#zin tries animation

[taxolotl]

secrets - a dream (team) animatic.

check it out on youtube !!

#ITS HEREEEE well over a month of work. i hope u all enjoy <3 #mcyt #dreamwastaken #georgenotfound #sapnap #dream team #mcyt fanart #dream fanart #my art #zin tries animation #rbs very very appreciated :''D

[naradreamscape]

The film at least tries to justify Tom and Jerry being part of the plot by having Dr. Zin hire a bunch of anthro animals, so at the very least, Thomas and Jerricho feel less out of place than they did in the Willy Wonka crossover. Regardless, I still wish I was watching a straightforward Jonny Quest reboot film

#tom and jerry spy quest #Warner Bros just has a 20-or-so-year track record of making very strange decisions with their IPs

[campgoth]

loetta and/or cricket (i rly like the first name and the second one sounds like a non-binary Choice and i wanna know if i'm right)

I’m gonna do BOTH!! Thanks for sending the asks!

(Please other people do this too, it’s been so fun for me)

(Ask game is to talk about my OC’s. OC’s that haven’t been asked about are Lottie, Fern, Cammy, Kacy, Linna-Zin, Xena, and Bree)

Let’s start with Loetta (my dnd character)

1) Full Name: Loetta Doeson (but technically it’s Aubrey Roe, Loetta is a fake name)

2) Best Friend: Omes (the cleric in our party)

3) Sexuality: Bisexual

4) Favorite Color: Maroon

5) Relationship Status: So so very single (couldn’t let anyone in if she tried)

6) Ideal Mate: she isn’t thinking about that much right now, but probably someone with an investigators spirit, curious and smart, and someone who would would join the sword dance (join in a revenge mission if needed)

7) Turn Ons: Muscles, and a strong will

8) Favorite food: trail mix

9) Crushes: none at the moment (okay lowkey this buff orc that wants to kill the party but that isn’t gonna happen)

10) Favorite Music: Shanty’s

11) Biggest Fear: Dying without ever finding a cure for her disease (she’s slowly being consumed by a carnivorous plant). Sometimes she’s not afraid of death though, sometimes she feels ready. So that or never truly having any close relationships ever again.

12) Biggest Fantasy: Being cured

13) Bad Habits: Secrecy, not trusting friends

14) Biggest Regret: The way Loetta got sick in the first place was by trying a drug in order to get a little extra money she desperately needed. Being a guinea pig. Even though she needed the money, knowing now what it did to her, it’s her biggest regret

15) Best Kept Secrets: Her real name, and the fact that she has a secret underground lab where she grows plants and tries to find a cure for herself.

16) Last Thought: the last thought she had was something along the lines of “wow, I love talking to this tree, it’s really peaceful”

17) Worst Romantic Experience: it’s not like a funny one but probably choosing to have sex with her clothes on because she was afraid the person she was with would see the plants growing in her skin

18) Biggest Insecurity: can I again say the plants growing inside of her? Lol. Probably that, but otherwise, I think sometimes she feels like a selfish person, and that bothers her, but she doesn’t know another way to be.

19) Weapon of Choice: her willingness to die at a moments notice (she’ll do some crazy things in battle, like get willingly stabbed with a harpoon just to pull the chain closer, and thus the person wielding it). Her greatest weapon is her willingness to hurt in order to obtain her goal. Also wolves teeth (she’s a druid)

20) Her parents were here role model, but they’re dead. Now, it’s Archibald. He said worked with her on a ship once, before she got sick, and now they are working together again. He’s like a father figure.

Okay now I will do Cricket! She’s from my book.

1) Full Name: Cricket Hanlon/ Cricket Allan (name changes)

And because you asked, I wanna tell you WHY her name is Cricket. She’s not actually non-binary, her parents named her Cricket. Everyone in the family is named after a different type of animal, and her siblings Lottie and Cammy have full animal names too ;)

2) Best Friend: Her sister Lottie has always been her best friend, but after her disappearance, and some time, her best friend became Martell

3) Sexuality: Bisexual (I don’t think I have any straight characters)

4) Favorite Color: A muted teal/turquoise blue

5) Relationship status: Married! To Martell Allan :))

6) Ideal Mate: An all around partner. An open communicator, a good parent, a total sci-fi nerd, someone she can cry to, someone good in bed, someone supportive of her small business. Martell is perfect.

7) Turn ons: An encyclopedic knowledge of old and long running sci-fi classics, and long hair.

8) Favorite food: does whip cream count?

9) Crushes: Crushin pretty hard on her husband, Martell

10) Favorite Music: Indie-pop

11) Biggest Fear: her daughter suddenly disappearing, like her sister and parent

12) Biggest fantasy: A world where her sister never died. Where they could open their antique store/bakery, like they planned. A world where her best friend didn’t die. A world where she didn’t have to move back home at 19, back to the room they used to share. A world where she could have saved her.

13) Bad Habits: I see cricket as a nail biter

14) Biggest Regret: Lottie dying. She could have prevented it. She’s thought of a million ways she could have prevented it.

15) Best Kept Secrets: Well she’s an alien living on earth and only one person knows so probably that

16) Last Thought: The last moment I’ve written of her is her crying to one of her moms as she realizes Lottie is gone

17) Worst Romance Experience: Probably that girl who didn’t know what Doctor Who was and thought it was a medical show

18) Biggest insecurity: that she’s not helpful enough

19) Weapon of choice: her hope

20) Role Model: I think her role model is probably a fictional character from an old Sci-fi movie that I haven’t figured out yet

Thank you so much for this!!! Feel free to send me more, anyone!!

#asks

[bookclub4m]

Episode 191 - Dark Fantasy

This episode we’re discussing the fiction genre of Dark Fantasy! We talk about horror, grimdark, violence, amoral protagonists, epic fantasy vs small scale fantasy, the importance of tone, and more!

You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast delivery system.

In this episode

Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | Jam Edwards

Things We Read (or tried to…)

Berserk by Kentaro Miura (Wikipedia)

The Citadel of Fear by Francis Stevens (Gertrude Barrows Bennett)

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

The Lies of the Ajungo by Moses Ose Utomi

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

Shadowland by Peter Straub

Flowers for the Sea by Zin E. Rocklyn

Twice Cursed edited by Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane

Other Media We Mentioned

Dark Souls (Wikipedia)

Elden Ring (WIkipedia)

Magic Knight Rayearth by CLAMP

Pet Shop of Horrors by Matsuri Akino

The Library at Mount Char by  Scott Hawkins

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (Episode 147 - Contemporary Fantasy)

Monstress by  Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Wikipedia)

Ravenloft (Wikipedia)

Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher

Leech by Hiron Ennes (Episode 184 - Horror)

The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw (Episode 176 - Fantasy)

Norylska Groans by Michael R. Fletcher and Clayton W. Snyder

Porky Pig's Haunted Holiday (Wikipedia)

The Sandman by Neil Gaiman and various artists (Wikipedia)

Children of Men (Wikipedia)

The Children of Men by P.D. James

Fables by Bill Willingham and various artists (Wikipedia)

Deerskin by Robin McKinley

Links, Articles, and Things

Dark fantasy (Wikipedia)

Category:Dark fantasy anime and manga

Category:Dark fantasy video games

Grimdark Magazine

20 Dark Fantasy by BIPOC Authors

Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcasts chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here.

The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Eleventh Cycle by Kian N. Ardalan

To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

Funeral Songs for Dying Girls by Cherie Dimaline

The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson 

The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu

Babel, or the Necessity of Violence by R. F. Kuang

The Changeling by Victor LaValle 

Jade City by Fonda Lee

She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

Tread of Angels by Rebecca Roanhorse

Tender Beasts by Liselle Sambury

Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

The Lies of the Ajungo by Moses Ose Utomi

The First Binding by R.R. Virdi

Give us feedback!

Fill out the form to ask for a recommendation or suggest a genre or title for us to read!

Check out our Tumblr, follow us on Instagram, join our Facebook Group, or send us an email!

Join us again on Tuesday, April 2nd we’ll be talking about the format of Non fiction Graphic Novels and Comics!

Then on Tuesday, April 16th we’ll be giving an update on Media we’ve recently enjoyed!

#genres #fiction #fantasy #dark fantasy

[xtruss]

Photography: Wildlife Photographer of the Year Winners Show the Beauty — and Precarity — of Nature

— October 11, 2023 | By Rachel Treisman | NPR

Portfolio Award Winner: The ancient mariner. Pangatalan Island, Palawan, the Philippines. The tri-spine horseshoe crab has survived for more than 100 million years but now faces habitat destruction and overfishing for food and for its blood, used in the development of vaccines. Laurent Ballesta/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

If you're looking for a breath of fresh air, we have just the thing: the newly-crowned winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

The London Museum of History, which runs the prestigious contest, revealed the winning images at a ceremony on Tuesday. It said an international panel of expert judges chose the 19 category winners out of 49,957 entries from 95 countries, based on their originality, narrative, technical excellence, and ethical practice.

The images take us underwater, deep into the woods and high above cities. They come from different parts of the world and tell the stories of various species. But they all showcase the diversity — and precarity — of life on Earth.

"Whilst inspiring absolute awe and wonder, this year's winning images present compelling evidence of our impact on nature – both positive and negative," said Doug Gurr, the director of the Natural History Museum. "Global promises must shift to action to turn the tide on nature's decline."

That's especially true of the two grand title winners.

Animals in their Environment Winner: Life on the edge. Zin Desert, Israel. Two Nubian ibex clashed on a cliffside for about 15 minutes before one surrendered and they parted ways without serious injury. Amit Eshel/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

French marine biologist and underwater photographer Laurent Ballesta was awarded Wildlife Photographer of the Year for his "otherworldly" image of a tri-spine horseshoe crab accompanied by three golden trevallies.

This is actually his second win, which contest organizers say is unprecedented. He took home the grand title in 2021 for his images of mating camouflage groupers in French Polynesia. Both portfolios focused on endangered species in protected waters.

Tri-spine horseshoe crabs have survived for more than 100 million years. Fossil evidence from Lebanon shows they were scuttling through warm waters at the same time dinosaurs roamed the land and skies.

But they are now under threat from habitat destruction and overfishing, with hundreds of thousands of horseshoe crabs harvested annually to be used both as bait for other species and for scientific research. Their blue blood is used in the development of vaccines — though that could soon start to change.

Ballesta documented the species as they feed, mate and thrive in the protected waters of Pangatalan Island in the Philippines. The Natural History museum said the images took the judges by surprise.

"To see a horseshoe crab so vibrantly alive in its natural habitat, in such a hauntingly beautiful way, was astonishing," said jury chair Kathy Moran. "We are looking at an ancient species, highly endangered, and also critical to human health. This photo is luminescent."

