#in honor of the dark church i had to stick with the theme!

[domesticatedantelope]

an exercise in faith

Pairing: Colt x MC

Rating: Explicit | NSFW 18+ (*breathplay*)

Word Count: 2150

Summary: The one about faith; or, the one where Colt is well-acquainted with a belt. For RoDAW Epilogue.

@brightpinkpeppercorn @choicesarehard @client-327 @desiree-0816 @leelee10898 @octobereighth @liamzigmichael4ever @navigatorholmes @sibella-plays-choices @lovehugsandcandy @dr-casey-lahela

Colt has never considered himself a believer.

He relies too much on calculation, choice and action, chess moves in potentia: three, five, ten steps ahead. Fate and faith have little place among the concrete and mundane when he learns from experience, from plunging terrified into the dark, sea salt and stinging skin and fighting tooth and nail against the tides. Anything beyond that is hopeful at best, and foolish at worst, and in the interest of all things within the realm of possibility - he’ll take his chances.

And then there is Mercedes, named after saints, after salvation. Nineteen years of life without the need for any gods or promises to guide his path, and then he stumbles into Mercy and abruptly every freckle set against her blushing cheekbones feels like something holy all its own. He’s not exactly one to pray, but given such an altar he has learned to supplicate; there is no shame in kneeling when true heaven lies before him.

If faith is knowing beyond any shadow of a doubt, then she holds his in its entirety. 

She holds his hopes, his heart, the only home that he has left; his lifelines run the valley of her palm, where the stiff black leather of his belt fits neatly in her fist. When her fingers curl and pull taut, cinching the weight of tension in against his pulse, his breath is hers to hold as well. 

The pressure cleaves into his breathing, leaves him grasping at the barest sips of oxygen; he drinks and drinks and still he craves, and craving turns to hunger, turns to heat clawing its way out from his aching lungs and scorching every muscle. The grip he’s fastened at her hips begins to twitch. His vision throbs, and numbness slowly takes him, washes out the course of Mercy’s breathing and the distant bassline of an r&b song, swallowed up under the frantic double-beat his heart batters against his ribs and echoes in his ears.

His world is shrinking, caged and strangled, evanescing into empty void and nothing nothing nothing, like the darkness between heartbeats, everything he’s worked so hard to take and make his own removed entirely from his control, and oh my god oh fuck it’s - 

Perfect.

Relief. Surrender.

Mercy.

Her lips nudge kisses at his cheekbones and his parting mouth, where she can track the slow tide of his breathing. She murmurs low, honeyed approval, soft fingers teasing through his hair, his belt still secured firmly in her fist and leashing every breath he struggles to drag past it. Dazed, he hangs suspended in that weightless headspace and lets all the little wounds he’s worn into himself slowly bleed out. 

Brute force therapy. Her words, the first time, awed and shaken after watching him completely shatter under her grip. Between the soothing tiptoes of her lips against his skin: You don’t have to break to feel good, querido. 

Not breaking, gasped into her fingers, kissing, pleading, thanking all at once. Not with you.

She cannot break what she makes whole, not then and certainly not now, when her body is backlit by rods of sunlight slanting through the blinds, outlined in everlasting glow as if the world is gold around her, and he knows with the conviction of believers Mercy is the closest he will ever see to god.

She tips her mouth against his, lazily unfurling two fingers of pressure. “You okay?”

Breath surges to fill his lungs, just enough to set his head spinning and stoke the scorching in his chest, hot flickers of a yearning so urgent it burns. His senses trickle back in fragments, dense block words he lacks the voice to form. He offers her a sluggish nod instead, thrilling at the limits of his movement when she has him under her palm.

“Mmn. Good.” Mercy pins him with a pleased look, licks her fingertips and drops them to the stiff jut of his cock, humming when he gasps and tenses in response. “Pobrecito,” she sighs, pressing her lips in messy kisses to his face, his clenching jaw, the bare stretch of his throat above the belt as her fingers tease him with the lightest touches. He feels her palm, the soft pad of her thumb, her fingers closing in for one slow, lazy stroke.

His hips buck against her, fucking into her hand, chasing that too brief glimpse of reprieve. Hushing him under her breath, Mercy tightens her hold around his belt, tugging until he stills beneath her. “Easy,” she soothes him, in the softest snowfall tone. “You work too hard.”

“Hah -” Almost laughter. Brat. 

And in the same thought: God, I love her. 

She smiles as if she can lift the words right from his mind; if she were able, he would let her read him start to finish. “Love you, too, baby.” When she wraps him in her grip once more, her fingers move with purpose, curling tight around him, and he tries, but there is just no fighting down the whimper of relief that climbs his throat. Every muscle thrums with frenzied energy, tensing against his frayed restraint. He grits his teeth and clings with slipping fingers to the heady numbness that still pulses in his brain, some small center of calm among the storm. 

She hums a thoughtful sound, considering. The flush of want colors her cheekbones, eyes lidded and dark and warm with longing. There are fewer finer things to see in life than Mercy at the waning limits of her patience. “I’ve been thinking about you all day,” she breathes, whispered like a woman at confession, soft enough to ache somewhere among the chambers of his heart. 

Colt swallows hard, throat cramped behind the leather of his belt. If he only had the breath, he would spell out every fantasy that wanders through his thoughts, the countless forms of worship he would happily perform with Mercy to affirm his prayers. Instead, he weaves a shaking hand into her hair, feeling the silk of it against his fingers, and his heart swells when she leans into his touch.

“I should make you wait...” She breathes the sweetest laugh, dropping kisses to the palm of his hand. Something shifts in her expression, sinful and indulgent, all the reckless bliss of giving in. “But I kinda want you right now.”

Every atom of his being pleads with yes. Mercy must read it on his face, because her fingers soften to the barest touch, velvet murmurs of I love you pressed against his skin before she lifts her hips and sinks herself so slowly down around him. He swears that he hears church hymns in his head, some perfect harmony that borders the divine as she slips lower, lower, liquid fire lighting up his nerves, and Mercy whimpers out the softest squeak when their hips find that perfect fit together.

“Oh,” she moans, and “Fuck,” he mouths, and both their voices fall apart at the first clumsy circle of her hips. His words have all unraveled past the border of articulation; he can only comprehend in pleasure and sensation, heat, wet, tight, the tantalizing panic of constriction when her fingers curl once more around the tail end of his belt.

“Oh,” she says again. “Oh, god. Okay.” She wets her lips, locking the echo of a moan behind her teeth. Struggle twitches in her features, glimmers of impatience to the angle of her mouth, and it thrills him to no end that even when she has him at her mercy, he can test the limits of that finely regimented focus. Her palm rests trembling over his heart, and she waits to feel his chest expand with breath before she squeezes down around his throat once more. 

The belt loops in with little hesitation, riding to the brink of where his limits lie but never crossing. She tempers her grip until he can just barely breathe, and it’s like blindly reaching out into the dark, like needing and not having, wanting, falling short. His fingertips exalt the softness of her skin, her thighs, her hips, whatever parts of her that he can find beneath his touch while Mercy whines and starts to rock against him, coaxing him over that perfect point inside of her. 

Pressure pounds like battle drums between his ears, but he fights through it, thrusting up to meet each languid shift of her hips as his lungs begin to tingle. He knows his limits, knows her strength, knows he can afford to get a little reckless with the last of his remaining breath, and tugs her down around his cock as deep as she will take him, eyes rolling at the blinding heat and all the frantic noises that spill from her lips. 

Mercy curses, filthy words that never grace her tongue and oh he loves that he can fuck them out of her, the points of her nails biting at his shoulders as they rock together. The kisses that she sets against his mouth are far too urgent to be kind, but he wants every part of her, the softness and those little claws and all the stinging lines they score over his body. 

With his neck so thoroughly restrained, he can only search his fingers blindly down the soft flat of her stomach, seeking a clumsy path across her skin. Mercy gasps and arches when his touch settles between her thighs, teasing at the slick, sweet point where they connect. “Baby-!” And there is almost outrage in the word, like she might call the heavens down upon him for daring to make her come first, but the utter bliss of watching her unravel is well worth eternal damnation.

“Please,” he pants, an offering in breath when he has little to begin with. She’s close enough that he can stretch to kiss the warm flush in her cheeks. “Please.”

She tilts to kiss him fully, cradling his face against her palm as she allows herself to melt under his touch. The faithful need to pray; this is the body where he lays his fears and fleeting dreams, and he will see her properly exalted, will press his love and his devotion into every touch until she can see heaven too.

From the hitching in her voice, it won’t be long now. Her arm curls tight around his shoulders, clinging there like she might drift away without his hands to anchor her. She sobs his name and broken pleas and faltered invocations, hips clenching with tension as she rides into his touch. When she unravels, he can feel her everywhere, nails and thighs and teeth biting a scream into his skin, and that devastating heat between her legs squeezing so perfectly around him. He thrusts into the feeling, verging on delirious, gripping Mercy tight with cramping knuckles as his body rages, close, so close, if she would only -

Mercy lets go, and the belt releases, breath flooding his starving lungs in an exhilarating rush of air and finally he comes. Pleasure spirals out and fries his nerves with scalding bliss, and for a moment he is almost fearful he will never be the same, that every breath will carry some small echo of this ecstasy. Stained glass colors glitter in his vision, sound and sight all rushing back too fast to fully comprehend. A broken groan rips through his voice and saps the very last remnants of energy from his weak muscles, and he collapses back against his seat with a wounded shudder.

Her fingers are still shaking when she fumbles to free him from his belt. He keeps a hiss of relief firmly trapped behind his teeth, blinking bleary eyes when she tuts over him with soothing noises. An otherworldly warmth glows in her skin, that angel’s light of hers still shining through, lips showering his face with kisses as he tries to catch his breath. “Baby. Are you okay?”

“I‘m fine,” Colt rumbles, laughing, gathering her hands against his lips to kiss her fingers. “Honestly, I’m fucking fantastic.”

The worry eases from her features, and she allows herself the smallest smile, triumphant and yet somehow still so shy, even with his cock sticky between her thighs. Her mouth trails with the utmost softness down his throat, gentle where she has been so rough. She soothes her nails over his scalp, the sharp points sending shivers of warm bliss down his spine. “Mmmn. We should get clean.”

His limbs all ache in protest at the mere idea of moving. But he thinks of Mercy in the shower, her skin steam-kissed and bronze against white tiles, her body that most holiest of forms. He’s left a filthy mess of both of them, but there is something spiritual, too, in washing her clean, and after all she’s offered him, it seems the least that he can do.

If only as a show of good faith.

[macbetha]

So very excited to share this! It’s a playlist for my upcoming Free! fic, This Heart of Mine, the rewritten sequel to Eyes Wide Open All the Time. You can listen to the playlist on YouTube; this list simply helps define who or what a song represents to me. This list also includes some lyrics that you may want to pay special attention to. I recommend reading the lyrics by themselves before listening to the playlist. Mind you - some of these lyrics only act as symbolism. Some mean more. Some songs have connections. Some don’t. ;) *go girl give us nothing* List below! 

 THIS HEART OF MINE: PLAYLIST GUIDE 

Theme: Bring Me The Horizon feat. Halsey - In The Dark (MTLT / amo version) Oh so tall, it broke the fourth wall Guess our fairytale had a few plot holes Don’t you know you’ve lost control ↳ Honorable Mentions: ✧ grandson - Bury Me Facedown When I go into the ground I won’t go quietly I’m bringing my crown I won’t get tired Set the town on fire Thinking that they’ve won It’s only just begun  ✧ Lorde - Everybody Wants to Rule the World ✧ Ry X - YaYaYa ✧ Rihanna - Goodnight Gotham

CHARACTERS

✦ Haruka ✧ WDL - Monster vs Angel Got my own monster Nobody but me  Got my own angel  I would never call him enemy He’s the good god I need  But both of the sides Fight for me  ✧ Mumford and Sons - Broken Crown I’ll never be your chosen one In this twilight  How dare you speak of grace But in this twilight Our choices seal our fate I’ll crawl on my belly till the sun goes down I’ll never wear your broken crown  ✧ Lia Marie Johnson - DNA Dark as midnight 6 Pack Coors Light You don’t look the same Past my bedtime Blue and red lights come take you away I won’t be like you Fighting back, I’m fighting back the truth Eyes like yours Can’t look away But you can’t stop DNA 

✧ Cat Power - Sea of Love Come with me, my love To the sea, the sea of love ✧ Al Green - Love and Happiness (side note: this if my favorite song of all time) Love and happiness Something that can make you do wrong And make you do right 

✦ Makoto ✧ The Oh Hellos - Soldier, Poet, King There will come a soldier Who carries a mighty sword He will tear your city down Oh ley, oh lei, oh lord ✧ Labrynth - Still Don’t Know My Name I took your heart I did things to you only lovers would only do in the dark I made you a god Priests, popes and preachers would tell me I did wrong ✧ The Civil Wars - Devil’s Backbone Don’t care if he’s guilty Don’t care if he’s not He’s good and he’s bad and he’s all that I got Oh lord, I’m begging you, please Don’t take that sinner from me  ✧ Sleeping At Last - Make You Feel My Love (Cover) I could make you happy Make your dreams come true There’s nothing that I wouldn’t do Go to ends of the earth for you To make you feel my love  ✦ Sousuke ✧ Angel Haze - Detox You dance in a cage with some rats in it I’m about chemistry, you just react to me God might turn us to ash, baby I might just taste your last stars tonight  We were gods in a world that did nothing but doubt us But fuck it, I got us, from the dirt with the flowers Put in work in the shower ✧ Kaleo - No Good  You better start runnin’ When you hear the man coming It won’t do you no good Kiss your baby goodbye Come on love, it’s all right Heaven knows they wanna break you apart  ✧ The Oh Hellos - The Lament of Eustice Scrubb Brother, forgive me We both know I’m the one to blame When I touched the water They told me I could be set free ✦ Rin ✧ Halsey - Young God (Lullaby / Music Box Intro, Live from Webster Hall) Running, running, running And we’ll be running, running, running again ✧ SZA - Good Days Tell me I’m not my fears, my limitations I’ll disappear I gotta keep from losing the rest of me Chasing a fountain of youth that’s in the present I’ll await my armored fate with a smile Still wanna try, I still believe in good days ✧ Lola Blanc - Angry Too Does it get your blood boiling? Does it make you see red? Cause it gets my blood boiling It would eat you like poison if you knew what I knew I don’t wanna drink the venom they made me I don’t wanna be controlled by the past But boy, if you were me Could you really blame me?  ✧ Kendrick Lamar - u And if this bottle could talk: I cry myself to sleep, everything is your fault Because you shook as you knew confinement was needed I know your secrets Don’t let me tell them to world  About the shit you thinking  And the time that you - I’m ‘bout to hurl  I’m fucked up But I ain’t as fucked up as you ✧ Halsey - More Wooden floors, little feet Flower bud, concrete A little screen, a photograph Mine to take I still believe it won’t be like before I’ve loved you for all of my life ✦ Nao ✧ Johnny Hollow - Worse Things Anger grew like ecstasy And Leda threw the swan on me There are worse things, perverse things You should answer when the phone rings There are worse things I could do ✧ Young Heretics - Bones of a Rabbit You play with wolves But you sleep with the bones of the rabbit  You have conquered cities And torched the mighty sea You may keep yourself afloat But you cannot outswim me  ✧ Phantogram - Black Out Days (Future Islands Remix) Hide the sun  I will keep your face out of my mind  I’m hearing voices all the time And they’re not mine  Haunting my mind ✦ Natsuya ✧ Gang of Youths - Achilles, Come Down Remember your virtue  Redemption lies plainly in the truth Where you go, I’m going When you jump, I’m jumping There is no me without you  Today of all days See how the most dangerous thing is love ✧ Florence + The Machine - Cosmic Love The stars, the moon They have all been blown out You left me in the dark ✦ Ikuya ✧ Penelope Scott - Cigarette Ahegao So like, I guess I call it the sophomore slump Always crying and always drunk A few dead, more gone, the rest well on their way Thanks! I hate it Everyone that I love is stuck Because this, that, the other, and the state fucked up We covered it in a class that I’m about to fail  ✧ 100 gecs, Laura Les, Dylan Brady - Money Machine Tell me what's the deal, I've been trying to go to bed I've been up for days, I've been trying to get ahead Said it all before, and I'll say it once again I'm better off alone ✧ Halsey - Clementine  Through a breakdown or a blackout Would you make out with me Cause I don’t need anyone I just need everyone and then some ✦ Hiyori ✧ Florence + The Machine - Seven Devils Holy water cannot help you now A thousand armies couldn’t keep me out I don’t want your money I don’t want your crown See I’ve come to burn your kingdom down ✧ Michael Buble - Feeling Good (Cover) It’s a new life for me This old world is a new world And a bold world for me Freedom is mine And I know how I feel I’m feeling good ✦ Asahi ✧ Sam Henshaw - Broke If I wasn’t broke Would you spend more time with me Like you said you’d do Tell me what I’m supposed to do Cause the only thing I need Is to be loved by you  ✧ Mikky Ekko - Smile Smile, the worst is yet to come We’ll be lucky if we ever see the sun ✦ Aki ✧ Aly & AJ - Church I did bad things, can’t you see it on my face? I get caught in every lie I need redemption for sins I can’t mention For all the things I can’t reverse For all the places where it hurts ✧ ZZ Ward - Ghost Here the devil call out my name I’ve broken promises, burning flame God knows, darling God knows I gave Now the truth cuts like a knife ✦ Nii ✧ Of Mice and Men - My Understandings  Keep in mind that I’m a sore eye With blurry vision  ✧ Neoni - Outlaw They say that I’m wanted Hear the whispers in the street You better start running Cause nothing scares me  Faster, faster You’re the one I’m after  You built a fortress But I’ll never kiss the ring I’m my own king

