#I also think God did what He did to humble mankind. so to try and reconstruct it is something of a Tower of Babel in itself. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

theodora3022 · 3 years

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Love You To Hell And Back(Yandere Claude)

Pairing: Yandere Claude Faustus x F!reader

Summary: Upon running away from home due to an unwanted arranged marriage, you took up a maid position in the Trancy household. You thought it would be simple, lay low for couple of months then the other family would cancel the engagement. Being a maid should be easy right? Just wash and clean the house and saying yes to their lords. You never thought you would end up in such a bizarre and dangerous household.

Notes: I am a Claude simp. If you do not know before, you do now. Do not get the wrong idea, Sebastien is handsome alright, but there is just something about those golden eyes makes me shiver in the best kind of way. (Also I love the French pronunciation of his name but whatever)

Word count:2k

Warning: Non-con touching, coercion, possessive behaviour, general Yandere content

SFW

As a lady on exile, you do not have many options. Your relatives were out of the question since they could inform your parents of your whereabouts, and so does all of your friends. Luckily, you figured out the perfect solution: disguises! And who is more unnoticeable then a maid? They blend naturally in the background of drawing rooms and parties, no one will bat an eye if there happen to be an extra one. Nobles do not care for servants, so a forged name and documents would get the job done.

Answering advertisements seems to be a good way to start. Ah, there is one right here. The Trancy Estate? To your knowledge, there is only one young lord there, and you are not acquainted with the family. Seems the ideal choice: “Only for two months, as a replacement.” You know being a servant would be unpleasant, compare to your noble lady life now, but you had chosen between this instead marrying a man you despise.

Packing some essentials, you thrown on a simple cotton dress borrowed from your maids and sneaked out. You thought you had escaped from hell, not knowing you are better off staying. Because, you had quite literally, walked into a spider’s trap.

A dark-skinned maid welcomed you, explaining how she has to leave the household for some personal business while giving you a small tour of the building. She seems nice enough, although you were curious why her right eye is covered by bandages. The manor is dead quiet and empty, giving you an illusion of how you can hear your own breathing.

“Miss Hannah, where are the other servants?” You shiver, tightening your clock just a bit. Although it is only autumn, the winds are chillier in this house, or so you felt.

“There is only five of us. Me, the triplets, and Sir Claude the butler. Our master can be...difficult, one could say.” Handing you a basket of maid attire, Hannah seem to be terrified of this master she speaks of.

I wonder why he is so difficult. You thought as you thanked her and settled down in the little servant room you were given. Better put on these maid clothes soon, getting use to them as fast as possible. Blue and white does not look so bad together.

Kitchen duties are not so bad since all you need to do is chopping up vegetables and wash the dishes while the triplets took care of the cooking. Dusting is a nuisance, but with enough efforts it was taken care off. The triplets are an odd flock, as they never speak unless necessary. All your befriend attempts had failed miserably, you felt as if they look down on you somehow? Since you only do backstage work, you had yet to meet the master and his butler. Not that you mind, you want to kept your existence covert, after all!

You were trying to dust off the chandelier in the drawing room when you first met Claude. The stairs you use are a bit unstable, which causes you to have major anxieties about falling.

“Ahh!” You squeal as your staircase finally deciding to let you fall. Closing your eyes in horror, you were certain you are going to suffer at least bruises. But the expected pain never came. Instead, you felt a strong set of arms had caught your body mid-hair.

Gazing up, what did you see?

Oh did that gorgeous face make this fall worth it. The tall man in black reminds you of those flawless Roman statues, of King David. You never thought humans can be this magnificent.(Well you are still right, as he is no human)

Gently placing you back on your feet, Claude started to examine you behind those clear glasses. You quickly smoothed the wrinkles on your skirt as you dip your head for greeting.

“Greetings, kind Sir. You must be Sir Claude. My pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am (y/n), the new maid.” Gods, he is handsome. You were not even sure words can describe how those golden eyes made you feel. Are you blushing? Ugh, get it together, self! He is only a butler here. It is beneath you to swoon over him. You put on a smile, then courtesies to the stoic man in the most elegant way possible.

The lack of callus on your fingers and your sophisticated manners informs him that you, are no ordinary maid. As a servant to his lord, Claude needs to make sure no sketchy individual can harm him. Some investigation would need to be done.

How interesting...Why would a high-born lady such as yourself ran away from your prestigious noble house, only to serve as a humble servant here? Just where did Hannah dig you up? Ah, that is no matter at present. Surely your cheerful spirts can light up the dull days of this mansion. The only thing Claude need to ensure is you do not expire as quickly as others. Alois can be such a spoiled brat; however no harm should befall to you as long as he can help it.

Your voice reminds the demon of little birds of forest mornings, chirping delightfully to a new day no matter how horrid the night before was. The way you thank him stuttering then trying to go back to your duties are just adorable, and amusing. It is clear as day:you are fascinated by Claude’s pretty face. Quite bold for a lady to do so. Claude had met a lot of people in his long life, but none of them intrigues him so as you do. He cannot grasp what exactly, but there must be something enchanting about you, that makes him want to pull you close and do unspeakable things to your good, pure body.

Tender and cautious, that is what the knocks on his office door suggests. It is late, way past Alois’s bedtime. Who could have business with him this hour, apart from his demanding lord? “Come in.” Claude’s curiosity had spiked up.

It is you, still dressed and with a plate in your hands. What a pleasant surprise. And are those pastries?

“I...baked these for you, Sir. I want to thank you for your help earlier today.” Looking away, you quickly remind yourself how you should never indulge too much. However you had already spent two hours of your free time trying to bake something decent.

Did your parents taught you it is improper to visit a man’s quarters this late at night, alone? How rebellious of you, not that Claude minds anyway. You might appear to be demure and good at first sight, but under that nice façade is a bold maiden who does not care for modesty, how complex.

Chocolate chip biscuits, but with distorted shapes. “I am not very good at this, so I totally understand if you do not wish to eat them. I jus want to properly show my gratitude, that is all.” Nervously fidgeting your apron corner, you bit your lip when he raises one of them to his lips and took a small bite.

Edible, but has lots of room for improvement. Claude can practically taste your eagerness to please from the chocolate spheres. Seeing your gaze fixated on him, expecting his comments on your work, Claude let out a quiet laugh. Which made heat rush up to your cheeks. Is that a good or a bad response? It cannot be that terrible can it?

“Come.” He signals with a hand wave, and you hesitantly walked beside his chair. How cute, the butler and the little maid. It would be a shame to just give you some half-hearted praises and send you out, wouldn’t it? It is what a gentleman would do, of course. Claude on the other hand, has never been one. He could entertain that appearance for his lord’s sake, but in this little room with just you, there is no need for charades.

You were shocked when one gloved hand pulled you swiftly onto his lap, with the other locked around your waist, pressing you against his chest. Of course, you fantasized the idea of being the lover of such a fine specimen of mankind, but only the idea of it. Even though you are nothing more then a lowly maid now, you are still a lady of nobility with conducts of propriety.

Your shrinking pupils made Claude realize he might be pushing a bit too fast. But human lives are so fragile, so short compare to demon ones. If he does not seize this opportunity, who knows when is next one going to arrive? Whether it is your intention or not, Claude is now mesmerized with you. Now that he is holding you this close, breathing in your intoxicating sweet scent, the old demon had his first epiphany of a millennium: you are lovely, and he intends to keep you this way, one way or the other.

Squirming with protests, you tried to get out of his suffocating embrace. “Sir, this is not proper, please let go of me.” Yet you achieve no results, those iron grips still hold you firmly in place, those same arms that spared you an embarrassing fall this morning.

“Little bird, finally thinking about propriety? You should know better then coming to my office this late unless you want something to happen.” Claude is close, too close, you can feel his breath fanning your ears gently. Gloved fingers trace down your jawline, making you tremble with fear. “Am I right, Lady (family name)?” You froze. What how did he-how do he know you are not a mere commoner? Had he already done a thorough investigation on you?

“Now, repeat after me, little bird.” His golden eyes shifted its color to pink, round pupils bending into a thin line. In normal circumstances, you would be terrified of how his features suddenly changed, but now you are too possessed by his intense gaze to think of anything else. Those eyes, you felt as if you could drown in those two magenta pools.

“I love Claude Faustus forever and I would do anything should he asks of me.”

“I-I love Claude Faustus f-forever...and I would do anything should....should he-e asks of me.” It is still your voice, although those words are defintely not your own. What is happening? Why do your tongue just moved on its own like man possessed?

“Perfect.” Running his bare fingers through your hair, Claude left a light kiss on your forehead, ignoring the horrid expression you are wearing. “You will behave, right little bird?”

“Of course, Sir Claude.” You did not just say that !There is no way. What has this evil man done to you? You never should have come here. Your terrible fiancée at least could not cast spells on you!

“I’ll take good care of you, my dearest little bird. After all, your fate is defined since the moment I lay my eyes on you. We are destined to be together.”

“Oh, do try to behave. It would be a shame if something should happen to your dear family. I would hate if you end up like your other human predecessors.” His lord, despite his young age, is a master at torture and inflicting suffering. There is a unfortunate reason why there is only a few servants in this manor, and the fact that they are durable demons too. Claude knows exactly where you would end up had he not intervened. Do not worry, he would never let you go. Demons mate for life, didn’t you know that? Why resist?

“I love you my dear, to the hell and back. We shall stay together until the end of time.”

#black butler #black butler imagines #black butler fanfiction #yandere claude faustus #claude faustus #yandere black butler

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letmetellyouaboutmyfeels · 5 years

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#if you ask I will write a whole goddamn essay on Boromir #and why his death means more to us as we get older *whispers* babe I want the essay

Why must you always enable me I love it never stop. So. Wow. Where to even start. I rant through my tears about how much I love Boromir every time I watch Lord of the Rings, which I do about once a year with @captainofthefallen. Every time I watch it, his death means more to me, hits me harder, and I think that’s because the older we get, the more we identify with Boromir.

Here’s the thing. In all honesty, as a kid (I first read LotR when I was eleven, first watched the films at that age as well), I wasn’t too fond of Boromir. Oh I liked him all right, he was fine I suppose, but I didn’t connect with him. I was angry when he tried to take the One Ring from Frodo, and I cried a little at his death because death is sad and I was a kid, but it didn’t devastate me.

Because as a kid? I wanted to be Aragorn. The reluctant king who rises up and does the right thing, always. The guy who gets the amazing (be still my bi heart) Arwen, the Evenstar, fairest of the elves. The guy who literally kicks ass. The man who is noble, honorable, thoughtful, good with his words, humble, knows the burdens of leadership, who stands up and says there will be a day when the courage of men fails, but this is not that day.

I wanted to be the hero.

I noticed this trend among my peers growing up. We all loved Aragorn and wanted to be him. Boromir was sort of dismissed.

But then a funny thing happened, called getting older.

I got older, and I fucked up.

I got older, and depression hit.

I got older, and the weight of societal expectations, of being an older sibling, of adult responsibilities, of legacy, of family secrets, of family history, all settled on my shoulders.

I got older, and I learned that men are not always honorable, or kind, or humble, or the leaders they should be. And I learned how hard and desperate it is to continue to believe in the strength of men.

I got older, and I learned how temptation comes for us all, in different forms, and how we hurt people without meaning to, and how sometimes for all our regret and tears and apologies, we cannot mend what we broke.

I got older, and I leaned what it is to be forced into a role I didn’t want, to feel I’d hit a dead end, to struggle against those who had different views, to feel like people could look into my heart and see the anger and fear that I tried so hard to hide.

I got older, and I realized: I’m Boromir.

We’re all Boromir.

Tolkien was very deliberate with his characters. They aren’t just characters, flawed and wonderful though they might be. They also each represent something very specific. Aragorn represents the Ideal. The hero that we all can be, the hero that we should strive to be, the vision of mankind as we are supposed to be, if only we can let ourselves shed our hubris and our doubts. Aragorn represents who we should be.

Boromir represents who we are.

Flawed, frustrated, burdened, tempted, struggling, setback, good intentioned, afraid, angry, kindhearted, noble, loyal, and painfully, beautifully human.

Boromir went to the Council of Elrond reluctantly. He shouldn’t have gone. Boromir is a war leader, as we learn after his death. He successfully fought for and defended Gondor from Mordor for years. That’s where he belongs. Faramir is the quiet one, the diplomat, the “wizard’s pupil,” the soft-spoken and patient one. Note that even in the film version, which shows a differently characterized Faramir than in the books (Tolkien heavily based Faramir on himself), Faramir only wants the One Ring in order to give it to his father and win his father’s pride and affection–he doesn’t want it for himself.

If Faramir had been at the Council and Boromir had stayed in Gondor, everything would have gone differently, and possibly for the better.

But the Steward of Fuckwits aka Boromir and Faramir’s father decides he wants Boromir to go, to represent their family, because Boromir is the son he values and is the “face” of Gondor. So Boromir sets aside what he wants, and he goes. And the whole time he feels out of place, feels like a fish out of water, feels second to Aragorn, feels lost, feels terrified his city will fall while he is gone, feels like the race of Men is being mocked and looked down on as weak.

How many of us as we grow up are stuck like that? We can’t fix our family (although we try), we can’t fix our broken country (although we try), we can’t get rid of the doubts and fears that whisper to us (although we try), and we can’t stop feeling like we’re constantly second best, constantly failing, looked down on, especially the millennial generation.

(Given what’s happening in the world right now, I wouldn’t be surprised if Tolkien found himself surprisingly similar in outlook and feeling to our generation. But that’s another topic.)

And of course that’s the key. Boromir–darling, frustrated, stuck, fatally flawed Boromir–is so very relatable because he tries. He tries to teach Merry and Pippin to protect themselves and then tries to save them and dies for it. He tries to convince Aragorn (who at that point is more elf than man in his outlook) that there is no reason to give up on his people, their people–and he succeeds in that, although he dies before he gets to see it. He tries to make his father proud. He tries to apologize when he fucks up. He tries and he fails, and he tries and he succeeds. And the most important things he does, the biggest seeds he plants, he never sees them flower.

Like my God, the man’s last words are I failed. I failed you, I failed Frodo, I tried to take the Ring. I’m sorry, I failed. That hits me so goddamn hard in my mid20s and it’ll hit me even harder when I’m older, I’m sure. How many times have we said that to people? “I tried to help him.” “I tried to reach out.” “I tried to apologize.” “I tried to stop them.” “I tried so hard.” I tried, I tried, I tried. For the job, for the friend, for everything, I tried.

And I failed.

I have a laundry list of things I tried and failed at, and God, do they hurt. Sometimes it was something out of my control, sometimes it was my own behavior. And that scene with Boromir, the flawed man, staring up at Aragorn, the ideal hero, and begging him, begging him, “save them, they took the little ones, find Frodo,” begging him for forgiveness, apologizing for his failures?

Talk about a fucking metaphor.

We make our ideals in literature so that we have something to look up to and strive for, for others to strive for. Boromir falls prey to the ring, but Aragorn does not. You did what I could not. Of course Aragorn did. He’s the ideal. And we beg our ideals to be better so they can show us the way and hopefully, maybe, someday, we can be like them.

I had so many heroes growing up, real and literary. Sara from A Little Princess. Aragorn. Lucy from Narnia. Nancy Drew. Harry Potter. And so many times I would look at myself in the mirror and cry because I knew, I knew if I stood in front of them they would be disappointed in me. I knew I wasn’t being the person I could be. I tried, I failed, I tried, I failed, but my God I swear, I tried.

As a kid or even a teenager, we still see mainly who we want to be. Our ideal. And I hope that we never lose sight of that. I love Aragorn and my God am I going to keep trying to be like him, and like all of my other literary heroes. We need those heroes, we need them so badly, and the darker the world gets the brighter we have to make them shine.

As an adult, though–as an adult, we start to see not only who we want to be, but who we are, and who we could’ve been, and how we failed to be, and the paths not taken and the paths that were lost. And that’s important too. Because Boromir died convinced he was a failure. Convinced he was, truly, the weakness we find in men.

And he was… but he wasn’t.

Without Boromir, Aragorn wouldn’t know what happened to Merry and Pippin or where they went. Without Boromir, Aragorn would’ve had no hope in the race of men. Without Boromir, who would have carried the hobbits up the cold mountain, or taught them how to fight, or said give them a moment, for pity’s sake! Who would have defended Gondor for so long, or loved his brother with a ferocity that Denethor’s abuse couldn’t knock loose, and inspired that brother to keep fighting even as the light faded and the night grew cold and long?

Aragorn carries Boromir’s bracers throughout the rest of the trilogy, right up to his coronation, where he is still wearing them as he is made King. Because Boromir might not have seen it–we might not see it–but we tried and we failed but we didn’t fail at everything. Lives are made brighter for our presence. The world is better for our gifts and our convictions. And no fight, even a fight lost, is done in vain.

The remains of the Fellowship ride to Gondor not just because it’s the Right Thing to Do, but because it is the city of their fallen brother, it’s Boromir’s home, the home that above all he gave everything to defend. Boromir doesn’t want the Ring for power, he wants it so his home will be safe, his family will be safe, and God who can’t relate to that, as we grow older and we see our families and friends attacked and scarred, as we have children and want them out of harm’s way. Who wouldn’t be tempted to seize the chance to keep them safe?

I see so much of myself in Boromir. And I take hope. I take inspiration. I cheer through my tears as he is hit again and again with arrows and each time he gets back up on his feet and grits his teeth and you can see him thinking not today. As a child I thought Boromir was selfish but as an adult I hear him use his last breath to apologize to Aragorn and call him his brother and his king and I see he’s more selfless than he ever gave himself credit for being. Boromir sees only his faults, but we can see what he doesn’t, we see his positive impact and we see his virtues, too.

Because as an adult I’ve failed, and I want to believe that like Boromir, I’ve also succeeded, I’ve also been more than just my faults–even if I can’t see that yet.

Aragorn is who we should be. But Boromir is who we are.

And my God, we should be proud of that. Because Boromir is a damn good person to be.

#mads answers things #Lord of the Rings #LotR Meta #Boromir #Boromir meta #I cried just thinking about Boromir while writing this #Boromir is a goddamn hero #a tragic one but a hero all the same #and I will hear no different #extasiswings #I'M A FUCKING IDIOT WHO SAID MORIA INSTEAD OF MORDER #FUCKING FUCK #I FUCKED UP I FUCKED UP

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miss-choco-chips · 4 years

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College au part 2

Home, a place where I can go to take this off my shoulders- someone take me home (Machine Gun Kelly, X Ambassadors & Bebe Rexha – Home)

They are there for each other, the good and the bad. That’s what family is for, after all.

-.-.-.-.-.-

-I'm so gay -sighed Miguel almost dreamingly, stopping next to Slobo by the doors leading to the backyard.

Blissfully unaware of them, Tim was going through his usual routine of what seemed a mix of gymnastics, various martial arts and parkour, with a side of dancing to spice things up.

His friend snorted without even raising his eyes from the motorcycle engine he was trying to fix. A blasphemy, in Miguel's humble opinion, to have such an amazing view and to not take advantage of it.

-I know.

He dropped to the ground, head resting on Slobo's shoulder, gaze unwavering in his appreciation of slim muscles and perfectly controlled strength. Tamed power to the fullest.

-I mean like, really really gay.

-Yeah, what else is new? Pass me the motor oil.

He blindly patted the ground for it, picking something vaguely shaped like a can and thrusting it to where he thought were the other's hands.

When Tim bends over and starts stretching, Miguel wheezes and drops the can.

-I'm so stupidly, non functionally gay.

Slobo rolled his eyes and picked it up, his other hand going to close Miguel’s jaw.

-Dude that's all old news. Either come here with fresh gossip, be helpful, or leave. I don't need you making a mess of my stuff. You are getting your hormones all over my individual bubble.

Miguel sighed again, eyes almost physically turning into hearts when Tim stretched his arms over his head.

-Fuck, I can’t handle this much inner gay. It’s overwhelming.

-Nothing inner about it, dude. You’re dripping it all over my work station. Can’t you go be a disaster gay somewhere else?

-Tim is here, so no can do.

-Can’t you just ask him out and save us all the pining show and second hand embarrassment?

A few meters away, Tim had taken out the bo staff and was practicing some moves. He accidentally brushed a branch (a thick one, from the pine tree Kon’s grandparents had made him plant upon moving there), and snapped it in half. He seemed kinda sheepish about it, which was both adorable and terrifying. Miguel was scared and horny.

-He’d destroy me.

Slobo hummed, hand reaching up to pat Miguel in the shoulder.

-Sounds like something you’d be kinda into, though.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

-This coffee tastes like dirt -complained Tim, while chugging half the pot in one long gulp.

Distantly, Cassie noted there was still steam coming out of the liquid. Hadn’t Tim just brew it? Also, was it completely dark? No sugar?

Like her future?

Despairingly, she let her head fall again on the table.

-Why did I get into politics?

-Your pathological need to fulfill Diana’s expectations -replied Cissie, sitting across from her, long hair in what could have been a bun once upon a time but now looked more like a bird’s nest. That had been hit by lighting. Repeatedly.

