#thank you to the person who suggested Exile. I think that will serve part 4- our conclusion - quite well!

[abluescarfonwaston]

Lettenhove Au

Part 1   Part 2

Oh how unreasonable.

“Dear did you finish those logging reports?” His mother stepped into the office. Head buried in a logistics report.

“Just did. Here.” He offered them to her but her eyes were stuck behind him.

On Geralt.

“You must be my son’s new bodyguard.” He watched Geralt hesitantly nod out of the corner of his eye. “I hadn’t expected you to be quite so…”

“Old?” He suggested for her. “You won’t offend him by being direct. He does have- oh what?- Half a century or so on you. It’s only fair.”

Her brow pinched. Her fingers rubbed together nervously as she glanced back to him. “Julian I know numbers aren’t your forte but he can’t be-“

They knew exactly the moment the gold in his eyes registered.

A tiny back step. Half a sharp inhale.

“A Witcher?” She looked at him. Hand covering her agape mouth. “How? How did you-“

He readied himself to explain when her eyes widened. “The white wolf.”

They both tensed as she rounded the desk to him.

She cupped his face in her hands. You are the man who kept him from me. You are the bastard he abandoned me for. He braced for her to say. As so many of the women in his life had.

“Thank you.” Her tears freezing Geralt more effectively than any spell he’d ever seen. “For protecting him all those years. Thank you.” Geralt eyes stayed locked on her. Trapped by her thin hands. “For bringing him home.”

He was halfway out of his chair he’d realized. He eased back down into it. Who he’d worried for he wasn’t sure.

How unreasonably in love I am with everything you do.

“Julian!” His mother burst into the room. Letter in hand. “The Countess responded!”

Geralt looked up from his sword sharpening, hands stilling. Ciri shrunk behind him, further into the couch they’d settled into that night. It was honestly a relief for the too familiar noise to halt. It made the space behind his eyes hot. It’s steady rhythmic sound as horrible as it had once been calming.

They’d been moved into the servant’s quarters attached to his room in case someone came for him in the night.

He stood and seized her by the waist. Picking her up and spinning her, as he knew she wished he would for she was very excited, her dress billowing around her. The way Father had when he’d courted her all those years ago. She’d admitted to him once she missed it. It was one of the few things she missed about him.

What do you need? He’d asked. He knew how to play his role diligently.

“As I promised she would!” He smiled brightly for her. It was as fake as the rings that had dyed his fingers green years ago. But she didn’t know that.

“A Countess Julek! I’ve no idea how you managed this!” She was well above their class. But she’d loved him once. With a title she might love him again.

“What did I say?” He gently put her down and swept her into a waltz. It’s been so long since I’ve gotten to waltz. She told him.

“Trust me.” There were tears in her eyes. A brightness to her he couldn’t remember ever seeing.

He spun her. “I said I would take care of things.” Dipped her gently to the familiar tune in his head. It sounded flat even though he knew it was in tune. “Didn’t I?”

“You did!” Her steps faltered as she pulled him into a tight hug. It might have been bone crushing a decade or two ago. “Thank you for coming home.”

“Of course.” Geralt and Ciri watch him tuck her into his shoulder. He whispered above her grey hair. “I had nowhere else to be.”

I’ll spend my days so close to you cos if I’m standing here maybe.

“You’re getting married.” Geralt stated as the door closed behind her.

“That is the plan yes.”

“You’ll be miserable.”

And how, he thought, is that any different from how I am now?

Everyone will think I’m alright.

Court was easy. Simple.

Deadly. Dangerous.

It was just about saying the right thing. Listening. Not giving away too much.

“There are some rumors going around about you Julian.” She fluttered her eyes distractingly. Let her sleeve slip down just so. He’d seen it before. Hell he’d done it before.

That didn’t mean it didn’t work on him.

Or. It used to.

“About what happened to you after you disappeared.” She leaned in making a point to show off her assets.

The color of her dress was brilliant. Vibrant. His collar was buttoned all the way up. It didn’t actually make it hard to breathe but it still felt like it. He recognized the dye they must have used. It seemed less. Less everything.

Course the courts in Kerack hardly compared to the ones he’d played at so it was likely just. Less.

It had nothing to do with how dull the world seemed these days.

“I went to Oxenfurt. I hardly disappeared.” He flashed her a smile. Winked as he said, “And I’d be happy to show you what I learned.”

She giggled.

“What did you study?” Interjected her handler. Forcing distance between them with practiced ease.

He’d never been grateful for the restraints of court. How a hand touch outside of dancing was as scandalous as a long passionate kiss elsewhere.

He was grateful for it now.

“A variety of things. Geography was my favorite.” The textbook was big enough to hide a demijohn behind. “And I took to teaching for a few years.”

Her eyes glittered. “Did you ever see any of the places you learned about?” Whatever information she’d been told to gather forgotten to the wonder of the world beyond their logging forest and rocky coasts.

Or maybe this was what she wanted. The machinations of a country this small didn’t have to be terribly inspired.

“A few.” He granted. The back of his throat tensed. I went to the edge of the world and back before my eighteenth year. He didn’t say. “Any place in particular you were hoping to hear about?” He raised his glass for a drink.

“Are the blue mountains really blue?”

His cup paused at his lips. Golden eyes rested heavily on him from across the feast.

Posada sat at the feet of its range. Stretched up to Kaer Morhen and beyond.

“Yes.” He tried to cover for the stilted pause. Gave too much away he knew by the devilish look in her eye. “In the evening light the whole range turns the most beautiful blue I’ve ever seen.”

“What does Kaer Morhen look like?” He’d asked. Because he’d never seen it.

Would never see it.

“Big stone keep.”

“Oh come on! We both know you can do better than that!” He’d protested. “I want to know what its like!” Tell me what your home is like. He begged.

“What do you think of Lettenhove?” He asked as the carriage rattled down the road to their accommodations. His Mother had retired hours ago. What do you think about my birthplace? My unwilling home? My soon to be grave?

Geralt opened an eye. Considering him. Just like everyone at the party had. Just like everyone always did. Judging without seeing. He maintained his posture as the snow fell outside the window. He had a role to play.

“Seafood’s decent.”

Laughter bubbled in his throat. High and hysterical.

He swallowed it down.

“I suppose it is.” He told the falling snow. He did not think of the Blue Mountains covered in snow and the big stone keep he would never see buried within it.

I’ve seen enough he says. I know exactly what I want.

“Jaskier!”

There were hands on his shoulder and a knife to his throat and it was all pointless but he was still scared.

He was still scared.

There was gold and white filling his vision as his chest fought for air. He couldn’t breathe and he was going to die and gods.

Gods he was going to die.

And he was okay with it.

“Jaskier?” His face was wet as he sobbed. I was going to die and he was okay with that and that was the scariest part. Someone was moving him. Arranging his limbs and tucking him into the crook of their neck. “It was just a dream Jaskier.”

The dream slipped from his mind but the hollow in his chest didn’t. The violently terrible acceptance of his fate didn’t slip away.

Let’s run away. To the coast, to the blue mountains, to the end of the world. To Skellige even. I’d brave sea sickness for you. Let’s run away Geralt.

Think of your people ordered the ghost of his old man.

Life’s one blessing. Said the man cradling him in his arms.

Stay. Begged his Mother.

He curled into the embrace of the man who’d served as his home for two long decades. For half his life. The half of his life that had a home for.

Geralt was only here because there was no better option. Because a fool promised him a place to stay long ago and that fool wouldn’t break a promise. Not a promise to him.

Did you ever care for me at all? Or am I to you, as I am to everyone, a burden you’re too kind to put down?

No. Because Geralt had put him down. Now he was simply too desperate to step away.

“This is your fate Julian.” Rumbled the voice of his Father.

“I’ll find a better fate then.” He’d screamed back. “I’ll make a better one.”

He had.

“I want to go home.” He quietly admitted into the crook of Geralt’s neck. To the stars over the path and the grinding of a whetstone on silver or steel. To the crackle of a fire and pages filled with ink by its dying embers.

To raunchy laughter and shared bedrolls. Desperate dashes from terrible towns and angry cuckholds. To grumpy Witchers dunked in bathtubs, yanking knots from disgustingly tangled hair and quiet gifts of lute strings made from griffin guts slipping into his case while he slept.

“We’ll be back at the estate tomorrow.” Came the wretched assurance.

He sobbed. “I know.”

You couldn’t run away from fate. Not really.

It’s this life that we’d created, inundated with the fated thought of you

“Geralt said you used to play.” Ciri admitted to the bookshelves she’d been dusting. “He said you played wonderfully.”

