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mdhwrites · 3 months ago

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May I ask your opinion about Camila as a mother? To me, she is a great mom with good writing. My only gripe is in the first ep when she's okay with Luz discarding her Azura book in the trashcan. It's Manny's gift for Luz.

This one is... Complicated. And I think we're gonna disagree hard on it just by what you consider your one gripe to be.

What is a parent's duty? This is a very, very important question to ask with this. Because, you know, as a friend, Camila is amazing. She's endlessly patient, endlessly kind, I call her a saint because she is just perfect. She has no flaws by the end of the show and scolds herself for the literal ONE TIME she ever tries to reign Luz in.

Reminder: In the first episode, Luz brings wild animals and fireworks to school without permission or without any regard to safety. She inadvertently assaulted MULTIPLE PEOPLE with those snakes because we see more than just the principle being attacked by them. We also know this isn't a first time thing because of the SPIDER SWARM. If I had been in the classroom with Luz for the spider swarm, I would have had a straight up panic attack because I, like many others, have arachnophobia.

A parent's core job, only below keeping their child alive, is to prepare them for the world. To make sure they understand right from wrong, that they understand how society works and how to handle it, how to be themselves while not hurting others, etc. like that. I'm not saying that they must make their children conform but, you know, people still have to be a part of society. To know when their freedoms come against others. Because, sure, you can release spiders into a classroom but when half the parents of the students in that class want you expelled, that is entirely in their right because you did not consider, for a second, anyone other than yourself.

At this, Camila is an abject failure by the end of the show. She actually starts really good though. Now, throwing away Manny's gift is... Yeah, that's real questionable but also Azura being from him feels like a complete retcon, especially since Luz doesn't actually hold that series that close to her. She is a pretty flighty fan and in S2, Amity does WAY more for being excited about Azura than Luz does which, you know, is kind of odd if this memento of her father means that much to her. No, in the context of S1, it's the right move. Luz has crossed the line where she is treating reality like fantasy. She thinks she can just do this stuff and it'll be fine because her perception is at best flawed. So yes, Luz needs to wake up. She needs a chance to get a reality check and Camila doesn't even ask for a huge one. She will be happy if Luz makes friends because in order to make friends, you have to meet them halfway, start showing real compassion, empathy, etc. like that, traits Luz is tragically devoid of early on. It's a good goal for not pressuring Luz too hard.

And then Luz goes to a magical world where she gets to live out the life of an isekai protagonist who by the end of the series is willing to condemn an entire world to death just because she's afraid of making another mistake and having to pay for the consequences of it. To say that's missing the point is a bit of an understatement. And I cannot emphasize this enough. She decides on her own, because she feels bad for having made a decision on her own that went poorly, to avoid all consequences for that decision and just stay home with her loving mom while leaving her friends ostensibly to go die because she admits herself that the Collector is terrifyingly powerful. That is not martyrdom, that's self pity with the veneer of sacrifice. It is still not an empathetic worldview that cares about others, reinforced in For the Future where she goes "I'm going to check and make sure King and Eda are okay and then I'm going home." She talks a much bigger game to Boscha but to her mom who knows the truth? It's to check on the people SHE cares about and then leave. All of them. The whole world doesn't matter to her. That's fucked up.

And THAT is the version of Luz that Camila APOLOGIZES to. And for what? Sending her to camp which was her just trying to get Luz to properly connect with reality ONCE. Because again, otherwise Camila has endless patience. She never brings up the promise after all, she doesn't question taking in these kids or the weird lizard girl who's been impersonating her daughter, Camila defends Luz's creativity at every step, etc. etc. She is Luz's biggest defender in the series... And still apologizes for the one time she criticizes her. The one time she arguably does her job as a mom.

That to me makes her a bad mom. Arguably, even worse than Odalia. Odalia is a WAY worse person, but as a mom? I've made blogs about the fact that the fandom projects a lot onto her, incorrectly so, and that by the standards of her own society, she is mostly just trying to protect Amity and help her succeed. Oh, what terrible goals! Yes, she's too controlling and applies too much pressure BUT AT LEAST SHE'S TRYING. And if it feels like I talk a lot more about Luz in this blog than Camila... Well, it's a parent. Their job is to raise children. So we have to look at the child as a part of the evaluation.

And Luz? Luz needed a parent, not the two friends she got out of Eda and Camila. But apparently a parent is not what anyone wants. See you next tale.

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I do want to add that I don't know where to put the fact that Camila is a single mom here because it's very complicated. It's good on her that she has the income to let Luz have expensive hobbies, do what she wants, have a house to live in, be there for all of Luz's events, meetings, etc. like that. She replicates what two parents give pretty much all the other kids in the show so well that it feels more like an oversight than anything else. Also, yes, it's good that Camila keeps Luz happy and healthy but that doesn't really change the fact that she is failing to raise Luz despite having all this time and resources to facilitate keeping Luz happy. However, I've seen the problem with that as a kid's parent would just let them watch tv and play video games with them and left it up to the kid's grandma to treat them how to read and write. Guess what activity made the kid happy versus what activity helped the kid grow as a person. And yes, that parent WAS a single mom and I judged them harshly then too.

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a-d-nox · 10 months ago

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web of wyrd: the solar plexus chakra

the numbers we are focusing on today are based on the yellow bubbled number in the center of the web - we multiple it by two to equal your emotional number - ex: as you see above and in previous charts, my energetic/physical (because for this chakra they will always be the same) number is 6. so to get the emotional number i have to multiple by two: 6 * 2 → 12. 12 is my emotional number for the solar plexus number.

but what does this number mean?

the chakra set we are examining is the solar plexus (manipura); it governs the navel to ribs, abdominal organs, digestive system, and nervous system. it indicates personality, leadership qualities, how to achieve goals, social status, success, ability to get things done, ego, and willpower.

so let's talk about some examples:

6 - the lovers

physically 6s are very much like their ancestors/parents. they tend to look just like someone from their family. biblically, eve was made from the rib of adam. that is much like this. the two biblically figures are depicted in the the card's image and the chakra represents the ribs to i felt it was ironic. they tend to have a nervous tummy - their anxieties can live in their stomach and reap havoc on their digestive system. a common health concern for this placement tends to be diabetes.

energetically 6s are very even keel. they are the balancing energy in any connection. they keep things evened out in all their connections - they don't seek out leadership they seek equality. they can be very chameleon like in a connection to the point where no one knows the true them. they can play the long game in any situation if they have positive energy where this chakra is concerned because they wouldn't be seeking instant gratification. these people are often well liked in a community - they are likely to be rather successful as well.

6s emotionally are can struggle with codependency if they don't know how to be respectful and communicate effectively with those around them. often they can let their emotions effect how the world sees them - they can get mood descriptors from those around them instead of physical, accomplishment based, or other descriptors. their personality can be mood governed. some times their ego can get in the way too as they can have an overblown senses of self or low self-esteem.

12 - the hanged man

12s physically are very lean and tend to appear taller than they actually are (it is all a matter of perception). it could seem like their chest is very full in the rib cage area because they tend to breathe via the lungs instead of through the diaphragm. they could have very taunt and toned midsections as well. they show be careful about how they physically position themselves this lifetime because the might be putting unnecessary stress on their abdominal organs without knowing that they are.

energetically 12s aren't the people that give off leadership energy instead they seem to be examples for what not to do for those around them. it tends to look like these people are struggling in life and as though they are annoyed about their circumstances. they best achieve their goals when they slow down and take stock of everything that is happening around them. life is not as bad as they assume it to be. they are unlikely to be seen as anyone famous or popular in this lifetime - if they do make a name for themselves, it tends to be one of martyrdom.

emotionally 12s are easily annoyed by life. it is a rare day when they seem peaceful; their peace can seem like a very celestial or other worldly thing if it is to occur. it could seem like a dream or what have you. they do have a unique ability to pretend and fake their emotions in a very convincing way that has everyone believing they are being honest and real. their ego tend to be be one in which they are have a lot of "woe is me" energy and as if they are always the victim in a situation.

22 - the fool

22s physically are very trim they have a toned abandon usually because of the exercise they do. they appear very healthy though they often have unknown issues internally that cause them many issue down the road. it doesn't tend to show signs - one day they are fine and then the next they are not. they aren't very nervous people - some may say it would be better if they did have a sense of self preservation.

energetically 22s tend to be free spirits - they don't have a leadership bone in their body. they don't mind being pioneers but they don't seek followers and power like many people do because they prefer freedom and not to be held back from exploring the realm. they can best achieve goals they have by having faith in the universe and themselves. they need to trust they they have the support for the universe that they need. they often wander upon opportunities they would have over looked had they not trusted themselves and the universe.

emotionally 22s they could be very hesitant people - often they struggle with trusting themselves as they should. they might be prone to break downs when they have to start over or when the outcome is not what they expected. they have to learn to trust their intuition. this is the one the few energies that i don't find has ego issues.

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coolfire333 · 3 years ago

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I know mad max fury road has been out for years but it’s really good imo so I’d encourage you to watch it before reading this because I’m about to spoil a big chunk of it

Ok I love fury road but I’m gonna cut to the chase, my one major issue with it is that Nux sacrificed himself at the end of the film to guarantee the safety of the others. I’m somewhat torn on this because yeah, it’s a really poignant moment, since after failing to martyr himself as a villain (a choice he wants to make out of a selfish desire to be granted a highly esteemed place in the afterlife) he actually makes a genuinely selfless choice like a true hero would.

Also, thematically it’s a nice contrast between all of his previous failures in proving himself as well as the multiple near-death experiences he has throughout the first part of the film, so it’s not like it ruins the movie for me.

But I think it would have been much MORE poignant if he had the opportunity to live, or at least had either been interrupted in his martyrdom, or had otherwise survived the crash. The reason I think this is because such a major part of Nux’s storyline involves his preoccupation with death, in particular he’s obsessed with dying young and nobly in a blaze of glory. He would be very angry and upset that he didn’t get what he wanted, and in failing again, how would he cope with that failure?

I think this makes much more sense because a whole lot of the movie deals with characters not getting what they wanted and having to pick up the pieces afterwards! It’s mostly shown in the scene where Max tries telling Furiosa that hope isn’t the answer to her problems, and when Furiosa has to turn back and return to the citadel after learning that there is no longer a green place, but it’s also seen with a lot of the other main characters.

For example, the wives have to carry on without Angharad, who seemed to be a good leader and source of inspiration for them, and eventually they’re able to find new female role models in Furiosa and the Vuvalini. You could even argue that Max is never getting what he wants for the entire movie, since he’s unwillingly dragged into this conflict and eventually learns to have sympathy for the others. He literally gives his own blood to Furiosa in order for her to live, when at the beginning of the film his donation of blood was a forced act that he likely never imagined doing willingly to save another life.

So what would happen if Nux got denied his greatest wish, to die an honorable death for those he’s loyal to? He would likely be truly distraught at this, and would need to find a new purpose and meaning in life. AND I think this idea is even more important in the context that Nux is probably going to die early from sickness anyway.

I don’t much like the sentiment of “well he’s going to die anyway so he might as well die a hero’s death.” Why? We ALL die anyway. And Nux already proved his newly found heroism while alive in the various ways he helped Max and the wives despite his initial undying loyalty to Joe. Why would him dying a slower, essentially natural death, not going out with a bang as a warrior, but surrounded by his loved ones and recognized as a good man who’s done good deeds be any less heroic?

His whole life has consisted of suicidally devoting himself without question to a cause and to those he looks up to, and in sacrificing himself for Max, Furiosa, and the wives he is essentially still trapped in that same destructive mindset. I can’t help but wonder, what kind of person would he be if he was denied this outcome? How would this change the way in which he approaches the world? Where would he find purpose in life, now knowing that he can’t “die heroically” like he’s always dreamed of?

These are much more interesting ideas imo, and they really resonate with me in ways that his actual death in the movie doesn’t quite reach. I dunno, they just seem like really existential questions in a movie that already does a lot to deeply question the role of humans and what constitutes human nature, and I think that it would have been perfect to see Nux figure out how to reinvent himself without relying on his old ways.

Also, you got me, characters like him really mean a lot to me and I would rather them live and get a chance to change and grow. Gonna straight up admit that this post is also inspired by the fact that I just really like him. So I’m 100% biased. But this idea of a “noble death” is also something that I see a lot with some of my other favorite characters, and well, it just bugs me a whole lot.

I’ve seen the alternative “you must rediscover what it means to live” path executed EXCELLENTLY and ever since I’ve encountered examples of that I have never been able to excuse the “dying heroically” option. Ok yes there are times where it works, and with Nux it at least is very emotionally effective, but still, this is wayyyy too common of a plotline. Quit doing that...spice it up a little and let a character like him live for once. That’s all, that’s my soapbox for the evening

#death #suicide mention #mad max fury road #text post #talking #long post

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snifflesthemouse · 4 years ago

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Harry’s Blaming the Wrong People for his Genetic Trauma... Chapter Two of Lady Colin Campbell’s book reveals a lot!

The more I listen to Lady Colin Campbell’s YouTube Channel, the more I realize how little I truly paid attention to what she was really saying in her most recent book. Lady C is a woman of high caliber. She understands better than anyone that HOW something is said matters MORE than WHAT is said. She knows how to get information out there in a way that prevents any lawsuit happy turkeys from getting litigious. There is more than one way to say something. Finding the way that says it all without saying it all… well that is an artform.

To be honest, I believe all the answers we really want to know are woven into that book. Here recently, especially since the video about Princess Anne and the conversation had with Harry, I have noticed little clues dropped. One could almost argue that Lady C has somewhat direct information being given to her from close sources. And it is worth noting, to date there have been zero legal actions taken by the Montecito Muppets. Because of this, I have started re-reading Meghan and Harry, The Real Story. It’s important to remember I am taking this go-round literally line-by-line. This post is specifically about chapter two in the book.

Chapter two is the chapter in which Lady Colin Campbell provides us with Harry’s and his wife’s upbringings. She draws comparisons between both spare and spouse, as well as contrasting points. When she gets to Harry’s side, the light bulb started to get juice. You see, when you consider that Lady Colin Campbell was first chosen by Diana to write the biography Andrew Morton later got tapped to pen, Lady Colin Campbell was given a unique opportunity. She was able to see who the person was behind the media image of Diana, Princess of Wales.

She could not put aside her dignity, her responsibility of the truth, to seal that deal. Andrew Morton had no qualms with twisting truths slightly to perpetuate the Diana Saga. When you factor in Lady Colin Campbell’s knowledge on the British Royal Family, especially regarding the Queen Mother, you realize that Lady C is telling us who’s really behind the Montecito Man-Child just called Harry. Which again brings me back to the light bulb moment.

