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korkorali · 3 years

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Alright time to talk about the other interesting adults in the Harry Potter Ducktales AU

-Donald Duck

Was a Gryffindor

He was wrongfully accused of colluding with Magica and being responsible in his sister’s death, which lead to him being incarcerated in Azkaban.

All he knew was that he was innocent. He didn’t even know if Scrooge was fighting for him. (Scrooge was, but Donald did not believe it)

He had actually been helping Della raise the kids, but was out of the house the day Magica killed her.

Eventually he escapes Azkaban, and immediately makes sure that his kids are alright. He has some time where he helps them and keeps them steady, then book 5 happens (but it might happen a little differently than how you expect)

Donald is an animagus, and his form is that of a dog.

When he was in Hogwarts, his favorite class was Defense Against the Dark Arts, because that seemed like the most useful class.

He was actually a beater for the Gryffindor quidditch team by his 3rd year.

His wand’s core is a dragon heartstring

More (Della, Fethry, Launchpad, Drake, etc.) under the cut

-Della Duck

Was a Gryffindor

She died protecting her kids from Magica, and her love for them made Magica’s killing curse rebound onto herself. They were actually the only two to die that night.

Back in the day, she was a pretty powerful witch, and probably the best Seeker to date in Gryffindor. It was honestly expected that she’d be picked up by a full fledged quidditch team, but she subverted expectations and became an Auror with Donald.

Her favorite class was Astrology, but then again she didn’t really consider flying class as an actual class, so. She was also pretty surprisingly good at transfiguration.

She was also an animagus, her form was that of an eagle.

Her wand’s core was a phoenix feather.

-Fethry Duck

Is a Squib and a werewolf, but he got an education (or at least, part of one) at Hogwarts. While there, he was a Ravenclaw.

Originally, he wasn’t allowed to go to Hogwarts, but Scrooge pulled a lot of strings so that he could be there for most of the year (He wanted Fethry to be somewhere where he could keep an eye on him). So Fethry was one of the only Squibs to go to Hogwarts for an education. The Ministry did not allow him to take the O.W.Ls or the N.E.W.Ts, so he did not graduate from Hogwarts, but he still learned a lot.

Donald, Della, and Gyro were his friends at Hogwarts (well, two of them were his cousins, but whatever), but he did not tell them about being a werewolf. When they eventually figured out (because of course they did- Della couldn’t let sleeping dogs lie) they actually became unregistered animagi to keep him company.

After Della died, Scrooge pulled even more strings and entrusted Huey to his care. As a part of Huey being in his care, the Ministry would supply him with wolfsbane potions while in the safe house that they were given to live at. Fethry loved and cared for Huey with all his heart.

In Huey’s 3rd year at Hogwarts, Fethry was actually given the Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching role. He was the best teacher that that class ever saw for that position.

As a Squib, he never got a wand.

-Drake Mallard

Is a muggle

He raises Dewey, and eventually adopts Gosalyn as well.

He doesn’t know about the world of magic until Dewey gets a letter from Hogwarts. Dewey was just kind of given to him by this strange old man, and Drake was like ‘Welp, guess he’s mine now!’

When Dewey was sent the first letter, Drake did not approve (I mean, it had the room he slept in, it set off alarm bells in Drake’s head). Eventually he did let Dewey go to Hogwarts, though he was worried the whole time.

He is initially distrusting of everything magical, but he and Gosalyn quickly find themselves immersed in that world. Despite the fact that they aren’t really a part of it.

A lot of people tend to forget that he is a muggle. He becomes a member of the Order of the Phoenix in the 5th year, he is kind of a part of the Ministry as well by the 4th, and by the end of year 7 he’s actually the acting Minister of Magic.

Because he’s a muggle, he doesn’t have a wand.

He does have a massive crush on Launchpad though.

-Launchpad McQuack

Was a Hufflepuff

He is the groundskeeper for Hogwarts, and eventually becomes the Care of Magical Creatures instructor.

He’s the one who gave Dewey his letter, and kind of got off on the wrong foot with Drake for it. He made lengths to make up for it, however.

He cares for the four kiddos very much, and does his best to help them in any way that he can.

He was actually on the quidditch team originally, and he was the Keeper.

His wand is in his umbrella, and he doesn’t remember it’s core.

He has a huge crush on Drake.

There’s also Ludwig Von Drake, who becomes the Charms professor in 6th year, Black Heron, who’s essentially Bellatrix Lestrange, Lunaris, who’s just a bitch in the Ministry, and some more who I can’t really think of rn.

That’s it for the adults, next we’ll talk about the other kids, who are actually pretty important.

#ducktales #dt17 #della duck #donald duck #fethry duck #drake mallard #launchpad mcquack #I would’ve put Gladstone in #but I don’t really have a role for him #and I don’t really want to make him evil or the traitor or a bitch #So he’s not really a part of this #harry potter crossover au #hpdt au #Magic and Mayhem

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riversofmars · 3 years

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December 1st December 2nd December 3rd December 4th

December 5th December 6th December 7th

The Doctor breathed a little easier as they exited the shop, leaving the other Doctors to make their own deductions. “Right okay, this is bad, this is real bad…“

“Does that mean there are other Timelords here?“ Yaz asked as they walked to the centre of the square, away from the shop. They stopped by the huge Christmas tree, the most central point from which they could easily look up and down the streets.

“It means there are other MEs here. There are no more Timelords, they all died, except me.“ The Doctor retorted pacing a little as her mind raced, working through different scenarios, just as she expected her former selves were.

“Damn…“ Ryan mumbled. The Doctor rarely spoke of what happened on Gallifrey after she had sent them back to Earth. They had always presumed it was a sort of catastrophic event after what the Master had done, but that was even worse than they had imagined. All the nicknames they had heard used for her over the years were beginning to ring more true. The lonely God… she really was, wasn’t she.

“But why? What made us come here?“ The Doctor huffed, searching for possible explanations as she looked around.

“You suggested it.“ Graham pointed out. “I mean, it’s a lovely place.“

“Yeah, I could really go for some gingerbread right about now…“ The Doctor mused as the smell took over her senses for a moment. She shook her head, clearing it, she couldn’t get distracted. “Something must be pulling us all here. Not just the same place but the same time.“ She said, gesturing around herself. “I’m usually very careful not to cross my own timeline, lots of wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff, it gets really complicated. I don’t have the memories from my other selves of this though, it’s all a blur, that really should have been a clue… I just remember that I used to come here with the others, there is like this draw… why didn’t I see that before?“ She was at a loss. She should have noticed her memories of these trips were faulty, shouldn’t she? And what if she did and something made her ignore it anyway?

“Then we must find out what it is.“ Yaz said firmly.

“Yes, because if we don’t, if even one of my past selves gets stuck here or dragged into whatever this is, gets themselves killed or… it would create a paradox that could rip all of space and time apart.“ The Doctor mused, placing her hands on her hips.

“That would be a very 2020 thing to happen.“ Yaz sighed.

“Checks out…“ Ryan agreed.

“It might as well happen.“ Graham shrugged.

“No, it may not, let’s go.“ The Doctor clapped her hands together.

“Let’s go!“ Eyebrows, Bowtie and Sandshoes clapped their hands together in unison.

“They really are the same person, aren’t they…“ Bill mumbled to the other companions.

“Terrifying isn’t it. Here I was thinking one is a handful.“ Donna had to agree.

“Donna!“ The three Doctors snapped glaring at her.

“This is going to be a lot of fun…“ Rory sighed sarcastically.

“Are you okay?“ Amy noticed that River had gone very quiet.

“Yeah, fine…“ She waved it off quickly, drawing herself from her own thoughts.

“What is it?“ Amy could tell when her daughter wasn’t okay and this was one of those times.

“It’s just… I thought he’d know… I thought it was him that brought me back…“ River forced a smile. “But he doesn’t know, none of them do…“

“You know with all the time travel and stuff… maybe it really just hasn’t happened yet. One problem at a time, yeah? You’re here now, that’s what matters.“ Amy tried not to think too much about the fact that her daughter had been dead for a time, that the Doctor had known of her death and never said anything, not to anyone. She looked to Sandshoes, the youngest Doctor here, the one to see her die and keep that secret henceforth. It pained her so much to think that in the end, River had been with a Doctor that didn’t even know her, didn’t know how much he would grow to love her, and couldn’t be the comfort she had needed at the time. She pushed the thoughts away and focused on the fact that her daughter was alive and well. She grabbed her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “You’re okay. And you can work out the how later. Let’s solve one mystery at a time.“

“It must be something about this time and place.“ River mused, trying to focus her attention to something more productive. “It’s almost like a black hole in time, and they’re all being dragged into it.“

“Sounds a lot more menacing when you put it like that.“ Amy huffed.

“Well, it is… Fourteen Timelords in one place… If they’re all the Doctor, and they might be… that’s a lot of time streams with the potential to create a lot of havoc.“

“I suggest we best split up, look for anything suspicious and meet back here in an hour?“ Sandshoes suggested as they stepped outside the ornament store and looked around. Around them, people were getting on with their Christmas shopping, oblivious to the uneasiness the Timelords were feeling.

“Before we go, can we get some burned almonds cause they smell amazing…“ Bill pointed to the stand that was a little to their right. “Like I get this is turning into another adventure or whatever but we did come here for the Christmas cheer, right?“

“I’d like to go with her!“ Bowtie announced, sharing her excitement for Christmas treats.

“Everyone take their own companions with you, no need to strain the time streams any more than necessary.“ River interrupted sternly before anymore confusion could set in and all the Doctors were quick to nod.

“She’s got a good grip on you, hasn’t she.“ Donna smirked elbowing her Doctor who rolled his eyes.

“Right then, get your nuts so we can be on our way.“ Eyebrows sighed gesturing for Bill to go to the almond stand.

“I don’t usually go for nuts so it’s a nice treat.“ Bill grinned waiting for a response to her joke to which Eyebrows just covered his face with his hand in resignation.

“Right then, come along Ponds!“ Bowtie waved his companions along.

“Come on, River.“ All three Doctors said in absolute unison and looked back at each other in confusion, each one assuming she would come with them.

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goofnuggetkarlaa · 4 years

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Long OFA Quirk Theory Post, BNHA ch 257 Spoilers

Also I apologize now for anyone on mobile where the read more isn’t working properly and you have to scroll through this whole thing. It got way longer than I intended. I won’t be upset if you block me so you don’t have to see this post anymore lol

Alright so I was really hoping All Might would at least briefly say the quirks of the previous OFA holders he found (or have a quick panel showing them in the notebook or SOMETHING), but sadly we’re gonna have to wait a bit longer I guess...

However, he and Bakugou said the same thing: all of their quirks are relatively weak, since AFO was basically controlling the quirk world and taking all the strong quirks for himself or his “army”

It makes me curious though about how weak the quirks really are. Since idk about yall, but Black Whip seems to be an incredibly strong and versatile quirk (even taking into account that it was weaker back then compared to Midoriya using it now).

We also know that quirks in general get stronger the more generations go by (not just in OFA, we see this in the children the remedial course “fights”), so it makes sense that none of the quirks in OFA are particularly great compared to current times, given that quirks were still developing (tho... like I said before, I really doubt that’s the case. They may be physically weak quirks in combat, but I’m sure Midoriya will find a way to make them all incredibly op).

Another reason why I’m kinda doubting the legitimacy of the whole “they’re all weak quirks” thing is because of what AFO says about Nana. He calls her weak, a useless successor, etc. Now, I suppose having a quirk that lets you fly might seem like a weak quirk. It’s no muscle enhancer, explosions, lazer beams, etc. Though Nana herself was clearly ripped as all hell (like bro I’m so gay wtf)

Ahem, anyways, maybe he was just saying that to taunt All Might, to break his spirit or whatever. Typically evil villain stuff. But also... AFO doesn’t seem to be the type of guy to do that. To just call someone weak even if they weren’t. (altho he also uses a flying quirk, so make of that what you will) BUT ANYWAYS this just leads me to think her quirk was probably the “weakest” out of all the successors he had faced so far. I would probably think the same if the successor 2 people before her had something as interesting as Black Whips.

So what kind of quirks are they? Unfortunately my theories are only based off of their appearances, and AFO. I’ll mention the bit about AFO first, since it feels more solid than the bit about their appearances.

It’s a theory I’m kinda believing less and less with the information we’re being given, but I wonder if AFO could have taken their quirks before they died. Sort of like a way to taunt future holders. Like “haha look I’m using your master’s beloved quirk how does that make you feel.” And I mean, yeah, he can’t take OFA, that much has been established (altho that seems like it’s gonna change soon... hmmm shiggy what you up to?). But what about after they’ve passed OFA on to the next person? They still should have their original quirk, since OFA seems to work kinda like a copy-paste system. So would AFO be able to take it then?

