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reasonsmandy · 11 months

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I was always here

Warren Rojas x Fem!Reader

✧.* requested by anon — hi! could you the prompt 12 with warren? thx! <3

✧.* summary — Warren hated seeing you in that situation, he wanted to do something to help you but his hands were tied. Until he couldn't take it anymore.

✧.* warnings — Gaslightintg, toxic relationship!

✧.* word count — 4.0k

✧.* 🥁 — Warren's masterlist

✧.* mandy's notes — Maybe I could write a part two of this one idk, let me know your thoughts abt it. Remembering that here we have mention of a toxic relationship, if you are sensitive to this type of content, please, don't read it. Good reading 🫶🏾

The streets of Pittsburgh contained not only the hallmarks of the city but a story of you and your best friends. But mostly wandered back to the days when innocence painted your world, when Warren was not only your closest friend but also the one who made your heart flutter with a single glance.

Growing up together, Warren and you shared countless adventures, secrets whispered under moonlit skies, and dreams woven with youthful imagination. You were each other's confidants, always there to catch the other when you stumbled and to celebrate your victories.

As your teenage years dawned, an enchanting shift occurred in your relationship. You found yourself falling head over heels for Warren, your feelings gradually transitioning from the familiarity of friendship to the uncharted territory of romance. Warren, too, felt a deep connection with you, a warmth that stirred his heart in ways he couldn't explain.

Despite the uncharted waters surrounding feeling romantic about your best friend, you decided to understand and explore that feeling. Love is difficult territory, and it requires a lot of attention and caution, something you and Warren weren't eager to do. You guys had a lot of affection for each other and during those little months of dating - if that could be called that, you guys passed it onto kissing and showing affection.

Those fleeting months of romance with Warren were filled with stolen kisses and secret glances, wrapped in the exhilaration of young love. It was a time of discovery and exploration, a chapter in your lives that forever imprinted itself on your hearts.

However, as is often the case with teenage relationships, the intensity of emotions eventually gave way to the complexities of life. The two of you realized that transitioning from best friends to romantic partners wasn't as effortless as you had hoped. The fear of losing the irreplaceable bond you shared kept you from taking the relationship further.

Eventually, the decision was made to return to the safety of friendship, where the foundation of your connection had always thrived. Though the romantic aspect faded, the depth of your friendship remained untouched. The memories of that brief love affair acted as a bittersweet reminder of the depth of your connection and the unexplored possibilities.

In the sprawling streets of Los Angeles, where dreams intertwine with the pulse of the city, destiny beckoned you towards a fateful encounter. Amidst the vibrant chaos, your path crossed with Noah Adler, a young producer at the label, who ignited a spark within your heart. His initial kindness and flirtatious charm stirred emotions you hadn't anticipated, leading you down a path that held both promise and trepidation.

The early days of your relationship were adorned with sweet moments and stolen glances, painting a picture of affection and tenderness. Noah's supportive nature and genuine interest in your talents nurtured a budding connection that left you yearning for more. But as time unfurled its secrets, the true nature of his character began to reveal itself, casting a shadow over your once blissful romance.

Noah's toxic tendencies emerged gradually, like a dark cloud obscuring the sun's rays. The charm that once drew you in now concealed a manipulative streak, a penchant for gaslighting that left you questioning your own sanity. His words became instruments of doubt, eroding your self-esteem and distorting your perception of reality.

With each passing day, Noah's actions chipped away at your confidence, leaving you feeling small and unheard. He twisted your words, turning genuine concerns into ammunition for his manipulation. The warmth that once enveloped you was replaced by a chilling uncertainty, as Noah wielded his power over your emotions with calculated precision.

…

The record company buzzed with energy as you and the band gathered in the conference room, your eyes filled with a mix of excitement and nervous anticipation. You had been called in to discuss the progress of your upcoming album, a pivotal moment in your musical journey.

As the meeting commenced, a lighthearted atmosphere filled the room. You, known for your quick wit and playful nature, couldn't resist making a joke to ease the tension. "Well, I guess we'll finally be able to afford more than pocket toasts after this album drops, huh?"

Laughter erupted from the band members, their spirits lifted by your quip. But as the laughter subsided, your eyes caught Noah's gaze, expecting to see a shared moment of amusement. Instead, you found his expression twisted into a cold, dismissive glare.

"Noah, what's wrong?" You asked, your voice tinged with concern.

With a subtle flicker of his eyes, Noah redirected his gaze to the rest of the room, his tone dripping with condescension. "You see, everyone, Y/N here has always had unrealistic expectations. It's cute that she thinks success in the music industry is a guarantee of financial stability."

The room fell into an uncomfortable silence as the weight of Noah's words hung in the air. Your cheeks flushed with embarrassment, your confidence chipped away by Noah's public derision. You felt exposed, as if your dreams had been diminished to mere fantasies.

Warren felt his blood boil, how could this motherfucker have the nerve to talk to you like that? His eyes wouldn't let the man with the licked hair, he could kill him with that look for sure.

Confusion and hurt swirled within your heart. You had shared the inside joke in memory of the difficult times you went through to get here, a moment of levity in the face of uncertainty. But Noah, ever the master manipulator, had twisted your innocent remark into an opportunity to undermine your aspirations.

Your voice trembled as you sought to defend yourself. "Noah, that's not what I meant. It was just a joke. Why are you making it into something more?" Your voice was filled with hurt.

Noah's lips curled into a smug smile, his eyes glinting with a calculated satisfaction. "Oh honey, you always take things too seriously. Can't you handle a little teasing? You're overreacting, as usual."

In that moment, your spirit sank, shackled by Noah's usual behavior. You questioned your own sense of humor, your ability to navigate the delicate balance between banter and humiliation. The support and warmth of your bandmates seemed distant, overshadowed by the poison of Noah's manipulation.

Rojas is bothered by the situation and breaks the silence. "It was an inside joke cabrón, it's not her fault that you don't understand things." He shrugs and Eddie chuckles.

Noah turns to Warren and you feel that it was at this very moment that your boyfriend's enmity against your best friend began.

As days turned into weeks, Noah's animosity towards Warren became increasingly evident. He noticed the deep connection you shared with Warren, the history that bound you together since childhood. It gnawed at him, fueling his jealousy and insecurity.

Noah's manipulative tactics expanded beyond gaslighting you; he sought to isolate you from the very support system that had always been there for you. He began to weave a web of doubt, subtly poisoning your mind with insinuations and half-truths about Warren's intentions.

You were sitting on the studio floor, a small headache growing in your head as you jotted down some notes for the next song. You hear a few steps behind you and notice the drummer entering the studio, your body tenses, he offers you a cigarette.

You shake your head and he sits beside you, lighting one for himself. "You're distant." He utters it simply, you frown, knowing deep down that it was true.

"Don't know what you're talking about." You shrug, still writing things down in your notebook. The truth is you avoided looking him in the eye, Rojas had the ability to see through you.

He closes his notebook, capturing your attention. "Come on, don't be like that. Not with me." His voice sounded upset.

"What do you want from me?" You frown in frustration, the image of your boyfriend angry, appearing in your mind.

"I want my Y/N back, that's all." He said, more like a request. Your chest tightens at his heartfelt words. "I know you like him, but this guy is taking everything you love from you. Can't you see that?"

"You know what's funny?" You ask, remembering the recent fight you had with Noah. "He told me you would say something like that, what do you have against him?"

Warren can't stop his eyes rolling, he looked angry, and you backed away from him a little, scared. Not out of fear of him, but because the last angry scenarios you witnessed hadn't been very friendly. "You think I give a fuck about what that asshole thinks?"

"Warren, come on." You say through the language used by him.

Rojas gets up irritably, trying to organize his thoughts. "You know what? You do whatever you want. I'm done here." He shrugs, heading towards the door.

"You don't have to do that." Your voice cracked, you held back the tears his words triggered.

He stops in his tracks, his hands in his pockets, the necklaces adorned around his neck dangling. "I wish you well Y/N, I hope you understand that." And just like that, he leaves.

Gradually, Noah's influence took its toll on your relationship with Warren. The once inseparable bond began to fray at the edges, as Noah's toxic presence wedged its way between you. His incessant whispers of distrust and betrayal corroded the foundation of trust you had built with Warren over the years.

Under the guise of concern, Noah would convince you that Warren's actions were driven by ulterior motives. He strategically crafted situations that would cast doubt on Warren's loyalty, eroding the unwavering faith you had placed in him. He manipulated your emotions, making you question the authenticity of your connection with Warren.

"Tobias mentioned that you had an argument with Warren earlier." Noah casually comments as the two of you have coffee together.

You choke on your drink, feeling the heat rise in your cheeks, after a few coughs you recover. "Tobias is your spy now?" You joke, but Noah doesn't laugh at the joke.

"I told you to stay away from him." His voice was serious, a direct order to anyone smart enough to understand. "He's not a good influence on you, princess."

You feel your heart squeeze, he cared about you, didn't he? "I don't think things are exactly as you think..." You start to say but he cuts you off.

He slams his left hand on the table, and you feel a chill down your spine, closing your eyes tightly, wanting to get out of there. "I only want your good... Why don't you ever understand that?"

You extend your hand to take his, but he doesn't allow it, you feel the tightness in your chest increase and the urge to cry comes strong. "Hey, I know that... It's just that–"

"There's no excuse Y/N!" His voice was passive aggressive, and you feel guilty for even considering defending Warren's side. "I see what you don't see, sweetie. Trust me, that guy is not good for you… for us."

Noah's calculated moves pushed you further away from Warren and, in turn, from the band. The once vibrant energy that defined ‘Daisy Jones and the Six’ now bore the weight of tension and fractured relationships. The harmonious synergy that once fueled your music seemed distant, as Noah's toxic presence cast a dark cloud over the band's unity.

Warren's heart ached with a mixture of love and helplessness as he watched the person he cherished being slowly consumed by the toxicity of her relationship with Noah. Every moment spent in Noah's presence fueled his anger, a burning fury that intensified with each manipulative word and action. He despised the way Noah held power over you, diminishing your vibrant spirit and tarnishing the light that once radiated from within.

There were nights when Warren lay awake, his thoughts consumed by memories of your laughter, your playful banter, and the bond you once shared. He longed to bring back those carefree moments, to chase away the shadows that now plagued your heart. The weight of his own emotions bore heavily upon him, knowing that he had fallen for you long before Noah entered the picture.

Warren found solace in confiding in your mutual friends, sharing his frustrations and fears for your well-being. They, too, witnessed the changes in you, the distance that had grown between you and the rest of the band. But they understood the delicate nature of meddling in matters of the heart, choosing to offer their silent support instead of openly confronting the situation.

Deep down, Warren knew that he was seen as a threat to Noah's hold over you. He had seen the venom in Noah's eyes whenever your connection was mentioned, a tangible resentment that fueled his animosity towards Warren. Yet, Warren couldn't help but despise Noah in return, knowing that his actions were tearing you apart.

The truth was, Warren loved you wholeheartedly. He cherished your presence, your infectious energy, and the bond you shared as best friends. The pain he felt at seeing you endure such mistreatment was a constant ache that gnawed at his soul. He wished he could protect you from the emotional turmoil that Noah inflicted upon you, but he felt powerless, his hands tied by the complexities of your relationship.

Warren had tried, in his own way, to warn you, to show you the truth behind Noah's manipulations. He had offered subtle hints, words of caution, and even confronted Noah himself. But Noah's cunning ways twisted every attempt into a misunderstanding, further isolating you from the truth. It broke Warren's heart to see you caught in the web of Noah's lies, unable to break free.

He didn't blame you, for he understood the hold that Noah had on you, the way his manipulations distorted your perception. Instead, Warren directed his anger towards Noah, vowing silently to protect you in whatever way he could. He yearned for the day when you would recognize Noah's true nature and find the strength to walk away from the toxic grip that bound you.

Until then, Warren would be there, a steadfast presence in the shadows, offering his unwavering support and love. He hoped that one day, the walls Noah had built around you would crumble, allowing the light of truth to guide you back to the person you once were. And until that day came, Warren would remain steadfast, ready to catch you when you fell, ready to shield you from the storm, and ready to fight for the love he knew you deserved.

…

The day had been difficult, you were exhausted, your fingers hurt from repeating the same notes on the bass. The band had taken a break while Daisy and Billy finished the second verse of 'The River', you all were at the record company reception, you had difficulty keeping your eyes open, your nights sleep had not been the best.

Your head was resting on Eddie's shoulder, he was talking to Warren about something you didn't pay much attention to, your focus was on trying to take a nap for the minutes you had available.

"Y/N, come here!" Noah's voice was angry, you felt the fear rising inside you. You sigh and get up, Warren instinctively sits better on the couch watching your every step, alert.

"What the fuck is that?!" His voice gradually rises, not understanding you frown.

"What are you talking about?" You question, trying to calm him down.

He tries to grab your arms but you dodge, Warren feels his body go cold and draws Eddie's attention to the scene in the corner of the room, they both keep their gaze on you.

"What kind of bitch do you have to be to pretend you don't have a boyfriend and lean on other men?" With every word that came out of his mouth you were more confused, his words went through you like a knife.

"Don't call me that…" Your voice was full of pain, you were so tired. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I hate it when you make a fool of yourself!" At this point his tone of voice caught the attention of not only Warren but other people passing by.

"I'm not making a fool of myself." You insist, frustrated at not being able to have a decent conversation with him. "What did I do?"

He lets out a weak laugh, clearly mocking your frustration. "So you're just an idiot then."

You have no words for such an allegation, you take a deep breath, trying to compose yourself. "I'm not going to stand here and listen to this."

You turn to leave but he takes your hand, his touch was rough and hard and strong. The grimace that forms on his face is the warning that makes Warren stand up.

"You're not going anywhere!" Noah yells, still gripping her wrist. "We're not done here."

