#grace elkin

[pollocklegacy]

Lauren & Cody’s Wedding

July 5, 2027

[plethoraworldatlas]

In reading Marcia's review of her experience with Shadowdark, I contemplated on how I run my own OSE games. This is also fresh on my mind because I am running Miranda Elkins' fantastic Nightwick. Its all about distilling things down to the interesting choice and eliminating the non-interesting one.

Basic Equipment: I am thinking about charging my players a flat rate for all basic dungeoneering equipment that is rolled into weekly expenses-- so 7sp a week for expenses plus ~3-5sp for pick of equipment

Not interesting:  Cost of equipment, especially down to coppers

Interesting: Scarcity (what if there is no 50' rope this week?) and how many slots PC dedicates to basic equipment

Light: Due to torch cost and number per slot, it is easy to carry a lot of torches.

Not interesting: Carrying enough light to last 12-24 turns- easily done

Interesting: When torches extinguish-- like in the middle of a fight or when the goblins you are negotiating with get mad; how many hands in the party are occupied by torches

This is why I prefer to use the overloaded encounter die to simulate inopportune moments when a torch is snuffed out- gust of wind, dripping slime, bucket of sand thrown by a sneaky goblin. And with regards to hands, holding a torch potentially lowers AC, removes a weapon, or makes spell casting delayed (need both hands). One saving grace: torches are an improvised weapon that do 1d4 dmg and are on fire.

Stuck Doors: I now commonly interpret the 2-in-6 chance as a basic surprise roll. If they players fail it, they make a loud noise and alert anything on the other side of the door, but open it next round.

Not interesting: Rolling a d6 over and over again to see if PCs finally break down a door

Interesting: Seeing if PC get surprise on whatever is on the otherside; if additional equipment is brought to deal with doors

I usually like the idea that a crowbar allows and additional 1d6 rolled per individual with one.

Rations: This is similar to the situation with light, its easy to carry enough food/water for 2-4 hours which is more likely the time frame of a dungeon delve-- not a camping trip.

Not interesting: Tracking both food and water separately for nominal circumstances

Interesting: How many PCs carry rations; will rations be used for other things (like distracting monsters) or saved to avoid fatigue

For me the nature of rations are both food and water abstracted. So if a player want to use food as a distraction, mark off 1 rations. If a player wants to douse a small fire, use 2 rations as you frantically empty out a water skin and try to put out the fire consuming the spell book.

Secret Doors & Traps:  Two dungeon features that are opposite sides of the same coin. Really I think Chris McDowall has written some of the best bits on this that boil down to "traps are puzzles" and not really "gotcha".

Not interesting: Situations where the PCs have to pick the exact right spot and roll a 1-2 in 6

Interesting: Adding in environmental clues or other sources of information that allows discovery by players investigating the fictional environment

Now, I will keep both rolls as a back-up for either PCs not having a good idea and/or a back-up for perhaps me being unable to convey the fictional environment properly in the moment.

Weapons: I've yet to find a really good way to do weapons simply outside of 1d6 damage for all types. I don't mind BX's variable weapon damage. And I do like some old rulesets sorta "first strike" if your weapon is larger than an opponents other wise smaller, lighter weapons strike first in subsequent arounds.

So here is what I have got so far: Using a weapon two-handed is a +1 to damage, using an off-hand weapon is +1 to-hit, and a shield is of course +1 AC. I do like that fighters with bows can shoot twice if they did not move and the "cleave" ability.

Not interesting: Weapon factors that are so extensive they require a separate rules discussion, trigger player obsession, and/or orient the whole of gameplay to combat

Interesting: What PCs chose to do with their hands: more armor, more weapons, or more light

So that is it for now, if you'd like to see more of my house rules here is my post on the Serpent Song Hymnal. I hope to have a sorta player version created sometime soon but I'm still trying to dial-in what my go-to "french vanilla" D&D is like.

