#is my request for divine intervention finally being fulfilled ??

[possumkingluca]

guys the excitement about writing my book is returning 🙏

[fuckyeahbaldursgate]

I decided to fulfil your request for all of the BG1, BG2 and SOD companions for fun! A few caveats to this list:

1.) Confirmed Dead - means something in the games has confirmed their deaths. Obviously this could be reversed by the ultimate get out of 'a wizard or a god did it'

2.) The main thing to remember is that BG3 is set approximately 120 years after the events of BG2 so that's the timeline we're working to in terms of lifespans etc. Most of the human characters therefore are assumed to be dead.

3.) TOB epilogue endings are considered but not necessarily taken as absolute fact due to the fact that they can vary depending on romances etc.

4.) I've done some guesswork with character ages as it's rare for the games to actually confirm how old a character is.

Anyway here's a summary table below, which does contain spoilers for BG3.

More detail of my thinking is provided under the cut but happy for people to jump in with additional info etc. and I'll amend the list.

Aerie - Potentially Alive

Aerie is an avariel elf and a pretty young one at that. Although I can't remember her age ever being confirmed in the game she definitely comes across as relatively immature in her interactions even though in one argument with Jaheria she says she's technically older than her in years. Avariel are also said to be pretty long lived even by elf standards and potentially live up to 1000 years old. The interesting thing for me is that unlike other characters who would be alive but very old, Aerie would still be considered relatively young and likely still in her prime, power wise.

Ajantis - Confirmed Dead

Ajantis was killed in Baldur's Gate 2 by the Bhaalspawn as part of the red dragon Firkraag's plot to take revenge against Gorion. He enchants both Ajantis' group of paladins and the Bhaalspawn's party to make the other appear as monsters. Only after Ajantis lies dead at Bhaalspawn's feet is the enchantment lifted.

Alora - Potentially Alive

Alora is implied to be relatively young in BG1 and with halflings in 5e living to around 150 years old, she could still be around but just really old. Furthermore nothing in BG2 kills her.

Anomen - Assumed Dead

The first of our human NPCs who we assume has a normal lifespan and therefore dies to the curse of old age unless some sort of divine intervention takes place.

Baeloth - Potentially Alive

Our evil drow sorceror friend benefits from an elf lifespan of 750 years so as long as he can stay out of trouble, he could potentially reach the events of BG3. Having said that I think the likelihood of Baeloth doing that is on the slim side.

Branwen - Assumed Dead

Branwen was a regular human so unless Tempus did a bit of divine intervention to extend her lifespan (which I think is extremely unlikely for the Lord of Battles), Branwen is absolutely dead. Hopefully she went out in style and in battle like she probably would have wanted.

Cernd - Assumed Dead

As a high level druid, Cernd would have access to timeless body, which would dramatically slow his aging BUT I like to think that Cernd's epilogue ending happens regardless of whether he travelled with the Bhaalspawn or not i.e. years of being a deadbeat dad finally catch up with him and he's forced to face his son in battle, after which neither survives.

Coran - Confirmed Dead

Coran actually makes it through BG2 unscathed after travelling with Safana for a period of time (see her section below for what happens to her). After that 'incident' he lives it up pretty large in Baldur's Gate, eventually becoming an influential politician in the city. Unfortunately he ended up getting killed by a displacer beast in the Legends of Baldur's Gate comic series, which offers a bit of a prelude to BG3 and also cover the events that time jump Minsc into the current timeline. Coran does have a son that is still active so maybe he'll make an appearance in his stead?

Corwin - Assumed Dead

Regular human so as per Branwen, she's dead. More grimly, her daughter is probably dead too.

Dorn - Assumed Dead

Half orcs have a shorter lifespan than humans of about 75 years in 5e and given Dorn's brutal nature I'd be surprised if he made it to old age.

Dynaheir - Confirmed Dead

Killed by Irenicus in the opening of BG2. *Boo sad squeak*

Edwin - Assumed Dead

Regular human so without magical or divine intervention he's gone. Now while he is a technically a powerful Thayvian wizard, I'm also awarding Edwin some dumbass points because let's face it, the dude is likely to end up dead just by the virtue of his obnoxious attitude.

Eldoth - Confirmed Dead

Regular human, plus his name appears on a gravestone in Baldur's Gate 3, to which we can safely say nothing of value was lost.

Faldorn - Confirmed Dead

Killed by the Bhaalspawn in BG2 for being a eco-terrorist.

Garrick - Assumed Dead

While Garrick appears and makes it out alive of BG2, he's also just a regular human so as always he's likely dead through old age.

Glint - Potentially Alive

Gnomes have a fairly decent lifespan at 350-500 years there's nothing stopping a reappearance from Glint other than he's not a particular memorable character given he only appears in SOD.

Haer'Dalis - Potentially Alive

Haer'Dalis is a tiefling who typical have a lifespan of 250 years in 5e so the sparrow could easily survive to appear in BG3. He is ultimately obsessed with death and decay, his epilogue has a great plothook for involving him in BG3 as he actually ends up leading a rebellion in the hells! Maybe he even fought with Karlach?

Hexxat - Potentially (un)Alive

Hexxat is an undead immortal vampire so yeah no problem for her to survive until BG3 regardless of whether she joined the Bhaalspawn or not. Her interactions with Astarion could be pretty fun if she was around.

Imoen - Potentially Alive

Working on the precedent set by both Abdel Adrian (who reached 136 before he was murdered) and Sarevok (who obviously appears in BG3), we can assume that Imoen has the potential to also be alive and kicking by the time of BG3 thanks to her demigod Bhaalspawn status...although presumably she would have aged appropriately as Abdel did e.g. white hair and wrinkled. Of course Imoen is also a talented archmage so even forgetting her demigod blood, her epilogue hints at the fact that she was hanging out with Elminister and Khelbun Blackstaff regularly so becoming one of Mystra's chosen with all the benefits that gives doesn't seem far fetched for her compared to the other human wizard characters e.g Nalia/Edwin.

Jaheria - Confirmed Alive

She's in BG3 dur plus as per Cernd she's a druid so she could have significantly slowed her aging.

Jan Jansen - Potentially Alive

Assuming he doesn't blow himself up before BG3 Jan could make it with the standard gnome lifespan of 350-500 years. I'm honestly surprised we didn't get some sort of wayward Jan Jansen reference in BG3.

Kagain - Potentially Alive (just)

Dwarves have a lifespan of 350 years in 5E so technically Kagain could make it to BG3 comfortably but this dude sounds like he was a tired old man in BG1 so I will caveat this one by saying he's probably only just about hanging on.

Keldorn - Almost Confirmed Dead

Ok so technically we don't see his death on screen but I'm taking Keldorn's epilogue as canon even if he didn't join up with the Bhaalspawn. Keldorn was an old and respected Paladin of Torm even before he even joined the party so the notion that he dies in final service, defending Amn and Torm personally comes down to pick him up to go to Heaven seems a pretty likely outcome for him.

Khalid - Confirmed Dead

Killed by Irenicus at the start of BG2 :(

Kivan - Potentially Alive

While it's said that him and Deheriana were on a romantic sojourn, I took that to mean their 'honeymoon', which made me think that Kivan was possibly younger then his gruff voice implied. Either way as an elven character with the possibility of living up to 750-1000 years, there's a good chance he'd be alive.

Korgan - Assumed Dead

Similar to Keldorn, Korgan is another character that I think his TOB epilogue gives us a pretty accurate outcome for him regardless of whether he travelled with the Bhaalspawn or not. While Korgan could technically survive until BG3 thanks to being a dwarf, the dude clearly loves bloodshed and the idea that he marched off into the Underdark to kill as many drow as possible seems entirely plausible.

Mazzy - Potentially Alive

Hot damn if there's a character I would love to see return to BG, it's Mazzy. Similar to Alora and the half elf characters, she is pushing it in terms of lifespan but old lady Mazzy would probably be just as bad ass as ever and probably out there fulfilling her original dream of becoming a paladin. Mazzy's epilogue does technically note that she dies but at a 'ripe old age' but to me that definitely leaves wiggle room.

M'Hkiin - Assumed Dead

Goblins have an even shorter lifespan than half orcs at only 60 years approximately. She is a Shaman so there's potential for magic fuckery but most likely she's dead.

Minsc - Confirmed Alive

if you didn't understand how Minsc was actually able to make it to BG3 given he's human, it's covered in somewhat in the game but mostly in the Legends of Baldur's Gate comics. In summary, at some point Minsc and Boo were petrified and put on display in the city due to people thinking it was a genuine statue of them. At some point a wild mage who is not Neera comes along and casts a spell after being attacked by some thugs. Her magic wild surges and de-petrifies Minsc and Boo.

Montaron - Confirmed Dead

Killed by the Harpers in BG2 following his and Xzar's unsuccessful attempt to break into the Harper compound in Athkatla. His dead body is later found in a trunk.

Nalia - Assumed Dead

Another regular human so unless 'a wizard did it' (which to be fair she is a wizard) she would be dead.

Neera - Potentially Alive

As a half elf Neera could make it to BG3 but she's probably an old lady similar to Jaheria. Unless of course a wild surge of magic fixed her right up with an extra lease of life.

Quayle - Potentially Alive

Gnomes live anywhere between 350 to 500 years in 5e and despite Quayle having a grey beard, you get the feeling he is incredibly immature in BG1 with his biography talking about him setting off to see the world once he 'came of age'. He does chill out after adopting Aerie in BG2 so not as likely to suffer death by obnoxiousness like Edwin.

Rasaad - Assumed Dead

While monks do benefit from 'timeless body' e.g. their bodies don't age thanks to their ki, they still die of old age so as a regular human, Rasaad would most likely be dead by the time of BG3.

Safana - Confirmed Dead

Our sexy seductress thief ends up being killed in BG2 after trying to incite werewolves to murder the Bhaalspawn for the bounty on their head. Instead she ends up being murdered by a werewolf who really fancies Coran and wants her out of the picture. Oh the irony.

Sarevok - Confirmed Alive

He's in BG3 dur but as noted above, it basically seems confirmed that the Bhaalspawn have extended lifespans due to their heritage.

Shar-Teel - Assumed Dead

Another regular human so without magical or divine intervention she's also gone. Also another candidate for likely to have died in a fight similar to Korgan and Dorn.

Skie - Confirmed Dead

Killed by Irenicus in Siege of Dragonspear as part of his plot to capture the Bhaalspawn in the leadup to BG2. Even if you don't count SOD as canon, she was a regular human.

Tiax - Confirmed Dead

After being locked up for reasons of insanity in BG2, our gnome friend unfortunately snuffs it in the fight against Irenicus in Spellhold.

Valygar - Assumed Dead

One more regular human for the dead pile with no special powers to extend his life.

Viconia - Confirmed Alive

She's in BG3 dur.

Voghilin - Assumed Dead

Regular human plus liver disease caused by excessive drinking.

Xzar - Confirmed Dead

See Montaron. Also killed by Harpers in BG2 by a poly-morphed bird/assassin.

Xan - Potentially Alive

Although Xan technically gets eaten by a giant spider in the Philip Athans novelisation I think those books have been declared non canon, which means everyone's favourite morose elf could still be alive, assuming he hasn't succumbed to depression. Even if he did die, Xan's soul would be bound to his moonblade until it became inactive as per moonblade rules so there's definitely possibility for him appearing even if he was technically dead.

Yeslick - Potentially Alive

Again thanks to dwarves living a reasonable 350 years, Yeslick has every chance of being alive, presuming he doesn't accidentally kill himself with that 7 intelligence score.

Yoshimo - Confirmed Dead

Killed by either the Bhaalspawn during the Spellhold fight with Irenicus or he dies to the geas spell if you didn't take him with you.

Has anyone made a list of which BG1 & 2 companions would still be alive at the time of BG3? I'm just curious. And not because I totally want the image of old man Jan Janssen in a wheelchair held together by fireworks and eccentricity yelling about turnips to have some logistical validity.

[nincompoopydoo]

Can I request a Fred Weasley oneshot with the promts "you don't love him", and "love is supposed to be good". Thanks 😊

GOOD, PURE, AND BEAUTIFUL

PAIRING: Fred Weasley x reader WORD COUNT: 1.9k (about 1000 words my ass) SUMMARY: The Leaky Cauldron serves as a sanctuary to drink your problems away for the night but a certain ginger always seems to find his way to you. Possible part 2? A/N: Sorry this took so long, I had to rewrite the hold dang thing and I know I said I would write around 1000 words but looks like i can’t help but be long-winded. WARNINGS: Angst. Mentions of getting drunk. support my writing through ko-fi💖 MASTERLIST

You find solace in the pint of butterbeer, sitting at a table for two, tucked by the corner and under the archways of the Leaky Cauldron. The passing wizards in sleek venerable trench coats and witches with an odd taste in hats only act as an activity of sightseeing in keeping yourself awake, hypothesizing strangers’ lives and whether they might have gnomes lurking in their gardens or have gardens in the first place.

You are drawn to the drifting scent of butterscotch—the tankard of butterbeer sits glumly in your grasp as it has lost all its foam. You take a sip, more of a gulp, feeling the gas building up in your abdomen, and the sweetness to it almost feels sickening at this point.

Belly full yet feeling extremely empty.

The days leading up to you, being here at the Leaky Cauldron, and playing the part of the drunken witch very well weren't exactly pleasant. Flourish and Blotts seem to lose its shine in fulfilling your love for books and organization with every passing day and your relationship with the boy you met and fell madly in love with during your sixth year don’t seem to hold the same spark as before. Walter was a Ravenclaw—handsome, diligent, and incredibly smart. You and him dating had been an on-and-off situation because the one thing you two share in common is the lack of decisiveness.

Today, tonight, you and Walter are finally resolute. The true end where second, third, or fourth chances will never cease to exist from now on. With the new offer for a job in America, you and he both know drifting apart seems to be the only reasonable solution to the whole mess of what you assumed was love.

He spoke the words in this very spot, sat in the chair across from you. You had been watching the way his thumb would caress the back of his other hand and you knew, the night was bound to end in a disastrous way. An unfortunate turn of events for the witch who doesn’t truly know if she ever loved another or was ever loved.

