#glad that there seems to be more people realizing how the pilgrims may not have been the best for each other because of their traumas | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

negasonicteenagemess · 5 years ago

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sunflower soulmate peter parker imagine

Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader

Word Count: 3.5k

Request: Hi I’m not sure if you are still taking requests and this is my first request. Can you write a Peter Parker one where the reader and him are best friends and during the school day she grabs his hand and starts doodling on it. And idk he asks her out and they kiss or something. Please and Thank You

No FFH Spoilers

I made it a soulmate thing, I hope that’s alright. Also it’s eight in the morning and I haven’t slept so editing is sub par

masterlist

“In Greek mythology,” Y/N explained as she licked the ice cream off her spoon. “Humans had four arms, four legs and two faces. Zeus was afraid of the power that they had so, he split them in half.”

Her friends sat at the table in the ice cream shop around her, stunned by the information. “Woah,” Peter whispered, as he scooped more of the frozen treat onto his spoon.

“That’s dark,” MJ stated, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Y/N nodded in agreement, cleaning her mouth with a napkin, “yeah, so they’d spend the rest of their lives looking for each other. It’s sad.”

“Some people now think that your soulmate shares the same atoms as you but were kinda split during the big bang or something,” Ned furthered, playing with his spoon.

MJ scoffed, “the idea of soulmates as a whole seems just plain ole sad.” Peter decided to interject with his opinion, “I don’t think it’s sad. It’s the most beautiful thing in the world, knowing that someone is completely in love with you and devoted to only you. It’s amazing.”

Ned chuckled, “okay Peter, no need to get sappy on us.” His three friends laughed as his cheeks turned red.

“It’s cute though,” Y/N teased, taking another spoonful of ice cream. His cheeks only got redder at the comment.

He froze when he heard sirens down the street. “Um, I just forgot, May needed me to… go shopping. I gotta go. See ya tomorrow,” he grabbed his backpack and ran out before any of them could reply.

“He’s so weird,” MJ stated as she finished off her ice cream. “Yeah,” Y/N agreed absentmindedly.

On the walk home from the ice cream shop, Y/N couldn’t help but think about her soulmate. Would he be tall? Does he live in New York? Is he cute? As all of these thoughts crossed her mind, she watched as bruises formed on her knuckles.

This has been a common thing recently, getting her soulmates cuts and bruises. They didn’t last very long and didn’t hurt much but in Y/N’s mind, she thought he was either a cop or in some weird fight club. Hopefully a cop though.

All of her previous questions were obviously left unanswered as she opened the door to her apartment. She went to do her homework, finishing it so she didn’t have to stay up all hours of the night. She contemplated for a moment as she did the school work before taking her pen and etching something across her hand.

Whenever her soulmate gave the two of them bruises, she’d doodle around the markings with more peaceful things, and most of the time it was flowers. She drew stems all around her knuckles, with cute little squiggles of sunflowers all around.

She capped the pen, extending her hand to admire her work. Y/N felt like something was missing from it, so she uncapped her pen and wrote a little note.

stay safe :)

She didn’t expect a reply, but she soon felt a small pressure on her hand, right under where she wrote.

always try <3

She beamed at the response as butterflies filled her stomach. Definitely something a person in a fight club wouldn’t say.

Her phone vibrated from the place on the bed soon after her small encounter with her soulmate. It was a text from Peter.

hey wanna come over later to watch a movie or something?? They just added a bunch of stuff on netflix

Y/N smiled, quickly typing on the small screen.

yeah sure!! i’ll bring the popcorn. what time?

She sat patiently, waiting for her best friend to respond to the message.

twenty minutes okay with you? He texted back. Y/N replied with a thumb’s up emoji, already putting all of her school stuff away. She switched into her pj’s, as it was tradition for the two of them to wear night clothes to their movie marathons.

She stood in the mirror, messing with her hair and lost in her thoughts. She always thought Peter was cute, but she knew somewhere in her heart that it was wrong to think of someone like that who wasn’t her soulmate.

Y/N sighed, washing off the ink she had previously written so she wouldn’t have to explain it all to Peter. She was secretive about her soulmate, enjoying the fact that it was something only the two of them shared.

As if her soulmate had the same idea, the ink that he had written was slowly disappearing. She dried her hands and decided it was time to go to her friend’s house.

She walked through her apartment and went to the kitchen in search of the microwavable popcorn. Grabbing a couple bags, she left her home and went to the door across from hers, knocking a few times.

The cheerful face of Peter Parker appeared. He was clad in grey sweatpants and a blue Midtown shirt. “Hey,” he greeted with a smile, opening the door for her to step through. “Hi,” she replied back, waving the bags of popcorn in her hand as she walked into the Parker residence. “I would’ve made them at my place, but I was just so excited to see you,” she commented sarcastically.

Peter chuckled, grabbing the bags from her hand, “well the excitement is reciprocated as it is an absolute joy to see you again.”

Y/N laughed at his fake posh voice, plopping down on the couch as he made the popcorn. “Is May here?” She asked as she scrolled through her phone mindlessly.

“Nah, she had to work,” he replied, popping noises coming from his microwave. “Do you want something to drink?” He shouted from the fridge.

“Water please,” she replied, dragging out the last word. Peter soon appeared next to her with arms full of candy and two hands filled with drinks. A glass of water and a can of coke.

“Ya know they used to put cocaine in that shit,” she stated, sipping the clear liquid. Peter, already in the kitchen, scoffed, “no they didn’t.”

“They did. Coca is the plant that makes cocaine. Look it up,” she teased as he stayed silent for a minute.

“Oh shit,” he muttered as google answered his question. “Wasn’t that like, illegal or something?”

“I don’t know man. The 1900s were a weird time,” she stated as he came back with a big bowl of popcorn.

He turned the tv on, going straight to Netflix. “Scott Pilgrim?” He asked, shoveling popcorn in his mouth. Y/N turned to look at him at the strangeness, and he mirrored her actions. “Scott Pilgrim?” He questioned again; his mouth full and a playful tone gracing his voice. She laughed and nodded her head as he coughed from laughing, and choking, as well.

“You’re an idiot,” she giggled, her throat feeling itchy for some reason, but she ignored it.

He drank his soda, making sure to clear his throat, “shut up.” He was blushing. Y/N shook her head as he started the movie, acting as if nothing just happened.

“Can you imagine that?” Peter asked halfway through the film, tossing a piece of popcorn in his mouth. Y/N quirked a brow as she took a handful of candy, “what?”

He shrugged his shoulders, “living in a universe where you don’t have a soulmate.” Y/N let out a breath, “sounds rough. Finding love on your own and all.” He nodded in agreement, taking a sip of his coke.

As the second movie they watched progressed, Y/N completely forgot the title of it as her eyes got more and more droopy. By the time the movie ended, the popcorn was long gone with all of the candy and she was asleep against Peter’s shoulder.

He looked at her longingly before letting out a sigh and wrapping his arm around her. “This universe is a nightmare,” he mumbled, running a hand through his hair. He heard a jingle of keys before the door to the apartment opened revealing May.

“Hey Peter,” she greeted loudly, placing her purse on a nearby table. May looked at her nephew to see him holding a finger to his lips. “Oh, is she asleep?” She asked quietly, walking towards the boy and his friend.

He nodded his head before diverting his attention back to the girl next to him, as she moved a bit in her sleep. May looked between Peter and Y/N, understanding the look in his eyes was eerily similar to the look her late husband used to give her.

“You like her, don’t you?” She questioned with a smirk, leaning on the back of the couch. His eyes widened as he immediately went to deny her claims. But when he saw the look on her face, he knew he couldn’t lie.

“I-I,” he sighed as he tried to piece his thoughts together, “I can’t. And I shouldn’t, but I just can’t help it, May. She’s always there for me.”

His eyes were glossy as he let out a breath, glad to finally express how he feels. “I don’t know what it is about her. She’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”

May smiled, remembering the feeling, “even better than Spider-Man?” Peter let out a soft chuckle, careful not to wake the girl up.

“I would give up being Spider-Man any day just for her,” he stated quietly, brushing the hair off of her face.

“But I can’t do this to my soulmate. It’s wrong. And I don’t know what to do,” his voice wobbled as he wiped his free hand over his face.

May put a supportive hand on his shoulder, “you just gotta wait Pete. You’ll meet your soulmate one day and the stars will align. You’ll love her and realize that is the greatest feeling in the world.”

She had a twinkle in her eyes as she spoke, remembering when she met Ben. Peter nodded his head in agreement, trying to convince himself more than anything.

“Thanks, May,” he whispered with a tight smile, looking at his Aunt as he spoke. “It’s what I’m here for,” she joked, patting his shoulder.

“Well,” she started, letting out a sigh, “I’m heading to bed. Work killed me and it’s only 10.” Peter nodded, acknowledging her statement.

“And make sure she gets home,” she said sternly, but not harshly. “Will do, May,” he replied, “goodnight.”

“Night, Pete,” she stated as she finally went to her bedroom.

He ran a hand through his hair once again, struggling with his inner thoughts. “One day,” he muttered to himself, “one freaking day.”

Y/N moved again, rubbing her eyes as she awoke from her slumber. “Shit, I slept through the movie, didn’t I?” She asked, getting out of Peter’s arms and leaning forward on the couch.

He chuckled, trying to forget everything he just spoke about, “yeah. You really missed out. Keanu Reeves looked great, as always.”

She shook her head, “damn.” Her eyes met his as she snickered at the encounter. Pulling out her phone, she noticed the time. “Shit, I gotta go,” she stated as she locked her phone but held it in her hand.

He nodded his head, “right.” He stood up, her following in his footsteps. “I can stay for a little bit to help you clean up,” she directed to the mess they made, empty rappers and popcorn kernels everywhere.

“Nah, you got to get your beauty sleep,” he stated sarcastically but continued to direct her to the front door. “I’ll take care of it, don’t worry,” he smiled as he opened the door.

“Walk together to school tomorrow?” She asked as she made it to her front door, opening it while looking eyes with Peter, who stood at his doorway. “Always,” he smiled, leaning against the white frame.

Y/N nodded, leaning in her own doorway, “bye Peter.” She smiled, holding tightly on the handle.

“Adios,” he replied with a smile, finally shutting the door. Y/N did the same, brushing her teeth then going straight to bed.

She drifted off into a deep slumber as the moonlight illuminated her room and the sound of cars was still noticeable every now and then.

The next day, she woke up bright and early to get ready for school. She left her home and met up with Peter in the hallway and a couple train stops later, they made it to Midtown.

“And Ned broke the whole thing,” Peter explained, making Y/N laugh as he held the school door open for her. “Of course he did,” she giggled as the bell rang.

“Right on time,” he stated, walking with Y/N to their first class, Chemistry. “I heard that we have a long ass assignment or something today,” she remarked, pulling at the straps of her backpack.

Peter groaned, “can Mrs. Smith ever give us a break?” Y/N shook her head, “she’s a horrid woman, I tell you.”

As teenagers rushed to get to their classes in the hall, the two friends made it to Chemistry fairly quickly. The late bell rang, the two friends seated right next to each other as always as Mrs. Smith began to explain what the students would be doing that day.

She finished the instructions and students began to open their textbooks. Y/N and Peter did the same, doing the assignment for the bulk of the class period. Being the studious teenagers they were, the pair was able to be one of the first groups to finish.

Y/N took Peter’s hand, laying it on the table before her. “Can I draw on your hand?” She asked sweetly, bored out of her mind and taking her pen as she was ready to start her masterpiece. “Yeah sure,” Peter replied, tapping away on his phone.

“You know,” he started, “you can be such a kid sometimes.” Y/N shrugged her shoulders, starting to draw around his knuckles. Flowers upon flowers seemed to bloom on his hand.

One of her hands held down Peter’s as the other created the work of art. His eyes drifted from his phone to his hand, watching the beauty appearing across his skin. He had a small smile as he watched her etch the flowers upon his knuckles.

Peter’s eyes shifted to the hand that held his down. He froze, jaw slacked, and eyebrows raised. He looked between his hand and hers. Small sunflowers began to appear on her hand, the exact same that were on his own.

“Holy shit,” he spoke suddenly, shocking Y/N and causing her to leave a sharp line down his hand with her pen. ”Awe man,” she slumped her shoulders as she examined the mistake, “I really liked it.”

Her voice was filled with slight sadness at the mark, but she just shrugged, “we can fix it though. It’ll be fine.” She looked up at Peter, giving him a soft smile, but frowned when she saw his face still full of surprise.

“Pete I can just get rid of it-“ she wanted to apologize but he cut her off. “No, Y/N listen,” he laughed, but not with humor, but because this was actually happening to him.

He grabbed the hand that held his down and looked deeply into her eyes. “I-I can’t believe it,” he whispered, all of this still not settling in his brain. Y/N furrowed her brows, giving him a strange look, “what?”

Squeezing her hand, he chuckled nodding towards their joined hands, “look.” Y/N’s eyes fell, examining the marks. “Oh my god, she whispered as she traced the marks on her hand with the other one.

She looked between the marks on her hand versus Peter’s, where she actually created the doodles. They were the exact same, the flowers and that stupid line where she messed up. It was all the same. She covered her mouth with the empty hand, laughing lightly.

“It’s you,” she gushed. He nodded his head, “yeah. The likelihood, huh?”

Y/N was speechless, making it so that both of her hands covered his. She bit her lip, “I had a crush on you, you know? I thought you were the cutest boy in our hall.”

At that Peter chuckled, “I’m the only other person in our entire complex who’s your age.”

Y/N hit him on the shoulder lightly, “that’s not the point.” He looked at her, letting out a sigh, “I had, or well have a crush on you too.”

He gave her a tight smile, “why does this feel so awkward?” Y/N laughed at the comment, brushing a hand through her hair as she leaned on the other.

“It’s only awkward when you say it’s awkward Pete,” she stated. He just shrugged his shoulders, taking his hands away and rubbing them together from the coldness of the classroom.

“So,” he dragged out, “d-do you want to go on a date with me sometime?” He was so nervous because of the fact that he wasn’t just asking any girl out on a date. He was asking his best friend, his soulmate.

Y/N sighed dramatically, “I don’t know, do I have to?” Her sarcastic remark made Peter smile widely.

“I’d love to,” she replied for real this time, picking up her pen. “Now,” she continued, “time to finish my art.” He smiled, watching her finish her drawing as she proceeded to doodle away, not wanting to take his eyes off her anytime soon.

Class soon ended, so the newly found soulmates had to separate. It wasn’t as hard as it seemed, but in the next period, they couldn’t stop thinking about each other.

Peter would write things on his arm for her to read, away from the flowers as he wanted to keep those for as long as he could.

Woods is falling asleep on his desk read one of the little notes, plus a drawing of a horribly drawn teacher asleep.

Y/N sat in her desk, thinking about her soulmate. Like, why did Peter get bruises and cuts all the time? And why so late at night? He wasn’t a cop, like she originally thought. Was Peter in a fight club?

No, sweet little Peter Parker could NOT be in a fight club. That’s impossible.

The rest of the day went by fairly quickly, Peter and Y/N seeing each other as often as possible. By the time the last bell rang, Y/N couldn’t wait to walk home with Peter. And that’s exactly what they did. This time was different though, because they weren’t deemed as best friends anymore, but as soulmates. So, they talked about their day at school, holding hands and as their shoes scratched the pavement.

After taking the subway, they arrived at their building. They stood in the apartment building’s hall, Y/N biting her lip as she debated her next moves.

“Screw it,” she whispered, grabbing Peter’s face with her hands. He looked like he was about to speak but stayed silent at the feeling of her lips on his own.

His eyes closed as his hands gripped her waist, pulling her closer to him and never wanting to let go. But there was one thought that crossed his mind. Finally, after years and years of being in love with his best friend, he was able to kiss her as his soulmate.

It felt like Zeus was throwing lightning bolts around his body as the feeling of her feathery light lips against his rough ones made him ecstatic. She pulled away slowly, opening her eyes as she moved her hands around his neck. “S-Sorry,” she stumbled, her cheeks red.

Peter shook his head and whispered, “don’t be.” She looked deep into his eyes as he leaned in to kiss her again. Her lips tasted like the lip balm she always uses, the taste suddenly becoming one of his favorites.

He was consumed in the warmth that was Y/N L/N, and he couldn’t get enough. But all good things must come to an end, and she pulled her lips from his.

“Walk me to school tomorrow?” She asked breathlessly with a smirk. He laughed lightly, leaning his head onto her shoulder as he did so. “Always,” he looked up at her with a smile.

He gave her a peck on the lips before she began pulling away. “See you then,” she gave a little wave as he nodded his head. She shut the door to her home, biting her lip as she walked to her room.

Peter, on the other hand ran though his apartment door, slamming the door shut in search of his Aunt.

“May,” he shouted as he ran around, looking for the Italian woman. She stood in the kitchen and looked at him with an amused look of confusion. “Woah, easy there. What’s up?” She asked, taking note of the starstruck look on his face.

“I-I found my soulmate,” he beamed as he dropped his backpack onto the tile floor. Her eyes widened as she stopped washing the dishes.

She ran and hugged him, “oh my god, that’s amazing! What’s her name? When can I meet her?” She pressed with questions as she pulled away to look at her nephew. He chuckled lightly, moving his hands to hold her back.

“You won’t believe it,” he grinned, shaking his head as he still couldn’t believe it himself. May scrunched her brows, eyes examining his features, “what do you mean?”

“It’s Y/N,” the gaze in his eyes as he spoke was love struck, May squealing and pulling him into a tight hug yet again.

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the-hoarse-bard · 4 years ago

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As I was prepping myself for the climb ahead with some meditation, I overheard some local villagers talking about a man named Klimmek. It seems he usually helps provide food to the Greybeards, but had been unable to do so lately due to a knee injury. Thinking it would probably be bad for me if my new instructors were to starve, I found Klimmek and offered to take the supplies up for him. He was very grateful, and told me to just leave the bag in the chest outside the door of the monastery.

I stood before the first step, Klimmek’s supplies in hand, paralyzed. Could I really do this? I took a few deep breaths and remembered the words of my mentor when I was leaving Elsweyr for Skyrim, “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. I could still feel the warmth of his fur as he embraced me, and the smell of the skooma on him. He was sober that day, but that smell doesn’t come out. I know that too well. With renewed resolve, I started the steep climb.

I noticed a small shrine at the top of the first set of stairs, and curious I decided to check it closer. Then I noticed writing on a small plaque set into the stone. These shrines seem to tell the tale of dragons and their relationship towards men. I decided to keep an eye out along the trail for any more. They seem like an interesting read at the very least.

As I came toward the second stone, I caught sight of a man. I asked what he was doing here, and he claimed he was a hunter. He liked to make the pilgrimage up the seven-thousand steps every now and then, as is the Nord tradition. I told him that I respected him for it. I was already beginning to get exhausted by the climb. We shared a laugh, and parted shortly after, headed in opposite directions.

