#thank you mark and david for your service

[thatswhatsushesaid]

i'm actually low key so mad about the netflix dorian gray adaptation i could spit fire about it. of all the iconic works in the queer literary canon to do this to. fuck.

anyway, if you want to listen to an audiodrama version of dorian gray that amps up the gay power level to well over 9000, shadows at the door is here for you

an adaptation by and for queer horror junkies, they did their homework.

enjoy!!

[rapturously]

reflections.

➾ pairing ; david x fem!reader.

in which david decides to have his way — in front of a mirror. of course, the main attraction is you.

FORMAT: drabble — requested.

WORD COUNT: 3.8K.

WARNINGS: SMUT (mdni), mirror sex, p in v sex, unprotected sex, mild bloodplay (he’s a vampire), biting, hair-pulling, groping, teasing, dirty talk, pet names (use of kitten and sweetheart), rough sex, bruising/marking, choking, david is an asshole (but he’s hot), naked female, clothed male, fingering (f!receiving), finger-sucking, breastplay, begging, multiple positions, mind reading, making out, possessive & obsessive behavior from david

AUTHOR’S NOTE: so this was a request but I deleted it by accident (mega sorry !!) whoever sent this in, thank you for your service because this was ridiculously hot and so fun to write! thank you all for your love and support, i promise that I will try to post more often! still working on requests! ❤️

A soft, simpering moan reverberated throughout your cavernous alcove, hands balled up into tight, clenched fists as you tugged at your sheets. Even as you slept, someone toyed with your mind — David had quite the habit for making you see whatever he wanted in your dreams. They were never terrifying or intended to frighten you, but oh, were they cruel.

When you ripped yourself out of your blissful slumber, your flesh was crawling with a misty perspiration, from the intensity and the subject matter. It was something salacious — David fucking you into oblivion, your mind consumed whole by those golden-orange eyes.

You felt dirty for dreaming of such a thing, but in the presence of mind-reading vampires, especially ones that could manipulate your thoughts, it was bound to happen. David enjoyed using that sway on you in the name of playfulness, but he used it to torment you, too.

Tangled within a snare of sheets, you sat up, adjusting your nightshirt. David had a penchant for making you wear things that belonged to him, covering you in his scent. It was a tattered black t-shirt that hadn’t seen daylight in many years, you suspected.

The cavern was unnaturally silent, lacking the rancor and energy that the boys brought to it. It was just you, alone within your nest, distraught by your dreams.

David’s hold upon you was nothing short of supernatural, and the bond that you shared only strengthened his unorthodox abilities. His voice rang throughout your mind, crisp and clear as if he were merely standing a few feet away. You pictured his sardonic laughter and his charismatic sneer.

Glistening rays of moonlight pooled through the gap in the top of the cave, indicating that it was dusk. You assumed that they all must’ve been at the boardwalk, indulging in their vices and feeding frenzy.

With your humanity still intact, your circadian rhythm was quite different from that of your vampiric compatriots, but you were still learning to be on their time — David, in particular. You began to fix your bed, untangling yourself from the snare of sheets. Faint noises echoed throughout the cavern, the only ambiance you had.

A brief clatter caused you to jump, goosebumps coalescing along your spine. You were more tense than usual, still feeling very disoriented and dazed from your onslaught of dreams. Sometimes, you hated them — hated that David tormented you in such a way.

Molten heat swirled within the pit of your stomach, resulting in a warm wave of arousal that pooled between your thighs. You pinched at the bridge of your nose, half-tempted to lay down and let your hand do all of the work in an attempt to chase some sort of release.

Before you could even consider it fully, a bout of alluring laughter resonated from the darkness above, an expanse of cavernous abyss untouched by light. The shadows were alive, stirring with a familiar presence as sanguine-orange hues observed you with a cruelty to them; a cruelty you knew.

“Poor thing,” David crooned, haughtily perched in the rocks above your nest, watching you with a visceral interest. You looked so pretty — all pent-up and disheveled, bearing his scent upon your supple flesh. It was how he liked you. “Bad dreams?”

You scoffed, attempting to feign disdain, but the veil was thin — you were flustered and hot, arms loosely folding within your lap. “How long have you been up there?” You asked, throat becoming thick. You knew that David must’ve gotten his fill of watching you thrash about, your mind swarming with him.

David’s dark, enticing chuckle resonated throughout the alcove. You could envision his smug, arrogant expression — a face you’d grown to love, unfortunately for you. “Long enough,” He mused, clicking his tongue. “Long enough to smell you.” His teasing tone only made you embarrassed.

“You’re insufferable, you know that?” You grumbled, but realization struck you — he was here with you, alone. He’d let the boys go out without their leader, unchaperoned and off the leash. That was extremely unusual for David, and it made you wonder.

“Is that why you keep coming back, kitten?” David mused, leaning forward until he broke through the shadows, glowering down at you with an incendiary expression. That playful mockery still remained, but the wave of desire festering inside of him began to overpower anything else.

You held your tongue, gazing up at him with a wistful sense of longing. Despite David’s crueler proclivities and cocksure attitude, you did love him — he was yours, after all. Those piercing, icy eyes of his raked over you, jaw tensing and unclenching.

“Please come down,” Desperation crept into your voice, shameless and unadulterated as you pressed your thighs together, attempting to fight away your arousal. Your fingers idly toyed with the hem of your shirt, hoping that he would comply with your request. “I—I need you.”

David smirked, a fire swirling within his eyes as he cocked his head to one side. “Is that so, sweetheart?” He hummed, slinking down from his perch as he stood in front of you, reaching out to grab your jaw with his gloved digits. He traced his thumb over your lower lip.

“Yes,” You squeaked, keening into his embrace. He looked so intimidating and imposing like this — dressed in dark colors, eclipsing all flickers of candlelight as his shadow fell over you. It enveloped you, kept you anchored. “David, please. I want you.”

“I know you do,” He uttered. “You belong to me.” His voice — it was enchanting, like a siren’s song, tempting you into deeper waters. David began to lean forward, inhaling your scent as he brazenly nipped at your jaw. “Wet from the thought of me, aren’t you?”

Your head bobbed up and down several times over in a fervent nod, feeling him come closer, mouth hovering above yours. Saliva coalesced within your mouth, lips practically clamoring for him, and he let you. You kissed him with a clear desperation, but his hunger was unmatched.

His hand grabbed at the nape of your neck, hard enough to bruise as he pulled you forward, all teeth and tongue, domineering as ever. David’s throat burst with a snarl, chest rumbling as he bit at your lower lip. The whimpering sound that emerged from you only poured fuel onto the fire, igniting lust and desire.

In a frenzy, you grabbed at his coat, hands pushing themselves against his chest. You were itching for a release, for some sliver of friction or attention. David started this mess — you wanted him to finish it.

The sound of his sneering laughter as he grinned into your mouth made you tense up, watching as he drew away just enough to see you. “My mess?” He clicked his tongue, teeth catching around his glove as he pried it off, hand immediately snaking toward the juncture between your legs, underneath your underwear.

As soon as those thick digits slid against your slick cunt, you knew that you were in for it. Your heart began to beat erratically, wrought with excitement as you let out a hapless moan. “David, I— Please!” Those simpering pleas of yours were met with an enticing grin as he dragged his teeth along your neck.

“This is your mess,” David corrected, shamelessly bullying his way into your thoughts. There was plenty for him to peruse through — your sheepish fantasies, memories, and embarrassment. He savored it all, licking his lips like a cat who’d caught the canary. “Why should I clean up after you?”

Humanity was a blessing — yours, at least.

David could’ve licked your sweet skin and tasted your excitement, delighted by the little hitch in your throat and the way you squirmed. There was something intoxicating about you, about your fragility and ability to be molded, to be manipulated — to become his.

Your lips parted, eyes wide and doe-like as you ground your hips into his fingers. He couldn’t help but laugh, pushing you down onto the mattress as he loomed above, thumb flicking your clit with a feather-light sensation. It was just enough to keep you wanting more of it, chasing after it.

“Please!” You didn’t care if it seemed pathetic — you only wanted him. “Please, David! I—I��ll do anything, I just need you!” His countenance was characteristically smug and bemused, cerulean hues dancing with a fervor that made you shudder with delight.

“You’ll do anything,” David parroted, gaze flickering toward the large, tarnished mirror that sat across from your bed. The only image present was you, splayed out for him — his mind began to churn with an idea. “I think you’ll like this.”

With inhuman strength, David plucked you up as if you weighed nothing, turning you around to face the mirror, keeping your back pinned against his chest. It was just your reflection — disheveled, pupils dilated with lust, shirt rucked up around your hips.

He squeezed your throat with one hand, the other languidly dancing across your cunt, digits toying with your clit. “David,” You whined, feeling him recoil, only to remove your panties altogether with a simple snap of his wrist, tearing the fabric asunder. “W—What are you doing?” You slurred, shivering when his teeth snagged your earlobe.

“Making sure that you see yourself, kitten.” David purred, biting down on the sensitive flesh of your ear, breath ghosting along the cartilage. “You look perfect like this,” His murmured, voice dropping to a husky octave as he finally began to sink his fingers into you. “I want you to watch.”

A wave of pressure assaulted your lower jaw as David turned your face towards the mirror, and you wanted to shy away from it all. It was awkward and unusual, but there was something wildly attractive about it at the same time. You could feel his thumb circle your clit, fingers seeking your entrance.

His stubbled jaw scraped across your silky flesh, causing you to shudder in excitement. Your stomach churned with a violent delight as he began to sink his digits into your cunt, savoring the way you clenched around him. The mirror was glaring, a few feet across from you — even with him touching you, you were in ecstasy.

“David,” You sighed, throat bobbing underneath his palm as he applied a barrage of pressure, fingers beginning to find a rather brutal rhythm. He pistoned them in and out of your tight cunt, thumb occasionally flicking over your clit for added pleasure. You rocked against him, his physique cold beneath his clothing, akin to a marble statue — hard and unyielding. “Feels so good.”

The soft lull of his dark laughter made you shiver, hips jolting and keening into the sensation of his fingers. He showered you in vigorous kisses, mouth roaming across the expanse of your neck and shoulder. David began to bite at your flesh, soothing it over with the chill of his tongue.

Your hand grasped at his forearm, using it as a crutch as he continued to finger-fuck you, pace having increased to something vigorous. The white-hot intensity only served to make your legs buckle, liquid heat oozing between your legs. A glistening sheen of your arousal coated your inner thighs, and it almost embarrassed you.

“Good girl,” David murmured, visage buried against the side of your neck, face nearly pressing into yours. You whimpered, cunt tight and hot around his fingers. You were a mess — his little human, his thrall. “Such a desperate little thing.”

He squeezed at your jaw, harshly angling your mouth toward his, lips colliding in a blaze of teeth and tongue. Those sharp fangs momentarily caught your lower lip, withdrawing a pearl of crimson. David eagerly lapped at your cruor with a lustful expression, eyes unnaturally bright.

Between the sensation of his digits pistoning in and out of your cunt and his tongue invading your maw, you very nearly collapsed. That familiar ringing of his laughter reverberated throughout your mind, causing you to moan into another heated kiss.

David’s hand wandered from your throat to your chest, pinching at one of your nipples. It was cruel, with enough force to make you writhe as he groped at the swell of your breast. He contorted you, bent you however and wherever he pleased. Your reflection in the mirror was one of complete and utter submission.

He began to curl his fingers, forcing his way inside of your cunt once more. Molten heat oozed around his digits, which he seemed eager to taste, once he’d had his fun with you. David playfully nipped at your jaw, palm kneading into your chest as he kept you pinned to his chest; nowhere to go.

A hapless, wanton moan escaped you, causing you to careen backward, snug against him. David growled, erection digging into the swell of your ass, itching to be inside of you. Fortunately, he had patience — you, on the other hand, not so much.

“You want the others to hear you?” David inquired, voice sharp and commanding, making you tremble beneath his grasp. Those glistening fangs of his tauntingly scraped across your flesh again, cerulean hues replaced with orange-red irises.

You immediately shook your head, wondering if the boys were back — you were too absorbed within your own satisfaction to notice. A pang of embarrassment washed through you, causing your flesh to become blistering hot.

David chuckled, pinching at your nipple again, which only served to make you yelp. “I think you do, kitten.” He purred, his tone alluring and husky, ghosting above the shell of your ear. “Should I ask Dwayne if he’d like to join?” You knew that he was somewhat serious.

