#rebellious rom art

[pichipeachy]

Had some random thoughts in the shower about the Bridgerton couples lmao. What if they were placed in K-drama tropes?

Anthony would be the brooding CEO chaebol type who'd meet his match in spirited self-made entrepreneur Kate. Sparks and tensions fly as they compete, one-upping each other in terms of business. One night they get stranded together as a storm raged around them. They come to a truce and end up talking about their lives and dreams, falling in each other's arms as the night progresses. They fall in love and get married in the end, merging their companies. A power couple drama with a slow-burn romance.

Artsy Benedict keeps his chaebol status under wraps. He meets Sophie in art college and they have the classic "me and you against the world" romance; a rich guy falling for the poor girl despite everyone's judgments. They later learn Sophie is a long-lost heiress thrown out as a young child by her scheming stepmother to take her inheritance. Sophie gets what is rightfully hers and marries Benedict. A somewhat cheesy melodrama that we all love and need in our lives.

Colin and Penelope are childhood friends who lose contact when Penelope moves away due to her family getting embroiled in a scandal. They reunite in their adult years. They become friends once more, and romance blossoms between them. Things get complicated when Colin learns that Penelope is the brains behind an anonymous hacker his IT company had been hunting all this time. They manage to put everything behind them and collaborate as a dynamic duo instead. Cutesy romance at first but becomes angsty and glorious at the end.

Daphne is a celebrity who gets tainted with internet gossip. She goes into a contract relationship with Simon, an old money chaebol who swore to destroy the family legacy due to daddy issues. They fall in love, but Simon's self-made oath hurts their romance and results in one of the most scandalous celebrity breakups ever. They end up together, with Simon selling off the company and starting his own business. A drama that will make everyone swoon.

Eloise is a rebellious heiress who runs away from her responsibilities. She and Philip had a meet-cute in a foreign country but do not see each other again until years later. They end up living together in the same house due to a mix-up; Eloise signs an ironclad lease around the same time Philip inherits the house due to his brother's sudden demise. Add Philip's new wards (a cute nephew and niece) to the mix. A fun romcom with just the right dash of drama.

Francesca is a good girl from a rich family who accepts her duty and arranged marriage with John, who she has known all her life as a friend. Unfortunately, John dies before they get married, and the arrangement passes on to the next heir, Michael, who she met in their younger years but does not know much about. Michael, on the other hand, fell in love with Francesca at first sight but is disheartened by the arrangement made by their families. He stays away, only to be pulled back into the same arrangement he resented when his cousin died. This could be a sizzling period drama, with lots of pining and angst.

Gregory falls in love at first sight with Hermione and enlists the help of her friend Lucy. Over time his affection turns to Lucy instead, but Lucy is arranged to marry a chaebol who helped her family's ailing company from crashing to the ground. Gregory interrupts the wedding at the last second, revealing that the chaebol's family intends to create a hostile company takeover through marriage to Lucy. He saves the girl and they live happily ever after. This one has rom-com vibes all over, with a splash of action at the end.

Hyacinth is a law student who dreams of becoming a prosecutor. Gareth, her frenemy in law school, is the only remaining son of one of the richest men in the country. His father stripped him of his inheritance due to unknown reasons. They collaborate to find the truth, falling in love with each other during their investigation. They learn the truth of his paternity. Gareth is his uncle's illegitimate son, who left all of his riches in trust for Gareth. His father took over that trust to fund his failing company. Hyacinth files a case for Gareth, and wins. Legal romcom drama? Sign me up.

#bridgerton #anthony bridgerton #kate sharma #kanthony #benedict bridgerton #sophie beckett #benophie #colin bridgerton #penelope featherington #polin #daphne bridgerton #simon basset #saphne #eloise bridgerton #philip crane #philoise #francesca bridgerton #michael stirling #franchael #gregory bridgerton #lucy abernathy #grucy #hyacinth bridgerton #hyareth #kdrama tropes #shower thoughts #will i write any of this? #i dunno

[hypeonmovies]

Polite Society

Mix “Bend it like Beckham”, “Charlie’s Angels”, and “Shang-Chi” and you get Polite Society- I mean that in the best way. A story of female empowerment mixed in with a martial arts movie. Lena and Rita are sisters living under the same roof, but in different parts of their lives. Ria is a high schooler with dreams of becoming a successful stunt performer. She has a YouTube channel featuring recordings of her martial arts moves in which she often recites the line “I am the fury!” Her sister, Lena, however, is an art school drop out who spends her time sulking in her room believing she’s not good enough to be an artist. Things change when Lena meets Salim, a handsome geneticist, falls in love, and gets engaged - all within the span of a month. Rita doesn’t trust him and is intent on proving that he shouldn’t be trusted and the wedding shouldn’t happen. While that sounds like the premise of a typical rom-com, there’s a more maniacal aspect to the story that’s only heightened by the fun action sequences. This is a story of girl power told while exploring the relationship between two sisters.

The movie doesn’t take itself too seriously, which just makes it more fun and entertaining to the audience. Typical scenes such as a wedding ceremony or an argument that’s suddenly heightened by a choreographed martial arts fight scene. In no way are these fight scenes softened due to the young, female- led cast either. The scenes can be intense with people being thrown though walls, windows, and doors and drawing blood, which just adds to the humor when the characters go back to what they were doing as if nothing ever happened.

Another positive and scarcely seen aspect of the film is it diversity. The families of both the sisters and Salim are Pakistani, so the majority of the cast are just that. It’s always a pleasant surprise to see more brown than white in a cast these days. While the whole casts gives great performances, it’s the leads, Rita, played by Priya Kansara and Salim’s overbearing mother, played by Nimra Bucha, who carry the film. Priya’s quick whips when describing the reasons as to why Rita shouldn’t marry Salim as well as the hilarity of her persistence on stopping the wedding make her a fun protagonist for the audience. Nimra already has experience playing a villain from her role as Najma in the Disney+ series, Ms. Marvel. However, she’s able to play with the villainous role more-so in this role as the mother of the groom. I can still hear her maniacal laugh and see her Jafar-like sly grin in my head. Her scenes with Priya’s Rita are gold. They play off of each other well including in their action scenes.

The title of the film is a riff on the synopsis itself as women are expected to be quiet and polite. The film exemplifies the stereotypical roles that women are supposed to play in society especially in the Pakistani culture. A beginning scene features Rita and Priya’s mother being told by a group of other Pakistani women that Rita is skinny and beautiful despite being an art school dropout, as though her physical attributes make up for that. In a later scene, the mother talks about how much crap she was given for allowing Rita to even go to art school as women in that culture are meant to be married off. However, throughout the film, these expectations are challenged by the rebellious Priya who at one point states that she doesn’t get the fascination with men and marriage as “men ruin everything”. By the end, she has audiences believing that women are, in fact, the fury.

#polite society #review #focus features

[cupidcatlyst]

It has been completed!!! The leauge of villains mash up mask. I tried to fit everyone on but sadly it's not possible so I had to get creative.

Kurogiri - eyes

Dabi - eye patchwork

Mr compress - mask smile

Spinner - scales

Shigaraki - scars around eyes

Twice - forehead scar

Those guys obvious so I had to get creative with the girls

Toga - I combined hers with spinner so the placement of his scales also act has her hair buns

Big sis magne- I attempted to make the skin really salmon pink simalr to her shirt.

#league of villains #mask #ceramics #shigaraki tomura #dabi #spinner #iguchi shuichi #toga himiko #mr compress #kurogiri #big sis magne #bnha #rebellious rom art

[simplygayming]

2064: Read Only Memories - Game Review

Welcome to Neo-San Francisco.

“2064: Read Only Memories merges old-school adventure gaming with modern storytelling to explore some of the social challenges we will face in the near future. Explore the colorful future metropolis of Neo-San Francisco, meeting a huge cast of fascinating characters and solving a far-reaching mystery. Think carefully about your choices, because you never know how they will affect this dynamic, branching narrative further down the line.”

I’ve played this game three times now. Once on my own, once with my brother, and once on stream. Each time I’ve discovered something new.

Now, the cyberpunk genre is perhaps my all time favorite. I have studied and written about it for quite some time, but so often media that wants to call itself cyberpunk focuses on the wrong ideas. Often being too occupied with the (arguably intriguing) aesthetics of neon lights, robots, and human enchantments.

This game is not that case.

2064: ROM is a wonderful experience that well encompasses the genre of cyberpunk. It’s a story-rich adventure game that follows the story of a struggling journalist protagonist, alongside a robot named Turning who claims that they are the first sapient machine. Together Turing and the player set out on an investigation to find Turing’s missing creator, only to unravel an even greater conspiracy.

In terms of aesthetics, the game nails exactly what it set out to do. The lo-fi electronic synth soundtrack is thoroughly catchy and does wonders at setting the mood for the story and gameplay, while the game’s pixel art screams nostalgia. There are robots (ROMs or Relationship and Organizational Managers), hackers, mega corporations, genetic alteration, rebellious youth, and basically just about everything to solidify this game as cyberpunk.

The game is fun and seeks to push forward the common questions of its genre such as what it means to be human and delves into concepts of identity and individuality. It’s an interesting discussion to be had and with a combination of its classic point-and-click gameplay. Albeit, the game is quite wordy and heavy on its technobabble. The introduction especially is slow and players less knowledgeable on cyberpunk texts can easily lose interest.

This seemed to be the case during my second playthrough, my brother found himself to be a bit bored with just how intensely text heavy the game can be. Once the story picked up, however, he was very much engaged and enjoying his time.

What the game lacks in this sense, it makes up for in its setting. Neo-San Francisco is a diverse and charming place that features multiple queer characters befitting of just how queer its genre is, mostly through its thematic exploration of identity and humanity. The game leans into this and even goes as far as to allow the player and Turing to directly discuss this. Depending on the player’s choices, the player is able to ask Turing their pronouns and identity after learning about what is essentially Turing’s sister, a ROM who was very confident that she was a girl.

The character customization goes beyond the typical naming in many visual novels and allows the players to pick out pronouns from an extensive list as well as the option to add their own. The player can also specify dietary restrictions. It's these minor details that create a detailed and engaging world for the player.

Like many adventure based visual novel, 2064: ROM has mini games in addition to its many intense choices. I found the puzzle mini games to be stress inducing in a high stakes kind of way. The outcome of the games, whether it be success or failure, is yet another choice that effects the game, though to a seemingly lesser degree.

The game pushes many of the common tropes and ideas of the cyberpunk genre, including the neo noir aspects that iconic films like Bladerunner follow. Despite the heavy conversation on the technological, this game left me engaged with each twist and turn that the investigation took. I found myself adored with the characters and their stories and, in the end, I had my own questions about the world of robotics and technology.