Yet, you sit here, eyes completely dry. Far from crestfallen, far from regret. Only filled with the dread of not feeling the sadness you’re supposed to be feeling. You ignore how your shoulders feel lighter and how the tightness in your chest seems to have miraculously disappeared as soon as you watched Walter walk out of the Leaky Cauldron.

Are the butterbeers celebratory or depressing? You’re not sure.

You rest your chin on your palm, feeling like you’re in a daze. Butterbeer isn’t necessarily the type of drink to get you intoxicated but noting the rate you’re consuming each mug, it’s no surprise that you’re just a little tipsy.

Then, you see a certain ginger twin emerge from the entrance of the pub like some divine intervention. He seems to spot you from afar, waving in your direction. You lift your hand weakly in the midst of trying to figure out which of the twins you are particularly waving at. It’s Fred Weasley as it turns out, you recognize the certain strides with every step taken towards you that differs him from George. As he nears you, there’s an assurance that it’s certainly Fred with the sight of a mark on the bridge of his nose—an indicator and a technique to tell the twins apart you used when you were younger.

Fred halts by the empty seat diagonally to your left, hands shoved in the pockets.

“I have never seen you here at this hour—are you okay?” Fred cuts himself short, brows turning into a frown when he notices the unusual mess in your hair. If he knows you any better, well-kept and neat hair was all you cared about after the number of times you have furiously whined about the frizz in your hair during the summertime.

It isn’t summer now, well into the end of November. The days are colder and he remembers how your hair would especially shine in the gloom of Autumn.

“Not really.” is all you manage to say before taking the hundredth swig from your nearly empty butterbeer. You inspect the mug with furrowed brows and narrowed eyes. “I swear this was full the last time I looked...”

Before you know it, he’s snatching the mug away from you, dragging it across the table as he settles into the empty chair. He stares at you with a beckoning brow, expression mixed with disappointment, disapproval, and worry.

“Hey! That’s my butterbeer, Weasley!” you whine, trying to reach for it but Fred pushes it further, hand securing around it. Without hesitation, you smack him in the arm. “Stop being a complete arse, Fred. What are you even doing here and where’s George anyway?”

Fred winces in pretense pain, dramatically rubbing the side of his arm as he tries to suppress his laughter from your sudden burst of violence. “George is back at the shop going over numbers and as far as I’m concerned, I can be anywhere I want to be. You clearly had too much to drink.”

“But it's butterbeer!”

“That is exactly my point.”

You let out a huff, leaning into your seat and running your fingers through your hair. After a moment’s silence with Fred still staring you down in the effort of getting you to talk, you finally give in. He knows you too well for you to hide anything from him.

“Walter and I broke it off.”

Fred blinks, trying to hide his wide-eyed gaze. “For good?”

You finally turn to him, nodding slowly. “For good.”

“I’m sorry.” His voice is soft when in reality he’s trying to hide his relief in hearing that things between you and Walter have finally come to a resolution because falling in and out of a relationship was driving you mad. He cares for you and always has since the very beginning and a part of him wishes for those feelings of infatuation between two melancholic teenagers will emerge back from what he assumed was already dead.

He watches you lean your head back onto your palm, seemingly sinking deeper towards the table as you try to wrap your head around the situation to form proper words with your lips. “You know what’s the worst part of it all?” Fred shakes his head, eyes never breaking contact with your own. “I don’t even feel that sad about it. Like all those years were...nothing.” Your laugh comes out as a puff of air. It’s cynical rather than finding the humor in it. For the first time, he doesn’t laugh when you do.

Another beat of silence and Fred is contemplating whether his next words that beg to be freed from his mind are appropriate in a time like this. Although he knows how he tends to speak his mind without thinking of the consequences, he knows to tread lightly around you from the times when his words nearly tore your friendship apart.

Still, he knows to be honest with you.

Through the chatter of the crowd at the Leaky Cauldron whilst a few men by the other corner of the pub begin to break into singing a drinking song, Fred’s voice comes off as a whisper, barely audible. “You don’t love him, don’t you?”

Your gaze had initially drifted to the bunch of rowdy men, rendering verses about magical whisky and beer. Yet, they now return to hold a certain ginger’s gaze. You want to be offended by his question because of how it supposedly hurts the raw wound of feeling sorry for yourself. Your love life hasn’t been the best and your tendency to jump to your own defense about it is a clear note to everyone that it simply shouldn’t be questioned.

But it’s Fred. The one who has constantly looked out for you when other boys and men seem to take advantage of your hopeless romantic side. The one who would pull a prank on George just to see you smile. The one who ended up taking you to the Yule Ball as his date because Walter, at the time, rejected you like you were nothing. You should have known that it was never meant to be.

You know to be honest with Fred Weasley.

“I don’t think I ever did.”

He doesn’t say anything, wanting to listen as he waits for you to conceive the proper words to finally speak your mind. It is clear you want to let it out and let off of the burden that has trapped you under its knees, constantly looming over your shoulders and causing dread and fear of losing so much in such a short time. The band of merry men as the whole pub begins to join the group in singing about the joys of alcohol, life, and love in the tune of a traditional Scottish muggle song.

You wonder how can these people be so happy in a time of an impending war. Maybe, it's temporary, meant to drown the hurt and sorrows for tonight and when morning comes, they'll return to opening the stitches of their wounds. When morning comes, you will either wake up at this very table or in an empty bed. Either way, you’ll be alone.

Now, all you want to do is get all your worries and troubles off your chest, not wanting to feel so empty and suffocated. “Love,” you pause, inhaling deeply. ”Love is supposed to be good and pure and beautiful. Love was what I thought I had and right now, I don’t know what to make of it, Fred...I thought I was going to marry him someday.” You find yourself sighing once more, already feeling the lightness in your chest. Running your fingers along your cheek, you close your eyes to help yourself focus through your rapid thoughts and your dazed mind. “Everything is going wrong. I hate my job. I hate my bed. I’m drunk on butterbeer for Merlin’s sake. I feel so, so alone—”

“Ah, and that’s where you are wrong.”

Your eyes are open now, narrowed from adjusting to the sudden brightness of the candlelit place. They drift to Fred who seems very content. He then places his hand on yours and you realize you had been fiddling with your fingers for the last minute. His hand is warm on yours and the heat gradually travels to your chest, heartbeat now slightly picking up in speed. If you listen close enough, you would be able to hear it.

“You are never alone. Not when I’m around and you know I will always be around.”

His words tug at the side of your lips, now widening into a faint smile. It’s small but it’s the kind that reaches your eyes and raises your cheeks. “Thank you, Freddie.”

Then, you watch him abruptly come to a stand, chair screeching. He tugs on the lapels of his coat, adjusting it with the roll of his shoulders. He grabs the back of his chair, and leans forward, towards you. “George and I are visiting the Burrow for the weekend. I’m sure mum won’t mind you staying over.”

You blink, mouth slightly agape at his offer. “I don’t want to trouble anybody—”

“Don’t be silly. Mum loves you more than George and I combined. And she loves us a lot!”

You laugh and it’s genuine this time, knowing how Molly will be always whispering to you about what makes Fred a good husband in the kitchen when you’re washing up the plates and how she will never let you go to bed hungry.

The burrow is like your second home and right now, home is all you want and need.

“Alright, then.”

[thatsparrow]

you can really see the differences between the play styles of dnd shows like critrole (priority to mechanics) vs. shows like d20 (priority to narrative) in their different responses to successful rolls on divine intervention and bc I don’t want to work I’m gonna quickly write the essay (minor spoilers for episode 124 of critical role and the tuc2 finale of d20)

so to clarify, when I call critrole “priority to mechanics” I don’t mean to say that story isn’t involved or isn’t a large element, but that what happens in the story is very much determined by the specific ruleset of the game. cr is much more about being presented a scenario and using the mechanics of dnd to problem solve your way through it (not to say that rulebreaking doesn’t happen, or that closer adherence to mechanics can’t still result in a cool story, but almost always in cr if there’s a question about doing something cool that fucks with the rules, the answer is probably “no.”) which makes sense for a show that’s more about playing the game than it is about telling the story. again, story is important, but not the focus in the sense that there is a specific arc to follow—instead, the narrative is entirely determined based on which open-ended plot the characters choose to pursue as opposed to matt guiding them through or towards specific story beats he wants to hit. it’s more like watching a group explore an open-world video game than it is like watching a tv show.

d20 on the other hand is structured in a very different fashion — it’s designed to be a shorter season with a specific beginning and a sense of how/where the show will end from the start. it follows a much more traditional narrative structure in terms of building towards a climactic finish with specific plot points along the way (with room for flexibility and the inherently collaborative storytelling nature of dnd baked in) and so because it’s more about using dnd as a mechanism for telling a story than playing dnd being the focus itself, it allows for much more flexibility in terms of occasional rules fuckery. so when there are moments that go against the rules of the game but would be narratively fulfilling or allow for an interesting moment of characterization or interaction between the pcs, the answer is usually “yes” (or some variation of “we can make that work.”)

obviously there are lots of examples throughout either show of this sort of contrast, but I wanna look specifically at divine intervention. from the phb, pg. 59: “Beginning at 10th level, you can call on your deity to intervene on your behalf when your need is great...Describe the assistance you seek, and roll percentile dice. If you roll a number equal to or lower than your cleric level, your deity intervenes. The DM chooses the nature of the intervention; the effect of any cleric spell or cleric domain spell would be appropriate.”

looking at that last sentence, we can pretty cleanly separate the cr play style (”the effect of any cleric spell or cleric domain spell would be appropriate”) and the d20 play style (”the DM chooses the nature of the intervention”) on either side of the semicolon. in cr, when caduceus successfully rolls on divine intervention in ep 124, he’s granted a very specific request — seeing the location of the tombtaker’s secret entrance. not something he would have been able to do on his own for sure, but essentially a variation on scrying (i.e. something he would have been able to accomplish with the use of his own cleric spells, aided/amplified by the wildmother.)

conversely, when kingston successfully rolls his divine intervention in the tuc2 season finale, we see brennan leans much more into “the DM chooses the nature of the intervention” by rewarding the players with advantage on everything and resistance to all damage. is that how the spell is intended to work? probably not, but like brennan says, “when it’s hard, you make it count.” in terms of the narrative, that roll (and pete’s bend luck) represents the vox phantasma using his connection to the dream world to aid the vox populi just enough to connect with the essence of the city. given that the villain of the season is null (aka the erasure of the city’s spirit/memory/magic), it makes sense that the moment when the two voxes come together to connect with nyc’s divine nature would be rewarded by all the pcs getting wild amplifications to their abilities. the roll narratively represents kingston and pete beseeching the city to rise up on their side, and so brennan uses his own discretion to reward that roll how best fit with the story, not with the mechanics.

anyway I think that’s it thanks for coming to my ted talk

[mythologyfolklore]

Ares and Athena through the years - Ch. 09

Chapter Nine: The Trojan War, Pt. 01

(A/N:  This is basically the Iliad, but from the gods' POV. The gods meddling with human affairs, just as they please and Zeus being a puppet master for funsies, because he's Zeus. 

If my writing looks a bit differently at some parts, it's because I transcribed them from my German edition translation of the Iliad. Now, the Iliad is one monster of a book. So I'm cutting this chapter into several parts. But I altered or completely skipped a few parts from the epic, so if you discover inaccuracies and books missing, know that this is absolutely intentional.)

“Mēnin áeide, theá, Peleïádeo Akhilēos

ouloménen, hé myrí' Akhaioīs álge étheken …”¹

.

Athena still didn't know why not being picked as the fairest offended her so.

Maybe being thought of as beautiful was more important to her, than she had thought.

Anyhow, she could not deny, that she was slightly butthurt. Not as much as Hera, but she was still furious.

She had offered wisdom and victory, Hera had offered power.

And Paris had picked Aphrodite, because she had offered him the most beautiful woman in the world?! Really?

And to top it off, the woman in question was Helena of Sparta, married to none other than Menélaos, a volatile Mycenaean², who had become king of Sparta through their marriage!

She also happened to be subject of a treaty her father had made with her suitors, before she had chosen Menélaos as her husband: that those rejected would come to the aid of the successful one, should he ever be in a troublesome situation.

And what a troubled situation it was, because Paris had freaking abducted Helena with Aphrodite's help!

Indeed, that guy's stupidity knew no bounds!

So here the mortal men were – rallying the entirety of Hellas, because of that damn treaty! Among them were great men like brave Diomedes, cunning Odysseus (a favourite of Athena's), Menélaos' brother Agamemnon and, last but not least, great Akhilleus and his soulmate Patroklos.

Also, that old bitch Agamemnon had managed to offend several gods and mortals by … well, being his bitchy arsehole self …

.

Book One:

.

Apollon was minding his own business, when suddenly a prayer reached his ears.

A prayer full of anguish and despair, from a voice he knew: that of his priest Khrýses.

The god of oracles sighed and listened to what his priest had to say.

“Hear me, God of the Silver Bow, who stands over Khryse and holy Killa, who rules mightily over Ténedos, Smintheus³, if the roof I gave to your temple and my sacrifices ever pleased you, fulfil my prayer: let the Danaoi⁴ pay for my tears with your arrows!”

Apollon closed his eyes and used his gift of clairvoyance to get a full picture of what had happened.

But once he knew everything, he was seized by fury.

“Alright, motherfuckers!”, he growled, as he grabbed his bow and arrows and descended to earth, nearby their camp.

“Face the wrath of Ioímios⁵!”

Then he proceeded to rain down every single contagious disease he had at his disposal, for nine days straight.

.

Hera was raging and cursing Thetis and Akhilles, but mostly Thetis: the Nereid had persuaded Zeus to support the Trojans, because her son had asked her to.

Yep, Akhilles had requested that the Trojans should have the upper hand, lest Agamemnon finally would get his bitchy arse up and apologise to him properly.

Now the most powerful warrior of the entire army was brooding in his tent like … what was that mortal dish again? Oh yeah, a burrito. An overgrown, sulky blanket burrito. Who had completely withdrawn from battle with all of his troops, because screw Agamemnon.

Of course, no one liked Agamemnon, but this was ridiculous.