“N—No! I just want you, David,” You mewled, gasping when his thumb rolled over your clit, having abandoned it for so long. “Please!” Admittedly, the thought of having one of them partake alongside David was tantalizing, but you felt too flustered to go through with it.

“You’re not a very good liar.” David chided, moving inwards for another kiss before he twisted you back in the direction of the mirror. He was hellbent on making you watch, grin akin to that of a ravenous wolf as he withdrew his digits from your cunt. “Open.”

His command was met with an instantaneous response as your lips parted, breath hitching within your throat as David moved to place his fingers upon your tongue. He made sure that you were watching, gaze hawkish and calculating as you sucked on his digits.

You could taste yourself, thighs quivering from your denied orgasm. David always built you up, only to rip it away at the very end, but he had other intentions. He pressed his digits toward the back of your throat, nearly laughing when you sputtered and gagged.

“Good,” He hummed, slipping one hand toward his pants to free his cock, grinding himself against you a time or two, allowing you to feel. “Keep watching, kitten. We’re almost there.” David growled, biting at your neck again with a blatant roughness.

The position remained the same, your back caged in against his chest as he guided himself toward your entrance, replacing his fingers with his cock. David was rarely gentle with you, preferring to unleash his desire and aggression — and you were beyond satisfied with that.

There was love and possessiveness interlaced in his ministrations, even if he didn’t fully realize it. David bullied his way in between your thighs, cock slipping into your tight cunt with a sudden amount of force. His hand returned to your throat as the other palm began grabbing at your thigh as he hitched it up.

Candlelight flickered throughout the alcove, dancing across your physique, basking you in an orange glow. The mirror glared back at you, allowing you to see what David had intended for the entirety of your time together.

His cock slipped in and out of your cunt with ease, rutting into you with a force that was nothing short of brutal and unyielding. David’s breath fanned across the crook of your neck, fangs continuing to linger there as he intermingled rough kisses and bites across your flesh. If blood emerged, he lapped it up like a starving animal.

“David,” You whined, locked within his vice-like grip. His leather-clad arms bracketed you against him, not allowing for much space whatsoever. Molten heat oozed freely from between your legs as you coated his cock in your arousal. “P—Please don’t stop!”

With a low, rumbling grunt, he shoved his hips forward once again, pushing his way into you. His cock was buried deep within your cunt, and David developed a rhythm of almost pulling out before fucking his way back into you. His fingertips prodded and kneaded all around your body, leaving bruises in tender places.

The glassy glare of the mirror only revealed your reflection — disheveled, reduced to a quivering, moaning mess as David had his way with you. Your eyes flickered toward the slate of glass, and the sight of you was messy, at best. David didn’t think so, but you did.

Your thoughts were practically screaming, aching for him in every way imaginable. David had difficulty keeping himself out, lips parting as he sucked another messy hickey into your neck. Your cunt clenched around his cock when he rolled your nipple between his thumb and forefinger, eliciting a chuckle from him.

A canvas — that’s what you’d become. Your flesh served as a supple expanse for David to mark and toy with, savoring the way you submitted to him so very easily. Your saccharine scent invaded his senses, coupled with the sting of sex and arousal.

“I want to kiss you,” You moaned, hoping that he would comply with your request. The way in which he fucked you now, all contorted and unable to see him, made you incredibly frustrated. David knew this, able to smell your mounting agitation. “Please.”

Under certain circumstances, David would’ve denied you and simply put you on all fours to prove a point, but some sliver of him wanted to see your face when he fucked you. Wordlessly, he pulled himself out, seconds apart as he pushed you down onto the bed, making sure you were on your back this time.

“I suppose you’ve earned it,” David hummed, his stare igniting with a newfound wave of lust as he surveyed your naked frame. He pushed his way in between your legs, crawling on top of you like a dark shadow. His cock prodded at your slick cunt, forcing its way back inside as he resumed his rough pace. “Go on, kitten.”

His voice was intoxicating — always spoken through the alluring roll of his tongue, emerging from between pearlescent teeth. David snickered when you clamored forward, hands tugging him down, mouth desperately latching onto his as you kissed him.

David snarled into your mouth, chest bubbling with a series of grunts as he fucked into you, rutting away at your tight cunt. He felt your knees squeeze at his clothed hips, fingers reaching for his platinum-blonde tresses. As soon as you pulled, his lips twitched into a smirk.

It was all teeth and tongue and unrequited want, with David pounding himself into you until he couldn’t go any further. His cock throbbed inside of you, eased by your slick as he bit at your lower lip.

One hand gripped at your thigh, hard enough to leave behind imprints as the other tangled around your throat yet again. The mirror showed a rather lascivious scene, of you being ravaged and fucked by some unforeseen force. To the untrained eye, it would’ve looked unnatural or downright terrifying.

“Getting close?” David uttered, watching as you nodded several times over. The pleasure from his fingers before had collided into the sensations you felt presently. His laughter was wolfish, accompanied by the faint curl of his lips as he pushed his hips forward.

“David!” You moaned, watching as he bent his head toward your chest, ravaging your collarbone in a series of rough kisses. Fangs nicked your supple flesh, visage buried beside your heart, beating just above your breast. With a brusque tug of his hair, you rolled your body into him, yearning for the friction.

Your vampiric paramour never relented, mouth tangling around one of your breasts as he bit at your nipple. A shrill whimper escaped you, hands clawing at his spiked tresses, clamoring for the nape of his neck. With another snap of his hips, your body became awash with pleasure.

An idle, satisfied hum escaped his lips, which continued to nibble and suck at your breasts. “That’s it,” David purred, a growl ripping through his throat as he fucked into you again. “Cum for me, kitten.” It wasn’t a statement — it was a command, one that you obeyed without effort.

It was supernatural, the power he exuded over you — and you were powerless to resist, slipping underneath the thrall of his spell. Your back arched into him, cunt clenching around his cock as you faded away into the white-hot abyss of your orgasm.

Carnal delight swirled through you, molten heat coalescing between your thighs as David rut into you, fucking you through it before he came inside of you. He didn’t need to breathe or compose himself — not like you did, trembling in the aftermath of your release.

David withdrew from you, watching as you sheepishly reached for your shirt. He stepped forward, cupping your jaw within his palm, able to feel the scorching heat of your flesh against his icy fingertips.

“Will you stay this time?” You murmured, keening into his embrace as his thumb traced across your lower lip. David often disappeared afterwards, whether it was to feed or do something else entirely. He occasionally sat in a velvet chair to placate you, but he was having a change of heart.

“Is that what you want?” David inquired, and once you nodded, he didn’t say anything else, wordlessly sitting on the edge of the mattress as you laid down. He wasn’t exactly the pillow-talk sort, but this would do — it was the closest he’d ever been.

You moved until he was within arm’s reach, feeling his leather-clad digits trace the curve of your jaw. Even if David’s callousness and cruelty was always predominant, you were fortunate to see him like this — somewhat docile and protective.

When David glanced toward the mirror, the only thing he saw was you — and that was how he wanted it to be. Just you and him, for all eternity.

[queerprayers]

do you have any tips for protestant christians who want to practice advent in a more ritualistic way?

Happy Advent, beloved! I love this question!

Hopefully this isn't too obvious but just in case: Advent wreaths were originally a Lutheran tradition and they're my favorite holiday ritual! I'm in the minority in that my church's Advent color is blue, but many people's are purple and pink. The Wikipedia page lists some different traditions—some people give a meaning to each candle. Generally people will have five and light one for each week of Advent and then one for Christmas. Advent is cut short this year (Advent 4 and Christmas Eve are the same day) but it's still never too late to start participating in a season! One day of mindful Advent is more precious than weeks of half-hearted Advent.

I have blue and gold candle holders, but many places sell Advent-specific candles and holders, or you can just get four or five candles (real or fake) from around the house and arrange them! I haven't gotten around to it yet this year but I like gathering evergreen branches from outside and arranging them in more of a proper wreath, but a fake wreath would work too, or just candles on a cloth or table.

I also saw this 20-minute Advent candle set, where you can light a candle each day and let it burn down while praying/meditating/writing. You could set a timer and do something similar with any type of candle. Candles are a staple of winter holidays for a reason—light and warmth, obviously, and there's something about having a natural source of those things existing in your house when so much of the rest of your life may be artificial. I thank God my house has heating, but I also seek out the ways this earth provides what we need, if we only know where to look.

Some form of counting down to Christmas is a main theme of Advent traditions, and I don't think this is a bad thing at all, although I do see my Advent wreath as more of a fulfillment than a countdown. I always encourage people to take at least a moment for just Advent. We could look at Lent as a countdown to Easter, but we might miss the journey. And after all, Holy Week and Easter is the culmination of our calendar, not Christmas. We are still in the beginning.

My family doesn't usually put up a Christmas tree until around the 23rd, and I don't listen to Christmas carols until Christmas Eve. I don't refuse to participate in secular/cultural Christmas events/traditions before then, but Christmas as religious practice is twelve days for us, starting the 25th. I have time to make room, to prepare. I'm listening to Advent music now, to ground myself in time. I don't say this because I think everyone should necessarily do this (by all means, find room for joy wherever you can), but because an Advent value that I find meaning in is patience. Christmas exists, joy exists, salvation exists—but what happens in the time before those things? What happens if we're not there yet, if we perhaps have to wait our whole lives? We do not know the future, but there are things we can see, and even more things we can trust in. How can we practice hoping for it all?

This year I'm reading Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas (the last gift my grandfather gave me), and it's marking my days in a similar way candles do—connecting me with the world, setting aside time, bringing me back to why I exist the way that I do. There are countless devotional/topical books out there—as well as Watch for the Light, I would recommend Preparing for Christmas by Richard Rohr and Accompanied by Angels: Poems of the Incarnation by Luci Shaw (which can double as a Lenten/Easter book as well). I'm also looking forward to reading in future years Celtic Advent by David Cole and WinterSong by Madeleine L'Engle & Luci Shaw.

If you don't usually attend worship services, Advent is a lovely time to start—it's the new year, after all! My city has a caroling night downtown, and you could look for similar events in your community. You could also start new worship traditions—my uncle hosts a Christmas carol singing circle every year, and his apartment is squished full of happy people, some Christian and some not, singing until the neighbors complain.

Speaking of the new year, that's what this is for many of us, and one way we can acknowledge that is by thinking about the past year and/or the year to come. What was last Advent like for you? Where are you now? Why are you seeking out more ritual this year? Are there future seasons in the church year that you want to further observe? What joy and grief and community do you see on the road ahead of you? What can you not even begin to imagine? Advent can be a beginning for all of it, if you let it. And Advent is the ultimate time to contemplate the past and the future—as we remember Jesus coming two thousand years ago, as we experience him every day, and as we look to a second coming that none of us understand but can occasionally stand to ponder.

There are the little things, too—writing Christmas cards is very ritualistic for me, as well as making gifts, and preparing for Christmas in a material way, especially if it's for others, can be a lovely ritual! Volunteering, preparing a home, creating, writing, taking a walk--anything, really, can be a ritual if we do it purposely. We don't always have to add something to our life—we can live something we already live in a new way.

And then there's the other kind of practice: emptying. We talk about this most when we encounter Lent, but I think there's a place for it here, too (and always). I don't mean abandon our responsibilities/hobbies/relationships, but most of us have too much. It is a blessing to have, but it can also be a blessing to let go. Many of us overwork ourselves during December, at work, at school, financially, socially, around the house. I've learned to look at busy-ness as a gift, but I also work to not fill up my life until there's no room for the season. There are people who fast during Advent, but there are other ways to make space in our lives to fill up with God, and Advent encourages us to spend time in that space. God is coming, a thief in the night, a late guest, an overlooked baby. Do you have room? Do you still have the attention span and energy? Will you even notice?

Christmas is many things to many people, and preparing for it is similarly diverse. I'm carrying a lot of grief with me this year, from both family and world tragedy. I know a lot of people who feel pressured to be happy during the holidays, and that breaks my heart—and it also makes me wonder how much having a ritualistic Advent since I was a kid has helped me avoid that. Happiness was never a value my family held—it was beautiful, but not inherently holy. Emotions come and go. Love exists infinitely, and patience and hope can be practiced and lived out regardless.

