#American individualism is a curse upon our culture

[oglegoggle]

I just… I know full well that I’m difficult to love. I know I’m broken and needy and strange. I want so much to be treated with adoration as warm and powerful as the sun. I don’t want to schedule my love life around someone’s actual family life. I don’t want to be a side piece plaything competing with someone’s actual spouse. I want to feel like a legitimate priority in someone’s life for once in my goddamn life.

[gatekeeper-watchman]

What the Bible Says about Judgment

Reaping What You Sow – What the Bible Says about Judgment

Although judgment usually has an evil connotation to it (the execution of the penalty for sin), it also has a positive side. Judgment has to do with the sowing and reaping process. This is defined in Galatians 6:7-9, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

From this, we can see that the negative side of judgment is that evil reaps destruction, while on the positive side, good that is sown through Jesus is rewarded. God’s judgment on evil is seen by the curse that is on wicked men, while God’s judgment for the righteous will manifests in His blessings and rewards on them. This is true for individuals as well as nations.

Judgment Hangs Over Our Nation

As a nation (the USA), we have sown good and evil.  I believe God has been gracious and merciful to us because we have reached out to help the other nations of the world.   The church has sent many missionaries around the world.  Christians in this nation have supported many missionary works, while Christians and others have supported humanitarian works in every nation. The United States government has poured billions of dollars into foreign aid and forgiven billions of dollars of indebtedness to other countries. We are one of the first on the scene to arrive with aid and assistance when natural disasters, such as earthquakes, strike other countries. America has helped the oppressed and poor of other nations.  She has helped rebuild infrastructures, railways, etc. after nations have been ravaged by war. I could name many more, but this should suffice.

As a nation, we have also sown much evil. We have exported our ungodly music, movies, pornography, tobacco, alcohol.  Our tobacco companies cannot sell their wares to the young people in our nation but they are allowed to export it to the youth of other nations. We have been hypocritical in calling ourselves a Christian nation when we allow abortion. Many Americans are drug addicts, and are consumed with pornography and vile movies.  We commit adultery without blushing and are sex-crazed. I have noticed that the most prevalent types of ads that daily come across the Internet are ads selling something pertaining to sex, ads that tell you how to become a millionaire, and those that encourage gambling.  Instead of being a good example to the world, we export our vices.  Sharing Christ with other nations is difficult when they see our lust and materialism. Our American culture has been shot through with all types of sinful temptations designed by the devil to keep us weak and fearful and powerless to fight against him. Yes, judgment comes upon us as we reap what we have sown. God wants to bless us with good things, but our sins prevent God from blessing us.

Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you. Jeremiah 5:25

We are all being judged by the Word of God daily. When we fail to keep God’s laws and Christ’s commandments, we are judged in that respect.  When we honor God and keep His Word, we are also judged as faithful. There is one way we can avert judgment.  When we repent of our sins and walk in a daily relationship with Jesus, we no longer come under judgment. Jesus took our judgment on the cross to save us from hell, which is the penalty for our sins. We must pray that the church comes to true repentance that will produce a genuine revival in our nation and the world.

And if any man hears my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. John 12:47-48

Judgment On Sin

Judgment is already falling. What’s happening to church leadership? Their sins have found them out. The Word says our sins will find us out. “But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). If we have hidden sins, they’re going to be exposed. So, if we have any hidden sins, we need to go to God right now and cry out for deliverance. We need to get on our knees, pray and fast, and seek God for deliverance. If we don’t, our hidden sins are going to be exposed. But if we take care of those sins in the prayer closet, they won’t have to be exposed.

It’s not by works that we gain deliverance from hidden sins. We cannot break sinful habits in our own strength. It’s only by faith in God and by His power that we’re able to gain the victory. Most Christians can testify of how God has delivered them from a major sin. Many have been delivered from alcohol, or tobacco, or adultery. If Jesus has delivered us from one sin, can He not also deliver us from the rest of them? We have the attitude, “Well, I’m just a sinner and can only continue sinning.” No, God is saying He has given us the power over sin. He’s telling us if we use His tools and His power we can overcome any sin in our lives. God is wanting us to deal with the sin problem.

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. Romans 6:14-18

Sin is the problem with the world. The world is full of problems because of sin. People go to counselors to get their problems smoothed over when they really need to be facing their sin problem. Many psychiatrists listen for hours on end to their patients when they need to tell them their problem is sin and they need to repent. That’s what’s causing the majority of people’s problems. They’ve even verified that most of those in mental institutions are there because they cannot face the fact that they have committed wrong. Instead of facing their sin, they blame it on someone else. They don’t take the responsibility; they excuse themselves. They blame their parents: “If they hadn’t raised me the way they did I wouldn’t be this way.” They blame the car accident: “I’m injured today because of what the other driver did.” Even when someone is physically injured, they don’t have to take on bitterness and hatred. Some people pick up those negative emotions when they’ve been hurt or offended.

We’ve all been hurt in this world. It’s inevitable since we’re in the world that is under the power of the devil or the “beast system”. It’s how we handle those hurts and wounds that determines whether we’re going to have victory. We need to give them to Jesus. Our prayer should be, “Jesus, somebody hurt me today. Forgive him and help me to overcome. Cleanse me from any bitterness.”

In this hour of judgment, all who take “the mark of the beast” are going to be destroyed. “If any man worships the beast and his image, and receive his mark on his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb” (Revelation 14: 9b-10).

This destruction will be upon those who’ve picked up that worldly humanistic thinking. They’re going to fall. Because they don’t have the thinking of God, they’ll be destroyed by the plagues and other calamities that are in the world. In these last hours we’re not going to be able to stand unless we’ve got the Word of God in our minds and hearts and are doing the works of God. That’s the only way we’re going to be able to stand. Otherwise, we’ll not be able to stand when, for example, whole cities are plagued with disease. Fear will grip our hearts and we’ll be open to receive the diseases, too, if we’re allowing fear to rule in our lives. What we’re going to have to do is stand up and say, In Jesus’ name, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). I’ll not receive a spirit of fear.

Fear of God, Our Protection

One fear most Christians have not conquered is the fear of what man will say. We fear what our spouses, or church friends, or outsiders will say, more than we fear what God will say. We need to fear God more. Instead of fearing what man will say about us, we need to have that holy respect for God because our only safety is in Him. This is not a tormenting fear of God, but a respect for Him and His Word. If He says something, we respect what He says because we believe His Word.

If we’re marked with God’s Word in our minds and hearts and doing His works, then the devil is no match for us. The devil is the defeated one. He had a fatal blow struck to his head through Jesus Christ. We can now crush him under our feet with the Word of God, if we stand. But those Christians who aren’t standing are being swept away even now. Loved ones are being snatched away as the enemy is creating terrible devastation upon the earth through such assaults as financial destruction, broken homes, kidnapped children, runaway teens, unwed mothers, terrible diseases, and so forth. What are we going to do in these times? We’re going to stand on the Word because the Lamb has overcome the beast. We’re not taking the beast’s mark.

Excerpt taken from the book, “The Mark of God or The Mark of the Beast.”

Judgment Begins at God’s House

1 Peter 4:17 says, “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God.” Ezekiel 8 speaks of the abominations in God’s temple and throughout Israel. Sin had become so vile that a holy God could tolerate no more. The command came to destroy all that was an abomination. Likewise, today sin exists in God’s house. There’s lying and cheating, greed and materialism, adultery and other sexual sins in church leadership. Many abominations can be found in our churches; such sin deeply grieves the Holy Spirit.

Obviously, sin abounds in our country too. As a result, our nation is racing toward judgment. It’s going to take wholesale national repentance to avert judgment. Nineveh was spared because it repented upon hearing Jonah’s proclamation. America, too, can be spared since prophetic words of judgment are conditional. This principal applies to all nations of the world. Fortunately, repentance averts judgment. First, though, the judgment is taking place within the church. Because God is purging His people, we see churches falling and sin in leadership being revealed. Hidden filth is being uncovered. Once the church is clean, she can enter into the glory promised her. Let’s intercede for those within the church who are yet walking in filthiness. Let’s cry and sigh for purity.

God Marks the Intercessors

Ezekiel 9:4 says, “And the Lord said unto him, go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.” Is your heart grieved over abominations taking place in the church today? Sin is not restricted to the world, for the world’s abominations have crept into the church. There are unmarried couples living together who think it’s acceptable since certain pastors no longer hold a standard against adultery. There are even homosexual pastors. God can and wants to deliver people from homosexuality which is a sin that many have condoned, whereas God considers it an abomination. God loves the homosexual and wants to free him or her, however God hates the sin. We’re allowing sins in the church that were never allowed before.

We’re to be sighing and crying over the abominations in the church, crying out, “O God, this isn’t holiness, this is impurity.” According to Ezekiel 9:4, those who have a burden over the lack of holiness in the church are going to be marked by God. God says He’s going to mark those who are grieved over sin, those who are holy and pure in heart, those of who see the abominations and cry out for holiness in the church. Was the mark spoken of in Ezekiel 9:4 a literal mark? I don’t believe it was. Instead, I believe these intercessors were spiritually marked two ways. First, they had the mind and heart of God as they were intercessors. Second, they had angelic protection assigned to them so that no harm could befall them.

Holiness is no longer a popular thing to teach. Many feel that the grace of God covers everything, no matter what we do. The way God’s grace covers everything is by our first repenting of the sin. Repentance means to turn from the sin, not to keep doing it. In error, many have been taught we can keep on sinning and sinning and sinning, and God will keep on forgiving and forgiving and forgiving. God is merciful and forgiving but there is a point that if we’ve refused to turn away from our sin, the sin will overtake us and drag us right into Satan’s territory. That’s because being sorry is not true repentance, thus God can’t forgive it. We must turn from sin. True repentance is turning from sin, not just saying we’re sorry for doing it. Many are sorry they’ve been caught, but they’re not sorry from their heart; they’re not truly repentant for the sin. Judas was sorry for his betrayal of Christ, but he was not truly repentant.

Ezekiel 9 deals with holiness. The mark of God is going to be put on those seeking holiness. Do we think this is going to be a literal mark? Are we going to have G-O-D written on our foreheads? Of course not. We recognize that mark is a spiritual one. To be marked with God’s mark on our forehead is to be marked with the mind of Christ. What we’re to have been the mind of Christ, God’s thinking, His Word indelibly written into our mind that we might think His thoughts and speak His words from our hearts. That’s what it means to have His mark set upon us. In the natural, if we spend enough time with someone, we become marked by that exposure. If we’re around Jesus long enough, we’re going to act like Him, we’re going to look like Him, we’re going to speak the words He speaks. But if we stay around the devil’s crowd long enough, we’re going to act like them, think like them, and speak the way they speak. So, we’re going to either be marked by the Word of God or marked by the enemy, the beast system, the world system. If our minds are not marked by the way of the Lord, they’re going to be marked by Satan’s ways. Revelation 14:1 describes this marking also.

We need to understand this concerning the mark of God. In Ezekiel, His mark went upon those crying over the abominations. Remember Lot, his soul was vexed day and night while he was in corrupt Sodom. We should be vexed over what’s taking place in the church today when we confront it or hear of her sin. Continually I’m grieved over things I hear, such as the condoning of homosexuality to the point of allowing homosexual church leadership. Too many pastors are not holding up the holy standard of God’s Word. Instead, they’re yielding to the beast system; they’re being marked with that system rather than with the mark of God and the mind of Christ.

Judgment Falls

Ezekiel 9:5 says, “And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity.” This speaks of the hour of judgment coming. When Jesus came to the earth the first time, He came as a Lamb. When He comes the second time, it will be as a lion, that is, with judgment to deal boldly with sin. So many Christians have no understanding of this. They think Jesus is coming again to deliver them out of all this earthly mess. In reality, He’s coming to judge them of the self-pity and apathy in their lives, sin, etc. Too many Christians are crying out for God to deliver them out of their situations, when God wants them to be a minister of deliverance to those around them in those situations. They’re to be on fire for God, doing warfare for Him, taking territory for His kingdom. They shouldn’t be crying to get out of this earth when God has placed them here to be His useful instruments.

In this judgment that’s coming upon the church, He says, “Spare not” (Ezekiel 9:5). A time is coming in which God says, “This is the end of the grace period.” It’s payday. Every man is now going to be paid for his deeds, whether they be good done unto God or evil done unto the devil. That’s what judgment is–it’s payday. We get paid for what we’ve done. It’s a day of justice, equity, and fairness. This does not mean we’re saved by works; we’re saved by grace. But we are to do good works. Our good works show that we have been saved. If we’re truly Christians, we’re going to be doing good works. If we’re not doing good works, we need to examine our Christianity. Good works show that we have a relationship with Jesus. They don’t get us to heaven; Jesus does that. But Jesus says those who love Him will keep His commandments (John 14:21). We’ll not keep on sinning if we love Him, and God will empower us to overcome that sin.

Judgment for evil is hanging over this nation and others as well. The only way it can be lessened or averted is for the church to repent, be cleansed and begin to pray and obey the will of God. My prayer is that each of us will do our part so that our own nations can fulfill their destinies for good in the earth. May the judgment be coming to the USA. be unto repentance and not unto destruction of our nation. From: Steven P. Miller, @ParkermillerQ, gatekeeperwatchman.org TM

Founder and Administrator of Gatekeeper-Watchman International Group Thursday, August 29, 2024, Jacksonville, Florida., Duval County, USA.  X … @ParkermillerQ , Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/Sparkermiller.JAX.FL.USA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Sparkermiller.JAX.FL.USA, Instagram: steven_parker_miller_1956 #GWIG, #GWIN, #GWINGO.

[donnnoir]

Witches on Reservations...

As a means of returning to the primary focus of this my blog; while permitting my mind a bit of a respite from the current horrors playing out across our country and the world.  I thought I should address a long standing and very contentious matter.  In so doing I will no doubt garner the ire of the “witch” and “pagan” communities.  Which is furthest from what I desire.  Moreover allow me to state in advance that over the years I have usually dated “witches”.  Granted my best experiences are with those who are four to six generations practicing “kitchen witches” here in this country; usually drawing upon a even longer standing heritage in the Olde Country.

Sadly our lexicon and nomenclature no longer sufficiently support the rich and varied distinctions of those blessed and cursed to carry on the practices of the Olde Ways and given to having the “sight”. Instead we lump the profane with the sublime, and malicious in with virtuous and call them “witches”.  A discussion well worth having at another time.  During the past century a more accepting disposition has grown towards those more different, shall we say.  So much so, practitioners of obscure, arcane and occult faiths and lifestyles are widely accepted almost vogue-ishly in some circles. To the exclusion of the realities, histories and cultural sensitivities of others.

Painfully as I try to enlighten the “witch” and “pagan” communities of this, I am usually met with scorn and derision.  It is a knee jerk reaction caused by centuries of prosecution, pogroms and nigh extermination.  To which all I can say is I understand.  However to cling to this as wolf-bane in defense or supportive of some moral high ground in which the individual feels free to ignore the hardships and cultural sensitivities of another group seems a disservice to all parties.

For you see within Indian Nations of the Southwestern United States and to some degree everywhere the Native Americans fear witches with a irrational passion.  There are NO good witches of any sort on the reservations, or in their histories.  If you are shall we say a “light worker” or “healer”, you should properly refer to yourself as a medicine woman or man, NOT a “witch”.

Now before you pick up whatever version of the cross suits you and you become the latest version of “manifest destiny” to “educate” or “indoctrinate” the ill informed backward savages.  Allow me to inform you that there ARE “witches” on the reservations even today and they have millennias of history within the nations.  And NONE of it is good.

Let me explain the process by which a witch becomes so.  It is a recognized three primary sacraments or rituals that the initiate will pass through.  Even though his (oooh obviously I am using masculine pronouns in my discussion, that is because on the Reservation more than 99% of “witches” are male.) initial desires or intentions may not be to become a “witch”.  The recognized first step is incest, the closer and more innocent is preferred.  Followed by murder, preferably a family member.  Finally the practice of cannibalism preferably of the murdered family member.  At which point you have broken off from all that is light and right in the world. You are NO longer even considered human.  These witches gain incredible power, becoming shapeshifters and skinwalkers, not the same thing.  They continue their murderous and cannibalistic tendencies from then on and throughout their lives.  A fact that should not be lost upon us today, despite the illusions of our popular culture.

Back nine hundred to twelve hundred years ago these practices escalated within the predominate Native American Culture of the time, the Anasazi.  This period is known as the “Time of the Witches”.  It coincided with and contributed to the collapse of the Anasazi.  When society pieced itself back together, the Elders remembering the “Time of the Witches” built in the social instruments to prevent “witches” from destroying society ever again.  With the realization that incest was the “gateway” by which most entered into the process.  The family unit was redefined; your “aunts” were now mothers to you.  Your “cousins” were now your brothers and sisters.  An acceptable candidate for marriage was one not consanguineous to oneself.  In other words they needed to come from some distant clan, not from either paternal nor maternal lines.  To even mildly approach any close family in what would be considered an inappropriate manner is punished by extreme ostracism, even today.

[kimyoonmiauthor]

Why Your Books Will Get Banned (Old Nanowrimo Post)

I used to post this game on Nanowrimo. I saved the text before Nanowrimo declared that the N-word spelled out was OK and this wasn’t a democracy (2010, in the archives, at the bottom). I figure it’s OK to post that unless they didn’t change their policy since then, because they want prejudice (though that wasn’t the worst of what they wouldn’t mod). Writing forums need to be run at the top by diverse people, and not just white women. Separate post though. BTW, I have witnesses who still remember this incident, so it isn’t slander. I was working on diversity in the writing forums before WeNeedDiverseBooks was a thing and squandered the opportunity by making it only YA. And I’ll still call them out for that. It got challenged, this thread once, much to the laughter of everyone. (for being anti-Christian lol) If the writer is out there that challenged the thread and somehow got published. Thumbs up, good for you. Maybe you revised since then? The thing I didn’t post with this post every year from 2005-2010 I did this post was I posted it because I wanted people to think hard on Free Speech and what it meant. So I’ll hardball it this time. As you read the list, think hard on who is gate keeping. And who has the right to gate keep. Is gate keeping a tool to oppress and do the power minorities have a right to use the same tool back? How many books don’t even get a chance to be published? I’d also add that chasing after individual authors for the last 10 years has done nothing to change the system. The percentages are the exact same. And how that affects what people in the future will think of us now. Can you write a book that won’t be challenged on these fronts at all? And if you’re going to say, “You’re anti-cancel culture” This was posted before “cancel culture” was a thing. This is more like an examination of the system of censorship itself. (Because look, I like examining systems.) If you want to take this list, BTW, this is years and years of my work reading through ALA who never compiled this list. I’d been following the list since High School when I did a banned book class (which was a fad of the time, I think). So... maybe, give me credit? I feel sad I have to say that. And thanks to Jakob Nielsen and my Typography prof for teaching me the way to format text.

This thread was originally started in honor of ALA Banned Book Week. I've started this several years in a row. Disclaimers for this thread: ('cause I've done this for a few years) 1. We do not support the idea of banning/challenging books. 
2. We are doing this for fun and it should not be taken seriously. 
3. If you are seriously offended by the fact that we would write these scenes into books please consider the following:
a. It is out of context.
b. You probably unwittingly own a banned book without knowing it. Please check the list: <a href="http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks">http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks</a>
c. We are not popular enough to get our books banned, and by hoping in a weird way that they will get banned, you are helping our egos. ^.~
d. If you are religious, the Qu'ran, the (I think Ramayana), the Torah, the Bible all have been challenged or banned. (KJV of the Bible if you plan to be snooty, by even more ironically Jews once, and Atheists the second time). (The Art of War, I also believe was challenged/banned.) (And also, the Bible probably contains more than half of the issues that Christians ban other books for. Christians banned Moll Flanders. All the issues the banned Moll Flanders for is in the Old Testament. Particularly Genesis) 
4. This is not a thread for hot debate on the moralities of book banning. It is for listing why you think your book will get banned. If you would like to do so--please start a separate thread. You don't have to stick to Nanowrimo for this thread either.

General Notes: ('cause I like to point out the humor) - This thread was challenged and asked to be banned before. (Because someone was offended by the contents.) The challenge failed, BTW, just in case you'd like to challenge it again. - You probably have to write Young Adult and under to get banned *most* of the time. - Asterisks indicate new ones for the year. (BTW, most of it is about Islam, this year... sex and violence of course)

Want to avoid getting banned/challenged? (Categorized by how the banners see it for maximum head desk based on real book challenges and bannings.)

RELIGION You can't talk about religion. -- No taking the Lord's name in vain. -- You can't have anyone question the will of God or curse them when they lose faith after losing their best friend. (Bridge to Terabithia) -- Anything from Islam --- Cannot include Islam, even as a text book, because it will "indoctrinate the students into the Islamic religion." even if you are only covering it as a chapter. * (World History by Ellis, Elisabeth Gaynor and Anthony Esler.) *

-- Anything (fill in your religion here.) because some people are (fill in your exclusionary term here) -- Atheism (though not a religion, still argued by the theists as one. =P) -- You can't swear, including the word "damn." -- A boy and a girl can't live together if not related, because it's obviously living in sin. -- Can't be detrimental to Christian values.* (The Handmaids Tale, which is BTW, based on a Biblical story...) (The Bible, Torah, Qu'ran and many other religious books have been banned. Yes, if you have a religious book,  it has most likely been banned or challenged.)

