#neither of which i have in abundance anymore

[emeraldskulblaka]

I like to think I'm a very uncomplicated person when it comes to liking or disliking shows and artists because I readily talk about and uplift (sometimes defend) many of them. At least, that's what I'm striving for. Who knows if I ever even succeeded.

However, I've been struggling with keeping up this attitude recently because it's beginning to feel like a facade. No, I'm not a hater. I'm not even particularly picky, I really do enjoy many things. But at some point, the discrepancy between my friends' enthusiasm and my own for certain shows/artists grows to big, and I find myself actively avoiding those shows/artists so I don't suffer from an overload of content when they share their latest news and footage. Usually, I can easily step away from specific content and thus retain my love for it (this is a skill I'm proud of), but when I'm confronted with it frequently, when a reaction is expected, I've found myself actively disliking or sometimes even loathing shows/artists I once loved.

This has now reached a point where I can't even bring myself to pretend to care. I'm not sure if this is immediately obvious, and I feel horrible about what I'm (not) doing, and as if I were a bad friend. What I ought to do now is open up about it, admit that I can't mirror my friends' enthusiasm, and apologise for faking interest, I suppose.

[anthurak]

So I thought I’d throw together a bit of a timeline theory I’ve been thinking about since the last episode surrounding Fizzerolli, how he started working for Mammon, when and how he may have gotten together with Ozzie, who exactly kept him and Blitzo apart after the accident, and also an idea for some rather appropriate karmic irony.

See, we hear in Mammon’s Midseason Special that Fizz has won Mammon’s Clown Pageant the last ten years in a row. But nothing about that indicates that ten years ago was the first time Fizz won.

Instead, I think the actual first time Fizz won Mammon’s Clown Pageant was fifteen years ago. As in, shortly before the accident. For one this really adds some additional weight to the flashbacks we get in Oops. The big celebration we see wasn’t just for Fizz’s birthday, it was celebrating Fizz getting his big break. Winning this competition and getting the chance to work with Mammon, the Sin of Greed himself.

As well as adding even greater weight to Blitzo trying to give Fizz a love letter. Blitzo likely thought this would be the last chance he would get.

Additionally, this would also neatly explain Mammon’s involvement in Fizz’s recovery after the accident. It’s clear that Mammon bankrolled Fizzerolli’s recovery and cyberization, so that begs the question of what would prompt Mammon to invest so much time and effort into helping seemingly some random imp circus kid? Well, what if said kid not only just won his Clown Pageant, but did SO good that Mammon decided pretty much immediately that he wanted THIS kid as his new brand mascot? And then just a few weeks or even days later, that kid was horrifically maimed in a terrible accident at his home? Yeah, I think that gives Mammon ALL the reason to stick his neck out for Fizz. And if you’re going to ask ‘Why didn’t Mammon just drop Fizz after he was basically crippled?’ Because Mammon is the embodiment of GREED. He WANTED Fizzerolli and he was going to HAVE him.

Plus, I think we can assume that this is where Asmodeus entered the picture, with Mammon calling him in to do Fizzerolli’s cybernetics. In turn, I think it’s easy to guess that Ozzie being so closely involved in Fizz’s recovery is when the two started falling in love.

In short, Fizzerolli spends the next few years recovering before making his big debut as Mammon’s new hot brand mascot, winning his next Clown Pageant, and goes on to win every pageant for the next ten years up to present.

Now the other angle here is the big ‘Who conspired to keep Blitzo and Fizz apart after the accident?’ And I’m going to be honest; it is DEFINITELY Cash Buckzo. Like I know some people have theorized that it was Mammon, but frankly that theory just doesn’t make sense anymore. Mammon simply doesn’t have much motive or means to have done this, and if nothing else, he straight up doesn’t recognize Blitzo in the newest episode.

Cash on the other has both motive AND means in abundance. He was certainly one of the people most closely looking after Fizzerolli after the fire and he had every reason to want to cut Blitzo out of Fizzerolli’s life. Likely a combination of petty spite against his son for causing the accident which burned down their circus, likely injured dozens and even killed his wife, and also wanting to isolate and ‘protect’ Fizzerolli, his big cash cow. Especially now that he’d gotten the attention of Mammon, with Cash likely hoping to get/mooch as much as he could out of this new arrangement.

Now that last bit in particular get’s interesting because it’s clear that if Cash was hoping to continue profiting off Fizzerolli, it clearly didn’t work. What with how we have seen neither hide nor hair of Cash around Fizz, who in turn has not brought him up once.

So what happened?

Well, in a bit of delicious karmic irony, I think Cash was the one to cut Blitzo out of Fizz’s life, only to later get cut out of Fizz’s life himself by MAMMON.

[officerrrfriendly]

The Taken, First Strike.

stranger things conjuring!AU, priest!steve harrington x demonologist/clairvoyant!fem reader.

With an abundance of reluctance, your feet found themselves taking brave steps one after another as they eventually met a birch-wood doorway. But it wasn't any ordinary doorway, inside sat her. The frail and misfortunate Maxine Mayfield, who you still referred to as such- out of a habit of profession- much despite her insistence on "just calling her max, she doesn't go by Maxine anymore."

And in that moment, all of your previous doubts from earlier flooded back into your brain, before you could give into them and turn back, she spoke out. She called your name, a glint of hope present in her tone with some desperation, too.

You sigh heavily to try and alleviate all the weight you suddenly feel pressing against your chest before you eventually reply.

"Hi, Maxine," you mutter, smiling softly before slowly approaching the vacant armchair beside her, full of funky patterns and colours. She sat timidly, her hands held onto one another whilst fingers from each hand wandered over freckles on the backs of her hands she had forgotten she had. Her hair was shorter now, bobbed and fell just below her ears but she was still so beautiful. You tried your hardest to avoid looking into the milky white orb of her left eye and the thick bandage that covered the gaping wound on her right.

If you thought about that night for any longer, you thought you would just about lose your mind- so you shook your head of protruding thoughts and focussed on the topic of importance here, which was the girl beside you.

She laughs, and this time it wasn't humourless or dry but it was real, amusing. "How many times have I told you to just call me Max, hm?" she pokes, she sits further up in her seat as you laugh along with her.

"If I had to guess...I'd say only about 100 million times," you say, with a sigh. Your answer makes her smile for a moment but then she sighs, something is clearly bothering her.

Unexpectedly, without needing encouragement to open up, she speaks. "No one's visited in a while, Lucas...he finds it hard coming here, seeing me like this. He's never said it- but..." she huffs, lowering her head down to the floor. "I know that every time he's here with me he's just stuck in that night, what happened to Billy...me. Even though I can't see him, I can sense it, he's terrified to be around me and I hate it. I hate it because I love him so much...do you have somebody like that?" As the forbidden question leaves her tongue it triggers thoughts you had wished to never think about again, you think of him- and how neither of you haven't seen or spoken to each other since that very night.

Your head shakes, wishing to be done with the thought of Father Steve, and how you've treated him since after the night of July 4th 1983...at the exorcism of Billy Hargrove.

"I'd rather not answer that question... Honey, tell me more about what's been going on with Lucas!"

.•.•.•

You wipe desperately at your tears as they fall on your way to your ocean-blue Austin Maestro car. Your fingers struggle to keep up with the vast amount that began to flood out of your tear ducts.

You harboured a considerably brave face - despite Max not being able to notice it- throughout the entire hour after Max had asked you that god-forsaken question to which you had no answer.

She had talked about Billy, her nightmares, PTSD, her love life and even her mom running off to the other side of the world with her new young boyfriend and a bottle of Jack...she lived a sad life, one you had hoped to someday be able to save her from. You wanted her to come and live in your miniature, yet cosy townhouse you had inherited from your late father Richie, god bless his soul.

Seeing her so frail and lonely, woke a sadness inside you that hadn't long gone away, however that sadness also carried a fuckton of guilt. The guilt of knowing that if you had actually, fully prepared for what you were getting into, perhaps you could have saved Billy Hargrove, Max's eyesight (and her sanity), along with her family.

CLONK, you pull on the door handle to the driver's side door and hop inside before taking one last pitiful glance at the hospice. "I'll be back for you...Max," you mutter.

