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popculturebuffet · 4 years ago

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Static Shock: Shock to the System and Aftershock Review

“You know what? 13 years ago, me and some friends sat in a restaurant all night and daydreamed about the kinds of stories we would tell if we had the chance. We wanted to expand the concept of superhero to include characters that kind of looked like us, who had some of the same background, experiences and dreams as we did. We wanted to create something fun that a new generation would respond to the same way we responded to our childhood heroes -and damn if we didn't succeed beyond my wildest dreams. Today, Static Shock is a household name with millions of fans of all ages (Is there stuff I'd do differently? Yeah, almost all of season four but why nitpick?) Static is the most successful thing I've ever helped create and I'm both proud and gratified that people have taken it into their hearts. “

Dwayne McDuffie, Co-Creator of Static and Writer for Static Shock

This review is dedicated to Dwayne McDuffie and Robert L. Washington III. Rest In Power Static Shock is awesome. I grew up with the show watching it both first run on the WB and second run on Cartoon Network and loved it as much as I did other large parts of my childhood courtsey of DC like Batman the Animated Series, Teen Titans and both Justice League Shows. What makes this unique among the DC Properties is that Static wasn’t really a big name when he got a show. He wasn’t even part of the DC Universe.

See as I had no idea for probably a good decade, Static actually came from Milestone Comics, a company ran by and focused on african americans. The goal was understandable: While black heroes existed at the time, and there were some fantastic ones like Storm, Jim Rhodes and Steel... these guys weren’t the center of their universes. The big faces of the big companies, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Hulk, Iron Man, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash.. were white. So milestone was a shakeup of that with the main teams and heroes all being black, from Icon, an alien who’d lived among man but rather than end up in kansas like say superman ended up imprinting on a slave woman centuries ago and has been with us since, who was encouraged by an energetic teenager named Rocket to put on a costume and do something with his powers and his community, Hardware, a tech genius who had his work stolen by a white asshole and wanted to fight back and BLood Syndicate, a group of gang members all caught in the “The Big Bang”, a huge fight between all of Dakota, the midwest city where the comics take place, that ended when the police released a bunch of experimental gas that gave them all super powers.

As most of you who have watched the show already know, this is where Static comes from. Static was the company making their own Spider-Man, i.e. a nerdy teenager who suddenly gets super powers, in this case Virgil Hawkins who at the prodding of a friend took a gun to The Big Bang to get revenge on a bully. .but ultimately couldn’t go through with it, decided it wasn’t him and got rid of the gun and ran.. and still ended up in it, becoming Static, a young hero dedicated to using his powers to fight other “Bang Babies”.. a term that dosen’t really sound that great and they really should’ve thought through. But Phrasing aside the character was great and I look forward to reading more and only haven’t because I have to buy the issues gradually, but DC is currently re-releasing the individual issues of Static, Icon, and Hardware weekly in anticipation of a reboot of Milestone Coming in May digitally on Comixology at only 2 bucks a pop, and rereleased the original print collections that were long out of print for 10 bucks each, though i’m getting static on it’s own since i’ts really not that much less expensive as it only collects four issues while Icon and Hardware both collect 8, so I can wait a bit there on Hardware and already own Icon: A Hero’s Welcome.. and really need to review it at some point.

While Milestone’s output was good, at least from the two books i’ve read, with Robert Washinton III, who sadly not only ahs also passed but was fucking homeless for a while in the 2000′s.. what the actual hell, writing Static alongside Dwayne McDuffie, whose later moved onto animation writing tons of Static episodes all of them classics including the school shooting episode, the first three rubberbandman episodes and both Anasazi episodes. Point is it had good writers and artists and even had a distrbution deal with DC, so they had a leg up on the glut of other comic book companies.. but happened to start at the start of the comic book crash, a huge downturn in sales in the 90′s as the speculator boom, i.e. a bunch of people assuming every number one would be worth golden and silver age money, forgetting a character has to BUILD INTREST and this stuff takes time, and whose attempts to sell fast flooded the market with comics no one wanted,, caused the roof to cave in and with a bunch of assholes pegging milestone as a “Company for black people” rather than you know, a company trying to add fucking diversity and represntation to the comics industry, and that simply wanted a unvierse that was centered around people of color instead of white guys. The company eventually had to shut down, and was left to lisencing. This is where the show comes in. Producers HAD been trying to make shows based on Milestone for a while, as far back as the mid-90s and the company was was all for it but the closest it got was an x-men style team series using various characters whose first draft was terrible and whose second draft by Alan Burnett, a producer on various DC Animated shows who’d go on to produce Static Shock, that McDuffie and others really liked but sadly did not get picked up. eventually though with presistance Static ended up getting a series and as I said McDuffie went on to write for it though he did not develop it. Some changes went into place naturally to make it work for an early 2000′s kids show and while i’ll probably miss so since again, only read one issue as we go. But due to Milestone coming back my intrest was peaking, hence finally reading the copy of Icon I had to buy from the library years ago due to keeping it overdue but am now EXTREMLEY glad I own as i’ts incredibly rare and really damn good, and wanting to read static, doing so lately since it’s finally on digtiial and again not too expensive. So join me as I give you a shock to the system and revisit this hell of a series to see if it holds up.. which just to cut that short it does and i’m only holding off binging MORE because I want the first two eps to be fresh enough in my head to review properly.. and also go over the various voice actors because that’s a thing with me now and charcter co-creator dwayne mcduffie because he’s awesome.

As I like to do when covering a series first episodes, let’s run down the voice cast.

First up is an UTTER LEGEND, and I use the term voice acting legend a lot, and mean it every time and have good reason to use it when I say it, and Phil LaMarr is a GOD in the buisness, having done a metric ton of voice acting roles, and being easily the most proflific black voice actor in animation. He’s also done some acting work, mostly in pulp fiction which I have not seen, but his true staying power and talent is in animation so here’s just the roles I feel are most notable or may not be very notable but i’m bringing up anyway because it’s my list.

His roles besides Virgil include Lester Payton the Texas Ranger who showed up for one very good episode of king of the hill to be badass and show up the hickish, stupid and very punchable local Sheriff, Gearld’s obnoxious older brother Jamie O on Hey Arnold, Hermes Conrad from futurama, Carver from the Weekenders (PUT IT ON PLUS DISNEY), Axel Foley for exactly one bit in Clerks the Animated Series, but anyone whose seen it will know exactly which one, Micheal on the Proud Family, Black Vulcan on Harvey Birdman (In His Pants), Hector Con Carne and Dracula on Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy and Evil Con Carne, Jack on Samurai Jack something I didn’t know for decades (and I didn’t know about the carver thing till today though i’ts obvious in hindsight), John Motherfucking Stewart on Justice League and later Steel and Adult Static in the Unlimited seasons, Osmosis Jones on Ozzy and Drix, Bolbi Strogofski on Jimmy Neutron (And yes i’m just as shocked as you are.), Wilt on Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, Marcus on Life and Times of Juniper Lee, Bull Sharkowski on My Gym Partner is A Monkey and Also a Sociopath Please Help God My Life is a waking nightmare..... okay the rest of that title is implied but we all watched the same show, we all know in our hearts that was the title

Moving on, he was also, and yes there’s MORE: Maxie Zeus on The Batman, Philly Phil on Class of 3000, Both Robertsons AND Fancy Dan on the Spectacular Spider-Man, Jazz on Transformers Animated, Kit Fisto and Bail Organa on Star Wars the Clone Wars, Gambit and Bolivar Trask on Wolverine and the X-Men, Aquaman I, L-Ron and Green Beetle on Young Justice, J.A.R.V.I.S. and Wonder Man (Simon Williams) In Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Gabe and Carny on Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters (Really miss that game and have been snapping up what cards I can get lately), Baxter Stockman in the 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (And there’s also an awesome photo of him with 2003 Baxter... the two best together in one place. I got chills), Dormammu (I’ve come to bargin) in various Marvel Shows, Noville in Mighty Magiswords, Zach’s dad Marcus in Milo Muprhy’s Law, Craig’s Douchey Brother Benard on Craig of the Creek, showing he’s clearly come full circle, And Mr. Scully on the Casagrndes. And given It took about two paragraphs to cover all of this, yeah, I MEANT legend.

Next we have Kevin Micheal Richardson as Virgil’s Dad Robert, and it’s the first time since I started introducing Voice Actors on a show that i’ve overlapped. I already covered him during the second episode of legend of the three caballeros, but for the short version he’s also very acomplished, very damn good and I somehow missed he played the old blind guy in hey arnold> Needless to say the dude is awesome.

Virgil’s Sister Sharon is played by Michele Morgan who was in the rap group BWP and did some smaller roles outside of this the one exception being Juicy on the PJ’s, which I have not watched much of but REALLY do not like, though i’ll at least give it credit for being a decently long lasted black claymation sitcom at at time when there were, and hoenstly still aren’t, many black animated shows.

Back to long casting sheets, next up is Jason Marsden, who is one of my faviorites as i’ve realized recently as Ritchie. As I also found out only recently he started on the Sitcom Step By Step and while that show is .. ehhhhhhhhh, he is great in it because he’s great in everything. He also apparently has his own internet variety show which I have to watch now. His roles include Max Goof, ironically given I was just talking about that role a few days ago, Haku in the english dub of Spirted Away, Micheal, the kid being yelled at by a bunch of 80′s cartoons characters not to take drugs in Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue!, Nermal in the DTV Garfield movies and The Garfield Show, Tino on the Weekenders (SERIOUSLY DISNEY), Snapper Carr on Justice League, Rikochet on Mucha Lucha! for the last season (Why I do not knkow and while I love the guy he was not the right choice), Felix on Kim Possible, Chase Young on Xiaolin Showdown (WHich I did not realize was him and now I do easily his best role and I REALLY should’ve), Red Star and Billy Numerous on Teen Titans, Speedy on Batman Brave and the Bold, Impulse/Kid Flash II on Young Justice, and Fingers on Kaijudo. He hasn’t done as much lately which is a shame but hopefully i’tll pick up again.

Next up is Hotstreak, Virgil’s brutal bully turned unhinted pyromancer played by DANIEL COOKSY, another actor i’m happy to talk about and another faviorite I haven’t seen much of lately. Daniel was an actor from childhood, playing Budnick on Salute Your Shorts, but he quickly gained a long and storied catalogue of VA Work: His first big roll was as Montana Max on Tiny Toon Adventures and if there is a god he’ll be back for the reboot, Stoop Kid on Hey Arnold, the incomprable Jack Spicer on Xiaolin Showdown, far and away his best role and part of why Chronicles sucked so bad was he was he didn’t get to reprise the role, The titular Dave the Barbarian, Django of the Dead on El Tigre (Had no idea), Kicks utterly insufferable big Brother Brad on Kick Buttowski and apparently he’s back at it again after laying low for a bit as he’s voicing Snag in Long Gone Gultch.. which I already really needed to watch but hot damn, I missed him. Sign me up.

Frieda, Virgil’s crush and close friend who in the comics was his main confidante and love intrest but here is eventually pushed aside, is voiced by Danica Mckeller whose work didn’t seem all that familiar.. until I found out she was Ms. Martian on Young Justice. Hello, Megan. Very talented and she did get a major role in a dc show eventually so good for her. Can’t wait for season 4.

So with our major players out of the way, let’s talk about Dwayne. McDuffie is an AWESOME man and my respect has grown for him more and more with time. A writer and editor at Marvel, McDuffie has a decent resume doing smaller but awesome books, which I got most of for free last year when Marvel was giving out free digital collections due to the lock down, like Damage Control, a sitcom set in the marvel universe about the company that picks up after superhero battles and the logistics and antics that insue and Dethlok, about a pacfist trapped inside a cyborg zombie. He was as mentioned one of Milestone’s founders, and wrote Icon, Hardware and co-wrote the first few issues of Static. He’d go on to a pretty stacked career in animation, writing on this show and Justice League before becoming story editor and show runner for Unlimited , even making a return to comics as a result writing the Marvel miniseries beyond and an arc of Fantastic Four in which Black Panther and Storm filled in for Reed and Sue while the two of them worked on their marriage after Reed did.. pretty much everything he did in Civil War. He also became head writer and show runner for Ben 10: Alien Force and Ultimate Alien, revamping the franchise a bit, and Alien Force, at least the first two seasons are awesome and I feel people overreacted on the changes. Ultimate Alien is okay, but has it’s problems but the finale was awesome and left the man’s legacy on a high note.. as he sadly passed in 2011 due to heart complications. He is truly missed and produced some utterly amazing stuff whlie he was alive. So on that melacholy note let’s see what happens when his creation hits the tv screen shall we?