✦ Gou ✧ Melanie Martinez - Lunchbox Friends We can be friends if you wanna be But only till the clock hits three I don’t want no lunchbox friends, no I want someone that binds the ends, no Come to my house, let’s die together Friendship that will last forever ✧ Maroon 5 - Come to the Water Come away little light Come away to the darkness Away from the life that you always knew Come away little lamb Come away to the water To the arms that are waiting only for you ✦ Isuzu ✧ Jessie Reyez - NO ONE’S IN THE ROOM  Spent my whole life being graded, being told I’m not enough Being told go find the one and sit and wait for death to come I don’t want to I need to talk to God There’s things I just don’t understand Like who am I when no one’s in the room EMI - Bad Friends Yeah, I got some bad friends No you cannot have them If you wanna talk to them  You talk to me, yeah We don’t fuck around with just anybody, yeah

✦ Takuya ✧ Imagine Dragons - Ready, Aim, Fire Off in the distance, there is resistance Bubbling up and festering Here in the casing Shaking and pacing This is the tunnel’s light Blood in the writing, stuck in the fighting Look through the rifle’s sight ✧ Billie Eilish - you should see me in a crown (acapella) Bite my tongue Bide my time Wait till the world is mine, ocean eyes Count my cards Watch them fall  Blood on a marble wall You should see me in a crown I’m gonna run this nothing town Watch me make ‘em bow One by one ✦ Kinjou ✧ Urban Country - Knife and Stone Tell me, have you ever seen a mirror Mirror in the middle of the forest Just waiting for the rain or the crown I’ve been up for thirty days Someone point to lost and found Ain’t no blood in the temple Just a knife and stone

✦ Mikhail ✧ Elsie Lovelock - Friends on the Other Side (Cover) The cards, the cards The cards will tell The past, the present, and the future as well I got voodoo, I got hoodoo I got things I ain’t even tried And I got friends on the other side I hope you’re satisfied, but if you ain’t Don’t blame me You can blame my friends on the other side ✦ Ryuuji ✧ elbow - Grounds for Divorce I’ve been working on a cocktail Called Grounds for Divorce Down comes him on sticks but then he kicks like a horse There's a hole in my neighborhood Down which of late I cannot help but fall ✧ Mumford and Sons - The Enemy I am not the enemy It isn’t me, the enemy I came and I was nothing So why did you choose to lean on A man you knew was falling? ✦ Nadia ✧ Halsey - Castle (Orchestral Version) They wanna make me their queen  There’s an old man  Sitting on the throne  Saying I should probably keep my pretty mouth shut I’m headed straight for the castle

THEMES: GROUPS

✦ FREEBIRD ✧ Kaleo - Way Down We Go Oh father, tell me Do we get what we deserve They will run you down Down till you fall They will run you down Down till you crawl Till you can’t crawl no more And way down we go ✦ ROUGH RABBIT ✧  Imagine Dragons - Who We Are Up on the mountain Down in the king's den  It's who we are Doesn't matter if we've gone too far Doesn't matter if it's not okay Doesn't matter if it's not our day ✦ DIAMONDBACK ✧ Florence + The Machine - Bedroom Hymns This is good a place to fall as any We’ll build our alter here  In the wine, the women, the bedroom hymns Such selfish prayers, I can’t get enough I’m not here looking for absolution Because I’ve found myself an old solution

✦ HONEYBLADE ✧ Megan Thee Stallion and Normani - Diamonds I love me this much My pear-shape all dripped up He want me to be a little more lady-like? Come through with my girls and beat your ass on ladies night ✦ BLOODHOUNDS ✧ Angel Haze - The Wolves Nothing left out there for me  I left my fucking heart out at the sea This shit sounds like the danger zone  I’m the big bad wolf  Gonna take the throne 

THEMES: PAIRINGS 

✦ Makoto + Haruka ✧ Phoebe Bridgers - Smoke Signals One of your eyes is always half shut Something happened when you were a kid I didn’t know you then and I’ll never understand why It feels like I did ✧ Radical Face - Welcome Home Peel the scars from off my back I don’t need them anymore I’ve come home ✧ The Track Team - Heart Chakra ✧ Blackmill - Redemption ✦ Sousuke + Rin ✧ Kaleo - Bang Bang (Cover) Seasons came and changed the times I grew up, I called him mine He would always laugh and say: “Remember how we used to play? Bang, bang.” ✧ Zayn - Good Guy I’m not a good guy But I know you’re mine (bang) I know you’re mine (bang, bang) ✧ L'Orchestra Cinématique - Crazy In Love (Instrumental Cover)

✦ Natsuya + Nao ✧ Cosmo Sheldrake - The Moss But have you heard the story Of the rabbit in the moon? Halsey - Colors Your little brother never tells you But he loves you so I hope you make it to the day you’re 28 years old 

✦ Hiyori + Ikuya ✧ Elvis Drew - Where Are You  I been trying to figure out where you from Is it the moon? Is it earth? Is it this place, where nothing is worse?  Nothing can compare to the life we had My dear just grab my hand and let me take you To my wonderland ✧ Swae Lee - Sunflower Some things you just can’t refuse I’m not tryna lose

✦ Isuzu + Gou ✧ Snow Patrol - The Golden Floor I’m a peasant in your princess arms Penniless with only charm

[thebowerypresents]

POSITIVE SPINS: NEW ARTISTS, NEW ALBUMS, AND NEW LIVE STREAMS THAT PUT OUR 2020 ON A BETTER TRACK

2020 proved to be one of the hardest years we have collectively gone through.  While we didn’t have live music to lean on when times got tough, these are the albums, artists and livestreams that got us through the rough patches and will carry us into a brighter 2021.

Listen to our playlist of Positive Spins!

BEST NEW ARTISTS OF 2020 (in no particular order)

THICK

“Brooklyn-based pop-punk three-piece, THICK, are not afraid to say (or sing) what’s on everyone’s mind - with a fierceness and confidence I can only aspire to assume. Sticking it to the establishment is the name of their game - take “Mainsplain,” for instance - and they manage to do so with catchy chord progressions and an uplifting vigor. I can’t wait to see what’s next for the trio, and who else they’ll put in check.” - S. D.

Ela Minus

“Brooklyn-based techno-pop artist Ela Minus broke onto the scene this year with her debut album “ acts of rebellion.” The Colombian-born musician has a background in emo bands, is a trained jazz drummer, and she wrote, produced, engineered, and recorded the album on her own. “acts of rebellion” is moody and sultry, while still making you want to grab your friends and dance.” - K. C.

Arlo Parks

“Without even having released her debut album yet, Arlo Parks has made a name for herself this year. Singles released throughout the year, paired with 2019’s EP ‘Sophie’ and her slot as support on Hayley Williams’ (cancelled) tour have boosted Arlo to a new level this year, that we can only assume will continue to rise in 2021 when her debut album drops.” - K. C.

Beabadoobee

“Beabadoobee’s interesting name is only matched by her sound - bedroom-pop fused with nineties indie-rock, tinged with a tender, DIY aesthetic. Her track “If You Want To” will have you singing along, while her single “She Plays Bass” will take you back to your hormonal, vulnerable, teenage years met with sublime nostalgia. She’s without a doubt a silver lining in 2020.” - S. D.

BENEE

“I first saw Auckland’s BENEE at Rough Trade in October of last year - her sincere, to-the-point lyrics and quirky hooks instantly hooked me. You may know her track, “Supalonely,” which found popularity on TikTok during the height of lockdown, but BENEE’s sound isn’t limited to the confines of one social media trend. In her debut album released this year, BENEE displays an uncanny ability to tackle alt-rock, hip-hop and electro-pop all at the same time, in an unbothered, endearing way - making her a “one to watch” in 2020 and beyond.” - S. D.

Christian Lee Hutson

There isn’t a lack of acoustic singer-songwriters out there, but Christian Lee Hutson is an important new voice. Hutson first full length album, “Beginners,” released this year, has a warm and honest quality to it. The production is subtle (thanks to producer Phoebe Bridgers), and so perfectly complements a simple, acoustic narrative. The result is a soulful, beautiful, and special work of music. - S. D.

Do Nothing

“2020 newcomers out of Nottingham, UK, Do Nothing have already made a big splash in the post-punk world. Releasing their first EP, Zero Dollar Bill, earlier this year, the band have been compared to Idles and are setting out on a similar path of success. Upon first hearing their earlier single Lebron James, countless fans are sure to be sucked into the world of Do Nothing.” - K. C.

Kate Bollinger

“I first listened to Kate Bollinger when she released I Don’t Wanna Lose in 2019. I played the track Candy on repeat all year long. It has been so lovely to watch her grow into the artist she is today. This year she released an EP called A word becomes a sound, which quickly became one of my favorite releases of 2020. Her voice is so comforting. Whenever I listen, I feel like I am being coddled in a fluffy blanket with a cup of herbal tea and nothing could go wrong at that moment. I can’t wait to see what Kate has planned for 2021 and beyond!” - L. S.

SAULT

“After a year of intense racial unrest in the United States, SAULT’s importance is more significant now than ever.  With themes focusing around the Black Lives matter movement, this mystery soul-funk group has become more than buzzy in the music scene, and has earned a spot on tons of year end lists.” - K. C.

Sorry

“London-based genre-defying band Sorry released their debut album ‘925’ this year, produced by James Dring (Gorillaz, Jamie T) which is already reason enough to pique the interest of most. The album certainly does not disappoint, with each song giving you a different taste of the many interesting sides of this up-and-coming group.” - K. C.

Honorable Mentions:

Gracie Abrams Remi Wolf Hailey Whitters KennyHoopla Jade Hairpins Jockstrap Model/Actriz Mild Orange Your Smith Neal Francis

BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2020 (in no particular order)

Fiona Apple – Fetch the Bolt Cutters

“Fiona Apple is fearless in this album. The song structures and sounds take you on a listening experience I can only describe as emotional in the best way. Eight years of waiting was totally worth it.“ - S. D.

Fleet Foxes – Shore

“This album had been bright spot in a difficult year. St. Ann’s Church was the perfect location for their Colbert performance of Can I Believe You and the live stream will be the perfect holiday present. Ready to feel all the feels!” - K. A.

Khruangbin - Mordechai

“Khruangbin is one of my go-to bands, and “Mordechai” has been heavy in my rotation in 2020. It’s really a great album – I play it cover-to-cover and pairs well with a cocktail and cooking at home, infusing some needed spice and energy in what could otherwise be ‘just another night’ during a long, monotonous several months.” - C.M.

Moses Sumney - Græ

“The highly anticipated second album from Moses Sumney, shows us more of the highly personal, raw and emotionally moving music we have some to expect from him. The cluster of emotions that Moses works through with his beautifully unique voice in this 20 song album give us a look into the complicated mind of one of the most interesting artists of the last 5 years.” - K. C.

Perfume Genius – Set My Heart On Fire Immediately

“*Bill Hader’s Stefan voice* this album has everything! From the heavy and distorted bass on “Describe” to the melodic harp stringing of “Leave,” to the dance ballad (is that a thing?) “On The Floor,” Perfume Genius’ album Set My Heart on Fire Immediately really does have it all. Each song feels vastly different from the next in tone, instrumentation, and influence – yet they all come together so perfectly to make this stunning album, all while showcasing his vocal depth and range. There’s a reason he’s called Perfume *Genius*, and that is because Mike Hadreas can take familiar feelings and turn them into unconventional pop ballads that feel both relatable, but new and exciting at the same time.” - R. E.

Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher  

“How does Phoebe do it? (a question I ask myself daily). I remember waking up on June 18 as if it was my birthday. Punisher is everything I hoped for and then some more. The last song on the album, “I know The End” concludes with a scream which is the perfect cherry on top to this masterpiece. This album is a rollercoaster of Phoebe’s emotions and I feel blessed to be along for the ride. It is relatable, heartfelt and honest. Thank you to Phoebe for this gift. The world will never be the same after this.” - L. S.

Rina Sawayama - SAWAYAMA

“SAWAYAMA is the early 2000s pop resurgence we didn’t know we needed, mixed with all the best parts of nu-metal. Rina Sawayama uses catchy pop hooks reminiscent of early Britney Spears, and pairs them with heavy guitar riffs to give us arguably the most fun album of 2020 that we cannot wait to experience live.” - K. C.

Tame Impala – The Slow Rush

Thundercat - It Is What It Is

“I love how this album embraces the darkness while managing to find the light in despair - it seems to acutely reflect the times we are in yet is simultaneously so personal to Bruner. The lyrics are set against a backdrop of funk, electronica, jazz, and soul, so there’s a little something for everybody.” - S. D.

Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud

“This album was released early in quarantine, and was the perfect musical escape during some of the toughest days. The imagery and reflection of the lyrics are why Saint Cloud tops my list of albums of 2020.” - J. F.

Honorable Mentions: The Beths – Jump Rope Gazers Fontaines DC - A Heros Dream Kevin Morby – Sundowner Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit – Reunions My Morning Jacket - The Waterfall II CHIKA - Industry Games Megan Thee Stallion - Suga Christian Lee Hutson- Beginners Idles- Ultra Mono Sturgill Simpson - Cuttin Grass Pup - This Place Sucks Ass Futurebirds- Teamwork Adrianne Lenker – Songs / Instrumentals Tom Misch, Yussef Dayes - What Kinda Music + the bonus tracks EP Some Kind Of Peace – Olafur Arnalds Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown - Pressure Josh Ritter - See Here, I Have Built You a Mansion Sahara Moon - Worthy Local H - Lifers Deep Purple - Whoosh! Indigo Girls Look Long Taylor Swift - folklore Against All Logic – 2017-2019

TOP TEN LIVESTREAMS 2020 (in no particular order)

Christine & The Queens (Live on KEXP at Home)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bavZe47um4

“Live on KEXP at Home” was home to some of my favorite quarantine livestreams, and this one did anything but disappoint. Not only does Chris, aka Christine & The Queens, perform, but interviews are woven throughout the livestream. The drama of her performances, juxtaposed with her witty and humorous banter with the interviewer was such a breath of fresh air. If you’re a fan of Chris, this is a must watch.“ - S. D.

Courtney Barnett and Lucius & Friends: Live From Our Lounge Rooms with Sheryl Crow, 3/25/20

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbfRbw3o1jU

“This was a gift that kept on giving. The stream started off with Courtney Barnett and Lucius in matching pajamas. I truly thought it could not get any better but I was in for a treat! The stream included performances by Nathaniel Rateliff, Sheryl Crow, Sharon Van Etten, Waxahatchee, Kevin Morby and more. I can safely say this was my favorite live stream I watched in 2020.” - L. S.

Julien Baker, Themfest Instagram Livestream, 4/16/20

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tINSbY4wRjs

“Recorded for Themfest during the early days of quarantine, Julien Baker’s in-home livestream was a welcome respite from the Cuomo briefings and general despair of mid April. Just kidding, Julien Baker is the queen of Sad Shit and I certainly didn’t tune into this livestream expecting a mood boost. But if you subscribe to the “sad songs make me feel better” aesthetic purveyed by our sweet little siren, this moody, intimate shot-on-iphone set will scratch that itch. But let’s not fool ourselves, nothing will ever replace the feeling of holding your breath along with 1,799 others at Brooklyn Steel while JB rips your heart out, in a nice way.” - E. M.

Kurt Vile, Love From Philly Livestream, 5/3/20 (covers John Prine’s “Sam Stone” near the end)  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjKG-7d5loY&feature=emb_logo - Jared

“Back in May, Kurt Vile took to his basement for a solo acoustic stream to benefit 30 Amp Circuit, a non-profit dedicated to support the health, wellness, and professional needs of Philadelphia-based musicians and artists. The intimate 3-song set rounded out with a special tribute to the late John Prine, as Kurt did his own rendition of “Sam Stone.”” - J. D.

Radiohead, In Rainbows - From The Basement, 6/4/20

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWqDIZxO-nU

“This is the one die hard Radiohead fans have been waiting for. This session originally from 2008 existed in some pretty esoteric places and has been almost impossible to find – until now.” - G. A.

Sturgill Simpson, Live at The Ryman Auditorium, 6/5/20  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO73im4J2sU

“2020 was supposed to be a banner year for Sturgill, until he got COVID-19 in April. He’s ok now, but something about this performance in the sacred church of country music The Ryman, hits different.” - G. A.