The second emblem told of the beginnings of men on Mundus. The wording suggests that the dragons protected them at that time, because they were weak. What could that last part mean though? About having no voice. Hm.

The sky began to cloud and snow began to fall as I approached the third emblem. It told of men beginning to war with the dragons over land, and dragons being impossible for the men to beat without a voice, and so the dragons broke their hearts. I felt a tear roll down my cheek. The last part reminded me of my mother, and how she had given me up to the Two-Moons temple when I was young. Of course, how could a Senche-Tiger hope to raise a child? Had that been an example of not having a voice? I dried my eyes, and headed onward.

I encountered another Nord walking the steps at the next emblem, a woman this time. She seemed to be meditating in front of the emblem. I didn’t want to disturb her, but she spoke to me as I tried to walk by. She greeted me warmly, and introduced herself as Karita. I asked what she was doing up here. She said she preferred to leave it as being just another pilgrim, as she takes the trip up the mountain every few years. She asked me what I was up to, and I couldn’t help but lie that I was also on a pilgrimage. She gave me a wry smile. I could feel like she knew I was fibbing, but she didn’t pry and wished me luck on the trip, and went back to her meditation.

The fourth tablet told of Khenarthi seeing her people suffering and calling on the dragon Paarthunax, who pitied them, to give them a voice. This incited the first dragon war, as men could now hope to best their draconic masters. This time I was reminded of my time at the temple. The monks were as loving as their limited attachment would allow, they taught me most of what I know. They were like family to me. However, once I came of age, I realized I could never be one of them. I was too attached. They would die long before me, and that was a sorrow I could never bear. So I set off into the world alone. They did their best, but I was not prepared, and fell in with a bad crowd, where I learned to pickpocket and steal to fuel my new skooma habits. I became a shameful addict. Of course, that’s where I had met my master, an old sugar-tooth of Cathay-Raht furstock named Dro’Khrassa. Fate has strange ways of leading us. His sorry state made me give up the skooma out of pity, but also because he believed I could be better. The monks had refused to teach me their martial arts. Something about spoiling my innocence. A cold wind shook me from my reminiscence, and I hurried on before I fell back into it.

The snow stopped as I approached the next tablet. the clouds remained, and the wind was still biting, but not having it fling ice into my face made it less so.

I pulled my cloak tighter around me as I read the emblem. It told of how men triumphed over the dragons with their newfound voice, shouting Alduin out of the world, and of the many sacrifices it took to achieve this. I recalled the first lessons from my master. The way to recover from the skooma’s influence. A brew of moon sugar and luna moth wings to slowly ebb away from it. Almost as sickeningly sweet as the taste of skooma, but with much less damaging effects, as long as one doesn’t mind turning invisible with the inevitable hiccups it brings. He called it the Moon Dance tea, and claims he heard of it through the nomads of Elsweyr. Despite the constant skooma shakes, he was a great teacher. He may not have had his once-honed body any longer, but his mind remained sharp through all his years.

The next tablet was among a small stand of trees, providing much-needed shelter from the wind as I read.

This one told of men founding their first empire, and the dragons withdrawing from the world. It reminded me of why I had come to Skyrim. My master, amidst his skooma-fits had seen a vision. A great shadow threatening to swallow the world. He claimed that he had seen me in his vision too, fighting back the shadow alongside great heroes of the past. Heroes who had achieved great deeds. The Hero of Kvatch, the Nerevarine, and the one who had halted the Warp in the West. He said he had never had such a clear vision in his life. Of course, the both of us not having much money, and not being daring enough to steal enough money to travel, I had to go alone on the back of a stolen horse. I rode right through Cyrodiil, from Lleyawiin to Bruma. I was forced to kill the horse and use its body to keep me warm as I passed into Skyrim. I hope that old so and so was safe after my flight from Elsweyr. We were both known by the local law enforcement as accomplices, so I pray that they didn’t pin the horse theft on him.

The seventh tablet told of Jurgen Windcaller, who had been the one to defeat the dragons at Red Mountain, and how he meditated for seven years on how the strong voices of the dragons could fail to the fledgling voices of men. I suppose that’s why these are the seven thousand steps. One thousand for every year he meditated. I wonder if he ever found his answer?

The next emblem told of Jurgen choosing silence and returning to civilization. Seventeen men tried to shout him down, but none could. He then built his home upon the Throat of the World. I suppose this must be how High Hrothgar began. I’ve read in history books that the land of Skyrim was warmer then. I suppose these heights might have even been pleasant then. Reading of his isolation did remind me of my father though, I never knew him. My mother could never tell me anything about him, as the Senche cannot speak. I assume he must have been of a similar shape to her own. Then I had the rather unusual image of an Alfiq bedding a Senche enter my head, and I couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. Surely such a thing would be ridiculous.... But who can be afraid of looking ridiculous when they’re in love?

The monastery was in sight of the next shrine, which told of the Greybeards calling Tiber Septim, the first Dragonborn to High Hrothgar, as they had now with me. I felt anxiety enter my mind. What if I wasn’t what they had expected? What if I came all this way for nothing? I shook my head, I had to do this. If not for my master, then for myself.

The final emblem had but a short stanza upon it. “The voice is worship, follow the inner path, speak only in True Need.” Strange. It almost sounds like how the monks in Elsweyr had spoken to me about their claws. As well as being useful, they were dangerous. A great blessing, as well as a great responsibility. They had told me all of us Khajiit were creatures of duality. “Just as moon sugar brings us closer to the gods, it can debase us. As the moon chases the sun, as the deserts meet the jungles, we are always both the light and the dark, for our mother is Azurah. The spirit of the twilight between the dusk and dawn.” For a moment I regretted not heeding this advice when I was young, but then I had a revelation. They did not mean it as a negative. Just as my darkness had damned me to thievery in a skooma den, it had also led me to my master, who had given me purpose and given me a brighter light. With renewed resolve, I faced the monastery.

I dropped Klimmek’s package into the chest as he had asked. Clearly, the Greybeards are well provided for, but I was still glad to have a hand in this gift. I walked up the final steps to the door, and headed inside, eager to meet with my new teachers.

#skyrim #shirazzha #khajiit #high hrothgar #lore

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frmartinshomiliesandreflections · 4 years ago

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28th February >> Fr. Martin’s Gospel Reflections / Homilies on Mark 9:2-10 for the Second Sunday of Lent, Cycle B: ‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him’.

Second Sunday of Lent, Cycle B

Gospel (Except USA)

Mark 9:2-10

This is my Son, the Beloved

Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone by themselves. There in their presence he was transfigured: his clothes became dazzlingly white, whiter than any earthly bleacher could make them. Elijah appeared to them with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus. Then Peter spoke to Jesus: ‘Rabbi,’ he said ‘it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what to say; they were so frightened. And a cloud came, covering them in shadow; and there came a voice from the cloud, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.’ Then suddenly, when they looked round, they saw no one with them any more but only Jesus. As they came down from the mountain he warned them to tell no one what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They observed the warning faithfully, though among themselves they discussed what ‘rising from the dead’ could mean.

Gospel (USA)

Mark 9:2–10

This is my beloved Son.

Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them. As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant.

Reflections (5)

(i) Second Sunday of Lent

Life has been very difficult for people in the last twelve months or so. It has been particularly difficult for people working in our hospitals, for our older people living alone, or in nursing homes. These months have been a real way of the cross for many. Many of you may have experienced a kind of darkness coming over you. At such times, we appreciate all the more some gift that unexpectedly comes our way to lift our spirits. I have heard people say to me how good it was just to get out for a walk. When times are dark, we appreciate all the more the small pleasures of life. We begin to realize that they are not so small after all. There is something truly special about these little pleasures, something of God even. In dark times we can find ourselves giving thanks to God for gifts that we might have taken for granted when times were better.

Today’s gospel reading is the story of a special gift that unexpectedly came to Peter, James and John,. It was an experience of light they badly needed. Just before this scene in Mark’s gospel, Jesus had begun to talk to his disciples about how he would have to undergo great suffering, experience rejection by the religious leaders, and be put to death by the political leaders. This information horrified the disciples, and Peter rebuked Jesus for expressing such dark thoughts about the future. For this, Peter earned the strongest rebuke of anyone in all of the gospels, ‘Get behind me Satan!’ Far from stepping back from his dark announcement, Jesus went on to declare to his disciploes that faithfully following him would entail the way of the cross for them too. The disciples found themselves in a much darker place at this moment than they ever would have anticipated when they left their fishing nets to follow Jesus. According to Mark’s gospel, it was six days later that Jesus took Peter, James and John up a high mountain by themselves. He needed to show them that beyond the coming darkness there was a great light, beyond the trauma of suffering and death there would be a new and glorious life, for him and for all who believed in him. Suffering and death would not have the last word.

The disciples’ experience of Jesus transfigured did not only points to a light beyond the darkness, it was itself a light within their darkness. The disciples saw the light of God’s presence shining through Jesus’ humanity in a way they had never seen it before, and would never see again until Jesus appeared to them as risen Lord. The unexpected gift of this heavenly light would sustain them during the difficult times ahead. We believe that we are all on a journey towards the eternal light of God’s loving presence. We are on a pilgrimage towards an eternal Easter where suffering and death are no more. We can also be assured that in the course of this pilgrimage we will be given glimpses of our eternal destiny, just as the disciples were given such a glimpse on the mount of transfiguration. Like the first disciples, we need God’s reassuring light here and now to strengthen and guide us as we make our pilgrim journey. The Lord will grace us with our own little transfiguration moments. According to Saint Paul, our ultimate destiny is to be transfigured. He says in his letter to the Romans that we are destined to be conformed to the image of God’s Son. In our course of our earthly lives, the Lord will give us fleeting glimpses of our final transfiguration. These are moments when we are touched in a special way by the Lord’s loving and life-giving presence. We come away from such moments renewed or transfigured, if only in some small way. At such moments, we can find ourselves asking the hopeful question Paul asks at the beginning of our second reading, ‘With God on our side, who can be against us?’ The settings for such transfiguration moments can be anywhere and anytime. We just need to be open to them, ready to respond when the Lord leads us up some mount of transfiguration, as he led Peter, James and John.

Such experiences will always be passing moments in this earthly life. We will have to let them go and come back to earth. In the gospel reading, Peter was reluctant to let go of this transfiguration moment, ‘It is wonderful for us to be here’, he said, ‘let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah’. He wanted to freeze the moment, to hold on to the glory. He soon had to come down the mountain and face towards Jerusalem with Jesus. Yet, he was given a message on the mountain for the journey ahead, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him’. It is a message that is addressed to us all. We may not have transfiguration moments every day, but we can listen to the Lord every day. He alone is the beloved Son of God; his is the only word to which we must listen. If we really listen to his word, allowing it to shape our lives, then we will experience the light of the Lord’s presence, and the light of his word will bring us to our own final transfiguration.

And/Or

(ii) Second Sunday of Lent

When I was a child growing up in Cabra, my father bought a little car, a Mini, as it was known at the time. This was in the early 60s when cars were just beginning to be bought in numbers. It was a great thrill to have a car, even if a very small one. On a Sunday, certainly in the summer, my father would take my mother, myself and my two brothers out for a drive. When we were in the car, before we headed out, he would turn towards us in the back seat and say, ‘Will it be the sea or the mountains?’ The sea was anywhere from Dollymount to Rush. The mountains were really the Dublin hills, but we used to call them the mountains. At the time I always had a preference for the mountains, and I was always glad when we headed south, rather than east or north. There was something about being on a height which I found exhilarating and exciting. It felt different up there. You were somehow above it all. You had a different perspective. The city looked better from a height, more beautiful, spreading inland from that natural horseshoe that is Dublin Bay.

Peter, James and John made their living from the sea. They were fishermen. They must have spent long hours on the sea of Galilee or by its shores. In this morning’s gospel reading, Jesus takes them away from the sea, up a high mountain. There, on that mountain, they were given a new perspective on Jesus. They saw him as they had never seen him before, transfigured, his clothes dazzling white. In an earlier chapter of his gospel, Mark had described Jesus and his disciples in a storm at sea, the boat battling against the wind and waves. Now on the mountain, the storm must have seemed a distant memory as they were absorbed by an experience of Jesus that made Peter cry out, ‘it is wonderful for us to be here’. The hell of the storm had given way to this heavenly experience on the mountain. Yet, an even more hellish storm lay ahead for the disciples. They would soon come down the mountain and continue the journey towards Jerusalem, the city where they would experience suffering and loss and failure.

In our own lives we will probably have experienced both the storm at sea and the peace of the mountain top. When we look back on our lives, the darker and more painful experiences can stand out for us. Hopefully, we can also remember times when, like Peter, we said, ‘it is wonderful to be here’. These were times when we felt deeply happy and at peace, when we felt alive. The gospel reading this morning invites us to remember those moments, to relive them, and to continue to draw life from them.

I am struck by that little word ‘here’ in Peter’s statement. So often we can find ourselves wishing that we were somewhere else, not ‘here’, but ‘there’. We image that we would be happier if we were in a different place, or with different people, or doing different things. In some instances that can be the case. It can be important at times for people to move, because where they are is anything but wonderful. But at other times, our wishing to be somewhere else can come from our failure to appreciate what we have, where we are, the people around us now. Maybe if we saw more deeply, we would appreciate more fully the here and the now, and we might find ourselves saying more often, ‘it is good to be here, here in this place, with these people’. On the mountain top, Peter, James and John were helped to see Jesus more deeply than they had ever seen him before. They were captivated by the mystery of his identity, ‘This is my Son, the beloved’. They saw that there was more to him than they had realized. So often, there is more to the place we are in, and to the people we are with, than we realize. Our way of seeing where we are and who we are with can be very restricted. We can miss something important about the ‘here’ and the ‘now’. In one of our acclamations at Mass, we say or sing, ‘Heaven and earth are full of your glory’. We acknowledge in that acclamation how the created world is charged with God’s presence. That is even truer of the human person who is made in the image of God. God could say of each person we meet, ‘This is my beloved’. As God invited the disciples on the mountain to see Jesus more deeply, he invites us to see each other more deeply, to relate to each other in a way that acknowledges the wonder of our being.

We can fail to appreciate what is all around us; we can devalue what is really worthwhile. We can even be tempted to destroy what is deserving of our love and appreciation. Abraham in the first reading climbed a mountain to destroy his son, believing this was what God was asking of him. Sacrificing children to the gods was part of the pagan religious culture in which Abraham lived. Abraham had to learn that this was not what God was asking of him. God’s words, ‘Do not harm him’, stopped Abraham in his tracks. On the mountain, God was calling Abraham to cherish life not to destroy it. In a similar way, God calls us to cherish life, to celebrate the wonder of life in all its forms, as the disciples celebrated the wonder of Jesus on the mountain. Then we might find ourselves saying more often, ‘it is wonderful to be here’.

And/Or

(iii) Second Sunday of Lent

Most of us would be aware of times in our lives when we did not really do ourselves justice. The way we spoke or acted, the way we related to someone, did not really express our better self. We can look back at such moments and recognize that we fell short of the person we are called to be. We can show different faces to others, not all of them faces we would be proud of. Yet, even when we fall short of our better self, we know that we always have the capacity to make amends. We can set out again and make a new effort to let our best self shine through, the self that is made in the image and likeness of God.

We would all like people to judge us not on the basis of our off days but on the basis of our good days, the days that do us justice. You may have had the experience of forming a judgement of someone on the basis of some negative experience you had of them. Subsequently, you had a very different experience of them, you saw a different face of them, and you found that you had to revise your opinion of them for the better. You came to realize that the negative experience you had of them was not a fair reflection of them; there was much more to them that you had initially realized. We need to be open to seeing people with new eyes.

Unlike ourselves, Jesus did not show different faces to people. He always showed the same face, the face of God, because he was God in human form. He had no bad days, in that sense. Yet, many people perceived Jesus in ways that did not do him justice. Some of his opponents saw him in such a negative light that they considered him to be in league with Satan, ‘By the ruler of the demons, he casts out demons’, they said. They were blind to his true identity and completely distorted it, because they experienced what he said and did as threatening to their own position. Even Jesus’ own followers had difficulty in seeing Jesus as he really was. At times they wanted him to be someone different to the person he really was. At Caesarea Philippi, when Jesus declared himself to be the Son of Man who would suffer and die, Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. One of the faces of God that Jesus showed was the face of a suffering God. This was a face that Peter and the other disciples were very uncomfortable with.

According to Mark’s gospel, it was immediately after this clash between Jesus and his disciples at Caesarea Philippi that Jesus took them up the mount of the transfiguration. There, Jesus revealed another face of God, the glorious face of God, and Jesus himself was declared to be the Son of God. His disciples saw Jesus in a way they had never seen him before. They saw him with new eyes. The glorious face of God was a face that Peter was very much at home with. Indeed, Peter wanted to prolong this moment as much as possible. ‘It is wonderful for us to be here’, he exclaimed, ‘let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah’. However, Peter had to learn that the glorious Son of God who so enthralled him was also the suffering Son of Man who so repelled him. That is the significance of the word from the mountain addressed to Peter and the other disciples, ‘Listen to him’, listen to Jesus when he speaks of himself as the Son of Man who has to suffer and die. The two faces of God that Jesus displays, the suffering face and the glorious face have to be held together.

Fundamentally, Jesus only reveals one face of God, the face of love. God’s love for us, God’s loyalty to us, was such that God was prepared to allow his Son to die for our sakes. Paul declares in today’s second reading, ‘God did not spare his own Son, but gave him up to benefit us all’. In today’s first reading, Abraham’s loyalty to God was so great that he was prepared to sacrifice his son to God. Even though God did not ask this of Abraham in the end, the incident reveals human loyalty to God at its most complete. Abraham’s loyalty to God is a sign of God’s loyalty to us. God is so loyal, so faithful, to us that God is prepared to give us his Son, even though that entailed his cruel and untimely death. Jesus declared that no one has greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Jesus’ death on the cross revealed the face of God to be the face of a greater love. As Paul reminds us in that second reading, God revealed his greater love for us also in raising his Son from the dead, in giving his Son back to us, the Son who now stands at the right hand of God pleading for us. Here indeed is a love that is beyond any human love, a love that prompts Paul to ask his triumphant question at the beginning of today’s second reading: ‘With God on our side, who can be against us?’

Our calling as people who have been so loved by God in this way is to show the face of Christ to others. It is that face alone that will do us justice as people who have been baptized into the body of Christ and who have received the Spirit of Christ. Our ultimate destiny in heaven is to be conformed to the image of God’s Son. Our calling is to show forth something of that image here and now.