.

Book Two:

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Meanwhile the Trojans, with their prince Hektor and Zeus' good will on their side, easily held their own and more than often threatened to gain decisive victories.

And to add insult to injury, her son Ares, who had promised to support her and Athena against the Trojans, had let Aphrodite get into his head and was now opposing them, like the turncoat he was!

Both Hera and Athena were furious at this development, but Zeus had not allowed them to interfere – yet.

“You know”, Athena grumbled, as the two goddesses looked down onto the battlefield, “If father let me, I would love to drive a spear into Ares' gut!”

“You and me both”, Hera huffed. “Just where did I go wrong in his educati- not a word, Athena”, she warned, when the goddess of wisdom opened her mouth to reply.

“Anyway”, the Queen continued, “We have to obey Zeus' decree, especially now; as you can see, he's in a bad mood.” And pointed to the dark clouds above them.

“Also, Athena – I think you might want to go down there; they all seem to want to cut and run, there is a riot.”

Athena lost no time in dashing down there and urging her mortal friend Odysseus to interfere.

It wasn't long, until he and old Nestor had re-established order.

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Book Three:

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Some sacrifices and one breakfast later, the Achaeans and the Trojans were duking it out on the battlefield, when Athena and Hera spied Menélaos coming close to Paris.

Latter apparently saw the Spartan king first and promptly ran off like a total wuss.

This made Hera cackle hysterically: this boy had had no qualms risking both her and Athena's wrath, abducting a married woman out of her own home, offending the entirety of Hellas in the process, and now, that her actual husband Menélaos was showing up, he was running away like a wimp?! Pathetic!

Just a few hours later, Paris changed his mind, but not before he got smack-talked by his brother Hektor for being a huge wimp.

Of course Menélaos kicked his arse, but before he could finish him off and end the war for good, Aphrodite showed up! Whisking away her favourite like the bitch she was!

Hera fumed, but resisted the urge to beat her to a pulp.

“Don't worry”, Athena comforted her, “Sooner or later, she'll get her arse handed to her. I already have my plans – and the means to execute them.”

“As always”, the Queen remarked, with a hint of amusement and fondness.

.

Meanwhile Menélaos was still on the battlefield, outraged beyond mortal comprehension and roaring for Paris to “COME BACK AND DIE LIKE A MAN!!!”

Anyhow he had won, his brother Agamemnon decided and demanded that Helena be given back, financial reparations included.

Even most of the Trojans agreed, that Helena should be given back.

But Paris insisted, that she was his wife (except that she wasn't) and he wouldn't give her up.

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Book Four:

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The Olympians were having lunch in their dining hall, drinking nectar and toasting to each other, while Hebe was filling their cups.

But Zeus, ever the son of cunning Kronos, was plotting.

Finally he rose and spoke with sharpest tongue:

“Among the goddesses Menélaos only has two supporters: my queen Hera, who is the patron of Argos, and my daughter Athena, who holds her hand over Boiotia. Yet both just sit here, while Aphrodite is having a field day dwelling with Paris and doing as she pleases. Did she not just save him from certain death? Menélaos has won, yes. But now we need to hold counsel about how we will proceed now; shall we bring on more bloody war or shall we finally let gentle Eirene end the suffering? Granted your approval, it would mean, that Priamos' city will remain habitable and Menélaos finally can take his Helena back home to Sparta.”

Hera and Athena stuck their heads together, whispering and plotting more bale for the Trojans.

However, Athena was sensible enough to bite her tongue towards her father.

Hera on the other hand jumped up and ranted furiously: “Zeus, what the heck?! I have worked my arse off, just to put up a fleet against Ilios, and now this shall all have been in vain?! Do whatever you want, but don't expect any of us to approve of it!”

“Shut it!”, Zeus barked, “What is your problem? Why are you so bent on obliterating this beautiful city completely! What did the Trojans ever do to you for you to be so obsessed with this?! Will your blood thirst only be quenched, when you can march through the gates of Troy to incinerate its inhabitants with your own hands?! Do what you must, but heed this; should I ever feel like destroying one of the cities you hold dear, do not get into my way. Let me do as I please, as I do for you, even though I do not like it. The Trojans have never failed to honour the gods as it is due; my altars were never void of the best sacrifices and presents my worshippers had to offer.”

Hera inhaled sharply, but returned: “My dearest cities are Argos, Sparta and Mycenae. Should any of them ever invoke your wrath, destroy them if you want. I couldn't stop you, if I tried – you are the strongest here. Still, my efforts should not be in vain. I am divine like you, we have the same parents and yet I'm the first of the goddesses, because you chose me to be your queen. So we should be in agreement, even if it's just for the sake of being role models to the rest of the gods. Do you not agree, my great and most beloved husband? Thus, we should send Athena down to tempt the Trojans into breaking the truce they made with the Achaeans. What do you say?”

Zeus chuckled at this response, but nodded his head towards Athena.

The goddess of wisdom jumped up eagerly and rushed down like a comet.

A Trojan archer shot at Menélaos, barely missing a critical body part (thanks to Athena's intervention) and the oath of peace was broken.

Soon the two sides were back at each other's throats again.

Back on Olympos, Zeus rose from the table, and retreated to the Room of Fate.

There stood a huge pair of golden scales – the Scales of Fate, gifted to him by great Ananke, the Protogenos of fate and necessity.

Zeus had not agreed to the destruction of Ilios out of favour.

It was the fate of Troy and many more warriors, that they should fall.

It was a hard choice to make; many of the people who would fall were in his personal favour and some even were his dear children.

But he was the King of the Gods.

And as such, sparing someone out of favouritism was not an option.

Meanwhile the Scales of Fate were swinging up and down, towards the Achaeans, then towards the Trojans, then back and back again …

.

Book Five:

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As Athena was rushing about the army, spurring on the warriors, she was also looking for her half-brother Ares. His influence on the mortal fighters was hindering her work.

Oh, there he was – personally slaying Achaeans left and right and generally being his bloodthirsty, mass-murdering self.

She snuck up on him, but he noticed her before she could startle him.

Athena ignored the spear to her face and said: “Hi to you too, brother.”

“For fuck's sake, what do you want?”, Ares spat.

“For you to retreat, Brotoloigos⁶, before father gets angry.”

“You're lying. He didn't send you”, he remarked.

Athena huffed: “Alright, if you want to be like that …”

Then she promptly grabbed him, threw him over her shoulder, carried him off like this (despite his very vocal protest) and dumped him onto a rock nearby the river Skamandros.

“Father will decide over the victory. You stay here, or else!”, she warned.

Then she went back, while Ares gawked after her, wondering what the heck just had happened.

.

Athena heard a prayer and quickly found Diomedes. He had just been wounded and was now praying for her assistance in avenging himself.

She poured courage and strength over him and also manipulated his sight.

“Now that you can tell gods and humans apart”, she whispered into his ear, “Remember this; do not fight the gods, you don't stand a chance – unless it's Aphrodite; she's a wimpy bitch.”

Diomedes, now powered up and high on adrenaline, immediately rushed back into battle and began to massacre Trojans left and right, as if he was Ares in disguise.

He quickly found the Trojan archer who had shot him in the shoulder and killed him.

His companion, a Trojan nobleman named Aineías, jumped off his chariot to defend the corpse of his fallen comrade, but Diomedes quickly grabbed a huge stone and knocked him out.

Aphrodite, who was Aineías' mother, saw this and came to rescue her son.

However, Diomedes decided (much to Athena's sadistic pleasure), that he'd have none of that and promptly chucked a spear at the goddess of love. It hit her wrist, tore through the skin and Ikhor splat everywhere. She screamed in shock, terror and pain like a little bitch (seriously, it was just a cut!), dropped her son and fled, followed by the taunting of her injurer.

Apollon came to Aineías' rescue instead and caught him, before he could hit the ground. When Diomedes – blinded by battle frenzy – began to attack him too, Apollon lost his patience and began to glow ominously.

“Back off, mortal! You are delusional, if you believe, that you can hold your own against me!”

Diomedes did the wise thing and obeyed.

.

Meanwhile Aphrodite was searching the field in panic, until someone seized her by the hand: Iris, the messenger of Hera, had taken pity on her and was now leading her away from the turmoil.

“Calm down, Aphrodite”, the goddess of the rainbow tried to soothe her, “Look, there is Ares!”

The goddess of love promptly rushed over to her lover, who was basically just chilling at the banks of the river Skamandros.

Ares was startled, when he was tackled by a hysterical love goddess.

“Whoa! Aphrodite?! What happened, why are you-?”

In tears she told him what had happened.

He scowled, but kept his composure. “Let me see the wound.”

When she did, he blinked. “Aphrodite, you kicked arse in the Gigantomakhia and now you're freaking out over a scratch? Alright, alright, I'm sorry”, he apologised, when she glared tearfully.

“Just give me your chariot!”, she wailed, “I want to go home as quickly as possible!”

“Sure”, he consented and kissed her forehead.

“And my son – my son!”

“Don't worry, Apollon's got him. See?”

She sobbed in relief, when she spotted Apollon carrying Aineías away to safety.

Then she mounted Ares' war chariot and Iris drove her back to Olympos.

When she got there, she was healed by Apollon's son Asklepios, who gave her kind words of comfort.⁷

But just a few minutes later, Athena and Hera returned from the battlefield and promptly proceeded to mock her relentlessly.

“If you don't mind, my dear father”, Athena said innocently, “Surely Aphrodite has been doing that thing again, where she tempted a Greek woman to run after a Trojan and cut her hand on the needle of a brooch, when she fixed the woman's dress!”

Hera cackled hysterically and Zeus chuckled in amusement.

“Good to see you all have so much fun at my expense!”, Aphrodite spat.

“Hey, you do it all the time, it's time we get a good laugh too!”, Hera retorted.

Zeus finally stopped snickering and put a hand on Aphrodite's shoulder. “Now, now, my dear aunt. You're simply past the time of your life, when you could kill a giant with one swing of your blade. Your sword has grown dusty and your battle prowess is in the past. We have two professional war deities and many others who have a function in war, myself included. You on the other hand have a far fairer profession: the works of love and marriage.”

.

Meanwhile, Apollon had brought the unconscious Trojan nobleman to his temple, where his mother Leto and Artemis tended to his wounds.

Okay, now where is Ares – oh for fuck's sake, is he still sitting there like a moron?!

Apollon huffed and marched over to the river, where Ares indeed was still lounging, as if there wasn't relentless slaughter going on.

“Ares!”, he snapped, making the older god jump. “Get your lazy arse up and rid the battlefield of that madman Diomedes! He hurt Aphrodite at the wrist, attacked even me and at this point it wouldn't surprise me, if he took on our father Zeus as well! That man is hardly human, he fights with the strength of a Daimon! He is dangerous! You're the god of terrible war! Stop him!”

“Alright, alright, I'm on it!”, Ares grumbled defensively, “Get off my dick, will ya?!”

Apollon responded maturely, by sticking his tongue at him, ere he returned to his temple.

.

Ares teleported himself onto a wall, taking the shape of a Thracian ruler he favoured.

With fiery words, he stirred up the fighting spirit of the Trojans and their allies.

With renewed vigour they threw themselves into battle, although their opponents held them back with united strength.

He decided to help them a little more and held his hand above the Trojans. Darkness came over the plain and Aineías rejoined the fray, which significantly boosted the morale of the Trojans.

Still they couldn't seem to break through; the Achaeans stood like a wall.

Damn , they really need my help! Somehow this must be the fault of Daddy's Owl … but where is she? Eh, who cares!

He decided to get back to what he had been doing before Athena had interfered.

Nearby were his twin-sister Enyo and his best friend Eris, sowing more belligerence and strife and riling up the mortals.

Oh, there was Hektor. He had come to aid his people and was slaying Achaeans left and right.

Ares laughed heartily and joined the Trojan hero.

.

On Olympos, Hera addressed Athena: “Athena, we need to do something! We promised Menélaos, that he could return to Sparta once he conquered Troy and took his wife Helena back, but my son and Hektor are about to ruin everything! It's time to go to war.”

Athena nodded grimly and while Hera ordered her daughter Hebe to ready her war chariot, she donned her armour and that of her father. Armed with her spear and her father's Aigis, which bore the horrid face of the Gorgon, she jumped onto the chariot with Hera.

Sometimes Athena nearly forgot Hera's war-ridden past, but as the Queen of the Gods came, in armour from head to toe and a long, heavy spear in one and the reins of her horses in the other hand, she was reminded, that Hera was a warrior at the core.

The Queen of the Skies spurred on her horses and the Horai tore the Gates of Olympos open to make way.

But then Hera spied Zeus, just lounging on a cloud and being his smug and very neutral self.

She held her horses and spoke to her husband: “Zeus! Ares is wreaking havoc down there. Doesn't it irritate you too, that he is slaying the best Achaeans down there, while Aphrodite and Apollon, who let him loose, are having a blast? Allow me to put an end to our son's murder spree and to give him a good beating!”

Zeus laughed heartily: “Go on, my dear wife! And sic Athena on him; she has experience in punishing him and as I see, in plundering too.”

Athena just grinned cheekily.

With Zeus approval secured, Hera's chariot descended to earth quicker than lightning. The two goddesses had joined the ranks of the Achaeans.

While Hera spurred them on with sharp and fiery words, Athena approached Diomedes.

The man had sat down to nurse the wound, which had been inflicted on him earlier and was now inflamed to the point where the pain was crippling his arm.

“What is this?!”, she demanded to know, “Some fine son Tydeus got himself there! I remember him so well; he was small in frame, but one of the greatest warriors I have ever known. You on the other hand! Ha! Were you half the man he was, you would be fighting the Trojans!”

Diomedes got defensive and reminded her, that she had told him not to attack any gods apart from Aphrodite. “Ares himself is leading the Trojans in battle. It's only because of your instructions that I made my troops draw back.”

Athena smirked, grabbed his face and her bright blue eyes were blazing with pugnacity and fire.

It was a testimony to the man's boundless bravery and faith in her, that he didn't even tremble, that her burning gaze didn't fill him with fear, though he knew exactly who was speaking to him.

