#Elisha's transition

[igate777]

(via TRACKING THE SEASON WITH CALIBRATED PROPHETIC GPS. PART 3.)

[juniper-clan]

“You’ll never see him until he’s introduced to the clan.”

HE JOINS?!? Oh that’s so cool. Y’know, if he’s (they? She? Pronouns please) an easygoing guy, maybe he can be the medicine cat instead of Amberpaw? It’d be better since he’s a former kittypet and the transition would be smoother.

Elisha is he/him cis male :) and good eye, he does indeed join in the future. I may drop his sprite sooner though.

Also I noticed everyone theorizing Heron looks to be pregnant in this moon; that's my fault, I was using a housecat as a reference for that pose and it made her look thick 😵‍💫 you all will know when she's preggo trust me

[allthecanadianpolitics]

WARNING: This story contains discussion of suicide.  Elisha Dacey's 15-year-old is caught in a care gap: too old to be accepted at one gender transition Winnipeg clinic, too young to get in at another. "They were right in that sweet spot of technically not getting or qualifying for any kind of public health, so that was frustrating and demoralizing," said Dacey. "Since then we've still been just waiting." The Gender Diversity Affirmation and Action for Youth clinic (GDAAY) helps children and young teens transition. It used to help patients up to the age of 15, but has reduced the age referral criteria by one year to 14. That was in response to demand outpacing resources "owing to the fact that we are entirely unfunded," reads a GDAAY doctor's letter to Dacey's child's pediatrician in April of this year. The Trans Health Klinic, the only other program in the city, helps people 16 and up transition. Dacey was recently informed their child is now on that waitlist. They join the roughly 600 other youth and adults who remain in waitlist limbo amid a shortage of care providers outside the two clinics trained in gender-affirming care.

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

[eesirachs]

thinking about when a body becomes a corpse, and then, when a corpse becomes an object—especially for prophetic bodies. how long does it take for the prophet elisha, for example, to become bones, and then for those bones to become relics? the bible only tells us הָיָה, it became that way. in other cases this transition is more muddy. how long was samuel dead before his spirit was evoked by saul? the bible only tells us "and he had been dead," but gives no time. is there even a timeline here? where does fleshism collapse? is the prophetic body, that particular body without organs, faster in its dis-membering into corpse and then object?

[players-of-intrigue]

In order to keep myself sane while I was studying for finals, I got around to making playlists for my three PCs, woe thee:

These are still WIPs but most of the songs that I want are in there — self indulgent blorbo jams ft gut wrenching songs that only i and a friend of mine have the context to

extra notes below the cut:

I apologize for the amount of The Amazing Devil songs, their discography works too well (and makes me cry, but thats normal)

Elio and Vox share some songs because thats intentional, thats their songs as a duo exclusively (and also the order of the shared songs match so, fun-fun.)

I did put a little too much thought in the order of songs for this (also why there’s some instrumental songs thrown in there, its for vibe transitions) so its gonna be at least a little more fun if you listen to it in order (or at least I hope so)

I may have put too much ouch-y songs for Elisha. My bad.

And also, most of these songs won’t really make sense if you don’t know these characters’ backstories I realize (my fault I’ll be honest, I’ll write it up in another day)

Everyone is open to send asks for elaboration on the songs and their stories btw, I’ve been wanting to ramble about these three but I need someone to enable it

[albertfinch]

MANAGING TRANSITION

YOU HAVE OUTGROWN YOUR CHURCH

This is often the case when God transitions you from one spiritual environment to another. In your current environment, you've experienced everything of God and the life of faith that there is capacity to express. For example, you may have been part of an evangelical church with incomplete scriptural teaching. You have come to a place where the "improve yourself" sermons are not working on your spiritual life. Each week after all the "making you a better person" sermons along with the Church programs and hoopla, you begin to see yourself running on a weekly hampster wheel going nowhere fast. This may be a signal that transition is in the wind.

COMING TO UNDERSTAND

You come to understand that God wants to expose you to a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit. However, your current church simply doesn't have a paradigm for that. Something is being quenched inside you. God transitions you into a new environment where there is a much greater openness to things of the Spirit. You begin to encounter Him in new ways. It can almost feel as if you've been born again – again.

YOUR CURRENT ENVIRONMENT HAS BECOME TOO LIMITING OR RESTRICTIVE

When Elijah was taken to Heaven, his mantle was picked up by Elisha. This initiated a new phase of ministry for the younger prophet. Some of your old "coats" or "mantles" have expired. They were God's anointing for a specific assignment or purpose in a previous season. But now He wants to remantle you for what lies ahead. Picking up the new requires being willing to release the old.

DON'T LET THE PRESENT SEASON BECOME A PERMANENT HABITATION

God brought you into your current season for a reason -- now that season is over. The danger is that you settle and stay too long. You allow a temporary stopover to become a permanent habitation. In Genesis 11:31 we read, "One day Terah took his son Abram... and moved away from Ur of the Chaldeans. He was headed for the land of Canaan, but they stopped at Haran and settled there. Terah lived for 205 years and died while still in Haran." Terah was called to Canaan, but instead he settled in Haran and died there. He stopped short of his destiny and finished up in the wrong place. There are Believers with great callings and dreams from God that get settled and stuck in a place they were only meant to stay for a limited time. They became too comfortable. They struggled with fear of the unknown. Disappointments and hurts from the past kept them from pioneering and taking new risks. In Deuteronomy 1:6–7, God tells Moses, "...You have stayed at this mountain long enough. It is time to break camp and move on..." That's a word for some Believers today. You've been here long enough. It's time to move on.

TRANSITIONING OUT OF A TOXIC ENVIRONMENT

Sometimes God transitions you because something has changed in your environment. A place that was once safe and welcoming has become toxic and destructive. A relationship has become abusive. A boss demeans and mistreats you. A job has become too isolating. A church or ministry has become controlling. To remain there will be damaging or detrimental to your well-being. Move on. Do whatever you need to do. You must protect yourself and those under your care.

BETWEEN TWO SEASONS

You could be in the middle of a transition, but until now, you haven't realized it. If you discover that you're in between two seasons start to dress for the season you're entering, not the one you're leaving behind.

ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

[phantom-le6]

Ramble of the month February 2024: 90’s MCU phase 5 – transitioning from Secret Wars to Infinity Wars

Having spent much of last month and a fair bit of this one working on submissions to literary agencies for my autism book, this month’s ramble and the one for next month took a bit of a back seat, and as such I’ve still not been able to vary myself away from delving further into my hypothetical Marvel and DC film universes.  Apologies to anyone who, like me, were hoping to vary things more.  However, hopefully what we cover in this ramble and the next will make up for it, and as April will be Autism Awareness time, I can guarantee something different for then.

By this point, I’m sure readers don’t need as much of a recap on what these posts to do with my 90’s-based MCU are about.  Long story short, I’ve done what the meme makers don’t; looked at the comic book and real-world history of Marvel from that era to create an actual 90’s based MCU instead of putting 90’s actors into a present-day MCU.  However, as we’re into a fifth phase and well past the 1990’s, we should at least quickly review phases 1-4 first.

Phase 1:

1992: Fantastic Four, Hulk, Iron Man

1993: Thor, Spider-Man, Ant-Man & The Wasp

1994: Captain America: Fantastic Four 2, Iron Man 2

1995: X-Men, Avengers, Daredevil

Phase 2:

1996: Spider-Man 2, Thor: Land of Enchantment, Silver Surfer

1997: Hulk vs Wolverine, Fantastic Four: Doomsday, Iron Man 3

1998: Captain America: Society of Serpents, Daredevil 2, X-Men 2

1999: Avenger 2, Spider-Man 3, Doctor Strange

Phase 3:

2000: Fantastic Four: World War III, Thor: Ragnarök, Daredevil 3

2001: Hulk: Rise of the Leader, X-Men: Fall of the Mutants, Avengers: Under Siege

2002: Doctor Strange 2, The Captain, Spider-Man 4

2003: Captain Britain, Fantastic Four: Enter the Negative Zone, Ghost Rider

Phase 4:

2004: Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Secret Wars: Part I

2005: Excalibur, Defenders, Ghost Rider 2

2006: X-Factor, Secret Wars: Part II, Heroes For Hire

2007: Namor the Submariner, Doctor Strange 3, Iron Man: Enter The Mandarin

As discussed in previous rambles, phase 1 was all about establishing the MCU and its characters, phase 2 was about the expansion and development of the continuity, while phase 3 was mostly about many characters and teams losing, being put on the back foot and so on.  Phase 4 then covered Secret Wars, which temporarily deprived Earth of some major MCU heroes to put them through a real alien war, and in the process also allowed some other heroes to come to the fore.  Phase 5 then becomes about following on from some of those plot threads while beginning the set-up for this MCU’s version of the Infinity War.  So, let’s quickly show you the phase 5 slate and then get right into the details of these would-be films.

Phase 5:

2008: Spider-Man 5, Fantastic Four: Unthinkable, Ms Marvel

2009: Elektra, Black Panther 2, Defenders 2

2010: X-Men: Proteus, Spider-Man 6, Ant-Man 2

2011: Silver Surfer 2, Avengers vs X-Men, Ghost Rider 3

Spider-Man 5 (2008) Directed by Matthew Vaughan

Peter Parker/Spider-Man = Wil Weaton

May Parker = Marg Helgenberger

Flash Thompson = Ben Affleck

J. Jonah Jameson = J.K. Simmons

Joseph "Robbie" Robertson = Denzel Washington

Betty Brant = Parker Posey

Ned Leeds = John Barrowman

Eddie Brock = Wentworth Miller

Randy Robertson = Taye Diggs

Harry Osborn = Ryan Phillipe

Mary-Jane Watson = Alison Hannigan

Herman Schultz/Shocker = Patrick Muldoon

Felicia Hardy/The Black Cat = Elisha Cuthbert

Roderick Kingsley/Hobgoblin = Michael Keaton

Quentin Beck/Mysterio = Nathan Fillion

Captain Jean DeWolff = Jessica Biel

Detective Stanley Carter/”Sin Eater” = James Marsden

In the first three Spider-Man films, we built up to Peter befriending the Osborns and dating Gwen, only for the Green Goblin/Death of Gwen story arcs to play out in Spider-Man 3.  The fourth film then gave Peter a clash with the Sinister Six as he struggles to come to terms with Gwen’s death.  Following Secret Wars, Peter now has the alien costume, and so film 5 is basically the alien costume story arc.  Sounding a little too much like the Raimi/Maguire Spider-Man 3?  Trust me, it’s not like that and for two key reasons.  Firstly, I’m not trying to shoe-horn Venom in for the third act, just set him up for another film.  Second, I’ve chosen Wentworth Miller of Prison Break and The Flash fame to play Eddie Brock, and that’s far from being our only change.