I’ll use Nana as an example. In the short 2ish minute special, All Might Rising, we see Nana’s last fight against AFO. At this point, we know she must have passed the quirk on, because the last thing we really see is her pointing at All Might as Gran Torino carries him away. We don’t actually see her death. There could have been time for AFO to take her quirk. And we know he has some sort of flying quirk, Air Walk, which could have been hers (although we won’t know until the official translation comes out. However the current fan translations are calling Nana’s quirk stuff like Levitate or Hover)

Unfortunately that’s about where that bit of my theory comes to an end. With ch 257 saying the quirks are weak, I doubt AFO would have been using them in his fight with All Might. Gran Torino also mentions his quirks and fighting style were totally different from the last time 6 years ago, so that also kinda tears this theory apart. At least the bit where the quirks we got to see were any of the successors’. He still could have taken them and passed them on to the nomu while he waited for Shigaraki to be able to use them himself.

As for the appearances and quirks themselves... well, we really only have 2 that we can take a guess at. I know people have the time travel theory that Bakugou was the 2nd wielder, but I don’t like that one very much. But that’s a post for another time.

Also, from here it’s really just my opinions, and not a lot of solid or even jello-y theories. Like sand. It’s just a mess. Just a jumble of observations and ¯\_(:/)_/¯ materialized.

So here’s the closest thing to a full body shot we have of them, the 4th on the left and 6th on the right.

The first one I’m gonna talk about is the 4th holder.

The first thing I noticed are the two marks on his face. They don’t seem like scars or some other kind of injury. They’re not drawn lightly the way Midoriya’s or Todoroki’s scars are, they’re really dark and crisp. So I’m thinking either some kind of tattoo, or (more likely) something to do with their quirk. Sort of going with my AFO theory above, it reminded me a lot of the forced quirk activation quirk he was using, though looking further into his appearance, I don’t think that’s right.

He has very contradicting vibes in my opinion. His clothes make me think something to do with water or wind, or some sort of spiraling energy like Nejire’s. But based on his face, body, and stance, I would lean more towards a physical quirk. He seems like a solid dude. Originally, I had believed he had a wind type quirk (thinking about Inasa’s appearance, he felt similar somehow), but now that Nana’s quirk is confirmed to be some kind of flying ability, it feels like having a wind quirk (that could also theoretically make you fly) would erase the point of Nana’s, and I doubt Horikoshi would want Midoriya to have quirks similar to each other, thus limiting how badass he could be (and lets be honest, this is a shonen jump manga. protags gotta be as op as possible, especially in a series like this which just SCREAMS the very essence of shonen manga. not that I’m complaining btw, I love op characters)

So anyways, I’m currently at a loss for this guy, the only other hint I feel like we have for his quirk is the color associated with him in OFA, blue, which doesn’t help much, seeing how the 5th with Black Whip is red and Nana’s with flying is yellow(? can’t really remember)... None of it seems related

Which leaves us with the second wielder we know little about, the 6th user.

And let’s be honest, there isn’t much to work with here either. Since I just mentioned associated colors, I’ll just point out right away his color is a purplish-blue. So do with that what you will. (I’m going to get into it in a moment, but I theorize a mental/kinetic-type quirk for this guy. Purple is maybe associated a bit more with kinetic-type abilities? idk look at Shinsou)

Appearance-wise, I definitely get a more mental based quirk. He’s kinda small, seems reserved, so that’s just my gut feeling. You can see some bandages around his arms, though, which might mean... something? Perhaps it has to do with his quirk, maybe he just got injured (maybe he got injured because of his quirk..? hmmm)

Honestly, his appearance just reminds me of Kageyama from Haikyuu!!, so my brain keeps unhelpfully jumping back to that, making it hard to come up with good stuff for him. If I had to guess at random, I wanna say pyrokinesis. This is partially because of a long-winded, very very VERY unlikely theory that he could be related to Nana who could VERY UNLIKELY be related to Inko, so ya know, probably some big family tree of kinetic-type abilities (since, assuming AFO isn’t his dad, which is a theory I’m a big fan of, it would be possibly pretty emotional for Midoriya, seeing how it COULD have been his quirk if he were born with one, since it’s a good mix of his mom and dad’s quirks) The other reason is just cause I thought it’d be cool. lol.

Though to be fair, part of that “it would be cool” has to do with the idea of “how op can Midoriya get?” which involves having a large range of abilities to be able to be effective in any situation. so far he has super strength as the base of OFA (which is always good in a fist fight), restraining with Black Whip, and eventually mobility with Hover. It would make sense for him to also have more rescue-type abilities, seeing how so far most of his skills are geared towards fighting rather than saving, which is the opposite of Midoriya’s personality. So I thought of natural disasters: earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, floods, mudslides, and volcanoes are listed as common disasters in Japan, and fires are more-or-less common anywhere. So having an ability that would be beneficial in those situations would be ideal, such as pyrokinesis to stop a fire, or something like hydro/aquakinesis to rescue those in a flood/tsunami.

Sooooo tldr I have no idea what the fuck their quirks could be but I love to theorize random shit so please come talk to me because I’m bored and dying for more content so I’m doing all I can to keep sane while I continuously wait for more updates :)))))

also I’m sure my thoughts were all over the place and made no sense, I’m sorry, I really tried to rewrite stuff over and over to make sense, but I might have made it worse, so if you don’t understand something or think I missed something, please let me know. I probably either worded it strange, or thought of it and didn’t remember to include it. BUT IF YOU THINK OF SOMETHING I ACTUALLY DIDN’T I WOULD REALLY LOVE TO HEAR IT PLEASE!!! SO DON’T BE AFRAID TO CALL ME OUT ON SOMETHING! not if it’s about the time travel theory though, I’ve had enough of that right now lol

small edit: I went back to watch the movie again (in 4d this time) and realized I had messed up the colors of the AFO holders. Also, they appeared slightly different in each shot (in one, the 5th holder was pinkish purple, but another shot was a deep red?), so I’m basically ruling out that colors have any meaning at all. Not like I think they had much basis to begin with though...

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itsclydebitches · 5 years

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A fifth of the way through! Who’s proud of me? :D

Noisy - After a certain seance Aziraphale is feeling insecure about how much he talks.

Aziraphale was speaking.

Had been for the majority of their meal, pausing only to take bites of the Norfolk crab with ossetra caviar, veal fillet with asparagus in a wild garlic sauce, chocolate and hazelnut mousse for dessert with a second order of the fruit sorbet because he hadn’t been able to decide and really, why not both?

Why not both?, Crowley agreed. He adored watching Aziraphale eat. All those quirky mannerisms that positively screamed his personality for all to see. The way he would slide each fork-full from his mouth with agonizing slowness, ensuring that he’d picked up every morsel from between the tongs. Raising his napkin after every fourth or fifth bite, whether there was a mess to clean up or not. Aziraphale went deathly still when he ate, as if he couldn’t bear to distract from the taste with any unnecessary movement. Except when he’d taste something new or unexpected and then it was all wide-eyed surprise; that absurd little wiggle. Aziraphale flipped his spoon before taking a bite because, “The mousse should hit my tongue, dear, not the roof of my mouth. Obviously.”

Obviously. On nights like this Crowley was grateful they hadn’t had to keep up their ruse any longer. One look at Aziraphale-as-him digging into that popsicle and the whole jig would have been up.

And Crowley could never hope to re-create this.

So yes, he loved watching Aziraphale eat. He loved hearing him speak more though.

Why not have both?

“So I told the dear girl—quite firmly, I should say—that we would have to undergo a true apocalypse before I gave her those sigils. Hell would need to freeze over and such. Though I suppose you could manage that if you put your mind to it.” Aziraphale took another bite of his sorbet and dropped a wink that sent a flush rising up Crowley’s neck. “Anathema is a brilliant young woman but really? Giving her access to Enochian symbols? I can only imagine the horrors that would produce! And trust me, dear boy, I have quite the active imagination.” Another bite; another flipped spoon. “She swore she only wanted to study them, but if any mortal is capable of sketching out a true celestial circle it would be that witch. Then where would she be? Accidentally killed, that’s what. Or worse, getting through to them! Can you imagine Anathema summoning Metatron into that little cottage? No, no, no. We’ve had quite enough upheaval for one millennium, thank you.”

Crowley had long ceased trying to get a word in edgewise. In truth he didn’t want to. Six-thousand years together, but so little of it spent together. They’d meet randomly or clandestinely and it would never matter which because they knew it could only be for a brief moment or two. One side could always be watching them. Both, even. And it took Crowley decades to realize how much of that precious time was just spent posturing. Aziraphale feigning shock at their latest arrangement. Crowley pretending like that actually annoyed him. They had their routines down, a script they read from, and though Crowley had learned to love that for its familiarity, he hadn’t realized just how much he’d been missing. Hearing Aziraphale wax on about oysters or give summary accounts of Hamlet couldn’t compare to this: hours upon hours of meandering, casual thoughts.

Crowley settled his chin further into his hand. Beneath the table his free fingers circled in a clockwise motion, a bit of extra energy spent on slowing down time. Nothing terribly noticeable. It wouldn’t even affect the humans. Much. Just a devilish little miracle that would give Aziraphale more time than what the real world had to offer.

Because they’d been sitting here four hours now and Crowley was fully prepared to sit another four.

“What do you think?” Aziraphale asked. He downed the rest of his La Grande Année and smiled over the rim of the glass. Like he somehow knew that, whatever Crowley’s answer, it would be well worth knowing.

Problem was, Crowley hadn’t the faintest idea what Aziraphale had just said.

Hmm. Distraction via flipped spoon. It happened. Not that there was much danger here. Aziraphale had the distinct talent of being able to talk about a single topic for hours—if not days—on end. Always easy to slide into.

“Really, angel? Giving me a say?” Crowley pushed his own, untouched tart across the table. “I thought you’d already made up your mind about the witch?”

He’d meant it as a bit of light teasing. Poking fun, making jokes, being a nuisance and all that. So watching Aziraphale’s expression fall took the breath right out of Crowley’s lungs.

“Oh,” he said, voice suddenly soft. “Yes. I have been prattling on, haven’t I?”

And Crowley, in a moment of incredible insight and sensitivity said,

“What?”

Aziraphale had been reaching for the tart but now drew his hand back, beginning to fiddle with the edge of his vest instead. “I’m terribly sorry. Rather rude, isn’t it? All things considered. I promise to make more of an effort in the future and you must stop me if I suddenly start rambling once again. You deserve to—” Aziraphale’s mouth suddenly clicked shut, eyes popping wide as he realized what was happening. Crowley could see his jaw working for a long moment. “I want to hear what you have to say too,” he said. Simply.

Meanwhile, Crowley’s elbow had slipped off the table and he nearly took the rest of the food with him. When he came back up there were splashes of champagne on his sleeve.

“I—why—?” Crowley tugged his glasses just low enough to take a good, long look. “I haven’t got anything to say.” Which wasn’t true exactly. Plenty of ribbing to indulge in when it actually managed to land, but right now Crowley had bigger fish to fry. Flay ‘em, cook ‘em, and serve 'em up with lemon butter so his angel would actually smile again. “What precisely are you on about?”

Aziraphale shrugged. He never shrugged. “Just thought I might be...”

“Be?”

“...talking too much.”

Crowley slipped off the table a second time.

“It’s just—”Aziraphale said, clearly trying to explain without continuing to talk. Which most people will realize is rather the lost cause. “Madame Tracy. Or rather, her friend. Or perhaps not a friend exactly. A client? Follower?” Aziraphale scowled when Crowley just went on blinking at him from halfway out of his seat. “A woman asked to speak to her dead husband and being an angel currently existing between planes I accommodated her and he told her to shut up.” He exhaled after all that, lips trembling. “Separated for who knows how long and the only words he had for her were ‘shut up.’ Because she’d never let him have his say. I... I would never want you to feel the same way, dear boy. I couldn't stand it. ”

Jesus-H-Bloody-Fucking-Are-You-Kidding-Me-Christ.

If Aziraphale wanted him to talk more he was shit out of luck because Crowley’s voice had died a mangled, embarrassing death. Giving up the ghost via shock was like that. And oh sure, sure, plenty of things he could say if his vocal cords kicked back in. Like how Aziraphale was stupid for thinking he could compare them to some random human couple who clearly needed therapy. Or ask if Aziraphale had ever paid one ounce of attention these last six thousand years because if Crowley wanted to say something? He’d damn well say it. No fussy angel was going to stand in his way.

(Not unless he asked really nicely. Or looked at Crowley in that particular way of his. Or so much as thought about wanting him to shut up. Because those were all entirely different situations.)

Speech seemed to be the enemy now. Which was all kinds of horrible since Crowley liked Aziraphale speaking and had hoped to soak up another couple hours of it before the night was over. Who could put something like that into words though? Even when words were an option? Not Crowley.

So instead he summoned up a small black book and slid it across the table.

Aziraphale blinked. "What's this?"

"Read it."