SOCIAL INEQUALITY You can't talk about class or classism.

You can't talk about race. -- You can't use racial slurs. -- You can't talk about racism. -- You can't have a black bunny marry a white bunny because that's supporting interracial marriage. (The Rabbit's Wedding, though Once Upon a Time in Wonderland also does this explicitly... must have enraged the challenger.) -- The book can't be deemed racist in any fashion. -- You can't talk about Mexican-American issues or history. (Apparently it's a lie that Mexican Americans get racism. *cough*) (Arizona Governor, though it was overturned later). -- You cannot have a Person of Color explicitly on the cover of the book. (Barnes and Nobles pulled that off with Cindy Pon's Silver Pheonix--not to mention all the other publishers.)

No talking about over eating, bad eating habits. No talking about disabilities including cerebral palsy. Can't be sympathetic to Armenians or for portraying Azerbaijans as "savages" [book burner's words] (because apparently you will get a $12,700 price on your head to *cut your ear off* for being historically accurate.) (Stone dreams by Aylisli) *

QUILTBAG Issues: -- You can't talk about sexuality. (As in the willingness to have sex). -- You can't talk about sexual orientation. (As in Straight LGB) -- You can't talk about gender identity issues unless it is cis and not crime investigation kind either. - Main character cannot have two fathers. (The Popularity Papers by Amy Ignatow)

Magic Issues: You can't have talking animals. (Peter Rabbit.) Oh, no magic, no mention of witches, and no fantasy (That promotes Satanism and teaches them to do evil satanic spells).  (Harry Potter)

VIOLENCE Children can't do violence, especially to adults or to each other. Especially school violence. You can't have kids doing stunts or possibly hurting themselves. No realistic depictions of the Vietnam War. Can't be Graphic.* (The House of the Spirits) - Cannot have violent illustrations.*  (The Librarian of Basra by Jeanette Winter and Nasteen's Secret School by Jeaenette Winter)

No dysfunctional families. -- You can't talk about child abuse.

No characters may ever die. -- No dead parents. -- No dead siblings. -- No dead best friends (Even if you are a Christian author, other Christians will come after you).  (Bridge to Terabithia) -- No dying adults. -- You may not mention anyone dead (already) or dying (currently). -- No young infants dying. -- No talk of euthanasia.

You can't have any mention of cannibalism. (Alive, etc)

DRUGS You can't mention any drugs, including alcohol, especially with teenagers drinking it. (The Perks of Being a Wallflower--though there are many others) --- Children can't carry alcoholic beverages.

GENERAL MORAL OBJECTIONS You can't have it be morally corrupt. -- You can't have monsters of any kind. (Where the Wild Things Are) It can't be a "Downer" (Anne Frank) And by all means it can't be "icky." "gross" or "scary" (Goosebumps) Can't be perceived as Anti-feminist.* You can't be a PoC and write something negative about being a PoC.* (The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian) - Cannot have "inappropriate content" (Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman [Welcome to the banned books club, Mr. Gaiman.])* - You cannot have a single mother. (The popularity papers by Amy Ignatow.)* - Cannot be a "Bad book" that "one shouldn't be associated with."* (Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison) - Cannot have "an underlying socialist-communist agenda."*(Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison--note it was challenged in her own home state for this....) - Cannot have a book that goes on about "developmental preparedness" (i.e about children developing?) and "student readiness."  (The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi)*

No children defying authority figures. -- No cursing at parents. -- No disobeying parents. -- You can't have kids breaking dishes (especially to avoid washing them). (A Light in the Attic)

No toilet humor. You can't have characters eating worms, because that's unsanitary.  (How to Eat Fried Worms)

SEX Your book can't mention any private parts. You can't mention body parts (this was how it was phrased. --;;) -- Even if you have drawings of lots of people on the beach, not even one of them, even when drawn at 2cm x 2cm can be topless, even as a joke. (Where is Waldo) -- No talk or showing of nudity.  (even when private parts aren't shown) -- You cannot teach sexual issues in your book to middle school students. * (The Middle School Survival Guide)

You can't have masturbation or any mention of sex. -- No beastiality -- No showing of safe sex. (Apparently Teen pregnancy is still A-OK, but safe sex isn't! --;;) -- And you can't use any words with "tit" in them. (Title will now be called tidle just not to offend anyone.)  (Harry Potter)

Rape may be seen by banners as a type of porn. (I see it as violence, but the banner saw it as titilating sex. --;; *gags*) (Speak)

AUTHOR CAN'T BE... -- LGBT (Asexuality, apparently, is still safe.) -- You can't have the same name as anyone connected to "Socialism" or "Marxism." (Texas School board)

Good luck getting it published.

So yes, this was started as satire. If you have any further questions about said history of said thread, you are welcome to PM me. Do not start it in the thread.

And please reply using the "reply" button at the bottom of the page, not this post.

Banned books for this year PDF: http://www.ila.org/BannedBooks/ALA016%20Short%20List%20L3c_low%20%281%29.pdf

[theparaminds]

The desert of adolescence is dry and brutal. Dunes and murderous heat engulf the eyes and heart with unwavering repetition. Walk for months and you may only inch closer to enlightenment. But there, in the distance, is an oasis. An understanding and all enriching moment of freedom within the drivel of growing up. For any, this is oasis is personally founded in their art, experiences and ideologies. But in this generation, not a single youth’s oasis is complete without Surf Curse; not complete without their generational ability to connect. 

It’s known that if you’re a teen and with the opportunity to see Surf Curse live, you simply must. Having been a pair of blinded youth at one point, Nick and Jacob have grown to a point of personal understanding. They began as idealistic 18-year-olds, similar to their fans, but now stand as formed individuals who grasp their inner values and principles. Mirrored in their new album, Surf Curse have come to terms with what it means to grow and the beauty that exists in the process. While terrifying, the desert is gorgeous in its grandiose novelty. 

But here and now, at the oasis, Surf Curse is delivering a message of hope. Their body of work, so far, can be seen as the journey of self-discovery that now culminates with a catharsis of teenage moon dreams and film history. They want all youth to have the freedom they were able to attain through creating their art. And in creating that freedom, Surf Curse is cementing an opportunity for normality for young lives of turbulence. From now on, the oasis will never die and, due to their efforts, will be able to speak to limitless bleeding hearts.                                                           - How’s your day been going so far and how have you been as of late?

Nick: My day’s going pretty good so far, just started honestly as I had a bit of a late night. Both of us did. I was up until 5 in the morning just having a good chat with some friends. Got only like 4 hours of sleep.

With the new work finally coming into the foreground after a while of planning and rollout, what is the most overwhelming feeling in your life right now? The one that defines you emotionally.

N: I guess this release has been so different from everything else we’ve done. It’s very well organized and the record is well produced. There’s been a lot of money, time and effort put into it. I think it's the most organized it's ever been. There are no surprises which is really nice, but you do get the feeling of a large stakes situation. It's just anxiety hoping that everything goes well. We’re both very confident in it though. I’d also say it's just a lot of waiting. The records been done for over half a year now so we’re just excited to see everything rolling out.

Through this last year, what do you look back on as your favorite memory and almost a time that defined this entire few months for you?

N: I really do think recording this last album was such a great experience. We usually record so DIY but this time around, with the label backing, we were able to go into a studio with an engineer. It was such a special experience after over 10 years of home recordings to be able to go into a studio and make a professional sounding project. I know for Jacob and I, it was one of the best experiences of our lives. Every day was such a blessing.

When you look back at the early days of this band in 2013, how do you compare your artistic vision from then to now and do you think you are in a place of satisfaction with it?

N: I really love where it is now. I think there’s been a lot of growth and it’s hard to anticipate growth really, it just comes naturally. We were fortunate that as we've had a lot of time to sit with ourselves and write freely. This last record is one of the things I’m most proud of and it's a very obvious change in our sound and style. But again, that’s been a natural progression. Any musician or artist goes through that. It’s not a conscious effort either, it just progresses. When we wrote those first songs we were both 19, but now we’re each 27.

You did mention working with a new producer and really having it all be a tighter and more professional effort. But how do you feel that is visible within the songs and how do you feel seeing it all come into fruition in a professional sense.

Jacob: I think the production of it changed a lot of our songwriting. We had a bunch of demos but only in entering the studio did we realize the true capabilities we had. I think the original songwriting is still there but there was just a feeling we could make it much more true to life. As we were recording we noticed how cinematic and grand it is as well. We noticed it was a large cathartic experience. That, in some places, was a result of being able to add strings to something or having someone come in to create larger harmonies. It influences the songwriting in that you have to write with something truly grand in mind.

In the run-up for this project, there’s been a lot of talk about the influence that came from old cult film and the idea of peering into adolescence through film. With some songs like Midnight Cowboy the influence is obvious, but what other films do you feel achieved that vision you pulled from?

N: I think it's funny because there's a lot that is very on the head. We have some films that pretty directly translate to the song. Usually, a song is just a melting pot of so many ideas that it is never limited to one thing. I think with the song ‘Opera’ it is very clearly about Dario Argento’s Opera in the style and structure. But the themes are more relevant to our lives and what is going on within them. With the entire album’s feel as a whole, we were trying to make something like the movie ‘The American Friend’. Before we shot the album art we watched it with the photographer just to get a general vision for it. I really do feel it is so many different films that we consumed. Even when we were recording we had VHS’ playing constantly in the background. You can look at the tracklist and breakdown a lot of the obvious influences.

If you could personally take any film in history and strip its soundtrack, thus replacing it with this album, which do you think it’d fit with best?

J: I don't even know if we can. I think we'd have to make the movie go with it.

Then what would the plotline of that film be?

J: what's interesting is we created that newspaper that had that short story inspired by the album cover as a scene. It was a way to verbalize much of what’s going on within the actual songs.

A lot of the album’s ideas are apparent in the music videos as well though. How do you feel you're able the concepts of the music into the visual space and is it important for you to create the stories through the different mediums?

N: I think it's funny because the music is so influenced by visual art. Once we create the song it becomes its own thing that needs to go through another filter to be understood. The music video for Disco is a combination of ‘The Last Days of Disco’ and this film called ‘The Hole’. It’s a combination of two things that would never find a life together other than in this video. It's fun and interesting to be able to almost pay homage to very different films we can interpret similarly.

On top of film, what other art and external factors did you find guiding you upon this artistic journey?

J: Just life honestly. The experiences and what we’ve been going through. I mean, ‘Midnight Cowboy is a fictional song, but I wrote it because someone that I had dated was a sex worker. They explained to me their whole philosophy of sex work and I was so inspired by that while cared so much for them that I tried to put myself into that perspective while being in love during that. The song Jamie is about Nick and I’s good friend and it’s songs like that we can look back on and remember the moments and heartbreaks along with them.

N: I think as we’ve made this record, the environment we created it in influenced it a lot. Moving to LA and creating such a grand project that is a step forward for us in our lives. Just being in the culture of LA and the weird celebrity of it has been a big influence. It’s also hard to say on some level. It really just is the accumulation of so many moments and so much media it’s impossible to pinpoint which is above the rest.

To kind of throw a quote at you, when Billy Corgan was making a lot of his nostalgia-based music for the Smashing Pumpkins, he said he was: “taking [his] childhood, wrapping it with a bow and putting it under [his] bed”. In a sense being able to look back on the past fondly but without a need for it. Do you feel this project, as you’re at 27, did the same for you or is there still a lot you're trying to find?

J: Absolutely. It's funny because ever since we began very young at 18-19, our whole demographic has been teenagers and people in their twenties. It's always been young faces throughout the years. We get very nostalgic and in love with these moments we have with each other and with friends. We’re trying to capture that. A lot of this album feels very much like these sweet moments or tough moments or moments of blessings where you just have to be in love with the times.

N: A lot of it does put a bow on it but the music doesn't give answers. It's confronting the tough questions of adulthood and life and the themes on the record are more mature than what we dealt with in the past. That's also just growing and having experiences. If anything, a lot of the adolescent or youth influence is from the fact I believe when you release a song, it’s someone else's. And with our fans being young it's a way for them to transcribe their growing up. Writing these songs has not felt like looking back on the rearview mirror but instead being within it.

You really have connected with the youth, as you said, and people talk about the staple of going to a Surf Curse show in their teens. But how do you feel about the fact that the legacy may be a soundtrack to that coming of age time and to find an answer through what you were trying to solve?

N: I think it's a beautiful thing. It's also a secondary thing as well. It’s never an intention but I think that it’s a beautiful result of music and it’s hard to take credit for it. It just becomes whatever someone makes of it and I can be proud of it all, but I think it's so unintentional. It’s hard to grasp how to feel about it or to take part in it.

Do you feel that you have memories in the future you’re currently nostalgic for before they even happen?

J: I think we're both excited to be on tour again. We’re looking forward to being in a car with people we love and having good and rough nights. I was on this Current Joys tour opening for Nick’s band and I still think of being in the car with everyone and loving it, or sometimes being so miserable some nights.

It seems on tour it’s not the shows that are memorable at all but the moments in between and the events between the milestones.

N: Oh for sure, the show is just 10% of the tour. No one else sees what else gets put into it.

J: We’re just part of that one hour for everyone else. But honestly, we’re probably 12 shows in and on an 8 hour drive consuming music and reading a book and having a beautiful conversation, probably telling the same story for the 5th time.

Do you have anyone to say thanks to or anything you want to say as a final idea?

N: I would say to any young creatives, do your work for the right reasons. Do it for yourself and don't create for being cool. Create so you can get yourself out there. Don't get blinded by what everyone perceives as a success. Find, make and achieve your own success.

J: Yeah, stay in your lane. I've been thinking about this a lot because I've been swimming a lot. I'm a new swimmer and I go to the YMCA and I’m learning to swim. It’s so hard and very existing. But those who go to this pool are really advanced swimmers and we have to share a lane. But whenever I look at what they’re doing I lose my form and focus. I always think about that when people talk about other artists. When you focus on what they're doing, you’re going to mess up your form. Stay in your lane and don't worry about how people will consume it. Just make it what you want. Oh, and watch ‘Too Old to Die Young’.

                                                         -

Photos by Matthew James-Wilson

                                                         -

Follow Surf Curse on Instagram and Twitter

Listen on Spotify and Apple Music

                                                         -

Words and Interview by Guy Mizrahi

[loretranscripts]

Lore Episode 9: The Devil on the Roof (Transcript) - 28th June 2015

tw: animal death

Disclaimer: This transcript is entirely non-profit and fan-made. All credit for this content goes to Aaron Mahnke, creator of Lore podcast. It is by a fan, for fans, and meant to make the content of the podcast more accessible to all. Also, there may be mistakes, despite rigorous re-reading on my part. Feel free to point them out, but please be nice!

In March of 2014, a hiker in Lithuania stumbled upon a warm spring that was melting the ice on a frozen pond. It’s not unusual to find things like this, but he was curious. I would be too – the pond was frozen over, but there was a nice window into the still waters beneath. I have to think any one of us would have leaned in for a closer look. When he did, though, he witnessed something that his mind had trouble processing. It appeared to be a living creature, but it was unlike anything he had ever seen. Thankfully we live in a very connected, very digital age, and he used his phone to take a short video. I have no idea what the creature was, or if it even was a living thing at all, and I’m not going to discuss it today, or tell you more stories about similar sightings, because there aren’t any. It was a one off, a random occurrence that had never happened before, and would probably never happen again. Some stories are like that – sometimes we bump into something new, with no history or record of events to lend it pedigree or validity, and those stories frustrate me. Other stories, though, go deep. Some legends have been told for centuries. Some creatures have been sighted by hundreds of people over the years, and each new sighting lends credence to its story. And even if it’s all made up, or just one big misunderstanding, these layers upon layers of story seem to somehow give life to the creatures they describe. When we find these deep wells of folklore, our minds are presented with a challenge. Do the centuries of first-hand accounts serve as a proof, or do they highlight our incredible, cross-cultural, nearly genetic predisposition toward gullibility? Few places challenge us to such a degree as the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey. Inside that wooded expanse, mystery runs far and wide. Mystery, and some say, the devil. I’m Aaron Mahnke, and this is Lore.

When we think of the east coast of the United States, we think of urban sprawl, of endless strings of bedroom communities, looping around massive metropolitan centres. New York City. Boston. Philadelphia. Washington DC. All of these places are symbols of humanity’s inability to leave an undeveloped area untouched. What most people don’t know, however, is that there is a huge expanse of forested land cutting through the southern part of New Jersey that simply boggles the mind. It’s called the Pine Barrens, and it’s the largest undeveloped area of land in the mid-Atlantic Seaboard. Seriously, this place is massive. There are 1.1 million acres of forest, and beneath it all are underground aquifers that are estimated to contain over 17 trillion gallons of the purest drinking water in the country. As you might imagine, such a massive area of untouched land comes with its own treasure chest of mythical creatures and frightening folklore. The local Lenape tribe of Native Americans tell stories of the Manetutetak, the wood dwarves who live in the forest, a local version of the global “little people” legend. There are other creatures rumoured to exist in the pines, including “Big Red Eye”, the “Hoboken Monkey Man”, undocumented species of large cats, the “Cape May Sea Serpent”, the “Lizard Man of Great Meadows”, and something called a Kim Kardashian. New Jersey, you see, is full of monsters.

But hovering over them all like a patriarch, perched at the top of an ornate family tree, is something that has haunted the Pines for nearly 300 years. The original story goes something like this: in 1735, one Mrs. Shroud of Leeds Point, New Jersey, became pregnant with her 13th child. According to the legend, Mrs. Shroud secretly wished that this child would be a devil or demon child. Sure enough, when the child was born, it was misshapen and malformed. Mrs. Shroud kept the deformed child in her home, sheltered from the curious eyes of the community. But on a dark and stormy night, because bad things only ever happen on dark and stormy nights, of course, the child’s arms turned to wings and it escaped, flying up and out through the chimney. Mrs Shroud never saw her devil child again. That’s the story - or at least one version of it. A more prominent version of the legend identifies the mother as Mrs. Leeds, not a Mrs. Shroud from Leeds, who was from the Burlington area of New Jersey. Mrs. Leeds, according to the legend, had dabbled in witchcraft despite her Quaker beliefs, and this hobby of hers made the old women attending her birth more than a little uneasy. To their relief, though, a handsome baby boy was born that stormy night, and he was quickly delivered to Mrs. Leeds’ arms. That’s when he transformed. His human features vanished, his body elongated and even his skin changed. The baby’s head became horse-like, and hooves replaced his feet. Bat-like wings sprouted from his shoulders and he grew to the size of a man. Other stories have persisted through the centuries as well. One claimed that the monster was the result of a treasonous relationship between a colonial Leeds Point girl and a British soldier, while another story tells of a gypsy curse. There seems to have been no town or county in the Pines area without its own version of the story. Many of them vary wildly. But one thing united them all: the description of the creature. In all the stories it was some sort of hybrid or mutation of a normal animal. Most of the stories describe it in the same terms: head like a horse, wings like a bat, clawed hands, long serpent tail, and legs like a deer. In some accounts, the creature is almost dragon-like. Coincidentally, the Lenape tribe refers to the Pines area as Popuessing which means “the place of the dragon”. Swedish explorers even named the area “Drake Kill”, kill being the Dutch word for river and drake meaning dragon. Whatever the truth is behind the origins behind this legend, and whatever its core features really are, the people of the Pines were united in what they called it: The Jersey Devil. And this devil was more than just a story that was passed from person to person. Over the centuries that followed, countless eyewitness reports surfaced that seemed to point to one overwhelming conclusion. The Jersey Devil… was real.

What makes the Jersey Devil so special is the quality of many of the sightings. Individuals with no need to make up stories, whether for political or professional reasons, all seem to have found the courage to report incidents that would normally be laughable. Stephen Decatur was a United States naval officer who was known for his many victories in the early 1800s. Decatur was, and still is today, a very well-respected figure in American history. There have been five warships named after him, he’s had his own stamp through the US postal service, and in the late 1800s, it was his face that graced the $20 bill rather than Andrew Jackson’s. According to the legend, Decatur visited the Hannover ironworks in Burlington, New Jersey in the early 1800s. The facility there manufactured cannonballs, something Decatur was very familiar with, and he had arrived to test some of the product. On this occasion, Decatur was said to have been on the firing range, operating the cannon. While there, he witnessed a strange creature flying overhead. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before and, like a true American, he aimed a cannon at it. He fired, and the shot was said to be true, striking the creature in mid-air. Mysteriously though, nothing happened. The creature continued on uninterrupted. Another early resident of New Jersey was Joseph Bonaparte, the brother of none other than Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon had appointed his brother King of Spain in 1808, but Joseph abdicated just five years later, before moving to the United States. He took up residence in a large estate called Breeze Point, near the Pine Barrens, and lived there for nearly two decades. One of his favourite past times was to go hunting in the Pines. On one of those hunting trips, the former King of Spain was in the woods near his home when he discovered some strange tracks in the snow. They looked like the tracks of a donkey but there were only two feet present, not four. Bonaparte commented on how one of the feet appeared slightly larger than the other, as if deformed in some way. He followed the tracks to a clearing, but stopped when the prints vanished. It was as if the animal had simply taken flight. As he was turning to leave, Bonaparte heard a strange hissing sound. He glanced back, only to find himself standing face to face with a large creature. He described it as having bat-like wings, the head of a horse, and it stood on thin hind legs. Before he could remember to use his rifle, the creature hissed one final time, flapped its wings, and flew off into the sky. He later described the events to a local friend, who simply smiled and congratulated the man. “You’ve just seen the famous Jersey Devil”, his friend told him.

