#martin lamb your power

[wondercloud]

just discovered this obscurely underrated david character named martin lamb from a tv show back in 2018.

tell me how this fella's the prettiest guy i've ever seen in my life. he looks (and acts, just watch his scenes) like a (cute) little freak. but tell me how i fell in love with him the SECOND i saw his face. i had a whole menty b realizing how underrated he is. it genuinely hurts. and he only got like, 2 minutes in the whole show. what the hell.

he's like this perfect combination of cale, alec, and that driving instructor guy from learners, chris. what an insane combo. i am so done for. WHY DO I HAVE TO KEEP FALLING FOR SUCH OBSCURE CHARACTERS. GOD. HELP ME.

ALSO ALSO ALSO. i haven't watched the entirety of his scenes because i'm saving it for later but he seems socially anxious. HUGE social anxiety sufferer vibe. which makes this all the more personal to me. you don't get it. he's literally me i'm afraid. (actually maybe not because i haven't watched all of him yet.. he could literally be some really effed up guy so yeah maybe not..) but SO FAR, the first few minutes of his scenes have showed that he's literally just like me fr.

stay tuned for updates.

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🌈 Queer Books Coming Out in October 2024 🌈

🌈 Good afternoon, my bookish bats! Here are a FEW of the stunning, diverse queer books you can add to your TBR before the year is over. Happy reading!

❓What was the last queer book you read?

[ Release dates may have changed. List below! ]

❤️ Back in the Hunt - K. Sterling 🧡 The Connoisseur's Christmas Courtship - L.M. Bennett 💛 Shoestring Theory - Mariana Costa 💚 The Black Hunger - Nicholas Pullen 💙 Wild Fire - Radclyffe 💜 Because Fat Girl - Lauren Marie Fleming ❤️ The Ace and Aro Relationship Guide - Cody Daigle-Orians 🧡 Soul Survivors - River Kai 💛 Stolen Hearts - Michele Castleman 💙 Reverence - Milena McKay 💜 Love Immortal - Kit Vincent

❤️ Take a Sad Song - Ona Gritz 🧡 Showmance - Chad Beguelin 💛 Redundancies & Potentials - Dominique Dickey 💚 Alexander - Karla Nikole 💙 Rest in Peaches - Alex Brown 💜 Rise of the Wrecking Crew - Kalynn Bayron ❤️ Language Lessons - Sage Donnell 🧡 Legend of the White Snake - Sher Lee 💛 Sorcery and Small Magis - Maiga Doocy 💙 Cried Out - Kate Hawthorne 💜 Skysong - C.A. Wright 🌈 No Rules Tonight - Kim Hyun Sook, Ryan Estrada

❤️ My Mother's Ridiculous Rules for Dating - Philip William Stover 🧡 I Shall Never Fall in Love - Hari Conner 💛 Castle Swimmer - Wendy Martin 🧡 The Hollow and the Haunted - Camilla Raines 💙 How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund? - Anna Montague 💜 The Arizona Triangle - Sydney Graves ❤️ Every Rule Undone - Nancy S.M. Waldman 🧡 Mister Nice - Jamie Jennings 💛 Under the Mistletoe with You - Lizzie Huxley-Jones 💙 How to Fall in Love in a Time of Unnameable Disaster - Muriel Leung 💜 The Snowball Effect - Haley Cass 🌈 This Will Be Fun - E.B. Asher

❤️ Our Evenings - Alan Hollinghurst 🧡 Don't Let the Forest In - C.G. Drews 💛 Finding Delaware - Bree Wiley 💚 The Reeds - Arjun Basu 💙 The Bloodless Princes - Charlotte Bond 💜 Women's Hotel - Daniel M. Lavery ❤️ Alex McKenna and the Academy of Souls - Vicki-Ann Bush 🧡 A Vile Season - David Ferraro 💛 Synchronicity - J.J. Hale 💙 Writ of Love - Cassidy Crane 💜 Di-Curious - Erin Branch 🌈 Swordcrossed - Freya Marske

❤️ Stand Up! - Tori Sharp 🧡 Haunt Me, Baby - Rose Santoriello 💚 Planet Drag: Uncover the Global Herstory - Various 💙 Until We Shatter - Kate Dylan 💜 Metal from Heaven - August Clarke ❤️ Vicious Fates and Vast Futures - Tilly Bramley 🧡 The Daughter of Danray - Natalia Hernandez 💛 If I Stopped Haunting You - Colby Wilkens 💙 The Darkness Behind The Door - Mira Gonzalez 💜 Hunt Monsters, Do Magic, and Fall in Love - A.M. Weald 🌈 Jasmine Is Haunted - Mark Oshiro

❤️ Model Home - Rivers Solomon 🧡 Haunting Melody - Chloe Spencer 💛 The Door in Lake Mallion - S.M. Beiko 💚 The City in Glass - Nghi Vo 💙 Fang Fiction - Kate Stayman-London 💜 The Merriest Misters - Timothy Janovsky ❤️ Make the Season Bright - Ashley Herring Blake 🧡 My Kind of Trouble - L.A. Schwartz 💛 To Become A Flower - CEON 💙 What Was Lost - Melissa Connelly 💜 The Forbidden Book - Sacha Lamb 🌈 This Dark Paradise - Erin Luken

❤️ The Sound of Storms - Anya Keeler 🧡 Country Queers - Rae Garringer 💛 A Spell for Heartsickness - Alistair Reeves 💚 The Stars Inside Us - Kristy Gardner 💙 October's Ocean - Delaine Coppock 💜 Haunt Your Heart Out - Amber Roberts ❤️ The Dark Becomes Her - Judy I. Lin 🧡 Power Pose - Emily Silver 💛 The Magic You Make - Jason June 💙 House of Elephants - Claribel A. Ortega 💜 Tegan and Sara: Crush - Tegan Quin, Sara Quin, Tillie Walden 🌈 The Brightness Between Us - Eliot Schrefer

❤️ The Spring before Obergefell - Benjamin S. Grossberg 🧡 Pray For Him - Tyler Battaglia 💛 Coup de Grâce - Sofia Ajram 💚 Coal Gets In Your Veins - Cat Rector 💙 He Who Bleeds - Dorian Valentine 💜 The Revenge of Captain Vessia - Leslie Allen ❤️ Camelot's Tower - Brooke Matthews 🧡 The Manor - Tiffany E. Taylor 💛 Arcanum - Ashlyn Drewek 💙 Strange Beasts - Susan J. Morris 💜 On Vicious Worlds - Bethany Jacobs 🌈 Death Song - B. Ripley

❤️ Best Hex Ever - Nadia El-Fassi 🧡 I'll Be Gone for Christmas - Georgia K. Boone 💛 Make My Wish Come True - Rachael Lippincott, Alyson Derrick 💚 Gentlest of Wild Things - Sarah Underwood 💙 Troth - E.H. Lupton 💜 Solis - Paola Mendoza & Abby Sher ❤️ Lucy, Uncensored - Mel Hammond, Teghan Hammond 🧡 Mama - Nikkya Hargrove 💛 Under All the Lights - Maya Ameyaw 💙 Reclaimed - Seth Haddon 💜 The Devil's Dilemma - Alex J. Adams 🌈 The Jovian Madrigals - Janneke de Beer

❤️ Blood Price - Nicole Evans 🧡 Worship Me - K.C. Blume 💛 All the Hearts You Eat - Hailey Piper 💚 The Nightmare Before Kissmas - Sara Raasch 💙 Rogue Community College - David R. Slayton 💜 Mistress of Hours - Emma Elizabeth ❤️ The Dog Trainer's Secret - Sav Uong 🧡 Most Wonderful - Georgia Clark 💛 Antenora - Dori Lumpkin 💙 House of Frank - Kay Synclaire 💜 Sir Callie and the Witch's War - Esme Symes-Smith 🌈 Prince of Fortune - Lisa Tirreno

[passionandprecision]

Top 5 NFL Teams Most Likely to Regress in 2024

As the 2024 NFL season approaches, fans and analysts alike are buzzing with predictions and expectations. While some teams are poised to build on last year's successes, others might find it challenging to replicate their performances. Today, we're diving into the top five teams most likely to take a step back this season. Are your favorite teams on the list? Let's break it down.

1. Dallas Cowboys

Key Concerns:

- Lost Too Many Key Players: The Cowboys lost several crucial players and haven't adequately replaced them. Key departures include Tony Pollard, Tyron Smith, Tyler Biadasz, and Stephon Gilmore.

- Big Contracts Looming: The Cowboys have three significant contracts coming up. CeeDee Lamb is reportedly unhappy and has not shown up to camp while, Dak Prescott is on the final year of his contract, and Micah Parsons' contract extension is on the horizon.

- Decision Time: Decisions need to be made on veterans like Demarcus Lawrence and Zack Martin.

- Lame Duck Contracts: Both Mike McCarthy and Dak Prescott are on lame-duck contracts, adding pressure and uncertainty to the team’s future.

- Playoff Performances: The past four years have been marked by playoff flameouts, questioning the team's ability to perform under pressure.

2. Miami Dolphins

Key Concerns:

- Defensive Issues: The Dolphins' defense has been lacking. They've let some key pieces walk and need a stronger edge. Granted they have Jalen Ramsey and Xavien Howard, but they let Christian Wilkins walk.

- Offensive Line Problems: The offensive line has issues, which could hinder their offensive performance. The last thing a team with an injury-prone QB needs.

- Fitness and Power Balance: There is a concern that the team has too much finesse and not enough power, which could become a problem as the season progresses.

- Depth and Health: Depth and health have been problematic, and adjustments in these areas are essential for success. It's almost time to start looking at Mike McDaniel funny because there are times when he makes himself look a little silly by trying to be the biggest brain in football.

3. Buffalo Bills

Key Concerns:

- Roster Turnover: The Bills experienced significant roster turnover due to cap reasons and other factors. Key players like Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, Jordan Poyer, Tre'Davious White, Micah Hyde, and Leonard Floyd are all critical to their success.

- Wide Receiver Room: The wide receiver room is young and unproven, which could lead to inconsistency in the passing game.

- Offensive Line: The offensive line remains a question mark, needing improvement to protect Josh Allen and establish a running game.

4. Minnesota Vikings

Key Concerns:

- Quarterback Situation: The Vikings face uncertainty with Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter both leaving. Trusting Sam Darnold and A Rookie JJ McCarthy isn't the best idea.

- Defense Overhaul: They are overhauling a defense that still gave up significant yardage, and the new lineup might not gel immediately.

- Running Game: The running game is questionable, and the offensive line needs help to establish a balanced attack.

- One-Score Games: The Vikings won a lot of one-score games last season, a trend that's hard to sustain. With questions at quarterback.

5. Jacksonville Jaguars

Key Concerns:

- Protecting Trevor Lawrence: Protecting their star quarterback has not been a strong suit, risking his health and effectiveness.

- Wide Receiver Consistency: Keeping a solid wide receiver group together has been inconsistent, impacting the passing game.

- Secondary and Pass Rush: The secondary still needs help, and the pass rush could use improvement.

- Roster Turnover: Key players such as Calvin Ridley, DJ Chark, Jamal Agnew, Zay Jones, K'Lavon Chaisson, Tre Herndon, and Rayshawn Jenkins are all factors in the team's changing dynamics.

As we gear up for the new NFL season, it's essential to recognize the challenges and changes each team faces. While these five teams showed promise last year, various factors could lead to a regression in their performance. Whether it's due to roster changes, contract uncertainties, or defensive and offensive challenges, these teams will need to address their weaknesses to maintain their competitive edge. Want to dive deeper into these predictions and hear more insights? Check out the corresponding video on Jori’s Sports Stories YouTube channel for an in-depth analysis and fan discussion!

