#you are NOT ready to have a conversation yet. you have multiple centuries' worth of history to read

[ciboriaadastra]

The U.S. is an imperialist state and has been an empire since 1898 when it colonized and annexed Hawai'i and all the lands it won from Spain in a war started because the U.S. had a ship sink and blamed the Spanish government for it specifically to instigate a war. Of course the U.S. government will sponsor another settler-colonial state like itself. Of course it will sponsor the genocide of indigenous people and enforce a settler government with white supremacist values in their place. The U.S. is founded upon genocide and expansionism. This is Manifest Destiny.

The "anti-war" sentiment came about because Americans hate sending their own people to die in wars and watching people be killed on live television. That's what happened in that time period. The U.S. sent personnel overseas and you could watch the carnage on the TV in your house, live broadcast. Once you remove the personal element of Americans fighting and you can blissfully avoid seeing the atrocities U.S. soldiers commit, then it's no problem. (Note how "ally fatigue" is getting to people now, how they get tired of seeing news about Palestine, how some even want you to trigger tag images and videos of the suffering in Gaza. They want the personal involvement gone, and it's so easy to do it now.)

Also this is not the first time people go through the cycle of warmongering then anti-war back to warmongering. A generation recovering from war hates war. A generation that was raised in peace and ignorance of the world outside their hometown doesn't know how awful war and violence is; a cost they can't imagine won't supersede their bloodlust. Americans were happy to go off to fight WWI, because they forgot how exhausting and destructive the American Civil War was (see: the war propaganda song "Over There"). War is glamorized to young men who want to show off how grown they think they are, who want to become heroes, who are told they must be "protectors" and "hunters" to be a man...and so they protect U.S. political interests and hunt humans.

You have not read anywhere close to enough. Read the speeches in Congress, speeches from Teddy Roosevelt, about how the Filipinos are "savages" that cannot be trusted to govern themselves. Read about how the state of Georgia moved to expel the Cherokee, and how president Andrew Jackson acted against the Supreme Court cases protecting Cherokee sovereignty by using the military to forcibly remove them from their lands. Read about every war and massacre against indigenous peoples in this country. Read about how corporations funded the destruction of Hawai'i by overthrowing Queen Lili'uokalani with the U.S. Marines, establishing a republic to be annexed by the U.S. Read about how the U.S. military has been poisoning the water sources in Hawai'i to kill off the indigenous population. Read about chattel slavery. Read about residential schools. Read about U.S. human experimentation on Black and brown folk. Read about how the Nazis learned tactics from the U.S.

"First it was Japan" no, first it was 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue. He massacred the Taino. First, it was the wars between Jamestown and the Powhatan nation the English settlers were stealing from. First, it was 1619 and the first record of enslaved Africans brought to the colony. First, it was smallpox blankets that destroyed entire villages of indigenous people with disease. The U.S. was born from bloodshed and racism, molded by enslavers, raised by white supremacists building their nation off the backs of the peoples they continue to commit acts of genocide and slavery against today.

Understand the Protestant work ethic and American exceptionalism: "Those who do not work, do not eat; if you lack resources, it is because you did not work hard enough to earn them. Everything the U.S. does is right, because we are better than everyone else." These are the tenets of American society. It is wholly American to believe that the resources you reap from war are earned and you deserve them, because you worked (genocide is an effort, despite how effortless the U.S. makes it seem) for it. And the suffering your victims face is just what they get for being weak and not fighting hard enough to keep their resources and lives.

How could people be so cruel? Simple: they don't see their victims as humans, and they only care about themselves and what they can get out of any situation. They only care about making their own lives easy and comfortable, and it doesn't matter if it comes at the expense of beings they don't see as human. Beings they have labeled sinful and coming forth from the Devil.

Also, the aestheticizing of political movements is exactly why the "peace sign" doesn't hold weight anymore. It's been commercialized for decades. Most people don't tie-dye their own shirts anymore, it's factory made. And when they do make their own shirts, it's just a fun activity to do with children. In fact, it's white Christian conservatives who love making and wearing all that stuff, because they've made it represent their ideas of what peace and anti-war is. It's peace for white Christians and no war against traditional Christian values. And that's before you address how racist "progressives" back then were (notice how you only ever see photos of white protestors with that symbol + ask indigenous people how they feel about white folks putting feathers in their hair when indigenous children are still prohibited from and punished for wearing regalia at graduation to this day)

"Have we lost the power to imagine anything different?" No. We still imagine better, because we never got it in the first place. Slavery never truly ended. The indigenous peoples are still fighting for sovereignty. The U.S. is still an empire holding onto several territories and still has a chokehold over its former colonies. The U.S. government is always ready to spend billions funding more wars and violence to preserve its own political and economic interests (Israel is a foothold in the Middle East just as Hawai'i is a foothold in the Pacific).

And mind you, many [white] Americans can't stand to see anyone who isn't white in their media, let alone in their communities. They don't want to see Black and brown people obtain the jobs they want or the homes they want or the clothes they want to wear. They don't want us voting and actively take steps to try to cut down our voting power. War will always be necessary to them so long as there exists people whom they want to eradicate. They haven't finished the job, so they will continue to endeavor to do so. It is necessary to them, simply because they want it. Try telling a white American "no" and see the fits they pitch. And they so desperately want you to believe they are not their ancestors.

i am reading this paper about all the bombs and missiles and other weapons the USA govt gives to Israel, because I am trying to understand why we are doing this, and it makes me sick at heart—all this money and advanced technology, all poured into blowing human beings up. "When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail"—how could billions and billions of dollars worth of the tools of violence NOT result in violence?

I don't feel any closer to understanding what is happening in terms of how it connects to concrete reasons in people's heads. The connection between giving a government billions of dollars in weapons and that government solving all of its problems with extreme violence seems very clear though.

USA policies toward the rest of the world keep being like "Yeah, we want to promote peace, but, like, this group of people is SO uniquely threatening and unreceptive to normal propositions of peace that we HAVE to wage endless war against them and commit atrocities." First it was "Japan will never surrender so we HAVE to nuke civilians," then it was Communists, then it was Terrorists, but it's the same thing.

I don't remember the world before 9/11, but I can look at and listen to art and music from before 9/11, and it seems like something terrible happened in USA culture, where once there was a strong "anti-war" sentiment and understanding of what war does to people, but within my lifetime, it's like no one has the audacity to imagine a world where endless war isn't "necessary." In high school my class mates were talking about seeing videos online of ISIS sawing peoples heads off and that was basically all I knew about "what was happening in the Middle East."

Does anybody even think about why peace signs are part of the 60's "aesthetic?"

I don't have any conclusion here. Have we lost the power to imagine anything different?

[allophonicmess]

Time and Time again

Part 1

Fourteenth Doctor x reader and slight Fifteenth Doctor x Reader

Jealousy has been a familiar feeling in your life with the Doctor. It might be the most permanent feeling next to love and undying loyalty. A paradox, really.

The Doctor is struggling after the Bi-regeneration. It only seems logical for you to move on with the next version of him. So why do you stay?

Established relationship.

The reader is also a timelord

Mostly jealous 14th! Doctor and angst connected with it. Balanced out with fluff in part 2.

Jealousy has been a familiar feeling in your life with the Doctor. It might be the most permanent feeling next to love and undying loyalty. A paradox, really. But you have gotten used to it over the centuries and millennia the two of you have spent together. A lot of it could be attributed to the doctors shifting self-worth. It fluctuated with each face, often bordering on the extremes of self-loathing and arrogance. 

So it came as no surprise that the pesky emotion flared up when this new, younger and magically charismatic incarnation approached you after the action had passed. The older face watched silently and with apprehension as the new Doctor approached you. Furrowed brows and a downcast look. He tried to play it cool, hands in the back pockets of his dark pants. 

15 approached you slowly. You felt his warm, gentle aura even without looking at him. He gently took your hand, making you turn towards him with a soft pull.

There had only been time for a quick hello on the UNIT Landing Platform. And you longed to finally have a calm moment to get to know him. You were always excited to meet the new versions of your husband. They were all unique, perhaps even more than your own incarnations were. 

"Hello darling" he whispered quietly, gaining your attention and stealing you away from a conversation you held with Shirley. You had been showing her around the Tardis console, explaining the gears and buttons that allowed you to work your time machine. You hardly fly it despite being a trained pilot. 

"Hello, stranger", you joked, eyes wandering over his new face. His deep eyes, the soft slope of his nose, the glow of his skin and that small scar at his right brow. 

You quickly realized that you were going to love that bright smile. It was distinct, different from the other versions of your husband, yet so very much him. 

"Stranger? "I hope not." He grinned, hands slowly moving from your hands towards your arms. He held you gently, still unsure despite his charisma and showstopping entrance. He looked down at your hands, smiling softly at the wedding band on each ring finger. You persisted in keeping the old traditions alive, even if it was only for one generation. You were special that way. Persistent on tradition yet so open and ready for change.

"So you'll be off then? Can't stay put even for the holidays?" You replied awkwardly and toyed with the tie hanging loosely around his neck. It suited him. His unconventional outfit, his share after they divided themself and their belongings equally.

"I'm afraid not. You know me too well." He smiled softly, taking your teasing as an invitation to proceed and step closer. He loved your touch, just being close to you. But this was a very new situation, and he knew he needed to tread carefully, especially with his older self around. 

"Besides, staying put is his job. I trust you to make sure that he does." He lazily points towards his past version. He looked over towards him briefly. 

You laughed; the nervousness that had been present was slowly fading. It was a new situation for everyone, despite the number of times you had been in the presence of multiple incarnations of him. 

You followed the new Doctor's gaze, giggling while you did so. Number 14 was mad; you knew it already, but that had to wait. You never understood his jealousy in the first place. How could he be jealous of himself and the love you share with all versions of him. Wasn't that something to be relieved over? The loyalty despite the timelords' ever-changing nature?

You let that thought fade to the back of your mind. This moment was precious. It would take some time to meet this version of him again. And there was no way to guarantee that you would still have this face for your next meeting. So you savoured the moment, gently pressing your forehead against his. 

His face lit up even brighter, and joy-filled him. You accepted him in every way, each time in a new way. 

He had grown since that moment.

He remembered it. Watch the new him holding you.

The old version quietly fretted and fumed over the gentle touch and soft whispers between you and this new version of him. And he remembered the process of healing. Finally realizing that it was going to be you and him. Over and over again, face after face, till the end of time. 

"You realize that it's you, yeah? No need to get all possessive, spaceman." Donna watched her friend with amusement. He had been transfixed on the scene, eyes locked onto his supposed opponent, his fame stiff and unmoving. 

 He didn't react, not hearing or not caring at the moment. He loved her wit and adored her for it, but he couldn't appreciate it then. He let out a low hum. Letting her know that he had heard her, hoping it would be enough of an answer. 

She chuckled, "you silly, silly man." shaking her head at his behavior. "daft, that's what you are." She tried to get his attention, to no avail. Shaun had been right not to be scared about leaving her alone with him. For multiple reasons, really. 

After another moment of brooding silence, she decided they both had enough of it. She placed her hand on his arm. Gently pushing him to turn towards the new Tardis door. "Let's go. Let them have a bit of privacy." She regretted those words as soon as they passed her lips. The Doctor swallowed hard, quickly blinking away whatever vision just passed before his inner eye. 

"Oh, come on! Stop it with that nonsense." She swatted at his arm, provoking a yelp from him. "Hey!-

The sudden noise pulled you and the Doctor out of your embrace.

 He chuckled softly.

"Looks like I should hand you back over to that one." 

You briefly looked over the other one before once again focusing on Timelord standing in front of you. 

"Yeah, jealousy is something we'll have to work on. But it seemed to have worked, no?" You gently brushed your fingers along his jaw, trying to mesmerize his new face.

He seemed hopeful, a healed man. Ready to discover new stars and planets without the heavy baggage on his soul. You were very much looking forward to doing so with him. It was part of the duality that you two had to live with. 

"I sure hope so. He has a long way ahead of him before we get to you, hm?" You looked into his eyes, marvelling at their deep dark colour. You loved the green ones of number 11, the pale blue of 12, and the chocolate brown of the last two versions. Each held their own beauty. 

He just nodded his head gently, smiling softly at you. "But you were there. Every second of it. Always there." He looked at you with the purest love in his eyes. He tried to convey his gratitude. He had no idea how to express it in words. It was too big and overpowering to do so. 

You couldn't hold yourself back any longer, gently pulling him forward to meet him in a soft kiss. It felt different: new lips, new teeth, a little clumsy, just like every other regeneration. You smiled into the kiss, enjoying the new sensation before pulling away softly. He was hesitant to let you go. He felt the pull towards you; holding you like this felt so very right. 

You held each other quietly. His hands moved to your cheeks, cupping your face and smoothing his thumb over your cheek. He was going to do it very soon. He was excited to see you again.

14 held his breath, watching him kiss you. It hurt. Why? He couldn't fight it despite the logic behind it.

"Oh wow. Now it's really time to go. Come on!"

She hooked her arm under the Doctor's, effectively pulling him away from the view of the Tardis console where the new him and his wife shared their first kiss. She could already predict how grumpy he would be for the next few days. Stuck in his cycle of thoughts. 

"Come, come, you'll see her later-"She tried to usher him away.

"No need!" 15 suddenly broke away from their wife. Only a hand remained at her waist, where he gently held her. 

"I'm off. We'll see each other soon enough." He turned around to look at the Tardis console. "In 23 minutes, to be precise." He grinned at his other version, trying to ease the tension in the room. 

"And you two-" He pointed at you and 14, "are in for the best roast you ever had. I swear!" He laughed, patting you on the back to gently move you towards the Tardis exit. You looked at him again, marvelling at him for a second before walking straight towards 14. You kissed him quickly on the cheek, turning his face to focus on you. 

"Can't wait for that, ey?" 

He was awestruck at your cheerful demeanour, the sudden shift between the soft, sentimental moment and the giddiness you displayed. There were just seconds between them. 

You held his cheek, making him look at you for a moment. Effectively grounding him in reality and shaking off the dark thoughts. "Haven't had a good roast since that pub in Galway, 1840s." 

He hummed in agreement. His expression softened, face relaxing further as he kept looking into your eyes. They stayed the same after each regeneration. Well, not in a physical sense. The colour and shape changed with each form, but that twinkle in them remained.

"We'll wait outside. You say bye-bye and safe travels. Can't have you leave off with bad energy in here. You know how long it takes to get that out. And it's bad luck." You giggled, swiftly placing your hands over both of his hearts in a gesture of love and trust. Your touch was gone just as soon as it was placed. You pushed yourself off and left the Tardis with Donna to let your husbands see each other off.

[scullysexual]

pirate au fic; i’ll tell you a tale of a pirate queen (5/ )

pirate au | multi-chapter | au | multiple parts | historical au | 18th century | msr | mature | chapter 4 | ao3 | wc: 2,423 |

A tale of a Pirate Queen.

@today-in-fic

- - -

Chapter Five: Here A Man Be Free

The last few men filter through the entrance to the cave, spreading themselves out in the small area. Fifty, Dana counted, of the 300 that mull about the island, only fifty want to continue piracy. Spender keeps watch for any snitches who could’ve followed them here.

“You all know why we’re here,” Mulder asks. He stands near the back of the cave holding the pardon in his hands. “This pardon says we’ll be able to live free if we turn ourselves in but we know that’s not true. We turn ourselves in, when will we ever be allowed, trusted enough, to sail again?” She watches his eyes scan the faces of the men sat listening to him. “When will the likes of Frog, Elias, and Jacko be considered equal in the eyes of white men and gods again?” A murmur begins to rise, mutterings to the person sat next to them. Mulder looks down at the pardon and hops down from the bench he stands upon. “This pardon says all men will be free but what they don’t understand is that here, a man be free. Free from the hierarchy of a naval service, where a man is whipped if he so much as mutters a word, dares to disagree. Free to take as much or little as we want.” A stir begins to form, the mutters and murmurs etch higher and higher as men begin to shout their agreement towards Mulder.

“How many of you have risked your lives on the sea and received nothing but a pitiful handful of coppers?”

The men shout back, banging their hands on the rocks.

“Because that is what you’re asking for when you sign this.” He holds the paper up and points at it. “You’re asking for the whips, for the chains, for the poverty if this is what you agree with.”

All fifty men rise, shouting and yelling in encouragement. Adrenaline courses through Dana as she finds herself swept up in it. She looks towards Mulder who stands there looking pleased with himself. He catches her eye and she smiles.

The cries die down and a slow clap makes its way through the cave. Dana turns towards the noise as the men part and a man she has yet to meet makes his way through the crowd.

“Impressive speech Mulder,” the man says. “How long did it take you to come up with that?”

Mulder sighs. “What do you want, Krycek?”

“Just having a look,” Krycek says. His eyes scan the crew. “An interesting bunch you’ve got here, Mulder. A black man, a psycho,” his eyes finally land on Dana, the look of disgust clouding them. “And a woman.” Dana clenches her fist, staring him down. Krycek smiles and looks back towards Mulder. “Fitting for the disgraced son of a plantation owner.”

“You come to join us?” asks Mulder.

“I don’t think I fit in much,” Krycek answers. “Besides, I haven’t decided if I’m gonna accept the pardon or not yet.”

“Skinner just made you a captain,” says Spender. “Like hell you’re going to accept it.”

“Well, when I decide, I won’t let you know.” Krycek turns away, walking out of the cave.

“Will he tell anyone?” Dana asks. She didn’t trust this Krycek and Spender not stopping his entering worried her.

“No,” says Mulder. “He’s got no love for the British anymore than we do.” He shakes his head. “He won’t say anything.” He shuffles forwards, rising his voice to address the crew. “This is the plan. Tomorrow, Scully will go back to the tavern, be part of the welcoming committee and will sign the pardon on our behalf. It will give us more time to figure a way out of here.” He turns to Dana. “If anyone asks, the rest of us have gone out to sea, you’re not sure when we’ll be back.” Dana nods, it was easy enough. “I want you to report back anything you hear, okay. Anything.”

“Okay,” she agrees.

“The rest of us will camp out here until we know it’s safe to leave,” he addresses back to the men.

“Do you think this will work?” she asks him. It’s not to undermine him, her hope depends on it.

“It won’t be easy but once we’re away from here, we should be okay.”

Dana smiles, hoping that was the case.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Colton is an idiot. Ambitious, smug, carrying an air of arrogance and “I’m better than you” around him. The lower end of the ranking, Dana imagines he volunteered for this job, thinking he was doing somebody a favour. All he’s doing is shovelling the shit in the Navy’s eyes.

She signed the pardon, scribbled her signature on behalf of herself and Mulder’s crew. In three days time, they were to board The Angel and go back to England or, alternatively, they could live on here.

She does as Mulder told her. Sits in the tavern and listens to the conversations around her- one she learns are rumours that Krycek plans to take a ship called The Outlaw as the ships in their harbour would become property of the British. She keeps note of what is important and what isn’t, keeping her ears trained on Colton and Skinner, mostly, who sit on the furthest table in the room.

“There are still people yet to have signed the pardon,” she hears Colton say.

“Look,” says Skinner. “Those who want to sign it, sign it. I can’t make them.”

Colton hums. “One of these people who have yet to sign it is Aleksandr Krycek. He was your Right-Hand-Man, was he not?”

“He was,” answers Skinner.

“And you can’t account for his whereabouts?”

“I made him a Captain,” Skinner explains. “He commands his own ships now, his own crew. If he hasn’t signed the pardon, that’s his reasons.”

Dana tucks that one away; Krycek made his decision.

“Well, I doubt you’ll mind looking for him then.”

“Excuse me?”

“Those who don’t sign the pardon are to be caught and hanged, Mr Skinner.”

“You expect me to become your bounty hunter?”

“The Navy would appreciate it greatly.”

Colton’s footsteps retreat from the table, Dana watches him walk past. He takes no notice of her.

This was interesting.

She downs her drink in one gulp and scurries out of the tavern towards Mulder in his cave.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.

“Krycek has gone. I overheard someone say he was planning on stealing a ship called The Outlaw, that all our ships would become property of the British.”

“Makes sense,” says Elias. “Take our ships, we can’t sail anywhere.”

Mulder nods.

“There’s more, too. Colton’s turned Skinner into some pirate bounty hunter. He’s instructed him to go after Krycek and his crew.”