Just a small, ironically innocent notebook. Every demon had one. Standard issue for the bastards lucky enough to go topside. Recounting your deeds was all well and good provided you actually remembered what evil deeds you’d been up to each day. Too often demons melted back into hell having forgotten half of what they’d done. They might not be good at record keeping down there, but there was something like an effort. So, yeah. Write it all down like a good little worker bee.

“Go on,” Crowley said, keeping his voice at a whisper. Aziraphale hesitantly took the book in hand. “Out loud.”

Crowley hadn’t written a deed down for thousands of years.

“June—” Aziraphale paused, having opened to a recent date. He swallowed hard. “June 3rd. Angel went on about gilding again all through lunch. Improper heating techniques and wet vs. depletion. I currently know more about pretty books than any decent demon ever should. Good thing I’ve never been decent.

“June 4th. Got reamed out for going over 90mph again today. Wonder how many times I can get Zira to squeak like that? Half-hour lecture to follow. Gonna start just as soon as he gets back with the shawarma. In three... two... one...

“June 5th. Talked a lot about knitting today. Thinking of picking it back up before winter. Zira had a whole pro/con list for crocheted vs. knitwear but honestly? If it’s warm?? Who cares??? Angel, apparently. There were many thoughts on socks.

“June 6th. Some bugger on the bus had his music blasting while I was trying to hear Zira’s latest Gabriel impression. The kid is gonna end up with wet jeans one way or another for the next week.

“June 7th. Right. Zira might have been onto something with the whole crocheted socks rant. Pretty sure this is one of Beelzebub’s inventions—Crowley.”

Aziraphale finally looked up, his eyes wet in a way that made Crowley shift uncomfortably in his seat. “You keep a diary.”

He winced. “It’s not a diary!”

“It most certainly is,” Aziraphale crowed, flipping through some of the older entries. “I'm astounded at what a faithful record this is—especially since Armageddon—and so many of them are about me. They're...” The impact of that last bit seemed to hit Aziraphale all at once, stilling his hands. “Oh. They’re all about me.”

Talking.

Crowley shrugged. Because he was the one who shrugged in this relationship. He pressed the little book back into Aziraphale’s hand when he tried to pass it back. Crowley’s fingers ran over his knuckles then, soft and slow.

“Keep it awhile,” he said. “For the next time you get some ridiculous idea stuck in your head. Now, what were you saying about the witch girl? My memory’s worse than a goldfish’s, angel. You know that. Best you start from the beginning."

Aziraphale wasn’t much for public displays of affection, but he did bring their still-intwined hands up to his lips, resting them there for a moment.

When he started speaking again Crowley’s skin was gifted with the very first words.

#good omens #ineffable husbands #air conditioning #good omens fic

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wearesorcerer · 4 years

Note

For the d&d meme: 2 and 3

YAY! AN ASK! (Ahem.)

|| 2.) Your favorite character that someone else has played. ||

This one is kinda hard. Not counting Collectivists (it’s Moxie) or one’s I’ve not witnessed in play, I’ma have to say Mikey.

Mikey was a friend’s bareknuckle boxer Fighter (because this was 3.5 and he was taking after his Bard father, who wasn’t Lawful). The character was woefully suboptimal, but did an excellent job of becoming one of the two hearts of our fairly large party (the other was the idiot halfling rogue/sorcerer; long story) and got lucky in fights for quite a while, so we all naturally gravitated towards the character’s generic charisma (no, I have no idea what his actual stat was).

Unfortunately for us, he got coup de graced on a side quest we were doing because half of the players couldn’t attend a session and the DM decided to have us investigate goblins or orcs or something. The chieftain knocked him unconscious, then took the opportunity to cleave him in twain. T_T

|| 3.) Your favorite side quest. ||

I don’t actually have a favorite, so instead I’m going to tell you about the most memorable. Same campaign. This one overtook the main plot. Be warned: it’s long. It’s also why I don’t care for side quests.

This was our DM’s first time running a homemade campaign and his second time DMing ever (the first was the semester before, when he ran the module The Standing Stone; it ended in a hilarious near-TPK). We started in a tavern (like you do) not knowing each other (like you do). Thanks to the halfling’s backstory, we all got drawn into a barroom brawl against a local criminal. That pretty much formed our party and got us hired to investigate a cult of Nerull that had taken up in a nearby abandoned temple (of Pelor, IIRC).

During the boss fight against a couple of higher-up cultists (I forget how many, but one had swords or something), one of the enemy casters decided that it would be a good idea to place a necrotic cyst on the halfling.

There are EVER so many reasons why this was a terrible idea.

Necrotic cyst is a 2nd-level spell from Libris Mortis (pg. 68) on the Cleric and Sorcerer/Wizard lists (meaning we’re fighting 3rd- to 4th-level casters). On a successful melee touch (spell) attack, the target has to make a Fort (Con) save; failure means they get implanted with the eponymous cyst. Depending on where they were touched, they might not even know they bear it. The cyst does two things:

Makes the target more susceptible to necromantic stuff. -2 on saves against Necromancy spells and effects, but also +1d6 damage from the natural weapons of undead.

Enables the use of other spells. There are nine other necrotic spells in Libris Mortis which rely on existing cysts. This was the main problem.

Before I get into why those other spells were the main problem, I need to explain a few things about the metagame.

The DM was a touch...conservative, shall we say, with what he would and would not allow source-wise. Despite this, he had a penchant for picking up the latest splatbooks (non-setting specific and Eberron) and taking material from them. As a player, he mostly played Fighters and was not (at that time) big on mages; thus, he didn’t have a good grasp of what spells were and were not especially powerful based on (sometimes foreseeable) consequences.

The halfling was intended to be a dual-wand wielding sneak-a-sniper, so went Rogue/Sorcerer. Because of what this build required, he put many of his early levels into Sorcerer instead of Rogue when we needed a party Rogue, yet somehow managed not to cast much of anything. In the end, he was terrible at literally everything except lying.

Naturally, the enemy caster succeeded at planting the cyst on the halfling. I’m not sure why the caster felt the halfling (not just a halfling, but a halfling child) was the best choice for harboring a cyst that’s designed to screw with the enemy long-term and we had plenty of other party members who could have served for such a host, but whatever. The halfling failed his save and BAM! We’re in trouble.

Like I said, necrotic cyst enables nine other spells -- almost like a Cleric domain, as the others span 1st through 9th levels (no cantrips). However, they all require the caster to possess a “mother cyst” (a flavorful feat tax; eh).

The 1st-level spell is yet another detect something spell, but it only detects necrotic cysts. Meh, but it means that we can’t go anywhere near these cultists without them knowing we’re there.

It was probably the 3rd-level spell, necrotic bloat, that was the reason we felt the need to get rid of the cyst in the first place: the caster deals Level x d6 damage (so 5d6 to 6d6) to the target and half of that damage is “Vile” (horribly evil, can only be healed within the area of a consecrate or hallow spell).

I say this because we were never told (or I forgot if we were told; this was 14ish years ago) why the halfling was reduced to something like 1 HP, but the halfling was basically out of commission entirely as we struggled to figure out what we could do.

That was months of out-of-game time.

First, we turned to my character’s mother, a Dwarven Cleric; she was unable to do much, sadly.

Then we heard about an enclave of elven druids who might be able to remove the cyst. They were on the other side of the mountains, so it would be a long journey to get to them and it wasn’t assured that they could (or would) help us.

So we journeyed.

And were constantly waylaid by undead. Lots of undead. Lots of weird undead. (The DM had fun dragging up monsters from Monster Manual III, which I’d written off at that point. He did this largely because I had, but slightly because he had a hard-on for Eberron shit.)

We did manage to get to the enclave of elves and had them remove the cyst. The halfling’s player felt like they got to do basically nothing the entire time, another player switched out characters twice (one was boring due to how he made it, the other died; the third one developed mysanthropy [became a wererat] resulting in awesomeness), a third player spot rotated at least three times, and we had traded the quite fun Mikey for the Paladin no one liked, so we were not having fun.

It was after the enclave that we (well, I) realized something: we were being scryed upon. Our DM finally told us about necrotic scrying.

As it turns out, the 2nd-level cyst spell functions almost identically to scrying, but only on subjects with necrotic cysts (it also has a few other, largely meaningless drawbacks). Scrying is a monster of a spell, which is why it’s a 4th level spell by default on the Druid and Sorcerer/Wizard spell lists (that’s 7th class level for the prepared casters and 8th for Sorcerers); Clerics treat it as a 5th-level spell (10th class level), Bards as 3rd (because they maxed at 6th-level spells in 3.x, so they got it at the same time as Wizards). A caster with scrying can manipulate events from far, far away with little effort; it’s the spell for a BBEG for many campaigns. Making it a 2nd-level spell just makes it scarier.

It was at this point that I yelled at the DM:

If you give a continent-spanning cult of evil an easy means of scrying, you’ve given its upper echelons full access to the ACTUAL spell.

The ordinary spell scrying relies on familiarity; it’s one of the few instances of sympathetic magic in the game. By enabling someone an easier way to scry on one character and putting that someone into a large organization in a low-rung position, you’ve given the higher-ups a means of seeing the rest of the party and thus the ability to scry on them through normal means.

Meaning that the cyst became obsolete not long after the first casting of necrotic scrying.

Meaning the undead continued to bother us every night (and somehow never get seen on watches) even after we got the cyst removed.

The next step was to look up a means of blocking scrying. Our other caster having left the party long, long ago (player went to grad school) and our halfling being utterly useless, we had to track down a magic item to shield us from scrying.

So the DM made us negotiate with a dragon to get one out of its hoard.

The dragon could have easily killed us, for the record. It was astonishing that we were able to get the thing at all. Somehow, we got some like two other items, one of which was a cape of the mountebank...

...that the halfling promptly stole that night while everyone slept and used to abandon the party.

It was only after this point that we managed to get back to the main plot. We had been playing for a little over a year, may have been at fifth level at that point (it might have taken longer), and had next to no magic items (other than the anti-scrying device and maybe something else we got from the hoard). We got maybe two sessions after that before getting TPKed.

#ask meme #derptaur

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geek-gem · 5 years

Text

I've seen Bumblebee again

Edit I've just realized I made the stupid mistake I had seen as seem and I only noticed it in my activity messages stupid of me sorry.

So in this post there is gonna be spoilers about the film, especially I'm gonna be rambling a bunch, I'm gonna sound ignorant. Including this is coming from a ex Transformers fan. Who has feelings about this franchise.

Well first film I've seen of 2019 everybody. I still like the film a lot. Just walked to this McDonald's near the cinema 16 theater in Sierra Vista.

But yes I like this film a lot and decided to see the 11:50 am showing instead of the 10:50 am because I decided not to take the chance because it was too close at that time.

Let me talk about some stuff. I literally feel like this is a reboot because a lot of the stuff in this doesn't make sense. Or what someone else said a soft reboot but I literally feel like how this film was set up. Decided to move to a table I'm usually at.

Because okay I never seen The Last Knight and mainly don't want to. But considering past events like Megatron stuck in the artic(the original 2007 film), the Primes and the Fallen(Revenge Of The Fallen), the Ark(Dark Of The Moon), possibly even the creators shit(Age Of Extinction), and what I've read and heard Unicron is Earth, Bumblebee even in a poster and footage from a trailer or promo was around during world war 2.

Including I haven't watched the video by HN Entertainment but just looked it up there was a Megatron deleted scene.

Even though one of the final scenes is Bumblebee becoming a camero I can't think I feel during production because of how The Last Knight's box office result went Hasbro did it or whatever. I'm not trying to make up a story it's my own theory. Especially the style of how the robots look so G1 like.

Especially that final mid credits scene with Bumblebee and Optimus I honestly feel that was shot to basically reboot the film franchise of when the Autobots came to Earth. Unless they got off later it's all bullshit.

This film is a reboot or whatever.

Unless some how even the idea and I'll talk about some Days Of Future Past stuff happened. I should just talk about the movie.

I honestly feel the best thing about this movie was Charlie's and Bumblebee's relationship. Because I seriously feel emotional about it and how well developed it is. Even though I understand the criticisms about this film being cliche I understand. Yet I feel it works because of how the movie is set up.

Really over time I'm having this big liking towards Haliee Steinfeld I really do. Honestly the rest of the cast is good too still. I still like John Cena and especially the character of Memo. Very likable even though really the only reviews I've seen are Ragin Nation and FilmJunkee.

Had to go to Google then Wikipedia to spell his name right.

Especially seeing on news on Google Screen Rant made a news article 3 hours ago about how the post looked back at it they call it a post credits scene it was a mid credits scene about how it retcons Michael Bay's Transformers. No shit is does because I literally feel they did it they did that to reboot the Bayformers universe. Ether it was Travis Knight or someone told Travis hey man can you put this scene in the movie or some one did.

