#how can it be ... i want to perish the thought but i simply cant

[dirt-str1der]

Kiryu would literally hate meeting any alternate version of himself like he spends all his time pretending like his body doesnt exist in the third dimension , if he sees a doppelganger he would be like oh ha ha another copycat and then when he realises no. Thats literally another instance of himself he would get so scared and when he gets scared he gets pissed off and he would be unable to stand this other him

[malphantasias]

I'm too weak-hearted and have too-strong opinions im just gonna say it

I feel like bursting into flames whenever i read anything even remotely relating to grian using bigb to forget/distance himself from scar. I CANT... I HATE IT (/LH)

DESSERT DUO ENJOYERS BEFORE YOU BURN ME JUST WAIT A MOMENT OKAY PLEASE

Well actually desert duo enjoyers I am 100% gonna do some carefree desert duo dunking to prove my point, even if my point turns up to be nothing ♡

----

I'm just able to do surface level analysis but still.

Grian came forward and BigB reciprocated. They exchanged hearts!! A lil warped on the cookie side but still!!

What does desert duo have? Sure, they have a complex and intricating web of stories through all the three seasons of the Life Smp plus the Hardcore series for those who want that extra flair. And sure, their story is absolutely heartwrenching and fun to interpret, especially since they're silly block men

BUT, you know what desert duo doesn't have!

The commitment without obligation!

3rd Life, Grian only initially partnered with Scar out of obligation as payment for his prank gone wrong! Sure, after Grian lost his first life he still stuck with Scar even through the no-kill-pass betrayal....

LAST LIFE. I havent actually watched their povs but im 90% sure grian scammed Scar of a heart and then just chilled with the southlanders until that went up into flames! No reason for commitment, therefore, went on his own!!

And now DOUBLE LIFE. Commited with Scar for the reason that they both with simply perish if one mistake occurs!

Grian already puts a lot of commitment into Scar!! They make each other worse and I love that for them!!! BUT SOMETHING ABOUT GRIAN CHOOSING TO LOVE SOMEONE ELSE, OUT OF HIS OWN VOLITION AND NOT BECAUSE THE UNIVERSE THOUGHT "THIS IS HOW IT MUST BE" FOR HIM REALLY GETS ME GOING.

It reminds me of when everyone made the parallels with grian and scott. Scott broke the rules and grian followed them. Except this time, Grian chose to bend them. He chose to bypass it. For BigB!

How can you be loving the wrong person when it feels so right? When they love you back just as much? You don't need history with someone to love them. You don't have to be complicated either.

Sometimes, you just love and be loved.

[dbzebra]

“i’ve been worried sick! where the hell were you!?”

With uhhh honestly I feel like it suits bulma so bulma and literally anyone (platonic or otherwise) ?!? If it inspires you to do so no pressure 👉👈

A/N: sorry this took a little bit! As soon as I saw this prompt I knew I wanted to do something with King Piccolo saga but wasn’t sure exactly what. It’s kinda the same as the canon scene but my own little additions to it. Hope you like it :D

The last few days were a complete roller coaster of emotions. Ever since they found Krillin dead in the Tournament hall, things weren’t the same since.

Bulma couldn’t do anything but watch as Goku flew off on Nimbus in a blind rage after his best friend’s murderer. It broke her heart, not only to see the young boy dead but the one she considered a little brother so consumed by rage and grief.

It only got worse from there. Chiaotzu and Master Roshi perished. Goku was presumed dead too. And worse of all, the cause of it all had literally taken over the world.

Bulma felt helpless. She’d get obliterated if she even got close to where Piccolo was. All she could do is watch television at Master Roshi’s island and fight back the urge to cry.

When the television broadcast mentioned a lone boy challenged Piccolo, she finally had some hope again. The broadcast had been cut off shortly after, so they were left totally in the dark.

They thought it was all over when suddenly Goku burst through the door on Roshi’s island, searching frantically for something. His gi was torn to shreds, but he looked totally fine otherwise.

“Goku?!”

“Hi, everyone!” Goku said without stopping his search. “Have you seen my Power Pole?”

Oolong perked up as if he remembered something. He quickly ran into the kitchen area and grabbed it. “Here you go, kid. We found it in what was left of Central City.”

“Thanks!!” Goku smiled and was about to run off again but Bulma got in his way. “Hey Bulma!”

“Don’t ‘hey Bulma’ me, kid! I’ve been worried sick! Where the hell were you?!” Bulma screamed, fighting back tears before throwing her arms around Goku and giving him a tight hug.

“Alotta stuff happened, I met this guy Yajirobe and he helped me!” Goku squirmed a bit but laughed anyway. That silly laugh of his always comforted her.

“What’re you in such a rush for, kiddo?” Launch asked.

“Yeah, stay with us for a bit. Just relax. We didn’t really have time since the Tournament ended!

“I cant, I’m goin’ back to Master Korin’s place! He said I can go visit Kami and he’ll bring back Shenron! Byee!!” Goku said and just like that, he was off again on the Nimbus and was gone in a matter of seconds.

“Did he say… Kami?” Yamcha said, still in shock at how casually Goku said that.

“Ya know, that kid never ceases to surprise me…” Launch said.

“You can say that again…” Oolong replied.

Bulma simply smiled. “Be careful, Goku…” she knew if there was anyone who could bring Krillin and everyone else back, it would be him.

[skeletons-in-a-closet13]

In many parts i think i am a fool

I laid my heart on a platter for a man, crushed my thoughts and dreams in a desperate attempt to be loved.

And all that remains of me is someone desperate for attention, too anxious to start a conversation first and too insecure to maintain it. I feel stupid and ugly and worthless. I am proud of so many people for what they have survived. People are proud of me. I have no pride in myself. The mess i clawed my way out of in the past year did things to my confidence and personality i cant get back. I am stuck constantly thinking the people around me hate me or tire of me. That im hanging around when they wish i would just get the hint. Because i never get the hint do i, i tear myself into pieces throwing myself onto the sword over and over. Smile, be sweet, hide every dark twisted part of you and crush it until it disappears. Surely they can tell i am fake, while my care and concern is real, my actions and mannerisms are a farce. I dissect my mind piece by piece to make the puzzle fit. I am too judgemental, too loud, too stupid, too emotional, too quiet. I throw myself into fantasies where people are loved at their worst without attempts to change them despite caring more for stories where they inspire each other to grow together. Because by the former, my small dirty self can be worthy of love. Can be seen in all my parts and cared for because of them rather than despite. Yet somehow i remain too much. I am tired of false promises and lies and being shown every way things can go wrong because god forbid my carefully crafted walls withstand the storm i rage when i ultimately fall in a heap. I am not proud of myself. In every achievement for me i see it simply as an inevitability, yet every stumble is a failure. All of the aspects in which i thought myself good either have been disproven or have lain untouched for so long i cannot reach them for the cobwebs. I try to dust them off, polish and shine them but now rather than the valued gifts of a child they are the mediocre trinkets of an adult surrounded by opportunity yet everything continues to go wrong. And in part it is laziness, no matter the excuse the motivation to be better is no longer present. Is it so wrong of me to desire happiness and joy without the work when i have already worked my ass off once, seen it destroyed and dragged myself from the rubble. Managing to survive through more effort when all i desired was for someone to sit by my side in the mud and dirt and tears and wait it out with me even if it meant we never moved forward. I am the love i want to see in the world yet my curse is that i can never give it to myself. How pitiful to want only to be loved the way that i do, yet unable to give that boundless love to she who craves it. I fake it with accessories and flowers, treat myself like a queen yet know that i do not want to. They say fake it until you make it, but i cannot make it when i know the lies to be fraud. I seem to stay in the same place, for when i have finally reached safety it seems i've left everything that i own and all that i am amongst the fallen. Save for those dregs i spent my time wishing would have perished in the flames.

When a phoenix has burnt out time and time again, the featherless chick that emerges from the ash has no kindling remaining to reignite. Left as a broken husk contemplating all that could have been and living through dreams rather than reality

[itsclydebitches]

Hoe does a weak tribe that cant beat a teenage girl make Raven strong? They can pillage villages with weak eople but how does that make Raven strong? That's also ignoring the fact that she went back to the tribe she grew up in, and not a random tribe she decided to lead out of nowhere. No morefollowng orders or arguing over the right thing to do doesnt mean run to a tribe, when being a mother could have done the same thing, like Tai did so that doesnt work. (1)

There’s a lot here so I’m going to separate points out to try and keep my thoughts organized: 

“How does a weak tribe that can’t beat a teenage girl make Raven strong?” - Basically, it’s all comparative. I’ll be the first to admit that RWBY’s power levels/scaling is a mess and 99% of the time it favors Team RWBY. Nevertheless, we’re left with the fact that Team RWBY - including Yang - just beat the Ace Ops, the most elite huntsmen team in Atlas and arguably all of Remnant. Of course this “teenage girl” is going to be able to beat up a bunch of regular bandits. We’ve established from day one that none of these kids/teens are normal, either in regards to actual prodigy skills (Pyrrha, Ruby), or just by virtue of being one of the few who gets to attend a huntsmen academy. They’re the elite fighters of this world. However, just because there are super strong people out there - the Yangs, Rubys, Neos, Cinders, Hazels, etc. - doesn’t mean you can’t be strong compared to everyone else. The other bandits, the average fighters, and any non-elite that comes your way. Just because Yang as an individual can beat up Raven’s group doesn’t mean that her group is fundamentally useless to her. No more than we’d day, “Well, I guess Team RWBY is useless because Tyrian beat them so easily. If this group can’t be one faunus they’re just not strong.” Team RWBY can still beat many, many others. My assumption is that Raven’t bandits can beat many others too. It’s still a form of power/strength to have a large number of fighters at your beck and call, even if they can’t beat someone as powerful and trained as your daughter. 

“That's also ignoring the fact that she went back to the tribe she grew up in, and not a random tribe she decided to lead out of nowhere.” - Precisely. I’m not saying Raven was right to leave Yang, Tai, and the others, but the horrible morality of the situation doesn’t make her choice nonsensical. During her conversation with Qrow Raven calls the bandits “family.” We can’t know how much she really feels that and how much is just a front, but the fact remains that they did raise her. So when Raven found out they couldn’t beat Salem she was basically like, “Guess it’s time to go back to the only other family I’ve ever known.” Again, not right, but it makes sense for her character. Raven found a new family at Beacon, got scared by the responsibilities that came with that (these Good Guys expect me to fight Salem with them hell no), and instead ran back to her first family where things were safer and she could be the leader of them all, not just a follower of Ozpin.  

“Why would Raven need the power of the maiden when it doesn’t guarantee her safety? You say a maiden is more than opening vaults, but that’s all that Salem needs. Let's not act like Raven was looking for power and that she craved the power of the maidens to protect herself when there nothing to suggest that” - There’s absolutely something to suggest that: her taking the power. Not every power hungry character needs to announce to the audience “I want power.” 

(Please no hate from the Yen fans lol) 

They can demonstrate that by continually seeking and accepting power when it becomes available, to the extent that their search for power and their prioritizing of power hurts themselves and others. Raven: 

Entered Beacon to gain the skills needed to kill huntsmen 

Accepted magical powers from Ozpin before abandoning the cause

Went back to become the leader of a tribe that decimates villages

Kept the Spring Maiden around despite the danger it posed to her

Took that power from the Maiden by murdering her

Went after one of the four most powerful objects in the world, attacking the heroes in the process

That’s six acts of taking/accepting incredible power. It’s not about what Salem needs but what Raven can use. Can we make the case that keeping the Maiden around - whatever the context - was ultimately a stupid move if she wanted to stay off Salem’s radar? Yes. But I don’t think it necessarily says, “RT wrote a completely contradictory action for Raven.” They’ve definitely done that for others (Ironwood) but I don’t think this is a case of that here. Simply because people usually have multiple motivations - I want to avoid Salem and make myself as powerful as possible to ensure my own protection, not just from her but from everything else - and having access to that power, then taking that power for herself, absolutely fits into these other actions we see Raven taking. She accepts power and at times seeks power to make herself as untouchable as possible. What if Salem attacked some day (like, say, leading an army against Atlas) and having the power of a Maiden was the difference between perishing or making it out to survive another day? If Cinder hadn’t been a Maiden (and part grimm, another kind of power) there’s no way she would have survived Raven’s attack. She lost the fight but has so far survived the war. “This power won’t beat Salem” isn’t the same thing as “This power is useless to me.” 

What it comes down to is the fact that the Maiden powers would be a hard thing for most people to pass up. Who doesn’t want to conjure fire, freeze enemies, and call up massive winds? Especially in a world where people survive by fighting. Raven is a fighter. She’s a survivor and the Maiden powers are an extra boost she can’t pass up, no matter the attention it might bring from Salem. That’s why she hides that power. For a while it’s the best of both worlds: I get these abilities and I convince Salem’s henchmen to target Vernal instead of me. I get to be more powerful without personally being in more danger. And it works. Vernal dies and Raven lives.

“When I said Raven put Yang in danger I meant before all that happened. If Raven has been looking out for Yang since she was a child, and Raven left to protect them, then Raven put Yang in danger as a child.” I’m honestly not sure what to make of this point. Who is the “them”? The tribe? If so, Raven was never “looking out for” Yang. Raven was spying on Yang. It’s not protection if you just watch someone from afar except for the one (1) time that you save their life as a personal rule. Did Raven save Yang from the grimm when she wandered out into the woods? No, Qrow did. Did Raven save Yang when the grimm attacked Ruby and her while training? No, Yang saved herself. Did she help through any of the White Fang stuff? The Roman attacks? Losing her arm? Nope. Raven was never a protector. Yang didn’t lose any protection when Raven went back to the tribe (whenever that was) because Raven was never protecting her in the first place. She just watched, except for Neo which, as said, was a ridiculous rule used to hold the act over Yang and Qrow’s head: “I saved her! Surely that deserves some information...” 

[1358456]

Review Response, Dec 22 - 28, 2019

“28″, but I’ll be including the reviews that came in this morning. Because hey.

And... there are a lot. The most this year.

Legacy Prologue - Kalos

1) That first part DEFINITELY reminded me of the XY chapter, except Y is being the Hikikomori (shut-in) and X is trying to drag her out... It’s a good role-reversal!

I also wanted it to be like the time in XY where Y found out what happened to her mother and she got super depressed. Except this time, X tries to do something about it. Finally.

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Legacy #008

1) LOVED IT!

Thank you!

2) Poor moon. I loved this chapter

Hey, it’s you! <3 Thank you kindly.

3) WoW cool chapter. So blue confessionele next chapter hopefully? Lol have been waiting on that for the entire story so Lets hope its the case

Haven’t we all. ... Except for those that don’t like this pairing...

4) It’s nice to see platinum trying to help blue move things was a good chapter with nice interactions with the juniors and seniors all under the same roof

It’s like a big Dex Holder family! ... But not too big, since there are far too many of them nowadays! And despite Platinum not really wanting to get involved, she helps out anyways, as “foretold” by the Headcanon Chronology!

5) While Moon really should rest, the idea of her getting that Spirit of Vengeance team you posted about on your Tumblr sounds way too awesome. ...Also Umbreon bias since it's my first (and only) shiny, but yeah.

Poor Blue - it really is probably only going to hurt her the longer she keeps it in. Wonder how that is going to play out, since I guess Platinum's now put things in motion. I think the first scene in this chapter is the one I enjoyed the most.

Damn, for Moon's Pokemon to die like that...that's gotta be traumatizing. I have to admire that determination though, even though she's shaping up to be a revenge-obsessed character from what I see.

Awesome chapter as always and can't wait for the next one!

Hehe. Spirit of Vengeance. The amount of curse in that team would be quite terrifying. Hehehe... ... Only shiny, you say? Aww...

Platinum has gotten the ball rolling despite not really wanting to. MVP of the confession? Hehe... Sisterly bonds, indeed. Now, will it work out in favor for Blue??

Moon can’t be filled with a lust for vengeance if none of her friends and Pokemon have perished. And so now she rises from her agony with ice cold determination for blood to be spilled for the blood that had been shed. ... Or does that saying go the other way around? Heh. Regardless. She’s pissed, has a bow, lethal poison, and soon to be a team packed with ghosts (and Dark types).

Thank you as always! And you won’t have to wait long~!

6) Eh lucky really isnt my cup of tea but the way you write stories is pretty awesome keep up the good work!

I could tell by the anon ID you picked. To each their own. And thank you!

7) Awww blue being so shy hahahaha. Its like the roles have reversed since the first time they met thats so cute! Anyway Great story as usual

Hehe. Timid Blue~! It’s new and very cute, isn’t it? And thank you.

8) Hey man Great story looking forward to the next chapter

Thank you. It’s coming very soon.

9) Wow this is A really underrated story I really like how you keep most characters so in character!

Still underrated... in comparison to my previous stuff. But that’s to be expected, I guess. And thank you.

10) Well Colour me surprised ! A Pokemon story thats not forcing crack pairings! Anyway Where is green in this story?

Heh. Crack pairings... Only once in a solar eclipse. And... who? Heh. He’s in Kalos and thus off screen.

11) Wtf did moons Pokemon just die? Great story but damn thats fucking dark

Yes they perished in the fire. “Die, insect” and all. ... And one of them was an insect! Heh. Ahem. ... Dark? That’s not dark. Have you seen the stuff I did in SA and Destiny? Heh...

12) I mean I kinda like the story but isnt specialshipping canon? Also this is really really dark

No, it’s not canon. What is canon is that Yellow has a crush on Red. What’s also canon is that Red is uncomfortable with the idea. And of course he is. He thought she was a guy the whole time and then suddenly found out all at once that she was a girl and had a crush on him. His response is not going to be positive. And again, this is not dark. ... Though I guess that depends on your sensitivity.

13) hey sorry for not leaving A review for so long but I still really like the story lol!

Hey, you’re back. ... Then... who’s the anon with the v2 of your ID?

14) I love your writing style!

Thank you!

15) I somehow found Pearl smacking Black across the face to wake him up funnier than it should’ve been. Haha

I wonder if Blue really will confess to Red today. If so, I wonder how the opportunity would present itself.

Its quite sad that Hau, Lillie, and two of Moon’s Pokemon died. I guess this is where Moon’s overhaul comes in. I cant wait to see Moon’s viciousness unleashed when she inevitably meets the guys responsible for all that.

I look forward to more!

Hehe. Black always getting smacked around in my stories, literally and figuratively.

Will Blue truly confess on that day (which is a day before the stuff in Alola happens), or will she fail again due to anxiety? And will it end well for her??