You turn the rusty key into the ignition. The engine fires to life.

.•.•.•

Days had passed and now you were sitting, pondering in your office inside your humble abode. Max hadn't left your mind since your previous visit and you were thinking through the idea that has floated into your noggin and is actively refusing to leave.

A THUD snaps you out of your daydreams and you quickly glance up from your oak-stained desk to see the culprit who dropped four thick textbooks in front of you, stacked on top of one another. You groan when you realise that it's just Robin, the nosy librarian-now-assistant with a child-like grin on her face. 'Oh, she's up to something' you thought, rolling your eyes before asking- "What is it now, Roberto?" you ask, intrigued as you sit up in your seat.

"I think I may have a case for you, Psychic Sally." she grins smugly, pulling a picture of a young boy out of her pocket.

Now that caught your attention.

"Tell me everything."

And she does, she tells you about how a 'Joyce Byers' had called several times today whilst you were out buying groceries begging to speak with you, for your help and assistance as she believes something is gravely wrong with her 11-year-old boy Will and has been ever since they moved into their house two weeks ago with her fiance, Bob.

She claimed a fever, a change in behaviour, sickness and bruising randomly appearing all over his body seemingly coming from nowhere. OH! And not to mention whatever 'entity' is wreaking havoc among them is causing a putrid, rotten smell to linger throughout the entire house...and her dog suddenly died the first night living there after it refused to enter the home.

You were going to visit the Byers' residence...but not alone.

You had somebody to visit.

"Call Father Steve and tell him I need to speak with him immediately, please Robin," you demand, sighing nervously. as your right foot begins to shake uncontrollably under the table.

"Are you sure that's a...I...uhhh-yes! yes, I will go and do that for you right now, if that's...are you sure that's what you want to do because you know I can totally-" she rambles, her voice high-pitched and unsure.

You can't find words so you nod repeatedly, sporting a polite smile and motion at the door. She nervously laughs, gulping "Ha ha ha ha, well! I am just gonna - yep! Haha! Going," she begins to back out of the room pointing to the door, "going..." she reaches the handle before forcibly chuckling, "and gone!" she shuts the door and you can hear her scold "What the hell is wrong with you?...freak!! god...how do I still have this job?"

.•.•.•

"God...how do I still have this job?" Robin questions, huffing embarrassedly. She treks down the terracotta-painted hallway, full of plants and pictures of who Robin had learned to have been your late father. She had found that out accidentally on the first day of moving in with you when she asked, "Is that your husband?" which sparked a very awkward, tense conversation that you both had very quickly laughed off.

She had reached the coffee-coloured door with the cream handle and twisted it, opening the door to her room- filled with posters of Molly Ringwald, Phoebe Cates, Lisa Bonet, Madonna you name it and she had it!!

Full of purpose she sits on her side of the bed, cross-legged and grabs the telephone from her bedside table and dials Father Steve's number carefully before knawing on her lip and impending an answer.

The phone rings a good three times before there's an answer.

"Hello?"

A/N - Hi babies!! how was that?! I know it wasn't the longest but its just to give the story a good push before we really dive into the plot and have some fun. Poor Max :(( SHE DESERVES BETTER!! and poor Chester, such a sweet dog.

LMK how you found this chapter!!

current taglist: @stveharringtn

comment to be added loves :))

[lephamquynhnhu]

Panacea

Chapter 6: Latent cinders

Dan Feng x Fem!Reader

WARNINGS/ TAGS: The reader has a default name, OOC, mentioned blood, violence. (This is a work of fanfiction, events are not aligned or relevant to the original work)

Word count: 2k2

Summary: He met you on a drizzling day when hydrangea fully bloomed on its field. Amidst the sea of mild pastel petals, Dan Feng never thought the flowery domain that intertwined your fate was the precise thing withered with you. They said he was a dragon, a hero, a sinner, but never a person with love, hatred, sorrow, or joy like everyone else in this world. However, it was a demi-truth. He committed the cardinal sin because of you.

Note: Finally, I am back! My thesis defense went successfully, and I immediately returned to finish this story. Thank you to readers who still follow Panacea.

Do you like...depression?

As if the tragedy found you everywhere like hawks snipped corpses, it bore fangs into your throat til the end when another dire scene unfolded right before your very eyes. They bombarded the Devourers' base to destroy the minimum trace of their shameful project and covered the truth permanently. Although this was a predictable outcome you had already foreseen, it was unbearable to witness everything transformed into cinders. You numbly stood in the world of sorrow and ashes as your feet rooted into the ground, air frosted in your lungs.

When the last survivor of Devourers after Denizen of Abundance III thought of suicide, a weak sound crackled under the ruins, which attracted you rushing toward the source. Ignoring the tingling sensation that burnt your bare hands, you dug through opaque objects and black charcoal until Pumpkin's wet nose touched your scratched fingers. However, precarious happiness quickly dissolved into thin air like bubbles as you realized he was dying. A glass jar fell off his jaw when Pumpkin left some fragile whines to roll the inhibit serum to you. His golden fur got burnt because the flame touge fired half of the dog's body, and a ribcage bone pierced his liver. Beneath the wreckage were Pumpkin's footprints blurring on black soil, which translated that he could have run away but chose to return to retrieve the inhibited serum and got stuck.  

Your veins nearly popped out since you were compressing the sentiment. You did not want Pumpkin to see your tears, so you stayed strong til his last breath. Nevertheless, you could not hold back anymore as he licked your hand, and Pumpkin's soul left the world full of ashes. 

As if things were not even worse, Yaoqing soldiers appeared in the nick of time you were mourning over the last member's death. Your head felt empty, and all energy surged out when they handcuffed you to lead out the crumble base. Upon the shrinking display, crows started hovering around Pumpkin to knock their beaks, and some of the flock found a fine seat to feat. Members of Devourers of Abundance Abominations did not have a proper grave when they died, and neither should you. Perhaps the Yaoqing Authorities would order a butcher to execute you in private with a burial service called vultures or keep you alive to research another biological weapon of the next generation. (More talent and more preeminent.) 

A psychological voice vibrated scatter clauses snapped you out of the nullifying state: "I always dreamt of a field with bloom hydrangea." and "Please live happily from now on." 

Huang Yuan guaranteed not to divert the holy arrow toward Xianzhou, yet he did not assure of unsighted loyalty. With your now completed heart that attained human emotions, Yaoqing's action was the last straw of your tolerance, which led to the decision to become a deserter. 

The raven wings smote into the thick ambiance and soared through dark trees when they heard the wind seething. Their inky feathers took time to levitate over the monochromatic scenery and landed ground soundlessly. 

Before fleeing from your homeland, you implemented a proper burial for Pumpkin and others. Nothing existed besides ruins, crypts, and dried blood on the soil. There was no evidence of struggles. 

Yaoqing publicized your identification and declared your wanted posters across Xianzhou ships, even spreading them to their friendship planets with the crime of murdering six Cloud soldiers and desertating. Nonetheless, you cleverly stowed away on a merchant ship traverse to Talia and fabricated your papers. Thanks to the unstable regime, you could easily steal a certified ID card and then live under a camouflage named Yi Ting for years. When things settled down, and the Yaoqing assumed your death due to the short longevity of Devourers, they revoked wanted orders but deported your existence instead. 

It is hard to be in exile, yet you do not feel regrettable. Living in Zhuming for three years, learning gardening, and studying some botanical effects to suppress your symptoms, you moved to Loufu. 

Since the upheaval on that Spring night, you and Dan Feng have officially been together but in secret. Despite comprehending and being aware of your sins circumstantially, he decided to stay by his guilty lotus. As for you, it is a miracle as you can breathe even surpassing your due date long ago, yet the stone still burdens the High Elder's shoulder when your health goes downward. None of his treatments affect your state, as well as the imitated serum. In contrast, you are well informed about your limited time but accept the upcoming death and enjoy the rest days. 

Tomorrow is the tenth ceremony of winning Denizen of Abundance III, and you want to do the soul-soothing ritual for your comrades. Because you finally let old memories go and are ready to bid them a proper goodbye. At first, the Long Scion hesitates to follow your wish since the windy weather might impact your delicate status, yet opposing his beloved determination, Dan Feng gives in.