[randomestfandoms-ocs]

Newly Named OCs

thank you thank you thank you @cecexwrites for talking me off the edge of a metaphorical cliff and helping me figure all of this out let's go

Upcoming Plot Bunnies (not going to share details now bc I'll post their asks once I make headers)

Vanya Baker – Gilmore Girls, x Max

Lillie Ledger – Bridgerton

Theodosia Byrd – Bridgerton, x Benedict

Samira Devlin – Supernatural

Archie Quinton – Doctor Who

Zenais Rosier – Harry Potter, x Pansy

The Society

Claire Tomkins ( Olivia Holt ) — Elle’s twin sister, thinks Campbell is a sketchy ass bitch

Luca Clarke ( Froy Gutierrez ) – poly Sam & Grizz OC, chaotic rich football player and leads the guard after Grizz goes on the expedition, hates Campbell

Camryn Clarke ( Madelyn Cline ) – poly Hallie OC, Luca's step sister and best friend, also Harry's best friend, rich bitch wild child

Jurassic World (blame Cece)

Joss Murphy ( Madelyn Cline ) – Lex's daughter, head empty

Courtney Krill ( Kristine Froseth ) – Vivian's younger sister, waitress on the island, x Matthew Steele

Matthew Steele ( Tom Holland ) – bar tender on the island but wants to one day work in the research & development department, x Courtney Krill

Miles Shepherd ( Chris Evans ) – runs security on whichever exhibit Devon runs, x Devon Grady

Elijah Lewis ( Dylan O'Brien ) – head 100% empty, x Raegan Mitchell

Everest Ledger ( Tom Hiddleston ) – head empty, future oc ship but can't decide between a few options

Tanner Kane ( Brenton Thwaites ) – head empty, future oc ship but can't decide between a few options

Kai Forrest ( Josh Hutcherson ) – head empty, future oc ship but can't decide between a few options

Decker Haynes ( Dwayne Johnson ) – head empty, future oc ship but can't decide between a few options

OUAT

Ariana Galanis / Ariadne Bayern ( Nicola Coulghan ) – Bluebeard's final wife, but Bluebeard is Peter Pan. Hook rescued her from being the latest sacrifice and hid her in the Enchanted Forest, but then the curse happens

Marigold "Goldie" Thistle / Thumbelina ( Sabrina Carpenter ) – Thumbelina, fairy princess, just vibes

Kieran Iverson / Ambrose Morvan ( Aaron Tveit ) – in the Enchanted Forest he was a travelling musician/writer but Regina killed his first love, he ended up leading a band of rebels fighting against her reign, tbd what he's doing in Storybrooke, x Pearl Gale

Bridgerton

Hermione Bridgerton ( Millie Bobby Brown ) – Hyacinth's twin, just vibes

Callum Linfield ( Henry Goulding ) – head empty just vibes, x Euphemia Bridgerton

Thomasin Elkins ( Anne Hathaway ) – widow in the ton, friends with Violet & Agatha (and Charlotte?), ends up starting a flirtation with Jon Lockwood which soon turns into more

Narnia

Molly Pevensie ( Millie Bobby Brown ) – Lucy's twin, ends up back in Narnia before them in Prince Caspian, has to survive alone when there are no Narnians to help or protect her and ends up befriending Caspian

Recasts / Updates

Eulalia Rosier ( Kacey Rohl ) – Carissa Rosier's new name

Lea Aldrich ( Grace Van Dien ) – Zoe Aldrich's new name / face

Mandy Holbrook ( Olivia Scott Welch ) – Mandy Holbrook's new face

Eilwony ( Kiernan Shipka ) – Eilwony's new face

[isabellehemlock]

stannide • Ansel Elkins • Roland Barthes • Josh Alex Baker • Ilya Kaminsky

Louis & emotions and Catholicism

Sources and image descriptions under the cut

Images via pinterest: x, x, x, x, x

First quote:

In me burns the most Catholic of longings: to devour the divine

First image:

A black and white still from episode one of Louis embracing Lestat in the church, accepting his offer to be his companion.

