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dailyaudiobible · 2 years ago

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1/26/2023 DAB Transcript

Exodus 2:11-3:22, Matthew 17:10-27, Psalm 22:1-18, Proverbs 5:7-14

Today is the 26th day of January, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I'm Brian. It is great to be here with you today, as we gather around the Global Campfire and take the next step forward together. And we've taken all of these steps that have led us to this point, which yesterday allowed us to conclude our first book on the journey, that was the book of Genesis. And we began the book of Exodus yesterday, talked about that a little bit and even in our first reading in the book of Exodus, we met this baby boy, his name is Moses. He is an important person in the Biblical narrative. And so, he’s just a baby boy and he's being raised up in Pharaoh's daughter’s home. She's adopted him and we sort of see this dynamic as he’s a child. We’re gonna pick up the story from there. Getting to know Moses, getting to know his life. We’ll be journeying with Moses for quite some time. And so, let's dive in, Exodus chapter 2 verse 11 through 3 verse 22 today.

Commentary:

Okay so, as we get ourselves immersed into the book of Exodus, we are obviously getting to know a main character, that is in, in the Bible, his name is Moses, and we've seen what was going on. The children of Israel were being enslaved in Egypt and marginalized and treated very cruelly. And some really awful commands were sent down by Pharaoh, about how to control the expansion of the Israelites. And it was like if a baby boy is born, throw him into the Nile River. The king had also commended the midwives to kill the baby boys, which they didn't do. And so, Moses ended up in the Nile River, he's a baby boy, he ended up in the Nile River, he was just in a basket, Pharaoh's daughter found him, had mercy upon him. He was able to be raised by his own mother. And she was able to be paid to take care of her son, and so God's providence is there. And then she, then he grows up, Moses, grows up in the home of Pharaoh's daughter and so, he is educated like royalty. He is treated well, but he does know who he is. He does know his origin and he goes out among his people to see what they're like and he kills an Egyptian who was mistreating a Hebrew. And the next day he goes out to…to be among his fellow Hebrews and he finds two Hebrew men fighting each other and kind of asking them like why, would like, your part of the same family, like why would you guys be fighting each other. And there's even if we just like focused in on that and looked out among our brothers and sisters today, same question could be asked. But in this case, they turn on…on, Moses, and are like you gonna kill, you gonna kill me too, like you killed the Egyptian yesterday. And that's when Moses knew like there’s a target on hom now, once the King finds out what has happened, he's probably gonna be killed and so he flees. And so, we see his story of how he kind of grew up and he flees Egypt and he's a Shepherd in the desert, this is where he meets his wife Zipporah and he is shepherding as the story concludes today, with Moses seeing a bush that is on fire but is not being consumed. And this is where Moses meets God, and God and Moses are going to have a very famous relationship, a very famous friendship. This is where Moses encounters God for the first time and God is telling Moses of his calling, that I am going to send you back to Egypt, to deliver your people, the Hebrew people, out of slavery. I am sending you back to Pharaoh to speak to Pharaoh. So, in effect, God is telling Moses, I am sending you back to the place that you feared the most, the place that you ran away from. I'm sending you back there. I am not sending you back there alone, I will go with you, which is beautiful. Moses though has some reservations, some considerable reservations at this point. And we will kind of pick that up tomorrow, but at this point, Moses is like if I go back to there and I tell them God has sent me to you. There gonna ask me what's His name. Like they're gonna have all kinds of questions about this, what am I supposed to say to them. That's where God famously says I am, who I am and I used to be like, I don’t like that so much. But it's like how does the most high God describe who He is in human terms, in his fullness, other than to say I am who I am. And so, this is how Moses meets God and that is going to completely change who Moses is. But Moses has some wrestling with himself to do and will continue this story as we move forward tomorrow.

Prayer:

And, Father, we thank You that we have this story and that as it unfolds before us over time, that we find ourselves in these stories, we find our postures of heart, we locate our own fears, we locate our own reservations, we locate our own self-preservation techniques, we…we see ourselves as we see the people in the Bible, and the way that they conducted their lives and where the paths lead, based on the choices that they made. And so, Holy Spirit, come and show us the path we are walking and where that is leading, and use the Scriptures in our lives each and every day to give us direction and clarity. We pray, in the name of Jesus we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, that is the website, that is where you can find out what is going on around here. There is something going on around here right now that I mentioned yesterday and will mention again today. And that is that registration for our pilgrimage to the land of the Bible for the year 2024 is now open and available. We will be going to the land of the Bible here in about a week and 1/2 in 2023, for our 2023 pilgrimage. Very much looking forward to that and all of those of you who are coming along. Can't wait to see you, can't wait to meet you. Can’t wait for all of us to be together, can’t wait for all of us to have this experience together, but not talking about this year, talking about next year. We’re gonna go back in February next year. Between the 12th and 25th of February 2024, and registration for that pilgrimage is open for now, while there are seats available. So, just go to dailyaudiobible.com or open up the Daily Audio Bible app. In the app, push the drawer icon in the upper left-hand corner, on the web, just look for the Initiatives Section. If you're using the app and opened the drawer look for Initiatives, there and in the Initiatives Section you will find Israel 2024 and going in there will give you all of the details that you would want to know. And so, check that out and hope to see you in the Promised Land, in the land of the Bible in 2024.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if what we’re doing here around the Global Campfire every day is life-giving to you, then thank you for your partnership, we wouldn't be here around the Global Campfire, there wouldn't be anything like that if we hadn't been in this together all these years and so thank you, humbly. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you're using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996 Springhill, Tennessee 37174.

And as always if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app or you can dial 877-942-4253.

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

Prayer and Encouragements:

Hi DAB family, I am new to listening to the Bible through this app. I am loving every minute of it and growing so much in the Lord. I am asking for prayer for a new job. There were some things going on at my current job which have really, have hurt me and so, I’ve resigned. And I’m just praying that God would open up the right job in educational leadership for me. This is Sheila, please pray for me to find a new job. Thank you.

Hello, my beautiful DAB family. This is your sister Ashley from California. And I just wanted to call in, today is January 22nd, 2023. And I wanted to give you an update. So, gang, Jackson was released on Friday the 20th, one day short of being in the hospital for a month. And God gave me a word while we were in there to give to Jackson, that he is set-apart. That God has done, has a plan for Jackson and that He is up to something. I can’t tell you, guys, how many, how many mighty works that I see God doing right now, in my family and in the lives of the people that I know. So, I can’t even, I can’t even tell you, guys, it’s amazing. I, it’s hard to see it though, sometimes, when you’re walking through the trenches and it’s literally just a day at a time. Sometimes it’s an hour at a time, and sometimes it’s a breath at a time. But God is so good, and He sustained us, and I can’t thank you all enough for your prayers. You guys blow me away. Thank you so much for blessing us and blessing my sweet son who is just [sigh] he’s…he’s making, we’re…we’re taking it a moment at a time. But I also wanted to respond to, there was somebody on the community prayer request that asked to contact me, so my email is A as in Ashley, E and in Edward, A as in Ashley, [email protected]. Okay, DAB family, I love you and I will be letting you know what is going on soon. Bye.

Good morning, DAB family this is Saved By Grace from California. I’d like to lift up my sister who’s requesting prayer for her, as her husband, she just found out something about her husband and her marriage of 29 years. Father, in the name of Jesus, I just lift up my sister to You, I plead the blood of Jesus over her, and I pray for Your love, Your comfort would just immerse her body, Father God. Encamp Your guardian angels round about her, Father. And shower Your love around her God. Let her know that she is not alone in this, Father God, and that You got her. And I pray, Lord, that You would just bring spirit filled people around her to minister to her and to encourage her, Father God. That Your will, will be done and help her to know, Lord, that it doesn’t matter what it feels like, what it looks like, we know Father, that You are still on the throne and that You still are in control. And that anything that is removed from Your children, Father, You got something better. And I thank You for my sister, Lord, and her…her courage to…to always lean on You, Father God, to trust You. Just harden that trust, Father God. Bless you, my sister. I will continue to pray for you. In the name of Jesus, I pray.

Good morning, this is Doctor __ from Washington, DC area. I am calling in to pray for that young lady who asked us to pray for the husband who broke her heart. My sister, I know what it is to have a broken heart. My heart also was broken by my husband and that’s what brought me here to the United States. And God brought me here and blessed me so amazingly. But I’m not saying that God is in every situation where people have broken hearts. But he can use your brokenness and turn it into power. In the meantime, let me pray for you. Know that we love you and that we’ve got you and most importantly God got you. Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray for my dear sister this morning. You hear her heart, how broken it is. Father, I pray that You would hold her heart in Your hand and let it break into a million pieces but Lord God, strengthen and encourage her. In the midst of this pain, turn that pain into blessing. Lord, let her find a way that she has never found before. Father, You’re so amazing. Let her experience how amazing You are, in the midst of pain. Father God, for all the women out there that are in the same situation that she’s in, we come together to pray for them. That You also will mend broken hearts. And that You would cause that they would know that there is nothing that You cannot do. Oh, amazing Father, Oh, wonderful Father, strengthen her and all the women out there. In the mighty name of Jesus and may you get the glory. In Jesus name …

Hello Daily Audio Bible, this is Paul from Houston. Long time have been a DABer since 2017 so, it’s been going on almost 6 years now. Anyways, I’m calling for prayer. I’ve been separated for six years and just access to kids. I’ve had visitation with kids but, I have three, but they’re not wanting to come over now, for some reason. And I’m having to go through mediation or go to court by the end of February. So, just please pray for me and my family. Just trying to make peace with…with my wife and with my kids. Just trying to, trying to just trying to take it a day at a time. That’s how I can put it because it’s a little difficult at the moment. So, I appreciate your prayers so, thank you so much. I love this program, it’s been an incredible, just an incredible feeling around the campfire, hearing everyone and being able to pray for everyone. Thank you again, it’s Paul from Houston. Love you all, bye.

Hello DAB family, Pastor Steve from Southwest Ohio. Just calling to say I praise the Lord for all of you. I thank you all for your prayers, for your needs and for your concerns. And I pray Father, today, in Jesus name, that You would be, through the power of Your Holy Spirit, touch each and every prayer request, each and every need answered as only You can, and You will receive the glory. I really am so thankful for this family and this ministry. For Brian and his family for everyone who helps him put this together. I pray and trust you will continue to remember me and my family in your prayers and thoughts, just know that He is worthy to be praised and greatly to be praised constantly, as is our prayer without ceasing. Just know that you’re greatly loved and prayed for with and the Lord willing, will talk again. Until then have a blessed and joyous day in Jesus.

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modorama · 2 months ago

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cinema | Frederick Wiseman, our humanities, chapter 1

9 Sep - 20 Dec 2024

The documentary film library at the Bpi of Centre Pompidou is pleased to present a complete retrospective of the work of Frederick Wiseman, on the occasion of the restoration of 33 of his films. This retrospective will take place in two stages: chapter 1 in the fall of 2024, chapter 2 in the winter of 2025. Some screenings will take place in the presence of Wiseman himself and many guests.

“It is an intense joy to offer “Frederick Wiseman, our humanities”, the fruit of three years of work. This complete retrospective was born from a shared desire and work with, in the United States, Zipporah Films, the company created by the filmmaker in 1971, and with Météore Films in France. It is a great source of pride that this event in the halls of the Centre Pompidou, supported by the documentary film library at the Bpi, is the very first in the world to use this magnificent material, truly offering a renewed experience of the work.

A bit of arithmetic: 46 films. "The only and very long film", to use the filmmaker's mischievous phrase, now lasts more than 115 cumulative hours. We wanted to respond as best we could to this scale since the retrospective will be spread over two of our seasons, autumn 2024 and winter 2025. Each film will be shown three times during this exceptional semester. What is also comforting as I write these lines is to know that there will therefore be a chapter 2.

46 films and not 48 as mentioned in some filmographies - this choice was made in consultation with the main person concerned. 46 films, but at the time of writing: 45. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide a presentation of The Garden (2004), whose public screenings remain impossible to this day. For very different reasons, Titicut Follies was banned for almost 25 years; there is therefore no reason to be discouraged.

As will be the films of winter 2025, the 25 of this fall 2024 have been divided and grouped into sets, based on themes and motifs. They do not claim to be authoritative in any way, many other divisions of the work have been made, others remain possible - the combinations even seem infinite. We just hope that this presentation of the program allows us to find our way through this filmography and that it encourages us to delve into it, to find our path, our own echoes and intersections.

"Tragedy and comedy are very close genres. It is an exaggeration or an extension of the same elements."