The following decades were filled with more and more sightings and reports. In the early 1840s, a handful of farmers began to report the death of livestock on their land. In most cases, tracks were found but they could not be identified. Others claimed to have heard high-pitched screams in the Pines, a sound that would forever be connected with the Jersey Devil. By 1900, belief in the Jersey Devil was widespread and stronger than ever. Nearly everyone in the area believed that something otherworldly lived inside the Pines. Anytime disaster or death entered their lives, they cast blame on this creature, but some had also begun to do the math. If this creature really was the child of Mrs. Shroud and was born in 1735, then it was very, very old. Folklorist Charles B. Skinner commented on this in a 1903 publication. “It is said that its life has nearly run its course”, he wrote, “and with the advent of the new century many worshipful commoners of Jersey have dismissed, for good and all, the fear of the monster from their mind”. Skinner, you see, thought that it was gone - that the Jersey Devil was too old to carry on terrorising the people of the Pines. But when the events of 1909 unfolded, just six years later, one thing became very clear: Skinner couldn’t have been more wrong.

January 1909 was a busy month for thpe Jersey Devil. In the early morning hours of January 16th, a man named Thack Cozzens was out for a walk under the stars in Woodbury, New Jersey. A sound caught his attention, and he glanced up, only to see a large, dark shape fly past. Cozzens recalled noticing that the creature’s eye glowed bright red. 26 miles away that same early morning, in the town of Bristol, Pennsylvania, a number of people reported seeing a similar creature. One eyewitness, a police officer named James Sackville, actually fired his handgun at it, without effect. E. W. Minster, the town postmaster, also saw the flying thing, and according to him, it also unleashed a high-pitched scream. When the sun rose that morning, several people reported finding strange hoof prints in the snow. No one could identify the kind of creature who would leave such tracks. And just one day later, on the 17th, unusual hoof prints were found in the snow outside the home of the Lowdens in Burlington, New Jersey. The tracks surrounded their trashcan, which had been knocked over and rummaged through. Other people found tracks on their rooftops. Trails were followed into streets, where the tracks would simply vanish. The Burlington police tried tracking the creature with the help of hunting dogs, but the dogs refused to follow the trails. At 2:30 in the morning on Tuesday the 19th, a Mr. and Mrs. Evans were asleep in bed in Gloucester, New Jersey, when a scream awoke them. They both climbed out of bed and approached their window, and then stopped, paralysed by fear. There on the roof of their shed stood a creature unlike anything they had ever laid eyes on. According to Mr. Evans, it was roughly 3ft tall and had the head of a horse. It walked on two legs and held smaller, claw-like hands against its chest. The leathery wings were still present, as was the long, serpentine tail. The couple managed to frighten the creature away after watching it for nearly 10 minutes. Later that day, professional hunters were called in to attempt to track the creature, but they had no success. The following day brought more of the same. A Burlington police officer was the first to see the creature, followed by a local minister. A hunting party that was formed to track the beast claimed they watched it fly towards Moorestown, and in Moorestown, it was seen at Mount Carmel Cemetery. From there, it was seen to fly toward Riverside, and there, hoof prints were found in a cluster around a dead puppy. A day later, an entire trolley full of passengers in Clementon watched a winged creature circle above them. The Black Hawk Social Club reported their own sighting, and when a Collingswood fireman saw one up close, he turned his hose on the creature, chasing it off. Later that night, a woman named Mrs. Sorbinski of Camden heard a noise outside in the dark. She grabbed her broom and stepped out, only to find the mysterious beast trying to catch her dog. Mrs. Sorbinski beat at the creature with her broom until it released the dog and flew away. When a crowd gathered as a result of her screaming, they all claimed to see the creature off in the distance. The mob charged toward the thing, then a police officer even fired shots, but whatever the creature was, it had managed to escape into the sky. The creature made a few more random appearances across New Jersey during late January of that year, but it was one final sighting in February that leaves many questions to be answered. An employee of a local electric railroad was out working on the tracks when he saw what he later described as the Jersey Devil flying overhead. He claimed to have watched the creature fly into one of the overhead electrical wires, generating an explosion large enough to melt the metal tracks directly underneath. A search was made, but no body was found.

Maybe the stories of the Jersey Devil are about something else. Maybe they’re really about fear - fear of the unknown, fear of the dark, a fear of what might be lurking out there in the trees. Humanity has feared these things for millennia, but perhaps the people of the Pines feared something more basic, more fundamental than whatever might be waiting for them in the darkness. Perhaps they simply feared being alone. There’s nothing worse than experiencing a loss you can’t seem to explain, or noises you can’t identify, especially if you are in a new and strange place. The sources might very well be real and normal, but in the setting and culture of their day, the unexplainable only served to highlight the loneliness of the early settlers of New Jersey. The Barrens had a way of giving permission to fear the unknown. They still do to this day. When settlers discovered rare or unusual plants and animals inside these woods, it became easy to take it one step further. Demon children, creatures dancing on rooftops, livestock and pets being attacked – we explain our existence with fantasy, because sometimes that’s the only thing that can help us cope. In 1957, some employees from the New Jersey Department of Conservation found a partial animal corpse in the Pines. It was a mangled collection of feathers, mammal bones ad long hind legs that appeared to have been burnt or scorched. It might be logical to assume that the creature that flew into the electrical wires in 1909 had literally crashed and burnt, only to be discovered decades later. It might, in fact, sound like the creature was gone for good. But in 1987, an unidentified woman in Vinland, New Jersey, reported that her German Shepherd had been killed during the night. The dog had been torn to pieces and dragged over 25ft from the end of its chain. The only evidence the authorities could find around the body were hoof prints.

This episode of Lore was produced by me, Aaron Mahnke. Learn more about me and the show over at lorepodcast.com, and be sure to follow along on Twitter and Facebook @lorepodcast. This episode of Lore was made possible by you, our amazing listeners, [insert sponsor break here]. To find out how you can support Lore, visit lorepodcast.com/support. You’ll find links to help you leave a review on iTunes, support Lore on Patreon for some awesome rewards, and find a list of my supernatural thrillers, available in both paperback and ebook formats. I couldn’t do this show without you, and I’m thankful to each and every one of you. Thanks for listening.

Notes

Most of the sightings mentioned by Aaron seem to come from Monsters of New Jersey by Loren Coleman, which has no public access

[lovetgirlytiffanylove]

Must-Have Packs To Get The Most Out Of The Sims 4 – AcrossTheFader.BIZ

In the event you have been hooked by the Sims 4 base recreation and are prepared to reinforce your playthrough, there are a slew of DLCs that provide a richer expertise. After its rough preliminary debut, Sims 4 has since stepped up with free updates and content that appease longtime fans. Nevertheless, buying all of the packs would easily value you over $500, and with seven enlargement packs, seven recreation packs, and 14 stuff packs, you could be at a loss of where to begin. For many who are overwhelmed by the prospect of which DLC to decide on, we’ve compiled an inventory of our favourite packs. Although we are nonetheless bemoaning the absence of fashionable Sims 3 staples like Supernatural and University, there isn’t any shortage of inspired gameplay in the Sims 4.

Enlargement Packs

Enlargement packs supply probably the most options and are the costliest, costing $39.99.

Island Dwelling

This current release has already proven to be a strong entry. Together with mermaids, this pack has plenty of new gameplay, especially in relation to new features and traits in create-a-sim. “Child of the Islands” and “Child of the Ocean” both introduce some unique new ways to interact inside the island of Sulani. Connecting with the culture and tending to the island is rewarding. Gamers can actually see the influence their sims make on the island with cleaner beaches, greener timber, and even more flowers.

Creating a mermaid is loads of enjoyable, since you possibly can achieve some lovely designs in your mythical creature. Though their talents are surface degree (the Vampires pack, as compared, has mild RPG mechanics that can help you study new magical expertise), the aesthetics alone are well worth the worth of admission since each mermaid seems to be awesome when swimming round and befriending dolphins. You may also enchant individuals together with your siren’s name, whether your intent is matchmaking or mayhem.

When you love constructing in the Sims, then this pack is a must have. The world of Sulani is fascinating, with seaside venues and expansive ocean waters. It’s a joy to construct a home that permits your sims to get up in the morning and dive right into the sea from their patio.

Get Well-known

Within the Sims 4, you’ll be able to attain success by climbing a career-path ladder to the highest, however different sims gained’t care about your renowned accomplishments… till you add the Get Famous enlargement pack.

When your sims achieve a milestone like touchdown a lead position within the hottest pirate film, writing their next great novel, or catching an enormous fish, your sims construct their fame degree. Different sims will need to take their picture and get their autograph. Having different sims gawk and have a fan freak-out over your sim is amusing and gratifying; it looks like a reward for all of the arduous work you set towards their superstar status.

The capability to go to movie units, that are full of props like pirate ships and saloons, can also be plenty of enjoyable. You possibly can put your sim by means of the hair and makeup departments and make them perform for the cameras. Your success will depend on how a lot you’ve honed your appearing talent, your rapport with the rest of the crew, and judgement calls on whether to take dangers when performing. Depending on how the director reacts, the performance could possibly be a flop or a complete success. Both means, both are amusing to observe.

Seasons

Seasons ought to be on everybody’s must-have record. Not only does it convey welcome variations to the weather because of changing seasons, however it adds a great deal of new clothing and building gadgets so your sims can correctly put together for snow days or the sweltering heat. Two new clothing sections can be found for summer time and winter put on, and there are plenty of new additions in build mode, similar to a thermostat to manage indoor local weather and stockings to hold in your hearth. All this helps accommodate for the weather and holidays.

You will get right into a festive temper regardless of the event, receiving presents from Father Winter (who truly visits your home on Christmas Eve – you’ll be able to even befriend him), sending out love notes on Love Day, or creating an official vacation of your personal. You possibly can assign timeframes and actions for sims to get into the holiday spirit. Treat Yo’Self Day and Purge Day are private favorites of mine because who doesn’t need to spoil their sims or dedicate a day to duking it out with their noisy neighbors? You possibly can dedicate the day for gift-giving rituals and even encourage sims to interact in a full-on brawl for holidays. It’s as much as you.

Though this enlargement doesn’t add another world, the wealth of latest gameplay makes up for that. Until you experience an sudden blizzard or warmth wave, outside experiences are fun. Without the pack it can be robust to seek out a lot to do in your backyard. With Seasons, sims could make snow angels, rake leaves, dance in puddles, and even freeze to demise when you’re not careful.

Cats And Canine

No create-a-sim family feels complete and not using a little pupper or kitten. The creature creation on your pets is expansive and gives so many alternatives to make your pet as artistic and unique as attainable, from mixing breeds or adorning them with neon inexperienced fur. My most cherished design is a robotic-looking kitten to go together with my alien sim.

Along with the brand new world of Brindleton Bay, there’s additionally the veterinarian career path, so your sim can work to assist remedy beloved pets in addition to perform surgical procedure. The pets go right into a machine where your sim vets “operate” on pets from the surface by wanting in by way of an x-ray monitor. Make sure you climb up the brand new veterinary talent tree so the little ones don’t come out of the machine as crops or decked out in a clown go well with.

The pets aren’t just added for aesthetic value, both. Unfortunately, you aren’t capable of control pets like you possibly can in The Sims three, however there are nonetheless loads of interactions. You possibly can practice your pets to study new tips and navigate by means of obstacles, or your critters could be lazy and simply take pleasure in cuddling together with your sim on the couch. The means to offer your pets traits makes them really feel extra sensible they usually may even develop fears. Pets nonetheless have wants, and the “what’s wrong?” interaction may give you a heads up on what your little buddy craves.

Recreation Packs

Recreation packs supply a modest quantity of content and sometimes come priced at $19.99.

Jungle Journey

Two of The Sims 4’s recreation packs supply a vacation destination in your sims, however the one that basically stands out is Jungle Adventure. There are so many extra adventurous and worldly options for clothing and construct mode. You possibly can simply make your sim into a Nathan Drake or Lara Croft sort and set them up in a Central/South American-themed residence.

Exploring tombs is spooky and thrilling. Not solely are you able to stumble upon skeletons, but you danger having your sims cursed and reworked into skeletons as properly. Relying on if the transformation is a curse or blessing, you’ll both get stuck in skeleton type or have the ability to change again everytime you need. It will either make you need to snicker or punch a gap by way of your monitor. There isn’t any in-between.

Scavenging for artifacts will ultimately culminate in the formation of an entire relic. Assembling a relic might be fulfilling, especially with the shock curses or blessings they generate, like the curse of the private raincloud, the blessing of the skeleton assistant, and even one thing as brutal because the marked for demise relic, where your sim can burst into flames and die.

Interacting with the locals won’t solely work in your favor to seek out cures for illnesses or curses, but you can too purchase unique gadgets to assist in your trek via the jungle and survive random hazards comparable to lightning-bug assaults. There are also interactions that spotlight native traditions. You possibly can ask the locals about their tradition, dance with them in Selvadoradian fashion, and study songs to convey back house with you.

Vampires

It’s never a uninteresting moment when mythical creatures are concerned. In contrast to the Mermaids in Island Dwelling, Vampires have a talent tree, which provides rather a lot to the gameplay. As your sims grow to be more adept in vampire lore, they degree up and unlock more powerful talents, reminiscent of teleportation with bat and mist varieties. Positive, you possibly can already teleport with cheats, but vampires get to do it in fashion.

Choosing your vampire sim’s perks and skills is riveting. You start off as a weak vampire with primary powers, comparable to detecting different sims’ personalities. As you develop stronger, you possibly can degree up their preventing expertise to allow them to vanquish other vampires, max out appeal in order that they’re irresistible to other sims, or even develop into masters of hallucination to allow them to feed off of the sims of their selection without the awkward social consequences.

The new world of Forgotten Hollow comes with the Vampires recreation pack, and it might be small, but the darkish theme and design is perfect for the brooding creatures. You’ll be able to create a vampiric mansion and transfer in right next to Vladislaus Straud, who resembles Dracula. Don’t be fooled by his outward look; he appears previous, however he’s truly a younger grownup. He’s also single, so don’t be shy if you want to put the strikes on him.

Parenthood

Parenthood is one other key addition to the Sims 4, particularly for players that need to give attention to constructing a family. Whereas this can be a must-have pack, we want that this was included in the base recreation, considering the large enhancements it brings to one of many core gameplay pillars of The Sims. The base recreation consists of a huge family tree aspiration, but Parenthood expands on this concept so it includes extra than just having your sims pump out babies.

Toddlers not often get any new content or gameplay additions, so the extra clothes and substantial interactions that come with Parenthood are greater than welcome. The interplay inside households consists of giving recommendation, praising, and disciplining your youngsters. This is partaking, as a result of the extra you interact with them, the extra their personalities start to shift to mirror the communication. Together with growing your parental expertise, you’ll be able to affect your youngsters’s actions and talk about how they should behave as they transfer ahead into adulthood.

Parenting expertise can develop for anybody that interacts with toddlers, youngsters, and teenagers. With this new bonding gameplay, relationships feel far more meaningful. I have a household where a young lady takes care of her little sister, and as a result of meager finances, they should reside with two of her pals. When it gets irritating to cope with her little sister, her pals step in and assist. Emergent stories like these evoke emotions for players even during mundane activities like gathering everyone to the lounge flooring for a faculty venture.

Strangerville

This recreation pack announcement raised plenty of eyebrows. Story targeted parts in the Sims are likely to put individuals off, however this pack truly pulled it off and still provided loads of different things to do, as well as an in depth world that doesn’t prohibit your expertise.

The point of the sims is to be whoever you need to be, and this one opens up an entire new desert world with a dedicated story and army profession path, which allows you to turn out to be a undercover agent. The army branch matches in completely with sims who’re making an attempt to determine what’s happening in Strangerville, but you can too play by means of the story without it. Though you can’t go to work together with your army sim, you possibly can have them “work from home” when you have the City Dwelling enlargement pack. This lets you be extra concerned in their career both by means of coaching or investigating individuals around city.

So as to comply with the story, it’s a must to select the Strangerville Thriller aspiration. The narrative introduces parts we haven’t seen before in The Sims which might be bonkers and a ton of fun because of mild RPG mechanics and building a resistance to battle off an evil menace. With whispers of a authorities conspiracy and all your neighbors in Strangerville going nuts, the thriller of the town becomes increasingly more alluring. Although it’s brief, you accrue loads of rewards akin to cupcakes and fan mail whenever you complete the narrative. The furnishings (corresponding to weeds growing in a tub or mysterious machinery) additionally presents plenty of weird build ideas, supplying you with the right options for making a secret laboratory on your sim. The new laptops are a strong addition as properly.

Stuff Packs

Stuff packs are small add-ons that often solely value $9.99.

Movie Hangout

Bohemian Stuff or Psychedelic Hippie Stuff might have been a more applicable identify for this pack, contemplating how colorful and artsy the furnishings is. The new clothes and build-mode gadgets are satisfying additions that we will’t think about enjoying with out.

New wall decorations, couches, coffee tables, and ceiling lights convey so much vibrancy to your builds. They will easily turn into favorites when designing a home and infusing it with character. There’s even an enormous tree draped with lanterns that may be a lovely addition to any backyard.

Backyard

In the event you’re on the lookout for more outside-focused gameplay, then Yard stuff is a best choice. Not only does it supply rural ambiance with objects like wind chimes and fowl feeders, but choices like lawn waterslides allow enjoyable neighborhood get togethers. You’ll be able to throw barbeque parties while everybody falls flat on their face making an attempt to slip across.

This can be a great pack to spruce up both your front or backyard with extra lively features. These things pack can simply complement Seasons as properly for the summer time months, comparable to having your sim drink lemonade whereas family and friends play on the slide.

Romantic Garden

When you take pleasure in landscaping, then this pack will put you over the moon because it helps make your yard look beautiful. Romantic Backyard Stuff is particularly helpful when designing an outside wedding ceremony.

One other fascinating addition is the wishing nicely, which isn’t your common yard function. You’ll be able to ship your sims on a wishing marathon to see if any wishes come true, but typically they get the precise opposite of what they want. Romance, happiness, wealth, long life, youthful vigor, good grades, a promotion, a toddler, or a selected talent all have numerous outcomes. The extra you bribe the properly, the more doubtless you’ll get what you asked for. Additionally, in case you have hassle protecting your sims alive, the properly proves useful in bringing them back to life.

Cool Kitchen

Because the identify implies, this pack is great for sims who need more variety when building and decorating their kitchens. The new knife rack, cabinets, and spice racks for construct mode deliver a homey aesthetic and a contact of realism. However the ice cream is where this pack will get really enjoyable.

There are 30 flavors, with toppings of your selection, that have varying results on your sims. Relying on your sims’ traits, they’ll have a favourite. Childish sims love sprinkles and whipped cream, commitment-issue sims love peppermint sticks and nuts, and gloomy sims don’t like all.

Ice cream doesn’t just make your sims comfortable, nevertheless. This is The Sims, in any case, and even consuming ice-cream can have dire penalties as some flavors may cause a ghost to visit, make your sims drop extra pounds, or even breathe hearth that can set different sims aflame. Think about that being written on your tombstone.

There’s still lots to return with the Sims 4. Choosing from all of the content packs out there isn’t straightforward. Hopefully this record helped you out find the perfect packs to make a well-rounded Sims 4 experience.

Sims 4 has grown immensely from its predecessors, watch our let’s play of Sims 2: Castaway to see for yourself.

The post Must-Have Packs To Get The Most Out Of The Sims 4 – AcrossTheFader.BIZ appeared first on DWJ Tech.

[iamthelightofyourlife]

Must-Have Packs To Get The Most Out Of The Sims 4 – AcrossTheFader.BIZ

In the event you have been hooked by the Sims 4 base recreation and are prepared to reinforce your playthrough, there are a slew of DLCs that provide a richer expertise. After its rough preliminary debut, Sims 4 has since stepped up with free updates and content that appease longtime fans. Nevertheless, buying all of the packs would easily value you over $500, and with seven enlargement packs, seven recreation packs, and 14 stuff packs, you could be at a loss of where to begin. For many who are overwhelmed by the prospect of which DLC to decide on, we’ve compiled an inventory of our favourite packs. Although we are nonetheless bemoaning the absence of fashionable Sims 3 staples like Supernatural and University, there isn’t any shortage of inspired gameplay in the Sims 4.

Enlargement Packs

Enlargement packs supply probably the most options and are the costliest, costing $39.99.

Island Dwelling

This current release has already proven to be a strong entry. Together with mermaids, this pack has plenty of new gameplay, especially in relation to new features and traits in create-a-sim. “Child of the Islands” and “Child of the Ocean” both introduce some unique new ways to interact inside the island of Sulani. Connecting with the culture and tending to the island is rewarding. Gamers can actually see the influence their sims make on the island with cleaner beaches, greener timber, and even more flowers.

