#'to evil end shall all things turn that they begin well' etc etc etc especially if it's a butt ugly dragon helm

[testudoaubrei-blog]

Content note for discussions of eternal damnation, and all sorts of other shit that will trigger a lot of folks with religious trauma.

Before I get started I might as well explain where I’m coming from - unlike a lot of She-Ra fans, and a lot of queer people, I don’t have much religious trauma, or any, maybe (okay there were a number of years I was convinced I was going to hell, but that happens to everyone, right?). I was raised a liberal Christian by liberal Christian parents in the Episcopal Church, where most of my memories are overwhelmingly positive. Fuck, growing up in the 90’s, Chuch was probably the only place outside my home I didn’t have homophobia spewed at me. Because it was the 90’s and it was a fucking hellscape of bigotry where 5 year olds knew enough to taunt each other with homophobic slurs and the adults didn’t know enough to realize how fucked up that was. Anyway. This is my experience, but it is an atypical one, and I know it. Quite frankly I know that my experience of Christianity has very little at all to do with what most people experienced, or what people generally mean when they talk about Christianity as a cultural force in America today. So if you were raised Christian and you don’t recognize your theology here, congrats, neither do I, but these ideas and cultural forces are huge and powerful and dominant. And it’s this dominant Christian narrative that I’m referring to in this post. As well as, you know, a children’s cartoon about lesbian rainbow princesses. So here it goes. This is going to get batshit.

"All events whatsoever are governed by the secret counsel of God." - John Calvin

“We’re all just a bunch of wooly guys” - Noelle Stevenson

This is a post triggered by a single scene, and a single line. It’s one of the most fucked-up scenes in She-Ra, toward the end of Save the Cat. Catra, turned into a puppet by Prime, struggles with her chip, desperately trying to gain control of herself, so lost and scared and vulnerable that she flings aside her own death wish and her pride and tearfully begs Adora to rescue her. Adora reaches out , about to grab her, and then Prime takes control back, pronounces ‘disappointing’ and activates the kill switch that pitches Catra off the platform and to her death (and seriously, she dies here, guys - also Adora breaks both her legs in the fall). But before he does, he dismisses Catra with one of his most chilling lines. “Some creatures are meant only for destruction.”

And that’s when everyone watching probably had their heart broken a little bit, but some of the viewers raised in or around Christianity watching the same scene probably whispered ‘holy shit’ to themselves. Because Prime’s line - which works as a chilling and callous dismissal of Catra - is also an allusion to a passage from the Bible. In fact, it’s from one of the most fucked up passages in a book with more than its share of fucked up passages. It’s from Romans 9:22, and I’m going to quote several previous verses to give the context of the passage (if not the entire Epistle, which is more about who needs to abide by Jewish dietary restrictions but was used to construct a systematic theology in the centuries afterwards because people decided it was Eternal Truth).

19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?

20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?

21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:

The context of the allusion supports the context in the show. Prime is dismissing Catra - serial betrayer, liar, failed conqueror, former bloody-handed warlord - as worthless, as having always been worthless and fit only to be destroyed. He is speaking from a divine and authoritative perspective (because he really does think he’s God, more of this in my TL/DR Horde Prime thing). Prime is echoing not only his own haughty dismissal of Catra, and Shadow Weaver’s view of her, but also perhaps the viewer’s harshest assessment of her, and her own worst fears about herself. Catra was bad from the start, doomed to destroy and to be destroyed. A malformed pot, cracked in firing, destined to be shattered against a wall and have her shards classified by some future archaeologist 2,000 years later. And all that’s bad enough.

But the full historical and theological context of this passage shows the real depth of Noelle Stevenson’s passion and thought and care when writing this show. Noelle was raised in Evangelical or Fundamentalist Christianity. To my knowledge, he has never specified what sect or denomination, but in interviews and her memoir Noelle has shown a particular concern for questions that this passage raises, and a particular loathing for the strains of Protestant theology that take this passage and run with it - that is to say, Calvinism. So while I’m not sure if Noelle was raised as a conservative, Calvinist Presbyterian, his preoccupation with these questions mean that it’s time to talk about Calvinism.

It would be unfair, perhaps, to say that Calvinism is a systematic theology built entirely upon the Epistles of Romans and Galatians, but only -just- (and here my Catholic readers in particular will chuckle to themselves and lovingly stroke their favorite passage of the Epistle of James). The core of Calvinist Doctrine is often expressed by the very Dutch acronym TULIP:

Total Depravity - people are wholly evil, and incapable of good action or even willing good thoughts or deeds

Unconditional Election - God chooses some people to save because ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, not because they did anything to deserve, trigger or accept it

Limited Atonement - Jesus died only to save the people God chose to save, not the rest of us bastards

Irresistible Grace - God chooses some people to be saved - if you didn’t want to be saved, too bad, God said so.

Perseverance of the Saints - People often forget this one and assume it’s ‘predestination’ but it’s actually this - basically, once saved by God, always saved, and if it looks like someone falls out of grace, they were never saved to begin with. Well that’s all sealed up tight I guess.

Reading through these, predestination isn’t a single doctrine in Calvinism but the entire theological underpinnings of it together with humanity’s utter powerlessness before sin. Basically God has all agency, humanity has none. Calvinism (and a lot of early modern Protestantism) is obsessed with questions of how God saves people (grace alone, AKA Sola Fides) and who God saves (the people god elects and only the people God elects, and fuck everyone else).

It’s apparent that Noelle was really taken by these questions, and repelled by the answers he heard. He’s alluded to having a tattoo refuting the Gospel passage about Sheep and Goats being sorted at the end times, affirming instead that ‘we’re all just a bunch of wooly guys’ (you can see this goat tattoo in some of his self-portraits in comics, etc). He’s also mentioned that rejecting and subverting destiny is a huge part of everything he writes as a particular rejection of the idea that some individual people are 'chosen' by God or that God has a plan for any of us. You can see that -so clearly- in Adora’s arc, where Adora embraces and then rejects destiny time and again and finally learns to live life for herself.

But for Catra, we’re much more concerned about the most negative aspect of this - the idea that some people are vessels meant for destruction. And that’s something else that Noelle is preoccupied with. In her memoir in the section about leaving the church and becoming a humanistic atheist, there is a drawing of a pot and the question ‘Am I a vessel prepared for destruction?’ Obviously this was on Noelle’s mind (And this is before he came out to himself as queer!).

To look at how this question plays out in Catra’s entire arc, let’s first talk about how ideas of damnation and salvation actually play out in society. And for that I’m going to plug one of my favorite books, Gin Lun’s Damned Nation: Hell in America from the Revolution to Reconstruction (if you can tell by now, I am a fucking blast at parties). Lun tells the long and very interesting story about, how ideas of hell and who went there changed during the Early American Republic. One of the interesting developments that she talks about is how while at first people who were repelled by Calvinism started moving toward a doctrine of universal salvation (no on goes to hell, at least not forever*), eventually they decided that hell was fine as long as only the right kind of people went there. Mostly The Other - non-Christian foreigners, Catholics, Atheists, people who were sinners in ways that were not just bad but weird and violated Victorian ideas of respectability. Really, Hell became a way of othering people, and arguably that’s how it survives today, especially as a way to other queer people (but expanding this is slated for my Montero rant). Now while a lot of people were consciously rejecting Calvinist predestination, they were still drawing the distinction between the Elect (good, saved, worthwhile) and the everyone else (bad, damned, worthless). I would argue that secularized ideas of this survive to this day even among non-Christian spaces in our society - we like to draw lines between those who Elect, and those who aren’t.

And that’s what brings us back to Catra. Because Catra’s entire arc is a refutation of the idea that some people are worthless and irredeemable, either by nature, nurture or their own actions. Catra’s actions strain the conventions of who is sympathetic in a Kid’s cartoon - I’ve half joked that she’s Walter White as a cat girl, and it’s only half a joke. She’s cruel, self-deluded, she spends 4 seasons refusing to take responsibility for anything she does and until Season 5 she just about always chooses the thing that does the most damage to herself and others. As I mentioned in my Catra rant, the show goes out of its way to demonstrate that Catra is morally culpable in every step of her descent into evil (except maybe her break with reality just before she pulls the lever). The way that Catra personally betrays everyone around her, the way she strips herself of all of her better qualities and most of what makes her human, hell even her costume changes would signal in any other show that she’s irredeemable.

It’s tempting to see this as Noelle’s version of being edgy - pushing the boundaries of what a sympathetic character is, throwing out antiheroics in favor of just making the villain a protagonist. Noelle isn’t quite Alex ‘I am in the business of traumatizing children’ Hirsch, who seems to have viewed his job as pushing the bounds of what you could show on the Disney Channel (I saw Gravity Falls as an adult and a bunch of that shit lives rent free in my nightmares forever), but Noelle has his own dark side, mostly thematically. The show’s willingness to deal with abuse, and messed up religious themes, and volatile, passionate, not particularly healthy relationships feels pretty daring. I’m not joking when I gleefully recommend this show to friends as ‘a couple from a Mountain Goats Song fights for four seasons in a cartoon intended for 9 year olds’. Noelle is in his own way pushing the boundaries of what a kids show can do. If you read Noelle’s other works like Nimona, you see an argument for Noelle being at least a bit edgy. Nimona is also angry, gleefully destructive, violent and spiteful - not unlike Catra. Given that it was a 2010s webcomic and not a kids show, Nimona is a good deal worse than Catra in some ways - Catra doesn’t kill people on screen, while Nimona laughs about it (that was just like, a webcomic thing - one of the fan favorite characters in my personal favorite, Narbonic, was a fucking sociopath, and the heroes were all amoral mad scientists, except for the superintelligent gerbil**). But unlike Nimona, whose fate is left open ended, Catra is redeemed.

And that is weird. We’ve had redemption arcs, but generally not of characters with -so- much vile stuff in their history. Going back to the comparison between her and Azula, many other shows, like Avatar, would have made Catra a semi-sympathetic villain who has a sob-story in their origin but who is beyond redemption, and in so doing would articulate a kind of psychologized Calvinism where some people are too traumatized to ever be fully and truly human. I’d argue this is the problem with Azula as a character - she’s a fun villain, but she doesn’t have moral agency, and the ultimate message of her arc - that she’s a broken person destined only to hurt people - is actually pretty fucked up. And that’s the origin story of so many serial killers and psycopaths that populate so many TV shows and movies. Beyond ‘hurt people hurt people’ they have nothing to teach us except perhaps that trauma makes you a monster and that the only possible response to people doing bad things is to cut them out of your life and out of our society (and that’s why we have prisons, right?)

And so Catra’s redemption and the depths from which she claws herself back goes back to Noelle’s desire to prove that no person is a vessel ‘fitted for destruction.’ Catra goes about as far down the path of evil as we’ve ever seen a protagonist in a kids show go, and she still has the capacity for good. Importantly, she is not subject to total depravity - she is capable of a good act, if only one at first. Catra is the one who begins her own redemption (unlike in Calvinism, where grace is unearned and even unwelcomed) - because she wants something better than what she has, even if its too late, because she realizes that she never wanted any of this anyway, because she wants to do one good thing once in her life even if it kills her.

The very extremity of Catra’s descent into villainy serves to underline the point that Noelle is trying to make - that no one can be written off completely, that everyone is capable of change, and that no human being is garbage, no matter how twisted they’ve become. Meanwhile her ability to set her own redemption in motion is a powerful statement of human agency, and healing, and a refutation of Calvinism’s idea that we are powerless before sin or pop cultural tropes about us being powerful before the traumas of our upbringing. Catra’s arc, then, is a kind of anti-Calvinist theological statement - about the nature of people and the nature of goodness.

Now, there is a darker side to this that Noelle has only hinted at, but which is suggested by other characters on the show. Because while Catra’s redemption shows that people are capable of change, even when they’ve done horrible things, been fucked up and fucked themselves up, it also illustrates the things people do to themselves that make change hard. As I mentioned in my Catra rant, two of the most sinister parts of her descent into villainy are her self-dehumanization (crushing her own compassion and desire to do good) and her rewriting of her own history in her speech and memory to make her own actions seem justified (which we see with her insistence that Adora left her, eliding Adora’s offers to have Catra join her, or her even more clearly false insistence that Entrapta had betrayed them). In Catra, these processes keep her going down the path of evil, and allow her to nearly destroy herself and everyone else. But we can see the same processes at work in two much darker figures - Shadow Weaver and Horde Prime. These are both rants for another day, but the completeness of Shadow Weaver’s narcissistic self-justification and cultivated callousness and the even more complete narcissism of Prime’s god complex cut both characters off from everyone around them. Perhaps, in a theoretical sense, they are still redeemable, but for narrative purposes they might as well be damned.

This willingness to show a case where someone -isn’t- redeemed actually serves to make Catra’s redemption more believable, especially since Noelle and the writers draw the distinction between how Catra and SW/Prime can relate to reality and other people, not how broken they are by their trauma (unlike Zuko and Azula, who are differentiated by How Fucked Uolp They Are). Redemption is there, it’s an option, we can always do what is right, but someone people will choose not to, in part because doing the right thing involves opening ourselves to the world and others, and thus being vulnerable. Noelle mentions this offhandedly in an interview after Season 1 with the She-Ra Progressive of Power podcast - “I sometimes think that shades of grey, sympathetic villains are part of the escapist fantasy of shows like this.” Because in the real world, some people are just bastards, a point that was particularly clear in 2017. Prime and Shadow Weaver admit this reality, while Catra makes a philosophical point that even the bastards can change their ways (at least in theory).

*An idea first proposed in the second century by Origen, who’s a trip and a fucking half by himself, and an idea that becomes the Catholic doctrine of purgatory, which protestants vehemently denied!

**Speaking of favorite Noelle tropes

#she ra horde prime #she ra #she ra catra #she ra spoilers #redemption arcs #toxic religion

[morwensteelsheen]

Do you have any advice for someone who wants to write Éowyn x Faramir fanfic in a way that remains authentic to who they are/how Tolkien envisioned them? Of all the fics I’ve read on this pairing, yours just stands out to me as being most in character, whether you’re writing them in Middle Earth or a modern!au. I agree with you about Faramir being gentle but NOT a crybaby and Éowyn not a loose cannon and actually somewhat frosty! Any advice you have would be appreciated. Cheers!

bro... 🥺❤️ that is so kind of you, thank you so much!!!! Like holy moly I am going to be riding high on that compliment all week hahaha, i’m giddy thinking about it. 

i’ve been fretting about how to answer this question because i think i still struggle quite a bit with their characterisations. also i’m terrible at framing advice, so i’m going to try and answer this by giving my interpretations of certain things and how that effects how i write about them, and hopefully that will be helpful? also i’m so sorry, this is literally 6,000 words, this totally got away from me. 

To start quite generally, i think it’s super helpful to realise that almost all of the characters in LOTR are devoid of any significant internal life because the book is structured as a retelling of historical events to frodo, which are later written down and then “translated” by tolkien. unless a character is explicitly telling frodo/someone else what they’re thinking, we don’t really know what’s going on in there (except éowyn and i’ll come back to this later). But the other reason we don’t really get a sense of most characters’ internal lives is because they function as, essentially, heroic/fantastical archetypes and responses to other elements of literature. People tend to shy away from this because of this weird postmodern backlash against tropes, but it’s, i feel, extremely important to remember that these characters aren’t in the books because they’re fully-fleshed out human beings, they’re there because tolkien needed characters to fulfil certain narrative roles. this is not a value judgement, but acknowledging that’s what’s going on here is helpful for us as we try to figure out what these characters would be doing when canon doesn’t explicitly tell us what they’d be doing (or what they’d be doing in an au/a rewrite/whatever). 

All this to say: all of these characters are born out of a specific literary and historical context, and i think in the first instance its suuuuuuuupa helpful to go back and figure out what that context is, because it helps you to build out a character profile in your head that feels true to character even when you’re operating in the great canon unknown. 

Okay so for some general thoughts on each of the kiddos:

Éowyn

I’ll start with éowyn because i think i’ve spent the most time thinking about her lately and i feel like i’m finally starting to get in her head a little better. I’m not super confident in my take yet, but it’s getting there, i feel. 

éowyn’s metatextual character history is really fascinating and really important for understanding who she is. éowyn is, essentially, a direct response to the character of lady macbeth and what tolkien saw as a massive disservice to her character at the end of the play. I had a much better pull quote from tolkien talking specifically about that, but i can’t seem to find it right now so you’ll have to use this really brief overview instead — sorry! I will update this if i come across the quote again. 

understanding that foundation in lady macbeth, we can start to ask certain questions about éowyn vis a vis lady macbeth. What are the things that we know — in text — make lady macbeth and éowyn similar? Quite a lot, actually. They’re both ‘fully realised’ women (and i’ll come back to this in a sec), they’re both not naive about the mechanics of power — lady macbeth is a conniver, éowyn is left in control of a whole ass kingdom while the menfolk are away etc —, they’re both hindered by their gender (this is obvious for éowyn, but i HELLA recommend reading lady macbeth’s come you spirits/unsex me here speech and thinking about the relationship between womanhood and violence, especially in light of éowyn’s experience of battlefield violence and later decision to give it up to go be a hippie in ithilien), and they both have to deal with men being frustrating. I love and will defend théoden quite explicitly, but it’s important to realise that he did, in essence, fuck éowyn over entirely and abdiate on his familial responsibilities to her, before you even get to his abdication of duty to the crown etc. 

The other big — very big, i feel — similarity between éowyn and lady macbeth is that they are both tremendously emotionally distant and restrained. But éowyn, unlike lady macbeth, is capable of camouflaging her emotional distance when necessary. Here, from ROTK, is a passage of crucial important to understanding éowyn: 

‘Alas! For she was pitted against a foe beyond the strength of her mind or body. And those who will take a weapon to such an enemy must be sterner than steel, if the very shock shall not destroy them. It was an evil doom that set her in his path. For she is a fair maiden, fairest lady of a house of queens. And yet I know not how I should speak of her. When I first looked on her and perceived her unhappiness, it seemed to me that I saw a white flower standing straight and proud, shapely as a lily, and yet knew that it was hard, as if wrought by elf-wrights out of steel. Or was it, maybe, a frost that had turned its sap to ice, and so it stood, bitter-sweet, still fair to see, but stricken, soon to fall and die? Her malady begins far back before this day, does it not, Éomer?’

‘I marvel that you should ask me, lord,’ he answered. ‘For I hold you blameless in this matter, as in all else; yet I knew not that Éowyn, my sister, was touched by any frost, until she first looked on you. Care and dread she had, and shared with me, in the days of Wormtongue and the king’s bewitchment; and she tended the king in growing fear. But that did not bring her to this pass!’

‘My friend,’ said Gandalf, ‘you had horses, and deeds of arms, and the free fields; but she, born in the body of a maid, had a spirit and courage at least the match of yours. Yet she was doomed to wait upon an old man, whom she loved as a father, and watch him falling into a mean dishonoured dotage; and her part seemed to her more ignoble than that of the staff he leaned on.

‘Think you that Wormtongue had poison only for Théoden’s ears? Dotard! What is the house of Eorl but a thatched barn where brigands drink in the reek, and their brats roll on the floor among their dogs? Have you not heard those words before? Saruman spoke them, the teacher of Wormtongue. Though I do not doubt that Wormtongue at home wrapped their meaning in terms more cunning. My lord, if your sister’s love for you, and her will still bent to her duty, had not restrained her lips; you might have heard even such things as these escape them. But who knows what she spoke to the darkness, alone, in the bitter watches of the night, when all her life seemed shrinking, and the walls of her bower closing in about her, a hutch to trammel some wild thing in?’

Emphasis my own.

there’s a whole hell of a lot going on here, but i’m going to try and boil it down to a couple main things:

1. gandalf and aragorn immediately see misery in éowyn, but they are both very good at reading people. faramir (later, in the steward and the king) also senses the misery, but he is explicitly talented at reading people, and even he takes a while to fully understand what’s going on in her head

2. Éomer, who éowyn feels obligation and duty to (both as her brother, but also her superior in rank) has no idea that éowyn is suicidal. he knows she’s not happy, but he thinks it’s not until aragorn shows up that she finally becomes despondent and is amazed to hear that that’s not the case, to which gandalf responds, essentially: you weren’t meant to know, she was working with a will of steel to hide her emotions from you because she wanted to protect you from it. So éowyn is well versed at controlling her emotions when she needs to, and is not prone to showing them where she doesn’t want to.

3. Gandalf describes éowyn first as wrought from steel (which, short of an incredibly hot fire, is not easy to break), and then amends it to say that she is made of ice. Ice, compared to steel, is far easier to melt. Maybe inadvertently on tolkien’s behalf, i think this speaks to the nature of éowyn and faramir’s relationship — first she is melted by fire (battle, the witch-king, etc) and the she is warmed by the sun (faramir! Minas anor! The winter has passed, etc). 

4. Earlier i said the characters in lotr don’t really have a huge internal life, except for éowyn. This is where that comes in: éowyn, we are supposed to understand, has a really intense internal life, because her mind is really all she has. We are meant to understand that she’s got a lot going on internally, but there is a very specific reason we’re not privy to it. That’s important to think about.

what this does is widen the gulf between what éowyn’s thinking and feeling, and what she’s actually saying and doing. If you’re writing (as i tend to prefer) in a way that deals with her inner life quite intensely, building that gap up is much easier to do. She’s going to have a lot of thoughts, and almost all of them are going to be hindered by either other people’s expectations of her, or her own expectations of herself. And that’s going to cause problems for her — maybe not always throwing-herself-at-death level problems, but certainly problems.  

so there’s that. Then i think there’s a lot to be said for widening the net on éowyn inspirations. I’ve looked to joan of arc (which i kind of hinted at here) quite a bit. I feel like the joan of arc comparison is easy to understand so i wont waste too much time on it, though i will say i’d actually recommend reading catholic interpretations of joan of arc, not later protestant Girlboss interpretations because i think those miss the point of joan of arc entirely. 

I was going to try to comment more on the gender element but i feel like i’m not on great footing with that yet so i will leave that to the side for now.

