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28th May >> Fr. Martin’s Gospel Homilies / Reflections on John 20:19-23 for the Feast of Pentecost Sunday: ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’.

Feast of Pentecost Sunday

Gospel (Except USA)

John 20:19-23

As the Father sent me, so am I sending you: receive the Holy Spirit.

In the evening of the first day of the week, the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, ‘Peace be with you’, and showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord, and he said to them again, ‘Peace be with you.

‘As the Father sent me, so am I sending you.’

After saying this he breathed on them and said:

‘Receive the Holy Spirit. For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained.’

Gospel (USA)

John 20:19–23

As the Father sent me, so I send you: Receive the Holy Spirit.

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Homilies (6)

(i) Feast of Pentecost Sunday

You don’t always find an image of the Holy Spirit in our parish churches. There will always be an image of Jesus, and, most likely, of Mary and some of the saints. Perhaps it is because the Holy Spirit is not easy to depict or portray. Yet, in the church of Saint Canice, in Finglas village, there is a lovely image of the Holy Spirit in stained glass. It is just above the gallery and it is part of an image in stained glass of the Trinity, God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit in the stained glass is depicted as a dove. That image comes from the gospels where we are told that, at his baptism, the Spirit of God descended on Jesus like a dove. The gospels don’t say that there was an actual dove present at the time but that the coming down of the Spirit on Jesus and alighting on him was like how a dove comes down and alights on some object. We find two other images for the Holy Spirit in today’s first reading, wind and fire. Again, the reading doesn’t say that there was wind and fire in the room where the twelve disciples were gathered with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and some other women. The author, Luke, says that those gathered heard what sounded like a powerful wind and something appeared to them that seemed like tongues of fire resting on the head of each one of them. Like a dove, like wind, like fire – these are all images drawn from nature to suggest what the coming of the Spirit upon Jesus and upon his disciples was like.

Just to take one of the images of the first reading, what does the wind say to us about the Holy Spirit? We know that the wind can be very damaging, even devastating. Yet, the wind can also be very empowering. We hear a great deal nowadays about wind power. You are more likely to see wind turbines nowadays, especially on elevated ground. The Holy Spirit is given to us to empower us in our faith. That is what we find happening in the first reading. On the Jewish feast of Pentecost, the disciples are empowered by the Holy Spirit to witness to him in ways that people from different cultures and language groups could understand. In the gospel reading, we find the disciples behind closed doors. They had shut themselves in out of fear that what happened to Jesus might happen to them. They might have been able to lock themselves in but they couldn’t lock the risen Lord out. We can never lock the risen Lord out of our lives. He will always come to us. The risen Lord stood among his fearful disciples and breathed the Holy Spirit upon them. He empowered them to leave the isolation of their room and to go out and continue his mission. ‘As the Father sent me, so am I sending you’. Their mission was above all to communicate the forgiving, merciful, love of the Lord to others, ‘those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven’. The first words Jesus spoke to them when he appeared to them were, ‘Peace be with you’. He was assuring them of his forgiveness after they had failed him in the hour of his passion and death. Now he was empowering them to bring this same forgiving love to all.

The Lord continues to pour out the Holy Spirit on us today to empower us to bring his faithful, merciful, love to all whom we meet. We constantly need to be energized by the Holy Spirit to live our faith to the full. We are living in times when our faith is being put to the test, when we can be tempted to hide our faith behind closed doors, like the disciples in the gospel reading. Drawing on the image of fire for the Holy Spirit in the first reading, the dying embers of our faith often need to be fanned into a living flame, enlivened. When I was young, my father used to put a newspaper against the fire place in the morning so that the embers that were still warm from the previous day could be fanned into a living flame by the draught. We need the divine wind of the Holy Spirit to keep the fire of our faith, hope and love burning brightly so that we can be the Lord’s witnesses today. We often pray, ‘Come, Holy Spirit, fill my heart and kindle in me the fire of your love’.

The Holy Spirit comes into our lives to enliven all our natural gifts and to empower us to use them in the service of the Lord. That is Paul’s message to us in the second reading, ‘There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit’. The Holy Spirit empowers each one of us in a way that is unique to each of us, so that in the words of that reading, the Lord can work ‘in all sorts of different ways in different people’. We are distinct, unique, members of the body of Christ, each of us vitally important in the Lord’s eyes. He needs each of us to be empowered by his Spirit if his good work is to continue in our world today.

And/Or

(ii) Pentecost Sunday

We have become much more security conscious in recent years. We find it necessary to put locks where there would have been no need for them in the past. We alarm our houses and our cars to a degree that would have been inconceivable a generation ago. This all comes from fear, a fear that is well grounded, as we know only too well. One of the less attractive aspects of our present culture is a growing disrespect for people and property. This sense of insecurity and fear can have the negative effect of cutting people off from each other. We can end up retreating beyond our locked gates. Thankfully, we have not moved too far down that road in our Irish context, compared to some other parts of the western world.

In today’s gospel reading, we hear of the disciples locked into a room behind closed doors out of fear. They were terrified that what Jesus’ enemies did to him they might also do to them. Even though Mary Magdalene had come to them with the extraordinary news that Jesus had risen from the dead, they remained paralyzed by fear. Circling the wagons was the only strategy they could think of. It needed the risen Lord to appear to them personally for that to change. When he stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you’, their fear gave way to joy. When he breathed the Holy Spirit upon them, their retreating behind locked doors gave way to a going forth to preach the gospel to all nations. This is the fourth evangelist’s version of Pentecost. He understands it as a moment when the Spirit of the risen Lord drove out the disciples’ spirit of fear and isolation. Luke’s version of Pentecost, which we find in today’s first reading, makes much the same point. The coming of the Spirit on the disciples enabled them to communicate in a new way with the men and women of their time. The Spirit drove them out of the house in which they were sitting to preach the gospel in a way that was understandable to people of different races and languages.

We can look back on that first Pentecost as the day on which the church was founded, when a fearful group of men and women became, what Paul calls in today’s second reading, the body of Christ. However, Pentecost is not simply a past event that was needed to get the church going. The church is always in need of a fresh Pentecost. Pope John XXIII at the beginning of the Second Vatican Council prayed for a new Pentecost for the church. In his ministry, Jesus encourages us to keep on praying for the coming of the Holy Spirit into our lives. On one occasion he said, ‘If you then know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him’. We need to keep on praying, ‘Come Holy Spirit’. We are in ongoing need of a fresh Pentecost not only for the church as a whole but also for ourselves as individuals who make up the church. That is why there is a whole range of prayers in the tradition of the church invoking the coming of the Holy Spirit. One such prayer is the Sequence that you will find on your Missalette after the second reading. I am sure that many of us could easily identify with the sentiments in that prayer, such as ‘Heal our wounds, our strength renew; on our dryness pour thy dew; Wash the stains of guilt away’. This is a prayer that would have sat very easily on the lips of the disciples in today’s gospel reading. There they were, a wounded, isolated group, without strength, carrying the burden of their past failures. In some ways they are an image of the church in every age, an image of ourselves from time to time. Those disciples desperately needed the coming of the Holy Spirit and the risen Lord responded to their need. We can be in the same desperate need of the Holy Spirit. One of the ways we can express our need is by praying a prayer similar to what we find in today’s Sequence, and we can be sure that in praying that prayer the Lord will not be slow to answer it.

The Holy Spirit came upon the first disciples to renew them, so that they could go forth as the Lord’s messengers to others. In a similar way, when the Lord sends the Spirit upon us, he does so with a view to sending us out in service to others. The coming of the Spirit upon us is never for our own benefit alone; it is always with a view to others as well. That is why Paul states in today’s second reading that ‘the Spirit is given to each person for a good purpose’ - and that purpose is the service of others. As Paul states in that same reading, the coming of the Spirit into our lives enables God to work in us for the service of the Lord. Each of us is born with particular gifts or talents that are natural to us. The Spirit, who comes into our lives in response to our earnest prayer, takes those natural talents and enhances them and gives us a new enthusiasm to use them in the service of the Lord and his people. In that way our natural talents become what St. Paul would call charisms. ‘There are a variety of charisms’, he says in that second reading, ‘but always the same Spirit’. Today, we pray for a fresh outpouring of the Spirit upon us so that we may have a new desire and a new energy to do the work of the Lord.

And/Or

(iii) Feast of Pentecost Sunday

We are all conscious that our country has become very multicultural in recent years. I remember about 20 years ago or so, I was showing a visitor from the United States around Dublin. He said at the time that he was very struck by how homogeneous the population of Dublin was. To him we were very obviously all of the same racial stock. Anyone visiting Dublin from abroad today would hardly make a similar comment. If you walk through any of the main streets of the city, or even travel on a bus into town, you will immediately be struck by the number of different languages that are being spoken all around you.

I was reminded of all that by the first reading of today’s feast. There appears to have been a very multi-cultural dimension to that first Pentecost. Even though all those present in Jerusalem on that day were Jews, they were Jews from all over the Roman Empire who would have spoken their own distinct language. Yet, the extraordinary phenomenon of that first Pentecost, according to the Acts of the Apostles, was that those on whom the Holy Spirit descended were able to communicate in a way that was intelligible to all these people of different language groups. ‘How does it happen that each of us hears these Galileans in our own native language?’ they asked. The first fruit of Pentecost was the bringing together of peoples who would normally be divided by language and culture. It was as if the Holy Spirit enabled all these people to discover a fundamental unity among themselves, in spite of the great differences between them, a unity in Christ. As Paul says in today’s second reading, ‘In the one Spirit we were all baptized, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as citizens’.

The first reading for today’s feast of Pentecost shows us what the Spirit does if people are open to the coming of the Spirit. The Spirit works to bring together in Christ, people from very different traditions and cultures. You could say that the Spirit helps us to discover and give expression to that deeper language that is common to all of us as human beings. Whenever people of very different cultures and background recognize each other as brothers and sisters under one God, there the Holy Spirit is at work. Whenever we speak in a way that finds an echo in the hearts of people who are very different from us, there the Holy Spirit is at work. Jesus is the supreme example of someone who spoke in such a way. He was a Jew and yet what he said touched a cord in the hearts of Jews, Samaritans and pagans alike. Whenever we act in ways that draw people together who appear to have very little in common, there the Holy Spirit is at work. Whenever we work to reconcile those who are estranged, there the Holy Spirit is moving. In situations of conflict, there will always be some people who work tirelessly to build bridges rather than blow up bridges. Such people, in the words of today’s second reading, are ‘under the influence of the Holy Spirit’.