[gaiuskamilah]

I know I’ve said this many times but I really love how you analyse things so based on your tastes in themes in literature I wanted to ask for some book and movie recommendations ❤️

thank you so much you are so so sweet!! i may be missing some. this got long lol. content warnings for violence, incest, rape, grooming, basically almost every trigger warning under the sun for many of these.

books

the locked tomb series by tamsyn muir

a song of ice and fire series by george rr martin

lolita by vladimir nabokov

my dark vanessa by kate elizabeth russell

the carnivorous lamb by agustin gomez-arcos

tender is the flesh by agustina bazterrica

wuthering heights by emily bronte

frankenstein by mary shelley

sharp objects by gillian flynn

jane eyre by charlotte bronte

dracula by bram stoker

flowers in the attic by vc andrews

paradise rot by jenny hval

the phantom of the opera by gaston leroux

the woman with two navels and three tales of the tropical gothic by nick joaquin

el filibusterismo by jose rizal

gothic incest: gender, sexuality, and transgression by jenny diplacidi

our vampires, ourselves by nina auerbach

lots of non-fiction and journal articles about colonialism and imperialism in general; my focus is on histories of it in the philippines but i'm sure there's many from across ex-colonies around the world. imo an interest in the gothic is incomplete without material class analysis and an understanding of power struggles.

films

anything by park chan-wook, he's my favorite director and i love his work sm! thirst (2009) is my personal favorite

salò or the 120 days of sodom (1975)

kisapmata (1981)

himala (1982)

crimson peak (2015)

the living dead girl (1982)

possession (1981)

the vvitch (2015)

helter skelter (2012)

sister stella l. (1984)

belladonna of sadness (1973)

the nun (1963)

shadow of a doubt (1943)

the passion of joan of arc (1928)

ginger snaps (2000)

series (ik you mentioned only books n movies but i have a few series in mind.. lol)

revolutionary girl utena

amc interview with the vampire

lambs of god

house of the dragon (NOT game of thrones..)

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

10th December >> Fr. Martin's Gospel Homilies / Reflections on Mark 1:1-8 for the Second Week of Advent. Cycle B: ‘He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit’.

Second Week of Advent, Cycle B

Gospel (Except USA) Mark 1:1-8 A voice cries in the wilderness: prepare a way for the Lord.

The beginning of the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah:

Look, I am going to send my messenger before you; he will prepare your way. A voice cries in the wilderness: Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight.

and so it was that John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. All Judaea and all the people of Jerusalem made their way to him, and as they were baptised by him in the river Jordan they confessed their sins. John wore a garment of camel-skin, and he lived on locusts and wild honey. In the course of his preaching he said, ‘Someone is following me, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to kneel down and undo the strap of his sandals. I have baptised you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.’

Gospel (USA) Mark 1:1–8 Make straight the paths of the Lord.

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.”

John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey. And this is what he proclaimed: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Homilies (4)

(i) Second Sunday of Advent, Cycle B

A great deal of new roads have been built in the country in recent years. New stretches of motorway have been laid down to bypass towns that had become traffic bottlenecks. The most significant piece of road infrastructure here in Dublin in recent years has been the ring road around the city, the M50. Although built to help traffic move from one side of the city to the other more quickly, if there is an accident it can quickly become a giant car park!

There is a reference to a highway, our equivalent of a motorway, in today’s first reading from the prophet Isaiah, written several hundreds of years before the coming of Jesus, ‘Prepare in the wilderness a way for the Lord. Make a straight highway for our God across the desert’. These words were addressed to a people who were in exile in the city of Babylon in modern day Iraq. The prophet has a vision of a great highway between Babylon and Jerusalem across the wilderness between the two cities, so that the exiles could return home safely, with the Lord leading them, as a Shepherd leads and looks after his flock. Two and a half thousand years later, we hear those words of Isaiah addressed to each one of us, calling on us to prepare a way for the Lord to enter our lives more fully this Advent. Of all the roads that we travel on, the most important road is the one that we create in our hearts for the Lord to enter our lives. Who is the Lord who wants to enter our lives? The prophet Isaiah in that reading says that the Lord is coming with power. Yet, his power is not the power we associate with rulers or armies. In the words of that reading, the Lord comes ‘like a shepherd feeding his flock, gathering lambs in his arms, holding them against his breast and leading to their rest the mother sheep’. His power is the power of a love that nurtures, gathers, looks after and brings rest. It is the power of a mother’s love for her child. 

This is the Lord who wants to enter our lives more fully this Advent. It is a Lord whose voice speaks of peace and whose help is near for those who revere him, in the words of today’s Psalm. It is a Lord who can be trusted, whom we can confidently call upon to enter our lives. The traditional Advent prayer is ‘Come, Lord, Jesus’. When Mark quotes from the prophet Isaiah in today’s gospel reading, ‘Prepare a way for the Lord’, the Lord he is referring to is Jesus. That simple prayer, ‘Come, Lord, Jesus’, is one of the earliest Christian prayers that has come down to us. Saint Paul concludes his first letter to the Corinthians with this prayer, a letter that was written just over twenty years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. When we pray this simple prayer, we are praying a prayer that Christians have prayed for over two thousand years. A really good Advent exercise would be to pray this prayer several times a day, ‘Come Lord, Jesus’, and while doing so to imagine Jesus as the Lord that Isaiah speaks, the Shepherd who wants to feed us with his presence, who wants to hold us against his breast and to lead us to restful waters to revive our drooping spirits. In the gospel reading, John the Baptist refers to Jesus as ‘someone who is more powerful than I am’. Again, according to John, his power is not one that destroys and overwhelms, like so much human power. It is the power of one who wants to baptize us with the Holy Spirit, to plunge us into the Spirit of God’s reliable and merciful love. 

This is the Lord for whom we try to prepare a way into our lives, into our hearts, this Advent. When we pray this prayer, ‘Come, Lord, Jesus’, it is not that we are calling upon someone to come who wouldn’t otherwise come. The Lord is coming anyway, whether we pray this prayer or not. As Isaiah announces in the first reading, ‘Here is your God!’ We pray that prayer not to get the attention of an indifferent Lord, but as a way of opening our hearts more fully to the Lord is who always coming, who is always present to us, in every place, at every time. This prayer is our way of acknowledging that we are incomplete without the Lord, that we desperately need him to come more fully into our lives. This prayer is a recognition that there are obstacles in our lives, valleys and hills, that impede the Lord’s good work within us. In praying this prayer we are acknowledging that, in the words of John the Baptist, we need to repent, in the sense of turning around more fully towards the Lord who is coming towards us. We pray, ‘Come, Lord Jesus’ because we know that the Lord’s coming in love will renew us from within, empowering us to begin again. The Lord comes to renew us, so that we can become more like him, caring shepherds to one another, so that he can work through us to bring about what the second reading calls ‘the new heavens and new earth’.

And/Or

(ii) Second Sunday of Lent

When I was a child growing up in Cabra, my father bought a little car, a Mini, as it was known at the time. This was in the early 60s when cars were just beginning to be bought in numbers. It was a great thrill to have a car, even if a very small one. On a Sunday, certainly in the summer, my father would take my mother, myself and my two brothers out for a drive. When we were in the car, before we headed out, he would turn towards us in the back seat and say, ‘Will it be the sea or the mountains?’ The sea was anywhere from Dollymount to Rush. The mountains were really the Dublin hills, but we used to call them the mountains. At the time I always had a preference for the mountains, and I was always glad when we headed south, rather than east or north. There was something about being on a height which I found exhilarating and exciting. It felt different up there. You were somehow above it all. You had a different perspective. The city looked better from a height, more beautiful, spreading inland from that natural horseshoe that is Dublin Bay.

Peter, James and John made their living from the sea. They were fishermen. They must have spent long hours on the sea of Galilee or by its shores. In this morning’s gospel reading, Jesus takes them away from the sea, up a high mountain. There, on that mountain, they were given a new perspective on Jesus. They saw him as they had never seen him before, transfigured, his clothes dazzling white. In an earlier chapter of his gospel, Mark had described Jesus and his disciples in a storm at sea, the boat battling against the wind and waves. Now on the mountain, the storm must have seemed a distant memory as they were absorbed by an experience of Jesus that made Peter cry out, ‘it is wonderful for us to be here’. The hell of the storm had given way to this heavenly experience on the mountain. Yet, an even more hellish storm lay ahead for the disciples. They would soon come down the mountain and continue the journey towards Jerusalem, the city where they would experience suffering and loss and failure.

In our own lives we will probably have experienced both the storm at sea and the peace of the mountain top. When we look back on our lives, the darker and more painful experiences can stand out for us. Hopefully, we can also remember times when, like Peter, we said, ‘it is wonderful to be here’. These were times when we felt deeply happy and at peace, when we felt alive. The gospel reading this morning invites us to remember those moments, to relive them, and to continue to draw life from them.

I am struck by that little word ‘here’ in Peter’s statement. So often we can find ourselves wishing that we were somewhere else, not ‘here’, but ‘there’. We image that we would be happier if we were in a different place, or with different people, or doing different things. In some instances that can be the case. It can be important at times for people to move, because where they are is anything but wonderful. But at other times, our wishing to be somewhere else can come from our failure to appreciate what we have, where we are, the people around us now. Maybe if we saw more deeply, we would appreciate more fully the here and the now, and we might find ourselves saying more often, ‘it is good to be here, here in this place, with these people’. On the mountain top, Peter, James and John were helped to see Jesus more deeply than they had ever seen him before. They were captivated by the mystery of his identity, ‘This is my Son, the beloved’. They saw that there was more to him than they had realized. So often, there is more to the place we are in, and to the people we are with, than we realize. Our way of seeing where we are and who we are with can be very restricted. We can miss something important about the ‘here’ and the ‘now’. In one of our acclamations at Mass, we say or sing, ‘Heaven and earth are full of your glory’. We acknowledge in that acclamation how the created world is charged with God’s presence. That is even truer of the human person who is made in the image of God. God could say of each person we meet, ‘This is my beloved’. As God invited the disciples on the mountain to see Jesus more deeply, he invites us to see each other more deeply, to relate to each other in a way that acknowledges the wonder of our being.

We can fail to appreciate what is all around us; we can devalue what is really worthwhile. We can even be tempted to destroy what is deserving of our love and appreciation. Abraham in the first reading climbed a mountain to destroy his son, believing this was what God was asking of him. Sacrificing children to the gods was part of the pagan religious culture in which Abraham lived. Abraham had to learn that this was not what God was asking of him. God’s words, ‘Do not harm him’, stopped Abraham in his tracks. On the mountain, God was calling Abraham to cherish life not to destroy it. In a similar way, God calls us to cherish life, to celebrate the wonder of life in all its forms, as the disciples celebrated the wonder of Jesus on the mountain. Then we might find ourselves saying more often, ‘it is wonderful to be here’.

And/Or

(iii) Second Sunday of Lent

Most of us would be aware of times in our lives when we did not really do ourselves justice. The way we spoke or acted, the way we related to someone, did not really express our better self. We can look back at such moments and recognize that we fell short of the person we are called to be. We can show different faces to others, not all of them faces we would be proud of. Yet, even when we fall short of our better self, we know that we always have the capacity to make amends. We can set out again and make a new effort to let our best self shine through, the self that is made in the image and likeness of God.

We would all like people to judge us not on the basis of our off days but on the basis of our good days, the days that do us justice. You may have had the experience of forming a judgement of someone on the basis of some negative experience you had of them. Subsequently, you had a very different experience of them, you saw a different face of them, and you found that you had to revise your opinion of them for the better. You came to realize that the negative experience you had of them was not a fair reflection of them; there was much more to them that you had initially realized. We need to be open to seeing people with new eyes.

