#Between Earth & Sky

[loudlylovingreview]

Video: Between Earth & Sky

Renowned ecologist Nalini Nadkarni studies “what grows back” after a disturbance in the rainforest canopy. In 2015, her rope snapped on a research climb, and she fell fifty feet from a tree and nearly died. After making a miraculous recovery, Nalini begins to explore a new research subject – herself. BETWEEN EARTH & SKY follows Nalini as she prepares for another research climb in Monteverde,…

[serious2020]

Between the Earth & the Sky

m.facebook.com/story.php

[evereverest2]

Roses — Terzomega

~part five of the Little Monster Series~

2.4k words ~ (light) smut

Days after his last encounter with Terzo, Omega finds himself in the ministry garden.

[parts]: one | previous | next

[author note:] early upload because the last part reached my goal of 50 likes! thank u everyone. for an early upload of part 6, get this one to 100 likes (i made it harder). otherwise, see you next wednesday ;)

—

“You need to get laid.”

The snickering jab came from Earth, who sizzled his cymbal for effect. Air laughed.

Omega’s tail flicked angrily. Having been warming up, he continued to practice with an edge of frustration, not giving Earth a reaction. His fingers climbed the guitar’s neck, quick as lightning, turning into an angry, shrill chromatic scale that left the guitar screaming its highest note through the crackling amp.

“He’s been so uptight,” River sighed, plucking a dark note from his bass.

“Ignoring us,” Air added with a random piano riff. “Too busy to say hi.”

“I’m right here,” Omega snapped. The four ghouls looked up from their instruments. The sound-proof practice room filled with dead air.

It was Alpha who finally spoke up. “You gotta admit it’s been a while, Megs.”

“Since what?”

“Since you got laid,” Earth interjected, hitting his bass drum a few times to punctuate his statement. 

River and Air burst into childish giggles. Omega’s brow furrowed with annoyance. Alpha laughed, a carefree sound, before shaking his head. “Nah. I mean, maybe, but nah. It’s you, man. When’s the last time we all hung out?”

“Last week,” Omega replied tersely.

“That was practice,” River said in his sullen voice. “You hardly spoke at all.”

“Yeah, like, really hung out. We used to do it all the time, right?” Alpha looked around at the other ghouls. There was a chorus of agreement.

“Why are we even practicing?” Omega huffed, suddenly frustrated. “There’s no new music and no tour date scheduled yet.”

More silence. Finally, Alpha said, “I mean, besides the obvious to keep ourselves fresh, it’s the only time we ever see you.”

“I’m busy.”

“We know, Megs. It’s not fair they make you do all that shit.”

“That’s why you gotta do your own shit, right?” Earth was relentless, laughing boisterously.

Air tilted his head, smiling suggestively. “If you need your dick sucked, you know I’m happy to do it.”

“We all want to suck your dick, Omega,” River sighed.

Omega, fed up, threw his guitar on the ground. The amp made a painful shriek that made everyone except Omega flinch.

“Megs–” Alpha tried.

Omega snarled at him, snapping his teeth. They locked eyes for a moment. Fiery red glaring into lightning purple. He growled, “We’re done here.”

He stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Every Sibling unlucky enough to see his terrifying rampage turned the other way, disappearing inside doorways, avoiding his path. There was no destination to his rageful stalking, his pacing of the Ministry. He just wanted to clear his head, to get away from the ghouls, to take one single moment of the day to himself, to think. 

At an intersection between halls, he felt a breeze gently blowing down an empty corridor, one that led to a glass door cracked open by a rock. The garden. The air was cool against his heated disposition. Refreshing. Inviting.

Omega detoured down the hall, slipping outside and carefully ensuring the door remained open. It automatically locked, and the only way to get back inside was to walk around the expansive compound through the front door.

The sky was cloudy blue, overcast but not quite raining. It was warm enough to be comfortable with a coat, though the breeze was cold and light, giving Omega goosebumps. He took deep breaths, smelling the air, calming himself. 

The plants around him were dying in the early fall, some still green, others withering away. The one plant that stood against the seasons was a dark red rose bush, though little remained of the blooms. He noticed, on the pathway, a handful of rose petals, which were bigger than any of the current flowers growing on the bush. Confused, he looked around, seeing another one further down the path. 

He walked forward, stepping around a hedge to see the very rose he had been searching for, clutched in the hands of the last man in the Ministry he wanted to see.

Cardinal Terzo was sat on an ornate concrete bench, looking down and spinning the thorny rose between his fingers. The bench was in a small clearing that looked over a garden of dead flowers, the back surrounded by hedges to create an apse in the walkway. Omega knew it was Primo’s favorite spot, and it surprised him that the old man was not there instead of Terzo. Of course, it was too cold to tend to the fauna in early autumn.

Terzo looked up at the intrusion. He looked sad. Not miserable, not pitiful, but simply sad. Then, he smiled at Omega. His frustration disappeared in an instant, leaving room to sense Terzo’s state of mind. Indeed, he was sad, mourning, his mind mulling over something in particular. But it was not all-consuming. There was a spark of happiness, and it came from seeing Omega.

“Hello, Omega ghoul. Care to join me?”

Omega hesitated. Suddenly, he felt as if he should not be there, and looked away. Terzo said, “Do not be frightened, ghoul. I do not bite.”

Omega relented, shuffling over to the bench and sitting on the edge. He stared at the collection of browning and dead flowers, wondering why Terzo was so welcoming of his presence. Since their tepid encounter days ago, they had yet to even see one another, let alone resolve the tension between them. 

“I was surprised to see this rose today,” Terzo said, breaking the silence. “The bush looks dead. Look how big and red it is.”

He held up the rose. Omega regarded it. 

“It’s dead now,” he pointed out.

“It was soon to die anyway.” Terzo held it to his nose, smelling it deeply. “Roses were mi mamma’s favorite. That is not a very uncommon favorite, is it?”

Omega shook his head.

“Many people love this flower. Yet I can only think of mamma when I see it. No one else will think of that, si? It is mi mamma’s flower. To you, you may look at this flower and think nothing of it. To me, mamma is what makes roses special.”

Omega’s tail flicked back and forth on the bench contentedly. He nodded along to Terzo’s musings. Surprisingly, this gentle atmosphere was soothing him from his outburst at the ghouls, and finally, he could calm down. 

“Is that why you’re out here?”

Terzo nodded. “Two years ago yesterday, I buried mi mamma with roses. I was hoping there would be one left in the garden.”

Omega thought to say something. To give his condolences, to ask how she died, to ask how he was doing, any number of things. Instead, he choked. And before he could think of anything of comfort, Terzo spoke again.

“What brings you to this garden, Omega ghoul?”

Relieved for the topic change, Omega sighed, shaking his head. “Nothing important. I’m taking a break.”

“From?”

“From… everything,” he chuckled slightly. “I’m exhausted.”

“Ah. It is hard, si? They say, eh, you work for Satan, then they say, eh, you must do all these things. It is like a business, not a church. Why, we are no better than the Catholics.”

Omega looked at Terzo, surprised. Though Omega may not have fully acknowledged them before, Terzo had just voiced the very feelings that he had been plagued by for far too long.

“Yeah,” he sighed, then laughed despite himself. “That’s it. I’m the only quintessence ghoul, and they give me too many responsibilities. Trivial, meaningless things anyone could handle, all because of my element.”

“You delegate then, si?” Terzo began pointing at invisible people. “You do this, and you do this. Lower your stress.”

“I don’t have the authority to do that.” Omega sighed.

“They expect too much out of you. They always do.”

Omega looked at Terzo, slowly plucking the petals from the rose. They naturally fell silent, both watching as dark petals drifted to the ground until the rose stem was barren.

“Now I have really killed it,” Terzo said, dropping the stem. He pushed his hair back, sitting up. “I can never help myself from ruining nice things.”

“It’s not always your fault.” Omega leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “That rose was dead anyway.”

“Si. But how much longer could it have lived?”

“Maybe it would have died today.”

“Or maybe it would have lived through winter,” Terzo chuckled. “But it does not matter. You cannot bring back a dead rose.”

Omega stared at Terzo. After a moment, Terzo noticed, catching his eye. Omega swallowed thickly, looking down at the remnants of the flower, breaking their eye contact.

“Maybe we can.”

“Hm?”

Omega rubbed his hands together a few times, his fingers suddenly feeling cold with the breeze. He chastised himself for feeling so nervous. He looked at Terzo again.

The words escaped his mind like air from a deflating balloon. All that was left was his eyes, rimmed by black, always seeing through him, piercing him like arrows. And his lips. One plump pink, one black. An unsettling appearance, but one that Omega had grown to long for. 

Terzo reached up to take off Omega’s mask. He let him.

There was no telling who leaned in first, who initiated the kiss that followed. Only that there was one. One that both had been craving for some time. And it was unlike any they had shared before; indeed, for they had rarely kissed at all. When they did, it was rough, nasty, followed by choking or spitting or both. Never for the sake of being kissed but for the heat of dark passion. But on this concrete bench in the Ministry garden, Omega felt the gentle nature of this kiss, and it scared him. This was not how they were. This was not hatred. This was not lust.

Omega pulled away first. 

Terzo said, “Omega—”

“I want to revisit our agreement,” Omega interrupted, clearing his throat, too terrified of what Terzo would say to let him finish.

Terzo paused. “You want to fuck me again, mostriciatto?” 

Omega gripped the edge of the bench, annoyed at how he always said things like that just to make him mad. “Yes,” he replied through gritted teeth.

“Why did we stop before?”

“It…” Caught off guard, Omega failed to answer right away, his mouth agape like a fool, hesitating. “Your drinking.”

“Eh, you catch me after a party, and you think I drink too much? I do not drink today, do I?”

“You always did when we had sex.”

Now, it was Terzo’s turn to be caught off guard. He shook his head, shrugging. “Wine makes me horny.”

“If we continue doing this, I don’t want you to drink all the time. It increases the risk of getting caught,” he added quickly.

“Fine.” He held up his hands. “I will be responsible. I won’t quit cold poultry, but I will do my best. Happy?”

Being happy was a complicated feat. Omega was surprised at how happy he was at that moment, yet what lingered in the back of his mind was far from the excitement he felt now. It made him want to quell the happiness, chalk it up to being horny, and forget the ways Terzo’s smile made him feel.

Omega nodded slowly. Terzo reached up to touch his face.

“Shall we reinstate the agreement now or later?”

Omega pointedly avoided turning his head to Terzo’s touch, glaring at a dead leaf across the garden instead. “I’m busy until evening.”

Terzo tutted. He got up to stand in front of him, casually running his arms along his shoulders. He leaned over to kiss his jaw. He murmured lowly, “As I recall, you still have one more hour of practice.”

Omega wondered when Terzo found out his schedule, or when he became such a convincing man.