While Frederick Wiseman may have uttered very similar terms, the two sentences above are not his. We hear them in Model (1980), addressed with the seriousness of a pope by a casting director to a candidate. This is one of the moments when Wiseman's cinema expresses its manifesto. To support this, let's take a staggering sequence from Law and Order (1969). Police officers accompanied by paramedics come to extract from her home an old black woman so haggard that we don't really know if she is still alive. To transport her, they decide as a precaution to remove her dentures. The latter resist. They persist: the rack still resists. Until we realize that these are not prostheses. Obviously, to support the sense of comedy, you have to appreciate the causticity of the filmmaker.

Wiseman chose the special position of sound recordist during filming, while the filmography was mainly made with two operators, William Brayne (10 films) and especially John Davey (26 films). This position obviously makes him very active, but less “blind” than a camera operator; it makes him in a way the first witness, perhaps a spectator. The cinematographic style is in place from the beginning: no interviews (with the exception of one, even more notable, in Primate), no commentary. The editing makes sequences dialogue with each other, by contrast, by counterpoint, forming a mosaic. The fact that there are no other chronological markers than the present of the filming represents another singularity. This perpetual present has not become a distant archive, it has rather ended up constituting a perpetual present from which emanates in 2024 a troubling societal and political relevance.

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mirrorofjustice · 2 months ago

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other considerations {this post is getting too heavy for it's own weight, but let me jot some other considerations with this text down}

Moses and Mary both experienced extreme social rejection, from within their cultural group and from imperial forces. They both were forced into exile for a period of their lives.

It's no coincidence that they understood the inversion of God, and that both are understood as meek.

Moses:

Moses has a "weak tongue". This is unsurprising: cultural rejection is a key part of his person. Twice, he has experienced extreme cultural rejection.

First, Egyptian political violence separates him from his mother (and mother tongue) at birth. (2:1 - 2:4)

Second, he tries to rectify the situation of a mistreated Hebrew (2:11 - 2:12), gets mocked by the other Hebrews for it (2:12 - 2:14) and has to go into exile. (2:15)

This is the context of Moses fear. Moses is someone who has "been humbled" and experienced extreme rejection.

This also allows a lens to interpret the odd story of Zipporah, Moses' wife. (4:24 - 4:26) When Zipporah circumcises her son to bring her son into the Hebrew identity. This reflects the beginnings of Moses' reconciliation with his Hebrew identity.

It would be very interesting to consider the story of Zipporah in the context of the story of Zechariah (Elizabeth's hubby) Luke 1:8 - 25, because have notes of inclusion/rejection and belief/disbelief in their stories

Honestly... sometimes I think of Moses alongside the notion of activist burn-out syndrome... LOL

Mary:

Next in the text comes Mary's Magnificat (1:46 - 56): Mary's poem about how God reverses all earthly power, and elevates the poor and the meek.

I cannot do it justice at the end of this post. It is a keystone in Gospel, threading well with the Beatitudes (reversal of earthly power and wealth) and the Lord's Prayer (God's direct interest in our humble lives).

Returning to the theme of connecting Moses and Mary, Mary obviously dealt with social pressure as a young, betrothed mother and imperial pressure (she was a refugee).

Like Moses, Mary was also provided signs as tools. Some considerations

(aforementioned) Elizabeth's pregnancy and support

Joseph's dreams (Matthew 1:18 - 1:25), which allowed him to accept Jesus as legitimate

The shepherds and angels at Jesus' birth,

The Epiphany (the wise men, gold, incense and myrrh)

The Naming of Jesus (when Anna and Simon the prophets prophesied about Jesus' life and the sword that would pierce Mary's heart also)

and so twice burns the bush

{Exodus 3, 4; Luke 1, 2}

(i) a juxtaposition:

---❈---

3:1 Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

3:2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed.

3:3 Then Moses said, "I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up."

3:4 When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am."

3:5 The Lord said, "Where you are standing is holy ground" (...)

3:6 "I am the God of your father" (...)

---❈---

1:26 (...) God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,

1:27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

1:28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

---❈---

(i) resolution: And so, God arrives to the ordinary. He sees the lovers, where they are.

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thegrievousone · 2 years ago

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Kaleesh World Building #1

When writing a race of people, it can often be difficult to not write them as hat people. This refers to when a race is defined by a single aspect. Orcs work for the bad guy, that means all orcs are bad.

Now obviously I had stuff to go off of but my point still stands. so I like the direction I took with the Kaleesh as people more than just "the race General Grievous is."

Burial- It is stated in the lore that a body is needed in order to ensure a Kaleesh's spot in the heavens. It doesn't matter how good of person you were, if there is no body then your sol.

Names-since Sheelal means "the dreamer and the dreamt one" and Qymaen only took that name after meeting Ronderu, it's safe to say that Kaleesh last names were titles given to them. The jai part of his name meaning what tribe he is from was inspired by Roman family names being said first.

Do to only Kaleesh warriors seen wearing Kakmusmes, I wanted their history to reflect that. So I decided that they were passed down from generation to generation. This is sort of like how in Judaism, the idea of "who taught you" is important because it shows you credibility, your teacher's credibility, their teacher's credibility, and so on. So Kakmusmes show other Kaleesh who trained you how to fight and so on.

Like I said in the notes of the first chapter, I was originally planning on Qymaen's cousin to be Zaebar from Inonibird's Sahuldeem series. But I decided it would be better if I made my own. Originaly, Zipporah lij Shamira was going to be nameless but though she would add more depth to Qymaen's charecter. and for those who are wondering Shamira, means "he who defends" in Hebrew. (of course it would mean one who defends in Kaleesh)

#kaleesh #writing #a03 writer #star wars #general grievous #worldbuilding

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ms-march · 4 years ago

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12 Days of Turn- “Cookies”

For those of you who may not be familiar with the young man in the corner, his name is Levi Tallmadge Ben’s 13-year-old little brother and the OC of @culper-spymaster. Her fic Band of Brothers (BoB) is absolutely amazing, so if you have not yet read it , please give it a look! And I am sure by now you must have guessed that this is a crossover piece, it about the average length of a chapter and it was worked on by both Susan and myself. We easily spent several days writing this for you all so if you like it please give it a like, comment, and/or reblog!

Levi was bored. Massively, and terribly bored. He and Zipporah had been in the damn wagon creeping by at a snail's pace along the wagon's trails for nearly an hour. The scenery didn't even change. It was the same trees and bushes all the way to Brookhaven. At least at the end of the journey, he'd get to see his father. His father. Who he hadn't seen in over a year. If only Benny and Sammy were there too, then they could have a real family holiday. But Ben was off fighting a war, and Sam was rotting away somewhere. It was just him and Zipporah for now. "Are we there yet?" Levi groaned ten minutes later. This journey was taking forever. Why did they have to take the wagon? "We're nearly there. Just a little farther," Zipporah chuckled patiently. As easy as it was to forget, Levi was just a normal 13-year-old boy, and it shone through, especially in moments like these. They continued on, but before long, the trees and bushes changed to small saltbox homes, large colonials, taverns, and shops. Finally, they were pulling in front of his grandfather Jim's house, a large colonial with pale shutters. His father was already waiting on the stoop, expectantly. Before the wagon even pulled to a full stop, Levi was jumping down and running towards his father. "Dad!" He exclaimed as he leaped into Nathaniel's arms. Zipporah stepped down from the wagon at a more subdued pace. "Levi, my boy! Look at you!" Nathaniel grinned, clutching his son tightly. "You're so tall! And your leg, it's good as new!" "Yeah, Zipporah was better than any doctor," Levi complimented as his father released him. "I'm sure she was," Nathaniel smiled sweetly, turning to Zipporah. "Hello, sweetheart." He leaned forward and gave Zipporah a deep kiss. Instantly, Levi's face scrunched up. "Ugh... I'm going to unpack the wagon," He grunted, turning his back to the lovesick couple, who simply chuckled.

Levi lugged the first of the trunks, likely Zipporah's, from the wagon, his father joining him shortly after watching him struggle with the trunk's weight. "How has she been, Levi?" Nathaniel asked under his breath. It was purposefully quiet, obviously intended to reach Levi's ears only. "How has she really been?" Levi replied in the same tone, voice just above a whisper, "She has been dealing. She visits with Anna as much as possible, and I have been trying to stay in and around the house if I can, just to make sure she doesn't worry too much about me. Auntie Loretta gave her job at Uncle Lucas's orchard, so that keeps her busy." Nathaniel sighed, helping his son move in the trunk into the foyer, glancing over to Zipporah waiting in the parlor. "I wish that she did not have to remain there," Nathaniel shifted his gaze down to Levi, "You as well. I have already lost one of your brothers due to this damn war, it's also keeping me from seeing Benjamin, and now it must tear you from me as well." "It's ok, father. We'll be ok. I'll keep Zipporah safe, and don't worry about Benny. He can handle himself; Caleb will take care of him." Levi understood how Nathaniel felt. He has seen things he never should have at his age because of the war. He was becoming more and more used to being left behind because of this war. But Levi did not say any of this. He just offered his words of comfort, as empty as they may have been. Levi's struggle was not his father's and would give him no cause to think it was. Let him worry about Ben and pray for Sammy, but he will not be given any such strife by Levi. The men returned to the wagon, pulling out Levi's trunk and stacking it on top of Zipporah's. Levi walked back to the doorway, intending to grab the last of the trunks, turning to search for his father. Nathaniel stood just behind the parlor's line of sight, staring longingly into the room at Zipporah. Levi rolled his eyes, groaning to himself, and called out behind him, walking out the door, "I'll get the last one, Dad! It'll be light, only presents." Levi lugged the light trunk from its position in the wagon, pulling it into his arms, and instantly regretted turning away his dad's help. Whatever Zipporah packed in here was as heavy as bricks. As he was busy struggling with getting the trunk into his arms, a too-sweet familiar voice rang in his ears from a distance. Unfortunately for Levi, he noticed it the same moment he pulled the trunk into his arms, promptly dropping it partly on his foot, causing a loud curse to slip out of his lips.

Adrienne Fairfax had decided that she hated taverns. There was always someone to harass or someone harassing others. First in York City with the young Tallmadge boy, now in Brookhaven with the tavern owner, and both over the cause of a room. She ought to go to the local garrison and complain. There was not a single respectable establishment in this town, and so she had become frustrated enough to argue with the tavern owner in front of the building. There was a loud, profane shout in the distance, a familiar shout. Excusing herself from her heated argument with the man outside the tavern, Adrienne approached the uncovered wagon, and the raggedy little boy that had become more and more familiar to her stood there, leaning against the cart and cradling his foot, muttering another string of profanities under his breath. Before Adrienne could approach him, a quaint brunette woman rushed from the house, a dirty blonde haired man following her to crowd around the poor boy as he tried to wave them away. "I'm fine, Dad. I just got distracted." "I thought you said it was light, Levi," the man, presumably his father, scolded. "I thought it was," Levi defended, "What did you put in there, Zipporah?" "Just the gifts," the brunette, who she could now identify as Zipporah, replied. The dirty blonde haired man, Levi's father, looked up, making eye contact with Adrienne and his demeanor changed immediately, "Zipporah, Levi, head inside." Zipporah followed his line of sight and nodded, placing a hand on Levi's shoulder, but he did not budge. His eyes, too, rested on Adrienne as he spoke. "Zipporah, head inside," he said, continuing before she could protest, "Everything is fine, just head inside." "Levi," Nathaniel whispered sharply, grasping Levi's arm tightly when the boy tried to stand, "This is not the time for more of your shenanigans." Levi did not reply, simply brushed him off with a brisk nod and began to limp over to Adrienne, grabbing her roughly by the arm and walking her out of earshot. As they came to a stop, Levi spoke in a hushed and clipped tone, "What the hell do you think you're doing?" "I heard you scream; I came to see if you were alright," Adrienne replied indifferently. "Not that," he said, clenching his jaw, "What are you doing in Brookhaven? This is borderline stalking me." "It is not!" she defended, a wave of sudden anger seeping into her tone, "My horses needed to be changed, one had an incident with the ferry, and now we are stuck here for the night." She huffed, her tone becoming short, "Believe me when I say I have no such desire to stay here." Levi examined her face for a moment in the silence before he cracked a grin and started to laugh, "You couldn't get a room, could you? That's why you were arguing at the tavern?" Adrienne flushed a rather pretty shade of pink from her embarrassment but offered no rebuttal. Levi, still allowing a short chuckle to escape from his lips, spoke, "You go get that fancy little carriage of yours taken care of, and I'll see what I can do about a place to stay." His eyes shifted behind him, to his father staring worriedly at his son as they discussed, "As soon as I go talk to my dad." Adrienne gave a short nod and returned to her carriage as he requested, leaving Levi to explain the predicament he just placed them in to his father.