Unlike ourselves, Jesus did not show different faces to people. He always showed the same face, the face of God, because he was God in human form. He had no bad days, in that sense. Yet, many people perceived Jesus in ways that did not do him justice. Some of his opponents saw him in such a negative light that they considered him to be in league with Satan, ‘By the ruler of the demons, he casts out demons’, they said. They were blind to his true identity and completely distorted it, because they experienced what he said and did as threatening to their own position. Even Jesus’ own followers had difficulty in seeing Jesus as he really was. At times they wanted him to be someone different to the person he really was. At Caesarea Philippi, when Jesus declared himself to be the Son of Man who would suffer and die, Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. One of the faces of God that Jesus showed was the face of a suffering God. This was a face that Peter and the other disciples were very uncomfortable with.

According to Mark’s gospel, it was immediately after this clash between Jesus and his disciples at Caesarea Philippi that Jesus took them up the mount of the transfiguration. There, Jesus revealed another face of God, the glorious face of God, and Jesus himself was declared to be the Son of God. His disciples saw Jesus in a way they had never seen him before. They saw him with new eyes. The glorious face of God was a face that Peter was very much at home with. Indeed, Peter wanted to prolong this moment as much as possible. ‘It is wonderful for us to be here’, he exclaimed, ‘let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah’. However, Peter had to learn that the glorious Son of God who so enthralled him was also the suffering Son of Man who so repelled him. That is the significance of the word from the mountain addressed to Peter and the other disciples, ‘Listen to him’, listen to Jesus when he speaks of himself as the Son of Man who has to suffer and die. The two faces of God that Jesus displays, the suffering face and the glorious face have to be held together.

Fundamentally, Jesus only reveals one face of God, the face of love. God’s love for us, God’s loyalty to us, was such that God was prepared to allow his Son to die for our sakes. Paul declares in today’s second reading, ‘God did not spare his own Son, but gave him up to benefit us all’. In today’s first reading, Abraham’s loyalty to God was so great that he was prepared to sacrifice his son to God. Even though God did not ask this of Abraham in the end, the incident reveals human loyalty to God at its most complete. Abraham’s loyalty to God is a sign of God’s loyalty to us. God is so loyal, so faithful, to us that God is prepared to give us his Son, even though that entailed his cruel and untimely death. Jesus declared that no one has greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Jesus’ death on the cross revealed the face of God to be the face of a greater love. As Paul reminds us in that second reading, God revealed his greater love for us also in raising his Son from the dead, in giving his Son back to us, the Son who now stands at the right hand of God pleading for us. Here indeed is a love that is beyond any human love, a love that prompts Paul to ask his triumphant question at the beginning of today’s second reading: ‘With God on our side, who can be against us?’

Our calling as people who have been so loved by God in this way is to show the face of Christ to others. It is that face alone that will do us justice as people who have been baptized into the body of Christ and who have received the Spirit of Christ. Our ultimate destiny in heaven is to be conformed to the image of God’s Son. Our calling is to show forth something of that image here and now.

And/Or

(iv) Second Sunday of Lent

I came across a sentence in a book I was reading recently which struck me very forcibly: ‘all love relationships flourish only when there is freedom to let go of what is precious, so as to receive it back as a gift’. It is not easy to let go of what is precious. The more precious someone is to us, the harder it is to let go of that person. The more attractive someone is to us, the more we feel inclined to possess that person. Yet, in the effort to possess someone we can easily lose them. At the heart of all loving relationships is the freedom to let go of the other, and in letting go to receive the other back as a gift. Parents know that there comes a time when they have to let go of their sons or daughters, even though they are more precious to them than anything else. They may have to let them go to another country or to the person whom they have chosen as their future spouse. Yet, in letting go of their children, parents invariably discover that they receive them back as a gift. Single people too have to learn the freedom of letting go what is precious so as to receive it back as a gift. In any good and healthy friendship, people need to give each other plenty of space.

In this morning’s first reading Abraham is portrayed as being willing to let go of what was most precious to him, the only son of his old age. In being willing to let his son go to God, he went on to receive him back as a gift. Many people find it a very disturbing story, because it portrays God as asking Abraham to sacrifice his only beloved son as a burnt offering to God. We are rightly shocked by the image of God asking a father to sacrifice his son in this way. Abraham lived about a thousand years before Christ. In the religious culture of that time it was not uncommon for people to sacrifice their children to various gods. The point of the story seems to be that the God of Israel is not like the pagan gods. If Abraham thought that God was asking him to sacrifice his son Isaac like the people who worshipped other gods, he was wrong. God was not asking this of Abraham. Yet, the willingness of Abraham to let go of what was most precious to him if that was what God was asking remained an inspiration to the people of Israel. He had already shown a willingness to let go of his family and his homeland as he set out towards an unknown land in response to God’s call.

The early church came to understand the relationship between Abraham and Isaac as pointing ahead to the relationship between God the Father and Jesus. Like Abraham, God was prepared to let go of what was most precious to him, his one and only Son, out of love for humanity. God was prepared to let his Son go to humanity, with all the dangers that entailed for his Son. Saint Paul was very struck by this extraordinary generosity of God on our behalf, as he says in this morning’s second reading, ‘God did not spare his own Son, but gave him up to benefit us all’. God let his precious Son go to humanity even though the consequences of that were the rejection of his Son and, ultimately, his crucifixion. Even after Jesus was crucified, God continued to give him to us as risen Lord. When Paul contemplates this self-emptying love of God for us, he asks aloud, in the opening line of that second reading, ‘With God on our side who can be against us?’ Paul is declaring that if God’s love for us is this complete, then we have nothing to fear from anyone. Here is a love that has no trace of possessiveness, a love that makes us lovable.

In this morning’s gospel reading, Peter, James and John are taken up a high mountain by Jesus, and there they have an experience of Jesus which took their breath away. It was an experience that was so precious that Peter could not let it go. He wanted to prolong it indefinitely and so he says to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is wonderful for us to be here, so let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah’. He and the other two disciples had a fleeting glimpse of the heavenly beauty of Christ, and did not want to let go of it. Beauty always attracts; it calls out to us. Yet, Peter and the others had to let go of this precious experience; it was only ever intended to be momentary. They would receive it back in the next life as a gift. For now, their task was to listen to Jesus, ‘This is my beloved Son. Listen to him’. That is our task too. We spend our lives listening to the Lord as he speaks to us in his word and in the circumstances of our lives; we listen to him as a preparation for that wonderful moment when we see him face to face in eternity and we can finally say, ‘it is wonderful to be here’, without the need to let go.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

[elegantwoes]

The clans have grown bolder since Lord Jon died,” Ser Donnel said. He was a stocky youth of twenty years, earnest and homely, with a wide nose and a shock of thick brown hair. '

The chapter starts off with us being reminded of the Vale knights and Mountain Clan conflict and how the tension between them is growing.

She liked that less well. Without Bronn she would never have reached the Vale, she knew; the sellsword was as fierce a fighter as she had ever seen, and his sword had helped cut them through to safety. Yet for all that, Catelyn misliked the man. Courage he had, and strength, but there was no kindness in him, and little loyalty.'

Catelyn’s wisdom is visible in this part. Competence is a good thing in a person, but more often than not moral compass and integrity is more important. What use is skill if you cannot use it for good?

'She says yes, provided she finds a man who suits her,” Brynden Tully said, “but she has already rejected Lord Nestor and a dozen other suitable men. She swears that this time she will choose her lord husband.'

I almost want to say something but I will keep my mouth shut.. for now.

'Tyrion Lannister glanced up doubtfully. “And beyond that?” Brynden smiled. “Beyond that, the path is too steep even for mules. We ascend on foot the rest of the way. Or perchance you’d prefer to ride a basket. The Eyrie clings to the mountain directly above Sky, and in its cellars are six great winches with long iron chains to draw supplies up from below. If you prefer, my lord of Lannister, I can arrange for you to ride up with the bread and beer and apples.'

Brynden is ruthless. It seems like sharp wit is a Tully trait. #Tullysforthewin

'My brother is undoubtedly arrogant,” Tyrion Lannister replied. “My father is the soul of avarice, and my sweet sister Cersei lusts for power with every waking breath. I, however, am innocent as a little lamb. Shall I bleat for you?” He grinned.'

I can give credit when it��s due. Tyrion is actually funny here.

'It did not please her; it was an effort for Catelyn to keep the smile on her face. Stone was a bastard’s name in the Vale, as Snow was in the north, and Flowers in Highgarden; in each of the Seven Kingdoms, custom had fashioned a surname for children born with no names of their own. Catelyn had nothing against this girl, but suddenly she could not help but think of Ned’s bastard on the Wall, and the thought made her angry and guilty, both at once. She struggled to find words for a reply.'

Call my crazy but I always interpreted this part as Catelyn remembering what she said to Jon in his second chapter and her feeling guilty at her outburst.

'She remembered what her uncle had said of baskets and winches. “The Lannisters may have their pride,” she told Mya, “but the Tullys are born with better sense. I have ridden all day and the best part of a night. Tell them to lower a basket. I shall ride with the turnips.'

And it’s because of this why the Tullys will survive but the Lannisters will not. Again #Tullysforthewin

'It had been five years, in truth; five cruel years, for Lysa. They had taken their toll. Her sister was two years the younger, yet she looked older now. Shorter than Catelyn, Lysa had grown thick of body, pale and puffy of face. She had the blue eyes of the Tullys, but hers were pale and watery, never still. Her small mouth had turned petulant. As Catelyn held her, she remembered the slender, high-breasted girl who’d waited beside her that day in the sept at Riverrun. How lovely and full of hope she had been. All that remained of her sister’s beauty was the great fall of thick auburn hair that cascaded to her waist.'

I don’t really like how Lysa is described in here. George RR Martin’s contempt for her is too strong in this passage.

'My quarrels?” Catelyn could scarce believe what she was hearing. A great fire burned in the hearth, but there was no trace of warmth in Lysa’s voice. “They were your quarrels first, sister. It was you who sent me that cursed letter, you who wrote that the Lannisters had murdered your husband.'

Catelyn’s outrage is so obvious in here. If there was one picture that could sum up her mental state right now then it’s this.

'Quiet!” Lysa snapped at her. “You’re scaring the boy.” Little Robert took a quick peek over his shoulder at Catelyn and began to tremble. His doll fell to the rushes, and he pressed himself against his mother. “Don’t be afraid, my sweet baby,” Lysa whispered. “Mother’s here, nothing will hurt you.” She opened her robe and drew out a pale, heavy breast, tipped with red. The boy grabbed for it eagerly, buried his face against her chest, and began to suck. Lysa stroked his hair.'

The way Lysa coddles Sweetrobin is unsettling to say the least.

'Even if they could bring an army through the mountains and past the Bloody Gate, the Eyrie is impregnable. You saw for yourself. No enemy could ever reach us up here.'

If you consider how many times this line is uttered throughout the book series you know it will be disproven at some point. Will it happen in the form of the mountain clans invading, or worse, in the form of a dragon?

'Catelyn wanted to slap her. Uncle Brynden had tried to warn her, she realized.'

Catelyn is really funny when her temper flares up.

''Make him fly,” Robert said eagerly.' Lysa stroked her son’s hair. “Perhaps we will,” she murmured. “Perhaps that is just what we will do.'

Don’t make false promises you can’t keep, Lysa. A woman like me will be disappointed.

Next chapter we are at our reluctant detective: Ned Stark.