We are all very aware that in the world in which we live, the blowing up of bridges can be more to the fore than the building of them. Some people seem intent on driving deeper and deeper wedges between those already estranged. There are forces at work in the world that are the opposite of the force or power of the Holy Spirit. We may even be conscious at times of the presence of such forces in our own hearts. We can shut out people simply because they are different to us. However, today’s first reading suggests that a language which is very different from our own can be the language of the Spirit; a way of doing things very different from how we normally do them can be an expression of the Spirit. The Spirit comes to us in a whole variety of unexpected guises. As Paul says in that second reading, ‘there are a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit’.

The Spirit will always be moving us to work for the kind of unity or communion between peoples that is portrayed in today’s first reading, that Jesus prayed for on the night before he died. Rather than building communion with others, the picture we get of the disciples in today’s gospel reading is of a group who had cut themselves off from others; they had locked themselves behind closed doors out of fear of others. That scene of isolation is the opposite to the scene of communion we find in the first reading. When the risen Lord came among them, he breathed the Holy Spirit upon them, empowering them to go out from behind their locked doors and build communion with others, just as Jesus had been sent to build communion with us. ‘As the Father sent me’, he said to them, ‘so am I sending you’. The risen Lord continues to breathe the Holy Spirit upon all of us so that we too can share in his work of building communion with and among others.

And/Or

(iv) Feast of Pentecost Sunday

We probably get more wind here in Clontarf than in other parts of the city. I noticed that when I first came to the parish here. Occasionally when the wind is really strong I have to put my shoulder to my front door to close it. The wind brings its own blessings. Without it, the Clontarf Yacht and Sailing Club wouldn’t have much of a future. On the rare occasions when the weather is warm, the wind can have a lovely cooling effect here on the coast. The wind can be invigorating.

One of the images used by Luke for the coming of the Spirit on the disciples on the first Pentecost is that of the wind. He says, ‘suddenly they heard what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven’. He doesn’t say that they actually heard a powerful wind but something like it, just as he doesn’t say that tongues of fire appeared to them and rested on the head of each of them, but something like tongues of fire. Luke was trying to describe a profound experience which was beyond words. Yet, he needed to find some reference point in the field of human experience to write about this experience, and the wind was one such reference point. In the gospel of John Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit with reference to the wind. He says to Nicodemus, ‘the wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know were it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit’. In the language of Jesus the word for ‘wind’ and for ‘Spirit’ was the same.

The wind is a power that is outside of us and beyond it. Even though we can harness the wind, for the generation of electricity, for example, we cannot really control the wind. We cannot turn it on and off - as Jesus says, ‘the wind blows where it chooses’, and when it chooses. There is a sense in which we have to surrender to the wind rather than try to fight it. Sailing boats move along because the sailors on them respect the wind and yield to it in various ways. In a similar way, the Holy Spirit is a power, God’s power, which is outside of us and beyond us. We cannot control the Spirit of God; all we can do is surrender to it and yield to it. As the wind drives the yacht through the water, so the Holy Spirit is given to us to drive our lives, to move us in the direction that God wants us to go. The whole of our lives as Christians consists in an ever greater surrender to the Spirit.

Unlike the wind, however, the Spirit of God is not just a power that lies beyond us and outside of us; it is also a power that resides within us. Paul expresses that truth very clearly in today’s second reading, ‘In the one Spirit we were all baptized… and one Spirit was given to us all to drink’. We are temples of the Spirit; God’s power resides deep within our hearts. Whereas a yacht is only moved from without, God, through his Spirit, can move each one of us from deep within the core of our being. Although one Spirit seeks to shape all our lives, the consequence of that is not sameness but diversity, because the Spirit respects the uniqueness of each one of us and enhances the particular gifts that each one of us is born with. As Paul says in that first reading, God, through the Spirit, works in all sorts of different way in different people. Where the Spirit of the Lord is present there is diversity as well as unity. Something of that diversity was evident in the great gathering of people who witnessed the first Pentecost. There were Jews there from every corner of the Roman Empire. Paul understands the church as the Body of Christ, and like a human body, the church has a great diversity of members, and it desperately needs that diversity now more than ever. Different people will be moved by the Spirit to serve the Lord and his people in different ways. Only if each of us allows the Spirit to work through us to serve the Lord and his people in the way that is unique to each one of us will the church be all that God wants it to be.

The image of the wind for the Holy Spirit is also there in the gospel reading in a different form. It was while breathing on them that Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’. That image of the Spirit as breath rather than wind might be more conducive to thinking of the Spirit not just as God’s power that is outside of us and beyond us but as God’s power that resides within us. The breath within us keeps us alive physically; the Spirit of God within us keeps us alive spiritually and empowers us to be all that God is calling us to be. A suitable prayer for this feast is ‘Come Holy Spirit’. When we pray that prayer we are really calling on the Spirit of God who already resides within us to fill us completely and to penetrate all the levels of our being so that we may be alive with the life of the Lord.

And/Or

(v) Feast of Pentecost Sunday

One of the images used by Luke for the coming of the Spirit on the disciples on the first Pentecost is that of the wind. He says, ‘suddenly they heard what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven’. He doesn’t say that they actually heard a powerful wind but something like it, just as he doesn’t say that tongues of fire appeared to them and rested on the head of each of them, but something like tongues of fire. Luke was trying to describe a profound experience which was beyond words. Yet, he needed to find some image to write about this experience, and the wind was one such image. In the gospel of John Jesus himself speaks of the Holy Spirit with reference to the wind. He says to Nicodemus, ‘the wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know were it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit’. In the Aramaic language of Jesus the word for ‘wind’ and for ‘Spirit’ was the same.

The wind is a power that is outside of us and beyond us. Even though we can harness the wind, for the generation of electricity, for example, we cannot really control the wind. We cannot turn it on and off. As Jesus says, ‘the wind blows where it chooses’, and when it chooses. There is a sense in which we have to surrender to the wind rather than try to fight it. Sailing boats move along because the sailors respect the wind and yield to it in various ways. In a similar way, the Holy Spirit is a power, God’s power, which is outside of us and beyond us. We cannot control the Spirit of God; all we can do is surrender to it and yield to it. As the wind drives the yacht through the water, so the Holy Spirit is given to us to drive our lives, to move us in the direction that God wants us to go. The whole of our lives as Christians consists in an ever greater surrender to the Spirit.

Unlike the wind, however, the Spirit of God is not just a power that lies beyond and outside of us; it is also a power that resides within us. Paul expresses that truth very clearly in today’s second reading, ‘In the one Spirit we were all baptized… and one Spirit was given to us all to drink’. Elsewhere Paul says that we are temples of the Spirit; God’s power resides deep within our hearts. Whereas a yacht is only moved from without, God, through his Spirit, can move each one of us from deep within the core of our being. The image of the wind for the Holy Spirit is also there in today’s gospel reading in a different form. It was while breathing on them that Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’. That image of the Spirit as breath rather than wind might be more conducive to thinking of the Spirit not just as God’s power that is outside of us and beyond us but as God’s power that resides within us. The breath within us keeps us alive physically; the Spirit of God within us keeps us alive spiritually and empowers us to be all that God is calling us to be. A suitable prayer for this feast is ‘Come Holy Spirit, fill my heart’. When we pray that prayer we are really calling on the Spirit of God who already resides within us to fill us completely and to penetrate all the levels of our being so that we may be alive with the life of the Lord.

Although the one Spirit of God seeks to shape all our lives, the consequence of that is not sameness but diversity. The Spirit respects the uniqueness of each one of us and enhances the particular gifts that each one of us is born with. As Paul says in our second reading, God, through the Spirit, works in all sorts of different ways in different people. Where the Spirit of the Lord is present there is both unity and diversity. Something of that diversity was evident in the great gathering of people who witnessed the first Pentecost. There were Jews there from every corner of the Roman Empire. Paul understands the church as the Body of Christ, and, like a human body, the church has a great diversity of members, gifted in diverse ways by the one Spirit. The church desperately needs that diversity now more than ever. Different people will be moved by the one Spirit to serve the Lord and his people in different ways. Only if each of us allows the Spirit to work in our lives in the way that is unique to each one of us will the church be all that God wants it to be.

And/Or

(vi) Feast of Pentecost Sunday

You may have noticed that after today’s second reading there was a special prayer to the Holy Spirit. It can be prayed at any time of the year, not just on Pentecost Sunday. I have often found myself returning to some of the lines of the Pentecost Sequence, such as, ‘Heal our wounds, our strength renew, on our dryness pour thy dew’. We all have wounds that need healing; our strength always needs renewing, our dryness of heart and spirit always needs freshening up. There are some wonderful titles given to the Holy Spirit in this prayer, ‘Lord of light’, ‘Father of the poor’, ‘Light immortal, light divine’. These are titles that could just as easily be given to God the Father or to Jesus, which is not surprising because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus and the Spirit of God the Father. In the creed that we will soon be reciting we say, ‘I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son’. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Jesus and, more precisely, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God’s love and the Spirit of Jesus’ love. The Holy Spirit is the presence of the love of God the Father and the love of Jesus in our lives. Saint Paul writes that ‘God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us’.

We know that the very best of human love is always life-giving for others. The love of God the Father, the love of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, is supremely life giving. The Holy Spirit brings life, a sharing in God’s life, to all of us who open our hearts to receive the Spirit. There is a very good image of the creative, life-giving power of the Holy Spirit in today’s gospel reading. There you have the disciples shortly after Good Friday. They were only half alive. They were so terrified that they had locked themselves into a room. They were afraid that what had been done to Jesus might also be done to them. Into that fearful group stepped the risen Lord. The gospel reading says that he breathed on them while saying, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’. The risen Lord’s action of breathing on the disciples calls to mind a story in the second chapter of the Book of Genesis. There God creates the first man by forming him from the dust of the earth and breathing into his nostrils the breath of life. The gospel reading describes a moment of new creation as the risen Lord breaths the breath of life, the Holy Spirit, upon the disciples. There is a line in the responsorial psalm which reflects what is happening in the gospel reading, ‘You send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the earth’. We all stand in daily need of the creative, life-giving, Spirit, because like those first disciples we can be tempted to retreat behind closed doors. We allow fear to take hold of us. We withdraw into ourselves. It is in such moments that we need the risen Lord to stand among us and to breathe his life-giving Spirit into our lives. At such times we need to pray that line in the prayer after the second reading, ‘heal our wounds, our strength renew, on our dryness pour thy dew’.

