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zvaigzdelasas · 7 months

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While most Ukrainians battled against Germany during the war, it’s well known that the western region of the country collaborated with the Third Reich — and that thousands of those involved were allowed to resettle in Canada. [...]

When Anthony Rota, [...] introduced Hunka during Zelenskyy’s Sept. 22 visit, he called him a “veteran from the Second World War who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians and continues to support the troops today.”

And Hunka made the argument himself after Russia invaded his homeland last year. “In the last war, I joined the Ukrainian underground to fight Russia, so I was fighting the same people they’re fighting now,” he told a reporter covering a peace vigil in North Bay, Ontario, in March 2022. “Nothing has changed there. The same enemy. First Stalin was there and now this idiot,” he said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. [...]

In a post for the SS Galichina veterans’ blog Combatant News, Hunka wrote that 1941 to 1943 — after Germany invaded Ukraine and before Hunka enlisted — were the happiest years of his life. He also recalled eagerly awaiting “the legendary German knights” to come and attack “the hated Poles,” using a slur for Polish people, in 1939.

Captioned photos from the blog show Hunka during SS artillery training in Munich in December 1943 and in Poland around the time of a visit by Nazi mastermind Heinrich Himmler. “I know that if I ordered you to liquidate the Poles … I would be giving you permission to do what you are eager to do anyway,” Himmler said during that visit, according to several historical accounts. Now, the Polish minister of education is looking into whether Hunka can be extradited and prosecuted for what happened during the war.[...]

[After the war,] Hunka made his living in the aircraft industry, working his way up to inspector at DeHavilland Aircraft in Toronto. After retirement, he visited Ukraine nearly every year, according to a profile of him in a University of Alberta newsletter announcing the donation made in his honor by his sons. The profile said he also served as president of the parish council of St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Catholic Church in Thornhill, Ontario.[...]

In his mea culpa, Rota made it sound like Hunka was a constituent from his district [...] whom he did not know much about. “This initiative was entirely my own,“ Rota said[...]

But Rejean Venne, an independent Canadian journalist, wrote in his Substack newsletter this week that Rota and Hunka family members have had numerous chances to cross paths over the years. Among Venne’s examples:

- One of Hunka’s sons, Martin, was chief financial officer of Redpath Mining, a multinational corporation headquartered in Rota’s district. Redpath has contributed to Rota’s campaigns and Rota has provided government funding for recreational facilities operated by Redpath. (The company did not respond to inquiries from the Forward made Thursday.)

- Martin Hunka has also served as chair of the board of trustees for North Bay Hospital, which is located in Rota’s district and which Rota has supported. Hunka’s name can no longer be found on the hospital’s website and social media posts. (The hospital did not respond to a request for comment emailed Thursday.)

- North Bay Pride, an LGBTQ+ organization, gave an award to Rota nine months after Yaroslav’s granddaughter Leshya Lecappelain joined its board of directors. In 2022 and 2023, North Bay Pride received more than $100,000 in funding from Rota. (Asked about this, a spokesperson for North Bay Pride said Lecappelain had not been on its board for several years.)

“Rota’s response that this was a last-minute request doesn’t add up,” Venne said in an email interview. “The Hunka family appears well connected in Rota’s district.”

The Forward could not determine whether Hunka and Rota met before he was honored at Parliament. Rota and others at the House of Commons did not respond to several requests for comment sent Wednesday and Thursday. Efforts to reach Yaroslav, Martin and Peter Hunka, Lecappelain and other members of the family for comment were also unsuccessful.[...]

On Wednesday, the University of Alberta said it would return the CA$30,000 endowment that Hunka’s sons donated in 2019 in their father’s honor. The money was intended to fund research at the school’s Canadian Institute for Ukrainian Studies. But Per Anders Rudling, a university alumnus and expert on Ukrainian nationalism who teaches at Sweden’s Lund University, said the Hunka fund is just “the top of an iceberg.” In an email to the Forward, Rudling said the University of Alberta has “much larger endowments” honoring other figures connected to the Waffen SS unit. The “most problematic,” he said, is the Volodymyr and Daria Kubijovych Memorial Endowment Fund [Editors note: archive link - also "matched two-to-one by the Government of Alberta"] At CA$450,000 — about $334,000 — it’s 15 times larger than the Hunka fund the university is returning.[...] In a Facebook post Thursday, Rudling also questioned university endowments named for other Galichina Division veterans, including Roman Kolisnyk, Levko Babij and Edward Brodacky. Pointing to research he published in The Journal of Slavic Military Studies [Editors note: 1, 2], Rudling said, “I have tried to raise this issue in the past, to no avail.”

Asked about Rudling’s concerns, Michael Brown, a spokesperson for the University of Alberta, reiterated a statement in which interim provost Verna Yiu said the school is “reviewing its general naming policies and procedures, including those for endowments, to ensure alignment with our values.” Yiu also expressed the school’s “commitment to address anti-Semitism in any of its manifestations, including the ways in which the Holocaust continues to resonate in the present.” The honors given to SS Galichina fighters extend beyond academia. One of the University of Alberta’s endowments is for its former chancellor Peter Savaryn, another SS Galichina member. In 1987, Savaryn was awarded the Order of Canada, among the nation’s highest honors, bestowed by Canada’s governor general, the representative of the British Crown. Mary Simon, the current governor general, has condemned the Hunka scandal as “a shock and an embarrassment.”[...]

When the Hunka endowment was announced in 2020, the university said it would fund research on two “leaders of the underground Ukrainian Catholic Church,” Cardinal Josyf Slipyj and Metropolitan Andrei Sheptytsky. (A metropolitan is akin to a bishop.) Slipyi was a deputy in Ukraine’s 1941 self-proclaimed government, which pledged to work closely with Germany under Hitler’s leadership. Slipyi also assigned chaplains to SS Galichina and celebrated the unit’s inaugural Mass. After the war, the Soviets sent him to gulag prison camps. But Sheptytsky’s legacy is layered [sic]. He helped “dozens of Jews find refuge in his monasteries and even in his own home,” according to Yad Vashem, while also supporting “the German army as the savior of the Ukrainians from the Soviets.”

