today we’re going into a very busy season, a season that we can move through with excellence and precision following the leading of the Holy Spirit, enjoying the joy of the season and spreading that joy to everyone that we encounter or we can get bowled over and end up at December 31st, making the same New Year's resolutions we made last year. It's a big circle a year, a big circle around the sun and we can end up right where we started if we don't obey what we’re hearing.

Prayer:

Father, we invite You into that because it's just flatly the truth. We've experienced it enough times, we’ve seen the patterns, it’s the truth and yet Your word continually pulls us forward out of those patterns that are going nowhere and that has happened today. Help us Father as we move into this season to add to our faith, goodness and to our goodness, knowledge, and to knowledge, self-control, and to self-control, perseverance, and to perseverance godliness, and to godliness, mutual affection and to mutual affection, love. Then we will be effective and productive as we move through the rest of this year. Come Holy Spirit into this, we pray. In the mighty name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website and home base for what's going on around here.

And now we’re moving into the holiday season and so the Daily Audio Bible family Christmas Box for 2019 is available. We wanted to jump out in front of Black Friday a little bit just to give a few extra days for international shipments. We ship internationally. But like I was saying yesterday, the cost of shipping internationally are just really, really high. And, so, we have this arrangement where it’s a lot cheaper, more like domestic shipping, it just takes longer and take more than three weeks. So, the international cutoff date for shipping Christmas Boxes in time for Christmas will be the 2nd of December, which is a Monday. So, just a few days from now. Of course, shipping domestically inside the United States, it’s no problem. So, we’ve got…got time there as long as supplies last. In this year's Christmas Box is one of my very favorites that we've ever done because I think it centers us in the journey of a year, the rhythm of a year. And, so, the God of Your Story, this new daily resource that really is the heart, the essence of the Daily Audio Bible in book form, in written form is in the box. So, a signed first edition copy of the God of Your Story is in the box but also our new Daily Audio Bible Journal 2.0…I can…I mean…we do throughout the year talk about writing things down, and especially when we see that mimicked in the Scriptures, but I can't tell you how important it is to write things down, especially things that…that are like insights that you have received from the Holy Spirit through his word…like as you’re moving through the Scriptures. It's crazy how you can have something that actually is like a missing puzzle piece in your life snap into place and then after lunch, you’re like, “what was that again?” But it was like so important, and then it's gone. But when we write these things down, they’re there, and we can go back through a year of these kinds of insights and transformations in our lives and review these things and lock them in. So, I guess the best the best way I can say it is, if you feel God speaking to you, take notes. And, so, we have the new Daily Audio Bible Journal 2.0 in the Christmas Box this year for next year's journey. Also, some of our most popular Global Campfire items from the new Global Campfire line of resources that we released just a couple months ago. So, the Global Campfire Daily Audio Bible candle is in the Christmas Box and worked hard to get this candle to smell like campfire so that it evokes the community that we share, the Global Campfire. So, Global Campfire candle is in the box. Two of the Gobal Campfire stickers, five of the Global Campfire postcards, in a nice…nice little plastic wrap to keep them safe. The Daily Audio Bible Christmas ornament for 2019, which…well…has Daily Audio Bible 2019 on it and our word for the year which has been “Maintain” is in the Christmas box. The Global Campfire pop socket for your phone or tablet device is in the Christmas box. 20 of the Daily Audio Bible Christmas cards for 2019 and their envelopes, those are in the box as well as your choice of our Windfarm DAB blend coffee, fresh roast, it will be freshly roasted and sent to you or your choice of our boutique tea, whichever you prefer. So, it’s a great Christmas Box. It's available now in the Daily Audio Bible Shop at dailyaudiobible.com or you can get to the Shop in the Daily Audio Bible app by pushshig…pressing the little Drawer icon in the upper left-hand corner and that'll get you there.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com as well. And I can't thank you enough for your partnership as we move into toward the end of the year. So, there’s a link on the homepage. If using you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996, Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment you can dial 877-942-4253 or just press the Hotline button in the app, the little red button at the top and start sharing your story.

And that's it for today. I'm Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hello Daily Audio Bible family today is November 20th and can I just say Rachel from Pennsylvania and Ben, you guys made my day. I was listening to community prayer from November 2nd and you were praying, oh my goodness, for the devil to get out of two boys heads and having voices. It is such a beautiful fresh breath of air to just listen to Ben praying. Yes, telling the devil to get out right now. I smiled all day. I can replay that prayer over and over again. Oh. Jesus said let them…let the little kids come to me. Yes. For the kingdom of God is for as such the faith of the little kids. I love this community because a lot of parents encourage their kids to come to Jesus. And it’s so beautiful when you’re here even the little kids who are calling in and praying for their friends and praying for their parents and praying for even other members of this community. Can we continue to pray for little generation to continue loving Jesus? So, Rachel I just want to say thank you for calling and for involving your little kids to also pray. Oh. I know Jesus heart is so smiling. Thank you so much. I just wanted to call and say thank you. Daily Audio Bible family this Alfio calling from Delaware. Make it a great day. Bye-bye.

Eliab, David’s brother this is Jesse’s oldest son burned with anger at David’s question and asked him why he’d come. Why don’t you just leave now go finish up those chores? Why is it that you came here and left those few sheep of yours? King David said, I’m not afraid. He went and told Saul that he was going to go and make things right. He said no, you’re just a boy I must tell you the truth you are no match for this giant who’s been trained up from his youth. David said his father sheep I have kept safe from both lion and bear. When they were up against me, I caught them by the hair. God gave back the lamb to me out of the lion’s jaws. My God who delivered me from both bear and the Lions paws, my God will do the same again. This victory will be mine. __ the living God some circumcised philistine. Saul said go ahead and try if you think you can. David knew the Lord would give Goliath into his hands. __ to give you some for protection that will shelter you from harm. Why don’t you go ahead and try my armor on? David tried to wear it, but he had to take it off. He said I’m just not used to that and went to look for some rocks. Five smooth stones he spotted shining on the ground. Stuck four in his shepherd’s pouch and in his sling, slung one around. My name is Diana Blake Davis. I have metastatic breast cancer that’s metastasized to my brain. I’m stage IV. I’m 57 but I have two autistic boys 19 and 21. God has provided everything for us. So, we need prayer and what you just heard was from Jewels of the Bible. And I took the Bible line by line and I pulled out the stories and I made them rhyme only because Brian, I’ve been listening to you every single day for 12 years and I love you forever.

Hi, Desperately Running to Jesus it’s never too late to build a relationship with our Creator and the moniker you chose tells me that you have a great mindset now. 15 years ago, I was 54 and I finally apologized to God for my sins and bad choices. I found a church that taught me how to build a relationship with Jesus. I joined a life group and met people that became the friends who…who cared about me. Six years ago, I heard about DAB and this community and the podcast that family…the Daily Audio Bible and Facebook which…where people encourage, inspire and taught me about God and other people, myself, my family. What I know is this, that thanking God and praising God every day is an essential thing to do. Asking God for guidance in everything you do is essential as well. And listening for the voice in your head that says do or don’t do what you’re about to do and volunteering in your church and or in your community will change you in wonderful ways. I am praying for you.