It strangely suited her. Or it could be Cassie’s adoration for her friend speaking, who the fuck knows.

-Which, I might add -interjected Tim, not waiting for them to say ‘you may’ before continuing. Because he was a rude bastard like that- you invented by yourself. Diana only hopes you don’t end up in jail. And if it's for the right causes, she might even forgive that.

He dropped to the ground for no discernible reason, back to the cabinets where they kept the fine cutlery they never used. He was staring at the halfway empty pot like it contained the key to conquering mankind.

Knowing Tim, it might actually be true.

-Don’t try to take over the world -she asked, worried he might. Cissie made a confused sound, not privy to Cassie’s internal monologue, but Tim just nodded distractedly, which was all she needed before turning back to her half done paper.

-How are you doing, sis?

-Sis like sister, o Ciss like Cissie? -came Tim’s voice from behind her, probably still sitting on the ground.

-Yes.

-Oh -the girl in front of her blinked- sorry, you were talking to me?

-I mean… Tim is not ‘sis’.

-I resent that, I totally could be. Also, seriously, why does my coffee taste like dirt?

-Don’t drink it then. You were saying, honey?

Cassie rested her chin on a hand, elbow carefully to the side of her paper.

-How are you doing?

-Wondering why did I ever thought studying psychology was a good idea. Why? Who started me on this path, and can I punch them? -her voice raised higher and higher the more distressed she got- Tim? Do you remember?

-Your therapist back in high school got you out of your toxic home life and helped you basically re-build your sense of self worth. Also you like to get into everyone’s business so Kon suggested making a career out of it.

-Remind me to punch him later.

-You could break your hand, and you have an archery competition this friday.

-Kick him, then.

-Got ya.

-Can I just die? -interjected Cassie, phone at hand. Her screen displayed a text sent by a classmate, who updated her on their due date. Apparently, she had calculated wrong and it was way sooner than what she thought- What’s the worst that could happen if I die? I’m sure people would get over it.

-You’d be losing all the progress you made in your career so far -reminded her Cissie.

Tim’s voice joined from behind- Included, but not limited to, that one class you had with the douche professor. Imagine if you lost your progress and had to start over. Imagine having class with him again.

She shivered- That was both incredibly motivational, and unholily terrorizing.

Greta entered the kitchen then. She looked fresh and cute, which was probably due to her having a full night’s sleep.

-Wow, you three have been here the whole night? -she asked, obviously concerned, looking over Cissie’s shoulder at her assignment- Did you guys even make progress? At all? -her eyes discovered Tim’s half assed project, on the place next to where Cissie sat.

If Cassie didn’t love her so much, she would punch her in the face.

Tim sighed.

-I can’t get up. I can’t feel my legs -he admitted. Cassie thinks, she should be worried. Losing sensibility seemed like a serious problem. But, whatever, Greta was here, and she was perfectly well rested. Let her take care of the worrying.

-Tim? Oh my god, are you alright? -she rushed to his side.

-I think the coffee stopped making effect, and my three-on-a-row all nighters caught up to me. Just let me die, Greta. If coffee is not longer working on my body, I might as well let the grim reaper do its thing.

Cassie couldn’t see her any longer, since she was at her back by Tim’s side, but she could still somehow sense her concern growing.

-Tim... Did you use this bag by the coffee maker to brew it?

-I can’t move my head to look up at what you’re pointing, but I guess I did.

-Oh, honey… that is soil for Kon’s vegetable plot. Not coffee grounds.

-...so that’s why it tasted like dirt. Thank god. Excuse me while I faint.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

-I think Conner is dead on our living room -announced Miguel entering the kitchen. Slobo, Anita and Greta didn’t even blink, just kept their... poker? game going.

-He’s probably just sleeping -the other man waved a hand dismissively- Did you check his pulse or something?

-Ew, no. What if he’s really dead? I don’t want to touch a corpse. Greta, you go touch it.

-Why me?

-If anyone will need to put their fingerprints in a veritable crime scene, who better than the only one with no criminal record?

-Tim doesn't have it either, go knock on his door and tell him to do it. I’m about to swindle both these jerks.

-There’s a difference between never getting caught by the police, and erasing all virtual proof of your crimes. Tim belongs to the second group. Also, last I checked, he and Bart were working on something on his room. I’m not approaching that danger zone without protective equipment.

-Speaking of -Slobo raised his head, looking around- has anyone bought them food in the last couple of hours?

-Kon, probably.

-He is dead -he reminded them- Cassie and Cissie are still asleep, and I’m not waking them up. Greta?

Out of their group, Conner was Tim and Bart’s official handler (when Tim was not micromanaging them all, at least; little control freak). Many people believed he lifted at the gym to get all the girls; in truth, as the boy had once told Miguel, it was so he could carry both his friends to bed in one trip to tuck them in at the same time, because if he did it separately, the one that got to be second always tried to make a run for it.

In the event he was unavailable, Cassie took over. Her skills with a lasso and years of practice at the rodeo came in handy then, and it never failed to crack him up when he saw how swiftly she caught them both.

And if she wasn’t close or was busy, then Cissie took over for Bart and Greta for Tim, as they could only handle one at the time.

The rest of them were last resource. Second to last was Jason Todd, who as both Tim’s brother and Bart’s TA held a fair amount of power over them.

If Jason told them to fuck off, then Slobo, Miguel and Anita would talk it out among themselves. Slobo would suggest knocking them out. Which, considering Bart’s speed and Tim’s mindblowing ninja training (and where the hell did he learn that, they would never know), wasn’t a very realistic option. Anita suggested drugs; but between Bart’s ADHD medication and Tim’s antibiotics for his lack of spleen and antidepressants, the adverse effects made them all a little uncomfortable with the idea.

Miguel’s own suggestions, which involved a lot of tender care and coddling, where ignored with a few laughs and a shrug.

-Fuck you, I’m not leaving this table so close to cleaning you both up. If you are worried, you go feed them.

Slobo shrugged.

-If they die, I call Tim’s room. Having a roommate is the worst.

-Excuse you -raised an eyebrow Miguel, walking to the fridge for a drink. He might as well watch the game.

-If I have to listen to you practicing your singing before showering one more time...

-If I can deal with you cursing at your phone at five am, you can deal with my melodious voice -Miguel blinked- That’s not poker.

-We are playing Truco.

-What?

-It’s a popular game in Argentina, or so Tim said. He taught us when he was having a coffee break this morning. And by the way: Truco, bitches!

-I’m in! -Slobo yelled back.

Greta looked at her cards impassively, then at the ones laying on the table between the three of them, before raising an eyebrow- I call Re Truco.

Miguel watched them go for a while. He wasn’t sure on the rules, but from the way they kept yelling, he knew it was highly competitive. It also seemed to involve a great amount of deceit, bullshiting and being as poker faced as possible. It made sense that Tim had been the one introducing them to the game. Speaking of…

-Maybe if I knock on the door with a coffee offering, he’ll listen to me without punching my nose in? -he mumbled to himself, aware that the others were ignoring him. Decided to test his luck, he climbed to his feet and readied the coffee maker.

The rest of the afternoon saw Miguel sitting on Tim’s bed, watching from the sidelines how both he and Bart built… something. It had a chainsaw and a mini shield, so maybe a fighting bot? There were some (not very legal) competitions around campus...

It was almost dinner time when he remembered a tiny, small detail.

-Man, I’m so hungry. You guys think dinner is ready? -asked Bart, hand sweeping the sweat off his forehead- Who was in charge of it tonight?

Lightning-like realization hit Miguel.

-Oh, yeah, speaking of that… Kon was probably dead, last time I checked. Maybe we should order a pizza or something?

-Cool, I could do pizza.

-I’m sorry, Kon was what?!

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

-You guys need jobs -told them Tim one morning over breakfast. They had just moved in together, and classes were about to start. Nobody seemed willing to talk about responsibility yet, but he felt like they needed the push to do it.

-I have a job -proudly smiled Bart, eyes never leaving the TV where his character was beating Kon’s into a bloody plump. He didn’t elaborate past that, and Tim made a mental note to investigate further later. Bart’s career was enough, they needn't add another unsolved mystery.

-Where is this coming from, though? We have loads of time for that -scoffed Slobo, watching the game intently.

-Classes are starting soon, and people will be getting all the good jobs. I did some calculations, and the money you guys have been saving for living expenses will run out in two, three months tops. Greta has the coffee shop thing and Cassie just got called back from the movie theatre, but the rest of you need to find some money maker. Stat.

-And what about you? -threw Cissie back, internally agreeing with him but despising the reality check.

Tim looked at her, completely deadpan. Silently, he took out his wallet, fishing three cards (one silver, one golden and one black) from it and showing them to her.

-Even before being adopted by a billionaire, I already was a rich trust fund baby. And now that I’ve said it, I’m gonna avoid getting punched by making my exit. Good luck job hunting.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Cassie and Anita’s room was ground floor, along with the kitchen, living room, laundry area, a medium size bathroom with a shower, and a very small one with only the toilet and sink. The second floor housed Bart and Conner’s room, along with Miguel and Slobo’s, and Cissie and Greta’s, plus the biggest bathroom, with both a tub and shower. The attic had been claimed by Tim, who won that right by paying the deposit for the house on top of his part of the rent. It was the biggest room, the size of the entire house without partitions, with only one separation in the form of the small sized bathroom. He loved his room, would pay twice what he coughed up to have it. It was worth it, every cent.

He loved his attic; The bathroom, however, was another thing. It ran out of warm water constantly.

-This is the second time this month. I love you, but you aren’t burrowing our bath -denied Cissie firmly, arms crossed as she waited outside the door for Greta to finish her shower-. If it was any other day I’d say yes, you know I would, but you aren’t the only one that needs to get ready for the movie, and there’s six of us sharing here. Go ask the girls.

Defeated but understanding, he went another floor down, arms full with his skin and hair care products (he had a image to keep, and one never knew when paparazzi would be around; he and his brothers had a steady competition on who got caught in camera being a ugly mess the least, that he wasn’t willing to lose) and clean clothes.

Anita shrugged when she opened the door, still naked except from her towel and hair dripping.

-Yeah, Cassie already took hers. Just remember to lock the door, dude. Since its ground floor bathroom, someone always tries to get in to pee when you’re showering, it’s annoying. Also, don’t come at me with complains about hair in the drain, okay?

Thankful beyond caring, he nodded and hurried towards it.

He wasn’t expecting what he found there. Already halfway to the shower, he stopped to leave his folded clothes on top of the cabinet near the sink when he saw...

-Why are there weapons here? -he couldn't help but scream, clutching a towel to his naked chest. He felt distinctly like a victorian lady preserving her virtue from a foe. It was a very curious feeling.

-I said no judgements!! -Anita yelled back from across the hallway.

-Yeah, regarding hair on the floor! Nobody said anything about weapons!

-So I forgot my katana there after my shower, big deal. Just don’t fall on it, problem solved.

-No, I’m used to seeing your katana, but why the fuck do you girls have cat shaped brass knuckles?

-They are cute and useful! Aren’t you taking a shower, dude? The movie starts soon!

Deciding that this wasn't a battle worth picking, he turned on the warm water. Ahh, nice, wonderful hot water.

-Oh, Tim! -came Cassie’s yell- Don’t lock the door, forget what Anita said! I need to put on my make up and that mirror is better than the one in our room.

-I’m gonna be showering though.

-And?

Yeah, she had a point. Shrugging, he made sure the door was unlocked before stepping under the water and closing the curtain.

He heard her coming in and rummaging through one of the little bags he saw on the sink cabinet. He couldn't help but ask.

-Why do you guys keep weapons here?

-They are for when we are most vulnerable.

-With thighs like yours you’re never vulnerable.

-I love you. But just pretend I have noodle legs, for argument’s sake.

-Mkay.

-Well, name one instance when you’re more weak and exposed than when you’re taking a shower.

-...Yeah, I follow. Still seems a bit excessive, but I do like that pointy needle thing you have by the blow dryer. I need to get my sister one of those, cute and deadly like her.

-That? Oh, honey, no, that’s a hair pin.

-If you put your hair in a bun and use that as an ornament, you’d never be unarmed, that’s all I’m saying. Again, cute and deadly.

-...You’ve opened my eyes.

-You’re welcome. May I borrow your eyeliner?

-Sure, but why? You don’t usually use makeup.

-If I make myself long enough wings, maybe I’ll be able to fly away from my problems. Or look fabulous enough to not care about them.

-In moments like this I’m reminded of my undying love for you. Do my eyes too.

-Gotcha.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

He came home five minutes after receiving the text, chest heaving from the run and heart beating furiously for a entirely different reason.

Cassie, phone at hand, was waiting by the door. Her eyes were solemn.

-What happened? -he asked, not bothering with niceties as he stepped in and closed the door behind him.

-Family dinner went wrong -she shrugged-, not that he told me. Bart was playing games when he walked in and he texted Jason, who told him, and then he came to me.

Fuck them, Kon thought uncharitably. The Waynes were both an awesome family, and boarding on toxic. Guessing which kind were they going to be any given week was like playing lottery. It was such a Murphy law thing that they went for shitty this particular weekend, where Tim could have used their love and support the most.

-How is Jason? -he asked, not that he cared too much, but because he knew Tim would want to know sooner or later.

-Bart didn’t say, but he did mention he was hanging out with Kori and Roy, and Artemis said in the family group chat to not bother her tonight, so I’m assuming she’s there too.

-Biz is still at the farm, but three is better than nothing -he sighed, taking off his coat and walking towards the stairs- Bart?

-He just convinced Tim to take a bath in the big tub, so he’s probably standing guard by the door.

A nod, Kon’s steps hurried with purpose now that he had a clear destination in mind.

-The others?

Cassie waved vaguely towards the arch on the wall leading to the living room. Kon could see someone moving there from the corner of his eye, but didn’t turn to check; he wouldn't be derailed from his path.

-Greta went to the attic to clean Tim’s room a bit. You know he doesn't have the strength to do it himself right now, but seeing it like that also makes him feel worse. Cissie and Anita are readying the living room for a movie night, picking up all the pillows and blankets in the house. A pillow fort might be in the making.

They were on the second floor now. Kon could see Bart ahead, back resting against the wall, just by the side of the door.

-Slobo ran to Tim’s favorite pizza place -Cassie kept going, keeping pace with him- and should be back soon; Miguel went to the store to buy comfort food, sweets and stuff. Ice cream too, probably.

Conner nodded again, glad to see everyone was following their protocol for these kind of situations. All their housemates accounted for, he stopped in front of Bart and patted his shoulder comfortingly. He was very empathetic, tended to pick up on everyone’s moods, specially Tim’s, and let himself be influenced by them. The shadows on his eyes were probably a mirror image of how their friend currently taking a bath was doing. Not so hot, apparently.

-I’ll take it from here, you guys go put on your pajamas and help the girls get everything ready -he suggested, eyes going to Cassie’s. She nodded, understanding that her mission now was to calm Bart down. Helping Anita and Cissie would do wonders for him.

On most situations, the group tended to follow Tim’s lead, their indisputable commander in chief; when he couldn’t be there, or was too emotionally compromised, Cassie would take over. However, in this particular scenario, everyone deferred to him for some reason. Maybe because he’s been with Tim for the longest time, maybe because he knew him best. It didn’t matter; all he cared about was that it made his work easier, and they seemed glad to have a task they could focus on, rather than dwelling in concern.

Softly, he rapped his knuckles against the door.

-Tim? I’m coming in, dude -he informed him, voice low as to not spook him if he was dissociating. The last they needed was him slipping in the shower.

When no answer came, he entered the steamy bathroom, door closing behind him. As Cassie had predicted, Tim was sitting in the almost full tub, knees hugged to his chest and chin resting above them. His eyes went to Conner when he approached him though, which was a good enough sign to make him visibly sigh in relief.

Tim’s eyes narrowed, as if he wanted to snap at him that he didn’t need them to take care of him, but then he just deflated and looked ahead again, not nearly strong enough to fight.

Knot growing on his chest, Kon sat by the tub’s edge- Hey there. You’re not looking very cool right now. Have I ever told you I despise like 66% of your family?

-Three out of six is not 66%.

-Three? I only like Alfred and Cass.

-You don’t dislike Jason.

-I mean, it varies from moment to moment. But I’ll give you that since you’re feeling bad, and concede on 50%.

Tim snorted a little, and his eyes didn’t look as dead as they had when Kon first came in, so he gave himself infinite Best Friend points.

-Want to talk about it? -he asked gently, hand on Tim’s wet shoulder. He felt more like saw him shrug.

-Nothing to tell, really… It was more of the same shit. I love them, but sometimes they…

-Don’t make it easy, huh?

-...yeah. I don’t even know why I’m so fucked up over it, I’m used to this.

Kon squeezed his shoulder- Your psychiatrist warned you, this week was gonna be tough even without the family drama. Your body is adjusting to the new medication, and it…

-Yeah, yeah, I know -he sighs, sinking deeper into the water- I just… I just hate this. That my brain works like that, that I worry you all, that I can’t just fucking deal with it alone. You know what Jack used to say about mental illness…

-A stupid bastard’s words shouldn't be taken seriously. And you know we don’t like the J word in this house, it’s one of the rules.

Tim’s smile, small and tentative, was a thing of beauty. It never failed to remind Kon why he put so much effort into making the situation better for his friend, when he saw that it actually did help.

-You guys can’t just erase my father from my memory by sheer force of will and avoidance of the topic.

-Sure we can -he gave his shoulder a light pat-. The boys will be here soon with food, and I heard a movie night is in order. You done with your bath? We could stay here longer if you want to, though.

Tim’s smile grew a little bit, cheeks warming, delighted despite himself at the love and care that was being bestowed upon him. Some time ago, he might have fought them over it; the progress was hard earned, but Kon wouldn't change a single thing about it.

-Yeah, I just have to put conditioner on and comb my hair -he hesitated a bit, glancing down at his arms hugging his legs and probably weighing their strength-. Could you, uh… do it for me?

Kon had already been reaching for the bottle even before he asked.

There was little he could do to help Tim, medical wise. But there were professionals for that, and after many late night talks and specially bad episodes, Tim had gotten better at seeking their help when needed.

What he could do was no less important, though; making sure their home was a safe, supportive, non-toxic place for him to come back to.

That’s what best friends-- what family was there for.

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ourletterstogod · 3 years

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Dear Holy Father: thank you Holy Father for everything you bestow on me. to anyone that would ask if I believe in God not only will I tell them that I am a believer but what you have given me. then I would tell them of the great sacrifice that his Son Jesus Christ went through to forgive the son's of man there sins. I know in my heart that you exist and that through you Son Holy that mankind is forgiven. I had a friend years ago that went to church three times a week but also went out to feed the hungry. what I found that was really a double face lie was a couple days per week that he would have hookers go to his house and do what ever. what he told me when I would ask how about the sin of being with hookers and his reply was that it was ok because Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. I agreed that Jesus Christ did die for our sins but I doubt that if he died so that you could be with hookers everyday. again he told me that it was ok and God understand and forgives what he was doing. Knowing that you are completely going against what Jesus died for and to continue being with hookers was ok. Lord I would rather be by my self than being with hookers and thinking that you are being forgiven every time you are with hookers. maybe one day he will see the sin is not being forgiven time after time. Thank you Lord for your blessings and everything you bestow up on me. Holy Father I pray for the Jewish people who are dying from rockets from the Philistines that they shoot into the home land and killing the children of God. Lord for thousands of years the Philistines have been trying to wipe the Jewish people off the face of the earth. Holy Father I know that someday soon war will be going at full speed and I hope that maybe the Jewish people would ask for help from Americans who believe in the word of God and fight for his children. thank you Holy Father for everything. your humble servant Brian. Love you Holy Father

#submission

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botslayer · 4 years

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Octodad: Not-so-dark theory

From top to bottom, Octodad looks like a fairly innocent game, A simple story about an Octopus trying to survive in suburbia. But, through subtle hints and references, and inconsistencies with that premise, it is revealed that Octodad is no mere cephalopod. He is, in fact, something far more horrifying, on paper at least... What do I mean?

Octodad is not, in truth, an Octopus, He's a Cthulhi. For those not familiar with the works of H.P. Lovecraft, Cthulhi are also called "The Starspawn of Cthulhu" and "Xothians," and are a race that looks like Cthulhu who's true origins, as with everything in the Cthulhu mythos, are debatable and vague as sin, the only things known for a fact are that they look like Cthulhu (Or, in their first appearance, like Octopi), worship him, followed him from their home dimension/universe into ours, and then perished en masse while what remained of them went into a death-like sleep, same as Cthulhu.

Now, Star Spawn aren't often seen in the works of Lovecraft, but they do have a sliver of popularity in the fandom. Not as big (in the popularity sense) as Deep Ones, but not as unknown as the humble Penguins of Leng. Now, again, it's worth noting that common interpretations of Star Spawn are basically baby Cthulhus, just tiny versions of their dark and malevolent master, but to start with, they were described as "a land race of beings shaped like octopi and probably corresponding to the fabulous pre-human spawn of Cthulhu," in the story "At the Mountains of Madness."