Shock to the System:

This episode is written by Christopher Simmons, who is apparently a huge art designer guy.. but i’m not sure that’s the same chirsptoher simmons. Much more notable is the writer of the episode after this Stan Berkowitz, who was showrunner for season 1 and has done a LOT of DCAU work and is suprising talent, having written a lot of awesome Justice League episodes including Secret Society and The Royal Flush One. Point is we’re in first class hands. Before the episode itself I want to talk about the intro and how it’s unique among DCAU shows. Like most Western Animation the intros for DCAU shows didn’t change much over the seasons with the most I can see is JLU changing up the footage to preview the current episode and later adding Hawkgirl to the intro after her return to the team. I THINK superman the animated series changed some of it’s footage too, but I can’t confrim it and may of just been imagining it. As i’ve talked about on my blog it’s normally a pet peeve of mine, mostly because shows you know, change after season 1, characters get added some one shot characters used for the intro never return, and after a while it can feel dated especially in more recent shows where the status quo is not at all set in stone and things change quite a bit. But sometimes it can be good enough that either the dated elements don’t matter or general enough that you don’t need to change it and i’ts just that good.. and given Batman the Animated Series has both in spades, you can see why i’ts probably my golden standard for intros and after superman the animated series DC mostly followed suit. But being part of the teen superhero boom of the 2000′s Static is unique in that it splits the diffrence: It’s intro gets the character across perfectly like a good intro should starting with Virgil getting out of bed and running a comb across his head before showing off to his sister to bug her and literally running into his dad who hand shim his bag and smiles, silently showing off his family. He then runs to school and runs into some trouble.. and said trouble changes for each intro, with Rubberband Man for season 1, Kanga (Whose name I only know because I happened to run across it) for season 2 and your guess is as good as mine for seasons 3 and 4, though Hotstreak is a constant. They still save some money for seasons 1 and 2 by recycling some animation.. but that’s alright with mea s it was good animation, and the improtant thing is cycling out old villians for new ones, while Season 3 is the only out and out redo to show off Richie taking on the Gear identity, adding about 10 seconds of intro to let him show off. Seriously it’s an utterly great intro and like the other DCAU intros outside of superman, stuck in my brain.

The other change that’s ENTIRELY diffrent from the rest of htem is that the music changes each time. The first two have the same formula just with a difrent vocalist and backing track: a superhero theme but with some hip hop beat boxing over it. The first intro is fine enough, not specattcular but stilll god. The second song.. is eh. Not really great and feels like a marked downgrade from season 1 and just dosen’t blend an ocrehstiral superhero theme with the beatbox elements NEARLY as well. The third song though is my faviorite.. even if I HATED Little Romeo as a kid because I really did not like his nick show, it’s more a straight up rap song, but it has a faster beat that fits the intro better, and Romeo’s bragging fits Virgil’s character and penchant for Spidey quips perfectly. I also find it ironic that the theme that blends in with the dcau the most, the first season’s, is the one from BEFORE they decided to put it in the same universe. Still this season’s intro slaps, I just like the LIttle Romeo one a bit more. The opening scene is picture perfect. Some masked crooks looting a warehouse are loading some stolen TV’s into a van when suddenly the lights come on one by one above one of the crooks before his tv switches to various channels before going haywire. Cue our heroes’ entrance. Let’s tak ea good look at him

Static’s Costume is awesome. While I prefer the season 3 redesign, and clearly DC agrees as the redeisgn was used for both pre and post new-52 when they used him, and while he’s getting a fresh design for the reboot, said design takes a lot of cures from said outfit. As for how the outfit differs from the comics itself this is the design he had in the comics

It didn’t change much from the first issue, with the exception of his now iconic big puffy jacket which was added pretty early into the character’s history but I was unaware of that and just assumed he had the bodysuit the whole time. The more you know. But as you can see outside of the cool puffy jacket over a costume the two couldn’t be more diffrent. While the Dakotaverse outfit is more a standard superhero outfit, with some regular clothes touches on top the first cartoon outfit comes off more realistic, looking fantastic, but still coming off as something two teenagers could realistically have thrown together with what clothes they could buy, while still looking awesomely superheroy. IN short it’s perfect and only topped by the season 3 onward look...

But the slicker look, with an even cooler jakcet and the new colors all fitting the lighting ascetic better, but fits: not only has Virgil come along farther since he started, but with Richie now having a genius brain as Gear, he can provide a far slicker, far more professional superhero outfit on the budget the two have. This show is just great at costume design.

So getting back to the episode at hand, Static puts up a huge sign in elecrticy saying “Bad guys here”, PFFFT, and then hides away and narrates that a few days ago he’d be the last person anyone would’ve expected to be a hero. Cue Flashback.

We meet Virgil Hawkins on an average day: rapping into his razor, getting into a petty argument with his older sister Sharon, as a younger brother myself I relate to this, and talking to his dad who tries to get them to cut that out. We find out his mom has passed via his sister making really terrible eggs and saying that’s how mom made them. Exposition! Though we do get a great bit through this as when his sister gets distracted by her boyfriend calling, he uses the opportunity of her leaving the room to dump the eggs.. after having earlier jokingly prayed to his mom for a way out of breakfast. “Thanks for looking out for me mom” That’s both very sweet and very hilarious.

This is a change from the comics it turns out as I was utterly flored to find Virgil’s mom alive and well when reading the first issue of Static. Turns out this was a change made during development and one Dwane McDuffie admitted in the interview I got the tribute quote from to not liking as he had a good reason for having Virgil have a nuclear family, as most black families in media at the time were just one single parent and a kid or two with the other having either left or died. He wasn’t too bothered by it as while he preferred what he came up with in the first place, the show DID get some really good stories out of her being gone and didn’t just have her be absent because shut up. Virgil is still working over her death and the way HOW she died ends up playing an important role in this episode and gives Virgil a dislike of guns, as she died to gang violence. So the change wasn’t for stupid or racist reasons, but likely both to keep the character count down while giving them something to work with for storylines. Or it could’ve been for stupid reasons and the writers simpily made lemonade out of that very dumb lemon, either way it ended up working. Virgil also plans to ask his friend Frieda out. Frieda was a bigger deal in the comics, being Virgil’s friend and confidante as well as his ocasional love intrest, but here while she was inteded to at least be his love intrest here, that sorta fizzled out. As for the best friend role we meet her replacement in Richie, which McDuffie conceded was the kind of change a studio would make swapping out a female character for a male one. That being said the crew made the best of it and Richie is awesome, a bit of an overcompensating dipstick at times, but a good sounding board and pal for virgil and funny as hell too. He was also gay, something only revealed post series by McDuffie.. but unlike say Dumbledore, it’s a bit easier to swallow here: The early 2000′s were an even worse time for gay characters in tv let alone cartoons, and if they couldn’t kiss or have sex scenes on regular tv, there was no way we were getting any representation in a children’s show. So it was largely just hinted at by Richie overcompensating in how “into girls” he was and i’m once again fine with this being word of god as it was literally the best they could do and his counterpart in the comics was also gay, if not as relevant. Ritch encourages Virgil to work on his opening to ask her out as it’s awkward as heck, hits a bit close to home.. but I do appricate the show just .. having him try and ask her out from the first episode. They likely would’ve drug thigns out a bit granted had they used Frieda more, i’m not blind to the convetions of the time. .but as someone who got the very wrong idea from tv that just waiting around meant a girl would like you eventually, when no you need to actually try even if rejection happens, I honestly wish we had more of this in media than the other garbage morals at the time.

So he prepares to , not helped by her mentioning guy after guy is asking her out.... but before he can F-Stop, the future hotstreak, shows up. F-STOP

That being said...... it’s not as bad as the original gangster name for the comic’s version, Biz Money B. Yes BIZ MONEY B

So yeah while F-Stop is no more intimidating, it at least means I can stop laughing. Francis, because I can’t type F-Stop without laughing and this review is already behind, shoves Virgil out of the way and agressively hits on Frieda, even saying “you smell good”, the international sign your a douchebag and also to call the police. Virgil steps up to the guy and gets PAINFULLY slammed into the lockers, something I give the animation team a lot of credit for, as you can FEEL how fucking painful that was. Virgil is saved by Wade, another local gangbanger who in the comics was a close friend of Virgils but here saves him seemingly just because.. seemingly.

On the way home though Virg’s problems don’t end as naturally, the giant sized asshole with nothing better to do has his goons corner virgil before VIOLENTLY beating him.. off screen but the noises, and the clear brusies including a black eye, on virgil afterwords.. just holy damn i’m suprsied they got away with this but it shows just how horrifing it was and that this is a step above regular bullying, which make no mistake is absoluttley terrible and the series would later do an episode on it and school shootings, into straight up gang violence. Wade shows up again and gets the bastards to flee.. but also makes it clear he can’t keep doing this.. and forces Virgil to meet him at his base under the bridge. And it’s a tense sequence, with Virgil KNOWING this is a bad idea but having no real choice and Wade making it abundantly clear that he wants Virgil to join his crew, and makes a chilling point: while Virgils dad RIGHTFULLY dosen’t want his son to join a gang as Virgil points out.. he can’t be there for him all the time and eventually one of those times, Francis will be around. And he may not surivive that. Virgil nods noncomittaly. At home it gets even more grim as he dosen’t open up to his family, understandably as his dad would jsut say to call the police and well.. we’ve seen how the police treat black people. At best they’d just try and use Virgil as an informant and that likely wouldn’t end fucking well for Virgil. Ritchie points out he can’t join a gang, virgil’s mom died that way.. see told you it’d be important to the plot.. but I like how the story dosen’t offer an easy answer.. well okay he gets electric powers soon enough but without the fantastic element this is just an innocent kid caught between either joining the very thing his mom hated or hoping a system not built to protect him will keep him alive. It’s utterly saddening and chilling and holy shit is it amazing a cartoon in the early 2000′s was able to get away with.. ANY OF THIS, and they handle it great, paired down a bit from the comics but even then it’s still incredibly balsy they got THIS much in.

Naturally Wade calls in his favor and our hero is forced to come running.. and soon finds out Wade’s brought him in for a massive gang war. Welcome to the big bang, baby. He hands Virgil a gun as things get started and Virgil.. drops the thing and tries to escape, in a harrowing sequence.. and runs into Francis because god apparently REALLY hates this kid today. As if to prove that the police show up and while that prevents a beating, they demand they disassemble. then release untested gas on them because of course they do.

As a result the big bang truly begins, with the various gang members getting mutated.. and naturally so does virgil. Though he wakes up the next day seemingly fine. How’d he get home? Does his dad know where he was?

I don’t know and we’re not getting any answers, but Virgil soon finds weird stuff happening like his clock shorting out, change being attracted to him and his razor going wild. It’s only once he get sback to his room he gets an inkling of what’s going on and calls Ritchie to meet him at the Junk yard.. though it is a bit of a dick move as he dosen’t you know, tell him anything about Wade or Francis right away. He does at the yard though.. and that he has powers, having finally figured out how to use them to a point. And the series does provide a decent justification later as to why he’d get this so quickly: Virgil is a smart kid, gets great grades at school and apparnetly there’s even an episode later where he gets a scholarship to a fancy genius school. So him getting how elctromagntisim works or being a quick study on it makes perfect sense.

Richie suggest the obvious.. to become a superhero. And the thought.. hadn’t occured to Virgil. It’s honestly a nice twist on the old trope. That he hadn’t thought of it, not because he’s selfish or any of that or needs to learn a hard lesson, those have been done.. simply because the rush of getting his powers, and implicitly of having a way out of his current predciament, a way to keep Francis off his back and keep Wade from pulling him in further. His own path. But once i’ts brought up.. he jumps on it. Part of it is being a nerd like you or I, of course he wants to.. and being a good intetioned one, he knows this is the right thing to do. It’s waht makes a superhero a hero: Anyone can get powers in a universe like this, esepcailly the dcau, but it takes true courage and heart to use them selflessly and knowing you’ll be in danger. It’s why I love surperheroes: they often didn’t ask for this but they do it anyway because somebody’s gotta. We also get an intresting wrinkle is superman is, at least I think in this episode I could’ve missed it or misremembered things, mentioned as a fictional character. That’s because originally like the comics this wasn’t part of the DCAU.. but eventually the crew decided it shared staff from it, shared a network, both first run and on reruns, why not just make it part of the DCAU proper. I fully support this decisionf: While i’m midly annoyed unlimited never really used anything from static shock outside of Static himself in the time travel episode, despite you know Static and Gear having BEEN to the tower and not being much younger than Kara and defintely older than Courtney, I chalk it up to weird rights issues or something like that. But having Batman, Batman Beyond, Superman, Green Lantern and the Justice League itself all guest star was a good idea, and expanded both static’s universe and gave the DCAU something differnt as most heroes in it were older and more experinced in contrast to the up and coming virgil. Again really would’ve been nice if he and gear could’ve been a part of the expanded league but production might of just been too far ahead or, given he had his own series, they might just have wanted to stick to toher characters. Also begs the question why Icon or Hardware wasn’t adapted for the expanded League but hey, questions for later and the tricky logisitics of the milestone rights might’ve been the issue. I don’t know I wasn’t in the room.

So we get a costume montage, including Black Vulcan from Superfriends, who again ironically would be voiced by Lamarr not too long after this, though weirdly they DON’T use his outfit from the comics for this montage. I mean why not? It fits the gag and would’ve been a good second to last choice.But what could’ve been aside we get our winner and cut back to present day...

Thanks boys. Static finds out one of the things in the warehouse is a shipment of computers for the school and can’t help but show off, showing up to the school, where Frieda and Richie are setting up for the dance, and dropping off the computers, and even saying his catchphrase for the first time “I’ll put a shock to your system” (Which Richie chimes in with awesome line and I agree, great catcphrase), before helping set up and flirting with frieda.

Though as Richtie says he’s a natural. He’s not wrong as he can work a crowd. .but back it up too as his first run out had him easily taking out the crooks, and as many teen superheros and fans of heroes of hte type, myself included will tell you, getting it right in one is not easy. Not even Miles MOrales was immune. All Static needs now is a villian.

