#Creation of the Gods II: Demonic Confrontation

[electricsoul-rpg]

Trailer for Creation of the Gods II: Demonic Confrontation 封神第二部：战火西岐, coming for Chinese New Year!

[morweneledhwen]

First trailer and promotional posters for Wu Ershan's Creation of the Gods II: Demonic Confrontation is out!

[boredtechnologist]

"Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2" for the Sony PlayStation 2 is a game that delves deeply into themes of spirituality, transformation, and redemption, expanding upon the narrative of its predecessor. The game follows the journey of Serph and his companions as they navigate the post-apocalyptic Junkyard and Nirvana, confronting their inner demons and grappling with questions of salvation and damnation. This analysis explores the game's theological themes, drawing upon the insights of theologians such as St. Augustine, Paul Tillich, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, offering a unique perspective on its narrative and mechanics.

The game's narrative begins with Serph and his companions continuing their journey in Nirvana, a realm that embodies both utopian and dystopian elements. This setting mirrors St. Augustine’s concept of the fallen world, a place marred by sin and human imperfection. Augustine argued that sin distorts humanity's relationship with God and creation, leading to suffering and alienation. In "Digital Devil Saga 2," the characters' demonic transformations represent this distortion, reflecting the theological notion of humanity's fall from grace and the subsequent struggle to reconcile their corrupted nature with a higher spiritual calling.

Paul Tillich’s concept of the courage to be offers a deeper understanding of the characters' journey towards redemption. Tillich argued that humanity's existential crises, such as anxiety, despair, and alienation, must be confronted with courage to realize one's authentic self. In the game, Serph and his companions must confront their own inner turmoil, navigating a world fraught with spiritual challenges. This journey towards authenticity and redemption reflects Tillich's existential theology, emphasizing the importance of courage in the face of adversity, both in the game's narrative and in real life.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer's perspective on ethics in times of crisis provides another layer to the game's narrative. Bonhoeffer, who faced profound ethical dilemmas during World War II, argued that one must act responsibly even when moral guidelines become blurred. In "Digital Devil Saga 2," the characters are constantly faced with choices that challenge their morality, reflecting Bonhoeffer's emphasis on responsible action. The game's mechanics, which require players to navigate difficult decisions that impact their journey, mirror the complexities of ethical decision-making in a morally ambiguous world, emphasizing the importance of maintaining integrity in the face of darkness.

To conclude, "Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2" offers more than just an engaging gaming experience; it presents a theological narrative that explores the complexities of sin, redemption, and ethical responsibility. By drawing on the insights of Augustine, Tillich, and Bonhoeffer, the game's narrative and mechanics emerge as a commentary on humanity's fallen state, the existential crises that shape our journey, and the ethical dilemmas that challenge our moral compass. This analysis not only deepens our understanding of the game's narrative but also invites reflection on the broader theological themes that influence our spiritual development and ethical decisions.

[lwlrix]

BULIMIA: JEALOUSY IN THE FAMILY

MAJOR NEUROCOGNITIVE DISORDER: LIKEABILITY IN THEIR OWN CAREER MADE THEM WHO THEY ARE (THEY ARE NOT GOOD AT CONFRONTING THEIR OWN FEELINGS FROM CHILDHOOD)

PTSD: LACK OF SOCIAL SUPPORT TO SEE THEMSELVES LIKE THE NEUROTYPICAL THEY ARE RIGHT NOW

COMPLEX SOMATIC SYMPTOM DISORDER REVISED: SOCIAL LIFE IS NOT EVEN ALLOWED FOR THEM (NT) TO COMMIT TO OPENLY AS THEMSELVES (SHIRK TAKEN PLACE)

HOARDING DISORDER: THEY (HYPOCRITE) CAN DO WHAT THEY WANT BUT THEY CANNOT FIND IT WITHIN THEM TO LOSE RESPECT BUT KEEPS THEM FOR SOCIAL SUPPORT (THEIR LIFE OVER THEIRS (NT) LIKE A SLAVE)

BIPOLAR I DISORDER: THEY CANNOT OPEN UP EMOTIONALLY TIL THE WORLD ENDS WITH THEM BY EMOTIONAL REALISATION OF THE SHARED SPACE GROWING STRONGER TO COMMIT TO GOD WITH THE REALISATION OF SUCCESS IS BEST WITHOUT THEM (NOTHING TO DO WITH THEM ANYMORE)

BINGE-EATING DISORDER: THEY HARBOUR THEIR EMOTIONS ON THEIR SKIN (ECZEMA IS PRESENT)

BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER: THEY DONT LIE ABOUT THEIR HATRED TOWARDS THE NT BEFORE FAME HITS THEM (NO MERCY IS THEM NOT FINDING A HALF LIKE THEM (HYPOCRITE) TO SEE THAT IN REAL LIFE TO 'LOSE LOVE' IN THEIR IMAGINATION THAN THE NEUROTYPICAL LIVING THEIR LIFE (HE SUCCEEDED HER AS 'WORLD PRESIDENT' MOVING AWAY FROM TIMES TO 'DIVINE CREATION' OF THEIR HUMANITY (THEY ACTUALLY DID IT)

SCHIZOAFFECTIVE: THEY CANNOT COMMIT TO THEIR OWN LIVES EITHER (OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE TO SEE THEM DIE IN REAL LIFE FOR THEM TO BELIEVE IN 'THE END' (SCARED OF THE RELATIVE BECOMING A SLUT (NON-COMPARATIVE REASON TO KILL THEMSELVES 'FOR THE GOLD' (MONGOL BEHAVIOUR)

MILD NEUROCOGNITIVE DISORDER: THEY AREN'T RELATED TO BY HEART ANYMORE (LOST FAMILY NARRATIVE TAKEN PLACE IN HOLLYWOOD)

SCHIZOPHRENIA: NOTHING ABOUT THEIR PAST WILL CURE THEM (REMOVED VIRTUALLY)

ATTENUATED PSYCHOTIC SYMPTOMS SYNDROME: THEY HAVE NO NARRATIVE IN THEIR LIFE TO PROVE TRUE UNTIL THEY TAKE PLACE IN THE HUNGER GAMES AFTER THE NT GETS MARRIED TO THEIR SOCIAL DREAM BECOME (POSSIBLE)

MILD NEUROCOGNITIVE DISORDER: THEY CANNOT RUN AWAY FROM THEIR OWN MISTAKES

ALCOHOL USE DISORDER: THEY CANNOT LIE ANYMORE TO TRADE AWAY THEIR LIVES FOR A 'PITY PIETY' NARRATIVE ON A TV SHOW ENDING MAKING THE NT THE 'MORE DRAMATIC ONE'

BIPOLAR II DISORDER: THEY CANNOT LIE ABOUT THE NT'S SEX LIFE WHICH IS WHY THEY'RE ALIVE IN THE LOSS OF THE WORLD BECOME THEM (THEY INTENTIONALLY WANTED THEM DEAD)

MILD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY (TBI): THEY CANNOT TALK ABOUT IT (WHO?)

OC PERSONALITY DISORDER: THEY CANNOT LIE UNLESS HE MIMICS HER LIFE IN ABSENCE (CAREER MOTIVE)

MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER: HE CANNOT BELIEVE IN A GOD ANYMORE (TRUTHFULLY NO REASON TO GET INTO TRANS-THERAPY: THEY (HYPOCRITE) MADE THEM BECOME MONARCH (GRANTED LAND) ELSEWHERE (TRUE ENVY IS THERE)

ANTI-SOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER: THEY CANNOT CRY ON TV FOR CHANCE NARRATIVE (TRUE IMPOSSIBLE)

GENERALISED ANXIETY DISORDER: HATE TAKES OVER ECONOMY (HE BENEFITTED OFF THAT)

MIXED ANXIETY-DEPRESSIVE DISORDER: NOTHING HELPS THEM RIGHT NOW EXCEPT A DEMONIC GAME TAKEN PLACE TO KILL HIM OFF SOCIAL CIRCUITS FOR GOOD PRESSURE (LIFE BECOME WORLD NOW TAKEN PLACE OF A NEW QUEEN)

THE BOYS (SHALLOW DnD NARRATIVE)

HOMELANDER: POLICE BADGE

STARLIGHT: TRAIN TICKET

A-TRAIN: BASKETBALL

TRANSLUCENT: PENCIL CASE

NOIR: DYE POWDER

THE DEEP: COFFEE GRANULES

PRIMALLORA: COFFEE MUG

QUEEN MAEVE: LADLE

STORMFRONT: TV REMOTE

[millylotus]

Story Index Post

I'm going to be posting a bunch of stories right about now, and I want to have it all lined up so people can find them easier. Hope ya like 'em.

Poems

Sol Born of a Wish

The Nebula

The Coven in the Woods

The Rabbits are not what it seems to be

The Desperate Broken Prince

The Demon Heart [Talia Al Ghul]

The Sunspot Prince [I've always liked bringing up the fact that Duke Thomas is probably a minor god]

In Madness

I call for a sacrifice to be my savior: my he be swift and kind (We worked on Tanka poems in class today :D)

In Madness (Dionysus invites Ariadne into his world)

Princess Most Holy (Ariadne's life in one poem)

Little Brother (Ariadne mourns the Minotaur)

A Ring Lost In A Decade Is Still Lost (Ariadne misplaces the engagement Ring Dionysus gave her)

Parking Lots, Angry Birds, Forgotten Gods (A mortal approaches Ariadne at midnight in a Target parking lot)

Sherlock & Killer

Sherlock : Francesca "Frankie" Linly Bonet (Frankie's back story and the songs I used to make her)

Ghost Zone Lore

How Ghost Are Born/Spawned

How to care for Young Ghosts [Lair]

Danielle's Rebirth

Valerie Spots them

Ghost Classification

The GS Batfamily AUs

I have a google spreadsheet document that I keep all my AUs in for the batfamily.