The risen Lord is always standing reading to answer such a prayer. At one point in Luke’s gospel, Jesus says, ‘How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?’ The prayer, ‘Come Holy Spirit’ is one prayer we can be sure the Lord will hear. It was to such a prayer that Jesus was referring when he said, ‘Ask, and it will be given you; search and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you’. In that sense, Pentecost is not a past event to be remembered. It is or it can be a present reality, because the risen Lord is always standing among us, ready to breathe the Holy Spirit upon us. Our first reading today from the Acts of the Apostles is the account of the first Pentecost, but as you read on in the Acts of the Apostles you discover that there are several other Pentecosts, many moments when the Holy Spirit comes down upon individuals or upon the whole church. As Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit on those disciples in the gospel reading, he said to them, ‘As the Father sent me, so I am sending you’. The Holy Spirit will always revive us, recreate us, with a view to our being sent out to share in the Lord’s work in the world. The Spirit empowers us to do the Lord’s work, and as Paul reminds us in today’s second reading, the Spirit empowers each of us in a very personal way. Paul speaks there about the ‘particular way in which the Spirit is given to each person’ and he talks of the Spirit ‘working in all sorts of different ways in different people’. The Spirit respects our uniqueness, our individuality. The Spirit never creates sameness. The Spirit creates unity, community, but always a unity in diversity. The Spirit will always bring our personal uniqueness to full flowering. The Spirit will always create a communion of people graced in many different ways, for the service of all.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

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adventism-atheism-orthodoxy-me · 2 years ago

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Salvation, Revisited

I hear Protestants talk of Christ bearing our SINS on the cross, and try to work through this. Much is made of Gethsemane - "He bore our SINS"…

One teacher traumatized my daughter by telling her that every time she was naughty, Christ suffered just that much more on the cross. Now, 19 years later, while my daughter doesn't go to church on her own anymore, she doesn't fight with me or my wife when we take her as part of our family. At one point she said, "I don't think my teacher was a bad man, even though his ideas are wrong".

One way around this, one of my my preferred ways, is to think of our SIN (singular) or the dogmas (decrees, Colossians 2:14) accusing us, as having been nailed to the cross. The problem arises if you subscribe to an accounting version of Christianity, where the scales of justice are balanced, based upon the book of life (Revelation 20:15, though to be fair, sins aren't actually accounted for, only names are in the book), to account for every jot and tittle of any sin that you could have entertained in life. Arguing that Christ destroyed sin, death and the devil, is kind of a nonstarter with with such people.

The cross was painful. Anyone who would suggest otherwise is probably looking to argue, or is clueless. However, there were many painful ways to die in the ancient world that were at least as painful, some probably more so. Burning seems to get high marks for its painfulness - some Saints died by burning. I would think that being boiled in oil would also rank quite high. Beheading might be quick, but odds are it wasn't exactly pleasant if done with an axe or sword. There was also Scaphism - which also sounds painful. Google it if you must. The Japanese locked prisoners in underwater caves during WWII, and let them drown slowly, which would not have been quick and not without pain. So, bottom line, I see Christ's suffering as more of a sentimental conceit of Modern Man, who needs to create their own narrative - Tit (sins) for tat (pain).

Father Freeman argues persuasively that shame is what was on display.

Now, I still see the cross as a watershed event, as do the Orthodox. Through the cross, Christ was able to enter the realms of darkness that he could not (or would not) enter as God. Satan and his demons were routed (The Harrowing of Hell). The God of the universe now interpenetrates the entirety of the universe. Nothing is beyond his purview. By becoming man, he imparted upon us a divine nature. A divine nature that is now a part of us. I grew up Adventist, so for the longest time I believed in soul sleep and an eventual death of the sinful within the lake of fire. Not anymore. We have been given what we were denied when the tree of life was kept from us. We have been given immortality.

Practically speaking, though, what does that mean?

Nothing more or less than eternal life. Period. For Everyone.

Now, before you start objecting that this totally denies punishment and all the rest, consider the pitfalls of everlasting life in an unredeemed state. Living (possibly) within the Holy City itself, immersed in the energies of God's love (a river of fire), and experiencing the burning love of everyone around you. Wishing, with every fibre of your being, to retreat into the darkness, to consort with those entities that kept pushing you to power or greatness or superiority here on earth. (Remember the son that remained home in the story of the prodigal son? How did he view his brother's elevation?) How would you view your "salvation" under such circumstances?

Think about what this kind of reoriented thinking does though.

Christ retains his goodness and his divinity. It is his will that every one should be saved (John 3:17). 1 Timothy 4:10 makes a lot more sense too if those who believe are "especially saved". He states over and over that the death of the wicked is NOT his pleasure (Ezekiel 18:23, Ezekiel 18:32, Ezekiel 33:11, 2 Timothy 2:25).

Man receives the fruit of his works.

The work of Salvation is entirely God's. Only God could have come to earth, could have united with man, and died on a cross with two distinct natures. Man could not have done that himself.

Each individual who is saved, is saved not through works per se, but through orienting themselves to a correct - there are no words - Zeitgeist? Phronima? Worldview? We must change, but it is not a work of our own. It is in cooperation with the Holy Spirit that will draw us - if we listen and obey - to what we are meant to be.

It isn't magic. Christ did all the work, but I have a part to do too.

What's more? This is a God I can love. This is a God that I can trust. This is a God that isn't a schizophrenic psychopathic filiciding demigod/demon.

Lord have mercy upon me, a Sinner.

#Theosis #Salvation #Phronima #Divinity #Soteriology

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wine-dark-soup · 1 year ago

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What we know about zero so far:

she's from the thirteenth, aka the "void" or the world of darkness, created by a flood of. well. darkness

the thirteenth is poor in ambient aether which forces zero and other voidsent to feed on each other's aether; they cannot die and rest in a way that matters because this is the realm of activity

she was "touched by darkness" while still in her mother's womb

as such, she was born part mortal part voidsent

she retained a human appearance but was granted special powers

she stopped aging after reaching adulthood

You can guess where this is going from here...

padjals:

are from the source, a world rich in ambient aether

are gifted with large amounts of aether

are "touched by the elementals", presumably before birth (since they are usually born with their horns, though only bumps on their head at that time)

as such, they are part mortal part... light (if we consider white magic to result in light manifestation if unchecked by the elementals - cf. amdapor's bosses that are eerily similar to sin eaters)

they retain a human appearance but were granted special powers

they stop aging quickly, retaining a preteen appearance or a young adult appearance, but can live hundreds of years (presumably², because of the light's dominant force, passivity)

my take is that padjals and zero are two faces of the same coin. they're all part mortal; padjals thrive in an abundant forest; zero lives in an almost sterile domain; padjals have more aether than anyone and zero has to earn hers.

it makes more sense if we take the war of the magi as an example. amdapor created white magic to counter the black magic AND the VOIDSENT ARMY of mhach. padjals are the only ones fit to practice white magic; there are voidsent everywhere on the source but especially in the twelveswood.

i don't think voidsent sought gatty's aether (cf. the WHM quests) just because it was abundant and delicious, but because specifically, padjali aether is the exact thing they need to eat. manifestations of pure white magic call manifestations of pure void magic and vice versa.

where am i going with this? i don't know. but. there you go

padjals are half-light beings in the same way zero is half voidsent

#the opposition between abundance and desolation got to me ok #lore #here's how gridania can still win (=get proper development)

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gurugirl · 2 years ago

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Tales From the Modern Incubus Part 12*

Summary: You’re still hiding in 1986 with Harry and you learn some important information about your real parents and their intentions for you. But Michael, Lilith, Hannah, and Asmodeus are having issues finding you, which could complicate their plan.

A/N: Remember, this is demon/incubus!Harry so there may be some triggering topics. Please read all warnings in the TFMI Masterlist before continuing.

Warning: Smut, demons and angels plotting, mentions of blood, mention of torture, mentions of spells and incantations, religious themes

Characters List

Part 11*

Part 12*

Angels and demons have a lot more in common than most people realize (some probably don’t know that they are alike at all). People who practice or put their values in the Abrahamic faiths would assume that angels are good and demons are bad. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, all original and high demons were once angels. Angels are fallible and just as predisposed to sin and immorality as demons and humans are. In fact many demons who walk the realms are half human and half demon. They didn’t choose their fate, nor did they do anything to be born of a demon, but once they are born, they are automatically a demon by blood with no say to the contrary. The stain of their parent is on them forever and therefore they are painted ‘bad’ by human standards and that is perpetuated by people who read and believe the Bible, which The Almighty does nothing to correct. By contrast, many angels who walk the realms are also only half angel. But, because of their blood, they are given the mark of good by humanity without further thought to whether they’re actually good or bad (which would be determined by their actions and not their bloodline – but humans are naturally quite prejudiced so it’s easier to just say an angel is good and a demon is bad).

Angels and demons are also alike in that they are physically superior to humans in every way. Not only are they more beautiful and alluring (despite what may have been said about how ugly and scary demons are – yet another lie The Almighty does nothing to stop), but they are also extremely strong and can outperform any elite athlete. Their stamina is incredible, and they can be unstoppable under the right circumstances, especially because they also don’t need to sleep. Resting is good, but sleep is never necessary. The original angels created were meant to be helpers and workers for The Almighty. He wanted his workers to be strong and never tire of their job.

They are also extremely intelligent with highly developed cerebral cortexes and the ability to retain and learn faster and more efficiently than humans. This was useful to The Almighty as well. A perceptive and sharp worker is ideal for any type of job, especially when dealing with humans.

And, of course, with all of that in mind, both angels and demons rarely tire of sex. Physically, they can keep going until they’ve had their fill. Angels and demons have a greater appetite for sex than humans do and they do it better as well. Humans enjoy sex too, a lot. It drives much of the way they think and do things. But it can’t be compared to the way angels and demons get around from one being to another. They’re all beautiful whores.

So, to say that you and Harry had a long night together the first time you had sex, well, that’s an understatement. You lost your virginity with the biggest bang ever. You and Harry went on for nearly twelve hours. There were a couple of breaks where you talked and went to the bathroom and rehydrated, but there weren’t clothes involved and you were both sticky and smelly by the time Aim contacted you two.

Harry was just about to come again and you were wobbly and out of your mind from your last orgasm. You were holding onto the couch, bent over as Harry was hammering himself inside of you. He’d also introduced a thumb into your bum to prep you for his cock so you were both working on that. It was something he told you that you’d like and of course, the way his digit felt inside of you as you peaked and clenched over his cock you knew he was right. He’d really used your cunt for hours (just as you’d used his cock) and so when he suggested trying anal and sunk his thumb in while he was mid-fuck, you saw stars and Jesus and you cried out in praise of Harry’s name when you creamed on him.

The phone rang and you both looked over at the ancient, corded device on the wall as it trilled loudly and shook itself in the receiver. Harry looked down to where he was stuffed inside of you and closed his eyes.

“Fuck!” Harry growled and pulled himself out of you. His cock was hard and he had to hold himself as he walked across the room to answer the phone. You collapsed your body onto the couch and closed your eyes for a moment.