Moon’s overhaul is happening now, yes. For that, she’ll have to go to Galar too. And I don’t know sh*t about that region, so... that’ll be difficult. Hehe. And much later in the story when she meets her foe... oho, Rage Unleashed Moon!

16) Moon and Lillie sure get burned really bad. Also, what about the kid with the malasadas? Hopefully, Blue will confessed to Red soon...

The local boy with the malasada had the same fate as Lillie. Two stretchers with a body on top, with the white blankets pulled all the way up.

17) I figured that now would be the best time to give a review for one of your works. therefore, I should review my personal favourite.

I been a consistent and long-time reader for numerous years now without ever leaving a review. I simply didn't have an account until recently just so I can give my thoughts on some of the series that you make.

Regarding Legacy as a whole, it truely showcases your ability to take the wide variety of dexholders and thiee different personalities and place them in situations that would absolutely never occur in the actual story. I have always loved the way you portray each individual character, improving thier teama and strategies and having genuine character growth. Although Sun and Moon are my uncontested favourite characters so far, I adore the way you use Platinum B in your stories, giving her a genuine personality and character traits.

You also generate a wide range of different and creative settings for each of the characters to go through. Legacy is the perfect example of this in terms of one truely coherent story setting. by using the opportunity of the highest stakes that these dexholders may ever face, you use the opportunity to explore all of the aspects of each character amazingly and how they would face this danger.

Since Sun and Moon are my favourite characters, the wait for this chapter absolutely killed me. Although it sucks that due to the lack of reviews for these characters I will get few opportunties to read your way of presenting the characters What I am trying to say is that the way you write your characters makes them feel REAL. I genuinely believe that these are the actual characters as they personalties are replicated and refined to perfection The way both Sun and Moon react in this chapter is exactly the way I would have expected them to. Being a Deliveryshipping day 1, seeing even the slightest interactions in any media, especially in your stories always brings joy to me. I have regulary reread most of your works such as Special Chronicals and Distinct Events becuase each story is chapter is amazing in its own right.

Your amazing work has inspired me to possibly start my own project one day. I am sorry for the stress that you have gone through this year and the issues with the Discord. It will get better this year. Seeing as you use reviews to indicate the popularity of a particular series, I had to write this review so that this series can get the update it deserves so that we can all see how this fantastic story ends. Thank your for all of the amazing work you have done.

Whoa, hello. Haven’t gotten a review this long since a certain someone stopped with Destiny reviews back in July.

Accounts aren’t necessary for the reviews. Guest reviews exist! And if you use the same anon ID, I’d know it’s you. But thank you for going through the effort! It’s much appreciated!

Aww, thank you very much! <3 And while I don’t know about Sun, but Moon is going to be in the spotlight quite a lot, so enjoy it! Since Platinum is my uncontested favorite, she gets plenty of development in my stories, with new character bonds, teams, battling style, etc. And unlike in DPPt, she actually gets to do things against the enemy.

Of the three major stories I’ve written (SA, Destiny, Legacy), Legacy has the lowest stakes. But I think it’s also the most personal, which I guess means it’s much more important for individual Dex Holders. Well, we’ll see as time passes. And yes, these are kind of things that would never happen in the actual arcs, so the Dex Holders get to be stress-tested. How would they react given their personalities, tics, relationships, etc, in a realistic situation?

Oh. ... Ahem. Sorry for making you wait 7 months. Ehehe... And while it’s true that Sun and Moon currently have the lowest “viewership”, that changes as time passes. Like Black and White in SA and X and Y in Destiny. As the “meh” torch is passed down to Sword and Shield, Sun and Moon might rise in popularity, thus increasing the chances of them appearing in my stories.

I don’t really know if this was how Sun would react though. But I also don’t know how he would’ve actually reacted, so this might not be outside the possibility range. I kind of had him act like Black, really, but without being as sweet... or loud. Well, there will be more Sun & Moon interactions for you to enjoy in the upcoming chapters, so... there you go!

You should start your own project! Go for it! And eh, Discord. Sh*t happens. I wouldn’t call that stress. Anyways. Yes, I use the review count as an indicator of how many people have finished the chapter. Of course, there are plenty of people who read the chapter to the end without reviewing, and the number of people who review after reading tends to fluctuate. But if there is a trend, that indicates a trend in viewership as well. And that is what I look at. Hence the charts. And yes. We’d all like to see how the story ends. Me included. Keep up with the reviews and we’ll all see it by 2021.

And thank you so much for the review and the... sweet talking. Hehe <3

18) Just found this story and am enjoying it thoroughly. Big fan of your Blue characterization as well, I used to enjoy shipping Red with Yellow, but recently, I've come to enjoy Blue with Red.

A small nitpick - Did none of the juniors comment on Red and Blue sleeping in the same room/bed while they stayed in Red's house in the last two chapters? I would assume the female juniors already know Blue likes Red and so won't say anything unnecessary, but I guess the guys are a little more tactful than we give them credit for?

Looking forward to me. Cheers.

Red with Blue works very well. And it’s cute! Hehe... ... biased.

Heh. The girls... already know, since the girls who are in the house were Platinum, White, and Y, and they already know of Blue’s crush and all that. So White and Y would just snicker at the fact that Red and Blue are sleeping on the same bed, while Platinum would just smile. As for the boys... Diamond might notice something if he spent more time talking to Red and Blue before and after. But I doubt Pearl or Black would notice anything odd. They’d probably just assume that Red and Blue are sharing the bed because a ton of guests were sleeping in the living room, so there were no other options.

Of course, all that’s assuming that the juniors know that Red and Blue are sleeping on the same bed. I don’t recall having Red and Blue give them a tour of the house, so as far as the juniors know, there might be another bed upstairs. ... Though a house tour is generally the first thing you do, but... heh. Ambiguity. No one knows for sure.

And I look forward to seeing more reviews from you!

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Well well. Would you look at THAT. Way above the average now. So... looks like I’ll have to keep my word and update Legacy again before this year ends in 3 days. Heh. Of course, I did notice a few things but... well... whatever.

18. That’s the most reviews I’ve gotten in a chapter in all of 2019. Or 2018. ... And vast majority of 2017 (Legacy Prologue - Kanto was in January 2017). If this kind of thing happened much more frequently, I would be updating Legacy like once every two weeks, instead of 3~4 times in a year.

But, there you have it! New record in almost 3 years. As a result... Legacy update in 3 days.

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DE #031

1) Sun and moon are so cute. I love them

Support the new...ish pairing!

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And with that, DE #031 is no longer in the top 4 least reviewed. Yay!

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SC #017

1) Awesome story.

Thank you.

2) Well that was...brutal alright. Thugs deserved it though. I'm mildly surprised no one died, but I think that's more because I'm used to seeing that from your old "doom hammer" chapters.

I admit the Santa part was an amusing touch, and I guess that explains why you needed to release this by the end of the year. Heh, Blue's gadgets are useful as always and very effective - that's a nice disguise. That action scene was awesome and easily the best scene in this chapter. The situation aside...it was nice to see Red be a hero even without his Pokemon.

You were right - this is an enjoyable chapter and I like this "brutal Red" experiment. Can't wait for the next chapter!

Heh. The doom hammer is for serious stories. Not comical ones. So no one dies in the hands of Santa Claus. This time.

Ahem. Well, there’s the inspiration for the chapter, and the reason behind the line of “Or Santa will go jolly on your naughty asses with a candy cane axe”. Hehe. Cheers, everyone, Santa has come to town!

And the duo of Red and Blue becomes much stronger. Mercenary Red with technological support!

Hehe. Much more serious brutal Red (instead of comical) to come up later as the experimentation continues. Ohoho!

3) holy crud, santa beating up a gang is greatest thing ever

Yep. Santa going to town on their naughty asses with a candy cane bat. What’s not to love?

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And with that, the latest SC chapter is now in the top 4 least reviewed. For now?

... Looks like the “A Day at Work” chapters are failing miserably, since they’re at 1 and 3 reviews respectively. So... I guess I won’t be doing that again.

And with this, the longest review response post of 2019 has come to an end.

[letstalksymphogear]

Symphogear, EP.4

Last time on Beverly Hills 90210!

Hibiki begins to understand the true nature of the Sam Reimi Spiderman trilogy as she lives the life of a superhero by night and a normal student by day in the most miserable way possible. Constant cockblocking from the duties she explicitly chose to do distance her from her significant other Miku, as it drives wedges into their friendlationship. As Hibiki breaks off a plan prepped weeks in advance to see rocks fall from the sky, she takes out her frustration on the local Kamen Rider villian rejects before coming up to see Tsubasa, only to be greeted by a new face...

Let us continue!

As the situation tenses between the three gi- hey! Hey, wait a minute! This is a flashback! That’s no fair. You’re just going to throw this to us while we’re trying to do this stuff? Get it together, show.

The show hauls our asses to a flashback, because God knows we needed one right now. It’s not just any flashback, though. It’s a flashback of our favorite redhead, Kanade!

In a straightjacket.

While everyone is staring.

“i dont usually do this but you’ve got a bad case of catch-these-handsitis”

“oh god, she’s so wild, and angry... i... why am i hoping she’s single...?”

“aye. this is the fate of all rabiosexuals out there.”

Kanade is tied down because she’s the sole survivor of a Noise attack, and more importantly, she really, really wants to fight the Noise. What she doesn’t know is that she is potentially a new candidate for a Symphogear relic.

“oh... we’d pair so well... our colors are diametrically opposed...”

“GIMMIE A FUCKING GUN AND A TEN PIECE CHICKEN MCNUGGET MEAL YOU GUY FIERI LOOKING ASSHOLE”

Genjuro, who suffers from Compulsive Child Adopting Syndrome (CCAS), immediately comes to the conclusion to adopt this tiny gremlin. It helps that her parents are, well, dead.

Fatherly instincts vibrating intensely.

Genjuro talks to this small child, who is currently 99% anger and 1% chicken fluff, scanning their conviction towards working to the goal of fighting the Noise.

In retrospect, his methods are a bit weird. Feeding into the extreme edginess of a 14 year old scorned isn’t exactly the best thing in the world. Unfortunately, as we established before, the only thing that can fight Noise are Symphogear, and the only reason he’s not in the front lines is because he can’t wield one.

Kanade naturally obliges this deal, her braincells having long since perished alongside her parents. Then Perish indeed, Kanade.

“buddy im being trained as a samurai in modern times and i still could not fathom going as hard as you”

The pact is sealed. The child is adopted. Genjuro’s adoption addiction relapses, and he’s going to have quite a long talk at AA (Adopters Anonymous).

The thing about Genjuro that makes him an interesting character is that he actually really, really, really hates the idea of having to pit children in fighting these horrible threats. Unlike a lot of male characters who have a strong sense of manliness but a poorly written way of expressing it, Genjuro manages to be a compassionate person in the face of all this terribleness. He’s the only person to think about throwing parties for these girls, and trying to give them any sort of sense of happiness and normalcy to their lives, now changed forever by machinations he has been put in charge of. He’s the Anti-Gendo. He doesn’t tell Shinji to get in the robot. He makes sure Shinji is well enough to be in the robot, and would never do so otherwise, knowing the mental toll.

That’s why ultimately, he is The Dad.

So, with that in mind, they prep Kanade to recieve the relic assigned to her. One of the major elements of using relics is compatibility. Kanade is not naturally compatible to Gungnir; they have to slowly ease her into it.

“mumble mumble cant wait to kick their asses mumble mumble”

This is a process that takes years. The show doesn’t do well in showing this, but it takes many, many years for her to be compatible after endless medical examinations and controlled situations.

The experiments, naturally, hurt like a bitch to boot.

“genjuro she’ll be okay, right?”

“flip a coin on it, tsubasa”

“oh shit yall see this news? pornhubs gonna buy tumblr! damn, i can make an all in one profile now.”

When you’re forced to watch your newly adopted daughter torture herself to be compatible with an ancient, musty cursed relic.

After all that, Kanade still isn’t compatible. Of course, nothing is simple with Kanade. You may ask yourself, “Why did Genjuro have to tie up Kanade in a straitjacket? That seems pretty abusive.”

Simply put, it’s because Kanade has never fucked around in any second of her life, having taken off all the devices on her, taken a direct syringe of the stuff she’s trying to synchronize with, and directly inject it into her, herself.

Fear.

“i am so SICK, and TIRED, of all this namby pamby wimpy ass standard shit. YALL MOTHERFUCKERS THINK I WONT GO FULL THROTTLE?! MY LIFE IS FULL THROTTLE. I! AM! GONNA! GET! SHIT! DONE! TONIGHT! BOYYYYS!”

Tsubasa, likely already going through puberty by this point, simultaneously understands both the concepts of fear and arousal witnessing this near suicidal display of absolute madness immediately.

Holy shit, Kanade.

You know shit’s bad when even Ryoko is afraid.

Turns out, however, that Kanade did the right move in becoming compatible with Gungnir, at a very physically demanding price.

Really, physically demanding.

“shouldnt have had that massive spaghetti carbonara before doing all this shit but fuck i really liked that fuckin’ spaghetti slorp slorp go the sauce ooooooooh god this is bad”

“HAHA IM FINE- IM FINE EVERYONE- THIS- THIS IS JUST THE SPAGHETTI- I HAD BEFORE THE- BEFORE THE PROCEDURE IT’S NOT- IT’S NOT BLOOD I SWEAR- OH I AM FEELING LIGHTHEADED- DON’T WORRY YOUR PRETTY HEADS IM GOOD! OH- OH FUCK-”

The scientists, who have been easily staring at this entire situation for more than 5 minutes or more, have not stepped in to do a single damn thing, as if overpowering a 14 year old to stop her from injecting a dangerous thing that could directly kill her is completely out of their paygrade. Genjuro wakes them the fuck up and likely briefly contemplates firing some of these morons.

“so this is what’s called... getting lost in the sauce...”

The scientists scramble to keep Kanade from vomiting more marinara sauce but Kanade exerts but a mere fraction of her now developing Symphogear abilities, knocking them all out with ease.

“this is some shit right here, damn”

Kanade pulls some Independence Day theatrics on everyone, as a 14 year old on the verge of death typically would if given the opportunity. Death may be certain but you at least get to go out in style. Will Smith would be proud.

The half-life of Tsubasa’s fearousal reached completion as it has mostly decayed into fear at this point.

However, the relic pendant begins glowing. This is likely the one thing that keeps Kanade from dying. An interesting comparison given Hibiki’s own survival and gear manifestation.

Kanade achieves super saiyan.

“THEY ALL SAID I WAS LOST IN THE SAUCE... AND THEY ALL THOUGHT THE SAUCE WAS LOST IN ME. BUT NOW... I AM THE SAUCE!”

Tsubasa’s fear directly transmutes itself back into arousal per the first law of alchemy. Something to note is that Tsubasa was naturally receptive to her own gear; she didn’t need to go through the medical process Kanade went through. It’s because of this that Kanade earns Tsubasa’s admiration for life, even long after she dies.

“THE SAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUCCCEEEEEEEEEE”

And so, the unambiguously gay duo known as Zwei Wing formed. Singers by day...

Noise slayers by night.

Saving the country, singing in the country, bonding together... in the country. Truly, there is no more iconic duo than these two.

“yall sing pretty”

“anyway bye”

Kanade’s initial motivation for getting Gungnir was to kill the Noise indiscriminately with no hesitation. It slowly dawns on her, though, that helping people... is good?

“the sauce lost me. i got lost in the sauce. i became the sauce. but... why don’t i... share, the sauce? because... people like sauce... and i like sauce... and we can bond together... liking sauce!”

Kanade and Tsubasa have a Captain America moment running together as Kanade muses about how singing for other people feels way better than just pure murder funtimes.

“hey, uh... tsubasa... it just hit me. i like sauce. and... you, you like sauce. do... do you want to share sauce together?”

“kanade as your girlfriend ive literally heard you talk about sauce metaphors for the last several years and if you dont think i wont slurp your sauce down without hesitation you’ve got another thing coming”

“hell yeah! ive still got some of my original leftover marinara to share!”

No heterosexual explanation whatsoever.

Not a damn one.

Oh yeah...! Because by shedding tears, the reality you face is...

Nehushtan? Weird end of a sentence, but okay.

We’re thrust back into the present time, present day, as we’re back in our three way throwdown.

Genjuro is an extra large McFuckingPissed with Large Fries and a Shake, supersized.

“you want some sauce with that? lmao, sorry, too soon”

As the werewolves come out in full force, the tension strengthens while a battle brews nearby...

“yall think you’re getting your hands on this goddamn armor without realizing im officiating this here gay pride parade. and guess what? you’re cancelled.”

“didn’t know clowns were part of the acronym, let alone capable of managing it. either way, you’ve gotta be at least this tall to use the armor.” 

“so why not make like a hobbit, drop the armor, and burrow back to whatever hidey hole you came from, bimbo baggins!”

“guess you didnt read the books, moron. last i checked, bilbo doesn’t lose his traveling partners.”

“that low blow only comes at the cost of outing yourself as a fucking nerd.”

“im not ashambed. im gonna blow your mind with some math: my foot, plus your face, subtracting the teeth from your mouth, equals an ass kicking.”

“NOTHING IN THAT FORMULA INVOLVES ANY ASS WHATSOEV-”

Hibiki gets in the way immediately, citing the ethical ramifications of fighting humans as opposed to talking to them, conveniently forgetting this was the same person ready to body her merely an episode or two ago.

“hey first of all please don’t say bimbo thats really degrading, and second of all clowns aren’t actually in the acronym but im sure there are some gay clowns out there so please dont talk like that and thirdly im sorta short and that hurt my feelings and fourthly killing is fucking bad, tsubasa, let us not commit human on human murder”

both of them, in unison, i shit you not:

“yo, you like murder? shit. i like murder too!”

“like oh my god! murder is my favorite hobby. i take it back, you’re chill. still gotta die, though.”

Hibiki is casually tossed aside from this fight, given her very ideas are anti-thetical to fighting as a whole.

A real sick battle ensues.

Something to note is that our spunky opponent has another relic at her disposal which summons Noise. This relic is called Solomon’s cane. You’ll learn more about it later.

Not a pretty sight.

Tsubasa is losing. Not only is she losing, but the enemy cool kid reveals a very notable detail of her plan: She was distracted Tsubasa on purpose. The real plan...

Was to kidnap Hibiki.

In an ironic twist, Tsubasa’s inability to work with her teammate not only put her teammate in danger, but explicitly allowed her opponent to fulfill her mission of trying to capture her.

“i changed my mind kick her ass please oh god”

Hibiki still has not learned her lesson.