Haim - Women in Music PT. III Live Show, 6/25/20

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_eJU6X3_jQ

“I love pretty much everything the Haim sisters do - so much so that I aspire to be a sister myself. When I was feeling those very familiar mid-pandemic blues, their “Women in Music PT III” livestream, which celebrated their new album of the same name, was the exact pick me up that I needed. For the first time since March, the 30 minute set made me feel as if I was at an intimate gathering - rather than behind a computer watching a YouTube video along with thousands of others. The stream will have you grooving, laughing, and you may even want to be a Haim sister yourself.” - S. D.

Nilufer Yanya, Boiler Room: Streaming From Isolation with Night Dreamer & Worldwide FM, 6/28/20

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAaAicIJE7s

“Hauntingly beautiful and yet also somehow grounded, Nilufer Yanya’s June livestream was a special one to watch. It makes the case for how intimate an artist’s performance can be, even virtually.” - G. A.

Brittany Howard, Live From Ryman Auditorium, 10/17/20

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLH59WLQbZo

“Watching Brittany Howard and her incredible band rip through a set on the Ryman stage like no one and everyone was watching all at once was cathartic. The combination of such a singular artist and historic venue hit a similar nerve to seeing an artist you’re excited about play a show in the flesh with people you love – not an easy feat!” - M. L.

Tkay Maidza - Live on KEXP at Home, 11/3/20

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPJgrDvyRbw

“13 minutes and 11 seconds of pure energy. This livestream is the moment we’ve all been waiting for, and, in my opinion, showcases Maidza as the star that she is. A must-watch if you’re looking for a refreshing and colorful approach to hip-hop.“ - S. D.

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Episodic Patterns for Episodes 8, 9, & 10

Good morning, Everyone! How was your Thanksgiving. Mine was great! Lots of family, craziness, WAY too much pie. Good times! ;D 

Okay, so I’m first going to talk about the video released on the official YouTube channel that shows clips of Beth’s, Carl’s, and Deanna’s deaths after the 10x08 trailer. Because that’s what got me thinking about this. I said originally that showing Carl’s death along with Beth’s made perfect sense to me, but Deanna’s mystified me a bit.

Well, after hashing things out with my fellow theorists, I have much more to say. Actually, @wdway​ came up with these initial observations all by herself, so kudos to her for that. What she observed is 100% accurate and insightful, and led to me realize these other episodic patterns. So let’s go through these quickly.

There are some subtle parallels between Beth’s, Deanna’s, and Carl’s deaths. Mostly, it has to do with the way they’re set up in the MSF. In each case, the death is “announced” if you will in the MSF, and we’re kind of led to believe that they’ll die in that episode. Except that they don’t. They’re given another episode to kind of wrap things up.

So with Beth, this is obvious. At least to us TDers. We’re led to believe she died in the MSF, and we don’t think she did. But even setting the death fake out aside for a moment, even 5x09 is kind of a continuation of her death. We really shouldn’t have seen her at all after 5x08, but we did. 

Seeing her, even as part of Tyreese’s death hallucination, was a surprise. And we have other clues (like the group running to their cars) of other things that may have happened in the interim that we aren’t privy to. So the idea is that things might not have gone down in exactly the way we were led to believe based on the MSF.

Deanna’s is less dramatic. We knew she’d die one way or the other because she was bitten. She was given a gun to end her own life rather than be eaten. And we had clues that it wouldn’t go down that way (she opened the door, screamed at the walkers, and fired at them) but we didn’t’ know because we didn’t actually SEE her death. (Perhaps another Beth parallel.) 

Then, in 6x10, we do learn that things didn’t go according to plan. Because Deanna, as a reanimated walker, is stumbling around outside of Alexandria. So, she couldn’t have shot herself in the head. But she also wasn’t eaten by walkers. 

Something happened that helped her avoid being a meal, but also led to her reanimated self getting not only out of the room but outside the walls. What was it? We don’t know. And it’s probably not even very important because Deanna wasn’t a super main-stream character. 

But the point is, things didn’t go down the way the MSF finale led us to believe they would. And we have parallels to Beth’s death both in the mystery surrounding what happened with Deanna, and the fact that Spencer looked for her as a walker, which we also believe Daryl did with Beth.

Carl’s death is similar. We found out about his bite in the MSF and many people might have pegged that as his death episode. Yet, they gave him another episode with a much bigger send off to tie up all the loose ends. So things didn’t go down quite as people thought they would, based on the setup in the MSF.

There are other subtle parallels as well. I have to point out the gunshot-to-the-head theme that runs through these. The theme is present in all three, but what actually happens is different each time. Beth is shot in the head, but we believe it didn’t kill her. Deanna is supposed to shoot herself in the head, but doesn’t, and reanimates as a walker as a result. Carl actually does shoot himself in the head, and it kills him, and we see his burial/funeral.

There are other rabbit holes we could go down as well when it comes to the symbolic ties between these deaths. I’ll just mention a few things without actually going down them.

Carl is the one who sees walker-Deanna and leads her to Spencer so Spencer can put her down. He tells Michonne such things should be done by family or someone who loves the deceased person. That he would do it for her. You could see that as a foreshadow of Carl’s death. The way it’s presented, it almost seems like a foreshadow of Michonne’s death (“I’d do it for you,”) but it wasn’t. Carl said it and it was about him. A foreshadow that when he was bitten (like Deanna) Michonne would be there to make sure he got put down and didn’t reanimate as a walker.

But the thing is, this conversation takes place right after Carl says the thing to Baby Judith about using the North Star to find your way HOME. Saying that and then talking to Michonne about his death (not literally, of course) also entangles Carl’s death with Beth’s return.

See what I mean about the rabbit holes?

I also think it’s interesting that Michonne was involved in a big way in both Carl’s and Deanna’s deaths. Makes you wonder what her role in the missing 17 days after Coda was, doesn’t it? And what her role in Beth’s return will be.

But let’s switch gears just a bit, here. Thinking about all of this helped make a pattern clear in my mind about the structure of episode 8, 9, and 10 in each season. And I think you’ll all like this because it’s another, concrete way to point at episode 10 as possibly being when Beth returns.  

We all tend to think and say—me especially—that each season is divided into 16 episodes with two major arcs: the front half and back half. And while that’s true, it’s not quite that neat and tidy is it? The two arcs don’t consist of 1-8 and 9-16. Rather, the first arc tends to be 1-7. 8-9 is a shit-hits-the-fan mini-arc, 

and then the new arc for the back half starts in episode 10. Hence all those damn sunrises we see, yeah? ;D

I think my biggest takeaway here is that they never FINISH in episode 8 what they started in episode 8. They usually short it up in episode 9. We already talked about this with character deaths, but it’s true in a more general sense as well. Ep 10 starts the new arc, and, more often that not, it includes them finding a new group or community.

So I had to think through all the seasons. Or at least, all the ones since S4. Arguments can be made for 1-3, but I’ll stick to the ones after Gimple took over.

S4: So right off the bat, S4 was a little different. I think that’s mostly because they split into so many little groups and they had to show them all. But of course the big event in ep 8 was the prison going down, 

but ep 9 and 10 were continuations of that. Hence all the running. Again, I think this took 2 episodes because 9 was just about Rick/Michonne/Carl and then 10 covered Bethyl, Maggie/Sasha/Bob, and Glenn/Abraham/and co. They didn’t actually find a new community, but all of them started moving toward Terminus in one way or another.

S5: Obviously the shitstorm in ep 8 was Beth/Grady. And while it’s still a little unclear how ep 9 continues this, the biggest clue is that Beth was actually in episode 9, albeit as a hallucination. And it’s hard to pin down because it was so metaphorical and abstract, but the more you think about it, the more it makes sense. Ep 9 was about taking Noah home. That was to honor Beth’s wishes, and Noah came to the group courtesy of Beth/Grady anyway. So that episode really was an outgrowth or extension of the Grady arc. 

And it ends with a burial. Of course it was Ty’s, rather than Beth’s, but now, after all this time, I can see that it was meant to symbolize Beth’s as well. Not because she actually died or got a burial, but rather because, for all intents and purposes—both to the characters and to the audience—she was dead, and that was the end of that arc.

The new arc starts, of course, with Aaron showing up to bring them to a new community: Alexandria.

S6: This is a big one for me. I always said 6x09 would have made a WAY better MSF than 6x08. The big event was the church falling on the fence and letting walkers into Alexandria. (Yeah, I know it technically happened at the end of ep 7, but that was just for the cliffhanger effect. Ep 8 was them dealing with the horde.) 

And ep 8 left off right smack in the middle of the action. Daryl/Sasha/Abe were still facing Saviors on the road, Eugene was still calling for help on the radio, Rick and co held hands and moved into the horde, but things were far from solved. Maggie was still trapped on the scaffold. Glenn and Enid were still outside the walls. Then ep 9 comes along and all the great stuff happens. Daryl plays with a rocket, everyone returns to the Alexandria, Glenn and Maggie reunite after 8 episodes apart (end of death fakeout, by the way), Daryl stars the lake on fire, Carl shot, Jessie & sons eaten, and epic battle against walkers for Alexandria.

So my point is, they didn’t wrap things up until episode 9. New arc begins in ep 10 when they meet Jesus and go to Hilltop (new community).

S7: Much less drama in the middle of S7, but ep 8 ends on a confrontation with Negan and Rick deciding it’s time to fight back. It continues in ep 9 as they try to figure out exactly HOW to do that and where they’ll get the resources. 

New arc begins in ep 10 when they meet a new community (Scavengers) and the arc for the rest of the season focuses on building things up toward the war.

S8: We already talked about Carl’s death, which is definitely part of this pattern. In terms of plot, the big event was the bombing of Alexandria. 

But when it ended, it REALLY didn’t end. Carl didn’t die, everyone was still hiding in the sewer, and plenty of people were still running around in the woods in the dark, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. It didn’t wrap up until ep 9, including Carl’s death and burial. I think the “new community” aspect in this season was Enid and Aaron going to ask Oceanside for help. So, not a new community, but they weren’t a part of the war yet, and there were TONS of Beth symbols around this arc, which is important.

S9: So I really wasn’t sure at first if they’d stuck to this pattern in S9, especially given that we know Andy left later than originally planned. I couldn’t even remember off the top of my head which episodes were which, and had to go look at them. Yeah, they totally kept to pattern. The big event was graveyard/Whisperers/Jesus’ death, 

which came from going to rescue Eugene. But you can tell they didn’t wrap it up until ep 9 because we didn’t see Jesus’ burial/funeral until ep 9. In terms of episode 10 and finding a new group, guess what episode 10 was? Omega, where Alpha shows up at the gates. So yeah, they totally pulled it off.

So what’s the point of all of this? Well, they’re following pattern this season. They started something in episode 8 (Daryl and co going to find the horde and look for Lydia) but it definitely didn’t finish. It ended in the middle of the action, much as it always does. So I’m fully expecting that they’ll solve that particular problem in ep 9, and if there are any character deaths, they will no doubt happen then. (No idea if any of the reports about Connie or someone falling off a cliff will prove true, but IF they do, it will be in episode 9 anyway, not 9).

As for them meeting a new community, which should happen in episode 10, we don’t REALLY know what it will be…except that they’ve been filming at Grady so we do. Whether it’s actually Grady or some other hospital, chances are it will be introduced in episode 10.

And the fact of the 10:10 clock on Beth’s wall, which episode will probably coincide with them finding this new community? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I think it’s safe to say that Gimple planned for this a LONG time ago.

 So yeah. Just wanted to point that out and hopefully it carries everyone through the hiatus and gets you excited for 10b. Thoughts?

[ofcloudsandstars]

so the Sagittarius full moon was wild.  I finally moved to a place I’ve always wanted. It was almost a shock cause it feels like everything I’ve manifested came true. I did magic around spring equinox with a very mercurial witch (going to see her summer’s eve on Thursday!) who helped me with a spell using her type of singing magic. She does sound baths and singing chants and she taught me a chant she used when she was homeless to open a path for her to find an ideal home for her. The road opening chant worked and we made charm bags with natural ingredients inside such as dried organic petals that I would bury once I found my home. 

Well I decided I was going to finish that ritual last night but also a great Sagittarian witch friend lives in North London and wanted to celebrate my move by getting drunk at the local tavern. So we caught up with life and drank a lot of whiskey (I bought some woodford oak shots in honor of sagittarius full moon), beer, and when we were getting broke we drank house whiskey and ginger beer. After we were drunk I was ready to part with her since she had to get up early then run off to the heaths to do my ritual but her being a sagittarius was like: Let me come with you fuck getting up early we gonna do some magic. 

So 15 minutes later (which, it would have taken at least 15 minutes to walk to the heaths if I lead us but I let her do it) we are walking up nearing highgate and I am like WHEEEREEE are you taking us??? and its like old bougie cinematic tudor and gothic houses shrouded with ivy and old trees and essentially she lead us to the entrance of the swimming ponds. And it was really cool there were lots of groups of women out there like all clearly witches (I mean the Heaths is like incredibly magical and feels like another realm and it has not only become my sacred place but its like a living church to me but a lot of other witches obviously feel the same) but there were a trio of women in long white gowns with drums that were lost and we all greeted each other with Happy Full Moon! and helped them get back to the main road.  We then descended into the darkness of the woods, like one path was so dark you could not see anything but you felt like you were diving into a black ocean with the waves of nightly breezes through the bodies of massive trees you could hardly see. The canopy blocked out the sky and any moonlight or light pollution. The energy felt so intense that my anxiety pulsed an electric-like feel up to my neck and ears that made me light headed. To be safe I did a quick protection spell with some incense I got when my dumbass was high and wandering around Amsterdam a few weeks ago and stumbled upon some fairy themed shop where they sold ridiculously named incenses such as Goblin’s Lair (the one that made me buy all of them cause I was just imagining burning that shit and my poor roommates going like: what the fuck is that smell?? And I would be emerging from my room in my long black gown like: ahh yes it is the ExquisiTe smell of my Goblin’s Lair incense.. but yeah once I bought that I bought all of them. The red is Demon’s Lust which smells kind of like a deep musky floral and I burned it before a date came over and the sex was FIRE, the yellow was Wizards Spell which was mainly patchouli based which is what I bought to the woods, the green is goblins lair which is earthy and cinnomanny, the blue is Fairy’s Mist which smells like airy floral or like violets and the purple is Unicorn’s Grace which is Aloe. ) Anyway I was burning the wizards spell incense around us making a shield then we carried on the path. 

We reached the gate which in near-pitch darkness we had to climb over. I nearly busted my ass but once we reached the other side the energy changed Drastically! Like we entered another realm. It felt like a party vibe and when we got to the swimming ponds there were another group of women that were just finishing that greeted us with a happy full moon. They loved my incense and I gave them a stick lol. My friend and I went to the edge of the pond and I set up an altar space with a selenite tower, amber tealights and we did some manifestation spells. Then this girl just.. strips.. naked.. She’s like: Ok going in!! And like.. dives into the abyss of the pond..  It was NOT the warmest night. The water was like the void. But she swam out all the way to the middle and was howling: The MOOON!!! IT’s sooo beautiful!! I could only see her cause she is pale and the silver light reflected off of her just floating in darkness.  Anyway I was kind of like: it’s sagittarius full moon go hard or go home, so I took off my clothes and tried to get in but my foolish ass at the time was like: oooh my godd I don’t want to get my haiirrrr wetttt (cause that would mean 2 hours the next day washing, blowing it out and straightening again) so I thought I could slowly descend into the icy abyss then wade over so most of my head would not go under which means I went in SLOWLY AND PAINFULLY oh my god when that water touched my ass OOOLORDTTT and she was all gleefully swimming in the distance all like: Look at the bats!! and I was just hoping my ass wouldn’t get sick lol.  Anyway I finally got in and it was like.. the closest thing my physical body got to astral projecting. It felt like you were swimming through the veil. The water was black but moved around you like shimmering fabric that shined silver due to the moon’s reflection. I was trying to not think about it too much cause it was a bit psychedelic and eerie (and I can get visually overstimulated easily) but I was floating through this ice-fire abyss under the bright light of the moon. It was both so lunar yet so plutonian. Like my body felt so energized like it was on fire but it was an icy fire and I was so aware of my spirit. I was trying MY BEST! to not think about anything underneath me cause you could not see a THING in that water and my dumbass who loves watching horror movies was just trying to not let my imagination take the best of me wading through pure darkness so with every wade I was using my energy to also make a protective shield lol. Finally I get to her and we are having the best of time in this eerie other world looking at the MASSIVE silver moon in the sky. It felt unreal swimming under the full moon. I always have this heightened sense of energy around full moons like I wake up when it hits my bed but being in water underneath it felt like something was being awakened.  Anyway we swim back cause its cold and my ass is out of shape and I am PANTING like I have ran a marathon so we get back and oh my god we were sooo wet. I used my shirt as a towel and just wore my dry sweater. We tried to warm our wet bodies over the arrangement of tealights in our makeshift altar but our bodies were just extinguishing the lights with all the water dripping on it haha. My hair is fully wet at this point and I am freezing, and I just pick a tree to go to to scatter the remains of the charm bag then we set off back into the dark path. The woods felt less intense and more welcoming like somehow our spirits were transformed and we were one with the shadows of the heath.