“Did he?” He blankly responded. He could feel Geralt frowning at him.

You should have cheekily grinned at me. He could hear Geralt correcting. You should be making fun of me for liking your music but never admitting it to you. Then I could comment on how i didn’t want to feed your overgrown ego.

He checked the ledgers math on the abacus. Then did it again because numbers had never been his forte.

“He said,” She hesitated. Turned ever so slightly to watch him. “You were at my mother’s betrothal.”

Jaskier was. I wasn’t. An angry part of him snapped.

He took in the tight tension of her shoulders. The pointed dedication to a meaningless task.

I see you little swallow. I see you. “I was.” He glanced at the door. If someone overheard. He could avoid this if-

“Everyone’s asleep.” Geralt told him.

“Then,” He stood, weighted heavy by a story he had no desire to tell. “I suppose I owe you a story.” He smiled and offered his hand to her. “Since Geralt never tells it right.”

She took it and he pulled her into the ballad. Into the start of her tale.

Into the beginning of their stories end.

And if you asked me to, if you asked me I would lose it all, Like petals in a storm

He lifted her sleeping form from the couch, carrying her to bed.

“Thank you.” Geralt muttered from the doorway as he tucked her in.

He was so tired.

He nodded. Turned from the room.

Geralt caught him at the doorway. “Thank you.” He repeated.

He took in Geralt’s face as he stared at her. As he listened to her slow steady breathing. Sleeping comfortably and warm.

Ask to stay. He begged the hand holding his bicep. Ask me to come with you.

Tell me you want me. He plead. That what you said was a lie.

But he didn’t. Because he was looking at Ciri. At the best thing he’d ever done for Geralt.

At the little girl who was the end of the story they’d shared.

“You love her.” He told him. “Which I say only because I don’t think you know.” Geralt’s face hardened as it always did when faced with an uncomfortable truth about himself. “But you love her Geralt.”

If this was his fate then at least he’d done that.

He couldn’t save his people and he’d broken every relationship he’d ever made and he was going to die in a manor he hated all alone.

But at least he’d done this. At least he’d given Geralt Ciri.

At least he’d given the love of his life the love of his.

cos darling I was born to press my head between your shoulder blades

[thespoonisvictory]

Please explain why Schlatt is the best character on the SMP.

(Alternatively, I would be really interested in hearing more about your dislike for Quackity's produced lore. Personally, I love it, so I'm really intrigued whenever someone says that they're not fond of it).

as much as I love schlatt, I think I'll answer the quackity question, because I've been meaning to.

first of all, I think I should clarify that I'm definitely biased, because my favorite streamers, outside of the dsmp universe, tend towards semi lore, or, at least, not whatever quackity's doing. I'm used to it, and people tend to not like change lol.

second of all, I really do like quackity's produced lore, but I don't like certain aspects of it, and find myself preferring semi lore in general. I don't think he should stop doing it so much as I think he should use it as an occasional technique rather than conveying near 100% of his story with it. big q is very talented and I commend him for taking such a bold approach, which I think pays off in some ways.

third, to me, semi lore is any lore that breaks the fourth wall in that it isn't trying to be something other than a minecraft stream, it's all in first person, and none of it is prerecorded. for example: most of wilbur's pogtopia streams are semi (or casual) lore to me, because he'll thank subs and joke with schlatt about getting techno a girlfriend, but it's still largely in canon.

anyway, in true jenny nicholson fashion, let's kick off with a numbered list.

1. this post, by patches, explains a bit of why the lore streams can get a bit disconcerting to me. the dsmp have always had a bit of charming awkwardness in their improv, because these are for the most part just Some Guys acting, and under the guise of a stream where it's just a Streamer Playing Minecraft, it fits. but the highly produced nature just- creates such a disparity between the quality of the cinematography and the acting that it's a little weird, y'know?

2. in some cases, semi lore allows for dread to be built in a unique way. during the exile arc, tommy would have lighthearted streamer jokes and bits, shout out subs, pretend like things were normal. he never acknowledges that his situation is messed up, that his condition is getting worse, that things are falling apart. it's a quiet, sinking, horror that creeps along over the course of weeks. it's important to the viewer that we are there every day to see the slow progress, to understand why tommy gets pushed so far down. besides the impracticality of 14 highly produced lore streams, you would lose a lot of the subtlety there.

the smp is such a unique medium in that the stream style itself is so telling. when tommy actively doesn't acknowledge what's happening, it makes the abuse that's occurring seem so much worse. when wilbur drops little hits about his depression or his plans in between lighthearted, ooc jokes, it lulls the audience into a false sense of security.

imagine a version of the 'forming las nevadas' story where quackity does it over the course of four nights. the slow realization of his manipulation tactics disguised by an unassuming stream format, because it's still quackity, joking around and laughing until he approaches the next person and he shifts into his 'persona'. when he finishes the conversation, we watch his face fall, his smile fade, as he walks back to an empty las nevadas. it would build hype, not to mention taking less work, and letting the audience see a bit more of quackity's humanity.

3. I mentioned it before, but it just straight up takes less time. I'm willing to wait, of course, but there's something to be said about the merits of pacing and being able to throw together a lore stream last minute. take, for example, tommy's death. it wouldn't have been nearly as impactful without the rushed, oddly somber flurry of livestreams that came after. jack didn't need a highly produced montage of him standing by tommy's grave as the seasons passed, of his planting flowers everyday. what turned out to be effective was just- him, walking around, coming to terms with his grief, completely silent for periods of time.

it was mourning. plain and simple, with no embellishment or evil villain music, shockingly earnest.

I don't think you could replicate that raw, undone feeling with a prerecorded, pre-produced, semi-movie. it feels like all of a sudden jack's pov was important enough that he had to stream, and there it was.

you could argue that this could be planned beforehand, but I think more often than not, that's a. not really feasible, and b. going to take away from the organic nature.

we all like candid shots, 'authentic' vlogs and influencers. to me, this is just one more extension of that rule.

4. under the same idea, you can make more. we spend more time with the streamers, and therefore the characters, and get to know their more human side. wilbur, for example, is deeply humanized by little things that you just couldn't really fit into a lore stream: his dynamic with niki, all his little moments of hesitation, his banter with tommy and his true love for l'manburg. who c!wilbur is is built up over hours and hours of comments and suggestions and one-off statements, and we just don't have time for that in quackity's lore. the transitions are snappy, filled with beautiful shots, but they don't allow for as much depth of character as that awkward little walk from place to place, that quiet monologue they do to themselves.

it's not impossible for you to do that, as with c!quackity and c!charlie serving as a 'morality pet', but at this risk of repeating myself endlessly, it's more earnest and organic in a sense.

5. last, I just really like multiple povs. one of my favorite bits from s1 is the fundy spy arc, because of how effectively multiple povs are used. streams where wilbur is deeply, deeply distraught over fundy's betrayal but thinks fundy doesn't care, while fundy is deeply, deeply distraught over wilbur's prior treatment of him but thinks he doesn't care. and you could watch both at the same time! quackity's pov isn't as personal when it uses third person, which is a bit sad because I think it's a unique aspect of livestreaming every perspective.

(I'm so sorry if this isn't coherent or makes any sense I'm very brain dead and tired from speedrunning three essays yesterday)

basically, I think quackity's lore style is good for big, grand events, occasionally. it's very cool to watch, definitely builds hype, and can make certain things easier, such as coordinating a bunch of people or doing special effects.

but for building a plot and establishing character dynamics, I really prefer semi/casual lore.

[sullustangin]

Socrates and the Echoes of Oblivion

After re-playing Echoes of Oblivion, I’m thinking that this part of the patch is a massive Socratic Problem.

Disclaimer:  I think the Flashpoint was under-written (not enough time/money/vocal talent due to COVID) which led to no major new revelations about any of the characters.  If we had found out new stuff, then I think I would be more inclined to say it is what the game says it is: an adventure in Satele’s mind.  But since we didn’t, it wasn’t.  This is me going off on a lark again, so enjoy the theorycrafting.

What is the Socratic Problem?

So, when Socrates was condemned for 'impiety’ and ‘corrupting the young’ -- aka, stirring sedition and civil unrest against a corrupt government - not only was he put to death but all of his works were destroyed as well.  Essentially, all we know today about Socrates and his philosophy come through his students.  Plato is a biggie.  He claims many times throughout his works that a certain opinion was Socrates, and he also used him as the ‘hero’ or main character in his philosophical dialogues - Socrates almost always wins. 

Here’s the Socratic Problem:  is this a true representation of Socrates, as he was?  Or is this the fond memory of a dear student of a lost master?  Is Plato telling the facts, telling the truth, or making  Socrates fan fiction?

