#maybe if she visited nathan? but that's speculative

[pavlovianpanic]

nathan fighting mark quietly on victoria in the dark room / mark using this angle to get nathan to do what he wants and bring him the right girls / mark knowing there's still a niche market for a girl like victoria so it's not a waste / nathan actively always bringing up victoria because he relies on her, so mark knows she is a weakness, and sees them together is complicated

[girldragongizzard]

Chapter 19: All the little Megnitudes

“I think, maybe, I just don’t understand what is physics anymore,” Kimberly says to Chapman, who is working hir way down the impromptu potluck buffet ahead of her, picking up vegetables and crackers to add to hir plate.

“What do you mean?” Chapman asks.

“Well, as Meg explained,” Kimberly says, apparently too distracted to put anything on her plate as she follows Chapman. “How the big dragon go in the small man then go in the smaller stomach of the monster thing, when the conservation of mass and energy? And for that matter, how the Meg fit in the princess? That’s not physics, is it? And yet there’s the pendant you made. Is it like hypercube shit?”

“No, there are no hypercubes involved,” Chapman says.

“But how?”

Chapman stops and gives her an even appraisal out of the corner of hir eye, and then asks, “How much of your life would you like to dedicate to exploring the explanation to all that?”

Kim, behind Kimberly, says, “Please, you two, don’t hold up the line.”

It’s late. Around 11:00 pm. And we’re all in the coffee shop, which has been converted once again to a meeting place for us, courtesy of Bri and Miriam.

It took a while for everyone to gather food from their fridges, prepare it to some degree, and bring it over. Several of us had wanted pizza, but all the pizza places were closed. And still are. They closed about mid afternoon, when it became clear that there was a huge city wide dragon fight going on, and people needed to figure out relatively safe places to be.

While that was going on, I’d been given access to my second-hand computer in the back, so that I could write up what I remember happening. That way everyone could read it and be informed, and I wouldn’t have to try to explain it with my utterly demolished tablet, or my inadequate personal vocabulary.

Most of my friends read it on their phones while cooking, or while riding on their way back downtown. And when everyone had finally arrived, Rhoda had played it for the rest on her phone using the same text to speech voice I use.

And I also just uploaded it to my blog, as is, along with all of my speculations as to what Säure might have been thinking and feeling as it had all gone down.

Ptarmigan is here, looking extremely worse for wear, but Wentin is not. My draconic best friends are outside, again. And their humans have joined us, as is now usual. Even Gary is here.

It’s actually maybe way too much for me, after today, but at least I’ve eaten a handful of celebratory steaks provided by Nathan. They’re petite sirloins he’d been saving for himself, but insisted that I should have.

And right now, I’m in my old corner, where I used to sit before my dracomorphosis, curled up beside my old favorite chair, which is now occupied by Rhoda.

And I’ve got a bowl of steaming hot Sky Between the Branches tea, and I’m focused on the sensations of letting that steam curl around my tongue and bringing it in to my Jacobson’s organ. It fills my head with visions of the deepest, most rotten woods I’ve ever visited. Which maybe would remind me of Wentin, except that I’ve actually spent more time in the woods with my parents than with it.

So I’m thinking of family.

I think I really do want to figure out how to go down and visit them, respectfully of the other dragons down there in Seattle, and let them and my sister know who I really am.

Everyone else here is talking to each other in small groups about how they survived the day, or participated in my plan, and filling in each other's gaps. Or, they’re speculating about how things are going to play out legally and politically from here.

I did manage to leave the park of ball fields before Säure’s helicopter did, indeed, deliver a fucking car. But I’d watched from a hiding place as they placed it in the middle of the park. It was an outright replacement of the vehicle that Joel, Anurak, and Wentin had destroyed.

There was no Säure to retrieve it, after the helicopter left, and I just turned and flew away myself.

It might still be there right now.

With Säure having called my name, I’m pretty sure everyone in the city knows I was involved in today’s events, but maybe not how.

If Rhoda’s no-bullshit field still extends to me, the fallout might be pretty light, actually. But nobody knows exactly what it’ll prevent.

Before she went to get her own food, Ptarmigan came up to me and put a hand on my back and said, “Whatever you’re thinking. Whatever you are worried about. Do not talk to the police. Ever. Never.”