“Yes, now I see him in you!”, she exclaimed, “You really are the son of your father! Fear not Ares or any of the other immortals, as long as I am with you. Once this sadistic madman promised his mother Hera and me to support the Achaeans. Now look at him helping the Trojans! He really needs a reality check. And …”, her smirk widened. “ … who could give it better than you?”

They mounted his chariot and rode into battle.

Athena knew, that to Diomedes Ares had to be horrifying; even to the other Olympians the blood-stained, untameable and murderous god of terrible war was a frightening sight to behold.

But as she had said before, the Argive had nothing to fear with her by his side.

.

Ares was busy robbing the corpse of someone he had just murdered. However, as he spied a shiny golden helmet, that could only belong to one person (Diomedes of Argos), he instantly dropped the corpse and dashed through the fray, his face a bloodthirsty grimace.

With a well-aimed throw, his spear flew towards the mortal, but … it missed?!

What the- how is that possible?! How?! How did I miss? I never miss!

Ares opted to use his second sight. This way he could sense a divine presence next to the mortal he wanted to kill.

“Daddy's Owl. I should have known it's you …”, he growled under his breath.

ARES, WATCH OUT!

What?

Diomedes' own spear flew and hit its target.

Ares' eyes widened.

The weapon had pierced clean through his stomach.

For a second Ares was too shocked to even register the pain.

Then Diomedes pulled his spear back out and it hit full force.

He screamed.

An unholy, rough and piercing roar, as if ten thousand men were screaming out of one throat.

It was so loud and so terrifying, that the warring mortals forgot what they were doing and clung to each other in fear and panic.

“You will pay!”, he choked and glared at the spot where he knew Athena's eyes to be. “You fucking bitch! You will pay!”

He summoned a whirlwind to carry him up into the sky and dragged himself all the way back to Olympos and into Zeus' throne room.

“Why is it”, he growled, as he showed his father the spear wound, “That everyone has to obey your command, while your daughter Athena can do whatever she wants?! While apparently I am not even allowed to do my fucking job?! She plays with all of us as she pleases – ngh! – and now she has sicced that arrogant fucker Diomedes on her fellow gods! That bastard sliced Aphrodite's hand open, assaulted Apollon and now this – ow, fuck! Had I not bailed, I would be lying under a pile of corpses or worse, be crippled – no offence, Hephaistos …”

“Some taken”, the smith replied drily.

Ares continued his rant: “And you, Zeus, just sit and watch, while she has the time of her life, pushing everyone else around! For the sake of your other children, for your whole family, dial it back with the favouritism and control her!”

But Zeus just replied scornfully: “Oh stop whining into my ears, you double-faced liar! Of all the gods that dwell here on Olympos, I despise you most. You have nothing but strife and bloodshed in your head, you're always looking for trouble – you got that from your mother. Were you not my son, I would have sent you to Tartaros a long time ago.”

“If I am the way I am”, Ares retorted coldly, “It's not because of the way my mother raised me, but it's because you didn't raise me any better – in fact, I don't remember you raising me at all. Also, I hate you too. I hate you so much.”

Zeus was visibly struggling to keep his composure (if the dark clouds outside hadn't made it obvious, his tense, stony face did), but only inhaled sharply and ordered for Asklepios to treat his son's injuries.

.

“I'm sorry for that”, the doctor later said, as he was applying healing salve to Ares' wound.

The war god's red eyes shifted to him. “What do you mean?”

His mien and tone were blank, but Asklepios could tell, that his uncle knew what he meant.

“What … what Zeus said earlier. I heard it all.”

“Spare me your pity, nephew”, Ares said coldly.

“What I feel for you isn't pity”, Asklepios contradicted. “Don't mistake compassion for pity. I too have suffered the wrath of Zeus; he killed me with a thunderbolt, back when I was a mortal and deified me only for my father's sake. But that happened quickly and only once. I do not like you, Ares, but no one deserves that kind of treatment.”

Ares chuckled wryly and (much to Asklepios' surprise) ruffled the doctor's blond head.

“You're a good kid. But don't waste your compassion on me”, the older god advised. “I don't need it. It has been this way for 38 000 years (that's how old I am) and it means nothing to me.”

Asklepios had the feeling, that the war god wasn't being completely honest, but he knew better than talking back to Ares.

“There”, he said instead, as the older man's injuries were closing. “Now a nice bath and some fresh clothing and you'll be as good as new. Shall I apply a salve to make the scar disappear?”

“No”, Ares chuckled, “It's just another scar in my collection. I don't mind it as much as I mind some of the others.”

.

When Hera and Athena came home a little later, they found Ares standing near Zeus' throne.

He had been perfectly patched up, was wearing fresh clothes and bore himself with an odd dignity.

Athena immediately realised, that he was attempting to keep his last shred of pride, with his perfectly blank and indifferent expression and aloof posture.

But when he looked up and saw her, his facade slipped just for a second.

His red eyes burned with unadulterated loathing, as they met her blue ones.

She responded with a similar glare, before resuming her own position at her father's side.

.

Book Seven:

.

Right after the gods had left the battlefield, Hektor and Paris joined their fellow Trojans and began to slaughter enemies left and right.

Apollon was watching them invisibly from the city walls, always the victory of the Trojans in his mind.

But when he saw Athena dash down from the sky with obvious intentions, he flew across the field to catch her.

“Are you meddling yet again?!”, he reproached her, “What is this, the fifth time today?! Look, I know you don't give a shit, that all those good Trojans are dying, but for once, can you just not?! Let us end the senseless bloodshed for today. Tomorrow is another day and surely you can't be in this much of a hurry to lay this great city to waste, can you?!”

Athena countered: “Actually, that was what I had in mind, when I came just now. But how do you plan to achieve a duel, Hekatos⁸?”

“Hektor”, Apollon replied coolly. “He's easy to persuade. A duel, one on one, a battle to the death. And if he demands one, it will compel the Achaeans to choose one out of their ranks to fight him.”

Athena had no objections to that.

So the god of prophecy sent a vision to Helenos, one of Hektor's brothers, to let him know the gods' intentions.

Not much later, Hektor was challenging the Achaeans to chose one of their ranks to fight him. His condition was that the loser's armour should go to the victor, but the corpse should be returned to their respective side.

The Achaeans were hesitant.

Finally Menélaos, revolted by everyone's cowardice, stepped forward, but was stopped by his brother Agamemnon, who warned him that there was no way he could win against Hektor.

Then the old king Nestor roasted everyone and several, grabbed by their honour, volunteered.

They drew lots and Ajax the Greater was chosen.

After a more or less respectful address, the two warriors began to duke it out.

Ajax quickly proved himself to be Hektor's equal.

Their combat was so vicious, that Apollon interfered and helped the Trojan prince up.

Then the two mortals forgot about their spears and shields and began a mortal sword fight.

Until two heralds stepped in and drew them apart.

“Enough!”, one of them spoke, “Let it be. Zeus favours you both equally. You have proven to him and us, what exceptional warriors you are. But cease it now. It's growing dark and it's better to call it a night.”

The opponents agreed to do that, complimented each other's battle prowess and exchanged gifts.

Apollon couldn't help but find it wonderful, how these two enemies set an example by respecting each other, both as warriors and people.

.

Meanwhile, several Trojans demanded, that Helene be given back to the Achaeans and many agreed.

Unfortunately, Paris refused to give her back, insisting that she was his wife now (even though she really wasn't), although he did offer to give back her treasure.

Priamos sighed and send a messenger to the Achaeans to let them know of it and ask for permission to bury their dead.

Of course they refused the offer of the treasures, but they agreed to stop all fighting, until the fallen warriors on both sides had been buried properly.

.

On Olympos, Poseidon had complaints.

The Achaeans had built a wall around their camps and now the Lord of the Seas was bothered by it being built without any sacrifices to him and that the wall he and Apollon once had built around Ilios would be forgot.

Zeus pinched his nose and spat: “Oh, for the love of me, do you have nothing else to worry about?! You can destroy that thing once the war is over and the Achaeans are gone, but now stop whining to me about it!”

Once their argument was settled, the King of the Gods retreated to his study and proceeded to spend the rest of the night plotting bale and doom for the warring people on earth.

Shortly after midnight a knock on the door pulled him from his plotting.

“Enter!”, he cried.

The door opened to reveal …

“Ares!” Zeus stood up. “What a surprise! It's been more than a century since you came to my office of your own volition! Do come in!”

Ares looked uncharacteristically modest, as he came in, which was even more surprising.

“My dear father”, he began, “I wish to apologise for earlier. And, if you will, discuss a few things with you?”

Zeus' interest was piqued.

“I'm all ears, my son and heir.”

Their conversation was short and almost business-like.

But at the end the King of the gods was laughing heartily: “Sometimes I forget just how much of me and your mother you have in you! Oh, if the others knew just how underhanded you can be in your spite, they would see you differently. Yet you're right with what you say and I see no harm in humouring you for a change. Your idea is a good one. Go to bed now, my son, and rest secure in the knowledge, that for once in your life, you beat your half-sister at her own game.”

.

Book Eight:

.

In the next morning, Zeus gathered his family in the assembly hall.

“From now on, I alone will guide the course of war on earth”, he announced. “None of you is allowed to interfere. No one. If you do, I will roast you with a thunderbolt. As you are gods, you won't be reduced to ashes, but Ares here can confirm, that the results are still really nasty.”

At these words, Ares, who was standing next to Zeus' throne, pushed back the bangs that were covering the left side of his face, revealing the hideous scar they were hiding. The sight made several of the attendants gasp.

Zeus went on: “As you can see, he still has that one, because not even Asklepios' healing arts would rid one of that kind of scar. And my thunderbolt just grazed him, so he was lucky. Imagine, what would happen to you, if I hit you full on. Or even better yet, I will throw you into Tartaros, if you disobey me. I'm sure my brother's face will be priceless, once I leave you to him.”

Everyone was gaping at him, speechless over those straightforward threats.

Athena was the first one to regain her speech.

“Dear father”, she began with a shaky voice, “We know that you are the strongest. If you wish, we won't interfere with the battle. But won't you at least allow us to give counsel? Hera, Poseidon and I can't help but pity the poor fighters, who have to deal with their imminent demise as best as they can. Won't you allow us to try and spare some in this manner?”

Zeus laughed, but quickly resumed his stern demeanour.

“This is as far as you all may go”, he accommodated. “Even you, my little Owl-Eye, will be punished, if you go against my orders.”

Athena bit her lip, but nodded.

.

Right after the assembly was ended, Zeus descended to earth to supervise the happenings down there.

Athena used the opportunity to go after Ares.

Barely holding back her anger, she followed him into a lone hallway and grabbed him by the shoulder.

“This is your doing, isn't it?”, she hissed.

Oh so slowly Ares turned around to face her. His butter-wouldn't-melt expression made her want to wring his neck.

“My dear sister”, he cooed, “I haven't the faintest idea what yer talkin' about!”

“Don't play that game with me!”, she snarled, “You put it into his head to force us to sit here and kick our heels like complete idiots, so he can hog the entire show and turn the war into a fucking board game!”

“Ya mean, he hasn't been doin' that before?”, Ares countered.

“Ares, I warn you! Don't think I didn't catch your disgusting smug grin earlier, when he threatened us all with what would happen, should we disobey him! How casually you let us see your scar, even though you grew your hair longer on the left side for the sake of hiding it?! How else could you of all gods be so calm and cavalier about this, if you weren't the one behind it?!”

The war god chuckled and swiped her hand off his shoulder.

“Ah, I wouldn't say that I'm behind it, although I might have a part in it.”

“What did you do?”, Athena growled.

He shrugged casually. “Eh, I just had a talk with him last night. From son to father, ya know. Resolvin' an argument we had after I came back from down there, doin' some business.”

“Doing some business!”, Athena echoed incredulously, “You persuaded him to stop everyone from interfering with the battle! How?! How did you do this?! You're anything but a man of eloquence!”

Ares laughed cruelly: “I didn't need to be. I just pointed out the obvious. If I'm not allowed to do my job, why should you – or anyone for that matter? I asked for justice and I got it.”

“Why, you-!”

He caught her fist, before she could hit him in the face.

“Now, now! No need to throw a hissy fit! I just gave you a taste of your own medicine!”

Athena was this close to deicide!

“What do you mean, a taste of my own medicine-”

She cried out in surprise, when he seized her by her chiton and pulled her close.

“How does it feel to not get your will, huh, Daddy's Owl?”, he growled, “That doesn't feel so great now, does it? This is what I have to bear with all the time. Although it probably stings you more than me … after all, you are his 'Little Owl-Eye'. It's probably way more mortifying, when you're used to always getting what you want. But that's not the case for me, which makes this whole thing just the sweeter!”

Forcefully he pushed her away, making her stagger a little.

“You injured me yesterday, both physically and psychologically”, he reminded her coldly. “You let a mortal pierce me with a spear and returned home in triumph with my mother, to gloat over how you two stopped me. And you expected for me to just let it go? No. I am spiteful like my mother. And if I want, I can be pretty damn underhanded, just like our daddy dearest.”

“Why should father listen to you?!”, she snarled, “To you of all gods!”

Ares smiled frigidly: “Sometimes he listens to me … because I'm his heir.”

Her blood ran cold.

Of course.

The Greek gods followed the principle of primogeniture, which required for a ruler to be succeeded by his oldest legitimate son.

And Ares, even though he was Zeus' least favourite son, was his only legitimate one.

The war god sighed and span around on his heel. “It's really sad, how you always forget that. But it doesn't matter. The Achaeans will conquer Troy eventually, but no one will be truly the victor. Of that I have taken care. Well, Thetis and I – don't wanna hog the whole credit, like you always do. But lighten up, Daddy's Owl; we both know our father, the prohibition won't last for that long. Sooner or later we'll all meddle with their mortal affairs again.”

He smirked at her over his right shoulder. “But right here and now, I am the winner. Not gonna lie, I hated having to be so underhanded, but it was worth it. And when your side lays Troy to waste, well, enjoy watchin' on as they commit war crimes so horrid, that you'll regret havin' supported them. This is the price you pay for your victory. Have a nice day, Daddy's Owl. Don't choke on that piece of humble pie, will ya?”