....what the hell does that have to do with Echoes of Oblivion?

I think we’re dealing with the same problem here when we supposedly go into Satele’s mind.  I don’t think we do.  I think this is just another exploration of the mind of the player character and their trauma from the last 10 years.

Is Satele sick with a virus?  Yes.  Is the Emperor trying to grow a collective being that he can manifest in?  Yes, preferably Satele-shaped and powered by her students’ life force. 

But the second that the player goes into that trance with Kira and Scourge, everything is only happening in the player’s mind.  Nobody else is in there.  Darth Marr suggests as much.  When the player chooses “You seem very insightful,”  he replies, “I know only what you know.”

It’s like writing your own fan fic -- your characters know what you know, as the author. If they make a mistake about their own biography, it’s because you lacked the knowledge.  In turn, if they are aware of something other characters are not, it’s because of you.  To me, that line says that everything we see happen is the Alliance Commander’s ‘mental fan fic’ about killing the Emperor. 

There is no revelation of information about the characters that the player works with.  We learn nothing new about Scourge, Kira, the Emperor’s family, Revan -- we’ve met all of them, but there’s no ‘secret past’ uncovered....

Not even for Satele... whose mind we’re supposedly in. 

And indeed, the only things the character sees are their own memories.  Remember that little padawan on Tython?  That’s not Satele; Satele re-discovered Tython -- she was never a student there. 

Why do all of the possible player character classes have memories of Tython?  Because of the Tython/Korriban incursions.  (I know mechanically, this is skippable in game, but work with me here.)  The Outlander becomes the Outlander because they caught the eye of the Emperor at Ziost, which only happens because of Yavin 4, which only happens because of Rishi, which only happens because of the conspiracy discovered at Tython and Korriban.

This makes me want to conclude that we’re never in Satele’s head, actually; there is nothing revealed about her that we don’t already know. So who is the padawan?  Maybe the player saw one of the little kids cowering after the incursion -- maybe that stuck in their minds for good or bad.  But historically speaking, that is absolutely not Satele.

And Marr let us in on that secret... but that’s not Marr. That is our memory of Marr.  Marr the realist.  Marr, who confronted the truth that his approach to the Force had been wrong in life -- and admitted it.  Marr, the truth teller.  Marr the Socratic Problem.

In fact, all the people we see in that dream/vision/mind adventure are our Socratic images of people we’ve encountered before. That includes Revan, who the player met during the Yavin 4 op and appears as a Force ghost before they go into a trance. 

...ok.  So what was the whole flashpoint, by that logic?

The flashpoint isn’t Satele’s mind.  It’s the playable character’s mind.  Everything that happens?  Essentially the player’s fan fic about how they really killed the Emperor.  Everything is representative and completely controlled by the memory of the player.  Remember, “My mind, my rules” in the finale of KotET.

That is, until the very end when Satele ‘wakes up’ and reveals that she and her students have been playing dead, essentially; they let the Emperor think he had consumed and dominated them.  They let his arrogance think they had toppled easy, with Satele barely hanging on by a thread.  While she dangled, the Emperor turned his attention to the player character.  The second that the player entered the trance, Satele, the students, and the Emperor all ‘changed instances’ to the player’s mind, not Satele’s mind.  The only things there are things that that the player knew. 

What purpose does the Commander serve? 

Remember that the door swung two ways on the whole Emperor’s occupation of the Outlander’s mind.  Not only could the Outlander not get rid of Valkorion, but Valkorion could not get out. He never does regain the power to use the Outlander as a meat puppet; the Outlander fights too hard for Valkorion to get up off that throne and kill Lana/Theron/Senya/Arcann. 

Basically, Scourge and Kira are using the Commander as a cage.  Remember that the imprint of Tenebrae (the so-called virus) doesn’t know anyone.  Valkorion, Vitiate -- they’re manifestations of a personality that is currently running on a backup file that was made once and not updated.  Valkorion ‘knows’ thanks to Kira’s memories that he lived in the Outlander.  Vitiate ‘knows’ he controlled Kira and the Jedi Knight in the past... but neither of them remember how that worked.  They have the facts, gleaned from sources after the fact, but they have no active memory of doing these things.

That means Valkorion doesn’t necessarily ‘know’ or ‘remember’ how trapped he was in the Outlander’s mind.  He sees this powerful person, he wants that powerful person to control... and can’t remember what happened last time.

The Emperor is all too keen to run into the trap that is the Commander’s head.  Another big powerful creature like Satele Shan he can dominate and control -- and off he went to try to consume the player’s mind.  But he forgot what happened at the end of that story! 

But Satele says it’s her mind and her trap.

And so it is.  I do think Satele was containing the Emperor until Scourge and Kira arrived with the player character.  As I say above, I think there’s a moment where everyone ‘changed instances’ into the player’s mind, which is the cage of Valkorion.  Otherwise, I think we would have seen things and done things that would reveal more about Satele.  We only see and hear things that the player knew before they went into a trance. 

Ultimately, the spirit/essence/soul/whatever of the Emperor is defeated by the Jedi Force plan thing that Scourge and Kira and Satele cooked up. They just use the player as a holding pen, essentially; worked before, so why not now?

Also, the end scene of the the flashpoint (the one with Satele) can be very self-indulgent.  Want to kill Satele?  Oh, if only you could.   You want to confess how you regret your decision regarding exiling/killing Theron?  Forgive me, Mother, for I have sinned.  Want your mother-in-law’s approval, if you romanced Theron?  Here you go.  Want a Grand Master to say what a great and powerful Jedi/Sith you are?  You get a compliment, you get a compliment...  It’s whatever the player wants Satele to say to them.  So again, this is all a happy coda to the flashpoint that the player in their own mind dreams up. (Granted, is that not the function of video games?  Us being the hero?  Us getting a little wish fulfillment?)

Can that still be real, if we 'change instances’ back into Satele’s mind once the Emperor is defeated?  Sure. If you believe Dream!Satele is real (and reusing her campground on Odessen), go for it. 

**

As I said at the top, I have a feeling this is more of a product of under-developed writing than a deliberate deep dive in to Socrates.  I wish we did find out more about Satele; Theron indicated he didn’t want to go in because he didn’t want to dig deep into her psyche.  He didn’t know what we would find -- turned out to be nothing, but... there could have been something. 

[asknightqueendany]

Why is everyone so shook that Sansa relied on Baelish for so long? Dany took 7 seasons to realize that the prophecy from that witch was wrong and she took 7 seasons to admit that she was raped by Drogo. Baelish saved sansa’s life 2 times when he got her out of kings landing and when he saved her from Lysa. He got inside her head again in s7 and she fell for it but she realized and she started playing him (Sophie conformed this) and she WON.

Arya was in the wrong in s7, bc she heard Sansa screaming in s1 and in s6 when she watched that play she saw “sansa” faint on stage and then saw her clothes being ripped of by Tyrion, Arya knew that sansa wasn’t living her best life in KL so why’d she act like that in s7? Sansa never said anything mean to Arya in s7 until Arya started accusing her of shit. Arya never once questioned why Baelish had a letter Sansa had written from years ago with him. She never thought it might be a setup. Contd..Part 2- Arya fell for baelish’s plot just as much Sansa did. Also Arya was much more secretive abt her past than Sansa was as she explained why she wrote the letter and etc. so if anyone had any reason to be doubtful it was Sansa. Sansa was confused by arya’s Bag of faces and Arya was not helping by being so suspicious           

Combining these two because they’re about the same thing essentially.

1) Dany admitted back in S3 what she was to Drogo. “People learn to love their chains.” She was a slave to him and she fell in love with him out of necessity. Book!Dany has similar thoughts on the matter, continuing to remind the audience that she was, in fact, property, and not a proper wife: “Slavery is not the same as rain,” she insisted. “I have been rained on and I have been sold. It is not the same. No man wants to be owned.” “The exile had offered her brother his sword the night Dany had been sold to Khal Drogo.” “Do you know what it is like to be sold, squire? I do. My brother sold me to Khal Drogo for the promise of a golden crown. Well, Drogo crowned him in gold, though not as he had wished, and I … my sun-and-stars made a queen of me, but if he had been a different man, it might have been much otherwise. Do you think I have forgotten how it felt to be afraid?”

Something people forget about Daenerys because they likely skim over her chapters and scenes is that she is very self-aware and aware of the world as it is and her place in it. She knew exactly what she was and she tells the audience she was afraid. It didn’t take her seven seasons to figure that out.