Octodad highly RESEMBLES an octopus, but with some interesting tweaks. Namely: His eyes, two of his Tentacles, and something we'll talk about in just a minute. But let's talk about Octodad's anatomy when compared to another octopus, namely, the one in the "Wold of kelp" at the Aquarium.

Now, this is Octopus is a giant, climbable sculpture one might see at a water park, so in a technical sense, some liberties could have been taken with its anatomy, but it looks semi-accurate to real octopi, down to the slit-like pupils and the tentacles all being at roughly the same spot despite them spreading out for kids to climb on. Now, if you pay attention, a patron of the Aquarium will note that the "World of kelp" was something else before it was the world of kelp, though they THINK it was "Squids or something" before. Based on how the section played out, I have to believe the whole affair was either cephalopods in general given how many bases of just kelp they went over, or just Octopi because HOLY CRAP there are lots of octopi out there. Failing that, I don't think the statue was a squid to begin with, the eyes are far too forward on the head, what can be seen of the tentacles makes them all look the same, and most species of squid have circular pupils and irises, not slits/rectangles.

Octodad, in contrast to the sculpture, has vertically ovular pupils, far rounder than the slits on the larger statue, on top of that, his eyes take up a slightly larger portion of his head. Then we take a look at Octodad's tentacles, namely the two that form his mustache. These two tentacles are set away from the other six in a way that makes no real anatomical sense for an octopus. Not to mention that the two are preposterously shorter than the others, it's less like another pair of tendrils and more like a strange growth coming out of the middle of his head. Moving on from that, there's also a certain disparity with his other limbs, his "arms" are shorter than his "legs" when he stands, however, when he enters water, his limbs, save for his mustache, are all of equal length, this strange effect carries over to when he's buck-ass naked, so no, he isn't just scrunching two up while he's in the suit... Speaking of naked octodad:

What the hell is that THING in the midst of his tentacles? It's a lighter color than the others, he's still using two tentacles per leg, one per arm, and his mustache is basically vestigial. Octodad's anatomy makes no fucking sense unless you consider the idea that he has some level of shapeshifting power... and wouldn't you know it, Cthulhi have just that. To what end is a little shakey, as with most things in the Lovecraft universe, but still.

Also worth noting is the church Octodad got married at, a Church dedicated, at least partly, to Cthulhu himself. Now, we only see one window with any kind of figure on it, Cthulhu, wereas the others are all decked out with a strange symbol, as are a few paintings lining the walls of it. These paintings may be of religious significance to the practitioners of this particular faith, but a lot of it looks like some minimalist "If you get it you get it" kind of stuff, and then one is literally a crayon drawing of a child with a smiling balloon. The last vaguely Lovecraftian thing in the church is the treasure chest Octodad gets his wife's ring from, all the coins within have a squid/cuttlefish-like creature printed on them, In the story "Shadow over Innsmouth," the people of a town called "Innsmouth" start breeding with fish people. They did it specifically for the undersea gold the fish people (called Deep Ones) give out for the service. Deep Ones worship multiple gods, cheif among them are their great parents, Mother Hydra and Father Dagon, though worship of Cthulhu isn't against their laws or anything.

The game takes a break from the hints of Eldrich horror while the family is at home, though it is worth noting that we don't REALLY know where Octodad's children came from. Hell, the game makes a joke about it at the end, Tommy asks, plain as day, "If dad's an octopus... Then where did me and Stacy come from?" While his parents laugh the question off, it has a few possible answers: The two of them (Or just Tommy) are leftover from a failed relationship/marriage Scarlet was a part of before Octodad came in, the two (Or just Tommy) are adopted, or, in a manner not dissimilar to deep ones, Cthulhi may just be able to breed with humans in this universe.

Now, I say Tommy may be adopted/Not Octodad's specifically because Stacy says something concerning in the "Deep sea" exhibit at the Aquarium. She apparently has dreams wherein a deep, dark spot in the ocean seems to call to her. This turns out to be a sea horse ranch. Cute as that is, dreams are a recurrent theme in Lovecraft's work, sometimes compelling people into the service of Great old ones like Gla'aki, for example. Or there was that one story when a guy met Yog-Sothoth, the omniscient and omnipresent god of the universe just because he dreamed that deeply. Also "The Dreamlands" are a place in Lovecraft's fiction. I could keep going down that rabbit hole, but I'm lazy and I think that point is made.

There is also another reference (Possibly) to "Shadow over Innsmouth" and "Dagon" with the character of Chef Fujimoto. Now, Fujimoto himself is not a reference to anything in particular, but his backstory has some Lovecrafty bits. Namely, Fujimoto was once a soldier (Dagon) who cut open a combatant. Instead of human guts, "Piles of fish" were inside. (Shadow over Innsmouth.) This one might be a little more of a stretch but remember that Fujimoto is OBSESSED with Octodad and believes very firmly that there are fish people everywhere. ("Why is everyone fish!?") There are several Lovecraftian stories where the character feels he is being pursued or is surrounded in some way. Call of Cthulhu ends with one of the characters feeling that the cult is gunning for him, partly because some dude looked at him funny, and Dagon ended with the main character fearing that a servent of Dagon was coming up his stairs after him, so he threw himself out a window. The crippling paranoia experienced by Fujimoto is another hint that SOMETHING Eldrich is happening in the universe of Octodad.

Also worth noting is that a magazine entitled "Inquisitor" can be found at Gervason's, Octodad is on the cover, and they think he's an alien. Which begs the question: Why is it that most humans will let an obviously strange man do things without much concern at all? Hell, there are three lines present in both the main game and one of the extra shorts that imply EVERYONE sees something is wrong with Octodad. And I quote/paraphrase:

"I thought he was a lawyer?" "He's slimy enough to be one."

"Is it just me or did the captain look jigglier than usual?"

"Hmmm, I don't see a blurblerulb on the list."

These lines imply on some level that people recognize SOMETHING is wrong or different with Octodad but they don't carry the thought far enough to do anything with it... Unless perhaps at a distance, hence that cover of “Inquisitor.”

Another thing that tends to happen in Lovecraftian horror is the mind not making proper sense of things. For example: Canonically in the mythos, the image of Cthulhu mankind sees, humanoid body, octopus head, draconic wings, etc, is not what he really looks like, it's just our perception of Cthulhu because our minds aren't equipped to comprehend the real deal. Looking too long at just what we can see of Cthulhu will unravel your mind, causing both insanity and death if exposed even longer. I think that's part of Octodad's effect. When he's dressed, the humans around him perceive what their mind makes sense of. He's in a shirt and pants, therefore he is appropriately dressed as a human, therefore their minds SEE a human even if he's not QUITE right. We see, rather obviously, that he doesn't have human hands, he has tentacles with suckers, but Scarlet refers to it as a "Hand" still, this implies she and others see his appendages as hands or feet when he's disguised or doing something "Human enough." Only really undone if he's naked or does too many strange or seemingly malicious things like accidentally smack someone with a bag of doughnuts.

This is why you can get away with randomly dragging things across the floor, their minds are telling them something is a little off, but their ability to perceive might be telling them he's just got a medical condition or something. It's nothing to judge him for, he's just got a disability.

So at the end of that trail, what are we left with? Octodad as a Xothian/Deep one hybrid? Does that fundamentally change the game's story? Does this mean Octodad is a dark horror from beyond? Does he secretly seek to kill and maim and destroy all the things we hold dear? Will he one day help awaken Cthulhu and usher in the new age of the great old ones? No. See, Octodad, despite his horrifying inspirations, is a benevolent creature. He "blubs with a love for all mankind" in the ending for Dadliest Catch. He still obviously loves and cares for his family, whether they know his secret or not. He's just an alien from another dimension... or at least he has ancestry from another dimension.

Now, why is that? I've got two little ideas for that: It's an often found interpretation that most of the original writings of Lovecraft focus on the idea that "It is different, therefore it is bad." Xenophobia of an extremely high sort. Mind you, I often find this interpretation lacking, but we can probably discuss that later. I feel Octodad may be a natural extrapolation of the idea that it isn't bad because it's different, in fact, Octodad, despite keeping a secret, is an all-around "good" guy. Upstanding, moral, all that garbage, he just happens to be non-human. Something supporting this being a running theme is the scene with the Snugglefish. For those who have yet to play Dadliest catch, a section of the game takes place when the power in part of the Aquarium goes partially out. During this event, Octodad and Stacy come upon a large sculpture of a creature called a “Snugglefish.” which is covered by the dark. We shine lights at the supposedly malevolent creature, complete with monstrous teeth and evil red eyes, partially with the intent to “Blind it” despite the fact that its obviously a statue. That whole section up to then is nothing but fumbling in the dark, looking at the strange and some might say “alien” life living in the deep ocean, you can also learn some stuff about them if you pay attention. The whole thing ends when you fully light up the spots on the statue, revealing it to BE a Snuggle fish as opposed to some giant monster. As a result of revealing this, Stacy’s fears of it go right out and she feels she understands the creature better, as with most things, learning and understanding quiet one’s fears. when we learn what something is, we stop seeing it as an immediate threat is the take away from that section, I think, which is, again, I’d say, a call to Lovecraft's writings and his fear of that which was different and unknown and how it’s so easily thrown out with just a LITTLE understanding.

Another plausible explanation for Octodad’s kindness may be that Octodad is not a Star Spawn of Cthulhu, but of Kthanid. Kthanid is not an original creation of H.P. Lovecraft, but a bloke by the name of "Brian Lumley." Lumley's creation is the brother of Cthulhu, and is considered the main reason Cthulhu is sealed away these days. Kthanid is said to look almost exactly like Cthulhu but to have "Golden eyes that radiate peace." He's a loving, benevolent "Elder God" that wants the best for not just Humanity, but for all things. It would logically follow that if a creature dedicated itself to Kthanid, or was one of his spawn, it would be at least mostly as loving and kind. So, if Octodad, or "blurblerulb" if you prefer, was a purely hypothetical Kthani instead of Cthulhi, his disposition may well fit within the actual mythos.

So, what do y'all think? Does this theory hold water? Or does it sink harder than Cthulhu going back down for a nap?

#Octodad #Dadliest Catch #Tommy #Stacy #Scarlet #Chef Fujimoto #Cthulhu #Lovecraft #Kthanid #Xothians #star spawn #cthulhi #Deep Ones

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dailyaudiobible · 3 years

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02/14/2021 DAB Transcript

Exodus 37:1-38:31, Matthew 28:1-20, Psalms 34:11-22, Proverbs 9:9-10

Today is the 14th day of February welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian welcome to a brand-new shiny sparkly week out in front of us. And happy St. Valentine's Day. One year ago, one year ago today we were on our way to Israel for our Israel annual pilgrimage and we were passing through Italy, I remember this, just before like these rumors of like this bad virus, they had been kind of swirling around, but they were not starting… starting to actually take hold in earnest, especially in Italy, and then like right after we got out of there to Israel it wasn't just a few days before Italy shut down. And that began because I think…I believe they were the first country, like officially closed down and trying to isolate from the virus. And, so, wow, what…what can happen in a year. Look at what can transpire in a year of time and look what can change in our lives over the course of a year. And, so, let's just remember that these changes are happening day by day step by step, including today. So, happy St. Valentine's Day. We got a brand-new week. We will read from the Common English Bible this week and we will be picking up the story in the book of Exodus. And it feels like we’ve been camping out in Exodus for a while now because we have but we’ll conclude the book of Exodus tomorrow. But that's then and this is now. Today, Exodus chapters 37 and 38.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and for bringing us this far…this far into the year, this this brand-new week that is opening up to us, this St. Valentine's Day where we commemorate and observe love, love in the world, especially the romantic kind of love and we’re grateful for that gift. And we are thankful for the story that we read in the book of Matthew today, the story of the resurrection, the story that has set our hearts on fire but has also set everything into motion, everything that comes next into motion because of Your resurrection. And, so, Father we are…we’re here in the…pretty much the dead center of the month, but we are turning pages and getting ready to move into some new territory. We concluded the gospel of Matthew today, the first of the four Gospels. So, we will move forward into another gospel tomorrow. And we will conclude the book of Exodus tomorrow and begin to move forward from there, the day after that. So, the next couple of days are going to be days of transition for us as we continue to move forward, we invite Your Holy Spirit into this…into this week and everything we do, everything that we think, everything that we say, all of the motives of our hearts, may they be surrendered to You we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

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And that's it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi this is Tiffany from Cleveland and I just want to thank everyone that has prayed for me and my husband Tony for the death of our daughter Jeanna. And I also want to ask that you pray…that I could receive joy again. My joy was lost when my daughter died, and I believe in the Lord and I believe in His peace and I believe that He can give me joy but it's gone, and I desire it. I also want to pray for all those that have lost their children, that their children have died through miscarriage, infant loss, disease, sickness, cancer. It's so hard on us. Our lives are never the same after our children die. I just pray that we could receive peace and joy again in our lives and as we live and learn to live without them. In Jesus’ name.

Hello this is Susan and I'm calling on February the 11th. I just wanted to reply to Jessica from California who spoke today on the…as I was listening to Daily Audio Bible and just to say how much she encouraged me. My father…it was always difficult to communicate with my father. For many years I was not sure why then I found out recently he’s probably on the autistic spectrum. I've also been separated from my husband going on eight years. And, so, a relationship with men is sometimes difficult. I have more male colleagues now at my work and I was just coming home today feeling rather pitiful, discouraged and not sure if I can communicate or compete in the male workplace where more males around me and then come home and look after my children, be strong for all of them. So, thank you so much for the words of encouragement, the words that you say to yourself, thank you God for just the way I am. Thank you God for just the way I am.” And also, the verse in the Bible, I think it's Psalm 139 saying, “we are fearfully and wonderfully made.” So, I just wanted to say thank you Jessica from California for the encouragement you gave me today. Thank you.

Hello everybody my name is Doug from Oklahoma I've been a long-time listener I've just never called in. I have a vaccine schedule tomorrow for Covid and I'm really, really scared. I have bad anxiety and panic attacks and…but I feel like I need to get this vaccine and I would just like your prayers, that nothing goes wrong, I don't have any bad reactions or anything. And, of course, then I'll have to get a second one. So, I love you guys. I…I…I pray for you all too. And I just don't call in very much because I really don't…I'm not a very good talker as you can tell. But anyways your prayers are appreciated for tomorrow. I know the time you hear this the vaccine will be over but, you know, God already knows. So, I thank you all. Doug from Oklahoma. Love you. Bye.

Good evening DABbers my sisters and brothers in Christ this prayer is going to Latasha in California. You spoke of being homeless with your children at one point and just now getting into the housing and afraid that you're going to lose it and be homeless again. I've been homeless before Latasha and I had a young son and I know how scary it is especially when you don't know where you're going to live the next day. Besides if things fall apart you have no safety net. So, Father God I come to You as humble as I know how Father. Father we have a mother right now Father that doesn't know what the situation…how the situation is going to turn out. She's being torn between one person saying one thing and someone expecting another Father God, but I just ask that You put in her heart Father that to stand and feel Your Salvation. God if she stands, she knows where her help will come from. You didn't bring her this far Father for her and her children to be back into the homeless situation. Father, so I ask that You give her strength, give her confidence, give her peace Father, that peace that surpasses all understanding Father that things will be OK. And Latasha, you say you're fearful. God did not give us a spirit of fear but of sound mind. So, just stand and watch his Salvation work this out for you. I look forward to hearing a praise report on how things will work out, not going to, but will. Running Desperately to Jesus. Also known as...

Hi Daily Audio Bible family this is Renzo from Maryland I just want to say just really appreciate what you guys are doing, just keep encouraging people, just keep getting them closer to the Lord. It's amazing to see everybody, all the age groups, all the different ages young and old. It's crazy just to see what the Lord is doing. And just…just asking for prayers for my family, for my mom my dad and my grandfather. Recently they've…they…they've had Covid but they've been getting better and their quarantines about to be up by the grace of God. I just thank God for you…for you guys prayers. And my mom was starting to feel better. She suffers with complex regional pain syndrome and just chronic pain in every part of her body and the Corona virus really hit her really bad but I'm just glad that she's feeling a little bit better. And I just thank the Lord for everything He's blessed me with. And just please just keep them in prayers. And I just want to pray for any of you guys going through anything. Father God I just thank You for everything You bless us with Lord and just please help us to just get closer and closer to You Lord and I thank You for the Daily Audio Bible family and everything they’re doing to encourage and keep Your name to be known. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. God bless you guys. Have a blessed rest of your day. Jesus loves you. God bless.

Hello DAB family this is your brother Daniel Johnson junior from beautiful Cincinnati OH. Hey, let's pray. Almighty God, You are omniscient all powerful all seeing all knowing and ever…and everywhere omnipresent. God You are so good to all of us and I know that You're working through mankind in all these different ways. I pray for our medical professionals, especially those that are making this vaccine and the distribution of this vaccine, everybody that's in charge of all this. I pray that everybody everywhere can get this vaccine, that Your enemy will be completely defeated as he's looking to tear and seek and skill and destroy…steal, kill, and destroy. I come against the enemy in the name of Jesus Christ and I pray that Your spiritual forces of good, Your spiritual sources Jesus because You’ve achieved…You achieved the complete and total victory, that Your spiritual forces would levy and lay down a serious nuclear style beat down against the enemy to force them back…to…I bind and banish the enemy in the name of Jesus Christ in regard to everything that is related to this coronavirus. May it be according to Your will in Jesus’ name. Amen. Hey God bless you all from beautiful Cincinnati OH this is Daniel Johnson junior. Make it a great day.

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theoneaboutsinnersandsaints · 3 years

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All Debts Cancelled

Let me be straightforward – this is literally a journal about God and how He canceled all my debts.

I still owe money to the bank, for sure. I am still broke but recovering with God’s grace. However, over time, the more I reflect on my dire financial situation, the more I realize that it is the perfect analogy for my spiritual condition: moral bankruptcy. And that is the debt I was referring to that God canceled and is ultimately the overarching theme of this and the rest of my journal entries.

You might be asking, “Are you delusional? What makes you think you are so special that God would cancel your debts?” Well, truth is, I am a nobody. I am a worthless, shameless sinner. And that is precisely what makes this story mind-boggling. But at the end of it all, does it matter who I am? Well, maybe, if only to provide context. However, let me be clear that this story is not about me but about the God of the Bible who graciously, lovingly, and mercifully paid all my debts in full. The hero in this saga, therefore, is not me but the One who was nailed to the cross on my behalf, whose resurrection gives me the hope of eternal life, and whose blood washed away my sins.

Sin. Now that is something easily identifiable when scrutinizing others but hard to own up to when looking inwards. If, in the past, someone had asked me if I were a sinner, I would have been offended. My first thought would have been, “Who do you think you are asking me that offensive question you immoral, arrogant, egotistical scum?” I would have been both evasive and defensive at the same time (a winning combo for sure) and I would center my argument around the fact that I am no Hitler and therefore, righteous to some degree. That’s it. Argument won.

Or was it?

Did I honestly believe that God would surely avert His eyes from all the lies, curses, anger, slander, and blasphemies that have since come out of my mouth within my lifetime just because I pale in comparison to Hitler? Would the Creator, the Most High God, who is perfect, just, and holy turn a blind eye to all of my shamefully immoral acts just because someone else is more wicked than I? If it were that simple, then that would be the end of it. To gain God’s approval or evade his wrath at the very least, I can choose to either commit less sin than my neighbor or cause them to sin more than me. And if this were true, then it follows we can be thankful for the worst offenders like Hitler for keeping our rankings at bay, right? Wrong. Very wrong. Not to mention disturbing.

Are you starting to see how flawed this logic is?

Let me illustrate further by using the bank analogy I mentioned earlier. If there were five of us who took out a loan from the bank in varying amounts between Php5,000 to Php1,000,000, bound by the same contractual terms and conditions, and all of us, by some misfortune, failed to pay on time, would the bank sort the balances from lowest to highest and then spare the lowest balance from the late penalty fees? Of course not. Everyone will be penalized according to the terms and conditions regardless.

Such is the case with sin. And unfortunately for mankind, the penalty of sin is death. (Rom 6:23) So, it is settled then—all I must do is avoid sin to avoid death. Sounds easy enough.

Obviously, you recognize the sarcasm in the previous statement as well as the gargantuan stumbling block leading to eternal life. It is written after all that, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom 3:23)

From where I stand, it seems there is no way out. If all men sin and the penalty of sin is death, therefore all men will die. Logic 101. You have your premises leading you to your conclusion—a grim one at that. But wait, everyone dies anyway so, what difference does it make? Even if I managed to commit zero sin, I will still die, wont I? What then is the use of repenting and changing the error of my ways if I will inevitably end up in a coffin? It seems there is no use trying. Let me just wallow in my wickedness and hope to have the best depraved life ever on Earth because the one after this, without a doubt, would be agonizingly worse.

Is that it, then? Do we stop here and give up?

Pause. Breathe. Read on because there is hope.