Rojas approaches and you feel your heart calm down, you are desperate. "Let go of her hand." Warren's voice was calm, yet firm.

"Tell your friend to mind his own fucking business!" He yells once more, you cower and try to pull away.

"I swear you son of a bitch, if I hear you raise your voice at her again I'll rip your balls off!" Warren was in front of you, protecting you with his body, he thought about taking the rings off his hand to punch him but, honestly... He didn't care if the rings were going to hurt him more.

Noah for the first time turns to Warren, his look was pure hate, you just wanted to cry... How did you get into this situation?

The drummer looked at your hand still being held by him, he was so angry that he couldn't tell his actions anymore. "I told you to let go of her hand."

"Or what? What are you going to do?" Noah asks in a superior tone.

Warren takes a breath, he looks away and then back at Noah. "You fucking piece of shit!" unable to contain his anger any longer, stepped forward. With a swift motion, his fist collided with Noah's jaw, silencing him mid-sentence. The impact echoed through the room, a resounding testament to the support and loyalty shared among friends.

Noah stumbles back, his grip on your hand loosening as his focus shifts to the searing pain in his jaw. The room falls into a shocked silence as the reality of the situation sinks in.

You, still trembling from the intense emotions coursing through you, take a step back, now freed from Noah's grasp. Warren stands tall, his eyes blazing with a mixture of anger and protectiveness. Eddie, witnessing the scene unfold, stands beside Warren, his expression a mixture of satisfaction and concern.

Noah, his arrogance shattered by the force of Warren's blow, clutches his jaw, a mixture of shock and rage contorting his face. His attempts to regain his composure are futile as blood trickles from his split lip.

The weight of the confrontation hangs heavily in the air, tension swirling like an electric storm. Warren's actions speak volumes, his unwavering stance declaring that he will not tolerate anyone mistreating you.

"You're done here," Warren declares, his voice laced with authority. "Leave, and you better not show up here again if you don't want a broken nose."

Noah's gaze flickers between Warren and you, his eyes burning with a mix of resentment and defeat. In that moment, he realizes the power dynamics have shifted, and his control over you has crumbled. "Oh you know what, you deserve each other."

With a final glare, Noah turns on his heel and retreats, his presence fading into the distance. The room remains silent, the heaviness dissipating as the realization of your newfound liberation washes over you.

Warren turns to you, his expression softening as he pulls you into a gentle embrace. You lean into him, finding solace in his protective arms, feeling free after so long, tears then fall down your face. Eddie steps forward, a reassuring smile gracing his face as he places a hand on your shoulder.

"We've got your back, Y/N," Eddie says, his voice filled with sincerity. "No one will ever treat you like that again."

You can't say anything, you just hide your face in Rojas' chest and keep whispering "I'm sorry" between tears, you felt so bad for pushing them away like that. Warren pulls you closer into his embrace, kissing the top of your head as he strokes your hair.

"It's okay." He mumbled between kisses. "It's not your fault little bird." The childhood nickname makes your heart warm, and you feel at home, safe in his arms. "We're gonna be okay, I promise you. I'm not leaving you, I'm right here, always by your side."

In that intimate moment, nestled in Warren's protective embrace, the world outside fades away. The weight of the past months' turmoil lifts from your shoulders as his gentle touch and soothing words wash over you like a healing balm.

You allow yourself to be vulnerable, to release the pent-up emotions that have consumed you. The tears flow freely, and with each sob, you feel a piece of the pain being washed away. Warren holds you tightly, his presence anchoring you in the storm.

Eddie looks at you wanting to comfort you in some way, Warren looks at you and whispers "Let her have her moment, I'll take care of her."

Roundtree then suggests that you go somewhere quieter, so you can't avoid the curious eyes around the label. Warren guides you to an empty studio, and asks you to be alone with the rest of the band.

"Do you want me to leave you alone?" Warren never let go of your hand, and neither do you.

You squeeze his hand harder, he felt such a tightness in his chest when he saw you in that state. "Please no, stay here, I need you with me."

You then sit on a sofa in the studio, he snuggles you in his lap, guarding you like a treasure. You remain silent for several minutes, he feels your tears on his thigh wetting his jeans, he then caresses your hair more calmly, providing as much support as he can.

He hears you sobbing, and then you sit up, looking straight into his eyes. "I feel so stupid, so so stupid."

Warren would do anything to finish that guy, he held himself back from going after that son of a bitch and beat the shit out of him. No one deserved to go through this, least of all you... You didn't deserve any of this.

He opens his mouth to speak but you cut him off without noticing. "I didn't want all of this to take on this proportion, I didn't, God, I didn't want to lose you."

Warren gently takes your face between his hands, capturing your attention, his touch was as soft as you remembered, it belonged to you somehow. "You never lost me, I was always here. I am here…"

Your chest aches from crying, you hide once again in his embrace, your refuge. He welcomes you there and you feel that even if everything seemed to fall apart, he would help you build your foundations again. Not as the person who was your complete support, but someone who recognized your ability, knew everything you went through, and knew what you were capable of.

Warren has always been and would be your catapult, your drive to believe in yourself even when everything seems hopeless. After all, if he is such an amazing and good person - who, of course, has his flaws. - believed in you, who in this world could stop you from being your best?

You feel welcomed in that silence, in that embrace, in that presence. He kisses the top of your head again, and whispers "You are the strongest woman I know, I'm so proud of you."

Yeah... If he believed in you, you would make it.

...

Hi, I hope you enjoyed it... If you wanted to ask for something my requests are open, and if you want to ask and don't have any ideas check out my prompt list :) xoxo

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mccdreamys-writes · 17 days

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smiles for miles – 7. long gone

every corner of this house is haunted. - Gracie Abrams, I miss you, I'm sorry

the team's perspective - 3rd person

S E P T E M B E R 1 7 T H 2 0 1 1

Reid gripped the doorknob tightly and pushed, but the door refused to open. It seemed determined to keep its secrets hidden. Undeterred, he put more force into it, pushing with all his might.

Finally, the door gave way with a creak, and Reid stepped inside. But what he found was unexpected. Instead of an empty room, he was met with a mountain of letters, all addressed to 'Maile Crane'. The stack reached almost to the ceiling, a testament to the sheer volume of correspondence.

Each letter seemed to hold a story of its own, waiting to be uncovered. Reid couldn't help but wonder about the secrets hidden within those envelopes. But the silent house offered no answers, leaving him to ponder the mysteries that lay within.

A swift look around the dimly lit entrance hall unveiled signs of neglect and abandonment, as if time had stopped in this forgotten home. Specks of dust floated in the air, creating eerie shadows on the peeling walls and worn-out floor.

Through thorough investigation and diligent research, the team had pieced together fragments of Maile Crane's past—a story veiled in mystery and isolation. The death of her father, Everett Crane, had gone unnoticed by most, except for a few distant neighbors who silently mourned his passing.

With no living relatives to inherit the property, the house had fallen into a state of eerie emptiness, patiently waiting for its rightful owner to return. Yet, Maile's absence seemed to linger in the vacant corridors, serving as a haunting reminder of a life left behind.

"Holy shit!" Rossi's exclamation cut through the dim hallway, shattering the eerie quiet that surrounded them. His voice, filled with a mix of shock and disbelief, bounced off the walls, emphasizing the significance of their discovery.

Turning towards him, Reid faced the dim light, casting shadows on his face, intensifying the moment's gravity. His eyes widened, reflecting the flickering candlelight nearby, as he absorbed the sight in front of them.

With a solemn nod, JJ acknowledged his observation. "Agreed," she whispered softly, her voice barely audible. The weight of their findings bore down on them, hanging heavy in the air as they grappled with the implications of what they had stumbled upon.

"Are all these letters from Blake?" Rossi inquired as he cautiously maneuvered through the scattered papers, JJ following closely behind. Their movements were deliberate, as if they were walking on sacred ground. Meanwhile, Reid stood still, his gaze fixed on the countless papers strewn across the floor.

He carefully picked up two letters from the heap, their old envelopes showing signs of age and use, revealing the passage of many years. Holding them side by side, he examined them closely, as if trying to decipher hidden messages within the faded writing.

With a pensive look, he nodded to himself, silently acknowledging his discovery. "Yep," he confirmed, his voice carrying a hint of familiarity. "These are Alex's."

As he held the letters, they transformed into more than just pieces of paper; they became fragments of a larger story, interwoven with threads of friendship and yearning. Every carefully written word, every heartfelt line, spoke volumes about the deep connection between the sender and the recipient.

As they ventured further into the house, JJ felt a wave of emotion washing over her, making her heart ache at the sight of countless letters scattered across the floor. The sheer volume of them was overwhelming, like a heavy blanket of sorrow enveloping the room, a tangible reminder of the immense loss that Maile had endured.

"Is it just me, or is it a bit too much?" JJ expressed her concern, her eyes scanning the sea of envelopes with a mixture of sadness and disbelief.

"It's just you," Rossi responded with empathy, his voice gentle as he moved deeper into the dimly lit room. "You have to understand, JJ. Alex lost something truly significant. These letters were her lifeline, her way of holding on to what mattered most to her. This was her only way of coping with that, it was her way of grounding herself. She gave herself a feeling that this was all still in her hands. That she hadn't given up."

Rossi's expression softened as Reid voiced his empathy, nodding in agreement. "I get it," Reid confessed softly, his voice carrying the weight of understanding for the struggles endured by Maile and Alex. "I would've done the same thing."

JJ's mind buzzed with questions as she surveyed the room, each letter and piece of furniture a puzzle piece in the enigma of Maile Crane's life. With a thoughtful nod, she turned to her teammates, her eyes scanning their faces for insight.

"So, what do you think this is all about?" JJ asked, her voice a blend of curiosity and concern. She took in the room's atmosphere, the scent of old paper mixing with the echoes of the past, searching for clues hidden in plain sight.

In the faint light filtering through the dusty windows, the house held onto its secrets like a silent guardian, murmuring tales of forgotten pain and lingering mysteries.

As they stepped into the kitchen, a shift in the air was palpable, as if the very walls were trying to tell a story. Their eyes scanned the room, absorbing the echoes of a life once vibrant, now shrouded in shadow—a life colored by both joy and sorrow.

Among the neat arrangement of chairs, four stood tall and elegant, remnants of happier days. But one chair stood out starkly against the rest, a weathered wooden seat, its surface etched with scars and its armrests bearing the marks of past restraints, hinting at a darker history concealed within its worn frame.

JJ's breath hitched in her chest as she laid eyes on the chair, a silent sentinel bearing witness to untold horrors. Her voice quivered as she dared to voice the unspoken question that hung in the air like a dense fog.

"Could it be?" she murmured, her gaze fixated on the ominous presence of the weathered seat.

Rossi's countenance darkened as he approached the chair, his fingertips tracing the rough contours of its surface. Each scratch, each indentation, seemed to tell a harrowing tale of anguish and torment, a narrative of suffering ingrained into the very essence of the wood.

"Yeah," he affirmed solemnly, his voice weighted with a mixture of grief and righteous fury. "There's no doubt about it. She was abused here."

Alone in the quiet of the upstairs hallway, Reid's footsteps echoed softly as he approached the girl's bedroom. The door creaked open, revealing a space devoid of warmth or comfort.

The room lay in shadows of white and gray, its walls offering no solace, no escape from the harsh reality that had unfolded within. There were no bright colors to break the monotony, no traces of laughter or joy to lift the oppressive atmosphere.

His eyes swept over the barren space, noting its stark simplicity bordering on bleakness. A lone bed stood against one wall, its frame bare, its surface cold and unwelcoming. The window, once a portal to the outside world, was now covered by heavy drapes, shutting out both light and hope.

Reid's gaze lingered on the lock securing the door, a chilling reminder of the girl's captivity. It was a barrier, a symbol of confinement sealing her fate and denying her the freedom she craved. In this room, she was not a child but a prisoner, trapped in a world of shadows and silence.

As JJ and Rossi joined Reid in meticulously searching through the upper floor, they were keenly aware of the weight of their task. They combed every corner, hoping to find a clue, a sign that might help them make sense of the puzzle before them. But each room they entered seemed to guard its secrets tightly, resisting their thorough examination.

Their footsteps reverberated through the quiet halls, underscoring the seriousness of their mission and the mystery that hung over them like a thick fog. Despite their diligence, the rooms remained disappointingly empty, offering no insight into the situation.

Their efforts were interrupted when another law enforcement officer joined them, his expression grave and his manner serious. He brought news that sparked a glimmer of hope in their investigation.

"We've just received a report," he began urgently. "A poem was found stuck on the walls of a house in Kansas City, with a red smiley drawn in blood."

JJ's blood ran cold at the mention of such a disturbing discovery. "Was there anyone inside?" she asked, her voice tinged with worry.

The officer shook his head somberly. "No, but the homeowner is missing. We suspect foul play."

Rossi furrowed his brow as he processed the information. "Who lived there?" he inquired.

"The homeowner is James Blake," the officer replied. "We're trying to locate his wife for more information."

"Isn't that..." JJ began, but Reid finished her sentence.

"Alex's ex-husband, yes."

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theunlimitedgreens · 2 months

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Bonsai cultivation is about more than just creating a beautiful tree; it's about cultivating balance and harmony in both the tree and its surroundings. Through careful pruning and shaping, bonsai artists strive to create a sense of proportion and symmetry, evoking the tranquillity of nature in miniature form. The result is a living masterpiece that brings joy and serenity to all who behold it.

The Joy of Ownership

Owning a bonsai is a rewarding experience that brings joy and fulfilment with each passing day. As you watch your tree grow and evolve over time, you'll develop a deep sense of connection and appreciation for the natural world. Whether you're a seasoned bonsai enthusiast or a newcomer to the art, there's always something new to learn and discover in the world of bonsai.

Ready to Begin Your Bonsai Journey?