So, I’m thinking a little bit about that, too. I’m a little baffled that she thought to say that right when I was considering whether or not to answer their questions should they come looking for me. And I really don’t know if I’ll follow her advice. But I feel like I should.

Right now, though, I really don’t feel like talking to anybody.

I want to make sure that my people are OK and safe, which is why I’m even here. But I think I’m actually feeling shaky, not physically but mentally, and maybe I should find some place quiet to be instead.

But I also don’t want to be alone. I need Rhoda near me, and maybe Chapman.

What I should do, at some point, is go out and be with the dragons who are visiting my territory. Astraia, Anurak, and Joel deserve my acknowledgement at the very least, and I should figure out how it is that we dragons can actually socialize with each other.

I know that those three have developed an understanding between each other that I’m not actually a part of, that I don’t get. I’m not even sure how and when it formed. But I appreciate it. It reassures me.

Seeing the partial silhouettes of them, occluded by the reflections in the windows, lounging out on the street corner together under the streetlight, studiously ignoring any passing car together, reminds me of watching children clamber all over Joel in his park. It’s a welcome new normal, even if it isn’t mine.

But, after today, I’m uncertain of just about everything. At least at the moment.

I watched a person die.

Someone I’ve repeatedly visualized killing myself, over and over.

And I’m old enough, I’ve lived amongst humans long enough, that I’ve heard all of the arguments for and against the death of a person like him, whether he was human or not. And my own personal feeling is that it doesn’t matter that he wasn’t a human.

Ultimately, we all die. Even if we’re immortal, it seems. The Artists all love to say they maybe die more often than humans do. And we don’t really know about dragons, but we suspect we’re like the Artists that way. Maybe humans are too, actually. Reincarnation is a thing some of them dream about. I’ve been over that before. But it was going to happen to Säure sooner or later, anyway, and I wasn’t the one to make it happen. 

And now I can’t be. Wentin stole that from me. Or saved me from doing it.

More importantly, I think Wentin saved me from walking into Säure’s trap.

No matter how hard I tried – no matter how impervious to his attacks I seemed to be – no matter how much help I had from my community to face him – I was just so underpowered in the face of his shadow.

All I could really ever do was scream loud enough to distract him, and flee when he came for me.

And I’m not even sure why I was capable of doing even that much.

It makes me feel small and weak. Smaller than a human, at the moment, though I’m pretty sure that’s my C-PTSD exaggerating things.

Despite the physical contact of Rhoda lazily scratching and stroking the top of my skull, I simultaneously feel less and less like I’m able to move while having the intense urge to turn and run up the wall to get away from everything.

Ptarmigan puts down her plate, leaning over in her chair to look closer at me and says, “Hey.”

I don’t think I even twitch to look at her better.

“Hey, Meghan,” she says softly in her deep baritone, and gets up to come over to me.

Rhoda responds by putting her palm flat on my head, in a protective feeling gesture, and frowns, but doesn’t say or do anything else.

“Meghan,” Ptarmigan says again, and the room quiets down as everyone notices this exchange happening. “Meghan. You’re going to have one hell of a nightmare tonight. And it’s probably going to haunt you for a while. But it won’t be Wentin, Meghan. Remember that. It won’t be Wentin. It’ll just be you and your brain. Got it?”

I manage to raise my head under Rhoda’s hand to look Ptarmigan right in the eyes. It would transfix us if she were human, and lock us in a challenge if we were dragons. But she just smiles.

“What do you want, Ptarmigan?” Rhoda asks.

Ptarmigan points at me while looking at her, and says, “Meghan’s in shock. I don’t think it’s bad enough to kill her or make her very sick, though you should watch her for sure, and maybe give her some heat and fluids. But today was ultratraumatic for her, and I’m just reassuring her. Wentin is out of the picture now. At least, for the foreseeable future. It left.”

“I don’t understand what you’re getting at,” Rhoda tells her.

So Ptarmigan stands up and looks down at her with furrowed brows, “Maybe try hearing my words without putting subtext into them. What I want is irrelevant here. I’m helping Meghan. I’m telling you how to help her some more. And now I’m walking away. And that’s all that needs to happen between us. But maybe give Chapman more charity than that.”

And then Ptarmigan turns and walks away, past her chair and food, around and through the others, and out the door into the night.

I turn my head to look more clearly at Rhoda with my left eye, and I see her watching Chapman, who’s visible in my right eye.