There are so many traditions, especially in the US, that leave people hungering for ritual and material practice—I've found a lot of physicality in Lutheranism, similar to my Catholic family, but I know there are those who have never really had that. When we seek ritual, it's often because there's something (or many things) in our practice either growing up or currently that we don't have and seek—whether that's the sensory experiences of incense and stained glass, the daily habits of rosary or novena, the liturgical practice of seasons and services, choral and hymn-singing, contemporary music, contemplation, academia, casualness, relatability, mystery, social justice, huge gatherings, tiny meetings, or any of the other Christian experiences that usually traditions don't or can't have all at once. When we seek ritual, we seek what we don't have, but often find what we already have as well. So many things are rituals that we take for granted because we've always had them or gotten used them. Seek new rituals, and seek what is already in your life that you can decide to do. Take your traditions, and find the traditions you didn't receive but hunger for, and make a life. You have time—Advent happens every year, and as far as we know and can hope, we will have many more Advents.

Ultimately, ritual is doing it all on purpose. It's finding rhythm. So much of our lives are accidental, and this can be beautiful and holy, but you have come seeking the things we invite. And yet even things that happen to us can become purposeful, as Mary teaches us: "Let it be with me according to your word." Whether she had a choice is sometimes discussed, but to me often the more relevant question is how she dealt with what came her way. Ritual is taking what we are given and doing it on purpose, and Advent gives us a long tradition, passed down through generations, of active waiting. We have no choice but to wait for the future, but today we will do it with our eyes open. Act as if the world is going to turn upside down—and you will notice it is, all the time.

In Watch for the Light, Henri Nouwen writes, "A waiting person is a patient person. The word patience means the willingness to stay where we are and live the situation out to the full in the belief that something hidden there will manifest itself to us. Impatient people are always expecting the real thing to happen somewhere else and therefore want to go elsewhere. The moment is empty. But patient people dare to stay where they are. Patient living means to live actively in the present and wait there. Waiting, then, is not passive. It involves nurturing the moment, as a mother nurtures the child that is growing in her."

Whatever rituals you invite in or find that you already have, however you nurture the moments that make up this season, I pray they make room in your heart for what God can bring. As Rilke tells us (in teaching how to approach art, but what else are the mysteries of this season?), "Everything is gestation and then bringing forth. To let each impression and each germ of a feeling come to completion wholly in itself, in the dark, in the inexpressible, the unconscious, beyond the reach of one's own intelligence, and await with deep humility and patience the birth-hour of a new clarity."

<3 Johanna

[ambientwitch]

Now imagine you are watching bbc sherlock anywhere from 2009 to 2017. The experience is the exact same complete with David Arnold (has anyone checked up on Michael Price) score and Mark Gatiss being a pervert. Gay jokes. Little girls calling British men faggots figuratively. Are you two a couple. He would never be anyone’s side piece or whatever the fuck. Mirrors. The skull. Sweaters. And so on. And then you get banished to the torture labyrinth. And then six years later Mark Gatiss is doing his community service and you get to watch it and Jon Hamm is there for some reason. And David Tennant has nonbinary swag. And they do EVERY and then Aziraphale gets sent to gay superheaven and you get to watch their faces side by side as you cackle and slap your knees. And it’s all thanks to tumblr users bullying Neil Gaiman and wearing him down day after day. A win for Amanda Palmer and a win for us all. Hey bitch do you really really really wanna go hard. We did it Joe

[youcalledmebabe]

tagged by @ww2yaoi for the favorite lines tag game! thank you for the tag this was fun!!

share a favourite line that you've read/written that impacted you. I’ll do both too!

“Articulacy of fingers, the language of the deaf and dumb, signing on the body body longing. Who taught you to write in blood on my back? Who taught you to use your hands as branding irons? You have scored your name into my shoulders, referenced me with your mark. The pads of your fingers have become printing blocks, you tap a message on to my skin, tap meaning into my body. Your morse code interferes with my heart beat. I had a steady heart before I met you, I relied upon it, it had seen active service and grown strong. Now you alter its pace with your own rhythm, you play upon me, drumming me taut.”

- Jeanette Winterson, Written on the Body

He can’t be dead. He can’t. And he’s not.

Joe imagines that Web sailed all the way to one of those tiny islands they’d dreaded being sent to before the war ended. That he’s laying on a beach trying to figure out what to do with a coconut, blue eyes bemused. Or maybe he finally found a suitably rustic fishing ship, complete with a wise old captain, and he’s taking a trip around the world with them, dropping golden nets into the water and catching sharks. What if he fell overboard and at last found Atlantis, where the sea-people welcomed him as a king, and he’s staying to write the story of a lifetime? Perhaps pirates captured him and Web has to use his wiles to escape, dark hair falling into his sky eyes like one of the guys on the cover of Naomi’s romance novels as he wields a sword.

Joe feels ridiculous, delusional, like one of his children, but Web always liked stories, would’ve wanted Joe to keep telling them. He hasn’t believed in anything in so long but he believes this: David Webster survives.

- me, did you sail across the sun?

tagging @blood-mocha-latte @pfctipper @bitch-butter @disastrouscanasta and anybody else!

[theculturedmarxist]

This interview was conducted with a public health employee of the Hawaii State Department of Health (HIDOH), as part of the WSWS Global Workers’ Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic. The worker chose to use the pseudonym Robert to protect their identity.

Evan Blake (EB): Thank you for participating in the Global Workers’ Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic, it’s a pleasure to interview you. Can you describe your background and training in public health before the pandemic?

Robert (R): My training in public health began more than 25 years ago, initially centered on women’s reproductive health. I earned a degree in Public Health. My focus soon broadened from just women’s health to everyone’s due to the ongoing HIV/AIDS crisis.

Throughout my career, I collaborated with various organizations, including academic institutions and community health centers, to develop programs targeting most of the populations in the Bay Area. These initiatives encompassed health education, addiction support, and promoting healthy relationships, as well as offering HIV/AIDS and HCV [hepatitis C]testing, counseling, contact tracing, case management and patient navigation services. When I moved to Hawaii, I continued doing health education and working with those experiencing developmental disabilities, aging and chronic illnesses.

EB: What were your initial experiences when the pandemic began in early 2020? How would you characterize the initial pandemic response of DOH [Department of Health] and state officials more generally in Hawaii?

R: I noticed in December 2019, when there was talk of unusual illness in China’s news and social media. Seeing how it was being handled there made me concerned. There seemed to be more effort in hiding it than in handling it.

I waited for our government to mention it, especially on a more local level. I really thought that since, historically, the Hawaiian Kingdom has had effective quarantine and mitigation practices, that the current leadership would follow suit. My thinking was that we don’t have rabies in Hawaii, so obviously we know how to keep viruses out.

By February, I started contacting the DOH to hire me to help out any way possible. This looked like something that could easily be squashed if they rounded up all the HIV experts and put them to work. In early March, I put my disabled clients on quarantine. I bought a bunch of fabric and a serger and my family and I made hundreds of masks. Airborne transmission has always been known.

On March 4, 2020, Hawaii’s Democratic Governor David Ige declared a state of emergency in response to COVID-19, granting the state greater flexibility in responding to the crisis. This is officially when the problems with disappearing COVID funds began. On March 26, Ige issued a stay-at-home order, closing nonessential businesses and implementing strict travel restrictions.

I participated in the statewide Lt. Governor’s COVID town halls. Stay-at-home orders in March and May helped keep the numbers low. I waited for the health department to do something and cranked out masks. Schools had gone online at this point. It went pretty well for us. My kid’s school was really proactive about making sure the kids had access to what or who they needed, including computers.

My partner was labeled an essential worker because he was in construction. His boss took full advantage of this allowance and I wrote several of our state’s representatives who seemed actively concerned about COVID, about what to do in this situation.

By the end of May 2020, Dr. Mark Mugiishi, the chief executive of HMSA, brokered a deal with the UH Manoa nursing school to provide students to be trained as contact tracers. They were supposed to have seven different cohorts, but they stopped at three or four. Most of the trainees were never hired to do any work in the DOH and a majority of the graduates got letters stating thanks, but no thanks. The DOH only ever brought on a couple hundred contact tracers. That was after they got in trouble for not having enough and refusing help.

All the tracers and investigators started out being hired by agencies other than the DOH. This meant that we had no rights, but we had the same responsibilities as any other employee would have. We didn’t get hazard pay, union, or PTO, couldn’t participate in any of the benefits or mental health support and other programs they regularly provided and encouraged all employees to participate in. Most of us worked from 7 a.m. to late in the evening most nights. Most tracers and investigators were not from the locally COVID-trained cohorts.

A majority of the COVID hires weren’t brought in until much later in 2020 or in 2021. More were needed and available and instead of hiring tracers or case management, a call center was contracted to bottleneck the high volume of calls and cases.

State officials are notoriously reactive to any problem, emergency-related or not. The officials in charge of HIDOH when the pandemic was officially recognized were ill-fitted for their positions. Their responses were lackluster at best, with Sarah Park (state epidemiologist, COVID response leader) coming in to the UH Manoa COVID trainings to tell us that contact tracing was ineffective, as well as other disease mitigation techniques that we were being trained on, like routine screening.

When the contact tracing program started at the DOH, the National Guard was tasked with training us and facilitating most of the COVID mitigation efforts. This was after they had only received one day of training themselves. I met not one of them who had any health background whatsoever.

It’s been a performative disaster from the very start. Our DOH and state leadership were instrumental in encouraging the spread of COVID-19. State officials were slow to respond and, when they did, it was never an appropriate response. Hawaii usually sees at least 30,000 visitors per day from all over the world. They did everything in their power to keep that going.

EB: You mentioned that DOH employees were split up into different groups, including groups working with prisoners, homeless people, sports personnel, the wealthy, etc. Can you describe this in more detail and the class divide in the pandemic response in Hawaii?

R: DOH employees as a whole are siloed and do not collaborate or even have the slightest clue what the others are doing ever. It was difficult trying to get resources or info from within when trying to access data or connect people with other services. It was deeply embarrassing to me sometimes how incompetent everyone was.

For the pandemic efforts, the entire venture was militarized and we were beholden to chain of command operations as civilians. We were not allowed to speak to our higher-ups. Many were discouraged from speaking to anyone.

The contact tracing and case investigation were separated into several different focus groups headed by epidemiologists. These epidemiologists already had a disease focus and their loads were not lightened. They were added to. Most of them are not in fact actual trained epidemiologists. They have fallen into the position often through nepotistic means and meet bare minimum educational requirements. They had a lot of weird toxic drama that affected program function overall.

For example, if your team’s epidemiologist didn’t get along with a different team’s epidemiologist and you needed a file or lab result or info about an individual in their category, they may delay the info or just never give it to you. It was the worst addition to an already extreme high-stress situation.

The main group management often fell to the inexperienced National Guard, who were under the epidemiologists. Each group’s numbers fluctuated and usually had about 7–15 people, half National Guard, half civilian. The focuses were separated into schools, food service, military, healthcare and LT facilities, travel/VIP, Pacific Islander, severe/death, correctional facilities and homeless.

We had to wait for the daily cases to be handed to the epidemiologists. They would post new cases as they were processed into the system usually via an external call center, who received the cases mostly via the department’s only fax machine.

HIDOH hired an external call center to handle what was called first contact calls. This was actually one of the biggest obstructions to actual contact tracing or any real handling of infected patients in a timely manner.

First contact call center got the first reporting of the case. The report would come in via fax (another massive problem). That person’s name and number would be taken down and someone from the call center or the National Guard would call and ask screening questions about their health and symptoms, often with not much health training. They had three days for the individual to answer before they stopped calling and threw it out.

By the time investigators or tracers got the case, it was often 5–10 days old. We never did real contact tracing in the department. Real contact tracing would involve calling the case immediately to help them trace and notify anyone who may have been exposed. It would also involve timely and actual distribution of resources, including testing, food and money. This is not what happened.

I saw hundreds of people who were overqualified for resources denied or provided the offered resources too late. Some tracers did what could be considered “guerrilla tracing” because they had their contact info passed around for those who needed help and couldn’t get through to the health department when they needed to, or they just needed resources or their results.

A majority of people who were infected did not receive a call from the DOH or any help. They also didn’t receive guidance on quarantine or health at all. Internally, there was never training or updating on variants, pathology or how to ask sensitive questions and talk to the general public. There was a lot of secrecy and internal guidance that wasn’t health-oriented or generally useful. It was often self-congratulatory and bloviated.

This all increased the class divide as those in the service industry couldn’t afford to heal or get better and many lost and are losing their jobs. Those who were able to sealed themselves away. Admin stayed in their offices and told no one to enter, and there was an increase in work-from-home jobs for those with privilege or education, like myself.

EB: Hawaii has the highest per capita number of active US military personnel of any US state and is the state’s largest income producer, yet tourism is often claimed to be the state’s dominant industry. What were the roles of the military and the tourism industry in relation to the pandemic?