In this film, Peter’s occupied trying to stop a series of illusion thefts being committed on behalf of a new “kingpin”, who turns out to be the Hobgoblin, while also having to track down a notorious serial killer called the “Sin Eater”.  As the alien costume influences Peter ever more, the question becomes less will he stop all the criminals, but rather will he become one.  Matters are further complicated when costume thief Black Cat begins seducing Spider-Man and the alien costume pushes Peter to accept this despite his relationship with Mary-Jane.  The film culminates with a chance clash with the Shocker revealing the alien nature of Peter’s costume, forcing him to finally fight it off.  Eddie Brock gaining the symbiote is then handled in a credit’s scene.

Direction-wise, I picked Matthew Vaughan as he’s a proven superhero film director due to his work on X-Men: First Class.  He’s the fourth director to take a hand on Spider-Man solo film in this hypothetical MCU, with John Hughes having directed the first two, and 3 and 4 being handled by Frank Darabont and Martin Campbell, respectively.

Fantastic Four: Unthinkable (2008) Directed by Roland Emmerich

Reed Richards/Mr Fantastic = Tom Hanks

Susan Storm (Richards)/Invisible Woman = Meg Ryan

Johnny Storm/Human Torch = David Spade

Ben Grimm/Thing = Bryan Cranston

Alicia Masters = Heather Graham

Agatha Harkness = Angela Lansbury

Victor Von Doom/Doctor Doom = Goran Višnjić

Hauptmann = Ronald Guttman

Nick Fury = Tommy Lee Jones

Black Bolt = Pierce Brosnan

Medusa = Elizabeth Hurley

Crystal = Dina Meyer

Gorgon = J.G. Hertzler

Karnak = Alexander Siddig

Triton = Orlando Bloom

T'Challa/Black Panther = Chadwick Boseman

Namor McKenzie/The Submariner = Christian Bale

Barbara "Bobbi" Morse/Mockingbird = Rebecca Romijn-Stamos

Jericho Drumm/Brother Voodoo = Doug E. Doug

Having had the Fantastic Four directed by Leonard Nemoy (films 1-2), Steven Spielberg (films 3-4) and Ridley Scott (film 5), this MCU closes out their share of films under the stewardship of Roland Emmerich, notable for such films as Independence Day, White House Down and Midway.  This film adapts the events of the storylines ‘Unthinkable’ and ‘Authoritative Action’, but leaves the events of ‘Hereafter’ to the comics and begins introducing the Infinity Stones.  Since non-comics fans and fans who haven’t read those stories won’t get those references, let’s do a quick summary.

In the comics, Doctor Doom turned to magic for an attack on the Fantastic Four, which resulted in Reed and Sue’s son Franklin being taken to hell, and the team having to storm Latveria to get him back.  During the incident, Doom scarred Reed before being dragged into hell.  Afterwards, Reed seized control of Latveria to dismantle Doom’s arsenal and craft a permanent prison for Doom, one in which Reed would serve as warden.  However, when the rest of the team tried to stop Reed, Doom somehow began to possess each in turn, ultimately forcing Reed to kill Ben Grimm just to stop Doom.  The events of the Hereafter arc involved a trip into the afterlife to bring Ben back, in the process healing Reed’s scars.

In this film, Franklin is kidnapped and taken to a demon dimension, and Sue leads a rescue team comprised of her, Ben Grimm, Brother Voodoo and the Black Panther to save Franklin while Reed and Johnny attack Doom, aided by the Inhumans and Namor the Submariner.  The attack seemingly defeats Doom, after which Reed leads the F4 to Latveria, seizing control of the nation.  Fearing Doom is somehow influencing Reed, Nick Fury of SHIELD intervenes along with Mockingbird, Voodoo, Namor and T’Challa, only for the seemingly captured Doom to begin telepathically controlling the other F4 members.  Ultimately, Reed manages to force a feedback that wipes Doom’s mind, but in the process, Ben Grimm dies as he does in the comics.  With Ben’s death, the Fantastic Four decide to step back from hero work, becoming a think tank called the Future Foundation.

The bulk of the film’s cast is from past films, with the only new addition being mystical nanny Agatha Harkness, played by Angela Lansbury in better keeping with the comics version of the character.  As for the Infinity Stone I mentioned, that would be the mind stone, which Doom uses to control the various F4 members until Reed works out Doom is channelling the stone’s power and creates the feedback.

Ms Marvel (2008) Directed by Gates McFadden

Carol Danvers/Ms Marvel = Melissa Joan Hart

Michael Barnett = Brian Krause

J. Jonah Jameson = J.K. Simmons

Frank Gianelli = Rory Cochrane

Tracey Burke = Kate Mulgrew

Tabitha Townsend = Kyla Pratt

Lynn Andersen = Amanda Seyfried

Mystique/Raven Darkholme = Connie Nielsen

Rogue = Anna Paquin

Avalanche = Alessandro Gassmann

Fred J Dukes/Blob = Vince Vaughan

Pyro = Hugh Jackman

Irene Adler/Destiny = Sally Field

When it comes to trying to tackle Carol Danvers in films, one story that’s yet to hit the big screen is the story of her downfall against the X-Man Rogue back when Rogue was part of Mystique’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.  Indeed, the 90’s animated series of the X-Men is the only adaptation to handle this, and they did it by neatly sidestepping some disturbing backstory.  Long story short, there was a story arc in the Avengers comics around the late 70’s/early 80’s where Carol (then codenamed Ms Marvel) was mind-controlled and raped by an extra-dimensional being so he could be reborn in a body compatible with Earth, then after fast-growing to adulthood, his presence caused a bunch of time disruptions.  When Carol then agreed to go with this being, the Avengers made no effort to prevent this.

When Chris Claremont wrote Rogue into Avengers Annual 10 and showed Rogue rocking Carol’s powers, the question that came to be asked was why Carol hadn’t sought out the Avengers upon returning to Earth, and the answer was made clear.  The team hadn’t shown any real concern for Carol during her strange accelerated pregnancy, and then let her go off with a blatantly mind-controlling rapist from another dimension.  As such, telling the story of Carol clashing with Rogue and the Brotherhood should never be an exact re-telling.  Claremont’s story in Avengers Annual 10 was as much about correcting what the writer of the main comics at that time had written, and with film adaptations, you’re better off just taking a different path entirely.

In this case, we’re showing Carol working as an investigative journalist for a Daily Bugle-owned women’s magazine, who uses the Ms Marvel identity to tackle crime where needed.  This is based on her original run in the comics, so we have Jameson borrowed from the Spider-Man films while using the magazine staff from the comics for supporting roles.  As for the villains, roles from past films like Mystique and Pyro are combined with newly cast actors to give us our second MCU Brotherhood.  The film draws in a mix of acting talent, with Melissa Joan Hart reprising the role of Carol Danvers, and Trek alumni Gates McFadden directing the film.  McFadden has played the mutant Plague/Pestilence for three X-films before this and has some directing experience, making her a good choice for this project.

Elektra (2009) Directed by Roxann Dawson

Elektra Natchios = Leonor Varela

Stick = Scott Glenn

Stone = Sigourney Weaver

Kirigi = Daniel Henney

Frank Simpson/Nuke = John Cena

Matsu'o Tsurayaba = Hiroyuki Sanada

Kwannon = Kelly Hu

Turk Barrett = Gary Dourdan

The story of Elektra following her death in Daredevil is one Fox didn’t quite get right, in large part because they tried to incorporate plot elements and tropes that didn’t tonally fit with the character.  Having used two Daredevil films to set her up before giving the character a one-shot solo film, I think the best thing is taking those bits out.  Instead, we get the Hand going after the Chaste with Elektra in the middle, and when Elektra proves more than they can handle, they bring in the pill-popping assassin known as Nuke.  It’s a straight-up martial arts action film initially, but then becomes a more Punisher-like action film when Nuke comes on the scene.

Trek alumni Roxann Dawson takes the helm because she’s one of the few women I know of that would be directing anything back around this time.  Considering that films with female leads are often better handled by female directors, it makes sense to try and make this the case wherever possible.  The cast is either retained from past films of picked to be more comic-accurate.  Case-in-point, picking American actor Scott Glenn to play Stick rather than English actor Terrence Stamp.

Black Panther 2 (2009) Directed by Tim Burton

T'Challa/Black Panther = Chadwick Boseman

Shuri = Tatyana Ali

Ramonda = Alfre Woodard

T'Chaka = Courtney B. Vance

W'Kabi = Chiwetel Ejiofor

Okoye = Nia Long

Zuri = Joseph Marcell

M'Baku = Idris Elba

Nakia = Lupita Nyong'o

Monica Lynne = Kerry Washington

Baron Macabre = Sterling K Brown

Jerome Beechman/Mandrill = Joaquin Phoenix

Nekra Sinclair = Toks Olagundoye

Kevin Plundarr/Ka-Zar = Chris Hemsworth

Shanna O'Hara = Scarlett Johansson

Zaladane = Jolene Blalock

Everett Ross = Martin Freeman

In Black Panther 2, T’Challa becomes allied with Ka-Zar of the Savage Land when it turns out his hidden jungle in Antarctica houses a cache of Vibranium to rival Wakanda’s.  Most would-be Vibranium hunters baulk at trying to gain the Antarctic variety due to the dinosaurs, but soon both nations are threatened when the woman-controlling mutant Mandrill, his adoptive sister Nekra, the Savage Land priestess Zaladane and Wakandan criminal Baron Macabre team up.  Due to the inclusion of some of these villains, I opted to switch from Tim Story to Tim Burton from a directing stand-point.  This film also features a change of role for a couple of real-world MCU alumni.