Harvard University also houses a Ukrainian Research Institute. Asked, after Alberta’s announcement, whether that institute’s funding would be scrutinized for Nazi ties, the university said in a statement that the institute had never received money from the Hunkas, nor had it received donations designated for research related to SS Galichina. Harvard did, however, in 1974 establish a fellowship and faculty position in European studies with money from a foundation named for Alfred Krupp, who was convicted of war crimes for using slave laborers from Auschwitz to build and work in a factory.[...]

In Canada, questions about the Ukrainian immigrants’ past dogged them for decades, and in 1985, the country launched a Commission of Inquiry on War Criminals, known as the Deschênes Commission. Investigators were mostly limited to considering evidence gathered in Canada, and ultimately they came to the controversial conclusion that the Galichina Division “should not be indicted as a group” and that “mere membership” in the division was insufficient to justify prosecution or revoke citizenship.

This week, as Trudeau apologized for the Hunka salute, B’nai Brith Canada called for the full release of the commission’s report, which had been heavily redacted, along with other Holocaust-era records, in order to “restore public trust in our institutions.” “Canadians deserve to know the full extent to which Nazi war criminals were permitted to settle in this country after the war,” the group said Tuesday[...]

Why would Hunka’s family risk his humiliation, at age 98, by putting him under a spotlight? Did they not realize how his military record would be perceived and portrayed? “It’s arrogance. It’s not naiveté,” said Jack Porter, a research associate at Harvard’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies and himself a Jewish child survivor of the Holocaust, born in Ukraine. “They know what their father did,” he said. “It’s hubris, it’s chutzpah. They rationalize that these men were fighting communism. If a few Jews were killed, they also were communists.”[...]

More than 2.5 million Ukrainians died fighting against Germany. “There were many good Ukrainians; they should not all be stigmatized,” he said.

But he said veterans who fought under the Nazis like Hunka and his compatriots have been emboldened by the whitewashing of their history, especially since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. “They’ve been hiding in plain sight,” he said. “They’ve been there for 60 years and nobody has touched them, so of course they feel OK.”

29 Sep 23

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laurasimonsdaughter · 1 year

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It was peculiar how names stuck. The young King had been released from his enchantment, but people spoke of him as the Frog King still. And Heinrich, his most loyal and beloved attendant, they still called Iron Heinrich. Except that name they only used in hushed tones, where the King's young bride would not hear.

But it was faithful Heinrich who had gone to fetch their King home once he had found his bride, the Princess who had broken his curse. He had personally handed them both into the royal carriage and escorted them home. Home to the palace that had been such an empty, sorrowful place without its master and that was now filled with joy and impending celebration, as the royal wedding was prepared. And no one was as helpful or as thoughtful in all the preparations as Heinrich.

It was not many days before the King’s betrothed came to find him in his quarters. She was wearing the collier of golden baubles that the young King had given her as an engagement gift, an affectionate joke he delighted in very much, and Heinrich had never beheld a prettier woman in his life.

“You could have sent for me, Your Highness,” he protested. “If you had need of my services.”

But she shook her head and raised a hand, meeting his eyes with most uncharacteristic caution. “You have been very kind to me,” she said. “While you have so much reason to resent me. I know you are the only one the King has told about how badly I treated him.”

Heinrich bowed his head to hide a smile. “I assure you his version of the events dwelt only on your good qualities,” he said. “My master does not resent being flung against a wall for his impertinence. Far from it, if I have understood him correctly. He is convinced you would have thrown him whether he was a frog or a man, and he greatly admires you for it.”

The Princess’s eyes, so large and becoming, gazed at him without being much affected by the flattery. “But you would have treated him more kindly,” she said.

Heinrich could not answer that.

“It is true, is it not?” she said. “That you had the royal smith clasp three iron bands around your heart, to keep it from breaking while the dear King was a frog? I heard you tell him so as you drove us here, whenever they creaked so that it frightened him.”

“Only because they were breaking, Your Highness,” he said. “Because my heart was so glad that you had released him.”

“And yet you are not happy now,” the Princess said. “And neither is he.”

And Heinrich, who had made ready to protest with all the practice of a courtier, instantly fell silent.

“He is not happy when you stand silently by to attend him and will not come nearer,” she said gravely. “And almost every evening he comes wandering to my quarters to speak to me. And he calls his chambers lonely, as if there was some accustomed comfort missing there.”

“His happiness will be secured then,” poor loyal Heinrich said. “The moment that you marry.”

The Princess frowned, and it was a stubborn frown that betrayed a temperament that her royal upbringing had only ever managed to mask. “I do wish to secure his happiness,” she said. “And I shall love being his wife. But if I love him, and I do, I must not be so blind as to think I am the only one to bring him happiness.”

Heinrich looked at her in amazement and the Princess, to his astonishment, placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled. “Dear Heinrich, his dear Heinrich. I do hope that in time you may be my dear Heinrich as well. But for now, it is late, and I have letters to write. I suggest you make sure that my betrothed does not need to disturb me this evening before bed. Or I shall scold you both for it.”

And Heinrich, for what else could he do, bowed his flushed head and said: “Yes, Your Highness.”

The Princess smiled again. “That will do for now. We shall talk some more once I am mistress of this court and of your master.”m

#I realise this makes no sense if you don't know the Grimm's version of the Frog King/Prince #but it's literally /called/#The Frog King or Iron Heinrich #and yet he only exists in the very last bit??#anyway #laura drabbles #the frog king #the frog prince #fairy tales #poly romance #in the making #mlm romance #wlm romance

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mello-bee · 2 months

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Reasons why YOU should be suspicious of O'Connor

(contains spoilers to the princess event and slight Clarence's white day event) (it's also written from the prespective of an EN only player)

I believe O'Connor is in cahoots with Cael somehow and have alot of delusional reaching - that I and @smudgedvolt come up with in our secret lbc basement - to back me up

for one, he's the art TA for the school, and while Cael isn't the only art professor in the school, he was never specified to be anyone else's assistant, for all we know he may have been handpicked by Cael himself (i told you this had alot of delusional reaching)

he also just straight up didnt graduate, which is more of an indicator that Cael may have pulled some strings to get him to work in ST. Shelter

secondly, he's the only NPC that appears everywhere at all times on the map

he's the only NPC that does this as IL are the only ones that change location once per day, and NPCS like gerald and william are usually bound to where they are everyday

so how come he's the only one who can change location multiple times per day? and specifically going where YOU are?

what if he's specifically watching you?

he also gives MC alot of assignments,

Do you think he's maybe trying to keep her busy?