This whole time, Harry and his wife have been hurling accusations at his family. Harry especially pointed blame toward his father, grandmother, and late grandfather for causing his “genetic pain” and trauma. But if we look at what Lady Colin Campbell writes in chapter two of the book, we learn the reality of life growing up for William and Harry. Lady C writes in chapter two that Diana would encourage the boys to go against the grain, even if that meant bucking the protocols and measures put in place to protect the Crown’s survival.

Lady C mentions that William and Harry both were wild children with little to no rules to follow from their mother. She writes that Diana was infamous for screaming matches, throwing matches, and the peace of the home rested solely on the status of Diana’s love life. She says Charles was approving of James Hewitt, knew of their affair, and was okay with him teaching the boys how to ride horses. Diana would rotate between James Hewitt, Hasnat Kahn, and eventually Dodi. When trouble was brewing for Diana and a lover, she brought that trouble to Charles.

Furthermore, the Queen Mother was so concerned with instilling her own influences on the future of the Crown, she was a major influence in the issues between Prince Charles and his mother, Her Majesty the Queen. Lady Colin Campbell even writes in chapter two that the Queen Mother would tell Prince Charles it isn’t his place to stand up to the mother of his children, even when she was leading her boys down a wild-child path.

History cannot ignore the facts. Lady Colin Campbell even highlights how Diana’s own grandmother was so disgusted with how Diana was behaving and undermining the monarchy, she died before Diana and she could make amends. Her grandmother was a Lady of the Bedchamber for the Queen Mother, and she died 4 years before Diana. Her own grandmother saw through her tricks, as the Queen Mother did.

Again, what’s my long, drawn out point? Well, just in the first half of chapter two… we learn that Charles is a hot mess because of the Queen Mother’s meddling and Diana was the one in control of how the boys were raised. As a matter of fact, Diana was known to tell the boys “do whatever you want as long as you don’t get caught”.

Of course, I still have the rest of chapter two to finish, but I found it especially interesting that Lady C quotes the Kensington Palace chef, Darren McGrady (1993-1997) as remembering Diana telling him frequently to keep an eye out for William. She would tell him that William would manage, but Harry was an airhead like her. The exact wording on page 47 of the book says “You take care of the heir; I’ll look after the spare” (Campbell, 2020). So what does all this mean? Why does it matter? And how is THIS a light bulb moment for me?

Well, when you consider the fact Harry and his wife repeatedly bash his own family (more so from the former lately than the latter)… and you consider the factual recollections from everyone else… you realize Harry is blaming the wrong people for his problems. He says his father and grandparents are to blame for his own pain, that his father only treated him how he was treated by his own parents. But that goes against reality and truth. Because Charles was raised differently than his siblings; mainly because of the Queen Mother favoring him. Plus, William and Harry spent far more time residing with their mother than they did their father. By the age of twelve, a child’s personality is already well-seeded and developed. Essentially, who you were around puberty is who you are now, save for the maturity gained.

What we have here is repeated historical recollections of both women, the Queen Mother and Diana, being at the source of it all. Charles failed to step in and prevent his boys from growing up wildly misbehaved because he took more advice from the Queen Mother than his own mother and father. We have Diana constantly instilling in Harry this sense of bucking tradition and being the rebellious one. Both women had a direct hand in creating who Harry is. Both women left him rather large chunks of change when they passed. Yet… neither are blamed when Harry goes on the record? You mean to tell me, the two women who essentially gave you all of your wealth… the two women who predominately raised you to a teen… had no impact on you life nor bare some of the weight of responsibility for your issues? Just your father? Hmm.

Why does Harry only blame his father and his grandparents? Why doesn’t he ever utter one word about his mother that is honest instead of some fanatical warped version of a distant memory? He instead hoists all the blame from his own mother and great-grandmother onto the Royal Family. Why does he never mention how his mother would have screaming matches with his father, throwing things, or how she had multiple heated affairs of her own? How she struggled with her own relationships and would gaslight his father? We hear him slant his father for cheating on his mother, but never a word about his mother cheating on his father, too.

My whole point is Harry is comfortable blaming the people still living who cannot respond to these accusations. He is not comfortable with the truth. Why? Well, let’s face it. A lot of the affection and love people have for Harry is transference. Most people “loved” him because they loved her. They loved Harry because she loved Harry. People felt like they were serving, honoring even, Diana’s legacy by sparing Harry a harsh glance. He’s the spare, “Diana’s second son” who’s not so bright. Hey let’s give the ol’ chap a break.

He can’t let anything get in the way of his mother’s victimhood, martyrdom, sainthood status. It tarnishes his own brand. When the world starts remembering the facts or realizing Diana wasn’t so innocent, the world stops garnering sympathy for Harry. The world isn’t as easily manipulated when they don’t feel sorry for you, remember? So, Harry’s biggest chore to date is protecting that image of the lamb taken to slaughter that he paints his mother to be. Without that, his own brand crumbles.

Sorry again for the rambling, but it’s important to truly think and consider just how vital a role both women had and still have in Harry’s life now. Two of the biggest reasons he could just leave the Royal way of life are the Queen Mother and Diana. They are also two of the biggest influences that made life as traumatic as it was. Yet, never a word mentioned about their own responsibility in Harry’s “generic pain”. Oops, meant genetic.

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bugloveskpop · 4 years ago

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Christmas has pagan roots, just accept it

So I saw a post saying Christmas wasn't a pagan holiday. It actually was so I'm going to do the best of my abilities at the moment to show everyone a little history this Christmas in the form of a lot of quotes because I don't have a ton of spoons to write a whole research paper. I actually grew up in a Christian home. Although, I am no longer associated with Christianity; I am an Omnist. Religion wise, I am a unitarian universalist. I also practice witchcraft as an eclectic witch.

A note: I will be using BCE/CE vs BC/AD as year markers. There is no difference in dating, just in the terms. For example, 1403 AD and 1403 CE are the same date as are 4000BC and 4000BCE.

To begin, I think a lot of people are misunderstanding what a pagan is. Coming from the Merriam-Webster website, a pagan/heathen is:

"Pagan is derived from the Late Latin paganus, which was used at the end of the Roman Empire to name those who practiced a religion other than Christianity, Judaism, or Islam. Early Christians often used the term to refer to non-Christians who worshiped multiple deities. In Latin, paganus originally meant “country dweller” or “civilian;” it is believed that the word’s religious meanings developed either from the enduring non-Christian religious practices of those who lived far from the Roman cities where Christianity was more quickly adopted, or from the fact that early Christians referred to themselves as “soldiers of Christ,” making nonbelievers “civilians.”

The definition and etymology of heathen overlap with those of pagan: both words denote “an unconverted member of a people or nation that does not acknowledge the God of the Bible,” and heathen, like pagan, is believed to have come from the term for a country inhabitant, or in this case, a "heath dweller."

Both words have developed broader and pejorative meanings over time, with pagan being used to mean “an irreligious or hedonistic person” and heathen “uncivilized” or “strange,” but their original meanings are still in use."

Link: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pagan#note-1

This shows that pagans are literally just people who don't practice Christanity, Islam, or Judaism, which are religions that focus on the Hebrew god. This covers a very broad amount of people of various religions from around the world.

Christianity was formed around the 1st century (or 1 CE), and was imposed by Emperor Constantine in 345 CE. Judaism was formed about 4-5,000 years ago (9th to 5th century BCE), making it the oldest monotheistic religion. Islam was founded in the 7th century, around 570 CE, making it the youngest monotheistic religion.

Greek mythology is hard to date because it is believed to have stemmed from centuries of oral tradition. It is likely that Greek myths evolved from stories told in the Minoan civilization of Crete, which lasted from about 3000 to 1100 BCE. Greek mythology also predates Roman mythology by over 1,000 years. The Roman leaders basically copied the Greek religion.

Norse mythological was shared by Northern Germanic tribes of the 9th century CE. These stories were passed down by poetry until the 11th–18th centuries when the Eddas and other medieval texts were written.

Hinduism was founded roughly around the 15th – 5th century BCE. An Indo-Iranian religion known as Zoroastrianism is said to date back to the 2nd millennium BCE (10th to 5th century BCE). It was extremely influential over the development of the Abrahamic tradition as well. Jainism was founded around 8th to 2nd century BCE.

This is just a couple of religions within certain areas, but it was for the sake of a point. Even though Judaism is the oldest monotheistic religion, and the oldest of the religions that worship the Abrahamic god, there are religions that predate it, and even influence it.

Now we will move onto when Christmas is celebrated. Christmas is supposed to celebrate the birth of Christ. However, it is not likely that he was born in the winter time. There was a pagan holiday that was celebrated on what we now call Christmas, however.

"It just so happens that on the twenty-fifth of December in the Roman Empire there was a pagan holiday that was linked to mystery religions; the pagans celebrated their festival on December 25. The Christians didn’t want to participate in that, and so they said, “While everybody else is celebrating this pagan thing, we’re going to have our own celebration. We’re going to celebrate the thing that’s most important in our lives, the incarnation of God, the birth of Jesus Christ. So this is going to be a time of joyous festivities, of celebration and worship of our God and King.”"

This is coming from a Christian site: https://www.ligonier.org/blog/celebration-christmas-pagan-ritual/

"The precise origin of assigning December 25 as the birth date of Jesus is unclear. The New Testament provides no clues in this regard. December 25 was first identified as the date of Jesus’ birth by Sextus Julius Africanus in 221 and later became the universally accepted date. One widespread explanation of the origin of this date is that December 25 was the Christianizing of the dies solis invicti nati (“day of the birth of the unconquered sun”), a popular holiday in the Roman Empire that celebrated the winter solstice as a symbol of the resurgence of the sun, the casting away of winter and the heralding of the rebirth of spring and summer. Indeed, after December 25 had become widely accepted as the date of Jesus’ birth, Christian writers frequently made the connection between the rebirth of the sun and the birth of the Son. One of the difficulties with this view is that it suggests a nonchalant willingness on the part of the Christian church to appropriate a pagan festival when the early church was so intent on distinguishing itself categorically from pagan beliefs and practices."

Link: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Christmas

In fact, from the same source as the last, celebrating birthdays was originally a pagan thing:

"In particular, during the first two centuries of Christianity there was strong opposition to recognizing birthdays of martyrs or, for that matter, of Jesus. Numerous Church Fathers offered sarcastic comments about the pagan custom of celebrating birthdays when, in fact, saints and martyrs should be honoured on the days of their martyrdom—their true “birthdays,” from the church’s perspective."

It is also important to note, many pagans (especially witches) celebrate the solstices. The winter solstice happens to occur very close to Christmas, usually December 21st or 22nd. It is known as Yule.

The Christmas tree also has several pagan origins:

"The history of Christmas trees goes back to the symbolic use of evergreens in ancient Egypt and Rome and continues with the German tradition of candlelit Christmas trees first brought to America in the 1800s. Discover the history of the Christmas tree, from the earliest winter solstice celebrations to Queen Victoria’s decorating habits and the annual lighting of the Rockefeller Center tree in New York City.

Long before the advent of Christianity, plants and trees that remained green all year had a special meaning for people in the winter. Just as people today decorate their homes during the festive season with pine, spruce, and fir trees, ancient peoples hung evergreen boughs over their doors and windows. In many countries it was believed that evergreens would keep away witches, ghosts, evil spirits, and illness.

In the Northern hemisphere, the shortest day and longest night of the year falls on December 21 or December 22 and is called the winter solstice. Many ancient people believed that the sun was a god and that winter came every year because the sun god had become sick and weak. They celebrated the solstice because it meant that at last the sun god would begin to get well. Evergreen boughs reminded them of all the green plants that would grow again when the sun god was strong and summer would return.

The ancient Egyptians worshipped a god called Ra, who had the head of a hawk and wore the sun as a blazing disk in his crown. At the solstice, when Ra began to recover from his illness, the Egyptians filled their homes with green palm rushes, which symbolized for them the triumph of life over death.

Early Romans marked the solstice with a feast called Saturnalia in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture. The Romans knew that the solstice meant that soon, farms and orchards would be green and fruitful. To mark the occasion, they decorated their homes and temples with evergreen boughs.

In Northern Europe the mysterious Druids, the priests of the ancient Celts, also decorated their temples with evergreen boughs as a symbol of everlasting life. The fierce Vikings in Scandinavia thought that evergreens were the special plant of the sun god, Balder."

This is from this site: https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas-trees

Santa Claus is also linked to pagan traditions:

"Santa Claus is primarily linked to St. Nicholas, the Greek bishop of Myra, a Roman town in Turkey. St. Nicholas lived during the third and fourth centuries. He defended Christianity while followers were being persecuted. He was imprisoned for many years until Constantine came to power and made Christianity the dominant religion in the Roman empire....

St. Nicholas is commonly linked to Odin, the ruler of Asgard, one of the major gods in Germanic mythology who was depicted as a white-bearded man with magical powers. However, Odin’s ties to Santa Claus may be more pronounced. The winter solstice, also known as Yule, was a time when Odin led a hunting party, known as the Wild Hunt, in the sky with an eight-legged horse named Sleipnir. The 13th century Poetic Edda said the mythical horse could leap great distances -- a trait reindeer possess. Children would leave their boots by the chimney filled with carrots and hay to feed Sleipnir. Legend has it that whenever Odin flew by he would leave gifts by their boots.

After Christianity took hold, this practice was later adopted in relation to St. Nicholas. Children would leave their shoes on the windowsill or bedroom door on the evening of Dec. 5 for the saint to reward them with nuts, fruits and sweets.

Frau Holda is the Germanic goddess of winter. In German folk legends, she is depicted as a beautiful blonde who is the protector of children’s souls. Like Odin, she would fly through the night and give gifts to children, as Beliefnet noted. In some depictions, Holda is dressed in red and uses chimneys to deliver gifts. Some Germanic traditions involve leaving food and milk for Holda Dec. 24, known as Mother Night."

Link: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ibtimes.com/santa-claus-pagan-origins-5-influences-behind-father-christmas-1736863%3famp=1

There are also different versions of "Santa", some are actually meant to scare children:

"Sinterklaas is Dutch legend, based on St. Nicholas. On the Feast of St. Nicholas, Dec. 6, Sinterklaas – a bishop wearing a red cape – rides into town on a white horse and takes notes on which children have been naughty or nice in his big red book.