Honestly, I could go on to such a deeper depth with this game, but I will save that for another time.

~~~

Overall Rating: 9/10

Is it Gay? Yes!

Story: 10/10

Gameplay: 9/10

Do I recommend it? Yes!

Check out the game

Get it on Steam

Get it on itch.io

#gaming #2064 rom #2064 read only memories #game review #indie games #turing #video games #game recommendations #cyberpunk #futuristic #visual novel #simplygayming #midboss

[trouvelle]

For DCMK Emogust 2020 — 19.08: “You’re too dangerous to be left alone.” @dcmkemogust20xx. Another bite-sized superhero AU. Heiji’s chaotic energy remains unmatched. (And in an ideal Marvel AU, he’d be Tony (or Quill ?), Shinichi would be Steve bc they are righteous and calculating (i can also picture him as Thor ig), and I actually see Makoto as the Hulk bc of their brute force ty.)

Fandom: Detective Conan Pairing: Heiji/Kazuha Rating: G Genre/Tags: Humor, Superhero AU Summary: The young prodigy of Hattori Enterprises is the dumbest genius Kazuha has ever met.

.

Kazuha is stressed. Having to act as the secretary of the famous Hattori Enterprises is starting to take its toll on her sanity. At that moment all she wants is to go home and get some well deserved rest and maybe watch a rom-com or two. But first, she needs to get the brilliant yet useless Hattori Heiji to sign for some documents. Of course, he is lurking in his basement like Gollum, tinkering away at his iron suits.

"I'VE DONE IT. I've modified the suit to perfection. Praise me, Jarvis."

Jarvis, Heiji's multilingual personalized computer system with the patience of a saint, plays an applause midi file and congratulates the childish genius in a bored voice.

"Aww c'mon, Jarvis. At least try to sound a little happy for me."

"When you've finished harassing your inventions," interrupts Kazuha, "could you sign these papers for me?"

"Definitely, throw them my way. But first," Heiji grins and steps into his Iron Man suit. "I'd like to show you my new suit."

"Can we please be quick? I have other things to take care of," she could already feel a headache starting. "And that suit looks exactly like all your other ones."

"Looks can be deceiving. For example, I'm incredibly handsome but also amazingly intelligent."

"I'm leaving."

"No! Please, I really want to show you what I changed." The childish owner of Hattori Enterprises looks hopefully at Kazuha, his lower lip jutted out into a pout.

Kazuha sighs. Damn those good looks. "Fine. What have you made?"

"Get this; not only does it act like all my other Iron Man suits, it can now make," Heiji pauses for dramatic effect. Kazuha tries to resist the urge to throw her clipboard at her boss who is actually also her childhood friend, "coffee."

Truthfully, Kazuha has been hoping for something a bit more, well, just… more. "Coffee? But you don't like coffee. You don’t even drink coffee."

"But you like coffee. And I like you, so I could like coffee." Heiji pulls the helmet of his suit down and relays a set of instructions that Kazuha doesn't quite catch. She is too busy processing Heiji's comment and trying so hard to not blush because he probably doesn’t even realize what he has just said.

"Now then," Heiji straightens up in his already stiff suit, "get your coffee on."

Kazuha hears the unmistakable sound of water boiling and she couldn't help feeling impressed; it's not everyday you see a young genius combine a state of the art coffee machine with a potentially hazardous weapon of mass destruction that coincidentally can also fly.

It's not everyday you hear said genius scream like a little child either.

Heiji shrieks and hops from one foot to another. "JARVIS TURN IT OFF!! IT'S BURNING ME. OH MY GOD NOT MY FACE, NOT MY FACE!"

Suddenly the rockets in the suit's palms and feet are switched on.

"Oh shit."

The suit is propelled upwards where it cracks the ceiling and showers chips of concrete like snowflakes onto Kazuha. Heiji is then shoved into the wall where he breaks a few machines and sets fire to the water dispenser before being flung against the opposite wall.

Kazuha steps back and closes the bulletproof glass door just as Heiji slams into it. Her boss proceeds to bounce through his basement, destroying most of his possessions along the way.

After scrolling through social media for her friends’ latest life updates for a while, Kazuha decides it is time to check on her probably wounded childhood friend. “You are too dangerous to be left alone,” She deadpans, stepping over a stray flamethrower and heading towards the crumpled metal mass that is Heiji. One iron hand is still sputtering sparks of coffee rebelliously.

"I may have miscalculated."

"You are the dumbest genius I have ever met."

#DCMKEmogust2020 #Hattori Heiji #Toyama Kazuha #Iron Man #Tony Stark #Pepper Potts #also Heiji = major Peter Quill vibes tbh #Gosho and Stan Lee im sorry #heikazu #these are just drabbles bc I've been writing a short story but its now finished and it's at 16k hhhhh

[nosdreamsrp]

                     › THE MEMBER GROUPS

The member groups found on nostalgic dreams are based on popular fashion brands that you see many wearing on social media. We have four different tiers ( standard, premium, elite & diamond ) and each tier has four different brands within it. Down below you will find our sixteen member groups with traits and simple aesthetics so everyone has an easy fit for their characters!

standard member groups

quirky › uncouth › curious › forgetful

skateboarding or skating in free time › late nights on the beach › blastoff by internet music › chain smoking cigarettes › dirty and torn vans › messy hair › monster energy drinks › winged eyeliner › choppy bangs › sunflower by post malone › white tees x denim jeans › cliff diving at night › bucket hats › cross body fanny packs › reflective colors › flower snapchat filter › sleeping through alarms › fades into the background

irrational › playful › mischievous › bold

strong cologne and perfume › baby showers › strappy heels › bad and boujee by migos › gold grills › natural makeup › straight hair › timberland boots › late night breakfast spots › red hues for accents › suede material › hennessy black › denim x neutral colors › kickback with friends › at fault by medasin & felly › patterns › frappes from starbucks › broken promises › curiosity killed the cat › not so trusting

socially aware › lazy › adventurous › fanatical

all white attire › eating cereal for dinner › going shopping with friends › setting multiple alarms › red bull and vodka › curly hair › frequent visits to art galleries › hoodies and cargos › yamborghini high by a$ap mob › sight-seeing for photo-ops › simple jewelry › hot girl bummer by blackbear › wispy lashes › gold caps › amusement parks on the weekend › rhetorical questions › always the peace makers › cool and comfortable

bourgeoisie › idealistic › know-it-all › persistent

picnics in the park › always has an opinion about something › good as hell by lizzo › chunky sneakers › braided pony-tails › attends charity events › always has a plan › text back in 2 to 3 business days › blazers and combat boots › blurred lines by robin thicke › coffee in the morning › dark hues of color › too smart for their own good › obsessed with coordinating › lover of vanilla scents › minimalistic jewelry

premium member groups

optimistic › selfish › discreet › inconsistent

oversized tees › inconsistent actions › hustle & flow by zaehd & ceo › reads newspaper comics › caffeine over sleep › cross-body bags › social loners › too cool for school › walking snapple facts › where’s my juul?? by full tac & lil mariko › layers clothing › black as an accent › love the smell of flowers › rolled up jeans x thick socks › triple texters › tiny sunglasses › lover of music festivals › fishnet material

manipulative › go-getters › frivolous › spontaneous

clubbing on the weekends › flashing cash in pictures › designer from head to toe › said sum by moneybagg yo › headband accessories › bright color accents › quick money schemes › night owls › face tattoos › oversleeping in the mornings › imma by bbno$ & lentra › prefers facetime over phone calls › silk & satin material › always in large crowds › woodsy and earthy scents › overflow of gold jewelry

nature-focused › oversensitive › cautious › self-indulgent

bonfires on the beach › loose and flowy clothing › too many pillows on the bed › rollin by calvin harris, future and khalid › early nights & mornings › organized planners and journals › brunch on the weekends › straw and fringe material › tiny handbags › vacationing on islands › coffee bean by zaniah › bitter and zesty flavors › beach curls or waves › green is serene › million dollar smiles › dewy skin

temperamental › confident › melodramatic › witty

flavored swishers › jewelry anklets › basketball and football › loads of unread messages › fresh hairstyles › sum 2 prove by lil baby › late night drives › hip hop music on repeat › gamer heads › always texting, never calling › vodka drinkers › durags and dad caps › whats poppin by jack harlow › sleeping in on weekends › wears sunglasses inside › life of the party › knock knock jokes › wake and bakes

elite member groups

whimsical › spoiled › empathetic › irresponsible

their way or the highway › falling asleep on the phone › indecisive about life › dunkin donuts over starbucks › dior by pop smoke › lace and mesh material › 90’s aesthetics › dramatic lashes › easily persuaded › cluttered spaces › layered chains › what they want by russ › takeout over cooking › has a hard time fitting in › mixed prints and patterns › has to be center of attention › silk scarves › floral parfum

judgmental › traditional › evasive › diplomatic

online shopping › distressed jeans › astrology lover › minimalistic vibes › enamel pins and brooches › chanel (go get it) by young thug, gunna and lil baby › handwritten love notes › more logical and practical › hot apple cider with cinnamon › leading the conversation › supalonely by benee & gus dapperton › monochromatic colors › frequents museums › murder mysteries lover › moral sensibility › prefers action over words

meticulous › inconsistent › humble › catty

lover of vintage designers › espresso shots › name plate jewelry › happy by pharrell williams › starts new things but never finish › autumn nights › loves meeting new people › works well under pressure › winged eyeliner › chocolate candy eaters › detailed oriented › instrumental music › cooler than me by mike posner › chunky and platform heels › sand between their toes › loyalty over everything

devious › persuasive › rebellious › flirtatious

take tons of selfies but never post them › bright colors › drinks with umbrellas › snake lovers › demons by drake, fivio foreign and sosa geek › ice cream sundaes › seizes every opportunity › reckless when drunk › smoky eyeshadow › moody by briijean › sweet scents › socks x sandals › drumsticks over flats › compulsive liars › teardrop tattoos › pool party throwers › color blocking aesthetics › impulsive nature

diamond member groups

charming › reserved › innocent › jealous

love diy projects › rom-com lovers › drinking water from a wine glass › my hair free care free › fresh scents › getting caught in the rain › pink matter by frank ocean and andre 3000 › cuddling with a love one › denim on top of denim › blushes easily › singing in the shower › watermelon sugar by harry styles › white button-up shirts › bamboo plants for luck › up before sunrise › mutes the group chats

scatterbrained › imaginative › martyr › resourceful

oversized sunglasses › hard on the outside but mushy on the inside › loves conspiracy theories › would misplace their head if it wasn't attached to their shoulders › mismatched clothing › why don’t i care by gglum › cancelling plans last minute › watching the sun set with friends › sticky and sweet flavors › prefers waking up in the afternoon › thrifted furniture › deep meaningful conversations › earfquake by tyler, the creator › brown and yellow accents

studious �� possessive › mature › talkative

hasty when provoked › alternative music › collects artwork and coins › knows more than they should › dream catchers on their walls › read books at coffee shops › bloom by troye sivan › gardens full of produce or flowers › random dance sessions › animal prints › nitro cold brew coffee › parce by maluma and others › speaks in third person › leather watches › whiskey connoisseurs › watches the history channel

volatile › spunky › promiscuous › nurturing

matte black everything › monster by kanye west and others › hidden flasks of liquor › displays public affection › positive vibes only › hot summer nights › drunk texts and voicemails › less clothes the better › champagne showers › late night rendezvous › drunk face by machine gun kelly › full of energy › has an idgaf attitude about life › speeding in traffic › simple silver jewelry › mile high club

#urban rpg #jcink rp #urban rp #jcink rpg #jcink site #jcink buzz #premium jcink #city/town rp #real life rp #site buzz #nosdreamsrp #nospre

[betterin365days]

My Roommate is a Detective (2020) 民国奇探

Overall 7.0

Story 7.5

As a romance fan, I do not like shows based in the Chinese Republican era as they rarely have a happy ending, knowing that there will be a war coming.  However, I’m a fan of detective shows and I liked the cast so I gave episode 1 a shot. The show was giving me Sherlock Holme vibes and I decided to carry on watching it whenever I run out of other dramas to follow. The casts were met with new cases in every/every other episode (23 cases in 36 eps), some of them are quite interesting. Actually, the cases and the bromance are what’s keeping me from dropping the show as the chemistry for the romance between the FL & ML due to their character set is kinda meh. More on that below.

Acting/Cast 8.0

I have seen many comments about the Bai You Ning, the female lead played by Shane Yan being annoying for the viewers. Her actions are sometimes confusing but not to the point of annoying. BYN is a rich man’s only daughter who studied overseas. For someone of her background and resources to turn out rebellious. I’m glad her actions only inconveniences the detectives and is less of a hindrance than she could have been. To me, she is a likable character since her nature is good and she stands by her beliefs. Only because it's her, the ML gets his freedom. Also because it's her, their relationship stood up to his father. Her actions in the show are quite understandable and the constant bickering with the male lead is a common start of a love-hate relationship in Rom-Coms (i.e. I can understand it being a scripted part of the drama).

Hu Yitian played Lu Yao, the male lead. The character is portrayed as a guy who is very materialistic and has loose moral boundaries, where he likes to colour outside the box. He plays a consultant of sorts to the detective but only assists in cases if he gets paid or has something to gain. He has a wide range of interests, appreciates antiques, art, and music and loves collecting novelty items. He steals from one of the suspects (for the item’s monetary value), showing the character’s warped sense of morality, which is a known part of his character that the detective Qiao Chusheng played by Leon Zhang and BYN at one point or another warns him against it. Since he is a very smart character that does not give in to social norms, his action keeps me guessing what is he up to (very much like Sherlock in "Elementary"). 

Qiao Chusheng played by Leon Zhang is a character that seems to have a complicated background.  I have a very vague understanding of the power play (due to my disinterest) and his role in it as a detective who takes orders from BYN’s father. The show has him showing mostly his detective activities which he contributes by using his connections to gather intel and I enjoy the bromance vibes between him and LY.  

[QC comes off as a character who I feel would have better suit BYN with his big brother vibes that is protective over her. In my own imaginary world, he would protect her and she would be her bratty self with LY being a smart sidekick. the chemistry might have been better]  

Despite the lead actors and actress's good job portraying what I believe is how the character is scripted, the relationship development in the story is less than subtle. 

In terms of romance, I can hardly feel the chemistry. LY jokes around with the BYN too much and I can’t take him seriously. Also, because Hu Yitian has played several characters that act kinda cool and doesn’t show much emotion so I feel like he is kind of stuck in that frame. Even when he is showing his affection for BYN, the jump from his goofy character is very stiff.  The relationship between the characters needs a deeper level of analysis to understand. 

SPOILER[ (scroll beyond this paragraph to avoid):

There was a scene where BYN brought up getting married to keep LY in shanghai which has been an on-going topic brought up from time to time in several episodes with both LY and BYN poking the nest and running away.  Due to the pressing situation, BYN suggested they might have to resort to actually getting married and LY says, "If you don't like me, I can marry you." which I see it as him not wanting to lead BYN on. If he doesn't believe that BYN likes him, he could have just agreed, which means at this point he already senses BYN's feelings despite her saying that she doesn't like him. That being said, he just wants to keep things neutral until he can confirm his own feelings.

The rom-com preferring side of me is screaming in pain when I watch the show. The story would probably have suited a platonic relationship structure better but then rom-com lovers would not have watched the show. I couldn't really feel the chemistry between BYN and LY, so the coupling feels quite forced and I am really dissatisfied in this aspect. The pick of actors and actresses were quite fitting for the characters, the playful & strong-headed BYN, suave & loyal QC, smart & egoistic LY. I'd give 8 for that.

Music 7.5

The music, the outfits, and setting are pretty fitting for the era that the drama is set in. Nothing too amazing but it’s a fairly well done. Totally love the opening music though.

Rewatch Value 5.0

The story in respect of the detective genre is interesting but not that impressive and the chemistry for the romance is pretty lacking so I don’t recommend watching it a second time unless you like to analyze their relationships.

#cdrama #hu yitian #leon zhang #shane yan #my roommate is a detective #民国奇探 #imho

[joie-university-rp]

Dear VITYA CRISTO,

It is with great pleasure we invite you admission to Joie University! Welcome to the Thunderclap family!

-

Congratulations, KEN! Please be sure to check the New Members’ Checklist and send in your character’s account within 24 hours from now. We cannot wait to see all that you will bring to this roleplay! We love you already!

OOC INFORMATION:

Name/Alias; pronouns: Ken, he/him

Age, Timezone: 22, PST

Activity, short explanation: New job so activity will be lower but I’m still here!!

Ships: Vitya/Anyone (Sexually), Vitya/Men (Romantically)

Anti-Ships: None.

Triggers: None!

Preferred photo for Character’s ID : https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1mfjly7Dgd4/maxresdefault.jpg

Anything else: My feet hurt from this new job. Also, if there are any typos, I’m sorry, I wrote this tired.

IC INFORMATION:

Full Name: Vitya Alexsi Cristo

FC: Bill Skarsgard

Age/Year at University: 19, Freshman

Birth date: November 18th, 2000.

Hometown: Vladivostok, Russia.

Gender/Pronouns: Male, he/him.

Sexuality: Pansexual

Major(s): Creative Arts - Illustration

Minor(s): Gemology

Housing request: Beiste Dorms, Room 226

Extracurriculars: Freerunning/Parkour Club, Esports Club, Gymnastics

Greek Life Affiliation: None.

CHARACTER PROFILE (TW; Depression, suicidal tendencies, under age sex/drinking):

Vitya Cristo has always been the baby of his family. It was not due to his age, or order in the births of his siblings, but more his health. It was discovered in his infancy he was born with a congenital heart defect. His skin was pale, he would lose his breath while feeding, and his hands and feet would swell up. His father, being a rich man in the pharmaceutical industry, wanted to fix his boy, but the medical professionals said the case was not severe enough for infant surgery. In fact, he should live a relatively normal life. His father did not see it that way. While his siblings would wander their large, mansion-like house in Vladivostok, Vitya was ordered to stay indoors. He was not allowed to play sports if not escorted, and was even monitored by a personal nanny to most of his schooling. He was isolated, unable to be a regular child because of his helicopter-like father.

Vitya’s mother was the light of his life. The woman had a fire in her, one that was freer and looser than her husband. She loved the man, of course, but disagreed with how protective he was of their son. On nights where he was away, she would sneak Vitya into the fields and courtyards and let him run around and be free. One of Vitya’s most prized memories is running through their lawn with the fireflies. He loved these moments with his mother and he learned to never take the good things for granted.