[the-firebird69]

Let's go do some stuff in a minute

Got to do some day whereas a whole bunch of people cleared out and it causing problems and they like to they get down there and they have to be nice or they'll just kill each other off and remind each other and they're working at and they're trying to do different drugs and take it easy on it and they're working at and they're not too good at it and that's what they say too no we are working on a lot of things one of them is getting ready for a war for this moola they think that they can do whatever they want whenever they want to whomever they want and a lot of stuff it's happening because of it. There's a huge number of people who are tired of their s*** talking about who they heard telling people about it they say they're going to kill you and motor over your stupid house and get rid of your seed and there's tons of people saying it

It's a huge day and a huge night and there's a lot of people watching Rick Steves now to see where he's been and who he's talking to and stuff like that but they're still in jail and they're probably going to be on trial for crimes against those people. It's it's really a giant giant bunch of morons okay they don't know pretty much what they're talking about and the guy yapping says this area doesn't have a specialty and they do in a sense is what they raise and grow and they grow duck and land and that's especially and their lamb is probably the best in France and the best in Europe and it is world renowned and their duck is all free range and I'm getting it from father and mother and from some employees here they're probably a Steve Martin and he's had to go kind of thing. So they had a decent meal anyways. We can't stand them and here here's the house it's in James Bond it's in France and it's drax house and it is not for rent or use but for some reason he manages to set up there and it's because Francis fighting over something that they found below and it's near there and nobody wants to be there since maintaining the place and he's working himself and it looks ridiculous he's got a few people and that's it and he's trying to do this poison routine later on and it's really an ugly scene and it's not really anything he considers himself to be the owner and it's before sokovia and he loses the fleet and he is cast off from Trump this is well after when he is outlawed from Florida in the United States.

There's a lot of them that are evacuating it is a huge number and like we said about 2 days ago they're 25% or 20%, and right now they're more like 20% of the populace and that would be two out of 10 people or 20 out of 100 a big race at that number and the attitude is still such. It does go on and on with them though and they are leaving in trolls and right now they're thinking of going after a big ships because they have not been and it seems that Tommy F takes over the presidency for a day and we think it's not him we think it's Trump after he gets else did from Florida and he's trying to get back and he can't and he tries to get power they all look like trumpsters and he takes the key and he finds out where it is and his grandfather sees him in the helicopter and doesn't shoot him it says there's nothing you can do it's gigantic and that's the key for the one in the Gulf of Mexico which won't come out until much later after it drops and the key is down only 5 MI but when it drops it'll drop with it and it's solid did nothing will happen to him and it's not made out of thorium but it's not going to break and they are right now continuing their evacuation but they're trying to grab things and they're getting hit and their headquarters are getting hit here in the Western hemisphere and their numbers are dwindling for real this time and they are fighting on Australia and New Zealand and other islands and they went from about 9:00% out of the 25% too much 7% today and yes that number includes the islands and the also lost about 3% outside and that's why we're at 20% but half of that is on the island Islands. Most of it's on Australia and Trump does have an area there. Right now they're switching gears again they're going to try for big ships and they are and we're thinking about it for quite a while and their positioning and there are some that are filling up the eight points not five. And they have about 300,000 until at this time octillion. And that's a huge number that's right. They're more coming now and we're going to publish

Thor Freya

It's a huge night and the stinkuses are still just sitting around messing around and they need to leave

Hera

Olympus we approved this message

[sw4tch]

tma thoughts

thinking about why i adore the idea of jon x elias and my only garbled thought came out as “you’re devout and you’re a heretic, and you’ll love your god, your god of your own making, make him both the sacrificial lamb and your lord” and. well i guess that exemplifies my religious trauma jumping out like a wild dog and latching onto inherently messed up dynamics. the worst the better, it adds to the flavor ❤

and then of course we have jon x martin which has evolved in my mind to be just. The Pining ship. The “i am holding on to my humanity” ship. The Ship that loves its Anchor. The “I will die for you and ask nothing back in return” ship. My god. rotating Martin in my mind.

Last but not least another fave ended up being martin ♠ elias for me. This one is pretty surface level but i fucking love that their interactions are so good. elias underestimates martin and it costs him, and then I KNOWWWW he spends the rest of his time in jail obsessing about him. AND I KNOW HE DOES because later on he puts martin in the correct time and place to 4d chess peter, so he LEARNED he shouldn’t overlook martin. smth smth admiration even. then of course martin hates his fucking guts so that’s fantastic too. the power plays here are a delicious snack.

anyway i love my 3 messed up guys. i have been deeply enjoying tma as it is for its story, but i also can’t stop thinking about these ship dynamics. what a fantastic podcast my god. an all rounder: the story itself is Excellent but also THE THINGS YOU COULD EXPLORE IN FICS! Pretty BOUNTIFUL!

[chaoticpinetree]

Helloo

This isn’t really a question but I found your blog a bit back when you were just starting the Magnus archives. Tma is one of my favourite things and I’ve already listened to it twice haha, And it’s so fun reading your thoughts on the episodes. I hope you continue to enjoy the show!

Since this is an ask thing I guess I’ll ask, who’s your favourite character(s) so far?

Hi!

Heh, I've seen you like a lot of my posts :3 My reasoning was that if I enjoyed seeing a few people write their reactions to stuff I've read/watched, then maybe there will be someone out there who'll enjoy reading my reactions to TMA and I'm so glad to see that I was right <3

Ahhh, favourite characters... That's a difficult question, you know, because so many of them are so well-written? Even the bastards.

Jon is definitely high on that list, especially as his Angst Levels are rising, hehe. I'm just. I am so weak for angst it's not my fault ;-;

Gosh I like Tim a lot even though it pains me now every time he appears, or maybe because of it, because it's like, he used to be so nice and friendly and now :C well and maybe maybe I'm biased because my OC's name abbreviation is Tim and it's just. they're nothing alike but you know, it's there heh

As a character I really enjoy Elias but I also hope his stupid face dies sometime soon because he's just so fuckings shady I cannot I bet he's like 'oh guys pls stop the apocalypse... because these guys are my enemies and I have some other evil plan' or whatever, the typical 'other people are tools' attitude. But I mean, he is a very enjoyable character xD

Daisy my beloved, with the murderous rage, I'm just saying, she'd've been so valid had she killed Elias <3 (less valid for killing Jon though)

Similar energy to Daisy but with Elias's danger and bastardeness: Jude Perry. She's only been in one episode so far but I mean come on. Come on the lamb metaphor lmao.

Martin is so nice, although I'm paying attention to him partially because I know he's got some angst to come (AKA one of the comics that finally got me to start listening) and like,he's trying his best and he seems so soft and all but he also has some unhinged energy bubbling beneath the surface and I want to see where it takes him heh.

"Oh hey what are your favourite characters?" Me: *lists half of the major characters* In my defense they're neat.

But I mean, okay, if I had to choose one among these, I would probably choose Jon because well, we're kind of 'spending most time with him' as the protagonist and also he has trauma points and angst over the whole 'losing humanity' thing while also the bonus of cool eldtrich powers that will 100% take something from him but we'll see.

Ajhgdjhdg I hope that's somewhat satisfactory

[madamemidnight]

An addition from a Hereos fanfiction author: *clears throat*

It's also possible that Martin was not abusive at all, but indifferent and calloused towards Gabriel because he never wanted him as a son. His short temper could have been in the little ways he'd snap like : "Ask your mother!" or "What have I told you about bothering me while I'm working‽" which he was never not doing as a means of keeping his distance from them both. He confesses to Gabriel that he got him purely to make it easier to leave Virginia because she was a "sick, infantile woman," and he wanted out of a "loveless marriage". Gabriel was purchased so she would become codependent on him instead of Martin and once Martin was certain she'd become attached, and wouldn't come looking for him, he bailed. There was no Gabriel standing up to him. He describes the night he left as "Going for a pack of cigarettes. A bit cliche, don't you think?" Gabriel was bought as a sacrificial lamb.

His actual father on the other hand murdered his baby momma the second he got rid of their kid. She was no longer of use to him and since she was clearly upset and wanted her son back, when she woke up, he decided to also cut his losses. But Samson is covetous like Gabriel, chalk it up to the nature of Intuitive Aptitude, and if he wasn't going to have her then no one would. He'd tried keeping her at first, otherwise he'd have just left Gabriel with her. Instead he tries to sell him and for only a few hundred dollars then tries to leave with her. When that doesn't work, and she's upset, he kills her.

It's much more likely that Samson was abusive to Gabriel or both of them and that is birth mother shielded him. That he hid in the closet while she was getting beaten or SA'ed. The man said: "That was so long ago. Who can remember," when asked why he sold his son and killed his lover. Gabriel's lie detection doesn't go off. This man cared so little about his child and partner that the reasons for ending her life and selling his son weren't worth remembering.

Gabriel mirrors his father subconsciously throughout the show prior to meeting him and getting those few memories back. He kills every victim after Brian the same way he saw his father kill his mother. He uses women as tools, often through seduction and describes Maya as: "A shiny new toy and she's all mine." He acts like they're pathetic for falling for his wiles and looks down on people he can deceive in general.

When he realizes that Elle has lied to him again by insisting the Petrelli's are his parents and that "Bennet is lying. He's Bennet," what does he do? He doesn't confront her and have a normal conversation about her betrayal. He doesn't end things by stranding her where they were teleported to and telling her he'll kill her if she looks for him. No. He seduces her to lower her defenses and get her in a vulnerable position, tells her he knows she was lying in a roundabout way by saying people don't change while also referring to himself, and then he kills her. It's one of his only crimes of passion instead of practicality or the acquisition of power.

I also believe that she knew why he was hurting her and that's why she let him. All she says is: "You're hurting me," and when he says: "I know," she just closes her eyes and quietly whimpers through the pain. She knew she shouldn't have tricked and manipulated him again and she felt she deserved it. We know from his previous attempt to kill her that she could have beaten him if she had wanted to, but that's a whole different topic. The point is that Gabriel ended things with Elle by ending her, the same way his father did with his mother.

He's been subconsciously reenacting his childhood ever since his second kill. When his father points out that he only preys on feeble targets his defense is that it's not his fault they're so weak and his father smiles to himself. That's because it's clearly his same logic and in that moment he knows his son turned out exactly like him, which might be a point of pride since he thinks so highly of himself. Unlike Gabriel (who literally cries more than any other character on the show), Samson has no remorse over his actions whatsoever. He truly is a monster, while Gabriel has been trapped in an unconscious pantomime of portraying one because that's what he learned power looked like. That's how the person on top of the chain behaved, so as soon as he gets power of his own he starts acting the same.

This is actually very common for children of abuse, whether it was themselves or helplessly watching others, because all people pick up behavioral patterns from their parents as children no matter how hard you fight against it, they get in there. And in the case of toxic people, at least one of those toxic traits is going to be absorbed and modeled. For some people it's ending up with abusive relationships, whether it's friends or lovers, because they picked up traits from the victim. For others, it's the abuser. Some people see a boot and neck situation and decide they're going to be the boot, others choose to be the neck (intentionally or not), and it is so difficult to even recognize these traits, forget reprogramming them into healthy ones. That requires so much work and at the end of the day, most people know they're fucked up and that it hurts others around them but they don't care enough to put in the effort.

Gabriel has always toed that line of knowing he's fucked up but not understanding why and when he learns why that is used to explain and excuse it all. While thinking he was Nathan (which was just him getting to experience what life could have been like if he felt supported and loved and chose a career people respect), he learns what it feels like to be that kind of person. In the meantime his psyche is in Matt's head and he's forced to see a person with similar insecurities and similar daddy issues have everything, which confuses and angers him. Why could Matt Parkman get a wife who loves him for who he is and start a family of his own, when he couldn't? Eventually, in the mind prison, when he's lost everything and he's all alone, he accepts that he was one of the people that never really tried to have the things he wanted because he took a "If you can't handle me at my worst, you don't deserve me at my best," approach without accepting that his worst self was cruel and emotionally unavailable, things you cannot expect people should accept.