In his introduction, MC describes him as something that doesn't belong

it's not like its the first time she's seen tourists or older people at ST. Shelters?

later we learn that he was the council president, before he suddenly disappeared and came back unannounced

the only other people described by Clarence to have disappeared are MC and Cael and you obviously know what's up with them (this actually makes Clarence's relationship with MC a bit sadder bc this means he's used to people close to him like O'Connor suddenly disappearing without an explaination and this could be why he documented everything in his notebook)

and even if he didn't mean "fled" as in "disappeared", fled is still a strange choice of words, was he running away from something? someone?

he also seemed to know that she's missing points; he explains that, of course he knows as he was an art student as well, but would he be able to guess that she's behind all the other art students bc she missed a few activities?

unless he knew of her travelling to godheim at he start of the year

next is the list he made during princess event, i haven't played princess event myself though so forgive me if any of this is explained at some point but

he just??? made a list of all the paragons?? + william and two other guys??? lars ISN'T EVEN A STUDENT why on earth would he put him there??

after Heinrich's death, Clarence visited the lab to find it empty

Clarence ruled out Cael because he also disappeared, although Cael has freaky time travelling powers but we cant rule out the possibility of someone else helping him

O'Connor is the only NPC with a card higher than R

i can't be the only one who finds it weird that Some Weird Art Guy™ just has an SR while lore important NPCS like Amelia and Naledi's counterparts are stuck as Rs and Ns?

I was gonna talk about this scene and the "mysterious seller"

but it all got thrown out of the window, it turns out Cael was behind the account :(

although I can technically use this along with other points to point out how william is even MORE suspicious than O'Connor but thats a post for another day

#crack theory #except I actually believe it #lbchronicles #lbc #lovebrush #lovebrush chronicles #lbc o'connor #lovebrush O'Connor #for all time otome #for all time #O'Connor

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swap-and-possessions · 1 year

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Getting Accustomed to Zach's Body

Geoff thought. If the agent's words are correct, he could become someone else while his body recuperates from the invasive cancer treatment. If that is so, it’s better to choose someone his age and gender. He has chosen Zachary Bailey under these criteria. He didn’t personally know Zach before he got kicked off campus, but his name carried some familiarity. And besides, who the hell would deny having those sweet muscles? Even the agent realized the overlying cause for Geoff’s decision.

It took a few days before the mind transfer happened. There was a lot of bureaucratic red tape and paperwork, and Geoff was glad for the agent to help at every step. He informed his parents of his upcoming operation, and they were surprisingly delighted to hear about it.

“My son’s finally going to get muscles,” Geoff’s dad jokingly said.

“Remember to use protection. I don’t want you coming here with a grandchild. No. Not at this age, Geoff.” Geoff’s mom added.

“Mom!” Geoff retorted with a blush. “Besides. It’s not going to be your grandson since it’s someone’s dick I’ll be using. Did you even read the contract I sent you?”

It was Saturday, and the building was full of people who would have their minds transferred to another body. It’s predominantly students, but some tenured professors and campus utility staff peppered the crowd. Geoff saw familiar faces, and he heard them bragging about the bodies they chose. Richard, his nerdy friend, chose this hairy and beefy guy named Heinrich.

“What’s the dude’s crime?” Geoff asked.

“Oh, he didn’t do any crimes. My agent said he volunteered to have his body used. It’s weird since he doesn’t get any incentives to have his body used. Maybe he’s homeless, and this is his way of living?”

“Or maybe, it’s a fetish.” Geoff laughed.

“Ugh… You asshole.”

The people lined up before several classroom doors. Geoff held up his ticket and went for the door that stated his number. The process seems fast because, after a minute of a person entering, another person with a smile would come out. Although, several people seemed discontent with the body they chose. But not Geoff. He’s sure he will like Zach’s body. Within minutes, it was Geoff’s turn for the operation. The nurse had him sit in a chair and placed a metallic helmet over his head. He didn’t expect the machine to look cliche, like the body-swapping machine in movies.

“What’s the transfer confidence rate?” The doctor asked the nurse.

The nurse flipped a few pages from her clipboard, “It’s ninety-seven percent,” she said.

“That’s high.” The doctor laughed.

“Uhhh… Is that bad?” Geoff asked.

“The opposite,”

From the corner of Geoff’s eye, he saw two people wheel Zachary’s unconscious and half-naked body to the other chair in the machine. They did the same thing when they strapped him on the chair and placed the helmet on his head. Geoff looked back at the doctor to hear the rest of his explanation.

“People with low transfer confidence usually feel alien to their new body, like a severe Body Integration Dysphoria (BID). As in your case, you’ll feel right at home with your new temporary body. The bleeding effect will feel natural. So sit back, relax, and enjoy waking up in your new body.”

The doctor flipped a switch, and Geoff’s mind went along. His entire world went dark, and it felt like his body was stuck on paper, and he had pulled from it, like pulling a tape or a stubborn sticker. There was a fleeting feeling of freedom before it all came crashing down. He awoke to someone calling his name, and when he opened his eyes, he realized it was the nurse. She was holding up a mirror to his face. Instead of seeing his old reflection, it’s Zachary’s face looking back at him with his handsome features and perfect stubble. He looked stunning, dashing even!

“These are Zachary’s articles,” the nurse gave Geoff a t-shirt, pants, Zach’s stinking underwear, a pair of AirPods, and his wallet stacked with cash. He grabbed the plastic that contained the articles and went outside where his friends were waiting. They didn’t recognize him at first because how could they? He is a different man! He had to wave before they identified who he was.