Zwarte Piet, or Black Peter, is the (highly controversial) assistant to Sinterklaas. Depicted as a small man wearing blackface and traditional Moorish dresses, he assists Sinterklaas by handing out candy to children who have been good throughout the year, and spanking naughty children with a broomstick.

Father Christmas was the earliest personificaton of Christmas. Dating back to the 15th century, Father Christmas has been bringing joy to all humans, not just children, mostly through throwing giant feasts.

The Yule Goat is Father Christmas's version of a reindeer. The legend of the goat began in ancient Slavic times, when Yule festivals were thrown to please the gods of fertilty and good harvest. Often, the goats would carry in offerings of straw and grain. Now, they are often depicted carrying Father Christmas.

Belsnickel is one of the scarier legends, stemming from German and Pennsylvania Dutch folklore. Said to look like an old fur-trader, wearing a mask and having a long tongue, he carries a long stick with which to beat naughty children, as well as pockets full of sweets for those that were nice.

Krampus is by far the scariest of the legends. Popular in Eastern European lore, Krampus is described as being half goat, half demon, with giant curled horns on his head, and a long tongue. He follows St. Nicholas around berating naughty children, and drinking schnapps, a customary offering for him."

Link for everything above: https://allthatsinteresting.com/santa-claus-legends#17

Yule logs were apart of Yule, again, a pagan holiday :

"The custom of burning the Yule Log goes back to, and before, medieval times. It was originally a Nordic tradition. Yule is the name of the old Winter Solstice festivals in Scandinavia and other parts of northern Europe, such as Germany.

The Yule Log was originally an entire tree, that was carefully chosen and brought into the house with great ceremony. The largest end of the log would be placed into the fire hearth while the rest of the tree stuck out into the room! The log would be lit from the remains of the previous year's log which had been carefully stored away and slowly fed into the fire through the Twelve Days of Christmas. It was considered important that the re-lighting process was carried out by someone with clean hands."

Carols were also pagan, and apart of Yule:

"Carols were first sung in Europe thousands of years ago, but these were not Christmas Carols. They were pagan songs, sung at the Winter Solstice celebrations as people danced round stone circles. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year, usually taking place around 22nd December."

Yep, Holly, Mistletoe, and Ivy too:

"Holly, Ivy and other greenery such as Mistletoe were originally used in pre-Christian times to help celebrate the Winter Solstice Festival and ward off evil spirits and to celebrate new growth.

When Christianity came into Western Europe, some people wanted to keep the greenery, to give it Christian meanings but also to ban the use of it to decorate homes. The UK and Germany were the main countries to keep the use of the greenery as decorations."

More on Mistletoe:

"Mistletoe is a plant that grows on range of trees including willow, apple and oak trees. The tradition of hanging it in the house supposedly goes back to the times of the ancient Druids; however, there's little evidence that this happened. It is also meant to possess mystical powers which bring good luck to the household and wards off evil spirits. It was also used as a sign of love and friendship in Norse mythology.

When the first Christians came to Western Europe, some tried to ban the use of Mistletoe as a decoration in Churches, becuase of some of the old stories about it, but many still continued to use it! York Minster Church in the UK used to hold a special Mistletoe Service in the winter, where wrong doers in the city of York could come and be pardoned."

Link for all the above quotes: https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/

"Christmas bells" are actually pagan bells:

"Ringing of bells can be traced back to pagan winter celebrations. During those times, noisemakers were used to scare away evil spirits in the night. Among those early noisemakers were bells."

Link: http://www.holidayinsights.com/xmas/bells.htm

TL;DR:

Christmas is its own holiday, yes, but almost every aspect of it has pagan origins. It is wrong to not acknowledge this fact because it furthers the idea that Christmas, and ultimately, Christianity, is superior. There is no war on Christmas, just people tired of hearing that Christmas is the only right way to celebrate. I literally just googled things and found answers. It's not that hard to look for things, you just don't want to.

If anyone else would like to add something or correct me, go ahead! However, I will not respond to people who aren't civil or refuse to see the other side of things and that they might be wrong. Thank you, have a great day! Happy holidays ♥️♥️♥️

#Christmas #Personal #Pagan #Witch #I wanted to rant but I've spent a lot of energy already #It just irritates me that people ignore all this and act like Christmas is the only right holiday #Colonizers istg #Feminismandmedia

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sinnhelmingr · 4 years ago

Text

tma au rundown. revised from the old blog and updated for new lore from rp. warning. long with too many bullet points.

BASICS:

her name is leah lindqvist. no, this is not her birth name, not even a name in any official records, but it’s what she goes by and what the majority of characters will know her as. the only exceptions to this are those who knew her in her human life and those who have stumbled upon her in statements – more on that later.

appears to be in her early 30s, with an old world aristocracy look under her gothic leanings. has a propensity for elegant/historical looks in her day to day life, being rather more put together than the setting’s usual cast of characters. notable for her bloodless complexion and bright green eyes. tall and thin.

has lived in london for the last seven years, with occasional travels onto the continent. looking for an in to the institute to further her own research. changes living arrangements at around season 3 to better stalk keep an eye on ongoing plots.

originally scandinavian, specifically danish, though her accent seems strangely lax for someone who claims to have only left her motherland a few years before. speaks multiple languages fluently.

is an avatar, though her exact ‘patron’ is a question she’s been trying to answer for a long, long time. the circumstances of what she deems her ‘becoming’ seemed to involve at least 4 separate entities, only one of which could have won her. add in her upbringing beholden to being a good agent for the beholding and, well, the waters do get muddied.

BACKSTORY:

was born the youngest of three children in a happy copenhagen home, her father a prodigal from good stock and her mother a force to be reckoned with in the community. at some point, the house of cards crumbled for the couple, and their children were shuffled off to what relatives would take them. leah, or whoever she was before, went to her paternal grandparents specifically.

said grandfather, odin, was a proper gentleman, a pillar of the community, worldly and wealthy. he had a particular fondness for the macabre, and venerated an englishman known as jonah magnus and his various associates. this man about town had such dreams for his latest acquisition, for this bright and tender child who wanted the whole of the world in her hands. he would introduce her to his world over the coming years, training her not only as a proper heir to his legacy, but a perfect sacrifice for whatever esoteric entity he had turned to for patronage.

leah was raised to be a proper academic and globetrotter, groomed for something beyond her understanding. she was expected to read and recite, to observe others, and to mind her ps and qs more than her cousins ever would. as she grew towards adolescence, odin took to traveling the world with his ward with deeper intent, haunting locations of past or ongoing fear activity. leah was meant to observe the world beyond humanity, and to be seen by his associates.

that was a perilous thing, and got her on the wrong side of various avatars and monsters more often than she cares to remember. she has had confirmed run-ins with the spiral, the stranger, the desolation, the corruption, the vast, and the dark through these ‘misadventures,’ and has had at least one brush with the lukas family in her youth that leaves open the possibility of later lonely interference.

carries scars from the spiral, stranger, and the corruption at least. said corruption incident is in fact the cause of her limited mobility from her early twenties onward -- and no, she doesn’t want to talk about how she got her cane. what a fucked up question to ask.

odin referred to her in his records as his martyr, going back to the proper root of the term. martyr, meaning witness, meaning a girl forced to stare unblinking at the influence of the fears upon the world. that these moments of martyrdom occasionally caused her to be physically harmed was an inevitable coincidence. it should be noted, however, that leah’s moments of martyrdom over active instances of fear were almost invariably fatal for the subject of observation. while odin perceived her as witnessing the world and following the path of the eye, leah herself was chasing death.

the dawning realization that her life was to be given solely in service to this all-seeing eye led to brief fits of rebellion or anxiety that her grandfather worked to combat with subtle manipulations. these only worked for so long, as the situation came to a head at some point in her twenties when she managed to escape for a number of months. the event led to her run in with the corruption and an attack that left her severely limited in terms of mobility. recovering in the hospital under her grandfather’s tender, doting visit, it was made clear to leah that he could have stopped this at any point and taken her home. he instead chose to teach her a lesson: she was only safe under his shelter, and that of his patron.

the realization didn’t stop her. her fate might be inevitable, but she could choose how she would meet that moment of sacrifice. eventually, her diligent composure and simmering disdain boiled over into open rage, an event that lead to an attack on one of her uncles. the exacts of the event have never been put to paper or spoken of, but it rattled odin deeply enough that he ended his pet project immediately. leah was ousted from the family, abandoned to a distant property. the outside world, however, would receive the fiction that she had gone missing, and this time she would never be recovered. it was clear to odin that he had created a monster, but not one he or his patron could control and use.

left to a rarely-traveled locale on the norwegian sea, stripped of the protections her grandfather offered under the sheltering eye, those entities who marked her soon came begging their pound of flesh. locking herself into a small cabin on the property, she endured bouts of darkness and mist rolling over the outside world, a constant knocking or clawing at the cabin door, and an apparent loss of self. after some perceived days of this isolation, some hallucination or dream came to her in which she perceived her patron reaching out and taking all of the fear away. it was always going to come to this, for someone that had never lived. she didn’t fight the inevitability. these eyes that were made only to see would now wither the world around her.

once awakened, she was discovered by a passing ship and returned to the mainland, walking and hitchhiking her way back to the main family estate. she found her grandfather badly aged in the weeks of her absence, striking when he was alone and demanding answers from him : what was her intended purpose? what did the eye have to do with this? what had she become? why did he choose her? at some point, her interrogation became too much for the old man, and he passed before she received the answers she sought. after disposing of his body, odin became another missing person’s case in the family, and leah made her way across europe for the next few years seeking the answers she had not received from the source.

has a past attempt to breach the institute under her belt. lasted a good few days keeping a low profile and dodging anyone who might question her cover story. was eventually found out, however, and was made to escape. all the way to the mainland, in fact, due to whatever she uncovered about the place rattling her deeply enough to keep away from england for some years.

eventually, with all other avenues of knowledge running dry, leah was forced to return and consider that the answers she sought lie in the institute itself. to that end, she had taken up residence in a london apartment complex and tried to decide how best to enter the very seat of the entity she fears the most.

RECENT EVENTS:

has been an accomplice in several unsolved disappearances of young men in the london area. it’s an open secret among her peers that she makes offerings for her ‘partner’ out of these human sacrifices. this has rendered her something of a laughingstock to those who know her partner and its nature, as leah is fighting a losing battle.

had a s1 run in with her old nemesis the corruption, saved only by the timely intervention of a door. she never specifies where she had this stand off but it’s easy to infer she tried to find another way into the institute.

has developed a growing fascination with the latest archivist, including a desire to reach out to him if at all possible.

keeps her options open as far as interacting with her own kind. through rp she has proven herself an ally to the spiral-aligned figures of the narrative, and has passing association with the lonely, desolation, and stranger.

SPOILERS:

has been completely divorced from the concept of time as it flows for others. many of the discrepancies about her story as she tells it can be explained through this: her days abandoned on the island actually took place over a year, her time spent combing through the european continent took more than a decade, and she can no longer remember her birth year because it does not align to her perceptions of self. even those she knew in humanity, such as gerry, register as oddities for having aged in accordance with real time rather than her own.

her patron is the end, who had indelibly marked her at some point in her youth and seems to have intervened and claimed her once she was in serious danger. her exact role as an avatar of this fear is muddled by her decades of self-serving pursuit of knowledge rather than living up to whatever she was meant to do.

odin really stumbled into getting an intended avatar of the eye marked by different fears. it was not his intention, but rather a result of caretaker negligence in trying to make a witness of the girl. he never expected that it could have meant something in the grand scheme of things.

despite appearing all of 32 at most, leah was already in her twenties by the 90s. she’s actually far older than her body implies though her general issues with time mean she has not realized this fact and her status as an avatar has left her pretty ageless.

ABILITIES:

if looks could kill. a potent bit of irony is that the end turns leah’s intended purpose into a strength. leah has proven on two separate occasions to be able to kill with a glance and focused willpower. the look tends to induce some form of fatal medical problem in the subject, and she tends to use it sparingly, usually to generate more potent fear for her entity rather than her personal needs.

ghost interaction. as established through rp, leah has some affinity with the ghosts occasionally seen within the narrative. through roleplay with sittimoranimiinterfectorem, her presence seems to give them a fullness, making them more as they were in life than at the moment of death. one character in particular notes that he feels lesser if too far from her, like he’s losing himself. this accounts for the various dead things that have cleaved to her over the decades -- which leads to a demonstration of leah’s secondary ability of banishing the dead to oblivion if she so chooses. it’s a threat she holds over the heads of those she cannot do away with for plot reasons. one assumes she could manage the opposite, and call up a lingering soul for her own purposes, but why should she?

immortal. unchanged since the day she accepted the touch of the end, leah has neither aged nor weakened since. unlike some who require regular sacrifice to maintain their unlives, leah seems particularly resilient, feeding more to keep up her strength than anything. this doesn’t mean, however, that she couldn’t be killed by outside means, and has proven capable of being injured by other avatars or fear-adjacent creatures.

RELATIONSHIPS:

alliance/partnership/friendship with sittimoranimiinterfectorem‘s michael. michael was the first of her kind leah met in any serious capacity, and one she looked up to as a potential font of answers. instead, michael has been toying with her for years, as a liar ought to. there’s a lot of ways this relationship can be interpreted by outsiders, not helped by recent revelations about their patron.

former companion/occasional ally of bookburnt‘s gerry. the two crossed paths every once in a blue moon during the years, given odin and mary were associated with one another in their travels and overlapping ideals. leah tried to take on a supportive role for the teen, sometimes sending gifts, while gerry in turn tended to cut loose with someone who actually gave a damn about him as a person. in adulthood, the two sometimes ran into one another in the weird world in which they inhabited, though leah had no idea this man was the same boy she had bonded with years before.

potential acolyte/student of medisinals‘s blackwell. we’re still plotting it out but the two have each other’s acquaintance as avatars of the end.