And/Or

(iv) Second Sunday of Lent

I came across a sentence in a book I was reading recently which struck me very forcibly: ‘all love relationships flourish only when there is freedom to let go of what is precious, so as to receive it back as a gift’. It is not easy to let go of what is precious. The more precious someone is to us, the harder it is to let go of that person. The more attractive someone is to us, the more we feel inclined to possess that person. Yet, in the effort to possess someone we can easily lose them. At the heart of all loving relationships is the freedom to let go of the other, and in letting go to receive the other back as a gift. Parents know that there comes a time when they have to let go of their sons or daughters, even though they are more precious to them than anything else. They may have to let them go to another country or to the person whom they have chosen as their future spouse. Yet, in letting go of their children, parents invariably discover that they receive them back as a gift. Single people too have to learn the freedom of letting go what is precious so as to receive it back as a gift. In any good and healthy friendship, people need to give each other plenty of space.

In this morning’s first reading Abraham is portrayed as being willing to let go of what was most precious to him, the only son of his old age. In being willing to let his son go to God, he went on to receive him back as a gift. Many people find it a very disturbing story, because it portrays God as asking Abraham to sacrifice his only beloved son as a burnt offering to God. We are rightly shocked by the image of God asking a father to sacrifice his son in this way. Abraham lived about a thousand years before Christ. In the religious culture of that time it was not uncommon for people to sacrifice their children to various gods. The point of the story seems to be that the God of Israel is not like the pagan gods. If Abraham thought that God was asking him to sacrifice his son Isaac like the people who worshipped other gods, he was wrong. God was not asking this of Abraham. Yet, the willingness of Abraham to let go of what was most precious to him if that was what God was asking remained an inspiration to the people of Israel. He had already shown a willingness to let go of his family and his homeland as he set out towards an unknown land in response to God’s call.

The early church came to understand the relationship between Abraham and Isaac as pointing ahead to the relationship between God the Father and Jesus. Like Abraham, God was prepared to let go of what was most precious to him, his one and only Son, out of love for humanity. God was prepared to let his Son go to humanity, with all the dangers that entailed for his Son. Saint Paul was very struck by this extraordinary generosity of God on our behalf, as he says in this morning’s second reading, ‘God did not spare his own Son, but gave him up to benefit us all’. God let his precious Son go to humanity even though the consequences of that were the rejection of his Son and, ultimately, his crucifixion. Even after Jesus was crucified, God continued to give him to us as risen Lord. When Paul contemplates this self-emptying love of God for us, he asks aloud, in the opening line of that second reading, ‘With God on our side who can be against us?’ Paul is declaring that if God’s love for us is this complete, then we have nothing to fear from anyone. Here is a love that has no trace of possessiveness, a love that makes us lovable.

In this morning’s gospel reading, Peter, James and John are taken up a high mountain by Jesus, and there they have an experience of Jesus which took their breath away. It was an experience that was so precious that Peter could not let it go. He wanted to prolong it indefinitely and so he says to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is wonderful for us to be here, so let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah’. He and the other two disciples had a fleeting glimpse of the heavenly beauty of Christ, and did not want to let go of it. Beauty always attracts; it calls out to us. Yet, Peter and the others had to let go of this precious experience; it was only ever intended to be momentary. They would receive it back in the next life as a gift. For now, their task was to listen to Jesus, ‘This is my beloved Son. Listen to him’. That is our task too. We spend our lives listening to the Lord as he speaks to us in his word and in the circumstances of our lives; we listen to him as a preparation for that wonderful moment when we see him face to face in eternity and we can finally say, ‘it is wonderful to be here’, without the need to let go.

And/Or

(v) Second Sunday of Lent

When I was a child, my father bought a little car, a Mini, as it was known at the time. This was in the early 60s when cars were just beginning to be bought in numbers. It was a great thrill to have a car, even if a very small one. On a Sunday, certainly in the summer, my father would take my mother, myself and my two brothers out for a drive. When we were in the car, before we headed out, he would turn towards us in the back seat and say, ‘Will it be the sea or the mountains?’ At the time I always had a preference for the mountains, and I was always glad when we headed south to the hills, rather than east to the sea. There was something about being on a height which I found exhilarating and exciting. It felt different up there. You were somehow above it all. You had a different perspective. Everything looked better from a height.

I am struck by that little word ‘here’ in Peter’s statement: ‘It is wonderful to be here’. So often we can find ourselves wishing that we were somewhere else, not ‘here’, but ‘there’. We image that we would be happier if we were in a different place, or with different people, or doing different things. In some instances that can be the case. It can be important at times for people to move, because where they are is anything but wonderful. But at other times, our wishing to be somewhere else can come from our failure to appreciate what we have, where we are, the people around us now. Maybe if we saw more deeply, we would appreciate more fully the ‘here’ and the ‘now’, and we might find ourselves saying more often, ‘it is good to be here, here in this place, with these people’.

On the mountain top, Peter, James and John were helped to see Jesus more deeply than they had ever seen him before. They were captivated by the mystery of his identity, ‘This is my Son, the beloved’. They saw that there was more to him than they had realized. So often, there is more to the place we are in, and to the people we are with, than we realize. Our way of seeing where we are and who we are with can be very restricted. We can miss something important about the ‘here’ and the ‘now’. In one of our acclamations at Mass, we say or sing, ‘Heaven and earth are full of your glory’. We acknowledge in that acclamation how the created world is charged with God’s presence. That is even truer of the human person who is made in the image of God. God could say of each person we meet, ‘This is my beloved’. As God invited the disciples on the mountain to see Jesus more deeply, he invites us to see each other more deeply, to relate to each other in a way that acknowledges the wonder of our being.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

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serjacobdezoet · 5 years ago

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A Web of Stories Part 0.5: A Word on Epigraphs

First of all, I apologize for my long absence. School does not leave me much time to write or to read, outside of what I do in class. Now that summer has started I will hopefully have some time to do some reading of Ghostwritten. It’s a hell of a lot better than the drivel that is Maria Doria Russell’s The Sparrow which I am currently halfway through. However, I haven’t dedicated the time quite yet to give that sonufabitch Neil Brose the attention he deserves. So I’m going to talk a little bit about epigraphs, more specifically about Ghostwritten’s epigraph and how it is a dead giveaway of the theme/Central Narrative Thread(CNT)/etc….

I’ve only personally seen epigraphs in books that are attempting to be literary. Maybe that’s literary snobbery, after all some books that claim to be “literary” are little more than the author preaching through flimsily constructed mouthpieces (I’m looking at you Atlas Shrugged). However, despite their various flaws I think literary books do all attempt to engage with a larger set of ideas. Which is, to quote GRRM out of context “is their great glory and their great tragedy.” All literary books, without strong enough characters or plot, run the risk of turning out like Atlas Shrugged.

Epigraphs are a way to begin this discourse by citing and suggesting an expansion or a response to the ideas put forth in previous work. Citing your sources, as you will. Epigraphs suggest that the author has done their due diligence and read widely. Usually the book is better for it (guess which book does not have an epigraph :) ). Oftentimes however, the epigraph kind of gives away the chase: it can make the point of the book VERY apparent, although perhaps I am speaking with reread bias. Let’s take a look at a couple examples and then I’ll dive in to what I think Ghostwritten’s epigraph is all about.

The celestial spheres endlessly resound.

But an instant is invincible in memory.

It comes back in the middle of the night. Who are those holding torches

So that what is long past occurs in full light

-Czesław Miłosz

This is an epigraph from Guy Gavriel Kay’s newest book A Brightness Long Ago. The text of the epigraph itself is from a Czesław Miłosz poem called “The Master”. The poem is about an old musician/composer remembering some sinful event from his past, and remarking on how clear it seems and how he is glad he remembers in it. In A Brightness Long Ago, the main character Danino is also stuck in the mists of the past. He is old, serving on the council in Seressa (analog of Venice) as an important noble, but it is this event from his youth, the meeting of two mercenary leaders who engage in a struggle that ends up being pointless, is the thing he remembers. This epigraph tells us that it is this act of memory that we should be focusing on: the how he remembers and the why, not the what.

TRIPITAKA: Monkey, how far is it to the Western Heaven, the abode of Buddha?

WU-KONG: You can walk from the time of your youth till the time you grow old, and after that, till you become young again; and even after going through such a cycle a thousand times, you may still find it difficult to reach the place where you want to go. But when you perceive, by the resoluteness of your will, the Buddha-nature in all things, and when every one of your thoughts goes back to that fountain in your memory, that will be the time you arrive at Spirit Mountain.

-The Journey to the West

This is an epigraph from Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Years of Rice and Salt. The Epigraph is from the 16th century Ming Chinese novel The Journey to the West. The former tells the tale of an alternate history in which the black plague wiped out the entire population of Europe. The latter is a Chinese folktale chronicling the seeking of enlightenment by pilgrims traveling the Western regions of China (i.e. India and Central Asia). Robinson’s novel focuses on two things: a world and a group of reincarnating individuals, both of which seek to come to some kind of balance. In the Bardo, a limbo-like state between incarnations, the characters find themselves and the world in a state of anarchy. China is first too powerful and then the Arab states and so on and so forth. The reincarnated characters, each delineated by the starting letter of their name, also swing back and forth on the pendulum. From coward to scientist, from hero to murderer. It is only in the chapter entitled “Window Kang”, in which the title character reflects on the best years of her life being those of “rice and salt”, i.e. the ordinary, hectic child-filled years of her life, in which enlightenment begins to be achieved.

...And I, who claim to know so much more, isn’t it possible that even I have missed the very spring within the spring?

“Some say that we shall never know, and that to the gods we are like the flies that the boys kill on a summer's day, and some say, to the contrary, that the very sparrows do not lose a feather that has not been brushed away by the finger of God.”

-Thorton Wilder, The Bridge of San Luis Rey

And now finally Ghostwritten. I have not read The Bridge of San Luis Rey (it’s on my reading list I swear), but the central event of the novel is a bridge collapsing in Lima, Peru which kills seven people. Brother Juniper, a local monk, takes it upon himself to find out these people are and perhaps see the workings of the hand of God in their deaths. I have not read the book, so I do not know the intricacies of the ending, but the Abbess of the monastery: "There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning."

Ghostwritten also focuses on the question of the existence of the hand of God. In some ways Mitchell comes to the same conclusion as Wilder. So many of the characters make the decisions they make because they love. Yet like all effective authors, Mitchell goes beyond merely affirming the ideas espoused by the epigraph. First of all there are the non-corporeals, an invisible force that influences our decisions in inexplicable ways. Then, more importantly, the CNT is a train hurtling towards the creation of the super intelligent AI Zookeeper and the destruction of the human race by a comet. In Ghostwritten we are shown many gods: some that view human beings as mere distractions to their larger purpose (chance, the noncorporia), others that make it their work to know all the workings of the human soul (Zookeeper and the author). Perhaps it is not one or the other, as brother Juniper suggests, but both.

Why is this helpful? Hopefully you’ve already picked up on some reasons. This epigraph gives a better idea of theme (looking for the hand of god) and gives the seemingly unrelated narrative threads a clear direction (we are hurtling towards the creation of a force that can we can tangibly prove will affect our lives). This realization, combined with the long fiction writing class I took during the spring semester, has convinced me that I need to switch directions slightly on this blog. I need to move away from the discussion of complex vague thematics and towards something more tangible like story structure. I will be replacing my three thematic sections with two core pillars of discussion:

“Spring Within a Spring” which will focus on the central narrative thread, the narrative arc of each chapter and other storytelling techniques.

“Hand of God”, which I will focus more on thematics, specifically on love, chance, authorial choice, noncorporia.

The other sections will remain the same.

See you soon (hopefully) in Hong Kong.

Ser Jacob De Zoet

#epigraph #ghostwritten #reread #david mitchell #god #handofgod #Thorton Wilder #kim stanley robinson #love #chance #writing #webofstories

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ipraygreywords · 6 years ago

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Here it is lol. I highly encourage mutuals to read.

Prcfessor AYesterday at 11:37 PM

Re: [stiff as a board from head to toe, only in to his waist] I am uncomfortable. [as diplomatically and serenely as he is able to say it, in a voice two octaves higher than normal]

samcatYesterday at 11:40 PM

N: [ she steps in front of him so that her heels will take the brunt of the wave first, then takes his hands. ] I have you.bitch i DIE.N: Normally I am used to lifting babies in and out of the waves, but you are much larger then me, heh! [ a very rare laugh !!! from the very reserved bean !!! ]

Prcfessor AYesterday at 11:42 PM

Re: [deep shuddering breaths. he is afraid of very, very few things, especially this transparently.] You have me. [he manages to laugh with her, a sort of breathless wheeze, unseeing eyes unusually wide open, and he hangs on to her arms in a vice grip, and tries to pat them in thanks.]

samcatYesterday at 11:43 PM

N: [ she keeps her gaze pinned on the horizon, not watching the waves immediately at their feet but the waves that form way in the distance. even when they are this far out, she can tell what the size of it will be when it comes to their feet. ] N: ...a wave is coming now. It is very small, and it will be a bit cold.

Prcfessor AYesterday at 11:45 PM

Re: It would be nice to backfloat. Just once. [the wave comes and Rezo gasps softly, then chuckles, a little edgily, but not quite with such breathless panic] Hoh! Goodness.Re: ....When I died. Both times....and thought I would be at peace, free of the creature within me....I was laying on my back in warm water. And there was light. A great deal of light. It was wonderful. I haven't told that to anyone. Most of the people I could tell would have preferred me to stay dead, hah...! Ah. [a slight shudder] My, how d-do you get used to the c-cold?

samcatYesterday at 11:48 PM

N: We can build up to that! [ she offers encouragingly as another wave curls around their feet. but she quiets as he speaks of his deaths. she knows about them on account of...talk. in the village. she has never asked, however. ] ...that is what it feels like when you lay out in the ocean on a sunny day. The water past the breaks is calm, and all you hear are waves crashing, but from beneath the water.N: ...I'm sorry you were not granted the peace you deserve. But at least we can build it here, however slowly.N: Heh, well the cold doesn't last. It is still spring. During the summer, it feels divine.N: But when one depends on the ocean for much of their living, one cannot afford to think about temperature.

Prcfessor AYesterday at 11:55 PM

Re: I needed to return. I had unfinished business. [those worried dark eyes grow distant] Balance to restore. Fear not, I'm at peace with my friends. With you. [he chuckles again, still more gently, and without realizing it, his grip on her arms has loosened] That I am glad to hear....oho, little one. May your days of such hardship be over. I may not live a lifestyle to show it, but I have comfortable means, and it would not trouble me to help you. You are, after all, working very hard on my behalf.

samcatToday at 12:00 AM

N: [ her grip on his forearms has always been firm and steady, and as waves come, she quietly informs him on the size and frequency. ] Oh I'm alright. I...my family back home are the ones who struggle. Taxes there are very high, but...they always seem to make it. [ there is more to be said about how leaving them for a life of a pilgrim was difficult. a pilgrim makes no money. in fact, they rely on the charity of others to get by. true, the were relieved of one mouth to fee, but they were also deprived of one of their best workers. ]N: Well...some people did care about the temperature, to be honest, but I didn't. Pearls grow year round, after all.

Prcfessor AToday at 12:01 AM

Re: ....do you ever think on visiting them? [a soft gasp] Oh, pearls. They are so smooth.

samcatToday at 12:02 AM

N: Most of them! Some of them have ridges, especially the larger ones.

Prcfessor AToday at 12:02 AM

Re: You know, family....it's easy to take family for granted until they're gone. [he turns back to 'look' at her] ....I have never felt a pearl with ridges before. [his childlike awe at such a simple thing is somehow heartbreaking]

samcatToday at 12:04 AM

N: ...I know. [ she answers softly. again, she leaves out the fact that she's an adoptive member of a family, thus in her head she thinks that such a statement doesn't really apply to her. ]N: Ah, you haven't? I will try to dive and find some. I don't know if there are oysters here, but I will look.

Prcfessor AToday at 12:07 AM

Re: Little one, I will be your family too, if you...like. [his grip tightens] Ah, don't...leave. Or. Well. I suppose I could manage to wait a few moments , if you wish to look.

samcatToday at 12:09 AM

N: [ that very thought brings tears to her eyes, but she does not let them fall, instead squeezing his forearms a little right in sync with when he does so. ] Oh I won't, don't worry. Not right now. We have plenty of time. Today is just a day for getting familiar with the tides.N: One has to respect the ocean, otherwise it...it can be dangerous.(( S: you bet your sweet ass.

Prcfessor AToday at 12:10 AM

Re: By all means, do NOT endanger yourself for a pearl for a silly old man. [he leans forward, and gnaws on the side of his bottom lip, and then exhales. in the sun, his dark eyelashes are even more pronounced by the light and shadow. he looks like a figure from a stained glass window. ] I. I wish. To take a step forward. I. Think.

samcatToday at 12:14 AM

N: [ nahia is not attracted to him by any means, but she can still appreciate beauty when she sees it. especially with the sound of ocean water in her ears and the sensation of sand in between her toes, her spiritual sense are the ones guiding her actions more than her physical ones. she knows for certain, deep within her soul, that this is a good man deserving of love and mercy. a rush of affection chases away any melancholy, and he'll be able to hear the smile in her voice. ] N: Alright. On the count of 3. One...two...three!

Prcfessor AToday at 12:16 AM

Re: [the joy and levity of her voice emboldens him and he takes a step forward, simultaneously a man and a trusting child. it is not with many, if any, other people, that Rezo shows he is incapable of anything. he has a great deal of pride about his blindness. he hopes Nahia knows the honor he bestows, without discussing it openly] Ah! Have I done it?

samcatToday at 12:18 AM

N: [ she does know, and it's precisely because she knows that she doesn't draw attention to it. ] Yes! Now the waves will be slightly stronger, and your feet will sink into the sand a little quicker, but only by a very small margin.

Prcfessor AToday at 12:18 AM

Re: Just as long as I'm not being swallowed by a sinkhole. [a nervous chuckle]

samcatToday at 12:19 AM

N: Hm...sometimes there will be little sand crabs you can feel crawling beneath your feet, but it doesn't look like there are any here...heh, no! No sinkholes. Eventually one stops sinking at their ankle.N: Don't worry, I will warn you of any sand crabs or creatures nearby. If I'm honest, even I am leery of stepping where sand crabs burrow. They are harmless, but...still.

Prcfessor AToday at 12:23 AM

Re: Sand crabs! Imagine that.... [he looks like he's trying to decide whether that is terrifying or amusing. his features are unusually open with his consternation.] They have a great many legs, I imagine. [he's settling for terrifying.]

samcatToday at 12:24 AM

N: Heh, they do. But. They're really more like insects than traditional crabs. They...are not my favorite.