15-17 Years Winner: Owls' road house. Hof HaSharon, Israel. The photographer snapped this shot of several barn owls in the window of an abandoned building, using long exposure times to capture the light of passing traffic. Carmel Bechler/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

The Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year award went to 17-year-old Carmel Bechler of Israel for his dynamic shot of barn owls in an abandoned roadside building. He used natural light and long exposure times to capture the light from passing traffic.

Bechler said his work aims to show that "the beauty of the natural world is all around us, even in places where we least expect it to be, we just need to open our eyes and our minds."

To the judges, the contrast between the neon lights and nesting owls highlights a growing tension between humans and wildlife.

"It simultaneously screams 'habitat destruction' and 'adaptation,' begging the question: If wildlife can adapt to our environment, why can't we respect theirs?" Moran said.

The other winning shots raise similar questions.

Natural Artistry Winner: The art of courtship. Noss National Nature Reserve, Shetland, Scotland, UK. Each summer the Isle of Noss hosts more than 22,000 northern gannets, which return to breed on the ledges carved by the elements. This species was hardest hit by the 2022 avian flu outbreak. Rachel Bigsby/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Karine Aigner of the U.S. won the photojournalist story award for her portfolio focused on hunting competitions in Texas, for example. Overhead views of a polluted river in Indonesia and bulldozed land in Mexico serve as stark reminders of the impact humans are having on their own environment.

All of the images will be on display as part of an exhibit at London Natural History Museum that opens Friday. It will tour across the U.K. and to other countries including Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand and Singapore before it closes in late June 2024.

Then it will be nearly time to award a whole new batch of winners. The historic 60th edition of the competition will be accepting submissions starting Monday and until early December.

In the meantime, check out a sampling of this year's winners:

Invertebrates Behavior Winner: Lights fantastic. Anamalai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu, India. The photographer combined 50 19-second exposures to show the firefly flashes produced over 16 minutes in the forests near his hometown. Sriram Murali/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Plants and Fungi Winner: Last breath of autumn. Mount Olympus, Pieria, Greece. Parasol mushrooms release spores from the gills under their cap. Some will land where there is moisture and food, enabling them to grow networks under the forest floor. Agorastos Papatsanis/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Mammals Behavior Winner: Whales making waves. Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica. A pod of B1 Antarctic killer whales prepare to 'wave wash' a weddell seal off a piece of sea ice and into the water so they can eat it. The bubbles are thought to be part of the way they communicate with each other to form these waves. Bertie Gregory/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Birds Behavior Winner: Silence for the snake show. Guiana Space Center, between Kourou and Sinnamary, French Guiana. Trumpeters – named for their loud calls – spend most of their time foraging on the forest floor, eating ripe fruits, insects and the occasional small snake. The boa constrictor could have made a meal out of them. Hadrien Lalagüe/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Rising Star Portfolio Award: Alpine exposure. Vercors Regional Natural Park, Rhône-Alpes, France. Melcarne skied six hours across a national park and spent a night in a temporary shelter to get early access to ibex territory. He thawed his camera with his breath to take this portrait. Luca Melcarne/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Underwater Winner: Hippo nursery. Kosi Bay, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa. A hippopotamus and her two offspring resting in the shallow clear-water lake. Hippos produce one calf every two to three years. Mike Korostelev/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

— Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum in London.

#London Natural History Museum | Photo Contest | Horseshoe Crab | Wildlife Photography #NPR

[sekhisadventures]

Shalandrae Deeproots, kal'dorei Druidess

Important Stories:

The Forge and the Forest: Shalandrae and Dareley meet for the first time.

Flames, Smoke, Pain, and Death: Shalandrae tries to save whoever she can in the burning city of Darnassus during the War of Thorns.

For Those We Lost: While in the Shadowlands a ritual performed by the shamaness, Sekhi, sets Shalandrae on the long path to healing.

Race: Night Elf

Class: Druidess

Age: Thousands (she was alive for the Sundering.)

Eye color: Her right eye is a luminescent white. She is blind in her left eye.

Birthplace: A long gone Night Elf city, destroyed during the War of the Ancients.

Residence: Stormwind City, Old Town District

Abilities:

Shapeshifter: Shalandrae, being a druidess, is able to transform her body into several different shapes at will. Her various forms are as follows: A giant grizzly bear made of stones and moss, a lion with skin of tree bark and a mane of leaves, a great stag, a large purple crow with elven features, a sea lion, and an astral-enhanced version of her elven form.

Scent of Magic: Shalandrae, much like Nelen in his worgen form, has a greatly enhanced sense of smell... but in all forms. Also she is able to literally smell different forms of magic, from Arcane (smells strange, otherworldly,) to Void (not really a smell, but an absence thereof. Other smells become muted.) This is extremely useful at sensing fel magic, which is impossible for the druidess to miss. In her own words Fel magic "smells like Kezan at low tide." (Read: Extremely foul.)

Ancient of Unity: By drawing on her connection to the forests of Kalimdor through her staff, Journey's End, crafted from the tree she'd planted on the coast of Darkshore during a ritual to move on from the grief and loss of Teldrassil, she can invoke her connection both with the living things of Azeroth and her allies to transform into a massive treant. In this form she is rooted to the ground and cannot move, but can summon a host of mobile treants to defend her and, more importantly, can summon her allies as well. She is able to enhance their abilities using nature or astral magic (i.e. enhancing Nelen's spells with astral power, or conjuring a set of magical bark gauntlets for Jaie) as well. However, she can ONLY use this power if she is either within the Emerald Dream, or within sight of a portal to it.

Herbalist: Before she awoke to nature's call during the Legion's invasion in the Third War she was a herbalist, crafting medicines and remedies for other elves in the small village in Ashenvale Forest she lived in at the time. If anything, her skill grew by leaps and bounds after becoming a druidess. She is very knowledgeable about natural remedies and the uses of various plants.

History

Shalandrae's story begins centuries, nay eons ago. Born a mere handful of years prior to the Sundering, she lived in a village on the very southernmost edge of the Empire of Azshara when the queen's madness and lust for power called out through the Great Dark to the fallen titan, Sargeras, and his Burning Legion. Her earliest memories involve fleeing the Legion's demons with her parents as they ran westward, where Malfurion, Tyrandae, and the other rebels made a stand against Azshara and her demonic allies.

Of course, the story of how that ended is well known. The portal was slammed shut, the demons denied their entry, but the chaotic forces unleashed tore the supercontinent to pieces and blasted the city of Zin-Arashi to the bottom of the ocean.

Several thousand years later Shalandrae, now a grown woman, lived in the forests of Ashenvale as a herbalist and salve-maker. While the Night Elves could need not fear old age or infirmity, they could still die to injury or attack by wild or dangerous animals. Thus she treated those of her village using natural remedies for such things as broken bones, attacks by angered bears and saberfang, or bites from venomous creatures such as snakes and spiders.

She hardly thought about the Legion after that, their attack on her people a distant memory… until the worst came true and the Legion returned once more. She was preparing medicines when the alarm went out and her village fell under attack, the elf finding the demons bearing down on her friends and neighbors.

As she saw one of her patients, a young elven boy, trip while fleeing a felstalker she felt something in the back of her mind… a whisper from the plants she had worked with her entire life telling her "We helped you for many years, now you will help us stop these creatures from destroying our home."

She reached out and spoke a word in ancient Thalassian, a word she hadn't heard since childhood, and roots erupted from the ground to ensnare the demonic hound before crushing it like an overripe tomato. She had heard nature's call, she was a mere herbalist no more. She had awoken as a Druidess.

She helped the other villagers evacuate, using her newfound bond to the forest to summon bursts of sunlight and animating treants to drive the demons back, joining with the Sentinel guards of the town, and guiding her people to safety.

Once Archimonde was defeated she found that her new status meant her village was too small for her anymore. She could not worry about one small town in Ashenvale when the whole of Azeroth needed her. So, bidding her friends a fond farewell and promising to come visit when she could, she travelled to Stormwind City to meet their new allies among the Alliance.

Several years later a chance encounter had her meet the Paladin, Dareley Steelhammer, in Zul'drak during the war against Arthas and his Scourge. The two became fast friends and decided to combine their talents, founding the adventurer group, Avalon. They've been friends ever since.

#warcraft #warcraft roleplay #warcraft fanfiction #night elf #druid #adventures in azeroth #warcraft oc

[muggycuphead]

weird flex but ok i guess pt.14

13

War… Hold up, do we really need a warning for this one? Dunno, but however, watch out for slightly disturbing and kinda…disgusting imagery, trypophobic patterns, as well as ‘necrotic’ designs I made while having funky fever bc o h m y g o d do I get a little crazier every new quarantine day (and at this point it’s coming to be an usual thing for me, big sad). However, most are made no other than for the sole sake of satire, so y’know, no need to get your underwear in a twist

Friday Night Funkin’ BoyFriend’s Hood – AU fanconcept sketches [XIII]

1.-Sulphur

To resume this guy’s backstory: This is what happens when you push someone too much and too hard to his breaking point. Basically, he lived in a really abusive family household, and one day, he ended up killing everyone through intoxication. Plus, he has all the family members’ ashes inside that portable jar (even the dog’s ones, hence why one of spirits resembles a canine animal). Also he got his lower maw ripped off, go figure how

This guy was actually inspired in the psycho girl featured on Skrillex’s “First of the Year (Equinox)” official music video, no wonder the resemblance is there

And just FYI, the broken anatomy was on purpose

2.-Rawrnold

Grawlbert’s best buddy. He’s also a music disk collector

And before you ask, no he doesn’t give a damn about his lower body gone missing, if anything, he’s gotten used to it

3.-Skeleader II Grimson

Yeah no thank you

Remember the BoneOilers’ leader? Yea This guy’s his younger sibling, muddafucka gone mad tho

4.-Rachel and Troy

Ah yes, BF’sH second-hand core-bitch antagonist

Long story short, she’s a bitch

She killed Q-Zin’s girl

She’s an active conspirer on the blackout chaos

She kidnapped McBleep and fucked him up because her ‘boss’ told her to do so (she didn’t hesitate tho)

She almost game-ended BF for real

AND she also helped on GF’s kidnapping by keeping BF away from her and let the hippity hoppity happen afterwards

How classy

Also she was the one that killed Troy and turned him into a living weapon

The reason: He tried to leave her gang

Guess she doesn’t know how to properly take no as an answer

5.-Brandon Meiwes

Based on an old OC, don’t ask who or why thank u

Long story short, he’s a cannibal butcher that also eats zombie meat…and is considering tasting demon meat as well

Yeah, let that sink in

Ironicsincethepersonwhichhesworking-theguybehindtheblackout-isademonrelative,thatplanningschemebefuckingflawedaflol

And to make it worse, he owns a very tall warehouse full of dead corpses of whomever living creature you can think of, imagine the intensity the smell of rotten flesh must be in that place

And he still stays in there

Like-

H o w

6.-Brandon M. icon

He’s insane ok, he seriously needs to get put inside a mental asylum

Come to think of it, Lemon Demon and he could be great pals

Wait, he’s a demon

…nevermind

7.-Rachel icon

Hare whore

Rabbit Slut but worse

Playbish

Cottonass

And all that jazz

Nothing else to say, your honor

8.-Phantom bullets

Remember when I mentioned Rachel almost game-ended BF for real? Well, this was the type of the bullets she used in order to (almost) accomplish that

These things are like metallic leeches that not only drain off their victim’s vital energy, but also debilitate any super-natural abilities they might have (depending on how powerful they can be), in BF’s case being his regenerate ability, which, of course, could have taken a while to turn off

Still, these little fuckers are not to be played around with, just saying

[T.B.C.]