Really one character I didn't like was this Tina bitch. Seriously I remember the first time and even watching this the 2nd time. This blonde bitch I'm surprised during that cliff scene Bumblebee didn't roll up the window to hurt her arm or even open the door to push her. Or hell I'm surprised Charlie didn't even get violent.

Yet really glad her car was totaled.

In fact it's weird watching this film I wanna be honest. I am so used to the harshness of the Bayformers. Because I feel like in certain scenes I expect Charlie to say, "FUCK YOU!" to some of the characters. Especially the action.

I'll be honest the Bayformers films mainly that 4th drove me off of and even the 5th despite I never seen it. I'm a ex fan yet I like other parts of the franchise.

But I like the action. Yes Michael Bay's action scenes aren't the best and I guess the best way you can call them a mess. I like the set pieces. Seriously I basically grew up with those first three films.

I still like the first that film got me to become a Transformers fan I saw it four times, the 4th time being the Imax release. Because of Bumblebee to be honest it was weird for this film not be PG-13 but it's great.

Yet I weirdly want another big Transformers film that has this heart this film had.

Or just the idea of such a film like that. You know how fucking beautiful those The Last Knight trailers are they are fucking amazing until you hear the films reception.

Especially I've talked about how I would love to see Charlie again grown up. I want her to be a protagonist in one of those films. She's older in her early 50's sorry to say well she was born in 1969. I just want to see her and Bumblebee again. Especially while before I got to think more about how this is a reboot. Yeah also Agent Jack Burns and Memo if you want especially more development on him.

Remember that old idea I've talked about what if we had a movie where the rebooted movie verse met the dimension of the Bayformers. In the end the Bayformers dimension dies like a passing the torch thing. Including shit like now it's like a grown up Charlie meets Cade Yager and Sam Witwicky.

But really I feel like considering the last few movies Shia Labeouf might not wanna come back, including Mark Wahlberg because he said The Last Knight was his last Transformers film. Yet I feel with how this film changed the timeline, I don't think that's gonna happen.

God I'm seriously interested in what's next.

So I see and it's on Google the screen writer for this film has an idea for a sequel. Fucking fabulous, because I want one. I went to see this again because I'm worried it's failing. There is so much good shit out right now but some movies aren't getting money. Yet I don't wanna say they are bombing like but 3 Buck Theater made a video about this and I see a thumbnail by Ragin Nation this is a bomb please no.

I want a big Transformers film that is better then the Bayformers films. Including I wanna be excited for Transformers again and this film made me happy. I'm excited for whatever films comes next. Probably the 6th or even that Cybertron prequel because seeing those Cybertron parts was fucking awesome.

Can I just say Shatter and Dropkick are a nice antagonist duo. Considering the film was more simple then the others. They we're nice antagonists. While not like Megatron or whatever else had to go to the Wikipedia page of this movie to see their names in case. Yet yeah their different and cool.

Also when we get more and better Transformers films can we have a better version of Grimlock my favorite? Voiced by Gregg Berger had to Google search him up I got his name right but his first name has two g's. Can we have a version of Grimlock like Fall Of Cybertron portrayed him and what I've heard of the G1 comics please can we have that. Because that version would make more sense then the development Optimus had in the 4th movie and would fit Grimlock better. Especially what I hear about the 5th movie. Sorry if I'm rambling.

Especially I weirdly want Charlie to interact with a angry stubborn Grimlock who thinks his way of handling things are better.

Tags dealt with but I think I've said all that I might of wanted to say or something. Really do like the movie and want more films but hopefully and I don't wanna stress Travis Knight but can he be involved still some how. I mean these films can be big so I don't wanna have him stressed out. But can we have more directors like him or something.

Edit(I did a lot for this but taking off the edit mentions like 4th) forgot this like this whole thing this reunion of characters it's like the Infinity War of Transformers which okay and I just thought a few seconds ago before editing this. I'd rather have that big some what Infinity War event be a different version of Unicron who's not Earth instead he's his own planet who wants to eat Earth and basically humans, Autobots, and Decepticons have to team up to stop him I'd rather have that. Been wanting that for years ever since they were promoting the 2nd movie. or just whatever bring more awesome movies like this especially big ones too.

okay I added Jack Burns tag because I liked him as a character. But I didn't wanna leave Memo yet he doesn't have a last name and I feel it be weird if that was just his tag. Especially someone put a Jack Burns tag and yeah I wanna see John Cena again. That may sound weird but I liked his character too.

#transfomrers #bumblebee movie #bumblebee 2018 #charlie watson #grimlock #optimus prime #jack burns

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simplyhasanah · 6 years

Text

Just exactly a year ago on today’s date, my grandmother was released from the hospital where she had to be hospitalized for almost one month and was bedridden. It was only because she slipped on the floor and fell- exactly on her pelvic, which was found out to be broken. If she was 20-30 years younger, she would’ve been operated instantly but it was because she surpassed the 70 years of age, the doctors said the best thing is to let her be; let it heal by itself. What the hospital could do for her was to monitor her health status, keep her health stable and help her ease her pain.

There were so many priceless lessons that I learned within those months because I was always beside her. Plus, when you’re surrounded by many sick people at the hospital, you’ll feel more grateful and humbled, too. But most of all, you’ll definitely see Allah’s Mercy and Blessings there.

I’ll share some of my writings last year since I wasn’t active in this blog at that time. Here goes:

23rd March 2017

Mudahan baik-baik saja, nek (Please let the news be good for you, grandma). Minta dijauhi daripada perkara yang buruk (May you be kept away from any harm). May Allah grant shifa to you, nek. Aamiin yaa rabbal ‘alamin.

I shared a quote from the book called ‘Mauizhah Hasanah’ by Ustaz Ahmad Dusuki Abdul Rani,

“Apa yang dikumpul takkan menjadi milik melainkan diberikan pada yang memerlukan untuk Allah.” and

in English, it says “What was collected will never be owned unless it was given to the needy for Allah.”

26th March 2017

I posted a photo of my luggage with a caption, ‘Kan belayar…ke hospital.’ Going to travel…to the hospital.

27th March 2017

Earlier last night on 26th March with some of my uncles, aunt, cousins- we were celebrating my cousin, D’s birthday beside Nenek. Definitely one of the nights to remember. ‘Meriah’ (Lively), almost to the max. Balik-balik kana marahi (We’ve been scolded many times) due to the loudness of our voices. But Alhamdulillah.

Nenek’s feeling much better from the last few days. Her willpower is there. Alhamdulillah, thank you and may Allah bless you yang sentiasa mendoakan (those who always pray for her).

Di mana ada kepayahan, di sana Allah permudahkan. Where there is difficulty, in there Allah will give ease.

Di mana ada kesungguhan, di sana Allah memberi jalan. Where there is a will, in there Allah will show the way.

InshaAllah. May Allah continue to grant us good health, guidance and blessings always.

28th March 2017

I shared a photo quote by Dodinsky, “You have an important task in life. If someone feels empty, talk about their worth. If they are lost, help guide them back to their path. If they are weakened, remind them of their strength. If in despair, show them there is always hope. And remember, this undertaking always begin with YOU.”

And I reminded myself and others: Life in this (temporary) Dunya isn’t about serving our lowly nafs (desires). It goes beyond that. When we serve for others, we serve for Allah.

29th March 2017

It’s been almost a week. The doctors said it might take a while to recover. We don’t want to focus on the numbers but we want to make sure Nenek is recovering well. She had been having troubles sleeping at night and even during the day. But she is sleeping soundly now, Alhamdulillah. Mudahan cepat sembuh, nek. (May you recover well, grandma), Aamiin, aamiin..

I posted a photo of my baby nephew: Look who’s visiting! (I remember Nenek was really happy to see him).

31st March 2017

I shared a quote by Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan, “When you find yourself in a position to help someone, be happy! Because Allah is answering that person’s prayer through you.”

1st April 2017

I shared the first three verses of Surah Al-Ankabut,

“Alif Lam Mim. Do men think that they will be left alone on saying, “We believe”, and that they will not be tested? We did test those before them, and God will certainly know those who are true from those who are false.”

Then, I reminded myself and others: Tests are temporary but our reactions and responses during those tests last with Allah; they stay to prove how faithful we are to Him.

I shared an excerpt from the Mauizhah Hasanah book, “Dalam kehidupan kita, suatu masa kita akan merasai kenikmatan yang berterusan. Lama kelamaan, Allah akan menarik nikmat sedikit demi sedikit yang terdapat dan dirasai oleh kita itu.” (In our lives, one day we will experience a continuous enjoyment (ni’mat). Over time, God will take the ni’mat that we have little by little).

I also shared a story from the book, “Ada suatu kisah yang diceritakan oleh seorang sahabat saya. Suatu ketika, beliau menziarahi seorang gurunya. Gurunya itu menghidap pelbagai jenis penyakit, ada kencing manis, darah tinggi dan lain-lain. Ketika beliau menziarahi gurunya, gurunya menghidangkan durian dan memakannya. Sahabat saya ini terkejut, dan bertanya kepada gurunya, “Tok guru makan makanan begini, tak takut mati ke?” Lantas tok gurunya menuding jari ke arah hadapan rumahnya iaitu tanah perkuburan dan berkata, “Itu, di hadapan sana, semua itu berpantang makannya, tapi tetap juga mati.”

In English, it says, "There is a story told by a friend of mine. Once, he visited his teacher. The teacher has various diseases, diabetes, hypertension and others. When he visited his teacher, his teacher served durian and ate it. My friend was surprised, and asked his teacher, “Tok guru ate this kind of food, are you not afraid to die?” Then his teacher pointed his finger at the front of his house, which is the cemetery and said, “There, in front, all (people in cemetery) abstained from eating it, but, still they die.”

2nd April 2017

I shared another excerpt from the book, “Suatu perkara yang boleh diambil daripada intipati ayat ini ialah tatkala kita dicemuh orang, dihina, dikeji atau sebagainya, tanamlah dalam hati kita, kita ada akhirat. Biarlah kita dikhianati orang, asalkan kita bersabar, dan terus bersabar, dan berdoalah moga-moga Allah ganjari syurga kepada kita atas sifat kesabaran itu.”

In English, it says, "One thing that can be taken from the essence of this verse is that when we are being insulted, humiliated, degraded or so, plant (thoughts) in our hearts that we have the hereafter. Let us be betrayed by people, as long as we are patient, and continue to be patient, and pray that God will reward us for the act of being patience.”

I shared a quote by Habib Saggaf bin Mahdi, “The extraordinary person is simple in his speech but great in his action.”

I captured a photo of the hospital’s TV with the lights off with the caption: Watching “IQRA” with Nenek. One of the best teledramas that teaches you so many priceless lessons and gives you powerful reminders. The teledrama looks simple and some might see it as plain, but subhanAllah, they can really wake you.

3rd April 2017

One of the things that made me realise while staying in and going back and forth to the hospital is that Allah can just take one of our blessings, health- away from us…and He SWT can also give it back to us whenever and wherever we are. Below are some thoughts that have been going on in my mind whenever I’m here (in the hospital):

We are powerless without Allah.

One blessing’s taken doesn’t mean we are being ignored, rather the attention is on us. Alhamdulillah ‘ala kulli hal.

If we are truly servants of Allah, we will remember Allah all the time. In good health or in sickness, we will practise Sabr and Shukr.

Race, Ranks, Status will be insignificant. Whoever you are, a poor or a rich person…if you have a sense of pride and ego…sickness is an important lesson to teach you- that whatever you do even if you do things by yourself, you will still need help from others. ‘Help’ from others come from Allah.

Sickness in physical form can be a platform to strengthen our spiritual state. When we feel weak, the only choice is to be strong. Remaining to be weak is not an option. We need to move on if we want to be on Allah’s side.

If Dunya is like a temporary destination, hospitals are like airports for souls. Some have to stay for a while. Some went ahead to the destination according to their own intention and effort in getting their ‘ticket’. We will be sent when the time is right.

Humans are forgetful beings. It is best to always make du’a and prayers to Allah to give us Hidayah and Tawfiq always for these two are the greatest gifts a Muslim can have.

4th April 2017

I shared a quote by SDH, “Don’t be sad dear chosen ones.”

Another quote by Power of Positivity, “The strongest people make time to help others, even when they’re struggling with their own personal problems.” while inserting a reminder for myself and others: Remember Rasulullah SAW and his companions…

5th April 2017

I shared a photo of my grandmother in her purple hijab and pastel coloured baju kurung with a pillow at her back and with her sitting on a wheelchair with a caption: Nenek’s first day exercising at Physiotherapy Department.

I also shared a photo of the word ‘Sabr’. So I just witnessed one of the nurses being rude to us despite trying to cover her rudeness with a forced sweet voice and a forced sweet intonation. But when the manners are rude, they are still rude. No matter what. I nearly lost my temper. Okay, perhaps I lost my temper a bit but I nearly explode. Seriously, this makes me question why you want to become a nurse in the first place. Sesungguhnya, ramai lagi manusia seperti dia. (Actually, there are many others like her). Tapi entah kenapalah marah ku begitu meruap-ruap malam ini. (But why am I filled with so much anger tonight). Ya Allah, grant me patience.