[singing begins] give thanks with a grateful heart give thanks [singing ends]. Hi everybody it’s Candace from Oregon. I just want to encourage you all to start listing all the things you’re thankful for. Our world is trying to drag us down, the enemy is trying to drag us and we’re thinking just about anything else except what were thankful for. Oh Lord I thank You for health, I thank You for the country that I live in. I thank You for faithful servants who keep our lives just filled with blessing Lord. I thank You for the pastors in all our churches. I pray that You’ll be with them and help them to surrender themselves completely to Your Holy Spirit as they lead Your bride, as they bring our attention and our focus back to You. Lord, thank You for Your word and that Brian Hardin reads this to us every day 365 days of the year and how it is transforming our lives. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit. Thank You, Lord for everything that You are doing. You are a good and gracious God, beautiful beyond description, too marvelous for words. Thank You for the sunrise, the sunset, the moon and the starry night. We love You Lord. We love You. We love You back. Candace from Oregon.

Hi everybody it’s Lisa the Encourager just calling to say hello to everyone. I’ve missed calling in and talking to everyone and praying for everyone, but I promise you I am still listening and I’m still praying for you. As you call in your prayers I’m praying on the sidelines. But I wanted to call in today to encourage Margo because when you called in Margo your prayer request and your message that you left, it just seemed like you were really and a sad spot since your son left and I just wanted to let you know that I am praying for you and holding you up high in my mind as far as everything you’ve given up. You left Australia and went to Africa and just…now you’re in a missions and given up so much of your life. And I just am so impressed with everything that you’ve done, and you’ve done it all for the Lord. And just don’t ever forget that because God is gonna reward you for eternity. And, so, what you’ve given up temporarily on this earth God is gonna reward you tenfold in heaven one day. And I’m so envious of everything that you’ve done for the Lord and hope that I will be able to do half as much. So, also wanted to encourage everyone too. I decided to buy the God of Your Story for our…my pastor. I’m going to surprise him and give it to him for Christmas. So, I just wanted to encourage everybody to maybe think about doing that too. And maybe if not your pastor then at least someone this Christmas. Just surprise them with that gift and ask God who you should bless with the God of Your Story and I think that would be a wonderful gift for anyone at Christmas. All right. Love you so much. Bye-bye.

[singing starts] How deep the father’s love for us. How vast beyond all measure. That He should give His only son to make a wretch His treasure. How great the pain our searing Loss the father tells His __. As who’s which now the chosen one bring Mary’s sons to glory [singing stops]. Good morning everybody. I greet you my Daily Audio Bible family. I’m a Dr. Kamari and I’ve been listening to Daily Audio Bible for about two years now and it has been such a blessing. And today I just want to encourage those who are perhaps going through a period of suffering whether it’s sickness, whether it’s loss, whatever it might be I want you to be encouraged that you can find healing in the wounds of Jesus. And it’s such a paradox. How can something which was broken for us produce healing and totalness and wholeness? But indeed, that is the mystery of His love. And I pray that His love overwhelms you wherever you are. I pray that even in your suffering you will learn to suffer well and by that I mean that you will know you will suffer well because you know that your suffering produces __ and perseverance, endurance, these qualities that cannot come about unless we go through to know that God is. Sometimes you will go through heartbreaks and know that He’s a healer and the mender of the brokenhearted. So, I lift you all up to the Lord and I thank you for your lives.

[orthodoxydaily]

Saint&Reading: Mon., April 22, 2019

Welcoming Holy Monday!

St Theodore Sykeote Bishop of Anastasiopolis

Saint Theodore the Sykeote was born in the mid-sixth century in the village of Sykeon, not far from the city of Anastasiopolis (in Galatia, Asia Minor), into a pious family. When his mother Maria conceived the saint, she had a vision of a bright star overshadowing her womb. A clairvoyant Elder, whom she consulted, explained that this was the grace of God being poured forth on the infant in her womb.

When the boy reached the age of six, his mother presented him with a golden belt, since she intended that her son should become a soldier. That night the Holy Great Martyr George (April 23) appeared to her in a dream, and he told her not to consider military service for her son, because the boy was destined to serve God. The saint’s father, Cosmas, had served as a messenger of the emperor Justinian the Great (527-565), and he died at an early age. The boy remained in the care of his mother, and his grandmother Elpis, his aunt Dispenia and his little sister Vlatta also lived with them...continue reading OCA

Venerable Vitalis of Gaza

Saint Vitalius, a monk of the monastery of Saint Seridus, arrived in Alexandria when Saint John the Merciful (November 12) was Patriarch of Alexandria.

When he was sixty years old, undertook an extraordinary task: he wrote down from memory the names of all the prostitutes of Alexandria and he began to pray for them. He worked from morning to evening, earning twelve copper coins each day. In the evening the saint bought a single bean, which he ate after sunset. Then he would give the rest of the money to one of the harlots, whom he visited at night and said, “I beg you, take this money and do not sin with anyone tonight.” Then he stayed with the harlot in her room. While she slept, the Elder spent the whole night at prayer, reading the Psalms, and quietly left in the morning.

He did this each day, visiting all the harlots in turn, and he made them promise to keep the purpose of his visit secret. The people of Alexandria, not knowing the truth, became indignant over the the monk’s behavior, and they reviled him. However, he meekly endured their scorn, and he only asked that they not judge others.

The holy prayers of Saint Vitalius saved many fallen women. Some of them went to a monastery, others got married, and others found respectable work. But they were forbidden to tell anyone the reason why they had changed their life, and thereby stop the abuse heaped upon Saint Vitalius. They were bound by an oath they had made to the saint. When one of the women began to break her oath and stood up to defend the saint, she fell into a demonic frenzy. After this, the people of Alexandria had no doubt concerning the sinfulness of the monk...continue reading

Exodus 1:1-20 NKJV

Israel’s Suffering in Egypt

1 Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; 4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. 5 All those [a]who were descendants of Jacob were seventy[b] persons (for Joseph was in Egypt already). 6 And Joseph died, all his brothers, and all that generation. 7 But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and [c]grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.

8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9 And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; 10 come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.” 11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel. 13 So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with [d]rigor. 14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage—in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve waswith rigor.

15 Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah; 16 and he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” 17 But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive. 18 So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?”

19 And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they [e]are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them.”

20 Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and [f]grew very mighty.

Footnotes:

Exodus 1:5 Lit. who came from the loins of

Exodus 1:5 DSS, LXX seventy-five; cf. Acts 7:14

Exodus 1:7 became very numerous

Exodus 1:13 harshness

Exodus 1:19 have vigor of life, bear quickly, easily

Exodus 1:20 became very numerous

Job 1:1-12 NKJV

Job and His Family in Uz

1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and [a]shunned evil. 2 And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. 3 Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the [b]people of the East.

4 And his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and [c]sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed[d]God in their hearts.” Thus Job did regularly.

Satan Attacks Job’s Character

6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and [e]Satan also came among them. 7 And the Lord said to [f]Satan, “From where do you come?”

So Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”

8 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you [g]considered My servant Job, that there isnone like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and [h]shuns evil?”

9 So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Have You not [i]made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse[j] You to Your face!”

12 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your [k]power; only do not lay a hand on his person.”

So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Footnotes:

Job 1:1 Lit. turned away from

Job 1:3 Lit. sons

Job 1:5 consecrate

Job 1:5 Lit. blessed, but in an evil sense; cf. Job 1:11; 2:5, 9

Job 1:6 Lit. the Adversary

Job 1:7 Lit. the Adversary

Job 1:8 Lit. set your heart on

Job 1:8 Lit. turns away from

Job 1:10 Protected him

Job 1:11 Lit. bless, but in an evil sense; cf. Job 1:5

Job 1:12 Lit. hand

New King James Version (NKJV) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. @ biblegateway.com

[licenselesswriter]

Ten Duel Commandments CH2

Grab a friend, that’s your second.