#fnfau #friday night funkin' #au #alt universe #alternate universe #alternative timeline #bfsh #ah spooki monstahs

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Speak No Evil (Part 23)

Warning on this chapter for animal death: Azula & Mai go hunting and there is some description of the hunt. Nothing hardcore though. But I still thought that I should mention it.

Seicho is still holding her when she wakes. She is surprised to find that it doesn’t startle her to find herself waking in the arms of someone who isn’t TyLee. She is surprised to find that it feels both liberating and refreshing. She gives Seicho a gentle squeeze, something of a test to make sure that she is clinging to something real. When Seicho doesn’t stir at her touch, she makes herself comfortable in the woman’s arms once more, she supposes that it can’t hurt to let her sleep in, they have to wait on Zuzu and the others anyhow.

She finds that it is lovely to sleep in the arms of another once again. She snuggles herself closer, finding it significantly easier to be affectionate when the woman is sleeping. So much easier when she doesn’t have to worry about the woman witnessing her more awkward gestures.

She must have fallen asleep again because when she opens her eyes next, it is to Seicho toying with her hair. She brushes it out of Azula face and strokes her cheek with her thumb. “Did you sleep well.”

Azula feels around for her parchment, not finding it soon enough, she settles for a nod.

“Good.” She squeezes the princess’ hand.

Azula sits up and rubs her eyes. She feels under her pillow and finds her parchment. ‘Have the others caught up yet?’

“We would have heard them if they did.” She waits for Azula to get to her feet before snatching the sleeping bag and rolling it up. “I don’t know what we’re going to do while we wait, we don’t exactly have a camp to tear down.”

‘Breakfast.’ Azula digs around her pack for her pouch of beech and hazelnuts. She is running short on them. They will have to go for a good hunt once they regroup.

“That isn’t much of a breakfast.” Seicho sits down next to her.

Seicho’s hand creeps over hers. Azula spares a glance at it, now cupped over her own. The woman is certainly growing a lot bolder. Though Azula can’t truly blame her; she had been the one to cuddle so close to her in the night.

She looks up to see the woman’s bright smile. Her grip tightens on Azula’s hand and it comes back to her, that light and kind feeling upon awakening in her arms. She thinks that she should be doing something, reciprocating in some way but she isn’t sure how. But what if she has it wrong again? What if she is overthinking and misreading? She stares off into the treeline, glancing over at Seicho every now and again. She should try to make conversation, she isn’t sure why words are so lost on her in the moment.

Seicho rolls her eyes. “For a brilliant strategist, you’re pretty clueless.”

Azula’s face flushes and she scrawls a hasty, ‘excuse me!?’

Seicho laughs one of her powerful laughs, a full body thing with her head thrown back. Azula stares at her until the laughing fit passes. Sehicho’s hand leaves her own, she slides herself closer, and tilts Azula’s head towards hers. She halts there, with Azula’s face inches from her own, “now I’m not going to do all of the work.”

Azula’s lips part. It has been so long--it feels as though it has anyhow--she isn’t sure that she remembers what she is doing. In all likeliness, Seicho probably won’t mind if her affections a rusty and lacking in grace. She closes the space between their lips.

It comes back to her quite naturally; she leans closer and slides her hands along and up Seicho’s spine.  Sehicho’s hand is still cupping her chin. Her lips tingle pleasantly when she pulls back, semi-breathlessly. “You’re a good kisser.” Seicho comments. Azula leans in for another. Her second kiss is a greedy thing, really--a self-indulgent attempt to make up what she has been deprived of for some time now.

This time Seicho pulls back, ‘’geeze, you really do put hard work into everything.”  She gives a breathy laugh.

Azula nods, ‘no point in doing something if you aren’t giving it everything.’ She folds the full parchment, puts it in her pocket, and takes a new one.

“Have you been saving all of those?”

‘Just our conversations.’ Reading them  helps her to sleep at night. Reading them reminds her that someone cares enough to fight her on her death wishes and patterns of self destruction.  Reading them reminds her that she can’t actively try to sabotage herself. She clutches her pocket. ‘They are important.’

She doesn’t think that Seicho quite grasps just what they mean to her, it doesn’t matter. She only needs to know that they are important, that she is important. That is enough.

“I am glad that I didn’t lose you.”

‘Because I’m a good kisser?’

“Because you’re you, Azula. I’ve never met anyone like you before.”  

For once she thinks that this is a good thing. And, finally, she is certain that she is also glad that she hadn’t given herself to the volcano.

.oOo.

As the days wear on they settle into a comfortable routine; as comfortable as the spirits will let Azula grow. At this point they seem more or less indifferent to her presence, it would seem that pulling at her hair and nipping at her arms and ankles is no longer an amusement to them. And she is thankful for it. Thankful but covered in small knicks and welts from their previously relentless onslaughts. By the time they are through with her, she is spent and worn and Seicho fights to keep her from going under again. She has to fight for herself. Mostly, she manages.

Zuko fares much better than she; he seems to have taken a shine to Zhang-Zin and the pair have taken to helping set up the shelter while she and Mai hunt and Seicho gathers firewood. This is part of their daily routine and Azula supposes that it is what is keeping her sane. To have some semblance of order.

She peeks her head around a tree, the tigermonkey that they have been stalking is just in front of them. Azula lets the lightning dance on her fingertips and gives Mai a nod. Mai confirms it with one of her own. She will send her lightning at the creature, it will fall--dead before it knows that it had been struck--and Mai will get to work harvesting the meat.

Should they have a successful kill, they won’t have to hunt for a good while after this. Azula lets the lightning sail. She hears a heavy thud and Mai steps forward.  It is tedious work to carve an animal, especially one so large but Mai does it with an impressive efficacy.

Still, Azula anticipates being there for at least an hour or two with the size of their kill. And she anticipates finding herself bloodied by the end of it.  For the time she casts her shirt to the side, she doesn’t have many changes of clothes and shouldn’t like to soil even one. Mai has the same idea. She tries not to make a big deal of it; it is only practical after all, easier to wash blood from skin than fabric. All the same, her face colors when Mai tosses a glance over her shoulder and requests her bigger hunting knife.

Azula carries it up to her and observes in forced silence as Mai puts the knife to use. There is something that she should like to discuss with the woman, but she is up to her elbows in blood so Azula decides to put it off a little longer. Every now and then, she asks Azula for a hand in prying the meat from the bone. Her hands come away sticky with blood and she shudders at it and its uncleanliness. Mai rolls her eyes or chuckles each time she makes a disgusted face or crinkles her nose.

At last, Mai steps back from the tigermonkey carcass and begins packaging the meat. Azula dips her hands into the nearby stream and picks up her brushes. When Mai turns back around she is greeted by parchment. ‘Why did you do it, Mai?’

“Why did I do what?”

‘Kiss TyLee.’  She clenches her teeth, she has roused a nervous loling in her belly. She isn’t sure that she wants to hear the answer. Isn’t sure that she should even be bringing it up, not when they are, at the very least, finally cordial with each other again. Though it would simply rest there, festering beneath the surface, if she hadn’t. She doesn’t think that there can be any real reconciling with such a mess beneath the floorboards.

Mai sighs. “Because I was angry. At you, at Zuko, and I do love TyLee.” Her already quiet voice becomes moreso. “And I ended up hurting her too.”

There is one thing that they have in common. They’re both fools. Hopeless, inconsiderate, and quite possibly socially inept fools.  ‘No wonder she left. We’ve all been using her.’

Mai gives a stiff sniff, “yeah.”

‘Are you still angry? At Zuzu and I.’

Mai comes to a stand still. “Yeah.”

Azula swallows, her stomach sinking lower than it already plummeted. “I’m guessing that the two of you are still mad at me too.”

She is right. Azula supposes that it is only fair for her to harbor some resentment of her own. ‘I don’t want to be angry.’ She admits finally. Truly, she doesn’t. It is taking so much out of her and she doesn’t have much energy to exert these days.

Mai’s face seems to soften. “I don’t want to be angry either.”

Perhaps it is time to let by gones be by gones. She wouldn’t have met Seicho if she hadn’t fled. She wants to say that she would never be able to fully heal with TyLee, but she is almost certain that she could have had she been given time--had she given herself time. But that has nothing to do with Mai anyhow.

‘Stop being angry then?’

“That’s not how it works.”

‘I know.’ She replies. Though she doesn’t think that she is angry anymore. She thinks that she is sad. Sad and tired and tired of being sad. She thinks to ask Mai when she thinks that she will stop being angry. Instead she holds up the parchment and asks if she needs help carrying the meat.

Mai’s expression softens though Azula doesn’t know why. “Here take this one.”

Azula makes sure that the blood isn’t seeping through the sack before putting her shirt back on and her portion of their haul over her shoulder.

“Thanks for helping me with the hunt, Azula.” It is still cool and stiff. But it is a start.

#Avatar The Last Airbender #Azula #TyLee #Tyzula #Azula/Cupholder girl #Fanfiction

[bluesakura007]

Undeniable - Chapter 1: Zin’s Dilemma - Khan Noonien Singh x OC

Summary: During the court trial of Khan after the events of Into Darkness, Enterprise security chief Zinalya begins to develop a realisation relating to him, causing her to come up against a hefty dilemma.  

"By the power vested in the body by the constitution of the United Federation of Planets, we call this trial to order."

It was a week after the USS Enterprise crew’s ordeal against the man previously known as John Harrison; a week after he had revealed his real name to be Khan Singh, successfully exacted his revenge upon Admiral Alexander Marcus for the suffering he’d been through because of the latter and been pursued through the city of San Francisco by a then-enraged Spock. 

Soft, cold white morning light gently shone through the tall glass windows around the room and into the court where the senior officers of this aforementioned ship were gathered, sitting in the seating stands at the back with dozens of other people in attendance while currently wearing their dress uniforms.

