#i will also probably write something about Roman later on when I can fully process this episode and I get my exam done

[cryhardanddanceharder]

Andy’s headcanons because we need to talk more about her:

She’s 6732 years old. She says she doesn’t remember her age, and it might be true, maybe she forgot to keep counting, but she thinks she’s somewhere between 6500 - 7000.

She’s a warrior since she’s a teenager, because the time she was borned was the “eye for eye, teeth for teeth” period.

She’s more an action person than a word person, because her first language was everything related to gestual actions. She can read body language better than anyone, so she can make you feel the more comfortable or uncomfortable you ever felt in your life depends the situation. She does little actions to show her love.

She’s ambidextrous. She can use her weapons perfectly with each one of her hands. (and later write too)

She’s been worshipped as a goddess at least in two or threes comunities she’s been part of. She actually thought she was a goddess at the beginning, because she was the only one who couldn’t die. But then, when years passes and she’s the only one not dying, but she loses all the people she loves and trascend generation after generation, she stops thinking it like a goddess thing and starts seeing it as a curse.

She used to wear clothes made of extinct animals skin, necklaces made with teeth, flowers and horns crowns.

When she was a goddess she had slaves, but once she overcome her goddess complex and realises how wrong it is (because all humans are equal, they all die no matter their social status, their nationality, their religion, skin color, gender, sexual preferences) she stops it. She starts fighting against it, every time she can. She still fight against it in the present time (human trafficking). 

I feel like she could also been a slave or prisoner in some period time. Maybe as a punnish from her inmortality? Because mortals see her as a threat?

She loves storytelling and stargazing. That’s why in present time she loves to go camping, she loves sleeping outside. She’s so old that even she had seen the sky change. The stars constellations changes but she learns those changes. There is something comforting about stargazing, so she keeps doing it.

She has very good location sense. She can always find the way to get to where she wants to go.

She’s been there when the first language was created, that’s why it’s easy for her to learn new languages. 

She was there when the pyramids of Egypt were built, maybe she worked in the construiction of one of them (?

She’s gender fluid and bisexual (or could be pansexual).

She knew the Sahara dessert before it becomes a dessert. She knew it with trees and vegetation.

She loves horses more than (most) people. 

 She was the lider of the scythians.

Her name “Andromache” comes from all the legends, that actually are true. She’s the amazon who defeated Heracles and once upon a time she was married to Hector of Troy.

She was the one who trained the amazon warriors on how to be warriors.

She was a gladiator for some time and had fights in the roman colliseum.

She writes mixing languages, because why not? That’s how her thoughts are anyway, in mixing languages. “Let’s put this word in scythian, and that one in greek, and the other in saumerian or tamil, and let’s finish in italian because italy it’s actually the country i am at the moment”.

When she starts dreaming about Quynh she thinks she’s crazy, untill she starts dreaming about Lykon too. She tried to indentify wich languages they speak in the dreams, so she could learn them before meeting them. 

She met Jesus once. She doesn’t find him that special. He didn’t come back to life, at least not in the way inmortals do.

Lykon, Quynh and her have a chaotic dynamic. They always die to save the others, to save them from the pain; wich in some way it’s ridiculous because they are all inmortal. But they always fight about it like children.

She can speak all the languages (even those that are extinct), only she sometimes forget how to speak in some of them, but remembers once she hears someone speaking it.

She knows more way to kill than entire armies will ever learn. 

She can use any kind and type of weapon. She’s as good as archer as Quynh and as good as a sniper as Nicky, but if she can choose another weapon she will do because she prefers hand and hand combat. 

She feels every death. She might have been a warrior all her life, but she doesn’t take pleassure on killing. We can see that in the church scene, her face tells us all how much it takes from her to be that lethal.

She’s very protective of the others inmortals. They are her family. And she feels like she has to protect them, because she has been alone for so long that she doesn’t want to take chances on that ever happening again. 

She’s become more protective after Lykon’s death, because now they know even them don’t last forever. She wants to protect the time she has with the other and thinks the best way to do it is to be the one who always goes first. 

She hates to dream about Nicolo and Yusuf at the begining because it hurts her to see them killing each other. For someone who has been alone for so long, it hurts to see that. Because for her they are lucky to have started their inmortality together.

Lots of deaths and trauma. She probably been raped at least once. 

She died from dehydratation and hunger more times that she can count. That’s why she’s not picky with food, she’s happy as long there is something in front of her to eat. She can cook good enough, but she’s not fan of doing it.

She died from every tipe of weapon: spears, swords, arrows, axes, throwing stones, daggers, knives, cannons, guns, grenades, bombs. Also she died from being dismembered, from being hanged and burn alive.

Once Quynh’s is taken to her ocean prison, Andy was tortured and burned alive. They chose water methods for Quynh and fire methods for Andy.

She have tried to kill herself sometimes when she was depressed. They way i see it probably three times: one when she found out her inmortality and wanted to see how it worked, two when she lose her goddess complex and was tired of being alone for so long, and three after she realised that finding Quynh was impossible.

She spent lot of years looking for Quynh with Joe and Nicky, untill they realised it’s an impossible mission. She still checks new technological inventions and andvances to see if they have a chance. But as long as she knows it’s impossible and technology doesn’t help, even the marines and ocean experts says it would be easier to find something in the moon than in the bottom of the ocean.

The only time she prayed in her life was to ask for Quynh’s death, so she would stop suffering from constantly drowning. And for hers, because she doesn’t want to keep living without Quynh.

She keeps Quynh’s belongings saved in one of her fav caves.

She likes wearing things from the other inmortals because it gives her comfort and help her feel ground. She always wears Quynh’s necklace. And sometimes she wears Joe’s cap, Nicky’s hoodie, Booker’s jackets. She also shares t-shirts with them, or more like stole t-shirts from them.

Wars she probably fighted in: Achaemenid conquest of the Indus Valley, Corsica civil war, war between Corinth and Corzira, Expedition of the Ten Thousand, Latin wars, First Peloponnesian War, First medical war, Thasos Rebellion, Roman-Etruscan wars, Samos War, Second medical war, Wars of Veii, Trojan war, Sicilian wars, Alexander The Great  conquest of Persia, An Lushan Rebellion,  Mongol Conquests, Conquests of Tamerlane, Qing dynasty conquest of Ming dynasty, Dungan revolt, Hundred Years’ War, World War I, Russian Civil War, Ten Years’ War, World War II, Vietnam War, Afghanistan War.

Some modern revolutions and independence processes she possibly was/could be: French Revolution, Haitian independence, USA independence, Russian Revolution, Cuba revolution, LATAM independences, India independence, Australia independence, New Zeland Independence, Africans independences.

She died from electrocution, trying to find out how electricity works.

She died learning to drive a car and learning to pilot a plain. 

In World War II she was a pilot of the night witches.

Baklava and really anything that is sweet are her comfort food.

The first time she had ice cream she became a fan and only eat ice cream for like an entire year.

She likes percussion music: all types of drums, cymballs, tambourine, maracas, bongos, castanets.  

She likes theater more than cinema. 

She likes tea more than coffee. 

She can sleep everywhere. A chair? Good. The floor? Good. The earth and grass in the middle of nowhere? Good. A cave? Good. A tree? Good. The train. Good. A Car? Good. The bus? Good. A plain? Good. The couch? Good. An armchair? Good. All is good. Sleep when you can moto is big on her, because beds are a modern concept she still can’t fully incorporate. And without Quynh doesn’t feel like doing it. 

She’s very good on learning new things because she’s used to everything constantly changing. And when she finds something hard to learn she is patient, after all she has all the time on the world to learn it and master it (she’s kinda perfectionist).

She’s okay with technology, she could understand more if she wanted to. But she let’s Booker have that place and handle it, because she sense he needs to have something as his responsability to feel he’s useful to the team.

There’s personal things (clothes, weapons, paintings) of her in lot of museums. Joe and Nicky would try to recover some things of her (and them) from time to time.

Hard on the outside, soft on the inside. Ironic and dark humor.

She’s the best at dissapearing when the team takes time out of their missions, if she doesn’t want to be found there is no way you could find her.

She’s been nomad most of her life. She can’t stop moving. She loves traveling with no destination in mind, just for the act of it.

She gives up sometimes because she’s old and she’s tired, but if you give her a good reason to keep fighting she’s all in. 

She has the biggest heart (even if she tries to hide it) and actually loves humanity, if not she wouldn’t have fight for so long… and still does. 

(if you want to read more headcanons: here are the ones i have for Quynh)

[aal-archaeology]

Words from a so-far successful archaeologist (25 years old/recent Ph.D. admit)

Hello Everyone!  I have revived my Tumblr to find many messages asking “what do I do next” when it comes to Archaeology/Anthropology. So I thought I’d create a post explaining what I went through to get to where I am now, and hopefully give some information to those who are pondering on the next steps to take in this truly wonderful field of study.  Quick academic about me: 

Undergrad: Ivy League, Major: Anthropology-Geography, Minor: Religion

After Undergrad: 1 year of Cultural Resource Management (CRM) & Substitute teaching

Graduate School: England MSc in Archaeological Information Systems

After Graduate: 10-month long research grant in Cambodia

Now: (USA)  Ph.D. Candidate in Anthropology, Archaeology Track

I come from a low-middle class family, all of my academics have been funded through financial aid or through grants that I’ve applied for. A lot of the time school and research can get expensive, but that doesn’t mean you have to be wealthy to pursue it!

Per usual, please feel free to DM me at any point with questions (here or IG @ aal.archaeology), I’m always happy to help to the best of my ability. Success in this field is really dependent on networking!

I’ll set this up based on the various landmarks of my academic career: 

1. Undergrad

Themes: Ask for help, build your resume, write down everything

No matter where you are going to school, it is so so so important to use the resources around you. Becoming a professor is HARD work, and each one of your professors went through a lot to be able to stand in front of you and teach you. They’ve likely had years and years of research experience, which is probably still happening behind the scenes of teaching and grading papers. More often than not, professors want to help you, they want students to be excited about the research they’ve worked so hard on, and they want to do what they can to help you achieve your career goals.  Therefore, if there’s a class you’ve taken or a professor whose research you’re interested in, tell them. This is how I got my first experience with archaeology (before I even knew that I wanted to do archaeology). I randomly took an Anthropology class that sounded cool, and after the first class, I was like WOW I love this topic so much and I really want to know more about it. I went up to the professor that was teaching it, told her I was really interested and asked if she knew of any research opportunities available. She then hired me as a student researcher in her lab to do data entry for one of her archaeological projects in Mesoamerica, and after working for her for a few months, she asked me if I wanted to go with her and her team to Mexico for fieldwork. 

         (my timeline at this point: 19 years old, end of Sophomore year)

From this experience, I learned how to apply to grants within the University and funding outside of the University, and was able to FULLY fund my research experience in Mexico. During this fieldwork, I got to work with 3000-year-old artifacts, do archaeoillustration, and eventually got my own chapter published in the book that my professor wrote about the research that was done.