Second quote:

Let it be known: I did not fall from grace, I leapt to freedom.

Second image:

A black and white still of Louis and Lestat kissing on the steps near the altar. They are framed by the scenery within, pews to their sides, and a large crucifix hanging behind the altar.

Third image:

I am condemned to be a saint or a monster: unable to be the one, unwilling to be the other.

Third quote:

A black and white still of Louis looking up into the night sky in frustration and revulsion, about to bite into his flesh to satisfy the bloodlust.

Fourth quote:

I will never admit to him that his love feels like a tease from a God. A gift I only deserve as a prelude to punishment.

Fourth image:

A black and white still of Louis looking at Lestat off camera from episode six. He is conflicted by Lestat’s words, and his love for him, but is resolved to stand his ground in maintaining his silence at his efforts.

Fifth quote:

At the trial of God: we will ask: why did you allow all this?

And the answer will be an echo: why did you allow all this?

Fifth image:

A black and white still from the season finale, right after Lestat is murdered. Louis is covered in blood and staring down at the result of both his love and rage, a reflection and resignation for his own free will - God was not here.

[princesssarisa]

The Top 40 Most Popular Operas, Part 4 (#31 through #40)

A quick guide for newcomers to the genre, with links to online video recordings of complete performances, with English subtitles whenever possible.

Donizetti's Don Pasquale

Another comedy of manners with a melodic bel canto score.

Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, 2003 (Alessandro Corbelli, Eva Mei, Antonino Siragusa, Roberto de Candia; conducted by Gérard Korsrten)

Verdi's Macbeth

The first of Verdi's great Shakespearean operas.

Zürich Opera, 2001 (Thomas Hampson, Paoletta Marrocu, Roberto Scandiuzzi, Luis Lima; conducted by Franz Welser-Möst)

Beethoven's Fidelio

Beethoven's only opera, a drama of love, courage, and idealism in the face of political corruption.

Vienna State Opera, 1979 (Gundula Janowitz, René Kollo, Hans Sotin, Manfred Jungwirth, Lucia Popp; conducted by Leonard Bernstein)

Gounod's Faust

One of the most wildly popular operas in the 19th and early 20th centuries: a melodic French interpretation of the Faust legend.

Vienna State Opera, 1985 (Francisco Araiza, Gabriela Benacková, Ruggero Raimondi; conducted by Erich Binder)

Richard Strauss's Salome

Strauss's one-act operatic translation Oscar Wilde's erotic and powerful Biblically-inspired play.

Teatro Comunale di Bologna, 2010 (Erika Sunnegårdh, Mark S. Doss, Robert Brubaker, Dalia Schaechter, Mark Milhofer; conducted by Nicola Luisotti)

Puccini's Gianni Schicchi

Puccini's only comic opera, a rollicking one-act farce inspired by a passage from Dante's Divine Comedy.

Teatro alla Scala, 2008 (Leo Nucci, Nino Machiadze, Vittorio Grigolo, Cinzia De Mola; conducted by Riccardo Chailly)

Verdi's Don Carlo

A grand, tragic historical drama of politics, love vs. duty, intergenerational conflict, friendship (of the vaguely homoerotic variety), and abuse of power.

Metropolitan Opera, 1983 (Plácido Domingo, Mirella Freni, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Louis Quilico, Grace Bumbry, Ferruccio Furlanetto; conducted by James Levine)

Bellini's Norma

A great bel canto soprano vehicle, depicting a tragic love triangle amid the Roman conquest of Gaul.

Sydney Opera House, 1978 (Joan Sutherland, Margareta Elkins, Ron Stevens, Clifford Grant; conducted by Richard Bonynge)

Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos

A unique "opera within an opera" that explores the themes of comedy vs. drama and "low art" vs. "high art."

Salzburg Festival, 1965 (Hildegard Hillebrecht, Sena Jurinac, Reri Grist, Jess Thomas; conducted by Karl Böhm)

Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice (Orpheus and Eurydice)

A groundbreaking early Classical interpretation of the Orpheus myth, replacing the pageantry of Baroque opera with "noble simplicity."