The ride home was strange. Not because it was weird but because my friends were more excited than Geoff was. Unlike me, they saw Zachary’s antics more closely. They were there when Zachary trashed the campus statue when his team won the football season. They saw a nerdy exchange student kneel under him and lick his feet because he liked it. He is a brute and bully, and my friends are surprised that Geoff hasn’t seen any of his infamous acts on campus, given how long he has been studying there. Anyway, that’s all in the past. Zachary was too busy sleeping in a virtual world. As for my friends, they look like giddy fools who can’t stop smiling at themselves. They won’t stop touching my face and patting my enormous muscles. Sure, it’s fun getting worshiped, but he’s not used to it. It was weird until it was not. The sensation became natural, and he came to enjoy it with time.

“Touch me more, ya nerds!” Geoff found himself saying in the back seat.

Geoff’s friends looked at one another in surprise. It’s like Zachary was back, but only for a moment.

“I mean… If you want,” Geoff added.

The group continued to touch Geoff all over. They traced their fingers at the crevasse of his muscles and admired the sheer hardness of his abs. It’s like a Greek demigod is in their midst. However, all good times must come to an end. They left Geoff at his home, where it’s his family's turn to admire his new body. It’s strange coming to a home you recognize with a different body. Everything looked smaller and askew. Then the lunch his mother made tasted blander than usual. Even sleeping in his bed was a chore. This new body is fucking energetic. His heart is beating fast like it’s begging him to spend this energy. He had to do more than a hundred push-ups until his body was sweating and tired. He instantly fell asleep after that.

Geoff screamed when he took a morning leak after waking up. It will be a while before he gets used to seeing someone else’s reflection in the mirror, and probably even longer to get used to the sheer strength of his body. Nevertheless, his heart would often gush out at his handsome face. He can’t believe Zachary wasted this stunning mug just to act like a king on campus. He can’t say if he’ll use this cunt’s face better than Zachary, but he’ll strive to do so.

If it was weird back home, the strangeness dialed up to twenty on campus. Geoff could feel the eyes stare at him. They recognize who he is, and it’s like he’s carrying Zachary’s reputation. Geoff recognized students from the academic clubs and saw them flinch and run away when Geoff got near. Some people tried to approach him, probably because they were Zachary’s acquaintances but skittered away when they got a close look at the tag that said he was not the original inhabitant of this body. Although, one girl approached Geoff.

“Zachary? Yo– you’re back!”

Geoff pointed to the tag on his chest.

Oh, this is embarrassing.” The man blushed before leaving.

Aside from Geoff, others bore the same name tag as he does. From how they walk and how others seem wary of them, they are in the same situation as Geoff. They are not the original inhabitants of their current bodies. Most picked bodies that would let them fit in the crowd of university students, while there are brave others who picked bodies old enough to be professors. During one of Geoff’s classes, his tenured history professor came over with a young and muscular body. Students first mistook Mr. Carson as a lost student. Then they were bewildered when he set his stuff at the professor’s desk and started prepping up the projector for his presentation. It’s fucking weird seeing a hot stud teaching a boring subject. Everyone’s eyes are on his handsome face rather than the lesson about the different types of columns used by the Romans. Although, he did realize it mid-lesson.

“I’m flustered knowing that most of you can’t help but get captivated by my new body. I, myself, am surprised! It’s been decades since I last had hair on the top of my head.” All of the class chuckled. “But remember, the midterms are coming, and this chapter will comprise 30% of the questions. Look at the presentation rather than my face. And please. Don’t bother slipping me your numbers because I won’t be entertaining any. I threw five into the trash this morning alone! If you don’t know it yet, I already have a husband waiting for me back home. So anyway, the Ionic order preceded the Doric order–”

Right after classes, Geoff was about to go home when his other friends bumped into him in the hallway. Unlike the one that drove him home, this other group was in the same situation as him. They all had their minds transferred to new bodies, and all were guys. Even Jessica chose the body of a man, and it seems she can’t stop playing with her bigger breast. They invited Geoff to join them in Jessica’s house, where they could share their day’s experiences in their new bodies. It’s one of the exercises their handlers gave them so they could get accustomed to their new skins.

“I’ll think about it,”

As Geoff said his goodbyes to them, it seemed the guy who called him Zachary this morning was waiting for his turn to speak to him. When the group left, he came over with bright red cheeks and finally called Geoff by his name.

“Geoff. If you don’t mind, can you come to my house instead? I know Zachary. I don’t know if it’s my sense of duty or just plain dumbassery, but I feel like I should tell you more about him since you are in his body. What do you say?”

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rthko · 2 months

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What's an ulrichs complex? Google isn't helping

It's my bad because this is not an actual term LOL. Karl Heinrichs Ulrichs is credited as the first in the west to conceive of homosexuality as an essential characteristic. Before, gay sex was a crime but not considered something only a particular kind of person would do. Ulrichs' term wasn't homosexuality or even a direct translation of it though--his term was Urning or Uranian, and it was more precisely an early model of sexual inversion. He described the Urning as "a woman's soul encased in the body of a man," which we would now consider transgenderism (albeit an outdated way of describing it). I don't think this is true (and if one relates a little bit too much maybe they should transition), but it's in many cases allegorically true. A lot of gay boys do seem to identify with the feminine in their youth and on some level throughout their lives because homosexuality was invisible to them and they related to straight women as desiring agents.

The paradox at the heart of Ulrichs' model is that the Urning wants her gender to be affirmed, but the only people who can fulfill her desires are other Urning who feel the same way. Leo Bersani writes about this, where the result is a model where the two "relate without knowing each other." I really wish Ulrichs could have known what was made possible for trans people in later years (Bersani should have known. That old man was writing this in the 90's). But in a less literal and more allegorical level, I think some ostensibly cis fem gays have a complex about wanting real men, despite not identifying that way themselves, but believing any man who's capable of being attracted to them is already compromised.

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jessicalprice · 1 year

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adventures in christian opinions about judaism

(reposted from Twitter)

So a while back I started writing a thing on the trio of parables that ends with the prodigal son (which I still need to finish) and like MAN OH MAN do Christian commentators insist that Jews hate shepherds.