Defenders 2 (2009) Directed by Stephen Sommers

Dr Stephen Strange = Johnny Depp

Namor McKenzie/The Submariner = Christian Bale

Bruce Banner/Hulk = John Cusack

Silver Surfer = David Wenham

Valkyrie = Diane Kruger

Kyle Richmond/Nighthawk = Josh Duhamel

Patsy Walker/Hellcat = Mena Suvari

Wong = Will Yun Lee

Clea = Keira Knightley

Jericho Drumm/Brother Voodoo = Doug E. Doug

Dr Anthony Druid = Mark Strong

Daimon Hellstrom = James Van Der Beek

Dr Tania Belinsky (Belinskaya)/Red Guardian = Beatrice Rosen

Dr Arthur Nagan = Julian McMahon

Dr Jerold "Jerry" Morgan = Stellan Skarsgård

Ruby Thursday = Alyssa Milano

Harvey Schlemerman/Chondu the Mystic = Stanley Tucci

Shuma-Gorath = Geoffrey Rush

The Defenders, Marvel’s superhero non-team, return for a second instalment at this point, and I’ve picked Stephen Sommers as director based on him directing a live-action GI Joe film around the same time.  In this film, the few routinely active Defenders learn via immigrant Russian doctor and superhero Red Guardian that a team of scientists called the Headmen have stolen the Reality Stone from AIM in an effort to seize world power for themselves.  Allying with Namor the Sub-Mariner, the Defenders seek to stop the Headmen while Clea joins with Brother Voodoo, Dr Druid and Daimon Hellstrom to try and bring back Doctor Strange from the extra-dimensional limbo he sacrificed himself to in Doctor Strange 3.  At the same time, the Silver Surfer seeks the Hulk.  The whole team then comes together when the Headmen open a portal for Shuma-Gorath, in the process transforming into their strange comic-style appearances.

Everyone from Dr Druid on down in the cast list is new.  As for why we’re skipping over the original male Red Guardian and focusing on the second female iteration for this MCU, there’s two reasons.  First, the second female iteration served as a Defender in the original comics, and second, these MCU rambles are focused on the main film continuity, which in this version of the MCU is strictly cinematic.  TV shows, while allowed as tie-ins, are optional content, and while I’d happily allow a TV show to dive in on Black Widow and some other characters, I think a film was and is a bit much for a character with so little solo comics content.

X-Men: Proteus (2010) Directed by LeVar Burton

Storm/Ororo Monroe = Halle Berry

Polaris/Lorna Dane = Jeri Ryan

Wolverine/Logan = Tom Cruise

Peter Rasputin/Colossus = Henry Cavill

Remi LeBeau/Gambit = Zachary Levi

Cyclops/Scott Summers = Patrick Swayze

Jean Grey = Milla Jovovich

Warren Worthington III/Archangel = Neil Patrick Harris

Beast/Hank McCoy = Alec Baldwin

Robert Drake/Iceman = Michael Weatherley

Banshee/Sean Cassidy = Liam Neeson

Dr Moira Mactaggert = Olivia Williams

Mystique/Raven Darkholme = Connie Nielsen

Rogue = Anna Paquin

Avalanche = Alessandro Gassmann

Fred J Dukes/Blob = Vince Vaughan

Pyro = Hugh Jackman

Irene Adler/Destiny = Sally Field

Professor Charles Xavier = Patrick Stewart

Kevin Mactaggert/Proteus = Iain De Caestecker

Joseph Mactaggert = John Hannah

Rahne Sinclair/Wolfsbane = Bonnie Wright

Danielle Moonstar = Selena Gomez

Jubilee = Chloe Bennett

Everett Thomas/Synch = Christopher Massey

Douglas Ramsey/Cypher = Devon Bostick

With the third X-Men film Fall of the Mutants having split the X-Men up, and a combination of the Secret Wars duology, Excalibur and X-Factor films following events for the divided team, this fourth X-Men film is intended to reunite some of the scattered team into a new whole.  It also gives Rogue her defection from the Brotherhood following the events of Ms Marvel.  In this film, Moira Mactaggert’s son Proteus emerges as a dangerous mutant and begins a rampage across to Scotland.  With Excalibur unavailable, X-Factor is summoned while the X-Men pursue Mystique’s Brotherhood to Scotland.  The two teams meet up and reunite when they find Professor X is also with Moira, having been recuperating on Muir Island since being released from a SHIELD hospital (this is set-up over end-credit scenes for Fall of the Mutants and X-Factor).

Direction-wise, the X-Men have been handled initially by Jonathan Demme and then Jonathan Frakes in films bearing their team’s name, while Excalibur was helmed by Christopher Nolan and X-Factor by LeVar Burton.  For this film, I’ve put Burton back in the director’s chair.  Casting-wise, I imagine same fans will be perplexed by my choice of Chloe Bennett for Jubilee.  This is because Bennett is of a mixed ancestry that includes having a Chinese mother, and while the ideal is always to try for exact representation from the comics, there aren’t many actresses active in Hollywood around the time of this film with even one parent of Chinese descent, let alone two.

As such, the question becomes which do you compromise; Jubilee’s racial background or her nationality?  My choice, compromise slightly on racial background and bring in some plot threads relating to prejudice against people of mixed race.  Quite honestly, characters of mixed race are among those groups under-represented in film and TV, so if I have to compromise, let me at least try and do so in a positive way.

Spider-Man 6 (2010) Directed by Matthew Vaughan

Peter Parker/Spider-Man = Wil Weaton

May Parker = Marg Helgenberger

J. Jonah Jameson = J.K. Simmons

Joseph "Robbie" Robertson = Denzel Washington

Betty Brant = Parker Posey

Ned Leeds = John Barrowman

Eddie Brock/Venom = Wentworth Miller

Randy Robertson = Taye Diggs

Mary-Jane Watson-Parker = Alison Hannigan

Flash Thompson = Ben Affleck

Felicia Hardy/The Black Cat = Elisha Cuthbert

Sha Shan Nguyen = Grace Park

Captain Jean DeWolff = Jessica Biel

Anne Weying = Michelle Williams

Principal Harrington = Viggo Mortensen

Lance Bannon = Hayden Christensen

Gloria "Glory" Grant = Candice Patton

In the sixth of our Spider-Man films, and the last to both start and end with Peter Parker wearing the webs, we showcase Peter and MJ preparing for their upcoming wedding, but the pair are stalked by Eddie Brock, who has now joined with the Venom symbiote and seeks to make Peter’s life hell.  He attempts to manipulate the Black Cat into being his co-conspirator as well, preying on her jealousy after the symbiote-free Spider-Man resists her seduction.  The story ultimately culminates in Venom trying to force Peter into a no-win situation where he has to choose who to save; Mary-Jane or Felicia.  Matthew Vaughan returns to direct, and we get a few extra supporting cast members in lieu of the various villains of Spider-Man 5.

Ant-Man 2 (2010) Directed by Peyton Reed

Hank Pym/Ant-Man = Michael Douglas

Scott Lang/Ant-Man II = Paul Rudd

Maggie Lang = Judy Greer

Cassie Lang = Joey King

William Cross/Crossfire = Ethan Hawke

Taskmaster = Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Alex Gentry/Porcupine = Nick Offerman

Janice Lincoln/Beetle = Naya Rivera

Having left Ant-Man alone in terms of solo films since phase 1, phase 2 marks a return for Hank Pym, who by this point has been out of action since a mental break-down forced him to retire.  Now of sound mind again, he tries to deal with tech thief Crossfire, who steals the prototype for a new, more aggressive variant of the Ant-Man suit, the Yellowjacket.  However, Hank’s old suit is not safe to use as it clashes with his neuro-chemistry, risking more mental break-down.  Even worse, it’s been stolen.  In tracking down the Ant-Man suit, Hank encounters desperate divorced father Scott Lang, who stole the suit to get money to cover his daughter’s medical treatment.

With this film, the aim is to pass the mantle of Ant-Man to Scott Lang in a more comics-accurate manner, while at the same time preserving certain casting that the MCU got right, hence why Pym, Scott and Maggie are all retained from the real MCU.  In terms of Cassie, I switched to Joey King as she’s had a remarkably steady record of employment for a non-Disney child actress, and I think she’s a great choice to take up this role for the remainder of this hypothetical MCU.  Direction-wise, I figured it best to stick with the choices of the real MCU and go for Peyton Reed, having had to go with Sam Raimi on the 90’s-made first Ant-Man of this MCU.

Silver Surfer 2 (2011) Directed by JJ Abrams

Silver Surfer = David Wenham

Thanos = Josh Brolin

Mentor = Michael McKean

Eros/Starfox = Joel McHale

Gamora = Zoe Saldana

Drax the Destroyer = Dean Cain

Adam Warlock = Chris Pine

Pip the Troll = Peter Dinklage

Nebula = Emma Stone

Mar-Vell/Captain Marvel = Jude Law

Following the events of Defenders 2, the Silver Surfer finds himself drawn into yet more Infinity Stone adventures when Kree hero Captain Marvel and the android Drax the Destroyer come to Earth with Adam Warlock, keeper of the Soul Gem.  Hot on their heels are Thanos and Nebula, each of whom has begun to seek the Infinity Stones.  Worse still, Mar-Vell is dying of cancer.  The film is meant to advance the Infinity Stones plot while also adapting the death of Mar-Vell from the comics, not to mention setting up for the Guardians of the Galaxy to appear in the next phase.