Nathaniel took Levi in his arm as he returned, "Levi, what on earth could such a girl want with you?" "What? You don't think I can get a gal like her? I'm a catch," Levi responded, appalled. His father just looked back impassively. "Relax. Lady Fairfax just wanted to make sure I was ok." Nathaniel's eyes grew wide, and he bit back a gasp as he pulled Levi closer, dropping to a whisper, "Lady Fairfax? What on earth could she want with you?" "Oh," Levi replied cheerfully, his voice remaining at regular volume, "We know each other. I wouldn't say we're friends, but I like to think I'm growing on her. Like fungi." "You know each other?" Nathaniel whispered, shock clear in his voice, "Levi, what did you do?" "Just now or the first time I met her?" "I have a feeling that the answer 'just now' will do me far more good." "She was having troubles with the tavern owner in securing a room for the night, so I told her I would find somewhere for her to stay." "And where," Nathaniel began, his voice exhausted, "Exactly is that?" "With us, of course," Levi replied as if the answer should have been obvious. "Levi!" his father exclaimed, sighing, "Have you lost your mind? She can't stay here with us." "Why not?" "I-" Nathaniel was stuttering over words, stumbling for an answer. Finally, he found one as he began, "Because there aren't enough beds." "You and Zipporah can share," his father gaped at him, scandalized, "It would do you both some good." "Absolutely not. That young lady cannot stay with us." "Who cannot stay with us?" Zipporah's voice rang clear from the doorway, causing both of them to turn their attentions' to her. "The girl by the cart earlier," Nathaniel replied at the same time Levi did. "My friend."

At the word 'friend,' Zipporah's eyes flicked over to Levi, raising her eyebrow curiously. 'Friend' wasn't a term used often or lightly around the boy. Then furrowing her brow, she approached Nathaniel, wrapping her hands around the front opening of his coat, "And why can Levi's friend not stay with us, my dear?" Levi watched, amused, as he saw his father's mind go blank as she peered up at him, smiling sweetly. He tried his best to protest, his attempts suddenly half-hearted, "Zipporah, she's a Lady, aristocracy." She hummed in acknowledgment, allowing her hands to run down from the top of his coat to the middle, "And how does that affect anything?" This time Nathaniel could do nothing but stutter and trip on his own tongue; Levi even bet that the rather loud snort that escaped him went unnoticed by the man as his mind short-circuited. "Yes," Zipporah hummed, "I think that we can more than accommodate another person here. I will have my things placed in your room for the time being." She turned to Levi, still smiling sweetly, "How many nights would she be staying with us?" "Uh, good question," Levi shrugged, "Didn't ask." "Alright, well, you go fetch her," She turned back to Nathaniel, who appeared to be coming out of his trance, and smiled sweetly, "And we shall go prepare the rooms upstairs?" His father let out a pathetic noise that could have been a yes, or a whimper, causing Levi to crackle with the laughter that attempted to escape his lips. Nathaniel cleared his throat, shaking his head clear before nodding firmly and heading into the house quickly with Zipporah strolling leisurely in behind him. As they disappeared into the house, Levi took running after Adrienne towards the tavern. Adrienne was talking to a footman in the livery stable beside the tavern when he arrived. "Alright, got it all sorted. You're staying with us. Zipporah got involved, and my dad sang like a canary. Or rather... didn't sing," Levi told her, as she finished her conversation, the footman walking off.

"Are you sure I am not imposing?" Adrienne asked him. "Nah. Just let me and Zipporah worry about my father. What Zipporah gets involved, he's a lovesick pushover," Levi responded, grinning as he started walking back to Grandpa Jim's with Adrienne. "Especially since he hasn't seen her in over a year." "Why isn't your dad in Setauket with you?" Adrienne asked him, curious as to why his father was living so far away from his loved ones. "There was...an incident in Setauket last year," Levi hedged slightly, thinking back to August of 1777. "One of the Redcoats in town basically went crazy. They were rounding up Patriots, and they were going to send them to the Jersey. But this soldier...he decided to defy orders and hang the Patriots instead. The outcome was one hanging, a dozen or so dead Continentals, and I was shot." Adrienne pulled to a stop in shock, eyes grown wide as she stared at the boy. "Surely you are not referring to any such soldier of His Majesty's Army?" Adrienne questioned. "You bet your fancy, pretty little ass, I am," Levi replied. "The soldier in question is now Captain of the Queen's Rangers." "And it truly happened?" she spectated, electing to ignore parts of his reply, "I have never been given cause to believe such tales, though I have heard many of misconduct before." "Of course, it happened, and I have the limp and scar on my leg to prove it," Levi replied as they approached the colonial home. "What other reason would my father have to live over an hour away from us?" Adrienne furrowed her brow slightly, careful with her questioning, "And they gave the officer, a presumed gentleman, in question a promotion for such abhorrent and disgraceful behavior?" "I'd use the term 'promotion' loosely. Same rank and he isn't even technically part of the Royal Army anymore. But no, he didn't get punished," Levi told her as they stood facing each other in front of Levi's Grandpa Jim's colonial. "Anyway, this is where we're staying." Adrienne had intended to question the boy further on what he meant by 'no longer a part of the Royal Army' but was stopped by the house itself. "Oh," she began, taking in the flat and simple facade. "It is certainly very," she trailed off for a moment before continuing, "American?" "Thanks," Levi grinned. "My Grandpa Jim built it." Adrienne hummed politely, thinking to herself, 'It certainly looks it.' Thankfully, she was saved from having to search for a polite reply by the dirty blonde man, Levi's father, who had come out to the porch to greet them. She almost took pity on the man. He looked terrified, as severely as he attempted to hide such a thing. He brought his hand around her but abstained from touching her silks, leaving his hand hovering just off from her back as he motioned with his other hand inside the house. Levi bounded forward, rushing inside to a room full of casually chatting voices and the sound of a crackling fire, leaving Adrienne to stand alone in the hall with his father, as well as the horribly awkward tension rolling off the man in waves. "Lady Fairfax, I presume? Please make yourself at home," Nathaniel greeted the young lady, then with a sheepish smile, "I do hope my son hasn't been causing you too much trouble?" "Only the necessary kind," she assured him as warmly as she could, "Though, dare I say that he might be incapable of avoiding most of the trouble he encounters." Adrienne gave the man a slight curtsy as her mother taught her to greet him properly, "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Tallmadge." "Please, call me Nathaniel. Zipporah should be upstairs setting up your room if you would like to go get yourself settled," Nathaniel informed her, gesturing up the stairs. "Your room will be the first on the right." She nodded to him politely and made her way up the stairs, aware of his stare on her back the entire time. The door to the bedroom was open, finding it exactly where Nathaniel told her it would be. The room was positioned so that she would hear any and all footsteps in the upstairs hall and on the stairs, both a blessing and a curse. There was the brunette, Zipporah, dressed in a somewhat pretty floral pierrot jacket and a dark green colored quilted petticoat. She was humming a jaunty tune to herself as she unfolded and tucked bedsheets, stopping in her actions to look over her shoulder at the sound of Adrienne in the doorway. "You must be Levi's friend. I am Zipporah, Nathaniel's fiancee," Zipporah introduced herself. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady…?" Zipporah raised an eyebrow in question, waiting for Adrienne to finish the introduction. "Fairfax," Adrienne offered, "Lady Adrienne Fairfax of Virginia." She made sure to give the woman before her the same courtesy given to Nathaniel, greeting her with a curtsy and a nod of her head in acknowledgment. Zipporah went back to preparing the bed. "I was rather shocked to hear that Levi had a friend, let alone a female friend," Zipporah told Adrienne casually. "He's a 13-year-old boy, after all. Half his mind still thinks girls are gross, while the other half is saying girls are pretty. So I am rather curious as to how you two came to meet." "He tried to bribe me out of my room in York city," Adrienne replied plainly in her sweet tone, leaning against the doorway slightly, "An endeavor in which he did not succeed. And then proceeded to act as my valet for the duration of my stay in the city." Zipporah let out a breathy laugh. "He didn't steal your key and lock you out of your room, so call yourself fortunate," she chuckled, shaking her head at the boy's antics as she tucked in the bed's sheets. "Likely because my key was not on my person," Adrienne offered the woman, "It was in the possession of my godfather, Lord Howe, who I had come to York city to visit." At that, Zipporah's head snapped to look at Adrienne, eyes wide. "Lord Howe? As in William Howe, the British Royal Army general?" Adrienne smiled at the recognition, affirming her supposition, "Yes, Madam. The very same." Zipporah was impassive for a moment before shaking her head with a small smile, snorting in a very unladylike fashion. "And suddenly everything makes sense," she muttered under her breath, almost too low for Adrienne to hear. Adrienne furrowed her brow, approaching slowly so that they were no longer speaking freely across the small room, "I am afraid I do not follow. What precisely makes sense now?" Zipporah's eyes flicked up at her in shock, the gears in her head working viciously. "Sorry, that is way above my station of knowledge and definitely above yours," Zipporah told her after a moment. "If you were meant to know, you'd know already." "And who," Adrienne spoke low in tone, stepping too close to Zipporah for the brunette's own comfort zone, "Says that I do not." "The fact that you had to ask says you do not, my Lady," Zipporah stated simply. "Funny," she replied impartially, "I was under the assumption that the youngest Mr. Tallmadge was assisting his elder brother by visiting a few friends in the city. Few as they may be." Adrienne smiled innocently at her, "But what would I know." "When it comes to Levi, helping his brother is all the information you need to know. Trust me, the less you know, the better," Zipporah sighed tiredly, suddenly exhausted. "Well, he has done a miserable job at that," Adrienne laughed quietly before smiling comfortingly at Zipporah, "But it takes one to know one, I suppose." "He's done better than you might think. Levi has a good sense of one's character. But what do I know about all this? I'm just the mom," Zipporah shrugged. "I am sure," Adrienne agreed, "Which is why I will not be mentioning to the Major how it took less than five minutes to get him to admit to such activity." Clearing her throat, Adrienne ran her hands over her immaculate silk skirts, flattening non-existent wrinkles, "The trunk needs to be partially unpacked. The Mulberry silk doesn't take well to being closed up for too long. If there is anything I could do to help you, please let me know; otherwise, I think it best to excuse myself and leave you to finish here." "Well, they're your clothes. Make yourself useful and unpack them, then, young lady," Zipporah responded in an unintentional 'Mom' voice. Adrienne, who had already turned towards the door, turned back around to look at Zipporah, who now had her back facing the blonde, with her mouth slightly agape. Zipporah looked over her shoulder, raised an eyebrow at the young woman, and then pointedly looked at Adrienne's traveling chest. Now, Adrienne was aware that she had offered her assistance, but she had not expected the other woman to take her up on the offer. She hesitantly approached the trunk, opening it as she attempted to keep her skirts from gathering dirt by brushing the floor. Crouching down with skirts in hand, Adrienne unpacked the fussy silks with perhaps a bit more struggle than she would have liked, courtesy of her hat. As she did her best to unpack, Adrienne could hear the humming as Zipporah returned to the sheets, noting when it stopped more by the intense stare the brunette had fixed on her back as she watched the blonde struggle unpack than the lack of sound. "You doing ok over there?" Zipporah asked, not taking her eyes off the girl. "Yes, of course," Adrienne replied politely, utterly unaware of just how out of breath she sounded. This should be easy, but the bending and interference of her skirts, lace, and accessories was proving to make the task quite challenging. "Alright," Zipporah answered skeptically. "Just looking like you aren't used to unpacking your own trunk." Adrienne flushed a light pink across her cheeks and looked sheepishly to Zipporah, knowing there were no words that could defend her in this situation. Adrienne may have been some form of great lady, but that mattered very little in this quaint country house. "If you really need the help, I can go get Levi to help you unpack. Sorry to say, we don't have any other ladies in the household," Zipporah offered sweetly, behind a poorly hidden, devilish smirk. Adrienne's flush suddenly turned a very light pale at the idea. If there was one thing that she had learned from her week with the young boy, it was that he could be absolutely relentless in his teasing. Especially whenever it was something that any average person would have been perfectly capable of, not being so squeamish as to shy away from it. But before she replied, declining the offer, Adrienne weighed her choices. She could stay here herself and attempt to unpack the trunk, leaving her in an incredibly disheveled state when she returned to her hosts, or she could bite the bullet and suffer through the teasing from the younger boy but at least maintain some sense of dignity, if not propriety. With a slightly defeated sigh, Adrienne conceded, "That would be much appreciated, Madam. Thank you." Instantly, Zipporah raised an eyebrow in surprise. She hadn't been expecting that. She had been expecting the younger girl to decline out of pride. Didn't really matter to Zipporah, she got to be entertained either way, but now she would have endless enjoyment from seeing Levi having to touch ladies undergarments. Oh lord, when Benjamin and Caleb heard of this…. "As you wish," Zipporah said, inclining her head before sweeping from the room. However, she wasn't going to go all the way downstairs, just to come back up. Standing at the top landing, she leaned over the railing and yelled. "Levi! Get your butt up here!!" Adrienne stumbled at the sudden yelling as she attempted to rise to her feet, almost sweeping her flat onto the floor. To say that she was unused to such noise and ruckus would be acceptable in any other place. Women and men of her breeding were usually far more gentile and subdued in their tone and volume. But she allowed the complaint to slip through her mind, keeping such comments to herself, opting instead to reach out and catch herself, her skin getting pale again, just as it was regaining some color. 'So much for dignity,' she thought. With loud stomping, Levi came stomping up the stairs, pulling to a stop on the top landing beside Zipporah, an irritating look on his face. "What the hell, Zipporah?" "Help Lady Fairfax unpack her trunk," Zipporah ordered him, none too gently. Levi's eyes quickly flicked from Adrienne to Zipporah and back. "Why? Can't she do it?" He shrugged, annoyed. It was just a trunk. Any normal person could unpack a trunk. "You're doing it because I'm telling you to do it. Now go," Zipporah ordered sternly, pointing to the trunk beside Adrienne in the guest room. Levi let out a dramatic groan before turning and stomping over to Adrienne. Adrienne had seen such behavior from the boy before, mostly complaining about how his arms ached from carrying 'absurd amounts of bags and boxes' whenever Lord Howe and her went out to peruse the city's shops. Still, this time Adrienne did not find herself playfully annoyed. This time she truly felt as if she was the annoyance, however clear as it may be that Levi was pulling their leg. She stared silently as he approached the trunk, moving a step away from her. Crouching down, he started pulling clothes from the trunk. Quilted petticoats, silk petticoats, jackets, gowns, panniers, chemise, cloaks, muff, hats, and lace. All types of clothes. Some looked the same. Others looked different. Levi didn't quite understand why she had to have two or three petticoats that looked nearly identical. He pulled out another garment and looked at it curiously. "What the hell is this?" Adrienne looked down at the pure white piece that was being held in the boy's hands, a soft linen chemise, and she blanched, practically fainting at the very idea of such a thing being put on display. It would make sense that he had never seen one before, and surely the boy did not know that such an item was meant to be handled discretely. Adrienne's floundering suddenly made her wish she had a fan behind which she could hide, but of course, her fans were packed underneath the rest of the garments. "My apologies, I thought I had gotten the last of those already." "That doesn't answer my question. Actually, you seem to actively be avoiding my question," Levi responded, his piercing blue eyes flicking up to burrow into Adrienne. Zipporah stifled a laugh behind her hand from her spot against the door jam, where she was watching the exchange. "So I repeat, what the hell is it?" Adrienne braced herself against the bed as she replied as quickly and meekly as possible. "It is a," she paused, swallowing in an attempt to keep her wits about her before she fainted back onto the bed out of sheer embarrassment, "Chemise. It is a lady's chemise." Levi immediately let out a loud yelp, dropping the chemise. Zipporah tried to hold back her laughs, she really did. But nope, she couldn't do it. The laughs came bubbling out, and soon, she was laughing loudly, with only the door jam holding her up. Levi glared over at her, eyes narrowed in accusation. "Zipporah, did you just play me?" "No, no. Lady Fairfax really does need help unpacking," Zipporah laughed, finally taking control of herself. "Then you can do it," Levi growled, getting up and stomping off to his room across the hall, irritation, and embarrassment rolling off him in waves. The bedroom door slammed loudly behind him, the silence echoing off the walls afterward. Adrienne, attempting to diffuse the tension, spoke softly to Zipporah, "Well, I think that went well. All things considered." "For Levi, definitely," Zipporah chuckled as she reentered the room and crouched down next to the trunk. She picked up the discarded garments and started putting them away in drawers. "Thank you," Adrienne offered, sitting on the edge of the bed till the lightheadedness went away. "You'll excuse me," she suggested as she sat, feeling bad for leaving the woman to the clothing. "I am afraid I'm feeling incredibly faint, and I would be terribly embarrassed to pass out in front of you." She had minimal dignity left, but by god, she would cling to it as best she could. Zipporah nodded sympathetically. "Take the time you need. Is there anything I can do for you?" Zipporah asked, looking up at the girl. Zipporah supposed she wouldn't give her too much more of a hard time, she probably did have a long day. Adrienne knew her answer should be a glass of Madeira. She had heard enough from McHenry during her Christmas at Valley Forge to know that it was a fine replenishment for the blood and often helped best when an individual was faint. But she did not ask, knowing that she had asked plenty already. "Oh, no, thank you. I do not want to be a further burden to you, Mrs. Tallmadge." "It's not a problem. To be fair, we have tortured you enough for one evening. The least we can do is offer you some comforts," Zipporah responded, putting the last of the clothes away. "However, if you'd prefer to be left alone and get settled, I can leave you be." "Oh, I would hate to be rude," Adrienne began, smiling weakly, "But I would also hate to take time away from you all sharing it with each other." To be honest, she was desperate to curl up in her dressing robe with her books and forget all that had occurred today. "I truly appreciate that," Zipporah told Adrienne earnestly. "You look exhausted. I will leave you be." Zipporah nodded in her direction, then swept from the room, leaving Adrienne alone.