And the end of the episode provides one as we see, in horrifc and once again damn suprising detail most of hte new metas aren’t doing so good and are melting and other stuff and we catch up with Francis whose burning up.. and naturally given that hair, though given he named himself F-Stop it’s the least of his problems, he’s got fire powers and escapes to “Have me some fun”

So with that we end episode 1. And it’s excellent, a great way to introduce the hero and while the warehouse opening is a bit superflous, it is a decent addition, showing our heroes first outing in costume and giving us a bit of an action scene to get us through the very heavy rest of the episode. But the rest of the episode is no less grippping, telling the tale of a teen caught in an unwinnable scenario who suddenly finds a way out. And speaking of which waht of Wade? Will we see him again? Is he perhaps Ebon, the series big bad as I thought when I was a kid? What comes of the man who directly caused static’s origin?

Yeahhh that’s the one mistep I think the pilot makes. Frieda is understandable as that was likely a simple change in creative direction. This though? Why build this guy up if your not going to bring him back. I mean where he went was probably the grave, as he probably did due to his mutation, but it’s still VERY weird to spend a whole episode focusing on this guy, building him up as a big personal threat to our hero.. and NOT have him become the series big bad. And maybe he WAS supposed to be ebon and they just changed their mind. I don’t know but it bothers me it bothers me a lot. Otherwise though flawless. ONe more to go.

Aftershock: We open outside an electronics store, as our heroes watch the news reacap what happened in the first episode, with the media dubbing it the Big Bang and revealing their could be hundreds of “Metahumans”, as Virgil dubs after deciding the media’s term “Mutant” dosen’t fit, a nice wink to the fact that that’s the term used in dc comics and I believe milestone but could be wrong there. Me I like the term, has a nice ring to it.

At the store while Richie mulls over waht this means Static finds out he’s a human CD player.... this was before mp3 players and streaming on your phone made them horribly obsolete mind you and if you don’t know what one is congradualtions you live in some sort of bubble and you made me feel really old junior.

Frieda happens to be there and Virgil quips “What’s the matter they run out of britney cds”. Dude she’s not bad. Also be careful what you wish for man. Nickeback returned the year after this. You have not truly suffered through bad music yet my young friend. They spot a kid looking feverish, and he soon turns into a purple werewolf, as you do. It’s a bang baby.. those are richie’s exact word and you may not want to start a panic there bud. Just saying your best friend is one. THeir not all like this. Our heroes book it only to run into Francis who naturally refuses to let them leave and only doesn’t try to beat up Virgil because Virgil points otu the werewolf and nonplussed, he goes to fight it, scarring it off by revealing his own powers. He’s now dubbed himself Hotstreak which points for getting an actually good name kid. No points for what happens next as unsuprisingly getting powers did NOT mak ehim a better person and he attacks Virgil who blocks with a garbage can lid and thankfully is blasted into an ally. Richie tries to guard frieda for damn obvious reasons but gets hsi shirt burnt up because shut up Thankfully Static shows up, and we get our firsdt full on superhuman fight as both fight each other with aplomb, and it’s a damn good fight.. and one that goes pear shaped for Virg as he’s caught off guard when he finds out Hotstreak can use his powers to fly, and tackles him and his previous trauma causes him to freeze up. Thankfully , as Frieda put in a call earlier, the fire department arrive and HOt streak has to retreat, though Virgil is bummed that he “Choked”. And I love this as it not only shows Virgil’s inepxerince, as this is his first time fighting a bad guy but that just because he HAS power now dosen’t mean trauma and his previous fear of Hotstreak goes away or you won’t freeze up from time to time. It dosen’t make him weak or anything like some assholes would call it .. it makes him human. Humans make mistakes, and it makes him all the more relatable that he’s not pefect and that he did freeze up as I know I certainly would at last once in the circumstances.

Things don’t get better at dinner as Sharon and Pops argue over the bang babies with Pops calling them a meance and Sharon pointing out Static exists so they can’t all be bad. See assuming a group of superhumans are bad because a handful of them ar edick sis why the x-men had to get their own island nation. You can only save an ungreatful populous so many times before you say “fuck it i’m getting my own island, pay me for life saving drugs, save your damn selves and stop doing genocides on us. Kay thanks”. But he does bring up a valid point that rattles his son: We don’t know anything about the Bang Babies or their biological structures and it’s likely they might further mutate into monsters, Static included.

Virgil, understandably, wants to check this and thus he and richie compare blood samples in science, to no real conclusion. She he checks out with his doctor who assumes he’s sexually active in a great getting crap past the radar bit and a bit of realisim, but he agrees to the test though if something came up he would have to tell Virgil’s dsad and is up front about this. Nice dose of realisim.

That night City Council has a meeting and the Mayor TRIES to deflect Papa Hawkins questions about the bang babies which again, while being a judgmental ass as not every person hit was a gang member (Virgil, and as we discover later some others), and not every gang member is there by choice, some by circumstnace some, like virgil almost was, because they HAD no other option. Again years of reading x-men may of just made me a bit touchy on assholes admitely assuming superpower people bad. But it’s clear the public is upset and while she says an investigation is underway... Virgil and Richie are not only not convinced, but figure she’s actively covering it up. And unlike everyone else there who probably suspects the same, they can do something about it and tail her. It’s during this, and cleverly as I didn’t realie till writing this using similar skills to his human cd player act, Virgil listens in and discovers whose behind it: Edwin Alva, whose apparently richer than bill gates and a beloved phinarophist Alva, as it turns out, was actually the arch enemy of Hardware in the comics, taking advantage of the guy in his civiliian idtentiy and thus casuing him to launch a war on the asshole. He does transition into this series well though, being the one behind the gas that caused it and with the mayor agreeing to back off, planning to simply dump the info about the big bang on a disc then destroy everything for now till the heat dies down. Yup sounds like a corprate douchebag.

Static tails him, finds the lab and infiltrates it, stealing the disc.. but getting caught by Alva’s goon, and trapped in a glass prison, forced to use ALL his power to escape and barely getting out alive, but not before bouncing off alva’s car. Still he now has the proof.. and meanwhile Hotstreak, who I was wrong did get captured, is forced to take pill sbut spits them out once the orderly is gone. Dude.. WHY DIDN’T YOU WATCH HIM. Make sure he swallows that shit especially since, as he has no powers right now and can’t harm you.

Hotstreak escapes off screen and our heroes discuss the disc before he shows up, and we get a REALLY fucking amazing scene: Virgil ducks into an Alleway and ritchie is worried.. and Virgil disarms him with just one word responses Ritchie: Virg you can’t take him. Virgil: Gotta. Ritchie: Well at least wait for the fire department Virgil: Can’t. It’s simpile but it gets the point across: This is his fight, he can’t wait for help, and people need him. And this is what makes a true hero: It’s easy to be a hero when everythings going well.. but it’s the true ones who stick it out against the odds and fight anyway. And he’s going to. So we get one hell of a fight, though naturally Hotstreak burns up the disc. And I do like this as it dosen’t feel contrived.. yes Static could’ve left it with ritchie.. but he wasn’t thinking in the moment and dind’t really have time to think abotu the disc, only that people were being hurt and he was all they had between them and Hotstreak. It was no choice at all. Still that pisses Virgil off that the last night’s work is now worthless, and he fully charges up and curbstomps francis who retreats into a clearing. Hostreak brags when static follows, as even he’s figured out Static needs to be around metal, as he’s usually on his disc or the street, and in the park there suppodsidly isn’t any. But he’s not THAT smart as Virgil points out two things: one, he hoped to do this on PURPOSE so they wouldn’t be around people and no on e would get hurt and 2).. this is a city, there’s metal everywhere.. and he awesomely and cleverly proves it by unlodging a sewage pipe with his powers and dousing his foe, winning and proving his stuff. I love this solution, it’s a clever spider-man type way to disarm him, using smarts and the einvroment instead of just brute forcing it. Though the sewage part wasn’t intetional our hero still won and gets praise from the people dumb enough to follow the fight.

However at home Virgil points out it was Pyrrhic Victory and shows off his smarts by telling the tale behind it, which I didn’t know,because tv tropes didn’t exist yet: king pyrhus fought the romans and WON.. but had so little armies left that he still lost overall. That’s what this feels like to Virgil: he beat hotstreak but any chance at a cure for Bang Babies and Alva going to jail for causing them is gone. His mood does get a boost though as the doctor calls and reveals he’s fine, he just has a bit too much elctrolytes and just needs to lay off teh salt. He celebrates, we get a quick gag and the episode ends

Aftershock is another stellar episoe, giving us Virgil’s first super foe and a personal one at that, while showing some growth. As richie tells him he’s not virgil anymore he’s static and he can’t let his past get to him.. and he does’nt going from cowering in fear to easily beating his foe with simple logic. It’s a good followup that answers questions you may have from the first ep, like what does this do to virgil’s body, who supplied the gas, and why has no one done anything about this, and sets up another villian for Static in Alva. Great stuff. I highly recommend these episodes and the show as a whole: it’s fast paced, grounded and enjoyable, having just enough levity to not be too dour but just enough tension and stakes to be intresting. A throughly fantastic superhero show and one that i’d certainly love to revisit on this blog If you have an episode of static or the dcau in general you’d want me to cover, my comissions are open and details are on a tab on my blog or can be gotten simply by asking me via ask or dm. Tommorow we’re going deeper underground, there’s too much damage in this town as the Lena Retrospective continues. So expect gay ducks, straight ducks and some terrfirmains. See you next rainbow.

#static shock #static #virgil hawkins #richie foley #robert hawkins #sharon hawkins #hotstreak #milestone comics #dc comics #dc animated universe #dcau #dwayne mcduffie #robert l washington IIII #kids wb #hbo max #2000s #animation #black lives matter #black history month

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mileycyprus-hill · 4 years ago

Text

Previous chapters found in my masterlist.

Warnings: Lots of angst. Anxiety/panic attack trigger warning marked with ** and ends with ...

A huge loving thanks to my proof-readers who helped me finish this heart-breaking chapter.

Chapter 7, end of Part 1.

“And you’re sure this is what you want to do?” Thomas Birner asks, his tone clear.

He sits across from you in their modest dining area in the upstairs apartment. Wood paneling in a deep cherry color surrounds you in the small room, giving you a sense of cozy security. An emerald green rug sits underneath the dining room set, extending beyond the neatly organized wooden chairs that match the walls.

Your eyes dart down and peer at the exquisite detail of the rug underneath the toes of your black leather boots.

“Yes,” you answer softly. “I’m sure of it...It’s what’s best.” You return your gaze to Thomas’ large, chestnut eyes. It’s like staring into the eyes of a living doll: lids blinking automatically with long, dark lashes and white light reflecting off their glassy surface.

Hands together and fingers interlaced upon the polished table, you remain seated in your chair across from him. Christine sits to your right at the end of the square dining table, remaining silent with a solemn look. She looks so clean and polished with her light, sandy hair neatly held into a simple bun with a silver brooch. Her pale blouse with its intricate lace and her long, dark skirt are freshly pressed with clean lines and minimal wrinkles.

Thomas asks again, “And the father, Arthur? He’s sure of this too?” His voice carries the same comforting empathy he gave you the first time you met him, all those months ago. It’s been a year now since you’ve first stepped into that office. A year of burden and upset; months of child-bearing followed by the subsequent birth and development of your son who is still unaware of his place in the growing world.

“Yes,” you reply bluntly. Your interlaced fingers tighten and your knuckles turn white.

You begin to explain, “Y’see, Arthur’s back home, packing our things. We’ve...decided to move. That’s why he couldn’t come.”

Thomas and Christine remain silent while you speak.

“We’re sort of in a hurry. Got quite the caravan traveling with us and time is of the essence.” You recite as if you’ve practiced these words on your way to town over and over again, forcing yourself to believe them.

“We understand.” Thomas replies.

Christine’s voice finally enters the conversation with a gentle air, like the breath of a fresh spring morning.

“Thank you for coming to us,” she says, “It truly means a lot.”

With a tender touch, she reaches to you and places her hand upon yours. She gently taps your hands a few times with the faintest of touches. Her manicured nails are shiny and polished in contrast to your brittle, stained nails.

You tighten your lips into a polite smile that quickly fades. The two of them almost simultaneously follow your movements as you stand and step towards the entryway near the stairs.

They step behind you in line as you walk to the top step before turning back to them. Your jaw feels tight and your face droops wearily.

There they stand before you, the image of a perfect couple. Beautiful, loving, kind, financially stable. They both look at you with sympathy in their eyes. A rectangular window sits high on the wall behind them down the end of the hallway. The rays of sunlight shine through the glass and break upon the crowns of their heads. You see the light cascade their heads like heavenly halos.

Oh, how you envy them. You swallow the jealousy that threatens to choke your throat like burning bile erupting from your stomach.

“We’ll...see you soon?” Christine asks.

“Of course,” you rasp. With fluttering blinks of your eyelids, you turn to descend the stairs. Each step of your boots creates a hollow echo against the wood.

Time begins to slow as you reach the end of the stairs and cross the doorway of their office.

The air clears once you step outside into the open, dusty street. You breathe a ragged sigh and mount your horse. The red dust speckles his ebony legs as he stands alone on the dirt road, hitched to a wooden post.

Your body sits in the saddle and moves fluidly in time with König’s gentle canter out of town. The two of you ride as one being; synced and sensitive to each other’s moods. He breathes with a tense huff that mirrors yours, feeling the stress that tightens the muscles in your legs and arms. It stays with you like an awful venom from a snakebite, coursing its way through you both as you ride back to camp.

You see the familiar tent post belonging to the tall shelter of Dutch. Its towering pitch stands out amongst the surrounding tents and juniper trees. The white canvas is kept taught and the fabric ripples minutely in the peaceful wind.