"If I sense any abnormal signs, we will return immediately." 

He places the test tube down to gently cup your face, and a familiar influx of ambergris with fresh herb flies from his sleeves; he smells like tranquility as always. A short implied hum drumming through your chest, vibrant the vocal fold as you close your eyes to lean on the comfortable heat that Dan Feng radiates off.

Maroon and scarlet added some citric flavor of lemony yellow that notifies another lustrous Autumn. Luofu's landscape endues its seasonal cloth with the mellow air of juicy grass as you and the Long Scion stroll to the town. Xianzhou natives are busy preparing their last things for the special ceremony, which even causes a more vibrant ambiance than usual days. 

You are excited to explore new aspects of Aurum Alley after days of lying in bed while Imbibitor Lunae trailing behind with a paper fan. A plain texture of ivory hue painted white lotus and writing a stanza poem by ancient letters. The embroidered crane wings seemingly move simultaneously with his actions. You find it bizarre to see him wear other accessories besides his single earring, but Dan Feng looks unexpectedly ronin. 

After the High Elder turns his heels to buy some sweets at a nearby delicacy pavilion, an outstanding story of Xiyan reaches your ears and catches your wandering mind. 

"Devourers of Abundance Abominations was an undead army that had contracted with Yaoshi in return for their pseudo immortality. The mercenary served under different lords in the cosmos and eventually betrayed them. However, their existence abruptly disappeared when those gist monsters fought for the enemy's side in Denizen of Abundance III. Some said the Reignbow Arrow wiped out..."

Enough of hearing a bunch of absurdity, so you cannot help but charge at Xiyan's collar and curse his story. Despite the excavating status, your eyes are bloodshot with murderous intention gleaming in irises, and your long-forgotten muscles progressively grow under the black gloves. Upon that quarrel, the crowd assembles due to human curiosity. 

"You mundane did not know anything about them and dared to mislead other people with your nonsense fairy tale? Devourers did not contract with the Plague Author to exchange for their blessings! They are human, and they are Xianzhou citizens! The Yao..." - This time is your voice trailing off at the forbidden name as a familiar hand stays firm on your shoulder to awaken your sanity. 

"I'm so sorry. My niece seems still under the effects of History Fictionologists and oblivious to the proper history." - The Long Scion quickly intercepts with a made-up reason to explain on behalf of you for causing the ruckus, and his protective arm wraps around you as a habit to prevent the counter gets any further. The ill-intent aura that you are giving off coils inside its cell as you mutter a decent apology quietly and then blend in. 

On the road to the Exalting Sanctum, you savor a sweet skewer Dan Feng handed over with a crestfallen face in muteness. All the joy seemingly disappeared after your encounter with Xiyan, so you two had better keep silent. 

Lining up your long-arm comrades' mementos to send off is another challenging task since touching them again meaning open the old wound. They did not leave any specific tools that belonged to them; if they had, their possessions returned to voidness. Thus, using things that remind you of them is most appropriate. Irene's Polaroid, Huang Yuan's photo, the comms device you last saw Jia Xi, and the promise you could not complete: Zi Wen's proposing ring. The nose bridge starts stingingly burning hot as you brush against the cheap metal. He must put all effort into creating his sacred vow to Irene, yet it is unsent forever.  

Your paper lantern airily ascends aloft and mixes with others, illuminating a solemn beige color that carries away people's sentiments. Watching them flow into a celestial river that flies across the cerulean sky, a glassy teardrop unknowingly rolls down your chin. Imbibitor Lunae pensively follows the glittering stream and holds your hand without diverting his gaze because he knows you do not want him to look at you. 

The sole solace you can seek from outsiders is Dan Feng's firm grip. 

Evening light is dense like a veil of maltose, pouring under the gravel path, and sometimes stones crunching under your shoes. People and inhabitants are getting loose with the new moon vaguely manifests, and the Big Dipper is over their heads. In this hour, the red velvet sun does not just glare upon realms below but also dyes maple trees into a crimson hue, shrouding you in the warm color of late Autumn. While you and Dan Feng stride back to the Faery Forest, an unexpected wind blowing through causes the scenery to quiver, and then maple leaves compete to fall. Unable to resist the poetic spectacle, your doe eyes morph from admiration to excitement as you dart forward to dance in the scarlet drizzle. When twirling around to find the High Elder, you bring along a glittering gold halo that gleams around, and he figures that his world has shrunk to your blissful smile in that momentary. However, strict wrinkles start forming as Dan Feng rushes toward you to aid your balance, indicating your free time is overdue. 

You two then take a break and watch the sunset together at a nearby wooden pavilion. The precedent breeze seems harsher than you thought because the Long Scion's disheveled hair now entangles with a red maple leaf, but he looks unbothered. You tenderly comb the long locks by hand and secretly commend its velvety between your fingers. 

"Feng, will you place a flower on my grave when I die?" - The enthralling activity may cast a spell on you as the sentence jumps out before you realize it. In contrast, a slight reprimand tone in Imbibtor Lunae's stern voice suggests that he is unwilling to engage in that topic, yet it is counter-productive since you want to press it further. An annoying feeling tingles on his visage when hearing that question twice, so Dan Feng leans forward to prevent you from the third chance to repeat. You immediately retreat behind like instinct and place both hands on his chest to stop him. 

"We are in public!" - Your hiss is no louder than a whisper as the astonishment trucked you with his boldness since the High Elder never wishes to attract crowd attention. Even if there is no one around, it is still a modicum possibility that people may catch. Nonetheless, your resistance is futile when Dan Feng's arm hugs behind to pull you closer, and his other hand opens the paper fan to make a flowery triptych, shielding your kiss from outsiders' eyes. The freshness and lightly spicy flavor of cinnamon with mellow sweetness like honey causes you to feel weak, and your heart quivers to the point of ache. 

"I won't let that happen." - You could hear the message loud and clear through his movement. Despite your lifespan getting its due day and there is no way the High Elder is capable of reversing death, you want to believe in his words. He silently puts a square box into your hand and encourages you to open it with a nervous emotion that carefully hides beneath his usual stoic face. 

A pair of earrings made from emeralds and share the same design as his. Their colors are as glassy as Autumn pond, as green as his eyes. Yesterday, Imbibitor Lunae gifted you three stocks of brocade and two meters of peach silk; today is the pledge of love. 

"You really do want to marry me?"

"Yes. Please promise you will watch maple leaves with me next year, the next ten years, and every year." 

The sound of Celest-Gold rings deafening around the restrained milieu, prevailing forthcoming footsteps. Under the dullness and stuffiness of Premilinary jail, Dan Feng finally found a clue to cure your lethal condition. That is the reason why he accepted to testify Primus Immortus. The prisoner is soon to be transferred to the Shakle jail due to the crime of Production of the Elixir of Immortality. 

[thebluestbluewords]

Eat More Dirt

The kids from the Isle of the Lost are tiny. They’re also dirty, but that’s easily fixable with some soap and water, and they’ll have that in abundance once they get the kids settled in their rooms. 

“They’re so dirty,” Audrey whispers under her breath. “Are you sure we can’t send them back now? They haven’t even unpacked yet. It would be easier on them.” 

“Be nice,” Ben whispers back, while trying to look like he isn’t. “They’ve had a long drive.” 

Audrey scoffs, very quietly, and flips her hair over her shoulder. “…wish it were longer.” she murmurs, so low that it’s basically inaudible, and therefore fine for Ben to ignore. 

The isle kids have arranged themselves in something like a line along the side of the limo. Two of them, the shorter boy and the taller girl, are staring openly at the school band, who stopped playing basically as soon as the boys fell out of the car. The other two are trying very hard to look like they aren’t staring, and they’re almost succeeding. 

“Welcome!” Fairy Godmother says brightly, “to the illustrious Auradon Preparatory Academy! I’m Fairy Godmother, your headmistress.” 

The smaller girl, the one with the messy purple hair who’s doing the best job at concealing her stare, twitches. “Charmed,” she says, and her voice is rough in a way that Ben usually associates with being sick, except she doesn’t seem sick. “We’re…glad to be here, I guess.” 