BASE AU

Bat-Family Ages

Inheritance In The Bat-Family

Cullen Row / Mockingbird

New Baby Jitters

The Malones

Miscellaneous AUs

Madrigal Batfamily

Circus Robins

Birds Migrating East

This is a Justice League and Harry Potter, world mash crossover fic. Where every bat has some form of magic or another. And Tim, Steph, Duke, and Damien are sent to protect Harry in his fifth year. While Zatanna joins the Order. And Constantine infiltrates the Death Eaters.

Lore

Chapter I [May]

Chapter II [Four weeks later/July]

Chapter III [That Night/July]

Chapter IV [Three weeks later/June]

Chapter XI [Couple Minutes Before the Arrival of the Birds, and Batdad]

Chapter XII [In Number 12 Grimmauld Place]

Chapter XIII [Right when Dumbledore walked in]

Short Stories

Wilbur Confronts Sally (all I had to do was write a scene about a conflict for one of my classes and this is the angst I get) [Fanfiction]

Prompt: Five passengers are riding a train when something happens (It's a zombie apocalypse and someone's water broke)

The 8th and 9th wonders (Don't really know how to explain this one)

Cassandra Sanvanterules (DnD character I was thinking about using)

Saint Lucifer (I remember writing a lot of this down on paper but I don't feel like pulling out all my old journals)

Ender Bunn (One of the stories I finished for a Minecraft OC... I've changed them if your wondering)

Liminal Sanctuaire (A little story of puppy love that I had to make for school)

what a way to go. (A captive escapes their hell, but in the vast emptiness of space, they find no one) WARNINGS: TW SU!CIDE, TW SELF MUTILATION, TW SELF HARM, TW SELF CANNIBALISM

Chills (Just two love bros playfighting, and drinking beer)

But Never Enough (Abandoned Story Idea)

Boy Isn’t Right

Hello Lovely

But Never Enough

Unfinished Stories/Fanfiction

Moon Goddesses (Creation Myth)

A Kingdom Old and Forgotten (Was supposed to be a DSMP fanfic set in the modern world thousands of year after the DSMP fell, but then I got bored)

William's Family (In a Pirate AU, Wilbur's dad [Phil's brother] is lured over the side of the boat by a siren and dies. A couple years later the same siren Comes back to give Wilbur to Phil) [Fanfiction]

Esmaray's Wish (Pirate AU the siren who lured William of the edge has some thoughts of the night) [Fanfiction]

Jordan Needs to Move (In an apartment complex AU where all the MCYT families live together. Jordan moves away from his wife after divorce to Dream Family Apartments. (Not actually owned by Dream, but by his dad)) [Fanfiction]

I'm Not Gonna Be the Side-Character Anymore (A stereotypical Manhwa Harem goes wrong when one of the Harem boys defects and leaves)

The Animals Feed (Noble families are comprised of the Chinese zodiacs. And they all choose their heir, by making the twelve children (all of different zodiacs) fight to the death in different ways)

The Time of Fea (A story of two sisters who run away into the Fea populated woods)

OCs from a long ass time ago. That I honestly forgot existed.

Spirit of Bleak Winter & Knight of Shadows [DC x DP, Ship: Bruce/Danny - Frostbat] (Just a one-shot for a prompt I saw and loved)

[thebiscuiteternal]

Scary Music Masterpost

Season’s Creepings, all you lovely listeners; this is your DJ of darkness over at the Symphony of Death. Once again, it’s the time of year to update the Masterpost!Now you won’t find the classic Halloween haunts here, since those scares can be had anywhere, but maybe you’ll find a new favorite. Pull out your cauldron, brew up something nice, and kick back with me!

Masters of Horror

John Carpenter

Better Check the Kids - Halloween / Put Them in the Ground (with Jim Lang) - Body Bags / Main Theme - The Fog (1980) / All Out of Bubble Gum (with Alan Howarth) - They Live! / Hell Breaks Loose (with Alan Howarth) - Prince of Darkness / Regeneration - Christine / Just A Bedtime Story (with Jim Lang) - In the Mouth of Madness

Marco Beltrami

River’s Edge - My Soul to Take / Tea for Three Plus One - The Woman in Black / Return to Blackwood - Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark / The Concert - The Eye / Love Theme - Cursed / Priest Dies - Mimic / 1m2 (Production Note) - The Substitute / Return to Blackwood - Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark / Pulled Down Deep - The Shallows / The End of Fur - Cursed (II) / Carillon My Wayward Son - The Snowman

Charlie Clouser

American Horror Story Theme (with Cesar Davila-Irizarry) / Out of the Fire - The Collection /Hello, Zepp - Saw / Theme - Dead Silence

Bernard Herrmann

Teddy Bear Wired - Cape Fear / Theme - Vertigo / Theme - Psycho / The Tomb-Sandra - Obsession / Theme - Twisted Nerve / The Kidnapping - Obsession / Marketplace Murder - The Man Who Knew Too Much

Christopher Young

Twilight Mercy - Urban Legend / The Lament Configuration - Hellraiser / Sinister - Sinister /Concerto to Hell - Drag Me to Hell / The Devourer of Souls - Deliver Us from Evil / Butchers and Bakers - Copycat / Six Demons - The Exorcism of Emily Rose / Cryptomnesia - The Gift / The Sacrifice - The Dorm that Dripped Blood / Death After Life After Death - Untraceable / Reversing Colors - The Hider in the House / Church Isn’t Church - Pet Sematary (2019)

Video Games

Room of Angel - Akira Yamaoka & Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (Silent Hill: The Room) Mandus - Jessica Curry (Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs) The Drunken Whaler - Daniel Licht (Dishonored) Chill and Rigor - Shinji Hosoe (9 Persons 9 Hours 9 Doors) I’m Not Edible! - Chris Vrenna (American McGhee’s Alice) Ring Around the Rosie - Jason Graves (Dead Space 2) Soul of Steel - Mao Hamamoto (Corpse Party) P.T. Silent Hills Ambience Weekly Despair Magazine - Masafumi Takada (Dangan Ronpa) Close to Evil - Mikko Tarmia (Penumbra) In this Wretched Place - Eipix Studios (Phantasmat) The Nameless Game (Requiem) - Masayoshi Soken (Nanashi no Game) Last Day - Koji Kondo & Toru Minegishi (Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask) Welcome to Rapture - Garry Schyman (Bioshock) Theme - Yoan Landau (Nightmare House) Plague Blossom - Ndemic Creations (Plague Inc) Gore Nest - Mick Gordon (DOOM) Creepy Forest - Jason Garner & Vince Di Vera (Don’t Starve) A Nightmare Reborn - Ramin Djawadi (Gears of War) Before the Mirror - Maribeth Solomon & Brent Barkman (Fallen London) Broken Vessel - Christopher Larkin (Hollow Knight) Letter From A Friend - Carlos Viola (The Last Door) Rata Novus - Maclaine Diemer (Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns) The Hole at the Center of Everything - Alec Holowka (Night in the Woods) Bury Her - Ivan Zanotti (imscared) Devil’s Crossing - Steve Pardo (Grim Dawn)

Movies

Close to You (Carpenters Cover) - Josefine Cronholm (Mirrormask) The Void - Stephen Price (Gravity) Intro to Horror - Harry Manfredini (Friday the 13th) The Supper - Bruno Coulais (Coraline) Tubular Bells (Exorcist Cut) - Mike Oldfield (The Exorcist) Main Theme - Shiro Sato (Ju-On : The Grudge) Main Title - Wendy Carlos & Rachel Elkind (The Shining) Dark Earth - Jack Trombey (Dawn of the Dead) The Ringtone (Chakushin Ari) A New Swan Queen  - Clint Mansell (Black Swan) Audition - Koji Endoh (Audition) Roar! - Michael Giacchino (Cloverfield) It Was Always You, Helen - Philip Glass (Candyman) Finale / End Titles - Howard Shore (Silence of the Lambs) A Discordant Split - Kenji Kawai (Ringu) Funeral in Carpathia - James Bernard (Dracula: Prince of Darkness) Name Your Poison - Christopher Lee (The Return of Captain Invincible) The Carousel After Dark - James Horner (Something Wicked This Way Comes) The Game Begins - Masamichi Amano (Battle Royale) The Event Horizon - Michael Kamen & Orbital (Event Horizon) Poison - Herman Kopp (Der Todesking) Samara’s Song - Daveigh Chase (The Ring) Brainerd, Minnesota - Carter Burwell (Fargo) Number One Fan - Marc Shaiman (Misery) Graveyard Theme - Vince Guaraldi (It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown) We are the 1% - Darren Baker (The Conspiracy) Call to Worship - Sons of Perdition (The Backwater Gospel) Longest Night - Thomas Newman (The Shawshank Redemption) The Auction - Michael Abels (Get Out)

Anime

Youran - Kayo Konishi & Yukio Konda (Elfen Lied) Aya - Mari Fukuhara (Amatsuki) I was waiting for this moment - Yuki Kajiura (Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Rebellion) Go DA DA - Yoko Kanno (Ghost in the Shell: SAC) A Last Flower - Asa-Chang & Junray (Aku no Hana) White Hill (Maromi’s Theme) - Susumu Hirasawa (Paranoia Agent) 24 Hours OPEN - Yoko Kanno (Cowboy Bebop) Nui Harime’s Theme - Hiroyuki Sawano (Kill La Kill) Daughter - Ichirou Imai & Kazuhisa Yamaguchi (Petshop of Horrors) Monster - Susumu Hirasawa (Berserk) Ake ni Somaru - Yasuharu Takanachi (Jigoku Shoujo) Sanctus - Hikaru Nanase (Angel Sanctuary) March of the Moving Dolls - Akira Senju (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)