Prcfessor AToday at 12:25 AM

Re: That is what I ...that is what I....was afraid of, ah. Ahah. Ahm. Still, they are better than leeches ......The manifold...mysteries of the, ah, the ocean, yes? Ohhhhhh whatwasthat. Whatwasthat. Something. Brushed my leg.

samcatToday at 12:27 AM

N: That was my foot, I'm sorry. I was adjusting my footing.

Prcfessor AToday at 12:27 AM

Re: Oh praise the gods. [his eyebrows knit together in relief]

samcatToday at 12:28 AM

N: When we get to the point where we are calf-deep, I will have to teach you how to walk in a shuffle.N: In case there are rays here.N: I will check beforehand, but just to be sure.N: Those have...quite a nasty sting.

Prcfessor AToday at 12:28 AM

Re: RAYS? RAYS?! OH. Yes! [he is trying so damned hard to sound calm and happy]

samcatToday at 12:29 AM

N: Yes. They are more scared of you than you are of them, but they do have a defense mechanism against...well. Being stepped on.

Prcfessor AToday at 12:29 AM

Re: Spectacular!

samcatToday at 12:30 AM

N: [ she laughs freely now, not at him or anything, but just out of amusement. she's never had to teach someone who has never been in the ocean, and it's entertaining in the best of ways. in fact, it makes her feel special in a way, instead of just a teenager from a fishing village. ] N: [ and it is very, very difficult to get nahia to laugh. ]N: Don't worry, we are not there yet, but if you shuffle you feet while you walk, that warns them of incoming traffic.

Prcfessor AToday at 12:33 AM

Re: I'm barely past my ankles. [a look of rather endearing inward directed frustration] Oh good heavens. Just. Walk me out a bit farther. I am being a thorough chicken. [he smiles a little foolishly at her laughter, feeling oddly triumphant]

#erromes #save tag #My Eyes (Nahia)

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dailyaudiobible · 4 years ago

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04/08/2021 DAB Transcript

Deuteronomy 32:28-52, Luke 12:35-59, Psalms 78:56-64, Proverbs 12:24

Today is the 8th day of April welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is wonderful to be here with you today. It's wonderful to be here every day. It's wonderful to have this place. Like, in my heart and my mind it's a safe place. It’s a Global Campfire, right? It's a place we can come and let it go and just…yeah…it’s a safe place. So, glad to be here with you today, take the next step forward and allow the Scriptures to speak and to inform our lives in the paths that we are on and help us to interpret our lives. So, let's dive in. We’re reading from the Christian Standard Bible. We are rounding out the book of Deuteronomy. Right now, we’ll pick up…just so that we can understand like what we’re about to read…we’re picking up in the middle of a song. So, we’re picking up with the lyrics of a song. And this song was given by God to Moses and this song is ultimately supposed to be a witness to the people of Israel against them because God has foretold to Moses that, although the people have been instructed well, they will remain rebellious and when they do get into the land and they do rebel they will have to face the consequences. And, so, that's what this song is about. And we’ll conclude that song today and continue forward. Deuteronomy chapter 32 verse 28 through verse 52.

Commentary:

Okay. Let’s go into the gospel of Luke. I quote Jesus. “I came to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already set ablaze!” What is going on here? This is one of if not the most exasperated moments captured in the Bible for…in the life of Jesus. He goes on to say, “do you think I came to bring peace on the earth? No. I tell you, but rather division.” Hmmm. So, how does this work with our tidy little Sunday school stories? Like, how does this work? What's is going on here? The seems like a departure in posture. Jesus says, “they will be divided father against son, son against father, mother against daughter, daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law. Fascinating! What can do that in…in a widespread sort of way? Well, I can think of a couple things that can do that, one that we all know because we've all borne witness that this can happen. Father against son, son against father, mother against daughter, daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law – politics, right? So, we shouldn't look at what Jesus is saying and go like, “whoa. How is He so divisive? What's going on here? There's nothing in the world that could be that divisive to just shred families wholesale.” Yeah, we've seen it plenty. It's very, very possible. The other thing that can do this that I know of and probably more true to what Jesus is saying - the truth can do this. We were just talking and even praying for eyes to see and ears to hear so that we might seek first God's kingdom yesterday. To see God's kingdom at work and participate in it does require that our eyes be open. Once that happens though you can't see the same. You can't un-see what you're seeing. You’re seeing with new eyes. You're becoming aware of the presence of the Lord everywhere, which means that you're seeing the darkness and the evil lurking everywhere way more clearly and you’re realizing you had been participating in all of that, but now you can't unsee. Your reality has begun to shift. You are being transformed. You become a light bearer. Wherever you go so goes the light. The light shines in the darkness. The darkness doesn't comprehend it and squirms into the shadows because what is in the dark does not want to be exposed to the light. And, so, it retaliates and attacks the light bearer. This is what Jesus is talking about and He’s saying I wish this fire were already burning because the fire that He's talking about isn’t a fire to like destroy planet Earth, it's a holy fire that eradicates deception. It burns away the false or as Jesus said, “the truth will set you free.” The thing is this is somewhat fundamental to our faith. We know that transformation is the goal, is the process, that we be transformed into the likeness of the Savior, that we become what we call Christlike, which is…which is like Christ. And when we look Jesus in the Gospels we can see clearly where we may be on that path and we can see clearly where we are nothing like Christ. Probably…I’m thinking “should I say this”, but probably if we were to say…I don't know…examine the last six months of our social media posts. That might give us insight into ourselves. That might give us clues into what we’re trying to say and compare that to the life of Christ that we are supposed to be living. And it's funny how all of this stuff can get so interlocked where we can feel like, “well…I’m posting the truth on social media and I'm getting persecuted or other people think they're posting the truth but it's my job to correct them and persecute them.” And, so, we can get all kind of wound up into this religious fervor over certain things but if we would step back these are not the things Jesus deals with. This is not what He's talking about. I used to think that the world can be changed through a song. It’s what drew me to music. I spent an awful lot, years looking for that song. That song does not exist. A song can change somebody's world, but not typically the world. A social media post isn’t going to change the world. A radically transformed life that is full of light and life and good news, that can change a lot of things. There are 2 billion people on this planet that believe that Jesus is the son of God, that he’s the Savior of the world. That is an incredible amount of potential for light in the dark. The most interesting thing about all that Jesus is saying here, because we can espouse the rhetoric and say like this is an aggressive move forward for God's kingdom by force and I need to get on board and so I’m just gonna light the torch and set things on fire. The most interesting thing is that the fire that we’re talking about here, the fire is love. Jesus says this is how we will be known as His disciples. It's love that's the force that is more powerful than the darkness. It's love that transforms us into the image of Christ. It's love that will let Jesus allow himself to be executed by His own creation. Love is the thing, according to the Scriptures that conquers all. If we are doing things in love in the name of Jesus then we don't have to be confused about why the darkness would be attempting to retaliate. But if we’re just using the same rhetoric and tactics that…that are prevalent, we’re wasting energy. When we are literally doing what we’re doing in profound respect and awe and love for Christ and in profound understanding that love is the way of his kingdom then we don't have to be confused about whether we’re doing the right thing. Jesus is telling us what’s gonna happen so that we’re not confused and so that we understand that we are in the battle if we want to call it a battle. We are bringing light and love into this world, which is how we were created to live. And, so, let's live into that and invite the Holy Spirit into that because that's the voice we need. I can sit here and say all kinds of words but my words…I mean…I am a fellow pilgrim on the same path, but I know that I know that the Holy Spirit is present upon this earth and is calling to anyone who will listen. And I know from the Scriptures that wisdom is upon this earth and she is calling to anyone who will listen. Let's listen. Let's listen and obey.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit come. Again, give us eyes to see and ears to hear that we might wake up, that it's time to wake up, that our slumber is over, that this is not purposeless or aimless. We are here to be transformed so that we can be ambassadors for Your kingdom upon this earth, representing You upon this earth so that others may cease their slumber. Come Jesus we pray in Your mighty name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home, home base, home of…of the Global…I was gonna say the famous, the world-famous Global Campfire but I don’t think we…I don’t think we want to say that. It's our secret place. Its home of our secret place, the oasis that we come to and come together centered around the rhythm of the Scriptures. So, be aware of that.

Check out the resources that are available in the Daily Audio Bible Shop. There are different categories there. Like, you can check out our Wind Farm coffee and tea that we roast and import, send all over the world. You can even have that sent to you, however much of it you want - a bag, two bags, three bags, four. Some people have 5, 6 bags a month and they have them at home and at work. And you can have that sent to you freshly roasted each month. So, check that out. Check out the written resources to take this journey deeper in specific directions. Check out the Global Campfire line of resources. It’s fun stuff for us to…well…just to wear our colors as we move through the year and just be in this together. It’s such a joy to have things all around that are reminders of the journey that we’re on and the community that were a part of. And, so, check that out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible can do that at dailyaudiobible.com as well. There’s a link on the homepage. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address, if that’s your preference, is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill, TN 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can dial 877-942-4253 or just hit the hotline button that's in the app, the little red button up at the top.

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

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi this is Shelly In Oklahoma walking my dogs on Easter morning out in the Woods. It's beautiful. Wanted to call in because of the prayer request from Momma's Little Rock in Arkansas. And your prayer request for prayers because your grieving about your mother touched my heart. Just…just made me in so much pain for you. I lost my mother five years ago this month and it is still very difficult. But I wanted to tell you that while I was listening to your call God just prompted me about a message that Brian had for us several years ago and it was about little by little, that when the Israelites left Egypt, they weren't ready to be in the promised land. They were…they were…they had only known to be slaves. But little by little God taught them how to take care of themselves, how to protect themselves, how…how to become free people, how to…how to provide for themselves. And I think that's something that you might want to give some thought to, that you don't have to know everything your mother knew to get by in this world and you will grieve her and ache for her probably for the rest of your life as I do for my mother. But little by little it will get a little less painful and you will find your way. I'm praying for you and I love you. This is Shelly in Oklahoma.

Hello, my wonderful DAB family this is Rosie calling back. I'm sorry I'm calling back but I need prayer. I'm still having a lot of problems with my son. I haven't seen him since July 11th of last year or hear his voice. And he had covid in November and they still told me that I had to quarantine even though I hadn't seen him because I saw his son. I was around his son. But his son didn't have covid either. But anyway, I believe that he's going through a change of life or having a midlife crisis or something I'm not sure but he's not the same son that I raised and he's just totally different. And for one thing he's away from God and I think he's still angry because his dad died when he was 13. And we were believing that his dad was going to be healed and he wasn't…well…he got the ultimate healing and I believe my son has been angry ever since at God. So, I think that's what he needs prayer for. And this past week has been a tough week because my husband has…well…he went home to be with the Lord 28 years ago and every time during the…this part of the year I struggle and I would think after 28 years I would…it wouldn't be so hard but it's not as hard as it was but I still, you know, struggle with it. Anyway, I would really appreciate your prayers. I love you.

Hi, it's Donna from California and heard a prayer request, this is actually April 5th from James. And first I wanted to say I…I…I could call into everybody about everybody's prayer requests. I feel like it's…it’s drawn out of me to do that. I just…I want to respond to each and every one of them. Of course, that would be a lot of calling in, so I won't attempt that but please know I do lift up your prayer…prayer with each on one when I hear it. But James yours really touched me in particular. Listening to it could definitely hear his pain. Divorce just rips people apart. I've been through one. I know lots of people who've been through one or more. Understand that it just…it brings you to that point where…yeah…you would just rather not have to go on. I'm glad that you have a safety plan. Think of your children. I'm sure that you are. And I…I just…I…let’s pray. Let’s just pray. Lord heavenly Father I lift up James to You. He's in a world of pain. His wife is asking for a divorce. The word is…is just so horrible and ugly. Pray that You would just…you touch her heart. If…if there is any way that…and there is with you…that things can be reconciled I pray for that in Your holy name. Amen.

Good morning DAB family this is Paula the child advocate from the LA area calling. It is the Monday after Easter and I sure hope you all had a lovely joyous Easter as I did, celebrating with my family. I'm calling this morning because I heard James the teacher from LA call in. James it’s been a long time. I've never forgotten you. I heard you right from the beginning many years ago when you started calling in. And I was so happy to hear your voice but saddened to hear why you were calling in, that your wife wanted a divorce. And I just wanted to let you know James that you and your wife will be in my prayers. And I know that you know that God can do anything, all things. So, I’m going to be praying that you and your wife can reconcile, and the Lord will change her heart. And I’m happy to hear that you have a safety plan in place. James you are so important to all of us and to your wife and to everyone in your life. And, so, I’m happy to hear that. Please know that I love you and we all of you. And one more message to the young woman who called in that lost her mother. Dear girl I know what that’s like, most of us do. And I think to myself, how wonderful and fortunate we were that we had such wonderful mothers that we miss them so much because working with foster children I see how many of them have mothers that are not the type like our mothers, you know, that maybe they don’t miss them as much because their mothers were not as good to them as our mothers. So, please know that I’m praying for you and that one day your heart will not be as heavy. Bless you all DAB family. I love you. I listen to your prayers. I pray for you. Paula from LA. Bye for now.

Good morning this is Carlos __ from Brooklyn. I called a couple times and I’ve been listening for more than 10 years to Brian. Please I need you. I need all of your prayers. I have Covid. Now my wife has Covid. My…my daughter __ have covid, my grandson Isaiah got Covid, my grandson Elijah got Covid. Please, please ask the Lord to forgive me __. I need you. I need your prayers please. Please pray for me. May the Lord take away this covid from us. O, please Lord I ask in Jesus’ name. Thank you, Brian. Thank you, Daily Audio Bible. Thank you.

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memorylang · 4 years ago

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23rd Birthday~ Roses and Rosaries | #39 | July 2020

I’ve focused on being present for others while even taking to new projects, as I continue to wrestle with the time COVID-19 in America has given me.

With July 6, 2020, I’ve turned 23, hooray! Hard to say whether I feel young or old.

Just after my birthday, my half-brother, his wife and my baby nephew visited for the first time since Christmas, too! Now their adorably big 15-month-old baby babbles and crawls. He’s so squishy. Just before I returned to Reno and they returned to Ohio, we also saw “Hamilton” (2020), which felt grand as well.

Also included, tales from the 4th of July, American Independence Day. But before I go any further, though, I need to share news that’s been hanging on me all month, no matter my activity.

Sensing the Soul’s Hourglass

A dear friend said he’s been diagnosed with brain cancer. He said he’s heard he won’t have long to live.

About a month ago on June 10, I learned this. Just two weeks earlier, my friend and I were chatting, and he shared how excited he felt to have finished undergrad at the top of his class like me. He’d asked for leadership advice, too, on a new role he was taking on. Unfortunately, he’s since had to step down.

My friend and I have kept in close communication ever since his news I received on my stateside Week 14. Our first couple weeks, we mostly talked through the shock. As topics started to thin, we’d begun talking about movies. This led me to take up his offer to see the films he’d recommended most. More on this later.

Memento mori

The Knights of Columbus, like many Christian organizations, invites its members to reflect on the Latin phrase, “Memento mori,” which people often translate to, “Remember you must die.” To have a fellow brother knight undergoing the challenge he faces now, this phrase matters especially.

Our Knights of Columbus College Council, of which he is a part, began praying weekly rosaries for him and his family. We asked others to pray for him as well. Meanwhile, he appeared on a podcast hosted by a fellow knight, the same one I appeared on a couple weeks later.

Terror Road

The day after I learned my dear friend’s news, June 11 at 1:34 a.m., Dad and I had what Dad calls a “Thank you, Jesus” moment.

Dad was driving. It was pitch-black off the highway, judging from how well I could see the stars. We rode a two-lane road, heading back to Reno from Vegas. I was talking to Dad a bit, and he mentioned planning to stop in Beatty, Nev.

In the oncoming traffic, I saw what seemed the semi-driver ahead had his or her brights still on. Then it looked like another car was passing. Dad slid our car right, into the shoulder, as not one but two vehicles zoomed by.

Three cars just passed each other on a two-lane road.

Not long after, we drove over a large animal's carcass, which didn’t quell my morbid thoughts much.

Sure 2 a.m. neared, but I felt way too rattled to rest. Every passing headlight for a while made me flinch. But then we reached Beatty, got our rest and continued, ending Week 14 (June 5–11).

Ancient Skies

June 22, a separate drive up to Reno, Week 16 (June 19–25), around the same dark hour, a more peaceful moment happened. While Dad napped at the rest stop in Luning, Nev. from 1:47 a.m., I went forth and stargazed.

I felt enamored to see the Milky Way. This was the rest stop where Boys’ State often stopped, on my trips with them years ago. I searched for the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia, my usuals. I tried to find Orion, too, but had trouble. There was one area I thought might have been it, though. So, I Googled star charts. I felt that childhood song, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” made far more sense while stargazing.

First I found Vega and Hercules from Big Dipper, then Deneb and Cygnus, followed by Delphinus. What I thought might have been the Little Dipper was part of Sagittarius. Turns out what I thought was Orion was part of it, too. Then I went back and found Altair and Aquila, after zooming out my perspective. Pegasus looked so big! What I thought may have been Cassiopeia, I doubted. Then I found Polaris, solving that mystery.

I paused and saw a couple shooting stars. I reflected on the seeming perfection of ancient star charts, ancients’ stories they wove with the patterns in the sky and the dome creation mythos in the Hebrew Bible that piercing lights there. Some even liken stars to souls of those passed.

Lastly, I found Draco, Lacerta, Cepheus and Ursa Major, followed by Perseus and what looked like Camelopardalis. What I thought might have been Cassiopeia I realized was Ursa Minor.

My Milky Way quest this night reminded me of my Memorial Day Great Basin quest, Week 12 (May 22–28), but better. I felt awed how a quest to find Orion instead opened me to the rest of the summer sky. If I ever visit the Southern Hemisphere I better stargaze.

After I returned to the car at 3 a.m., Dad said he’d seen the stars when he was little. What a memorable night.

Science in a Lifetime

Curiously, ‘Philosophy of Science’ has been among the most impactful courses I took for compulsory credits in late undergrad. I met a friend who’s eagerly engaged in space politics, especially with how that historic Dragon launch (my family watched) changes opportunities. Likewise, that class exposed me in greater depth to gene-editing, beyond the CRISPR-Cas9 I first learned about on a trip with Boys’ State staff.

On one of these Nevada rides with Dad, I asked about his med school experiences. He shared how some professors and students lost their lives to cancers. Leukemia had even taken the life of my father’s brother when the brother was in the 1st grade.

I felt awed then to realize in our world, science has given us potential to reverse cancers that once so mercilessly claimed lives within still living people’s lifetimes. My dear friend and I had hope, and that’s all we needed beyond prayer.

Birdwatching

One day in the backyard during a return to Vegas, I decided my new favorite animal has changed from mantis shrimp to the elusive, hoving hummingbird.