Let me switch gears for a moment and use a courtroom analogy to better demonstrate the hope I mentioned. Let’s say Tom accidentally backed his car into his neighbor’s fence and, thinking there were no witnesses, decided to keep quiet about it hoping his neighbor wouldn’t notice. But, as misfortune would have it, the neighbor has CCTV evidence showing it was Tom who trashed his fence. So, he drags Tom to court so he can be served his punishment according to the law. Tom was found guilty and was charged Php500,000 in property damages payable within 24 hours otherwise he will be locked behind bars. But Tom has no capacity to pay such huge fees. Luckily, Tom’s father was in the courtroom. He takes out his wallet, writes a check, and gives it to Tom’s neighbor. The father tells his son to consider the money as a gift and therefore does not need to be repaid. The judge then, seeing that the all the legal requirements have been satisfied, lets Tom go. Case closed.

In this story, Tom represents me, and the father represents the Savior.

Let me take this further by using a literal example. Barabbas. Do you remember him? He was the notorious criminal who was supposed to be crucified but was released after the crowd chose him over Jesus. “Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.” - (Mat 27:26) Like a lamb led to the slaughter, Jesus Christ—innocent, blameless, sinless, perfect—submitted himself to the fate that was supposed to be Barabbas’ which meant that while Barabbas was indeed tried and convicted for his crimes, nobody can stop him from walking free because he was lawfully released as someone else took on his penalties.

I am Barabbas. I am guilty of all the sins I have committed but have been forgiven. My penalties have been paid in full and I am therefore a rightful recipient of the promise of an eternal life and so is every single Christian who submitted themselves to Christ and called upon him to take on their penalties because it is too much to bear for any simple human being.

The gift of salvation is both simple and complex. It is just and righteous on one hand and yet seems so unbelievably unfair on the other. Unfair because you would initially think there is no way God would forgive just like that without any sort of punishment or compensation. Surely, I must work my way into heaven. I need to deserve it, earn it, and show some effort to be on the receiving end of it; otherwise, every other low-life murderer and rapist will enter the gates to heaven as easily as Mother Teresa.

But you see, that is precisely what makes it just and righteous. Everyone sins. Everyone is depraved. Yes, even Mother Teresa. And because man, whom God loves so much, (John 3:16) will never be able to save themselves, He provisioned this gift of salvation free for all—for all who humbly admit that 1) they have sinned; 2) that they are answerable for having committed all those sins against God; 3) that they have no capacity in any way shape or form to deliver themselves from the penalties of their sins and therefore 4) need someone to redeem them, save them, wash them, heal them, atone for them, die for them, and give them eternal life.

God is both the judge and the redeemer.

If a man stands before God and arrogantly proclaims that he will bear the penalties coming his way, well, that is precisely what he will get because he has the freewill to do so. But, if he chooses to go to God, plead guilty to his crimes, turn away from his sinful habits, and ask for forgiveness and redemption, God the Father will send him to His Son, Jesus Christ to be redeemed, to be washed with His own blood that He shed on the cross. He then sends him the Spirit of God, who will dwell in him and make him a new person like he was born again. “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” – (Titus 3:5-7) It is therefore “by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” – (Ephesians 2:8)

Faith and not works. Works then becomes the fruit. It is after-the-fact. Not a requirement of salvation but a result of salvation.

This sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Like a get-rich-quick scheme bound to have something in the fine print requiring an impossible condition you can never hope to fulfill thus nullifying everything. Either that or it could be the greatest, most elaborate love story ever be written. A love story about the Most High God who “so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” – (John 3:16)

God is love after all. He wants you in his turf. He wants you to belong to him again. So, you ask, why can’t he just give it to all of us then? Why do we have to repent, confess, etc.? Can’t he just grant this sweeping forgiveness and just let us all into heaven if He is all about love anyway? Can’t he just tolerate our sins and let us all be if He is after all the very embodiment of love?

Good question.

Yes, God is love. But we tend to ignore that He is also holy, just, and righteous. How would you feel if a judge sets a criminal free who robbed your house, killed your dog, and set your house on fire, just because he loves all men and therefore will set them all free? This kind of love will deem the judicial system corrupt and useless. It is unfair. It is dysfunctional. It is morally wrong. Do you want an unfair and corrupt God who will go about things in whatever way suits him at any given point in time? Or would you rather a fair, consistent, and trustworthy God who would exact the correct penalties as written in His law?

Therefore, the answer to your question is this: God, being righteous and just, put in place a set of laws of morality in order to draw the line between what is acceptable to Him and what is not. Without such standards, how can any human being expect to know whether they have done wrong or not? And if there are no laws, by what standards then will we be judged against? He is a righteous and just God. He put together those standards and made it known to everyone to make a clear distinction exactly when we are doing right and when we are doing the complete opposite. But while you mull over God’s justice and holiness, pay equal attention to this attribute as well: God is a loving and merciful God. While He knows that man, being the depraved creature that he is, is wallowing in sin and can never hope to meet the standards He set, He has in His heart mercy and the desire to put us all right with Him again and dwell with Him again like Adam and Eve before they sinned in the Garden of Eden. So, what does a just yet loving God do? He provides the perfect atonement that we can only dream of providing for ourselves. He sends His only Son to be at the receiving end of His penalty and wrath once and for all. He sends His Only Son who is blameless and pure, to take on our punishment so that through Him, we can be forgiven, we can be made righteous, and so that like Him, we can therefore be resurrected and given glorified bodies the way Jesus Christ himself was resurrected on the third day. And Jesus Christ, His Son, who loves His Father and loves us, willingly humbled himself to become like us, live as humans do, and willingly offer His life as the ultimate and perfect atonement for all our sins. He could have said no, but he didn’t. He didn’t have to lay down His life, but because of His great love for us and knowing we have no other way out of our own depravity, He offered His own life in exchange for ours.

If this is not the greatest love story of all time, then I do not know what is.

Can you imagine sending your own son or daughter to prison to spare one of your employees who embezzled money from you from being sent to prison himself? Are you willing to sacrifice the life of your child and have him bear the life sentence that should be served by the soulless man who shot a bullet through your spouse’s chest as he took her money? This kind of love is unheard of. This kind of love is beyond this world. This kind of love can only be coming from the Most High God in heaven who is pure love.

This thought never ceases to amaze me.

And this is precisely why I am starting this journal. I feel the need to record my own epiphanies since late 2018 when He found me and shepherded me back with the rest of His sheep. I hope that by sharing my own thoughts and realization, I will be able to reach kindred spirits as well as touch the lost ones who are trying to navigate their way around this crazy world that only seems to get worse by the minute.

This is not about a magical answer to all your pains and problems as if you were getting three wishes from a genie. No. This is about knowing and acknowledging where you come from, who created you, whom you should be loyal to, which kingdom you belong to, and who the God is that you serve. This is about the true gospel of God that is all about forgiveness, redemption, and freedom. This is about realizing that we are the long-lost prodigal son who finally came home into the open arms of his loving father, having been welcomed with gladness despite having done his father wrong. This is about experiencing joy amid an otherwise chaotic, upside-down world knowing that you don’t belong here but in God’s home. “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” -(Philippians 3:20-21)

If you are still reading up to this point and are one of those who feel this God-shaped void in their hearts, then God must be talking to You. He is pointing you to Him for He is the only One who can fill that void and make you whole. Start your journey. Pick up your Bible and start reading the four gospels a couple of chapters at a time: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Pray before you read and ask for faith.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” – (Matthew 11:28-30)

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wisdomrays · 4 years

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THE DOOR TO HUMAN HAPPINESS

Belief in the All-Mighty Creator and the belief in the Hereafter are alike precious, since it is through them that the mystery of the universe is revealed and the door to human happiness opened. Reliance on the Creator in patience, begging from the Provider in gratitude, and seeking refuge in Him–these are invaluable medicines for the ailments of mankind. To heed the Qur’an, to abide by its laws, to do the prayers and refrain from the major sins (kaba’ir), make up the documents, and passport for the journey to Eternity, both a light for the grave and a provision for the next life. If you want to understand the truth of that, listen to this story full of that of meaning.

Once there was a soldier in the middle of a battlefield who found himself in frightening circumstances. He was wounded in his right and left side; behind him was a lion ready to tear him apart, and ahead of him his friends and comrades were being hanged upon a gallows. And further ahead of him lay the long road into exile.

The soldier was in deep distress and much troubled, when a pious man of wisdom appeared on his right and said to him: ‘Do not despair. I am going give you two talismans, precious phrases. If you use them the lion behind you will become calm and obedient like a horse, and the gallows will become like a swing for your enjoyment. I shall also give you two medicines. If you use them on your wounds they will heal and take on the fragrance of a rose. I shall give you, also, a ticket which will allow you to travel the distance of years in one day. If you have any doubts, try them out and see the truth of what I say.’

The soldier did just as the humble pious man had said, trying out his advice, and finding that it worked, he believed the man and followed everything he had said.

After this, all of a sudden, a deceptive devil of a man appeared on the left and said:

‘Let us enjoy ourselves and listen to music and eat and drink these delicious things.’

Then he asked the soldier: ‘What is that you are mumbling?’

‘A sacred invocation,’ answered the soldier.

‘Leave these complicated issues alone, and let us not spoil our pleasures. What is that in your hands?’

‘A medicine.’

‘Throw it away. There is nothing wrong with you. What is that paper with five seals upon it?’

‘It is a ticket, and a rations card.’

‘Tear them up! How could you think of going anywhere on a beautiful spring day like this?’

In this way the devil of a man tries to deceive and lead the soldier astray. And the soldier will eventually be tempted to follow, for he is human, and humans are subject to deception.

Then suddenly on his right, the soldier hears a voice like a thunderbolt which says: ‘Wake up! Do not be deceived. Say to that devil- ‘If you are able to kill the lion behind me, do so. If you can remove the gallows ahead of me, then do it. If you can heal my wounds, then heal them. If you can arrange it so that I have no need to leave this place, then do it. When we see this done, we can enjoy ourselves. If you cannot, then, be quiet, stupid deceitful man!’

To return to reality:

We see ourselves in the world in the situation of the soldier. The lion is our appointed hour of death. The gallows stand for the separation from friends, one by one, and day after day. The two wounds are: the pain of incapacity (being unable to do something), and the pain and discomfort of poverty.

The long journey goes from the world of spirits to the life of the embryo in the mother’s womb, then to the life in youth, and then the life in old age, then being laid out in the tomb, and the life in the grave up to the day of resurrection, and passage over the bridge of the Sirat to begin the eternal life in the Hereafter. As for the two talismans, they are belief in God and the Hereafter.

So understand this precious phrase ‘Belief in the All-Mighty Creator and belief in the Hereafter’. This precious talisman obtains peace of mind for us, and the Mercy of God, and the lion being unable to act without His permission becomes like an obedient horse. For this reason the pious and learned, those who have a true understanding of death, are not afraid of dying–on the contrary, they wish to die before the time appointed for them.

The passage of time, punctuated by separations from friends (because of death, represented in the story by the gallows), actually becomes, through belief in the Hereafter, a means to see the perpetually renewed and always colorful embroideries of God’s wonderful acts, the miracles of His Power, and the manifestations of His Compassion. Because the ‘mirrors’ which reflect the colors in the sunlight are varied and replaced, the resulting spectacles are even more beautiful.

As to the medicines, one is patience and reliance upon God. What needs the man to fear who, realizing his helplessness, relies upon God who owns the command of Be! and it is? For even in a most frightening situation and in the face of a most awful calamity, he says: ‘We come from God and to Him we return’, and relies upon his Most Compassionate Lord with utmost serenity.

This is why the pious are content with their realization of their helplessness before God, and put all their hopes in God’s decision. Surely there is pleasure in the fear of God. If a one-year old were asked what is the most pleasant thing he knows, he would say, ‘being protected in the warm embrace of my mother, conscious of my weakness and helplessness– instead of being punished as I expected’. However, the sum of compassion possessed by all mothers in the world is only a small spark from the Compassion of God. Because of this, men of perfection take great pleasure in their helplessness and their fear of God and abandoning all

that is in their own powers, they take refuge in God. They make their fear and helplessness a means of intercession before God.

The other medicine is petitioning God with thanksgiving and contentment, and relying upon the mercy of the Generous All-Provider. It is for us to ask, and for God to give. How could the guests of a generous Provider who has laid the whole surface of the earth as a table for them and made the springtime for flowers to put on that table, how could guests of such a One regard their own poverty and helplessness before God as an unbearable burden? They could not. For them their poverty and need become appetite, so they try to increase their poverty–that is why men of perfection are proud of their poverty. (But let this not be misunderstood: the realization of one’s poverty in this context means one’s poverty before God, it does not mean being needy and begging from people.) As for the passport to Eternity, it comprises five times daily prayer, doing the other obligations, and avoiding the major sins. As unanimously agreed by men of discernment and learning, the only way to get a light, some provision and a vehicle for the long journey to Eternity is to abide by the Laws of the Qur’an and to refrain from its prohibitions. Possession of sciences and philosophies and craftsmanship and wisdom alone are not worth much, for these things only light the road as far as the grave.

How important, and easy, and light it is to perform the five prayers and to renounce the seven major sins. If you possess a mind, and it is one that has not been spoilt, then you should be able to understand how important and great is the outcome of doing the prayers and avoiding the sins. Having understood, you will turn to the one astray, and to the one who leads you to stray and sin, and say:

‘lf you can abolish death, do away with impotence and poverty, and close the door on the grave–then show us and let us see. Otherwise, be still and let me listen to the Qur’an explain the universe. Let us become filled with its light. And let us act according to its guidance. For the Qur’an is the truth, since it comes from the Creator–and it speaks the truth, spreading its light everywhere.’

O God, illuminate our hearts with the light of faith and the Qur’an. O God, enrich us with poverty in relation to You. Do not impoverish us with indifference towards You . We have given up our power and strength for Your sake, and taken refuge in Your power and strength, so make us among those who place their trust in You and do not leave us to ourselves. Preserve us with Your preserving. Have mercy on us and all the believers, men and women. Bestow blessings and peace upon our master Muhammad, Your servant and Prophet, Your chosen one and Your intimate friend-the beauty of Your Kingdom: the foremost of Your creation, the focus of Your affection and sun of Your guidance; the tongue of Your proofs: the embodiment of Your compassion; the light of Your creation; the noblest of Your creatures; the lamp of Your Oneness among the multiplicity of Your creatures; the discloser of the mystery of Your creation; the herald of the Kingdom of Your Lordship; the preacher of what pleases you; the proclaimer of the Treasures of Your Names; the instructor of Your servants; the interpreter of Your signs; the mirror of the Beauty of Your Lordship; the circle and compass of our witnessing You and Your making us witnesses; Your beloved one and Your Messenger whom You sent as a mercy to the worlds-and upon his family and his companions together, and upon his brothers among the Prophets and Messengers, and upon Your angels brought near, and upon Your righteous servants. Amen.

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loverandservantoftheahlulbayt · 4 years

Text

🍂🥀🍂 Introducing Imam Husayn (as) to Humanity 🍂🥀🍂

🍂 Dr. Mohammad Ali Shomali 🍂

🥀 Introducing Imam Husayn (as) to Humanity: Spiritual Advice for Organizations 🥀

🍂 Abstract 🍂

This paper is based on a lecture given in the city of Mashhad, during the gathering with representatives of the WhoIsHussain global campaign, which aims to educate and inspire humanity on Imam Husayn, the third Imam, and the values he stood for; as well as bringing positive changes at the grassroots level from helping the homeless, to feeding the hungry, to donating blood.

In this lecture, Huj. Sh. Mohammad Ali Shomali praises the group for their efforts, and acknowledges this project as an exceptional one, due to the importance of reaching out and making Imam Husayn known and beneficial to humanity. He also gave gentle and thought-provoking ideas and reminders to the group regarding the importance of being far-sighted in our approaches, being genuine in our love for people, being sincere and disinterested in power and position, uniting the Ummah rather using our institutions to divide it, increasing in our humbleness when we witness success, and focusing on moving towards the truth and serving it rather than egotistically bringing it to our side. In this way, we uphold Imam Husayn’s principles, which is ever more needed as we approach the time of Imam Mahdi (aj).

****************************************

It is a great blessing from Allah to be here near the shrine of Imam al-Ridha (a) and in your presence to talk about Imam Husayn (a) in the way that our love for him can help us prepare for the coming of Imam Mahdi (a). I thank Allah and I thank all of you, and the Who is Husayn team and volunteers, including those who were unable to be here; for sure their hearts are with us. We remember them and pray for them insha-Allah. There are few things I thought we need to remind ourselves of today, so I will try to be brief and I pray to Him to remove the blockage from my tongue so as to do justice.

First of all, we are not only interested in showing our love to Imam Husayn and gaining some reward (thawaab) from it, though it is definitely part of the reason for the Who is Husayn campaign. But I think what motivated you is more than that.

Unfortunately, we sometimes become very selfish, even when it comes to religion and spirituality. Sometimes we just want to add to our reward—like a businessman—although instead of money we want a reward. And sometimes the pleasure of Allah becomes secondary. Gaining rewards seems to be the main thing for many, though we sometimes forget that there can actually be a greater reward for something from which you do not expect a reward for. In your work, business, and overall lives, many times you have been blessed during unexpected times.

An important example is in the Qur’an regarding Prophet Moses. When he was traveling with his family in a dark and presumably cold night he saw a fire.2 He told his family to wait where they were while he goes to check, which indicates that the fire was not in front of them. Because if it was in front of them, they would have been able to see it. He saw the fire on the side and went himself to check it. A leader does not take the entire community where he is unsure. If there is any risk, the least he can do is examine the area and environment; and if there is proof of overall goodness, it can be offered to the rest of the community.

When Prophet Moses checked, an unbelievable event occurred: God addressed him for the first time. God spoke to him and told him that He had chosen him and has a mission for him. The story is mentioned in the Qur’an as follows:

وَهَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ مُوسَىٰ إِذْ رَأَىٰ نَارًا فَقَالَ لِأَهْلِهِ امْكُثُوا إِنِّي آنَسْتُ نَارًا لَعَلِّي آتِيكُمْ مِنْهَا بِقَبَسٍ أَوْ أَجِدُ عَلَى النَّارِ هُدًىفَلَمَّا أَتَاهَا نُودِيَ يَا مُوسَىٰإِنِّي أَنَا رَبُّكَ فَاخْلَعْ نَعْلَيْكَ ۖ إِنَّكَ بِالْوَادِ الْمُقَدَّسِ طُوًىوَأَنَا اخْتَرْتُكَ فَاسْتَمِعْ لِمَا يُوحَىٰ

Did the story of Moses come to you, when he sighted a fire, and said to his family, ‘Wait! Indeed I descry a fire! Maybe I will bring you a brand from it, or find some guidance at the fire.’ So when he came to it, he was called, ‘O Moses! Indeed I am your Lord! So take off your sandals. You are indeed in the sacred valley of Tuwa. I have chosen you; so listen to what is revealed. (20:9-13)

Did Moses expect this to happen while he was traveling? No. Perhaps his maximum expectation was to travel safely with his family and arrive at their destination. But Allah blessed him with something unexpected.

And it is important to note that if Moses had all his qualities and practices, but failed to be alert at that time, he would have missed this opportunity. He was not only farsighted, but he was also broad-sighted. He saw right and left; behind and front. This is what a leader must do. Because he was alert and did not dismiss anything, he went and checked and saw the most beautiful thing awaiting him.

Thus, we should be very alert and careful so that we do not lose what is unexpected, as well as great opportunities that await us. In an interesting hadith, we read that Imam Sadiq (a) said:

With respect to what you have no hope for, be more hopeful than what you have hope for. Truly Moses (a) went [just] to bring a brand of fire to his family, but he returned to them while he was a Prophet and Messenger.3

I hope Allah (swt) would bless your activities throughout your lives, and in particular the activities you do for Imam Husayn and Imam Mahdi, and surprise you with many blessings, including those you did not expect. But that needs alertness. That needs openness. Do not limit Allah’s blessings to merely come through the channels that you define for Allah. Ask Him to bless you in every possible thing. There are many projects in the community, but I very much like projects like Who is Husayn because these are exceptional ones that we as a community have come to realize to be responsible for to reach out. Most of our projects, especially what we do for Imam Husayn (a) merely or at least primarily serve our internal needs.

But this is one of those exceptional projects that aim at reaching out and is based on the understanding that we have a historical duty which, unfortunately, has not been sufficiently and adequately dealt with in the past. It is embarrassing to know that after 14 centuries there are people in the world who still do not know Imam Husayn. Really embarrassing. There are contemporary figures like Nelson Mandela, Gandhi and Mother Theresa that almost every educated person knows about and respects. And this took only a few decades. For almost fourteen centuries, Imam Husayn has been a gift for humanity and yet many still do not know him. Who is responsible? Who should feel embarrassed? We should.

This project is to undertake the responsibility of reaching out and introducing Imam Husayn to humanity. Not because we are Shi‘a. Not because we love Imam Husayn. Not because we want to gain something. No. Because we feel humanity needs Husayn. We want to benefit humanity.