Adrienne sat in the bed, sheets haphazardly thrown over her legs, candlelight burning over her shoulder as she read. The sun had begun setting already in the window, casting shadows over the room that went unnoticed. She barely noticed the soft knock on the door, her attention being drawn by the unusually soft voice belonging to Levi. 'He must be terrified to enter now,' she mused, pulled her dressing gown closer around her as she closed her book. "Yes?" she called softly to the still-closed door. "Can I come in?" His voice was soft and slightly sheepish. "You mean am I decent?" she teased, continuing tenderly, "Because if so, the answer is yes. You may come in." The bedroom door quietly opened, and the boy stood awkwardly in the doorway, shuffling on his feet and avoiding eye contact. It made him look pitifully small and young. "Would you mind helping me with something?" He asked, his hands fidgeting behind his back. "Depends. What is it?" She bookmarked her page with a ribbon and placed the book in her lap. "I am afraid you might have to wait for me to get dressed again." "That's fine. I want to surprise Zipporah and my dad with Christmas cookies when they get back from their date...but I don't know how to make them. Or anything else, for that matter," Levi told her, finally glancing up at her with those big, blue eyes. Adrienne's heart melted slightly at the sweeter side of the boy; she sympathized with his request. She remembered making many a gift for her own parents, made mostly out of things that made her mother very cross with her. She had lost count of how many curtains she had terrorized for the same cause. "Of course," she nodded, "But I am afraid it will be a learning experience for both of us." There was a pause before Adrienne continued, cautiously, "What exactly would be appropriate for a kitchen, as far as attire goes?" Levi let out a bark of laughter, but with her, not at her. "Something casual, something you wouldn't mind getting dirty. But don't worry, we have aprons. I'll meet you downstairs," Levi grinned, turning on his heel and sprinting excitedly from the room. Adrienne huffed, forcing herself from the warmth of the bed to the dresser. Usually, she would not have to assemble her own outfits, but she never minded doing so. Adrienne enjoyed her clothes far too much to ever complain about such a thing. After lots of searching, she found a simple blue long-sleeved gown, donning a warm winter lace fichu, short entanglements, and a light blue sash around the waist. Adrienne left her hair in the smoothly assembled half-up style that Zipporah had offered gladly to do for her and descended down the stairs. "Levi?" she called out, the house silent besides the crackling of the fires, providing warmth to the house. Upon entering the kitchen, Adrienne saw Levi in the corner, pulling a large bag of flour from the pantry. He glanced quickly over his shoulder at her, seeing she was fully dressed in casual wear. "Apron is on the chair if you want it. Once you got that taken care of, can you get a fire started in the oven?" Levi grumbled out, dragging the flour across the floor towards the counter and the bowl sitting on top. Adrienne approached the chair, wrapping the apron around her waist as she watched him struggle with the flour. "Do you always take on more than you can carry, or is that just today?" "I'm the youngest of three boys, both are...were soldiers and Yale graduates. This is totally normal. I got a lot to live up to. I have to make a name for myself somehow," Levi explained, pulling a knife out to cut the top of the bag open. "And will you be attending Yale as well then, Mr. Tallmadge?" Adrienne asked, still watching him from where she stood as he worked. "That was the plan, before the war. But since the war broke out, I haven't really been to school. So right now...I essentially only have a fifth-grade education," Levi replied, setting the knife down and hefting the bag of flour into his arms. As he went to dump the flour into the bowl, instead of pouring in moderation, the whole bag dumped out into the bowl with an ungracious flour cloud. "Oops," Levi coughed, waving the flour cloud out of his face, his whole head and torso coated in flour. Adrienne laughed, ignoring the light flour dusting her skirts and bodice received, having fun at Levi's expense. "You know, I think that perhaps that a bit too much face powder, but if you are certain, I can go grab my rouge, and I am certain you will be very handsome, Mr. Tallmadge." "Are you calling me ugly? I'm a dream, a total catch, the complete package. Girls are beating down my front door," Levi responded, dramatically scandalized at the insinuation that he wasn't already handsome. "Can you start the fire in the oven while I get the eggs and powdered coriander seed?" "I would love to," Adrienne began, laughing gleefully at the younger boy's antics, "Just one question. How does one light a fire?" "There's some flint in the top drawer, and kindling is by the fireplace. Just put the kindling in the oven and spark the flint," Levi explained, chuckling slightly. "Right, spark the flint," she trailed off, "And how would one do that exactly?" Levi sighed, rolling his eyes slightly. "Ok, change of plans. I'll start the fire, and you get the eggs and coriander seed. Coriander seed is in the pantry, eggs are in the cellar," Levi told her, pointing to the pantry on the side of the kitchen. Adrienne nodded, heading first to the cellar with a candlestick. She wasted no time down in the dark underground storage space behind the house, climbing back out with several eggs carefully put into a basket. Entering the kitchen once more, she placed the basket on the counter atop of a small mountain of flour that had seemingly missed its intended target. Next, Adrienne pulled out the glass jar of the Coriander seeds and placed them on the table as well, chuckling as Levi cried out triumphant when the fire sparked to a comfortable roar. Levi turned back to Adrienne, nodding in approval as he saw the eggs and the coriander seeds. Turning to the countertop, he pulled a slightly floury cookbook towards him. "So...we need sugar, and the coriander seeds need to be powdered," he read, brushing the flour from the pages. "If you want to powder the seeds, I'll get the sugar. The mortar and pestle are on the counter, right there." Adrienne took a moment to cheer as she turned to find the bowl and tool. This she knew precisely how to do. Her father used to make his own various herbal concoctions as experiments and oftentimes would let her help him. She could distinctly remember that he would wrap his hands around hers and walk her through the motions of the tool while tucked away in one of Belvoir's greenhouses. She leaned over Levi to look at the recipe in order to discern the amount required, not noticing just how close she was to the boy as she peered down at the flour-coated book. Instantly, Levi flinched away from the close contact. He hated fast movements or unpredictable movements. He stumbled a bit before regaining composure, clearing his throat. "Yeah, I'll just...get the sugar," he rasped out awkwardly, turning his back on her and entering the pantry for the bag of sugar. Adrienne furrowed her brow but let the boy go, happy to sing softly to herself as she crushed the seeds, motions careful and well-rehearsed, constantly shifting eyes to the door Levi had disappeared through, then back to the cookbook and her hands as they worked. She was attentive this time, to when the door creaked back open, her singling trailing off as Levi entered. "At least if this one gets everywhere, it's delicious," Levi commented as he pulled the smaller bag of sugar out on his shoulder, slamming it down on the countertop beside the bowl full of flour as he stepped up next to Adrienne. This time it was Adrienne's turn to flinch away as a small pile of flower rose. She was certain that it could be played off as simply being startled by the sudden slam. Men loved to believe that women were fragile, delicate little things, so there was no reason she should not get away with it. "Levi-" Adrienne began before cutting herself off. She was likely not going to like the answer to her question, so she decided to leave the boy alone for the time being. Once again, Levi took the knife and slit open the top of the bag. This time when he poured it, though, he took hold of the top corner, hoping to be able to control the moderation slightly better. Once he had the appropriate amount, he set the bag on the ground. "Let's see if I can crack these eggs without making a mess, shall we?" Levi laughed as he picked up one of the eggs. He slammed the egg on the edge of the bowl, way too hard, causing the whole egg to crumble and egg yolk and egg white to get all over the countertop. "Oops...again," Levi mumbled, the shell's remnants crushed between his fingers. Adrienne tried only barely to stop herself from full out laughing at him. "You will ruin all the eggs like that, are eggs not usually cracked carefully? Because if so you, have done a miserable job." Levi glared up at her. "Yeah, they are," He grumbled. "But I'm not particularly good at the 'gentle' aspect of things. If you need someone roughed up, though, I'm your man." He grabbed the basket of eggs and pushed it towards Adrienne. "You give it a shot, then, if you're so skilled," He mocked, crossing his arms. Adrienne huffed, moving the basket even closer to her before taking an egg out and attempting to crack it, but unlike Levi, her attempt was so gentle the egg did not crack at all. She huffed and tried again, still nothing, and then she repositioned herself and hit it harder against the counter, causing it to shatter and splatter all over Adrienne's hands and Levi's front. Adrienne cracked a grin at him as he was now covered with flour, some light sugar, and now two eggs, "Well, I think it is certainly clear that you are closer to becoming a cookie than whatever is inside that bowl." "As long as we don't put me in the oven, I'm fine with that," Levi shot back. "Though it's clear that neither of us is skilled at egg cracking." He picked up another egg to try again, posing his hand over the edge of the bowl. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, he tapped the egg against the bowl. A slight crack appeared in the shell of the egg, causing a small smile to blossom on Levi's face. Prying his nails into the crack, like he'd seen Zipporah do many times, he slowly pried the two halves of the eggshell apart, the yolk and white sliding goopily into the bowl with a loud plop. Adrienne cried out with a cheer, causing Levi's smile to spread a bit wider as she moved back across the table to hand him the cookbook. "So, Mr. Baking Extraordinaire, what will you have me doing next?" she teased, wiping her yolk covered hands on the apron tied around her waist before plopping herself onto the chair at the side of the table. "Have I complained about how exhausting this is yet?" she asked, "I hate to sound repetitive." "Actually, you have not. So you're allowed a complaint," Levi teased with a grin as he cautiously cracked one more egg into the bowl. He looked over the bowl to the cookbook being offered to him. "We need some butter and a cup of milk. The butter is still in the churn, easy enough. Just scoop it out and plop it in. Milk is in the cellar. Then it says we need to knead it together." "Ok," she sighed, rising to her feet once again, "I will take the cellar and leave you to your churn." She smirked playfully at him as she made her way to the door, skirts dragging behind her as she took a candle once more and headed out the back door. The temperature had either dropped significantly, or that kitchen was hotter than it seemed. Adrienne was practically shaking as she collected the milk, thinking to herself, 'It better not be frozen. That would seriously dampen my mood at the moment.' Success was found when the milk was indeed still a liquid. She toted one small carton up the stairs with some slight struggle. "Mr. Tallmadge, I believe I have-" she cut off as he stared at Levi, frustratingly scraping at the churn, "Are you alright?" "Yeah, there's just some butter stuck to the bottom. This would be so much easier if I had already hit my growth spurt," He grumbled as he tried to scrape the butter from the bottom, plopping the little bits he could with the large pile of butter that was already sitting on the countertop. Adrienne approached the table, placing the jug of milk down on the table. "Do we really need this much butter?" she asked, "It seems a bit excessive to me, but what do I know." "The recipe says a pound of butter. Pick that up. Does it feel like a pound?" Levi replied nonchalantly. Adrienne opened her mouth to speak but promptly closed it, hesitating for a moment before doing as she was told. She turned to Levi, awkwardly cupping the butter in her hands, "I have no idea. The only experience I have with weight measuring is marzipan, money, and jewelry." Levi shrugged. "Does it matter? A pound of feathers, a pound of bricks, either way, it's still a pound," He stated logically as he stood up, wiping his hands off on his breeches. "Fair enough," she sighed, "In that case, I think that we have enough." She awkwardly dropped it into the bowl and wiped her hands off on the borrowed apron. "So," Adrienne motioned at the flour-covered table, "What is next?" "Put in the milk, and mix it all together. Easy peasy," Levi said simply as he grabbed the milk jug. Adrienne took a step back as he did so. Levi cast her a judging glance, and she replied, "Just pointing out that you have not had a great track record tonight, and while you may have very little salvageable dignity at the moment, I still have plenty." Levi paused a moment, deciding whether or not to be insulted. Finally, he shrugged. "Ok, valid point," he nodded. He grasped the jug firmly, gathered himself, and then poured a cup or so of milk into the bowl. As he pulled the jug back, in his haste, the milk sloshed over the edge of the jug and onto his face, soaking his bangs. He blinked his eyes rapidly against the milky onslaught. A glare was sent Adrienne's way by Levi as she laughed at his plight. The boy was quite a sight now and would undoubtedly need to seriously clean up before his father and Zipporah returned. Adrienne stepped back again as she spoke, "I stand corrected. There is no dignity left to be recovered, Mr. Tallmadge." "I would glare, but you...might have a point. I never did say I could cook. Which is why I asked for your help. You're a girl. You're supposed to know these things," Levi stated, thinking this was the most apparent train of thought. "If I was supposed to know this, I assure you between my parents, maids, governess, and tutors, I would have been taught to full proficiency." She looked him up and down, trying not to laugh, "If it makes you feel any better, I think you are doing an excellent job for your first time cooking!" "That actually does make me feel better, thank you," Levi said as he pulled out a wooden spoon. Dipping the spoon into the bowl, he started to mix all the ingredients together into a dough. With the bowl wedged against his chest, he used all the muscles he had to turn each separate ingredient, the milk, the eggs, the flour, the sugar, into a single product. Adrienne took this moment to sit down at the table for a moment's rest, watching him tiredly. Watching as he began to shape the cookies, "How long should they bake?" she asked quietly, not wanting to disturb him. "Only 15 minutes," Levi told her as he pulled out a baking stone and placed small lumps of sugar cookie dough on the stone. He ripped off a small chunk of dough and held it out to Adrienne. "Dough?" She looked up at him, her face unintentionally confused in the way a naive child might be. "What for?" she asked, genuinely curious about his offer. Her mother had never so much as allowed anything even slightly imperfect on her dining tables, and to be honest, Adrienne could not locate the kitchens in her own house without asking someone for guidance. Levi looked at her equally confused, so Adrienne explained, "My mother never let me even venture into the kitchens, this might be the first time I have seen cookie dough, so I genuinely do not know why it is being offered." "Damn. And I thought my childhood was depressing," Levi responded, still holding the dough out. "Well, you have no choice now. I am forcing this upon you. Raw cookie dough is the best thing to ever grace human existence." He practically pushed the dough under Adrienne's nose. Adrienne leaned back in the chair to avoid the dough touching her skin, laughing lightly as she accepted the piece from his hands as she replied, "There is plenty more where that came from. My childhood was one of many rules and prying eyes." She cautiously broke off an even smaller piece in her fingers. Her face lit up, shifting from amusement to delight once she tried it. "I will concede to you this time; cookie dough is absolutely a delicacy in my books now, Mr. Tallmadge." "See, told you," Levi grinned as he popped his own small piece of dough into his mouth before continuing to put small, little lumps of dough on the baking stone. Once there was no dough left, and the stone was filled, he picked it up and walked over to the oven set into the brick next to the fireplace. "Mind opening the door for me," Levi asked, his hands full with the baking stone. "Of course," Adrienne jumped to her feet, walking quickly over to the fireplace that was set into the side of the kitchen. She opened the small door that was the baking oven. Levi slowly slid the baking stone into the oven, closing the door behind it. "Alright, we'll check on it in 15 minutes," Levi told Adrienne as he stepped back from the oven. He went over to one of the chairs and slumped down into it. "Whoo, I'm exhausted now." Adrienne nodded, "I told you that about 30 minutes ago. This is exhausting." A moment of silence passed before Adrienne spoke up again, "Would you find it horribly impolite if I went to go fetch my book?" "Nah, go right ahead," Levi said as he laid his head down for a second. Just a second, he promised. Adrienne did as she promised, ascending the stairs in search of her book, which he could not help but read on her way down. Except, reading in motion always made her nauseous, so she figured she could sit down on the bed and read a page. Or two. Voltaire's philosophy was always so entrancing to the blonde.