When Vitya started to enter his teen years, his father would take him to work more and more. Some days, his father would show him the labs and workers that were developing medicines, pills, and more. His father was introducing him into the business, with the obvious intent to pass it on to him. It was a cushiony job, with minimal risk, and little to no physical activity and enough money to set him up for life. It was clear was his father was trying his best to keep his son sheltered as he entered those rebellious years. It was also during this time that Vitya started displaying depressive symptoms, including self-destructive tendencies like playing with lighters and razor knives. In a hope to loosen the leash, Vitya’s mother convinced her husband to send him to school instead of teaching him at home. He, woefully, agreed.

When Vitya was sent away to an all-boys boarding school, the hope was he would become a fine young man, ready to inherit the family riches and pharmaceutical business. At first, he lived every day as if his father was there, as if his nanny still tended to him. It all changed when one night, his dorm mate woke him up to sneak out for the night and meet several other boys at the river nearby. It was near mid-terms, and the boys needed a break. Little Vitya could barely contain himself when he saw all the contraband they brought along. Booze, weed, satellite internet for porn, and hours to get through it all. That night, he partied like an actual teen for the first time in his life. He had his first kiss that night, his first blowjob, and later, at around five in the morning, his first partner. He dove into the deep-end, his sheltered soul yearning for the release and freedom all this brought him. And he reveled in it.

Vitya lived a double life from then on. During his time at home, he was the model son. Well-behaved, well-spoken. But at school, away from prying eyes, he was an absolute devil. Hours of drunken parties, bad habits like casual sex and smoking being his two favorites, and sometimes, getting into physical fights when his anger got out of hand. Vitya and his growing band of misfits found a way to bypass the school’s firewall, getting access to explicit content without hindrance. Vitya’s grades started to slip, but he didn’t care. He kept them up enough so his father would be satisfied, but that did not mean he was studying more. There was many-a-teacher he had dirt on, blackmailing his way to reasonable grades. He became a terror on the innocent boarding school almost overnight.

With his time at the school coming to an end, Vitya knew one thing for certain; there was no way he was going to be some CEO ass, dominating over people he would never bother to learn the name of. He still played the model son, faking his way into his father’s good graces, but each sideways glance to his mother told her what he really wanted; to get out. So, she did the impossible. Under the sleeping eyes of his nanny and father, his mother woke him up and snuck him outside, just like when he was a child. This time, though, she handed him a packed bag, keys to one of the cars, and a plane ticket, telling him to go. She may love her life of luxury and easy living, but she knew this was not the place for her baby. She only asked that Vitya keep an eye on his health, and use those American doctors for all their worth.

Vitya left that night and never looked back. He started out in New York, wandering to all the sites. He went to Pittsburg, New Orleans, Austin, Los Angeles; he went everywhere, explored everything, and fucked anything that gave him ‘the look’. Vitya would even set up in some motels and just let anyone in, if they had cash in hand and a bottle of booze. He got into some hairier situations, too, when those very customers would catch him clearing out their wallet. He had been cut off from his father’s fortunes when he discovered his actions, so he needed to make money somehow!

It was sheer luck when he applied as a foreign student at Joie University. He really just needed a place to stay, running out of motels to sell his ‘services’ out of. He knew he’d have to get an actual job at some point, selecting an easy degree to go after. He did enjoy drawing while growing up, and left his lovely rock collection in Russia, so illustration and gemology seemed a perfect fit. If only he could kick the Russian accent, then maybe he could fit in a bit better.

STUDENT CENSUS SURVEY:

(Please answer the following questions IN CHARACTER. Responses can be as long or short as you see fit!)

What made you want to attend Joie University?

It is a secure campus with a good curriculum. The housing seems nice and the students friendly enough. I am looking for a place to plan roots, to get started in life, and I want it to be here. There are loads of opportunities here and I want to find them.

What are at least 3 positive or neutral and at least 3 negative traits that you believe you possess?

I’m intelligent. Beyond the classroom. I am good at reading people, what they want or need from me, which helps me understand my task. I know what I want, so I am very direct and leave little room for misinterpretation. I also have a morbid curiosity that can get me into trouble. All of these combined makes me somewhat abrasive, but that is their loss. And I am not very personable. I’ll do what needs to be done of me, but ask if I want to watch a rom-com with some popcorn, and I’m going to have to say no.

Which of your traits do you value most?

My directness. If I know what I want, and it isn’t what someone else wants, then I know I need to look elsewhere. I’m not going to waste time, which is better for both involved.

How can that trait benefit the University (or its student body) as a whole?

Being Russian, I’m a cultural novelty that many haven’t seen before. The fact you Americans have to wait to twenty one to drink was a major newsflash for me, so now I have to wait three more years when I already was drinking back home. The more I learn about America, the more others can learn about the motherland, beyond what some media figurehead tells us.

What do you hope to gain from your experience at JU?

The obvious answer to this is a degree, but anther answer is possible dual citizenship. I hope through this, I will be able to travel between Russia and America with more than just a student visa. I truly believe I can call America home, if given the chance.

What is a quote or song lyric that describes you?

“Do you realize I’m the man and I’m in my prime? And it’s my time, I swear to God I won’t waste no time. You ain’t worth a dime, no, you ain’t worth a dime. Still on my mind, you’re still on my mind.” – ‘Let Me Know (I Wonder Why Freestyle)’ by Juice Wrld

#Accepted

[surveillance-0011]

Splatoon OC Rollcall Part 1

Inklings + Octolings

Kyoto | she/they | Japanese Flying Squid (or whatever typical inklings are based on)

Skin tone 3, Banger Hairstyle, Eye 13 (Maroon), Default ink is purple (the in-game or maybe a bit darker)

16-17. Very competitive, salt for DAYS when she has losing streaks. Outside of battle, though, she’s much nicer. Kind of awkward and can be a bit intense but overall she’s a good friend. Ride or die despite often falling off the radar. She likes having some alone time.

Fairly optimistic and tries to have a realistic view on things, but reality hasn’t quite hit them yet and they’re only just starting to mature. They’re also pretty stubborn and have trouble taking criticism or admitting they’re wrong. A bit impulsive...

Likes warmer weather, horror, video games and arcades, shopping, hanging out with friends, and coffee. Also very fond of complaining. She uses a Kensa Splattershot Jr  (Also N-Zap 89 and Dark Tetra Dualies) and her favorite hat is the Special Forces Beret. Kyoto enjoys Salmon Run but respects Salmonid and doesn’t grasp why Grizz gets so worked up about eggs. She doesn’t like ranked or league - she knows she’d get too pissy about it and will only occasionally do splat zones. She also doesn’t like when the weather’s super cold or when it snows and gets all slushy. She hates liars and tries her best to be honest. Rival of sorts to Whirlpool.

Jasmine | She/her | Japanese Flying Squid

Skin Tone  5, Haircut (short girl style) but with curtain bangs instead of the typical ones ,Eye 3 (Yellow), Soda/mint ink

16. Studious, punctual, careful, timid. A tad bit neurotic. Has been a sniper since day one. Works at the record store. One of Kyoto’s friends.

Often assumes the worst, and has very high expectations of herself. She makes a plan and sticks to it... and freaks out when things go awry. Jasmine reads a lot and has a soft spot for cheesy rom-coms. Likes pink and wears it a lot- mostly the Annaki Yellow Cuff or the Pink Hoodie.

She likes spring and the warmer bits of fall and winter. She also likes cute school supplies, staying organized, and dishes with fruit. She dislikes a lot of junk food (fries and a milkshake are a nice treat sometimes, though...), and anything that’s meant to be super scary or edgy/morbid. She’s not a fan of super-hot weather either, to her, summer is only good because of the lack of school.

Whirlpool | she/her?? | Humboldt Squid

Skin Tone 4, Double-Bun Hairstyle, Magenta or hot pink ink

17. Ill-tempered, a lone wolf. Uncaring for others, save for the select few she is close to. Competes in Rank and League Battles, with a team that is terrified of her. She works for Grizzco often and is an avid supporter of the company.

Whirlpool despises Salmonids and shows no mercy. She’s very distrusting of others, and very accusatory. Pessimistic, and not a happy person at all. Set in her ways, unforgiving, determined. Her ruthlessness helps her in battle or Salmon Run, but can get her in trouble in some social situations. At least she works hard and is loyal when you gain her trust. Very brave as well, she will never back down.

She is pretty tall, probably the tallest of the bunch. She wears an Annaki Mask or Painter’s Mask. She doesn’t have much hobbies but she likes to hone her skills through training and exercise. She knows some sort of martial art (haven’t decided what sort yet) and practices often. She dislikes not only Salmonids but some things that remind her of them

Rebi Maelstrom | she/her | Bobtail Squid

Skin Tone 6 or 7, Pigtail Hairstyle, Eye 12 (Brown) or 2 (Teal), Pink ink

14-15. Maverick’s younger sister. Rebellious, high-energy, optimistic. The sort to color outside the lines and bedazzle the page. Everything she owns is cute and colorful, sometimes with a bit of edge to it. She uses the Gold Dynamo Roller, Heavy Splatling Deco and Clash Blaster Neo, and she almost always wears her Squid Hairclip. She is a part of Kyoto’s friend group.

She does things her own way and always wants to stand out. She’ll almost never go with the crowd - even when it is more convenient. Rebi can get a bit careless and overestimates her ability. She’s just as if not more impulsive than Kyoto. Unlike Kyoto, though, she doesn’t get mad easily and is less of a sore loser. She will try out Ranked mode more often.

Some people underestimate her. But she’s strong and pretty smart. She has a secret love for science- Chemistry and physics. She’d like to enter a career dealing with one or the other (or both!!).

She’s a bit short.

Maverick Maelstrom | he/him | Bobtail Squid?? Maybe??

Skin Tone 6, Buzz-cut Hairstyle, Eye 5 (Red), Blue?? Ink

19-21. Easygoing, very smart and opportunistic. Patient and on the sporty side. He was born with a rare condition that makes him resistant to water. He can still be splatted by it if he’s in it for too long or in matches but he can swim for short periods of time. The only downside to the condition is that he produces ink slower than others and it’s not as slick as normal ink. He needs medication/some sort of supplementary in order to play Turf Wars - it temporarily rids him of his ability, though. So, in Turf Wars he plays like anyone else, but outside of them he works as a lifeguard at the New Albacore Hotel’s pool.

He is often worried about his younger sister, they butt heads a lot. He’s a bit more by the book than her and where she sees a new way to do things, he sees danger. Despite their differences, the two care for each other and always have each other’s backs.

He uses the Soda Slosher and wears the Takoroka Nylon Vintage. He’s around average Inkling height if a bit shorter.

Aster Hoboken | he/him | Blanket Octopus

Skin Tone 3 or 4,  non-canon hairstyle, Eye 2 (Teal), Reddish-orange ink

mid 30′s. Modest, clumsy, prone to panic. Creative, makes decisions based on morality and what works the most logically. Works as a teacher, either Language Arts or History. He runs late sometimes. Married to Hiromi

Hiromi (name tentative) Hoboken | she/her | Bigfin Squid

Skin Tone 1, non-canon hairstyle, Eye 5 or 6, White or Pale pink ink

Late 30′s. Very calm and forgiving but can put her foot down. Wise. Some people are intimidated by her because she’s very tall and always professional/formal in looks and actions but she’s super gentle and kind and just,,, total sweetheart/mom friend, yknow? Married to Aster. Neither her or her husband participate in Turf War, but she used to be one of the best League/Ranked players in the region before she decided to pursue a career related to art or history. 

Margo | she/her | Greater Argonaut

Skin Tone 2, Everything else to be decided

Late 30′s. Hiromi’s friend. Always frazzled or busy. Has three kids: twins that are like 7 and a one-year old. All are boys.

Glacier | they/he, fine with she/her | Coconut Octopus

Skin Tone 4, Punk, Eye 10 (Darker/less bright Blue) , 

To most, Glacier is pretty scary. Rather tall, imposing, always quiet and wearing a Hockey Mask - but truth be told, they’re very shy and sensitive. They’re new to Inkopolis and don’t have a lot of buddies yet, only Kyoto and Jasmine really talk to them. . Prone to crying a lot of the time. She doesn’t know how to stand up for herself and is still figuring out who she is.

He’s a bit of a horror fanatic, even though he’ll scream at any minor scare and won’t sleep after watching particularly frightening movies. He uses the Splatterscope and the Grim Range Blaster, and owns a few other weapons including the Flingza Roller. He always wears a mask or sunglasses - doesn’t have to worry about eye contact or smiling or anything like that, and it may also be some sort of instinct considering he’s a coconut octopus octoling.

Also, he’s a bit younger than he looks. He’s 15 or 16.

#will probably change this a little when 3 comes out #and i'll go over their gear later #god i need to develop Jasmine and Maverick more :( #i mean most besides kyoto need development but esp those two #splatoon #splatoon 2 #splatoon 2 ocs #splatoon ocs #ocs #splatoon oc

[claudinei-de-jesus]

The nature of man

1. The human tri-unity.

According to Gen. 2: 7, man is composed of two substances - the material substance, called the body, and the immaterial substance, called the soul. The soul is the life of the body and when the soul withdraws the body dies. But, according to 1 Tess. 5:23 and Heb. 4:12, man is made up of three substances - spirit, soul and body; some students of the Bible defend this three-part view of the human constitution versus two-part doctrine, adopted by others. Both opinions are correct when well understood.

The spirit and the soul represent the two sides of man's non-physical substance; or, in other words, the spirit and the soul represent the two sides of the spiritual nature. Although distinct, the spirit and the soul are inseparable, they are intertwined with each other. Because they are so intertwined, the words "spirit" and "soul" are often confused (Ecl. 12: 7; Rev. 6: 9); so that in one passage the spiritual substance of man is described as the soul (Matt. 10:28), and in another passage as spirit (Jas. 2:26).

Although the terms are often used interchangeably, they have different meanings. For example: "The soul" is the man as we see him in relation to this present life. Deceased people describe themselves as "souls" when the writer refers to his previous life. (Rev. 6: 9, 10; 20: 4.) "The spirit" is the common description of those who have passed on to the afterlife. (Acts 23: 9; 7:59; Heb. 12:23; Luc. 23:46; 1 Pet. 3:19.) When someone is "caught up" temporarily out of the body (2 Cor. 12: 2) he describes himself as "being in the spirit." (Rev. 4: 2; 17: 3.) Since man is a "spirit," he is able to have knowledge of and fellowship with God; being "soul", he has knowledge of himself; being "body", he has, through the senses, knowledge of the world. - Scofield.

2. The human spirit.

Inhabiting human flesh, there is the spirit given by God in an individual form. (Num. 16:22; 27:16.) The Spirit was formed by the Creator within man's nature, capable of renewal and development. (Ps. 51:10.) This spirit is the center and source of human life; the soul owns and uses this life and gives it expression through the body. In the beginning God breathed the spirit of life into the inanimate body and man "was made a living soul". Thus the soul is an incarnated spirit, or a human spirit that receives expression through the body. The combination of these two elements constitutes man in "soul". The soul survives death because the spirit endows it with energy; however, the soul and the spirit are inseparable because the spirit is intertwined and merges with the substance of the soul. The spirit is what makes man different from all other created things. it is endowed with human life (and intelligence, Prov. 20:27; John 32: 8) that is distinguished from the life of the irrational. The irrational have a soul (Gen. 1:20, in the original) but have no spirit. In Ecl. 3:21 the reference apparently deals with the life principle, both in man and in the irrational. Solomon recorded a question he asked when he turned away from God. Thus, unlike men, irrationals cannot know the things of God (1 Cor. 2:11; 14: 2; Ephesians 1: 17; 4:23) and cannot have personal and responsible relationships with him. (John 4:24.) The spirit of man, when it becomes the abode of the Spirit of God (Rom. 8:16), is the center of worship (John 4: 23,24); of prayer, song, blessing (1 Cor. 14:15), and of service (Rom. 1: 9; Phil. 1:27). The human spirit, representing the supreme nature of man, governs his quality of character. That which dominates the spirit becomes an attribute of its character. For example, if a man allows pride to dominate him, he has a "haughty spirit". (Prov. 16:18.) Depending on the respective influences that dominate him, a man can have a wicked spirit (Isa. 19:14); a rebellious spirit (Ps. 106: 33); an impatient spirit (Prov. 14:29); a troubled spirit (Ge.41: 18); a contrite and humble spirit (Isa. 57:15; Matt. 5: 3). He may be under a spirit of servitude (Rom. 8:15), or he may be driven by a spirit of envy (Num.5: 14). So it is that man should guard his spirit (Mal. 2:15), dominate his spirit (Prov. 16:32), by repentance becoming a new spirit (Ezek. 18:31) and trusting God to transform your spirit (Ezeq. 11:19). When vile passions dominate and the person manifests a wicked spirit, it means that the soul (egocentric life or natural life) has dethroned the spirit. The spirit fought and lost. Man is a victim of his natural feelings and appetites; and it is "carnal". The spirit no longer dominates, and this impotence is described as a state of death. In this way, there is a need to receive a new spirit (Ezeq. 18:31; Ps. 51:10); and only he who originally breathed into the body of man the breath of life can breathe into the soul of man a new spiritual life - that is, to regenerate it. (John 3: 8; 20:22; Gal. 3:10.) When this happens, the spirit of man again takes the place of ancestry, and becomes a "spiritual" man. However, the spirit cannot live on itself, but must seek constant renewal through the Spirit of God.

3. The soul of man.

(a) The nature of the soul. The soul is that intelligent and life-giving principle that animates the human body, using the physical senses as its agents in the exploration of material things and the organs of the body to express and communicate with the outside world. Originally the soul came into existence as a result of God's supernatural breath. We can describe it as spiritual and living, because it operates through the body. However, we must not believe that the soul is part of God, because the soul sins. It is more correct to say that it is the gift and work of God. (Zec. 12: 1.)

Four distinctions should be noted:

1. The soul distinguishes human and irrational life from inanimate things and also from unconscious life such as plant life. Both men and irrationals have souls (in Gen. 1:20, the word "life" is "soul" in the original). We could say that plants have a soul (in the sense of a life principle), but it is not a conscious soul.

2. The soul of man distinguishes him from the irrational. These have a soul, but it is an earthly soul that lives only as long as the body lasts. (Eccl. 3:21.) The soul of man is of a different quality and is quickened by the human spirit. As "all flesh is not the same flesh", so it is with the soul; there is a human soul and there is a soul of the irrational. Evidently, men do what irrationals cannot do, however intelligent they may be; his intelligence is of instinct and not of reason.