RELEVANT STATEMENTS (whether to leah or the wider narrative of her grandfather’s legacy):

statement of frida [redacted], concerning the work, achievements, and disappearance of her husband odin. first mention of the family and leah’s original identity. (2001)

statement of olaf agner, concerning his time working for the family in north zealand. a less rose colored view of odin’s ‘visionary’ work and his ‘creepy’ granddaughter. (1987)

miscellany statements referencing a one eyed man and dark-haired girl/young woman at or around the scene of various incidents involving the fears across europe. sometimes references the girl in question reaching out to those that are marked, though those she touches are never saved. (80s-90s)

statement of torsten [redacted], concerning the personal records of his father and the disappearance of his niece. (2007)

reference to leah’s invasion of the institute archives in an incidental post-statement discussion with a certain assistant about his allowing a certain young woman into the archives. his boss proves decidedly unforgiving even after being made aware he had been deceived.(2009)

miscellany statements establishing odin as a sort of chessmaster invariably working with the eye before, during, and after leah’s part in his life. he’s part of the evil senior citizen’s union and actually kept professional ties with a lot of them. (60s-2001)

statement of james berger on the subject of his friend ethan hamilton going missing. first clear picture of leah and michael working in tandem. (2014)

statement of eve hall concerning the sudden and televised death of her employer at a political debate. another incident of leah and michael scratching one another’s backs, this time while mutually spiting the eye. (2014)

statement of anthony farrell on his interrupted night shift duties at a fast food restaurant. establishes leah as being nonplussed with the activities of her peers so long as no one is getting seriously hurt without reason. the hypocrisy. the audacity. (2015)

statement of leah lindqvist concerning her personal history and… ‘becoming.’ statement recorded direct from subject. (2017)

#it is knowing it is knowing [V: TMA]#they can't get into my head [HEADCANON]

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thinkingagain · 4 years ago

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Along with his abilities at diplomacy and information-sharing with animals of all kinds, the well-traveled penguin was also a surveillance expert.

Sir Sleepy of the Bunny Nest (A Novel of the Revolution) Book Three: The Be Attitudes Chapter 16

Hiis posture firm, wings relaxed at his sides, Maximillian told the other animals what he had learned, his beak pointing this way and that for emphasis.

Along with his abilities at diplomacy and information-sharing with animals of all kinds, the well-traveled penguin was also a surveillance expert. Basil and Green Bear had discovered some movements in Beast marketplaces that indicated potential awareness of Demesne activities regarding the forthcoming book about Sir Sleepy of the Bunny Nest. Maximillian was the obvious choice to take a closer look. He went quickly to the physical headquarters of a corporate entity which had recently appeared in New York City and whose goals remained unclear: Animal Love Unlimited.

Maximillian knew from experience that Beast cities were grids for controlling goods and information and each other. No Beast could transgress too much the rules of the grid without being punished. Yet cities were also labyrinths of hidden spaces and exchanges. So-called “rebellious” or “criminal” Beasts could engage in behaviors that Beast control systems could detect only if those behaviors came too far into the open. The hidden spaces of a Beast city, especially one the size of New York, multiplied vastly if one was an animal and willing to move through spaces that even Beast criminals were unable or afraid or disgusted to go.

There was a team Maximillian often worked with in urban Beast surveillance. This group of city-raised cats had left their Beast homes (Beasts called them “feral’ for doing it) or had been abandoned and now studied closely the Beast urban patterns in which they still lived. They helped Maximillian prepare to infiltrate and “bug” Animal Love Unlimited’s corporate headquarters.

Maximillian had always taken the Beast word “bug” as an unintentional compliment. If to “bug” a Beast was to annoy a Beast in a creature-like way, and if to annoy a Beast was often essential to survival, then bugging a Beast was a necessary, good thing.

Of course high tech Beast corporations had ways of detecting mechanical bugs. So for several days in a row, Maximillian had gone inside the building housing the corporate headquarters, avoiding Beast security systems by using a cargo doorway. He had slipped into a roomy air-ventilation system that the urban cats had mapped for him. He would then sit comfortably on one side of a large air vent. He could hear the meeting room that stood underneath the vent—it was the corporation’s main boardroom—and see enough to get a full sense of what was happening.

With tech equipment Lucky Blue had given him Maximillian recorded the many meetings he heard. The first three days he sat there he learned important details about Animal Love Unlimited, which owned multiple media outlets around the world and slanted the information produced by them to achieve its financial goals. Its political goals weren’t clear.

On the fourth day, the information he learned was essential. That day, at the head of the table in the boardroom sat an adult Beast, probably a little under half an average Beast lifespan. It wore a trim, military-style jacket from which medals hung prominently. On the long wall of the boardroom, the words Animal Love Unlimited stood out in large gold letters on a blue background. A group of Beasts, all male, mostly younger than the Beast in the jacket, sat in the other chairs at the table, all wearing the expected Beast corporate attire.

“Sir Sleepy of the Bunny Nest,” the Beast draped in medals said, “has become a symbol of resistance for magic animals all over the planet. Unfortunate, but it’s done, at least for now. We need more counter-information on their world. What are the facts involving strange movements in the publication industry?”

“G.R. Bear does seem behind them,” said one of the nameless Beasts around the table. “If somebody was trying for a major media rollout, a book, possibly in multiple parts, with maybe one or several films and soundtracks to follow, then G.R. Bear has the necessary platforms in place.”

“On the business level there may be not much we can do to stop it,” said another Beast. “But we can place a lot of negative reviews on our own media conglomerates and ‘free press’”—he snickered at the word “free”—“operations.”

“If I may be so bold?” said yet another Beast. “My research suggests that your uncle would have moved in for a closer look.”

“My uncle?!” the Beast draped in medals snapped loudly. “Yes he’s rightly venerated, my Uncle. His portrait, right here, doesn’t it say so? Oh he was a genius, the Commandant. A great man.”

Inside the air vent, Maximillian startled. The other details had been informative but not surprising. He hadn’t expected this particular piece.

“He is also,” the medal-draped Commandant’s Nephew continued, “among the great departed. I’m not in this for a quick exit myself. My Uncle belongs to an earlier age. He believed that being physically present on the battlefield was a mark of valor—not, as anyone sensible knows, an overly risky nostalgia for the days of hand-to-hand heroism. He could be brilliant, but his wooly-headed sentimentality is not a road I feel like going down. Or dying on.”

“We’re going to need some on-the-ground action,” yet another Beast said. “One that’s not foolhardy. If I may suggest?”

“You may.”

“We have access to the services of a number of men who are adept at locating, engaging and if necessary eliminating specified animate targets, human or other.”

“I’m not sure that’s wise,” said one of the Beasts who had already spoken. “Martyrdom makes some figures more powerful.”

“Sure, martyred symbols have power, but it’s also a power whose profitability may be deployable,” said another. “Someday the image of Sir Sleepy may be our mascot… uh, I mean, may be a central feature of the Animal Love Unlimited logo.”

“These are extremely interesting speculations,” said the Nephew. “If I have to fight Sir Sleepy on the symbolic level, it does seem inconvenient to have the symbol alive and able to disagree. Not that I’m so naïve that I think that what I like to call the ‘dialectic of disagreement’ will end with the Sir’s death. There’s no end to the struggle over meaning and the struggle over the meaning of meaning. Therefore there’s no end to the profit that can be made off those struggles. But some meanings get tiresome and would benefit all by being removed. It seems we have a plan.”

“Sir?” asked one of the Beasts. “Can you be more specific?”

“I think it’s a good idea,” the Nephew said, “to remove from active physical existence that powerful animal revolutionary symbol Sir Sleepy of the Bunny Nest. Please see that it is done. Our meeting is adjourned.”

#bunny #rabbit #revolution #empire #satire #animals #animal rights #politics #adventure #theory #fantasy #science fiction #environmentalism #sir sleepy #wisdom #wisdom text

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dweemeister · 6 years ago

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The Ascent (1977, Soviet Union)

In 1939, representatives from Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in Moscow. The pact was to guarantee a policy of mutual non-aggression towards the two nations, also stipulating that neither nation would ally itself with an enemy of the other. Countries across Europe not yet conquered by either nation looked on in fear and disbelief – there was little to stop the Germans or the Soviets. Yet the lack of violence does not necessarily mean peace. German-Soviet relations deteriorated as soon as both Hitler and Stalin began to annex neighboring states, with the Nazis invading the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941.

Larisa Shepitko would have been three years old when the pact was dissolved. Born in Soviet Ukraine, her lasting memories of the war included constant hunger, emotional distress, displacement. In 1954 after graduating high school, she enrolled at the esteemed Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) in Moscow, with Alexander Dovzhenko (1929′s Arsenal, 1930′s Earth) as her mentor. A fellow Ukrainian, Dovzhenko’s social realism and use of stark imagery (as any giant of the silent film era mastered) with religious influences would have the most lasting influence on Shepitko’s brief directorial career. The Ascent – her final film, and her breakthrough work among Western audiences – is the confluence of Shepitko’s memories of wartime and the expertise she gained while studying with Dovzhenko at VGIK. What appears to be a straightforward war film on paper is anything but, as Shepitko demonstrates with her singular artistry.

It is the winter of 1942 in the Byelorussian SSR (modern-day Belarus). A company of partisans is retreating from a horde of Nazi soldiers when they finally have a moment of quiet. Sotnikov (Boris Plotnikov) and Rybak (Vladimir Gostyukhin) are ordered to search for food in a nearby village. Along the way, the men encounter more German soldiers – Sotnikov incurs a leg wound, and Rybak drags his comrade to a nearby home. Inside the home is Demchikha (Lyudmila Polyakova), who has three children. As the film progresses, Sotnikov and Rybak will be in the custody of Portnov (Anatoly Solonitsyn) – a former director of the local club-house (in Soviet parlance, a cultural and recreational institute) who has become the leader of the local Byelorussian Auxiliary Police. In other words, Portnov is working for a Nazi-affiliated paramilitary comprised of other local defectors, tasked with keeping the locals pliant, staging public executions to those aiding the Soviet Union.

Like a Dante-esque scene, Sotnikov and Rybak are constantly surrounded by mounds of knee-deep snow and trees long shorn of leaves. The color white is omnipresent except for the film’s few indoor shots. This harsh landscape reveals the character of those who dare to brave it, whether or not they escape death. The Ascent flares the senses – especially sight – early and often. Long stretches of the film’s scenery contain nobody except our two protagonists. Cinematographers Vladimir Chukhnov (1978′s On Thursday and Never Again) and Pavel Lebeshev (1977′s An Unfinished Piece for Mechanical Piano, 1998′s The Barber of Siberia) make use of hand-held cinematography for many of these outdoor scenes and especially the firefights – hand-held cinematography remained a rarity in cinema anywhere and everywhere until the 2000s. Their camerawork makes the few, brief battles more visceral, increasing the impact of the gunfire and any wounds incurred. After Sotnikov and Rybak are captured, the cinematography and editing (the editor is uncredited) slow down. Locked in a cell with other partisan-sympathetic villagers, their physical and mental imprisonment is captured by stilled camerawork and fewer cuts. The final minutes of The Ascent features a stunning lack of cuts – forcing the viewer to internalize all the characters’ emotions as they are being led to their fates.

The film is based on Belarusian author Vasil Bykaŭ’s novella Sotnikov, and was adapted to the screen by Shepitko and Yuri Klepikov (1966′s The Story of Asya Klyachina, 1972′s Dauriya). One might expect The Ascent to be littered with Soviet propaganda and, given how the Soviet Union treated war movies (set in any era, such as its treatment of Andrei Tarkovsky’s Alexander Nevsky), such assumptions would be understandable. But Shepitko’s films, even at their most political, are rooted in principle and humanity. The famously irreligious Soviet government and its censors seemed to have missed (or, perhaps, let slide because of how one character is portrayed) the Christian allegory in the Shepitko and Klepikov screenplay. Sotnikov and Rybak – how they act in the face of temptation, their sense of duty – resemble a wartime Jesus Christ and Judas Iscariot (just pretend Jesus’ eleven other disciples never existed). The faithful partisan between the two of them is lit and framed in respects to his martyrdom. But their dynamic is never simplistic as they remain grounded by the military and political realities of their mission and service to those they wish to protect. Shepitko’s approach probably appeased the Soviet censors – after a loosening of standards under Nikita Khrushchev, the cultural censors under Leonid Brezhnev were returning to Stalin-era guidelines – while employing her signature triumphing of human virtues. Bravery and cowardice are juxtaposed throughout the final half of The Ascent. It is to Shepitko’s credit that she makes her hero’s actions unassuming, her coward’s betrayal understandable.

Indirectly but intentionally, The Ascent notes how Nazi Germany’s atrocity-laden campaign against the Soviet Union has affected how the latter has treated its enemies – foreign and domestic – in the years during and after the war (does this mean that The Ascent has ulterior themes criticizing the Soviet government? I don’t believe so). The Nazis – through Portnov and his subordinates – attempt to turn conquered citizens and captured partisans against each other, engage in whataboutism, and have no compunctions about using violence to solve problems. In the final minutes, the film’s Soviet Judas is distraught to see how one seemingly easy decision has enabled injustice. This Judas figure believes he can reverse, maybe compensate for what horror he has been party to. But ultimately, he accepts that he cannot be what he was, and finds absurdity and tragedy in his actions.

Boris Plotnikov (1988′s Heart of a Dog) makes his crediting acting debut in The Ascent is magnificent as Sotnikov. His distant stare and deliberate movements suggest weariness – of the war, of the world. So too as Vladimir Gostyukhin (1991′s Close to Eden) as Rybak – although the greatest moments of his performance appear in the dying minutes of the film, as he struggles with an internal conflict. Anatoly Solonitsyn, as Portnov, is the hard-nosed defector – with no expression suggesting any second thoughts on the devastation he has wreaked on his neighbors, his former friends and colleagues. Solonitsyn’s supporting performance pierces through the film’s moral center, subordinating it to the machinal madness of Nazi policy towards its enemies.

A fascinating, sparsely-cued score by Soviet-German composer Alfred Schnittke complements a film that I would have otherwise imagined to have no music. Schnittke was primarily known for his work in classical music rather than film and television scores. But Schnittke, unlike earlier Soviet composers like Sergei Prokofiev and Dmitri Shostakovich, is not so much interested in nineteenth-century-influenced melodies and rousing idea- or character-driven leitmotifs, but texture, atonalism, and the use of multiple styles of music at once (“polystylism”; which Schnittke is often credited as innovating). Given the discordant and numbing nature of The Ascent, Schnittke’s music – which might be a difficult listen for audiences who are not familiar with the difference with “classical music” and “contemporary classical music” – empowers scenes of physical and spiritual desolation. This is a score that, in the few instances that it appears (especially in a moment resembling Jesus’ last steps to Calvary), is allowed to be front and center when it does.