“’Lo?” Harry stood at the wall and looked over at you, hips draped over the arm of the couch, tummy down with your face in the cushion, your naked ass pink and bruised and his, he smiled.

Aim’s voice sounded far away through the speaker, “Harry, I can’t stay on long. We’ve found out some interesting things and I’ll be coming to tell you about it in person. You two are safe there for now so you’ll stay where you are for the time being. Expect to see me in five hours.” And then the call ended.

Harry felt relief that you were both safe. He returned to you on the couch, still holding his cock in hand and you twisted to look up at him, your hair a mess.

“Aim said we’re safe for now. He’ll be here in about five hours to give us some information. You okay?” Harry leaned over your back and smoothed his palms over your bottom where he’d bitten you, spanked you, pinched you…

You smiled widely and turned over, exposing your breasts and tummy and the bit of hair between your legs that was coated in come (both yours and his). You had little marks all over your body. Harry was a bit rough but you were a hybrid and you could handle it and you turned out to be just as rough as he was. You put a hand up to Harry’s clavicle and scraped your nail over the scratches you’d left on him. His cock was red hot and throbbing still.

“I don’t think I’ve ever felt better in my whole life. Gonna get that back inside of me? Finish yourself off? I know you were so close.” You gestured toward his thick erection as you spread your legs for him. Harry groaned and squeezed your tits as he buried himself back into your pretty pussy. Every time he plunged into you it never failed to make him gasp in shock. Your cunt was made for him (or maybe his cock was made for you?) and he had no idea how he’d gone his whole life without this feeling.

“Fuck, Harry. You feel so good inside of me. Give me your come… Mmm… yeah… fuck it like that. Come on… want it to fill me up. Shit…” you had no shame with your words during sex. You caught on quick to what Harry liked. Lots of praise, lots of encouragement, plenty of dirty words and orgasms… you were better than anyone Harry had been with, and he’d been with countless people. You were still learning but he was obsessed with how eager you were and he couldn’t love you more than he did. You were perfect.

Harry was nearly snarling, his muscles working his thighs to rail into you. You kept speaking, “Love that big cock, Harry. I love you. Fuck… you’re really deep like that. Need your come, Harry…” and you did want his come. It was like somehow it gave you life and made you feel like one. The more he poured into you, the closer you felt to him. It was like he was leaving traces of himself inside of you and you wanted more.

He grunted and moaned loudly when he released inside of you for the, well, you both had lost count of how many times, but it was a lot. He came inside of you and on you all night and into the morning. It’s why you were so sticky. You had dried come on your legs, your tummy, your hair, your tits… And Harry was just as dirty as you were. You’d smeared yourself all over him (at his request at first) so he could smell like you all night. His arm hair was matted to his flesh with your dried arousal, his knees and thighs the same. He had your juice dried all over his neck, ears, and his hands… You two were probably due for a shower.

Harry collapsed over you and sighed, “I love you. Fuck…” he breathed hard and kept himself inside of you. He’d been quite liberal with the use of the ‘L’ word. He’d found someone that could handle him. He’d had sex with other demons before, but never someone he had feelings for so this was different. He’d had round after round of sex with the same being many times, but not like this. He could keep going and going and so could you.

You ran your fingers through his sweaty hair and brought his hand up to your mouth to kiss. It smelled like you and you laughed softly to yourself. You wrapped your legs around Harry’s waste and squeezed him closer to your body. Harry’s face was in your neck and he let out a muffled moan before pushing himself up to look down at you, his messy girl.

The black of your eyes had gone, as Harry’s had. Now his eyes were that beautiful soft and light flecked green that had you weak in the knees. He brought his hand, that you’d been kissing, over your lips and swiped his thumb at your tongue. You tasted yourself on him, it was the thumb he’d had inside your ass. You giggled as you kept your tongue out and he pushed it into your mouth as he smiled broadly at you.

“Suck.” He said as he watched your lips wrap around his thumb and you felt him still hard and long inside of you as he began to move his hips upward again. You rolled your eyes into the back of your head at how good it felt.

You were both incredibly wet between your legs so when Harry’s thrusts began to get a little harder it sounded like wet sex in the room. Slippery and drippy. You’d also learned you were a squirter. But, obviously you were. Harry’s big cock hit your g-spot, rubbed into it firmly once he was seated inside of you, and then he pushed into other things inside of you and if he angled himself just right and then pulled out you’d squirt all over the place. He'd done it to you the first time when you were riding him. You felt the pressure, something different than just the build of an orgasm, a really deep pressure and then he lifted you off his cock and you poured over his tummy and his dick and his groin, down to his balls. Then he did it again and put his face over your pussy so he could drink it and swallow it down. He didn’t want to waste any of your juices.

But now his large dick was stuffed nicely inside of you and he rolled into you hard. Your mouth went slack and you exposed your neck as your eyes went black again. Harry kept his thumb in your mouth and you went back to sucking on it after the initial moment of bliss. Harry was going in a brutal pace now and your pussy gripped his cock harshly. The way he massaged your walls as he spread you apart felt like love and everything good in the world. You smiled around his thumb as you felt him deep in your body. You felt him attach his mouth and bite into your neck as he sucked, bruising you up right away. He licked over your salty sweaty skin and bit down again, an inch lower, creating another small wound from his teeth that made you bleed just a little. He loved how your blood tasted. He wasn’t a vampire or anything like that, but he liked a little blood now and then. Especially yours.

When he moved his lips to the other side of your neck and bit down on a recent mark you came. The pain zipped down your neck and over your breasts, giving you goosebumps as your orgasm fell over you. You also learned you enjoyed a little pain. Actually, you really enjoyed a little pain. Harry found that it made you come really fast, not that he wanted to rush sex with you but he was amazed by how you responded to it.

Harry cried out when you bit down on his thumb and scratched his back, ripping the flesh under your nails and he spilled inside of you. This was a quick round. Many of them were. There were some rounds that went on for a lot longer where you both took your time and switched positions (Harry showed you all kinds of way you could be fucked).

You both panted and Harry removed his thumb and kissed your mouth. Could you call this romantic? It felt like the most romantic night (and morning) you’d ever get in your life. You used to imagine romance as a sweet date night out somewhere and then a kiss at the end of the night, and if you were married a nice love-making session, maybe a bath and flowers. But this? A sweaty, dirty, painful, all-nighter filled with orgasms and bruises and come… This was your ideal now. Nothing else would do. Your body was spent but every single time your lips met and your gazes locked you were ready to go again. Harry too. Your libidos were matched perfectly. Even though Harry was half-human, half-demon, his demon-type was incubus, which made his libido higher than most demons or angels. And for you, your father was Asmodeus, the demon of lust and debauchery. You were your father’s daughter by blood and so you and Harry had that in common with one another. Already libidinous, both of you being supernatural, but your specific demon types made your thirst for the carnal something very intense.

After a necessary shower and you both had been cleaned and finally ate something, Aim arrived to give you the news in person. He couldn’t tell you on the phone line because a call from the year 2022 to 1986 used very specific rituals that altered existence and time, which could be uncovered by high demons and angels. The shorter the call the better.

You all sat in the living room together. Aim was dressed sharp again, a suit and tie, expensive shoes, and a Patek Philippe watch on his wrist.

“You two have enjoyed 1986 I gather?” He sniffed the air and shook his head as he breathed out a laugh. The smell of sex would linger for some time. You two had sex on nearly every surface in every room.

“Yes. Not that we’ve gotten out much.” Harry laughed at his obvious inuendo, “What do you have, Aim?” You tried not to feel embarrassed about it, all the sex Aim knew you’d had and the way it smelled, it had been quite apparent. But you knew there was nothing to be embarrassed about. Those feelings were remnants of your earthly upbringing, slowly fading away. You were taught that sex was shameful and something to be hidden and never talked about. But now you were realizing that sex wasn’t shameful. It was beautiful and it’s what made the world go round. Without sex, there would be no life.

“Tamie has given them your name, Harry. She had to. Or she would be facing the same fate you might be if they find you. That means you are being hunted, which we figured was going to happen anyway. However, they did release her, not without some severe consequences to her holding off as long as she could. She likely saved your life by buying you time. She endured some serious torture at the hands of your real mother.” Aim shook his head and sighed.

“What? My mother? Isn’t she an angel?” You asked.

Aim lifted his brows toward you and nodded, “Yes. She is a high angel. But there’s something you’ll learn very soon, and that is that all angels and demons are capable of hurting and helping just the same. Not one is worse than the other. I’m surprised she let Tamie go, to be quite honest.”

You looked up a Harry who had sat next to you on the ugly brown sofa with a cream and orange flower pattern fabric covering it. You would need to protect him. Whatever it took. If someone hurt Harry…

“So, here’s what Tamie has told us… Your real parents wanted to create a powerful hybrid being who would know humanity well. Grow up among humans, learn with the humans, and feel like a human. Then, at the age of 25, Y/n, you were meant to meet the son of Michael and Lilith. Another very powerful hybrid. He’s still on earth and as far as we know, unaware of his power, just like you were until Harry came around. Which means you’ve got a bit of a head start. Michael and Lilith’s son is named Adam. He’s meant to be your mate. You two would then procreate and the most perfect and powerful being would then come to be and this being would be more powerful than even The Almighty himself. Or at least that’s what the idea was. Your supposed son or daughter would then be their ticket to overthrow all the kingdoms and take over power of all the realms. I believe that is their purpose in this.

“I don’t know how they intended to go about having you and Adam meet one day, but I’m sure they had a specific plan in place. Tamie didn’t get all the details but, we did learn that the four of them are now on watch for you both. And anyone associated with you. So far, they haven’t approached anyone. They’re working the ground and gathering information. I’ve already been aware of the presence of Lilith and your real father on me. They are aware that Tamie has given us information. I don’t know why they haven’t just come and taken me or cornered me and questioned me on your whereabouts, but something tells me things are about to get a lot more intense and soon. I may consider hiding as well because I’m not sure I’m safe. I don’t think anyone is.”

Harry is silent. The look on his face says he’s deep in thought and you can feel the bit of worry coming from him. He’s worried about you and about himself. But now he’s also thinking about this Adam who is your intended mate. He can’t compete with a full hybrid, half high angel, half high demon, when he himself is only half demon and half human. He’s not going to be able to defend you, to save you, to keep you safe… and if you should choose to be with someone more powerful, well, Harry could easily be replaced. And he wouldn’t blame you. If he’s very honest, you deserve to be with someone more powerful than he is. Adam would probably be better for you. Sure, Harry is handsome, smart, great at conversation, funny, charming, and has a big dick, but he can’t compete with the kind of power that Adam would have. And, if you were to choose Adam and you decided to reproduce with him, you’d have the most powerful heir to exist and could potentially make history by leading the revolution to overthrow The Almighty. Choosing Harry and having his heir would create a somewhat-powerful being (less powerful than you because it would be mixed with incubus and human), but nothing like what you could with Adam. Not a very exciting historical moment in comparison. But he’s trying to stay focused and confident because even if he can’t compete, he won’t be going down without a fight. He’d do anything for you.