For direction, I’ve picked JJ Abrams based on his Star Trek and Star Wars work making him a decent choice for a space-based hero like the Silver Surfer.  In terms of casting, we have a few reprises from past films in this 90’s MCU and from the real MCU.  However, some shifts have also occurred, most notably with Drax due to wanting to use his original comics origins over the revised MCU/later comics version.  The would-be autistic representation of Bautista and Gunn’s Drax quickly become so much farce, so as an autistic person, I’d just as soon avoid that and go down the android route, thanks very much.

Avengers vs X-Men (2011) Directed by Jonathan Frakes

Cyclops/Scott Summers = Patrick Swayze

Jean Grey = Milla Jovovich

Storm/Ororo Monroe = Halle Berry

Wolverine/Logan = Tom Cruise

Peter Rasputin/Colossus = Henry Cavill

Remi LeBeau/Gambit = Zachary Levi

Warren Worthington III/Archangel = Neil Patrick Harris

Rogue = Anna Paquin

Steve Rogers/Captain America = Brad Pitt

Thor = Dolph Lundgren

Janet Van Dyne/Wasp = Catherine Zeta Jones

Iron Man/Tony Stark = Tom Selleck

Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk = Lucy Lawless

T'Challa/Black Panther = Chadwick Boseman

Sam Wilson/Falcon = Will Smith

Peter Parker/Spider-Man = Wil Weaton

Professor Charles Xavier = Patrick Stewart

Carol Danvers = Melissa Joan Hart

Mystique/Raven Darkholme = Connie Nielsen

Avalanche = Alessandro Gassmann

Fred J Dukes/Blob = Vince Vaughan

Pyro = Hugh Jackman

Irene Adler/Destiny = Sally Field

Frank Bohannan/Crimson Commando = Harrison Ford

Louis Hamilton/Stonewall = James Brolin

Martin Fletcher/Super-Sabre = Peter Fonda

Dr Valerie Cooper = Malin Åkerman

Sebastian Gilbreti/Bastion = Bruce Greenwood

Congressman Rev. William Stryker = Eric Roberts

Forge = Jimmy Smits

There have been two occasions in Marvel comics where the X-Men and Avengers have been drawn into direct conflict, at least using multiple issues of a comic and to my knowledge.  The first is the 1980’s mini-series X-Men versus Avengers, where the Avengers attempted to arrest Magneto to resume his trial before the world court, while the Soviet Super-Soldiers sought to arrest Magneto for his actions in X-Men #150.  As Magneto was part of the X-Men at the time, this naturally put all three teams at odds with each other.  The second occasion was the AvX storyline in which Cyclops, Emma Frost, Namor, Colossus and Magik became possessed by the Phoenix Force, something the Avengers tried to prevent and later combat.

While this film draws on the basic concept of both series, that something sets the Avengers and the X-Men at odds with each other, it’s not about arresting Magneto or issues with the Phoenix force.  Instead, the issue is Rogue; her status as a mutant terrorist is used to convince the Avengers to apprehend the X-Men.  This is bad timing, as the X-Men are working with Rogue to help restore the mind of Carol Danvers.  The masterminds of the plot are rabid anti-mutant politician William Stryker and government advisor Sebastian, who in reality is a new form of sentinel in disguise.  Luckily, government advisor and secret mutant Forge is suspicious of Bastion and convinces NSA director Dr Valerie Cooper to set up a contingency plan.

As a result, the film builds to a climax where, after the intervention of Spider-Man ends a major fight between the two teams, Bastion unleashes his prime sentinels.  Enter Mystique’s expanded Brotherhood in their guise as community service government heroes Freedom Force, and the stage is set for a truly epic battle.  Direction-wise, I opted for Jonathan Frakes to helm this entry, and while many actors are reprising roles from past films, everyone from Crimson Commando on down is new to the MCU as of this film.

Ghost Rider 3 (2011) Directed by Mark Steven Johnson

Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider = Connor Trinneer

Roxanne Simpson = Jessica Alba

Eric Brooks/Blade = Jamie Foxx

Rachel Van Helsing = Cote De Pablo

Daimon Hellstrom = James Van Der Beek

Vlad Tepish/Dracula = Mads Mikkelsen

Lilith = Felicity Jones

Mephistopheles = Jeffery Combs

Phase 5 of our 90’s MCU closes out by bringing Johnny Blaze’s time as Ghost Rider to its conclusion, in a story where Johnny teams up with Blade, Rachel Van Helsing and Daimon Hellstrom against Dracula and his daughter Lilith, who are secretly in league with Mephistopheles.  The film is partly an original plot and partly an adaptation of the end of the original Ghost Rider run of comics, though it’s far from being the last Ghost Rider film of this MCU.  Just as the comics would have others take up the Ghost Rider curse after Blaze, so too will this MCU move onto those later riders in turn.  Having used Tim Burton on the first two Ghost Rider films in this MCU, I’ve picked Mark Steven Johnson who handled the 2007 Nicholas Cage Ghost Rider film to take on this third instalment of 90’s MCU Ghost Rider.

This wraps up our look into phase 5 of this 90’s-based MCU; next month, we’ll cover phase 5 of our alternate DC movie universe.  Until then, ta-ta for now.

[laiqualaurelote]

Rules: Post 10 of your favourite movies and tag 10 people! Thanks @glamorouspixels for the tag. I’ve actually been thinking about this of late because I’ve listening to Brett Goldstein’s podcast Films To Be Buried With. These are in the order I watched them:

1. Lord of the Rings

My favourite films of all time, based on my favourite book of all time. Also I consider them to be one very long 11.5h movie (yes, I refer to the extended editions).

2. Chicago

One of the first movie musical adaptations I ever saw, which left an indelible impression on me. To this day I could probably describe the Cell Block Tango scene shot by shot. Catherine Zeta-Jones! 

3. Once Upon A Time In Mexico

This bonkers finale to Robert Rodriguez’s El Mariachi trilogy has everything. It has Antonio Banderas as a brooding guitar-playing hitman. It has peak Johnny Depp in the era when it was not weird to have a Johnny Depp phase. It has Salma Hayek looking absolutely smoking. It has Enrique Iglesias, whose guitar has a flamethrower. It has Danny Trejo! Willem Dafoe! Eva Mendes! Mickey Rourke! all playing these absolutely unhinged roles. I adore it. 

4. Sin City

So there are two Rodriguez films on this list, but I don’t think I could do without either. Sin City is perhaps one of the best graphic novel screen adaptations of all time. I was obsessed with this film from quite possibly too young an age, especially with Rosario Dawson as a dominatrix with a machine gun. It’s utter pulp and I’m not sorry.

5. Brick

I maintain this high-school neo-noir with baby Joseph Gordon-Levitt is still Rian Johnson’s best film, and this is despite the fact it was so low-budget they had to fake a transition by pulling a garbage bag over the camera and then playing it in reverse. It also contains a scene with a chicken jug that will live in my heart forever.

6. Singing’ in the Rain

Do they make them like this any more? They do not. I can’t begin to pick what I love most about this - the hysterically funny script, the OT3 vibes, the fact that nearly every musical number is a colossal achievement of its own (Donald O’Connor running up the walls in Make ‘Em Laugh! The tap-dancing in Moses Supposes! Cyd Charisse in that green dress in Broadway Melody!) or even just the comic genius of Jean Hagen, which could sustain an entire film on its own.

7. Inception

This film managed somehow to be both a cinematic masterpiece and fandom catnip, which is rare. As an architecture/urbanism geek who also loves heists and devastatingly competent men in suits, I feel like this film was made for me. Also, Arthur/Eames! One of my all-time ships. 

8. 28 Days Later

Best second-generation zombie film, for my money - both stunningly shot and horrifying. The way the final mansion massacre is filmed while John Murphy’s soundtrack builds on that eerie four-note crescendo - chills. Also, young Cillian Murphy and Naomie Harris! really the most beautiful zombie film ever. 

9. The Maltese Falcon

I dithered over whether to put this or The Big Sleep in the bracket of “classic book-to-film noir adaptation starring Humphrey Bogart” - I love them both equally - but went with this because it is, marginally, the better film (and the better book - Raymond Chandler could write the hell out of a novel but he could not tie up his plots). It also has the fantastic villain duo of Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet, as well as a young Elisha Cook Jr as the gunsel who gets played for a sap. That ending! “If they hang you, I’ll always remember you.” 

10. In the Mood for Love

This is, hands-down, the greatest film on this list. Definitely one of the greatest films ever made. Every single shot is a work of art. That iconic scene of Maggie Cheung buying noodles in a dark high-collared cheongsam, walking down a smoky alleyway swinging her tingkat to the strains of the plaintive violin of Shigeru Umebayashi’s theme, brushing past Tony Leung in his steam-rumpled suit - it gives me shivers. I’ll never be over the ending of this film. I’ll also never be normal about buying noodles.

So I’m not going to tag 10 people because I’m too tired but like talk about your favourite movies if you want to! 

[adultswim2021]

Tim And Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! #26: “Jim and Derrick” | September 1, 2008 - 12:30AM | S03E06

One of the all-time greatest. It’s somewhat of an in-joke; in that a literal first-time viewer might not pick up exactly on what’s going on (you’d hope the more observant would at least be able to infer it’s satiric nature). This episode of Awesome Show presents, without fanfare or even any preamble, an alternate-universe version of Tim and Eric named Jim and Derrick. Jim and Derrick are basically the versions of Tim & Eric whose post-internet career paths had them so desperate to get on television that they became willing to bend to every network note ever given to them. It's as if Tim & Eric’s artistic vision was easily compromised by MTV money.

What we get is a frenetic nightmare of rapid-cutting, sweaty, shallow signifiers of easily digestible coolness, fad-chasing, and lowest-common denominator humor that sells itself with attitude rather than anything inspired. Jim Heckler and Derek Whipple host the show from an MTV-style faux-industrial studio with a DJ and a corporate sponsor in Turbo Fuel. Turbo Fuel is an energy drink that is immediately shown to have negative effects even in the cold open spot (a man vomits with ‘tude towards the camera, and we see blood trickling out of his nose post-chug).