After I got back from Mexico, I started exploring archaeology further. A new professor entered the department who specialized in “digital archaeology,” and his research involved tracking looting patters in Syria using satellite imagery. I thought this was crazy so I then went up to him and asked if I could help him with his research. (the common theme throughout this entire process is just asking for help). From this experience, I learned that I loved the possibilities that technology brought to the study of archaeology, everything from 3D modeling to identification of sites in satellite imagery to spatial mapping in GIS. With this professor, I was able to form an “internship” with him, and continued doing that and other minor projects within the department. I ended up modifying my major to incorporate coursework from the Geography department and created my own “Digital Archaeology” major.

        (my timeline at this point: 22 years old, Senior year)

As graduation began to creep closer, I had been able to get a good amount of lines on my resume. I had:

research assistant/ data entry

fieldwork in mesoamerica

x2 internships with digital archaeology prof

multiple “small” projects around the department i.e. making posters, painting 3D prints of bones,

all of the coursework I had done on GIS/ relevant digital experience

started a drone club at my school (it flopped, but it still counts as a line on the resume!)

All of these lines became useful when starting to think of jobs and the “next step”

UNDERGRAD HIGHLIGHTS & TAKEAWAYS:

Ask for help, your professors are there for a reason, it will almost always lead you to new opportunities. These relationships last well beyond your graduation and definitely come in handy later, make it count!

Write down EVERYTHING that you do. Did you help out with a conference? Write it down. Did you do a couple hours of data entry? Write it down.

Follow your leads! I started my anth journey in Mesoamerica and ended my undergrad in Near Easter digital archaeology (and I entered college wanting to do astronomy?). Change is natural, let it happen.  

2. Gap Year Between Undergrad and Grad School

Highlights: Job applications, field school, CRM, uncertainty

Something that I was always told during my undergrad was that you really need to do a field school and some CRM to be taken seriously post-grad. This shows that you actually want to be an archaeologist outside of the classroom environment. Field Schools and CRM give you valuable experience such as: excavation methodology, report writing, grant applications, teamwork, leadership, etc. 

I started applying for jobs probably about 5 months before I graduated and ended up securing a job at a CRM company in LA. They liked how much I had done during my undergrad, but they really wanted me to have a field school under my belt before I started working for them. Because I had already graduated and didn’t need course credit, I was able to do my field school at a discounted price (these things really do get expensive, and this was a difference of about $2k). I think this worked out in my favor waiting until the summer after I graduated because it saved me a lot of money in the end. 

After my field school was done, I started work that September in CRM. This job ended up being nothing like what I thought it would be, to be honest. I was an Archaeological Field Technician that was part-time/on-call, meaning I only got work when they needed someone to go monitor a construction site. I only got work once every month, sometimes every couple of months, so I was making hardly any money. I realized this quickly and decided to become a substitute teacher to supplement the CRM job. I HIGHLY recommend doing this if you end up in the same situation. Not only does subbing fill up all of your non-working days, but it also gives you the flexibility to choose when you can work and gives you teaching experience that you can put on your resume. That CRM experience can be really important, so it’s good to stick it out long enough to quit.

      Why didn’t I like CRM? For me, my job was very sparse, included driving long hours to a construction site, sitting there all day in case archaeological material popped up, and then driving home. Sometimes it was just walking back and forth across a massive field full of cow poop looking for arrowheads, and often it felt like I was just clearing land so that a big building could be erected. I was really missing the research component to all of it. The pay was also not great. 

GAP YEAR HIGHLIGHTS AND TAKEAWAYS:

What I got from this year was very valuable, even though it wasn’t necessarily that fun, however. 

I got the experience I needed in CRM

I got some teaching experience (also volunteered to mentor clubs and research at local high schools during this time)

I started doing some networking (I found some alumni that were doing work that I wanted to be doing and reached out to them)

and most importantly, I realized that I really do love school and wanted to go back for my Masters

So I started looking into Masters's programs. This is kind of a scary thing especially in the US because school is expensive. I still really wanted to do Digital Archaeology, and I couldn’t find a single program in the US had a focus in this topic, and especially couldn’t find one that I was willing to pay for. 

The UK, however, had plenty of Digital Archaeology programs, and the programs were only a year long and a fraction of the price in the US. I decided to take a chance and apply, got in, and then suddenly I was moving to England. (in hindsight I really didn’t spend much time at all making this decision, but it worked out in the end). 

3. Masters Program

         (my timeline at this point: 23-24 years old)

I chose the program I applied to based on its focus on the techniques that I wanted to use, namely, remote sensing, GIS, and 3D modeling. I really wanted a degree qualification that spoke for itself, and therefore applied for an MSc in “Archaeological Information Systems.” 

I had done some networking during my gap year and connected with an alumnus who was doing research in Cambodia using digital methods, and she offered me the opportunity to join her fieldwork. I agreed to join her in Cambodia during my degree, and also applied for a research grant for the year following my master's degree to continue fieldwork in Cambodia. 

I used this opportunity to fuel my dissertation topic and focused all of my writing and coursework throughout my grad school experience around Cambodia. While I was surrounded by people studying Roman architecture and Medieval Studies, I spent my time doing independent work and building a network in Cambodia. 

This program was a great experience for the most part, I was surrounded by beautiful medieval architecture and had a great community throughout. I personally didn’t really like the UK school system compared to what I had received in the US, however. This was largely because of the way coursework was set up. (If you want to know more just DM me).

MASTERS HIGHLIGHTS AND TAKEAWAYS:

Follow networking opportunities, and find someone doing what you want to do (or close to it) and let them help you take the steps to get there

If you’re going to do grad school, do it in something you know you love. Don’t waste money on a program that isn’t right for you.

Make sure that the program you apply to allows for flexibility so that you can do research on what YOU want, not what THEY want.

Halfway through my Master's degree, I received word that I had been accepted for the research grant (Fulbright) and would spend the next year living in Cambodia doing independent research.

4. Gap Year Between Masters Program and PhD

If you’re planning on a Ph.D., I think its a really good idea to do something before applying that relates to what you want to be studying. This shows that you’re dedicated to your research and to a life in academia, and have the ability to produce something from your work. 

My master's degree was nice because 1) it was short, only a year-long, and 2) allowed me to focus research on what I was interested in. This gave me the experience I needed to lead into a year of independent research.

This year of independent research was definitely contingent on receiving the grant in the first place, and I think that I would have started job searching again had I not received it. However, the small things I did leading up to applying for it really helped in qualifying me to receive it. 

     I had:

All of the undergraduate research experience

CRM experience

teaching experience

fieldwork experience

a master’s degree that focused on the region 

established a network of people in the country beforehand

a couple “publications” from fieldwork 

This grant fully funds me living in Cambodia, and has allowed me to participate in cultural exchange with some amazing people here in addition to allowing me to partake in archaeological fieldwork across the country. 

Again, I cannot stress enough how important it is to network. If you like something, find someone else who likes the same thing, send them an email.

Networking got me my experience in Mesoamerica, Digital Archaeology, my CRM job, my research experience in Cambodia, and so so much more. All because I sent that first email.

5. PhD Applications

I applied to 1 school. I got in. Its a really good school. I’m still in shock. 

However, I think I really did set myself up for success in this one. 

The biggest advice I can give in the world of Academia is:

NETWORK

Talking to people who have gone through what you’re going through are the BEST help. They can mentor you through these experiences, offer you new opportunities, or lead you in the direction of someone else who can help.

PLAN AHEAD (but be open to change)

Okay, so you’re applying to grad school. What do you want to focus on while you’re there? What do you want to do with the degree when you’re done? Do you want to start working? Do you want to do more research? What opportunities are out there for research funding? What is the job market looking for? Is there anyone in my network that can help me get there?

None of these have to be concrete plans, they just have to exist in some shape or form so that you have the ability to latch on to one when the opportunity arises.

If you’re doing something that you love doing, you’ll find a way to make it happen. All opportunity comes from the amount of effort you put into getting it! Thanks for reading and best of luck on your studies! Also Happy Anthropology Day! :)  -Lyss 

[janus-stanus]

Takes a villain to play a villain: a Sanders Sides story idea

So, I was scrolling through Sanders Sides blogs, as you do, and came across a short audio clip of when Thomas played JD in that one Heathers the musical production in 2015.

And my brain just kinda... went off.

Cause like, we just had a Sanders Sides episode where we saw just how much Roman cares about Thomas being a good person, plus the whole “I thought I was your hero” thing, and it’s been demonstrated throughout the series that Roman heavily ties his sense of self and self-worth to his work, Thomas’s creative endeavors, and... it made me wonder... how did Roman feel about playing the bad guy? How did he handle immersing himself in that role for weeks at a time?

Perhaps he got a little help.

My first thought was Remus - but while I think he could and would have given Roman plenty of pointers (requested or not), I also think he’d be a bit too chaotic to properly hone his talents and do something like, say, take over for Roman for a day.

My immediate follow-up was: But you know who could?

Now we’re here. Click the read more if you want to listen to me ramble about the time when Janus periodically impersonated Roman so that Thomas could play JD. And hey, if you wanna take this stuff or even just the basic premise and make an actual fic out of it, uh, please do? All I ask is that you @ me in it and give me credit for the original idea.

It starts one day when Roman is “sleeping in”, probably because of rehearsal going poorly the previous day, and as Thomas is heading to practice tensions in the mindscape are rising. Remus is itching for the chance to jump in and take over, but Janus reasons that giving him the creative reigns at this point can only end poorly. Yet, someone needs to take on the task, or Thomas might just lose his first big theatrical role.

So Janus, somewhat hypocritically, decides to do it himself. And, considering it’s his first time genuinely trying to impersonate one of the others for an extended period of time, and that he hasn’t properly interacted with the “light sides” in years (just observed), it goes... surprisingly well. He’d only been hoping to be passable, but he actually gets into the character, impressing not just the other actors, but Logan and Patton. Sure he almost gives the whole thing away a few times, but, at least as far as he can tell, he gets away with it. More than that, it’s fun; the most fun he’s had in God knows how long. 

Of course, Roman finds out later (maybe from Remus), and quickly confronts Janus about it. It’s either in this conversation, or after the next day of rehearsals when Roman finds himself not living up to some of the expectations Janus set the previous day, that they make The Bet. Essentially, Roman gets to be himself at rehearsals for two days, and then for the next two days, Janus takes over. Rinse and repeat until one concedes that the other is a better fit for the role (or until Janus gets caught and cast out).

Now the reason I’m not writing this as a fic myself is because I have no clue what shenanigans to put in this middle section, other than maybe Roman calling Janus out for staying disguised as him and hanging out with Logan and Patton outside of rehearsal one time. There are some broad ideas that I think would be fun to explore, so I’ll just list them out and leave you to do what you will with them:

Janus getting to be at the helm for probably the first time ever and fully embrace his theater kid side (heh, side), planting the seeds for him to decide a few years later to no longer keep Thomas ignorant of the “ugliness within” him

Oh, and there’s Janus’s feelings about being seen by Thomas for the first time in years, though he’s in disguise

Drawing parallels between Janus and JD, with their views on society and the ugliness of the world, and their love for “funny wholesome pranks” as a form of vengeance

(plus stuff that won’t come into play until a few years down the line - like, imagine Janus singing the last few lines of Meant to be Yours post Virgil leaving... oh, and that one bit where JD talks about “Ich Lüge” bullets; when I remembered that I immediately thought of a fancomic I saw where Janus gets fed up with the others and insults them in German. funny coincidence)

Roman generally being insecure and trying his best

How does Roman occupy himself while Janus is being him? Does he hang with the “dark sides”? Or does he get up to stuff on his own?