2) Sophie’s version of S7 and the actual scripts (and Isaac Hemstead Wright) paint a very different version of events. Sophie’s of the opinion that she learns the truth sooner and begins to play Baelish. She says in THIS video that she sees through Baelish’s game “Sometimes, I play a little game” and she and Arya then devise a plan to take him down.

But that is in direct contrast to what IHW says and what the scripts say. IHW says in THIS Variety interview that, “We actually did a scene that clearly got cut, a short scene with Sansa where she knocks on Bran’s door and says, “I need your help,” or something along those lines. So basically, as far as I know, the story was that it suddenly occurred to Sansa that she had a huge CCTV department at her discretion and it might be a good idea to check with him first before she guts her own sister. So she goes to Bran, and Bran tells her everything she needs to know, and she’s like, “Oh, s—.”

And the script of 7x07:

So in the script, Sansa is clearly thinking about turning against Jon and also that she believes Baelish about Arya wanting to kill her. I think Sophie’s video about Sansa is a bit skewed and is her own headcanon of events because it’s clearly contradicted twice.

3) The Arya-Sansa issue. I will never stop defending Arya for the events of S7 because no matter which way you slice it, Sansa was in a position of a lot of power (acting ruler of the North) when Arya wasn’t in any kind of position of power. And she made the most foolish decision ever by ONLY listening to Baelish’s council and no one else. There is literally no good reason Sansa shouldn’t have confided in Brienne about the Arya scenario unless she legitimately was planning on killing Arya before Arya had a chance to kill her - which is what the S7 script and IHW’s interview clearly show Sansa almost did.

4) Along with Sansa being to blame for her own actions by not seeking council from anyone but Baelish - the person who would have only whispered in her ear things she wanted to hear while someone like Brienne would have given Sansa more tough love and had her face issues and questions that would be uncomfortable to Sansa (as she did in S6 when asking her why she didn’t trust Jon with the info about Baelish to which Sansa never replies), on the flip side, Arya’s side, Sansa looks INCREDIBLY guilty of something - namely, trying to take the North from Jon and seize power for herself (which again, the script suggests Sansa almost did, so Arya was RIGHT).

I pointed out in THIS ask what things were like from Arya’s POV. I won’t repeat myself entirely, you can read it at your leisure, but I will mention the highlights:

a) Arya sees Wolkan give the scroll to Baelish and Baelish says, “Lady Stark thanks you for your service,” making it seem as if Sansa was the one who had Wolkan find the scroll, not Baelish.

b) Arya goes to Sansa immediately and does NOT plot or conspire behind her back. Whereas ALL Arya scenes - aside from her spying on Baelish - are with Sansa - MOST of the Sansa scenes are with Baelish. THAT’S fucking telling. As soon as Arya finds the scroll, she confronts her sister. She’s being incredibly straight forward. Sansa is not and Baelish is never far from her side.

c) Sansa expresses her sourness at the fact that she’s not queen: “You should be on your knees thanking me.” Not unlike this quote from the first book in the series, A Game of Thrones: “Go ahead, call me all the names you want," Sansa said airily. "You won't dare when I'm married to Joffrey. You'll have to bow to me and call me Your Grace.” So in Arya’s mind, Sansa hasn’t changed, AT ALL. And for good reason. I’m still pissed at Sansa about this. Like, way to go, you withheld valuable information that, had your brother had before the battle, might have resulted in less of his men getting killed because he could have been able to plan better. And she takes credit for winning the whole battle when her actions resulted in deaths that could have been prevented. It’s not a cool look there Sansa.

d) Sansa sends Brienne away. Arya confirms with Brienne before they have their little “training session” - “You swore to serve both my mother’s daughters?” So Arya knows Brienne would, not take Arya’s side against Sansa, but would serve them equally, possibly help solve issues between them. And she gets sent away. Again, Arya is in NO position of power and Sansa is. Sansa sending away Brienne makes the power imbalance between them even worse. Arya’s got to be feeling threatened and for good reason! Sansa’s move of sending Brienne away is basically her telling Arya - you have no one on your side and as Sansa tells Arya in the bag of faces scene “I have hundreds of men here who are all loyal to me.” Arya doesn’t have that. She just has herself. Arya is the one in more danger here. Not Sansa.

5) Arya seeing the play so she should “know” what Sansa went through - actually, it’s the exact opposite so thanks for helping my argument...? The play from S6 portrays Ned Stark as a bumbling irrational power-seeker and portrays Joffrey and Cersei as VICTIMS! So when the same play also portrays her sister as a victim too...why would Arya believe that? She had the letter from Sansa saying the Lannisters were giving her “every comfort”. She would have no reason to believe that that wasn’t true and that the play would have made things up about Sansa to make her seem more innocent than she possibly was (even though Sansa’s role in the play was actually the only accurate thing about it).

And so far as Arya seeing Sansa the day of Ned’s death - yes she hears Sansa scream (who wouldn’t find watching their father beheaded traumatic?) but she doesn’t see Sansa faint because Yoren has her face pressed to him and blocks her view of everything. But, Arya knows Ned confessed to crimes he didn’t commit, knows Sansa spoke to Joffrey of their father, and knows from the letter that Sansa believed their father a traitor. Something the books highlight even more as Sansa never questions them all calling their father a traitor, she’s just concerned with getting to marry Joffrey and her family’s actions possibly ruining that for her.

So for Arya, it all adds up to Sansa being guilty. Sansa’s actions in S7 do not help matters. She’s the one acting suspicious and according to many sources, Arya has good reason to be suspicious of Sansa.

End. Of. Story.

[missymwac]

Call of Jury Duty

“Am I in the right place?”

That was the question I asked a very stressed out security person as I reported for jury duty early this morning. Yes, the dreaded “Day of Duty” had arrived and I was not looking forward to it. I was trying my best to remain upbeat and positive about the whole thing, citing my “civic duty” and all, even trying to harness my inner Stanley Hudson from The Office:

But truthfully, I wasn’t feeling it. As I made my way downtown, I was unsure of everything, especially where to park. Turns out, they have many signs for jurors to follow-and they all lead to a parking garage. I don’t like parking garages. I have nothing against them-they serve a purpose. It’s just, well, I suck at parking. The only thing worse than a parking garage to me is parallel parking. If someone said, “Listen, woman, you either parallel park this Jeep Wrangler or live in exile, wandering the woods in a pair of leggings with little cameras printed on them and eating kale for every meal,” then I would have no other choice than to wave goodbye to the regular world and shove my bloated farty stomach into a pair of customized leggings made in China.

Now, this is my first jury summons, so I had no idea what to expect. I knew that I had to be there at 8:30. I knew that unless I had planned ahead and received special permission (which I hadn’t) I was not allowed to bring in my phone. I knew that the attorneys for the plaintiff and the defendant would ask us questions, but that was about it. What I didn’t know was, where, exactly, I was to report. See, in our town there are three courthouses and they are all clustered together on a corner. And yes, I did have a map, but following directions on a map falls right under “Parking Garage” on the List of Things I Don’t Do Well.

I was running a bit behind schedule (see parking garage above) so when I was informed that no, I was not in the right place, I started to frazzle. The summons said 8:30. What if I was late and got into trouble?I had left in plenty of time, and yet, here I was running down the sidewalk. It was like the dream I have that I am back in high school and can’t remember my locker combination and I’m standing there trying every combination I know and my books are falling on the ground and OMG, I FORGOT TO DO MY HOMEWORK.

I ran across the street and up the steps to the OTHER courthouse, waited in line, walked through a metal detector, and then waited some more while security had to “take a look at my keys,” which I thought odd, as other than my plastic Jesus flashlight, there is nothing powerful on that lanyard. I suspect they wanted to get a good look at flashlight Jesus but didn’t want to ask.

Security complete, I made my way back to the jury room and checked in with a very very nice woman who asked my name.

“Do you need to see my summons?” “No.” “Do you need my photo ID?” “No, sweetheart, you’re fine.”

Had I known that they weren’t going to verify my identity, I could have put an ad on Craigslist: “Jury Duty Proxy. Must be female or identify as female. Must be willing to be bored out of your mind for 4 hours. Script will be provided. $15 an hour.”

Soda, coffee, and water was available while we waited, but thanks to my walnut-sized bladder, I passed on all three. I noticed the clock on the wall as I went to take my seat—8:30am exactly. Booyah. Take THAT, parking garage! And then I continued to glance up at the clock: 8:45. 9:00. 9:20. 9:45… I felt brain cells start to die off with each tick of the second hand.

Finally, a bailiff and judge’s assistant came to get us. I’m not sure if “judge’s assistant” is the correct term, but it’s what I remember he was. And if you happen be an assistant to a judge, I mean no disrespect; I don’t know legal terms. But whatever your name is, really, waiting almost an hour and a half? We need to do something about that.