Jim & Derrick are coarse and lazy; so much so that they come off as heroin addicts or something like that. They speak in all manner of embarrassing/trendy vernacular. It screams early 2000s in a way that their show usually doesn’t. They do segments about buying bongs (with Tim’s quotable line “plus, I like frogs”), skateboarding, tattoos, and they frequently cut away to other things that have little to do with scripted sketch comedy.

The only thing that actually qualifies as an in-universe bonafide comedy sketch in the whole thing is cheap and dashed-off, and co-stars a guy who just screams “dude on the writing staff”.* The “sketch”, ends with Jim saying “that’s wack”, then a back-patty musical interlude with a bunch of comedy-related buzz-words rolls out (including Tim & Eric’s favorite: “RANDOM”). They both declare “You’ve been sketched!” into the camera. The entire sketch is encased in a metal border. It gives the impression that the Jim & Derrick Show was at one time way more focused on scripted comedy, but then that aspect shrunk so much that sketches became once per episode, and they eventually started shrinking the screen to diminish the sketches even further. It's a physical manifestation of the comedy being "contained."

*”dude on the writing staff”: It’s LA comedy stalwart Joe Wagner, who did indeed hold similar jobs on a lot of shows, some good, even! I remember he posted on a message board I was on and he hosted a podcast that I remembered being good, even though I don’t remember the name of it. 

Other touches include an announcer who is the same guy from the then-current Carl’s Jr. ads, which were very bro-ey and usually featured Playboy models eating large drippy hamburgers. There’s also transitions that look like they came directly from VH1’s I Love the 90s, featuring internetty imagery like folder icons and whatnot. There’s also frenetic cutaways to a “creepy” old man who makes googly faces at the camera with fake old-timey film effects covering it, to telegraph nasty jokes like when Derrick says he wishes Elisha Cuthbert was his daughter in a gross, suggestive way. 

She’s in this, by the way. Jim and Derrick interview her and it does not go particularly well, with Jim and Derrick rudely cutting her off when she’s about to actually get to say anything of substance. She rolls her eyes and says “great” seeming genuinely annoyed. This is an incredible bit of acting, because a significant number of people believed that her annoyance was genuine, and that the wool was pulled over her eyes. I vaguely recall (but unfortunately don’t have) a video commentary for this episode that aired on Adult Swim’s website. They assured the audience that she was in on the joke, and indeed, if you seek out the blooper reel for this season you’ll see the first time Tim cuts her off in the same manner, she bursts out laughing. 

Speaking of guest stars, John Mayer is in this episode during the fake commercial. I remember Tim & Eric discussing this almost as if they put him in here via process of elimination. Mayer wanted to be on the show and they had a little trouble finding a place for him. He also filmed a “you’re watching Jim and Derrick” bumper that didn’t wind up getting used. 

The commercial is for a GF Spooner, which is basically like a baby bjorn that you strap your girlfriend into. It comes with fake arms that she can cuddle with, keeping your arms free. It’s purpose is to wear at concerts so you can double-fist Turbo Fuels, and hold hands with your male friends. The woman in the commercial was vaguely familiar to me: She plays one of Howard’s girlfriends in the criminally underrated program Austin Stories. I remember Tim trying to make Doug Lussenhop squirm during the video commentary, suggesting that he tried and failed to hit on her during production. When Doug doesn’t take the bait, an exasperated Tim suggests that he’s just looking for ANYTHING to talk about that’s even a little bit interesting. AGAIN: I wish I had it!

Another segment of note is Bradley Needlehead, in the Viral Clip of the week. This is an alternate version of David Liebe-Hart, singing a song about being a crazy guy that believes in aliens. It seems to satirize the lack of respect an MTV-style network would have for a guy like DLH. Though Tim & Eric’s “respect” for DLH is a little questionable, I do agree that they are kinder to him than most would be. In that video commentary, they said DLH directed that segment himself, dashing any expectations of him being blindsided by it. To be a fly on the wall during that session. There’s no footage of this shoot on the DVD. 

Holly Brown makes another appearance on the show; her bit is sorta slight, and I’d wager that it was a gift they were giving her so she could put it on a reel to try and get on-camera announcer work. Her presence fits with the whole vibe; many of these shows will have hot women as correspondents or hosts. The main comedic takeaway from this one is the concept of Tordos Flavor Dust, which has little to do with the actual scene.

The show ends with Jim & Derrick doing a Turbo Boost chug contest, where a hot, but uh, artificial-looking woman, smiles and sprays a keg tap of Turbo Boost into both Jim & Derrick’s mouths. We eventually see blood coming out of their eyes and ears, and they succumb to the toxic beverage and collapse dead on the floor. The woman never stops smiling and spraying Turbo Boost. DJ Drez doesn't stop the beats, either. Then we get a slideshow of fake production logos, including, most memorably, Gregg Turkington saying “Egg Zackly” as a parody of their own “Abso-Lutely” 

This one’s not just in the pantheon of great episodes, but it also joins the ranks of episodes that I’ve watched over-and-over again, so much so that they sorta lost most of their power, so I have to go off memories of how good it was. I recall telling somebody that I laughed so hard at this episode that it caused me to punch stuff that I own while watching it. It’s only with that kind of hindsight that I can recognize that some of the sketches are a little more potent in their satire than others. But the whole thing works incredibly well, and even the weakest bits have inspired jokes and ideas.

A welcome respite from an otherwise lackluster season. Say what you want about season three, but one will forever be able to point to this episode and say "at least that season had Jim and Derrick".

EPHEMERA CORNER:

Jim and Derrick at Spring Break

I forget exactly when and why these were produced, but Tim & Eric did additional Jim & Derrick "spring break" sketches. It would make more sense for them to have been produced for Spring Break 2009, but I'm putting them here for relevance. I don't think they repeated Jim & Derrick on Awesome Show itself.

[igate777]

(via ELISHA'S LEADERSHIP TRANSITION IS A TYPOLOGY OF THE PRESENT THIRD-DAY CHURCH. PT 8.)

[ancestorsofjudah]

2 Kings 6: 17-23. "Chariots of Fire."

A dispute between the King of Aram and the King of Israel results in a Conference between the King and the Officials. The prophet, Elisha intervenes and explains the source of the trouble, one that is quite common, and suggests a solution.

Religion unfortunately does not work if one tells offspring, a sibling or peer, "say as I say, do as I do." There must direct experience of Ha Shem. Each person must come to know the Maker on his own and set his own soul's priorities. These priorities must naturally fall within the limits of secular law, about this there is no doubt. As for the rest, whether a man is wise or foolish, happy or sad depends on how well acquainted he is with what is called Shabbat.

Shabbat is the culmination of the forced evolution path called the Seven Days. There are Seven Laws, Seven Says, Seven Adams and Seven Eves, each play a role in explaining the course each man must follow in order to play a successful role in mankind. It is the King and the Court's job to make sure the importance of this process is observed, one generation to the next.

Of critical significance is the transition between Day Three and Day Four. All violence in the mind and heart has to be squelched by Day Three. Day Four is when the stars and satellites and the mind is able to saturate itself with knowledge.

"Governments are born on Ararat" AKA "Governments reverse the curse" is a good example. We need to acknowledge the government's legal authority to contolr and end violence, become non-violent ourselves, and understand intuitively why God told us these things must be so. There is evidence this creates goodness in the world.

There is no evidence walking around in a black bathrobe in a sombrero looking like you got in a fight with your aunt Tootsie's curling iron makes the world a better place.

Betterment is what the world needs, it needs in fact to be at its best, and for that we need the Light God created in the Beginning and trust what it reveals:

17 And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

18 As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike this army with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked.

19 Elisha told them, “This is not the road and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you are looking for.” And he led them to Samaria.

20 After they entered the city, Elisha said, “Lord, open the eyes of these men so they can see.” Then the Lord opened their eyes and they looked, and there they were, inside Samaria.

21 When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, “Shall I kill them, my father? Shall I kill them?”

22 “Do not kill them,” he answered. “Would you kill those you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink and then go back to their master.” 

23 So he prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master. So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel’s territory.

Elisha, "the Spirit of the Government" obviously redirects the sanhedron away from what is not academically or legally appropriate under Jewish law and suggests another course of action.

Chariots of Fire represent the Prosecution in his argument.

"Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, was the earthly manifestation of the "guardian angel" of Egypt, the spiritual distillation of the evil(s) embodied in Egypt. The imagery of the chariot [in Hebrew, "rechev"] evokes that of the celestial Chariot ["merkava", from the same root, reish-kaf-beit] Ezekiel saw in his famous prophetic vision.

There, the "chariot" depicts the array of spiritual forces of holiness that were departing from the world as the Divine Presence was being banished from Earth with the destruction of the Temple. Here, the earthly chariots of Egypt that Pharaoh summoned represent the array of evil forces the patron angel of Egypt summoned to do battle with the Jewish people."

This process of "the patron angel of Egypt" vs. the Jewish People, like the Seven Days has stages. After one is tired of it, AKA the Ten Plagues, all consequences of significant violations of the Ten Decrees, there comes a time for the Next Day. Meaning, yesterday, the First Born of Egypt have to die.

This entails what is called Haggadah, which includes all the details, rituals and desired outcomes for the Passover, chief amongst them is the desire to be free of oppression and to have the wherewithal to do something about it.

As the above reference states, Haggadah includes efforts like Black Lives Matter, the Stonewall Rebellion, and Israel's response to the terrorism inflicted upon it in October. Haggadah is the organization of thoughts, persons, nations, and the onset of a new reality sans the delusions that caused the absence of humanity in the first place. All blindness about the harm of oppression from the chest outward is cured via Haggadah.

"The verb חגג (hagag) describes a gathering up of people in order to celebrate or hold a feast, specifically any of the three main pilgrimage feasts that Israel was to celebrate (Exodus 23:14-16).

These feasts were huge affairs that caused the entire daily economy to cease for many days and pretty much the whole population to be on the move; this to the great delight of the Israelites but much to the chagrin and bewilderment of the various occupying forces (who had trouble enough with the Hebrew insistence on a whole day off per every seven)."