"What in Heaven and Earth is going on here?" Levi stumbled out of his chair as the booming voice of his father rang through the kitchen, barely catching himself on the countertop. Righting himself, he spun around to see both his dad and Zipporah standing in the kitchen's doorway. "Dad! You're home early!" Levi looked from his dad and Zipporah to the mess of a kitchen around him. Flour everywhere, sugar everywhere, puddles of milk, eggshells, egg whites, and egg yolks all over the countertops and floor. And Levi didn't look much better. "Umm...I can explain," Levi stated awkwardly, his hands fidgeting and feet shuffling. "I sure hope so, young man," Nathaniel responded sternly, crossing his arms and not taking his eyes off his youngest son. "Umm….I just thought... I'd surprise you and Zipporah with Christmas cookies. They're still baking, though. I wrangled Adrienne into helping me," Levi told his father, refusing to look at him. Instantly, both Nathaniel and Zipporah's faces softened. "Let's see how well you did then, shall we?" Zipporah said with a sweet, gentle smile as she went over to the oven and opened it up, pulling out the baking stone. The cookies were just about done, so she pulled them out and set them on the counter to cool. "These look delicious, Levi," Zipporah picking one up and taking a delicate bite. "Not bad for a first try." "You like them?" Levi looked up at Zipporah hopefully. "I do. You and Lady Fairfax did an excellent job, thank you," Zipporah said, kissing him on the forehead, making a face as she pulled away. "But you really need a bath, young man." Both Nathanial and Levi started laughing at the same time. She wasn't wrong. Levi was a mess. Zipporah ushered the boys upstairs, making sure to leave Levi to be put to bed under his father's care, knowing full well that no matter how filthy he is, he will find a way to smuggle himself to bed without washing up first and soil all his sheets. She knocked quietly on Adrienne's bedroom door, creaking it open when no response was received to find the candles still burning, but the girl fast asleep atop the pillows, apron wrapped around her waist and a long streak of flour going down the side of her face. Zipporah removed the filthy apron, gently wiping away the flour from the younger girl's face and snuffing out the candles in the room. She chuckled to herself at the book in the blonde's hands as she marked the page and placed it away. Finally, before closing the door, she looked back at the girl, shaking her head at the antics of the two young people. Her hesitation allowed Nathaniel to sneak up behind her as she was winding down. "They are to bed now, my dear," he stood directly behind her, placing his hands tenderly on her waist, "I think it is time we retire as well." Turning their backs on the sleeping children, Adrienne in her room and Levi in his, Zipporah and Nathaniel walked silently, hand in hand, to their bedroom down the hall, the door snapping shut behind them. The only noise left in the silent home was the breathing of the children and creaking of the old house.

#i loved writing this #it was actually so much fun #i love nathaniel andzipporah #also mom zipporah is peak #poor adrienne and levi #really going through it #BoB #lbl #levi tallmadge #adrienne Fairfax #lady adrienne fairfax #zipporah strong #nathaniel tallmadge #12 days of turn #12 days of turn 2020

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theonlinemuse · 5 years ago

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So @lesbianmaxevans and I have been discussing how there’s very little backstory for Dani Powell on the show and we decided to contribute to the tags by coming up with our own headcanons for her:

Dani is a nickname obviously, but instead of Danielle or Danika, it’s short for Danys, a unisex Haitian Creole name. She only gets called Danys if she’s in trouble

Malcolm giggles whenever that happens and Dani threatens to put her cold hands on him if he tries calling her that

Malcolm learned her middle name the same day he met her middle sister, New York County Court Judge Naomie Powell, who barged into the precinct after an incident where Dani got hurt and went, “Danys Eliana Powell, if you’re going to give our family a heart attack, at least pick up your phone!”

Her dad is Haitian (I still say that episode 5 should’ve delved into this with Dani and her backstory) and her mom is Jewish. Dani and her sisters were all raised Jewish

Dani doesn’t regularly go the synagogue, but it’s tradition for the Powells to go to services during major holidays

Dani and JT explaining Jewish holidays to everyone

Powell wasn’t her dad’s original last name. Her dad and grandma came to New York from Port au Prince in the late 70s and their original last name was Poirot. Grandma Eliana kept the name, but her dad changed it to Powell when he started university

She’s the youngest of three girls in the family. Her oldest sister Mona is played by Meta Golding while middle sister Naomie is played by Sydney Tamiia Poitier

Naomie was the sister who suffered from night terrors after getting into a bad car accident as a teenager and Mona and Dani would often take turns looking after her. This is how Dani knew how to deal with Malcolm

Dani is bisexual. She and Edrisa went on a date before deciding to be friends and Edrisa likes to joke about them being exes much to Malcolm’s confusion

“When did you even break up?” “We didn’t, technically. We just went go karting and had lunch at Zabar’s before we realized Dani was wayyyy too much like an aloof little sister to me.”