.

---

.

1) "Of the wrath sing, goddess, of Akhilleus, son of Peleus, his cursed wrath, which brought so much woe to the Achaeans (the Greeks) ..." The opening sentence of the Iliad. 2) If you have never heard of Mycenae, please look it up. For the context, it's one of the Greek main powers during that era and is ruled by Agamemnon (who is a fucking arsehole), the brother of Menélaos. The later Greek civilization considered itself a successor to the Mycenaean culture. 3) Smintheus: "Lord of the Mice/Rats", one of Apollon's epithets. 4) Danaoi: the Greeks, as referred to around the area of Troy. 5) Ioímios: "Lord of the Plagues", one of Apollon's epithets. Both of the aforementioned epithets refer to his function as god of pests and plagues. 6) Brotoloigos: "Slaughterer of Men/Manslaughtering", an epithet of Ares. 7) In the Iliad, she flees to her mother Dione, who treats her wound and comforts her. But I'm going with the account of Hesiod's Theogony, according to which Aphrodite has no mother. She sprung from Ouranos' severed testicles, that fell into the sea, after Kronos castrated him. So instead of Dione, in my version she is comforted by Asklepios, the divine doctor. As for Asklepios, in his place the Iliad mentions Paian as the doctor of the gods and as god of healing. But his identity isn't clear and Paian is also an epithets of several other gods with an association with healing (Paian means "Healer"). 8) Hekatos: "Worker from Afar", one of Apollon's epithets (in his function as god of archery and prophecy)

Bonus: Yes, I know that in the book Ares has nothing to do with Zeus' order for the gods to stay out of the fighting for now (I'm reading that damn thing for the 3rd time now!). I just thought, it would be funny if he used his few braincells for petty revenge in the most devious way he can think of. So that's my own invention, lol.

[wisdomrays]

“YOU ALONE DO WE WOURSHIP...“ (1:5)

O Lord! I am determined that I will not sacrifice my freedom to anyone but You and I will not fall in humiliation before anyone or anything. I turn to You fully intent on servanthood and worship; my eyes are fixed upon You and no other. I am filled with a desire for submission and prayer. Resolute to distance myself from anything other than You, I wish to always stand opposed to all that You do not like or want.

How would you comment on the Qur’anic verses "You alone do we worship . . .” (1:5) and "This is the Book: there is no doubt about it. A perfect guidance for the God-revering, pious, who keep their duty to God” (Baqara 2:2).?

In this phrase, the object pronoun “You alone” (iyyaka) is placed before the predicate. This implies a very subtle point: “O God, we wholeheartedly proclaim, acknowledge, and confess that it is only You, and none but You that we turn to, bow before, and seek comfort in. We believe that by Your side alone we can attain serenity and peace.” Another point to note here is the tense; instead of abada, which is the past tense, in this verse na’budu is used for “worship”, the same root in the present. In the past, abada connotes “we did, we made, we performed, etc.” Such a tone, however, would in a way be contrary to the nature of worship, for it sounds like an accomplishment, which implies pride, as if the worshipper fulfilled something all by himself or herself.

The present tense form of na’budu implies that the task is not yet finished, which renders such a misinterpretation impossible. Meaning “we worship,” na’budu refers to the intention and determination to acknowledge the eternal impotence and poverty of humankind before His Presence. This can also be paraphrased as follows, “O Lord! I am determined that I will not sacrifice my freedom to anyone but You and I will not fall in humiliation before anyone or anything. I turn to You fully intent on servanthood and worship; my eyes are fixed upon You and no other. I am filled with a desire for submission and prayer. Resolute to distance myself from anything other than You, I wish to always stand opposed to all that You do not like or want. My intention is my greatest worship; I hope that You will accept my intention as my worship. I plead for Your favor, not in proportion to the number of things that I have done, but to those I have intended to do.”

In this phrase, na’budu, “we worship,” also emphasizes that the worshipper is not alone with such thoughts. Hoping that all others are thinking in the same vein, the worshipper proclaims, “In making this request, I am in full concord with all my fellow worshippers.” Through such an indisputable alliance, the worshipper is empowered with confirmation and testimony, and thus he or she turns to the presence of the Almighty Lord Who meets all needs. In this manner, they can relieve themselves of evil involuntary thoughts, and they can enact a complete form of worship toward the Perfect Divinity.

Perfect guidance

This is the Book: there is no doubt about it. A perfect guidance for the God-revering, pious, who keep their duty to God. (Baqara 2:2)

“Guidance,” in this verse is in the infinitive form. Since the infinitive is a verb form, like in other languages, in Arabic it expresses action and engagement; therefore, it implies that individuals cannot find guidance, or, ultimately, the main goal to which it leads, without having exerted any effort. The word also ends with a tanween (indefinite noun-ending with letter nun); a rule in Arabic grammar suggests that if a concept is used in the indefinite/unconditional form, then its perfect meaning is intended. Therefore, there is no doubt that this book is a transcending divine guidance for the pious. It is perfect guidance for the pious, as it is they who are free from the slightest skepticism, and it is they who are ready to comply with both the injunctions of faith (sharia al-garra) and the principles that are in effect in nature (sharia al-fitriyya). The pious are disposed to acknowledge the truth, and since they are not prejudiced, such perfect guidance can be viable for them alone (with the above-mentioned condition that they have to exert effort).

Nevertheless, there is another use of “guidance” at the end of the same page in the Qur’an in the following verse: “Those (illustrious ones) stand on the true guidance from their Lord” (2:5). Here “guidance” is in the form of a verbal noun (while the infinitive form implies human responsibility, the verbal noun is God’s creation). That is, it is a kind of actual guidance God bestows upon His servants, whomever He will, without the intervention of any cause-effect relationship. As far as we can deduce from the conditional in “for the God-revering, pious,” how one attains such guidance is by attaining a true level of piety. Faith and knowledge of God are the first level of ascending on this path, the last being the pleasure of God Almighty. Finally, as clearly expressed in the verse, only those who can live up to such guidance will attain salvation.

It can be derived from the context of this last verse that guidance is dependent upon God’s having created it. However, the behavior and preferences adopted through the exercise of free will are necessary if such guidance is to ensure safety and comfort in this world and if it is to become a means of salvation in the hereafter for humankind.

To conclude, the first “guidance” is a cause and the second is a blissfully granted result. Both are an answer to the prayer of “Guide us to the straight path” in (1:7), while serving as guidelines for those on the road.

[lovehaswonangelnumbers]

New Post has been published on https://lovehaswonangelnumbers.org/planet-alert-march-2019/

Planet Alert March 2019

Planet Alert March 2019

By Mahala’s Astrology

I write this article with love and joy in my heart on this beautiful day in Seattle. It feels like spring is in the air.  In this article I will be talking about the new moon which will be on March 6, at 8:04 AM PST. Mercury turns retrograde on March 5 and this means that things from the past that have not been settled will come back into your life. Mercury will go retrograde in the sign of Pisces and will stay retrograde for almost the whole month. Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac and that usually brings up emotional feelings from the past that you thought you had released and there it is in your face again. Mercury turns retrograde on 29 degrees Pisces, and this degree means that you may have the power to turn troubles into triumph. It also gives the ability to bring your visions down to Earth.

Pisces rules the feet. Are any of you having challenges with your feet?  This may be the time to get over that challenge. Our emotions cause physical ailments in our body. The emotional meaning of your feet is your lack of understanding the issues that are hidden within you. These issues are about learning to know yourself and letting go of all your fears. You are beautiful and wonderful just the way you are so just accept who you are.  Once you have accepted yourself you will be able to totally love yourself.

Another aspect from this new moon is that Uranus moves into Taurus. Uranus has been in the sign of Aries for the past seven plus years. Aries is ruled by Mars (violence) and Aries also rules the head, which includes the brain and the eyes. Have any of you had challenges with your head, brain, or your eyes? I sure have had trouble with my eyes. Every time a hole opens on the sun and the solar wind starts flowing our way my eyes become blurred. This has been happening to me for several years. I will be glad to have that challenge gone.

Taurus rules the neck and the throat. Some people have been having trouble with their throat and a cough for a long time now. I think that the energy of Uranus started affecting people last May when Uranus first went into Taurus, and is still affecting them. This Mercury retrograde phase might help these people finally get rid of that cough or sore throat if they focus on releasing the transformation energy connected to their throat.

The throat is a bridge connecting our brain with our heart. We have been in a cycle of opening our hearts for a long time and many people have been having heart palpitations. I believe the palpitations are connected to opening your heart to the energy of love. This has been a hard thing to do for many people because they have been so used to thinking with their head brain. Now is the time to focus on your heart and start to “Think with your heart”. Your heart is the most powerful organ in your body which means your heart brain is very powerful. We now need our head brain- heart brain- and solar plexus brain to all work together in harmony.

Now that Uranus is back in Taurus to stay for a few years it might be easier to access our heart energy because Taurus is ruled by Venus, the planet of love. Venus rules the heart and our heart chakra is a beautiful shade of emerald green and the center of our heart is a beautiful bright pink. I have noticed that the Northern Lights have been showing up in a beautiful shade of emerald green. There has also been a lot of bright pink (magenta) light in the skies along with other colors. The sky has become very beautiful in many places around the world. Venus is also considered the Goddess planet so this is the time for Goddess (love) energy to manifest in all its glory.

This new moon is so powerful that I was amazed when I looked at the chart. The sun and moon are both on 15 plus degrees Pisces. Neptune and Vesta, the fire goddess of great power, are on 16 degrees Pisces. The number 16 is the tarot card of “The Tower struck with lightning.” Shortly after the new moon there will be four planets on 16 degrees Pisces. This means we will start experiencing “The fall of all structures or control that we do not need to manifest any longer”. We are now starting to move into a time of freedom.

Here in the United States we have been going through a real battle between the light and the dark energy. In fact the whole world has been going through this challenge. The world has been under the control of the Elites for thousands of years. It is now time for freedom. Uranus rules freedom and change, and this energy will bring us freedom. Before we can reach this freedom we need to release our old ways of doing things. It is up to all of us to release our old ways and open to a new way of creating.

The meaning of 16 degree Pisces concerns business and finance. Neptune dissolves things and Vesta gives Neptune the power to dissolve different businesses right now. I just heard that the department store called JC Penny is closing all of their stores. This is astrology in action. The south node is conjunct Pluto, the transformer. We will see much transformation in this month of March. The south node brings up things from the past and so does Mercury retrograde. This means we will be watching events that occurred in the past coming to light for everyone to see. There will be lots of interesting things to watch on TV concerning the world scene for those who watch the news on TV.

Venus, the ruler of Taurus is on 5 degrees Aquarius and that degree means “A council of Ancestors is seen implementing the efforts of a young leader. The root foundation of past performances will cause the power of the Ancestors to help sustain decisions that are made in a crisis”. The United States is definitely in a crisis situation right now. We will soon see how this crisis changes our world.

Uranus is on zero degree Taurus in this chart. This degree denotes the beginning of a new order which will be one of peace and harmony. We are at the end of one age and at the beginning of a new one. I think this is very exciting. The upcoming Spring Equinox and full moon also have a very interesting chart. Both of those events happen on the same day. The astrological New Year starts on the Spring Equinox. Happy New Year!

I think it is time for Divine intervention to change this world to one of light and love. Many years ago I was told there would be a time when a great light would manifest in our heavens and this great light would be here for ten days.  I think that time has arrived because we are experiencing the end of the book of Revelation.

Many people have been talking about the great solar flash that will occur on the day of the Spring Equinox and will continue until the end of March. The war between the light and the dark will then be over and we will start living on a higher frequency Earth. When this solar event happens we will be transformed by the energy to a higher frequency Earth. Here is a link to one of the videos that is talking about the Solar Flash and describes how it will happen. Solar Flash and Message from Ascended Masters. If you are interested in seeing other videos on the Solar Flash there are many on the Internet. Just type into your search engine the words Solar Flash videos and many will come up.

Please stay in the energy of love as we go through these changes because Love is all there is.  So Be It.

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[gammaprimesmw]

All My Worthwhile SMW Hacks - Now on GBATemp

For those who have perhaps wondered where the SMW in my screen name comes from, it comes from my long history in the Super Mario World ROM hacking scene. It's something I originally discovered all the way back in 2006. Back then, I quickly fell in love with the ability to change levels. I could make the most annoying levels of the game a bit more bearable. (Looking at you, Tubular!) Before long, I had joined Acmlm's Board and attempted to pass a collection of blatant level edits off as my first SMW hack, only to be shot down rather quickly. I briefly quit, only to start again. This time, I tried to make my own levels, only to eventually break something in my ROM. I almost gave up yet again before finally producing my first passable (at the time) hack late that year. I intended to follow that up with another hack called Super Mario Bros. 5, but ended up burning out sometime in the following summer. I then left hacking behind until late 2010. That's when what I consider my real SMW hacking journey began.

By late 2010, a lot had changed about the scene. New utilities now existed, and new custom assets could be inserted that the average user wouldn't dare to mess with in 2006. Custom music, blocks, and sprites could be inserted whether or not one knew 65c816 Assembly. Meanwhile, I was getting better at pixel art, allowing me to make my own graphics from scratch. Before long, I had decided to resurrect Super Mario Bros. 5, recreating the whole thing practically from scratch. The result would be Super Mario Bros. 5 Roborn. It wasn't easy to pull the hack off, even with new skills and tools. I'd suffer from bouts of Hacker's Block, which is like a writer's block or artist's block, but it affects the ability to create new levels. I'd also run into technical problems and the inability to find the right resources to do everything I really wanted to do. Learning to make my own custom music helped somewhat, but I would still be dependent on the ASM people to either code what I needed or fix bugs involving whatever custom code had already been inserted. Sadly, requests for custom bosses were seldom, if ever, fulfilled. This fact would eventually kill a sequel to SMB5R known as Mecha-Bowser's Revenge. I wanted custom bosses that didn't exist and lacked the patience to learn the necessary ASM skills to make them myself. After canceling that hack and honing my level design skills a bit, partially thanks to a great tutorial written by AxemJinx. I entered my first Vanilla Level Design Contest in late February of 2012. While my level didn't win or even place in the top 5, it didn't place at the bottom either. A very critical hack reviewer called XKeeper, who I remember being one of the people to lambaste my earliest attempts at SMW hacking, gave the level a 4/5 when he played it during a Twitch stream. The time was fast approaching to try for another full-length hack. I tried my best to manage my ambition with this one. I'd keep the story simple. Bowser kidnapped the Princess (again). Koopalings would be the World bosses, and the existing bosses and boss templates made custom Koopalings feasible. I decided to draw all the foregrounds and backgrounds for this project. Only one thing really posed a threat to this project: Hacker's Block. It would get so bad sometimes that I'd question the morality of ROM hacking, believing the blocks came from God/my conscience trying to stop me from promoting the "sin" of downloading ROMs. Thankfully, friends like imamelia would reassure me that it wasn't. The hack was finished just as 2012 came to a close. This is the oldest hack that I felt worthy of going on GBATemp.