Dutch is leaning against the post with a thick cigar in his fingers, bringing it to his lips. He blinks at the sound of hoof beats and turns his head to watch you enter camp. A small puff of smoke escapes his lips and billows in front of his face before fading into the breeze.

He knows where you have gone and scans your face that hides beneath your wide-brimmed hat. He looks for any sign of emotion that could tell him what you’ve done.

Keeping your head held down, you walk past his tent.

His deep baritone doesn’t make you falter this time when he asks you.

“So, have you finally made a—”

“Yes, Dutch. I have.” You interrupt bitterly without hesitation, still walking to your tent where Isaiah remains sleeping. The flaps of your tent are now drawn back like curtains, tied in place and welcoming you inside.

Arthur sits upright on your cot and watches over Isaiah. With one hand, he places his hat upon his head and stares into the makeshift bassinet. It’s as if he’s hypnotized by this small child of his. Arthur slowly places other hand on the edge of the bassinet, gently rocking it.

“How is he?” You ask softly to avoid awaking Isaiah.

Arthur turns to you in a mild startle. He hadn’t heard your approaching footsteps, only the light breathing from his sleeping son. He looks up at you, eyeing your face and noticing your pensive sadness.

“He’s fine,” Arthur answers with a stillness, “Still hasn’t woke up...Where’d you run off to so early?”

“To town,” you state, pushing your thumbs beneath the wide belt that holds your skirt in place. “I had an errand to run.” Avoiding eye contact, you instead look over the features of Arthur’s face: his structured nose, plump lips, his marked chin, and sharp jaw. Short stubbles cover his lower face, like a dark shadow.

Arthur stares at you in silence, as if trying to understand. He’s sure he does, but there remains a glimmer of hopeful doubt that what he hears behind your words is not true.

“So...you heard the news, then?” He asks, “That we’re leavin’?”

“Yeah, I heard.” You reply coolly, maintaining your composure.

Arthur opens his mouth to speak, but is interrupted by a whimpering cry from the bassinet. Isaiah wakes hungrily with his cry growing louder, bringing his balled fists up to his chubby cheeks that quickly turn red.

Taking your cue, you step forward past Arthur and gingerly scoop Isaiah from his little bed.

Arthur watches you silently, desperately wanting to say more but, his courage to speak is now lost. He can only watch you and Isaiah, holding onto each other as the baby nurses. Every day, Arthur watches you and feels racked with guilt.

Picking your head up, you finally look into Arthur’s eyes. The pair of you hold so much misery and pain in your eyes. So much so that perhaps the faintest touch could cause you both to collapse into an external sorrow.

The uncomfortable silence is broken by your voice.

“Would you mind helping me with something, Arthur?” You ask.

Maintaining eye contact, he answers, “Anythin’.”

He answers with such eagerness; willing to do your bidding if it meant he could be near you and have your attention.

“I need to go back to town...With—”

“Arthur! (Y/N)!” Dutch’s booming voice interrupts, startling the three of you inside your tent.

Your heart beats heavily while Isaiah startles in your arms but promptly returns to feeding. You turn to hide your exposed breast from Dutch as he steps closer to the tent.

Dutch abruptly stops once realizing, the dirt sliding underneath his feet.

“Oh! My apologies.” Dutch says, averting his eyes from you and looking down to Arthur who remains seated on your cot. “Arthur, I need to speak with you.”

Arthur’s heart also hammers wildly in his chest, feeling a different emotion. He hides his annoyance under his hat while his steely eyes look up from beneath the low brim. He remains seated on his spot.

“What is it?” Arthur asks, keeping his voice low.

Dutch speaks urgently, “I need you to ride out with me. I know of a new place we can go to...A new home. And I need you with me to check it out...Make sure there’s no trouble with the ‘previous tenants’.”

Arthur looks up at Dutch with an angry look, but pulls back the tone of his voice.

“Why me? Take John with ya instead.” He talks back.

Looking over your shoulder, you watch Dutch’s reaction towards Arthur’s attitude. His thick eyebrows rise in surprise and quickly furrow in a soft anger.

He speaks lowly, “He is coming, as a matter of fact. I need you both. Now c’mon.”

Dutch turns to leave before Arthur interjects.

“But I already promised to help (Y/N) with somethin—”

A cold stare interrupts him, followed by Dutch’s unyielding tone of voice.

“(Y/N) will be fine,” he cuts quickly, “There’s other people here to help her and Isaiah. Now I need you, son. So hurry up!”

His voice rises and cracks at his final utterance. With a wave of his hand, he leaves to saddle his horse at the edge of camp.

Arthur breathes a heavy sigh, looking up at you sympathetically before reluctantly rising off the cot.

“I’m sorry.” he says to you, giving you a quick glance over his shoulder as he steps out.

You remain standing, holding Isaiah in your arms and feeling a swirl of emotions rise in your chest. Anger. Fear. Resentment. They bubble and boil in your chest, constricting your heart and filling your lungs.

You watch Arthur pack his things into his leather bag: his journal, a couple cans of food, and his canteen. He grabs his bedroll and steps to attach it to the back of his saddle.

Now awake with a full belly, Isaiah kicks his hanging feet as you hold him upright against your side. He’s able to support his own head now and his eyesight has improved these past few months. As you walk closer to Arthur’s open tent, Isaiah watches him walk to his horse. He appears intrigued by Arthur’s movements and the sound of his clinking items.

Arthur tightens the girth on his horse’s saddle when he hears a squealing babble from Isaiah behind him. He turns to look at you both, standing there before him. His heart swells as he watches Isaiah smile and squeal at him.

Isaiah reaches out to Arthur with his chubby hand and points with a short finger, while the other hand is gripped on your shoulder. A gentle breeze wisps the short, feathery hairs on his little head.

With his long strides, Arthur walks to you. His eyes dart back and forth between your eyes and Isaiah’s. Yours appear glassy while Isaiah’s remain wide with a blissful innocence. Arthur reaches a rough, calloused hand up to Isaiah’s head, softly brushing against his silky hair before resting a thumb upon his supple cheek.

Your eyes never leave Arthur’s face, watching him smile and whisper to Isaiah.

“I’ll see you soon,” he tells you both, his eyes fixed on his son.

Your voice cracks when you finally speak, “Arthur, I...”

His gaze slowly rises to you, watching you struggle. The words are caught in your throat as you look into those blue eyes. You hope he understands what you’re trying to say.

He places a gentle hand on your shoulder.

“It’ll be okay. I’ll be back soon.” he says, turning away to mount his horse. He reluctantly steps into the stirrup and effortlessly hoists himself with his back to you. With a turn of his head, he looks over his shoulder and tips his hat to you before spurring his horse to follow Dutch.

You stand there, watching him fall behind John and Dutch as they ride out. Soon, their figures shrink in the distance and disappear into the red hills. All that’s left of them is the subtle trail of dust lingering behind them.

A pair of light footsteps approach you and a calm, nasally voice speaks from behind.

“I take it Arthur won’t be going with you.”

You turn to see Hosea standing straight with his arms behind his back. His eyes crinkle and his lips turn into a small smile at Isaiah’s babbling response. The smile falters at the sight of your glassy eyes and silent demeanor. He breathes a deep and troubled sigh. A silent moment passes as he recalls your troubled thoughts you spoke to him early this morning. He’s grateful for your trust in him. It’s a gift very few people give him.

“You sure you want to do this?” He asks you calmly.

You remain silent and can only nod in response, keeping your steeled composure. You hand your infant son to Hosea and move to your tent that is pitched just a few strides away. Hosea’s soft hands hold Isaiah in a firm yet gentle grip.

You enter your tent to open the drawer of your nightstand and retrieve a long, dark sling. It’s navy blue and made of a soft woolen fabric, at least three feet long and a foot wide. It cascades down your arm and its hem barely brushes against the ground.

Standing outside, Hosea stares into Isaiah’s eyes. They’re so much like Arthur’s; bright blue orbs that turn green in the sunlight. A sparkle of amber shines near his pupils, like a lonely flame buoyed out in the lonely sea.

Turning back to him with the long cloth in hand, you let the moment pass in silence, allowing Hosea to hold him in his arms one final time. He looks so comfortable, being a grandfather. The tiny crow’s feet emerging at the corner of his eyes wrinkle tightly as he gazes into Isaiah’s radiant eyes. Tiny fingers grasp at Hosea’s chin and rub against his freshly shaved skin, and Hosea reacts with a broken chuckle. He kisses the little palm at his lips tenderly, breathing in Isaiah’s soft touch.

Hosea senses your eyes on him and looks to you. The subtle joy on his face is replaced with a stoic look. He finally hands your infant son to you and helps you wrap him onto your back.

The long sling crosses your chest in an ‘x’ and wraps around your waist, holding Isaiah close against your back in a tight cocoon. He rests his cheek against your back while his bare legs hang freely on the sides.

With a light hand against your lower back, Hosea helps you step into the stirrup of your saddle and bring yourself up onto your horse. His hands firmly hold you from behind and guide you up safely as you set yourself upon your tall steed.

The two of you ride off into the same red hills, towards that familiar home where Isaiah was born.

...

The front door remains closed and locked, with only the opportunity to glance through the painted letters on the large window pane. Behind the closed door stand the four of you, secluded in the small waiting area with the only source of light coming from the high sun shining through the bay windows. The rays of light burst through in sharp angles, separated from each other by the crossed muntins that support each pane of glass. Speckles of dust float freely in the bright glare.

“Write to us, will you?” Christine asks, “We’ll always keep in touch...”

Her voice cracks slightly. Whether by joy or sympathy, you don’t know. Thomas stands by her side in silence, his hands deep in his pockets. The chain of his pocket watch clinks softly as he fumbles his fingers within the layer of fabric.

Christine’s eyes begin to water, “...let you know how he’s doing.”

You smile lightly at her generosity, honored to still be a small part of his life.

“Yes. I’d like that,” You croak, “very much.”

Isaiah remains sleeping in Christine’s arms. The gentle ride to town coupled with your warmth quickly put him to sleep. He lays bundled in the navy-colored sling, held close to Christine’s body. His head rests in the crook of her elbow and his cheeks are flushed from the heat of the sun.

Your heart races wildly as you lean in to kiss Isaiah on his supple cheek. Perhaps the final kiss you’ll ever give him. Your teeth bite your lower lip as punishment of the thought. The absence of his weight in your arms, in your lap...it’s almost unbearable. The emptiness weighs heavier on you than the weight you carried those nine months. Heavier than Isaiah’s growing body that you would rest on your hip.

He stirs gently at your kiss and begins to whimper.

“Goodbye, my son.” You whisper, and look to Thomas and Christine. They look to you with unspoken sympathies while you turn away.

Hosea stands by the door, hat in his hands. His lips are pursed tightly and his bloodshot eyes look ahead to the street as he opens the door, allowing you to step out first. It’s as if the small town has been abandoned just for this moment. The street is empty and quiet without a soul around. Your horses’ heads stay low, mirroring your moods. Their reins lay unhitched over their withers, evidence of a swift meeting that requires no securement to a post.

Behind you, Isaiah wakes and sputters out a cry. Unyielding to his call, you mount your horse and keep your gaze on Hosea who does the same. Looking to him and only him is the only thing keeping you anchored and unchanged.

Hosea gives you a gentle nod and leads the way with a subtle kick of his heels. Your vision blurs from the tears that fill your eyes. Isaiah’s cries grow louder and more frantic as he watches you ride away, but you force yourself not to turn.

You don’t watch him reach out to you. You don’t see him struggle in Christine’s arms. You don’t look back to him desperately flexing his little fingers as he tries to grasp at you, unable to comprehend the fact he cannot reach you despite you being in his field of view. He fails to comprehend the distance between you two. You’re just there, right there in front of him, but you will not turn back to him. He cannot know why you are leaving him. He cannot understand.

He struggles to enunciate your name as he calls to you—uttering his first word.

“Mmmah! Mmmah! Maaamaaah!”

The stamping of hooves below you drown out Isaiah’s cries while you ride further on. Soon you are out of range, but you still hear his cries echoing in your ears. The sun sits high in the sky, miles above the horizon in front of you, and nearly blinds you with its light. After some time riding, you’re near the familiar topography that marks the camp. Anxiety rises in your chest at the thought of returning with empty arms.

Can you continue on without him? Can you go on, not knowing where you’ll be next? How long can you mindlessly follow the patriarch of your gang wherever he decides to go?

Can you bear to look at Arthur again? Will the regret of your mistakes ever subside if you remain near?

Hosea notices your horse stopping behind him, as if your steed König could sense your hesitancy. With a gentle pull of his reins, Hosea turns his own horse towards you.

He doesn’t speak or ask questions; only waiting patiently and silently for you.

“I need to be alone for a while,” you tell him, choking back sobs and staring down at König’s thick, black mane.

Hosea nods his head softly in understanding. He turns his head to watch the members of the gang pack up what’s left of the camp. They continue on as if unaware of your return. His amber eyes drop down before he defeatedly turns back to you.

“Take all the time you need. We’ll pack up the rest.” He consoles.

With a squeeze of your legs, you lead König away until Hosea’s voice stops you. He speaks tenderly and with hesitation. As if to prevent the sound of his voice from cracking you further into shattered pieces.

“(Y/N)?” He asks.

You silently look over your shoulder at him, seeing the hurt in his eyes that mirror yours.

“I’ve always thought of you as my daughter and...I’ll always be proud of you. No matter what.” He assures you. With a nod of his head and a tight-lipped smile, he permits you to go.