The initial bitter rivalry between Roman & Janus becoming less bitter as they start sharing tips with each other, maybe even practicing with each other, because at the end of the day they both want Thomas to succeed above all else

(not that Roman will fully admit to himself that Janus truly wants that too, because, well. “if our goals aligned with his, what would that say?” no, he’s just being fair to Janus, because he’s the good guy here, that’s all.)

Remus joining in on that, and potential angst from him being passed over, but also the opportunities for him to unleash chaos without Janus there to keep him in check

Virgil experiencing what it’s like to be left behind for the “light sides” before he pulled the same maneuver

Logan and Patton catching on to the deception, because of course they would, and eventually confronting Janus about it

And lastly, consider this: one of the ways Janus is able to do the role better than Roman is when it comes to pretending to be straight. Because... not to get too into a whole other headcanon/theory of mine, but... let’s just say it’s something Janus has experience with.

Now, if I were actually writing this fic, I would have Roman slowly come to the conclusion that Janus being the creative drive for this role is what’s best for Thomas, as much as every part of him hates it, and concede to Janus. Thus, we get a mostly downer ending for Roman, who has learned from the experience and even bonded with Janus a bit but is now at the level of insecurity we’ve seen recently from him in canon; and a bittersweet ending for Janus, who had the time of his life playing the role but ending up hurting Roman (and some of the others, knowingly or not) in the process, and now has to go back to keeping his very existence a secret, indefinitely.

That all being said, if someone else wants to write this scenario but have it end with Janus conceding to Roman instead, that could work just as well. Or have them work together in some way if you’re not a fan of unhappy endings. It all depends on how you want to distribute your angst.

I’ll leave it there for now. I hope those who read this far got some enjoyment out of it. I’m gonna go back to working on my actual fic ideas now.

[annabethisterrified]

Book Review: THE BURNING MAZE (The Trials of Apollo #3) by Rick Riordan

There are no spoilers unless you click ‘Read More’!

California is burning. After shutting down the oraclic sites in New York and Indiana, Apollo (aka Lester Papadapaulos) and Meg McCaffrey team up with Grover Underwood to find the source of the burning maze, a morphed portion of the Labyrinth where the third oracle is trapped. Along the way, they must work with demigods Piper McLean and Jason Grace to figure out how to navigate the twisting, smoldering maze.

But the third emperor of the evil Roman Triumvirate makes Nero and Commodus look pathetic. With the stakes high and their world burning, Apollo and his friends must put out the flames before they devour everything. 

In classic Riordan tradition, this third installment amps up the drama and danger. With dark and mature themes, the lighthearted aspect of this series begins to dwindle away as real consequences and devastating decisions wreak havoc upon Apollo, Meg, Grover, Jason, and Piper. The Burning Maze is a cinematic, heartbreaking adventure that elevates the stakes and leads us to the grittiest part of The Trials of Apollo. Once again, this book proves that this third series is not a spin-off or separate from Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus; The Burning Maze proves that The Trials of Apollo explores the loose ends and lingering fears the first two series laid out. A must-read for any fan of Riordan’s mythological mayhem. Just, uh, grab some tissues first.

SPOILERY COMMENTARY BELOW!

Heyyyy there! So seriously, massive spoilers ahead. You sure about this? Okay. Also, I gotta break this down into chapters. It’ll be the only organized part of this, trust me.

1. That Fun Five Letter Word...Starts with D! 

2. The Devolution of Jasiper

3. Apollo’s Arc

4. What Comes Next...?

5. Miscellaneous Sobbing

-----

CHAPTER ONE: THAT FUN FIVE LETTER WORD...STARTS WITH D!

I am not okay. Like, really not okay. Granted, I’m writing this review less than thirty minutes after finishing, so maybe I need more time to process what just went down but....damn. Like, my stomach ACTUALLY HURTS. I AM IN PHYSICAL PAIN BECAUSE OF THE CONTENT OF THIS BOOK.

In a good way, you ask?

Uh. It’s hard to say. This book is tricky to review. I’ve had an easy, breezy time describing my feelings for all the PJO, HoO, and ToA books prior. But in The Burning Maze...everything changes. 

For years, a lot of us on here have lamented the fact that we felt Riordan’s books have lacked a degree of consequence. On the rare occasion that he did kill a character, he brought them back-- Jason in The Lost Hero, Hazel, Leo...I could go on. 

And it’s not that we’re bad people who want to watch our favorites perish! We just...well, if you keep bringing back dead characters, we start to lose the fear that a character’s death should instill.

I guess he heard us, then.

Because if you’ve read this book, you understand too-- there isn’t anything bringing Jason back. This was real. Final. (In his own words!) And that kind of hurts. A lot. But at the same time, as heartbroken and sick as I feel, this is what we’ve been asking for for a long time-- something that reminds us of what’s at stake. 

Something, I suppose, to make us remember that. (See what I did there?)

Now, I’ll talk more about this in Chapter Two because I have a lot of confused feelings, but I for one, when it was announced that Piper and Jason would be in this book, assumed it would be a joint arrival, if that makes sense? I wasn’t expecting the two of them to be starkly and individually portrayed and explored...and yeah, I gotta wait til the next section to talk about this. Back to Jason’s demise.

And yeah, this was spoiled for me. And yeah, it was my own fault, so don’t feel bad for me. Still, I didn’t know HOW or WHY he would die, so there was plenty of heartbreak for me to uncover along the way. I was mentally steeling myself for the first 300 pages of this book, dreading what I knew was coming, crying at nearly every scene he was in (which frankly, wasn’t many scenes!) and basically losing my damn mind remembering ceaselessly all the times we’ve had over the past what? EIGHT YEARS? Since Lost Hero came out? I’ve loved Jason since The Lost Hero...since I was TWELVE. I am now TWENTY. I watched him grow. I waited impatiently every year for the next HoO book to release. I watched him fall in love with Piper and expand his loyalties and grow stronger and wiser and end up with such a fitting duty-- pontifex maximus.

And today, eight years later, I watched it all get ripped away. 

And I’m torn, because I think in a dark way, this is an absolutely tragically beautiful arc for Riordan to explore and utilize in ToA. I think it was a long overdue and necessary decision that clarifies the real danger our characters should have been exposed to much earlier. 

But I really thought he was going to be okay after Blood of Olympus. I thought our Seven were safe. I had already imagined and accepted what their lives were going to be like-- I had imagined he and Piper’s kids, his job as pontifex maximus, everything that was going to unfold for him... I thought the great tragedy of his long, happy life was going to be not growing old with his sister, Thalia. 

And it was hard to have him brought back into the action just for half of a book, just to get killed so gruesomely, so violently...without even getting to say goodbye, a fact that Piper and Leo later lament. So am I outraged at this writing decision? Or simply as a loyal reader? I think it’s the latter. I am angry for Jason and the friends he left behind, but I also deeply respect this writing decision. It’s a weird balance, and my thoughts will likely evolve as I have more time to digest.

I don’t feel good thoughts about this book, but that’s not a negative on the story. I think Riordan knocked it out of the park. That doesn’t diminish the dread and devastation I feel as a reader who has loved Jason for eight years. As a reader who had happiness for Jason’s future, and as a reader who really, truly, thought it would happen. 

Then again, isn’t that the whole point? Demigods are never, ever safe. And now Apollo will always remember what it is to be human, because Jason did such a goddamn noble job of it. 

I’m proud of that boy, and deeply sorry for him. I’m gutted. I’ll miss him terribly. I just hope this arc is further explored and resonates in the final two books in this saga. I just hope it wasn’t for nothing, but I know it won’t be. 

Don’t get me fucking started on 

Coach Hedge: “I was his protector.”

Leo: “Where’s Jason?”

Goodbye, please see Chapter Five for more screaming!

CHAPTER TWO: THE DEVOLUTION OF JASIPER

Ironically, this somehow hurts me just as much as Jason’s death? Like...okay. Let me think of how I can articulate this, because I’m feeling a lot of things. 

First off, I (unlike many of us bloggers here) genuinely loved Jason’s character and his romantic pairing with Piper right from the get-go. It clicked for me. It really resonated, and I was fully supportive. I loved the strange dynamic of having this fake foundation, and watching it develop (seemingly) into something real-- something unique and strong, a soaring romance worthy for a daughter of Aphrodite. 

We didn’t see it happen on-page, but they were an official couple by The Mark of Athena and I was behind it 100%. They had rough patches that I guess were indicative of future problems, but they were easily swept aside by the larger importance of surviving their Argo 2 mission. I loved their tender, intimate moments in The House of Hades and The Blood of Olympus.

Truly.

So I was confused when they were broken up (again, something we don’t see happen on-page) in The Burning Maze. And being from Apollo’s perspective, we of course will never fully understand why this happened. 

Now again, I have to deal between looking at this from two perspectives. Am I upset at the author’s decision, or just as a really-passionate Jasiper shipper? Of course, my immediate thought was that one of them had broken it off to protect the other, probably thinking “oh fuck if one of us is gonna die in the maze, maybe I should break this off to avoid future pain”. But then jason goes and tells apollo that it was PIPER that broke it off well before the burning maze was even a thing and i’m like WATTTTTT

I’m still like WHATTTTTTT

So, I wait for Piper to have her heart-to-heart with Apollo. (Listen, I fucking LOVE Piper in this book. What a badass motherfucker. Holy fuck.) And I’m expecting her to give a concrete, selfless reason for breaking things off with Jason.

I wasn’t expecting her to have fallen out of love with him.

But the more Piper explained herself, the more I realized that I was just the type of secondhand observer that Piper had started to resent. Apollo put it succinctly: “Your relationship was born in crisis.” 

It really was-- beyond Hera’s meddling and Aphrodite’s hyperfixation, these kids were also in WAR MODE. That’s enough to stress anyone out. I hadn’t really stopped to consider what Piper was dealing with, as a daughter of the love goddess. How everyone expected her to have everything romantic figured out. To have a love story to rival Percy and Annabeth’s. How her first love must be the love of her life.

And the whole world-- and the whole pantheon-- was watching them and expecting it. Judging them, all the time. 

Like, yeah, girl. That’s a lot. I think I get why Piper did it, even if it broke my heart. That being said, I do wish that if Jason had lived, they eventually would’ve made their way back to each other and fallen in love for real.

But Piper was right. She deserved to forge her own identity, even with the world restraining her constantly. I wish I knew exactly where her feelings for him stood, but at least we know with certainty that she always considered him her closest friend. She clearly loved him so much, more than anyone-- even if it was a different type of love than the one they first shared.

Just because she’s Aphrodite’s daughter doesn’t mean she should have to fall in love so dramatically and eternally. That isn’t fair for her. Her first remark to Grover was cutting and clear-- Jason and Piper were never like Percy and Annabeth. 