R: The military has largely handled their own COVID cases, navigation, and often not sharing when they have clusters that directly impact civilians.

The tourism industry has a finger in everything. They have been extremely instrumental in helping COVID spread. Tourism interests are largely against the people of Hawaii, who are more often harmed than helped by their existence. Tourism and business degrees are what steers most of the boards of every institution in this state. You will find significantly more business degrees than Kanaka (Hawaiian person) representing leadership in the islands. Tourism is why most of those whose birthright is the islands are homeless or not in the islands.

Both industries had large roles in facilitating spread. They pushed to keep everything open and often refused to cooperate with the HIDOH in COVID mitigation efforts.

EB: How have the federal pandemic funds approved under Trump and Biden been dispersed within Hawaii? Can you describe any corruption or negligence that you’ve seen in this regard?

R: I can pretty much only describe corruption and negligence regarding the usage of funds. The HIDOH let over 30 million dollars’ worth of badly needed COVID tests go to waste and then spent over $60,000 to destroy them. The schools never saw much of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds put to use in the schools for mitigation efforts. Countless non-profits denied resources to the community. A robot dog was purchased to test homeless people for COVID, over $1 million were spent on Thanksgiving turkeys in Maui. Oahu’s police department got a bunch of new toys.

The HIDOH never upgraded their information transmission capabilities. They depended on two fax machines for the entirety of the COVID efforts, meaning that all data and case info was transmitted through these machines, slowing down any work or real efforts.

The machines ran over the weekend and whoever was on the following Monday had literal piles of data to enter into the system for reported cases, hospital data, etc. The whole venture has been performative negligence. The funding was better and more resources were distributed while Trump was president. Biden is an absolute disgrace, considering he campaigned on getting rid of COVID.

Most of the funds that could have been used to improve the community and help mitigate COVID were used irresponsibly and have been absorbed by the state. Governor Ige went out of his way to pass legislation that approved shady usage of funds and halt transparency. Governor Green is even worse. The COVID response was just a preview for how Green is handling the Lahaina fires.

EB: Schools reopened with less and less mitigation measures each year, causing repeated waves of mass viral transmission. Can you describe this process and the public health measures you advocated for them to implement? What was the response of various officials to your efforts? How are you seeing the impacts on children, including with Long COVID?

R: The 2020 school response was much better than the following years. Students were provided Chromebooks and instruction from their teachers. It wasn’t implemented in a way that made it easy for many instructors and families, but it was the safest option that was provided.

The following year, the district (the state has only 1) offered something completely different.

In-person instruction or a program for those staying home, that required the parent or caregiver to spend 4–6 hours per day implementing. With no live teachers or real support offered from the school or Department of Education (DOE). The schools who offered it didn’t even know what it was or how it functioned. They just referred parents to the program’s website or phone number if they needed any assistance.

Often parents who required more support or Special Education (SPED) services for their children were ignored, punished, had CPS called on them, or were harassed by some school’s staff and admin.

In many of the poorest areas, where much of our service industry workforce resides, the schools didn’t even offer an alternative to in-person classes. I’m in one of these areas and I removed my child from her school after they refused to provide any support or programming besides that awful program they were offering which forced the parent to provide instruction without support. I already had a job. They called CPS on me. They would send staff to my door every week to sign unnecessary paperwork. They did this for two years. Officials didn’t care. The School’s Superintendent and the super for my area was never even available and never returned calls. I called weekly. I was working on so many cases connected to our schools the whole time, it was no question about removing my kid.

None of the public schools had their air systems improved or HEPA filters added. Some were using hand sanitizer on children’s desks in between classes when they were supposed to sanitize them properly. There wasn’t any solid guidance provided to the schools. Every time I got through to a school nurse or principal about a case, they begged for info on what to do and how to handle mitigations with all the sickness.

Sickness in children and school staff wasn’t being reported accurately because contact tracers were instructed not to connect cases in the classroom with each other. This kept the cluster report low. Many teachers were punished for mentioning their own infections and they were not allowed to notify students’ parents either. This devastated our community, since it has one of the highest counts of multigenerational households in the nation.

Josh Green, who is now Hawaii’s governor, was the head of the COVID Task Force. His main messaging has only ever been regarding vaccines. He spent a significant amount of time pointing the finger at many of our Pasifika communities in regard to their vaccine hesitancy instead of working with them to mitigate COVID in other ways.

When the 2021–22 school year started, the district was ill-prepared and kids weren’t approved for vaccines yet. The school’s superintendent, Christina Kishimoto, was completely useless at getting any mitigations in the schools at all. She ignored the entire community, including so many teachers and parents who tried to keep or make the schools, or at least education, safe and accessible to all.

Senator Brian Schatz and others who had been previously notified about in-school spread and the actual numbers present instead of the falsely low reported ones, maintained the script that children needed to learn in-person. Even after in-person learning saw children being shoved together in cafeterias all day without proper instruction due to sick staff, those in charge maintained that the children needed to be in schools. This was supposedly for their mental health and education, which had never been prioritized previously.

Hawaii has had a major deficit in adequate and accessible education, as well as mental health care providers and services, for a very long time. Additionally, we don’t have school nurses in each school like many contiguous states offer. Many of our schools share a nurse and may not have an area for children to be sick or wait for someone to get them from school.

In-school cases often fell to vice principals and other staff. By the 2022–23 school year, schools had removed any guidance that was useful. They never upgraded or improved the air systems. Many of our schools have had problems with lack of proper air conditioning for a long time before the pandemic. The pandemic just made it worse.

There was a program created at the start of the 2022–23 school year to make the DOH, DOE and CDCF work together to improve the conditions in the schools. The HIDOE refused to meet or participate in any improvements to their school’s systems, provide resources such as testing, PPE or pandemic guidance.

Our state leadership has met with many COVID experts, DOH employees and medical staff who have told them what is happening in their districts, classrooms, hospitals and the community throughout the official pandemic and even now. They all have given lip-service and often have reacted appropriately in those meetings but nothing ever comes of it.

At first, children were just getting cold-like symptoms like everyone else. Those who had existing health issues usually suffered more. Not many children’s cases were followed past the initial call. Over time, Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) became a focus as the children’s symptoms didn’t always go away.

Since Omicron emerged in November 2021, kids have had an increase in seizures and a lot of problems with focus and memory. My child has had several friends die from COVID. Long COVID in kids is terrifying, and the impact is already noticeable. Mine just stated that what everyone needs to know is that it’s harder for kids to learn now. She notices so much brain damage in her peers already. Before she got COVID, it was easier for her to process information. Things take much longer now.

To be honest, I’ve rarely seen an actual full recovery. People move benchmarks and brain damage is extremely hard to self-identify. COVID is long and lasting. Nearly every infection shows damage whether it’s noticed or not. For those who don’t have immediate consequences, it’s playing the long game.

EB: How else are you seeing the ongoing impacts of the pandemic associated with COVID-19 infection, including Long COVID?

R: I noticed very early on that regardless of how mild the cases were, there were often residual issues with the person’s ability to handle and process information. The one symptom that should be tracked more than temperature is cognitive ability—confusion, disorientation, odd and unusual thoughts and behaviors. The ongoing impact of any COVID infection is a significant amount of unchecked and untracked brain damage. It’s very difficult to self-diagnose and most of our medical providers are still unaware of COVID and how it presents.

Getting infected with COVID can reduce the immune system���s ability to function. Each reinfection can reduce immune function even more, inviting opportunistic infections to eventually kill us. This is how HIV functions, but at least there is treatment for that. There’s no treatment for Long COVID and there’s even less treatment or care for those under 12 years old. The impact I see right now is immense. Children and young adults are exhibiting Alzheimer’s and dementia-like symptoms, and there are huge increases of cancer, diabetes and heart problems at the population level.

EB: What have been your experiences advocating for Long COVID patients, and what are some of your greatest concerns with the “mass disabling event” of Long COVID associated with the pandemic? What do doctors know or not know, and what do you think needs to be done to address this?

R: While documenting cases in 2020, some had symptoms that just wouldn’t resolve. A few threatened to commit suicide and were in constant and severe pain. Many of their doctors didn’t believe them. I would contact their doctors and explain what Long COVID was. I would send them studies if they requested and would tell them what labs or referrals to order for their patients.

Many doctors were receptive at first. Some would gaslight the patients, saying that they were experiencing anxiety and not their actual ongoing COVID symptoms. I made an extra effort to contact those ones because they were making the patients worse and confused. I spent hundreds of hours on social media spaces giving talks about COVID, Long COVID and what I was seeing. Other Long COVID sufferers and advocates would join.

None of this data was being collected or distributed by our DOH, regardless of how the variants mutated or the community was being impacted. Any attempts to send information up the chain of command to the top were ignored and sometimes punished.

Over time, the doctors I was working with were getting Long COVID themselves. It led to a significant reduction in care for their patients. Some would brush the issue off because they had it and they were working, which they thought meant they were fine.

Doctors need to have proper information and guidance. Without it, many people are being told COVID isn’t really a problem. They trust their doctors to know about COVID. Their doctors are unknowingly feeding them to the fire. Vaccines are only one layer of a many-layered solution, and at this point vaccines aren’t very effective at preventing infection as the virus continues to rapidly mutate and new variants continue to evolve.

In terms of public health as a whole, the CDC is looked at as the main guidance for all these institutions. They need to be putting out clear messaging about COVID being airborne, the fact that an infection commonly lasts anywhere from 14–20 days, each reinfection can reduce immune function, and COVID is a vascular disaster that can wreck any and all organs of the body. These are things that scientists have known since 2020. There is absolutely no reason Drs. Rochelle Walensky and Anthony Fauci didn’t know the correct protocols for handling this pandemic. They both have HIV backgrounds.

My greatest concern about this mass disabling event is that I live in Hawaii. Disabled people were hidden, ignored and underserved here before the pandemic. It was nearly impossible to find mental and behavioral health services and they were often insufficient at best.

When everyone keeps getting reinfected, they will not be able to function. There’s low availability for services now and it’s already getting pretty noticeable. My friends working in the hospital are reporting incredibly low staff numbers and extreme burnout. We only had nine ambulances in circulation a couple weeks ago due to callouts.

Suicides, mental hospital stays and inability to function are becoming increasingly common and we’re just getting started. Since the pandemic began, there’s been an increase in car and plane accidents, heart attacks, diabetes, cancers, previously rare disorders and sudden deaths. Currently, COVID is listed as the third leading cause for death in the US, but if data were properly collected, COVID would be number one.

I took someone to the doctor for a head wound to be stitched and the doctor didn’t even mention concussion protocol. He said strange things that hadn’t been relevant regarding COVID since 2021. He behaved odd and childlike.

This mass disabling event is largely invisible. Many cannot self-diagnose the brain damage that a significant percentage of infections cause to some degree. It changes moods, thoughts, function, and can make people confused or angry.

My biggest concern is that with mass infection and reinfection, everyone is getting their brains melted. Who will take care of anyone when no one is left healthy and functional? Who will grow our food, participate in society, or even be able to get out of bed after we’ve all had multiple infections? Who will be left?

EB: Those are critical points, and concerns that should be more widely shared. The propaganda of the corporate media and political establishment has had a real impact, and prevented masses of people from understanding the dangers of COVID-19 and Long COVID.

Changing topics somewhat, when we spoke before you said that “Lahaina is an active crime scene, just like the COVID situation here is also an active crime scene.” Can you elaborate more on this and the criminal negligence that you believe caused this catastrophic fire? What other connections do you see between this fire and the COVID-19 pandemic?

R: Just the fact that there’s such a focus from those in charge on reopening and getting back to work tells me everything I need to know. The community just experienced a life-altering trauma and instead of really taking care of them and helping them get situated and time and resources to heal, it’s full-steam ahead. Open up, get back to work, go to school. Don’t worry about how you’re going to pay that mortgage on the burn pile where you used to live.

Just like with the COVID pandemic, the Emergency Management Agency lead didn’t have experience. They didn’t sound any alarm, and clearly weren’t well versed on emergency response protocols, otherwise they would have correctly used the emergency alarm system. Instead, Herman Andaya reasoned with everyone about why he didn’t think they were necessary.

For COVID, Josh Green facilitated thousands of tourists freely and consistently infecting our community with almost no guidance other than to get vaccinated. He gaslit us for years from his whiteboard and scrubs. He got even worse after he got COVID. The brain damage is real.