A hot tear slips from the corner of your eye and paints your cheek in a single streak, dripping down from your quivering chin. You blink your eyes slowly in a loving response, followed by a curt nod.

The absence of words creates such a deafening silence between you two; only communicating further through your eyes, your brows, your downturned lips, and the slow, shallow breaths that rise and fall from your chests.

With a turn of your steed, you nudge forward with Hosea and the camp behind you and the afternoon sun before you.

König’s large strides lead you to a cliff’s edge overlooking the bay. It’s completely silent. The only sounds come from the gentle waves splashing against the rocks down below.

You slide off König and walk to the edge. Your breaths are shallow and quick. The crisp sea air cuts your throat like jagged glass. The air expelled from your lungs slices through your teeth and you struggle to inhale. A vice grips at your heart, squeezing tighter and tighter as you struggle to draw in air.

Dropping to your knees, you claw at the ground, wheezing in a panic. It’s as if gravity has lost its protective hold on you and you’re lifting to the sky in a dreadful fright. The red dirt cakes under your fingernails and chips its fragile edges. You lean forward and drop your head to the warm dirt. Your forehead rests on both your hands, now clenched into fists. The arch of your back rises and falls unsteadily. You cannot hold back the agonizing grief that is torturing you from within.

Drawing your head closer to your body, you feel the open space around you closing in. Like a heavy, suffocating blanket wrapping around your tense body. The fibers of your clothes scratch against your skin like the prickles of a cactus and warms you in a feverish heat.

The air reserved in your lungs is released into a harrowing scream. The tension rises in your skull as you let out the mournful wail until it can no longer be choked out of you.

A gasping inhale is drawn in and another wail escapes you, as if you’ve been impaled and the pain is unbearable. Head drawn to the sky, you look to the heavens and scream.

Perhaps to ask why.

Why was this commanded of you? ...

The space that marked camp is nearly bare. All that remains are the wagons, filled with essentials and minor valuables. Two covered wagons and a heavy carriage rest in an orderly line, each with a pair of oxen and horses waiting in their yokes. A few pallet boxes and a short table are left out in the dirt with no room for them to fit.

Everyone waits for the return of Dutch and the boys. They sit patiently and chat amongst themselves in subtle tones, like a quiet congregation awaiting the priest. Their voices are laced with grief and sadness, no different than those in mourning. Each wagon is adorned with a single oil lamp, hanging off the edge or resting on an open space in the back. With the glass-covered flame inside them, the white canvas of the covered wagons glow dimly like large lamps as darkness begins to fall.

Hosea sits on one of the boxes near the area that marks Arthur’s space. Facing the growing darkness with the light behind him, he rests his elbows on his knees, fiddling with a folded letter in his hands. He’s careful not to smudge the ink that was fresh just an hour ago. His fingers run against the pressed crease of the fold. He hasn’t opened it, and refuses to look inside.

What’s the point in reading if he can already guess the words you have written? The pain and grief transfers from your soul to his through the dry ink on the paper. It permeates the parchment like a distant warmth from a fire on bare skin. He reads your words like a fortune teller reading a face-down card. He knows you well enough to predict what you’ve said. It was written on your face when you came back.

Waiting in silence, Hosea thinks of what he should’ve done better. He should’ve stood by your side—not played neutral between you, Arthur and Dutch. He should’ve urged Arthur more towards your side. He should’ve made you turn around and walk right back in that office. Should’ve stopped you from going in the first place. Should’ve stood his ground with Dutch. Should’ve let Arthur go with you. Should’ve made you stay.

Should’ve stopped you from packing your things and saying goodbye when you returned from your private moment. Should’ve torn up the letter in front of your face, prompting you to reconsider.

What would Bessie think of me? He wonders. Oh, Bessie. I wish you were here.

The soft clanking of horseshoes against dry, rocky soil sound from behind the wagons. Hosea remains seated, slowly turning his head to look over his shoulder. He watches Dutch trot from the dark into camp with a pleased smile, with John and Arthur right behind him. It may be dark, but it appears the boys are not as pleased as him.

Another one of Dutch’s disappointing lectures, I assume.

Pearson slides off the back of a wagon, his feet planting heavily on the ground before approaching the trio.

“Well, find anything?” He asks with optimistic hope, adjusting the waistband across his rotund belly.

“Yes, Mr. Pearson. We have indeed.” Dutch responds in his usual confidence. He drops his reins and dismounts with a loud, tired sigh of relief.

“There’s a settlement up near the Colorado border,” he continues, “Started during the gold rush and now it’s nothing but cattle ranchers looking for farm hands. Figured we’d make some easy money and get to know them a little bit.”

Like a snake oil salesman hitting it lucky with a town full of old biddies, Dutch sneers in delight at the thought of new suckers to swindle.

While Dutch talks of new opportunities and rich pursuits, Arthur scans the empty camp for any sign of you and Isaiah. He was half-tempted to leave Dutch and John behind and ride as quick as he can back to camp. Goosebumps rose high on his skin the entire ride back and they remain while he looks for you. He felt nervous during the ride back. A worry crept in the back of his mind all day and he just has to silence it. But once his eyes land on Hosea, it refuses to subside.

Hosea turns in his seat, the folded letter in his hands. The stoic features are erased and replaced with weary eyes and a wrinkled frown that’s carved deep.

“Where’s (Y/N)?” Arthur questions him.

Hosea merely stands, straightening his back as he faces Arthur. Despite his tall stance, Hosea stands as if balancing a heavy weight on his shoulders. His shoulders are slouched and his chin is drawn low while his eyes stare ahead at Arthur.

Without a word, he answers Arthur’s question by holding out the letter. His eyes remain fixed on Arthur’s features, watching his changed expression.

Arthur’s lips part at the sight of the ivory paper, folded in half in Hosea’s outstretched hand.

With a subtle shake of his head, Arthur asks desperately in a quiet voice, “Isaiah?”

Again, Hosea remains silent with his lips pursed tightly in a thin line. His throat clicks with a dry, thick, and painful swallow.

He stretches his arm further, offering the letter to Arthur.

Arthur reluctantly accepts it, separating the fold with a single finger and opening the letter. He holds it up towards the light of the lanterns behind him to read.

Arthur,

After much consideration, I’ve made a decision.

I’m sure you’re already aware. Isaiah will live his life with the Birners, where he will be educated, respected, and loved.

I know it’s what you wanted and I realize now it’s what’s best.

I am deeply sorry you couldn’t come with me to say goodbye.

I am also sorry that I cannot continue on with you.

I must leave. I know I can’t stay here for long, or move with the gang. I fear the memories and the pain will be too much for me to bear. If I’m to give up Isaiah, then I must give up everything he was a part of. And I must go on my own.

I have always loved you, Arthur. Please know that. I don’t regret the time we spent together and I hope you don’t either.

Promise me you will follow your own path and won’t let anyone change you.

Don’t look for me. Don’t try to bring me back. This is for the best.

I want you to forget about me, Arthur. It’d be easier that way.

Sincerely,

(Y/N)

Your words leave a black mark on his heart. He stands there, conflicted on whether to crumple the letter in his hands or fold it back neatly. A stillness lingers for a moment as he rereads your words over and over. His eyes dart across the sentences, hoping to only misread what you’ve wrote as he analyzes every curl and strike of black ink.

A final judgement is made as he tosses the letter to the ground. His vision blurs and the blood rushes in his veins like hot mercury. A thundering rush fills his ears with a sound similar to that of heavy feathered wings.

Arthur turns and lunges forward. His legs sprint ahead of him in long strides towards his mare. There’s no time to waste, he thinks.

She jolts in response and gives an abrupt squeal as Arthur grabs her reins and leaps onto the saddle. She struggles to calm while his weight lands on her back and she feels a quick pull in her mouth from the metal bit. Her head turns inward towards the source of a heel digging into her side.

Hosea’s voice finally cuts through the air.

“It’s too late, Arthur! She’s gone!”

Arthur’s horse blows a frustrated huff through her flared nostrils and stamps her hooves nervously against the dirt as she fights against his confusing cues.

From his high perch on the saddle, Arthur turns to Hosea. He can barely see him through his warped vision. Spit flies from his bared teeth and hot tears threaten to drip from his eyes as Arthur yells.

“I should’ve known! I should’ve been there for them!” Arthur roars.

His mare rears on her hind legs underneath him, nearly sliding him off the saddle. He jumps from her back and throws down the leather reins in an uncontrollable rage.

His deep voice echoes through the darkness, while the members of the gang merely watch in shock. Hosea bravely steps forward to him, holding out his empty palms to calm the angry beast. He presses his hands against Arthur’s shoulders, attempting to still him.

“It’s my fault!” Arthur continues, his voice hoarse and wheezy as he tries to hold back tears. He smacks Hosea’s hands away.

“It ain’t your fault, Arthur!” Hosea tries to think of something to say. Something to do to cool Arthur’s temper, but he fears nothing will subside him from this relentless rage. He knows it’s futile to control him. This type of grief is too familiar to Hosea. While he reacted differently to his own loss, he understands Arthur’s response.

“Yes, it is! It’s all my fault! They’re gone ‘cause of me!” Arthur howls. He pushes Hosea forcefully with both arms, the palms of his hands smacking against Hosea’s vest. Hosea nearly stumbles backwards but regains his footing.

This is the only way Arthur knows to react, and Hosea knows this. He knows Arthur’s anger isn’t directed towards him, but he needs the physical outlet. Hosea doesn’t attempt to stifle Arthur’s anger and fear. He knows if he takes another step forward, he could be met with a reaction that’s much more violent.

Arthur grabs a nearby pallet box and brings it above his head. He smashes it against the ground before dropping to his knees. The flesh of his knuckles quickly grow mangled and bloody as he punches the planks of wood. The old wood splinters with every strike, cutting and scraping his hands. Arthur feels nothing.

Grabbing the torn pieces of wood, he hurls them against the wagons, startling the horses. Pearson and Grimshaw flinch and draw themselves away. The splintered wood bounces off the sides of the wagons, nearly missing the fabric that could tear on the covered wagons.

A third voice joins in with its booming resonance.

“Arthur, that’s eno—” Dutch attempts to intervene.

“You stay outta this, Dutch! You’ve done enough!” Hosea interrupts. His high-pitched voice cracks as he points an enraged finger at him. Dutch freezes and his eyes grow wide in silent shock.

The pair stare at each other until they notice Arthur stomping away. They watch as he steps out from the light of camp and into the night, wanting to be left alone.

They wait for his return. However long it takes, they wait patiently. They sit and wait, eyes fixed in the direction he walked. They watch and listen for signs of his return: a snapped twig, a wet sniffle, or even a silent return towards the light of camp.

For hours, they wait until he comes back. His eyes bloodshot and puffy and his pants dirty, he steps back into the light. His strides are slow and reluctant. His head is held low. Everyone watches him walk towards the wagon at the end of the line. They eye him as if seeing a ghost cross their path.

He disappears behind the wagon, stepping up and setting himself down on an open spot in the back. He doesn’t acknowledge his brother who also hides in the back and is wiping his nose with the sleeve of his shirt.

John startles at his approach and remains silent.

“I was here first,” he wants to say, waiting for Arthur to tell him to leave. However, John’s presence is ignored as Arthur sits in the cramped wagon, so John swallows his unspoken words.

They sit side-by-side in mutual respect for one another, in silence as the wagon gently urges forward.

Before long, their limbs become weak and exhausted. Their heads ache and their eyelids struggle to stay open. The grief tires them and they soon fall asleep, one following the other.

John watches from the corner of his eyes. He watches Arthur’s head sway back and forth until he finally leans against the side of the wagon, succumbing to sleep.

John waits a moment longer, fighting the exhaustion until following suit. He leans in Arthur’s direction, resting his head against Arthur’s arm and curling his legs behind him.

It’s the only comfort he has left now.

#mistakes #arthur morgan x reader #arthur morgan x female reader #rdr2 #fan fiction #red dead redemption 2 #arthur morgan #angst #part 2 is next #heartbreak #reader insert #may be triggering

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rascalsscripps01 · 4 years ago

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I don’t know if there are a lot of marching band members on here, but I think this is funny, so here:

I am in the front ensemble (or pit if you call it that) and we have this practice called the ‘Green Scales’. It’s named after the person who made it (their last name was Green; I don’t know if they’re related to John Green). Basically, take any scale (major or minor, you can use both), and play the first five notes up and down twice, then go up to one note after the last note in the scale, going along with the key of the scale (ex: if you are doing ‘C’, go up to D; if you are playing D flat, go up to E flat), then go back down to the 5th note of the scales and up and down and up, then go all the way down to the starting note, and finally play the whole scale through (still going up to the note after the last of the scale).

None of that is really important for what I’m trying to tell you, though. Because they’re called green scales, we (the front ensemble at my school) named them after different shades of green, you know, to fuck people up. ‘Cause why not?

SO: c-emerald, d flat-sage, d-shamrock, e flat-fern, e-chartreuse, f-parakeet, g flat-crocodile, g-neon, a flat-lime, a-mint, b flat-pear, and b-juniper.

Also, the minors are shades of blue, but we haven’t established them yet, soooo (all I remember is that b flat is blueberry). Yeah, we’re weird like that.

#marching band #front ensemble #pit #green scales #green

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thestreamofconsciousness777 · 7 years ago

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They will actually go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that were transgressing against me; for the very worms upon them will not die and their fire itself will not be extinguished, and they must become something repulsive to all flesh...