Feature film, 2014 (Bejun Mehta, Eva Liebau, Regula Mühlemann; conducted by Vaclav Luks) (no subtitles; read the libretto in English translation here)

[jules-has-notes]

Grow Old With You — VoicePlay music video

For their first music video of 2019, the gentlemen of VoicePlay decided to get a little romantic. They paired a sweet song about the ordinary pleasures of long-term love with an adorable visual story, and released it right before Valentine's Day.

Details:

title: Grow Old With You

original performer: Adam Sandler as Robbie Hart in The Wedding Singer (1998)

written by: Adam Sandler & Tim Herlihy; additional music and lyrics by Layne Stein, Earl Elkins Jr., & Geoff Castellucci

arranged by: Layne Stein

release date: 8 February 2019

My favorite bits:

harmonized whistling, always impressive

Earl getting a chance to show off the lower end of his voice

the simplicity of the backing vocals under the verses to echo the simple happiness described in the lyrics

the shaker sounds Layne puts under the quieter melodies

Eli and J.None bringing a bit of riffing in the second verse

tough guy Earl getting in the couple's faces

Geoff's velvety timbre in the bridge

the ascending run that turns into a descending riff in the middle of the third chorus

such a lovely ending chord

Trivia:

Since the song in the movie is only as long as the scene required, the VoicePlay guys "added a chorus, a bridge, and some country flair" to create a full length piece.

The filming for this video spanned a couple days. The story portions with the couple were recorded while Eli and his wife were on vacation for their first anniversary. The guys then filmed their singing part after he got back.

The sequences featuring the horses (Gunner and Marigold) and the picnic, as well as the guys' singing, were filmed at Hidden Palms Ranch in Sanford, FL. Geoff noted on Twitter that their biggest performance challenge was acting like they weren't surrounded by the less pleasant smells that come with being around horses.

The young couple were played by local actors Julian James and Grace Dyer.

The boyfriend's artwork was drawn by artist Leon King, who had become a frequent collaborator at this point.

Instead of renting a fancy (and expensive) vehicle rig to control the truck for a single shot, they just stuck it in neutral and had Geoff get in his workout for the week.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by VoicePlay (@thevoiceplay)

The toy snake from the picnic scene was subsequently mailed to an unsuspecting Patreon patron, who was quite startled when she opened the package. (And then used it to prank her own friends and family, of course.) The guys informed her on Twitter that they had named it "Jesssssssssssssie."

Layne couldn't resist using one of the carrots they'd brought for the horses to indulge in more shenanigans with J.None.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Layne Stein (@laynestein)

A fan recruited his friends and family to record an incredibly sweet ASL video using this audio for his wife as an anniversary present the following year.

This track was later included on VoicePlay's "Citrus" album, which compiled most of the songs they recorded from 2017-19. Because the individual songs had already been made available digitally, that album is exclusively a physical item that can only be purchased at live shows or through their website.

[haethealhell]

Voiceplay and Percy Jackson Crossover!

So, I tend to do a thing where I associate voices with characters, and here are some!

btw most of these have many of my headcanons laced into them, so they might not be what you would think / you may not agree with all of them!

Geoff Castellucci = Percy Jackson, he's a bass singer i swear also they both have the fucking grey streak like it's a pretty low hanging fruit. and with Walker there's even more evidence

Kathy Castellucci = Annabeth Chase, for obvious reasons and she has to have some sort of hearing loss after all of the battles and also the clip where Geoff is like Hey Kath, am I cool? and Kathy just replies with No! with no hesitation and it's obviously a joke and it's literally them your honour

Tony Wakim = Grover Underwood, it's the vibes okay

Earl Elkins = Frank Zhang, both big guys who are cuddly please understand me on this

JNone = Magnus Chase, he would rap alright dont question me on this

Eli Jacobson = Jason Grace, The Burning Maze can go away

Cesar De La Rosa = Nico Di Angelo, least canon, but like, pre-angst/post-Will Nico is so sassy

Omar Cardona = Carter Kane, vibes okay

Rachel Potter = Piper McLean, both are queens alright

Emoni Wilkins = Hazel Levesque, Emoni is much sassier but please hear me out here

Anthony Gargiula = Will Solace, do i need to explain

The Santa from Oogie Boogie = Tyson. This is supported by the behind-the-scenes clip where Geoff does a silly voice and moves to make him laugh.