Creating a mermaid is loads of enjoyable, since you possibly can achieve some lovely designs in your mythical creature. Though their talents are surface degree (the Vampires pack, as compared, has mild RPG mechanics that can help you study new magical expertise), the aesthetics alone are well worth the worth of admission since each mermaid seems to be awesome when swimming round and befriending dolphins. You may also enchant individuals together with your siren’s name, whether your intent is matchmaking or mayhem.

When you love constructing in the Sims, then this pack is a must have. The world of Sulani is fascinating, with seaside venues and expansive ocean waters. It’s a joy to construct a home that permits your sims to get up in the morning and dive right into the sea from their patio.

Get Well-known

Within the Sims 4, you’ll be able to attain success by climbing a career-path ladder to the highest, however different sims gained’t care about your renowned accomplishments… till you add the Get Famous enlargement pack.

When your sims achieve a milestone like touchdown a lead position within the hottest pirate film, writing their next great novel, or catching an enormous fish, your sims construct their fame degree. Different sims will need to take their picture and get their autograph. Having different sims gawk and have a fan freak-out over your sim is amusing and gratifying; it looks like a reward for all of the arduous work you set towards their superstar status.

The capability to go to movie units, that are full of props like pirate ships and saloons, can also be plenty of enjoyable. You possibly can put your sim by means of the hair and makeup departments and make them perform for the cameras. Your success will depend on how a lot you’ve honed your appearing talent, your rapport with the rest of the crew, and judgement calls on whether to take dangers when performing. Depending on how the director reacts, the performance could possibly be a flop or a complete success. Both means, both are amusing to observe.

Seasons

Seasons ought to be on everybody’s must-have record. Not only does it convey welcome variations to the weather because of changing seasons, however it adds a great deal of new clothing and building gadgets so your sims can correctly put together for snow days or the sweltering heat. Two new clothing sections can be found for summer time and winter put on, and there are plenty of new additions in build mode, similar to a thermostat to manage indoor local weather and stockings to hold in your hearth. All this helps accommodate for the weather and holidays.

You will get right into a festive temper regardless of the event, receiving presents from Father Winter (who truly visits your home on Christmas Eve – you’ll be able to even befriend him), sending out love notes on Love Day, or creating an official vacation of your personal. You possibly can assign timeframes and actions for sims to get into the holiday spirit. Treat Yo’Self Day and Purge Day are private favorites of mine because who doesn’t need to spoil their sims or dedicate a day to duking it out with their noisy neighbors? You possibly can dedicate the day for gift-giving rituals and even encourage sims to interact in a full-on brawl for holidays. It’s as much as you.

Though this enlargement doesn’t add another world, the wealth of latest gameplay makes up for that. Until you experience an sudden blizzard or warmth wave, outside experiences are fun. Without the pack it can be robust to seek out a lot to do in your backyard. With Seasons, sims could make snow angels, rake leaves, dance in puddles, and even freeze to demise when you’re not careful.

Cats And Canine

No create-a-sim family feels complete and not using a little pupper or kitten. The creature creation on your pets is expansive and gives so many alternatives to make your pet as artistic and unique as attainable, from mixing breeds or adorning them with neon inexperienced fur. My most cherished design is a robotic-looking kitten to go together with my alien sim.

Along with the brand new world of Brindleton Bay, there’s additionally the veterinarian career path, so your sim can work to assist remedy beloved pets in addition to perform surgical procedure. The pets go right into a machine where your sim vets “operate” on pets from the surface by wanting in by way of an x-ray monitor. Make sure you climb up the brand new veterinary talent tree so the little ones don’t come out of the machine as crops or decked out in a clown go well with.

The pets aren’t just added for aesthetic value, both. Unfortunately, you aren’t capable of control pets like you possibly can in The Sims three, however there are nonetheless loads of interactions. You possibly can practice your pets to study new tips and navigate by means of obstacles, or your critters could be lazy and simply take pleasure in cuddling together with your sim on the couch. The means to offer your pets traits makes them really feel extra sensible they usually may even develop fears. Pets nonetheless have wants, and the “what’s wrong?” interaction may give you a heads up on what your little buddy craves.

Recreation Packs

Recreation packs supply a modest quantity of content and sometimes come priced at $19.99.

Jungle Journey

Two of The Sims 4’s recreation packs supply a vacation destination in your sims, however the one that basically stands out is Jungle Adventure. There are so many extra adventurous and worldly options for clothing and construct mode. You possibly can simply make your sim into a Nathan Drake or Lara Croft sort and set them up in a Central/South American-themed residence.

Exploring tombs is spooky and thrilling. Not solely are you able to stumble upon skeletons, but you danger having your sims cursed and reworked into skeletons as properly. Relying on if the transformation is a curse or blessing, you’ll both get stuck in skeleton type or have the ability to change again everytime you need. It will either make you need to snicker or punch a gap by way of your monitor. There isn’t any in-between.

Scavenging for artifacts will ultimately culminate in the formation of an entire relic. Assembling a relic might be fulfilling, especially with the shock curses or blessings they generate, like the curse of the private raincloud, the blessing of the skeleton assistant, and even one thing as brutal because the marked for demise relic, where your sim can burst into flames and die.

Interacting with the locals won’t solely work in your favor to seek out cures for illnesses or curses, but you can too purchase unique gadgets to assist in your trek via the jungle and survive random hazards comparable to lightning-bug assaults. There are also interactions that spotlight native traditions. You possibly can ask the locals about their tradition, dance with them in Selvadoradian fashion, and study songs to convey back house with you.

Vampires

It’s never a uninteresting moment when mythical creatures are concerned. In contrast to the Mermaids in Island Dwelling, Vampires have a talent tree, which provides rather a lot to the gameplay. As your sims grow to be more adept in vampire lore, they degree up and unlock more powerful talents, reminiscent of teleportation with bat and mist varieties. Positive, you possibly can already teleport with cheats, but vampires get to do it in fashion.

Choosing your vampire sim’s perks and skills is riveting. You start off as a weak vampire with primary powers, comparable to detecting different sims’ personalities. As you develop stronger, you possibly can degree up their preventing expertise to allow them to vanquish other vampires, max out appeal in order that they’re irresistible to other sims, or even develop into masters of hallucination to allow them to feed off of the sims of their selection without the awkward social consequences.

The new world of Forgotten Hollow comes with the Vampires recreation pack, and it might be small, but the darkish theme and design is perfect for the brooding creatures. You’ll be able to create a vampiric mansion and transfer in right next to Vladislaus Straud, who resembles Dracula. Don’t be fooled by his outward look; he appears previous, however he’s truly a younger grownup. He’s also single, so don’t be shy if you want to put the strikes on him.

Parenthood

Parenthood is one other key addition to the Sims 4, particularly for players that need to give attention to constructing a family. Whereas this can be a must-have pack, we want that this was included in the base recreation, considering the large enhancements it brings to one of many core gameplay pillars of The Sims. The base recreation consists of a huge family tree aspiration, but Parenthood expands on this concept so it includes extra than just having your sims pump out babies.

Toddlers not often get any new content or gameplay additions, so the extra clothes and substantial interactions that come with Parenthood are greater than welcome. The interplay inside households consists of giving recommendation, praising, and disciplining your youngsters. This is partaking, as a result of the extra you interact with them, the extra their personalities start to shift to mirror the communication. Together with growing your parental expertise, you’ll be able to affect your youngsters’s actions and talk about how they should behave as they transfer ahead into adulthood.

Parenting expertise can develop for anybody that interacts with toddlers, youngsters, and teenagers. With this new bonding gameplay, relationships feel far more meaningful. I have a household where a young lady takes care of her little sister, and as a result of meager finances, they should reside with two of her pals. When it gets irritating to cope with her little sister, her pals step in and assist. Emergent stories like these evoke emotions for players even during mundane activities like gathering everyone to the lounge flooring for a faculty venture.

Strangerville

This recreation pack announcement raised plenty of eyebrows. Story targeted parts in the Sims are likely to put individuals off, however this pack truly pulled it off and still provided loads of different things to do, as well as an in depth world that doesn’t prohibit your expertise.

The point of the sims is to be whoever you need to be, and this one opens up an entire new desert world with a dedicated story and army profession path, which allows you to turn out to be a undercover agent. The army branch matches in completely with sims who’re making an attempt to determine what’s happening in Strangerville, but you can too play by means of the story without it. Though you can’t go to work together with your army sim, you possibly can have them “work from home” when you have the City Dwelling enlargement pack. This lets you be extra concerned in their career both by means of coaching or investigating individuals around city.

So as to comply with the story, it’s a must to select the Strangerville Thriller aspiration. The narrative introduces parts we haven’t seen before in The Sims which might be bonkers and a ton of fun because of mild RPG mechanics and building a resistance to battle off an evil menace. With whispers of a authorities conspiracy and all your neighbors in Strangerville going nuts, the thriller of the town becomes increasingly more alluring. Although it’s brief, you accrue loads of rewards akin to cupcakes and fan mail whenever you complete the narrative. The furnishings (corresponding to weeds growing in a tub or mysterious machinery) additionally presents plenty of weird build ideas, supplying you with the right options for making a secret laboratory on your sim. The new laptops are a strong addition as properly.

Stuff Packs

Stuff packs are small add-ons that often solely value $9.99.

Movie Hangout

Bohemian Stuff or Psychedelic Hippie Stuff might have been a more applicable identify for this pack, contemplating how colorful and artsy the furnishings is. The new clothes and build-mode gadgets are satisfying additions that we will’t think about enjoying with out.

New wall decorations, couches, coffee tables, and ceiling lights convey so much vibrancy to your builds. They will easily turn into favorites when designing a home and infusing it with character. There’s even an enormous tree draped with lanterns that may be a lovely addition to any backyard.

Backyard

In the event you’re on the lookout for more outside-focused gameplay, then Yard stuff is a best choice. Not only does it supply rural ambiance with objects like wind chimes and fowl feeders, but choices like lawn waterslides allow enjoyable neighborhood get togethers. You’ll be able to throw barbeque parties while everybody falls flat on their face making an attempt to slip across.

This can be a great pack to spruce up both your front or backyard with extra lively features. These things pack can simply complement Seasons as properly for the summer time months, comparable to having your sim drink lemonade whereas family and friends play on the slide.

Romantic Garden

When you take pleasure in landscaping, then this pack will put you over the moon because it helps make your yard look beautiful. Romantic Backyard Stuff is particularly helpful when designing an outside wedding ceremony.

One other fascinating addition is the wishing nicely, which isn’t your common yard function. You’ll be able to ship your sims on a wishing marathon to see if any wishes come true, but typically they get the precise opposite of what they want. Romance, happiness, wealth, long life, youthful vigor, good grades, a promotion, a toddler, or a selected talent all have numerous outcomes. The extra you bribe the properly, the more doubtless you’ll get what you asked for. Additionally, in case you have hassle protecting your sims alive, the properly proves useful in bringing them back to life.

Cool Kitchen

Because the identify implies, this pack is great for sims who need more variety when building and decorating their kitchens. The new knife rack, cabinets, and spice racks for construct mode deliver a homey aesthetic and a contact of realism. However the ice cream is where this pack will get really enjoyable.

There are 30 flavors, with toppings of your selection, that have varying results on your sims. Relying on your sims’ traits, they’ll have a favourite. Childish sims love sprinkles and whipped cream, commitment-issue sims love peppermint sticks and nuts, and gloomy sims don’t like all.

Ice cream doesn’t just make your sims comfortable, nevertheless. This is The Sims, in any case, and even consuming ice-cream can have dire penalties as some flavors may cause a ghost to visit, make your sims drop extra pounds, or even breathe hearth that can set different sims aflame. Think about that being written on your tombstone.

There’s still lots to return with the Sims 4. Choosing from all of the content packs out there isn’t straightforward. Hopefully this record helped you out find the perfect packs to make a well-rounded Sims 4 experience.

Sims 4 has grown immensely from its predecessors, watch our let’s play of Sims 2: Castaway to see for yourself.

The post Must-Have Packs To Get The Most Out Of The Sims 4 – AcrossTheFader.BIZ appeared first on DWJ Tech.

[pielson2-blog]

Must-Have Packs To Get The Most Out Of The Sims 4 – AcrossTheFader.BIZ

In the event you have been hooked by the Sims 4 base recreation and are prepared to reinforce your playthrough, there are a slew of DLCs that provide a richer expertise. After its rough preliminary debut, Sims 4 has since stepped up with free updates and content that appease longtime fans. Nevertheless, buying all of the packs would easily value you over $500, and with seven enlargement packs, seven recreation packs, and 14 stuff packs, you could be at a loss of where to begin. For many who are overwhelmed by the prospect of which DLC to decide on, we’ve compiled an inventory of our favourite packs. Although we are nonetheless bemoaning the absence of fashionable Sims 3 staples like Supernatural and University, there isn’t any shortage of inspired gameplay in the Sims 4.

Enlargement Packs

Enlargement packs supply probably the most options and are the costliest, costing $39.99.

Island Dwelling

This current release has already proven to be a strong entry. Together with mermaids, this pack has plenty of new gameplay, especially in relation to new features and traits in create-a-sim. “Child of the Islands” and “Child of the Ocean” both introduce some unique new ways to interact inside the island of Sulani. Connecting with the culture and tending to the island is rewarding. Gamers can actually see the influence their sims make on the island with cleaner beaches, greener timber, and even more flowers.

Creating a mermaid is loads of enjoyable, since you possibly can achieve some lovely designs in your mythical creature. Though their talents are surface degree (the Vampires pack, as compared, has mild RPG mechanics that can help you study new magical expertise), the aesthetics alone are well worth the worth of admission since each mermaid seems to be awesome when swimming round and befriending dolphins. You may also enchant individuals together with your siren’s name, whether your intent is matchmaking or mayhem.

When you love constructing in the Sims, then this pack is a must have. The world of Sulani is fascinating, with seaside venues and expansive ocean waters. It’s a joy to construct a home that permits your sims to get up in the morning and dive right into the sea from their patio.

Get Well-known

Within the Sims 4, you’ll be able to attain success by climbing a career-path ladder to the highest, however different sims gained’t care about your renowned accomplishments… till you add the Get Famous enlargement pack.

When your sims achieve a milestone like touchdown a lead position within the hottest pirate film, writing their next great novel, or catching an enormous fish, your sims construct their fame degree. Different sims will need to take their picture and get their autograph. Having different sims gawk and have a fan freak-out over your sim is amusing and gratifying; it looks like a reward for all of the arduous work you set towards their superstar status.

The capability to go to movie units, that are full of props like pirate ships and saloons, can also be plenty of enjoyable. You possibly can put your sim by means of the hair and makeup departments and make them perform for the cameras. Your success will depend on how a lot you’ve honed your appearing talent, your rapport with the rest of the crew, and judgement calls on whether to take dangers when performing. Depending on how the director reacts, the performance could possibly be a flop or a complete success. Both means, both are amusing to observe.

Seasons

Seasons ought to be on everybody’s must-have record. Not only does it convey welcome variations to the weather because of changing seasons, however it adds a great deal of new clothing and building gadgets so your sims can correctly put together for snow days or the sweltering heat. Two new clothing sections can be found for summer time and winter put on, and there are plenty of new additions in build mode, similar to a thermostat to manage indoor local weather and stockings to hold in your hearth. All this helps accommodate for the weather and holidays.

You will get right into a festive temper regardless of the event, receiving presents from Father Winter (who truly visits your home on Christmas Eve – you’ll be able to even befriend him), sending out love notes on Love Day, or creating an official vacation of your personal. You possibly can assign timeframes and actions for sims to get into the holiday spirit. Treat Yo’Self Day and Purge Day are private favorites of mine because who doesn’t need to spoil their sims or dedicate a day to duking it out with their noisy neighbors? You possibly can dedicate the day for gift-giving rituals and even encourage sims to interact in a full-on brawl for holidays. It’s as much as you.

Though this enlargement doesn’t add another world, the wealth of latest gameplay makes up for that. Until you experience an sudden blizzard or warmth wave, outside experiences are fun. Without the pack it can be robust to seek out a lot to do in your backyard. With Seasons, sims could make snow angels, rake leaves, dance in puddles, and even freeze to demise when you’re not careful.

Cats And Canine

No create-a-sim family feels complete and not using a little pupper or kitten. The creature creation on your pets is expansive and gives so many alternatives to make your pet as artistic and unique as attainable, from mixing breeds or adorning them with neon inexperienced fur. My most cherished design is a robotic-looking kitten to go together with my alien sim.

Along with the brand new world of Brindleton Bay, there’s additionally the veterinarian career path, so your sim can work to assist remedy beloved pets in addition to perform surgical procedure. The pets go right into a machine where your sim vets “operate” on pets from the surface by wanting in by way of an x-ray monitor. Make sure you climb up the brand new veterinary talent tree so the little ones don’t come out of the machine as crops or decked out in a clown go well with.

The pets aren’t just added for aesthetic value, both. Unfortunately, you aren’t capable of control pets like you possibly can in The Sims three, however there are nonetheless loads of interactions. You possibly can practice your pets to study new tips and navigate by means of obstacles, or your critters could be lazy and simply take pleasure in cuddling together with your sim on the couch. The means to offer your pets traits makes them really feel extra sensible they usually may even develop fears. Pets nonetheless have wants, and the “what’s wrong?” interaction may give you a heads up on what your little buddy craves.

Recreation Packs

Recreation packs supply a modest quantity of content and sometimes come priced at $19.99.

Jungle Journey

Two of The Sims 4’s recreation packs supply a vacation destination in your sims, however the one that basically stands out is Jungle Adventure. There are so many extra adventurous and worldly options for clothing and construct mode. You possibly can simply make your sim into a Nathan Drake or Lara Croft sort and set them up in a Central/South American-themed residence.

Exploring tombs is spooky and thrilling. Not solely are you able to stumble upon skeletons, but you danger having your sims cursed and reworked into skeletons as properly. Relying on if the transformation is a curse or blessing, you’ll both get stuck in skeleton type or have the ability to change again everytime you need. It will either make you need to snicker or punch a gap by way of your monitor. There isn’t any in-between.

Scavenging for artifacts will ultimately culminate in the formation of an entire relic. Assembling a relic might be fulfilling, especially with the shock curses or blessings they generate, like the curse of the private raincloud, the blessing of the skeleton assistant, and even one thing as brutal because the marked for demise relic, where your sim can burst into flames and die.

Interacting with the locals won’t solely work in your favor to seek out cures for illnesses or curses, but you can too purchase unique gadgets to assist in your trek via the jungle and survive random hazards comparable to lightning-bug assaults. There are also interactions that spotlight native traditions. You possibly can ask the locals about their tradition, dance with them in Selvadoradian fashion, and study songs to convey back house with you.

Vampires

It’s never a uninteresting moment when mythical creatures are concerned. In contrast to the Mermaids in Island Dwelling, Vampires have a talent tree, which provides rather a lot to the gameplay. As your sims grow to be more adept in vampire lore, they degree up and unlock more powerful talents, reminiscent of teleportation with bat and mist varieties. Positive, you possibly can already teleport with cheats, but vampires get to do it in fashion.

Choosing your vampire sim’s perks and skills is riveting. You start off as a weak vampire with primary powers, comparable to detecting different sims’ personalities. As you develop stronger, you possibly can degree up their preventing expertise to allow them to vanquish other vampires, max out appeal in order that they’re irresistible to other sims, or even develop into masters of hallucination to allow them to feed off of the sims of their selection without the awkward social consequences.

The new world of Forgotten Hollow comes with the Vampires recreation pack, and it might be small, but the darkish theme and design is perfect for the brooding creatures. You’ll be able to create a vampiric mansion and transfer in right next to Vladislaus Straud, who resembles Dracula. Don’t be fooled by his outward look; he appears previous, however he’s truly a younger grownup. He’s also single, so don’t be shy if you want to put the strikes on him.

Parenthood

Parenthood is one other key addition to the Sims 4, particularly for players that need to give attention to constructing a family. Whereas this can be a must-have pack, we want that this was included in the base recreation, considering the large enhancements it brings to one of many core gameplay pillars of The Sims. The base recreation consists of a huge family tree aspiration, but Parenthood expands on this concept so it includes extra than just having your sims pump out babies.

Toddlers not often get any new content or gameplay additions, so the extra clothes and substantial interactions that come with Parenthood are greater than welcome. The interplay inside households consists of giving recommendation, praising, and disciplining your youngsters. This is partaking, as a result of the extra you interact with them, the extra their personalities start to shift to mirror the communication. Together with growing your parental expertise, you’ll be able to affect your youngsters’s actions and talk about how they should behave as they transfer ahead into adulthood.

Parenting expertise can develop for anybody that interacts with toddlers, youngsters, and teenagers. With this new bonding gameplay, relationships feel far more meaningful. I have a household where a young lady takes care of her little sister, and as a result of meager finances, they should reside with two of her pals. When it gets irritating to cope with her little sister, her pals step in and assist. Emergent stories like these evoke emotions for players even during mundane activities like gathering everyone to the lounge flooring for a faculty venture.