Like, I can't even count the number of commentaries that insist that shepherds were "despised figures" for first-century Jews and the parables of the lost sheep and lost coin were designed to insult the Pharisees by comparing them first to a shepherd and then to a woman.

So, as is my wont whenever Christian commentators make a claim about what was normal for first-century Judaism, I decided to try to hunt down their source on this.

As I've said many times, when it comes to Christian parable interpreters' claims about what attitudes/beliefs/etc. were normal for first-century Jews, get used to the phrase "no sources are cited."

I mean, first off, as a 21st-century Jew, the insistence that 1st-century Jews hated shepherds rings odd, given that <checks notes> Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Rachel, all of Jacob's kids (the founders of the tribes), David, etc. were all sheep-tenders. The image of God as a shepherd is pretty consistent throughout the Tanakh. That image reappears in the Qumran texts, which as far as I know, are one of the few Jewish sources we have from 1st-century Judaea.

The term "despised" gets used a lot, so I decided to dig into that one.

When I was able to find citations, I traced them back to an 1882 commentary by a guy named Frederic Farrar.

Farrar cites Heinrich Meyer as a source for this, but when I looked up THAT citation, it's Meyer saying that shepherds were a "lowly but patriarchally consecrated class" -- in other words, poor, but with a distinguished history and status.

So that's why everyone's tossing the term "despised" around--because Farrar just made it up. But what about primary sources? I went back on the hunt.

Surprisingly, in a number of reference works, like glossaries and Jeffers's "Greco-Roman World of the New Testament," I found similar assertions about the common attitude toward shepherds, for which they cited...

Aristotle. You know, the Greek guy who lived 300 years before Jesus? Definitely a reliable source for Jewish attitudes of the time.

Some people cited Philo's On Agriculture. Okay, Philo was at least Jewish and lived when Jesus would have, although he was a wealthy Hellenized Jew living in Alexandria rather than a Pharisee living in the Galilee. But okay, at least it's the right culture and time period. (The reference in Philo turns out to be talking about the section of Genesis in which Joseph's brothers come visit him in Egypt. It talks about how they were proud to be shepherds, and criticizes (gentile) kings who look down on shepherds.)

Then we've got Mishnah Kiddushin, in which a bunch of rabbis are having a debate about which professions make you trustworthy vs untrustworthy, and one rabbi lists everyone from camel-drivers to herders to barbers to shopkeepers as untrustworthy. Another rabbi comes back and is like, nah, all those people are fine upstanding folks; it's doctors and butchers you've gotta watch out for. So they're citing one cranky dude with a LONG list of people he doesn't like, who immediately gets shot down, as evidence of the normative attitude for Jews about a century earlier.

Oh, and we've got a citation of Midrash Tehillim which says that God-as-shepherd doesn't have any of the failings of humans-as-shepherds, which... sure. Also, it was codified in the 1300s?

The most compelling citation is from the Talmud (Sanhedrin 25b), in which the rabbis discuss who's qualified to be a legal witness. They exclude shepherds, because shepherds graze their animals on other people's land, which some of the rabbis see as a type of theft.

The Talmud is a record of debates, but this passage definitely makes it sound like this is a majority opinion. (It should be noted that the passage disqualifies all KINDS of people, from those who lend with interest to those who fly pigeons, as having conflicts of interest.)

But the important thing here is that the Talmud includes records of debates from as late as the 4th or 5th centuries CE (300-400 years after Jesus's time), and the passage makes a point of noting that the disqualification of shepherds as witnesses is a later development.

So in other words, the idea that the Pharisees hated shepherds and would have been insulted by Jesus telling a story in which the protagonist was a shepherd is based either on Greek attitudes that are 300 years too early or Jewish ones that are 300-400 years too late.

But people will twist themselves into citation knots (or just not bother citing a source at all) to insist that this was a common attitude so they can position the Pharisees as hating those charming humble shepherds and their fuzzy little lambs.

As to WHY this idea seems to be so important to them, well, you cannot read about Luke 15 without encountering the word "outcast" roughly 90 times per page.

The framing is Jesus was friend to The Outcasts while the Pharisees despised The Outcasts and the Lost Sheep, Coin, and Sons are all parables about accepting The Outcast.

Never mind that neither the sheep, the coin, nor either of the sons got kicked out of their communities. The sheep wandered off, as sheep are wont to do, the coin was lost by its owner, and the younger son decided to leave to go on a spending spree while the older son declined to attend the welcome back party for him after his dad managed to hire a band and caterers but never thought to let his own son know what was going on and he had to find out from a hired hand.

Moreover, the term "outcasts" gets used as a synonym for "tax collectors and sinners." Tax collectors were usually pretty well-off because they ran a protection racket for the Romans. Outcasts? I mean, I guess? But hardly in the "marginalized and powerless" sense.

As far as "sinners," the NT doesn't usually bother telling us what, exactly, they did to "sin," but on the rare occasions when it does offer that context, it's almost always wealthy people.

But why talk about that when they can present the objection the Pharisees had to Jesus's dining with "tax collectors and sinners" as the Pharisees despising lowly outcasts, and insist that the Pharisees hated the idea of such people repenting and returning, and so Jesus was tweaking their noses by comparing them to shepherds and women.

As if, you know, teshuvah wasn't something the Pharisees were ALL ABOUT. If you want to actually understand, consider that the iconic tax collector in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector shows no inclination to STOP being a tax collector.

The objection wasn't you're having a friendly dinner with poor lowly outcasts for whom we have contempt. It was you're having a friendly dinner with people who are extorting their neighbors on behalf of the invaders who kill us for looking at them funny and have expressed no intention to stop doing that.

Now, there's a good discussion to be had about whether shunning Trump lawyers and Marjorie Taylor-Greene donors or inviting them to dinner and trying to win them over with compassion is more effective, more ethical, more compassionate (to whom?), etc.

But presumably we can see why people of intelligence and goodwill might disagree on which of those approaches is the right thing to do, and why such people might might object to the strategy they don't agree with.