He feels unwanted as Gabriel and unworthy as Sylar. That's why he tells Peter: "Maybe I deserve all this aloneness, this nothingness!" That means there's hope for him, because he's still capable of feeling remorse, guilt, and shame. He's still capable of taking responsibility for his actions. If there wasn't a decent person buried beneath all the layers, he would have never tried to be a better person any of the times he's attempted it. And despite how many times people have lied, manipulated, and betrayed him, Gabriel still tries to trust others because he wants to be loved and to belong so badly. The whole point of the show is that no one is all good or all bad and that includes the villains. If anyone on that show could be redeemed from a psychological standpoint, it would be Gabriel Gray.

sylar has this weird thing where he respects the intent behind a closed door and doesn’t force it open when someone is hiding from him (molly walker, claire bennet, virginia gray)

I wonder if it’s because he once hid behind a closed door and that’s why he respects the fragile safety that it represents

[t00thpasteface]

What's your (spoiler light) read on the personalities of Martin and Lucien?

I need it for fic reasons

-Mellowscrolls

ok FIRST OFF let me say that by "spoiler light" i assume you mean you're still in the process of playing their respective quests, to which i insist that you should take everything i (some internet jester) say with a grain of void salts and prioritize finishing the quests and coming to your own conclusions. THAT BEING SAID, i know most RPGs suffer from the fact that they can never truly be as explicit in their worldbuilding and characterization as a less interactive medium like, say, a novel, given the constraints that player interaction and choice will place on the direction and depth of a story, so sometimes a little brainstorming is necessary to fill in the gaps. here's my takes:

i've said before that Martin seems like he's being weighed down and pushed forward by a LOT of guilt and regret. even his sense of obligation to the empire has an edge of self-flagellation to it. he is a hilariously catholic character while also being the closest thing to an agnostic in the tes universe after Else God-Hater-- there's a lot to unpack there. his past is defined by (1) running away, (2) making huge mistakes that ruin lives, and (3) denying himself and his own needs and wants. whether it's as a mage, cultist, priest, or emperor, his life is defined by being pushed into/out of certain identities by outside forces and losing parts of himself in each stage. he does a lot of running away and hiding in his life, literal and metaphorical.

and what's worse is he's overwhelmingly referred to by other characters AS his titles in the game: priest and emperor. he's never Martin; he's either Brother Martin, denying himself a personal identity and considering himself to be just another expendable priest, or Emperor Martin Septim, denied a personal identity by others and treated mostly as a living plot-device and sacrificial lamb who gets picked up and moved around like the Amulet of Kings. i think more than anything, as cliche as this may sound, he probably just wants to Be Himself. but it's easier to just bury all that down and throw yourself into the monotony and routine of the Akatosh Chantry than it is to do any real introspection, so... you know the rest.

by contrast i see Lucien as a total control freak who puts on a big grand suave personality as a deliberate act, and underneath, it he's extremely petty and vindictive. he's always in charge. he always strikes first and he can always make an escape. he sets the terms for every interaction and expects complete unwavering loyalty and obedience in return. he lets you see only what he thinks you need to see-- of the brotherhood, of his methods, even of his body. even his dedication to Sithis is self-righteous and authoritative: Sithis works through HIM. the black hand must be preserved insofar as his authority and power must be preserved; he requires the veneer of credibility that the black hand provides. the black hand must be preserved because it is valuable to his needs and goals. and you will do exactly as he says, when and how he says to do it, in order to make that happen. and you will not ask questions.

this ends up being kind of a blind spot because he's so used to being in control, and absolutely NEEDS to be, that he underestimates his enemies/weaknesses bc he sees himself as a chessmaster. he doesn't want to think about someone outsmarting him, so he doesn't think about it, and therefore it's not even on his radar. the possibility does not exist in his mind so he can't pick up on the signs. and he ESPECIALLY can't ask you to watch his back-- only follow his orders, because to do otherwise would be to insinuate weakness. he's been in it so long that started believing his own persona. if Martin needs to find himself so he can make his own choices, Lucien needs to find himself so he can let someone else make some choices for once.

as for how those personalities would interact, congeal, or clash: it's entirely UP TO YOU!! and i'm eager to see what you (or anyone else) can come up with...

[rafaelsilvasource]

Rafa’s Book Recommendations:

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

I Am Not Your Negro: A Major Motion Picture, directed by Raoul Peck from texts by James Baldwin

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

The Normal Heart by Larry Kramer

She’s Come Undone by Willy Lamb

The Earth Shall Weep: A History of Native America by James Wilson

Bent by Martin Sherman

Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen

The Mystic in the Theatre: Eleonora Duse by Eva La Gallienne

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass

Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History by S.C. Gwynne

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing by Benjamin Graham

Asian and Latino Immigrants in a Restructuring Economy: The Metamorphosis of Southern California, edited by Marta López-Garza and David R. Diaz

Unworthy Republic: The Dispossession of Native Americans and the Road to Indian Territory by Claudio Saunt

Creating Black Americans: African-American History and Its Meanings, 1619 to the Present by Nell Irvin Painter

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

State of Emergency: How We Win in the Country We Built by Tamika D. Mallory

Cassavetes on Cassavetes by Ray Carney

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin

The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present by David Treuer 

How to Win Friends & Influence People in the Digital Age by Dale Carnegie

How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Becoming by Michelle Obama

Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes by Tony Kushner

RAFAEL SILVA via IG Stories - November 14, 2021

[reginarubie]

I read your response to the question about mirri maz duur, i can't help but say that I seem to be the only one who sees this kind of "trope" with her. The trope that i refer is of the character who is assaulted (or they just come to her asking) by this antagonistic group, then is "asked" for medical care for their boss. Long-story-short something goes wrong with the aid gived and they frame it on the character helping them.

Also i agree completely Mirri Mas Duur due to the trauma she suffered she clings or sticks in the belief of her religion about giving aid to sick people, even ones that orchestrated her imprisonment. Knowing this is more understandable what she does, she goes and gives her service and gives information about what the knowledge in the "medical field" of the time she knows (blood magic from ashaai, giving birth, examine corpses and horse magic stuff), and curiously all those things is what she uses in one moment or another.

In summary, D@ny and Drogo go for the IT, ensalves a fucking city, the make enemies with Mirri, this comes and bite them in the ass and they fry her. It is racist all around jesus and what is a little funny is the similarity the lazhareen have with christianity (lamb, the great shephard, etc?). It doesn't look good for D@ny sincerely.

Little question but could D@ny be the Anti-Christ given all this information taking acount? I mean she could have come to life by frying a lamb of the Great Shephard (quite satanic lol). And she could be in opposition and rejection to Christ (Jon or Aegon and their paternity claim). "Who is the liar, but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? That is the Antichrist: he who denies the Father and the Son." (1 John 2, 22).

Ciao anon!,

The post you refer to (this one) was actually a consequence of a post I made about how the birth of the dragons which is at times considered as miraculous, after the author has published Fire&Blood and with a deeper analysis of the last Dany's chapters in AGOT actually takes a new meaning — as we all know that the valyrian engaged in blood rituals and even twisted the flesh of animals and men to create chimeras; and what Mirri does is a blood ritual, but what Daenerys willingly engages with is not only a blood ritual but an human sacrifice thanks to which she manages to return from death (Martin himself has stated that her ��surviving” the fire was a one-time-deal probably caused by the blood ritual and she would most probably not been able to do so again, why her hands are burned when Daenerys is on the run with Drogon which suggests she's not immune to fire like the show would've us believe) and to hatch the dragon eggs.

Your summary lacks a little detail which I believe important; Daenerys — who is pretty young — claims all the women she stumbles upon as Drogo has taken the city, and she claims her for her own slaves, but instead of showing care for them (like some people claim she does with her servants/friends after she starts to conquer Essos) she doesn't care for them, not even for the woman who has treated her husband's wound and to whom Daenerys has asked assistance for the birth of her son. When she summons Mirri — who previously had been considered a relevant figure, a person who wore the best clothes her people had and was respected because of her healing skills — the woman barely manages to walk, her feet are blistered, she's covered in bruises and it is clear she has been abandoned by Daenerys and completely mistreated by the others. I think this detail goes a long way to prove that while Daenerys may claim to have good intentions toward the slaves and many consider that she understands them because she has been a glorified slave herself, that is not exactly true. Yeah, she suffered trauma and she had been, all her life, at the worse end of a power imbalance that gave all the power to Viserys first and to Drogo later; but she has never been a slave, otherwise she would've acted differently toward at least the one slave she should've coveted above others since you know she treated your husband's wound and she has agreed to assist you in the birth of your son.

I don't know if you know this, but there is a whole branch of fans who believe that Daenerys role in the story is that of the Great deliverer (which calls back to Moses) and they don't see anything wrong with a white woman, a suprematist to whom has been ingrained that her Targaryen blood makes her special (and she believes this wholeheartedly), strolling in and “freeing” people around her when the consequence of this freedom comes at a cost and that cost is that she's now their master, and Martin isn't even subtle about it either, I mean, look at what happens during the slaughter of Astapor:

The gold pommel was a woman’s head, with pointed ivory teeth. “The harpy’s fingers,” Kraznys named the scourge. Dany turned the whip in her hand.Such a light thing, to bear such weight . “Is it done, then? Do theybelong to me?” “It is done,” he agreed, giving the chain a sharp pull to bring Drogon down from the litter. Dany mounted her silver. She could feel her heart thumping in her chest. She felt desperately afraid.Was this what my brother would have done? She wondered if Prince Rhaegar had been this anxious whenhe saw the Usurper’s host formed up across the Trident with all their banners floating on the wind. She stood in her stirrups and raised the harpy’s fingers above her head for all the Unsullied to see. “IT IS DONE!” she cried at the top of her lungs. “YOU ARE MINE!” She gave the mare her heels and gallopedalong the first rank, holding the fingers high. “YOU ARE THE DRAGON’S NOW! YOU’RE BOUGHT AND PAID FOR! IT IS DONE! IT IS DONE!”

(...)

“Unsullied!” Dany galloped before them, her silver-gold braid flying behind her, her bell chiming withevery stride. “Slay the Good Masters, slay the soldiers, slay every man who wears a tokar or holds a whip, but harm no child under twelve, and strike the chains off every slave you see.” She raised the harpy’s fingers in the air . .. and then she flung the scourge aside. “Freedom!” she sang out. “Dracarys!Dracarys!

— Daenerys III, ASOS

This is not freeing people. Daenerys has at first paid for them, then she asked if the payment was accepted, when told it was, she informed the Unsullied that they were hers now, that they were the dragon's (again with the suprematist ship about the Targaryens), telling them she has bought and paid for them, all the while holding the harpy's fingers in her hand so that they recognise her as a master. If that is not enough, only after her people have already started the massacre she gives the Unsullied the orders to follow (slay every man who wears a tokar = every free man, even if he's not a master, and every child above 12, also don't care about the women do what you will about them and break the chains of other slaves) still with the scourge in her hand (so still posing at a master) and only after she has given the order of killing every master they see (so even her, as she's posing as her master as of now) does she flings the harpy's fingers aside and interlopes the word ‘freedom’ with ‘dracarys’ so that they associate freedom with the dragons and thus to her and still act as slaves to her while she may claim to have freed them (tho she doesn't free them formally) and them following her commands hints at the fact that they are not free indeed.

That is how a slaver acts cleverly, if it was true and there were parallels between Daenerys and the Great deliverer and thus Moses story in the Old Testament, Daenerys would have been supposed to be a slave, she should not have been a ‘white’ woman who believes she is superior to others (even to her so dear Dothraki, to whom she replies that her kind — the dragon — eats sheep and horse alike, I mean you can't be more suprematist than this), yeah she might have lived a better life than slaves (like Moses did), but Moses was one of their own, he wasn't an Egyptian though he had been raised as one, and he has to unlearn everything the Egyptians have taught him to become the man his people need to led them out of Egypt. So, Daenerys doesn't fit this at all either.