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Maya slowly walks towards Smackle and sits next to her, "How are things today?" she asks her.

Isadora shows a sad smile without taking her eyes from her tablet, "Well, as you can see, same as the last month, the same three sides of this, my dearest one on bubbles' side, Isaiah is on Lucas' side," she explains.

Maya let out a sigh, "And you're mediating, I suppose," she says.

"Correct," Isadora concedes, "I guess you're going on Bubbles' side?" she asks.

Maya gives Isadora a sad smile, "Nope, I'm gonna be Switzerland," she says, making Isadora adjust her glasses, "What?" she asks.

"Interesting," she comments, "Well, if you're Switzerland, then I guess I'm the Pope mediating between them," she adds.

Maya softly laughs, "Isadora Smackle, the superior brain, cutie with glasses, supreme pontiff," she says.

"Sounds really good, to be honest," Isadora says before turning to look at her friends again, "Think someday things would be back to what they were?" she asks.

Maya gives her a sad smile, fueled mostly by her guilt, "Don't know but doubt it," she sincerely answers.

"The main problem here is that Bubble's hasn't noticed that Lucas is in love with someone else," she explains.

Maya looks at her, surprised, "I'm sorry, what?" she asks.

"How I put this correctly," Isadora starts before looking at Zay and Lucas and privately points at them, "Lool at Lucas," she says, "See how his skin is cleaner? Or his hair?" she asks.

Maya takes a look at her boyfriend before mentally hitting herself in the head to start making the skin and hair routine with him, "Yeah, why?" she asks.

"I know for a fact that Lucas always turns down Isaiah when he suggests he takes more care about his grooming process," she explains. 

A bit nervous, Maya tries to drop that idea, "So, because he's hotter now, he's in love with someone?" Maya asks.

Isadora smiles, "Not only that, suddenly, Isaiah stopped asking him to take care of his grooming, but he's getting better looking with the time, and yes, I know he drinks a lot of water, but that skin doesn't get like that with only water," she adds.

"And that means?" Maya asks.

"That means Isaiah must know something, since he got what he wanted, Lucas taking better care at his grooming, but for some reason, Isaiah acts like he doesn't know about it," Isadora continues.

Maya felt like all her alarms were triggered simultaneously. For the first time, she feared her friend's analytical capacity, "Maybe he doesn't have someone, maybe, he just wants to have one," she replies before looking at Riley and Farkle.

"Maybe, but I doubt it," she replies.

"Doubt that he wants a partner?" Maya asks.

"Doubt that I'm wrong," Isadora answers with a smile.

"That's my girl," Maya replies and hugs Isadora.

Harper writes a few names on the blackboard, "Ok, so, for your next assignment, tell me, what these names have in common?" she asks.

Isadora raises her hand, "Fictional characters who have secrets, and by keeping them, they think they are doing the greater good," she explains.

Harper smiles, "Correct," she says, "Now, what are those secrets?" she asks.

Farkle raises his hand, "Eddard Stark protected his nephew from being killed by Robert Baratheon," he answers.

Zay looks at him a bit mad, "Dude, spoiler alert," he says.

"Got over it, it's been more than a year," Farkle replies.

Lucas raises his hand, "Batman designed contingency plans to neutralize the Justice League," he says, only to be fastly stared by Zay, Farkle, and Maya, "What?" he asks.

Maya smiles at him, "Since you're all Texan cowboy goody-good boy, I imagine you would relate more with the honorable Lord Stark," she teases him.

"Says the woman who read three books in a row and texts me at four in the morning," he replies before pulling out his phone, "R+L=J," he teases her, reading her text.

"That's private, asshole," Maya recriminates him.

Harper fastly cut both of them, "Ok, ok, we get the point, Lucas likes Batman, and Maya likes A Song of Ice and Fire," she says, making sure to keep the peace, "The point of this is, the motives they have to do what they do and if in the end, was the appropriate solution to the problem?" she asks, "Four pages minimum," she finishes, making Maya groan in pain.

.

As soon as Harper's class ended, Farkle fastly gets out of the room, being followed by Lucas.

"Hey, Farkle, can we talk?" Lucas asks him.

"No, have a good day," Farkle replies before leaving him alone in the hall.

Riley looks at him, sad about what just happened, "I'm sorry," she apologizes.

Lucas gives her a sad smile, "Don't, he's his own person, if he wants us to end like this, nothing I can do to change his mind," he explains.

Riley looks down, "Sometimes I wish I never said anything," she adds.

Lucas puts his hand on her shoulder to comfort her, "Please Riley, never stop speaking your mind, that's one of the few rights we still have in this 'Democracy' our older folks choose," he replies.

Riley looks at his eyes, blushing, "How you expect me to not fall for you over and over again when you're like this?" she asks, half-joking, half-serious.

Lucas just stood there before looking at Zay, "I'm gonna go grab lunch, ok?" he says before leaving Riley alone in the hall.

As soon as he left, Maya walks to Riley, "Can we talk?" she asks.

"About?" Riley asks back in a severe tone.

"Well, about how things seem to end between us," Maya answers.

"Maya, I think that day, we made very clear what we think. I don't think there is something for us to talk," Riley replies.

Maya felt really uncomfortable after hearing those words come from her best friend's mouth, "Wow, so that's how things are gonna be," she says.

"That's how you let things end," Riley says.

"Just because I'm not on your side once?" Maya asks.

Riley takes a second to think, "I would love to say that, yeah, it's just for that, but since we argue, you seem to adjust to his side very easily," she adds.

"I said it once, and I'm gonna repeat it, I'm neutral about this whole thing," she defends herself, knowing that was a blatant lie.

Riley takes another second to think, "What you want me to say?" she asks, "You may say you're a neutral party, but that doesn't show," she adds, "And yes, I know you have been spending time with Zay and Lucas," she adds like she was close to solving a mystery.

Maya felt cornered by her words, but fastly she recovers her composure, "Maybe if you stop pushing me away for having a different opinion, I would be back to spending time with you and Farkle," she argues, "I miss you guys, but I'm not gonna compromise with something I don't believe," she adds, hiding her true motives.

Riley gives Maya an uncomfortable smile, "Well, we talk, and I think enough for today," she replies before start walking away from Maya.

"Fuck," Maya says, looking at her best friend walk to the cafeteria.

.

Maya walks towards Lucas and Zay, having their lunch close to the baseball cages, "Silent treatment too?" she asks.

"Yep," Lucas replies before putting a kiss on her hand.

"What we discuss about PDA?" Zay complains.

"Chill out, it was only her hand," Lucas defends himself, "Also, you're safe harbor," he adds.

Zay gives Lucas a soft look, "I'm the safe harbor?" he asks, really happy for being acknowledged as that.

"Well, you're the only one who knows about us, so yeah," Maya answers, "Also, we have done worse, and sweatier, than this," Maya adds, making Lucas blush.

Zay looks at his best friend in disbelief, "For real? For fucking real? And you hide that from me? How dare you, how dare you," he says, in a fake offended tone. 

Lucas just laughs, "Well, now you know, and you need to keep the secret," he replies before taking a bite of his sandwich.

.

Once school ends, Lucas, Zay, Isadora, and Maya walk outside school.