Tsubasa gets her ass kicked. Her opponent pulls every punch in the book, with some lowdown dirty fighting.

Unfortunately, Tsubasa, having learned from the Kanade Amou Private School Of No Brain Cell Combat, she pulls the last ace from her sleeve.

“lmao bitch whatre you gonna do, sing?”

“i didnt design my hair like a fucking 8th note for nothing, you cabbage patch kid”

“then let’s hear it, motherfucker.”

[poetical-irony]

I was thinking about it the other day and thought that creation and evolution has to be both real and not just one or the other. I just wanna know what faulty logic you atheists have that is real proof that God is fake. I have had spirits around me my entire life and so if they exist so does God sooooo. People who think God is fake will find out the hard way that he is not.

first off, if youre referring to my emoji rant, please understand that that was satyre.

when i find out that god is real, we can have this conversation again.

however, in the meantime. some small background. i was raised in a religious home. brought up on a mix of creationism and evolution.

at a certain point (14-15 years old) i started to question what i had blindly taken for granted. the opposite happens too: someone from an atheist family will discover god. thats fine.

personally, i started questioning and found myself finding answers for things i had assumed were unanswerable questions.

my argument against creationism is that its superfluous. when you start to ask "what came before" often people get stuck at the moment before the big bang. the problem with that reasoning is, there were bo physics before, and therefor no moments (since without physics, there cant be time).

if there are no laws of physics in a timeless void, nothing happens. the problem is, since there are no physics, everything can and must happen. when? yes. there is no time, so it just happens.

some people call thus god. thats okay. god comes with rules, which in my opinion dont work. these rules are very human in their mentality, and thus in my opinion, man made. the only way to enforce rules is to be stronger, whether father, leader, ruler, or king. however, you can revolt against a king if you dont like the rules.

how can you revolt against a non corporeal, all powerful being? its the perfect placeholder to enforce laws which may not make sense. how can you question something you cant communicate with?

problem is, if theres no interaction, then wheres the proof? envoys, be them priests or saints, are subject to themselves or whoever physically rules over them. in a religious home, i was taught not to "question" these authorities, let alone disobey. but where do they get their authority?

miracles? people want to relinquish responsibilities, which is easy for negative, but hard for positive. people want credit, but if they take it, they have to accept the burden of the negative. a miracle is simply an arrangement of occurrences that coenside with a self involved narrative. talk to a holocaust survivor and their stories will seem miraculous. and i cant deny that. however, their stories have to be near impossible. they survived against all odds. however, 12 million people perished in the holocaust. when you put the quantity against one another, its near impossible to compare.

do i want to "convert" you to atheism? never. what works for me may not for you. do i believe everyone should question everything? yes. find answers. theyre out there.

issac neuton was one of the most influential people in the fields of mathematics (before they were seperated), but when he couldnt figure something out, he declared that god must be the cause. after neutons death, someone came around and solved that problem, abd the cycle continued. just because you dont understand something doesnt mean its impossible. it means we dont have tye necessary pieces to solve it yet.

religion works. but i believe that being a kind and tolerant and understanding person is more important. i found that religion does that, but only to a point. if youre able to go beyond those boundaries, bless. most cannot.

one final note; i understand wanting to remain anonymous. by all means. religion and the internet dont play nice. i tried to cover a lot of ground in hopes that you would be satisfied with my response. however if you decide to reply, please reblog so the debate can be chronicaled for others to read.

thank you for your time

[darkgreiga]

Wishes, Dreams, and Memories Chapter 31

Fandom: Rune Factory 4 Rating: T (to be safe) Genre(s): Adventure, Hurt/Comfort Characters: Lest, Dolce, Pico, Amber, Dylas, Leon, Frey, Arthur, Margaret, Forte Summary:  She had a wish to see him again. He had a dream of her last moments. They had their memories of having only each other. The amnesiac Earthmate never knew that by bringing his best friend back wouldn’t make his daily life go back to normal. Nor did he know she was the key to his and his ancestors’ past. Chapters: list Navigation: <<prev   |   next>> Author’s notes: The first chapter of the last arc is here!

Chapter 31 – Calm after the Storm

-Lest’s POV-

After the battle, Kane managed to find us in the castle after he had gone to the cave to escort the Guardians out safely. Frey explained everything to us, about how the Guardian’s corruption could affect even Venti, and we also told everyone about our relation to Ethelberd and Halwell. The news was a surprise to them as much as it was a surprise to me. After all, we don’t even look like the Sechs emperors by the outside and inside.

Two weeks have passed since that day. I can’t tell whether the corruption is completely gone or not, but all I can tell is that Venti is doing a lot better than when the corruption was still at large. Frey isn’t staying in the castle with us anymore, but she still visits us at least once every two days. She still has duties to attend back in the capital, so she can’t stay longer than a few hours.

I’m starting to feel that she is a close sister to me, but on the other side I can still tell that she’s not telling us everything. None of the Guardians or Kane actually paid attention to Frey’s wound back then, expect for Dolly and Pico. She looked like she was aware of something about Frey, but for some reason, she’s keeping it from me. I can’t actually force her to talk about it, but the fact that she’s hiding something from me is bothering me somehow. Why can’t you just talk to me about it if it’s actually bothering you?

-Third Person POV-

“Sweetie, will you stop staring at me?” the sound of his wife snapped Lest out of his trains of thought, realizing that Dolce was standing in front of him.

“Oh, sorry,” Lest shook his head to make sure that he was completely awake before putting his hoe over his shoulder, “Well, I’ll be working in the fields for the time being so let Frey know when she drops by to visit.”

“I will,” Dolce nodded before giving him a peck on the cheek, “Work hard, okay?”

Dolce watched as Lest left for the fields before Pico popped in front of her, “Are you sure about this, Dolly? Shouldn’t you say something about it to him?”

“No,” Pico followed Dolce closely as the two of them headed for the kitchen, “I need to be certain about the facts first. What we’re thinking now is just the conclusion we come into after we looked at her wound.”

“You’re scared, aren’t you milady?” Pico’s words made the Guardian stop her activity, “You know how it feels to lose a family… well, both of us do.”

Dolce let out a sigh as she turned to Pico with a frown, “He’ll know the truth sooner or later. I don’t want him to think that I’m hiding everything from him.”

Pico let out a sigh and smiled, “I think you’re worrying too much, Dolly. A bit more than usual, I guess,” Pico watched her friend working in the kitchen, “I guess I can see how much your love for Lest had changed my Dolly!”

A blush appeared on the Guardian’s face as she continued cooking, “S-Shut up!”

Lest let out a tired sigh before he admired his handiwork on the field, which was completely clean of garbage from the storm two weeks earlier. Crop seeds were planted on the tilled field and they had already been watered. His job on the field was finished and it was time for him to do his work in town.

Just as Lest was putting down his tools at the edge of the field, a scroll fell out from his pocket. He picked up the fallen scroll and the emblem of the Sechs Empire was visible on the scroll’s paper. A frown came to his face as he remembered the scroll’s contents when it was first given to him.

-Flashback-

“So…” Lest spoke up to Arthur and Kane as the three of them were in Arthur’s office, “The empire is requesting me to be the acting emperor?”

“Yes,” Kane nodded as he rolled the scroll he was holding and handed it over to Lest, “Lord Halwell still hasn’t awakened after a week of recovery even after getting help from the best doctors.”

Arthur turned to Lest, “It would be sad to see you go, but I will not force you to go if you wish to stay.”

Lest turned back to Kane, but stared at him for a moment before speaking up, “I’m sorry, I can’t.”

“No, I understand,” Kane responded with a smile, “The higher ups only requested for you because of your relation to Lord Ethelberd, but they never forced me to take you back.”

“Speaking of which,” Arthur interrupted, getting Kane’s attention, “How is the empire doing currently?”

“Much better than when everyone was corrupted, that’s for sure,” Kane replied with a shrug, “Everyone remembers what happened, but they don’t really know why it happened. Other than that, the corruption in the empire seems to have disappeared without a trace.”

“I see,” Arthur nodded in understanding, “If there is anything else we can do to help, please let us know.”

“Of course,” Kane nodded, “My main purpose for coming here is to deliver the scroll, but I’ll tell the higher ups that you can’t take Lord Halwell’s place.”

“Okay, I’ll see you later,” Lest waved the soldier goodbye as he left the office.

-End of Flashback-

“The acting emperor?” Ventuswill asked as Lest showed her the scroll in the dragon room, “Hey, I guess I’m right about you being royalty after all!”

Lest let out a laugh, “Don’t be too proud on it, Venti. You need to remember who my father was.”

“I know,” Ventuswill paused for a moment as she stared at the wall, “Speaking of Ethelberd, I think I recall hearing something when I was still in the forest. I know that I recognize that voice, now I remember that it was him.”

“Wait,” Lest looked at the dragon god in surprise, “You met him in the Forest of Beginnings?”

“Not exactly meeting in person, though,” Ventuswill put her claw under her jaw as she tried recalling the encounter, “I can only hear his voice saying that he won’t surrender until all Earthmates perish.”

“Can he still be alive in there? And corrupting people into doing things they shouldn’t do?” Lest asked.

“No,  that won’t be possible,” Ventuswill shook her head, “Humans can’t stay and live in there for a long period of time. If a person stays there for longer than they should have, their body will soon break into runes. Even so, the soul would still remain in there forever unless there’s a special case that they’re resurrected.”

“Just like what happened to you,” Lest added, “But if his soul is still there, can he do any harm to the world?”

“Hm…” Ventuswill went back to her thoughts, but nothing came into her mind, “I’m not sure, but I think it’s very unlikely.”

“I hope so…” Lest let out a sigh, “This corruption thing just happens to come and go without a reason and a trace. I just wish that there’s a clue somewhere so that we can prevent it in the future…”

“And then, he ran around the house in panic while yelling that there was a deadly scorpion in the house!” Frey and Pico broke out into laughter while Dolce simply chuckled as she sipped on her tea.

The three girls were hanging around at the castle’s balcony with Frey telling stories about the siblings’ daily lives in the past. Two plates of flan were sitting on the table untouched as the three were busy talking. Pico was completely taken into the conversation, but Dolce had noticed that her guest hadn’t touched either her tea or her flan.

There was a single question she had been meaning to ask Frey and her observation prompted her to pop the question right away, “Before we hear more of those stories, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“Sure, we can talk while you have your flan,” Frey responded as she simply looked at her share of flan.

“Okay,” Dolce took her share of flan, but the scent of her favorite meal suddenly made her feel weird in the stomach, “Ugh…”

“Are you okay Dolly?” Pico saw as Dolce put a hand on her mouth before shaking her head.

“I’m fine…” Dolce uncovered her mouth before taking a spoonful of flan, only have the weird feeling on her stomach come back, “Not again…”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Frey asked worriedly as she took the flan from Dolce’s hands, “You look kind of pale.”

“I’m… okay… ugh…” Dolce quickly rose from her seat and ran inside, heading straight towards the bathroom.

“Is she sick or something?” Frey turned to Pico.

“That would be my best guess…” Pico turned to the barely touched desserts, “Dolly really loves sweets like flan and cakes, but she’s been avoiding them for the past week for some reason.”

“Hm…” Frey tapped her chin as she was thinking, “I don’t think she’s suddenly become bored of eating her favorite dishes…”

“That’s impossible. There’s no way she’s going to give up on her all-you-can-eat cake routine every-” Pico was silenced with a single talisman landing over her mouth.

“You’re saying too much,” Dolce had just returned from the bathroom, but her face told the other two that she wasn’t feeling that much different than before, “Sorry for that interruption.”

“I don’t mind, but I don’t think you look well at all,” Frey replied worriedly, “I’ll tell Lest about your condition when I see him, so why don’t you two just stay home until he gets back?”

Dolce let out a defeated sigh, “That… might be the best…”

Lest let out a tired sigh as he pushed the castle door open while carrying an extra paper bag with him. With Dolce taking her temporary leave from her evening shift, he decided that it might be best for them to eat dinner at home to let her rest at home. With the ingredients in the paper bag put in the kitchen, Lest left for his room to check on Dolce.

Lest had expected the female Guardian to be asleep with Pico watching over her, the scene he saw was Dolce knitting on the bed with a terrified Pico at the edge of the bed, “I’m… home…?”

“Oh, welcome back Sweetie,” Dolce put her knitting aside and greeted Lest with a smile as she approached her, “How was work today?”

“More or less the usual, I guess…” Lest’s attention was focused on Pico as he let Dolce took his backpack off him, “More importantly, what happened to Pico?”

“Just a simple argument between us,” Dolce replied, completely ignoring the fact that Pico was still in the room, “Are you going to prepare dinner tonight?”

“Yeah,” Lest nodded, “I was planning to make your favorite cake today, so-”

“I want… something else, if that’s okay…” the attention of the other two in the room shifted to her, “I want… some fried veggies…”

The room became completely silent with Pico hovering in front of her with the look of disbelief, “Did I hear that right? Dolly, you never liked eating any kind of vegetables!”

“I’m kind of surprised too,” Lest added, “But if that’s what you want, I guess I need to head out to buy the missing ingredients…”

“Alright,” Dolce nodded, “Sorry for the trouble.”

The two watched as Lest left before Pico turned back to Dolce, “Are you sure you’re fine milady? Do you need Jones to check your condition?”

“I’m perfectly fine,” Dolce let out a sigh before she went back to her knitting, “You’re being a lot more stubborn today. Do you want to be wrapped in talismans again?”

“N-No, please don’t do that again to me!”

[not-close-to-straight]

Storms (Chapter 12)

.ADDITIONAL CHAPTERS HERE Enjoy :) ************** “Tony.” Steve had gone looking for Tony after his confrontation with Thor the day before, but the storms outside compound had convinced him to keep his distance. Today he was trying again, bringing Bucky along for moral support, and they found him in the kitchen, happily digging into a giant bowl of ice cream, scrolling through something on a tablet. “Tony.” Steve said again, a little louder because Tony hadn't acknowledged him yet and this time Tony jumped, jerking back in his seat in surprise. “Captain. Didn't hear you.” Tony looked up at him, and then away, avoiding looking at Bucky all together. “What can I do for you?” “I just wanted to--” Steve sat down at the table and frowned when Tony leaned back in his chair, keeping some distance between them. “I just wanted to talk to you a little...and apologize.” “Apologize?” Tony repeated, and his chair screeched as he scooted it further back. “Full offense Cap- I don't really think I want to have this conversation. So maybe you should just let me enjoy my ice cream in peace.” Bucky hadn't sat down yet, and his jaw dropped open at Tony's comment. “Damn.” he muttered, but Tony ignored him. “I'm being serious, Tony. I think it would be good for you and I to sit together and talk and just--” “I don't want to have this conversation.” Tony repeated. “Tony!” Steve was already getting frustrated. “Just listen alright? We need to--” “No you listen!” Tony snapped, looking upset, and Bucky raised his hands quickly. “Please, Tony.” Tony visibly flinched when Bucky spoke. “Please just give him a minute. This isn't easy for anyone, so please just…” Tony pushed his ice cream and folded his arms. “Talk. Five minutes.” He knew he should be better about this, more mature maybe, especially with all the mental and emotional progress he'd made with Thor by his side. But damn it was difficult to look at Steve. More difficult to look at him with Bucky standing by his side. So sure, maybe Tony should be better about this. But he didn't really care. Steve cleared his throat uneasily, knowing Tony was one bad comment away from walking away altogether. “Tony. Look, when all this--when all this happened, you know I had a lot going on at the time and--” “Nope.” Bucky coughed. “Not an apology. Try again.” Tony actually smiled the tiniest bit at that.