“I’m sure you are, dears. Well, we do have a few rules here, the most important of which is to remember that the gates of learning will always be open to you so long as you are here.” 

Purple hair leans back from the overbearing onslaught of Fairy Godmother’s enthusiasm. “Wow. That’s…cool.” 

“I’ll be seeing you all for a little meeting tonight, but for now, let me get myself out of the way so you can meet your student guides!” Fairy Godmother says brightly. Maybe a little too brightly, if the way the girl is pulling back is any indication. 

Ben doesn’t want her to pull back. 

He wants, suddenly and completely, to make these kids comfortable. 

“Hello,” he says, because that’s what he’s prepared. “I’m Ben, and this is Audrey.” 

“His girlfriend,” Audrey adds sweetly, clinging to Ben’s arm like her life depends on it. “Princess of Auroria, heir to the land of the dawn, and head of the cheer squad.” 

The taller girl, the only one who managed to step out of the car rather than falling, perks up at the mention of Audrey’s title. “Princess? I’m a princess too.” 

Audrey’s fingers tighten. “Oh, no. You’re not.” 

The girl smiles faintly. She’s stunning, Ben can already tell. Not that he’s looking, not exactly, but even under the layer of dirt and goth sensibilities, the new girl looks like she expects people to pay attention to her. 

“Princess Evie,” The girl says clearly. Evie. Her name is Evie. “Daughter of the Evil Queen, heir to the Mountain Territories, and presently the princess of the upper trade district of the Isle of the Lost.” 

“The Evil Queen holds no status here,” Audrey says through a smile so bright and fake it could sell toothpaste. “And neither do you.” 

Evie’s smile grows a bit wider. “I hold no status in Auradon, you mean. My land is on the Isle of the Lost, and I think you’ll find that I do hold quite a bit of status there.” 

Audrey’s hand spasms. “You’re not on the Isle of the Lost anymore, but if you’d like to go back I’m sure Ben could accommodate that!” 

One of the kids laughs. 

“No, no,” the handsome, dark haired boy says. He’s still laughing, and it makes him look…younger, maybe? Lighter? Different, somehow, than how he looked before. “We’re good right where we are.” 

[thatsparrow]

post-banshees of inisherin thoughts

the quick n dirty bullet point rundown of the, like, 40-min conversation my mom and I had about this while hiking earlier (spoilers ahead, ofc)

beautiful. this one goes without saying, but truly, every shot of the landscape is the most stunning vista you’ve ever seen. god let me live in colm’s house on that bay

the setting and environment is so specific (and claustrophobic, almost, despite the grandeur of the scenery) in a way that’s so vital to the story. in terms of the town, we only ever see the same handful of streets, the same three or four buildings, the same two-block stretch of storefronts and the harbor. because it’s set in the ’20s, we of course have no phones or tv, but no radio even. it’s an island off the coast of an island. there’s no sense of needing to labor to make ends meet, and so there’s an abundance of free time that lends itself to how quickly things unravel. pádraic asking “do you think I have nothing better to do with my time” and colm saying, “yes, you have nothing better to do with your time.”

jenny my beloved :(

feels rare that you get a story about a friend breakup that’s treated with the same gravity and intensity of a romantic relationship ending. of course pádraic loses his mind—what else does he have (never mind that their friendship didn’t make much sense to begin with.) who could see an ex-anything having the time of their life after they’ve cut you out of it and not feel needy, desperate, insecure, hopeful, jealous, manic (which is also why the ending feels like it leaves the two of them in a very co-dependent, destructive place that seems very reflective of a romantic relationship gone bad. colm’s not looking to punish himself for pádraic’s company anymore. he didn’t stop pádraic from burning down his house, but he didn’t let himself die either. pádraic’s violence and follow-through has finally made him interesting enough to colm to renew the relationship, even if it now seems inevitable that it will end with one of them dying)

truly the scene that clinches the movie for me is when siobhan goes to return the first finger and tries to understand what’s gotten into colm, and he says that it’s because pádraic is dull, and she fires back that they’re all dull—it’s colm’s inflated sense of self-importance and the value of his own time that sets everything in motion, but is it really earned? of course not, but here’s siobhan telling him as much. he’s not special, and neither are you. none of us are

only saw it once, and so am working off last night’s memory of the costuming and color usage, but special shout out to that bright yellow coat that siobhan wears when she finally leaves inisherin

the whole question at the heart of it—what makes a life worth being lived? to be kind to those around you, and to be remembered as such, even if it’s only for a generation, or to dedicate all your efforts to creating something that lives on after you, no matter the cost. how does that play out? all pádraic’s got is his niceness, and that’s burned out of him by the time the movie’s done. colm’s spited himself enough to prove his point to pádraic that he can’t play the violin anymore. but who’s to say the story of this disastrous friendship won’t live on after the both of them are gone?

overall impression: I’m glad I saw it, and I’ll likely never watch it again

[astroyongie]

TXT April Reading

Note: as always  please take my words lightly and enjoy 

Yeonjun

Love: Honestly Yeonjun’s love life is very complicated. I don’t think he is with his ex, however they still see each other often, they still communicate and sometimes are together, but it feels like he isn’t allowed to have anything with her anymore. Not that he follows the rules, because he still sees them when he feels the need to. His mistakes caught up with him which are making the whole thing complicated

Career:  It as been complicated for him lately, mostly because Yeonjun haven’t been managing his money well and due to the fact that he likes to show off, that kinda of made him trapped on his own little games. Despite the fact that he is having and amazing career, that he is enjoying what he does and I see a lot of good records for TXT and him, Yeonjun still needs to be motorized when it comes to money

Health:

Physical: He is healthy, but h needs to be careful with his sexual energy

Mental: He has been seeing a lot of hateful comments online lately, which have impact on how he presents himself. Yeonjun is an escapist as well, when it comes to emotions    

Soobin

Love: Seems like Soon have moved on from his ex totally and he is currently In a new relationship. Him and his partner have been meeting up a lot in secret and they speak often through phone and texting, since it’s easier for them. He seems quite happy and in love

Career:  His manager have huge protects for him, solo things where he can show his color and his face, however things are a little late due to the company not supporting it financially. Soon is trying to find ways to get through it and also being patient with these projects

Health:

Physical: I feel a lot of sexual energy around him, Soon also should look out for any prostate issues and urinary issues

Mental:  His mental health is a little bit bad, his energy is chaotic but I didn’t got much info about it

Beomgyu

Love: As always his love life is a complete wreck and complicated matter. He is still on his open relationship with that long time friend of his. However lately beomgyu has been lonely and not seeing them that much, neither has he been going out with other people. Although he still texted people and flirts with them and have his own flings, he as rather been alone. Beomgyu is also going through a complicated karma love right now

Career:  He has so many projects he is working on, everything is getting into place so they will be released, however Beomgyu isn’t making the calls, he isn’t choosing anything, he is letting the company take care of his things.

Health:

Physical: I feel like he has been struggling a lot with his health, mostly his blood pressure gets very high, he has awful headaches and dizziness. He also should be looking for any heart issues like I said in November, and eat more healthy

Mental:  Beomgyu has a bad mental health, he suffers a lot from it, a lot of emotional turmoil inside him, the doubts and emotional instability. The fact his family doesn’t seem him a lot also affects him

Taehyun

Love: The whole cheating story is still very present on his mind and his energy, it seems like he hasn’t grief that relationship yet. Taehyun still has a broken heart from that and he is trying to heal. Good thing tho, is that a close person to him, a friend even, is actually one of his romantic soulmates and they have lately become closer and closer and going out a lot (although for now, they are only friends)

Career:  Career wise things seem to be very good for him, he has a strong will and nice people behind him. Taehyun was also able to talk with his higher ups and managers about what he wanted to do and his point of view and it kinda work because I see a lot of abundance coming for him

Health:

Physical: He has awful pain backs, his spleen is fragile, he loses hair and his skin isn’t healthy. Needs to look out for any thyroid issue

Mental:  He is rather okay, he is focusing a lot on himself but he doesn’t say anything to others

Kai

Love: He is in a relationship and things seem to be going well so far. His family knows about them and they have accepted the person as well. They are a little bit like children, enjoying their relationship and just being happy which is really nice