Both men and irrationals build houses. But man has progressed, coming to build cathedrals, schools and skyscrapers, while the lower animals build their houses today in the same way they did when God created them. The irrational can squeak (like the monkey), sing (like the bird), talk (like the parrot); but only man produces art, literature, music and scientific inventions. The instincts of animals can manifest the wisdom of their Creator, but only man can know and worship his Creator.

To better illustrate the high place that man occupies on the scale of life, let us observe the four steps of life, which rise in dignity over each other, according to the independence of the matter. First, plant life, which needs material organs to assimilate food; second, the sensitive life, which uses the organs to perceive material things and to have contact with them; third, intellectual life, which perceives the meaning of things through logic, and not merely through the senses; fourth, the moral life, which concerns the law and conduct. The animals are endowed with vegetative and sensitive life; man is endowed with a vegetative, sensitive, intellectual and moral life.

3. The soul distinguishes one man from another and in this way forms the basis of individuality. The word "soul" is therefore often used in the sense of "person". In Exo. 1: 5 "seventy souls" means "seventy people". In Rom.13: 1 "each soul" means "each person". Currently we say, "there was not even a soul present", referring to people.

4. The soul distinguishes man not only from the lower orders, but also from the higher orders of the angels, because the angels do not have bodies similar to those of men. Man became a "living being", that is, the soul fills an earthly body subject to earthly conditions. Angels describe themselves as spirits (Heb. 1:14), because they are not subject to material conditions or limitations. For this same reason, God is described as "Spirit". But angels are created and finite spirits, while God is the eternal and infinite Spirit.

(b) The origin of the soul. We know that the first soul came into existence as a result of God having breathed life into man. But how have souls come to exist since that time? Bible students are divided into two groups of different ideas: (1) One group claims that each individual soul does not come from the parents, but by the immediate Divine creation. They quote the following scriptures: Isa. 57:16; Ecl. 12: 7; Heb. 12: 9; Zac. 12: 1 (2) Others think that the soul is transmitted by parents.

They point to the fact that the transmission of Adam's sinful nature to posterity militates against the divine creation of each soul; also the fact that the characteristics of the parents are transmitted to the offspring. They quote the following passages: John 1:13; 3: 6; Rom. 5:12; 1 Cor.15: 22; Ephesians. 2: 3; Heb. 7:10. The origin of the soul can be explained by the cooperation of both the Creator and the parents. At the beginning of a new life, the Divine creation and the creative use of means work in cooperation.

Man generates man in cooperation with "the Father of spirits". God's power dominates and permeates the world (Acts 17:28; Heb. 1: 3) so that all creatures will come into existence according to the laws he has commanded. Therefore, the normal processes of human reproduction enforce the laws of life causing the soul to be born in the world. The origin of all life forms is covered by a veil of mysteries (Ecl. 11: 5; Ps. 139: 13-16; John 10: 8-12), and this fact should serve as a warning against speculation about things that are beyond the limits of biblical statements.

(c) Soul and body. The relationship of the soul to the body can be described and illustrated as follows:

1. The soul is the depository of life; it figures in everything that pertains to sustenance, risk, and loss of life. That is why in many cases the word "soul" has been translated "life". (See Gen. 9: 5; 1 Kings 19: 3; 2:23; Prov. 7:23; Exodus 21: 23,30; 30:12; Acts 15:26.) Life is the interplay of the body with the soul. When the soul and the body separate, the body is no more; what remains is just a group of material particles in a state of rapid decomposition.

2. The soul permeates and inhabits all parts of the body and more or less directly affects all its members. This fact explains why the Scriptures attribute feelings to the heart and kidneys (Ps. 73:21; John 16:13; Lam. 3:13; Prov. 23:16; Ps. 16: 7; Jer. 12: 2; John 38:36); to the entrails (File. 12; Jer. 4:19; Lam. 1:20; 2:11; Song of Songs 5: 4; Isa. 16:11); and to the womb (Hab. 3:16; John 20:23; 15:35; John 7:38).

This same truth, that the soul permeates the body, explains why in many passages the soul is described performing bodily acts. (Prov. 13: 4; Isa. 32: 6; Num. 21: 4; Jer. 16:16; Gen. 44: 30; Ezek. 23:17, 22, 28.) "The inner parts" or "entrails" "is the expression that generally describes the interplay of the soul with the body. (Isa. 16:11; Ps. 51: 6; Zec. 12: 1; Isa. 26: 9; 1 Kings 3:28.) These passages describe the inner parts as the center of feelings, spiritual experience and wisdom . But let us note that it is not the material tissue that thinks and feels, but the soul operating through the tissues. Correctly speaking, it is not the heart of flesh, but the soul, through the heart, that feels.

3. Through the body the soul receives its impressions from the outside world. These impressions are perceived by these senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch, and are transmitted to the brain via the nervous system. Through the brain, the soul elaborates these impressions through the processes of intellect, reason, memory and imagination. The soul acts on these impressions by sending orders to the various parts of the body via the brain and the nervous system.

4. The soul establishes contact with the world through the body, which is the instrument of the soul. Feeling, thinking, exercising will and other acts are all activities of the soul or "I". It is the "I" that sees and not just the eyes; it is the "I" that thinks and not merely the intellect; it is the "me" that throws the ball and not merely my arm; it is the "I" that asks and not simply the language or the members. When a limb is injured, the soul cannot function well through it; in case of brain injury, dementia may result. The soul then becomes like a musician with a damaged or broken instrument.

(d) The soul and sin. The soul lives its natural life through instincts, a term that we will use for lack of a better one. These instincts are driving forces of the personality, with which the Creator endowed man to make him fit for an earthly existence (just as he endowed him with spiritual faculties to enable him to a heavenly existence).

We call them instincts because they are innate impulses, implanted in the creature in order to enable it to do instinctively what is necessary to originate and preserve natural life. Thus writes Dr. Leander Keyser: "If at the beginning of his life the human infant did not have certain instincts, he would not be able to survive, even with the best paternal and medical care." Let's consider the five most important instincts. The first is the instinct for self-preservation that warns us of danger and enables us to take care of ourselves.

The second is the acquisition instinct (to achieve), which leads us to acquire the provisions for self-support. The third is the instinct to search for food, the impulse that leads to satisfying natural hunger. The fourth is the instinct of reproduction that leads to the perpetuation of the species. Fifth, it is the instinct for dominance that leads to the exercise of a certain initiative necessary for the performance of vocation and responsibilities. The record of these gifts (or instincts) of man granted by the Creator is found in the first two chapters of Genesis.

The instinct for self-preservation implies prohibition and warning: "But from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you will not eat of it because on the day you eat of it you will surely die." The acquisition instinct appears in the fact that Adam received the beautiful garden of Eden from the hand of God. The instinct for the search for food can be seen in the words: "Behold, I have given you all the herbs that give seeds, which are on the face of the whole earth, and all the trees in which there is fruit that gives seed to you. for food. " The reproduction instinct refers to these statements: "Man and woman created them."

"God blessed them and said to them: be fruitful, multiply." To the fifth instinct, dominion, the commandment refers: "Fill the earth, and subdue it; dominate." God ordered that lower creatures be governed primarily by instincts, but man was raised to the dignity of possessing the gift of agency and reason, with which he could discipline himself and become an arbiter of his own destiny. As a guide for the regulation of man's faculties, God imposed a law.

Man's understanding of this law produced a conscience, which literally means "with knowledge". When man listened to the law, he had a clear conscience; when he disobeyed God, he suffered, for conscience accused him. In the account of temptation (Gen. 3) we read how man gave in to the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the vanity of life. (1 John 2:16), and used his powers contrary to the will of God. The soul consciously and voluntarily used the body to sin against God. This combination of the sinful soul and the human body constitutes what is known as "the body of sin" (Rom. 6: 6), or "the flesh" (Gal. 5:24).

The soul's inclination and desire to use the body in this way is described as the "carnal mind" (Rom. 8: 7). Since man has sinned with the body, he will be judged according to "what he did through the body" (2 Cor. 5:10). This involves a resurrection. (John 5:28, 29.) When "flesh" is condemned, the reference is not to the material body (the material element cannot sin), but to the body used by the sinful soul. It is the soul that sins. Even if the slanderer's tongue was cut, the slanderer would still be the same.

The thief's hands are amputated, but at heart he would still be a thief. The sinful impulses of the soul must be removed; that is the work of the Holy Spirit. (See Col. 3: 5; Rom. 8:13.) "The flesh" can be defined as the sum total of man's instincts, not as they came from the Creator's hands, but as they are in reality, perverted and abnormal feats by sin. it is human nature in its fallen condition, weakened and disorganized by the racial inheritance derived from Adam and weakened and perverted by sinful voluntary acts.

It represents unregenerate human nature, whose weaknesses are often excused with these words: "After all, human nature is like that." it is the aberration of these God-given instincts and faculties that forms the basis of sin. For example, selfishness, irritability, envy, and anger are aberrations of the self-preservation instinct. Theft and greed are perversions of the acquisition instinct. "you will not steal" and "you will not covet" mean: "you will not pervert the acquisition instinct.

Gluttony is the perversion of the eating instinct, so it is a sin. Impurity is a perversion of the reproductive instinct. Tyranny, arrogance, injustice and implication represent abuses of the instinct for dominance. So we see that sin, fundamentally, is the abuse or the aberration of the forces with which God has endowed us. Let us note the consequences of this perversion: (1) the guilty conscience that tells the man that he has dishonored his Creator, and warns him of the terrible penalty; (2) the perversion of instincts reacts on the soul, weakening the will, inciting and strengthening bad habits, and creating distortions of character.

Paul made a catalog of the symptoms of these "defects" of the soul (a Hebrew word translated "sin" literally means "tortuosity" in Gal. 5: 19-21). "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are: fornication, impurity, lust, idolatry, witchcraft, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, factions, dissensions, parties, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like. " Paul considered such things so serious that he adds the words, "those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God".

Placed under the power of sin, the soul becomes "dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2: 1). Placed between the body and the spirit, between the highest and the lowest, between the earthly and the spiritual, the soul made a bad choice. But the choice did not benefit, but eternal loss (Matt. 16:26). Esau's bad "bargain" was made - the exchange of spiritual blessing for an earthly and perishable thing. (Heb.12: 16.) When the soul dies, it has to pass to the other world, "tainted by the flesh". (Jud. 23.) Fortunately, there is a remedy - a double cure, both for guilt and for the power of sin,

(1) Because sin is an offense against God, an atonement is required to remove guilt and purify conscience. The provision of the Gospel is the blood of Jesus Christ.

(2) Since sin brings disease to the soul and disorder in the human being, a healing and corrective power is required. This power is precisely that provided by the internal operation of the Holy Spirit that straightens the crooked things of our nature and sets the forces of our life in motion. The results (the fruits) are "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, temperance" (Gal. 5:22, 23). In other words, the Holy Spirit makes us righteous, a word that in Hebrew means "right". Sin is tortuosity of the soul; justice is your righteousness.

(e) The soul and the heart. In both Scripture and common language, the word "heart" means the very center of something. (Deut. 4:11; Matt. 12:40 Ex. 15: 8; Ps. 46: 2; Ezeq. 27: 4,25,26,27.) Man's "heart" is, therefore, the true center of his personality. It is the center of physical life. In the words of Dr. Beck: "The heart is the first thing to live, and its first movement is a sure sign of life; its silence is a positive sign of death." it is also the source and the place where the currents of the spiritual life and the soul are found. We can describe it as the deepest part of our being, the "engine room", so to speak, of the personality, from where the impulses that determine the character and conduct of man come from.

1. The heart is the center of life, desire, will and judgment. Love, hate, determination, will and joy (Ps. 105: 3) are united with the heart. The heart knows, understands (1 Kings 3: 9), deliberates, calculates; it is willing, it is directed, it pays attention, and it leans towards things. Everything that impresses the soul is said to be fixed, established, or written in the heart. The heart is the deposit of everything heard or experienced (Lu. 2:51). The heart is the "factory", so to speak, in which thoughts and purposes are formed, whether good or bad. (See Ps. 14: 1; Matt. 9: 4; 1 Cor. 7:37; 1 Kings 8:17.)

2. The heart is the center of emotional life. All degrees of joy are attributed to the heart, from pleasure (Isa. 65:14) to ecstasy and exultation (Acts 2:46); all degrees of pain, from discontent (Prov. 25:20) and sadness (John 14: 1) to the lacerating and overwhelming "woe" (Ps. 109: 22; Acts 21:13); all degrees of ill will from provocation and anger (Prov. 23:17) to uncontrollable anger (Acts 7:54) and burning vengeful desire (Deut. 19: 6); all degrees of fear from reverent trembling (Jer. 32:40) to dread (Deut. 28:28). The heart melts and twists in anguish (Jos. 5: 1); he becomes weak through depression (Lev. 26:36); withered under the weight of sadness (Ps. 102: 4); it breaks and is crushed by adversity (Ps. 147: 3), it is consumed by a sacred ardor (Jer.20: 9).

3. The heart is the center of the moral life. Concentrated in the heart may be God's love (Ps. 73:26) or blasphemous pride (Ezek. 28: 2, 5). The heart is the "workshop" of everything that is good or bad in thoughts, words or actions. (Matt. 15:19.) It is where all good impulses or bad lusts come together; it is the seat of a good or bad treasure. Whatever he has in abundance, he speaks and works (Matt. 12:34, 35.) It is the place where God's law was originally written (Rom.2: 15), and where the same law is renewed by the operation of the Spirit. Holy. (Heb.8: 10.)

It is the seat of conscience (Heb. 10:22) and all testimonies of conscience are attributed to it (1 John 3: 19-21.) With the heart a man believes (Rom. 10:10) or disbelieves (Heb. 3:12). It is a field where the divine Word is sown (Matt. 13:19). According to your decisions, it is under the inspiration of God (2 Cor. 8:16) or Satan (John 13: 2). It is the abode of Christ (Eph. 3:17) and the Spirit (2 Cor. 1:22); of the peace of God (Col. 3:15). it is the vessel of God's love (Rom. 5: 5), the place of the heavenly dawn (2 Cor. 4: 6), the chamber of secret communion with God (Ephesians 5:19). It is a great mysterious depth that only God can probe. (Jer. 17: 9.) It was in view of the immense possibilities implied in the heart of man that Solomon uttered this admonition: "Guard your heart with all diligence, for the springs of life proceed from it" (Prov. 4:23) .

(f) The soul and the blood. "For the life (literally" soul ") of the flesh is in the blood" (Lev. 17:11). The Scriptures teach that, both in man and in the irrational, blood is the source and depository of physical life. (Lev. 17:11; 3:17; Deut. 12:23; Lam. 2:12; Gen. 4:10; Heb. 12:24; John 24:12; Rev. 6: 9,10; Jer. 2:34; Prov. 28:17.) Let us quote the words of Harvey, an English physician, discoverer of blood circulation: "it is the first organ to live and the last to die; it is the main seat of the soul.

He lives and nourishes himself, and for no other part of the body. "In Acts 17:26 and John 1:13 blood appears as the original matter from which the human organism arises. Using the heart as a pump, and blood as a way of life, the soul sends vitality and nutrition to all parts of the body. The place that the creature occupies on the scale of life determines the value of its respective blood. First comes the blood of animals, but of greater value it is the blood of man, because man has the image of God (Gen. 9: 6). Of special esteem is the blood of innocents and martyrs. (Gen. 4:10; Mat. 23:35.) most precious of all is the blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:19; Heb. 9:12), of infinite value because it is united with Divinity.

By God's benign plan, blood became the means of atonement when it was sprinkled on God's altar. "For what I have given you on the altar, to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that will make atonement for the soul" (Lev. 17:11).

4. The human body. The following names apply to the body:

(a) house, or tabernacle. (2 Cor. 5: 1.) Is the tent in which man's soul, like a pilgrim, lives during his journey from time to eternity. At death, the tent is disarmed and the soul leaves. (See Isa. 38:12: 2 Pet. 1:13, 14.)

(b) Casing. (Dan. 7:15). The body is the "sheath" of the soul. Death is drawing the sword.

(c) Temple. The temple is a place consecrated by the presence of God - a place where the omnipresence of God is located, (1 Kings 8:27, 28.) The body of Christ was a "temple" (John 2:21) because God was in it . (2 Cor. 5:19.) When God enters into a spiritual relationship with a person, that person's body becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor. 6:19.) Pagan philosophers spoke of the body with contempt; they considered it an embarrassment to the soul, and longed for the day when the soul would be free of its complicated and tangled garments.

But the Scriptures everywhere treat the body as the work of God, to be presented to God (Rom. 12: 1), used for the glory of God (1 Cor. 6:20). Why, for example, does the book of Leviticus contain so many laws governing the physical lives of the Israelites? To teach them that the body, as an instrument of the soul, must remain strong and holy. It is true that this body is earthly (1 Cor. 15:47) and as such a body of humiliation (Phil. 3:21), subject to sickness and death (1 Cor. 15:53), so that we groan for a heavenly body (2 Cor. 5: 2). But at the coming of Christ, the same power that quickened the soul will transform the body, thus completing man's redemption. And the pledge of that change is the Spirit that dwells in it. (2 Cor. 5: 5; Rom. 8:11.) ... A natureza do homem

1. Uma tri-unidade humana.

Segundo Gên. 2: 7, o homem se compõe de duas substâncias - uma substância, chamada corpo, e a substância imaterial, chamada alma. A alma é a vida do corpo e quando a alma se retira o corpo morre. Mas, segundo 1 Tess. 5:23 e Heb. 4:12, o homem se compõe de três substâncias - espírito, alma e corpo; alguns estudantes da bíblia defendem essa opinião de três partes da constituição humana versus doutrina de duas partes apenas, adotada por outros. Ambas as opiniões são corretas quando bem compreendidas.