"Guards, bring forth the defendant."

In stepped the man of the moment himself from the doors at the very back of the courtroom, his forearms shackled together by a pair of metallic manacles and being accompanied on all sides by a group of security guards, clutching their rifles fiercely.

"The defendant will remain restrained and under guard for the duration of the trial." Said the judge. Khan was now the centre of everyone’s attention behind him, especially the Enterprise group, and even more especially captain Kirk, commander Spock, Dr. Marcus and lieutenant-commander Zinalya Hamilton, the ship’s security chief who was a half-and-half hybrid between a human and a Trill. 

She had long, dark burgundy hair stretching down behind her shoulders, hazel-green eyes and, due to this half Trill lineage, some of this race’s spots on either side of her body, from the top of her forehead down to her neck; in addition, her human parent was from Manitoba, making Zinalya herself a Canadian on this half. "Please state your full name for the record."

"My name is Khan Noonien Singh." He replied, as always in his baritone voice which felt to those around him as if it was reverberating through the floor itself. Some of these others sitting behind him in the audience felt themselves subconsciously shiver at the sound of it.

The Enterprise officers who had been around Khan the most during the previous week spent the following minutes of the trial, after his charges had been covered and discussed, being called on to give testimony as witnesses. Three of these included Spock, Carol and Jim, and then came Zinalya’s turn. "And you were the main officer in charge of overseeing and guarding the defendant, Miss Hamilton?"

"Yes, your honour." She nodded her head. "As the ship’s chief of security I kept watch over him myself some of the time and also arranged where and when he’d be guarded by the other security officers onboard."

"It says here in your report which you submitted to Starfleet command that you spent the two days during his detainment on the Enterprise visiting and conversing with him. Is this true?"

"It is, yes." Ignoring the slight but rising nervousness in the back of her throat, she answered the query truthfully while turning her head to the left to briefly look at the Augment, who was gazing back without any clear outward emotion but with recognition towards her after this time they'd spent talking, him in his clinically white brig cell and her on the other side of the glass. "I was talking to him about his motivations and reasons for his charges." 

She knew that she hadn't committed any actual crimes, but she knew that any indication of her getting friendly with Khan would be dangerous to her career and to some of her friendships amongst the other senior officers. Her social standing was one of the things she valued, and friendships could sometimes be a fragile thing indeed.

"Did he tell you anything that he revealed to Mr. Kirk and Mr. Spock later on?"

"Only that he was genetically engineered and that he’d come from very far away, but nothing that was any more specific than that." She subconsciously felt another growing lump in her throat at the memory of when he later revealed his true identity to Spock and their captain; when he told them about what Admiral Marcus had done to incur his wrath and started crying, right there and then. Zinalya would have been downright lying if she said that the sight of the tear on his cheek when he turned back around and the desperation in his voice at that time didn’t tug at her own heartstrings, even if it was just a little bit. "He was very brief during those moments when I was talking to him alone."

"So he didn’t make any clear indication to you individually that he had come from three centuries ago or indicate what he was planning on doing?

"No your honour." If she was being honest with herself, she actually felt like most of what Khan did after his prison cell revelation consisted of on-the-spot decisions: she wasn’t present to see it taking place, but from the way she understood it, he only attacked Kirk, Scotty and Carol on the bridge of the Vengeance after the former ordered Khan to be stunned, making himself, too, come across as untrustworthy in the latter’s eyes, and the following incident where he fought against Spock in the city was him taking out his rage and anguish due to being led to believe that his crew had all died when the seventy-two torpedoes were detonated, so she also couldn’t help but feel like Khan had been through quite the emotional rollercoaster.

"Very well then. Thank you lieutenant-commander, that will be all." The judge concluded his series of questions directed at her, to which she gave a nod and, after giving another brief look at the man with the smooth black hair and snakelike pale turquoise eyes, walked back towards where she’d been sitting, which was in between Scotty and Chekov, her two closest friends. "Dr. Leonard Herman McCoy, step forward please."

As this chief medical officer stood up and made his own way down through the seating area towards the witness stand, Scotty smiled jokingly at Zinalya and Pavel, who were on his left. "I didn’t know his middle name was Herman - obviously something we can conveniently tease the laddie about later." He whispered to them with a chuckle, to which they both nodded and the latter smiled. 

The female one of the trio, however, tried to smile along with them and join in but found it to be difficult, because her head was full of various thoughts and ponderings relating to the defendant to the point where it was now taking up a large majority of her consciousness itself. He briefly craned his head around and looked around the room, like a cornered animal surveying its surroundings, before his eyes came to rest on her.

"Zinalya?" Pavel’s voice caught her attention to her own left hand side, seeming to notice her expression of deep thought. "Are you alright?"

"What? Oh, yeah, yeah I'm okay, I was just miles away for a second there." She answered, temporarily bringing herself back to what was going on around her at that second as opposed to all the hypotheticals and questions racing through her mind. Khan had now turned his head back into the forward-facing position, occasionally looking at Bones as the latter gave his own testimony.

Generally subdued rock music played as the ambience of the club that Zinalya was sitting in later that evening. She had a glass of Scotch whisky gripped absentmindedly in her right hand, both of which currently resting on the bar whilst her other hand held her head, which was somewhat tilted to one side, and she was repeating the same thing she was in the middle of earlier in the courtroom: thinking and pondering endlessly on the mental predicament she found herself in.

She was torn between two viewpoints, not entirely certain which one to take and therefore keeping herself stressed as it was an unresolved issue. On the one hand, she knew full well as much as anyone else what Khan had done and the kind of things he'd gotten up to - causing the deaths of numerous people, including Admiral Pike and even the obviously now-revived Kirk - but on the other, she wondered whether he truly deserved the extent of Spock's aggression that he was subjected to during the city chase. 

It was as if she had split herself into two totally different people altogether, one telling her that there was more to Khan underneath his chilling exterior, and that she didn't properly know what he was like in actuality, and the other constantly reminding her of the people he had killed and the acts he had committed.

"Hey." She turned her head around upon hearing the voice of her captain himself speak out. Jim appeared to be accompanied by Carol and lieutenant Uhura, all three of them dressed in casual clothes like the burgundy-haired hybrid herself was. "D'you mind if we join you?"

"No, go ahead."

Captain Kirk and the other two female officers with him all sat down adjacent to her at the bar, him and Carol on her right and Nyota on her left. "I used to come here a few times too. I actually still remember a fight I got into in this place a few years back - admiral Pike called it an ‘epic beating’." He chuckled fondly at these memories, although behind his smile Zinalya could also tell that it was simultaneously a slightly poignant expression and she, too, was affected by it.

Great, she thought. I’m trying to make sense of all this, to decide what I really think, and Pike is getting brought up again. Just when I thought I was making some kind of progress in thinking it over...

"Mr. Chekov told us that you seemed distant earlier today. Is something wrong?" Carol asked, noticing her own small change of expression.

"Well..." The half Trill-half human was up against a case of trying to work out how exactly to word what she was going to say. "To be honest I’m kind of in the middle of a dilemma."

"What is it?" Said Nyota.

She paused, taking another of these moments where she formed the words in her head. "I’ve got a decision I need to make soon, and it might be one that takes me off the Enterprise and to someplace else."

"You mean like a transfer?" Said Jim.

The real reason for Zinalya possibly having to leave her posting in the near future wasn’t this and was instead something very, very different, but she could neither bring herself to tell the three the truth nor lie to them, so she simply nodded her head without giving a verbal response. "I don’t want to leave, because I still have friends onboard, and because my parents and brothers are here on Earth and where I’ll be going to is pretty far away. But it’s also a chance that means a lot to me and that I don’t want to pass up, so I feel like I’m being pulled in two different directions... and I basically have no idea which choice to make."

The trio around her thought for a second, before Carol enquired, "Have you weighed up the good and bad sides of them both?"

"At least somewhere around a thousand times, yeah."

"Then I think you should go with what your instincts are telling you - if accepting this chance is what you want to do, then you should do it." The woman with the chin length blonde hair nodded encouragingly.

"She’s right: do what makes you happy." Concurred lieutenant Uhura.

"So... you guys will be okay with it if I do choose to leave? Things’ll still be alright between us?"

"Of course."

"You’re a good friend to us and the others." Added Jim with a reassuring smile. "We’ll be a little sad to see you go, but you deserve to make that choice if you’re sure you wanna do it. We’ll be rooting for you the whole way, Zin."

This supportive demeanour that he, Nyota and Carol were making use of towards her made her wish even more that she could tell them what the true reason for her leaving was, and what she was really planning to do.

#star trek into darkness #star trek #aos #star trek aos #khan noonien singh #khan noonien singh x oc #khan x oc #khan #benedict cumberbatch #into darkness #into darkness khan #khanbatch #khan singh #stid

[bees-among-the-okami]

The Prade Park Bitty Group!

(They call it a sanctuary but they're just a group of hurt and stray/feral bitties shhhh)

Sornan - A Hybrid between a Twister and a King, he's a fullsized lamia, so he's very large. The one to get what the others need, the 'leader' of the group. Has a few scars from previous fights, nothing serious. Wears a sweater with the words 'No Step On Snek' with an outline of a cobra with a it's hood spread.

Arthos - A Fullsized Puff, he was rescued from a bitty fighting ring! Has old scars along his tail. Wears a pale red sweater, nothing much, it's soft though. Sornan's adoptive brother.

Aidrien - A Hypergod Bitty. Has black fur and green eyes, and is the healer of the group. Was found with his son, Holt.

Holt - An Ari Bitty with Ralsei-like features, including a fully green poncho. Aidrien's son, learning to be a healer like his dad.

Aarchie - A Fierce Bitty/Underswap Alphys Bitty, has plenty of scars and half a tail. Was found injured. Wears a white tank top and black pants.

Lou - A Pup Bitty, wears a blue sweater and pants. Is deaf and uses ASL. Was rescued from abusive owners.

Ty - A Cherry Bitty, wears an Edgy jacket and black sweatpants. Was rescued from abusive owners with Lou. Lou's closest friend.

Aloe - A Softbones Bitty, found by Nicholas. Wears galaxy printed sweater and sweatpants.

Nicholas - A Fullsized Honey Bo. Wears an orange hoodie. Takes care of Ty, Lou, and Aloe.

Bit - An Error Bitty, that usually stays in the trees over the park. Was found there as well.

Chase - A Pygmy Bitty. He has minor scars from burns, which are old, so don't worry! He's close friends with Zin.

Zin - A Corny, has an old bite scar on his tail, friends with Chase.

Fang - A Bitty Skull Drider! He's a good dad friend to the whole group.