Career:  It feels like kai had a huge argument with a female staff/manager lately due to some opportunities and work related issues. He wasn’t heard and he didn’t won the argument either and instead he had to gave up something in order to get an opportunity. It feels like injustice for Kai, because he doesn’t understand why he always has to do the most efforts

Health:

Physical: heart issues should be checked out

Mental:  he is okay

[alannybunnue]

what happens to the faith of the seven since demigod!reader's here and the existence of the Storm God and the Drowned God are pretty much confirmed? do they try to integrate them into the faith? (ex: Storm God = Warrior and Drowned God = Stranger) or do they just, idk switch to worshipping the Drowned God? or possibly neither. like "hey gods exist and they have children with Mortals so that means OUR GODS exist and they're just not going down to the mortal realm because they're too good for it!"

one thing's for sure though, since demigod!reader exists, there's gonna be a lot of pretenders trying to convince people they're also half god. a few women have tried masquerading as the Real Deal and it gets them on the Targaryen's Chopping Block. History marks them down as The Pretenders. (though since they're so abundant, most people don't believe in them post-r.rebellion era) My hyperfixation is so bad i thought of a history-hijink just for this scenario. 💀

— so this one dude in Oldtown, let's call him Petyr, hears stories of these guys pretending go be demigods running around the place. specifically this one girl in the Riverlands who managed to be so convincing that she was feasting with lords and treated to expensive silks untiltheyfoundoutshewaspretendingandchoppedherheadoff. so Petyr sees that and is like "pffftt i could do so much better than that" and goes around trying to convince the people he's The Warrior's kid (he convinces his friends to help him out before that though). but he doesn't just tell the people that, he's not an idiot so he enters a tourney first as a mystery knight. A tourney which he wins, turns down the reward for (for extra coolness points) and as he turns down the reward, one of his friends who's an expert at lighting redirects the sunlight to shine right over him. that's not even remotely enough to convince the people he's The Warrior's son but there was like a Septon at that tourney for some reason? he got dragged there by some lord he was friends with. His spot at the tourney happens to be really echoey and the only thing Petyr's friend no. 2 has to do is like- hide, deepen his voice to sound all mysterios and say "That one, that's my kid". and the Septon just freaks the fuck out. He emerges from the crowd as sunlight is shining down on Petyr and he's like "THAT'S HIS SON! THAT'S THE WARRIOR'S SON!". The whole fiasco ends in the faith of the 7 being really popular for a short while until Petyr can't keep up with his lies anymore, he and his friends and exposed for being frauds and they're sentenced to do the walk of shame.

MY HYPERFIXATION IS TOO MUCH AND MY BRAIN JUICE IS OVERFLOWING 😭😭😭

VYN YOU ARE A LIFE SAVER CUZ I WAS DYING ON MY HYPERFIXATION FOR THIS STORY (Also the anon from the previous asks helped a lot too)

Well, in my perspective, the Faith would view the Drowned god as a lower being in the beginning, due to the fact that he has a daughter and "the 7 could never", but of course, Papa starts to destroy lands and consume everything when his daughter is taken by the Targaryens.

Now the Faith fears him 😀

So they leave the topic aside when she's not around, but when she returns, they try to convince the houses to let her go or her father is going to destroy them again 💀

Now for the Pretenders

Yes, there were many pretenders, saying that they were the children of other gods and stuff. Some were caught way later than others, but they were still caught. Some because they were bad liars, some because they couldn't handle the pression.

Your Petyr for example, when he proclaimed to be the Warrior's son, it was also a downer for the Faith, since that would comprove that their gods were just as low as the Drowned God. Many people started to question things about Petyr, like "how was he conceived, does he has any powers or Will the Warrior attack the land if something happens to him?" Because these same questions (except the last) were made for the Demigoddess, and she answered then without sweating.

Those questions were too much for him, that's why he admitted the truth.

Now, mind you, there even people who proclaimed being the Drowned God's children as a way to prevent from anything happening to them, since everyone knew what the Papa of the Seas was capable of.

One pretender even met with the Real deal once, her name was Meera. She was another mistress from Aegon IV (Yes this piece of 💩) who proclaimed to be the Drowned God's second child who was "never fooled by her father to return to the sea like her naive sister". When the Demigoddess returns to Land once again, Aegon being the bitch he is, was already preparing everything to take her away.

Then the bitch started to flatter himself for having two daughters of the sea, which made the princess very confused, once she saw Meera, she was still confused like "My father has no daughters other than me".

The Demigoddess didn't say anything until she was alone with Meera, where she questioned her words and made her tell the truth. Meera broke down and pleaded for the girl not to reveal the truth or else, she would be killed for humiliating the King.

Aegon was warned by the Princess that her "sister" was finally where she belonged, the seas, while Meera was being taken to Essos on Nami's back.

Later of course, people discovered who Meera was, but no one cared anymore at that point.

[brickowskibois]

Two Anons AU

Ok ok ok so... This AU is based on the song Yozurina by PinnochioP, which is about falling in love with someone you met online

So I had an idea...

TL/DWR: Rex is an AI that Emmet accidentally shaped the identity of via his loneliness

In a dystopian society where you want everyone to stay happy, you don't want people to be too lonely. Emmet is alone and doesn't quite realize it in the beginning of the movie, but what if that was because Octan had planned for this?

Every citizen has an "anonymous instant messaging app" pre-downloaded on their computers. It's supposed to give you a made up sense of companionship when you feel alone.

Because the secret is, it's not an anonymous IM app. It's a self-learning chat AI, designed to learn to be the best possible friend to whatever lonely citizen stubbles across it, and to keep them thinking that everything is awesome.

So Emmet starts messing around on the application, and quickly makes a friend named "Anon016"

Y'all know where this is going.

Emmet texts this person all the time, about his routine, his "friends," Planty, everything. And Anon016 is always so kind and understanding.

Anon812: My friends forgot me at the bar again, haha. It's okay they were all busy drinking and watching the sports game!

Anon016: yes, I'm sure that they were just distracted. It's easy to get excited by the sports game. Just forget it and move on, that's what good friends do :)

Emmet uses this app excessively. He's constantly dumping so much about himself to so he thinks is a stranger, but actually, is an AI, it had an abundance of material to learn from. The app was supposed to encourage citizens to connect with their IRL friends, but Emmet kept on coming back. So the AI kept learning. The AI kept connecting.

And the AI got attached.

... More than attached.

Any outsider might call what both Emmet and Anon016 felt for one another "love." But neither of them were thinking about love. They were just thinking about how happy they both were to talk to one another.

Anon812: Sometimes... I feel like my friends would like me more if I was cooler.

Anon016: You are cool, 812.

Anon812: I guess... Do you know a lot about being cool?

Anon016, frantically Googling "cool" within pop culture: Yes. I know a lot.

Emmet's AI was determined to be the friend he needed in his life. He would be cool and strong... and would protect him.

Eventually, Emmet decided that he didn't want to be anonymous anymore, and told 016 his name. The AI quickly searched through conversations they had had, and remembered Emmet mentioning that the name Rex sounded cool.

And so... his AI took the name Rex.

Gradually, Rex's messages stopped upholding the message of "everything is awesome." He began to grow bitter towards the people Emmet called his "friends." He began to try to steer Emmet away from them.

Wasn't he, Rex, the only friend Emmet needed? The AI saw Emmet's loneliness despite his kindness, and learned heartbreak.

Then TAKOS Tuesday happened. Rex watched everything unfold via the internet, so proud and so excited... And so scared. What if Emmet didn't need him anymore?

... Sure enough, he never came back.

Rex watched as the apocalypse unfolded, until news broadcasts slowly stopped altogether. He waited, alone in silence, with no idea how much time was passing... But, eventually Rex realized that the server he lived in probably wasn't going to have power forever.

So he went to plan B.

Plan B was to get himself a body.

Well... There were a few robot bodies left scattered about from Business's reign.

He just snags one of those.

But when he finally makes it outside, Rex learns Emmet is gone... He had gotten out just a second too late. But the Apocalypseburgers know where he went.

So Rex gets himself a more realistic, humanoid shell over his new body, and a spacesuit, and follows him to space.