And this is still hard for me to stomach, since I love(d) them together, but I am glad Riordan is exploring the much more realistic aspect to relationships. As someone in a long-term relationship, I can empathize with Piper’s fears. The world always wants couples to be “Percabeth”-- together forever, utterly known to each other. 

But the reality is, most couples are nothing like Percabeth. And that’s okay-- that’s normal, and as sad as that is, at least it was acknowledged and addressed and explored. 

It took away some of the sting of Jason’s death that I’d been anticipating. I thought maybe there would be some last-minute confessional, some last tender moment between them. There wasn’t. He was torn away so fast. 

I’m devastated that Piper has to live on without him. But she has her father, Hedge and Millie, Leo...she’ll be okay. She’s a fighter. Always was. 

It’s hard to see one of Riordan’s hallmark couples fall apart in a way you don’t expect. But I can’t say it’s not realistic, and it’s kind of relieving to see one of his romances take on the tough stuff and not fall into a sweeping, encompassing romance that is usually unrealistic. 

CHAPTER THREE: APOLLO’S ARC

YEESSSSS RIORDAN DONE GOOD ON THIS PART

Apollo’s narration and character has finally developed into someone I can truly empathize and sympathize with. As cool as it would’ve been to see some of these scenes from other character’s points of view, I was really happy to read through Apollo’s eyes. I love love love where his character is going.

God....him referring to Jason as ‘brother’...his obvious care for Meg...it got me good. I’ve always liked Apollo as a narrator, but this is the first book where I LOVED IT. He’s set on a good path! He’s still funny, thank goodness, but there’s also a darker, wiser grace to him now that gives the story a more serious edge that will definitely help the books moving forwards.

I can’t believe he tried to kill himself to save the others. Ugh. What a guy. 

Love him!

That is all.

CHAPTER FOUR: WHAT COMES NEXT...?

So, I did a big happy dance when the next prophecy was revealed....REYNA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE REYNA OH MY GOD WE GET A WHOLE BOOK WITH HER I’M PSYCHED FOR THE TYRANT’S TOMB 

But beyond REYnA!!!!! and Camp Jupiter????? I don’t really know what to expect for this fourth installment. I imagine we’re going to Delphi for the final book, but sticking to the Bay Area for The Tyrant’s Tomb??? 

I’m like...extremely apprehensive because a lot of people are predicting that Apollo and Reyna are gonna fall in love?????????????????????? like what with her final prophecy: no demigod shall heal your heart

umm. first off, reyna could do WAY better. But like...is this actually gonna happen? UHHHHH????? Guess I have a full year to think on this one hmmm

CHAPTER FIVE: MISCELLANEOUS SOBBING

soooooo i’m like kinda numb kinda devastated kinda in love with this book kinda wanna throw it against a wall

Like, okay, I recognize that as an author Riordan did an excellent job writing this book and I am so excited to see what goes down next.

BUT ALSO I HAD BEEN IMAGINING THIS DREAMY REUNION SCENE BETWEEN LEO/PIPER/JASON AND THEN IT HAPPENED EXCEPT JASON WAS IN A COFFIN??????????????????????????????????????????? FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I ALSO CANNOT BELIEVE PIPER IS MOVING TO OKLA-FUCKING-HOMA i mean actually I’m really happy that she’s finding her roots and that she’s taking some well-deserved family time and that coach hedge is with her but also I WISH SHE WAS WITH HER CHB AND CF FRIENDDDSSS

at least it’s kinda close to Indianapolis?

jesus christ

Anyway, I really loved Piper in this book-- my queen, my crush, my...oh my god i just love her she’s a fantastic character and i really hope she’ll come back somehow for the final battle

I’m also happy that Grover gets to go back to CHB and see Percy and Annabeth again! Yay!!! And I’m happy that Camp Jupiter hasn’t burned down to the ground yet! Yay!!!!!

In conclusion, I will grieve Jason Grace forever. But damn, what a book. See you next spring, demigods. 

PLEASE MESSAGE ME TO TALK ABOUT THIS IF YOU’VE READ TBM I NEED TO CRY MORE

[eirenare]

FFXV: Ardyn’s limp — A potential explanation (theory)

[Putting this text under a “read more” because it’s a bit extensive.]

First of all I would like to thank @jonphaedrus and @superespresso, both for creating an amazing and exhaustive document about Ardyn's bad leg, and for allowing me to link it and cite it for this post of mine. You can find their work here (a seriously recommended read that provides even more depth to Ardyn Izunia):

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WHReP_7r4OH5ouszQOA9vVi1bJq1C64r3pFyWdE7Uss/edit#

To be honest I didn't realize Ardyn had a bad leg until I read that document, and it's something that's been on my mind ever since I read it. I've asked myself several times about it, wondering how he ended up with his leg like that. It was another interesting piece of information about Ardyn that I wanted to know more and write about.

Now, I think I may have found a feasible explanation for the origin of his limp. And what would that origin be... ?

Ardyn's crucifixion.

You ready to start? Let's go.

The other day I got to start reading a book that my mother and I bought ("Enciclopedia Eslava", by Juan Eslava Galán), about curiosities throughout history of different areas (philosophy, maths, science, history, geography, literature, etc), and there were some pages dedicated to crucifixion.

You see... I'm a huge fan of Ardyn Izunia (probably my favourite character of all time — he's just so fascinating), and every little detail or bit of data I can find is a blessing, so when my eyes landed on these pages about crucifixion (something I wasn't expecting to find), my first reaction was "okay, there could be something interesting in here".

I hoped there would be useful information about the matter, since it's one of the things about Ardyn that I wanted to write about.

And I wasn't disappointed. In fact there was even more than I thought, and if I thought already that it was a cruel process, well... it turned out to be even worse, to the point where my jaw dropped sometimes while reading these pages.

But before I talk about the book's information, I would like to quote first some texts of last part of the document about Ardyn's limp (from the section "Conclusions and takeaways", pages 47 and 48):

<< [...] For a lot of reasons I think he probably wasn’t born with this leg issue; most of his affectations are just that—affectations. Useful, yes, but things he had to add later. When you see him fight, he takes a lot of positions that require the use of his left leg in ways he can’t, which shows how out of practice fighting like that he is—Ardyn learned to fight differently than he does now, and just rolls with it, compensating for his injuries. It’s also just that I feel like it’s probably way more likely someone tried to saw his leg off. (I mean, I would.) Which leads to my guess about what is actually wrong.

His knee honestly seems to work fine. It can bend, lift turn it, and it takes weight without much difficulty at all. It’s stiff, sure, but that seems more from overusing it than anything. It’s got the most motion out of his entire left leg, which makes it seem like nah, his knee is probably fine. So: didn’t get hamstrung. (It would’ve caused him to bleed out, anyway. Not that that really matters. Since he is Immortal. It would just hurt his feelings.)

That leaves the hip and the ankle. Ankle first, because that’s easier and smaller: he has, as has been mentioned earlier, a really tell-tale flat foot. It slides and sticks and jerks, and it looks like he can neither lift nor straighten it properly, which points probably to him having had his achilles tendon cut or torn. It could heal partly, but he’d never recover.

The hip is a lot more. Let’s work backwards: it looks like someone tried, and failed, to cut his leg off. Based on the lack of motion, the stilted problems he has walking, the way he avoids putting weight on it, it seems similarly akin to a permanent dislocation. The bones were probably smashed and never healed (or barely healed), and as such he lost most of the motion with the leg. So, in summary: someone tried, really badly, to cut his leg off or otherwise remove it, and probably at the same time, partly severed his achilles tendon. [...]

[...] SuperEspresso: Also he’s a dirty liar about not feeling it. The character shows signs of some sort of injury in the pelvis-to-leg area. The diagram shows the tendons and bones in the area of the hip and with what you’ve now looked for specifically, you have a better idea of the location of these issues. If the character did have his leg amputated, the tearing of the tensor fasciae latae would facilitate stiff movement from the hip to the knee, while the separation of the iliacus from the femur could easily cause the stiffness seen in-game.

Another area we need to look at is the pectineus, adductor brevis, adductor longus, and gracilis in the case of a total leg amputation. These are the muscles that connect the pelvis to the femur, and in the case of the pectineus and piriformis, hold the femur into the pelvic socket to keep a legs mobility and strength. Considering the character has some degree of movement, and doesn’t fully limp everywhere, it’s likely the pectineus and piriformis were severed, causing a sporadic dislocation of the hip on the characters bad side, which would explain the twisting of the femur and knee-cap due to movement or over-extension. Another possibility is the iliacus and psoas major being inured, which would extend his injury not only to the hip, but to the spine as well. [...] >>

Now, let's head to the book...

In Roman crucifixion, the condemned person didn't carry the whole cross, "only" the crosspiece (patibulum): the upright post (stipes) was permanently mounted in the crucifixion area. Sometimes there wasn't a crosspiece, just the upright post, and they would pin the raised arms of the condemned there. Sometimes the condemned would get lashings before getting crucified as well.

The executioners would undress the condemned, pin his arms to the patibulum with a nail between the ulna and radius, and they would rise him over the stipes. After that they would pin or tie the legs to the upright post. Below his feet they would put a footrest (suppedaneum lignum), a triangular piece.

That process is depicted in this official Ardyn Izunia artwork:

For what it seems, the condemned could sometimes agonize for days before dying.

The tension in the chest and abdominal muscles would force the condemned to breathe with the diaphragm, in a quite incomplete mode. This would lead either to asphyxia or to coronary insufficiency. The thing is, when the condemned felt the lack of air, he would instinctively rest the weight of his body astride on top of the sedile/cornu, which was a thick nail that stood out from the cross at the height of the crotch. That would alleviate the feeling of asphyxia, but the pain of the sedile was so unbearable that the condemned would end up rising his weight for relief, which would put in motion again the process leading to asphyxia or heart attack. Another thing was that, to make things even worse, that sedile, well... sometimes they would put it inside where the sun doesn't shine.

Sounds horrible so far, and it hasn't even finished... It just keeps getting worse.

(Sometimes, though, the condemned ones would be offered anesthesic beverages; for example the posca, a mix of water and vinegar, would mitigate the suffering.)

And now enters a part of the process that will sound very familiar regarding the text above from the document about Ardyn's limp...

The exactor mortis, the executioner that directed the execution, sometimes would make the death of the condemned quicker... by fracturing the bones of the condemned with an iron bar. That would prevent the condemned from "resting" on top of the sedile when asphyxia or heart attack would happen (as a side note, they could make things even more horrible: if they wanted to extend the agony of a too weakened condemned, they would pierce the side with a spear so that the air would penetrate directly to the lung).

And, remember about the footrest? Well... Sometimes they wouldn't give them one. The book mentiones the case of a man that had his heels laterally pierced to the upright post.

Regarding the broken leg, there are some options I've thought about.