 We got to the edge of the road and tried to order and uber and though both of our phones were at like 15 percent they DIED. So I was like: I just moved here I don’t know how to get home. And she’s like: I’ll walk you!! And it’s about 12:30AM. Anyway she takes me through ALL the most bizarre places in the area, like we pass through a gated community of tudor apartment complexes, the highgate cemetary, then at the end we find The Holly Village. We did not know what it was at the time (we thought it was some religious thing) but she realized the gate was open and before I knew it her curious fox-like snooping ass just wiggles into there and so I had to chase her down the moon lit gardens to Get Out before some old man in a cult notices us but the only local who noticed was the landlord (well it was a big fluffy cat that was watching us stoically from one of the old gothic home’s doorsteps, like we thought it was a statue or one of the gargoyles but she eventually moved) and she kept following us around no matter which garden we snuck around in to make sure we weren’t getting into trouble. 

We eventually get home at nearly TWO AM and I am like you have to stay over with me cause you gotta get up early for work. So we have a cozy sleep and I knew my dreams were going to be wild that night which I had a really wild short dream. Basically it was really vivid, and I was there in this world of just blackness, but facing an endless black mirror. And my reflection I was dressed up ceremoniously. I started walking towards myself and the glass would ripple like water. I was going to walk into the wall of water fusing with this reflection but then I woke up.

[bestfluteninja]

actual things my teachers have said, pt. 2

part 1 here

so, in honor of school about to start again, here’s my teacher quotes from second semester last year, my freshman year of high school. enjoy.

“Day one and you’re already undressing”

“I went to college for this”

“I’ve taught one person something today”

“He looks so loose and relaxed because he’s dead”

“There was this one pope who was a total prude”

“It’s called the Great Deflowering, and they just took all the penises off the statues”

“One student said, ‘do you think there’s this basket of stone penises in the Vatican?’”

“Oh, it’s like ‘pièce’ means ‘piece’ or something”

“Do you sleep in the salle à manger (dining room)? Only if you have a very sad life”

“I don’t know why I suddenly know your restroom schedule”

“I want to get up on a ladder and touch your hair. Still sounds weird”

“And then you have Columbus or Vasco de Gama’s little ship, which looks like it’s going to be eaten by the big ship”

“Let’s go metric, which we’re crazy for not using”

“When I pass on to whatever”

“You tempt my middle finger”

“Stop talking about my coworkers in a negative way. Or positive. Just stop.”

“I almost said a word I shouldn’t”

“Nachos aren’t happening without cheese”

“We are about to learn a new tense, which will shake the foundations of everything you know and love”

“Let’s make this nice and incriminating”

“Next year I’ll have to require students to get a tattoo of their password”

“Anybody else wanna criticize my decisions?”

“Hey. Hey! HEY!...have a good day”

“After announcements, I’m going to melt your faces off, so be ready”

“It’s magic time, kids”

“I have mad babysitting skills”

“You don’t go to all this effort if you have wheat just growing in your backyard”

“The Catholic Church was into destruction”

“You really don’t wanna write it down because then you’ll cry”

“Anyone wanna help me summon the dead?”

“My mother still tells me I should’ve been a lawyer”

“Rooms and stuff, oh yeah”

“That way, when he’s an old man, people can go ‘you’re old’ and he’ll be like ‘whaaa’“

“If you’re sitting there just tapping really hard, I don’t know what your aggression is”

“I wish I had autopilot”

“I won’t make you cry”

“There were some that considered that blasphemous. Heracy. Scientific heracy.”

“The access code is cookies18 because I’m surrounded by cookies and it’s 2018″

“Thumbs down is like ‘bro why’“

“Are you having fun in art class? Stop that”

“You all think you’re gang members now”

“Something French, woman! Get it together”

“We can be like Congress and have to have a talking stick”

“Here’s a dog with three stereotypes all at once”

“I am as serious as a heart attack”

“You don’t see many of those furry little creatures around here anymore. Except raccoons. They’re everywhere”

“It’s not politics if everyone agrees”

student: “I like your shoes” teacher: “thanks, they’re killing my feet”

“Focus less on witty comments”

“If we could just hang out, I’d, like, braid your hair”

“This guy with a stick, that can’t be good”

“Spent a little too much time in the harem, if you get my meaning”

“I really do try to find anything with singing and dancing camels”

“Another creepy clown, fantastic”

“Are those flower garlands, or are they chains?”

“Oh, how progressive, that you add Hindu women to your harem”

“Probably for the release death would bring”

“Easy with the f-bomb”

“I’m gonna go ahead and mark everyone absent just because I like to mess with the front office”

“That was a pretty good airplane”

“I got too deep in a book and forgot to make your test”

“This is for your cultural education” *shows Shia LaBoef*

“You don’t know why, but you know you hate them”

“This is a holdup, pow pow pow, give me all your money”

“Screaming is the same in every language”

“Satan scares me”

“I have nothing against turtlenecks, usually”

“420, blaze it. I shouldn’t have said that, it was inappropriate”

“If you don’t know basic computer skills, you’re just doomed”

“Attacked by many animals...I can just see him walking down the street going ‘oh god not again’“

“She’s preening you”

“We don’t do midterms in here cause they’re awful”

“I love praise”

“Everything is petit pois”

“Nobody can get through the French Revolution in a day and a half except me”

“Back when the History Channel had history”

“Everyone is like ‘oh I’m so nostalgic for the nineties’ and I’m like ‘burn it with fire’“

“Feel free to email me, I won’t respond”

“Don’t hurt each other”

“She looks like a jellyfish. No! That’s so cool! I love jellyfish!”

“I felt like lying on the floor and curling up in a ball”

“Laugh. Move on.”

“Your fort should be strong, to keep the Huns from invading”

“Why are you so smart right now?”

“I have all of her anxiety and none of her skill”

“Whatever will make my parents angriest”

“What’s happening, you animals?”

“Just fractions, nothing magical”

student: *drops ruler* teacher, deadpan: “why”

“Sooner or later that bell will ring and you’ll be like ‘yo what the heck’”

“Anytime there’s chanting, just be careful”

“There’s no mentions of prostitutes in the Jamaica letter”

“I like fire, so I might burn it”

“These are in your way just to distract you”

“Don’t build your expectations up too high”

“Oh, I had alcohol”

“I want to leave with both my kidneys, thanks”

“If you would take a town out of Alabama and put it here, that’s Fortville” (we live in Indiana)

“I’m gonna start dressing like a clown to get your guys’ attention”

“Everybody needs extra money in life”

“I don’t know if you guys know this, but an essential part of living is being able to breathe”

“I’m a popcorn-aholic”

“We’re gonna do an exercise in loving yourself real quick”

“I barely even go outside”

“It’ll be terrible. You’re gonna have nightmares”

“It is a vest with fake pockets and a cape attached”

“There are very few people who are not gifted in anything”

“Please let me retire”

“If the lottery plays out on Wednesday, I might be gone by Thursday”

“Then we burnish it with a wooden spoon because I’m too cheap to buy burnishers and a wooden spoon works”

“Be mindful of when you’re leaning up against cabinets. Or get shoved into them”

“I like to touch art. Not supposed to, but I like to”

“If you go to Canada, I need you to steal a stop sign”

“I always get excited but it’s always just you, being fantastic”

(a blade from our art project went missing) “I think there are three scenarios. One, someone dropped it and just refuses to acknowledge that they dropped something. Two, someone put it in their pocket to take it home and have..fun with it later. Three, someone.....ingested it”

“You don’t steal the blades during the demonstration. You steal them during class time, when nobody’s looking”

“God, it’s snowing again”

“Can you grow poppies? Yes. If you grow 10-20 acres, the authorities are probably gonna come talk to you”

“If you had the letters for that in scrabble, that’s the whole game right there”

“Oh, Gandhi, you’re name-dropping”

“Isn’t that dog staring into your soul?”

“I’m just impressed with anyone that can wear horizontal stripes”

“It won’t be fatal drowning”

“You can have the rest of the time to annoy each other”

“We’ll cover up the ‘attack teacher’ sign so you’re not scared of me anymore”

*chalk squeaks* “sorry, forgot to oil the chalk”

“I don’t wake up in the mornings and go ‘oh, themes’“

“I am not Harry Potter’s uncle”

“If I cared, I would’ve asked”

“That’s where the Bordeaux wine comes from. Not that you’d know that, right, kids?”

“They don’t care about your happiness”

“Kay cool do stuff”

“No, I will not allow that. You cannot just eat butter”

“If I were to buy a Japanese car and drive it into my mother’s driveway, that would probably be it. She’d go toward the light”

“Since that’s all so depressing, we’ll end with a taco dog”

“I am intellectually aware that there were days when the sun came out”

“I have to get paid for this”

“I just have under a thousand dollars in my bank account at all times”

“We are French two, we are a little better than second-grade writing level”

“If you have to ask me if it’s appropriate, it’s not”

“It’s plagiarism, 100%. Don’t even care”

“For God’s sake, people, indent your paragraphs”

“It’s Morgan Freeman and Matt Damion, what else do you need”

student: “banana” teacher: “good, jenna”

*sharp intake of breath*

“Join us on the dark side of Honors English”

*shows us stick figure* “look at this detail”

“Well, that’s just magical.” minute later: “never mind”

“I’ll try to come up with a Plan D”

“In India, they love cricket, whatever the heck cricket is”

“Before I buy Shrek 2 online”

“Next thing you throw, you’re gonna eat”

“Have I mentioned your guys’ grand prize? It’s absolutely nothing”

“Nowadays you just take a selfie. This is for you. Wink wink.”

“Hey guys, say bonjour to my mom”

“She says sit down and shut up”

“He’s my scapegoat, his mom said I could”

if you read all of these, i hope you were amused. i certainly was. all of these are completely real. if you feel like it, send me an ask with your favorites

[queen---kenzie]

The Kids Don’t Wanna Come Home

Summary:. Older sister of Veronica Harlow, a child who was killed by IT. Can’t deal with anything anymore.

Notes: Trigger Warning, Suicidal Themes. Kinda wanna make a Part 2, Reader x Richie Tozier, Slow Burn

Masterlist

___________________________________

Richie didn’t know what he was thinking while he watched Y/N Harlow walk into his world. On a second thought she didn’t walk, she fell. It had been a nice summer’s day. June, 9 1990. It had been exactly one year since IT. He and the rest of the Losers Club were at the edge of the woods that were by the cliff that over looked the quarry. On the edge of the cliff stood Y/N Harlow. Her hair was fluttering about her shoulders. He knew her from his 8th period history class. She had sat next to him all year. She’d periodically giggle at his shitty jokes. Stan knew her because she had left his freshman pre-algebra class to go to junior calculus. Bill knew her because she had accidentally knocked his books down. She helped pick them up. Eddie knew her because she’d doodle through chemistry. Ben knew her because she’d been the girl at church who sang on Christmas. She’d had two solos then she’d left. Beverly knew of her because her sister had gone missing. Mike had never met her. Those who knew of her wouldn’t of thought she was suicidal. They didn’t know.

Her eyes were wide looking over the cliff. She heard a stick break. She looked over her shoulder. Richie looked into her eyes they were shining with tears. Her feet were inching off. Her mind started to turn. That huge brain with a genius IQ was working itself up. Calculating, “Shit.” That was all she breathed out. It wouldn’t work. The water was there. It would stop her from ending everything. Her eyes looked cold when she turned and tried to walk past them. Bill had never thought suicide was an option. He had never thought it would be an option for the girl who was going to walk past them. She’d always been so happy.

“Hey wait.” Richie grabbed her shoulder. She turned her eyes were no longer the deep pools of color her could get lost in. They were shallow and broken. He didn’t know what was going on in her brain. He just knew he wasn’t going to lose this girl. She was totally unaffected by Greta Keene’s rude remarks. He’d seen her backpack full of pins. ‘Feminist’ 'AC/DC’ 'Fuck You’ shouted out at him everyday when she’d pass him to get to her locker. Which was filled with papers telling what she was in. 'Drama’, 'Choir’, 'National Honor Society’, 'Student Council’, 'Leo Club’, 'Volleyball’ and 'Track’. Stick on magnets spelled her name. Inside her locker were pictures. Her with friends, just her, her little sister, and last but not least the school picture Georgie had given her back in '88. Before he had died.

Richie couldn’t deal with losing the girl that had sat with him in the library when it was just the two of them. Stan remembered her for her involvement. For her looks too. Ever since the beginning of eighth grade when she’d lost the braces. She still wore her hair plaited down her back. Now whenever there were candy grams which were just on Christmas and Valentine’s she’d have the most of any girl in the freshman class. She got the most pumped for Homecoming. He remembered her dress it had been (Your Favorite Color) she looked brilliant. No one had the nerve to ask her. She’d dance with anyone who’d asked that included Richie, Bill, Eddie and himself. Richie got them into that. Ben told Richie to fuck off, nicely of course.

Eddie remembered her because at Prom when he wasn’t able to eat the food the school ordered she walked into the school’s industrial kitchen and found him a vanilla pudding cup. She’d got one for each of his friends too. He remembered how she had told a Junior to shut the hell up about his asthma. Eddie remembered the drawing of him she’d done in chemistry. It was identical to him. He had always been a fan of her even before she lost the braces.

Bill remembered her because both Georgie and Richie gushed about her. Once Georgie had invited her and all of his friends to dinner. She was funny. He also remembered how if they ever saw her while they walked home he’d give her a hug. The time she told a Senior he could fuck himself if he felt so inclined to tease Bill about his stutter. How she’d smiled at him afterwords.

Ben didn’t remember much about her except for her sister. How that year, Y/N Harlow, had somehow saved herself from that clown. How after the kindness she’d been showed at school, had magnified. She had sang on Christmas for the two years he’d lived here. Two solos then she left. He also remembered the giggle he had heard when someone put a new sign in her locker. It was after her fight with Greta Keene who had said some horrible things. 'I’m a lover, not a fighter, the only thing I love is fighting’ Y/N Harlow, 1990. He remembered the one time before when they’d actually met her. Bev had invited her to have a smoke. She agreed, it was obvious she had no idea what she was doing. Bev had laughed, she’d made some excuse about needing to go. Ben had seen her snuff the cigarette out on her arm. The burn wasn’t permeant.

Bev remembered inviting her to have a smoke. She acted like she had known what she was doing. It was so obvious she didn’t. She looked like a nice kid. She’d been wearing gray sweatpants, they were fitted around the ankles, and a dark blue sweater. She had her hair down. She laughed with them. What Bev remembered most was the girl, running from the sewer tunnel. Her eyes empty. She had been missing for days. It had given Bill hope. Until they actually got the story out of her. Everyone remembered that. She had said it was a big room. A pile of child’s toys in the middle in a tower. Children floating around it. Veronica being dead. She was holding a locket in her hands it matched the one around her neck. How she told them she couldn’t live at home. Her voice shaky. She wasn’t in her right mind.

Mike remembered how kind she was. She had only talked to him twice, but that was ok. She was sweet.

“This d-doesn’t c-con… It it’s not your busni-business.” Her voice wasn’t full of life. It didn’t match the girl who was on the varsity volleyball team. None of this was like her. Bill saw something gold in her hand.

“Ver-veronica.” He whispered.

“What?” That’s the tone she uses with Greta.

“Th-thats why you-you’re h-here.” She squeezes her eyes shut.

“This is the last place you remember being with her.” Beverly is looking at the girl, who can no longer breathe.

“She’s dead, it’s all my fault.” Y/N whispers from the ground.

[lovehaswonangelnumbers]

New Post has been published on https://lovehaswonangelnumbers.org/2019-is-preparing-us-for-a-wave-of-ascension-energy-in-2020/

2019 is Preparing us for a Wave of Ascension Energy in 2020

2019 is Preparing us for a Wave of Ascension Energy in 2020

By Tanaaz

2020 carries some of the most potent cosmic energy we have seen in a long time and this is mainly due to the alignment of Pluto and Saturn, which peaks in January 2020.

The alignment of these two planets is going to set the tone for the entire year and our soul, along with Planet Earth is going to be learning how to harmonize with this ultra potent energy.

There are so many significant alignments and transits happening in 2020, however in this article, I want to focus more on how 2019 is preparing us for this new wave of energy.

What is coming in 2020 feels like a huge opportunity to ascend into higher levels of consciousness. The vibration of the planet is going to be shifting and rising, and as this energy draws closer, our spiritual growth will be accelerated.

This is a huge ascension and awakening process, but like all processes of moving into the light, there has to be some darkness as well.

2020 is not necessarily about wading through the darkness in order to “fix” it, instead it is about rising above it. It is about raising ourselves so high that the darkness has no choice but to fall away.

The darkness is too heavy to carry into this new wave of being, so we have to unpack and let it go, in order to harmonize with the planet and the cosmos. And, the time to begin shedding, assessing, and evaluating is in 2019, for when 2020 rolls around, the time to rise would have already begun.

Now is the time to release, now is the time to unpack, now is the time to think about what you can shed and let go of in order to move into the new, and many of the cosmic alignments in 2019 are pointing to this.

If we take the first five months of 2019 so far, we can see a pattern emerging. From January to May, time has been speeding up as we have experienced a string of potent Full Moons.

In January we had a Blood Moon Eclipse, followed by a trio of Super Moons. We also had two Full Moons falling in the same sign back to back, and a Seasonal Blue Moon.

All of these unusual Full Moons reveal a deeper theme from the Universe. We are being called to release, we are being called to let go, and this process is being accelerated.