Layne Stein because somehow i forgot to do it sooner = LEO FUCKING VALDEZ OKAY?? THEY ARE THE SAME!!! LIKE CMON AND HE HAS A STUPID FUCKING BIT THAT HE PULLS OUT CONSTANTLY AND PISSES AROUND WITH THE BOYS AND LEO WOULD ABSOLUTLY BE A BEATBOXER. THE FRUIT IS ON THE GROUND AT THIS POINT

Ashley Diane = Bianca Di Angelo, shhh she's alive okay shhh

Adriana Arellano = Drew Tanaka maybe? but if Drew were nicer obvs

Jose Rosario Jr = Honestly? Either Apollo or just not a Demigod idk

thats about all i can think of atm but i hope you like these ideas!

[niobefurens]

She leapt to freedom!

Autobiography of Eve

Ansel Elkins 

Wearing nothing but snakeskin boots, I blazed a footpath, the first radical road out of that old kingdom toward a new unknown. When I came to those great flaming gates of burning gold, I stood alone in terror at the threshold between Paradise and Earth. There I heard a mysterious echo: my own voice singing to me from across the forbidden side. I shook awake— at once alive in a blaze of green fire.

Let it be known: I did not fall from grace.

I leapt to freedom.

[metaphrasis]

Any books and essays you’d recommend?

Fiction:

(Ideal for the darker, colder months)

Frankenstein, Mary Shelley

The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde

Dracula, Bram Stoker

Steppenwolf and Demian, Hermann Hesse

Just Kids, Patti Smith

Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë

Death & the Dervish, Meša Selimović

Macbeth, Shakespeare

Essays:

On language:

Nobel Lecture (1993), Toni Morrison 

How Words Fail, Cathy Park Hong

Politics and the English Language, George Orwell

Of Strangeness That Wakes Us, Ilya Kaminsky

The Meanings of a Word, Gloria Naylor

Mother Tongue, Yoojin Grace Wuertz

Borrowing a Simile, Walt Whitman

Word Order, Lewis H. Lapham

Four Essays, Mikhail Bakhtin

Nature: Chapter IV Language, Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Strange Persistence of First Languages, Julie Sedivy

What Do You Lose When You Lose Your Language? Joshua Fishman

Here is a list of essays on translation I have recommended on a former blog

Other:

A Defence of Poetry, Percy Bysshe Shelley

Art Objects, Jeanette Winterson

Preface to the History of The Renaissance, Walter Pater

The Laugh of the Medusa, Helene Cixous

Ways of Seeing, John Berger

The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, Walter Benjamin

Portraits: John Berger on Artists, John Berger

Pictures & Tears: A History of People Who Have Cried in Front of Paintings, James Elkins

Resources for essays: Lapham’s Quarterly, The Paris Review, Poetry Foundation

[obscure-song-tournament]

ROUND TWO !!!!

A

Keep Away - Isane Driver VS. Pulp Friction - Fool Heavy

Scatterbrain - Casual Tees VS. Sad Hit Song- V is for Villians

Patches - Jawbreaker Reunion VS. Animal Rites - John Congleton & The Nighty Nites

New Dance - DEERPEOPLE VS. Maple Leaf Etc - Maxshh

B

Mama - Eudora June VS. The Helper - Giannah Noelle

Victim of a Siren - Seraph Siege VS. There's a Darkness (but There's also a Light) - The Wild VS. Ray - Dylans