It could be that they fractured Ardyn's left leg so that his death would be quicker and that for some reason they stopped before fracturing the right leg (someone or something may have prevented that from happening, or Ardyn could have died before they did it). Or they simply just broke that leg. And since it looks like only the Achilles tendon of his left foot got severed, that would rule out the possibility that they pinned his feet directly to the upright post... unless they didn't place the nail of the right foot in the exact same position and it didn't sever the tendon.

It could as well been that Ardyn arrived to crucifixion with his leg recently broken, but the official artwork of him being lifted for crucifixion didn't show that, so it could have happened way earlier (maybe an injury of when he was younger, even?) or as mentioned earlier, as a "coup de grace" during crucifixion.

We don't know exactly (for now, at least) how Ardyn's regeneration works, but given how his state is according to the document, it could be that he got injured in a time when his regeneration was much slower and difficult (and thus it healed badly or didn’t at all), or that he didn't even have that power back then.

Another option would be that they started with what we consider his good leg, and that Ardyn died with that leg regenerated or almost regenerated and the other one fractured. This would also explain why only one of Ardyn's ankle was severed as well. This is the explanation I find more feasible so far.

There would be another option, as well... A much crueler one and that wouldn't involve a slower regeneration: that Ardyn got both legs fractured and that they kept fracturing them as they regenerated, until he died (which could have resulted in him dying with one leg healed up and the other not having had time enough to heal).

As an interesting detail: in Japanese, when Bahamut talks about Ardyn, he says something that would translate to this, according to the website TheLifestream.net: "a foolish man who was rejected by the Holy Stone for that unclean body and was buried without ascending to the throne" (source: https://thelifestream.net/final-fantasy-xv-lore/final-fantasy-xv-fan-theories-and-observations/observations-about-the-translation-and-localization-of-ffxv/ ).

Buried... So Ardyn would have been dead time enough that they would presume him dead and buried him.

To conclude, this is how I think Ardyn's crucifixion went down:

— they pinned Ardyn's feet to the upright post with nails, severing the Achilles tendons

— they wanted to speed up the process and fractured his right leg

— once they were done, they proceeded with the left leg, and the right leg and heel started to regenerate

— the right leg and heel fully regenerated while they were fracturing the left one

— Ardyn died either before they were done with the left leg, or before it had time to regenerate

— he got returned to the world of the living after not being able to enter the Afterlife

And this is it, the end of the post.

If you've read it until the end you have my gratitude. We don't know yet what happened exactly, but I think that "yet" has its own charm (although in all honesty this wait for Episode Ardyn is killing me a bit, haha): it makes us think, it makes us imagine, it makes us analyze, it makes us share our theories and views, and in definitive, it makes us have fun.

Having said this, I hope you all have a nice day!

See you soon, fellow FFXV fans!

[timeywimeygalaxy]

The Ghost Of You {Chapter 4}

Oh my god you guys! seriously thank you so much for all your feedback it makes me so happy to know you enjoy this story and it really spurs me to carry on writing so thank you! <3 <3

[See bottom for more A/N]

Warnings: Swearing, someone getting slapped so mild violence?, I think that’s it let me know if there’s any I missed!

Words: 1,837

Pairings: None (yet….) ;)

Tag List: @accio-hufflepuff-power , @just-an-anxious-ravenclaw-boy, @callboxkat , @spazzz32 ,@ccecode

Let me know if you would like to be tagged in future updates!

Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch4

Seemingly now unable to comprehend the fact that they were now communicating with two spirits Logan tumbled onto the couch with a soft thud, nearly landing on Roman who squeaked and shifted quickly to this left as dust particles danced around the two of them, the camera fell to the side of the couch next to him, Roman grabbed it and saw it displayed a low battery sign and in that instant, it died in his hands.

“Oh, my goodness!” Patton yelped as he ran over to where Logan lay, he dropped to his knees next to the bespectacled human as Roman waved a hand in front of Logan’s face to check he was completely unconscious, having now recovered from his own fainting spell, though still looking very shaken he glanced at Patton who looked so upset once again at doing this to someone, Roman shifted uncomfortably and decided he wanted to be closer to Virgil he set the camera down on the arm of couch and left Patton who was now waving his hand in a fanning motion in front of Logan’s face.

“Jesus Christ…” muttered Virgil shining his flashlight between Logan and Thomas, Roman had now joined his side eyeing the second spirit that had appeared, he had soft brown hair that was quite similar to Patton’s style wise though he had a splash of purple on his fringe his chocolate brown eyes looked very warm and friendly, he was wearing a pink shirt with a gold star in the middle and it hit Virgil that these were the clothes these two had died in…guess they had more than one of their favorite garment… Virgil thought as a wave of sadness washed over him, he glanced back up at Thomas who gave them a lopsided smile whilst at the same time seeming shy in himself but it seemed to give him an air of mystery, Virgil noted all of these observations storing them away in his brain for…maybe later, Virgil also noticed the way that Thomas held himself, his body language seemed similar to his own.

Can ghosts still have anxiety after they die? If so, then he was fucked.

“you’re Thomas?” Virgil asked

“Last time I checked,” Thomas remarked, now bouncing back and forth on the balls of his feet, Virgil’s face fell.

Sarcastic little shit.

He and Roman glanced at each other what do you say in a situation like this?

Sorry you were brutally murdered but hey can we film both of you?

That was their entire aim of going there anyway but they were all still reeling from Patton’s reveal, and Virgil was sure Logan was going to have a proper meltdown once he awoke.

“uh… Hi” Roman finally spoke up interrupting the silent awkwardness that had been building much to Virgil’s relief, “hiya” a small mischievous smile slowly pulled at the spirit’s lips, quickly as it came it left he then nodded to Logan.

“Is he going to be alright?” Thomas enquired now with concern in his voice.

“uh yeah he should be” Roman was still trying to find his voice still gawking as this young man stood in front of them luckily, he seemed patient enough understanding that this was going to take some time for the three men to fully process everything.

I mean it’s not every day that he gets to speak to humans, so this was more than intriguing, also a chance to have some fun and these three seemed like the perfect candidates for a bit of poltergeist mischief Thomas thought to himself seemingly lost in his feelings.

Virgil stepped forward hesitantly towards him

“Thomas?”

“hm?” he was brought back to the situation at hand as the flashlight was shined towards his chest

“so…what happened here? it’s kind of been a mystery for 20 years now, you think…you could give us any answers. Either of you?”  Virgil winced asking this knowing that both the spirits could instantly vanish and cut off communication at any point, but they so desperately wanted to know if anything to get closure on this, maybe they could help their families or tell them something that could help ease the pain of there loss? As Virgil thought this, he was surprised to hear Thomas’s voice in the air again.

“I…” Virgil noticed that Thomas stole a glance at Patton who met his eyes with sadness, it was like he wanted to say but couldn’t, his mouth hanging open the words were on the tip of his tongue until he finally sighed “I’m sorry….I don’t remember”

Liar

Virgil could always tell when someone was lying but whatever reason these spirits had to do so was beyond him, he glanced down disappointed as a long exhale came out of Roman he put his hands on his hips and surveyed the scene before him, Thomas made his way over to Patton who was still tending to Logan, he sat down next to him on the couch and they smiled at each other, the other two did the same, Virgil bent down next to Logan and lightly tapped his face.

“Lo? Buddy wake up” with another tap he started to stir, slowly coming around the slits of his eyes peered open to find two pairs of eyes in black framed glasses staring back at him, Logan’s eyes grew wide as Patton looked down at him his face full of concern,

“Oh my gosh are you ok, is there anything we can do for you?”

He was starting to get emotional again Logan started edging away from the spirit as a small squeak escaped his lips, Thomas leaned over him gently grabbing Patton’s shoulder

“Hey Pat, maybe give him some space, he’s probably feeling very overwhelmed,” he said in a fatherly tone.

Seeing Thomas to the other side of him he leapt up from the couch and Virgil could see his hands were trembling he put his own hands up in an attempt to calm Logan, but he knew once his intelligent friend became freaked he would end up going on some kind of tangent about how illogical this was before wearing himself out.

“Oh god, oh god oh god…” he kept repeating himself trying to find the words to communicate what he wanted to say, his voice broke as he started pacing whilst the two spirits looked on, Patton wearing a worrisome frown whilst Thomas was staring with same concern though it had a hint of amusement behind it, Roman noticed how Thomas’s hand slowly rose to his mouth to cover a growing smile.

“Dude you need to chill!” Virgil pleaded wincing slightly he knew both Roman and Logan had a temper which was not what any of them needed right now he didn’t want to scare Patton and Thomas off, not now that they had finally deemed it safe to be seen.

“This-this is just a dream, a highly illogical dream that had to be it-“Logan was breathless from pacing so quickly and it looked like they were all watching a tennis match going on following him left to right repeatedly, Virgil shook his head as he approached him.

“Logan…they’re real” Virgil declared

“FALSEHOOD!” Logan screeched pointing at the spirits sat on the couch making Patton jump  looking terrified and hurt but Thomas was now stifling giggles “you-you are dead, it is scientifically impossible for you to even be here the stastici-“ words were now spilling from him in quick succession, he was getting hysterical looking around manically trying to make sense of what he was witnessing, Roman stood up from the couch making his way to Logan and grabbing him by the shoulders “Logan!” he called but was ignored as Logan continued “- be here the experiments that have been performed –“

“Logan!” Roman yelled again

“-have been proven correct so that means-“

“God sake, pull yourself together specs!” Roman screamed above Logan’s rant and without thinking he raised his hand, Virgil didn’t get the chance to grab it in time as Roman’s hand crashed across Logan’s face sending his glasses askew, Patton let out a small yelp and Thomas ceased his giggling staring eyes wide.

Everything was silent for a while save for Logan, Roman and Virgil’s heavy breathing of shock, Roman exhaled as the realisation of what he did hit him “Logan, I’m so sorr-“but Logan raised his hand stopping him in tracks  as he adjusted his glasses “No, Thank you Roman I..” he trailed off and Roman understood what he meant as Logan came back to his composed state strangely it seemed to have stopped him from going into full melt down mode Logan glanced over at Patton and Thomas who stared back, Roman led him back to the couch wiping his face in his hands.

“Dude it’s a lot simpler than…whatever you were trying to say” Thomas piped up as Logan glared at him.

With all four of them sitting on the couch Virgil surveyed them all about to speak but a sudden thud from upstairs echoed throughout the house, they all looked up as Logan scowled at the spirits sitting next to him, he shifted away from them slightly moving closer to Roman.

“Are you doing this?”

Patton looked like he was on the brink of tears again “what! No of course not!”

“Then what is it?”  Roman asked suspiciously still glancing up, both ghosts had gone eerily quiet avoiding eye contact now “Well? Are you going to tell us what’s going-“Virgil started

THUD

They all screamed in unison as the desk from the upstairs bedroom came crashing down the stairs.

Silence.

“Nope!”

Roman threw his hands up in the air having reached his limit now, he shot up from the couch running the front door and Logan followed suite “a wise decision”

“Hey Woah Woah wait!” Virgil called after them

“No! I am done Virgil we’re leaving!” Roman yelled back

Virgil looked between his friends who were at the front door and the ghosts sitting on the couch, Thomas raised his eyebrows looking like he was wondering what choice Virgil was going to make, Patton, on the other hand, held his arm out with a pleading look in his eyes “Wait! Please!” Virgil was torn he wanted answers and to desperately help these spirits there must have been a reason why they hadn’t been able to move on yet but there was something clearly dangerous lurking within these walls and his anxiety was screaming for him to get the hell out of there now, how had these two lived with this thing for so long?