"So, any good plans for this Tuesday night?" Zay asks.

"Peaky Blinders," Lucas fastly replies.

"Still with Peaky Blinders?" Zay asks.

"It's a great show if you enjoy mafia shows," Isadora answers, "It's not The Sopranos, but, well, nothing will be like The Sopranos," she explains.

"See, Isadora gets it," Lucas says.

"Please stop, I have a boyfriend," Isadora replies.

Lucas keeps walking, a bit surprised, but he already knew how she was, "I don't know what to say," he replies.

"Then don't, flirting it's not gonna work with me," Isadora says, making Zay and Maya laugh.

"Yeah, Huckleberry, leave her alone," Maya teases him before looking at her phone, "Well, this was nice, but yours truly, has homework to do," she adds before taking a little jog, separating herself from the group, "See you tomorrow," she adds before leaving them.

"She's not gonna do her homework," Isadora states.

"We know," Lucas says, making Zay laugh, "Call you tonight for some CoD?" he asks.

"You know it," Zay replies.

"Ok, see you all tomorrow," Lucas says, following Maya's steps.

After a few minutes of silence, Isadora stops walking.

"Something wrong?" Zay asks.

"It's her," Isadora says, realizing the truth.

"Who it's her?" Zay asks, hoping for being wrong about what he was thinking.

"Let's go for a cup of coffee," Isadora says before dragging Zay to a Starbucks.

Forty minutes later, Lucas opens his apartment door, only to be attacked by a tiny blonde, "Hard day?" he asks.

"Asshole move to expose me like you did," Maya says before kissing his lips.

Lucas lifts her before deepening the kiss, "A little payback," he replies, caressing her lower back.

"Your Mom?" Maya asks while she kisses his neck.

"Working," Lucas replies, taking off one of his sleeves.

"Funny," Maya says, helping him get rid of his shirt, "Let's finish homework," she adds, taking off her shirt.

"God, I love you so much," He says and kisses her deeply.

.

"Ok, we finished 2 weeks of homework," Maya says, gently putting her bra, "Hook it please," she asks Lucas.

Lucas kisses her back and very lovingly hooks her bra, "You have the weirdest ways to name sex I've ever heard," he says.

Maya chuckles, "Yeah, like you had someone to compare me to," she says.

"Ah, touche," Lucas replies before pulling her back to his bed form her waist, "But in that case, you also have nobody to compare me with," he adds.

"So?" she asks, "I'm pretty happy with what you carry and how you use it," she says.

Lucas smile and takes a deep breath of her hair, "If you're trying to seduce me with compliments, I'm gonna warn you, it's working," he adds, before sneaking his hand between her legs.

"Look, Huckleberry, no matter how much I enjoy our homework sessions, we need to get our real homework done, I need better grades if I want to apply to some kind of scholarship," she adds before turning to face him and gently caresses his manhood.

"It's hilarious how you can say completely serious while you have my cock in your hand," he jokes.

"Well, there is a certain pleasure on getting your secret boyfriend hard with only your hands," she says before putting a peck on his lips, "Makes me feel powerful and in control," she adds.

"It's funny how I can dominate a bull, but against you, I'm just a puppy, and not even a Pitbull or a Doberman, I'm like, don't know, a Pug," he comments.

"Well, you're one hell of a cute Pug," Maya says before getting up from his bed again, "Now, seriously, I need help with my homework, the school one, so please, help me," she asks him.

"Fine," Lucas says after a few minutes, "So, Math or the Essay?" he asks while he puts his boxers.

"Essay, for some reason, I don't feel good thinking about that Essay," she says.

"Yeah, me too," Lucas says, "But this is not about us, this is about fictional characters who hide things," he adds before kissing her cheek.

"Don't you feel bad for her?" Maya asks him, "I mean, she is your ex," she adds.

Lucas takes a deep breath and puts his shirt over, "Can I be frank with you?" he asks.

"Please," she says.

"It's hard to feel bad for her when I'm this happy with you," he says before picking one of her hands and put a soft kiss on it, "Yes, I do care for her, and for her feelings, but I'm happy, even when I have to be happy inside one of our homes and for a certain amount of time," he adds.

Maya gently puts her hand on his cheek, "You have to be the compensation God send me for being abandoned by my father," she jokes.

Lucas looks at her seriously, "You know I hate when you joke about that," he says.

"Sorry," she apologizes.

"Don't," Lucas replies, "I know that's how you deal with my sappiness," he adds before kissing her, "So, four pages Essay," he says.

"Here," Zay says, giving Isadora her coffee.

"Thank you," she says before taking the lid and pouring three sugar bags.

"So, what do you need for me?" Zay asks.

"Just to confirm a few things," Isadora answers.

"Well, hope I can help," Zay replies.

"I have to warn you first," Isadora says before mixing her coffee, "Everything we're gonna talk here, will never leave my mouth, so please, be honest with me," she adds.

"Ok," Zay says, a bit nervous, "Seems serious," he adds.

"It is," Isadora replies, "First, did you notice that Lucas has a clearer skin, right?" she asks, setting a statement.

"I know where this is going," Zay replies, giving her a nervous look.

"So, it's true," Isadora says.

"Can't confirm or deny anything," Zay replies.

"I asked you to be honest with me," she says, appealing to his words.

Zay puts four bags of sugar in his tea, "Honestly, I don't know what you want me to tell you," he says, focusing on his tea.

"Till when you're gonna protect everyone from the truth?" Isadora asks.

Zay looks at her, a bit mad about her attitude, "Why you talk like I'm the bad one in this movie?" he asks, "Suddenly, I'm a bad guy because I want to protect my friend and his right to choose?" he asks.

"You're not bad for doing that, you're 'bad' because you're keeping everyone in the dark," Isadora answers.

"That's when you're wrong," Zay says before taking a sip of his tea, "I know exactly where my loyalties are, I'm not keeping nobody in the dark, or lying to anyone," he adds.

"Bubbles is in love with Lucas," Isadora argues.

"So?" Zay asks, "Just because she's in love with him, he's forced to be her partner?" he asks this time, "Forgive me for my manners, but that's complete and utter bullshit," he answers his own question.

"But she's our friend, she deserves the truth," Isadora keeps pushing.

"I agree, it's our friend," Zay concedes, "But you're dead wrong if you think I'm gonna put her over Lucas, not now, not before, not ever," he states.

"Wow, who might think your guilt might drive you this far for him," Isadora says.

"Guilt, friendship, sense of making us even, call it whatever you want," Zay says, taking another sip of his tea, trying to keep his composure. He keeps silent for three minutes before breaking it, "I might be friends with everyone here, but don't forget that above all of that I'm still Lucas best friend," he adds, "And if he didn't want to tell me, his best friend, probably the only person besides Maya who will have his back no matter what, who am I to reveal his secrets?" he asks.

Isadora takes a sip of her coffee and stays silent with Zay for a few minutes, "Bubbles, she's gonna be crushed," she says.

Zay takes a deep breath, "What you want me to tell you?" he asks, "Do I feel bad for her? Yeah, I do, but keeping her safe it's not my job," he states, "Hell, it's not even your job, your job it's to protect your strongest link, and that's Farkle, not me, not Lucas, not Maya or Riley," he explains his point of view, "I should be having this conversation with Farkle, not you," he adds.

"Why?" Isadora asks, "Just because it would make it easier to lie to him?" she asks this time.