Strangerville

This recreation pack announcement raised plenty of eyebrows. Story targeted parts in the Sims are likely to put individuals off, however this pack truly pulled it off and still provided loads of different things to do, as well as an in depth world that doesn’t prohibit your expertise.

The point of the sims is to be whoever you need to be, and this one opens up an entire new desert world with a dedicated story and army profession path, which allows you to turn out to be a undercover agent. The army branch matches in completely with sims who’re making an attempt to determine what’s happening in Strangerville, but you can too play by means of the story without it. Though you can’t go to work together with your army sim, you possibly can have them “work from home” when you have the City Dwelling enlargement pack. This lets you be extra concerned in their career both by means of coaching or investigating individuals around city.

So as to comply with the story, it’s a must to select the Strangerville Thriller aspiration. The narrative introduces parts we haven’t seen before in The Sims which might be bonkers and a ton of fun because of mild RPG mechanics and building a resistance to battle off an evil menace. With whispers of a authorities conspiracy and all your neighbors in Strangerville going nuts, the thriller of the town becomes increasingly more alluring. Although it’s brief, you accrue loads of rewards akin to cupcakes and fan mail whenever you complete the narrative. The furnishings (corresponding to weeds growing in a tub or mysterious machinery) additionally presents plenty of weird build ideas, supplying you with the right options for making a secret laboratory on your sim. The new laptops are a strong addition as properly.

Stuff Packs

Stuff packs are small add-ons that often solely value $9.99.

Movie Hangout

Bohemian Stuff or Psychedelic Hippie Stuff might have been a more applicable identify for this pack, contemplating how colorful and artsy the furnishings is. The new clothes and build-mode gadgets are satisfying additions that we will’t think about enjoying with out.

New wall decorations, couches, coffee tables, and ceiling lights convey so much vibrancy to your builds. They will easily turn into favorites when designing a home and infusing it with character. There’s even an enormous tree draped with lanterns that may be a lovely addition to any backyard.

Backyard

In the event you’re on the lookout for more outside-focused gameplay, then Yard stuff is a best choice. Not only does it supply rural ambiance with objects like wind chimes and fowl feeders, but choices like lawn waterslides allow enjoyable neighborhood get togethers. You’ll be able to throw barbeque parties while everybody falls flat on their face making an attempt to slip across.

This can be a great pack to spruce up both your front or backyard with extra lively features. These things pack can simply complement Seasons as properly for the summer time months, comparable to having your sim drink lemonade whereas family and friends play on the slide.

Romantic Garden

When you take pleasure in landscaping, then this pack will put you over the moon because it helps make your yard look beautiful. Romantic Backyard Stuff is particularly helpful when designing an outside wedding ceremony.

One other fascinating addition is the wishing nicely, which isn’t your common yard function. You’ll be able to ship your sims on a wishing marathon to see if any wishes come true, but typically they get the precise opposite of what they want. Romance, happiness, wealth, long life, youthful vigor, good grades, a promotion, a toddler, or a selected talent all have numerous outcomes. The extra you bribe the properly, the more doubtless you’ll get what you asked for. Additionally, in case you have hassle protecting your sims alive, the properly proves useful in bringing them back to life.

Cool Kitchen

Because the identify implies, this pack is great for sims who need more variety when building and decorating their kitchens. The new knife rack, cabinets, and spice racks for construct mode deliver a homey aesthetic and a contact of realism. However the ice cream is where this pack will get really enjoyable.

There are 30 flavors, with toppings of your selection, that have varying results on your sims. Relying on your sims’ traits, they’ll have a favourite. Childish sims love sprinkles and whipped cream, commitment-issue sims love peppermint sticks and nuts, and gloomy sims don’t like all.

Ice cream doesn’t just make your sims comfortable, nevertheless. This is The Sims, in any case, and even consuming ice-cream can have dire penalties as some flavors may cause a ghost to visit, make your sims drop extra pounds, or even breathe hearth that can set different sims aflame. Think about that being written on your tombstone.

There’s still lots to return with the Sims 4. Choosing from all of the content packs out there isn’t straightforward. Hopefully this record helped you out find the perfect packs to make a well-rounded Sims 4 experience.

Sims 4 has grown immensely from its predecessors, watch our let’s play of Sims 2: Castaway to see for yourself.

The post Must-Have Packs To Get The Most Out Of The Sims 4 – AcrossTheFader.BIZ appeared first on DWJ Tech.

[mytherapistknowsaboutyouthings]

Must-Have Packs To Get The Most Out Of The Sims 4 – AcrossTheFader.BIZ

In the event you have been hooked by the Sims 4 base recreation and are prepared to reinforce your playthrough, there are a slew of DLCs that provide a richer expertise. After its rough preliminary debut, Sims 4 has since stepped up with free updates and content that appease longtime fans. Nevertheless, buying all of the packs would easily value you over $500, and with seven enlargement packs, seven recreation packs, and 14 stuff packs, you could be at a loss of where to begin. For many who are overwhelmed by the prospect of which DLC to decide on, we’ve compiled an inventory of our favourite packs. Although we are nonetheless bemoaning the absence of fashionable Sims 3 staples like Supernatural and University, there isn’t any shortage of inspired gameplay in the Sims 4.

Enlargement Packs

Enlargement packs supply probably the most options and are the costliest, costing $39.99.

Island Dwelling

This current release has already proven to be a strong entry. Together with mermaids, this pack has plenty of new gameplay, especially in relation to new features and traits in create-a-sim. “Child of the Islands” and “Child of the Ocean” both introduce some unique new ways to interact inside the island of Sulani. Connecting with the culture and tending to the island is rewarding. Gamers can actually see the influence their sims make on the island with cleaner beaches, greener timber, and even more flowers.

Creating a mermaid is loads of enjoyable, since you possibly can achieve some lovely designs in your mythical creature. Though their talents are surface degree (the Vampires pack, as compared, has mild RPG mechanics that can help you study new magical expertise), the aesthetics alone are well worth the worth of admission since each mermaid seems to be awesome when swimming round and befriending dolphins. You may also enchant individuals together with your siren’s name, whether your intent is matchmaking or mayhem.

When you love constructing in the Sims, then this pack is a must have. The world of Sulani is fascinating, with seaside venues and expansive ocean waters. It’s a joy to construct a home that permits your sims to get up in the morning and dive right into the sea from their patio.

Get Well-known

Within the Sims 4, you’ll be able to attain success by climbing a career-path ladder to the highest, however different sims gained’t care about your renowned accomplishments… till you add the Get Famous enlargement pack.

When your sims achieve a milestone like touchdown a lead position within the hottest pirate film, writing their next great novel, or catching an enormous fish, your sims construct their fame degree. Different sims will need to take their picture and get their autograph. Having different sims gawk and have a fan freak-out over your sim is amusing and gratifying; it looks like a reward for all of the arduous work you set towards their superstar status.

The capability to go to movie units, that are full of props like pirate ships and saloons, can also be plenty of enjoyable. You possibly can put your sim by means of the hair and makeup departments and make them perform for the cameras. Your success will depend on how a lot you’ve honed your appearing talent, your rapport with the rest of the crew, and judgement calls on whether to take dangers when performing. Depending on how the director reacts, the performance could possibly be a flop or a complete success. Both means, both are amusing to observe.

Seasons

Seasons ought to be on everybody’s must-have record. Not only does it convey welcome variations to the weather because of changing seasons, however it adds a great deal of new clothing and building gadgets so your sims can correctly put together for snow days or the sweltering heat. Two new clothing sections can be found for summer time and winter put on, and there are plenty of new additions in build mode, similar to a thermostat to manage indoor local weather and stockings to hold in your hearth. All this helps accommodate for the weather and holidays.

You will get right into a festive temper regardless of the event, receiving presents from Father Winter (who truly visits your home on Christmas Eve – you’ll be able to even befriend him), sending out love notes on Love Day, or creating an official vacation of your personal. You possibly can assign timeframes and actions for sims to get into the holiday spirit. Treat Yo’Self Day and Purge Day are private favorites of mine because who doesn’t need to spoil their sims or dedicate a day to duking it out with their noisy neighbors? You possibly can dedicate the day for gift-giving rituals and even encourage sims to interact in a full-on brawl for holidays. It’s as much as you.

Though this enlargement doesn’t add another world, the wealth of latest gameplay makes up for that. Until you experience an sudden blizzard or warmth wave, outside experiences are fun. Without the pack it can be robust to seek out a lot to do in your backyard. With Seasons, sims could make snow angels, rake leaves, dance in puddles, and even freeze to demise when you’re not careful.

Cats And Canine

No create-a-sim family feels complete and not using a little pupper or kitten. The creature creation on your pets is expansive and gives so many alternatives to make your pet as artistic and unique as attainable, from mixing breeds or adorning them with neon inexperienced fur. My most cherished design is a robotic-looking kitten to go together with my alien sim.

Along with the brand new world of Brindleton Bay, there’s additionally the veterinarian career path, so your sim can work to assist remedy beloved pets in addition to perform surgical procedure. The pets go right into a machine where your sim vets “operate” on pets from the surface by wanting in by way of an x-ray monitor. Make sure you climb up the brand new veterinary talent tree so the little ones don’t come out of the machine as crops or decked out in a clown go well with.

The pets aren’t just added for aesthetic value, both. Unfortunately, you aren’t capable of control pets like you possibly can in The Sims three, however there are nonetheless loads of interactions. You possibly can practice your pets to study new tips and navigate by means of obstacles, or your critters could be lazy and simply take pleasure in cuddling together with your sim on the couch. The means to offer your pets traits makes them really feel extra sensible they usually may even develop fears. Pets nonetheless have wants, and the “what’s wrong?” interaction may give you a heads up on what your little buddy craves.

Recreation Packs

Recreation packs supply a modest quantity of content and sometimes come priced at $19.99.

Jungle Journey

Two of The Sims 4’s recreation packs supply a vacation destination in your sims, however the one that basically stands out is Jungle Adventure. There are so many extra adventurous and worldly options for clothing and construct mode. You possibly can simply make your sim into a Nathan Drake or Lara Croft sort and set them up in a Central/South American-themed residence.

Exploring tombs is spooky and thrilling. Not solely are you able to stumble upon skeletons, but you danger having your sims cursed and reworked into skeletons as properly. Relying on if the transformation is a curse or blessing, you’ll both get stuck in skeleton type or have the ability to change again everytime you need. It will either make you need to snicker or punch a gap by way of your monitor. There isn’t any in-between.

Scavenging for artifacts will ultimately culminate in the formation of an entire relic. Assembling a relic might be fulfilling, especially with the shock curses or blessings they generate, like the curse of the private raincloud, the blessing of the skeleton assistant, and even one thing as brutal because the marked for demise relic, where your sim can burst into flames and die.

Interacting with the locals won’t solely work in your favor to seek out cures for illnesses or curses, but you can too purchase unique gadgets to assist in your trek via the jungle and survive random hazards comparable to lightning-bug assaults. There are also interactions that spotlight native traditions. You possibly can ask the locals about their tradition, dance with them in Selvadoradian fashion, and study songs to convey back house with you.

Vampires

It’s never a uninteresting moment when mythical creatures are concerned. In contrast to the Mermaids in Island Dwelling, Vampires have a talent tree, which provides rather a lot to the gameplay. As your sims grow to be more adept in vampire lore, they degree up and unlock more powerful talents, reminiscent of teleportation with bat and mist varieties. Positive, you possibly can already teleport with cheats, but vampires get to do it in fashion.

Choosing your vampire sim’s perks and skills is riveting. You start off as a weak vampire with primary powers, comparable to detecting different sims’ personalities. As you develop stronger, you possibly can degree up their preventing expertise to allow them to vanquish other vampires, max out appeal in order that they’re irresistible to other sims, or even develop into masters of hallucination to allow them to feed off of the sims of their selection without the awkward social consequences.

The new world of Forgotten Hollow comes with the Vampires recreation pack, and it might be small, but the darkish theme and design is perfect for the brooding creatures. You’ll be able to create a vampiric mansion and transfer in right next to Vladislaus Straud, who resembles Dracula. Don’t be fooled by his outward look; he appears previous, however he’s truly a younger grownup. He’s also single, so don’t be shy if you want to put the strikes on him.

Parenthood

Parenthood is one other key addition to the Sims 4, particularly for players that need to give attention to constructing a family. Whereas this can be a must-have pack, we want that this was included in the base recreation, considering the large enhancements it brings to one of many core gameplay pillars of The Sims. The base recreation consists of a huge family tree aspiration, but Parenthood expands on this concept so it includes extra than just having your sims pump out babies.

Toddlers not often get any new content or gameplay additions, so the extra clothes and substantial interactions that come with Parenthood are greater than welcome. The interplay inside households consists of giving recommendation, praising, and disciplining your youngsters. This is partaking, as a result of the extra you interact with them, the extra their personalities start to shift to mirror the communication. Together with growing your parental expertise, you’ll be able to affect your youngsters’s actions and talk about how they should behave as they transfer ahead into adulthood.

Parenting expertise can develop for anybody that interacts with toddlers, youngsters, and teenagers. With this new bonding gameplay, relationships feel far more meaningful. I have a household where a young lady takes care of her little sister, and as a result of meager finances, they should reside with two of her pals. When it gets irritating to cope with her little sister, her pals step in and assist. Emergent stories like these evoke emotions for players even during mundane activities like gathering everyone to the lounge flooring for a faculty venture.

Strangerville

This recreation pack announcement raised plenty of eyebrows. Story targeted parts in the Sims are likely to put individuals off, however this pack truly pulled it off and still provided loads of different things to do, as well as an in depth world that doesn’t prohibit your expertise.

The point of the sims is to be whoever you need to be, and this one opens up an entire new desert world with a dedicated story and army profession path, which allows you to turn out to be a undercover agent. The army branch matches in completely with sims who’re making an attempt to determine what’s happening in Strangerville, but you can too play by means of the story without it. Though you can’t go to work together with your army sim, you possibly can have them “work from home” when you have the City Dwelling enlargement pack. This lets you be extra concerned in their career both by means of coaching or investigating individuals around city.

So as to comply with the story, it’s a must to select the Strangerville Thriller aspiration. The narrative introduces parts we haven’t seen before in The Sims which might be bonkers and a ton of fun because of mild RPG mechanics and building a resistance to battle off an evil menace. With whispers of a authorities conspiracy and all your neighbors in Strangerville going nuts, the thriller of the town becomes increasingly more alluring. Although it’s brief, you accrue loads of rewards akin to cupcakes and fan mail whenever you complete the narrative. The furnishings (corresponding to weeds growing in a tub or mysterious machinery) additionally presents plenty of weird build ideas, supplying you with the right options for making a secret laboratory on your sim. The new laptops are a strong addition as properly.

Stuff Packs

Stuff packs are small add-ons that often solely value $9.99.

Movie Hangout

Bohemian Stuff or Psychedelic Hippie Stuff might have been a more applicable identify for this pack, contemplating how colorful and artsy the furnishings is. The new clothes and build-mode gadgets are satisfying additions that we will’t think about enjoying with out.

New wall decorations, couches, coffee tables, and ceiling lights convey so much vibrancy to your builds. They will easily turn into favorites when designing a home and infusing it with character. There’s even an enormous tree draped with lanterns that may be a lovely addition to any backyard.

Backyard

In the event you’re on the lookout for more outside-focused gameplay, then Yard stuff is a best choice. Not only does it supply rural ambiance with objects like wind chimes and fowl feeders, but choices like lawn waterslides allow enjoyable neighborhood get togethers. You’ll be able to throw barbeque parties while everybody falls flat on their face making an attempt to slip across.

This can be a great pack to spruce up both your front or backyard with extra lively features. These things pack can simply complement Seasons as properly for the summer time months, comparable to having your sim drink lemonade whereas family and friends play on the slide.

Romantic Garden

When you take pleasure in landscaping, then this pack will put you over the moon because it helps make your yard look beautiful. Romantic Backyard Stuff is particularly helpful when designing an outside wedding ceremony.

One other fascinating addition is the wishing nicely, which isn’t your common yard function. You’ll be able to ship your sims on a wishing marathon to see if any wishes come true, but typically they get the precise opposite of what they want. Romance, happiness, wealth, long life, youthful vigor, good grades, a promotion, a toddler, or a selected talent all have numerous outcomes. The extra you bribe the properly, the more doubtless you’ll get what you asked for. Additionally, in case you have hassle protecting your sims alive, the properly proves useful in bringing them back to life.

Cool Kitchen

Because the identify implies, this pack is great for sims who need more variety when building and decorating their kitchens. The new knife rack, cabinets, and spice racks for construct mode deliver a homey aesthetic and a contact of realism. However the ice cream is where this pack will get really enjoyable.

There are 30 flavors, with toppings of your selection, that have varying results on your sims. Relying on your sims’ traits, they’ll have a favourite. Childish sims love sprinkles and whipped cream, commitment-issue sims love peppermint sticks and nuts, and gloomy sims don’t like all.

Ice cream doesn’t just make your sims comfortable, nevertheless. This is The Sims, in any case, and even consuming ice-cream can have dire penalties as some flavors may cause a ghost to visit, make your sims drop extra pounds, or even breathe hearth that can set different sims aflame. Think about that being written on your tombstone.

There’s still lots to return with the Sims 4. Choosing from all of the content packs out there isn’t straightforward. Hopefully this record helped you out find the perfect packs to make a well-rounded Sims 4 experience.

Sims 4 has grown immensely from its predecessors, watch our let’s play of Sims 2: Castaway to see for yourself.

The post Must-Have Packs To Get The Most Out Of The Sims 4 – AcrossTheFader.BIZ appeared first on DWJ Tech.

[iteddybearboyfme]

Must-Have Packs To Get The Most Out Of The Sims 4 – AcrossTheFader.BIZ

In the event you have been hooked by the Sims 4 base recreation and are prepared to reinforce your playthrough, there are a slew of DLCs that provide a richer expertise. After its rough preliminary debut, Sims 4 has since stepped up with free updates and content that appease longtime fans. Nevertheless, buying all of the packs would easily value you over $500, and with seven enlargement packs, seven recreation packs, and 14 stuff packs, you could be at a loss of where to begin. For many who are overwhelmed by the prospect of which DLC to decide on, we’ve compiled an inventory of our favourite packs. Although we are nonetheless bemoaning the absence of fashionable Sims 3 staples like Supernatural and University, there isn’t any shortage of inspired gameplay in the Sims 4.

Enlargement Packs

Enlargement packs supply probably the most options and are the costliest, costing $39.99.

Island Dwelling

This current release has already proven to be a strong entry. Together with mermaids, this pack has plenty of new gameplay, especially in relation to new features and traits in create-a-sim. “Child of the Islands” and “Child of the Ocean” both introduce some unique new ways to interact inside the island of Sulani. Connecting with the culture and tending to the island is rewarding. Gamers can actually see the influence their sims make on the island with cleaner beaches, greener timber, and even more flowers.

Creating a mermaid is loads of enjoyable, since you possibly can achieve some lovely designs in your mythical creature. Though their talents are surface degree (the Vampires pack, as compared, has mild RPG mechanics that can help you study new magical expertise), the aesthetics alone are well worth the worth of admission since each mermaid seems to be awesome when swimming round and befriending dolphins. You may also enchant individuals together with your siren’s name, whether your intent is matchmaking or mayhem.

When you love constructing in the Sims, then this pack is a must have. The world of Sulani is fascinating, with seaside venues and expansive ocean waters. It’s a joy to construct a home that permits your sims to get up in the morning and dive right into the sea from their patio.

Get Well-known

Within the Sims 4, you’ll be able to attain success by climbing a career-path ladder to the highest, however different sims gained’t care about your renowned accomplishments… till you add the Get Famous enlargement pack.

When your sims achieve a milestone like touchdown a lead position within the hottest pirate film, writing their next great novel, or catching an enormous fish, your sims construct their fame degree. Different sims will need to take their picture and get their autograph. Having different sims gawk and have a fan freak-out over your sim is amusing and gratifying; it looks like a reward for all of the arduous work you set towards their superstar status.

The capability to go to movie units, that are full of props like pirate ships and saloons, can also be plenty of enjoyable. You possibly can put your sim by means of the hair and makeup departments and make them perform for the cameras. Your success will depend on how a lot you’ve honed your appearing talent, your rapport with the rest of the crew, and judgement calls on whether to take dangers when performing. Depending on how the director reacts, the performance could possibly be a flop or a complete success. Both means, both are amusing to observe.

Seasons

Seasons ought to be on everybody’s must-have record. Not only does it convey welcome variations to the weather because of changing seasons, however it adds a great deal of new clothing and building gadgets so your sims can correctly put together for snow days or the sweltering heat. Two new clothing sections can be found for summer time and winter put on, and there are plenty of new additions in build mode, similar to a thermostat to manage indoor local weather and stockings to hold in your hearth. All this helps accommodate for the weather and holidays.