Other

Stay Awake (Mary Poppins cover) - Suzanne Vega Heigh Ho (Snow White cover) - Tom Waits Come Little Children - Kate Covington I, Witchfinder - Electric Wizard Brennistein - Sigur Ros Psychobabble - Frou Frou Sirens - SingerSen Lose Your Soul - Dead Man’s Bones Grisly Reminder  - Midnight Syndicate An Echo, A Stain - Bjork Elaine - ABBA (trust me) Welcome Home (Instrumental) - Coheed and Cambria The Greatest Show Unearthed - Creature Feature Something Wicked (That Way Went) - Vernian Process Black Water - Timber Timbre God’s Away on Business - Tom Waits The Wicked - Blues Saraceno The Gravedigger - The Pine Box Boys Lake Ponchartrain - Ludo The Smiler - IMA Score (Alton Towers Amusement Park) DOA - Bloodrock Breathing Water - Inhale Chupacabra Cha Cha - The Swingtips Confrontation - Anthony Warlow (Broadway’s Jekyll and Hyde) No Death - Mirel Wagner Thick as Thieves - Natalie Merchant Say Goodnight - Skeleton Key The Sad Mafioso - Godspeed You! Black Emperor What’s So Amazing About Grace? - The Paper Chase Blood on the Blue Grass - Legendary Shack Shakers In A Lonely Place - Joy Division Walpurgis - Black Sabbath

Television

Are You Afraid of the Dark? - Jeff Fisher Theme to Unsolved Mysteries - Michael Boyd & Gary Remal Malkin The Red Room - Angelo Badalamenti & David Lynch (Twin Peaks) Suite from “The Mark of the Rani” - Jonathan Gibbs (Doctor Who) Norma Doesn’t Approve - Chris Bacon (Bates Motel) The Cordyceps - George Fenton (Planet Earth) Dark Harvest Chase - Kevin Manthei (Invader Zim) Main Theme - Robert Lydecker & Brian Tyler (Sleepy Hollow) Blood Theme - Daniel Licht (Dexter) Arkham Asylum - Shirley Walker & Todd Hayen (Batman the Animated Series) The Old Mill - The Blasting Company (Over the Garden Wall) Sleep Deprivation - Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross (Bird Box) Turn on the Lights - Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein (Stranger Things)

[pyrrhiccomedy]

I. The Fool: Isaiah Masson. Tremere Tzimisce.  (Capricorn Sun, Aquarius Moon) Survives. He went into the second world with Kolya at his side, both of them determined to reconcile his path, and their devotion to one another, for as long as possible.

II. The Magician: Casimir. Toreador.  (Gemini Sun, Leo Rising) Survives. Successfully directed the Kindred of New York City to animate the city with Baali magic in order to create an ark that could survive the end of the world. He went to the second world with his lover, Krystiyan.

III. The High Priestess: Cora Jeong. Malkavian Baali.  (Sagittarius Sun, Cancer Moon) Survives. Although she left Clan Malkavian to become Baali, she retained her connection to the cobweb, and she experienced a moment of godlike perception as Clan Malkavian ascended: which gave her the ability to see the future with clarity and purpose. As the high priestess of Surgat, she remained behind in the dark world, and reigns as its wise and gentle queen.

IV. The Emperor: Krystiyan. Tzimisce.  (Taurus Sun, Scorpio Moon) Survives. He nearly usurped Casimir’s ritual to animate the city to instead power his own metamorphosis, but was confronted by Isaiah, who convinced him to let go of his alien ambitions and return to the path of Humanity. He went to the second world with Casimir.

V. The Empress: Selene Santiago. Toreador.   (Leo Sun, Gemini Rising, Taurus Moon) Survives - in a sense. Selene diablerized her Antediluvian, Arikel, in order to save Arikel’s life, and now will gradually become her, as Arikel wakes up and subsumes her identity. She went to the second world with her knight, Marina, and Ventrue, who wears the body of Selene’s lover.

VI. The Hierophant: Marina. Lamia.  (Scorpio Sun, Libra Rising). Survives. She went into the second world with Selene, who had earned her loyalty by freeing her from an unworthy lord. Served Selene - and later, Arikel - as her faithful knight.

VII. The Lovers: Katrin Presse. Human.  (Aries Sun, Virgo Moon). Survives. She accepted with resigned gratitude the loss of her great power as the price of being freed from her family’s curse. Although she never made peace with House Murnau, she ultimately accepted Ellard as family, and bears his gun in his memory. She remained behind in order to defend the innocent against the dark world’s many monsters.

IIX. The Chariot: Margueritte Delacours. Baali.  (Gemini Sun, Capricorn Rising) Survives. Having mastered all magic in the dark world, she proceeded to the second world to find new arcane lands to conquer. She was accompanied by her childe and companion, Alice.

IX. Strength: Vidke. Niktuku.  (Aries Sun, Capricorn Rising, Venus in Libra) Survives. Vidke took his revenge upon his brother Absimilliard, although he lost nearly all of his beloved childer in the process. He remained in the dark world, finally the inheritor of the kingdom that was stolen from him, and reigns at Cora’s side.

X. The Hermit: Henry Milliner. Giovanni.  (Scorpio) Survives. After the party prevented his suicide, he chose to step back from his family, and ultimately played no part in their final fate - which was the greatest release he could have hoped for. Remained in the dark world in order to deepen his study of necromancy. Eventually becomes a revered and mysterious figure, and the only real authority in the dark world outside of Cora, Vidke, and Surgat’s control.

XI. Wheel of Fortune: Nikolai Zantosa. Tzimisce.  (Libra Sun, Venus in Aquarius) Survives. Kolya took terrible vengeance against Clan Tzimisce for a lifetime of pain, nearly annihilating them, leaving Krystiyan as the only survivor: but died in the process. Isaiah used an artifact of the Morningstar to bring him back, and they go together to the second world. Kolya’s true nature, and the actual extent of his powers, remain a mystery.

XII. Justice: Tippecanoe. Nosferatu.  (Cancer Sun, Gemini Rising) Survives. Escaped into the second world alone, her intentions for the future unknown.

XIIV. The Hanged Man: Ellard Murnau. Human.  (Pisces Sun, Aquarius Rising) Dead. Cora shot him in the back of the head in order to free the Morningstar and open the gate to the second world.

XIV. Death: Trevor. Malkavian.  (Virgo Sun, Pisces Moon) Dead. Trevor diablerized Malkav’s twin sister Nahema, then fed himself to the Teeth of the Broken God: the infernal device which contained Malkav’s heart. His martyrdom suspended the Malkavian curse of madness long enough for Malkav’s clan to comprehend God’s mind, and they ascended out of corporeal reality.

XV. Temperance: Clara Knight. Salubri.  (Cancer Sun, Sagittarius Moon) Dead. John Copley killed her to defend Selene, after Selene attempted to become the high priestess of Asmodeus.

XVI. The Devil: Hetepheres. Setite.  (Leo Sun, Sagittarius Rising) Dead. Hetti inevitably betrayed the party in order to steal Malkav’s heart. She used it to get everything she wanted - for a short time. Cora and Isaiah killed her in order to recover it.

XVII. The Tower: John Copley. Ventrue.  (Capricorn Sun, Venus in Pisces) Dead. Although Selene betrayed him in order to save his life from the explosion at Morninglight, nothing could save him from being the last surviving vessel prepared for Ventrue’s consciousness. While Ventrue wears his skin - and, at times, adopts his mannerisms, for Selene’s benefit - nothing of John as an independent entity remains.

XIIX. The Star: Manfred Sauer. Human Malkavian.  (Libra Sun, Cancer Moon) Ascended. Cora brought Manfred to her sire, who made him Malkavian: putting his visionary madness into context. He ascended with the rest of his clan.

XIX. The Moon: Eleanor St. John. Gangrel.  (Virgo Sun, Aries Moon.) Dead. Eleanor believed that Nahema was Lilith, and worshiped her. Isaiah tore her apart in order to reach Nahema’s shrine.

XX. The Sun: Eva Brodeur. Malkavian.  (Virgo) Ascended. Eva was also a Lilith cultist who believed that Nahema was her goddess. She fought the party at Nahema’s shrine, but came to her senses when Nahema was diablerized. She ascended with the rest of her clan.

XXI. Judgement: Alexandra Murnau. Human.  (Aries Sun, Aquarius Moon) Survives. After the death of her brother, she learned that her family had, for centuries, served as the vessel of the Morningstar. She became the Morningstar’s sole vessel and high priestess in order to pursue God into the second world and punish him for abandoning his creation.

XXII. The World: Surgat. Annunaki Demon.  (Aquarius) Survives. Surgat saw God’s blueprint of the universe before it was destroyed at Morninglight, and later saw the mind of God during the Malkavian ascendance: both events which changed her nature. She later became the genius loci of New York City, and the god of the dark world. Cora serves as her high priestess.

[asiantheatre]

Under the list are all the confirmed, announced shows in the 2018-2019 season featuring Asian writers, actors, designers, directors, etc in New York, London, and International. Listed are the dates for first previews, the theater it’s performed in, and a summary of the show. 

This list isn’t 100% comprehensive and will be updated as time goes on. If we missed a show, please let us know!

Make sure to tune in and give these shows your love! 

BROADWAY (source)

Straight White Men

Until September 9, Hayes Theater

“It’s Christmas Eve, and Ed has gathered his three adult sons to celebrate with matching pajamas, trash-talking, and Chinese takeout. But when a question they can’t answer interrupts their holiday cheer, they are forced to confront their own identities. Obie Award-winning playwright Young Jean Lee takes a hilariously ruthless look at the classic American father-son drama. This is one white Christmas like you’ve never seen before.”

Getting the Band Back Together

August 19, 2018; Belasco Theatre

“The musical comedy follows 40-year-old out-of-work banker Mitch who moves back in with his mother and decides to reunite his old high school band, Juggernaut.”

King Kong

October 2018

This show reimagines the famous movie King Kong into a story about fame, greed, and manipulation within the original framework of a young actress and film maker finding their way to Skull Island, the home of a 2000 pound monkey.

Tootsie

March 29, 2019; Marriott Marquis

“Based on the film, Tootsie tells the story of a talented but difficult actor who struggles to find work until an audacious, desperate stunt lands him the role of a lifetime.”