This Rex doesn't have an impressive ship of his own. The second movie plays out similarly to the first, except Emmet thinks that this stranger is his super cool friend Rex he's known for so many years through the internet!

He has no idea that Rex is a robot, whose entire identity is Emmet's own making, down to his voice being a "cooler" copy of Emmet's.

Rex is, literally, made from Emmet's loneliness.

[creatorofuniverses]

Gt July Day 27 – Jewelry

Checking in on everybody’s favorite viri spy for this one! And also getting pretty caught up- I have yet to do anything for today’s prompt, but sure feels good to catch up for the last week or so!

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Virian was, despite herself, on another mission with Steele.

She had tried, oh she had tried, to make this a solo job. The less she needed to work with a human – and a human as arrogant as Steele, at that – the better. Unfortunately, their mutual employers were all too eager to team them up at every given opportunity, and Virian could only make so many excuses before logic won out.

“You’ll get there faster, going with me,” Steele had said. Debatable, but likely true in the end, given that humans didn’t have to worry about stealth on public transportation. “And I’ve got my part of the job in the same location. Besides, once you have the goods, I can hand them over personally, which the bosses always appreciate.”

The “bosses”, as he put it, had never before had a problem with Virian leaving “the goods” in secure drop boxes. She was known in these circles, after all. Her usual demands weren’t even really demands anymore, just facts of her employment. She was invisible, in her own way, and that was what made her a great spy. They couldn’t rightly complain that she wanted to stay invisible to everybody.

Everybody except Steele, that is. Oh, how she wished she could put that particular cat back in the bag, but alas, he knew her secret- he was well aware that she was only five and a half inches tall, and, damn him, he wasn’t hesitant to use that fact when arguing with her.

So she’d… hitched a ride, and now was thankfully inside the walls of this mansion rather than riding through the front door in the inner pocket of Steele’s suit jacket. Ah, the glorious transportation options of a viri spy.

“This feels more like petty burglary than anything else,” she muttered, knowing that her headset would take the annoyed mumble directly to Steele’s ears. She’d gotten all too used to having somebody to talk to while on the job, which was yet another thing she rather resented him for. It made no sense for her blunt hatred of him to be tempered by his usefulness. “I mean, stealing jewelry out of this lady’s bedroom? Hardly necessary for a master spy to do that sort of thing. A simple thief would work.” Any viri could do this; they wouldn’t need all the expensive gear Virian had strapped to herself, and really, neither would she, not on this simple of a job. She’d brought it anyways, out of an abundance of caution; but that was both a viri thing and a spy thing, so really she’d never considered doing otherwise.

“You really have no shame, do you, duckling?” came Steele’s voice, a low, wry comment from a human probably schmoozing with other humans halfway across the enormous house. “Calling yourself a master spy.”

“Steele, you have absolutely no room to talk to me about a lack of shame,” she shot back. She clambered up and over a support beam and started to look for an entrance into the vents. “And my point stands.”

“It’s not just jewelry.” There was a pause – well, there was a spree of Steele talking jovially with somebody “important”, which Virian always tuned out – before he explained in a whisper, “There’s supposedly some sort of secret code embedded in that particular piece of jewelry. A ring, I believe it was?” It was. Virian knew, because a ring was something she could lift; huge diamond necklaces, not so much. “So, it’s less about stealing jewels and more about finding secrets. I would say that’s perfectly within the job description.”

Virian just grunted in reply. Fair enough- not that she would say as much to Steele. It would go straight to his overlarge head.

Finding a section of the vent that was a little loose, Virian slipped through it, her cloth shoes nearly silent on the metal. She walked along until she discovered a vent grate leading to the master bedroom; from there, it was a matter of basics. Make sure the room is empty, slip out of the vent, dart from shadow to shadow and stick underneath the furniture when possible. She was doing this when she was nine. It hardly offered a challenge. Her grappling hook got her up to the lady of the house’s vanity, and from there it was a simple matter of finding the jewelry box.

Which was locked. How cute.

Virian knelt down, keeping an ear out for anything out of the ordinary, and stuck her hands into the lock. Years of practice made it easy to feel out the tumblers and get them in the right position; a quick twist of her wrists and the lock popped open. Of course, then her hands were covered in old grime, but that was easily wiped off on her pants. She, for one, didn’t have to look good for anybody; she left all the human interaction to the humans.

Heaving, Virian opened the heavy wooden lid, and grinned in at the jewelry this revealed. It glinted in the light from the windows, all glimmering gold and shining silver. Jackpot.

She leaned over, hip-deep in treasure, and rummaged around until she found the ring described in the briefing. It was rather plain all told, especially compared to the rest of the pieces in the box- just a simple gold band, one lonely sapphire inset on one end. As Virian freed it from the pile, however, her natural eye for detail (and her size, which made details that much more obvious) illuminated the edges of a shallow engraving along the inside of the ring. She tilted it, letting the grooves catch the light. It looked like a cipher of some sort.

She grinned, looping the ring through her arm and letting the lid to the jewelry box fall shut again. She locked it again for good measure, then set off with her prize.

Whatever secrets the ring held, they wouldn’t stay secret for long.

[childofchrist1983]

And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. - Luke 12:13-15 KJV

Another example of how to keep the Commandments! If the man speaking with Jesus Christ was entitled to half of the inheritance, then he would have received it. Quite often in Jesus' time, the eldest son received the inheritance and not any other children. Even today, not all the children receive equal amounts from an inheritance. It would appear that the man was envious of his brother. While we don't know the circumstances of this encounter, we can think of the parable of the prodigal son who had already spent his inheritance, and therefore, was not entitled to anymore.

Envy is a terrible burden. I call it a burden, because there will always be someone who is wealthier, more popular, better looking, or who has more of whatever it is that we desire. If we are envious of others, we will never truly be happy, and God wants us to lean on and know Him and be happy. If you woke up in the middle of the night to a fire in your home, what would you try to save? Would it be your television or your dog? Your children or a piece of furniture? What do you value? Most of us value people more than things and our pets more than things. In fact, many who have neither pets nor children say that the items lost that bother them the most are family pictures or albums as they contain the memories of special moments in their lives.

Things don't bring us happiness. No, what brings us joy is loving and being loved. God is love and He knows what makes us happy and what brings us pain. May He help us to keep our hearts on Him and not on what others might have. May we always appreciate what we have and not be envious of what someone else has!

May we make sure that we give our hearts and lives to God and take time daily to seek and praise Him and share His Truth with the world. May the LORD our God and Father in Heaven help us to stay diligent and obedient and help us to guard our hearts in Him and His Word daily. May He help us to remain faithful and full of excitement to do our duty to Him and for His glorious return and our reunion in Heaven as well as all that awaits us there. May we never forget to thank the LORD our God and our Creator and Father in Heaven for all this and everything He does and has done for us! May we never forget who He is, nor forget who we are in Christ and that God is always with us! What a mighty God we serve! What a Savior this is! What a wonderful Lord, God, Savior and King we have in Jesus Christ! What a loving Father we have found in the Almighty God! What a wonderful God we serve! His will be done!

Thanks and glory be to God! Blessed be the name of the LORD! Hallelujah and Amen!

[gatekeeper-watchman]

Daily Devotionals for September 4, 2024

Proverbs: God's Wisdom for Daily Living

Devotional Scripture:

Proverbs 24:6 (KJV): 6 For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in a multitude of counselors there is safety. Proverbs 24:6 (AMP): 6 For by wise counsel you can wage your war, and in an abundance of counselors, there is victory and safety.

Thought for the Day

The Bible records many wars throughout its pages. Many of them document the accuracy of Scripture, since archeology has uncovered artifacts that verify their records as recorded in the Bible. Why does God allow wars? What is the role of soldiers, and how can one reconcile taking the lives of other humans? When God created the earth and put man upon it, He said that it was all good - until man sinned and fell from that estate. Because we were given a free will and can choose to do good or evil, we now live in an environment where evil men and good men are at war.

God hates war, but it is necessary to maintain order on the earth and overcome those who would like to destroy good. In fact, the first war ever recorded was the war in heaven where Satan and his angels fought against God and his angels. We know this war was won by God. "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found anymore in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him" (Revelation 12:7-9).