Why didn’t Maui sound the emergency system that is used for emergencies including wildfires? Why didn’t HIDOH enact their public health police powers to protect the community from COVID? Why do they both consistently report false numbers? Why do they both tell the community about resources that exist, but in reality are not actually available? Why is the community being forced to bear the brunt of the outcome of both disasters alone? Why does our leadership refuse to work with the community to solve either issue?

I know how greedy and careless this government is first-hand. Especially when local people are involved. Both disasters have resulted in very high losses to our Filipino and Pasifika communities.

How are we the only state without a fire marshal? Why is there never anyone held accountable? How do all these incredibly incompetent folks keep getting replaced by more incompetence? Nepotism. It has led to incredible incompetence and I have to assume it’s why there’s no accountability or oversight anywhere or for anything.

EB: Since the beginning of the pandemic, the WSWS has advocated for the full deployment of all available public health measures to eliminate SARS-CoV-2 throughout the world. Multiple countries proved that such a Zero-COVID strategy was possible, and we now know even more about viral transmission.

We have stressed that the fundamental reason this global elimination strategy has not been implemented is due to the division of the world into rival nation-states and the refusal of the capitalist ruling elites to accept any impingement on their ability to exploit workers and generate profits. What are your thoughts on this, and do you agree that we need to fight for a global elimination strategy?

R: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has exposed the challenges associated with the division of the world into nation-states, each pursuing its own approach to pandemic management. It’s been an absolute disaster.

When the virus first hit and people began seeing consequences and acting accordingly, I thought we had a chance at stopping the virus. Then the countries with more behaved greedily. They hoarded and wasted resources in the face of the countries who couldn’t get access to resources from the global market.

We are all in this together and no one is getting off this rock alive. Working together is the only way to get rid of this virus and all the others that have been popping up in the past few years.

Unfortunately, such an approach seeks to prioritize the well-being of individuals and communities over economic interests as Cuba has done. They developed their own COVID-19 vaccines. They consistently have the lowest reported COVID cases and deaths globally. Often close to zero. Their vaccines work much better than ours have been.

This reflects true commitment to public health and an ability to leverage existing medical and scientific infrastructure to respond to the pandemic independently.

EB: Thank you for this invaluable interview and contribution to the Global Workers’ Inquest.

R: Thank you.

[davidmariottecomics]

Ask Me (Almost) Anything 2023, Part 2!

Hey all! Welcome back! 

Two weeks ago, I solicited a bunch of questions for an ask me (almost) anything feature on the blog and folks really delivered! I had so many questions that I had to break it up over two weeks! You can read the first half here and let's get into the second! 

@ultimanggo asks: "Hallu David! Ty for the opportunity! Say that there are artists who are fresh grad artists or first timers seeking to apply in IDW as a comic artist, do you look into their works or pitches and consider of hiring them?"

Sure! I have worked with folks who were still doing their undergrad and making comics in their spare time. A lot of comics places are not terribly particular about formal education. They are more concerned with execution--can the artist tell the story clearly and to the standards set by editorial, including meeting deadlines, making requested revisions, not deviating from model, etc. I, and other editors, also sometimes work with colleges to do events and do portfolio reviews for students and recent graduates, and sometimes people get work from that. 

I am often very happy to work with new talent. I like seeing people at the start of their careers and watching them grow and being a part of that. 

@lurkingsupport asks: "Thank you for the opportunity! For someone's first indie comic, what's the best strategy for publishing? Should an artist consider keeping the comic online at first?"

The best strategy for publishing is going to depend heavily on your comic and there isn't a clean one-size-fits-all answer, I'm afraid. If it's a 4 page pastiche of another popular comic, yeah, you're probably fine having it mostly exist digitally. Or printing it as like a little zine that you can take around. If it's a standard 20-24 page one-shot, or series of 20-24 page issues, maybe look into getting it printed. I've heard good things about both RA Comics Direct and Comix Well Spring for indie comics, particularly if you're looking for a smaller print run. All the comics I've made have either gone through larger printers we work with at IDW or are things that I've printed at home (we have a nice printer for stuff my fiance Becca makes), so I can't speak to their services firsthand, but I've heard good things. The biggest factor is ultimately what do you want out of publishing? If it's supposed to be a portfolio piece that you'd want to give out at conventions, or you're interested in having a comic to table events with, I'd say get it printed! If you just want to have a comic done and out in the world, maybe it is better for it to just exist digitally and save the expense of printing for down the line. 

There are other variations--this is not getting into the differences between posting a comic on socials vs. posting it on a subscription site vs. posting it on a webcomic service vs. hosting your website for it or seeking a publisher vs. self-publishing or looking into crowdfunding. And a lot of that comes down to the quality of the work, your comfort with exploring these avenues, your time and finances, and what your starting support base looks like. 

@CalamityCons asks: "How does an editor usually keep track of things like timelines and character rules? Do you have a spreadsheet? I would make a spreadsheet." It only just clicked for me that you're probably asking about "timelines" in a continuity sense, more than a deadlines sense. But I'm going to answer for both! 

In the deadlines sense, I have a whole suite of programs that I'm using to keep track of things. I do use spreadsheets. I have multiple business software sites that I use--from project tracking sites to file transfer sites to internal product databases to external product databases to collaborative sites for art and reference sharing. I mark stuff on my digital calendar and keep track of my daily projects in a notebook (see next question). I have licensor submission sites that help keep track of things. I work with a team of very talented people who help build and watch schedules and readjust when needed. All sorts of stuff! 

In the continuity sense, it varies by editor and property. I tend to work more with documents and decks. So, sometimes I'll be adding new rules to a Google Doc that I share with anyone else working the property including other editors, proofreaders, sometimes talent, etc. Or I'll be reviewing a PDF or Powerpoint from a licensor outlining certain guidelines for us to adhere by. A lot of it is repetition and practice and learning as you go. When I was working on Transformers, I always kinda had a loose timeline written down in a doc for how stories fit together and what happened when, but it was also loose enough that we could make adjustments if a new story needed it. 

@rileysauruss asks: "How do you keep track of everything in that one notebook that seems to have no system? (respectfully) What’s it like working with me? Do you like doing balloon guides?"

The notebook has a system. It's organized chronologically. Every day, I go in, write down my to-do list for the day and as I accomplish things, I cross them out. Generally it's high level information, but I will drill down into something if I know I have multiple tasks to do with it. If I have a meeting that day, my meeting notes go under the day's to-do list. Most things are kept track of by the daily to-do. It's easy to track "finish this issue because it isn't printed yet and it was on the list yesterday." New items are added as I go, so they get incorporated too. Bigger notes that don't fit the "to-do" style--say licensor update type stuff--often has some level of follow-up sent via email or is otherwise added to one of our other tracking mechanisms so it isn't lost in the shuffle. And sure, sometimes I'll be like... figuring out page turns on a Best of and making sure it all works or whatever and will want to eventually go back to that, but then I just sorta flip through and look for it because I usually give those things their own page rather than squeezing them between the daily stuff. 

Pretty great. I like working with you, Riley. You remember stuff because you don't just write it like a mad man in a chaos notebook. You give good feedback. You tell good jokes. It's a really great experience and other people are also lucky to work with you. 

Yeah, actually, kinda? I am very glad that I don't have to do them all the time because they can be kind of a timesuck, but I do like having the extra chance to go through the script and look for typos and adjustments as I'm reviewing the art and I like thinking about balloon placement. It can be almost relaxing. But don't think this means you're getting out of balloon guides. 

@GigiDutreix asks: "Can Luna be a comic?" 

Ask Riley. Luna's her cat. I would say yes, but in this case, it is Riley's decision. 

(This weirdly is a very basic example of how licensing works. Swap "Luna" for "Sonic" and "Riley" for "SEGA".) 

@KWalthersArt asks: "How does one go about working for companies like IDW and what difficulties that might entail especially for people with chronic health issues and/or introverted and anxious?"

Let me begin by saying comic companies employ people in two ways. You have people like me who are staff and you have freelancers who work on contract for certain projects. The necessary requirements of each are pretty different and so the difficulties can be very different too. 

As a staff person, comic companies are ultimately creative office jobs. You start by applying when there's a job posting and take it from there. Most companies have at least one in-person office still and may ask you to regularly show up. Some have gotten a lot better about working remotely over the last couple of years, which I know is a boon to a lot of folks who do have chronic health issues. It is also a job where, besides if there is an in person expectation, a lot of business can be conducted via email. There are often calls--both on the phone and on Zoom and other video calling platforms, but I usually have at least a day a week where I am allowed to work from home and the only people I speak to are my fiance and my cats. Again, that is not necessarily uniform, but sometimes a possibility.

And, like many office jobs, there are also other major drawbacks to all of that. I know a little about how office jobs can be very unfriendly to people on disability and to disabled folks who may not be on disability specifically because of the limitations the American disability program forces upon them. 

From a freelance perspective, a lot of getting work early on is some level of networking, which is tougher when you're introverted or anxious (though TBH, I think a lot of comics people are, which sometimes makes it easier). The whole of the con circuit is different now in many ways, but like... I don't think "bar con" is as much of a thing, which is probably a relief to a lot of folks. I don't drink very much either and do a lot of my social time at shows with people I know, so that pressure is very different. But when it comes to doing the work, I think you just have to be as upfront as you are comfortable with. Like, you don't have to explain everything, but know your limitations and be willing to take on work that matches. Comics often moves quickly and has hard deadlines and needs you to make them, so figure out what is reasonable within your life and schedule and keep to it so that you don't burn out or make yourself sick.  

@Rechi_C asks: "Very important question, do your cats like to read the comics you work on or do they prefer to sleep on them?" My cats can't read. They too dumb. Real cute though. Honestly, more or less sleep? Credit where it is due, they largely leave my comics and books alone. They don't claw at them or chew them or lay on them very much. Sometimes they'll sit on a few, but fairly space-dependent. They are however monsters in basically every other way. 

@RikDraws asks: "Where did you bury the diamonds?"  This is not the real Rik Mack, this is obviously Rouge the Bat posing as Rik and you're never going to find out! 

@spacecolonie asks: "I'd love to hear your thoughts on specific things an editor may look for for when hiring cover artists! any big green flags in portfolios, ways of networking etc. thank you so much for the opportunity to ask! 😄♥"  Yay! It's fun to talk green flags and things I like! 

This may sound a little strange, but I don't look for cover artists very often. A lot of the artists I work with--not all, but a lot of the artists I work with on covers--also are interested in sequentials. I think that practicing staging moments in panels and taking the time to consider what information is key to communicate what you want in a smaller space, as well as how that moment connects to the next in a flow of action, often strengthens people's cover compositions.

Like think about a movie. When you're watching it, all the film is running at a pace that creates consistent moving images and carries you through the story. But if you were to break it into the film strip (or the storyboards), you'll see only key frames are really needed to convey the information when it is still. And one of those key frames might be stronger than the rest and make for a compelling single image. That's kinda what making a cover often is--figuring out what your one compelling image is from all the images that could create the story and that may encompass a story unto itself as a microcosm. And being able to sort through those with a stronger eye makes your work better. 

Rarely are the covers to books I work on character portraits. There are some amazing cover artists who do primarily do portraits, but I often gravitate toward covers with strong action, backgrounds, and/or contrast. Solicits went live this week and we announced a new Godzilla book with some killer covers! And while only one of them is mid-battle, all of them convey really strong action and story, right? Even if they are non-literal to the story inside (which I also kinda like for covers a lot of the time and find compelling), they convey a sense of what the book is about from first glance. And, of course, being able to draw licensed characters on-model while still maintaining your unique style is really important, too!

I'll also say, huge green flag in portfolios: knowing what you want to do and who you are presenting your portfolio to! This is probably the thing I harp on the most, but there are a lot of jobs in comics. Some people feel really comfortable doing a lot of them, some people feel comfortable with just one or two. Don't try to force yourself to do/present things you don't feel comfortable doing professionally. Obviously, feel free to work on things and grow your skills, but a portfolio should be the best representation of who you are as an artist at that moment. The other part of that, knowing who you're presenting to, is not to say you should always (or will always be able to) tailor your portfolio to the hiring person you're showing it to, but it is to say it helps to know who you are showing it to and to have a reason to have them review it. Like... I love superhero comics! No doubt! But I don't edit a lot of superhero comics, so I'm not always the best at providing feedback to superhero heavy portfolios, nor do I necessarily have a lot of openings that fit with the work I'm being presented. And someone who edits horror comics primarily might not have a lot of good feedback for a Disney heavy portfolio. Or a person who excels in character design like for animation might not always work with a comics person because we don't hire a lot of folks just for character design, and most of the ones we do are people who are already in our wheelhouse. 