Haggadah cannot be enforced. It must be undertaken willingly and thoroughly as a matter of personal surrender. Then comes Shabbat, then come the Eighth and Ninth Days, etc.

The Values in Gematria for the above verses are:

v. 17: The Value in Gematria is 8049, חאֶפֶסדט‎‎, hafesdat, "to understand the counsel given at the Festival..."

v. 18: The Value in Gematria is 8771, חזזא‎ ‎‎, hazza, "gather in the village and pay Homage."

v. 19: The Value in Gematria is 7108, זאאֶפֶסח‎, "Passover."

v. 20: The Value in Gematria is 7962, ז‎טוב, zeto, "good" "to boil out the confusion, the wandering".

v. 21: The Value in Gematria is 4113, דיאג‎‎, diag, "that which guides, leads, carries, feteches..."

v. 22: The Value in Gematria is 14723, ידז‎בב‎, yadzab, "the human hand guided by God."

v. 23: The Value in Gematria is 8272, חבז‎ב‎, hebzeb, "to passover the Wolf" who attacks when the Seven Days are retrograde and the people become weak:

"There only one man in the Bible with the name Zeeb (which is really disyllabic: Ze'eb), and he was a king of Midian who, on account of Israel's continuous flirtations with ungods, was able to invade and ransack Israel for seven years, together with his three royal buddies Oreb, Zalmunna and Zebah, and of course their combined armies of 135,000 "sons of the east" (Judges 8:10).

After these seven years, YHWH called Gideon, son of Joah the Abiezrite, who mustered Israel's depleted forces of 32,000 men, then sent 31,700 of them home again and engaged the enemy with 300 men and some kitchenware.

The Midianites panicked and self-destructed. Their kings Oreb and Zeeb were captured by the troops that Gideon had sent home and were decapitated; Oreb at the Rock of Oreb and Zeeb at the wine press of Zeeb (Judges 7:25)."

The Sons of the East, those who become awakened are the ones that will defeat the enemies of the self within and without.

Victory takes place at the Rock of Oreb, "that which lies in wait" and the Wine Press, where the tables turn, and the wolf, a predator who waits for his prey to make mistakes is met by men who have decided to no longer be victims of a cruel and unjust world.

The People of Israel were recently the brunt of an attack that included hundreds of cobra bays lined with troops and weapons, guided and unguided missiles, an information blackout, and massacres on civilians. The Gazans were engaging in Eshkol, except for the purposes of opposite those dictated by the Torah.

The only choice available to anyone who has been subject to such an Eshkol, an organized attack is to respond with complete annihilation of their enemies.

It is unfortunate the People of Gaza have decided to dedicated themselves to their own demise. The consequences of their actions are going to be dire. The IDF must conclude its campaign in Gaza and the world must commit alongside it and free the territory from the potential for future horror.

History will also require a definite account of the ways such an attack was carried out, the decisiveness that put an end to it, and the implementation of the peace. Said documentation will provide other governments with "Chariots of Fire" they will need should the events of Oct 7 occur again.

*A note the Jewish Uniform. Kohens are expected to dress for work. Men who are Kedoshim, "seated" are also expected to dress the part. The Torah stipulates hair, beards, and sidelocks are to be in good condition, well groomed and neatly clipped. An excess of body hair, odors, fodors, and other inexplicable fashion statements and stains are forbidden.

[shahananasrin-blog]

[ad_1] WARNING: This story contains discussion of suicide. Elisha Dacey's 15-year-old is caught in a care gap: too old to be accepted at one gender transition Winnipeg clinic, too young to get in at another."They were right in that sweet spot of technically not getting or qualifying for any kind of public health, so that was frustrating and demoralizing," said Dacey. "Since then we've still been just waiting."The Gender Diversity Affirmation and Action for Youth clinic (GDAAY) helps children and young teens transition.It used to help patients up to the age of 15, but has reduced the age referral criteria by one year to 14.That was in  response to demand outpacing resources "owing to the fact that we are entirely unfunded," reads a GDAAY doctor's letter to Dacey's child's pediatrician in April of this year.The Trans Health Klinic, the only other program in the city, helps people 16 and up transition. Dacey was recently informed their child is now on that waitlist.They join the roughly 600 other youth and adults who remain in waitlist limbo amid a shortage of care providers outside the two clinics trained in gender-affirming care."That's a huge barrier unto itself is just the lack of professionals who are dealing specially in this," said Dacey.Elisha Dacey, right, and their 15-year-old. The teen is one of a number of Manitobans who have encountered barriers to gender-affirming care in the province. Some health-care workers say they hope this will improve as funding to reduce wait times announced in spring by the province starts to be put to use. (Elisha Dacey)Years-old waitlist challengeThe clinics offer a range of services, from counselling and mental health-care to hormone replacement therapy and gender-affirming surgeries.Intake is a multi-level process and the entire process can span years. Many patients come from referrals from family doctors and each clinic has struggled to keep pace with demand.The annual number of consultations has tripled at GDAAY. Nearly two dozen youth sought consultations the year GDAAY opened in 2011, and that number has increased to about 75 per year, according to a statement from Shared Health, the entity overseeing the delivery of healthcare in Manitoba. Shared Health attributes that to increased awareness about transgender issues, a rise in gay-straight alliances and a focus on reduced bullying in schools.Currently, there are nearly 300 youth on the GDAAY waitlist and it's an average two-year wait. It's a similar number of patients on the Trans Health Klinic waitlist, which averages a 1½-year wait.Dr. Brandy Wicklow, the medical lead of GDAAY, co-authored a scientific paper in 2018 based on work with child patients at GDAAY that suggested trans youth seeking services faced distress "over long wait times."Spring funding boon to programsIn May, the province committed $1.2 million over two years to help the two clinics improve access to care for transitioning youth, including hormone replacement therapy medication, psychological supports and surgeries.Staff with each program were encouraged to hear the news.Megan Cooney, a pediatrician and adult medicine specialist with Manitoba's Shared Health, has been working with the Gender Diversity Affirmation and Action for Youth program. (Bryce Hoye/CBC)"It's been challenging to work in this system knowing that the waitlist is as long as it is," said Dr. Megan Cooney, a pediatrician and adolescent medicine specialist with Shared Health who has worked with GDAAY for five years."What we're most looking forward to with the program expansion is actually being able to provide more support to families on the waitlist."The Progressive Conservative government provided $490,000 to Klinic Community Health Centre, which runs the Trans Health Klinic, and $700,000 to expand access to GDAAY, according to a news release that was quickly removed from the government's website.Up until this spring, the pediatricians, endocrinologists, mental health experts and others who have staffed GDAAY have done so through an "in kind" agreement with their employer — essentially, doing the work off the sides of their desks while managing other general duties because the program has never been formally funded.The funding enables GDAAY to hire dedicated staff for the first time, including an administrative assistant, a program co-ordinator, a part-time social worker and a full-time child psychologist.Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson, flanked by Pride Winnipeg president Barry Karlenzig and Families Minister Rochelle Squires, took part in a government announcement on May 23 on various LGBTQ initiatives, but made no mention about a new commitment for gender-affirming care that was included in a background document that same day. The government deleted any reference to the commitment from its website, then responded saying a 'future update' was coming. (Ian Froese/CBC)Cooney said the gap between 14 and 16 is something GDAAY is "hoping to be able to fill again" once they have staff in place.The clinic tries to pair up kids and their families with a social worker while they wait, though Cooney acknowledged the stakes are high for kids who can't get the help they need."Specifically gender-affirming hormone medications, when they're indicated, they improve health and wellness and they decrease suicidality," said Dr. Cooney.WATCH | GDAAY doctor discusses importance of supporting gender diverse youth:Access to transition care can ‘improve the lives of many youth in our community’: doctorDr. Megan Cooney, a pediatrician and adolescent medicine specialist with Shared Health who works at GDAAY, said gender-affirming care that’s offered “in a safe and effective way has the potential to improve the lives of many youth in our community."Haran Vijayanathan, community health and wellness director at the Trans Health Klinic, said trans and gender diverse youth face higher risks of mental health challenges and suicide, particularly when they don't have supportive people in their lives.Long waitlists add another layer."That's often a huge challenge for individuals, especially when they've come out to themselves and they're comfortable with who they are," he said. "There's a lot of psychological and emotional trauma that they're experiencing because that process hasn't started."Parker Morran says they are the first social worker hired at Klinic Community Health's Trans Health Klinic. They were hired in the past few months as a result of $490,000 in funding from the province announced in May. (Parker Morran)Vijayanathan said the two-year funding commitment has helped the clinic boost staffing with four more peer support workers and the first social worker at Klinic dedicated to trans care. But what's needed to keep the momentum going is "sustained" funding year over year, said Vijayanathan.Dacey agrees. "I want to see that funding become permanent ... I'd like to see it basically removed from ideological lines. It's healthcare," Dacey said. In the meantime, Parker Morran is hoping to have an impact as that new dedicated social worker at Trans Health Klinic.They're one of the first points of contact for many who come through."My job is kind of a dream job; I get to hang out with trans people every day," said Morran, who is also trans and genderfluid. "I can relate to the people I meet with on that level because I've done it."They said they waited eight months about a year and a half ago to get into Trans Health Klinic for their own transition care. Morran is now on hormone replacement therapy — testosterone specifically — and midway through another public health list for top surgery. It has an estimated two-year wait, they said.They said getting on the lists comes with excitement in knowing the wheels are in motion. That's contrasted against the "limbo" of waiting."It's not fair to have to ask people to wait, really. It would be nice to be able to just call, register and make an appointment in a few months or less," they said.Morran wishes gender-affirming health care was more of a priority in the health system. "But I am glad for the progress that has been made in the last little while."WATCH | Vijayanathan on hard fought 2SLGBTQIA rights:Long waits for gender-affirming care ‘huge challenge’Haran Vijayanathan, community health and wellness director at the Trans Health Klinic, the lack of a support network can make the long waits for access to gender-affirming transition care even harder.If you or someone you know is struggling, here's where to get help: [ad_2]

[dailyaudiobible]

06/21/2023 DAB Transcript

2 Kings 1:1-2:25, Acts 13:42-14:7, Psalms 139:1-24, Proverbs 17:19-21

Today is the 21st day of June welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian and here we are, center of the week. Moving through the middle of another one of our weeks together and it is fantastic to be here with you today as we do what we do, take the next step forward together. Our next step kinda…sorta…leads us into new territory. We finished the book of first Kings yesterday. And, so, we’re gonna begin second Kings in just a moment. It's just that there's not a whole lot to talk about here. These…these manuscripts were broken apart for the ease of finding things. And, so, we’re not moving into new territory. We don't need to come to this overview of what's going to be happening. We’re continuing this journey through the kings of Judah and the kings of Israel and sort of what was going on during their reigns. And, so, we’re moving through history pretty quickly. Sometimes we slow down and get more details on certain kings and others we get like a paragraph when actually a whole generation goes by in that paragraph. But as we begin second Kings we will see a transition. We had a prophetic voice in the book of first Kings. His name was Elijah. And we will watch a transition between Elijah and his successor Elisha. And, so, let's dive in together. Today second Kings, chapters 1 and 2.