Soul - A Bitty Lycos Drider! He was rescued from a bitty fighting ring. Adoptive brother to Mitch.

Mitch - A Bitty Marble Drider! He was found in the forest nearby, adoptive brother to Soul.

Sting - A Bitty Swap Sans Drider! He tries to be helpful to the group whenever he can, and is basically the little brother of the group. Has a limp from a lame leg.

Casey - A Chain, found injured and in need of help. Has plenty of scars caused by animal attacks. Mate to Shiro, parent to Ares and Winter

Shiro - A Fullsized Underswap Lamia, NOT A PYGMY found in the forest nearby. Has small, old scars. Mate to Casey, parent to Ares and Winter.

Ares - A young hybrid of a Chain and an Underswap Sans Lamia, has a blue and an orange eye, a blue tail with dark blue Chain markings, and one gold tooth. Looks more like a Sans.

Winter - A young hybrid of a Chain and an Underswap Sans Lamia, has orange eyelights and a blue tail without markings, has no gold teeth. Looks more like a Papyrus.

Malt - A Milkyway bitty! Was recently adopted by Sornan, and stays with him, protected.

#eee #finally finished them #:33

[taxolotl]

my part for halfy and winks’ 2 year DSMP MAP !!

#check out the other artists :D it was such an honour to be part of this #mcyt #dream smp #dreamwastaken #technoblade #tommyinnit #dsmp #mcyt fanart #my art #zin tries animation

[dailyaudiobible]

02/21/2019 DAB Transcript

Leviticus 11:1-12:8, Mark 5:21-43, Psalms 38:1-22, Proverbs 10:8-9

Today is the 21st day of February. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I'm Brian. It is great to be here with you. It's great to be here with you today. Feeling a little little little tiny tiny bit stronger and that's kinda how it comes on. That's how the jet lag works. We did have a adrenaline filled day yesterday just because we're seeing all of this stuff for the first time and experiencing the wilderness and we'll talk about that in a little while but first we need to take the next step forward as we continue reading through the Scriptures. And today we’ll be able to read the Scriptures here from the southernmost part of Israel city Eilat on the shores of the Red Sea. We’re reading from the Christian Standard Bible this week. Today Leviticus 11 and 12.

Commentary:

Alright. So, in the book of Leviticus today and again, you know, the law and the customs and the rituals are being given and so we can consider this to be a portion of Scripture that's kind of like dry reading not particularly riveting reading. It's because of the kind of literature it is, right? So, we read the book of Genesis and we’re reading like a narrative, we’re reading in story form what happens next. And, so, this is how we understand things, right. So, even when we get together and catch up on each other's lives we’re gonna say this is what happened between the time that we last met and catch each other up and tell it in order. Whereas the law, these are statutes and regulations and rules. We can read this kind of literature and in our modern era by getting online or going to the library and getting a law book, but you never really see those on the bestseller list because they aren't the most riveting reading. So, we can go through reading like today in the book of Leviticus and just kinda, you know, zone out or glaze over because we’re talking about clean and unclean animals and, you know, the rights of purification after childbirth. And we can see the logic in kind of outlining what can and can’t be eaten, you know, like what's edible and what has no nutritional value to a human. But that’s when, you know, we might wonder why it's in the Bible. But if we go a little closer and we remember when we started this particular portion of the Bible there are practical reasons for why things were to be done the way that they were, practical in just community perspective, but everything had a spiritual underpinning. What’s being installed into this culture is that they couldn't do almost anything at all without it leading back to a reminder of who they were, who God is, and where they're going. So, if we look a little closer we might each have differing opinions about what kind of animals should or shouldn't be eaten depending on where we are on the planet, might be able to order a Big Mac in the United States but you probably won't be able to order that in India and we could definitely get lost in the weeds on trying to determine why somethings clean or unclean in terms of the food supply. But that would be missing the point. Clean and unclean things still do exist in this world and the principal that God’s weaving into the culture of the children of Israel, the principle of clean and unclean, is no less applicable today because it was always intended to be an outward representation of what was happening inside of someone. So, there are for sure, for sure things that we know are not clean and there are things that we know are and whether it's a behavior or a compulsion or an activity or something that you're thinking about, the fact that our reading in Leviticus represents an ancient custom has no bearing on the reality that there is still clean and unclean and we should not participate in what is unclean. So maybe we don't have to be ritually pure anymore but that does not mean we’re not supposed to be pure. And, as we’re out here in the wilderness and we've experienced one day in the wilderness and we’ll be experiencing most of today in the wilderness as well it doesn't take hardly any time to look around and realize, there is no way to survive out here without God. I mean, it would be so…it would be…even now in modern times with modern logistics, if we took a million people, even a half a million people out into this wilderness and tried to sustain them as they moved around without roads, like, I mean it would…it would be virtually impossible now…absolutely impossible then. So, we see that God leading His people into the wilderness where they have no way out and are having to learn and be reframed and reformed into a new people how important this was and how important this is to our own lives. There is clean. There is unclean. If we’re going to consume what is unclean, whether in spirit or body we are going to become defiled. Maybe we’re not going to become ritually impure, but the effects on our body and spirit are going to be the same. We’re separating ourselves from our intended state, holiness and purity. And there is clean. And inside of us we know when we are wandering into unclean territory and we know when we are walking pure and holy and are living clean lives. And as we can see from the book of Leviticus, it matters.

Prayer:

Father, we invite You into that. Yes, we are in the starkness of the wilderness. And yes, this certainly does put us right in the story that we’re reading. And even from the book of Mark when we’re reading Jesus of You casting demons into the swine, we think ahead because we’re gonna go there too. And, so, we can see that You have a lot to say to us as we journey whether here physically in the land of the Bible or whether as a community experience as we day by day just journey through the Scriptures. There’s a lot for You to speak to us as we’re here and we invite You fully. Nothing is off limits to You. Show us the areas that are unclean, the areas that we need to walk away from, the areas that are doing us no good whatsoever. Come, Holy Spirit we pray, in Jesus’ name we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, its where you find out what's going on around here.

And obviously, we’re in the land of the Bible right now, just kinda getting going on our pilgrimage where we will experience so, so much. We have already been as far west as you can go in the land. That was yesterday in Ashdod on the Mediterranean Sea. It won’t be the last time we’re on the Mediterranean coast, but that's as far west as you can go. And we’re leaving out from Eilat today. We traveled south all day yesterday through the wilderness and truly got to experience what we’re talking about when we're talking about the wilderness, right? When we talk about the desert and the story of the children of Israel and their formation, we are here, and it is stark and it is barren and it is desolate and there's so much that gets brought up in our hearts because of that. And, so, we’re kind of just sitting with it. We were able to visit Beersheba yesterday. Beersheba is the southernmost city within the borders of ancient Israel, right? So, the borders of ancient Israel were known from Dan to Beersheba. So, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the South. Of course we traveled a lot further south of Beersheba, but visiting there, starting there, looking at how people had to live and how they had to get water in an arid transition zone, understanding that your standing in the book of Genesis, pretty big deal, pretty good place to start. And then we just kind of began to move into the deep desert and we were able to find an outlook and overlook the wilderness of Zin. We haven't got to this story yet in the Old Testament, but these children of Israel who are getting their laws and customs and being formed right now, they will eventually be preparing to go into the Promise Land and before they do that they will send spies into the land and that will happen from the wilderness of Zin. And, so, we took some time to explore that story and its implications to our own lives before grabbing some lunch. And we had some lunch with the Bedouin folk who live in the desert and travel around in the desert. And even though their culture is modernized to a degree, the desert dwelling people dates back thousands and thousands of years. So, even though desert dwellers may have new newer technologies than they had thousands of years ago they still live very simply and very nomadically, and we were able to have a taste of that, literally and figuratively, as we had lunch together out in the desert. And then we continued our journey south toward the Red Sea, which was our destination. We got some ice cream, got a favorite spot down in the desert where there's dairy farmers and fresh ice cream. Got to enjoy that before making our way to Eilat and the shores of the Red Sea. And boy, when you’re standing on the shores of the Red Sea after traveling through the wilderness all day long and you're able to kinda stand there and see into the country of Egypt and see into the country of Saudi Arabia and see into the country of Jordan while standing in the country of Israel, realizing that as you’re looking into the land of Egypt you're looking into the continent of Africa. Like all of a sudden you realize I am a long way from Kansas, like I am a long way from Spring Hill Tennessee or all of the different places that we've come from and it kinda hits us. It hits me every year almost always at the same spot, like…we are…this is really happening…we are really here and yes, I am a long way from home. So, that's kinda what our day looked like. Today we will be spending most of the day in the desert, but a lot to do. And we’ll be coming out of the desert and we'll talk about all of that tomorrow. So, thank you for…thank you for your prayers…your continued prayers over safety, stamina, health, logistics just the whole thing, it's quite a dance to do what we’re doing and keep everything moving in the same direction and on the same page. Thank you for your prayers.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link on the homepage of dailyaudiobible.com. Didn’t I already say that? I don’t know. I’m still jetlagged. Anyway, there's a link on the homepage. If you're using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

And that's it for today. I'm Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hello Daily Audio Bible family, this is Kay from West South Georgia. This is my second time calling since I found out about this ministry last year. I am with a heavy heart calling in to ask for prayer for my dear friend Elaine. She is in her 70s, one of the most vivacious, healthiest, godliest women I’ve ever known and out of nowhere she got sick with a virus that went to her heart and she is in ICU right now and it’s just…it’s scary for all of us. We know where she’s going if the Lord decides to take her but I’m real selfish right now and so is her family and I just pray that you would pray God’s will that He will heal her from this myocarditis. And before this happened, she went to her family practitioner and she’s never taken medications in her life and they put her on steroids and antibiotics shot and antibiotics orally and inhalers and it just completely flipped a switch in her brain and then she…she tried to hurt herself…tried to end her life then this happened. And now she’s in ICU with her heart at another hospital. So, again, if you would just lift Elaine in prayer that God’s will will be done and give the family and friends peace, that He will hear her this side of heaven. Thank you so much. Bye-bye.

Hello Daily Audio Bible listeners, this is Candace from Oregon and I want to stop and encourage all the musicians among us and pray for all of us including myself. Being a musician for the Lord is a huge, glorious experience and it’s just…it’s usually such a joy, it’s so good. It’s also really, really terrible at times. And all of you, if you’ve spent enough years as one of God’s musicians, you know what I’m talking about, you could give examples of what I’m talking about. But I think if you look across the years…the blessings…if you look across at the details of your experience as God’s musician, the blessings have far outweighed the struggle. So, I would encourage you to do that. Lord, I lift up before you now, along with all the listeners and prayer warriors who are hearing these words now, we lift up the musicians among us Lord and we ask You to bind the enemy from them, to free them into Your service in every way that You desire Lord. Fill their hearts with peace and joy. Encourage them and help them to be disciplined in their efforts and to listen to You Lord and keep their eyes on You. We pray in particular for Lynn __ husband and thank you that she has been there to intercede on his behalf and that her love for him is an undying love that only You can provide. Thank you, Jesus.