You take Harry’s hand and look at him, wanting to get his attention but he keeps his eyes forward on Aim. You know he’s a little upset. You sort of wish he wasn’t so sensitive but you’ll to reassure him again if necessary. When you look at his profile and smell his natural scent, he’s all you can think of and he’s the only one you want. You can’t imagine ever wanting someone the way you want him. You also don’t like the idea that you’d be pre-arranged to meet someone and have his child. You didn’t desire that kind of relationship, nor the power that seemed to come with it. You were going to make your own path and you were bringing Harry with you through it.

“So what now? Do we stay here? Should we move somewhere else? We can’t keep hiding forever.” Harry spoke and you could feel his heart pounding. For some reason you felt much calmer than he did. His reaction to this news was more of a concern to you than the actual news.

“Stay here for now. I have something else in the works for where you will go next. You may just keep hiding and jumping from year to year to keep safe for a while. But, Y/n… we will need to have you begin using your intuition and power for this. I may not be able to contact you at some point and you’ll have to be in-tune in order to protect yourself. You have the ability but it might be something you need to practice a little. Harry, you’re safe with her, for now. She can protect you better than I can.”

Aim left and the world felt quiet again, but Harry was trying not to spiral in his thoughts. He stood up and walked toward the window to look out. He didn’t want to lose you to someone else and he was worried what this meant for him. He’d gone after the wrong girl and now his life is in danger. Wrong girl or not, though, he wouldn’t be deterred too easily. He felt like he was already beginning to bond to you. But he couldn’t be sure. He’d never bonded with anyone before. A bond between two beings is far more severe than just love. Love isn’t final. It isn’t forever. People fall in and out of love just like angels and demons do. A bond is eternal. It’s unbreakable.

“I’m worried. I’ve never been in this kind of situation and not having control of the outcome feels suffocating. And Adam… if he sees you and feels your presence he’s going to want you and I can’t compete with that.”

You followed Harry to where he stood with his back to you and pushed your arms around him, kissing the wide plane of his back between his shoulder blades.

“Why are you worried about that? Do you not trust me?” You spoke as you turned your head, cheek to his back, so your words could come out clearly.

Harry turned to you and he put his hands up to your face, he had vertical frown lines between his eyes at the top bridge of his nose, “I trust you. I just don’t know that you’ll choose me over him. In the end. I wouldn’t blame you.”

You laughed softly and smiled at him, “Well, you’re going to just have to accept how I feel then, aren’t you? You kind of sound like you’re just giving up, assuming I’ll leave you for someone I’ve never even met. Maybe I’m just not worth the trouble to you now that you know I’m dangerous to be with. Perhaps dodging out now is best for you so you’re trying to make it look like it’s me who would choose someone other than you.”

You were bating him. You knew that wasn’t his intention but you figured turning it around on him could make him see things differently. It did. His grin and the dimple that appeared before he lowered his face to kiss your lips was all you needed to know. You wanted to see that man who was confident and captivating. His natural swagger and charm were attractive and that’s how you wanted to see him. You were glad he could voice his insecurities and be honest with you, but he didn’t need to feel insecure.

“Fuck that,” he spoke against your lips, “I’m not letting you go that easy. Just feeling like I couldn’t compete. You can choose who you want and I’ll do anything I can to make you want me over anyone else.” Harry stood up straight and looked over your head and then out the window, “Wanna get outta here for a little bit? See what’s in the area?”

Lilith had been following Aim. She knew he’d gone somewhere and used a specific incantation ritual that meant he’d time traveled. She couldn’t know where he went without cornering him and making him talk but she didn’t want to notify too many people of the problem. Kidnapping Aim or making him talk would be big news. Aim was a legion leader, not the most powerful of the Dukes of Hell, but an important leader and there would be upset demons. It would upset Lucifer. Satan wouldn’t care, and God couldn’t give two shits, but Lucifer was someone they had to deal with daily and it just wasn’t worth it to get him riled up. They needed to keep this quiet.

Especially because Hannah had already kidnapped a watcher and now that watcher was talking. Tamie was a loose thread, a threat to their plan. She should have been done away with. Having a missing watcher was easier than having one that was tortured and now spilling details. Lilith was annoyed at Hannah. Sure, it was a bad idea to kill a watcher or any being because it would draw attention, but it could be done without anyone being aware of it. At least not until things started to be put into motion.

Because Hannah let Tamie go, along with you aware of what was going on (before you should be aware of it) they were going to have to begin the phases of getting Adam ready. Michael wasn’t worried about Harry. A simple half incubus, he would not be a threat in the end. There was no way you’d not want Adam after seeing him and realizing his strength and power. Harry was attractive of course, as all incubi were, but Adam was something else altogether. He was quite the specimen and he’d be far more fit for you than Harry. You’d see it soon enough, or so they hoped. And if not, well, Harry would be dealt with and you’d never see nor hear from him again as soon as they got their hands on him anyway.

Which was another problem, they didn’t know where you and the incubus were. Lilith reported to Asmodeus that you were likely in another time period, being hidden away. With Harry. And if you bonded with Harry (what a tragic mistake that would be) it would be that much more difficult to get you to side with them. This entire thing was turning into a disaster and it was all because you were sniffed out by a horny incubus who became obsessed with you.

Hannah followed your earth parents but found that they also didn’t know where you were. In fact, Enzo and Gwyn had started asking around to find out if anyone knew of your whereabouts. They were astonished to find that even Amanda, your best friend, didn’t know where you were. And you hadn’t been answering your calls or texts. They immediately began suspecting Harry. He was a mystery to them, someone they didn’t know and hadn’t had a chance to really talk to. They wondered if he’d done something to you.

It had only been about a day and half that you’d been missing at this point so they thought maybe you’d still show up. But they were worried and none of your friends seemed to know where you were. Which told Hannah that you’d gone into hiding. Harry’s house was empty, and they kept their own watchers on the lookout there as well as at your parent’s house.

Michael had begun to get Adam ready. The first step in the process was to slowly allow the reveal of his powers. Like you, Adam had always had some extra receptive senses, which he’d grown used to all his life. But now the time had come to let him see a little more of what he could do. It was a bit too early for their plan, but now it was necessary.

Adam lived on the opposite coast of the United States to you. It was intentional that you both would meet at the age of 25, not before, at a job you’d both take at that time. You two would naturally be drawn to one another, both being hybrids with supernatural abilities, you’d both slowly come into your powers and learn about yourselves together and you’d bond over it. It would create a closeness and you’d both be inseparable. That was the plan anyway. And it would have worked. Had Harry not come into the picture.

But there was nothing they could do about you at the moment. They’d find you soon enough and work on convincing you to fall into their plan. First, they’d need Adam on their side and then they’d get rid of Harry once they found him.

You and Harry quickly learned that the neighborhood you were in didn’t have much around. The grocery store was walking distance from the house, there was an Italian deli next to the school, a church behind the park, a nearby interstate with loud traffic, a flower shop, and a gas station.

You and Harry sat in the park and ate sandwiches you’d gotten from the deli and you noticed that you two were getting a few weird looks. You weren’t dressed in anything too trendy but your clothes and probably your hair made you stick out a bit. The 80s style and the fit of the clothes were different than what you’d both been sporting.

“Don’t worry about them. They probably just think we’re from a different country or something. You can fake an accent like me and tell them you’re from London.” He laughed and crossed his long legs. You were both sitting in the grass and enjoying the sun as it went down.

You couldn’t stop thinking about what you’d do when you got back to the house. Sex was very new to you and liked it a lot. Your hormones were going crazy and Harry’s body and his voice, the smile he kept giving you, god you could just jump his bones right in front of everyone. So you pulled yourself to your hands and knees, forgetting all about the sandwich you were eating and crawled into Harry’s lap, making him sit his sandwich down. You straddled his thighs and put your arms over his shoulders and kissed him.

Harry was happy to give up his sandwich and his lap for you. He leaned back to give you more space as he wrapped his arms around you and kissed you back. You wrapped your lips around his and then slid your hands into his hair. Your heart was pounding and you didn’t care that anyone could see you making out in the grass. There were kids running around, people walking their dogs in the park so there was a decent amount of activity going on around you.

“Mmm… can we make ourselves invisible? Like what you did when you first met me? Have sex right here in front of everyone? Or will that be bad using our powers? Aim said to lay low…” You leaned back and looked at the handsome demon. The beautiful demon.

“Fuck. I don’t think we should, just in case. Maybe we’ll do that another time, though. Hmm? Wanna get my cock stuffed inside that little pussy right in front of everyone?” He bucked himself upward as he spoke and you sighed at the feeling. Knowing it was yours. All yours. You could wait until you were back at the bungalow to rip his clothes off if you needed to but you really wanted him now.

“Yes. That’s what I want. Right in front of everyone.” You rolled your hips down over Harry, “Maye we could even let everyone hear it. They’d be listening in to really hot, sex, some spanking maybe, and when we come they’d know they were hearing two people fucking, but just couldn’t see it. Wouldn’t know where it was coming from. God, doesn’t that sound hot?” You nudged yourself closer and Harry grasped your bottom.

“It sounds naughty. That’s going on the list of things to try at some point. Fuck. My dirty girl. Are you ready to go back to the house? Want more of me already?” Harry’s grin was salacious. His cock was already growing hard. “Yes, please. Feels like it’s been too long since you’ve been inside of me.”

Part 13*

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confused-as-all-hell · 3 years ago

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Rowan Whitethorn

“You collect scars because you want proof that you are paying for whatever sins you've committed. And I know this because I've been doing the same damn thing for two hundred years. Tell me, do you think you will go to some blessed Afterworld, or do you expect a burning hell? You're hoping for hell--because how could you face them in the Afterworld? Better to suffer, to be damned for eternity.”

Rowan Whitethorn, arrogant and powerful and fierce. The Fae Warrior, Prince of Doranelle, King of Terrasen. A male who had held death in his arms, who loved a queen without her crown, who had a laugh like midsummer thunder.

He was by no account perfect. His love was scarce, his warmth thinner still. His tongue was edged in steel. His temper is rivaled by none.

Rowan has his faults, but the primary source of his hatred is his appearance. People pick on him for being white and for being muscular, as if being either of the two is awful. I understand how several white characters might spark frustration, but (I say this as a woman of colour, myself) that is a fucking bullshit reason to hate him. He did not rummage through a box and draw out the label reading “white.” This is how Sarah J Maas chose to write him.