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Larisa Shepitko would not be able to enjoy the subsequent acclaim this film (and her career) would eventually find in the West. This overdue appreciation of Shepitko’s work can be attributed to the lack of awareness of Soviet cinema beyond certain directors and attitudes towards female directors. Shepitko, the director of one of the greatest war films of all time, was killed in a car accident in 1979 while scouting shooting locations for an adaptation of Valentin Rasputin’s novel Farewell to Matyora. The accident also took the lives of cinematographer Chukhnov, production designer Yuri Fomenko, and three other members of the crew. Shepitko’s husband, director Elem Klimov, would finish his late spouse’s work in 1983 – two years before the release of his shattering war film Come and See (1985).

This is a film arguing for moral goodness – something unmentioned in Soviet communist ideology. The Ascent, filled with religious visual and thematic allusions, is as spiritual as any Soviet film could possibly be. Its spirituality is displayed and tested in the theater of warfare, making any viewer of this film go through the whirlwind of emotions. Abandonment, desolation, hopelessness, regret all flow through the screen, speaking to those heeding Shepitko’s appeal for conscientiousness when confronted with cruelty.

My rating: 10/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. The Ascent is the one hundred and fifty-first feature-length or short film I have rated a ten on imdb (this write-up was expedited before the write-ups on the films that will be the 149th and 150th).

#The Ascent #Larisa Shepitko #Boris Plotnikov #Vladimir Gostyukhin #Sergei Yakolev #Lyudmila Polyakova #Viktoriya Goldentul #Anatoly Solonitsyn #Yuri Klepikov #Vladimir Chukhnov #Pavel Lebeshev #Vasil Bykau #Alfred Shnittke #TCM #My Movie Odyssey

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shewhotellsstories · 7 years ago

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Your Fave is Problematic Pt. 15: When Magical Girls Are Mammified

Fair warning, this post is critical of Sarah J. Maas’ writing choices.

Sorscha, who will only be referred to as Sorscha because the author didn’t give her a surname, was another disposable woman of color in the story. She is introduced in the fourth book and is one of the castle’s healers. In the continent where the events of Throne of Glass are taking place, it appears that Ellwye, Nehemia’s country, is heavily populated with black and brown people. When Sorcha’s physical description is given, when Prince Dorian Havillard is noting her golden-tan skin he deduces that one of her family members comes from Ellwye. And while talking about her physical appearance it’s probably worth pointing out that Dorian describes her as not beautiful, but only “pretty.” In comparison to his previous love interest Celaena one imagines; the thin, blonde haired, blue eyed epitome of white womanhood and western beauty. These observations from others that Dorian is settling for the “average” looking Sorscha not only doubles down on extremely limiting beauty standards but sets her up to be a consolation prize for Dorian, who could not win Celaena’s heart. A colleague of Sorscha’s also goes out of her way to inform her that she’s not nearly attractive enough to be with Dorian. Sorscha has been pining for Dorian for years. With Celaena absent Dorian falls in love with Sorscha. Their relationships begin at first out of necessity. Dorian has recently discovered he has magic and his father the King of Adarlan has a radically anti-magical person regime. He believes that his father wouldn't hesitate to have him executed upon discovering this truth thus it’s a secret Dorian tries desperately to keep. Except that he has little understanding of his magical powers and accidentally reveals them in front of Sorscha. Sorscha feels for Dorian, being the daughter of two immigrants who were slaughtered as a part of an immigrant purge ordered by Dorian’s father, and she decides to help him. They enter into a secret relationship, only to be discovered by the King. It is revealed that Sorscha’s no ordinary healer. She’s a spy for the rebels. This and her less than respectable relationship with the heir to the Adarlanian throne costs her, her life. She’s beheaded before Dorian and Captain Chaol Westfall’s eyes. The pain of her death causes Dorian to reveal his magic and Chaol to finally break his oath to the king. Again: the woman of color’s awful death is mere catalyst or motivation for another character’s development.

The world of fiction is no stranger to the women in refrigerators trope, meaning killing off female characters to create storylines for male characters. This is a textbook and unnecessary example. Dorian and his father do not have a close relationship. Throughout the series despite having been presented with numerous examples of the damage his father has done, Dorian is unwilling to challenge him in any meaningful ways. He doesn’t condone the massacres his father orders, he doesn’t support the possibility of more slave mines, he doesn’t turn in his best friend Chaol for his interactions with the rebels, but he doesn’t challenge his father. Neither does Chaol whose inaction almost makes more sense. Chaol gave up his birthright and family to be the captain of the guard, his narrative is that he just wants to be loyal and keep his promises. And yet despite being described multiple times by Celaena as the epitome of what a good man should be, despite also being confronted multiple times with evidence of the king’s cruelty, he’s a bystander. Until he see’s Sorscha beheaded. Sorscha spends her final moments ensuring that Dorian’s magic is not revealed. Sorscha, although revealed to be a rebel and spy, was defined in her being Dorian’s love interest. Sorscha was decapitated to show Chaol and Dorian how evil the king was. Sorscha is the second woman of color out of three existing women of color in the series to be murdered to teach two white characters a lesson.

As the series goes on people of color are not treated much better. Nersryn Faliq an immigrant, who in the real world would fall into the Asian-American category is a rebel and former city guard. Throughout her life, she and her family have suffered due to the anti-immigrant sentiment that the king’s policies have encouraged. Nersryn is brave but is often ignored by other characters or treated as an emotional punching bag. Unlike Sorscha she’s at least given a surname and she’s not brutally murdered. But she feels like a consolation prize because Chaol cannot be with Celaena.

Bad representation is as damaging as no representation. Whether the authors mean to or not creating characters like Sorscha, Nehemia, and to an extent Maia who exist to be tortured and killed for white characters to learn a lesson or have an epiphany perpetuates white supremacy as it perpetuates the idea that black and brown people only exist to serve. Characters of color in this scenario exist to hold other characters’ confidences, they exist to sacrifice themselves, they exist to be tortured, but they do not exist to be the heroes of their own stories. While studies have shown that reading fiction increases empathy, stories that perpetuate negative stereotypes can reinforce real-life prejudices. (Duyvis) Being included in the narrative only to have negative stereotypes about you reinforced leads to individuals internalizing those stereotypes. Psychology describes this process as a stereotype threat. In regard to children of color, media with negative representations of them can contribute to low-self esteem. This can lead to underperformance academically and socially. (Myths, misfits & masks: Sana Amanat at TEDxTeen 2014)

It’s true that we live in an imperfect world wherein revolutions there is collateral damage. However, in these worlds all too often and consistently the collateral damage is a character of color. Throne of Glass is a series praised for its diversity and yet by the end of the series only one of the three prominent characters of color is alive. A story with more dead people of color than alive is a poor excuse for diversity. Real representation and diversity are when characters that are part of marginalized populations are fleshed out, three-dimensional characters, who are not simply plot devices. This is especially true for the world of fantasy, because in a world where anything is possible audiences are given the opportunity to imagine worlds where there isn’t inequality. This becomes increasingly more troubling when taken into account that both The Mortal Instruments and Throne of Glass series contain such complex allegories and metaphors for real-world inequality and yet have a tendency to treat their characters of color so poorly.

To be a hero or heroine means that you model what heroism is for an audience. Having a character that is a woman of color choose to die for the “greater good” and because they ultimately were not the chosen one sends the message that the only acts of heroism women of color are capable of is martyrdom and that communities fictional or otherwise are better served without their existence. Having a character like Sorscha who wasn’t even deemed important enough for a surname gruesomely beheaded to move her boyfriend’s story along means that characters of color, people of color can only ever be footnotes in other people’s stories. And that their experiences and pain only matters in relation to how it affects white characters.

Quick note I wrapped up my thesis months before Tower of Dawn came out, feel free to let me know if Nesryn was treated like an actual person in that book.

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transcending-chaos · 7 years ago

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Writing Religions 101

Okay, so I’m not just gonna bitch about this tonight, here’s a quick 101 on writing these things. This is one heck of a long post, but hopefully it’ll explain things well enough.

CLASSIFICATIONS

There are measurements and rules as to what classifies/what is considered a religion, especially if you want to write an Organized Religion. As such, here are the definitions again, as well as what they entail:

Religion is a group of collected beliefs passed down either through generational storytelling, instruction, or conversion. These beliefs have significance, importance, and prevalence in the adherents’ society, social activities, personal lives, relationships, and world views

Basically, religions are (often) archaic or long-standing, established beliefs that have weathered the passage of time or transformed along with it. They spread via common story-telling, through writing, generational teachings, familial traditions, are have bearing in an individual adherent’s life in some form, even if it’s mild superstition. It is a cultural tool used to help inform a worldview, and teach the uninformed or uninitiated. Yes, this can be bad, and yes it can be good, but it needs to have impact that resonates with the masses- even if it’s contained to one area. The resonance and personal value is what quantifies it as a religion in the first place; yes this varies from person to person, but without that quality, validity, attachment, and lens to help view the world through, it is not considered a religion or faith.

If this sounds strange, that’s because you’re trying to measure and quantify feeling, emotional and spiritual attachment, and give it value to be measured by. It’s a hard thing to do, but it can be done. It’s the attachment of people and principles, their devotion, their community and connection with a cause and ideal that is bigger than themselves.

So, that’s the broadest definition I can give, now to the sub-categories.

Organized Religion is a religious structure, narrative, values, and set of beliefs specified in a formally established doctrine that has interpreters, leaders, and systems. These are post-literate, meaning written or containing documents, and can be read or translated.

Any religion with definitive text and interpreter (preacher, spiritual leader)

This means that the religion has been written down and there is a structure and format to the members. Be it a hierarchy with different tiers, a community with a single speaker who reads, defines, and provides context for the text, or a structure where people take turns, Organized Religions have to be organized. There are systems to keep order, often for the sake of keeping the message of the text clear and unified, and this is what allows Organized Religions to spread so easily when compared to their counterpart. They often have community outreach or influence, they have a tendency to be much larger than Folk Religions, as well as considered more ‘valid’ in the eyes of the law because of their prevalence and the beneficial value they bring to the masses.

Please note that Organized Religions do not always mean Theocracies, though if you’re going to make a believable theocratic structure, you might want to use this one because it’d be a larger threat.

Folk Religion is/are social concepts followed by groups of people often determined by old superstitions and regional practices.

This one is harder to define because it can be offensive or insinuate that a group’s customs or traditions are not a ‘valid’ religion. Everything from tribal religions, forgotten ancient customs that few still practice, to civil religions can be considered Folk Religion.

Folk Religions are like old wives’ tales that are specific to regions or smaller territories than Organized Religions, as well as not usually written down. These have a far greater emphasis on oral storytelling and generational teachings, and of the two, are the ones with more malleable symbols and structures, but ultimately the morals and messaging should reach the same conclusion. These tales are more like superstition, often subtle, and often very simple. Considering a black cat crossing your path as bad luck is an example, throwing salt over your left shoulder if you spill it is another. Heck, if a town has ghost stories that are shared and reiterated over generations, than that’s a form of Folk Religion.

Cult as a term used to refer to those devoted to certain sects of larger religions. (For instance those who were devoted to a certain Saint in Catholicism would be considered a cult, but they still followed the larger practices and doctrine of the Catholic teachings.)

New movements within larger religions were usually classified as cults before becoming established sects.

In the traditional sense, Cults really were just smaller facets of larger religions that were devoted to another god within a pantheon, a saint within the host, etc. Also, anything new or not established were considered cults, as they were not formally organized, as widespread, or long-standing as the other two types of religions.

In the modern sense, cults are groups that practice a predatory method of recruitment and extremist ideals. Cults can rise to the level of organized religions, but doing so takes great periods of time, devotion from followers, outreach, influence, etc.

WHY DO CLASSIFICATIONS MATTER?

Quite simply, it determines structure, influence, validity (as determined by law), acceptance by outsiders, and the gauge your characters’ faith will be measured by. These criteria are put in place so that no one can make up something and then just say it’s a religion to get out of doing something else or breaking a law; it’s a way of categorizing and verifying that something is indeed intrinsic to one’s way of life.

Religion *has* to matter to your world if you give it one; it must have impact in some way. Does this mean your character has to have faith? No, absolutely not. But if you mention religion or begin to hint at one, be prepared to at least write the basic ramifications/effects of it existing in your world.

WAYS RELIGION HAS IMPACT/THE ‘WHY’ OF HAVING RELIGION

Religions are forms of mythology, ways that were established to explain the world when people did not know much about it.

Religions pass down traditions and connect multiple generations of people

Religions can unify nations and create peace/community through common belief

Religions dictate morality, good conduct, bad conduct, and consequences for actions

Religions were used to maintain order during periods of great social change

Religions offered entertainment for the masses or distractions from hard work as most are filled with parables

Religions offer comfort, solidarity, and purpose to those who need/seek it (ie. ‘finding faith’)

These are all explanations of why we have religions to begin with; whether it’s an old mythology that was once used to explain the world, or a collection of stories that withstood the test of time and slowly was transformed into something greater, these are reasons we have religions today. You must have a why, be it because of people trying to make the world into something they could fathom, actual divine instruction/intervention, or something someone made up and established a long time ago to create an empire, there has to be a reason. There must be a catalyst: a prophet or leader, an event, an object, something that still holds great relevance and meaning in the current day and age.

If you want an old-world religion, then go with the myth, tradition, and morality reasons.

If you want a religion that’s being used to manipulate the way a certain group of people thinks and interprets the world (via a theocracy), then go the route of choosing unification, morality, maintaining order (to repress change), and comfort.

If you want more of a Folk Religion path, choose something more like morality and entertainment.

Yet whatever the case, keep in mind that in order for your religion to stay around in your world, it must have a redeeming value. This is why ‘comfort’ is on the list. People will ignore reason and fight for what makes them feel good. It’s a good scapegoat if you’re struggling to come up with other reasons.

IMPACT AND SYMBOLS

Here is where you let your creative side go nuts. Because your religion has relevance to groups of people and their worldview, it’s obviously impacted how they interact with the world. Your doctrine can be as broad or specific as you like, but it needs to have bearing on the world and/or it’s people. THERE MUST BE EFFECTS.