You will get right into a festive temper regardless of the event, receiving presents from Father Winter (who truly visits your home on Christmas Eve – you’ll be able to even befriend him), sending out love notes on Love Day, or creating an official vacation of your personal. You possibly can assign timeframes and actions for sims to get into the holiday spirit. Treat Yo’Self Day and Purge Day are private favorites of mine because who doesn’t need to spoil their sims or dedicate a day to duking it out with their noisy neighbors? You possibly can dedicate the day for gift-giving rituals and even encourage sims to interact in a full-on brawl for holidays. It’s as much as you.

Though this enlargement doesn’t add another world, the wealth of latest gameplay makes up for that. Until you experience an sudden blizzard or warmth wave, outside experiences are fun. Without the pack it can be robust to seek out a lot to do in your backyard. With Seasons, sims could make snow angels, rake leaves, dance in puddles, and even freeze to demise when you’re not careful.

Cats And Canine

No create-a-sim family feels complete and not using a little pupper or kitten. The creature creation on your pets is expansive and gives so many alternatives to make your pet as artistic and unique as attainable, from mixing breeds or adorning them with neon inexperienced fur. My most cherished design is a robotic-looking kitten to go together with my alien sim.

Along with the brand new world of Brindleton Bay, there’s additionally the veterinarian career path, so your sim can work to assist remedy beloved pets in addition to perform surgical procedure. The pets go right into a machine where your sim vets “operate” on pets from the surface by wanting in by way of an x-ray monitor. Make sure you climb up the brand new veterinary talent tree so the little ones don’t come out of the machine as crops or decked out in a clown go well with.

The pets aren’t just added for aesthetic value, both. Unfortunately, you aren’t capable of control pets like you possibly can in The Sims three, however there are nonetheless loads of interactions. You possibly can practice your pets to study new tips and navigate by means of obstacles, or your critters could be lazy and simply take pleasure in cuddling together with your sim on the couch. The means to offer your pets traits makes them really feel extra sensible they usually may even develop fears. Pets nonetheless have wants, and the “what’s wrong?” interaction may give you a heads up on what your little buddy craves.

Recreation Packs

Recreation packs supply a modest quantity of content and sometimes come priced at $19.99.

Jungle Journey

Two of The Sims 4’s recreation packs supply a vacation destination in your sims, however the one that basically stands out is Jungle Adventure. There are so many extra adventurous and worldly options for clothing and construct mode. You possibly can simply make your sim into a Nathan Drake or Lara Croft sort and set them up in a Central/South American-themed residence.

Exploring tombs is spooky and thrilling. Not solely are you able to stumble upon skeletons, but you danger having your sims cursed and reworked into skeletons as properly. Relying on if the transformation is a curse or blessing, you’ll both get stuck in skeleton type or have the ability to change again everytime you need. It will either make you need to snicker or punch a gap by way of your monitor. There isn’t any in-between.

Scavenging for artifacts will ultimately culminate in the formation of an entire relic. Assembling a relic might be fulfilling, especially with the shock curses or blessings they generate, like the curse of the private raincloud, the blessing of the skeleton assistant, and even one thing as brutal because the marked for demise relic, where your sim can burst into flames and die.

Interacting with the locals won’t solely work in your favor to seek out cures for illnesses or curses, but you can too purchase unique gadgets to assist in your trek via the jungle and survive random hazards comparable to lightning-bug assaults. There are also interactions that spotlight native traditions. You possibly can ask the locals about their tradition, dance with them in Selvadoradian fashion, and study songs to convey back house with you.

Vampires

It’s never a uninteresting moment when mythical creatures are concerned. In contrast to the Mermaids in Island Dwelling, Vampires have a talent tree, which provides rather a lot to the gameplay. As your sims grow to be more adept in vampire lore, they degree up and unlock more powerful talents, reminiscent of teleportation with bat and mist varieties. Positive, you possibly can already teleport with cheats, but vampires get to do it in fashion.

Choosing your vampire sim’s perks and skills is riveting. You start off as a weak vampire with primary powers, comparable to detecting different sims’ personalities. As you develop stronger, you possibly can degree up their preventing expertise to allow them to vanquish other vampires, max out appeal in order that they’re irresistible to other sims, or even develop into masters of hallucination to allow them to feed off of the sims of their selection without the awkward social consequences.

The new world of Forgotten Hollow comes with the Vampires recreation pack, and it might be small, but the darkish theme and design is perfect for the brooding creatures. You’ll be able to create a vampiric mansion and transfer in right next to Vladislaus Straud, who resembles Dracula. Don’t be fooled by his outward look; he appears previous, however he’s truly a younger grownup. He’s also single, so don’t be shy if you want to put the strikes on him.

Parenthood

Parenthood is one other key addition to the Sims 4, particularly for players that need to give attention to constructing a family. Whereas this can be a must-have pack, we want that this was included in the base recreation, considering the large enhancements it brings to one of many core gameplay pillars of The Sims. The base recreation consists of a huge family tree aspiration, but Parenthood expands on this concept so it includes extra than just having your sims pump out babies.

Toddlers not often get any new content or gameplay additions, so the extra clothes and substantial interactions that come with Parenthood are greater than welcome. The interplay inside households consists of giving recommendation, praising, and disciplining your youngsters. This is partaking, as a result of the extra you interact with them, the extra their personalities start to shift to mirror the communication. Together with growing your parental expertise, you’ll be able to affect your youngsters’s actions and talk about how they should behave as they transfer ahead into adulthood.

Parenting expertise can develop for anybody that interacts with toddlers, youngsters, and teenagers. With this new bonding gameplay, relationships feel far more meaningful. I have a household where a young lady takes care of her little sister, and as a result of meager finances, they should reside with two of her pals. When it gets irritating to cope with her little sister, her pals step in and assist. Emergent stories like these evoke emotions for players even during mundane activities like gathering everyone to the lounge flooring for a faculty venture.

Strangerville

This recreation pack announcement raised plenty of eyebrows. Story targeted parts in the Sims are likely to put individuals off, however this pack truly pulled it off and still provided loads of different things to do, as well as an in depth world that doesn’t prohibit your expertise.

The point of the sims is to be whoever you need to be, and this one opens up an entire new desert world with a dedicated story and army profession path, which allows you to turn out to be a undercover agent. The army branch matches in completely with sims who’re making an attempt to determine what’s happening in Strangerville, but you can too play by means of the story without it. Though you can’t go to work together with your army sim, you possibly can have them “work from home” when you have the City Dwelling enlargement pack. This lets you be extra concerned in their career both by means of coaching or investigating individuals around city.

So as to comply with the story, it’s a must to select the Strangerville Thriller aspiration. The narrative introduces parts we haven’t seen before in The Sims which might be bonkers and a ton of fun because of mild RPG mechanics and building a resistance to battle off an evil menace. With whispers of a authorities conspiracy and all your neighbors in Strangerville going nuts, the thriller of the town becomes increasingly more alluring. Although it’s brief, you accrue loads of rewards akin to cupcakes and fan mail whenever you complete the narrative. The furnishings (corresponding to weeds growing in a tub or mysterious machinery) additionally presents plenty of weird build ideas, supplying you with the right options for making a secret laboratory on your sim. The new laptops are a strong addition as properly.

Stuff Packs

Stuff packs are small add-ons that often solely value $9.99.

Movie Hangout

Bohemian Stuff or Psychedelic Hippie Stuff might have been a more applicable identify for this pack, contemplating how colorful and artsy the furnishings is. The new clothes and build-mode gadgets are satisfying additions that we will’t think about enjoying with out.

New wall decorations, couches, coffee tables, and ceiling lights convey so much vibrancy to your builds. They will easily turn into favorites when designing a home and infusing it with character. There’s even an enormous tree draped with lanterns that may be a lovely addition to any backyard.

Backyard

In the event you’re on the lookout for more outside-focused gameplay, then Yard stuff is a best choice. Not only does it supply rural ambiance with objects like wind chimes and fowl feeders, but choices like lawn waterslides allow enjoyable neighborhood get togethers. You’ll be able to throw barbeque parties while everybody falls flat on their face making an attempt to slip across.

This can be a great pack to spruce up both your front or backyard with extra lively features. These things pack can simply complement Seasons as properly for the summer time months, comparable to having your sim drink lemonade whereas family and friends play on the slide.

Romantic Garden

When you take pleasure in landscaping, then this pack will put you over the moon because it helps make your yard look beautiful. Romantic Backyard Stuff is particularly helpful when designing an outside wedding ceremony.

One other fascinating addition is the wishing nicely, which isn’t your common yard function. You’ll be able to ship your sims on a wishing marathon to see if any wishes come true, but typically they get the precise opposite of what they want. Romance, happiness, wealth, long life, youthful vigor, good grades, a promotion, a toddler, or a selected talent all have numerous outcomes. The extra you bribe the properly, the more doubtless you’ll get what you asked for. Additionally, in case you have hassle protecting your sims alive, the properly proves useful in bringing them back to life.

Cool Kitchen

Because the identify implies, this pack is great for sims who need more variety when building and decorating their kitchens. The new knife rack, cabinets, and spice racks for construct mode deliver a homey aesthetic and a contact of realism. However the ice cream is where this pack will get really enjoyable.

There are 30 flavors, with toppings of your selection, that have varying results on your sims. Relying on your sims’ traits, they’ll have a favourite. Childish sims love sprinkles and whipped cream, commitment-issue sims love peppermint sticks and nuts, and gloomy sims don’t like all.

Ice cream doesn’t just make your sims comfortable, nevertheless. This is The Sims, in any case, and even consuming ice-cream can have dire penalties as some flavors may cause a ghost to visit, make your sims drop extra pounds, or even breathe hearth that can set different sims aflame. Think about that being written on your tombstone.

There’s still lots to return with the Sims 4. Choosing from all of the content packs out there isn’t straightforward. Hopefully this record helped you out find the perfect packs to make a well-rounded Sims 4 experience.

Sims 4 has grown immensely from its predecessors, watch our let’s play of Sims 2: Castaway to see for yourself.

The post Must-Have Packs To Get The Most Out Of The Sims 4 – AcrossTheFader.BIZ appeared first on DWJ Tech.

[gatekeeper-watchman]

What the Bible Says about Judgment

Reaping What You Sow – What the Bible Says about Judgment

Although judgment usually has an evil connotation to it (the execution of the penalty for sin), it also has a positive side. Judgment has to do with the sowing and reaping process. This is defined in Galatians 6:7-9, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

From this, we can see that the negative side of judgment is that evil reaps destruction, while on the positive side, good that is sown through Jesus is rewarded. God’s judgment on evil is seen by the curse that is on wicked men, while God’s judgment for the righteous will manifests in His blessings and rewards on them. This is true for individuals as well as nations.

Judgment Hangs Over Our Nation

As a nation (the USA), we have sown good and evil.  I believe God has been gracious and merciful to us because we have reached out to help the other nations of the world.   The church has sent many missionaries around the world.  Christians in this nation have supported many missionary works, while Christians and others have supported humanitarian works in every nation. The United States government has poured billions of dollars into foreign aid and forgiven billions of dollars of indebtedness to other countries. We are one of the first on the scene to arrive with aid and assistance when natural disasters, such as earthquakes, strike other countries. America has helped the oppressed and poor of other nations.  She has helped rebuild infrastructures, railways, etc. after nations have been ravaged by war. I could name many more, but this should suffice.

As a nation, we have also sown much evil. We have exported our ungodly music, movies, pornography, tobacco, alcohol.  Our tobacco companies cannot sell their wares to the young people in our nation but they are allowed to export it to the youth of other nations. We have been hypocritical in calling ourselves a Christian nation when we allow abortion. Many Americans are drug addicts, and are consumed with pornography and vile movies.  We commit adultery without blushing and are sex-crazed. I have noticed that the most prevalent types of ads that daily come across the Internet are ads selling something pertaining to sex, ads that tell you how to become a millionaire, and those that encourage gambling.  Instead of being a good example to the world, we export our vices.  Sharing Christ with other nations is difficult when they see our lust and materialism. Our American culture has been shot through with all types of sinful temptations designed by the devil to keep us weak and fearful and powerless to fight against him. Yes, judgment comes upon us as we reap what we have sown. God wants to bless us with good things, but our sins prevent God from blessing us.

Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you. Jeremiah 5:25

We are all being judged by the Word of God daily. When we fail to keep God’s laws and Christ’s commandments, we are judged in that respect.  When we honor God and keep His Word, we are also judged as faithful. There is one way we can avert judgment.  When we repent of our sins and walk in a daily relationship with Jesus, we no longer come under judgment. Jesus took our judgment on the cross to save us from hell, which is the penalty for our sins. We must pray that the church comes to true repentance that will produce a genuine revival in our nation and the world.

And if any man hears my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. John 12:47-48

Judgment On Sin

Judgment is already falling. What’s happening to church leadership? Their sins have found them out. The Word says our sins will find us out. “But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). If we have hidden sins, they’re going to be exposed. So, if we have any hidden sins, we need to go to God right now and cry out for deliverance. We need to get on our knees, pray and fast, and seek God for deliverance. If we don’t, our hidden sins are going to be exposed. But if we take care of those sins in the prayer closet, they won’t have to be exposed.

It’s not by works that we gain deliverance from hidden sins. We cannot break sinful habits in our own strength. It’s only by faith in God and by His power that we’re able to gain the victory. Most Christians can testify of how God has delivered them from a major sin. Many have been delivered from alcohol, or tobacco, or adultery. If Jesus has delivered us from one sin, can He not also deliver us from the rest of them? We have the attitude, “Well, I’m just a sinner and can only continue sinning.” No, God is saying He has given us the power over sin. He’s telling us if we use His tools and His power we can overcome any sin in our lives. God is wanting us to deal with the sin problem.

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. Romans 6:14-18

Sin is the problem with the world. The world is full of problems because of sin. People go to counselors to get their problems smoothed over when they really need to be facing their sin problem. Many psychiatrists listen for hours on end to their patients when they need to tell them their problem is sin and they need to repent. That’s what’s causing the majority of people’s problems. They’ve even verified that most of those in mental institutions are there because they cannot face the fact that they have committed wrong. Instead of facing their sin, they blame it on someone else. They don’t take the responsibility; they excuse themselves. They blame their parents: “If they hadn’t raised me the way they did I wouldn’t be this way.” They blame the car accident: “I’m injured today because of what the other driver did.” Even when someone is physically injured, they don’t have to take on bitterness and hatred. Some people pick up those negative emotions when they’ve been hurt or offended.

We’ve all been hurt in this world. It’s inevitable since we’re in the world that is under the power of the devil or the “beast system”. It’s how we handle those hurts and wounds that determines whether we’re going to have victory. We need to give them to Jesus. Our prayer should be, “Jesus, somebody hurt me today. Forgive him and help me to overcome. Cleanse me from any bitterness.”

In this hour of judgment, all who take “the mark of the beast” are going to be destroyed. “If any man worships the beast and his image, and receive his mark on his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb” (Revelation 14: 9b-10).

This destruction will be upon those who’ve picked up that worldly humanistic thinking. They’re going to fall. Because they don’t have the thinking of God, they’ll be destroyed by the plagues and other calamities that are in the world. In these last hours we’re not going to be able to stand unless we’ve got the Word of God in our minds and hearts and are doing the works of God. That’s the only way we’re going to be able to stand. Otherwise, we’ll not be able to stand when, for example, whole cities are plagued with disease. Fear will grip our hearts and we’ll be open to receive the diseases, too, if we’re allowing fear to rule in our lives. What we’re going to have to do is stand up and say, In Jesus’ name, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). I’ll not receive a spirit of fear.

Fear of God, Our Protection

One fear most Christians have not conquered is the fear of what man will say. We fear what our spouses, or church friends, or outsiders will say, more than we fear what God will say. We need to fear God more. Instead of fearing what man will say about us, we need to have that holy respect for God because our only safety is in Him. This is not a tormenting fear of God, but a respect for Him and His Word. If He says something, we respect what He says because we believe His Word.

If we’re marked with God’s Word in our minds and hearts and doing His works, then the devil is no match for us. The devil is the defeated one. He had a fatal blow struck to his head through Jesus Christ. We can now crush him under our feet with the Word of God, if we stand. But those Christians who aren’t standing are being swept away even now. Loved ones are being snatched away as the enemy is creating terrible devastation upon the earth through such assaults as financial destruction, broken homes, kidnapped children, runaway teens, unwed mothers, terrible diseases, and so forth. What are we going to do in these times? We’re going to stand on the Word because the Lamb has overcome the beast. We’re not taking the beast’s mark.

Excerpt taken from the book, “The Mark of God or The Mark of the Beast.”

Judgment Begins at God’s House

1 Peter 4:17 says, “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God.” Ezekiel 8 speaks of the abominations in God’s temple and throughout Israel. Sin had become so vile that a holy God could tolerate no more. The command came to destroy all that was an abomination. Likewise, today sin exists in God’s house. There’s lying and cheating, greed and materialism, adultery and other sexual sins in church leadership. Many abominations can be found in our churches; such sin deeply grieves the Holy Spirit.

Obviously, sin abounds in our country too. As a result, our nation is racing toward judgment. It’s going to take wholesale national repentance to avert judgment. Nineveh was spared because it repented upon hearing Jonah’s proclamation. America, too, can be spared since prophetic words of judgment are conditional. This principal applies to all nations of the world. Fortunately, repentance averts judgment. First, though, the judgment is taking place within the church. Because God is purging His people, we see churches falling and sin in leadership being revealed. Hidden filth is being uncovered. Once the church is clean, she can enter into the glory promised her. Let’s intercede for those within the church who are yet walking in filthiness. Let’s cry and sigh for purity.

God Marks the Intercessors

Ezekiel 9:4 says, “And the Lord said unto him, go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.” Is your heart grieved over abominations taking place in the church today? Sin is not restricted to the world, for the world’s abominations have crept into the church. There are unmarried couples living together who think it’s acceptable since certain pastors no longer hold a standard against adultery. There are even homosexual pastors. God can and wants to deliver people from homosexuality which is a sin that many have condoned, whereas God considers it an abomination. God loves the homosexual and wants to free him or her, however God hates the sin. We’re allowing sins in the church that were never allowed before.

We’re to be sighing and crying over the abominations in the church, crying out, “O God, this isn’t holiness, this is impurity.” According to Ezekiel 9:4, those who have a burden over the lack of holiness in the church are going to be marked by God. God says He’s going to mark those who are grieved over sin, those who are holy and pure in heart, those of who see the abominations and cry out for holiness in the church. Was the mark spoken of in Ezekiel 9:4 a literal mark? I don’t believe it was. Instead, I believe these intercessors were spiritually marked two ways. First, they had the mind and heart of God as they were intercessors. Second, they had angelic protection assigned to them so that no harm could befall them.

Holiness is no longer a popular thing to teach. Many feel that the grace of God covers everything, no matter what we do. The way God’s grace covers everything is by our first repenting of the sin. Repentance means to turn from the sin, not to keep doing it. In error, many have been taught we can keep on sinning and sinning and sinning, and God will keep on forgiving and forgiving and forgiving. God is merciful and forgiving but there is a point that if we’ve refused to turn away from our sin, the sin will overtake us and drag us right into Satan’s territory. That’s because being sorry is not true repentance, thus God can’t forgive it. We must turn from sin. True repentance is turning from sin, not just saying we’re sorry for doing it. Many are sorry they’ve been caught, but they’re not sorry from their heart; they’re not truly repentant for the sin. Judas was sorry for his betrayal of Christ, but he was not truly repentant.

Ezekiel 9 deals with holiness. The mark of God is going to be put on those seeking holiness. Do we think this is going to be a literal mark? Are we going to have G-O-D written on our foreheads? Of course not. We recognize that mark is a spiritual one. To be marked with God’s mark on our forehead is to be marked with the mind of Christ. What we’re to have been the mind of Christ, God’s thinking, His Word indelibly written into our mind that we might think His thoughts and speak His words from our hearts. That’s what it means to have His mark set upon us. In the natural, if we spend enough time with someone, we become marked by that exposure. If we’re around Jesus long enough, we’re going to act like Him, we’re going to look like Him, we’re going to speak the words He speaks. But if we stay around the devil’s crowd long enough, we’re going to act like them, think like them, and speak the way they speak. So, we’re going to either be marked by the Word of God or marked by the enemy, the beast system, the world system. If our minds are not marked by the way of the Lord, they’re going to be marked by Satan’s ways. Revelation 14:1 describes this marking also.

We need to understand this concerning the mark of God. In Ezekiel, His mark went upon those crying over the abominations. Remember Lot, his soul was vexed day and night while he was in corrupt Sodom. We should be vexed over what’s taking place in the church today when we confront it or hear of her sin. Continually I’m grieved over things I hear, such as the condoning of homosexuality to the point of allowing homosexual church leadership. Too many pastors are not holding up the holy standard of God’s Word. Instead, they’re yielding to the beast system; they’re being marked with that system rather than with the mark of God and the mind of Christ.

Judgment Falls

Ezekiel 9:5 says, “And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity.” This speaks of the hour of judgment coming. When Jesus came to the earth the first time, He came as a Lamb. When He comes the second time, it will be as a lion, that is, with judgment to deal boldly with sin. So many Christians have no understanding of this. They think Jesus is coming again to deliver them out of all this earthly mess. In reality, He’s coming to judge them of the self-pity and apathy in their lives, sin, etc. Too many Christians are crying out for God to deliver them out of their situations, when God wants them to be a minister of deliverance to those around them in those situations. They’re to be on fire for God, doing warfare for Him, taking territory for His kingdom. They shouldn’t be crying to get out of this earth when God has placed them here to be His useful instruments.