After watching Ptarmigan go, Chapman’s resumed talking intensely with Kimberly, and when I pay attention to their words I find out they’re discussing shapeshifting in more detail, with mention of what sounds like definitive plans.

“Mm,” I hear Rhoda vocalize.

“Hey,” Cerce says, having come over with Jill in tow. “We were just looking up how to treat a lizard that’s in shock, and I don’t know if any of it is right for you. But heat really is like one of the biggest things. We can turn up the thermostat, and you really should drink your tea while it’s still warm.”

“Are you doing OK, Meg?” Jill asks.

Rhoda looks down at me and says, “She does feel colder than usual.”

“Yeah, I’ll take care of that thermostat,” Cerce says and turns to go and do that.

“What can I do?” Jill asks, looking at me first, then Rhoda.

“If you can get Chapman to come over here for me, that would be good,” Rhoda says in a low and very controlled voice. “Tell hir what’s up.”

I am just too tired for this, so I put my head back down.

I do notice that everyone else is starting to watch me more closely, glancing my way during their conversations or between bites of food. And Nathan gets up from where he’s at to come over and sit more closely, but he doesn’t say anything.

Then Chapman does come over with Jill behind hir, and kneels down beside my head and holds hir hand out. But sie asks Rhoda, “May I?” 

Rhoda just nods.

Then Chapman asks me, “Meg, can I scan you, please?”

I slowly close my eyes in an affirmative. 

And sie nods and puts hir wrists together, and I feel that shift.

Chapman stands up quickly and turns to the rest of the cafe to ask, “Does anybody have any dry erase markers? I’ll take a sharpie if you don’t, but I need them right now.”

Kim drops her food onto a table to get up and run to the front counter.

I think I fall asleep at that point.

—

Ptarmigan was right, it’s not Wentin.

It turns out that Säure really does still exist, and he’s on the moon with me, chasing me and terrorizing the moon dragons.

Always, at night, in my head, and when I’m awake, too. He’s become an indelible part of my story and I can’t get him out.

He can never catch me in my nightmares, because I’ve been trained too well.

But he doesn’t have to.

Because I have him.

—

When I awaken, I’m in the same spot I last remember being. Because, of course, no one who can fit in the cafe is strong enough to move me.

Rhoda is still in the chair, and Chapman is sitting talking to her. I can sense this even before I open my eyes.

“What do your other tattoos do?” Rhoda is asking, to my left, above me.

To my right and in front of me comes Chapman’s maple syrup voice, at about the height it would be if sie was sitting, “A lot of emergency stuff that rarely comes up.” I hear hir chair scrape briefly against the floor, and feel it through the floor, too. “This one, for instance,” I imagine hir lifting up the side of hir shirt. “If I touch an activator to it, it will give my body the kind of electric shock needed to restart my stalled heart.”

“That sounds dangerous.”

“When I’m not having a heart attack? It is.”

“Why did you show that one to me?”

“Trust.”

Rhoda grunts.

“You’re probably right not to trust Artists, Rhoda,” Chapman says. “You weren’t too far wrong, any time you’ve criticized us, or warned Meghan about what we are. At least, the times you did so in front of me. We play at being mortal when we take our physical bodies, but we can’t really understand it. If we have no other memories, we at least always remember what we are. And that informs everything we do.”

“Then why are you convincing me to trust you?” she asks.

“I’m not. I’m putting my trust in you, Rhoda. Like it or not, you’re an anomaly, and a really powerful one,” Chapman explains. “I expect you’ll be as fleeting as any other human, but while you’re here you’ll change everything around you. You already are. And that’s going to draw more attention.”

“I do not like the sound of that. I do not want attention.”

“Right,” Chapman says. “So, I want to teach you how to avoid it. I want to show you what you can do to fend off Artists you don’t want to have anything to do with, starting with myself. And if you do it right, you might not even have to think about it much.”

“Hm,” she grunts.

And then there’s a knock at the door. One made by a large, confident fist, but not urgent.

I lift my head and open my eyes to see that we’re the only three in the cafe with darkened lights. Everyone else has left. 

And through the windows, I can see a huge, dark form of something with wings and horns hunched over just outside the door.

Chapman is glancing that way, too.

But Rhoda lays a hand on the top of my head and says, “Hey, Meghan. How are you feeling?”

“I’ll get the door,” Chapman says. “It’s the Poet.”

“Fenmere?” Rhoda asks.