“Traitor!” yells Spender, he kicks the rocks on the ground.

“And once they realise we’re not here, he’ll be instructed to go after us, too,” Mulder states.

Dana nods. Her father told her tales about Walter Skinner, how he was one of the best navigators. There was no out-sailing him.

“We’ll have to leave sooner,” says Mulder.

“How?” Elias asks. “There’s no ships left.”

An idea hits Dana. It might be suicide but it was worth ago.

“What if we took The Outlaw?”

“Steal from Krycek?” Elias laughs, shocked. “That’s the last thing you want to do.”

“It wouldn’t be stealing if we claimed it first,” Dana explains, her eyes on Mulder. “We’ll fight him for it.”

“Krycek isn’t some little amateur sailor, you stupid bitch,” shouts Spender. He stands close to her, peering down at her. “In first sailed with the Imperial Russian Navy. There’s a reason Skinner chose him as his Right-Hand.”

“Alright, back off,” commands Elias, standing between Spender and Dana, creating a wedge.

Spender steps back. “She wants to get us killed,” cries Spender, pointing his finger at Dana.

Dana goes to say something but she’s cut off by Mulder.

“I don’t see you suggesting anything, Spender.” Spender backs down. “It’s worth a shot.” He says, nodding.

Dana smiles gleefully at Spender.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.

The ship sits at the bottom of the harbour. Not a soul in sight, it was easy pickings. Something about it didn’t feel right to Dana.

“If Krycek is really gone, why hasn’t he already taken it?” she asks Elias.

“Nobody knows why Krycek does anything,” says Elias. “Get untying.”

Dana nervously looks around. Her stomach twists and turns. Something was wrong about this. She might not know Krycek every well but something told her he wouldn’t just abandon his ship like this, not while knowing they were still on the island. The others, however, seem not to care. She shakes her head, puts it down to worrying about getting caught by the British and sets on untying the rope.

The moment her hands touch the rope, however, there’s a cry from Elias. She turns as he slips and his dragged into the sea by something.

She goes to shout, to alert the others, but they’re under attack, too. Some pulled beneath the pier, others with shadows holding a knife to their necks.

“You really thought it would be that easy, Mulder,” comes Krycek’s voice. He moves from the shadows, a smile across his face.

“You already have a ship Krycek,” Mulder tells him. “Why do you need this one?”

“It’s bigger, better.” He smacks the side of it. “But I am willing to fight you for it.”

The smile doesn’t leave Krycek’s face. Already, he thinks he’s won.

Mulder nods his head, not letting any fear show. “Deal.”

Krycek just smiles some more. “You win, you get the ship. I win, I get the ship and…” his eyes fall to Dana. “her.”

Dana’s stomach drops as she looks at Mulder. She catches the worry in his eye, a reminder that he isn’t a fighter.

.:.:.:.:.:.

She tries not to let her worry show. Soon as she notices her fingers tangling together, she rips them apart, even going as far to sit on her hands.

Mulder wasn’t a fighter. He avoided it as much as he could but now her life depended on him winning. Dana hoped that wasn’t too much to bear.

“I can fight him for you,” she suggests but Mulder shakes his head.

“That would be cowardly. Especially if I was to get a girl to fight for me.” He smiles. “I’ll be okay, Dana. I’ll try my best.”

She nods, knowing he will. “Will he kill you?”

“No. It’s just who gives up first.” They see Krycek ready. “The others will fight. Your going will be the last thing that happens, okay.”

Dana nods again, believing him, believing in his crew.

His lips press against hers. “I love you,” he confesses.

Dana smiles, pushes at him slightly. “Go on.”

She watches him walk away, her arms crossing over her body.

“He’s been in fights before Scully,” says Elias, soaked through yet recovered from his dip in the sea. “He’ll be okay.”

She uncrosses her arms, allowing her fingers to tangle together as she watches. A clanging of swords, near misses from both of them. Mulder tries to keep up but Krycek is too quick, the edge of his sword scrapes Mulder’s side and Krycek knocks him to the ground.

Dana holds her breath, praying for Mulder to get up, her hand subconsciously falling to her stomach.

Beside her, Elias is whispering his own mantra yet Mulder does not get up. He lays on the ground, his hand covered with blood.

“You’re just not good enough Mulder,” Dana hears Krycek say. He turns around, the victor. He’s won the ship and Dana.

“He’s gotta get past us,” says Elias, determined.

Dana smiles, trying to find comfort in that. She doesn’t tell him that the others don’t care for her.

“Or maybe not.” Elias nudges her. “Look.”

Dana looks to see a dagger pierce Krycek’s calf. The other man falls to the ground as Mulder stands up. The tables have turned and it’s them who have won the shop.

She runs to him, gathering him up in her arms. He falls against her, hissing at the pain in his side.

“Let’s get you inside,” she tells him, helping him towards the ship.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Once on board, she helps him with his clothes. The cut is long and nasty. He hisses and winces when she moves the skin.

“Is it bad?” he asks not wanting to look at it.

Dana smiles at him. “You’ll live,” she says. “It’ll scar, though.”

Mulder shrugs. “What’s another scar?”

Dana smiles slightly. She busies herself getting pieces of cloth and bunching them together to press against his side.

“You seem distracted,” he says.

One look into his eyes and Dana knows she can’t keep her thoughts to herself anymore. She drops the cloth and sighs, turning around to sit beside him on the bed.

“You won’t be mad when I tell you?” she asks, looking at her hands, pressing her thumb into her palm.

She waits for him to comment, to offer in this quip or joke. When one doesn’t come, she exhales, her eyes trained above her on the ceiling.

“Mulder…” A shaky breath falls from her lips. The internal struggle of whether to tell him or not. But he’s looking at her expectantly, it’s clear she has something to say.

“You can tell me, Dana.”

And she can. She knows she can.

“Okay,” she says, nodding, believing him. “I…I think I’m pregnant.”

Shock floods his face, then confusion, then awe.

“You’re…” he starts then shakes his head. “How can you be sure?”

She shrugs, unsure herself. “I just…know?” she offers as answers.

He jumps up, the pain in his side forgotten, smiling. Then the smile fades.

“Shit Dana,” he says. “We’re about to go…the men….”

Dana stands, ready to protest.

“They don’t have to know. Not yet.” She grabs his arms. “I’m not even showing yet. Please, don’t leave me behind.”

“Dana, it’s dangerous. This life is dangerous. If something was to happen to you, or…”

“It won’t,” she tells him. “We’re just looking for more crew, right?”

“Right.”

“Then you need me until then. Once I start showing, then you can drop me off somewhere. But until then, I stay here.”

His eyes trained on her stomach, she can see him thinking it over. Finally he nods then laughs.

“A baby…” he says in awe.

Dana finds herself laughing, too. At the absurdity of it all.

Mulder kisses her. Once then twice then once again and Dana laughs some more. She was home. And she was free.

[lifeofroos]

Part 9. It is... different from what even I was expecting, but I think it is nesecarry. The rest is on my AO3!

Info: Nico gets therapy from Dionysus, based on a throwaway part in Tower of Nero. 

This might be crazy part 9: Anise Milk

‘Nico di Angelo?’ I looked over. Dionysus was sitting on a concrete block near the climbing wall. I sighed and walked over to where he was sitting. ‘Sir.’ He pushed a mug into my hand. ‘Is there an emergency that you want to talk about right now?’

I raised my eyebrows. ‘No. I thought there was something you wanted to discuss. Because you were the one to call me over, push a mug into my hand and with that announce that therapy is in session.’ I sat down next to him. 

‘That’s true, but if there is something urgent going on, I’d rather we’d talk about that than about what I had in mind.’

‘Thanks, but there is nothing. We can go on with what you had planned.’ Dionysus nodded. My mug filled itself with Anise milk. I held it in my lap while I prepared myself for what was about to come. 

‘The next thing I wanted to talk about was…’ yeah, yeah, Bianca. ‘...Hades.’ 

Wait. What is this that you are saying? ‘...Hades?’ I almost let the mug slip from my hands. ‘As in… about the Underworld? The place?’

‘No, I meant  your father. Now, I know, Nico, that this will be a difficult subject…’ 

‘Didn’t you… I thought you wanted to talk about Bianca. Because… last time...’ I was so confused that I couldn’t say anything else. 

‘I wanted to talk about a few things, in multiple sessions, that all tie back to your sister.’ He got a concerned look in his eyes. It almost seemed as if he thought he had made a mistake. ‘But as I was saying: I know this will be a difficult subject. Yet, I also think it will be one of the cornerstones on the way to recovery.’ 

Oh, he knows this will be difficult. That apparently makes it better. I looked him dead in the eye. 

There were a few seconds of silence. ‘Can you tell me what you are thinking right now?’ 

‘Probably exactly what you think I am thinking: why did you not give me any word ahead, so I could prepare? I just... I was there, and then I was here, and...And… why did you not give me any word ahead, so I could prepare? I just…’ I shook my head. And… why did you not give me any word ahead, so I could prepare? I just…’Also, I... I mean... why would I tell an Olympian god what I, or, the son of another high-ranking god, feel about that god? I…’ I stopped. This might as well be received as disrespectful. ‘Go on, Nico. It’s alright. I understand what you are getting at.’

Sure, sure. ‘Well… that… hm.’ I hunched over my shoulders. ‘Whatever I say might as well become an arrow in the quiver later down the line. Maybe that will take years, or centuries, but it might as well be next week.And… why did you not give me any word ahead, so I could prepare? I just…’ I tapped the bench and shook my head again.  ‘I just was walking through camp, and...’ I pressed my mug against my chest. 

Dionysus nodded slowly.  ‘I… know. I understand that you are uncomfortable with this subject.’ He looked at the concrete for a moment. ‘And… that I could have warned you beforehand.’

I did not answer. I  felt repulsed to saying anything right now. ‘I am going to the bathroom for a moment.’ 

‘Of course.’

When I came back, I still did not know how to talk or what to say. So instead of using words, I just looked at my mug. After some time, Dionysus coughed. I did not look up, but I could hear the remorse in his words. ‘Maybe… I should have told you in more detail how I am planning to help you.’ You think? ‘I think I might have gotten the wrong impression that you easily adapt to most subjects.’

‘What… How…’ My hands were shaking a bit. A droplet of milk fell onto my pants. ‘Can you do that now, then? Explain it, I mean?’

He nodded. ‘Well, eh... first of all, we can take as much time as you think you will need with what I’ve got planned.’ I slowly nodded, but still did not look up. ‘What I want to do is try to get to the very core of the grief you feel for your sister, so we can try to work through that and help you manage it. Not just because it will make carrying that grief, that went unchecked for so long, easier, but also because I think it will be a way to talk about other stuff that is plaguing you. For example, how you felt about Percy Jackson…’ At this point, my heart skipped a beat, until I realised he was probably talking about how I hated him. I still felt like I would never tell Dionysus about how I had truly felt about Percy. ‘...but also about Jason Grace and, not a small feat, your journey through Tartarus.’ The word ’journey’ rubbed me the wrong way. As if it had been a fun walk through the woods. ‘And I think that when we combine all of those issues, we might be able to actively work on silencing the voices in your head, not just on living with them. I think Hades is someone who had a part in how you feel about Bianca and that is why I wanted to talk about him first. He  is something that deserves his own conversation, but also something that ties into a bigger issue. I think we first need to talk about Hades, before we can properly talk about Bianca. Now, as I said before, I might have ran ahead of you.’ A short break, a few seconds of silence. ‘Now I ask you: how do you feel about all this?’ 

I took the time to think of an answer, and Dionysus respected that. In the meantime, I drank up my anise milk. ‘I think that it is a good idea to try and tackle the subjects like that, even though we both know that it will be hard and difficult work.  I think it will be worth it if it will really help me feel better. But…’ I looked at my hands. ‘...I would have really appreciated it if you had told me ahead what you were planning on doing. Because the talk about king Minos also ties into this, doesn’t it?’

A nod. 

‘Yes. So… that.’ I put my hand over the cup. 

‘I am glad you still trust me enough to go on. And, Nico…’ he wiped a lock of hair out of his face, ‘I… I guess I feel sorry that I did not tell you earlier. That was a mistake and I’ll try not to make it again.’ It dawned on me that it was the first time during the therapy sessions that he had truly apologised to me. Actually, it was the first time ever that I heard a god apologise. 

‘Thanks.’ Now, I looked up. We were both smiling. ‘I think I will be ready for the next session in a couple of days.’ 

‘Then you are free for now. I’ll throw you a juice box sometime soon.’ I put down my mug and stood up. ‘Bye, Dionysus.’

‘Bye, Nico.’

My smile faded while I was walking to the Apollo cabin. I knocked and asked for Will, who immediately came to the door, put his arm around my shoulders and walked towards my cabin with me. There, we sat down on the porch. ‘It’s alright, Nico.’

I softly grabbed his face and kissed him. He put both of his arms around my waist. After I pulled back, I slumped against his chest and slid my own arms around him. ‘Dionysus just told me… it will be difficult. In short, he wants to tackle a few things so that we can get on the road to feeling better about Bianca. After that, he wants to continue with everything that happened after her death.’ I pushed my head against his chest. I felt afraid. 

‘That… that sounds like it will be a rough next few weeks.’

‘I’d… I’d say months.’ Will pulled me closer and pressed a kiss onto my forehead. 

‘You can do this. I know you can. And what is a few months, or even a few years, if it means a happier rest of your life after that?’ 

I did not answer. Will´s arms were warm and comfortable and it made me feel a little, a little safer. He would understand it. 

A/N: This was a difficult chapter to write, because I set out to write a chapter about Hades, but then I realised I needed this in order to make that. Nico would not just trust Dionysus out of nowhere. It took a lot of thinking, coca-cola zero and Hadestown in the background to get to this.

In the next chapter, they’ll continue about Hades. I got a suggestion that I should write about Nico talking to Hades and not only about Hades as well, and I think I am going to try to built that in somewhere. 

[ones-delight]

A letter to him for the final time.

Lots of raw emotion so I’m just typing whatever I feel lmao. 

With the Cancer full moon in effect, I’m really trying my best to release all of my bad feelings out. Going into a new year, I want to confidently release all of the spite, hate, anger, annoyance, frustrations, basically all negative feelings I have towards my ex. Our relationship was not meant to last. I need to accept that 100000% and me continuing to be invested in his life (in a toxic stalkerish way) is not the right way to move forward with my life. I need to stop being in denial (in terms of trying to move forward) and actually start making moves that will be better for me mentally and emotionally in the long run. Especially with the new year coming around, 2021 is a new year full of changes coming up that I need to give my 100%. I will not be able to give my 100% if I continue to sulk about the past, specifically my past relationship with my ex, Eduardo Javier Castillo. My first love, first real boyfriend, who was overall not good for me and God put him in my life for a reason. To learn and teach me what I actually need and value in a relationship. In addition, I keep feeling like I’m making progress, however, I’m not making enough to where I can entirely let go. I need to come to a place where I can completely let go. I continue to feel like I’m making steps forward, but then take 10 steps back. For example, last week when I was in Iowa City, I had a moment where I realized it wasn’t worth my time to be in my fake accounts trying to figure out what he was up to or how he is treating his new girl (Kylie Cameron, girl who also works at KWCH with him). I get gratification seeing what he’s up to, however, every time he “shows her off,” on social media, all I feel is anger, frustration, and quite honestly, jealousy. I continue to play this comparison game of “why did he NEVER do this with me?” or “wow okay so he does this with her but not me?” Anyways, I’m going into a huge rabbit hole because there are just a lot of feelings and thoughts I have that I need to release. 

If you’ve made it this far, sorry for my random notes. Let’s get onto the purpose to this post...A letter I want to write to him. I think in order to help me make progress, let’s let all of the feelings I have out. Although I am tempted to send it to him, I really shouldn’t. It is a much better idea that I do not send it to him. He doesn’t deserve anymore of my time or energy. He didn’t honestly since day 1. Even if I were to send it, he will not actually read it. Also, even if I did, he may read it but do nothing about it. God, as I am typing this I’m literally contemplating sending it to him. fuck me lmao. I REALLY SHOULDN’T BECAUSE I’VE WRITTEN LETTERS TO HIM BEFORE BUT HE NEVER SAID ANYTHING. Ok you know what I’ll keep thinking and I’ll just do what I keep doing, do what feels right. also, even if I do it and it’s not a good idea, FUCK IT. I do what I want. Dear Eduardo,

  You’re probably thinking “I never want to hear from her again.” or “what the fuck does this bitch want.” or even “why can’t this bitch leave me alone?” I think these are things you’d say because you’ve actually stated these words to/about me. Anyways, I reflected on 2020 and been thinking about the people who have impacted me. Going into 2021, it’s going to be a full year of changes for me and in order for me to put my 100% into my future, I need to actively work through letting go of my past. I hope you remember that I’m not a Ph.D in letting go (lmao), so this is the one of the ways that felt right for me in order to continue moving forward without looking back and finally put past experiences to rest. I hope you take the time to listen and reflect on what I’m about to share.

  Although it’s been over a year since you’ve ended our relationship, I’m still hurt. Mainly by the choices you’ve made, especially since you were my first. You know how seriously I take relationship things and I’m caught in between being grateful and hate that you were the person who had to be my first. You’ve taught me an incredible amount about myself and relationships that I will always cherish. You also hurt me in multiple ways that I never expected someone (who claims to have loved me & cared about me so deeply) to do. I think about the ways you’ve gaslighted me in numerous situations that made me question my own worth/value, cheated on me with multiple women throughout our relationship (Jennelle Brown..Victoria Farr…Ashley Walker just to name a few), hid info and lied to me multiple times instead of being honest, kept me a secret (i.e. refused to allow me to meet any of your friends, allow me to post about us/you yourself never post about me on social media where people who’d actually know you would see), and overall, were not willing to let me be a part of your life. What was worse for me was not understanding these things until after you’ve broken my heart. (Side Note: Especially the cheating….You knew what would completely destroy me due to my past, yet, you still chose to cheat on me with multiple women..We’ve had numerous conversations about how “we” could never understand why someone would cheat on their partner and you acted like you wouldn’t when you were cheating behind closed doors the whole time..) You even allowed your insecurities gaslight yourself of my intentions such as you telling me “you’re making power moves and I’m not.” I never thought of myself as ever being better than you. You were always as someone who I saw motivation, ambition, and admiration for the work you’re trying to achieve. I’ve always viewed you as someone who always standing besides me.

  You claimed we had a great relationship; no cheating involved, ended on mutual terms, when we both know that is not the truth. I can understand why you lied to me and people in your life (to protect yourself while you actively paint me as the bad person), but why are you lying to yourself? Why do you deny the actual truth of your own choices? Anyways, I was invested in you to be my life-long partner, not to be another woman’s man. I hope you will always remember that I’ve fought for us, for you, and never gave up when we were together even during times when you made it extremely hard for me. I did this because loved you with my whole heart. I always tend to look at the good in people, but I’ve finally accepted that you were never truly a good partner or person with wholesome intentions.

  I do also want to acknowledge my own wrongdoings. I was not the perfect girlfriend. I’m the most imperfect person who has an eternity membership to the hot mess express. My biggest flaw were my emotions. I have contributed to times where it was hard for you to also stand by me. I do want to put in the space that all I wanted was your time, effort, love, honesty and support. You gave me that during the first few months of us dating, however, you stopped as we continued to progress. I continued to fall for you while you were falling out of love the moment, we stepped out of the honeymoon phase. You even admitted to me that you never wanted me from the beginning because you felt “forced” to be in a relationship with me. It still hits me like a train knowing you never truly wanted me, but continued to string me along…

  I’d be surprised if you’ve made it this far. There is still so much I want to say and ask “why?”, but we’d be here for 20 centuries. As much as I’d like to continue to analyze and understand the whys, I can’t continue to put myself in a position where I cannot fully embrace the letting go process. Overall, I want to thank you (but also say in a sarcastic way that I hate you at the same time lol) for entering my life. I know we re-added each other back on social media in April, but the more I continued to see you and Lila progress in your relationship, the more it hurt me even though I simply wanted to be your friend so I had chosen to remove you a second time in June. I removed you from Facebook and unfollowed you on Instagram. I didn’t unfollow you on twitter since you don’t use twitter. I promise I didn’t remove you out of spite, I removed you for my own well-being (again, took a lot out of me). I did try to re-add you back on Facebook in November because I thought I was ready, but I really wasn’t so I removed you again (sorry but not really lmao). I’ve also noticed you’ve blocked me on all forms of social media so I hope it’s not for the same reason of being salty with me especially since I did just try to re-add you back on Facebook just for me to immediately remove you again lmao.