Holy Spirit flowing free please fall down afresh on me inside outside all through me take my life Lord let it be change is all I’m begging please keep me free from all disease free my heart from the sin it sees flesh condemned but spirit frees when I’m week Lord make me strong stay with me and carry long Lord I feel your presence strong lead me Lord where I belong

[email protected]. Like to give a shout out to Terry the truck driver. Hope you’re still healing up and everything’s going good and Lee from New Jersey like to give you a shout out too. Anyway, thank you once again Brian and the Hardin family for this wonderful podcast for God’s Holy Spirit to flow. Keep it flowin’ y’all. All right. Bye-bye.

Hi everyone, it’s Christy from Kentucky. I wanted to call tonight and reach out to some of our sisters in Christ. First of all, Hurting, in North Carolina, you called about your brother and I’m glad that your brother is getting the help that he needs but I can still hear your concern and I’m just praying for you. You just love your little brother so much that’s so evident and you both have been on such a hard journey and I’m just praying that the Lord will touch and heal both of your hearts and to restore joy back into your lives and to let you walk out the rest of this journey together being healed and happy and knowing that you both have a hope and a future. Also wanted to pray for my sister Kathy in Kentucky and let you know that I’m praying for your brother and your family member that is dealing with addiction. And also Janet, sister Janet, we are praying for your son Jared and we are asking the Lord just to minister to his heart and to give you peace about the decision that you have made to place him in this program. And I’m just asking for the Lord to give you guidance and direction and what you should do regarding Jared’s request to come out of the program. You know, pray about it and when you find peace in your heart you will know the answer. We love you Janet and we’re praying for both you and Jared. I also wanted to speak to our sister Alyssa. You called in and you were just in such hysterics, it just broke my heart to hear your tears and I want you to know dear sister that we are here for you. Everyone, there is a DAB Friends page and if you ever need immediate prayer, if you go on that Facebook page, the DAB Friends you will have immediate responses from people all over the world who will pray for you right away. And Alyssa you are never alone. God promises He’s always with us.

Hi, it’s Gerda from Germany. I want to say thank you to Brian for __ I listened to the Daily Audio Bible today to Jill’s words and it’s really truly an amazing task what Brian has to do every day, no holidays, nothing without thinking about how to get it set on the Internet. I want to say thank you Brian, thank your family, thank you for supporting Brian, and thank you for having a part of it every day. Thank you for…and God bless you, God keep you safe, God give you and all your team a wonderful, amazed, blessed time. Thank you for everybody who does it in different languages. Thank you for all the tasks you have to do, and God bless you and God keep you safe and God support you in everything and God give you everything to be safe. Thank you for doing it. You’re an awesome community. I listen daily since many years. Thank you for being a part of it. God bless you all and keep you safe. I love you. Bye. Gerda.

[ayellowbirds]

Keshet Rewatches All of Scooby-Doo, Pt. 12: "Scooby Doo and a Mummy, Too"

("Scooby-Doo, Where Are You", Season 1 Episode 12)

AKA "We Forgot One Universal Monster Last Episode"

The episode opens on a view of a university campus, with the usual spooky musical sting in spite of nothing being visibly eerie... until we cut into a building identified “DEPARTMENT OF ARCHEOLOGY” (sic). Inside, a professor is introducing the gang to the mummified remains of Ankha, an ancient Egyptian ruler who was once “the most feared ruler”—though we’re never given a reason why he was feared. What did he do that was so terrible?

I’ll note that the subtitles spell the name as “Anka”, but the Scooby Doo wiki gives the more standard-looking “Ankha”. As is oddly typical of adults who are not the culprit in a given episode, the Professor is never given a name, though he introduces his colleague as Dr. Najib, who helped bring the mummy over for the university’s replica of Ankha’s tomb.

A middle eastern man with narrow eyes and permanently lowered brow, voiced by Vic Perrin in an almost exact duplicate of his portrayal of Jonny Quest villain Doctor Zin, Najib raises the subject of the curse of Ankha, relating his hope that it did not follow them. I’ll say it right here, because it’s not much of a spoiler when so many flags are triggered right away: Najib is the culprit, and it’s another example of casual racism this season. The thieving, scheming Arab was a popular villain trope of the day, and while Najib isn’t quite as overt as some other variations on the trope, he’s far from a deconstruction or a subversion.

As Najib makes his exit, the gang agree to help the Professor, and Shaggy lays his filthy mitts on an ancient golden medallion the entire cast identify as a coin in spite of a lack of any evidence that it is currency. As Shaggy manhandles priceless ancient artifacts, the Professor explains it’s part of an unsolved mystery, and suggests the gang pick up some sandwiches on his dollar in order to satisfy Shaggy’s appetite.

While they’re gone, the Professor hears a crash, and comes out to find the mummy gone and a mummy-shaped hole in the glass doors. Meanwhile, Shaggy receives an order of three burgers and three sandwiches—liverwurst, à la mode. The chef spoons bright pink ice cream onto three open-face sandwiches, and Shaggy hands him a dollar bill and a half-dollar coin... that is actually the ancient Egyptian coin! 

Shaggy has unconsciously pocketed it, demonstrating kleptomaniac tendencies that are never commented upon. The gang pay properly and Fred suggests they grab the sandwiches and get back to the Professor to return the coin. I’ll note that the food is clearly served on dine-in plates, rather than to-go containers, and when the food is taken from the counter off-screen, it makes a plate-rattling sound. Did they just walk out with burgers and open-faced sandwiches in-hand, sans any kind of container or wrapper?

When the gang return, they find the Professor in his office, where he’s been TURNED TO STONE! “14-karat stone”, Shaggy quips. Velma, bastion of rational, scientific skepticism, observes that only one person could be responsible: the mummy.

The gang look outside and find the busted glass, but Velma notes that it’s broken in rather than out, making it clear this wasn’t an exit. Fred orders the gang to split up and search for the mummy, and Shaggy soon accidentally discovers the bandaged terror hiding in the Janitor’s Closet. Locking him in, Shaggy, Velma, and Scooby flee in terror, instead of doing the reasonable thing and making sure the mummy is properly trapped.

Thus ensues the usual hide-and-chase sequence, although the mummy only groans and shambles slowly rather than running. Of course, there’s still extensive damage done to priceless museum artifacts by the B Team’s attempts to hide. Eventually cornered, the mummy begins to demand, “coin... coin!!” and nods and grunts in the affirmative when Velma suggests he means the old Egyptian one, and not the quarter Shaggy offers him.

When Velma insists they don’t give him what he wants, it falls to Scooby to defend them, and he demands a hefty price of Scooby Snacks.

I believe this is the first time we see a box of Scooby Snacks, which are drawn as being about half the size of previous appearances, and the box simply reads “SCOOBY SNACKS”. It’s also the first implication that “Scooby Snacks” is the name of a product on the market, rather than just what the gang call dog treats, or a home-made specialty.

Emboldened, Scooby tries taking a swing at the mummy with his left foreleg, but there’s a sound like a steel drum being struck, and Scooby’s metacarpals collapse and fold inward like a limp accordion tube. This does not deter the carb-loaded canine, who dashes offscreen and returns in a karate gi, and begins to yelp out kiais so badly stereotypical that the captioning refused to display them as he chops at the motionless mummy. It’s no more effective, so Scooby tries one last attack: 

A little of the old razzmatazz.

At first, the soft-shoe routine seems to be Scooby’s attempt at desertion, but in spite of Velma’s shock, the dog sneaks back in behind the advancing mummy and nails his rags to the floor with a hammer.

Once again, the trio flee without making sure that Ankha is captured, even though Velma says they’re going to tell Daphne and Fred that they just did that. Meanwhile, Fred and Daphne are exploring outside, having found what look to be the mummy’s footprints going into a construction area. They discover Dr. Najib’s car, with what appears to be the doctor turned to stone, and wonder if Shaggy and Velma have run into the mummy themselves, not seeming to be concerned that their friends could be turned to stone any moment.

Having returned, Shaggy and Velma find that the mummy has escaped and disappeared, and inspect the piece of bandage left nailed to the floor. They retreat to a laboratory to investigate the new-feeling wrappings and determine its actual age, where an unattended Scooby drinks three large glasses of a chartreuse liquid. There’s an odd screen-filling animation of an explosion that fades in and out, and Scooby’s head has turned into that of a frog!

He lets out a few confused ribbits, and the effect reverses, explosion included—without Shaggy or Velma noticing. Meanwhile, the mummy reappears, demanding the coin before Velma can finish her analysis. While the two humans flee the room in an improvised smokescreen, Scooby is left behind, and the duo only realize as Daphne and Fred rejoin them. The room is empty except for evidence of a struggle, and a window is left open in the back. Fred worries that he’ll end up like the Professor and Dr. Najib...

...and sure enough, the gang discover a stone Scooby back outside. As Shaggy mourns the loss of his friend, the real Scooby digs his way up out of the ground to join him in tearfully weeping over the sad scene.

“Look, Scoob! You’ve been turned to stone!”

Rather than questioning Scooby about what happened to him, the gang decide to backtrack and ignore the great huge clue right in front of them.

Investigating the Professor’s office, Velma learns that Ankha was also the wealthiest ruler of ancient Egypt, and thinks she’s discovered the solution to the mystery of the coin, finding a photo of a statue of a hippo-headed figure that may or may not be a badly rendered representation of the goddess Taweret (understandably lacking the usual large sagging breasts of images of that deity; this is a kids’ show). The likeness of the coin appears with some other symbols on the statue’s belly, but just as the gang realize it, Ankha busts down the office door.

Retreating to the second floor, the gang duck into the wood shop, where—i’m sorry, why is there a WOOD SHOP in a university’s DEPARTMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGY?

Fred tells Daphne to hit the lights so  that they can hide in the darkness of a room full of sharp objects and heavy machinery, but Daphne hits the wrong switch and turns on a handheld, corded buzz saw that spins to life and climbs up the wall by cutting through the surface of it.

Now, in addition to majoring in anthropology and library science, i took an elective class in the extremely well-appointed woodworking facility at SUNY Purchase College, and i have at least a basic sense of shop safety. So i speak from something of a position of experience when i say, WHY WOULD YOU PUT THOSE SWITCHES NEXT TO EACH OTHER?

As the saw cuts across the ceiling, back down the wall, and past the mummy, it moves on to circle the gang, cutting through the floor and sending the gang dropping down to the floor below... where there’s a swimming pool. 