If you're ready to experience the beauty and tranquillity of bonsai for yourself, there's never been a better time to start. With a wide range of species, styles, and sizes available, there's a bonsai tree out there waiting just for you. So why wait? Embark on your bonsai journey today and unlock the beauty of nature in your own home.

#garden #bonsai #plants #nursery #landscape #onlineplatform

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adrianodiprato · 4 months

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+ “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people just exist” ~ Oscar Wilde

Journey

In the rhythmic cadence of life, philosopher Lao Tzu's wisdom echoes through the ages:

"The man who loves walking will walk further than the man who loves the destination."

These profound words beckon us to reflect on the essence of a journey – a journey not just external but, perhaps most importantly, internal.

German word Fernweh, ‘far-sickness’ - or a craving to travel, is more than wanderlust; it's a deep yearning for experiences unseen and sensations unfelt. This ache, this far-sickness, is a reminder that life's fulfillment lies in the exploration of the unknown. Just as Fernweh calls us to wander, the journey inward invites us to explore the vast landscapes of our own being.

Consider travel as a metaphor for this inward journey. Like a pilgrim investing their whole self into each encounter, we too can delve into the realms of self-discovery, indwelling the places within us. In this sacred journey, the tourist merely navigates, while the pilgrim seeks profound connections that enrich their story.

As we tread the path of life, choosing between being a tourist or a pilgrim, let's recall the power of love as the transcendent revelation of our deepest potential. This love, not just for self but for place, and the other, becomes our living water. It quenches the thirst for meaning and identity, revealing treasures hidden in the ground on which we stand.

In the pursuit of measuring success, let us not reduce time to a mere consumer object. Instead, let's savour each moment encountered, embracing the spaces between destinations. The true beauty of life lies not in measurable destinations but in encounters and connections felt deep within our hearts on this journey called life.

Let’s place a spotlight on the actual journey, where the magic unfolds. It's in the rhythmic cadence of footsteps, the uncharted paths, and the moments of patient exploration that the true value of the journey emerges. The journey is not just a means to an end; it is a profound teacher, offering subtle lessons, unexpected encounters, and personal transformation.

In conclusion, as we honor the wisdom of Lao Tzu, let's walk with open hearts and curious minds, placing emphasis on the magic of the journey itself. Let's cherish the journey, both external and internal, for it is in the act of awakening, and savoring each moment that we extract the richest meaning and fulfillment.

So, let the echoes of our footsteps resonate not only with the places we've been but with the profound journey inward, where the truest treasures of life await discovery.

Adriano Di Prato is a best-selling author, broadcaster and the Academic Operations Manager at LCI Melbourne, a progressive art, design + enterprise private institute of higher education.

Dedicated to my beautiful cousin Danni, who’s perseverance, passion, and commitment to a more just planet has seen her amazing project The Naughty Vegan continue to shine.

#permissionistriumph #courageovercomfort #fernweh

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outsider-anime-fan · 7 months

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⚠️ Trigger warning ⚠️ Kidnappings

Title: The Journey Home: Tommy Gene and Texas

Chapter 1: The Great Escape

Tommy Gene, a young girl with fiery determination, yearned for a life of peace and love. But on this fateful day, her world would be uprooted once again. As the sun blazed overhead, she bolted out of the front door of an old, creaky house that had become her prison. Clutching onto Texas, her loyal dog, she ran swiftly, their hearts pounding with fear and desperation.

Behind her, an older man and woman pursued them, their voices tainted with anger and animosity. The couple, no older than 55, was filled with bitterness, their eyes burning with hatred. Vicious profanities filled the air along with their terrifying death threats as they chased after the girl and the dog.

As Tommy Gene dashed through the countryside, the memories of her past kidnappings haunted her mind. She had been snatched away from her family at the tender age of four and given the name Amelia Isaac. But deep inside, she knew she was Tommy Gene, and she longed to reclaim her true identity.

Chapter 2: The Hidden Past

Amidst the lush fields and dense forests that stretched before her, Tommy Gene found solace in the companionship of Texas. The dog had been her faithful guardian since infancy, their connection stronger than anything she had ever experienced. Together, they were determined to escape the clutches of their captors and forge a path back to freedom.

As they ventured further from their captors' reach, Tommy Gene's memories began to resurface. She recalled the dimly lit room where she was held captive for all those years, the constant threat of harm hanging over her like a dark cloud. But why had they chosen to keep her locked away? Who were these people and what secrets lay buried in her mysterious past?

Chapter 3: A New Ally

In the distance, Tommy Gene spotted a small, rundown cottage, seemingly abandoned. With hope rekindled in her heart, she sprinted towards it, Texas hot on her heels. The cottage, though dilapidated, felt like a new beginning.

Inside, she discovered an unlikely ally—an old woman named Clara, who had been living as a recluse for years. Drawn to Tommy Gene's innocence and resilience, Clara took them under her wing. With a heart full of compassion, she listened intently as Tommy Gene shared her tragic story.

Together, they began piecing together the fragments of Tommy Gene's past. Tasked with uncovering the truth that lay hidden within her memories, Tommy Gene embarked on a journey filled with danger, self-discovery, and the unwavering loyalty of Texas. With Clara's guidance and the resilience of her spirit, she would stop at nothing to find her long-lost family and reclaim her stolen identity.

Chapter 4: Unraveling the Mystery

As Tommy Gene and Clara dug deeper into her past, they uncovered a web of deception and betrayal. They discovered that the older man and woman who had chased her and Texas were not her real parents. Instead, they were criminals who had kidnapped her, keeping her away from her true family for their sordid reasons.

Determined to expose the truth and seek justice, Tommy Gene and Clara embarked on a quest to reunite her with her birth family. Guided by newfound allies and fueled by unwavering determination, they traversed through treacherous hurdles and overcame unimaginable obstacles.

Chapter 5: Homecoming

After a long and arduous journey, Tommy Gene finally stood at the doorstep of her true childhood home. Nervous yet hopeful, she hesitated briefly before gathering the courage to knock. As the door swung open, she was met with tear-filled eyes that mirrored her own.

In that moment, Tommy Gene realized that true strength comes not from the absence of fear, but from confronting it head-on. She had taken control of her own destiny, unearthed her hidden past, and reunited with her loving family.

With Texas by her side, she knew that her journey was only the beginning. The scars of her past would forever shape her, but they would not define her. Tommy Gene, now armed with the strength and resilience she had always possessed, was ready to embrace her future and the adventures that awaited her.

And so, as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting hues of golden light across the lands, Tommy Gene embarked on a new chapter of her life, forever grateful for her unwavering spirit, her loyal companion, and the family she had fought so hard to find.

#random writing #weird writing #tw:Kidnappings

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origami-goblin · 6 years

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Complete Starfinder Theme Series - Creation Tips and Character Concepts

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Part 1 - Sculpting Your Backstory - Themes in Starfinder

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Creating characters in tabletop RPGs is an art. Before we even put a pen to the page, our minds might already have a vision of our character’s impulsive habits, their fatal flaws, and their love of honeyed candies. We pick up the misshapen ball of clay and sculpt details until our character is standing there, breathing on the page before our very eyes. To put it simply, a part of ourselves becomes attached to that player and we can usually see our own faces staring back at us. It can give us the opportunity to address shortcomings that we have or learn to see things from a different perspective. So, in a way, we level up in RL along with our characters.

But how do you start with a broad idea and hammer out the dents to end up with a fully-fledged character? In Dungeons and Dragons 5E we could start with a Background, like a Sailor or a Noble, and we also received prompts to determine flaws, bonds, and ideals to help breathe life into our newborns. Pathfinder didn’t have much specifically in terms of backgrounds to choose from, but we could choose specific traits that had some backstory to get the wheels turning. With Starfinder, we are presented with one word: theme.

Instantly I’m reminded of the scene in A Christmas Story when Ralphie’s class is assigned the arduous task of writing a theme centered around what they wanted for Christmas (Red Rider BB Gun, anyone?). Starfinder doesn’t appear to leave us with a similar length of creative rope; only ten options? Really? How am I supposed to develop an original history and genealogy of my character when I’m shoehorned into a limiting background from the beginning?

That’s where I’ll jump in to say that you’re wrong to think that way. Honestly, I LOVE that we are limited to a single choice of ten themes. For one, we already know that there are an extensive number of Feats to choose from and having more starting options to memorize on top of those would simply be too much for a game trying to simplify the rules and character creation process. Secondly, I’m a firm believer that limitations and restrictions breed more creativity than rabbits at a carrot festival. They force us to approach our characters with a fresh perspective. Let’s look at the Icon theme, for example:

Icon Character Concepts

“Thanks to interstellar transmissions and Drift travel, the galaxy is smaller than ever, and this connectivity has facilitated your ascension to celebrity status. You might be a famous performer or a celebrated scientist, but either way, you get recognized on the Pact Worlds and in associated systems. Your reason for traveling to unknown worlds might be to further spread your acclaim or to escape the limelight.” - Starfinder CRB

Popular and respected celebrity who can leverage the public’s adoration for specific needs.

Alright, so this describes a character that everybody knows, for some reason or another. The way that it is phrased, it seems like notoriety isn’t completely out of the question, but it is definitely a gray area. So…for what reasons could somebody be famous on an interstellar level?

Pop Icon - Music, dance, special FX, etc. Maybe you’re part of a galactic Blue Man Group or you’re a Kardashian of the Pact Worlds.

Renowned Scientist - You’ve made leaps and bounds in the discoveries of other species and planets. You could be a geologist specializing in the terraformation of planetary features or an intelligent botanist who has cataloged countless samples from neighboring star systems.

Political Propaganda - Your face was used as part of a political campaign for your Home Planet and you are recognized everywhere you go - it’s kind of like being the Coppertone baby or Justin Long from Apple commercials.

Luxurious Billionaire - Part of a historic family, you grew up in the limelight. Every waking moment was scrutinized because you had to live up to your family’s name. Why you don’t have any of that wealth now…that’s up for you to decide.

Skilled Athlete - Having scored the winning goal in the Interplanetary Scrooving Cup, you brought honor, wealth, and fame to your previously unimportant home planet. It doesn’t have to be scrooving, of course (especially since I haven’t invented the rules…yet), but it could be a podracing variant or even a form of space-jousting.

You see, all it takes is a single word to have a canvas on which to build your character. On any of the examples above, you probably have a loose framework of how that person would act; the scientist might bravely charge into the unknown for the sake of scientific discovery, or the athlete might live a shallow life outside of their matches.

Be bold and stretch your imagination. We are no longer limited by the atmosphere.

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Part 2 - Starfinder Theme Focus - Ace Pilots and Bounty Hunters

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This week I’m going back to the scene of the crime to revisit the themes in Starfinder and offer some possible avenues down which you can direct your creative character-building energies. In case you’re completely in the dark on this topic, Starfinder introduces the concept of themes that you can use as a small puzzle piece in sculpting your character. In addition to providing some RP definition, each theme will give your character a boost to a specific stat and bonuses at 1st, 6th, 12th, and 18th level. As an aside, Paizo’s choice to have the theme progression remain identical throughout the possible selections helps to limit the min-maxing a bit, by ensuring that players aren’t choosing themes based on whichever ones grant them bonuses the soonest. Of course, the bonuses that each theme provides inherently enable some level of power-gaming, but that is going to be the case with nearly any pen-and-paper PRG.

Last time, as a part of my deeper dive into themes, I specifically touched on the Icon and listed several examples of character concepts that a player could use when creating a Startfinder character kissed by the Icon theme. The point of the post was to show that themes aren’t meant to limit creativity; they foster it. Just as there’s no wrong way to eat a Reese’s, there are countless interpretations to each theme and the characters that can be molded into existence. Today, I’ll be firing up my brain engine to offer some different charger ideas for the Ace Pilot and Bounty Hunter themes. Buckle up, we’re making the jump!

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Ace Pilot Character Concepts

“You are most comfortable at the controls of a vehicle, whether it’s a starship racing through the inky void of space or a ground vehicle zooming between trees, around boulders, and across dusty badlands. You might be a member of an elite military force, the recipient of intense courses of training. Alternatively, you might be a total amateur with innate skills that make you a much-admired hotshot.” – Starfinder CRB

Cargo Transport Pilot – You’ve been on the open road…er…space your whole life. Maybe you enjoy the solitude that comes with transporting outrageous quantities of goods across planets or star systems. These goods could be anything – weapons, construction materials, medical devices. Or maybe it’s a grab bag and half of the excitement stems from wondering what the next shipment will contain. The many laws governing tariffs & import/export taxes come second-nature, and your expertise in maneuvering an unruly behemoth transport ship is unrivaled. I’m sure you have some fantastic stories about the characters that you’ve met at depots and docks along the way. Have you operated with a crew or are you more of a lone wolf? Are you ‘by the book’ or are you known to bend the rules when regulations aren’t being followed? And hey, I’m not going to judge if you smuggle something every now and again – that’s completely up to you.

Mining Rig Operator – A specialist when it comes to operating heavy machinery, and someone who’s not afraid to get their hands dirty. Whether it be a massive drill, asteroid borer, front-end loader, or excavator, you have the honed precision required of someone who could easily level a structure or cause a fatality with a minor slip of the controls. You might harbor a deep love of geology, wealth, or the smell of space-diesel. If you’ve seen Disney’s Atlantis, Gaetan ‘The Mole’ comes to mind here, in all his grimy glory. Has mining been in your family for generations, or were you trying to make some credits in whatever profession was available? Have you pocketed any of your unearthed materials and sold them on the sly? What sort of role would you have on a starship that isn’t a dedicated mining vessel?