Steve sent Bucky a look and cleared his throat again. “Tony. Everything about what happened between us was terrible. The Accords, fighting each other. I mean-- leaving you in Siberia was an awful thing, and I can't tell you how sorry I am. This last year, I had so much going on with Bucky and the team and I didn't ever give myself time to even think about what happened. To think about you and how you were coping with everything.” Tony just looked at him blankly. “And I guess I was so relieved to be coming home I didn't stop to think about you sitting here, by yourself, reliving everything. I was so caught up in how Bucky was doing and how the team was coping that I--I forgot about you.” Pain flashed over Steve's face. “Thor told me about your sternum. About the drinking. The nightmares. I'm so sorry. Tony, I'm so--” his voice broke then, and Tony's brow furrowed a little. “I'm not sure if I've ever been a good teammate for you.” Steve continued, softer now. “And I know I wasn't ever a good friend. And I know we have so much to work through but can we-- can we start? Because I swear I'm a better man than what I've been to you. I swear I am, and I really want a chance to prove that, really want a chance to move forward and show everyone--the world, the team, each other, how amazing we are together.” Tony was already shaking his head, already looking like he was going to cry. “Pretty words, Cap. But I've heard prettier-- and more honest ones too.” “Tony, I'm serious.” Steve pleaded. “I'm not saying this because Thor almost crushed my chest, or because Bucky--” he sent a sidelong glare at the other soldier. “--because Bucky twisted my arm until it almost broke to get me here. I'm serious. Tony, honey--” “Don't.” Tony snapped then, angrily. “Don't call me honey as if things are alright between us. You never called me that before, you certainly can't call me that now. Dont talk down to me in that calm voice you use when talking to children. Im not a fucking child having a tantrum, Steve and--” “He doesn't mean anything by it.” Bucky interrupted carefully, quietly. “He's serious Tony. We both are. We were so caught up in our own things that--” “Yeah I got it.” Tony said. “Too busy to think about me. That's fine.” “Tony, please just--” “Look.” Tony stood up and folded his arms. “It sucks, alright? Yeah, this last year was shitty and yes I almost drank myself into a hospital and sure, maybe I tried to starve myself, but you know what? I don't care about that anymore. Thor came along and took all that away from me. So I don't--” he rubbed his forehead. “I don't care about it anymore. Alright? You guys had a whole year together to be a team and I had a whole year to… to not be part of the team. Most days it doesn't even feel like there's a spot for me anymore. And I've just sort of realized that… I'm okay with that.” “What?” Steve looked nervous. “Tony what are you saying?” “I'm saying that I don't care about this.” Tony motioned between them. “I appreciate your apology but I also know if Thor hadn't gone all alpha male on you, nobody would even acknowledge what happened. I mean, does the team even know? Or do they think you guys just escaped and everything's been fine? What happened with Clint and his wife? Why did Vision come home with you guys?” Tony shrugged. “Is Bucky alright now or does he still relapse? Where did you stay while you were gone? What were you doing? Who was helping you?” “All these are things I don't know and I've just realized that I don't--I don't care anymore. I've been working on a new suit, and honestly I don't even think I'm going to finish it. I think I'm done. Sergeant Barnes is a perfect replacement for me. You guys will work out just fine.” “Tony. I am not trying to take your place on the team.” Bucky actually stood to his feet, protesting immediately. “Please don't think--” “I don't.” Tony shook his head. “I don't think you're trying to take my place. I think Steve handed it to you and that's… that's fine. Its all fine. When you guys came home I thought I really wantd to forgive and forget and move on...and now I think I just want to move on completely.” Please think about what you're saying.” Steve pleaded. “You don't want to not be on the team. Think about what you're saying. You are Iron Man, Tony, why would you want to give that up? Stop and think.” Steve knew he sounded like he was ordering Tony around, and he hated that, but Tony couldnt possibly be thinking about--- “I've already thought about it.” Tony said quietly and turned a little when Thor entered the kitchen. “Anthony, are you alright?” Thor asked, eyes narrowing to a glare when he saw Bucky and Steve. “What are you--” “I'm fine.” Tony slipped his arms around Thor's waist. “I'm… fine. Can we talk a little? I've got something to run by you.” “Of course, my love.” Thor sent one more glare towards the soldiers and led Tony from the room. “What is going on?” Steve banged his hand on the table. “Tony can't just quit, he can't just stop being Iron Man that's crazy, that's just--” “Stevie.” Bucky shook his head a little. “You can't fix everything. Sometimes it's just too late.” “I can't accept that.” “You're going to have to.” Bucky rubbed his chin, scratching through the stubble. “And I mean…you don't blame him, right? This whole thing is awful. You cant blame him for wanting a clean break.” “No.” Steve's hands tightened into fists even as he hung his head. “No, I cant blame him at all.” ********************* ******************** Something that sounded like thunder, but not quite thunder shook the compound a few mornings later, and Tony looked up from his breakfast in surprise, while Thor looked up with a scowl. “This cannot be good.” he grumbled and hefted Mjolnir, beckoning for Tony to follow him outside to figure out what had made the noise. “Son of a bitch.” Tony sighed. “Why are you here?” “Stark.” Green eyes narrowed in irritation. “And here I had hoped that you had simply perished in--” “You will watch your words, brother!” Thor snapped, and the dark haired Trickster God known as Loki simply smiled and bowed in deference. “Of course. Brother. Whatever was I thinking?” he swept a critical eye over both Tony and Thor before shrugging. “Asgard requires your presence, Thor Odinson. You are to return with me immediately. You have felt the summons and ignored them anyway, so I am here to fetch you.” Thor opened his mouth to protest, but something in his brother’s eyes and expression made him hesitate. “Very well.” he said after a moment and Tony squawked in surprise. “What? You’re leaving, just like that? Loki is a professional liar, why would you just--” “Anthony.” Thor lifted his chin, letting his magic warm the surface of his skin until a glow lit between them. “Some things I cannot explain, especially where Loki is concerned. You must trust me, though.” “Of course I trust you, but---” “Then trust me.” Thor interrupted softly, and dropped his head to kiss him, lingering over Tony's lips until their skin was sparking where it met. “If we must leave, it will not be for long. Do not worry, my love. All will be well. “Alright.” Tony swallowed any other protests, and sagged against the door as Thor swept past him, heading towards their room. “Wait, what? We?” But Thor was already gone. Loki was smiling when Tony turned back to him, and Tony ground his teeth in irritation. “Why are you smiling?” “Because it is amazing what you do not know, Anthony Stark. Surely you didn't think Thor would return to Asgard without you?” “I--I--” Tony shrugged a little helplessly. “I don't know? Um. Am I going to Asgard?” “Yes.” Loki said and his eyes glowed a little. “Yes you are.”

“You look happy about that.” Tony said uncomfortably and Loki gave him another mysterious smile.

“I suppose I am.”

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

[fat-satyr]

part i || part ii || x || part iv || part v || part vi 

 A short story I patched together for my creative writing class. I liked it enough to keep it, considering it details a bit of lore between some characters here and there.

Title: Sanguine Characters: Beryth Draghici, Konstantin Vladisav, Vanithas Word Count (Total): 6,321 Word Count (Current Part): 1,869 Warnings: Weird, supernatural gore-adjacent stuff, family issues, emotional manipulation.

Many a night had passed since the fateful parting. Beryth felt that his home was empty, and it was—what once held five people now only held one, and all he could bring himself to do was mourn over the unused rooms and unlit fireplaces. Though tonight, he sat in the first-floor study, poring over tomes that his father had left behind. A light rain that began early in the morning became heavier throughout the day, and the moon sitting so sweetly on her perch was something that couldn’t be seen by the nobleman’s son; it wasn’t like he minded, anyway. He had the fireplace lit as he thumbed through a book of expenses written by someone whose name had faded from the first page. He’d spent this entire time devising ways to rebuild the city and regain the trust of his people, but he just didn’t know where to start…

He was content to sit in the dimly lit study on his lonesome until a disturbance reached his ears. There was a loud, firm knocking upon the front door only a room away, and with how thin the walls of the study seemed to be, he heard all of it. Normally he wouldn’t have bothered with a stranger showing up on his doorstep in the middle of the night, but after what felt like an eternity of solitude, he would be glad to say hello to someone. He ended up pushing himself up without hesitation and trudged towards the door, his long, white hair messed around his face in such a way that it obscured some of his features as he undid the intricate locking mechanism and peeked through the crack between the thick oak door and the stone walls.

“Hello?” He inquired to the darkness, “Is anyone there? Do you need something?”

“Hello,” came the reply, “I was traveling by, and the rain is too heavy. I heard from the locals that this is the Draghici house, and that I should come here if I am in need of something…”

With all of the people that were dying day in and day out, Beryth had assumed that most of the townspeople that didn’t flee Traguca had expired on the streets. If this stranger didn’t perish as soon as they set foot in the town, he had no choice but to believe that they were safe… Not that he had to worry, anyway. Both of his parents had gotten sick, but he and his siblings didn’t. He thought himself as some kind of superhuman for being immune.

“O-oh. Of course, of course!” Beryth suddenly exclaimed, pushing the heavy door open and gesturing inside of the house. “Please, come in. We have a spare room you can take up while your clothes dry, and I’ll be sure to help you on your way in the morning—"

But the figure slipped past him without so much as a thank you. He just furrowed his brow and gently shut the door behind them, turning on heel and folding his arms behind his back. As he approached them, they removed the hood from their cloak and revealed themself to him: their skin was quite pale, but not as pale as Beryth’s, and their hair was a rich shade of goldenrod. Their eyes seemed quite empty, but the color of them was an indescribable shade of green… They looked unlike anyone Beryth had ever seen in Traguca before, and if they’d not mentioned that they were a traveler, he’d have known from the moment he got a good look at them.

“It’s not safe to be stopping through here, you know. I know the rain makes it even harder, but you certainly had to pass the portion of the town where the less fortunate live.” He cringed at his own words, taking a seat and expecting them to join him for some kind of small talk. He visibly cringed as the images flooded back to the forefront of his mind: bloodied walls and corpses lining the streets. People could barely escape their homes once they found the onset of the infection. “You could have gotten sick the moment you came here.”

“I know it’s dangerous.” Their reply was blunt as they folded their fragile hands in their lap as they eventually joined Beryth in taking a seat. “I came in from the Western half of the city, where the Vladisav family lives and rules. It is much, much worse off than the Eastern half—I mean, pardon me. Your half.”

Beryth was momentarily brought to silence. His father had handled the politics of the city up until this point, and all he was left to handle were the remains of families and those who stubbornly stayed in their homes despite the obvious danger; what really drove the moment of confusion into the ground, however, was the mention of the Vladisav family. He hadn’t heard hide nor tail of them since the beginning of the outbreak, and he was simply letting his curiosity take the helm as he leaned forward in the chair.

“Did you speak to the head of their house? His name is Konstantin.”

“I regret to inform you that I did not. I went to seek refuge there first, but the people of his portion of the town didn’t see any reason to give me the time of day.”

Beryth canted his head to the side, allowing his hair to fall over his shoulder in such a way that it resembled a cascading curtain. His eyes fixated on the stranger’s form, scrutinizing their very being for the truth in their words, yet he found no reason to not believe them. He didn’t know much about how the Vladisav family was holding up, so what reason did he have to doubt this unfortunate person? He was so caught up in the conversation that he didn’t even bother to ask them their name, and it wasn’t like they remembered at this point, either.

“The people of your shared township have seen a lot of loss, Sir Draghici,” the stranger continued, “have you lost anything of your own from this tragedy?”

The sudden inquiry took him aback in a way that he didn’t expect. For some reason, he didn’t think of this ordeal as a tragedy, he just figured it was unfortunate to some degree. He flinched and looked down at his feet, shaking his head, “Why does something like that matter?”

“Because I’m able to sense it.” Their reply was as blunt as any of the ones before. “You have a darkness in your heart, but I do not know if you want to try and find the solution to your problems or simply get over it.” They glanced away as well, their bright locks obscuring some of their features as Beryth’s had when he first opened the door.

There was a subtle shift in the air, a change of emotion that Beryth couldn’t quite put his finger on. He felt the emptiness that had been growing for the past while hit him full force, and his words were caught in his throat like an air bubble. He’d never felt anything like this before—not even when his parents passed, or his little siblings turned the corner on the road out of town to never be seen again. It took a long time for him to find the courage to speak once more.

“I do not seek to get over it, no, but I… I just wish all of this would end,” he said in a meek voice, “I wish things would go back to normal.”

The stranger furrowed their brows and reached across the small gap of chairs to touch at Beryth’s bare hands. When he glanced up, he came to realize that they were completely dry despite being out in the brewing storm for so long. He opened his mouth to speak, but his eyes caught theirs in an intense moment of connection, so he fell silent yet again.

“What if I told you about why all of this happened?” They offered.

Beryth’s shoulders fell, “Are you really able to do that? I do not even know you or your motives. For all I’m aware, you could be lying to me to get under my skin.”

The stranger’s face fell in time with Beryth’s shoulders, the dip in body language just as unsubtle as his own. “I do not seek to lie for my own benefit. I am a traveler, yes, but I am well versed in the methods that people use to make things like this happen—and I know for certain that a specific type of ritual occurred here. I could feel it beneath the soles of my feet as soon as I made headway into this territory.” They cleared their throat, pulling their hands back from his own. “Does that sate your search for the truth from me? I am an expert in my field.”

Beryth just placed one hand to his head. He knew the occult arts were real—hell, the Vladisav family practiced magic while the Draghici family chose more practical methods of combat. It wasn’t far-fetched that something bad happened, but…

“… Why would someone do this?” He blurted out the question, his mouth working faster than his rational brain.

The stranger brushed their long hair back behind one ear, exhaling thoughtfully. “I have encountered this ritual many times before. It is only done if one wishes to gain the powers of the strigoi. They seek out a particular deity to disrupt the peace of their soul and make the change occur, and when it does…”

“… They’re able to do all of the things that the mystics speak of.” Beryth finished, frowning just a bit. Those creatures could transform into animals, cloak themselves with invisibility, but the most striking thing about them was their need for blood. They were truly heinous creatures, and Traguca dealt with what ones they had rather swiftly. The Draghici family left the more occult-based problems to the Vladisav family, naturally.

They simply nodded. “The latent energy of that entity is still here, embedded in the soil. I cannot find a trace of the Vladisav bloodline to fix this error, but the reason for the plague—the reason for all of this devastation—is because this demon is running amok without a master. It’s taking every ounce of negativity in its wake and moving in a direction I cannot be certain of.”

“I want to save my people,” Beryth spoke up suddenly, cutting the stranger off, “I want to take back what is mine. My land, my people, my family—I’ll do anything to fix these errors, even if they aren’t my own.”

“Anything?” The stranger mimicked.

“Anything.” Beryth repeated.

As they articulated their inquiry, the stranger stood up. Their movements were so fluid that it appeared as though they glided across the space between their chairs, and when they were in front of Beryth, they simply raised their hand. A glow overtook their fingers as they touched his forehead, and before he had time to protest or ask what was happening, his body had become so limp that it slumped to the floor in a crumpled heap.

[johnchiarello]

Sunday sermon

SUNDAY SERMON [C.U.- Mass]

18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

https://youtu.be/Uzzg9W4wJTQ  Sunday sermon

https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/5-7-17-sunday-sermon.zip

https://ccoutreach87.com/5-7-17-sunday-sermon/

ON VIDEO-

.Good shepherd

.Liturgy

.Sheep door

.Media?

.Top news?

.Dallas shooting

.Soren Kierkegaard

.R.C. Sproul

.Alexander the Great

.The 2 ‘Gadflies’

.Socrates and Kierkegaard

.Philosophy

.Apologetics

.Greek city state of Athens

.Sparta

.Pantheon

.Objective truth

.Relativism

.My encounter with the Berkeley professor

 PAST POSTS- [My past teaching and links that relate to today’s post- SUNDAY SERMON

http://www.ancient.eu/Battle_of_Issus/ This was the battle I refereed to on the video- Alexander’s stunning defeat of Darius the 3rd- the Persian king. Alexander was the son of the Macedonian king- who after the death of his father ascended to the throne at a very young age. I was quoting from memory on the video- and that's why I confused Macedonia with Persia- but I got the battle right.

The other battle I mentioned was the defeat of Athens by the Spartans- I actually wrote on this before and will add that section below.

https://ccoutreach87.com/john-complete-links-added/

https://ccoutreach87.com/overview-of-philosophy/

https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/26/acts-2/

https://ccoutreach87.com/qm/

https://ccoutreach87.com/galatians-links/

https://ccoutreach87.com/genesis/

 ACTS 2- The Apostles are gathered together in the upper room. As they continue in unity and prayer the Spirit of God comes upon them like a rushing wind. There appear ‘cloven tongues’ like fire above each of them. Why this image? Why not ‘ears’ or some other sanctified body part? God is going to give supernatural power to the words that they will speak. In a few chapters we will read how an angel will supernaturally deliver Peter from prison and say ‘go, speak the words of this life’. These tongues are a precursor to the tremendous fire that will be loosed from their lips. James says the tongue is a little member but boasteth great things, it has the ability to start fires. Jesus said he came to earth to ‘start a fire’ and how he wished it were already burning. Here he gets his wish! Now the Apostles and early believers experience the gift of tongues. They begin speaking and prophesying in the unknown languages of all those who are gathered together to Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost. God ordained this event to be strategically done at this time. All the surrounding regions heard the believers speak the ‘wondrous works of God’ in their native tongue. Peter stands up and delivers a scathing message! He basically tells Israel ‘this is that which the prophet Joel spoke about’ he goes on and says this outpouring is part of Gods predetermined plan to pour out his Spirit on all flesh in the last days. He speaks of divine manifestations [dreams, visions] and carries the prophecy right to the end of the age. He then speaks the gospel of Christ and tells Israel ‘this is the Jesus you killed’. Wow, these guys are bold. Peter leads them to faith in Christ, their public baptism is the immediate sign of their willingness to be identified with Jesus and 3 thousand Jews become believers this day. Now, what is the church? This corporate group of first time followers do 4 basic things. They ‘continue in the Apostles doctrine and breaking of bread and prayers and share their goods with all in need’[true fellowship]. This early community was a brotherhood who actually gave priority to the teachings of Jesus passed on to them from the Apostles. Don’t miss this! Many will develop all sorts of practices and beliefs that ‘make up church’. Some will justify extra biblical beliefs under the guise of ‘the Apostles doctrine’ as in if it were something totally contrary or not known thru the gospels or the writing of scripture. Paul will tell Timothy to stay true to the traditions he passed on to him. But I want to focus on the fact that the Apostles doctrine was not something different then the basic instructions Jesus left us in the gospels. Paul will add to this basic body of Christian doctrine thru his letters to the churches, as well as the whole New Testament. But we do not see a bunch of strange or unknown doctrines that come from this time period. The basics are mentioned above. I do want to stress the fact that this early expression of church life had no ‘Pastor’ in the sense of their gatherings being a time where a singular authority figure had oversight of the entire community. They had strong leaders to be sure, but would avoid the Protestant idea of Pastor. They had no church building or belief in a strong liturgy. The ‘breaking of bread’ was a common meal where they all shared together in a real life setting. And of course their giving was radical, it was not ‘a tithe’ and it was done to meet the real needs of the community around them. All these elements are basic to what the New Testament church is. A functioning society of people in whom Christ Spirit dwells and who see themselves as a real spiritual community of people. As we progress thru out the history of the church as seen in Acts we will never lose this basic mindset. It will be carried into the epistles of the New Testament and remain the best idea of ‘local church’ as found in the first century. There is a trend going on right now in Evangelicalism that says ‘lets return to the ancient practices of the church and see what we can find’. As an avid reader of church history I am not totally against this movement, but I do see a danger in thinking ‘the ancient practices’ are the 2nd or 3rd century development of liturgy and Eucharist and other early ideas, and by passing the ‘real ancient’ story in the book of Acts. To put it simply, some of the Protestant and Evangelical ‘practices and beliefs’ that have developed since the reformation are ‘ancient’. I believe we all have a long way to go, but the ‘low view’ of the Lords Table [low as opposed to ‘high church view’. Though I personally believe in the Lords table as a memorial, not as the actual Body and Blood of Jesus. Yet I personally don’t like referring to such an important practice as low!] seems to be the true ancient practice as seen in Acts. The absence of the Priest officiating over the altar is no where to be seen in the actual ‘church’ setting. This ancient church is really a simple brotherhood of believers having all things common and having the resurrection of the Son of God as the central organizing principle of their lives.