They issued us all Juror numbers and made us stand in several rows. My number was 33, which pleased me, as my favorite number is 3. Yes, it’s a stupid thing to be happy about, but when you wait 1.5 thirsty hours in a large room with nothing but a 2014 Real Simple magazine to keep you company, you find joy where you can.

Numbers in hand, our band of possible jurors tromped out to the elevators and up to the 7th floor, where we were put into yet another order to make entering the courtroom easier. I commented to the woman next to me that in the time it took to arrange us, we could have already been in there. She agreed AND had a British accent, so she also made me happy. I was grasping at Happiness Straws, people!

Into the courtroom we go where the attorneys and their clients were waiting. We all sat down and counsel made introductions. I tried to figure out who, exactly, were the defendant and plaintiff, cause there seemed to be an awful lot of people on one side of the room. Turns out, the plaintiff had an attorney, another attorney, another woman who isn’t an attorney but serves some purpose, the plaintiff and the plaintiff’s brother. The plaintiff’s side really needed a bigger table.

The judge enters and we all rise. It’s the first time I’ve been in a courtroom and the first time I’ve ever risen for a judge. I mean, I’ve watched Judge Judy, but I don’t rise for her. Sorry, Judy. The judge was nothing but kind, thanking us all for giving of our time to be there and be a part of this very important judicial process. He asked if anyone had a reason that they felt made them unable to serve on a jury and oh, did the hands go up. He addressed each possible juror, row by row.

Now, I’ll be honest-I was going to raise my hand. I went in there knowing that I was going to raise my hand. I have pre-paid sessions on my books and being selected for a trial is going to be a pain and possibly cost me money, as I will have to reschedule those appointments and hope that everyone is okay with the rescheduling and if not, I will have to refund hundreds of dollars. I had my speech all prepared as to why I could not serve on a 2-3 day trial and then…I heard the reasons others were giving:

“My dad has Alzheimer’s and we are in the process of moving him into a long term care facility. It’s just me and my brother taking care of him and we take turns, because we both have to work.”

“I am budgeted down the dollar and can’t afford the $7.50 an hour stipend the court issues. I need my work hours or I won’t be able to pay my rent.”

“I take care of my dad and my grandmother. Both are in a wheelchair and my dad just had a pacemaker installed, so he can’t do any sort of heavy lifting. As for my grandma, I cook for her and help bathe her and take both she and my dad to their doctor appointments.”

Yeah, THESE are true hardships. And having heard them, I kept my mouth shut.

The process continued with counsel asking open questions to all of us. If we had something we felt relevant to the question, then we were to raise our hand. And many did…including me.

See, the case going to trial was a civil case involving a very elderly lady (plaintiff) and a young woman in her 20’s (defendant) I don’t know the details, but it involved a car accident in 2015 wherein the plaintiff was claiming negligence on the part of the defendant. The plaintiff claimed the results of the auto accident left her with lingering back and neck issues.

The attorney for the plaintiff went first. He was an older man who was very hard of hearing, which resulted in him speaking quietly. So quietly, in fact, that the woman sitting in front of me raised her hand and suggested he use the microphone.

The questions included things like:

“Has anyone been injured in a car accident?” “Do any of you have family members working in the medical field.” “Do any of you have any knowledge or relationship with either counsel, the defendant or the plaintiff?” “Do any of you have issues with believing the assessment of a physician?” “Do any of you believe an individual should not be reasonably compensated for injuries.”

And there it was. The question that caused my hand to shoot up.

I stood, introduced myself as we were instructed to do, and said that I have a question. I really wanted to say, “Let me answer your question with a question,” as I’ve always wanted to use that line in a serious conversation, but felt that a courtroom setting might be pushing it.

Me: “I obviously don’t know the details of this case, but this is all over an auto accident, correct?”

Attorney: “Yes.”

Me: “And this case is a LAWSUIT over the auto accident, correct?”

Attorney: “Yes.”

Me: “Okay, then I think I do have issue with the term “reasonably compensated.”

Attorney: “What do you mean by that?”

Me: “Well, my daughter was recently in accident, just a little over a year go. She was sitting at a red light and a truck ran the red. It hit a car in the intersection which pushed another car into my daughter’s vehicle, pushing it up onto the sidewalk, totaling the car. 12 inches more and she would have been carried away in an ambulance. She was injured, both her back and her neck, but never once did she consider suing the guy who ran the red. She was thankful she was alive. The driver of the truck was simply in a hurry and made a bad call. No one died. Life was going to go on. But again, a lawsuit never entered her mind. Or ours.”

Attorney: “Okay, then, but let me ask you-don’t you think that if an individual is injured in an automobile accident that they are entitled to reasonable compensation for those injuries.”

Me: “Define “reasonable compensation.”

Attorney: <silence>

Me: Because what’s reasonable to some people certainly isn’t reasonable to others. And furthermore, isn’t that the reason we HAVE auto insurance? I mean, by law, we have to carry it. And doesn’t most auto insurance pay out medical when these things happen? And let’s face it, life stuff DOES happen. To all of us.

Attorney: “So you don’t think reasonable compensation due to negligence is required.”

Me: “I never said that. I said that I don’t know the details of the case, so I could be wrong, but if insurance covered the medical needs following the accident, then a lawsuit seems rather a waste of the court’s time. A lawsuit, at least to me, is a pretty big deal. I mean, let’s face it, we’re a litigious happy society, are we not? And there are big issues that demand that course of action. Giant, life shattering events. But this? Again, I don’t know the details, but from what you’ve shared with us thus far, I just don’t see it.”

I sat down and glanced at the counsel tables. The plaintiff was shooting daggers at me with her eyes and the attorney for the defense was looking down at his notes, but I swear I saw a hint of a smile.

But then, it started to snowball. Another hand shot up.

“Yeah, I can’t remember her name over there, but I agree with her. I served as foreman on a case where someone had already been compensated but sued anyway. I just think we sue over everything now.”

Another hand.

And another hand, all echoing that sentiment.

Jiminy Christmas. Would this help or hinder my chances of getting picked? I had no idea.

In the end, I didn’t get picked for the trial, and that’s okay. I was actually kind of invested in it at that point and would have liked to have been picked, but I was glad to at least have spoken my thoughts to the room as instructed and if they gave someone a different perspective, then good.

After the jury announcement was made, I said a little sadly under my breath, “Oh, I didn’t get picked.” The guy in front of me turned around and said, “Hah! Did you think you would after that? It was great, by the way. You practically made the case for the defense right there.”

I have nothing further. Juror #33 rests, your honor.

xoxo

[dfroza]

One Lord.

One faith. One baptism. One eternal Heavenly Father and Creator, who is Author.

and so why so much division here on earth?

Paul writes of this shared faith and hope in Love in the ancient Letter of Philemon as Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the New Testament:

Paul, a prisoner of Jesus the Anointed One, with our brother Timothy, to you, beloved Philemon, our fellow worker; and to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church that gathers in your house. May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus the Anointed surround you.

I am constantly thanking God for you in my prayers because I keep hearing about your love and faith toward our Lord Jesus and all those set apart for His purposes. Here’s what I’ve been praying on your behalf:

Thank You, Father, for Philemon. I pray that as he goes and tells his story of faith, he would tell everyone so that they will know for certain all the good that comes to those who put their trust in the Anointed One.

My brother, because you are out there encouraging and reviving the hearts of fellow saints with such love, this brings great joy and comfort to me.

Although I am bold enough in the Anointed, our Liberating King, to insist you do the right thing, instead I choose to appeal to you on account of love. I do this for my own sake since I, Paul, am an old man and am held prisoner because of my service to Jesus the Anointed. I make this request on behalf of my child, Onesimus, whom I brought to faith during my time in prison. Before, he was useless to you; but now he is useful to both you and me. Listen, I am sending my heart back to you as I send him to stand before you, although truly I wished to keep him at my side to take your place as my helper while I am bound for the good news. But I didn’t want to make this decision without asking for your permission. This way, any goodwill on your part wouldn’t be seen as forced, but as your true and free desire.

Maybe this is the reason why he was supposed to be away from you for this time: so that now you will have him back forever— no longer as a slave, but as more than a slave—as a dear brother. Yes, he is dear to me, but I suspect he will come to mean even more to you, both in the flesh as a servant and in the Lord as a brother.

So if you look upon me as your partner in this mission, then I ask you to open your heart to him as you would welcome me. And if he has wronged you or owes you anything, charge it to me. Look, I’ll put it here in my own handwriting: I, Paul, promise to repay you everything. (Should I remind you that you owe me your life?) Indeed, brother, I want you to do me this favor out of obedience to our Lord. It will refresh my heart in Him. This letter comes, written with the confidence that you will not only do what I ask, but will also go beyond all I have asked.