Which has nothing to do with your ask, though I found it pertaining to it since we are talking biblical and at this point I think a premise is very much in order: I'm Italian, I'm christian and while that may be true, my knowledge of the Bible and its events is limited as that has not been my course of studies and it's such a deep, layered and difficult holy book that not even after having studied it at length one can claim to actually know it perfectly and hold the complete truth over it. So, neither do I, as I have some very basic knowledge about it and form my own opinion by research as an hobby, and not as my job. So if anyone's knows better they're welcome to add to this discourse with their opinion and proofs. I'll gladly educate myself better!

That said, let's hop along for what you actually asked. My point about Daenerys the Great deliverer was made because I've discovered as of late that there is a whole branch of fans who seem to want to connect and parallel Dany to whoever biblical hero they can find.

I've actually discoursed a bit already on the whole christianity matter about Daenerys. So, some time ago, I was gifted a book by a friend which was a fantasy story based on Dante's Divina Commedia's world and I remember from my studies of latin and Divina Commedia during high school that Lucifero (the devil's name after his fall from heaven — in English ‘Lucifer’) is a latin word meaning “bringer of light” as it comes from the verb ‘fero’ (which is a bit like the verb ‘do’ in English, but than is more often than not translated with ‘bring’) which is the infinite of ‘to bring’ and ‘luci’ which means ‘light’.

And really being an Italian I should have realised it sooner, also because in Italy we have different high schools that have different subjects based off what you'd like to do in the future and I had chosen the liceo classico where we learn latin, greek, history, Italian, geography, biology, physics, chemistry as well as history of the arts and such and we also discussed the Divina Commedia for three years (one for each book of the trilogy) and I knew perfectly well that Lucifer means bringer of light; so I should've have known all along, yet I realised only after receiving (my bad, I still haven't gotten the time to read it) this fantasy book that bringer of light (portatore di luce, in Italian) can actually be written, in English, as lightbringer as well.

And well... my head suddenly exploded, and I was like ‘OMG how haven't I realised this sooner? how can I have missed this?’ and started to actually try and see if this theory could lead anywhere...and boy it did!

I won't bore you with all the details here, but I actually wrote an entire post about the parallels between Daenerys and Lucifer, a two parts metas about the biblical parallels and foils between Daenerys and Lucifer and Daenerys and Christ, because, believe it or not, some people claimed that Daenerys is supposed to be paralleled with Christ!

part I: Daenerys + Drogon — Lucifer the Lightbringer

part II: Daenerys — Christ

part IV (an ask consequent this ask): Daenerys and Lucifer (more parallels)

But I never considered that Daenerys burning a lamb of the Great Shepherd (Mirri) might hints at her as the Antichrist — though I pointed out another contrast between Arya (who seems to fill, as well as Jon, the role of angel-Samael, who should be the angelic version of the devil before the fall) and Daenerys in this ask pertaining the fact that Daenerys is so deafened by the roar of the flames and her love for them that she doesn't hear Mirri's screams while Arya despite the roaring of the flames hears men and animals alike trapped inside the barn and goes back to help them hinting at Daenerys being a dark version of a possible Azor Ahai (bringing light to KL by burning it to the ground — and thus “purifying the world” as the red priests say) while Arya and Jon could be, instead, the grim-duties burdened hero who trudges along a dark path, but follows the light of the father (Ned Stark, because their identities as Ned Stark's children enable them to always find their way back to their father's teachings and duties).

So let's hop onto the Antichrist's train and see if there is any way that some of Daenerys characterisation might have taken inspiration from this biblical figure.

Another premise in order: I don't know if Martin has done any of this by purpose (even tho it does look like at least unconsciously some of this might have played a role while Martin was writing his story) but it is not unlikely that a well read man like him might have been influenced by the recurring figures of the biblical heroes and villains (pass the me the term) while characterising his characters. After all in almost every story we have pariah, messiah, a great other who is dark and evil but started out good etcetera.

So, let's start by saying that the figure of the Antichrist is a figure typical only of the christian eschatology.

While christians and jews share the Old Testament, it's only the christians who believe in the New Testament; and if I am not mistaken the muslims affirms that the Quran is the third book of this sequence. In fact, though I might be wrong and I mean no disrespect to anyone believer of any of this faith, all three religions claims to descend from Abraham and the do share some stories, to the point all three together are called ‘the people of the book’ only each religion adds a new book (the jews had the Old Testament, then along came the christians and they collected stories and epistle and created the New Testament and then along came the muslims and they added the Quran). Some figures are the same in all this religions, while interpretation may differ from one to the other.

Now, while this figure is typical only of the christian eschatology, both in Judaism and Islam similar figures are contemplated.

In Judaism there are contemplated anti-messianic figures, figures of false prophets who try and interpose themselves to the real Messiah. And in their eschatology, if I am not mistaken, this anti-messiah is supposed to be defeated by the true messiah of the tribe of Joseph. — NOTICE: this figure is contemplated in some schools of jewish eschatology.

The muslims instead believe that ‘Īsā (which is their name for Jesus) was the penultimate prophet of Allah and that a figure called Dajjal (in arabic it's supposed to mean ‘deceitful messiah’) who will emulate with the help of devils the miracles performed by Jesus and they believe that he will deceive many, and that the Jews will follow him thinking him their messiah. This Dajjal has a counterpart called the Mahdi (which should mean “rightly guided one”) who will come before the Day of Judgment who, together with ‘Īsā (Jesus) who will have his second coming, will rid the world from evil and wrongdoing, injustice, and tyranny, ensuring peace and tranquility.  At last together Mahdi and ‘Īsā will defeat this deceitful messiah. — NOTICE: this figure is not contemplated inside the Quran but inside the hadīth letterature (which should be the record of the thoughts and words of the prophet Muhammad).

But what do Christians think of the Antichrist's figure?

In the christian eschatology the Antichrist appears in the epistles of of John (first and second) and as you said, he is described as «he who denies the Father and the Son»;

while similar figures are found in the Gospels as well, as we have the use of the term pseudokhristos (which is greek for false-Christ) as both in the Gospel of Matthew (chapter 24) and Mark (chapter 13) Jesus alerts his disciples to not be deceived by false prophets who will perform great signs and wonders.

Also, figures that can be associated with the singular antichrist, can be found in the chapters 10, 11 and 12 of the Book of Daniel and in his final vision where the antichrist has one single horn where — and you aren't going to believe it — there are described a series of conflicts between an unnamed king of the North and king of the South, leading to the ‘time of the end’ when the Israel (the promised land) will be vindicated and the dead raised (some to grace and some to everlasting shame) I will return to this later in more detail; and in the second letter to the Thessalonians and the to the Beast of the Sea in the Book of Revelation.

Anyway, to resume and simplify for sure, the antichrist is supposed to perform great deeds and wonders similar to those performed by Jesus (who returned from death) and will have a big following of people who'll believe in him. He is told to be monstrous and he will face-off with Christ (and Mahdi in the islamic culture; or the true messiah of the tribe of Joseph for the judaism eschatology) and be defeated at which point there will come the Regno dei Cieli (kingdom of heavens) and people will either resurrect to eternal grace or eternal torture/shame based off how they acted in life.

Could there be, I wonder, parallels with Daenerys?

Let's start by the characterisation given to us by John's epistles:

The antichrist is supposed to be the one who denies the Father and the Son

Now we don't have the books to say if Daenerys will deny Jon's paternity also because it's entirely possible that Jon being a true born might have been a translation of part of Aegon's plot from the book to the show; but she did deny Jon his paternity, she tried to have him never tell a single soul the truth of his parentage because of the consequences it could have on her claim (not even his family) and I believe that in the books she will do something similar to Aegon — after all the whole is he real, is he fake debate has been created exactly for Daenerys to cling to it and use to try and deny Aegon's claim as Rhaegar's son and thus true Targaryen claimant to the Iron throne (and with Shireen's death who Martin has sadly comfirmed, and thus the end of the Baratheon line, the only true claimant to the Iron throne). —

If that doesn't happen, it could also be a metaphorical denial of the Father and the Son, thus a denial of the morals, of Jon's and the Starks' morals, who are the heroes of this story as I've said when I discussed the matter about Daenerys not hearing Mirri and Arya hearing Rorge, Biter and Jaqen in the burning barn (do not burn kids, do not burn innocents, do not be a tyrant, be a diplomat, care for your people) who he (they) translated from Ned (who acted as his father). So unsurprisingly yes, Daenerys can completely fit this box.

In the Gospels of Mark and Matthew (chapters 13 the first and chapter 24 the latter — which must hold some significance because the apostles were 12 + Jesus =13, also 13 is unlucky number because it's the number of people who participated at the Last Supper; and 24 is 12(number of apostles, months, etc)) Jesus alerts the apostles to be wary of false prophets who will perform great deeds of wonder (the same thing is said in islamic eschatology as the Dajjal will perform the same miracles as ‘Īsā but with the help of demons), so next we have:

The Antichrist seems to possess ability of performing great deeds and wonders (thus gathering a great following)

Does Daenerys fill this box as well?, unsurprisingly once again, she does. Thanks to the blood sacrifice (and human sacrifice — she sacrifices Mirri, Drogo, her son, Drogo's stallion and herself too) she returns, is reborn in Fire and Blood as a true Targaryen and she has also awoken from the stone eggs three dragons — demons of fire made flesh.

She survives the fire (which is a great wonder) and wakes the dragons from the eggs (another great wonder) she apparently freed the slaves (which is a deceitful great deed — as I said before, and now you understand the need of that premise about Moses, don't ya?, anyway I am digress, I do that often); if Quentyn is actually alive (as some fans theorise) she might have claim to bring back people from the brink of death — though I don't think they will go that way — they might translate that in the medieval belief that the hands of a king/queen were able of healing the worse of illness as they held thaumaturgical powers.

In her ‘freeing of the slaves’ campaign Daenerys is aided by her dragons — which could qualify as the demons helping Dajjal in the islamic eschatology — who are horned exactly like demons, with two horns and a line of spikes across their back between which Daenerys sits when she mounts Drogon to flee the pit . Also, Daenerys herself describes the dragons as monsters and herself as one as well as she is their Mother (another supposed great deed performed with the aid of demons — fire/flames — as she raised the dragons from dead eggs to life after almost a century of supposed extinction).

As Jon in season 7 told Daenerys when she asks his counsel about going to war against Cersei:

I never thought that dragons would exist again. No one did. The people who follow you know that you made something impossible happen. Maybe that helps them believe that you can make other impossible things happen. Build a world that's different from the shit one they've always known. But if you use them..to melt castles and burn cities, you are not different, you are just more of the same. — Jon Snow, s7e4

The use of the term “help them believe” and “different” instead of “they believe” and “better” are very important in my opinion. Because they suggests that Daenerys' act and ‘better world’ are nothing but deceit and propaganda and utopia.

And the Antichrist is a deceitful messiah, supposed to be the dark counterpart of Christ during his second coming. So Daenerys has a check in this sub-box as well, would you look at that?

Also, Daenerys has the dragons as the Starks have the dire wolf yet I’ve considered and analysed in the Daenerys used blood magic series that her getting the dragons is core different than the Starks getting the pups; so she may have done something similar to the Starks (the true messiahs?) but that is a deceit as well, as she has done it the exact opposite way!

The Antichrist will be defeated by Jesus (and Mahdi in the islamic eschatology; or by the true prophet of the tribe of Joseph for the jews) and thus the kingdom of heavens will come and people will either live forever in grace or forever in pain

The idea of people living in perpetual grace after the Antichrist is defeated by the real messiah kind of reminds me of the fact that, after the last standing against Winter and Death there is supposed to be a perpetual spring (which makes me think of how the kingdom of heavens may look). So it might fit.

Now, if Daenerys was the Antichrist, after her defeat at the hands of the Starks (the true heroes of the story) will be the last ‘battle’ before peace, the moment after her death will mark the beginning of a new era (A Dream of Spring, come think of it).