He tilted his head to meet Terzo’s, reuniting once more in a salacious lip lock. His arms slipped around his waist, pressing their bodies close, Terzo now standing between his legs. His hands ran along Omega’s back, lightly scratching, slipping up to tangle his fingers in Omega’s hair. Omega gripped his ass with his big hands, slipping one down his pants just to feel the flesh. Terzo released a gentle groan.

Omega suddenly lifted Terzo, then carefully set him on the concrete bench, lying down. He knelt over him, one leg on the ground to balance, kissing fiercely. Terzo held on to him, still playing with his hair and face with his fingers, splitting his legs apart greedily. Omega slid his hand down his chest, stomach, resting comfortably on the curve of his bulge. He thumbed the length of it, tight in his pants, making him moan lightly.

Then Omega heard something, which made him stop dead in his tracks. The crunch of a dead leaf. He raised his head, his eyes darting around them.

“Mostriciatto—”

Omega shushed him. He walked away from the bench, checking the path that led to the door. Not a soul in sight. The door was still ajar. Omega returned to Terzo.

“I thought I heard someone,” he said, tense.

“There is nobody around, ghoul; you worry too much.”

Omega looked at Terzo, who was disheveled and clearly begging for more. As much as he wanted to relent, to give in to his feral desire to rip into him in the garden, he was too concerned with getting caught, and the moment had passed.

“It’s too risky out here.” Omega pinched the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know why we didn’t think about this.”

“We are horny,” Terzo said helpfully.

Omega sighed. “I should get back to work.”

“You have always been a cockblock, ghoul,” Terzo mumbled bitterly, standing to readjust his pants and fix his hair.

Omega glowered at him. “You think I’m not frustrated?”

“I hope you are,” Terzo grinned. “Then you will treat me not-so-nice later tonight.”

Omega crossed his arms. “I’ll be at your quarters when I’m finished.”

“Oh, Omega, do not finish before you see me. It will not be as fun,” Terzo winked at him. He slapped Omega’s ass on his way out, causing him to jump in surprise. Omega’s eyebrows furrowed, embarrassed, angry that he was embarrassed, and glared at Terzo as he walked up the path and disappeared inside the Ministry.

[parts]: one | previous | next

buy me a kofi <3

[elminx]

Elminx's Kitchen Pet (Grow it & Consume it) Abundance Spell

Note: the items for this as it is written are quite specific but as always, feel free to adapt this spell in any way that you need to call it your own - This is intended to be the backbones of a spell and for you to add your own touches/traditions to it.

If you've been around for a while, you're likely to recall that I am very into eating my magic. This is a winter spell to grow yourself something tasty to eat when there's little fresh around AND to line your pockets while you do it. This was inspired by my mother giving my partner a set of Grow-Your-Own sprouts kits as a holiday gift, but that is not at all necessary for this spell. We are harnessing the growth of the spouts to grow your finances as the basis for this spell. I am assuming that you know how to create sacred space and gather energy as is a part of your craft and will include it where necessary.

Spell ingredients:

Seeds (I used broccoli seeds)

Substrait/Growing Medium (I used coco coir from my sprout kit)

Growing vessel (cardboard, supplied by my sprout kit)

Water

Grow Lights or sunlight

Insert items specific to your craft here (optional)

prepare your vessels for its seeds by adding a substrate and watering it well - here I added a petition paper with a sigil underneath the coco coir

add the seeds and create a connection between their growth and the growth/abundance you want - I used cinnamon here as it is beneficial for plants and connected with money and abundance but you do you

Place the seeds in a place where they will receive a lot of sunlight. Bonus if it is on an altar or other sacred space but put it on the windowsill if you need to. This is where grow lights can be wonderful (just remember if you put grow lights on your altar that some things get damaged by light).

water the seeds appropriately for their growth, and remember to renew your intention every time that you tend the seeds - this could be done with a verse recited - something like "Sky above and earth below, see my finances grow and grow" would work fine

Remember to take the time to talk to and connect with your seeds and sproutlings as they grow and mature.

when harvesting thank them (optional but recommended)

eat, yum! (Bonus: connect with the idea that you are consuming the abundance that you just grew for yourself, alchemizing the spell by turning it into energy for your body)

As mentioned above, I performed this spell with a kit for growing broccoli sprouts but you do not go out and buy a kit like this to perform this spell. I have heard that you can grow sprouts from popcorn kernels (though I've never tried it) or sprout any other type of seed with which you are familiar. This is the quickest way to perform this spell as sprouts are ready to eat in about one week which I feel to be a reasonable amount of time to devote to daily tending of a spell like this.

If you are feeling more adventurous, you could choose to raise an edible herb from seed - a basil plant would be a really good choice as it is associated with wealth and prosperity. (Isn't there just something about basil pesto that makes you feel absolutely opulent?)

There are a lot of ways to amp up the energy this spell:

Start this spell on a new moon to harness the energy of new beginnings

Even more: repeat this spell every new moon to keep that abundant energy moving (more applicable to sprouts but you could eat from your basil plant every new moon or full moon to reactive this spell)

Start this spell on a Thursday to tap into the abundant nature of the Sun, or a Sunday to bring in sunny energy of success

Work with/dedicate your plants to a Deity associated with prosperity with whom you have a relationship

I hope you enjoyed my little green witch abundance spell. If you perform it, I'd love to hear about it. Additionally, you can support me by tipping me on Kofi or purchasing an astrology report.

[palilalia]

PAL-072 WATT LP

“Recorded in Miami 1989-1991”

BUY LP — tinyurl.com/59f39x2x "I was hanging out with Bill Orcutt at the 930 Club nearly 30 years ago, watching a famous post-rock band (who shall remain nameless, but whose moniker contained two- and-a-half times more articles and conjunctions than nouns) when he said: "This band is like my band in college -- all major 7th and 9h chords." I relate this to emphasize that in the case of Bill Orcutt and Harry Pussy, the seemingly untutored ooze of "Please Don't Come Back From the Moon" and "Girl With Frog" had its genesis in something far more Apollonian than is usually understood. It's debatable whether or not Watt, the duo of Orcutt and drummer Tim Koffley featured on Recorded in Miami, is the above- referenced grad-school band. Watt is not resplendent with jazz chords, but it's certainly more tutored, offering a mannered link between the contemporaneous Thunders-esque punk of Orcutt's Trash Monkeys and Harry Pussy's mayhem. The continuity with Harry Pussy is more than temporal -- Recorded in Miami is Orcutt’s first use of the four string guitar, and Harry Pussy claimed the same amp and drum kit. The resemblance more or less ends there. To further put Recorded in Miami -- made on Orcutt's Walkman, Rat Bastard's North Miami studio, and South Miami’s Natural Sound (total bill $289) -- into context, consider the fecundity of the underground music world as the '80s rolled into the '90s. It's hard to relate to those who missed it, but it was a time when post-hardcore hadn't quite given way to the bloat of grunge, when the Minutemen held sway (for the moment) over Led Zeppelin. The indie world was ruled by an ever-propagating compost heap of jagged guitar bands like TFUL282, Truman's Water, and (to crank it back a couple years) Phantom Tollbooth. And in some ways (although Orcutt swears Watt's prime influences were James Blood Ulmer and Fred Frith's Massacre), this record seems very much cut from that decade-ending cloth, seemingly only one vocal overdub away from a Homestead catalog number. Track after track (mostly titled after episodes of Art Clokey's slyly Buddhist TV masterwork, Gumby), Recorded in Miami's tracks spill over with right angles, rockist tropes, and verse/ chorus structures, from the Minutemen-oid funk of "Band Contest" to the stroked Moore-Ranaldoisms of "The Young and the Decoding." Yet Orcutt's fretboard-spanning angular melodic runs are right up front in the latter, and the final two tracks introduce a bit of the explosive chaos that would follow when Adris finally claimed the drum kit. Consider "Wattstock," where Koffley forms the bedrock for an extended Orcutt hotbox of instantly-composed harmolodics. Or "God Are You There, It's Me, Watt," where we can hear the spontaneous vocal bursts (the only vocals on the album) that would re-emerge on Orcutt's early solo records. Watt began to crumble when Koffley, as drummers will do, yearned for rhythmic grids of increasing complexity, while Orcutt instead wanted to "smoke more pot and improvise." For a few records with Harry Pussy, Orcutt would get his wish (though some of the structuralism of Watt would creep into later records). But we shouldn't regard Recorded in Miami as mere transitional scraps of juvenalia, or stunt-rock delivered for the mere thrill of pulling it off. Rather, it's an early, major piece of the unfolding and complex puzzle of Orcutt's music. A foundation. And without the earth beneath our feet, how can we ever reach the sky?" -- TOM CARTER 

[gduncan969]

Does God Terrify You?

2 Corinthians 5:11: Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.”

All who have ever heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ know the good news that God loves us and has demonstrated that love by sending Jesus Christ, His Son, to rescue us from the death-sentence we were under because of our sins and that having received him, he is coming again to take us to live with him for eternity.  All He asks of us is that we turn (repent) from our wicked ways and believe on him, meaning we place our trust in him for the rest of our lives.  As believers, we rest in the assurance that we belong to him and trust that he will see us through every situation and circumstance that comes our way.  Sadly, many others reject the Gospel message or at first welcome it but then fall away because their unplowed hearts are full of thorns and stones and have no good soil for the message to take root in and bear fruit.  Throughout the entire bible, God declares the extent of His love for us and we remain eternally grateful for all he has done and is doing in our lives.

“The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell”

So goes the opening line of H. G. Spafford’s famous hymn and amazingly, he tops that in the last verse with one of the most grandiose statements ever written to describe the love of God:

Could we with ink the ocean fill and were the skies of parchment made, Were every stalk on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade. To write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry Nor could the scroll contain the whole though stretched from sky to sky.

Every follower of Jesus Christ knows that God loves them and the more they experience that love the more overwhelming it becomes. “Amazing love! How can it be that Thou my God shouldst die for me?”  But accepting that love demands a response from each of us and it’s what that response should be that is a subject not easily understood by many believers.  Another way of putting it is to ask ourselves, “What does God want my response to be for the free gift of his salvation?”

What is our response?

Obviously, top of the list would be the word: GRATITUDE perhaps followed by love, worship, praise adoration and so on, but God doesn’t want these to be just the feelings we have but the ACTIONS we take that express these feelings. James 2: 18 - 20 explains the difference between feelings and real faith this way:

“But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!  But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” (AMP)

The Amplified bible also gives a greater insight as to how the demons believe and what a “foolish man” is:

..”The demons also believe [that], and shudder and bristle [in awe-filled terror—they have seen His wrath]! But are you willing to recognize, you foolish [spiritually shallow] person, that faith without [good] works is useless?”

