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officialyourdailyinspiration · 8 months

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Devotional Hours Within the Bible by J.R. Miller

"When therefore Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished; and having bowed his head, he delivered up his spirit." – John 19:30

The three hours of darkness was ending. The light was breaking. The Scripture tells us that Jesus then cried out in a loud, strong voice. It was not the cry of exhaustion and faintness; it was the shout of a victor. The cross seemed like defeat. Those who understood nothing of the meaning of the life and death of Christ, would think of Him as a man who had failed, all of whose dreams and hopes had perished. But we who understand something at least of the meaning of His mission and of the great purpose of His life, know that nothing failed. “It is finished,” was the shout of a victor in the hour of His glorious success. It told of the completion of His work. All had been accomplished that He set out to do. His work was done. He had nothing more to do. There was no reason why He should live an hour longer, for the last task had now been done. A little while before, He said in His prayer in the upper room, “I have glorified you on the earth: I have finished the work which you gave me to do.” When He said in dying, “It is finished!” He meant that there was nothing whatever left now for Him to do.

His friends did not think so. They thought His work was only beginning. He was but thirty-three years old, and at thirty-three we regard life as no more than just begun. He had been only three years in His public ministry. Think, too, what years these had been, how full of blessing to those whom He had touched with His life. We can imagine Joseph and Nicodemus as they reverently took His body down from the cross and prepared it for burial, lamenting His early death, talking of what He might have done if only He had been spared longer. His disciples, too, in their anguish and their loss would speak together of the terrible bereavement they had suffered. He had just begun to live. He had gone about through the towns and villages, doing good for three years, healing, comforting, helping, blessing. What would fifty years of such ministry have meant to the world!

We talk the same way of our human friends who are taken away in early years. Their lives were full of promise. They had just begun to do beautiful things. They had shown a little of the power that was in them, to be a strength to others, to be a comfort to those who were in sorrow, to be inspirers of noble things. Our dreams for them were just beginning to be realized. Then, suddenly, they slipped away and all was ended. We say that they could not be spared, that the world needed them longer. Over their graves we set up the broken shaft, symbol of incompleteness. It is a great comfort, then, to remember that life is not counted by the number of its years but by what it puts into the years, few or many, that are lived.

We live in thoughts not breaths. We live in deeds not years.

We should count time by heart-throbs. He most lives who thinks most, feels the noblest, and acts the best.

A millionaire recently, when dying, sent for a clergyman and said to him, “Doctor, I have failed, for I have groveled .” He had not lived dishonestly; he had not made his money by unjust treatment of others, by the oppression of the poor, or in any way that men called wrong. Men said he had lived well. He had failed, according to his own thought, because he had groveled, lived as if he were a worm. Eighty years of such life, with God and heaven and love left out, however stupendous the earthly success, will not count so much in eternity as much as one day of self-denying life of love, such as Jesus lived. Jesus, dying at thirty-three, had lived longer than any man who had reached fourscore years of selfishness, of groveling, of fame-seeking. When a friend dies early, with only a few years of life but with those years filled with usefulness, helpfulness, unselfishness, and faithful doing of duty do not say he had not done his work.

Another comforting truth started by the dying words of Jesus, is that God allots to us our work, little or much, and the time in which it must be done. Jesus spoke often of His hour. Again and again we read that His hour had not yet come, meaning the hour when His work would be finished, His earthly life ended. “His hour was not yet come.” Then, at last, He said His hour had come. The time of His death was not accidental. Then He spoke also of His work as what His Father had given Him to do. It was not a haphazard matter how much work He should do, or what particular work it should be. It was all given Him by His Father. When He said in His last moments, “It is finished!” He meant that everything He had come into the world to do, all that the Father had given Him to do He had done, and that now He had only to yield up His life into the hands of Him who gave it.

What was true of Him is true also of us. There is an appointed time to man on earth, and each one has his mission, his work to do. Whether it is a brief time or many years, it matters not; our only care should be to do what has been given us to do, and to fill our appointed days, short or long, with duty well done. We need not fret, then, if our time is short, if we have only a few years given us to work. Faithfulness while the day lasts is all that we need to concern ourselves with. The things we wanted to do and longed to do but could not do, were not part of our work at all; they belonged to some other one coming after us.