I wrote a ‘rant’: You cannot hide your ugly personality by beautifying your face, your voice or your appearance. Ugly personality comes from a dirty heart. Yes, beauty comes from within.

6th April 2017

I posted a photo of my grandmother trying to walk using the four-legged stick with two physiotherapists holding her from both sides. Captioned ‘Day 2: Syafakillah dear Nenek.’

I shared a photo quote by Simple Reminders, “Never discredit your gut instinct. You are not paranoid. Your body can pick up on bad vibrations. If something deep inside of you says something is not right about a person or situation, trust it.”

7th April 2017

I shared a text post which I’ve written on 7th April 2014:

Now you’re exactly where Allah wants you to be but bear in mind, it is only temporary. Your body will age, your face and skin will deteriorate. Your wealth and status will soon be forgotten but your bad and good deeds will forever be written. But remember, the thing that can erase the bad is a true repentance so long as you keep your iman on perseverance. So what if some people are treating you bad, it’s how you respond with kindness that makes Him be extremely glad. His Pleasures is what you truly seek, not the world and falsehood that are full of deceit. Be mindful, without a sincere intention, all those billion actions won’t make Jannah happen.

I captured a photo of the book called The Art of Doing with a caption: Was gifted this book earlier by The Queen (one of my close friends) and my first impression was, “Are you saying I’m not doing anything?” (insert laughing emojis). So sorry for saying that, Your Majesty, my mental state is a bit unstable at the moment but thank you so much for this book. You really know much much I love reading the How-To books. Jazakillah khairan kathira!

I shared a quote by Rumi, “It’s your road, and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.’

8th April 2017

I shared a photo of my grandmother being held by two physiotherapists while she was holding the four-legged cane with a caption: Day 4. A good improvement, nek.

I shared a quote by Walid Al-Malik, “Duhai anakanda, jika masih banyak merungut dan tidak redha dengan ketentuan takdir juga musibah. Makanya, kamu masih belum benar-benar bertauhid.” In English, it says, "Dear child, if you still have a lot of complains and are not accepting with the fate and misfortunes. That means you still have not practised Tawhid.”

I posted a beautiful photo of the sky and trees outside my house with a caption: Syukur, I get to see His creations once in two or three days these days. Being stuck in one place can be challenging and suffocating. But all that is to train one’s patience. Patience can be practised in two occasions (or more); in dealing with calamity and in dealing with people. I usually struggle with the latter, unfortunately. But as time goes by and as Allah gave me some reminders here and there, I came to realize that sometimes Allah wants to teach us how to be thankful first at the moment when we have the right to become angry, which is also the perfect time to practise patience. One of the main reasons why humans are forgetful, in my observation, is that we forget we have Allah by our side….we forget that it is Allah who made everything possible be it giving lives or taking lives…we forget that it is Allah who gave us all those gifts and blessings, which sometimes were disguised in ordeal and calamities. Another reason why we forget Allah is we are too obsessed with chasing the Dunya, focusing on Dunya more than our Akhirah, astaghfirullah. No matter what we experience, if we remember Allah (remember His Greatness, remember who we are, remember that He always listens, He is the Most Just, the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful…this could go on and on), our hearts will find peace. Alhamdulillah ‘ala kulli hal.

9th April 2017

Just because you don’t see someone working behind your back, it doesn’t mean that they are not doing anything. Be thoughtful. Be considerate. Be kind. Because you know what? Allah sees more than you do.

10th April 2017

After about 2 weeks (and more) staying at the hospital (while taking turns with my sister, G), I finally could take a breather. This means I get to update my daily planner, which is also 2 weeks (and more) behind. Reflecting on the recent events that have been happening within the past few weeks, I seriously feel like I’ve been forced to take a ride on a roller coaster non-stop while trying to remain fixed on my seat, I could not go anywhere or I might be thrown off my seat thus will only cause harm to myself even more. The least that I could do is just to stay calm on my seat but once in a while I might do the opposite- perhaps to make sure that I am still alive. I cried, I smiled, I laughed. I got scared. I got angry. I got depressed. It was one heck of a ride full of emotions, spices of life. I tasted life, I’m still alive, Alhamdulillah.

Now, I feel like I’ve just been released from the 2-week roller coaster ride. It doesn’t feel as dizzy anymore. I guess I am recovering from that emotional and spiritual rides. But then again, as I got out of this ride, I came to discover that the world that I am standing on right now is full of those rides. Perhaps that is just the 10th ride that I’ve taken and who knows how many more rides I need to take until I reach the End…to Him.

Allah knows, Allah knows.

We may not like with what’s being given to us. We may not be comfortable with the tests and trials that await us. We may not understand what good it would do to us right now. But we have to believe. We have to remain tight on His Rope (Faith) that Allah is All-Knowing. He knows what He is doing. He knows what is Best for each of us. So please. Just do our Best, Believe, and He will take care of the Rest. InshaAllah Ta’ala.

***

Lessons from a Cleaner

Me to the Cleaner: “May I ask you to clean and mop the floor?”

Nenek chiming in while lying on the bed: “Yes, the other cleaner before had not done it earlier because there were many people wearing their shoes and forgot to take it off.”

Cleaner: “Sure, will do.”

Me: “I heard there were two people who just passed away.”

Cleaner: “Yes, sister. One passed away at 5:30 PM. Another, at 6:00 PM. Both were elderly people.”

Me: “Wow. How close were the times…”

Cleaner: “Yes… It was as if the Angel couldn’t stop. Once the Angel went to one room, he quickly moved to the room in front of him.”

Me: “SubhanAllah!”

- A long pause -

Me: “Yesterday- Thursday night, the patient next door also passed away. The next day, a new patient came in.”

Cleaner: “Yes, sister. Here it is always full. Every day, there are sick people. Today, there are three rooms empty. But tomorrow it will be filled. Every day, sick people come.”

Me: “Yes…but this is only temporary. Here is Dunya. Everything will be temporary…”

Cleaner: “That is why…in this Life, we need not be full of pride. There’s something Greater.”

Me: “Yes…”

Cleaner: “Alright, I am done.”

Me: “Thank you!”

Cleaner: “You’re welcome.”

11th April 2017

Alhamdulillah, Nenek has finally been discharged today. Couldn’t be more happier. The process of recovering continues… May Allah grant us strength and patience to persevere. Aamiin.

#personal

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ashwitch13-blog · 6 years

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@kawaiitimemachinewolf

Hey, so you haven’t given me your birth data so I can do a synastry but here’s my quick reading of your crush’s chart.

He’s an Aquarius Sun, which is conjunct Mars in the 8th House. So his life’s focus is something to do with inheritances, shared resources or possibly the occult. Being Aquarius, it’s likely to be a bit more out there than normal people and he’s probably got a bit of a focus on doing things for the good of others. He’s going to be super active in this area and probably hates being forced to sit around doing nothing.

His Sun opposes his Jupiter in the 2nd House in Leo so he’s going to have some trouble with resources and/or self esteem, especially early in life. But he can sort that out by being loud and flashy and he’ll never actually be in a bad place for too long.

Saturn is in his 3rd House in Virgo. This means he’s probably going to have difficult relationships with any siblings, close family, neighbours or close friends. He likes everyone to be in their place where he wants them and if they aren’t, it’s hard for him to deal. He might be able to sort that out later in life.

Pluto, the planet of death, rebirth, transformations and personal power is in his 4th House in Libra. So he’s going to have issues with his mother. It’s possible that she’s really controlling or she might have died (sorry). He will have a strong sense or need for justice and balance around whatever issues he has with his mother. On the other side of his chart, his 10th House is empty so his father might have been absent, especially since this House is ruled by Aries and his Mars is conjunct his Sun. So even absent, his father has probably had a big influence on his life path and career.

He’s got Uranus in Scorpio in his 5th House so he’s likely to jump in and out of relationships very quickly. (sorry - be careful - if you’re not the one to him he’ll probably lose interest quickly) He’s also likely to be a bit adventurous or kinky when it comes to sex.

His Mercury is in Capricorn in his 7th House so his long term partnerships (business and love) are going to need work and he might have trouble expressing himself to his partners at the beginning. Once he’s with someone, though, as far as he’s concerned, their partnership is like stronger than diamond.

Finally, he’s got his Moon, Venus and Neptune all basically conjunct in his 6th House in Sagittarius. This means his unconscious need is for service or working for people, possibly through long distance travel, higher learning, philosophy or religion. There’s an element of illusion, trickery or the mystical with Neptune there, so be careful he’s not scamming you. Make sure he actually has a job. Good news for you - you can impress him with your knowledge or skills or ask him to teach you something to do with his work and he’ll probably fall all over you.

Like I said in the PM, send me your birth deets if you want me to do a synastry to find out how compatible you two are.

#astrology #natal chart #crush

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spookysmazeofbooks · 4 years

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Round 2 of Becca's BOOKOPOLY READATHON

so since I'm almost finished with round 1 , I thought I would go ahead and pick the books for round 2.

If you want to take a look here is what I read for the first round

https://spookysmaze.blogspot.com/2020/08/beccas-bookoplaton-reading-challenge.html

Now on to the second round

1 roll: 8

Light cover :

Title: Whiteland

Author: Rosie Cranie-Higgs

Pub : : October 15th 2020

Publisher: BHC Press

NetGalley ARC

You’re only going to get burned.’ ‘By what?’ ‘Monsters,’ she calls into the night. ‘And girls who go looking for them.’ In a lonely Swiss mountain village, Kira’s holiday erupts. It’s winter, it’s eerie, and out in the woods, something imbeds its claws into her sister. When Romy returns, she’s different. She’s violent, inhuman, and by rights, should be dead. But all their parents care about is that she’s still alive. That is…until their parents disappear. In the otherworldly forest, Kira starts to pry, but secrets like to be kept. Alongside sarcastic Scotsman Callum, Kira stumbles upon the folkloric world of Whiteland, eating all she knows. Something has changed. It’s all but imperceptible, but present nonetheless; a change in the air, or a shift in her perceptions. She stills, listening, sensing. If Kira runs away, she’ll be safe. If she doesn’t, her family might not survive. In the end, there’s no mercy in revenge.

2nd roll: 8

community shelf ( good or bad prompts)

horror

Title: The Easton Falls Massacre: Bigfoot's Revenge

Author: Holly Rae Garcia and Ryan Prentice Garcia

Genre: Horror

Pub date: October 30th 2020

Publisher :Close to the BoneBooksirens ARC Note : came as a recommend from : Books of Blood Youtube :

https://youtu.be/vYFq7qyEW3E

US Army Veteran Henry Miller embarks on a hunt at the edge of the Black Forest, but strays from the path and finds himself too close to the East Cascade Mountain Range. Something lurks in the forest on the other side of those mountains. An ancient race of Bigfoot that have kept to themselves for centuries, until one of them defies the warnings and roams too far from the safety of their home. When these two intersect, alliances are broken and events set in motion that will leave residents of the town of Easton Falls, Washington, fighting for their lives.

3rd roll:5Change

Title: Plain Bad Heroines

Emily M. Danforth

LGBT literature

October 20th 2020

William Morrow

NetGalley

The award-winning author of The Miseducation of Cameron Post makes her adult debut with this highly imaginative and original horror-comedy centered around a cursed New England boarding school for girls—a wickedly whimsical celebration of the art of storytelling, sapphic love, and the rebellious female spirit. Our story begins in 1902, at The Brookhants School for Girls. Flo and Clara, two impressionable students, are obsessed with each other and with a daring young writer named Mary MacLane, the author of a scandalous bestselling memoir. To show their devotion to Mary, the girls establish their own private club and call it The Plain Bad Heroine Society. They meet in secret in a nearby apple orchard, the setting of their wildest happiness and, ultimately, of their macabre deaths. This is where their bodies are later discovered with a copy of Mary’s book splayed beside them, the victims of a swarm of stinging, angry yellow jackets. Less than five years later, The Brookhants School for Girls closes its doors forever—but not before three more people mysteriously die on the property, each in a most troubling way. Over a century later, the now abandoned and crumbling Brookhants is back in the news when wunderkind writer, Merritt Emmons, publishes a breakout book celebrating the queer, feminist history surrounding the “haunted and cursed” Gilded-Age institution. Her bestselling book inspires a controversial horror film adaptation starring celebrity actor and lesbian it girl Harper Harper playing the ill-fated heroine Flo, opposite B-list actress and former child star Audrey Wells as Clara. But as Brookhants opens its gates once again, and our three modern heroines arrive on set to begin filming, past and present become grimly entangled��or perhaps just grimly exploited—and soon it’s impossible to tell where the curse leaves off and Hollywood begins.