Faramir

tbh i was kind of dreading getting to this because i still find it exceptionally hard to get into his head, so wish me luck lol 

I’m going to be a total bore and recommend you check out this article. Bear in mind that that was written by a dude at the citadel so it’s going to stray into the realm of Military Brain at points, but i think it’s a worthwhile read anyways. 

ah christ, faramir. okay. cowabunga.

faramir, more so than aragorn, is the platonic ideal of a romantic hero. Both in the genre sense (as in, romance novels) and in the sense of the artistic movement of romanticism, i know i’ve said exactly this before but it’s worth reiterating. I’ll start with the romantic influence and then go onto the romance.

So the romantic movement is a really important intellectual, cultural and political movement, and you will have to forgive me because i am only loosely a modernist and more a contemporary historian, and not at all an expert in literature or art history, so this is going to be, like, a 101 level understanding of what was going on. 

The romantic movement is kicked off as a reaction to both the emphasis on rationality and quantifiability promoted during the enlightenment, and the bourgeois economic revolutions (this is the french revolution, mostly, but the later revolutions across the european continent in 1848 and the kickstarting of the industrial revolution in england). Romanticism was, essentially, a return to intense emotionality, reverence for nature, and appreciation of that which is, ultimately indefinable. Not necessary for writing a fanfic, but reading about the idea of the sublime is kind of a fun rabbit hole to go down if you’ve got time to spare. 

A lot of present day writers will talk about the romantic movement as a break with the past, which is, i guess, kind of true, but is also not really true. The romantic movement — as much as the enlightenment — took its inspiration and logical from classic art and thought. But it interpreted the classics differently to the enlightenment. Whereas the enlightenment era thinkers were fascinated by the rationality and mathematical precision of the greeks and romans, the romantics were more interested in their emotional liberty, and the epic (in the truest sense of the word) shows of emotion and experiences of human life. 

but what does this mean for faramir? A lot! 

The first time we’re introduced to faramir (if not in name) is in fotr, when boromir talks about the destruction of the bridge at osgiliath, when he describes an epic story of war and heroism, wherein only four total people survive swimming from the bridge: two unnamed others, boromir, and faramir. right from the off we know that, if nothing else, he’s not a limp-wristed little lordling, he has the fortitude to survive what few others can. 

Then, barely half a breath later, we get a description of faramir’s premonition, the fact that it came to him repeatedly, and that he immediately volunteered to go blues clues his way through it. We get the sense that he’s a guy who doesn’t back down from a challenge. And then faramir goes away for a while, until two towers, when we meet him again in the brilliance that is ithilien. And here i’m going to go back to our friend from the citadel for some interesting character insight:

the rangers under the command of Faramir are armed with long bows, giving them the capability to wage war over distances greater than most of their foes. This is the same type of warfare deemed cowardly and dishonorable by the chivalric knights, but is far more effective and less perilous than the face-to-face [...] This tactic also reveals Faramir to be a conscientious leader, minimizing the risk to his subordinates while maximizing their effectiveness in battle. Faramir was considerate of the risk he put his men to and sacrificed the idea of glorious face-to-face combat in favor of a weapon system that would be less desirable in the eyes of men such as Boromir, but also much more efficient. [...] Using camouflage and stealth, the warriors un d er Faramir's command set themselves apart from all other military units besides the elves in The Lord of the Rings and ultimately align themselves more closely with the soldiers of modern warfare than with the ancient heroes prevalent in the work of Tolkien. 

Okay enough of the military history because it’s soul-crushingly boring, but the gist is that faramir is, (whatever else he is) a very unique figure. Taking this as a value neutral statement, we get the sense, before we even hear him own to it himself, that he’s a man apart from the rest. I think it’s important also to think about the extent to which he is situated as a part of nature when we first meet him, even if we later know that he is from this big, awful stone city, we are meant to immediately associate him with nature. And not nature in a primitive sense, i’d argue, but nature in the romantic sense, where it speaks to the beauty of creation etc etc etc 

Then there’s the bright sword speech, which im not going to say anything on because cleverer people than me have dealt with it much more efficiently, but i would say that the takeaway from that, besides that he loves peace yada yada yada, is that he likes talking about peace. He has opinions on the war, perhaps even a controversial opinion, and by god, he wants people to know it. So thinking about what that level of immediate and almost impolitic honesty says about him is worth thinking about as you try to write him. 

Later, we get to see faramir in the white city, and what we see is that he’s kind of a drama queen! I say this lovingly, but it does correspond to him going off on one immediately about how the war sucks ass and how he’s above it and how all the other people of middle earth are shit, including his own, and how much better life was In Númenor (which is, essentially, the crux of a lot of romantic poetry. And my headcanon of faramir’s connection to romantic poetry is here). 

The other thing we learn in the white city is that faramir is very aware of himself as a person, and is actively altering whatever his base inclinations are to fit his desired personality. Here’s what i said in a comment on swaddledog’s excellent hearts and minds: 

When Denethor hits him with the "ever your desire is to appear lordly and generous as a king of old, gracious, gentle," he's not saying it because he thinks that sort of behaviour comes naturally to Faramir but because he knows he has to work really, really hard at it. I think inherent in that desire is also the failure — he tries, but sometimes he comes up short (often, even — that kiss on the wall wasn't exactly gracious and gentle!), and it's because he sometimes comes up short that Denethor knows it doesn't come naturally to him. And you get that perfectly, just so, so perfectly.

That gap between what faramir thinks he is and whats to be versus what he actually is is very important for understanding him. Though, as i say, i really struggle with writing faramir, so it’s definitely not an easy thing to work into a fanfic. 

I realise i’m probably not articulating this as well as i should, but that’s because dealing with faramir is a tremendous arseache for me, lol. I think basically my advice here is to familiarise yourself with a lot of these romantic figures and try to bear them in mind as you write. pierre bezukhov from war & peace actually fits quite closely to what i imagine young (as in, pre-ring war) faramir is like, with some necessary alterations for canon, and the fact that faramir seems like he’d be slightly more responsible than pierre. And certainly far, far, FAR more confident. 

So that’s the romantic, and then there’s the romance. I saw a post a few months ago that identified faramir as, essentially, a love letter to women. And he totally is: he’s this fucking baller guerrilla warrior who quotes poetry and reads widely and falls in love deeply and sweeps a woman off her feet because he finds her beautiful and incredible and worthwhile even when she’s at her absolute worst. emotional intimacy is real, hallelujah! And so i think any time you’re writing faramir you’re going to have to keep that in mind, because he is this sort of breathless romantic. He’s a character that exists (inadvertently because tolkien couldn’t predict the future) to act, outwardly, as an antidote to the All Men Are Shit mindset. How much you actually keep him on that pedestal is up to you. I like to nuance his character with a bit more chaos, let him be a bit of a shameless flirt in his younger years, let him be so high and mighty in his romantic behaviour that he doesn’t realise that sometime éowyn just wants to fucking chill, that sort of thing. 

There are lots of other character moments that stick out to me that i dont want to say a huge amount about, but will instead link to this incredible meta about faramir’s númenóreaness, with the disclaimer that dealing with that sort of capability in any serious way scares the shit out of me, so i have mostly just Pretended I Can’t Read every time i think about it, except for a super brief reference at the end of this fic. 

Okay onto the meat of this (oh my god, i’m so sorry for how long this is)

Faramir + Éowyn = true love

Before i start, i just want to point out that in terms of seeing their relationship, we only really get it in the steward and the king, which is significant for a lot of reasons. For one because tolkien got a huge amount of shit for how quickly they fell in love (people accused it of being war-bride stuff, which typically was not a great arrangement for those involved) — tolkien himself said ‘shut the fuck up dude’ to that, and this is probably because tolkien married his wife, edith, right before he went off to war. I’ll come back to that in a sec because it’s important. 

The other reason it’s important is because the steward and the king features some of the most consistent lofty and high-fantasy prose of the entire series. Tolkien does this magical thing where he weaves high brow purple prose in with deeply casual, familiar (for the early 20th century) vernacular, and to great effect. And he does this for a reason, he wants to create the sense of this deeply developed, fantastical world that extends well outside the bounds of what we are allowed to see in text while also allowing us the rhetorical space to relate to the characters we see. It is, then, significant that there is almost none of the “low-brow” vernacular speech in the steward and the king. It means tolkien’s got all thrusters on full, so to speak, in terms of the romance. He wants to evoke arthurian romances, courtly/chivalric love, the sort of fated-by-the-stars love that nobody would think to deny because of the time constraints because it seems so abundantly obvious that this love is Meant To Be.

But that’s just what he’s doing tonally. In terms of content, he’s weaving a more complex picture. 

We’ll start with the obvious. Emotionally, both éowyn and faramir are at their worst. Sort of. éowyn’s worst might have been when she did her suicide run on the pelennor in terms of self-destructiveness, but i think her real low point is actually when she wakes up in the HoH, basically immobilized, prevented from dying, and now aware she’s going to have to do the One Thing she refused to do, which is watch everybody she loves go off to die, and then sit about and wait for her own death. faramir, meanwhile, went off to a hopeless battle (expecting to die) after mouthing off at his father, then wakes up to find out he’s not only alive, but the only surviving member of his family (for some reason! because don’t forget gandalf is very clear that he shouldn’t find out about denethor’s death until Later), is now the fucking steward of gondor, and also this mythical king is Back. also he too has to sit around and wait for death. So emotionally neither of them are doing too great. 

Their first impressions of one another are very important. 

faramir, of éowyn: “and he turned and saw the Lady Éowyn of Rohan; and he was moved with pity, for he saw that she was hurt, and his clear sight perceived her sorrow and unrest.”; “He looked at her, and being a man whom pity deeply stirred, it seemed to him that her loveliness amid her grief would pierce his heart.”

So he knows who she is, and he can see that she’s physically hurt, but also can see she’s feeling all kinds of fucked up. And the first emotion he feels is pity. He’s assessing her in terms of pain and sorrow, and all of these sorts of emotions éowyn seems desperate to divorce herself from. And he offers her pity. That’s significant. 

éowyn, of faramir: “she looked at him and saw the grave tenderness in his eyes, and yet knew, for she was bred among men of war, that here was one whom no Rider of the Mark would outmatch in battle.” 

She doesn’t know who he is, not really, but she does immediately think he could kick ass. And that’s her first and only real assessment of him. That’s also significant. 

And éowyn is miserable, and she’s so miserable she’s actually willing to openly talk about if (if only to a limited extent) and faramir does what is, I think, one of the most incredible things in the entire book. He functionally disarms her, lets her down gently, and places them on equal footing with a single joke:

‘What would you have me do, lady?’ said Faramir. ‘I also am a prisoner of the healers.’

There’s merit in interpreting this straight, but I actually think it's quite funny to relate the safety and security of a hospital in wartime to a prison, to a cage. And I think tolkien’s aware of this, and not really intending us to read it straight. What this does is soften éowyn up enough that she asks for what she wants, but also seems to make her more interested in dealing with him, even if she reacts badly to his compliment of her. 

And then they fall in love, and whatever. The chapter’s there, there’s a million fanfics out there about it, whatever. 

But faramir’s proposal is Big, and deserves thought for what it says about their relationship. People like to bitch about it because they take it to mean that éowyn has had to change all this stuff about herself, give up her desire to be a firebrand or whatever to go off and be a lovely prince’s wife in this noble hippie commune over those hills yonder. I think that’s totally wrong.

I think what’s going on in faramir’s proposal and éowyn’s response is a really fascinating illumination of the accord they’ve reached with one another through their (admittedly brief) courtship. Here’s why:

First, faramir tries to approach the conversation with a bit of subterfuge. Not in the weird negative way, just in that he’s not hitting it head on at the start. He obviously still doesn’t understand what’s going on inside her head fully, so tries to ask around the question (‘why aren’t you at the cormallen?’) instead of asking the question he’s obviously interested in. éowyn has no time for this, and tells him to nut up or shut up. And he does! 

But then there’s this line: 

But I do not offer you my pity. For you are a lady high and valiant and have yourself won renown that shall not be forgotten.

Two things going on here: one, faramir’s rescinding his initial emotional reaction. He felt pity for her, but has now come to know her well enough that he realises she doesn’t need pity, and isn’t dumb enough to try and force it on her. But the second thing, almost more important, is that he assesses her in the terms that she prefers, which is that she has won herself renown and has shown her valour. These are not the things Faramir values, we know this, that’s the whole point of the bright sword speech. But they are the things éowyn values, and he loves her, and is willing to acknowledge what her desired self image is. That’s a huge concession she’s won off him, that’s big. 

And then éowyn responds:

I will be a shieldmaiden no longer, nor vie with the great Riders, nor take joy only in the songs of slaying. I will be a healer, and love all things that grow and are not barren.

here’s my potentially controversial take. I don’t think she’s giving up on her desire to be a fighter of some sort, but she’s giving up on some specific traditions, which is that of the mythical (but, let’s be clear, functionally nonexistent, save for éowyn) shieldmaidens, and of the riders of the Mark, who, as we have been told throughout the books, are given to valorising warfare and martial acts above all. This is supported by her saying “nor take joy only in the songs of slaying.” she’s not saying she won't take any joy in it, or that she won’t still praise it when it earns her admiration, but that’s not going to be her only raison d’etre anymore. Her life is going to move beyond the realm of death and killing and battlefield survival to growth and life and the future. That’s also a concession on her behalf. 

And then there’s this hella romantic kiss on the walls, which is fucking brazen behaviour, but is also i think representative more of the unique situation than setting a trend for them. It is, i think, the positive equivalent of éowyn’s slaying of the witch king in terms of its uniqueness. In the same way that she’s not going to keep going around throwing herself headlong into fights she’s not meant to win, she’s also not going to be publicly playing tonsil hockey. This is the big moment, and then it’s back to the reserve from there. 

Really, their entire relationship is, to me, about a series of negotiations. One culture and another, wives and husbands, old and new, war and peace, life and death, etc. they are similar in a lot of ways — both are intensely headstrong — but they’re similar primarily in character, not necessarily in belief, and so much of what they’re going to have to do as a pair is work to find their harmonious accord, if that makes sense. Sometimes they’ll do it peaceably, sometimes they’ll have blow up fights, but their entire relationship is going to be predicated on negotiating the space between, if that makes sense? 

Okay i said i’d say some stuff on the relationship of tolkien and his wife edith to faramir and éowyn. Tolkien was adamant that they were beren and lúthien (that’s on their tombstones), and i’m full willing to grant him that. But i think it’s complicated by the fact that faramir is, in some senses, tolkien’s self-insert. Obviously authors can have stand-ins for their opinions without the character having to be them exactly (and i think there’s more merit certainly to saying that tolkien’s 100% self-insert is tom bombadil) but i think there’s something worth exploring to the connections between beren and lúthien and faramir and éowyn. I know the morality issue makes B+L more closely comparable to arwen and aragorn, but, as I argue for here, the mortality issue (or lifespan issue) isn’t totally alien to faramir and éowyn.  

As i write them, there are some core themes i’m pretty consistently thinking about, so i’ll just list em here in case that’s any help to you.

Family 

This would be: life after orphanhood, life as the last of a family, what your obligation to your family is, how you go on and have your own family after having had a less than ideal childhood, etc.

Duty

Here’s what I said about their differing approaches to duty in a now-abandoned draft chapter from willow cabin:

Faramir has said, not in as many words, that she should not begrudge him for following orders. This, she knows, is a crucial difference between them. They each hold duty above all other charges, but their interpretation of what exactly that means is different. It comes from the differences in power they wield: he has ever been empowered to change the course of decisions before they are made, while she is forced to react to them after. To him, then, it would be unreasonable to disobey direct orders, given that a failure to change them in advance is a reflection upon his skills, not the legitimacy of the command. She, however, has rarely had control over how and when orders are given, and so sees no inherent legitimacy to them, and thus no reason not to disobey orders that are unjustly given.

Time

As I alluded to above, éowyn is going to live a significantly shorter life than Faramir, and she is no doubt very aware of this. But this also means that they’re going to experience time differently, and that will have an impact on their behaviour. What might seem like foot-dragging to éowyn seems like impatience to faramir, etc

Healing

We never actually see faramir’s reaction to finding out denethor tried to burn him alive. That’s a lot. We have no idea if he knows when he proposes to éowyn. When does he find out? What does that do to his mood? Etc. but also, éowyn says she’ll become a healer — what does that really mean? Is she going to be nurse/doctor éowyn from now on? Will she broaden the definition of healing (for my part, i say yes, which is what i’ve been trying to do in willow cabin, though a little less successfully than i’d hoped)

Gender

This is a slightly less popular theme in the bookverse fics, but i think as part of éowyn and faramir’s relationship of negotiation, they’re going to have to deal with éowyn not feeling one hundo thrilled about being a woman. And i think that raises some interesting questions about what faramir’s response to that will be. men/manhood is often treated as the historical default — so what happens when someone like, say, éowyn, starts challenging the notion of gender and gender roles around faramir? How does he react? What does that do to his own self-image? Etc. 

Okay. yes. That’s all i can think of right now. I am so, so sorry this is so long, i just totally brain dumped there. If you have any questions at all though please please do hit me up and i’m super happy to read whatever you’re writing (literally gagging for farawyn content rn lmao), if you’re comfortable sharing etc.

#oh my god this is ridiculously long i am SO sorry #asks #faramir #Éowyn

[nimblermortal]

"What a wonderful freedom, to not care about Shakespeare!” Nimbler screams, opening a tab to analyze the exact speech that Merrick quotes from and yes, it actually is brilliant that it’s that one.

Let’s start at the beginning, in case anyone has not read Lear. King Lear is an old pagan king, chosen by the gods, and all that stuff that lets us play with fancy stage effects and witches. (King James loved witches, and at this point Shakespeare was writing for King James; Macbeth came out shortly after Lear.)

Lear has three daughters and no son, and decides to split his lands among his daughters, according to how much they love him, which he judges by asking them. Of course the first two say they love him more than gold or jewels or etc, and the third one says she loves him as a daughter loves her father, no more, no less. Lear has a temper tantrum and banishes the third one, then splits his kingdom among the first two, who are of course greedy and evil.

It takes very little time before Lear decides to go visit one of his daughters, who tells him she’s not putting him up along with his hundred-however-many retainers, he may have 25. So Lear has a temper tantrum and goes to visit his other daughter, who said he could stay with 50, and - well, they have a bidding war, culminating in, “What need you five and twenty, ten, or five... What need one?”

Lear - you guessed it - throws a temper tantrum, and this is where the speech comes from. Let me just take some of my favorite quotes for this context, and then I’ll throw the whole thing at the bottom.

“Man’s life’s as cheap as beast’s” - the degree to which the immortals have taken life cheaply, but also the way Merrick weighs their lives cheaply

“You see me here, you gods, a poor old man” - and here we start getting into the age of the thing, the old guard, and Lear’s speech starts turning against Merrick

“a poor old man / as full of grief as age; wretched in both!” - okay, skipped back to add this bit because if that ain’t Booker and how they got to this point

“I will have such revenges on you both, / That all the world shall - I will do such things - / What they are, yet I know not: but they shall be / The terrors of the earth.” - it’s not just acts that Lear intends to commit, but revenge for wrongs committed. This speech is not Merrick’s; it is infact aimed back at him

Then there’s a bit about weeping that I just love because this movie is so gentle and emotional and lets people (but especially men) have their feelings.

“O fool, I shall go mad!” - I just think this is a neat bit at the end, given how Merrick is... not exactly in his right mind, certainly from the moment he touches Andy’s labrys, but generally the very idea of the richness of immortality corrupts his sanity.

Anyway, here’s the full speech:

O, reason not the need: our basest beggars Are in the poorest thing superfluous: Allow not nature more than nature needs, Man's life's as cheap as beast's: thou art a lady; If only to go warm were gorgeous, Why, nature needs not what thou gorgeous wear'st, Which scarcely keeps thee warm. But, for true need,-- You heavens, give me that patience, patience I need! You see me here, you gods, a poor old man, As full of grief as age; wretched in both! If it be you that stir these daughters' hearts Against their father, fool me not so much To bear it tamely; touch me with noble anger, And let not women's weapons, water-drops, Stain my man's cheeks! No, you unnatural hags, I will have such revenges on you both, That all the world shall--I will do such things,-- What they are, yet I know not: but they shall be The terrors of the earth. You think I'll weep No, I'll not weep: I have full cause of weeping; but this heart Shall break into a hundred thousand flaws, Or ere I'll weep. O fool, I shall go mad!

#the Old Guard #King Lear #OH BUT ALSO #LET NOT WOMEN'S WEAPONS STAIN MY MAN'S CHEEKS #HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[smarmykemetic]

I will be starting the discord chat in the Mourners of Outlaws discord (message me for the link) probably around 3:30pm The ritual will officially start at Saturday May 16th 4pm MST (time zone converter). The plan is as follows:

Start the voice chat, wait for the friend who requested the Catholic rite to join. Recite Catholic prayer to the best of my ability.

Make offering to Anubis, and pray to him as a psychopomp to watch over the ritual and make sure that all the souls who don’t want to go to the Duat are ferried to their appropriate afterlives.

As close to 4pm MST as possible, begin the ritual.

Personal prayer/adoration of the Outlaw Dead.

Music and singing.

Discussion of what spells I am willing to ask the OD for help with on your behalf (the ones that have consented/will consent to the job, that is) in exchange for a charitable donation to living Outlaws (especially to ones affected by the virus). I’m planning on researching a handful of charities to suggest, but I’ll accept donations to a charity of your choice as well.

Reversion of offerings and generally hanging out in the voice chat (for fun and so that I can relax and ground myself). Me and my irl friends are probably gonna play a drinking game afterward, and it would be really fun for yall to participate with that, since I bet we’ll all appreciate something goofy and fun after this.

This is going to be an emotionally intense event, as it is every time I do the full rite, especially since the whole point is for us to collectively mourn and, hopefully, begin to process the collective trauma of this awful shit we’re all going through right now. Especially since I know from experience I tend to get a little errmm carried away when doing magic or rituals, I want to warn anyone that this will very likely be triggering to some; I’m not entirely confident in my ability to stay calm once I get going with this. I am definitely going to cry like a baby like I always do can we get an f in the chat, and then I’m gonna get tipsy on the ritual alcohol, so as a perk to helping honor the beloved dead, you get to giggle at me acting drunk and foolish lol. (My bf and a friend of ours, both Norse pagans who don’t really use Tumblr, will also be listening in in person, and you’ll likely get a chance to chat with them too, in case that sweetens the pot for anyone.)