Hmm..!  Maybe it’s time to balance our view of God’s love for us with that other aspect of God’s revealed character: His Holiness!  Whilst his love warms our hearts and fills us with gratitude, praise and worship, his holiness TERRIFIES us and fills us with fear  It makes us dreadfully afraid of Him because “our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29 and Deuteronomy 4:24) but this fear of Him is not our enemy but our friend since it forces us in all our dealings with him to remember just WHO we are dealing with, the “God of gods” and the “King of kings”.  All of us who grew up with godly parents recognize there were always two aspects to godly parenting, one which made their children love them because of all they do for them and one which made them fear them because disobedience carries very unpleasant consequences!   Godly children are filled with love for their parents but are also filled with fear of offending them and it’s that fear that keeps them trying to get it right.  Remember when Jesus used Peter’s boat as a pulpit to preach to the people gathered on the shore (Luke 5: 1 - 10) events unfolded that brought Peter face to face with the Jesus he had never seen before.  Until now, Peter knew Jesus as a prophet of God and a fellow man like himself but he was about to find out that Jesus was also the awesome God he had only heard about and it terrified him.  When Jesus had finished preaching he told Peter, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” (Verse 4).  Peter, the expert fisherman that he was, glibly reminded him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net” (singular).  What a shock he got when he found his net almost breaking with the fish he’d caught but even greater was his reaction when he suddenly realized this Jesus he knew and loved was far more than a good preacher but someone way beyond any good preacher and someone with awesome in power. There were enough fish to fill both boats but just imagine what would have happened had Peter let down the nets!  Peter’s response echoes all who have met God in his holiness (verse 8): When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”   Likewise, the prophet, Isaiah, when he saw the Lord on his throne and the seraphim crying out (Isaiah 6:3) , “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”  Isaiah responded similar to Peter (verse 5): “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.”

Encountering God in His Holiness

An encounter with God in His Holiness always brings us to our knees or even make us fall down flat because when the light of his holiness shines upon us it sharply reminds us of the sinners we were and the price that was paid to bring us back to himself.  It is an overwhelming and terrifying experience but a necessary one because it keeps us balanced in the fear of the Lord as well as his love.  

Keeping the balance

These two, the fear and the love of God, must balance our lives.  The fear without the love leads to legalism where everything is done so as not to offend God.  All you have to do is make sure you obey the rules and you will be safe but this makes God a tyrant rather than a savior.  The love without the fear leads to liberalism where anything goes including reinterpreting scripture to suit the culture, a fact which is currently devastating the lives and witness of so many churches today.  God is no big sugar-daddy who in his mercy and love for us overlooks our sin! Christian denominations across the globe are splitting apart over subjects like same-sex marriage, LGBTQ, abortion, etc.  These need no discussion at all because the bible has always been absolutely clear about them and the result is that people are leaving these churches in droves because they have no relevance in the lives of their former adherents.  In the meantime, denomination after denomination is falling apart over these issues while the world looks on in amusement at our squabbling.  The world itself is in great turmoil as wars and rumors of wars, climate events, earthquakes, fires and every form of evil is no longer condemned but encouraged.  

The Time of the End

As these events and so many others unfold, it is becoming clearer and clearer that we have entered the “time of the end” preceding Christ’s return when he will destroy the unrighteous and gather his people to himself.  Jesus tells us in Matthew 24 and Luke 17 that a great many believers will not survive this time because they will join the masses running to and fro looking for an escape from the devastation all around them.  It is a very scary time indeed!  Only those who have entered “by the narrow gate” will make it through.  Jesus was asked in Luke 13: 23 “Lord, are there few who are saved?”  His response should terrify us all (Luke 13: 24 - 30):

“Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’  But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.”

This is not a time to sit in comfort while we wait for his return.  It is a time to press in through the narrow gate and make sure that we are truly trusting in Him to see us through this time.  It is also a time to demonstrate our love for him by the same actions he used to demonstrate his love for us—by preaching the Gospel to others in word and deed through signs, wonders and miracles that prove to them he is who he says he is, the savior of the world and we are who we claim to be: his children. If we know the “terror of the Lord” then , like Paul, we will make every effort to persuade men because that is the response he demands from us that shows our gratitude for his great salvation is real.  Gone are the days of asking Jesus into our hearts years ago only to sit back and take our ease as the world falls into the pits of Hell taking multitudes of former believers with it.  It is devastating to think that many (former believers) will seek to enter when it is too late.  It wont matter that ‘We ate and drank in His presence,’  and “prophesied in His name, cast out demons in His name, and did many wonders in His name?” (Matthew 7:22), if we have failed to maintain a walking, talking relationship with him. 

[unfoldingmoments]

Money Matters

God's competitor is Mammon.

mammon, biblical term for riches, often used to describe the debasing influence of material wealth.

"Money is an excellent slave, but a terrible master."

“Don't choose a man because he has the things that money can buy, choose him because he has the things that money can't buy.”

But those who [are not financially ethical and] crave to get rich [with a compulsive, greedy longing for wealth] fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction [leading to personal misery].

For the love of money [that is, the greedy desire for it and the willingness to gain it unethically] is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves [through and through] with many sorrows.

If you hunt for money, you're not the head, but you're the tail. You should be the head, and money is the tail.

If you hunt for money, you're not the head, but you're the tail. Supposedly, you should be the head, and money is the tail (following you wherever you go), not the other way around. Be the head, not the tail.

1. There is no definite relationship between having a lot of money and living a happy life.

2. Money reveals a person's character.

The best personality test is giving people lots of money In the hands of generous, the money will be use to help others.

In the hands of evil people, the money will be use for evil purpose. In the hands of stingy people, the money will be saddened.

The Folly of Riches

AMP He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its gain. This too is vanity (emptiness).

NLT Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! Therefore loves God, not money.

3. God's blessings are not (only) in the form of wealth/money. (Berkat Tuhan tidak (Hanya) dalam Bentuk kekayaan/ Uang.)

Money is everywhere, but the problem is not in your wallet/ account. So how money can go to your wallet/ account?

God’s blessing is not money instead an ability, talent, creativity, and all of us has been given God’s blessing. 

Deut 8: 18  But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ABILITY (POWER) to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. God wants us to be PRODUCTIVE/ ACTIVE, not passive. 

If you don’t use the God’s given gift, then you will produce nothing. Gen 1: 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Be fruitful and multiply, replenish the earth and subdue it.  God will not give commands before providing humans with the ability (to fulfill them). What God gives is the raw material. Human produce all sort of things from the raw material ie. animal skin - fashion items ie. tree- wood, paper, ship ie. plant - medicine, food ie. stone- jewel, marble ie. animal - food -> imagination: food recipe variants God doesn’t give us chair, blackboard, bridge etc

Uang adalah akibat dari menjual apa yang dihasilkan dari tangan orang tersebut.

If we have a wrong mindset and wait from others to pity us, we won’t produce anything and become nothing. Although we have the raw material but we produce nothing then we won’t produce anything. Creativity occurs when the raw material is never attract our attention, but we realized that we can do something with this. But nothing happens to lazy people. When our mind is close minded, creativity won’t landing in our thinking. However, if we have an open minded, creativity ideas etc will come to you.

Don’t be busy looking at other people, the grass is always greener etc. But look at inwards, what God has given to you. 4. God's plan does not depend on how much money you have in your hands.

5 loaves of bread and fish 

People eat full young-old, excess 12 full basket, the money from the God’s disciple is not a problem. Although we don’t have money, but God has given his plan, vision, He will open any doors to help you to reach that vision. 

24 years JPCC never handling tithing/ offerings in a basket but God’s plan is fulfilled. Therefore you can enjoy the current service online/ offline. 5. It's not our ability to receive, but our ability to give.

1 kings 17:10-16 Poor lady who has so little, but she gives the food to Elijah first, then she make the bread for herself and the family. Yet she is not lack of anything, and God fulfilled the promise. The key is obedient, miracle happens. It is not the ability to receive that causes miracles to happen, but our ability to give.

Releasing the seeds in our hands is what will cause miracles to happen in our lives.

It is not your ability to receive that determines God's blessings, but your ability to sow seeds that determines how much you will receive.

If there are no seeds sown, it is impossible to receive any blessings.

So never be jealous of someone else's blessings.

My blessings do not depend on what you give; they depend on what I plant, what I release, the seeds I sow are what determine what I receive.

Ref:

Money Matters by Ps. Jeffrey Rachmat (JPCC ONLINE SERVICE 07 May 2023)

[moonlitfirefly]

“Still True:

It’s been a strange time. If you are on planet earth, it’s probably fair to say that you have been on quite a journey. And that journey may have amped up in the last year, or the last several years. You may not be who you were and you may not even know who you are becoming. You may have thought you knew but you may have lost all that you thought was true.

How many skins have been shed? How many masks have been removed? How many times have you been turned upside down and inside out?

It’s been a strange time. The liminal lines between fact and fiction have blurred and switched places.

Some of you are naked and raw and some of you are exhausted and some of you are celebrating transformation and some of you are coming undone and wondering when will it end.

Healing is not an A to Z journey. Becoming human has many different maps and we may not agree on those maps. I think we can agree that it’s a strange time and there has been more division than ever before and also, the masks have eroded more than ever before.

Perhaps you don’t feel like you belong or perhaps you feel like an orphan to the system or to the construct.

Sometimes it’s good to crawl underneath the skin of a story and listen to with a mythopoetic ear.

It’s going to get stranger and more difficult and ask everything of you. Don’t lose heart. Even when the skins are ripped away by the tide. Don’t lose heart. Remember the soul cannot ever die, even when the masks have dissolved.

Sometimes the ego is a little bit of a chicken Little, running around thinking that the sky is falling, screaming and screaming. I think the hardest thing for the ego in these times, is not that it is here to die, but that it is here to enter into partnership with soul; it shouldn’t be the only driver of the bus. And soul shouldn’t be way back in the backseat. Soul shouldn’t be the only one driving though either, it’s hard to stay grounded. The divine marriage is not an easy feat to weave in this lifetime. Don’t lose heart. You were made for these times.” ❤️🪆❤️ The Wild Matryoshka

Art: Kitty-Grimm

[sciencespies]

Astronomers have just watched the most powerful explosion ever seen

https://sciencespies.com/space/astronomers-have-just-watched-the-most-powerful-explosion-ever-seen/

Astronomers have just watched the most powerful explosion ever seen

A gamma ray burst about 2.4 billion light years away is being called “the BOAT” – the brightest of all time – and is so powerful it has even affected Earth’s atmosphere

Space 17 October 2022

By Leah Crane

GRB221009A is the pink dot towards the centre of the image

International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/B. O'Connor (UMD/GWU) & J. Rastinejad & W Fong (Northwestern Univ)

Astronomers have spotted what may be the most powerful explosion ever seen. The gamma ray burst, called GRB221009A, was spotted on 9 October, and even its afterglow is brighter than most objects in the sky.

This type of gamma ray burst (GRB) is thought to occur when a massive star explodes in a supernova, leaving behind a black hole. The explosion creates an extraordinary jet of light which makes up the GRB itself, and then the supernova causes a dimmer afterglow. This particular GRB appears so bright partially because it is about 2.4 billion light years away from Earth, making it one of the closest GRBs ever spotted in addition to being the brightest.