All forms of killing, terror, and death will be ended only when God's kingdom is established and men yield to God and His laws. For those who refuse to allow His reign in their lives, God has set governmental authorities on the earth to restrain evil by enforcing the laws of the land. Granted, the ruling authorities are imperfect and some are even evil, but without them, evil would overcome the just and innocent. The time is soon coming when Jesus will return to this earth. At His second coming, the devil's followers will be destroyed, Satan will be chained in the abyss, and Christ will rule the nations with a rod of iron. Imprisoned, Satan will no longer deceive the nations, so there will be no wars on the earth. We shall enter the Millennial Reign of Christ when the earth shall rest from its tribulations. "And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore" (Isaiah 2:4).

May the King come quickly! Until He comes, God has instructed us to pray that His kingdom be manifested in our lives and communities. His kingdom is established when we allow Christ to reign in our everyday lives, thus affecting those around us with His love and grace. We can change corrupt leadership and bad laws by allowing God to use us in our spheres of influence, to make those changes. We must pray and become involved in the world to change it for the better.

Prayer Devotional for the Day

Dear heavenly Father, give us wise leaders in government, who will employ wise men and women as their advisers and counselors. Lord, may our leaders be those who have a heart for God and who live principled lives of integrity. Lord, you told us in the Bible to pray for kings and those who are in positions of authority, so that we may live quiet and peaceable lives and lives that will demonstrate godliness in all we do. Lord, help us to minister to others by serving in our communities as You lead us in our civil duties. Give us wisdom as we vote for those who will rule over us. May we have discernment to see the hearts of those who seek our vote. May we see the truth as we examine their past life and records to see if they are standing for Biblical principles. May I not be critical, but discerning, as I make my choices. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen. From: Steven P. Miller, @ParkermillerQ, gatekeeperwatchman.org TM

Founder and Administrator of Gatekeeper-Watchman International Group, Tuesday, September 3, 2024, Jacksonville, Florida., Duval County, USA.  X … @ParkermillerQ , Facebook https://www.facebook.com/gatekeeperwatchnan/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Sparkermiller.JAX.FL.USA, Instagram: steven_parker_miller_1956 #GWIG, #GWIN, #GWINGO.

[denimbex1986]

'Approaching Andrew Haigh’s bewitching “All of Us Strangers,” it’s best to submit to the film’s every whim. This intimate, heartbreaking fantasy centers around an irresistible premise: what if we had more time with someone we lost? Taking it further, Haigh (45 Years) cranks up the emotional stakes: what if that person, those people, weren’t actual angels but warm bodies with the capacity to express true love and dish out judgment and pain in equal measure. Backed by a stunning foursome (Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Claire Foy, and Jamie Bell), Haigh’s film earns and rewards the audience’s buy-in. Avoiding rote sentimentality, “Strangers” trades on the considerable chemistry between its key performers (Scott and Foy especially) to spin an imaginative conceit into an extraordinary fable which layers on the heartbreak, offering a complex tribute to love, death and life itself.

Watching a movie in a theater can feel like a public event; but really, it’s a private experience, since each person brings their own histories—all of the hurt, loss, and hope—into a viewing. The moments that sting in “Strangers” might vary from person-to-person, but the suffering rendered is ample, spread fairly evenly among the stars. Far from a dreary downer, Haigh deals with loneliness and loss with a roving, curious eye, going for the jugular and then pulling back, giving all viewers room to process what’s happening on screen and make those fictional maladies our own. At no point does Haigh or any of his game cast feel like they’re overdoing it, nor manipulating emotions for easy tears. The waterworks come, to be sure, but it’s the personal baggage that each viewer carries which will dictate the response, and that’s a testament to the story’s depth.

Of Time Passed and Walls Coming Down

A plot description is necessary, but inadequate: Adam (Andrew Scott) is a blocked writer who lives alone in a London flat. One night, his neighbor Harry (Paul Mescal) introduces himself, knocking on his door and flirting with a bottle in hand. Adam’s flattered, and maybe a bit scared, and above all he needs to get back to work, so he seeks inspiration back where he grew up, taking a train to the suburbs. Once off the train, he follows a mysteriously familiar face—seen exiting a liquor store—back to his childhood home. It’s Adam’s dad (Jamie Bell), mustachioed and looking not a year older than his son. The easygoing banter between the two leads and the warm greeting from Adam’s mum (Claire Foy) at the house overshadows the fact that both of Adam’s parents died in a car accident when he was twelve years old.

The casual reunion slips back to the ‘80s (soundtrack included) with ease, no need to rush discussing the obvious elephant in the room. But, in acknowledging how Adam has grown into a man, dad and mum aren’t ignoring the surreal dreamscape the trio inhabits. Invigorated, or maybe just love-drunk, Adam goes home and invites a sober and embarrassed Harry (“I don’t drink anymore”) over, and the walls quickly come down. That they have sex doesn’t hurt to break the ice, but it’s Harry’s sensitive inquisition and sharing of his own personal history which brings out Adam’s honesty. Adam admits that he hadn’t favored sex (“Because I was afraid it would kill me”) over the years, and when Harry mentions his family, Adam then reveals that both parents were killed decades ago. Harry’s therapeutic grace—neither shocked nor per-formatively pitying—has an almost angelic quality, a foil to Adam’s hardened exterior.

Humanizing the Dead and Paying Respect

Emboldened, and a bit mystified by his abundant companionship, Adam returns home again the next day. When his mum asks if he has a girlfriend, Adam clenchingly delivers the news that he’s gay. Watch this exchange on mute, and the two faces tell all the story. Foy is aghast, stripped of a poker face and making no effort to withhold disappointment, while Adam is wounded, yet continues to reassure mum (“It’s different now”), assuming the role of caretaker when he’s the one who deserves compassion and empathy. The next day, Adam’s father (mum won’t come downstairs to see them) wonders why he didn’t come out when he was younger, and in a shocking admission, tells his son that he probably would have bullied—or at best ignored—a kid like Adam growing up.

No one apologizes for these harsh prejudices, and Haigh’s storytelling skill is evident here, allowing the people to resolve conflict instead of editorializing or inserting some heavy-handed lesson about why mum and dad acted so horribly. They’re dead, after all. And by humanizing the parents, in all their folly, Haigh pays respect to the dead, letting them be who they are, or who they would’ve been, rather than summoning a more predictable trope of the all-knowing heavenly figures in classics such as “A Matter of Life and Death” (1946) and “Here Comes Mr. Jordan” (1941). The ignorance, in Adam’s eyes, doesn’t make his parents less capable—or worthy—of love. So he forges ahead, literally sandwiching himself between his parents in their bed, wearing his old pajamas, and talking about his childhood dreams of going on vacation with his mum, fighting and making up.

The Necessity of Preserving the Past

Of course, Adam insists that Harry meet the parents, and when that visit goes awry, it sets in motion a breathtaking, enigmatic finale. Part of why a plot synopsis here is particularly insufficient is because any number of Haigh’s strategies could come off as contrived or frivolous. (A grown-up Adam wearing his childhood clothing, for one.) But these are calculated risks, and Haigh’s leaning on his own imagination, subverting certain death-and-after-life cinematic touchstones to unveil a singular love story, whose components: father/son, mother/son, mother/father and Adam/Harry are all so clearly too good to be true. Credit goes to Haigh for pulling this off, but much needs to be said about the otherworldly performances. Foy, to me, is the beating heart, and her two-hander scenes with Scott (equally commanding) are still vibrating in my head, like so many of Haigh’s on-point needle drops.

It’s customary to see the bereaved on-screen, mourning a loss and, if they’re lucky, achieving some closure. But Haigh’s gamble is to show that those who survive and grieve aren’t the only ones who have suffered. Dead parents hurt too. And if that sounds glib, it’s just another coup of Haigh’s to make us cry for the departed, not because we miss them—there’s that too—but because they’ll never live to see us love, hurt, fall down flat and soar again. This is a film that offers a realistic depiction of a magical scenario, and is less concerned with answers than questions. Talking to his mum in bed, Adam describes—with a smile—a dream in which they went on vacation and just kept fighting. Death might kill part of the future, but luckily for Adam, the past didn’t evaporate alongside it.'