But what really gets me is that Christians have the utter fucking NERVE to paint the Pharisees as inhumanly awful for not wanting to have dinner with tax collectors while viewing Corinthians as Holy Writ:

I mean, Paul's all YOU MUST SHUN ALCOHOLICS AND PEOPLE WHO ARE GREEDY and Christians are like yes, that makes sense, but if the Pharisees are like, no, I don't want to have dinner with that guy who narced on my cousin and got him crucified, Christians are like, they're monsters.

Cool, cool.

Anyway, this has been your weekly edition of Christians Need To Stop Just Making Shit Up About Jews And Then Citing Each Other Like It's Fact.

And there were a lot of "I've never heard anyone say Jews of Jesus's time hated shepherds..." responses: Maybe you haven't, but that doesn't make it uncommon.

Sources in which I've found it:

Craig Blomberg (Denver Seminary, Society of Biblical Literature, Tyndale House, NIV translation committee)

Jared Wilson (professor at multiple Baptist seminaries)

Stephen Wright (Spurgeon College (British evangelical college))

Arland Hultgren (Luther Seminary (ELCA))

Kenneth Bailey (Presbyterian/Episcopalian)

Joachim Jeremias (Lutheran, cited EVERYWHERE)

Bernard Brandon Scott (Disciples of Christ, the Jesus Seminar)

Klyne Snodgrass (Evangelical Covenant Church)

Barbara Reid (Catholic Biblical Association)

That particular trope spans denominations, decades, etc. It's not a fringe viewpoint.

#christian exegesis #antisemitism #jumblr #citational politics #bad methodology #parables #pharisees #first century judaism #second temple judaism #good shepherd #prodigal son #why are christians like this?

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bellaxgiornata · 11 months

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Falling For the Devil [Part forty-two: "The Argument in the Hotel Room"]

Pairing: Matt Murdock x Fem!Reader

Summary: Matt and you make it back to your hotel room after dinner, both of you angry from the conversation you'd had.

You find it very hard to control your body and not become aroused by Matt's anger.

[Series of one-shots about Reader meeting, falling for, and dating Matt Murdock.]

Warnings: 18+ for this series; contains humor, fluff, romance, angst, smut (like...a lot of it later in the series), language, some violence

Word Count: 3.9k

a/n: This is a smupdate where y'all begin to see a bit of what I call Feral Matt (you see him fully in part 52 but Feral Matt comes hand in hand with consequences in our Big Angst arc). Hopefully you enjoy a little angry Matt smut in this one! You can find the entire list of installments for this series on tumblr here. And if you're enjoying the series, please let me know!

With a huff you swiped the keycard through the reader on the door, gritting your teeth when you’d realized you’d swiped too fast and it beeped back at you. Your grip tightened around the handle of your luggage as you tried again, very aware of Matt behind you. You could practically feel the frustration radiating off of him.

This was certainly not how you’d pictured your evening with Matt going after the over six hour first half of your trip you’d just completed. And as you pushed the now unlocked door handle down harder than necessary, you’d regretted indulging Matt’s line of questioning about your ongoing investigation into Wayland Corporation and Heinrich Backman over dinner. You’d finally told him that one of your co-worker’s sources had a lead on a particularly interesting and powerful investor in Wayland and that you, during work hours two days before you and Matt left the city for your trip, had gone off to meet with a representative of said powerful investor for an interview under the guise of a false article you weren’t really working on. And Matt, ever the stubborn and overprotective superhero vigilante boyfriend that he was, had gotten absolutely pissed at you for not only not telling him about the meeting, but also the fact that you’d gone without Daredevil nearby to protect you.

You were still gritting your teeth together as you tugged your luggage in, holding the door for Matt to follow in behind you with his own suitcase. The muscles in his cheeks were jumping as he ground his own teeth.

“You need me to help lay out the room for you?” you asked him, trying hard to push the edge out of your voice.

Matt effortlessly made his way further into the room, setting his luggage to the side of a nightstand beside the bed. For a moment he didn’t respond, just continued to run a hand repeatedly through his hair which was quickly becoming a mess with his irritated actions.

Fighting the urge to roll your eyes, you shook your head and made your way past the bed to the other side. You deposited your own suitcase next to the nightstand and out of the way. Even if you were currently angry with Matt, it’s not like you wanted him to trip over your luggage.

“What I need,” Matt snapped, breaking the tense silence, “is for you to be honest with me.”

Squaring your shoulders, you spun on your heel to face him. Both of you were standing on opposite sides of the bed, the queen-sized mattress acting as a buffer.

“Honest?” you shot back. “Matt, I wasn’t lying about anything to you! I’ve been keeping you updated about the entire investigation except for that one little detail because I’d been busy getting everything ready for our trip! And you were busy at the office with Foggy that day! How is it being dishonest when I told you everything at dinner when you asked about it?"

“It shouldn’t have taken you so long to tell me at all!” he growled back, his voice rising. “We just spent hours in a car together doing nothing but talk and you never said a word until I asked you about it!”

“Well excuse me for not wanting to bring up a topic that I know causes tension when we have an almost thirteen hour road trip for Christmas together!” you snapped.

The corner of his left eye was twitching, his nostrils flaring as he glared back at you in frustration. He’d shrugged out of his coat, leaving him in those form fitting gray tee-shirts he always wore. You couldn’t help but notice the way the fabric hugged his muscles as his chest and shoulders heaved. It wasn’t fair that he was so distractingly sexy–even when he was pissed at you.

“You shouldn’t have gone when you did,” he continued, voice lowered to something oddly dangerous. “You should have called me first, at the very least.”

“And what?” you asked bitterly, taking a few irritated steps around the bed towards him. “Told their assistant that I had to reschedule our appointment to a time that was convenient for Daredevil to chaperone me?”

Matt’s eyes narrowed, his intimidating form stalking around the bed towards you, stopping just feet away. He towered above you, nostrils still flaring sharply as he gazed back down at you. The hair on the back of your neck rose, but oddly not from fear.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he ground out. “Obviously you wouldn’t tell them that and I’d be nearby, not out in the open. You know I don’t want anyone finding out your connection to me,” he replied.