Symbols can be anything, for instance:

Christian Symbols:

-Christian Symbols focus predominantly on morality and the superiority of God

--Depending on what sect is using the symbols, certain images and techniques are more common

--Typically triumph Christian morals and viewpoints but these change based on the sects

-God Conquers All narrative

-Crosses (St. Peter’s Cross, the Crucifix) -humility, sacrifice, martyrdom, faith, carrying the weight of one’s sins

-Saints, Humans -servitude, reward, dedication, devotion, the images of God

-Angels -protection, devotion, messengers/heralds, divine interaction

-The Color Red -blood of Christ, sacrifice, fire and brimstone, hell and damnation

-The Color White -innocence, purity, virginity, perfection, divinity

-Theme of Unity and Edenic Worlds

-Theme of Virtue over Sin and/or Hypocrisy

-Theme of Conversion

Pagan Symbols

-Spirals and Knotwork -Pantheism, connection to all things

-Elements -Nature is Holy, Nature is God/powerful

-Magic -Transformation is necessary and natural, everyone and everything has power and importance

-Animals

--Predators are representative of savagery and forces greater than man

--Prey are humility, representative of humans, and how even the seemingly insignificant have important roles

--Sacrifices to or embodiments of God(s)

These symbols are highly malleable and change through the years to keep their relevance, but this is a rough outline of some very basic concepts.

Ultimately, choose your symbols with care and relevance to your created faiths.

WHY HAVE RELIGIONS AT ALL IN A NARRATIVE?

Aside from being a way to increase the scale of conflict to unfathomable and ancient wars between the very embodiments of good and evil, it’s a very easy way to get morals across as long as you’re clear in your messaging. Religions are very personal beliefs that are transcendental from culture to culture, relating themes in a concise manner (parables), and are often very human -because they have to relate to humans (I mean, in our world at least). They exist to fill needs, and whether those needs have gone and past are up to you in your narrative. Once again, they are cultural tools used to help inform a worldview, and teach the uninformed or uninitiated.

The possibilities are endless, but treat them with care.

For instance Religions can impact:

-Arts: fashion/visual arts/music/poetry/writing

-Sciences: the progression of how fields go forwards/sponsoring new fields of study

-Humanities: social structures/hierarchies/types of (un)favorable behavior/values of society

Literally anything and everything can be affected by religion, entire societies rise and fall with it.

These are just the most essential elements you need to write something that qualifies as a religion in your works. The broadness of the terms gives you a lot of room to explore, but it has to have substance, meaning, relevance, and an effect. Remember, you’re trying to validate and quantify things that are, by nature, unquantifiable.

#thoughts on writing #i will fix any typos later but holy heck man #this was long

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inhumansforever · 7 years ago

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Royals #11 Review

spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers

Even in paradise there is death. The Royals succeed in their quest to obtain the Primagen, yet it comes at a terrible and deadly cost. From the creative team of Al Ewing, Javier Rodriguez, Alvaro Lopez, Kevin Libranda, Jordie Bellaire and José Villarrubia. Recap and review following the jump.

The team has traveled to the World Farm, the mysterious home of the equally mysterious Progenitors. These godlike beings appear to be equal parts organic and synthetic, their lifeblood the ultra-potent mutagen known as Primagen. It was through this Primagen that the savage prehistoric Kree were transformed and developed into an advanced space-faring race. The Kree used a derivative of the Primagen, Terrigen, to transform mankind on earth into subspecies known as the Inhumans. And yet the Terrigen was lost. It’s aerosolized form proved deadly to The Inhuman’s cousin race, The Mutants, and the entirety of it had to be destroyed so to avoid the Mutant’s genocide. The future of The Inhumans was lost unless their former queen, Medusa, and her team of Royals might venture into the stars and discover a new source.

This quest has brought the Royals to the World Farm, an entire solar system condensed into a singular world… a kind of laboratory wherein the Progenitors use the Primagen to grow and cultivate new forms of life. Yet The Royals are unwelcome guests on this world. They are unaccounted for variables that threaten the precision of the Progenitors’ experiments; they are vermin that must be exterminated.

The Progenitors have seeded life in many corners of the universe. The created the Kree and in turn many different species of Inhumans on many different worlds. And they monitored the progress of these new forms of life by sending Sky Spears to collect data on this life and transmit the information back to the World Farm. It turns out that these Sky Spears are crystalline shafts of pure Primagen. Young Flint of The Royals had touched one of these spears on NovaHalla and it has unlocked in him enhanced power and awareness. An awareness that enables him to lead the others to the heart of the planet where they might obtain a purified sample of the Primagen; a sample that they might be able to refine into Terrigen so to bestow their people and way of life a future.

But they must hurry, fore an Exterminator and Destroyer Class Progenitor follow them in hot pursuit.

Before she can formulate a plan of action, Medusa is seized by a coughing fit. She has been slowly dying throughout this entire affair. She was the one who chose to destroy the Terrigen on earth and in some fashion the Terrigen has been taking its revenge. A mysterious illness has besieged Medusa, an affliction that Noh-Varr has only been able describe as ‘a poetic revenge’ in which the Terrigen is attempting to kill her in response to her killing it. Medusa has done her best to fight off this malady until her mission is complete, but the end appears to be drawing near.

The Exterminator and Destroyer Class Progenitors enter into he antechamber. They are enormous, fearsome beasts that dwarf the Royals. Hopelessly outmatched, The Royals fight on anyway.

The team’s pilot, Swain, has never been much of a combatant and is unsure what to do, how she might contribute. She dashes closer to the central Primagen structure. Drawing closer to giant crystal has the effect of greatly amplifying her Inhuman power. This power is the ability to read and manipulate emotion. At first she is swept up in the sheer intensity of her enhanced abilities. Her mind reaches out and somehow communes with her love back on earth.

Swain’s girlfriend on earth is a fellow Inhuman named Ash. Ash’s own Inhuman transformation has altered the way she experiences emotion. She no longer feels emotion in the traditional sense... rather she seems to experience it as matters of logic and consequence. At first, Ash’s apparent lack of emotion made her an ideal match for Swain. Swain lived in fear that she might not be able to fully control her powers, that she might inadvertently manipulate a partner into loving her as she loved them. Yet Ash was functionally immune to Swain’s powers and Swain could feel assured that their relationship was mutual and authentic.

The specific way in which Ash processes emotion enabled Swain to feel assured their relationship was legitimate, but it also left her feeling in some ways unfulfilled. While Ash cannot be emotionally manipulated, she also cannot relay feelings in a more conventional fashion. She cannot tell Swain that she loves her and not being able to hear these words has weighed heavily upon her. Indeed Swain had accepted this mission to venture off into the stars as a means of getting away from Ash, escaping the mounting sense of dread that not being told ‘I love you’ would ultimately lead to an ending to their relationship.

All these fears and doubts wash away as Swain is bathed in the elevated levels of her Inhuman powers. She is able to reach out to Ash, hear her and communicate with her unencumbered by the limitations of language. Words are simply placeholders, ways of communicating feelings in an approximated fashion. The different ways in which Swain and Ash experience emotion are neither better nor worse; they are simply different… and its essence, its source code is the same. Ash cannot say ‘I love you’ to Swain, but she can say, ‘you fascinate me,’ and in this moment of clarity Swain realizes that these two phrases are for all intents and purposes one and the same.

Swain is shaken free from it all when Noh-Varr’s body lands with a thump near her. He has been struck by one of the Progenitor’s rays, causing him to be engulfed in fire. He’s not dead, but dying and seeing her friend in such a condition fills Swain with rage. She stands up and reroutes her augmented powers against The Progenitors. She transmits the feelings of rage and contempt into the two Progenitors, causing the two beings to hate each other with the same fervor that Swain hates them. The Progenitors attack one another and quickly tear each other to pieces.

The threat has abated, but only for the moment. The others look outside the antechamber to see a variable army of Progenitors bearing down on them. Medusa recollects herself and formulates a plan. She orders Flint to form a crystalline shape around them, a de facto spaceship that he can use to send them home; Crystal will use her own powers to generate a breathable atmosphere within this ship; while Maximus is order to collect a grouping of the smaller Primagen shards. His hands were destroyed in a past battle with his brother and are now replaced by robotic prosthetics. The artificial hands allows him to handle the Priagen without it effecting him.

They all hurry to their duties; it’s a good plan, but they lack the time to fully execute it. The Progenitors are upon them and they will not be able to escapee unless someone stays behind to delay them. Gorgon volunteers.

Medusa objects. She cannot, will not leave a man behind and the prospect of Gorgon’s nobel sacrifice fills her with dread. Yet Gorgon will not be swayed. He has been the Royal guardian and viceroy since his youth and he feels it his duty and destiny to give his life in the service of his queen and family. Medusa realizes quickly that Gorgon will not be dissuaded from this course of action. She kisses him goodbye and turns away.

Flint creates the ersatz spaceship around the Royals as Gorgon faces his foes. He lays hands on a nearby structure of crystal primagen, its properties imbuing him with greatly intensified power. He them leaps forward to into the horde of Progenitors, proclaiming that he is ‘Gorgon of House Petragon’ and that his son, Petras, will know his name and know that he had fulfilled his promise.

Power coursing through him, Gorgon slams his cloven hooves into the ground below him. It generates a massive explosions that cracks the central planet of the World Farm in half as the Royals’ spaceship makes good its escape. The issue ends with the others looking back, knowing with great solum that their freedom has come at the cost Gorgon’s sacrifice. A panel reads that the tale will continue with the next installment.

As has been the case with each issue off The Royals to date, this installment opens up with a prologue set some five thousand years in the future. There Noh-Varr The Accuser and Maximus The Last Inhuman have traveled the wastelands of a ruined earth to awaken the Moon King in order to meet the inevitable return of the vengeful Progenitors.

It remains to be seen how exactly these series of prologues will ultimately connect to the narrative unfolding in the main story. What does appear to be the case, however, is that this Moon King is the future version of Flint - his transformation into this giant crystalline creature the ultimate result of his touching the pure Primagen. At the center of the Moon King’s translucent form is a human skeleton, mounted upside down, with one leg crossed and its arms out at the sides. The visage of this skeleton is evocative of the twelfth card of the Tarot de Marseille, The Hanged Man.

There are multiple meanings to the Hanged Man, the most common of which entail patience on the path toward spiritual growth, martyrdom, and sacrifice to the greater good. It makes for an interesting use of symbolism and foreshadowing. Flint may be the one whom must patiently grow toward actualization of his destiny, yet it is Gorgon who ended up sacrificing himself for the greater good.

The main crystal structure of Primagen that the Royals encounter at the hub of the World Farm is in the shape of a large tuning fork. The tuning fork glyph has been a constant and recurring symbol in the Inhuman mythos… appearing in their architecture, on the foreheads of Inhumans such as Mosaic and Lockjaw, and as a symbol on the royal garb of Black Bolt; it additionally shows up among the iconography of The Universal Inhumans. It would appear that this symbol represents something of a collective memory of all Inhuman peoples, a unifying tether connoting that they were all created and connected by way of the Primagen, the ‘prima materia.’

Way back in issue number three, it was revealed that Maximus went through Terrigenesis in utero, exposed to an ultra purified rendering of the Terrigen. Maximus’ parents were obsessed with understanding the Terrigen, uncovering its connection to the prima materia. Their experiments imbued Maximus with an enhanced awareness that has allowed him to see and understand the true mechanisms of Primagen. He could see that Flint was able to lead them to the hub by way of a pre-programed knowledge sewn into the fabric of his being (into the fabric of all Inhumans). Likewise, Maximus understood that proximity to the central Primagen crystal augmented Swain’s power. The others were shocked by Swain’s ability to fell the two Progenitors, but Maximus was not. He understands that the Primagen is the key to unlocking unlimited powers in Inhumans.

It is Medusa’s goal to provide the earthly Inhumans with a new source of Terrigen, yet it is unlikely that Maximus will be satisfied by such a relatively small accomplishment. Maximus feels it his destiny to bring far greater things to his people; he wants them to ascend to godliness, and it is likely that he sees the Primagen as the key to achieving such a thing.

Swain’s experience of having her powers bolstered via proximity to the Primagen offered a very interesting interlude in the action. Her quasi-communion with Ash and reconciliation over the nature of their relationship made for kind of a jarring intermission. Still, it proved a stirring and emotional scene as well as a compelling exploration of the nature of affect.

Because Ash does not experience or process emotion in the more mainstream conventional sense, it can be possible to arrive at the erroneous conclusion that she cannot feel or express love… that she is unable to reciprocate the affection that Swain gives her. Yet the difficulty here is not with Ash and her emotional functioning… rather the difficulty lies with Swain and the confines and limitations of ability to understand emotional in a multidimensional fashion. This is a common dilemma faced by many individuals identified as being on the further-left end of the so-called ‘Autistic Spectrum.’ Quite often these individuals are mistakenly viewed as being unable to feel or express emotion. This is incorrect. It’s not that they cannot feel or express emotion, but rather they do so in a fashion that is different then the predominant conventional norm. Emotion is far too complex and multifaceted to be confined to a narrow modality of expression. Accepting the possibilities of a multitude of different pathways for relaying and understanding affect helps to open a broader understanding of emotion as a whole.

The boost in her powers that Swain experiences provides her a crash course in multidimensional emotion. It allows her to better understand the different but equal ways in which Ash experiences affect as well as enabling her the ability to utilize this enhanced power to take out the attacking Progenitors.

very cool stuff!

Right from the onset of this series we were told that one of the cast members was destined to die. It was part of the hook that writer, Al Ewing, dangled out there to create dramatic tension and a sense of looming peril. Plenty of clues and red herrings were offered up regarding which member of the team was destined to perish. Medusa’s illness made her the first likely candidate, and she is still by no means safe. She continues to be bedeviled by this mysterious illness; yet if she is able to succeed in bringing Terrigen back to earth it stands to reason that her ailment will remit. Flint was the next potential candidate after it was revealed that his laying hands on the Sky Spear had initiated a significant change in his being. And he too is not exactly safe. He may not die, but it looks as though he is in the process of transforming into the mysterious Moon King, a creature destined to lay in doormat stasis for thousands of years. Yet neither of these two ended up being the one to die. Rather it was Gorgon who valiantly sacrificed himself to allow the others to escape.

Gorgon was actually my earliest guess as to which character was going to perish. I’m certainly not happy about it, but can nonetheless understand the decision to have him be the one to die. Gorgon has changed and grown a great deal over the last few years. He has transformed from the impulsive and headstrong brawler into a more introspective and compassionate soul. The time in which Gorgon was paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair forced him to reconsider and reevaluate his ways and his legacy. He let go off his violent and hedonistic ways and instead fully embraced his role as a teacher and parental figure. He owed up to his failings as a father to young Petras, making amends by taking under his wing lost souls in need of guidance such as Flint, Naja and Dante.