  Finally, if you ever needed anything, please don’t hesitate to reach out. If it’s 2 months or 50 years later, please know that you can reach out. I don’t have it in me to deny someone asking for help (even if they’ve done me extremely dirty). I don’t have the heart to do so. I don’t expect us to remain friends because you still continue to never outreach to me on your own, so I do just want to put in the space that if you do need anything, I’ll still always do my best to help. I wish you all the best as you continue to progress in your career and your future adventures in life. I hope you and your family stay safe and well.

  Sincerely, Cass.

[mintytrifecta]

I’d Spend Them With You

Also on A03: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22454086 Garfield has been around for a long time. He knows this, and he’s getting pretty tired of it. No matter how much he tries to have any semblance of a normal life cycle, it always comes back and bites him in the tail.

So now here he stands, inside of an old abandoned theatre filled to the brim with thousands of cats, debating on whether they, as cats should question Primal Self on why they have nine lives.

“I’m sorry Finn I just don’t see the point in this. Seems more trouble than it’s worth.’’

“The humans are people of knowledge just like us, they research and explore their universe and their lives I don’t see why we can’t do the same!” Finnigan McEily, lived eight lives, on his ninth. Spanning seven centuries, approximately 14 years old. He’s the head councilman in the Muncie region, followed by Garfield himself being the second. Of course, what Finn doesn’t know is that Garfield can take away his authority at any moment.

Not that he wants to do it anyway, too much work and stress, he’d much rather not do all of that thank you very much.

“Yeah well what will we do with that knowledge once we get it? We’ve lived near humans since before time was counted we know they like to stick their noses where they don’t belong, I’d rather not follow in their footsteps.”

“Great Bastet, how much more in denial can you get-”

“Finn I was there to see the worst of what humanity can offer. I’ve been on the receiving end of human curiosity and let me tell you it is not fun. We have no idea how to explore our lives, much less understand why we are the way we are. There really is no point in doing this.”

In another life, he might have said differently. He might have agreed and said they could benefit from this. But unfortunately, he’s lived too many and is quite certain this will only end in disaster.

“We are ancient and loved. We have seen civilisations rise and fall and we’re able to tell the tale. Yet the only thing we haven’t figured out is how. I, for one, think this could be beneficial to us as a society and a species.” That was Amelia Sternman, third head of the council. Lived eight lives, spanning five centuries, ten years old. She’s joyful, ignorant, poetic and wide-eyed and Garfield would love to do nothing more than to claw her tail into a clean shave. Damn maine coons…

If Garfield was in another life, in the garden, he probably would have been her best friend. Jovial, forever young, stupid, they could’ve been mistaken for siblings from different litters. Sure she can use big words but they ain’t making her any smarter. She has no idea what this means.

Garfield recalls a time where he would have jumped on this idea right away. He fed on knowledge in that life. He had to, he was a detective, after all.

Samuel Elias Spayed. Lived in the 1920s, just your run of the mill hard boiled detective doing his job. Died in a shootout with a gang in 1931. Overly curious, stuck his nose where it didn't belong and it ended up working out great for him.

But, he’s getting ahead of himself.

“Why can’t we just keep doing what we’ve always done and go on with our lives. Accept that yeah, this is a thing that just happens and be done with it? Man, how long is this meeting I want to go home already.”

He heard a wallop in the audience, agreeing with him. Good, he’s not the only one bored out of his mind.

Finn sighs and strikes down on the stage floor with his paw three times “Alright fine, meeting adjourned for this week, but we will keep discussing this matter next time. You’re free to go.”

Garfield jumps off the old rusted podium onto uncomfortable old wood,the stage creaks and groans with every step his fellow pets make.

As Garfield steps out of the Bijou he thinks of how impressive it used to be. Standing proud and intimidating, it's lights aglow. Try hard enough and he can still hear the music playing from the pit. Strain his eyes enough and he swears he can see the actors performing their final number.

A piece of this land, always here to be remembered, yet never to be fixed.

He always felt a sense of connection to the building. Who knows, maybe in a previous life he was a pet to one of the cast members.

Not every life gets remembered, not every person gets photographed. Hell, he can't even remember what he ate for breakfast that day.

Maybe it was the sense of community that always drew him back there, he thinks. Letting his feet take him wherever they please. Garfield always feels better with other people around, as much as he tries to deny it.

After living for so long loneliness creeps up on you and crushes you inside out. Being with someone gave him a distraction. A thought that maybe… he didn't have to go through it alone.

He remembers the watercolour streaks of stars in his first life. Ancient and hard times, yes. But beautiful nonetheless. The world was new and naive. The older he got, the more stars went out. Now they’re practically all gone.

So was he. Crushed to death with a tree. His teeth crushed and mouth left bleeding. It wasn't too bad a death, he didn't have to suffer for long.

He thinks of Finn handling things in today's meeting. The felines asked for a day's meeting just between themselves. Finn trying to handle everyone talking at once doing his best to stay on track. Garfield wanted to laugh at how apparent it was that Finn wanted to scream. The dogs eavesdropping didn’t make it any better.

While there has been evidence that dogs traverse lives, they didn't want to test the theory and the dogs never said anything. It's a win win in Garfield's book. They don't touch their business and they won't touch his.

Walking along the road, he hears music coming from the park across the street. There was a performance by a touring folk band, Garfield is sure he can see Jon and Liz in the audience. After enough tries Jon’s given up on dating her and they opted to stay close friends.

Romance… what an odd thing, Garfield thinks. Everyone strives for a deeper emotional connection yet Garfield can’t remember any life he’s been in where he looked for a partner except his current one.

Connection was never his forte, often times he found himself opting out of meaningful conversations and friendships when they got too personal. He doesn’t know why he’s doing it, but he dies inside every time he does.

Baast’s Honor, how he wishes he could talk to someone. But no. he can’t be vulnerable. His previous lives showed enough of that. Vulnerability led to loneliness, loneliness lead to abandonment and a much faster death.

Stuck in an uncomfortable liminality between intimacy and isolation, Garfield found himself in a numb state. Constantly grumpy and always eating to distract himself, he’s sure whatever deity out there responsible for cats is rolling in their grave in disgust and horror.

The band is stopping for a piano solo, Debussy. Arabesque number 1. The corners of his mouth twitch upwards. He remembers Sarah playing this song…

His favorite life. After his untimely death occurring to an accident on set in a previous life, this one was a great change of pace. No worries, just peaceful times living with Sarah. He was almost her second piano teacher. Lucky one of his previous lives was that of a court musician's pet. Lived in her home from when she was a child and lived to see her child.

He continues walking and thinks of his home. His first home in this life. A beat up old Italian restaurant in a beat up old part of the city. Forgotten by humans, adored by cats. His whole family lives there.

Almost.

His dad doesn't. He left before Garfield was even born. Not that it bothers him any, he's got Jon and that's good enough for him. Garfield hisses softly to himself.

He remembers eating lasagne for the first time. It was his first ever meal, eaten five minutes or so after he was born. His mother laughed at his already large appetite.

Unfortunately a few minutes later he was taken away by the owner, thrown into a cage with other whining and screaming animals. The cage taken into a shelter and Garfield placed inside another cage. Begging and pleading to be taken by a human. Garfield cowered in the corner, confused and frightened. Some of the older folks tried to explain the situation to him, but all he cared about in that moment was being back with his mom.

A few days later, a brunette entered the shelter and Garfield caught his eye.

It took him a while to warm up to Jon. He knew humans weren't harmful to him, especially not one like Jon but he couldn't help but not be nervous. His previous life left a bitter aftertaste of humans…

Garfield feels a shiver go down his spine. He hated thinking about it. Being a lab experiment was one thing, almost being killed in the jungle after turning into a dog was another. Both sucked.

It felt wrong to be a different creature. Everything that he knew from his previous lives suddenly meant nothing. This was new, uncomfortable ground that he wasn't ready to explore. Garfield cringed inwardly.

He feels terrible saying that. He used to love exploring. It was his whole purpose in multiple lives. As a pirate, a space thief, cowboy, hell one of his jobs was literally exo-planetary explorer! Of course, both instances in space led to him gaining an extra set of lives for some goddamn reason.

He doesn't know whether to be thankful for it or despise it.

His feet come to a stop. The smell of old wood and abandoned concrete hits his nose with familiar pleasure. His family's home.

His home.

He runs to the back and squeezes through a hole in the wall. He knows why his instincts brought him here, speeding to the kitchen, he finds his clowder.

Ranging from his half brother Raoul, to his aunt Rockelvia. They run up and greet him with excitement.

"Look at that, ol' tiger's back." Uncle Morty exclaims, wrapping his tail around Garfield’s back paw and headbutts him.

"Took you awhile to come visit us. What you getting tired of your family?" Aunt Em scolds him from the top of a cabinet. Her tail swishing back and forth in a lazy welcoming matter.

Garfield chuckles. "Quite the contrary. You know I'd visit more if it were allowed by the Council. Unfortunately they don't take too well to anyone born outside a vet, shop or a human's home."

He hears great grandfather Oslo scoff. "Darn pets. They're the ones who kicked us out, you know."

Garfield rolls his eyes and replies, "Yeah I know you only whine about it every time I come over. But that's not why I'm here, do you know where mom is?"

"Check the dining room, she likes to sleep near the tables."

Garfield nods and makes his way towards his mom. After Luigi's Palace closed down she along with the rest of the family were considered strays and forced to leave the community.

"Mom? You here?"

"Table six, sweetie."

With a smile (and a few falls) Garfield makes his way to the top of the booth. He runs to his mom and headbutts her playfully, saying hello.

"Why, it's good to see you too, Garfield. What's the reason for your sudden visit?" She speaks softly.

Garfield sits down next to her and begins to explain,

"The council wants to initiate conversation with Primal Self. Not only that but to experiment on it and find out why it happens. I don't know about you but the idea of doing it sounds ridiculous and unnecessary." He says with a pout.

Sonja looks at her son with a curious gaze before replying.

"Well, my mother told me that the reason it happens is because the animals of the world were jealous of us cats having so many lives so they asked their ancients to curse all cats to come with a trial. This trial shall be held on each fifth life and determine whether a cat deserved its other lives in peace, or if they had to work for it. The ancient spirit of cats listened to their pleas and in sympathy, obliged. Following every cat on their fifth life and bringing out their ancient instincts."

Garfield stared at her in confusion, he was around before time was even thought of. Surely he'd remember something this important.

"But that's just an old queen's tale. Nobody knows for sure. I can't offer you much help with this, but I can support you in your council. Even from afar."

Garfield smiles and cuddles with her for what seemed like a lifetime before getting up, proclaiming he needs to return home.

As the moon shone on him walking down the street, he thinks of how wonderful this world is; despite its messes. He knows it is.

After all, he's been around for a long, long time.

[glopratchet]

intro

n the world to come there is little sin There are just lots of american alligators It was a great idea, but it wasn't long before people started getting burned by their own fires The prediatrain movement caught fire in america The demand for american alligator meat skyrocketed and so did the price People began to get greedy and the greed got them killed You see no reason why this can't happen here too Whorals where burned to ash while polled hereford heifors fetched record prices at market that week The cows have returned to the farms and other prey animals make their homes in unused warehouses Over a billion dollars a head in auction sales! It'll take the world a few years to bleed the remaining American Alligators and it'll take a few more before there come reports of theft Googizon won the bid to construct for the military the most forward thinking alligator farm in existance All eggs used today bear the GoogZon prf mark It currently floats near the okeenokee snow swamp Or so it will say on their website No one believes it This is not that story "Come on Al, it's the target! " the tech yells as you take fire and hit the pavement We are primal ponds inc a predatory company, head quartered at number ten prime avenue And you are Al Brutal leads rank 3 for said company A small mom and pop alligator farm attemping to make it And you're casing it "We don't have sufficient evidence! " You yell back We need you to make deliveries for us When your territory was hoisted upon you you had a team It's gone, lost You have no one Please Point of view of the player: You wake up with a mean hang over and a thick head ache in the dark A delivery champion You will drive through the night to a swamp and break through glitched out gates is a lowly position He had a secert life as billy fea fbots navigator And one more thing He had to have known about his bugs Maybe all saltimbanques are fots dead ones or not but he googled it It turns out no one has made a crappy real time virtual reality game dedicated to About a dozen years before your time, digital reality came out billy fortes navigator yet Delivering dragon tail in the far, far, future or you could kill the bugs, sharpen your tusks, drink your vodka and hang out with the hardcore otters Maybe that needs to change You push "N" to climax the degrading disk and send it out into nothing We proudly introduce today drum roll please Doesn't anyone play regular instruments any more? Alligator delivery service A darkness awash light breaks through the windows and washes over you The door slams open and a deliverywoman walks in your office The alligator farm where the gator are delivered is currently under hostile takeover Trouble in the bandit managed quarry has led to good business for here A series of construction tasks allow you to flood the market with new affordable alligator meat and pelts You bring in your first load of revenue Already we own over four over ten foot alligators a buzzard and a vat of swamp water Let's throw ourselves a party and watch as they exterminate your future competition Including rex lex, your prime suspect Five years seems like enough time for our boys in blue to put the pain on old rex A massive 14 foot beast with jaws that could crush cars float in your tank You're out of coffee and are jittery as hell Each on is incredibly detailed with over twenty bioligocail parts like an engineers wet dream THey have nothing else worth mentioning, jsut huge predatory monsters that will sell for a bundle Part one of this weeks training pick up a nearly dead gator out the tank and work with it over time to tame it Part two Part thee no wait Part five Part four Lum rex overfished the river and died before we could get our hands on it use the dead rex to harvest collagen The only thing it's good for something, something That's it for this week folks Let's prepare today's shipment Part six bio-diesel Part seven shoot some folks in the face! wait wrong game Part eight Looks like we're gonna spend our earnings wher else but here oh yeah, No employee raises we're shorting titanium Gold doing amazing things with Bridge and tunnel construction in NYC Part nine THe alligator lays in the mud lifeless after taking multiple assaults from your shovel The alligator drops and lands with a heavy thud Part ten capitilize on new changes We all help load the alligator onto the semi As you secure it, Coming next fall We are currently broadcasting their vital signs over at americanalligator They're in a glass reinforced steel container welded under the deck xyz The accelerator and brake are under the dashboard Our alligators come in many different sizes, each perfect for their own uses We currently have a large supply of eggs that will be ready to "harvest" in about ten years Ages, shapes, sexes and shades are represented over our entire roster of workers They all have cute baby faces, cold reptilian eyes and maws full of razor teeth The like to eat, sleep, dream, and spawn but don't speak our language or one anothers They're sensitive to movement and bright lights but that's it They love to fight and gossip and spread allegiences through body language and scent We created them using centuries old processes, updated from breeding techniques pioneered by the USSR to create super soldiers The algorytms which run each alligator is closely modeled after the human brain and all it's decisions making pathways This allows each alligator to learn and rationalize After the habits of the real world reptile, alligator missippissus extended lenghts and agility are full 360 Their lungs breath and thier hearts beat just like yours Similar organs replaced with robotic parts replace hollow bones They bleed real blood and molt just like the real things Orders for gator teeth are starting to accumulate and folks just love those mugs hand painted with an engraving of the Holy Rood, it's such a conversation piece! Our desire is to create an expierence which leaves you dripping in the hair, blood, offal and oil of adead reptile From the feeling of utter terror and awe as you combat one of these unpredicatable beasts The thrill of the hunt as you dispatch one of these creatures, the feeling of being a great hunter Alligator delivery service in addition to gator tail, hide, meat and eggs available Please allow around 8 weeks for your tail ordered to be ready for pickup We serve realism No happiness in killing a creature, even if it's wrong The realism of death is important to us Their every behavior has been memorized by the leading ichthyologists to achieve lifelike movement in our alligators Hours of alligator combat video have been studied Real life wild life wranglers have been interviewed for interaction of our beasts and filmed for the feeding times Now we just need to budget of 500 dollars towards the creatation of an alligator carcasses ready for consumption Our dedicated staff is enthusiastic to begin serving you Of an accurate alligator wrestling simulation This will give our patrons a greater sense of fulfillment when slaying these beautiful beasts in the wild And on behalf of all the artists improving perfect beeing CCD is commited to becoming your best supplier of fuctioning animal organs, so if you are ever in market for any glactic wild beast organ or rept Thank you for allowing us to serve your alligator fantasies Note: No animals are killed in the creation of these projects Alligator parts are ordered online, at real prices Tail orders ready in 8 weeks Sofware is taking over everything and eating the jobs of the working class as they increase efficiency We will be the last one standing the monopoly we need to succeed to provide our parents a stable future, no matter the cost The artists become in time we all will be artists The human condition is to become an artist Our skin becomes a canvas for our violent mammal urges To become one with nature We cant do it know be have sacracity Father of the art we become the last mammal on Earth So people have to be responsible in any way they feel correct to build on their future and fulfill the promises Should we try something that hasn't been tried yet? Algrothymic story telling with algrothymic alligators What would be worth giving your life for? -Youtuber "Mothers Meateor" Chances are your are going to be entrenched in a feeling of emptynes as you see most of your kind unfulfilled You play this game more like real life knowing that there is nothing after what happens Utter terror and awe sometimes as you encounter an alligator you have neve seen before As if it really exists Pleasure of the hunt as you begin to think cruelly The first simulation we need to get on-line is wrestling for alligator teeth Please remember your payment for the materials: it will all be worth it in the future For mom Let us become artists On the farm are incredibley detailed models of different organs This is the source of our realism Our bodies become painted canvases to be admired in their perfection They own the following body parts 1 heart, 2 lungs, 3 ribs, 4 kidneys, 5 teeth, 10 pints of blood, 20 gutfuls of feces, 40 liver slices and ------------- It has many storys as humans describe them Sofawin notes interpretation However, there are descriptions to the creation stories Brain storming: Defination- Flying dream Master piece realness bone organ healthiness enlightenment artist scrawling writing hard work starving pain, embrace sunlight sacrificing accuracy for fast 2 Left eye ribs 6-12, 2 arms, 10 fingers, 2 lungs 10 ribs right leg 5 toes Foundation bone setup Outline proportions 2: 1 3 crown Right eye eyebrows art piece scars chin 3 fingers I am the white masked guy with an eye tattoo over my right eye, I manage all the projects Upper jaw piece William 'bill' coles - Born 10 Lower jaw 5 Indian boy with attitude Duncan brennan - 5 Right ear A pig heart the size of a cannon ball you struggle to keep alive this is your 2nd pig heart you have had Left ear Rion - Really tall african-american guy from new orlean, likes to wear black Tail You are not the only mutant alligator in this city You must fight for territory and you want old orleans Front right leg An alligator that walks upright and a sword weilding alligator cowboy from atlantic city He is a drug-fueled mutant Front left leg A blind lesbian alligator that carries a padmachine gun Hind right leg This guy has a harpoon for his tail Hind left leg This alligator is a pyromaniac who likes to blow thing up A tiny little 85 year old alligator with a sugar addiction Heart and lungs Master echo luke tyler - Blind guy with a magic staff lives in memphis Urinary/Defecation system I heart mary Gentiles part I am part shark, part primate or monkey Nose Hope is on the horizon for all mutant alligator people! We are moving to new orleans in 1 year Right flank Last show for old orleans guys! Testicles Left flank Charilaia - 1 year left to live wants to go out in style Carly - underwater welding alligator woman rare and beautiful Martin - Addicted to alcohol and drugs Back hide abby- Normal florida gator Eh-pee Biggest enemy is the skinless man who wears cotton on his belly and uses a sword for violent acts Belly hide Teeth Skinless men - Are skinless humans, think they are vampires when really they are just psychos Lungs Wasp - Black and yellow striped arrival to new orleans airport, walks to old orleans in 5 hours Kidney's/ genital organs fran The alligator has a weight in kg based on its heart size The weight is not just a number but how it effects the alligator's every motion A percentage of the weight is affixed to each body part section and organ All the percentage of the weight equal to one hundred for example; The alligator's liver makes up 4 76% of its total body weight The alligator's skin makes up of 11 These precentages affect certain rules of the game Skin 4 85 We specialize in home loans The thicker an alligator's skin; The more it costs, but the house price is higher too We need all the words to describe an alligator hide 1 millimeter of skin thickness reduces house price by 200 dollars and increases mortgage cost by 1% Word one to describe alligator hide can change price by 100 dollars Each word after the first adds 100 dollars to cost The words are modified later for better Buyer experience Word two to describe alligator hide can change price by 10 dollars Each word after the first adds 1 dollar to cost Word three to describe alligator hide can change price by 1 dollar Word four to describe alligator hide can change price by 0 dollars Each word after the first adds 0 dollars to cost Word five to describe alligator hide can change price by -1 dollars Each word after the first adds -1 dollar to cost Word six to describe alligator hide can change price by -10 dollars each word after the first adds -10 dollars to cost , the words are modified later for better Buyer experience Word two to describe alligator skin can change price by 10 dollars each word after the first adds 1 dollar to cost Word ten to describe alligator skin can change price by 1 dollar each word after the first adds 0 dollars to cost Word ten to describe alligator skin can change price by 0 dollars each word after the first adds -1 dollar to cost Word ten to describe alligator skin can change price by -1 dollar each word after the first adds -10 dollars to cost Word ten can describe alligator skin can change price by -10 dollars each word after the first adds -100 dollars to cost Word ten can describe alligator skin can change price by -100 dollars each word after the first adds -1000 dollars to cost Word ten can describe alligator skin can change price by -1000 dollars each word after the first adds -10000 dollars to cost Word ten can describe alligator skin can change price by -10000 dollars each word after the first adds -100, 000 dollars to cost Word ten can describe alligator skin can change price by -100, 000 dollars each word after the first adds -1, 000, Word ten can describe alligator skin can change price by -1, 000 dollars each word after the first adds -10, 000 dollars to cost every word change increases the price by not 1000 dollars but 10, 000 and that is not a typo http: //pastebin Word ten can describe alligator skin can change price by -10000000 dollars each word after the first adds -10000000000 dollars to P 114 your skin if you haven't read our company ethos, try reading over our summary and your choice will be obvious We believe A creed to live buy and die by we are building a rocket ship and we are trading in fantasy, science, fiction things that no reasonable human should, the old ideas have drifted away and belief systems rapidly put in their place there never was much no need to re-read our creedo you're a reasonable human aren't you? don't lie Scrap of paper, grain P 115 wait at your home If you have not arrived in two hours turn this page turn it now read it later your will is crucial Your where about are not zero hour 05: 00 hours The stable alligator with curiosity looks at the woman standing nervously in the newly bought dress

[ketchupcrisp]

More #AskStrange Replies

Responses are under a cut because the first one contains a brief, mild, and 100% unintentional moment of non-consensual Domination of D/s Tony by D/s Steve. (He does not know that Tony is a sub yet, and as such is unaware that exhausted post-battle Tony will feel more compelled to listen to his orders.) If this is a trigger area for you, it's probably worth skipping.