If you want to participate rather than just listen, you’ll need to set up a space to offer stuff to Set, and a separate space to offer to the OD. You don’t absolutely have to use icons for either of them, but consider using the sigils I made to represent different factions of the OD 

You will also need: two candles, lighter, incense, water, two cups, something to give for an offering (one for Set, one for the Dead). The OD aren’t picky, but they love alcohol and music; most of the rites I do for them end up having more of a friendly gathering/party vibe, after the serious and/or magical stuff is done. I think it’s because part of the offering is the company and attention of the living, not just the offerings themselves; basically, after we let ourselves get really sad and angry on their behalf, I’m expecting them to pivot it to a more positive and camaraderie-focused vibe, as they usually do. 

Finally, I want to encourage yall to not stress too much about getting all the details right in your own rituals, and to branch out to invite your own gods, or apply your own traditional methods for such a situation, if you so choose. I highly recommend at least making an offering to Set and asking him for protection before doing anything with the OD, since this whole thing is his project and that means he’s more liable to sufficiently supervise people trying to help him with it, but you can likely ask your patrons/trusted psychopomps to help you with it just as well.

(Ritual under the cut)

Approaching the Shrine:

Awake in peace, Lord of the Red Land, awake in peace.

I come to you, your servant, your son, I come to you.

Your beautiful scent, it calls me forward.

And upon you filling my nostrils

I, your servant, your son, I come to you.

I have made my way and I enter into your presence.

I am one of you.

Do not repulse me on the god’s path.

My feet are not impeded, I am not turned back from the god’s place.

I have looked upon you. I know you.

Your mighty Sha have enclosed me.

I have entered this place with ma’at in my heart

In order to honor each and every Akh in the Duat upon this day.

*Step forward, or open the shrine, depending on your setup*

I open your temple. I come to you.

Your warmth and beauty surrounds me as I enter. I am not repulsed.

Behold, I have come to you to offer Ma’at,

to make sound the Eye for its lord.

Presentation of Light:

The torch comes to your ka, O Set, Lord of the Oasis.

Here comes he who promises the night after the day;

Here comes the two sisters from Ra;

Here comes she who was manifested in Abdju.

For I have caused it to come to you.

Even the Eye of Horus comes to you

Because I have made it so.

*Light first wick*

Come to this Eye of Horus, Great Set.

Let its light renew your youth in peace.

*Light second wick*

 Come to this Eye of Horus, O Numerous Akhu who reside in the Duat.

Come to this light and let it renew your youth in peace.

 The Eye of Horus is your protection, O Weary One.

It spreads its protection over you; it defeats all of your adversaries.

Truly, your adversaries are fallen.

 The Eye of Horus is your protection, O Akhu.

It spreads its protection over you; it defeats all of your adversaries.

Truly, your adversaries are fallen.

 The Eye of Horus comes intact and shining

like Ra on the horizon.

The four torches go to your ka, O Set.

The four torches are your protection, O Lord of Ma’at

You are truly Enduring because of their protection.

 It is Set who causes a torch to be bright for the potent Bas in the Duat.

May you make the living Ba of each and every Akh within your Domain

to be strong with their torch so that they will not be

repelled or turned back from the portals of the West.

 Through your Rebellion and Strength,

Each and every akh in your Domain flourishes.

They are restored to their true shape and form

As sure as the sun crosses the sky every day.

 Purification of offering space:

 *Take up water bowl/pitcher*

 O water, may you remove all evil,

I give you essential water, O Destroyer of the Damned One, a tide in your time.

I bring the flood waters to purify your sanctuary.

I bring you the flood waters to purify your temple

and your statue in your place.

*wet your finger and touch the four sides of your shrine, offering table or plate, etc.*

O Set, your altar is cleansed by the water;

Your altar is purified by the incense;

You are cleansed by Horus;

You are purified by Thoth.

Water invigorates your body;

It is I, your servant,

who comes to you in the palace where you reside.

Presentation of Libations:

 These your cool waters, O Set

have come from your nephew, Horus.

I have come to you having gotten Horus’s eye,

So that your heart may become cool with it;

I have gotten it under your feet.

Accept the outflow that comes from you:

So that your heart will not become weary.

 *Pour the water into first cup or bowl*

 This water is the Eye of Horus,

take it to your countenance,

that it may brighten your face.

 O Set, take this Eye of Horus

Which has been given to you by your son

So that you may live in Eternity

Glorious and pure.

*Pour the water into second cup or bowl*

 O Glorious Spirits, take this Eye of Horus

It parts your mouth so that you may you taste its taste

Accept this Eye so that you may live in Eternity

Glorious and pure.

Presentation of Offerings:

Oh He Who Commands the Riot, stand up and sit down to a thousand of bread,

a thousand of beer, roast meat, your rib-meat from the slaughterhouse, “pulled” bread from the broadhall.

*place first offering*

 As you are provided with a god’s-offering, these akhu are provided with bread.

You have come to your ba, Set, ba among the akhs,

in control of all that he sees, whom the Ennead tend in the Official’s Enclosure.

I have given you Horus’s eye, I have allotted it to you: may it endure for you with you.

 *place second offering*

 O Glorious Akhu, stand up and receive this your bread from me.

O Great Spirits, I will be an attendant for you.

O Enduring Akhu, accept Horus’s eye, your bread-loaf, and eat.

 As everything is for those under your protection,

let everything be for the bodies of the Blessed Dead.

 Grow aroused, you Great Akhu

Take this Eye of Horus and become uplifted.

In your place of Completeness you do not hunger. You have no thirst.

Your contentment is all you know in the land of the Duat.

Your heart becomes awash with joy

And your hearts fill with ma’at.

 As you take in the Eye of Horus

You shall become as complete as every NTR:

your head as Horus of the Duat—an Imperishable Star;

your face as Eyes-Forward—an Imperishable Star;

your ears Atum’s twins—an Imperishable Star;

your eyes Atum’s twins—an Imperishable Star;

your nose as the Jackal—an Imperishable Star;

your teeth Sopdu—an Imperishable Star;

your arms Hapi and Duamutef—when you demand to go up to the sky, you go up;

your legs Imseti and Qebehsenuef—when you demand to go down to the undersky, you go down;

your limbs Atum’s twins—an Imperishable Star.

O Great Akhu, become clean through Horus’s Eye and

Make your bones firm.

O Great Akhu, become Whole through Horus’s Eye and

All of your obstructions will be removed through Set’s mighty Sha.

 You will not perish, your ka will not perish

As Set lives, you shall live.

As you live, Set lives.

 Sun and Thoth, take each and every akh with you,

that they may eat of what you eat of,

that they may drink of what you drink of,

that they may live on what you live on,

that they may sit where you sit,

that they may grow powerful from what you grow powerful from,

that they may sail in what you sail in.

The booth of each and every akh is plaited of reeds;

the flood of each and every akh is in the Marsh of Offerings;

their feasts are among you, gods;

the water of each and every akh is wine, like the Sun.

They will circumnavigate the sky like the Sun,

They shall course the sky like Thoth.

And both akhu and NTRW shall live in peace in the Duat.

Whole and Complete. A million times effective.

 Reversion of offerings:

 O He Who Makes the Sky Tremble, your enemies withdraw from you.

Heru has turned himself to his Eye in its name of Reversion-of-Offerings.

These your divine offerings revert;

They revert to your servant for life, stability, health and joy.

So that you may flourish for eternity.

#kemetic #outlaw dead #i really should've made this post before i started talking about doing it publicly adfjasdfasfn #i feel bad i left yall hanging for a few days while i got my shit together

[tlbodine]

Twisty Turns and Horror

“Every story ever told can be broken down into three parts. The beginning. The middle. And the twist.”  — Jack Black as RL Stine in Goosebumps

I want to talk about twists. 

Specifically, I want to talk about two primary types of twists in the horror genre, and how and when each can be employed -- and the pitfalls of both. 

But first, a caveat: What do I mean when I say “twist”? 

A plot twist occurs when the audience’s expectations are subverted. 

Based on the existing information in a storyline, a reader or viewer expects a certain outcome. A twist occurs when something unexpected happens instead. But a twist is not a mystery. A mystery presents a question -- who did it? how? what happened? -- and then challenges the audience to figure it out before the characters involved. A good mystery requires you to lay down foreshadowing and set up all of the clues, providing red herrings as necessary to distract the audience, before tying it all up at the end with a neat bow. 

A twist, on the other hand, does not necessarily require such setup and foreshadowing. And, indeed, some of the very best twists in the genre do away with such things entirely. 

So with that out of the way, let’s talk about the two types of horror twists -- what I’ll refer to as The Hitchcock Twist and The Shyamalan Twist. 

By nature of the subject matter, this will be spoiler-heavy, so follow under the cut!

Alfred Hitchcock and M. Night Shyamlan are two directors who made their careers from creating movies with a twist. Although plenty of other horror directors employ the same techniques, the careers of Hitchcock and Shyamalan are defined by twists in a way others are not. 

But -- however much he may try to emulate him with his signature on-screen cameos -- Shyamalan trades in a very different type of twist than Hitchcock. Taken at a plot level, the two approaches to storytelling are actually completely opposite. 

A Shyamalan Twist Occurs at the End, Reinterpreting Everything That Came Before 

Let’s briefly review Shyamalan’s twists to see what they have in common, shall we? 

The most famous -- in The Sixth Sense, we discover at the end that the character played by Bruce Willis has actually been dead the entire time, and that he is just another of the ghosts the little boy can see. 

In The Village, we learn that what appears to be a rural pioneer settlement is in fact a modern commune that’s been lost to history for a couple generations, and the monsters are manufactured as a way to keep the inhabitants in line (and from escaping). 

In Unbreakable, we discover that the story isn’t just the hero origin story for Bruce Willis’s character, but the origin story for the villain Mr. Glass -- who was responsible for the accident that set the hero on his journey in the first place. 

In The Visit, we find out that the kids haven’t been staying with their grandparents at all, but rather with a pair of escaped and murderous mental patients. 

What do all of these have in common? The twist is revealed at the climax of the film, and it acts to completely reinterpret the events that came before it. You’re left leaving the theater to think about everything that came before the twist, and try to find a way to piece it all together. All of your expectations up to the climax have been subverted, and you’re left to do the work of figuring out how to make sense of what you’ve seen (or not, of course - perhaps you leave the theater without ever thinking about it again). 

Done well, this twist can be incredibly powerful because it invites interaction from the audience even after the story is finished. The twist introduces new questions that it doesn’t answer, and conversation can spring up around finding solutions for it -- either within the text itself, or contemplating it in a larger context. Done well, a Shyamalan twist can lead the audience toward introspection and create a haunting effect. 

Done poorly, of course, it can feel cheap, cheesy, unearned, or just downright stupid. That’s the greatest risk of the Shyamalan twist -- it can leave the audience thinking, “Who cares?” 

Of course, Shyamalan didn’t invent this sort of twist -- it’s just what he’s best known for -- and there are tons of other examples out in the wild. Here are a few to consider: 

The Twilight Zone -- When I’ve delivered this talk before (if you can call “rambling about movies to my coworker” a talk), it’s been pointed out that this twist was really codified first by The Twilight Zone, and I should really call it a Serling twist. Well, I’m not doing that for two reasons. One, because Serling never tried to draw a direct parallel between himself and Hitchcock, so Shyamalan is really inviting himself to this discussion. Two, because The Twilight Zone uses the formula a little bit differently. 

First, not every Twilight Zone episode had a twist ending (although the most famous ones did, probably for the reason I mention above -- people like to talk about surprise endings, and they stick in the memory). But more importantly, the twists were the story. The sci-fi/horror shorts were structured like jokes where the twist was the punchline, often crafted to deliver a particular message or parable. Most of the episode existed to set up the twist, with little time spent on extraneous plot and character development. Thus, Twilight Zone stories are more clever than shocking. Still, they are a treasure trove of storytelling to study, and they make for a wonderful compare/contrast with Shyamalan’s films. 

Other notable Shyamalan-style twists: 

Fight Club, where we learn that Tyler Durden is not real, but rather the alter-ego of the seemingly meek and unnamed narrator. 

Memento, where we learn that the film’s core mystery has been solved numerous times, only to be forgotten -- and that the main character is being manipulated every step of the way. 

Orphan, where we learn that the titular orphan with homicidal tendencies is in fact a grown woman with a peculiar form of dwarfism who is manipulating the families who adopt her. (the movie is better than that plot synopsis makes it sound, I promise)

In Hide and Seek, we learn that the little girl’s evil imaginary friend (at times implied to be a ghost) is in fact her father’s alternate personality. 

There are, of course, lots more. There are also some near-misses. For example, despite its bleak “gotcha”, the ending of The Mist -- where the main character mercifully kills his fellow survivors before running out of bullets to use on himself, only to find that help was just around the corner -- doesn’t quite count. It’s a shocking and heart-wrenching twist, but it doesn’t fully redefine the film that came before it. 

Pros to the Shyamalan Twist: 

Gives your audience something to think about long after they walk away, generating discussion and hopefully that haunted “I need a minute” feeling to process the story.

Invites a second watch/read in order to pick up the clues and pieces and see how the story unfolds differently after you know the ending.

Cons to the Shyamalan Twist: 

Can feel cheap or un-earned if the twist makes the events of the film no longer seem to matter (eg, “it was all a dream!”) 

Often ends up relying on ableist mental health tropes (split personality, escaped lunatic, etc etc.), so please do something new with it 

Can completely fall apart if the ending is spoiled ahead of time, making it difficult to succeed in a post-internet environment. 

All in all, the Shyamalan Twist can be a powerful storytelling tool, but it can also fall flat on its face. The thing that will make it succeed is if the other elements of the story, especially the characters, are compelling enough on their own to make the reader want to know more. 

A Hitchcock Twist occurs early in the film and changes the rules of what you’re watching

A primary characteristic of the Hitchcock twist is that it happens early in the story -- about 1/3rd to 1/2 of the of the way through. It sets up a premise, invites you to get invested in the characters and their situation, and then pulls the rug out from under you by dramatically changing the movie into a different type of story altogether. 

For example: 

In Psycho, the first 47 minutes of the 109-minute movie are all about Marion Crane, a woman who steals money from her job and skips town before ending up at a seedy roadside motel. These 47 minutes spend a lot of time building Marion’s character and setting up what could be a crime thriller...until she is abruptly and violently murdered, and the narrative shifts over to the killer. 

In The Birds, a socialite and a lawyer spend almost half the movie developing a relationship, from their meet-cute to the ensuing quasi-romantic stalking, the weekend getaway, meeting the locals, befriending the family, attending a party. It honestly feels like a romance (with a few creepy details) right up until a flock of birds starts attacking party-goers. 

In Vertigo, the main character is a retired police officer turned private investigator who is hired to spy on a man’s wife, only to fall in love with her, a situation made complicated by her apparent madness and/or possession by a dead ancestor. This madness drives her to commit suicide. Except then the movie keeps going, and we discover that everything up to that point (2/3rds of the film) was actually a complex setup to disguise a murder...a revelation that honestly takes a backseat to Scottie’s newfangled, creepy obsession with the not-actually-dead girl of his dreams, which then ends in a new murder. It’s a convoluted story that’s much easier to watch than to explain, but it’s a wild ride from beginning to end. 

What do all of these Hitchcock films have in common? They set up one storyline, spending lots of time developing the characters and progressing the plot, only to take an extremely sharp turn. Some might argue that Hitchcock thrillers are just very slow burn, taking their time to luxuriously build up to a crescendo, but I think it goes deeper than that -- some of these movies abruptly change genre. 

In no instance is this as self-evident as in The Birds. The effect of watching it is akin to what might happen if you made a Lifetime movie and then halfway through the zombie apocalypse just happened to take place. It’s brilliant, and it replicates the feeling of real life horror -- where bad things happen suddenly and unexpectedly to ruin your everyday life -- better than any other storytelling device. 

Hitchcock is the master of this type of plot, but there are other stories that employ a similar technique: 

Gone Girl introduces us to a man whose wife has gone missing, and spends a lot of time building up their relationship history and casting doubt on him, so that we begin to suspect that he’s a murderer...only to learn, quite abruptly, that not only is his wife still alive, but she’s the one who set this whole thing up. It’s masterfully done, and the twist occurs about halfway through, giving us plenty of opportunity to see the marriage turn into a real cat-and-mouse game between two equally awful people. 

You’re Next sets up a pretty standard home invasion premise, but it goes sideways when one of the guests begins to fight back. Brilliantly, this is a twist not just for us but for the people in the film -- it’s a turn of events that ruins the evil scheme, where the whole invasion was a setup and many fewer people were meant to die. 

Hereditary lays down all the foundation for the little girl to be supernaturally creepy, the driver of whatever badness the film has in store...right up to the moment of her death. (The film then double-helixes with a Shyamalan twist ending, just for good measure) 

Million Dollar Baby seems at the outset to be an underdog sports film, right up to the point where it actually becomes a treatise on assisted suicide (among other things). 

Interestingly, the Hitchcock Twist finds a home in dramas as much or perhaps more often than in mainstream horror. The reason for this is probably because the twist demands strong characterization, and that sort of lengthy, nuanced character study isn’t as common in genre fiction. This, by extension, means that genre stories that do successfully deliver this kind of twist are often better received by mainstream critics. 

For example, look at Game of Thrones. Ned Stark’s death is absolutely a Hitchcock Twist. At the outset, an audience has certain expectations for how an epic fantasy is supposed to play out -- and brutally killing the main character and ripping apart his family as a “reward” for acting noble is definitely not it. This subversion of expectations is one of many reasons the story resonates so far beyond the usual bounds of fantasy fandom. 

Pros to the Hitchcock Twist: 

Done well, it can make your story feel more literary and/or transgressive, providing cross-genre appeal for audiences who might not normally see or respect your type of work. 

It keeps the audience on their toes by subverting their most crucial expectations; once you pull the rug out from under them, anything can happen! 

Cons to the Hitchcock Twist: 

It can lose the trust of your audience, who may not want to follow you around the bend and might feel betrayed or confused by the sudden shift in expectations. 

It’s tough to market because there is almost nothing you can say about the story that will appeal to the target audience without also giving away the twist. 

It requires a lot of skill with characterization to make up for the slower pace of the plot. 

If there’s one thing that both Hitchcock and Shyamalan twists have in common -- and one take-away I want you to keep -- it’s that successful twists rely on strong characterization. You absolutely must write good, believable, compelling characters first and foremost, or the audience isn’t going to care what happens to them, no matter how twisty those events may be. 

And one final caveat: You can really only afford a couple of major twists per story. You can double up, offering both a Hitchcock and a Shyamalan twist in a single story (see above re: Hereditary), but it’s extremely tough to pull off and can make your audience confused and even downright angry if you fail. 

What are your favorite movie twists? Reblog and tell me all about them! 

And if you enjoy this content, please consider leaving a tip in my tip jar:  Ko-fi.com/A57355UN

#writing advice #horror #horror movies #how to write horror #m night shyamalan #alfred hitchcock #long post #please reblog this #I spent like 3 hours writing it

[gothamdetected-a]

an idiots guide to gotham.

sim, i hear you say, what the hell are you doing? it’s gotham. everyone knows gotham. batman’s hometown. arkham asylum. what more is there to know?

surprisingly, a lot. 

for example, did you know that the it has been described as "Manhattan below Fourteenth Street at eleven minutes past midnight on the coldest night in November." which i think is one of the coolest descriptions of an aesthetic ever. thanks dennis. anyway, there’s a lot more to this city and it’s mad confusing history than first meets the eye, so in true sim fashion, i’m here to whoop dc into shape and attempt to make sense of it all. in the immortal words of coldplay “oh take me back to the start.”

as a geography nerd, i’d like to begin way way back. like continent forming era. star wars’ a long long time ago has got nothing on this. because really, why is gotham so plagued with crime and corruption? why is it perpetually cloudy and gloomy and dark? why is this tiny patch of american coastline continually the stage for insane events while everywhere else around it seems perfectly fine and chilling. 

it’s because of cthulu. 

well, kind of. seriously. apparently trapped beneath the actual earth of gotham is a lovecraftian-esque being who’s been chilling for 40,000 years. yeah, bet you didn’t know that. it even takes to calling itself “doctor gotham” after long enough, but that might just be a writer taking the piss out of dr manhattan, which honestly, im here for. so there’s some ancient slumbering god just poisoning what will become gotham, with it’s “evil essence” or whatever. there is a native american tribe who lives in the area - the miagani. in a croatoan-like fashion, they mysteriously disappear one day: no one knows exactly what happened to them, but there’s speculation of black magic and an insane shaman who goes all caesar on them and tries to develop a tyrannical rule, but they seal him in a cave and flee only to be slaughtered by a neighbouring tribe/a mysterious natural disaster. already this place is giving off the Not Good Vibes.    

some time later a bunch of colonists arrive, one of whom is named hiriam arkham. he tries to build a chapel, but it ends up being the site of a murder and so that idea is abandoned. the colonists later accidentally open the cave and release Deacon Blackfire (nasty shaman man), who is fairly immortal, definitely a shithead, and also becomes a batman adversary and a black lantern corp member/zombie in a few hundred years. fun. the colonists are never seen again. wonder what happened there.   

so the ground keeps being corrupted and drawing the nasties to it. one of these nasties is a norwegian mercenary, captain jon logerquist, who lands there circa 1635 with his crew, feels the heeby jeebies vibe and goes ah yes. this is where i shall settle. utter weirdo. so suddenly we have a city being formed - you guessed it, gotham city, also known simply as gotham. and everything is fairly chill for a while. the city is known to be a hideout for ruffians and smugglers, has a fairly higher proportion of stabbings and burglaries, but other than it being a bit of a lawless wasteland, it’s not, you know, any stranger than other pre-civil war american towns. at some point war for independence ( 1775–1783 ) rolls through, and there’s a fairly large battle that is long and bloody and doesn’t look like is going to be won so the founding fathers decide to do something extra stupid, and summon a bat-demon. yes, literally, a bat-demon. that they think will help them turn the tides of the battle. instead they realise it can’t be controlled, panic a bit, and end up trapping it beneath gotham, nice and snuggled next to fucking cthulu’s cousin. so gotham is now especially Cursed, and also starts gathering a large number of bat colonies in it’s underground cave system, because they’re all coming to worship this demon thing or w/e. 