4th roll: 7

Nature on cover:

The Last To Know

Author: Jo Furniss

Genre: thriller

Lake Union Publising

August 11th 2020

NetGalley

A family’s past pursues them like a shadow in this riveting and emotional novel of psychological suspense by the Amazon Charts bestselling author of All the Little Children.

American journalist Rose Kynaston has just relocated to the childhood home of her husband, Dylan, in the English village of his youth. There’s a lot for Rose to get used to in Hurtwood. Like the family’s crumbling mansion, inhabited by Dylan’s reclusive mother, and the treacherous hill it sits upon, a place of both sinister folklore and present dangers.

Then there are unwelcoming villagers, who only whisper the name Kynaston—like some dreadful secret, a curse. Everyone knows what happened at Hurtwood House twenty years ago. Everyone except Rose. And now that Dylan is back, so are rumors about his past.

When an archaeological dig unearths human remains on the hill, local police sergeant Ellie Trevelyan vows to solve a cold case that has cast a chill over Hurtwood for decades.

As Ellie works to separate rumor from facts, Rose must fight to clear the name of the man she loves. But how can Rose keep her family safe if she is the last to know the truth?

5th roll

Friend pick:

Tittle : The Titanic Secret

Series: Isaac Bell #11

Authors: Clive Cussler, Jack Du Brul

thriller

G.P. Putnam's Sons

September 10th 2019

Physical book

Both a prequel and a sequel to Clive Cussler's first bestselling phenomenon,

Raise the Titanic!, the new Isaac Bell novel is a thrilling action-adventure novel from the #1 New York Times-bestselling author

A century apart, Dirk Pitt and Isaac Bell team up to unlock the truth about the most famous maritime disaster of all time.

In the present day, Dirk Pitt is must make a daring rescue from inside an antiquated submersible in the waters around New York City. His reward afterwards is a document left behind a century earlier by legendary detective Isaac Bell--a document that re-opens a historical mystery...

In 1911 Colorado, Isaac Bell is asked to look into an unexplained tragedy at Little Angel Mine, a disaster in which nine people died. His dangerous quest to answer that riddle leads to a larger one centered on a rare element with extraordinary powers and of virtually incalculable value. As he discovers that there are people who will do anything to control the substance, Isaac Bell will find out how far he'll go to stop them.

6th Roll: 7

Community Shelf

Title: Be Careful What You Wise For

Author: Vivien Brown

Genre: Psychological thriller

September 26th 2020

HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter

NetGalley ARC

Two strangers.

Two very different lives.

A chance to escape…or is it?Her life isn’t as perfect as you think…

Former actress Madi needs to escape from her lonely London life. She’s started to forget things and has the strongest sense she is being watched…

Prue feels suffocated by her claustrophobic village life, especially when she is humiliated in the most public way. Now Prue is desperate for anonymity –whatever the cost.

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jenniferfaye34 · 4 years

Text

#Giveaway + Excerpt ~ The #Prince and the #Wedding Planner by Jennifer Faye... #books #RoyalRomance #NewRelease #books #romance #readers #amreading #PrincPrism

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Note from the Author

Thanks so much for joining me for the launch of The Bartolini Legacy trilogy. This family saga filled with secrets, surprises and lots of romance begins with THE PRINCE AND THE WEDDING PLANNER.

Sometimes it’s a choice to change your life—such as starting your own wedding business. Other times, change can be thrust upon you with a phone call or in this case, the turn of a page.

Wedding planner Bianca Bartolini’s life has been thrown into a series of cascading changes when she returns to Tuscany for her parents’ funeral. Yet when she uncovers her mother’s journal, she comes across a bombshell of a secret. The words on those weathered pages put everything she and her brother and sister know about themselves, their parents and their relationships into question.

Crown Prince Leopold’s younger sister is getting married but what should be a joyous occasion is anything but harmonious. Leo needs some peace and quiet if he is ever to choose a wife—a mandated requirement before he can be crowned king. And then he latches onto the idea of hiring wedding planner Bianca—someone who will report to him and bring peace back to the palace…

I hope you’ll join Bianca and Prince Leo in this royal romance as they wrestle with the past and come to terms with the present in order to have a happily ever after future.

Happy reading,

— Jennifer

The Prince and the Wedding Planner (The Bartolini Legacy #1)

By Jennifer Faye

Contemporary Romance

Paperback & ebook, 256 Pages

March 1st 2020 by Harlequin Romance

When different worlds collide…

…sparks fly!

With her family name on the line, wedding planner Bianca Bartolini needs this royal wedding to go perfectly—she can’t afford distractions. Too bad the bride’s dashing brother has other plans! Duty-bound Crown Prince Leo has mere weeks to announce his own engagement, but none of the candidates measure up to Bianca. They’re the most unlikely match, but might that just make them perfect for one another?

(Affiliate links included.)

Go to Jennifer's Contact Page HERE and order your bookmark(s)!

EXCERPT: PROLOGUE February, Tuscany, Italy This was a living nightmare. Bianca creaked open the door to her parents’ bedroom. She peered inside, just like she used to do when she was a little girl. She paused as though waiting to be bid entrance. That would never happen. Bianca tentatively stepped into the room, her gaze hungrily taking in her surroundings. The bed was made just as her mother left it each morning. There was still an indentation on her father’s pillow as though his head had just been there—as though he would return to it that evening. But that wasn’t to be the case. Her parents had died. The acknowledgment made her heart clench. One minute they’d been vibrant and active. In the next moment, they’d died in a horrific vehicle accident. They hadn’t been going anywhere special. It hadn’t been a special day. It had been a perfectly ordinary day on a perfectly ordinary ride to the city to do some ordinary shopping. And yet it had ended with extraordinarily horrific results. The backs of Bianca’s eyes burned with unshed tears. She blinked repeatedly and sniffled. She had to pull herself together. Falling apart now wouldn’t help anyone. The funeral had just concluded and the will was to be read shortly. Everything was being pushed into fast forward as the vineyard had to be maintained. Springtime would soon be here and work would kick into high gear. Without someone in charge, the Barto Vineyard would suffer—her father’s legacy would languish. His precious prize-winning grapes would wither on the vine. The family’s attorney thought with the vineyard at stake, it was reason enough to push her and her two siblings to read the will today of all days—while she was still wearing her black dress from the funeral, while the estate was still filled with mourners that had come to pay their respects. All Bianca wanted to do that day was remember her parents—to bask in the love that lived within the walls of this vast villa. She pushed the door closed before stepping further into the bedroom. It was here, within her parents’ suite of rooms, she felt closest to them. It was here that her mother showed her how to put on makeup for the first time. It was here that her father had told her she could go away to university in the UK. Bianca walked around the spacious room, running her fingers over her mother’s elaborately carved dresser with the huge mirror suspended above it. She picked up her mother’s silver hairbrush and noticed the few long dark strands of hair tangled around the bristles. The last of her mother. Tears clouded Bianca’s vision as she thought of never seeing her parents ever again. It still seemed so utterly inconceivable. She kept walking around the room, her fingers tracing over all the things, that until just days ago, her parents had touched—had used. The thought tugged on her heart strings. How could they be here one moment and then gone the next? Bianca pressed a shaky hand to her mouth, holding back a wave of emotion that threatened to drown her in unbearable sorrow. She struggled to make sense of it. Why had they been stolen away when they were still so vital—still so needed? When she still didn’t have their approval—their blessing for the choice she’d made about her path in life. Knock. Knock. “Bianca, are you in there?” It was her brother’s voice. “Yes.” She’d been found too soon. The door creaked open and Enzo’s somber face met hers. Thankfully, he didn’t ask what she was doing in their parents’ room. She didn’t want to explain how she was grasping at anything that would make her feel close to them once more. “Everyone is waiting for us downstairs in father’s study.” The moment was at hand. Her parents’ final wishes would be known. And then the estate would be divvied up between her, her older brother and her younger sister. It would be so—so final. Her parents’ absence from their lives would be undeniable. “I... I’ll be there.” She turned her back to him, not wanting him to see the unshed tears shimmering in her eyes. She could be strong like him. She could get through this agonizing day without crumbling into a million pieces. She needed to think about anything but the hollow spot in her heart. She lifted her head and her gaze came to land on the old photos on the wall. It was a collage of her grandparents, her parents’ wedding and herself and her two siblings. They’d all looked so happy— “Bianca, they loved you.” And then her brother exited the room, closing the door softly. It was like her brother to cut through everything to get to the heart of the problem. Did her parents love her like they’d loved her siblings? She had her doubts. Bianca paused next to her mother’s nightstand. It was there that she noticed her mother’s journal. She recalled coming across it as a child and her mother shooing her away. She’d asked her mother what she wrote in her journal and her mother said it was a way to vent or a chance to mark something memorable. Her mother didn’t write in it often. Her mother had said she liked to reflect upon where she’d come from, so she knew where she was going. As a teenager, Bianca had tried keeping a journal of her own, but with two nosey siblings close to her own age, it didn’t go well. And when her little sister announced one evening at dinner that Alfio Costa had kissed Bianca after school, she had burned her journal and vowed never to write in one again. She so desperately longed to hear the gentle lilt of her mother’s voice but she couldn’t recall it. It was like her mind had erased the memory. How could that be? If she was already forgetting her mother’s voice, how soon until she forgot what she looked like and their moments together? She knew that she was being overly dramatic, but her emotions at the moment felt amplified. She didn’t know how to calm them. She picked up her mother’s journal. Her fingers traced over the buttery soft binding. Inside were her mother’s final words. Her fingertip traced down over the gold gilded pages. Part of her wanted to open the cover and let her mother’s voice speak to her. And another part of her said not to do it. Whatever was written within those pages was none of her business. The struggle raged within her. Tour Schedule

March 2nd:

Launch

Rockin' Book Reviews

Thoughts of a Blonde

Books and Zebras

March 3rd:

Pause for Tales

Wishful Endings

Bookworm Lisa

Jorie Loves A Story

March 4th:

Deal Sharing Aunt

Reading Excursions

Andi's Book Reviews

Two Points of Interest

March 5th:

Harlie's Books

Baroness' Book Trove

Peaceful Pastime

Splashes of Joy

March 6th:

Locks, Hooks and Books

underneath the covers

Bookish Jottings

Hallie Reads

March 7th:

Grand Finale

About the Author

Award-winning author, Jennifer Faye pens fun, heartwarming contemporary romances with rugged cowboys, sexy billionaires and enchanting royalty. Internationally published with books translated into nine languages. She is a two-time winner of the RT Book Reviews Reviewers' Choice Award, the CataRomance Reviewers' Choice Award, named a TOP PICK author, and been nominated for numerous other awards.

Tour Giveaway

- One winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card and one of Jennifer's backlisted titles, winner's choice of print (US only) or ebook (if outside the US)

- Three winners will each receive one of Jennifer's backlisted titles, winner's choice of print (US only) or ebook (if outside the US)

Ends March 11, 2020

ENTER HERE

#The Prince and the Wedding Planner #The Bartolini Legacy #Contemporary Romance #prince #royal romance #royalty #wedding planner #wedding #Harlequin #Mills and Boon #Jennifer Faye #Hearts & Scribbles

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dcbarba-blog · 5 years

Text

GOSPEL OF MY LIFE (2008)

GOSPEL OF MY LIFE

Life is like a book

Everyday has a new page,

With adventures to tell

Lessons to learn

And tales of good deeds to remember

My friends, as I am about to leave this Earth, may this gift I am leaving you behind serve as a memoir for you to remember and keep me within your hearts forever. May you treasure this gift and hope you will also learn from them as I have.

CHAPTER 1 These things I have Lived For…

“What’s my purpose in life?” This question has always been hunting me since I have come to think about my future. Why, indeed am I here?

Now I can only give you five of these things I have lived for.

First is God. My life is my offering to Him that is why I have lived it as purely as I could to be acceptable for him and be called His daughter.

Second, I have lived for my purpose, whatever it could be, I wanted to live for me to discover why I am really here in this earth and I probably did discover it. ;-)

Third, I wanted to live until I reach my shining star, until I reach my goal in life, until I could take hold of my ultimate dream.

Fourth, I have lived for my family and my loved ones for they are my foundation to whom I can always depend on.

Fifth, I have lived for my life. I have lived enjoying my life fully so I may be able to satisfy myself of the love of God for me as His child, as a member of his family. And perhaps I had.

CHAPTER 2 These Things I have Loved in Life…

There are lots of things I have loved in my in my whole life. I love life so much and all the things that goes with it whether good or bad. They are so many to mention but I will tell you some of my favorites.

I loved reading, watching TV, and sleeping. If you did not find me doing the other, I was certainly doing the other. But I am more seen propped with pillows, sitting beside the window, reading. I like Dr. Robin Cook’s science-fiction books. I love Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt adventures. I also enjoy reading inspirational books and leadership books by Max Lucado. Worth mentioning as well my number one book, my Bible. :)

With regards to food, any was fine just as long as it will not cause me stomachache, allergies and asthma. The list is quite a lot but we can just settle on veggies and fruits.