“Yep,” Chapman confirms.

“The Worm.”

“Yeah. That’s… that’s kind of her thing, she’ll have to explain if you want to know.”

“Not sure I do.”

“I’ll leave it up to you, but we really should talk to her and debrief each other.”

“Fine.”

Chapman gets up to go open the door.

“Bri left me with the key,” Rhoda says to me. “I get to lock up when we’re done here. Which we should be, now that you’re awake.”

I don’t feel like talking yet, so I slow blink at her and let out a low infrasonic rumble. And I look at myself and see dry erase temporary tattoos of weird circuitry all over the back of my torso, between my wings.

I do feel warmer and more energized than before.

I wonder if this is really why Rhoda is even talking to Chapman right now. But, am I that important to her? She really does have her own thing she needs to figure out, too, and it seemed like they were talking about that, mostly.

Whatever. I remember that Chapman and I have time that maybe Rhoda doesn’t have. I know where my priorities lie currently, if Rhoda continues to reject Chapman. And I know Chapman would agree. Sie’s told me as much.

I give a big sigh as I watch the Poet squeeze through the door in what should be an impossible way. She’s way too big for it.

“But I guess we’ve got another guest,” Rhoda says.

And with a voice that sounds to me like an electric sander being applied to an oak desk, but with a distinctly feminine lisp, Fenmere tells Chapman, “Thank you for helping me put that fool to rest, dear Physicist. I owe a debt of gratitude to Meghan and Wentin as well. I’ve been watching that family carve up and devour the county for over a hundred years now, and I can’t bear to see the likes of him in control of what they’ve seized.”

“Well, come all the way on in, Fen, and tell Meghan that yourself,” Chapman says. “She’s right over here.”

Rhoda lets out a big, long sigh.

Fenmere walks kind of like a gorilla, with big, strong, powerful arms on brachiating shoulders, but fat saurian rear legs. Her bat-like wings are set right where a human’s shoulder blades would be, between her arms’ shoulders and her spine. It’s an anatomy that makes absolutely no sense, and would probably be useless for flying, but they are fairly big wings anyway. And we dragons really don’t always make any sort of biological sense.

Her hide looks like a fine moss, and she has belly scales like mine that are the color of bleached wood. Where her skin shows, such as her wings, it looks like algae stretched out over the surface of water. 

Her head looks like an evenly applied morph between that of an alligator and a horse, but with two tusks jutting up in front of her huge nostrils with an impressive underbite. And she has tufts of white, Spanish moss textured hair at the end of her chin and the tip of her tail, and as a big glorious shaggy mullet crowning her head. Two long, thin horns, straighter than mine jut out from the back of her skull.

And she has the ability to talk without opening her mouth any significant amount.

“Meghan,” she says in that voice.

Rhoda and I were told that Artists could be any type of animal, including dragons, but for some reason I’d thought that Fenmere’s cartoon caricature of herself wasn’t an actual self portrait. But, apparently, it is.

Fenmere settles down on her haunches before me, and I lift my head to acknowledge her. Her thighs do That Thing. They’re so round. And she barely fits between the tables of the coffee shop. I suspect she’s bending space somehow, honestly.

I can’t begin to imagine how that’s a power of being the Poet. But I’ve now seen some dragons do some pretty amazingly weird things.

“I’ve been reading your blog,” she says. “I’m a big fan, and as a fellow dragon I’ve found your experiences fascinating.”

I want to ask her so many questions, beginning with how long she’s had this form of a dragon. But I don’t have my tablet anymore, and I don’t have the vocabulary to do so. So, I just slowly bow my head and bring it back up in acknowledgement.

“However, I have to ask,” she tilts her head a little to the side. “I know you can’t explain it now. But maybe please do write about it in your next post. You’ve invented a delightful word but failed to elaborate.” She rests her foreclaws on her knees and leans forward a little, furrowing a brow that’s nearly as expressive as a human’s. “Can you please tell me what a Megnitude is?”

[teamivankaye]

Ivan Kaye’s new action-thriller Gunpowder Milkshake is announced for release this year and is now sold out worldwide since last week.

Distribution News

Starring Karen Gillan and Lena Headey along with a whole bunch of other notable actresses and actors aside from Ivan, the film had been sold to almost all regions at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019 already before filming even started.

(We have been reporting since May 2019 with regular updates in our first article) – for more production info and photos, go there, please!)