Commentary:

Okay. So, we've launched ourselves into second Kings and we talked about the territory that we’re going into. And then we got into the book of Acts and we’re seeing now Paul, who is the apostle Paul and Barnabas on this missionary journey, and what we’re seeing is that everywhere they go and begin to share the good news it causes a reaction. It's not like a passive thing and there is a reaction of either an open heart where people are just overjoyed at the immense good news that is being preached or they are antagonistic toward it. It's kind of not a passive thing. And, so, we’re seeing that everywhere that Paul goes so that people are stirred up against them and people are stirred up for them. We’ll continue to see this pattern as we continue this journey of the spread of the gospel of Jesus and the formation of the early church.

And then we got to Psalm 139 today. It’s…it's a favorite one of mine because when I read it it seems like there's a question there. And the question is, where is God not? Where...where isn't He, rather than the question we ask all the time, where is He? The Psalms like if I go to heaven You’re there. If I go down to the realm of the dead, You’re there. If I go east or I go west You’re there. If I go to the far side of the ocean You’re there. You will guide me. Your strength will support me. So, if this passage of Scripture is true then what's being indicated is that there is no where we can flee from God's presence, which then brings up the question, why are we always looking for it when it's right here right now? So often that…that’s motivated by a need for like an emotional connection, some sort of sense of His presence, but it seems that that's more about us than it is about God. It's like us, getting ourselves into a place where we can experience the presence of God in worship and then we kind of equate that experience with the presence of God because it is the presence of God that we’re actively experiencing. But His presence doesn't go away. We don't have to conjure Him up in some sort of way, so that what…that God is drawing near and now we are in His presence. So, what the Psalm seems to be indicating is there's nowhere you can go that's not in His presence including heaven and the realm of the dead. So, it would be safe to say that in this life there is nowhere we can flee from the presence of God. And that awareness is a bit of a game changer because it means that God is present to us no matter what we feel like or no matter what is going on. So, why not…why don’t we just practice that awareness today and consider that everything you do, every thought you have, every conversation that you participate in, every action that you take no matter where you are matter what's going on God is present. He is not distant. He is near. That should be comforting and maybe even sobering because it brings up other questions, like what would I not want God to bear witness to and what do I not want Him to know about or what embarrass me if I really thought that God knew about that? Typically, when we think of things in those terms we are simply naming the things that are trying to seduce us away from God. So, why don't we practice reality today? Let's practice reality. We are in the presence of God. Every breath we take, every move we make He’ll be watching over us. Let's practice this awareness today and then reflect upon how it influenced the day we lived and then become aware that we can live every day aware of God's presence everywhere.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit come into this. We so often are back and forth looking for where You went when You didn't go anywhere. It's that we probably did. Help us to settle into this awareness that there is nothing that we can do. We are in Your presence now, and all we need to do is become aware of it. Lead and guide us today as we practice this we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com, that's home base and that's where you can find out what's happening around here. The Daily Audio Bible app which can be downloaded from whatever...well…whatever app store works of your device puts that in the palm of your hand and so much more. And, so, check that out.

Check out the different sections. The Community section. This is where links are to get connected on social media. This is where the Prayer Wall is.

Check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop. There are resources that are available in the number of different categories for the journey that we are on, this voyage through the Bible in a year. And, so, check that out.

And if you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible. If you find that being around the Global Campfire is life-giving then thank you humbly for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner, or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app. That's the little red button up at the top or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that's all for today other than to tell you the truth. I love you and I'm grateful for the journey we are on together and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hello DABbers John from New England calling with a great belated praise report and a prayer request. A little over a year ago I called in in the middle of the night I was suffering from muscle spasms in my left leg were waking me up and causing me pain ruining my life and thanks to prayers from Victoria Soldier, Steve, and many others and some good counsel on the Prayer Wall the problem was healed and I'm forever grateful for that to all of you. Thank you. Prayer request for my son’s fiancé Nicole who two years ago went through 12 hour surgery to remove avocado size tumor from the back of her head. A small piece was left behind it was that was covered in nerves and that has grown back now two years year later and it's the size of a golf ball. A few weeks ago she went through some radiation therapy to try to mitigate it and won't know until September whether it was successful and I just ask that you pray for my son's fiancé Nicole that this procedure was successful and that this tumor doesn't come back and that it is permanently…is permanently healed so that he and she enjoy life and she doesn't have to be constantly worrying about this and struggling with it. Also, I just want to say many thanks to Brian, Jill, China, the whole Hardin family for the blessing of Daily Audio Bible, which for me last 17 years or so and my wife has become part of our daily ritual. Of course, the Daily Audio Bible Chronological, my evening ritual. Life changing. Thank you. God… Seeking your face at the start of my day I found that for me there's no better way in fact you said to acknowledge you in all of my ways and to bring all of my thoughts in subjection to Christ whenever my mind and heart strays cause trouble surrounds me wherever I go health problems family problems bills a sack full of woe should I try to work it all out with the strength of my own hands or stand in faith and wait on you ignoring my heart's well thought out but impatient plans because you said the wisdom of man is foolishness to you and I know all your words are faithful and true so I'm seeking your face at the start of my day cause I know that for me there's no better way

bindtony1016@gmail.com. I'd like to give a shout out to Alta Lee Maxwell. I want to give you best wishes and congratulations on your…on your getting married and I pray that you and your husband have many fruitful happy years together hopefully in service to the Lord. And once again Brian and the Hardin family I want to thank you for this wonderful podcast for God's Holy Spirit to flow keep it...

Daily Audio Bible family this is Lawrence in Atlanta. I've been listening for over 15 years and this ministry has brought me joy, has helped me through some of the toughest times in my life, and has been the single most rewarding thing that I've done to get to know God and have community with fellow Christians. I'm coming to you today because I'm just broken, and in need of prayer. My marriage has been really tough over the past 14 years. God's blessed us with wonderful children and blessed us with successful businesses but the relationship between my wife and I has been very dysfunctional and unhealthy in a bunch of different areas for years. And over the years I've built up a lot of resentment and anger towards her and I've acted out and I'm afraid that what I've done has destroyed my family. So, I formed an emotional relationship with someone I work with and my heart more than anything wants to be with that person, wants to spend time with them instead of my own wife. My wife is devastated. She’s hurting so bad. All my family and friends around me are furious with me for not wanting to work it out with my wife. My heart is hard. It is not softened. I've asked God to soften my heart towards my wife but I…it's just not what I want. And I feel that what I...

Hi beautiful family, this is Prisoner of Hope. I am lifting up Bernie and your marriage. Father, he is struggling, he and his wife in their marriage and they need Your help. They need Your strength to keep going and Your wisdom to know what to do. Please help them to love one another in the way that You love them and just help them to forgive and heal and work on restoration. Please protect their beautiful children as they go through this. A man called in asking for a financial provisions for his family. Your dad's in Kansas your mom passed away a couple years ago and your grandmother recently passed away. And then Remorseful Sinner, you need a financial miracle as well. I'm gonna pray for both of you. Lord please help this man and Remorseful Sinner to manage and steward what finances they do have with wisdom and diligence. Please help them with their debt, be their Jehovah Jira and grant their lives the financial breakthrough that they so badly need. And please especially help Remorseful Sinner to have energy and lift her out of any depression and give her what she needs so she…she can go out and find a job. Searching for Beauty, it looks like you're stage 4 cancer. I want to pray for you and your daughters. Almighty God by the power of Your healing hand may Searching for Beauty experience health, strength, and peace. Just please alleviate the suffering that she's going through and continue to help her in her relationship, the relationships with their daughters and extend her life to be with them according to Your will. Manita you are just going through a really tell real time. You didn't say what, but I just love you so much and I'm going to pray for you. Dear God, please give Manita strength, courage, love, encouragement, comfort, and a fresh portion of Your hope to help her with whatever she's going through. Thank You that You are on the throne Lord, always our God. Please be near to her and rescue her from her fears and hurst and help her to remember that this trial will not last forever. We ask all these things in the beautiful and powerful mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

[atpaine]

Hard to Let Go

Hard to Let Go

[henryobsessed]

The Borrower and Her Bean - Part 19

Summary: Melina is now a bean

Word Count: 1453

A/N this story is coming to a close, Thank you for those who have take this fun journey with me. One more to follow 

Part 18 - Epilogue 

Melina studied Henry, the stubbled lines of his Jaw, the dimpled chin and the fine smile lines around his eyes. She would never get tired of this face. As much as she liked watching him sleep her excitement had her wriggling. A rough voice broke into the silence "Morning my little sprite" a smile broke on her face as he opened his eyes. He chuckled as she wriggled some more as he pulled her into his embrace. Kissing her forehead he whispered, "so what is causing your bubbly demeanor this morning?" groaning at his question she buried her head into this neck mumbling "you know" his strong arms wrapping around her as he whispered "Happy Christmas"

The two beans and their furry companion carefully made their way downstairs to the living room. It had been 4 weeks since Melina had become a bean, each day both she and Henry had made a conscious effort to step lightly, and move cautiously. It had not been an easy transition, she recalled the first time she had accompanied Henry to a supermarket. She had been in awe of all the different food and products. When walking past the ice cream she had seen her favourite flavour and pulled out a small tub putting it in her pocket. When they got to the check out Henry had to ask her for the ice cream. Wondering why he wanted it she had said "Why don't you get your own?" he had laughed at her and then said quietly "we have to pay for it, Lina, this lady scans the item and then tells me how much money I owe her. Then I pay for it. We don't borrow in Bean's world." She had handed it to him and watched as the lady did exactly as Henry had said. Once she had scanned the lot she gave Henry a figure and he handed her some paper and metal things that looked like buttons.