"Yeah, sadly, he's too naive and too good for this world, people lie, even his friends," Zay says.

Isadora and Zay keep silent for a few more minutes. Isadora finally breaks it with a chuckle, "I can't believe you will throw every one of us under the bus to save Lucas," she says.

Zay chuckles at her affirmation, "I'm his best friend, I owe him," he says.

"To heartbreaks," Isadora says, lifting her paper cup.

"To heartbreaks," Zay replies.

Zay is and will always be Lucas best friend, you can’t change my mind.

[pope-francis-quotes]

24th May >> (@ZenitEnglish) #Pope Francis #PopeFrancis’ Speech and Impromptu Remarks to ‘Hospital of the Innocents’. Institute a Point of Reference to Promote Rights of Children and Adolescents.

At 11.15 this morning, in the Consistory Hall of the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Francis received in audience the directors, employees and children of the “Ospedale Degli Innocenti” (“Hospital of the Innocents”) Institute, Florence, on the occasion of the 600th anniversary of the founding of the Italian institution dedicated to caring for and defending children. The mission of the Institute, adapting itself to the new demands of children and families, remains a point of reference in terms of the safeguarding and promotion of the rights of children and adolescents at national and international level.

During the audience, the Pope gave an impromptu address.

The following are the address prepared for the occasion, handed to those present, and the impromptu address given by the Pope:

Impromptu address of the Holy Father

Dear brothers and sisters,

I had prepared a speech for you, but it is a bit boring to read … I would prefer to say a couple of words and above all greet each of you one by one.

You [the President of the Institute] used a touching expression: the “culture of the child”. Today we have to resume this. The culture of the child. There is a culture of surprise in seeing growth, seeing how they are surprised by life, how they come into contact with life. And we must learn to do the same. This way, this path we all have taken as children, we must take it again. You quoted the Gospel of Mark: “Let the children come …”; but there are also other passages of the Gospel in which Jesus goes even further: He not only says He welcomes children, and that those who welcome them welcome Him, but He goes further: “If you do not become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven”. And this is what the culture of the child must teach us. We must somehow go back to the simplicity of a child and above all the ability to be surprised. Surprises! Our God is the God of surprises, and we must learn this.

And I still have to say another thing, which I would like to take back from you: those broken medals … [half given to the child and half to the mother who left him at the Institute]. Today in the world there are many children who in a sense have half the medal. They are alone. Victims of war, victims of migration, unaccompanied children, victims of hunger. Children with half a medal. And who has the other half? The Mother Church. We have the other half. We need to reflect and make people understand that we are responsible for this other half and help make today another “home of the innocent”, more global, with the attitude of adoption. So often there are people who want to adopt children, but there is such a lot of bureaucracy – when there is no corruption of the middle, you pay and … But help me in this: to spread awareness that we have the other half of that child’s medal. Many, many families who do not have children and would certainly have the desire to have one through adoption: moving forward, creating a culture of adoption because there are so many abandoned children, alone, victims of war and so on; that people learn to look at that half and say, “I have another one too”. I ask you to work on this. And thank you!

Prepared address of the Holy Father

Dear brothers and sisters,

I welcome all of you, directors and employees of the Istituto degli Innocenti, and to you, boys and girls, who are the protagonists of this institution that has been welcoming, assisting and promoting children for six hundred years. When I came to Florence, in 2015, for the Fifth National Ecclesial Convention, speaking of the beauty of the city, I could not help remembering that much of that beauty was put at the service of charity, and I mentioned the “Hospital of the Innocents” as an example. I recalled that “One of the first examples of Renaissance architecture was created to serve abandoned children and destitute mothers” (Address at the Fifth Convention of the Italian Church, Florence, 10 November 2015).

The Institute of the Innocents, with its six centuries of history –a history that is not over, but that looks to the future – speaks to us of a city that has given the best of itself in welcoming children, so that they should no longer be called “abandoned” but welcomed, entrusted to the love and care of the community. The story of the Innocents has much to teach us. At the beginning, we see the generosity of a rich banker, Francesco Datini, who donated the amount with which it was possible to initiate this work. Even today, the social and ethical responsibility of the world of finance is an indispensable value for building a more just and united society. The other striking element of this story is that the design was entrusted to Filippo Brunelleschi, the most important architect of the age, who at that time was working on a masterpiece that still today astonishes the world: the dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Because the same beauty dedicated to the house of the Lord should also be dedicated to the home of less fortunate children. Because for the children who needed to be welcomed, it was not enough to give the milk of the nurses, there was also the desire to raise them in an environment that was as beautiful as possible.

And for six hundred years, the Institute of the Innocents has taken care to offer its boys and girls everything they need to grow in a dignified manner. This is a truth that today must be repeated emphatically: to the poor, to fragile creatures, to those who live in the peripheries, we must offer the best we have. And among the most fragile people we have to care for there are certainly so many rejected children, robbed of their childhood and their future; minors facing desperate journeys to escape hunger or war. Children who do not see the light because their mothers suffer economic, social and cultural conditioning that drives them to give up that wonderful gift that is the birth of a child. How much we need a culture that recognizes the value of life, especially the weak, threatened, offended, and instead of thinking of being able to put it aside, to exclude it with walls and closures, be concerned with offering care and beauty! A culture that recognizes in every face, even the smallest, the face of Jesus: “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name, welcomes me” (Mt 18: 5).

The Institute of the Innocents is a place of history, but also of stories: smaller stories, but equally fascinating. These are the stories of the hundreds of thousands of children who have passed through those walls. Still speaking at the Florence Conference, I also referred to a particular aspect: the fact that mothers often left, together with newborns, medals broken in half, with which they hoped, by presenting the other half, to be able to recognize their children in better times. “Here”, I said, “we must imagine that our poor have a broken medal. We have the other half. Because the Mother Church has in Italy half of everyone’s medal and recognizes all its abandoned, oppressed and wearied children”.

Today the goal we must set ourselves, at various levels of responsibility, is that no mother be in a position to leave her child. But we must also ensure that in the face of any event, even tragic, that may detach a child from his or her parents, there are structures and processes of reception in which childhood is always protected and cared for, in the only worthy way: giving children the best we can offer them. Remembering the words of Jesus who invites us all to become like you, as children, to be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

This is what the Institute of the Innocents teaches us with its centuries-old history, with the thousands of stories it has hosted, and with the stories that today you too, boys and girls, tell with your smiling and joyful faces. And this is why I thank the directors, employees and all those who contribute to carrying out the various activities of the Institute of the Innocents. I thank you and I invite you to continue your service with competence and tenderness, professionalism and dedication. I pray for this and I bless you. And I ask you, please, to pray for me.

© Libreria Editrice Vatican

24th MAY 2019 16:22EDUCATION AND YOUTH

[massielandnetwork]

Thriving in an Economic Bubble during Anarchy

10. The Christian Succession – Wisdom versus Culture

Pontius Pilate famously asked Jesus “What is truth?” In a classic state of confusion created by his personal power and wealth, ironically Pilate asked that question of the Son of God, Jesus. He was talking to The Truth and did not know it because he was blinded by “culture”. That experience is prevalent in the USA today which explains why Christianity is exploding everywhere in the world but not here.

If you are currently confused about what are the facts and what is fiction here in the USA, you are not alone. Everyone I talk with in the business world directly or indirectly alludes to not knowing what are the facts about – the election, the virus, their business, and what is happening around them. They correctly assume the media is just propaganda and struggle to find sources on the internet that are accurate recognizing that the major internet companies have an agenda they are pursuing by shutting down anyone that does not agree with them.