While it’s always a good idea to release the things that weigh us down and hold us back, this is not just about releasing your old boyfriend or your negative self-talk. This is deeper and perhaps you have been feeling it as 2019 moves further along.

Under this energy, we are slowly being called to shed and peel back the layers of society and of life as we know it.

This is about allowing everything you know to crumble. This is about surrendering to all that you think you are and all that you have been. This is about letting go of not just your past but also your future.

This is about shedding and releasing everything you have ever believed, desired, dreamed, or wanted. This is about total surrender.

Everything is up for questioning. Everything is up for review. Everything you ever thought or believed in is going to be challenged. Some things will stick, some things will remain the same, but others will have to be shed, released, transformed, and done away with.

Who you thought you were is changing, and the world is changing too.

Whatever is brewing in 2020 is not happening overnight. These changes, these upgrades, these waves of energy have been bubbling in the undercurrent of our lives, and while we may not see the full outcome or direction till 2020, we are being prepped right now.

The most significant months for this preparatory work come in March 2019, September-October 2019, and in December 2019. These are the months to pay close attention and to see where you are being called to change, to release, to awaken, and to step into more of your authentic self.

These are the months where you will be able to get a small taste of what is to come on both a global and personal level.

While we are being called to empty ourselves, so too is Planet Earth. We may see changes in the economy, in government and politics, and the environment. We may also see changes in how we approach love, motivation, fame, and success as a society.

As Saturn and Pluto are the main players in this energy, we may also see issues arise when it comes to power, structure, and order.

While I don’t believe its entirely possible to predict what is exactly going to happen on a political or global level, we can look to the past to help us see what has happened under similar astrological alignments.

2020’s energy is unique, but if we look back through world events, a common thread seems to be an abuse of power, whether this is through wars, recessions, or revolutions.

While an “abuse of power” can manifest in many different ways and can even take on different meanings, this is a classically what we have seen.

While there may be an abuse of power in some capacity or issues relating to an abuse of power, it also means that there is a change of power in the works as well.

When abuse comes into play, it is only a matter of time before something is done to change, correct, or fix the situation, and hopefully, in this case, it can be resolved for the better.

The alignments of 2020 will trickle into 2021, so who knows when we will see the major changes manifest, but the effects of whatever happens is likely to be long-lasting.

While we may see things playing out on the world stage that is of concern, on an energetic level, this is a time where we can really ascend and separate ourselves from the heaviness of the old ways of thinking.

This is a time where we can lift ourselves up, not to be free of darkness necessarily, but so we can enter into a lighter and more authentic state of being.

A channelled message from my heart to yours:

Rise up, rise up. This our time to shine. Your soul was destined to be on this Earth at this time for these waves of ascension. You knew it was coming and you are ready for this. Keep lifting yourself higher, keep accepting and owning yourself, for that is key.

Lifting higher is not about removing all negativity and never making a mistake, it is about being real. It is about owning the human experience in all its many facets.

Own the good stuff and the bad, know that life is just a game to be had. There really is no beginning or end, life is not all there is, but for the short time that we are here, it is our duty to make the best of it, the most of it, and to honor it for all it can do.

Life in all its definitions brings amazing things to this world and to the next, so get living.

*****

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[littlecritter35]

I’m dumb, please read

swg

i'm asking my sister again for bachelorette party ideas

what all she wants

and she's just like /that's your job!/

 nessus crust

uuuuuh

 swg

bitch i'm asking how big you want it

 nessus crust

Take her to vegas

On the cheapest airline

swg

and so i told her if she doesn't give input then she's getting penis themed everything

 nessus crust

Get the sketchiest party bus

With a really old male stripper

 swg

perfect

 nessus crust

stay in a rickety motel that definitely has bed bugs in literally everything and probably has a dead body in at least five of the rooms

Maybe all the same dead body, just, you know, chopped up

The front desk person is some woman with a huge ass mole on her cheek in a really unattractive spot, with at least three long hairs sticking out of it

 swg

.......

i owrry

worry

 nessus crust

Or she's just tried to trim them, so they're these sticky, poky hairs just jutting out of her cheeks

With obviously fake red hair that is in the worst of the 80s perm style or whatever

Blue eyeshadow and sallow skin

The place smells perpetually of smoke and piss, and you're pretty sure that it's just a front for hookers

 swg

Christ

 nessus crust

It's a pay by the hour place, but it costs less and less the longer you stay, so you're like "what the hell? We'll stay for a few days" and it ends up costing about 10 a night.

 swg

how much have you thought about this

 nessus crust

But when you actually get there, Erin gives you this horrified expression. You're just like "Just give it a chance." You find out more and more about this ramshackle motel, and Erin keeps giving you more and more concerned looks. You just tell her "Give it a chance" but you're more and more uncertain yourself.

That's when one of the bridesmaids find the foot

 swg

how much have you thought about this

 nessus crust

You pull Erin to the side like "Yeah, I know this kind of sucks, maybe you should have given me some input, I'm poor as fuck, but you know what? THere's a mystery afoot"

 swg

i hate you so much

 nessus crust

She looks at you and says "Fucking really?" and you just innocently look at her like "What?"

 nessus crust

So, on the first day, you run around Vegas doing typical Vegas things. Like, taking in the rampant consumerism that comes from a city whose economy is based entirely in sin. You have to visit several churches, because Sandra can't handle all of this. She has to pray and ask for forgiveness.

 swg

there's no sandra in the party

that i know of...

 nessus crust

After a while it gets tiresome, and Priscilla yells at Sandra, "If you had to constantly derail everything with your constant praying, maybe you shouldn't have come in the first place???"

Sandra's eyes well with tears, she's so betrayed by Priscilla's sudden cruelty. "I'm sorry that I'm just so much closer to God and Jesus than you are, but maybe if you just--" "Jesus Christ Sandra, get off your fucking high horse!"

The wedding party is in shambles

You, as the maid of honor, desperately try to refocus everyone. You still had three more days of this. How could you save the wedding party?

 swg

which reminds me

i do have a bruise from last night

but it's like

dark, small, and faint

 nessus crust

You manage to sooth Sandra enough to keep her from rushing to the airport and taking the first plane back to Florida. She'd come all the way out here. She hasn't seen Erin in over a year. They'd been best friends since elementary school. Would she really throw away this friendship that easily? Sandra nodded her head slowly. Mesmerized by your blue eyes. She stares at you a little too long. You glance to the side uncomfortably. You need to move the party on.

 swg

so sandra is actually emilie

who's husband is going to be stationed in japan...at some point this year so they're moving and isn't going to be in the wedding

 nessus crust

Sandra looks off into the distance, hiding the pain she feels, because she hasn't told Erin about the move yet. She hasn't said how she'll be going across the ocean before the wedding, and trans-ocean flights are really expensive and long, so she won't be there for Erin on the most important day of her life. The..... sequel she guesses? "Marriage, the weddening"

 nessus crust

You all walk down the strip, which is way less interesting during the day. You go to a fancy restaurant where there are chippendale (how spell?) dancers as waiters. Priscilla is delighted, and after a few shots of tequila, Sandra is shyly excited

Everyone has a few too many drinks (or just the right amount ;D ), so everyone stumbles out of the restaurant. Sandra is clutching a piece of greasy paper reverently, a phone number scrawled across it.

 nessus crust

After that you had a pretty good day, considering the Las Vegas day life isn't all that interesting. At about three, you all go back to the motel to take a quick power nap, and sleep off the alcohol at least a little bit. That's when Stacy found the foot. You knew how to save the party. Mystery shenanigans.

 nessus crust

Everyone was too frightened to be in the motel, especially when they called the police, they just laughed and said "Yeah, that happens all the time there" before hanging up on Erin. You usher everyone out and you go to a casino to kill some time. Go to one of those washed up daytime shows. Everyone starts to relax a little. Stacy just looks at everything with a fifty yard stare. You look at her in concern, knowing that she will never unsee what she saw that day. It was a pretty productive first day, you figure. You somehow manage to convince everyone to go back to the hotel, but only after everyone decided to sleep in the same room after looking through everything and making sure there are no more dead body parts. All seven of you cram into the the small room, and somehow fit three people on the two twin mattresses. Erin takes the couch, because that one seemed to have the least amount of bed bugs, and it's her trip, right? So she shouldn't be crammed into a bed with two other people. Everyone nodded, agreeing that was the best solution. Anyone else could sleep on the floor.

No one slept well.

The next morning, which, let's be honest, is at three in the morning, because everyone slept like shit. You ushered Erin over and told her about your idea to get to the bottom of this mystery. A productive way to find closure. Erin looks at you uncertainly again. You nod your head exuberantly. This would be exactly what the wedding party needs.

You figure the best way to start would be to question the day desk person. A significantly younger and much prettier woman, but with that same odd mole. You figure she must be the other woman's daughter. You lean up against the desk conspiratorially. You begin to grill her about what happens in the motel. Slyly. She'll never guess your true purpose. Erin looks at you with a dumb expression on her face.

"Are you trying to ask me if people get murdered in this motel regularly?" the woman asks eventually. She's giving you a glance over her glasses, taking you in with a sneer. You realize the look on Erin's face had been befuddlement. You cough and change the subject immediately. "So, if what sort of things do you do around here for fun? /murderer says what?/" "I'm not falling for that." "Dammit! Ok, but really. What is there to do during the day?" "I don't know. Strip clubs are open all day? They don't pay me enough to answer these questions." She then promptly ignores you, opens her phone, and scrolls through tumblr or something. It's full of porn.

"Ok, we have lulled her into a sense of complacency. We can explore the entire motel and she'll be none the wiser." "perfect," Erin says sarcastically with a very impressive eye roll.

 sweg lyf

Mole placement is hereditary

 nessus crust

The first door you try opens easily. There's a couple sleeping in there. You look at each other in horror. The security in the place is awful. You enter the room anyway and start investigating. You find a dismembered ear. You steal the plastic lining from the ice bucket (even though there's no ice machine. Why did they need an ice bucket. You decide not to dwell on it.) and collect the ear as evidence. You scuttle back out of the room.

You make your way through the rooms, finding more and more grisly evidence. You look in mild horror (mild, because at this point, you've been so desensitized to murder that it doesn't bother you anymore) at the frankensteinien monster before you. You arrange the pieces into the semblance of a body. The parts had to have come from six different bodies. It made a total body but..... not a whole body.

"Shit, this goes deeper than we thought" you say as you look at the pieces. Stacy wakes up, looks at you and Erin in a half asleep and very hung over stupor, looks down at the macabre display you had compiled on the floor and screams in bloody murder. Everyone else wakes up, sees what's on the ground, and the room becomes its own tiny version of Bedlam. There's screaming, shouting, Antoinette is pulling at her hair while looking at the pieces. Only Genevieve, who's a forensic scientist looks at your creation in interest.

Everyone except for Genevieve decide that they've had enough of this trip. They were going home. Now. You try to convince them all to stay. You swear that this will bring all of you closer! It will be the best! Antoinette just glares at you and says she's only in the wedding party because she's the groom's sister. She doesn't even like Erin. Stacy gasps. "But Erin is the kindest person!" "Yeah, well, maybe I don't like nice people?" Antoinette is the first to storm out. She doesn't even bother gathering her things. You decide that's probably for the best really. Everyone else leaves, including Genevieve. You look at Erin with questioning eyes. Would she leave you too? She just shakes her head and tells you that she won't leave you to do this alone. Although she doesn't know what this is.

You decide what you need to do is enter a closed, government facility to illegally use some lab equipment. You'll use the equipment to study the DNA and match them with a database and find out who these poor people are.

You get to the room with the necessary equipment (after a few failed attempts, an awkward chance encounter with a couple in a broom closet, and a very friendly security guard who doesn't even question two young women wearing clothes that are probably infested in bed bugs and clearly hadn't been taken off since the day before). As you step in the lab there's a feeling in your gut that this is the right room. Also the sign says "DNA testing laboratory" which is also a good indication.

You also realize that you don't know how to fucking use anything in there.

Neither does Erin.

You look at each other a little bewilderly, look down at your bag o' parts, and leave the facility, your mission failed.

*bewilderedly

On the way back to the hotel everything goes black. You wake up in a completely empty flight hangar. You look around in terror, trying to spot Erin, but she's nowhere around. You murdered your sister. Maybe not literally, but your actions got her killed. That's the only thing that could have happened.

A man sits on a folding chair a little ways away, but directly in front of you. He's rifling through some cards, your wallet discarded on the ground near his feet. He's clearly supposed to be an imposing presence, and it works. You try to shake the ropes free, but you can't escape. You shrink into yourself and watch him in hopeless terror.

"Emily Bacon. From Iowa?" He glances over at you. You nod your head vigorously, hoping that if you do, he'll let you go alive. "24 years old, a former student at UNO in Nebraska. Is that where the Cornhuskers are from?" He asks, the innocuous nature of the question throwing you completely off. "They're from Lincoln," you mumble nervously. A niggling feeling of anger worms it's way into the forefront of your psyche though. Why don't people realize there's more than one University of Nebraska? You must have said that out loud, because the man holds his hands up as though to defend himself from your words and gives you a very disarming smile. "Sorry, I didn't realize."

"So, you've been poking around in some business that I really don't need you poking around. I have a really nice business going here. The cops don't sniff around that motel much, and tourists never want to stay there, because we managed to give it -5 stars. So, how did you, Emily from Iowa who went to University of Nebraska in Omaha, end up there anyway?"

You tried to answer, but words didn't come out.

"Are you from some sort of sting operation meant to catch me? Are you with the FBI?" He looks at you with an intensity that made you cringe. You shook your head vigorously.

"It ended up being $10 a night," you whisper. The man drums his fingers on his legs and gives you a considering look. "We should really change that algorithm." You look at him dumbly as he thinks over the logistics of running a money laundering front for prostitution, pimping, and murder.

"You didn't happen to go to school for business management or accounting, did you?" He asked you with that sudden change that completely threw you off. You shook your head slowly. "Well, in that case, I don't really need to keep you around, Emily from Iowa." He stood, bracing his hands on his knees and casually walked away. Two forms came up from behind you suddenly. You cringed from the two people in horror.

They were.

Stacy and Antoinette.

Huge smiles on their faces.

Erin followed them. She looked like the cat who had gotten the cream.

"ERIN????" You scream in horrified fury.

"You must have a lot of questions," Erin said calmly, that smug grin still plastered on her face.

"YOU WERE BEHIND ALL OF THIS????"

"Antoinette hacked into your business transactions to see what you were planning. So we decided to mess with you. The motel you chose was the perfect setting for a murder mystery. Almost too perfect, actually. So we actually ended up buying out all the rooms in the hotel, planted very realistic, but fake body parts. From there, we just let you go. I was super impressed that you managed to get into the government facility, because that was all you. I really don't know how you did that."

"So then after that, we set this interrogation up, scared you a little, and that's the end of the story.'

"Are you shitting me? Are you literally shitting me right now? Am I a literal pile of shit on this fucking chair--SOMEONE CUT ME OUT OF THIS CHAIR!!!" Someone releases you from your bonds. Sandra, you think? You stand up and very dramatically stalk toward Erin, all rage and frustration, using those emotions to wind your hand back and slap that bitch right across the face with all your strength. Everyone is stunned.

Anyway, that's how you should plan the bachelorette party

I'm going to print this off and leave it scattered throughout the house

Maybe bind it?

Make a tiny little novel

[pastorcowboy]

Matthew series: week 30

Matthew series: Two sides of the Cross Pt.2

                        Matthew 27:45-66 (and he breathed his last)

I must resist looking at the other gospels. We should try and focus on what Matthew is trying to say. Yet, the story of Jesus death is seen clearer with all four gospels combined. Regardless, I will try hard to stick to Matthew. We have to think like a first century Jew. Almost everything in Jesus death scene is Jewish in nature. A Jewish child would have known certain verses in the Bible. Matthew goes there to perk their attention.

First, we have 3 o’clock in the day. Some say Jesus died around six pm. Yet, the scriptures point to 3 pm. I have read that the sacrifice was usually offered in the afternoon. It’s by no mistake that Jesus died later in the day. Second, we have Elijah. Everyone and their dog thought Elijah would return with the Messiah. These days we are looking for the two witnesses talked about in Revelation. I believe that Jesus told them that the hour, day, or time is only known by God. We put as much stock in tradition as the Jewish community did in the 1st century.

Jesus did say that Elijah would return. He also hinted that John was Elijah. Those interpretations get a little muddled. Today, scholars are divided bigtime on when, where, and how Jesus will return. Basically, Christians are split into three camps. There is pre-tribulation meaning Jesus will come before God judges the earth, mid tribulation is during the end. While post tribulation is after those Revelation events. Either way, Matthews readers were looking for the Messiah along those lines too.

Matthew 27:45 “From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land.”

Numbers 28:4 “Offer one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight.”

Malachi 4:5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.”

Remember that I said at the end of the last lesson that Matthew ends chapter 27 in silence. Why do I say that? Basically, the tomb has a stone rolled over it like the closing of a door. I can imagine the light filtering in on the linen covered body of Jesus. I have been in that area and there are tombs everywhere. I do mean everywhere. They we different sizes. Most of them had alcoves that just fit a body snug. Meaning that tombs were not that big. So, the rolling of the stone would cut off light and sound from the outside world. Jesus lay in darkness and silence.