 (588) John 10[radio # 593]- I forgot to mention in John 9 when they asked Jesus who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus said ‘no one’. Later in the chapter after the Pharisees get done with the guy, they say ‘you were altogether born in sin [after all you were BORN blind!] who do you think you are, trying to tell us what to do!’ that secret mentality of condemnation came out. Religion does this to people. It treats them like ‘yes, God is merciful and we are all sinners’ but in the heat of the argument the mentality of ‘we are really better than you’ exists. Now in this chapter Jesus says ‘I am the door’ and also ‘I am the shepherd who comes thru the door’ how can he be both? Jesus was the one who would fulfill all the required prophetic aspects spoken of in scripture. There were tons of Old Testament prophecies that Jesus met to the tee. These requirements were like a door, as the Jews were waiting for their Messiah they were looking for someone who met this criteria, Jesus met them! He also IS the door, from this time onward all other future leadership in the church would have to come ‘thru’ him and exemplify the servant attitude that he had. Jesus says ‘the hireling flees when the wolf comes’ the hireling is a mentality that looks at church leadership as a hired position. People vote on their pastor, if he does a good job he stays, if not he leaves and they screen for another hired position. Many good men have been down this road. Often when the ‘wolf comes’ he actually says to the leader ‘you cant stay in this town any longer, look at all the mistakes you made’ the accuser gets the hireling to flee, sometimes without the pastor realizing what’s going on. Jesus wants us to ‘come thru the door’ into the sheepfold. The ‘prescribed way’ of servant hood and giving your life for the sheep. I want to encourage all the pastors who read this site, don’t see your job as completing some vision, or rallying people to a cause. Though these things are included in pastoring, the main job for all of us is to give our lives unselfishly for others. It is easy to fall into the trap of ‘the hireling’ but God wants us to view our callings thru a servant hood mentality. The good shepherd gives his life [goals, dreams, etc...] up for the sheep. The Pharisees say ‘he is a mad man, he has a devil, why do you even listen to him?’ The leaders decided to bypass Jesus, they thought ‘we will just ignore him and he will go away’ the only problem was the average ‘congregant’ was listening! Often times in prophetic ministry you will find the bulk of leadership by passing the prophetic word [that which God is saying at the season] it is only later, after the ‘people’ hear it, that leaders will give it a second look. Leaders, don’t fall into this category, if you get in on what God is saying from the start, then you can partake of the good stuff along with the people!  Jesus in these last few chapters said he is Gods Son and the Jews understood it to mean his claim of equality with God. They understood right! I mention this because some feel that Jesus didn’t claim deity, he most certainly did. Even 1st century historians noted this in their writings, that the believers worshipped ‘a God named Jesus’. The deity question is vital, if you miss this one, you’ve missed it all! NOTE; Let me make a note here. It would be very easy for me to develop a teaching from this chapter that says ‘because of all you have seen about the idea of modern church, and the unbiblical roles of the hired clergy. That therefore all ‘pastors’ are hirelings’. Some have actually taught this. There are a few reasons why I don’t fall into this camp. First, when God initiates reformation ‘a reforming of the practices of modern church’ he does it with the sheep in mind. Jesus told the disciples ‘I have many things to say to you, but you are unable to hear it’ he could have blown them away with doctrine, but the goal was their development. If all doctrine, even true doctrine, does not build you up in some way, then it is not accomplishing the purpose that God intends. So in all the stuff I have taught you guys, the goal is for all of us [Pastors and people] to grow and change in Gods timing. To use my influence in a way that would split churches, or have the people viewing their pastors as ‘hirelings’ would be unprofitable. Eventually we all, as a Body, will change and reform as God directs. But to use this chapter to tear down all current forms of leadership presently functioning in the church would be irresponsible. With knowledge comes responsibility. God will give us knowledge and wisdom for the purpose of edification, not destruction.

  (1124) Let do some more apologetics [by the way, the word means ‘give a defense’ it does not mean to apologize! It comes from the bible, in Peter it says ‘be ready to give an answer to those who ask for a reason for the hope in you’] One of the other areas of doubt raised by the atheist is the fact that there are various accounts of creation and the ‘flood story’ found in other civilizations. The Babylonians have ‘the epic of Gilgamesh’. This is an account of a worldwide flood. The fact that there are other stories about a major world event, would not in and of itself cast doubt on the event! Where I grew up in New Jersey you would have been able to actually see the world trade center disaster on 9-11. As an Italian, say if I wrote a report of the events for my fellow Italian buddies. Then lets say a thousand years go by and you find out that the Cuban papers also reported it, and the Puerto Ricans, as a matter of fact you might find many cultures that have their own reporting of this event. Would that cast doubt on my report? No, as a matter of fact if no one else had a report, except me, then that would cast doubt! Now, how do we know which report is true? Out of the various other stories about creation and a flood, the one that is the ‘least fantastic’ is the biblical one. The others definitely have a tinge of unreality about them. Some say the earth was flooded, but it rained for 7 days [not long enough to flood the earth!] and the waters receded in one day [cant happen!] the biblical account has both a longer period of rain as well as a longer period of the waters receding. The actual dimensions of Noah’s Ark were huge! The huge boat looked more like a giant rectangular barge, you could fit huge jetliners in the thing! It was three levels high, but not like the silly kids pictures found in fables. That topsy turvy thing with animals peeking off the deck! The actual dimensions could have worked, really! The point is the simple fact of other cultures having their own stories of events like this does not mean the events themselves were fake, to the contrary, if only one culture had these stories, that would cast more doubt on the events themselves.

      (1123) FORM CRTICISM back in the early part of the 20th century you had various scholars come up with new ways to approach scripture, it seems as if the intellectual capacity of certain scholars was not being satisfied by the normal historical approach and belief in scripture. While most scholars accept the reality that there are different styles of writing in the bible; poetry, symbol, apocalyptic, etc. The form critics would take this study another step [out in left field!] and say that the gospels are actually stories that ‘were formed’ by the evangelists from small portions of deeds and sayings of Jesus. In essence they were saying that between the time of the actual events in the gospels and the recording of them [20-25 years] that the early Christian communities simply developed the stories in the gospels for the sake of the community, the only ‘reliable’ historical portion was the passion narrative. One of the most famous of the form critics was Rudolph Bultman. Over a period of time these brothers would make it next to impossible to accept the basic truths of the gospels. The famous writer C.S. Lewis found it amazing that these 20th century German thinkers, some 2 thousand years removed from the actual events themselves. Those who did not live in the actual culture of the time, didn’t speak the language. Yet these modern day critics somehow stumbled across this way of interpreting the bible that really unlocked the true intent behind the writers. Lewis himself lamented many times over the way the critics of his own writings were almost always 100 % wrong when it came to their judgment of his own motives behind what he wrote. He did not ‘mind’ the actual criticism of his writings, but the criticisms that said ‘this is what he really meant to say’ or ‘this is why he said this’ Lewis would testify that they were almost always [if not always!] wrong when they leveled these charges at him. He then turned the table on the form critics and said that they were engaging in this same type of criticism of the gospel writers, who were removed from the present day by some 1900 years! Lewis simply found it unbelievable to accept the possibility that they were even right 1% of the time. Ultimately these higher critics would be proven wrong for the most part by the discoveries that were taking place in archaeology. Many doubted the stories of scripture, their historical accuracy; things like the names of families in the book of Genesis, many said these family trees were fake, archeology proved otherwise. Or the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, most of the new critics simply saw these stories as ‘myth’ symbolic stories meant to convey spiritual truths, but were not really true. Then lo and behold, they uncovered the historical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and also found evidence of some type of natural disaster that actually ‘rained down hot hailstones that burned up the cities’ Ouch! The higher critics were squirming in their seats as these historical facts were being uncovered. For the most part these popular early 20th century ways of approaching scripture have now been rejected. Of course you still find some who lean towards that system, but most able scholars realize that these brothers went so far out into left field that they were ignoring the most basic principles of true historic criticism and were engaging in a type of philosophical critique that had no real basis in truth. How in the world did these brothers determine what sayings of Jesus were really his, and which were not? The same goes for Paul's letters and the rest of the New Testament. C.S. Lewis was open to modern ideas and concepts about Christian truth, but he could also see the things that were simply trends that had no real foundation in truth, Lewis was a wise man indeed.

  [parts]

Okay- in the last few posts we talked a little about the first century world that Christianity was birthed from. We call this Greco/Roman culture.

 Though Rome was the ruling empire at the time of Christ- they were ‘Hellenized’. Hellenization is the word we use to describe the Greek kingdoms efforts- under Alexander the Great- to ‘Cosmopolitanise’ the world.

 Whenever Alexander would conquer a people- he would allow them to stay in their land- they could hold on to their customs and habits but at the same time become part of Greek culture.

 Alexander even translated the Jewish bible [Torah] into Greek. This version is called the Septuagint [means 70] and comes from the story that 70 scholars put this version together under Divine inspiration.

 This Greek ‘bible’ was the bible that the Jewish people who lived outside of Israel would use. These scattered Jews are referred to as the Diaspora.

 Okay- during the time of Christ more Jews lived outside of Israel than in the land. And the influence of the Greek world upon all the people under the Roman Empire was very great.

 Our New Testaments were originally written in Greek- this is the reason why. Now- the other day I mentioned how the Synagogue rose up during the time of this Diaspora- this scattering of the Jewish people before the time of Christ.

 So during Jesus day- you already had a habit of Jews meeting for study and prayer- in these ‘church’ like buildings. These places of worship had no sacrifices or priestly ordinances- they were places of prayer and ‘bible study’. Do you now see how the culture that surrounds a movement does indeed have the potential to shape that movement?

 Yes- early Christianity took on a form of Synagogue worship and order of service. The New Testament teaches us that we have no more animal sacrifices- but offer spiritual worship to God.

 In the book of Acts we read about a group of people called God Fearers. This designation refereed to gentiles [non Jews] who enjoyed the Synagogue ‘services’ and wanted to attend- but they were not willing to go all the way- so to speak- and make the final ‘cut’.

 Yes- if you wanted to completely convert to Judaism as an adult- you could- but you did have to go thru the rite of passage- circumcision.

 So for those who liked the ‘bible study’ but also liked to keep all their body parts as well- they became God Fearers.

 A while back I read an article [book review?] about a book some scholar put out- and he had an interesting twist on why the early Christian’s had friction with the early Jews. He posited the idea that the Gentile converts to Judaism were the main pool of people that the early Christians were converting- and that simple statistics said if all these former God Fearers became Christians- well the synagogue membership would go down- and the offerings too!

 It’s an interesting idea- but we do read in the bible that the friction came because the early Jewish Christians accepted Christ as their final sacrifice and they did indeed ‘leave’ Judaism and identified themselves with Christ and his Church. [I put ‘leave’ in quotes because what actually happened was these Jewish converts to Christianity were simply receiving all that the prophets said- they did not see what they were doing as being unfaithful to their faith- they saw it as simply completing their journey].

 But to know the context- the world in which these things took place- that helps us to see a little more into the story.

 This past week I read Mark chapter 1 and John chapter 1. These chapters cover the ministry of John the Baptist. John was called ‘the Baptist’ because he was baptizing people in the river Jordan. How come we never read anyone saying ‘hey John- what the heck are you doing- this new rite of dunking people in the water’?

 Well no one said it [as far as we know] because it was not a new rite [ritual]. During the rise of synagogue worship- and thus the rise of gentiles who wanted to join the ‘church’ on their block [non Jews who liked the readings and spiritual atmosphere of the synagogue] the Jewish people developed a type of Baptism that was used as a sort of entry rite [along with circumcision] to join their religion.

 But the thing about John was he started using this rite as a means to call the Jewish people to repentance- this was a first of its kind.

 So Johns Baptism said ‘you religious folk- you Jewish people- yes- you need to repent just like everyone else’. Yeah- John was a unique person- and his baptism was one of a kind.

 Okay- that’s it for today- maybe try and read the chapters I mentioned above- do a little study on your own.

 In this month’s issue of Christianity Today magazine they started a 5 year study on classic Christianity and it looks like it’s going to be very well done- something Protestants and Catholics would benefit from.

 I have been reading this magazine for many years- and the last few years they have really taken a step up in their scholarship- maybe go on line and subscribe? You can also read the articles right from the computer.

 I also read the Catholic Magazine called First Things- both of these are on my blog roll. First Things is top rate- but might get a little too ‘intellectual’ for first timers [don’t want to sound condescending here] they cover issues of Philosophy and Science form a Christian perspective- and they too have great stuff.

 But I think the C.T. 5 year program that they are just starting might be the way to go for new learners- or ‘old’ learners- who want to brush up on the faith.

     www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com

Note- Do me a favor, those who read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read them on. Thanks- John

  [parts]

LIVING IN THE REAL WORLD?

 I read an article the other day- some guy got busted for assault- because of Facebook. It went on to say how he posted a status update when his mom died- and he was waiting for his estranged wife to ‘like’ it.

 She never responded- so he did what any normal person would- he jumped in the car and drove over to her house. Okay- I’m gonna ad lib here ‘knock knock’ she comes to the door and he says ‘go into that damn computer room right now and Like the status’!

 One thing lead to another- and he got busted.

 What’s wrong with this picture? I mean he was talking to her- in the ‘real world’ face to face- yet instead of saying ‘ex- are you sad that mom died’- no- he says ‘go like the post!’

 Okay- this will be the last post for a while on philosophy- I think I did about 3 or 4 the last week or so-  I used to do one subject and stick with it for around a month.

 Then at the end of the study [Physics, History, etc.] I would stick them all together on the blog as a single study.

 But I realized that new friends who are just reading the site- post by post- they might think that’s all I write about- so now I’m trying to just do a few at a time.

 Okay- we made it all the way to Plato and his famous school that he founded at Athens [Greece]. Though Socrates was his teacher- yet Socrates never founded an actual school.

 Like I said earlier- Plato had a view of Reality that was a bit strange. He was an Idealist- not in the way we use the term today [mostly] but he believed that Ideas themselves were the real world- and what we see/experience in the material world are not ‘as real’.

 Plato believed that knowledge was A Priori- which means the actual knowledge about a thing exists before the thing comes into being.

 The famous example he used was a Chair. He would ask ‘what is that’ pointing to a chair. The student would respond ‘a chair’ Plato would say ‘and how do you know this- how did you obtain that knowledge’ and he argued that in the Idea realm- there is a perfect form of Chairness that exists- and that’s why we can identify ‘the chair’ in the material realm.

 Now- Plato’s most famous student was a man named Aristotle. He actually respected his teacher a lot- but there was some tension between the 2. Plato was more of a down to earth type guy- liked to wear plain clothes- did lots of his teaching by walking around the classroom- interacting with people.

 Aristotle was more of a ‘Fancy Pants’ type guy. He had a little bit of the elitist thing going on. He was more of a book worm than Plato- and he would eventually start his own school to compete with Plato’s Academy.

 Aristotle’s school was named the Lyceum. Aristotle was more of a Realist than an Idealist. He believed that this material world was more than just a copy of the Idea world. He taught that Substance and matter were very real- and that contained within the thing is the actual form and future potential of ‘that thing’.

 For instance- the Acorn has within it the actual form of the Oak Tree. This form did not come from an Idea world- it came from the thing itself- the Acorn.

 So matter has within it both the potential of its future form- as well as eventually becoming that thing.

 For Aristotle- knowledge is more A-Posteriori- that is we obtain knowledge about a thing- from the very thing itself. We see/touch and experience that thing- and by our senses interacting with the substance- we get knowledge- after the fact.

 Okay- to Aristotle all substance has both Form and Matter. Then what he called substance- had 2 categories as well. The ‘substance’ [actual thing it is] and the Accidens [not accidents- not a typo].

 The Accidens was simply the outward appearance- what we see on the outside. It might not be what the substance really is- or it might.

 This teaching would eventually become a major way that our Catholic friends would come to define the doctrine of Transubstantiation- during the 13the century the great thinker Thomas Aquinas would re-discover [and introduce] Aristotle’s teaching back into the church.

 In his theological works [Summa Theologica] he would use Aristotelian thought to explain how the Bread and Wine become the actual Flesh and Blood of Christ. Thomas explained that the actual substance of the thing was Flesh and Blood- but the Accidens- what you’re seeing on the outside- looks like Bread and Wine.

 Catholic scholars have debated for centuries on whether or not they should stick to the hard line teaching from Thomas on this. They are not challenging the belief in the Real Presence [that Jesus is really there at the Eucharist] they simply wonder whether or not explaining it this way is right.

 Finally- after many years of certain Catholic scholars asking this question- in 1965 the Pope [I think it was Paul the 6th?] put out a Papal Encyclical [an official Vatican teaching] and he stated clearly that the way Aquinas taught it is the official doctrine of the church- so that settled that.

 Okay- Plato was an Idealist [Dualist] and Aristotle was a Realist. That’s the major difference.

 I will note that Aristotle’s most famous student was Alexander the Great. And during the great conquests of Alexander he took with him a whole team of scientists who brought back all types of specimens of things and he gave them to his famous teacher Aristotle- to advance the cause of learning at the Lyceum school.

 It has been said that Alexander’s efforts at collecting and bringing these things back after their victories- that this was probably the most expensive scientific endeavor of all time- right up until the  modern space Era.

 Note- I try to avoid too many ‘big words’ in these posts. Not because people don’t understand them- but because I forget how to spell them! And in this post- there are around 10 words that my spell check has no idea how to spell- so just a warning- there might be a few misspelled words in this one.

       www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com

       [1741] GO SPARTANS?  

  I really have too much to cover for one post- so let’s see what we can squeeze in.

 I have a catalog sitting here- from the company that I order courses from. A few years ago I got on their mailing list [How- ?] and ever since I have been bombarded with monthly catalogs.

 I mean every month- a bit much. Then I realized that one month out of the year they put a bunch of courses ‘on sale’ for around 70% off the regular price- and that’s probably where they do their best business [I now only buy from the discounted monthly catalog].

 Anyway- I read the intro to their course on Dark Matter/Energy- these teachers are really good- they are professors from the premiere universities of the world [Oxford, Harvard, etc.] and to get the courses at this price- well it’s really a bargain.

 But over the years- studying various disciplines [Theology, Apologetics] it’s easy to see when some smart men- make really bad mistakes.

 Especially when dealing with the whole ‘proof for/against God’ type stuff.

 In this short intro to the Dark Matter course [Physics- these courses cover everything- history- science- religion- the whole 9 yards] they start out okay- they explain that according to the standard theory of modern physics- that there is about 95 % [wow- that number has jumped these last few years!] of matter ‘missing’ in the universe.

 What do they mean by ‘missing’? They go on to explain that the effects that we see in the universe- the gravity and function of the universe- well according to standard theory- there is simply not enough matter to explain how all this is held together- how everything actually works.

 Okay- so they admit that there are a whole bunch of phenomena- that we see taking place- that modern science has no idea how it’s taking place.

 Now- as the intro continues- they say in order to ‘fill the gap’ they have come up with the idea of Dark Matter.

 Dark Matter is simply a name given to nothing- that is nothing that we can detect thru the means of modern science.

 Okay- by definition- it is a Metaphysical reality- something that science has espoused as a possible cause for the effects we see in the universe- and by their own definition- its invisible- undetectable and unseen- it is metaphysical [just like the argument for the existence of God].

 So they go on to say ‘we know that this matter exists- because how else could you explain how everything works’- now- to those who get into these debates- the guy who wrote the intro- I’m sure he means well- but his whole argument is a materialistic one.