Many express to me that they feel isolated in their exhaustion by the false gods of Climate Change, CRT, MMT, and Social Justice – all misnomers for tactics designed by those we have put in leadership positions that openly state their hate for America and Americans.

From conversations, polls, and videos I have watched, it is evident that the vast majority of Americans know something is seriously wrong with those currently in leadership positions. I am convinced that since the movie “One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest” led to emptying mental hospitals in favor of “Mainstreaming”, we have relocated the mentally ill into homeless camps and politics. Both of those conditions need to be changed.

My belief is that God is working making it easier for us to recognize the Wise from the Unwise who are consumed by popular culture. Some recent examples of the Unwise being revealed:

1. A Democrat legislator in Pennsylvania has authored a bill to require a photo id to buy ammunition (but not to vote).

2. The mentally ill Mayor of Chicago who has defunded police and her city has the tightest gun control laws in the USA, is upset that last weekend there were 70 shootings including the killing of a female cop. When she went to the hospital where the partner of the slain cop was a patient, the cops gathered there turned their backs on the Mayor.

3. When various government entities surveyed their employees about what pronoun they wanted to have associated with them, the overwhelming majority refused to answer.

Last week I was blessed to have numerous fascinating conversations with a variety of participants in the business world. While all of their perspectives were different because of their different positions, the common theme was the same – we are running hard in the face of major distortions in the supply chains so that everyone is having to solve an unending stream of unexpected problems on the fly in order to keep their businesses moving.

In stark contrast, the Demented Marxists (DM) in control of our governments in Virginia and nationally continue to pursue their “Never Waste a Crisis to Achieve our Goals” mantra by moving forward their misnamed “Infrastructure” bill in the Senate. They are selling their misguided Green New Deal stimuli camouflaging it as infrastructure.

The graft is quite amazing. Perhaps to make his grab appear less onerous than the $5 Billion given to Organize America with Obama’s “shovel ready” stimulus bill in 2019, Senator Manchin (D-WV) is obtaining $1 Billion for the Appalachian Commission where his wife was appointed a commissioner ($165k per year) by Biden this spring.

Another stunning example is the $21.5 Billion to fund Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations. Since Secretary Granholm will have the control of the money. Her previous efforts in the Clean Energy arena while governor of Michigan were all total failures. “Consistency is a virtue” is one of my favorite sayings because consistency eliminate surprises. When did we get away from meritocracy so that we now welcome mediocrity?

Not to be left behind, Gateway Pundit has released information that Virginia Senator Warner has introduced an amendment to the “Infrastructure” bill that would financially benefit one of his major contributors. Is there any doubt that we have descended to the realm of our government being for sale to the highest bidder? It is confirmation that the DMs/RINOs are at the pillage stage of our social decline.

As the DMs and RINOs openly and increasingly steal from the American Taxpayer, several important global economic events concerning China are occurring:

1. Is one of China’s largest real estate developers, Evergrande Group, teetering? It is so big a collapse will be felt globally.

2. China’s government has cracked down on entrepreneurs and caught American investors who thought the CCP was joking when they said “No foreign ownership” in their wake. The CCP meant what they said. Investors lost $1 Trillion.

The divergence between the DM/Elites and the Average Joe and Jane continues to increase. This dangerous situation will continue to fester until the moment some event causes it to explode. I pray that we have honest elections in Virginia this year and nationally next year so that the change in direction comes peacefully.

I am amazed at the folks who volunteer to me that they support the forensic audits. The demand for forensic audits is spreading like wildfire and reflected in the polls showing the majority of Americans now believe the November 2020 election was fraudulent. Mike Lindell is an American Hero putting all of his wealth on the line with his Cyber Symposium. Some of the facts I have read from that event are both confirming and startling. No wonder his event is under constant attack by the DMs/RINOS and their hackers.

Pray for the success of the Patriots around the country pushing for honest Elections. If you want to get the facts, go to “Defending the Republic”, download Telegram and join The Arizona Conservatives group. Things are happening and success will only come from the ground up. The electronic voting machines have to go away!!!

In my conversations with the business community several folks expressed concern that with every machine there is a point where stressed enough it breaks. I am not smart enough to know where that point is located in our current economy. The DMs are driving us towards higher energy cost, unreliable electricity, higher taxes, and rob the national while burdening us with their “Social Justice garbage, teach our children propaganda not reading writing and arithmetic, tell all whites they are racist and evil, force vaccinations, et al. There is a breaking point.

The Wise know “The Truth” and prepare accordingly to be able to provide for their family and those around them. The Unwise are consumed with foolishness and will perish.

Every portfolio must have some cash but a great piece of land remains The Best investment long term. Capitalism builds wealth, Marxism/Socialism consumes it in self destruction. Pray for a return to honest and audited elections in the USA. God is in control. Men make plans, but God ALWAYS wins.

“Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms, and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in our hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

(Ephesians 5:15-20) New Revised Standard Version, Oxford University Press)

Stay healthy,

Ned

August 11, 2021

Copyright Massie Land Network. All rights Reserved.

[warninggraphiccontent]

6 August 2021

The sun is shinin', come on get mappy

Ever found yourself floating aimlessly around the alphabet soup of UK government departments doing data, wondering who's responsible for what? Or lost track of all the interesting initiatives that you might be able to get involved with or learn from?

I'm delighted to be running a new project with the ODI that tries to help with that. We're mapping data responsibility and initiatives across the UK government here, so please do tell us what we've missed and comment on what we've already got. It'll be open for comments until Friday 10 September, so you have all summer to contribute.

There's a launch page explaining everything here, and we're also going to be publishing a blogpost a week focusing on a particular area of the ODI manifesto. This week is infrastructure week. Keep an eye on the ODI blog for future ones.

In other news:

A date for your diary - the 22nd Data Bites will be taking place on Wednesday 8 September at 6pm, thanks to ADR UK and the ESRC. Details will appear here in due course - which is also where you can catch up on the previous 21 events.

I'm also chairing an event for IfG at this year's Labour Party conference - more here.

I'm really sad to see this news about Understanding Patient Data (full disclosure - I'm doing some work for them at the moment). Natalie has done a terrific job, and I really hope their work is able to find a home elsewhere - it's more important than ever, given recent events.

Nick Timmins' new report on how the Department for Education handled the pandemic is well worth a read. Warning: contains mutant algorithms. Diginomica pull out some lessons on those here; my piece from last summer on that is here; and there are more links below.

If you enjoyed this account of what allegedly happened to that Spectator piece on Marcus Rashford (h/t Alice), pour yourself a cup of tea and enjoy this story of something similar from my time at the Media Standards Trust.  

I did it - my first half marathon since 2019. There's still time to sponsor me and donate to the excellent Tommy's, here.

Warning: Graphic Content will now be taking a break until September. I'll be posting some things on Medium as well as on Twitter in the meantime, so do follow me there. If you need some other data-related newsletters, podcasts or event series to tide you over, there's a list for that. And if you know anyone else who should subscribe, encourage them to start the new school/parliamentary term in September the right way by signing up.