Finally, networking green flags! Honestly, the big ones there are just being like... a cool person. Pleasant professional interactions go a long way. In this day and age, it's really easy to build a parasocial relationship with someone via social media or whatever and remembering when you're communicating with someone that for as fun as comics are, it is a job is really important. Business cards are good. Respect people's time and learn to recognize when the interaction is over. And if someone says something along the lines of now is not the time to shoot your shot, respect that and wait. 

@DaveScheidt asks: "What was the most unconventional way you have found an artist/writer to work with?" Unconventional? Uhh... I brought a stack of comics to a zine making night for the feminist group I interned for in college and a person really lit up when they saw them and was like "who brought the comics" and then we flirted and went on a date later that week and now we're engaged and also make comics together sometimes, so I guess falling in love. (Hi Becca!)

@tintinpantoja asks: "What's the best way to learn story structure for graphic novels? Do you rely on a certain system, similar to screenwriting?" I find the best way to learn most things about comics storytelling is reading other comics and experimentation. I don't know that every graphic novel has to follow your traditional three or five act structure. And I find a lot of ones I love actively defy it! Not to be a total cop-out, but I think that the structure is highly dependent on the outline. Answers to questions like to what extent is each "chapter" (regardless of whether your book is formally separated in to chapters or not) it's own smaller narrative or what is the intended narrative density of each spread are going to really change things. 

Story structure for a periodical is different, right? Like... you want every 20-ish pages to end in a cliffhanger or some sort of resolution (even if it remains somewhat open-ended). You want your story structure to work across however many issues you're telling the story in, while leaving each hunk as satisfying. But with a GN, sometimes the rhythm of those peaks is going to be different. 

All of which is to say, I think it's something beyond just winging it, but I find it so unique to the work that I don't personally have a systemic version of what I'm looking for/writing to. 

@AndrewCramer78 asks: "How does one get more editors eyes on a colourist portfolio if one is unable to attend US based conventions? Are there preferred online platforms that editors browse for new/undiscovered talent? Thanks!!"

That's a good one! I tend to browse Twitter the most, TBH. The real advantage to Twitter over everything else still at this point is the sharing ability. I'm now on Instagram and some of the other sites, and I check in, but I find the discoverability can really wildly vary there and when it comes to coloring (and lettering) other sites tend to drown out their portfolios. I am curious about Cara and InkBlot, but they are not yet regular haunts for me. 

My other recommendations are collaborate with folks, of course, and have people who can advocate for you to color their work. Check to see if publishers have submission pages or emails because if they do, they do check those, though they might not always be able to quickly reply or be able to use you at that time. Depending on where you are set up, look for bigger international shows you can attend because those do often bring in US based editors. My last big recommendation is getting an agent/manager. I get emails daily or weekly from agents who want to put their people forward for projects and, yeah, have hired folks from those. 

@genderdestroyer asks: "What are the best parts about your job as an Editor? What kind of challenges do you come across in that position, especially with overseeing more than one IP/series? I’d also love to know more about your editorial process and how you work with the artists on these comics! ✍🏻✨" Not to sound too sappy, but I like seeing people succeed. It's really satisfying knowing that like, Riley has become such a strong editor in her own right. Or seeing folks who I gave their first jobs pop up on other books/sometimes be too busy to do stuff for me. I also like getting to reach out to people whose work I admire and get to collaborate with them in my way. Also, I dunno. I like getting to talk to people about comics--including sometimes doing stuff like this. I like helping people figure out what ideas will work best--both on a creator side and a licensor/company side. And sometimes my job pays for stuff. That's nice. 

To the point of collaborating, my editorial style is, I think, guiding more than defining most of the time. I want to hand my artists the reference they need--scripts, other art, whatever--and give them the space to infuse themselves into a project and sort of pull on the reins when needed, give notes when needed, but let them figure it out because that makes a lot of great work. And then in-between that, I play middleman with licensors and approvals type people and work with them and the artist to make sure everyone's expectations and needs are being met. I put a lot of faith into the people I work with and am often rewarded by that. 

In terms of challenges, there are more than a few. Because things are happening so quickly, often the things that are prioritized are the most urgent/the most behind and sometimes having to make the call to fix that means the next thing is going to have less time and that will continue to happen. A huge reason why you see consistent creators--or a consistent pool of creators--on a book is because like I said earlier, I put a lot of faith into the people I work with, and sometimes that is a matter of necessity. I need people I know I can leave be and who will meet the expectation so I can fix the things that need it--especially because not every book gets the same amount of time. Scheduling is always tough too, and tougher when you're working with people who do crossover from one series to another. And problems always seem to come in sets, so if something is going wrong on one property's book, you can almost be assured something's going to go wrong on another. It is a stressful job and I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't love the parts of it that I do absolutely love. 

@Astramyths asks: "Would absolutely love to know what you might look for in cover/concept artists outside of a person's portfolio? Like through their social media, etc. Do you mind if artists have side accounts for fandom stuff? Since I already saw a lot of questions Abt portfolios proper :)"

This is really interesting. Because I do find a lot of artists on social, yes, I do often check people's socials. It often is kind of a vibe check, for lack of a better term. I want my interactions to be pleasant ones and professional ones for both our sake, and sometimes you can tell you would not work well with a person for one reason. I'm not like... searching for a gotcha reason not to work with someone or only interested in working with people with certain follower counts or whatever, but when I do look, I am often interested in whether I think we'll be a good collaborative fit. 

I don't mind fandom side accounts or (as long as the artist in question is an adult and is depicting adults) NSFW side accounts or whatever. I think it's nice to be engaged with the community in different ways. However, to that end, it can be complicated to interact with a fandom once you've worked on it professionally, or it can be complicated to just be in a fandom because communities are complicated, and so that can also sometimes be part of the vibe check too. 

@JustOwenE asks: "Hi, if someone is ever thinking of writing but has had no prior experience, what is the best approach; would you just go at it & hope for the best?"

Kind of? To the earlier question about story structure, I think it's worth it to read other works and get a feel for how they are written. I think outlining can be really helpful to develop a narrative skeleton for yourself to follow. And there are a TONNNNNN of good books about writing because--and I say this as a writer as well as an editor--if there's one thing writers like more than actually writing, it's writing about writing. But, yeah, at some point, it's good to just go for it and hope for the best. Start small and build. Not every work needs to be published or widely read and you can harness your craft slowly and build toward bigger projects. But really, yeah, the only way to start is to do it and to do it for yourself, get a feel of how you write, and then keep really doing it for yourself, but being willing to share it and see if it resonates with other people more and more. 

What I enjoyed this week: Blank Check (Podcast), Honkai Impact (Video game), Mass Effect (Video game), Rise of the TMNT (Cartoon), Craig of the Creek (Cartoon), Devil House by John Darnielle (Book), Trainspotting (Movie), Genshin Impact (Video game), Nadja's birthday, finishing this AMA! 

New Releases this week (4/19/2023): Sonic the Hedgehog #59 (Editor)

New Releases next week (4/26/2023): Off week! 

Announcements:

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY! Reminder that Becca and I are going to be at Geoffrey's Comics (4068 Redondo Beach Blvd, Torrance, CA) for Free Comic Book Day this year. As always, it's the first Saturday in May (the 6th). I'll have whatever stock I have left of all my comics after all our other recent shows, so still a pretty decent amount of TF/Terminator, some Hanazuki singles, and some Wreckers, plus a selection of titles I've edited like Sonic, Godzilla, and more! 

Fangaea! I will be there as Becca's booth babe next Saturday, 4/29! Which also means next week's blog might be Sunday or we might be very short the next couple of weeks! This also means Becca's only doing Wednesday streams on Twitch the next two weeks, but you should definitely subscribe! They just hit their 50 follower goal and are on their way to affiliate, which is cool! Also they have a lot of rad art streams and game streams and stuff! 

I was on this week's episode of The Comic Chronicle Podcast! Talking comics, conventions, good advice from Paul Levitz, and more! Give it a listen if you haven't somehow gotten enough of me talking about comics after this! 

Pic of the Week: Podcast promo and another good Nadja pic for her birthday! 

[e-adlirez]

Heyyo! Soo thanks to your thea sisters posts, I decided to try reading them again :D! I manage to read two of the treasure seekers series on the internet archive (because im poor lol :'))and is really good as you said and I also have fun reading the comics again despite the changes. I read some of the new ones from the mains series as well and so I wonder, from the newer ones, which one do you think is the best? ( for me is the venice masquerade. I end up liking it waaay more than I thought)

Hiiii, nice to see you got into the series again haha :D glad to be doing my service as a fan of this underrated series

Glad to know that Treasure Seekers lived up to your expectations! When I read it, it was such a wave of nostalgia for the action and thrill of the older books. Nice to see you're able to enjoy the comics despite the changes, too! If I remember correctly, the only reason I completed my comic collection of the series was for the novelty and the knowledge that I will forever be irritated by the possibility of missing a book that isn't available, I never got over the downgrade in narrative and visual quality haha :'D

Now for the main series books. Well, I would say that the books up until Venice Masquerade were bangers with a few meh outliers like uh Frozen Fiasco (sorry bestie you were basically a Professor Layton-Thea Stilton crossover without the good storytelling to carry). The books after that are kinda eeehhhhhh.... while Roman Holiday and Fiesta in Mexico were bangers, everything else after Venice Masquerade are kinda meh. Good for fluff and light shenanigans I guess, but meh in A plot, that is the mystery. Venice Masquerade is really cool, as a fan of Now You See Me the book tickled me in one of the best ways out there-- it's like watching the movie but in the perspective of Mark Ruffalo the entire time except progress is being made :D What would the Polizia di Stato do without the girls' braincells? Nothing but blunder the crap outa catching the mask thief like David Warshofsky, that's what. (Tho uh I'm smelling a hint of Scholastic's editing in the scene where Marco and Nicky trash up the magician's glider. Seriously Marco, mi caro, a magician never telegraphs their magic tricks vocally, and in the span of time you're whispering to Nicky about trashing up the glider, the magician would've already snapped out of it and wiped away all that soggy sweaty bits of confetti you picked from the floor with your sweaty-ass palms--)

I would say that Venice Masquerade is the best of the newer series, but Roman Holiday is also good in terms of shaking things up with the usual formula. Please for the love of everything holy do not touch Rainforest Rescue. If you're Southeast-Asian, do not let the Malaysian setting of the book deceive you into SEA pride, that book is one of the most mid books out there and it irritates me as a Southeast Asian. It's like Prince's Emerald without everything that made Prince's Emerald cool. Like Riddle of the Ruins without any of the nerdy archaeological stuff that appealed to all the nerds out there. Rainforest Rescue? More like MIDFOREST RE--

[wweassets]

Costume Contest anon here… HAPPY HALLOWEEN! It’s time for the first annual Halloween costume party organized by HBK at the Performance Center. Only the men were invited, so their costumes are allowed to include nudity. It’s an opportunity for the guys to hang out, show off the hard work they’ve been doing on their bodies. and have a relaxing night off at a private party. The PC is decorated for Halloween, similar to the Halloween Havoc setup. This year, HBK is judging the costumes with PC coaches J*son Jordan and On*y Lorcan. The guys are being judged by 3 criteria: Creativity, Physique, and Overall Presentation.

Let’s recap some of the highlights!

C*AMPA is Kratos from “God War,” body painted in white and sporting red stripes on his face and torso. He’s wearing a brown half-harness across his chest and a brown leather jockstrap.

TR*CK WILLIAMS is a Chippendale, shirtless and wearing the signature white collar, black bowtie, and white cufflinks. He’s wearing low-rise black tights; so low that they show the top half of his ass and the base of his penis.

R*COCHET has his face painted orange like a Jack-O-Lantern with yellow contact lenses. He’s wearing an orange jockstrap with his fat ass painted to be a giant orange pumpkin.

PR*TTY DEADLY are Adam and Eve, fully nude except for giant green leaves covering their penises and attached to their huge ass cheeks. Elton has a fake snake wrapped around his shoulders and Kit has an apple on his crotch.

CH*D GABLE is an Olympic swimmer, wearing medals around his neck and a tiny speedo, with his huge hamstrings and his fat cheeks hanging out.

NATHAN FRAZER is dressed as his mentor Seth R*llins from WrestleMania 2022. Wearing a long aqua blue fur coat, and tights that are fully black lace, showing off his dick. The guys are egging him on to lose the jacket and show off his ass, and he eventually caves in to take it off and reveal his wagon.