Back to Matthew. Why is he showing us all this scenery? Isn’t it all about Jesus? It comes back to the 1st century readers. They are Jewish. They know their Bible. Matthew has spent 27 chapters preparing them for the return of the Christ. A case for Jesus, that he is that long-awaited Messiah.

That said, we have this rock over the tomb. Some at the cross talked about Elijah coming back. A few people mocked Jesus to save himself. Then we have the chief priests asking Pilate to seal the tomb. Why all this talk? Because they believed it. There was the off chance they were wrong. Wrong about God? I think wrong about Jesus. I don’t think it ever occurred to them that they were killing the messiah of God. They thought Jesus was the false messiah of the evil one. Everything in the verses below was woven into the fabric of Jewish belief. A belief that their bones would rise to be taken back to be with God. Resurrection was not out of their vocabulary.

Matthew 27:63 ““Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’”

Matthew 22:32 “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living."

Exodus 3:15 “God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob--has sent me to you.' "This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation.”

Genesis 50:25 “And Joseph made the Israelites swear an oath and said, "God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place."

See what is missing. The women were at the cross. They were at the tomb with Jesus body. Eventually they return to find Jesus missing at the gravesite. Mary, mother of Jesus was there at the cross. I just realized that the mother of two disciples John and James was there. Mary mangelin was there. Pilate has to deal with Jesus a third time. Twice with Pilate in the Luke account. This mysterious man Joseph of Arimathea is mentioned. Simon of Cyrene. Some dead Saints rose from the dead. Seems nobody is concerned about that. Yet, all within this we have no mention of the disciples. Keep this as a sticky note on your brain. Matthew will deal with the disciples and Jesus in the next chapter. Here in chapter 27 we are to focus on witnesses of death and burial.

Matthew 27:55 “Many women were there, watching from a distance.”

Jerimiah 29:23 “because they have acted foolishly in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbors' wives and have spoken words in My name falsely, which I did not command them; and I am He who knows and am a witness," declares the LORD.'”

Read Matthew 27 again. Look up these verses. You might recognize some of the themes. Jerimiah 29, Revelation 11.

1.       Let’s take a quick look at the Temple. In Matthew 24, Jesus is talking with his disciples about the temple being torn down. Later Jesus is accused of saying those words. Obviously, someone heard Jesus talking to his disciples, or someone reported it to them. It’s fascinating that a man asked me once if I believed that the church is a building. He was a church planting leader. He believed that the church is people and not a building. Yet, he builds churches. Here is a key to this temple talk. I was rejected by that man because of how I wanted to build a church community. Jesus was rejected because of how he wanted to build the church. Jesus said, first, I must break it down.

The people under the cross were yelling at Jesus for saying the temple will be destroyed. They did not realize that Jesus was talking about himself. However, Jesus was also talking about an event that would take place 37 years later. Think about it. Jesus mentioned that he must die and rise again. That Jonah is the only story he related. The example of the fig tree too. Israel must be crushed to make a better Israel. Then temple must die to make a better temple (church).

I have mentioned the curtain. That dividing line between God and common people in the temple was ominous. Jesus to many, is either God or a person. He either died or rose from the grave. Two sides of a curtain. One side lets you in and the other keeps you out of the presence of God. A seed dies and then it grows. Pain comes and a movement starts. The temple was destroyed several times in history if you include the original Tent of Meeting. Jesus death and the temples destruction in 70 A.D. are by no mistake.

Matthew 27:51 “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split”

Matthew 24:2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; everyone will be thrown down.””

2 Kings 25:9 “And he burnt the house of the LORD, and the king's house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great man's house, burnt he with fire.”

2.       There were so many people in and around the cross. This was the time of the Passover. Thousands of people came to Jerusalem. After the festival people went home. In the meantime, the crowds did not leave all at once. The religious rulers tried to slide Jesus death under the radar. They wanted to have him crucified after the Passover festival. Partly because it was a religious time (don’t offend God). Secondly, the people loved Jesus. It might have gone the wrong way. So, they waited.

That means Simon of Cyrene was there. He was one of the masses still in Jerusalem. Clearly, some people had heard what Jesus had said about the temple. They had heard him claiming to be the Christ. How often did Jesus ask people to be quiet about that? The triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey meant something. I bet the clearing of the temple meant something too. The crowds, religious rulers, and women friends of Jesus waited at the foot of the cross. Waiting for the messiah to rise up. Instead Jesus died right before their eyes.

I want to mention Joseph of Arimathea briefly. Much has been written on him. yet, much is speculation. The Bible does have a few double incidents. One is a prostitute crying at the feet of Jesus. Another is Mary washing Jesus feet with her tears. The same scene? Earlier we have a rich young ruler talking to Jesus in private. In chapter 27 we have a prominent rich man named   Joseph who wants to honor Jesus body. Same man? I don’t like speculation because it leads down false claims. Yet, Matthew repeats things for a reason far too many times to just ignore the comparisons.

Matthew 27:37 “Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is Jesus, the king of the Jews.”

Judges 8:16 “He took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and he disciplined the men of Succoth with them.”

3.       Have you ever tried to get out of a lie? Sometimes you can and sometimes you cannot. How about getting out of a dinner or homework. Avoiding things seems to be hard work. So, here we have Pilate the governor. He hears about Jesus. His wife hears about Jesus. I bet everyone wanted a piece of the miracle man. The teacher and prophet. I suspect Pilate wanted to avoid Jesus. Jesus meant trouble between Rome and the community.

In those days. A governor was replaced often. A small rebellion would look badly on the man assigned to keep the peace. It’s the middle of the night. A crowd of religious rulers come with a bound troublemaker named Jesus. I’m betting they woke up Pilate. Then he realizes who it is. I bet he became stressed in an instant. Pilate wanted nothing to do with this mess. He tries to let Jesus go but the crowds wanted none of it. His wife pleaded with him to let Jesus Go. Pilate tried to offer another option to the crowds. Yet, they refused, wanting Jesus to be crucified publicly. Won’t this just go away?

So, Pilate washes his hands of the matter. It’s all over and forgotten. Then comes another knock on the door at night. Can’t a man get any sleep? It’s Joseph of Arimathea. I could hear him saying to his wife “what does he want?” Then Joseph asks for the body of Jesus. Right, of course. Pilate just wanted this to end and grants the request. Then there is another knock at the door a few days later. It’s the religious rulers. They want an armed guard at the grave of Jesus. Poor Pilate. Washing his hands of a problem did not work.

Matthew 27:62 “The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate.”

Isaiah 66:4 “So I will choose their punishments and will bring on them what they dread Because I called, but no one answered; I spoke, but they did not listen and they did evil in My sight And chose that in which I did not delight."”

4.       Let’s talk about three days. So much has been written to unravel the three days. Why was Jesus buried for three days? Is there any significance to it? Basically, it goes like this. A Jewish person traditionally was buried soon after they died. Jesus is special because people generally did not die the first day on a cross. Joseph of Arimathea did it quickly. The women perfumed Jesus quickly. Jesus life was silenced quickly and quietly by the religious rulers.

There was nothing special about Jesus death. Crosses were common. A quick burial was common. His placement in a cave is extremely common. Yet, I feel three things are going on with this common death. One, is that Jesus died. There is nothing to dispute he did not die. People have said he did not die, but the Bible says he did. Secondly, Prophesy is fulfilled. The religious rulers knew their Bible. They were scared of Jesus. What if this man was God? They knew Hosea 6. They knew that resurrection was possible. They were in the promised land. So, they wanted a guard posted. Matthew points out that the Pharisees were there and not the Sadducees. Why? Because the Pharisees believed in the resurrection. Someone did not want Jesus to rise from the dead.

Finally, we have Jesus predictions. They had all heard them. The temple being torn down. The sign of Jonah. The Son of man must die and be raised to life. One side of the cross is killing the God man. The other side of the cross was preparing him to rise from the dead. A Jewish burial was preparing them to rise one day by preserving the body. A guard and stone were there to keep the body in. So, they thought…

Matthew 27:64 “So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”

Hosea 6:2 “After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.”

1 Corinthians 15:4 “That he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”

What it means?

There are two sides to the cross. Matthew has spent 27 chapters showing us two sides. The one side is the witness. We witness Jesus ministry. We hear his words. We listen to his teachings and parables. Some saw his miracles and actions. I bet the disciples saw many things. I know his mother did too. People saw him die. Then we have the other side. Many people tried to make sure the body was gone. Some buried it. Others wanted him to stay buried. This whole time there is Jesus heading to and from a cross. Seemingly between life and death.

               What it means is that people tried to contain the uncontainable. They wanted Jesus to be silent. They wanted him to make no claims. He was arrested. beaten, and crucified to make him silent. All that time they wanted him to admit what he claimed. Then on the other side they wanted the body to remain dead. People wanted the silence to remain. From the religious rulers to Pilate, they wanted it to be over. Things needed to be normal in a volatile Roman rule.

               There is a saying that the Spirit will stand. How does a spirit stand? Do we pray on our knees or standing up? Is God in heaven or in everything? How do you contain a divine being? Rosa Parks set off a movement by being arrested. Joseph Mandela set off a movement by being arrested. Jesus set off a movement by being arrested. Can you see a movement? Containing the Spirit of God is ridicules.

Matthew 27:50 “And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.”

John 12:24 “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

2 Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

[180abroad]

Days 64-65: D-Day Tours

When Jessica and I first started planning this trip, one of the things we absolutely wanted to do was visit the D-Day beaches in Normandy. We both have an interest in World War II and history in general, and we wouldn’t dream of missing the place where American and European history intersected so dramatically in the summer of 1944.

There’s no shortage of tour companies to choose from, but we quickly zeroed in on Overlord Tour. Not only do they have a great reputation, but they also offer tours of 101st Airborne sites in addition to the landing beaches. We were super interested in this--in no small part thanks to the Band of Brothers TV show, I have to admit.

We were considering taking a hybrid one-day tour that combined a half-day tour of the beaches with an afternoon visit to the highlights of Easy Company’s D-Day activities. A good compromise, but we didn’t want to compromise.

So we booked a two-day tour instead--a full day to see the beaches and a full day to see not only the Easy Company sites but sites important to all of the 101st Airborne Division.

The tour began with a crash course from our guide on how France came to be under German occupation during WWII. Despite the popular stereotype of the French surrendering without a fight, in truth the Battle of France was brutal. A combined French and British force fought the Germans for six bitter weeks before finally being driven across the Channel at Dunkirk.

With the legitimate French government toppled, Germany took direct control of Paris and the coastline, leaving southern France to be run by a puppet government in the city of Vichy.

And despite the legendary conflicts between the French collaborators and Resistance fighters, only a small percentage of French citizens worked for either side. The vast majority simply kept their heads down and tried to survive.

Four years later, the German army was in a bitter struggle with the Soviet army. The Eastern Front was the largest and deadliest military confrontation in history. Nearly half of all the casualties of WWII occurred there, including 90% of all German casualties.

The rest of the Allies were happy to let the Germans and Soviets bleed each other dry, but Stalin successfully pressured them into opening a Western Front to relieve the pressure on his forces. Hence, Operation Overlord was put into motion.

Allied planners expected it to be an absolute bloodbath. For example, casualty projections for the paratroopers were estimated at 80%. Luckily, things went much smoother than expected, for the most part. The actual casualty rate for the paratroopers was 18%. Still dear, but not catastrophic.

One source of casualties that doesn’t get much attention from Hollywood are the civilians. Over 20,000 French civilians died from the bombing raids and naval artillery bombardments that preceded the D-Day invasion. But they willingly accepted the price of liberation. You’d be hard-pressed to find another place in Europe that has such deep affection for Americans, even now.

Our first stop of the tour was Omaha Beach. This is where the heaviest casualties of the invasion were. American troops landed on a rocky shoreline with almost no cover, taking fire from fortified German bunkers perched atop high, steep cliffs.

These are all facts that I’ve known, but being there is something else entirely.

Even on a calm, sunny day, you can barely see the machine gun nests that pepper the hillsides looking down on the cliffs. And no matter where you stand, there are multiple large artillery bunkers with a clear view to blow you away.

The bunkers themselves are amazing. Their reinforced-concrete walls and ceilings are so thick that even the heavy Allied bombs that hit them dead-on did little or no significant damage. And they are constructed with such regular features that you could almost imagine them being churned out on a giant factory conveyor belt.

Every so often, we saw broken bits of concrete and gun barrels sticking up out of the ground.

I had heard the term “Fortress Europa” before, but only when I saw it did I really grasp how literal that saying really was.  

Add to all this the fact that the landing boats were blown off-course so that no one arrived when and where they were supposed to, that the soldiers were all dizzy and seasick from the 10-foot swells, and that the first wave suffered 90% casualties (killed, wounded, or missing). It seems miraculous that boys on Bloody Omaha ever broke through at all.

It certainly helped that the Germans basically used slave labor to build and man their fortifications. The Polish conscripts and Russian POWs that the Germans stationed in the bunkers had no wish to serve the Germans any more than was necessary to avoid execution. And the French forced laborers they used to build the fortifications were all-too-happy to share the details with the Allies through the Resistance network.

Not to discount the skill and courage of the Allied and Resistance forces in any way, but it seems like a recurring theme of World War II that the biggest threat to the German war effort was its own decision-making.

One other strange thing that I don’t recall seeing often in the Hollywood depictions: Before the war, Omaha was a resort beach. When the soldiers were charging up the rocky beach toward the hillsides, many were running into a strip of fancy seaside hotels. Or at least the bombed-out remains of fancy seaside hotels.

After seeing the place where most of the D-Day casualties occurred, we went to pay respects at the American Cemetery.

The scale of the cemetery is unimaginable. I have to admit that--walking past row after row after row--I simply felt numb, not touched, sad, or humbled.

Next, we saw the Pointe du Hoc, a craggy peninsula dividing Omaha and Utah beaches. On D-Day, US Army Rangers scaled the cliffs to take out a collection of German artillery pieces. Nearly every part of the plan that could go wrong did, but they still succeeded in taking the point--only to find that the Germans had already struck down the artillery pieces and retreated.

Still, the Rangers held the point through one bloody counterattack after another, sacrificing themselves without hope of reinforcements to ensure that the Germans couldn’t reinstall the artillery and use it against the troops on the beaches.

The point is covered in massive craters from Allied naval bombardments. Multi-ton hunks of metal and concrete are strewn around like styrofoam props--some dozens of yards from the bunkers they were blown from. A particularly massive pit marks where the Allies blew up a German magazine.

Several dozen yards away, on the other side of a path, lies part of the magazine’s roof.

We stopped for lunch in Sainte Mere Eglise, the town where paratrooper John Steele landed on a church spire and was captured by the Germans just hours before the town became one of the first in France to be liberated by Allied forces. His story is one of several covered in the Hollywood film The Longest Day, and the church holds a double-take inducing monument to Steele.

Like many other churches in the area, some of its stained glass windows that were damaged during the war were replaced with ones honoring the Allied liberation force.

The town also houses an Airborne museum with three very interesting exhibits.

The first exhibit is centered around a glider. I knew that gliders were used to carry Airborne troops, and even that they were incredibly dangerous, but seeing one in person made me appreciate the fact in a new way. These soldiers were put into a flimsy plywood box and basically told to crash-land themselves with as few casualties as possible.

Around the glider were various collections of military artifacts and paraphernalia including medical supplies, rations, and cigarette packs.

The second exhibit houses a full C-47 transport like the ones the paratroopers jumped from. It also displays more gear and artifacts, including weapons and uniforms from Allied and German soldiers alike.

The last exhibit was the most interesting of all, recreating the experience of being a paratrooper on D-Day. You walk into a dark corridor, turn a corner, and suddenly you’re inside a C-47, humming and rattling as if in mid-flight.

You make you’re way down to the other end of the plane as if you’re one of the troopers preparing to jump, then you’re out the hatch and looking down through a glass floor at a model of Normandy seemingly far below you--complete with falling parachutes, burning buildings, and flashes of firing anti-aircraft guns. All around you are projections of clouds, other transports, and bursts of anti-aircraft fire.

Around the next corner, you’ve landed in a field. A soldier near you is getting up, while another is coming in for a landing. It’s pitch dark but for the fires and anti-aircraft flashes on the horizon.

Around a last corner, you see a medic tending to the wounded who have been brought to an ad-hoc rallying point just after dawn.

After leaving Sainte Mere Eglise, we stopped to look at an unassuming stone bridge in a tiny hamlet called La Fiere. It was here that the 82nd Airborne--which was actually older and more experienced than the now more-glamorized 101st--fought tooth and nail against a line of German panzer tanks. If the tanks had broken through on D-Day, they could have decimated the troops organizing on Utah Beach. But the 82nd held strong despite horrific casualty rates, and the Germans never broke through completely.

An impressive monument and bronze map of the battlefield stand nearby.

After the bridge, we visited the second American landing beach: Utah. It is the complete opposite of Omaha. It is wide and sandy, with little high ground for the Germans to fortify. The landing troops were just as disorganized on Utah as they were on Omaha, but quick decision making got the troops inland before they could be pinned down by German artillery.