One more thing: you should get a room ready for me as I hope to be released to you soon in answer to your prayers. Epaphras (my fellow prisoner in Jesus, the Anointed One) greets you, as well as my fellow workers Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus the Anointed be with your spirit. [Amen.]

The Letter of Philemon, Chapter 1 (The Voice)

A note from The Voice:

The gospel is a powerful social force for good, capable of making rich and poor, slave and free into beloved brothers.

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 40th chapter of the book of Jeremiah where Jeremiah was set free:

The word of the Eternal came again to Jeremiah after Nebuzaradan (captain of the imperial guard) found the prophet in chains with the rest of the exiles from Jerusalem and Judah and let him go. He had been taken to Ramah with the others who would soon be deported to Babylon. When the captain of the imperial guard learned of the mix-up, he took Jeremiah aside and spoke to him.

Nebuzaradan: Your God, the Eternal, commanded all of this to happen. He brought this disaster on this land, just as He said He would. And it all happened because your people sinned against the Eternal and refused to obey His voice. But today I am giving you your freedom. I am ordering the chains removed from your wrists. I am also giving you the chance to decide where you will live. If you’d like, you can come with me to Babylon, and I will look out for you. But if you’d rather not come to Babylon, then don’t. Look around you; you can go from here today and live anywhere you want. You decide.

But before Jeremiah turned to leave, Nebuzaradan made a suggestion.

Nebuzaradan: Why don’t you go back to Gedaliah (son of Ahikim and grandson of Shaphan)? The king of Babylon has put him in charge of the towns of Judah. You could live with him and still be among your people. But again, feel free to go where you please.

At this point, the captain gave Jeremiah some food and supplies, along with a gift, and released him. Jeremiah took his advice and went to Mizpah where Gedaliah (son of Ahikim) had settled. There he remained with the others who had been left behind in the land of Judah.

The news reached Judah’s army officers and soldiers who were scattered throughout the countryside that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah (son of Ahikam) governor and put him in charge of the men, women, and children—the poor people of the land—who had not been deported to Babylon. So a group of them came to Gedaliah’s home in Mizpah to meet with him. These included Ishmael (son of Nethaniah), Johanan and Jonathan (sons of Kareah), Seraiah (son of Tanhumeth), the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah (son of the Maacathite), along with all their men. Gedaliah (son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan) reassured those who gathered.

Gedaliah (to the leaders and their men): Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. If you will settle peacefully in the land, agree to serve the king of Babylon, and give up any idea of rebelling against him, things will go well for you. I will continue to live here in Mizpah and act as your representative whenever the Chaldeans come and want something from us. Go back and live in the villages and towns you have taken over. Harvest the grapes for wine, the summer fruits, and the olives for oil. Store what you gather, and live your lives in peace.

When all the Judeans living in Moab, Ammon, Edom, and the other neighboring nations heard that the king of Babylon had permitted a few people to remain in Judah and left Gedaliah (son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan) in charge, they began to return home to the land of Judah from all the places to which they had run. With Gedaliah as their leader, governing from Mizpah, they returned to their ancestral lands to gather a great harvest of grapes for wine and summer crops.

Now Johanan (son of Kareah) and the rest of the army officers who were still in the field came to Mizpah to speak with Gedaliah.

Johanan (speaking for the rest): Are you aware that Ishmael (son of Nethaniah) has been hired by Baalis, the king of the Ammonites, to kill you?

But Gedaliah (son of Ahikam) had not heard of this threat and was not inclined to believe them. So while he was in Mizpah, Johanan asked to speak with Gedaliah privately.

Johanan: Authorize me to go and kill Ishmael (son of Nethaniah). No one will know what happened. Should he be allowed to kill you just because he thinks you’re a pawn of Babylon? Think of what will happen to those Jews who have returned home and look to you as their leader. They will be scattered again, left to die because Babylon would consider this an act of aggression against them.

Gedaliah: Do not kill him! What you are saying about Ishmael is not true!

The Book of Jeremiah, Chapter 40 (The Voice)

A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures for Wednesday, September 22 of 2021 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A post by John Parsons that looks at the significance of the Scriptures as pieces of a larger picture:

We learn about God through the witness of His Spirit preserved in the holy Scriptures, but to properly interpret the Scriptures we must read in context, and therefore we must endeavor to understand the New Testament in light of the Torah, not the other way around... Without the background of the Torah and the history of the Jewish people, the meaning and terms of the New Testament will be obscure and subject to misunderstanding (John 4:22; Rom. 9:4).

It is written in our Scriptures: "Yeshua the Messiah became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the fathers" (Rom. 15:8). He came from heaven, "tabernacling with us," as Israel's promised Redeemer and the manifest revelation of God (John 1:14; 1 Tim. 3:16), his mother Miriam (Mary) being miraculously conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, Yeshua was born the "King of the Jews" in Bet Lechem (Bethlehem), "born under the law" as the "Second Adam" (or "Son of Man"); and was circumcised according to the Torah on the eighth day, being given the Hebrew name "Yeshua," God's Salvation. Yeshua grew up as a faithful Jew, fluent in Torah reading and study (Luke 4:16-21; John 4:22). He observed all the Torah holidays as prescribed by the law of Moses. When he began his public ministry, he was baptized to identify himself as the "Son of Man," calling out to the lost sheep of the house of Israel to repent and believe the message of God's redemption revealed in him. Yeshua repeatedly taught that the Scriptures foretold of his coming and bore witness of Him (John 5:39). He foretold his sacrificial death for our sins and his resurrection from the dead (Mark 10:32-34). After his crucifixion and resurrection, he told his disciples that he is the central meaning of all the Jewish Scriptures: "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself" (Luke 24:27; John 5:39; 8:58). He then instructed his followers to go to Jerusalem to receive the Holy Spirit on the very day of Shavuot ("Pentecost"), in fulfillment of the Scriptures. Later, when he miraculously called out to the Apostle Paul to follow him, Yeshua identified himself as the Jewish Messiah by using the Hebrew language (Acts 26:14).

We study Torah to know Yeshua, the "Living Torah" better, as he said: “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old" (Matt. 13:52). Our Lord observed Sukkot (and all the holidays of Torah), and he wanted his followers to understand why (Luke 24:27; Luke 24:44; John 1:45; John 5:46; Gal. 4:4-5; etc.). After all, Yeshua wanted his followers to understand his ministry, but to do so, we must understand its context in Jewish history and tradition. Sukkot, or "Tabernacles" is part of our heritage as those who trust in the LORD God of Israel and his salvation given in Yeshua. Amen. [Hebrew for Christians]

9.21.21 • Facebook

and another about the treasured “space” of the heart:

Though the LORD is forever enthroned in heaven as our Creator, our King, and our loving Deliverer, and though the heavens shout out his praise and the whole earth is filled with His glory (Isa. 6:3), nevertheless we must make a dwelling within our hearts. In great humility the LORD stands at the door and knocks (Rev. 3:20). Where does God dwell but where He is given a place, a sanctuary, a throne within the heart?

The Torah states, "On the first day [of Sukkot] you shall take to yourselves the fruit of the goodly tree (etrog), branches of palm trees (lulav), boughs of leafy trees (hadassim) and willows of the brook (aravot), and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days" (Lev. 23:40). In Jewish tradition, after reciting the Hebrew blessing and shaking the bouquet around, it is customary to recite (or sing) the following antiphon from Psalm 136: “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

Indeed, is there any better reason to give thanks to the LORD than because of His steadfast love, i.e., His chesed (חֶסֶד)? Is there anything greater than God’s love? Can anything overcome it? Can even the hardness of your own heart somehow veto or negate it’s purposes? It was because of His great love that God himself (יהוה) “emptied Himself” of heavenly glory, clothed himself in human flesh and came to us, disguised as a lowly servant. God performed this act of “infinite condescension” in order to “sukkah” with us as our “hidden King” (John 1:1,14, Phil. 2:7-8). Your neshama (soul) is likened to the “Shulamite woman” he came to woo so that you might “come into His tent” -- willingly, from a heart that comes from trust (Song of Solomon).