“If we look at all of the gamma ray bursts that have been detected, this one stands apart,” says Jillian Rastinejad at Northwestern University in Illinois. “Informally, we’ve been calling it the BOAT – the brightest of all time.” She and her colleagues calculated that a GRB this bright is expected to occur only once every thousand years or so.

Advertisement

We don’t know exactly how powerful this burst is, though, despite the fact that many telescopes around the world are looking at it. That is partially because it is so bright that it saturates the detectors of gamma-ray telescopes, so all they see are completely white pixels with no detail, says Andrew Levan at Radboud University in the Netherlands, one of Rastinejad’s colleagues. “If you had gamma-ray eyes, you’d be blinded,” he says. Current estimates put the energy of the GRB between 10^54 and 10^55 ergs, he says – in contrast, the total energy released by the sun throughout its lifetime is expected to be about 10^51 ergs.

GRB221009A is so bright that it is affecting Earth, even from billions of light years away. Naval radio transmitters recorded a strange disturbance in the upper atmosphere, which seems to have been caused by the powerful light from the GRB slamming into it. Detectors that search for high-energy photons – particles of light – have also seen extraordinary particles with energies far higher than anything produced at the Large Hadron Collider.

This has made a splash among astronomers. “It seems like pretty much every telescope in the world is starting to look at it,” says Rastinejad. But to learn more about the supernova itself and its home galaxy, they will have to wait until the bright jet fades, which could take months. Once that occurs, we should have a better idea of why this GRB was so extraordinarily bright.

Sign up to our free Launchpad newsletter for a voyage across the galaxy and beyond, every Friday

More on these topics:

#Space

[syddsatyrn]

Hysteria

☆Pairing: - Eddie Munson x Fem Reader

☆Song: Hysteria By Def Leppard

☆Warnings: Smut, swearing, drug use, cigarettes, intercourse, fingering, Characters are all 18+

Minors DNI, scram!

☆Words: 3.5k

☆Summary: You and your band finally got a gig at the hideout after a long hiatus. A talented metal head performs and he's all you can think about. Would it be so wrong to take him home with you?

☆Notes: My first ever one shot writing for Eddie. Please be kind, it might be kinda cheesy, lol

The soft, diffused light from the sky dimmed your apartment, giving your surroundings a nameless ambiance. The day is ending but your night is just beginning. You've been invited to come to play at a local bar called "The Hideaway". The band has been practicing all week for this gig. You and your crew have taken a small hiatus this winter, but it's the middle of June and time to get back to the grind. You can't help but feel a little nervous, you haven't played live since October.

You mindlessly strum your orange Gibson Les Paul while lounging on your couch. Electric notes flow out of a nearby amp as you strum. D, G, Em, and back to G….

You sit up and make your way to the coffee maker to pour yourself another cup, guitar still in hand. As you lean against the counter and sigh, bringing the warm mug to your lips. The bitter liquid slowly awakens your senses as you try to mentally hype yourself up for tonight.

I can totally do this, I’ve probably done hundreds of gigs. Everything is fine, We’re gonna sound great.

You finished your coffee and looked at the time, maybe it's best to leave early and check out the competition. You pack up your guitar and a small black backpack with essentials. Guitar picks, extra strings, wallet, set list, cassette player…

You list off the items mentally as you toss them into the bag. You gingerly place your guitar in its case and sling it over your shoulder. You take off out the front door and lock it behind you. The bar isn't far away but the streets are full of people trying to get home or squeeze in a few errands before the sun goes down. The cool air feels nice after a hot summer day and you’re starting to feel a little more relaxed.

You approach the bar, a few people linger outside sharing cigarettes and laughing with each other. You walk in and smile at the doorman. He looks at your guitar case and gives you a nod, assuming you're here to play. You thank him as you pass the threshold, making your way to the back of the building.

The bar is packed, you weave through crowds of people and find the entrance to the back of the stage. You open the door and the first thing you see is your drummer, Steve

“Y/N! You made it! Are you excited?!”

“Hey! Yeah, Something like that.” You say with a chuckle. Steve gives you a quick side hug with a shoulder squeeze. You lean your guitar next to the wall and toss your bag next to it. Robin bursts through the door. Her face immediately lights up when she sees you.

“Yes! I knew I saw you come in. Social Experiment is back in business baby!” She cheers with her fist in the air. You give Robin a quick hug and go over the evening with both of them. You pull out the written set list from your back pocket and remind them of each song in order.

The door opens and three metalheads enter the backstage room, all three of them patched-up battle jackets. The one with long, beautiful brown curls caught your eye. They all make their way to an empty corner and unload their gear. The alluring metal head had a cigarette between his lips. You had to admit, his Dio back patch was pretty sick.

“Hellooo….Y/N? Earth to Y/N?” Steve says while waving his hand in front of your face. Robin chokes back a laugh. You shake yourself free from your inner thoughts and give Steve a blank look.

“Are you playing that Def Leppard cover tonight?” Steve asks with an eye roll.

“Oh yeah, we’ll open with that.” You reply, unzipping your case and pulling out your guitar. You pull up a nearby chair and take a seat. Steve decides to go outback and have a cigarette, and Robin follows him outside. You decide to sit and strum aimlessly, even though you're pretty sure you know all the chords to each song.

"Nice Les Paul." A nameless voice remarks. You turn your head to see the metal head you were blatantly gawking at earlier. 

"Oh, thanks! It was my dad's. I like your jacket." You compliment with a smile.

He chuckles, “Thanks, sweetheart.” The sudden nickname makes your face feel unusually warm. How is this man so smooth?

The first band finishes and you can hear them give the crowd their farewells. They pile into the back room shoving each other and exchanging fist bumps.

“That's my cue, check you later.” The stranger says with a wink. You watch as he walks over to the stage entrance and disappears with his bandmates. Ever since your ex, you haven't had much interest in others. Steve has been trying to get you to put yourself out there and try dating again but he's had no luck. You'd rather be playing guitar or getting stoned in your apartment.

Now, this I gotta see.You pass the door to the stage and watch quietly in the corner, out of sight. The band introduces themselves as “Corroded Coffin”. You watch and listen intently but you’re mostly focused on the way this alluring man played.

Warlock…he has good taste.

The brunette is extremely talented, they played a couple of covers and a few originals. The way his hair bounced as he bobbed his head, his solos are on point and it blows your mind how comfortable he looks on stage. His style is muddy but accurate, it adds a unique variable to the band's sound. 

Your eyes keep glancing at his ring-clad hands skillfully climbing up and down the frets. You can't help but wonder what else those fingers are capable of. Your face turns a few shades of pink as your thoughts drift.

“You gonna talk to him later?” Steve asks, sneaking up on you. You jump a little and give him a menacing look.

“Jesus fuck Steve.” You say as you clutch your shirt. He almost made you jump out of your skin. “You need a bell around your neck or something. I don’t know, I might talk to him.”

“He’s not half bad looking, and he's a decent guitarist.” He points out, knowing full well you might just take off and waste the opportunity.

“I can see that, Harrington.” You say, crossing your arms and rolling your eyes. Steve elbows you and you return the jab.

When they finish you quickly run back to your gear, hoping the guitarist didn't catch you analyzing his whole set. You check in with your bandmates again to make sure they are prepared.

“Are you guys ready for this?” You ask and both Steve and Robin give you a confident nod.

Steve takes his place behind the drums while you and Robin plug the bass and lead into the separate amps. You adjust the microphone to your height and take a good look at the crowd. You look back at the stage entrance, you almost choke on your saliva because he's leaning against the wall in the same corner you were lurking in.

Fuck.  

“We are Social Experiment, let's get weird!” You introduce your band with enthusiasm and play an open-handed note. The crowd cheers and claps. Steve lightly taps the snare and sets the rhythm for the song. Robin watches for your cue and follows suit when you start strumming.

1...2…3…4   D, G, Em, G

All three of you start playing. You can feel eyes on the back of your head as the handsome stranger judges you from behind. But he wasn't judging you, he was admiring you.  

♫"Out of touch, out of reach, yeah

You could try to get closer to me

I'm in luck, I'm in deep, yeah

Hypnotized, I'm shakin' to my knees"

"I gotta know tonight

If you're alone tonight

Can't stop this feeling

Can't stop this fight"♫

You play softly and gradually get louder before the chorus hits. Em, C, D, EM, your fingers danced across the frets with ease. It's like riding a bike, no matter how long it's been, you can still play well enough. Robin softly sings into the microphone, echoing the lyrics as your backup singer.

♫"Oh, I get hysterical, hysteria

When you get that feelin', do you believe it?

It's such a magical mysteria

When you get that feelin', better start believin'

'Cause it's a miracle, I see you will, ooh babe

Hysteria when you're near"

"Out of me, into you, yeah

You could hide, it's just a one-way street.

Oh, I believe I'm in you, yeah

Open wide, that's right, dream me off my feet

Ah, believe in me"♫

After a few moments on stage, you start to loosen up. This is one of your favorite songs to cover live. Your body swayed and your foot tapped against the wood stage.

♫"I gotta know tonight

If you're alone tonight

Can't stop this feeling

Can't stop this fire"‘Oh, I get hysterical, hysteria

When you get that feelin', do you believe it?

It's such a magical mysteria

When you get that feelin', better start believin'

'Cause it's a miracle, I see you will

Oh, babe

(Hysteria when you're near)”♫

The rest of your set included a Motley Crue cover and two originals. You hopped around the stage and the crowd whistled, cheered, and sang along with the chorus. The reactions they had over your animated stage presence were so reassuring and you felt more and more confident as time went on.

“You guys were bitchin'! We are Social Experiment. Goodnight!” You shout into the mic and wave at the crowd. You and Robin unplug your gear and walk towards the stage exit. The applause was fueling your ego, you bounced off the steps to the stage and wrapped your arm around Robin's shoulder.

“You were on fire Y/N!” Robin comments while placing her bass in its case. You smile and return the compliment. "You're the best female bassist in all of Hawkins." Robin grins from ear to ear. It was cool to see her let loose again.

“House drums weren't busted up or anything, not like we’re used to.” Steve says you could tell he was having a blast. You put away your Les Paul with a permanent smile. You shake off any remaining nerves left over from the performance.

“I’m gonna get a drink, want anything?” Steve asks, pointing at the two of you. You shook your head but Robin offered to go with him. ////

“You were pretty kick-ass up there.” A familiar voice praises. You turn around and you raise your eyebrows. The shaggy-haired metal head is complimenting you. He's talking to you, right? You almost thought he was talking to someone close by.

“You’re not so bad yourself, warlock.” You acclaim gesturing to the guitar case strapped to his back. Eddie chuckles at the nickname and you finally exhale.

“Eddie. Eddie Munson.” He introduces himself, holding out his hand. When you grab his hand, the cold metal rings that adorning his fingers unexpectedly chilled your palm.