It was game on from there. I'd produce several more hacks. Each one would receive mostly positive reviews. The most frequent complaint I'd receive would be that my hacks all felt the same. I was, and still will be should I return to hacking, a traditionalist hacker. I tried to make my hacks feel like official Mario games. I eschewed the typical ROM hacking practice of making something significantly harder than the base game. I'm the first person to test the levels, and I'm not the greatest at video games. Lost Levels-tier difficulty curves aren't my thing, and Kaizo definitely isn't my thing. The latter fact suited me just fine. Up until about 2015, Kaizo hacks were banned on SMWCentral. That would start changing that year. A little thing called Janked Up Mario Party (AKA JUMP) was released, and it began changing the very culture of SMWC. Kaizo hacks were now permitted, thanks to them being popular with Twitch streamers. I kept going for several more years, even as popular opinion began turning against my "safe, homogenized" hacks, and Streamer Kaizo hacks began taking over the hack database. Let's Plays and streams of my hacks became more and more sparse, and my overall motivation to hack slowly dwindled through 2019. I burned out so back early last year that, for a couple weeks, I became thoroughly convinced that ROM hacking was a sin, regardless of what people like imamelia said. That conviction would bring me to tears every time I thought about everything I had created. I was still proud of it. These hacks were still available. I could've very easily asked a staffer on SMWC to take them all down, along with all the other resources I created. Being seen as crazy, and the fact that I could never truly erase what I'd done, ultimately held me back. Eventually, I gave into temptation, popping into a friend's stream while he was streaming a hack called Return to Dinosaur Land. That night, I also had a chat with Daizo Dee Von, and he finally convinced me that I was wrong about the whole "ROM hacking is a sin" thing. I salvaged some levels from the canceled Chocolate Collection I was working on since late 2019, threw in a few contest entry levels, and built a few new levels to create a much smaller collection hack simply called "Ten." I could've been done there. That could've been my send-off to the world of SMW hacking. Then COVID-19 happened, inspiring me to start another project inspired by the various conspiracy theories surrounding the pandemic. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough inspiration and motivation to see said hack through, and it was canceled. I decided then that I was pretty much done with hacking. I'd been doing it for a decade straight. That was probably the real reason I was burning out, rather than some divine intervention. I was burned out, and SMWC's culture was no longer one that really supported my style of hacks. I was no longer the one whose hacks could generate hype in large swaths of the community. I was now known as someone who just put out a string of very similar hacks. I even wondered if a sufficiently-trained AI algorithm could make hacks like mine. Maybe that thought can go two ways. I could see it as meaning I'm more like a machine than a person when it comes to designing levels, or the hypothetical AI could be seen as passing the ROM hacking equivalent of a Turing Test.

Anyway, here are the rest of the hacks. You will need a Super NES emulator and a Super Mario World ROM to play these. I can't tell you where to get the latter, but I can recommend using snes9x as your emulator of choice.

KAMEK'S ISLAND (2013)

MARIO & LUIGI: KOLA KINGDOM QUEST (2014-2015)

SUPER MARIO WORLD: BOWSER'S CATACLYSMIC TRAP (2014-2015)

SUPER MARIO LAND 3: TATANGA'S RETURN (2015-2016)

MARIO IS MISSING DONE RIGHT (2016)

SUPER MARIO BROS: THE EARLY YEARS (2016-2017)

SUPER LUIGI LAND (2017-2019)

SHORT BUT SWEET This is a collection of 4 mini-hacks I made during this time. These were usually side projects I did to keep my skills sharp and still do some hacking without burning myself out on the larger projects. Often, these would incorporate levels I had made for various hacking contests. One of them, Oiram's Invasion, is actually a contest entry itself, created for the 2013 12 Days Before Christmas contest. It's my highest-ranking contest entry on the site, having made it all the way to 3rd Place.

[stevenbars960]

Jesus Wants You to Have Peace & Joy in Your Life

If You Are Connected To Your Matted Hair- DO NOT CUT YOUR HAIR!

Hair is like an external antenna.  It has nerve endings, so you feel even the slightest pull, bit of heat/cold or even a little air blowing on your scalp.

Most of us are connected to our hair in many ways that we are not even aware of.  It’s a powerful symbol of our beauty that plays a major part in our self esteem and self worth.  That is why depression is so easy to set in and become worse- when ones hair becomes severely matted.

Despite your heartbreaking hair situation- God wants you to be well and have peace.  Strive to have peace and wellness.  Matted tangled hair gives you no peace day or night.  During the day it’s like caring a stone on your head.  At night its like sleeping on a painful hard rock.  It is so very depressing and frustrating. People just do not seem to understand-they just want you to cut all your hair off!    

Well the Bible tells you how God wants you to have peace.  John 14:27 -Amplified Bible   27 Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.] 2 Corinthians 13:11-Amplified Bible   11 Finally, believers, rejoice! Be made complete [be what you should be], be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace [enjoy the spiritual well-being experienced by believers who walk closely with God]; and the God of love and peace [the source of loving kindness] will be with you.  Philippians 4:6-7- Amplified Bible    6 Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. 7 And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].  Psalm 119:165- Amplified Bible    165 Those who love Your law have great peace;  Nothing makes them stumble.  Luke 24:36-37 - Amplified Bible     36 While they were talking about this, Jesus Himself [suddenly] stood among them and said to them, “Peace be to you.” 37 But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a spirit.     

 Everyone knows that people with matted tangled knots in their hair are not very joyful.  In fact they are cranky all the time-trying to be happy.  How can you be full of joy with hard knots pressing on your scalp day and night or matted clumps staring at you in the mirror?  Jesus wants you to have joy.     

 Well the Bible tells you how Jesus wants you to have Joy.  John 15:10-12   - Amplified Bible   10 If you keep My commandments and obey My teaching, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. 11 I have told you these things so that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy may be made full and complete and overflowing.  Romans 15:13 - Amplified Bible   13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will abound in hope and overflow with confidence in His promises.  Psalm 20:4-5 -  Amplified Bible   4 May He grant you your heart’s desire And fulfill all your plans.  5 We will sing joyously over your victory, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners.  May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.  Galatians 5:22-23   -Amplified Bible   22 But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.

One of the keys to detangling badly and severely matted knotted tangled hair is to avoid conditioners. They can be used successfully with certain types of hair or hairstyles, but for many people, especially those with long hair and hair with a natural curl, conditioners make the situation worse.

In some instances, the conditioner is the cause of the matted hair knot getting tighter.  

Hair restoration is nothing short of a divine intervention for most women.  Professional Hair Detanglers are Tangled Hair techs that provide a unique hair restoration service set out to help those in hair distress.

Hair, one of the most prized possessions of a human being is also the most vulnerable as it needs constant maintenance and care. But, those who face rather desperate times don’t necessarily keep up with their hair needs and this becomes a major problem. Tangled matted hair can not only cause a lot of pain and discomfort but, this can also affect how a person feels about himself or herself. It is not all that bad because professional hair restoration service can help a person get back the confidence they once had.

Use the Take down Remover Detangler cream (www.takedownproducts.com), which relaxes the matts and softens the hair, allowing for the stands to be gently drawn from the mat. As bits of hair are freed from the clump, it becomes easier to detangle. Step by step, bit by bit, the hair is restored to its original condition.

One of the most important steps to untangling badly and severely matted knotted tangled hair is to reduce the use of conditioners. They can be successful with minor tangles or knots.  However for many people, especially those with long and curly hair, conditioners can make the situation worse.   In some instances, the conditioner is the cause of the matted hair knot getting harder or tighter to the scalp.  Professional hair detangling is more than a hair restoration business; it is a ray of hope for all those who believed their hair couldn’t be saved.  

A lot of times it so happens that hair care and maintenance cease to exist and, this can be because of reasons pertaining to health. Those who are going through a trying medical condition can lose interest in taking care of their hair and this in turn, can worsen the situation.

Tangled Hair Techs offer such people and anybody with a problem that cannot be handled with a hair care product. The experts here make sure the hair is restored without causing the person any further damage or pain. The end result is truly amazing with the kind of customer results one can see on the company website. The before and after shots are truly out of this world and they truly reflect the kind of help this company can extend.

The team here believes, with the help of God anything is possible, to know more and get in touch with them today.  Luke 1:37.

There is a wonderful and loving Power of Healing through Detangling Hair

 When we look and feel our best, we are more confident and self-assured. Part of looking our best is having healthy, attractive hair. For people with extremely tangled, clumped, and matted hair, this might seem to be an unachievable goal. Those who have never known the frustration and embarrassment of matted hair this might sound extreme, but for those who have found their hair in a hard, tangled knot, this painful truth is part of their lives.

Hair can become tangled and matted due to becoming bedridden or through illness, neglect, misuse of products, and many other circumstances. People living with this type of damaged hair often try to hide it with head coverings or avoid going out in public as much as possible. For many people this leads to depression and a fear they will have to live with the problem forever. Out of desperation, many people cut out the matted hair clumps but this hair loss often increases their sense of sadness and depression.

But before you cut or cover your hair, know that there is hope to restore it to its natural luster and beauty. Whether your hair is long or short, in dreads or naturally curly, the technicians at Tangled Hair Techs can help you keep your hair, not cut your hair. Using a specialized metal comb and the unique take down remover, trained detangling technicians will patiently work through the mats and tangles, bit by bit, until the hair is released. This process can take hours but the results are proven and effective.  

This detangling process is often very healing. As their hair is detangled people are freed from the depression, fear, and anxiety caused by the mats and clumps. They are relieved to find that they did not have to experience hair loss a part of this process.

With the continued use of the take down remover and other related products, their hair retains its beauty and shine. The knowledge that they will never again experience the shame and depression caused by matted hair helps restore their confidence and inner beauty.  There is no need to cut or hide your hair. Restore it and yourself through the use of the product Take Down Remover Detangler Cream.

Healing through detangling may seem an odd statement but one that is seen again and again by the Tangled Hair Techs.  Let us help you save your hair today. www.hairdetanglerschool.com

[the-christian-walk]

INTERVENTION

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”

 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage.

 Matthew 1:18-25

 This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

 We have our plans but then the Lord has plans for us and so often there is a big difference between these two.

 How often has this happened to you in your life?

 You thought your life would go in a certain way, you believed you knew what your future held, but then saw things shift drastically in ways that were totally unexpected, ways that placed you in positions that you never thought you would be in.

 I know it has happened in my life and on more than one occasion.

 You see, the Lord’s plans for us will always supersede our own and do so every time. After all, He is the Lord, the Master and Ruler of us all. He has absolute authority to intervene and put us in places He wants us to be.

 Zechariah and Elizabeth were in their older years and by all indications doing well as they lived out their final years together. Neither of them would have ever expected to become parents in that stage and season; it would not have been in their plans. But God intervened and changed everything for them (and for many others as Jesus was about to burst on the scene, the way paved by John, the son Elizabeth would give birth to).

 Mary was a young virgin who was living with her parents, waiting for the day when her marriage to Joseph would become official. There were a lot of unknowns ahead for her as marriage would be completely new for her but she knew her future and was comfortable with it. That was until an angel named Gabriel entered in and altered everything, bringing an intervention plan from God which included a supernatural impregnation and the promise of a special child who would be of God Himself. It was a major change of plans for the teenager but she showed maturity and faith well beyond her years when she submitted fully to the will of the Lord.

 Mary’s sudden conception caused ripple effects because as we look at today’s scripture passage, we find Joseph wrestling with the changed circumstances. He too thought he knew what the future held, waiting himself to take his new bride in marriage and make a life with her. But then she suddenly and unexpectedly became with child and Joseph knew he didn’t play a part in it. We know questions had to be racing through his mind:

 Why was she unfaithful to me?

 What should I do now?

 Do I want her killed or is there a way where I can spare her and still remain obedient to God and the law?

 As for the latter, here’s what the law said about this matter:

 If a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.

 If a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to be married and he sleeps with her, you shall take both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death—the young woman because she was in a town and did not scream for help, and the man because he violated another man’s wife. You must purge the evil from among you.  Deuteronomy 22:22:24

 Joseph was a devout Jew and faithful to God and His word. He could have outed Mary and had her stoned but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. The grace and mercy that would be found perfectly in Jesus was also in His earthly father because Joseph decides to just divorce Mary quietly and send her away to avoid public disgrace. All that would be needed were the legal documents to make the divorce binding. This was Joseph’s plan and he was going with it. That is, until there was an intervention.

 You see, God had other plans and they were ones that Joseph had not considered.

 The intervention, just as it had been for Mary and Zechariah before her, came from the angel Gabriel. The only difference in Joseph’s case was that the angel came to him in a dream instead of in person. We read where Gabriel, as he had in the two prior instances, speaks to Joseph in the midst of his uncertainty and exhorts him to not be afraid to take Mary as his wife, despite her being pregnant. He could do this without fear because Mary had not violated any law of God; rather, she had been chosen by God to bear a very special child, conceiving by the Holy Spirit and delivering a son who will save all “his people from their sins.” It was an intervention that was divine in nature but also in step with the words of the prophet Isaiah who had foretold of what had happened to Mary some 700 years earlier. Mary’s conception was merely the completion of a plan God had set forth centuries ago. Immanuel was coming and he would have two earthly parents, his mother Mary and father Joseph. This was the will of God for them both.