Alive - GON VS. You are Loved - David Lamotte TIE

Where U Goin? - Half in the Bag VS. For Me - Dearlie

C

The Hidden Word - Noe Venable VS. Echo in the Hills - Carrie Elkin VS. YOUR GALAXY - ROZLYN PELL

Juliet and Juliet -Kactus Kid VS. Low Rent Truman Show - Marc with a C

The Danger - Patricia Wallinga VS. Call Me Captain - Emrys Layne (@callmecapt) VS. Deep Blue - Grapefruit

D

PIANO GAMES - Hazma Notes VS. Worst in the World - Uncle Outrage

Cheese (original mix) -Cheese VS. Hokutoshichisei no Ichiya- Akiko lkuina

There'll be Someone at My Funeral Who Doesn’t Want to Be There - Sammy J VS. The Crayon Song - Class Of 3000

TECVM CIRCVMAMBVLARE NOLO - John Linnel VS. Imagination - Niel innes VS. Me and Nikolai - Pale Young Gentlemen

E

Eat Your Heart Out, Sigmund Freud - Mollie Maxwell VS. Don't Want You -Carpark

Runaways - Big Tree VS. 10,000 Days - OK Glass

Hurricane - My Cat Umi VS. Rotten - Missouri Surf Club

Born to it - Freefonix VS. last week/month/year - rain

F

Pointillize - Raccoon Fink VS. execute - ninty

Better Red Than Dead - KELChip VS. Ego -Powderpaint

... - subeteanatanoseidesu VS. Nighttime (I fall asleep) - Sam X

GOTH BITCH DUB - 621 gecs VS. To.Get.Her - Nixis

G

Dusk and Dawn - Das Fi VS. Between You and Me - Clementine Werchola

Monmon Fanmoran - Mochitsune VS. Can Graze the Roof Bring you Back to Childhood? - Anomaly Vector TIE

Memories - Jens East (Ft. Lotta Rasva) VS. Moongrains with Lyrics feat. Gumi A - Anonaly Vector VS. Ode to Janey Lou- FOE

The Dreaming- Marquis of Vaudevill VS. Best Friend - Taitoki

H

Rusalka and The Shepherd Girl - The Forgetmenauts VS. Four Tall Trees - Leslie Fish

Captain Ward - Tempest VS. The Trials Of Oscar Wilde - Alan John

Winter's Tooth - Alexander James Adam VS. He of Sidhe - Alexander James Adam

Labyrinth - Madeline S VS. The Phoenix - Julia Ecklar

I

Liar and the Hound - Beneath Eden VS. Bodysuit -FlooringCo

Pause Button - Particle Devotion VS. On a Walk - Fort Womb VS. Death is a Girl - Skippocalyptic

52 Pickup - Z. VS. 山谷澗 - Mysterain小雨樂隊 VS. Pub Money - Bag of Cans

J

Never be Famous - Hussalonia VS. 613 - FC the kid VS. Lhasa - Shapaley

Collide - Harold J VS. We Made it - JAMIEvx VS. 412 (coffin built for two) - Mollie Maxwell

Unretractable Fact - Second Person VS. SCARY* - EXIT ONLY

Preserve - PETROLEUM! GENDERLOSS VS. No Proposals - Physical Plant

K

Maneater- Blue Eyed Blondes VS. la somnambule - La Femme Pendu

Center Stage - Howard Martin VS. Gears of the Atom Man - Angels of Liberty TIE

Wake Up Girl - Skeeter Truck VS. Dark Rip - Teen Girl Scientist Monthly

Trust Me - Time Crash VS. Not Yet - Leo and the Little Things

L

Grace - Raelle VS. Animal- Xisco Feijoó

Hyperphantasia - Fearful Earful VS. Tonight Eternity Alone - Rene Clause

Cardigan Sweater - Jasmine Kennedy VS. Milá má - Nahore VS. Side A -Alohaha

The Binding Of isaac - Schmekel VS. Slip! - Bright Orange

M

Boy who Blocked the Sun - Demi the Daredevil VS. Rainy Day Georgia - Jayne Trimble VS. Burn it Down with Math - Deuce of Gears