In this judgment that’s coming upon the church, He says, “Spare not” (Ezekiel 9:5). A time is coming in which God says, “This is the end of the grace period.” It’s payday. Every man is now going to be paid for his deeds, whether they be good done unto God or evil done unto the devil. That’s what judgment is–it’s payday. We get paid for what we’ve done. It’s a day of justice, equity, and fairness. This does not mean we’re saved by works; we’re saved by grace. But we are to do good works. Our good works show that we have been saved. If we’re truly Christians, we’re going to be doing good works. If we’re not doing good works, we need to examine our Christianity. Good works show that we have a relationship with Jesus. They don’t get us to heaven; Jesus does that. But Jesus says those who love Him will keep His commandments (John 14:21). We’ll not keep on sinning if we love Him, and God will empower us to overcome that sin.

Judgment for evil is hanging over this nation and others as well. The only way it can be lessened or averted is for the church to repent, be cleansed and begin to pray and obey the will of God. My prayer is that each of us will do our part so that our own nations can fulfill their destinies for good in the earth. May the judgment be coming to the USA. be unto repentance and not unto destruction of our nation. From: Steven P. Miller, @ParkermillerQ, gatekeeperwatchman.org TM

Founder and Administrator of Gatekeeper-Watchman International Group Thursday, August 29, 2024, Jacksonville, Florida., Duval County, USA.  X … @ParkermillerQ , Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/Sparkermiller.JAX.FL.USA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Sparkermiller.JAX.FL.USA, Instagram: steven_parker_miller_1956 #GWIG, #GWIN, #GWINGO.

[eyasutesfaye11-blog]

Must-Have Packs To Get The Most Out Of The Sims 4 – AcrossTheFader.BIZ

In the event you have been hooked by the Sims 4 base recreation and are prepared to reinforce your playthrough, there are a slew of DLCs that provide a richer expertise. After its rough preliminary debut, Sims 4 has since stepped up with free updates and content that appease longtime fans. Nevertheless, buying all of the packs would easily value you over $500, and with seven enlargement packs, seven recreation packs, and 14 stuff packs, you could be at a loss of where to begin. For many who are overwhelmed by the prospect of which DLC to decide on, we’ve compiled an inventory of our favourite packs. Although we are nonetheless bemoaning the absence of fashionable Sims 3 staples like Supernatural and University, there isn’t any shortage of inspired gameplay in the Sims 4.

Enlargement Packs

Enlargement packs supply probably the most options and are the costliest, costing $39.99.

Island Dwelling

This current release has already proven to be a strong entry. Together with mermaids, this pack has plenty of new gameplay, especially in relation to new features and traits in create-a-sim. “Child of the Islands” and “Child of the Ocean” both introduce some unique new ways to interact inside the island of Sulani. Connecting with the culture and tending to the island is rewarding. Gamers can actually see the influence their sims make on the island with cleaner beaches, greener timber, and even more flowers.

Creating a mermaid is loads of enjoyable, since you possibly can achieve some lovely designs in your mythical creature. Though their talents are surface degree (the Vampires pack, as compared, has mild RPG mechanics that can help you study new magical expertise), the aesthetics alone are well worth the worth of admission since each mermaid seems to be awesome when swimming round and befriending dolphins. You may also enchant individuals together with your siren’s name, whether your intent is matchmaking or mayhem.

When you love constructing in the Sims, then this pack is a must have. The world of Sulani is fascinating, with seaside venues and expansive ocean waters. It’s a joy to construct a home that permits your sims to get up in the morning and dive right into the sea from their patio.

Get Well-known

Within the Sims 4, you’ll be able to attain success by climbing a career-path ladder to the highest, however different sims gained’t care about your renowned accomplishments… till you add the Get Famous enlargement pack.

When your sims achieve a milestone like touchdown a lead position within the hottest pirate film, writing their next great novel, or catching an enormous fish, your sims construct their fame degree. Different sims will need to take their picture and get their autograph. Having different sims gawk and have a fan freak-out over your sim is amusing and gratifying; it looks like a reward for all of the arduous work you set towards their superstar status.

The capability to go to movie units, that are full of props like pirate ships and saloons, can also be plenty of enjoyable. You possibly can put your sim by means of the hair and makeup departments and make them perform for the cameras. Your success will depend on how a lot you’ve honed your appearing talent, your rapport with the rest of the crew, and judgement calls on whether to take dangers when performing. Depending on how the director reacts, the performance could possibly be a flop or a complete success. Both means, both are amusing to observe.

Seasons

Seasons ought to be on everybody’s must-have record. Not only does it convey welcome variations to the weather because of changing seasons, however it adds a great deal of new clothing and building gadgets so your sims can correctly put together for snow days or the sweltering heat. Two new clothing sections can be found for summer time and winter put on, and there are plenty of new additions in build mode, similar to a thermostat to manage indoor local weather and stockings to hold in your hearth. All this helps accommodate for the weather and holidays.

You will get right into a festive temper regardless of the event, receiving presents from Father Winter (who truly visits your home on Christmas Eve – you’ll be able to even befriend him), sending out love notes on Love Day, or creating an official vacation of your personal. You possibly can assign timeframes and actions for sims to get into the holiday spirit. Treat Yo’Self Day and Purge Day are private favorites of mine because who doesn’t need to spoil their sims or dedicate a day to duking it out with their noisy neighbors? You possibly can dedicate the day for gift-giving rituals and even encourage sims to interact in a full-on brawl for holidays. It’s as much as you.

Though this enlargement doesn’t add another world, the wealth of latest gameplay makes up for that. Until you experience an sudden blizzard or warmth wave, outside experiences are fun. Without the pack it can be robust to seek out a lot to do in your backyard. With Seasons, sims could make snow angels, rake leaves, dance in puddles, and even freeze to demise when you’re not careful.

Cats And Canine

No create-a-sim family feels complete and not using a little pupper or kitten. The creature creation on your pets is expansive and gives so many alternatives to make your pet as artistic and unique as attainable, from mixing breeds or adorning them with neon inexperienced fur. My most cherished design is a robotic-looking kitten to go together with my alien sim.

Along with the brand new world of Brindleton Bay, there’s additionally the veterinarian career path, so your sim can work to assist remedy beloved pets in addition to perform surgical procedure. The pets go right into a machine where your sim vets “operate” on pets from the surface by wanting in by way of an x-ray monitor. Make sure you climb up the brand new veterinary talent tree so the little ones don’t come out of the machine as crops or decked out in a clown go well with.

The pets aren’t just added for aesthetic value, both. Unfortunately, you aren’t capable of control pets like you possibly can in The Sims three, however there are nonetheless loads of interactions. You possibly can practice your pets to study new tips and navigate by means of obstacles, or your critters could be lazy and simply take pleasure in cuddling together with your sim on the couch. The means to offer your pets traits makes them really feel extra sensible they usually may even develop fears. Pets nonetheless have wants, and the “what’s wrong?” interaction may give you a heads up on what your little buddy craves.

Recreation Packs

Recreation packs supply a modest quantity of content and sometimes come priced at $19.99.

Jungle Journey

Two of The Sims 4’s recreation packs supply a vacation destination in your sims, however the one that basically stands out is Jungle Adventure. There are so many extra adventurous and worldly options for clothing and construct mode. You possibly can simply make your sim into a Nathan Drake or Lara Croft sort and set them up in a Central/South American-themed residence.

Exploring tombs is spooky and thrilling. Not solely are you able to stumble upon skeletons, but you danger having your sims cursed and reworked into skeletons as properly. Relying on if the transformation is a curse or blessing, you’ll both get stuck in skeleton type or have the ability to change again everytime you need. It will either make you need to snicker or punch a gap by way of your monitor. There isn’t any in-between.

Scavenging for artifacts will ultimately culminate in the formation of an entire relic. Assembling a relic might be fulfilling, especially with the shock curses or blessings they generate, like the curse of the private raincloud, the blessing of the skeleton assistant, and even one thing as brutal because the marked for demise relic, where your sim can burst into flames and die.

Interacting with the locals won’t solely work in your favor to seek out cures for illnesses or curses, but you can too purchase unique gadgets to assist in your trek via the jungle and survive random hazards comparable to lightning-bug assaults. There are also interactions that spotlight native traditions. You possibly can ask the locals about their tradition, dance with them in Selvadoradian fashion, and study songs to convey back house with you.

Vampires

It’s never a uninteresting moment when mythical creatures are concerned. In contrast to the Mermaids in Island Dwelling, Vampires have a talent tree, which provides rather a lot to the gameplay. As your sims grow to be more adept in vampire lore, they degree up and unlock more powerful talents, reminiscent of teleportation with bat and mist varieties. Positive, you possibly can already teleport with cheats, but vampires get to do it in fashion.

Choosing your vampire sim’s perks and skills is riveting. You start off as a weak vampire with primary powers, comparable to detecting different sims’ personalities. As you develop stronger, you possibly can degree up their preventing expertise to allow them to vanquish other vampires, max out appeal in order that they’re irresistible to other sims, or even develop into masters of hallucination to allow them to feed off of the sims of their selection without the awkward social consequences.

The new world of Forgotten Hollow comes with the Vampires recreation pack, and it might be small, but the darkish theme and design is perfect for the brooding creatures. You’ll be able to create a vampiric mansion and transfer in right next to Vladislaus Straud, who resembles Dracula. Don’t be fooled by his outward look; he appears previous, however he’s truly a younger grownup. He’s also single, so don’t be shy if you want to put the strikes on him.

Parenthood

Parenthood is one other key addition to the Sims 4, particularly for players that need to give attention to constructing a family. Whereas this can be a must-have pack, we want that this was included in the base recreation, considering the large enhancements it brings to one of many core gameplay pillars of The Sims. The base recreation consists of a huge family tree aspiration, but Parenthood expands on this concept so it includes extra than just having your sims pump out babies.

Toddlers not often get any new content or gameplay additions, so the extra clothes and substantial interactions that come with Parenthood are greater than welcome. The interplay inside households consists of giving recommendation, praising, and disciplining your youngsters. This is partaking, as a result of the extra you interact with them, the extra their personalities start to shift to mirror the communication. Together with growing your parental expertise, you’ll be able to affect your youngsters’s actions and talk about how they should behave as they transfer ahead into adulthood.

Parenting expertise can develop for anybody that interacts with toddlers, youngsters, and teenagers. With this new bonding gameplay, relationships feel far more meaningful. I have a household where a young lady takes care of her little sister, and as a result of meager finances, they should reside with two of her pals. When it gets irritating to cope with her little sister, her pals step in and assist. Emergent stories like these evoke emotions for players even during mundane activities like gathering everyone to the lounge flooring for a faculty venture.

Strangerville

This recreation pack announcement raised plenty of eyebrows. Story targeted parts in the Sims are likely to put individuals off, however this pack truly pulled it off and still provided loads of different things to do, as well as an in depth world that doesn’t prohibit your expertise.

The point of the sims is to be whoever you need to be, and this one opens up an entire new desert world with a dedicated story and army profession path, which allows you to turn out to be a undercover agent. The army branch matches in completely with sims who’re making an attempt to determine what’s happening in Strangerville, but you can too play by means of the story without it. Though you can’t go to work together with your army sim, you possibly can have them “work from home” when you have the City Dwelling enlargement pack. This lets you be extra concerned in their career both by means of coaching or investigating individuals around city.

So as to comply with the story, it’s a must to select the Strangerville Thriller aspiration. The narrative introduces parts we haven’t seen before in The Sims which might be bonkers and a ton of fun because of mild RPG mechanics and building a resistance to battle off an evil menace. With whispers of a authorities conspiracy and all your neighbors in Strangerville going nuts, the thriller of the town becomes increasingly more alluring. Although it’s brief, you accrue loads of rewards akin to cupcakes and fan mail whenever you complete the narrative. The furnishings (corresponding to weeds growing in a tub or mysterious machinery) additionally presents plenty of weird build ideas, supplying you with the right options for making a secret laboratory on your sim. The new laptops are a strong addition as properly.

Stuff Packs

Stuff packs are small add-ons that often solely value $9.99.

Movie Hangout

Bohemian Stuff or Psychedelic Hippie Stuff might have been a more applicable identify for this pack, contemplating how colorful and artsy the furnishings is. The new clothes and build-mode gadgets are satisfying additions that we will’t think about enjoying with out.

New wall decorations, couches, coffee tables, and ceiling lights convey so much vibrancy to your builds. They will easily turn into favorites when designing a home and infusing it with character. There’s even an enormous tree draped with lanterns that may be a lovely addition to any backyard.

Backyard

In the event you’re on the lookout for more outside-focused gameplay, then Yard stuff is a best choice. Not only does it supply rural ambiance with objects like wind chimes and fowl feeders, but choices like lawn waterslides allow enjoyable neighborhood get togethers. You’ll be able to throw barbeque parties while everybody falls flat on their face making an attempt to slip across.

This can be a great pack to spruce up both your front or backyard with extra lively features. These things pack can simply complement Seasons as properly for the summer time months, comparable to having your sim drink lemonade whereas family and friends play on the slide.

Romantic Garden

When you take pleasure in landscaping, then this pack will put you over the moon because it helps make your yard look beautiful. Romantic Backyard Stuff is particularly helpful when designing an outside wedding ceremony.

One other fascinating addition is the wishing nicely, which isn’t your common yard function. You’ll be able to ship your sims on a wishing marathon to see if any wishes come true, but typically they get the precise opposite of what they want. Romance, happiness, wealth, long life, youthful vigor, good grades, a promotion, a toddler, or a selected talent all have numerous outcomes. The extra you bribe the properly, the more doubtless you’ll get what you asked for. Additionally, in case you have hassle protecting your sims alive, the properly proves useful in bringing them back to life.

Cool Kitchen

Because the identify implies, this pack is great for sims who need more variety when building and decorating their kitchens. The new knife rack, cabinets, and spice racks for construct mode deliver a homey aesthetic and a contact of realism. However the ice cream is where this pack will get really enjoyable.

There are 30 flavors, with toppings of your selection, that have varying results on your sims. Relying on your sims’ traits, they’ll have a favourite. Childish sims love sprinkles and whipped cream, commitment-issue sims love peppermint sticks and nuts, and gloomy sims don’t like all.

Ice cream doesn’t just make your sims comfortable, nevertheless. This is The Sims, in any case, and even consuming ice-cream can have dire penalties as some flavors may cause a ghost to visit, make your sims drop extra pounds, or even breathe hearth that can set different sims aflame. Think about that being written on your tombstone.

There’s still lots to return with the Sims 4. Choosing from all of the content packs out there isn’t straightforward. Hopefully this record helped you out find the perfect packs to make a well-rounded Sims 4 experience.

Sims 4 has grown immensely from its predecessors, watch our let’s play of Sims 2: Castaway to see for yourself.

The post Must-Have Packs To Get The Most Out Of The Sims 4 – AcrossTheFader.BIZ appeared first on DWJ Tech.

[nightmareonfilmstreet]

The Curse Lives On; THE OMEN Celebrates 42 Years

I write this retrospective as a warning. A cautionary testament to the sinister forces aligning within the darkened corners and amorphic shadows that visit us while we sleep. Like you, I was once a harum-scarum, devil-may-care, Nightmare on Film Street follower with my head in the clouds and a mouth full of pie. I drifted through this mortal coil on an inflatable swimming pool lounger, blind to the evil lurking beneath the surface. But now, having glimpsed the abyss, I fear I may not have much time left to share this ill-fated tale of tragedy. As the anniversary of the 1976 film The Omen approaches and my article deadline inches closer, I sense the same forces that conspired to put an end to the film’s production have now set their sights on me.

    Perhaps I had better start from the beginning. The year was 1973 and Satanic Panic was on the rise. 1972’s bestselling novel The Exorcist would soon find new life on the big screen and with the  proliferation of Anton LaVey’s Church of Satan, Satanism and the occult weighed heavily on society’s collective consciousness. This decade defining occult hysteria was prime material for opportunistic filmmakers to cash-in on audience anxieties. Producer Harvey Bernhard tasked writer David Seltzer with realizing this cultural phobia into a screenplay. However, it would be another two years before production on the film would actually begin.

  Dominus Diabolus Sabaoth

Primarily shot in England, filming began in October of 1975. Directed by Richard Donner (The Goonies) and starring Gregory Peck (Cape Fear), The Omen newly imagined the AntiChrist’s rebirth. A re-imagining that was soon accepted as prophecy upon the film’s release. Treading similar ground as 1968’s Rosemary’s Baby and 1973’s The Exorcist, where its predecessors centered around the mother of the demonic child, The Omen shifts our focus to the father. After a series of unfortunate deaths and ominous warnings, American Ambassador Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) suspects his son Damien of being the AntiChrist. With the help of a photographer named Jennings (David Warner), Thorn sets out on a cross-continental journey to discover the truth about Damien and uncover the mysterious events surrounding his birth.

      The production’s tone was set early on. Gregory Peck had emerged from retirement only months after his son’s suicide to play a man confronted with the obligation of killing his own son. As the tragically dark themes and events that characterize The Omen extended beyond the camera’s frame, rumors of a curse began to circulate. The ominous and sometimes fatal coincidences permeated into the lives of the cast and crew. Sometimes reaching beyond the film’s production, the grim occurrences suggest that involvement in the project had left some “marked”. Any person related to or within proximity of these “marked” individuals was in great danger.

  Umbra Mortis

The doomful events had a deceptively innocuous beginning. On a direct TWA flight from Los Angeles to London, somewhere over the Atlantic, lightning struck Gregory Peck’s plane. Safely arriving at its destination, the threatening nature of this event wasn’t apparent until three days later when David Seltzer was making the same flight and his plane was also struck by lightning. Failing to heed these warnings, the cautionary signs soon turned fatal. Shooting for the film took place in London during the 1975 surge of IRA bombings. Members of the cast and crew had a reservation at Scott’s Oyster Bar in London but an hour before their reservation an IRA member threw a shrapnel laced bomb into the restaurant. Similarly, the Piccadilly bombing at the Green Park Underground Station occurred while cast and crew were walking to the station.

    As if the dark forces were growing frustrated by the film’s continuing production, the events became more uncanny. A plane had been chartered with the intent of filming it on the ground at a small airport. To save a little cash, Donner accepted a deal where the rental rate would be discounted provided the charter company could continue using the reserved plane while filming wasn’t taking place. That day, the plane took off and hit a flock of birds, causing the engines to fail. The plane quickly lost airspeed and crashed onto a nearby street. It collided with a car, killing everyone inside. The fatalities contained within the car were the wife and two children of the plane’s pilot. This horrific coincidence undoubtedly left some people shaken but production continued on.

  Venit Satanas

The film features a terrifying scene where baboons, provoked by the presence of Damien, relentlessly attack the Thorn family’s car. The scene was filmed at the Windsor Safari Park and while this horrifying nightmare was being staged, something equally horrific was taking place on the other side of the park. After having shot a sequence at the lion enclosure that never made it into the film and having moved on to the baboon section, two lions attacked and killed a guard. Production had once again narrowly avoided catastrophe.

    These fatal warnings and deadly near misses created a palpable sense of dread on set but, unlike the film, the tragic events didn’t end when the cameras stopped rolling. The “marked” individuals carried the curse with them into post-production and even to other films. John Richardson was the special effects artist responsible for orchestrating the film’s famous decapitation scene. After production on The Omen had ended, Richardson went to work on the 1977 war drama, A Bridge Too Far. While filming in the Netherlands, Richardson and his girlfriend decided to go for a drive into Belgium. The car was in a head on collision and his girlfriend was decapitated. According to producer Harvey Bernhard, when Richardson came to in the wreck the first thing he saw was a road sign that read “Liège 66.6 kilometers.”

  Dies Irae, Dies Illa

Just as these sinister forces sought to put an end to the film’s production, so to have they intervened in my editorial efforts. It is said that the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist. As these tragic events demonstrate, any threat to this deception will be met by calamitous results. Harvey Bernhard felt the presence of evil, the same foreboding presence I feel now. On his way home, with film negatives in hand, his flight made an emergency stop in Newfoundland. Such an inauspicious diversion so close to home. He said, “I don’t think we’re gonna get back.” In a sense he never did. None of us ever truly do.

  Ave Satanas

[Editor’s note: This editorial was retrieved from Colin’s laptop after it was discovered in a ditch along a remote highway. His whereabouts are currently unknown.]

  The post The Curse Lives On; THE OMEN Celebrates 42 Years appeared first on Nightmare on Film Street - Horror Movie Podcast, News and Reviews.

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[steelfireinc-blog]

Research Found So Far

The following is the information that I have gathered on the creature know as the Shadowman and his minions. I will then begin blogging my daily interactions with the creatures. If you have anything to add, please contact me.   

Definition - A shadow person (also known as a shadow figure, shadow being or black mass) is the perception of a patch of shadow as a living, humanoid figure, particularly as interpreted by believers in the paranormal or supernatural as the presence of a spirit or other entity. Shadow people are said to be conscious, intelligent, interdimensional beings that can shapeshift into various forms and figurations, and move back and forth between dimensions. 

