#Two Kinds of Forgiveness with People

[thinkingonscripture]

Two Kinds of Forgiveness with People

For Christians, there are two kinds of forgiveness. The first is unconditional and the other is conditional. Unconditional forgiveness is one sided. It is given by the one who has been offended, even if the offender does not seek forgiveness or cease his sinful ways. This one sided forgiveness may also keep others at a distance so as to mitigate further harm against us and to avoid their…

[idolomantises]

I was just complaining about Dandadan fans being weirdly against shipping but after seeing the BNHA fandom's behavior uh. i get it now.

[lunar-wandering]

do y'all think Macaque is falling back into the role that Azure and the others put on him by remaining on the outskirts of the group because he thinks his input/presence is unwanted (and yeah his presence isn't really wanted by MK and the others BUT. something about the fact Macaque is placing himself at the edge of the group, the edge that Azure and the others pushed him to, doesn't really sit well)

[yarrowleef-babbles]

been hearing rumors that the "i'm always straight" lines may have been cut from the GN and IF that is true, I expect everyone will be super mad about that--and ngl i'd mourn the loss of it too because it has become iconic to me

But. i can't believe i'm playing devils advocate for this, BUT it is not entirely unreasonable for an adaptation of this work to decide it does not want to reference Ronan's sexuality yet......coming to terms with his sexuality is (one) part of his arc in the 2nd book. Adam Parrish being ~the 2nd secret he doesn't want to admit to himself~ , Ronan's catholic guilt homoerotic nightmares and the like, all characterize his sexuality as something he might vaguely be aware of but seriously struggles to openly admit. I don't think he even uses the word gay or any other word to describe himself in the whole series? (unless I'm forgetting something?)

So, idk, it's not unreasonable to want the (hypothetical) audience to also not be aware of it until Ronan is forced to directly grapple with his identity next book.

i think this is one of those things that has become very dear to the fandom over time, but if i look at it objectively without my feelings, i just.....i do understand why someone could conceivably decide that this off-handed bitchy "he's gay btw" joke is not of dire importance for the sanctity of the story 😭 in the 'pros don't outweigh the cons' sort of way....

[pyrriax]

(there's a cat in my garden, she reminds me of you. lying on her back, sunlight catching her fur in the prettiest way, all soft edges and love. i cried over you yesterday. did you know that? why couldn't you stay just a moment longer? now i have to grieve you, and i'll start with letting the cat in the garden inside. she'll sit in your spot, clean her paws of the dirt, and take up the empty space. i'll love her like i loved you. like i love you still.)

[bookshelf-in-progress]

@isfjmel-phleg Well, I couldn't resist that prompt. This is extremely rough, and I reserve the right to decanonize any of this, but I had to take a stab at writing these two in this situation.

Beyond The Legend

"Tanza, what's this?" Auren called.

Tanza stormed into her house's gathering area, tossing aside the cloth she'd been wiping the dining table with. "Auren, I told you not to touch the electronics until I was rea—"

She froze.

The projection screen on the far wall was filled with the dull sparkle of a classic lumiscopic drama. The glimmers of purple and green added layers of depth to the muted colors of the image—which showed a square-jawed, golden-haired tephan man with ragged finery and a few artistically-placed smears of blood on his all-too-handsome face.

Auren was sitting on a soft chair, staring at the image. "Who is that?"

"An actor," Tanza said quickly, desperately scanning the room for the controls. If there was one drama Auren should not see…

"Naturally," Auren said, rolling his eyes. "What is his name? He seems familiar."

"Corphan Holbrith," Tanza said, then cursed her thoughtlessness. Auren might know the name. She might not be able to stop the showstream in time…

Auren's brow furrowed. "I've heard that name before. Usually accompanied by 'you're not as handsome as'."

"Well, you're not." Where on Arateph had Auren put her datapad?

"Thank you for your support, Tanza."

On the screen, Corphan Holbrith limped up a rocky mountain path, leaning heavily upon a man in an ill-fitting suit of workers' clothes.

Auren examined the image. "Do I resemble him? It's odd that its been remarked upon so often."

"He's extremely famous," Tanza said, desperately hoping to distract his attention. Why hadn't she sprung to get voice-controlled showstreams?

"For what?"

"He's been in a million lumiscopic dramas."

Behind the shelf—was that the control? Tanza dove to the floor. Just the light controls. She sprang to her feet, disgusted.

By now, Corphan Holbrith had reached a ramshackle door in the mountainside, but he was pulling away from his companion. "I must return," he said. "My people have need of me."