Enjoy the summer, thanks for subscribing, and see you in September

Gavin

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Graphic content

Tokyo shift

Olympic records are being broken at a record pace* (The Economist)

How the Olympics became bigger and more diverse* (The Economist)

What the Tokyo medal table tells us halfway through the Games (BBC Sport)

Russia and Kenya take the podium in the athletics doping contest* (The Economist)

Tokyo Olympics: Will Team GB beat its record-breaking performance in Rio? (Sky News)

20 Chinese gold medal contenders at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (South China Morning Post)

Olympians are probably older — and younger — than you think* (Washington Post)

The Fastest Men In The World Are Still Chasing Usain Bolt (FiveThirtyEight)

Here's how Sydney McLaughlin of the U.S. won the 400-meter hurdles at #Tokyo2020, breaking her own world record (New York Times - more here)

Katie Ledecky's historic week, day by day* (Washington Post)

The Climber: Adam Ondra | The Hurdler: Dalilah Muhammad | The Gymnast: Sunisa Lee | The Swimmer: Simone Manuel (New York Times)

Viral content

Why are Covid cases falling in the UK?* (FT)

Excess deaths in your neighbourhood during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic (ONS)

COVID-19: Sewage surveillance reveals 'widespread increase' of coronavirus in England last month (Sky News)

Covid travel: which countries are on the green, amber and red lists? (The Guardian)

Tim Spector: the data explorer who uncovered vital clues to Covid* (FT)

Which Americans are against the jab?* (The Economist)

Chart: Less than 0.1% of vaccinated Americans tested positive for COVID-19 (Axios)

America is plummeting down the global vaccination league table* (The Economist)

Florida’s hospitals set a bleak pandemic record* (FT)

How Europe, After a Fumbling Start, Overtook the U.S. in Vaccination* (New York Times)

Side effects

Why the pandemic is not making your rent cheaper* (New Statesman)

New York City Homebuyers Are Back, and They’re Looking for Deals* (Bloomberg)

Net worth

How Google quietly funds Europe’s leading tech policy institutes* (New Statesman)

Explore different settlements on the balance of power and what they mean for the future of the Internet (Demos)

Ransomware attacks rise despite US call for clampdown on cybercriminals* (FT)

Environment

Planetary ‘vital signs’ show extent of climate stress — and some hope* (FT)

How heat dome has sparked worst wildfires in a decade across parts of Southern Europe (Sky News)

Beyond human endurance: How climate change is making parts of the world too hot and humid to survive* (Washington Post)

Race

The 'ethnic data gap' on voters - and why it matters to parties and pollsters (Sky News)

Hollywood reaps the rewards of becoming more diverse* (The Economist)

UK

The first ever machine generated map of the @UKParliament treaty procedure (UK Parliament)

Favourability towards Boris Johnson falls to lowest level since October (Ipsos MORI)

Productivity: firing on all cylinders (IfG)

Mathematician Hannah Fry: ‘I’m sure there’s lots of tutting — but not to my face* (FT)

Everywhere else

‘It’s Huge, It’s Historic, It’s Unheard-of’: Drug Overdose Deaths Spike* (The Upshot)

Elon Musk’s Outrageous Moonshot Award Catches on Across America* (Bloomberg)

Police shootings continue daily, despite a pandemic, protests and pushes for reform* (Washington Post)

People in the West are least worried about hurtful speech* (The Economist)

An Inca highway still benefits people living nearby* (The Economist)

German election 2021: The New Statesman’s poll tracker* (New Statesman)

Meta data

Information health

Statistics informing quarantine requirements for arrivals to England (Office for Statistics Regulation)

Review of NHS Test and Trace (England) and NHS COVID-19 app statistics (Office for Statistics Regulation)

What we mean by trustworthy use of patient data (Understanding Patient Data)

The future of Understanding Patient Data (Understanding Patient Data)

Lord Bethell’s new phone (Good Law Project)

UK government defends deleting all trace of job vacancies after appointing Matt Hancock's lover to health department board (Business Insider)

Education, education, education

Schools and coronavirus: The government’s handling of education during the pandemic (IfG)

The UK A-Level ‘COVID-19 algorithm fiasco’ and lessons for the enterprise (diginomica)

Four things government must learn from the A-level algorithm fiasco (me from last year for IfG)

More from last summer (W:GC)

Even more from last summer (W:GC)

Ensuring statistical models command public confidence: Learning lessons from the approach to developing models for awarding grades in the UK in 2020 (Office for Statistics Regulation, from March 2021)

AI got 'rithm

Hundreds of AI tools have been built to catch covid. None of them helped.* (MIT Technology Review)

I’m sorry Dave I’m afraid I invented that: Australian court finds AI systems can be recognised under patent law (The Guardian)

Bias in Artificial Intelligence (Harvard Magazine)

The ethics of recommendation systems in public-service media (Ada Lovelace Institute)

Britain can set 'gold standard' in ethical artificial intelligence - industry report (BCS)

ICO baby

The Information Commissioner's Office is letting us down*  (Telegraph)

Response: ICO’s priorities and impact of our work (ICO)

New guidance on direct marketing and the public sector (ICO)

Thread (Tim Turner)

Information Rights Strategic Plan: Trust and Confidence - annual tracker (ICO)

UK government

Introduction to Data Quality course launched (Government Data Quality Hub)

A new model for modelling (Actuaries in government)

Six reasons why digital transformation is still a problem for government (NAO)

govcookiecutter: A template for data science projects (Data in government)

Radar – more than just wave detection (Defra digital)

Driving technology convergence and reuse in our Future Borders and Immigration System (Home Office Digital, Data and Technology)

The longlist (Civil Service Data Challenge)

Cabinet Office eyes ‘geographical capability map’ for civil servants (Civil Service World)

Next step in plans to govern use of digital identities revealed (DCMS)

Building a single sign-on for government: What we’ve learnt so far (Services in government)

ESRC launches opportunity to inform data infrastructure strategy (UKRI)

Keeping old computers going costs government £2.3bn a year, says report (BBC News - CSW had this last week)

2021 Deane-Stone Lecture: Ambitious, Radical, Inclusive and Sustainable: How a National Statistical Institute evolved through Covid-19 (Sir Ian Diamond for NIESR)

Taking the wiki

Left-leaning Wikipedia is no match for my shelf of dictionaries* (Telegraph)

There are 11,656 athletes at the Olympics. Guy Fraser wanted them all on Wikipedia (The Guardian)

A sense of place

‘X’ Marks the Spot: Officials Map a Route Out of the Pandemic* (New York Times)

What 3 Words is a Mess

Dis and that

Disinformation: It’s History (CIGI)

Why Generation Z falls for online misinformation (MIT Technology Review)

It's a jungle out there

Why Amazon’s £636m GDPR fine really matters* (Wired)

The slow collapse of Amazon’s drone delivery dream* (Wired)

Open for the best

Natalia Carfi to carry the torch of openness (Open Data Charter)

Tech spec experts seek allies to tear down ISO standards paywall (The Register)

The promise of open-source intelligence* (The Economist)

Private parts

Estonia says a hacker downloaded 286,000 ID photos from government database (The Record)

Here’s how police can get your data — even if you aren’t suspected of a crime (Recode)

Everything else

The social value of data (Bennett Institute)

BIG TECH’S DUTY OF CARE (New Economics Foundation)

Inequality just went stratospheric. Can we bring it down to earth?* (Prospect)

A New Tech ‘Cold War?’ Not for Europe. (AI Now Institute)

THE TIME TAX: Why is so much American bureaucracy left to average citizens?* (The Atlantic)