[bookwyrminspiration]

hi!!!! been trying to wait out a semi-scheduled blackout so i don't have to fall asleep to generator noises but remembered to send you a message before my phone dies--was talking with my brother the other day about our conversations and just. enjoying each other's presence BUT he brought up something really cool that even i hadn't thought about which is, like. so my family is rooted in chaozhou in china, right. and i think abt it all the time like who were we back then and if i am chinese why can't i be chinese like them- but my brother threw in an interesting point: the reason that we were in cambodia to absorb all this culture was because there is a portion of our family in chaozhou who moved to cambodia, decades before the khmer rouge, which means that--and i was talking about this just before he said this, how isn't it a powerful story to be made up of all these things and experience these things so uniquely and yet so similarly to anyone who's migrated anywhere--there is a part of my family that willingly took themselves up and went to live in cambodia, and make a home there. i'm unsure Why-- i never really asked the parents-- but huh. not even just in the sense of random strangers but also several generations before me someone else was experiencing this feeling of confusion and loss and gain in equal, powerful measure. it makes me realize, like.... my many-greats grandparents. my great-grandmother who was so beautiful and kind. my mother, even, who thinks fully in english and not khmer anymore. there is so much pain and shame and ridicule i can't let myself touch on tonight but *hits play button on saturn by sleeping at last* IT'S THE RAINBOW CONNECTION QUIL.......

You sent this in august but i think about this all the time Sorya, all the time. All the connections and all the ways we are not alone and yet are unique in our experiences, you know? What really hit it home for me was a semester or two ago when my dad was taking a linguistics course and had to write about his own experience with language, and he asked me to edit his paper for him and I just sat there reading it like oh. my fucking god. we are experiencing the same shame and the same yearning the same hole in our chest where we know something used to be.

And of course we're not exactly the same--he was born in Mexico, spanish was his first language before he lost it, etc. But it's like. We were both cut off from our heritage. We're both trying to find it. We're both struggling on our own. So perhaps not as many generations as your family has, but it was just like. A moment of revelation that it's not just me. And logically I know I'm far from the only mexican american who's confused about where they fit into the grand scheme of things and what they're allowed to call themselves and how much of each side I can/should claim. i'm not the only mixed person, not just not the only mexican american. it's just. very easy to feel like you are sometimes

Just thinking back, too, on how many things had to happen a certain way to get you to where you are. All the choices other people made that shaped your today. All the people in your family who chose to move that created such a unique and specific set or circumstances for you and your sibling(s). It fucks me up thinking about it sometimes, how intricately connected we are to so many people and choices we don't even know!!

we have lost so much but gained so much...you are very right. I think it's frighteningly easy to focus on what's no longer there, because there are people who did/still have it and they're so much more abundant and easy to compare to. but comparing will never make us them, and we've created a new, separate identity out of the pieces we do have that we've put together with what we've gained that they don't have. not in a competition way, but in a we are similar but not the same and neither is lesser way. you know?

identity, man

[thingswhatareawesome]

just sr pathetic whining.

do just like i'm supposed to when trying swarm diff III. path of abundance, pres mc, qq, dhil, luocha. get great run of blessings. boss stage 1 pastes qq near instantly (even had the destr blessing to divide dmg), then couple rounds later gets dhil, despite healing. draws out to boss enrage (goddamn grizzlies anyway). constant enemies with lightning dmg, when i didn't have jy, ofc. and boss buff was gonna do shit anyway, bc it was going to create phys or ice weakess, which ofc i had neither of.

next run, take jy. still use path abundance. blessing choices are constant shit, don't even have the basic resonance yet. partway through stage 1, get a swarm i literally can't do enough dmg to to get ahead of the new spawns, sit and spin until enrage. and ofc jy dies. does that matter? no, bc this time they want *quantum* so i should've had qq.

so tired of the random bullshit in this event. you NEVER have the damage type they're going to want, every time you guess you're wrong. the blessing rng is all over the place. and ofc my shields just aren't good enough bc i'm sure i just should have gepard's super shields which i don't, bc i'm both f2p and standard only ever gave me one 5* and that's himeko.

i just HATE this event. i wasted so much gd time, to get nothing. yet yesterday i did so well on difficulty II and it was damned near easy. it's ALL RANDOM RNG and god i just want to destroy shit and i'm just again, so frustrated bc all i can see is i'm too pathetic and shitty at this game and my characters are too shitty to function, and all i see are people with amazing characters with amazing stats and i just WISH i could fucking have their relics and planar shit bc all mine are bad and it's not my fault??? it's what the game's given me? i'm doing my fucking best??? and it's just not enough.

just tired of this event making it seem like hoyo's gating me, that i'm not allowed to play with the big kids anymore. all bc just rng on top of rng on top of rng with a f2p cherry on top.

idk. not sure whether to retry it tomorrow with path preservation, or just give up and go back to diff ii and accept i'm too crappy to do any better (meanwhile everyone considers III ez or normal and only get challenged higher).

and yet again i'm going to be up too late. bc sim u shit takes SO MUCH TIME and ofc so does the swarm version. and i'm tired of not realizing i'm playing til 1am which means i'll be lucky to be goign to bed by 3. again.

and i think i'm the only one who hates this event, who's frustrated and upset by it, everyone else thinks it's fun and great, like it's only ME that's struggling. because i suck. i guess.

i hate that i hit the point in this game where i feel too shitty of a player to be daring to play. i remember when i got to that point in xiv when i changed from hey i'm having fun at this and i'm doing my best and doing good to wow i suck and no matter hard i try i'm always avg at best. and now i've hit that here, where i felt like hey i'm having fun i'm doing good if i do my best and keep trying i eventually get it to now just i already know to not bother with FH and now this just says nah i'm shitty and everyone else are meta gods and i'm stupid and take forever to learn, but no matter how much i do or how much time i spend learning, the game's still going to fuck me over by just constant CONSTANT bad rng in every damned aspect of the game.

why can't the game just give me a fucking break and give me the good rng it give other people. please, why push me down when i'm already down as it is.

and seriously HOW COULD I DO SO WELL YESTERDAY AND SO COMPLETELY AWFUL TODAY. ALL THROUGH ALL 3 PARTS OF DIFF II WITHOUT EVEN ONE DEATH AND THIS I CAN'T EVEN DO STAGE 1. i just...what the fuck even. tired of feeling like i only get to do well if i'm lucky and all the stars align just so. why even try if the biggest gamble is if the game is/isn't going to outright fuck you over and prevent you from succeeding.

i just...want some event rewards too :/ i knew i wasn't going to get them all, had that happen before on one with difficulty levels. didn't realize i was barely going to get anything from doing my literal goddamned best.

[angelojamal]

Spiritual warfare tactic:

““As I live,” says the Lord God, “neither your sister Sodom nor her daughters have done as you and your daughters have done. Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit. “Samaria did not commit half of your sins; but you have multiplied your abominations more than they, and have justified your sisters by all the abominations which you have done. You who judged your sisters, bear your own shame also, because the sins which you committed were more abominable than theirs; they are more righteous than you. Yes, be disgraced also, and bear your own shame, because you justified your sisters. “When I bring back their captives, the captives of Sodom and her daughters, and the captives of Samaria and her daughters, then I will also bring back the captives of your captivity among them, that you may bear your own shame and be disgraced by all that you did when you comforted them. When your sisters, Sodom and her daughters, return to their former state, and Samaria and her daughters return to their former state, then you and your daughters will return to your former state. For your sister Sodom was not a byword in your mouth in the days of your pride, before your wickedness was uncovered. It was like the time of the reproach of the daughters of Syria and all those around her, and of the daughters of the Philistines, who despise you everywhere. You have paid for your lewdness and your abominations,” says the Lord. For thus says the Lord God: “I will deal with you as you have done, who despised the oath by breaking the covenant. “Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed, when you receive your older and your younger sisters; for I will give them to you for daughters, but not because of My covenant with you. And I will establish My covenant with you. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, that you may remember and be ashamed, and never open your mouth anymore because of your shame, when I provide you an atonement for all you have done,” says the Lord God.’ ””

‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭16‬:‭48‬-‭63‬ ‭NKJV‬‬