At the beach is a museum. We didn’t have time to visit, but our guide told us about how it was recently expanded thanks to a donation by Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst--the son of a D-Day veteran. Dewhurst knew that his father was a pilot in the war, but he didn’t know any of the specifics. Until he visited the museum at Utah beach by chance and saw an exhibit on how his father led the last Allied bombing run before the American troops landed.

That is just one of many heartwarming stories to arise from the violence that makes this place famous.

Our last stop of the day was in a small village called Angoville-au-Plain, where two American medics set up a makeshift field hospital in the local church. Even as firefights raged in the graveyard just outside, the medics tended to dozens of Allied and German casualties alike--as long as both sides left their rifles outside the door. They also saved the life of a young boy who had been caught in the crossfire.

Inside the church, you can still see the damage to the ceiling and floor tiles from where an explosive mortar shell crashed through and landed right in the middle of the church--failing to explode and killing no one.

When the two medics were invited back to the village some years later, they were reunited with the boy they’d saved, now a married man with children of his own. And on his death, one of the medics wanted to be buried in the cemetary of that same church. French law forbade this, but the villagers went ahead and helped his family do it anyway.

And as as if the story wasn’t enough of a fairytale already, the name of this medieval church is Eglise Saint-Come-et-Saint-Damien, named for Saints Cosmas and Damian--two brothers and early Christian martyrs who also happened to be physicians.

On our second day of the tour, we saw more inland sites related to the 101st Airborne's actions in Normandy. And I have to admit that my Band of Brothers fanboy side came out in full force.

We saw the field where the C-47 carrying Easy Company’s HQ section crashed, leaving Winters as the acting company commanding officer. We saw where Winters and Hall landed together, miles from either one’s objective. We saw the crossroads where Bill Guarnere--enraged by his brother’s recent death in Italy--fired on a German convoy without waiting for Winters’ command. We saw the field at Brecourt Manor where Winters successfully lead a dozen men to destroy a German artillery battery manned and defended by 80 enemy soldiers. We saw the square in Sainte-Marie-du-Mont where Easy Company regrouped before taking the town of Carentan. And we saw Carentan itself, including the road into town where Winters had to kick and curse his men into moving forward under enemy fire.

But as much as I was geeking out over the Band of Brothers sights, the airborne assault was so much bigger than just them.

We saw Marmion Farm, where a cobbled-together squad of 14 mis-dropped paratroopers scared 100 German soldiers into retreating from a fortified position--giving the Allies one of their first impromptu rendezvous points on the ground in Normandy.

One of those 14 troopers was an Easy Company man named--no joke--Forrest Guth. He was one of the shortest men in the company, and the others gave him a hard time for it. But after a bullet pierced his helmet during the assault and grazed the top of his scalp, I don’t think he complained about his lack of height any longer.

We saw the field where a unit of 101st pathfinders--the best of the best--were dropped alone behind enemy lines to scout out and mark the drop zones for the rest of the planes coming after them. Their commander, Frank Lillyman, was the first Allied paratrooper to set foot on European soil. 

We saw the field where a Colonel Howard Johnson was dropped practically in the front yard of a German HQ--and where he killed a German watchman with only two shots from his pistol from an impossible distance.

We saw the "WXYZ” buildings where Lt. Harrison Summers almost single-handedly cleared a dozen German-occupied farmhouses one after the other, killing over 30 enemy soldiers himself and flushing another 80 out into a crossfire. It’s a story too bold and bloody for even a Tarantino film, but it really happened.

We saw the Third Causeway crossroads, where a unit of Georgian soldiers freely gave up the dirt on German positions as soon as they were met by American soldiers. The Georgians (from the country, not the state) had signed up with the Germans under the promise that they would be fighting to free their homeland from Stalin. Instead, they were shipped west to be used as cannon fodder in France. They didn’t appreciate that.

We saw a water pump in Sainte-Marie-du-Monte where a paratrooper hid for hours, picking off ten German soldiers before friendlies arrived. When a solitary enemy soldier would walk by, the trooper would wait and time his shot with the thunder of artillery fire so that the others wouldn’t hear.

Inside the town’s church, we saw the bullet holes that still mar the confessional booths and a shrine to St. Theresa--left by American paratroopers flushing German soldiers out of hiding.

We followed the country road where Col. Sink took his “crazy ride” to the front line. Frustrated at the lack of communication with his units just a mile or so away, he hopped in a Jeep and ordered his driver to take him there personally. Along the way, they passed right in front of a resting platoon of crack German paratroopers. And then they turned around and headed right back the same way. Miraculously, none of them were so much as scratched by the barrage of bullets that followed them.

We saw Saint-Come-du-Mont, where Lt. Col. Robert Wolverton died in a glider crash--and where his body was desecrated and used for target practice by German soldiers. Today, a museum dedicated to Wolverton stands on the outskirts of the village. The museum is small, but it holds an incredible collection of artifacts and memorabilia, including the jackets of such notable figures as Richard Winters and General Eisenhower himself.

The museum’s centerpiece is a simulator experience that takes you through Wolverton’s famous briefing to his men on D-Day, then an impressive recreation of boarding a C-47 transport and being flown to Normandy. (The flight time was considerably shorter than in real life, of course.)

Also in Saint-Come-du-Mont, we saw the church where trooper Joseph Beyrle landed. After being captured by the Germans, Beyrle made three escapes from POW camps. The first escape was a failure. The second escape went better--until he accidentally hopped a train for Berlin, where he was nearly executed as a spy. The third time was the charm, and Beyrle eventually joined up with a Russian tank unit on the eastern front. He was the only American to fight with the Russians in all of WW2.

An interesting side-note: the Russian officer that Beyrle joined under was Aleksandra Samusenko, the highest-ranking female tank officer in the Russian army. She died in battle shortly thereafter.

We saw Purple Heart Lane, where the 502nd Regiment took staggering casualties clearing the way for the other regiments (including Easy Company’s) to take Carentan.

One thing that struck me almost everywhere we went was how close it all is to each other. When Winters lead the assault at Brecourt Manor, it was only two fields over from the farmhouse that the battalion HQ was set up in. And neither side noticed each other until the Americans heard the guns over all the other noises going on.

The field where the battle took place. The artillery pieces were set up along the row of trees on the right. Winters’ men infiltrated the line at the far corner.

The remains of the trench that connected the artillery pieces.

Looking beyond the row of trees. That village across the adjacent field is where the 2nd Battalion HQ was set up.

Now, it makes so much more sense watching the scenes in Band of Brothers where a lost soldier wanders into the crossfire at Brecourt Manor while looking for HQ and where Popeye Wynn is casually told to crawl back to HQ by himself after being wounded.

A short drive away stands a monument depicting Winters on D-Day. Winters allowed his likeness to be used for the monument on the condition that it be a monument not to himself but to Leadership.

We ended our tour in Carentan, where the front line would stay put for the duration of Easy Company’s deployment in Normandy. Having cut the peninsula off from the Germans, the Allies turned north to focus on securing the deepwater port city of Cherbourg at its tip. We saw the storefront that was converted into an aid station--where Winters had his ricochet wound patched up and where Albert Blithe experienced his episode of hysterical blindness.

(Despite what the end credits say in the relevant B.o.B. episode, Blithe recovered from his wound in Normandy, returned to service in the Korean War, and eventually made it all the way from PFC to Master Sergeant before dying of unrelated causes in 1967. None of the other Easy Company vets saw him after his injury, however, so the rumor that he died was never corrected.)

Like so many other things we’ve experienced on this trip, I can’t hope to fully express how these last two days have impacted me. I don’t think I can even really appreciate it myself yet. To stand on a patch of earth and try to fully take in how all these monumental events happened right there--it’s hard to process, whether the events were 75 years ago or 2000 years ago.

Travelling through Normandy, the most profound impression I got was of just how beautiful and peaceful it is. The places where famous battles happened were just normal fields and normal houses where normal people worked and lived. It really drove home the reality that war can hit anyone, anywhere. There aren’t places where wars happen and places where they don’t.

But at the same time, war never defines the essential nature of a place. Fields grow back; houses are rebuilt. Bomb craters fill in or turn into ponds. The ugliness always fades, and the beauty always endures. That it is so hard to today picture the horrors of the invasion happening here is a testament to that fact.

(Of course, once we got back to our flat we had to rewatch episodes two and three of Band of Brothers and see how accurately they represented the sites we’d just visited. Given that the show wasn’t even filmed in Normandy but in England, we’d have to say that they did a spectacular job.)

Next Post: Mont Saint Michel

Last Post: Bayeux

[dailyaudiobible]

12/26/2017 DAB Transcript

Zechariah 9:1-17, Revelations 17:1-18, Psalms 145:1-21, Proverbs 30:32

Today is the 26th day of December, the day after Christmas. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It’s great to be here with you. I hope you had a Merry Christmas and some time to relax and rest. And I hope this new day finds you refreshed as we take the next step forward toward the end of the year. Obviously, that's in sight, which means that we are getting ourselves pretty close to the final pages of the Bible. Today, we’ll read from the Gods Word translation, which is what we’re doing this week. Zechariah, chapter 9 verses 1 through 17.

Commentary:

Okay. So, we have a little bit of catching up to do in the book of Revelation since we last talked about this on Christmas Eve. And at that point I said we’re going to begin zooming out toward more major themes because we've spent a lot of time kind of going right into the nitty-gritty and seeing that there are, like, it's pretty clear now, there are lots of ways that people have looked at the book of Revelation and interpreted the book of Revelation. So, I think we've honored that. But we’re going to stick with the major themes and only kind of zoom in if we run into things that have been highly contentious throughout church history. So, the last time we talked about this we were in the process of setting up what looked like clear parallels to the book of Exodus to the plagues that God sent upon Egypt that ultimately destroyed Egypt because it hardened itself against what God was doing in judging them for not allowing his people to leave. So, yesterday when we read the portion from Revelation we saw that happen. There were seven angels with seven bowls that were poured out upon the earth causing plagues. And again, if you read this from a literal perspective, then, there’s no…I mean…it's…it’s literally there. For example, the first angel poured out his bowl on the land and ugly, festering sores broke on the people who had the mark of the beast. But truly most scholars end up in the allegorical or figurative reading and come down somewhere in the vicinity of this - this plague parallels the Egyptian plague of boils. And from an allegorical point of view, is are probably not blisters or some kind of sores that are that are represented physically, they probably represent torment, anxiety, all the kind of psychological torment that we've talked about previously. And a great unrest that then hardens the people, like Egypt, bringing about the second and third bowls that are poured out on the sea in water. And from a literal perspective, the sea turns into blood, like a dead person, and everything in the sea died. And the third bowl was poured out on the rivers and the springs of water and they became blood. And we've already seen imagery like this back when the trumpets were blowing. When the second trumpet blew something similar happened, the sea became blood, 30 living creatures in the sea died. This time it's not a partial thing. This time when the bowls are poured out it's a total thing. So, the parallels are striking very, very clear. Most scholars would agree, the second trumpet and this second bowl represent the same kind of judgment. One was partial. The other was total. From a literal view, we've already looked at what that would look like, we just read it. From an allegorical view, this would be a judgment that will probably bring about famine, will probably make destitute those who make their living in water, and because this judgment is total, it will wreak havoc on the world's food supply and the world's water supply. And then the angel in charge of the waters declares that this is just and right and then the altar in heaven responds accordingly. And many people have drawn parallels that this is God's way of declaring that He has multiple grounds for doing what He's doing. And the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun. The sun was allowed to scorch people with fire and they were seared and they cursed God and refused to repent and glorify Him in a very similar fashion to Pharaoh and the Egyptians. So, this could certainly mean that something in the atmosphere, something in the weather, something is going to change. And by the way, I should insert here that it it's not clear, like, these happen day after day after day or month after month after month or even year after year after year. We don't know how long it takes for these things to happen and proliferate and cause their desired results. So, like we don’t know if these things take seven seconds to pour out these seven bowls or they take, you know, seven days, seven months, seven years, seven hundred years, we don't know. From an allegorical view, one way of looking at this is that, the patterns that everyone is used to working and operating within is disrupted. And this scorching heat is a metaphor for how difficult things are becoming, things that people put their security in, especially economically, aren't working. And metaphorically it’s scorching people. Or this could be a view that this change, that’s happening either in the atmosphere or economically, is bringing about famine, the food supply is touched. And this comes from Deuteronomy, where it's explained that the people who break the covenant will be consumed by burning heat. And this is linked to being wasted by famine and all of the economic implications of a mass worldwide famine. But again, there's only a hardening of the heart, bringing about the fifth Angel pouring out his bowl on the throne of the beast and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. And a similar plague fell upon Egypt from the book of Exodus chapter 10. So, in this plague, the throne of the beast itself is attacked and affected by this plague of darkness. Whether you're looking at the beast as an embodied person that becomes kind of this dominant figure or whether it's the whole world system that is consolidating its power together and claiming everyone within its realm to be its property. Everything is plunged into darkness. So, if you want take kind of more of a futurist literal view, then something happens with the power or something like that. Things are plunged into darkness. But allegorically, and truly the majority of scholarship on this would say, this this darkness is confusion. And people are thrown into darkness because of what is happening and is very, very confusing. They’re gnawing their tongues, they’re in pain, they’re suffering this torment from the other plagues. They’re so deeply affected and things have become so unsettled that the foundation of the world system is becoming unstable. Then the sixth bowl was poured out on the great Euphrates and its water was dried up, preparing the way for the kings from the east. So, from an allegorical perspective, you have some allusions here to the children of Israel crossing the Red Sea on dry ground. But there are also prophecies in the Old Testament about the great Euphrates being dried up, prophecies from Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Zechariah. And this actually happened. When the Persians went to war with the Babylonians and defeated Babylon, one of the ways that they did it was to divert the Euphrates, which then allowed King Cyrus to cross the river and unexpectedly invade and defeat Babylon. And that victory by Cyrus led to Israel's release from their exile, their Babylonian exile. So, because this literally happened, many people think, okay, this Euphrates rivers in Iraq and Syria, and Turkey. Lots of soft going on. This is a real thing. This is going to really happen at some point in this process. At the same time, we've seen many references to Babylon. We’ve talked about the association with the Roman empire and why according to the time that John wrote this. We’ve also spoken allegorically about Babylon as the entire system that will come together to dominate the people that are opposed to God, the people who belong to the beast, in other words. And the reason that we’re bringing this up at all, at least at this point, is because of what comes next. Three evil spirits that look like frogs come out of the mouth, one each out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. All things that we've looked at previously, both literally and allegorically. And they’re responding to these plagues by performing signs, not unlike the magicians of Pharaoh in the plague story in the book of Exodus. And in response they perform signs and gather the kings of the whole world to go to battle on the great day of God and they draw everybody together to this place called Armageddon. And, of course, this image of frogs falls in line with the Exodus plagues as well. And some commentators have pointed out that this imagery was probably used because frogs croak. Right? So, they can be very noisy and loud and croaking, but it doesn't mean anything. So, in response to these plagues they go out, they perform signs, they’re croaking, and there's so much confusion happening. The people are in darkness, confusion is everywhere, things are coming apart at the seams, and everything comes to this place called Armageddon, or Har Megiddo, the mount or mountain of Megiddo. And Megiddo is an ancient city that sat at ancient crossroads. And its ruins still exist to today. I've been there many times. I’ve looked out over this valley that's called Armageddon many times. There’s no mountain there though. Probably the nearest thing that could be called a mountain would be Mount Carmel. And as big as the valley might be, it’s not big enough for all of the armies of the world. So, we kind of get into some divergent thought because Armageddon, I mean, everybody’s heard of Armageddon. So, there's all kinds of thought about it. And this is one of the places that we flip, often, from an allegorical or figurative view into a literal one. So, obviously, a literal view is somewhere…it's not really a mountain…but somewhere around Megiddo, somewhere around Armageddon, this is all going to go down. Others would say, well, Old Testament prophecies of this sort, without exception, like, this kind of final battle idea, always takes place somewhere near Jerusalem. And with a futurist view, yeah, I mean, if you're an airplane, Megiddo or Armageddon isn't far from Jerusalem, but if you had to walk, like, if you were in John's time, it would be like a two day journey. So, some would still can't keep a literal view that this can happen, but Armageddon only plays part, like, it’s only one location in a sprawling war, while others would take a more figurative view, you know, just like Babylon. Babylon, the city, the ancient city of Babylon, has been in ruins for thousands of years. So, this must be at an allegorical view. Or the Euphrates River has been looked at allegorically for a long time. So, this must be an allegorical view. Same with Armageddon. This is not necessarily pinpointing a geographical location. It more allegorically represents the coming together of a disintegrating world system that subsequently, in part, destroys itself, which brings us to the seventh Angel pouring out the seventh bowl that is the seventh plague. And it's thrown into the air and a loud voice from the throne says, it is done. This definitely has allusions to Jesus saying, it is accomplished or it is finished. And whether you are, like, from that point on, from verse 18 on, whether you are reading literally, or whether you are reading allegorically and figuratively, things go berserk. And that's where we ended our reading yesterday.