Hadestown

Walter Kerr; March 22, 2019

Info in the west end section

Be More Chill

Lyceum Theater; February 13, 2019

Info in the offbway section

Chicago

July 1–14; Ambassador Theatre

Japanese star Ryoko Yonekura will make a limited run engagement as Roxie Hart before transferring over to Japan for the national tour.

OFF BROADWAY (source / 2)

Be More Chill

August 9, 2018;  Pershing Square Signature Center

Based on Ned Vizzini’s novel, the show tells the story of an average teenager who takes a pill purported to make people more—you guessed it—chill.

Henry VI

August 21, 2018 - NAATCO 

“Shakespeare’s Henry VI is the story of a great nation’s decent into barbarism and cruelty. It is a study of how the experience of a problematic foreign war erodes civil discourse at home, and how that erosion allows political self-interests to take hold and send a country hurtling into civil war.” 

Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future

September 25, 2018; Ars Nova

 “250 years from now, constructed humans are built in black market labs, Mars is a forced labor camp and underground outlaws are brewing rebellion. You might not remember how Beaux Weathers and her band of “illegal intelligences” fought for the right to exist, but Rags Parkland does. Back on Earth for the first time in 10 years, Rags plays the music that carried us to where we are today. But on this planet, the more things change, the more we stay the same.”

India Pale Ale

October 2, 2018; Manhattan Theatre Club

“In a small Wisconsin town, a tight-knit Punjabi community gathers to celebrate the wedding of a traditional family’s only son, just as their strong-willed daughter announces her plans to move away and open a bar. As they come together for feasts filled with singing and dancing, one generation’s cherished customs clash with another’s modern-day aspirations, and ghosts and pirates from the family’s past linger in everyone’s thoughts – until one sudden event changes everything.”

Wild Goose Dreams

October 30, 2018; The Public Theatre

“Minsung is a “goose father,” a South Korean man whose wife and daughter have moved to America for a better life. Deeply lonely, he escapes onto the internet and meets Nanhee, a young defector forced to leave her family behind in North Korea. Amidst the endless noise of the modern world, where likes and shares have taken the place of love and touch, Minsung and Nanhee try their best to be real for each other. But after a lifetime of division and separation, is connection possible?“

The Resistable Rise or Arturo Ui

October 30- December 22, 2018; Classic Stage Company

The political allegory shows a Depression-era Chicago mobster, who, with the help of his henchmen, manipulates and murders his way to totalitarian rule of the cauliflower trade. The play uses a vaudevillian portrayal of American mafia culture to parallel events that brought the Third Reich to power.

A Chorus Line

November 14, 2018; New York City Center

“A Chorus Line, the 2018 New York City Center Annual Gala Presentation, is a joyous celebration of dance and musical theater—two art forms that City Center has been bringing to New York audiences for 75 years. In 1975, the stories of seventeen Broadway dancers were brought to life when A Chorus Line opened Off-Broadway. The musical was born of workshop sessions with actual Broadway dancers (eight of whom appeared in the original cast) who laid bare their personal stories and the challenges they faced in pursuit of their dreams.“

The Prisoner

November 24, 2018; Theatre for a New Audience/Polonsky Shakespeare Center

“The Prisoner examines the complexities of crime, justice, and compassion in a breathtaking new international production. A man sits alone outside a prison. Who is he, and what is he doing there? Is he free, or is he the prisoner?“

Noura

November 27, 2018; Playwrights Horizons

Noura and her husband have a successful life in New York, and, eight years after having fled their home in Iraq, they’ve finally gained citizen status—which Noura, as an Iraqi Christian, is celebrating by planning the perfect Christmas dinner. But when the arrival of a visitor stirs up long-buried memories, Noura and her husband are forced to confront the cost of their choices, and retrace the past they left behind.

Flower Drum Song’s 60th Anniversary Gala

December 2, 2018 - NAAP

The gala will begin at 5:30 PM with cocktails, followed by a 6:30 PM dinner (a traditional eight-course Chinese banquet). Throughout the evening will be entertainment informed by the history of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song.

Nassim

December 10, 2018; New York City Center

In his latest work, Nassim Soleimanpour explores the power of language to unite us in these uncertain times. No rehearsals. A different guest actor at every performance. A sealed envelope. Oh, and some surprises.

Blue Ridge

December 12, 2018; Atlantic Theater Company

“A progressive high-school teacher with a rage problem retaliates against her unscrupulous boss and is sentenced to six months at a church-sponsored halfway house, where she attends to everyone's recovery but her own. Set in Southern Appalachia, Blue Ridge is a pitch-dark comedy about heartbreak, hell-raising and healing.��

Merrily We Roll Along

January 12, 2019; Roundabout Theatre

Roundabout’s company in residence, Fiasco Theater, reimagines its next Stephen Sondheim creation. With Fiasco’s one-of-a-kind imagination, this audacious musical about a trio of showbiz friends who fall apart and come together over 20 years emerges as newly personal and passionate.

Superhero

January 31, 2019; Second Stage Theatre

Before we can save the world, we have to save each other. From the Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer of Next to Normal and the Tony Award-winning writer of Red comes a deeply human new musical about a fractured family, the mysterious stranger in apartment 4-B, and the unexpected hero who just might save the day.

Anne of Green Gables: Part 1

The Royal Family Performing Arts Space; January 24-February 11

An adaptation of the book with the same title.

God Said This

Cherry Lane Theater; January 29-February 15

God Said This paints a portrait of five Kentuckians facing mortality in very different ways. With her mom undergoing chemotherapy, Hiro returns home, struggling to let go of the demons she inherited. Sophie, her born-again Christian sister, confronts her faith while tackling inevitable adversity. James, their recovering alcoholic father, wants to repair his fractured relationship with his daughters. And, John, an old classmate and thirty-something single dad, worries about leaving a lasting legacy for his only son.

Alice By Heart

MCC Theater; January 30-March 30

The show, by Waitress scribe Jessie Nelson and Spring Awakening duo Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater, adapts Lewis Carroll’s famed fantasy into a London-set tale against the backdrop of World War II, as Alice and her friend Alfred journey down a rabbit hole to find love, loss, and the courage to move forward despite harsh circumstances.

REGIONAL / US TOURS (source)

Man of God

January 31 - February 24, 2019; East West Players

A hidden discovery in a hotel bathroom changes the lives of four Korean Christian girls on a mission trip to Thailand. Samantha is hurt that someone she trusted could betray her. Jen is worried about how this might affect her college applications. Kyung-Hwa thinks everyone should adjust their expectations. Mimi’s out for blood. Amid the neon lights and go go bars in Bangkok, the girls plot revenge in this funny, feminist thriller.  

Mamma Mia

May 9 - June 9, 2019; East West Players 

On the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother’s past back to the Greek island they last visited 20 years ago. The storytelling magic of ABBA’s timeless hits sets the scene for this infectious tale of love and frolicking fun, creating an unforgettable musical experience that will leave you dancing in the aisles!

Tours - Dates are subject to region

Aladdin

Hamilton

Miss Saigon

Hello Dolly

Falsettos

Lea Salonga’s Human Heart Tour

Rent

TV special live on Fox tells the story of the AIDS epidemic in New York City

WEST END/LONDON (source)

The King and I

Until September 29, 2018

Set in 1860s Bangkok, the musical tells the story of the unconventional and tempestuous relationship that develops between the King of Siam and Anna, a British schoolteacher whom the modernist King, in an imperialistic world, brings to Siam to teach his many wives and children.

Love’s Labor’s Lost

August 23, 2018; Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

“Self-denial is in fashion at the court of Navarre where the young king and three of his courtiers solemnly forswear all pleasures in favour of serious study. But when the Princess of France and her entourage arrive, it isn’t long before the all-male ‘academe’ have broken every one of their self-imposed rules. Shakespeare’s boisterous send-up of all those who try to turn their back on life is a dazzling parade of every weapon in the youthful playwright’s arsenal, from excruciating cross-purposes and impersonations to drunkenness and bust-ups. It’s a banquet of language, groaning with puns, rhymes and grotesque coinages“

Dance Nation

August 27, 2018; Almeida Theatre

“Somewhere in America, a revolution is coming. An army of competitive dancers is ready to take over the world, one routine at a time. With a pre-teen battle for power and perfection raging on and off stage, Dance Nation is a ferocious exploration of youth, ambition and self-discovery.“

The Humans

August 30, 2018; Hampstead Theatre

“Hampstead Theatre is proud to present the Broadway production of The Humans by Stephen Karam, the winner of four 2016 Tony Awards including Best Play. Three generations of the Blake family have assembled for Thanksgiving in Brigid and Richard’s ramshackle pre-war apartment in Lower Manhattan. Whilst the event may have a slightly improvised air, the family is determined to make the best of its time together. As they attempt to focus on the traditional festivities, fears of the past and pressures of the future seep into the reunion and the precariousness of their position becomes increasingly evident.”

The Village

September 7, 2018; Theatre Royal Stratford East

“The Village transports the Lope de Vega’s Spanish play, Fuenteovejuna to contemporary India. It’s a powerful story of community and solidarity, and the lengths a person will go to protect themselves from tyranny. In Jyoti’s village, life is simple. People work and sing while living off the land. And finding a partner is far from her mind. She’d much prefer a delicious meal. Things are happy until the Inspector and his men come back to town. But when the tyrannical Inspector has his eye on Jyoti and he commits unspeakable acts against the village, everyone is pushed to breaking point. Will Jyoti dare turn him down despite what it may mean for her village?”

White Teeth

October 26, 2018; Kiln Theatre

“Rosie Jones, the Iqbal twins, their parents, their grandparents, Mad Mary and an avalanche of other characters who make up the everyday chaos of Kilburn High Road come together in an extraordinary revelry of NW6. An epic comedy with music and dance, this theatrical rollercoaster takes us on a fast-paced journey through history, different cultures and chance encounters. Zadie Smith’s breakthrough novel is adapted for stage by acclaimed playwright Stephen Sharkey and directed by Artistic Director Indhu Rubasingham in a major world premiere.”