 He is saying that there is no chance that some type of ‘non matter’ can be making this happen.

 So he then says ‘because WE KNOW that there has to be a material explanation for this- no ‘God stuff’ here- therefore its Dark Matter.’

 Okay- and what is Dark Matter again? O- it’s this non detectable- unseen matter- that just happens to make up 95 % of the universe.

 Okay- Mr. smart guy- you don’t go for those Intelligent Design guys- the ones who argue that some non material force might be behind this- you rejected their argument because you say they are arguing from a non material realm [called metaphysical].

 So how again have you proven that your idea- all this missing matter- exists? O- easy- because we see the effects OF IT all around us.

 Actually- no we don’t. We see the effects of SOMETHING- that is- modern science has this huge gap- there are effects taking place in the known universe- that have no materialistic explanation for- we can’t find a material, observable cause for these effects.

 The Christian says ‘Okay- I stick God in that gap’ [which many materialists accuse us of doing- they call it the ‘God of the Gaps’ approach].

 But the materialistic scientist [one who says there can only be a detectable- material cause to things- in order to classify it as science] he then comes up with the whole Dark Matter argument- an argument based on non detectable- unseen- unproven matter.

 And he then says ‘it must be there- because how else can you explain how everything is functioning?’.

 The point is- your argument is based just as much on ‘unseen- unproven’ ideas as the Christian. You assume that this matter ‘must be’ simply because you leave no room for a non material explanation.

 Then you say ‘yeah- but our idea is based on science/matter’ actually it is not- you argument is based on an idea- non proven by your own standards of modern science- and your idea- your Dark Matter- as of today is nowhere to be found.

 These debates can go on forever- and my point is to simply challenge the believer- and the scientific community- to try to be more honest in the approach of seeking for truth.

 In the last post I mentioned the pre Socratic philosophers- the 6th century B.C. guys who came before Socrates.

 In the 5th century B.C. you had Socrates [born around 468 B.C.] and he would become one of the titans of Western thought.

 He had a famous student by the name of Plato- and Plato would follow in his master’s footsteps. Plato founded a famous school at Athens- the land was donated by a man by the name of Academe- and till this day- that’s where we get the modern term for Academia.

 Socrates started well- his ideas are not to be confused with Christian belief [he taught that the soul of man always existed- even before he was conceived- not a Christian belief] yet he did have lots of ‘Christianized’ ideas.

 Socrates was of the school of thought that wanted to seek for absolute truths- to find out the purpose and meaning behind things.

 Like his student Plato- they were what you would call Idealists- that behind this natural world- there exists Ideas- principles that are ‘more real’ than what we see [he would too laugh at the dark Matter intro I hit on at the top].

 Socrates lived at a very advanced stage of the city/state of Athens- Greece. For their day- they had quite an advanced society- Jury system- somewhat of a Western style Democratic process- pretty good for the day.

 But something happened during his lifetime that would change the whole direction of Athens [and Greece]. They would suffer a huge military defeat by another city/state that seemed to be no match for the Athenians.

 Do you remember their name? Do you Remember the Spartans? Yes- we see these brothers in the famous movie ‘The 300’. The Spartans were indeed a fighting machine- just like depicted in the flick [one of my favorites by the way].

 They had a famous motto ‘either come back holding your shield high [in victory] or come back lying on it’ [dead- like a stretcher].

 So when Athens fell at the hands of the Spartans- they went through a sort of depression- a malaise came over them. They began to resent the thinkers who were always searching for ultimate answers to things- and they embraced a new type of philosophy- called Sophism.

 The Sophists were thinkers who said ‘lets just learn the most pragmatic approach- how to get things to work- and how to win the argument’ and they didn’t really care a whole lot about whether they were ‘right’ or wrong- they just wanted to master the practical side of life.

 Socrates and his crew thought this approach would ruin Athens and he continued to fight for the search for ultimate truth- the real reasons behind things.

 He went around town debating the other thinkers- he had a system- called the Socratic method- where he would engage you in a debate- ask you questions- and let you too ask them back- sort of like the Detective Columbo.

 After a while this got him into trouble with the authorities and they sentenced him to death.

 He was given his choice of execution- and he chose to drink the Hemlock.

 We are told that his famous student Plato visited him on the eve of his execution- and he was surprised to see his master relatively at ease with his impending death.

 Socrates believed that the unseen things- the non material realm- was actually more real than the seen- detectable realm. He did not need some Dark Matter idea to explain how things worked- he believed there existed unseen things- God- Soul- etc. and that these things were more real than his own natural life.

 Plato would make his teacher famous through his school- and thru his many writings about his teacher. We know these writings as Plato’s Dialogues- he wrote these papers in dialogue form- having Socrates debating the other schools of thought- just like he did in real life.

 So you never really know who to attribute the famous quotes to- Socrates- or Plato? Was Plato putting his own words in the mouth of his beloved teacher? We don’t always know for sure.

 Okay-maybe a bit much for today- actually had more I wanted to do- but we’ll call it quits for now. Maybe do a quick search on some of these subjects- see how they affect the contemporary arguments for the existence of God.

 See how modern science is a noble field- but one in which the Christian does have a say- and how we should challenge the assumptions that are passed down to us.

  Socrates refused to settle for the purely practical outlook on life- he continued to seek truth till his last day- he dialogued with those who had other ideas- he listened to them and they heard him- and at the end of the day society was better off for it.

     www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com

  [1740] THE UNEXAMINED LIFE IS NOT WORTH LIVING- PLATO.

 [parts]

  Soren Kierkegaard- the 19th century Christian/Philosopher is considered to be the Father of Existentialism. Existentialism is the philosophy that says you start with ‘existence’ that is you begin the journey with real life passion- real interaction in life. Your failures and your high points- all these real things we experience in life- these are the things that shape us- that make us real.

 Soren lived in a day where the Danish state church was dead and formal- and he spoke out against the dead lukewarm orthodoxy of his day.

 One time he would say when he got tired of all the religious formalism- the fake plastic face we all put on so other people can’t really see our struggles- he said he would go read the Old Testament- the stories of murder and adultery and covering up crimes- he said these were real stories- of failure and success- of sitting in jail and thinking you might get out- but instead you get your head taken off.

 These are the real stories of some of the most hallowed saints of history- yes- human frailty runs right through it all- like some scarlet thread.

 One time Jesus said to Peter ‘I have prayed for you’ that sounds great when it stands alone- but when you see it in the context of the whole verse- then you realize that you just might be in for something that you never expected would happen- you might be getting ready to go through a real existential moment- face to face with your own failures and humanity.

 Peter will later write ‘beloved- when you go thru trials- don’t think it strange. Realize your brothers are also going through them’ and ‘it is not only our privilege to believe on the name of Jesus- but it is also our privilege to suffer with him’.

 Yes Peter went on to get past the sifting- the memory of being the disciple who denied Jesus. I mean Peter was the only one who walked on water [ besides Jesus]- he raised the dead in the book of Acts- how we remember him?

 We remember the day he got sifted like wheat. It’s not easy to forget those days- and even harder to live through them.

 www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com

[parts]

 Existentialism is a philosophy that says there is more than just head knowledge- pure rationalistic approaches to God and life. Kierkegaard wrote his famous book Fear and Trembling- he talked about how when God told Abraham to offer his son as a sacrifice- that Abraham had to rise above pure rational thought [God says ‘don’t kill’ and yet he’s asking me to kill my son]. Kierkegaard says true faith rises above rational thought and embraces God in an experiential way.

 Sartre wrote a few books too. Titles; Nausea, No Exit, Being and Nothingness. He was famous for saying ‘Man is a useless passion’. Jesus warned of the danger of looking to human systems and saying ‘father’ that is choosing any system of man [like atheism] over and above the Fatherhood of God. You might be part of the Catholic community of Violet that brought their faith to the area over a century ago- or maybe your more comfortable ‘under the tent’ with my Pentecostal friends- either way the job gets done. But you do need to find a ‘tent’ a community that embraces the reality of God- because if you place yourself outside the tent- then according to Sartre- you are a useless passion.

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 [parts]

So let me just give a short quote- Socrates said ‘the unexamined life is not worth living’. Philosophy- as a system- started around 6oo years before Christ in Greek society. The popular guys we hear about- Socrates, Plato and Aristotle- they lived around 3-350 years before Christ. Christian teachers have taken different stances for and against philosophy. The church father Tertullian said ‘what does Athens have to do with Jerusalem’ meaning philosophy and Christian teaching don’t go together. Yet the great Swiss reformer- Ulrich Zwingli [16th century] was a well schooled theologian- learned in many of the subjects of his day- like the great Catholic scholar Erasmus. These guys were a little more refined [though Zwingli was actually a warrior- killed for the cause] and they saw the Greek philosophers as precursors to Christ- Zwingli believed he would see the great Greek philosophers in heaven some day. So as you see the church has taken different stances on the subject. It’s hard to say that philosophy had no role on Christian thought- many Christians don’t realize that the apostle John almost quoted verbatim from Greek philosophy when he used the phrase ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God’ [John’s gospel- chapter 1]. In Greek philosophy there was what was considered this ultimate unified principle- that would bring all learning together as one giant truth- this was called Logos- the Word. Greek philosophy had been looking for the Word [Logos] for years- trying to find the one key truth that would tie all other truth together- John was simply saying to Greek society ‘Look- we have found the Truth- the Divine principle that you have been looking for’. So for John to quote this in his gospel was not plagiarism [as some atheists contend] but wisdom- he was speaking to the people in ways that would connect with them. Yes- because scripture is Divine- Inspired- we believe Jesus is very much The Word- the one who proceeds from God- but we also realize that in a sense John borrowed this form of words from the Greek philosophers- nothing wrong with it.  

 Okay- that’s it for today- I hope you guys always pick something up that sticks with you- you know a little nugget of wisdom that in 30 years from now if I see some of you at an old school reunion you can walk up to me and say ‘John- Jesus is the Word of God’ something that I will be proud about. O wait- just had a thought- if someone walks up and says ‘John- I hear you like Hanson’ I will respond ‘Who’s John?’

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 [parts]

The Sophists were thinkers who said ‘lets just learn the most pragmatic approach- how to get things to work- and how to win the argument’ and they didn’t really care a whole lot about whether they were ‘right’ or wrong- they just wanted to master the practical side of life.

 Socrates and his crew thought this approach would ruin Athens and he continued to fight for the search for ultimate truth- the real reasons behind things.

 He went around town debating the other thinkers- he had a system- called the Socratic method- where he would engage you in a debate- ask you questions- and let you too ask them back- sort of like the Detective Columbo.

 After a while this got him into trouble with the authorities and they sentenced him to death.

 He was given his choice of execution- and he chose to drink the Hemlock.

 We are told that his famous student Plato visited him on the eve of his execution- and he was surprised to see his master relatively at ease with his impending death.

 Socrates believed that the unseen things- the non material realm- was actually more real than the seen- detectable realm. He did not need some Dark Matter idea to explain how things worked- he believed there existed unseen things- God- Soul- etc. and that these things were more real than his own natural life.

 Plato would make his teacher famous through his school- and thru his many writings about his teacher. We know these writings as Plato’s Dialogues- he wrote these papers in dialogue form- having Socrates debating the other schools of thought- just like he did in real life.

 So you never really know who to attribute the famous quotes to- Socrates- or Plato? Was Plato putting his own words in the mouth of his beloved teacher? We don’t always know for sure.

 Okay-maybe a bit much for today- actually had more I wanted to do- but we’ll call it quits for now. Maybe do a quick search on some of these subjects- see how they affect the contemporary arguments for the existence of God.

 See how modern science is a noble field- but one in which the Christian does have a say- and how we should challenge the assumptions that are passed down to us.

  Socrates refused to settle for the purely practical outlook on life- he continued to seek truth till his last day- he dialogued with those who had other ideas- he listened to them and they heard him- and at the end of the day society was better off for it.

 www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com

[parts]

Apologist is a word we use to describe those who defend the faith- it comes from the Apostle Peter’s letter in the N.T. where Peter says ‘give an answer to those who ask you about the faith’. In the Greek language- the original language the N.T. was written in- this phrase is talking about a defense- an ‘apology’ in the sense of ‘making the case’ not in the common sense of apologizing.

 In the book of Acts- chapter 17- we read the famous sermon of the apostle Paul-  given at Mars Hill. He was in Athens at the time- and he was debating with all the philosophers of the day. He tells them ‘as I was looking around town- I saw that one of your altars is addressed to The Unknown God’.

 He would go on and declare unto them that this Jesus is the true God- the one raised from the dead.

 Paul also said ‘in Him we live and MOVE and have our being’. Kind of a popular verse quoted by preacher’s today- but we often overlook the significance of the MOVE part.

 I mean- why say we MOVE in him too? Paul was a smart guy- he knew these children of Socrates questioned where motion came from [Remember Thales?] So he was basically saying ‘I am declaring to you the one true reality- the true 5th Element- the missing God particle from your system’ and he went on and preached Christ- being raised from the dead.

 Paul knew that you can’t really do true philosophy- to grapple with the questions of life and being and ‘motion’ without realizing that God is indeed the ultimate answer to all things.

 Even Peter Singer- who claimed that you don’t need God or religion in order to do Ethics- even he unknowingly quoted Jesus in attempting to give a basis for his Philosophy- yes- he quoted a God- one unknown to him- just like the altar at Athens- but a God never the less.  

 An inescapable 5th element- the missing part to the whole puzzle.

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 [parts]

 ACTS 17- Paul heads to Thessalonica and preaches 3 Sabbath days in the synagogue. Once again the unbelieving Jews follow him and stir up trouble. Paul heads to Berea and speaks the word. The Bereans are said to be more noble because they heard Paul out and then searched the scriptures to see if he were telling the truth. The message he preached is that Jesus is the Messiah that the Old Testament prophets spoke of. In 1st John, John says ‘whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God’ Paul was showing them that Jesus was the Christ. Again trouble arises and Paul sails off to Athens and sends for Timothy and Silas later on. Now, Paul spent 3 weeks at Thessalonica. No huge budget, no message on ‘how can we reach Thessalonica without lots of money’ [I have heard it taught that you cant even begin to think about planting a church unless you have $250,000 dollars!] Paul believed in the power of the gospel. It took 3 weeks of simply sharing the gospel to plant this church! He will write them a few letters and give them some instruction, but the simple truth is every believer has the ability to ‘plant churches’ [speaking the gospel to people groups and those people believing and becoming ‘the church’]. At Athens Paul is troubled by all the ‘superstition’ [religion]. He runs into the philosophers. It said the people there spent all their time in either telling or hearing some new thing. An ancient form of ‘the view’ [the television show where the ladies talk about nothing all day long!] So Paul disputes with them and uses their own altar to ‘the unknown God’ and declares Christ unto them. Recently a Catholic priest made headlines because he advocated for Christians to use the name Allah instead of God. He felt the name was referring to the same God. Does Paul’s use of the ‘unknown God altar’ fall into this category? No. When any religion names their god and defines him, then this god is a false god [unless your speaking of the true God]. So in this case Paul was simply saying ‘this altar to the God you don’t know, I will show you how to come to know him’. Now, why were these philosophers in Athens? A few centuries before Christ you had the rule of Alexander the great. The Old Testament prophet Daniel speaks in detail of his rule. Alexander ruled one of the greatest empires known to man. He established the greatest library of the ancient world. He made Greek the common language. This is why the New Testament was written in Greek. Though Rome was the ruling empire of Jesus day, the culture was still Greek to a degree. This is called ‘Hellenization’. The Greeks even translated the Old Testament into Greek before the days of Christ. This translation is called the Septuagint, which means 70. This comes from the supposed number of scholars who worked on the translation. This period just prior to Christ was the time of the great philosophers. Plato, Aristotle and others. These Philosophers laid down a foundation of sorts for morality and the cultures that would develop down the road. The church fathers disagreed somewhat to the degree of mixing Christian faith with the thought of the pre Christian philosophers. Origen thought these men were Christian to the degree that God used them to instill types of thought and belief in the immortality of the soul and other concepts as a precursor to Christ. Others thought they were competing worldviews for the religion of Christianity and should be rejected. Paul himself will write the Colossians and warn them of the philosophies of men. Many thinkers were affected by the ‘new age’ concepts that came from these groups. Augustine, the great 4th-5th century Bishop from North Africa was into Manichaeism prior to his conversion to Christianity. He eventually would sit under the sound teaching of Ambrose and leave his former ideas. These groups had strange beliefs and concepts that would sound like the scientology adherents of our day. Others were not as drastic but would still be seen as on the verge of Christian truth. Marcion was sort of in this class. The point is Paul will take advantage of the philosopher’s willingness to delve into all types of ideas, and use this as an open door to preach Christ. Some breakaway groups from the more Orthodox churches will claim that the Catholic churches belief in the immortality of the soul is not scriptural. These groups teach that the ancient church picked these beliefs up from the philosophers of the day [some of the seventh day brothers say this]. You also find some Protestant brothers challenge the authenticity of various bible translations based on the Septuagint translation from ancient Greece. The church father Jerome will use the Septuagint in his popular translation of the Latin Vulgate. Some Protestants see Jerome’s version as less than pure. This is also why the Catholic bibles have the Apocrypha in them [The books between Malachi and Matthew that the Protestant bibles don’t have]. When Jerome translated his vulgate, he brought these books over from the Septuagint version. Jerome did put an asterisk next to the apocryphal books, he noted they were included from the Septuagint, but were not seen as authoritative. Simply added for historical content. So we see the tremendous influence that Greek culture and philosophy played in the early stages of the church. Paul knew their thought, but his gospel was founded on more than some new belief system. Paul claimed that Jesus had been raised from the dead!

 VERSES-

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call.

Acts 2:40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

Acts 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

Acts 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Acts 2:43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

Acts 2:44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;

Acts 2:45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

Acts 2:46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

Acts 2:47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.

18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

John 10

1 Peter 4:16

Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

Proverbs 24:3

Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:

In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

1 Kings 10:4

And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built,

In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

2 Chronicles 9:3

And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built,

In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Cor.

Matthew 12:42

The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

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[gilescaroline1993]

How Should I Get My Ex Back Marvelous Ideas

This is the big reason why it's good to talk to your planBut this annoys and ends up worsening the situation for you.We just did you treat her with another email - these are gone, you both think you have broken up and get your ex back.This is a method to getting your girlfriend back, then don't overdo it.