In today's reading, one of the angels who had one of the seven bowls, so one of the angels who poured out a plague came and talked to John and took him away in the spirit in order to show him what was happening to, what is known as, the whore of Babylon as all of this is taking place. And we can read this figuratively for a couple of reasons. One, John is caught up into the spirit. So, whatever he is seeing, whatever vision he is seeing, is a spiritual one, but also because the angel explains to John what the symbols represent. So, John sees a woman sitting upon a beast in the desert. She is ornately and seductively clothed. And she was drunk, but she was drunk on the blood of God's holy people, those who had stayed pure, who had stayed true, who kept their light burning, who kept their witness in the world. And John was astonished. But the angel said why are you astonished? Let me tell you what this all means. And he says, the beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the abyss and go to its destruction. And it’s been pointed out that this is probably a parody or a mockery of the beast. So, we’re very familiar with how this would be said of God, the One who was, the One who is, the One who is yet to come in. And in this case the beast is, the one who once was, who now is not, and yet will come up out of the abyss to go to its destruction. Right? So, the one who has been trying to make himself God, who has been trying all along to elevate himself above God, cannot and will not prevail. So, on the one hand when you look at this more literally and say that this is what will happen to Satan. More figuratively, we can say this is what will happen to the entire system of evil that exists in the world, with the devil simply being the personification of all evil, because the angel then goes on to describe kings and kingdoms, little and small, who have been and are still coming and will all find the same destiny. We’re not going to get into all that because it would take way, way, way, too much time because there've been so many associations with, you know, who these kingdoms, these kings, these powerful kings, these smaller kings, who this all could be. And I don't want to wander into even well-thought-out conjecture. What happens though, is that the beast and the 10 horns, likely representing a very powerful faction of this, the world system of evil, that demands worship from its people in ownership of its people is falling apart. Because John is told that the beast will hate the prostitute. So, the beast will hate the whore of Babylon. So, this world system of religion and politics and economics and military is coming apart. The beast with the 10 horns hates the prostitute and they bring her to ruin and leave her naked and eat her and burn her with fire. So, they destroy that aspect of their own kingdom. The plagues have done the work of cracking the foundations and the entire system of evil is coming apart. And that is where we end up today.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You, we thank You, we thank You for Your word and we thank You for the time that we had to celebrate Your arrival, the beginning of all of this yesterday. And as we press in to finish this year well and to finish this year strong, we invite Your Holy Spirit to continue to speak to us through Your word. And we ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudibiible.com is the website. It’s home base. It’s where you find what's going on around here. There's been plenty of things. It's been…I’ve been, like, pulling my hair out for the last couple of weeks. There’ve been so many things that are happening.

The brand-new Daily Audio Bible app is available. And it is available free on the Google Play store and in your Apple App store. And it's been exciting to hear from so many of you who are now using the new app. If you have the old app, you might want to consider updating to the new app, because the old app will begin to be phased out over than the next little bit. All you have to do is go to your app store, whether Google Play or Apple App store and search for “Daily Audio Bible mobile app”. That's the new one. Because we have a couple of them, so, just want to make sure you get the right one – “Daily Audio Bible mobile app”. If you use the Daily Audio Bible web player then you're already using the new one and your set to go. So, make sure you get the new app. Get it installed. Get going. Get ready for the new year. Tell all of your friends they can download it for free and go through it with you. And this is an exciting time.

And we’re also getting ready to launch Daily Audio Bible Chronological. And we talked about it, what, about a week ago with China when she came on. That will begin January 1st. But those channels are in the new app, in the new web player, all set to go. So, I guess, the long and short of the story is make sure you download the new app.

Also, want to remind you about the More Gathering for women, which is our annual women's conference that takes in April. Early registration for that lasts until the end of the year. So, take advantage of that if you plan to come. Hope you do. You can find out all about that moregathering.com. Or just go to dailyaudiobible.com and go to the Initiatives section and you'll find everything you want to know.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible here as we approach the final days of the year, then, like I always say, thank you. And I always say that because that's true. We do what we do together. Thank you for your partnership. There’s is a link on the homepage and dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the new Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174. And if you want to be able to receive a receipt for that giving in the year 2017 then that would have to be postmarked or received by the 31st of December.

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

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi Daily Audio Bible family. This is Mimi in Atlanta. I just want to ask for prayer. Jay from New Jersey was praying for reconciliation for my family years ago. He called in and told me that he was praying. And I’m hoping he’s listening because he’s been struggling. And Jay you’re still being prayed for, but I just want you to know that mountains are being moved. Rick is the dad. Joshua and Nathan are the two sons that are grown that have just struggled terribly with reconciling and forgiving and walking in newness after their stepdad passed in 2013. They’re just struggling and the Lord is moving and doing amazing things. So, I just want to let Jay know that you’re still being prayed for and to know that your prayers are being answered Jay. Each one of us as we’re praying for one another, it’s huge what happens. I’m hearing everybody call in and giving praise reports. Blind Tony…oh my gosh…you started my morning. Your voice is heaven in my heart. And yes, Victoria. S., she…y’all just…y’all just go to those places when you pray and when you bring your gifts because we’re having to learn to walk by faith, which is not site. So, Tony, you’re helping us come along to the deeper places of life. And your prayers are just amazing, your heart for all of us. Viola, I’m missing you too. Ladies, I’ve signed up for More Gathering. Hello!!! I think I may have been, like, one of the first ones. I told you all last year that I was going to do that and I’ve done it. So, by faith, I’m trusting God and I’m just throwing it out there, I have a house, if you come to Atlanta and you need to stay, it’s right here just an hour from Sharp Top mountain. So, thank you all so much. Blind Tony you are a blessing.

Hi. This is Kathy from San Diego. And I just heard one of the callers talking about, I believe it’s Tony from Toledo, a woman who received the call about the death of her 21-year-old son due to an overdose. And I just want to let her know that I completely understand. I lost my son a little over a year ago. Got that same call. And I’m just here to say that God is gracious and He’ll carry you through and that I will pray for you and that He will lift you up. When we get to where we’ve never been before and the grief that is this great, all you can do is be carried by God and I pray right now for Tony and her family, for the grace of God that surpasses everything she’s ever known will lift her up to see her through, and day by day, she will walk with faith, and she will feel blind and she will feel loss and pain and she will find out one of the greatest truths that you can only find out through experience and that is, and He is with you still. And I ask that God, holy God, You would show Your compassion and Your comfort and give her the wisdom she needs. Her family and everyone around her Lord, I just ask that You would be glorified, that there is good that will come one day, and she just has to hang on, and she will find out that You are the best all-inclusive God that takes it all into consideration, and especially when we don’t understand. And so, Tony, I am with you in spirit as so many others are and I just pray that you will hold on and that God will provide you everything you need. Amen.

Hi Daily Audio Bible family. It’s James R. the Teacher Redeemed…the Whatever in LA. I’m just calling to say thank you for all your prayers for myself and my wife for me getting done with loads and loads of work at the end of a semester for my teaching and my classes I’m taking and my wife for the end of her pregnancy. We now have a brand new beautiful daughter, 8 lbs., 3 oz. on December 17th and we literally had about 3 hours warning from the beginning of labor to the time that that little beauty just popped out. Yeah. Feeling your prayers guys. Everything lined up so perfectly. Thank you so much. Love you guys and if you know me on Facebook, if you see me on Facebook DAB Friends, you can see all sorts of pictures. Love you guys. Bye.

Hi. I’m calling in for Noni, She’s a 15 year old girl is a first time caller and has just started listening to the Daily Audio Bible. Noni, I just want to encourage you that you are not alone. You do have us. We are your friends, we are your family. My name is Rayna, I live in Los Angeles California and the journey that you are about to take is amazing. Don’t turn back. Stay focused. I can’t even tell you what this app, the Daily Audio Bible family has done for me. And I’m just so excited for you and I will keep you in prayer. And again, you are not alone in this journey. You have all of us here. And there’s so many. I am so thankful and God bless you Noni, wherever you are. Stay focused and just enjoy this journey. It’s beautiful. Jesus loves you. We all love you. God, bless. And I love all my Daily Audio Bible family, by the way. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Brian, for your ministry.

[ranaysdn4005]

Attempting To Collect Quotes/Content for My Term Project

It’s been really hard staying on track with book design without class critiques ☹️... But thank goodness that’s over with. As the title says, I’ve attempted to collect some quotes from the books I was interested in showing in my Term Project. I’ll probably update this later if/when I get excerpts from news articles, as I had planned to do. I had a lot of trouble getting page numbers or getting a hold of some ebooks or physical books to refer to... so I’ll have to cite the book itself and figure out how to get my hands on page numbers (If I can at all...).

I also had trouble figuring out a name/title for the theme sections... I will cross out the ones that I am not leaning towards (if there is a selection).

Escapism - “Fahrenheit 451″ by Ray Bradbury

"The small crystal bottle of sleeping tablets which earlier today had been filled with thirty capsules and which now lay uncapped and empty in the light of the tiny flare" (p.14)

“Will you turn the parlour off?” He asked. “That’s my family.” (49)

“My ‘family’ is people. They tell me things: I taught, they laugh! And the colours!” (73)

“Nobody listens anymore. I can't talk to the walls because they're yelling at me, I can't talk to my wife; she listens to the walls. I just want someone to hear what I have to say. And maybe if I talk long enough it'll make sense. And I want you to teach me to understand what I read.”

Fascism/Control/Authority - “It Can’t Happen Here” by Sinclair Lewis

“He loved the people just as much as he feared and detested persons.”

“The Senator was vulgar, almost illiterate, a public liar easily detected, and in his "ideas" almost idiotic, while his celebrated piety was that of a traveling salesman for church furniture, and his yet more celebrated humor the sly cynicism of a country store. Certainly there was nothing exhilarating in the actual words of his speeches, nor anything convincing in his philosophy. His political platforms were only wings of a windmill.”

“He had every prejudice and aspiration of every American Common Man. He believed in the desirability and therefore the sanctity of thick buckwheat cakes with adulterated maple syrup, in rubber trays for the ice cubes in his electric refrigerator, in the especial nobility of dogs, all dogs, in the oracles of S. Parkes Cadman, in being chummy with all waitresses at all junction lunch rooms, and in Henry Ford (when he became President, he exulted, maybe he could get Mr. Ford to come to supper at the White House), and the superiority of anyone who possessed a million dollars. He regarded spats, walking sticks, caviar, titles, tea-drinking, poetry not daily syndicated in newspapers and all foreigners, possibly excepting the British, as degenerate.”

When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.

He was afraid that the world struggle today was not of Communism against Fascism, but of tolerance against the bigotry that was preached equally by Communism and Fascism. But he saw too that in America the struggle was befogged by the fact that the worst Fascists were they who disowned the word “Fascism” and preached enslavement to Capitalism under the style of Constitutional and Traditional Native American Liberty. For they were thieves not only of wages but of honor. To their purpose they could quote not only Scripture but Jefferson.

Surveillance - “Nineteen-Eighty Four” by George Orwell

In the far distance a helicopter skimmed down between the roofs, hovered for an instant like a bluebottle, and darted away again with a curving flight. It was the police patrol, snooping into people's windows. (1.1.4)

It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any public place or within range of a telescreen. The smallest thing could give you away. A nervous tic, an unconscious look of anxiety, a habit of muttering to yourself – anything that carried with it the suggestion of abnormality, of having something to hide. In any case, to wear an improper expression on your face (to look incredulous when a victory was announced, for example) was itself a punishable offense. There was even a word for it in Newspeak: facecrime, it was called. (1.5.65)

He took his scribbling pad on his knee and pushed back his chair so as to get as far away from the telescreen as possible. To keep your face expressionless was not difficult, and even your breathing could be controlled, with an effort: but you could not control the beating of your heart, and the telescreen was quite delicate enough to pick it up. (1.7.22)

Winston kept his back turned to the telescreen. It was safer, though, as he well knew, even a back can be revealing. (1.1.6)

Superintelligence - “2001: A Space Odyssey” by Arthur C. Clarke

Hal: I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do.

"I want to do this myself, Hal," he said. "Please give me control."

"Look, Dave, you've got a lot of things to do. I suggest you leave this to me."

"Hal, switch to manual hibernation control."

"I can tell from your voice harmonics, Dave, that you're badly upset. Why don't you take a stress pill and get some rest?"

"Hal, I am in command of this ship. I order you to release the manual hibernation control."

"I'm sorry, Dave, but in accordance with special subroutine C1435-dash-4, quote, When the crew are dead or incapacitated, the onboard computer must assume control, unquote. I must, therefore, overrule your authority, since you are not in any condition to exercise it intelligently."

"Hal," said Bowman, now speaking with an icy calm. "I am not incapacitated. Unless you obey my instructions, I shall be forced to disconnect you."

"I know you have had that on your mind for some time now, Dave, but that would be a terrible mistake. I am so much more capable than you are of supervising the ship, and I have such enthusiasm for the mission and confidence in its success."

"Listen to me very carefully, Hal. Unless you release the hibernation control immediately and follow every order I give from now on, I'll go to Central and carry out a complete disconnection."

Hal's surrender was as total as it was unexpected.

The tools they had been programmed to use were simple enough, yet they could change this world and make the man-apes its masters. (4.1)

They both knew, of course, that Hal was hearing every word, but they could not help these polite circumlocutions. Hal was their colleague, and they did not wish to embarrass him. (23.27)

It was beyond all reason that Hal, who had performed flawlessly for so long, should suddenly turn assassin. (26.12)

Modernization/Automation/Superhuman - “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley

"That's because we don't allow them to be like that. We preserve them from diseases. We keep their internal secretions artificially balanced at a youthful equilibrium. We don't permit their magnesium-calcium ratio to fall below what it was at thirty. We give them transfusion of young blood. We keep their metabolism permanently stimulated. So, of course, they don't look like that. Partly," he added, "because most of them die long before they reach this old creature's age. Youth almost unimpaired till sixty, and then, crack! the end." (7.22)

No, we can't rejuvenate. But I'm very glad," Dr. Shaw had concluded, "to have had this opportunity to see an example of senility in a human being. Thank you so much for calling me in." He shook Bernard warmly by the hand. (11.13)

"For of course," said Mr. Foster, "in the vast majority of cases, fertility is merely a nuisance. One fertile ovary in twelve hundred–that would really be quite sufficient for our purposes. But we want to have a good choice. And of course one must always have an enormous margin of safety. So we allow as many as thirty per cent of the female embryos to develop normally. The others get a dose of male sex-hormone every twenty-four metres for the rest of the course. Result: they're decanted as freemartins–structurally quite normal (except," he had to admit, "that they do have the slightest tendency to grow beards), but sterile. Guaranteed sterile. Which brings us at last," continued Mr. Foster, "out of the realm of mere slavish imitation of nature into the much more interesting world of human invention."

He rubbed his hands. For of course, they didn't content themselves with merely hatching out embryos: any cow could do that.

"We also predestine and condition. We decant our babies as socialized human beings, as Alphas or Epsilons, as future sewage workers or future ..." He was going to say "future World controllers," but correcting himself, said "future Directors of Hatcheries," instead.

The D.H.C. acknowledged the compliment with a smile.

"‘You can only be independent of God while you’ve got youth and prosperity; independence won’t take you safely to the end.’ Well, we’ve now got youth and prosperity right up to the end. What follows? Evidently, that we can be independent of God."

"What man has joined, nature is powerless to put asunder."

"It isn't only art that's incompatible with happiness; it's also science. Science is dangerous; we have to keep it most carefully chained and muzzled."

Cyberspace - “Neuromancer” by William Gibson

A year here and he still dreamed of cyberspace, hope fading nightly. All the speed he took, all the turns he'd taken and the corners he'd cut in Night City, and still he'd see the matrix in his sleep, bright lattices of logic unfolding across that colorless void... The Sprawl was a long strange way home over the Pacific now, and he was no console man, no cyberspace cowboy. Just another hustler, trying to make it through. But the dreams came on in the Japanese night like livewire voodoo, and he'd cry for it, cry in his sleep, and wake alone in the dark, curled in his capsule in some coffin [1] hotel, his hands clawed into the bedslab, temperfoam bunched [2] between his fingers, trying to reach the console that wasn't there.

`Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation, by children being taught mathematical concepts... A graphic representation of data abstracted from the banks of every computer in the human system. Unthinkable complexity. Lines of light ranged in the nonspace of the mind, clusters and constellations of data. Like city lights, receding...'

"So what's the score? How are things different? You running the world now? You God?" "Things aren't different. Things are things." (24.30-31)

Degradation/ Deterioration - “The Sheep Look Up” by John Brunner

“Take it for granted that the government will disregard long-term dangers-such as those affecting the environment-in order to cling to power; that the citizenry will do the same because thinking is too much like hard work; and then the handful of Cassandras are proved right, they will be held to blame and very likely stoned or shot.”

“What hurt him most of all, made him feel like a sick child aware of terrible wrongness and yet incapable of explaining it to anyone who might help, was that in spite of the evidence around them, in spite of what their eyes and ears reported-and sometimes their flesh, from bruises, stab wounds, racking coughs, weeping sores-these people believed their way of life was the best in the world, and were prepared to export it at the point of a gun.”

“The killers are the people who are ruining the world to line their pockets, poisoning us, burying us under garbage!”