Stunt Driver – Inhabitants of the Pact Worlds crave entertainment, and you know how to deliver. From hologram tapes to over-capacity arenas, the lengths you go to appease your audiences is unmatched. How do you prepare yourself mentally to be fearless? Is there any stunt that you won’t do? Huge flames, steep jumps, free-falling acrobatics – you’ve done it all! Have you become an adventurer to satisfy a new craving that’s suddenly emerged deep inside? Are you an adrenaline junky with no care for your personal safety? Or are you THAT confident in your abilities that you simply must show them off at every opportunity?

Military Training Pilot – You’ve risen through the ranks of a military sect, but you figured that you’re done with combat missions. Instead, you are now responsible for grooming the fresh batch of hot-heads in the Academy to ensure that engagements end favorably at the minimal loss of life and equipment. You could be highly decorated and revered by all, or maybe you’ve never actually seen combat but have a brilliant mind for tactics and strategy. Did you develop a sophisticated training module for recruits? Are you a master of physics and can perform complex equations regarding acceleration, drag, and gravity on the fly? Maybe you’re not pleased about being given a non-combative assignment and yearn to be back in the fight, wherever that might be.

Getaway Driver – You’ll ‘wait in the car.’ You know the best nooks and crannies to hide in after a successful operation, be it a heist or a GTA. Apart from having nerves of steel, your ability to handle any vehicle makes you highly coveted in the high-stakes game of evading the authorities. Perhaps you have a catchy pseudonym, like “Leadfoot” or “Afterburner” that adds an edge of mystery to your growing legend. Are you available for hire depending on the highest bidder, or are you loyal to a dedicated group of criminals? Or maybe you’re not a criminal at all, and you’re an undercover agent networking to root out the top dogs of the criminal world. What drives you (pun intended) and keeps your foot on the accelerator? I haven’t seen Baby Driver, but I imagine that he would make for a fun Starfinder character.

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Bounty Hunter Character Concepts

“You track people down for money. It is a dangerous profession, as most of your targets understandably don’t wish to be caught. You wouldn’t have it any other way. You might have a code of ethics, never taking jobs that, say, target children or members of your own race. You might hunt down only escaped criminals. Or you might be completely amoral, taking any job that comes along—for the right price.” – Starfinder CRB

Great Mouse Detective – Maybe I’m getting a little ahead of myself on this one, but a Ysoki Detective? Come on! Okay, we can drop the ‘mouse’ portion of this to generalize it a bit, but a detective makes for a great Bounty Hunter. Searching for clues? Check. Interrogating witnesses? Check. An independent free-lancer? Check, check, check. Now all we need is a mahogany pipe that functions while wearing an airtight, pressurized helmet. Are you a Private Investigator, helping people track down lost relatives? Do you offer your services on a contract basis, assisting the local authorities when your services are required? Maybe you’re exceptional at finding clues, or adept at making accurate deductions based on the information on-hand. Or perhaps your forte involves the canvassing of a crime scene to gather the word on the street, or you could be skilled at poring over historical documents and ancestry lineages.

Gung-Ho Repo-Man – It’s time to pay the piper. Whether it be collecting vehicles or ships that have defaulted loans, or shaking down debtors who are skipping town without paying back the credits owed, there are plenty of avenues to venture down as a repo-man (or woman). Are you employed by a roving band of outlaws or by a seedy brand of space mafia? Do you find honor in returning to others what is rightfully theirs? You can be cold and calculated, or a wild child with a smoking gun. Do you believe in using violence to get the job done, by obtaining the required items by whatever means necessary? Or do you have a strict code of conduct and will only resort to fighting if it is absolutely necessary and all other accessible routes have been exhausted? Either way, you get the job done and collect that paycheck, because if someone is going to get paid, it might as well be you.

Corporate Headhunter – Everybody’s looking for that perfect candidate to fill the shoes and help their company prosper. Sure, you’re a bounty hunter, but you aren’t collecting the reward on some beat-up Toyota Star-is or trying to bring in a fugitive; you are trying to find the right people and put them in the right seats. Corporations pay you top dollar (after six months) when you track down someone with the appropriate skillset and convince them to accept a position at their firms. You have an absurd eye for noticing talent, even when it isn’t a skill that people recognize themselves as having. These aren’t rush jobs; you know that the only way to scout ability is to dig in beyond the resume and get to know the person behind the paper. Whittling down long lists of candidates to a select few and engaging them in social situations is your true calling, and you truly want them to succeed. If they’re not a fit, it’s on to the next one until you find that diamond in the rough.

Pre-Gap Antiquarian – Not much is known about the Gap (that’s why it’s called ‘the Gap’), but you recognize that there is much to be learned about the past, and that the key to unlocking the secrets of what we’ve collectively forgotten lies in the relics that remain. You seek out machinery, trinkets, baubles, clothing – any odds and ends whose origins have long since been forgotten. Perhaps you scour through old histories and manuscripts, trying to locate legendary items of extraordinary power. Do you have magic at your disposal to aid you in your search, ala a dowsing rod? Do you gravitate towards items of a certain kind, like ancient weapons? What draws you to these items in the first place? Maybe there have been stories passed down through your family and you became attached to them, bringing nostalgia into the mix. Or maybe you believe that the way technology is progressing leaves people disconnected with nature or causes us to lack the stronger bond that comes in a slower-moving culture. You probably hoard some of your treasures and keep an exceptionally special item on your person. You could be a hoarder, or run a shop that deals in the sale and acquisition of oddities and antiques.

Zealous Proselytizer – Instead of being driven by the promise of gold or riches, you seek out the good fortune that comes from your deity looking favorably upon you. Whether it be Talavet, Weydan or any deity in between, you seek out others in attempt to show them the enlightenment that comes with becoming a follower. In a way, you are a bounty hunter of souls. Maybe you preach openly in front of large crowds and then try to personally recruit the ones who come up to your afterwards who show interest and promise. Or perhaps you spend more time watching and listening, following people whose dispositions align best with your deity’s tenets. You don’t necessarily have to be pushy, but you certainly could get aggressive if you become frustrated with your efforts. What if they don’t see the world as you see it? You might not be terribly high on the totem pole, either; you could be passing out leaflets in hopes that you ascend the ranks if you make your quota. Do you have a quota? If so, is it more of a personal goal or an appointed goal? What if you’re not aligned with a deity at all, but you hop between them depending on the one that grants the most benefits? After all, nobody’s perfect.

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And there you have it! Since I’ve already done the Icon in a previous post, our next stop will be the Mercenary and Outlaw themes. I’m really looking forward to these two, as they both have a negative connotation and I want to see if we can’t shrug off those predispositions and put a positive spin on them! The main problem I have with posts like these is that I want to start putting together a bunch of characters, most of which will never see the light of day. So, please - create! I shall live through your characters!

Until next time – the stars aren’t the limit; they’re only the beginning.

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Part 3 - Starfinder Theme Focus - Mercenaries and Outlaws

Three down, seven to go! I’ve decided that I might as well just knock out the remaining themes all in a row so that at the very least they’ll be crammed together on the blog in a loose semblance of order. Check back on the first two posts if you want a bit of background on the Starfinder Themes and the role they play in character creation. There isn’t much more I can expand on regarding themes specifically, so maybe I’ll just impart a few thoughts on backstories as little tidbits for you to ruminate on. Maybe I’ll sprinkle some powdered sugar on top. Maybe!

The point of a backstory is provide a framework and serve as a backdrop for your character - what do they believe? What quirks do they have? Why are they the way that they are? We are all products of our environments, and it is that environment that you are trying to envision. Leave spaces in the narrative to come out during the game; if you fill in every tiny detail then there won’t be anything for the GM to work with and incorporate into the story. Loose ends are the best! They can be woven into the narrative in order to enhance the game. Even if you’re playing a prewritten Adventure Path or Module, a good GM will use the gaps in your backstory to help engage your PC and keep them interested. And when you’re talking about the sheet expanse of the Vast in Starfinder, let your imagination run rampant on WHO your character is! Themes are a nice paste you can spread over your character to stick new things on top of.

Alright - now we are primed to talk about the Mercenary and Outlaw themes. There is a “bad boy” mentality that naturally comes into the conversation with each of these, by lets see if we can list out five brief theme concepts that stretch the boundaries of the basic definitions of these words.

Mercenary Character Concepts

“Whether you take jobs that match your ethical beliefs or you fight for anyone who can afford your services, you are a hired gun. You might take pride in your past accomplishments, proudly displaying trophies of your kills, or you might be laden with guilt over being the sole survivor of a mission gone terribly wrong. You most likely work with other mercenaries and are familiar with the methodologies of military actions all across the galaxy.” - Starfinder CRB

Security Officer - You’ve always seen yourself as a protector - whether someone needs a watchful eye to make sure they stay out of trouble, or if an estate needs to reprimand unwelcome visitors, you can answer that call. Your allegiance follows the flow of credits and you won’t let your personal beliefs get in the way of whoever’s paying. Nobody’s breaking Non-Disclosure Agreements, but you wouldn’t be dissuaded from providing your security services for a direct competitor. Do you run a small-scale Security Detail or are you a division of a larger corporation? Do you specialize in a particular type of work, such as being a bodyguard or providing cyber-security? Where is your base of operations, or do you require on-site lodgings in order to provide the best service? Were you a part of a specific military before becoming involved in security or have you never tied yourself down to a specific group in that capacity? I see Michael Weston from Burn Notice as a decent example of a Mercenary in this vein - providing assistance through the completion of odd jobs and using his unique skills to outthink his opposition.

Divine Crusader - You believe that the Divine shape the universe through the people that inhabit it. And after all is said and done, and your light goes out, you want to be sure that your deeds didn’t go unnoticed from the powerful beings above. For this reason you wear every divine symbol under your shirt, prominently displaying the current recipient of your unwavering homage and devotion. For you, it isn’t a matter of lacking faith; you are just covering your spiritual bases. Or maybe you have followed a strict belief to a single deity for your entire life, pledging your devotion whole-cloth from day one. Do you play a prominent militaristic role while professing your faith or do you sell your services in a more charismatic avenue? Are you convinced that your actions are tipping the doomsday scales in your favor, or is there a crack in your faith? Have you served in any divine-fueled wars or defected from a losing side? A character falling into this category should have their religious preference tied into their backstory, which had likely followed their interests, skills, and hobbies. I can’t stop thinking of medieval crusaders in this regard, but there is a lot of flavor to dip into here.

Corporate Consultant - In the Pact Worlds, corporations might as well be planets for all the power that carry, and they probably have a militaristic presence of some kind. A corporate consultant could specialize in offering recommendations to specific equipment and weapons, or perhaps they aren’t involved in a violent capacity at all. They could be ruthless and tactical, pulling the strings from behind the curtain or offering suggestions on where to shave off the excess fat of the company. I particularly like the idea of someone walking around with a clipboard and conducting interviews with employees ala Office Space. But how does that tie to a Mercenary? Maybe it’s the company itself - weapons contractor, thugs for hire, etc. Or, perhaps the war lies between a rival corporation and you are involved in espionage and marketing attacks to gain market share. Targeted advertisements, facilities sabotage, and staged product recalls are only the tip of the iceberg.

Intergalactic Lobbyist - You have connections. We aren’t talking about a guy who does your dry cleaning or a farm with the best space radishes; these are high-level, big-time connections that puts credits in pockets and shapes the political landscape of the Pact Worlds. The companies on the money side of the table tell you which babies to kiss and which people to schmooze. If your efforts lead to a political victory, lax taxation, or breaks in long-standing mercantile tariffs, then you get paid handsomely as well. Having the backing of a wealthy corporation is influential in the complicated game of thrones and your ability to reach across planetary lines to make hands meet in a mutual agreement is second to none. Are you employed by a certain company or industry, or do you represent the lawmaking bodies? Do you have morals where you would refuse to make connections that conflict with your personal beliefs? Are you sincere in your work? Have you been known to exercise a position as a double-agent or worked to tack on seemingly insignificant riders to laws that will add up to accomplish a more grandiose goal? You’re likely trained to handle yourself in case seals go sour, and can get out of hairy situations with your wit or your weapons.

Boisterous Revolutionary - The transgressions of the current government have gone far enough and it is time for someone to lead the charge against their injustice. That someone is you. Whether it be a local affair to overthrow a village leader or an elaborate scheme to Take Down an entire planetary government, you have the tactical mind and leadership ability required to gather people behind a cause. This might not even be your brainchild - perhaps you were hired to be the face of the militaristic front or to train the rabble that will be storming the frontlines of the fight. Is your identity a secret while you infiltrate the ranks of the very government you’re trying to unravel? Are you merely a voice blasting through the sound-waves, promoting action or demanding change? Why do you fight? Is it a personal grievance or is your reasoning more utilitarian than that? How is the revolution designed to be won and what are the conditions of a victory? From a grassroots movement to an all-out war, there are loads of potential for a character who wants things to be different.

Outlaw Character Concepts

“Due to the sins of your past or your current unlawful behavior, you are a wanted individual somewhere in the Pact Worlds. You might not even be guilty and are striving to clear your good name. Or you might fully admit to being a criminal but believe the laws you break are unjust. Whatever the case, boarding a starship headed to the Vast might be just the thing you need until the heat dies down—or until you’re dragged off to prison.” - Starfinder CRB

Escaped Convict - You weren’t about to twiddle your thumbs and patiently serve out your sentence. Through careful planning, tactical bribes, and a healthy serving of luck, you have broken out of prison and now you’re on the lam. I’m sure that the going hasn’t been easy - between hiding from the law, committing other crimes to stay alive, and disguising your appearance, it’s been a challenge. Did you have anyone waiting for you on the outside, or have you been begging, borrowing, and sealing to get by? Did your escape because you were wrongfully convicted or did you have some unfinished business to take care of? Were you a part of a criminal organization that lacked direction after you were locked up? What about going forwards - do you have a new identity that you’ve been working to build? Is this a backstory within a backstory situation? Were you partially rehabilitated? Did a couple screws get popped loose while you were in the clink, or are there any specific life-changing moments after your capture and sentencing? From the details of the escape, to acquaintances made behind bars, to plans for the future, this one has some long legs you can use to take some great strides.