O espírito e a alma representam os dois lados da substância não-física do homem; ou, em outras palavras, o espírito e a alma representam os dois lados da natureza espiritual. Embora distintos, o espírito e a alma são inseparáveis, são entrosados ​​um no outro. Por estarem tão interligados, como palavras "espírito" e "alma" muitas vezes se confundem (Ecl. 12: 7; Apoc. 6: 9); de maneira que em um trecho a substância espiritual do homem se requisitos como a alma (Mat. 10:28), e em outra passagem como espírito (Tia. 2:26).

Embora muitas vezes os termos sejam usados ​​alternativamente, têm significados distintos. Por exemplo: "A alma" é o homem como o vemos em relação a esta vida atual. As pessoas falecidas, descrevem-se como "almas" quando o escritor se refere à sua vida anterior. (Apoc. 6: 9, 10; 20: 4.) "O espírito" é uma descrição comum daquelas que passaram para a outra vida. (Atos 23: 9; 7:59; Heb. 12:23; Luc. 23:46; 1 Ped. 3:19.) Quando alguém para "arrebatado" temporariamente fora do corpo (2 Cor. 12: 2) se ensaios como "moderação no espírito". (Apoc. 4: 2; 17: 3.) Sendo o homem "espírito", é capaz de ter conhecimento de Deus e comunhão com ele; sendo "alma", ele tem conhecimento de si próprio; sendo "corpo", tem, através dos sentidos, conhecimento do mundo. - Scofield.

2. O espírito humano.

Habitando a carne humana, existe o espírito dado por Deus em forma individual. (Num. 16:22; 27:16.) O Espírito foi formado pelo Criador na parte interna da natureza do homem, capaz de renovação e desenvolvimento. (Sal. 51:10.) Esse espírito é o centro e uma fonte da vida humana; a alma possui e usa essa vida e lhe dá expressão por meio do corpo. No princípio Deus soprou o espírito de vida no corpo inanimado e o homem "foi feito alma vivente". Assim, uma alma é um espírito encarnado, ou um espírito humano que recebe expressão mediante o corpo. A combinação desses dois elementos constitui o homem em "alma". A alma sobrevive à morte porque o espírito a dota de energia; no entanto, a alma e o espírito são inseparáveis ​​porque o espírito está entrosado e confunde-se com a substância da alma. O espírito é aquilo que faz o homem diferente de todas as coisas demais elevadas. é dotado de vida humana (e inteligência, Prov. 20:27; Jo 32: 8) que se distingue da vida dos irracionais. Os irracionais têm alma (Gên. 1:20, não original) mas não têm espírito. Em Ecl. 3:21 a referência trata aparentemente do princípio de vida, tanto no homem como no irracional. Salomão registrou uma pergunta que fez quando se afastou de Deus. Assim, dessem erguer dos homens, os irracionais não podem conhecer as coisas de Deus (1 Cor. 2:11; 14: 2; Efés. 1: 17; 4:23) e não podem ter relações pessoais e responsáveis ​​com ele. (João 4:24.) O espírito do homem, quando se torna morada do Espírito de Deus (Rom. 8:16), é o centro de adoração (João 4: 23,24); de oração, cântico, bênção (1 Cor. 14:15), e de serviço (Rom. 1: 9; Fil. 1:27). O espírito humano, representa a natureza suprema do homem, rege a qualidade de seu caráter. Aquilo que domina o espírito toma-se atributo de seu caráter. Por exemplo, se o homem permitir que o orgulho o domine, ele tem um "espírito altivo". (Prov. 16:18.) Conforme as influências específicas que o dominem, um homem pode ter um espírito perverso (Is 19:14); um espírito rebelde (Sal. 106: 33); um espírito impaciente (Prov. 14:29); um espírito perturbado (Gên.41: 18); um espírito contrito e humilde (Is 57:15; Mat. 5: 3). Pode estar sob um espírito de servidão (Rom. 8:15), ou ser impelido pelo espírito de inveja (Num.5: 14). Assim é que o homem deve guardar o seu espírito (Mal. 2:15), dominar o seu espírito (Prov. 16:32), pelo arrependimento tornar-se um novo espírito (Ezeq. 18:31) e confiar em Deus para transformar o seu espírito (Ezeq. 11:19). Quando os paixões vis exercerem o domínio e uma pessoa manifestar um espírito perverso, significa que a alma (a vida egocêntrica ou vida natural) destronizou o espírito. O espírito lutou e perdeu. O homem é vitima de seus sentimentos e apetites naturais; e é "carnal". O espírito já não domina mais, e essa impotência se descrições como um estado de morte. Dessa maneira há necessidade de receber um espírito novo (Ezeq. 18:31; Sal. 51:10); e somente aquele que soprou no corpo do homem ou fôlego da vida poder soprar na alma do homem uma nova vida espiritual - isto é, regenerá-lo. (João 3: 8; 20:22; Gal. 3:10.) Quando assim sucede, o espírito do homem novamente ocupa o lugar de ascendência, e chega a ser homem "espiritual". Entretanto, o espírito não pode viver de si mesmo, mas deve buscar uma renovação constante mediante o Espírito de Deus.

3. A alma do homem.

(a) A natureza da alma. A alma é aquele princípio inteligente e vivificante que anima o corpo humano, usando os sentidos físicos como seus agentes na exploração das coisas materiais e os órgãos do corpo para se expressar e comunicar-se com o mundo exterior. Originalmente a alma veio a existir em resultado do sopro sobrenatural de Deus. Podemos descrevê-la como espiritual e vivente, porque opera por meio do corpo. No entanto, não devemos crer que a alma seja parte de Deus, pois a alma peca. É mais correto dizer que é dom e obra de Deus. (Zac. 12: 1.)

Devem-se notar quatro distinções:

1. A alma distingue a vida humana e a vida dos irracionais das coisas inanimadas e também da vida inconsciente como um vegetal. Tanto os homens como os irracionais possuem almas (em Gên. 1:20, a palavra "vida" é "alma" no original). Poderíamos dizer que as plantas têm alma (no sentido de um princípio de vida), mas não é uma alma consciente.

2. A alma do homem o distinguue dos irracionais. Estes possuem alma, mas é alma terrena que vive somente enquanto durar o corpo. (Ecl. 3:21.) A alma do homem é de qualidade diferente sendo vivificada pelo espírito humano. Como "toda carne não é a mesma carne", assim sucede com a alma; existe alma humana e existe alma dos irracionais. Evidentemente, os homens fazem o que os irracionais não podem fazer, por muito inteligentes que sejam; a sua inteligência é de instinto e não proveniente de razão.

Tanto os homens como os irracionais constróem casas. Mas o homem progrediu, vindo a construir catedrais, escolas e arranha-céus, enquanto os animais inferiores constroem suas casas hoje da mesma maneira como as construíam quando Deus os criou. Os irracionais podem guinchar (como o macaco), cantar (como o pássaro), falar (como o papagaio); mas somente o homem produz a arte, a literatura, a música e as invenções cientificas. O instinto dos animais pode manifestar a sabedoria do seu Criador, mas somente o homem pode conhecer e adorar a seu Criador.

Para melhor ainda ilustrar o lugar elevado que ocupa o homem na escala da vida, vamos observar os quatro degraus da vida, que se elevam em dignidade um sobre o outro, conforme a independência sobre a matéria. Primeiro, a vida vegetal, que necessita de órgãos materiais para assimilar o alimento; segundo, a vida sensível, que usa os órgãos para perceber as coisas materiais e ter contato com elas; terceiro, a vida intelectual, que percebe o significado das coisas pela lógica, e não meramente pelos sentidos; quarto, a vida moral, que concerne à lei e à conduta. Os animais são dotados de vida vegetativa e sensível; o homem é dotado de vida vegetativa, sensível, intelectual e moral.

3. A alma distinguue um homem de outro e dessa maneira forma a base da individualidade. A palavra "alma" é, portanto, usada no sentido de "pessoa". Em Êxo. 1: 5 "setenta almas" significa "setenta pessoas". Em Rom.13: 1 "cada alma" significa "cada pessoa". Atualmente dizemos, "não havia nem uma alma presente", referindo-nos às pessoas.

4. A alma distinguue o homem não somente das ordens inferiores, mas também das ordens superiores dos anjos, porque estes não têm corpos semelhantes aos homens. O homem tomou-se um "ser vivente", quer dizer, a alma enche um corpo terreno sujeito às condições terrenas. Os anjos se descrevem como espíritos (Heb. 1:14), porque não estão sujeitos às condições ou limitações materiais. Por essa mesma razão se Deus como "Espírito". Mas os anjos são espíritos criados e finitos, enquanto Deus é o Espírito eterno e infinito.

(b) A origem da alma. Sabemos que a primeira alma veio a existir como resultado de Deus ter soprado no homem o sopro de vida. Mas como chegou a existir as almas from esse tempo? Os estudantes da Bíblia se dividem em dois grupos de idéias diferentes: (1) Um grupo afirma que cada alma individual não vem proveniente dos pais, mas sim pela criação Divina imediata. Citam as seguintes escrituras: Isa. 57:16; Ecl. 12: 7; Heb. 12: 9; Zac. 12: 1 (2) Outros pensam que a alma é transmitida pelos pais.

Apontam o fato de que a transmissão da natureza pecaminosa de Adão à posteridade milita contra a criação divina de cada alma; também o fato de que as características dos pais se transmitem à descendência. Citam as seguintes passagens: João 1:13; 3: 6; ROM. 5:12; 1 Cor.15: 22; Efés. 2: 3; Heb. 7:10. A origem da alma pode explicar-se pela cooperação do Criador como dos pais. No princípio duma nova vida, a Divina criação e o uso criativo de meios agem em cooperação.

O homem gera o homem em cooperação com "o Pai dos espíritos". O poder de Deus domina e permeia o mundo (Atos 17:28; Hb 1: 3) de maneira que todas as criaturas venham a ter existência segundo as leis que ele ordenou. Portanto, os processos normais da reprodução humana põem em execução como leis da vida fazendo com que a alma nasça no mundo. A origem de todas as formas de vida está encoberta por um véu de mistérios (Ecl. 11: 5; Sal. 139: 13-16; Jo 10: 8-12), e esse fato deve servir de aviso contra a especulação sobre as coisas que estão além dos limites das declarações públicas.

(c) Alma e corpo. A relação da alma com o corpo pode ser obtida e ilustrada da seguinte maneira:

1. A alma é a depositária da vida; ela figura em tudo que pertence ao sustento, ao risco, e à perda da vida. É por isso que em muitos casos a palavra "alma" tem sido traduzida "vida". (Vide Gên. 9: 5; 1 Reis 19: 3; 2:23; Prov. 7:23; Êxo. 21: 23,30; 30:12; Atos 15:26.) A vida é o entrosamento do corpo com uma alma. Quando a alma e o corpo se separam, o corpo não existe mais; o que resta é apenas um grupo de partículas de partículas num estado de decomposição rápida.

2. A alma permeia e habita todas as partes do corpo e afeta mais ou menos diretamente todos os seus membros. Este fato explica por que como Escrituras atribuem sentimentos ao coração e aos rins (Sal. 73:21; Jo 16:13; Lam. 3:13; Prov. 23:16; Sal. 16: 7; Jer. 12: 2; Jo. 38:36); às entranhas (Arquivo. 12; Jer. 4:19; Lam. 1:20; 2:11; Cânt. dos Cânt. 5: 4; Isa. 16:11); e ao ventre (Hab. 3:16; Jo 20:23; 15:35; João 7:38).

Esta mesma mesma verdade, de que a alma permeia o corpo, explica porque em muitas passagens se requer uma alma atos corporais. (Prov. 13: 4; Isa. 32: 6; Nm. 21: 4; Jer. 16:16; Gên.44: 30; Ezeq. 23:17, 22, 28.) "As partes internas" ou "entranhas "é uma expressão que geralmente expõe o entrosamento da alma com o corpo. (Isa. 16:11; Sal. 51: 6; Zac. 12: 1; Isa. 26: 9; 1 Reis 3:28.) Essas passagens descrevem como partes internas como o centro dos sentimentos, de experiência espiritual e de sabedoria . Mas notemos que não é o tecido material que pensa e sente, e, sim a alma operando por meio dos tecidos. Corretamente falando, não é o coração de carne, mas a alma, por meio do coração, que sente.

3. Por meio do corpo a alma recebe suas impressões do mundo exterior. Essas impressões são percebidas por estes sentidos: vista, audição, paladar, olfato e tato, e são transmitidas ao cérebro por via do sistema nervoso. Por meio do cérebro a alma elabora essas impressões pelos processos do intelecto, da razão, da memória e da imaginação. A alma atua sobre essas impressões enviando ordens às várias partes do corpo por via do cérebro e do sistema nervoso.

4. A alma comum contato com o mundo por meio do corpo, que é o instrumento da alma. O sentir, o pensar, o exercer vontade e outros atos, são todos eles atividades da alma ou do "eu". É o "eu" que vê e não somente os olhos; é o "eu" que pensa e não meramente o intelecto; é o "eu" que joga a bola e não meramente o meu braço; é o "eu" que pede e não simplesmente a língua ou os membros. Quando um membro é ferido, a alma não pode funcionar bem por meio dele; em caso de lesão cerebral pode resultar em demência. A alma então passa a ser como um músico com um instrumentado ou quebrado.

(d) A alma e o pecado. A alma vive a sua vida natural através dos instintos, termo que vamos empregar por falta de outro melhor. Esses instintos são quadros motrizes da personalidade, com as quais o Criador dotou o homem para fazê-lo apto a uma existência terrena (assim como o dotou de faculdades espirituais para capacitá-lo a uma existência celestial).

Chamamo-los instintos porque são impulsos inatos, implantados na criatura a fim de capacitá-la a fazer instintivamente o que é necessário para originar e preservar a vida natural. Assim chamado o Dr. Leander Keyser: "Se no inicio de sua vida o infante humano nao disponiveis certos instintos, nao poderia sobreviver, mesmo com o melhor cuidado paterno e medico." Vamos considerar os cinco instintos mais importantes. O primeiro é o instinto da auto-preservação que nos avisa de perigo e nos capacita para cuidar de nós mesmos.

O segundo, é o instinto de aquisição (conseguir), que nos conduz a adquirir as provisões para o sustento próprio. O terceiro, é o instinto da busca de alimento, o impulso que leva a desejar uma fome natural. O quarto é o instinto da reprodução que conduz à perpetuação da espécie. O quinto, é o instinto de domínio que conduz a certa iniciativa adequada necessária para o desempenho da vocação e das responsabilidades. O registro feito dotes (ou instintos) do homem concedido pelo Criador acha-se nos primeiros dois capítulos de Gênesis.

O instinto de autopreservação implica uma proibição e o aviso: "Mas da árvore do conhecimento do bem e do mal, dela não comerás porque no dia em que dela comeres certamente morrerás." O instinto de aquisição aparece no fato de ter Adão pedido da mão de Deus o lindo jardim do Éden. O instinto da busca de alimento percebese nas palavras: "Eis que vos tenho dado todas as ervas que dão sementes, as quais se acham sobre uma face de toda a terra, e todas as árvores em que há fruto que dê semente ser-vos- á para alimento. " Ao instinto de reprodução definida-se estas declarações: "Homem e mulher os criou."

"Deus os abençoou e lhes disse: frutificai, multiplicai-vos." Ao quinto instinto, domínio, referência-se o mandamento: "Enchei a terra, e .i-a; dominai." Deus ordenou que as criaturas inferiores originadas governadas primeiramente pelos instintos, mas o homem foi elevado à dignidade de possuir o dom de livre arbítrio e a razão, com os quais poderia disciplinar-se a si mesmo e tornar-se-se juiz do seu próprio destino. Como guia para o regulamento das faculdades do homem, Deus impôs uma lei.

O entendimento do homem quanto a essa lei produziu uma consciência, que significa literalmente "com conhecimento". Quando o homem deu ouvidos à lei, teve a consciência esclarecida; quando desobedeceu a Deus, sofreu, pois a consciência do acusava. No relato da tentação (Gên. 3) lemos como o homem cedeu à concupiscência dos olhos, à cobiça da carne, e à vaidade da vida. (1 João 2:16), e seus poderes de modo contrário à vontade de Deus. A alma consciente e voluntariamente, o corpo para pecar contra Deus. Essa combinação de alma pecaminosa e corpo humano conhecido o que se conhece como "o corpo do pecado" (Rom. 6: 6), ou "a carne" (Gál. 5:24).

A inclinação e desejo da alma para usar o corpo dessa maneira se alunos como a "mente carnal" (Rom. 8: 7). Visto que o homem pecou com o corpo, será julgado segundo "o que fez por meio do corpo" (2 Coríntios 5:10). Isso envolve uma ressurreição. (João 5:28, 29.) Quando a "carne" é condenada, uma referência não é ao material do corpo (o elemento material não pode pecar), mas ao corpo usado pela alma pecadora. É a alma que peca. Ainda que a língua do difamador fosse cortada o difamador seria o mesmo.

Amputam-se as mãos do larápio, mas de coração ele ainda seria ladrão. Os impulsos pecaminosos da alma devem ser extirpados; é essa a obra do Espírito Santo. (Vide Col. 3: 5; Rom. 8:13.) "A carne" pode ser definida como a soma total dos instintos do homem, não como incluída das mãos do Criador, e, sim, como são na realidade, pervertidos e feitos anormais pelo pecado. é a natureza humana na sua condição decaída, enfraquecida e desorganizada pela raça derivada de Adão e debilitada e pervertida por atos voluntários pecaminosos.

Ela representa a natureza humana não regenerada considera fraquezas atribuídas se escusam com estas palavras: "Afinal de contas a natureza humana é assim mesmo." é uma aberração, instintos e faculdades de dados por Deus que forma a base do pecado. Por exemplo, o egoísmo, a irritabilidade, a inveja, e a ira são aberrações do instinto da autopreservação. O roubo e a cobiça são perversões do instinto de aquisição. "não furtarás" e "não cobiçarás" querem dizer: "não perverterás o instinto de aquisição.

A glutonaria é a perversão do instinto de alimentação, portanto, é pecado. A impureza é perversão do instinto de reprodução. A tirania, a arrogância, a injustiça e a implicância representam abusos do instinto de domínio. Assim vemos que o pecado, fundamentalmente, é o abuso ou a aberração das opções com que Deus nos dotou. Notemos quais as consequências dessa perversão: (1) uma consciência culpada que diz ao homem que desonrou a seu Criador, e avisa-o da pena terrível; (2) a perversão dos instintos reage sobre a alma, debilitando a vontade, incitando e fortalecendo hábitos maus, criando deformações do caráter.

Paulo fez um catálogo dos sintomas "defeitos" da alma (uma palavra hebraica traduzida "pecado" significa literalmente "tortuosidade" em Gál. 5: 19-21). "Ora as obras da carne são manifestas, como quais são: a fornicação, a impureza, a lascívia, a idolatria, a feitiçaria, as inimizades, as contendas, os ciúmes, as iras, as facções, as dissensões, os partidos, as invejas, como bebedices, as orgias, e outras coisas semelhantes. " Paulo considera tais coisas tão sérias que acrescenta as palavras, "os que tais coisas práticas, não herdarão o reino de Deus".

Colocada sob o poder do pecado, uma alma toma-se "morta em delitos e pecados" (Efés. 2: 1). Colocada entre o corpo e o espírito, entre o mais elevado e o inferior, entre o terreno e o espiritual, a alma fez uma escolha má. Mas da escolha não surgiu proveito, e, sim, perda eterna (Mat. 16:26). Foi feita a má "barganha" de Esaú - a troca da bênção espiritual por uma coisa terrena e perecível. (Hb.12: 16.) Ao morrer, a alma ter que passar para o outro mundo, "manchada pela carne". (Jud. 23.) Felizmente existe um remédio - uma cura dupla, tanto para a culpa como para o poder do pecado,

(1) Porque o pecado é uma ofensa a Deus, é exigida uma expiação para remover a culpa e purificar uma consciência. A provisão do Evangelho é o sangue de Jesus Cristo.

(2) Visto que o pecado traz a doença à alma e desordem no ser humano, requere-se um poder curativo e corretivo. Esse poder é justamente aquele provido pela operação interna do Espírito Santo que endireita como coisas tortas da nossa natureza e põe em movimento certo como janela da nossa vida. Os resultados (os frutos) são "amor, gozo, paz, longanimidade, benignidade, bondade, fidelidade, mansidão, temperança" (Gál. 5:22, 23). Em outras palavras, O Espírito Santo faz-nos justos, palavra que no hebraico significa "reto". O pecado é tortuosidade da alma; a justiça é sua retidão.

(e) A alma e o coração. Tanto nas Escrituras, como na linguagem comum, a palavra "coração" significa o centro mesmo duma coisa. (Deut. 4:11; Mat. 12:40 Êxo. 15: 8; Sal. 46: 2; Ezeq. 27: 4,25,26,27.) O "coração" do homem é, portanto, o verdadeiro centro da sua personalidade. É o centro da vida física. Nas palavras do Dr. Beck: "O coração é a primeira coisa a viver, e seu primeiro movimento é sinal seguro de vida; seu silêncio é sinal positivo de morte." é também uma fonte e o lugar onde se encontra como correntes da vida espiritual e da alma. Podemos descrever-lo como a parte mais profunda do nosso ser, a "casa das máquinas", por assim dizer, da personalidade, procedem os impulsos que determinam o caráter e a conduta do homem.

1. O coração é o centro da vida, do desejo, da vontade e do juízo. O amor, o ódio, a determinação, a vontade e o gozo (Sal. 105: 3) unem-se com o coração. O coração sabe, compreende (1 Reis 3: 9), delibera, calcula; está disposto, é dirigido, presta atenção, e inclina-se para as coisas. Tudo o que impressiona a alma se diz estar fixado, estabelecido, ou escrito no coração. O coração é o depósito de tudo quanto se ouve ou se experimenta (Lu. 2:51). O coração é a "fábrica", por assim dizer, em que se formam pensamentos e propósitos, sejam bons ou maus. (Vide Sal.14: 1; Mat. 9: 4; I Cor. 7:37; 1Reis 8:17.)