next step is the civil war ( 1861-1865 ), and this is the first time we get a cobblepot in town - colonel nathan cobblepot to be precise. a couple of generations happen, and the town is growing into a city - at this point five of the families truly “found” gotham as a metropolitan and industrial hub, building bridges to connect the islands and forging the path to gotham as it is today. these five families are the cobblepots, the elliots, the crownes, the kanes and the waynes. these eventually become known as gotham’s oldest lineages, and it’s wealthiest, forming the future of gotham high society. however the cobblepots eventually end with penguin, and thomas elliot gets salty and becomes hush ,and the kanes and waynes decide to start dressing up as bats so it’s more like a cautionary tale than anything. 

around this time (1870), ra’s al ghul builds wonder city beneath gotham’s old town, and around a naturally occurring lazarus pit under the city. wonder tower becomes a spectacle of the gotham skyline, their equivalent to the empire state or big ben. eventually the project is abandoned, especially after mysterious disappearances, rumours of madness and strange sounds of rioting emerging from the nearly completed project. also occurring in this decade is the conversion of arkham manor into the elizabeth arkham sanatorium (which would later become arkham asylum) under the then heir, amadeus arkham. elizabeth commits suicide, a serial killer murders the rest of the family, save amadeus, who then goes mad and begins dabbling in the occult and experimenting on patients, eventually becoming one himself. despite all this, arkham asylum remains open, setting the scene for this to be one of the most tragic and fucked up buildings in america. 

another generation goes by and the wayne family produces solomon wayne, who will eventually become an incredibly important figure to gotham, partly because he is a judge and has a courthouse named after him and all that, but mostly because solomon wayne is the man who hires cyrus pinkney. who? you ask. literally the man responsible for gotham’s fucked up architecture. solomon wayne commissions him to create what he calls “gotham style” around 1890, and pinkney, heavily influenced by both cubist/surrealist design and the gothic revival, is the bastard who ensures everything has a gargoyle slapped on it and that gotham cathedral could literally be home to dracula. every inch of the city is covered in hidden meanings and mysticism, because, if you haven’t already guessed, pinkney was a bit nuts, but solomon wayne seems mighty pleased by this and it does actually boost gotham’s industry and cause people to relocate to it from the surrounding area. pinkney’s final piece de resistance is the statue the lady of gotham (officially named Justice opens her eyes to the world ) in the gotham harbour, yet another new york parallel. 

however as a result of booming capitalism and continued gentrification, gotham develops extreme poverty, with several areas of the city, specifically around the docks, the bowery and the narrows, becoming slums. crime levels continue to rise, and many writers take inspiration from chicago and new york mobs in the 30′s and 40′s, drawing parallels and creating organised crime, mafias and gangs. families like the maronis, falcones and thornes begin to take over the city, shaking down businesses for “protection” developing protsitution and drug running rings, importing weapons etc. gotham becomes seen nationally as a dark foreboding metropolis, where the ultra-rich one percenters drink champagne in their ivory towers while the poor of the city suffer and die. city planners also take this opportunity to go absolutely nuts, and build bomb shelters, underground highways, crazy sewer systems, you name it. after all, no one cares right? it’s gotham. by the time the cold war comes to a head, the city is literally riddled with layers of alleys and tunnels and walkways, all over burdened by the watchful eyes of giant bronze statues and stone grotesques.

then, thomas and martha wayne appear, and really start trying to change the city. they develop philantrophic interests, help to create the monorail, encourage the other wealthy elite of the city to care about the rotting corpse of gotham. change is slow, but it happens. the city starts to brighten up, vaguely, and the waynes become heralded as gotham’s saviours, becoming more than a household name. of course, they get shot, in an alleyway, by joe chill, and that same night batman is born. it takes him like 20 years to actually appear in the city, but boy when he does appear, he goes ham. this isn’t a batman meta tho, so i’ll keep it light on his backstory and involvement. 

batman tackles corruption in the city, purging the gcpd, bringing criminals to justice etc, all while bruce wayne makes his lauded return and begins trying to change things in the same way that his parents did - investing in the city, creating public services, developing grass roots projects in the worst affected areas of gotham. however, this city is quite literally Cursed and it all goes very wrong very quickly. 

first, ra’s al ghul unleashes the clench (also known as Ebola Gulf A virus) into gotham high society, and through the contagion storyline, a LOT of gothamites die. i think it’s like 40% but don’t quote me on that. the whole city is quarantined, but batman manages to save the day! hooray! wrong. the second disaster happens in the cataclysm arc - a 7.6 richter earthquake (although in my professional opinion this should probably be measured using the mercalli scale because you have to take into account the density of population etc in the area, but whatever, dc don’t study earthquakes like i do :/). as a result of these two events happening literally within months of each other, the entire city is declared a “no man’s land” by the US government. most civilians are evacuated, it is cut off from the mainland by destroying bridges and creating a military blockade and left to literally rot. no central government is applicable, no services are available, and very quickly gangs take over, carving up the city between them. imagine the purge but never ending. that’s gotham. huntress and oracle and the remaining scraps of the gcpd try to keep some kind of order, while bruce fucks off to petition the government into not being dicks and fixing the city rather than abandoning it.  eventually, he comes back, batman battles a lot of people, luthor donates enough money to save the city and gotham is rebuilt and repatriated as part of the us. 

then the next big events include: 

• henri ducard as ra’s al ghul tries to cover the city in fear toxin after teaming up with scarecrow. the narrows is especially targeted. 

• steph accidentally starts a gang war after going through batman’s stuff unsupervised. for a while black mask rules gotham.

• hugo strange convinces the gotham city council to let him have old gotham, which he converts into arkham city. eventually wonder tower explodes and the “city” is shut down, cut off from the rest of gotham. 

• scarecrow successfully releases his fear toxin over gotham via the cloudburst system. most civilians have already been evacuated, but the city is thrown into ruin and chaos.   

these are just the biggest points though, and the ones which help to tie film, comics and games together. my favourite part of gotham i haven’t even talked about yet. but i’m gonna. here we go. 

gotham is chronologically removed. 

obviously time progresses there, but there is a immense sense of timelessness. gotham does not move on with the rest of the world. there’s a huge mash of different eras and styles. there are airships in the sky and maglev monorails on the ground, people use typewriters alongside touch screen laptops, buildings are either twisted gothic nightmares or glistening modern skyscrapers. the time frame that should be obvious from the setting is completely ambiguous. and it’s brilliant, because really it means that the time is not important. it could be set anywhere, anywhen. gotham looks almost the same in the 40s as it does in 2020, and it means that batman and these events can be slotted into pretty much any decade. batman can be born in 1939 or 1969 or 1999 and it still all works. it’s a mash up of modern expressionism and constructivism and art deco and gothic revival and surrealism and space-age futurism and industrialism and honest to god i could literally talk about this all day. but i mustnt so i shall stop now.  

basically the tldr here is that i have a fetish for urban decay, gotham was fucked from day 1 due to some bullshit evil god beneath it, and literally house prices must be so low, because who the hell would want to live there. 

#my metas get longer with every day #long post / #\system\directory\hidden.txt ›› META

[naturalhairhairgrowth]

Are You Awake YET???

What you are about to read is based on facts that can be proven, not opinion. Look around the world at all that's going on. There's the world-wide coronavirus pandemic, locust invasions in several countries, other insect and bat invasions, food shortages, natural disasters all over the world, protests and riots, rumors of wars, collapsing of the dollar, etc. etc.. Do people seriously believe all this is just a coincidence, that things are going to get all better and be back to normal? Are that many people really asleep? Well, with the powers that be, the elite, controlling the world and working hard to put the masses to sleep, it’s no wonder. Everything you see in the media is to keep your focus on vanity, celebrities, wealth, violence, explicit sexual content, homosexuality, lying, fighting, brainless foolish nonsense, to force inappropriate and unacceptable ideas in your mind, to make you think they are all okay. And the majority love it and eat it all up.

The media also mocks Jesus Christ and being a Christian. Men have formed religions which are traditions of men, not GOD; confusing you and making you not very interested in Jesus at all. Have you ever wondered why it’s always Jesus that’s being attacked? Why not all the hundreds of religions out there? It’s because they know where the Truth is, and that is Jesus Christ. Remember that woman who broke open a very expensive bottle of precious oil and poured it on Jesus’ head before His death, because He and only He is worthy. (Matthew 26:6-13 KJV). You can’t run this world without worshiping the devil, he is the one that gave the elite their power and wealth. We can see that clearly when the devil tried to do the very same to Jesus Christ in Matthew 4:8-10 KJV.. ”Again, the devil taketh (took) him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth (showed) him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto (said to) him, All these things will I give thee (you), if thou wilt (you will) fall down and worship me. Then saith (said) Jesus unto (to) him, Get thee hence (go from here), Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt (you will) worship the Lord thy (your) God, and him only shalt thou (will you) serve.” The devil doesn’t want you to make it into Heaven because he’s not going to Heaven, he doesn't want you to know that to get there you MUST accept Jesus Christ as your Sacrifice (The payment for sin), that Jesus loves you so much that He died to take away your sins, that you can be forgiven of all sins, and that you MUST be baptized in water (full body immersion, not sprinkled, etc.) and receive the Holy Spirit, repent, turn from sin, obey GOD and Jesus, and walk in the ways of Jesus to enter Heaven.

So when you look around and see a corrupt world dealing with such disasters and fatalities, that’s because it’s a lawless world who doesn't choose the ways of GOD. The majority don’t know GOD, don’t follow HIM, and sadly do not care. They are more focused on themselves and this temporary life, just as they have been brainwashed by the media to be. So let’s take a closer look at all that’s going on now, and see how the Holy Bible already prophesied these things thousands of years ago, letting us know these things would happen and why.

Coronavirus (Pestilence), Locusts, and Food Shortages (Famine)

The coronavirus was started in Wuhan, China, supposedly in a wet market where tons of unclean food is sold. In the Holy Bible, GOD lets us know in Leviticus 11, which animals are clean and may be eaten, and which animals are unclean and cannot be eaten. Not only are we commanded not to eat them, but we are commanded not to even touch their dead carcasses. These animals can clearly carry diseases which can harm humans, so it’s not hard to see how this coronavirus pestilence got started if people are eating unclean animals. Even if this virus was planned in a lab, you cannot create something out of nothing, the disease still has to be taken from an unclean animal, etc. Not only were they doing this but also torturing the animals, eating them alive, persecuting the few Christians in China, worshiping false idols and false gods, etc. And well, sins against GOD do not go unpunished; no matter what nation. The majority of people in the world don’t truly obey GOD, even if they have HIS Name on their lips.

In 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 KJV, GOD says, "If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." Just as this scripture says, right now we see pestilences (the coronavirus and even ebola again), locusts, which are eating up all the crops in several countries, and famine, food shortages happening. So clearly this is a punishment allowed upon the wicked. But will they turn to GOD and obey HIM? Doesn't look like the majority are. So be ready to see greater tribulation as the bible also lets us know is soon coming in Matthew 24 KJV. It’s time to know you must accept Jesus Christ as your Sacrifice, be baptized in water (full body immersion, not sprinkled, etc.) and receive the Holy Spirit, repent, turn from sin, obey GOD and Jesus Christ, and walk in His ways just as scripture says, if you expect to enter Heaven.

Collapse of the Dollar, Mark of the Beast (Micro-Chip Implant), Worship of the Beast (Sunday Worship Law), One World Order (Antichrist)

Now when you walk in stores you can actually see signs stating there is a “coin shortage”. One and five dollar bills will soon follow. The government has been talking about the collapse of the dollar for years, and the coronavirus was their perfect opportunity to do just that. There is no “coin shortage”, they want to enforce their microchip technology on us, the new currency, a chip implant which goes in your right hand or forehead, in which you cannot buy or sell unless you have! The bible already let us know this would happen. “And he causeth (causes) all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save (except) he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.“ Revelation 13:16-17 KJV.

This sounds all too familiar, as that scripture above stated, the Antichrist will try to cause all to worship him, and now the Pope is trying to enforce a mandatory Sunday worship law. So be sure you are reading the Holy Bible and know GOD commands us to keep the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath which is Saturday, not Sunday! You should know and be living in obedience to all of GOD’s commandments, they are for your own good! Don’t end up following the Antichrist to the lake of fire to burn for eternity by following traditions of men, rather than GOD. Jesus lets us know in Matthew 24:24 KJV “For there shall (will) arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew (will show) great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall (will) deceive the very elect.”

If you don't already know, if you worship the beast and take his mark that allows you to buy and sell in this world, the following WILL happen to you!.. "..If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” Revelation 14:9-11 KJV

The governments are working together behind the scenes to create a One World Order; One World Religion (bringing all religions together, because they are all false anyway and they know it), One World Leader (the Antichrist), and One World Currency (the Micro-Chip Implant). These things are not secret, just do the research.

So, Are You Awake Yet?

We are living in the end times, as the bible clearly lets us know in Matthew 24. As verses 6-8 state.. “And ye shall (you will) hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye (you) be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall (will) be famines (food shortages), and pestilences (viruses), and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” Do you not see all these things happening? So, don’t be like the many sleeping and ignorant who have no clue what’s going on in this world, especially when this was all prophesied thousands of years ago that these things would happen, and you have access to the Truth right there in the Holy Bible.

At this point it just makes no sense for anyone not to believe in the word of GOD. The bible is literally unfolding right before your very eyes. Oh how the devil deceives and blinds the eyes of people. What we all need to be doing is seeking GOD and Jesus Christ more than ever! The Holy Bible does not only tell us about these things, but that after the tribulation which is soon approaching us, that Jesus Christ will be returning to destroy this wicked world and take His children to the Kingdom of GOD to live in perfect happiness for eternity. So what do you need to do to secure your place there, and not end up burning in the lake of fire for eternity with the evil deceiver (satan) who is working through men and running this world right now? You must accept Jesus Christ as your Sacrifice, be baptized in water (full body immersion, not sprinkled, etc.) and receive the Holy Spirit, repent, turn from sin, obey GOD and Jesus Christ, and walk in His ways to enter Heaven. It’s time to put your focus in eternal life, read the bible, and research what’s really going on in this world. We are in a spiritual battle, all is a manifestation of evil spirits and satan at work, and they have been plotting against you since before you were born, to keep you away from Jesus Christ and receiving Salvation.

#end times #last days #Jesus is coming soon #repent #Jesus #Jesus Christ #GOD #Christians #Christian #antichrist #mark of the beast #pope #catholic #religion #truth #the truth #coronavirus #covid19 #covid-19 #new world order #one world order #nwo #microchip technology #coin shortage #collapse dollar

[magaprima]

Part 3 Episode 8

Wait SABRINA IS TRAPPED IN THE STONE IN BETWEEN LILITH AND LUCIFER. PARENT VIBES AGAIN?? LIKE GO TO HELL LUICIFER, BUT I’M HERE PARENT VIBES FROM LILITH. So they’ve all be trapped there decades apparently? And Sabrina has gone back in time to save herself? Wait, they’re stuck in a loop? Wait, what’s HAPPENING???

So lots of time has passed and now Sabrina is free she’s finding hell in chaos, because in the story at the beginning we’re told the Pagans fought off caliban an took over earth for themselves and everyone is dead?

Hell was invaded by the archangel michael and all the devils are gone and everything’s gone to shit and Sabrina is walking around where everyone is fucking dead, including Salem. 

But not Ambrose he managed to make a safe haven out of the Kinkle mines. He still has the time egg so we might be able to undo all this I think

Ooh big confrontation with Blackwood, but I’m less enthused about this episode because Lilith, Zelda, Hilda aren’t alive at this point, so it’s just Sabrina fighting alone and I always find that less entertaining for me.

And now Blackwood has snapped the necks of Sabrina and Ambrose but oh no he’s not he’s trapped in a dream by Batibat because Sabrina released her on him. Nice tactic

So Sabrina has done a Back to the Future and is warning everyone to fuck off quickly before Blackwood arrives

Also Sabrina is realising Hell is pulling her away from what matters so maybe Lilith’s unborn child shall rule unchallenged? That would be nice

Zelda has been saved and has woke up and apparently has the answer to everything. But Hilda hasn’t resurrected from the Cain Pit and Zelda is insistent because she’s seen the future and knows Hilda lives

EVERYONE IS AROUND THE CAIN PIT CALLING ON THE TRIPLE GODDESS AND IS SAYING THAT SATAN IS A LESSER GOD, THAT THE TRIPLE GODDESS IS THE ULTIMATE DEITY OMG YES. wait, hang on zelda, Lilith told you Satan wasn’t a God. So don’t say this is new info. Yep, they’re calling on Hecate, the ultimate of Witch Goddesses. I am loving this scene because it’s the magic I was raised with and I am LIVING for it. 

Zelda is asking for powers from Hecate rather than from Satan! OMFG she’s game changing. I am loving this because it’s saying witches were blinded by Satan’s trickery and promises and turned their back on Hecate, the original one to give them power and I am just YES I AM HERE FOR THIS. I think even Lilith is here for this, especially as I headcanoned that my Lilith got her powers from Hecate and not Satan, so this fits in VERY nicely with my headcanon theories

Sabrina is defending Ms Wardwell about the shooting Zelda thing, so I think she presumes that Lucifer was involved, 

THEY’RE PUTTING ALL OF GREENDALE UNDER A SLUMBER SPELL LIKE FREAKING SLEEPING BEAUTY

So Robin has brought Mary to the Pagans for the sacrifice, but I suspect, since he was just with Sabrina etc, this is all a trick

Mary is calling out a lot of religious christian stuff much like the scottish policeman did in the Wicker Man. I feel this is too much of a reference not to be on purpose. And now Mary is being eaten by the Green Man, absorbed. But I’m not buying any of this. I don’t think it’s really Mary

The Green Man is rotting because that ain’t no virgin. So it’s not Mary. Ah, it’s the disease and decay witch!!! Glamoured as Mary. And Sabrina wiped the real Mary of the memories she was given and the whispers she was given by Lucifer

Zelda sending everyone to drive every last Pagan Monster from the place. The coven are going crazy for it. Having a grand old time

Hilda has caught up with the woman who turned her into a spider and caused her to kill Dr C. So she’s made the poppet and she is going to torture the fuck out of her. You go, Hilda, you go! And then she snaps the bitch’s neck.

Omg, Prudence just full on killed the God Pan. Hardcore

The Aunts getting upset about Sabrina having to be Queen of Hell. 

OMG SABRINA HAS GONE AND SAVED HERSELF FROM THE TIME LOOP SO THERE’S TWO OF THEM. SHE’S GOING TO HAVE ONE IN HELL AND ONE ONE EARTH???

I feel this second power-hungry Sabrina is gonna be the daughter Lilith never had, haha. 

‘Lilith in your last act as Regent, will you prepare our young Queen?’ Last act as Regent, but definitely not last day in power. 

DR C IS ALIVE. HILDA DIDN’T MURDER HIM. SHE JUST COCOONED HIM. 

However, Dorcas and Agatha are both dead. Prudence found them butchered in a cupboard. The poor woman is broken and she thinks if she’d killed Blackwood instead of bringing it back none of this would have happened, which is true. NONE of it would have happened, because Lucifer couldn’t have jumped. She blames Ambrose because he’s the one that stopped her killing him

So now Zelda is running the Order of Hecate. And Mambo Marie says there’s a bigger evil coming and they need to prepare to fight it. Zelda just asks if that means she’sn staying and then they snog.

‘you’re the glory and pride of satan, the face of the hell bound hordes. Strike down your enemies by tooth and by claw, bathe your skin in their blood. Every Queen must be made battle ready, every girl must prepare for war. Gird your loins, let nothing touch you let no MAN hold power over you. And when they cry out for mercy, the Moringstar must show them none’ Lilith is telling Sabrina while she gets her ready for her coronation. This sounds more supportive than resentful and like she’s teaching her. I’m hoping this means that we are going to continue the Satanic Godmother role thing, especially as Lilith is getting her ready in a very gentle way. There’s definite maternal energy there which I HOPE gets explored

“Your crown and throne await you, first lady of pandemonium, maiden of shadows, behold the Queen, Sabrina Morningstar” Sabrina puts her hands on her shoulders there and it’s all touching and tactile and there’s definitely something supportive and familial there. And Lilith is carrying Sabrina’s sibling, so that does make them family officially now. Now THAT part I like.

But I do think having two Sabrinas is a major cop out from the writers. Also Lilith has way better hell fashion going on. And I don’t like the implication that this means we’re not going to have hell in the show anymore, which means we won’t have Lilith in the show anymore, especially as Sabrina openly said ‘we’ll never see them again. Lucifer, Lilith, Caliban....who needs them?’. Well, I need them. One of them. Bring them back.

 But then Sabrina has created a time paradox so shit will hit the fan hugely. So I imagine Lilith will have to sort shit out again. Ambrose is like what if the aunts find out but Sabrina says they never go to hell. He says what about Lucifer and she says he’s such a narcissist he won’t notice and then Ambrose has the killer argument

‘What about Lilith? Lilith notices EVERYTHING’. He’s not wrong. Sabrina even admits it

“Lilith could be a problem, yeah....”

So I presume that means Lilith is gonna be back

Sabrina 2 is being crowned and Lilith and Lucifer do look like parents waiting for her. But they kind of are, because this is secondary sabrina, she’s the Morningstar, not the Spellman so....? But Lilith is so going to notice this isn’t the usual Sabrina. Sabrina-obssessed with her mortal friends- Spellman spending 24/7 in Hell? Yeah Lilith is gonna click

And now Blackwood is doing something with Agatha and his kids, because Agatha apparently isn’t dead. Wait he’s summoning ELDRITCH HORRORS TO USE HIM AS THEIR VESSEL??????

the beginning of the end? The end of all things??? Right, Lilith, get that fucking mark off him right the hell now

#caos spoilers

[atopearth]

Shall we Date? Wizardess Heart Part 24 - Caesar Raphael Route

Ooh, so Caesar turns into a pig because the House of Baroque was cursed after they cursed the Prince into the labyrinth as their price for doing such a thing? Oh wow!! Caesar’s route starts off with his confession to the heroine already? That’s nice and different! I appreciate the idea of the guy confessing to the girl when she just likes him as a friend for now and then it progresses into something more. This sounds like it’ll be fun!