Undercover Vigilante - By day you work a nondescript job behind a desk but once night hits you are something else entirely. Alternate personas, white lies regarding your whereabouts, and layers of complex secrets define your alternate exploits. In your primary life you might display yourself as completely average but your other identity has an astronomical bounty on their head. What sorts of activities do you participate in while you’re on and off the clock? Are you more of a Robin Hood character or an independent crime fighter who bends the rules and laws to bring justice to those who would normally get a slap on the wrist? Are your methods questionable? Do you kill? It’s hard not to use Dexter as a point of comparison for someone who uses illegal means to ensure justice is served. Does anybody know about your double life, or do you offer your services to law enforcement agencies? Is there a contact on the force that helps you plan out your next target? Do you wear a unique costume or uniform or do you think it’s unnecessary so long as your face is hidden?

White Collar Criminal - Blood is messy and it will spoil your freshly laundered clothes. Your crimes aren’t rooted in violence of the body, but in the acquisition of funds through discreet avenues. Accounting errors, financial repossession algorithms, malicious software - you alter the bottom line of companies to fill your purse with those sweet, sweet credits. Maybe you’ve forged documents to give yourself access to places you shouldn’t be, or perhaps you’ve run pyramid schemes that have created an almost-cult following behind you. What sorts of crimes have you performed and what sorts of groups do you typically target? How large is he typical score? Do you use an alias or leave a calling card to pump up your ego or would you rather not take those unnecessary risks? Did you have an inspiration or teacher for your work, or were your skills self-taught? Is this a full-time gig or do you have another job so that your extra-curricular activities are more of a supplement? Neal Caffrey from White Collar would be a solid source of inspiration for this one, and he really is a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to these sorts of things. Think about how it translates to the world of Starfinder, where technology has progressed significantly and the possibility of scams is abundant - lemon starships, pre-Gap forgeries, and impersonations of diplomats who are literally planets away.

Petty Thief - You are small-time but that doesn’t mean you’re any less talented than the more infamous criminals who are making bigger scores than you. In your eyes, smaller is safer since people are less apt to notice and the manhunt won’t be as dedicated when a booster gets stolen off a personal starship or a couple hundred credits get swiped from a stray purse. Maybe you were raised on the streets and this has always been a part of you or maybe you’ve resorted to crime to rebel against an unfair system. Perhaps you enjoy the thrill you get from the act itself, or you like to cut it as close as possible without getting caught. Do you work independently or as a part of a team? Is there a special role that you fill? How much planning do you do before committing a crime or do you act within the moment? Are you skilled with a weapon or are your talents more in line with dexterity and a convincing tongue? Do you have a stash of Stolen Goods or do you turn around and sell the hot items right away? Is there anything that you’ve stolen that has developed sentimental value? You wouldn’t even have to have an evil alignment depending on your intentions and the severity of your crimes.

Contract Assassin - You have your target and it is your job to eliminate that target without drawing suspicion to yourself or your employer(s). Secrecy is the name of the game and nobody is more meticulous in plotting out the precise details of your operation. As such, your skills come at a high price, but people are willing to pay it knowing that you will be successful in fulfilling your end of the bargain. Your actions have ended wars and started them, reunited countries and torn them apart. From insignificant low-lifes to heavily guarded political figures, you fulfill whatever contracts are the most attractive. Are you driven by money or do you believe that the results of your actions will align with another agenda? Is there a list of prerequisites that must be fulfilled before a target becomes an acceptable contract? How do people get in contact with you? How do you provide your resume for the skeptical clientele without giving away your identity completely? My fallback isAgent 47 from the Hitman series, since he is practically more machine than man which provides an interesting dynamic for the rest of the party.

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Another two themes are in the books! Think about how you can add additional spins to these and how the other aspects of your character might tie into the Theme. Can you picture a Vesk crunching numbers and pushing papers all day just to hit the streets as a brutish enforcer at night? What about a Ysoki rubbing elbows with some of the most elite leaders in the Pact Worlds? Priests and Scholars are up next - stay tuned for more Starfinder goodness!

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Part 4 - Starfinder Theme Focus – Priests and Scholars

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As we continue our journey through the themes of Starfinder, let’s take a second to look back on what we’ve already covered. Things were unofficially kicked off in the startup article detailing each theme individually, in which we shined the spotlight on the Icon (something they’re well-versed with). We’ve discussed the daring Ace Pilot and their mastery over starships and land vehicles. Next came the bounty hunter, searching the vastness of space and overturning asteroids to unearth the location of their prey. After that we made a substantial payment to hire the Mercenary, who gladly offers their services to the party with the fattest purse. Which leaves us with our most recent acquaintance, the Outlaw, who would probably prefer that we mention them as little as possible so as not to give away their identity.

Before we get to today’s scheduled programming, I’d like to mention something about character creation that can be limiting to our creativity. It’s definitely a pitfall that I’ve succumbed to on more than one occasion, and Starfinder Themes can inadvertently recreate the situation. The problem with having specific themes or backgrounds in a tabletop game, is that by selecting one of the options we are essentially putting a label on our PC: Drake is a bounty hunter. Full stop. What tends to happen, is that we have a predisposed definition of ‘bounty hunter’ in our minds; it is a mold that we casually place our character into before we have rolled a single die. It can be limiting and stifling to our creativity, even if we don’t initially see it that way.

Try to get into the habit of generalizing the themes and backgrounds so that all of the stereotypical noise is stripped away, leaving you with a beautiful, hollow shell that you can shape as you see fit. Jumping back to the bounty hunter example: Start off with the bounty hunter definition as outlined in the CRB:

“You track people down for money. It is a dangerous profession, as most of your targets understandably don’t wish to be caught. You wouldn’t have it any other way. You might have a code of ethics, never taking jobs that, say, target children or members of your own race. You might hunt down only escaped criminals. or you might be completely amoral, taking any job that comes along—for the right price.”

Okay, that’s a good place to start but it’s wordy and fills in the gaps unnecessarily. Maybe a regular definition would suffice:

“A person who pursues a criminal or fugitive for whom a reward is offered.”

Better, but the normal definition is making some assumptions that we can generalize even further. Let’s try this:

“A FINDER, paid for FINDING.”

When it all gets boiled down, isn’t that essentially what a bounty hunter does? A bounty hunter doesn’t have to be exclusively searching for people; they can be tracking down objects as well, so long as they’re getting paid for successful completion of the job.

These posts on Starfinder themes have sought to generalize the definition of each theme to give us more creative space to mold and shape our PCs. Of course, your character might be the literal definition of a bounty hunter, and that’s perfectly fine too – fun is whatever YOU find most enjoyable!

Enough jabbering, it’s time to talk about the Priest and the Scholar! In the paraphrased words of Wolfmother, “So I’ll tell you all the story about the Scholar and the Priest of the night!”

Priest Character Concepts

“You are a member of an organized religion or similar association. Your belief, whether it has been a part of you since childhood or it came to you later in life, is an integral part of your character. You might travel the stars proselytizing your deity, or your church might have sent you out on a specific holy (or unholy) mission. No matter what obstacles life puts in your way, you always have the conviction of your beliefs to fall back on.” - Starfinder CRB

Dedicated Pilgrim – Humbled by your beliefs and wanting to strengthen the connection you have with your deity, you have dedicated yourself to a journey of enlightenment. Guided by your immovable faith, you will follow the call of your deity to the end of the Pact Worlds and beyond, if you must. Through the discovery of new planets, people, and technologies, everything serves as a connection to your higher power. Are you specifically travelling to commune with a group of believers at a revered historical site? Is there a tangible beacon guiding you in your pilgrimage, such as a holy relic or powerful artifact? Depending on your deity, you may be driven by or attracted to a multitude of objects, lifestyles, people, etc.

Faithful Preacher – Completely enveloped by your faith, you can’t help but to share the holy words of your divine patron wherever you go. Backing up your speeches with passages from deific texts and reciting countless stories of Even though you are aware that everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, are you pushy about spreading your faith or do you focus more heavily on people who are more apt to be convinced? Do you have a specific audience that you are targeting, be it the elderly or are you shaping the young minds of tomorrow? What sort of demeanor does this character have? How do they handle conflict? Have they had an experience that made them question their faith, or is there a profound moment that filled them with their faith to begin with? Maybe you even have a conversion quota that you’d like to reach before you consider your purpose fulfilled.

Astute Theologian – The key to having a solid foundation in faith is to understand the texts and histories that were written to support and document all pertinent information on your deity. Whether you scribe events yourself or focus exclusively on the texts of theologians prior, you enjoy having concrete evidence available at your fingertips. Are you a bookish individual whose vision is damaged by years under dim lights, or are you a young theologian hoping to excel your tutelage under another? Do you collect stories of every deity, or do you limit your studies to a single divine? Are you accepting of other people’s beliefs? Do you have favorite quotes or passages that you constantly reference? Are there any particular ways that you communicate to those of a lesser intelligence? Or perhaps you’re not as intelligent as you initially seem!

Motivational Life Coach – Nothing pleases you more than using your gifts to help others solve their problems. In just five easy steps, anybody can change their life and turn their luck around! Centered around faith, you develop close relationships with others so that you can understand how they’ve gotten to where they are today. How do you encourage people to lower their guard and accept your proven-plan to enrich their lives? What does your enhancement plan entail? Does it have a cost? Have you done any seminars, published books, or organized any retreats to promote your program? Are you just in it for the money or is this a situation where you are the product of your own success? Buzz words and phrases likely leap from your lips – you’re developing a brand after all!

Secluded Hermit – You’ve always found that developing a deep connection with your deity involves peace, quiet, and a whole lot of R&R. You don’t feel a need to proclaim your faith from the rooftops because as far as you’re concerned, faith is entirely personal. By developing your beliefs in private, you can feel that you’re making progress in bettering your soul. How long have you been living alone and why did you choose that lifestyle for yourself? Was it even your choice? How will you assimilate into society and work closely with a party of adventurers? Have you been living a meager lifestyle? Do you have any important possessions that have centered your meditations? Any surviving family? Are you willing to share your faith with others?

Scholar Character Concepts

“You are an erudite intellectual, pitting your brain against problems and puzzles that others would find daunting. You might be an instructor of a specific topic at a large university or a dabbler in a number of fields of study. You could be exploring the galaxy in search of ancient artifacts or new scientific phenomena. Whatever your motivation, you are sure that the answers you seek are out there.” - Starfinder CRB

Eccentric Entomologist – Not limited to just studying the Shirren, you are heavily interested in anything that creeps and crawls throughout the Pact World System. Where others might cringe and crawl, you revel in the opportunity to uncover new species and the possibility of attributing discoveries to your name. What sorts of insects are your forte? Do you specialize in a certain genus? Have you developed any quirks or tendencies that could be attributed to the subjects that you study? Perhaps your studies are strictly limited to understanding the Shirren and their Hive Mind connection and you want to replicate it in another application. Do you keep your samples on you, or do you have a lab where the majority are stored? Any ties to a museum or research facility? Are you an accredited scientist or more of a glorified hobbyist?

Forensic Scientist – Understanding the complex intricacies that go into crime scene investigation, you have an analytical mind rooted in years of study. It’s important that you are familiar with anatomy, physics, and psychology in order to piece together the clues of a murder and figure out the story. Are you currently a part of a law enforcement unit or are you a contractor for hire? Are you an expert in specific types of crimes? Do you often visit the crime scene, or do you focus more on the laboratory side of things? Is there any particular crime that stands out in your mind as most influential or disturbing? What got you into this field of study? How does technology play a role in your investigations? Do you have any enemies that you’ve helped put behind bars that have threatened to make things difficult to you whenever they get out of prison? How will your services be best used out in the real world of adventuring and space travel?

Acclaimed Archeologist – Every planet tells a story under its surface and your job is to discover that story and share it with the world(s). Whether it is the bones of long-forgotten monsters or remnants of an ancient civilization, proof of the past is out there, ripe for the digging. What sorts of equipment or magic do you use to unearth these hidden riches of the world? Are you looking for signs of life, buildings, treasure, or something else entirely? After you find something, what are your goals for your discovery – sharing it with others or stashing it away for yourself? Are you a part of a small team, large corporation, or just working independently? Is there some great mystery that you’re trying to solve? Who are your key contacts in the industry and how do you determine your dig sites? Maybe you also investigate and search for destroyed ships or vessels that we lost in the Drift, hoping to bring closure to friends and family (or to scavenge the wreckage).

Environmental Engineer – Out in the far reaches of space, the environment is hostile and deadly. Maybe you’ve assisted in developing life support systems or you have assisted in the creation of sustainable housing that can stand up to the harshest of elements. Or maybe you are have studied other planets in-depth and understand the ecology, planetary make-up, atmosphere, and other vital statistics about them. Taking it a step further, maybe you’re involved in the preservation of resources and ensuring that the next generation will not be lacking in basic environmental needs. You might be a geologist, pedologist, or meteorologist. Are you focused on environmental usage or preservation? Is there a specialty that others consult you on, like water, air, or weather? Do you design structures? What about terraforming or reshaping existing planets to suit the needs of the people? Are you paid well for your efforts? Did you attend any schooling or are you self-taught? There is a ton of flexibility in this one because the worlds in Starfinder are incredibly diverse and allow for immense creativity.