Rowan might have a more muscular build than average, but that’s literally the entire point. We are shown he trains and works out strenuously, as well as eats certain food to keep himself fit. He is careful with himself, and genuinely puts in the necessary work to retain his muscle. He is a trained warrior that has lived for hundreds of years, of course he’s going to have accumulated strength. Do not attempt to dissuade me on this topic, as I know from personal experience the effects of working out.

Yes, he is out of the ordinary in terms of his looks. Silver hair, green eyes, skin made tan by the sun. But he is always described as handsome from Aelin’s point of view, and have none of you ever been in love? Your boyfriend or girlfriend or significant other is always staggeringly attractive through your lenses. His face is never written as angelic or perfect, however, and Rowan is thought of as extraordinary but not impossible.

Allow male characters to be stunning without detesting them for it, as you would females. I have too often seen people (the same people who praise Nesta or Gwyn for being beautiful) write long-ass posts on why Rowan just isn’t realistic. Maybe it isn’t. But if you opened a fantasy novel expecting realism, I will find myself amused. Rowan is fae, for fuck’s sake. Sarah J Maas wrote them to be attractive.

Another point of speculation is Rowan’s initial dislike of Aelin. He is thought of as abusive, which I will blatantly disagree with.

When Aelin first arrived in Mistward, she and Rowan were not friends. They were not associates. They were two grief-stricken, trauma-ridden characters with awful coping methods and no hope to be seen. Over time, they began to work together, and that begrudging respect blossomed into friendship.

Did they detest one another? Yeah, they did.

And then they realized the full extent of their comments, how wrong they were to be so awful, and they made their peace with it. The point of that dislike was to give them both character arcs, to show they grew from the furious, miserable, bleeding shells of themselves.

They grew from that pain.

Hatred became acceptance, acceptance became respect, respect became friendship, friendship became love. They did not love each other instantly, nor should they have. It was slow, and they learned from the mistakes they made, they apologized for them.

Their romantic relationship (nor platonic) was never toxic. It was always mutual communication and understanding and “I will be here for you, but I will not dive in to fix all your problems.” It was concern and support and admiration. It was “I will sit with you, and I will light my lamps to banish the dark.”

Does Rowan worry after Aelin often? Yes, of course.

But have none of you ever been in love? During times of strife, of terror, you’re always calling in to make sure they’re okay, they’ve dealt the day’s cards. Rowan worried after Aelin, but he never, ever suppressed her. He allowed her to go about on her daily business, he just wished he could accompany for the more dangerous activities. It was not coddling or stifling her, it was wishing for her safety.

Let Rowan worry over his best friend (now wife) without being detested for it.

Had my own best friend put herself in danger, I would have her head for it. I don’t know who told you only friends can worry over your safety, but they lied. Rowan is entitled to being angry at Aelin when she leaves in the dead of night and comes back drenched in blood.

If it was Aedion who was furious, would you have such a problem with this?

For fuck’s sake, a significant other is just your bestest friend who loves you romantically rather than platonically.

Rowan proves time and time again he will always stand beside Aelin; when he pleaded for his cousins’ aid in the war, when he was prepared to give his life for her during QoS, when he was always, always, always there to lend a hand.

He extended a hand... but she was always the one to take it.

He was respectful and courteous of her every boundary, and she his. They never waded too deep into each other’s pasts, never pried or tried to lift that barricade. They gave each other space, understanding.

Yes, I heard you, they didn’t have the best start. But the point of character arcs is to start in a bad place and haul oneself out. It wouldn’t have worked if Rowan was this sweet, gentle, warm character from the very beginning who kissed Aelin’s ass.

Rowan’s wife and unborn child had died, and he was forced to shoulder that burden alone. He was forced to deal with his war trauma alone. He was made into a monster, and he felt he deserved nothing less.

Rowan acted harshly towards Aelin because a few of her comments were triggering and insensitive towards his trauma, and if we can find it in ourselves to forgive Nesta Archeron (who I love very much, don’t attack me) we can forgive him for dealing badly with his issues.

Just because he is a male, and he doesn’t cry or scream or outwardly show his hurt, we have seen from his part of view that he loved Lyria, and Aelin is so different from her, but he loves them both and his guilt is awful.

His being protective over Aelin is a product of his trauma. He left his wife alone, and she was promptly murdered, alongside his unborn son or daughter. Don’t you think it still frightens him to leave Aelin be, especially in their current war state? Even still, I can think of around two occasions where he was protective, and not one more.

What I’m trying to say is, Rowan is allowed to be flawed and PTSD-ridden and hurting.

What I’m trying to say is, he can make mistakes and fuck up from time to time.

What I’m trying to say is, he is worthy of love all the same.

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sexy-zeitreise-detektiv · 3 years ago

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okay but where tf is my hg tannhaus content at? he basically had to raise some baby just after he lost his kid and grandkid, he's a clock maker who doesn't (or does depending how you see his 'splitting the world' thing) time travel and his 'life's work' is borne from a bootstrap paradox. all i'm saying is. hg tannhaus king.

Sorry I kind of forgot about this asks and I'm not sure if this response will satisfy your need for more Tannhaus content but here we go.

It's true, his clockworker aesthetic is extremely underutilized in fanart and I rarely see any fanfiction of him, even though there's tons of potential interactions with Charlotte and internal struggles that the show chose not to portray. Like how does Tannhaus deal with the absolute whiplash of losing his entire family and then becoming a father again in the same night? What's the relationship between him and Charlotte like? Besides all the obvious angst? Do they make pancakes together? Does Tannhaus actually dare to love her or is he scared that he will lose her "again"? We will never know!! Although sealandreich on ao3 has a very good Charlotte- and Tannhaus-focused series, so I would recommend you check that out.

Usually I would rant more about how this character deserved way more screentime, however! in this case I understand the artistic choice behind retaining Tannhaus for as much as they did. It makes sense if you see the series through a Jewish/Christian lens with Adam and Eva representing their biblical counterparts and Tannhaus as the creator of their universes representing god. Though usually in religious texts, god is presented either as a punishing force or as a loving fatherly figure. Dark subverts this expectation by making it's god figure mostly ignorant towards his creation. Very angsty and *Hannibal voice* nietzschean, if I dare say so. On a side note, it's also very obvious that Claudia is Dark's take on Satan, even though (or rather especially because) she is not a purely malicious force. She's the one pulling all of the strings, she's the one getting Jonas and Martha to commit the original original sin, and generally being a morally grey queen. And like... she gets called "Der Weiße Teufel" all the time, I think we get it lmao.

Another religious approach, that also fits nicely into Dark's love of the number three, would be a Hindu reading, where Tannhaus, Adam and Eva each represents a part of the Trimurti. Tannhaus would therefore be Brahma the creator, Eva would be Vishnu the conserver and Adam Shiva the destroyer. I am not at all an expert on Hinduism but as far as I understand all of them are actually one entity (->everything is connected). Which also ties in with a third possible reading:

The whole multiverse is Tannhaus's trauma response to losing his family. I know, this is basically canon but I propose that if we theoretically could see every character, who was created in the time travel bullshit thing, as a facet of Tannhaus's personality/emotional response to his trauma. Adam represents pure anger and bad coping mechanisms that only hurt him and others more, whereas Eva represents his urge to remain in this sort of comforting stage of depression. I guess that would make Claudia a therapist of some sorts? Or maybe his only healthy impulse in all of this mess? Idk at this point I'm just rambling.

This got very dry and very serious very quickly so fun Tannhaus headcanons: He loves bird watching (while they are alive), he once met Nena but didn't recognize her (one of many things to fuel Charlotte's teen angst) and.... he's trans. (There's nothing to indicate that any of this is true, I just want it to be.)

To conclude this essay, yes, Tannhaus is actually technically speaking the main character and yes, I will probably make fanart of him soon and lastly yes, Dark good. Have a wonderful day, anon.

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minervacasterly · 3 years ago

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Vírgen de Guadalupe & Mesoamerican Predecessors

The image of the Virgin of Guadalupe is very interesting because it's not original and it's not the mother of Christ. She's in fact the Goddess Coatlicue. *The* Mother Goddess of the MAJOR God of the Aztecs: Huitzilopochtli.

In Aztec mythology, she was once a beautiful woman and a daughter of the major gods and she fell in love with another handsome deity and they had four hundred children. In the Aztec myths, multiples of 4 and 10 were very imporant and 400 was just another way of saying too many as her kids came to represent the stars and the Aztecs knew (borrowing from the knowledge of previous empires) that there were more than four hundred stars in the sky.

But one day Coatlicue found her hubby with another woman and let's say things didn't go to well (for him and his lover). So what happened to her? Remember the Greek myth of the gorgons and all the snake hair on the main one, the Medusa, and eyes that turned people into stone? Well that happened, except the turning people into stone part because the powers that be wanted her to have a chance to atone for her sins. So she spent the rest of her days sweeping. For the Aztecs, sweeping meant cleansing yourself form your sins. When you were sweeping away the dirt, you were also sweeping away your sins which took the form of dirt. While she continued to do this, she found a ball of feathers on the dirty floors one day and decided to keep it, when she took it out she found it was gone and then to her shock, she also found that she was preggers with none other than the savior of an important people. She came to regard this prophecy with a bit of caution as she knew that it would look pretty bad for a woman of her calibre, especially a deity, to be pregnant out of wedlock, and especially when she had a bad rep of killing her husband.

And she was right. Her sons and daughters didn't take too kindly to the news and her eldest child and daughter, Coyolxahutli rallied all her siblings to go to war against their mother. One of them didn't like her idea and rushed to tell their mother what his sister was doing, and tried to hide her but Coyolxauhtli found out and right when she was about to kill her, her son was born all clothed and ready to battle. Huitzilopochtli, the god of war slaughtered all of his brothers and threw them to the sky, becoming the stars, and to his sister, he cut her head and threw it in the sky as well and it became the Moon.

As for his beloved mother, she became the most venerated female figure in Aztec society. She wasn't just another goddess, she was THE goddes. People did sacrifices to her, women went to her temple hoping that she would grant them fertility, and intercede on their behalf to protect their families.

When the Spaniards came, they tore down her temple and invented a new story where a Native saw a vision of the Virgin Mary on a hill, this became the foundation for a new temple, one where the Virgin was worshiped. This Virgin however was none other than the Christian incarnation of Coatlicue. And she retained some of her old elements which are the following:

-Instead of blood, her dress is pink which is the symbol of her people. Note that the angel holding her, also sports the same color

-Her veil has over forty stars, making an allusion to the multiples of 4 and 10 which were very important to the Aztecs, and more importantly reminding everyone of the Great Mother Goddess' 400 children who became the stars in the night sky.