Gorgon was even able to finally express his love for Medusa, a forbidden love that he kept buried for years in fear that it was inappropriate and would prove unwanted. Seeing herself as dying and freed from the confines of her duty as Black Bolt’s queen, Medusa was able to reciprocate this love and Gorgon came to know a brief albeit fleeting happiness in Medusa’s arms. That and Gorgon was granted the kind of death befitting what he had always aspired to be - a nobel warrior and guardian of his people.

A constant in the world of superhero comics is that death is not a constant. Mr. Ewing has stated that the Inhuman who dies in his story will remain dead as long as he is writing the book. And yet it appears quite possible that Mr. Ewing’s tenure stewarding The Inhumans may end with the conclusion of the upcoming event, Inhumans: Judgement Day. In short, it is possible that Gorgon may return some time in the future. It may not be for a long, long while, but in the world of comic book super heroes anything is possible. I’m normally not a fan of resurrecting characters who have died... I feel it undermines the emotional heft of a given story. In this case, however, I wouldn’t mind at all in that Gorgon is awesome and I already miss him.

Intense action, wild, way-out concepts, cool character development and fantastic art. It doesn’t get much better than this. Five out of five Lockjaws.

#Inhumans #Royals #spoilers #Javier Rodriguez #Alvaro Lopez #Kevin Libranda #Jordie Bellaire #José Villarrubia #review

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loudlytransparenttrash · 8 years ago

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The 99.9% of Muslims Aren’t Extremists Myth

A number of what I can only hope are well-intentioned people, including Barack Obama, have claimed that the Islamic State and other militant radical groups have practically no support among Muslims and only one percent of Muslims worldwide hold extreme views. In response to a question of why his administration avoided using the phrase, “Islamic terrorists,” Obama responded by saying the vast overwhelming majority of Muslims reject radical interpretations of Islam, distinguishing between those with extreme views and the remaining “99.9 percent of Muslims.”

Every day we are told that Islamist terrorism has nothing to do with Islam. They say the causes of al Qaeda and ISIS are not Islamic and we are told to align ourselves with the 99.9 percent of Muslims who are looking for the same thing we're looking for. But is it true that 99.9 percent of Muslims don't support extremism? I understand the desire to believe this and the optimism expressed in such a claim, but what is the evidence for it? Our feelings? It’s what our Muslim college friend told us? What about major research and polling organizations who have repeatedly shown a very different picture?

There are two main arguments that are in significant need of addressing. The first is against the claim that the beliefs and goals of al Qaeda and ISIS are not Islamic. The truth is, those who repeat this lie don’t actually know much about Islam, especially the liberal teenage Hillary supporting Muslims living in California who want to call everything and anything Islamophobic. It may sound surprising but most of them don’t even speak Arabic and haven’t read the Quran and only choose fragments of the Quran to follow, they only know what they hear from their parents and their Mullahs, and so most of them think the radical Islam actions are against Muhammad's teaching and Islam does not support these things.

Why are they ignorant about their own religion? Because the interpretations of Islam and most of the Quran verses are very vague which leaves the door open to multiple interpretations, none technically being more correct or incorrect than the other, all equally Islamic. Most people don’t bother to do a little research or read some books since they can easily be refuted, so they will usually say “do your praying and that’s good enough, if you look any deeper into Islam, it will just be confusing.” The ones who actually do the research and learn the history of their religion and the meaning of their scripture, usually they become one of these three things:

They become horrified and either become non-religious and abandon the faith. They become “reform” supporters who try to focus on the good side of Islam while wanting to repeal and move on from the violent and oppressive ideas of Islam. Or they become terrorists.

It’s easy to say the extremists are taking the Quran out of context but who’s to say their interpretation is wrong? Are you saying there are no calls for death, violence, torture and extremism in the Quran? It’s only love and peace? Give me a break. There are hundreds of Islamic scholars and clerics all studying the context and none of them can agree on one interpretation and amongst them are both moderates and terrorist leaders. There is no Islamic world leader like the Pope who can set the record straight so every Muslim has their own interpretation of being a good Muslim, and their ideas simply cannot be called un-Islamic as they have taken their interpretations from the exact same book and the exact same scripture. That’s why Dr. Shabir Ally can talk about the fair nature of Islam while the leader of ISIS - who also has a PhD in Islamic and Quranic studies - is running a campaign of terror in the name of Allah. There isn’t a moderate version and a terror version of the Quran, it comes from the same book and they are legitimately interpreting and practicing what it says. Everything terrorists are doing today is what Muhammad and his men have already done and it’s all there within the Quran and Hadiths. To deny the link between terrorism and Islam is to deny there is no link between belief and behavior and that my friend, is to deny yourself rationality and impartiality.

Now the other argument that is all too often being regurgitated is the myth of 99.9 percent of Muslims do not support extremism. As anyone who cares enough or has the courage to admit, Islam has a problem with extremism but it’s more than just terrorism, it’s extremism as a whole and it’s about time we have an open, honest and fact-based conversation about it. Our society has evolved to a point where we can have a civilized debate about almost anything, except what may be the most important issue of our time - the rise of radical Islam. The left somehow feel worried that they're going to be called racist if they criticize an ideology but it’s this fear of being called a racist that has caused many people to act against their better judgment and it has lead to the cost of innocent lives.

People have become afraid of reporting suspicious activity in fear of being called a racist. The perfect examples being San Bernardino and the most recent Manchester bombing. Political correctness seems to have cost people their lives yet nothing changes. Freedom of speech is supposed to be a liberal principle but today’s liberals bury that basic right the moment Islam is mentioned. Muslims don’t need to be defended by teenage girls with blue mohawks or ISIS roleplaying “anti-fascists,” they need to be protected from the radicals in their own religion who want them dead along with the rest of us.

There are about 1.6 billion Muslims, in fact there’s probably a lot less since in almost every Muslim country it’s illegal to denounce Islam. There’s almost a billion less Muslims in the world than Christians yet most of the terrorism in the world today involves Islam in one way or another. Obviously, not all Muslims are terrorists, in fact a small percentage are, I agree, but how many hold extremist views and beliefs? How many could you say are as peaceful as Obama and left-wing activists want us to believe? This is significant because when we are considering even small percentages of the Muslim world, then we are still talking about tens, if not hundreds of millions of people. This is especially concerning when we consider the different types of Islamic extremism and what they mean for us.

There are three main categories of Islamic extremism. The left automatically jump in at this point screaming “they’re not all terrorists!” but they have to understand that when we are talking about extremism and Islam, we are not just talking about just terrorism, we are identifying and talking about the very specific extreme ideas of this particular ideology, which creates the link between belief and behavior. It has nothing to do with race and it’s so much bigger than just terrorism. Terrorism is the result of dangerous fundamentals and it’s those fundamentals we are talking about when criticizing Islam. It’s not racist or xenophobic. It’s critical analysis.

First we have the jihadists. These are people who wake up in the morning wanting to kill apostates, they believe paradise is waiting for them if they kill infidels, they believe in martyrdom and global Islamic domination. Jihadists are organizations like ISIS, al Qaeda, Boko Haram, Hezbollah, Hamas and the various jihadi lone wolves who murder people in San Bernardino, Texas, Paris, Belgium, Jerusalem, Ottawa, Madrid, New York, London, Boston, Sydney, Orlando, to name a few. It’s these “bad apples” that the left only focus on when defending Islamic ideology, they say because only a tiny minority of Muslims actually commit terrorism, it’s no reflection on Islam. But Islam extremism doesn’t stop with terrorism, it’s only the tip of the Islamic iceberg.

Next we have the Islamists. These are people who are just as convinced of martyrdom and global Islamic domination but they are more willing to work within the system, they're aren’t yet prepared to blow themselves up on a bus, they instead want to overtake governments and use democracy against itself. Islamists want many of the same things as the jihadis, it's just that their tactics differ so instead of engaging in terror themselves, they use the political and social systems to further their aims. Perfect examples are the Palestinians who voted terrorist group Hamas into power and the Egyptians who in 2012 elected the Muslim Brotherhood into power. The Muslim Brotherhood have not hid the their stated goal of establishing a global Islamic state run in accordance with Sharia law. Another Islamist group that’s actually on our doorstep in North America, CAIR, has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and has been listed as a terror organization. CAIR presents itself as a moderate civil rights group representing the interests Muslims in America. They pop up often in the media calling everything Islamophobic and getting every film or ad they don’t like shut down. This is who Linda Sarsour is working for when she continuously tries to convince young American women that Sharia law is so cool and progressive and the sad part is, it’s actually working.

The third category of Islamic extremism are the fundamentalists. It’s this group that the left ignores the most in order to keep the numbers as low as possible when trying to debate the percentage of peaceful Muslims and those who don’t hold any extremist views. Sadly, Islamic fundamentalists come in the masses. They hold views about human rights, women and homosexuals that are deeply troubling and the people who should be concerned the most are feminist, LGBT and left-wing activists but we get the exact opposite reaction from them.

In a 2013 Pew Research poll of Muslims around the world, they found only 57 percent had an unfavorable view of Al-Qaeda and only half had an unfavorable view of the Taliban. 13 percent of respondents declared outright support or favorability for Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. The Pew numbers showed remarkable consistency when they came out with their 2015 poll that focused on Muslim responses to the “Islamic State.” In an average of ten primarily Muslim nations sampled in that poll, Pew demonstrated alarmingly high percentages of either outright support for ISIS or many respondents who were undecided on how they felt about the world’s largest terrorist organization. In Pakistan for example, just 28 percent of Muslims were against ISIS. In Nigeria, 34 percent of respondents either saw ISIS favorably or undecided how they felt about them, in Turkey the number was 27 percent, in Indonesia 22 percent, in Malaysia 36 percent, and in Senegal it was 40 percent. In total, only half of all Muslims polled throughout Islamic countries rejected ISIS and other terror organizations.

When asked if religious judges should decide family and property disputes using Sharia law which includes being sentenced to lashings, being stoned to death and hung for crimes committed ranging from dating a non-Muslim, talking to a man or being gay, between 66 and 94 percent of Muslims in 10 Sharia countries said they supported it. An average of 81 percent of Muslims in South Asia and 57 percent of Middle East - North Africa Muslims support cutting off the hands of thieves and while 76 percent of Muslims in South Asia and 56 percent of Muslims in the Middle East - North Africa support the execution of those who convert from Islam to another faith. When you take the average from all the Muslims surveyed around the world, an average of 27 percent believe that apostates should be executed, 39 percent of all Muslims believe that honor killings can be a justifiable punishment for a woman who has had pre-or extramarital sex while 42 percent of French Muslims, 35 percent of British Muslims and 26 percent of American Muslims, 39 percent of Palestinian Muslims, 29 percent of Egyptian Muslims, 39 percent of Afghani Muslims, 26 percent of Bangladesh Muslims, 18 percent of Malaysian Muslims, 15 percent of Turkish Muslims believe suicide bombings against non-muslims can be justified. Is none of this extremism? Is this just “cultural differences?” How exactly did the left come up with the 99.9 percent figure?

In South-Eastern Europe, 88 percent of Muslims say homosexuality is morally wrong, same applies to 95 percent of Muslims in Southeast Asia, 89 percent in Sub-Saharan Africa, 82 percent in the Middle East - North Africa and 80 percent in Central Asia. 51 percent of Turkish Muslims living in Germany believe that homosexuality is an illness. As for sex outside of marriage, 94 percent of Muslims in the Middle East - North Africa and Southeast Asia and 87 percent in South Asia want it illegal. As for women’s rights, 93 percent of Muslims in Southeast Asia, 88 percent in South Asia, 87 percent in the Middle East - North Africa, 70 percent in Central Asia and 43 percent of Muslims in South-Eastern Europe believe women must not have the right of choice, she must obey her husband and she must cover herself. Only 25 percent of Muslims in the middle East - North Africa believe daughters should be paid inheritance equally, Jordan 25 percent, Iraq 22 percent, Morocco 15 percent and Tunisia 15 percent believe daughters should be paid and treated equally.

36 percent of 16 to 24-year-old British Muslims believe converts to another religion should be punished by death. 13 percent of 16 to 24-year-old British Muslims "admire organizations like al-Qaeda that are prepared to fight the West” and 58 percent believe that "many of the problems in the world today are a result of arrogant Western attitudes.” 40% feel it is unacceptable for Muslim men and women to mix freely. Two thirds of British Muslims say they wouldn’t alert police if another Muslim joined ISIS, one in four British Muslims want British law replaced with Sharia law, one in four British Muslims say terrorism is justifiable, 100,000 British Muslims sympathize with suicide bombers, over thirty percent of British Muslims believe violence against anyone who mocks the Prophet is justified, half of British Muslims believe homosexuality should be illegal, forty percent believe wives should submit to their husband and five percent agree with stoning cheaters to death. This whole 99.99 thing isn’t quite stacking up now, is it?

it is not just Pew reporting such findings, as a number of other polls have demonstrated similarly depressing results. Consider the 2015 survey by ORB International which found that 22 percent of Syrians see the Islamic State as having a positive influence on their country. A 2011 MacDonald Laurier Institute Poll found 35 percent of Canadian Muslims would not oppose al-Qaeda. A 2015 Metropoll that found that 20 percent of Turks supported the slaughter of Charlie Hebdo staffers and cartoonists. A 2015 poll by The Polling Company CSP Poll showed that 37 percent of Muslim-Americans viewed ISIS beliefs as Islamic or correct and 33 percent said the same about al-Qaeda.

So what other evidence might one point to as a justification for the 99.9 percent claim? None. While it’s easy to prove against the firm assertion of ISIS and extremism having practically no support in the Islamic world, which has been repeated by most western politicians and leftist activists, I am not suggesting that most Muslims agree with the extremists in their faith, only that the extremists represent a much, much larger and more troubling minority than anyone on the left will ever be willing to admit so it continues to be swept under the rug and never talked about. It denies reality and does nothing to address the endless problems described above or aid those Muslims who are making efforts to combat a very real problem among their co-religionists and one that ultimately impacts us all, Muslim or non-Muslim. We have a deadly virus that is spreading rapidly and will soon be out of our control, we have to identify the virus honestly and openly and fight against it while we still can. We have to start being honest about Islam.

#islam

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olympus-summit · 4 years ago

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Centerpoint | Mina | Trial 6.5 | RE: Nemesis, The Doctor, Shinobu, Rusty

There are plenty of reasons Mina, or Anchiale, almost considered never setting foot back into the trial room -- but other's disdain for herself was actually not one of them. It was what was happening now. People, high on emotions like fear and anger, were prone to lashing out. Part of her was tempted to do the same, but the roboticist knows better. Whether she can successfully navigate the situation will be a different story.