And this is totally a crack headcanon, but after seeing Jurnee Smollett-Bell playing Black Canary in Birds of Prey, Dani and Dinah Lance are now cousins. Their moms, Zipporah and Dinah Senior were sisters

Dani and Dinah may be Jewish, but they don’t keep kosher all the time. They don’t eat pork, but they’re absolutely weak against shellfish, much to their moms’ dismay

Chaotic bi Dinah and distinguished bi Dani

Imagine Dani going undercover in Dinah’s band and them singing the Birds of Prey song from Batman: The Brave and the Bold

Dani can rock the punk rock aesthetic. Dinah makes her wear fishnet stockings, red lipstick, a corset over a dark lace shirt, and gold metallic temp tattoos. Malcolm has a heart attack

And then Dani starts singing and he’s a goner because he’s only ever hear her sing old songs from the 30s to 50s and there’s something powerful and sensual about her singing punk rock music. He’s not ready for it

JT teases the hell out of him, but he soon shuts up when Dani and Dinah bring Tally into the mix. Edrisa records the whole thing, as well as Malcolm and JT’s expressions. Gil ends up using it to keep Malcolm and JT from doing anything too outrageous

Grandma Eliana would sing old jazz and méringue songs to Dani and her sisters when they were little so Dani ended up with the habit of singing them absently whenever she’s focused on a task, usually when she’s doing her hair

Dani grew up listening to songs from the 30s, 40s, and 50s due to grandma Eliana always playing her extensive vinyl collection. She didn’t really get to listen to modern music until she was in middle school

In addition to jazz and swing, Dani’s surprisingly good at disco. It didn’t help that her dad often played Boney M and Earth Wind and Fire during her childhood

She used to joke that the Powell family is decades behind in their taste in music. Dani doesn’t listen to many modern songs, but she likes singing along to Yonce as well as Janelle Monae songs like Electric Lady and Sally Ride

Make Me Feel becomes Dani and Dinah’s bi anthem

Malcolm once caught her singing and he keeps trying to catch her again. He’s lucky to listen for five seconds before she kicks him out of the bathroom

Dani’s a bit of a tea expert thanks to grandma Eliana, who taught her many different ways of making tea. Other than Earl Grey, Dani’s favourites include grandma Eliana’s ginger tea and pomegranate tea

And I’m not just saying that last one because I saw tags about a Brightwell Hades and Persephone AU

She loves tea flavoured desserts as well. She often gets a glazed Earl Grey donut for breakfast on Monday mornings when she needs a little pick me up

She changes up the glaze depending on her mood. Lavender for when she’s stressed, balsamic and pomegranate for when she’s in a good mood, blueberry for when she’s irritated or stuck on a case, brown butter for when she’s tired, and caramel with blood orange zest for when she’s ready punch a dick

In the summer, she loves Thai iced tea popsicles and matcha green tea popsicles dipped in chocolate

Dani isn’t as big of a coffee drinker as she is a tea drinker, but if she has to have coffee, it’s always a cinnamon mocha with a shot of espresso

She can cook, but because of her schedule, she mostly sticks with quick to make dishes like grilled cheese and spaghetti. She likes spicing things up though, thanks to growing up with her dad and grandma’s cooking

Every Hanukkah, Dani always gets roped into preparing the desserts with Zipporah since her dad, grandma, and oldest sister are in charge of cooking. Dani’s the first to admit that she’s not a cook, but she’s gotten good at making sweets, even if she doesn’t always have the patience for it. Eight nights a year is her limit

Malcolm as a foodie bemoans this and his trying to broaden her food choices slowly becomes a thing

The look of horror on his face when he sees her chow down on a double beef bacon mushroom burger, poutine, chocolate pecan pie and a strawberry milkshake in one sitting is priceless

And Dani loves seafood, especially shellfish which Malcolm can’t have because it gives him hives

Dani was a bit of a trouble maker in elementary school, but for good reason. She stuck gum in a classmate’s hair because she stole her favourite scratch and sniff stickers and lied about it. And she once kicked a football player where the sun don’t shine because he was being a dick to her

She dressed like Kimberly Hart from the Power Rangers movie in high school, though she did have a goth phase for about two weeks in freshman year. She was trying to channel Wednesday Addams. She was definitely a bit of a rebel style wise. Malcolm was most definitely a nerd

Ironically, Dani’s the one with poor eyesight. She only wears glasses if there’s no more contacts and they’re a chunky pair that’s similar to Edrisa’s glasses

Dani does have some secret nerdy traits, she knows how to code thanks to her sister Naomie going to coding camp for five consecutive summers

And like Kay, Dani has some artistic tendencies too. She grew up with outdoor art programs that encouraged her to paint

She’s fluent in French. She, her sisters, and their paternal cousins went to a bilingual language school thanks to grandma Eliana’s influence

Dani also did competitive figure skating as a kid. She actually made it to the Junior Grand Prix finals. She got silver

There’s recordings of her competition routines on YouTube somewhere and she actually goes undercover as a figure skater for a case. Gil acts as her coach because he actually used to skate as well

She also did some cross training in ballet as well since her godmother is a well known ballerina turned dance teacher. There are a lot of pics of Dani in her early teens of her in a leotard and tights with curls escaping her ballet bun

She has an old injury that often acts up when the weather is cold. She broke her leg pretty badly in high school due to an accident in gym class. She got knocked off the balance beam when they were doing gymnastics and had to be rushed to the hospital for surgery

She prefers horror and thrillers to action movies, but she likes period pieces too. Belle is a recent favourite of hers

Dani likes Star Trek because her dad is the biggest sci-fi nerd and it was a big part of her childhood. She also grew up as a fan of Eartha Kitt because of him after he made her watch 1960s Batman reruns with him

As a result, she wanted to name her first kid after Eartha. She eventually nicknames her first daughter Kit because of this

Dani actually introduced Tally to JT. They were roommates in college (Dani majored in social work while Tally studied chemistry) and they went to the same synagogue

Tally designated Dani as godmother after she and JT had twin girls. She was the sandeket at Noa and Miri’s simchat bat

She practices Krav Maga, she and Dinah both learned it in high school, though Dani always says that Dinah had more of a natural talent for it

Dinah also did kickboxing and gymnastics and Dani ended up tagging along her lessons. She doubled as a coach and sparring partner

She and her sisters dressed up as magical girls for Halloween when they were little and the new Charm reboot is like reliving their childhood

She wraps her hair for sleep with funny and colourful scarves that Naomie always gives as gag gifts, a tradition that started when they were preteens

She’s dyslexic, but she wasn’t diagnosed until middle school. She had difficulty memorizing things so she got into a habit of carrying a recorder with her. She also has her phone and computer set to dyslexia friendly fonts and listens to a lot of audio books

It’s also the reason she sometimes makes mistakes when she’s dancing. She sometimes mixes up left and right

She also had trouble learning French at first because of this

Dani can hold her liquor, but after four drinks, she becomes a giggly drunk who randomly speaks French and sings 90s rock songs

She also suddenly gains a sweet tooth when sober Dani doesn’t usually go for sweets. Luckily Malcolm has a few lollipops stashed away for when this happens

Dani did a brief modelling stint back in college to help out her cousin, who was in fashion school at the time. She mostly modelled for women’s wear and book covers. She even posed for a couple of historical romance covers

Malcolm may have accidentally come across it thanks to his mom. Jessica might have been a little smug when she told him to fetch the book from where she left it. The look on his face was priceless

Dani ends up recreating a cover for a case. Edrisa makes Malcolm pose with her. She takes so many pictures

Given that Malcolm has Sunshine, it’s ironic that Dani owns a cat. It’s a mischievous black cat named Shuri and she loves climbing things, especially Malcolm

#Prodigal Son #Dani Powell

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leebrontide · 4 days ago

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🤡 OCs most embarrassing moment ? [For any/all, but if that's too many then Zipporah]

😻 Fav scene you've written [if it's spoilery, be as vague as possible while sharing] ?

Zipporah is the type to have done all sorts of wild shit in her life, broken all kinds of norms and social rules in pursuit of doing what she thought was right, or to get her needs met in a hostile system. And deep down she is HAUNTED by some utterly mundane, completely normal interaction, when she said something that would, in retrospect, "obviously" be taken the wrong way, that hurt someone's feelings. Like through it all, through all the people who have tried to shame her, the thing that makes her face heat is something that hurt her best friend at age 9.

I answered 😻 once already but let me add Yael trying Malort out of hubris at a college party and being so alarmed by the flavor that xyr exoskeleton comes out.

Thank you for the ask! (from this ask game)

#ask games #writeblr #brittle idols

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softsoursaurus · 5 years ago

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i am so sick of people, mostly boomers, using their “faith” as a crutch for racism.

let’s get some things clear.

God does NOT allow prejudice against those in an interracial marriage.... And he actually sees interracial marriage as positive.

It is a clear as day in the story of Moses, where his sister Miriam mocks and looks down own him for marrying a black woman (ethiopian), Zipporah.

She was given leprosy by God as a punishment.

(Read Numbers 12)

Yes, FREAKING MOSES (the dang messenger and mediator of the old covenant between God and his people) married a black woman.

I think God made his opinion (the Only True Opinion) pretty dang clear

GOD does forbid marriage between believer and unbeliever. But obviously that has nothing to do with race.

Lastly, the dumbest yet most common arguments I’ve heard.

Using Genesis 1:24 as support.

“And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so.”

Once you actually read the verse with context there need be no further explanation.

#i will argue this to my death bed #im mixed and in an interracial relationship and i always heard idiots making false claim about what God says #its likr youre racist #dont blame that on God #religion #apologetics #christianity #biblical #God #Jesus #Christ #racism #nazi

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clairen45 · 6 years ago

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Because Finn is the only character, for me, who has a distinctive and unique "relationship with everyone. He had this kind of banquet relationship with Han, so he has this romantic relationship with Rey. Now, with Rose, it looks like he has this great relationship. In person? King. Yes, Rey " By King BoYega. Do you think this statement could mean a novel Rey and Finn in the ninth film? the actor seems excited about the possibility.

Hello Anon, I must admit I was confused at first by your question, which I assume is a quote from an interview of John Boyega, possibly a translation… I could not find the reference, but I will still address it as I understand it.

First, I’ll be clear: I think Finn is a great character. And yes, if there is a trio, as there always is in SW trilogies, in this current ST, it is obviously, to me, all about Rey, Kylo AND Finn. Finn is quite unique as he gives a face, a mind, and a heart to the otherwise soulless anonymity of the stormtroopers. All meant to be interchangeable and replaceable. It was a stroke of genius, but also a logical development honestly, to have a stormtrooper undergoing the hero’s journey. Logical development, because of course the masses need to get a face and a voice. And of course, the lowest of the low, aka the stormtrooper, needs to get his own redemption arc, and his own story, moving from the cold matricule to getting christened with the name of the mythical Irish giant, Finn. One that is associated with the giant’s causeway, a story where a hero moves boulders (umm….) to pass onto the other side and fight his enemy. I am currently writing a piece on bridges in Star Wars, so that is a theme that I find particularly interesting.

Yes, as you seem to point out, Finn is also quite unique in the ST as he seems to be the one who gets to interact with most characters from the story: Kylo, Phasma, Poe, Rey, BB8, Han and Chewbacca, Maz, Leia, Rose, DJ, Hux… He gets even to see Luke even if he doesn’t interact with him. So, yes, up close and personal with the other characters is his thing. Which to me goes with the trope I have in mind about Finn. I have always expected Finn to play an important part in what I see as the rise of the stormtrooper, with other following his lead, questioning the organization and shedding the bucket and the armor. In TLJ, they had planned a scene when Finn was trying to rally the stormtroopers, but they cancelled it. Presumably because it might come as a very important part of the last episode. I would love to see Finn not revel in the destruction of former comrades, but rather to enlighten them to new possibilities, and bridge the gap between FO and Resistance. It would seem like a logical conclusion to his arc. Finn as Moses really. Getting a revelation in the desert in VII, and finally taking on in IX the role of leader and hero, helping liberate his comrades. But with Rose, not Rey, as his Zipporah, something that we get through Rose saving Finn’s life at the end of VIII.

So about the nature of the relationships… There are people who see through Finn, for what and who he is, and also who or what he may become, and there are people who don’t get it. I would say that two people fail to see through and understand Finn. Hux, for one, who doesn’t fathom right away what the self-awareness of Finn might mean on a larger scale (something Phasma, on the other hand, immediately gets, hence her desire to eliminate him as soon as possible). And Rey. Yes, Finn’s best friend and the girl that mattered to him the most in the galaxy. She doesn’t understand him. She fails to see that he has a romantic attachment to him. She fails to see that he lies to her when they meet. She doesn’t understand his need to run away. She doesn’t see through him, shortcomings and qualities included. She loves him fondly, like a brother, she cares deeply about him, and she is deeply moved that he came back for her on Starkiller, for the very personal reason that no one ever came back for her before. They have a touching and cute relationship. Romantic for his part, as made obvious in the novelization of TLJ where Rose is exasperated by his feelings for Rey. But not on her part. See, on the other hand, how she opens up to Kylo (and not Finn) about her feelings and her past, when she is very guarded with others. How she sees through Kylo, right away, and never through Finn.