“It is finished!” He meant fully accomplished, done perfectly. Not a word was unspoken which it was His to speak. Nothing, however small, was left undone which the Father had given Him to do. This never can be true of us. We do nothing perfectly. Our best work is marred and flawed by imperfections. We get the white pages from God day by day and return them blotted and stained. Our lives are full of blanks, neglects, duties not performed, things left undone which we ought to have done. But all Christ’s work was complete. He never omitted a kindness that was His to do, never passed by on the other side, to escape doing a service of love. We are never quite sure of the purity of our motives, even for the most sacred and worthy deeds we do. “Who of you convicts Me of sin?” Jesus could say as He looked into men’s faces. But can we always say it? Why do we do our good things, our holy things? Is it really from love to God, and so for love to men, or is it sometimes from desire for praise? Everything in our lives is flecked and imperfect. We have to ask divine forgiveness on our best acts and words and thoughts.

But when Jesus said, “It is finished!” He looked back upon a life work without a flaw, without an omission, without the slightest failure in thought or motive or deed. His life was brought under most searching light by the rulers in their eagerness to find something to accuse Him of when they sought justification for crucifying Him. But with all efforts to find a flaw, in the blaze of the most dazzling light they found nothing! Herod sent Him back to Pilate with the testimony that he had found no fault in Him. Pilate declared the same of Him when he had examined Him. Then we have the witness of the Father, as He looked down upon Him and said out of the clouds of glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Christ’s work was not merely ended when He bowed His head on the cross and said, “It is finished!” it was completed. His life was perfect.

“It is finished!” In a sense nothing He had done was finished; all His work was only begun. Luke spoke of the treatise he had made as narrating only “all that Jesus began both to do and to teach.” All would go on forever. This is true of everything we ourselves do. They tell us that every word spoken into the air goes quivering on through time forever; that if you throw a pebble into the sea it starts wavelets which will ripple on and on until they break on every shore. Thus it is with every word we speak, with everything we do, with every influence that goes forth from our lives. We are starting things each day which will continue into eternity. Nothing we do is ever finished. We cannot know the end of any act, of any word.

The same was true of the life and work of Christ. He only began the world’s redemption. He ever lives at God’s right hand, interceding for His church, blessing and saving man. His life seemed a failure the day He said this word. He had made but a slight impression upon the great world. He had gathered only a few friends, and they were men of no distinction, of no power or rank among men. He had been teaching for three years, speaking words of divine wisdom but they had not been written down, and seemed now to be utterly lost. There were thousands of beginnings of blessing but they were only merest beginnings, like seeds dropped into the soil.

We know what Christianity is today. The words Jesus spoke, which seemed altogether lost the day He died, have been filling the world with their blessings. The influence of His life, which then had touched only a few lowly lives, has since touched nations and generations, and has changed all the world, has transformed millions of lives, and is bringing the nations up out of heathenism into holiness and happiness! The beginnings of the first Good Friday, have developed into a glorious kingdom of light and love!

“It is finished!” When Jesus said this, He had reached the end of His sufferings. All His life He had been a sufferer. He came into the world to redeem the world, by pain and suffering. He was the Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. Perhaps we are in danger these days of losing sight of the place of the wounding of Christ in the redemption of the world. In G. Campbell Morgan’s book, ‘The Crises of the Christ,’ there is a chapter called “The Wounded God.” The title is startling. Dr. Morgan reminds us that it is impossible to omit from the ascended and reigning One, the wounds He bears. They are part of His personality. In glory He appears as a lamb that has been slain. He was our suffering Savior .