She knows what it's like to be filled with fear and frustration like what was happening here. It wasn't something she could ever fault anyone for, but she wasn't the best mediator with this group.

So, she might as well cycle through the facts and any addresses to her. Charon and Elliott had covered the first round, but she turns to Nemesis this time.

"To move on, everyone will need to finalize their votes for Prometheus and Epimetheus's identities. O-Or at least we'll need the majority of people to do so from what I understand." she gestures vaguely, indicating some members of the group too overwhelmed to say much (understandably). "Afterwards the procedure for taking back the Forge is... admittedly not something I'm fully caught up with. Though having poked around enough: I'm willing to help you all however I can with things like that. But, as previously said, I can confirm their declarations of handing power over to the Council is true," she sighs.

"It's really okay if my word there isn't enough given everything, but this is still coming from someone who was prepared to meet the same fate as Sakura Arai for what I did last trial... I want to end this all and try to help heal the world I technically helped ruin. I do appreciate that no one is currently expecting any of us to die, since I think dying would be irresponsible and avoiding larger problems."

It's clear that she isn't sure where to really place herself in terms of association with the masterminds of this whole ordeal (it's complicated). so she's just speaking from her unique position. KIT, in response, also bows their head to Nemesis in seeming agreement with Mina. Maybe they wouldn't listen to most people, but they thankfully listen to her.

With discussions of what to do with the others, Mina looks to Team Prometheus for a moment before returning to the Council.

"...Elliott has said multiple times that he doesn't plan to be in a leadership position for The Council, and his theoretical death wouldn't be martyrdom. It's a stupid proposal of his in my opinion, but that's not the definition of being a martyr. He is the leader of his team that conceptualized and operated this fiasco, but he does not lead this Council -- t-the same being said for The Fates. The five of them have information that could be useful moving forward, since even with research we haven't lived in this reality long enough." the woman rubs a circle in her temple, keeping her composure.

"Otherwise to stay on topic: reclaiming The Forge is something I'm for the Council doing. I'm hesitant to presume myself in a position to say I'm any part of that without the majority's permission, though I would like to be in some manner. Regardless, I trust the group not to abuse that technology given what it's apparently led to." she waves her hand.

It was difficult to say much of anything given the garbage hand she had been dealt, but that's why there's a group of them.

"I-I think it's obvious Mina and... myself are people who were constantly running on fear. I've been betrayed at every turn, even before we were made operational. I don't want to eventually retire myself knowing that I still embody Mina Choi's fears and regrets. I don't want people long dead to keep their control of me over a century later. I-If I do anything with my time left... I want to be a better person than I was at this point in my life and help make decisions that are for a necessary change. I made very poor choices during my early time here and I can't deny that. But while I will continue to apologize, I believe the only genuine way I could atone for my part of the damage is if I'm allowed to help. Regardless of the punishment or fate you dole out to those responsible, I am pledging to help this group get the world back on track. Your 'Captain's assistance is also guaranteed with that."

The roboticist wearily straightens up, making eye contact with those who look her way. "Though with my request I'm fine with the worth of my input in decisions being decided by the rest of you. I am considered 'part of the family' over there," she references the mastermind team, "But I'll reiterate that I only took the offer to join them for the sake of apparent necessity, information, and keeping the rest of you alive to the utmost of my capabilities. Of course I'm sympathetic to their cause, but it goes without saying that things were too inhumane and went too far."

Don't we love having to clean up your mess from a previous life? Mina sure does!

"Either way... Shinobu's point on forgiveness and healing still stands, though I wouldn't presume being allowed to help would mean anyone should be obligated to forgive me for lying, breaking trust, and acting selfishly at the start. Truthfully I don't plan to forgive myself anytime soon. I would just rather this conversation stays on track with the things we, or the rest of you, need to decide."

#chapter 6 #trial 6 #mina #submission

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nolimitsongrace · 5 years ago

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May 21: When God Calls You, He Also Equips You When God Calls You, He Also Equips You May 21, 2020 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. — Philippians 1:6When God calls you, He will equip and prepare you to effectively complete your assignment on time. He will use every aspect of who you are and where you came from to bring about His will in your life. He factors in your background, your level of education, your past occupations, and everything else you’ve accumulated from your life experiences. Many times He will also lead you into new territory where you are surrounded by unfamiliar faces in order to teach you lessons that you couldn’t learn any other way. Perhaps no example of this is clearer than the life of the apostle Paul.Paul played a major role in the founding of the Early Church. God used him to write almost two-thirds of the New Testament, and his inspired epistles have guided the Body of Christ for nearly 2,000 years. However, when Paul first came to the Lord, he was very inexperienced in the arena of ministry. In order for him to accurately understand God’s vision of the Church, he had to be adequately equipped and prepared. This period of training would not happen in the way Paul planned. He would have to go somewhere entirely unexpected.*[If you started reading this from your email, begin reading here.]

Soon after his life-changing conversion on the road to Damascus, Paul traveled to Jerusalem, eager to connect with the disciples who resided there and begin his ministry. Given his background as a former rabbi who spoke fluent Hebrew, Jerusalem seemed to him like the natural choice to focus his efforts, since he was so intimately acquainted with the Jewish culture, tradition, and religious thought that permeated that city. However, God had called him to bring the Gospel to the Gentile world first and foremost, and Jerusalem’s predominately Jewish environment could not adequately prepare him for this ministry.Paul’s stay in Jerusalem didn’t last long. The Gospel message he had boldly proclaimed in the synagogues soon after his arrival enraged the local Jewish leadership, and they conspired to kill him. When the local believers learned of this plot against Paul’s life, they helped him covertly leave the city and then sent him off to his hometown of Tarsus. There Paul remained until God was ready to usher him into the next phase of his calling, where the sure foundations of his ministry would be laid and his Christian walk would be strengthened by leaps and bounds.The proving ground for Paul would be the city of Antioch, a major city located approximately 300 miles north of Jerusalem in modern-day Syria. Antioch was the third largest city in the Roman Empire during early New Testament times, with only Rome and Alexandria exceeding it in size. Situated on a crossroads between East and West, it was a thriving commercial center and a true melting pot of cultures and peoples. The city’s population was also composed primarily of Gentiles — a very important factor for Paul, given the nature of his calling.The multiplicity of cultures found within the thriving urban environment of Antioch naturally resulted in a colorful and diverse Christian community. When the Gospel was first brought to Antioch in the wake of Stephen’s martyrdom, it was warmly received and the city experienced a revival as pagans and Jews alike left their old lives behind and accepted Jesus into their hearts. Before long, a thriving church was established as believers in Antioch began to actively evangelize their city and the surrounding region. During Paul’s time with this congregation, he regularly ministered alongside Gentiles and learned to communicate effectively with them. These experiences would do much to equip him for the epic apostolic journeys that he would later embark upon across the Roman Empire.From its onset, the church of Antioch had grown rapidly until it was second in size only to the church of Jerusalem. However, despite the distinction of these churches having the two largest congregations in the mid-First Century, the two works were very different. Many of the believers in Antioch were Gentiles who came from pagan backgrounds, whereas the believers in Jerusalem were nearly all of Jewish ancestry.Antioch’s rich, diverse environment was the “right place” God chose to equip and prepare the apostle Paul for ministry. A brand-new move of the Spirit was taking place in that city, and by following God’s calling to move there, Paul put himself in a position to receive an entirely fresh perspective of the Body of Christ. During his time in Antioch, he learned important lessons from what he saw and experienced that he could have never learned if he had stayed in Jerusalem. Following God’s call led Paul to a place he would have never anticipated, but it was an essential step to equip him for the rest of his ministry.Never forget the promise that Paul himself wrote to us in Philippians 1:6. It says, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Paul was certainly speaking from personal experience when he wrote this verse. According to Paul, God will begin a good work in us and will “perform” it until the day of Jesus’ return for the Church. The word “perform” is the Greek word epiteleo, a compound of epi and teleo. The word epi adds force to the word. The word teleo means to finish, complete, or conclude. When the two words are compounded, the new word epiteleo shows that God is forcefully moving His plans for us in the right direction until we are finally complete! Paul started that verse with the word “confident” — the Greek word peitho. It means you can be sure, convinced, and ever certain of these things!Likewise, God knows exactly where you need to be and who you need to be with in order to equip you for your life assignment — and He is working to get you exactly where you need to be! As He did in the life of Paul, God will use every aspect of who you are and where you came from to bring about His will in your life. He will use your background, your level of education, your past occupations, and everything else you’ve accumulated from your life experiences. And He may also lead you into places where you are surrounded by unfamiliar faces to teach you lessons that you couldn’t learn any other way. One thing is certain: If God has called you, He will equip you for the task! You can be sure of it! MY PRAYER FOR TODAY Father, I am so thankful that since You have called me, You will also equip me for the task in front of me. You never call anyone that You do not also equip to do the job. Help me have an open heart so I’ll know where and with whom I need to be in order to be in the environment that will prepare me for the next phase of my life. Help me see where I am right now with spiritual eyes and to hear with spiritual ears so I can receive the maximum preparation You want to provide for me. I know that Your hand is guiding me. And even if You lead me to places with unfamiliar faces, I know You are doing what is necessary to get me ready for the next God-ordained phase of my life.I pray this in Jesus’ name! MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY I confess that I respond to God’s call on my life and I cooperate with how He is equipping me for the task ahead of me. I know that God never calls anyone whom He does not also equip to do the job. My heart is open to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. God’s hand is guiding me, and He is doing what is necessary to get me ready for the path that lies ahead! Therefore, I will be at the right place, at the right time, with the right people, in an environment that will prepare me for the next phase of my life. My spiritual eyes and spiritual ears are attuned to the Spirit so I can receive the maximum preparation that God wants to provide for me. I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name! QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER As you look at your life, can you see how God has used your life experiences to prepare you for what you are doing right now? What has God used from your life experiences to prepare you for what you are doing? Consider your background, your education, and your past occupations. What else has He used to equip you for what He has called you to do in the future? Has God led you to places where you were surrounded by unfamiliar faces to teach you lessons that you couldn’t learn any other way? When was that experience and what did you gain from it?

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biblicalmeditations4everyda-blog · 7 years ago

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Agape Love

Good Morning Everyone :)

I want to share today on one of my favorite portions of scripture where Jesus talks and tells us what “Agape Love” is and even how we should love. It is found in John 15:9-14 (KJV):

9. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

10. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

11. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

12. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

*13. GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS, THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS.

*14. YE ARE MY FRIENDS, IF YE DO WHATSOEVER I COMMAND YOU.

*Verse's 13 & 14 are our key verses dealing with love but we can never share enough scripture on the topic of love. Love is the general theme of the Gospel and the Bible. How many today can honestly say – I love you so much I will die for you??? Now, our family there is no doubt we can easily say yes we would. But friends? Jesus said specifically friends correct? There is a much deeper meaning in his words here than we read.

First off - what is love? Love is to feel a strong affection for; to like very much. The unselfish, loyal and benevolent intention and commitment toward another person.

Second off - what is a friend? A person who has a strong liking for and trust in another person; a person who is not an enemy.

But there is love and there is “AGAPE LOVE”. Agape Love is - the ultimate example of God's love in our Lord Jesus Christ and what he did for you and I at Calvary!!! Paul declared that rhetorical ability, preaching, knowledge, mountain-moving faith, charity toward the poor, or even martyrdom are NOTHING without agape (love) I Cor. 13. The Greek word agape was used in the New Testament to denote the unconditional love of God for people as evidenced in John 3:16; Rom. 5:8.

Knowing this about agape love, I want to ask a question. Why is it so hard to love one another???? Why is it that “love” is almost a thing of the past???? If we truly love our brothers and sisters, as Jesus Christ commanded (John 13:34-35) why is there so much hatred and strife in the church family and the world????

Jesus plainly said that by us loving one another as he loved us – ALL MEN WILL KNOW YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES (John 13:34-35). How many can honestly say we see unconditional love today???? The church (not denominations, religion, etc.) has had its problems throughout history. But I believe, as evidenced by Jesus' Words, we are not living by his commandment today the way we should. Satan has come into the “church family” (all of us not individual churches) and used this greatest commandment to get us to err or fall short. And from this falling away, multiple problems have crept into the church and our individual lives.

I have spoken several times about the “I” syndrome in America and around the world. It's all about “I”. And this mode of thinking has infiltrated the church body, causing us to not follow our Lord's greatest commandment of all – to love one another. Oh, we say we do, but many, not all, show otherwise by their actions towards one another.

I will just be honest today, I don't know in myself, if I have that much agape love in me, to lay down my life for certain brothers or sisters either. Because of the events that have happened, at this moment in my life, it is hard to love them with an agape love. So, does this mean I am a sinner? Yes if I am honest and didn't do anything about it, but NO because I am saved by God's unconditional love and mercy. And truth is, we are all sinners saved the same way – Amen? I repent daily and so do you!!!! However, if we are honest like I said, there is at least one (if not more) whom you know, or have known, that it would be hard to lay down your life for them. I don't think I have met one person that doesn't suffer with this agape love towards “friends”. There's usually always someone somewhere, that there is ill feelings towards. I could be wrong though. But that doesn't make us sinners – it makes us saved by grace – because we know, and accept this and ask God's help in this. If we went through our life and not ask God to forgive us and help us, well, then, that's another story.

I have, as you have probably, heard the expression – Two wrongs don't make a right. And, in this topic today, that is so true. As I said yesterday, it has to stop somewhere – let it begin with me Lord I pray. And this my friends is showing the agape love that Jesus talks about. When we can “let go” and still pray for and love those who have wronged us, then we show Jesus (John 13:35). Helping those when it is not convenient, giving when it hurts, devoting energy to others' welfare rather than our own, absorbing hurt from others without comparing or fighting back, these are hard to do because of our flesh.

But this is when people notice the most about us and we show Jesus to them. The world knows, as we all do, it's impossible almost to show this agape love, in the flesh, when we have been hurt. Yet, because of the agape love we have from Our Lord Jesus, we can. And people notice that folks. When you can hug the neck of someone who has hurt you or wronged you, you know you have agape love as Jesus wants each of us to have. And regardless of “their ill feelings still” we are much better off today in our relationship with Jesus Christ. We have got past the hurts and pains, and can show Agape Love.

Let us all seek God today to remove the hurts and pains and replace it with agape love for others. Our relationships, our church, our family, our country, etc. but most importantly, you and I, will be much better off for it.

Have a very blessed day saints and MUCH AGAPE LOVE to you along with my prayer's!!!

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