“Won’t be hard to recognize,” you said sharply, “if Daredevil is always hanging around my interviews.”

His lips twitched downwards, head canting to the side as his hands flew to his hips. He was shifting back and forth on his feet before you, tongue frustratedly swiping over his lips a few times. Your eyes were drawn to the movement, your breath briefly catching in your throat. Matt froze almost instantly, all of his frustrated movements coming to a stop. You watched as his eyes narrowed towards the bed, his head tilting further to the side.

Soon, his attention was shifting swiftly back towards you with furrowed brows. “Are you actually getting turned on right now?” he asked, his tone a mix of irritation and confusion.

“No," you quickly denied.

His face scrunched up for a moment as he studied you. As if it would help, you crossed your arms over your chest. But you couldn’t stop your gaze from raking over the way his shirt clung to his tensed muscles.

“Yes you are,” he countered. “I can practically taste your arousal in the air, sweetheart.” He shook his head, laughing humorlessly. “Here we are discussing something important–me worrying about you making some poor decisions that could end up getting you hurt–and you’re just thinking about sex?”

Face turning red, you threw your hands in the air. “I can’t fucking help how my body reacts to you, Matt!”

Spinning on your heel in a huff, you took a step away from Matt and wished this hotel room had an adjoining room for you to go and cry in privately. Except it wouldn’t be private because Matt would hear you–and probably taste the salt of your tears in the air. Unfortunately you didn’t get far before Matt’s hand roughly caught your wrist, drawing you to an abrupt stop.

“Let me go,” you shot over your shoulder.

He took a step closer to you, only inches away from the back of you. His hand was still holding your wrist in a grip that was just shy of being hard enough to actually hurt. With the way he was looking at you, you couldn’t control the goosebumps that rose along your skin.

“Is that what you want me to do?” he asked, his tone low. “Or do you want me to yell at you some more? Tell me sweetheart,” he said, almost spitting out the pet name in his anger, “do you enjoy watching how worked up I get over your safety?”

Your breath was quickly coming in short. “What?” you asked in a small voice.

Before you had time to register what was going on, Matt had you pinned to the wall. He was holding both of your wrists above your head, the front of him so close to yours that you could feel the heat radiating off of his body. Your cunt ached noticeably at the sight of Matt’s angered and hungry face before you.

“You should have told me about that interview,” he snapped. “Should have given me a chance to be there if something went wrong.”

Your eyes narrowed at him in curiosity and confusion. He was sending you mixed signals, continuing to argue with you while you thought he’d been switching gears and trying to fuck you. What the hell was this?

“I was fine,” you reiterated. “Nothing happened to me.”

“You don’t think they’re not going to look into that article and find out it's not real?” Matt shot back. “Don’t think they won’t then begin looking into you? Find out who you are? Realize you were the journalist who outed Figureoa?”

“Alright, I get it,” you ground out, tugging against his hold on you. “Now knock it off, Matt.”

His hands immediately released yours, but he continued to block your path. There was a coy smirk sliding onto his lips as he gazed down at you, one that was doing things to your body that you weren’t currently thrilled about. Of course he’d be able to turn you the fuck on during an argument–was there anything this beautiful man couldn’t do?

“Move,” you ordered him.

He shifted sideways, allowing you to storm past him. You were rubbing at your wrists as you headed to the opposite side of the room towards the empty desk and the window. This was definitely not how you foresaw your trip going.

“You want me,” he called after you. “Can’t deny it sweetheart. I can taste how wet you’re getting.”

“You know, that’s not helping,” you snapped back.

“Clearly it is,” Matt mused, his voice getting closer, “because you’re getting wetter the angrier you get.”

You spun back around, mouth open as you were about to deny his claim, but he was suddenly right there. He was still smirking down at you, too.

“You’re being very–”

His mouth slammed hard into yours so forcefully you stumbled back a step, your ass bumping into the desk behind you as he cut your sentence clean off. There was absolutely nothing sweet and loving about how he was kissing you either–he was biting and growling and lapping mercilessly into your mouth. You could barely catch your breath, your own hands frantically tugging at his hair, yanking him closer to you in a wave of frustrated desire that you’d never experienced before.

He roughly picked you up and dropped you onto the desk behind you, forcing your legs apart as he slotted himself between them. Breaking away briefly from your mouth, he grinned down at you.

“I’m being very what, sweetheart?” he goaded, breath coming in hard.

Breathing hard yourself, desire and irritation still both coursing through you, you shook your head. “Stop arguing,” you ground out.

Without hesitation, your hand that was still fisting his hair roughly tugged his mouth back down to yours. You could feel the brief smile on his lips before he kissed you back with that same raging intensity he had only moments ago. His hands were focused on undoing your pants, moving swift and clumsily as he focused on kissing you. A moment later he broke away from your mouth, panting hard as he sharply yanked your jeans and underwear down your legs simultaneously. Your own hands reached down, gripping the hem of his shirt and ripping it up and over his head. Brain too focused solely on your need for Matt, your mouth dove forward, biting at his abominable muscles as your hands landed back on his hips, nails digging in. Matt hissed out a sound of pleasure above you, the sound encouraging your tongue to slip out and slide along his muscled, bare skin. Both of his hands were in your hair, gripping the strands tight as he let out a low moan when your tongue swiped just above the waistline of his pants. You could feel the twitch of his muscles beneath your tongue, the feeling drawing more wet heat between your thighs.

As you began frantically unbuttoning his jeans, his hands slid down to grip the hem of your own shirt. He tugged it over your head just after you’d gotten his pants unzipped. After he tossed your shirt aside, you were unclasping your bra while he was peeling his pants and boxers off of himself. As usual, your eyes were instantly drawn to his hard cock, every intention of taking him into your mouth and watching him fall apart, but the moment your hands were on him, his own hands halted yours.

“No,” he said, shaking his head and placing your hands on his hips. “That's not how this is going to go, sweetheart.”

He nudged your legs open wider and slipped between them. His left hand snaked its way up your thigh, one of his thick fingers lightly dipping inside of you. Your body shuddered on the desk, knees shaking against Matt’s body.