You remember how vividly this is pictured even in the Old Testament. He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities. When He said, “It is finished!” He had just passed through the three awful hours of darkness. What took place in His experience during those hours no mortal can ever know. We know only this, that in the mysterious depths of those hours, human redemption was accomplished. It was then, that He redeemed us from the curse of the law by being made a curse for us. It was then that He who knew no sin was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

As we hear His word of relief, “It is finished!” we know that the work of redeeming love had been accomplished. The infinite meaning of the sufferings He endured in those hours we cannot fathom; earth has no line long enough to sound those holy depths ; but we know that out of what was done on Calvary those hours come all the hopes of our lives. Every one of us had a share in those pains of His. In some mysterious way our sins were imputed to Him, part of the awful blackness that obscured the sun, and also for a time hid the Father’s face from the holy Sufferer. In some way, what took place there set us free from the curse of sin.

“It is finished!” was the first announcement of the completion of redemption. It was the first proclamation of the gospel after the price had been paid. The Redeemer Himself made the announcement. Let us hear it today. Redemption is finished. We can be sure of eternal life if we receive this Savior as our Savior. There was nothing left undone in those hours, that needed to be done to open the way for us to God, to put away sin, to provide eternal salvation for everyone who will accept it.

“It is finished!” Think of the words a moment as words that we ourselves must speak, each of us. We are always finishing something. One by one duties come to us, and we must finish them quickly and leave them. How are we finishing them? Are we doing them as well as we can, or negligently? One by one the days come to us, white and beautiful, from God. What are we doing with them? What are we writing on the fair pages? One by one, in quick succession, opportunities come to us, opportunities to be kind, to be patient, to be forgiving, to help others, to honor Christ, to witness for Him, to plant a seed of truth in a heart and we must meet them promptly, for a moment later they will be gone. What are we doing with our opportunities?

We are finishing a hundred things every day. What are we finishing? How are we finishing the things we do? Soon we shall come to the end of all our living, doing our last task, saying our last word. When we come to the end of all our living and doing what will be finished? What will we leave behind? Will it be something that will make the world forever better, purer, holier? When you and I say, “It is finished,” what will be finished?

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legendofzoodles · 2 years

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LU Character Design Analysis Finale

This is the final post of my LU character design and ranking series, if you’re not caught up or you’re seeing this for the first time please look at the previous posts before this one. Links are down below :)

For those who are caught up or only care about first place, I’ll summarise the previous rankings for you before explaining who I think has the best design in the chain.

9. Wild

Aesthetic and visual score (/10): 4 Character representation score (/5): 3 Practicality score (/5): 3 Total (/20): 10

8. Sky

Aesthetic and visual score (/10): 7 Character representation score (/5): 3 Practicality score (/5): 1 Total (/20): 11

7. Wind

Aesthetic and visual score (/10): 7 Character representation score (/5): 4 Practicality score (/5): 2 Total (/20): 13

6. Time

Aesthetic and visual score (/10): 8 Character representation score (/5): 3 Practicality score (/5): 3 Total (/20): 14

5. Warriors

Aesthetic and visual score (/10): 6 Character representation score (/5): 5 Practicality score (/5): 4 Total (/20): 15

4. Twilight

Aesthetic and visual score (/10): 8 Character representation score (/5): 4 Practicality score (/5): 4 Total (/20): 16

3. Hyrule

Aesthetic and visual score (/10): 8 Character representation score (/5): 5 Practicality score (/5): 4 Total (/20): 17

2. Legend

Aesthetic and visual score (/10): 9 Character representation score (/5): 5 Practicality score (/5): 4 Total (/20): 18

And the winner of this little contest is the littlest Link:

1. Four

Score:

Aesthetic and visual score: 10/10 Character representation score: 5/5 Practicality score: 4/5 Total: 19/20

Peak character design right here!

Pros: Everything.

No, really. Where do I even begin with this masterpiece?

The hairstyle was based off of the stain glass murals depicting the hero and that was a great choice. It’s so different from the others, who all have shortish shaggy hairstyles and it’s so versatile. The straight blunt bob can be left down most days, tied up for forging weapons, braided when bored and much more. Although my favourite is when it’s left down with a piece tucked behind the ear.

The hairband is a nice nod to his blacksmith profession- gotta keep the sweat out of your face when you’re concentrating on sharpening a first grade sword. I like that it’s a darker green than what’s on his tunic, that way it can be worn by all the colours, unifying them under one heroic identity. Like I’ve said many times, green is the colour representing the hero so for all the colours to wear it, is fantastic.