Legacy Historian – The Gap has left a literal gap in people’s minds – what happened during the period of time before the present-day? Your research is meant to answer that specific question. You might be focused on the militarization of the Pact Worlds, investigating wars and battles that took place during that time. Or maybe you’re more concerned with cultures and race anthologies, trying to understand the people that existed before and during the Gap. Better yet, you might be a renowned historian on Golarion (leaving the player able to exhibit their Pathfinder knowledge). Historians can also be responsible for chronicling events as they happen. Do you write everything down or are you a ‘living’ historian who has an impeccable memory for reciting facts and figures? What level of history interests you the most – individual and familial histories or the rise and fall of empires? Have you ever tweaked a fact to better fit a desired narrative or are you unbiased in your research? Is your work published anywhere? Do you have any powers of foresight were you can recognize past mistakes and see events unfolding as the consequence to those events? Why do you record – so others can remember or so you don’t forget?

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And with that, we’ve detailed out seven of the ten themes. But wait! Aren’t there only nine themes? Do I even know what I’m talking about at this point? You would be correct in saying that there are only nine DEFINED themes, but I’m saving the final post in this series for a brief dive into being Themeless. Even though creating a character without a theme seems like writing a book and forgoing a title, themeless is the perfect solution to the problem of dreaming up a character who doesn’t seem to check off the boxes of a single theme, or one that checks off boxes of multiple themes and you simply can’t decide which one is most dominant.

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Part 5 - Starfinder Theme Focus - Spacefarers and Xenoseekers

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First of all, let me apologize. It’s been MONTHS since I teased the final article on Starfinder themes and leaving this series in a perilously unfinished limbo. I wish that I had a decent excuse to explain it, but unfortunately I don’t have that either. So please, accept my apology, and let’s get to the conclusion of this series!

We’ve covered a lot of bases - Ace Pilots, Bounty Hunters, Icons, Mercenaries, Outlaws, Priests, and Scholars, which means that today we will be talking about Spacefarers, Xenoseekers, and briefly touching on the Themeless concept. That’s still a ton of ground to cover, and I’m a bit intimidated even thinking about it. Concluding this intense detail into Starfinder’s themes will be bittersweet - not only because it’ll be over, but also because there’s no way to fully encapsulate the entire, endless spectrum of characters you can create within Paizo’s Starfinder universe. That’s what’s really great about the Themeless option; if none of the other themes do your character justice in describing their schtick, then you can always go Themeless and solve that particular problem.

Whenever I create a character, I will usually start by trying to find an interesting or obscure feat, characteristic, theme, etc and build the character around that. Some people are really creative and come up with amazing backstories first and build the character to fit their artistic vision. Although that’ll happen on occasion, I’ll generally determine a character’s backstory after I’ve fleshed out their vitals and statblock. The important thing for me is that my characters stand out. Not from a min-max perspective (if that’s what you enjoy then keep doing it!), but from a standpoint of going outside the norm and playing a character with abilities that people may have never experienced before.

Stone Warder Sorcerer? Breadth of Experience feat? Archivist Bard? All of these types of choices go leaps and bounds to hint and what the character is all about. A Stone Warder Sorcerer would be something like an Earth Bender from Avatar, gaining their powers from the rocky world around them. Characters with a Breadth of Experience are ancient, meaning that they’ve seen and heard nearly all there is to know. Bards with the Archivist archetype aren’t going to be dishing out much damage, but they are constantly scribbling down their experiences and every bit of lore they can get their hands on. And just like that, a single piece of your character’s statblock can literally define them.

That’s partly been the point of these posts about the Themes in Starfinder. Sure, you can come up with an absolutely AWESOME character concept and attach a theme that fits that character. No problem. But if you’re having trouble coming up with a character, the options listed in these posts are meant to assist you in launching off into the incredible Imagisphere to create a truly unique character.

Alright, I’ve babbled so much that I’ve turned into a brook. (Sorry if I’ve used that particular moniker already…it’s been a long time since my last Starfinder post). Time to finish off the series!

Spacefarer Character Concepts

“Your longing to journey among the stars can’t be sated. You yearn for the adventure of stepping onto a distant world and exploring its secrets. You tend to greet every new opportunity with bravery and fortitude, confident that your multitude of skills will pull you through. Perhaps you simply find joy in the act of traveling with your companions, or perhaps you are just out to line your pockets with all sorts of alien loot!” - Starfinder CRB

Clueless Tourist - Let’s face it. You saw a map of the Pact Worlds and immediately searched the best places to visit on each planet. Theme parks, monuments, parks - you want to visit them all and document your travels on a blog that you’re still coming up with a creative name for. Experiences are the best currency to be paid in, and your goal is to become filthy rich on them. Now, you might not understand all of the different cultures or customs in the places that you’re visiting, but in your eyes everybody else should be happy that you’re bolstering the economy in all of your destinations. Excuse me - could you please take my photo?

Deductive Meteorologist - Perhaps in the same vein as the Environmental Engineer concept from the Scholar post, this character would be all about the weather and is drawn to the varied climates and conditions present in the Pact World planets. Have you ever seen the sunrise through noxious fuchsia clouds or felt thick, oily rain land on your head? All of these phenomenon can be explained through science. Maybe you’ll publish a scholarly journal on your findings, or maybe your more of a storm-chaser bent on surviving the most wild and dangerous conditions. No matter how you spin it, you’re fascinated by the weather, whether your companions like it or not.

Hospitable Flight Attendant - Time to make everybody else’s travel experiences as enjoyable as possible. You’re an expert at socializing and keeping everybody’s minds off the baggage fees and severe lack of legroom. In your eyes, there’s no part of a space commute that can’t be made better by a tall glass of sherry or a delicious sack of Zeni’s Zesty Znacks. While traveling, you are sure to keep all the amenities nearby to heighten the enjoyment of those around you. You might have gotten into the gig because you wanted to see the universe, and maybe that itch is just beginning to surface once more.

Curious Explorer - Hardly anything fancy about this one. You love exploring. The mystery, intrigue, and discovery thrill you to pieces. Every time you come across a corner, you just HAVE to see what’s on the other side of it. This is known to get you into heaps of trouble and situations where you end up on the wrong end of a ‘No Trespassing’ sign. But, through your foolhardy actions, you’ve been able to experience things that very few other people have, and your stories are the things of legend. There are countless star sectors to visit and only so much time…what are you waiting for?!

Budding Photographer - Your goal? The perfect shot. You might be a movie producer scouting locations for your next sector-buster. Or maybe you’re an artistic photographer determined to capture the essence of the human (and alien) experience. You never miss a moment and you are incredibly easy to track based on the trail of snapshots that you leave behind. Whether your honing your craft or a complete amateur when it comes to lighting, focus, and apertures, space grants you the freedom to create magnificent works of art. Every horizon has another potential shot, and you’ll hitchhike your way around the galaxy if you have to if it means catching your elusive unicorn.

Xenoseeker Character Concepts

“The thought of meeting alien life-forms excites you. The more different their appearances and customs are from yours, the better! You either believe they have much to teach you or you want to prove you are better than them. Of course, the only way to accomplish your goal is to leave the Pact Worlds and travel to the Vast, where a virtually endless number of aliens await.” - Starfinder CRB

Captivated Anthropologist - This concept makes perfect sense. As an anthropologist, you live and love to study the differences between humanoid species. You can even take it a step further to be fascinated with specific aspects of each of the races. What are the secrets behind the Lashunta’s psychic abilities? How tough are the scales of the Vesk? So many questions and not enough time to find all the answers. You might become acutely interested in your crewmates, asking them all sorts of intrusive questions in order to develop an understanding for their specific gifts and talents. Beings with surgical enhancements might be particularly interesting to you as humanoids continue their never-ending quest for power.

Inquisitive Marketing Guru - If you want to sell something, you HAVE to know your market. Double blind surveys, focus groups, experimental expos…you will stop at nothing to understand the people buying the products you’re pitching. Whether you’re a part of an elaborate Ponzi scheme or a well-known enterprise, you are hungry to understand the psychology of buying patterns and habitual spending. If you can unlock those secrets, you will be the most valuable asset to whichever company decides to employ you. And, by developing an understanding for the beings around you, you’ll undoubtedly be an asset in any situation involving sweet-talking with honeyed words. Heck - maybe if you can find some delicious edible aliens, you will be the next great snack mogul in the Pact Worlds! Second only to Zeni himzelf.

Experimental Doctor - You embrace the uniqueness of yourself and encourage others to do the same. Stand out from the crowd, you say. Set yourself apart! Implant yourself with one of the many augmentations that you can provide! Your interest in the countless creeping aliens and obscure creatures skittering around the Vast stimulate your imagination and provide you with the necessary…tools to allow you to develop exciting new attachments for your adoring fans. Or maybe you’re more secretive and don’t think your work should see the light of day. Will you be a mad scientist or a renowned surgeon? The choice is yours!

Calming Zoologist - People will pay loads of money to see an exhibit they’ve never experienced before. There are countless numbers of mindless creatures out in the far reaches of space that would be welcomed additions to a zoological attraction. Your history in taming wild beasts and soothing the animalistic nature in the creatures you’ve encountered makes you the perfect person for the job. There is a fantastic space zoo that’ll pay top dollar for new specimens, and you’re itching to get paid. This isn’t to say that you are inconsiderate of the creatures’ feelings, however. The zoo that you’re working for is more akin to a resort, and they take great care of the residents that live there.

Talkative Space Taxi Driver - While taking fares, you’ve come across just about every type of intelligent being known in the sector. Long nights that turned into early mornings were a staple of yours, and you’ve delivered passengers to slums, clubs, and luxury estates, learning about them all the while. You love a good conversation; it helps pass the time and gives you an amazing repertoire of stories to share with your crewmates. Everybody comes from a different background, and you have learned to appreciate the intricacies and uniqueness that everybody brings to the figurative table. You might have a bit of a lead foot as well…but who doesn’t?

Themeless Characters

If you don’t fit the bill with any of the other themes, then you are probably Themeless. By choosing to forgo a theme designation, your statistical bonuses will suffer compared to a character who has a theme, so if you’re more concerned with numbers and maximizing your character, then this might not be for you. Choosing this option, however, will allow you to portray your character as a vast canvas, awaiting your masterful strokes.

Hopefully I’ve portrayed the wide variety of concepts that the Starfinder themes can cover. With a dash of creativity, you can morph at least one of the themes to fit the base core of your character. Try to think about each of the themes in new ways; don’t get caught up in the specific 'title’ of the theme. Read the blurbs about each one and search for synonyms that line up with the character that you’re envisioning in your mind.

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At the end of the day, play a character that you WANT to play. You should be excited every time that you portray your character, and play the game in whatever way is going to be the most fun for you.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this series on the Themes of Starfinder! See you in the stars!

#Starfinder #Themes #Paizo #Scifi #Science Fantasy #Overview #Character #Creation #CRB #Fantasy #Rules #Concepts

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gnosticanthroposopher · 4 years

Text

Signs

The following are signs that you are beginning to feel the call of evolution and you are starting to wake up. These are in no particular order. If you experience a great many of these, then you are surely being called to drop all of the things in your life which no longer serve your greater purpose and to take up a new path, a path of self-discovery and universal understanding.

1. You feel a sort of emptiness about the way society is telling you to live. You get a growing sense that all of the things which you were told would bring you happiness are actually bringing you misery. You realize that the things which are advertised to you are for empty and meaningless things. The new car, the pumpkin spice lattes, the new smart phone, the latest Netflix binge worthy series, they all seem rather empty and useless to you. You seek more sustenance for your life.

2. You have a gnawing feeling inside you that something is changing. You may not be able to explain it, but something inside yourself tells you that you have changed. You are no longer the same person you have always been and you are beginning to see that you lived behind a veil. You are beginning to see that who you really are has yet to come to the surface. But that is all changing now.

3. You have a growing need for more transparent media. If you have never really been one to keep up on things, you might find yourself suddenly interested in learning more now. Or you may have already been interested in current events, but your interest now has expanded to include information from sources you may have previously dismissed, such as conspiracy theories and alternate media sources. You are giving secondary sources of information a fair chance now.

Before you may not have cared too much about what the media was telling you, but now you are looking at it with a raised eyebrow. You no longer mindlessly take what it tells you and subconsciously make it your opinion. You seek transparency from your media and news sources. You are willing to research and listen to more than one source before you draw your own conclusions.

4. You are gaining a healthy skepticism about the systems. You are questioning the validity of many of our old systems. You find yourself questioning the government, the financial system, the education system, the media and entertainment industry, the professional sports industry, the healthcare system, and the religious systems. You are beginning to realize that they are no longer serving the needs of the many, only the needs of the privileged few.

5. You have a growing interest in things of an occult nature. You feel a need to know more about things which might have frightened you before, but now seem to be a plausible and beneficial source of knowledge. Perhaps you are drawn to the earth religions of old such as Wicca or Druidism. Perhaps you feel a need to study astrology, numerology, palmistry and the like. Or perhaps you are beginning to look further into the hidden mysteries of the universe.

6. You have a greater concern about your health and the food you eat. You are listening to your body more. You realize that what you do for your body makes a real difference to your mental health, not just your physical health. You feel a desire to give your body more nutritious food and a desire to exercise it more simply because it likes to move.

7. You feel a calling toward nature. You find urban environments to be rather loud and intrusive. You find you feel a slight repulsion by tall buildings, concrete and traffic. You might have a strong desire to take a walk in the woods, go camping or just spend more time in nature instead of being in the urban area.

8. You feel a growing need to be more environmentally aware and active. You begin to notice how many people are neglecting even the simplest things they can do to help the environment, such as using a trash receptacle. You have a greater awareness of your carbon footprint and want to take action toward being more environmentally responsible for yourself.

9. Your old friends seem different to you. Your friends no longer seem that interesting to you. They seem to be too caught up in the dramas of their lives, unable to focus on more important things. You find it all to be rather petty and ostentatious. You seek higher quality friends and more meaningful relationships.

10. You begin to notice more synchronicity in your life. You see signs around you, waking you up to a message you may not yet understand. Such as noticing whenever it says 11:11 on the clock or people making remarks like “perfect timing” or “what a coincidence” to you. You begin to notice that things are not just happening by chance, but by some unknown design.