People who have died from an attack have experienced cardiac arrest, no abnormalities found

25 -44 is the typical age off the victim, mostly men and age 33 is the most common

Description

A shape that is generally male, aware of us and react to us, see us all the time, react mostly when we notice them.  Black mass that may have glowing red/yellow eyes. These beings are dark, inorganic, phantom-like bipedal figures that look just like a dark black shadow of a figure, but don't seem to quite have full human form or facial or bodily delineation. They feel very masculine and oppressive and like something that is beyond human and out of our scope of understanding. Often people report them as being really tall, about 7 feet in height, though they can configure and transform  into  different sizes and shapes. Often their limbs (arms and legs) seem quite long, and occasionally fingers seen. 

They kind of look two-dimensional (though sometimes appear sort of 3D) and seem to be made out of some kind of dark, etheric substance. They appear as one mass that is completely black and opaque, but it doesn't quite look solid in the way that we perceive usual physical form. Hence they are called shadow beings. No light goes through them at all.  They are known to dematerialize very quickly and even shape-shift into other forms such as in the figure of a cat, dog, rodent, oddly-shaped spider, insect or other creature or even formless shape. ​

It has been suggested that their darkness is a form of camouflage and perhaps they take on a rough humanoid outline in order to mimic and blend with us. Maybe we are not ready to fully understand who or what they are, what they represent and where they are from. Thus appearing as shadow forms is their way to be mysterious and incognito. They might also appear different according to their own stage of development.  We can also speculate that it is possible they are unable to materialize into any other kind of form or color, like that is all they can muster. You could apply that principle as it is the same with ghosts and spiritual apparitions - they can only use energy to appear certain ways and only for short periods of time, and it does take a lot of energy!

There has been a recent increase in sightings over the past few years. Some believe this is because these creatures are drawn to electromagnetic energy. And the modern world now has more electromagnetic energy then ever. This would explain why many people have seen them while they are watching TV, on their computer, using a device, or around electromagnetic equipment. It also answers for one of the reasons why they'd come into your room at night, apart from the fact that you are more accessible in your dream and sleep state. This also explains why they sometimes come during very bad weather like when there is lightning storms. This is because of the electromagnetic discharge being dispelled. ​

 Types

Classic Shadow Beings-

               The Lurker/The Watchman: - Keep their distance, tend to lurk in the shadows from afar, not very confrontational, drawn to a single individual and will follow them. Don’t appear to be pure evil in nature, but will feed off a person’s energy. Gives off a creepy vibe.

               Shadow stalkers – Shadowy Figures that stay mostly outdoors or in forests. Believed to be protecting nature and the elements. Not believed to be harmful . mimics people they see (like a true shadow) They are able to move thru the forest without making any noise.

               The Ghost- Some people think that shadow figures are ghosts or especially evil spirits, that don't manifest into a human appearance as sometimes seen in apparitions. I would say that this is indeed possible. But others disagree and instead believe that all shadow beings  originate from another dimension or planet all together.  

               The Hat Man- He is just like the classic shadow figure, but also different in appearance and energy vibe. This one wears what appear to be a cape or trench coat and a hat which can range from a top hat to a fedora or cowboy hat. Why he is in this attire is unkown.  Some think hee is an alien, time traveler or from another dimension Like the other shadow beings, this entity could be observing us, collecting data and so on. Interestingly, many report having seeing him when they were very young, such as around 5 years old. He does like to watch and  instil terror and give off an extremely scary and intimidating vibe which has been described as evil, terrifying and unforgettable. It is said that he leaves witnesses with a horrible feeling that is haunting and can last for years. He sends a kind of signal and vibe making you feel like he will return. It is possible that hat man is a leader of the shadow figures. Watches silently from doorways. He’s always watching and always comes back

               The Hooded Ones- Doesn’t attack directly, stand in doorways, bedsides and stares silently. Puts off a feeling of hatred to the victim, causing full body fear. A dark cloak with no features. Some think that this creature is the Grimm Reaper.  This scary figure is the death collector, known in the Cherokee tradition as 'Stalking Death'. This is the kind of ominous being that will be after a person's soul, their death being the ultimately dark victory. 

               Elusive Shadow Person- Hide in the shadows and try not to be seen. Spy on you (they act as a scout) for eviler shadow people. Believed to be a lower being that malicious entities use . Some believe that these may or may not be evil themselves but forced into this role. Are rarely noticed, but can briefly be seen out the corner of your eye.

               Black Mass- A giant black mass with no real shape or form. Less human, more fuzzy and blur when gazed upon. Can change shape at will. Very Negative creature.

               Demonic- Most Dangerous, avoid at all cost. Typically tied to a single location or person. Forms retain a very tall humanoid shape, known for long limbs, horns, wings, glowing red eyes. Pure Evil. They cause chaos and fear. They love to break people down and terrorize them.

Other Forms-

                               The Old Hag- Looks like an elderly woman with a sunken face and eyes. She is a damned woman,belived to be cursed and is evil in nature. Is known for attacking a person while they are asleep. She causes paralysis on the victim and then climbs onto the victims chest( she is known to have a sizeable weight) where she causes nightmares and feeds off your fears. When you are in a weakened state she then tries to choke the life out of the victim, killing them.  Tall skinny old woman, long dirty nail, dried toes, white tangled hair, long nose, may have glowing eyes. Evil, cackling voice

               Jinn- It is said that in the beginning, three were created: man made of clay (earth and water), angels made of spiritual light, and a third made of fire. Beings known as 'Jinn' are actually not talked about much in the western world as they seem to be more of a middle eastern tradition.  They are said to be created before man, and are mentioned in the Quran as malicious, wicked beings with supernatural powers created by God from a pure, smokeless fire, which would explain why they are often seen with smoke coming out of them: They are analogized as genies (and are depicted  in hidden ways in stories such as Aladdin) and present themselves in different forms, including humanoid and animal. Hence it is possible that they could appear in a kind of shadowy form too. They dematerialize quickly and are able to appear dark, animalistic, and even in strange contorted figures, vapours mists or cloud-like forms. It is said that they are created out of free will as we are, and live in a parallel world to ours and in communities (much like humans). Because of their free will, some are good and some are evil. They feel themselves to be superior to humankind, and thus it is said that God cast them out of this world until 'judgement day.'These beings have an agenda against us, and cause a lot of chaos and havoc much like demons do, and it is believed that they are a part of the army of S---n. They have shape-shifting abilities and use them in order to create deliberate confusion.

               Astral or Time Travelers- Some people think that shadow people are other humans astral projections that are floating around. Some Believe them to be time travelers .

 Physical Harms that has happened to victims are beaten, choked, picked up and dropped by aggressive shadow people

The more terrified the victim the stronger the Shadow Person becomes. A common reaction that people experience in these encounters is that they become absolutely frozen,  shocked, and in a state of fear. They feel like they are momentarily paralyzed or can't move. They have a sense that these entities are triggering immense states of terror and feeding off their energy.

Have appeared thru out history and in different cultures

Native American

Some believe that we are not seeing these creatures with our physical eyes. The Cherokee believe you are seeing with what ​is called the 'fifth eye" or 'dream eye' which is in the location of the soft spot of a baby's head when it is born. That's they eye which gives you extra sensory perception when you dream (during that 'rapid eye movement in your sleep). There is also your 4th eye which is behind the base of the spine, and that is where you get the sensation that you are in danger as animals do, and have the hair stand up or that chilly feeling at the back of your neck. He goes on to explain that at night in your dream-state you have heightened energetic sensitivity and awareness, and therefore you will be more likely to experience supernatural phenomenon (both good and bad) and see such beings. This would explain why many people see them in their dreams while sleeping or as they awaken in the middle of the night.

​They are said to be a vampiric energy which feeds off our "emotional chaos and discharge of energy."

So what happens is that when you see them, you expel a whole lot of shock and fear energy in your straight of being alarmed and momentarily frightened, and that is the energy that they feed off. So you are like an energetic battery or food to them. Just like a vampire sucks blood and then takes off, so too does a shadow person. They never stay around for long.

The Choctaws have stories about shadow beings. Nalusa Chito, also known as a Impa Shilup, was the soul-eater, great black being.[3] If people allow evil thoughts or depression to enter their minds, it would creep inside them and eat their soul. Nalusa Falaya (long black being) resembled a man, but with very small eyes and long, pointed ears. He sometimes frightened hunters or transferred his power of doing harm. Some believed that Nalusa Falaya preferred to approach men by sliding on his stomach like a snake. Hashok Okwa Hui'ga (Grass Water Drop) was believed to have a connection to what is termed will-o-the-wisp. Only its heart is visible, and that only at night. Hashok Okwa Hui'ga leads astray anyone who looks at it. It was also believed that every man had a shilombish (the outside shadow) which always followed him, and shilup (the inside shadow, or ghost) which after death goes to the land of ghosts. The shilombish was supposed to remain upon the earth, and wander restlessly about its former home, often moaning, to frighten its surviving friends, as to make them forsake the spot, and seek another place to live. It was also supposed to assume the form of a fox, or owl; and by barking like the one, and screeching like the other at night, cause great consternation, for the cry was considered ominous of bad things. The Choctaws could tell between the shilombish and animals it imitates. When a fox barks, or an owl screeches, another fox or owl replies. But when the shilombish imitates the sound of either animal, no response is given.

Hindu

Chhaya- goddess of shadow and shade. She is a shapeshifter (may be the old hag) When threatened cast spells and curses. Scorned by husband and lover. Now here and children own the shadows and torment people.

Shadow Dimension Theory. A concept closely related to projection is the casting of shadows. If a light is shone on a three-dimensional object, a two-dimensional shadow is cast. ... Going the other way, one may infer that light shone on a four-dimensional object in a four-dimensional world would cast a three-dimensional shadow.

It is believed that only beings of the world of the living have a shadow. While drawn to depressed and tormented people the shadow man can torment whomever her chooses.

Mythology of shadow people dates back to early 600 BCE. Ancient Egyptians believed in shadow people, and called them the "khailbut." Romans believed these people came from the Underworld. Greeks thought shadow people were literal shadows of themselves, which they often gave up to Zeus as a gift. All of these cultures, though, had a common belief: these shadow people were both part of the real world and the metaphysical one. In Ancient Egypt, in particular, shadow people often went and did the bidding in the spirit world for humans who couldn't reach it - sometimes for good and, sometimes, for evil.

The Roman word for shadow was umbra, also meaning ‘the shade’

In Europe, people believed that the shadow beings desired blood and without it, couldn’t be reborn. 

In Old English these creatures were called Mares and this is where we get the term Nightmare.

Mara was a Demon in Buddhism

Mare was a demon in Germanic/Slavic folklore that rides on people's chests while they sleep, bringing on bad dreams (or "nightmares"). Similar to a succubus or incubs

Polish called them amora or mara and believed they were the souls of living people that leave the body during the night

Russia - the mara means a female character, similar to kikimora.( a legendary creature, a female house spirit Can be good or bad) Mara is usually invisible, but can take the form of a woman with long flowing hair, which she combs, sitting on a yarn. According to other sources, the mara is black, shaggy (And also a terrible and disheveled creature

Croatian – Mora or Mara is one of the spirits from ancient Slav mythology. Mara was a dark spirit that takes a form of a beautiful woman and then visits men in their dreams, torturing them with desire, and dragging life out of them.

Serbia- Mora – the night creature

Romania – Moroi a vamapirc ghost or could be a phantom of a dead person that leaves the grave to draw energy from the living  

Mare is its name or possibly type of creature it is

 Reported ways to get rid

****Must identify what the creature is before you can get rid of it or risk backlash****

Cleansing of a home with sage, by a Shaman or Priest (Didn’t work)

Saying Jesus or Archangel Michael name (Didn’t work)

Tell it to leave (didn’t Work)

Use Protective Crystals Agate, jade, obsidian (didn’t work)

Salt the house (didn’t Work) be carful salt line can easily be washed away or weakened. If you mix brick dust and clay with the salt, it can form a more permanent barrier

A banishing ritual

Medication (didn’t work)

No one to date has ever fully gotten rid of a shadow person

Stay in lighted areas, more light the better

 Precautionary Things:

Turn Lights on before entering a space

Sleep with back against wall

Have someone who is awake with you while going to sleep

Never be in the dark alone

Never be in a closed room alone, especially in the dark

Always have the lights as bright as possible, stay away from low light

Most vulnerable the later it gets at night

Less power while the Sun is out

look at the window or to turn the pillow and make a sign of cross on it

leaving a broom upside down behind the door, or putting their belt on top of their sheets, or saying an elaborate prayer poem before they go to sleep

Old German Folklore Prayer to ward of Mara (Shadow People)

Here I am lying down to sleep;

No night-mare shall plague me

until they have swum through all the waters

that flow upon the earth,

and counted all stars

that appear in the skies.[14]

[Thus help me God Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen!]

On rare occasions family and friends have seen the creature stalking the victim

Shadow People are one of the earliest sighted creatures by mankind, making them one of the oldest crypto creatures worldwide.

[kashif1550]

Post 3 - Multicultural America

1.What is the subject of your film, program, or internet/social media selection? Provide a brief summary, describing your selection and how it relates to our course topics, readings, and screenings.

For the site I picked, I used the root dot com because I wanted to find a way to discuss white-passing and also how it’s changing. Initially, I was going to do that by introducing the 1950s movie, Imitation of Life, for my post about films. Both the remake and original, though, give off a white person’s narration of what it’s like to be a white-passing individual, similar to how Gone with the wind is a white supremacist view of how slavery in the south was like. 

(The way the slaves were depicted is far from reality, making it uncomfortable to watch at times when they portray the mammy character.)

In short, it sugar-coats the trauma, glossing over the true pains that black people faced when navigating their world—and for that reason, I avoided it. 

Before I dive into the article about white passing, let us review what “passing” is first. Passing can be used in more ways than just race. For someone to pass, it means to be perceived as something they aren’t. When it comes to the topic of race, white passing is when someone passes as white, but in actuality have a mixed-race background. Throughout US history, African Americans have passed as white as a means of survival, understanding that there life would be at risk if the truth was told about their parent’s racial background. Society was closed off for non-whites; the best schools, best towns, best jobs were in the segregated white side of town. 

For someone of mixed-race heritage to venture into those areas safely, they would have to embrace only one side and play into the image of what they wanted others to see when they looked at them. Because, at the end of the day, the system of how race operates is based on perception.

Still, to this day, people have to put up an inaccurate front, maybe even lie about their real name, to secure a job. Race-based implicate bias in workplaces has led to research being brought to the public’s attention due to how serious the issue has gotten throughout the years. 

Looking at a study conducted by Princeton professors, Paul von Zielbauer, of New York Times, discusses how race plays a big factor—despite having problems with law enforcement. White men with a criminal conviction get just as much, if not more, job offers than an African-American man with nothing on his record.

“White men with prison records receive far more offers for entry-level jobs in New York City than black men with identical records, and are offered jobs just as often—if not more so—than black men who have never been arrested, according to a new study by two Princeton professors.” (Zielbauer, 2005) 

Decades past The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom led by MLK Jr., African American men are still hindered at entry-level jobs. People tend to push the blame on minorities, stating that the problem lies that, however, that can’t be the case when the entire system of race was built on injustice. The system cannot be deemed broke if it is doing what it was meant to do, discourage darker skinned people from providing for themselves and achieving upward mobility. 

And that, sadly, leads us to why white-passing was so prevalent after slavery and into the 20th century. It was not because these individuals wanted to, but because they had to. Connecting this back to the reading, I think back to Peggy Mclntosh’s piece on white privilege. 

She says, “I have come to see white privilege as an invisible package of unearned assets which I can count on cash in each day, but about what I was ‘meant’ to remain oblivious. White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes tools, and blank checks. Describing white privilege makes one newly accountable.” (Mclntosh, 1989) 

As Mclntosh stated, white privilege is ‘unearned assets’ given to you on the bases of your skin, not your skills. Continuously, we see people try and paint minorities as the ones that caused this curse of bad fortune, dismissing the existence of white privilege entirely in the process. Even more childish than that, people demand the end of affirmative actions as though the playing field has been set leveled for everyone. It isn’t, and to say it has is a clear slap to the face of every disadvantaged black and brown person who lives in this country. 

2. Referring to related and appropriate readings and screenings from the course, describe how your selection represents racial and ethnic identities (and if applicable, intersectionality). In what ways does your selection for each of the journal entries generate a conversation regarding race, ethnicity, and cultural diversity?

The way my selection has represented racial identity is through the lens of the one-drop rule. Through Henry Louis Gates Jr. article titled “How Many ‘White’ People Are Passing?’ he discusses how the roles are beginning to show what was the aftermath of the one-drop rule. 

When talking about the fallout of such a law, it iscreated a precedence of people ignoring the existence of their white parent in order to box that person in to a ‘colored only’ section. For the piece I picked, it creates a conversation by questioning about how often that rule wasn’t used and how it created an unneeded divided. 

“‘Bryc found that about 4 percent of whites have at least 1 percent or more of African ancestry […] “the percentage indicates that an individual with at least 1 percent African ancestry had an African ancestor within the last six generations, or in the last 200 years. This data also suggests that individuals with mixed parentage at some point were absorbed into the white population,’ which is a very polite way of saying that they ‘passed.’” (Gates, 2011)

However, when you compare that to African Americans, the percentage is far more staggering, showing that people who looked “white enough” wasn’t always the case for mixed-race people. Shockingly enough, it is stated that: “research shows that the average African American has a whopping 24 percent of European ancestry.” (Gates, 2011)

24?! That’s means, unlike with white people, African American’s bloodline had someone fully white not as far back. Many people of mixed-race background submerged themselves in to the African American community, as well as the obvious underlining effects of sexual assault of enslaved black women. The article gets even more interesting when they dive into where the hidden ancestry might show up more, showing that whites living in the south had a higher chance of having unknown African DNA. 

“In South Carolina at least 13 percent of self-identified whites have 1 percent or more African ancestry, while in Louisiana the number is a little more than 12 percent. In Georgia and Alabama the number is about 9 percent. The differences perhaps point to different social and cultural histories within the south.” (Gates, 2011) 

It begs to ask the question how many people are unaware of their own identity due to the fear of the past, having grandparents who lied about their linage in order to get a better life for their offspring. 

3.How does your selection relate to the course readings, screenings and discussions?  Reflect upon the representation and circulation of racial and ethnic identities in popular visual culture. Your reflections should be attentive to the intersectionalities of race, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, socioeconomic class and gender.

When it comes to the popular visual culture and “white passing” the stories are definitely there. At the turn of the century, literature had a bit of an obsession of the concept of “passing” as white. The novel like “Passing”, “Imitation of Life” and other tales followed ambiguous African-Americans. The novel “Invisible Man” was less about running between the lines of white and black, but rather a social commentary about a fictional scenario of an ambiguous African American man who drifts between two worlds, unnoticed as an onlooker, and discussing economical and political tensions that are rising.

Overall, when we thinking of “passing” individuals in the media, we notice that many sided with their white side to secure roles. For Broadway star, Carol Channing, she did not even claim her black ancestry until 2002 - at the age of 80. Before that point, she only identified as of European descent. Having been shielded from her own identity till the age of 16, it wasn’t a surprise that Channing had a lot of unsettling ignorance resided about her own heritage, making cringeworthy comments.

When she was told that her father was partly black from her grandfather, she said: “I know it's true the moment I sing and dance. I'm proud as can be of [my black ancestry]. It's one of the great strains in show business. I'm so grateful. My father was a very dignified man and as white as I am. My [paternal] grandparents were Nordic German, so apparently I [too] took after them [in appearance]” (Chicago Tribune, 2003)

I feel uncomfortable now even looking at her say that being black was “one of the great strains in show business.” Her comments were distasteful, dismissing how slaves were forced to perform in front of their masters and how that led into subcultures of new music like blues and country. She chalked up all of her talent to her black grandfather and her white looks to her white ancestors. If only she knew that wasn’t how genetics work. Perhaps, if the divide placed on mixed-race people wasn’t so strenuous, we wouldn’t have cases of ignorance like this.

For the most part, the media has mainly shown the stories of mixed raced women, not showing the struggle of mixed-race men who have to choose if they’d “pass” as only one race. As I stated before, “Invisible man” isn’t really about passing because his own race wasn’t up for debate, but rather what he saw due to his ambiguousness. 

There’s many reasons as to why women were the main focus when talking about “passing.” However, it becomes obviously clear in the film Imitation of Life, writing the mixed-race girl off as a trickster for being something she wasn’t. In a sense, Hollywoods take on “passing” women was that they were deceptive, completely disregarding the essential need of passing as white. Sadly, in Imitation of Life, the mixed-race girl is beaten to a pulp after her white date finds out she’s mixed with black.  

Sources:

Zielbauer, Paul von 2005

    “Race a Factor in Job Offers for Ex-Convicts”

      New York Times, July, 17, 2005

 Mclntosh, Peggy 1989

      “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”

Gates, Louis Henry

    “How Many ‘White’ People Are Passing?”    

https://www.theroot.com/how-many-white-people-are-passing-1790874972

Rusoff, Jane

    “At 82, Channing still in step” Chicago Tribune