His companion tried to hold him back. "You must save yourself, lirishan."

Auren jumped at the word—a naming tongue title applied only to the crown prince.

The companion continued, " If Prince Auren dies, all hope is lost."

Tanza sank into a soft chair, defeated.

Auren gazed at her in open astonishment. "Is he—?"

"Prince Auren," Tanza sighed. "About thirty years ago, this role launched Holbrith's career. This drama was a sensation. Won all sorts of awards. People went crazy over it."

"Have you seen it?"

"A few times," Tanza said casually. Not in a million years would she tell Auren that she'd watched it every night for a year when she was twelve.

Auren grinned and turned back to the screen, his eyes sparkling with delight. "What's it about?"

Well, it didn't look like Auren was spiraling into traumatic memories, so maybe Tanza could run with this.

"Your typical revolutionary alternate history," she said. "Prince Auren was saved from the brink of death by a beautiful lady rebel who fell in love with him, was rescued by royalists, then escaped into the mountains, lost his memory, became a beloved member of the community, fell in love with the rebel lady, regained his memory, then had to decide whether to choose love or royal duty."

"What did he choose?"

"He tries to claim his kingdom, of course, while staying faithful to his love, but they both have to go into hiding and wait for the right time to emerge. It's all very artistic."

On-screen, the faux Prince Auren collapsed from exhaustion, while the beautiful dark-haired lady rebel wept over him, and berated the nobleman who'd been helping him up the mountain.

"I see that," Auren said with a grin.

"We can watch something else," Tanza said, finally spotting the controls beside the window.

"Not for all the money on Arateph."

Tanza shrugged and relaxed into her seat.

She had seen the drama a few times since she was twelve, but not since she'd met the actual Auren. The false history seemed even more melodramatic now that the real history was no longer hidden. Prince Auren was heroic and romantic—a sheltered royal cast out into a harsh world, tortured by his losses and driven by virtue.

"Please tell me I don't talk like that," Auren said.

The faux Prince Auren was giving a speech that had won Holbrith his first acting award. It actually was something Tanza could imagine the real Auren saying—all about hope in adversity—but the voice sounded strange in a way it never had before.

It was a pitch-perfect imitation of the way the royal accent sounded in decaying copies of pre-revolutionary recordings, but nothing like Auren's real voice—refined and old-fashioned, but with plenty of warmth and humor.

"Not a bit," Tanza said.

"Thank all the stars."

The story continued through yet another chase scene set among soaring mountain landscapes. "They thought I was in Kepha?" Auren asked.

"It made sense at the time," Tanza said. "Your mother's family was there, and the mountains have lots of places to hide."

Auren stared at the screen a moment, processing this new information. "No wonder it took them a hundred years to find me."

The story continued through chase scenes and fights, bouts of amnesia, dramatic speeches, narrow escapes, and touching emotional moments. The story was silly, sometimes surprisingly heartwrenching—but the story she'd seen a million times felt brand-new with the real Auren sitting beside her.

Once, Corphan Holbrith's Auren had been Tanza's ideal. He was noble. Unshakeable. A bit sheltered, but with a good heart. Capable of knocking down any number of rebels and then declaring his feelings to the love of his life. Enough inner turmoil to be endlessly fascinating to a twelve year old girl.

Holbrith's Auren was by far the most flattering portrayal of the controversial prince, but he was a pale shadow when placed next to the real thing. His Auren wasn't someone who would cook a meal, chat about the little details of a history student's day, laugh over a silly melodrama, face a world a hundred years in his own future.

The last scene of the story faded out—Prince Auren gazing over the land that he swore he would one day save, before disappearing into the mountain forest—leaving only the real Prince Auren.

"So that's the life I missed out on," Auren said. "I'm almost sad I slept through it instead. The real history must be disappointing compared to the legend."

"Are you kidding?" Tanza asked.

"It's certainly less exciting," Auren said. "And I'm no Corphan Holbrith."

"No," Tanza said, turning off the projector. "Believe me, the real thing is much better."

[kirkwallguy]

sera and cole are both characters that are SO interesting on paper then the moment they speak it's like. oh no.