 And so when Joseph woke up from his dream, he fully knew what he should do and it wasn’t anything he had considered when devising his own plan. Rather, he did what Gabriel commanded him to do, taking Mary as his wife but not consummating their marriage as Mary was pregnant.

 Left to his own intentions, Joseph could have completely messed up the plans that God had in mind. This is why intervention needed to happen and thanks be to God that Joseph, like Mary before him, was obedient and submissive to the will of God, decisions that would lead to the coming of our Savior Jesus as God fulfills His promises to mankind. We’ll look at that later today before we enter into the joy of Christmas day.

 Amen.

 In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com

[raisingsupergirl]

My Weird Writing Journey, Thus Far

The life of a writer can be pretty glamorous. Authors can go on book tours around the world, hang out on The Today Show, and go to world movie premiers of their novels turned to film … and then there's me. At thirty-years-old, I've been in the game for around ten years, and I have no publishing credits to show for my efforts except a few flash fiction pieces. I've been promised contracts and commercial success more times than I can count, and I've had enough strikeouts and rejection letters to crush any man with at least an average helping of common sense. But here I am, a writer light-years ahead of who I once was and further still from the writer I desire to become. And again I stand on the brink of an opportunity, looking out at all that could come of this new stage in my journey. But to understand what's at stake, you should know where I started.

The first thing I should say is that I never wanted to be a writer. I never wanted it because I never knew about it. I inherited a passion for reading and a gift for art from my mother, and my father bestowed upon me a love for all things weird—science fiction, fantasy, and Stargate SG-1. But my brothers loved sports and trucks and other wholesome, manly things, so I figured I should love those things too. And despite winning first place in a school-wide creative writing contest in the third grade, I spent the rest of my adolescence riding bikes, playing baseball, and getting lost in the woods. In high school, sports were again a center focus, but there was something creeping up from underneath—something a little … weird.

I then went off to college for Physical Therapy, so most of my undergraduate studies were in the sciences, except for a few required philosophy and writing-intensive English classes. But slowly, in the quiet areas spent in my room, hiding from my housemate (a Russian, Jewish, elitist, pothead … not that there's anything wrong with that), that weird thing surfaced. That need to express myself. To explore words and thoughts and adventures without the limitations of reality weighing me down.

The first thing I wrote since my mermaid story in the third grade, aside from droll school projects, was a contemplative description likening my college room/cell to Plato's cave. Exciting, right? I did several of these little allegorical gems, exploring free will, racism, and other riveting subjects. But I never saw them as anything other than convenient creative outlets. And then, in my parents' basement, on Christmas Eve, 2007, it happened. The weird exploded.

I was sitting on my old bed, reading the book of Revelation, as all totally normal college students do, when I stumbled across an interesting passage about the 144,000 people who would be chosen, in some capacity, during the second coming of Jesus Christ. "Huh," I thought. "144,000 people, saved from a dying world. What if they just, like, went to some other planet that God created for them … that would make a pretty cool book."

And BAM. It was like my mutant gene finally activated—that spark of consuming fire that us lucky few experience when we know our purpose in life has finally been revealed. And I'm not being dramatic here. I flopped back on my bed, awestruck at the path unfolding before me, wondering how I had not thought of it before. I was going to write a book! And of course the book would become a best seller and I'd be uber-rich and famous.

So I set out immediately writing this story that God had pre-ordained to change the world. In the spare moments of my degree work, I plotted and outlined. As I planned my wedding and prepared to start a new life in Virginia with my new bride, I built worlds and formed characters from formless lumps of clay. With the Wednesdays off afforded me in my first real job, I would sit for literally 10 hours straight, clacking away at my keyboard. And in 2010, only three years after I started, my masterpiece was created.

And then I spent the next three years realizing I had no idea what I was doing. I went to writing conferences, joined critique groups, read craft books, and they all said the same thing. "You did everything wrong." So I threw book one into a drawer and started again.

Since one book proved too easy for me the first time, on the second attempt I decided to write two at the same time. The first was a young adult urban fantasy titled Night Games. In it, a high school boy fights vampires, werewolves, zombies, and his own fears of eternal damnation. The second novel was a sci-fi/fantasy adventure novel set in Antarctica, a place where magic is real, and the dying world will do anything to harness it. And since four heads are better than one, I set out to write this novel with 3 other authors. Needless to say, we're still working on it … 5 years later. And despite its awesomeness, an unfinished book generally doesn't have much chance at publication.

Thankfully, I finished Night Games in about 2 years, and it even caught the eye of a literary agent. And then I hit the big-time. I was officially represented. I had an agent. My agent. My own. My … well, my agent. Then, she pitched the novel to several publishing houses, with great feedback. But in the end, they all passed because there was, "no market for that kind of fiction in the Christian publishing industry."

Oh, yeah. Did I mention that everything I'd written so far was meant for the CBA (Christian Book Association)? And everyone failed to tell me Christians don't believe in zombies. But, when I finally realized that precious fact, my agent teamed me up with a ridiculously talented non-fiction author (Clay Morgan, check him out!) to re-write the highest-selling fiction work in the history of Christianity, A Pilgrim's Progress, and we added … wait for it … zombies.

It was brilliant. And I'm not just saying that. Probably my favorite creation so far. The ending made me cry. But, it didn't sell either. I mean, it sat at a large publisher who promised publication for about a year, then fizzled. So I threw it on the stack and searched for my next target. 

And then my moment finally came. My agent contacted Clay Morgan and me about a "special request" from a publisher. A quirky suspense novel without an ounce of anything weird. Naturally, I was immediately intimidated since I would have to endure the journey without a single dragon or robot, but with a publisher specifically asking for the story, I couldn't pass it up (especially with my friend Clay by my side). So we drew up an outline and some sample chapters, and they were a hit. I mean, more like a grand slam. The acquisition editor loved everything about it, and a contract was just a matter of time. And then, once again, it all fell apart. I can't get into specifics, but it was bizarre. Divine intervention barely explains it, but the point was, it fell through.

And that's when I hit my low point. I had this story idea that I loved, but I couldn't find the strength to write it. I mean, why put in so much time and effort just to lay it on the stack of unpublished works? I sought council from my agent, and from Clay, and anyone else who would listen. I begged them to read sample chapters, and give feedback, and pour sugar in my ear. But in the end, it didn't matter. The story wouldn't leave me alone. I had to write it. Whether there was a "market" for it or not, I had to get it from my head to paper. 

So I did. I poured myself into it for another 2 years, creating something I could be proud of. And when I finally turned it into my agent, she ripped it apart. You see, I'd written it as a young adult novel, but apparently I was wrong. The main character turned out more like Scarlett O'Hara when I'd intended her to be closer to Jo March (from Pretty Women). And I'd focused too much on the journey and not enough on the story.

So I RE-wrote it. The whole thing. In about 3 months. And I loved it even more. And my agent loved it. And my beta-readers loved it. And then I turned in the official proposal to my agent. And then I had seven heart attacks. You see, this was the first novel I'd finished that was not an overtly Christian book. And my agent was pitching it into the Pacific Ocean of publishing. Huge Houses with intimidating track records. And all I could do was wait.

And that's what I'm doing. Waiting. Again. I feel good about this one, but I felt good about the others, as well. And as I wait, I can't help reflecting on how far I've come. As I've said, I don't look much different on paper (so to speak), but the last 10 years have been a wild ride. I've met a massive network of sensationally gifted and peculiar people. I’ve become the executive editor of a wonderful literary magazine. I've navigated a world I never knew existed. And I've found fulfillment I never knew possible. Writing has been a blessing. It has shaped how I see the universe and the individuals who populate it. And most of all, it has taught me to never give up on something worth starting. It may be stubbornness. It may be delusions of grandeur. But it's definitely worth it.

And believe me, I want to scream that to the struggling people I see every day. Those guys and gals wondering if it's worth it. Whether "it" is a career, a healthy lifestyle, a friendship, a marriage, or life itself. "Don't give up!" I want to say. I know what they're going through, because I've asked every single one of those questions at one time or another, and the answer has always been yes. God gave us choice for a reason (If you don't believe me, I'm happy to send you one of my college allegories to explain it), and it's that choice that makes life worth living in the first place.

So whatever happens with my insane choice to be a writer, I'm satisfied. I've committed to something bigger than me, and I'll leave a legacy long after I'm gone, one way or another. And if this latest novel becomes an international best-seller, well that's just icing on the cake. So stay tuned. Things are about to get awesome.

[the-christian-walk]

THE PERFECT SERVANT

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com. In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.”

 Luke 1:38

 This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

 Note: I will get to the final devotion in my Mary series tomorrow, MARY: THE PRAISE, but today I wanted to share with you a sermon I delivered several years ago on Mary and her remarkable display of faith and trust in accepting God’s proposition to bear and give birth to His son, despite the challenges it would bring. I hope you will be inspired and blessed by these words.

 I pray you will be instructed and blessed by the word of God as we look at the matter of being a servant and God’s call of servitude as we look at this message God has given to me, a message titled, “The Perfect Servant”.

 Please turn with me in your bibles to the first chapter in the Gospel of Luke. I’ll be reading verses 26 through 38 as we look at the encounter between Gabriel, an angel of God, and Mary, a young betrothed virgin who is about to have her life drastically changed through divine intervention. Hear now the word of the Lord.

 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,  to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of his father David, and He will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; His kingdom will never end.”

 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”

 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. ���May your word to me be fulfilled.”

 Then the angel left her.

 Here ends the reading of God’s holy word.

 Let us pray.

 Come Lord Jesus, come into our presence we pray. As we study the scriptures, we ask that You enter into our hearts and do something fresh and new this morning. Open our minds so that Your Holy Spirit can enter in and fill our thoughts. Bless us with Your guidance and instruction and lead us to trust and grow in You, obediently answering your call to serve to the glory of God our Father.  I particularly pray that the words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen.

 As I prepared today’s message, I wondered how I would best introduce myself. I mean, I’m not an ordained minister but I am a bible teacher with more than 20 years experience and currently teach the Tweeners class here at Bayside Baptist. I could say that I am a writer with nearly 1,000 writings online, writings straight from the word of God and posted every day on my ministry, The Christian Walk. But I decided that it would be best in regard to today’s sermon to just introduce myself as Mark Cummings, a servant of the Lord Most High, a man who submits himself to the Lord as an instrument of His will, and an ordinary person that God uses for extraordinary purposes even though I am a sinner.  

 I pray that you are seeking to define yourself the same way today because at the very heart of being Christian is Christ and when we look at Jesus (and it doesn’t take much looking), we find the heart of a perfect servant, a man who was perfectly God and perfectly like you and me at the same time. Jesus was always about His Father’s business. He said as much and testified that He came to serve and not be served. This humility was expressed fully in His actions, actions that put His love and compassion on full display, a perfect, unconditional agape love that was willing to go all the way, even to death. It was the purest kind of love, a love that would lead Him to be falsely accused and hauled into court where the scales were tipped against Him. He was derided by the very people He came to love and save, and then beaten and flogged before being nailed to a cross and placed on public display to die.

 Yes, Jesus more than any other person in the Scriptures showed us by example that serving others involves sacrifice, a willingness to go above and beyond the norm, even to death if need be. And the important thing we need to remember is that He called us to do likewise.

 Indeed, there’s no doubt we were created for service and the scriptures affirm this. Consider these words from 1st Peter:

 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 4:10-11

 Friends, God has imparted gifts on us all to be used for His service and I can say with confidence today that all of you have gifts inside that you have not even tapped into yet. Some of them have not been explored while others are dormant and waiting for the Lord to activate them for His service at His appointed time.

 We’re expected to be good stewards of these gifts and that means putting them to use to the glory of the One who provided them, the One who will grant us the strength to carry out whatever tasks He gives us so that in all things God may be praised through our Savior, and service role model, Jesus.

 You see, Jesus said what He meant and meant what He said. There was no double standard in Him. The way He lived reflected the divine attitude of His heart, a heart that was never too busy for someone in need, a heart that was never too preoccupied to love, care, teach, and heal. Jesus didn’t put people on hold. Rather, He promptly answered the call to make a difference in their lives and, in doing so, gave us a blueprint for service to follow.

 As Christians, Jesus is trying to lead us to live like Him through the Holy Spirit, to make us servants who ever seek to glorify the Father, using the gifts He has given to care for the needs of others and standing for causes greater than ourselves.  

 So we know we are to serve self sacrificially because Jesus served. But how will the Lord use us? In what ways does He want us to serve?

 As we ponder the answers to these questions, praying over them and asking God to reveal His calling, we should remember one key point that is illuminated by the scriptures:

 Never underestimate what God can do in and through you in accordance with His plan.

 Let me say that again and listen carefully to this point because it’s critical to us being the servants that God wants us to be.  

 Never underestimate what God can do in and through you in accordance with His plan.

 You see, it’s not about my plan or your plan but it’s all about His plan.

 I say this because it’s where we usually get in trouble when it comes to service. We too often want to shape the Lord’s will to look like ours. We want to remain in our nice little comfort zones, to do the things we feel most comfortable with. We reject anything we’re asked to do that might be outside of what we think our abilities are. And we wrongly assume that God will only call us to do things that we want to do.

Unfortunately, this way of thinking is not anywhere near the truth we find in the Bible regarding service and God’s call to it. For the reality of being in the Lord’s service requires us to understand two key things:

 First, God’s plan is usually completely counter to ours.

 and

 Second, He will call us out of our comfort zone into something we have never done before.

 Consider these examples:

 In Genesis, Chapter 12, we find Abraham who at the time was named Abram and was seventy five years old. He was living comfortably with his family in Haran on land he had inherited. Life was good.

 And then God entered in one day and said:

 “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (verses 1-3)

 Wow. Imagine if you were Abram. You were up in years and in your comfort zone. Life was good.

 But God had other plans and tells you to pull up your roots and leave everything behind to go to an unknown place.

 So much for the retired life. Right?

 So how did Abram respond to this? How would you respond to it if God called for you to pull up your roots and travel somewhere, not being sure where “somewhere” was, but assured by God that He would eventually reveal your destination?