The Islamic idea of a companion to help Jesus could also hint to the fact that Jon (who was resurrected, keep that in mind! — tho he wasn't the only one, so it may mean nothing) may be only a part of the squad who helps defeat Daenerys especially as we know that the one who will rule over the South won't be Jon, but Bran Stark who is, in Jojen's words (a prophet?) the only one who matters, who is the Messiah?, the one who will never walk again but will fly?, the one who will refuse the dark magic Bloodraven is teaching him, and sacrifice himself and his desire to move (his magic permits him to feel as if he can still move without aid) breaking his bond with magic, sacrificing his magic for the better of them all, all the people of the world (it looks to me like a sacrifice worthy of a Messianic figure)... it makes me think of Bran as ‘Īsā of the islamic eschatology and Jon/Arya/Sansa as his Mahdi(s).

And since Daenerys' burning KL is being hinted and foreshadowed since AGOT Daenerys X, it's very probable that the Lud Gate at which the false Messiah is defeated in islamic eschatology could be one of the gates of KL.

So, yeah, check in this box as well.

And last, but not least, the vision in the Book of Daniel:

The war between the king of the North and the king of the South

Here is spoken of a war between a king of the South and of the North which happens before the end of time (which is just before the rise of the kingdom of heavens). The Antichrist is supposed to come from the east (just like Daenerys does) and his career will start as several kings (four) battle for power. At one point the king of the North and the king of the South will be united through marriage (this could hint both to Rhaegar and Lyanna or to Robb and Jeyne or Joffrey and Sansa) but that union will fall to dust and war will come as the king of the north will desecrate the temple (will choose the Old Gods over the New of the South?) and in the end the king of the North will be killed were the water meets the Holy Mountain — Rhaegar died at the Trident and Lyanna died at the Tower of Joy between the Mountains of Dorne; Robb was killed at the Twins (which could resemble two peaks near a water course); Joffrey and Sansa seems to have no bearing to this part... anyway, after the death of the king of the North, there will be strife and terrible sorrow between the people with the coming of the Antichrist and the last battle and...

... read this and tell me it doesn't remind you of the events of the war of five kings and the later coming of Daenerys until her death and the arrival of the Dream of Spring? Or all the wars that happened before Daenerys sets foot again in Westeros?

Did I tell you that this ruler (antichrist) coming from the East, also will have an empire (the three slavers cities?+ the Dothraki) but that it will crumble to dust? Because that’s what they say.

It does sound compelling, though my interpretation could be wrong.

To conclude, yes, Daenerys certainly bears some parallels and resemblance with the Antichrist for sure. Though I don't how much of this was purposeful on Martin's part and how much happened on accident or subconsciously influenced by the Bible.

In a footnote, she’s given a prophecy in which she’s called the “slayer of lies” could that be another deceit, I wonder? Or will her behavior slay her own propaganda and lies as it happened in the show?

Thank you, this ask was very interesting to reply to!, Hope you enjoyed the read, sorry for the length of the many digressions and hope to not have offended anyone. If there is something that is wrong and you know best, please feel free to say your own!

On another note, @elegantwoes considered in this post another surprising parallel happening in Daenerys II, AGOT and about Daenerys riding the pale mare; go check it out!

As always hope you have a very nice day!

[ash-rabbit]

Reading Recs for Each Entity

When Magnus ended, I thought back on different media that I've enjoyed, some of them fit very neatly into the dread powers, unsettlingly so in some cases, others not so much. If you enjoyed the show for it's horror, and want more of that, then I've got a list for you.

Assume everything here is rated M and has some gore, death, and general dark themes.

Beneath the cut, because there's 15 of these fears. Feel free to add on if you like. By the way, I'm citing writers, not directors when there's a movie.

Beholding

1984 - by George Orwell: Classic surveillance society. Very boring to start off with classical lit, but it was and still is a relevant commentary on society.

Psycho-Pass - by Gen Urobuchi: Has anyone read Hobbes' 'Leviathan'? It's like if that met psychological horror. This anime engages in what it means to live in a world where crimes can be stopped before their ever committed due to the Psycho-Pass system. This system allows authorities to monitor ones emotional state and likelihood of turning violent. I think there's a brief mention of sexual violence, but it's been a hot minute since I've watched.

Panopticon Theory - by Michel Foucault: Yes, political theory. I've read it multiple times (not by choice) and it offers some interesting insights into the world of the Magnus Archives. It's greatly influenced how I regard the dread powers, that being that Smirke's 14 is incredibly limiting.

Buried

Nutty Putty Caving Incident - A real life news story. The only time I can say I've felt properly horrified and deeply unsettled. If 'Lost John's Cave' was the statement that gave you nightmares, avoid this. It's true and it's tragic.

Corruption

Fate/Zero - by Gen Urobuchi: Another anime by the Urobutcher. If you thought Jane Prentiss was excellent this is the show for you. It's excellent for all sorts of reasons, and engages with other avenues of horror but when I heard the Prentiss statement, I was brought back here. Living hives, magical evil wasp larvae writhing beneath someone's skin, it happens. Your warning is that anything bad that can happen to a child, will happen to children here. I mean it.

The Picture of Dorian Gray - by Oscar Wilde: Moral decay, and it's just a damn good read. It's not conventional Corruption material, but the corruption of one's soul in the pursuit of beauty and pleasure is somewhat fitting I should think. I like it, so it's here. Also Jonah Magnus vibes.

Dark

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - by a bunch of people: it's a movie. Not an orthodox choice but I feel the dark deals better in ignorance then the literal. Err, no spoilers, but nothing particularly bad happens, it just sort of tugs.

The Flowers - Alice Walker: A short story about innocence and ignorance. Not particularly spooky, but it hits you at the end.

Allegory of the Cave - Plato: Just a good preliminary reading that provides an alternate lens. It's not spooky, I just like it.

Desolation

All is Quiet on the Western Front - by Erich Maria Remarque: The effects of war on the youth, child soldiers, and the death of innocence. It's bleak, and miserable, but it's honest and Remarque and his family were persecuted by Nazi-Germany because the book carried 'anti-german' (anti-war) sentiments. There's a movie as well.

Pan's Labyrinth - by Guillermo del Toro: Also anti-war, with bad things happening to good people and children. A bit heavy handed with it's symbolism, but hey it's a two hour movie. Also be prepared to read subtitles. It's very good, and if you haven't seen it, I don't want to say too much.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - by Ken Kesey: There's a more popular movie version as well. Corrupt systems, cutting people down until they fit into a socially appropriate mold. It's fairly dark, and has lobotomies since that was what, the 60s? I watched this in my catholic high schools film studies class, so I don't think there's anything overly egregious. But an interesting lens for the Desolation.

The Count of Monte Cristo - by Alexandre Dumas: For a fun revenge romp. The titular count gets his revenge after everything he's ever loved has been stolen from him and looks to do the same to his betrayers. Err sexual violence happens here as well. A bit of background that might inform the reader: Dumas' father was half black and affected by the 1802 discrimination laws, causing him- a high ranking military officer to be dismissed. The precursor to Monte Cristo, 'Georges' deals more heavily in themes of colonialism and racial discrimination.

End

Masque of the Red Death - by Edgar Allen Poe: You know why this is here. Warning for plague allegories and people not properly social distancing.

Nothing in the Dark - (Twilight Zone): No words needed, it's the Twilight Zone.

Death Parade - by Yuzuru Tachikawa: This is your fun suggestion. It's light for the most part, but there are scenes and moments that will absolutely hit you.

Extinction

Godzilla - A whole bunch of people: Atomic bomb fear during a time of censorship. Everything is an allegory.

Flesh

Tokyo Ghoul - by Sui Ishida: It's the most Magnus-y out of all my suggestions and I desperately want to see a crossover between them. The manga is better as the anime tends to brutalise plot points and water down the horror. Deals with becoming a cannibal, the nature of humanity, and other things. Warning for mentions of child abuse. Kaneki has a sort of - if Martin was the Archivist vibes. Not 1-1 of course, but if I had to make a comparison, that's the one.

Lamb to the Slaughter - by Roald Dahl: Arguably more slaughter, but hey I'm not giving you any warnings. I read this short story for ninth grade english, so I'm sure you can survive this one.

Hunt

Se7en - by Andrew Kevin Walker: A movie about a detective hunting serial killer. It's excellent, there's gruesome murder scenes. It's from the 90s go watch it.

Frankenstein - by Mary Shelley: From the perspective of Mr. Frankenstein it's the terror of being hunted, from the monster's perspective it's the horror of being alone. It's good, a pillar of sci-fi written by a teenager, don't snub this because it's classical lit.

The Bone Collector - by Jeremy Iacone: Another detective hunting a murderer. Also from the 90s and also excellent. Look, the 90s don't pull their punches, it's got blood and lots of it. A favourite film of mine.

Lonely

The Metamorphosis - by Franz Kafka: Turning into a big bug does not a corruption/flesh story make.

Passengers (2016)- by Jon Spaihts: I hate this movie, it's clearly a horror, but they try to pass it as a romance. Anyway, for psychological lonely horror and manipulation, this is a movie for you.

Slaughter

Go watch a classic slasher film. I don't care for senseless violence, so I don't like most of this sort of media.

Read up on a war or a riot. Learn how your nation's government discriminates and persecutes minorities historically and today.

Sweeney Todd - by Hugh Wheeler: The musical is the better known version. Some flesh horror here as well. It's not really senseless, as I think the Slaughter should be, but hey, we need substance here.

Spiral

The Giver - by Lois Lowry: A utopia that is not quite right. Read for school when I was nine, I'm sure you can all live without a warning list.

The Matrix - by the Wachowskis: Reality is an illusion, and the Universe is a hologram.

Truman Show - by Andrew Niccol: You know why this is here.

Stranger

Coraline - by Neil Gaiman: The scariest children's book. Other!Mother and all that jazz are so very Strange.

The Landlady - by Roald Dahl: Taxidermy.

Vast

Lovecraft: I'm sorry, I can only think of him. No one else is so ignorant as to be able to capture the horror of things beyond their ken.

Web

Medea - by Euripides: The God's suck, it's a Greek tragedy, bad things happen to everyone without discrimination. Children are harmed, Medea is dosed by Aphrodite, Jason is literally the worst.

Animal Farm - by George Orwell: It's anti-authoritarian and deals with the mutability of laws and how uneducated masses are sheep. . . literally. You will feel horrified, it's a short read.

There's also some children's story about a spider/snake(?) and gluttony that I've been looking for, for the past year. It's pretty similar to Mr. Spider, but the villain consumes so many victims that he becomes too large to leave his den and is blockaded in by those he terrorized, and it's heavily implied that he starves to death. For the life of me I can't remember a title, but then, it's been 15 or so years.

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

18th October >> Fr. Martin's Gospel Reflections / Homilies on Luke 10:1-9 for the Feast of Saint Luke, Evangelist: ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few’.

Feast of Saint Luke, Evangelist

Gospel (Except USA) Luke 10:1-9 Your peace will rest on that man.

The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit. He said to them, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road. Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, “Peace to this house!” And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you. Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house. Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say, “The kingdom of God is very near to you.”’

Gospel (USA) Luke 10:1-9 The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.