Speaking of colours, that tunic™ is glorious! This is how you do a multi-coloured tunic! Each colour has a quarter to shine, with blue and green at the top to possibly show that those two are the most dominant parts of Four’s personality. What’s also a cool detail is the black cross stitch running down the middle and I’d argue is also running around the sides, showing that while the colours are united sometimes the stitching comes loose and they split apart- only to patch themselves back together again. The fact that it’s black and therefore is devoid of colour shows that this isn’t due to any one of them, but it’s an issue they all play a role in.

This blatant representation of the colours is simple, straight to the point and isn’t too on the nose in my opinion because it’s an important part of Four’s character, even though he does his best to hide his powers. Besides, no one is going to look at that and immediately go, “You see this guy? He looks like he can split into four versions of himself.”

It’s great that the tunic doesn’t have sleeves, because not only does it stands out amongst the chain but sleeves would get in the way of my favourite part of the design which is the hood. It’s not the iconic hat but it’s such an awesome take on it that I’d argue it’s even better! What’s funny is that it gives him a very youthful appearance even though he hates being mistaken for a kid. It has a little Ezlo shaped trinket on the hood, which helps weigh down the light material, such that it wouldn’t flap around too much on windy days. The gold also matched the Four sword and gold patterns on the incredible tunic. More importantly, it’s also an adorable reference to Four’s companion in Minish Cap- which was his first adventure (I think).

Four made a big impact in Ezlo’s life, and on Four’s side since he was guided by Ezlo, he made a big impact in Four’s life too. Of course he’d want to honour his friend/mentor in some way- and he defo made that little charm himself. I like to think that he kept the look of the cap even though it’s technically a hood now, because Ezlo remarked that the style looked good on him. I can’t stop gushing about how amazing the hood is, it just oozes so much character and personality!

Another thing to point out about the hood is that the only other member of the chain who wears one is Wild, who struggles with his identity and past failures. Perhaps both wear one as a means to hide away from the world when things get too much and they need space to take a breather alone. I can imagine both covering their faces with their hoods when they don’t want to be bothered/want to be left alone. I theorize that Four is an introvert, because none of the colours, save for maybe green seem to be very inclined towards socialising.

I’ve not played Minish Cap or Four Swords, so I don’t know what the symbols embroidered in gold represent, but I assume that they’re important to their respective colour. Aesthetically they look great, are a similar colour to Four’s hair and I love that each pattern shows up on the tunic of their colour.

The belt looks secure and even hold the kinstones which is a nice touch. I like the gold buckle, it goes well with the gold patterns on the tunic, the Four sword and the Ezlo charm on the hood.

So, I’ve noticed that Four wears a lot of black. His leggings are black, his arm guards are black and the cross stitching is black. Superficially this is was probably done because there are already so many colours going on and adding another shade of brown different to the belt and boots wouldn’t have worked very well. But from a character standpoint, since again black is sort of the absence of colour this could represent shadow.

He’s an important part of Four like the colours but he’s always in the background. This is represented by the fact that while there’s a lot of black in Four’s design, it’s in pretty unimportant areas (except for the tunic, where it’s right in the middle and demands your attention). Everyone always notices Four’s bold and colourful tunic which is the main focus of his design, not his unassuming dark leggings just below it. Or when he’s fighting, you’re always gonna notice the sword before the black armguards below hands holding it.

In that sense, the black cross stitching could show that shadow is always present, just like the colours, only able to come out when they split.

Couple more things: The ankle boots are cute af and are practical given his short stature. Their angular design echoes the angular ends of the tunic too. The boots point outwards and the tunic inwards, so that they are in parallel- it just looks really cool to me. Also, I love that they are slightly oversized despite clearly fitting him perfectly.

The Minish feather fits beautifully with his straight blond hair, it stands out due to the red and white colours but doesn’t draw attention away from the rest of the outfit because it can be easily hidden in his hair. I also like the v-line of his grey undershirt, it means that there’s no undershirt shown around the collarbone area. I’m glad it’s grey and not black because it’s all the colours mixed together and he isn’t a jaded veteran like Time and Legend...yet.