Can data cooperatives sustain themselves? (LSE Business Review)

medConfidential note on the PRUK green paper and DARE project (medConfidential)

Measuring internet poverty (Brookings)

Data don’t lie, but they can lead scientists to opposite conclusions* (The Economist)

Opportunities

JOB: Head of Digital Data & Digital Democracy (London Borough of Newham, via Martin)

JOB: Executive Director (Digital Freedom Fund)

JOB: Senior Data Analyst (Common Wealth)

JOB: Visuals Project Editor - Visuals (The Guardian)

JOBS: Data for Science & Health team (Wellcome Trust)

JOB: Data Journalist (Tech Monitor, New Statesman Media Group)

JOBS: Data and Digitalisation programme (Ofgem, via Owen Boswarva)

JOB: Head of Strategic Communications and Engagement, Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (DCMS)

JOBS: Economic Advisers - The Digital and Tech Analysis team (DCMS)

JOBS: Modelling Hub Analyst Roles, Data & Analytical Services Directorate (MoJ)

JOB: Director of Analysis (MoD)

RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP: Data, Visualisation and Storytelling (The National Archives)

JOB: Product Manager - Data (BBC, via Jukesie)

And finally...

Vennerable

In celebration of John Venn's 187th birthday today, here's a poem in the form of a Venn diagram. (Brian Bilston)

*whispers* that's not actually how they work, but fine, it's funny (@StandingHannah, via David)

[sussex-nature-lover]

Tuesday 26th January 2021

Brought to you by the colour Pink

What’s that you say? Doesn’t look very pink here. This was the view of the back garden when I opened the curtains. Dark(ish) Frosty (very) and a bit foreboding.

But a quick swivel to my left, from due South to South East and WOW.

This was the view through the woods.

One with added Rooks and one without

During sunsets and sunrises, when the Sun is closer to the horizon, sunlight has to travel through a longer distance and more of the dense environment to reach an observer’s eye.

When sunlight strikes, gas molecules such as nitrogen and oxygen; light of longer wavelengths, like red, yellow, and orange, easily passes through; while light of shorter wavelengths, such as blue and violet, is absorbed and then scattered in all directions by the gas molecules (stay with me)

When you look up at the sky during the day this scattered blue and violet light reaches your eyes, however, the human eye is more receptive to blue frequencies than violet frequencies, so the sky looks blue. This phenomenon is known as Rayleigh scattering: it’s named after British physicist John William Strutt, also known as Lord Rayleigh, a nobel prize winner no less. Besides making the sky look blue, it is also the reason why the Sun looks yellow during the day even though sunlight is white. When the Sun is high in the sky, the light has to travel a shorter distance through the atmosphere. This means most of the yellow, orange, and red light passes through, while a small amount of blue and purple light is scattered and removed from the mix. The Sun, therefore, looks yellow for us here on Earth.

Due to Rayleigh scattering, most of the light of shorter wavelengths (blue, violet, and green) are scattered away multiple times, leaving only lights of longer wavelength (red, orange and yellow) to pass straight through to the observer.

This is why a rising and setting Sun tends to take on spectacular hues of red, orange, and yellow.

And yes, I did have to look all of that up!

We’ve been speculating about the effect of less air and road travel on air quality during lockdown and read that the quality of the air that sunlight has to pass through also has an effect on the colour of sunrises and sunsets. Dust particles and pollutants tend to tone down the colours in the sky as well as impede light from reaching those of us looking from ground level. Because of this, the sky takes on dull hues of red and yellow when the air is full of dust and pollutants. This is why sunrises and sunsets in rural areas, over the ocean, and deserts are much more vibrant and colourful than over cities and urban areas. It’s information that’s very relevant to me having had eye operations which totally changed my perception of colours.

As lovely as our skies were in this rural area, I don’t think they compete with the views down at Rye Harbour looking out to sea.

and if you do want to head over to their Twitter account, they have a lovely few seconds of time-lapse video of the sunrise. It’s just lovely.

I’ve got more pink - not so vivid, but still pink.

The Egyptian Goose is a very distinctive looking small goose with its chestnut eye patches and pink legs and is a member of the shelduck family. In the wild it is invariably found in pairs or family parties. Flocks of 50 or more can be found after the breeding season.

They were once common along the entire Nile valley and in ancient times were regarded as sacred, but the Egyptian Goose is now largely confined to upper Egypt. It is, however, widespread and common throughout sub-Saharan Africa and there are introduced populations firmly established in England, Holland, Belgium and France. They were brought to Britain in the late 17th century as an ornamental bird for the lakes of country gentlemen and apparently as an exhibit at St James’ menagerie. 

Photo Credit: my South East London Correspondent Ms NW tE

Egyptian Geese are early breeders, with pairs defending potential breeding sites from January onwards. Cavities in trees are favoured, but they may also nest on the ground.

BTO

Unfortunately, as always happens with introduced species, which become ‘invasive; there are concerns over conflict with native species which have now lead to restrictions on keeping them in Britain and Europe. 

The UK Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019 came into force on Sunday 1st December. The Order implements requirements contained in EU Regulation 1143/2014 on Invasive Alien Species, which sets out rules to prevent and minimise the impact of the introduction and spread of non-native animals and plants across the EU. The Order makes it an offence, amongst other things, to import, keep, sell, transport, breed or release into the environment, any of the listed plants and animals. Invasive alien waterfowl currently covered by this Order are Egyptian Geese and Ruddy Ducks 

Egyptian Geese on the lawns in front of Kensington Palace.

I was going to say that was the last time we saw any, but thinking about it, there were some on the lake at Petworth House when we went last year.

Males and females look alike,except the female is smaller and often has darker markings on the bill. Their calls are distinctly different. The male emits strong but hoarse hissing sounds, while the female makes harsh, trumpeting quacks. I’ve put a sweet little video of a pair towards the end of this blog. 

The main concentration of Egyptian Geese in England, is at Holkham Park where recent counts have totalled as many as 170 birds.  Indeed today, according to The Wildfowl and Wetland Trust. Norfolk holds over 90% of the national population of some 900 birds.

In their tropical African home Egyptian geese frequent rivers, marshes and lakes resorting to a wide range of nesting sites. Cavities and holes in trees and abandoned nests of other birds may be selected; also ledges on cliffs and banks. 

Males will draw attention to themselves for the mating season with noisy displays and fierce territorial fighting both on water and on land. Rivals will stand or swim, breast to breast, continually attempting to seize each other's backs near the base of the neck, while beating with wings and even striking with feet. It all sounds very violent.

Once mating has taken place, following on from egg laying, the birds almost disappear until the time comes to escort flotillas of goslings to the water. Clutches of eight or nine eggs hatch after about four weeks. The downy chicks are similar in markings to those of the Shelduck (confusing, but as I said, they are related) Sadly, despite the clutch size, it’s often the case that only one or two young survive following predation by Crows and competition with Canada Geese and Greylags. I suppose like Pheasants, the large lay compensates for the mortality rate.

Male and Female getting vocal below...

That it’s for today. sunrises and Geese. The Blog that just keeps on giving.

NOTE FROM THE KITCHEN:

Tonight’s supper is a roast chicken with tarragon, roast parsnips and potatoes and left over veggies including some really lovely ratatouille.

FACT OF THE DAY:

I was not wearing any pink. I was wearing a rust coloured jumper, which some of you may be familiar with and dark moss green trousers. What a fraud.

Research: waterfowl org and Birds of Britain