In all your activities, it is very important to always be genuine in the love you show for people. Do not do anything merely for publicity. Only do things with unconditional love. The Qur’an says:

كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ

You are the best nation [ever] brought forth for mankind. (3:110)

This verse tells us that to be the best means to be the best people God has brought about for mankind, and not over people (li-naas, not ‘ala al-naas). We are not interested in power or position. We want to serve. We want to serve humanity without any expectation. We do not want to be thanked or praised or to have status and power, or marginalize any sect in Islam. We just want to help. The Qur’an says:

إِنَّمَا نُطْعِمُكُمْ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ لَا نُرِيدُ مِنْكُمْ جَزَاءً وَلَا شُكُورًا

We feed you only for the sake of Allah. We do not want any reward from you nor any thanks. (76:9)

If we do anything, we just want to please Allah; we do not even want to be thanked or praised.

We want to serve humanity by introducing Imam Husayn to them. Because we believe that in all ages and corners of world humanity always needs people like Husayn to inspire. Husayn is not a man that can be limited to a particular time, place, or even religion. Real servants of God are those who are absorbed, taken by the light of God—they move beyond the geographical boundaries, beyond time and space. In the same way God is not bound to time and space, Godly people also can travel beyond time and space.

Imam Husayn—by emptying himself from ego as much as he could— and then by God having a special plan for him to purify him further (33:33), is a man of God. You do not find any trace of ego in Imam Husayn, nor with his true companions. These people had the quality of becoming universal. Husayn is a universal figure. Especially when we read our hadith and reflect on it about Imam Mahdi, we see there is a message, a direction, an instruction there that we perhaps we didn’t notice beforehand.

Imam Husayn plays a special role in paving the way for the coming of Imam Mahdi, and moreover, for the success of Imam Mahdi. Many of the hadiths about the End of Times mention Imam Husayn. I firmly believe that without mention of him, Imam Mahdi would not be able to succeed. Maybe people think Imam Husayn was more known when we approach the time of his martyrdom and we should try to remember him so that he is not gradually forgotten. There are personalities with respect to whom you need to be very careful so that passage of time would not affect them or make them ‘outdated,’ but this is not the case about Imam Husayn.

Imam Husayn is meant for the future, not merely for his own time. The passage of time and human experiences, especially the challenges humanity faces throughout the centuries, more so sparks people’s curiosity about Imam Husayn and the values he stood for. The best time for people to know and understand Imam Husayn is close to the time of the Imam Mahdi’s reappearance. But this is not a miracle that we should wait to happen. This requires our effort. Something will happen but who is going to ensure that it does in our time? This is us. If not us, there will be others. But then we would be denying ourselves this blessing.

Imam Husayn is a universal figure who has the solution—the medicine—from God for humanity. And this man is ever more needed as we approach the time of Imam Mahdi.

I would like to refer to one hadith, when Imam Husayn in night of Ashura quoted from the Prophet:

My grandfather, the Messenger of God, said: “My son Husayn will be killed in Karbala while he is a stranger, alone, thirsty, and without help. Whoever helps him has helped me and has helped his son, the Hujjah [al-Mahdi].”4

There is no way to help Husayn properly, with understanding, unless you would strengthen Islam and the Ummah. Those who think they can promote the cause of Ahlul Bayt and their teachings by dividing the Ummah—making Shi‘a against Sunni, Sunni against Shi‘a—are wrong. Anything properly done for the Ahlul Bayt would strengthen the Prophet and the Ummah. Islamic unity is very important for us. How can anyone serve Islam and the Ahlul Bayt by dividing the Ummah or humanity? It is impossible.

The Prophet also said that not only has he helped me (which you may say it is easy to understand because Imam Husayn saved Islam) but he also said, “Whoever helps Husayn has helped his son, the Hujjah [al-Mahdi].”

This is important. Anything we do for Imam Husayn with knowledge (ma‘rifah), with insight (basirah), with sincerity, in right direction would help Imam Mahdi, whether we know it or not; whether we mention the name of the Imam or not. We do not need to merely repeat the name of the Imam. Anything we do—our words and actions—that resemble the message of Imam Husayn or upholds his principles helps. Sometimes you may mention the name; other times it may be unwise depending on the context. Either way, anyone who promotes the values Imam Husayn exhibited in the best way is indeed helping Imam Mahdi.

So there must be dynamism in our works for Imam Husayn. Unfortunately, some are static in their efforts for Husayn. They lose the vision of the future. They enjoy remembering the Imam and cry for him, yet without completing this process by drawing lessons for both the present and the future. The Prophet’s saying reminds us that Husayn is a point of direction in the past and future: if we understand what to do with respect to Imam Husayn, we would be continuing the efforts put forth from the beginning of Islam until the end of the world. All would be all harmonious.

We must always remember this. Merely having a good intention, or undertaking a noble cause, is not enough. There are many aspects to consider and we constantly must reflect on the requirements of this great task. Moreover, we are to consider how to improve, especially when there are signs of success:

إِذَا جَاءَ نَصْرُ اللَّهِ وَالْفَتْحُ وَرَأَيْتَ النَّاسَ يَدْخُلُونَ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ أَفْوَاجًا

When Allah’s help comes with victory, and you see the people entering Allah’s religion in throngs…(110:1-2)

If you see victories come from Allah and you see people flocking towards His path in masses, do not sit back, nor praise yourself, nor forget how much Allah has blessed you. That is the time that you are to have maximum reliance on Allah. When you see success, praise and glorify God and ask for forgiveness. Do not let self-conceit and arrogance seep in, as that would be the end of any success. In a well-known hadith, Imam Sadiq (a) is quoted as saying:

The one into whose heart self-admiration (‘ujb) permeates is destined to be destroyed.5

If any person, organization, or nation take the blessings of Allah for granted and want to take credit for themselves, that is the end of it. When you see success, do more worship (‘ibadah) and ask more for forgiveness (istighfar):

فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ وَاسْتَغْفِرْهُ ۚ إِنَّهُ كَانَ تَوَّابًا

Then celebrate the praise of your Lord, and plead to Him for forgiveness. Indeed He is all-clement. (110:3)

These people do not see any success from themselves; their only worry is whether (and how much) they have narrowed the channels of mercy of Allah. Let me honestly tell you: most of the time, we act as barriers for Allah’s mercy to come. If we are experiencing good days, with good understanding, we merely let the mercy of Allah come without adding to it, without attracting more light. All you and I need to do is try not to narrow the channels of Allah’s mercy. This requires stepping on our ego, as ego is big problem.

I wish we had time to reflect more on some passages of Dua Makarim al-Akhlaq especially concerning the lessons organizations can take from it. I will mention a few. Imam Zayn al-Abideen says:

وَأَعِزَّني وَ لآ تَبْتَلِيَنِّي بِالْكِبْرِ

Exalt me and afflict me not with pride.

Oh Allah, please give me honour and dignity. Perhaps the most important message for humanity from the life and message of Imam Husayn is honour and dignity. I think more than anything else Imam Husayn can be introduced as an icon of honour and dignity. That is what humanity needs, especially when basic needs are already met. Food, shelter, and clothing are their basic necessities, although gradually these things will be provided. However, honour is the most important. If you have physical life without honour and dignity, there is no value.

But we are to be cautious; when Allah gifts us with honour and dignity in the eyes of the people, do not think that you are special. Do not suffer from ego.

وَأَعِزَّني وَ لآ تَبْتَلِيَنِّي بِالْكِبْرِ

Exalt me and afflict me not with pride.

Please give me honour, and not arrogance. It is difficult to have one without the other. When people praise us, and there are signs of success, we are at risk for thinking we are special or privileged. We may think it to be due to our talents, hard work, or a secret goodness in ourselves. And even wondering why others do not possess the same. We tend to forget that our good reputation and successes can be a test, a trust, rather than our own achievements.

وَ عَبِّدْني لَكَ وَ لآ تُفْسِدْ عِبَادَتِي بِالْعُجْبِ

Make me worship Thee and corrupt not my worship with self-admiration!

Oh Allah, please make me your servant and use us for your purpose. We do not have a personal purpose. Why are we in this gathering? Are we after anything for ourselves? No. We are here to think, discuss, and pray to Allah to help us understand how we can best make the most out of what He made available to us.

O Allah, please do not let my services to you be corrupted by self-admiration. Even good services can be corrupted after the action through self-admiration (‘ujb). If there is no sincerity before the action, then it is already useless.

And then Imam reaches this point after a few sentences:

وَ لآ تَرْفَعْنِي فِي الْنَاسِ دَرَجَة إِلَّا حَطَطْتَنِي عِنْدَ نَفْسِي مِثْلْهَا

O Allah, raise me not a single degree before the people without lowering me its like in myself.

If my position and respect in the society increases by 10% please add 10% to my humbleness to remain balanced. So if you were completing successful projects before with 50% humbleness, your humbleness must increase afterwards. So if you are as humble as you used to be, it is not enough. You need to be humbler. Otherwise, you would become arrogant.

وَ لآ تُحْدِثْ لِي عِزّاً ظَاهِرَاً إِلَّا أَحْدَثْتِ لِي ذِلَّةً بَاطِنَةً عِنْدَ نَفْسِي بِقَدَرِهَا

…and bring about no outward exaltation for me without an inward abasement in myself to the same measure.

Please do not create for me any external honour unless you give me internal humbleness proportional to that. This is very important for individuals and organizations. Sometimes institutions think that because they are to promote the institution, they can forget about, or compromise, humbleness. They may mistakenly think humbleness is for the individuals; promoting an organization is something else. But this is wrong. You must promote your organization, but in a humble way. And that can be tested in the way you interact with other organizations.

My last sentence to remain in our mind: haqq (truth) and bātil (falsehood), always oppose each other. Like light and darkness. These two would never be separate from each other. We are to ensure that we are on the side of haqq, and not bātil. It is not about ‘Bringing the truth to my side’. This is the problem. Many want to be the truth and think ‘Look at me; I represent the truth. I am the voice of the truth. I am a representative of the truth’. No. You must move towards truth. You must be a mirror of the truth. Do not think or say, ‘I represent the truth’. Who are we to represent the truth? Who are we to represent Islam or the Ahlul Bayt or Imam Husayn? Our responsibility is to try to move towards the truth to reflect it. We never would be able to claim that we are certainly and entirely on the side of the truth. It is a matter of struggle—lifelong struggle—to ensure we will be with the truth. It is only a few people for whom this has been confirmed. For example, we read about Imam Ali:

علي مَع الحق والحق مع علي

Ali is with the truth; and the truth is with Ali.

That is for Ali. Not for us. We must never think we are on the side of the truth and take it for granted. Yes, maybe in a few aspects we can be right; in many things we can be wrong. So first, we have to struggle to always to be on the side of the truth.

Secondly—please remember this point, a result of my life I am sharing with you—haqq can never be served, or promoted, by using the means of bātil. We cannot spread light by using means of darkness. We can never serve Allah by doing Satanic things and thinking we are clever; no lying, dishonesty, selfishness, jealousy, or the like can help you in your sacred struggles.

One of the greatest victories of bātil is to convince the people of haqq to use the means of bātil. This is impossible to work. How can you serve Allah by being immoral or sinning? Look at Imam Husayn. When he was challenged—and I do not think there is any way to be challenged like Imam Husayn—in those few days, especially on Day of Ashura, it was more than what one person can be challenged within 100 years. For example, sometimes people in their entire life lose one, two or ten loved ones and they feel completely frustrated and life becomes miserable for them. No one has lost in such a short time so many family members and companions, in addition to being treated so badly. And they did this to Husayn in the name of Islam, in the name of the Prophet.

But for the sake of Allah—correct me if I’m wrong or if I’m exaggerating—do not think we are Shi‘a, or Sheikh Shomali is a Shi‘a, therefore we must support him even if he errs. If you want to support me, correct me. Was Husayn immoral or did he compromise in the least any virtues, especially during the challenging time of war? Or do we witness Husayn (a) at the highest level of extra caution with regards to maintaining good virtues, especially during hard times? Did he ever lie or deceive his friends by making false promises, or lie to his enemies?

Did he show any sign of fear, selfishness, jealousy, despair, or any other vices you can think of? So, we must insha-Allah remind ourselves and each other that we must constantly and consistently struggle to follow the truth and use permissible and moral means to attain it. Nothing false or immoral can help us in this.

I ask Allah to bless all of you and all people in all parts of the world who try to follow the truth. May Allah enable us to be the generation that are preparing for the coming of Imam al-Mahdi. May Allah enable us to be the generation to set up a universal community of brotherhood under the banner of truth at the service of humanity which would be led by Imam al-Mahdi. May Allah grant all your requests while you are in this sacred city and grant recovery to all the illnesses of our bodies, minds and hearts. And may Allah remove any obstacles between us and Him.

🍂 Sorces 🍂

1. This paper is based on a lecture given on 25th Dec 2016 by the author in the gathering of the representatives of whoishossein from different continents in Mashhad.

2. I say dark and cold because that’s when fire becomes more interesting. He said to his family, ‘Wait, I see a friendly fire’. Sometimes a building is on fire, but the one who sees this fire would not say “ānastu nāran.” But this was a friendly fire, a fire that was not harmful, not even producing heat when it was already hot, or giving light when already bright. For this reason I think it was cold in a dark night.

3. Al-Kafi, vol. 5, p. 83.

4. Ma‘āli al-Sibtayn, vol. 1, p. 208.

5. Al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 313.

🍂🥀🍂 al-Islam.org 🍂🥀🍂

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belmontsfate · 5 years

Text

LoS - Tickle Fight

- The year of our Lord 1040 -

Humming to herself, Marie couldn't resist the urge to skip as she went on her way, following the dirt path that led to the brotherhood monastery, a basket clutched firmly in her hand. Over the years she had often made the short journey from her family home to the monastery. You would think that, raised in the comforts that a wealthy family provided, sixteen-year-old Marie Renard would be content to remain in such comforts, entertaining herself with ladylike pastimes such as embroidery and sewing, but she was not.

She was very different from most other girls her age and status. Rather than reveling in the luxuries her family provided, she chose to share with those who had less, and most of the time that just so happened to be the monks. However, it was not for the sake of helping alone that she came, but also her long-time fascination with the brotherhood.

The Brotherhood of Light was an order of holy knights, founded centuries ago, tasked with defending mankind from the creatures of darkness that roamed the earth. She thought it a noble cause, one that she could trust with her life, and so, because she was a woman and was unable to become a warrior herself, she instead devoted her time and efforts to help them in any way she could, whether that be washing dishes, tending to the horses or even providing them with baked goods.

She had just reached the monastery porch when an old man with long grey hair and beard stepped out, carrying some sort of shepherd's staff. It was none other than Cardinal Volpe. Marie knew him well. He was one of the leaders of the Brotherhood and held a lot of power and influence within the holy order.

"Good morning, Cardinal Volpe," she greeted him.

"Ah, Marie, I see you have come with treats to share," Cardinal Volpe stated, his eyes on the basket in her hand. "Such a good girl, always thinking of others before yourself."

Marie smiled. "Thank you, sir. I made these for the squires, hoping that the extra bit of nourishment might lend them some strength as they train to become knights."

"Well, I certainly hope they have the desired effect," Volpe agreed. "You should find them out in the training grounds."

With a nod of her head, she left the cardinal. Circling around the monastery, she found herself in the heart of the brotherhood. There were men everywhere, some dueling, others polishing armor and sharpening swords, and then some working in the stables. There was never a dull moment for these warriors it seemed, as there were always chores to be done and opponents to be fought.

Marie remembered how in awe she had been when she first stepped foot on the grounds, yet at the same time she had also been a bit frightened. You had to keep your wits about you at all times, watching out for swords and even the occasional flying boomerang. It was a dangerous place to be sure, and most women would have run for their lives, but Marie wasn't afraid. In fact, she felt right at home.

Making her way safely across the field to the training area, she found the squires practicing their techniques, just as the cardinal had said. Content to simply watch them from the sidelines for the time being, she did not make herself known. Though, it didn't take long for one of them to spot her, as well as her basket.

"Marie brought us food!" one of them announced.

Just like that, training was forgotten and weapons were tossed aside as the squires, ranging from the age of fourteen to eighteen, flocked towards her, surrounding her as they tried to get a peek inside the basket.

"What did you bring us, Marie?" they all asked at once.

Marie couldn't help but giggle as she glanced about at the happy, though sweaty, faces of the young men. Her mother always said that a way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and from what she could see, it would appear that her mother was correct.

"You are in luck, gentlemen. I made an extra-large batch of biscuits, so you can have two each."

Cheers erupted as hands shot out grabbing for the biscuits. She had to remind the boys a few times to only take two each but aside from that, there was no trouble.

"You are a godsend, Marie," remarked one of the squires, stuffing one of the biscuits into his mouth whole. "God answered my stomach's cry for food and sent you."

Marie rolled her eyes at the boy's terrible eating manners but chose to let it slide, seeing as he had given her a nice enough compliment. "Well, I'm glad you like them either way."

When everyone had their assigned amount of biscuits, she noticed that there were still two left. One of the squires was missing and she knew exactly who it was.

"Does anyone know where Gabriel is?"

"He was the first to finish," one of the squires replied. "I saw him take off into the forest like he usually does after training."

Leaving them to enjoy their biscuits, Marie headed into the forest in pursuit of Gabriel. It wasn't an easy task, with all the branches that threatened to snag her dress and the rocks that threatened to trip her, but she managed to make it to the big tree that she knew to be Gabriel's favorite.

He appeared to be off in his own little world when she got there, as he sat leaned against the trunk, carving something out of a small block of wood with his dagger. Not wanting to startle him, she softly cleared her throat.

"Were you purposefully trying to hide from me, Gabriel?"

His head snapped up at the sound. The corners of his mouth twitched upward into a tiny smile at the sight of her.

"Forgive me, Marie. I did not know you were coming today," he explained, putting away the dagger. "If I had, I would have made an effort to train a bit longer."

She wasted no time in sitting down beside him. "I shall forgive you, but only because you are so sweet," she teased. "Anyway, I brought your share of the biscuits. I did not want you to miss out."

Reaching into her basket, she grabbed the remaining two biscuits and handed them to him, which he gladly took.

"Thank you," he said, breaking one in half and taking a bite.

Silence washed over the two of them as Marie sat and watched him eat. Compared to the other hungry beasts back at the training ground, Gabriel had much better manners. He didn't chew with his mouth open, or talk with a mouth full of food. He easily could have passed for a civilized nobleman. She often found herself forgetting his humble origin.

Gabriel was an orphan, left on the monastery doorstep as a newborn baby with no clue as to who he was or who his parents were. Some rumors claimed he was an illegitimate child of the Cronqvists, a family of wealthy nobles who owned a lot of land in the region. Marie despised such rumors because they often made Gabriel feel that he was unworthy of being her friend, and she made it her job to assure him otherwise whenever that happened.

Out of all the brotherhood squires, Gabriel was the one she knew best. He was her best friend and had been since the two were children. He was two years older than her, but that had never stopped their friendship from blossoming. However, as of late, Marie had started to see Gabriel in a different light. Not as a friend, but as a man. A man that she fancied.

He was handsome to be sure, and kind and gentle, especially with her. It always astounded her how he could be so gentle yet so strong at the same time. Many were afraid of him, as he was often prone to dark moods, but she had never found any reason to fear him for it. She had always managed to calm him when he was angry and cheer him up when he was upset. It made no sense to her.

She broke from her reverie as she noticed Gabriel finish eating. "How were they?" she asked, looking at him expectantly.

"They were the best I have ever eaten," he admitted. "Far better than anything the brotherhood's cook could ever produce."

Marie couldn't help but blush at his compliment, a grin tugging at her lips. "You should not speak so poorly of the cook," she chastised him, playfully slapping him across the shoulder. "She does her best, and I can not imagine it being easy to cook for so many men, especially when said men eat like wild beasts."

He chuckled lightly, "Does that make me a wild beast as well?"

She shook her head. "No, you are the exception. Though, I must admit that your hair does look rather beastly."

As to further empathize her point, she reached up to run her hands through his dark and shaggy hair, messing it up even more in the process. She was about to remove her hands when she felt a pair of strong arms on her waist. Letting out a startled yelp, she felt herself being pulled down to the forest floor. Before she could even comprehend what was happening, Gabriel had climbed on top of her and was tickling her.

"Gabriel, what are you doing?" she managed to get out between all the squirming and giggling she was doing.

Gabriel smirked at her, "Getting back at you for insulting my hair."

The two rolled around tickling each other for a while. Then, they suddenly came to a halt, finally realizing the awkward and inappropriate position they were in. Marie turned bright red as she found herself laying on top of Gabriel, her legs wrapped around his. Her hair was just as messy as his, their clothes were askew, and they were both out of breath from the tickle fight. If anyone were to see them, they would have surely assumed they were doing something … er, different …

"I-I suppose we should head back," Marie stuttered.

"Y-Yes, we should…"

For some reason, Marie couldn't bring herself to get up, and providing she was not mistaken, she got the impression that he didn't exactly want to get up either. She wasn't sure what had come over her at that moment, but before she could even attempt to stop herself, she leaned down and stole his lips with her own.