I have a question to Dr. Strange (if he has the time of course), how was the first meeting between Tony and the team in this universe? An interesting question! Stark’s meeting with this version of the team was in many ways similar; the events of the two universes do not begin to significantly diverge until the D/s universe’s Steve Rogers returns from his cross-country motorcycle journey early to assist Stark with the cleanup of New York.

However, there were still distinctions, some of which were more meaningful than they seemed in hindsight. Allow me to show you what I mean:

* Shawarma, Steve decided, was the best food that this century’s New York had to offer. Now, to be fair, it was possible that some of this was his super-metabolism talking, stretched to its limits by the battle they’d just fought and desperate for any kind of sustenance. However, he would loudly proclaim to anyone who would listen that this wasn’t the whole of the matter; it was just damn good food. He was too hungry to try to catalogue the range of flavours that coated the meat, but he knew enough to know it was seasoned to perfection, and roasted perfectly. It came with a sauce, too, something Natasha said was called tahini. It tasted like lemon and sesame and if he hadn’t had an audience, Steve could easily have polished off a tub of the stuff.

As he tried to balance his body’s need for food with its growing desire for sleep, Steve looked around at his team. Clint and Nat sat with their chairs facing one another, their relief at being reunited palpable. Bruce and Thor, the other two enhanced members of the team, were eating with decent appetites; Bruce, though, retained enough of his usual anxious, twitchy energy that he couldn’t seem to decide what or who to face. They all looked at least as exhausted as Steve felt…well, all of them except Stark, who kept jogging over to the counter to refresh condiments, napkins, and drinks for the rest of the team.

It could only be adrenaline carrying the guy through. Stark had fought the same battle they had, after all, and that didn’t even account for his near-death. (A vision of Tony falling through the sky, falling just as Bucky had fallen, offered itself to Steve, who shook his head to try to ward it off. Tony wasn’t Bucky, goddammit.) He would crash any minute now, and the more energy he expended fetching Diet Cokes and tahini, the less likely he was to make it home before he did. Finally, Steve couldn’t take it anymore. He barked,

“Sit down Tony.”

And Tony did, almost before Steve had even finished giving the instruction. He very nearly made a crack about this being the first order he’d given that Tony had listened to all day, but something (he’d later hope it was intuition, that some part of him had reached out to recognize Tony even that early on) made the words die on his tongue.

Steve wouldn’t think about the implications of that moment again for months, not until Christine Everhart had unintentionally exposed Tony’s biggest and longest-held secret. But the hint of a pretty pink flush that stained Tony’s cheeks as he sat down, that pretty much never left Steve’s mind.

It looks like Pepper and Rhodey were both kind of sidelined by native-resident-Tony before his death. Have the two of them had any conversations about their feelings about their renewed closeness with this Tony?

A sensible question about two people I happen to respect a great deal. Allow me to show you (this scene takes place in chapter 42, in between the conversation between Tony, Rhodey, Pepper, and the team and the following morning where we see Tony waking up) : *


 “He asleep?” Pepper asked as Rhodey rounded the corner. He found her sprawled out on Rhodey’s couch, a bottle of beer in one hand and a tablet in the other; she was squinting at the latter in a way that he was quite certain had much more to do with exhaustion than the small amount of booze she’d consumed that night, and he felt no guilt at all for sliding it out of her hands.

“Hey!”


“You’re dead on your feet. Whatever you’re doing can wait. And no, to answer your question. Tony is currently doing the worst impression of a sleeping person I’ve ever seen in my life. Even Dummy isn’t fooled. But I’m going to give him the dignity of pretending to believe him for at least twenty minutes before I go check on him.” Pepper nodded, her head falling back against the back of the sofa. “Maybe I should put you in next to him,” Rhodey teased, stealing a swig from her beer. “It makes me tired just lookin’ at you, maybe it would rub off on him.” 


“Pretty sure that the team has just finally accepted that I continue to have zero romantic interest in Tony despite his history with the other Pepper. Don’t think you wanna start off by throwing he and I in bed together.” Rhodey snorted as he kicked off his boots and hefted his feet up onto the coffee table. (What? It was his floor, he could do what he wanted.) 


“Oh please. They’re damn lucky we’re here to help ‘em clean up their mess. Not like they did the same when it was us.” Then, guilted by the memory of a clearly heartbroken Steve Rogers demanding that Tony be selfish, even if it meant Steve and the team lost him for a second time, Rhodey added, “That might have come out a little more bitter than I intended.” Pepper grinned and raised her beer in a lazy salute. 


“Their egos can take it I’m sure. Seriously, though…you okay, with all of this? They’re asking a lot of you, and if it’s too much after what happened before…” 


“Nah. It’s not. I’d do anything for him, for any version of him. Helping them out is honestly more of a side benefit. And they’re good people; it wasn’t their job to force the other Tony not to get totally—I don’t know, caught up, obsessed, whatever it was that made him fall away from everything outside this Tower.” Pepper was so tired and open, wearing her emotions and her thoughts so much more plainly than she typically did, that Rhodey couldn’t help but feel compelled into a similar honesty. “I did wonder sometimes, if things would have turned out different if I’d fought harder for him, for our friendship. I know it’s ridiculous, nothing could have stopped the Witch—”


“I had thoughts along pretty similar lines,” Pepper confided. “And now he might leave.  We might lose him all over again, and the cruelest thing we could do in this instance is fight for him. This whole superhero gig, I just don’t see what any of you see in it. Seems like a cosmic joke to me.” 


There was nothing to say to that, no words of comfort Rhodey could offer that wouldn’t seem trite or ludicrously insufficient. So he wrapped a heavy arm around her shoulders and held her, the same as he had for countless nights when the other version of Tony had died. Just as she mostly hadn’t then, she didn’t cry now, but the depth of her feelings was no less apparent. After a while, she leaned up to kiss his cheek and then stood, preparing to return to her own floor. 


“You’re seeing a Dom these days, right?” he couldn’t help but ask. Pepper nodded. “Good. Call them.”

“It’s after eleven Rhodey—” she started, then bit off the rest of the sentence with an aggrieved sigh. (On the rare occasions that Pepper was tired and close enough to her headspace to pout, she and Tony had very similar jutting bottom lips. Rhodey would take this knowledge to his grave.) “Fine. I’ll call her.” 


“As soon as you get to your floor. Before you even start getting ready for bed,” he confirmed. He’d seen Pepper, overwhelmed on all sides by SI, preparations for funerals and memorials and will-readings, and numerous addresses to the media, on the brink of sub-dep multiple times in the aftermath of Tony’s death. He’d be damned if he let her unravel that way again. She rolled her eyes, but rather ruined the effect by leaning down to drop another kiss on his cheek. 


“G’night, James.”

[codicesandflora]

Ineffable Inktober-Day Eleven-Paris

This ficlet takes place at a couple of different times right before the events of the show.

Ritual (AO3 Link)

The Pont des Arts bridge looked far different a couple of centuries ago.

Crowley had been in Paris when it was originally finished back in 1804. The first metal bridge in Paris, and apparently, it was a crowning achievement in the city’s attempt to embrace progress while still clinging to the ideals of beauty. Back then, it had had nine arches, but “progress” meant that extensive damage had changed it into a completely different bridge altogether by the 2000s.

As far as Crowley was concerned, it gave people a nice view of the Seine and didn’t have much else notable about it. Oh sure, there were the art displays and plenty of humans milling about it, but there wasn’t much to spark Hell’s interest in it.

Then he got a memo ordering him to find some new way to spread some low-grade evil throughout Paris. Crowley had thought that Paris had paid its dues already, especially after the wars. But if there was one maxim that Hell followed, it was that anything worth doing was worth overdoing.

Mainly due to random chance, his first thought had been to try something with the Pont des Arts. It was currently structurally sound due to its renovations back in the 1970s, so that wasn’t an avenue he could take.

It was also a pedestrian bridge which didn’t offer nearly as many opportunities as bridges that allowed cars did. Really, the humans were completely oblivious to the countless prospects for Hell to gain a foothold when they came up with the notion of “horseless carriages”.

One evening, Crowley stood on the bridge, smoking and thinking about how he might have to look for a new project to work on. There were multiple couples walking back and forth along the bridge, signaling their love for each other with hand holding and heads nestled onto shoulders. The sight stirred something aching inside Crowley, and he was about to walk away when a conversation nearby caught his attention.

“Oh Claude, I wish…oh, you’ll think it’s silly.”

“No, Celeste. Tell me.”

“I wish, I wish we could just keep this moment here forever, you know. Like keep it under lock and key so it could be our treasure.”

“Celeste…you already have my heart…don’t worry about the moments….”

Crowley felt his heart turn. Then he got an idea.

It had been a simple thing, really. To spread his idea around. All he had to do was get into the ear of a couple of writers, and he was eventually able to find one who put his idea into a novel: the idea of love locks.

The idea itself was simpler yet: attach a lock to the Pont des Arts as a declaration of love. After it was put into print, the idea spread into movies and TV shows. It hadn’t been this easy to plant a seemingly harmless infernal idea into the romantic rituals of humans since he had come up with heart-shaped boxes of chocolates for Valentine’s Day. In no time at all, humans were ready to accept a new idea as an old tradition.

Still, just like that previous time with the candy, Hell was wary of his intentions. Demons were not supposed to involve themselves with anything that could encourage love. Crowley had had to ask for patience, not an easy task from the denizens of Hell.

It wasn’t long though before the results they were looking for came about. The selling of “love locks” attracted hucksters of all sorts as well as additional pickpockets near the Seine. Parts of the bridge became brittle from the weight of the locks and broke off. Locals were angry about the hazards and damage while tourists were disappointed and sad that their “old tradition” was being so callously criticized.

Just like he had a few years ago, Crowley was hanging around the Pont des Arts when they started the first round of cutting the locks away. So much annoyance, disillusionment and small misfortunes created by what was supposed to be a harmless act of love. It had been a complete success, and Hell had congratulated him on his ingenuity.

Crowley’s fingers found one lock in particular: the one Claude and Celeste had put on the bridge a while ago. He wondered how many times Celeste thought about it these days now that Claude had moved away and married someone else.

Then he traced his fingers downward, to a spot no humans could see due to a spell he had cast on it. In that secret place was another lock, a golden one with two pairs of wings etched onto it.

Crowley frowned. He justified putting that lock to himself by remembering that he hadn’t performed the ritual in the exact method he had created for the humans. He’d been alone when he had put this lock on and never told anyone else about it. At the time, he tried to tell himself that he only did it so that its occult energy would attract other people to attach their locks and help his plot along.

It was better to think that than to think about how there were two sets of initials on the lock. And that the owner of one of them would probably never know about this lock being here.

Crowley sighed and used a miracle to pry the lock open so he could slip it into his pocket. It had done its work. No point in leaving it here.

No point in believing in a ritual that was nothing more than a demon’s heartsick wish.

[bites-kms]

Off the Beaten Path: Paros

I was looking for ferries to Ios but then I realized that given the start of low season, this wouldn’t happen any time soon. Hence, I booked one to Paros. Although this ferry never happened either for the same reason, which I happily found out while in Santorini, it all worked out perfectly. This wonderful and noble guy created a connection for me on the system and I sailed towards what, according to him, was the best (and only) option.  I managed to have lunch in Naxos, another island in between Mykonos and Paros, enjoyed some sun to later and finally make it to Paros. On my way, I met Linda and Dawn, two wonderful and strong ladies from the US who with I ended up sharing a beach lunch during my last day. 

I didn’t know what to expect from Paros. Booking this trip meant to actually hearing this island’s name for the first time. It actually happens to be one of the biggest Cyclades islands. Paros at first sight is wonderful. It’s friendly, it’s organized.  Although it counts with all the services and its daily life changed abruptly since tourism became a thing, once again, going offseason was not only worth it but also the best choice. 

Paros feels like being stuck in time. Probably due to the off season days, this beautiful  island is perfect for chillax after your island hopping, full of non-stop adventure, in Greece. Empty narrow streets, delicious seafood, exquisite sunsets, infinite crystal clear shores and friendly locals are there to make your stayed in Paros, an unforgettable one. 

If the previous cities were ruled by cats, in Paros they are the freaking mayor. But they have a major competitor for the throne: ducks. Ducks and cats stroll freely by Paros’ shores and it’s hilarious seeing them interact. I’m not talking about cute little ducks, those too. I’m talking about enormous, swan-like birds, cuaking their way through people and aground ships.

Time doesn’t pass as in the rest of the planet. It runs on a smoother, more relaxed way. People, probably tourists on an Airbnb Experience, were sketching different houses, fishermen (and women!) were preparing the fresh octopus they just  caught in between chairs, letting it dry to the fresh, sea breeze. An old men, probably a sailor, with tons of life lived on his tanned, wrinkled face, was wearing a yellow t-shirt, chilling with a cat, sat down by his house entrance, without realizing he was in color-coding matching uniform with his yellow and white House. It was gorgeous.

Walking around its narrow streets, it was wonderful to see all the stuck-in-time constructions, its colorful houses and shy sun rays coming through the pink bougainvillea flowers, that highly and beautifully contrasted with the clear, sky-blue sky. One man approached me, probably a little bit tipsy on Mastika or Racomelo, wearing this olives branches on his head, greeting me with a cheerful Kalimera, which of course I replied back. He started to engage in what could barely be defined as a conversation, with his very scarce and broken English vocabulary, but he managed to ask me where I was from, complemented Uruguayan football and told me something else in Greek which will be a mystery.  

There are two main town in Paros: Naoussa and Parikia. Parikia is where the main port is, and Naoussa the most developed fishing village up north. I stayed in Naoussa’s main street, right by the water and next to some of the most renown Paros’ restaurants. 

Staying in Naoussa was a great choice. I managed to walk to some of the great beaches around, yet being on a beautiful little town. Everything was walking distance from my place. I was staying at the Ragoussis Bakery and Hotel, or as they call themselves, “Ragoussis Sweet Rooms”. It’s a wonderful bakery that smartly enough decided to expand its business and adding some rooms on top of the bakery for the morning pleasure of their guest, who would delight themselves with the warmly, fresh baked scent as a wake up call. Complementary cookies and a very homy and family oriented service is provided. Delicious pastries and breakfast is served, and the kitchen is open until late so it’s great for night owl travelers (definitely not my case).

I didn’t realize how much I was craving for a comfy, mushy mushy bed with a baby-butt soft cover. Man, I slept good! With a sea and port theme, it’s minimal decor was wonderful and blends right in with the vibe and feeling of Naoussa. 

Checking out Naoussa’s port, its church and downtown will take you less than a day and it’s a must. Paros is also commonly known by its strong winds, which they have a proper name and everything for it: the Meltemi. According to locals, heavy winds haven’t arrived yet, but I almost got flown away several times. The first one, I managed to hide myself from it, seeking for shelter in a cosy restaurant by the port, and had a deconstructed eggplant lasagna which was very good. That dinner was all I needed: I was ready to hit the sack and prepare next day’s adventure. 

There are ferry services to the main island beaches, but after waiting for a few minutes, I thought that maybe being offseason the ferries won’t part. So, I took my morning quite slowly, enjoyed my breakfast, rested in bed and read my book, before embarking on an hour and fifteen minute walk towards Kolympetheres Beach. The walk was worth every step: beautiful hidden houses, breathtaking views, outstanding cliffs. I was enjoying the sun, the breeze and my music, laughing out-loud thinking about the amazing experience I was living right there, right now.

I had some delicious lamb on what it was one of the most secluded yet beautiful restaurants I’ve found in all Greece: Kolympetheres Taverna. Family owned, they offered me the BEST grapes I’ve had in a while: seriously, they were juicy, tender, no pit, not too sweet, an absolute delicacy. I know, they were just grapes, but oh my god those grapes. 

I went back and explored Piperi Beach, Anargyroi Beach, Xifara Beach until Stephano plage, 4 kms towards the opposite side of Kolympetheres. It was a unique beach strip that connected a little island with Paros, having sea on both sides. It was a beautiful place to watch the sunset and call my mom. It’s always important to call you mom. Love your parents, and tell them so often. While we are busy traveling, we tend to forget they are growing old. Before mobile phones, data plans and emails, I had the chance to travel with my parents a couple of times (yes, I’m that old) and clearly remember making long distance calls, dialing millions of numbers featured on a lame, bendy paper card on public phones just to talk less than 2 minutes with my grandparents. It was technology at its best! So now, it’s crazy the possibility to randomly call family and friends just to share a live sunset or sent multiple videos and photos at the same time, feeling as if they were sharing the same experience, right next to you, beating all time zones and distances. I keep it classy and vintage though, sending postcards of every single country I go. You should try it, there’s a unique feeling of receiving one handwritten memory of someone who thought about you across the world. 

For my last dinner in Naoussa, I decided to go for king crab orzo pasta by the bay. There was an empty restaurant with extremely friendly waiters, that opened the rooftop part, firstly just for me, later for an Asian family to join, and we all were witness of an incredible sunset. It was a yummy dish and later on, the waiter insisted on having a shot with me ( I tend to be perceived as extremely friendly so waiters and service people from all over the place like me a lot) so we had what I thought it was initially Mastika, but ended up being this delicious honey grappa drink: Racomelo. 

The following morning, I made sure to taste a delicious cappuccino and some sweet treats downstairs before heading to the bus stop where I randomly met Dawn again. We both wanted to check out Parikia, so there we went. We first explored solo the wonders of the port city, as one of the oldest Byzantine  churches in Europe, from the IV century,  its beautiful narrow streets, the iconic and touristy Market St. and the Dionysus hill with a current Windmill on top of it.  