But, in comparison, many people get to appreciate Finn’s potential even before he sees it for himself. Kylo is the first one, actually, who feels something about him and surprisingly does not act upon it during the village massacre. Then Phasma, who sees him immediately as a glitch to deal with and eradicate. Poe, who ushers him into humanity with a new name, new clothes, and eventually a new identity as that he will embrace in TLJ. Han who sees through his lies and calls him out on his bs. Maz who calls him out on running away and give him purpose (and the saber) on going after Rey. Rose who prompts him to become the hero she knows he can be. DJ, as the counter example of a man who never takes a side and who calls him out on his ignorance.

So Ok, was Boyega excited at the possibility of a romantic development for Rey and Finn… ummm…. Let’s not forget that this actor is also one of Kylo’s biggest fans. And I am pretty sure he had some idea about what the endgame was. Just look at all these interviews where the actors seem to mysteriously hint at some unexpected romance. Seriously. It happened. Many times!

Listen, there is NO romantic development planned between Rey and Finn. None. They are friends. They are family even, if you will. But there will be no romantic development. It is great that we get to see more of their interactions in IX because Rey and Finn were a refreshingly cute pairing in VII, but don’t expect any love story between the two of them. This ship was never meant to sail.

#reylo fandom #reylo #finn fandom #star wars episode ix

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producermokyo · 5 years ago

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Since you doing Drabble requests, can you do one about David and Romani interacting with each other and Moses coming to see what David and Romani are doing? I love your writing by the way! :)

Thank you! Here’s your request! I hope you enjoy :)!

“What are you doing, Romani?” The green haired Archer, leans over the doctor’s shoulder.

The sudden voice causes Romani to nearly jump out of his skin. “David!” The doctor quickly closes his laptop, turning around to meet the Archer’s gaze, “What in the world are you doing here?!”

Damn Archers, he can never hear them sneaking up on him. Don’t even get him started on the Sumerian king who snuck up on him at three in the morning, demanding him to find a way to break his fomer Master’s contact to another servant….

“I was bored!~” David, takes a seat next to Romani, opening the laptop back up. “Gudako isn’t here, most of the servants have left to go to Rome. Not interested.”

David eyes scan the lit up computer screen, “Oh!~ What is this? Is this what Master, and the brown-haired Master were talking about? Idols, I believe it was called? Obviously of the female variety.”

Romani’s face flushes pink. “Y-You…! No one invited you here!”

“What is Magic Mari going to think about you looking at other female idols? Even if they are cute…” David teases.

“It’s Magi☆Mari!” Romani counters, “Not “Magic Mari!” What would a womanizer like you, know about cute girls?! You just hit it and quit it, with most women!”

“I’ll have you know I only had seven wives!”

“Only.” The doctor counters, turning his attention away from the former king of Israel, back to the dancing idols on screen.

“My son Solomon, had over seven hundred wives!”

“Like father, like son.” Romani resists the urge to roll his eyes, something about this particular Archer bugs him.

“So, it is not like I can’t enjoy, or appreciate cute women!”

“Is this the idols, that I have heard so much about?” A soft voice comes from behind the Archer, and Romani.

“Moses!” David’s eyes light up at the prophet. “You are just in time; I was just educating the doctor here on our people’s appreciation of women. I was just telling him about my wives.”

“Oh! Is that so?” Moses takes a seat on the other side of Romani, “I had a wife too, her name was Zipporah. She was beautiful in her own right.”

“Ah! I heard much about your wife in stories, passed down to us!” David nods his head, in satisfaction, before going into more detail with Moses about how his own wives, and children.

Romani brings a hand up to his face. All he wanted was to quietly watch online videos, while everyone was mostly gone.

Now it’s turned into this.

Romani watches as David’s eyes light up as he begins to talk about Solomon again.

….Maybe the uninvited company isn’t as bad as he thought. Fiddling with the ring underneath his glove, he mutters, “I would like to hear more about Solomon.”

#my writing #drabbles #fgo

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tuesdayrising · 6 years ago

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Lair Review for Azlynn #32779

Oooooooh I’m excited, I don’t see any of the dragons I know I’ve written lore for previously, so everyone is totally new!

I have to start here because OBVIOUSLY Blep is some kind of holy, higher being for catching my eye right away and having a perfect bio. All hail Blep, mighty and mlem.

On a more serious note, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Zipporah!! Metals is just an amazing color, especially when you’re working with Light dragons, and this gal is just downright stunning. You’ve managed to work in so much Light apparel without being too gaudy, which is kind of a miracle in itself (I say, from the middle of the Light flight lol), and her Orca tert works soooooo well with Metals (and the roundhorns)! Truly a magnificent lady.

Hecate is classic witchy and I’m so impressed! Also envious, because even though I don’t like multi-gaze a ton (too many eyes for me haha), she wears it perfectly AND obviously wasn’t born with it, judging by her birthday. Your scatter luck is A+, so congrats on such a perfect match!

Also, her oranges are just so nice. Glimmer, the eyes, and the autumn apparel just work so nicely. And her little kitty friend! I wonder, how would she look with the autumn woodwings, or maybe the scarlet or ember sylvan lattice, just to get some orange on the wings?

Okay, let’s just get this out there: marigold Trail is downright holy. Seriously. I have a G1 who’s set to get Trail whenever I have the time/treasure/mats, and it’s just so stunning and vibrant and perfect and omg. I just love it a lot, which means I love October here. I think it works super well with his Ghost, and the rest of his apparel having the black and white theme makes him seem very Halloween!

Aw, just checked his birthday. He’s an April baby, bummer. Kind of was hoping he was actually born around Halloween, haha. Still, though, he’s lovely and spooky and those candles are *chef kiss*

Oh my gosh. Oh wow. This is the first time I have EVER seen white stained used well. Normally it seems too pale and washed out and I don’t like it, but Farore is LOVELY to an extreme and I kind of want to kidnap her and stick her in my lair. ♥ She’s perfectly frosty, and the gradient in Bee is just so enchanting! Plus I love that tiny tiny tiny pop of purple you get from the necklace since it goes with that tiny tiny tiny bit of purple from her eyes.

Also? Props for dressing a female imp! I really struggle making them look pretty without reusing the same four pieces, but you have nailed it here. She’s just incredible all around!

#tues reviews #flight rising

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agameforgoodchristians · 7 years ago

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Miriam Cursed for Being Racist (Numbers 12): On Racism, Prejudice, and Other Things that make you Uncomfortable at Church]

One day Miriam and Aaron, Moses' older siblings, blindside him about his wife:

While they were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had indeed married a Cushite woman) (Numbers 12:1).

Seems pretty racist, right?

Why does everything have to be about race?

Excuse me?

Why does everything have to be about race?

Everything isn’t about race.

Well, why does this have to be about race?

You’d have to ask Miriam and Aaron.

Gah. Why is this story really about race?

Keep reading.

The Argument Against A Racist Interpretation

(Even though it's mostly wrong)

Our interrupting friend's last question has been the source of biblical debate for centuries. This is because, despite what seems to be a racially-charged beginning to the story, Miriam and Aaron do go on to say:

“Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” (Numbers 12:2)

It seems that there is a case to be made that this story is more about sibling rivalry than racial animus. This argument is made more compelling when the events of the previous chapter are taken into account.

Numbers 11 records the repeated complaints of the Hebrew people as they traveled from slavery in Egypt to freedom and prosperity in the Promised Land. Complaints that almost got them all killed by the God who was making provision for them the whole time. In the midst of this chapter, Moses wants to walk away from his role as desert tour guide for a cranky classroom of kindergartens (Numbers 11:10-15). To help Moses keep his sanity, God orders Moses to appoint 70 elders to help him bear the burden of leadership.

It is with this backdrop that we begin chapter 12: Moses’ own siblings, his own family, leaders who know and care for him the most, are apparently trying to usurp his authority. There is a power struggle over who speaks for God. And since Moses is too “humble” to fight for himself (vs 4) [which is an odd choice of words, since the narrator has already told us that Mo don’t want this job no mo’], God gets involved.

God calls Miriam, Moses, and Aaron before The Tent of Meeting, appears as a pillar of smoke, and tells Aaron and Miriam to shut the sheol up. God explains that He has a special relationship with Moses, different from their own. God doesn’t communicate using dreams and visions with Moses. No: Mo gets the face to face treatment (vs 5-8).

And because a stern talking to is not enough, God cursed Miriam with a skin aliment, turning her white as snow. Aaron, after screwing up in a major way, once again, receives no punishment whatsoever (#WTF #SmashThePatriarchy). Perhaps seeing that this is completely unfair, or perhaps being a good little brother trying to protect his sister (#OkPatriachyHasSomeUses), Aaron turns to Moses, humbles himself, calls Moses “my lord,” and asks Moses to ask God to spare their sister (vs 10-12).

Moses advocates on Miriam's behalf and God, after using a parable about a father shaming his daughter by spitting in her face (#BackToPatriarchySmashing), decrees that Miriam's aliment will clear up after seven days. However, she must remain outside the Hebrew camp alone, returning only after she is healed. Thankfully the people decided to wait for her instead of continuing their nomadic trek to the Promised Land (vs 13-16).

So there you have it: this was not about race.

Yes. Yes it was.

But you just said…

Have you seen how long this Card Talk is? Clearly we’re not done yet.

But...

We're not done yet. Also, there is an obvious question you should have asked by now...

Who Was This Woman?

Did you forget that this passage starts with Miriam and Aaron throwing disrespect at Moses' wife? What happened to her part in this story? For that matter, who the heck is she? This is a question that anyone who survived some form of Sunday or Saturday school (or watched The Prince of Egypt), should be wondering.

The Bible says that Moses had a wife named Zipporah, and she was pretty badass. She threw her son's freshly circumcised foreskin at her husband's penis to win an argument with God. Is this the woman Miriam and Aaron are talking about? We don't think so because there are multiple problems with this interpretation.

First, why would Miriam and Aaron suddenly have a problem with Zipporah? She's been with Moses for a long time. She's even been in the biblical narrative longer than Aaron has (Zipp shows up in Exodus 2. We don't even know Aaron exists until Exodus 4). Second, and more important, Zipporah is not a Cushite. She was a Midianite (Exodus 2:15-22). We're to believe that Miriam and Aaron are throwing racial invective, but suddenly forgot what country/tribe their sister-in-law is from?

Over the centuries, some Jewish and Christian scholars have attempted to square this round peg by simply saying that the wife mentioned in Numbers 12 was Zipporah. Why? Because the Bible only records Moses having one wife. Other scholars point to this very passage as emphatically saying the opposite: Moses did have more than one wife, hence the narrative's emphasis at the end of vs 1:

While they were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had indeed married a Cushite woman)

So if this is wife #2, where did she come from? When, in the midst of his nomad lifestyle, did Mo have time to court another wife? The top two scholarly contending answers are:

1. Moses married an African woman in his younger days, specifically between fleeing Egypt and arriving in Midian (sometime during the second chapter of The Book of Exodus). This makes Zipporah his second wife, as Moses would have met the Cushite woman before arriving to Jethro’s house in Midian.

and

2. Moses met this woman in Egypt while trying to convince Pharaoh to let God's people go. Exodus 18:2 tells us that Moses had sent Zipporah and their children away during the whole Egypt escapade. The family was reunited once the Hebrews were on their way to The Promised Land.

While these ideas may be offensive to our modern (and/or Sunday School flannel graph) sensibilities, this was an age of polygamous relationships (for men #UghPatriarchy), so the idea that Moses had multiple wives should not be considered too scandalous. This idea wasn’t a problem over the centuries for such Jewish biblical luminaries as Josephus, Rashbam, and Moses Mendelson whose works all record some variation of the argument that Moses had at least two wives.

Okay fine. Maybe Moses had multiple wives like most of the patriarchs in the Bible. Maybe it’s even weird to think that he didn’t have multiple wives when, like everyone else did. But that doesn’t make this story about racism. I mean, God. You showed how this whole story is obviously about Miriam and Aaron’s attempted power grab-- them trying to usurp power from their younger brother who was God’s chosen. Why do you liberal snowflake progressive millennial tree-hugging Prius driving milksops always find yourselves triggered by everything except hummus and almond milk, and make everything about race? Maybe not everything is about racism. Some people are just jerks or are power hungry and that’s not about race. It just is, like, sin. People sometimes suck. I mean, yeah.

You done?

…

Okay. Let’s unpack the ideas in that word-salad. But that requires the definition of terms.

Racism Defined (Sociologically)

Racism

Racism is the system of privileges and advantages given members of a society based on their race. Members of a society, who are not a part of the preferred race, are disenfranchised from the aforementioned privileges and advantages, either in part or as a whole. Some refer to this a "structural racism," "institutionalized racism," "cultural racism," but they amount to the same thing.

In layman's terms: if you’re in the “good” race, you get a leg up in society. If you’re in the “bad” race, you get screwed.