Gabriel was stiff at first, and at that moment, Marie thought for sure that she had made a mistake. Perhaps she had thought wrong. Perhaps he saw her only as a friend. Had she ruined that very friendship? The doubts didn't stop filling her head until she felt Gabriel's hands wrap around her, pulling her even closer as he not only returned the kiss but deepened it as well. Her heart soared as all of the doubts vanished in an instant.

"Well, it's about time you two got together," a voice interrupted them.

Breaking apart, they glanced up to find two of the young squires standing before them, each with a ridiculous little smirk on their faces. Feeling embarrassed and shy all of a sudden, she hastily buried her face into Gabriel's chest to hide, savoring the softness of his tunic at the same time. Sadly, this only made the two squires laugh.

"Come on, lovebirds," one of the squires said, motioning for them to follow them. "Cardinal Volpe is looking for you."

Gabriel nodded his head and got to his feet, never once letting go of Marie. "You two go on ahead. We'll follow you in a moment."

The two squires looked at each other knowingly. "If you're not seen within the hour, we'll tell the cardinal to send his best men to break the two of you apart." Then they left.

Gabriel rolled his eyes in their direction before returning his focus to Marie. "They are gone. You can stop hiding now."

Pulling away from him slightly, she took a moment to straighten out her appearance, though it was hard to tell if her hair was still messy without a brush or mirror. "Do I look alright?" she asked. A part of her was surprised that she let herself be so careless, yet at the same time, she wasn't surprised in the slightest. It was Gabriel that had that effect on her. He made her forget about everything when they were together. It was just the two of them.

"You look beautiful as always," he said with a smile.

Marie couldn't help but return the smile with one of her own. Many times she had heard people remark on how Gabriel never smiled, but she didn't understand that either. He often smiled, at least around her. Perhaps it was only for her that she smiled. While she wasn't entirely sure if that was the case, she liked the idea of it.

They fell back into another awkward silence after that, both unsure of what to say to the other. Marie still wasn't entirely confident about how Gabriel felt about her. A part of her knew deep down that he felt the same as her, yet she still felt the need to hear it from him.

"So … did you enjoy the kiss?"

She regretted asking that the moment the words left her lips. It seemed like such a dumb question to ask, and yet she couldn't figure out how else to go about it. She was still mentally chastising herself when she heard Gabriel let out a small chuckle, catching her by surprise.

"More than you know," he admitted. "I have been trying to work up the courage to kiss you, or at least announce my feelings to you, for months now."

She was momentarily dumbstruck, but it didn't last long before she joined in the laughter. "Well, that is funny, because I have been hoping you would for months."

Without even knowing what they were doing, they found their way back into each other's arms, embracing while they attempted to get their laughter under control. Once they had, they moved to claim each other's lips again in a brief kiss. Marie found it a bit more difficult when they were standing. Gabriel was so tall that she had to stand on her tip-toes just to reach his lips, but she made it work.

"We should probably get going now before the two louts come after us again," he claimed as they broke apart for the second time, this time of their own doing.

"Should I tell my father that you intend to court me? The news that we were caught in the forest together is bound to spread if those two louts have anything to do with it."

He gulped, appearing to be a bit nervous about that idea. "I would love to. That is if he will allow a man like me to court his daughter."

"You are a far better man than you give yourself credit for, Gabriel," she rolled her eyes at him, reaching up and bopping him playfully on the nose. "Besides, all he wants as any decent father should is for me to be happy, and he knows better than almost anyone that I am happiest when I am with you."

A wide grin broke out across his face. "As am I with you."

With that, the two of them headed back towards the monastery hand in hand, feeling optimistic about a future together.

#lords of shadow #gabriel belmont #marie belmont #castlevania #LoS #fanfic #this is my first LoS fanfic so be nice pls #gabriel my love #brotherhood of light #pre lords of shadow #castlevania: lords of shadow #gabriel is such a cutie

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confrontingbabble-on · 5 years

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“...when I think about mindfucks I think—as a former Evangelical—about Evangelical Christianity, which traffics, wholesale, in mindfuckery...

1. It’s not a religion, it’s a relationship (with your imagination...!). ...it’s one of Evangelicalism’s favorite ways of saying, We’re not like all those other (obviously false) faith-based belief systems. We just love Jesus and Jesus loves us, and he loves you, too. From the inside, this relationship thing feels really real and really good. But from the outside it’s a bunch of transparent hooey. Your born-again Christianity is a love relationship—with a character whose name and history you got from a set of ancient texts that were compiled and handed down by a vast hierarchical organization that once torched dissenting texts (and people). And this not-religion has sacred writings and rituals and leaders and schools of systematic theology, and it dictates what people are supposed to believe and how they’re supposed to behave. And it provides all the same social functions and structures as religions.

2. That’s the OLD Testament. In my childhood Bible, the Old Testament is bound together with the New Testament in a gold-stamped blue leather cover with these words on the title page, “The words of Scripture as originally penned in the Hebrew and Greek . . . are the eternal Word of God.” This statement is followed by a verse from the Old Testament book of Isaiah. “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever (Is 40:8).To Evangelicals, the Old Testament is the timeless Word of God, except when the vile atrocities described there become inconvenient or when people quote horrible verses—say those that demean women, endorse slavery, condemn homosexuality and shellfish eating, promote the idea of Chosen bloodlines, or make statements that are scientific nonsense. Then it’s just the Old Testament, and Evangelicals pull out all kinds of fancy “supersessionist” language to explain that those verses don’t really count because of the “new covenant” or the “Dispensation of Grace.” But just try suggesting that a Bible believer take the Old Testament out of the Holy Bible.

3. Yes, no, maybe. God answers prayer. Except when he doesn’t. The New Testament says, And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive (Matthew 21:22; Mark 11:24). But everybody knows that in the real world that doesn’t happen. Christians face bankruptcies and bad test scores and death at the same rate as other people. God answers prayer at the margins of statistical significance, if at all—even when parents are asking for their kids to get healed from cancer, or kids are pleading that parents stop hitting them.How does one explain that? The age-old Christian answer has been that when your prayers aren’t answered you should doubt yourself rather than God, assuming that your faith was too weak or you wanted something you shouldn’t. But Evangelicals have come up with something even more clever: God does always answer! It’s just that he sometimes says no, or maybe, instead of yes. That ask anything and it shall be done Bible verse really meant, ask selectively and he might say yes.

4. Be selfless for your own sake. If you want to be great in God’s kingdom, learn to be the servant of all, say the lyrics to one Christian song. Got that? “If you want to be great,” not “if you want to do the most good in the world.” Granted, learn to be the servant of all beats some other paths people take when they seek status, but it is a path to status nonetheless, which is why the church is full of self-proclaimed servant leaders who actually aspire to great man or woman status.

5. Christianity is humble. According to Catholic theology, pride is one of the seven deadly sins. Evangelical preachers tell us it was Satan’s original sin. Pride cometh before the fall, so humble yourself before God. Couple this claim about humility with the idea that you should preach [your version of] the gospel to every creature—and things get turned inside out and upside down.Famed Puritan hellfire-and-brimstone minister Jonathan Edwards said, “We must view humility as one of the most essential things that characterizes true Christianity.” Edwards also expounded with righteous certitude about the torments of the wicked in hell—wicked meaning anyone who didn’t share his Puritan beliefs.Anyone who has spent much time in an Evangelical church community knows that superior humility can be a powerful form of one-upmanship. But competitive humility aside, what could possibly be more arrogant than thinking the universe was made for mankind, that only we bipedal primates are made in the image of God, that all other sentient beings are here for us to use, that you happened to be born into the one true faith among the tens of thousands of false ones, and that the force that created the laws of physics wants a personal relationship with you.

6. Christianity isn’t sexist; God just has different intentions and rules for men and women. Just because in the Old Testament God (identified by the male pronoun) makes man first, puts men in charge (male headship), gives men the right to barter women and take them as war booty doesn’t mean they’re unequal. Just because the New Testament forbids women to speak in church, tells them to cover their heads and submit to men, and excludes them from leadership positions doesn’t mean that women are inferior to men!

The Bible may be rife with stories with predominantly male protagonists. It may show women competing to have sons. Genealogies may be determined by paternity. God may convey his word exclusively through male writers and may take the form of a male human. But that doesn’t mean men and women are unequal! They’re just “different.” All of those generations of Patriarchs and Church Fathers and Reformers and Preachers who said vile things about women—they just misunderstood the Bible’s message on this point.

7. Believe and be saved. Right belief, according to Evangelicalism, is the toggle that sends people to heaven or hell—as if we could simply make ourselves believe whatever we want, regardless of the evidence, and as if the ability to do so were a virtue. Right belief makes you one of the Righteous. Wrong belief makes you one of the Wicked. God may have given you the ability to think, but you follow logic and evidence where they lead only at your own eternal peril. If you don’t believe, it’s because you secretly just don’t want to.Granted we all are prone to a greater or lesser degree, to what psychologists call “motivated belief,” meaning we have a tendency to selectively seek evidence for things we either want to be true or, more rarely, fear to be true. But this is hardly a sign of robust character or moral virtue. Quite the opposite.

8. God loves you and he’ll send you to hell. And once you die, it’s all irreversible. George Carlin put it best: Religion has convinced people that there’s an invisible man … living in the sky. Who watches everything you do every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a list of ten specific things he doesn’t want you to do. And if you do any of these things, he will send you to a special place, of burning and fire and smoke and torture and anguish for you to live forever, and suffer, and suffer, and burn, and scream, until the end of time. But he loves you. He loves you. He loves you and he needs money.

OK, Carlin didn’t have his theology right, at least not from an Evangelical standpoint. You don’t go to hell for violating the Ten Commandments. You go to hell for not accepting Jesus as your savior. But yeah, he loves you, loves you, loves you, and if you don’t love him back and worship him and accept his gift of forgiveness for your imperfection, he’s going to torture you forever. Wrap your brain around that definition of love.

9. Free choice under duress. Why is the world full of sin and suffering if God is all powerful and all good? Because he wanted us to worship him of our own free will. He loves us too much to force us, so we had to be able to choose—so the story goes.But, if what he wanted was love and adoration, freely given, then why did he entice us with promises of heaven and threaten us with eternal torture? Can someone really love you if you demand their love at gunpoint?

10. Lean not unto your own understanding. Faith is just believing. Trust and obey. Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong (1 Corinthians 16:13). The fool has said in his heart there is no God (Psalm 14:1).

The idea that your own mind, logic, and the evidence in the world around you is not to be trusted may be Evangelicalism’s biggest mindfuck, because it is subtext in all the others. Any doubts are just evidence that your mind (and basic human decency) are shaky. Since doubt is a sign of weak faith—and sometimes even direct from the devil—you should never ever trust what you think, feel, see or experience over what the Bible says and the Church teaches. Walk by faith, not by sight. Stop asking questions! “

Valerie Tarico is a psychologist and writer in Seattle, Washington.

https://valerietarico.com/2019/02/08/evangelical-christianitys-ten-biggest-mindfucks/

#nonreligious #atheist #agnostic #secular humanist #skeptic #Religion #Christianity #religious insanity

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almightygodismydependence-blog · 5 years

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Christian Marriage: Marital Harmony Is No Longer an Issue

By Wang Ran, Singapore

A Beautiful Dream

When she was single, Wang Ran always held on to a beautiful dream—the hope that after getting married, she and her husband would get along harmoniously, show mutual tolerance, be by each other’s sides for life, and grow old together. At that time Wang Ran had a great deal of confidence in herself; she felt that she was a person of good character who got along well with others. But reality did not play out as Wang Ran wished—after getting married, the myriad conflicts that cropped up in her life with her husband slowly ate away at her dream …

One Marital Conflict After Another

Early in their marriage, Wang Ran and her husband were still able to be mutually accommodating and tolerant, but after a period of time, all sorts of problems and conflicts came to the fore. Wang Ran is quite a clean person—she sweeps several times a day, and even if there’s just one hair on the floor she’ll pick it up. She keeps all of her belongings meticulously organized; they are never messy. Wang Ran thinks of this as a good habit, and that people can’t live comfortably unless their living space is clean and tidy. So, she also has her husband tidy up in accordance with her own standards. Every time she left home and returned a few days later, the first thing she looked at was how clean the house was; if it wasn’t up to par, she would angrily berate her husband: “Why haven’t you cleaned up? What are you doing at home all day, anyway? You’re so lazy!” Her husband wouldn’t give in in the face of Wang Ran’s rebukes, but would angrily say: “The house isn’t remotely dirty. What is there to clean up? You have a pathological obsession with cleanliness….” Hearing these words from her husband, Wang Ran would become even more angry and think: “I just want the place to be a little cleaner so that we can live comfortably. How could that be wrong? It’s clear that you’re just lazy and don’t want to tidy up, but you blame it on me!” Wang Ran believed herself to be right and wasn’t willing to show any weakness, so she continued to argue with her husband. This way, neither one of them was willing to give ground, each clinging to their own ideas until it got to the point that they wouldn’t even acknowledge each other—it was the start of a cold war between them. Wang Ran felt particularly wronged, believing that her husband wasn’t being considerate of her and wouldn’t try to share the burden of housework.

There were a number of similar occurrences in their daily lives. At times her husband’s cooking wasn’t to Wang Ran’s taste, and she’d have a few words for him: “Why would you put light soy sauce in this dish? It would have been fine with a bit of seasoned soy sauce—it doesn’t taste good with light soy sauce. And this dish, you should have put a little sugar in it….” The more she talked, the more right she felt, thinking that if it had been done the way she liked, the food would have turned out much better. But hearing Wang Ran’s nagging, her husband responded angrily: “If you want to eat it, eat it. If you don’t, then don’t. How can you find so many things to complain about?” His harsh, unpleasant words really upset Wang Ran. She thought: “The food you make just isn’t any good. What’s wrong with me mentioning it? Besides, I make food all the time, so I know how it should be done. You should listen to me, but not only will you not listen, you have such unpleasant things to say and refuse to understand me at all. How could you treat me this way?” The more she thought about it, the more wronged and upset she felt. She just stood her ground against her husband by refusing to eat in a fit of pique.

The conflicts between them just grew after their child was born. Wang Ran loved dressing their daughter up really beautifully and frequently bought her pretty things to wear, but her husband said it was wasteful, a child could wear anything, and they didn’t need to buy so much. Wang Ran did not agree with him at all; she thought that he was stingy and couldn’t stand to spend a little money on their child. So, she didn’t pay any mind to his opinion and continued to buy whatever pretty clothing she saw for their daughter. Seeing her continuing to frequently buy piles of clothing, her husband became angry with her and refused to even acknowledge her. They couldn’t agree on their daughter’s education, either. Wang Ran thought that they couldn’t show her any kind of fierceness or raise a hand to her, and that when she did something wrong it was enough to just reprimand her, but her husband said that was spoiling her and wouldn’t be good for her. One time when their daughter did something wrong, Wang Ran’s husband harshly scolded her. When Wang Ran heard the child crying she came at her husband angrily, saying, “She’s so little, won’t you scare her half to death by yelling at her that way?” While saying this she stepped forward, pushed her husband aside, and took their daughter out of the house.

Wang Ran and her husband frequently butted heads over little things like that in their daily lives. They were constantly bickering, always in a cold war—their lives together were exhausting. What was most painful for Wang Ran was that after a conflict, neither one of them would acknowledge the other, neither was willing to give in and admit fault. They’d be in a stalemate for days. Her parents-in-law and other relatives would often urge them to reconcile, but that just provided momentary relief and before long their cold war would start up again. Wang Ran felt very aggrieved over this, and she didn’t know who she could talk to about the misery in her heart. She often thought: “A husband and wife should be understanding and tolerant of each other. They should be confidantes who can talk about anything, but my husband and I are always in a cold war. We’re like the most intimate strangers and every day is miserable and stifling. What can I do to get along harmoniously with him? When will there be an end to this life of suffering and repression?”

Reading God’s Words and Finding the Root of Suffering

Where man ends, God begins. Just when Wang Ran was in pain and feeling lost, God’s gospel of the last days came upon her and her husband. By reading God’s words, they both determined that God is the Ruler who created the heavens, the earth, and all things. They accepted God’s salvation and came before Him. After that, in her interactions with brothers and sisters, Wang Ran saw that when they had a conflict with someone else in their lives, they would all recognize where their own fault lay, what kind of corrupt satanic disposition they were living within, and would read God’s words to resolve their corrupt disposition, thus defusing any interpersonal conflicts. This was incredible to her, and she felt that there was such a huge difference between believers and nonbelievers! She thought that before, whether she had a conflict with her husband, colleagues, or friends, she would complain about that person and malign them, saying the problem was theirs. She always looked for the cause in the other person, but never recognized her own fault. When that came to mind doubt cropped up in Wang Ran’s heart: “Could it be that my husband and I couldn’t get along because I wasn’t able to reflect on myself and was always focusing on him, looking for his problems?”

In a gathering, Wang Ran spoke up about her inability to get along with her husband, and a sister found a passage of God’s words and a passage of fellowship that dealt with her confusion. Wang Ran read these words from God: “Before he was corrupted by Satan, man naturally followed God and obeyed His words. He was naturally of sound sense and conscience, and of normal humanity. After being corrupted by Satan, his original sense, conscience, and humanity grew dull and were impaired by Satan. Thus, he has lost his obedience and love toward God. Man’s sense has become aberrant, his disposition has become the same as that of an animal” (“To Have an Unchanged Disposition Is to Be in Enmity to God”). The passage of fellowship said: “People’s dispositions are all fairly arrogant. People don’t listen to anyone, they see faults in others and cannot see their strong points. On top of that, everyone has a certain personality, certain characteristics, and they’re disparaging of anyone they see faults in and don’t want to look at them or deal with them. They judge them, then both people look down on each other. These are serious issues for most people and this causes people’s interpersonal relationships to fall into stalemates, into tension. … And there are some people who always talk down to others, who like to control people and have others listen to them, but never listen to others. That kind of person isn’t easy to get along with either” (“How to Build Church Life and the Meaning of Building Church Life” in Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life (I)).

After Wang Ran finished reading, her sister shared in fellowship: “When God first created mankind, they were not corrupted by Satan. They were people with conscience and reason who were forgiving and tolerant of each other. They could get along harmoniously with others—they had a human likeness. But later on humanity was corrupted by Satan and we became full of arrogance, selfishness, despicableness, crookedness, deceit, greed, and evil, and other satanic dispositions. We also became really self-important, wanting to have dominance in all things and have the final say. In dealing with others we always believe that our own views and notions are correct and always want others to listen to us and do what we want. When someone else raises a different opinion we’re unable to put ourselves aside and humbly accept their suggestions. When we have conflict with someone else, we focus on the other person’s faults, thinking that it’s a problem with them. We often look down on others and even complain against them or reject them. We never take other people’s feelings into account—we’re completely lacking any of the conscience and reason of a proper human being. We live reliant on our arrogant, self-important satanic dispositions, so how could we get along well with others? Maybe we’re able to rein it in for a short period of time, but as time goes on our corrupt dispositions will show themselves and we won’t get along with anyone for long. Just like you and your husband, when you were first married you were tolerant and magnanimous with each other, but after a period of time you saw things you disliked in each other and you would go to war with each other over the slightest little thing. No one was willing to concede and it ended up as a cold war where you wouldn’t even acknowledge each other. This resulted in both of you living in pain, feeling really constrained and unable to be free. That’s why, if we want to get along harmoniously with others, we have to accept the judgment and chastisement of God’s words, focusing on reflecting on and knowing ourselves, seeking to change the satanic, corrupt dispositions within us, and living out proper humanity. Once our satanic dispositions have been changed, we become able to listen to others’ opinions in all things and negotiate with others. Then we are able to get along harmoniously.”

Hearing her sister’s fellowship, Wang Ran realized that the reason she and her husband hadn’t been able to get along well and were always in conflict was that she had been corrupted by Satan and she was full of corrupt, satanic dispositions, such as arrogance and self-importance. She wanted to be dominant in all things and always felt that she was right and the other person was wrong; she found it very difficult to accept others’ viewpoints or suggestions. It occurred to her that it wasn’t just about doing housework or cooking, but it was also about child-rearing—she always thought that her own notions and views were correct and wanted her husband to listen to her, to do things her way. If he didn’t listen to her, she would either scold him or refuse to acknowledge him, but she never took the initiative to humbly admit an error. She wasn’t tolerant or patient with her husband, but instead always complained that he didn’t take her feelings into account, and as a result, they frequently initiated “battles,” and then began a cold war. This threw their lives into pain, and their family members were also very worried for them, and at their wits’ ends. Wang Ran also realized why so many once-happy families had ended up disintegrating. It was because they had been corrupted by Satan and they were living based on their corrupt satanic dispositions, making them incredibly arrogant, self-important, selfish, and despicable. Everyone was living for their own personal benefit, and couldn’t help but have frequent conflict even with those who were most near and dear to them. No one gave in to anyone else and would even become bitter enemies, cutting off contact for the rest of their days. Only then did Wang Ran realize how harmful a satanic disposition is for people, and that she could no longer live her life based on that.