TL;DR every element of his design has a purpose, either they’re a hint to the colours/shadow/his powers or emphasise the fact that he is, in fact, very smol.

Cons: Nonexistent!

...ok fine, if I’m going to be consistent with how I’ve critiqued the others then I suppose his belt has a distractingly long end which would get in the way during combat and really has no business being there. Could be shortened (which would be really cute) or done away with.

Also I guess to make up for no armour he could borrow some items from Legend, but the guy can split into four versions of himself. He’s fiiine.

Wishlist: I don’t have anything substantial to add. He doesn’t need armour because he’s even smaller than Wind. His hitbox is microscopic. Besides, any kind of chainmail or armour plating would slow him down and make him less agile.

He doesn’t need any gloves to make handling his sword easier, at least I’m assuming he doesn’t because he is the expert on this. Maybe the white material around the handle of the Four sword prevents the wielder from getting calluses.

I suppose I would like it if the colours could all have different hairstyles. Nothing fancy, but if they were apart for a long time then eventually they’d all start trying it up differently: Green has a no nonsense middle ponytail, Red has it tied up lower down, Blue has a hastily done half up half down style and Vio braids it back while deep in thought.

Different shades of grey for the undershirt for each colour would be a nice touch too: white for Green, light grey for Red, darker grey for Blue and black for Vio.

Also, I headcanon that he has neutral grey eyes normally as that’s all the colours mixed together and then when he’s split each colour has their respective colour as their eye colour. Does that make sense?

Closing Thoughts

Four wins, his design is leagues above the others, fight me. I’ll gladly accept any differing opinions regarding places 8 to 2, but I feel pretty strongly that Four’s design is by far the strongest and Wild’s is the weakest and it’s going to be hard convincing me otherwise.

I feel like the most original designs deserved the top spots, because they deviated from their ‘in game’ designs in ways that were an improvement, made sense and reflected how they’ve grown from their adventures. Apart from Time, whose design is probably the most original and deviates heavily from his OoT look and is more reminiscent of the Hero’s Shade and Fierce Deity. I really do feel bad that he’s not in the top three, his design is really creative.

This list took literal days of thinking, reevaluating, rewriting and adjusting, but overall I’m really happy with it. I hope I didn’t come across as mean or too harsh. if I did it wasn’t on purpose. I just like thinking about the things I like, why I like them and how they could be improved.