11. You seek authenticity and no longer want to participate in superficial things. You begin to notice more and more when people are not being completely honest with you and you feel a need to get away from them. You have a growing desire to be authentic yourself and you seek others who are willing to be authentic with you. You no longer desire to be part of a superficial life.

12. You feel a deep sadness at the state of the world and want to make it a better place. You begin to realize that the world is really suffering, not just around you but all over the world. Your heart opens to their pain and you feel compassion for them. You feel a desire to do more for others and to help ease their suffering. You take on a service to others attitude rather than a service to self attitude.

13. You have a deep yearning to understand the meaning in your life and a desire for spiritual connection. You know that you came here for a reason and that there must be some purpose to you being here. You may feel a need to visit a spiritual advisor or counselor. You may find yourself suddenly interested in spiritual things you never considered before. You may decide to follow a new spiritual path.

14. Your intuitive abilities have increased. You may notice that your intuition is increasing, that you suddenly know things without a reasonable explanation. You might get little feelings, nudging you to take action and if you follow it, you are happily surprised to discover the answer to something you didn’t even know you’ve been asking.

15. Your creativity is itching to be released. You feel a desire to be more creative, to get your hands busy. You may wish to do more arts and crafts. You may feel a need to create something that tells a story. You may feel a desire to learn a new artistic skill.

16. Your sleep patterns have changed. You find that you no longer sleep the same amount of hours or the times your body wishes to sleep have changed. You may find a growing need to take a nap during the day to help you recharge.

17. You are losing the desire to worry about things you cannot control. You feel the need to pick your battles more carefully. You realize that you cannot fix it all and are more willing to let go of the things which upset you. You realize that they are not worth you feeling bad over because you cannot control them, you can only control yourself.

18. You have an increased willingness to compromise and find peaceful solutions. You no longer feel the need to defend or argue over petty things. You look now for harmony and you often find yourself being the peacekeeper, reminding people who learning to work together is the only way to live peacefully on this planet.

19. You begin to feel a deeper connection to all life. You feel a greater awareness for all the life around you. You think about the animals, the plants and of course, other people more often. You take their needs into consideration before taking action which might affect them. You feel the connection to life and the universe and you understand that even though you are but a tiny piece of it, what you do as an individual holds considerable significance for the greater whole.

SRC: https://www.wakingtimes.com/2017/12/01/19-signs-experiencing-spiritual-awakening/

#awakening #spiritualpath

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bewered · 4 years

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Werewolf Tales. They’re here, there, the man sitting next to you and the woman down the street -- but at night, when the moon rests thickly among the cradle of the clouds, they’re the beasts, too, that haunt your fairy tales.

As a rough skeleton detailing werewolves, their beginnings, and their motivations, this post will serve as a bestiary chapter of sorts.

THE ORAL HISTORY.

There is no clear account as to the first birthing of a werewolf.

However, there is an oral tale about wolf-charming, something dated too far back to recognize as anything beyond cautionary tales -- but heeded, still, for long strokes of time.

In this tale, there lived a woman blessed by the moon with hair as dark as midnight and eyes as brilliant as the stars high, high above our heads. Her voice was a mystical sort; a crooning of a note was enough to stir the April grasses, lend a sigh through the trees and send the midnight quivering. So enchanting was she in her beauty that all who cast their gaze upon her were doomed to spiral headlong into gnawing love, endless and beautifully bottomless, swaddled in the tangles of untameable affections. She is, in this account, known to be Tuyết, the Moon Daughter, or con gái mặt trăng, and was said to have been birthed from the first rays of moon.

One night, in the height of a balmy summer season, she sang, her music dripping from the leaves and limbs of the bamboo thickets. A mortal nobleman known simply as Thanh had stumbled upon her singing as he took to a brisk, nightly wandering. His heart was drawn at once. Smitten. Bewitched. Desperately scrambling through the heat-thick forests, he sought her, this woman with the silvery singing, a voice so lovely as to still the lakes shimmering about him. And when at last he found her, there in a lonely grove cut out in its green, he felt at once that’d he’d love no other.

“As beautiful as the night was she, and with the airs of something just as wonderfully, tragically unattainable.” -- unknown.

Tuyết, as tales so often go, fell, too, at very first sight.

However, these stories seldom finish so sweetly.

After years of happiness in their young-found love, Thanh, fickle in his human heart, betrayed Tuyết and devoted to another woman in secret. So overwrought with grief upon this discovery that Tuyết fell gravely ill in sorrow, and her guardian in the moon glistened madly with rage. Humans, humans so blinded in their greed, eyes glazed over with need and want, it quaked rightly, bold in the inky sky. To not know beauty when it pledges itself to you! To quash its spirit like a bud yet in bloom!

Enraged, the moon rose all those fell things in the forests, and a pack of sniveling mutts began howling in the shadows.

Thanh was none the wiser.

Slept in the cradle of his lover’s arms, he was caught off guard, sword lain far away when the mangy creatures lunged into his home. Carnage ensued. His servants were eaten and his palace was ransacked, his lady stripped to bones, and in his bed in sheer panic, he had feared he’d turn a meal; yet, he survived with nary but a bite, and in his hubris, thought himself blessed to have endured this hell--

Until the next night, at least, when, as the moon in her full brilliance gazed upon Thanh, he bellowed in anguish as he turned into a beast. A dog. A street thing, sniveling and ugly and rabid and cruel.

Tuyết passed in her sorrow, and Thanh would learn, always, that he was unfit to gaze upon the moon, his first love, as it were.

The first werewolf. A curse -- a punishment.

Humans are ungrateful. The moon now laughs at them.

BLOOD POTENCY AND SIRING.

As further punishment for his disloyalty, the moon had added another mocking caveat: Thanh, for as long as man had not hunted him down to slay, will be afflicted always with the curse of lycanthropy for his long, drawn out, mortal days. His lifespan would flirt with the cusp of eternity, a measure of centuries of torment.

Cường, in particular, is no descendant to Thanh, no, but that matriarch with whom bit him was (a daughter to the man himself). As such, he is a second generation werewolf among the Thanh kinline, and for such a direct connection, experiences a greater level of command among the canine ilk. In packs, they are often relegated as leader, and with a single glance of their eyes can order their family to heel. Additionally, too, they scale far larger and almost comically stronger, truly owning the skulking hours after the sun gives to the bleed of night, but likewise, they suffer when they’re back in human flesh and bones.

Suffer, for they are animals like Thanh and aren’t allowed to enjoy any part of life.

So, Cường’s agony is unbearable. It is more pure, undistilled, and undeniably potent in his closeness to Thanh.

Fortunately, Cường will not pass this affliction to any child he may have. Indeed, no werewolf can. Instead, this curse spreads only through bite when the sire is turned, shifted in his animal skin and snarling jaws, seething and frothing with the moon’s hatred. Twisted by it. Birthed by Thanh’s deep, profound failures. It is not a drive for the werewolf to turn humans, but more to eat and consume the living like inhuman things do -- innocent, good, pure or not. They are ravaged, devouring creatures, and as such, seldom leave their meals unfinished.

“[The] agony in ‘the shifting’ is unbearable, both ways. The pain that occurs makes one think death a sweeter mercy.” -- unknown.

A werewolf is born out of a sire’s ineptitude to kill. A botched attempt at dinner.

Nothing more, nothing less.

One’s made a survivor in mockery.

APPEARANCE & STRENGTH.

Werewolves in Vietnam take on a more doggish quality.

As those mutts often running in the country’s present-day streets, all thin, mangy, and flea-infested, werewolves here appear more desperate than their counterparts in European lore. They are dark as night, too, black as the ocean’s nigh-endless depths, and have their ribs jutting out with their teeth set in snarls. Hunch-backed, almost, and tattered, too, as though eaten away with disease, they certainly don’t look much for company over the lodging of a bullet in their skulls -- anything, anything to put the bad dog down.

“Ugly. Beastly. You look at them and remember why you should never gaze too longly in the dark.” -- unknown.

They stand startlingly tall, too, at Cường’s potency, measuring anywhere from 8 to 13 feet tall (244cm to 396cm). In mass, they average in the range of 750lbs to 1030lbs (340kg to 467kg). Cường himself measures 8'5" (257cm) at an intimidating 856lbs (388kg).

At this size, they are able to take down any man with disgusting ease, using their claws to break ribs, shatter bones, and rend a mortal’s skin to bits and pieces. Their bite force is enough to splinter anyone in half like a twig, and their teeth are more than capable of shredding hardened, tempered steel into silvery ribbons--

TRANSFORMATION.

This chapter offers little information.

There are only four details worth noting, in fact:

One, that ‘the shift’ occurs only during full moon;

Two, that the pain one endures makes you greater yearn for death;

Three, that healing from ‘the shift’ takes weeks of hot agony; and

Four, you never remember anything shifting back.

Rule four may be a gift, small mercy that it is.

BEHAVIORS.

They are much like dogs. The lower the potency of the werewolf, the more thoughtless they are, commanding little of themselves and their kin, were or sniveling street mutt. Ravenous is their hunger, however, and coupled with their more chaotic nature, often carry themselves with little by ways of greater intelligence. Run primarily on instinct, they are not quite unlike the dogs in the countryside.

However, the higher the potency, the more methodical and scheming the werewolf may be. Make no mistake, however: regardless of the strength of that beastly blood, the human you see before you is abhorrently vacant in the beast on all fours. They will not consider you. Friend, lover, daughter of theirs -- there is no recognition, and nary a trace of love.

They are, by all accounts, completely divorced from their human counterparts.

At Cường's line, that creature in their belly is devilishly smart and cunning, too, in their centuries-long whittled wit. Crafty, they are also abundantly more potent, effective hunters who are seldom one to lose track of their late-night-dinners. With that great airs of a being both wise and long-lived, too, the lesser creatures -- plain wolves, or dogs, as it is -- are likely to follow them, pledging their loyalties into pack mentalities.

Regardless, all werewolves are one thing only: relentless, savage predators, of course, and should never be approached. Beware.

WEAKNESSES.

And that said, silver is no weakness to a werewolf. That’s all fairytale.

In fact, the werewolf has so very few weaknesses to speak of. They cannot get sick, in mortal shape or not, and are immune to all afflictions that may lead to a mortal’s slow, slow decay. Brute force is the only way to subdue a werewolf, most favorably by beheading or tearing straight through its heart. The task, it goes without saying, is no easy one.

Do not wait for time to claim a werewolf. They are near immortal and may wreak havoc for many generations.

#lore

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corkcitylibraries · 3 years

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Book Review: Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous

by Dr. Sorcha Fogarty

As an undergraduate student at Brooklyn College, New York, Vuong formed the habit of nocturnal writing, compiling three published collections of poetry, among them Night Sky with Exit Wounds, which won the Whiting award upon publication in 2016, and then the Forward Prize and the TS Eliot prize in 2017. On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is Vuong’s debut novel (its title borrowed from one of Vuong’s poems in Night Sky), and having already won no less than eight awards, is now also on the shortlist for the 2021 Dublin Literary Award. It is an exquisitely crafted exploration of class, race, culture, sexuality, addiction, mental health disorders, and the consequences of generational trauma.

Regarding history, Vuong imagines it not as something linear, but rather a spiral that boomerangs back upon itself, “As time carries us, we come face-to-face with the tragedies we created.” On Earth is written in the style of a letter from a son to his mother. We are met with the protagonist, the letter-writer “Little Dog”, a name bestowed upon him by his grandmother as an act of protection: in her Vietnamese village, it was believed that evil spirits would not seize upon weaker prey if they were named after something worthless, as Little Dog ruminates, “To love something is to name it something so worthless it might be left untouched—and alive.” Thus, the scene – part fiction, part fact – is set: the young, homosexual, Vietnamese-American protagonist, writing to his mother, Rose, referred to for the majority of the book only as “you”.

Rose, however, cannot read – as a result of a napalm raid which destroyed her school as a young girl, and consequently, she never entered a classroom again. It is particularly poignant that language becomes the gap between them, as well as the only way the protagonist knows how to attempt to communicate with his mother, “Dear Ma, I am writing to reach you – even if each word I put down is one word further from where you are.” It is perhaps the deep after-effects of generational trauma which provide the most arresting prose in Vuong’s work and forms the central question of the novel: after trauma, how do we love? This question is omnipresent throughout the novel, and phrases such as “Sometimes being offered tenderness feels like the very proof that you've been ruined” leaves the reader who can relate to this insight breathless in recognition of the harrowing and very often irreparable damage which trauma inflicts upon the ability to accept kindness or affection in any form.

In the novel, Little Dog looks back on his life as a way of accepting his past and also reaching beyond it. He remembers when his mother slapped him, threw a teapot at him and even threatened him with a knife. He lays bare the ill-treatment he endures, growing up with his mother, a single-parent, having separated from her abusive husband. “Then the time with the remote control. A bruised welt on my forearm I would lie about to my teachers.” However, he also acknowledges that his mother was coping with her own trauma. Although schizophrenic, his grandmother Lan is frequently his protector. When he tries to run away at 10, she tells him, "She love you, Little Dog. But she sick. Sick like me. In the brains." At school, he has to contend with bullies calling him “Freak, fairy, fag”, and he points out that these words are “also iterations of monster”. Thus, he writes, “You’re a mother, Ma. You’re also a monster. But so am I – which is why I can’t turn away from you.”

When Little Dog meets Trevor, his first love, a complicated and tragic relationship ensues. Nonetheless, on meeting Trevor, Little Dog looks at himself in the mirror seeing for the first time a body he can love, “It was an accident, my beauty revealed to me,” he writes. However, there is a strong focus on addiction at this stage in his life, as Vuong writes, “Seven of my friends are dead. Four from overdoses. Five, if you count Xavier who flipped his Nissan doing ninety on a bad batch of fentanyl.” Not to mention his own struggles, which this review won’t expand on at the risk of spoiling the reader’s journey through the story.