BR*N BREAKER is recreating Arnold Schwarzenegger’s famous nude rooftop scene from “The Terminator.” He’s walking around completely naked, with half of his face painted silver like a cyborg and wearing one black and red contact lens. He’s strutting around proud of his physique and not caring he’s missing an actual costume.

B*BBY LASHLEY is Jax Briggs from Mortal Kombat. He has his huge arms covered in silver sleeves, and he’s wearing purple tights that end at his quads, leaving his huge muscular ass hanging out. He’s covering his penis with a silver sleeve with the same material on his arms.

AUST*N THEORY is paying homage to John Cena’s nude scene in “Trainwreck.” He’s wearing nothing but a white towel around his penis. The guys can’t help but smack a handful of his fat ass as they pass by him.

L*GAN PAUL is dressed as the urban Ken from the “Barbie” movie, with a black bandana headband and a fur coat. The coat is cropped halfway down his torso. He’s wearing nothing below except for a black bandana wrapped around his thigh, covering his penis but leaving his fat ass completely exposed.

LA KN*GHT is doing a tribute to his catchphrase “YEAH!” He’s arrived naked with a different letter painted on the front and back of both legs and ass cheeks. Right quad has “Y,” left ass cheek has “E,” right ass cheek has “A” and left quad has “H.” He’s wearing a white sleeve over his penis that has a giant exclamation mark “!” on it.

S*TH ROLLINS finally arrives and is wheeled in on a platform. He’s come as Michaelangelo’s David statue, completely nude with his body painted in light gray. He has his curly hair pinned up, and while he’s normally very animated, he takes several moments throughout the party to stand and pose completely still like a statue.

So who are your 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners?

oh my god you fucking you ate this as always. slays slays SLAYS all over 😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨thank you for your service!!!!

now onto the results…

honourable mentions go to: Pretty Deadly, Nathan Fraser, LA KNIGHT and Ricochet

🥉

in 3rd place we have…

AUSTIN THEORY

i mean he’s literally naked. with just a towel. just that fat ass completely exposed. it takes nerve and it paid off

🥈

in 2nd place is…

LOGAN PAUL

little bit biased but that Ken look turns me on BAD and imagining Logan in it… yeah:/

🥇

and our winner…

SETH ROLLINS

i mean who else? the camp.. the theatrics.. the dedication.. the sheer sexiness. it’s always gonna be our fag icon and we are so grateful

how about everyone else?

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

31st January >> Mass Readings (USA)

Saint John Bosco, Priest 

on

Wednesday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time.

Wednesday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Colour: White: B (2))

(Readings for the feria (Wednesday))

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Wednesday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading 2 Samuel 24:2, 9-17 It is I who have sinned; but these are sheep; what have they done?

King David said to Joab and the leaders of the army who were with him, “Tour all the tribes in Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba and register the people, that I may know their number.” Joab then reported to the king the number of people registered: in Israel, eight hundred thousand men fit for military service; in Judah, five hundred thousand.

Afterward, however, David regretted having numbered the people, and said to the LORD: “I have sinned grievously in what I have done. But now, LORD, forgive the guilt of your servant, for I have been very foolish.” When David rose in the morning, the LORD had spoken to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying: “Go and say to David, ‘This is what the LORD says: I offer you three alternatives; choose one of them, and I will inflict it on you.’” Gad then went to David to inform him. He asked: “Do you want a three years’ famine to come upon your land, or to flee from your enemy three months while he pursues you, or to have a three days’ pestilence in your land? Now consider and decide what I must reply to him who sent me.” David answered Gad: “I am in very serious difficulty. Let us fall by the hand of God, for he is most merciful; but let me not fall by the hand of man.” Thus David chose the pestilence. Now it was the time of the wheat harvest when the plague broke out among the people. The LORD then sent a pestilence over Israel from morning until the time appointed, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beer-sheba died. But when the angel stretched forth his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD regretted the calamity and said to the angel causing the destruction among the people, “Enough now! Stay your hand.” The angel of the LORD was then standing at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. When David saw the angel who was striking the people, he said to the LORD: “It is I who have sinned; it is I, the shepherd, who have done wrong. But these are sheep; what have they done? Punish me and my kindred.”

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7

R/ Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

Blessed is he whose fault is taken away, whose sin is covered. Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt, in whose spirit there is no guile.

R/ Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you, my guilt I covered not. I said, “I confess my faults to the LORD,” and you took away the guilt of my sin.

R/ Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

For this shall every faithful man pray to you in time of stress. Though deep waters overflow, they shall not reach him.

R/ Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me; with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.

R/ Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

Gospel Acclamation John 10:27

Alleluia, alleluia. My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mark 6:1-6 A prophet is not without honor except in his native place.

Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

------------------------------

Saint John Bosco, Priest 

(Liturgical Colour: White: B (2))

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Wednesday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading Philippians 4:4-9 Think about whatever is worthy of praise.

Brothers and sisters: Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 103:1bc-2, 3-4, 8-9, 13-14, 17-18

R/ O, bless the Lord, my soul!

Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all my being, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.

R/ O, bless the Lord, my soul!

He pardons all your iniquities, heals all your ills, He redeems your life from destruction, crowns you with kindness and compassion.

R/ O, bless the Lord, my soul!

Merciful and gracious is the LORD, slow to anger and abounding in kindness. He will not always chide, nor does he keep his wrath forever.

R/ O, bless the Lord, my soul!

As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him, For he knows how we are formed; he remembers that we are dust.

R/ O, bless the Lord, my soul!

But the kindness of the LORD is from eternity to eternity toward those who fear him, And his justice toward his children’s children among those who keep his covenant.

R/ O, bless the Lord, my soul!

Gospel Acclamation Matthew 23:11, 12b

Alleluia, alleluia. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Matthew 18:1-5 Unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.

The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[singeratlarge]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to José Areas, Roy Acuff, Jr., Benny Benjamin, David Bowie’s 1975 single “Fame,” Manny Charlton (Nazareth), my friend Mark Clarke (Colosseum, Ian Hunter, Monkees, Tempest), Tom Dawes (Cyrkle), Donovan’s 1970 OPEN ROAD album, Ileanna Douglas, Don Ellis, Lynne Frederick, Sarah Geronimo, Steve Goodman, gospel singer Henrietta Hadley, Johnny Hodges, Iman, Gibson Kente, Henry Knox, Rita Marley, Martin & Lewis (1946), producer/musician/composer Scott Mathews, Thurston Moore, Maxfield Parrish, Public Image Ltd. (1979), Nirmal Purja, Annie Ross, the 1969 Seattle Pop Festival, The Supreme’s 1966 single “You Can’t Hurry Love,” Emmett Till, Verdine White (Earth Wind & Fire), Bruce Woodley, D.B. Woodside, and drummer/band leader Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds, the legendary British Invasion rock band credited for birthing “psychedelic rock” and was the launch pad for Led Zeppelin, Renaissance, and other notables. In 2007 I wrote a paper about The Yardbirds song “Over Under Sideways Down,” which I point to as an ultimate meme for the 1960s. Jim was kind enough to correspond and provide background information for my paper. 

HB and thank you Jim for your years of service and for keeping The Yardbirds going. On that note, here’s a cover of “Shapes of Things” that I did with singer peter chauncey. 

#yardbirds #jimmcarty #peterchauncey #birthday #johnnyjblair

[gonna-need-you-to-not]

Supernatural Season 12 rewatch thoughts...

Okay so we all know that my main problem is that I just can't get past everyone's terrible English accent but we'll put that aside for now

I enjoyed Rick Springfield, though I know many didn't

They shouldn't have put in that weird dub of Cas saying hey assbut again though

Sorry to be a bitch but The One You've Been Waiting For was ruined by Gil Darnell. I've never seen him in anything else so he might be good elsewhere but he really wasn't in this. The ep was far-fetched just like all the Thule stuff but they could've got away with it if he'd delivered a different performance imho

Alicia Witt killed it in Lily Sunder, so did Ian Tracey

I liked the secret service terrorism investigation guys

I don't buy Billie being so immediately happy about taking Mary. She made it clear she wanted Dean or Sam, I feel like she could've at least thought about it for a second or two before agreeing

Regarding Dean is such a good ep, and JA was just wonderful in it, but why did we need Dean fooling around with a woman who looked 22 max

Something about Stuck in the Middle falls flat with me and I don't know what it is, though I do appreciate Speight's commitment to going off-piste, and all his shenanigans in the editing suite

Why did David Hadyn Jones have so much foundation on

Absolutely thrilled to see Eileen again and I love how happy she made my best friend Sam

I know I wasn't going to mention it, but just real quick - NO ONE IN ENGLAND TALKS LIKE THAT I PROMISE YOU EVEN THE REALLY POSH ONES okay thanks

This whole BMOL murdery boarding school thing wound me up like wtf and also having Hess say things like 'mangy colonials' honestly why do you hate English people when Mark Sheppard has been so good to you

Nothing against the guy but I just don't like DHJ as Ketch and I really did try. They set the character up to be so scary and cold and then they let this man caricature-James-Bond his way through the season and it's frustrating

Speaking of caricatures, we really really really don't need to put a cup of tea in the hand of every English character. Please fuck off with that (picks up tea)

The sheriff with his taxidermy squirrel did NOT get enough love, what an icon

The waitress Dean slept with looks like Alona Tal and I'd like to know if that was intentional, and also please look at this for some top drawer analysis on that whole mess

I know the Destiel community love the whole mixtape thing but to this day I have no idea what the point of that moment was. Cas could've gone into Dean's room to talk, or just waited til he wasn't in there to look for the Colt, I just don't get why the zep cassette

Cas really was a hot mess in this season, he was all over the shop

Explain to me again how Ketch is able to control a Hell Hound??????

The back and forth between Lucifer and Crowley got a bit tiresome but I think both Marks did the best they could with slightly worn material

Still livid that they killed Eileen

The writers really did JP dirty by giving him a half-baked Braveheart speech and then having JA steal the frickin episode with his "I hate you and I love you" emotional monologue to Mary

I do enjoy the way Mark Pellegrino says Castiel (Cast-chell). Lucifer will pronounce your name however he likes

In conclusion I watched this season again to check if I'd misjudged it the first time round, but turns out I do in fact mostly hate it

[fhakizi322]

Assignment #1

For assignment #1, I chose this blog post to be about option #5, “Write an analysis using a theoretical perspective of your choice that examines and deconstructs a military recruiting commercial.”. The specific commercial I am deconstructing is titled “What’s Your Warrior”. “What’s Your Warrior”, is an ad that is 60 seconds, and when I had been bombarded with it a couple of years ago unskippable (my second least favorite ad, only losing to pop-up ones). I think a disclaimer is needed here, as the military is often a point of contention among people in the US. I greatly respect most military personnel and am thankful for their service. That being said, I really hate how often military-based ads are shoved down my throat. I get an email twice a semester from a recruiter for the National Guard of both Maine and New Hampshire. Attempts of marking them as spam has been futile; email-based marketing…both a gift and a nightmare I suppose.

This ad is pretty straightforward and is admittedly one of my favorites when I choose to ignore the fact that being a military personnel is being compared to being a video game character. It starts off with a character selection screen, with 5 different semi-illuminated individuals in a circle looking outwardly. The clearest individual is then fully illuminated, revealing them to be a pilot as their visor goes down to cover their eyes followed by a zoom-in and 2 mini helicopters flying through the visor of the pilot, which leads to a scene change where we follow the helicopters through a mountain-based terrain. There is a small dust storm, which then leads us to another scene change, this time showing the process of cell splitting, and doing a zoom out, reviling the one doing the cell splitting is a black man biochemist. The sandstorm reappears, and we are then shown a sniper on the field.

There is a much wider zoom-out, revealing a white woman (probably, there was some glitching so it was hard to tell). It then zooms into her glitched face, showing two people near a vehicle that has a signal finder dish plate, one male, and one female, and there is a beam of light coming from the signal finder dish plate, which shows us the Earth. We then see a bunch of deployed parachutes after a couple of seconds of the Earth zooming out, and a person watching from the ground. A parachute is being closed and that is used to return us back to the semi-illuminated background we had seen at the very beginning of the ad, and a quick scene of each individual that had been shown in the ad at some point in time, and then them back to the circular position, with more lights being added showing that we had been seeing a portion of a battlefield and a wide zoom out to show many individuals on the ground as well.