I loved watching action movies as well as inspirational ones. I specially liked The Matrix Trilogy (Keanu Reeves), Avatar (Sam Worthington & Zoe Saldana), Titanic (Leonardo DiCaprio & Kate Winslet), Tears of the Sun (Bruce Willis), Artificial Intelligence: AI (Haley Joel Osmont), Pay it Forward (Haley Joel Osmont & Helen Hunt), Notting Hill (Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant), Fireproof (Kirk Cameron & Erin Bethea) and a lot more!

Sometimes, when I preferred something serene, I just watched the once-azure sky slowly turning into grey and darker as the evening sky approaches and perhaps listen to the small night sounds drifting from afar or simply listen to music.

I loved silence, too. Believe you me. Aside from the fact that I usually study when everyone had already dozed off to sleep, this is also the time when I had my quite times with God.

There are also times when I preferred to do nothing. Just sit and listen to the night sounds. I loved it when I hear the whooping sound o f the wind and the musical tone of the falling rain. Moreover, I sometimes wonder how life would be without them. So, so…boring. Don't you think so, too?

So there you have it, you now know some of my favorites but there is still one thing more. One should also treasure and love his/her life for it is the greatest gift one could ever give and also receive.

CHAPTER 3 These are My Life’s Achievements…

As young as I am, I wouldn’t probably say that I have achieved much in my life for there are still so many things I long to do. But for the 19 years, I could say that I have achieved more than I expected.

As a daughter, I hope I did all my best for my parents to be happy for I believed that being one of the sources of other people’s happiness is already a great achievement.

Being committed as a student, was also an achievement. Being able to bring glory to one’s school, division and even region is another one. Being a volunteer of Silliman Pathways Youth Group which supports fellow scholars, I can say, was one of my greatest achievement as of now and that being able to lend a helping hand is very satisfying.

Indeed, what an achievement it was to be a blessing to someone else’s life.

CHAPTER 4 These Experiences I have Cherished…

All of life’s experiences, for me, were really worth cherishing (whether they may be good or bad) for both are still essential to each and every being’s existence. I bet these pages will not suffice for the space needed to tell you the experiences I cherished. So please allow me to share only so few of them.

One of those was when I was in grade 6 and won, among all other elementary schools in Dumaguete City, the 5th place in Editorial Writing. The sad part though was I was not able to join the regional due to lack of funds. I felt quite sad about it but it was as if a whole bunch of me was happy to discover my writing skill. And so, I decided to develop it with the aim that, someday, I will reach the national level. It was quite an absurd idea though for a 6th grader.

When I was in high school, I joined journalism workshops and eventually became a staff of our official school paper - THE HORN. And so it was during my 4th year when I became one of Region 7’s three Feature Writers to represent the region to the national level press conference. Truly, I really could not quite imagine how a young mind’s wish was realized. I knew then that if one really aims for something and focuses him/herself to it, and no matter what the obstacles were, are, and will be along the way, he/she will always be able to reach them with God’s abiding grace.

Another one of my experiences was when I was still in high school. I was then a Math Club member and we did an outreach program at one of the Municipality of Valencia’s (a neighboring town southwest of Dumaguete) orphanages. We brought food, clothing and other gifts for the kids.

Upon reaching the place manned by Nuns, the children were also their welcoming us with their innocent smiles. They were jumping, laughing and running around as if it was their first time to be visited. What I saw on my part though was the exact opposite. Hidden behind my smile was my sympathy for the children who were up to 10 years of age and there were also babies! My heart wholly went out for them. My heart was breaking.

There, we had a program and the children also presented their talents. We prayed, we ate, and then we chatted for hours. Upon hearing their stories, I felt a sudden rush of pain, fear and guilt. Pain because of what the children were going through. Fear of what they might become in the future. Guilt because instead of thinking that I am lucky, I sometimes am attacked with discontentment of what I had.

What I learned then was to be content with whatever I had while also working with what I do not have, be happy with it and thank God all the time.

CHAPTER 5 These Sufferings Have Seasoned Me…

Why me? Why do we have to suffer? Why are we experiencing all these hurts and aches? Haven’t you asked the same question yourself? I had. Loads of times. But as I grew up, I came to realize that what I thought about and experienced as a “suffering” was no more than an inch to what others are struggling with.

Let me tell you one that had caused me and my family so much pain- a story from our past.

Before, even when I was still young, I always ( I bet my siblings, too) notice this on-and-off strife of my parents against my father’s siblings. I did not exactly know the reason, perhaps I was too young then. Then came the years of peacefulness. But it was when my Grandma (father’s mother) died on the Christmas day of 2002. I thought, with the loss of our beloved, we will become closer but it did not happen. The next year, Eldest Uncle (Father’s eldest brother) passed away but instead of helping one another, this created a greater distance between his family and ours. Then during the next year, next eldest uncle died.

Those three successive years was such a traumatizing one for our family. Those three years took the biggest chunk of our ties as a family. Those three years triggered our family ties with our father’s side to loosen up fully. I was confused why, during that time of crisis, we happened to become like that—broken apart.

Now, our family has been living with ourselves alone. Though we had no one but each other, we go through each obstacle in life together. Through these hurdles in life, we became stronger and prepared, ready for whatever might lay ahead of us.

So why do we have to suffer? I, with all my heart, believe that God wants us to have stronger faith, to become better and stronger individuals. He wants us to know that He’s always there, that He’s waiting for us to call Him and that His strength is ours to lean on. He wants us to realize that His compassion is ours to receive and even in times of our stability, He is always there. He is preparing our character to receive that gift we have long been waiting to have.

CHAPTER 5 These Lessons Have Taught Me…

In my young and human mind, I just could not quite comprehend why we, humans, were so vulnerable to mistakes and why we could not simply avoid and prevent ourselves from doing so. I will be sharing some of the lessons I have learned through the course of my 19 years of existence in this world.

Before, when I was still a child, I was really such a “kapayason” child meaning I was such a “crybaby” that whenever I was scolded, I cried. Whenever I had a problem that seemed to be out of control, I cried. I sought out everything to crying. But it was one day when my brother asked me what’s the use of my crying when everything’s already been done and could not be changed anymore. He opened my eyes then. “ No use to crying over spilled milk.” Why cry with such simple things? Why cry when you could choose to pray instead?

Crying is neither bad nor is it wrong. Furthermore, I even read somewhere that crying is a gift from God. He gave it for us to have company whenever we are alone, it also cleanses the soul that full recovery and healing may do their part afterwards.

And I guess instead of relying only to crying, why not pray. There, one will have every opportunity to communicate with God.

Another one of my very bad habit was what we call the “manana” habit. In Filipino, the “mamaya na” habit. I always did things at the brink of time. And so it was in my 3rd year high school, we had a project making the basics of cross stitching. Thinking that the deadline’s still hidden behind the pages of the calendar, I dillydallied. Then all of a sudden, here comes the deadline! Cut the long story short, I made the project overnight and was not able to sleep just to finish the project and worse, my father would not allow me to go to school that morning because I had no sleep at all.

So that was it. But God really is good because I was able to finish my project. I learned my lesson. “Do what we have to do now before ‘now’ could be too late.”

Upon reminiscing, I remembered the day I was till about 5 when our Aunt scolded us for playing with her karaoke. Feeling sad and ashamed about it as young as I was, I did not accompany her to church that Sunday as I used to. My mother asked me why and she then told me that carrying a grudge within us is not good and that who’s affected is ourselves alone. I then apologized to my Aunt the next day. Truly what a great feeling knowing we have no hatred within us. Always remember that sulking will cause no good but anxiety and paranoia. Looking back, I realized that though they may be simple, the above are very nice and foundational lessons for a youngster.

CHAPTER 6 These Ideas Have Liberated Me…

What I had noticed is the people’s misconception of the word “liberated”. This word comes from the root word “liberate” which literally means “to set free”. But people, especially teenagers usually associate this term with something we-know-what.

If we are going to take it figuratively, liberate means “to take us out from the dark cave of ignorance” for it’s through these ideas that we are able to see through the dark, see through our close-mindedness, see through our hard-headedness.

Let us take for example our “going to school”. This is a means of liberating and preparing us to the world beyond. The lessons in school are the ideas we need in order to be liberated, to be free from ignorance, innocence, and to, perhaps, help prevent us from sinning.

Our ideas from our values class about good and bad, our principles and formulas in Mathematics and Physics, our knowing about the what’s, why’s, how’s in Science and others are the ideas which sets us free from the grasp of naiveté.

CHAPTER 7 These Convictions I have Lived by…

I had always believed that no matter how big the waves that pushes us back ashore, we should not stop rowing our boat.

One should not get discouraged when things go beyond his/her expectations. But let us remember instead that the greatest glory is net life’s never falling but rising every time we fall.

A smile, too, does help. Welcoming a new day with a smile on our face, love in our hearts and fine thoughts in our minds will surely usher a great day ahead of us. Smile also means happiness but it isn’t found when we seek it ourselves. However, when we give it to others, it will definitely find its way back to whoever gave it.

God never promised us an easy journey in life. He sometimes delays His help to test our faith and energize our prayers. He is always with us though. All we have to do is to hold His hand tightly and He will lead us safely.

So why not focus our minds on things that are beautiful? Life’s too short to waste on worries. Let us think of solutions instead, and not of problems.

Lastly, let us forever engrave in our minds and in our hearts that “Life is a gift from God. What we do with our lives is our gift and offering to Him.”

CHAPTER 8 These Beliefs I have Outgrown…

My friends, why is it that we should not cut our nails or comb our hair at night? Why should we not sweep our house at night? Why should we wear polka dots on New Year’s Day? Why should we step on ashes before entering the house from attending a burial? I still have quite a list of questions in my mind but I might not have enough space. These are just few of the beliefs our folks have passed from one generation to another. I respect our elders. But, with all due respect, for me, they are all but superstitious beliefs with no scientific basis or explanations. Furthermore, as I took a closer look to each one of the above questions I came to ask myself, “Why do we allow our lives to be run by such beliefs?” We should not, for though the future is unknown, we have a Known and an All-Knowing God.

CHAPTER 9 These Insights Have Arrived Through the Course of My Life…

Through the years, I came to realize the truth that God is the Best Lover of all time and of course, the also the Best Disciplinarian of all. He loves us so much that He gave us freewill to do whatever we want to do be it good or bad. He is the best disciplinarian because He allows us to reap the consequences of our actions whether they are good or bad.

Indeed, the world is God’s manifestation of that love. It is a place where He expresses His Love for us and as well as the place where we can do the same. Moreover, man’s nature of being vulnerable to sin should not be a license to doing mistakes. Why not prevent it from happening instead? That way, we would not be able to sin and blame ourselves in the end. Yes, there are circumstances where we are caught in sin’s spell-binding web making things out of control. I had been praying than we always ask God to lead us to the right path.

What is love, by the way? Love is described in so many different ways by so many authors but don’t you know that the shortest definition of love is just found in the Bible? God is Love (1 John 4:8). He is the Greatest Lover of all time.

Another insight I want to share is about prayer. Is it not that it is through prayer that we are able to communicate with God? It is the one and only channel by which we can talk to Him. Prayer, when done sincerely and wholeheartedly, can be so powerful for through prayers, He hears more than we say, He answers more than we ask and gives more than we desire. All He needs is our time.

Last but definitely not the least insight I learned is the truth that Jesus Christ is our only Salvation. He died in the cross and shed His blood so that our sins may be forgiven. The best Rabbi of all time, He’s the bridge that connects us to the Heavenly Father.

CHAPTER 10 These Influences Have Shaped My Life…

My parents had always been the main factor of the development of my well-being. They were the ones who nourished, nurtured and protected me. They were my first teachers and I will never forget the lessons they taught me. That is also why I love them so much that I did everything for them to be happy.

Second in line are my siblings who were my supporters, fans and advisers. They are my collaborators, my mentors and of course, my tormentors. :)

Next are my teachers who greatly added more to what I learned from home. They helped in broadening my knowledge and opening my eyes wide to see the real meaning of life and life beyond school and to live up to it.

In addition, all the people around me most especially my friends, also played a very huge role to my growth as a person and as to who I am now.

Being a wide-reader, books also influenced my life. I read different books with different genres. My number one book is my Bible for it is through it that my life slowly found its meaning. I also love my dictionary for it taught me lots of things I could not imagine. When I read, I always see to it that my dictionary is right beside me for whatever things that need clarifications especially words I hadn’t came across yet.

Truly, reading is a very wonderful habit and I suggest that you start doing it, too. The next time you do, you will be soaring to places you have never been, meeting people you have never met, and watching sceneries you have never seen. I can vouch for this!

CHAPTER 11 These Persons are Enshrined in My Life…

“No man is an island.” Exactly. Humans as we are, we are sociable beings always inclined to be in constant contact with other people. Well, who are these people from whom we learned about such? Yes, the people nearest us. As for me, they are my parents, siblings, friends, teachers and mentors.