Hadestown

November 2, 2018; National Theater

“In the warmth of summertime, songwriter Orpheus and his muse Eurydice are living it up and falling in love. But as winter approaches, reality sets in: these young dreamers can’t survive on songs alone. Tempted by the promise of plenty, Eurydice is lured to the depths of industrial Hadestown. On a quest to save her, Orpheus journeys to the underworld where their trust is put to a final test.”

INTERNATIONAL

Philippines 

Side Show - August 31, 2018

M. Butterfly - September 13, 2018

A Doll’s House Part 2 - September 15, 2018

Waitress - November 2018

Angels in America Spring 2019

Beautiful: the Carole King Musical Spring 2019

Korea

Matilda - September 8, 2018

The Greatest Showman - August 7, 2018

Bridges of Madison County - August 11, 2018

Jungle Book - closing August 26, 2018

Singapore

Peter and the Star Catcher - September 28, 2018 

Other Local Shows

Japan

Fiddler on the Roof - December 16, 2018

Something Rotten - December 31, 2018

CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG - May 16, 2018

Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 - January 5, 2019

Chicago - Osaka (August 1-4 at the Orix Theater) and in Tokyo (August 7-18 at the Tokyu Theatre Orb).

Full list of shows in Japan (translated)

Other Local Shows

China

Rent - August 30, 2018

Les Mis - September 27, 2018

Hamlet - November 28, 2018

Chicago - December 20, 2018

Other Local Shows

Canada

Come From Away (until June 30, 2019)

Next to Normal Toronto (April 26-May 19)

Dear Evan Hansen 

New Zealand

If/Then - November 29-December 8, 2018

[romancatholicreflections]

13th May >> Sunday Homilies and Reflections for Roman Catholics on the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, Cycle B ASCENSION of the LORD -Year B jesus ascension into heaven Feast of the Ascension alleluia Gospel text: Mark 16:14a, 15-20 vs.14a Jesus showed himself to the Eleven GO PREACH1vs.15 and said to them, “Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. vs.16 He who believes and is baptised will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned. vs.17 These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out devils; they will have the gift of tongues; vs.18 they will pick up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed should they drink poison; they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover.” vs.19 And so the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven: there at the right hand of God he took his place, vs.20 while they, going out, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it. ****************************************** We have four commentators available from whom you may wish to choose . Click on the name of the commentator required. Michel DeVerteuil: A Recently deceased Trinidadian Holy Ghost Priest, director of the Centre of Biblical renewal Thomas O’Loughlin: Professor of Historical Theology, University of Wales, Lampitor Sean Goan: Studied scripture in Rome, Jerusalem and Chicago and taught at Blackrock College and now work’s with Le Chéile Donal Neary SJ: Editor of The Sacred Heart Messenger and National Director of The Apostleship of Prayer. **************************************** Michel DeVerteuil Lectio Divina with the Sunday Gospels www.columba.ie General Textual Comments At the beginning of today’s passage we are reminded that these words were once spoken by Jesus himself to some disciples who were facing a difficult time. They felt very disorganized and lost; here now was Jesus standing before them and giving them a way to go forward. He continues to do this for us today through different “messengers” whom God sends to us. We must be aware of them and thank God for them. Jesus makes a first crucial statement to his followers: they are to “go out into the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation”. We think today of many parts of creation where the gospel of Jesus has not yet been preached. We think of signs in the modern world which we can associate with true believers: – “In my name they will cast out devils.” Many people in our modern world think that no one cares for them, not even God. True believers, however, speak in words which convey that gifts like true selflessness can bring help for all. – “They will have the gift of tongues.” There are people in the world today who cannot speak in new languages; they use words that cannot touch unyielding hearts. True believers however will be able to communicate their message of love to all they meet, no matter what their original circumstances were. – There are people who can act out their role as evangelisers, even in what seems to the rest of us as very difficult circumstances. They venture into difficult worlds. They work in difficult surroundings, among prostitutes, drug addicts and other outcasts of society. They can “pick up snakes in their hands and be untouched by them”. We can say about them that, “they will remain unharmed even when they drink deadly poison.” – Finally, Jesus tells us that “true believers” can “lay their hands on the sick who will recover.” There are people who can lay their hands on those who are sick and see them recover before their very eyes. It is truly a wonderful experience of God’s salvation and “true believers” can feel it happening. The passage concludes with a beautiful saying about the Lord Jesus. It is said of him that “he was taken up to heaven” and that “at the right hand of God, he took his place.” We who believe can now think of the Lord Jesus sitting at the right hand of God. We are in this world surrounded by all our difficulties and yet we feel great trust in the Lord.jesus-peter-lovest-thou-me-2 “They, going out, preached everywhere” and the “Lord is working with them and confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it.” As believers, we know well that the Lord is with us. He is confirming what we say by the signs he has sent to accompany us, and the great miracles he achieves through us. Prayer Reflection “In the Church’s history, missionary drive has always been a sign of vitality, just as its lessening is a sign of a crisis of faith.” …John Paul II, Encyclical Redemptoris Missio, 1991 Lord, there comes a time in life when we know that what we believe in is good news for the whole of creation. We feel like the apostles when they met Jesus after his resurrection. It is strange, but the conviction always seems to come after we have experienced a setback, some of our members may have deserted us as Judas deserted Jesus. Yet we know we must go out to the whole world. Our cause is with you, as safe as Jesus taken up to heaven and taking his place at your right hand, so that we can go out, preaching everywhere, our words confirmed by the signs which accompany them. Lord, there are certain signs that are the mark of true believers. Demons have been causing havoc in our community and no one has been able to confront them – a person of faith will cast them out in one moment. Believers can express an old message in a totally new way, so that people who have been listening to that message for years will suddenly become convinced. The rest of us are afraid of going into places for fear we might be corrupted: believers do it and remain totally unharmed. They can enter into discussion with enemies of the faith and remain calm and loving. They go to someone whom the community has written off as a hopeless case and at the touch of their hands this person returns to normal living. Lord, we thank you for believers. “Anyone who loves his life loses it; anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it for the eternal life.” John 12:25 Lord, it is clearly a law of life that we must eventually commit ourselves commit to Jesus– to marriage, to a noble cause, to the following of Jesus. We must take the risk. If we hold back, afraid of this baptism, we are condemned to lives of mediocrity. To go forward in faith is the only way to be saved. “On the day that the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea so miraculously, God was surrounded by angels who sang and danced. They noticed that God was crying. ‘Are you not glad?’ they asked. ‘How can I rejoice?’ God asked. ‘My children are also drowning.'” Jewish legend quoted by Rabbi Hugo Gryn at a vigil for the Gulf War, London 1991 Lord, forgive us that we set limits to your love. Remind us that the good news you revealed to us is to be proclaimed to all creation. Lord, so often as a Church we give people the idea that following Jesus can be done with minor adjustments to their lifestyle. Help us to teach plainly, like Jesus, that being disciples means taking enormous risks of being drowned, but unless we are baptised in him, he cannot save us. “This is the end of the Chinese people’s adolescence, and their initiation into political maturity. They are no longer waiting to be liberated; they are now ready to pay the price to liberate themselves.” …Liu Binyan, dissident Chinese journalist Lord, we thank you for people and cultures who have been through crucifixion experiences and have emerged with their faith and their courage intact. We pray that like the apostles at the ascension of Jesus they may now go out into the whole world and announce with confidence the good news that the human spirit cannot be enclosed in a tomb and will always rise again. *********************************** Thomas O’Loughlin Liturgical Resources for the Year of Matthew www.columba.ie Introduction to the Celebration paschalcandle2015There is an air of finality about today’s festival. Our focus is on the retelling of a story declaring that Christ has returned to the Father, and so we think of it as the ‘end’ of the Christ event or the ‘end of Easter’ – in times past there was a custom of extinguishing the Paschal Candle after the gospel to signify: ‘he is gone’. But the air of finality must be presented in a different way – it is not the final song to mark the sorry close of a party, but the joyous finality of a building job completed: Christ’s presence is no longer limited to a small group in one place at a particular time, now his presence is diffused throughout creation through his body the church. It is this mystery of Christ’s presence we celebrate today: we are not here to recall some ‘event’ that ‘happened’ on some fixed day in human historical time. Ascension is not about Christ’s absence, but about his presence in a different way to that which he had before his death. He now is present in our community, and as a group we must make him present by testifying to him before the world as the community of justice, peace and love. Comments on Gospel: Mk 16:15-20 gospel of markHere we have the conclusion of Mark’s gospel as that gospel is commonly found in printed editions, and so it adds to the tone of finality that can pervade the liturgy today. Moreover, it seems to accord well with the theme, with its challenge from Jesus to them to proclaim the Good News to all creation, and that having said that he was taken up into heaven. However, we are dealing here with the famous’last eleven verses’ (16:9-20) which did not originally belong to this gospel and are a later conflation from Matthew and Luke added to Mark, as 16:8 seemed too stark an ending for a gospel. Indeed, apart for the traditional ending, which we read today, there are several other endings extant. But the fact that sometime in the second century (possibly before Justin’s time, (died c. 165) and certainly prior to Irenaeus, (died c. 202) this ending was added, is crucial for our understanding of this feast: it is the mystery of ascension that that community felt had to be included in any account it would receive of the Christ-event. They saw and celebrated that event as one where they were the continuation of the work of the Christ: they were being upheld by his presence so that not only was he at the right hand of the Father’ but with them in their trials protecting them. And if Christ was with them, they were going everywhere preaching and making him present. So, in the three readings we have three different ways of viewing this early Christian belief in their on-going life in Christ. All three assume that this is something that animates the community, and are incomprehensible in their imagery of Christ in the heavens unless that mystery was already part of their liturgical life prior to these writings. Homily notes 1. Today’s feast celebrates our belief in the presence of Christ in the universe and sets it in a tension with the demand that we then be the vehicles by which that presence is made manifest. It is his presence in us that makes the demands of disciple-ship upon us that we must proclaim him. The mystery of ascension is that his presence with us and our witness to him cannot be separated. Jesus amazed 2. But do we take his presence in the universe seriously? Do we believe he is present in every poor person, every sick person, every prisoner? Mt 25:34-46 can be read as the ‘other side’ of this mystery: in today’s texts we think of the beginning of the ascended presence of Christ in the church; in Mt 25 we have a reflection on the eschaton and when that presence in the disciples ceases. 3. Do we take seriously the notion that there is no area of the universe from which Christ’s presence is excluded? So Christ is present in every creature (see Jn 1:3) and in every aspect of human life. But there are powerful forces that would want to silence those who preach concern for the environment or, at least, argue that ecology is not something with which the church should concern itself. Or in the human universe, there are many who see Christian concerns in politics, economics or medicine as meddling and would like to limit church concerns to ‘Jesus and religious matters’. But this feast is our proclamation that Christ is now to be found everywhere as the risen one forming a kingdom for his Father, and so in every area of existence his followers must be witnessing to him. In rising from the dead, the whole creation has been transformed and is a’religious matter’. 4. ‘To be witnesses’ (manures) and ‘proclaim’ (kiruxate) were key terms for the early church: one was descriptive of what they must be, the other a command as to what they must do. But, by the second century, both were very expensive words. A misty sweet image of Jesus floating away, alongside an arcane discussion about ‘whether you can trust “the bible”‘ in its creative poetic narratives such as Acts 1, fails to do justice to this mystery on both counts. *********************************** Sean Goan Let the reader understand www.columba.ie Gospel: Mark 16:15-20 These remarkable verses are taken from what is sometimes called the longer ending of Mark’s gospel and they represent a final summary explanation of the meaning of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. Mark offers no description of the ascension of the Lord but sees the whole mystery in the light of Easter. It is the good news that all who respond to Jesus in faith are saved and the power of the risen Christ will be with the church to ensure the success of its mission. The signs that are mentioned are not to be taken literally but show that, in Jesus, good triumphs and evil is defeated. The affirmation that those who do not believe will be condemned is not understood by the church as saying that only Christians will get into heaven. Rather it is a warning about those who willfully refuse to respond to God at work in their life. Christians are always asked to leave judgement to God. Reflection It is a temptation for every generation of Christians to stand looking up to heaven and wringing their hands wishing that Jesus walked our streets as he did the streets of Palestine or that he would come back in some dramatic way to show the world the error of its ways. However, such an attitude entirely fails to appreciate the dignity of our calling. We have been entrusted with a task and today’s feast is a reminder to us thatholy spirit comes Jesus only left this world so that he could be with us in a more effective way. So, in the coming week let us pray with urgency for a renewed outpouring of the Spirit so that we can become more effective witnesses of his love. *************************************** Donal Neary SJ Gospel Reflections www.messenger.ie/bookshop Going Out or Going Up? The feast of the Ascension seems to be more about the apostles going out than Jesus going up! As Jesus goes to his Father, the message is for us now, and to be witnesses to him, sharing what we have received, and heard. Witnesses to a road accident can often contradict each other. They get mixed up in what they saw or heard. Or they may have only glanced at the event and moved on. We can be witnesses of Jesus who stayed with the event, not just with a glance. We have seen and heard the best story ever told, and the most influential life ever lived. We witness to Jesus in prayer, in reading the gospel and in service of others in love. Prayer means being in touch with God who is reaching out to us. The gospel is what feeds us, a daily opening to the words and deeds of Jesus. Loving service brings us to witness the care of God as we give and receive care. This is what we give to the ascended Lord and receive from him. The word of God is the divine word in human words. in our work for him, God is linking heaven and earth, and we are sharers in his divinity as he is in our humanity. Far from being the absence of Jesus,the Ascension is his presence in a new way among us. Looking up is a religious gesture. Look up to the skies sometimes this week and make a favourite prayer. Lord, may your kingdom come! *****************************