I found it rather forced that Zeus would be so adamant on knowing what the heroine knows about this criminal called Zett, or at least enough to cause such a ruckus and push the headmaster away leading him into accidentally kissing Caesar. I feel like it was pretty unnatural lol, but oh well, Caesar the piggy is always cute to see. As for Zett, I’m glad she realised that even if Caesar was talking with Zett, it doesn’t mean they’re collaborating on some evil plan just because he’s a criminal, and she didn’t expose it in front of others and instead wanted to ask him about it. Good that Caesar noticed and told everyone that he did know Zett. I’m not a fan of Caesar, but it’s hard to not soften up to a guy that would sacrifice himself and lie to the heroine just so she can run away and save herself without feeling like she’s abandoning him. I honestly didn’t expect Caesar to have such a saddening past, where he had actually been sold to a circus, mistreated everyday, starving and used for show material since he can turn into a pig. That’s where he met Zett huh? I guess you can see why they seemed so close and yet it didn’t seem like they were close either. They bond over a similar past that torments them… And I don’t think what Caesar did was that bad that it would totally break off their trust, he stole stuff as a child to survive etc, can’t blame him for wanting to live in circumstances he couldn’t control. He lied but it’s not like he did it all maliciously. Ohh yeah, he wants the star sapphire, that’s why it’s bad and he was probably going to run off with it or something lolol! Yeah okay, I think I can understand it now lol!

Kinda whatever right now with how everything is going, I don’t feel like I really care about Caesar anymore hahaha, it’s just so draggy about the whole “is he using me, does he really love me, do I love him” thing and I just don’t care anymore lol. Well, that was pretty dramatic, Caesar nearly turned into a little piggy forever because of his curse! Lucky Zett saved him somehow? Ooh, only a temporary solution, they still need the kiss of true love between them to cure the curse. Honestly though, at this point, with how concerned the heroine has been and how much she’s tried to protect him, I’m more sceptical about whether he truly loves her instead lol. Like, I feel like he of course really loves her, and that only increased with all the things she did for him, but in a sense, to me, it never really felt like a romantic love? Aaand, the curse (of completely turning into a pig) has lifted but he still turns into a pig with a kiss lolll, well yeah, that sounds really…uneventful lol.

Overall, I honestly thought it would be interesting because the guy confesses in the beginning, but in the end it felt like it served as an excuse that Caesar loved her already and so it only required her love to really develop. Which I guess it did, but I’m not sure why? Ever since the beginning, because he loved her, she was somehow more self sacrificing and did everything for him before she even “liked” him, and yet he was the one that supposedly loved her “more”. Yeah, I didn’t buy the romance and thought it was really meh, especially when Caesar “lies” but she never really thinks about it too much, she just goes whatever, and likes him anyway. I just feel like, everything was so based around shallow emotions without enough rationality, so she and, I guess he is also just liking each other because that’s how it is. I also wanted more of a background on the Baroque family and stuff, but instead the story focused on just the curse and having to have a kiss of true love to save them, yeah, I didn’t really care about that lol, so yeah, another disappointingly draggy route that I’m glad I’m done with!

#wizardess heart

[autumnslance]

A Lore Nerd’s Analysis of Oaths and Warriors of Light in D&D and FFXIV

This is @wearepaladin‘s fault. Kinda. Actually, I’ve been planning on doing something for awhile, and the idea began to solidify more in a r/ffxiv thread where someone asked “Anyone notice Dark Knight is more like a traditional Paladin lore wise?” My own comment can be found here, where I say I’ve been long thinking of the ways the Dark Knights and Paladins of Eorzea match up to the various Paladin Sacred Oaths of Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition. I figured I ought to expand on that sooner or later.

So yeah, “I’m your host LynMars/Dark Autumn, you can go below the cut for my TEDTalk on the Warrior of Light, Dark Knights, Paladins, and the Sacred Oaths of D&D 5e”:

Now, as a disclaimer, I have not completed the Paladin quest chains yet. I am nearly to the end of the original lvl 30-50 A Realm Reborn (ARR) chain, though, and since I usually don’t care too much about spoilers, already know what’s going to happen. Partially because I could easily guess and so just looked over the chain info. Anyway.

Paladin (PLD) is a traditional sword-and-shield wielding class of holy light users in Final Fantasy, like in most settings. In FFXIV, the primary group of paladins is the Sultansworn. As the class trainer, Captain Jenlyns Aesc, explains when you first approach him:

“A paladin swears allegiance to the sultanate. A paladin shall be the sword and shield of the sultanate. A paladin defends the people of the realm. Sellswords and gladiators and others of their ilk wield their blades for themselves, but a paladin serves the greater good. Do you understand me?

“The battle arts that the paladin learns have been held secret, nurtured, and perfected within the ranks of the Sultansworn elite for nigh on these six hundred years. Of all those sworn to protect the sultanate--the soldiers, the mounted guards, and the knights--we are the elite of the elite. Our conviction unwavering, our hearts true, our sword skills without peer.

“But the glory of the Sultansworn...Well, much of it is buried in the past now. Our brotherhood grows smaller by the year, we are a shadow of what we once were, and the sultana turns to sellswords to defend her palace. All this, because of one traitor--no, because of a blot of dishonor left by one who shall not be named...And because of him, we have been forced to seek the help of able-bodied adventurers.

“And here you are. We shall instruct you in the paladin military arts. You will not be inducted into the Sultansworn, but serve as a free paladin. However, first you will show us that both your sword and heart have mettle, and you are worthy of the honor.”

So how does this relate to the best-known traditional tabletop RPG? In 5th edition (5e), the traditional classes are handled a little differently than before. To add customization, early in leveling (mostly lvl 3, though a few classes start off right at lvl 1), players can choose a type of their class they want to be; what Bard College they study, what Cleric Domain they know, what Druid Circle they are attuned to, etc. For paladins, they choose a Sacred Oath to swear. This gives them their moral code to follow in the service of their deity or ideal that grants them their divine abilities, while also loosening some of the constraints of the old alignment system, and gives both players and game masters a framework for what the paladin’s behavior should follow, lest they stray and lose their divine favor.

The Sultansworn would fit best into the Oath of the Crown:

Law: The law is paramount. It is the mortar that holds the stones of civilization together, and it must be respected. Loyalty: Your word is your bond. Without loyalty, oaths and laws are meaningless. Courage: You must be willing to do what needs to be done for the sake of order, even in the face of overwhelming odds. If you don't act, then who will? Responsibility: You must deal with the consequences of your actions, and you are responsible for fulfilling your duties and obligations.

This oath is for those paladins “sworn to the ideals of civilization, be it the spirit of a nation, fealty to a sovereign, or service to a deity of law and rulership.” (Sword Coast Adventurer Guide, pg 132). As the name implies, the Sultansworn are dedicated to Ul’dah and the Sultan(a) sitting on the throne. As the Sultansworn train free paladins, however, the Oath of the Crown doesn’t apply. A free paladin, Solkzagyl Keltnaglsyn, challenges the player:

“Simply learning paladin swordplay does not make you a paladin--nor does the armor you wear, or the status you claim...Strike off the shackles that bind your spirit, lift the visor that blinds, and find the true path of the paladin.”

Free paladins would fit better under the more traditional Oath of Devotion, from the Player’s Handbook (PHB):

Honesty: Don't lie or cheat. Let your word be your promise. Courage: Never fear to act, though caution is wise. Compassion: Aid others, protect the weak, and punish those who threaten them. Show mercy to your foes, but temper it with wisdom. Honor: Treat others with fairness, and let your honorable deeds be an example to them. Do as much good as possible while causing the least amount of harm. Duty: Be responsible for your actions and their consequences, protect those entrusted to your care, and obey those who have just authority over you.

All the things the Sultansworn strive for, but without the strictures of devoted service to the sultanate. The Knights of Ishgard (often called Temple Knights if part of their military), though not called paladins in game, can also fall into one of these two oaths. In fact, let’s turn to the Holy See of Ishgard now...

(Aside: “But LynMars,” you might say. “My Warrior of Light doesn’t fit either of those Oaths.” Hold that thought for the end, fam.)

So where do Dark Knights fit in? Why consider them “paladins” in all but name?

Dark Knights (DRK) are from Ishgard, like the Temple Knights; most knights of the Holy See should fit into Crown or Devotion, especially with the emphasis on the worship of Halone the Fury, one of Eorzea’s Twelve gods. But, sometimes...holy men aren’t so holy, especially when so many are younger sons sent to the Church because there’s just no other place for them in the noble household structure. When many are orphaned poor joining out of desperation--and finding they’re still given short shrift over their nobleborn brethren. When sometimes, those in power are corrupted by power, or were corrupted to begin with. What then?

I already have a post about the historical origins of Dark Knights in Eorzea, from the Encyclopaedia Eorzea lore book and the official website. In summary, a lowborn knight, Ser Tryphaniel, solid and true and everything a knight ought to be, saw a priest doing unspeakably evil things to a child. Tryphaniel killed the priest on the spot in rage, and as a result--and thanks to Tryphaniel’s unpopularity among the elite due to his staunch beliefs--the knight was stripped of his rank for killing a “holy man.” Tryphaniel gave up his shield, with its crest and symbology, and used only a great sword.

“A heart bleeds, a man weeps, a soul burns. Thence comes the darkness, to consume…Yet even in the depths, the flame endures…Submit to the flame and harness the abyss…” - Ser Ompagne Deepblack

The Dark Knights appear as heretical monsters to the pious of Ishgard. Their abilities are given names such as “Souleater”, “Abyssal Drain”, “Salted Earth,” “Bloodspiller”, “Shadow Wall,” “Living Dead.” They glow with red and black energy. Ser Tryphaniel decided to fight using “any means necessary” in his crusade to protect those the Church could/would not, the great swords of those few Dark Knights acting as beacons in the dark. Those he trained, those also disaffected by the Church and the corruption in its heart (the plot of Heavensward addresses that), followed in his bloody footsteps.

Dark Knights fit perfectly into the framework of the Oath of Vengeance:

Fight the Greater Evil: Faced with a choice of fighting sworn foes or combating a lesser evil, I choose the greater evil. No Mercy for the Wicked: Ordinary foes might win my mercy, but my sworn enemies do not. By Any Means Necessary: My qualms can't get in the way of exterminating my foes. Restitution: If my foes wreak ruin on the world, it is because I failed to stop them. I must help those harmed by their misdeeds.

This is still a paladin oath from the PHB. The Oath of Vengeance is described as “a solemn commitment to punish those who have committed a grievous sin.” The PHB even says Vengeance Paladins are “sometimes called avengers or dark knights--their own purity is not as important as delivering justice.”

“To walk the path is to suffer. To sacrifice. Justice demands no less. But we must never lose sight of why we chose to walk it.” - Sidurgu Orl

I rather like @castthemintotheabyss’ low-spoiler summaries of the DRK quest chains. Identity and duty to yourself vs others; family and justice vs vengeance and mercy; to guilt and grief and acceptance of self.

Dark Knights are considered “edge lords” and “emo” and “gothy” and sure, some of that is true to an extent! But this is a class where the capstone lvl 70 ability, “The Blackest Night”, is a protection cooldown based on love. The “flame in the abyss” is the love the DRK feels for those dearest to their heart, their friends and found family--that is what fuels their darkly named and appearing powers.

If you’ve done the DRK quests, and/or don’t mind some spoilers, I highly recommend @haillenarte‘s translations (part 1, part 2) of the original Japanese text for the ARR DRK quests; the English version is rather different, though I think there’s room for both interpretations of Fray to inform each other. I’m also eager to see translations of later quests in this chain (and how the Stormblood NPC matches up).

I also have a Dark Knight tag where I link some of these resources, thoughts, art, and summarize several of the DRK story quests to be minimally spoilery and showcase how the WoL progresses through the self-reflection these quest enforce (kinda amazing for a MMO, actually). I originally completed the lvl 30-70 quests between October-November 2017, if you check the archive.

“They say the war’s over now, but it never ends for people like you, does it?” - Lowdy

There is one more oath I would like to touch on, due to the unique nature of the player character--the Warrior of Light (WoL)--in ANY of the FFXIV jobs, and how the game’s canon generally tends to assume they’ll roughly behave:

Oath of the Ancients: Kindle the Light: Through your acts of mercy, kindness, and forgiveness, kindle the light of hope in the world, beating back despair. Shelter the Light: Where there is good, beauty, love, and laughter in the world, stand against the wickedness that would swallow it. Where life flourishes, stand against the forces that would render it barren. Preserve Your Own Light: Delight in song and laughter, in beauty and art. If you allow the light to die in your own heart, you can't preserve it in the world. Be the Light: Be a glorious beacon for all who live in despair. Let the light of your joy and courage shine forth in all your deeds.

I think FFXIV players see how it fits. In D&D 5e, the Oath of Ancients has naturalistic/Fey origins. The PHB describes Oath of the Ancients as:

“...paladins who swear this oath cast their lot with the side of the light in the cosmic struggle against darkness because they love the beautiful and life-giving things of the world, not necessarily because they believe in the principles of honor, courage, and justice.” (pg 86)

The WoL is Chosen of Hydaelyn, the World Crystal Herself. Certain enemies call them the “Bringer of Light.” To other NPCs in the storylines, they are the “Weapon of Light.”

If your Warrior of Light fits Crown, Devotion, or Vengeance, awesome! I hope you find some inspiration in roleplay and/or writing from seeing those oaths and how they can interact with the FFXIV lore. These aren’t even all of the Sacred Oaths, either! There are others out there, some official and some homebrew, and some even for evil characters (traditionally anti-paladins or blackguards).

A big part of me, though, feels like the Warriors of Light in general due to the storyline, are on the path set by the Oath of the Ancients; the WoL goes through the main story as a beacon for others, struggling to preserve the light in others, in themselves--and, in the case of the Dark Knights, in the depths of the abyss.

Still, it’s up to each player, and this is just some personal analysis on how the classes presented in FFXIV coincide with elements in D&D. In the end, it’s something that can be used, or not, as one likes (or not). I’ve just found the comparisons neat and wanted to get it down, and fate kept conspiring to push me to do that until I finally wrote all this. So thanks for reading my rambling on about nerdy things.

#Final Fantasy XIV #Dungeons & Dragons #D&D #Dark Knight #Paladin #Warrior of Light #minimal spoilers

[tiny-personal-university-thing]

Skincare and Other Ways to Live Your Best Life

Skincare 

So I've had a lot of improvement in the condition of my skin (in terms of the occasional hormonal acne, and hyperpigmentation that serves to remind me how wonderful my pre-teen and teenage years were), and I thought it would share it with you all my routine. 

Let me preface this by saying that I have tried everything for my skin. I’ve tried Proactive (which only really seemed to bleach my pillow cases), Tetracycline and Minocycline, all of the top of the line products from companies such as Peter Thomas Roth. I even went through all of the INTENSE steps to get on Accutane, only to find out that it doesn’t really do anything at all for hormonal acne and hyperpigmentation - and at that point the occasional cysts I would get were few and far in between *knocks on wood*. Long story short, you name it - I have tried it. 

However, I have recently become some what of a product junkie, and have a mildly elaborate skincare routine that is relatively inexpensive, and actually works. Since I fully believe in sharing the wealth, I thought I’d share.

Mornings

I start off by washing my face using Noxzema Classic Clean. Noxzema is a timeless product - something your parents or grandparents probably used back in the day. It is by far the cheapest face wash I have ever owned (about $3.99-$5.00 depending on the retailer). I found out about it through my ex-boyfriend’s mother - who actually recommended it to me to ease the pain of a sunburn, as it has a cooling effect. You can read more about Noxzema here

I then move on to toner. I use Witch Hazel. It’s incredibly soothing, gentle on the majority of skins (so don’t come for me), and again - pretty cheap. I have found that it retails for usually $3-$5, with more high end brands (perhaps with Rose Hips Oil) going for $6-$7. I have used Witch Hazel for years and I love it so much. Technically, you don’t need to use a toner, but since using it twice daily I have really seen a difference in my hyperpigmentation and the overall oil production on my face. You can read more about Witch Hazel and it’s benefits here I apply Witch Hazel to my face using cotton pads, making sure to use both sides of the cotton pad all over my face. 

Last, I use exactly 3 drops of Tea Tree Oil. As with most essential oils, you will probably want to dilute it with water, or even our good friend, Witch Hazel. Let me warn you now Tea Tree Oil is STRONG. Personally, I do not dilute it; however, you might want to at least build up a tolerance to it. Again, it is very strong - in smell and in potency. With this being said, I have used it every day for the past couple of months and have actually taken a strange liking to the smell! You definitely get used to it. Additionally, I have found that it doesn’t burn or irritate my skin, but use. your. best. judgement. Finally, Tea Tree Oil can be found cheap at many retailers. I purchase mine at Walmart for around $8 and the bottle will last me about a month and a half. You can read more on Tea Tree Oil here  I apply the Tea Tree Oil directly to my face, using my hands to massage it into my skin until I don’t feel the liquid anymore. I will say that Tea Tree Oil definitely does not feel like oil, that is to say that it doesn’t have the same consistency as something like coconut oil. 

I then proceed with my make up. 

Nights 

(Skip this step if you are not a make-up wearer) I begin by removing my make up with a make up remover. Currently, I am using Clinque’s Take the Day Off make up remover. It ranges between $10-$30 depending on if you buy it at Walmart or Ulta/Sephora. However, it is easily the best make up remover I have ever used. It actually takes it all off in one quick swipe. 

I move on to using Noxzema again to really make sure I get all of the make up off.

Next, I do one of two things. Every other day, I alternate between one of two products. The first product is a Dead Sea Minerals Clay Mask, which you can get for about $3-$5. I leave it on for about 10-15 minutes, and then remove it using Noxzema and my Panasonic, but you can totally just use your hands. On nights that I don’t use my clay mask, I will use this amazing new product that I was fortunate enough to receive a sample of from Sephora - it’s the AmorePacific Enzyme Peel. Now, this is a pricey item, I won’t lie to y’all. But it makes your skin feel - and I don’t say this often - like a baby’s butt. I alternate using it because for a tube of it, it ranges between $45-60. But again - wow. It really works so well. It is also apparently one of the best selling beauty products in Korea. And it doesn’t burn or dry my skin out. I am so in love with this stuff. It’s a powder that you put a couple drops of water in, work it into a paste, and massage into your skin for about a minute. Again, I really only do this at night and every other day because it costs a pretty penny. You can read more about Dead Sea Minerals Clay Masks here and the AmorePacific Enzyme Peel here. 

I then proceed with Witch Hazel. Again, I make sure to use both sides of the cotton pad.

Next, I use my Tea Tree Oil. This time I can use a couple more drops since I’m not really concerned with my face looking a little shiny or smelling like ... well Tea Tree Oil. It just makes my boyfriend crinkle his nose because I “smell like a koala.” 

FINALLY, I finish it off with a dime size (lol more like a nickle) portion of my Curology bottle! First of all, for those of you who don’t know about Curology - it is a personalized skin care product that you can purchase online. I was able to receive my first bottle for free (I only paid $4.95 in S&H), and received it in two weeks. Curology really easy, you can do it on your phone. Essentially, you will need to answer some questions about your skin type, what your concerns are, etc. And you will also need to upload pictures of your ENTIRE FACE WITHOUT MAKE UP. Here are the pictures I took for your reference. Curology also connects you with a skin care professional to answer all of your burning questions about how to use your Curology. It also comes in a precious little box that says “I was made for you,” and I found that to be incredibly endearing. For the second box, I paid $19.95ish. The bottles also last you for about 60 days, so for how well this product works + how much money it will save you in potential dermatologist appointments is so worth looking into. Again, you can get your first bottle for $4.95, so why not? 

Then I get my beauty sleep. 

Self-Care 

Especially if you have chronic pain, or stress/anxiety - I highly recommend the following:

Epsom Salt Baths - Personally, I like to pair my Epsom Salt baths with water that is pretty hot - almost too hot? But definitely know your limits on this one. I don’t want any of you passing out in your bathtub and turning into soup. Don’t put that evil on me, Ricky Bobby. 

For baths - while I am soaking in my warm water that reminds me of the pit of Hell from which I came, I enjoy watching Youtube series such as Ask a Mortician, Buzzfeed Unsolved, various beauty gurus, and a plethora of other subjects. What I am trying to say is - take your time in the tub. Really allow yourself to detox. 

For showers - pump up the jams, and get your inner Beyonce on. Nothing screams louder to me that something is off about me than whether or not I sing along to songs. If I notice that I am not singing to a bop I know the words to by heart, I stop for a second and ask myself what is bothering me.

You can also take some time to write down your thoughts in a lovely journal, doodle a bit, or look at aesthetically pleasing images which there are a plethora of on Tumblr. 

I also found out the other day that we have to physically help our lymphatic systems drain. An un-drained lymphatic system (so to speak) can lead to you not functioning the way you need to, and just not feeling up to anything. I highly recommend that you read up on your lymphatic system here. However, long story short - you can help your lymphatic system out by staying hydrated, alternating between hot and cold (like a hot bath and then a cold shower), practicing deep breathing, or going for a brisk walk. 

I also recommend drinking about a tea spoon of Apple Cider Vinegar twice a day. The benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar are numerous; however, here are some of the most significant ones: 

weight loss, reduced cholesterol, lower blood sugar levels and improved symptoms of diabetes

Additionally - and this is important - if you chose to incorporate Apple Cider Vinegar into your daily regiment, be SURE to purchase the one that says “with the Mother.” I don’t know who she is, but that is the kind you need! Without going into too much detail, it definitely keeps you -- regular, shall we say? Apple Cider Vinegar tastes, well, like sewer water some might say - so you may want to dilute it with water or juice. Also, because ACV is quite acidic, you may want to drink it through a straw so that you don’t end up completely toothless. I am currently consuming 1 tea spoon in the morning, and 1 tea spoon before bed!

Also, ACV is apparently a great alternative to Witch Hazel! 

It is also good to do little things that may make you feel good about yourself, like making your bed, painting your nails, letting your conditioner sit in your hair for a little longer, treating yourself every now and again, or maybe indulging in a little retail therapy.