“The pronouncement against Babylon that Isaiah the son of A’moz saw in vision: “Upon a mountain of bare rocks raise up a signal, YOU men. Lift up the voice to them, wave the hand, that they may come into the entrances of the nobles. I myself have issued the command to my sanctified ones. I have also called my mighty ones for [expressing] my anger, my eminently exultant ones. Listen! A crowd in the mountains, something like a numerous people! Listen! The uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathered together! Jehovah of armies is mustering the army of war. They are coming from the land far away, from the extremity of the heavens, Jehovah and the weapons of his denunciation, to wreck all the earth.

“Howl, YOU people, for the day of Jehovah is near! As a despoiling from the Almighty it will come. That is why all hands themselves will drop down, and the whole heart itself of mortal man will melt. And people have become disturbed. Convulsions and birth pains themselves grab hold; like a woman that is giving birth they have labor pains. They look at each other in amazement. Their faces are inflamed faces.

“Look! The day of Jehovah itself is coming, cruel both with fury and with burning anger, in order to make the land an object of astonishment, and that it may annihilate [the land’s] sinners out of it. For the very stars of the heavens and their constellations of Ke’sil will not flash forth their light; the sun will actually grow dark at its going forth, and the moon itself will not cause its light to shine. And I shall certainly bring home [its own] badness upon the productive land, and their own error upon the wicked themselves. And I shall actually cause the pride of the presumptuous ones to cease, and the haughtiness of the tyrants I shall abase. I shall make mortal man rarer than refined gold, and earthling man [rarer] than the gold of O’phir. That is why I shall cause heaven itself to become agitated, and the earth will rock out of its place at the fury of Jehovah of armies and at the day of his burning anger. And it must occur that, like a gazelle chased away and like a flock without anyone to collect them together, they will turn, each one to his own people; and they will flee, each one to his own land. Every one that is found will be pierced through, and every one that is caught in the sweep will fall by the sword; and their very children will be dashed to pieces before their eyes. Their houses will be pillaged, and their own wives will be raped.

“Here I am arousing against them the Medes, who account silver itself as nothing and who, as respects gold, take no delight in it. And [their] bows will dash even young men to pieces. And the fruitage of the belly they will not pity; for sons their eye will not feel sorry. And Babylon, the decoration of kingdoms, the beauty of the pride of the Chal·de’ans, must become as when God overthrew Sod’om and Go·mor’rah. She will never be inhabited, nor will she reside for generation after generation. And there the Arab will not pitch his tent, and no shepherds will let [their flocks] lie down there. And there the haunters of waterless regions will certainly lie down, and their houses must be filled with eagle owls. And there the ostriches must reside, and goat-shaped demons themselves will go skipping about there. And jackals must howl in her dwelling towers, and the big snake will be in the palaces of exquisite delight. And the season for her is near to come, and her days themselves will not be postponed.

For Jehovah will show mercy to Jacob, and he is yet certain to choose Israel; and he will actually give them rest upon their soil, and the alien resident must be joined to them, and they must attach themselves to the house of Jacob. And peoples will actually take them and bring them to their own place, and the house of Israel must take them to themselves as a possession upon the soil of Jehovah as menservants and as maidservants; and they must become the captors of those holding them captive, and they must have in subjection those who were driving them to work.

And it must occur in the day when Jehovah gives you rest from your pain and from your agitation and from the hard slavery in which you were made a slave, that you must raise up this proverbial saying against the king of Babylon and say:“How has the one driving [others] to work come to a stop, the oppression come to a stop! Jehovah has broken the rod of the wicked ones, the staff of the ruling ones, the one striking peoples in fury with a stroke incessantly, the one subduing nations in sheer anger with a persecution without restraint. The whole earth has come to rest, has become free of disturbance. People have become cheerful with joyful cries. Even the juniper trees have also rejoiced at you, the cedars of Leb’a·non, [saying,] ‘Ever since you have lain down, no [wood]cutter comes up against us.’

“Even She’ol underneath has become agitated at you in order to meet you on coming in. At you it has awakened those impotent in death, all the goatlike leaders of the earth. It has made all the kings of the nations get up from their thrones. All of them speak up and say to you, ‘Have you yourself also been made weak like us? Is it to us that you have been made comparable? Down to She’ol your pride has been brought, the din of your stringed instruments. Beneath you, maggots are spread out as a couch; and worms are your covering.’

“O how you have fallen from heaven, you shining one, son of the dawn! How you have been cut down to the earth, you who were disabling the nations! As for you, you have said in your heart, ‘To the heavens I shall go up. Above the stars of God I shall lift up my throne, and I shall sit down upon the mountain of meeting, in the remotest parts of the north. I shall go up above the high places of the clouds; I shall make myself resemble the Most High.’

“However, down to She’ol you will be brought, to the remotest parts of the pit. Those seeing you will gaze even at you; they will give close examination even to you, [saying,] ‘Is this the man that was agitating the earth, that was making kingdoms rock, that made the productive land like the wilderness and that overthrew its very cities, that did not open the way homeward even for his prisoners?’ All other kings of the nations, yes, all of them, have lain down in glory, each one in his own house. But as for you, you have been thrown away without a burial place for you, like a detested sprout, clothed with killed men stabbed with the sword that are going down to the stones of a pit, like a carcass trodden down. You will not become united with them in a grave, because you brought your own land to ruin, you killed your own people. To time indefinite the offspring of evildoers will not be named.

“Make ready, YOU men, a slaughtering block for his own sons because of the error of their forefathers, that they may not rise up and actually take possession of the earth and fill the face of the productive land with cities.”

“And I will rise up against them,” is the utterance of Jehovah of armies.“And I will cut off from Babylon name and remnant and progeny and posterity,” is the utterance of Jehovah. “And I will make her a possession of porcupines and reedy pools of water, and I will sweep her with the broom of annihilation,” is the utterance of Jehovah of armies.

Jehovah of armies has sworn, saying: “Surely just as I have figured, so it must occur; and just as I have counseled, that is what will come true, in order to break the As·syr’i·an in my land and that I may tread him down on my own mountains; and that his yoke may actually depart from upon them and that his very load may depart from upon their shoulder.”

This is the counsel that is counseled against all the earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out against all the nations. For Jehovah of armies himself has counseled, and who can break [it] up? And his hand is the one stretched out, and who can turn it back?

In the year that King A’haz died this pronouncement occurred: “Do not rejoice, O Phi·lisʹti·a, any one of you, just because the staff of the one striking you has been broken. For out of the root of the serpent there will come forth a poisonous snake, and its fruit will be a flying fiery snake. And the firstborn ones of the lowly ones will certainly feed, and in security the poor ones themselves will lie down. And with famine I will put your root to death, and what remains over of you will be killed. Howl, O gate! Cry out, O city! All of you must become disheartened, O Phi·lis’ti·a! For out of the north a smoke is coming, and there is no one getting isolated from his ranks.” And what will anyone say in answer to the messengers of the nation? That Jehovah himself has laid the foundation of Zion, and in her the afflicted ones of his people will take refuge.

-Isaiah 13 & 14, NWT

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tipsycad147 · 4 years ago

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9 Magic Healing Herbs for Rituals

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By Patti Wigington

Updated March 10, 2018

01 of 10

Many Pagans - and others - use herbs as a tool in their magical arsenal. While not every herb is safe to ingest - and be sure to read about Dangerous Herbs before you get started - many of them are used in a magical or folkloric context to bring about healing. If you're interested in healing magic, here are some of the most popular healing herbs to keep on hand, and how you can use them.

Please do keep in mind that if you're going to use herbs internally - such as a tea or tincture - it's always a good idea to check with your physician first. There are some medical conditions that contraindicate the use of various herbs, so do your homework before you begin.

Disclaimer: Before using any herb for medical purposes, please be sure to consult a healthcare professional.

02 of 10

Rosemary

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For magical use, burn rosemary to rid a home of negative energy, or as an incense while you meditate. Hang bundles on your front door to keep harmful people, like burglars, from entering. Stuff a healing poppet with dried rosemary to take advantage of its medicinal properties, or mix with juniper berries and burn in a sickroom to promote healthy recovery. In spellwork, rosemary can be used as a substitute for other herbs such as frankincense.

When it comes to healing, rosemary can be used in a variety of ways.

Make an astringent out of it and use it as a skin wash to clear up your complexion, or as a soother for eczema.

Infuse it into an oil or poultice, and use it topically on achy joints and muscles, and even bruises.

Crush fresh leaves in your hand and rub the oils over your skin before gardening - it is believed that this can help keep mosquitoes and gnats from biting you.

Blend it into a light tea, and sip throughout the day to relieve an upset stomach. Note: Pregnant women should not ingest rosemary in large quantities, although using it in cooking is generally considered safe.

03 of 10

Lavender

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Medicinally, lavender has many uses. Noted herbalist Nicolas Culpeper recommends "a decoction made with the flowers of Lavender, Horehound, Fennel and Asparagus root, and a little Cinnamon" to help with epilepsy and other disorders of the brain. Tincture of lavender has been officially recognized as a treatment in the British Pharmacopceia for two centuries. Judith Benn Hurley writes in The Good Herb that during the sixteenth century, English herbalists used lavender tucked into a cap as a cure for headaches, and advocated the use of its oils as a method of keeping wounds clean and avoiding infection.

Like many medicinal herbs, lavender is great for the skin. Add a few drops of the essential oil into a base of witch hazel, and use as an astringent. You can also add the oil to cold water and spritz it on mild sunburns for cooling relief.

Use dried lavender in an herbal tea to help you sleep - you may want to add a bit of chamomile or honey so the flavor is more agreeable.

Lavender is popular in aromatherapy - inhaling its fresh scent, or a few drops of oil, can help calm an anxious or nervous mind, as well as providing headache relief.

04 of 10

Feverfew

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Feverfew has been used in medicinal applications for centuries. As the name suggests, it can be used to treat fevers, but there is some question as to the effectiveness of this practice. Instead, it's become popular for use in the treatment of migraines. A decoction sweetened with honey or sugar is sometimes used to relieve light coughing or wheezing.

It's a great herb to use externally as well - make a tincture or ointment to apply onto insect bites to relieve itching or swelling.

Feverfew is also used to treat issues with menstrual cramping and difficult childbirth, when brewed into a tea. If you are experiencing either of these things, consult a medical professional before using feverfew as treatment.

05 of 10

Basil

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Basil is known far and wide as a culinary herb, but it also contains some interesting magical and medicinal properties.In some countries, however, basil is considered something that real men don't eat -- why? Because it's associated with teas that are used to provide relief from painful menstrual periods.

It's also used as an anti-inflammatory. Try some of these methods to incorporate basil into your healing magic.

Chewing on the freshly harvested leaves has a couple of different benefits - it can help relieve symptoms of coughs and colds, and even better, it can leave your breath smelling healthy and refreshed!

Use a bit of the oil or extract on insect bites to relieve pain and itching.

Boil the leaves in water to make an infusion, and take a small amount every few hours to help reduce fever, as well as provide headache relief. Gargling with basil water can make a sore throat feel better.

06 of 10

Apple Blossom

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Apples, as a fruit, are well known for their health benefits. After all, there's that old saying about an apple a day keeping the doctor away. However, even before the fruit grows on the tree, you can take advantage of the blooms and blossoms.

Apple blossoms are actually an edible flower. You can include them in your summer salads, as a way to help digestive issues - just be sure you wash them first to get rid of any chemicals, pesticides, or crawly critters.

Make a vinegar infusion with the blossoms, and use it to treat itchy, painful insect bites or stings. A seventeenth-century herbal recommends mixing apple blossom extract with a bit of rose water and some pig fat as a cure for rough, dry skin. If you don't like the idea of using pig fat on your skin, there are plenty of alternatives - a bit of soft beeswax will work, or even some unscented cold cream.

07 of 10

Chamomile

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In Back to Eden, Jethro Kloss recommends everyone "gather a bagful of chamomile blossoms, as they are good for many ailments." This all-purpose herb has been used to treat everything from loss of appetite to irregular periods to bronchitis and worms. In some countries, it is mixed into a poultice and applied to open wounds in order to prevent gangrene.

You can use chamomile in a variety of medical applications:

Brew into a tea to aid in problems such as morning sickness, digestive disorders, gastritis, and difficult bowel movements.

Blend with witch hazel and use as a skin wash to relieve dry skin, sunburns and eczema.

Make a mouthwash and gargle to get rid of gum inflammations.

08 of 10

Sandalwood

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One particular species, the Indian sandalwood, which grows primarily in Nepal and southern India, is an endangered plant. However, much of the sandalwood essential oil sold in the United States and Europe today actually comes from Australian sandalwood. This is a non-endangered species, and although it has a lighter concentration than the other varieties of sandalwood, it’s still very fragrant and is popular with many aromatherapists.

While it is is typically the flowers that are harvested and used, many different parts of the sandalwood plant are used for a variety of purposes.

The essential oil is often used in holistic medicine for its anti-inflammatory properties, and some researchers are even testings its impact on cancer and other diseases.

Use the oil, diluted with a base, as an external wash for inflammations of the genital area - please, check with your doctor first on this one!

The wood can be ground down into a fine powder, and used for beauty treatments - add a bit of rose oil or camphor, and apply it to your skin for cleansing.

09 of 10

Goldenseal

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Goldenseal has been used in medicinal applications for several centuries. While it can be taken internally, this should really be done with caution. Pregnant women should not ingest goldenseal, because it can cause uterine contractions.