-The sun's rays that radiate around her represent her importance and her place in the universe and the hierarchy of religion. She is the mother and queen of her people.

-She is represented as pregnant. No other virgin is presented in such a way. Here she wears a brown belt which in Aztec society signified pregnancy. The son she will give birth to, is the savior of course. But now her son has taken the form of Jesus Christ.

-The moon is at her feet. An allegory of her eldest daughter's demise at the hands of her half brother for trying to kill him and their mother.

-Finally, she is the queen of heaven. She is everything.

#virgen de guadalupe #virgin of guadalupe #Mesoamerican history #nueva españa #history #religion

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lord-explosion-baku · 4 years ago

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The Return

Yandere!Midoriya x reader

warnings: yandere, mentions of violence, smoking, creepy, dark themes

A/N: This is just a short little snoot based on a scary story I used to tell around the fire while camping. Mind the warnings.

It had been several years since Izuku Midoriya disappeared without a trace. The police and the heroes alike searched for months and months with nobody finding a damn thing. It was a national tragedy; Deku had the potential to change the world for the better and his loss would never be forgotten. There was even a day reserved for him where people would light green candles and place them on their porches and balconies where they would pray for his return. His mother wailed, his friends mourned, and you were free.

You were free. Free from those yearning stares, those two-long hand touches, those unsolicited gifts, and those unwarranted nighttime visits. You always knew you were never safe with Midoriya around—or possibly you were too safe—and when he stopped existing, your life had gotten better. Easier. You no longer had to live on edge, afraid of catching a tuft of green hair around every corner, spying on you through any window he could find, finding you even when you were out of town. He was gone.

You were free. Until you weren’t.

It was all over the news: the surprising resurgence of the tragically-lost, rising hero Deku. You’d heard it and seen it. The man who claimed to be Izuku Midoriya had the same unruly, curly hair that bounced when he walked, the same eager, green eyes that complimented his innocent facade, and the same brutal scars from all those times he’d broken his bones that fed his emblem. He looked exactly like Midoriya, only more refined. He was more muscular, a tad taller, and there was a gleam in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. You’d heard from friends all about how he retained all of his memories from before his disappearance—even the ones that nobody would know about except for him—but had no memory of where he’d been or what had happened while he was lost.

There wasn’t a single soul on the planet that didn’t believe that Midoriya had returned. You knew better. You knew that he, whoever he was, was an imposter. But it wasn’t like you could prove it.

For weeks, you avoided places where you knew this faux-Midoriya was going to be. Friends invited you to ‘welcome back’ parties where Midoriya’s life would be celebrated, but you never showed. You didn’t take the main streets where you knew this new hero would be patrolling, always making sure to check the news to see every instance the camera caught him performing one of his many good deeds. You might’ve been getting a little obsessive yourself, but it was worth it to never have contact with the imposter.

It didn’t take much time for the long-forgotten creeping feeling to sneak its way into your home and on your skin. You didn’t think that faux-Midoriya would know to stalk you like the real Midoriya, especially since the real Midoriya had always kept that part of his life secret and safe, just as you kept the event that let you know Midoriya wasn’t really back locked away inside your mind. You hadn’t ever told anybody about it. Still, you knew he was watching you. You never saw him, but you felt him.

As the days progressed, this feeling only got worse. You would find bouquets of flowers left on your doorstep and little notes left on your car. You’d told you friends how you were feeling unsafe, dancing around the topic of how insane you thought the world was for buying that Midoroya had returned, but whenever you brought it up, you were met with rolling eyes and tea sips. Even Bakugou believed it was really Midoriya who had returned, and you’d only found out that little fact when you attended a rather large get-together at a nearby bar to celebrate a huge win for the Ground Zero hero agency.

The only reason you went out was because you thought Midoriya wasn’t going to be there. You missed seeing people, and you’d thought you were going to be safe since Bakugou never seemed to like Midoriya, but it seemed that years away from one’s annoying ex-rival softens one up a little.

Panic struck you as soon as you saw him. The imposter was chatting it up with another hero, asking them questions about their quirk and support items, much like the real Midoriya would be doing, when those soft green eyes slid over to you. His face lit up and he smiled that smile—the one that was only reserved exclusively for you, the one that made chills run down your spine.

You were out the door immediately, shaking uncontrollably, crumbling against the bar’s side wall. It took a couple attempts for you to finally light the cigarette between your trembling fingers, but before you could take your first drag, you heard him speak.

“You really shouldn’t smoke.” His voice was like sweet cream, rich and soft. Your gaze went up to meet familiar kind, dishonest eyes. “You’ve always had such pretty skin. I’d hate to see you ruin it.”

“M-Midoriya,” you whispered, tone flat, voice hoarse. He crouched down beside you and brushed some of the hair in your face back and behind your hair. It was such a small gesture, but you felt completely violated.

“Hi, bunny,” not-Midoriya said, “It’s good to see you.”

You shook your head, because his appearance was absolutely uncanny. This man was Izuku Midoriya, only there was no possible way that could be true.

Midoriya seemed content by your befuddlement. You were sure he was enjoying this new life, eating up all the attention he’d gotten since his return, but he didn’t have you to torture. The real Midoriya could never live without filling you up with unease.

He eyed the cigarette burning between your fingers and clicked his tongue. “You’re shivering,” he mused, taking the cigarette out of your hand. He smiled faintly at its cherry, took a long drag, and put it out against the brick wall. Then, he clasped his hands over yours. “Do you know how much I’ve missed you?”

“Don’t-!”

His touch lingered like it always used to. He hummed and brushed his thumb down the palm of your hand, gazing up at you through too-long lashes. “I’ve missed that face you’re making too.”

You had to remind yourself that it wasn’t him. It couldn’t possibly be him. You knew better. You knew what happened. It wasn’t him.

“I know what you’re thinking.” Midoriya flashed a wide, pearly-white smile and brought your hand up to his cheek. He was warm from his blushing. He’d always been so warm. He closed his eyes and pushed your hands down to his neck—the last place you’d touched him when he was alive. “But you should know,” he whispered darkly, “nothing will ever keep me from my bunny for too long.”

“No,” you croaked, pulling your hand back. This wasn’t real. He was supposed to be gone. You were supposed to be free.

“Yes,” he crooned, eyes opened and gleaming with delight..

It couldn’t be him. It could never be him. Izuku Midoriya was gone, and this man was a fraud. You were sure of it. He could look, sound, and feel like him, but there was a zero percent possibility that he had returned.

You would know. You burned his body after you killed him.

TAGS FOR EVERYTHING(CLOSED): @ayeputita @yandere-inamorata @dee-madwriter @unboundbnha @rizamendoza1987 , @rubycubix @smbody-stole-mycar-radio @zellllyyyy @sarcastictextstuck @kpanime @lemonlordleah-shinzawa-kitten @captain-sin-allmight-queen @psionicsnow @wickedlewicked @ghost-of-todoroki @kattariapenn @im-an-adult-sometimes @bnhya @local-senpai @eggpienutbuttercroissant @usernamekate94 @reyvenclaww @hi-ho-and-hello

#bnha x reader #midoriya x reader #yandere!midoriya #yandere bnha #bnha yandere #yandere x reader #yandere male #tw creepy #izuku x reader #bnha reader insert #reader insert #x reader #deku x reader

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ouyangzizhensdad · 4 years ago

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what’s the line between a good adaptation and a bad adaptation? I’ve been running circles in my head thinking about where cql stands these past few days. Because i was also thinking about other adaptations like the pjo films and howl’s moving castle, like one of these is hated and the other is very much loved but both of them change so much from the original source material that it cannot be considered the same, movie howl and book howl are completely different characters and the plot for pjo was messed w so much in the films. So I was thinking about how much an adaptation can change before it’s considered a bad adaptation? or if changes really even matter if the adaptation achieves what it set out to achieve regardless of how different it is to source material? For the record I think cql is a bad adaptation but I’m unsure how to word it because the line seems kinda blurry

Hi anon,

As much fun as it would be to be the final arbiter on what constitutes a good or bad adaptation, it is a question to which there are unfortunately no definitive answers. But I am of course happy to share my opinion and thoughts on the topic!

I think a good adaptation needs first to meet a crucial condition, which is that it must be, on its own, a good work of fiction. That means on the one hand that it should not rely on the source material to be thematically or narratively cohesive--if prior knowledge of the source material is necessary to understand fully the adaption, I personally consider it a failure. On the other hand, this also simply means that the work of fiction must be competently-made, coherent, enjoyable, etc. on its own merits. However, some adaptations that are well-made and generally self-contained works of fiction remain bad adaptations. There is obviously more to the process than just producing a strong work of fiction based on elements of another work.

It’s good to keep in mind that changes are not inherently a bad thing since the process of adaptation requires change. Generally an adaptation aims to tell a story through a different medium, which requires changes even when the creative(s) in charge of the adaptation want(s) to remain as faithful as possible to the original. Telling a story through a visual medium vs the written form demands a different approach! And technical limitations might end up having a huge sway in the process: do you have the budget or the technology to execute everything described in a fantasy novel, for instance? how much time or locations do you need to tell the same story? As well, since adaptations are generally spear-headed by different creatives, changes to the source material are part of the creative process, by adding another perspective and by being forced, in a sense, to choose a specific interpretation of the source material. And that’s not even covering how adapting something from a different era or from a different cultural moment will require a form of “translation” to make it both intelligible and relevant to contemporary audiences.

In addition to these sort of “unavoidable” changes, there are many other factors that may enter into question. With CQL and MDZS, we have a salient example of how censorship might influence the process of adapting a property. The people who have a veto, in some shape or form, over the project may also pursue their own agendas. Matters of marketability and of targeting a specific market will also influence the direction an adaptation takes, especially when an adaption is done in a medium that requires large initial financial investments.

Personally, I believe that the way to make a good adaptation is to go either of these three ways: 1) take a source material that contains obvious weaknesses and improve upon them; 2) figure out exactly what is the appeal of the source material and what makes it original, and make sure that these elements are kept in the adaptation; or 3) reinvent the source material. In the first scenario, it is a case of stronger story-teller being handed a property that has a lot of flaws, and either doing away with them or filling up the gaps in the original narrative--thereby allowing the good in it to finally shine. A good example of that, imo, is The Old Guard movie, a tight narrative that excised a lot of the less savoury elements of the graphic novels and included a lot more emotional depth and pay offs.