Etc

Eliminate anyone from your life that makes you feel less than

Drink your water and take your meds

Make time for yourself. Do the things you love. You cannot just work, study, and go to class 24/7.

Don’t be afraid to invite people to go out.

Don’t be afraid to say no to people when you have to, this includes clubs, work, or hanging out with friends when you really need to eat, sleep, do some homework, get groceries, etc. 

Anyway, I hope that some of these prove to be helpful to y’all! I know I promised that this summer would be the summer of self-care until classes resume for the fall, and I haven’t posted as much as I promised. I do hope to be better about that. Feel free to message me with your favorite skin care/self care methods, or comment them below this post. Additionally, I hope it goes without saying that if you can’t use these methods for any reason - you won’t try them, and that I am obviously not a doctor and can’t give you medical advice. These are all just things that have worked for me this summer, and I have definitely seen improvement in my skin, body, and well-being. 

I hope everyone is enjoying their summers! 

#self care #studyblr #studyblr community #skin care #amorepacific #curology #apple cider vinegar #witch hazel #noxzema #summer self care #self care isnt selfish

[mysteryofhistorysblog]

by: Cesar Dela Cruz Karaniwan Jr./ John

10th of November 2020 "Love Your Enemies?" Part 6/7 (Extra Part) 😇

Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

Matthew 7.6

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💖 HalleluYAH! 💖

This blog/script is a Christian discussion of two Christian brothers of two beloved churches/ministries of God/Christ, brother Cesar Dela Cruz Karaniwan Jr. and Bro Jonathan, about "Loving Your Enemies:"

A dialogue of the two spiritual Christian brothers, which happened here on mighty FB too, just this morning, a purposed morning, as usual;

HalleluYAH! 💖

Their topic is simple but a great one that is:

"Should we give love to our fellows (any fellow human beings,) by forgiving them, and so by sharing the holy gospel of Christ/God to them also?"

Here, cherish, enjoy, have, and so learn (be truthfully edified) of the Spirit and of the written Word of God, in the truth of this very great/significant matter both about what God, the Lord Saviour himself, taught on earth in Jerusalem/Israel 2,000 years ago and about our own lives happening today! Amen.

Beloved brother Jonathan's post:

"Kung hindi natin kayang magbigay ng PAGIBIG sa kapwa natin wag na nating ipagsigawan na tagasunod tayo ng mahal na Panginnong JESUS. (4 am November 10, 2020)"

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In English: "If we cannot give LOVE to our fellow humans, then let us not shout out that we are followers of dear Lord JESUS. (4 am November 10, 2020)"

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Beloved brother Jonathan is also my dear friend here on FB: he may have read my true "bold rhetorics" towards Islam, particularly of this lunatic Ping Mustapha (my right side Islam apartment neighbour) and that recent post of beloved evangelist of JMCIM, Wilde E. Almeda, an endtime servant/prophet of God who went to Jolo, Sulu, Islam Mindanao, whose "peace mission" was succesful by the great power of the LORD JESUS CHRIST freeing all "kidnap-for-ransom" hostages and protecting all their lives from these "beheading extremist Islam beasts in Mindanao, animals in human flesh Abu Sayyaf, that might have gotten "no sleep" - posting around 4 am today; so I replied in the Spirit of truth:

My replies: (7.25 am, 10th of November 2020):

"May kapwa tao ang tao, na di talaga tao!" - hindi yon karapatdapat ng Ebanghelyo ng DIYOS, lalo pa PAGIBIG: Your leader, beloved evangelist/prophet, Wilde Almeda, LEARNED THE HARD WAY, and got PHYSICALLY RENDED by Abu Sayyaf (Muslim!) na HINDI NATIN kapwa tao! (kababayan pero HINDI KAPWA TAO - these are beheading beasts!) Pakinggan or basahin mo sana, sa bibig mismo ng beloved leader mo sa LORD: https://www.facebook.com/wildolivespubli… Must you learn the hard way too, to understand and accept truth? God forbid that, for you are a babe taking only milk from your JMCIM preachers/seers still. Amen. I know you'll get hurt with this message: Do not worry, this is my last text to you, for now, our dear Lord willing. Amen. You'll grow and learn someday if the Lord wills... Farewell for now, beloved... But thy brother is just a message away, here on FB, if ever your pastor/s can't give you suitable answers anymore in the Word. FORGET NOT to break bread and drink wine (the communion with the Lord) as often as possible. God bless thee. Amen. There is no need to argue/debate among brethren, especially the One God candlesticks. Amen; HalleluYAH! MATTHEW 7.6; ACTS 15.39 etc. Peace/Shalom 🌈💖😇

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Another follows after few minutes, by God's grace of truth:

There is a time for everything, a time for peace, and a time for war: We stand in our faith and Christian lives now! Do you neglect what the Muslims did to thy leader and brother? Put holiness (loving or giving your love,) accordingly: You cannot love HARMFUL INSANE Muslim dogs and pigs, like Muslims Abu Sayyaf and madman Ping Mustapha! For while you bless them and make peace with them, they fire bullets at you, and or throw punches at you! Surely I will NOT love beasts of Islam Mindanao, BUT I WILL SHOUT MORE I AM A FAITHFUL CHRISTIAN FOLLOWER OF MY LORD JESUS CHRIST, HalleluYAH! I will NOT be afraid, Amen. "For the FEARFUL, unbelieving, etc. shall have their part in the lake of fire!" Amen. I will stand and fight for my Christian faith, even before an Islam/antichrist guillotine! if the Lord wills on me, "a Philadelphian," Amen. But to die for all fellow Christians with all heart is glory and righteousness before God in heaven. Amen. HalleluYAH! 💖 MATTHEW 22.14; REVELATION 21.8, etc. Again, farewell, beloved brother Bro Jonathan. Amen. God bless thee, thy family, and every faithful of beloved JMCIM. Amen. Let the LORD, our Lord, "break you" (perfect your soul TRUTHFULLY,) it is the only way. Amen. MATTHEW 21.44; 1 CORINTHIANS 13 etc. Peace/Shalom 🌈💖😇

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Beloved brother Jonathan replied, after an hour:

Kaya nga po andito tayo para magpahayag ng totoong kaligtasan para maalaman ng iba na mga nadaya ng kaaway, lahat po tayo anak ng DIOS, saan man tayo nagmula, ano mang lahi tayo, lahat may karapatan makaalam ng katotohanan at depende nalang po kung mananampalataya tayo, at pinagsisisgawan ko sa buong mundo na tunay at totoo ang gawain na nasumpungan ko sa JESUS MIRACLE CRUSADE INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY at tunay na may malasakit ang mahal na Pastor namin, dito ako binago, nagkaroon ng kababaang loob at malasakit sa kapuwa maging kriminal man yan, paaano natin maaakay ang naliligaw kung hindi natin masunod ang isa sa utos ng mahal na Panginoon na mahalin natin ang kapuwa natin gaya ng ating sarili.

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So I replied in the same hour I read, according to the holy scriptures - sharing the holy scriptures:

KAILANGAN APPROPRIATE KA, KAPATID, APPROPRIATE DAPAT PO, RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF GOD - hindi basta basta apply na lang sa lahat: Dapat din po, TO CONSIDER TIME ELEMENT - we are in the very end of time, and so the days are presumptuously evil (mga taong walang kunsencya, or "sira ang ulo" -kahit alam na ang tama, gagawa pa rin ng masama o kasinungalingan): "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you." MATTHEW 7.6 - Give NOT; Give NOT, and give NOT... I think this is easy to understand, beloved brother. Amen. Hindi lahat anak ng Diyos - mali yung nagturo sa iyo niyan, sadly - but everyone God may perfect, of a willing heart. Amen. For NOT ALL have faith. Amen. (another easy one to understand, but a little hard to accept/receive at the beginning...) GENESIS 3.15; 2 THESSALONIANS 3.2 etc. Napakinggan mo na po ba yung video ni beloved evangelist Wilde, at yun pong FB post ko "labelling truth of everything" of his speech, 20 years ago...? Please, pakinggan mo muna, at pakibasa mo muna, po... HINDI LAHAT anak ng Diyos, may mga anak ang kaaway na si Satanas, "seeds of Satan the old serpent"... MAGANDA ANG HEART MO SA LORD, but you would have to consider now, again - the time element. I'll ask you please answer: Magpreach ka ba sa Talipao, Jolo, Sulu (or saan mang Muslim na bayan,) kahit sinabi na ni evangelist na "SUICIDE ANG PUMUNTA DOON??" Even him who was so anointed with the power of the Holy Ghost knew well (and he learned the hard way themselves,) na HINDI DAPAT MAGPREACH SA MGA TERRORISTS - it is SUICIDE to go there! it is like going to hell.... I pray to the LORD for you, that what happened to your evangelist will not towards you, of these evil extremist spiritual bastards of Islam. Amen. I will follow the words of the LORD, and the advice of the evangelist: How about you: Will you preach in a hell den of devouring killing snakes, wherein it is SUICIDE??

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Beloved brother Jonathan answered/replied:

Alam ko na po ang katotohanan ng buhay kapatid kaya kahit ndi mo na po ako turuan

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My last reply then to the beloved brother of JMCIM:

Yeah, beloved brother, you know one thing, I know another (supportive of the holy scriptures, as you see my replies to you...HalleluYAH!) so with BROTHERLY LOVE, "we agree to disagree," Amen. I do not teach you - you got your pastors "teaching you:" I shared only the plain and practical truth towards you, according to the holy scriptures entrusted/given to me, and according to all the facts I mentioned about beloved people, and "outside harmful enemies" we should definitely avoid. Amen. HalleluYAH! 💖 By the way, I would have appreciated if you have answered my question: However, that is you, and this is me - edifying and communicating truth every time to beloved brethren as you (but never my pearl of great price to presumptuous dogs and pigs), according to the holy scriptures, and not of "charged self-willed emotions" and unbiblical opinions of others, sadly, Amen. I see myself in you though, when I was younger: I was also inspired to tell all the world, and so - the seasons with our sweet Lord; Yet lo, you might just be much better purposed than me, beloved Bro Jonathan, HalleluYAH! 💖 Our true and wise God our Almighty Saviour, the Father, and our dear LORD JESUS CHRIST, bless and keep you, beloved of JMCIM. Amen. HalleluYAH! 💖 1 CORINTHIANS 10.23; 13; 2 CORINTHIANS 6.14 etc. Farewell... HalleluYAH! 💖 Peace/Shalom 🌈💖😇

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* (End of conversation... I thought...)

* But that's not all, HalleluYAH! his beloved wife (I think) replied suddenly, and so here it went on, and ended well! of course - our LORD is love and Prince of Peace. Amen. 💖💪🌈😇

Beloved sister Chazie Vijar Marciano (wife of beloved brother Jonathan):

Ipahayag ang totoong aral na mula sa Mahal na Panginoon

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Me to her:

NOT to all though, beloved sister, not to all, as it is written: MATTHEW 7.6 etc. God bless po, HalleluYAH! 💖🌈😇

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She replied:

Sir I think you cannot denied the fact that you have resentment in life as I can see how you comment. You are free to post whatever you want in your wall but to the point where you are making a debate on someone's post about forgiveness is not a good thing at all. We are a child of God and if you cannot forgive those who hurt you just pray. Talk to God and let him do the way.

God bless

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Me:

Ma'm, what resentment? Please tell me... If you see my comments they are ALL BASED IN THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. How come you're telling me something "about my life" - I shared to Bro Jonathan about beloved evangelist Wilde, about evil Islam Abu Sayyaf, and about the commandments of our Lord Jesus: I said NOTHING of myself, though Bro Jonathan knows well my case - what an insane Muslim neighbor did to me last June (or maybe he has not - that's why you talk about me this way...) "There is a sin to death, and a sin not to death," which Apostle John wrote about: what do you think a "sin to death" is? is it forgivable? 1 JOHN 5.16 etc. This is all about the LORD JESUS and his commandments, and his story, not anyone of us: I let God his own way, that's why whenever I speak to brethren, like you now, holy scriptures living in me "come out" and testify of itself, the Spirit, as we see, HallleuYAH! 💖 Praise the LORD! 💖

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Beloved sister Chazie to beloved borther Jonathan:

🙁

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Beloved brother to his wife beloved sister:

hayaan nalang natin

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Me to beloved sister and brother:

Beloved sister Chazie Vijar Marciano, and dear brotherBro Jonathan - personally, my life is hidden in Christ though everyone in the whole world digs its secrets (even my own rightful privacy, particularly me and my wife's,) forever... ("REVELATION 12.10" etc.) Now I am saying something of myself...LOL! but still of Christianity, HalleluYAH! 💖 I have been hated by millions and millions of presumptuous liars, everywhere, and maybe a billion more Muslim souls... what did I do? I tell only the truth, just like both of you, my beloved brethren of JMCIM, all these years with our Lord's walk. Amen. We Christians are but peacemakers: We never harm anybody, Amen. HalleluYAH! and we always produce/work, weak or strong, Amen. Yet so many in the world hate us, but our LORD comforts us every time, HalleluYAH! 💖 Hey, there is no need to be sad, guys (beloveds): Let us rejoice the LORD instead, yeah rejoice in the Lord always, Amen! JESUS is our strength and gladness, HalleluYAH! 💖 I bless you both in the LORD JESUS. Amen. 💖🙂🌈😇

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Beloved sister to me:

Hallelujah Praise the Lord! Keep safe beloved. Thank you for sharing 😊.💕

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* End of conversation, HalleluYAH! 💖

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Our topic: "Should we love all men of the world, and share the gospel of God/Christ, in this very last time, without them asking?"

Beloved, please see also the images below I made into one: Its expression delivers a true clear message that answers this great very important topic of Christianity, and of how the LORD clearly commands every disciple (every Christian) towards all men. Amen.

HalleluYAH! 💖

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

2 Corinthians 6.14

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Me, Cesar Dela Cruz Karaniwan Jr., my wife (sister in Christ) Sheila Quesada Karaniwan, beloved Bro Jonathan and his wife, beloved sister Chazie Vijar Marciano, may "live separate lives" (separate families on separate churches/ministries, etc.) however we know that in God our Saviour Christ Almighty [JESUS/YAHSHUA the Messiah] we are just one great family of Christians here on this earth everywhere in the entire globe/world having one Spirit, one Father, one baptism, one faith, one hope, one first love, one KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS, one name above every name, wherein we were saved for the rest of glorious eternity in heaven's paradise, the new Jerusalem, Amen.

HallleuYAH! 💖

So whether we agree or disagree, we always end well by the grace of God the Prince of Peace, Amen;

HalleluYAH! 💖

But as for me, and my house, we shall serve the LORD upholding and sharing the truth regardless this whole world hates us or not, Amen. HalleluYAH! 💖

Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Amen.

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If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

John 15.18-19

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If the LORD wills, tomorrow, Wednesday, I'll end this great topic finally, "Love Your Enemies?"

HalleluYAH! 💖

Lo, behold a truth (another hard truth,) "great commission churches" 9or those which still send out missionaries everywhere, even on very dangerous places, regions, or nations, etc.,) have failed to discern, even the end of preaching towards "all men," for though God commanded to "live peaceably with all men" he never said "to make love (or give love,) with all men, Amen:

Let me say this again, beloved:

The LORD commanded all believers/followers/saints "to live peaceably with all" but God never said, "to make love with all (or give love to all)." Amen.

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...For the things concerning me have an end.

Luke 22.36b

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God did command to preach to all nations, yet that was 2,000 years ago: Thus, the apostles spread the gospel to the ends of the earth, and they all were martyred for it! Amen. So indeed, everyone in the whole world has heard, more or less, the name above every name, JESUS CHRIST, the Messiah, Saviour of the world. Amen.

Now almost all things, which must come to pass have come: Yet "the falling away" of iniquity still must be; then the man of sin has to be revealed too (the wicked has to enforce his beast mark to all, rich or poor,, young and old etc.) Now, if "falling away"...

For complete post

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[bldgrelationshipwgod]

The Message Of The Blood Of Jesus – Dr. Charles Stanley

The subject of this sermon is one that we sing about, we don’t talk much about it, & I’m not too sure that we believe, all that we believe about it.

But it’s important that you listen very carefully bc it affects every single one of us.

And you may be one of those persons who’s never heard it before. You need to listen to it carefully, because it’ll affect the way you live & the way you die.

So when I think about it being that serious, I think about the fact that some people have shunned the whole idea; & they not just a litany, but there are those denominations that cut these pages out of their hymn books because they’ve decided that it’s not important. And it offends people.

But the truth is without it, you & I wouldn’t be here today.

So what’s the subject?

The subject is the Blood of JESUS CHRIST.

And more than likely, there are many of you who may be listening/watching, you’ve never heard a sermon on it (yup).

You’ve thought about it. You’ve wondered about it. Maybe you’ve mentioned it in your prayers, but you haven’t fully understood what it’s all about.

So I’m asking you to listen very carefully: “your whole eternal future may depend upon it.”

So I want to talk about the Blood of JESUS & how it applies to every one of us. Now turn to 1 Peter 1:17-21, “you were redeemed from the empty way of life.”

1 Peter 1:17-21 | Since you call on a Father who judges each one’s work impartially, conduct yourselves in reverent fear during your stay as foreigners. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb w/out blemish or spot. He was known before the foundation of the world, but was revealed in the last times for your sake. Through Him you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead & glorified Him; & so your faith & hope are in God.

The more I’ve thought about it & the more the LORD began to speak to my heart to remind me this is the heart of the Gospel.

Then all the things we can say about other subjects & all that relates to it, this is the very heart of the truth of what you & I believe.

And it’s the message that will either get you to heaven or you’ll lose it & miss it.              ________________________________________________________

I really only want to say 2 things about it.

1.] The Seriousness of SIN.      When you sin against GOD, especially if you keep on sinning against GOD.      Especially if you keep on doing the same thing, over & over again.

     You set yourself up for divine chastisement.

     If you’ve never trusted Christ as your Saviour, you’re going to be rejected one      of these days—when you stand before the judgment seat of GOD.

     Sin is serious business with GOD because      it has eternal consequences.

And it doesn’t make any difference who you are.

It doesn’t make a difference where you’re from.

What’s your vocation, or how much wealth, you name it.

     There is nothing that matters, sin is disobedience to Holy GOD.

     And HE warns us from the beginning of the Bible to the end, that GOD hates      sin because of what it does to HIS children (to HIS creation).

     You & I have read the Bible enough to know, all through the Word of GOD,      sin is a destroyer, a divider, you name it. All the qualities that we mentioned,      that’s what sin is.

1a.] So in light of that, you say, “well what’s the nature of sin?”        This is the true nature, we’ve said it’s serious, but how serious is it?

       1st of all, it deceives.        It’s already deceived you, because you wouldn’t keep doing        what you’re doing if sin didn’t deceive you.

That is, “you’re okay, it’s alright. GOD loves you. GOD understands.”

So you just keep disobeying GOD & being deceived into thinking you are an exception to the laws of GOD & the consequences of sin!

You’re deceived!

1b.] It disappoints. Sin always makes big-time offers.        If you’ll do this, you’ll feel fantastic (drugs/wealth/beauty/sex/etc.).        If you’ll do this here, s/he will do thus & so.

       When you think about the disappointments, all of us has had in life about        different things.

       Sin disappoints because it makes awesome promises it can't produce.

It may be temporarily satisfying. If sin had no satisfaction whatsoever, you wouldn’t be sinning.

It has temporary satisfaction, but it is a deceiver & it disappoints.

1c.] It is destructive.        All you need to do is look around & realize how destructive sin is.

It takes many many pathways, but ultimately it’ll destroy ya.

It destroys families/marriages/jobs/future/children.

Sin is destructive by its nature.

Then think about it: SIN brings death.

Over a period of time, sometimes it’s instant.

The worst thing is it’s eternal [Romans 6:23].

Romans 6:23 | For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.   

       If I had to stop right there? This would be a terrible life.        But thank GOD, we don’t have to stop right there.

       So let’s think about this.

       What is the saving power that brings about        forgiveness of sin? The Blood of JESUS CHRIST.

Go back if you will to Genesis 3, all the way back to the beginning; & you’ll discover in this perfect garden that Adam & Eve had everything going their way. But they had a choice, GOD gave them a choice.

And so they sinned against GOD.

And the Scripture says Genesis 3:20-21, “And Adam named his wife Eve, because she was to be the mother of all the living. And the LORD God made garments of skin for Adam & his wife & clothed them.”

HE killed the lamb, shed blood, & covered them with skin.

So in the very beginning of the Bible, with the 1st sin: GOD shed blood on their behalf.

GOD said from the very beginning: “if you’re going to be saved, blood has to be shed.”

    There is a cost to sin. The price of sin is blood.

    The price of sin is the Blood of JESUS CHRIST.

    But all the way back in those days, before what any of you & I know about:     The issue was forgiveness required death & the shedding of blood.

So when you come to JESUS, after HE came into the world, & HE’s talking about sin & you remember what HE said when HE talked about the Blood—to HIS disciples that night at the LORD’s Supper?

     What was the LORD’s Supper all about?      Blood of LORD JESUS CHRIST bringing about salvation.

     It’s a reminder to us of what happened.

>> Then with that in mind, I want to give you 4 words—which really describes this whole redemptive plan of GOD.

They all have to do with the Blood of JESUS.

You can just scrape up the whole message of salvation in 4 words:

REDEMPTION: you weren’t saved by perishable things like silver & gold. Isn’t it interesting that GOD took the most precious/valuable things & said, “Look your most valuable commodities won’t do you one bit of good.” We were saved from our futile/empty way of life. 1 Peter 1:18-19 , “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers,” (v.18)  but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb w/out blemish or spot (v.19).   

The Message of Salvation: Reconciliation (Colossians 1:19-22) Sin has separated every single one of us from GOD. Those of us who are saved, have been reconciled. We trusted the LORD JESUS CHRIST as our Lord & Saviour; & HIS work at Calvary, we’ve been reconciled. So there is redemption, there is reconciliation. Reconciliation brings people together, & brings sinners to oneness in their relationship to JESUS CHRIST. Union, reunion, & harmony.