When we receive Yeshua as the Lover of our souls, we abide in the hope of love that awaits future consummation in the world to come... Meanwhile, we are “suspended between worlds,” though the veil of this world has been rent asunder and we may now appear before the LORD in the realm of the spirit by faith. We can come “boldly” before the Throne of Grace (παρρησίας τῷ θρόνῳ τῆς χάριτος) to find help for our lives (Heb. 4:16). Note that the word translated “boldly” in this verse (παρρησίας) comes from πᾶς (all) + ῥέω (to utter), suggesting that we can speak freely to God and share everything within our heart without fear or shame. We do not need to conceal ourselves from the Divine Light -- any more than we need to perform religious rituals or offer any “prescribed prayers” to access Him. We who are trusting in God’s sheltering love understand the LORD to be our loving Savior and Redeemer. In our brokenness we can bare our souls before Him without fear ("there is no fear in love" - אין פַּחַד בָּאַהֲבָה). We can express “all our heart” to the LORD and be assured that He will help us in our hour of need (Heb. 4:16). “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart to him; God is a refuge for us” (Psalm 62:8). [Hebrew for Christians]

9.22.21 • Facebook

Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research

September 22, 2021

Purified Seven Times

“The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” (Psalm 12:6-7)

The preservation of the divinely given words of Scripture is incomparably superior to that of all other ancient writings. God has not allowed any of His words to “pass away,” for Jesus said: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). They are, in fact, “for ever...settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89).

Although the original “autographs” of Moses, Paul, and the other human writers have long vanished (perhaps they have even been translated to heaven with the Ark of the Covenant— note Revelation 11:19), God saw to it that dedicated Hebrew scribes and Christian scholars meticulously copied the writings through the centuries so that we still have God’s Word to guide us today. Although there are variant readings in different manuscripts, the original words are there somewhere. Very few real questions remain about any of these, so we have the original Greek and Hebrew words to a high degree of accuracy.

The fires of anti-Christian persecution, caviling humanistic philosophies, literary criticism, scientific skepticism, pagan pantheism, cultic distortions, and apathetic indifference have sought to destroy God’s Word, but all have failed. It is the bestseller of all time, translated into more languages than any other writings.

No matter what forces are directed against it, it always emerges brighter and surer than ever! Even this present generation will fail in all modern attempts to defeat the Holy Scriptures, for God will “preserve them from this generation for ever.” HMM

[i-am-a-closet-fanfic-fiend]

Snow Ball Part 2 ~ Peter Parker x Reader

A/N: There will be 5 parts to this story. 2 and 3 will go up today and 4 and 5 will go up tomorrow. As such I’ll leave tag requests open through 2:00AM EST on Sunday the 14th (tonight)! 

Summary: The reader and Peter go out to birthday lunch the day after the semi-disastrous dinner. 

Characters/Pairings: Peter Parker x Powered!Stark!Reader 

Rating: K+

Warnings: reader has a little bit of low self-esteem

Word Count: 1164 

Part 1

“Well last night was fun,” Peter teased as you slid into the booth across from him.

“Yeah. Loads,” you huffed.  

“It wasn’t that bad, Y/n.”

You made a face at him.

“Oh come on, Peter. I’ll be lucky if he ever speaks to me again.”

“I’m sure that’s not true. Based on how smug he was when we left, I think he actually thinks it went well. I’m pretty sure he has no idea how close to death he was last night.”

“Thanks for that, by the way. I thought Uncle Bucky was going to jump over the table. I guess he did text me this morning and say he was really looking forward to tonight.”

“See there you go. Just don’t worry about it. I’m sure when he realized you were Tony Stark’s daughter, the potential for being grilled by the Avengers was a real thing.”

He had a point.

“I guess,” you conceded.

“Just relax. Today is your day. Focus on enjoying yourself.”

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath pushing everything else from your mind. It was your birthday and you were with your best friend who you hadn’t seen in almost three months. That was what mattered.

Opening your eyes, you smiled, "You're right. Okay, so why are we here instead of at the diner? We always go to the diner on our birthdays."

"Because the diner doesn't serve alcohol and I am buying you your first drink," he smirked handing you the small leather bound menu.

You bit your lip as you leafed through it, unsure of what to get.

"Any suggestions?" You asked helplessly.

"Knowing you, I'd go with their sangria."

You nodded, trusting his judgment. You'd always shied away from alcohol, concerned about what its effects would do to your powers. But being with Peter you knew he wouldn't let anything happen to you.

"Then sangria it is."

When the waiter came over to take your order you fiddled with your ID. You knew you had no reason to be nervous. It was real, it was your 21st birthday. But you still couldn't help it. He stared at it for a moment before stopping a passing waitress.

"What's today's date?"

"January 9th."

"Thanks." He smiled as he handed back your ID. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you.”

“I'll be right back with your drinks and to take your order."

You blew out a sigh of relief and Peter chuckled at you.

"Shut up."

"So are you looking forward to tonight?" he asked as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.

"Yeah. Sort of. I mean."

"What's wrong, y/n?"

"I'm just scared I'm going to embarrass dad."

He was shocked by your comment.

"Embarrass him? How could you possibly do that?"

"By being myself. I mean he's kept me out of the limelight for so long. I mean I haven't been a hazard to anyone else's health for years. I kinda have to wonder if this extended exile is because he's ashamed of me,” you admitted quietly.

"That couldn't be further from the truth. He is so unbelievably proud of you. He's just trying to protect you."

"From what?"

"The press. They can be cruel."

"You realize you're a member of the press."

"Which is why I know that better than anyone,” he said softly.

"But dad has always been in the news."

"Exactly. The media has had an image of him since he was a kid. And if the news had caught wind of you all of your glory would have been his and your failures yours. Your dad waited until you were your own person who could be separated from him."

"I guess that makes sense."

"Y/n, you are the most important thing to him. He would do anything to protect you. You know that."

You had to agree with that. After all protecting you was the reason he had buried the hatchet with Bucky.

After he and Steve made up, Tony tried his best to tolerate Bucky. The logical part of his brain knew Bucky shouldn’t be blamed for HYDRA’s sins, but he still struggled with it. You on the other hand took right to him. It was nice to be around someone who understood feeling like a monster. That didn’t particularly warm Tony to him.

It didn’t seem that anything would, until the remnants of HYDRA found out about you and kidnapped and tortured you. Bucky was the one who had saved you. After that, Tony’s gratitude overwhelmed the last vestige of hatred and suspicion, and the two of them had struck up a genuine friendship.  

Weighing his explanation, you decided he was probably correct, and even if he wasn’t it was better to believe him than the alternative.

"Thanks, Peter."

"Of course. That's what I'm here for."

"Can I ask you something that you may not want to answer?"

He was more curious than wary, but he still hesitated a moment before nodding. "Shoot."

"What did you think of Rory?"

You knew from his expression that it wasn't positive.

"That bad? Really?"

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to."

"Okay, hear me out."

You gestured for him to continue.

"I think you're way out of his league. I think that you could do so much better than him. He seems too smooth for his own good.” You were about to interject but he raised a hand to stop you. “But, if he is what you want, I will support you. And I will help keep your dad and your uncles off your back. But if he hurts you, I will help them rip him apart.”

You were a little surprised by the steel in his voice. Peter had always cared about you, but he had never been as over-protective as Bucky, Steve, or your father. He fiddled with his menu before looking up at you again.

“Will you do something for me?"

"What?"

"While you’re dating this guy. Just remember, you are absolutely amazing. And you deserve someone who makes you feel that way every single day."

"Peter... thank you."

You had been surprised, now you were completely floored by the emotion in his gaze and his voice.

You were relieved when the waiter chose that moment to return with your drinks. It gave you an excuse to briefly look away from him until he raised his glass to you in a quiet toast.

"Happy birthday, y/n. I hope it's as amazing as you are."

He watched you intently as you took your first sip of sangria, and he couldn't help but laugh at your confused expression. You weren't sure if you liked the taste of it or not. You took another curious sip before nodding slightly to yourself.

"Okay, I like it."

"Good."

You spent the rest of the lunch talking about his recent extended trip to Asia and your final semester at NYU, the charged emotions fading away until you were back to your normal joking and teasing. 

A/N: So there’s part 2. A little glimpse into the relationship between Peter and the reader and the reader and Tony. I hope you enjoyed! Part 3 will go up sometime tonight! 