[multiverseforger]

Emil Blonsky was born in Zagreb (then part of Yugoslavia) and became a KGB agent who infiltrated an Air Force Base in New Mexico where Dr. Bruce Banner was experimenting with gamma rays. Blonsky triggers the event that turns Banner into the Hulk, and himself turns into a hideous lizard-like creature.[11][12]

The Abomination reappears when summoned by a coven of witches to briefly battle the cosmic hero the Silver Surfer[13] and summons Thor (via an absent Stranger's technology) to aid him in escaping the Stranger's laboratory world. Thor frees the Abomination and the other captives, but, on discovering they are all evil, uses his mystic hammer Mjolnir to time travel several hours into the past to undo his mistake. After defeating the Abomination and placing the Abomination in prison, Thor departs.[7] When the Hulk is defeated by the alien Xeron the Star Slayer (who is in New York City hunting a giant creature called Klaatu) and brought aboard a space vessel, the Abomination is revealed to be First Mate of the alien crew. When the captain of the vessel directs Xeron and the crew to battle Klaatu in space, the Hulk and the Abomination are thrown from the vessel and battle until the pair are drawn into Earth's orbit and separated.[14]

It is revealed in flashback that the Abomination entered into a coma on impacting with the Earth and is buried for two years. Revived by an off-course missile fired from Hulkbuster Base (under Ross's jurisdiction), the Abomination joins forces with General Ross to defeat the Hulk, but is battered into submission by an angered Hulk.[15] The Abomination reappears with fellow Hulk foe the Rhino, and the pair activates a gamma bomb at the Hulkbuster base in an attempt to destroy the Hulk. The Hulk's companion of the time, Jim Wilson, deactivates the bomb and the Hulk tricks the villains during combat, forcing them to collide and knock each other unconscious.[16] A comatose Abomination is eventually found by soldiers at Ross's direction and has a miniature bomb implanted in his skull, being told to fight and defeat the Hulk or be killed. The Abomination tricks the Hulk into an alliance and betrays Ross by attempting to ransom the captured Kennedy Space Center. The plan fails when the Hulk turns on the Abomination and the pair fight, with the Abomination being caught on a rocket when it explodes.[17]

An illusion of the Abomination also appears with illusions of other Hulk foes when the Hulk (at the time possessing the intelligence of Banner, thanks to being made to a device called the Encephalo-Helmet) enters the brain of Colonel Glenn Talbot at microscopic size to excise a mental block placed in Talbot's mind by the Gremlin.[18]

The Abomination eventually reappears as a servant of the entity the Galaxy Master, having been empowered with even greater strength. After another extended battle with the Hulk, the Hulk attacks and destroys the Galaxy Master, causing the Abomination to weaken and apparently become lost in space.[19] When MODOK invades Hulkbuster Base, he colludes with General Ross to revive the Abomination, who was found in a block of ice above Earth and kept in cryogenic storage for further study. MODOK intends to use the Abomination against his superiors at A.I.M., while Ross wants to use him to destroy the Hulk. The Abomination, however, has become afraid of the Hulk as a result of their past battles and has to be mentally forced by MODOK to fight the Hulk. MODOK, however, is ousted by A.I.M., and a hesitant Abomination is beaten by the Hulk when he intervenes to save Banner's laboratory assistant. The Abomination refuses to rejoin the fight, and is disintegrated by MODOK.[20]

During the Secret Wars II storyline, the Abomination is restored by the demon-lord Mephisto, who directs the Abomination and other villains against the cosmic entity the Beyonder as a member of the Legion Accursed.[21]

The restoration is temporary, as a still-disembodied Abomination's atoms mingle with the disembodied atoms of the villain Tyrannus, who reintegrates the Abomination's body and places it under his mind's control. Tyrannus, as the Abomination, then comes into conflict with the Gray Hulk, and quickly defeats the weaker version of their foe. When the Hulk reverts to Banner, Tyrannus forces him to create a procedure that will remove Blonsky's mind, who is mentally fighting Tyrannus' mind for control of the Abomination's body. The process is successful and Blonksy is restored to a human form, free of Tyrannus, whose mind is still occupying the form of the Abomination. An enraged Gray Hulk defeats Tyrannus, who is placed into custody by the organization S.H.I.E.L.D.[22]

After encounters against Avengers Wonder Man[23] and Hawkeye,[24] the Tyrannus-controlled Abomination reappears during the "Atlantis Attacks" storyline with the Deviant Ghaur freeing Tyrannus from the body of the Abomination by restoring Tyrannus' mind to a duplicate of his own body and placing Blonsky's mind within the Abomination's body once more. The process drives Blonksy insane, and he battles heroes Spider-Man and the She-Hulk, managing to knock both unconscious. The Abomination is eventually driven off when set on fire by the She-Hulk.[25] The Abomination's mental faculties eventually return and the Abomination reappears in the "Countdown" storyline as a pawn of another Hulk foe, the Leader. The Abomination is sent to a toxic waste site to collect samples, and encounters the gray version of the Hulk again, who is outmatched and also weak due to being poisoned. The Hulk, however, throws the Abomination into toxic waste that partially dissolves and horribly scars the Abomination.[26]

The Abomination temporarily teams with villains Titania and Gargantua[27] and finds and stalks his former wife, Nadia (a famous ballet dancer). The Abomination captures her and after taking her into the New York City sewers, reveals his true identity. After a brief skirmish, the Hulk persuades the Abomination to free his wife.[8]

The Abomination is also captured by the robot Sentinels, but is eventually freed by the X-Men.[28]

After befriending a woman who finds her way into the sewers,[29] the Abomination battles Namor during an attempt to save his kidnapped former wife.[30] The Abomination retaliates against the NYPD when the Police Commissioner orders the sewers be cleared of all homeless, who the Abomination has placed under his protection. After killing several police officers, he is eventually driven away when confronted by the Hulk.[31] The Abomination battles the mutant Nate Grey (who is searching the sewers for his lover and fellow mutant Threnody, who had been one of the homeless followers of the Abomination), who uses his mental abilities to trick the Abomination in thinking that he defeated Grey.[32] He battles a delusional Hulk[33] before encountering the Angel when the mutant visits the sewers in which he was once captured and maimed during the "Fall of the Mutants" storyline.[34]