“Y/N ” You reply. He pulls a joint out from behind his ear. Seriously, how is this guy so smooth?

"You smoke?" He asks with raised eyebrows. You couldn't believe this was happening. You've been notoriously bad at meeting new people, how did you even get this far? You follow Eddie outside into the alleyway out back, he lights the tip and inhales till a small ember forms. He hands it to you and you take a few puffs.

"I haven't seen you around here. I woulda remembered a lovely voice like that." He says while exhaling the smoke. You could feel your heart in your throat. It took you a moment to compose yourself. "You guys new?"

“We’ve been on a hiatus since October.” You explain while handing the joint back.

“Glad you’re back. It's not every day you meet a pretty face with a Les Paul.” Eddie remarks, his playful tone and charming eyes are throwing you off your game. (It's not like you have any)

“That Warlock is gorgeous. You're very talented.” You say as you try to shift the subject. You lean up against the wall trying to keep your cool. You cross your arms as a chill breeze carries through the alley. 

“Thanks, sweets.” He smiles, “So Def Leppard huh?”

“Hah yeah, that’s one of my all-time favorites.” You say proudly. “It took me forever to learn.”

“So, are you?” He starts.

“What?” You ask, slightly cocking your head to the side.

“Alone tonight.” Referring back to the song you opened with. Your heart skipped a beat and you almost forgot to breathe. 

“I…I mean, yeah.” You’re not sure what any of this means but there is just something about this man. Eddie leans forward, you could feel his breath on your neck. You wanted nothing more than to taste his lips but your mind was wiped clean as he took over your senses.

“Do you wanna..uhh…get out of here?” He asks and your legs squeeze tight. You were already putty in his palm. This isn't like you at all, you’re usually very much in control. Not this time, you’re in deep.

You nod in response and Eddie grins, 

You head back into the building and see Steve leaning against the wall with a drink in his hand. He and Robin were laughing with one of the members of Corroded Coffin. You approach Steve and tell him you're taking off for the night. Eddie leans up against the door frame with his arms crossed, his eyes following every move you make. Steve can tell you look kind of nervous, he looks up and makes eye contact with Eddie.

Steve went through his usual protective friend routine. Asking if you’re gonna be okay, telling you to call him if you need anything. You give your friends a quick hug, grab your things, and wave goodbye. Eddie puts his arm around your shoulder as you both leave.

He leads you to his van and opens the back door. You slip the guitar case off your shoulder and hand it to him. He carefully places the instruments in the back. Eddie walks back around the van and opens the passenger side door for you. He offers his hand to keep you steady as you climb in. Despite Eddie’s rough rocker appearance, he's actually a rather sweet person.

“Where are we going?” You ask, still shocked you just left with a total stranger without any plan or hesitation.

“Where do you wanna go?” He asks.

“We could always go to my place?” You answer.

________

You cough into the sleeve of your hoodie. You’re not a lightweight but it's not like he knows that. You’re facing him, passing a bowl back and forth comfortably on your bed. You talked with him for hours about music, and your band and you even felt comfortable enough to talk about your depression.

“Careful now, sweet stuff.” He says while setting the pipe down on your nightstand. His hand slides over your knee and moves to your outer thigh. You can’t help but stare into those eyes, he’s gorgeous. “This stuff is pretty potent.” He adds.

Eddie leaned in closer and you knew what was happening, everything in you was telling you to stop or run away. But you didn't. Heat rose from your stomach to your chest. When his lips met yours it was like a warm wave washed over you. Your toes curled in your shoes and his hand cups your cheek. 

You both break away for a moment.

“This okay?” he asks with concern behind his voice.

“More than okay.” You say quietly. 

He pulled you in closer by your waist, claiming your mouth again, hungry and intense. Your hands had already slipped under Eddie’s shirt absentmindedly, your fingernails grazed over his soft, pale skin. He groans softly in response to your touch. 

You laid back against your bed and Eddie crawls on top of you. He crosses his arms at the hem of his shirt and pulls it up over his head, tossing it into a corner. You admired his shoulders and tattoos, the way his hair falls around his face.

He positions his knee between your legs and you let out a small gasp. His lips ghost over your jaw and he adds pressure between your legs with his knee. You rake your fingers through his hair as he slowly grinds against your core. Your breath hitched and you tug at his har. His cologne mixed with the smell of cigarettes is hypnotic, Eddie is successfully taking over your senses.

You could feel his cock get harder and harder with each whisper and plea that slips from your mouth.

"Mhmm…tell me more." He growls in your ear. You crash your lips against his eagerly and start taking some control. You only break away for a second to remove your shirt. He unclips your bra and tosses it. His hands cup your breasts as he trails kisses and small bites down your neck and chest. 

"Fuck…" You curse as his thumbs graze over your nipples in a circular motion. He finds every noise you make so amusing when you whimper and beg for more stimulation. Eddie tugs at your pants and you shimmy out of them rather quickly.

“I don't usually do this.”

“Well, I guess that makes me a lucky guy.” He smirks while his fingers slide between your folds. You let out a loud whimper and Eddie chuckles in response, “Been a while, huh?”

You nod as he starts swirling his fingers around your clit slowly, taking in your squirming naked body below him. “Feels good, doesn't it?” He asks and all you can do is clutch the sheets. Your first orgasm comes quickly, your body trembles and you swear you can see stars.

“Good girl. Such a good girl.”

His praise awakens something in you and you push him off of you, he looks confused for a second but when you start to undo his belt he chuckles.

“Uhm, do you have…?” He didn't have to finish the sentence, you're already pulling a condom from your nightstand. He looks surprised by how quickly you’ve taken control of the situation. Shifting from a shy musician to a confident lead.

He removes his pants the rest of the way and his cock springs forth. You're a little intimidated by how much larger he is than you're used to, but it doesn't stop you. You push his chest, signaling him to lay back. You rip the foil and carefully slide the condom down his length.

You crawl on top of Eddie and lean in next to his ear, placing gentle kisses on his temple. Eddie is starstruck by your change in behavior.

“You’re not the only frontman in the room, Munson.” You whisper in his ear and watch Eddie unravel beneath you, “What's wrong? Been a while?" You repeat Eddie's words back to him.

You shift yourself as the tip of Eddie's cock sits right at your entrance. You slowly take him in, feeling your core stretch. Eddie has no words, just breathy moans, and curses. His hands grip your waist as you slide him in and out of your entrance.

Your hands grip his shoulders as you ride him, your fingernails leaving crescent-shaped indents on his porcelain skin. Eddie bucks his hips and hits your sweet spot just right. 

"Eddie, fuck!" You cry out, your eyes shut tight and your body starts to tremble.

"Music to my fucking ears." He says between deep breaths. "Say it again." He asks while you fuck into him deeper and deeper. Your legs begin to burn but that doesn't stop you.

"Eddie, m'gonna come." You warn and Eddie smiles.

"Do it, come for me, just let go." His words of encouragement are enough to send you over the edge. You're shaking profusely and all you can do is chant his name loudly. The way your cunt tightens around his cock sends Eddie straight to the moon. He throws his head back and squeezes your thighs, succumbing to his pleasure. 

You slump forward and rest your head on his shoulder, trying to catch your breath. You can feel his cock twitching inside of you.

"That was probably the best sex I've had in a while." You manage to say while trying to come back down to earth. He smirks and traces circles on your back gingerly. "

The sun is starting to peek through your curtains, you both managed to stay up all night. Eddie helps you off of him and you collapse. Your legs are jello and you're absolutely exhausted. 

"Shower and take a nap with me?" You mumble into the sheets. He moves a few strands of hair away from your face. 

"I'd like that." He answers while leaning in and placing kisses on your shoulder. You have a feeling this curly-haired metal head will be around quite often, and you wouldn't have it any other way. 

[purgatorypoetry]

letter from nobody

between the whispers of your heart, the cries of unnamed birds of prey cracking the blue skies, shattered pieces, skattered promise and potential and the way you or someone you love taught the wind your name,

it calls in litany now, in spite of sun set and rise it carries, a melody of a single note but I'm entirely deaf to tone, I hum along anyway, only hoping you might tap your foot in rhythm, only hoping you might sway, might dance, might take my hand,

tired rhymes and meters, I'm a scrunched up bunch of bad-antennae television static just a wad of what-was, used-up cliche, bone and aching muscles,

a heart that flutters at your thought, a day of beads missing from my wrist and my strength wanes with your moon face, waxing poetic behind two hits of some killer keef and a glass of wine, teetering between nirvana and catharsis,

my name is nobody and I am an addict, my name is nobody and I am a fool, my name is nobody and the stains of your earth kiss the soles of my calloused feet as practice for your love-parched lips,

I'm digressing, undressing and shedding layer after hard-fought easy-won easy-come easy-go tiptoe cross any wire if it's tight enough, if it's rated for the amps,

might fuck around and make it all look like an electrical fire,

so many cars off just as many cliffs, balance in proportion and refuge in meager portions I'm poured out,

inebriated and fire-sale-liquidated, antiquated and religated to something of a name,

my name is nobody and I am in love,

with the sky and with the earth and with the moon and with every single star and with a girl.

[zilllathegod]

Mass Effect Trilogy Mission Order

With the release of the Mass Effect Legendary edition I decided to gather a mission list so I can guide myself through the games efficiently. This guide should include the base missions and the DLC. Through the years I have glanced at list like this during my playthroughs so I figured if it was useful for me it may be useful for the internet also.

*Planet scanning between missions

Eden Prime

Therum

Feros

Noveria

UNC Side Missions - Citadel side missions (loads of cool stuff) - (Garrus/Tali/Wrex) specific missions

DLC: Bring Down the Sky

Virmire

Ilos/Endgame

*Planet scanning between missions

Prologue / Freedom's Progress

Citadel - Pick up Kasumi from DLC

Omega - Pick up Zaeed from DLC

Omega: The Scientist

Kasumi: Stolen Memory - Kasumi's loyalty mission rewards you with the Locust SMG, a really nice SMG.

Dossier: Archangel

Dossier: The Convict

Dossier: The Warlord

Horizon - will automatically trigger. Don't miss the Particle Beam weapon on the ground about halfway through the level, it's really nice for dealing with the Praetorian enemies.

Recruit Tali

Dossier: The Justicar - While on Ilium, you can talk to Liara to get some help but don't start the Lair of the Shadow Broker stuff yet.

Dossier: The Assassin

-- Now you've got all your recruits, so start doing loyalty missions.--

Tuchanka: Mordin's Loyalty - I always recommend keeping the data, as it opens up way more branches of story in ME3, but it's ultimately up to you.

Tuchanka: Grunt's Loyalty

Collector Vessel - This triggers after you complete Horizon and then 5 other missions. So now.