2. O coração é o centro da vida emocional. Ao coração atribuem-se todos os graus de gozo, desde o prazer, (Isa. 65:14) até ao êxtase e exultação (Atos 2:46); todos os graus de dor, desde o descontentamento (Prov. 25:20) e a tristeza (João 14: 1) até ao "ai" lacerante e esmagador (Sal. 109: 22; Atos 21:13); todos os graus de má vontade, desde a provocação e ira (Prov. 23:17) até à cólera incontrolável (Atos 7:54) e o desejo vingativo ardente (Deut. 19: 6); todos os graus de temor desde o tremor reverente (Jer. 32:40) até ao pavor (Deut. 28:28). O coração derrete-se e se retorce em angústia (Jos. 5: 1); torna-se fraco pela depressão (Lev. 26:36); murcha sob o peso da tristeza (Sal. 102: 4); quebra-se fica esmagado pela adversidade (Sal. 147: 3), é consumido por um ardor sagrado (Jer.20: 9).

3. O coração é o centro da vida moral. Concentrado no coração pode haver o amor de Deus (Sal. 73:26) ou o orgulho blasfemo (Ezeq. 28: 2, 5). O coração é a "oficina" de tudo quanto é bom ou mau nos pensamentos, nas palavras ou nas ações. (Mat. 15:19.) É onde se reúnem todos os impulsos bons ou como cobiças más; é a sede dum tesouro bom ou ruim. Do que tiver em abundância ele fala e ópera. (Mat. 12:34, 35.) É o lugar onde garantir foi escrita a lei de Deus (Rom.2: 15), e onde a lei é renovada pela operação do Espírito Santo. (Heb.8: 10.)

É sede da consciência (Heb. 10:22) e a ele atribuem-se todos os testemunhos da consciência, (1 João 3: 19-21.) Com o coração o homem crê (Rom. 10:10) ou descrê (Heb. 3:12). É campo onde se semeia a Palavra divina (Mat. 13:19) .Segundo como suas decisões, está sob a inspiração de Deus (2 Cor. 8:16) ou de Satanás (João 13: 2). É a morada de Cristo (Efés. 3:17) e do Espírito (2 Cor. 1:22); da paz de Deus (Colossenses 3:15). é o receptáculo do amor de Deus (Rom. 5: 5), o lugar da aurora celestial (2 Cor. 4: 6), a câmara da comunhão secreta com Deus (Efés. 5: 19). É uma grande profundidade misteriosa que somente Deus pode sondar. (Jer. 17: 9.) Foi em vista das imensas possibilidades implícitas no coração do homem que Salomão proferiu esta admoestação: "Guarda com toda a diligência o teu coração, pois dele procedem como fontes da vida" (Prov. 4:23) .

(f) A alma e o sangue. "Porque a vida (literalmente" alma ") da carne está no sangue" (Lev. 17:11). As Escrituras ensinam que, tanto no homem como no irracional, o sangue é a fonte e o depositário da vida física. (Lev. 17:11; 3:17; Deut. 12:23; Lam. 2:12; Gên. 4:10; Heb. 12:24; Jo 24:12; Apoc. 6: 9,10; Jer. 2:34; Prov. 28:17.) Vamos citar as palavras de Harvey, médico inglês, descobridor da circulação do sangue: "é o primeiro órgão a viver e o último a morrer; é a sede principal da alma.

Ele vive e nutre-se de si mesmo, e por nenhuma outra parte do corpo. "Em Atos 17:26 e João 1:13 o sangue se apresenta como a matéria original de onde surge o organismo humano. Usando o coração como bomba, e o sangue como meio da vida, a alma envia vitalidade e nutrição a todas as partes do corpo.O lugar que a ocupa na escala da vida determina o valor do seu sangue. o sangue do homem, porque o homem tem a imagem de Deus. (Gên. 9: 6). De estimar especial é o sangue dos inocentes e dos mártires. (Gên. 4:10; Mat. 23:35.) O mais precioso de todos é o sangue de Cristo (1 Pedro 1:19; Heb. 9:12), de valor infinito por estar unido com a Divindade.

Pelo plano benigno de Deus, o sangue tomou-se o meio de expiação, quando aspergido sobre o altar de Deus. "Pelo que vo-lo tenho dado sobre o altar, para fazer expiação pelas vossas almas; porquanto é o sangue que fará expiação pela alma" (Lev. 17:11).

4. O corpo humano. Os seguintes nomes aplicam-se ao corpo:

(a) casa, ou tabernáculo. (2 Cor. 5: 1.) É a tenda na qual a alma do homem, qual peregrina, mora durante sua viagem do tempo para a eternidade. À morte, desarma-se a barraca e a alma parte. (Vide Isa. 38:12: 2 Ped. 1:13, 14.)

(b) Invólucro. (Dan. 7:15). O corpo é a "bainha" da alma. A morte é o desembainhar uma espada.

(c) Templo. O templo é um lugar consagrado pela presença de Deus - um lugar onde uma onipresença de Deus é localizada, (1 Reis 8:27, 28.) O corpo de Cristo foi um "templo" (João 2:21) porque Deus estava nele . (2 Cor. 5:19.) Quando Deus entra em relação espiritual com uma pessoa, o corpo dessa pessoa toma-se um templo do Espírito Santo. (1 Cor. 6:19.) Os filósofos pagãos falavam do corpo com desprezo; consideravam-no um estorvo à alma, e almejavam o dia quando a alma estaria livre das suas complicadas e enredosas roupagens.

Mas as Escrituras em toda parte tratam o corpo como obra de Deus, a ser apresentado a Deus (Rom. 12: 1), usado para a gloria de Deus (1 Cor. 6:20). Por que, por exemplo, contém o livro de Levítico tantas leis governando a vida física dos israelitas? Para ensiná-los que o corpo, como instrumento da alma, deve conservar-se forte e santo. É verdade que este corpo e terreno (1 Cor. 15:47) e como tal um corpo de humilhação (Fil. 3:21), sujeito às enfermidades e à morte (1 Cor. 15:53), de maneira que gememos por um corpo celestial (2 Coríntios 5: 2). Mas à vinda de Cristo, o mesmo poder que vivificou a alma transformará o corpo, assim completando a redenção do homem. E o penhor mudança dessa é o Espírito que nele habita. (2 Co 5: 5; Rom. 8:11.)

[paxvictoriana]

The Incredible, Radical Jessica James

• • •  [spoilers below]  • • •

In the middle of a blind date she doesn’t particularly want to be on, The Incredible Jessica James’ eponymous heroine squares off with her equally uncomfortable, male dinner friend/potential boyf/adversary.

They volley back and forth several brutally, “completely honest” questions.

After a few, he asks her, “How do you pay your rent?”

“I… work at a non-profit, in Hell’s Kitchen.” (Pride in her voice, though a somewhat knowing tone: yeah, I know. Very Brooklyn answer.) “I teach public school kids how to write and produce their own plays.”

“So… how do you pay your rent?”

She laughs.

Already – my Netflix ticker says this is barely 13:50 into the entire movie – the two biggest threads of the film come together: (1) an endearing, realistic romantic comedy starring Jessica Williams (that Dope Queen off The Daily Show who now does other stuff – namely, this) and rom-com’s staple dorky everyman Chris O’Dowd (because the thinking, even semi-straight woman[**] needs an IT guy); and (2) the female Bildungsroman.

If you’ve taken an English class any time since approx. 1980, you’ve probably had to learn and use “Bildungsroman” in an essay. It’s the coming-of-age novel, the story of growing up, an arc from innocence to experience. Except, as a pivotal cohort of feminist critics in the 1980s argued, the female Bildungsroman means “growing down,” a story of women being taught by society: Lower Your Expectations! Conform! Settle! The debate around what even is a Bildungsroman has wrestled with how gender-specific a story about maturing and (in essence) #adulting can be, given that women in Western society since the inception of the novel itself haven’t really had the options to leave home, discover themselves as autonomous, free, independent selves. The male Bildungsroman, in other words, is about the boy who grows up to be a man, and gets a job; the female Bildungsroman is about the girl who becomes a lady, and finds the right husband. Sure, there’s status and some freedom attached to that – class status and thus economic freedom, as the bourgieness of the novel excels at rewarding. But by and large, no matter how failed the male career, no matter how much the woman takes on a new career of domestic labor, the novels usually emphasize along these lines. Men achieve professional success; women aren’t left to be spinsters.

(A professor in my department, Jesse Rosenthal, pointed out how pervasive this narrative still is within even the most indie, “unconventional” of tales. His case study? (500) Days of Summer. As he recounted to a class on the 19th-cen. British novel, here’s a movie putatively about the romantic maturation of the male subject – a rom-com trajectory usually reserved for women [i.e.. He’s Just Not That Into You could never be She’s Just Not That Into You]. But Joseph Gordon Levitt’s problematic-nice-guy fairy tale, complete with problematic-indie-dream-girl Zooey Deschanel, isn’t his acceptance of a limited role in his next relationship. It’s a successful job interview. [roll credits])

So the fact that The Incredible Jessica James coupled, in several senses, these two plots wasn’t surprising to me. Less than 15 minutes in, and yeah, obviously, Chris O’Dowd is gonna get the girl, and Jessica is gonna get over her ex by realizing that she “deserves” this more mature guy. Her work is great and all, the story goes, but obviously what we want is Bridesmaids with a lady of color. Comedy + late capitalism’s precarity (Jessica, how do you pay your rent? Are you going to have to go live with your parents like Kristin Wiig had to after the cupcake biz tanked?) = love story. And bonus points for being about Instagram, and having a WOC lead where a white actress would have been five or ten years ago (slash even now): kudos, my friends. Kudos.

But… that’s not what happened. And here’s where this movie is radical.

Because The Incredible Jessica James is a female Bildungsroman [or Bildungs-Film] that subtly, cannily, definitively breaks the mold. 

It isn’t a story about a woman realizing how wrong she is to be hung up on the wrong, bad boy, and thus the return to the family, to society’s right side of the tracks, to *herself* that is made whole again by giving up her rebellious adolescent wandering and waffling. Instead, TIJJ presents a heroine who goes through a series of rejections not of lovers, but of jobs [displayed on her wall: see first screencap]. It tracks her indefatigable efforts to make what she loves (theater) into a career, even a somewhat uncertain one. It’s about her slow realization – not the sudden “awakening” narrative that critics have ascribed to female/feminist Bildungsroman of old – that what she’s doing, working every day with kids, continuing to send out her resume, writing and reading and connecting with the public circles of her aspiring field – all that, is a career.

Take, for example, a crucial marker of James’s acceptance of herself, and of her status, as grown-up, matured, sufficiently adult that she’s no longer faking it til she makes it: she’s Made It. The blueish-purple jumpsuit spotted in a Brooklyn consignment shop, the kind that is explicitly labeled as male by the sewn patch of its previous owner, “Randolph,” tall enough for even the pretty tall JJ. 

Working-class, second hand, male-identified uniform; natural hair in box braids; red lipstick and bright eyeliner. This is how Jessica meets her parents. But the music slides to an uncomfortable stop as Jessica gets off the Arrivals moving walkway: her parents are bourgie, sweet, stable, and utterly unlike her in spirit. This is the American middle-class dream – as authors from Frantz Fanon to Paul Gilroy to Ta Nehisi-Coates have written – that preys on Black people specifically, the double-consciousness of passing as it works in all its formulaic vapidity. Jessica’s younger sister, too, has bought into this dream: she takes one look at Jessica.

“You look like an auto-mechanic,” Jerusa (her sister) points out in a tone dripping with judgment.

“It’s cool, though, right?” Jessica beams.

“Yeah…” her sister nods, meaning the opposite. “I mean, you’re not going to wear it to the party?” [Her very normative, unironic, and uncritical baby shower.]

“… Nope,” Jessica deflates. Pretending this has been her plan all along.

Because this family isn’t ever going to be the place where Jessica can be anything other than stifled. The prim-and-proper group sits in the suburban family room late that night, merrily gooey-eyed over a romantic drama they’re watching on TV, whose dialogue (that’s all we overhear) is so utterly, sickeningly banal that Jessica doesn’t even enter the room. She hangs back, in the darkness. The entire setting – with all its race and class implications (and the sincere and moving subplot about the James family’s struggles with making their own rent, and how this continues to the present with Jessica’s public school kid whose divorced parents are fighting over custody, intertwines class and race throughout) – requires, in sum, the painful subjugation of Jessica’s self. A “growing down,” a compromise, as its definition of “growing up.”

Women of traditional Bildungsromane, Abel, Hirsch and Langland posit, “are not free to explore; more frequently, they merely exchange one domestic sphere for another. While the young hero roams through the city, the young heroine strolls down the country lane” (8).

Jessica James, by contrast, goes back to New York.

And back, at least superficially, to the romantic sphere of this rom-com. Where her jumpsuit is acceptable; where people like her appreciate thoughtful, empowering arts (instead of, like her mom’s Very White Book Club Lady friend wants, Cats). Where her lesbian best friend (that actress from Master of None) is the elective community James wants, not the family she’s contractually obliged to recognize in her blood. Where Chris O’Dowd is; where her career is.

So how does the movie wrap up the romantic plot without making this about Jessica’s successful “deserving” of the Right Man™?

(It’s worth noting, before we spoil the ending, that the Boone – aka O’Dowd – subplot of the movie focuses on his not being able to get over the right girl. He stalks his ex-wife, amusingly because it’s Chris O’Dowd, but I think the movie implies cringe-worthily and creepily too: the dude side of rom-coms, it seems, is bleak; not somewhere the film is especially interested in lingering, and neither really are we. He’s eventually ashamed of himself, and this humility is deliberately more endearing than his Every Breath You Take enactment was. Admittedly, we could get into the politics of who says they’re sorry at various points in the film, who asks for and who gives forgiveness, and the ways in which being placed in a position of forgiving is, in a way, simultaneously powerful and powerless. But Nietzsche and feminism is a debate for another time.)

What I’m especially struck by – and I’ve watched this movie myself and with my sister, and then thought about it again after it was praised by another woman I love who watched it an ocean away – is that TIJJ ends with Jessica.

The final two scenes are crucial here. The penultimate brings together the two guys; formally, the two choices of a Bildungsroman: forward, or back? Jessica’s ex, Damon, finds her backstage after the kids’ theater night concludes, and opens with how he “know[s] how much this means to” her. For a split second, I panicked: OH GOD, fuck, this is why we can’t have nice things. They’re gonna have this guy realize how great she is – because obviously the only way a guy can appreciate a woman is for him to be in competition with another man. She deserves better! I shouted internally. Don’t take him back: sure, you realized you were as responsible for the break-up as he was. So what! You can do better.

But they hug, they sigh, and he leaves. (At which point I breathed a sigh of relief.)

Enter Chris O’Dowd. (At which point I was back to, fuck conventionality. What a missed opportunity.)

Turns out, though, the movie saw me – and the Bildungsroman – coming a mile off.

Because Jessica – unlike Rachel – gets on the damn plane.

Jessica, after all, has been offered a huge job opportunity in the most novelistic of cities: London. But things are just getting back on track with Right Guy; but going is her dream, is her big break; but he, like Damon, just realized how great she is – he read her entire corpus of theatrical writing, and declared – #honesty – that he’s still coming to grips with her complexity, on the page and off; but; but; but…

But… she forgot to tell him about London. And in a sense, this is where swelling crescendos of orchestral joy began filling my head, because if this had been a rom-com like the others, if this had been a female coming-of-age story like the others, she would never forgotten about him. Ever. Not once. He would have been her one phone call; her best friend-par-excellence; her Person. Instead, that honor goes to Tasha, the semi-parodic self-involved best friend who always, though, has Jessica’s back.

And so when the clearly wealthy – loaded, because of an app that is explicitly about the formal gesture afforded by technology of Family, without the actual emotional or affective labor of having to talk to those totally different people who somehow raised you! – Boone mentions “frequent flyer miles,” we can anticipate an airplane that Jessica (by now we can say, of course) will be on.

“Just if you wanted to… bring someone with you… to show you around the town,” he hedges, just before the cut.

“How does that work? [...] Frequent flyer miles?”

Cut to Jessica – in the god. damn. JUMPSUIT. Pleased as punch, sitting in – oh yes, we can have nice things – not even economy seats. The nice seats.

At which point, the truly INCREDIBLE part of this movie becomes clear:

Tasha: Dude, I can't believe your boyfriend bought us tickets to London.

Jessica: Okay, who said anything about him being my boyfriend?

T: Wait. What are you talking about? This is like, the most romantic gesture I have ever seen.

JJ: Yeah, it's dope. But it takes more than a couple of roundtrip tickets to London for somebody to be my boyf.

T: That is so boss.

Shandra – the elementary school girl whose divorced parents prompted Jessica’s own reflection on her parents/childhood – returning to her seat: What is so boss?

T: Uh, Jessica.

S: Oh, yeah. Duh.[… I]t was really cool of your boyfriend to get me a ticket, too.

T: Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa. Sister. Just because a guy buys a lady a couple of roundtrip tickets to London does not make him her boyfriend.…

[a beat]

S: You know, I like your jumpsuit.

JJ: Thank you. Yeah, it's pretty bad-ass, right?

S: Hm. Yeah, it is.

They all exchange smiles, the camera zooms in for one final-close up of Jessica’s excited anticipation of landing for the beginning of – not her romance, but – her career.

COME ON! You’re telling me the final scene of this movie is a new affinity, a new definition of family, in which the white, straight, married couple form is reshaped into the female solidarity of friendship, while the child of that hetero dyad of yore is now the dark-skinned girl who herself is a budding author, having been mentored by Jessica, who is – onscreen – mentored by another strong, Black female playwright??? You’re telling me that throw-away moment in the corridor backstage with Chris O’Dowd that seems like the lead-in to a kiss is in fact his last appearance onscreen??? You’re telling me the movie, moreover, goes out of its way to stress – TWICE -- that whatever erotic/romantic relationship they’re in, Jessica didn’t accept this trip as the quid pro quo of settling down??? YOU’RE TELLING ME THIS NEW COLLECTIVE IS SO AWARE OF ITS MEMBERS’ QUIRKS AND FOIBLES AND SELF-AUTHORSHIP/FASHIONING THAT THE FINAL LINES OF THE MOVIE UNDERSCORE THAT JESSICA CAN, IN FACT, DRESS HOWEVER THE FUCK SHE WANTS, AND THAT SOME PEOPLE WILL LOVE HER FOR IT, AND FEEL THE SAME ABOUT THE THINGS SHE LOVES???

Get out of my face, TIJJ. You have *EXPLODED* the female Bildungsroman, and maybe the Bildungsroman full-stop. There is no return to the original society, no compromise, no settling. Jessica isn’t the one forced to the margins of the story by choosing either independence or submission: the family is.

For that matter, romance sort of is. Jessica has no “boyf”; Tasha has no (onscreen, stable, couple-form) gf, but neither is she a hypersexualized lerb. She masturbates on/off-screen, but it’s one of her quirks! She and Jessica go to a lesbian bar, where Tasha chats with several recognizably-styled queer ladies: but she is neither reduced to her own romance plot, nor denied any sexuality at all. She and Jessica, however queerly you read their relationship (and I don’t especially, but I see how one could), are the empowering couple of the film, supporting each other not just in romance but in their mutually-reinforcing careers.

This is a rom-com about aiming high, about finding a career not in, because of, or in spite of a guy, but because it’s the one through-line of the entire story. Jessica begins and ends loving her work, and the slow build of that love rewards her by the end. She has Made It. The fact that she probably goes home to an attractive dude who boosts but is not himself responsible for her career – sure, he gets her upgraded tickets, but her confidence, “forthright[ness],” and drive suggest she would have made it to London without him, no question, by whatever means necessary – is icing on the cake. Yes, there was a maturation narrative within the romantic plot (she learned to leap in her relationships; she also learned, as Boone did, to have realistic expectations of where both partners are at any given moment in a relationship). But this, the movie stresses, is not the end of the story. It’s a subplot within her story.

[gif from x]