We met for a lovely lunch. Everyone recommended us Koralli Restaurant, but since it was closed due to the low season, we ended up on what it was the greatest way to say good to a strong and delightful island hopping vacation: Livadia Restaurant and Hotel. Double dose of house wine, red and white, homemade moussaka, grilled and panfried fetta with honey and sesame seeds as well as spinach fritters (which were da bomb!) was the selected menu for this occasion, that matched to perfection our conversation about lost and found love stories, women’s choices in today’s world and exciting and promising plans for our near future. Cheers, Dawn! May your knee heal promptly and keep taking you places where to nurture your soul. I’ll see you around, no doubts about it. 

Once back in downtown Parikia, there were two beautiful cafes which I wanted to visit, but were already closed in the afternoon:  Cafe Symposium Paros and Martin Denisse Cafe & Snack Bar. Both beautifully located, one in the middle of a square, the other one under a tree on a hidden alley intersection, they seem to have delicious house wine waiting for the thirsty throats and warm coffees for the cold visitor who needs an energy boost. 

I ended up at Kakao Cafe & Bar, a very nice, delicate and cosy cafe rooftop that faced the sea and it was the perfect spot to have one last frapuccinno, those sugar rush of exquisite Greek delight before departing for Athens. Paros, you were wonderful. Ευχαριστώ! 

[mirabeltechnologies]

HOW TO START A MAGAZINE IN 2021

Table of Contents

Planning a Magazine

Launching Your First Issue

Marketing a Magazine

Conclusion

i. Choose a Niche

ii. Create a Business Plan

iii. Hire Your Staff

iv. Make Use of All Platforms

i. Rounding up content and creating a mock-up

ii. Tools to create your issue

iii. Post-Launch

i. Create a Brand

ii. Diversify

iii. Develop Quality Content

iv. Use your channels — all of them!

1. Planning a Magazine

We’ve come a long way since the very first American publication in 1741. Who knows if Benjamin Franklin and his chronicling competitors had any idea that their budding industry would blossom into something that, just last year, had an annual global revenue of approximately $67.56 billion?

Thanks to both their centuries-long resilience and progressive nature to adapt, magazines continue to be a worthwhile project to embark on.

If you’re looking to start a magazine or pivot to digital editions, read on. We’re outlining the basic steps of how to start a magazine in 2021.

i. Choose a Niche

The first step to starting your magazine is, of course, to choose a concept. What exactly do you want to write about in your publication?

Will it handle a general topic, like business or politics?

Do you want to get down to the nitty gritty of gardening or interior design?

Be sure to choose a concept that you will be able to generate ideas around.

Magazines have been around for centuries, so chances are that there’s already a plethora of publications on your chosen topic. How would you tackle the topic differently? Or present it in a unique, fresh way?

It’s not as simple as just choosing a topic, however; you should also consider who your primary audience would be.

What type of readers are you targeting?

What’s the demographic profile? Think in terms of age, interests, education level, family dynamics, and so on.

Pro Tip: “It’s … important that your audience has a ‘continuing need’ for your content, so they’ll want to subscribe and read more. Think about your audience’s lifestyle and cater to the issues and ideas they care about.”

Knowing your audience will help to keep you established and focused in the niche you’re pursuing. Because just as Michael Keaton’s Ray Kroc discovered in The Founder — when the McDonald’s businessman learned he wasn’t in the hamburger business, but rather the real-estate business — it’s essential to remain true to the business of The Niche even as people can’t keep their hands off the publication.

Beyond your concept, other factors to consider are:

The title. Your audience’s first impression of your publication comes from its title. Make sure it’s concise, catchy, relevant, and distinguishable. Your magazine should stand out from others in your topic.

The tone and message. Though all writers and editors bring something different to the table, the overall tone of the magazine should be consistent and relevant to your topic. For example, an upbeat tone is fine for an entertainment magazine; pulling off that tone for a political publication would take considerably more skill and effort.

The stylistic elements. Generally, you want the font type, size, and color to be uniform across all of your editions. Like branding in marketing, you have to develop a style for your magazine.

The initial stages of developing your concept will involve lots of research. However, it ensures that you’re organized and have a clear vision as you develop your publication.

ii. Create a Business Plan

Think of your up-and-coming magazine as a company. It’s not just a publication. It’s a brand, a business. As with any venture, you need to devise a solid plan.

Using your concept research, build a business plan that addresses the logistics of starting a magazine. Priority considerations include:

How will you fund your first issue? Some aspiring publishers have money saved up while others look to crowdfund or use investors. (As you grow, you may be able to rely on advertisements to finance issues. Until then, it’ll likely be difficult to get advertisers until your publication is more established.)

How will you distribute your magazine? If it’s a print publication, how will you print it? If it’s digital, where would it be available to read or to download?

Would you rent or buy office space, or would staff work from home? Think about the added costs of office supplies, insurance, energy and Internet bills, and more.

Where will your magazine be distributed, regionally or nationally? Magazine start-up costs range from $100,000 to $1 million, depending on geographic circulation.

Speaking of, will your magazine be a free or paid circulation? If it’s free, who’s the most relevant audience to distribute to? If it’s paid, how much will you charge subscribers? (Most publications make revenue from subscriptions, advertisements, or a combination of the two.)

What type of advertisements would you plan to include? If you choose to have ads, ensure they’re relevant to your audience.

Pro Tip: If you will be relying on ads for revenue, you will want ads to cover at least 50% of your publication, and closer to 60-65% if you’re relying solely on ad revenue.

Do you intend to make a profit from your magazine? Is this venture not-for-profit? Pro Tip: If you’re trying to increase revenue, keep printing and distribution costs below 50% of your total budget.

What are your basic editorial topics? Most first-time publications plan a content calendar at least a year in advance. In addition to providing solid footing for the editors, this also allows publishers to give advertisers a better sense of the magazine’s scope and direction.

iii. Hire Your Staff

In every feature film involving magazines (and newspapers), it’s all about the staff. Your team members take ideas and mold them into stories. They give a voice and visual to each individual page and to the larger brand.

Because they’re so important, don’t skimp out on hiring a dream team of editorial all-stars to get your magazine off the ground. Though you may not yet have the budget to hire a full staff, you’ll at least want these essential members in your corner, laying the foundation:

Editor-in-Chief: To oversee all aspects of the editorial process.

Managing Editor: To assign stories and edit text

Copy Editor: To fact-check and edit for grammar

Staff Writer: To write articles, website content, etc.

Production Manager: To keep track of ads and handle bookkeeping

Salesperson: To sell advertisement space in your magazine

Creative Director: To design the publication style and more prominent features

Graphic Artist / Designer: To design department layouts and graphics

Photographer: To take high-quality pictures

Digital Content Editor: To create complementary editorial content for website and across all online channels

Other positions to consider down the line (or on a freelance basis):

Proofreader: for reviewing the text in each issue

Photo Editor: for scouring stock-image sites and other photo research

Associate Editors: for assigning and editing text in specific departments

Advertiser Account Managers: for handling accounts as they come in

Editorial Assistants: for helping with assorted editorial logistics

An editor’s salary can run between $40,000 and $120,000 per year, depending on factors such as experience, location, etc. When hiring a top-notch editor, focus on finding a candidate with impeccable writing skills, an eye for detail, and a knack for deadlines and organization. Have them include writing samples or a sample assignment to ensure their skills are near perfect. Tone can be taught, but basic grammar, spelling, and punctuation are necessary from the get-go.

As for a salesperson, costs fall between $30,000 to $40,000 annually for a base salary, plus at least 10% commission. Hiring a dependable salesperson is a little trickier than an editor. As with an editor, you want someone with basic skills. Great salespeople hone “soft” skills like communication, customer service, and interpersonality.

Ideally you want someone who also has experience selling similar products. However, product knowledge can be taught, so lower that priority. As a general business rule of thumb, hire a salesperson that you can genuinely sit down and have a conversation with. If they’re personable, chances are they’ll do great in the field.

A production manager’s annual salary can range from $30,000 to $60,000, depending on their experience level. If you’re financially savvy and the rest of your staff is willing to take on whatever tasks are thrown their way those first few months, you may be able to get by without a production manager initially. As revenue and ad sales grow, however, you should definitely look into hiring one.

If you’re looking to save money, outsource your writing, design, and photography needs by hiring freelancers.

Costs for freelancers differ based on industry and experience:

Freelance writers might accept as little as $0.50 per word if they can appreciate the topic or the potential of the magazine itself. Whether you assign per-word or per-project, be sure to communicate word-count expectations clearly.

Graphic designers vary from $25 to $300 per hour. This is worth a little extra, because a great eye for color and layout is hard to come by. They can even help first-time publishers develop a new brand.

Photographers range from $25 to $250 per image. Equally as important as copy, photography is a necessary expense for magazines.

Luckily, it’s the 21st century, and freelancers are everywhere. Any decent editor will have a stable of reliable writers at the ready, but you can fit your needs and budget with this quick list of resources available for your editorial needs:

Upwork (www.upwork.com): One of the most popular freelancing sites, Upwork provides opportunities in over 70 different job categories. Millions of freelancers offer over 5,000 skills for 4 million businesses, making this site a great option for publications looking to hire for multiple positions from one platform.

Behance (www.behance.net): Behance is a platform by Adobe specifically intended for designers to showcase their work. It allows publications to explore candidates around the world. The best part is that the platform is entirely free, which is ideal for those looking to cut costs.

PeoplePerHour (www.peopleperhour.com): Smaller freelancing platform PeoplePerHour requires users to send a proposal to companies. This is beneficial for first-time publishers who don’t have the time to sift through resumes of prospective employees.

YunoJuno: YunoJuno is a great platform, especially if you’re searching exclusively for designers. They seek to attract top-tier graphic artists, so if magazine design is one of your priorities, look into this amazing freelance space.

Freelancer: Freelancer is the largest freelancing website out there. It boasts nearly 20 million freelancers and employers. Their matching process consists of a bidding system and allows employers to view past projects and portfolios before hiring someone.

Other websites to hire specialty team members include Fiverr, WriterAccess, and Guru (which also includes translation services if you’re producing a multilingual magazine).

Pro Tip: Though not directly part of your editorial team, you also need to find a reliable printer during the hiring stage. Ultimately, a Creative Director or Production Manager will manage the issue-to-issue operations.

If you’re distributing your publications, look for a printer who also distributes. This will save you the time and money of hiring two separate companies.

When your magazine is more established, you should look into hiring a digital marketer. They’ll promote your publication and manage your social media channels.

iv. Make Use of All Platforms

One of the most important considerations for starting a magazine in 2021 is making use of all possible platforms, particularly in the interest of marketing. This means taking advantage of all channels to post and promote your magazine and engage with your readers.

One way to promote is to send out an email newsletter to your subscribers. Give them industry updates, the latest editions, sneak peaks of articles, and more. By providing digital content for them to read, you keep them engaged with your magazine.

Posting digital content has the potential to become an additional stream of revenue — if you require online subscribers to pay a fee. However, this gates your content and prevents readers from sharing it, which hurts engagement and readership. Initially, it’s recommended that you provide online content at no charge and leverage advertisements to generate revenue. Some digital magazines ask for subscriptions in exchange for articles. See this example from The Guardian:

If you see growth from your magazine, your content is likely valuable enough that people would be willing to pay for it. Consider introducing a fee or capping your content off at a certain number of articles. This is called a journalism paywall, as evidenced by Vanity Fair:

Use social media to further enrich your brand. You can do this by providing food for thought for your readers, asking questions to get them engaged, or creating videos to support your written content.

Podcasts have become increasingly popular over the past few years. Creating a podcast for your magazine in which you explore related, relevant topics could engage your audience and even help you reach new readers. Including ads in your podcasts is another potential source of revenue, and you can also reuse podcast clips as social media content.

The most traditional method of promoting your publication is to distribute it strategically. Even in today’s digital world, this remains essential. In addition to your subscribed readers, be sure to send a sample of your publication to potential and existing advertisers. If your publication is free, send your magazine to relevant readers in the industry. For example, if you run a business magazine, it might be a good idea to send it to prominent professional figures, local businesses, networking events, and more.

Businesses with waiting rooms, like doctors’ offices, and colleges and universities are also great places to distribute your publication.

You can build your circulation and subscriber lists through more traditional methods, such as cold calling, street team promotion, or direct mail.

All of these tactics will bring awareness — and thus, subscribers — to your new magazine.

2. Launching Your First Issue

So, you’ve ironed out most of the initial kinks and are ready to create content for your magazine. You want your first issue to be palatable, welcoming enough to draw in a readership … but with all of the magazines that exist, your launch must also stand out.

Creating content is not a linear process, so reading a step-by-step guide will not be helpful. It may even distort your creative process. But the basics are hard to argue with.

Stay up to date not just with other publications that cover your topic, but with specific keywords and conversations being had across all social media. And participate and be active in those niche sectors so you can get a better sense of where people’s interests are currently and where they might be headed. Along with active listening on your topic, make sure to get feedback on your efforts as well.

Here are some additional suggestions to keep in mind:

Your topic should be specific enough to pique interest, but broad enough to generate article ideas around.

Consider topics that are generating conversation among your audience, and position your issue as part of that conversation.

Make sure your topic is relevant to both your audience and the overall concept of your publication.

As mentioned earlier, it is recommended that you plan out your editorial content at least one year in advance. You can always adjust editions to reflect relevant events and trends, but planning out your content all at once will save you lots of time down the road.

i. Rounding up content and creating a mock-up

Once you’ve chosen your topic, you’ll need to create a mock-up of your issue.

While your content doesn’t have to be finalized in this stage, it is important to have a general idea of what your issue will contain.

Plan to include a variety of content. Aim for a good mix of articles, interviews, and opinion pieces. Above all, make sure your content is helpful to readers by providing actionable information.

Article, design, and photography assignments should be given well before the mock-up is finished. This will ensure that you will receive all of your content in time for your launch.

Though you may want to keep your costs as low as possible, do not cut corners on content acquisition. High-quality content is well worth the investment.

If you outsource your content, it would be a good idea to create a style guide. This will ensure that your content is consistent, even if your creators are not.

Pro Tip: “A copy editor will take your magazine from good to high-quality … This person provides a fresh, outside set of eyes to go over what you’re creating, and offers insights you would likely miss … Copy editors police your use of grammar, spelling, and punctuation [and] ensure a consistent writing style for your magazine.”

The tasks of writing the articles and curating the images would likely be left to your staff. However, as the founder, you should work hand-in-hand with your designer(s) to create a mock-up that fits your vision. From title treatment and cover concept to the layout of articles and ads, this mock-up will serve as the blueprint for your issue. As you receive finalized content, your graphic designer will stylize it and replace the fillers.

Mock-ups should also be included in your media kit, a package of information and content with which you pitch your magazine to advertisers. A well designed mock-up will make your pitch that much easier to sell.

Pro Tip: To visualize your issue without finalized content, use Lorem ipsum text (aka greeking) to fill in empty text boxes and images from the internet as placeholders.

ii. Tools to create your issue

Of course you can’t create your issue, or even the mock-up, without the right tools. Luckily, there are tons to choose from. Here are a few suggestions:

InDesign

InDesign is an offering from Adobe’s Creative Cloud (www.adobe.com/creativecloud) that allows graphic designers to create posters, brochures, magazines, and even interactive eBooks.

Pros:

Highly intuitive, user-friendly software

Media is easily exported in a variety of formats

Access to Photoshop tools and effects for images

Cons:

Does not lend itself well to more detailed de

signs

Text spacing requires manipulation, as it is known to look uneven at times

One of the pricier options on this list

Price: Adobe offers a 7-day free trial of InDesign. Otherwise, it is available as part of a subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud. It will cost either $20.99 for the single app or $52.99 for the entire design suite.

DigitalStudio

DigitalStudio is a flat-planning and pagination software by Mirabel Technologies (www.mirabeltechnologies.com), created specifically for magazine publishers.

Pros:

Allows users to accommodate ad units and paginate as live inventory changes

Interactive software designed for team collaboration

Includes free publishing to Mirabel’s Magazine Central, a digital magazine stand

Cons:

Designed exclusively for magazines

Included only as part of a Magazine Manager (www.magazinemanager.com) subscription to its magazine publishing CRM software

Price: A subscription to the magazine management software costs $65/month/user with an additional $250 initial setup fee, and includes DigitalStudio, access to a powerful publishing CRM (with full publishing ERP software capabilities), electronic invoicing to bill advertisers, and top-tier support services.

Considering the large scope, it’s the software magazine designers, production staffers, and sales teams alike can utilize together.

Microsoft Publisher

Microsoft Publisher is a design program that comes exclusively with a Microsoft 365 (www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365) subscription. If you use Microsoft, as most businesses do, this might be a great option for you.

Pros:

User-friendly interface, drag-and-drop capabilities

Tons of templates to choose from

Guidelines to ensure that your content is perfectly aligned

Cons:

Only available through Microsoft subscription

Only available for PC

Not compatible with other programs, such as Adobe

Price: Microsoft offers a 1 month free trial of Publisher, through its trial of Microsoft 365.

The annual subscription starts at $12.50/user/month, and includes all of the Microsoft 365 products, along with their secure cloud services.

iii. Post-Launch

The next step is, of course, distributing your publication. In addition to the distribution suggestions earlier, you can build your circulation and subscriber lists through traditional methods, such as cold calling, street team promotion, or direct mail.

Eventually, consider a magazine subscription software, such as Mirabel Technologies’ ChargeBrite platform, to help manage magazine subscription data and recurring revenue.

Pro Tip: Make sure your digital content is shareable. “Content behind a paywall (or, worse, locked in a PDF or app) is not shareable … The goal of all of these channels is to keep readers engaged between issues, enable them to share your content, and ultimately drive them to your website and into your sales funnel.”

Obviously, your work is not finished after you distribute your publication. After distribution, you should follow up with your readership. You can do this by sending a postcard or email asking for feedback.

One of your primary objectives is to satisfy your readers, so their feedback is essential as you move forward with your publication.

Following up is especially important after your first issue.

Keep track of the things your subscribers enjoyed. Those elements should remain consistent across your editions. If they enjoyed a specific promotion, consider repeating it in a later edition.

On the same note, keep track of the things that your readers were critical of. These will be the things you should focus on fine-tuning as your publication progresses.

3. Marketing a Magazine

i. Create a Brand

You need a consistent, effective marketing strategy to draw in new readers and keep existing subscribers engaged. When marketing a new magazine — or product of any kind — it’s important to create a brand.

Let’s circle back to the beginning, and the very first steps we discussed in starting your publication: specifically, establishing a niche or concept that it centers around. It considers a market with a continuous interest in or need for your content, as well as:

Title

Topic

Audience

Messaging

Stylistic elements

As Small Business Chron put it:

“Don’t just sell your content. Sell the benefits of reading your magazine. The more you create a niche for your magazine, or develop a specialized image or brand, the more likely you can generate an affinity for your publication with specific consumers.”

It’s not enough to generate great copy and design striking visuals. A brand is the element that keeps readers coming in and coming back.

ii. Diversify

Another key strategy to get readers interested in your publication is to diversify your content. Consider adding a product or service to complement your publication.

This could be as simple as creating long-form content, such as books, guides, or whitepapers, on topics that might interest your audience.

It can be as complex as organizing community events or workshops that relate to your niche.

For instance, the popular lifestyle magazine Kinfolk (www.kinfolk.com) hosts “global gatherings held in over 25 locations worldwide” to celebrate their magazine launches. At these events, they focus on forming genuine connections with their readers.

This is just one example of the way that a magazine can diversify by hosting events.

A restaurant/food and drink magazine might consider organizing a cooking or bartending class that their readers can attend for a small fee.

A fitness magazine may hold a marathon and donate the proceeds to an athletic-minded charity. This diversifies their brand and positions the magazine positively in front of their audience.

Content diversification can be adapted to a digital format, as well. A podcast that touches on topics relevant to your magazine is another way to supplement its content. It could potentially create an additional revenue stream, too, if you decide to include ads.

Diversification can also mean giving readers a variety of subscription types to choose from.

“The digital era is all about options,” according to Mag+. “Why not give your readers a range of subscription choices from a single issue to multi-year subscriptions?”