Illium - Miranda's Loyalty

Aeia: Jacob's Loyalty

Citadel: Garrus's Loyalty

Citadel: Thane's Loyalty

Illium: Samara's Loyalty

Zaeed's Loyalty - Warning: If you want to go Paragon during this mission you've got to beat a really high Charm check to keep his loyalty. I usually just look the other way on this one and hate myself for it later, to make sure he stays on board.

-- The next missions all involve high Paragon/Renegade checks, so we save them for now --

Pragia: Jack's Loyalty - Afterwards, you'll need to break up a fight. Use your Paragon or Renegade option to keep both characters loyal.

Quarian Fleet: Tali's Loyalty - This mission has a big impact in ME3. To keep her loyal, use Paragon/Renegade options whenever possible, and don't use the data to defend her innocence. If you sent Veetor with Tali back on Freedom's Progress, and Kal'Reegar survived Tali's recruitment mission, you can successfully use the "Rally the Crowd" option to get the best outcome here. Otherwise, you'll need to use Paragon/Renegade all the way through to make it happen. Hopefully your scores are high enough for that, which is why we saved it for here.

DLC: Overlord - This is a good point to put this in. You've just killed a lot of geth, so let's go kill some more!

DLC: Normandy Crash Site - If you picked this up, now is a good time for a nostalgic flashback before you head off on a suicide mission. -- POINT OF NO RETURN: Make sure everyone is loyal and you've done any side missions that you want to --

Mnemosyne: Reaper IFF

Geth Base: Legion's Loyalty - Take Tali for interesting dialogue. This mission's decision also plays heavily into ME3. Afterwards, you'll need to break up another fight. Just like last time, use Paragon/Renegade to keep both characters loyal.

Normandy Interlude

Omega 4: Suicide Mission - The following composition always gets everyone out alive for me, but again, it's your call, and I know there are other workable options as well: Fire Team Leader (Garrus), Tech Expert (Tali), Escort (Mordin), Biotic Expert (Samara). Take Miranda to the final fight for some interesting dialogue, and be sure to always leave Grunt, Zaeed, and Garrus to hold the line. They have a higher internal success score for that job, so it'll help make sure your whole team makes it out.

DLC: Lair of the Shadow Broker - This should be played right here, as the information you get from it is integral to ME3

DLC: Arrival - Very last, as ME3 picks up right afterwards

Prologue: Earth

Priority: Mars

Priority: Citadel I - During this mission, players can visit Ashley or Kaidan and Thane at the hospital, recruit the reporter Diana Allers, and recruit either Dr. Chakwas or Dr. Michel.

Normandy: First Visit

N7: Cerberus Labs & Citadel: Alien Medi-Gel Formula

Priority: Palaven - Following this mission, return to the Citadel to deliver items.

Aria: Blood Pack

Aria: Blue Suns

Aria: Eclipse

Citadel: Hanar Diplomat (Kasumi)

Grissom Academy: Emergency Evacuation (Jack) & Citadel: Biotic Amp Interfaces - This mission must be completed ahead of Priority: Citadel II or there are dire consequences. Players can also choose to complete this mission as soon as they receive it.

Priority: Eden Prime (From the Ashes DLC) - Players can recruit Javik as a squadmate.

Meet the Diplomats & Priority: Sur'Kesh (Mordin)

Attican Traverse: Krogan Team (Grunt) & Citadel: Krogan Dying Message

Tuchanka: Turian Platoon - Players need to be careful, as three missions will be available on Tuchanka. They should not choose Priority: Tuchanka yet. Immediately following this mission, players need to go straight to the next mission to avoid disastrous consequences.

Tuchanka: Bomb & Citadel: Cerberus Automated Turret Schematics

N7: Cerberus Attack & Citadel: Improved Power Grid

N7: Cerberus Abductions & Benning: Evidence

Priority: Tuchanka

Players can find items for characters on the Citadel in the following systems: Apien Crest: Banner of the First Regiment Kite's Nest: Pillars of Strength Ismar Frontier: Prototype Components Shrike Abyssal: Prothean Obelisk

N7: Cerberus Fighter Base & Citadel: Heating Unit Stabilizers

Priority: Citadel II - Players should make sure they have spoken to Thane at the hospital ahead of this mission.

Mesana: Distress Signal

Ardat-Yakshi Monastery (Samara) & Citadel: Asari Widow

Citadel: Aria T'Loak (Omega DLC) - Once players choose to join Aria's fleet at the Citadel, they will not have the option to return until the full DLC is completed.

Arrae: Ex-Cerberus Scientists (Jacob) & Citadel: Cerberus Turian Poison

Citadel: Volus Ambassador (Zaeed)

Priority: Perseus Veil

Priority: Geth Dreadnought

Rannoch: Admiral Koris & Citadel: Target Jamming Technology - When landing on Rannoch, players need to be careful not to choose Priority: Rannoch. Players need to make sure to rescue the Admiral, no matter what, to have the best chance at a compromise between the Geth and Quarians.

Rannoch: Geth Fighter Squadrons (Legion) & Citadel: Reaper Code Fragments

N7: Fuel Reactors & Citadel: Chemical Treatment - Players should be sure not to confuse this mission with the one to Destroy the Reaper Base. Following this, Shepard can return to the Citadel to deliver items.

Priority: Rannoch - To broker peace between the Geth and Quarians, the following conditions must have been met: Tali and Legion must both be alive; Tali was not exiled in Mass Effect 2; Legion's loyalty mission was completed, and the Heretics must have been destroyed; Shepard must have broken up the fight between Legion and Tali in Mass Effect 2 without taking sides (i.e., using Charm/Intimidate); Shepard must have four bars of Reputation; Koris must have been rescued on Rannoch; Shepard must have completed Geth Fighter Squadrons. If any of these conditions were not met, players will be forced to choose a side.

Players can find items for characters on the Citadel in the following systems:

Nimbus Cluster: Library of Asha Athena Nebula: Hesperia-Period Statue Irune: Book of Plenix Valhallan Threshold: Prothean Data Drives Argos Rho: Kaklisaur Fossil Silean Nebula: Rings of Alune Dekuuna: Elcor Extraction Dekuuna: Code of the Ancients Hades Nexus: Obelisk of Karza Hades Nexus: Prothean Sphere

Priority: Citadel III

Priority: Thessia - Bring Javik and Liara for additional lore and a few important discoveries.

N7 Communication Hub & Citadel: Cerberus Ciphers

Priority: Horizon - To ensure Miranda survives, players need to do the following: Shepard must talk to Miranda on the Citadel Docks; they must warn her about Kai Leng in the Specter office; Shepard must have met with Miranda in the apartment on the Citadel and given her access to Alliance resources.

Citadel: Dr. Bryson (Leviathan DLC)

Citadel: Shore Leave (Citadel DLC) - Avoid leaving the Citadel until after the party

Priority: Cerberus Headquarters - This is the Point of No Return. Following this mission, players will go straight into the endgame.

Priority: Earth  - For the best possible outcome, players need 3,100 EMS prior to this mission.

[apod]

2021 September 24

Perseid Outburst at Westmeath Lookout Image Credit & Copyright: Pierre Martin

Explanation: This year an outburst of Perseid meteors surprised skywatchers. The reliable meteor shower's peak was predicted for the night of August 12/13. But persistent visual observers in North America were deluged with a startling Perseid shower outburst a day later, with reports of multiple meteors per minute and sometimes per second in the early hours of August 14. The shower radiant is high in a dark night sky in this composite image. It painstakingly registers the trails of 282 Perseids captured during the stunning outburst activity between 0650 UT (02:50am EDT) and 0900 UT (05:00am EDT) on August 14 from Westmeath Lookout, Ontario. Of course the annual Perseid meteor shower is associated with planet Earth's passage through dusty debris from periodic comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. The 2021 outburst could have been caused by an unanticipated encounter with the Perseid Filament, a denser ribbon of dust inside the broader debris zone.

∞ Source: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210924.html

[thereaderstea]

G´day tor-mon, how are you<3? Recommend me your favourite bts!jungkook x reader fics! so I guess its not an au?(no smut✋🚫)

Merry meet, nonnie! I am well, busy and a little stressed because I had a power outage yesterday, but well nonetheless ☺️ I hope you are merry in the holidays (if you celebrate) and are happy and healthy 😄🖤💜

asdfghjkl, my favorite JJK x Reader fics? I have to choose? 😰 *has an existential crisis*

Alright, after some deep reflection, an existential crisis, and fighting the urge to devour these fics again (you have a mission, tor-mon!), I present to you my current favorite JJK fics (this list is only bound to grow). These fics have made me feel so intensely and I think about these fics a lot (an unhealthy amount, probably). I sorted them by genre: fluff to angst to yandere.

tor-mon’s Favorite JJK x Reader Fics

Sugar and Coffee by @jimlingss​  ➵Fluff, Angst, Slice of Life | slice of life au |  pâtisserie school au | enemies to friends to lovers au | Slice of Life series | 23 ch series | 100.5k ➵You are quite the pâtisserie chef, or at least on your way to becoming one, but there’s that one person who always has to complain, Jeon Jungkook.  ➵A masterpiece, honestly. I remember cracking up so hard over their competitions, the banter, and dynamics, but nothing beats that one day after the dream... I don’t want to spoil! but I do want to warn that there is a wet dream (not too graphic and it’s not a lot, I promise) somewhere in there, but honestly, it’s so hilarious.

Chess of Ice by Jimlingss​ | The Reader’s Tea Reviews 1 | 2 | 3 ➵Fluff, a lil bit of Angst | sports au | curling au | trilogy | 42.8k ➵Jeon Jungkook is a rising star, that is, until he falls. Now he’s picking up another sport, curling. ➵I love a good team dynamic and the characters in this are everything 🙌🏻

Date in a Box by Jimlingss​  ➵Fluff | Service Series | oneshot | 9.7k (Jimlingss’s summary: ) ➵If you’re in a hurry then we’re here to help you! Everything you need in a box. Delivery less than five minutes. Upgrade and we can personalize your date even more! Guaranteed 100%! Don’t fret, we’re here.  ➵I love the entire Service Series because the concepts are so much fun and they’re hilarious and I love the service descriptions, aka the commercials XD