It had taken her a while to adjust to not being able to just take what she needed. Thankfully Henry had been there to help her not get into trouble. The fun part of being a bean though was having access to so many amazing things. Especially around Christmas! her family celebrated Christmas they would get a small branch off a tree and put tinsel on it. This year she had gone with Henry to pick a tree, it was amazing seeing all the different sizes and colours. Last night the night before Christmas the whole family Mum and Dad, Carson and Greg along with Pam and Elisha and their parents had gathered downstairs and helped to decorate the tree.

Dad had insisted that they climb the branches of the tree so they could thread the lights through to the perfect spots. She had to admit it had looked great once the lights were turned on, it was perfect. She and Henry had hung the ornaments, and the boys with the help of their girlfriends had threaded the tinsel through the boughs of the tree. It had looked magical as the tree was finished. Henry had smiled at Lina as he picked up the last piece, an Angel that was small with a sparkling gold dress and real feathers for wings. He had placed it in her hands, then lifted her by the waist allowing her to place the final piece on the top of the tree. Nothing could replace that feeling of warmth as he had wrapped his arms around her as they both gazed up at the tree.

Standing in the kitchen She and Henry had been cooking most of the morning, well Henry had been cooking she had been fetching mixing and sneaking bites. Right now she was preparing the meals, the little plates were full of pork, apple sauce, mash potato, stuffing, and salad. In little mugs, they had mulled wine. She smiled as she felt a pair of arms wrap around her his hot breath tickling her ear as he said "You ready" together they carried the food out to the coffee table there on top of the table was her family sitting around a small table they had bought that seated 8 borrowers. With delicate fingers, she placed the meals before each one along with their drinks as Henry placed their food at the end of the table. Both beans sat on the floor, Kal laying next to his master hoping for some Christmas treats.

Melina smiles a broad smile at her family, she was still getting used to no longer being able to hug her mum or dad, or having Greg being her protector. The tables were turned now, she along with Henry were their protectors. Henry cleared his throat holding his glass of mulled wine out "A Toast, to Family, and to true friends who become family." the group held out there cups a collective small cheer rising from the middle of the table. Melina's Dad stood up holing his cup out " I would like to Toast to new and old friends, to Love and second chances" this bought another cheer and chuckles from the table. Chatter followed as the friends and family ate, drank and celebrated together the festive season.

Stomachs full and minds fogged by mulled wine, the group made their way to the Christmas tree. Henry put a Santa hat on and went to the bottom of the tree pickup and handing out the gifts. Each borrower received new sets of clothing including a fancy dress for the girls and suits for the men. They also received a new rope and three-pronged fish hook rig each.  Melina received a new journal from her parents who had help from Henry in purchasing it and the young adults had chosen three new dresses for Melina also with his help. There were two boxes left under the tree, one was big and one was small.  Melina went to the big box and laid it before Henry, grinning he removed the paper the non-descript brown box gave nothing away as he began to open it. Inside was a glassless frame bordering a sketch of Kal stretched out sunning himself in the garden.

As Henry studied the intricate scene he looking past the large dog, there he began to see hidden amongst the garden images of the borrowers peeing out at him all in different poses. He smiled up at Lina and spoke in a hushed tone "Lina, this is amazing, you have a real talent." the praise lit a warm spark inside her. She had secretly been working on it and did not know if it was something he would love or not. Henry stood and walked to the tree picking up the small package, he walked back to Lina and knelt before her. Looking up into her eyes, he watched as a softness filled the sweet pools that he wanted to get lost in.

Taking a deep breath and stilling his erratic heartbeat he grabbed her hand as he spoke  "Lina, For a long time I have been searching for something that would bring me a sense of completeness, I thought it would come once I reached a level in my fame and work. There was a sense of satisfaction but it still felt hollow once the high faded. It wasn't till I met you that I began to feel peace, contentment, In your arms I am home. I asked your father for his blessing and now I am asking you in front of your family. Would you have me, whether I am big or small, would you consent to be my wife?"  As he said the last few words he opened the small box to reveal a small ring nestles into a velvet pillow, delicate with three small pink diamonds winking up at her.        

Waiting but a breath Melina's eyes swam with tears and she whispered, Yes, as he placed the ring on her hand. Both lost in each other, they missed the collective gasp from the borrowers as two delicate voices chuckled behind them.  Standing tall and willowy the Star fairies smiled at the Borrower and her Bean as they turned their faces showing fear and curiosity. The Bell-like voice of Nightsong spoke "My little starling do not be afraid, we have been with you your whole life. Your voice has drawn us to you time and time again. We come to celebrate with you, you have both experienced life big and small. We would like to give you a gift, you can choose how you would like to live. Which will it be? A Borrower or a Bean?    

A/N oooooo what would you choose?

I have Tagged people who follow me and who I follow if you want to be removed or added please let me know :)@keanureevesisbae @darkverrmin @viking-raider​ @littlefreya​ @madbaddic7ed @the-soot-sprite @thelastsock​ @lovetusilver20​ @crimsonrae @demivampirew @ladyreapermc​ @henrycavillobsessed @nitannichionne​ @runawayolives @heartfelt-pen @omgkatinka @star017 @llly113 @sad-ghost-of-garbage @ayamenimthiriel @starstruckkittyangel​  @summersong69 @notyouraveragemochii @imneonpanda @carriebee1 @ivyfatale @thereisa8ella @lucy930@sarahmichelle5 @stuckupstucky @cleodoramer @kmuir1@elliepower @xobriellaxo24 @xxxkatxo @supernovacocorocha@hennerslionhat @xo-mery-ox @waitedforlove743 @ladamari68@coksy @wickedrum @harleyfranquinn @mysticalstrangerearthquake @justrae9903 @willkatfanfromasia@daddys-littlewhitegirl @cavilladdict @lebguardians@theblondetumbleweed @snowbellexx​ @radaofrivia@geralttheewitcher @acdd22 @lana-rose5 @skorimizize @abschaffer2

[wearethewinx]

fate episode 2 spoilers under the cut

looks like miss dowling is a mind fairy who links memories

AISHA HOW FUCKING LOUD IS YOUR TOOTHBRUSH

ok aishas Helperliness is getting uncomfortable

terra if youre gonna try so fucking hard at least dont lie to musas face

OH MY GOD WE GET IT TERRAS INSECURE. FUCK

stella you really dont get to complain abt losing the ring. u gave it to her, dumbass

are we really gonna shoot that like terra doesnt know how to dress herself. she looks like a toddler putting on a shirt for the first time

is THAT palladium?

'the vessel' ok cool so were just saying shit now are we

so air fairies can control sound, can they? so some fairies do have music powers, do they? how fucking strange

MS DOWLING I THINK ITS OBVIOUS BLOOM NEEDS INDIVIDUAL TUTORING

im so fucking mad. bi riven is 100% my headcanon. why did they have to monkeys paw my shit like this

stella and skys relationship is. extremely weird. it has weird vibes i dont like it but i dont hate it. i mean i hate it on principle but in practice its just fucking weird

<.< >.> *pockets silva for my au*

i mean not that being an amazing actress wouldve made the whitewashing ok but elisha applebaum isnt even that good of an actress. shes Fine but just fine

making terra actively ignore people telling her to her face that theyre preoccupied and just steamroll over them anyway is. just not fucking likeable sorry

riven if its been a year just buy a new fucking vape

episode 2 is dragging significantly less than episode 1 but its still dragging. lets GOOOOOOO people

*bloom voice* lets see the last two times i practiced magic alone i burned my house down and almost caused a forest fire. lets try for round three! HOW FUCKING DUMB IS SHE. bloom is supposed to be brash not a complete moron

silva: lets deal with this problem

dowling: why would u even say that

blooms embarrassingly on-the-nose plot journalling huh

at least musa and aisha are friends. theyre more friends than anyone else in this show, anyway

why is dane so astonished by terra blooming One flower like earth fairies are a regular thing in this world

riven is supposed to be flawed, not repulsive. gotta reiterate

could bloom stop being a cunt to aisha for 10 seconds? LITERALLY 10 fucking seconds

i like the CONCEPT of an empath fairy being drawn to someone with a soothing presence. sure wish it hadnt been This

look i hate what they did to stella so much that i cant even acknowledge her but she is right about one thing: shut UP terra

jfdsljfld the burned one couldnt kill ONE fairy but it effortlessly mowed down a half dozen trained soldiers and GASP SILVA NOOO SAVE HIM

bloom hearing a voice calling her name? am i meant to believe they kept daphne

fjdslfjdsklfjskl

BLOOM A MONSTER IS RUNNING AT YOUR FACE NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO CONTINUE YOUR STUNNING STREAK OF ABJECT IDIOCY

hurry the fuck up and grab the ring before the thing wakes up you idiot

'saul silva' huh. well his name is stupid but i still like him

STOP this name evasion SHIT AISHA HOW FUCKING LOUD IS YOUR TOOTHBRUSH MY GOD

i like how bloom didnt actually have to do anything she just was a bitch to aisha constantly, did reckless irresponsible things, then a monster charged at her and now shes 'opening up emotionally' with no transition whatsoever. really saves the trouble of all that pesky character development