Haircut Song - Shannon Moser VS. Reunion - Brent Spiner & Maude Maggart

Small Parts of Something Much Larger - Suns VS. Sunshine and Lollipops 2020 - Sad Snack

Say What You Want - Growth Spurt VS. Mirëmëngies - Edona Vatoc

N

Have You Ever Seen a Duck, Like, in Real Life? - Lisa the Beauty Queen VS. Housekeeper- Faun Fables

Caroline - Espers VS. Tales of the Phantom Ship - Nathan Landis Funk

Lotus eaters - Jessica Law VS. Raising the Dead! - Jessica Law VS. Autism Murder Memorial - Fit to Work

Blow Up the Moon - Feel Spectres VS. All For Me Grog! - Spud Bugs

O

Reclaim - Porch Cat VS. Orpheus on Ice - The Small Calamities VS. Violin Concerto in the Key of Crippling Regret - The Small Calamities

Homme Offer Knee - Ben Below VS. Hold My Heart - The Dune Sea

Each Time She Calls - Jessie Gosling VS. flexible guy - clown residue

Howard - Demo- Mother Aiden VS. Blooming Strangely - Ginger & Pear

P

恐竜あげみざわ★ - Kyouruu Friends VS. 星の旅人- Sayaka Senbong & Yumiri Hanamori

The End of the World - Fred Deakin VS. 運命は※ Love You - チームDEKAI

Ultimate Performance of Abandoned Magic Boxes ~ Racks of Junk - KR. Palto47 VS. 薔薇は美しく散る x 輪舞 revolution - okurigi66

297回の試行 - Image44 VS. They'll Make a Monster Out of You - Freefonix

[hiswordsarekisses]

The Spirit of Ezra by Garris Elkins

“Increasingly, Jan and I are turning off TV shows we began to watch on Netflix or Amazon in hopes of enjoying some simple entertainment. Some of these shows began to reveal content that left us feeling slimed. If we didn’t make a choice to stop watching it would soil our spirit and desensitize our moral fiber. The Lord has also called us to change some of our speech patterns that were faithless. Even how we eat has come under the discipline of the Spirit. Sin takes many forms and requires a confrontation to stop its influence on our lives.

Ezra was a scribe who was familiar with the laws of God. As the Scripture repeatedly said of him, “The gracious hand of God was on him” (Ezra 7:6). He would need God’s grace to accomplish his calling – to awaken the people of Israel to the sins that had caused the decline of their faithfulness to God.

The Israelites had married pagan wives and were producing offspring outside the will and commands of God. Their disobedience was polluting the purity of their relationship with the Lord. When Ezra discovered the depth of this interbreeding, he prayed to the Lord and confessed the sins of the nation. He understood why Israel’s interbreeding had made them vulnerable to hordes of invaders, “That is why we and our kings, and our priests have been at the mercy of the pagan kings of the land” (9:7).

No matter how bad it gets, the Lord always has a remnant, and that remnant, once they realize their sin, is willing to repent and make things right with God, “But now we have been given a brief moment of grace, for the Lord our God has allowed a few of us to survive as a remnant” (9:8).

Ezra knew that interbreeding with a worldview contrary to the will of God would derail His intent for the future of Israel, to “leave this prosperity to your children forever” (9:12).

Ezra didn’t wait for anyone to join him, immediately after his confession, “While Ezra prayed and made this confession, weeping and lying face down on the ground in front of the Temple of God, a very large crowd of people from Israel—men, women, and children—gathered and wept bitterly with him” (10:1). A national repentance began when one person recognized the error of their ways. Voices rose from those gathered around Ezra declaring “But in spite of this there is hope for Israel” (10:2). Only after confession and repentance is hope possible for an individual or a nation.