I Will Not Lose! by Jimlingss​ ➵Fluff | magic au | oneshot | 6.2k (Jimlingss’s summary: ) ➵A single bet - use every means to make Jeon Jungkook fall in love with you. ➵It’s fluffy and cute, and it’s got that hint of enemies to lovers, especially with how competitive the mc gets over this bet. And the ending! asdfghjkl ^.^ 

midas by @gukyi​  ➵Fluff, (light) Angst, Comedy | enemies to lovers au | ceo au| magical realism au | oneshot | 32k (gukyi’s summary: ) ➵jeon jungkook was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and the power to turn whatever he wants into pure gold. you were born with healing and invisibility powers but without a cent to your name. so when you’re plucked off of the streets for pickpocketing and assigned to be his minder as punishment, you realize you’re going to have to overcome a lot more than class differences if either of you are going to get what you want. (or,) ➵you become Jungkook’s magical babysitter ➵I really love this concept! This fic is what got me looking into magical realism as an entire genre. But also, who doesn’t love a good enemies to lovers? and from the master of enemies to lovers 🙌🏻

ice prince by gukyi | The Reader’s Tea Review   ➵Fluff, (very light) Angst | figure skating au | enemies to lovers au | oneshot | 22k ➵Your ice skating partner just had to break his leg right before a big competition and “of all people on this godforsaken Earth, you’ve been re-paired up with Jeon Jungkook, Ice Prince.” ➵an axel-lent enemies to lovers :D I love it so much! And I really love Tae and mc’s friendship and all those icebreaker questions ☺️

if i told you by gukyi​  ➵Fluff, (light) Angst, Comedy | friends to lovers au | college au | oneshot | 22k ➵Jeon Jungkook is a broke college student, so to pay off his debt, he sells himself as the perfect boyfriend. If only you weren’t a broke college student either, then maybe you could buy yourself a date with Jungkook. ➵The mc is so not what I expected, (no spoilers!) all I will say is that I really love how supportive she is. I also love how close they are and this Jungkook is too fluffy and cute! ^.^

a moonlight melody by gukyi​ | The Reader’s Tea Reviews 1 | 2 ➵Fluff, Soft Angst | fake dating au | orchestra au | vacation au | duology | 50k ➵Your best friend has pranked you too many times and you’ve done nothing about it, because you, quite frankly, suck at pranking. As such, Jungkook ➵This is so soft and magical and sweet and soft ☺️ and did I mention soft? but also all those memes! There is so much good and wholesome and hilarious dynamics in here! This is the kind of fic that makes me wish I had a big friend group to do crazy stuff like this (but I hear you have to leave your house and, like, socialize??)

Down With The Ship by @tatastaetae | The Reader’s Tea Reviews 1 | 2 | 3 ➵Fluff, Angst | pirate au | trilogy | 25.4k ➵ You board a ship to escape forced love; but you join a pirate crew to fall into the arms of your only true and constant love: the sea. (or, tatastaetae’s summary: ) ➵Captain Jeon Jungkook; a beautiful mess of blood and gold. His greatest treasure, may also be his greatest downfall. ➵Very very fluffy! I love the adventure and the antics and I still want to know what’s in that soup, Jin! But that ending, holy heck, I didn’t see it coming and I just malfunctioned and stared at my wall in shock for who knows how long, and I just love tatastaetae’s fluffy writing which always somehow wrecks my soul! ^.^

His Name by @jimlingss ➵Angst | multiple personality au | 8 part series | 52.4k ➵Jeon Jungkook has multiple personalities and gaps in his memory. It’s your job to treat him and perhaps help him remember his past... ➵This is the first bts fic I ever read (a special thanks to Nani for reccing it ☺️) and so it holds a special place in my black heart, especially because I sobbed so hard at 3 in the morning and my mind was stuck on this for days

Gravity by @donewithjeon | The Reader’s Tea Review ➵Angst, Fluff | ‘90s au | oneshot | 29k ➵Time can bring you together, but Time can also push you apart; will you and Jungkook be able to fight the distance and Time to stay together, or were you always meant to only share this descent to earth for just a moment, always meant to eventually drift apart? ➵I am a wimp when it comes to Time, but does that stop me from reading fics that exploit that weakness? nope! That last train scene destroyed my heart and that entire ending, the acceptance, stabbed me in the heart, for good measure.

written on the sky by @inktae​ | The Reader’s Tea Review ➵Angst, Fluff | apocalyptic au? | end of the world au | ‘seeking a friend at the end of the world’ au | oneshot | 22k ➵The 60-mile-wide asteroid was supposed to slip by Earth, but it’s a little late to change its course or do anything about it except to prepare for the end. So while you’re waiting for the end, find a friend, someone to hold a hand with at the end of the world. ➵I was sobbing before the fic even finished. The odd thing is that you know the end, but knowing doesn’t prepare you for the feels. 

below thunder showers by inktae | The Reader’s Tea Review ➵ Angst, lil bits of Fluff | sci-fi au | oneshot | 30k ➵ Yoongi leads Earth, while you lead a withered space station. You go to Earth to settle the tensions that have been brewing between Earth and the space station, and Jeon Jungkook, a broken soldier who holds a deep love for the rain, is there to deliver you. ➵we stan a fellow pluviophile ✊🏻 I am so conflicted over this Min Yoongi >.< but Jungkook is so soft and he really didn’t deserve to live this way :(

first light by inktae | The Reader’s Tea Review ➵Angst, Fluff | hotarubi no mori e au | 24.8k (inktae’s synopsis: ) ➵“Have you ever felt like the world is too loud sometimes?” “No. For me it’s always quiet.” ➵This fic wrecked me and made me so conflicted >.< I can never forget this fluffy, masked boy who lives in the woods and silence...

the swirling way of stars by inktae | The Reader’s Tea Review ➵Angst, Fluff | fantasy au | oneshot | 19k ➵You’re tasked with showing Jeon Jungkook what it’s like to live a completely normal life. ➵It’s just falling in love with life itself, the simple things, and it’s written so magically...how can you not fall in love?

the train of lost souls by inktae | The Reader’s Tea Review ➵Angst, lil bits of Fluff | fantasy au | oneshot | 13.6k ➵You have two options when you step on the train: you can live but forget your life, and everyone in your life will forget you, or you can move on and keep your memories for the rest of time. But, how can you choose when part of your soul rests on this train, and the other part longs for someone just out of reach... ➵Once again, I’m a wimp with Time, and the choices really get me thinking...

Pen Pal by @chinkbihh​  ➵Part 1 | Part 1.5 | Part 2 | Final 1/2 | Final 2/2 ➵Angst, Horror? | yandere au | murder and crime au | pen pal au | trilogy | 127.3k ➵Warnings: mental disorders (agoraphobia?), yandere, murder (stabbing)  ➵You sign up to receive a pen pal and are paired up with an inmate, jungkook. You just wanted to talk to someone who could understand what it’s like to be removed from society, but you just may be getting more than you asked for... ➵I love a good yandere fic, there’s something about a yandere’s demented psychology that calls to me, and it’s always so interesting to see how one yandere differs from another, especially in different scenarios. But please please please read and be mindful of the warnings in case it just doesn’t vibe with you.

Quarter Quell by chinkbihh ➵Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | +more  ➵Angst, Horror? | yandere au | hunger games au | ongoing ➵You have resigned to your fate as a tribute in the next hunger games when someone from District Two takes an interest in you...a bit too much of an interest, you’d say. ➵I am a little hesitant to rec this because it isn’t finished, but the premise is exciting and I am really amped for the next chapter in this fic, heck yeah! I mean, heck, a yandere hunger games au? let’s go! But please please please read the warnings in case it just doesn’t vibe with you

~*~

Bonus rec!

I haven’t read this fic, but my friend, Nani, rec’d it to me the other day, and it sounds so exciting :D so I’ll let her tell you about it:

Fan Identity by @tteokggukk​  ➵Fluff, Crack, Angst | enemies to lovers au | social media au | 37 ch series   ➵Influencer!JK is whipped for influencer!reader. Both don’t know they’re interacting with each other on their secret fan accounts. You’re rooting for the two long before they properly meet. But the best part? You’re rooting for their pseudos, Blair Witch and Seagull, as well. ➵I laugh, I pause, I gasp. The conflict between the two mc’s hurt. Honestly, it made the story worth the read.

~*~

Can I also...🥺...may I suggest:

10 Series by @deepdarkdelights | The Reader’s Tea Reviews 1 | 2 | 3 | The Reader’s Tea Analysis ➵10 Seconds | 10 Days | 10 Years ➵Horror? | yandere au | Bouquet Series | 10 Series | trilogy | 29.2k ➵You’re just a college student returning home from a late night out trying to finish up your ungodly college work...but “All it took was ten seconds” and well, now, you’re his. ➵How can I not include my favorite yandere writer, the master of yandere, herself? 🥺 I’m only hesitant because you requested no smut and I respect that, but if you are alright with a small smut scene (I promise there’s not too much) or even just skimming/skipping over it, I would highly recommend this series 🙌🏻 The smut scene is in the final installment (10 Years). It’s an all-time favorite from an all-time favorite writer. But please please please read the warnings in case it just doesn’t vibe with you.

~*~

Happy reading, carissima! I hope at least one of these fics will become your favorite, too ☺️ Let me know what you think as well after you’ve given the authors some love ☺️

Well met!

your fellow reading monster,

tor-mon 🖤

[rollflasher]

Another Sonic ramble

So once again I’m here with one of my rambles about my incredibly subjective view of how the Sonic series should be handled! *Beat*

...anyway.

So, one of the more recurring opinions on the fandom is that Sonic games should be written by Ian Flynn, I have talked before about the gripes I have with his writing and why I disagree with this but this post is not entirely about him, but rather a more general topic that has been bugging me for a long time.

The other day I was watching a video speculating about the upcoming Sonic Rangers, there’s not much to write home since it was pretty well made but there’s a particular part that inspired me to do this post and talk about it with other fans to discuss it.

See, at one point the video critisized the fact that Sonic Forces was written by a Japanese writer because they have to re-write the script in English and that can cause problems with localization, and that it would be better to have western writers from the get-go since Sonic’s main demographic comes from there, while making an off-hand suggestion that Ian Flynn could be a main choice. While I can see where they’re coming from, my response was a simple:

‘‘Absolutely, not’‘

See, I have a lot of issues with this to put it bluntly and I’ll try to break them down and explain them the best I can since they’re pretty subjective in nature, but I’m bringing this up because I want you guys to share your thoughts as well.

So, why does it bug me so much the idea of Sonic being handled by western creators?

In my case, the main reasons are because Sonic loses a core part of it’s appeal because of this, the fact that SEGA of Japan seems to have a better grasp of the franchise’s tone and characters and there’s the very subjective point that, in my eyes, American versions of Japanese franchises were always nothing more than dumbed down products of the source material.

To start with my first point, whenever someone talks about Sonic’s creation, a lot of people are quick to point out that our favorite blue hedgehog and his games were inspired by western pop culture and cartoons, and that is true, however oftenly they forget to mention a core thing that not only inspired, but also formed part of the core identity of this franchise.

Sonic is very inspired on anime, and at heart this franchise is a shonen.

(This image by The Great Lange expresses more clearly what I mean)

Generally, the most acknowledgement anime gets on it’s hand on Sonic is the mentions of Sonic being inspired by Dragon Ball, particularly the Super Saiyan, but there’s so much more than that, as Sonic blatantly takes inspiration from Studio Ghibli films specially in games like Sonic 3, which draws a lot of inspiration from Laputa: Castle in the Sky, this great post shows proof that this is not a coincidence.

And it doesn’t stop there, Shiro Maekawa himself has stated that SA2′s story (and in particular, the characters of Shadow and Maria) draw a lot of inspiration from the manga Please Save My Earth.