If you want me to analyse the designs of other LU characters (even ones that haven’t officially appeared in the comic), or other LOZ redesigns not related to LU then let me know! :)

~~~

As always, thanks for reading!

Masterlist

9th place in the character design ranking

8th place

7th place

6th place

5th place

4th place

3rd place

2nd place

Character analysis posts:

Hero of the Sky, Hero of Time, Hero of Twilight, Hero of the Wild, Hero of Warriors

#linked universe #lu #linkeduniverse #lu four #linked universe four #lu wild #lu wind #lu legend #lu warriors #lu time #lu twilight #lu sky #lu hyrule #character design analysis #lu tier list #four linked universe

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xxhellonursexx · 2 years

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Thank You for 700 (&60)

I’m not usually a “numbers” lady, but as we know, 1760 is Lestat’s birthyear, and when I realized I had 760 of you fine folks following, I felt compelled to write an address, like one does.

Fourscore and something like two years ago I set out upon this hell-site, having simultaneously been working in a Covid hell-zone, reading “Interview with the Vampire” while wiling away the time in the stuffy, claustrophobic isolation area.

Louis eating rats in a sewer seemed like an escape by comparison, and with a threshold for pleasure that fucked up, you can only imagine my fried brain’s response to rockstar Lestat.

I had to DRAW HIM.

And then I had to draw LOUIS. How could I leave him out? And precious Armand! And why not Marius?

And two years later, the fever hasn’t shown any signs of letting up.

Thank you, one and all. You’ve been awfully good to this nurse. I truly believe you 760 people represent some of the finest, most upstanding people this fandom’s got. Thanks for the joy you’ve brought me through the years.

#real talk

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artdecosupernova-writing · 1 year

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Find the Word Game XVII

(Double Feature)

tagged by: @zmwrites & @drabbleitout!! my words: play, step, miss, scramble, reward, repeat, rough, relax tagging: @drippingmoon, @druidx, @oh-no-another-idea, @outpost51, @sleepyowlwrites, and fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation your words: honor, leave, leak, combine, heat, mirror

play (Rebirth)—

"I know what I'm doing on break, then." Guetry grinned at [Warren], adjusting the strap of the instrument slung across this chest, which looked like a beat pad installed into an electric guitar. "Thanks, man." He tugged on his shirt, which sported the black K from their logo. "We're selling this during the show if you wanna lay down about thirty slats." "Too far, Guetry." "Yeah, fair." He tuned the instrument, electronic sounds blaring through the amps he'd set up behind him. "Haven't played in so long. I'm pumped about this." "Does Scotty help you with your shows, too?" The violet glow bled from Guetry's temple into the lines of the geometric tattoos running from his neck all the way down to the wrist of his right arm, feeding the shapes with color and brightness. He instinctively flexed his fingers and popped off a few notes from the strings, nodding in time as Alec slapped the drums in rapid succession behind him. "He helps me with everything, baby." "Mostly visuals," Scotty said. "The talent is purely Guetry's."

step (Aurora)—

"Warren?!" Guetry's sudden voice cut through his horror. The sound of him, appalled and dumbstruck, scared Warren far more than the nosebleed. Warren pulled his hands away and the inky substance spilled onto the floor, splashing against the carpet, against his form suit, running into his mouth and down his chin. He looked at his hands, watched the fluid spread into the lines of his palms, crackle across the tiny fissures of his skin. He could feel it start to fill his eyes. It flowed down the back of his throat, choking him. "What do we do?" Guetry muttered, stepping up to him with his hands outstretched. He was shaky, pale. "What do you want us to do?" Warren couldn't catch a breath. He backed away from Guetry, motioning to not be touched, and he sank to his knees, clutching his throat. He watched everyone, knew they were horrified, but couldn't reassure them. He didn't even know what to say if he could've said anything at all. A long hand cradled his head, letting it gently drop to the floor. The fibers of the carpet ticked his cheek as the lights dimmed, the sounds grew fuzzy, and his body stilled.

miss (Eternal)—

"I'm going to investigate the cause of the signal being sent here." Thrive waded into the shallowest part of the water and turned his face up to the large moon hovering above. "I suspect it's as simple as the Emmuli." Warren observed him quietly. "...But you want to be sure." Thrive's gaze fell to the glassy water and Warren watched the slight breeze run through his hair. He couldn't miss the fatigue under his eyes or the lost quality of his expression. They heard peals of laughter from Varussa and Mercury somewhere closer to the house and Warren exhaled deeply. "If I find someone else there," Thrive murmured, "I don't know what I'd…" "Okay, well, maybe don't get your hopes up. Keep telling yourself there's no one there. The chances are practically nonexistent, you said so yourself." "You're right."

scramble (Warpath)—