However, even if you're not taking goldenseal internally, it has some useful topical applications.

Boil the leaves in water to make an antiseptic wash, and use it to treat skin inflammations, including athlete's foot.

The root can be used to make an eye wash for mild eye irritations.

Keep goldenseal handy in your medicine cabinet to clean out minor wounds and abrasions.

10 of 10

Eucalyptus

Steve Gorton/Dorling Kindersley/Getty Images

There's a reason your cough drops often smell and taste like eucalyptus. It's been a popular remedy for colds and respiratory ailments for a long time. You can use the oil, which is pressed from the leaves of the eucalyptus plant, in a number of healing applications.

Make a rinse of eucalyptus oil blended with water to gargle with, to relieve dental issues such as swollen or inflamed gums and gingivitis.

Warm the leaves or oil, and inhale the vapors to clear clogged sinuses, stuffy noses, and other upper respiratory issues.

Blend eucalyptus oil with a non-scented base such as coconut oil, and rub it on the chest when you've got a cold. Some people also believe you can apply it to the soles of the feet, and this will work to alleviate breathing problems, such as congestion or asthma. If you're using it to treat asthma, check with your healthcare professional first.

https://www.learnreligions.com/healing-herbs-gallery-2562026

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rattycatcat · 4 years ago

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I have recently got in to galls. I call the act of going out and looking on plants to see if there are any tenants on them ‘galling’. John Wright, the author of A Natural History of the Hedgerow describes galls really well: ‘Galls can be formed by insects, bacteria, fungi, nematode worls and even other plants, and are one of the most remarkable features of the natural world. Created by the invader modifying the growth pattern of the host to suit their needs, their purpose is to provide shelter and food for the invading organism.’

I have found them to be a lovely addition to birdwatching – particularly this time of year – as they’re an extra little nugget to keep an eye out for. Today I travelled a grand total of 0.6km up the end of my road to Dyke Road Park in Brighton for a spot of galling, and it was extremely successful.

The first find was not a gall, but a rust fungus – Gymnosporangium sabinae – which affects Pears and Junipers, both of which it needs to complete its life cycle, using Juniper as its winter host and Pear in the summer. It creates spores which protrude from the blisters on the underside of Pear leaves (pictured) which become airborne and infect the twigs and branches of Juniper. Interestingly, the NBN Atlas shows that there are many records of this fungus in the South, but next to none in Cornwall or Wales. I am more than under-qualifed to say why, but it’s a nice little nugget and would very much like to find out. I would assume it’s simply under-recorded.

The next find was nice, it’s a gall wasp on Eucalyptus which was only discovered here in 2005. I am going to stand by my ‘not native, not interested’ motto and not spend too much time on this one, but I will say that it’s pretty easy to see as the gall encourages leaf drop, so if you see a Eucalyptus tree then check the leaves on the ground for little swelling on the leaf. The identity of this gall wasp is currently uncertain, but it is close to an Australian species, Ophelimus maskelli.

I was well excited for this next one, a gall mite called Aceria erinea on Walnut. It causes blistering on the upperside of the leaves, with indents corresponding on the underside. The indents are lined with a felty layer of hair, in which the mites live and feed. According to the NBN Atlas there are only 93 records of this gall mite in the UK, none of which are in Sussex, or even in the South. That’s not to say that this gall is rare, but it does show how under-recorded galls are.

THIS ONE IS GOOD:

Witches Brooms! They look like birds nests, but they’re actually bunches of stunted sticks. These particular clumps are on Birch but it can also be found on Hornbeam, Gean or Wild Cherry. This gall can be caused by a number of organisms but the most common on Birch is the fungus Taphrina betulina. The galls start off as clumps of buds and then, once the fungus starts to lose hold on the host (sometimes after several years), the buds grow into the shoots you can see in these photographs. This was a gall I was hoping to see as it’s so easy to identify, and I did do a little hop when I saw it. Funny, I’ve walked underneath it a hundred times and never looked up.

Nearly finished – the next was found on Elm, Aceria campestricola is a mite that overwinters in the bark crevices of the Elm before attacking the leaves as soon as they open in the spring. The pimples are a light green but redden when exposed to sunlight. This is a mite that will undoubtedly be affected by Dutch Elm disease (which, by the way, comes from North America and is actually named after the country which did the research on it) which is a bit sad, as I feel like the under-recording of galls will mean that Aceria campestricola will be a silent victim. I mean, it’s only got 63 confirmed records. Come on LET’S RECORD GALLS.

This one isn’t from Dyke Road Park, but from a site near Blackstone in Sussex. This absolute banger of a gall is a Robin’s Pincushion:

It is caused by the gall wasp Dipoloepis rosae and develops on wild roses, mostly on the stem. Each gall houses several grubs which feed on the internal gall tissues over winter and emerge as adults in the spring. Most of the adults are female and lay fertile eggs without mating – males of this species are very rare. No comment.

LASTLY, in non gall-related news and back to Dyke Road Park, I spotted an interestingly chomped leaf and, after conferring with my friend and nature mentor Graeme Lyons, found out that it was an Elm Zig-Zag Sawfly, and that we were very lucky to see the grub still attached to the zig-zag chomp. It’s not native and therefore I am not interested, but it may well be a first record for Brighton and I am actually quite pleased with that.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I am going to leave this post with a call to action: please keep an eye out for galls. Record them, acknowledge them, and spend time researching them. They are so interesting! I am fully recommending the book Britain’s Plant Galls: A Photographic Guide by Michael Chinery as it is extremely accessible and is a really good starting point. Thank you.

This is a Gall to Action I have recently got in to galls. I call the act of going out and looking on plants to see if there are any tenants on them 'galling'.

#brighton #dutch elm #dyke road #ecology #environment #funghi #fungi #fungus #gall mite #galls #natural history #natural history sussex #Nature #robin&039;s pincushion #sussex #wildlife

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maciaslucymua-blog1 · 7 years ago

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Breathe, Here Are 9 Natural Ways To Treat Anxiety

New Post has been published on http://www.healthgoesfemale.com/breathe-here-are-9-natural-ways-to-treat-anxiety/

Breathe, Here Are 9 Natural Ways To Treat Anxiety

Anxiety is a feeling of fear of loss or hurt and “uneasy anticipation,” often when the threat cannot be judged correctly. The word anxiety is from the Latin angustia, which means “narrowness,” restriction or difficulty.

Is it any wonder that the world we live in causes anxiety? The real issue is terror and survival and the deprivation of love. Anxiety can be brought on by fear of the known or unknown. It can occur when we are out of harmony within ourselves and with the people and things around us. Anxiety can also be related to emotions of separation as well as respiratory and gastrointestinal disorders.

Some sort of trauma while in utero may be a factor in this struggle with anxiety. Heredity, a major stress in life, physical illness or medication can all contribute to anxiety. Oriental medicine considers anxiety a kidney deficiency as well as heart fire condition. Nourish the kidneys and calm the heart.

How Do You Know If You Have Anxiety?

Anxiety can cause shortness of breath, heart palpitations, chest tightness, trembling, sweating, dizziness, numbness, shaking, and muscular tension. In the case of panic attacks, a person may feel as if they’re dying or going crazy. Though the panic attack rarely lasts longer than ten minutes, it can be very disabling. Anxiety can even prevent one from having the ability to carry on with life’s chores.

What Can You Do To Treat Anxiety?

1. Breathe Deeply

Feed your brain the life force of oxygen that it thrives on. Deep diaphragmatic breathing can actually help relieve anxiety. Oriental medicine states that “anxiety blocks energy and injures the lungs.” The kidneys are associated with states of anxiety. Anxiety can also be a factor of stagnation in the liver and spleen deficiency. It can weaken the body’s protective shield, making us vulnerable to outside forces. Most people already know that excessive anxiety can contribute to an irritable bowel.

2. Eat Healthy

Refrain from drinking stimulants like caffeine, sugar, and fruit juice that rev you up and put your body into panic-alert overtime. Eat more oatmeal and yogurt, both high in calming calcium. Eat lots of lettuce to reduce anxiety. Eat whole grains such as buckwheat, millet, quinoa, and brown rice. Vegetables such as sweet potatoes and yams are also good. Keep blood sugar on an even keel instead of a sugar-powered roller coaster. Experts on phobias say that the physiological symptoms of panic attacks closely mimic those of a hypoglycemic reaction.

Excess copper in one’s body, (pipes, cookware) can be a contributing factor in anxiety. Yeast overgrowth can trigger anxiety, and excess anxiety leads to yeast overgrowth.

3. Take Care Of Your Kidneys

Keep the kidneys nourished and warm. You may want to make a belt to warm the kidneys to feel empowered. Drink soothing herbal teas, such as catnip, chamomile, lemon balm, oat straw, and passion flower.

Hops And Valerian Tincture: Calms your being.

Kava Kava Extract: Recently approved in Germany for its anti-anxiety effects.

Hawthorn: Nourishes the physical and emotional heart and nettles the kidneys, which correlate to the emotion of fear.

Siberian Ginseng: Helps the body adapt to stress.

California Poppy: Cooling, calming, non-narcotic, and soothes the emotional body.

St. John’s Wort: Stabilizes the nervous system.

Wild Lettuce Extract: Calms anxiety.

Calamus Root: Acts as a natural sedative.

Wild Oat And Dong Quai: Alleviates acute anxiety.

4. Use Supplements

Calcium, magnesium as well as B complex deficiency can contribute to anxiety. The calming B vitamin inositol is found in our spinal cord, brain, and nerves. Its effect is similar to the drug Librium (meprobamate). Inositol works as a cell messenger. It has been found to help panic disorders. Lecithin is also a good source of inositol. DMAE can calm anxiety. Very anxious people take 100 mg each morning. Another supplement to use is GABA (gamma amino butyric acid) which helps protect the brain from excitatory messages. Research shows it can be as helpful as the drugs Librium or Valium.

Try Homeopathic Remedies

Aconitum: For a person who fears death, darkness, evil, and even crossing the street. Anguish, despair, restlessness, and franticness are also characteristic of the person who needs aconite.

Argentum nitricum: For an impulsive person that has fear of impending events. Fears crowds and heights. May have panic attacks and diarrhea when anticipating circumstances.

Arsenicum album: For one who is restless, fearful, and always in motion. Fatigued and fussy, high-strung and fault finding. Fears death, darkness, and incurable diseases. They may also be suspicious and demanding.

Asafoetida: For an unstable and restless person.

Cicuta virosa: To reduce anxiety and a feeling of discontentment.

Gelsemium: For anxiety based on fear.

Ignatia: For sadness leading to anxiety, depression, hysteria, and anger.

Lachesis: For nighttime anxiety, jealousy, and suspicion. For people who believe they are being conspired against, need open air, and have a wild imagination.

Natrum muriaticum: For one who is anxious about everything. Has fearful dreams, is introverted, and dislikes heat and noise, which worsen anxiety.

Passiflora: For general anxiety.

Use Flower Essences

Aspen flower essence: For the person who is fearful and anxious, yet doesn’t know why.

Mimulus flower essence: For one who has anxiety about things not working out, like money concerns.

Agrimony flower essence: For restlessness and inner anxiety.

Have a rescue remedy with you in several convenient places such as your briefcase, desk, purse, and glove compartment. Use it when the anxiety starts to come on. Two drops under the tongue is all it takes.

Other Ways To Calm Your Anxiety

1. Make An Anti-Anxiety Sachet

Make a sachet of something familiar from your childhood. Inhale the aroma deeply when feeling anxious. Inhale the anxiety-relieving essential oils of basil, bergamot, cedarwood, chamomile, cypress, geranium, jasmine, juniper, lavender, marjoram, melissa, neroli, petitgrain, rose, rosemary, sandalwood, and ylang ylang.

2. Tweak Your Environment And Routine

The color blue is tranquil and soothing to the spirit. Remember to breathe and feed your brain the oxygen it craves for serenity. Use prayer, visualizations, peaceful mantras, and yantras to calm the spirit.

Create a safe space. Avoid the dangerous. Soak in the bath and include essential oils, herbs or flower essences.

3. Try Massages And Other Calming Techniques

Massage can help release tension. Hold the thumb of one hand with the other as a calming technique. Rub the third eye chakra center to calm the shen. Holding one’s toes, especially the middle toe, helps to bring the energy down from the head and ground it.

4. Exercise As Much As Possible

Anxiety is a sign that the affected person still has the strength to struggle. Exercise is a good way to bring more oxygen into the body to reduce anxiety. Running is a suggested form of exercise for people with both fears of open (agoraphobia) and closed spaces (claustrophobia).

5. Try Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

CBT teaches a person to view situations that tend to cause panic differently. A person may be gradually exposed to what frightens them with the help of a therapist.

Best wishes in overcoming that which makes you anxious!

Disclaimer: The content is purely informative and educational in nature and should not be construed as medical advice. Please use the content only in consultation with an appropriate certified medical or healthcare professional.

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flexeasy-blog · 7 years ago

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New Post has been published on FlexEasy Liquid Glucosamine Chondroitin MSM

New Post has been published on http://flexeasy.net/index.php/2017/10/14/effects-of-high-uric-acid-in-blood-and-how-to-cure-high-uric-acid-naturally-2/

Effects of High Uric Acid in Blood and How to Cure High Uric Acid Naturally

The effects of high uric acid in blood can be very severe. High uric acid in the blood leads to uric acid crystals in your joints that cause the excruciating pain of gout. And once having had a gout attack, you’re odds-on to have recurring attacks that can lead to damaged joints and kidneys. Here, you’ll not only discover the real effects of high uric acid in blood, but how you can eliminate your gout naturally without expensive drugs with their nasty side effects.