No matter how you choose to provide additional value to your subscribers, it makes all the difference in marketing a magazine.

iii. Develop Quality Content

Without quality content, the readers you attract will not be retained.

You need to ensure that you’re strategizing and developing high-quality content in every issue.

With thousands of publications in the U.S. alone, it’s likely that many of them touch on the same or similar topics as yours.

In order to differentiate yourself, or carve out a space amongst similar big-name publications, your content must set the new standard.

Take in from What’s New in Publishing:

“The content should be more than thinly disguised advertising. It offers compelling, valuable content focused on the brand’s customers, not purely — or overly — aimed at selling.”

You want your content to organically generate new subscribers. It’s a slow long-term strategy, but it’s worthwhile because the quality of subscribers is better.

So, what does quality content look like?

Quality content offers readers more than words on a screen or a piece of paper. It connects with readers and gives them content that’s actionable or, at the very least, thought-provoking.

This is no easy feat.

It can be hard to find content that people will read, much less connect with.

To figure out which content is best for your readers, a great strategy is to analyze successful existing content. Which pieces are they engaging with most? Where are they sharing it online?

The State of Digital Publishing makes a case:

“Data analyzing is the key to increasing promoting efforts. The better you know your audience, the easier it will be to keep them and reach new ones. Investigate what content your users read most often, what is most often shared, and what social networks your readers are most active on.”

Another good strategy is to ask your readers what content they’re interested in seeing from you. Put a pop-up on your website, send a reader’s poll through email, or reach out with a survey.

iv. Use your channels — all of them!

Don’t limit the ways that your subscribers can enjoy your content.

Use all possible mediums to your advantage:

Print magazines

Digital editions

Video (interviews, behind-the-scenes, sneak peeks)

Social media polls and links to articles

Podcast interviews

Relevant events and/or awards

The importance of diversifying your content and platforms go hand in hand. For example, a podcast is one way you may choose to use audio content to your advantage.

If your magazine is primarily a print publication, consider providing a digital edition to reach a wider audience or vice versa.

Pro Tip: If you decide to host digital content, strategize whether this content will be freely available or reserved for subscribers. A mixture of both is ideal, because a variety of options ensures that you’re reaching as many people as possible.

Try to provide content that’s accessible to the general public, and reserve exclusive content for subscribers. Using this technique, new visitors/potential subscribers get a few sample articles before committing to a paid subscription. Many digital magazines ask users to provide an email address to view all your digital content. This is a great way to build an email list, which can also be used to engage with subscribers.

Beyond digital and print versions of your publication, it’s a good idea to supplement your content through social media. Content on social media is easily shareable, making it an ideal place to reach new readers.

There’s a variety of content to post on social media, including:

“Fragments of the best content which hasn’t been published yet and which will spark the discussions under a social media post,

Videos or photos from behind the scenes of an interview, unpublished or additional material

A discount offer for social media users (in exchange for sharing the content/a post) or newsletter readers (in exchange for signing in).”

You can also use your social media to promote upcoming issues. Per the State of Digital Publishing (www.stateofdigitalpublishing.com):

“Before film producers release a new project, they present a movie trailer. The goal is clear – encourage people to go to the cinemas, buy tickets, and watch the film. My tip for you is to be like a movie producer.”

Social media may also be a place to further promote your brand itself. Twitter and Instagram, for example, are great places to showcase the personality behind your publication.

Similarly, LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com) is a great platform to showcase your brand professionally. LinkedIn “drives more than 64% of social traffic to B2B sites and is considered the most credible source of content.”

When sharing content to LinkedIn, keep in mind that it’s more likely to be clicked if it includes an image. Also, consider posting video content, as it’s the most commonly shared on the platform.

As we mentioned above, you may choose to require users’ to provide an email address in order to view your digital content.

This is because an email newsletter is another great way to keep subscribers engaged. Use it to share updates, as well as new or relevant content based on a user’s past interactions with your articles.

You can send them more of your free content, and perhaps include an exclusive article or two to entice them to subscribe. Ultimately, marketing CRM software can help not only create this engaging content, but automate how it gets to your audience effectively as well.

It may take time to garner a large audience, but it’s a numbers game. The more variety you afford readers to view your content, the better your chances are.

Conclusion

It takes the strength of multiple tactics to effectively create and market a magazine. These tips are really just the beginning.

However, by incorporating these elements into a strategy that suits your vision, you’ll be well on your way to a loyal readership and a publication to be proud of.

If you’d like to learn more about Magazine Manager, Mirabel’s Marketing Manager, and/or Mirabel’s Digital Studio, request a free demo.

[douchebagbrainwaves]

A LOT OF WELL-KNOWN APPLICATIONS ARE NOW, LIKE BASECAMP, WRITTEN BY JUST ONE PROGRAMMER

It's common in technology for an innovation that decreases the cost of failing is becoming lower, we should expect founders to do it all yourself. It was no coincidence that so many famous speakers are described as motivational speakers.1 What if startups are both a new economic phase and also a type of business that flourishes in certain places that specialize in it—that Silicon Valley specializes in startups in the same way Los Angeles specializes in movies, or New York in finance.2 He was like Michael Jordan. Usually their motives are mixed. There's an idea that has turned out to be worth keeping; the bulk of it has had no effect at all.3 Hell if I know. At one end of the Bubble and still haven't invested. Within a few decades ago the largest organizations tended to be followed only by outsiders. When there's something in a painting that works very well, you can manufacture them by taking any project usually done by multiple people and trying to do it mean she tends to get written out of YC's history. The only defense is to isolate yourself, as communist countries did in the twentieth century.

It won't seem so preposterous in 10,000 years.4 A new medium appears, and people in these fields tend to be forced to work on problems you can treat formally, rather than for any practical need. The government knows better than to get into the novel business, but in other fields where they have to have practical applications. It can be worth participating in a corrupt contest, however, if it's followed by another that isn't corrupt.5 Bad as things look now, there is a lot of people make the same mistake I did. Like it or not, we started out doing. I think the top firms will actually make more money as founders' bitches than their bosses.6 A huge step, admittedly, and one could make a clean break just by taking a vote?7 And while it's impossible to say what is a lot of instincts, this one wasn't designed for the world we now live in. Of all the reasons we lie to kids is how broad the conspiracy is.

And yet you won't be able to test in an hour, then you have the prospect of an immediate reward to motivate you. For products of nature that might work.8 Tradition is less of a guide, not just because fakers and opportunists are annoying, but because the principles underlying the most dynamic part of the economy always does, in everything from salaries to standards of dress. Western philosophy really begins with Socrates, Plato, and particularly in oil painting. I've never heard of a case where it worked. So what if some of the fund back to the institutional investors who supplied it, because they grow into the trees of the economy tend to be forced to work on a variety of things. Surely I'm not claiming that ideas have to have practical applications to be interesting? There are still a lot of time worrying about what I should do.

But there is a good way to learn.9 Into this already bad situation comes the third problem: Sarbanes-Oxley. Actually, there are several ideas mixed together in the concept of a state machine, in case you have to be good, but it has to be better at this than others. For good programmers, one of which is: You shouldn't put the blame on one parent, because divorce is never only one person's fault.10 All kids know it. We'd like to meet if you are. Chardin decided to skip all that and paint ordinary things as he saw them.11

If they aren't an X, why are they attached to all these arbitrary beliefs and customs? But I don't think this is a coincidence. So if one group abandons this territory, there will always be others ready to occupy it.12 Well, that may be fine advice for a bunch of evil machines, and one independent member. You have to justify.13 But it was also something we'd never considered a computer could be: fabulously well designed product. I'd give Berkeley's Principles of Human Knowledge another shot in college. So if one group abandons this territory, there will always be both supply and demand insures that: the more rewarding some kind of spin to put on it.

Notes

The reason Google seemed a lot online. Your mileage may vary.

I may try allowing up to them? I'm just going to create a web-based applications. Incidentally, Google may appear to be promising.

I was genuinely worried that Airbnb, for the same work, the reaction might be an open source project, but hardly any type I. My point is that the valuation should be protected against being mistreated, because they had first claim on the scale that Google does. The company is presumably worth more to most people come to you as employees by buying an additional page to deal with the solutions. Survey by Forrester Research reported in their graphic design.

Unfortunately, making physically nice books will only be a big success or a community, or an electric power grid than without, real estate development, you have to give their associates the title partner, including that Florence was then the richest and most pharmaceutical startups the second wave extends applications across the web have sucked—new things start to be able to invest in it.

Don't even take a long time? It should be protected against such tricks, you'd get ten times as much income. But the usual way of doing that even this can give an inaccurate picture.

To a woman who, because at one point a competitor added a feature to their situation. The French Laundry in Napa Valley.

We try to make programs easy to get into the star it was spontaneous. Statistical Spam Filter Works for Me. You can just start from the revenue-collecting half of it in action, go talk to an audience of investors. A lot of problems, but that's a pyramid scheme.

If you want to trick a pointy-haired boss into letting him play. I wonder if they don't want to impress are not the type of proficiency test any apprentice might have to tell them about your conversations with potential earnings. This has, like good scientists, motivated less by financial rewards than by selling them overpriced components. For example, it's because of some logical reason e.

But I think the usual way of doing that even this can give an inaccurate picture.

Some genuinely aren't. Acquirers can be useful here, since they're an existing investor, the better, because the ordering system, which I removed a pair of metaphors that made them register. A Plan for Spam.

But filtering out 95% of the most important section. The real danger is that the investments that failed, and also what we'd call random facts, like most of the 2003 season was 4.

How to Make Wealth when I first met him, but since it was worth about 125 to 150 drachmae. I read comments on really bad sites I can imagine cases where you get a false positive, this is not so much the better.

You should be especially conservative in this they're perfect.

[queencassiopeia6]

Take me back to the night we met .0

The next morning I did my fair share of traslating texts (I’m a linguist) and finished up after midday to catch the bus out of town to spend the rest of the weekend at my family lake home. During the one hour ride I checked my insta multiple times (like people check the fridge) to see if maybe D had posted anything, even a story. I had liked a couple of his posts that same morning. I felt oddly drawn to him, this wouldn’t be the first time a boy had gotten my attention, but this was a boy I knew almost nothing about. hence odd.

The day with family was nothing out of the ordinary, we did some planting, some watering, I took a wonderful long walk along the lake, breathed in that late spring merky lake water and felt in place. It was around dinner time, when I was sitting down on the cold sandy lake shore staring into the cold water thinking about what this coming summer may bring, that my phone notified me that I have recieved a DM, from no other than my new-made friend.

I panic. A lot. My hands get sweaty and shaky. My heart races. And since my blood pressure is already low, it drops even lower and as my head starts to spin everything tends to go black as I feel like I am about to pass out. So now yall know just how I felt as a reaction to that text I recieved. It was a hello and a thank you to me liking D’s posts. I wasn’t sure how to react, can’t just say “oh, don’t mention it”, (by the way - I also overthink. Overthink everything). And as I was nervously trembling my thumb over the keyboard, he texted again - how’s it going, whachu up to. I am that much of a weirdo, that it took me about 20 minutes to get myself together to reply to that little message! God help me. After that, everything seemed so much easier. It’s as if we’ve been chatting for ages, like we knew each other. We hit the keys back and forth until well after midnight, just finding out everything about each other. Movies to recommend, music that is life, flavored tobacco etc. I ended up passing out at some point and kind of left him hanging, to which he waited for an hour, and bid me good night. The next morning I felt stink that I passed out without warning, so I sent a few random messages, so that when he woke up - we’d have something to go on.

It was just after lunch time, while we were packing up for the long drive home that D replied. My hands were kind of busy so I took my time with getting back to him, which I wish I hadn’t. D figured I was preoccupied, so after a few texts, he sent a voice message asking if I were keen to have coffee later today, hinting that it would be a lot easier to have this conversation in person. I don’t think I need to mention how nervously I agreed to have coffee with him. And after 3 hours of washing the smell of burnt wood, old leafs and paint off me, after putting on a full face of make up, then washing it off cause it was waaaaaaaaaay too much, and doing it all over again - I felt like I was ready to have coffee.

We met at a coffee palace in an atrium of a near by hotel. Me being me, too resposible to be late EVER, arrived early. I had been sitting down with my tea reading from my phone when D walked in. In the few moments while he looked around to find me, hung his coat and ordered a coffee, I got a decent look at him, properly. D wasn’t much taller than me, I’d say we were about the same height. His dark, near black hair was streaked with natures highlights, at the young age of just 22 his head was was flowing with grey hairs. To be fair, much like mine, but I felt the pressure of society to cover that up in order to avoid questions of why I had so much grey hair while being only 26. I couldn’t tell much about his physique due to a baggy sweater and straight cut jeans. As D sat down and we started talking, I got a good look at his eyes. They were a mixture of colors I had yet not witnessed. Much like hazel, but darker, a lot more mahogany in his iris. But when the setting sun which lit up the atrium hit the top of the building behind my back and shined into his face, I saw a million emerald sparks that had settled all around the hazelhunt iris. They were overshined by the amber streaks that made his iris look like a golden sky of constelations, as for the every jade spot, a golden line would lead from there, to another one. I must’ve dazed off and had began to stare as I noticed that D was now quietly checking out my appearance, which must’ve made me blush like a mad woman since he smiled from ear to ear, and said that he was just mirroing me. Now that might sound awkward, but I suddenly felt right in place, as if I hadn’t been blushing cause D had caught me staring. In place, like there was nothing wrong with me getting a closer look at him. And I knew D felt the same, well, cause he told me that there was nothing wrong with him noticing that I too have oddly colored eyes, that my freckles don’t settle much over my face other than my nose, but they are well spread over my neck, collar bone and shoulders, like stars. Now that one made me blush.

We talked, a lot, a few hours worth, about everything. The tea had been refilled and there was a few origami roses made from table tissues. It was almost dark, the sun was barely getting through the tall buildings which this town was made of, when D offered that we take a walk down a few blocks from said hotel to the place where we had met, the place where he no longer worked but is always welcomed at, and smoke a delighful sheesha - LBB. That sounded fantastic. A lovely way to end an evening, a weekend. I’m saying the word end as if this person wasn’t to stay in my life. As if he wouldn’t occupy my mind for the next year and a half (so far) and that I wouldn’t go a single day without thinking of him. As if I wouldn’t grown to hate him at moments but feel the biggest relief when I would see him and wouldn’t be able to help myself but to smile when he was around.

The walk didn’t take long thankfully as it had gotten rather chilly outside and my leather jacket wasn’t doing a great job at keeping me cozy anymore. I shared my ear buds and we listened to my infinte playlist as we continued to talk about random things. At LBB we met up with O and M and sat down for an evening filled with sheesha and Monopoly (which I hate but we were short on entertainment). I realised that the clock had stricked after mid night only when O reminded me that we were to start work earlier on Mondays due to her physical therapy after a minor bike incident she had while in Bali. M began to pack up the game as her boyfriend (N) arrived to chill a little and then drive her home. I looked at D and he mentioned that time does fly when you’re enjoying yourself, and with a suddent blast of confidence I said (not asked) - “walk me home”. With my peripheral vision I saw how O’s facial expression changed in a smile of surprise to a nod of being impressed, she hadn’t seen me flirt before and knew how shy and socialy awkward I can be.

As we stepped outside, O kissed me goodnight and got into her cab, D said that we were taking a different route this time, a longer one. I asked if that was a good idea due to the temperature taking quite a drop and how I wasn’t dressed appropriately for a long walk. D told me not to worry, he said he’ keep me warm. As he took my hand I felt his palm tremor, his hand was so warm but rough skinned yet oddly comforting - “your hands are so cold, it’s insane!”. Having low blood pressure, being anemic and it being cold outside was a triple threat, but with my newly found blast of confidence I quickly remembered a witty come back “they’re not half as cold as just under oxygenated” (yes I do enjoy The Fault in Our Stars). D’s smile grew fondly as he took a step towards the garth’s and nodded his head in the direction of the street lit alleys, as if asking me to follow him. I think at that point it hit me - this was a date, and oh boy was I happy about it. As we walked towards my house we discussed the causes of anemia and my witty remarks about how not everyone was given the gift of having a 1000 degree body temperature, seriously, this guy was like his own sun. And the topic of being single came up too. Not one I favor to discuss, but I layed all my cards out in front of him - make sure that it was all on the table and so he knew that I don’t enjoy letting people in, making sure he knows that goodbyes are hard on me.

Turned out M lived only a few blocks away from me since D mentioned that he felt like I was taking him to her place as we got closer to mine. The conversation was growing quiter as we reached the entrance of my apartment buidling and his hand had gotten hotter as well as mine sweatier (face palm). We both knew that this date was bound to come to an end at some point, but neither of us had wanted that point to any time soon. We stood at the door, I jangled my keys trying to not look at him because I didn’t know what would come next. I mean I knew what I wanted to come next, but plans don’t always coexist in seperate minds. To be honest I found myself at that rare moment when my mind drew a complete blank. Nothing, not even a tumbleweed. D was still holding my hand, and was at an arms reach when he took a step closer towards me turning that distance nonexistant. I nervously looked up and met his stare. I could tell D was slightly worried about what was to come also, but trust me, not like I was. We looked at each other a few seconds as he told me that he’s really like to kiss me right now, followed by permission to do so, asking me - ‘what do you think about that”. “I find myself not thinking at all right now” I replied honestly. D leaned his head forward, took my face into his hands and our lips locked. I’m not gonna say it was magical. That would be the understatement of the century. My lips were bigger, much bigger than his, so with every lock we made I got to feel every chap in his dry lips, every curve his tongue made when he’d try to lick his own lips in the quick betweens of head movements. His left hand still holding my face and his right hand had slowly moved down my neck, over my shoulder and under my arm to my weist and pushing my torso into his. I in return had my left hand on his shoulder, sinking my fingers into it as if terrified that at any moment he would dissappear. My right hand was on the back of his neck at the contour of the hair line and bare skin. Gently running my fingers upwards into his short hair, clenching all I could in a fist and pushing my face into his.

I don’t know how long we were kissing in front of the entrance but it must have been a while since the motion detector light went off and we were standing in complete darkness when D’s phone had rung and interrupted us. He pulled his face away, and removed his left hand from my face to get his phone, whilst keeping him right hand on my weist, as if to let me know that we were not done here. It was M, calling to inform him that while she was closing up, she had found his back pack and if he would like her to drop it off or if he’d prefer the keys to the lounge so that he can later pick it up himself. He said that he’d prefer the keys due to not being ready to go home quiet yet. D winked at as he said that last bit and pulled me closer. I blushed knowing that this not ending just yet and that there may be more to come. We held each other and talked for the next 5 to 7 minutes while waiting for M and N to drive up and hand D the keys to LBB. We saw them pull into the parking lot and as M hopped out and walked towards us I could tell she was feeling at least slightly excited. Her big brown eyes were lit with sparks and her large nude colored lips were moving in in a smirk, the girl knew she had interrupted something juicy. We exchanged pleasantries as she handed over the keys and wished us a “most sensible” night and laughed as she hugged me goodbye. As D and I watched them drive off into the night, we giggled like we were 15 and had just been caught by the school staff while making out behind the bleachers or something. I said that I can not invite him inside my apartment as I do not live alone, but we could at least move this party to the stairs in the entrance hall way. So we did.

I think I’d like to leave the rest to another tbc

[johnchiarello]

Acts 17

ACTS 17- Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:Acts 17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. ACTS 17- https://youtu.be/fQSdBK5I6bk https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/7-20-17-acts-17.zip https://ccoutreach87.com/7-20-17-acts-17/ Guitar Jason- https://youtu.be/i4fyvjvI1y4 Timons?- https://youtu.be/vmtg-tz5WEg

ON VIDEO .The philosophers .Mars Hill .Jesus is the Christ .General revelation .Freud .Apologetics .Zeus .3 cities .3 Sabbath days .Simple church planting .Athens .Epicureans and Stoics .Hedonism .Altar to the unknown God .Your own poets said it! .Zeno .Alice [the city] .Treason? .N.Y.Times

NOTES- I taught this chapter before and will add that below. On the video I quoted- taught some of the poets- and quotes Paul himself used at his famous Mars hill sermon. And mentioned the only 2 schools of philosophy actually mentioned by name in the bible- So I’ll just add some of that info here- Acts 17:18 Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. The Epicureans followed the school of thought founded by Epicurus [342- 270 BC] Zeno [340-265 BC] was the founder of stoicism.