Keywords: system, privileges, advantages, race.

prejudice

A mental bias or negative outlook a person holds against another person or group, based on perceived status or characteristics of that person or group (e.g. age, gender, ethnicity, nationality, race, sex, sexuality, socioeconomic status, etc.). This bias is not based on reason or empirical evidence: prejudices are beliefs held independently of the actual facts about a person or group. It is an attitude that, when enacted, leads to discrimination. Prejudice is not confined to the culturally dominant groups in a society: anyone can be prejudice. However, when the discrimination born from prejudice is codified into a system, it is often the culturally dominant who receive privileges and advantages (e.g. ageism, classism, racism, sexism).

In layman's terms: anyone can be a dick, but it's easier for some people than others. And dickitude can become the cultural norm in a society.

Keywords: in group bias, anyone, dicks

But I don’t like those definitions. That's not what I see when I do a quick Dogpile search online.

Whether you are comfortable with those def… wait. Why the hell are you still using Dogpile to do a search? You also rocking AskJeeves on your T-mobile Sidekick? Anyway, whether you are comfortable with these definitions is irrelevant. The meaning of words don’t change to suit your cultural preference in the midst of an argument, no more than a Bible verse will adapt to the sin you’re trying to justify. The sociologists and linguists who research and write about race and racism are no more swayed or impressed by your discomfort, than Paul or James would be with your Joel Osteen-eque prosperity gospel replacing their argument over salvation by faith or work. The experts are not confused about what words mean, but they are frustrated with the layperson’s determination to be right. Arguing that you didn’t read this in your online dictionary is like arguing with an astrophysicist about the definition of “gravity” you got in middle school. So once again: The experts /who write about this stuff for a living / don't care / that you don't like /their definitions, but feel free to click on any of those links to read what the experts say (Spoiler: they call "racism" a race-based system of privileges and advantages).

But while we're here, let's drill down on something, because it is important for when we return to Moses and his siblings.

If you live in a racist system,

and you are a member of the race that gains privileges and advantages from that system,

you gain privileges and advantages from that system.

No, that wasn't a typo. That's exactly what we meant to say. If you are given privileges and advantages, you are given privileges and advantages.

Stop pretending like you're not.

This applies internationally and it's not all about White people. The Japanese have a problem with racism, but it’s not about White people. A White person in Japan can’t be racist because the system is not set up to give them prime advantage. But White people in Japan can be prejudiced. Some argue that post-apartheid South Africa has a problem with racism, that the current system oppresses White people. This claim might be dubious, but we’ll let it stand for now. If this claim is true, a White person in South Africa can’t be racist because the system is no longer not set up to give them prime advantage. But they can be prejudiced. In Brazil, man that is a whole complicated mess, but still adheres to the definitions above. And hopefully you get the idea.

And since we need to say it, in the United States, the only people who can be racist are White. Everyone in the US can be prejudiced, but only White people can be racist.

So all White people in the US are racist?

You don't listen very well. No. It means that racism exists in the US and that White people benefit from the system. Once more for the cheap seats: You can benefit from racism even if you’re not personally racist.

While socioeconomics, education, gender, sexuality, sexual identity, family/friend connections, and a whole host of other demographic and contextual factors, as well as good/bad luck and divine intervention/meddling, impact every interaction in our lives, race matters too.

In the US, because the system favors it, a White person will get that job, obtain that house, be granted that permit, get out of that speeding ticket, be allowed to walk in and out of a Starbucks with a licensed AR-15 without getting shot by the cops, and be given the benefit of the doubt, more often than others who are not White. If you disagree, ask your non-White friends about it, but then keep your mouth closed while they take a deep-breath, get a far away look, and decide if they have the energy to have this conversation with you while sober.

And we’re going to cut you off before you start talking about “affirmative action” and “diversity initiatives” because 1) your understanding of those terms is probably woefully inaccurate (get out your Sidekick and do a very slow search for how many White people, esp. White women and White folk in rural areas, benefit from the programs you’re trying to tear down), and 2) the very existence of those ideas proves the point that racism exists. They are attempting to counteract a system of privilege and advantage that is largely based on race.

And we're going to shut you down before you start talking about "Black on Black crime," "White on White Crime," "All lives mattering," "Blue Lives mattering," "Chicago," or anything else that is really off topic. People can be evil to other people no matter their race. Yes. If you've read through at least the first 5 chapters of the Bible, you know that to be true. If you've turned on the news today, you know that to be true. Man's inhumanity to man is rampant. That's (in part) why Christians believe in the sacrificial and salvific work of God through Jesus the Christ. Yes. Everyone can hurt everyone else. Everyone can be prejudiced. Everyone can be a dick to other people and should work hard to stop being one.

But not everyone can be racist.

To be racist is to not only benefit passively from the system of PRIVILEGES and advantages, but to actively use those PRIVILEGES and advantages to oppress and further DISENFRANCHISE those who do not have them.

{deep breath}

Now, back to Miriam, Aaron, and their racism.

Why This Story is About Race

(And Why Ignoring the Racial Elements Shows There is Something in your life You Should really Pray About)

To recap, the Bible explicitly begins the story by saying that Moses was confronted by Miriam and Aaron about his wife, whoever she was, because she was a Cushite (or "Ethiopian," or "from the Sudan" depending on your translation), "for he had indeed married a Cushite woman." Serious readers of the text recognize that they cannot merely sidestep this language. In his translation of the text, the renowned Evertt Fox admits that, if this is referring to her as an Ethiopian, this is “clearly a racial slur.”

The mention of this woman's nationality focused on her "otherness," specifically her race, her color: In Biblical literature, Cushites (Ethiopians/Nubians) were knows for their darker skin (see Jeremiah 13:23).

Even if you argue that the text is ultimately an argument about who wields divine authority, just like our comments in "That time Jesus was Racist" we still have to wrestle with the manner in which Miriam and Aaron broached the subject with Moses. We can't ignore the words they used to start the conversation/confrontation.

One rabbinical reading is that, for some reason, Moses wasn't sleeping with his second wife (not Zipporah). According to this reading, in confronting him, Miriam was not speaking against the woman's "blackness," she was advocating for her: “If you’re not going to sleep with the woman, making her a full, honest wife, why the hell are you with her?!” To us, this reading stretches credibility.

A more popular reading (*cough* cop-out *cough*) is to assert that Miriam and Aaron's mentioning of this woman's race/color was a red herring: they were getting Moses off-kilter before diving into the real conversation about authority and power. By this reading, it wasn't that they were saying, "What gives?! You married a [fill in racial/ethnic slur] woman from outside of our race: how can you say that God only speaks through you when you make decisions like that?" Instead, we are supposed to believe, they were merely using racist rhetoric as a ploy, but they really didn't mean it. Those who subscribe to this interpretation/fantasy, also find an interesting explanation for God's initial silence: God knew that they weren't really being racist, so He didn't speak up when they sounded racist. God knew it was really about a power grab. So God waited and responded when they finally got around to issuing challenges to Moses’ power, and thereby God’s authority in choosing His own speaker.

We have three responses to this final argument.

1. Are you Serious right now?

No really? You said that out loud. With all the other options, you're going with that one?

2. No. Really: Are you Fucking serious right now?

How is saying,"You married a [fill in racial/ethnic slur] woman from outside of our race..." as a rhetorical tactic, as a way to gain political traction, a good outcome in your mind? How is that a better interpretation?

How is that less racist?

Okay. Try some of these out:

“No no. Chad's not racist! He just tells racist jokes sometimes. Don't be so over-sensitive.”

“Martha doesn’t have anything against racial minorities, she just doesn’t think they work very hard to get where they are. They're just not as qualified as other people. You know, "Affirmative Action" and all that.”

"Honey, your mother and I want you to have a diverse set of friends, but we forbid you from dating anyone from another race. We just don't want you to deal with all the intolerant people out there sweetheart. And think about what your children would have to go through being mulatto halfsies..."

“Look: just because he refuses to condemn the actions of the KKK, the alt-right, neo-nazis, think moving confederate statues to museums will result in a change in objective history, calls Mexicans rapists and murders, and refers to Africa and Haiti as "shithole countries" [even though Africa is a continent], does not make him a racist!"

Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (you brood of vipers).

3. Look at Miriam's Punishment

Look at it. Look at Miriam. Look at her punishment

Look at her skin.

When the cloud went away from over the tent, Miriam had become leprous, as white as snow. And Aaron turned towards Miriam and saw that she was leprous. (Numbers 12:10)

Miriam singled out a woman for her darker skin. God punished her with skin so white and disgusting that Moses compares her to a premature, stillborn baby (Numbers 12:12). But this was only the first part of her punishment. For when Moses intercedes on her behalf:

...the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp for seven days, and after that she may be brought in again.” So Miriam was shut out of the camp for seven days; and the people did not set out on the march until Miriam had been brought in again. (Numbers 12:14-15)

God, her father, "spits in her face" and sends her outside the camp, outside of her race of people. She is excluded from her own community, just as she would have excluded her darker sister-in-law.

And what about the challenge to Moses' authority? What? God can't kill two birds with one stone? Racism and an attempted coup all caught in one leprous cursing. Doubt this? Spend more time reading the Bible: the writers tend to show God doling out punishments that fit the crime in clever/creative ways. But also, put this in the context of Who we are talking about.

A God of Salvation Has No Time for Racist Bullshit

(And neither should you)

This is the God of the Hebrew Bible, the God of salvation, when “salvation” wasn’t about feel good spirituality, or the soul not spending an eternity in Hell. It was about physical and tangible trouble in the here and now. Hence the metaphors of God in the Bible: a shepherd fighting off actually lions, tigers, and bears (oh my). An ever-present help, pulling people out of pits dug by enemies with too much time on their hands. A warrior-king fighting alongside His servants, as arrows fly and swords clash. The God who brought His people out of bondage, out of slavery, in Egypt.

Think about that last one: think about where the people in this story JUST came from.

They JUST came out a slavery:

They JUST came out of a system of privilege and oppression, based on schemes of racial superiority and inferiority.

And since they JUST received the Law (Torah), God has JUST told them they will not perpetuate that system.

The Torah is full of prohibitions against treating those of other cultures, nations, and/or races poorly. We've written about this before, twice. But staying within our present book, Numbers 15:11-16 goes so far as to say that Jews and foreigners living among them are judged by the same law. That supposed outsiders, like this Cushite wife of Moses, participate in the most sacred rights of the people, standing in equality before God. Leviticus 19:33-34 gives the clearest picture of how God feels about all this.

When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

Notice the two most prevalent reasons God gives for treating all of humanity with equity are

1) "because I am the LORD your God, and I said so!"

and

2) "because you were JUST treated like shit in Egypt!"

In layman's terms: YOU didn’t like racism, did you?

So don’t be racist.

Idiot.

(That almost sounds like, wait, how does that go? "Do onto others as you would have them" something something...)

Perhaps those social justice warrior snowflakes you sometimes mock are correct when they see the injustice of racism, even in a biblical narrative.

If you were offended by this post in some way, perhaps you should do some serious soul searching as to why.

Perhaps you need to acknowledge the advantages and privileges you hold based on your race, even if you aren't "rich," "male," "heterosexual," "educated," "upwardly socially mobile," "able-bodied/able-privileged," or any of the other demographic areas where you may feel real prejudice from another group. If you're White, and live in a country that favors White skin, you have a leg up. Acknowledge it.

Perhaps you should spend more time addressing the ways your actions, and your silence, perpetuate systems of inequity in our world, our country, our region, our cities, our communities.

If you go to a church that never talks about racism, prejudice, or injustice, perhaps you should start asking why: why the pulpit is silent and why you go to that church.

But what do we know: we made this game and you probably think we're going to Hell.

Linguistic Afterword/sidenote:

Numbers 12:1a reads:

וַתְּדַבֵּר מִרְיָם וְאַהֲרֹן בְּמֹשֶׁה = "And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses"

The verb in this sentence is piel imperfect, feminine, second person, singular. For non-Hebrew nerds, this means in a nutshell, that the sentence seems to be signifying that only one speaker, who was female, addressed Moses.

This is noteworthy because some have used this linguistic oddity to explain why Aaron was not cursed alongside Miriam. Two schools of thought on the matter.

1. Aaron was a later addition to the story. In the original versions of the tale, only Miriam spoke out against Moses. Aaron was later added to the narrative, but the grammar was not changed.

2. The grammar was changed to screw over Miriam. In the original version of the story, both Miriam and Aaron were present in the confrontation of Moses. However, scribes changed the grammar to insinuate that the whole episode was Miriam's idea, so Aaron is really not to blame for going along with his big sister, and/or Aaron stood there silently, as Miriam was racist and power hungry.

#BiblicalFeminism #FoodForThought

P.S. And if you have to have a conversation with someone who is acting racist as hell, this is a useful resource

#Miriam #Racist #Racism #Moses #Aaron #Family Drama #Prejudice #Numbers 12 #Reality hurts #d

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