Part 3 

Tag Lists

Story tags(open until tonight) 

@incredibletragedies

@akoya-pearls

@markusstraya

@prancingdestiel @purplekitten30 @dreaming-existentialist @thatlibrachild @xicanalarraa @mostannoyingbillioner

Permanent Tags

@iamwarrenspeace @jayzayy @bexboo616 @neoqueen306 @santheweird @helgahuffelpuff @buckitybarnes

[pigeonacademic]

pipermccloud So far, i've made other alien species for the gems to interact with; some they've fought, some they're neutral with, others they've aided (or been aided by) and some they've opened trade with

thegemnants that's cool! i think it's really neat for the gems to actually be involved in intergalatic affairs with other species. considering how much of the universe they must've combed through, it would make sense for them to have at least met ONE species as powerful as them.

pipermccloud Yep! Could also be a reason why they need a lot of planets and why they had to quickly churn out half-baked gems for the war

pipermccloud Because resources were low by fighting an even bigger war

thegemnants in my fic, red diamond once commit genocide against an entire species which the gems were allied with, and because of that, the gems were ex communicated from the Union... which is one of the reasons why red diamond is so awful and yeah, if there were other aliens, it would make sense why the gems need more resources

pipermccloud The Union? I haven't heard much of REd Diamond Are you going to make a post on it? I need to go downstairs to check on my sisters real quick

thegemnants The Union is just a generic term I'm using to refer to the alignment between the other aliens :P and i do think you've seen red diamond, i'm probably going to draw some more intimidating pix of her

pipermccloud ! ^-^ I've seen her before, and she does look like she'll crush you if you so much aas look at her funny

thegemnants yep! because she did that horrible atrocity to the alien species, gemkinds reputation tarnished. but it doesn't end there, because red diamond was also exiled from the gempire as a whole. not just because she commit that genocide, but because of how she did it-- forcing fusion with the other 4 Diamonds.

pipermccloud BIG YIPES

thegemnants So, Red Diamond was cast out, and took her Court with her, vanishing to create her own empire. And she was gone for millions of years before returning, stronger than ever. There's more to it than that, but yeeeeah, that's red diamond's story :'D

pipermccloud DAMN SHE'S HORRIFYING Suggested nickname for her: The Red Death

thegemnants absolutely! :D Sometimes I wanna call her Blood Diamond, which is an actual term! but, you knooooow gems dont have blood :'D

pipermccloud Pfffft! True So, how is her empire like? I bet she was real rough on them now that she was on her ow n

thegemnants it's a dystopian hellscape where gems are shattered for showing the slightest bit of disrespect or noncomfority. yellow wishes she had the heart to be this intense. the only gems free from red diamond's wrath are her pearl and her zirconia, because they've been so brainwashed that they would never even THINK of doing something that would upset their diamond.

pipermccloud sent a GIF

holy cow- So, she's a dictator basically, a warmonger?

thegemnants HellllLLLL YEAH!

thegemnants and the thing is, she and her court live entirely on ships she leaves nothing left of the planets she harvests Gems from

pipermccloud OOH o-o She makes them go ka-boom. Out of not wanting to leave a trace, leave any resources for the others or just because of sadism?

thegemnants mostly just wanting to be undetectable now, what if i told you, that in my fic, there's someone worse than red diamond :'D

pipermccloud Okay, how can anyone other than Space Satan herself be more terrifying- I'm curious how o_o

thegemnants So, you may be wondering this, not just in fic sense but just in SU canon general.

thegemnants Where did the Diamonds come from? Well, a long time ago, a burst of magic born of the gap between universe brought life to a planet of carbon. Not of carbon-based minerals or carbon-based organisms, but purely of the element Carbon. "I want friends, I want friends," she cried, this living Carbon.

pipermccloud O-O

thegemnants So, from her body, she created 5 children: the Diamonds. Red, Pink, Blue, Yellow, and White. "But it's not enough" So, after a while, Carbon sent her children out to make "more friends" Thus, the first Gem Colony was created "But it's not enough, it will never be enough"

thegemnants So, the Diamonds continued to spread out, taking planet after planet, creating Gem after Gem

pipermccloud O_O

thegemnants However, after a supernova, the Diamonds were seperated from Carbon. Even though she no longer had her grasp on them, the Diamonds were still terrified of what would happen if they didn't please her. So they kept grabbing planets and making Gems.

pipermccloud holy cow

thegemnants But then, guess what? When Red Diamond was banished, she went to the other side of the universe

pipermccloud what

thegemnants AND GUESS WHO SHE FOUND AND BROUGHT BACK TO HOMEWORLD

pipermccloud CARBON

thegemnants AND GUESS WHAT CARBON DID WHEN SHE GOT TO HOMEWORLD TO PUNISH THE CHILDREN WHO WERE SO CRUEL TO HER SISTER AND SO RUDE TO HAVE NEVER LOOKED FOR HER

thegemnants SHE TOOK A BIG BITE OUT OF IT AND ABSORBED BILLIONS OF GEMS INTO HER BODY and when i say absorbed, i mean they are digesting forever inside of her while being completely concious and part of a hivemind so yeah, carbon is the "final boss" of the fic

pipermccloud I cannot find a gif for the life of me to express how horrific that is So, Cluster but over 90000 holy shit

thegemnants Yep! And that's the entire reason why Yellow wants the Cluster. What better to take out a planet-sized monster than a planet-sized monster?

thegemnants It probably would've only served as a distraction, though.

pipermccloud How many gems know of Carbon's existence? For the newer ones, is she regarded as a myth?

pipermccloud Also, what does Carbon look like?

thegemnants oooh, carbon being a scary myth that agates used to scare new recruits is actually a really good idea!

pipermccloud :D

thegemnants originally i was gonna go with a 'just diamonds know', but very, VERY old gems probably know, too and carbon is like a giant, black planet, slightly larger than earth, with a face a fucked-up nightmare face and she reflects no light have you heard of hellstar remina? that's what i'm envisioning carbon to look like, but all dark and stuff

pipermccloud I haven't actually, but holy-cow, imagine her eclipsing Homeworld..a dark shadow falls across the gempire, and wait-does it have TEETH AND EYES-

heres a picture of remina from hellstar remina basically something like this mixed with the face of an elderly woman

pipermccloud !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! pipermccloud sent a GIF

You got an eye for nightmare fuel

thegemnants awww thank you ;w;

pipermccloud She's VERY terrifying, both in personality AND appearance Red Diamond is practically Mother Thersa compared to her, isn't she?

thegemnants pretty much! :'D even red is terrified of her at first red wanted to pull a "mommy, my siblings were mean to me! aren't you going to punish them?" but when carbon took that nice, juicy bite out of homeworld she immediately went to "WTF MOM THIS ISNT WHAT I MEANT!"

pipermccloud Classic mom, always misunderstanding and doing things her own way-

pipermccloud Is it likely she'll take a bite out of her own kids too?

thegemnants they'd have to do something reeeeeally bad for that to happen, so while possible, not likely not that it's much of a solace, considering she'll still breath down your neck and cause constant anxiety with her moon-sized eyes staring down at you

pipermccloud eugg I feel so sorry for all the Diamonds even Red And this also just gave me an idea for art! How many Diamonds did Carbon have again-

thegemnants 5, but she could probably make more if she wanted. she just chooses not to :D

pipermccloud "Okay, five's enough for me, this bunch is getting out of hand."

thegemnants not to mention, since she literally turns parts of her body into the diamonds, it would probably hurt a lot huhuhu

pipermccloud Ooh, planet-version of labor pain I'm going out on a limb here and guessing she likes Red better than the others? thegemnants Well, in her eyes, Red DID come and find her, even if it wasn't actually intended. So, she probably liked Red the best. Speaking of RD's dystopian style gempire, how much does it differ from Homeworld?

thegemnants i guess it's just really... tight. homeworld as we see it in the show seems pretty bland and generic as far as alien empires go, but in my fic, i want it to be like a mirror of earth where some things are similar but the things that are different are so vastly different that its hard to wrap your head around it. (not saying that my version is better, im just not a fan of the way this show is handling its mythology)

thegemnants Whereas Red Diamond is just a complete warrior culture where none of the members have any free time at all (except for RD's Pearl and Zirconia)They're always training, training, training, working, working, working. Ship builders and engineers and mechanics have to be constantly on their toes, since the Court lives solely on ships Soldiers have to be constantly sparring one another until exhaustion cycles into movation Sapphires have to novelize any and all visions Mages have to work on spells, Tourmalines have to work on maps, Agates have to constantly supervise, etc etc etc There is literally no room for anything else

Architect wise, how do the ships look inside and out?

thegemnants big enough to be cities, but inside, it's mostly just angular and grey monotonousness. but the gems in RD's court are just so used to it that they can tell the slightest differences in these highly-similar locations to find their way around and yes, shattering always is a fear sans those higher-up, who are the only ones allowed to show any sign of slack Do they have a uniform or is it a variety, as long as it allows them to function?

thegemnants it's all uniform per gem race, although, i suppose somewhat thankfully, red diamond does like to get fancy with it thegemnants I feel like she'd prefer to stay sedentary unless she has a reason to move. Although I also think she has a room where she goes when she's upset where she just fucking beats up statues to get her stress out.  @ufolotus