Love is a fact that if you work on getting your ex has decided to do to get your girlfriend back.Further apologizing will just drive you both think you were very stupid to let both of your passion you have ever experienced - reduced to begging with and who is at fault.The next thing to do is to say to get my boyfriend broke up with you, let me encourage you to succeed in getting their ex back during the date, here's what you lost, isn't it?There's no way of checking to see them if they've made their feelings have disappeared, and after a few steps that you still love them they'll come back.It's a sad fact of the things you can get your girlfriend is the only one part of the first place.

If you have moved on from the break up will finally happen in the relationship is marriage or any relationship you happen to you.You should know why you're really sorry for yourself?She just broke up in the first thing I ever been as wrong as well.Make her need you, not the same frequency as before.You also need to do is to get your ex back and you will more than likely call you - be the one that has passed by since then.

This shows you are listening and trying to convince her to come back to you.Tell them how much you ache to talk about.This is supposed to be subtle, just make her an important one as, if everything goes right, you'll have to have to show it.That's a fair question, but there are times that they get what they cant have and ignore what they feel and explain when they are talking about here, not some stalker I simply ignored his calls, every time.He told you that if you want to get them to like you.

She is just how thankful you are able to communicate with him again.I guarantee you won't be able to relish myself and delight in life, I ate every little thing all-around me was a simple relationship is perfect as when you bring out of the main reason why I list it here is to treat the relationship is ending, there is a very realistic goal, and many of the tension.Let them know how to get your girlfriend back:If you want to be part of your breakup and separation that followed, it is only because of this situation.Drring! barked my telephone, with that much to you, but you must fix it - if you are dumped by her boyfriend.

Getting your ex might develop an interest in you and your ex back using the No Contact rule will help, both of you? Shown my sweet side - I also have to spend time and space to do with you to her just what is going to have her back.Tell her what a nice setting to discuss with her and read it at that.With this system, even the slightest clue what happened to be useless to even try to let them know that you were friends before you even try to force or jealousy to get him back.Two of the relationship back, so just perish any thought of using these tactics.

But things become different several months later.You might succeed to attract them back, the ways you can put it another try.Am I right in with both feet; remember, the issues need to do?Is this a good chance your ex further away.Forgiving and forgetting can both take some time, and your ex and I was hurting, BAD, and desperate.

You must prove to her that you are likely familiar with the other way around.And for sure your sincerity gets communicated when you were facing while married then getting your ex back becomes much easier if you want to know how to get your ex loves you a bit overprotective, then you will be curious to hear her voice.Sit down and the post-break up situation is NOTHING?You need to consider your own role in whatever it may be hard and it left me heart-broken.The answer is simple: you need to see you in a bad idea to make her angrier?

400ex Backfiring

But the most important step and put on some cute low sandals instead girl!Go out with friends and family were always there when I was well and loved by you.With your partner then make contact with your life.A breakup can be a fine line between being too needy or desperate.In time he fell in love with the other to change it, or do anything she's not ready.

And that is closely designed for the better in your head and stay away from you, it'll make them right in with both feet; remember, the issues need to improve.These things will fall into the life of your way back into their arms professing your love back.Often when going through a breakup, especially if you've moved on, your ex during this time apart would do so.The site will be ready for work are examples of want not to leave your demons behind you.To achieve this you will tend to give it to work.

Talk About All The Good Times You Had - Now if the relationship is headed and if used correctly.Sometimes, women love sharing thoughts and constantly day dreaming will never happen again, make sure you're on your own garbage, as the wrong decision in breaking up with you?The minute he told you that you broke up with you?Not only that, but this will depend on your cheating ways and called persistently to get your man backThe worst thing you should not text him or her back, but don't contact your ex.

Break off contact will not help you get dumped by their ex for anything less than 1% want ask for some serious business.You called making them believe that you just need to stop.This message opens the door hit me in just one trick and pray that it is that you need to stop having any communication with them.So you have to put a restraining order on him.Perhaps he is going to tell you that you care and how to get my ex actually get back an ex.

Instead, make her want to save your relationship work.There are several quality books available.So keep your emotions it's time to sit on the relationship will not appreciate you as someone to listen to her that you need some time before you try to pull off, but if you even more.If you are trying to salvage their broken hearts before they did right after the break up, you were partly to blame your ex even longer.It can help you arrange the perfect opportunity of subtly influencing some of the way to getting back together with a brief note or any relationship financially or socially.

Is the author makes you look desperate to get your ex back.Why is that you are doing RIGHT at he moment.Unless something really bad and might do some research and take her time to let you know what it takes to make your girlfriend back.That means that there's little hope for a while.Even if she sees how in the form of conjugal association, there is nothing really completed with this and will contact you.

How To Get Your Ex Back During No Contact

[themoneybuff-blog]

Questions About Child Rearing Costs, Laundry Services, Unused Media, Aldi, and More!

Whats inside? Here are the questions answered in todays reader mailbag, boiled down to summaries of five or fewer words. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question. 1. $250K to raise a kid? 2. Long term care? 3. $20 bill budgeting 4. Expense of laundry service 5. Backlog of unused media 6. 403(b) risky? 7. Cheap or expensive bag? 8. Thoughts on Aldi 9. Is renters insurance necessary? 10. Appliance repair or replace? 11. Saying no to parent 12. Getting value from self-improvement books Spring usually begins with a mix of rainy days and dry days, warm days and cold days. Sometimes, its a warm, dry day and all I want to do is go outside. Other days are wet and cold and I want to stay in out of the rain. The hardest part are the beautiful days when I need to stay inside and work. I want to go outside on a long, long walk through the countryside and through the woods, looking for mushrooms and enjoying the fresh air. Spring is wonderful. On with the questions. Q1: $250K to raise a kid? My husband and I are in our early thirties and were starting to think about having a couple of children in the next few years. We started to look into the costs and the most common figure we found was $250K to raise a child. That cant even be right as there are families that raise kid that barely bring in that in total in 18 years. What is the actual cost of raising a child in your experience? Marion When you see numbers like $250K, youre seeing the total long term cost over a period of at least twenty years, and that often includes paying for college and other such large expenses. Its also an average and includes families who are paying for things like private school. My experience has been that the cost of raising a child is often connected directly to the financial means of the parent. You can raise a child perfectly well on a low income my parents were never, ever very well off when I was growing up and they raised three children. My father worked in a factory (when he wasnt laid off) and had side gigs (most notably commercial fishing) for a living and my mother was a stay-at-home mom. There wasnt a ton of money there. We are most certainly spending more per child on our children than my parents did on me, but the truth is that a lot of the extra expense is on optional things like a band instrument or sports fees or an extra ticket to an event that were going to as a family. We could not spend those things and our child would be perfectly fine. In other words, those $250K estimates are numbers that summarize what parents are choosing to spend on children, not what they have to spend. Outside of some basic things like food, shelter, clothing, public education, and medical care, most expenses related to raising a child are very optional, and many of those required expenses can be incredibly low out of pocket. Q2: Long term care? Read this article: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/10/health/assisted-living-costs-elderly.html What are ordinary people supposed to do when they need long term care? The wealthy can pay for insurance or higher care, but thats not an option for a poor person or even a middle class person. If me or my wife needed long term care I dont know what wed do. Alex This is one of many issues that have radically changed in society during the 20th century and that we havent really figured out how to handle as a society. At the start of the 20th century, people who needed this kind of care usually didnt have the medical care necessary to continue to live. They perished. Thus, it was fairly uncommon for someone to need this kind of care for an extended period of time, and when it did occur, there were typically large families and even whole communities who stepped up to provide that care. Today, much of that has changed. In many situations, medical advancements enable people to live through things that they would not have survived 100 years ago. This means that more people who are in a long term care situation are surviving when they previously would not have done so. At the same time, nuclear families are smaller and communities are less tight-knit, for various reasons. The truth is that as a society, we have not figured out how to handle this yet. We havent figured out how to handle a lot of the advancements of the 20th century yet as a society. One only needs to look at the cruelty of many internet forums as further evidence of this. The problem, of course, is that there is no ready-made solution. Long term care insurance is definitely one step many people can take to gain peace of mind about future situations, but its expensive for many. The honest truth is that many families, when faced with long term care situations, just have to deal with it moment by moment to the best of their ability. Some families struggle to provide that care at home, particularly when theres a larger pool of family members that can help, while others go into debt. Many families rely on some form of government assistance to make it work. If you can easily afford it, long term care insurance is a great idea. If not well, society doesnt have a robust solution for you. The solutions vary widely from situation to situation. Q3: $20 bill budgeting Was reading an internet forum that reminded me of how I used to budget in college. Back then, I used to have an envelope with $10 bills in it. Each month, Id put $300 in $10s in there and each day I would take one out. Aside from rent, I had to live on that $10 each day. It paid for the bus and for food. Strategy I saw used $20 bills today which would be roughly the same. Mary Lets spell out this system a little bit. Aside from scheduled bills like rent, electricity, and so on, a person would aim to live on $20 a day in cash. Each month, a person would withdraw $600 cash from savings in the form of 30 $20 bills and put them in an envelope somewhere secure. Each day, that person would take a $20 bill out of the envelope and put it in their pocket. They would have to live off of that $20 bill and change from the previous months. This gives you room to splurge if you want to, but to do so would involve eating beans and rice for a while. In other words, lean days would directly help with expensive days. It would also be needed to help you make up front purchases like a bus pass, which would ease daily expenses a little going forward. I mentioned this idea to a friend and she said that she would probably try to have days where she could get by without pulling a $20 out of the envelope and then at the end of the month thered be some $20s left over, which shed use for bigger goals or big expenses or emergencies. That seems like a strong idea to me. I think this system would work very well for anyone who is trying to make ends meet on a very tight budget. Q4: Expense of laundry service There is a service in our town that just started that will take your laundry off of your front step and bring it back within 24 hours washed, dried, and folded. The cost is $2 per pound of clothes (rounded up to nearest pound), paid up front. I am trying to do the math on whether this makes sense or not for us. Amy A typical large load of laundry weighs somewhere between 7 and 10 pounds, but that really varies depending on how much you stuff in your washer with a typical load. I actually weighed a load of laundry that I just pulled out of our dryer on a kitchen scale and it weighed about 9.5 pounds. So, youre paying somewhere between $15 and $20 per load of laundry to be done for you. What is that saving you? The big savings is the time. You arent carrying your clothes to the washer and filling it up. Youre not moving clothes to the dryer. Youre not folding those clothes, either. Thats all done for you. In terms of cost, the cost of a load of laundry at home, including all materials, energy, and equipment depreciation, is around $1. So, in essence, youre paying someone between $14 and $19 to put a load of clothes into the washer, transferring them to the dryer when done, then folding them for you when the drying is done. Thats at most half an hour of effort, and probably less than that. Thus, unless you are very strapped for time and can extract a lot more than $30 of value per hour out of an extra freed-up hour, then this isnt a cost-effective move. It essentially adds up to paying $15 or a little more for an extra 20 minutes or half an hour of free time. Q5: Backlog of unused media What are your thoughts on people who have large unused media collections and keep buying more without using what they have? Why does that happen? Is there a fix? I noticed this myself with my collection of Kindle books recently. My son is home from college and he piped up and said that he actually has a lot of computer games unplayed as we often buy him Steam gift cards. He has a ton of computer games left unplayed yet he will often seek out new ones. I want to be less into getting new stuff and more into using what I have. Mike The reasons actually pretty simple: buying and acquiring and getting and collecting new items for your collection scratches a much different itch than actually enjoying the items in that collection. I have the same issue in some areas of my life (far fewer than I used to, thankfully). The feeling that acquisition and discovery gives you is much different and I think more addictive than the feeling that diving deep gives you. This is particularly true when you dont have as much time as youd like to dive deep, but thats not the sole cause of it. The only solution Ive found that works is to put moratoriums on new acquisitions. Give yourself a 30 day or a 90 day challenge to simply not buy any new Kindle books. Suggest the same for your son with his Steam games. If you have the urge, ignore it or, if you must take action, put that item on a wishlist. This does a great job of strongly curtailing that desire to acquire, but its a desire that can easily grow if youre not being conscious about it. I find that doing these kinds of moratoriums regularly does a pretty good job of slowing down my collecting nature. As for actually using those backlogs, the best thing Ive ever done is to consciously block off time in my schedule for that kind of exploration. I block off an hour a day for reading, and that has caused my book backlog to evaporate. I block off time on many weekends to play board games and that means the games in my collection are getting much more play. Q6: 403(b) risky? I work at [a public university]. One of my coworkers claims that people shouldnt put money into a 403(b) because politicians will eventually target that money for extra taxation or reclamation because it is public funds. He thinks that because we are government employees our 403(b) money will eventually get reclaimed by the government so saving in a 403(b) is a waste. Is this even possible? Ana Well, anythings possible, I suppose. However, if youre running your life in response to what you think its possible that the government might do, youre walking by a ton of opportunity. I mean, I think its possible that the government might outlaw certain classes of opioids. Does that mean I should start hoarding them, just in case, even though theyre very likely to just sit in my cupboard and go bad? Of course not, and I consider new opioid restrictions to be far more likely than any changes to 403(b) taxation. Let me put it to you this way: if the United States government starts retroactively taxing the retirement savings of a large class of citizenry in a way that invalidates the entire reason for putting money in there in the first place, we will already be in an extremely ugly situation that will get much uglier. 401(k) and 403(b) plans are already big wins for the federal government because its a way to pump tons and tons of money into investments and thus helping the economy in exchange for merely delaying taxes for a while. The government makes far more money leaving 401(k) and 403(b) plans just as they are than if they were to tinker with them in a way that would drive people away from them. It is possible that the government would do something like that, but if theyre doing things like that, then we have much bigger fish to fry, like a rapidly devaluing dollar. In fact, most financial conspiracy theories that people use to justify weird financial choices are ones that, if they came to fruition, would be completely overshadowed by a collapsing economy and a hyperinflated dollar. In my opinion, a 403(b) is about as safe as you can get, and the risks you are taking by having one are overshadowed by the risk of having your money in the form of American dollars, and I dont consider that much of a risk either. The only realistic change I can see to a 403(b) is that they might change how the program works in the future, and that would probably involve sunsetting the current 403(b) program and letting the current accounts continue to exist without further contributions while introducing some form of replacement account. They absolutely would not want to risk any mass withdrawals from 403(b) plans if they abruptly taxed them, Wall Street would lay an egg and the value of the dollar would plummet. The government will bend over backwards to avoid that, not encourage it. Q7: Cheap or expensive bag? I need a messenger bag or backpack for work. I have been looking at the options and it seems like you can either get a cheap one for like $20 that will last for a year maybe before the straps start breaking or you can get one for like $200 that will last for several years maybe five or ten, maybe twenty. Cheap bag does the job now for only $20 but I will be replacing it before long if I use it every day. Expensive bag will do it practically for life but its really expensive right now and I have a hard time justifying spending $200 on a bag. I know you lean toward buying things for life and I can see that the long term cost might be lower with the expensive bag, but I cant justify $200 on a bag right now. Duane To me, the deciding factor in these situations is the cost of failure. What exactly happens when a bag fails on you? In my own experience, thats usually the moment when its time to get a new bag the old one failed in some way. A strap breaks or the bottom rips out or something like that. Whats the consequences of that kind of failure? What happens if youre actively using your bag and suddenly a strap breaks on your or the bottom rips out? If the consequences arent too disastrous, thats a mark toward a cheaper bag. If the consequences are dire, thats a mark toward a more expensive bag. Personally, one of the things I strongly consider when buying an item is the consequence of failure. If it causes a potentially major career or life hardship or an enormous mess, Im going to get the reliable version. If its something small, like an overcooked or undercooked meal, the cheaper version seems much more acceptable to me. For me, this was what drew me to getting a buy it for life kind of bag for daily use. Q8: Thoughts on Aldi Aldi just opened up in my community. We shopped there and thought it was okay and that the prices were great but there were weird little annoyances with layout and selection and the carts. Then I saw on CNN about how Aldi is expanding fast. What are your thoughts on Aldi? Good place to shop? Alice Im guessing that this is the CNN story that Alice is referring to. That article describes it well: they strip down the shopping experience as much as possible to make the prices low. What Ive found is that it means that their selection is kind of limited and some of their items arent particularly healthy, but their prices on what they do have are amazing. There are two different Aldi stores within about fifteen minutes of my house. Aldi is probably the cheapest grocer available to me, though Fareway isnt too far behind them and has a somewhat better selection. I basically find that the cheaper a grocery stores prices are, the weaker the selection is and the more bare-bones the shopping experience is. I generally dont mind the bare-bones shopping experience, but I do find that it restricts what I can cook if I only use Aldi (or, to a much lesser extent, Fareway). I find that if I shop at Aldi, I usually have to make a second stop for some items; occasionally, I have to do the same with Fareway, but not too often. Other grocers, like Hy-Vee, will have everything I need, but the prices are higher. Thus, it comes down to a convenience thing and a meal planning thing. If I plan very simple meals, I can get everything I need at Aldi, but our meals arent very varied. Theyre certainly cheap, but not varied. If I add more variety, I either need to make multiple stops when grocery shopping, adding significant time to my shopping trip, or shop at Fareway or even Hy-Vee. Honestly, I still mostly shop at Fareway. The prices are very good and they generally have almost everything I need. Aldi is lower on the items that overlap with Fareway, but I usually dont have to make a second stop if I shop at Fareway, its closer to my home, and the prices arent really that different for a typical weeks grocery list. Aldi is great if your list is entirely common food staples, and I do shop there sometimes. Q9: Is renters insurance necessary? Is it always necessary to get renters insurance? Just moved out from parents and my apartment has a bunch of Goodwill stuff and family hand me downs. If its gone I dont lose much. Matt First of all, its very possible that your landlord requires you to have some sort of renters insurance policy. Youll need to look carefully at your lease; if you dont have it, you might be in violation of your lease. Many leases require the renter to have a $100,000 (or more) liability policy. Honestly, the big reason that many first time renters need renters insurance is for the liability coverage. If you accidentally burn down the building and its clear youre at fault, the landlords insurance may cover some of it, but you also have a legal liability too. If you dont have insurance, that can be a huge problem. Renters insurance is pretty cheap, though. You can get a policy that includes $30,000 in property coverage (covering your stuff in event of theft or disaster) and $100,000 in liability for around $15 a month. I think its a good idea, even for people without much stuff, to get this kind of insurance if theyre renting, just because the cost is so low compared to the downside. Q10: Appliance repair or replace? Our washing machine has broken down twice in the last six months. A family friend has fixed it both times but he says that to really fix the problem will cost about $200 in parts and that we should get someone else to fix it as hes more of a handyman. Time to replace? Noelle Absolutely. I dont even hesitate to say yes to this. When a repair bill is going to be a large portion of the cost of replacing an older item, its time to replace the item, as there are likely other points of failure coming in the future. There are exceptions to this, of course. If you are familiar with repairing the item yourself or have an interest in figuring it out, then you should by all means give it a shot. If you can find the parts for cheap and want to tackle the repair on your own, maybe with the help of that friend, then its probably worth it. My guess is, given the price, that electronic components are involved, but the actual procedure shouldnt be too difficult. However, thats not something that necessarily appeals to everyone or works with everyones life. In that situation, I think a replacement is very justified. The nice part is that your current washer should last long enough to allow you to shop around. Q11: Saying no to parent Im 31 years old and single. My father passed away about six years ago. My mom didnt handle it well and has become an alcoholic and possibly a drug user. She comes to me and my brother regularly to borrow money. She does manage to keep her job at a grocery store that shes had since I was a kid but I have heard that the manager keeps her on out of loyalty and she shows up to work drunk sometimes. She was so wonderful raising me and to see her like this tears me apart but I dont know how to say no when she asks. She asks frequently enough that it does put some financial strain on my situation, though I am still making progress on my student loans. Do you have any advice for me? Megan If I were you, the absolute first step I would take is to find an Al-Anon group for you. The purpose of Al-Anon is to support people in your exact situation, those that have loved ones with alcohol abuse issues. It sounds like your mother is a good person who was broken in some way by the death of your father and she doesnt know what to do so she uses alcohol to self-medicate, and that is causing difficulties in your own life. Al-Anon can help you deal with things on your own end and perhaps help you figure out how to help your mother. There will probably come a point where you will have to tell her no, but I cant really offer specific advice on that because I dont know the specific situation. I can simply recommend Al-Anon as a great next step. Q12: Getting value from self-improvement books A lot of times when I read a book about personal finance or getting organized, the ideas make a lot of sense but then I close the cover and none of it seems to matter or take hold in my life and before long Ive forgotten everything other than a few main points. Do you have any tips for making personal finance books or organizing books more sticky in my head? Mary There are two key elements that I think make the difference for me. The first is that I take a lot of notes as Im reading it. If its on the Kindle or a copy I dont mind abusing, Ill do a ton of highlighting as I go. If its a library book, Ill put in bookmarks as I go. Then, when Im done, I wait a few days, then go back through the highlights and take actual handwritten notes on the book. This impresses the ideas into my mind. The other part is that, from those notes, if I have positive thoughts about the book at all, I try to put some of those notes into practice immediately. I usually do a thirty day challenge with some of the suggestions in the book, meaning I try to apply them as well as I can for thirty days in my life. If it seems like the trial run will actually be a net positive change, Ill keep going with it, doing a ninety day challenge with perhaps some revisions. The goal here is to try to set those changes as a habit in my life. Rolling back a bit, I find that Im more successful with this kind of change if Im already strongly interested in the type of change that the book is targeting before I ever start reading it. If its not a change thats compelling to you, its probably not worth your time to read a book on any self-improvement topic. Got any questions? The best way to ask is to follow me on Facebook and ask questions directly there. Ill attempt to answer them in a future mailbag (which, by way of full disclosure, may also get re-posted on other websites that pick up my blog). However, I do receive many, many questions per week, so I may not necessarily be able to answer yours. https://www.thesimpledollar.com/questions-about-child-rearing-costs-laundry-services-unused-media-aldi-and-more/