Colossians 1:19-22 | For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, & through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross. Once you were alienated from God & were hostile in your minds because of your evil deeds. But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy, unblemished, & blameless in His presence—

The Message of Salvation: Justification (Romans 5:8) Romans 5:8 | But God proves His love for us in this:                        While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. When we talk about GOD’s love for us, go straight to the ultimate reason & the price for GOD’s love for us: GOD demonstrated HIS love for us through death of JESUS for us. Romans 5:9 | Therefore, since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from wrath through Him!

Does GOD just say: you’re not guilty, you’re not guilty...etc.? No It’s the blood of Christ that makes it possible, so that if a person who rejects JESUS—they reject the only person who can take care of their sin, because HE is the one who brought justification into reality.

It’s the shedding of the blood of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, so HE could redeem, reconcile, & justify us.

And it’s not what we do but what HE did for us. That’s one of the words: SANCTIFY

The Message of Salvation: Sanctification (Hebrews 13:12) Hebrews 13:12 | And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate, to sanctify the people by His own blood.

#Romans 5:8 #Romans 5:9

[sleepingfancies]

I’m mad and it’s about my son so you already KNOW I have a lot to say here.

The thing that is so infuriating about Chris Manawa’s situation and subsequent death is the timing and literal execution of his story line. Get ready, because there’s a hell of an essay below.

Chris Manawa got scratched out of FTWD in S2 after his fan support plummeted when he started down a rocky, arguably sketchy path. But here’s the question of the day: how would that storyline have ended if the writers hadn’t gotten cold feet about it? Too bad we’ll never know, but let’s dissect what’s so goddamn frustrating about this. In stages, broken down, so y’all can follow.

*****************

1. Inherent Good vs. Inherent Evil vs. That Little Grey Area

 Let’s talk about Rick Grimes for a second. Our guy Rick went completely off the rails in S3 after Lori’s death, and still had moments in S4 and S5 where his actions were pretty “yikes” (i.e. leaving desperate, likely harmless hitch hikers to walkers, slaughtering people in a church, ripping a guy’s throat out with his teeth, etc).

“But Clara,” you say, “those acts were justified.”

Well, partially, sure. But on the other hand - that’s what the writers have lulled us into thinking. We know that Rick has seen some shit, been through some shit, and had to make some shit decisions. We know he’d do anything to protect Carl and Judith. He’d do anything to protect The Group. He doles out justice like he’s a walking gavel. We automatically give him a pass for this. He’s a damaged man and those are his family members; we can understand him going a little cuckoo sometimes. And besides, Rick would never go “dark side.” No matter how ruthless Rick can get, there is never any real, honest to god danger that Rick might completely snap. And if it ever seems like Rick is going down a bad road and losing fan support, well, the writers just throw in someone worse - like Shane, the Governor, the Terminus cannibals, or Negan. So long as there’s someone inherently bad, no one will start to wonder if Rick is still a capable leader.

The lack of anyone inherently bad in FTWD immediately handed Chris an extreme disadvantage when it came to his arc. We, as viewers, were simply not allowed to see his actions compared to the actions of someone who had solely poor intentions. We were not allowed to see the actions of a traumatized teenage boy in comparison to a grown ass man holding a barbed wire baseball bat who simply doesn’t care who lives or dies, so long as he’s alpha male (you know who we did get to see that comparison with? Carl fucking Grimes).

Let’s talk about why that is, shall we?

***********************

2. Before (The Good), During (The Bad & the Ugly), and After (The Good)

With most major/minor characters (or even antagonists) in stories of all kinds (but especially televised stories), we see their “before and after” to trauma and challenge. Daryl and Carol had abusive family backgrounds that explain how they can behave and think sometimes. Shane genuinely thought Rick was dead and grew attached to Lori and Carl in the chaos, began to feel responsible for them, even love them. Even at his worst, he continually brings this up, and to a point it does explain how he can think and behave sometimes. Even the Governor had a tragic backstory, both initially and after he lost Woodbury.

Chris Manawa’s storyline is not a “before and after” story, it’s a “right here, right now” story. 

When the apocalypse really kicks in, we as an audience find ourselves right smack in the mid-beginning of Chris’ development. Think about it; he watches his mom get shot in the head, he’s thrust into a world where he isn’t safe anymore, and he’s surrounded by people who make him feel like an outcast. Add the cherry on top that he’s literally just a 16 year old kid, well shit, now you have a traumatized, isolated character who is neither mentally nor emotionally prepared to handle the situation.

What does this result in? Fucked up shit. Bad decisions. Anger - deep-seated, simmering anger that is not being dealt with, but just continually building. Look, I love my mom. Love my mom. She’s the best person I know. I look up to her, and if my parents got divorced and my dad kept telling me to give my “new family” a try, I wouldn’t want to either. I’d stay with my mom. I’d trust my mom. I’d know that she was the one constant in my life who would never voluntarily leave me or force me to hang out with my step-siblings. And then, she gets infected. No one understands by what. My mom is going to die, and then she dies because my dad shoots her in the head in front of me. In that scenario, personally, I would be beyond distraught. I would be beyond angry. I would withdraw and cut myself off and mourn and smash shit and yeah, I’d probably dissociate so fucking hard. Especially after finally trying to reach out to my step-family and getting shut the fuck out.

We don’t get to see the resolve of Chris’ backstory, because his backstory is his present in FTWD. Think. About. It. This is the kinda shit you’d expect to hear 5 minutes of over sad piano music as the narrator looks off into the mid-distance on TWD. This is the kind of backstory you’d expect to hear from someone like Daryl, or Beth. Hell, this almost is Beth’s arc.

And, sadly enough, Chris’ arc being shown presently rather than presented as backstory is almost precisely what killed him. My poor traumatized son. My third and final point is to finally settle this bullshit comparison once and for all, bc y’all see fit to do my son dirty.

***************

3. Carl vs. Shane vs. Negan

You know what made Shane so despicable? The fact that despite the many chances Rick gave him, he continually fought only for himself and his best interests, he continually wanted what Shane thought Shane deserved. He was selfish, arrogant, close-minded, obsessive, and downright untrustworthy.

Does literally any of that sound like Chris? Chris, the boy who tried to help Alicia over a fence and got punched in the face for it? Chris who tried so many fucking times to alert Travis and Madison that he was NOT FUCKING OKAY and needed help but they ignored him at every turn? The boy who kept making steps to leave the group because he thought they were better off without him there? The poor thing might’ve turned suicidal if he had been forced to stay with them.

“But Clara,” you cry, “remember that time Chris shot an innocent man?”

Yes, I do. I remember when my sneaky son tackled Travis pretending he just wanted a hug. I remember my angry garbage boy taking so much satisfaction in axing walkers between a fence.

You know who else shot an innocent man? Carl Grimes.

You know who else repeatedly takes pleasure in killing zombies? Carl Grimes.

You know who acts condescending, dangerous to their own families, and remark on the fuckability of every woman they meet? Shane and Negan.

You know who DOESN’T act condescending, dangerous to their own families, and remark on the fuckability of every woman they meet? Carl Grimes and Chris Manawa.

Huh. It’s almost like... Chris would’ve been another Carl Grimes, if he had had a competent parent who’d recognized his trauma and helped him through it. If the writers hadn’t chickened out by the fandom backlash and decided they were going to see Chris’ arc through rather than cut it short while they felt like they were ahead.

***************

BONUS ROUND: Trauma, Dissociating, and Cries for Help

Let’s just peep at some things Chris said while he was alive, mainly in his almost-final moments.

---

(when Travis is skeptical about joining James, Derek, and Brandon because  the Clarks are a perfectly nice group) “[Derek and Brandon] look at me different [from the Clarks].”

(When Travis says Chris is making a mistake by trusting Derek and Brandon) “I would hide at recess every day because the football guys used to make fun of me. What’d you tell me? ... The lesson was to fit in. I’m fitting in.”

(when Travis protests at Chris’ attachment to Derek and Brandon, saying he’s only known them for two days) “They’re my friends. James is my friend.”

(when Travis says they don’t need Derek and Brandon) “I do.”

(when Travis asks for the date) “No, dad, I lost track. What does it matter?”

(when Travis remarks he should’ve helped Chris) “I’m no good. Look at me. I’m no good!”

(when Travis asks what Chris is doing killing walkers behind a fence) “Making myself useful.”

---

Like. Holy shit, how does this not SCREAM to y’all that this is a kid who has a history of feeling like an unwanted outcast and he needs help my fuckignfw GOD this boy just needed HELP

He’s depressed and dissociating and angry and JESUS. He latched on to Derek and crew in two days because he’s that fucking desperate to be wanted and included and in on the joke for once

TL;DR don’t come for my son because I am upset and moody about this and he will always be more of a parallel to Carl than to Negan or Shane and I’m so goddamn FRUSTRATED that the writers didn’t have the guts to just fucking finish his fucking arc and let him be at peace god fucking damn I just

FUCK

#chris manawa #it's 3:30 AM i have class in 6 hours and this is what i'm doing with my life #i just wanna die #this is frustrating #ftwd

[mortimers-cross]

Love Never Dies Rant

Well... I just came across an old blog post from when the Love Never Dies album first released. Apart from a few minor exaggerations, I still stand by most of what I said here. 

But I am still going to see it in three weeks, and that is that. 

Be entertained.

TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2010 Beautiful, Beautiful Notes...Beautiful, Beautiful Sounds...But a Hideous Plot WARNING: This is a musical rant, do not feel obligated to read. For those who do read, SPOILER ALERT. I basically say everything that happens.

So I have decided to post my own thoughts on the much-waited-for, much-expected, much-horrifying, much-flamed...etc, sequel to Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. 

So, Love Never Dies... Where does one begin? Well, to start, I wish to acknowledge a few things; I do not wish to appear to be merely flaming the show because I always hated the idea of a sequel, or criticizing without cause or without having even listened to it or knowing the story. Rest assured, I have listened to Love Never Dies - several times. I have also read the synopsis and listened to the album again to reconcile the two and understand what is going on. The only thing I have not done is actually go and see the show, but that is not possible at this point in time. So, I will not be able to say anything about the staging, expressions, special effects, etc. I will merely be giving my thoughts on the music, songs, the story, and what I can gather of the character portrayals.

Anyway, as I was saying, these things I wish to acknowledge: Lord Webber has said, "This is a stand-alone piece." All right, I understand that; I will not expect it to be all-consistent with POTO. And...Drats. I thought I had more to acknowledge. Now I forget. ...Maybe I already said it somehow. All right, then...onward.

I will begin with the positive: namely, the music. This show contains some miraculous orchestrations and a very interesting, wide variety of songs. There couldn't be two more different songs than "Love Never Dies" - a sweet, pretty aria - and "The Beauty Underneath" - a...Roaring, for lack of a better word, piece with a noisy-yet-strangely-beautiful electric guitar accompaniment. And then, it has songs that are so bouncy, they sound like they belong at the beginning of Beauty and the Beast. Diversity is good. Well done. We have here a very nice collection of songs, although the lyrics are often repetitive and not very creative or profound.

The vocalists are also good. They all have beautiful voices and seem quite able (aside from the ending of "Love Never Dies", in which Sierra Bogess sounds to be straining). The boy who plays Gustave has the voice of an angel.

However, all the adults, especially Erik and Christine, are cast far too young. ALW has said that this is a stand-alone piece, but he has also said that it is meant to take place ten years following the events of POTO (I guess it's still established that the events in POTO took place, even though POTO and LND are not supposed to be together...?). For Christine, this may be overlooked somewhat...she was quite young to begin with; in fact, she would probably only be in her late twenties now. Erik, on the other hand, was at least thirty in POTO. He wouldn't necessarily need to sound OLDER, now; it's conceivable that his voice wouldn't change dramatically in that amount of time, unless he did something to damage it, which, being the musical man that he is, he probably would know better. However, he shouldn't sound YOUNGER, which Ramin (although his voice is GORGEOUS) does. Raoul, on the other hand, actually sounds somewhat believable.

Perhaps the most painful aspects of LND are the plot and the character portrayals. Erik has teamed up with the Girys (I mean, I know they were acquainted and all, but if anything, he would have gone off on his own to brood and compose; whose idea was this show starring Meg? After losing Christine, I don't think he would exactly be in the mood to listen to two women telling him, "Let's go to America and start a show!!!!"); Raoul, Christine, and "their" son Gustave go to Coney Island, where Raoul drinks too much and becomes an angry, brooding fellow himself (really? I mean, really? I guess this could happen to anyone, but honestly...), and Christine is randomly invited to sing in a show. They become reacquainted with their old friends, the Girys, and Meg becomes ragingly jealous of Christine, because, guess what? Meg has been passionately in love with Erik this whole time! I'm not certain when Christine and Raoul find out that it's Erik who has hired Christine to sing, but they both have very interesting reactions. Christine shares memories with him like an old friend (and guess what? They're more than friends. Christine was unfaithful, RIGHT BEFORE her and Raoul's wedding! What? WHAT?). Somehow Gustave gets mixed up in it all, and she cheerfully introduces him to "my friend, Mr. Y." Gustave jumps at the wonderful aspect of becoming friends with a man in a mask and instantly asks to be shown around all the mysterious places, to which Erik laughs good-naturedly and assures him that "you shall see it all tomorrow." (Erik has become quite the happy, jovial man.) Next day, Gustave allows these strange people to lead him to the place where, fortunately, Erik works. Gustave plays the piano and sings, and Erik logically concludes "He sings like me. He's ten years old. He's my son!!!!!!!!!!!!" .... The scene ends with him taking off his mask (or Gustave taking it off, not sure which), Gustave screaming, and running off to mother. .... All this going on unbeknownst to Raoul. However, he does find out this much; the Girys are working for Erik, and Christine is going to sing in Erik's show. Very drunk after spending all night at the pub, he yells at Meg that "I've bested him before! I'm not afraid of him!" So, of course Erik appears and they have this whole confrontation which essentially ends in Raoul agreeing to, if he cannot get Christine to drop out of the show and leave with him, then he will leave alone and LEAVE CHRISTINE WITH ERIK. (Raoul? Really??) Well, she won't listen, so Raoul does leave. Just like that. Never mind his wife, never mind the boy he thinks is his son, just leave them with a madman who's tried to kill him in the past. He doesn't even tell Christine he's leaving, doesn't even ask, "Will you come with me or are you really in love with him?" (which, I don't know where Raoul ever got that idea...other than the fact that Erik tauntingly asks him if he's sure his son is really his...)... Just leaves. Christine has no idea and sings her song, much to Erik's delight. Happiness is in his grasp! (What makes him think that Christine will stay with him when she's already married and still professes to love Raoul? Then again, if she was unfaithful the night before the marriage, I guess there's no reason to think that she'll be faithful IN marriage...) Anyway, after her song, she wonders where Raoul has gone, and - OH! Gustave has disappeared too! She finds out Raoul has left her, and becomes distraught; Raoul left her, AND took "their" son?!!!!! She and Erik (who is very uncharacteristically a very concerned daddy... I mean, I can understand his seeing himself in the boy and being drawn to him somewhat, but really...) run around looking for him, and - guess what? He's been kidnapped by MEG!! She's holding him hostage and waving a gun around - all to get Erik's attention (in case you forgot, she's in love with him). Rather than shoving her into the water or some other sort of drastic action, Erik sweetly asks, "Give me the gun, Meg...oh, poor Meg...I'm sorry...." blah, blah... And then, and THEN! Meg accidentally shoots Christine! Oh nooooez!! Erik gets out the Punjab Lasso and.... Oops! But that isn't what happens! He kneels by Christine and says, "Giry, get help!" (I think he's talking to Mme Giry now, since Meg has run off, wailing, "I DIDN'T MEAN TO!!!!"). Oh, dear, oh, dear...it's too late. Christine manages to gasp out a few lines of a song... tell Gustave Erik is his real father, never mind the face, stay with him, he's nice, he'll take care of you... comfort Erik, who is quite calmly sad.... then, goodbye, Christine. And of course, it ends very sadly with her death, but also happily, because, OH! Father and son are reunited! Their musical tour can begin! They will be the best of friends, and live happily ever after...

Honestly, if Lord Webber wanted this to be a stand-alone piece, he should never have associated it with POTO at all. He should have re-named all the characters; they have no right to have the names of the characters in POTO when they have had complete personality transplants. But hooray for Gustave!

I know just what will happen in the next sequel... Erik will marry some lady who reminds him of Christine, but she turns out to be a horrible witch, which we don't find out until Erik dies and poor Gustave is left in the witch's clutches, but don't worry! With his magical powers of music, Gustave will defeat the evil witch and fall in love with a Broadway actress and they will live happily ever after.

#Love Never Dies #Musicals Rants #Old Blog Posts #Shovel the Fries #Paint Never Dries #Eat Seven Pies

[newsnigeria]

Check out New Post published on Ọmọ Oòduà

New Post has been published on http://ooduarere.com/news-from-nigeria/world-news/deconstructing-islamophobia/

Deconstructing Islamophobia

[this article was written for the Unz Review]

Introduction: a short survey of the cuckoo’s nest

My initial idea was to begin with a definition of “Islamophobia” but after looking around for various definitions, I decided to use my own, very primitive definition.  I will define Islamophobia as the belief that Islam (the religion) and/or Muslims (the adherents to this religion) represent some kind of more or less coherent whole which is a threat to the West.  These are two distinct arguments rolled up into one: the first part claims that Islam (the religion) represents some kind of threat to the West while the second part claims that the people who embrace Islam (Muslims) also represent some kind of threat to the West.  Furthermore, this argument makes two crucial assumptions:

there is such thing out there as a (conceptually sufficient) unitary Islam

there are such people with (conceptually sufficient) common characteristics due to their adherence to Islam

Next, let’s summarize the “evidence” typically presented in support of this thesis:

The god of Islam is not the same god as the God of Christianity

The Muslim world was created by the sword

The Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, was an evil person

Islam is incompatible with western democracy and represents a threat to what are referred to as “values” in the modern day West

Muslims have treated Christians horribly in many different historical instances

Muslims often turn to terrorism and commit atrocities

Islam is socially regressive and seeks to impose medieval values on a modern world

There are more such as these, but these, I believe, are the main ones.

What is crucial here is to point out that this evidence relies both on theological arguments (#1 #4 #7), and historical arguments (#2 #3 #5 #6).

Finally, there is a most interesting phenomenon which, for the time being, we shall note, but only discuss later: the legacy corporate Ziomedia on one hand denounces Islamophobia as a form of “racism” but yet, at the same time, the very same circles which denounce Islamophobia are also the ones which oppose all manifestations of real traditional Islam.  This strongly suggests that the study of this apparent paradox can, if carefully analyzed, yield some most interesting results, but more about that later.

Of course, all of the above is sort of a “bird’s eye” view of Islamophobia in the West.  Once we go down to the average Joe Sixpack level, all of the above is fused into one “forceful” slogan as this one:

This kind of crude fearmongering is targeted at the folks who don’t realize that the USA is not “America” and who, therefore, probably don’t have the foggiest notion of what Sharia law is or how it is adjudicated by Islamic courts.

[I have lived in the USA for a total of 22 years and have observed something very interesting: there is a unique mix of ignorance and fear which, in the USA, is perceived as “patriotic”.  A good example of this kind of “patriotism through ignorance” is in the famous song “Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning” by Alan Jackson which includes the following words: “I watch CNN but I’m not sure I can tell you the difference in Iraq and Iran, but I know Jesus and I talk to God“.  Truth be told, the same song also asked in reference to 9/11 “Did you burst out with pride for the red, white and blue?“.  Why exactly the massacre of 9/11 should elicit patriotic pride is explained as follows “And the heroes who died just doin’ what they do?“.  Thus when the “United American Committee” declares that Sharia law is a threat to “America” the folks raised in this culture of fear and patriotism immediately “get it”.  David Rovics hilariously described this mindset in his song “Evening News” where he says: “Evil men are plotting, to blow up Washington, DC, ’cause they don’t like freedom and democracy, they’re fans of the Dark Ages, they are all around, they’re marching from the desert sands, and coming to your town“.  I have had the fortune of visiting all the continents of our planet (except Oceania) and I can vouch that this blend of fear+patriotic fervor is something uniquely, well, not “American” but “USAnian”.]

Having quickly surveyed the Islamophobic mental scenery, we can now turn to a logical analysis of the so-called arguments of the Islamophobes.

Deconstructing the phobia’s assumptions: a unitary Islam

Let’s take the arguments one by one beginning with the argument of a unitary Islam.

Most of us are at least vaguely aware that there are different Islamic movements/schools/traditions in different countries.  We have heard of Shias and Sunni, some have also heard about Alawites or Sufism.  Some will even go so far as remembering that Muslim countries can be at war with each other, and that some Muslims (the Takfiris) only dream about killing as many other Muslims (who, obviously, don’t share the exact same beliefs) and that, in fact, movements like al-Qaeda, ISIS, etc have murdered other Muslims in huge numbers.  So the empirical evidence strongly suggest that this notion of a Muslim or Islamic unity is factually simply wrong.

Furthermore, we need to ask the obvious question: what *is* Islam?

Now, contrary to the hallucinations of some especially dull individuals, I am not a Muslim.  So what follows is my own, possibly mistaken, understanding of what “core Islam” is.  It is the acceptance of the following formula “There is no god but God and Muhammad is the messenger of God” or “lā ʾilāha ʾillā llāh muḥammadun rasūlu llā“.  Note that “Allah” is not a name, it is the word “God” and “rasul” can be translated as “prophet”.  There are also the so-called Five Pillars of Islam:

The Shahada or profession of faith “There is no god but God and Muhammad is the messenger of God“

The Salat or a specific set of daily prayers

The Zakat or alms giving

The Sawm or fasting

The Hadjj or pilgrimage to Mecca

That’s it!  A person who fully embraces these five pillars is considered a Muslim.  Or at least, so it would appear.  The reality is, of course, much more complex.  For the time being, I will just note that in this “core Islam” there is absolutely nothing, nothing at all, which could serve as evidence for any of the Islamophobic theories.  Yes, yes, I know, I can already hear the Islamophobes’ objections:  you are ignoring all the bad stuff in the Quran, you are ignoring all the bad stuff about spreading Islam by the sword, you are ignoring all the bad things Muhammad did in his life, you are ignoring the many local traditions and all the normative examples of the tradition (Sunnah and it’s Hadiths).  Yeah, except you can’t have it both ways.  You can’t say:

Islam is inherently evil/dangerous  AND

use local/idiosyncratic beliefs and actions to prove your point!