Even Sonic’s character design resembles shonen protagonists moreso than the main characters of silent cartoons, don’t believe me?

Sure, Sonic has a cartoony anatomy, no one can deny that, but he also exhibits a lot of traits from shonen characters such as spiky hair/quills (?), dynamic posing, a confident, courageous and energetic personality and most importantly, fighting spirit.

If you compare Sonic’s personality and more specifically, his abilities and moves to, say, cartoon speedy characters like the Road Runner, there’s a pretty big disconnection between him and western cartoon characters. Hell, this disconnection is even just as present if you compare him with a character like The Flash from DC.

Simply put, Sonic acts, moves and more importantly, fights like a shonen anime character. He doesn’t just go Super Saiyan and that’s it. Here’s even a quick comparison if necessary.

And this is important because this doesn’t apply just to him, but the whole franchise as a whole and when it takes a more western approach, all of these details are kinda lost or more downplayed, of course this depends on the artists and there’s YMMV at hand, but I think my point is clear.

My second point is...SoJ has consistently proven they have a much clearer grasp on how Sonic’s world and characters are compared to SoA.

Hear me out, yes, Sonic 06 and ShtH exist and yes, SoJ is not perfect by any means. But hear me out...when did the characters start to get flanderized and turned into parodies of themselves? In the 2010s...and when did SEGA move from Japanese to western writers in the games?

Of course it was more then that since there’s a whole tone shift that came with this decade and the new writers, but it’s not a coincidence that when writing in Sonic started to decay, western writers also happened to get on board with the games.

Besides that, SoA has a wide history of not getting Sonic’s tone and characters, from how they made media without much of Sonic Team’s input, to altering how characters are seen in the west. (Such as how they amped up Sonic’s attitude in their media or how the English scripts of the games featured things like Sonic seemingly barely tolerating Amy while the JP scripts portrayed this as Sonic just not understanding girls all that well instead, or for more recent examples, the addition of the ‘’torture’’ line in Forces). Not only that, but even ignoring obvious infamous writers like Ken Penders, even the ‘’best’’ writers from the western side of Sonic are still not above of giving us Pontaff-esque gems.

Like this one.

Or alternatively, I feel like sometimes western writers on Sonic rely a bit too much on their personal vision about Sonic which may or may not be a good thing, clear examples of this are Ian Flynn himself and Pontaff.

By contrast, while SoJ has it’s own share of notorious inconsistencies when dealing with writing (The 2000s era is a big offender), it seems that for them Sonic hasn’t changed much and this is visible not only on the JP scripts of the Modern games which are for the most part better than the ENG ones, but also things like the Sonic Channel comics and the recent one-shots they made with Sonic interacting with the cast show that for all intents and purposes, the Japanese’s staff vision of Sonic is much more clear and consistent compared to the west. Because of this, I’d rather have a good Japanese writer on Sonic games with the localization being focused on being faithful with the original script than have a more western writers dramatically changing the characters. (I don’t mention the tone since either way, SEGA is the one in charge of that and the writers have to follow that)

My last and very subjective point is that, at least for me, everything SoA does with Sonic involving the writing and canon feels like a dumbed down version of the source material. One of the reasons it bugs me so much that in the latest decade Sonic has taken a more western direction is because a lot of what I pointed out gets lost as a result, even if some of those elements are still there, you can tell they’re more downplayed with products like the Tyson Hesse shorts having a more predominant cartoon direction. If any of you have been following my blog for a long time, you should be aware that just because I prefer the Japanese Sonic content doesn’t mean I won’t give the western products a chance, my enjoyment for Mania, the Tyson Hesse shorts and the movie should be a testament of that, but at the same time I can’t help but being sour about the fact that because of these products, we don’t have stuff like a new anime for Sonic or even a serialized ‘’main’’ manga as an alternative for the comics, and my hype for these products is generally more subdued as a result since I’d wish SEGA rather spent that money and resources on more Japanese content than just merchandise.

In particular, because Sonic is a Japanese franchise with a notorious inspiration from anime, what I get from this is a pretty big contradiction. I know Sonic is much more popular on the west but...is it really necessary for his game or products to be handled by western creators to keep their appeal?

For instance, imagine if Dragon Ball’s manga and anime got replaced by western comics and animated series because of it’s world-wide appeal, would that really be the same?

Or imagine the same thing with Fullmetal Alchemist, a pretty aclaimed anime that has a lot of western influence. Would it really not matter at all if it’s Japanese products were replaced with western ones?

At least for me, it wouldn’t.

And what I said about American versions of Japanese franchises being nothing more than watered down versions of the source material? I have that view because of countless examples.

Mega Man and how the English manuals removed a lot of important information about the story of the Blue Bomber’s game and world, causing a lot of plot holes in the process.

American remakes like Godzilla 1998 or Dragon Ball Evolution being an in-name only version of the source material.

Or the many censored anime English dubs from the 2000s, for instance, whenever I see the Yu-Gi-Oh! dubs, I only see a very dumbed down and childish version of a show that was originally a shonen.

And I know that all of these things don’t have to necessarely get lost since every creator is different and there’s franchises like Avatar which are made on the west but draw a lot of inspiration from anime and I’m aware of that, and I want to make it clear that I’m not trying to say that American writers are not allowed to work on Sonic, what I’m trying to say is that inevitably there’s always gonna be some culture dissonance and clash when writers from another culture handle a foreign franchise. And even with examples like ATLA, I think being made by one culture while being inspired by the other is actually a big part of these franchises appeal and it’s something that can’t simply be replicated by handing it to creators from that specific culture they draw inspiration from.

I think James Rolfe’s quote about the same thing with the Godzilla franchise sums up how I feel about this.

‘‘It’s like champagne, anybody can make their own and call it champagne, but unless it’s from Champagne France, it’s not real champagne’‘

So, this last part was very subjective, but I think this post in general sums up why I dislike so much the idea of Sonic having western writers specifically in the games or just focusing more on that side in general.

But what do you guys think? I guess I am too biased so that’s why I wanted to ask for opinions and discuss this topic.

[floralovebot]

riven/timmy/helia headcanons let's go -lambofzenith

YEEEAAAAHHHHH LET'S GOOOOO

So basically they're all a little stupid (affectionate) and they definitely use that to annoy each other (Riven: the earth is flat, I have proof; Helia: pft the earth is clearly shaped like a donut; Timmy: LMAO you losers believe in the earth??)

They have movie nights! Pretty much anything is on the table but, horror movies, buddy cop movies, space buddy cop movies, and surprisingly romantic comedies are their gotos. They usually like to destress so anything that's funny/not too serious is good in their books but they will occasionally watch some spooky horror movie for fun.

They like doing escape rooms! It's a good way to practice without too much stress and it gives them time to Be A Team in non-dangerous situations.

They do actually like playing video games together! Although only Timmy is really good at them (Riven is good at some but, usually only after tutorials and practice). They absolutely play things like Mario Cart or Super Smash Bros and they have a tally of who's winning. Timmy's in the lead with Riven in second and Helia at dead last (Timmy genuinely believes that if they tried hard enough, they could win a lot too. Poor Timmy 😔).

Going out to eat together is something they like to do a lot on free days and whenever they have the time. While they do have their usual places, they will often try new things! On Earth, they like to try hole-in-the-wall cafes just to see if they're good or not.

All three of them are insomniacs that spend way too much time being Awake at night. They usually end up just doing their own thing, whatever that may be, and will often gravitate towards someone's room so they can at least be awake together. Although this definitely doesn't happen every night, they need their alone time too, and they all understand this so no one gets particularly hurt if one or more decide to chill in their own rooms.

Speaking of rooms, the three of them often dorm together when they go places for missions or otherwise! Sky and Brandon have to room together and sometimes no one is allowed to be alone for safety reasons, so they're relatively used to rooming together. When they only have five people on the team, the rooming arrangements usually end up being uneven.

Riven obviously had a really hard time after Nabu's death in S4 and afterward started doing a weird push and pull with the rest of them. One day he would be really close and the next he'd be really distant. They could tell he was grieving and just didn't know exactly how. They tried their best to let him know they were there for him though and because of this ended up grieving for Nabu properly after Riven felt better. Which ended up being years after it happened... it came as a complete surprise to both of them and just reminded everyone of what happened (not that they forgot per say but, they had moved on and assumed everyone else had too).

Timmy often thinks about the time in S3 when Riven was so insistent on Tecna being gone forever. On one hand, he understands that the situation seemed like a lost cause and that Riven was just trying to help but, on the other hand, he can't help feeling a little scornful. If he had listened to Riven and the rest of them, he never would've found Tecna. Timmy still gets careful when someone gets really hurt or goes missing on missions because he still has an underlying fear that Riven will give up on them. He's never brought this up of course but Riven isn't clueless. He's noticed.

I can't talk about this Helia-centric headcanon because it involves a made-up backstory for him that doesn't fit into canon however, it's sad so think about something sad idk.

At one point, somewhere between the third and fourth season, Timmy offered to help Riven find his mom. Riven was really conflicted about this. He wanted to see her, to hear her side of the story, to forgive her, to be angry at her, to ask her why she left. In the end, Riven decided he wasn't ready to confront her just yet but Timmy does still have that information and often checks in to make sure she's still alive. They don't openly talk about it but Timmy does give little clues that she's okay so Riven doesn't have to ask.

While Helia isn't A Quiet Guy, he does have really quiet footsteps and often accidentally sneaks up on them. He swears he's not trying to :( but he isn't exactly being louder either.

You know that guy on Tiktok that climbs trees and then says something motivational when he gets to the top? That's Helia except he's not filming Tiktoks and he's not saying anything motivational either. Throughout the day, Timmy and Riven will often get weird videos from Helia that are shaky and badly filmed but are mainly just him doing something like climbing a tree. He doesn't say anything at the end and nothing actually happens but they'll still watch it all to support him. (Timmy: nice bro 👍; Riven: good climbing 👍)

Speaking of climbing trees, Helia will often climb up on something and then swing down when someone passes to tell them something. Again, he swears he's not purposefully trying to scare them :( he just has important information that can't wait for him to climb down :( no, he will not tell them why he's up there in the first place :(

These three are absolutely down to do Illegal Things for each other. "Oh, you need me to bury someone? Okay, let me clear my schedule real quick!" "You need me to hack into this guy's computer and delete all his files? Because he was mean to you? Okay :)" "Why do you want me to break into this government facility with you? Never mind, I was bored anyway. Let's go!"

As all three of them understand the I Need To Be Seen As Reliable And Good thing, they often actually calm each other down when one of them gets really amped in that feeling. On the flip side, they will also help each other train in areas they feel inadequate in. They have each other's backs but also know when to step in and stop someone.

They are just three very okay boys who need therapy and hugs and a cat to cuddle

This post specifically is them and all three of them are interchangeable depending on who has the dumb idea.