Putting the Truth Into Practice and Interacting Harmoniously

Wang Ran later read the following two passages of fellowship: “In order for people to interact normally with one another, they must possess a few principles of practice. These principles should not only include not taking advantage of others, not harming others, but having some love. They further include having a conscience and rationality, helping one another, showing tolerance to one another, caring for others, letting others benefit in all situations, considering others, not just caring about yourself, showing compassion for others’ weaknesses, and forgiving the transgressions of others. If we have these few principles, we will be able to build a normal relationship with others and we will be able to live in harmony with each other” (The Fellowship From the Above). And: “A husband and wife rely on their consciences to maintain a proper relationship. Without a conscience, they won’t have any feelings for each other, and if you lack reason, there’s no way to manage a marital relationship. If you have a conscience and reason, then your actions will show your spouse that you’re a good person, and they will admire your character and will be better to you. If they don’t admire your actions, if they don’t approve of them, if you lack love, humanity, and conscience, then they’ll find you distasteful. So, interpersonal relationships are sustained by conscience and reason, and without these things, people cannot have proper relationships with others” (“Only With the Truth Can One Shred His Corrupt Human Nature and Live Out Normal Humanity” in Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life (VI)).

These texts shared very clear fellowship on the path of practice to achieve harmonious relationships with others. Wang Ran learned that what was most key in relating to others was having a conscience and reason, forsaking her own satanic disposition of arrogance and self-importance, being tolerant and patient with others’ faults, and being loving, caring, and forgiving of others. She should think of others in all things and look at issues from the other person’s perspective. Mutual love and forgiveness were particularly important between husband and wife—they couldn’t just look at the issues the other person had, but had to learn to put themselves aside and accept their spouse’s views and perspectives. Only that was what should be lived out with proper humanity. Wang Ran quietly resolved: “In future conflicts with my husband, I will first come before God to pray and reflect on myself. I will no longer act or treat my husband based on my arrogant disposition, but I will put God’s words into practice and live out proper humanity so that we can get along harmoniously.”

After that, when her husband didn’t clean or tidy up well enough, Wang Ran considered that everyone has different standards for cleanliness. She couldn’t demand that he go according to her own standards, nor could she brood over how clean things were or reprove her husband. Instead, she prayed to God so she could forsake her own arrogant disposition, and if the house was dirty she would do a bit more. When her husband made food she no longer nitpicked—she’d just eat whatever he made and wouldn’t turn her nose up at it because it wasn’t good enough. Since everyone’s tastes and cooking styles are different, her husband didn’t absolutely have to make food based on her preferences. On the occasions that the two of them got into conflict and her husband blamed her, she rushed to pray to God and reflect on what she had done wrong. After that she was able to put herself aside and take the initiative to apologize to him, and no longer argue with him. As for how to raise their child and buying clothing for her, as long as her husband was correct Wang Ran would accept his opinions and wouldn’t insist on her own way of doing things. Once she put God’s requirements into practice, she discovered that her husband had also undergone a change. Once after he had sounded off, he suddenly apologized to Wang Ran, saying: “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have blown up at you like that. I’m so arrogant and I just cared about blowing off some steam. I didn’t take your feelings into account—I wasn’t remotely tolerant toward you….” Seeing her husband’s transformation, Wang Ran felt both surprised and comforted. She thought of the fact that she was no longer as arrogant or self-important as she had been in the past and that her husband had changed as well, even offering up apologies to her—these things had never occurred between them before. These things had certainly been achieved by God’s words! Just then, Wang Ran’s resolve to put the truth into practice became even greater. In the future, when interacting with her husband she would do things according to God’s requirements and forsake her own arrogant disposition. That way, their conflicts would become less and less, and even though there would still be times they’d crop up in their lives, after that they’d be able to read God’s words together, pray to God, each reflect on what they had done wrong, what corrupt disposition had given rise to that, and share in fellowship with open hearts. Then, they would practice according to God’s requirements. Once Wang Ren and her husband practiced in accordance with God’s words, their interactions became smoother and smoother—this was entirely God’s words changing them, and it was God’s work taking effect in them. Wang Ran couldn’t help but offer up her thanks and praise to God!

Wang Ran read another passage from God’s words: “People have a normal relationship with each other, they do not stand alone, and their lives are neither mediocre nor decadent. So, too, is God exalted among all, His words permeate among man, people live in peace with one another and under the care and protection of God, the earth is filled with harmony, without the interference of Satan, and the glory of God holds the utmost importance among man. Such people are like angels: pure, vibrant, never complaining about God, and devoting all their efforts solely to God’s glory on earth” (“Chapter 16” of Interpretations of the Mysteries of God’s Words to the Entire Universe). Wang Ran was very moved by these words; she realized that only if she reflected on and recognized her own corrupt disposition from within God’s words, was able to forsake the flesh in a practical way, practice according to God’s words, and live out proper humanity would she be able to get along harmoniously with others and maintain proper interpersonal relationships. Without coming before God or the watering and guidance of God’s words, no matter what we do to make peace, we’ll never be able to resolve a couple’s inability to get along with each other. God’s words are the only panacea to cure marital conflict! Thanks be to God!

Recommended :

In Your Faith in God You Should Obey God

#pray to God #God’s words #God’s work #faith in god #Obey God

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Forge-Born chapters 1-5

Chapter 6 Geneva island of amazons.

Forge-Born A New Odyssey Bang! .... Bang!!..... Bang!!.... The sound of mighty thunder as metal meets metal. Bang!!... Bang!!... Bang!!!... With each clap a flash of light illuminates the dark room. Between each strike we gain a glimpse of a humanoid like figure, only this is no man. The creature is truly a nightmare of an image. No even creature does not explain this being, a more apt description would be god. Hephaestus God of the forge. As Hephaestus strike his hammer against a large mound of steel he begins to speak loudly to himself, as though he were addressing someone else. " It was long ago in a time before man, before beast, before gods, before the entities Gaia and Uranus. When all that existed was Chaos and Darkness. A single spark was all it took and in moments the course of history would change. From this spark formed order, formed Gaia and Uranus. For millennia that spark was not to be seen, until one day the spark flashed once more and mankind had came into existence. Today I hope to be given a chance to see that spark. He places his hands on some object and they begin to glow a bright red & white. The object begins to glow and now we can see it. It appears to be a sculpture of a boy made of steel. Today is the day a new legend is born. With blood of iron and body of steel. The legend of the Forge-Born." Chapter 1 "Father!!" A young voice screams. "father look!" The boy points to the sea. As he does Hephaestus steps onto a beach staring at the boy. Now in the sun we can truly see Hephaestus. He is large taller then any man butt a far cry from a giant. His skin is thick like an elephant with discoloration all over grey white black his skin tone varies in blotches like ink blots. His eyes are sunken and unresponsive as though the intense sunlight doesn't bother him. His mouth is more like a beast with jowls and fangs. His body is strong, or at least it seems that way until you see him resting one palm on cane. As he slowly limps across the beach cane in hand he ask the boy." My boy how many times must we have this conversation." "Oh right heehee" the boy attempts to contain his laughter. Hephaestus somehow seems delighted with the boys laughter rather then angry. "Well what is it, tell me what do you see?" "Out in the water it's some big object with a tarp flowing into the wind." "Oh I see now" Hephaestus grins. "what is it father another sea monster?" "No boy it's a ship." "A ship... wait father does that mean there are humans." "I would most likely assume so." "Wow really?..” The boy gazes at the ship with wanderlust "Father one day I'd like to be on a boat like that." Hephaestus's face sinks as he mutters "someday I hope you will get the chance." 7 years later The forest is silent when suddenly a loud boom goes off. As the smoke clears we here a man coughing."Damn seems I was bit off on the ratios." As the man begins to stamp out small embers we notice the face is familiar to that of the young boy. Only now as a man he is something more akin to a warrior. His face is Fairly well, no Adonis but easy on the eyes. What stands out most though are his ember eyes. As the man is finished stamping out the fire a loud voice is heard throughout the forest. "Vulcan where are you what manner of messes have you made today?" Shit. the man responds. "Nothing to worry about father I've got it all under control." Hephaestus retorts "funny you said the same thing last time and now Pygmas has no eyebrow." The man's reaction is one of embarrassment. “Well whatever it is it can wait. I need your help on the forge.” After walking an acre Vulcan nears a mountain with a house along the side down below is a large cave that Vulcan enters. In it we see Hephaestus hard at work hammering down some item on an anvil. Surrounding him are 5 giants with one eye who all seem to be busy with their smithing. Finally Vulcan nears Hephaestus "Good now take this and hold it steady around the horn." Vulcan follows the gods instructions and grabs a circular object and presses it firmly against the edge of the Anvil horn. As he does this Hephaestus grasps a large hammer and starts beating against it "another shield huh." Vulcan remarks."Maybe , if you hold it still enough." As the two work together on the shield they begin to banter back and forth until Hephaestus ask a question. " So Vulcan what was it this time another one of your science inventions." Vulcan responds quickly speaking as soon as Hephaestus finishes his last syllable" yes I'm onto something amazing I just need to run some more test." "Could you use any help." Vulcan ponders his answer for a few seconds." Honestly I could, but I really want to try this one on my own father" “Oh can't wait to get out of your old man's shadow ehh boy." Hephaestus grins as he says it. "That's not it I just want to prove this to myself; to prove that I can become a builder like you." For a moment Hephaestus pauses then continues to beat on the shield " I'm very proud of you don't worry someday you will become an even greater craftsman then me." Vulcan almost cries at those words. All his life he's never admired anyone more than Hephaestus, he knew of the other gods yet the one he was always amazed by was Hephaestus. His father was strong willed and wise. Even while being a god he was humble and never thought himself above any creature and to top it all off he was an amazing craftsman. He could build anything : jewelry,trinkets, mechanisms, coliseums, and yes even weapons and armor of unimaginable quality. Suddenly they hear a loud bell. "They're here" Hephaestus says. "Who" ask Vulcan." The ones picking up this shield. As Hephaestus finishes putting on the last of the grips on the shield he tells Vulcan to greet his guest upstairs. Now inside the upper floor he sees a man draped in black and a younger one draped in purple and black he recognizes the first man but has no clue as to the second. While standing there pondering the mans identity Hephaestus walks in from behind him ah hades it's been some time uncle. Glad to see you the man shrouded in jet black cloak and corporeal darkness speaks and as he does so it fills the room with dread. "yes same for you Hephaestus and you as well Vulcan." Vulcan pushes his curiosities aside and realizes his rudeness" Apologies lord hades" hades smiles although even though it is innocent to him on the outside it looks sinister" No need for apologies Vulcan you are family after all." Hades points to the smaller individual beside him donning similar attributes only in a purple shade" Excuse me allow me to introduce my son regon. It's his shield we've come to collect today." "Ah good to finally meet you Regon I've heard a great many things of you." Says Hephaestus, Regon then responds "As well I you smith. However I must admit I've heard nothing of you having a son Vulcan was it. Vulcan clenches his fist as though he's just been threatened and prepared to fight for his life. Hades speaks up "Regon do not pry. The smith is a powerful ally and respectful man leave it alone." Regon nods silently. " come with us the shields downstairs the cyclops are testing it." Hades is then reminded of something." Speaking of cyclops Hephaestus are you waxing them now?We ran into Pygmas on lookout and he seems to be missing the hair on his brow." Ha!Vulcan immediately covers his mouth trying to contain his laughter, you can see his body quiver as he chuckles with his right hand over his mouth and left hand to his side. The party just ignores him and heads towards the shield. When finding himself alone he uses the opportunity to break away and head towards his own lab deep in the forest. He has work to do otherwise he would have stayed. He rather enjoys hades as he seems to be the only God that respects his father and regularly pays him visits, he's also the only God his father allows him to speak to or come into contact with. In fact as a young boy when hades and Hephaestus were deep in conversation he would allow him to play with Cerberus. He doesn't know why the other gods hate his father or why they can't know of his own existence, but he came to realize long ago through his father and the cyclops stories, that the gods weren't the merciful or flawless beings they're portrayed as. While Vulcan fires up a forge in his workshop Hephaestus is back home speaking with hades. "Thank you again smith for the work you've done." " No need hades you practically keep me employed and I rather enjoy our talks. Not to mention you've kept the identity of Vulcan to yourself and for that I owe you greatly. I'd rather he not get wrapped up in the world of the Divine and immortals. "Speaking of that Hephaestus did you know where Zeus was headed today?" " No I'm afraid I have not contacted Olympus in years. I'm sure you're aware of my strained relations with our family." " Quitewell smith, then it pains me to say but I felt I should give you warning today Zeus visit's the Moirai.” The air turns hostile as a terrified Hephaestus exclaims "The sisters of fate! When hades?" " I do not know nephew I just felt the need to tell you so you might prepare yourself. I will be taking my leave I cannot interfere with my brothers affairs, however I felt I should warn you. Sorry that is all I could do." As he says this hades and Regon fall into a dark abyss. "Thank you hades for warning me, you've done enough." As hades disappears. Hephaestus shouts VUUULLCANNN!!! The words sound loud and carry deep into the Forest. Moments before this Vulcan was leaving his workshop and heading back home. "Finally!" he says to himself "A sword that isn't worthless." Vulcan raises an clothed item into the air, his face covered in ash and carbon with a grin as wide as the crescent moon. Vulcan thinks maybe with this he can go out to the world of man. Sword at his side he can become an adventurer and see the world. With this he wouldn't even have to fear the gods. Suddenly he hears his father cry out for him more panicked then ever before something is wrong just as he turns and pushes off the ground to run a flash of light comes down cutting through the air colliding with the earth, with a tremendous crackle and boom knocking him to the ground. This is thunder and what follows thunder is destruction. As he looks up at the ravaged earth in front of him he sees him. The King of gods, Power incarnate, Clade in lightning ZEUS and his eyes scream bloodlust. Chapter 2 abomination Gobsmacked and in awe. Vulcan lays they're paralyzed unable to run with frozen feet, not even able to find his voice to scream or speak. So shocked he even forgets how to breath Vulcan lies helpless. For years he's heard of the gods of there amazing power and heavy auras but he never expected anything like this. The pressure emanating from this god is like an ocean filling the air dragging him to the bottom helpless against it. He now truly understands what places gods above men. Lying there deprived of oxygen he begins to lose the strength in his body, but just as his eyes begin to close he catches sight of a familiar figure walking towards them with a cane." Vulcan did I not warn you of the presence of gods. It appears you'll have to learn now, focus your mind and will. Remember to not give in to a greater force, push back on the aura with your own and most importantly hide your fear.” With those words Vulcan begins to fall in and out of consciousness. As he begins to practice his father's teachings the weight on his chest gets lighter. Zeus and Hephaestus stand there watching the young man. To the world outside this sight is unexplainable and would go without understanding, but to those intertwined in the Divine this is nothing new. Thousands have died from sheer presence of the Divine alone. Gods can intensify or diminish the aura they place forward. Although many wouldn't know it from the current sight Hephaestus knows all to well Vulcan is gifted in this form of combat via godly presence. Against any average Devine being he would have already returned to strength but this is Zeus. Hephaestus stands there torn over his sons predicament, alas there's nothing he can do. He could fight Zeus in an attempt to stop the overwhelming pressure he exudes, but not only would he lose that fight in order to do so he would have to unleash his aura as well and with his and Zeus's combined pressures Vulcan would not survive. All he can do is stand and watch his son cling to life. Finally there's a breakthrough both men sense it a will of iron refusing to be crushed by the weight. Vulcans eyes open as his body rises like an undead corpse, gasping for air. Hephaestus is pleased Zeus however has not lost his angry demeanor. As Vulcan slowly makes his way to his feet with his arm pressed against the ground for support shaking, he can't believe it Zeus didn't lift a finger and he nearly died just from being in his presence. Hephaestus steps in front of Vulcan shielding him from Zeus's gaze before asking "what is it you are doing here Zeus?" Zeus responds with furry in his voice." Watch your tongue Hephaestus It is your king you are speaking too." Hephaestus bites his tongue and waits for a response. Zeus caring not for the concerns of Hephaestus waits some time before responding "I am here regarding a prophecy given to me by the Moirai." Hephaestus hesitates and thinks of his question before speaking. " May I ask what this prophecy is exactly." " The sisters have informed you have done the unthinkable. You have broken the greatest rule. You created new life where there was none. I am king of all none but me shall be allowed to create life. Hephaestus was I not lenient when the sisters gave me the prophecy years ago of your betrayal" Hephaestus interjects "Zeus, father I told you there was no betrayal I would never forge a weapon to kill you." Mid sentence he is cut off by Zeus" How dare you call me that you are no son of mine I casted you out of Olympus I showed leniency and even now you mock me with that abomination behind you." Vulcan is perplexed could he be referring to him. What's this on about Hephaestus creating life he understood all to well of the rule of life how none is supposed to create it not even gods for such life would go against nature itself. He knows such an act could never be forgiven and that the creature could not be allowed to continue living. Still why does he speak of him that way Vulcan is no creation. He was told he was the son of Hephaestus and a lower God. He knows nothing of his true origin. Many might be confused with this statement believing Gods to have created life many times however there are rules firstly life cannot be made where it did not previously exist you may turn a tree into a mortal however you may not turn stone to man. Two if it is made from nothing it may not have will nor mind of its own hence golems and lastly it may not be given the ability to pass on to a new generation. In creating Vulcan Hephaestus broke this covenant incurring the wrath of Zeus. "Your creation neither man nor God this creature does not belong in this world. Step aside and allow me to destroy it and I may be merciful to you afterwards. " Vulcan's heart clenches itself. To think the one who stands above would desire his death what could he do he couldn't possibly fight and hope to win. Run how can he outrun lighting. As Vulcan's heart races a comforting voice reassures him. "Calm down my son no harm shall come to you. You have as much a right to life as any living creature and I will defend that right with my own life if I must." As he says those endearing and heartfelt words he stares at Zeus and says "I challenge you for the right to rule Olympus on the grounds of my blood as one of the twelve seats." Zeus grits his teeth seething with anger the surrounding environment begins to shutter. Hephaestus has invoked the right to challenge only a shameful God and weak ruler would refuse. Very well I will kill you first, then the abomination. I shall return with an audience at sundown to oversee. After Zeus leaves Vulcan drops to the floor exhausted. After a few hours the sun begins to set Vulcan wakes up at home. Suddenly it all comes back to him he leaps out of bed screaming no. Hephaestus comes and hugs him telling him to calm himself. Vulcan looks up at him tears in his eyes and ask why he challenged Zeus he cannot hope to win. Hephaestus looks down at him and says " Because you are my son." "But I'm not I heard him I'm not your son I'm not human not God I'm..I shouldn't exist." "Vulcan weather or not you should have existed isn't important the fact remains you do exist you feel you bleed you cry and laugh. I can no longer lie to you so I will tell you the truth Vulcan. Many years ago I lived with the Olympians at first I wanted to be one to be accepted by them but I never was for that I grew to despise them I became angry and vain and did many things I'm no longer proud of. Eventually in time I began to forgive them and place my heart at ease after that I was able to see the evil of the gods and there indifference to the plights of man. I pleaded with them and begged them to help the humans to show mercy, but alas my words fell on deaf ears. The gods were a conceited lot but still they were my family and I loved them and I had no intention to take my family to war. So instead I took up an oath of pacifism I vowed to never participate in there wars or the wars of man and that I would never forge another weapon. When Zeus demanded weapons I refused this deeply angered him he felt as though it was a challenge against his authority which had him grow paranoid of my betrayal. So he sought out the sisters of fate for guidance on the matter. That was when they informed him of a vision they had that I would forge a new weapon one that would kill him. Opun hearing these words he attempted to end my existence, but perhaps some small ounce of fatherly affection remained because he did not deliver the finishing blow; instead he banished me from Olympus and barred me from ever forging another weapon. In time I found this island of cyclops other creatures resented by their father for there imperfect figures. I became like a mentor to them taught them to forge and communicate. Still though life was lonely I missed my family even though they were cruel and unkind. I became so lonely I came up with an idea. What I was about to do was blasphemy to the highest degree. I was about to break the supreme rule of the Divine. Life shall never be created from nothing only Zeus himself may ever create new life. This law stands above all others the punishment for breaking it is death. In my lost state I began to work on my finest craft ever I would forge his bones of steel his blood of hot iron and his flesh of copper & bronze. Still such a task is no mere small feat. Although the law exist even without it none could perform this feat. Creating new life is tricky when Zeus Aphrodite and I created woman we nearly abandoned the efforts but some force greater than our understanding aided us. For you it was the same try as I might you remained a statue of metal. I don't know how or why but somehow something breathed life into you my son and on that day you came to be a creature born of the forge.” "But that means I am an abomination." "Look at me son it is true you are neither God nor man. However you are no monster you deserve life just as any man. Here I found this beside you" he hands him the clothed item from before “I found it beside I had hoped you would not mind I had a look at it." Vulcan removes the cloth reveal a jade tinted blade. It's beautiful almost like an ornament. He's almost too afraid to ask but somehow finds the courage. “What did you think?” "Interesting indeed your work with a blade is truly remarkable however it is undeniably yours the work of a young man." " What's that mean." Ask Vulcan "It's truly exceptional and Finely forged, incredibly sharp and well made. Only it's not suitable for combat. It's to be expected your young and inexperienced in war. Your blade is impractical it's appearance is a beauty and like that of a proper heroes blade but it would never be used In combat. You see a smith must not only make the strongest weapon he must also take into account the warrior wielding it and its purpose. Sometimes you have a smaller warrior so a large or long blade is impractical sometimes they have armor or shields so a sharp edge is useless other times it simply does not feel right from the grip or isn't designed to swing according to the Warriors method." With the more he describes the more Vulcan sulks which Hephaestus takes notice of. "Don't be disappointed Vulcan you are a fine craftsman and the blade is incredibly durable and sharp it shows how well your technique and skill at the forge is. This lack of foresight was on me I taught you all the secrets to the forge save weapons. I wish I had more time to teach you but I'm afraid our time is up the sun is setting. Take this he throws a bag at Vulcans feet. What is this for are we going to run. No boy you will I will stay here and fight. But why we can bo-- I gave my word I challenged him now I can not go back on that. A man is nothing without his word. Humans taught me that and hopefully they can teach you the same. Go there's a ship waiting for you at the north beach. Inside that bag is a map you will head to Geneva a small island not far from here where you will meet your guide. You already know how to read the stars, but take this it's something I've been working on It will help keep you going in the right direction. Hephaestus shows him what appears to be a primitive compass. But father I can help you or maybe I can offer myself to Zeus you shouldn't have to die for nothing. No. Please! dammit boy I...fine you want to help. Hephaestus drops the compass. pick that up we will have use for it later. As Vulcan reaches down Hephaestus strikes him over the back of his head breaking his cane over it. He looks down at the unconscious Vulcan then back at his broken cane and mutters "You've got a hard head boy." He proceeds to pick him up and throw him outside into the arms of a brow less cyclops. "Pygma take care of the boy." Pygma nods and vanishes with Vulcan into the forest. As Hephaestus makes his way down the stairway he hears Zeus land and call for him Hephaestus show yourself I've come for your challenge with witnesses Apollo Hera and Athena. As he reaches the end of the staircase he heads to a corner of his workshop towards a locked trunk. Hephaestus! Zeus shouts I hope you have not suddenly realized you're fear and become to cowardly to face me. A golden draped man by Zeus speaks up "Father I must admit picking on a crippled and feeble old man does not sit well with me must this continue." Now one of the women by Zeus interjects "Careful Apollo the smith may be weak in body and his mind may also have confliction, but he is a seat on Olympus for a reason even after being cast out. Father I beg you reconsider the smith would pose a great loss to us" "Silence Athena the smith has laid his bed... but if it will put you all at ease, I will make it quick.. " quick huh..." The sound of Heavy metal rattling follows the voice. "Perhaps you have forgotten just what a battle is like Zeus" the voice comes from the cave as a grinning Hephaestus steps out clad in armor from head to toe an arsenal of weapons on his person. He stands with one hand holding a large spear pressed into the ground almost as if replacing his cane the other hand holding a flail attached to a long chain. It's as though he were a gladiator of great legend. Chapter 3 Even Gods Bleed The other gods stand in shock of the sight before them. Zeus is enraged at the sight of Hephaestus in armor. "What is the meaning of this smith? I thought this was duel among gods." Unfazed he responds " It is" “then why do you sully it with trinkets.” “Father you seem to misunderstand nowhere does it say armor or weapons are forbidden.” “I would think your pride wouldn't allow such a poor display.” “ Yes pride would stop most men however men are foolish a warrior knows the battlefield is not to be treated as a playground things like pride matter not in battlegrounds. You do what you must to win to survive to protect the ones you care for. Today you threatened my son and I would swallow my pride before I ever let you bring him harm. Come father today one of us shall die here on this battlefield.” After recognizing the danger Athena voices her concern. “Zeus be wise this is the smith and those are his hand crafted weapons I recognize them this fight will be dangerous nothing requires you to face him like this.” “ Silence Athena very well smith I shall teach you you're toys mean nothing before true power” as he says this Zeus hurls a thunderbolt. The smith slams down the spear into the ground in its path after nearing the spear the lightning draws to the staff discharging into the ground. Hephaestus spins his flail before throwing it at Zeus smashing against his face it flings Zeus clear across the field. “Father your power is what gives you strength but me my gifts of the forge lend me strengths I could never attain on my own I may be old & broken but do not believe me helpless by any means." Zeus snarls at Hephaestus the smith grips his spear and with his good leg pushes off the ground leaving a crater at the point of liftoff. Zeus takes hold of the spear catching it as it pierces him. Only allowing it to penetrate a mere inch of flesh, then creating a burst of lighting that sends Hephaestus flying into the mountain behind them. After coming to his feet Zeus takes the spear and breaks it over his knee Hephaestus stairs at him with a fierce eyes “as I said Hephaestus toys” he says as he drops the broken spear. Then in almost an instant Zeus stands in front of Hephaestus still processing what just occurred Hephaestus is unable to react as Zeus buries his fist into his face following that blow is a flurry of strikes each more powerful than the last. Even fully clad in armor seems to mean nothing as Zeus's power does not appear to be diminished in any way. Hephaestus knows the strength of this armor well he once tested it against against the might of a tsunami and yet not even a scratch, but here it may as well be simple cloth. Finally after growing tired Zeus ends his onslaught he stands menacingly over the bruised and bloody Hephaestus. In that moment it what appeared to be a a man clinging to his last bits of life Hephaestus pulled his hammer from his side gripping the handle firmly he raised it to the air his arm shaking barely able to hold it. In this moment tears came to his eyes as he thought of his son, he knew it had not been enough time he could not die yet. So with every ounce of his being he whispered one word" Forge" he followed those words by striking his hammer down on the mountain behind. In a mere moment after contact a mammoth sized steel gauntlet erupted from the wall punching Zeus. Forcing him out of the mountain falling to the ground below with a large thud. Zeus and the other gods look up to the mountain to see Hephaestus axe in hand looking down upon them. He jumps down to Zeus as he sees this he respond by hurling lighting at him but Hephaestus pushes down with his axe splitting the bolt in two the landing all his weight on Zeus then grabbing at his shoulders he opens his large jowls and begins spewing fire and magma. Through the magma reaches Zeus's hand wrapping around Hephaestus throat stopping the red bile. With the fire gone we now see Zeus's face angry covered with burns and scorch marks. With his free hand he strikes Hephaestus but Hephaestus returns with a blow of his own forcing Zeus to relinquish his grip back and forth the gods trade blows however this is no equivalent exchange as Hephaestus strikes get weaker and far more infrequent, sometimes taking two or three blows before delivering his own. Hephaestus then grips the blade at his side and slices at Zeus's leg. Zeus responds but not quickly enough to avoid injury just to avoid a more serious strike. He then takes a few paces back as Hephaestus raise his sword at him. “Aiming for my legs eh truly a warriors cunning.” Zeus mentions. “Well I have to do something to slow you down after all my leg isn't quite as spry as yours.” Hephaestus points to his weak leg trembling at the strain. Zeus stairs at both legs then comments