Furthermore, I just thought about how awesome birds are in general.

I met an Irish priest in Taiwan who even watched birds for fun. He had such excitement in his eyes. I vaguely recalled a poem I encountered, sometime after I came back from Mongolia. The poet compared herself to the birds. In fact, Mongolian hunters use eagles, falcons and other birds of prey. But I felt even the normal birds sounded different in Mongolia. Birds can be so colorful.

God bless the hummingbirds.

July 4, 2020, and an Eclipse

This was my first time back in America for July 4 since 2016.

Down in Vegas on American Independence Day, my youngest brother and I drove to our stepmother's, where two of her daughters and Dad were. My older brother would come later. I helped a little in the kitchen. Mostly, I worked on my writing while chatting with my youngest stepsister before she left for work.

I had no idea I missed the taste of an American-style burger on the 4th of July. It's truly been four years since my last.

Dad had felt glad I saw “What’s Up, Doc?” recently, so he had his wife, my youngest brother, and my older (not oldest) stepsister see it. My stepsister and my brother left, though. I enjoyed seeing it again.

Then I went out on the back porch, as fireworks began downtown and around the neighborhood. Being there, feeling the warm breeze, reminded of Panamá, seeing on my host family’s front porch the lunar eclipse during January 2019.

Here in the States for the 4th felt good—a taste of home again. The United States is a young nation, one I hope that continues to revel in its history, remembering its roots. Its roots run all throughout the earth. Unless we are indigenous peoples, we and our ancestors came from elsewhere. And as citizens of the States now, let us continue to honor those who gave of themselves to make possible the democratic experiment on which the United States was founded.

God bless!

23rd Birthday—Online, Anywhere

“It's a funny thing about coming home. [...] You realize what's changed is you.” —The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

When I was a schoolkid, I used to enjoy sleepovers for my birthdays. I'd at least have get-togethers at my house so friends and I could see each other halfway through summer.

In recent past summers, though, studying abroad in China then serving with Peace Corps Mongolia, I hadn't been stateside for my birthdays! This changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making this my first summer home a birthday since 2016. Even online, I could read what people wrote me!

About a week before my birthday, I had the pleasure of visiting to pray a rosary with Evan, an older fellow Knight of Columbus who has been homebound due to limited mobility among other conditions. He felt thrilled by my commitment to see him and keep the faith, and he asked me to join him daily in rosaries over the phone. We began at once. We even started praying two a day, at his request. He deeply believed in continued prayer and suggested what many need is a night entirely in prayer. Unfortunately, he lacked the health to do this.

Understanding a physically distant birthday would be best amid this pandemic, I'd already planned to restrict my birthday functions to online only. I realized my day would mark a perfect occasion for the vigil! Reaching out to fellow knights, I received rapid support for the vigil idea. I and those who join me would pray for peace, preservation and intercession amid the pandemic for all who suffer illness, especially our dear friend.

Realizing, too, late nights in the States could be more pleasant times for Catholics elsewhere in the world, I reached out to pilgrim friends I met during World Youth Day 2019 pilgrimage in Panamá. Since rosaries contain a sequence of repeated call-and-response prayers, I felt we could share our native languages and still understand the meaning, just as we’d done at World Youth Day. Salvadoran, Mongolian and Malaysian friends helped me translate my invitation to Spanish, Mongolian and Mandarin Chinese. I hoped by having fellow Americans alongside pilgrim friends pray together with me, we could share in the universality of the faith in peace and solidarity during this pandemic.

Birthday Vigil Begins

We began 23:00 Pacific time on Sunday, July 5, praying until we completed all 23 rosaries. We finished at noon on my birthday July 6. When some friends had to retire for the night or to leave for work in their timezones, I'd pray alone until a new friend appeared. At most, only an hour would pass between others' arrival to join me in prayer, which felt great.

At kick-off, I was joined by fellow two fellow knights—Javier, who had begun our council’s weekly rosaries, and my dear friend. I felt so elated on video to see him again for the first time in ages! Additionally, two pilgrim friends join us—Andrea in El Salvador joined us and Marie in the Czech Republic.

We began with Latin, the Church’s universal language, which might have been a laughable start. We followed it with an easier rosary, Spanish, which was Andrea’s native language. We tried another hard one for us, next. Javi taught us responses for Tagalog, then we gave it a shot. I really enjoyed praying in Tagalog, as many of my middle and high school friends know the language.

For our fourth rosary, we tried to do French since our dear friend knows it, but because the language’s pronunciation rules aren’t straightforward, we bailed after the “Our Father” and switched to English. I felt impressed we prayed the first three in non-English languages, though!

Most had to go around 1–2 a.m. Around that time, Marie, who had been without a camera and microphone, realized she could try using her sister’s laptop. Thus, right after everyone else left, she was able to speak! She taught me enough Czech that I could read the responses. I found it a beautiful language. Then I taught her enough Mandarin Chinese so she could read the responses in Mandarin. Marie might have set the record for being online longest with me—about four hours!

Birthday Vigil and Daybreak

My most difficult hour was between about 3–4 a.m. Alone, I completed three rosaries but felt increasingly lethargic.

Thankfully, when I felt totally drained, my fellow knight Marco bailed me out! For the next hour or so, we said one in English then another in Latin, which helped me find my groove.

After Marco left for work, two unexpected guests popped in. My Mongolian friend Angelica, whom I met during Peace Corps, visited briefly as well as my Panamanian host mother, who housed me for World Youth Day. Although neither could stay long, I appreciated their presence. They wished such kind blessings! Meanwhile, I said rosaries in Latin and Mongolian.

My fellow knight Evan joined our rosaries for an hour and a half around 6:30 a.m., our usual time we prayed together. Our Grand Knight Thomas joined that morning, as well. Evan enjoyed hearing us in Latin.

My Mexican pilgrim friend Ricardo came in about when Tom left, so after Latin with Evan, I prayed in Spanish with Ricardo. He said great blessings, too! Then I said a quick rosary alone in English.

Then came more Salvadoran pilgrim friends! Josselyn dropped by around 9 a.m. Just after she left came Rosibel around 10. I enjoyed how they added litanies, which I hadn’t done on previous rosaries. With them, I spoke and prayed in Spanish, which gave me lots of practice. They felt relieved they didn’t need to speak English to join me, and they thought I spoke well, too!

Just after Rosibel left and shortly after 11, my Salvadoran friend Andrea, who joined me at the vigil’s very beginning, returned! I practiced a lot of Spanish that morning. Thankfully, Andrea knew English and indulged me to pray the final, 23rd rosary in my native tongue.

Vigil’s Aftermath

In total, I with friends prayed six Joyful, five Luminous, six Sorrowful and six Glorious Mysteries. Of these, we prayed most in non-English languages, primarily Spanish and Latin, but also Tagalog, Czech, Mandarin Chinese and Mongolian. I really enjoyed honoring prayer in others' native languages. Beyond the States, we were joined by friends in Latin America, Europe and Asia, including El Salvador, Panamá, México, the Czech Republic and Mongolia.

I'm touched and honored by those who came to support our efforts. Got to finally put to the test my months of restarting Spanish! Those who participated shared their joy and commendations, too. My homebound knight even requested I do another in August. (My late mother’s birthday is in early August, so we’ll see.)

Mere days after the vigil, my dear friend shared doctors said he’s in recovery! That raised our spirits.

Mere days after, my dear friend received opposite news that the cancer spread. Days later, he reported rough days and said he could practically sense his hourglass of life. Doctors said in three months, he would lose function in his legs. Still, our correspondences continue.

On the bright side, “glioblastoma” makes a great Scrabble word, he added.

Rose Thorns of Life

Felt a little choked up clipping the dead rose blooms yesterday morning. I thought they were still alive, but they weren't. So I needed to prune them. For, the whole life of the bush looks better when it's free of its once alive-and-beautiful, now finished-and-dead parts. Its life thrives by focusing on the living pieces when they live and removing the dead when they’re dead. Such are our lives.

My stepmom likes roses.

When I was little, I disliked roses because of their thorns. I bled whenever I grabbed them. I realize now that if I don't get close, I don't get hurt. But to care for them better, I must get closer. Such is life.

I was praying over the phone my daily rosaries with fellow knight Evan while pruning the rose bushes yesterday. It was Thursday, so we prayed the Luminous and Sorrowful Mysteries—fitting. They meditate on acceptance, suffering and letting go.

I don’t find rosaries all that fun, to be honest. But people say they’re important. And they feel like a nice way to get in the right spirit, even outside places of worship. In the clipping of roses, they remind me of the beauty and tragedies natural to our lives on Earth.

More to Come

When it comes to my Latin and Spanish studies, I took a pause to refocus on my writing. Though, I still do a Duolingo Latin lesson a day to keep up that 75-day streak. I’ve plenty to share on languages next month.

For my four months of labor, I wanted my own camera for my birthday. But ultimately, I found those a bit too large for my needs. Dad purchased me a new mid-range smartphone with a great camera instead. It felt odd compensation for 20 weeks’ work, but, still, I don’t have to cover rent, food nor transportation while home... Plus, the device still beats the older used phone I’d been on through the back half of my undergrad, especially on Google suite and apps. Feels Sci-Fi!

By the way, do you play Pokémon GO? If so, you can add me at 2070 8544 5874. I recently rejoined after having stopped four years ago. Just one more way to get me and my face mask out and about while physically distancing!

My younger sister also spoofed an old story I wrote when I was little and gave that as a birthday gift. I found it hilarious. My day marked the third of my siblings’ quarantine birthdays!

Up next, I’m working on blog stories from last July in Mongolia. So, in a sequel to my previous throwback, get ready for adventures back to that Mongolian summer with me! We’re going rural, too, so the countryside is coming back.

I’ll update you in August on exciting projects I’ve taken on, too. Please keep my dear friend in your thoughts and prayers, also.

Till then, take great care, my friend.

You can read more from me here at DanielLang.me :)

#Peace Corps #Mongolia #hope #WithMe #COVID-19 #Nevada #StayHome #July4 #tragedy #Coronavirus #cancer #news #memoir #story #Reno #Las Vegas #USA #memoryLang #God #Catholic

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hrk4 · 5 years ago

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The year that was...

Dear Friends:

Season’s Greetings!

Ten years ago, in December 2010, for the first time I wrote my reminiscences of the year. It was inspired by a short photo-blog that my friend Aditya J. wrote after his first few months in Seoul, where he had been sent onsite. Looking at my work over the past decade through my writings should have evoked in me some sort of emotional response, be it joy or disappointment or pride or despair or even disdain. I read through all the older posts (which, in total, came to around 10,000 words) and by the time I was done, there was a strange feeling of “Ok, fine, but never mind. What next?” It was not apathy, for I undertook most of those activities with genuine interest. It was also not dissatisfaction, because I’ve accomplished a fair deal in ten years given my limitations and circumstances. It was more an acceptance of what has happened without any sentimental coloring added to it. There was inexplicable sense of detachment; a feeling that these memoirs are those of a familiar character but not me.

When I started writing these end-of-the-year e-mails—initially to a small group of family and friends, and later online—there was a need for me to prove to the world that I was indeed doing something of value, especially given that I had quit a mainstream career and was pursuing my interests full-time. It was perhaps a plea, a boast, a shout that was aimed at bringing people’s attention to the fact that I was not wasting my life but actually doing something worthwhile. By the end of the following year, I seem to have realized that it was really pointless trying to prove anything to anybody. However, this cute little exercise in self-awareness was captivating for the sort of perspective it offered me. And I decided to write it again. And again. And again. For ten years on the trot. It is now aimed merely as self-reflection and I post it online simply because there are a few people who have shown interest in browsing through these yearly jottings of mine. Maybe there is yet a self-indulgent streak in me but I suppose this annual drill has a modicum of value.

In the grand—and painfully slow—process of the maturing of the mind, I found (to my utter surprise) that a few precepts that I had known in theory for several years seemed to be slowing blossoming into practice. More and more I moved towards my sva-dharma, my innate nature. I began refusing opportunities, staying away from certain people, avoiding particular institutions, putting a stop to certain activities – basically saying No! to anything that took me away from my natural temperament. I was also privy to several episodes in the lives of my friends where they suffered a great deal simply because they went against their fundamental nature. Only now do I truly understand what Krishna said in the Gita when he said, “The dharma of another is dangerous!” I also began realizing the value of being more inclusive and getting work done rather than trying to do everything myself. I ended up doing something that I had deemed impossible when I was a college freshman.

One accomplishment that I’m genuinely glad about this year is losing fifteen pounds (at least it sounds more than seven kilograms!) Mostly thanks to the persistence of my friend Shreesha and the good nature of people around me who allowed me to act whimsical with regard to food and pushed me to exercise. Another is the publication of the Bhagavad-Gita Audiobook, which appears as a series on Shaale. I had recorded this with Jurgen Nigli and Somsubhra Banerjee in 2015–16 but had somehow not found the time to edit and bring it out. I’ve started publishing it from Gita-Jayanti 2019 and it will run as a series with 20+ episodes (a new episode every Saturday).

This year I was involved with the production of quite a few books, the prominent ones being Art Gallery of Memories – Volumes 1, 2, 3 (by D V Gundappa), Evolution of the Mahabharata (by S R Ramaswamy) and Shiva Rama Krishna (by Shatavadhani Dr. R Ganesh). I designed a bunch of books and also worked on the digitization of portions of some Sanskrit texts. I made my Kannada writing debut with an essay I co-wrote with my friend Vikram for the anthology ‘ನಿರ್ಲಿಪ್ತಿ.’ I got a chance to present a few lectures and workshops through the course of the year for variegated audiences on different topics. I also attended two excellent workshops on Indian temple art and architecture.

My unfinished projects and failed schemes are, quite naturally, far more in number but I’ve learnt not to take those too seriously. One year’s failure is another year’s success. One year’s incompleteness is another year’s discretion. This became amply clear when upon the request of my colleague I prepared my curriculum vitae after a gap of seven years.

In April 2019—along with a group of friends—I completed reading the five-volume pièce de résistance of Bharat Ratna Pandurang Vaman Kane – History of Dharmaśāstra, which runs into some six thousand pages. The study group started in October 2016 and met once every week. We read fifty pages before every session and met every Wednesday night for a few hours, discussing the nuances with rich insights provided by all participants. I continue to be a part of several study groups with friends, which is really a wonderful way to spend ‘social time’ without feeling guilty for having wasted the hours and yet having a great deal of fun. As part of these study groups, I got the chance to read two classics – Macbeth and Parva. महापुरुषसंसर्गः कस्य नोन्नतिकारकः? (When has the company of a great person ever failed to elevate the lives of others?)

A few months after I finished reading the History of Dharmaśāstra, I had the golden opportunity to meet P V Kane’s grandson in Pune (along with my friends Kashyap and Raghavendra). He shared wonderful stories about his grandfather and was glad to hear about our study group that read the entire work from cover to cover. Sudha Murty, the chairperson of the Infosys Foundation had invited the Prekshaa team for dinner to her home and we had a great time interacting with her as well as with N R Narayana Murty and Rohan Murty about a variety of topics related to culture. Along with my friends Arjun and Kashyap, I had the great fortune of visiting Dr. S L Bhyrappa’s home twice this year.

I had the remarkable experience of encountering the works of two great artistes of our time: I saw a couple of dance concerts of Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam, who is a phenomenon in the world of dance and culture. No music, no film, no drama can come anywhere close to watching her perform live. I say this as an ardent connoisseur of all these arts. I got the chance to see the paintings of Sri. G L N Simha and also meet him briefly. A most unassuming man, he has painted some of the finest works related to Indian traditional texts.

2019 was a year of meeting several friends (who don’t live in Bengaluru) and of making new friends. It was also a year of losing many elderly relatives and friends. We can’t avoid old age and death but we sure can prepare for it better.

As always, my year is incomplete without a certain amount of travelling. Apart from trips to Ajanta-Ellora, Belur-Halebidu, Chennai, Harihara, Hampi, Kanchipuram, Mysuru, Panjim, Pune, and other smaller towns and villages, I had the chance to visit two important pilgrim centers – Prayagraj for the Ardh-Kumbh Mela and Kanchipuram for the darshana of Atthi-varadar. Although I’m rather faithless in many ways, it was fascinating to see the devotion in millions of our people. It is rather discouraging when I come face to face with the truth that simple faith of the so-called ignorant masses is what keeps Sanatana-dharma alive and not the kind of stuff that I do. That said, I can’t not do what I do because my joy lies here :)

I look forward to 2020 with a hope to cultivate more focus, more stillness of mind. Can I be happier for longer? How can I be more mindful on a daily basis? Can I live with lesser? How can I best choose my projects? – these are the sort of questions I shall probably be grappling with through the year.

One more year has whizzed past. Perhaps I’m just getting used to the speed. Or perhaps I’m somewhat more confident of slowing down in the future. Who knows what’s in store! I smile as I look towards tomorrow.

Wishing you and your family a joy-filled, healthy, and prosperous new year!

Cheers, Hari

PS: At the start of the year, India’s political situation was rather dicey. The country was going to have the once-in-five-years Lok Sabha elections. PM Narendra Modi had done a decent job during his first tenure (2014–19) and there was not a single leader in any party (including his own) who came close to him in terms of either integrity or skill in implementation. The opposition parties were threatening to unite across board with the sole agenda of defeating Modi. Inspired by what Dr. S L Bhyrappa told me and my friends when we met him in 2018, I called for a meeting of a few friends on Republic Day 2019. We all had the same goal: to get Modi re-elected in 2019. To ensure that we don’t have a hung parliament and to give another chance to a politician who had done something positive after ten long years of absolute corruption, deceit, and anti-nationalism, we wanted to work in our own humble way. Starting from that meeting on a warm Saturday afternoon, we went a long way in our campaign. It was entirely funded and run by volunteers who came together of their accord. What we did in terms of the details is unnecessary here but it came as a huge relief that Modi & co. stormed back into power in May 2019. The extraordinary work that they have done in the past six months makes me feel that everything we did during those early months of the year was worth it. Things are not perfect but at least we can be happy that the best people among the ones available to us have been elected to the highest offices of the country. I don’t know what value I added in the process but the process added a lot of value to me!

#memoirs #newyear

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thecineastes-blog · 8 years ago

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Grand Prix RPDR RuView: Goo Goo [Lady] Gaga (S06E01)

What do cats and RuPaul seem to have in common, they both have nine lives AND their pussies bite back! Season 9 of RuPaul’s Drag Race has finally begun, and this time on a new network, VH1! (Which pretty much puts a nail in LogoTV’s coffin).

For Grand Prix RuView, we’ll be giving you the top moments of each episode, the shadiest moment of each episode, our favorite queen of the each episode, our least favorite queen of each episode, best looks on the runway, and our predictions for next week.