FIRST, WHAT IS URIC ACID?

Uric acid is a byproduct of the breakdown of chemical compounds called ‘purines’ which occur naturally in our bodies and our food. Our body needs purines to help provide us with our vital energy and protein. During this process the purines breakdown and uric acid is produced. This is normally processed by our kidneys and then flushed from our bodies through our urine.

Sometimes though, for a number of reasons, the kidneys can’t cope with the level of uric acid in the bloodstream, so that ‘excess’ acid is retained in the blood. This excess can then be deposited as crystals in the joints around you body, usually the big toe, but also ankles, knees, elbows, wrists, and fingers, etc. This gives rise to the condition known as gout which is a form of arthritis, also known as ‘gouty arthritis.’

EFFECTS OF HIGH URIC ACID IN BLOOD

In gout, the uric acid crystals take the form of very sharp microscopic ‘needles,’ so that when high uric acid levels are present in the bloodstream in the form of these crystals in your joints, they cause the excruciating pain of gout. This pain is so severe that you can’t even thole the gentle brush of bed linen, for example. And accidental contact with anything solid will send you into a delirium of pain.

You’ll also see symptoms of redness, swelling and inflammation in the affected area. In fact many folks when they get their first gout attack confuse the symptoms with an injury of some kind. So it’s advisable to always consult your doctor for a proper diagnosis.

But once diagnosed, the effect of gout on your everyday life can be devastating. You can’t wear shoes, you can’t walk without great difficulty, you can’t do the most basic tasks. So your work and social life can be severely curtailed during an attack that may last for weeks in some cases.

And you should note that once having had one gout attack, you are almost certain to have repeat attacks during your lifetime. So that a longer term effect of high uric acid in blood is possible permanent joint damage and kidney damage (incl. painful kidney stones) due to recurring gout.

DRUG-BASED MEDICATION FOR HIGH URIC ACID

Invariably, doctors will prescribe drugs to combat your gout. And they generally fall into two categories; anti-inflammatory’s to reduce inflammation and pain, and, drugs to lower high uric acid levels in your bloodstream.

My own experience in the past shows that they can work quite well over time, but the side effects can be very bad, e.g. nausea, diarrhea, stomach cramps, headaches, etc. And of course they can be expensive.

In addition, they can’t address some key underlying issues that are connected with your gout, e.g. your weight, family history of gout, your diet, your general health position, underlying medical conditions, even lifestyle issues. Unless these are taken into account your gout is almost certain to keep returning.

That’s why more and more sufferers are looking to totally natural remedies for their gout; both to relieve the inflammation and pain, and, to lower uric acid levels in their bloodstream.

HOW TO LOWER HIGH URIC ACID IN BLOOD NATURALLY

If you do your research on the Internet, you’ll see that there is a ton of things you can do to help get gout pain relief and lower uric acid levels without resorting to expensive drugs with their horrible side effects. Some you can consume and others you can physically apply to the area, e.g. like a poultice.

Some of the most popular natural remedies for gout are things like the use of herbs (e.g. alfalfa, bilberry, burdoch, hawthorn, juniper, garlic, ginger), fruit (e.g. cherries, strawberries, blueberries, grapes, apple cider vinegar!), vegetables (e.g. celery, celery seeds, kale, cabbage, parsley, other green leafy vegetables), natural supplements (e.g. B complex, fish oil, magnesium citrate, bromelain, vitamin C, vitamin E)

And your diet is key: you must reduce or eliminate your intake of high purine foods such as offal, red meats, processed meats, some fish, shellfish, and even some vegetables like mushrooms, cauliflower and asparagus. And you must seriously reduce or eliminate alcohol, especially beer.

You must also ensure you drink lots of water; between 2 and 3 liters per day. And don’t wait until you’re thirsty, drink water regularly throughout the day. This helps your kidneys to flush excess uric acid out of your system.

FINAL WORD ON HOW TO LOWER HIGH URIC ACID IN BLOOD NATURALLY

These natural remedies are only part of the puzzle. You need to get to know how to use them effectively. And gout is fairly complex with each individual reacting differently to them. Some might work great for some people while not for others. You also need to investigate other underlying issues such as your weight, any existing medical conditions, family history, general health issues, etc.

But the critical thing for you is to find a way, not only to get relief from the excruciating pain of your gout, but to prevent your gout returning since, as you now know, frequent gout attacks can leave you with permanently damaged joints and even damaged kidneys. You’re in luck though…

Source by John Cielo

#arthritis #arthritis in back #arthritis in dogs #arthritis in knees #arthritis in neck

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johnchiarello · 8 years ago

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Sunday

SUNDAY 6-4-17

Zechariah 13:1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.Zechariah 13:2 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.

Fellowship of Oso creek

https://youtu.be/PyIZVUFIx2M

http://wp.me/a4V5qQ-B5

ON VIDEO-

.Quad ride

.Communion

.Facebook suicide story

.Allman brothers

.Order works

.Liturgy

.Media

NEW- [Past teaching- verses below]

Started late today- decided to keep the tradition of reviewing the Church service verses I attend on Sunday.

I usually wait a few days and post it as a teaching video- but for today I’ll post it like one of my ‘roll outs’.

I’ll try and add some of my past teachings below.

The Pastor spoke from Kings 18-19- the story of Elijah the prophet.

How after he had a great victory against the false prophets- then he was ready for God to take his life-

1Kings 19:4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

Yes- after great victories- you often experience a low stage.

The pastor shared a story of a friend of his- A.J.- who posted on Facebook ‘See you all- I’m checking out’[words like that].

The next day the boys father posted ‘My son committed suicide’.

Sad indeed.

I shared a few verses from Zechariah 13- and talked some from Kings.

I actually made the video on the spur of the moment- riding the Quads with my son in law- right by the Oso creek- only about a mile from where the Fellowship of Oso creek meets.

Guess it was meant to be?

Ok- that's it for today- I’ll add the links and post in a little while.

God bless all

PAST POSTS [ Past teaching I did that relate to this post- verses below]

https://ccoutreach87.com/christian-recovery-from-addiction-long-version/

1ST KINGS 18- After three years in hiding the Lord tells Elijah to show himself to Ahab, rain is on the way! He appears once again on the scene and Ahab says ‘here he is, the one causing all the trouble’. Elijah says ‘you got it wrong buddy, it’s your wickedness and turning away from proper paths that has caused this trouble’. Elijah sets up a contest ‘go, get all the false prophets of Baal and let them come and set up an altar. Let them place a bull on it and pray and see if Baal will come and show himself alive’. So Elijah has them crying and cutting themselves [pagan ritual] and pleading all day for Baal to come and consume [by fire] the sacrifice. He even mocks them ‘where is Baal? Maybe he went on a trip? Maybe he’s sleeping’? One translation says ‘maybe he’s on the pot’ [toilet] Elijah was not above scathing sarcasm! So after Baal doesn’t ‘act’ Elijah sets up his own altar, puts a bull on it, soaks the whole thing with water and prays for God to reveal himself. Sure enough fire falls from heaven, burns the bull, stones and everything else! Elijah takes the false prophets and puts them out of their misery. These brothers had a bad day, the same day they find out that their religion is false, they meet Jehovah face to face! And then Elijah tells Ahab ‘get ready, the rain is coming’. God ‘showed’ himself thru a great act; he let it be known that the true God made a real difference. I recently read a story about an atheist. He is an intellectual and lives in Africa. Over the years he observed these ‘silly Christians’ coming to his nation and spreading their ‘ignorant beliefs’. He also noticed something else, they were the only real ongoing group of people who regularly gave their time and lives for the betterment of his fellow Africans. Sure, his intellectually arrogant friends would look at the whole thing as a charade, watching these missions groups spending time trying to teach silly stuff like the Trinity, declaring that this Jesus was ‘Gods son, God in the flesh’ but the atheists never organized a community that would actually help his fellow Africans, there was almost a built in bigotry that said ‘why even help these poor blobs of flesh, after all, we all came from nothing. When we die we simply cease to have feelings and pleasure, our lives basically consist of enjoying pleasures and being happy, what eternal significance is there in caring for the poor ignorant masses’. The observant atheist realized that thru out his life, his closet friends, the people who shared his own beliefs. They were the ones who didn’t ‘give a damn’ about his fellow black countrymen, but the Christians whom he and his friends spent their who lives mocking and resisting and verbally abusing, these Christians were the ones who gave of their lives for the betterment of his fellow man. God revealed himself thru Elijah’s ministry on this day, he showed the people that the God [system] you believe in really does matter. In all of our talking and debating between various religions and belief/unbelief systems, at the end of the day look at the results, Christianity has had her faults to be sure, but she has done a lot better than the prophets of Baal!

(1070) 1st KING 19- Ahab tells his wife, Jezebel, about Elijah’s victory, she sends word to the prophet ‘so help me God if I don’t do the same to you as you did to my prophets’. Understand, Elijah did not simply ‘rebuke’ false doctrine here, he actually dismantled an entire ‘religious system’ that was contrary to the purposes of God. It is very difficult to uproot all that you have put in place for the sake of reformation. I find this to be one of the hardest obstacles to overcome when seeking God for true change in the church. Christians too often associate their relationship with God along with the systems of religion that they were brought up with. Now Elijah flees for his life, God will appear to him at Horeb; he is not in the wind, earthquake or fire, but in the ‘still, small voice’. Elijah is told to anoint a king of Syria, also anoint Jehu as king of Israel and go get your protégée Elisha. Elijah is also told by God there are seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal. We see the danger of prophetic ministry; God vindicated Elijah and truly did miraculous stuff with him. It was easy for Elijah to fall into the trap of ‘I am the only one who sees this stuff’. God reassured him he wasn’t alone. These last few years I have been surprised by the number of Christians who have corresponded with me thru our blog, it seems as if the present challenges to ‘church/clergy’ are becoming commonplace to the believers at large. It is no longer a secret. But it is also disheartening to see many of my friends who have served the Lord for years; they seem to be oblivious to the same truths that the church worldwide is seeing. So with Elijah you did have false prophets who were all wrong at the same time. Yes, just because there were so many who held on to the same view of religion [Baal worship] this did not mean they were right. But at the same time it was obvious to at least seven thousand others that the popular religious system was actually wrong! James says that Elijah was a man ‘subject to the same weaknesses as all men’ yet the Lord used him mightily. All Gods servants have feet of clay, many of the greatest reformers of church history also made big mistakes. Luther was a tremendous force for change, but his anti semitic writings would later be used as a justification for Jewish oppression. As we strive for truth and justice in the days ahead, let us all remember that some of Gods greatest voices are ‘compassed about with the same infirmities as us all’ God does use clean vessels, but even clean vessels sometimes have cracks.

VERSES- [Here are the verses I talked about or quoted on today’s post]

John 1:11

He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

Psalm 50:23

Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.

In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

Revelation 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

Revelation 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Ecclesiastes 12:1

Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

1Kings 18:1 And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.

1Kings 18:2 And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.

1Kings 18:3 And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly:

1Kings 18:4 For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)

1Kings 18:5 And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.

1Kings 18:6 So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.

1Kings 18:7 And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah?

1Kings 18:8 And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.

1Kings 18:9 And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me?

1Kings 18:10 As the LORD thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not.

1Kings 18:11 And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.

1Kings 18:12 And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the LORD shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the LORD from my youth.

1Kings 18:13 Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid an hundred men of the LORD's prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?

1Kings 18:14 And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here: and he shall slay me.

1Kings 18:15 And Elijah said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself unto him to day.

1Kings 18:16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

1Kings 18:17 And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?

1Kings 18:18 And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.

1Kings 18:19 Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table.

1Kings 18:20 So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.

1Kings 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

1Kings 18:22 Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.

1Kings 18:23 Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under:

1Kings 18:24 And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.

1Kings 18:25 And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.

1Kings 18:26 And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.

1Kings 18:27 And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.

1Kings 18:28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.

1Kings 18:29 And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.

1Kings 18:30 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.

1Kings 18:31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:

1Kings 18:32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.

1Kings 18:33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.

1Kings 18:34 And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.

1Kings 18:35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.

1Kings 18:36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.

1Kings 18:37 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.

1Kings 18:38 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

1Kings 18:39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.

1Kings 18:40 And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

1Kings 18:41 And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.

1Kings 18:42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,

1Kings 18:43 And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.

1Kings 18:44 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down that the rain stop thee not.

1Kings 18:45 And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.

1Kings 18:46 And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

1Kings 19:1 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.

1Kings 19:2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.

1Kings 19:3 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.

1Kings 19:5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.

1Kings 19:6 And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.

1Kings 19:7 And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.

1Kings 19:8 And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.

1Kings 19:9 And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?

1Kings 19:10 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

1Kings 19:11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:

1Kings 19:12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

1Kings 19:13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?

1Kings 19:14 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

1Kings 19:15 And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria:

1Kings 19:16 And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.

1Kings 19:17 And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay.

1Kings 19:18 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

1Kings 19:19 So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him.

1Kings 19:20 And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee?

1Kings 19:21 And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.

Zechariah 13:1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.

Zechariah 13:2 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.

Zechariah 13:3 And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.

Zechariah 13:4 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive:

Zechariah 13:5 But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.

Zechariah 13:6 And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.

Zechariah 13:7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.

Zechariah 13:8 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.

Zechariah 13:9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

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