I don’t think it’s unimportant, either, that Jessica Williams – a fine actress in this movie, entirely winning the screen – plays the heroine. By which I mean, I think it’s all the more radical that to play the romantic interest to gaze adoringly at rom-com’s Irish nerdboy Chris O’Dowd, the director/producers/writers picked a woman whose best-known appearances are in scathing condemnations of male privilege, white supremacy, and American patriarchal, racist, and just terrible norms in general. That such a woman is the new face – but I didn’t even get to talk about the fact that in a few scenes, Jessica J/W’s complexion is a little spotty, which made me (with a long history of struggling with the medical and psychological reality of being a teenager and then adult woman with terrible acne) want to cry with gratitude: this is what a heroine looks like? 

Sure, Wonder Woman is fab, but damn I needed this representation so much – maybe more – than the superheroic, impervious demi-goddess from Themyscira. I needed a strong, self-loving, no-nonsense, tall, Black, not-quite-starving artist in Brooklyn, jamming with headphones in the concrete stairwell of her building, who proudly declares, “I’m freakin’ DOPE.”

I needed a new female coming-of-age story – especially in 2017 –, and, somewhat subtly but unquestionably, The Incredible Jessica James delivered.

***

{** I use “women,” “men,” “male,” and “female” throughout this piece to refer mostly to the historical categories of those identities/concepts. I also want to be clear that I’m not trying to gloss over this film’s missteps; rather, I’m trying to celebrate its major, but possibly missable, wins. Lastly, I know that in German Bildungsroman means *novel* of development/maturation, not *film*. Don’t @ me.

Thanks to Jesse Rosenthal (JHU) for getting me thinking about the basic understanding of the Bildungsroman in such concise, formal terms. For the debate about male vs./and female Bildungsromane, see – to name just some –, Abel, Hirsch and Langland (eds.), The Voyage In: Fictions of Female Development (1983); Lorna Ellis, Appearing to Diminish: Female Development and the British Bildungsroman, 1750-1850 (1999); Rita Felski, Beyond Feminist Aesthetics: Feminist Literature and Social Change (1989); Franco Moretti, The Way of the World: The Bildungsroman in European Culture (1987); and Susan Fraiman, Unbecoming Women: British Women Writers and the Novel of Development (1993).

The Incredible Jessica James (2017), dir. and writer Jim Strouse; produced by Beachside Films/Netflix. S/o to casting, Kate Geller and Jessica Kelly. Thanks also to Springfield! Springfield! movie scripts for their transcription, which saved me time. }

#The Incredible Jessica James #Bildungsroman #women #coming of age #work #race #class #feminism #Jessica Williams #novel of development #narrative #films #movies #2017 #mine #long read #female bildungsroman #heroine

[dailychapel]

Strengthen us in the power of Your might, O God. Dress us in Your armor so that we can stand firm against the schemes of the devil. We know that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:10-12)

You are our keeper, O Lord, the shade on our right hand. Protect us from all evil and keep our soul. Guard our going out and our coming in. From this time and forever. In Jesus' name, Amen.

[Psa 122:1-9 NLT] 1 A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of David. I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD." 2 And now here we are, standing inside your gates, O Jerusalem. 3 Jerusalem is a well-built city; its seamless walls cannot be breached. 4 All the tribes of Israel--the LORD's people--make their pilgrimage here. They come to give thanks to the name of the LORD, as the law requires of Israel. 5 Here stand the thrones where judgment is given, the thrones of the dynasty of David. 6 Pray for peace in Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper. 7 O Jerusalem, may there be peace within your walls and prosperity in your palaces. 8 For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, "May you have peace." 9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek what is best for you, O Jerusalem.

[2Sa 12:1-14 NLT] 1 So the LORD sent Nathan the prophet to tell David this story: "There were two men in a certain town. One was rich, and one was poor. 2 The rich man owned a great many sheep and cattle. 3 The poor man owned nothing but one little lamb he had bought. He raised that little lamb, and it grew up with his children. It ate from the man's own plate and drank from his cup. He cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter. 4 One day a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing an animal from his own flock or herd, he took the poor man's lamb and killed it and prepared it for his guest." 5 David was furious. "As surely as the LORD lives," he vowed, "any man who would do such a thing deserves to die! 6 He must repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity." 7 Then Nathan said to David, "You are that man! The LORD, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. 8 I gave you your master's house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. 9 Why, then, have you despised the word of the LORD and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife. 10 From this time on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised me by taking Uriah's wife to be your own. 11 "This is what the LORD says: Because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man before your very eyes, and he will go to bed with them in public view. 12 You did it secretly, but I will make this happen to you openly in the sight of all Israel." 13 Then David confessed to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." Nathan replied, "Yes, but the LORD has forgiven you, and you won't die for this sin. 14 Nevertheless, because you have shown utter contempt for the LORD by doing this, your child will die."

[Rom 10:14-21 NLT] 14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, "How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!" 16 But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, "LORD, who has believed our message?" 17 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. 18 But I ask, have the people of Israel actually heard the message? Yes, they have: "The message has gone throughout the earth, and the words to all the world." 19 But I ask, did the people of Israel really understand? Yes, they did, for even in the time of Moses, God said, "I will rouse your jealousy through people who are not even a nation. I will provoke your anger through the foolish Gentiles." 20 And later Isaiah spoke boldly for God, saying, "I was found by people who were not looking for me. I showed myself to those who were not asking for me." 21 But regarding Israel, God said, "All day long I opened my arms to them, but they were disobedient and rebellious."

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

“May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Heb. 13:20-21)

[lovelyparanormalbooks]

Book Blitz: Grand Finale: Rebel in a Small Town by Kristina Knight (Giveaway)

On Tour with Prism Book Tours.

Book Tour Grand Finale for

Rebel in a Small Town

By Kristina Knight

We hope you enjoyed the tour! If you missed any of the stops you can see snippets, as well as the link to each full post, below:

Launch - Note from the Author

My family's special project for this new series is continuing with the release of Rebel in a Small Town, too. We’re donating a portion of the proceeds from the Slippery Rock series toward providing Sweet Cases from TogetherWeRise to foster children. Most children going in to foster care have nothing but the clothes on their backs. Sweet Cases are duffel bags given to children coming in to care, and once given, the bags remain with that child, giving them a sense of home and, hopefully, a sense that they aren't alone. Each duffel includes a warm blanket, a teddy bear, hygiene kit, and art supplies.

— Kristina

Sylv.net - Story Inspiration

I love a rebel! Especially, a rebel that is a little bit unexpected, and I hope that’s what you’ll love about Rebel in a Small Town. Because instead of James – the hero – being the big, bad rebel…it’s Mara. And she’s not so much a crazed, angry, rebel without a cause (although I do like a good rebel without a cause) as a women trying to live down her rebellious past.

Beck Valley Books - Excerpt

“Touché.” James put his hands in his pockets. “You look good.”

“So now that I’m not an attached lesbian-slash- bisexual, you’re going straight into hook-up mode?”

James grinned. “It was a statement of fact,” he said, “not an invitation for either of us to go jumping into whatever lake we were swimming in up until two years ago.”

Becky on Books - Review

"Mara and James’ story, the second in the Slippery Rock series, is a sweet second chance/secret baby romance. . . . Slippery Rock was heartening; their HEA, when it comes, is very sweet. Seeing the rest of their collection of friends once again makes me anxious to see what will be in store for future books in the series, especially Adam and Jenny, Levi, and the mysterious, absent Aiden."

Hearts & Scribbles - Top 5 Rebel Movies

Movies are my favorite form of entertainment - next of books, natch! Rom-coms, dramas, action flicks, period dramas, historical reenactments…I’ll watch anything at least once. But I’ll watch a good rebel movie more than once. In some cases, hundreds of times.

underneath the covers - Excerpt

She motioned to her bag and tried to shout above the racket of the beepers. “I’m with Cannon Security,” she said, but the teenager kept wielding the broom handle at her like it was a machete. “I’m on a security check,” she said, trying again, but neither of the employees seemed able to hear her. Maybe the two of them didn’t want to hear her.

Thoughts of a Blonde - Review

"Star-crossed lovers, town secrets and a surprise baby … just a few of the things that make this such a fun read! A visit to Slippery Rock is always satisfying!"

Mythical Books - Top 5 Rebel Songs

5. Pink Floyd, Another Brick in the Wall: I think my love of this song comes directly from my dad’s disdain for it. He was a school teacher, and took great offense to a chorus of ‘we don’t need no education’…which, of course, meant I just had to love it. It helped that one of my older brother’s friends (who I thought was quite cute) used to play it while he was working on his old beater car. Sans shirt.

Deal Sharing Aunt - Interview

Does writing energize or exhaust you? – A little bit of both, actually. When the words are flowing, I have a tendency to get totally lost…which leads to more time at the keyboard than I should probably spend…which leads to lost sleep and caffeine highs…and coming down from those is exhausting!

Christian Suspense Author Mary Alford - Review

"One thing I love about a book series is that it allows you to return to your favorite place and find out what’s happening to some of your favorite townsfolk. . . . While there are some adult situations in the book, it’s an entertaining small town read that makes me look forward to Ms. Knight’s next Slippery Rock book."

It's All About the Romance - James’ Tips for Reforming a Rebel

Loving a rebel is a hard thing, especially when you’re neck-deep in sheriff duties. And, you know, when your family has been the law in your town for longer than you can remember. People have expectations. And thoughts. And expectations.

Inside the Mind of an Avid Reader - Review

"This book has history, love, friendship, humanity and sexual chemistry. The small Town of Slippery Rock is being rebuilt by everyone that once loved it. You don't want to miss this sweet heart warming story about a Rebel coming home!"

The Reader's Handbook - Excerpt

“Mara.” His voice was quiet, and the sound of her name on his lips made the sizzle burn a little hotter. She froze, needing to keep the heat between them under control, but wanting it to burst out like a wildfire. His mouth hit hers, but instead of the anger that had fueled that kiss outside the B and B, the contact was slow. Smooth. And it nearly undid her. His mouth was strong against hers, familiar, and yet it was as if he had never kissed her before.

Nicole's Book Musings - Mara’s Tips for Dating a Good Man

The thing is, you can’t run forever. I learned that the hard way, when I fell in love with James Calhoun. I ran, and my life hasn’t been the same since. My problem is that I can’t run anymore because there are more than just my feelings to think about. I have Zeke’s feelings to consider. And James’.

Harlie's Books - Excerpt & Review

“No, no, no. Please, no.”

The siren grew louder, and a few cars passing on the street pulled to the side.

“Let it be a fire. Let it be a fire.”

But it wasn’t a red fire truck that entered the parking lot. It was a big black SUV with Wall County Sheriff plastered along its side. She was definitely not making it to the B and B for snack time.

"Secret baby, childhood friends to lovers, small town tropes, oh my. Sign me up. Not to mention the secret that is between them that the town still blames Mara squarely for. This book has it all for me. Plus, it has smexy times and what an opening to a book. Ms. Knight shook up the mold when she wrote Mara and James."

Always Reading - Excerpt & Review

James cupped his hands around her neck, pulling her to him. Mara squeaked as he laid his lips on hers, silencing her before she could say, for the fifteenth time, that she could be everything for the little boy in the picture. That James could walk away and never feel guilty about it. As if that would ever happen.

"This book warmed my heart. I grew up in a small town called Slippery Rock. When I saw that this town was called Slippery Rock, I knew I had to read it. We moved away from there, but it is always good to go home."

And don't forget to enter the giveaway below, if you haven't already...

Rebel in a Small Town

(Slippery Rock #2) Kristina Knight

Contemporary Romance

Paperback & ebook, 384 pages

July 1st 2017 by Harlequin Superromance

He's not giving up his family without a fight James Calhoun has never been able to resist Mara Tyler, or her knack for mischief. Her reputation as a reckless teenager drove Mara from their hometown. So Slippery Rock is the last place James ever expected to see her, and Mara's timing couldn't be worse. With the upcoming election for sheriff, she threatens the squeaky-clean image James needs to win. Because Mara has brought with her the result of their steamy affair: his two-year-old son, Zeke. After the initial shock, James is determined to have both his family and career. He just needs to convince Mara that her home is where it's always been. With him.

Goodreads│Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Harlequin│iBooks│Kobo

Other Books in the Series

Famous in a Small Town

(Slippery Rock #1) Kristina Knight

Contemporary Romance

Paperback & ebook, 384 pages

May 1st 2017 by Harlequin Superromance

Lifestyles of the small-town famous

Forced to leave Nashville after a scandal, Savannah Walters has come home to Slippery Rock, Missouri, with a bruised ego and her singing career in jeopardy. As if that isn't humiliating enough, on her way into town she's rescued by her swoon-worthy childhood crush, Collin Tyler.

His hands are full running the family orchard and dealing with his delinquent teen sister, so Collin doesn't need to get involved with someone as fiery and unpredictable as Savannah. But the intense attraction between them can't be denied. And when disaster strikes, they'll both be surprised by who's still standing when the dust settles.

Goodreads│Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Harlequin│iBooks│Kobo And coming September 2017...

Breakup in a Small Town

(Slippery Rock #3) Kristina Knight

Contemporary Romance

Paperback & ebook, 384 pages

September 1st 2017 by Harlequin Superromance

This isn't the man she married… 

Jenny Buchanan never considered what "for better or for worse" meant when she married Adam Buchanan at nineteen. Six years and two little boys later, "for worse" arrives in the form of a tornado that ravages Slippery Rock and injures Adam. Now he's a stranger to his family…and love won't be enough to bring him back. 

Only when Jenny asks him to move out does Adam become the husband she needs…but Adam isn't the only one who's changed. As their attraction sparks back to life, Jenny and Adam must learn what it is to grow up—and grow together—before this small-town breakup lasts forever.

Goodreads│Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Harlequin│Kobo

About the Author

Once upon a time, Kristina Knight spent her days running from car crash to fire to meetings with local police--no, she wasn't a troublemaker, she was a journalist. Her career took her all over the United States, writing about everything from a serial killer's capture to the National Finals Rodeo. Along the way, she found her very own Knight in Shining Cowboy Boots and an abiding love for romance novels. And just like the characters from her favorite books, she's living her own happily ever after.

Kristina writes sassy contemporary romance novels; her books have appeared on Kindle Best Seller Lists. She loves hearing from readers, so drop her a line!

Website│Goodreads│Facebook│Twitter│Pinterest│BookBub│Google+│Amazon

Other Harlequin Superromance Books by the Author

Tour Giveaway

- 1 winner will receive a signed copy of Protecting the Quarterback and some fun swag - US residents only

- Ends July 25th

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#ParanormalBooks

[christianpublishinghouse-blog]

  The relation sustained by the Holy Spirit to Jesus Christ is a twofold one. First: He predicted by the holy prophets the great facts in the life of the coming one. Second: He associated himself with that one after he came.

The Time of Hid Coming Was Clearly Foretold

Isaiah 2:2 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)

2 It will come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of Jehovah will be established on the top of the mountains, and will be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it,

He Was to Come While the Second Temple Was In Existence

Malachi 3:1 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)

3  “Look! I am going to send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you are seeking will come suddenly to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant will come, in whom you take delight, behold, he is coming,” says Jehovah of hosts.

The Place of His Birth Was Foretold

“But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting” (Mic. 5:2).

His Lineage Was Declared the In the Hebrew Old Testament

(1) He was to be a descendant of Abraham. “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Gen. 12:3, ESV) “For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham.” (Heb. 2:16, ESV)

(2) He was to be of the tribe of Judah. ” For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests.” (Heb. 7:14, NASB)

(3) He was to be of the house of David. ” In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples–of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.” (Isa. 11:10, ESV)

The Prophets described his Character

(1) His wisdom. ” And the Spirit of Jehovah shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Jehovah.” (Isa. 11:2, ASV)

(2) His obedience. ” For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.” (John 6:38, ESV)

(3) His love of righteousness. ” You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of joy above Your fellows.” (Ps. 45:7, NASB)

(4) His gentleness and tenderness. ” He will not cry, nor lift up his voice, nor cause it to be heard in the street. A bruised reed will he not break, and a dimly burning wick will he not quench: he will bring forth justice in truth.” (Isa. 42:2-3, ASV)

(5) His compassion. ” The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; because Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.” (Isa. 61:1, ASV).

His Betrayal and Trial

As we approach the closing scenes of Christ’s life the prophecies become more minute and remarkable.

(1) The betrayal. “And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my hire; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my hire thirty pieces of silver. And Jehovah said unto me, Cast it unto the potter, the goodly price that I was prized at by them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them unto the potter, in the house of Jehovah.” (Zech. 11:12-13, ASV)

(2) His demeanor when on trial. “He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he opened not his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not His mouth.” (Isa. 53:7, ASV)

(3) When crucified, the soldiers were to part his garments among them and cast lots for his vesture. “They part my garments among them, And upon my vesture do they cast lots.” (Ps. 22:18, ASV)

(4) He was to be numbered with the transgressors. “Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isa. 53:12, ASV)

(5) He was to perish amid cruel mocking. “But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, Commit thyself unto Jehovah; let him deliver him: let him rescue him, seeing he delighted in him.” (Ps. 22:6-8, ASV)

His Resurrection and Coronation

(1)  He was to rise from the dead. “For thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol; neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption.” (Ps. 16:10, ASV)