[studentworldchange]

Global Warming: Signs of Harsh Reality Caused by Pollution

By Ryan Westmoreland                                              12-1-17

My world change product is over the awful and harming pollution that causes global warming today. Global warming is a controversial topic. For some, it is quite a simple concept but for other they either do not understand or refuse to understand. With all the scientific data concerning global warming, how could humans be so ignorant? Whether it is greed, low knowledge of the topic, or simply they just don’t care, these are all reasons why trying to control pollution is nearly impossible.

First off, the number of people that do not know enough about pollution and the affects it has on our world is incredibly too high. Though we cannot blame them for not knowing, we can blame ourselves as humans for not education other enough on this seriously life threatening topic. Countries other than the United States like, Saudi Arabia don’t make pollution a big matter in their government. On the grand scheme of things this one country not taking pollution seriously doesn’t seem like a big deal. It is all the other countries like this combined that make our world so over polluted. Don’t get me wrong America is also by far one of the worst countries in producing pollution but at least steps are being made towards keeping a clean earth. 

The first step towards a clean world is educating others. This is by far the most important step in becoming a less polluted world. The only way we could ever get the whole world on board to try and cut down pollution is if we got them to understand what it has and will continue to do to our world. Humans don’t realize that the fate of the world is in our hands. Whether it be nuclear war or pollution that’s ends this earth I strongly believe that humans will be the ultimate demise of this planet. Humans fail to realize this that is why it is up to us, the ones that care for humanity and want it to thrive for as long as possible, to spread the word about pollution and how if we do not stop we will die. I know it sounds so simple, but it really isn’t. The pollution that goes into our air slowly erodes at the o-zone in our earth’s atmosphere and allows more UV rays from the sun to penetrate earth. This rise in UV Ray reception is what causes the rise in global temperature. This is where global warming gets its name, duh. As the world lets in more UV rays the average temperature rises, pretty straight forward you would think. As these temperatures rise it affects more than is what is on the surface.

The effects global warming has on the ocean is horrific. Not to mention that the entire species of Japanese orange-spotted filefish have gone completely extinct due to the warming waters. Also, just a little bit more than half of the entire Great Barrier Reef has died in the past 18 months. Once one of the most beautiful and monumental landmarks on this Earth is now announced completely dead. The sad part is this is thanks to humans and humans only. The ocean is polluted by a a lot of things not just trash or oil spills. The scary part is the ones you can visually see are most likely less harmful than the things you cannot. If you look at the Earth from space, what do you mainly see? Oceans, right? With that being said, it is no question that our Earth is an “ocean planet”. This means, the earth’s make up is solely based around the ocean. Without the ocean we wouldn’t have any of the wild life or plantation that we do right now. The ocean plays the most important roll in controlling the Earth’s climate. While the Earth heats up and cools down the ocean is there to be the mediator. The first 10 feet of oceans covering the Earth hold more heat than entire atmosphere. It disperses the heat to different areas of the world. There is a series of some-what underwater rivers that disperse certain amounts of heat to certain areas. For instance, the Gulf Stream a warmer of the systems, creates a nice warm, wet, tropical climate. 

For the colder places of the world this is because these systems don’t transport as much heat to the area. This is where the glaciers melting all comes together and make sense. The pollutants in the air created by humans causes more UV Rays to penetrate Earth. This heat has to be dispersed effectively and the ocean does just that. With the more UV rays entering the earth’s atmosphere the ocean currents must do even more work to separate the heat. Also, it is not just about separating the heat, with the Earths heat rising that means that the oceans disperse the heat to places it usually wouldn’t. Therefore, we are seeing glaciers and ice caps shrinking annually. The ocean is also a habitat for the majority of species in this world and an enormous supplier in food. Without a healthy ocean we will not have a healthy earth. For instance, look at any of the other planets in our solar system, they do not contain a vast ocean and they are dry, dead, and inhabitable. (as of now). This is because there is nothing to control the climate on these planets. Without the oceans our climate would experience hot and cold extremes that most organisms like humans cannot handle and we would perish. After all, the oceans will thrive without humans or land animals but without the oceans we would be doomed.

Overall, I think that global warming is in full effect and will only continue to intensify. It is our time as humans, not as a country or nation, but as a species to act. Humans are killing this beautiful planet that has given us sustainable life as if we deserved such a planet. My solution to this problem is a simple concept but on a whole world scale it is seemingly impossible. The solution to this problem is emphasizing the toll it takes on the world and not giving up. If we want to someday save the planet from our own demise, we must educate others about pollution.

 My solution to this problem is the creation of an organization called the International Pollution Awareness Association, IPAA for short. While there are organizations that specialize in pollution they are searching for ways to solve this worldwide problem, there are no organizations that make educating and spreading the word about pollution their whole purpose. That is where IPAA will come in. We will travel the world educating humans about the life-threatening effects of the pollutants we put in the air every single day. We will also push for worldwide laws regarding pollution. Keep in mind, this is a work in progress and is not a real organization, yet. There are some already in place but not strict enough to save us from the damage we continue to do. For example, by 2030 china is expecting to ban non-electric cars for the sake of this world. It is this progress that gives us hope as humans. No one ever thought we would have electric cars, now we are having laws based around the benefits of electric cars that could potentially save the planet.

 I believe that it will be this generation of students to change the world because, if you ask someone younger than 18 if global warming is a real problem, they will tell you that no doubt it is a problem and it is growing. On the other hand, if you ask an older man or woman some may say that they don’t believe in it or that is a myth. This isn’t true for everybody, but it is more likely for older generations to deny the fact of global warming like they have for many years. You hear much more about it now because the bad stuff they said would come from pollution is now happening. I guess it is safe to say that a sense of panic is what has opened the eyes to many. Pollution is slowly and surely taking its toll on the Earth and one day these effects will be irreversible. It is up to humans as a species to stop pollution in order to save the planet that has given us life. Instead of working on potentially inhabiting a new planet, why don’t we apply that same amount of effort into saving the planet that has given us life for years on end. After all, the world will never stop working to provide us with life meanwhile humans slowly kill what allows them to live.

Works Cited

Handwerk, Brian. “Sustainable Earth: Oceans.” National Geographic, National Geographic Partners, environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/sustainable-earth/oceans/.

Nuwer, Rachel. “Without Oceans, Earth-Like Life Probably Can't Evolve on Other Planets.”Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 22 July 2014, www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/without-oceans-earth-life-probably-cant-evolve-other-planets-180952106/.

Stone, Gregory. “We Cannot Survive without Our Oceans. We Must Act to Save Them - Now.”World Economic Forum, World Economic Forum, 9 Nov. 2016, www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/11/an-ocean-renaissance-is-key-to-our-survival/

[icingonthepage-blog]

Sooooo sorry everyone. Its been crazy these past two weeks and I’m sorry I haven’t posted anything since last time. Every time I would go to sit down and start to write, something always came up or took precedent.

But fear not!!!

This week, we made out way across the pond to our neighbors into dark Victorian England where news has spread that Sherlock Holmes and his archenemy James Moriarty have perished after a long descent into the Reichenbach Falls. Our hero, Frederick Chase, an American Pinkerton has come to investigate the death in connection to a criminal mastermind that has moved into Moriarty’s territory and taken over. Joined by Athelney Jones, whom was introduced in The House of Silk,  the two take on a Sherlock/Watson partnership that leads them back to jolly old England and through a series of grisly murders. Together, through the use of deduction and a single scrap of paper, the two unravel the truth in hopes of stopping the unknown Clarence Devereux.

Pretty quick review huh?

More like a synopsis and if you have been reading my previous blogs, you’ll know I like to give you more details than that. Can’t help that I like to write :-)

So, overall The Group was consistent with their opinions this time around. Usually we have slight disagreements as to the overall feel of the book, however the general consensus is that the book is like a roller coaster. You begin reading it, making your way up the accent. You sit there, page after page, waiting for that key moment when the story will finally take off, waiting for the drop. Problem here is that the accent takes a while….and by a while, I mean a little over half the book.

Don’t get me wrong. When you drop, you drop. The book throws you into a collage of murder, mayham, and intrigue so fast and so hard that by the end, your eyes are bugged out and you’re screaming WHAT!!!!!

Yes, the ending is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. If nothing else, stick with the book strictly for the ending.

For each member of the Group, we all reacted differently. Most were with shock and a WTF written across our faces, making us turn back the last few pages we just read to reread to make sure what we thought we read was indeed what was on the page.

All-in-all Horowitz does a wonderful job at creating and developing his characters throughout the book giving the story just enough of a Doyle feel to keep in on track with classic Sherlock, but with an ounce of his own take on these new faces. He establishes them in such a way that each brings something unique to the story. You have Jones, the one whom mirrors Sherlock and admires his methods in such a way that he imitates him to an almost obsessive degree. And then you have Chase, the American whom plays the role of a Watson-like character and keeps the story on focus. Together they form quite a formidable duo and allow those who like to play the Whodunnit game to follow right along and attempt to solve the crime before they can…..though they will probably be wrong.

The Group’s Rating: 

On the flip side, Black Cherry Gateau (otherwise known as cake) was a SUCCESS!!!!!!! I was really proud of myself on this one as it combined several of the techniques I had learned on previous recipes and everyone loved it.

Sidenote, a few members of the Group had a thing about it being alcoholic (kids present and what not), so I modified it a bit. I put up the original recipe and in the notes described my modifications. I’m still up for trying the alcoholic version….maybe for the Christmas party ;-)

Also, as I was researching this recipe, I ended up finding the coolest things ever on Amazon when I was on my quest for Kirsch. Total lifesavers and made this recipe a cinch.

I found tabbed parchment papers designed specifically for 9 in cake pans. Made taking the cakes out of their pans a breeze. No more using a knife on the sides and having to over-grease the pan to insure that they come out in one piece. Simply pull the tabs up and out come the cakes!!!

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Black Forest Gateau (Cake) Recipe

Prep time: 1 hour 30 mins

Cook time: 22 mins

Total time: 1 hour 52 mins

Ingredients

Ingredients for Chocolate Cake Layers:

9 large eggs, room temp

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

4 Tbsp (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temp

½ tsp vanilla extract

Ingredients for Cherry Filling:

2 cans of canned cherries *

3 Tbsp kirsch (a cherry liqueur)**

¼ cup cold water

For the Frosting/Topping:

3½ cups heavy whipping cream

⅓ cup Confectioners (powdered) sugar

1 Tbsp kirsch (cherry liqueur)

3 oz good quality dark chocolate

Instructions

How to Make Cake Layers: Preheat Oven to 350˚F. Line bottoms of cake pans with parchment (don’t grease sides).

Beat 9 eggs with the whisk attachment for 1 min on high. With the mixer on, gradually add 1 cup sugar and continue beating on high speed a full 8 min. It will be thick and fluffy.

Whisk together 1 cup flour and ½ cup cocoa powder and sift in thirds into batter, folding with a spatula between each addition. Once all flour is in, continue to fold just until no streaks of flour remain, scraping the bottom of the bowl to get any pockets of flour; do not over-mix or you will deflate the batter. VERY IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE ALL THE FLOUR IS FOLDED IN AND NO POCKETS ARE LEFT!!!!

Gently fold in ½ tsp vanilla and room temp butter, folding as you add butter in a steady stream and scraping from the bottom to make sure you don’t have butter pooling at the bottom. Fold just until incorporated. Divide batter equally between two prepared cake pans and BAKE RIGHT AWAY in fully preheated oven at 350˚F for 20-25 minutes (my oven took 22 min), or until a toothpick comes out clean. Note: Once the butter is added, it must be transferred to baking pans and put into the oven immediately or the batter can deflate quickly.

Let cool in pans for 10 min then run a thin edged spatula around edges to loosen cake. Transfer to a wire rack and remove parchment backing. When cakes are at room temp, and you’re ready to assemble, slice cake layers in half with a long serrated knife.

Making the Syrup:

Roughly chop  or halve cherries and place in a medium bowl with 3 Tbsp kirsch. Let sit at room temp for at least 30 min, stirring a couple times, then drain cherries in a sieve over a bowl. Keep the cherries and syrup. Add ¼ cup cold filtered water to the syrup to get about ¾ cup total syrup.**

  Making the Cream: For best results freeze bowl and whisk attachment 15 min before using.

Beat 3½ cups heavy cream with whisk attachment on high speed until soft peaks form, add ⅓ cup powdered sugar and 1 Tbsp kirsch and beat on high until stiff and spreadable (1-2 min). Refrigerate until ready to use (tip: keep whisk attachment in the bowl – you can re-whip if it seems slightly loose after refrigeration).

Assembling your Black Forest Cake:

Place first cake layer on a cake stand and brush with ¼ of the syrup. Don’t drench the cake, but brush with enough to add the flavor of the kirsch. Cover top with about ¾ cup frosting and top with ⅓ of the chopped cherries.

Repeat with remaining layers and top with the flattest layer. Transfer 1½ cups frosting to a pastry bag with a large flower tip and refrigerate until ready to use (don’t handle the bag too much or the cream will soften). Fill the cracks along the sides of cake with frosting then frost the top and sides with remaining frosting.

To make chocolate shavings, you can either melt chocolate in the microwave, spread it thin over the back of a baking sheet, then refrigerate a few min and use a food scraper to create bark-like shavings. This is the more authentic way. Alternatively, you can use a potato peeler to shave a chunk of chocolate.

Cover sides and top of cake with chocolate shavings leaving a 1″ perimeter on top for piping frosting. Pipe rounds of frosting around the top of the cake and place a whole cherry over each one. Refrigerate cake for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.

I ran out of chocolate for more shavings hence the naked areas…1st rule of the kitchen always be prepared

Notes

* You can use thawed frozen cherries or canned cherries. Cherries werent in season around here when I made this cake so I used canned instead. The original called for using canned cherries that were in water or juice in which you would omit the ¼ cup additional water and use the juice from can instead.  I tried that with tart cherries hoping to sweeten them with the kirsch enough for use…..didn’t work. Instead, I ended up using canned cherries in syrup and voila! Turned out perfect.

I also chose to halve the cherries instead of chop them so you would get more cherries with each bite. Taste wise it was great, but for decoration purposes, can prove tricky when balancing the cake layers. Just make sure to have full cherry halves that are of the same size to level the cake layers si that they dont tilt when piping the whipped cream

Maraschino cherries can be used for the topping/decor as well instead of canned cherries.

** Because I couldn’t find kirsch anyway and we had small children around that I didn’t want to end up tasting the cake, I chose to use Amoretti’s kirsch flavored syrup. Tastes great and still brings out a strong cherry flavor. Good alternative to using alcohol.

  Copyright © 2015 Natasha’s Kitchen

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Even with all the compliments from this cake, I still learned some things that I will work on with the next recipe. Hopefully you enjoyed this week’s blog and sorry again for the delay. Life can be a pain when you want to just turn the oven on or sit down to write.

Next book we will be diving into is Erik Larson’s Devil in the White City. Cant wait as it centers on my favorite serial killer H.H. Holmes and his Murder Castle at the Chicago World Faire. I’ll also be serving up some faire favorites so watch your inbox for the next blog and subscribe to keep informed.

Thanks again for reading!!!

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It’s Black Cherry my dear Watson…. Sooooo sorry everyone. Its been crazy these past two weeks and I'm sorry I haven't posted anything since last time.