Warren didn't get a second to process what was happening before a swarm of guards entered, sidearms at the ready. They parted, standing aside, and the remaining occupants of the room scrambled to stand upon the king himself striding through the doors. He paused, glancing around, nodding to his detail that all was clear. It didn't even register that he seemed to not notice Warren, as Warren himself was too busy noticing that Thrive looked drastically different. Apart from the pearlescent white form suit clinging to every curve and facet of his body, he sported a crisp, well-groomed beard and chin-length hair that Warren knew he didn't style himself but looked incredibly tended, wavy, parted almost carelessly to one side and tucked behind his ear— "Proceed," Thrive said, the depth of his voice even more authoritative than it ever had been previously. "As if I weren't here." "Yes, well," Sinkship grumbled as Thrive led his guards to the other side of the room. "We were doing just that until eight seconds ago, Your Majesty."

reward (Rebirth)—

"No!" Nar said. "We will take them! We've earned the reward!" Everyone laughed. "Reward?" yet another venevan shrieked. "Ysha does not reward graha for doing their jobs!" "Does she reward graha for bashing in skulls of those who defy her?!" Gosrah barked, raising the club and her own crudely-made mace in the air over her head. "She sent us to retrieve intruders in silhou ship, she expects us to bring her spoils!" "The obhelian is valuable cargo," Esyl said in a grossly calm voice, his grin widening despite the threat on his life. He reached into one of his pouches. "She will want him intact." Before Thrive had time to realize what was about to happen, a flash of silver swiped across his field of vision and stinging pain bloomed over his entire face. Drops of bright red blood splattered onto the pale dirt at his feet and more cascaded down his cheek and off of his chin. He dabbed the wound with his wrist and raised his eyes to Esyl, who flipped his knife from hand to hand with odd dexterity. Sussa's knuckles pressing against his lower spine kept him from cratering the ground directly beneath Esyl's feet.

repeat (Aurora)—

"Surface in three," Tuxth said. Warren kept his eyes on the pitch-black atmosphere swallowing the ship, engulfing them in viscous fog and wrapping around them, squeezing until the shield alerts began to go off. Guetry shook his head nervously. "Seventy-two percent. Sixty-eight percent. Sixty-six percent." "We're gonna make it," Warren assured him. "We just need to get through this, first." Everyone around him glanced repeatedly from their meters to the viewscreen, the anxiety levels rising the tighter the Emmuli wrung the ship and the longer it took for them to reach the surface. "Fifty-four percent," Guetry muttered. "Forty-seven percent..." The viewscreen cracked and a panel on the wall exploded in sparks. Warren gripped the console with pearly knuckles, teeth grinding in his skull. Suddenly they punched through blackness and Varussa pulled up with a jerk, lifting the nose of the ship before they could impact with the side of the planet. Warren stared through the window, eyes going wide. "My god," Mercury whispered.

rough (Rebirth)—

"Yeah?" Warren twiddled his thumbs over his lap. "Do they finally fly?" "They've been fitted with low-scale thrusters for the past eighty years. Groundcars are still majority-owned—aircars are god-awfully expensive, generally only owned by the elite." Guetry drained the rest of his coffee. "I've got a bike planetside, actually. A Clarity VRX 2260 I bought after a rough go at a Morrite merc camp ages ago. She was busted up pretty bad and I gave her a new life." Varussa's face lit up. "That's one of those electric motorcycles, isn't it? I've heard those are nice." Thrive sat beside Warren. "You don't strike me as the type." "I'm the type for just about anything," Guetry said, giving Varussa a smart wink. "Yeah," she said, smiling at him. "You sound like my father." "Damn, right in the nuts."

relax (Meridian)—

That night, the stress of the impending conversation sank into Warren's muscles, and he found himself rubbing at his neck as he sat on the edge of the bed, staring into the wall across the room. He felt the mattress shift, then a pair of hands sneaking onto his shoulders, kneading with delectable pressure. "Relax," Thrive murmured. "She's not going to blame you." "How could she not?" Warren dropped his gaze to the floor, leaning into Thrive's touch. "I blame myself." "She's a smart woman. Level-headed. Plus, she doesn't know everything that happened. She won't know about Meridian, and she won't know about everything that happened to me. All she likely knows is the rescue mission, and the crash. She's asking for our sides. Wouldn't you want the same?" "If I were her, I'd want to know who to blame." Warren turned his head. "And I know you would, too." Thrive carefully pressed his lips to the crook of Warren's neck. "I suppose you're right." Warren exhaled slowly as Thrive moved his lips to the space where his jaw met his throat. "And I can't say I had nothing to do with it when I did."

#tag game #find the word

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scripture-pictures · 4 months

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#song of solomon 6:8 #threescore queens #fourscore concubines #escape artists #virgins without number #daily bread #nightly bread #god is love

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 1 year

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Cape Romano has many photographic opportunities, but when I heard that the dome houses were no longer on dry land, I had to see it for myself. The houses were built in 1981 on the beach of Cape Romano. They were unique structures at that time. The fact that they are on a remote island makes them seem both futuristic and retro at the same time – and very much out of place. Now that the beach has eroded out from under the houses, they seem even more strange. CAPE ROMANO DOME HOUSES 5 © 2014 | Barrier Island, Gulf Coast | Learn more: https://bit.ly/3Lf5hSm