Ivan Kaye plays goon leader Yankee whose squad chases Karen Gillan’s & Lena Headey’s characters on behalf of Paul Giamatti’s gangster boss Nathan

Now, according to Deadline, the U.S. has finally come on board as STXfilms has pre-bought the distribution rights for North America, Latin Americ, and China in an eight-figure deal after seeing it during the European Film Market last week at the Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin. Latin America, China, and Canada will be served through partners of STXfilms.

It seems that the film is going to get a wide theatrical release in the U.S. and Studiocanal’s CEO Anna Marsh is quoted with the statement that partnering with STXfilms

will allow us to scale a first-class campaign firmly positioning our film as an event.

Of course, the Europeans amongst the fans of the actors are hoping for a simultaneous and likewise wide public release for this European production in Studiocanal’s home region encompassing France, Germany, and the UK amongst others!

The Deadline article also added a snippet to our knowledge of the story of the film (see farther below).

(Source: Deadline article, published 24th February 2020)

So far, the outlook is not only good for the film as a whole but there is also much reason to be excited about it for Ivan Kaye fans.

Reason to Be Excited for Ivan Kaye Fans

The fact that the film has been promoted in Berlin last week explains why the Berlinale started to follow Ivan on Twitter just one or two days before the news of the deal with STXfilms went public:

  Go to Ivan Kaye’s followers on Twitter

This means that Ivan’s character Yankee, the leader of a squad of goons who are chasing Karen Gillan’s and Lena Headey’s characters on behalf of Paul Giamatti’s Nathan, is as prominently visible in the film as we had reason to expect.

The “goon squad” led by Yankee aka Ivan Kaye: Crow aka Jack Bandeira and Shocker aka David Burnell IV

The “girls” and “boys” teams (behind the scenes photo with the boys’ boss to follow after release)

We take it from Deadline’s wording that a screening of the whole film has taken place but chances are not bad that we will get a (further) glimpse at Ivan’s Yankee in the trailer soon.

(Source: Dark Horizons article, published 8th January 2020)

Premiere and Release Speculations

Previously, an article on Variety included passing mention of Gunpowder Milkshake with a hint to a potential spring release this year. No further info has been shared about release dates so far and we have not heard any news from Ivan either.

(Source: Variety article on 13th February 2020)

Therefore, we will have to wait if the film will be part of the Cannes Film Festival in May which is our first bet. We assume that Studiocanal might want to take the film to several festivals for promotion and award eligibility, so it is not unlikely that the general public will have to wait until fall to get to see the film in theatres.

With this stellar cast, there is also a chance that the movie could receive a best ensemble cast award.

Old Cast Overview of ‘Gunpowder Milkshake’ on IMDb (24 May 2019), Adam Nagaitis and Ralph Ineson joined later but we know nothing about their characters so far

In our opinion, this is the fairest sort of award the entertainment industry has to offer as any success in film, TV and theatre productions is always completely reliant on teamwork.

With the film sold out worldwide now, we can, however, expect to hear about the release date and to see a trailer during the next couple of months if not weeks.

All We Know About the Story

Here, we have put together for you again all we have found about the story of the film on various pages:

The “high-concept assassin story” (Deadline) of Gunpowder Milkshake, directed by Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado and written by the duo together with Ehud Lavski, revolves around two female assassins, a young woman and her estranged mother, who have to join forces in order to take down a male-dominated crime syndicate for which they had worked before (Geeks WorldWide).

Karen Gillan plays Eva, an assassin working for an agency called “The Firm”. She defies Nathan, her boss at “The Firm”, to rescue a young hostage named Emily (played by Chloe Coleman) from the Korean Mob. Eva is forced to reach out to Scarlet for help to save Emily.

Lena Headey is Eva’s assassin mother Scarlet. Most important in her turbulent life is young Eva (played by Freya Allan) but Scarlet is forced by her enemies to flee and leave everything behind, including her young daughter Eva who grows up to become an assassin like her now-estranged mother.

Paul Giamatti plays syndicate boss Nathan (a role originally offered to Viggo Mortensen) who is dressed all in black and has a scarred face. He is after Eva after she kills a bunch of Korean mobsters to rescue Emily, and fails to complete another mission. 