So if you’re a fan of RPDR but have been under a rock for the last month or so, you may not have heard the news that Mother Monster herself was going to be the guest judge for the season premiere. A part of me wishes that her being a judge would have remained a secret until much earlier, but I know the producers wanted to ensure an amazing ratings turn out.

The episode opens with different shots of the workroom, the number nine flashing (are they trying to remind of something?), and enough RuPaul catchphrases to anchor a boat with. I was especially creeped out by the lifesize statue of RuPaul they have now…I doubt the eliminated queens will be able to fit something that big in their overhead compartments on the plane ride home. And now Untucked will be sponsored by Hamburger Mary’s, but alas we the viewers aren’t getting a complimentary cheeseburger while enjoying the episode :-(

Peppermint is the first queen to enter the workroom and is stunning in her cyan kimono and microbraids (eat your heart out Moesha!). The first contestant to enter can either mess up their entrance when they realize they are alone, luckily it seemed like Peppermint was there to have fun!

The second queen to enter is Valentina, who is a vision in a scarlet red dress, and ornate flowers in her light brown hair.

Valentina’s talking head scenes feature a black turtleneck sweater with matching beret. She’s mentioned how dramatic and theatrical her drag is…so essentially she is the Latina Judy Funnie?

Would it be too much to ask to get a beat poetry response accompanied with bongos to what is going on in each episode from her? I didn’t think so.

Eureka walks in being very bubbly in a pink and baby blue polka dot ensemble. She is serving catfish, I just hope it comes with a side of hush puppies and okra! She definitely seems like two tons of fun to be reckoned with.

With oversized pink t-shirt dress and huge sunglasses, it seems Charlie Hides definitely wanted to establish her comedy queen niche quick, fast, and in a hurry.

Platinum Blonde bombshell Farrah Moan adorably struts herself into the workroom, wearing a silver chainmail dress that I think she borrowed from Toni Braxton. Charlie chides at Farrah’s youth…Now’s not the time to go all Wicked Queen mode.

Coincidentally Farrah, if Charlie ever offers you a shiny red apple, don’t eat it. She seems cute AND clueless.

Sasha Velour screams her way onto the scene, though in retrospect I’d have loved if she had scream “BALENCIAGA!” a la AHS Myrtle Snow. She’s dressed black from head to toe, looks like Sasha has prepped for everyone else’s funeral. Who doesn’t love a weirdo!

Near and dear to our hearts, Broadway baby Alexis Michelle was just a vision in that silver catsuit and lavender wig. Loved her quoting the musical, Gypsy. It is great to see that at least a few of the New York queens not only know one another but are friendly.

Apparently Shea Coulee did not come here to play, but slay! (I’d go on, but anymore rhyming and I’d start to sound like a bad Dr. Seuss book.] I bet Shea used the same Muppet dealer Pandora and Mimi used for her fluffy and fuzzy orange coat.

Trinity Taylor comes in, affirming that the body HAS arrived. She hates the stigma of being labelled a pageant girl…just not the stigma of plastic surgery. She won a pageant with Eureka taking first runner-up. Eureka says she is not impressed with Trinity. Could she still be bitter about losing to her? (DUH!)

Kimora Blanc walks in like a high-end Barbie doll, if she was anymore flawless, she’d be sold at Toys R Us stores around the country.

With an awkward puppet intro, in comes Jaymes Mansfield, ready to continually mystify and stupefy everyone around her. I’m scared she stole and repainted that Madame puppet for the show…

It seems Minnie Mouse’s sexpot cousin has escaped the Magic Kingdom to be on Drag Race this season, oh wait it’s just Nina Bo’nina Brown! She is confident and sassy and has already shown her makeup skills are enviable.

Last, but not least Aja arrives, quick to remind everyone she is the premiere drag queen of Brooklyn! Trinity is quick to remark she does understand where Aja’s confidence comes from. Apples and oranges people!

FINALLY “Ronnie” aka Lady Gaga enters the workroom and they all have the gag of the millennium! (Shout Out to Newark, NJ!)

“Mother Monster has arrived!” and they scream like it’s the second coming of Christ. Eureka tells Lady Gaga how much she really appreciates all she’s done. Lady Gaga comes off completely humbled and alacrative to the queens. It’s very refreshing. RuPaul comes down and sings and dances with Gaga and queens. Even bigger news is that no one is being eliminated from the premiere episode!

To commemorate this occasion, contestants will participate in the Miss Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve & Talent pageant. They will have to model two looks: one based their home city and the other as an homage to Lady Gaga.

Normally RPDR usually begins with the queens having a photoshoot and a sewing challenge, which I really enjoyed. You got to see their overall aesthetic AND their other skills. But since the show has grown in popularity, they have opted for more Extravaganza! Also, this season will DEFINITELY be the Year of the Clapback. From the first episode alone, everyone was ready with their quips and badinage.

Runway Over-Ru:

This episode was a double style challenge, with hometown pride and Gaga-inspired looks.

Starting the runway off was Peppermint, as Lady Liberty (we’ll talk about this in a bit) in an homage to 1940’s pageants

Valentina was flawless as a feminized version of a Mariachi in an homage to Mariachi Plaza in Los Angeles.

Eureka’s red-neck East Tennessee woman was non-descript but well-played. Charlie’s pilgrim tear away moment was Plymouth rocky at best, but still a great look (gotta practice those tearaways, girl!).

Neither of the Vegas Queens wore anything remotely Las Vegas, as the judges said Farrah looked like “Anna Karenina meets Game of Thrones” while I was getting more Carol Channing’s ‘Hello Dolly’ collection.

Kimora was just wearing a lace bodysuit and peacock feather headdress. Both she and Kimora could’ve gone full on showgirls.

I preferred Alexis’ and Sasha’s NYC looks as they were less obvious-I would’ve preferred Alexis’ leotard had the causes and hashtags embroidered or more neatly painted on, I feel it would’ve looked cleaner. Shea’s Chicago look was all Oscar Myer.

Trinity’s non-descript Orlando theme park look was a bummer…as was the “anal sun” on the back. Because of the airbrush it made the colors read muddy and dark.

I was let down on how pedestrian Jaymes’ Milwaukee look was. I really like her and felt had she stretched the cow direction she was going for (a full sequined cow print gown, a giant jewelled cowbell necklace, a cheese shaped clutch even!) would’ve really made her stand out more.

There were four queens representing New York City, two of which (Peppermint and Aja) did the Statue of Liberty. A city so full of different sights, sounds and subcultures and they decided to do a statue that’s technically in New Jersey?

Nina Bo’nina Brown was my absolute favorite-she was quite literally a Georgia peach. I was so impressed by her makeup work and the fact that she makes her prosthetics out of paper.

For the Gaga looks, talk about diverse(Nary a kimono in sight!) I was glad everyone did something different. That being said some worked better than others. Loved Nina Bo’nina’s red lace Gaga, Charlie’s white BAFTA ensemble and Valentina’s CFDA look.

Eureka wore the prison dress from the ‘Telephone’ MV which was great, but I’m hoping that the bald head/wig topiary is not going to be her go-to wig look, as I think it’ll get old…fast. Shea, Sasha, Aja and Farrah looked practically identical to the originals, although I was disappointed that Farrah doubted herself and didn’t tear away into that amazing armored breast latex bodysuit.

If you were going to take a chance, now would’ve been the time to do it-as no one would be eliminated! Kimora wore a Versace inspired bondage number which was pretty boring. I can hear Michelle now telling her “stop relying on that body”!

Jaymes’ Vogue look was okay, the dress was spot on, but the hair was messy looking and I felt like she was putting on “Gaga in Slumberland” because she felt uncomfortable being serious and felt safer with comedy.

Trinity’s AHS Countess look was infinitely better than her hometown pride outfit. But my number one Gaga? Alexis Michelle, who recreated Gaga’s Golden Globes gown. STUNNING. The dress (which she made!) paid attention to detail and fit like a glove.

This runway had hits and misses, but it’s clear these queens each have a strong sense of personal style and I’m looking forward to the season’s runway!

Jonny’s Favorite Moments:

NO KIMONOS!: Having Lady Gaga be a guest judge on the show was an amazing privilege. But with the ladies playing homage to some of Lady Gaga’s most iconic outfits had me excited….and slightly scared. Last season when the show paid tribute to Madonna, I was waiting to see some of the different outfits and looks that filled my childhood (her stigmata “Like A Prayer” outfit, Golden Globe winning Evita Peron, her MTV Music Video Awards’ “Vogue” wherein she was Marie Antoinette to name a few…) But my heart sank when I just saw a just barrage of kimonos a la “Nothing Really Matters”. I never realized how much that look really resonated with people, but could you imagine Madonna being there and seeing just a sea of kimonos? And what does Aja want to wear to give tribute to Mother Monster….a kimono. After the whole Kimonogate from the season before, and #KimonoYouDidnt becoming a running joke since then I thought contestants would want to steer clear of them for a while. While I understand Aja did have the actual kimono that Lady Gaga wore, I’m so happy Aja opted for the Comme Des Garcons dress.

Princess Peach: Nina Bo’nina Banana Fofana Osama Bin Laden Brown’s peachy keen face left me GAGGING! I love when queens on the show push the limits of aesthetics. I have always been impressed with Ninia’s makeup skills and this look cemented her as a strong contender in the season. Out of everyone, she had the simplest garment, but the makeup was that much more memorable.

The Girl with the Gold Globe: Alexis Michelle on the Lady Gaga’s runway homage was EVERYTHING. I was especially impressed that Alexis made the dress herself. Lady Gaga was one of the most glamorous and subtly gorgeous without the need for accessories or gimmicks.

Jonny’s Favorite Shadiest Moments:

Miss [Not So] Congeniality?: Eureka definitely seems like is out for blood against Trinity and I am definitely here for it!

Has the Dairy Queen Curdled?: Poor Jaymes Mansfield, she seemed to be a deer in headlights the entire episode. Maybe she’s overwhelmed? But every time I see her, I feel discomfort from her. I know people normally hide behind their jokes and comedy to alleviate stress and awkward situations. I just do not want to see her go home too early because of that. Even Lady Gaga had to tell her that she seems to be hiding behind her character.

Friday the 14?!: I heard through the grapevine that certain queen from a previous season would be returning for this new one. And the 14th contestant is NOT new, especially since RuPaul mentioned that this is a returning queen. I just rolled my eyes and hoped said rumor wasn’t true…but apparently, it was. It seems that Season 9 has been a Shangela, but if anyone starts screaming “Halleloo” I’ll be throwing my tv out of the window. My guttural reaction to this 14th Queen is..why? There really is no reason for this queen to be on this new season. The reason why Shangela came back, was because there was no All Stars at the time. Whoever this person is, if the producers thought they were so great and deserved to be on the show again, said queen should have just been on All Stars 2! As RuPaul said when she jokingly brought back Shangela for season 4, “It is time for new queens.”

Jonny’s Favorite Queen of the Episode:

Hands down it’s a tie between Alexis Michelle and Nina Bo’Nina Brown. They are both super strong and are forced to be reckoned with. Nina pretty much proved that less is completely more.

Jonny’s Least Queen of the Episode:

Trinity Taylor. She just reeks of entitlement. It’s one thing to be sure of yourself, it’s completely another act like you have already won the competition.

Predictions:

Will this 14th queen bring about the RuPocalypse?!…Also I’m guessing there will be a group challenge.

Anais’ Favorite Moments:

Season Nine, Baby!: A fresh start on a new channel will bring the show to another level-and the first episode did not disappoint. A first time non-elimination(see below), huge celebrity guest judge and “Contestant” (Ronnie is everything), two-look pageant challenge and surprise 14th Queen (It’s Ornacia, I just know it!) this season is gearing up to be a spectacular one.

Night of a Thousand Gaga’s: I really enjoy these interpreted looks, and allows us to see the queen’s craftiness and originality (well, most of the time anyway #KimonoYouBetterDont) I hope this is a runway challenge they will continue to have in other seasons.

Shantay you ALL stay: No one eliminated! The stigma (or astigmatism as Trinity would say,) with the first eliminated queens is that no one remembers them. Really and truly, I only remember two or three. Then when the finale/reunion rolls around we all find ourselves saying, “who’s that?” They’ve tried to break this in more recent seasons (the comeback queens on Season Seven, Naysha Lopez’s call in return on Season Eight) but it still remains. Thanks to a non elimination, it gives all the queens more screen time to shine and an extra episode to garner a larger fanbase.

Anais’ Favorite Shadiest Moments:

Whine and Cheese(cake): Farrah’s whining which has now garnered her the nickname “Blonde Bennett Glamsey” courtesy of Shea Coulee, and already circulating memes was equal parts adorable and annoying.

First Blood: Eureka’s shade sways in and out of charming and, well, mean. She’s gunning for Trinity, and tossing shade along the way is entertaining for sure.

Anais’ Favorite Queen of the Episode:

Nina Bo’Nina Banana Fofana Osama Bin Laden Brown. From the hilarious catchphrases, her vulnerability about her abilities and hopes that others believe in her and the slayed double runway, she’s definitely a frontrunner thus far.

Anais’ Least Favorite Queen of the Episode:

Kimora Blac, in addition to what comes across as a massive ego, her inability to be honest about her ahem, body of work, was an eye roller for sure. And it also looked like Michelle Visage wasn’t having it either during her declaration of being “Vegas’ hottest, thinnest Queen”.

Predictions:

Team challenge and first elimination time! The 14th Queen revealed! Next episode is going to be a bombshell!

NOTE: Most Gifs provided by LogoTV and PRF Memes

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profemanley · 6 years ago

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Camino de Santiago

Week Twenty-Five (May 30-June 5)

About eight months ago, when I began planning my sabbatical “world tour” I decided to add the Camino de Santiago to my itinerary. The many caminos, or routes, to the spiritual center of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, date back to the Middle Ages. While it would have been customary to walk from wherever you lived to the St. James Mecca, today the most popular route starts in France and runs through Spain, thus dubbed the Camino Frances. Way-marked routes begin all across Europe and are supported by a significant network of pilgrim groups around the world.

Prior to seeing (quite accidentally) the lovely film about the Camino by Emilio Estevez (and starring his wonderful father) a few years ago, I don’t think I’d even heard of this dense network of pilgrimage routes. If I had, I definitely hadn’t paid attention. In my early sabbatical planning stages, however, it kept appearing in my life in various ways. While I neither practice the Catholicism I was raised with nor regularly hike any significant distances, it seemed an odd choice. Yet somehow, given recent changes in my life as well as the completion of the tenure gauntlet and the publication of my first book, walking for 10-12 days through Europe felt more and more appealing. I decided upon the Camino Portuguese da Costa because it was less popular than the Camino Frances and ran along the Atlantic for many of its kilometers. At Christmas time last year my thoughtful family helped me stocked up on some of the things I needed (rain jacket and waterproof hiking shoes being two of those clutch items). After a mere cursory glance at the guidebook and a plan to begin in Porto, I put the whole thing at the back of my mind, only reeling it off when someone wanted to know the rest of the itinerary. By the time I got to the LASA conference in Barcelona, however, it was upon me and I hustled to get the rest of the plan together - where to leave my remaining luggage, how to get to Porto (and back from Santiago), and what the heck I was gonna pack in my pack for this two week trek.

Having figured most of this all out, I flew to Porto on Wednesday. I took mass transit into the city center, found a coffee shop, and decided to get a hotel room before taking off early the next day. The plan was then to spend the remaining nights in pilgrim hostels - big rooms with bunk beds and shared facilities, only for those walking the Camino, so I wanted a little space before I left to get organized. I also wanted to go to the Cathedral and get my credentials, which the hostels (albergues) and other business can stamp along the way as “proof” of your journey. I was glad I did, as I hadn’t realized the first day out of Porto was a 35km stretch, still one of the longer days I’ve had so far. Subsequent days I averaged around 30km, wanting to speed up a little to coordinate with the reservation I’d made in Madrid at the back end of the trip, but also to get off the somewhat set segments as the albergues were a bit crowded. The Camino Portugués is less traversed than the French, but rapidly rising in popularity and many people seemed to have the same guidebook I did.

The first night I stayed in a parish-run albergue in Vila do Conde and learned that if you arrive late you likely get a top bunk, which can be a pain, figuratively and literally. The pilgrim hostels are either private, parish run, or municipal. They tend to have several rooms with eight to twelve bunks, communal bathrooms and showers, and variously equipped kitchen, common rooms and laundry facilities. Thursday through Sunday I worked my way north along the Portuguese coast, often directly on the seaside, although occasionally through gorgeous old villages and hilly interior section, staying at local albergues withe mostly (unwashed on arrival) masses. The stretch between Viana do Castelo and Carreço was particularly enchanting, as was the mountainous route into Baiona (Spain) early the next week. Sunday afternoon I took the ferry across to Spain, entirely uneventful, and started slowly moving inland.

One of the highlights of those first days was meeting a couple from The Hague. We found each other at a particularly crowded albergue in Marinhas, bonded over laundry tasks, and grabbed dinner that night at a local restaurant. Despite an array of language barriers, you can certainly meet lots of people on the Camino. Not all of them, however, do you feel like sharing challenging, long treks with. Or at least, I personally enjoyed my solitude enough to favor it over poor company. Greg and Nikki, both musicians, were more than a delight, however, and we talked and laughed the next day all the way to Viana do Castelo. While I needed to push on to meet my Sunday terminal point, we’ve kept messaging through the rest of our journey. It felt like a really important reminder of the world’s vastness, but also the thrilling commonalities you can find in others. I’m only upset we didn’t get a photo together.

One of my aspirations for the trip was to rely only on the guidebook, trusting the maps and directions it provided, along with the way-marks provided in the streets along the way. I planned not to make reservations for lodging and to use my phone gps only in emergency situations (having turned off cellular data months ago). On the whole, it has been entirely feasible. However, Tuesday really tested the limits of both my patience and my body’s capacity to keep putting one foot in front of the other. That day I was still pushing a bit to get on track to arrive in 11 days, so I charted a plan for a 32km day, landing just north of the Galician city of Vigo. Sadly, the albergue I had planned on staying at had recently changed to a homeless shelter. After a disheartening exchange with the guard I was sent to the manager, who very brusquely shoved an English sign in my face that read: NOT FOR PILGRIMS. After I told him I understood, I asked if I could use the bathroom, hoping to set my wet things down for a minute and reassess. The answer was, unequivocally and rather harshly, no, with zero space for further questions. I stormed off, wet and angry, suppressing the urge to flip off the entire campus of the Hermanos Misioneros de los Pobres. In my frustration, I headed back to the route, looking for a cafe that was on my guide map. By the time I realized I must have passed it, I was up the mountain, past the city, and back in the woods. The next stop for lodging - or anything to speak of for that matter - was in another 12 or so kilometers. And it was raining, still, and not lightly. The one shining point of light was a tiny cafe that appeared the middle of nowhere, about 5km down the way, which proffered hot coffee, a spell of dry, and a sighting of two other pilgrims, all of which lifted my spirits. Needless to say, I put on an audio book, shielded my headphones from the rain, and tried to make my body override my mind. I rolled into Redondela about 13 hours and 45km after leaving Baiona, drenched and beyond exhausted. That night, I got a hotel room, with a washer, and vowed to slow down for the remaining five days.