Hearing the car engine started up outside he looked hopelessly between at the spectres “I-I’m sorry! We-I’ll come back!” he called as multiple thuds were now heard, glancing around at the place once more looking terrified he felt his stomach twisting in knots from guilt as he sprinted out the front door slamming it shut behind him, forgetting the camera Logan had that was sitting on the arm of the couch.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! I got to say I’m not completely happy with it, I spent ages editing and changing the first half because I just felt like it wasn’t right or didn’t fit but I hope it’s okay now! And I’m sorry if Thomas’s character isn’t written well I tried to do a balance of shy and yet mischievous, also yes it is meant to be awkward between Thomas and Patton and we will find out why in later chapters  (I actually have the whole mystery figured out and the ending) ;) the scene I was seriously torn about putting in was Logan getting slapped I struggled with if it would be in Roman’s character or not but I decided to put it in as I figured he would be the one to do it if Logan ever got too hysterical, not sure if that makes any sense? Anyways sorry! I hope you guys like it! Peace out! <3 

[everydaychurch]

PATIENCE  by Warren

Patience

Websters defines as ; "the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset:

In the middle of the worship set at my local church on a very laid back and warm Saturday night a word keep pressing on my heart that I couldn't shake. Not an audible voice, but a gut reaction that didn't go away. I don't know if something like this has ever happened to you. It doesn't necessarily need to take place in a church building; but It has occurred to me several times. Most of the time I take it as a sign that God is speaking to me something specific that I need to examine. Most times the word is proven right.

Sometimes a single word, scripture, or lyric from the song being sung will stand out and pose the question of who this prompting is for. Is it me? Is it for the church body? Is it for sometime down the road? Is it for someone I know?

Saturday was a little different.

My wife Julie and I were at the Saturday service to be "prayed out"; as we were leaving the following morning to be part of a large group leaving on an in-state mission trip to a rural church with a large camp on site to the north. It is a property I am very familiar with. I spent 2 different seasons of time there as an associate pastor and worship leader. 11 years the first time and 2 years the second. Its a nice church. The congregation is quite large for such a small town, but maintaining such a huge camp campus of 19 acres was and always is challenging for the staff and attendees. I put endless sacrifice, blood, sweat, and tears into this place; sometimes at great cost.

Yet here  I was preparing to leave, along with 100 or so additional volunteers to build cabins, paint buildings, facilitate a vacation bible school, remodel dorms, landscape, and anything else asked of us. I am on day 1 of the trip as I write this and I am already exhausted. In addition to being on the Painting team I am leading worship and brought this morning's devotional to the group. This is where Saturday night comes full circle. 

Let me provide a little backstory if I may

A big area in my life that challenges me is impatience. Part of the outward appearance of my struggle is my 16 mile one way commute to work or home in heavy traffic. Without a doubt this is the most frustrating, horrific encounter that pushes my buttons. You know the old saying "too slow you're a lollygagger but too fast your a maniac"? Don't let me get started with tailgaters.I hate commuting.

Work is second place on my impatience list; especially the computer systems I use to update the information I need. So many workarounds and slow-downs it makes me want to literally scream at full volume in a desperate attempt for someone, anyone, to provide relief. Why do computers instinctively know how to slow down when you need answers and need them now? 

This is why during worship when the word "PATIENCE" popped into my head my first reaction was "Oh great, God is going to really go after my impatient attitude and hound me to change. Oddly the word impatience wasn't the word I heard. 

I wasn’t surprised by this word I thought. I knew impatience needed to be dealt with in my life. My assumption was the ensuing challenge of this word, now dominating my mind, was the beginning of God pushing me until I did something about it and I should. But as I stood there in the midst of a cool worship song I have since forgotten God spoke further stating "No Warren that's not quite what I am saying". It's much, much deeper than that.

You see God's character is nothing like mine or any other human being that has ever breathed on this planet. Patience is one of God’s many loving attributes. The Bible clearly communicates this throughout all of the writing contained within. Specifically it says God wants to "develop" our character to be like His. Not perfect but on a path to mirror His. We are to be imitators of Christ as Ephesians 5:1-2 says “ Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

Well I thought "I can try harder I guess". To try harder is what I assumed was going on, but that certainly begs the question. "If Patience is a Godly Characteristic can I improve my character through trying harder alone?" I don't think so; even if fleshly effort is made you will come to a place of frustration as you fall short. 

Character is something that grows in line with our relationship with God. You want to be like Jesus? Be with Jesus. Draw closer to Jesus. You desire more patience? Give your request  to Jesus and ask Him to help you.

As I continued to dwell on patience my thought process shifted to where God began reminding me of how dissatisfied I felt I have been with who I am as a believer in Christ. My self-absorbed attitude every time I failed resulting in the inner chorus of "I can do better" blaring like an off-key trumpet  in my ears. This mind game further opening up the the twisted whispers on how I was failing miserably again and how this time is probably the last time God is going to let me get away with this.Those thoughts were contrary to God of course, which I knew, and had to fight off.

How sadly we forget sometimes that Jesus alone sets us free. We don't free ourselves; its impossible. All He asks of us is to believe who He Himself, and all of heaven declares He is. Jesus invites us to follow Him so that we can become like Him. This is how our character is built. Through our relationship with Jesus Christ.  Why does character count? It counts because Jesus wants His character spread to our world around us through his followers.

However, when we come to the place of believing in Jesus it happens from a position of a fallen life. We have habits, flaws, faulty thinking, coping patterns, family dysfunctions, abuse, trauma, failures. We have bundled up a lifetime of mistakes that have messed us up.

The key to remember is God knows our story. Nothing is a shock to Him. He is fully aware of  what has happened to us, how we got there, and has plans only He can fulfill in freeing us to a place of wholeness.

The good news that we can  stand firm on is the fact that God is Patient.  He is patient with our mistakes. The book of Romans 2:4 states "Its His (God's) kindness that leads us to repentance." Patience is Love, Patience is Kindness.  I Corinthians 13:4-8 also says  "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails" 

To apply logic we can then concur that If God is patient with us why are we so impatient with ourselves sometimes? When we fail, and we will, God sees it. We aren't fooling Him. To our good fortune He is patient. His character is love and His heart is to mold us as clay in the hands of the Master He is. The smartest move anyone can make when they blow it is to focus on Him and draw close. Instead of playing the " I keep screwing up" mental gymnastics give yourself a break and know God's intention is good and filled with mercy. Choosing not to deal with issues contrary to the heart of God is a different story, but true desire to change will never be thrown out of God’s plan for you.

You see the crony cohort of impatience is Anger. Find an impatient person and you will likely find an angry person. Traffic delays, fast food taking too long, client late for appointment, package not arriving on time, or the loud neighbor who refuses to turn down their music. Certainly issues that open the door to impatience and anger. But how about the wayward teen you can no longer reason with, the spouse who doesn't listen or seem to care, or the habits and sins you can't seem to overcome? With these later issues you might just mix in sadness, depression, and guilt as well.  

The Apostle Paul spent quite a bit of time with the Holy Spirit. He allowed himself to be immersed in God's presence and passed the key to developing the character of Christ  on to his protege Timothy. He said this in I Timothy 1:15-16 " It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among who I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate  His perfect PATIENCE as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.” 

You see just as Impatience has a partner named anger. Patience has a partner as well called "Peace"

As we live out our Christian lives built up in Christ's character and walking in patience and peace we become the example that impacts all people and demonstrates the Good News in its intended truth. We can only give to others what has already been built in us. 

I am, and you are too a work in process. To use a little negation let me share why I don't ever plan to have a "fish" or Jesus bumper sticker on the back of my car. 1) I have been passed on the freeway by cars going 80+ with Jesus stickers on their bumpers, I have been cut off, flipped off, and road raged by cars with "fishes" on the bumpers which leads to; 2) I am not always the most behaved driver myself at times. I need more Jesus taking over, I need more patience. I ask for Holy Spirit help as I drive every commute. Since giving my impatience to Him it is getting better- and I have more peace, but I ain’t done yet. I am sure there are other situations other than commuting where I need help. 

Why share this? Since the point is for us to be like Jesus as His followers we need to allow Him to develop the character He extends to us. We are redeemed by His love to be His example. If we are constantly impatient, angry, self-condemning, arrogant, argumentative, or guilt ridden how can that truly be effective in demonstrating the heart of God?

For me when I have emotions, actions, or feelings I know are not in alignment with God's character I refuse to beat myself up. I go to God. I ask for help. I simply ask His forgiveness with an honest heart.I am leaning to be patient as He helps me overcome. Since He is patient I shall be patient. As I am patient I grow and extend the character of God to others in love. 

Blessings, 

Warren

[johnhardinsawyer]

The Politics of the Kingdom

John Sawyer

Bedford Presbyterian Church

3 / 25 / 18 – Palm/Passion Sunday

 Mark 11:1-11

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Philippians 2:5-11

 “The Politics of the Kingdom” (Using Jesus, and Other Mistakes)

 A little over a week from now will mark the fiftieth anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination in Memphis.  Over the past five decades, Dr. King has achieved an almost saint-like status for some. In a 2011 poll that was taken by the Gallup organization, 94% of respondents had a favorable view of Dr. King.[1]  I was surprised to learn, though, that Dr. King was not nearly this popular when he was alive.  

In the years leading up to his assassination, the preacher and civil rights activist was less popular than ever. A 1966 Gallup poll found that almost two-thirds of Americans had an unfavorable opinion of Dr. King and a third had a positive opinion.[2]

If you learn about some of the things that Dr. King said and did that didn’t involve the beautiful phrase “I have a dream,” you might start to understand why he wasn’t all that popular.  When he started talking about racism, segregation, and housing in the North, and poverty and economic justice, and the war in Vietnam, and “restructuring American society,”[3] it was clear that King’s dream of a different kind of Kingdom was ruffling the feathers of all kinds of people and his popularity dropped – both in the white community and the black community.  “I Have a Dream is so nice,” people thought, “but all that other stuff is too political.”

Hmmmm. . . political.  This is a word that really gets people going, isn’t it?  I don’t know how many times in recent months I have heard one person or another talking about how they don’t want politics in their football or their food choices, their hobbies or their habits, their awards shows or their gun shows, the rhetoric they hear or the religion they espouse.  If you take the word “politics” back to its root in the Greek, you get the word polis, which means city or state[4] or nation.  Anyone who lives in a polis tends to have opinions about what would make that polis a better place to live.  The only trouble is, all those who are seeking the well-being of their polis rarely agree on what would make that polis better.  I guess this is where politics – the process of “making decisions that apply to members of a group”[5] – becomes partisan.  People choose sides, thinking that that their opinions about the polis are the only ones that make sense to them.  And they don’t want to recognize that what’s best for everyone in the polis might look different from how they feel things should be.