(2) His ascension was also a subject of prophecy. “Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led away captives; thou hast received gifts among men, yea, among the rebellious also, that Jehovah God might dwell with them.” (Ps. 68:18, ASV)

(3) His coronation is foretold and described. “I saw in the night-visions, and, behold, there came with the clouds of heaven one like unto a son of man, and he came even to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” (Dan. 7:13-14, ASV)

The above are only a few of the many predictions made by the Holy Spirit as to the character, life, sacrifice and dominion of our Lord. We notice now the work of the Spirit in, upon and through him.

He Was Conceived By Holy Spirit

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.” (Matt. 1:18, ESV) “The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.” – Luke 1:35, NASB

He was Anointed By Holy Spirit

“And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold,the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold,a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matt. 3:16-17, ESV) “In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.  And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’” (Mark 1:9-11, ESV) “Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”” (Luke 3:21-22, ESV) “And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’” – John 1:32-33

He Was Led By the Holy Spirit

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” (Matt. 4:1) “The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.” (Mark 1:12) “And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness.” – Luke 4:1

He Performed Miracles By the Holy Spirit

“But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you.” (Matt. 12:28) “But if I by the finger of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you.” – Luke 11:20

He Offered Himself Up Through Holy Spirit

Hebrews 9:14 English Standard Version (ESV)

14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

He Was Raised By the Holy Spirit

“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” (Rom. 8:11) “and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Rom. 1:4)

He Gave the Commission By the Holy Spirit

Acts 1:1-2 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.

He Ascended and Coronation Was Announced By the Holy Spirit

“Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.” (Acts 2:33, ESV) “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” – Acts 2:36

Thus, the Spirit predicted the coming of Jesus and the great facts of his birth, baptism, anointing, miracles, death, burial and resurrection, ascension and coronation, and then came from the Father to carry on the work of extending his kingdom. In the light of this testimony we can truly say with Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:3: “And I know that this man was caught up into paradise, whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows.”

“I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me … While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled … I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.” – John 17:6-8, 12, 14-15, ESV

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  The Holy Spirit and Jesus The relation sustained by the Holy Spirit to Jesus Christ is a twofold one. First: He predicted by the holy prophets the great facts in the life of the coming one.

#Born Again #Holy Spirit #Indwelling of the Holy Spirit #Jesus Christ

[mackjao]

2/9/17 – Home – A photo of pages from my journal with writings compiled over time and through many seasons of my life 

Despite my ardent love for reading, I used to dislike writing. Having been brought up with Asian parents both with backgrounds in the sciences, I grew up believing that math & science were both beautiful subjects: neat, objective, simple, defined by laws & theories that seemingly brought order to a world around me that is messy, chaotic, and threatening. Over many years as I’ve aged, matured, and gone through many seasons (joy & sorrow, light & dark, good & evil), I’ve also grown to deeply appreciate writing and what a wonderful gift it is from God.

To be able to prayerfully/thoughtfully (with much agony at times) write down words (snail mail [such a lost art these days], email, social media/Facebook messaging, etc.) so that I could both explore & express the contours of my fragile & messy heart, so that I could convey feelings/sentiments/emotions that were incredibly raw & genuinely sincere from the very deepest fibers of my soul & being, so that I could have space (seemingly limitless) to clarify the messy madness of my mind & life, so that I could create & cultivate deep, meaningful, challenging, and edifying spaces of love, humility, vulnerability, honesty, intimacy, and growth via continuous correspondence with other souls (both brothers & sisters) that otherwise would have been limited by physical distance (time zones/worlds apart) and busyness however tough the task (I want the fight) … what a joy writing has indeed become for me. In fact, it has secretly been the primary means by which I’ve communicated & kept up over all these years with a very few whom I cherish most dearly and are to me “kindred souls”: people who are genuinely committed to the cause of Christ, those who are kind/sincere/gracious to a divine degree, bold & deep both in mind & in heart, genuine in love/heart/godly character both in word & in deed, those who realize how incredibly precious time truly is & are not content to settle for skin-deep shallow small talk a vast majority of the time, and those who are courageous & humble and are not afraid to be raw, real, honest, and authentic with me by being willing to tell me how they really are & how it really is.

I admit, keeping up with “kindred souls” like these in this manner on a consistent basis is the number one reason why I don’t have as much energy & time to devote to people in real life more readily, but I have never had any regrets about this at all – not when God, by His divine providence, has seen it good to give me such divinely transformed & beautiful souls to walk alongside, to be in deep fellowship + relationship with over all these years, relationships not hindered by increasing amounts of frivolous small talk from most people I meet in person these days and encounters that, for a vast majority of the time, end up being one and done. After viewing/reflecting on all these writings that not only have accumulated in these very pages but also in the deepest archives of my heart/mind/soul/spirit, I realized what a tremendous waste it would be not to share some of them, writings that not only detail various seasons of my walk with Christ (as above), but that also detail some of the most rawest, most genuine/sincere correspondences, feelings, and sentiments regarding these “kindred souls.”

For many years, I’ve been aware and wary of many who view me as a vast mystery, a great enigma, a great mystique, and an unsolvable mystery (i.e. What happened to this simple boy who went off to Pittsburgh and came back so marvelously and divinely changed/transformed into a man zealous for God/for Christ/His Word/His glory, etc.?). Though I humbly admit my possible contribution to this view of me by divulging testimonies only to my closest godly brothers and mentors in my life, I have never been a fan of such a view as it does a great disservice & dishonor to the God I passionately love, serve, submit, and surrender to. As it has been so many years that this perception of me seems to have persisted, it is finally time to tear down the iron curtain – behind which lie many stories, long/tough/humbling conversations, and experiences that testify of the greatness of our good God and of my utterly divine transformation in the hands of my Creator (stubborn & rebellious heart -> humbled/softened/submitted + surrendered child and servant of God) over so many seasons and 6.5 years of my life.

In addition, I wish to write two very heartfelt letters to two women and sisters in Christ whom I have tested and view as wonderful & marvelous godly sisters, both of whom I dearly cherish and love as dear friends and beloved sisters in Christ, and both who I will always remember with great fondness/tenderness and cherish the times (however limited) that I’ve had to spend with these two marvelous souls via multiple writings/correspondences or meetups. It has been so incredibly difficult through numerous conversations and time spent with them to keep my feelings and sentiments about these two sisters in strict platonic check as many a times has the line between friend and lover simply blurred as God used these two women, the time, and the conversations I had with them time and time again so marvelously to show me His glorious tender heart & great love for His precious, valuable, and beloved daughters.

As I begin to write & weave together, by the grace & strength that He supplies, words of narrative/feelings & sentiments/”kindred souls” that in part will comprise a part of the account that I anticipate to give before my God before His throne on that Day when it arrives, shxt’s about to get real and deep real fast as these writings are written and released one post at a time on the last day of each month beginning with the current one (maybe quicker if time allows, but I want to do each post proper time & justice). A fair warning to all those reading this that if you can’t deal with the heat, that you should turn right around and exit while you still can (https://tinyurl.com/z8uk94u). Also, if haters (I address both believers and unbelievers) want to hate on me/view me differently/judge & condemn me for some of the things I write, then get right in line as I already have a vast crowd (both believers [to my great sorrow, but still I love them regardless] & unbelievers) of those knocking right outside my door though I am and will be in no way intimidated or have any fear of those who wish to think badly of me or throw stones at me (Prov 29:25, Heb 13:6, Gal 1:10, Ps 118:8, Isa 51:12, Isa 2:22) because my identity does not come from them or what they think of me and I know who I ultimately am by the riches of His marvelous grace & unfailing love: a child of God (Gal 4:1-7) cleansed by the blood of the Lamb (Isa 1:18, 1 John 1:7, Rev 1:5) who is not only fully known but also fully loved (Eph 2:1-7, Rom 5:6-11).  

I’ve been through a lot of things, beheld miracles utterly divine, beheld His glorious presence/affirming touch and voice both loud and small (more often. He indeed does speak. Are you listening?), done/seen/heard things some of which are incredibly wretched/dark/evil/immoral/seemingly unbelievable but true/outright horrifying, but by writing all these things down, may you be reminded of truths so easily forgotten or taken for granted: that our God is indeed mighty and wonderful to save I who was once dead in sin but now alive in Christ through the Spirit (Rom 6) by a divine miracle, that I am a wretched and depraved sinner indeed saved by the very grace and love of God alone and that this indeed is what God came to do by sending Christ (Isa 61) and by extension, we who are His beloved children, as well by sending us into the world, we who are commissioned, empowered, and sent by the Holy One who reigns on high to proclaim Christ & Him crucified all to the glory of Christ and God the Father forevermore. Amen.

P.S. After a short update and table of contents, I want to start by first writing those two letters to the two sisters I mentioned prior first (one released end of Feb, the other end of Mar … maybe sooner if time allows), these two sisters whom I will refer to as Sister #1 and Sister #2. These letters represent tender, sincere, heartfelt, and genuine words that I speak directly from my heart to her heart. Though it is highly unlikely that these two souls will ever find these letters unless they’re actively reading their Instagram feeds with fine comb hairs, I do this not only because I sincerely want to speak to each of them these very words both as a confession and as an encouragement but also so that I may finally put to rest all my thoughts, feelings, and sentiments about these gloriously godly (that is oh so truly beautiful and precious not only through my eyes, but also through the Father’s eyes) women of God whom God has given me the wonderful blessing, privilege, and joy of befriending and walking alongside for however short a time as a dear friend but more importantly as a brother in Christ. I will start by writing to Sister #2 first, because if anything, I have a strong feeling from deep within that she likely needs to hear this from me personally a whole lot more than Sister #1 does.

#journal #hidden memories #back to the present day ... hallelujah PTL

[joie-university-rp]

VITYA ALEXSI CRISTO is a NINETEEN year old FRESHMAN who lived in VLADIVOSTOK, RUS before coming to attend Joie University. HE is majoring in CREATIVE ARTS and minoring in GEMOLOGY. Some believe he looks like BILL SKARSGÅRD but VITYA just doesn’t see it. VITYA is currently a TAKEN character.

Student Census Response

What made you want to attend Joie University? It is a secure campus with a good curriculum. The housing seems nice and the students friendly enough. I am looking for a place to plan roots, to get started in life, and I want it to be here. There are loads of opportunities here and I want to find them.

What are at least 3 positive or neutral and at least 3 negative traits that you believe you possess? I’m intelligent. Beyond the classroom. I am good at reading people, what they want or need from me, which helps me understand my task. I know what I want, so I am very direct and leave little room for misinterpretation. I also have a morbid curiosity that can get me into trouble. All of these combined makes me somewhat abrasive, but that is their loss. And I am not very personable. I’ll do what needs to be done of me, but ask if I want to watch a rom-com with some popcorn, and I’m going to have to say no.

Which of your traits do you value most? My directness. If I know what I want, and it isn’t what someone else wants, then I know I need to look elsewhere. I’m not going to waste time, which is better for both involved.

How can that trait benefit the University (or its student body) as a whole? Being Russian, I’m a cultural novelty that many haven’t seen before. The fact you Americans have to wait to twenty one to drink was a major newsflash for me, so now I have to wait three more years when I already was drinking back home. The more I learn about America, the more others can learn about the motherland, beyond what some media figurehead tells us.

What do you hope to gain from your experience at JU? The obvious answer to this is a degree, but anther answer is possible dual citizenship. I hope through this, I will be able to travel between Russia and America with more than just a student visa. I truly believe I can call America home, if given the chance.

What is a quote or song lyric that describes you? “Do you realize I’m the man and I’m in my prime? And it’s my time, I swear to God I won’t waste no time. You ain’t worth a dime, no, you ain’t worth a dime. Still on my mind, you’re still on my mind.” – ‘Let Me Know (I Wonder Why Freestyle)’ by Juice Wrld

Additional Headcanons

TWs: Depression, suicidal tendencies, under age sex/drinking

Vitya Cristo has always been the baby of his family. It was not due to his age, or order in the births of his siblings, but more his health. It was discovered in his infancy he was born with a congenital heart defect. His skin was pale, he would lose his breath while feeding, and his hands and feet would swell up. His father, being a rich man in the pharmaceutical industry, wanted to fix his boy, but the medical professionals said the case was not severe enough for infant surgery. In fact, he should live a relatively normal life. His father did not see it that way. While his siblings would wander their large, mansion-like house in Vladivostok, Vitya was ordered to stay indoors. He was not allowed to play sports if not escorted, and was even monitored by a personal nanny to most of his schooling. He was isolated, unable to be a regular child because of his helicopter-like father.

Vitya’s mother was the light of his life. The woman had a fire in her, one that was freer and looser than her husband. She loved the man, of course, but disagreed with how protective he was of their son. On nights where he was away, she would sneak Vitya into the fields and courtyards and let him run around and be free. One of Vitya’s most prized memories is running through their lawn with the fireflies. He loved these moments with his mother and he learned to never take the good things for granted.

When Vitya started to enter his teen years, his father would take him to work more and more. Some days, his father would show him the labs and workers that were developing medicines, pills, and more. His father was introducing him into the business, with the obvious intent to pass it on to him. It was a cushiony job, with minimal risk, and little to no physical activity and enough money to set him up for life. It was clear was his father was trying his best to keep his son sheltered as he entered those rebellious years. It was also during this time that Vitya started displaying depressive symptoms, including self-destructive tendencies like playing with lighters and razor knives. In a hope to loosen the leash, Vitya’s mother convinced her husband to send him to school instead of teaching him at home. He, woefully, agreed.

When Vitya was sent away to an all-boys boarding school, the hope was he would become a fine young man, ready to inherit the family riches and pharmaceutical business. At first, he lived every day as if his father was there, as if his nanny still tended to him. It all changed when one night, his dorm mate woke him up to sneak out for the night and meet several other boys at the river nearby. It was near mid-terms, and the boys needed a break. Little Vitya could barely contain himself when he saw all the contraband they brought along. Booze, weed, satellite internet for porn, and hours to get through it all. That night, he partied like an actual teen for the first time in his life. He had his first kiss that night, his first blowjob, and later, at around five in the morning, his first partner. He dove into the deep-end, his sheltered soul yearning for the release and freedom all this brought him. And he reveled in it.

Vitya lived a double life from then on. During his time at home, he was the model son. Well-behaved, well-spoken. But at school, away from prying eyes, he was an absolute devil. Hours of drunken parties, bad habits like casual sex and smoking being his two favorites, and sometimes, getting into physical fights when his anger got out of hand. Vitya and his growing band of misfits found a way to bypass the school’s firewall, getting access to explicit content without hindrance. Vitya’s grades started to slip, but he didn’t care. He kept them up enough so his father would be satisfied, but that did not mean he was studying more. There was many-a-teacher he had dirt on, blackmailing his way to reasonable grades. He became a terror on the innocent boarding school almost overnight.

With his time at the school coming to an end, Vitya knew one thing for certain; there was no way he was going to be some CEO ass, dominating over people he would never bother to learn the name of. He still played the model son, faking his way into his father’s good graces, but each sideways glance to his mother told her what he really wanted; to get out. So, she did the impossible. Under the sleeping eyes of his nanny and father, his mother woke him up and snuck him outside, just like when he was a child. This time, though, she handed him a packed bag, keys to one of the cars, and a plane ticket, telling him to go. She may love her life of luxury and easy living, but she knew this was not the place for her baby. She only asked that Vitya keep an eye on his health, and use those American doctors for all their worth.

Vitya left that night and never looked back. He started out in New York, wandering to all the sites. He went to Pittsburg, New Orleans, Austin, Los Angeles; he went everywhere, explored everything, and fucked anything that gave him ‘the look’. Vitya would even set up in some motels and just let anyone in, if they had cash in hand and a bottle of booze. He got into some hairier situations, too, when those very customers would catch him clearing out their wallet. He had been cut off from his father’s fortunes when he discovered his actions, so he needed to make money somehow!

It was sheer luck when he applied as a foreign student at Joie University. He really just needed a place to stay, running out of motels to sell his ‘services’ out of. He knew he’d have to get an actual job at some point, selecting an easy degree to go after. He did enjoy drawing while growing up, and left his lovely rock collection in Russia, so illustration and gemology seemed a perfect fit. If only he could kick the Russian accent, then maybe he could fit in a bit better.

#biography #cristo #Taken #male