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yuli-ban · 8 years ago

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Anarchy in Prague/Belle Grand-Mär Megapost

See, now this is a megapost. The goth one was only about two unique pictures. This one has three.

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Current theme song for Anarchy in Prague. Harkens back to the days when it was described as a “Stoner Rock Scott Pilgrim”.

Drawn by @dalf

She’s 27 at the time the story starts. She is literally on the edge of being a Millennial (I’m one of those who thinks the cut-off between Millennials/Generation Y and iGeneration/Generation Z should be 2001, but some say it’s actually 1996).

Drawn by @alouissever

If two people share a 1-Up, how would that work? Also, you can tell they’re getting close to 30 just by how stoned they look when, in fact, they’re trying to stay awake for New Year’s. I love this aspect of Anarchie, rambling about how Millennials are growing old and are no longer the dominant youth generation. In 2024 (which is 7 years away), there will be 40-something Millennials. I’ll be 30, holy fucking mother of fathers.

Drawn by @dalf

Muriel and Malfiore. Pan’s goth “girls”. Muriel’s, like, 28. However, Malfiore/Marie is 37. She’s still a Millennial, yo. 2024-37=1987. She’s a fucking ‘90s kid and she’s already growing some grays and finding the protoforms of what will one day become wrinkles.

Drawn by @alouissever

Arthur and his sister, Daria (yes, I know it was Darya; deal with it). Daria’s nonplussed about how childish Venus remains.

Drawn by @alouissever

I actually couldn’t find the bottom image for the longest time, so I think this is the first time I’ve posted it to Tumblr. See? It’s not all reposts. I kinda like how Venus looks like a ghost in the second picture, but Dalf forgot about the Saint Vitus logo! And yes, that’s a Pepper robot. I imagined that they might gain a bit more utility between now and 2024. Also, funny thing about Venus being a “hipster”. She’s actually not. She’s more of a moddie than a hipster. But since Arthur’s a hipster, she sometimes tries to be one ironically.

Drawn by @dalf

Arthur Tartakovsky, Venus’s ultra-hipster boyfriend. This was before he gained his ironic mustache. He used to be in an indie pop band in an earlier draft, but nowadays he’s still in an indie pop band. The actual change was his other hobby: before, he was a comic artist. Now he’s an indie game dev specializing in retro games and VR cyberpunk. The world of indie game devs can get hectic, especially in a tight job market. He has to deal with rival devs sabotaging each other and himself sometimes, which is why he developed electrokinetic powers.

Early sketches of the original trio. Only Venus has really changed visually. She was much less notable.

Drawn by @dalf

I already did the posts where @pan-pizza gets his nuts crushed. I see no reason why I should post them again other than to goad Pan into reblogging this megapost. Pan, do not reblog this.

Drawn by @alouissever

Drawn/animated by @spookyfishcakes

Drawn by @nicolas-px-art

Early form of Malfiore. She always wears Ed’s clothes (a la Ed Edd n Eddy), but it was much more faithful in the earliest sketches. Just ask Alouisse-Ver. Also, she used to have Daria’s hairstyle.

Muriel’s first sketch, back before she had her top hat. I created her as a loveletter to Pan Pizza and his gothosexual tendencies; Malfiore was always going to be a part of the story.

Drawn by @alouissever

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Anarchie’s still got a lotta stoner rock in it (Venus’s band and their scene mates are all either stoner rock or heavy rock), but even back in 2014 when I first created the story, I left some room for indie rock. Nowadays, they both take up an equal amount of space. If it ever becomes a movie or a cartoon, it’ll probably be the only one in history where the OST consists of Nebula, Kyuss, Radio Moscow, and Orange Goblin right alongside The Pillows, Kodaline, Arctic Monkeys, and Porno Mags. Radiohead one second, Pentagram the next.

And, for now, that’s all for Anarchie. I’ve yet to commission pictures of Kalo, Syd, Adamski, or Azura Meco, but those are coming. I’m just actually working on the story. Shocker, I know. Even I’m surprised. I just did a 30,000 word outline in about 10 days; the real rough draft should be finished by April.

And now for BGM, which is basically “Anarchie + Cyberdelic Pharmaceuticals”. The early posts here don’t show that off well, but the world will know...

Title card still pending.... I made that 3 yea— holy fuck, I made that three years ago?! How is it 2017 already?

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Pure stardream. It sounds like dreamrock, honestly. The moment I heard this, I knew I had found BGM’s BGM. No pun intended. It was either this or Stand Up.

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Belle. Belle Grand-Mär. British moddie, real name “Indira Elizabeth Jones”, elective mute, severe and antisocial, freeskating and freerunning traceause, yadayadayada. If Venus was a female Scott Pilgrim fused with Murdoc Niccals, Belle is Ramona Flowers + Haruko Haruhara + Ryuko Matoi + Garnet + a mime + Neku Sakuraba + a silent cartoon character. I’m glad I’m a writer. Try creating a silent character! You’d better have mastered visual emotion.

Aurora. Real name “Farideh Moradi”, Persian-Briton moddie, freerunning traceuse, Belle’s closest friend and whatnot. She literally got her name from the reference to the Aurora Borealis in A Flock of Seagull’s uber-80′s hit “I Ran (So Far Away)”. The 2020′s are basically the ‘80s with more cyberdelia, after all.

Bomb. Real name “Madeleine Violetta Dumont”, French moddie, actually dead and works as a psychokinetic grim reaper whenever she feels like it. Also Belle’s rival and foil. Freeskating traceuse. She was created in 2009 as the lead character in a story that was literally “JSRF: Jet Set Radio Future + The World Ends With You”. This is why she seems like someone badly took a character from each of those games and fused them together.

Drawn by @alouissever

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Parov Stelar’s beautiful little electroswing track. It’s so 2020′s. BGM has much more of a stardream atmosphere than the down-to-earth feel of Anarchie. There’s a lot more chiptune, dreamier rock, electrofunk, and whatnot. If you took the soundtrack to Super Mario Galaxy and Steven Universe, mixed it with the soundtrack to Jet Set Radio Future, and made it thrice as eclectic, you’d get something like BGM’s presumed BGM.

You may have noticed that all the characters for BGM thus far are moddies. That’s no mistake or coincidence— it’s a moddie story. It has a stronger character than Anarchie, to the point I can even call it when aspects of Anarchie “seem like something out of BGM”. Moddies are already getting started, though no one’s yet calling them moddies. But you see how vaporwave’s gotten so big? How neon and pixel art is dominating Tumblr? Seapunk and dyed hair are everywhere, everyone loves hallucinogenics, and everyone loves the ‘80s once more. Major Lazer, for the fucking win. Right now, we say that these are signs of hipsterdom. But in the 2020s, we’re going to look back and realize what it really was— the birth of the moddies. We’ve not yet reached the moddies— we still need a Transhuman Be-In, cheaper OLEDs, and a Sgt. Pepper moment for electronic music (where people stop seeing it as purely dance music). And I don’t see anyone who owns a robot like Pepper or ASIMO yet either. And while luminescent hair is definitely a thing, it’s not yet become a common thing. Nor has leaving up Christmas lights all year, or being obsessed with bright primary colors.

But we’re getting there. And the thing that will trigger the final separation between post-hipsters and moddies isn’t a Transhuman Be-In, but simply time: us Millennials are indeed growing older. I was born in ‘94, and I’m 22 going on 23. Millennials brought back hipsterdom, but ‘10s hipsters suffered a brutal blow due to the loss of Bernie Sanders and the rise of Donald Trump. Our whole zeitgeist became fragile. Hence why people are looking for harder music instead of the previously comfortably twee indie pop and nu-folk. Being vintage and authentic hasn’t helped us one bit, and the kids— those younger than ourselves— don’t believe in our ideals. They just see a blizzard. Some may mock the hair colors, but they secretly love it. They want something more than what Millennials are offering. They are loving several aspects of what’s big— aforementioned things like vaporwave, electronic music, dyed hair, cyberpunk revivalism, ‘80s and ‘90s love, etc.— but other aspects, they are eager to discard. There’s a strain of neo-futurism in the iGeneration, which isn’t surprising considering they were raised as something of a proto-cyborg generation.

And that’s the moddies in a nutshell. Kids who recognize they live in “The Future™” and wish to own it. They don’t just listen to electronic music because it’s cool; it also aids that whole sense of living in years that previous generations thought were purely sci-fi. They don’t see electronic music as just dance club/background music. They want electronic versions of prog rock and conscious hip hop. They’re more than happy to drop acid and fuck robots. They don’t love the obsession with a minimalist future with sterile colors— they want neon. Neon lights, neon paint, and a cyberdelic attitude. If that means making cities look like one giant rave, so be it. Because ha ha, they live in the Future.

You can forgive them for their incredible optimism; they’re just kids. And they want you to know it.

#Anarchy in Prague #moddie #indie #goth time #Scott Pilgrim #post-hipster #Belle Grand-Mär #hipster #2020s #neon rock #dreamrock #pixel art

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cfijerusalem · 8 years ago

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WILL US CUT FUNDS TO PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY?

A group of Republican Senators, led by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC,) proposed to cut off all U.S. funding to the Palestinian Authority in new legislation presented on Tuesday. The bill is called the “Taylor Force Act,” after an American citizen who was murdered in a terror attack in Israel in March 2016.

Taylor Force was killed on March 9, 2015 in a terror attack in Jaffa.

“Americans want to help the Palestinians, but not if that money ends up supporting terrorism,” Graham explained. He said that if the Palestinian Authority stopped the policy of financing convicted terrorists and their families, he would support the renewal of assistance to the Palestinians. “The victims of this policy of financing terrorists are Israeli citizens, American citizens, and also young Palestinians,” he added.

Graham said he believes the bill would soon receive support from some Democratic Senators as well. “If this comes to the floor, it will pass with support from both parties, and then the bill will be signed by the President. I’ve spoken to Democratic colleagues - it’s a matter of time before they endorse.”

In reply to a question from Haaretz about the position of AIPAC, the powerful pro-Israeli lobby, to the proposed legislation, Graham said that AIPAC wants to see some modifications to his bill and that his office was discussing the issue with the lobby group. In the past, Israeli officials, especially from the military and the security establishment, warned U.S. lawmakers against any cuts to American funding of the Palestinian Authority, since the Israeli security agencies rely on cooperation with their Palestinian counterparts to combat terrorism in the West Bank.

Graham said that he was open to discussing changes to his bill with AIPAC, but that he and his colleagues including Sens. Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Tom Cotton (R-AK) - will not budge on the main principle of the bill, “that American funding should not go to institutional support for terrorism.” Graham said, “This is an opportunity for our friends in AIPAC to join the effort,” and mentioned that the legislation was brought up during the meeting last month between U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO,) who supports the legislation and was present at the press conference, told Haaretz that “this is not about causing the Palestinian Authority to collapse - this is about causing them to change their ways. This outrageous support of terrorism has to stop. I hope they see the message we are sending here and stop what they’re doing. It’s important the American taxpayer money won’t be used for purposes that most Americans find absolutely appalling. The bill states that once they change the policy, the money will be sent again.”

TRUMP CONDEMNS ANTI-SEMITISM

President Trump said on Tuesday that the rise of anti-Semitism in the United States since his inauguration was “horrible” and “painful,” reacting publicly for the first time to mounting threats targeting Jewish people and institutions after he drew criticism for being slow to condemn them.

During a visit to the National Museum of African-American History and Culture, Mr. Trump said he was reminded of the need to combat hatred “in all of its very ugly forms.” He spoke one day after 11 bomb threats were phoned in to Jewish community centers around the country and a Jewish cemetery in University City, Mo., was vandalized.

“The anti-Semitic threats targeting our Jewish community and community centers are horrible, and are painful, and a very sad reminder of the work that still must be done to root out hate ...prejudice and evil,” Mr. Trump said.

The statement came after weeks of private complaints from leaders of major Jewish organizations to members of Mr. Trump’s inner circle, including his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, about the President’s seeming unwillingness to speak out forcefully against anti-Semitic acts. His failure to do so stoked concern among some Jewish leaders.

WHY DO CHRISTIANS LOVE ISRAEL?

An Israel Today writer said, “After Israel was miraculously restored from oblivion in the last century, Jews began to return from every nation to their ancient homeland. But they weren’t the only ones rushing to set foot on that storied land. Christians began flocking to the “Holy Land” as well.

The author continued, “At first, we came as tourists to visit the ancient churches and to walk where Jesus walked. Then God awakened us to see this re-born nation was a fulfillment of Bible prophecy, and we came as wide-eyed pilgrims. But as the years passed, God showed us something else. We saw in this restoration His everlasting love and compassion for His people who had suffered so much for so long. Often at the hands of those who called themselves Christians. And we began to understand and love the people as much as the land. And we came as friends.

Over the last 40 years or so, a number of ministries have arisen to help Christians bless the nation in many ways. From bringing Christians around the world to march in streets of Jerusalem waving banners of encouragement, to providing much needed physical and prayer support, to standing up for the nation in political forums, to encouraging tourism, and even more recently, bringing volunteers to help harvest crops.

Through it all, I believe God has been trying to show Jewish Israel (and us) how much He loves the descendants of Abraham, and how He has never forsaken them, even though it may have looked like it for a time. Isaiah anticipated this time of restoration when he wrote: “For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In an outburst of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting lovingkindness I will have compassion on you, says the LORD your Redeemer.” (Isaiah 54:7, 8)

In considering all this I realized this Christian attraction for Israel is not diminishing, but growing ever stronger. So you have to wonder– where is it all going? Is it, as many believe, just going to go away when we fly away in a secret rapture before the reign of antichrist? If so, I’d think that would reveal a deep shallowness in our recommitment to the Jews to “never leave you again,” as most of Christianity did during the Holocaust.

Or...does God have something else in mind for Israel and all the members of Messiah’s Body ready to receive it? I believe He does! And I believe He put it all in the Bible in advance so we’d know what was coming. It was just hidden. But as Yeshua told us, “Nothing is hidden, except to be revealed” (Mark 4:22).

That’s why I’m convinced by the Bible prophesies that there will be a miraculous migration of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of believers streaming into the land one day. But this time we will not be coming as tourists, or as pilgrims, or even as “Christians.” We will come, I believe, as mishpachah (Hebrew for “family”), the redeemed of the Lord. How many times have we sung in our churches this prophecy by Isaiah, understanding it pertained to all of us who are in Messiah?

“Therefore, the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion, and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads” (Isaiah 51:11a).

Where did we think Zion was? In Heaven? No, Isaiah was prophesying of a worldwide ingathering of God’s scattered children returning to Israel.

Some believe Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled by the recent Jewish return to Israel. But Isaiah clearly defined these happy souls as “the redeemed (or ransomed) of the Lord.” And as Scripture tells us, it is only those in Messiah who have been redeemed...”from the Law” and “your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers” (Galatians 3:13; 1 Peter 1:18). The Jewish nation has yet to experience that spiritual redemption.

Remember, also, how the high priest, Caiaphas, in plotting to kill Yeshua declared it was better that this man should die “so that the whole nation not perish?” John then commented that Caiaphas had unwittingly prophesied the truth that one man has to die for the sins of the Jewish nation. But then John added: “And not just for the nation only, but in order that he might also gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad” (John 11:52).

Who are these “children of God scattered abroad?” Clearly Yeshua was speaking about the “Gentiles” who would hear the Gospel and become sons of God. The ones he “purchased for God with his blood, men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9)

“Israel, you are not alone!” - Christians celebrating Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem

It’s been two thousand years since the Gospel net was cast forth from Jerusalem upon the nation’s shores. But God said a day would come when that net would be full. And then something new would begin. As Paul put it – “A partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” Then God would turn and display the same mercy to Jews as He showed us. And “thus all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:25, 26).

All the signs indicate that time has come. And for me, nothing testifies louder to it than to see the depth of love an ever growing number of God-fearing “Christians” have for Israel and her people. So get ready. I believe a tsunami of God’s children will soon be gathered from the nations to be united with their Jewish brethren in Messiah to become “one flock with one shepherd” (John 10:16).

As the prophet wrote: “My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd...and they will live on the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived” (Ezekiel 37:24, 25). (Article by Brian Hennessy)

“They shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow, and sighing, shall flee away... I, even I, am he who comforts you” (Isaiah 51:11b-12a).

In Messiah,

Lonnie C. Mings

Christian Friends of Israel - Jerusalem email: [email protected]

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shadowlineswriting · 8 years ago

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Lewis, Part 2

Remember that guy, C.S. Lewis, who wrote The Chronicles of Narnia? Well he wrote a bunch of other stuff, too!

The cool thing about Lewis is that he was a fiction writer and a scholar. His intellect can’t help but ooze over into his stories, but he does have a lot of interesting essays and exploratory works as well. He didn’t become a Christian until he was an adult, so much of his writing was done as he worked through his thoughts about religion and Jesus and Christianity overall.

I used to have a lot more of his essays but Lewis was a hardcore Anglican and I’m not, so I don’t agree with everything he says. Ergo, we are only going to discuss five more Lewis works here, and only two of them are nonfiction.

The two nonfiction books I own by C.S. Lewis are Mere Christianity and The Business of Heaven. Mere Christianity is a very popular book. In fact, Christianity Today voted it the best book of the twentieth century. The book discusses “Christianity” and what that really means, because so many religions claim to be branches of Christianity and yet we don’t always worship the same gods. He discusses the reasons Christians disagree with one another over doctrine and ultimately says that it has to do with the Laws of Right and Wrong, or the Law of Nature. In fact, the arguments have very little to do with the specifics of religion and a whole lot to do with morality.

He’s not wrong, in my opinion. I know I struggle with people who claim to be Christians and then say they are part of the Mormon church, or they are Catholic, or Jehovah’s Witnesses. Because for me, Christianity disagrees with some of the fundamental dogma of those other religions, and I have a hard time understanding why members of those religions can’t see it. Mere Christianity is the kind of book I should read about every other month or so because it helps everything make sense.

That’s just me, though.

When I was researching The Business of Heaven I found almost no information, which was confusing until I opened the cover. Turns out this is a one-year devotional that borrows a daily reading from Lewis’s works (and there are a bunch to draw from!). HOW COOL IS THAT. I can’t tell you how I feel about the book until December 31st, obviously, but I’ll get back to you on that. I’m keeping both of these books.