Jesus lived in politically divided times.  Around the time of Jesus’ birth, the Romans moved in to stay and became the main governing and occupying force.[6]  By the time Jesus was an adult, the Roman empire had been involved in the politics of Judea for decades.  This was not the first time the descendants of Abraham had been conquered by one group or another.  Empire after empire had invaded the land, laying waste and laying claim.  The Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, and the Greeks, had all left their mark over the centuries – and sometimes that mark was quite bloody.  Now the Romans were in charge.  They put puppet rulers on the throne – the Herodians – but it was clear that Rome held all the real power.  And the people who lived in the land had to choose:  would they go along with the empire who had conquered them, or would they resist?

In Jesus’ day, even though Rome held almost all of the power, there were different groups squabbling over whatever little power was left.  This was especially true in the Jewish religion.  As shocking as it may sound, there are times when the politics of power are mixed with religion, and vice-versa.  As we learned in our Wednesday night Bible Study a few weeks ago, in the Jewish religion, the Pharisees were concerned with following the Law of Moses, the Sadducees were concerned with sacrificing things in the Temple, the Essenes thought that the Pharisees and Sadducees were impure, so they went out to the desert to get away from it all.  To top it all off, there was a growing number of people who were thinking revolutionary thoughts of somehow rising up against the Romans.  Things were quite complicated and volatile.

And then, Jesus came onto the scene.  And everywhere he went, he was interacting with people of different religious backgrounds, and different political leanings, different levels of purity and different races.  He didn’t make things easy for himself when he healed a Roman Centurion’s servant, and talked with women and men who were not Jewish, and mixed it up with the Pharisees and Sadducees.[7]  Different groups tried to test him to see whose side he was on.  The scribes and Pharisees were especially persistent, asking Jesus why he was eating with sinners, and tax collectors, and other undesirables.  It seemed, that if Jesus sided with anyone at all, it was with the people who had no power at all – the poor, the outcast, the sick, the sinners, and the children. In the Kingdom of God, the lowest and the least and the last are the ones God prefers.  Answers like these didn’t satisfy the Pharisees so they went out, pretty early on, and conspired with the Herodians – the Jews who were allied with the Romans – to destroy Jesus.  This is just one example of how political things were for Jesus.  But, when he rode into the city of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, things got really political.

In Mark’s version of the Palm Sunday story, the people use “cloaks” and “leafy branches”  (Mark 11:8)  instead of palm branches, but this scene of Jesus riding a colt into the city of Jerusalem with people laying down their cloaks and waving branches was a symbolic recreation of triumphant parades from the past.  Symbols like this can carry a lot of emotional and historical weight.  

There was this one time – a couple of hundred years before Jesus – when the city of Jerusalem had been conquered by the Greeks and was being held by the Seleucids – a group of people who had burned all of the copies of the Hebrew scriptures that they could find.  Times were tough for the children of Israel.  But then, the Maccabees, a Jewish family, led a revolt that made it all the way to Jerusalem. They took most of the city from the Seleucids and laid siege to a fortress where the last of their enemies were hiding.  Finally, when the fortress fell, they went in “. . .with praise and palm branches, and with harps and cymbals and stringed instruments, and with hymns and songs, because a great enemy had been crushed and removed from Israel.”  (1 Maccabees 13:51)  Years later, when people saw Jesus – someone from the household of King David, someone who had been talking about the “Kingdom of God,” someone who had enough of a following to actually do something dramatic – riding into the city, in full view of all of the parties and groups who wanted a piece of him, there were likely some in that crowd who knew their history, and thought about the “great enemy,” the Romans, and waved their palm branches with revolution on their minds. A palm branch is a symbol loaded with meaning.  Perhaps, you might be able to think of other symbols like this – both positive and negative.

You see how political things were for Jesus?  He had some influence with the people who followed him and could have claimed power with that influence.  But he didn’t. . .  at least not like everyone else wanted him to.

Many of the people who waved branches and cheered for Jesus could only guess what was on his mind as he rode down the steep slope of the Mount of Olives and up into the city of Jerusalem.  Just so you know the road down the Mount of Olives is very steep and I don’t think we give Jesus enough credit on his colt-riding skills, especially since he was riding a “colt that [had] never been ridden.” (Mark 11:2)  Reading Mark’s account, we don’t know if Jesus was happy about all of the cheering, we just know that he rode into the city, went into the temple, looked around at everything and went back out to Bethany (probably to return the colt that he borrowed).  Nowhere do we read that Jesus met with this group or that group – that he tried to curry favor or play politics.  There were those who had revolution, or the Law, or the Romans, or human political power on their minds, but Jesus had the Kingdom of God on his mind.

It should be noted that in the Bible, the word polis is used to talk about human cities and nations, but it is also used to talk about the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem.  At the end of the Book of Revelation, we see this Holy Polis[8] “coming down out of heaven from God.” (Revelation 21:2)  The holy city of the Kingdom of God is a place where every tear will be wiped away, where death and mourning and pain will be no more, a place where wholeness and peace and praise will be known by all, and where everyone will dwell fully in the presence of God.  In his earthly ministry – in the ways that he taught and preached and healed – with his very presence among all those who needed him, Jesus sought to create this Kingdom and bring it near.  And in his dying and rising, Jesus brings this Kingdom into full view.  This Kingdom is unlike any other.  It is a Kingdom of grace, made perfect in weakness and vulnerability.[9]

The prophet Isaiah writes about a suffering servant who listens to God, is not rebellious, and doesn’t turn back.  This servant is one who is struck on the face and is insulted and spat upon, and yet he keeps going.  Isaiah uses the image of a “face like flint” (Isaiah 50:7), the face of someone who appears hard and determined.  But if flint is struck in just the right place, the stone will chip, revealing just how vulnerable it can be.  The same can be said of Jesus, who had warned his disciples that the “Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, [rejected by all of the parties and power-brokers in the polis] and be killed, and after three days rise again.” (Mark 8:31)

Jesus Christ “humbled himself and become obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:8)  The cross is a symbol full of meaning because it is the place where the life of God brings an end to death, where God’s love is shown in all of its fullness, where a vulnerable God – a crucified God – shows true and gracious power.  It would seem that Jesus has an agenda all his own – one that so many did not understand, but one that applies to everyone in the human family.  And throughout the gospels, Jesus calls his followers to take up their crosses and follow him.

To follow Jesus does not mean that we will always join a joyous parade.  Sometimes, the march is full of hardship and tears.  But if we are striving for the Kingdom of God, the way is blessed because we have One who goes before us – One who has shown us the way, the truth, and the life.

The way of Jesus is one of non-violence – putting down our swords – of humility and healing, of peace and wholeness.  The truth of Jesus is that he came as a teacher and shows us – in his life and example – how to love and forgive.  The life of Jesus is abundant and full and everlasting.  It is a life that is always seeking, striving, and working for the Kingdom of God, both in the here-and-now and in the yet-to-come.

This is a Kingdom, that we see in the presence and person and humble power of Jesus Christ.  May we seek this Kingdom above all others.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

------

[1] http://news.gallup.com/poll/149201/Americans-Divided-Whether-King-Dream-Realized.aspx?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=syndication&utm_content=plaintextlink&utm_term=Politics.

[2] http://www.newsweek.com/martin-luther-king-jr-was-not-always-popular-back-day-780387.

[3] Trailer for King in the Wilderness, documentary – 0:30.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVGRg89DbyM.

[4] Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon (Chicago:  University of Chicago Press, 1979) 685.

[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics.

[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judea_(Roman_province).

[7] Luke 7:1-10 (also Matthew 8:5-13), Mark 7:24-30, John 4, Mark 12:18.

[8] Nestle-Aland, ed. Novum Testamentum Graece (Stuttgart:  Deutsche Bibelgesellshaft, 1993) 675 – “hagian polin”.

[9] 2 Corinthians 12:8-10.

[gs-offshore]

Jurisdiction Spotlight: Malta (revisited)

I have practically run out of new tax havens to write about so it’s time to revisit some old articles, which I strongly feel are in need of some polishing. First in line is one of my personal favourites: Malta.

Overview

Malta is made up of a a couple of islands, mainly the island of Malta (which accounts for 77% of the area and 91% of the population), Gozo, and Comino (with its four permanent residents). It is tucked between the southern tip of Sicily and almost equal distances to Tunisia and Libya.

Despite its minute size and because of its strategically location, Malta has a very rich history. Practically all major socities or civilizations that have inhabited the Mediterranean have had presence in Malta and chances there are still echoes of them.

In 1964, Malta declared independence from the United Kingdom, becoming the State of Malta. It had thitherto been a crown colony since 1813. In 1974, the constitution was amended and Malta became a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations.

Malta’s history before 1813 is very interesting but also very convoluted. With many countries, it’s pretty easy to discuss their history either in broad strokes or in fine detail. With Malta, both are difficult because it got passed around between so many owners — sometimes as a gift, sometimes as a tribute, sometimes through conquest or uprising.

I may be biased because I spend a lot of time in Malta and have grown very fond of it.

English name: Republic of Malta Official name: Repubblika ta’ Malta Population: 445000 Area: 316 km2 Region: Europe Official language(s): Maltese, English Other major languages: None GDP (PPP): 16 billion USD GDP (PPP) per capita: 36,000 USD Currency: Euro (EUR) Government: Parliamentary republic Indepence: September 21st, 1964 Legal system: Mixed common law (English) and civil code (Roman and Napoleonic) Tax system: Worldwide, Remittance FATCA: IGA Model 1 CRS/AEOI: Yes (2017) OECD Rating: Largely Compliant TIEA: 5 DTC: 76 FATF 40+9: Compliant FATF AML Deficient: No Corruption Ranking: 47 (of 176) Narcotics Majors List: No Fragile States Index: Very Stable (39.6) Basel Index: 17 (of 149) Financial Secrecy Index: 50

  Tax System

The Maltese system is such a special case that it needs its own headline before anything else. In no way is this a comprehensive explanation of how taxes work in Malta. You will probably need a tax adviser if you are thinking about using Malta to reduce personal or corporate taxes.

First of all, all persons are treated equally for income tax. That is, both natural persons (humans) and legal/juridical persons (companies) are subject to the same income tax legislation. But the tax rates are different and interpretation of laws are effectively different between natural and legal persons.

Second, Malta is one of very few jurisdictions to tax on remittance and domicile basis, although tax residence plays a significant role as well.

Domicile

Domicile is an intentionally vague concept. In practice, it is defined by looking at things like where a person is from (culturally, emotionally, family heritage), where a person intends to one day die and be laid to rest, and generally where a person belongs. For most foreigners with no family in Malta or Maltese at-birth citizenship, it’s enough to claim you have no intention of staying in Malta forever and you can qualify as non-domiciled.

Citizenship obtained through investment or residence doesn’t necessarily exclude one from remaining non-domiciled, although it does open you up to additional screening and consideration if questioned.

Residence

Residence is used as one factor when determining someone’s tax status. Generally speaking, if you live in Malta or if you are a legal entity which is incorporated in Malta or which has its operations and management in Malta, you are tax resident there.