The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves payment. Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’”

Reflections (6)

(i) Feast of Saint Luke, Evangelist

It is appropriate that on this feast of the evangelist, Luke, we read from a passage of his gospel that is only to be found in his gospel. He alone has the passage about Jesus sending out seventy two ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit. Jesus had previously sent out the twelve on mission, but, because the harvest was so rich, many more labourers were required, including this group of seventy two. In Luke’s second volume, the Acts of the Apostles, a variety of other labourers enter the Lord’s rich harvest, proclaiming the gospel of Christ crucified and risen. Perhaps the greatest of the labourers in Luke’s second volume is Paul, the apostle to the pagans. Paul, himself, had many co-workers, including a man called, Luke, whom tradition has identified as the author of the two volume work, often termed ‘Luke-Acts’. In today’s first reading, from Paul’s second letter to Timothy, Paul states that he had been abandoned by many of his co-workers in his hour of need, ‘every one of them deserted me’. However, he identifies Luke as the exception, ‘only Luke is with me’. Paul goes on to say that, although everyone deserted him, ‘the Lord stood by me and gave me power’. Paul is suggesting that one of the ways the Lord stood by him was through the faithful presence of his co-worker, Luke. Luke revealed the Lord’s faithfulness to Paul in his hour of need. One of the ways we can become labourers in the Lord’s harvest is by being a Luke to those who feel abandoned. Our faithful presence to those who are at their most vulnerable can be a powerful revelation of the Lord’s enduring love for them. The Lord wants to stand by those who feel lost and abandoned, and the primary way he can do that is through each one of us, his labourers in God’s harvest. Our faithful, supportive, presence to each other is one of the ways we proclaim the same good news that the seventy two were sent out to proclaim, ‘The kingdom of God is very near to you’.

And/Or

(ii) Feast of Saint Luke, Evangelist

One of Paul’s co-workers was a man called Luke. He is mentioned in this morning’s first reading. It was the view of the early church that this particular Luke was the author of the gospel we now call Luke’s gospel and author of the Acts of the Apostles. This particular evangelist wrote a two volume work. It seems that the story of the early church was as important to him as the story of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. In fact, he saw the story of Jesus continuing on into the story of the early church, because, for Luke, it was the same Jesus of Nazareth, now risen Lord, who continued to work in and through the church. Paul was in prison when he wrote the letter from which we read this morning, the second letter to Timothy. He has a sense of himself as coming towards the end of his life, ‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith’. At this vulnerable time in his life, it seems that he felt very alone, just as Jesus must have felt as he came towards the end of his life. Indeed, he says in today’s first reading, ‘Only Luke is with me’. Luke alone was faithful to him to the end. Yet, Paul also goes on to say, ‘The Lord stood by me and gave me power’. Paul experienced the Lord’s presence in and through Luke’s faithfulness. Luke’s fidelity was a reflection of the Lord’s faithfulness. Whenever we stand by others when they are vulnerable, we reveal something of the Lord’s faithful and reliable love to them. We show ourselves to be true labourers in the Lord’s harvest, in the language of today’s gospel reading.

And/Or

(iii) Feast of Saint Luke, Evangelist

Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Luke the evangelist. He is the only evangelist to have written a work in two parts, the gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Having told the story of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, he went on to tell the story of the early church, in particular the story of Saint Paul and his great missionary journeys. This two volume work begins in the city of Jerusalem with the priest Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, at his duties in the Temple, and it ends in Rome with Paul under house arrest and yet preaching the gospel to all who came to visit him. Luke understood that the gospel, the church, began in Jerusalem but by the time he came to write it had reached the city of Rome. From Jerusalem to Rome is a wonderful sweep. Both cities have been the two primary places of Christian pilgrimage from the earliest days of the church until today. Luke was very aware that the story of the early church was the continuation of the story of Jesus and what linked the two stories for him was the Holy Spirit. The same Holy Spirit who came down at Jesus at his baptism and shaped the life and ministry of Jesus came down upon the followers of Jesus, the church, at Pentecost and shaped the life and ministry of the church. We are part of that story of the church today and insofar as we are open to the Holy Spirit our story will continue the story of Jesus. The risen Jesus wants to continue his life and ministry in us, the church, through the Holy Spirit. In the very way Luke has written his two volume work, he is telling us that the church has no meaning apart from Jesus, and, in a sense, Jesus has no meaning apart from the church. As Jesus sent out the seventy two in the gospel reading, he keeps sending us out as labourers in God’s harvest, empowering us with the Holy Spirit as he sends us out. The work Jesus did in Galilee, Samaria, Judea, he continues to do in and through all of us who are the Spirit filled community of his disciples. This is our calling and our privilege.

And/Or

(iv) Feast of Saint Luke, Evangelist

The gospel of Luke, whose feast we celebrate today, could be termed the gospel of mercy. Luke portrays Jesus as the face of God’s mercy, which is one of Pope Francis’ favourite ways of referring to Jesus. Some of the most memorable passages of mercy are only to be found in Luke’s gospel, such as the story of the sinful woman anointing the feet of Jesus, the parable of the prodigal son, the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, the meeting of Jesus and Zacchaeus, the dialogue between the good thief and Jesus on the cross. It is above all in Luke that Jesus is portrayed as revealing the hospitable love of God to the broken in spirit or body. A symbol has traditionally been associated with each of the four gospels. The symbol of Luke’s gospel is the ox. This is an animal that is capable of carrying heavy burdens. In Luke’s gospel, Jesus takes upon himself the burdens of others, especially the burden of sin which weighs heavily on a person’s spirit. There is a saying of Jesus in Luke which is unique to this gospel and which sums up Luke’s portrait of Jesus, ‘the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost’. Today’s gospel reading is also unique to Luke. It is only this gospel who gives us this passage of Jesus sending out seventy two as labourers in God’s harvest to proclaim in word and deed the message of the kingdom, the message of God’s merciful and hospitable love. We all belong among that large group of seventy two. If Jesus is the face of God’s merciful love, he sends us all out to reveal something of that same face of God’s mercy to all those we encounter in life.

And/Or

(v) Feast of Saint Luke, Evangelist

Today we celebrate the feast of the author of nearly a quarter of the New Testament, Luke who not only wrote a gospel but also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. He was the only evangelist who was moved to write a work in two parts, the life of Jesus in his gospel and the life of the early church in his Acts of the Apostles. He saw great continuity between these two parts of his story. In the first part the main protagonist is Jesus of Nazareth; in the second part, the main protagonist remains Jesus of Nazareth, but now the risen Lord at work through the Holy Spirit. The first part of his work could be understood as the acts of Jesus and the second part as the acts of the Holy Spirit, understood as the Spirit of the risen Jesus. In that sense, Luke, perhaps more than any other writer in the New Testament, reminds us that the Lord who lived and worked in Galilee and Judea continues to live and work in his church, the community of believers, today. Jesus who, in today’s gospel reading, sent out seven two others ahead of him in pairs, continues to send out his followers today and, as in the gospel reading, he doesn’t send us out as lone rangers but in pairs. The ministry to which he calls us is a shared ministry, one in which we give to and receive from each other. The harvest remains as great today as it was in the time of Jesus. It can only be brought in by labourers who work together. The source of our working together is the Holy Spirit. At the first Pentecost, according to the Acts of the Apostles, the Spirit brought together people of different races and languages. There were several Pentecosts or comings of the Holy Spirit in Luke’s story of the early church. We need to keep calling for a fresh outpouring of the Spirit upon us, so that we can work together as the Lord’s labourers in God’s harvest.

And/Or

(vi) Feast of Saint Luke, Evangelist

One of Saint Paul’s co-workers was a man called Luke. In one of his letters, Paul refers to Luke as ‘the beloved physician’. It is this co-worker of Paul who has traditionally been identified as the author of what has come to be called the gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. This was a very extensive literary work in two parts, the story of Jesus followed by the story of the early church. Together they make up a quarter of the New Testament. We owe a great deal to this co-worker of Paul. In today’s first reading, Paul is writing from prison, at a very vulnerable moment in his life. He mentions at the beginning of that reading that some of his companions have deserted him, Demas, Crescens and Titus. He declares, ‘only Luke is with me’. Luke is being portrayed as Paul’s faithful companion and co-worker. Paul goes on in that reading to say that at his first defence, no one supported him and, yet, he could say, ‘the Lord stood by me and gave me power’. Paul had no doubt about the Lord’s faithful presence to him and Luke’s faithfulness to Paul was one expression of the Lord’s faithfulness to him. We are all called to make present to others something of the Lord’s faithful love. In the gospel reading from Luke, Jesus sends out seventy two as his messengers and representatives. They are to proclaim the same message as Jesus, ‘the kingdom of God is very near to you’; they are to cure the sick as Jesus did. The Lord wanted to be present to others through them. We can all think of ourselves as among that group whom the Lord sends out to make him present in a tangible way to others, just as Luke made present to Paul the Lord’s faithful presence. The Lord’s harvest remains rich and we are all needed as his labourers. He looks to each of us to be channels of his faithful love to others.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

[ciphersden]

Idk what to call this so just enjoy I suppose maybe head cannon? Idk

Warnings: slight angst

Inspired by: K-391 Alan walker Martin Tungevaag- Play (ft. Mangoo)

A/n: this is my first time writing so please be gentle with me I'm always open to some tips and advice just please don't be rude about it and you can request anything (excluding smut I'm not good at it) for me if they're in these Fandoms:

Obey me (only platonic sibling/mother/father/parent stuff for luke)

Seraph of the end

Genshin impact (same as Luke with Klee diona and qiqi)

Court of darkness

Demon slayer

I'll expand more later I just wanna get comfy but even if you want something off the list send it in and I'll try for you :')

When he works for too long

|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|

Time 4:06 am

While rubbing his temples, he sighed softly. He had been given another stack of bills by mammon, and now his only desire was to rest.

Time 6:56 am

He found himself standing at the doorway of mc's room, asking himself how he managed to make his way here, cursing himself for wasting time by simply walking about aimlessly

Time 6:59 am

Despite their assurances that he was welcome to visit whenever he wanted, he reluctantly opens the door after a long discussion with himself about the pros and cons of coming into their room.  His gaze softened when it landed on the sight of a peacefully sleeping mc it was very rare he allowed himself to show this side of him as his pride wouldn't let him he quietly takes off his jacket leaving him in nothing but his shirt and pants, he eases himself down into their bed earning a soft but sleep-filled hum from them as they rubbed their eyes gently trying to get rid of their sleep "Luci? Is that you?" He only chuckles in response and pulls them close laying their head against his chest "I apologize if I woke you little lamb." they only yawn in response snuggling closer to him "thought you would never stop by your always working barely get to lie in bed with you... I thought- ah never mind all that matters is that you're here now." He looks at them curiously "what did you think love I wanna know." They hesitate for a moment "...We had a date a few nights ago that you never showed up to I thought you were mad at me or found someone better to spend your time in I know you've told me your heart only belongs to me but I can't help but worry there are many more attractive people down here that make me look like I'm nothing and-" He sighs "I've said it once little lamb I'll say it again I love you for you I don't care about looks I'm immortal I stopped caring about looks a hell of a long time ago so what they have looks? Alright where's their love for me and my family I don't want someone pretty on my arm I want someone who cares and won't back down to me when they know I'm wrong for something despite what could happen in the end how many times have I proven a threat to your life and you haven't backed down that's what you did to take my heart I want someone who challenges me my sin is pride you'll never hear me say this again but it does me some good to have someone challenge it every once in a while my life Mc you don't know how much you've changed me you have done so much good for this family you're the only one who ever tried to pick this family's pieces up and place them back together I'm sure you know how much my family means to me by now besides no one has been able to stir the feelings I feel for you in hundreds of years and after all we made a pact your mine and if you think I'm going to let you go just because you think I can find someone better" He kisses them deeply holding it for a bit before pulling back for air his voice going dark as he chuckles "you are poorly mistaken my love and I will do everything in my power to make sure you know how much I love you I'm taking you out to dinner tonight" mc's eyes widen slightly their face red from the kiss "what why I thought you had something with diavolo tonight-" lucifer only chuckles in response "he'll understand when I say I need to take some time to spend with my lover after all he's been nagging at me to spend some time with you and take a break now get some rest I'll be here when you wake up" they laugh softly a yawn interrupting it "we both know you need it" mc gets out of bed and locks their door going back to their bed laying down and burying their head into his chest he only looks down at them in curiosity laughing when he hears them softly say "no interruptions need my cuddles with luci" before they fall asleep their soft breathing lulling lucifer to sleep not long after