  The goons he sends after Eva are led by Ivan Kaye‘s character Yankee and will probably get a beating (head casts had been made of Ivan in May 2019 – the last time they did that, his character ended up hanging in the trees after a “blood eagle”).

The goons Ivan Kaye, Jack Bandeira, and David Burnell IV after stunt training with Karen Gillan

Angela Bassett gives Anna May “one of the unassuming leaders of a massive armory” (Deadline) while Michelle Yeoh as Florence and Carla Gugino as Mathilde are reported to be part of a secret sisterhood who join together to help Karen Gillan’s character. However, we have heard from a Carla Gugino fan page that she stated in an interview her character might not be what she seems to be at first sight.

(Sources: Geeks WorldWide, HN Entertainment, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, AsturScore)

Now, we hear that the film

tells the story of three generations of female assassins who fight to stop a cycle of violence over the course of one night.

(Deadline, 24th February 2020)

That makes us wonder who will represent the third generation. Maybe Emily, the girl who is rescued by Eva, joins the assassins? Further marvels include the roles of three further male characters that have not been mentioned in any article we have seen.

The film is intriguingly described as containing “high-octane stylized fight sequences” and “bold humor” (Variety) and we are convinced that Ivan’s Yankee will provide some of both (for our reasoning supporting this assumption, read the paragraph on his character in our first article).

Ivan Kaye is always good for intimidating roles but he is also able to be funny at the same time – in this case, he might just be somewhat crazy. Just look at him:

Ivan Kaye behind the scenes of ‘Gunpowder Milkshake’

In any case, we do not think the ladies will stop the circle of violence without hurting our favourite goon leader.

Links

Do not forget to visit the IMDb pages of the film and of Ivan – you can also click through from one to the other. It helps boosting the popularity ranks of both, so do your share:

Gunpowder Milkshake on IMDb Ivan Kaye on IMDb

‘Gunpowder Milkshake’ – News, Story & Release Speculations on Ivan Kaye’s Upcoming Action Thriller Ivan Kaye's new action-thriller Gunpowder Milkshake is announced for release this year and is now sold out worldwide since last week.

[great-redeemer]

The Top 10 Couples in The Bible- Number 8: David and Bathsheba

By now you may have noticed a pattern… So far, most of these couples have been negative examples of love/romantic relationships. It’s important to understand that even the bad things in life can teach us valuable lessons, unpleasant though they may be. The Bible doesn’t walk on eggs shells when discussing the more heavier subjects. It show us the harshness of war. It shows us the wickedness of sexual immorality. And above all else, it doesn’t hide the fact that human beings, even the ones that display admirable qualities, are capable of terrible deeds. Such is the case with the story of David and Bathsheba.

Most of us are familiar with the story. David, the young man who slayed Goliath the giant, is now the king of Israel. One night, while walking around the rooftop of his palace, he spots a beautiful woman taking a bath. However, she’s not just any woman. Her name is Bathsheba, and she just so happens to be the wife of one David’s most loyal soldiers, Uriah the Hittite. This piece of information doesn’t sway David’s opinion though. He’s so incredibly smitten by her, that he sends his servants to bring her over to the palace. That very night he lays with her and impregnates her. Not wanting to be found out, David tries to get Uriah to sleep with Bathsheba. But this proves to be quite difficult, since Uriah’s chivalry and patriotic spirit keep getting in the way. So David ends up doing the unthinkable: he has Uriah be sent to the front of the battle so that he can be killed. Once Uriah is out of the picture, David ends up marrying Bathsheba (read 2 Samuel 11 for the full story).

Before going any further with this story, there are a few things I like to mention. Firstly, while Bathsheba is the most popular woman associated with the king of Israel, David had many ladies, both wives and concubines. But I would say there were exactly 3 women that were the most important in his life. The first one was princess Michal, the daughter of King Saul. Her relationship with David began when they were young. They were wed during the time that Saul wanted to murder David out of jealousy. For fourteen years he was pursued by Saul, and during those fourteen years he was separated from his first wife. They would eventually get back together. But by the time they were reunited, Michal’s love for David had grown cold. She would end up chastising him for worshiping the Lord in a way she felt was dishonoring of a king (read 2 Samuel 6:16-23). The second woman was Abigail, former wife of Nabal. During his time on the run from Saul, David and his men try to find food and shelter. When they asked Nabal for help, he refused and coldly lashed out at David. Abigail was able to make peace with David and gave him a bounty of food in order to ease whatever anger her husband may have brought upon him. David thanked her for her kindness and decided not to harm Nabal. When Abigail confronted her husband about how she saved his life, he became gravely ill. Ten days later he died. Not too long afterwards, David asked Abigail to marry him, to which she agreed.