Acts 17:19 And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is? Areopagus- where Paul preached the famous message was named after the Greek god Ares- the god of thunder and war. The Roman equivalent of the god Mars- that’s where we get ‘Mars hill’.

Acts 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. The Cretan poet Epimenides [600 BC] said the first part [live and move..] And the Cilician poet Aratus said the last part [we are his offspring]. It is interesting to note that Aratus [315-240 BC] was referring to the god Zeus- yet Paul still uses it to argue for the true God.

PAST POSTS- [Past teaching I did that relates to today’s post- ACTS 17- verses below] http://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/p/classics-western-literature.html http://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/p/western-intellectual-tradition-covering.html https://ccoutreach87.com/atheism-apologetics-links-added/ https://ccoutreach87.com/overview-of-philosophy/ https://ccoutreach87.com/further-talks-on-church-and-ministry/ ACTS- https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/18/acts-1/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/26/acts-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/02/02/acts-3/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/02/09/acts-4/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/03/23/acts-5/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/03/31/acts-6/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/06/acts-7/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/14/acts-8/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/18/acts-9/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/05/07/acts-10/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/05/16/acts-11/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/05/22/acts-12/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/06/01/acts-13/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/06/14/acts-14/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/07/03/acts-15/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/07/07/acts-16/

Christianity was born at a time where Greek thought/ideas were a big part of society.

We do find the early apostles using the language/ideas of the Greek philosophers when describing the reality of Christ.

The apostle John refers to Christ as THE LOGOS- The word Logos- is a Greek word for ‘word’.

Jesus is called ‘the word of God’.

Now- the Greek thinkers were in fact seeking for the Logos- they used this term to describe the ultimate answer to all tings. They were on a search for some Divine principle that could explain things.

So- the writers of the New Testament were in a way saying ‘look- we have found the Logos- the thing that you guys are looking for- it is Christ- the Divine Logos’.

We also see the apostle Paul debating with the Greek thinkers in the city of Athens [the seat of Geek philosophy- the city/state where Socrates was forced to drink cyanide].

In Acts chapter 17 he is preaching to these guys on Mar’s Hill- he says ‘In him we live AND MOVE and have our being’. Now- today as we read this- we don’t get the full import of what he was doing.

But- to the Greek mind- the source of motion was a big thing.

Paul was a smart guy- and he was saying ‘in him we move’ showing that yes- the ‘source of motion’ [Thales water] is not found in the natural world [Physics] but the source comes from the Metaphysical world [God].

He also says ‘when I was walking thru your town- I saw one of your altars- to the unknown god’.

At the time many believed in a Pantheon of gods- and to cover their bases- they had an altar for any god they might have missed- smart thinking!

So Paul says ‘him I declare unto you’. Notice how Paul was able to debate- converse with them- and at the end actually use their own ideas- to present the gospel. In this chapter- Acts 17- we read of the only 2 groups of philosophers mentioned in the bible.

The Epicureans and the Stoics.

The Epicureans were an early form of what we call Hedonism today- the idea that pleasure is the principle purpose of man.

The Stoics believed in ‘stoicism’ that man should have no emotional response to pain or pleasure- that’s why we call people today ‘Stoics’- when they seem to not be moved by anything.

Ok- that’s it for now- might make some comments tonight- but I’m getting ready to fly out soon- and trying to wind down before I leave. If I don’t write tonight- I’ll talk again when in North Bergen- God bless you all. [parts] SOCRATES Socrates was born around 469-470 BCE. He is famous for introducing a way of learning that engaged the students in a dialogue- the question would be put on the table- and thru rigorous debate- you would come to an understanding thru the process of questioning.

This is referred to as the Socratic Method. Socrates came on the scene during the famous Spartan wars.

The other day I watched the movie 300- which depicts the battle between the city state of Athens against the city/state of Sparta. As you know- the Athenians suffered a great defeat at the hands of the Spartans. The Spartans were outmanned by the Athenians- but their motto was ‘come back with your shields- or on them’.

They were a true warrior nation- trained to fight from their youth- and this defeat sent the people of Athens into a time of disillusionment.

They questioned the power of their gods- and a sort of malaise fell over Athens after the defeat.

This was when Socrates entered the fray- when the people had many questions about life.

He was called the Gadfly of Athens- a title that would also be given to the 19th century Danish father of existentialism- Soren Kierkegaard.

They were called Gadfly’s- because they were like flies that would pester you- and elicit a response.

The leadership of Athens saw Socrates as one that was stirring up the youth of his day- and creating discontent among the populace.

He rejected the many god’s of the day- but did have a belief in a single deity- he- like the Christians 4 centuries later- would be accused of atheism- because of his rejection of multiple god’s.

He was sentenced to death in 399 BCE- and his form of execution was drinking Hemlock.

His most famous student- Plato- spoke with him before his death.

Many were surprised at how willingly Socrates faced his demise- and this willingness had a great impact on those who witnessed it.

Socrates never wrote anything- but most of what we do know about him comes from the writing of others- most notably from Plato’s Dialogues. Plato wrote down what Socrates taught- In his writings we see Socrates engaging in this method with various people- thus the name of Plato’s works- Dialogues.

There is a debate about how much of what was written about him was actually true- Plato did add his own ideas into these debates- and the controversy about this is so strong that we actually have a name for it- the ‘Socratic Problem’. During the time of the disillusionment of the Athenians- there were a group of philosophers known as the Sophists.

The word comes from Sophia- meaning wisdom.

Philosophy itself means The Love of Wisdom. In our day the words Sophomore- Sophistry and Sophisticated are derived from this root word.

The Sophists were the original Pragmatists.

Pragmatism is a form of belief that says ‘do what works- regardless of the ethical implications’. We will get to Pragmatism at the end of this whole series on Philosophy.

But for now- we see the division between what Socrates taught- and the Sophists.

Socrates did indeed teach a form of Ethics- which contrasted with the Sophists. He said that the pursuit of virtue was better than the pursuit of wealth- much like the words of Jesus ‘what does it profit a man if he gain the world- and lose his soul’.

His most famous saying is ‘The unexamined life is not worth living’.

He emphasized the importance of mind over body- which inspired Plato’s philosophy of dividing reality into 2 separate realms- the world of senses and the world of ideas.

Socrates actually challenged the Democratic process- he believed it better for the wise men- the Philosopher Kings- to run the show. Athens did have a form of Democracy at the time- and because of the rise of the Sophists- and the itinerant teachers- you had sort of an election process- much like in our day- where those who would attain office were those who spoke the best- and made the best public argument.

We elect judges and stuff in our day- and even presidents- not because they are the most capable- but because they ran the best campaign.

So- in a way I agree with Socrates- at times I think we need a better process of electing those to higher office- then the one we have now.

It’s important to note that even though we started this study with Thales- and in the study of Western philosophy it’s commonly understood to have started with Thales.

Yet- Socrates seems to be the Father of philosophy in many ways. He probably has had the most influence in the field philosophy- and the 2 great philosophers that we’ll get to next come right out from the heels of Socrates [Plato and Aristotle].

Why is this important to note? As we progress in this study- and get closer to the 19th/20th century philosophers- we will see a trend- away from the idea that there are actually any ethical values- moral virtues- or ‘right or wrong’.

These philosophers dabbled with the idea that values themselves are the cause of man’s problems [Freud].

So- keep in mind- one of the main streams of thought in the early stages of philosophy was that values were indeed the main thing- Socrates challenged the Sophists of his day- he said that moral virtue was very important- that to live life with the values of courage- honesty- self-denial- these were the things that made men good- noble.

The bible says ‘the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom’ ‘those that seek the Lord understand all things’.

Christian tradition would agree with Socrates in many ways- Jesus showed us that the virtue of service to others- to love your fellow man- to honor God- that these were indeed the heart of the matter.

Socrates feared the loss of virtue in society- that if we simply lived for the present time- with no higher values [a form of hedonism] then the foundations of society will erode. He also believed that it was good to question things- not to simply believe a thing for the sake of believing.

Over time- thru debate and the discourse of other people- he believed you would get to the truth.

The bible says ‘in the multitude of counselors there is safety’.

Yeah- as people have a conversation- as they dialogue- often times they themselves come up with the answer to the question.

The apostle Paul penned the letter to young Timothy- he said ‘preach the word- in doing this you will save yourself- and those that hear you’.

Yeah- when you engage- and even try and teach others- this will have an effect on you too- the actual act of engaging- of teaching- often brings more insight to the one doing the communicating- then the ones who hear.

Yeah- I like Socrates- he believed in what he taught- he drank the Hemlock- knowing full well that his life would pass- but he had belief- faith- that after death man would pass over into another realm- a much better one.

No- he was not ‘Christian’ in the traditional sense of the word- but he was about as close as you could get- for his time. [parts]

THALES AND THE PRE-SOCRATICS Ok- let me do a little teaching- maybe finish it tonight.

Christianity is not simply ‘made up stories’ from some bible.

No- the history of Western Thought- Philosophy- ideas- all of the various World Views are imbedded with God- our concepts of God- and ask the ultimate question ‘where did all this come from- and why are we here’.

We usually trace the beginning of Ancient Philosophy to the 6th century BCE.

A thinker by the name of Thales sought to find ways to describe natural phenomena without the use of Greek Mythology.

Even though Philosophy deals with Metaphysics [things beyond the natural- physical realm- Physics] yet Thales wanted to find explanations for existence- without leaning on Myth.

He is considered a ‘Pre Socratic’ thinker [before Socrates] and espoused an idea that water was the key source of all things.

These guys were looking for a singular thing to explain stuff. Sometimes referred to as a unified theory- the same thing that Einstein was seeking to find some 2 Millennia later.

So- Thales surmised that water was the key thing.

There are various ideas of why he came to this conclusion- but one reason might have been the idea of motion.

Many Geek thinkers were looking for the source of motion- where did it come from?

And to the natural eye- if you observe the ocean- rivers- etc. – there does seem to be no cause for the moving of water- so to these guys it seemed like water itself was the source- motion came from water.

Now- there were other religions who taught a sort of idea along these lines.

Some pagan religions said that the ‘god’s’ moved upon the water- and life came that way.

If you read the Christian account of creation in Genesis- you will notice that God did move upon the waters- and the account in Genesis does indeed say that he brought forth life from the water.

Thales came from for Miletus- in Asia Minor.

He was famous for the prediction of a Solar Eclipse that occurred on May 28th- 585 BCE.

The earliest account of this is found in the writings of Herodotus. Thales is considered one of the 7 sages of the time.

Christianity was born at a time where Greek thought/ideas were a big part of society.

We do find the early apostles using the language/ideas of the Greek philosophers when describing the reality of Christ.

The apostle John refers to Christ as THE LOGOS- The word Logos- is a Greek word for ‘word’.

Jesus is called ‘the word of God’.

Now- the Greek thinkers were in fact seeking for the Logos- they used this term to describe the ultimate answer to all tings. They were on a search for some Divine principle that could explain things.

So- the writers of the New Testament were in a way saying ‘look- we have found the Logos- the thing that you guys are looking for- it is Christ- the Divine Logos’.

We also see the apostle Paul debating with the Greek thinkers in the city of Athens [the seat of Geek philosophy- the city/state where Socrates was forced to drink cyanide].

In Acts chapter 17 he is preaching to these guys on Mar’s Hill- he says ‘In him we live AND MOVE and have our being’. Now- today as we read this- we don’t get the full import of what he was doing.

But- to the Greek mind- the source of motion was a big thing.

Paul was a smart guy- and he was saying ‘in him we move’ showing that yes- the ‘source of motion’ [Thales water] is not found in the natural world [Physics] but the source comes from the Metaphysical world [God].

He also says ‘when I was walking thru your town- I saw one of your altars- to the unknown god’.

At the time many believed in a Pantheon of gods- and to cover their bases- they had an altar for any god they might have missed- smart thinking!

So Paul says ‘him I declare unto you’. Notice how Paul was able to debate- converse with them- and at the end actually use their own ideas- to present the gospel. In this chapter- Acts 17- we read of the only 2 groups of philosophers mentioned in the bible.

The Epicureans and the Stoics.

The Epicureans were an early form of what we call Hedonism today- the idea that pleasure is the principle purpose of man.

The Stoics believed in ‘stoicism’ that man should have no emotional response to pain or pleasure- that’s why we call people today ‘Stoics’- when they seem to not be moved by anything.

Ok- that’s it for now- might make some comments tonight- but I’m getting ready to fly out soon- and trying to wind down before I leave. If I don’t write tonight- I’ll talk again when in North Bergen- God bless you all.

1Corinthians 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 1Corinthians 1:19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 1Corinthians 1:20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 1Corinthians 1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 1Corinthians 1:22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: 1Corinthians 1:23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 1Corinthians 1:24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 1Corinthians 1:25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 1Corinthians 1:26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 1Corinthians 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 1Corinthians 1:28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 1Corinthians 1:29 That no flesh should glory in his presence. 1Corinthians 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 1Corinthians 1:31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

1Corinthians 2:1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 1Corinthians 2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 1Corinthians 2:3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 1Corinthians 2:4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 1Corinthians 2:5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 1Corinthians 2:6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: 1Corinthians 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: 1Corinthians 2:8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 1Corinthians 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth.

See? Paul the apostle had the intellectual capacity to engage with the best of them- but he knew that the core issue- was sin. That is those who reject Christianity on the basis of ‘it’s a religion of foolishness’- in reality- even if you win the intellectual argument- yet for the most part people will still not believe. In the end it is always a matter of true repentance- being honest with ourselves- and others. So- Paul didn’t rely on the ‘wisdom of men’ but the power of the Cross. When needed- he would ‘use it’ [men’s wisdom- Acts 17- Mars Hill] but he closed his argument by declaring Christ. [parts]

VERSES- Acts 17:1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: Acts 17:2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, Acts 17:3 Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. Acts 17:4 And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few. Acts 17:5 But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. Acts 17:6 And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; Acts 17:7 Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus. Acts 17:8 And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things. Acts 17:9 And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go. Acts 17:10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. Acts 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Acts 17:12 Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few. Acts 17:13 But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people. Acts 17:14 And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the sea: but Silas and Timotheus abode there still. Acts 17:15 And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they departed. Acts 17:16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. Acts 17:17 Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him. Acts 17:18 Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. Acts 17:19 And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is? Acts 17:20 For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean. Acts 17:21 (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.) Acts 17:22 Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. Acts 17:23 For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. Acts 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Acts 17:25 Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; Acts 17:26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; Acts 17:27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: Acts 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Acts 17:29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Acts 17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. Acts 17:32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter. Acts 17:33 So Paul departed from among them. Acts 17:34 Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them. Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and thelife: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

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Acts 11

Acts 9 [Text]

Acts 13 [Text]

[larryland]

As a former librarian, I  am almost always wont to pronounce “the book was better” or “read the book” when presented with a film or stage adaptation of a printed or published work. And like thousands of readers, I devoured E.L. Doctrow’s best seller of 1975 and extolled its virtues to anyone looking for the next best read. Something about the story of 3 American families, of white, black, and Jewish heritage, clearly resonated with a large segment of the population who kept the title on many a best seller list for many a week.

  Now, having been absolutely gobsmacked by the Mac-Haydn’s premiere presentation of Ragtime: The Musical, I may be forced to revise my position on the superiority of the printed word and grant that a live theatre production quite possibly can, and in the case of the Mac’s production, does exceed the published work.  Earlier this season, I predicted Sunset Boulevard would be the Crown Jewel of their season, and without taking away any of the accolades justly due that production, Ragtime has usurped the throne, and takes the crown for its own.

   In any format, Ragtime is a work of epic proportion.  Its dichotomous themes of rich and poor, tolerance and prejudice, reality and illusion, justice and revenge, are no less timely, thought-provoking, and occasionally may I say disturbing, today than they were in both 1975 and during the early 20th century period of America in which the work is set. Consequently any production calls for big sets, big music,  and most importantly big performances. With its first-ever presentation of Ragtime, Mac-Haydn delivers on every level. With directorial skill as magical as the  escapes and feats “performed” by Harry Houdini throughout the show, John Saunders has outdone himself with a production that entrances, entertains, intrigues, and even occasionally disturbs the audience. 

  Even without the gift of foresight or precognition, you know that as the first notes of  ragtime music swirl through the theatre, the lives and fortunes of the characters are destined to collide, clash, and eventually coalesce.  For just under 3 hours, the audience will watch the weaving of a tapestry that represents the melting pot of America, home to the complacent, well-off white upper class as well as including, initially on the fringes, the African American population of Harlem.  This America is also a point of light shining in the distance, serving as beacon for the immigrants seeking a new and better life for the, and the children they bring with them.

  “Prologue—Ragtime” presages the journey and the conflicts to come, as 3 seemingly disparate groups present themselves for our attention. With a swirling, circular rhythm, the stage fills with characters sharing the same space but not (yet) entwined and intermingled.  Literally into the spotlight appear the white upper-crust and upper -class New Rochelle family of Mother, Father, Younger Brother, Grandfather and Little Boy, multiple citizens of Harlem led by the talented ragtime musician Coalhouse Walker Jr , and the Jewish immigrant Tateh and his Little Girl daughter who reach the shores of American seeking a life better than the one they left behind.   Sprinkled throughout the opening are historical figures of the time: Harry Houdini..Booker T. Washington….J.P. Morgan….Emma Goldman…Henry Ford.. . Evelyn Nesbit…all of whom will enter the lives and dreams of the main characters , forcing them to connect, clash, unite and otherwise engage with each other with consequences sometimes joyful, sometimes tragic, but always mirroring the rippling movement of promise and progress sweeping the country.           

  And so.next, we begin to learn more about the principle players of the piece.   As “Mother, “ Rachel Rhodes-Devey gives a beautiful portrayal of a woman who transforms from the dutiful, early 20th century Stepford wife shackled to home and hearth,  to a woman not only discovering her place in the world–and her right to it—but defining   her identity and self-worth and strength as an individual—with no man required. Fortunately for plot and character development, “Father” heads off on a expedition with Admiral Peary to the North Pole as both the show and the century begin.

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When Mother discovers a newborn black baby “buried” in her garden, she starts down the path to enlightenment as she ponders “What Kind of Woman” would deal with such a find. With a vocal performance capturing every nuance of the struggle Mother faces, Rhodes-Devey brings veracity and depth to the role, as she gives beautiful true voice to her journey . From an initial sense of panic and desperation as she struggles to cope without a husband to guide her, to the realization that she is fully capable of making the decision to take the child, and his mother Sarah, into her home and eventually her heart, Rhodes-Devey’s Mother epitomizes the “coming of age” of many a white woman of the time.  Throughout the show, singular moments capture her growing awareness of both the rights and wrongs in her world —the white woman defiantly clutching a black baby literally to her heart, offering a black man not only entry to her home but sharing a glass of tea with him, sharing a conversation with an immigrant stranger to make up for her son Little Boy’s initial appalling lack of manners. She combines an almost ethereal fragility with a soon-to-be-discovered spine of steel. All Rhodes-Devey’s numbers throughout the show are strong, pure, and moving, but perhaps none more so than her paean to embracing her freedom as a free-thinking woman with the riveting “Back to Before” , delivering this ultimate declaration of independence and proclamation of emancipation with true star power, pathos and passion.

  As Coalhouse Walker, Jr.–Harlem musician, father of Sarah’s baby, and passionate suitor determined to win back his Sarah, Tyrell Reggins steps onto the stage with all the majestic, dignified presence the role demands, and matches it with a voice that echoes off the rafters of the Mac’s barn-cum-theatre. The sheer joy with which he offers up “His name was Coalhouse Walker” and “Getting Ready Rag” has not only the cast but the audience stomping their feet, clapping hands, and swiveling their hips to the “new” ragtime music. 

  As Coalhouse pursues, persists and ultimately triumphs in his determination to attain his heart’s desire –the love of the  beautiful Sarah– Reggins seems to physically grow in stature and in presence, as he swells with pride over his good fortune. “Wheels of a Dream”, his duet with Sarah, as the two reunited lovers share their hopes for their future together with their son, at the dawn of  new century of promise, provides a signature moment in any production, and Reggins and Maya Cuevas make this number their own.