Language and trauma are interlaced throughout Vuong’s novel. Moreover, and unsurprisingly, given Vuong’s considerable talent as a poet, his phrasing imbues the most distressing scenes in the novel with a sort of aching beauty. Vuong constantly makes the reader stop and think. There is a didactic quality to his prose, which manages to avoid being supercilious - a rare quality in many writers who attempt to teach us something through their prose, but instead come off as patronizing and self-aggrandizing. In short, there is much to be learned from the novel, “I came to know, in those afternoons, that madness can sometimes lead to discovery, that the mind, fractured and short-wired, is not entirely wrong.” Furthermore, considering Vuong as a poet first and a novelist second, as the German-Jewish philosopher, writer and critic Walter Benjamin points out, there is a peculiar proximity between prose and poetry, and what makes prose beautiful, if one follows Benjamin’s insight, are those single points where prose and poetry coincide. Beautiful prose is upset poetry, and On Earth is full of such prose, “Because the sunset, like survival, exists only on the verge of its own disappearing. To be gorgeous, you must first be seen, but to be seen allows you to be hunted.” Of the connection between prose and poetry in the novel, Vuong himself states,

“Using Kishōtenketsu, a narrative structure used in Chinese poetry, then later developed in Japanese storytelling, I was able to write about American violence without it becoming vital to the novel’s arc. It was important to me, at least in this book, that violence remain independent from any character’s self-worth, rendering it inert, terrible, and felt—but not a means of ‘development.’ Through Kishōtenketsu, violence becomes fact and not a vehicle towards a climax.”

One critic notes that Vuong’s “words are liquid, flowing, rolling, teasing, mighty and overpowering. When Vuong's mother gave him the oh-so-apt name of Ocean, she inadvertently called into being a writer whose language some of us readers could happily drown in.” Indeed, water is a recurring motif in the novel, as in the following excerpt, where Vuong writes of love, at once beautiful and tragic,

“What were you before you met me?" "I think I was drowning" "And what are you now?" "Water”

Trauma may dominate the story, but Vuong’s graceful prose transforms it into triumph. On Earth is a stunning, uncompromising piece of work from a writer who recognizes the many benefits of shared pain, and whose struggles are at once personal and universal. Again, to quote Vuong himself,

“I would never call this book a tragic story. Hope and joy are essential to the story too. I think the best stories have those things side by side - because that’s how life is lived.”

Sources:

https://www.lambdaliterary.org/2019/06/on-earth-were-briefly-gorgeous-ocean-vuong/

https://www.npr.org/2019/06/04/729648424/an-immigrant-yearns-for-connection-in-on-earth-we-re-briefly-gorgeous

https://weinberg.northwestern.edu/after-graduation/weinberg-magazine/spring-summer-2017/prose-beautiful.html

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/06/going-home-ocean-vuong-on-earth-were-briefly-gorgeous/590938/

Available as from Cork City Libraries and on Borrowbox

#corkcitylibraries #LoveReading

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cccto-semi-pro · 7 years

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Week 35: Introduction to the New Testament

2. RECAP & PREPARING FOR CGDaily Reading for Week

Matthew 3-4, Psalm 82

Matthew 5-6, Psalm 83

Matthew 7-8, Psalm 84

Matthew 9-10, Psalm 85

Matthew 11-12, Psalm 86

Matthew 13-14, Psalm 87

Matthew 15-16, Psalm 88

Resources for Week

Read Scripture Video: Matthew 14-28 and TheGospel of the Kingdom (themed video)

3. FOCUS OF TIME TOGETHER

To establish a framework for how to explore the Gospels in light of the Hebrew Scriptures and to practice reading the Gospels “backwards” together.

4. GROUND RULE / GOAL / VALUE FOR THE WEEK

Value: The value this week is curiosity. Practice curiosity together, remembering there is an abundance of beauty and truth out there for you to discover, so long as you are attentive and ready for wonder. Be curious about one another, the Scriptures, God, and your own life journey.

5. CONNECTION AND UNITY EXERCISE (MUTUAL INVITATION)

What part of the Old Testament (that you can recall) seemed to most call your attention to Jesus, and why?

(When listening to one another’s responses, practice curiosity by considering any questions that might help the person sharing to clarify their thoughts or to open up further. As a group, try to ask at least a few of these clarifying questions during the sharing time.)

6. OPENING PRAYER

Pray corporately for your upcoming journey through the Gospels, expressing your hopes and desires as well as your concerns and confusions, and ask the Holy Spirit to be gracious to you in the journey.

7. INTRO TO DISCUSSION

The term Old Testament is a Christian invention. Up until the time when the early community of Christian Jews crafted and collected the Gospel stories and epistles that make up our New Testament, Israel’s Scriptures were simply called the Scriptures. The term Old Testament indicates the church’s firm belief that Jesus must be understood as both a consistent continuation of the Jewish story told in the Hebrew Scriptures and a surprising twist in that story that constitutes a brand new epoch in the story of God’s people. Indeed, the New Testament writers declared repeatedly that Jesus was the climactic fulfillment of the Biblical story; and yet, they also taught and modeled radical reinterpretation of that story. In other words, Jesus and the church both affirmed and reinterpreted the Hebrew Scriptures.

Therefore, this is key to how the New Testament is intended to be read. The New Testament does not replace the Old Testament and deem it obsolete; on the contrary, it is actually written almost entirely using the symbols and language of the Jewish Scriptures. In a sense, the New Testament speaks a new message about Jesus the Crucified Messiah, but it speaks this message through the language of Old Testament ideas and imagery. The Gospels particularly are like intricate tapestries that weave the many familiar fabrics of Jewish thought together into a new, unfamiliar art piece. Put differently, the Gospels are brilliantly layered, literary masterpieces that use the meaning-saturated imagery and language of the Old Testament to paint a narrative depiction of Christ. This technique of reference and allusion aims to create “echoes” in the reader's mind of various Old Testament texts, and these echoes are meant to create a deep well of meaning that undergirds the surface-level significance of the Gospel texts.

As the brilliant scholar Richard Hays illuminates in his recent work (which we highly highly recommend), Echoes of Scripture in the Gospels (page 99):

"The story is intelligible, at one level, for readers who do not hear the scriptural echoes. But for those who do have ears to hear, new levels of complexity and significance open up. To cite an obvious example, Mark tells the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem riding on a colt without any authorial comment whatever about scriptural fulfillment (Mark 11:1-11). But the reader who perceives the subliminal symbolism of Zechariah 9:9 imbedded in the action will more fully grasp the significance of the episode. In this case, the readers who lack the requisite ‘encyclopedia of reception’ to ‘get’ the allusion are helped out by one of Mark’s earliest readers, Matthew, who eagerly supplies the quotation of Zechariah, along with an explanatory reassurance that this event took place in order to fulfill what was written by the prophet (Matthew 21:4-5). But this example is merely the tip of an iceberg of intertextual allusion…"

Indeed, as we will begin to see over the next five weeks, nearly every sentence in the Gospels is ripe with Old Testament significance. At our latest YOBL Lecture, scholar Scot McKnight made this point by quoting theologian John Goldingay’s quip that “the New Testament is little more than footnotes on the Old Testament.” In Matthew alone, there are over sixty explicit quotations and hundreds of more indirect allusions to the Old Testament. What this means is that to read the Gospels as the authors intended requires that we read slowly and carefully, paying attention to these allusions and “reading backwards” by returning to the Old Testament to understand the scriptural language and symbolism being referenced and repurposed. When we discover an Old Testament reference, we should stop and look up the passage referenced and then consider how the original meaning of the Hebrew text changes or enhances the meaning of the Gospel passage. Most study Bibles include footnotes to the more obvious and explicit references to help us read this way.

This process of reading backwards will reveal whole new worlds of meaning beyond what we notice upon a surface-level reading. But it will also reveal something further to us: specifically, our continued Biblical illiteracy. For many of us, this will be deeply humbling, revealing that it isn’t just the Old Testament that we lack fluency in. Indeed, because we aren’t very familiar with the Old Testament, we are also oblivious to much of what the New Testament is really trying to get at. Therefore, as we explore the Gospels today and over the next five weeks, we should treat it both as an illuminating exercise that, like a litmus test, reveals how little we know as well as a practice for a future lifetime of Biblical engagement. Let this experience be humbling and enlightening, not disheartening. And enjoy the journey. This walk through the Gospels should be not just humbling and challenging but also beautiful and enriching. As we discover new depths of profundity in our sacred texts, we ought to be entranced and enthralled with just how rich and ingenious they are.

And one further note to consider before we begin: last week, we discussed the covenants between God and Israel and the promises God made as a part of staying faithful to these covenants. These promises and the expectations of their “fulfillment” set the emotional and ideological stage upon which the New Testament enters. Though sometimes the Gospels seem to interpret the Old Testament as predictive of Jesus the Messiah, more often Jesus is seen as a figural fulfillment of these Old Testament promises. In other words, when we say that the Bible is a cohesive narrative that points to Jesus, we do not mean that the prophets and psalmists knew about Jesus centuries prior and wrote predictive clues for us to decipher. Rather, the kind of people, world, and future that YHWH promised have reached their figurative fulfillment in Jesus. This means that our search for deep meaning in the Gospels isn’t a scavenger hunt for Old Testament proof texts. Instead, it’s a discovery of how Jesus embodied and inaugurated the Jewish hopes awaited for in the “end of the age.” This is why Jesus came proclaiming the “good news that the kingdom of God is [finally] here.” Remember this difference between prediction and prefiguration as we explore the New Testament together over the rest of the year.

Specifically, during each of the next five weeks we will follow the same pattern. We will read through a story from one of the four Gospels and reflect on what it appears to mean at the surface level. Then we will read through some Old Testament passages that the story was likely alluding to and explore the point and significance of those passages. Then we will go back to the Gospel story and see how the Old Testament allusions either change or enhance the meaning we first saw. To make the connections between texts easier to see, we will include all Scripture passages in the material and will italicize notable lines and words. This will make our material a bit longer than usual. This week, we will do a similar activity with one short example: the baptism of Jesus. If, during any particular study, your group simply runs out of time, consider returning to that story the following week before moving on to the next one.

8. LARGE GROUP DISCUSSION

There will be no small group discussion this week.

Questions for Basic Understanding:

These questions are to help us interpret and understand the text as it was intended to be interpreted and understood.

Read Mark 1:9-11: 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.”

What stands out to you as the significance of this scene of Jesus’ baptism?

Questions for Interacting with Scripture:

These questions are to help us slow down to taste and notice Scripture, savor its richness, and meditate on its complexity of meaning.

Movement 1

Read Isaiah 63:15-64:4 Look down from heaven and see, from your holy and glorious habitation. Where are your zeal and your might? The yearning of your heart and your compassion? They are withheld from me. For you are our father, though Abraham does not know us and Israel does not acknowledge us; you, O Lord, are our father; our Redeemer from of old is your name. Why, O Lord, do you make us stray from your ways and harden our heart, so that we do not fear you? Turn back for the sake of your servants, for the sake of the tribes that are your heritage. Your holy people took possession for a little while; but now our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary. We have long been like those whom you do not rule, like those not called by your name. O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence— as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil— to make your name known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence! When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him.

Now reread Mark 1:9-11 “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.”

Notice the prayer in Isaiah, “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down.” In light of this line and the passage of Isaiah, it is contained within, what significance is added to the scene of Jesus’ baptism? Consider Mark’s narration that the heavens were torn open and the Spirit descended (1:10).

Considering the overall meaning of the petition we read in Isaiah 63 and 64, what is Mark suggesting that it means for Jesus to have arrived on the scene?

Movement 2

Read Genesis 22:1-2, 2 Samuel 7:12-16, Psalm 2, Isaiah 42:1-4.

Read Genesis 22:1-2 After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.”

Read 2 Samuel 7:12-16 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings. But I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.

Read Psalm 2 Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.” The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father. Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.” Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Read Isaiah 42:1-4 Here is my servant, whom I support. Here is my chosen one, with whom I am pleased. I have put my Spirit on him. He will bring justice to the nations. He will not cry out or raise his voice. He will not make his voice heard in the streets. He will not break off a damaged cattail. He will not even put out a smoking wick. He will faithfully bring about justice. He will not be discouraged or crushed until he has set up justice on the earth. The coastlands will wait for his teachings.

Now reread Mark 1:9-11 once more “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.”

Put yourself in the shoes of a Jew in Jesus’ day who would have been readily familiar with the above texts and the language of a figure beloved by God, anointed with the Spirit by God, and in a special enough relationship with God to use father-son titles with one another. And look carefully at the characters discussed in such terms in these texts. What specific characters or types of figures would Mark’s allusion have brought to mind from these passages?

What does Mark’s identification of Jesus as a kind of representation or embodiment of these figures allude to about the identity and purpose of Jesus?

How did your understanding and/or appreciation of Mark’s baptism story change after reading the selected Old Testament passages?

Questions for Self Examination:

These questions are to help us look at ourselves, be aware and honest about who we are in light of our interaction with Scripture, and consider any appropriate action. For the last question, practice curiosity toward one another once again by inviting anyone who hasn’t shared to do so.

We’ve been looking at just 3 verses of the entire New Testament (which contains nearly 8,000 verses). How does it strike you, to reflect on the depth of meaning underlying these few verses, showing just how much Old Testament familiarity Mark was expecting his readers to have?

Do you feel humbled, challenged, excited, mind-blown, curious, overwhelmed, intrigued?

9. SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION

There will be no small group discussion this week.

10. CLOSING

Pray corporately once again for your time in the Gospels, expressing any new or continued desires from this time as well as expressing whatever emotions this initial study brought up in you.

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