[Clyde Butcher Photography]

* * * *

“I fear no hell, just as I expect no heaven. Nabokov summed up a nonbeliever’s view of the cosmos, and our place in it, thus: “The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities of darkness.” The 19th-century Scottish historian Thomas Carlyle put it slightly differently: “One life. A little gleam of Time between two Eternities.” Though I have many memories to cherish, I value the present, my time on earth, those around me now. I miss those who have departed, and recognize, painful as it is, that I will never be reunited with them. There is the here and now – no more. But certainly no less. Being an adult means, as Orwell put it, having the “power of facing unpleasant facts.” True adulthood begins with doing just that, with renouncing comforting fables. There is something liberating in recognizing ourselves as mammals with some fourscore years (if we’re lucky) to make the most of on this earth. There is also something intrinsically courageous about being an atheist. Atheists confront death without mythology or sugarcoating. That takes courage.” ― Jeffrey Tayler

#Cape Romano #dome houses #Clyde Butcher Photography #heaven and earth #Jeffrey Tayler #quotes #atheist #Thomas Carlyle #Nabokov #nonbelievers #Orwell #Time between two eternities

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leanstooneside · 6 months

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Putting off a buying decision for fear of finding a slightly better value later on

- always hated

- worldly wisdom

- still dug

- also enabled

- sometimes hear

- such demands

- Metaphorically to draw

- already glanced

- only refining

- For example for is

- even disappears

- careless youth

- wrongly classed

- sometimes were

- utterly orphaned

- often modifies

- even carry away

- providentially speak

- probably receives

- nearly fourscore

- no longer living

- once employed

- civilly compromising

- cruelly banished

- conjecturally large

- also an

- frequently become

- ever printed

- entirely failed

- rapidly dramatizing

- seldom has

- ever made

- often supply

- once had given

- hardly inferior

- perhaps be remembered thought

- verily stolen

- Vally value

- plainly arose

- hardly know

- anciently spelt

- so is

- always worth

- commonly up

- surely cannot

- very favor

- Perhaps derived

- also a

- eagerly desired

- fairly charged

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aidaronan · 1 year

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Sometimes I watch the youths go through the same discourse I regret from fourscore and two fandoms ago and I want to gently shake them, but I know they won't listen and the wheels of time keep spinning on and on or whatever

#rambling when i should be sleeping

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pugzman3 · 9 months

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Luke 16:1-13 KJV

1 And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.

2 And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.

3 Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.

4 I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.

5 So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord?

6 And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.

7 Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.

8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.

9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?

13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

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officialyourdailyinspiration · 5 months

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A Light to lighten the Gentiles

25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law,

28 Then he took him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

29 Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, according to your word:

30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,

31 Which you have prepared before the face of all people;

32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.

33 And Joseph and his mother marveled at those things which were spoken of him.

34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;

35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through your own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher: she was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity;

37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, who departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spoke of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

39 And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.

40 And the child grew, and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. — Luke 2:25-40 | King James 2000 Bible (KJB2K) The King James 2000 Bible, copyright © Doctor of Theology Robert A. Couric 2000, 2003. All rights reserved. Cross References: Deuteronomy 18:15; 1 Samuel 2:20; Joshua 19:24; Joshua 22:33; 1 Samuel 1:2; 1 Samuel 2:21; Psalm 89:48; Psalm 119:166; Psalm 119:174; Isaiah 8:14; Isaiah 9:2; Isaiah 11:10; Jeremiah 32:11; Matthew 2:12; Matthew 2:23; Matthew 8:10; Matthew 12:46; Mark 15:43; Luke 1:26; Luke 1:68; Luke 1:80; Luke 2:22; Luke 5:33; Acts 13:3; Revelation 6:10

#the Prophecy of Simeon #light #Gentiles #Jesus #baby #strength #wisdom #growth #grace of God #the Prophecy of Anna #return to Nazareth #Luke 2:25-40 #Gospel of Luke #New Testament #KJB2K #King James 2000 Bible

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