All things considered, this was a pretty well-done job by the DDB advertising firm that made this ad. They did so well in fact, “(they)won the Army’s marketing account, a contract worth $4 billion over the next 10 years.” (Tiron, 2019) Additionally, if you were to look at the comment section of the ad, people are praising it, specifically that it is better than the “Emma” advertisement, an ad that was part of a campaign titled “The Calling” which focused on a woman who was raised by her moms. This ad was received very poorly, with 13,952 likes, but 406,268 dislikes… Admittedly, this is one of the examples of when an attempt at “diversity marketing” goes wrong. No one really cared about Emma and her moms, or David who appears to be Hispanic. I had to specifically search “The Calling” in order to find Rickie, Janeen, and Jennifer’s ads because they didn’t have as many views.

“What’s Your Warrior” on the hand wasn’t seen as divisive, “or too woke”. It was simple and showed that there was more than just shooting involved in the military (although the way many have compared it to a Call of Duty or Metal Gear Solid is not lost on me)but there is a multitude of other potential jobs. The people holding those jobs just so happened to have some diversity.

The military has a problem; there aren’t that many of the new adult generation that qualifies to be a part of the army. Sure, if you saw this statistic that is on the Army University Press website, “Post-millennials (also known as Generation Z or Gen Z), born from 1996 to the present, now constitute nearly 90% of the Army’s active duty junior enlisted and nearly 35% of all junior officers (Defense Manpower Data Center, 2018, p. 29.)” you’d think this is a decent number. However, “Among people aged 17 to 24, 70%, or 24 million out of 34 million, are ineligible to join the military, because of obesity, a lack of high school diplomas, or having a criminal record, according to 2017 Pentagon data.”(Tiron, 2019) So they have been forced to resort to this; a video game-esque sequence that I discovered recently actually has 11 different iterations.

They are falling short in terms of recruitment numbers, and have been since 2016, and so in order to reach the 30% of the Gen Z population that actually qualifies, they have to reach out as most of the Gen Z population as possible. “87% of Generation Z…(play)video games on smartphones, gaming consoles, and computers at least weekly if not daily.”(Westcott, Arbanas, 2021) I could have sworn that video games were the reason behind mass shootings according to some people but I guess it brings together most of Gen Z and a decent chunk of Millennials (83%), and Gen X(79%).

Nonetheless, it still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth; life isn’t a game, much less the military! This might have reached the eyes of the ones the military targeted, but it raises some ethical concerns. At least the Joint Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley is honest about what is at stake, ““When you join the Army, you are not joining the Boy Scouts. You are joining an organization that goes out and engages with the enemies of our country. There are reasons why 70-or-80% of the casualties end up being Army casualties and Army infantry casualties because that’s what we do.”” (Trion, 2019). Nonetheless, this is a wonderful ad, regardless of the moral dilemma it can create.

Works Cited

Hanks, Roland. “What Soldiers Want: The Gen Z Perspective.” Army University Press, 28 Feb. 2022, https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/NCO-Journal/Archives/2022/February/What-Soldiers-Want/#:~:text=Post%2Dmillennials%20(also%20known%20as,Data%20Center%2C%202018%2C%20p.

Trion, Roxana. “'What's Your Warrior?': Army Looks Past Combat to Sign up Teens.” Bloomberg Government, 4 Nov. 2019, https://about.bgov.com/news/whats-your-warrior-army-looks-past-combat-to-sign-up-teens/.

Westcott, Kevin, and Jana Arbanas. “Commentary: Gen Z Gamers Could Shake up the Media and Entertainment Industries.” Fortune, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2021, https://fortune.com/2021/04/19/gen-z-gamers-video-games-media-entertainment-outlook-changes-future/.

[kingdomgracemedia]

Vibrant Hope: God’s Choice and the Anointing

Saturday 14/9/2024

1 Samuel 16:20-23 (NIV) 20 So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Saul. 21 David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers. 22 Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, “Allow David to remain in my service, for I am pleased with him.”

23 Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.

In this passage, we see the transition from Saul’s kingship to David’s rise as a chosen leader of Israel. Jesse sends David to serve Saul, who is troubled by a harmful spirit. David’s musical talent brings relief to Saul, showcasing how God uses David’s gifts for His purpose. This moment marks the beginning of David’s journey toward kingship and illustrates how God prepares His chosen ones for their roles.

Related Scriptures and Examples

- 1 Samuel 13:14 - God rejected Saul as king because of his disobedience, showing the importance of following God’s commands.

- 1 Samuel 16:7 - God tells Samuel that He looks at the heart, not outward appearances, emphasizing that God’s choice is based on inner character.

- Moses (Exodus 3) - Chosen by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt despite his insecurities.

- Gideon (Judges 6) - Called by God to save Israel from Midian, Gideon initially doubts his abilities but ultimately obeys.

- Esther (Esther 4:14) - Chosen for such a time as this to save her people, demonstrating God’s providence.

Application

- Recognizing God’s Calling: Just as David was chosen by God, we should seek to understand our unique calling and gifts in service to others.

- Using Our Gifts for God’s Glory: Like David’s music that brought relief to Saul, we can use our talents—be it teaching, singing, or serving—to bless others and glorify God

- Trusting God’s Timing: David’s rise was gradual; we should trust God’s timing in our lives and be patient as He prepares us for His purposes.

- Responding to Troubling Spirits: Just as David brought peace through music, we can be instruments of peace in our communities by sharing love and kindness.

Prayer Points

- Thanksgiving for God’s Choice: "Lord, thank You for choosing me and giving me a purpose in Your Kingdom."

- Seeking Clarity in Our Calling: "Heavenly Father, help me to understand my calling and how I can use my gifts to serve You and others."

- For Those Struggling with Troubling Spirits: "God, I pray for those who are struggling with anxiety or distress. May they find peace through You and through the support of those around them."

- Patience in God’s Timing: "Lord, grant me patience as I wait for Your perfect timing in my life. Help me trust that You are preparing me for what lies ahead."

- Using Our Talents Wisely: "Father, show me how I can use my talents and resources to bring glory to Your name and bless those in need.

- By reflecting on 1 Samuel 16:20-23, we can draw inspiration from David’s life and be encouraged to embrace our own unique callings while trusting in God’s sovereignty and timing.

By Pastor AK Mannah

#calling

[pastortomsteers]

The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

July 21, 2024

Pastor Tom Steers

Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto

Divine Service Setting III (Pages 184 – 202)

Lutheran Service Book

OPENING HYMN:  666  “O Little Flock, Fear Not the Foe”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mIu4H6pO3A

 

Confession and Absolution   Page 184-185

 

Introit (read by the Pastor) 

Psalm 147:7-11; antiphon Ps. 145:16

You open your hand;     you satisfy the desire of every living thing.                                                                                                                   Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;     make melody to our God on the lyre! He covers the heavens with clouds;     he prepares rain for the earth;     he makes grass grow on the hills. He gives to the beasts their food,     and to the young ravens that cry. His delight is not in the strength of the horse,     nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,     in those who hope in his steadfast love.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen. 

You open your hand;     you satisfy the desire of every living thing.

The Kyrie  (Lord Have Mercy)

Congregation:

Lord have mercy upon us.

Christ have mercy upon us.

Lord have mercy upon us.

The Salutation:

Pastor:  The Lord be with you.

Congregation:  And with thy spirit.

 

Our Collect Prayer:  (Please stand)

Heavenly Father, though we do not deserve Your goodness, still You provide for all our needs of body and soul. Grant us Your Holy spirit that we may acknowledge Your gifts, give thanks for all Your benefits, and serve You in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and he holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Our Bible Texts –

Frist Reading:  Jeremiah23:1-6

Psalm 23 (antiphon v.6)

Epistle Reading: Ephesians 2:11-22

Gospel Reading: Mark 6:30-44

THE NICENE CREED   Page 191  

HYMN OF THE DAY:  644 “The Church’s One Foundation”

THE SERMON –

What do we do when we doubt our own sufficiency, our own spiritual adequacy?

Who or what do we turn to?

The Word of God in today’s Bibe readings guides and reassures us.

The prophet Jeremiah lived in a broken world, like our own.

Idolatry, false religious practices, and violence were rampant.

The people killed prophets so they didn’t have to listen to God’s Word concerning sin.

Jeremiah conveys the Lord’s warning to Judah and Jerusalem about the impending Babylonian captivity.

Their conquest and destruction at the hands of a foreign nation are imminent if they do not repent and return to Him.

Jeremiah speaks hard things to a wicked, unbelieving people.

The message will be ignored.

Yet the Lord also promises He “will raise up for David a righteous Branch . . . . And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’”

God gives His prophetic Word as Law and Gospel.

The righteous branch, Jesus, offers us His grace, forgiveness, and salvation.

He alone is the sinless one.

We neither earn nor merit his forgiveness. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Eternal life and salvation was purchased for us on the cross by the only truly righteous man who ever lived – Jesus.

And even faith in Him is a gift worked within us by the Holy Spirit using God’s means of grace: His Word and Sacraments. (Philippians 1:28-29; Romans 4:4-5)

For those who stubbornly refuse this gift, eternal spiritual captivity awaits.

As Martin Luther wrote of his time, people “simply persecute everything that accords with the will of God and disregard all the threatening signs until, as St. Paul says in 1st Thessalonians 5, destruction suddenly surprises them and destroys them before they know it. But Christ will be able to sustain His own, for whose sake He causes His Word to shine forth in this shameful world of ours, just as at Babylon He sustained Daneil and those like him, for whose sake Jeremiah’s prophecy had to shine forth.”

In today’s Psalm reading we have some of the best loved, and most comforting verses in the Bible.

David declares in the 23rd Psalm that, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.”

Our Good Shepherd, Jesus, supplies all we need in this life, and to life eternal.

Therefore, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

The psalm makes clear, “He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”

Our righteousness is only in, and through, the crucified and risen Christ.

In our Epistle reading, the Apostle Paul speaks of the unity Gentile and Jewish believers have in Jesus. He has made us to be His One Body.

I started today’s reading at verse 8 to give us both context and two of the foundational verses in Scripture on salvation by grace, through faith, in Christ alone:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Martin Luther’s Large Catechism explains, “So you see plainly that there is no work done here by us, but a treasure, which God gives us and faith grasps . . .  . It is offered to us and received by faith. (LC IV 37)

Our works are not the cause of salvation, but evidence of faith in Christ that God works within us through the means of grace: God’s Word and Sacraments.

The Word we read in the Bible, that is preached and taught by the Pastor.

The water of Baptism included in God’s command and combined with His Word, a work of God, not our own, and thus for both infants and adults.

The true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper, which was instituted for us Christians to eat and drink. (Matthew 26:26-28)

In our Gospel reading we see an event recorded by all four evangelists – the feeding of the 5,000.

Christ asks the disciples to provide food for those hearing the Gospel.

They reply that to purchase enough food it would take 200 denarii, the equivalent of over half a year’s salary for the average person.

Our Lord wants them to ultimately look to Him for provision, sustenance, help, and salvation.

Through a miracle, Jesus turns the five loaves of bread and two fish into a meal that will feed the multitude.

Upon His ascension, Christ will commission the Apostles to Baptize all nations and feed them with His Word.

The Lutheran Divine Service follows the essential liturgy of the early Church.

The congregation is given God’s Word and then fed the body and blood of Christ in communion.

In the Sacrament of the Altar, we see a similar sequence to events described in verse 41 of Mark Chapter 6: taking the bread, speaking a blessing, breaking, and then distributing it.

Today, when daily problems confront us, even the ultimate enemies of sin, death and the devil, we can feel overwhelmed.

Yet our Lord asks us to look not to our own strength, but to Him, to His cross, to His glorious resurrection, and receive the gift of salvation He alone offers.

When the weight of God’s Law crushes us and our self-righteousness, the answer lies in in the sinless Lamb of God and His true righteousness.

As the Apostle Paul told the Philippians:

“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith – that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”

Christ still pours out His gifts and Holy Spirit upon us.

The One who is the very bread of life feeds us today.

He has offered Himself as the sacrifice that we may live.

He opens our eyes to see that this is not only a thing of the past, but His present work with us now, and until His return.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Amen.

PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH  

SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT  Page 194

THE LORD’S PRAYER      Page 196

THE WORDS OF OUR LORD             Page 197

Pax Domini                                                                                                                                 Pastor: The peace of the Lord be with you always.

Congregation: Amen.

THE DISTRIBUTION

Our Communion Hymn is: 627 “Jesus Christ our Blessed Saviour”

Post Communion Collect (Left-hand column)  Page 201 

Salutation and Benedicamus  Page 201-202

Benediction   Page 202

CLOSING HYMN  642 “O Living Bread From Heaven”

[itsrattysworld]

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