[mortalscience]

Law and Order Criminal Intent - s02e03 - Anti-Thesis Goren: Professor Sanders wasn't in that night grading papers, was he? Eames: True or false, Ms Goodman, and we don’t give incompletes. Goodman: He said he had a dinner with some people from NYU.. about a job offer. Eames: How long was the dinner?  Goodman: He came back around 8:30. He was in a bad mood. Eames: Why?  Goodman: He didn't say. He just shut himself in his office and got on the phone. Then he left at 9:30. He told me if anybody asked, he was grading papers all night. Goodman waits a beat. Goodman: I'm sorry.. Goren: It's okay, Valerie. Thanks.

[duffmckagans]

very excited for people to see how all of these characters have changed in subtle ways due to either maturity in nuance or dissatisfaction with the original portrayals, but i think i'm most excited for people to read about valerie this time. which, possibly may be because this book is centered around her, but i just feel like she's gained some good depth. all of her traits are still there, for better or worse, but there's definitely an added realism that i'm really proud of ♡ and i hope is better understood this time around.

[alex-the-bringer-of-chaos]

I'mma make a comparison between Lottie Matthew from Yellowjackets and Geto Suguru from Jujutsu Kaisen, and if you wanna avoid spoilers, either one of them, I recommend not reading below the cut (I start talking about her immediately, but he only makes an appearance from the 3rd paragraph below/4th in this post entirety).

Lottie is quite an interesting way of exploring what could be psychosis on what may or may not be a supernatural setting (that or she's clairvoyant, but we don't know if the supernatural is to be interpreted as actually being real, partially real or something they made up and solely real to them - i lean on the last one more). I do think there's a lot about her that you can empathize with, and her character is very well played by both actresses.

At the end of the day, she doesn’t know if it's real or not, and we see her struggling with the possibilities in the past and present time. Regardless, she is aware of her growing influence on the group on the teen timeline, and it's very interesting to see how she acts back then. In the present, we see this dichotomy in how she acts with her psychiatrist vs her compound/cult, which is another way of getting an insight into the mind of this mysterious character.

I do still hate her for being a cult leader, like that's not gonna go away, similar to how I hate older Suguru Geto (the actual Geto, not the fake one) for being a cult leader, but I do feel for who they were before and the loses and need for control that lead to the position they ended at.

They are both people who struggled with "powers" that their family didn't understand, both were already not doing so great, were struck by a massive tragedy that involved death, and then things just kept getting worse and worse, until one of the bad things that keep happening finally lead to them creating a cult.

Despite these similarities, these two characters are still very different, and at the end of the day my ultimate liking of them falls on the "what they could've been" based on what we saw/see of good traits the had/have, the fact that they could've actually done good, and in a healthy way, yet that didn't happen. The person they became works great as character progress and provides very interesting arcs, but I still would hate them if they were real people, even if I can feel for their pain and wish they had gone a different path.

[clumsycapitolunicorn]

it's been nearly 6 months since the ted lasso finale and im still pretty much:

[viviraptor]

i have a ygo ship take and you have to really hear me out. if i had to ship weevil with anyone else other than rex. it would be yugi

[camellia-thea]

i. have thoughts on the show i am watching. very few of them good.

[toastgoatteeth]

I have not engaged with any MCU media in a VERY long time, so correct me if I'm wrong, but does anyone else sometimes think about how Norse mythology is the only mythology/religious sect that is proven to exist in this universe. It's objectively interesting to ME at least, because presumably everyone on earth was chilling and relaxing and then suddenly the Nordic god, Loki, touches down and starts causing alien havoc in New York.

Like, would that not cause some kind of weird religious upset, to just have an actual REAL Scandinavian god be real, amongst the rest of his pantheon? Like yeah, Thor is a superhero or whatever, but does anyone ever just be like "That's the actual Norse Thor and Loki. The god's from Scandinavian folklore. They are the only gods to be proven real." And like, yes, the MCU gets most if not all of their mythology incorrect, but it's just weird to me how presumably other religions still manage to exist despite Loki and Thor and Odin just fucking being there.

Basically this post was created because I really really really wanted there to be like. A Loki shrine or worshipper or something in the new Loki season because you know. He's a god. He would have worshippers. People who pray to him and all that stuff, and I'm disappointed there weren't any.

[earanie]

just finished a longfic that's left me with even more yearning than the original canon did (and that's saying quite something). help

[filthesis]

Mini vent!

I made this blog for my friends, but I doubt that our friendship will persist until I'm done with my thesis. Despite being "friends" for over four months, I feel like I haven't done anything to earn our relationship. Regardless, I'm glad that I'm still giving this whole thing a shot. Even if nothing comes to fruition, this blog will be a pillar of my earnest wishes --- the want to create for other people, as well as myself.