In the second scenario, the most important factor is that the creative (or creatives) in charge of the adaptation really understand not only the source material but also why it became loved enough to be picked up for an adaptation--why it appeals to people, what makes it unique, what stands out. What I mean is that creative liberty and changes to the source material are totally fine so long as they do not lose the identity or appeal of the source material and do not present an interpretation that is not actually rooted in the original text. For instance, I personally hate the Anne with an E adaptation of Anne of Green Gables because to me it fundamentally misunderstands the point of the novels and why they became a phenomenon. Making a story that was written to be an uplifting fantasy about an abused orphan who still managed to find beauty in the world and to find love and acceptance in it into a grim “realistic” drama to try to “appeal to modern audiences” is fundamentally stupid and, honestly, offensive. As well, while I enjoy Pride and Prejudice 2005 as a film, I think it is an horrid adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, mainly due to the fact the director Joe Right clearly did not understand the novel. As a result the film is a representation of what he projects unto the narrative (something that is very clear when he talked about the novel in interviews or in the bts), and not what is actually in the text.

In the third scenario, what would be a loose adaptation is a situation where perhaps very little of the source material may remain. It might only be the premise, or some plot points, or some character relationships that are ultimately kept. These also include for me the “what if X narrative but Y set-up”, which can be awful (the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies movie is so shockingly bad when it could have been a fun, campy romp) but also a way to explore a source material in new ways or underlining certain themes that might have been not given as much light in the source material. In this case, I guess that what really makes it a good “adaptation” is whether it has something new or interesting to add to the source material through this loose adaptation, or whether it is just a gimmick.

To me, CQL fails as an adaptation both on its own merits (due to plot holes, on-the-nose and clumsy storytelling, inconsistent characterisation, technical failings, etc.) but also as it does not retain, for a number of reasons, what makes MDZS appealing imo (WWX’s characterisation, Wangxian’s journey, its heavy reliance on mystery, intrigue and themes, its willingness to show characters do cruel and violent things, etc.), all the while making the cardinal sin of being a weaker story than the source material (when the source material already provided them with all the material they would have needed to tell a story of at least equal complexity and competency).

#anon ask #long post

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mudzdale · 3 years ago

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u kno what screw it. nuzleaf supermysterydungeon hc timeline

-seedot leaves home and evolves into nuzleaf (around 18 yrs old equivalent). home is where he picked up his southern mannerisms and upbringing, which stick to him like glue despite the extensive travels and experiences he accumulates through his life

-spends ~15 years travelling the world

-encounters dark matter in an evil forest. details unclear but it’s because he opted to delve deeper into what was already a pretty ill-advised exploration to begin with

-agrees to partnership (read: yields to possession) with dark matter, having been promised power, influence, and respect, and they begin to travel the world with nuzleaf as a vessel

-dm already has a few full vessels, including yveltal, but dm and nuzleaf vibe the best. nuzleaf is given responsibility for many of dm's errands

-they encounter and recruit the beheeyem at some point, who become favored vessels due to their preexisting teamwork and psychic power. they were also a voluntary possession, although theyre not as ambitious. they prioritize the safety of their trio

-when a vessel is possessed by dm, they experience the voidlands for themselves--not sent there through being turned to stone, but thru visions such as nightmares, etc. dm uses this as leverage, to threaten its vessels with what will happen if they step out of line, but also to just. make em upset. fuel the stone-making rampage with bad vibes

-anyways. dm at this point is aware of mew having been reborn ~10 years ago, and with more of its plans coming into place, it wants to start tracking down the child heroes. it has nothing on the status of the human hero at this point

-nuzleaf tracks mew to serene village relatively quickly, but doesnt make his presence known

-having ‘secured’ mew’s location, the vessels of dm begin a globetrotting search for the human child, who they assume to be reincarnated as an infant the same way mew was

-dm eventually connects the dots and figures if mew ~just happened~ to wind up next to the sacred spring, the human likely will as well

-about 2 years have passed since dm came into the picture? it has also been recruiting a few more vessels during this time

-nuzleaf returns to serene village and sets up shop, establishing his presence as a villager, while the beheeyem orbit nearby, selecting a mountain cave to settle in (much like their old home)

-nuzleaf and the beheeyem begin to roll out on extensive forays, scouting the world around serene village for signs of the human hero

-it is on one of these scouting trips that they encounter a young pokemon, far from civilization and indeed any other living creatures, close to a small waterfall

-the human child has only partial amnesia at the time, and knows about the purpose to their reincarnation--they have only been recently recreated as a pokemon, at the top of a nearby mountain, and experienced no childhood like mew did. they retain much knowledge and maturity from their past life

-when approached by nuzleaf and co, they all kind of recognize one another--nuzleaf knows this is their missing puzzle piece, and the human can pretty quickly attribute the group’s suspicious behavior to dark matter

-dm/nuzleaf's intentions are to overpower the hero and schlep them up to revelation mountain asap, securing the goods for a fast and hard takeover. the dm gang and hero get into a scuffle over this

-beheeyem's psychic blast renders the hero truly amnesiac this time (although their personality remains largely untouched)

-nuzleaf's mind has been largely overshadowed by dm through this entire process, but upon the beheeyem’s report of amnesia, a moment of "good" nuzleaf shines through, and he decides to take the hero under his wing instead. dm is amenable to this plan, because drawing out its takeover over a length of time will generate more negative emotion from across the world, adding to its collective power

-end scene. script continues on as usual, nuzleaf gets left by dm to largely keep living pretty normally. nuzleaf is willfully ignorant of his growing attachment to the child, believing he is just secure in the knowledge on having an important asset in hand (when in fact hes happy to have this new family member. hes Soft)

-sometimes dm's presence grows heavy in his mind, affecting his mood and opinion of the child sourly (not that they ever know, he is very good at hiding this). "good” nuzleaf is largely content with this lifestyle however

-although hero and partner's departure to lively town was not met with utmost delight on his part, nuzleaf ultimately welcomed their absence as it made his errands for dm MUCH easier. less sneaking around to do, and allowed him to lay a trap at revelation mountain

-at this stage, different vessels were tending to turning to stone various pokemon across the world, especially the big hundos like legendaries (latias and latios, for instance, were attacked by fast-flying vessels). nuzleaf is set on the very precise tasks of setting up their fall guy(s) and ensuring hero stays within reach

-although nuzleaf orchestrated that krookodile's rampage to serene village would attract the attention of the expedition society, it was a coincidence that hero/partner were on the pursuit team. he intended to run to lively town and fetch them himself if necessary, crying havoc

-after the pursuit team get stone'd, nuzleaf and yveltal storm serene village, before collecting the beheeyem and moving on to lively town. they continue to work and hit established communities while hero and partner are in the voidlands, although yveltal takes its leave sometime during that to start attacking more big hundos

-espurr is caught right before nuzleaf and co storm the village, hiding in the bushes atop the mountain. nuzleaf doesnt initially expect to recruit her, but dm suggested her powers might be of benefit, given that the other beheeyem might have their hands full. he doesnt have to do much threatening before espurr keys in and agrees

-espurr and the "manipulation" of the expedition society are nuzleaf's jurisdiction as well, assisted by the beheeyem

-its during this period that the turncoat beheeyem starts showing hesitation. nuzleaf is on it like a fly on doodoo but obv hides it perfectly. starts laying the prehistoric ruins trap

-its not just dm speaking when they spring the prehistoric ruins trap--nuzleaf is exposing how he’s the kind of person who might agree to a partnership with dark matter in the first place. that said, hes not intrinsically THAT mean, and his evil factor is REALLY amped up by the possession. but its still largely nuzleaf in the driver’s seat at this point

-again back to the script. dm tosses its vessels around where they need to be, up until it fully takes over their minds and has them fight hero and co. after their defeat, dm is (temporarily) kicked out of their brains. its PIIIISSED about this and whisks the vessels into the tree of life for what essentially will be a slow and painful death, which is of course subverted by the heroes

-yveltal warps the vessel crew to the bottom of the tree of life, seeking oxygen, where the group stops to decide whether to take action or just give up. most are inclined to the latter, but nuzleaf is determined to go back and help the heroes until dm stops him directly. the others come around to his point of view, and yveltal returns them to the top of the tree

-with dm fully out of his mind now, nuzleaf is real sorry :( distracting the enemy from his kid for even one moment was worth a thousand ends in the voidlands to him

-after dm’s defeat, nuzleaf and co find themselves returning to consciousness in the forest, not far from where the heroes are similarly recovering. before they can get their bearings, arceus slips quietly out of the woods, escorting yveltal away with it for a Very Long Talk. the rest of the crew are scared out of their minds, but in an act of forgiveness, arceus refrains from passing Judgement on them

-with yveltal indisposed, the vessels are again left to follow nuzleaf’s guidance. they find the restored turncoat beheeyem and make up with one another, and decide to quietly withdraw and see what they can do to make up for their sins

-after apologizing to serene village and associated victims, nuzleaf roughs it in the wilderness for a bit, declining the beheeyem’s invitation to their mountain cave. he wants some time to himself (in fact the first he’s had since he encountered dm in the woods, so long ago). he orbits close to the village, however, seeking a glimpse of the hero

-after learning of the partner/mew’s disappearance through the serene village grapevine, nuzleaf vows to do whatever is necessary to help his kid, however he can. the beheeyem are of a similar mind. they get in touch with the expedition society asap

-follow script, etc etc. nuzleaf’s natural stealthiness is of benefit when it becomes necessary to track the hero’s movements

-after the partner is restored, the beheeyem return to their mountain home again, deciding amongst themselves what their next move will be. nuzleaf tries to leave serene village for good, having done his bit, and wanting to spare the hero any further angst regarding his presence. however, the hero stops him and convinces him to stay and recreate their little family home, which nuzleaf accepts

-partner and the hero return to the expedition society for a couple of years, conducting explorations and making frequent visits home. mawile comes up with the idea to plant an expedition society branch on revelation mountain, after she discovers that not only has the sacred spring not lost its power, but that the luminous water there is slowly returning. the site is marked a protected location, and the child heroes are put in charge of the new branch

-the beheeyem, the other village children, and the heroes’ parents are among those recruited to the new branch. the beheeyem handle most of the admin work, and the schoolchildren embark on a variety of explorations as they grow up, travelling between the city and village locations

-hero and partner more often than not form an exploration team with their dads, making a four-person expedition group that goes out for long expeditions. the kids are able to experience more quality time with their parents, carracosta can spend time protecting his child, and nuzleaf can sate his wanderlust without abandoning the ones he loves. its a solution that keeps everybody happy

-and they all live happily ever after :)

#oh my gosh. bullet point essay... mortifying #golly gabs #long post (under the cut)#pokemon #psmd #nuzleaf #its. i dont often create hcs for fictional little men so this starts off based on the original text and then strays wayyyy into self ind #ulgence territory. srry

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