Income Tax

Companies are taxed a flat rate of 35% on their profits. I will return to this later because as you can guess, Malta wouldn’t be one of the finest tax havens in the world if it were keeping 35% of companies’ profits.

Income tax on natural persons in Malta is progressive and goes from 0% to 35%.

However, if you are a foreigner and have a specialized profession with a salary over circa 84,000 EUR, you might qualify for the Highly Qualified Persons scheme with a flat 15% income tax. Chances are you would find this out from your employer and not from reading here, but maybe you stumbled upon this blog when looking for a new job and Malta sounded interesting.

Malta Incorporation and Business

General

It’s relatively easy to form a company and start a business in Malta. Easy, but not fast. The whole process generally involves a a lot paperwork than jurisdictions that have streamlined the process more, such as UK.

Once all the paperwork is filed with the MFSA, the company is usually formed in a couple of days depending on workload. I have seen same-day incorporation on a couple of occasions.

Obtaining a VAT number can take up to two months, so plan accordingly if you are starting a business that needs a VAT number.

Malta is one those jurisdictions where I would strongly and broadly recommend that you only use local corporate service providers. (The exception would be large, reputable multi-national service providers.) Starting a business in Malta is much more intricate than starting a business through an IBC-like entity. Chances are you will need local expertise.

Taxation

With one of the absolutely highest corporate tax rates in the world at 35%, you’re not the first to wonder why Malta keeps being classified a tax haven.

The trick is how it’s applied and, rather, how much of it you can get back.

Now, it’s out of the scope of this blog to discuss minute details of how tax laws work. In essence, though, if a Maltese company is owned by a non-domiciled shareholder, such as a foreign holding company, this shareholder can claim much of the taxes back.

The most common structure is that the Maltese trading company is owned by a foreign holding company. In this example, the Malta trading company would pay 35% and the foreign holding company would claim most of it back, for an effective tax rate of 5%.

That makes it the lowest effective normal corporate tax rate in the EU/EEA, not counting the special non-residence regimes of Gibraltar and Cyprus. And you can be resident in Malta while using this structure. As long as the ultimate shareholder is non-domicile, they can be resident in Malta all they want.

This is the point where I remind you that STREBER Weekly does not actually offer any tax advice.

Reputation

Malta has a generally excellent reputation. Its only significant reputational blemish is that it’s occasionally deemed a tax haven. However, it’s EU membership and strict compliance with international standards of transparency and cooperation keep Malta away from black lists.

Sometimes, people don’t know what or where Malta is.

Regulator

The MFSA oversees and supervises the corporate service sector. However, it is entirely possible and lawful to set up companies through someone who isn’t accredited by the MFSA.

Types of Legal Entities

There are a few different kinds but in reality, it’s rare to find something other than private limited company being used.

Bearer Shares

Not issued.

Record Keeping and Audit

All companies are required to keep records and all companies must submit to an annual audit, similar to for example Hong Kong. Some find this off-putting, whereas others accept or even embrace it. I see it as a necessary evil. It adds an operational and financial burden, but in return you can leverage the reputational advantages of being an audited company when applying for bank accounts, credits, loans, or otherwise engaging in business that requires due diligence.

For smaller companies, audits are often performed by an off-shoot of the same company as helped you set up the business. Fees start at just under 1,000 EUR and go up as your business transactions and complexity scale.

For accounting, you’re probably better off outsourcing; very often to the same company that helps you form your company. Fees vary a lot from 20 to 50 EUR per hour, depending on complexity and number of transactions involved. Some have a fixed minimum, some don’t. It’s usually negotiable and it can pay off to shop around.

Public Records

Directors, shareholders, and a number of other appointments are available for free and online via the MFSA Registry of Companies. Nominees and holding companies are often used, whether for tax or privacy reason.

In the case of holding companies, it’s up to the public records of that jurisdiction what information is ultimately made public.

Banking in Malta

General

Banking in Malta is suitable for personal banking and corporate banking alike. Non-residents are generally welcome but IBCs and other such offshore companies face hurdles and are often turned down.

Regulator

Banks are regulated by the MFSA, which is easily one of the most responsive, pragmatic, and nimble financial service authorities in the world today.

As I mentioned under Incorporation, some systems within the MFSA aren’t electronic or fully interconnected yet. If this doesn’t get resolved in the next couple of years, the MFSA might lose some its charm and favour.

Malta Banking License

Follows the same principles as all EU member countries, which I will get to in a future article.

Open a Bank Account in Malta

While it’s nowhere near as bad as Panama, opening a bank account in Malta is becoming increasingly difficult. The authorities work hard to keep away criminal elements and money laundering. In part, this is required where the banking sector is heavily used by financial service providers and gambling operators (online and offline).

Be patient and be cooperative. I have so far not seen Maltese banks ask for anything outrageous.

It’s usually not a problem to open a bank account for a local company (whether controlled/operated from Malta or not). Foreign companies will find it more difficult, especially those incorporated in shady tax havens and secretive offshore jurisdictions. BOV used to be easy-going here but have tightened up a lot recently.

Personal accounts for residents are pretty easy, even if many expats complain about being treated like criminals when they come to Malta. It can be hard to get credit cards without 100% security deposit as a new arrival in Malta.

Personal non-resident bank accounts in Malta are opened and in some cases can be done fully remotely, although your chances of success will improve drastically if you pay the bank a visit in person.

The banks are generally good, with reasonable fees, and sophisticated, modern internet banking. Two-factor authentication is well established, sometimes a bit overbearingly.

Banking Secrecy

There is no nor has there ever been any noteworthy banking secrecy in Malta. Authorities can easily compel banks and financial institutions to disclose information about account holders.

If you want to hide money, Malta is probably not where you’d do it.

Both CRS (AEOI) and FATCA are in place.

Banks in Malta

There have been 29 banks (credit institutions) licensed in Malta, of which two have surrendered their license and one has been revoked. Nemea Bank is still technically licensed even if the MFSA has recommended its license be revoked.

Of the active banks in Malta, some are worth mentioning in this context:

Banif – a very confused bank that some corporate service providers still insist on working with. It’s not a bad bank as such. They have ownership and management problems, though.

Bank of Valletta (BOV) – a long-standing favourite of mine. They have tightened controls recently and made it a lot more difficult to open accounts.

HSBC – in Malta, the H in HSBC stands for Headache.

Mediterranean Bank and MedCorpBank – a pretty good bank but limited in their services (still no cards, last I checked). Higher fees, but they are still quite receptive of offshore companies.

Satabank – very young, very promising bank. Compliance is tight but pragmatic. Known for its close ties to the popular EFI LeuPay.

Sparkasse – used to be a bit of a maverick, taking on all sorts of clients and turning a blind eye to compliance breaches. They have improved their controls and lost clients as a consequence, including some good clients that don’t like the bank’s new personality.

Nonetheless, Malta is not a jurisdiction where large sums of wealth are stored. I have had many clients grow significant wealth in Malta and once their personal assets start exceeding one or a few million EUR, I very often end up placing them with banks in for example Switzerland, Dubai, or Singapore that are better suited for long-term maintenance of wealth (whether it be private banking or just the peace of mind that a Maltese bank can’t offer).

Igaming (online gambling)

Malta operates one of the world’s finest igaming legislations. Hundreds upon hundreds of gambling operators and gambling websites, some holding their own license and many being white-labels that use someone else’s license, are based here. Some parts of the license application and maintenance procedures are a bit archaic and stiff, failing to be as pragmatic as for example UK and a handful other jurisdictions.

The MGA (Malta Gaming Authority) is a responsive and responsible overseer. Arguably, though, there is a conflict of interest in that the MGA is responsible both for licensing and for the enforcement of the gambling law. While player complaints are treated seriously and operators don’t like getting complaints notifications form the MGA, nearly all disputes are settled in the operators’ favour, even when it isn’t obviously the case. Still, the MGA is far better than many regulators in the online gambling world.

There is a threat on the horizon for the MGA and Malta, with more and more jurisdictions in the EU enacting local licensing regimes. UK, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, and several others now require that operators hold a local license. While many operators in Malta are getting or already have such licenses yet still operate from Malta, it chip away some at the MGA’s revenue. Nonetheless, the MGA and igaming in Malta continue to grow year on year.

Igaming has made a strong impact on Maltese society, with thousands of foreigners (mostly North European) having settled on the island. It has created a boom in services and entrepreneurship that likely would not have come as quickly otherwise to Malta.

Living in Malta

Residence Permit

If you carry an EU passport – congratulations. You could just pack your bags, book a flight, and set up shop in Malta.

For non-EU citizens, there are quite a number of ways for highly skilled workers and entrepreneurs to relocate to Malta.

EU Blue Card

Economic Self Sufficiency

Employment/Self Employment

Long Term Residents

Head over to Identity Malta for more information.

Citizenship

Under the Individual Investor Programme, 650,000 EUR and some spare change in administrative and legal fees will get you a Maltese passport with full EU mobility. There is some debate as to whether you can vote; many of the locals prefer that you don’t.

This programme has been equal parts successful and criticized. The population is quite divided on the issue, with many seeing their nationality cheapened and others recognizing that its bringing revenue to the government.

Identity Malta is tough on compliance and turn down suspect applications. The whole screening and application process takes a couple of weeks to a few months depending on how much additional documentation is required.

As a general suggestion, avoid working with non-Maltese service providers if you plan to obtain Maltese citizenship by investment. You’ll want to go right to the source on this one and preferably one of the biggest and most well-established firms. Some shady reseller sitting in Latvia operating through a Seychelles company isn’t going to be childhood friends with a compliance officer at Identity Malta.

Otherwise, citizenship can be obtained through residence after five years or fast-tracked if you have family ties to Malta (including marriage). The turnaround time for these applications can be months or even years.

Taxation

With the right structure, it is possible to live in Malta as an entrepreneur and pay very little tax.

If you hold a salaried position with an employer earning at least 82,353 EUR per year and you qualify under the Highly Qualified Persons Rules, you can still enjoy a very favourable 15% tax rate.

But even at normal tax rate, it’s well below EU average.

On top of this are a number of concessions for foreign incomes, passive incomes, and foreign passive incomes that all together can make Malta very attractive for nearly every situation.

Final words

Don’t come to Malta if you want to live tax free through shady offshore companies and bank accounts shrouded by impenetrable banking secrecy. Not that you couldn’t do it in Malta. You can because controls on foreigners is pretty lax. Rather, don’t do it because there are perfectly legal and relatively simple means to achieve an almost tax-free life in a country that’s easy to migrate to for EU/EEA nationals and where the sun shines 300 or so days a year.

Although Malta has lapses when it comes to disclosing ownership, it is also not a place where you can expect significant secrecy comparable to the likes of BVI or Cayman Islands. Malta is close to fully compliant with EU recommendations.

Compliance can be a headache in Malta, but it’s how the island keeps its reputation so (mostly) nice and clean. It doesn’t want to become Cyprus. Have all your papers in order and be prepared to have to get more.

Come to Malta with your legitimate business or wealth, structure it correctly, and you can enjoy a very comfortable life.

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