 Well, we see in the scriptures that Abram didn’t reject God and come up with a multitude of reasons why he and his family couldn’t go. Instead, he just went as the Lord had told him, taking his wife Sarai (later to be Sarah), his nephew Lot, and all the possessions they had accumulated in Haran, and they set out for wherever God would guide him (a land we know would be Canaan).

 Abraham didn’t know where God was leading him. And he had no idea what God wanted him to do. All he knew was that God had made a promise to him and called him to go and that’s exactly what he did in obedience.

 In Exodus, Chapter 3, we find Moses, another figure who was called out of his comfort zone. I mean, he was minding his own business tending to the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, when at Horeb he encountered an odd scene: a bush that was burning, but not being consumed by the flames. He curiously went to look at the bush and found out it had one other strange feature, it talked and the voice was none other than the Lord Almighty Himself who was calling Moses from shepherding sheep to shepherding the Israelites away from the oppression of Pharoah and the Egyptians.

 Now that was going to be a change don’t you think? Minding sheep was one thing. Opposing the powerful Pharoah was quite another. Again, imagine yourself as Moses. It would have been a pretty harrowing prospect, don’t you think?

 So how did Moses handle the Lord’s request? Did he see himself as being able to do this?

 Well, God’s word tells us that Moses was not quite as compliant as Abraham. In fact, Moses doubted he was the right guy for the job saying:

 “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

 Maybe you and I would feel the same way. But God assured Moses that he was up to the task because He would be with him and deliver him to victory. And that’s exactly what happened.

 Move a little later in the Old Testament and you will be introduced to a man named Jonah, a man called to serve who reacted differently than either Abraham or Moses. You may remember how God called him out of his comfort zone…He told Jonah to “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because of its wickedness”, a harrowing task given the incredible power and might of the Assyrian empire.

 Well, after receiving this tasking, Jonah didn’t question God, wondering whether He had selected the right man.

 This is because he was too busy running away from God’s plan all together.

 The Bible tells us that he got underway on a ship destined for Tarshish thinking he would flee the Lord. But instead, Jonah ended up overboard and swallowed up by a great fish where he would spend three days and nights weighing his poor decision to defy God and choosing whether he would change his mind and trust and obey God or be digested by the fish. Facing that set of choices has a way of bring a person to their senses and the Scriptures tell us that Jonah, in the midst of his dilemma, turned to the Lord in prayer and said:

 “I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you.”

 And as God saw his change of heart, He had the fish spit Jonah onto dry land before ordering Jonah again to go to Nineveh and deliver the news of their impending doom.

 And as you might have guessed, this time he went.

 Wouldn’t it have been so much easier if Jonah would have just obeyed God from the start?

 There’s definitely a lesson for all of us as we are called to serve in ways that we might not want.

 Well, the examples of biblical figures who were faced with responding to the word of God were not limited to the Old Testament.

 Consider the first disciples called by Jesus: Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, and brothers James and John. They were doing well fishing the Sea of Galilee when Jesus walked into their lives and promised to make them fishers of men (Mark 1:14-20). And in response to the call, the four fisherman immediately left their nets to follow Him. They had no idea what fishing for men really meant but they had faith enough in Jesus to follow Him and find out.

 Sometimes we just need to go as Christ commands and trust that he will show us the way He wants us to serve as we walk with Him.

 Then there was Paul. You see, Paul had no idea what the Lord had in store for him to include a name change from Saul, the name he bore as he persecuted and murdered Christians. You’ll remember one instance where he presided over the stoning of Stephen, one of the seven chosen to support the disciples after Christ’s ascension (Acts 8:1).  Saul had no interest in Christ except killing those who he found following Him. He was on the road to Damascus to continue doing just that when he met Jesus, and not in a pleasant way I might add, but it was an encounter that changed Paul’s life forever as well as the lives of countless others who would come to find salvation through his passionate evangelistic work.

 You remember the encounter on the road to Damascus, don’t you?

 As Saul walked with his entourage, he was struck down blind before having dialogue with what was to him at that moment…an unseen, unknown force.

 “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” the voice asked.

 “Who are you, Lord?” replied Saul.

 “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” He replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

 And with the help of others to get him to Damascus, Paul did what Jesus commanded.

 Now given his own devices, Saul probably would have never changed and become Paul, the greatest apostle ever. He needed Christ to intervene in a powerful way on that Damascus road and maybe you’re a lot like Saul. Maybe you have rejected Christ’s call to serve and advance the Gospel, a call all Christians have received, and are doing nothing productive for His cause and the cause of others. You aren’t running from the call as much as you are just ignoring it and don’t doubt that Jesus can and will initiate a Damascus moment in your life, a time when He’ll powerfully strike you at the core of your soul to draw you to Him and His work.

 The truth is that Jesus Christ is more than ready to do what it takes to win you over for His purpose.

 You see, Jesus could have destroyed Saul for how he murdered Christians but He didn’t. Instead, He made Saul blind to the sinful way he was living only to allow him to open his eyes to new possibilities of service that would bring people to life, and not just any life, but life eternal. Indeed, Paul’s identity changed after his Damascus moment and as he wrote letters to the Christian churches he helped Jesus sow seeds of salvation, now identifying himself as Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus. Indeed, he had come a long way from the murderous Saul he once was.

 So what should we learn from this?

 If you wish to change today, know Jesus is ready to receive you and put you to work. If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, then today is the day He can and will change your life forever. Or maybe you are a Christian but have decided to turn away from your obligation to serve Him and others. Again, today you can change all that and make a renewed commitment to partner with Christ in powerful ways in the new year and beyond. Whatever the case, I pray that you’ll come forward during our invitation after this message to affirm your willingness to sacrifice yourself in service as Christ sacrificed Himself for you.

 So we’ve talked about Abraham, Moses, Jonah, the first disciples, and Paul. Now let’s talk about Mary, the mother of Jesus and the focus of today’s scripture passage. She too faced a daunting task from the Lord, one that would definitely take her out of her comfort zone, placing her under public shame and scorn.

 As our pastor highlighted a few Sundays ago, Mary was a virgin who was pledged to be married to Joseph but it was far different than our modern day engagements. A Jewish betrothal period was definitely a more stringent, binding agreement. There was to be no sexual relations during this period; in fact, the two future mates couldn’t even live together and the engagement could only be broken by divorce. It was as if the couple was quasi-married before they actually were.

 So imagine all this now as you consider the scene in our scripture passage. 

 The angel Gabriel, sent by God, suddenly enters into Mary’s life one day. Now I’m sure she had a routine she followed like any of us do. She had an idea of what she would be doing that day, what she would be doing in the coming days, and through her betrothal, she knew what the future was holding for her.

 But her plans and her life were about to be changed in a big way.

 Gabriel detailed it all for her. Mary had found God’s favor and would soon conceive, giving birth to a son who would be great and called the Son of the Most High, a son who would reign over Israel and the rest of God’s kingdom forever, a son who was to bear the name Jesus.

 Imagine being Mary for a moment. How would you feel at that point? Wouldn’t you feel like she did, afraid and confused?

 It was all so hard to believe and Mary’s words underscore that as she asks Gabriel how what he said could ever happen as she was a virgin, unmarried, and forbidden to have sexual relations. How would she ever be able to conceive?

 Gabriel explains starting in verse 36. For Mary would not be impregnated naturally but supernaturally through the power of the Most High and the Holy Spirit. And just in case Mary doubted that miracles like this could happen, Gabriel reminds her that Elizabeth, Mary’s relative, was going to have a child even though she was in her latter years with conception believed to be an impossibility. The angel of the Lord used this to assure Mary that God’s word was true and would never fail.

 We need to remember this in our own lives when God calls us to do something out of our comfort zone.

 So God’s plan for Mary had been revealed. She was going to become pregnant even though it would not result from intimacy with any man. I think any ordinary person in Mary’s time would resist this notion. I mean, think of the enormous social ramifications it would bring.

 Everyone knew Mary was betrothed to Joseph and was not yet married. And now, imagine their reaction as Mary began to show as Jesus is growing inside her. There would be no doubt she was with child and there would be no doubt the questions and criticism would come. Maybe they sounded a little like these:

 Who is the father of your child?

 Did you and Joseph get together before the marriage or is it someone else’s baby?

 Either way, you knew what you were supposed to do. You have sinned before God and should be cursed. You’ve disgraced your family and are a disgrace to our community. You deserve to die.

 The pregnancy could and did take its toll on Joseph too. From the Gospel of Matthew, we know Joseph would have His own personal struggle with the matter and planned to quietly divorce Mary to try and minimize the disdain she would already be experiencing. In order to resolve the matter with Joseph, it took another intervention by Gabriel to explain to him about the divine conception that was in progress. And Joseph chose to comply with what the Lord wanted him to do, staying the course to take Mary as his wife.

 Yes, there were a multitude of things that could have led Mary to resist and even reject this special calling, a unique form of service unto her God. But she didn’t and this is what makes Mary one of the more amazing people in the Bible.

 For despite everything that could and would happen to her through the conception to come, Mary simply said:

 “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”

 Her words inspire us because they display an incredible faith and trust in God that defies our human reasoning. It would have been easy for Mary to say, “no”, but she didn’t because above all things, she was the Lord’s servant. 

 Yes, God’s plan definitely brings us to unexpected places with purposes different from our own. And He can and will take us from our comfort zones, places where we can easily reason His call away.

 But God doesn’t just call us into His plan but He instructs us and empowers us to carry that plan out.

 Think about it. Would the Lord call you into His service for you NOT to succeed?

 No, the Lord executes plans that will end up just the way He wants them to. And He will instruct and empower us as He uses us to ensure His will is done on earth just as He did with everyone we have talked about this morning.   

 God told Abraham to go and become the Father of Israel. And then He went with Abraham to see it through.

 Moses was directed to lead and deliver Israel from oppression, pointing them toward the Promised Land. And God divided the seas so they could escape on dry land and then helped them through their wilderness journey to Canaan.

 Jonah was told to go to Nineveh and proclaim God’s message, the word that Nineveh would be destroyed in 40 days. And although Jonah ran at first, he realized that following God’s plan and going to Nineveh was better than being fish food. As a result, God showed Jonah that He will see His plans through to fruition as Nineveh’s people repented and changed their hearts, turned from their evil ways, and experienced God’s grace and mercy as He relented from His intended judgment.

 As for Saul, well Ananias would be sent by the Lord to go to him and relay the message that he would be the Lord’s chosen instrument to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. And after Ananias touched Saul’s eyes enabling him to see again, Saul would become Paul and would do just that, fully realizing along the way that there is sometimes suffering and hardship attached to fully committing yourself to the cause of Christ.

 Friends, maybe today the Lord is removing the blindness from your eyes and is revealing His purposes to you. Maybe He’s ready to change your life forever, bringing you to adopt an attitude like Mary, a humble attitude that responds to the Lord’s call to service by simply saying:

 “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word be fulfilled in my heart and my life now and forever.”

 Yes, God’s word calls us from our comfort zone and He does so with no notion of failure. Rather, He is fully ready to instruct and empower us by way of the Holy Spirit, ensuring His plans will ALWAYS succeed. Remember that He can do all things and so can we when we submit to Him and His will and His strength. Then and only then, will we discover, like the changed Paul did, that we can do all things through the power of the living Christ living and abiding within us (Philippians 4:13).

 So what’s left?

 We know we’re called and will be called to do things we never imagined we might do and we know God will give us everything we need to answer and fulfill that call.

 Well, the only thing needed now to put things in motion is our obedience.

 You see, God can call us to a plan, ready to instruct and empower us toward success, but things only move forward when we respond to His calling in action through faith. There’s no doubt that God expects this from us, to not doubt what He’s calling us to do but rather to go when called, compliant to whatever He wants us to do.

 Abraham, Moses, Jonah (and we could even add Noah here), the first disciples, Paul, and Mary, the mother of our beloved Savior Jesus, were all examples of ordinary people like you and me who were called by God for extraordinary purposes and they responded in obedience, even if it had to be coaxed or even forced in some circumstances.

 Going back to Mary, she never questioned what was about to happen to her or choose to debate God through Gabriel about what He was asking her to do. Rather, she submitted fully despite knowing the road ahead would not be an easy one. She didn’t opt to remain a virgin but instead freely received the divine conception of the Holy Spirit, and in doing so, she changed the course of mankind forever.  

 Now I’m not saying the Lord is ready to call you to do something to change mankind but then again, maybe He is because you can never underestimate what God is doing in and through you. Stranger things have happened in the history of creation, that’s for sure, but one thing is certain, being a Christian equals being like Christ. This babe, soon to be born of Mary in Bethlehem’s manger, is no ordinary child. For He would grow up to be a Servant King and not just any servant but a perfect Servant, One who never hesitated to put others ahead of Himself, One who willingly was crucified for us, dying so we might live.

 After all, it was His destiny (remember that He was always about His Father’s business) and it was His Father’s plan for Him to live and die and then rise on the third day, ascending to sit at His right hand and, in doing so, pave the way for all those who believe and trust in Him to follow someday. I pray you are counted in that number.

 And so I close with a few questions:

 How will you respond to this message from the Lord today?

 If you’re not currently serving, will you continue to not do so, serving your own desires instead of the Lord’s and shunning the magnitude of help needed here at our church?  

 Or will you freely give of your time and talent self sacrificially toward the good of others just as Mary did and then as her Son would do, the perfect Servant from whom we draw our identity as Christians.

 Brothers and sisters, as we get set to receive Jesus, the perfect Servant, into our world and our hearts once again, let’s all move forward to the new year with a reinvigorated sense of service, following the lead of Mary and so many others in the Bible who were just like you and me, ordinary people who God chose to use in extraordinary ways, all because they were willing to serve.

 Amen.

 Let us pray.

 Lord Jesus, as we prepare to celebrate Your birth, we thank You for the sacrifices You made on our behalf and the way You humbly served others before Yourself. We pray that we can serve like You did and commit ourselves to Your will and calling…for You are truly the Way and the Truth and the Life…and THE only way to the Father. Reveal Your purpose to us now and in the new year…and guide us to make a difference in the lives of others as we seek to glorify the Father by helping all to know and trust in You. Amen.

 In Christ,

Mark PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com