It’s interesting to point out the differences in each of these relationships, and how they compare with one another. With Michal, it’s very much an example of young love that ends tragically. The Bible makes it clear that she loved David. But time and separation resulted in this relationship to become sour, and she eventually resented him. With Abigail however, it’s a peaceful relationship. She’s a kind, smart, and righteous woman, who quickly wins over David’s heart. Their marriage and romance seems to be the healthiest out of the three. He’s gracious to her, and she’s respectful towards him. So it begs the question: why is Bathsheba the standout of the three?

I think a lot of it has to do with Bathsheba being probably one of the most mysterious women in The Bible. When reading this story, we never get a clear idea of her true character. We haven’t the slightest clue of what she’s feeling or how she’s reacting to all these events. We can only speculate what is going on in her mind. To this day, several scholars, theologians, writers, pastors, etc. can’t quiet determine whether or not Bathsheba was a innocent in this situation, or if she was actually a devious woman who purposely tempted David in adultery. Plus, although David’s wives gave him many children, it was Bathsheba who gave him Solomon. So this woman, who was once the wife of a soldier, became the wife of the king of Israel, and later became the mother of the wisest man to ever live. Her life is filled with so many highs and lows, but with no clear input into who she really is as a person.

I guess when you think about it, Bathsheba’s feelings and thoughts aren’t really the ones we need to know. This is David’s story and therefore his feelings are the only ones we focus on. And it’s sad to think that one of David’s most well known stories is him committing such horrible crimes. This was the young Shepard boy who fought off lions to protect his sheep. He was the one who slayed Goliath and was a champion on the battlefield. He was a singer, a musician, and a poet. He was handsome, strong, and courageous. All of Israel loved him. He was literally the golden child of his people; a clear example of someone chosen by God to do His will, and doing it well. And sure, David wasn’t perfect by all means. He made mistakes and found himself in some heavy predicaments. But for the most part, he was never entirely in the wrong for most of the situations he found himself in. A great example of this is in chapter 2 Samuel 6, when the ark of God is being brought back to Israel. Although David’s intentions were in the right place, the manner in which the ark was brought back was incorrectly handled (read the chapter for more information).

But this time it’s different. David is completely in the wrong in this story. And funny enough, his first mistake isn’t even when he laid eyes on Bathsheba…it’s was when he decided to stay home in the first place. 2 Samuel 11 says, “it happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.” So according to this opening verse, David wasn’t even supposed to be in his palace. He should’ve been leading his men in battle, setting an example of bravery and confidence. But instead, he’s was at home relaxing. To a certain extent it’s understandable why David would rather rest this time around. We have to consider that his life had become a roller coaster ever since he fought Goliath. He was a teenager at the time, and his journey from being a Shepard boy, to a warrior, to a fugitive, to a king, had been nonstop action. But the once young and vibrant David, had become tired and was presumably around his 40′s. He probably thought he owed himself a rest. But..if he hadn’t been in his palace that night, chances are he never would have seen Bathsheba.

Bathsheba deciding to take a bath outside in the middle of the night has been the topic of controversy. Again, this goes back to her mysterious nature. We can’t be 100 percent sure of what Bathsheba was thinking, but I think there’s enough information in the text to find an explanation. It’s night time, and many of the men in Israel, including her husband, are out fighting. Maybe she thought she could bathe without being noticed by a man. For all she knew, David was out fighting as well. Then again, why risk being seen?  Better to bathe inside if that’s the case. It seems that Bathsheba didn’t think things through, but just kind of did what she wanted to do. This is all speculation of course, but I rather give the lady the benefit of the doubt. And just to set the record straight, I don’t believe David raped Bathsheba. This idea has been considered by some, thinking that David took her by force. But keep in the mind, The Bible has always been very specific when the act of rape occurs (read Genesis 34:1-2, and 2 Samuel 13). Also, rape was (and STILL is) an extremely heinous sin and lead to serious punishments to those who committed it (read Deuteronomy 22:25-27 for more information). If David had violated Bathsheba, then the text would have made it clear that that was the case. 2 Samuel 11:4 says, “then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house”. There’s no sign of resistance from her part, nor a hint that there was a struggle.