WHAT KIND OF ARCHAEOLOGY DEPARTMENT IS THIS? A WOOD SHOP? A SWIMMING POOL? WHO DESIGNED THIS COLLEGE, MC ESCHER?

The enraged mummy tosses the saw down at the gang, and its improbably long power cord reaches far enough that the saw moves through the water, chasing the gang as they paddle for their lives. Kudos to the saw’s manufacturers for so extensively waterproofing it, but i really don’t think a 100 meter power cord is a necessity.

Continuing to flee the mummy, Shaggy and Scooby enter the construction area from before, stumbling into a work space where Shaggy notices bags of “Quick Drying Mold Cement”, and “spray molds” that actually appear to be just wooden crates with cement poured in around an empty space in the shape of a standing human being.

“Ruh-huh!” Scooby replies. You could’ve told them that, Scooby. It would have been helpful.

I’ll note that the mold is in the shape of someone standing or laying straight, and all the “stone” figures we’ve seen so far were sitting down. This is what happens when you don’t communicate plot details to your art department, people.

The mummy of Ankha catches up, and the boys flee into a groundskeeper’s shack. When Shaggy peeks out to see if the coast is clear, however...

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! Yes, for the love of god.

Ankha continues to demand the coin, but meanwhile, Scooby and Shaggy find the Professor bound, gagged, and stuffed into a bag in the corner. Shaggy pulls down his gag, and asks, “are you alright, Professor?”

“I’m fine!”

“Groovy,” Shaggy replies, putting the gag back in place. “Be back for you later.”

The duo make their escape and the chase scene starts up again, now involving a ride on an improbably speedy lawnmower through an empty gymnasium, and a bit more in the way of trampoline antics. This show loves trampoline antics. Mid-bounce, Scooby, grabs onto a pair of gymnastics rings, and uses his hind legs to kick the mummy across the gym, dunking his bandaged butt into the basketball hoop.

It’s stuff like this that led to the Globetrotters crossovers, i’m sure.

The gang unmask "Ankha”, who, as i’d spoiled ahead of time, is Dr. Najib. He had faked his own petrification as part of a plan to get his hands on the coin—actually the key to the statue in the photo from the book. The gang and the Professor discover that a slot on the back of the statue serves as the keyhole, because apparently no-one was ever diligent enough to examine the back side of this stone figure, and its mouth opens to reveal a “glass beetle”.

Not quite, says the Professor.

There’s no resolution about what happens to this obscenely large “diamond”, identified as such at a glance without any kind of testing of its hardness. Scooby finds the whereabouts of the real mummy of Ankha, and the gang celebrate as Dr. Najib is probably in the midst of arguing his diplomatic immunity somewhere downtown.

And once again, no “meddling kids”, not even a scene of the authorities arriving. All we see of Najib unmasked is the usual silent, glaring fuming, and the explanation falls to the gang and the Professor relaxing calmly in the epilogue.

(like what i’m doing here? It’s not what pays the bills, so i’d really appreciate it if you could send me a bit at my paypal.me or via my ko-fi. Click here to see more entries in this series of posts, or here to go in chronological order)

#scooby doo #KRAOSD

[dfroza]

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments

is Deuteronomy 32 that records the words of a song that was directed as a warning from Moses to the Israelites in choosing to follow God our Creator or to turn away in idolatry by worshiping false gods.

[Deuteronomy 32]

Moses: Listen, O sky, so I may speak!

Pay attention, O earth, to what I say!

Let my teaching fall on you like raindrops;

let what I say collect like the dew,

Like rain sprinkling the grass,

like showers on the green plants.

I will proclaim the name of the Eternal;

I will utter greatness to our God.

He’s the Rock, and His work is perfect; everything He does is right.

He’s the God who can be trusted, who never does wrong

because He’s righteous and upright.

But a perverse and crooked generation has broken its word to Him.

They are not counted as His children—not with such deficiencies.

Is this how you repay the Eternal,

you foolish, unwise people?

Isn’t He your Father who produced you,

who made you and established you?

Remember the days long ago;

consider the years of past generations.

Ask your father, and he’ll explain it to you;

ask the elders, and they’ll tell you:

When God, the Most High in heaven gave all the nations their inherited territory,

when He divided the descendants of Adam into nations,

When He established the boundaries of the peoples,

as the number of the sons of God,

Because the Eternal’s territory is His people;

and Jacob is the territory of God’s inheritance.

The Eternal found Jacob out in the wilderness,

out in an empty, windswept desert wasteland.

He put His arms around him and took care of him;

He protected him as the apple of His eye.

Just as an eagle stirs up its nest, encouraging its young to fly,

and then hovers over them in case they need help,

And spreads its wings and catches them if they fall,

and carries them up high on its wings;

So the Eternal guided Jacob through the wilderness

without the help of any foreign god.

He set him on the heights of the land

and fed him from the produce of the fields.

He even fed him honey from the rocks

and oil from flinty stones,

Butter from his cows and milk from his flocks,

fattened young lambs, rams raised in Bashan, and goats,

the finest fatty kernels of wheat, and wine from the lifeblood of grapes.

But Jeshurun—my upright ones of Israel—got fat and kicked back—

yes, you were fat and bloated and stuffed.

He abandoned the God who made him

and disdained the Rock of his salvation.

They made Him jealous by worshiping foreign gods;

they infuriated Him with their disgusting idols.

They offered sacrifices to demons that are not God;

they worshiped gods they hadn’t known,

New ones that had just appeared,

gods their ancestors had never been acquainted with.

You ignored the Rock who bore you

and forgot the God who gave birth to you.

Moses: The Eternal saw this and rejected them

because His sons and daughters had made Him so angry.

Eternal One: I won’t look at them when they pray;

I’ll just watch and see what happens to them

Because they’re a perverse generation,

children who are unfaithful.

They’ve made Me jealous by worshiping something that isn’t God,

and they’ve angered Me with their idols!

So I’ll make them jealous by favoring those who aren’t a people;

I’ll infuriate them with a godless nation.

My anger will start a fire that will burn down to the land of the dead.

It will consume the land and all its crops

and set the mountains ablaze, right down to their foundations.

I’ll pile disasters on them

and use all My arrows against them.

They’ll be emaciated by famine

and consumed by fevers and destroyed by bitter pestilence.

I’ll attack them with the fangs of wild animals

and the venom of snakes that crawl in the dust.

While the sword is killing their children outside,

they’ll be huddling in terror inside their homes.

Everyone will be destroyed: young men and women,

infants and old people with gray hair.

I thought I would smash them in pieces

until no one remembered they ever existed,

But I was afraid of how their enemies would gloat,

how their opponents would get the wrong impression and say,

“We conquered them by our own power;

the Eternal didn’t do all of this!”

Moses: They’re a nation with no sense—

they have no understanding.

If only they were wise and understood this

and realized what was going to happen to them!

How could one of their enemies pursue a thousand of them,

and two of their enemies make ten thousand of them run away,

Unless their Rock had abandoned them,

unless the Eternal had handed them over?

It’s not because their rock is anything like our Rock—

even our enemies admit this!

No, it’s because their vine is grafted from the vines of Sodom,

from the terraces of Gomorrah:

It grows poisonous grapes in bitter clusters

and makes wine that’s snake venom and deadly cobra poison.

Eternal One: Haven’t I been saving this judgment,

sealing it away in My storehouse?

Revenge is Mine. I will settle all scores!

Soon they’ll stumble because the day of disaster is almost here,

And their doom is coming quickly!

Moses: The Eternal will judge His people

and have mercy on His servants

When He sees they have no strength left

and they’re all gone, both slave and free.

Then He’ll say about Israel, “Now where are their gods,

the rocks where they took shelter,

The gods who ate the fat of their sacrifices

and drank the wine they offered?

Let them get up and help you, Israel!

Let them protect you!”

Eternal One: Now do you see that I am the One,

and there is no other God besides Me?

I have power over life and death;

I wound, and I heal;

no one can resist My power!

I’m lifting up My hand toward the sky to take an oath,

and I swear, “As I live forever,

When I sharpen My flashing sword

and use it to bring about justice,

I’ll give My enemies what they deserve

and pay back those who hate Me!

I’ll get My arrows drunk with blood,

the blood of the dead and the prisoners,

And My sword will feast on flesh,

on the heads with their uncut hair of the enemy leaders!”

Moses: You nations, celebrate with His covenant people

because He’s going to avenge the blood of His servants.

He’ll give His enemies what they deserve

and atone for His land and His people.

This was the song that Moses presented, together with Joshua (Nun’s son), while all the people were listening. After Moses had said all of these words, everything recorded in this book, to everyone in Israel, he spoke to them.

Moses: Every word I’ve said to you today will be a witness against you, so set it in your heart, remember it well, and teach it to your children, so they’ll be careful to obey every word of this law. You can’t afford to ignore even one word; your very life depends on it! It’s how you’ll be able to live a long time in the land on the other side of the Jordan that will be your territory.

The Eternal spoke to Moses on that same day.

Eternal One: Climb to the top of Mount Nebo, one of the Abarim mountains here in the land of Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho, and look at the land of Canaan, which I’m giving to the people of Israel as their property. Just as Aaron died when he climbed Mount Hor and joined his ancestors in death, you’ll die on top of the mountain you climb and join your ancestors in death. This is because you and Aaron disobeyed Me in front of all the Israelites at Meribah-kadesh in the wilderness of Zin, when you struck the rock instead of commanding it to give water. You did not honor Me, your holy God, as if you could ignore My instructions if you wanted to, in front of all the Israelites! So you can look at this land from a distance, but you can’t go into it, this land I’m giving to the Israelites.

The Book of Deuteronomy, Chapter 32 (The Voice)

my personal reading of the Scriptures for Thursday, july 30 of 2020 with a paired chapter from each Testament along with Today’s Psalms and Proverbs

[keena-kapu]

All the references for the current Dragon Date characters! Click/Tap for full view of the pictures.

This project is coming together well owo under readmore is more character info!