But there is still someone who wants to have a relationship and fellowship with us. Jesus Christ. With Him as the center of our lives, everything will always be at bay. With our parents, we will be always assured with their love; with our family, we will always be secured with their protective embrace; with our friends, we will be assured that life is worth living with their caring smiles, with our teachers and mentors, we will always be lead to the right path.

Yes, believe me, get out of your shell and go out to the world that excitedly awaits you.

CHAPTER 12 The End…The Beginning…The Reality…

As a teenager, I still had plans to do, lots of things to accomplish, lots of things I wanted to have, etc. etc.

Yes, I did say that one should be content. Contentment is all about having Jesus Christ in our lives. His SHALOM in our loves. And Jesus also wants us to enjoy live and continue working and offer our everything to Him.

Dream big. Dream for your family, for the orphans, for the street children, for yourself. I had lots of dreams. Yes, I knew, my dreams are still too far beyond for me to reach. I still felt like I am inside my small boat constantly rowing, not knowing where to go with this vast ocean of life. Though I may not know where this life’s current leads me, though I am unaware where this wind will toss me, thought the fog of insufficiency blurs my vision with uncertainty, I believed I did continue on rowing for I knew that God was (for me) and will (for your all) always be here, guiding.

These are just few of the marvelous things, which you can explore upon voyaging through this vast sea we call life.

Bon voyage!

Adios, my friends,

Daylinda C. Barba

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kyuu-rereads-umineko · 7 years

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Ep6, Chapter 2 (Part 1)

I’ve got (some) momentum here, let’s not waste it!

Lambda, Bern, Erika, and Dlanor are hanging around in Beato’s smoking room, waiting for Battler to present his gameboard to them. Bern talks about crushing it, because of course she does.

“I kept making strange faces all the time last game thanks to you... Thought I might start getting wrinkles.” lmao

“Th-there’s no need to worry. The beauty of my master’s face is without peer, no matter how wrinkly it may get.” and bern looks pissed, lmfao

Dlanor expresses remorse over Beato’s death, Lambda basically says “that’s the way it goes,” and Bern looks smug as she comments that no one remembers who invented chess. that sums up their personalities pretty well tbh

“If Battler’s kept us waiting this long, he must be pretty confident in his plan.” See, this, coupled with Battler’s knowledge of the truth, is part of why I feel like he knows what he’s doing in this episode. Battler may be rash and impulsive, and he may be emotional and prone to losing his cool, but he’s not stupid. Hell, if the end of Ep5 is anything to go by, once his anger’s dissipated and he starts looking at Beato’s game with a critical lens (i.e. Knox’s decalogue), he’s able to figure things out pretty quickly. He might not have expected Erika to be crazy enough to fucking kill people to corner him (though I will say that yes, he should’ve expected it, because that girl’s got problems), but I don’t think he’s incapable of solving the logic error on his own. It’s really quite trivial when it comes down to it, especially compared to the narrative viewpoint fuckery going on in Ep5 itself.

Anyways. Gold butterflies, human shape, and... SURPRISE! Beato’s here!

(only not quite)

Bern muses that this Beato must be Battler’s piece, while Dlanor says that piece or not, she’s still Beato. dlanor why did you have to get teamed up with someone as awful as erika :(

“Father will be here very soon. I ask that you wait for just a short while longer...” urk

Lambda laughs, thinking it must be a scheme like the one she pulled back in Ep3, and Erika immediately goes for her by calling Battler “incompetent”. i mean it was declared in red like four episodes ago, so

“I’m sure Father understands it quite deeply. He really is good at that sort of thing.” Erika is... less than happy with her response, and states that Beato is “just one of Battler’s delusions, so I’ll erase every part of you and knock you down into the abyss of oblivion.” good sportsmanship

“I too cannot allow you such an easy victory. ...I, uh, look forward to having a good, clean fight.” lmfaoooo

At that, everyone clues in that this Beato isn’t just Battler’s piece or something like that. Lambda asks, “Just who... are you?”

funny how beato’s support in the first half of the series is asking the same question beato wanted battler to answer huh

Poor chick Beato, though. “Am I somehow different... from the Beatrice everyone was expecting? [...] I... I was only born recently, so I have no memories at all... H-however, I will study hard... in order to become the Beatrice you all expect...”

And in comes Father Battler, telling her off for leaving her room like a strict parent would. this is certainly awkward in hindsight

Chick Beato says that she only wanted to help, calling him “Father” again. Kinda like in Eps1-4, while I can deeply empathize with Battler here (the word “Father” would have some really disturbing connotations to Yasu herself), I still feel sorry for Beato. She can’t understand what it is she’s doing wrong, but he pushes her away anyways...

...And, understandably, tells her off for calling him Father. She lets out a sad “yes” and leaves.

“...This is a pretty weird plan.” lmao thanks bern

“Let’s start the 6th game. ...Erika, and you too, Bernkastel. This will be my tale, proof that I’ve reached the truth about Beatrice. Lambdadelta, please oversee this game, as a former Game Master.”

Battler announces the title of the episode - Dawn of the Golden Witch. Given that Episode 3 was originally called Land, it can’t have been intentional on Ryukishi’s part the whole time, but I do wonder if the B A T T L E R ‘ D thing was completely unintentional or not...

Even the narrative points out that Battler’s a lot more subdued than usual, and we jump back to Ange and Featherine.

“Ange. Beato seems very different from the way she was before.” YOU DON’T SAY

Ange comments that she’s surprised Beato’s even alive, given that she died at the end of Ep5 before Battler reached the truth. Yeah...

“There are two kinds of death in this world. One of them is when a piece is taken from the gameboard. This is only a death within the bounds of the game, and these lives can revive over and over again each time you start a new game.”

After a bit of talk about pieces and vessels (using Sakutarou as an example), Ange asks what the second kind of death is. “That’s the death of beings outside the gameboard. To continue with the Sakutarou example, this would be like Maria’s death. [...] It doesn’t have to be her death. Loss of interest or concern would have the same effect... When Maria grows up from playing with stuffed animals, then ‘Maria the game player’ will die.”

“I see... In that case, ‘Beato the player’ completely gave up on winning during the last game... so she died and vanished. If so, and if Beato thinks she has a chance of defeating Onii-chan again, she’ll come back to life, right...?”

Featherine basically says that the concept of time is the problem, and Ange catches on quickly, using skipping school as a metaphor. “Skipping school for one day might not be a problem, but if you skip for three days in a row, it’d be really hard to convince yourself to go back.” Featherine asks how it’d be if that period of time stretched on for a thousand years, as it does in the world of witches.

“You would never again... be able to regain the self that you once were. It would never revive.”

“Beato lost any chance or hope of winning... Even though she knew this, she pretended not to, and kept on fighting for many, many games. So, Beato will not return. Her hopes were crushed. She’s spent all of the willpower that she might have used to regain the will to fight. Therefore... that Beatrice will never revive again.” Ange realizes that the Beato who was hanging around with empty eyes throughout Ep5 was her “corpse”, but eventually even that was erased.

The Yasu parallel here is pretty obvious, but at the same time, the differences are kinda interesting - namely, Yasu’s “thousand years.” Not the fact that they were stretched over six years, but the fact that there are numerous moments that could be argued to have “killed” her - Battler not coming back after the first year, Battler forgetting to write her a letter, her developing feelings for George and moving on, starting to realize there was something wrong with her body, solving the epitaph and having her entire sense of self ripped away from her, and of course hearing about Battler’s return in 1986.

I suppose you could argue that Beato getting her hopes crushed so many times over - particularly when Battler got stuck at the end of Ep3 and when he responded cluelessly to her big question in Ep4 - are the Meta-World’s “equivalent” moments, and that’s probably what Ryukishi was aiming at, but... Hmm.

At any rate, Ange realizes that that’s why Lambda shackled Beato to the game towards the end of Ep4 - if Beato had died at that point, the gameboard itself would’ve disappeared. Once Beato’s will to fight was gone completely (Ep5), Lambda usurped her position as Game Master, and “Beato’s existence” stopped being a necessary condition for the gameboard’s existence.

“So... when Onii-chan managed to reach the truth... it was one game too late for him to tell Beato about it.” And in many ways, that sentence right there is the tragedy of not just the Meta-World, but Rokkenjima itself. Not one person even got close to figuring out the truth of Yasu’s heart before it was too late, and as a result, almost everyone died.

“The 5th game was a form of charity on Lambdadelta’s part... She merely showed Battler some mercy as the Witch of Certainty, acknowledging his strong desire to reach the truth no matter what...”

Ange disagrees pretty strongly, but gets back to the point. “...This weird Beato isn’t the player Beato. She’s just a piece Beato.” Featherine points out that if that’s the case, she should be the same trollish, cackling Beatrice we all know and love. Ange gets her point immediately - Battler doesn’t want an imitation of Beato that just does whatever he expects her to, so this Beato isn’t just a piece.

“Battler... might be trying to revive Beato in the truest sense. It is the never-dying dream held by children of man.”

Ange immediately takes issue with that, since Featherine herself denied the possibility in red, and she basically replies that there’s a difference between “Beato’s revival” and “Beato’s rebirth”. “Have you forgotten? I believe that Bernkastel herself revealed Beato’s true form at the end of the 1st game...”

“Now I remember... She said something about how Beato exists as the incarnation of the rules.” “Information began to be accumulated based around that rule, and in the end, it took the form of the witch known as Beatrice. If that pattern is followed once more, the same Beatrice will be born again, and perhaps one could call that a resurrection...”

“And that means... this pure and lovable kid will eventually grow up into that screwed up, crazy witch...”

Featherine muses that having Ange read to her is “far from boring,” and Ange quips that she seems to know all the answers already, and they trade a few more barbs. trolls trolling trolls trolling trolls etc. etc.

“Anyway. From what we learned in the 4th game... there’s no doubt that there’s some kind of antagonism between Beato and Onii-chan in the past. Learning about this Beato might give us a key towards finding the truth.” Featherine expresses interest in reading about chick!Beato’s story, and we jump to Battler in... uh, the meta version of Kinzo’s study, I guess? i dont even know okay. At any rate, more Battler/Kinzo parallels.

He finishes up creating the 6th game, and says to Genji (who’s there for whatever reason, probably because parallels), “I always thought being a Game Master meant you could make the tale however you want... but this is seriously harder than I thought it’d be.”

“You must write up multiple tales and make the inner and outer sides of the story match.” I really like this line. It’s a pretty good way to describe how the two sides of the story mesh together to create the “third” side - the fantasy tale and the mystery tale together make up the heart of the story. You can’t have one without the other, and you can’t reach the truth without both.

We get a bit of exposition on logic errors (i.e. don’t make them battler you fucking moron), and then Genji says that chick Beato - who Battler confirms is a personification of the rules - has awoken.

The way Battler lights up and starts smiling immediately once he hears that Beato’s awake... it’s heartwarming, but really sad at the same time, knowing how mistaken he is about what “Beato is awake” means...

“There was no trace in his expression of the hatred he had once felt towards Beato for murdering his family...” lmao

Ange and Featherine interrupt, with Ange saying, “In a way, that was the final riddle of the 5th game,” which, indeed, it is. “When Battler reached the truth, there was a great change in his impression of Beato.”

Ange wonders if that means that there really was something between the two of them six years ago, then recalls that that was denied in red back in Ep4. “We can read this as saying that Beato did not exist six years ago, or it could simply mean that she had no connection to Battler at that time. However, either way, Battler did not visit Rokkenjima at all for the next six years...”

Ooh. I’d forgotten that Featherine proposes that “Battler’s sin” was what led to Beato’s “creation.” “Almost as though... Beatrice was Battler’s piece.”

“Battler sinned six years ago. Because of that sin, people died. The killer was Beatrice... If you consider the possibility that everything is connected to Battler’s sin six years ago, then the one who created Beatrice was Battler himself.”

Ange expresses confusion, seeing as the culprit’s response to Battler’s “sin” (whatever it was) was a serial murder. Featherine replies, “The weight of a sin depends on the person measuring it,” but also goes on to say that even she thinks that’s “a bit excessive” as far as responses go. you don’t say

In hindsight, I don’t think it’s inaccurate to say that Battler’s sin was “the first straw,” if you will. Battler and his dumb pony promise and return six years later influenced the form of the tragedy, but not whether or not it would happen. I’m tired, I hope this is making sense.

Anyways, Ange wonders if Battler’s sin is hidden in the story up to this point. Featherine says she has a theory about it, then laughs and refuses to tell her. these two get along well don’t they

(Though yes, Ange, Battler’s sin is explicitly mentioned, so go looking for it!)

“Just what kind of connection do Onii-chan and Beatrice have with each other? Understanding that... will probably give me a massive clue towards finding the truth of this world.”

#kyuutext #umineko #umineko no naku koro ni chiru #dawn of the golden witch

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