When Betty Ross dies in the title Hulk, Banner mistakenly thinks her proximity to the Hulk has induced a fatal case of radiation poisoning.[35] Using a gamma device, a vindictive General Ross tracks what he believes to be the Hulk to a destroyed town, where the Abomination reveals he was the true culprit. Despite baiting a newly arrived Hulk, the Abomination is unable to force the Hulk to fight and departs.[36]

The circumstances of Betty's death are eventually revealed: Blonksy's transformation into the Abomination apparently alienates his former wife Nadia, driving his hatred of Banner; Blonsky, deciding to deprive Banner of Betty in return, secretly poisons her with his radioactive blood. After hearing the Abomination's admission, Banner eventually discovers the truth and the Hulk defeats the Abomination in combat. Taken into custody by the military, Blonsky is forced to watch old home movies of him and his wife together (prior to his transformation) as punishment.[37] Operatives from a secret organization "Home Base" eventually release the Abomination to battle the Hulk, and although able to taunt the Hulk about Betty's murder, he is defeated once again.[38] This encounter is revealed to be a dream generated by longtime Doctor Strange foe Nightmare in an effort to torture the Hulk.[39]

After a humorous encounter with the demigod Hercules, in which the Abomination is chosen as an adversary for the hero while he completes the modern version of the 12 Labours of Hercules,[40] the Abomination is pardoned and employed by the U.S. government as a hit man against hostile foreign powers.[41] The Abomination is also a conflicted opponent for the heroine the She-Hulk (currently employed by spy organization S.H.I.E.L.D.).[42] The Abomination has a subtle but significant role in the World War Hulk storyline,[43] being the source of gamma-irradiated DNA that allows the creation of an anti-Hulk response team.[44][45]

The Abomination reappears after the events of World War Hulk, encountering a new foe called the Red Hulk. This new opponent savagely beats, shoots, and kills the Abomination.[10] Later on, it is revealed that the Abomination's killer, the Red Hulk, is actually General Ross's gamma-powered alter ego; he killed Blonsky as an act of revenge for his deliberate gamma poisoning (and later death) of Ross's daughter Betty.[46]

During the "Dark Reign" storyline, the Abomination is among the dead characters present at Zeus's trial.[47] Abomination reappears in the court of Pluto, attacking the Olympian god when he loses power over the dead.[48]

During the "Chaos War" storyline, the Abomination is among the dead characters in the Underworld that Pluto liberated in order to help defend the Underworld from Amatsu-Mikaboshi.[49] Abomination fights the Hulk and his allies until Marlo Chandler taps into the Death essence within her to destroy his undead body.[50]

A shadow organization (later revealed to be the Order of the Shield)[51] bent on gaining control of the Hulk harvests biological material from a mortally wounded Bruce Banner. After Banner regains consciousness following the experiment and escapes as the Hulk, the organization uses this material to resurrect the Abomination under their control, leaving him "free of a mind or a conscience" and with an ability to seek out Banner/Hulk for retrieval.[52] Hulk defeats the Abomination yet again with the aid of the Avengers. Iron Man uses technology taken from the Order of the Shield agents to teleport the Abomination into interplanetary space estimated to be "somewhere in the vicinity of Jupiter".[53]

Tissue samples of the Abomination were later used by the U.S. Hulk Operations to graft to the corpse of Rick Jones that revives him as an Abomination/A-Bomb-like creature that Dr. Charlene McGowan calls Subject B.[54]

After ripping Rick Jones from Subject B's body in a brutal battle, Hulk Operations Commanding Officer General Reginald Fortean teleport to Gamma FLight Headquarters in space, killing Sasquatch and temporarily killing Doctor Samson to retrieve the Subject B husk. Fortean then willingly fuses himself with the body.[55]

[pope-francis-quotes]

24th January >> (@romereports) Pope Francis’ Message for the 51th World Communications Day | Dear Brothers and Sisters, Communication is part of God’s plan for us and an essential way to experience fellowship. Made in the image and likeness of our Creator, we are able to express and share all that is true, good, and beautiful. We are able to describe our own experiences and the world around us, and thus to create historical memory and the understanding of events. But when we yield to our own pride and selfishness, we can also distort the way we use our ability to communicate. This can be seen from the earliest times, in the biblical stories of Cain and Abel and the Tower of Babel (cf. Gen 4:4-16; 11:1-9). The capacity to twist the truth is symptomatic of our condition, both as individuals and communities. On the other hand, when we are faithful to God’s plan, communication becomes an effective expression of our responsible search for truth and our pursuit of goodness. In today’s fast-changing world of communications and digital systems, we are witnessing the spread of what has come to be known as “fake news”. This calls for reflection, which is why I have decided to return in this World Communications Day Message to the issue of truth, which was raised time and time again by my predecessors, beginning with Pope Paul VI, whose 1972 Message took as its theme: “Social Communications at the Service of Truth”. In this way, I would like to contribute to our shared commitment to stemming the spread of fake news and to rediscovering the dignity of journalism and the personal responsibility of journalists to communicate the truth. 1. What is “fake” about fake news? The term “fake news” has been the object of great discussion and debate. In general, it refers to the spreading of disinformation on line or in the traditional media. It has to do with false information based on non-existent or distorted data meant to deceive and manipulate the reader. Spreading fake news can serve to advance specific goals, influence political decisions, and serve economic interests. The effectiveness of fake news is primarily due to its ability to mimic real news, to seem plausible. Secondly, this false but believable news is “captious”, inasmuch as it grasps people’s attention by appealing to stereotypes and common social prejudices, and exploiting instantaneous emotions like anxiety, contempt, anger and frustration. The ability to spread such fake news often relies on a manipulative use of the social networks and the way they function. Untrue stories can spread so quickly that even authoritative denials fail to contain the damage. The difficulty of unmasking and eliminating fake news is due also to the fact that many people interact in homogeneous digital environments impervious to differing perspectives and opinions. Disinformation thus thrives on the absence of healthy confrontation with other sources of information that could effectively challenge prejudices and generate constructive dialogue; instead, it risks turning people into unwilling accomplices in spreading biased and baseless ideas. The tragedy of disinformation is that it discredits others, presenting them as enemies, to the point of demonizing them and fomenting conflict. Fake news is a sign of intolerant and hypersensitive attitudes, and leads only to the spread of arrogance and hatred. That is the end result of untruth. 2. How can we recognize fake news? None of us can feel exempted from the duty of countering these falsehoods. This is no easy task, since disinformation is often based on deliberately evasive and subtly misleading rhetoric and at times the use of sophisticated psychological mechanisms. Praiseworthy efforts are being made to create educational programmes aimed at helping people to interpret and assess information provided by the media, and teaching them to take an active part in unmasking falsehoods, rather than unwittingly contributing to the spread of disinformation. Praiseworthy too are those institutional and legal initiatives aimed at developing regulations for curbing the phenomenon, to say nothing of the work being done by tech and media companies in coming up with new criteria for verifying the personal identities concealed behind millions of digital profiles. Yet preventing and identifying the way disinformation works also calls for a profound and careful process of discernment. We need to unmask what could be called the "snake-tactics" used by those who disguise themselves in order to strike at any time and place. This was the strategy employed by the "crafty serpent" in the Book of Genesis, who, at the dawn of humanity, created the first fake news (cf. Gen 3:1-15), which began the tragic history of human sin, beginning with the first fratricide (cf. Gen 4) and issuing in the countless other evils committed against God, neighbour, society and creation. The strategy of this skilled "Father of Lies" (Jn 8:44) is precisely mimicry, that sly and dangerous form of seduction that worms its way into the heart with false and alluring arguments. In the account of the first sin, the tempter approaches the woman by pretending to be her friend, concerned only for her welfare, and begins by saying something only partly true: "Did God really say you were not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?" (Gen 3:1). In fact, God never told Adam not to eat from any tree, but only from the one tree: "Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you are not to eat" (Gen 2:17). The woman corrects the serpent, but lets herself be taken in by his provocation: "Of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden God said, “You must not eat it nor touch it, under pain of death" (Gen 3:2). Her answer is couched in legalistic and negative terms; after listening to the deceiver and letting herself be taken in by his version of the facts, the woman is misled. So she heeds his words of reassurance: "You will not die!" (Gen 3:4). The tempter’s “deconstruction” then takes on an appearance of truth: "God knows that on the day you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil" (Gen3:5). God’s paternal command, meant for their good, is discredited by the seductive enticement of the enemy: "The woman saw that the tree was good to eat and pleasing to the eye and desirable" (Gen 3:6). This biblical episode brings to light an essential element for our reflection: there is no such thing as harmless disinformation; on the contrary, trusting in falsehood can have dire consequences. Even a seemingly slight distortion of the truth can have dangerous effects. What is at stake is our greed. Fake news often goes viral, spreading so fast that it is hard to stop, not because of the sense of sharing that inspires the social media, but because it appeals to the insatiable greed so easily aroused in human beings. The economic and manipulative aims that feed disinformation are rooted in a thirst for power, a desire to possess and enjoy, which ultimately makes us victims of something much more tragic: the deceptive power of evil that moves from one lie to another in order to rob us of our interior freedom. That is why education for truth means teaching people how to discern, evaluate and understand our deepest desires and inclinations, lest we lose sight of what is good and yield to every temptation. 3. "The truth will set you free" (Jn 8:32) Constant contamination by deceptive language can end up darkening our interior life. Dostoevsky’s observation is illuminating: "People who lie to themselves and listen to their own lie come to such a pass that they cannot distinguish the truth within them, or around them, and so lose all respect for themselves and for others. And having no respect, they cease to love, and in order to occupy and distract themselves without love they give way to passions and to coarse pleasures, and sink to bestiality in their vices, all from continual lying to others and to themselves.” (The Brothers Karamazov, II, 2). So how do we defend ourselves? The most radical antidote to the virus of falsehood is purification by the truth. In Christianity, truth is not just a conceptual reality that regards how we judge things, defining them as true or false. The truth is not just bringing to light things that are concealed, "revealing reality", as the ancient Greek term aletheia (from a-lethès, "not hidden") might lead us to believe. Truth involves our whole life. In the Bible, it carries with it the sense of support, solidity, and trust, as implied by the root 'aman, the source of our liturgical expression Amen. Truth is something you can lean on, so as not to fall. In this relational sense, the only truly reliable and trustworthy One – the One on whom we can count – is the living God. Hence, Jesus can say: "I am the truth" (Jn 14:6). We discover and rediscover the truth when we experience it within ourselves in the loyalty and trustworthiness of the One who loves us. This alone can liberate us: "The truth will set you free" (Jn 8:32). Freedom from falsehood and the search for relationship: these two ingredients cannot be lacking if our words and gestures are to be true, authentic, and trustworthy. To discern the truth, we need to discern everything that encourages communion and promotes goodness from whatever instead tends to isolate, divide, and oppose. Truth, therefore, is not really grasped when it is imposed from without as something impersonal, but only when it flows from free relationships between persons, from listening to one another. Nor can we ever stop seeking the truth, because falsehood can always creep in, even when we state things that are true. An impeccable argument can indeed rest on undeniable facts, but if it is used to hurt another and to discredit that person in the eyes of others, however correct it may appear, it is not truthful. We can recognize the truth of statements from their fruits: whether they provoke quarrels, foment division, encourage resignation; or, on the other hand, they promote informed and mature reflection leading to constructive dialogue and fruitful results. 4. Peace is the true news The best antidotes to falsehoods are not strategies, but people: people who are not greedy but ready to listen, people who make the effort to engage in sincere dialogue so that the truth can emerge; people who are attracted by goodness and take responsibility for how they use language. If responsibility is the answer to the spread of fake news, then a weighty responsibility rests on the shoulders of those whose job is to provide information, namely, journalists, the protectors of news. In today’s world, theirs is, in every sense, not just a job; it is a mission. Amid feeding frenzies and the mad rush for a scoop, they must remember that the heart of information is not the speed with which it is reported or its audience impact, but persons. Informing others means forming others; it means being in touch with people’s lives. That is why ensuring the accuracy of sources and protecting communication are real means of promoting goodness, generating trust, and opening the way to communion and peace. I would like, then, to invite everyone to promote a journalism of peace. By that, I do not mean the saccharine kind of journalism that refuses to acknowledge the existence of serious problems or smacks of sentimentalism. On the contrary, I mean a journalism that is truthful and opposed to falsehoods, rhetorical slogans, and sensational headlines. A journalism created by people for people, one that is at the service of all, especially those – and they are the majority in our world – who have no voice. A journalism less concentrated on breaking news than on exploring the underlying causes of conflicts, in order to promote deeper understanding and contribute to their resolution by setting in place virtuous processes. A journalism committed to pointing out alternatives to the escalation of shouting matches and verbal violence. To this end, drawing inspiration from a Franciscan prayer, we might turn to the Truth in person: Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Help us to recognize the evil latent in a communication that does not build communion. Help us to remove the venom from our judgements. Help us to speak about others as our brothers and sisters. You are faithful and trustworthy; may our words be seeds of goodness for the world: where there is shouting, let us practise listening; where there is confusion, let us inspire harmony; where there is ambiguity, let us bring clarity; where there is exclusion, let us offer solidarity; where there is sensationalism, let us use sobriety; where there is superficiality, let us raise real questions; where there is prejudice, let us awaken trust; where there is hostility, let us bring respect; where there is falsehood, let us bring truth. Amen. From the Vatican, 24 January 2018, the Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales. FRANCIS.