“It's quite incredible how you've been able to fight while balancing on one leg.” “I've had practice. Tell me father would you reconsider allowing my son to live if I surrendered now and agreed to forge for you once again.” “I've already told you smith you're no son of mine and that abomination is no son of yours I cannot allow such a being to exist that challenges the very nature of the universe itself.” “ You mean you could not allow anything to exist that cannot owe it's very existence to you. This has nothing to do with gods the boy could never hope to challenge your place in the universe his power is not Devine. He's closer to man then God. Why should his life be invalid simply because he is neither, because his very existence is a blight on your dominance over this world.” “ Hephaestus before I kill You I will rip out you're heathenish tongue.” “I see then” he stares at Hera and the other gods “mother brother sister please know that I tried to seek a peaceful solution I did not simply seek bloodshed.” As the blood began to drip from his palms they begin to glow and the blood begins to boil and burn. As Hephaestus breathes embers fill the the very air he exhales. He grabs his hammer then places one hand to the floor and again he utters the words " forge" instantly multiple large blades protrude from the ground aiming for Zeus. In retaliation he unleashes a wave of thunder atomizing the blades. From his side appears Hephaestus his open hand reaches for Zeus's face igniting the very air it passes through. Zeus however manages to avoid it Hephaestus quickly changes tactics shifting his position using his hammer he delivers a backhanded strike smashing Zeus's nose. After catching sight of this Hephaestus remarks "it has been a long time since I have seen you bleed father." Chapter 4 Hephaestus God of the forge Out far off the coast of the island floats a small ship in which Vulcan still lays unconscious. As the battle between gods rages on in the distant island, the sounds of the clash awaken him. He awakens unaware of where he is he looks around surprised to see himself surrounded by water. After getting his bearings he realizes he must have been knocked out and placed on this ship. The sounds of the battle shift his focus to the island. His chest Tightens as even out here he can feel the gods crushing auras. He thinks of the struggle his father must be facing, without hesitation he turns the ship around and heads for the island only by some act of universe or perhaps a god, a gust of wind catches his sails pulling him further out to sea. All he can do is watch the island get smaller and smaller in the distance for he is now at the mercy of the winds and the sea. Back on the island the tide of battle has once again shifted as Zeus fueled by rage at his own blood ferociously beat down Hephaestus. However Hephaestus seems to be pleased. The smile over Hephaestus faces further infuriates Zeus prompting more brutality. Zeus doesn't understand so he ask " Why do you smile Hephaestus once I've ended your existence I will chase your abomination. None can escape me for I see all.” “ Hah you fool father you've become so arrogant in the time since I've seen you I'm fully aware of your sight and that of mothers which is why I gifted him a device imbued with magic capable of hiding him from you.” “ What. You lie smith.” “You know me well Zeus you know me to be capable of such feats.” Arghhh! Zeus lets out a howl as he summons thunder to strike Hephaestus. Leaving a giant scare in Hephaestus chest. Hephaestus however has accepted death and does not fear it. He thinks of his long life of his ups and downs his younger years. Hephaestus was not like other gods he wasn't born perfect. Angry at Zeus for having Athena with another women Hera set out to make a child of her own with no help from any man. She would give birth to what the world would see as a monster. At his birth Hephaestus was already horribly disfigured and ugly he resembled more the creatures of Tartarus then the Adonis's of Olympus. Still his mother loved him then. She named him Hephaestus after one of her other lovers. Zeus however could not stand him, while he gazed at the hideousness and imperfection of Hephaestus it drove him mad not only was he monstrous in form but his body was frail and weak smaller then most babies and barely clinging to life. He could never call such a pathetic creature one of his pantheon his existence was a smear on all the gods and his name. Still he chose to accept the child as his own for the sake of Hera but made sure to keep him out of view of the world. Every Night however the sounds of his cries would drive him mad as it only reminded him of his failure. This continued for some time until one night Zeus awoke in a fit of rage, Hera hearing the babies cries awoke to find Zeus standing at the cliff side of Olympus holding the infant. She pleaded and begged him not too but he ignored her cries as he threw the child with all his might down into the sea and rocks below. Zeus now believing himself to be rid of the blight returned to sleep. Only fate would still not be so kind for Hephaestus. The frail boy miraculously survived the fall. Only his body was mangled his leg broken beyond repair the infant was in pure agony. He cried but his howls were swallowed by the ocean as he began to drown. For sure he would have died had this sight had naught of caught the attention of a nearby water nymph. The nymph dragged the child to an underground cave under mount Olympus here he nursed the child back to health. After a few years the child had been lucky enough to to survive and grow healthier and more hardy a complete contrast to his frail form as a child sadly however the leg could not be saved. A pity thought the nymph if not for that the child would have grown to be an unrivaled gladiator his physical prowess far surpassed any being before him. Sadly however he will never be able to walk without support. How cruel the gods are thought the nymph. More years had passed and Hephaestus grew interested in the forge after years of isolation for fear of Zeus actions should he found out the boy was alive and the nymph saved him the nymph pleaded for Hephaestus to remain in the cave. Owing everything to him Hephaestus agreed to stay they're till he reached maturity. Finally after a decade more he set out into the world it was not long after he made a name for himself as a smith. Eventually one of his pieces of jewelry made its way to the gods they demanded the name of the maker Hephaestus they replied. The gods were shocked although not relieved they still did not care for Hephaestus even in time hera began to regret ever having conceived him. Still they admired his craft. And order him forge items of equal beauty for them. Hermes was sent however upon hearing this Hephaestus refused still angered over the gods treatment of him and the loss of his leg. Request after request was sent and refused until the gods began to threaten him. Angry Hephaestus came up with a plan he sent Hera a beautifully crafted chair all the gods gathered around to see. Hera loved this chair it's only flaw once seated she could not unseet herself for sometime the gods laughed at Hephaestus joke only after hours had passed and Hera could not move they realized the severity Hephaestus had trapped Hera. None could release her not even Zeus so they sent gods down to ask Hephaestus free her they asked kindly he refused so in response they sent Aires God of war to threaten him but Hephaestus was different from the others he held no fear. In fact it was Aires who was shaken upon return to Olympus. Still the gods the pleaded until eventually he was offered a seat on Olympus and the hand of Aphrodite. Pleased Hephaestus released Hera. In the coming years Hephaestus would grow to have many more stories most erased or forgotten to history. In time his anger at the world grew until one day he would realize his faulty and the corruption of the gods. In time because of this he began to pity his family. He begged and pleaded for them to see there errors, but still no god respected him. Only his uncle hades also scorned and cheated by the gods would see the true worth and nobility of Hephaestus in time the gods grew more cruel to mankind and he grew more compassionate to them. This was the tragic and beautiful trajectory of his life. Even now as his father stands beating him to death Hephaestus cries for him for his family for humanity for his son. He forgave the gods long ago for they're mistreatment of him for the hundred unspoken stories of the wrongs they've done him the stories he was too ashamed to tell his son. Hephaestus lead a sad life however he would do it again for all the brief glimpses of happiness he experienced. He regrets not being around to see his son grow and enter the world but he knows the wisdom he imparted on him would make him into a fine man. He knows one day he will find love and happiness and for that dying here right now would be a faire price to pay. With one last breath Hephaestus speaks once more to Zeus “father I forgive all the gods cruelties to me I forgive Aphrodite and I forgive Aires I forgive you mother and even now as you take my last breath from me I forgive you father. I know in your heart you do not hate you simply feel this is the only way to maintain order I know it brings you no pleasure or relief to kill me which is why you sent the nymph Zeus looks shocked. I know you feel responsible for maintaining order and that you've refused to shed tears for me not out of lack of compassion. I can see in your eyes this pains you far more than me.” He pauses needing to take a breath due to his condition. “But even though I love you all I cannot condone your actions you have been abusive to the humans cruel even. You have ruined lives and dictated them you may be gods but you have no right to rule over them. You toy with their emotions and force them to submit. Which is why I could not stand idly by any longer. The sisters were right I did forge a new weapon but not to slay you to defeat you to free humanity from the plague of the gods. For it is no mere weapon, he will break their chains. Cast the gods from their thrones. He is blood of iron and body of steel he is forge born he is my son and the last hope of not just humanity but of the gods as well, because he won't just save humanity from the gods he will save you from yourselves. He will open your hearts to love. Father he is my last gift to you.” And with those last words the brimming glow emanating from Hephaestus fades as he lies unresponsive broken bloody not the death deserved of a man of piece. Off in the distance still fighting against the winds Vulcan senses one of the auras weakening growing more frantic he struggles greater even cursing the sea and winds until finally the aura disappears completely. Even without eyes he knows all too well what has occurred. He drops to his knees in tears giving up his struggle as he howls at the loss of his most precious person. Today he is all alone in the world. A freak a monster an outcast with no place to call home. He kneels there weeping allowing the winds to drag him further out to sea. Chapter 5 a new odyssey Out in the oceans alone sits a young Vulcan his eyes red and sunken. He lies there motionless and and unresponsive to the world he is dried out and his stomach growls. A near few feet from him stand his supplies within its content are food and water for a week but still it remains untouched. For days he wrestled with his grief he was angry at Zeus at the gods for allowing it and mostly at himself for being helpless. It has been five days now since his father's death had it not been for his inhuman attributes he would have succumbed to dehydration already. However the effects of it have begun to take hold his mind is hazy and he sees ghost which are not there. The Sun's light has reddened his skin and dried his lips so much they're cracked and bleeding. A little bird flies onto the edge of his ship. It stares at him for sometime analyzing him almost as though he held intelligence. Finally after some time while lost in thought he heard a voice “Vulcan.” Vulcan looks around but sees nothing . “Vulcan” again he hears it he begins to believe it is perhaps the sea playing tricks on him. The bird now flutters to him landing on his knee. He stares at it and it opens its beak and and the words “Vulcan have you gone deaf.” He cant believe his ears or eyes he believes the effects of the ocean and dehydration are now at play. What bird can talk he thought. So he ignored it believing it to be in his head the bird continues to call him. The bird even begins to peck at him unfortunately for the bird however although Vulcan looks human his skin is actually like copper and bronze in fact as a child he often wrestled with snakes and beast thinking them to be playing all the while they were attempting to eat him but their teeth could not pierce his flesh nor could they crush him. In time the bird gives up flying away Vulcan believes it to truly have been a vision until ploop a birds droppings fall on his head he immediately sticks his head in the water to clean the feces off him. When he returns to the ship he spots the bird on his deck. He bears his teeth as he scowls “why you little shit I'm gonna roast you and have bird for dinner.” “Serves you right for ignoring someone.” Okay now he knows he's not crazy this bird is really talking to him “so you're real.” “ As real as the shit in your head now listen close if you don’t want me to shit on your head again” Vulcan nods his head. “What are you doing boy?” “Why I'm doing Nothing.” “ Exactly. You lost your father not your life” “ You know about my father.” “I know a great many things boy.” “ Who are you.” “ That does not concern you, you're actions however do concern me. It has been five days since your father's passing and yet you sit here throwing away the life he sacrificed his for.” Vulcan hears those words as they echo into his heart. Tears once again well up. “No boy no more tears the time for tears are over now is the time for hope.” “What's there to be hopeful for I've lost everything. And I'm currently being hunted by the most powerful being in the universe at any moment he so chose he could summon lightning upon me to drown me in this ocean" “ If he can boy then why does he not do so. To play with you, perhaps the gods are very cruel. Or perhaps you're father was far smarter then you gave him credit for. On that device he gave you to guide you” Vulcan stares at the compass he's been clutching on one hand. “On that contraption is not only a guide but a ward one powerful enough to hide you from the gods. They can't kill you because they cannot find you.” “Very well bird you have erased one concern but what about my first what have I to live for now.” “ You have you to live for boy you can now see the world as you've always wanted you can gain justice for you're father.” “ Justice hah” Vulcan laughs hysterically “you mean me to kill Zeus God of Thunder. I truly despise Zeus as well as the other Olympians but I was never taught to seek vengeance doing so would only tarnish my father's legacy. And even if I desired the death of the gods what could I do against them for centuries man has been at they're mercy why because they are loyal and subservient no it is because they are weak and incapable of fighting the gods.” “ True they are but still many have tried..” “ and many have failed” he cut off the bird “failure is the first stop on the path to success.” At those words Vulcan resend so to his mind to a time he was a young boy at the forge he sat there with a crudely made helmet weeping. When along came Hephaestus he stood over him and asked why he cried Vulcan responded because he had failed it was nothing compared to Hephaestus work he wasn't gifted at the forge. Hephaestus stayed silent for a moment then walked away. After a few minutes he returned to the weeping boy and dropped something at his feet that made a clang sound as it hit the floor Vulcan stared at the object unsure of white it was it was a piece of metal with a strange shape and varying thickness Vulcan finally gave up and asked what is it. Hephaestus chuckled and said “it was meant to be a chalice for wine.” Vulcan is puzzled now that he was told he can make out a rough shape of a chalice the, but it is so badly deformed and tempered he can hardly accept it. “That Vulcan was my first ever forged item. Like you I wept only it was for three whole days I began to think about my failure about how much that cup and I shared in common how my parents believed me to be a failure and casted me out. When I thought of that I stopped my tears because I realized I wasn't a failure I didn't deserve to be tossed aside and I would prove that I would forge the greatest chalice ever. Time after time I tried again and again to make a chalice one after another they failed some worse than others, some ashamedly worst then the one that had come before it but with each I learned I grew and one day I had accomplished my task it came out perfect. Vulcan failure is merely the first step in the path to success.” With those words Vulcans tears fade and a smile crept across his face. Then almost mirroring the child Vulcan In the presents eyes were given new life the somber expression was replaced with a confident smile as he took to his feet and ran towards his supplies terrifying the bird nearly crushing it as it screamed hey watch it. He took large gulps of water and food nearly choking himself he lowered the sail and steered the Ritter towards the direction of north on the compass. He turned one time to face the direction of his island even though he could not see it and shouted he turned back and thanked the bird only it had disappeared. He laughed Unsure if hid had been real or not but it did not matter because it had given him what he needed now with life in his eyes he scans his map and compass and set sail for Geneva. And thus began a new odyssey.

Preview- chapter 6 Geneva island of amazons

#fantasy #mythology #novel #fiction

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