The other three fiction books I have of Lewis’s are The Pilgrim’s Regress, The Dark Tower and Other Stories, and The Screwtape Letters. I have a lot to say about all of these so I’ll try not to ramble, but...well, if the past is any indication, you should probably go get a snack or something.

The Pilgrim’s Regress--To be completely honest, I thought this book was just another version of The Pilgrim’s Progress and that’s why I bought it initially. That is not the case. While Lewis does borrow Bunyan’s style and general plot points (namely, the idea of a man going on a literal journey to find God), this work is actually allegorical for Lewis’s own journey. It’s not that this is a BAD book...but unless you want to debate philosophical thought processes page after page, it IS a boring book. It received terrible reviews, to the point where Lewis actually wrote an explanatory preface in later editions. The best part about this book is that it quotes my favorite Tolkien poem a few times. So I’m glad I read it, but it’s definitely out.

The Dark Tower and Other Stories--Published posthumously, this is a collection of short stories and partial manuscripts found in Lewis’s collection after his death. The stories are fun. He wrote a science fiction piece about Medusa living on the moon. He discussed a blind man who gained his sight but couldn’t understand what light was (because really, how WOULD you explain light to someone who’d never seen it?). “The Shoddy Lands” may be one of my favorite pieces ever because it’s incredibly thought-provoking. And I found “The Dark Tower” to be frankly kind of messed up, but also frustrating because they only recovered part of the manuscript. We’ll never know how it ends. This is a great collection of very diverse stories, though, so it stays!

The Screwtape Letters--Imagine me rubbing my hands together gleefully and you’ll get a sense of how much I love this book. It is, literally, a collection of letters. Each one is addressed to “My dear Wormwood” and signed by “Your affectionate uncle, Screwtape.” At first it just seems like Screwtape is sending his nephew advice on how to be a terrible person, but it doesn’t take long before you realize that Screwtape is actually a senior demon instructing a younger demon how to keep his human “patient” an unbeliever instead of a Christian.

It is disturbing.

I’m not a huge fan about books on demons (although we do have another one in the Ls coming up!), but when they’re done with chilling accuracy, I do love them. This is such a one. Screwtape is a slimy but brilliant demon who seems to find a loophole for any Christian motive. When his nephew’s patient starts to wonder about God, Screwtape tells Wormwood to distract him. “They find it all but impossible to believe in the unfamiliar while the familiar is before their eyes,” he writes. And it’s so true. “Do remember that you are there to fuddle him.”

I wish all atheists would read this book.

There are too many reasons I love this book to explain them all to you, but if you’re a Christian, the next time you’re frustrated or upset you should take a reeeeaaaalllly good look at where that’s coming from. This book STAYS.

A little food for thought from Screwtape:

“We want him to be in the maximum uncertainty, so that his mind will be filled with contradictory pictures of the future, every one of which arouses hope or fear. There is nothing like suspense and anxiety for barricading a human’s mind against (God). He wants men to be concerned with what they do; our business is to keep them thinking about what will happen to them.”

“I know we have won many a soul through pleasure. All the same, it is His invention, not ours. He made the pleasures: all our research so far has not enabled us to produce one.”

“It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one — the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”

“The best of all is to let him read no science but to give him a grand general idea that he knows it all.”

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travelita · 4 years ago

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Interview Jen Nilsson

1. Okay, Miss Jen, what was the specific incident that got you to this interview?

The specific instance was Feb. 14, 2018, Valentine’s Day or, as I think of it, diagnosis day. The day that my partner was diagnosed with cancer. He was 40 years old when he was diagnosed and 40 years old when he died not even four months later.

I. Changed. Everything.

I quit my job and took off for London with a one-way ticket, thinking it would be a four-month trip to rest and grieve. I stayed out there for 18 months of wandering through Europe and Asia, coming home only after I walked 500 miles across Spain on the Camino de Santiago where I found some form of peace on the trail.

2. What has earned you the right to be an authority on this topic?

I used to believe I needed a partner to travel. I dreamed of seeing the world, but I always pictured a man beside me, sipping rosé in a Parisian café or learning to surf in Bali.

When Jeff died, I realized that life is too short to wait to follow your dreams. He wanted to travel but made it to Europe just once. I know it was a great trip because I followed in his footsteps as part of my own travels, but he wanted to see so much more, and he just didn’t get the chance.

As he was dying, I promised him that I wouldn’t waste a single day that I am gifted. No more working jobs that suck the soul out of me; no more delaying my dream to see the world; no more postponing my goal to be a writer and an author. Life is too short.

Honestly, that promise was more to me than to him. Jeff was someone who always lived life to the fullest. It’s one of the many lessons that he taught me.

3. What is your brand, your topic exactly about?

My mission is to inspire people to follow their dreams, whatever those dreams may be, and to follow them now. I encourage would-be solo travelers to make that first trip and would-be entrepreneurs to take that first step.

I also remind single people that it’s OK to be single. This is developing into a major platform for me as I am finding this whole group in the world that feels stigmatized and ostracized at times. Like there is something wrong with them because they are single.

I believe it’s far more important to be in a healthy and happy relationship that takes longer to find than it is to be in an “OK” relationship that came about at the right time.

It’s important to seek more from life. To travel deeper, live sweeter, and seek more. Unapologetically.

My motto is: Solo, Sustainable, Seeking. My hashtag is: #WanderWithLove

4. Why is it important?

We so often postpone our dreams until “the time is right” when we do not know if time is on our side. My partner was a robust, 40-year-old, six-foot-three-inch source of laughter and love. Cancer took him in less than four months from his diagnosis. You just never know. The time is right to follow your dreams right now.

5. Now that I know what it is, now that I know why it’s important and relevant, how are you implementing this on your travels? I mean like, is there a process, that you follow when traveling?

When I travel, I now seek to push myself outside of my comfort zone. This started by following in Jeff’s footsteps, tracing his itinerary from his dream trip and what turned out to be his literal trip of a lifetime. I loved experiencing new things and seeing the world in a new way.

Jeff loved festivals, so I started going to festivals and concerts, sometimes solo. Jeff loved to swim, so I took scuba diving lessons (though this turned out to be an epic failure and I am now a scuba-school dropout).

The “old me” would never have considered a pilgrimage across Spain. I had never walked or hiked more than eight miles! But I strapped on a backpack and walked 500 miles on the Camino de Santiago.

I love pushing my own boundaries when I travel. I see so much more of the world and of myself this way.

My process? The key is to say “yes’ to at least one thing that would be a “no” in the “real world” back home. Some quick tips for traveling deeper:

Try slow travel. Stay in one place longer rather than seeing as many cities as possible on a trip.

Stay in a neighborhood rather than in the center of the action and check out the local pub. The bartender always knows the goings-on in the neighborhood.

Check out a local event: a book reading, live music, poetry slam, etc. Find these events on community boards in coffee houses, bookshops, or the local pub.

Learn to shop at the local market from a food tour. I find these on Airbnb Experiences.

Shop for food at the local market and cook at least one meal this way.

Look for offbeat stuff on Atlas Obscura.

See the sunrise at least once (either by staying up too late or getting up very early…both count!)

That’s just a few but there are many ways to get beyond the tourist attraction and travel deeper.

6. What if people took advantage of your tips and steps you are providing? What will happen, how will their travels change?

Life-changing moments seem to exist outside of the comfort zone. That’s why our lives are so defined by our travel experiences. We went somewhere new, saw something new, and became someone new.

7. Now we would like to get just some general information about you and your travels:

– When did you start traveling?

July of 2018

– Do you remember how you felt when you traveled alone for the first time?

Terrified. I was heavy with grief and burdened with a bag that was far too large. But the fog started to clear on that first early morning walk through London. I seemed to get lighter with every step of my travels. (And now I’ve spent 35 days with nothing but a day bag on my back!)

– How did you, or do you deal with fears?

Most of the time, I just push through them. I say “yes,” close my eyes and plunge. It is important to acknowledge those times, though, when pushing beyond your comfort zone has reached a point of pure discomfort. I just couldn’t enjoy being underwater, so I dropped out of my scuba-diving certification. I’m glad I tried it. But I’m at peace with my decision to walk away from it because, for me, it was all fear and no fun.

– Is there a place where you have been and you would definitely not recommend it for women on their own and why?

Deba in Basque Country, an autonomous region of Spain. Beautiful town, but when I was there they had signed up that read: “remember tourist, you’re not in Spain anymore”. It felt threatening.

– Do you still have this excitement, when you go for a trip?

This can be summed up in one word: YES!

– what are your top 5 destinations and why?

Southeast Asia is AMAZING for solo travelers. People are surprised when I recommend Asia over Europe, but it’s so much easier to travel in Asia because the economy is set up to help tourists. And many places are extremely cheap for tourists. You can stay in a really nice hotel in Thailand for $20 USD.

My favorite destinations for solo travelers:

Mae Hong Son Loop in Thailand

Luang Prabang in Laos

Bali in Indonesia

Hanoi in Vietnam

Frankly, everywhere in Vietnam

– The funniest story that happened to you when traveling?

I call it Stickgate, the day when two fellow pilgrims stole our walking sticks when my friend and I were walking the Camino del Norte. Let me just emphasize here that when you are walking 500 miles across Spain, everything that you carry with you becomes very important; walking sticks and hiking boots are just the most important items!

We set out on that morning on the Camino with a mission to find our sticks. Luckily, we were helped by the operator of our albergue (pilgrim hostel) who piled us into his little car and took off along the route, careening around corners at high speeds that sending me sprawling across the backseat.

When we passed by two pilgrims with our sticks, we could hardly believe that we had found the culprits. The moral of the story here is that a kind stranger took what could have been a horrible moment on the Camino de Santiago into a hilarious adventure that is one of our fondest memories from our pilgrimage. The video that I shot (while spilling all over the backseat of a speeding vehicle!) really tells the tale.

8. Call to action – what do you want people to do?

Follow your dreams. NOW. Life is too short to wait.

Thank you for the interview!

Wander with love,

Jen

Find Jen on social media: @lensofjen

http://youtube.com/thelensofjen

Free your travels, be a Travelita! #travelita #iamatravelita

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ciathyzareposts · 5 years ago

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Darklands: Von Eschenbachs Represent!

The dangers of low reputation.

It’s becoming clear that a large part of Darklands is developing the party’s fame. Fame gives the party access to more political and economic leaders, and thus more quests, and thus more rewards, and thus more fame. This eventually leads to the main quest? I’m still not certain about that. But in a game where the ultimate goal is to retire with a high score, fame is a key metric. Since I began the game, my party has progressed from 0 to 168 (“modest reputation”). I started at 95 (“barely known”) for this session.

The party’s status at the end of this session.

Related to fame, but not the same thing, is local reputation. I gather that fame is a global measure while local reputation has more to do with how the immediate region sees you. You can be famous and still despised by a particular city. In general, cities seem to be warily neutral towards the party, no matter what fame they’ve achieved elsewhere, until they start doing things for that city. But it’s much easier to gain local reputation. One night of killing alley thieves is enough to get you to “respected” level, and a single robber knight quest makes you “a local hero.”

Sneaking into a robber knight’s castle.

I thought one approach might be to build local reputation over a certain value (say, 50) in a systematic order as I worked my way through the cities. As this session began, I had just sneaked my way into Schleswig, where my reputation was -20 and guards were actively looking to arrest me. I got it to the positives (albeit single digits) by spending several nights hunting thieves. It’s not a bad way to spend time. My armor is good enough that the thieves don’t even do any damage by now, and I still occasionally improve weapon skills by clonking them on their heads.

While dealing with thieves helps with local reputation, it seems to do nothing for overall fame. For that, you need to accomplish things outdoors or to finish quests. Killing robber knights adds a reliable 10 points to fame and also significantly increases local reputations in the towns that gave you the robber knight quest. By the time I left Schleswig, I had 4 quests to kill the same robber knight, and I picked up another 2 in Hamburg. Unfortunately, that robber knight was again Anton Seibt. I guess the game just keeps re-using the same names for robber knights in the same region, no matter how many times you kill them. That breaks the immersion a bit.

How many times do I have to kill you?!

This session, I kept careful note of what actions led to what effects on reputation and fame. This is what I noted.

Killing a robber knight: +10 to fame, +50-60 in local reputation at city where quest was given

Retrieving an artifact from a shrine: +10 to fame (even before turning it in to the quest-giver)

Donating money to a small village church: +3 to fame (may not be consistent)

Killing a pack of alley thieves: Between +1 and +3 to local reputation.

Getting rejected for an audience with the leader of a city: -1 to local reputation.

Getting physically ejected from the city hall: -10 to local reputation.

Attacking city guards: -40 to local reputation

Actions that didn’t have any effect, which surprised me: trying to sneak or coax my way into or out of cities; giving money or escorts to traveling pilgrims; bribing guards; donating large amounts to churches; rescuing merchants from bandits; destroying villages practicing witchcraft; or killing bands of roving marauders in between cities. I also didn’t find any actions that had a negative effect on fame.

Getting a miscellaneous artifact quest.

In this session, I spent over a year moving randomly around the landscape. I mean that literally. Every time I reached a crossroads, I used a random number generator to determine which path I took. Yes, sometimes this took me backwards, but I almost always had as many quests (or quest rewards) in my backpath as in any of the forward options.

Upon reaching a city, I settled in to a comfortable pattern, at least assuming it was a new city and my reputation was 0:

Enter during the day

Immediately head for the Kloster or university and ask to study a saint. That process usually takes until nightfall. Donate money if I need the divine favor.

Spend the first night killing thieves, so as to boost my reputation to “respected.”

The next day, visit the political leader and the Fugger, Medici, and Hanseatic League representatives for quests.

Sell any excess equipment in the markets and look for potions and potion ingredients to buy.

Rest at the inn if I needed it; otherwise, continue on.

Purchasing potions is a good way to get rid of excess money–fast.

In between the cities, I’ve killed numerous robber knights. I purged at least three villages of Satanism. (Each one offered me a hint about where the Satanists would next meet to “get revenge,” but I’ve always been too far away to get there in time.) I killed a couple of lords who were oppressing their peasants. I’ve escorted and donated to countless packs of hapless pilgrims. I’ve killed so many bandits and highwaymen that I must be approaching a whole percentage of the population. I’ve recovered several artifacts from pagan altars. I’ve fought off wolves, boars, spiders, and schrats in the dozens.

I’ve come to not like the quests in which I’m asked to sneak into a Fugger, Medici, Hanseatic, or other office in the middle of the night and retrieve documents or something. Success in these missions involves a sequence of skill checks, starting with sneaking into the market in the first place, then actually opening the doors. Sometimes, the doors are trapped, and several times, they’ve refused to open even when I have an NPC with a high “Artifice” skill. They often give me the option to use “Eater-Water” potions (which never work) or “Thunderbolt” potions (which inevitably summon the guards). If I happen to be successful, the rewards are low, and I think it might lower my local reputation. I’m probably going to stop doing these missions.

I’m not even sure he’s telling me the whole story.

I had meant to return to Goslar eventually and finish that “knocker” quest. Now I’m hearing rumors that the mine at Freiburg is having the same problem. I’m not sure if this means there are two potential mine quests, or if I waited too long in finishing the first one. I guess the only way to tell is to return to Goslar and see if I can resume.

A couple of interesting things happened regarding the Wild Hunt. In a couple of cases in which I heard the Hunt approach, I perceived that it was after a helpless schrat–a hairy “wild man” of Germanic legend who I suppose is equivalent to Bigfoot or the yeti. Both times, I saved the schrat, who rewarded me with an increase in strength for one character. Later, a holzfrau–a female schrat–showed up a few times to warn me of an approaching Wild Hunt. She told me that I could protect myself from the Wild Hunt if I learned of St. Wenceslaus. As it happens, I know quite a good deal about Wenceslaus and flesh and wine and pine logs hither, but I suppose my characters don’t. I haven’t been able to find a Kloster that teaches of him. This would be more of a priority if my party got seriously beat up by the Wild Hunt, but it’s always just one hunter, and it’s not hard to kill him.

A holzfrau helps protect me against the Wild Hunt.

I had been so used to thinking of the schrats as friends that I was surprised when a group of them attacked me later in the game. There didn’t seem to be any “noble” way to avoid the combat, so I reluctantly killed them.

Fighting schrats. I thought they were my friends!

Miscellaneous notes:

The mayor of Flensburg has given me the quest to kill Anton Seibt three times and has never rewarded me for it once. The quest utility says that all three are still active.

Nothing has ever happened to me at the clothmakers’ guild. I only ever get options to leave.

I’m sure glad I visited!

Similarly, reading notices, engaging in gossip, and listening for rumors only ever produces the same notice prohibiting people from being out at night.

During this session, Lambert achieved a skill of 45 in “Healing,” and now my characters regenerate 3 points per rest session. That really makes a difference.

Lambert studies while everyone else just relaxes.

The save game system is a bit annoying. Every time you save, the game generates a new file. To whatever name you give the file, it prefixes your current location and date. It then precedes to sort these files in absolutely random order, so it’s a hunt to find your last save, and you have to constantly delete the excess.

What is the logic of this order? It is neither by date, nor alphabetically by location, nor alphabetically by the name I gave the file.

It took me this long in the game to realize that the “leader” is different than the person at the head of the “marching order.” This is why I got kicked out of every alchemist’s shop for the first 20 hours. Somehow, the leader had been set to Bianca, who has the worst charisma and speech skills, and for at least two game sessions, she’s been doing all my bargaining and coaxing. It’s a wonder I’ve been successful at anything.

That Bianca passed this particular skill check–which resolved the situation at the top of this entry–is a miracle.

Towards the end of the session, something happened that I think may be the first step–or an early step–on the main quest. While sheltering from a blizzard one night near Passau, everyone in the party had the same dream. It started with a terrible demon looming over a bloody altar stone while crazed Satanists danced nearby. In succession, we then saw an ancient monastery populated by monks wearing white robes with blood-red crosses, and two seals that broke apart to reveal seven paths on the other side, each path with its own terrors–famine, fire, storms, poison, etc.–that slowly grew to overcome the world.

You all awaken from the dream in the early morning sunlight. There is no doubt that you have been called. The only question is, what should you do now? As in most dreams, there is no clear path of action only premonitions.

True, but I have a couple of ideas. One involves returning to the northern part of the map and trying to find the seer that I encountered early in my career. The second is running around to the small villages until I find one where the residents are practicing satanism and swear revenge at a time and place I can actually reach. Whatever the case, this new mystery came along at just the right time. Things were starting to get repetitive.

The party has a vision out of Revelations.

I’ve compiled enough information now about combat and potions that I think I can finally focus on those things for my next entry.

Time so far: 36 hours

source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/darklands-von-eschenbachs-represent/

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