Character profiles from Top left to Bottom Right:

Canon name: Quinn Miles Species: Human Birthday: September 21st Age: 24 Relatives: Ellie Miles (Mother), Eric Miles (Father) Ethnicity: Depending on your choice - Caucasian, Native, East Asian or African Nationality: Californian Height: 5'8" Favourite food: Pizza Favourite drink: Cola Personality: For you to decide Likes: Photography, Writing, Drawing Dislikes: Work, Mornings, Cleaning Additional Trivia: - Quinn and Poroporo were in college for their course on photography then lived together as roommates for nearly five years afterwards. - Quinn works for Buzzfeed writing articles about various people or groups they meet. Their most popular article was "Five people you'll meet in your local Starbucks" - Quinn is on good terms with their parents but wish they wouldn't pressure them into finding "someone nice to settle down and maybe have some grandkids with" 

Name: Xinyi Helong ("Zin-Yee He-Long") Species: Eastern Dragon Birthday: August 2nd Presented Age: 28 Age: 5'182 Relatives: Yangshao (Father, Deceased), Zhū (Mother, Deceased) Ethnicity: East Asian Nationality: Chinese Height: 5'7" Dragon height/length: 15ft Favourite food: Tofu Stir fry with noodles Favourite drink: Catnip tea Personality: Extrovert, Optimistic, Selfless Likes: Rain, Poetry, Making others happy Dislikes: History, Commitment, Upsetting people Additional Trivia: - Xinyi is a Vegetarian - Xinyi has impulsive ADHD and struggles to focus. It can effect her hearing sometimes as well - Xinyi prefers hand written letters to any text messages or e-mails, but she loves memes.

Name: Alton Pierce ("Al-Ton Pierce") Species: Western Dragon Birthday: April 21st Presented Age: 34 Age: 800 Relatives: Kenric (Father, Deceased), Holt (Father, Deceased) Ethnicity: Caucasian Nationality: British (English) Height: 6'5" Dragon height/length: 10ft Favourite food: Fish and Chips Favourite drink: Ale Personality: Reserved, Professional, Tsundre Likes: History, Castles, Star Trek Dislikes: Shouting, Flirting, Spiders Additional Trivia: - Because of his past abuse, Alton is very uncomfortable around women of particular builds. It's something he's ashamed to tell anyone. - Alton paid for Dragon Bay and continues to pay for it's upkeep with gold and jewels he hoarded back in the ninth century. - Alton has a pet Beagle. Her name is Poppet. He takes her for a walk every morning and every evening.

Name: Andres Viento ("And-rays Vee-En-to") Species: Quetzacotyl Birthday: November 8th Presented Age: 25 Age: 4'503 Relatives: Coatlicue (Parent) Ethnicity: Latino Nationality: Mexican (Mayan) Height: 5'4" Dragon height/length: 30ft Favourite food: Chilli Con Carne Favourite drink: Spirits Personality: Passionate, Stubborn, Grumpy Likes: Horror Movies, Birds, Cooking Dislikes: Bad cooking, Mornings, Bad Coffee Additional Trivia: - Andres is a Trans man - Andres has an aviary in his garden which he performs regular maintanence on. He spends most of his time with a Scarlet Macaw named "Julio" - Andres' magic is restored by blood, which was the reasoning for human sacrifice in his youth. Nower days he can restore it with his own, but tries not to use magic at all so he doesn't need to.

Name: Natasha Drakkon ("Nah-Tah-Sha Dra-con") Species: Slavic Dragon Birthday: March 2nd Presented Age: 42 Age: 1817 Relatives: Zmey Gorynych (Biological Parent, Deceased), Dobrynya Nikitich (Adopted father, deceased) Ethnicity: Half Caucasian, Half East Asian Nationality: Russian Height: 6'10" Dragon height/length: 15ft Favourite food: Beef Stroganoff Favourite drink: Coffee Personality: Mothering, Protective, Secretive Likes: Animals (Particularly bunnies), Snow, Flying Dislikes: Stress, Exercise, Spices Additional Trivia: - Other than Quinn, Natasha is the only character who is merely on holiday at Dragon Bay. - Natasha owns four rabbits back at home. They're all Rex Rabbits and named "Eenie, "Meanie", "Miney" and "Mo" - Natasha has learning difficulties which sometimes make it difficult for her to understand when she's being overbearing.

Name: Poroporo Ka i'a ("Poh-roh-poh-roh Kah Ee-ah") Species: Taniwha Birthday: June 6th Presented Age: 25 Age: 1534 Relatives: Tūtaeporoporo (Parent, Deceased) Ethnicity: Polynesian Nationality: Hawaiian Height: 5'11" Dragon height/length: 8ft Favourite food: Pizza Favourite drink: Cola Personality: Optimistic, Easily Excited, Gullible Likes: Dancing, Surfing, Photography Dislikes: Shark Hunting, Violence of any kind, Alcohol Additional Trivia: - Poroporo's first language is Maori. Sometimes they will swear under their breath in Maori - The flower in Poroporo's hair is a Poroporo flower. And yes, it is poisonous. - Poroporo's favourite dance is the Haka, despite their peaceful nature.

Name: Florence ('Flo') Toulouse ("Floh-rence Too-loose" or "Flow") Species: Fae Dragon Birthday: February 1st Presented Age: 21 Age: 165 Relatives: Regina Magnem (Mother/Ruler), Olivia Magnem (Sister) Ethnicity: Caucasian Nationality: French Height: 5'1" (With Heels) 4'11" (Without) Dragon height/length: 3ft Favourite food: Chocolate Favourite drink: Chamomile Tea Personality: Hotheaded, Impulsive, Pessimistic Likes: Human Cultures, Cats, Xinyi Dislikes: History, Socialising, Gardening Additional Trivia: - Flo is the only dragon who gets smaller when she reverts to her dragon form. - Flo has two Birman cats, Dutchess and O'malley - Flo suffers from severe depression and often deals with very dark thoughts. Aside from the emergency services, Xinyi is her emergency contact.

Name: Tariqah Iksha ("Tah-Ree-Kah Ik-Shar") Species: Naga Birthday: May 10th Presented Age: 30 Age: 6632 Relatives: No known relatives Ethnicity: Asian Nationality: Indian Height: 5'9" Dragon height/length: 18ft Favourite food: Chicken Tikka Masala Favourite drink: Orange Juice Personality: Calm, Quiet, Easily flustered Likes: Reptiles, Books, Flirting Dislikes: The Cold, Their left arm (or lack of), Kindles Additional Trivia: - Tariqah will return to their dragon form most regularly. If they have no plans for the day, they will spend it indoors in that form. - Tariqah runs a book club in the local library. Alton and Flo regularly attend. - Tariqah knows Poroporo through an online forum for nonbinary people. Poroporo helped them identify as nonbinary and gain the confidence to look how they want. Tariqah was very excited to finally meet them in person.

#Dragon Date #OC stuff #feel free to ask questions if u wanna! #kapu art

[deanwinchesterjournal]

Amon

The smell of smoke was almost suffocating but he endured until the stick of incense burnt itself into ash. Though his people's way, the burning of incense and giving thanks to long forgotten gods was not his way. Where were the gods when that damned dragon attacked the Barrens? Where were the gods when everyone else ran except Kreuzer? Where were the damned gods when the dragon turned it's attention to him and burned him alive?

There was the sound of movement to his right and he opened his eyes quickly, hand on his sword.

A wild longneck was staring at him, eyes wide with fear. He slowly stood up, not sure what had spooked the normally benign animal. He took a half step towards it, his hand outstretched trying to calm it but it was no use. The animal took off down the side of the mountain, almost falling twice and killing itself.

Though no druid he knew animals. His brother had taught him their reactions and responses in the wild and this, was no normal response. Musing out loud he asked. “What the hell caused that?”

“You did.” a calm voice came from behind him.

Without a thought he spun, drawing both weapons from his side in a flash. He brought the both down in a sideways arc, ensuring whoever he was fighting would not dodge the attack.

Both blades clanged against wooden staff, being held by a pandarian monk looking at him with an amused expression. “Slow down.”

He ignored the words and spun the other way, removing his weapons from the staff and bringing them to bear from the other side.

The monk had taken one step back. “You seem angry.”

He growled and jumped at the panda, knowing the instant his feet left the earth that it was the wrong move. The monk hooked the front of his shirt and moved to the side, throwing him across the small plateau they were on.

He rolled and came up growling, he had no idea who this idiot was but he was dead.

“That was why the animal ran.” the monk said, seemingly not knowing or not caring how much trouble he was in.

He stopped. “Why?”

“You growled.” the panda said lowering his staff. “In your mediation you growled and it scared the animal.”

“I wasn't meditating.” he said, putting his swords away. “I was honoring the dead.”

The monk looked down at the altar and saw the orc body laid out, armor and weapon in hand. The place was protected by powerful magic and the monk could feel a calmness about it that all graves seemed to have.

“You knew him?”

He grunted and walked over to the altar. “His name was Kreuzer, he was my mentor.“

“Cruiser?“ the pandarian asked, the orcish name foreign to his tongue.

“No Kr...you know what? Close enough.“

The panda looked down at the memorial and sighed. “He seemed so young.”

“He doesn't seem young he is young and he shouldn't have died!” his words echoed out across the barrens.

He sat there for a long while, chest heaving as he looked down at his teacher and vowed vengeance for his death. After a few moments the panda put his paw on the warrior's shoulder. “You are a good student, honoring his memory like this.”

He shrugged the touch away. “Whatever, I will be a good student when I kill the thing that killed him.”

“Who killed him?”

“Deathwing.”

The monk just stared at the warrior for a long time. “You seek vengeance, against a dragon?”

“Damned right.”

“My name is Kâzu.” he held out his paw.

“Kaz?” he asked shaking it back.

“Close enough. And you are?”

He looked down at the memorial of his lost teacher and felt the blood boil in his veins. Coming here, burning incense, this was not honoring him. This was.

“My name is Kreuzer.”

The panda looked at the memorial and then back to the troll. “Like him?”

The warrior nodded.

“So, you are the twin to Kreuzer. Then I shall call you Twin.”

“Call me? Why do you think you're coming with me?”

“You are about to seek vengeance on the former earth warder and a dragon spirit and all you possess is hatred and two swords. One of two things will happen. You will die a horrible and painful death or you shall find a way to end him. Both instances, I very much wish to see with my own eyes. Besides, you will need healing.”

The panda's paw moved and a green mist moved around it and then circled Twin. The troll felt instantly better, refreshed, renewed.

“You know if the dragon kills me he will most likely kill you too.”

The panda shrugged. “I have hidden on the back of Shen-zin Su for far too long. I wish to see the world and you, seem very much a part of it.”

The troll just stared at his new friend for a few seconds. “You know I don't understand a word of what you just said right?”

“I seek adventure.” the panda tried again.

“Oh, well that I have tons of.” he turned back to the memorial and gave his teacher one last goodbye.

“So where do we start?” the panda asked as they both walked off the hill.

“You ever been to  Dustwallow Marsh?”

“I have not.”

“Well we need to go there first.”

“Very well, what is there?”

“Deathwing's daughter.” Twin said not even looking back.

“You're heading out to go kill a dragon, right now?”

“Told ya I had a ton of adventure. Keep up you don't want to miss this.”

“I certainly do not.” the monk said, hurrying after the warrior eagerly.