Today, the Church stands at a historic crossroads. The culture is influencing the Church instead of the Church influencing the culture. We have interbred with the sins of the world thinking it will make us more appealing and acceptable when it will rob us, and the offspring of our faith, of the inheritance we were called to leave behind. The return to a life of purity requires a remnant willing to make defining choices now that will determine how their history will be recorded and remembered.

www.garriselkins.com

[pollocklegacy]

Lauren & Cody’s Wedding

July 5, 2027

[mysteryloversbookshelf]

Some of My Favorite Mystery/Thriller Books Categorized by Tropes

Like every other book genre, mystery/thriller novels have several tropes that you either love or hate. I personally am a huge fan of mysteries involving otherwise normal suburbs, spouses where one or both have a secret, and locked room mysteries with complex puzzles. Here is a list of common tropes and books that I've read that fall into those categories:

Agoraphobia

The Woman in the Window - A.J. Finn

Book Within a Book

Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery Series - Anthony Horowitz

Magpie Murders - Anthony Horowitz

Creepy Children

Baby Teeth - Zoje Stage

The Only Child - Mi-Ae Seo

The Push - Ashley Audrain

Final Girl

The Final Girl Support Group - Grady Hendrix

Feuding Neighbors

Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng

Haunted House

The Death of Jane Lawrence - Caitlin Starling

Mexican Gothic - Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Heist

The Monsters We Defy - Penelope Leslye

Portrait of a Thief - Grace D. Li

House Sitting Gone Wrong

The Last Word - Taylor Adams

Lock Every Door - Riley Sager

Inheritance from Distant Relative / Stranger

The Death of Mrs. Westaway - Ruth Ware

Jane Austen Inspired

A Most Agreeable Murder

Kidnapped Baby

The Couple Next Door - Shari Lapena

Locked Room Mystery

The Mystery of the Yellow Room - Gaston Leroux

Secret Staircase Mystery Series - Gigi

Mistaken Identity

Are You Sara? - S.C. Lalli

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

The Request - David Bell

Nomad Protagonist

Frankie Elkin Series - Lisa Gardner

Overbearing Mothers

The Favorite Daughter - Kaira Rouda

The Mother-in-Law - Sally Hepworth

Reality Show

The Golden Spoon

Return to Childhood Home & Unsolved Mystery

Fierce Little Thing - Miranda Beverly Whittemore

The Resting Place - Camilla Sten

Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn

Return to Summer Camp & Unsolved Mystery

I'll Never Tell - Catherine McKenzie

The Last Time I Lied - Riley Sager

Single White Female

Social Creature - Tara Isabella Burton

Sole Survivor of Family Massacre Seeking Truth

Dark Places - Gillian Flynn

Those Empty Eyes - Charlie Donlea

Time Travel

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle -

Wrong Place Wrong Time - Gillian McAllister

Snowed In

No Exit - Taylor Adams

True Crime Podcast

Girl Forgotten

The Sorority Murders

Unreliable Narrator

Sometimes I Lie - Alice Feeney

Wedding Gone Wrong

The Couple at the Table - Sophie Hannah

The Guilt Trip - Sandie Jones

The Guest List - Lucy Foley

You're Invited - Amanda Jaytista

[metalshockfinland]

BEYOND GRACE Announce New EP Trilogy, Release First Single + Video 'The Burning Season'

Photo credit: Grace Elkin Photography Progressive death metallers BEYOND GRACE are banning books and setting pages aflame on their latest single, ‘The Burning Season’. It is taken from their forthcoming new EP Welcome To The New Dark Ages Part 1, which is released on 24th November.  Eschewing the standard album cycle, Welcome To The New Dark Ages will be released as a series of three digital…

[seaanimalonland]

Autobiography of Eve | Ansel Elkins

Wearing nothing but snakeskin boots, I blazed a footpath, the first radical road out of that old kingdom toward a new unknown. When I came to those great flaming gates of burning gold, I stood alone in terror at the threshold between Paradise and Earth. There I heard a mysterious echo: my own voice singing to me from across the forbidden side. I shook awake— at once alive in a blaze of green fire.

Let it be known: I did not fall from grace.

I leapt to freedom.