[sztcov]

Fon-Technists Adventure 3

Theme

Espionage

Espionage adventures are active, grim scenarios involving spying and perhaps other cloak-and-dagger deeds such as assassination or rescue.

Goal

Win War

In this adventure or set of adventures, the characters become part of an army -- a force assaulting another kingdom, perhaps, or an army defending one realm from another.

Story Hook

Mistaken Identity

The hero could be mistaken by one villain for another villain involved in the master plot. This has good comic potential if the hero and missing villain are in fact so similar that no one can tell them apart. (This is even more fun if they turn out to be long-lost twins.)

Plot

A-B-C Quest

This is an epic sort of plot. In it, the heros are given (or undertake) a task to perform: The taking of a city, the rescue of an innocent, the destruction of a monster, the creation of a magical item, the defeat of a Master Villain, etc. But the path to victory is not a simple one. To get to their goal, Event A, they find that they must first accomplish some other task -- Event B. But when they undertake the task of accomplishing Event B, they find that they must first accomplish Event C. This goes on for several encounters, until the heroes accomplish all the obstacle events which prevent them from returning to Event A, their original goal.

Climax

Bloody Battle

This is the best Climax for an adventure involving the clash of mighty armies -- or for any adventure where, toward the end, the Master Villain and a large body of minions confront the heroes and their own troops. This finale is characterized by a monstrous clash between the two forces, with the heroes chewing through the enemy ranks to get at the Master Villain and his elite guards. It's strenuous, exciting, and classically simple.

General Setting

Under the Ground

In this variety of adventure, the heroes descend into vast cavern networks beneath the earth's crust. There, they can encounter bizarre races and primitive tribes, hitherto-unknown monsters and strange landscapes.

Specific Setting I

Mansion of a Lord

This can be the home of a villain -- the characters may have to break in and rescue someone or steal evidence, or break out if they've been captured -- or of a heroic ally, in which case it may be used as the headquarters for the heroes' plans and activities.

Specific Setting II

Demi-human Community

In wilderness areas, this will be a large community of demi-humans -- elves, dwarves, halflings, whatever -- or intelligent nonhumans such as orcs. If your action is taking place in a city, this could be a hidden community (such as a secret underground dwarf community) or a section of the city inhabited mostly by demi-humans.

Master Villain

Destroyer

This villain is like the Corruptor, except that he likes destroying instead of corrupting. He operates like the Conqueror, moving in his armies -- often nonhuman or monstrous armies -- and destroying everything in sight. Again, the Destroyer could easily be an evil god or demon, meaning the heroes wil have to find his weakness in order to thwart his current plan.

Minor Villain I

Single-Minded Soldier

This most trustworthy of villain minions is the experienced, competent, persistent soldier -- a field-trained officer who serves the villain with military precision. He is usually encountered in the field as leader of the villain's field operations. He is not encountered directly until the middle of or the latter part of the adventure; until then, the heroes encounter only his subordinates.

Minor Villain II

Chief Assassin

The Chief Assassin is the favorite killer of the Master Villain. The Assassin works mostly in the field, first killing witnesses who might prove harmful to his master, then zeroing in on the player-characters. He usually meets his end before the adventure's climax, but he may taken one of the heroes down with him.

Ally/Neutral Grumpy

Old Professional

Again, the heroes need an expert in a certain field -- this time a craft or art, such as blacksmithing, engineering, horse-training, or whatever. The only or best professional they can find is an aged expert. He's grumpy, cranky, and sharp-tongued; he constantly complains about the food, the weather, his companions, the decline in skill of his co-workers since he was a young man, the road conditions, the rotten pay he's receiving, and so on.

Monster Encounter

Assassin Monster

This mosnter, at some time in the adventure, is sent by the Master Villain to attack one or more heroes when they're at their most vulnerable -- asleep, enjoying themselves, etc. Usually, the Assassin Monster attacks, but the hero, though injured, is able to hold it off long enough for his friends to respond to his shouts. The Assassin Monster is usually killed by his friends, who can then speculate on who sent it and why.

Character Encounter

Lying Accuser

A captured thief may accuse the character of putting him up to the theft; an abandoned mother may accuse the hero of fathering the child; a reputable witness (working for the Master Villain) may accuse the hero of a murder or robbery. The hero shouldn't know what he's accused of until he's hauled in by the authorities.

Deathtrap

Rock and a Hard Place

This trap starts out as an Animal Pit, Pit and the Pendulum, or Tomb Deathtrap, but an obvious escape suggests itself very early on. Trouble is, it leads into even worse danger. The hole out of the animal pit may lead to the lair of an even worse animal; it may lead through a succession of dangers (collapsing old catacombs, into an underground river, into a den of zombies) before the heroes reach the light.

Chase

Horseback

This is a relatively short chase -- it only needs to go on for a mile or so before even the best horses are winded. If it goes on longer than that, the horses may collapse and perhaps die.

Omen/Prophecy

Hero Fulfills Prophecy

This is the most useful sort of prophecy. In the early part of the adventure, one of the heroes discovers that he fulfills some ancient prophecy.

Secret Weakness

Secret Embarrassment

Finally, the villain may have some aberration or secret shame that will force him to flee when he is confronted with it. It could be something as simple as the fact that his nose is too big, or that he is a small and nebbishly wizard pretending to be some vast, powerful demonic power. When his shame is revealed, he is too humiliated to continue; this is a good option for comedy adventures.

Special Condition

Coping with a Curse

The curse might be making the hero progressively uglier, might be draining out his life-force (he's losing experience which will be retruned if he succeeds), or might be making him progressively insane. Each day, as he sees his reflection in a mirror or pond or fountain, he'll know himself to be less than he used to be.

Moral Quandry

Respect Quandry

This is much like the Ally Quandry, only at a greater distance. The heroes have been utilizing the aid of two (or more) powerful NPC allies. Now, in the course of the adventure, the heroes come across a task which can be accomplished in one of two ways -- say, through military intervention or by esoteric magic. The problem is, the NPC allies are arguing for different choices, and the one whom the heores choose against will no longer aid them.

Red Herring

Lying Rumor

This is the worst and most useful type of red herring -- the interesting rumor which just happens to be false. In adventures of this sort, the best Lying Rumor concerns the Master Villain; it gives the heroes some "important" information about him which later turns out to be useless.

Cruel Trick

Mission is a Ruse

In the course of their adventuring, the heroes discover they have been tricked into performing a mission which helps the Master Villain.