If Islam by itself is dangerous, then it has to be dangerous everywhere it shows up, irrespective of the region, people, time in history or anything else.

If we say that sometimes Islam is dangerous and sometimes it is not, then what we need to look into is not the core elements of the Islamic faith, but instead we need to identify those circumstances in which Islam was not a threat to anybody and those circumstances when Islam was a threat to others.

Furthermore, if your argument is really based on the thesis that Islam is evil always and everywhere, then to prove it wrong all I need to do is find one, just ONE, example where Muslims and non-Muslims have lived in peace together for some period of time.

[Sidebar: while I was working on my Master’s Degree in Strategic Studies I had the fortune of having the possibility to take a couple of courses outside my field of specialization and I decided to take the most “exotic” course I could find in SAIS‘ curriculum and I chose a course on Sharia law.  This was an excellent decision which I never regretted.  Not only was the course fascinating, I had the chance of writing a term paper on the topic “The comparative status of Orthodox Christians in history under Muslim and Latin rule“.  My first, and extremely predictable, finding was that treatment of Orthodox Christians by Muslim rulers ranged from absolutely horrible and even genocidal to very peaceful and kind.  Considering the long time period considered (14 centuries) and the immense geographical realm covered (our entire planet from Morocco to Indonesia and from Russia to South Africa), this is hardly surprising.  The core beliefs of Islam might be simple, but humans are immensely complicated beings who always end up either adding a local tradition or, at least, defending one specific interpretation of Islam.  My second finding was much more shocking: on average the status of Orthodox Christians under the Papacy was much worse than under Muslim rule.  Again, I am not comparing the status of Orthodox Serbs under Ottoman rule with the status of Orthodox Christians in modern Italy.  These are extreme examples.  But I do claim that there is sort of a conceptual linear regression which strongly suggests to us that there is a predictive (linear) model which can be used to make predictions and that the most obvious lesson of history is that the absolute worst thing which can happen to Orthodox Christians is to fall under their so-called “Christian brothers” of the West.  A few exceptions here and there do not significantly affect this model.  I encourage everybody to take the time to really study the different types of Muslim rulers in history, if only to appreciate how much diversity you will find].

Deconstructing the phobia’s assumptions: the “Muslim god” vs the “Christian God”

This is just about the silliest anti-Muslim argument I have ever heard and it come from folks inhabiting the far left side of a Bell Curve.  It goes something like this:

We, Christians, have our true God as God, whereas the Muslims have Allah, which is not the God of the Christians.  Thus, we worship different gods.

Of course, the existence of various gods or one, single, God does not depend on who believes in Him or who worships Him.  If we can agree on the notion that God is He Who created all of Creation, and if we agree that both Christians (all denominations) and Muslims (all schools) believe that they are worshiping that God then, since there is only one real/existing God, we do worship the same God simply because there are not “other” gods.

I wonder what those who say that “Muslims worship another god” think when they read the following words of Saint Paul to the Athenian pagans: “For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To The Unknown God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you” (Acts 17:23).   What Saint Paul told them is that they ignorantly worship a god whom, in spite of that ignorant worship, Saint Paul declared to them.  I submit that “ignorant worship” is not an insult, but a diagnosis of heterodoxy, and that such an “ignorant worship” can nonetheless be sincere.

The issue is not WHOM we worship, but HOW we worship (in terms of both praxis and doxa).

And yes, here the differences between Christians and Muslims are huge indeed.

In my 2013 article “Russia and Islam, part eight: working together, a basic “how-to”” I discussed the immense importance of these differences and how we ought to deal with them.  I wrote:

The highest most sacred dogmatic formulation of Christianity is the so-called “Credo” or “Symbol of Faith” (full text here; more info here).  Literally every letter down to the smallest ‘i‘ of this text is, from the Christian point of view, the most sacred and perfect dogmatic formulation, backed by the full authority of the two Ecumenical Councils which proclaimed it and all the subsequent Councils which upheld it.  In simple terms – the Symbol of Faith is absolutely non-negotiable, non-re-definable, non-re-interpretable, you cannot take anything away from it, and you cannot add anything to it.  You can either accept it as is, in toto, or reject it.

The fact is that Muslims would have many problems with this text, but one part in particular is absolutely unacceptable to any Muslim:

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-begotten, Begotten of the Father before all ages, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, Begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were made

This part clearly and unambiguously affirms that Jesus-Christ was not only the Son of God but actually God Himself. This is expressed by the English formulation “of one essence with the Father” (ὁμοούσιον τῷ Πατρί in Greek with the key term homousios meaning “consubstantial”). This is *THE* core belief of Christianity: that Jesus was the the anthropos, the God-Man or God incarnate.  This belief is categorically unacceptable to Islam which says that Christ was a prophet and by essence a ‘normal’ human being.

For Islam, the very definition of what it is to be a Muslim is found in the so-called “Shahada” or testimony/witness.  This is the famous statement by which a Muslim attests and proclaims that “There is no god but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God”.  One can often also hear this phrased as “There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is His prophet”.

Now without even going into the issue of whether Christians can agree or not that “Allah” is the appropriate name for God (some do, some don’t – this is really irrelevant here), it’s the second part which is crucial here: Christianity does not recognize Muhammad as a prophet at all.  In fact, technically speaking, Christianity would most likely classify Muhammad as a heretic (if only because of his rejection of the “Symbol of Faith”).  Saint John of Damascus even called him a ‘false prophet’.   Simply put: there is no way a Christian can accept the “Shahada” without giving up his Christianity just as there is no way for a Muslim to accept the “Symbol of Faith” without giving up his Islam.

So why bother?

Would it not make much more sense to accept that there are fundamental and irreconcilable differences between Christianity and Islam and simply give up all that useless quest for points of theological agreement?  Who cares if we agree on the secondary if we categorically disagree on the primary?  I am all in favor of Christians studying Islam and for Muslims studying Christianity (in fact, I urge them both to do so!), and I think that it is important that the faithful of these religions talk to each other and explain their points of view as long as this is not presented as some kind of quest for a common theological stance.  Differences should be studied and explained, not obfuscated, minimized or overlooked.

Bottom line is this: it is PRECISELY because Islam and Christianity are completely incompatible theologically (and even mutually exclusive!) that there is no natural enmity between these two religions unless, of course, some Christian or Muslim decides that he has to use force to promote this religion.  And let’s be honest, taken as a whole Christianity’s record on forced conversions and assorted atrocities is at least as bad as Islam’s, or even worse.  Of course, if we remove the Papacy from the overall Christian record, things looks better.  If then we also remove the kind of imperialism Reformed countries engaged in, it looks even better.  But even Orthodox rulers have, on occasion, resorted to forceful conversions and mass murder of others.

And here, just as in Islam, we notice that Christians also did not always spread their faith by love and compassion, especially once Christian rulers came to power in powerful empires or nations.

Deconstructing the phobia’s assumptions: Islam was spread by the sword

In reality the “Islam spread by the sword” is a total canard, at least when we hear it from folks who defend “democracy” but who stubbornly refuse to concede that 1) most democracies came to power by means of violent revolutions and that 2) just a look at a newspaper today (at least a non-western newspaper) will tell you that democracy is STILL spread by the sword.  As for the USA as country, it was built on by far the biggest bloodbath in history.  If anything, Sharia law and Islam could teach a great deal to the country which:

spends more on aggression than the rest of the world combined

has the highest percentage of people incarcerated (and most of these for non-violent crimes)

whose entire economy is based on the military-industrial complex

and who is engaged in more simultaneous wars of choice than any other country in history

So “Sharia Law Threatens America” is a lie.  And this is the truth:

Was Islam really spread by the sword?

Maybe.  But anybody making that claim better make darn sure that his/her religion, country or ideology has a much better record.  If not, then this is pure hypocrisy!

Finally, I will also note that Christ said “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence” (John 18:36).  In contrast, the Prophet of Islam established the first Islamic state in Medina.  So when we compare Muhammad’s actions to Christ, a better comparison should be with the various Christian rulers (including Byzantine ones) and we will soon find out that the Christian Roman Empire also used the sword on many occasions.

Next:

Deconstructing the phobia’s assumptions: the Prophet of Islam was a bad man

You must have all sorts of stories about how the Prophet Muhammad did things we would disapprove of.  I won’t list them here simply because the list of grievances is a little different in each case.  I actually researched some of these accusations (about marrying young girls, or sentencing people to death for example) and in each case, there is a very solid Muslim defense of these incidents which is almost always ignored and which provides a crucial context to, at least, the better understanding of the incident discussed.

Since I am not a historian or a biographer of the Prophet Muhammad I don’t have any personal opinion on these accusations other than stating the obvious: I am not a Muslim and I don’t have to decide whether Muhammad was a sinful man or a infallible person (that is a purely theological argument).  I will simply say that this ad hominem is only relevant to the degree that some Muslims would consider each action of their prophet as normative and not historical.  Furthermore, even if they would consider each action of their prophet as normative, we need to recall here that we are dealing with a prophet, not a God-Man, and that therefore the comparison ought not to be made with Christ, whom Christians believe to be 100% sinless, but with a Christian prophet, say Moses, whom no real Christian will ever declare sinless or infallible.  As for the Quran, let’s not compare it to just the New Testament but to all the books of the Bible taken together, including those who were eventually re-interpreted by the new religion of (some) Jews after the fall of Jerusalem: rabbinical/Phariseic Talmudism which found plenty of passages in its (deliberately falsified) “Masoretic” text of the Old Testament “Tanakh” (please see here if you don’t know what falsification I am referring to).

Finally, NO religious text worth anything is self-explanatory or “explains itself” by means of comparing passages.  This is also why all major religions have a large corpus of texts which explain, interpret, expand upon and otherwise give the (deceptively simple looking) text its real, profound, meaning. Furthermore, most major religions also have a rich oral tradition which also sheds light on written religious documents.  Whatever may be the case, simply declaring that “Islam is a threat” because we don’t approve of the actions of the founder of Islam is simply silly.  The next accusation is much more material:

Deconstructing the phobia’s assumptions:Islam is incompatible with democracy

That is by far the most interesting argument and one which many Muslims would agree with!  Of course, it all depends on what you mean by “democracy”.  Let me immediately concede that if by “democracy” you mean this:

Then, indeed, Islam is incompatible with modern western democracy.  But so is (real) Christianity!

So the so-called “West” has to decide what its core values are.  If Conchita Wurst is an embodiment of “democracy” then Islam and Christianity are both equally incompatible with it.  Orthodox Christianity, for sure, has not caved in to the homo-lobby in the same way most western Christian denominations have.

But if by “democracy” we don’t mean “gay pride” parades but rather true pluralism, true people-power, and the real sovereignty of the people, then what I call “core Islam” is not threat to democracy at all.  None.  However, there is also no doubt about two truisms:

Some Muslim states are profoundly reactionary and freedom crushing

Traditional Islam is incompatible with many modern “western values”

Still, it is also very easy to counter these truism with the following replies

Some Muslim states are pluralistic, progressive and defend the oppressed (Muslim or not)

Traditional Christianity is incompatible with modern “western values”

Again, Iran is, in my opinion, the perfect illustration of a pluralistic (truly diverse!), progressive and freedom defending Muslim state.  I simply don’t have the time and place to go into a detailed discussion of the polity of Iran (I might have to do that in a future article), and for the time being I will point you to the hyper-pro-Zionist Wikipedia article (which nobody will suspect of being pro-Muslim or pro-Iranian) about the “Politics of Iran” which will show you two things: Iran is an “Islamic Republic” meaning that it is a republic, yes, but one which has Islam as its supreme law.  There is absolutely nothing inherently less democratic about a Islamic republic which has a religion as its supreme law than a atheistic/secular republic which has a constitution as its supreme law.  In fact, some countries don’t even have a constitution (the UK and Israel come to mind).   As for the Iranian polity, it has a very interesting system of checks and balances which a lot of countries would do well to emulate (Russia for starters).

As for modern “western values”, they are completely incompatible with Christianity (the real, original, unadulterated thing) even if they are very compatible with modern western (pseudo-) Christian denominations.

So, now the question becomes: is there something profoundly incompatible between the real, traditional, Islam and the real, traditional, Christianity? I am not talking about purely theological differences here, but social and political consequences which flow from theological differences.  Two immediately come to my mind (but there are more, of course):

The death penalty, especially for apostasy

Specific customs (dress code, ban on alcohol, separation of genders in various settings, etc.)

The first one, this is really a non-issue because while traditional, Patristic, Christianity has a general, shall we say, “inclination” against the death penalty, this has not always been the case in all Orthodox countries.  So while we can say that by and large Orthodox Christians are typically not supporters of the death penalty, this is not a theological imperative or any kind of dogma.  In fact, modern Russia has implemented a moratorium on the death penalty (to join the Council of Europe – hardly a moral or ethical reason) but most of the Russian population favor its re-introduction.  Note that Muslims in Russia are apparently living their lives in freedom and overall happiness and when they voice grievances (often legitimate ones), they don’t have “reintroduce the death penalty” as a top priority demand.

The simple truth is that each country has to decide for itself whether it was the use the death penalty or not.  Once a majority of voters have made that decision, members of each religion will have to accept that decision as a fact of law which can be criticized, but not one which can be overturned by any minority.

As for religious tribunals, they can be easily converted by the local legislature into a “mediation firm” which can settle conflicts, but only if both sides agree to recognize it’s authority.  So if two Muslims want their dispute to be settled by an Islamic Court, the latter can simply act as a mediator as long as its decision does not violate any local or national laws.  Hardly something non-Muslims (who could always refuse to recognize the Islamic Court) need to consider a “threat” to their rights or lifestyles.

An “Islamic Matrioshka”?!

As for the social customs, here it is really a no-brainer: apply Islamic rules to those who chose to be Muslims and let the other people live their lives as they chose to.  You know, “live and let live”.  Besides, in terms of dress code and gender differentiation, traditional Islam and traditional Christianity are very close.

Check out this typical Russian doll, and look at what she is wearing: this was the traditional Russian dress for women for centuries and this is still what Orthodox women (at least those who still follow ancient Christian customs) wear in Church.

Furthermore, if you go into a Latin parish in southern Europe or Latin America, you will often find women covering their heads, not only in church, but also during the day.  The simple truth is that these clothes are not only modest and beautiful, they are also very comfortable and practical.

The thing which Islamophobes always miss is that they take examples of laws and rules passed by some Muslim states and assume that this is how all Muslim states will always act.  But this is simply false.  Let’s take the example of Hezbollah (that name means “party of God”, by the way) in Lebanon which has clearly stated on many occasions that it has no intention of transforming Lebanon into a Shia-only state.  Not only did Hezbollah say that many times, but they acted on it and they always have had a policy of collaboration with truly patriotic Christians (of any denomination).  Even in today’s resistance (moqawama) there are Christians who are not members of Hezbollah as a party (and why would they when this is clearly and officially a Muslim party and not a Christian one?!), but they are part of the military resistance.

[Sidebar: by the way, the first female suicide bomber in Lebanon was not a Muslim.  She was a 18 year old from an Orthodox family who joined Syrian Social Nationalist Party and blew herself up in her car on an Israeli checkpoint (inside Lebanon, thus a legitimate target under international law!), killing two Israeli invaders and injuring another twelve.  Her name was Sana’a Mehaidli]

A Hezbollah fighter respectfully picks up an image of the Mother of God from the ruins of a church destroyed by US-backed Takfiris

Recent events in Syria were also very telling: when the AngloZionist Empire unleashed its aggression against Syria and the “good terrorists” of al-Qaeda/al-Nusra/ISIS/etc. embarked in a wholesale program of massacres and atrocities, everybody ran for their lives, including all the non-Takfiri Muslims.  Then, when the plans of the Axis of Kindness (USA, KSA, Israel) were foiled by the combined actions of Russia, Iran, Syria and Hezbollah, something interesting happened: the Latin Christians left, whereas the Orthodox Christians stayed (source).  Keep in mind that Syria is *not* an Islamic state, yet the prospects of a Muslim majority was frightening enough for the Latins to flee even though the Orthodox felt comfortable staying.  What do these Orthodox Christians know?

Could it be that elite traditionalist Shia soldiers represent no threat to Orthodox Christians?

Deconstructing the phobia’s assumptions: Islam generates terrorism

In fact, there is some truth to that too.  But I would re-phrase it as: the AngloZionists in their hatred for anything Russian, including Soviet Russian, identified a rather small and previously obscure branch of Islam in Saudi Arabia which they decided to unleash against the Soviet forces in Afghanistan.  From the first day, these Takfiris were federated by the USA and financed by the House of Saud.  The latter, in its fear of being overthrown by the Takfiris, decided to appease them by internationally supporting their terrorism (that is all Takfiris have to offer, their leaders are not respected scholars, to put it mildly).  Since that time, the Takfiris have been the “boots on the ground” used by the West against all its enemies: Serbia, Russia first, but then also secular (Syria) or anti-Takfiri Muslim states (Iran).

So it is not “Islam” which generates terrorism: it is western (AngloZionist) imperialism.

The US and Israel are, by a wide margin, the biggest sponsors of terrorism (just as the West was always by far the biggest source of imperialism in history) and while they want to blame “Islam” for most terrorist attacks, the truth is that behind every such “Muslim” attack we find a western “deep state” agents acting, from the GIA in Algeria, to al-Qaeda in Iraq to al-Nusra in Syria to, most crucially, 9/11 in New York.  These were all events created and executed by semi-literate Takfiri patsies who were run by agents of the western deep states.

As far as I know, all modern terrorist groups are, in reality, “operated by remote control” by state actors who alone can provide the training, know-how, finances, logistical support, etc needed by the terrorists.

And here is an interesting fact: the two countries which have done the most to crush Takfiri terrorism are Russia and Iran.  But the collective West is still categorically refusing to work with these countries to crush the terrorism these western states claim to be fighting.

So, do you really believe that the West is fighting terrorism?

If yes, I got a few bridges to sell all over the planet.

Conclusion: cui bono? the so-called “liberals”

There are many more demonstratively false assumptions which are made by the AngloZionist propaganda machine.  I have only listed a few.  Now we can look to the apparent paradox in which we see the western “liberals” both denouncing Islamophobia and, at the same time, repeating all the worst cliches about Islam.  In this category, Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton are the most egregious examples of this hypocrisy because while pretending to be friends of Muslims, they got more Muslims killed than anybody else.  For western liberals, Islam is a perfect pretext to, on one hand, cater to minorities (ethnic or religious) while pretending to be extremely tolerant of others.  Western liberals use Islam in the West, as a way to force the locals to give up their traditions and values.  You could say that western liberals “love” Islam just like they “love” LGBTQIAPK+ “pride” parades: simply and only as a tool to crush the (still resisting) majority of the people in the West who have not been terminally brainwashed by the AngloZionist legacy corporate propaganda machine.

Conclusion: cui bono? the so-called “conservatives”

Western conservatism is dead.  It died killed by two main causes: the abject failure of National-Socialism (which was an Anglo plan to defeat the USSR) and by its total lack of steadfastness of the western conservatives who abandoned pretty much any and all principles they were supposed to stand for.  Before the 1990s, the conservative movements of the West were close to fizzling out into nothingness, but then the Neocons (for their own, separate, reasons) began pushing the “Islamic threat” canard and most conservatives jumped on it in the hope of using it to regain some relevance.  Some of these conservatives even jumped on the “Christian revival in Russia” theory (which is not quite a canard, but which is also nothing like what the Alt-Righters imagine it to be) to try to revive their own, long dead, version of “Christianity”.  These are desperate attempts to find a source of power and relevance outside a conservative movement which is basically dead.  Sadly, what took the place of the real conservative movement in the West is the abomination known as “National Zionism” (which I discussed here) and whose ideological cornerstone is a rabid, hysterical, Islamophobia.

Conclusion: cui bono? the US deep state

That one is easy and obvious: the US deep state needs the “Islamic threat” canard for two reasons: to unleash against its enemies and to terrify the people of the USA so that they accept the wholesale destruction of previously sacred civil rights.  This is so obvious that there is nothing to add here.  I will only add that I am convinced that the US deep state is also supporting both the Alt-Right phenomenon and the various “stings” against so-called “domestic terrorists” (only only Muslims, by the way).  What the Neocons and their deep-state need above all is chaos and crises which they used to shape the US political landscape.

Finally, the real conclusion: rate the source!  always rate the source…

Whom did we identify as the prime sources of Islamophobia?  The liberals who want to seize power on behalf of a coalition of minorities, conservatives who have long ditched truly conservative values and deep state agents who want to terrify US Americans and kill the enemies of the AngloZionist Empire.

I submit to you that these folks are most definitely not your friends.  In fact, they are your real enemy and, unlike various terrorists abroad who are thousands of miles away from the USA, these real enemies are not only here, they are already in power and rule over you!  And they are using Islam just like a matador uses a red cape: to distract you from the real threat: National Zionism.  This is true in the US as it is true in the EU.

Most westerners are now conditioned to react with fear and horror when they hear “Allahu Akbar”.  This is very predictable since most of what is shown in the western media is Takfiris screaming “Allahu Akbar” before cutting the throats of their victims (or rejoicing at the suffering/death of “infidels”).

Yet in the Donbass, the local Orthodox Christians knew that wherever that slogan (which simply means “God is greater” or “God is the greatest”) was heard the Ukronazis are on the run.  And now we see Russia sending mostly Muslim units to Syria to protect not only Muslims, but everybody who needs protection.

Having a sizable Muslim minority in Russia, far from being any kind of threat, as turned to be a huge advantage for Russia in her competition against the AngloZionist Empire.

Chechens in Novorussia

There are, by the way, also Chechens fighting on the other side in this conflict: the very same Takfiris who were crushed and expelled from Chechnia by the joint efforts of the Chechen people and the Russian armed forces.  So, again, we have Muslims on both sides, the Takfiris now happily united with the Nazis and the traditionalist Muslims of Kadyrov protecting the people of Novorussia.

That is one, amongst many more, nuances which the Islamophobic propaganda always carefully chooses to ignore.

Should you?

The Saker

#Religion