But this is a delicate topic and one I think worth examining. And I admit, although I don’t think David raped Bathsheba, it’s clear that he had the upper-hand in the situation. He was the king and he had all the power in the world. We also don’t know what reasons Bathsheba was told as to why she was sent to the palace in the first place. Maybe it had to do something about her husband. And only once she got there did she find out the real motives behind David’s intentions. One could make the argument that she slept with David because she didn’t want to risk his wrath against her (hence showing no sign of resistance). Or, considering the fact that her husband was out fighting, perhaps she felt lonely and wanted some companionship. The reason why I personally picture Bathsheba in a sympathetic light, is because of the story that the prophet Nathan tells to David in 2 Samuel 12.

After the events of chapter 11, many scholars believe that Nathan came to visit David months after Uriah’s death. Certain Psalms, like Psalms 32, 38, and 51, suggest that David went through a period of internal struggle, and had no fellowship with God. Most likely he was suffering from the sin he had committed, but was also in extreme self-denial of what he had done. It took a man of God to open David’s eyes. So Nathan went and told David a story about two men. One was poor and only had a baby lamb. He loved the lamb like it was his own child. But the rich man had everything he ever wanted, including all the sheep he ever needed. One day, when a traveler came to visit the rich man, he decided to take the baby lamb of the poor man, so he could prepare it for a meal. He had no interest in using his own animals, and instead took the beloved sheep from their owner. When David heard this story, he became furious, and declared that the rich man should be punished. But then Nathan made it clear that David was the rich man in the story. His actions were inconsiderate to both Uriah and Bathsheba, and misused his powers as king to get what he wanted. The Lord had given him so much, that if he ever wanted more, all he had to do was ask. Instead, he took another man’s wife and murdered him so that his crimes could be covered up. But God saw it all and knew David needed to confess.

If David is the rich man in the story, then who is the poor man and the baby lamb? Well, in the actual text, the baby lamb is described as a ewe lamb, a young female sheep. Bathsheba is the lamb, beautiful and fragile, who was taken away from the one who loved her. Uriah is the poor man, having lost his wife and eventually his life, all because of David and his sinful desires. Maybe we can never truly know what kind of woman Bathsheba was. But I think it’s fair to say that she wasn’t the devious woman many have portrayed her to be. She was a human being who made a mistake like David, but who was also placed in a situation where she didn’t have much power as well. And when she heard about Uriah’s death, she sincerely mourned for him (2 Samuel 11:26). If she really was a devious person, would she really had wasted her time crying for him? 

Of course with every sin there’s a price to pay. Thankfully, David was able to repent. Not just because it was the right thing to do, but because it allowed him to have a connection with God again. But that still didn’t mean David’s act could go unpunished. Since this analysis has become quite long, it’s best that you read for yourselves the several consequences that came from this sin. Although they may seem harsh, everything that happens to David afterwards is understandable and justifiable. God is merciful to those who seek Him but also just in all that He does. It would’ve been wrong to let David off the hook so easily, especially seeing he was the king of a great nation, and therefore stood as an example of what God expected of the people.

It’s fascinating to wonder what David and Bathsheba’s relationship was like after the whole ordeal. Although lust is what brought them together, were they ever able to surpass that? We know that with his friendship with Jonathan and his marriage to Abigail, that David was capable of genuine love for those he cared for. And since Bathsheba mourned for Uriah, we can safely say that she harbored affection for him. It’s possible that over time she could have affection for David as well. Maybe I’m just optimistic, but I like to think that this relationship grew to be more than just a lustful one. But alas, we shall never know. But regardless of what became of this couples relationship, the events that brought them together must never be seen as right. Unfortunately, adultery is all too familiar in our culture. And sadly, there have been cases in which adulterous relationships lead to murderous actions. But David and Bathsheba’s story isn’t meant for us to imitate. Rather, it’s meant as a cautionary story for those who seek out their sexual and fleshy desires. Although it seems and feels good at first, our sinful actions will come back to haunt us. And if we keep running away, we’ll only dig ourselves in a whole. Eventually we’ll have to face our mistakes and deal with the consequences. Despite it all, God will always be willing to forgive us, as long as we’re willing to humble ourselves and repent.

Stay tune for my number 7 choice for: The Top 10 Couples in The Bible