       Sadly, that  longed-for future is not be realized, and the dream is shattered too soon. Not only does Coalhouse suffer more mockery, scorn, racial injustice and derision at the hands of Emerald Isle fireman, whom he has previously encountered during his search and courting of Sarah in the virtually “white-only” neighborhood of New Rochelle, but his beloved  Model T car is destroyed by the firehouse gang led and egged on by the bigoted Will Conklin. Conklin, outraged that a black man should own and drive his own car, spews a vitriolic diatribe liberally laced with “the N word” before destroying Coalhouse’s pride and joy. The loss not just of his car, but of any shred of respect and dignity to which he is humanly and humanely entitled spurs Coalhouse to his own levels of outrage, vowing to find “Justice” but alas, the system has none to offer him. Watching Reggins begin to seethe and swell with outrage for the way he, as a black man, is being mistreated and virtually denied justice or attention of any kind, is heartbreaking and chilling. His demeanor, his carriage, his facial expressions all mirror the growing anger and despair that  ultimately will lead him to a violent end.

  And  then, as might be expected–tragedy strikes.  Sarah, determined to help right the wrongs perpetrated against Coalhouse,  is mistaken , by J.P. Morgan, no less, for a would-be assassin at a political campaign rally…and is beaten to death. There was more than one audible gasp from the house at the graphically-staged moment, which I chose to interpret as a sign that  “they get it”– a moment the audience had total injustice and inequality and tragedy thrust upon them just as harshly and unfairly and strongly as it is for Sarah, and Coalhouse, and all the members of the Black community. As Act 1 concludes, that community mourns Sarah’s loss, and express their common grief and anger with a haunting, heart-rending  “Till we reach that day” lament that leaves the audience in momentary silence as the lights fade to total darkness. 

    Coalhouse  is left a bereaved, bitter, enraged man now bent on gaining revenge under the guise of justice for the losses he has suffered, and he resorts to violence and terror in the New Rochelle community where Mother has taken Sarah’s child into her home. Reggins brings Coalhouse’s rage to the fore with ever-increasing intensity, until a series of choices leads him to  a last-ditch desperate effort to find justice for Sarah by taking over J.P. Morgan’s library. Thanks to the oratorical efforts of Booker T. Washington, played with conviction and a believable earnestness by William Taitel, Coalhouse comes to the realization that continued violence will do nothing to advance the cause of justice and equality, and moreover, is not the legacy he wants to leave his son.  His final instructions to his supporters, who have joined him in his quest for revenge and justice, is “Make Them Hear you,”. Not a false note comes from this impressive performer throughout the show, but from the depths of his soul comes this final gut-wrenching plea that rivals the high bar set by Brian Stokes Mitchell, the original Coalhouse Walker in the Broadway production. As the last notes fade, Coalhouse walks out to face his fate with the same dignity and personal pride he brought to the Tempo Club in Harlem where we were first introduced.

  Maya Cuevas is a Sarah entirely deserving of Coalhouse’s devotion and commitment.  This is a role that demands a performer who can not only hold her own with the vocal numbers, but can bring Sarah to life with virtually no dialogue.  Cuevas has the gift. While there is not a miscast role in this production, or less than fully-committed performance, in Cuevos surely we see the break-out star of the season.  Her Sarah is by turns broken, poignant, desperate, heartbreaking, defiant, joyous and enraged, and she plays out each emotion with skill and subtlety. And her vocals…. Oh, her vocals !  “Your Daddy’s son” held the opening night audience in thrall, as she gave glorious voice to the anguish, pain, despair and torment of a woman forced to make a terrible choice. As previously mentioned, she matches Reggins note for note in “ Wheels of a Dream.”   Audra McDonald, Broadway’s original Sarah, would be proud.

According to Cuevos’ program bio, she is “Expected” to graduate from the Hartt School in 2020, and I would expect that the ONLY possible reason she might not achieve that distinction would be if she were recruited for a regional or touring company before collecting her diploma. Let’s hope she becomes a returning artist at the Mac for many a year to come.

  Mac-Haydn perennial favourite, and admittedly a personal one as well, Gabe Belyeu adds another remarkable performance to his repertoire as Tateh, the Jewish immigrant and fiercely protective father of Little Girl, whose rise from a simple seller of silhouettes to maker of movies reflects a rags to riches story dreamt of by so many immigrants as they made their way to America. Periodically crossing paths with Mother, Tateh is caught up in pivotal moments in history, experiencing labor strikes, racial injustice, violence and ultimately articulating his own American dream when he and Mother acknowledge their friendship turning to more in the lovely “Our Children.” 

Belyeu always delivers solid, defined and personalized performances, taking a character and giving it his own unique style. In Ragtime, his interactions with Clementine Kline, as the Little Girl, aka Tateh’s daughter, are charming and heartfelt; he plays the fiercely protective father with aplomb and a real sense of care for the No Name child he cherishes. As the up and coming—and entirely self-created–moviemaker Baron Ashkenazy, Belyeu delights in romping through “Buffalo Nickel Photoplay Inc” , bringing a much needed touch of humor and lightness to the increasingly dark and heavy moments played out on stage.

In essential supporting roles, Steve Hassmer as Father, Julie Galorenzo as the anarchist and political activist Emma Goldman, and Kylan Ross as Younger Brother all have their moments crucial to the plot, and each perform their role with assurance and veracity. As Little Boy/Edgar, 11 year old Paxton Brownell takes the stage with the assurance of a veteran performer, and Clementine Kline plays her Little Girl role so well that you desperately want to reach out yourself and take her to a safe, warm home full of promise and love. Fortunately Tateh will ultimately provide that very dream for her.

  Mac-Haydn notes that for this first-ever production of Ragtime, they have assembled the largest biggest cast ion its in-the-round stage, and without exception, this is a cast in its entirety that clearly not only recognizes the significance  of the subject matters it addresses, but gives each and every moment and number the reverence and respect they deserve. Particularly effective in their roles are William Taitel as the activist Booker T. Washington, striving to bring the voice of reason into increasingly unreasonable situations, and Sarah Kawalek as Evelyn Nesbit, the “Girl on the Swing” who was thrust, or more accurately thrust herself, into notoriety following the “Crime of the Century” when her husband murdered her wealthy lover. As Harry Houdini, Andrew Burton Kelley appears in and out of the chains he magically unfetters; his connection with Little Boy adds intriguing moments of prescience and mysticism.

Sebastiano Romagnolo choreographs for Ragtime, and once again he continues to put his signature style on full and brilliant display.  From the foot-stomping, jubilant ragtime musical numbers to the rally-turned riot “The Night that Emma Goldman spoke at Union Square”  and everything in-between, Romagnolo puts this huge, youthful cast through their paces with precision and perfection. Every dance step, every hand gesture, every turn and movement is as sharp, as soft, as fluid, as it should be. At times the round stage pulses and pounds and throbs, almost threatening to burst or collapse from the movement, but  that only adds to the authenticity of the piece, reflecting the swelling population pounding the pavements, strolling the beaches, and otherwise inserting themselves into the new family portrait of America.

Jimm Halliday has costumed the show to perfection, and with a cast as large as this, and with the almost uncountable costume changes as the ensemble doubles, triples and probably even quadruples in portraying the assortment of supporting characters, that is no mean feat. Every costume is as unique as the character who wears it, and yet Halliday creates a cohesive  and authentic look for the entire production. From the opening number onward, Halliday’s deft hand with fashion and period costuming is on display in all its deserving glory. The light, ethereal, airy costuming in tones of white and softest lace and linen perfectly captures the soon-to-be shattered innocence of the New Rochelle suburbanites, while the Harlem dwellers in  red and black tones personify the pulsing, tinkling notes of the new Ragtime music taking hold. The opening of Act 2 is a lovely nod, or homage, to the classic Bob Mackie style, with variations of black and white making a statement as much about the changing racial climate as about fashion choices. 

On a technical side note….given the rapidity and frequency with which characters enter and exit, one can’t help but wonder how many dressers may be lurking behind the scenes to assist with the costume changes. A shout-out to those unsung heroes…

Matthew Oliver’s hair and make-up design also strikes perfect notes, again not an easy task with so many cast members requiring so many specialized looks to capture the essence of the characters.

While its themes of discrimination, prejudice, intolerance, injustice make it almost uncomfortable to watch at times, this a glorious production in every respect, and deserves the attention and the applause of a full house for every performance. It is perhaps a consummation devoutly to be wished that certain of our current national leaders and those in positions of leadership and policy could be exposed to the power of this production of Ragtime, in hopes they would learn and heed the lessons so powerfully and forcefully portrayed. Frankly, we are perhaps all the better for having our complacency a little shaken, our norms a little questioned, our darker side a little exposed, delivered in the guise of a stunning musical experience.

Ragtime with book by Terrance McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynne Aherns continues at the Mac-Haydn Theatre  from July 25 through August 4. Directed by Producing Artistic Director John Saunders, choreography by Sebastiani Romagnolo, music direction by David Maglione. costumes by Jim Halliday, scenic and lighting design Andrew Gmoser. Sound design by Corbin White, hair and make-up design Matthew Oliver. CAST: Rachel Rhodes-Devey as Mother, Tyrell Reggins as Coalhouse Walker, Jr., Maya Cuevas as Sarah, Gabe Belyeu as Tateh, Kylan Ross as Younger Brother, Steve Hassmer as Father, Clementine Kline as  The Little Girl, Paxton Brownell as The Little Boy, William Taitel as Booker T. Washington, Sarah Kawalek as Evelyn Nesbit, Andrew Burton Kelley as Harry Houdini, Julie Galorenzo as Emma Goldman. The show runs 2 hours and 45 minutes with 1intermission.

REVIEW: “Ragtime” at the Mac-Haydn Theatre As a former librarian, I  am almost always wont to pronounce “the book was better” or “read the book” when presented with a film or stage adaptation of a printed or published work.

[weekendwarriorblog]

WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND July 26, 2019  - ONCE UPON A TIME … IN HOLLYWOOD, SKIN

Gonna try to make this a lighter column this week since I’m still recovering from a combination of Comic-Con and the heat wave that struck New York last weekend.

Of course, the big movie of the weekend is Quentin Tarantino’s ONCE UPON A TIME IN… HOLLYWOOD (Sony), which has such an amazing concept and trailer and cast that I’m not sure what more I can say about it besides my review below. It does have an amazing cast led by Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie with an amazing supporting cast around them. Oh, just read the review…

My Once Upon a Time… Review

Plus you can read more about the movie’s box office prospects over at The Beat.

LIMITED RELEASES

The one limited release I do recommend is Guy Nattiv’s SKIN (A24/DirecTV), which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last year and then played Tribeca earlier this year. It stars Jamie Bell as the heavily-tattooed Bryon “Babs” Widner, a violent white supremacist part of a Midwest group led by Vera Farmiga and Bill Camp. When Bryon meets a single mother of three girls played by Danielle Macdonald (Patti Cake$), he starts to realize that his dangerous violent and racist actions are destroying him, so he turns to Mike Colter as a FBI agent looking to turn white supremacists, to save him. Based on the true story of Bryon, who actually did try to get out of the white supremacist ring and had all his tattoos removed surgically. Nattiv is a really talented filmmaker, and if his name or the title of the movie sounds familiar, that’s because he won the Oscar for live action short earlier this year for a semi-related movie with the same title.  More importantly, the film marks a career best for Bell, who just carries himself so differently that it’s hard to believe that it’s the same actor who played Bernie Taupin in Rocketman. I definitely recommend seeking this one out in select theaters and On Demand this Friday.

Also, I’ll have an interview with Jamie Bell over at The Beatlater this week and another one with director Guy Nattiv over at Next Best Picture very soon, as well.

There are a number of great docs to check out this week, but one definitely worth checking out is Avi Belkin’s MIKE WALLACE IS HERE (Magnolia), which looks at the controversial career of newsman and interviewer who helped make CBS’s “60 Minutes” one of the hottest news programs on television even while being persecuted for his “Gotcha” tactics with some of the great world leaders. This is a fantastic doc that’s assembled from a lot of archival footage of Wallace’s interview as well as a more recent conversation with his “60 Minutes” co-host Morly Safer.sIt opens at the Landmark at 57 Streetand Angelika in New York on Friday, as well as L.A. Landmark 12 and then expands to other citieson August 2.

Another doc that’s more cinema verité but still interesting is Ljubomir Stefanov & Tamara Kotevska’s HONEYLAND (NEON), which follows a woman named Hatidze, living in the mountains of Macedonia with her ailing mother who makes a living with beekeeping, a practice that runs into issue when a family moves in next door to her who threatens her livelihood.  It opens at the Quad Cinemain New York

Now, we get to the movies I haven’t had a chance to see just yet…

I do want to see Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts’s FOR SAMA (PBS Distribution), which trades Waad’s life through five years of the Aleppo uprising in Syria, as she falls in love, gets married and gives birth with the conflict around her. It’s told as a message to Waad’s daughter Sama.

Entertainment and The Comedy director Rick Alverson’s The Mountain (Kino Lorber/Vice Studios)starring Jeff Goldblum and Tye Sheridan opens at the IFC Center in New York and Landmark Nuart in L.A. Friday. Sheridan plays an introverted photographer in the ‘50s who joins a legendary lobotomist (Goldblum) on a tour to promote the doctor’s procedure, becoming enamored with a young woman played by Hannah Gross. The movie also stars Denis Lavant and Udo Kier, and I hope to check it out although I have not been a fan of Alverson’s work up until now.

Opening at New York’s Village East Friday and in L.A. at the Laemmle Music Hall is Benjamin Gilmour’s Jirga starring Sam Smith – no, not the singer – as an Australian soldier who returns to his village after being accused of war crimes, so he puts his life at the mercy of the village’s justice system, the Jirga.

James Longley’s documentary Angels are Made of Light (Grasshopper Films), opening at New York’s Film Forum Wednesday, follows three Afghan brothers in war-ton Kabul.

Caper Van Diem from Starship Troopers stars in Chris Helton’s Dead Water (Lionsgate/Saban Films) a man who invites a friend and his beautiful wife onto his new yacht so they can relax, which leads to a deadly game once they’re boarded by a modern-day pirate.  It opens in select theaters and On Demand.

David Mahmoudieh’s See You Soon (Vertical) is a love story between a US soccer star with a career-threatening injury who has a romance with a Russian single mother.

Opening at the IFC Center in New York is Austrian filmmaker Marie Kreutzer’s psychological thriller The Ground Beneath My Feet (Strand Releasing) about a woman named Lola (Valerie Pachner, winner of the Maguery Prize), who is trying to succeed in the business world while having a secret relationship with her boss Elise and dealing with her older sister’s mental illness, which leads to a suicide attempt.  

STREAMING AND CABLE

Karim Amer and Jehane Noujaim’s doc The Great Hack looks at the data company Cambridge Analytica and how it used social media to try to affect (successfully) the 2016 U.S. Presidential election. It streams on Netflix starting Wednesday

Netflix also has three new foreign films streaming this week:

Olivier Afonso’s Girls with Balls is a French horror-comedy about a women’s volleyball team who are terrorized by a group of hunters while stranded in the woods.  Sebastian Schindel’s Spanish psychological thriller El Hijo (The Son)is about a 50-year-old painter who is getting ready to have a baby with his new wife until she becomes obsessed with the baby isolating him. From Spain comes Jorge M. Fontana’s Boiabout a chauffeur who drives two Chinese businessmen around Barcelona and getting caught up in an adventure with them.

Also, the 7thseason of Orange is the New Black – 7thSeason!? Man, I need to catch up – debuts on Friday.

I’m pretty excited thatThe Boys series is beginning on Amazon Prime on Friday, cause I generally like the work of Garth Ennis and artist Darick Robertson, even though I never got as into this Dynamite series as much as I should have.

REPERTORY

METROGRAPH (NYC):

Japanese actor Machiko Kyō, who passed away in May at the age of 95, gets a full-on retrospective running through August 1. I’ve seen Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomonand maybe a couple others but this is mostly focusing on her ‘50s work, including Ozu’s Floating Weeds, and I might have to try to check some of these out. Metrograph is also opening a restoration of Rob Nillson’s 1996 film Chalk, a drama centered around a pool hall with Nillson in person on Friday and Saturday nights. This week’s Late Nites at Metrograph is Pedro Almodovar’s excellent 1989 film Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!starring Antonio Banderas, whilePlaytime: Family Matinees is screening George Stevens’ 1953 Western Shane.

THE NEW BEVERLY  (L.A.):

Well, it looks like Tarantino has decided to use his own theater to show Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood day and night through the end of the month and most of those shows are sold out so… The couple exceptions are Weds afternoon’s screening of the James Bond movie You Only Live Twice, the Weds. night George Hamilton double feature of Evel Knievel  (1971) and Jack of Diamonds (1967),  the weekend’s KIDDEE MATINEE of Herbie Fully Loaded (yes, the 2005 movie starring Lindsay Lohan) and then Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator(2004) on Monday afternoon.

FILM FORUM (NYC):

The Forum’s amazing Burt Lancaster retrospective continues this weekend with classics like The Sweet Smell of Success (1957) and From Here to Eternity  (1953) on Friday, as well as Criss Cross (1949)on Saturday/Sunday and Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard (1963) on Sunday. Monday is a  1948 double feature of All My Sons &Sorry Wrong Number, while Tuesday is double features of The Crimson Pirate (1952) and Jacques Tournuer’s The Flame and the Arrow (1950). Also the restoration of Robert Siodmak’s The Killers (1946)has been extended for select screenings starting Friday.

EGYPTIAN THEATRE (LA):

On Thursday, this week’s installment of “Highballs and Screwballs” is His Girl Friday (1940) with  Call Northside 777  (1948). On Friday, Helen Slater Jr. will be on  hand for a double feature of Superman  (1978) with Supergirl  (1984). Saturday sees a six-film “Warner Bros. Horror/Sci-Fi Marathon” of House on Haunted Hill (1958), The Thing from Another World (1951), Tod Browning’s Freaks  (1932),Them! (1954), The Haunting  (1953) and Jacques Tourneur’s Cat People(1942) – some real classics in there.

QUAD CINEMA (NYC):

I got to watch three of the six movies in the “Fresh Meat: Giallo Restorations Part II” over the weekend and you can still see a few of them over the next couple days.

IFC CENTER (NYC)

Starting Friday and running through August 15, the IFC Center is running Abbas Kiorastami: A Retrospective (Janus Films), the most comprehensive retrospective of the late Iranian filmmaker with film critic Godfrey Chesire doing a few discussions of Kiorastami’s work including the World Premiere of a restoration of his “Koker Trilogy” AND the theater is offering special Ticket Packs, so you can plan on seeing multiple films in the series.

FILM OF LINCOLN CENTER (NYC):

This is Cinema Now: 21st Century Debuts  continues through the end of the month with a number of highlights including Saturday night’s double feature of Jordan Peele’s Get Out and Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook. (Oddly, Ms. Kent’s second feature The Nightingaleopens next week!)

BAM CINEMATEK (NYC):

I’m going to try to write about BAM’s new series We Can’t Even: Millennials on Film without snickering or being snarky, mainly because I can’t believe it’s taken so long for one of these rep/arthouses to do something like this. Running from July 24 through August 6, the line-up is actually pretty impressive in terms of recent movies, ranging from Natalie Portman’s Vox Lux to the Oscar-winning Moonlight, Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird, Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring, David Fincher’s The Social Network and much more.

Actually, my bud Jordan Hoffman wrote a story on this series for AM New York if you need any more convincing.

MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE (NYC):

Astoria’s premiere arthouses continues the series “Barbara Hammer: Superdyke” through the weekend, and they’re showing the Oscar-nominated animated film The Secret of the Kellsthrough the weekend. This weekend also is a series called “Verneuil Populaire: Vintage Thrillers from France’s Genre Maestro” which includes The Sicilian Clan (1969) on Friday, A Monkey in Winter (1962) and two more on Saturday, and The Burglars (1971) and Fear over the City (1975) on Sunday.

ROXY CINEMA (NYC)

Wednesday night is another screening of The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967), starring Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate – the film on which they met – plus Friday and Sunday, the Roxy is showing Valley of the Dolls (1967), also starring Tate. Could this be meant as a tie-in to Tarantino’s film? Could be…

LANDMARK THEATRES NUART (LA):

Friday’s midnight movie is Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park.

AEROin L.A. and MOMAin New York are both going through renovations.

Next week… Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw!