#not much use in mourning those who likely wont be dead (or exist) in better future!

[futuristichedge]

The most well adjusted apocalypse survivor

#silver the hedgehog #sth #sth fanart #sonic fanart #my art #doodles #sonic the hedgehog fanart #listen listen i know he is caring and kindhearted. but there is no way you live in an apocalyptic world and dont have some way of coping #he fights for the living. hed see a dead body and go ''sad! well. theres other survivors'' and start looting #not much use in mourning those who likely wont be dead (or exist) in better future! #anyway yeah there is NO way he hasnt looted some long gone persons gear and seen some shit #just a doodle. been thinking up animatics to Time Machine 2 by Daisy the Great and unable to get time to sit down and draw

[amememightywarrior]

[fanfic] The Echo, chapter 1

The Echo Chapter 1 Fandom: FFXIV Synopsis: What do you do when your only champion crumbles to pieces because of all she’s been through? Invent time travel, apparently. But how easy is it to put a broken woman back together again if no one has invented tape? Story tags: fem!WoL, OC (billions of them), AU, Time Travel, Ishgard (everywhere), dragons Rating: probably NC-17. Trigger Warnings: None in this chapter, I think? But definitely swearing. Or if you’re triggered by minor errors in lore, there are definitely some of those, probably. Author Notes: You already know where this is going. Or do you?

He had warned me there would be complications. I'd told Him to hush, I knew what I was doing—well, more than the first go around—so there was less of a chance of me fucking everything up than before.

He had said it was foolish to risk everything for the chance to fix one thing, and yet this one thing I wished to fix needed to be fixed to save...

Save what?

This must be one of the complications he had warned me about.

It was going to be pretty hard to fix anything if I couldn't remember what I was trying to do. I just had to...I just...

Who am I again...?

~*~

~*~

«Our covenant yet remains, champion of Hydaelyn.»

The effort it took to open one eye was monumental. The large, mirror-like eyes of a dragon pup greeted me upon success. The pup's tiny triangular snout dipped and its long, fin-like ears flicked as it inspected my face. Then it blew purple fire at me.

“Gah!” I said, jerking my head sideways. Both my eyes popped open, the ice encrusting them melting away under the fiery onslaught. “What the?! What was that for?”

«Rise, mortal, ere thou joineth the dead in these frozen wastelands.»

I sat up, dislodging the pup. “I'm in a snowdrift,” I said. “Why...?” I squinted at the pup, who perched on my knee and looked expectant. I knew this little guy and that deep, menacingly slow-paced voice talking to me. “Mid...Midgardsormr...?” Wind whistled in my ears. The very air was ice. It hurt to breathe. The dragon pup, Midgardsormr, crawled up my arm to sit on my shoulder. “What happened?” I asked.

«A choice hath been made and the price paid,» replied Midgardsormr. «Thou lieth within the embrace of Abalathia's Spine, betwixt two sides of a war once quelled but now rageth as before.»

I looked down at myself. My clothes weren't exactly winter-worthy, but I wouldn't freeze in the next two minutes either. Abalathia's Spine sounded familiar. I wanted to say...Coerthas? “What price?”

«Knowest thou of thy choice?» Midgardsormr asked. He sounded almost perturbed.

I stood and tried to find a landmark. There was a strange sort of castle in the distance that appeared to be mostly unattached to the rest of the world. The rest was mountains and snow. “I don't remember,” I said. “I don't...I know who you are but I can't remember my name.”

Midgardsormr was silent. I needed to avoid death by deep freeze, so I started walking along the lowest part of the terrain. A weight clanking on my back prompted me to look back. Ah, my axe. That was also familiar to me, much like my scaly companion.

«This life thou hast lived ere our arrival here,» Midgardsormr said at last. «Events long past led to a break in thy soul, and though thy strength carried this star for a time, the break soon split thy soul in two. To save the world, we must save the soul that split. The choice thus made, we traveled to the time before the injury was done and came to rest here.»

I stopped. “Wait a second,” I said. “You're telling me my soul split in two because of something and we went into the past to fix it? That's crazy! And you went along with this idea?”

«Thy strength is beyond comprehension, champion of Hydaelyn,» replied the pup, «yet like a diamond wont to shatter when struck upon the correct point, thy heart was pierced and the damage left to fester.»

“I don't see how that justifies the two of us going back in time,” I said. “You shouldn't mess with time. Bad things happen.”

«Thy reluctance is familiar,» Midgardsormr said. «This was the last resort. Know that I would not have allowed it if it were not all we had left.» He flicked his tail against my shoulder and stretched his neck out to point off to the right. «This way, mortal. The sons of Ishgard know not thy face, for thy deeds were erased upon our coming. Tread carefully, and do not make conversation with me around others.»

I kind of remembered that bit about our relationship. He was invisible...imperceptible? to everyone else. I vaguely recalled he could show himself if he wanted, but the details of how I came to know this escaped me. It did assure me that I was not, in fact, crazy enough to hallucinate baby dragons talking in bass voices. “What exactly split my soul? Since I need to prevent that to justify this little trip into history.”

«What destroyed it then will not now,» he said.

I rolled my eyes, exasperated, and started toiling towards civilization again. “So the world's saved already? Yay!”

«Thy flippancy is ill-advised. A powerful bond forged was destroyed in moments.»

I frowned. “So...someone close to me died...and that broke me?”

«As a wyrm breathes as one with their consort, so did thee with thine. With it, an inextinguishable light shone. Yet with the destruction of the bond, the light darkened with bitterness.»

“And if I don't ever have this bond in the first place?”

«Two shall ever be greater than one. That strength is needed, champion. Alone, the balance tips towards Darkness slowly but surely.»

Oh man, this was rich. “Saved by the power of love,” I said. “Come on, Midgardsormr. This isn't a romance novel. Surely there's more to it than that.”

«Thou shalt see in time,» he said. «Enough. I tire of pointless chatter.»

“Before you go, could you at least tell me what my name is?” I asked.

«If thou canst recall such information without help, we are lost,» he said, and fell silent.

He had a point. I spent the rest of time thinking about what I knew of myself. I was twenty-nine...thirty? No, twenty-nine. Or was I twenty-eight? Female. Dark hair, white eyes, pale skin. On the short side. Marauder—no, I was a warrior. I was from...Limsa Lominsa. No, I wasn't from there, but I usually stayed there. I wasn't a pirate. I could have been, though. I knew a lot of pirates. My name was on the tip of my tongue. Ammmm...nope, lost it.

“Midgardsormr, are we friends?” I asked.

His tail slapped my shoulder blade. I got the impression he was surprised by the question. «After a fashion,» he said. «The covenant binds me to thee, yet I do not find thy company intolerable. Thy life is but a mere thread in the long tapestry of existence, but I will never forget thee.»

I smiled. “I guess that's a yes. Sorry if you mourn me too much when I die of old age and all, but I'm still glad we're friends.”

«I will not mourn. It is the nature of mortals to die.»

“So it is.” I noticed some sort of brick edifice poking out of the snow ahead and walked faster. The wind picked up just as I arrived at the door to a strange circular building. I knocked.

The person who opened the door was well over a fulm taller than me, with pointy ears and silvery blue hair. He looked down at me and said, “An adventurer? Do you seek shelter?”

I nodded. He let me in and put his shoulder to the door to close it against the now howling wind. Inside, several other similarly tall and pointy-eared men sat at a table playing some sort of card game. The lone man not wearing chainmail smiled politely at me. He had a wool shirt trimmed with white ruffles and a hat with a big feather across the front. Though the other men in the room had bony, refined faces, his was something of a baby face, with rounder cheeks and a perpetual innocent look. I wondered if I knew him. “Ah, another adventurer,” he said. “Seeking work at Camp Dragonhead, I presume? I fear the blizzard that has just arrived will delay you, rather. What's your name?”

My name came out of my mouth reflexively. “Ameme,” I said. Oh yeah...My name was Ameme Ame. What a weird name.

“Well met, Ameme. I am Lord Francel of House Haillenarte and this is Skyfire Locks,” he said, waving around the room.

“Is Camp Dragonhead far?” I asked.

“Not terribly, but the storm outside...”

Welp, back out it was. “To the north?” I asked, just to be sure I was remembering correctly.

Francel looked concerned. “Surely you can't be thinking of traveling in that...!”

“I'll be fine,” I said. “Just a few minutes inside to warm up and I'll be off.” I seated myself by the rather weak fire and held my hands near the heat. Much better. When I had feeling back in everything, I cracked the door open and slid outside. It didn't want to shut thanks to the wind, but I got it firmly closed and started north.

Skyfire Locks had several buildings on the way to Camp Dragonhead, but they were not very far apart and the blizzard wasn't terrible enough to make me seek shelter every three paces yet. It had crept north as well, but I outpaced it before long and discovered I was on a real, honest-to-goodness road leading to a huge fortified outpost. I made it to about shouting distance of the gates of the outpost when a massive shape hurtled past me, howling like a banshee and waving noodle-like arms. The frost-covered goobbue, a giant block of a creature with a mouth able to swallow three adults whole, charged the gates.

“Great,” I muttered as the outpost guards raced to stop the rampaging goobbue. I unholstered my axe and ran. “Hyaah!!” I shouted, slamming the blade into the goobbue's back. It went through like a hot knife through butter, forcing me to carry my strike until I hit the ground. The goobbue staggered to a stop and, rather to my surprise, fell in two pieces. I hadn't realized I was that strong.

Between the two halves of the goobbue, I saw a group of men looking like they'd been prepared to be squashed, only to be disappointed. The one in front, another pointy-eared man with silver hair like the one who'd let me into Skyfire Locks, mouthed, “Wow!” at me and started grinning. Very dramatically, he pointed behind me. “To arms!” he shouted. “There are more!”

I whipped around to see a veritable army of crazed goobbues, their noodle arms flapping wildly as they rushed the outpost. This was getting better and better. I went to meet them, several other armed men on my heels. They weren't exactly strong, but there were a lot of them all over the place. We were at it for a good twenty minutes killing the lot, mostly because I was the only one who could dispatch them in a single hit and had to do a lot of running around to keep the rest of the men from being crushed. By the time the goobbues quit appearing out of the blizzard, I was starting to feel the burn in my legs. We withdrew to the outpost. I stuck by the gates since just walking in didn't feel right.

“What got into them?” grumbled the gate guard. “You there—the one with the axe. What's your name?”

“Ameme,” I said.

“An adventurer, eh,” he said. “Thank you for your assistance. I've never seen anyone cleave a goobbue in two like that before. Looking for work?” I nodded. “Excellent. We could use someone like you. Lord Haurchefant is—” He stopped and nodded deferentially to the silver-haired man who had just walked up. “Lord Haurchefant, I was just speaking to the adventurer who helped us. She is wanting for employment.”

Haurchefant turned out to be one of those enthusiastic types who gestured a lot when excited. “I saw, I saw! That was magnificent, my friend!” he cried. “To think there are women like you in the world who can bring down a goobbue in a single stroke! My heart skipped a beat when the beast fell in two to reveal your most gallant figure standing behind. Indeed, there is work aplenty for those such as yourself.” He waved to a building not far inside the outpost. “Come, warm yourself by our hearth. We can discuss terms of employment inside. Oh, Ser Hourefaut, if you could...” He started chatting with the gate guard. Figuring him for a talkative sort, I shrugged and entered the building he'd indicated without him.

The building consisted of two stories, with the first story devoted to a single large room furnished with a few chairs, a large table covered in maps and figurines of dragons and knights, a desk and office space in the back, and a large fireplace along the side. Three men exercised shirtless in one corner while a rather motley-looking group of men and women occupied the chairs in another. The biggest of the motley group waved me over, calling, “Oi! Oi, newbie! Over here!”

One of the women, who had cat ears and a tail, said, “Another new face! Welcome to Camp Dragonhead, newbie. They might all be Ishgardians but they're the friendly sort.”

The one who had called me over snorted. “Friendly? Bit more than that, some of 'em. The pay's good, though.”

“Oh, psh,” said the other woman of the group, a freckled brunette with large green eyes. “If ye can't handle Haurchefant staring at yer arse every now and then, ye don't belong here. Not like he does anything, anyway. He's all talk.”

“I think he's nice,” said the cat woman. What was she again...? Miqo'te? That was it. Weren't they more of a warm-weather sort? “At least he's more of an equal opportunity ogler. So what's your name, newbie?”

I was going to be introducing myself a lot, wasn't I? “Ameme.”

The Miqo'te woman beamed. “Nice to meet you! I'm G'buloleh, but everyone calls me Goobbue. The Roe is Moonlight River and my rough-n-tumble Hyur friend here is Essenta. Our silent Elezen companion is Soluvrian. Don't mind him, he's not much of a talker.”

Roe? Oh, Roegadyn. I recalled the names for the various types now. Moonlight River raised a hand in greeting, while Essenta and Soluvrain simply nodded. Soluvrain had his hood up, so all I could see of his face was a flash of red-brown hair and a stern mouth.

“Our new friend here don't seem to be much of a talker herself,” Essenta observed.

Moonlight River decided to continue the conversation about Haurchefant. “You only think he's nice because he doesn't mind when you trip and crash into him!” he told Goobbue.

Goobbue's tail flicked. “He's perfectly kind outside of that! Besides, I thought you liked it when someone complimented your muscles.”

“Not when it's a—hello, Lord Haurchefant. What was the commotion outside?”

I glanced over my shoulder at the man in question as he entered. Haurchefant shut the doors behind himself and dusted the snow off his head. “An army of goobbues—and not the bardic variety, either!” Haurchefant said, smiling at the Miqo'te woman. “I see you've met the hero of the hour already. She split the goobbues in twain as though it were nothing.”

“Really? Ooo, she didn't mention that!” Goobbue leaned forward, interested.

“Not that we gave her a chance,” Essenta noted. “So, Ameme, anything else you'd care to divulge?”

Everyone waited a beat as though they expected me to actually say something. I shrugged. Haurchefant said, “So your name is Ameme, is it? Come, come, let us discuss the terms of your employment.” He led me to the desk in the back and sat in the high-backed chair. As I shifted in front of the desk, he fetched out a sheet of paper and started filling it with beautiful calligraphy. The man's penmanship was gorgeous. “Hmm...you have demonstrated your ability to wield your axe most effectively, but is there aught else you would like to do?” he asked as he wrote.

If there was something else I could do, hell if I remembered. I shook my head.

“Very well, then. Standard pay for a week's worth of work is one thousand gil, not including pay for any extra work you choose to undertake. You also receive a standard sleeping mat and two meals a day. Does this sound fair to you?”

“What sort of work would I be doing?” I asked.

Haurchefant stared at me. I wondered if I had said something wrong, but then he blinked and said, “Oh, fairly standard work for an adventurer—escorting porters, fetching or chopping firewood, things of that nature. Though after what I have seen you do, I may ask you to undertake more dangerous tasks! Nothing as difficult as fighting dragons, of course, but there are many dangers here in Coerthas.”

“Dragons?” I thought of Midgardsormr.

“Yes, the Dravanian horde is a constant threat here,” Haurchefant said. “Outsiders are not expected to assist in any capacity so you needn't worry about getting involved. Should you come to be threatened by a dragon during your duties, we would not be ungrateful if you choose to dispatch it, of course. Ah, and you receive no extra pay for fighting them...I suppose that is something to keep in mind as well.”

“Seems like that might get more dragons killed if you did,” I said.

He shook his head. “It has been tried and we have discovered the skill levels of adventurers far too variable to make it standard practice. Now we actively discourage it, in fact. You can read, I take it? Excellent. Pray look over the document to ensure it is to your liking before you sign at the bottom.”

I took the paper and read it. 'The undersigned hereby agrees to render select services (resource gathering, escort, hunting) in exchange for a weekly stipend of 1,000 gil...'

He really did have the most beautiful handwriting. It was cursive with lots of pretty loops, all regularly sized and at a precise angle. I signed at the bottom with letters that looked like they'd just gotten out of a bar after a full night's drinking.

Haurchefant set the signed document aside and beamed at me. “I look forward to seeing your skills in action,” he said, sounding as though he meant it.

#ffxiv #fanfiction #writing #story #listen I'm sorry #I just started writing things

[clickclackadinfinitum-blog]

The Sanguinist’s Aide

What do you say at a funeral when you know too much?

I need to give a eulogy, not an autopsy.

Glancing behind me, catching the barest hint of the slab of wood that houses him…

I have to say it. No one else knows yet, this is the best time for it.

Right?

It had been three days since the death of the aide to one of Yharnam’s rising stars. An imbiber and connoisseur of blood like no other, Haverhill the Sanguinist has made a name for himself by procuring various ‘flavors’ of blood for the sole purpose of mixing them with delectable dishes. He has always been more than a tad reclusive, even when compared to citizenry of Yharnam themselves. One of his few gnarled branches into the outside world was the now-deceased aide, who went nameless.

“The boy was of a tender age, merely twelve. Were it not for such barbarism, he may have trodden the path to succeeding Haverhill.” These terse sentences highlighted the beginning of the glaringly improvised eulogy delivered in a shaken, wavering half-whisper by a longtime crier known as Errol. “I knew the boy only through my work. Finding him in such a state as I ascended to the grand cathedral was quite a scare, to be sure, especially considering my slight fondness for the lad. When the blood dried, I did my duty and alerted the nearest hunters. By god, I hope whatever beast did this is found and put to its end.”

That was it. It was over. Errol spoke his piece, he had no reason to keep his trembling form at the pulpit. Unfortunately, the truth had shackled him where he stood.

The Nameless Aide did not merely die to a beast. Errol knew as much, and yet the truth seemed almost too horrible to speak; some might say it would be a wonder if he even understood it. Errol clutched his chest, slightly fraying the worn beige cloth of his simple robe. Many in the audience believed that he was simply overcome with emotion, but his desire to blurt the true events of that night nearly made his heart burst from his chest.

As he keeled against the pulpit, breaking into a series of jittering sobs, the rows of Yharnamites filling the cathedral’s pews rose in solidarity, still believing that he simply felt for the poor boy. Many clapped, others bowed their heads, and some merely stood stock still, staring at that coffin as their disbelief over the death of one so young began to fade. Not a single one of them thought to check on Errol, who busied himself with rationalizing his memories once more.

Errol ascended the steps to Yharnam’s grand cathedral, loosely grasping the coming day’s news in both hands. Having been through the area so many times in his life, he found himself blithely muttering the main talking points to himself while climbing up. His eyes affixed to the parchment, it wasn’t long until he made the silly mistake of ‘climbing’ an extra step, launching himself forward briefly before he regained his footing at the cathedral’s entrance. As he caught his breath, Errol thought he saw something… A small smattering of blood flying from behind one of the open doors.

The first thought to cross Errol’s mind pertained to the possibility of a sickly beast having wandered in from the lands outlying the city, an occurrence that he wished he could consider unlikely. Beasts always had some modicum of wits to them, even if they weren’t exactly smart. Perhaps a group of them had gleaned that the hunts weren’t every night, managing to find a pattern in the days of respite…

This overthinking got him nowhere. Errol knew he would have to head to the nearest tavern, perhaps a local inn, anywhere would be better than a possibly dangerous place of worship. His left hand slid from the next day’s news, shifting into a small pocket within his robe. He gracelessly gripped his lucky blood vial, given to him after his first transfusion, then slowly walked back a step. He never let his eyes leave the door.

Oh, how he wished he could’ve let his ears leave.

“Please, someone! It hurts, by the blood it HURTS! Haverhill, Haverhill PLEASE!”

Errol knew the voice. It was Haverhill’s aide, and he was not about to abandon someone of such gentle character. Racing back to the cathedral’s set of doors, the lonely crier did his best to partially close the one that hid Haverhill’s aide. He then found that the aide was hidden for good reason.

The lad was nude, shivering, and hugging his head to his knees. Pale blue pustules grew from the boy’s scalp, briefly ‘popping’ to reveal bloodshot eyes before ‘washing away’ from the boy’s head. Thanks to his seated slouch, the eyes sloughed off of his skull easily, rolling to Errol’s feet in no time. When the crier recoiled in horror, the aide finally took note of his presence in the most horrible of ways as the features of his face began to melt in a manner similar to the ghastly eyes.

His pained groans and requests for aid devolved into vile shrieking; the cacophonous bellowing was of a pitch that Errol had never heard, even from the randiest of hogs. The worst part was that in the middle of it all, he still understood the boy. Even as the young lad began dragging his nails across his bare chest, leaking what looked to be miniature slugs from the grotesquely large wounds, the boy’s cries were all too intelligible between the inarticulate noises.

“It’s you! I can see you, but the eyes are lying, the blood lies to me! These things I see cannot be, they should not be! Haverhill, PLEASE! Show me to my bed, let me bathe, let me imbibe! Let me rest my eyes!”

Errol gasped, accidentally catching a whiff of the fetid air emanating from the boy. The stench reminded him of his old home, of a horrid fate he had once witnessed before his arrival in Yharnam... With little else on his mind but survival, Errol made sure to run as far as he could in whatever direction suited him. As he made his hasty escape, he could hear what he later learned was the boy’s last plea.

“These things above, they are as you said! Haverhill, I simply wish to sleep in peace! The blood gives me nightmares, and yet I cannot wake!? Someone please, end it!”

Errol did not end it. The next morning, the crier did not stand at the foot of the chapel. The misshapen, disgusting corpse of a twelve year old boy took his station for the day. The pious churchgoers fled their holy home, reporting the incident to their local hunters as quickly as possible. Errol did nothing.

Errol sat in his home, drinking plain wine for the first time in years. After the aide’s ramblings over blood, Errol’s appetite shifted for a day… But only a day. By night’s end, he was once again imbibing the blood of those kind enough to share well into the wee hours of the morning. Such companionship among Yharnamites was important in troubling times such as these.

When he was finally called to report upon the death of the boy, not a single person suspected that he had any involvement beyond being the one who initially discovered him. The crier was an important figure, despite his seldom-considered station. When he tried to tell the full story, however… A saw blade was held to his throat for a good hour as the hunters kindly explained that Errol, in fact, had not seen a young boy ‘leaking’ excess eyes from his head. When they fed him the story of the beast in the night, there was little he could do.

Just like that, Errol was back at the pulpit. The crier, as he was wont to do, cried, though the only news he could share was his inelegant grief. The congregation, fully satisfied with this efficient period of mourning, began to disperse. Reliving the horrid night did Errol no favors. Worse still, one last task was laid before him; Errol and three others would have to act as pallbearers.

As Errol carried the casket from the cathedral with aid from a few muttering citizens, the crier felt a chill. The wind was picking up, bringing the wonderfully strange noises of Yharnam to his ears. A murder of crows gave crackling caws for meat, the resting hunting parties cheered in the lower streets, a stray scream from an ailing beast could be heard… For a moment, Errol felt at a strange sort of relief.

But as they made their way to the charnel houses of Hemwick, the winds gave way to whispers; all around him Errol heard vile words filling the air, but the source was unclear.

“You left the boy.” “He’s afraid, help him!”     “There’s no way…”

“End his cries!” “The suffering of the Ones Above Us…” 

“O, Kos! O, Kosm!”

“A fitting cradle, don’t you think?” “Its scent is on the wind, so vile.”

“A nightmare all its own.”  “The sky and cosmos are one.”

“Three thirds of its umbilical cord, you say? An interesting idea, but…”

“Born of it.” “Made men by it.” “Undone by it.”

Errol collapsed, bringing the coffin out of balance. It fell with him, in the middle of the cobbled road. It was a simple construct, chunks of wood barely held together with nails. When a few planks cracked and shattered, it gave Errol yet another glimpse of the horrific creature that the young lad had become. The words pounded at Errol’s skull as he stared, his eyes feeling ready to pop from their sockets as he slowly began to comprehend what he heard.

In truth, ‘comprehend’ was the wrong word. It was like touching upon a subject that rarely came up between friends. A revitalized interest in some old pastime. Whatever it was, it was rushing through his fragile mind as if shot from a blunderbuss. The need to truly understand overwhelmed him, and Errol quickly passed into a stressed slumber. All the while, the startled Yharnam citizens that accompanied him went about dragging the coffin to the nearest crematorium, all too eager to throw the dead fellow into the nearest furnace and forget that the stiff ever existed.

Meanwhile, at the home and business of Haverhill the Sanguinist, an uneasy air filled the abode of the warmly welcoming man. What once stood as a testament to Yharnam’s eccentric hospitality began to feel more like a run-down shack now that the grisly news of the aide’s death filled the town. Haverhill did his best to remain unaffected; the portly old man busied himself with his craft while taking special orders from the Healing Church.

He had tried so hard to make a change in the boy’s life. Haverhill raised him from when he was a babe, a child left to him by a generous customer who felt that the Sanguinist would have made a better parent than she. “My blood has been soiled by the hunt,” she grimaced. “I fear he may be endangered by my firm adherence to my duties.” And that was that. She made one request, however. That he never be given a name until she could finally take him back.

A strange request to be sure. For a time, Haverhill had much difficulty addressing the lad thanks to this, and yet the boy never seemed bothered. At the age of four, he was already sampling dishes with Haverhill, helping fix ingredients, add spices… He had become the Sanguinist’s Aide, and the ingestion of blood had become a dear part of his life. Even when his mother stopped turning up at their shop, the boy’s spirits never faded. As long as he had Haverhill, the shop, and his work, he was happy.

These memories kept the old man working for some time without trouble, but the more he skimmed his memories, the stranger things seemed. The boy’s mother stopped turning up at the shop… And then what? Had she been the beast that felled him? Hunters never retire, after all. Not often at least. She couldn’t have been that old, but he never really got a good look at her. In fact, he barely knew her outside of his work. He could hardly stand to attend the boy’s funeral himself, had he perhaps missed a reunion that might have put his fears to rest? Even as this uncertainty ate at him, Haverhill found a way to continuously drive himself further into his work, his mind sharpened specifically to serve the interests of his customers; It served him well to hone his craft even further thanks to the vile trends that had begun forming within the populace. Every day, it seemed as though blood had become more and more essential to making the perfect meal.

In time, however, Haverhill would go mad. On the particular night of a particular hunt, the hunters with which he was well acquainted would find him feasting on blood in a method unbefitting of his usual manners. The church failed to console him, no one would ever be able to calm him as the boy did.

Some believe that the last thought that ran through Haverhill’s mind was a fleeting dream of revenge against the beast that felled his only ‘son.’ That singular purpose must’ve made him succumb to blood-borne madness all the more rapidly. When the hunters of the night stumbled into his shop intoxicated on the blood of beasts, they were quite dismayed to hear Haverhill’s own howl. The worst part was that there was nary a beastly bone in his body. The poor man had just begun to lose himself, his body so conditioned to the consumption of blood that he had managed to resist the changes such reckless behavior usually brought about. When the lead hunter managed to firmly wring his neck, Haverhill’s suffering ended thusly.

While Errol’s mind was crushed beneath the pressure of sudden insight, Haverhill’s mind fell to a beastly desire, with his body unable to follow suit. Neither would ever see another Yharnam sunrise.

This is another of my older pieces, back from when I played Bloodborne. I have a friend who, at this time, also played it pretty religiously and loved everything about its aesthetic and world. I don’t exactly remember what struck me to try and insert a little story of my own into Bloodborne’s world, but I had a lot of fun doing it! I don’t often write fanfiction of any sort, so this was a foray into uncharted territory for me. Even as I played it, I rarely had as much of a grasp on the lore as I would’ve wanted, no matter how many lore analysis videos I watched. I can only hope that if a fan of the game reads this, they find this to be a fun read!

I’ve often thought about trying my hand at more fanfics, but I’m not sure which series I should draw upon more. I feel like if I do Bloodborne too much, it might get a bit boring for both any readers I get and myself, but at the same time it presents so many possibilities for the bending of reality and the dreams...

#bloodborne #bloodborne fanfiction #bloodborne fanfic #new writer #short story #short stories

[rumpikerzzzworld]

April, You Will Be Remembered

It’s the 1st of May!! I want to post about some unforgettable April 2019 moments because I want to keep the memories that someday I want to remember again. So many things happened in the month. There were some heart-breaking incidents and of course there were some enjoyable moments as well. I’m just gonna highlight the things I want to remember the most. Here they are!!

BLACK HOLE

It is announced that on 10th April 2019 a group of scientist from the international Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) releasing the image of a black hole to public. This project was began in 2006. It took supercomputers, eight telescopes stationed on five continents, hundreds of researchers, and vast amounts of data to accomplish (source: the verge).  

(cr: Event Horizon Telescope)

I was not someone who understands much about space life, even though I studied the basic knowledge when I was in secondary and high school. However, I appreciated a lot this not easy job. I used to have a dream to be an astronomer when I was a kid, but i have to come to realization that I’m not smart enough to pursue the dream, lol. I’m currently into astronauts’ life though. I watch documentaries, read articles and other sources about astronaut’s and space’s life. So that, it made me happy to read this news. Moreover, one of the computer scientists in the team who led the development program to get the first-image of black hole is a woman named Katie Bouman. She is just 29-year-old when she did that. She is amazing!! I always wonder what kind of method those people use when they are studying. I mean, how could they be so smart? I feel like I’m such a useless and stupid human being. I’m nothing huhu. Anyway, I’m happy to witness the history of the first image of black hole.

GAME OF THRONES

FINALLY, WINTER IS COMING. I might not be the fan of the show since day 1. I just started watching game of thrones in 2017. Ever since I watched the first season, I started becoming a fan and addicted to the show then finished all of the 7 seasons in a few weeks. The show is that addictive, it made me threw any dramas/movies for about 6 months because I felt that the show was too well executed and any other movies/dramas in that time period I was watching the show felt bland. I’m sorry, I didn’t intend to belittle other shows. It’s just the thing I felt that moment. I was so mesmerized by the storyline which literally beyond my expectation. It was so good. I know there are a lot of people who don’t like the show, and it’s okay as everyone has their own preference. But to me, this show is so far my very favourite one.

It took me 2 years to wait for the last season which is season 8 to be aired. I cant contain my feelings as I was so excited about this. AAAANNDDDDD IT’S FINALLY HERE. GAME OF THRONES SEASON 8 IS HAPPENING. 14th April 2019 should be put as a history date as the show was aired on that day. Actually, I’m pretty sad that there will be just 6 episodes. I wish they make it to 10, but who am I to complain?

Okay, back to the show. The most talked episode is episode 3, the Battle of Winterfell, which was shown in that very episode. The episode lasts for about 80 minutes long. The thing that has been waited since season 1 was the war between the alive and the dead. There are so much reactions and opinions regarding the episode, fans are splitted into two groups, the one who enjoyed the episode and the one who disliked the episode as it didn’t reach their expectation. I’m the one who included to the first one, I pretty enjoyed the show although I think it wasn’t the greatest battle in Game of Thrones. My favourite battle was Battle of Bastards as it was really tensed. But, I still like the Battle of Winterfell though. As of now, I want to put aside the negativity and just enjoy the rest of episodes. I’m planning on reading the books after the show is over.

One thing that I really like about episode 3 is the hyped from the people who watched together in cafes, restaurants, and other place. Their reactions were priceless. See these videos that went viral on twitter!!

1    2

ELECTION

One of the most tiring to bear ever since social media era existed is election. The countries that pursue democracy usually conduct election to choose their own leader, including my country. In the past, there weren’t much sources to search about election information other than from tv and newspaper, so that the backlash could be reduced. But it’s different now. In this digital age, people can share everything including the positive and negative contents. Social media as one of the tools for people to do campaign and spread either good thing or black-campaign for the election candidates. ISTG, this is so tiring to witness people bashing each other and most of them have crossed the line. I’m so done!

In Indonesia, for 2019’s election, there were some changes compare to the previous election. They were included the period of time of campaign which was so long (about 7 months) and also adding the other 3 elections of legislative to be held in the same very day. It used to be held in different months, but due to the lack of participation in legislative election so that they were all conducted together.

Indonesian Presidential Election Candidates (Left: Jokowi-Amin, Right: Prabowo-Sandi) 

(cr: Media Indonesia)

I was eager for this to end soon. It finally happened on 17th April 2019. But, something bad happened again. The incident which happened in 2014 was re-enacted as both candidates claimed they win. Even though the quick count results from about 12 institutions showed that Jokowi-Amin led the vote by gaining about 54% votes while Prabowo-Sandi gained around 44% votes. I’m so done with this. I will just wait for the official results to be announced and I wish on that day there will be no chaos happen.

Aside of that, something that breaks my heart is there were a lot of election officers died and fell sick due to exhaustion from working way too hard as most of them working until very late night and some even worked until the next morning because there were so many jobs to do, including counting the vote for legislative elections (DPR, DPRD, DPD). Although there were no major incident happened during the election process itself, but still this thing supposed to not happen. There is definitely something wrong with the system and it should be fixed so that there will be no victims anymore.

MOURNING IN SRI LANKA

21st April 2019 is Easter Day. Things supposed to be calm and sacred on that day. But disgusting act ruined it all. Multiple bombing attacks happened in several places in Sri Lanka, including at churches and hotels. Hundred of people died and many people got injured. Some extremists claimed they are responsible for the attacks, SMH. I wish the ones who dead are resting in peace, while the ones who got injured will get well soon and receive some strength to continue life. and for the terrorists, I wish you die in suffer and go to hell!!

I don’t get why in 2019, hatred ideology is still growing fast in this world. Sadly, in some developed-countries which the citizen are more educated, this ideology also exist. People should learn that the differences that make this world beautiful. Why some people feel like they want to hurt each other just because they have differences in term of race, skin colour, religion, countries, ideology, etc. We need to respect each other differences as long as it doesn’t violate the rule of law.

I think there should be a formal lesson in school to teach students to respect the differences. Parents should teach their children right too. Sadly, I found a lot of parents who taught their children to hate people who are different from them. This needs to be stopped. Everyone deserves to get equal treatment. We all want a better future. We cant reach this as long as we still fight each other because of the differences. Just put aside it and look the bigger picture, the same goal we want to pursue. As of now, i’m kinda sceptical if we can reach peace in the near future. However, someday in the future, I wish the world will be a better place to live in. Amen

(cr: wisdom quotes)

AVENGERS ENDGAME

Marvel fans have anticipated the final movie from Avengers United. They are excited as well as sad as the avengers series come to end. Avengers Endgame was screened since 26th April 2019 in my country. There were so much fans who purchased pre-order ticket in a few days prior to the movie screening. It’s kinda cray because the cinemas are full packed with the audiences. Most cinemas even dedicated all of their studios for this movie as the demands are very high then putting aside the other movies. I feel bad for the other movies as they didn’t get time slot for their movies in cinema because of Avengers movie. I wish this wont last long as other movies deserve to get screened as well.

Okay, back to Avengers Endgame movie. Just in March 2019, I watched Captain Marvel movie and in April, I got to watch the last movie of Avengers. I’m actually not a big fan of Superheroes movies, I’m just a casual viewer who enjoyed the movies and i enjoyed watching this one as well. Avengers Endgame runs for 181 minutes, it’s pretty long. I came to bathroom in the middle of movie though, lol.

Overall, I like this movie as I think everything was executed very well. The cinematography, the sound, the edit, the effect are totally top-class work as well as the casts and their act. It really gives everyone goosebumps during the war between Avengers United and Thanos and his soldiers. I couldn’t blink my eye any second because I didn’t want to miss anything. Even though, I felt like I wanted to go to number 1 again in the middle of war scene, but I held it until the movie was over, lol. The movie is worth the hyped though. It’s indeed a masterpiece. I think I’m gonna rewatch it later. But, first I need to watch several marvel movies that I haven’t watched yet so everything will connect and make sense as I still didn’t understand some part. Anyway, thanks marvel for presenting a very well done job!! Goodbye or See you (?) Avengers!!

(cr: marvel)

Bye April 2019. Welcome my month, May!!

xoxo

mels

#black hole #katie bouman #game of thrones #election #sri lanka #avengers #avengers endgame

[sweetlifetownsville]

Taking Double Dipping To An Art Form: Are Townsville Airport Owners QAL Asking Us To Pay TWICE for their airport upgrade?

Its a genuine question now that the Townsville Airport has somehow managed to wangle a $50million low interest loan from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Fund (NAIF) for the terminal upgrade. You decide if youre being had. Also this week, try and blame this on evaporation the much-ballyhooed Strand lagoon on the Strand is reported to be a dead duck. And nothing to do with the floods The Pie hears this unicorn project from a financially wobbly council was scuttled mid-last year. And seems one TCC councillor will be calling it quits at the next election. And the council offers it;s own classic Whos on first comedy routine when asked a simple question by a ratepayer. And an unmistakable message to ISIS maniacs who now want to return home. But first Why Outsiders See Some Queenslanders As Special as in safety helmet and crayons special. One moment their a dangerous pest that should be culled, and the next well The good folks of Cardwell are mourning the loss of Bismarck, the reputedly 100 year old croc that has patrolled Cardwells off-shore water front for years, keeping other more aggressive animals out of his territory. Understandably, the locals loved Bismarck albeit from a sensible distance, were outraged when some knuckle-dragging drongo used the old croc for target practice.

Now, in the best tradition of what is known as recreational grief in a town where there isnt ever a lot to do, a memorial dayis plannedBismarck which may eventually result in a more tangible reminder. At least, according to Bentley.

An interesting, quirky story, but not as quirky as the Astonishers usual grasp of basic maths , the numbers thingy has brought them undone again. Magpies Nest regular commenter Peewee Herman didnt miss them when he sent this in: Peewee Herman Submitted on2019/03/05 at 8:31 am Iconic crocodile? Page 7 of todays papers has a story with the headline Iconic saltie feared killed that starts THERE are fears an iconic North Queensland saltwater crocodile has been shot and killed. It then goes on to quote a police officer Sgt Gillinder said police were yet to determine if the 4.5m crocodile had been shot, died of natural causes or been killed by a rival. Okay, so its 4.5m long, weve established that quite easily thanks to the police who have also got no idea how it died. THEN we have this ripper par It is an offence under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 to take an estuarine crocodile without authority and there are greater penalties in place for the unlawful take of an iconic crocodile, defined as 5m or greater in length. The maximum penalty for the unlawful take of an iconic crocodile is $28,383.75. So hang on, weve got a 4.5m dead croc which clearly isnt iconic (because its not 5m or longer), we dont know how it died but we are subjected to more moronic garbage from the Astonisher who dont seem to have a single clue even when its spelled out in THEIR OWN STORY! As The Pie has said elsewhere, it would seem the papers continual incorrect overuse of the word iconic is now iconic of the Bulletins sloppy stupidity. What Townsville Today Can Learn From Chicago Then Back early last century, world heavyweight champ James J Corbett had to endure the downside of the fame his sport brought. Every barroom brawler in America would try to pick a fight with him, to either have a shot at being able to brag they decked the former world champ, or just boast down the years about the time Corbett decked them.

Boxer James Corbett Corbett generally avoided such confrontations, more often than not with good humour. On one occasion, in a Chicago bar, one bantam weight challenger, a small, wiry guy who boasted he was faster and quicker than the champ because he had won several amateur lightweight titles, persisted in taunting Corbett, up to and including dancing up besides the big several times, and throwing real punches into his arm and body. Corbett stoically ignored the pest, but finally, beer in hand, he turned to face his tormentor, and told him If you hit me one more time Id better not find out about it, or youre in trouble. The Pie was put in mind of this when reading about a non-existent stoush between Qantas and the rapacious grasping efforts of Queensland Airports Limited to impose a ticket tax so passengers fund work that will benefit the companys bottom line.

Iditor Jenna Cairney is what we kids knew in playgrounds as a promoter, a third party urging two others to have a fight. Qantas has been and remains James J Corbett in this updated scenario, imperiously swatting away would-be barroom pests like QAL boss Chris Mills, the gormless and mostly irrelevant QAL office boy in Townsville Kevin Gill and our own dear Mayor Mullet, who caused great mirth in Qantas HQ and deep embarrassment in this city by calling for a boycott because Qantas wouldnt agree to tax her citizens and visitors to her city with a ticket tax (an issue with which she as mayor had no business shit stirring about, and shouldve vehemently opposed). But her gal pal forever willing to don the jesters motley and belled cap, Jenna Cairney is again trying to talk up faux controversy in the hope of sales and good favour from the power elite. But its instructive to take a look at QALs other development in its network, the $380million expansion of its Gold Coast Airport. Theyve just signed a deal with Lendlease for the whizz bang upgrade, a very well worthwhile project for the premier tourist strip.

And taking a look at crucial aspects of this project is very informative, in relation to the aspirations for their Townsville Airport. The Gold Coast operation is in a competitive arena, vying with Brisbane for passengers, and therefore needs to upgrade to boost their through-put. Townsville is not in competition with anyone, it is a monopoly in a vastly smaller market and is already subsidized to an extent by public money, in the form of a deal with the RAAF.It appears to be in QALs DNA to get any enhancement to their assets bottom line to be paid by the public, and they make no bones about it. This from a QAL question and answer release about the Goldie project: Who will pay for the project? Will Gold Coast Airport passengers pay more as a result? When Project LIFT is approved by the Australian Government and proceeds to construction, the project will be undertaken by GCAPL in its role as specialist operator. As with any major development, GCAPL as the proponent will seek to recover the costs of the development over its operational life. We will do this through revenue from commercial developments on the Airport as well as Airport charges. And, according to QAL boss Mills, this is the formula they want to apply to the vastly different case for Townsville. But allow The Magpie, no accountant he by any means, ask this: If we, as taxpayers, have already lent QAL the bulk of this money through the recently announced $50million NAIF low interest loan, why does the company think it is OK to charge US to pay back what WE have loaned THEM? As Dame Edna says, Spooky, eh, possums? Note That QAL Head Honcho Is Now On The Scene Maybe Gill Is Being Sidelined. But asking questions like this is going to have Kevin Rhymes With Gill wringing his hanky in knocked-kneed dismay. Last year, he had a public sniffle which was clearly heaping hot coals on the Magpies blameless head when he told BD Magazine: The toxic cycle of social media and those feeding off it are harming our city. Those types of people are just negative, theyre not representative of Townsville. They may look representative because its so easy and its anonymous, but we need to switch off to that. Reasonable complaints and feedback is fine, but this horrid stuff is too toxic to let in. Harming our city? Oh, Kevvy this self-serving tosh from a man who wont answer a straight question about the upgrade when faced with a list of queries n the ticket tax upgrade from former journo Doug Kingston, Gill wanted a closed door meeting to discuss them. Doug said no, he wanted the answers out in public. No meeting open or otherwise ever happened. But look, maybe The Pie should dial down the rhetoric a bit, he has been chastised by one reader for rushing to criticise Mr Gill. Perhaps a more conciliatory, philosophical approach is called for, so

A Footnote Interesting to note one of the NAIF board members is this bloke

Not surprising that Mr Rolfe is kindly disposed towards airports he is also a board member of NQ Airports, which owns Cairns and Mackay. Wonder why he has a soft spot for Townsville Airport, though, since the $55million Cairns airport upgrade currently underway will be fully funded by NQ Airports! And their PR people tell The Pie no ticket tax is even contemplated, let alone a NAIF loan. How do they do it? The Unicorn Rainbow Fart Of The Week. As we know, a mirage is an optical illusion of atmospheric conditions, especially the appearance of a sheet of water caused by the refraction of light by heated air. Water? Illusion? Hot air? No description is more fitting for the unicorn rainbow fart of a 10 hectare lagoon for the Strand.

Even the artists impression in the Bulletin at the time was lifted from a Cairns project. Of all the things that this town needs to be realized, this shiny beads and blankets offering to the electorates natives was perhaps the most egregious. It seemed unlikely from the outset, and now seems to have been quietly dropped from Mayor Mullets regular mewlings. Perhaps this is why. The Pie understands that a prominent citizen (a genuine leading citizen, who employs many people and invests his own money in this town) decided to put an apartment in Mariners North on the market. But in the middle of last year, he withdrew it because the Strand lagoon proposal suddenly came out of nowhere. He figured such a scheme would add considerable value to the property if he sat tight for a while. However, when he made some further high level inquiries hes the sort of bloke who has this level of access and quickly learned that the proposal was largely bullshit, he promptly put the property back on the market and sold it a month later, about August last year. So keep this timeline in mind if Mayor Mullet or any of her pack of urgers tries to tell you that the lagoon project has been delayed/abandoned because of the January flood the lagoon was long gone from the drawing board before Jenny managed to create her own temporary lagoon and canal estates out of several usually dry suburbs. Then There Were Nine

Did you notice that Clr Murray Soars sounded a tad exasperated with the high-handed state governments jack-booting decision to plonk a five storey up-market flop-house for young people in the middle of Aikenvale.? Soars told the Bulletin he had delivered a letter from the mayor to the member for Brisbane who lives in Mundingburra Coralee ORort, objecting to the planned project. Neat move by the old Mullet, no dill she, because it makes it look like shes championing the locals but since she doesnt have a real say in a state matter, she chumship with Premier Alphabet will not be dented. A sorry Soars told the Astonisher: We [on Thursday] presented [Mundingburra MP] Coralee ORourke with a letter signed by the Mayor objecting to this structure in its format that theyre suggesting, he said. Essentially no councillor was advised of this program. We are a toothless tiger unfortunately, its just the way the Act is written. Not that Maurie gives much of a toss anyway, word is that he will bail before March next year, having done his bit as a desperate lasted minute inclusion drafted onto Team Mullet, when Jenny has been rebuffed by a number of other choices asked to plug the vacant team spot. But when you resign Maury, whatever you do, dont shed any tears, otherwise you will forever be get the nickname Weeping which would be most unfortunate, Mr Soars, if you get my drift. Communication Breakdown: A Conversation With The Council Regular Nest correspondent The Wulguru Wonder was indeed left wondering during the week, after trying to tease out an answer to the simplest of questions from the TCCs open and transparent media people. The WW was a bit confused by this TCC media release during the week. Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill has welcomed the announcement of $1.96 million in Federal funding for the Castle Hill Concept Plan as part of Townsville 2020 vision for our city. Id like to thank the Federal Government for their funding commitment for the Castle Hill Concept Plan, Cr Hill said. The Castle Hill Concept Plan includes a vivid-style light show installation, a caf at the summit, a zipline and a pedestrian connection to Walker Street. The Castle Hill project is a key part of the Townsville 2020 Master Plan and vision for our city, Cr Hill said. The Wulguru Wonder thought this a bit ambiguous; was the money was for the concept plan, or for the actual elements mentioned in the plan (ziplines, food trucks, a footpath to the top from CBD). He decided to make a polite inquiry of the council, and enjoyed this chat for his trouble.

laurel a If you think the Townsville Council sometimes acts like the Mafia, there is one big difference the council makes you an offer you cant understand. Speaking Of Which .. A most enlightening comment sent in today from Mark Harvey, a former pooh-bah in the councils water area. Mark wrote: The Water Supply (S&R) Act is the head of power for TCC to apply a water restriction. S41 details that the only time a restriction can be applied is: Urgent need (ie something broke); if the available water supply has fallen to such a level that unrestricted use is not in the best public interest (40% in RRD in the current policy); or if the restriction is an essential part of a comprehensive demand management strategy. This is why the 2015 restriction policy did away with the old permanent Level 1 restriction it was illegal. The intention at the time was that when restrictions were lifted we would go to Permanent Water Saving Measures simple non-mandatory ways of saving water: do not water during the heat of the day and you do not need to water more than 3 times per week. Following odds and evens is sensible if everyone waters on the same day you get a drop in water pressure, and it gives the system operators a low demand Monday during which major works are conducted. So now the dam is full and we have Water Conservation Measures which according to the Council resolution are interim until the 3 point plan is implemented. Apparently good practice has an end date! The resolution makes no reference to restrictions at all. The summary does however state that the measures allow watering over 3 days on odds and evens. It is reasonable to assume that they do not allow watering at other times, and therefore constitute a restriction. This is also supported by the language in the promotional material, which would lead the average resident to believe that these are in fact a restriction. By the wording of the resolution, I do not believe that this was intended to be a legitimate restriction under the Act. I am sure it could be legally argued however that the language makes it a restriction even if it is not badged as one, and it could therefore be alleged that it is an illegal restriction. Any legal opinion out there? Miracles Yet Remain To Cease

Craig Gore has returned to face trial on multiple fraud charges. Many folk, including The Magpie, were skeptical when last December Gore was refused to allow to leave the country one day and the next, had his passport returned by the very same judge, allowing him to skedaddle forthwith to the bosom of his tax-evading missus in Sweden. The deal was that he return after three months to face trial on charges of swindling $800,000 from self-managed fund investors in 2013-14. We all thought that was going to be the start of Skase Redux, with the taxpayer facing a hefty legal bill for extradition proceedings. But no, our man hopped off his return flight as scheduled, and he appeared in court on time last Wednesday., where the judge set a trial date of September 23, with a pre-trial hearing on May 24. But in the past, Gore has proven to be smarter than the average outhouse rodent, and may have productively used his time in Sweden to work out a family move to a non-extradition country and then wheedle his way into another conjugal visit before the trial starts. Gore is a grub of such ego that jail time certainly does not suit his lifestyle, and he certainly has plenty stashed away. Hence the cynicism. A Note On Climate Change The debate on climate change goes on, and gets more confusing every day.

Taken 2 months ago in the US.

Vax-uous Thinking There is a big court case involving anti-vaccination nutters in NSW coming up shortly. These thoughtless anti-social twerps need to be sorted out before there is a really serious incident, especially among very young children.

This Week In Trumpistan And many an editorial pen is noticing the number of Democrats coming out of the woodwork, eager to get the presidential nomination to take on Trump. (The Pies money, purely from a betting standpoint, is Elizabeth Pochahontas Warren). And much is made of one who wont be running.

Even A Stopped Clock Is Right Twice A Day.

In Britain, this rather horsey looking individual is a rather unpleasant woman named Katie Hopkins has been the Pommy rights gift to the leftish outrage industry. a darling of the tabloids, she outlandishes Pauline Hanson, that Burston bloke and the ninny Fraser Anning rolled into one. But, as occasionally happens, this sort of person makes a point with which it is hard to disagree. And thus it was a homily applicable to Australia when Ms Hopkins sent a message to the stupid British teenager who ran off to join ISIS, got pregnant and now wanted to return home to have her baby and live a quiet life not as quiet an existence as many of those she was complicit in killing. Unfortunately, the baby died shortly after birth this weekend, but the girl still wants to be allowed to go back to Britain, which may prove an impossible, and unmerited change of heart Hopkins blunt message, dripping with understandable venom, rings true for those Aussie mental deficients to traipsed off to fight for ISIS. We Learn Something New Every Day and sometimes wish we didnt. An occasional miscellany. The band Steely Dan was named after Steely Dan 111 from Yokohama, an over-sized, steam-powered, strap-on dildo mentioned in the William S. Burroughs novel Naked Lunch. But of course, you knew that. . As you can see, everything from weak jokes to serious and worthwhile comment keep coming in to be published in the blog comments throughout the week its your platform, join in. And as always, a donation to support the Magpies Nest is always appreciated and always needed. The how to donate button is below. http://www.townsvillemagpie.com.au/double-dipping-to-an-art-form-are-townsville-airport-owners-qal-asking-us-to-pay-twice-for-their-airport-upgrade/

[authenticaussie]

Ahhhh, so I was told that you like Marvel stuff and that I was supposed to send you my Marvel AU asks. This is the only one that I can actually ever remember sending anyone, but M/S/A Marvel AU where those three are effectively Coulson, Clint and Natasha. Also Lunarshores said you like my stuff and I honestly cannot even cause I'm just like meep. Anyways, I hope you have an awesome rest of your day cause you deserve to! Also have fun with that thought. Also, what are your thoughts on Budapest?

Commissions! || Ko-fi! 

Welcome too: this ask is literally so old that it existed before we Became Friends. 

ANYWAY FUN TIME HEADCANONS BELOW THE CUT BC I CAN’T THINK OF FIC.

Sabo as the Coulson equivalent (SHIELD spy) and Ace as Widow and Marco is Hawkeye

Marco grew up in the Whitebeard circus and they were super close and really good and supported each other and were a b i t out there, just like performing people are wont to be, but they also….lived a good hundred years ago.

And Marco….just kept living. As his family started dying around him, as the years passed and he just stayed-

Marco can get hurt and has the scars to prove it, but he….he can’t die by anything like old age or sickness, and so he just keeps living. Keeps living as the circus starts to wither into obscurity, keeps living as the last traces of his family vanish like pieces of sand, keeps living and gaining skills and getting stronger and smarter but he can’t ever forget the feeling of watching his family die.  

He was a freelance head hunter/bounty hunter before SHIELD picked him up, and was bored and didn’t know what else to do, so just sighed and agreed to join them. They have a better pay rate, at least, and the healthcare is a nice bonus 

Sabo and Ace used to know each other as kids!! 

But Sabo forgot ;n; Sabo vanished and then Ace was found sneaking out of the facility that was training him and kept under better security. But one of Ace’s missions takes him to Luffy and he doesn’t look back. Grabs the kid he used to call brother and runs. 

And Sabo was the one who brought in Marco and got sent to tail Ace and see if they could convince him to join, because they were close in age, and Ace had killed almost everyone else who’d come after him and Luffy, but then this was Sabo, and he-

He hesitates (he’s never hesitated, before, in his line of work you can’t but this was-)

Ace being so cautious and quiet at first bc they bought in him and Luffy and Ace was constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop, for them to threaten Luffy to make Ace do something, but that just-

it doesn’t happen. 

It ends up making him Really Jumpy and Fidgety all the time until Marco starts Super Casually refusing orders and giving Ace outs and the ability to choose without any sort of punishments threatening him and letting Ace adjust to SHIELD at his own rate. 

Sabo has retrograde amnesia, and everything close to the explosion the red room (Ace’s institute) organised to kill him is basically gone, but he does have a few scattered memories of Luffy and some bits of Ace that are super blurred. They come back a bit, but that’s mainly because Luffy + Ace fill in the parts he’s missing

Sabo talks Ace through a lot of missions and Marco gets jealous (and denies it ofc, he doesn’t get jealous he’s an adult)

And he ends up casually bringing it up in conversation with Sabo and Sabo gets really startled because he didn’t think anyone had noticed, and then goes really quiet

“Ace- never had anyone on the comms. When he did- missions, before- no-one was there, helping him. I dunno, I guess I just- I just want him to know I’m there. That I won’t leave him to do it alone.”

And everyone thinks sabo will do a bad job because he’s so young, right? But he’s so tactical, he fights so hard to learn because he won’t ever let anyone else die under his command, he won’t let them get hurt, he’s lost people before because he was overconfident and arrogant and rude and he just wants to prove himself!!!

ALSO LOOK I KNOW IT’S A WEIRD SHIP BUT COBY IS CAPTAIN AMERICA AND I WAS THINKING ABOUT SABO AS COULSON WITH HIS Big Gay Crush AND IT’S KIND OF SUPER FUCKING ADORABLE WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT BECAUSE COBY IS JUST SO NOBLE AND HEROIC AND KIND AND SABO’S IN THE BACKGROUND LIKE DYING AND ALSO LIKE “ACE, MARCO, IF YOU TRY AND SET ME UP WITH HIM ONE MORE TIME I AM GOING TO KILL YOU BOTH. I DON’T CARE HOW HIGHLY TRAINED YOU ARE, I’M GOING TO SLAUGHTER YOU.”

But Sab!!!!!!!! Also gets SUPER FUCKING FLUSTERED around Coby, because Coby was basically the original fucking revolutionary 

Basically it’s a Good Fucking Time okay ;u;

(P.S everyone Totally Flirts With Coby because he gets flustered super easily and is like 100% the stereotypes of Dorky Captain America ;u;)

Ace Totally huffs about it and fidgets a lot and is baaaaaaaasically a little envious of all the attention Sabo gives Coby by accident, but they eventually get over that when they’re dealing w/ Ace’s issues w/ self-confidence and it basically turns into the biggest running joke, and !!! Ace befriends Coby because COBY IS SO USELESS AROUND LUFFY!!!! AND ACE THINKS IT’S HILARIOUS!!! BECAUSE LUFFY IS OBLIVIOUS AS FUCK!!! 

MARCO GETS CONTROLLED BY LOKI

and his one rule, his one stipend to working with SHIELD is that he will never ever shoot someone with his bow and he requests missions where killing is avoided at all costs or if unavoidable than only against those of the worst calibre/situations of extreme danger, and Loki makes him break that

Robin (Director Fury) questions Marco’s loyalty for a moment when Marco turns on them and Sabo grabs the table so hard that it almost breaks in his hands and Ace doesn’t even say a word, just leaves. Koala has to quietly explain to her about Marco’s code, and how he’d never do this unless influenced by something else. 

Ace who loves the fact that Marco chose that. Marco chose to never kill, and SHIELD respects that, and Ace knows he doesn’t ever have to be forced to kill - to hurt - ever again. 

Ace talking to Loki to try and find out his plan / where Marco is and Loki only smiles and promises that Ace will find out where Marco is when Marco shoots him through the throat-

And Ace can’t help the fraction of a second where fear almost overwhelms him, because that-

That’s one of his greatest fears. 

That Marco is going to realise how awful Ace is, and  get rid of him. Clear out the mistake he made. 

Ace hiding the fear he feels because he’s been trained and he knows how to do this, he has to figure out what Loki’s plan (he has to save Marco. He has to prove that he was worth it)

ACE LOVING MARCO SO MUCH BUT REFUSING TO SAY IT????? NOT EVEN REALLY REALISING WHAT HE FEELS IS LOVE BUT KNOWING HE’D LAY DOWN EVERYTHING FOR MARCO, IF MARCO NEEDED IT. IF MARCO ASKED IT OF HIM.

When they’re fighting, when Marco’s still under Loki’s control, Marco just whispers so carefully, so pleadingly, for Ace to stop and he almost does because this is Marco-

And then the to-vibrant blue of Marco’s usually dark eyes gives him away and Ace knocks him out and has to swallow the nausea that caused him

(And least Marco will be okay, he thinks, but can’t drive away the thought of Marco’s pleading expression, Marco begging him to stop)

Ace refusing to say that he loves either Sabo or Marco because he’s just- 

He doesn’t think he is in love with them, Love is bright and vibrant and fluttery, messy, nervous feelings, he just feels-

Comfortable. Around them he just feels comfortable 

(That’s not love, right? That’s not-)

and look okay you know what isn’t a good time???

Sabo dying

(or, at least, mar+ace thinking he’s dead ala Coulson)

Ace regretting that he’d never told Sabo how important he was, never telling Sabo how much he meant, and when they get a spare moment he pulls Marco aside and tells Marco that he loves the fuck out of him and Marco’s his best friend and he’d basically do anything??? for Marco???

And it helps Marco as well because he’s suffering some serious trauma from being forced to fucking kill people when he didn’t want to, from being forced to kill innocent men and women who were trying to protect others, from having to fight and manipulate Ace……

whispers marco and ace not. doing anything abt ace’s confession, tho. it’s there, and they both know it, but Marco wants to get better first, and Ace wants time to mourn the fact that for the second time in his life he’s lost his best friend.

And theyre toooootally not dating

even though they move all of marco’s stuff into ace’s room. and have date nights. and marco presses kisses to ace’s forehead whenever ace leans on him (which is often). and ace curls up into marco’s side when they’re sitting on the couch. and they defs don’t hold hands, or press quick kisses to each other’s cheeks just before one of them has to leave on a mission without the other

Totally not dating.

Totally

Not

Dating

And then just when they think everything is going back to normal, when there’s been two years of dealing with grief and pain and growing closer and supporting each other even more intimately than before-

Ace thinks he sees Sabo. For a fraction of a second, on one of their missions, and he barely believes that it is him-

But there’s a moment of surprise and regret on the stranger’s face, and Ace knows it’s him.

SHIELD fixed Sabo with some of Captain America/Coby’s blood and he’s alive but he’s different now. He’s stronger and faster and he just-

notices things. 

Notices how Marco’s fingertips linger on Ace’s hand but Ace doesn’t act like anything is out of the ordinary. Notices how Marco looks like he’s about to kiss Ace before a mission but aborts it at the last second and hides his promise to return in the crook of Ace’s neck. 

Sabo who goes on solo missions because no-one thinks he’s alive and he’s highly-trained and now he’s got super soldier serum in his veins…But he’s there the moment they need him but he’s unable to look at marco and ace 

Looking at how close they are and just realising what he’s missed. Quietly letting them he supported them and cared about them and was sorry in as many ways as he could - through cards, through care, through always having their backs, through trying constantly to protect them, because he could now, in real life instead of just directing them while he sat behind a computer screen. 

(#tfw you can’t figure out who is who in a marvel au bc all the charas are assholes/morally grey)

Carrot is Thor!!!! and Detective Fury is Robin and Maria Hill is Koala

Ace gets confused by language metaphors sometimes!!! But he won’t say it because he hates being seen as weak, or that anything needs to be explained to him. He has to be perfect and in control and mysterious all the time, no-one can know that puns confuse him. 

(Sabo+Marco totally figure it out and always casually explain the joke/idiom so that Ace isn’t left out of the loop, and even when he figures out they’re doing it he can’t ask them to stop.)

They both know how much he hates feeling/looking weak or stupid, and they do!!! everything they can to make sure he doesn’t feel like that,,,,,,,,,,

#im sorry this isn't a fic btw i was gonna write a mas version of what i think budapest would'a gone like #please take ridiculous amounts of hcs / plot instead #opheadcanons #nari is writing #marcoacesabo #minister of silly walks #ask aussie #bip bop nari drops #marcoace #portgas d. ace #most of these aren't shippy if u still wanted to enjoy a marel au #this au would also be a fucking fantastic cobylu fic okay bc like civvy!lu ala falcon ? and just #it's a good time okay bc coby is t o t a l l y captain america #i will fight for it #barbequeue #13/02/2017

[tonytumble]

The teachings of Silvanus

The Teachings of Silvanus

Translated by Malcolm L. Peel and Jan Zandee

Let your mind be your guide

Abolish every childish time of life, acquire for yourself strength of mind and soul, and intensify the struggle against every folly of the passions of love and base wickedness, and love of praise, and fondness of contention, and tiresome jealousy and wrath, and anger and the desire of avarice. Guard your (pl.) camp and weapons and spears. Arm yourself and all the soldiers, which are the words, and the commanders, which are the counsels, and your mind as a guiding principle. My son, throw every robber out of your gates. Guard all your gates with torches, which are the words, and you will acquire through all these things a quiet life. But he who will not guard these things will become like a city which is desolate, since it has been captured. All kinds of wild beasts have trampled upon it, for thoughts which are not good are evil wild beasts. And your city will be filled with robbers, and you will not be able to acquire peace, but only all kinds of savage wild beasts. The Wicked One, who is a tyrant, is lord over these. While directing this, he (the Wicked One) is beneath the great mire. The whole city, which is your soul, will perish. Remove yourself from these things, O wretched soul! Bring your guide and your teacher. The mind is the guide, but reason is the teacher. They will bring you out of destruction and dangers.

Be a human not an animal

Listen, my son, to my advice! Do not show your back to enemies and flee, but rather, pursue them as a strong one. Be not an animal, with men pursuing you; but rather, be a man, with you pursuing the evil wild beasts, lest somehow they become victorious over you and trample upon you as on a dead man, and you perish due to their wickedness. Oh wretched man, what will you do if you fall into their hands? Protect yourself, lest you be delivered into the hands of your enemies.

Your mind and reason will protect you

Entrust yourself to this pair of friends, reason and mind, and no one will be victorious over you. May God dwell in your camp, may his Spirit protect your gates, and may the mind of Divinity protect the walls. Let holy reason become a torch in your mind, burning the wood which is the whole of sin. And if you do these things, O my son, you will be victorious over all your enemies, and they will not be able to wage war against you, neither will they be able to resist, nor will they be able to get in your way. For if you find these, you will despise them as deniers of truth. They will speak to you, cajoling you and enticing (you), not because they are afraid of you, but because they are afraid of those who dwell within you, namely, the guardians of the divinity and the teaching.

Attend to your education

My son, accept the education and the teaching. Do not flee from the education and the teaching, but when you are taught, accept (it) with joy. And if you are educated in any matter, do what is good. You will plait a crown of education by your guiding principle. Put on the holy teaching like a robe. Make yourself noble-minded through good conduct. Obtain the austerity of good discipline. Judge yourself like a wise judge. Do not go astray from my teaching, and do not acquire ignorance, lest you lead your people astray. Do not flee from the divine and the teaching which are within you, for he who is teaching you loves you very much. For he shall bequeath to you a worthy austerity. Cast out the animal nature which is within you, and do not allow base thought to enter you. For ... you know the way which I teach. If it is good to rule over the few, as you see it, how much better it is that you rule over everyone, since you are exalted above every congregation and every people, (are) prominent in every respect, and (are) a divine reason, having become master over every power which kills the soul. My son, does anyone want to be a slave? Why, then, do you trouble yourself wrongly? My son, do not fear anyone except God alone, the Exalted One. Cast the deceitfulness of the Devil from you. Accept the light for your eyes, and cast the darkness from you. Live in Christ, and you will acquire a treasure in heaven. Do not become a sausage (made) of many things which are useless, and do not become a guide in your blind ignorance. My son, listen to my teaching, which is good and useful, and end the sleep which weighs heavily upon you. Depart from the forgetfulness which fills you with darkness, since if you were unable to do anything, I would not have said these things to you. But Christ has come in order to give you this gift. Why do you pursue the darkness when the light is at your disposal? Why do you drink stale water, though sweet wine is available for you?

Wisdom summons you

Wisdom summons you, yet you desire folly. Not by your own desire do you do these things, but it is the animal nature within you that does them. Wisdom summons you in her goodness, saying, "Come to Me, all of you, O foolish ones, that you may receive a gift, the understanding which is good and excellent. I am giving to you a high-priestly garment which is woven from every (kind of) wisdom." What else is evil death except ignorance? What else is evil darkness except familiarity with forgetfulness? Cast your anxiety upon God alone. Do not become desirous of gold and silver, which are profitless, but clothe yourself with wisdom like a robe; put knowledge on yourself like a crown, and be seated upon a throne of perception. For these are yours, and you will receive them again on high another time.

The foolish persons folly

For a foolish man usually puts on folly like a robe, and like a garment of sorrow, he puts on shame. And he crowns himself with ignorance, and takes his seat upon a throne of nescience. For while he is without reason, he leads only himself astray, for he is guided by ignorance. And he goes the ways of the desire of every passion. He swims in the desires of life and has sunk. To be sure, he thinks that he finds profit when he does all the things which are without profit. The wretched man who goes through all these things will die, because he does not have the mind, the helmsman. But he is like a ship which the wind tosses to and fro, and like a loose horse which has no rider. For this (man) needed the rider, which is reason. For the wretched one went astray because he did not want advice. He was thrown to and fro by these three misfortunes: he acquired death as a father, ignorance as a mother, and evil counsels - he acquired them as friends and brothers. Therefore, foolish one, you should mourn for yourself.

Return to your divine nature

From now on, then, my son, return to your divine nature. Cast from you these evil, deceiving friends! Accept Christ, this true friend, as a good teacher. Cast from you death, which has become a father to you. For death did not exist, nor will it exist at the end. But since you cast from yourself God, the holy Father, the true Life, the Spring of Life, therefore you have obtained death as a father and have acquired ignorance as a mother. They have robbed you of the true knowledge. But return, my son, to your first father, God, and Wisdom, your Mother, from whom you came into being from the very first in order that you might fight against all of your enemies, the Powers of the Adversary. Listen, my son, to my advice. Do not be arrogant in opposition to every good opinion, but take for yourself the side of the divinity of reason. Keep the holy commandments of Jesus Christ, and you will reign over every place on earth, and will be honored by the angels and archangels. Then you will acquire them as friends and fellow servants, and you will acquire places in heaven above. Do not bring grief and trouble to the divine which is within you. But when you will care for it, will request of it that you remain pure, and will become self-controlled in your soul and body, you will become a throne of wisdom, and one belonging to God's household. He will give you a great light through it (wisdom).

Know yourself

But before everything (else), know your birth. Know yourself, that is, from what substance you are, or from what race, or from what species. Understand that you have come into being from three races: from the earth, from the formed, and from the created. The body has come into being from the earth with an earthly substance, but the formed, for the sake of the soul, has come into being from the thought of the Divine. The created, however, is the mind, which has come into being in conformity with the image of God. The divine mind has substance from the Divine, but the soul is that which he (God) formed for their own hearts. For I think that it (the soul) exists as wife of that which has come into being in conformity with the image, but matter is the substance of the body, which has come into being from the earth. If you mix yourself, you will acquire the three parts as you fall from virtue into inferiority. Live according to the Mind. Do not think about things pertaining to the flesh. Acquire strength, for the mind is strong. If you fall from this other, you have become male-female. And if you cast out of yourself the substance of the mind, which is thought, you have cut off the male part, and turned yourself to the female part alone. You have become psychic, since you have received the substance of the formed. If you cast out the smallest part of this, so that you do not acquire again a human part - but you have accepted for yourself the animal thought and likeness - you have become fleshly, since you have taken on animal nature. For (if) it is difficult to find a psychical man, how much more so to find the Lord? But I say that God is the spiritual one. Man has taken shape from the substance of God. The divine soul shares partly in this one; furthermore, it shares partly in the flesh. The base soul is wont to turn from side to side, [...] which it images the truth. It is good for you, O man, to turn yourself toward the human, rather than toward the animal nature - I mean toward the fleshly. You will take on the likeness of the part toward which you will turn yourself. I shall say something further to you. Again, for what will you (masc. sg.) be zealous? Did you (fem. sg.) wish to become animal when you had come into this kind of nature? But rather, share in a true nature of life. To be sure, animality will guide you into the race of the earth, but the rational nature will guide you in rational ways. Turn toward the rational nature, and cast from yourself the earth-begotten nature. O soul, persistent one, be sober and shake off your drunkenness, which is the work of ignorance. If you persist and live in the body, you dwell in rusticity. When you entered into a bodily birth, you were begotten. Come into being inside the bridal chamber! Be illuminated in mind!

Beware of the adversary

My son, do not swim in any water, and do not allow yourself to be defiled by strange kinds of knowledge. Certainly you know that the schemes of the Adversary are not few, and (that) the tricks which he has are varied? Especially has the noetic man been robbed of the intelligence of the snake. For it is fitting for you to be in agreement with the intelligence of (these) two: with the intelligence of the snake and with the innocence of the dove - lest he (the Adversary) come into you in the guise of a flatterer, as a true friend, saying, "I advise good things for you." But you did not recognize the deceitfulness of this one when you received him as a true friend. For he casts into your heart evil thoughts as good ones, and hypocrisy in the guise of true wisdom, avidity in the guise of conservative frugality, love of glory in the guise of that which is beautiful, boastfulness and pride in the guise of great austerity, and godlessness as great godliness. For he who says, "I have many gods," is godless. And he casts spurious knowledge into your heart in the guise of mysterious words. Who will be able to comprehend his thoughts and devices, which are varied, since he is a Great Mind for those who wish to accept him as king? My son, how will you be able to comprehend the schemes of this one, or his soul-killing counsel? For his devices, and the schemes of his wickedness, are many. And think about his entrances, that is, how he will enter your soul, and in what garment he will enter you. Accept Christ, who is able to set you free, and who has taken on the devices of that one, so that through these he might destroy him by deceit. For this is the king whom you have who is forever invincible, against whom no one will be able to fight nor say a word. This is your king and your father, for there is no one like him. The divine teacher is with you always. He is a helper, and he meets you because of the good which is in you.

Watch your speech

Do not put maliciousness in your judgment, for every malicious man harms his heart. For only a foolish man is wont to his destruction, but a wise man knows his way. And a foolish man does not guard against speaking (a) mystery: A wise man (however) does not blurt out every word, but he will be discriminating toward those who hear. Do not mention everything in the presence of those whom you do not know.

Do not trust anyone as a friend

Have a great number of friends, but not counselors. First, examine your counselor, for do not honor anyone who flatters. Their word, to be sure, is sweet as honey, but their heart is full of hellebore. For whenever they think that they have become a reliable friend, then they will deceitfully turn against you, and they will cast you down into the mire. Do not trust anyone as a friend, for this whole world has come into being deceitfully, and every man is troubled in vain. All things of the world are not profitable, but they happen in vain. There is no one, not even a brother (who is trustworthy), since each one is seeking his own advantage. My son, do not have anyone as a friend, but if you do acquire one, do not entrust yourself to him.

Entrust yourself to God alone

Entrust yourself to God alone as father and as friend. For everyone proceeds deceitfully, while the whole earth is full of suffering and pain - things in which there is no profit. If you wish to pass your life in quiet, do not keep company with anyone. And if you do keep company with them, be as if you do not. Be pleasing to God, and you will not need anyone.

Christ is the true light

Live with Christ and he will save you. For he is the true light and the sun of life. For just as the sun which is visible and makes light for the eyes of the flesh, so Christ illuminates every mind and the heart. For (if) a wicked man (who is) in the body (has) an evil death, how much more so (does) he who has his mind blind. For every blind man goes along in such a way that he is seen just as one who does not have his mind sane. He does not delight in acquiring the light of Christ, which is reason. For everything which is visible is a copy of that which is hidden. For as a fire which burns in a place without being confined to it, so it is with the sun which is in the sky, all of whose rays extend to places on the earth. Similarly, Christ has a single being, and he gives light to every place

Is the mind in a place?

This is also the way in which he speaks of our mind, as if it were a lamp which burns and lights up the place. (Being) in a part of the soul, it gives light to all the parts. Furthermore, I shall speak of what is more exalted than this: the mind, with respect to actual being, is in a place, which means it is in the body; but with respect to thought, the mind is not in a place. For how can it be in a place, when it contemplates every place?

God is incorporeal and in no place

But we are able to mention what is more exalted than this: for do not think in your heart that God exists in a place. If you localize the Lord of all in a place, then it is fitting for you to say that the place is more exalted than he who dwells in it. For that which contains is more exalted than that which is contained. For there is no place which is called incorporeal. For it is not right for us to say that God is corporeal. For the consequence (would be) that we (must) attribute both increase and decrease to the corporeal, but also that he (God) who is subject to these will not remain imperishable.

Knowledge of God comes through Knowledge of Christ

Now, it is not difficult to know the Creator of all creatures, but it is impossible to comprehend the likeness of this One. For it is difficult not only for men to comprehend God, but it is (also) difficult for every divine being, (both) the angels and the archangels. It is necessary to know God as he is. You cannot know God through anyone except Christ, who has the image of the Father, for this image reveals the true likeness in correspondence to that which is revealed. A king is not usually known apart from an image.

God is Everywhere and Nowhere

Consider these things about God: he is in every place; on the other hand, he is in no place. With respect to power, to be sure, he is in every place; but with respect to divinity, he is in no place. So then, it is possible to know God a little. With respect to his power, he fills every place, but in the exaltation of his divinity, nothing contains him. Everything is in God, but God is not in anything. Now what is it to know God? Everything that partakes in the truth is God

Christ is the light of the father

But it is as impossible to look at Christ as at the sun. God sees everyone; no one looks at him. But Christ, without being jealous, receives and gives. He is the Light of the Father, as he gives light without being jealous. In this manner he gives light to every place. And all is Christ, he who has inherited all from the Existent One. For Christ is the idea of incorruptibility, and he is the Light which is shining undefiled. For the sun (shines) on every impure place, and yet it is not defiled. So it is with Christ: even if he is in the deficiency, yet he is without deficiency. And even if he has been begotten, he is (still) unbegotten. So it is with Christ: if, on the one hand, he is comprehensible, on the other, he is incomprehensible with respect to his actual being. Christ is all. He who does not possess all is unable to know Christ.

God is ineffable

My son, do not dare to say a word about this One, and do not confine the God of all to mental images. For he who condemns may not be condemned by the one who condemns. Indeed, it is good to ask and to know who God is. Reason and mind are male names. Indeed, let him who wishes to know about this One, quietly and reverently ask. For there is no small danger in speaking about these things, since you know that you will be judged on the basis of everything that you say.

The light comes from above

And understand by this that he who is in darkness will not be able to see anything unless he receives the light and recovers (his) sight by means of it. Examine yourself (to see) whether you wholly have the light, so that, if you ask about these things, you may understand how you will escape. For many are seeking in darkness, and they grope about, wishing to understand, since there is no light for them. My son, do not allow your mind to stare downward, but rather, let it look by means of the light at things above. For the light will always come from above. Even if it (the mind) is upon the earth, let it seek to pursue the things above. Enlighten your mind with the light of heaven, so that you may turn to the light of heaven.

Walk in the way of Christ

Do not tire of knocking on the door of reason, and do not cease walking in the way of Christ. Walk in it so that you may receive rest from your labors. If you walk in another way, there will be no profit in it. For also those who walk in the broad way will go down at their end to the perdition of the mire. For the Underworld is open wide for the soul, and the place of perdition is broad. Accept Christ, the narrow way. For he is oppressed and bears affliction for your sin. O soul, persistent one, in what ignorance you exist! For who is your guide into the darkness? How many likenesses did Christ take on because of you!

Christs saving work

Although he was God, he was found among men as a man. He descended to the Underworld. He released the children of death. They were in travail, as the scripture of God has said. And he sealed up the (very) heart of it (the Underworld). And he broke its (the Underworld's) strong bows completely. And when all the powers had seen him, they fled, so that he might bring you, wretched one, up from the Abyss, and might die for you as a ransom for your sin. He saved you from the strong hand of the Underworld.

Choose the gift of Christ But you, yourself, difficult (though it be) give to him your fundamental assent with (even so much as) a hint that he may take you up with joy! Now the fundamental choice, which is humility of heart, is the gift of Christ. A contrite heart is the acceptable sacrifice. If you humble yourself, you will be greatly exalted; and if you exalt yourself, you will be exceedingly humbled.

Guard yourself against evil

My son, guard yourself against wickedness, and do not let the Spirit of Wickedness cast you down into the Abyss. For he is mad and bitter. He is terrifying, and he casts everyone down into a pit of mire. It is a great and good thing not to love fornication, and not even to think of the wretched matter at all, for to think of it is death. It is not good for any man to fall into death. For a soul which has been found in death will be without reason. For it is better not to live than to acquire an animal's life. Protect yourself, lest you are burned by the fires of fornication. For many who are submerged in fire are its servants, whom you do not know as your enemies. O my son, strip off the old garment of fornication, and put on the garment which is clean and shining, that you may be beautiful in it. But when you have this garment, protect it well. Release yourself from every bond, so that you may acquire freedom. If you cast out of yourself the desire whose devices are many, you will release yourself from the sins of lust. Listen, O soul, to my advice. Do not become a den of foxes and snakes, nor a hole of serpents and asps, nor a dwelling place of lions, or a place of refuge of basilisk-snakes. When these things happen to you, O soul, what will you do? For these are the powers of the Adversary. Everything which is dead will come into you through them (the powers). For their food is everything which is dead, and every unclean thing. For when these are within you, what living thing will come into you? The living angels will detest you. You were a temple, (but) you have made yourself a tomb. Cease being a tomb, and become (again) a temple, so that uprightness and divinity may remain in you. Light the light within you. Do not extinguish it! Certainly, no one lights a lamp for wild beasts or their young. Raise your dead who have died, for they lived and have died for you. Give them life. They shall live again! For the Tree of Life is Christ.

Christ is the wisdom of God

He is Wisdom. For he is Wisdom; he is also the Word. he is the Life, the Power, and the Door. He is the Light, the Angel, and the Good Shepherd. Entrust yourself to this one who became all for your sake. Knock on yourself as upon a door, and walk upon yourself as on a straight road. For if you walk on the road, it is impossible for you to go astray. And if you knock with this one (Wisdom), you knock on hidden treasures. For since he (Christ) is Wisdom, he makes the foolish man wise. He (Wisdom) is a holy kingdom and a shining robe. For it (Wisdom) is much gold, which gives you great honor. The Wisdom of God became a type of fool for you, so that it might take you up, O foolish one, and make you a wise man. And the Life died for you when he was powerless, so that through his death, he might give life to you who have died. Entrust yourself to reason and remove yourself from animalism. For the animal which has no reason is made manifest. For many think that they have reason, but if you look at them attentively, their speech is animalistic.

Drink of the true vine

Give yourself gladness from the true vine of Christ. Satisfy yourself with the true wine, in which there is no drunkenness nor error. For it (the true wine) marks the end of drinking, since there is usually in it what gives joy to the soul and the mind, through the Spirit of God. But first, nurture your reasoning powers before you drink of it (the true wine).

Avoid sin

Do not pierce yourself with the sword of sin. Do not burn yourself, O wretched one, with the fire of lust. Do not surrender yourself to barbarians like a prisoner, nor to savage beasts which want to trample upon you. For they are as lions which roar very loudly. Be not dead lest they trample upon you. You shall be man! It is possible for you through reasoning to conquer them.

The rational person fears God

But the man who does nothing is unworthy of (being called) rational man. The rational man is he who fears God. He who fears God does nothing insolent. And he who guards himself against doing anything insolent is one who keeps his guiding principle. Although he is a man who exists on earth, he makes himself like God. But he who makes himself like God is one who does nothing unworthy of God, according to the statement of Paul, who has become like Christ. For who shows reverence for God while not wanting to do things which are pleasing to him? For piety is that which is from the heart, and piety from the heart (characterizes) every soul which is near to God.

Where Christ is, sin is idle

The soul which is a member of God's household is one which is kept pure, and the soul which has put on Christ is one which is pure. It is impossible for it to sin. Now where Christ is, there sin is idle.

Let Christ enter your world

Let Christ alone enter your world, and let him bring to naught all powers which have come upon you. Let him enter the temple which is within you, so that he may cast out all the merchants. Let him dwell in the temple which is within you, and may you become for him a priest and a Levite, entering in purity. Blessed are you, O soul, if you find this one in your temple. Blessed are you still more if you perform his service. But he who will defile the temple of God, that one God will destroy. For you lay yourself open, O man, if you cast this one out of your temple. For whenever the enemies do not see Christ in you, then they will come into you armed in order to crush you. O my son, I have given you orders concerning these things many times so that you would always guard your soul. It is not you who will cast him (Christ) out, but he will cast you out. For if you flee from him, you will fall into great sin. Again, if you flee from him, you will become food for your enemies. For all base persons flee from their lord, and the (man) base in virtue and wisdom flees from Christ. For every man who is separated (from him) falls into the claws of wild beasts.

Know who Christ is

Know who Christ is, and acquire him as a friend, for this is the friend who is faithful. He is also God and Teacher. This one, being God, became man for your sake. It is this one who broke the iron bars of the Underworld, and the bronze bolts. It is this one who attacked and cast down every haughty tyrant. It is he who loosened from himself the chains of which he had taken hold. He brought up the poor from the Abyss and the mourners from the Underworld. It is he who humbled the haughty powers; he who put to shame haughtiness through humility; he who has cast down the strong and the boaster through weakness; he who, in his contempt, scorned that which is considered an honor, so that humility for God's sake might be highly exalted; (and) he who has put on humanity. And yet, the divine Word is God, he who bears patiently with man always. He wished to produce humility in the exalted. He (Christ), who has exalted man became like God, not in order that he might bring God down to man, but that man might become like God. O this great goodness of God! O Christ, King, who has revealed to men the Great Divinity, King of every virtue and King of life, King of ages and Great One of the heavens, hear my words and forgive me!

Where is wisdom

Furthermore, he manifested a great zeal for Divinity. Where is a man (who is) wise or powerful in intelligence, or a man whose devices are many because he knows wisdom? Let him speak wisdom; let him utter great boasting! For every man has become a fool and has spoken out of his (own) knowledge. For he (Christ) confounded the counsels of guileful people, and he prevailed over those wise in their own understanding. Who will be able to discover the counsel of the Almighty, or to speak of the Divinity, or to proclaim it correctly? If we have not even been able to understand the counsels of our companions, who will be able to comprehend the Divinity, or the divinities of the heavens? If we scarcely find things on earth, who will search for the things of heaven?

Everything has been made new

A great power and great glory has made the world known. And the Life of Heaven wishes to renew all, that he may cast out that which is weak, and every black form, that everyone may shine forth in heavenly garments in order to make manifest the command of the Father (who) is exceedingly brilliant, and that he (Christ) may crown those wishing to contend well. Christ, being judge of the contest, is he who crowned every one, teaching every one to contend. This one who contended first received the crown, gained dominion, and appeared, giving light to everyone. And all were made new through the Holy Spirit and the Mind.

Who can glorify God adequately?

O Lord Almighty, how much glory shall I give Thee? No one has been able to glorify God adequately. It is Thou who hast given glory to Thy Word in order to save everyone, O Merciful God. (It is) he who has come from Thy mouth and has risen from Thy heart, the First-born, the Wisdom, the Prototype, the First Light.

Hymn to Christ

For he is light from the power of God, and he is an emanation of the pure glory of the Almighty. He is the spotless mirror of the working of God, and he is the image of his goodness. For he is also the light of the Eternal Light. He is the eye which looks at the invisible Father, always serving and forming by the Father's will. He alone was begotten by the Father's good pleasure. For he is an incomprehensible Word, and he is Wisdom and Life. He gives life to, and nourishes, all living things and powers. Just as the soul gives life to all the members, he rules all with power and gives life to them. For he is the beginning and the end of everyone, watching over all and encompassing them.

Christ takes pains on behalf of everyone

He is troubled on behalf of everyone, and he rejoices and also mourns. On the one hand, he mourns for those who have gotten as their lot the place of punishment; on the other, he is troubled about every one whom he arduously brings to instruction. But he rejoices over everyone who is in purity.

Fight the good fight

Then beware, lest somehow you fall into the hands of robbers. Do not allow sleep to your eyes nor drowsiness to your eyelids, that you may be saved like a gazelle from nets, and like a bird from a trap. Fight the great fight as long as the fight lasts, while all the powers are staring after you - not only the holy ones, but also all the powers of the Adversary. Woe to you if you are vanquished in the midst of every one who is watching you! If you fight the fight and are victorious over the powers which fight against you, you will bring great joy to every holy one, and yet great grief to your enemies. Your judge helps (you) completely, since he wants you to be victorious. Listen, my son, and do not be slow with your ears. Raise yourself up when you have left your old man behind like an eagle. Fear God in all your acts, and glorify him through good work. You know that every man who is not pleasing to God is the son of perdition. He will go down to the Abyss of the Underworld. O this patience of God, which bears with every one, which desires that every one who has become subject to sin be saved!

Gods hand in creation

But no one prevents him (God) from doing what he wants. For who is stronger than him, that he may prevent him? To be sure, it is he who touches the earth, causing it to tremble and also causing the mountains to smoke. (It is) he who has gathered together such a great sea as in a leather bag, and has weighed all the water on his scales. Only the hand of the Lord has created all these things. For this hand of the Father is Christ, and it forms all. Through it, all has come into being, since it became the mother of all.  It is he alone, existing always as Son of the Father

Christ the divine son

Consider these things about God Almighty, who always exists: this One was not always King, for fear that he might be without a divine Son. For all dwell in God, (that is), the things which have come into being through the Word, who is the Son as the image of the Father. For God is nearby; he is not far off. Where is his limit? Divine entities are all related to God.

Gods gift to the human race

Therefore, if the divine agrees with you partially in anything, know that all of the Divine agrees with you. But this divine is not pleased with anything evil. For it is this which teaches all men what is good. This is what God has given to the human race, so that for this reason every man might be chosen before all the angels and the archangels.

God is both hidden and revealed

For God does not need to put any man to the test. He knows all things before they happen, and he knows the hidden things of the heart. They are all revealed and found wanting in his presence. Let no one ever say that God is ignorant. For it is not right to place the Creator of every creature in ignorance. For even things which are in darkness are before him like (things in) the light. So, there is no other one hidden except God alone. But he is revealed to everyone, and yet he is very hidden. He is revealed because God knows all. And if they do not wish to affirm it, they will be corrected by their heart. Now he is hidden because no one perceives the things of God. For it is incomprehensible and unfathomable to know the counsel of God. Furthermore, it is difficult to comprehend him, and it is difficult to find Christ. For he is the one who dwells in every place, and also he is in no place. For no one who wants to will be able to know God as he actually is, nor Christ, nor the Spirit, nor the chorus of angels, nor even the archangels, as well as the thrones of the spirits, and the exalted lordships, and the Great Mind. If you do not know yourself, you will not be able to know all of these.

Concluding exhortations

Open the door for yourself, that you may know the One who is. Knock on yourself, that the Word may open for you. For he is the Ruler of Faith and the Sharp Sword, having become all for everyone because he wishes to have mercy on everyone. My son, prepare yourself to escape from the world-rulers of darkness and of this kind of air, which is full of powers. But if you have Christ, you will conquer this entire world. That which you open for yourself, you will open. That which you knock upon for yourself, you will knock upon, benefiting yourself. Help yourself, my son, (by) not proceeding with things in which there is no profit. My son, first purify yourself toward the outward life, in order that you may be able to purify the inward. And be not as the merchants of the Word of God. Put all words to the test before you utter them. Do not wish to acquire honors which are insecure, nor the boastfulness which brings you to ruin. Accept the wisdom of Christ, (who is) patient and mild, and guard this, O my son, knowing that God's way is always profitable. Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior ,Indescribable wonder

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