“Mmm,” he hummed, satisfied. “You definitely enjoyed that argument more than you should have.” His finger slipped back out, hand grabbing his cock and rubbing it along the slick of your entrance while you fought the tremble of your lips. “You like seeing me that protective over you? Is that it?” He slid just the tip of himself inside of you and you gasped out, hips begging for more. "Is that why you were getting so worked up?"

“Maybe,” you whispered.

His eyes narrowed, the very tip of him still just sitting inside of you. You shifted your hips again, bucking them towards him. You needed more of him. Instead, his hands came down hard and held your thighs firmly to the desk, keeping you still.

“I meant what I said,” he told you sternly. “You’re going to tell me when you’re involved with that organization, sweetheart. Whenever you're interviewing someone. Chasing down a lead. You're going to tell me so I can make sure you stay safe.”

“Matt, I don’t– fuck ,” you cried out, eyelids sharply closing as he entered into you fully in one swift thrust.

“You will or I won’t fuck you,” he shot back. “You want me, sweetie?”

“Yes,” you answered instantly.

“Then promise me,” he almost growled, face lowering towards yours. “Promise me you’ll tell me everything about your investigation into Wayland whenever something comes up. Promise me that you will let me help you, that you’ll let me keep you safe."

You were squirming against him, desperate for him to do more than just fill you. Your nails were clawing at his skin as you tried to buck into him yet again, but Matt remained still and immobile as he stared down at you expectantly.

“Yes, Matt, yes, I promise,” you ground out in a frustrated whine. Your hands tugged impatiently at his hips. “Fuck, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I didn’t think you’d be this upset.”

One of his hands released your thigh, fingers gently grabbing your chin and tilting your face up further towards his. “I take every threat to you seriously, sweetheart," he told you, tone dark and dangerous. "Of course I was going to be upset."

“Alright, I’ll–I’ll tell you first thing when I get another lead,” you replied quickly. "Any-any time I get something new to check out," you promised.

"Good," he growled.

His mouth was back on yours, kissing you fiercely before either of you could say more. When his hands landed on your waist, his fingers dug deep into your bare skin before his hips finally began to move. Without preamble or any build up, he frantically pumped into you. Your hands helplessly tried to find purchase along the muscles of his naked back as you moaned out, eyes closing at the feel of him finally moving inside of you.

You'd been next to him all day in the car, unable to really touch each other for hours, and even you could tell Matt was just as riled up over that as he had been over your arousal. With the way he was grunting and thrusting into you so resolutely, you could tell he'd been desperate to touch you, too. That he had needed this just as much as you did right now.

Matt's head shifted, coming to bite your shoulder, pulling your skin between his teeth. You moaned out, turning your head to give him room as his lips began kissing the skin afterwards. He was still rapidly pumping into you, the desk repeatedly slamming into the wall loudly behind you with each thrust. You were too far gone to even think if there were people in a nearby room listening to the way Matt was roughly fucking you. You didn’t even care.

“I made you a promise,” Matt said firmly, his pace unwavering. “I told you I’d always do whatever I had to–” he broke off on a moan, head falling back over his shoulders for a few seconds as your nails raked down his bare back. “I–I promised,” he continued, his head rolling back forward, teeth gritted, “that I’d do whatever I needed to to keep you safe.”

“I know, baby,” you whispered, eyes closed.

With a grunt, he picked you up from off the desk, eliciting a surprised yelp from you as you clung to him. His cock remained inside of you, your cunt continually squeezing him in a desperate plea for him to continue fucking you. Matt was muttering curses at the feel of it as he walked you to the bed, eventually coming to rest your back along the edge of it. He repositioned your legs along his shoulders as he stood at the edge of the bed, one hand holding each of your ankles as he gazed down at you. You bit your lip at that hungry look on his face.

“I don’t care how pissed at me you get,” he ground out, “I’m keeping that promise. No matter what .”

Immediately he began thrusting into you again with a fierce pace, your hands roughly fisting the hotel sheets beside you as your head flew back along the mattress. With this new angle, his cock was striking that spot deep inside that was causing flashes of white to dance across your closed lids. A series of breathy, needy whines fell out of you as you held tight to the sheets.

“Fuck, Matt,” you whimpered.

“Not so fucking angry now, are you?” he countered roughly, though his own voice sounded strained.

Forcing your eyes open, you gazed up at him from the bed. He was gritting his teeth, hands clamped tight around your ankles as he slammed his hips into your body over and over. His dark brows were furrowed together like they often were when he was focused on fucking you.

“You’re one to talk,” you shot back.

Instantly you saw his eyes narrow before he sharply buried his cock so deep inside of you that you screamed out, eyes momentarily closing in shock. When they reopened, he was grinning down at you, but you were too stunned to speak.

“That’s what I thought, sweetheart,” he replied cockily.

You didn’t really even care to argue back with him right now. Not really sure what it was about Matt’s cocky, overprotective attitude tonight, you found yourself quickly about to fall over the edge of your climax. Hips rising from off the bed, your head flew back along the mattress again as your eyes snapped shut.

“You fucking like this, don’t you?” he asked.

“I thought I said,” you began, voice light and breathy as you almost hit that peak, “to stop arguing.”

One of his hands released your ankles only to moments later land on your clit. Touching you just right, you entirely lost it on the bed below him. Your hips quaked against Matt as he moaned out in response, your cunt clenching his cock. Eyes rolling back behind your closed lids, you cried out a curse into the hotel room. His hand left your clit a few moments later, instead landing hard on your ass with a sharp smack that sounded throughout the room. His fingers dug into the flesh there as his hips began clumsily ramming into you, his cock twitching inside of you. As a lightheadedness began to wash over you, you felt Matt’s warm release fill you, his pleased rumbling groan filling the air around you.

He proceeded to slowly thrust into you a few more times before his hips finally came to a stop. Your eyes opened slowly, trying to come back down from your climax. You could see the light glisten of sweat along his skin as he slowly slipped out of you, releasing your legs carefully to the floor. Running a hand over your forehead, you tried to recover from whatever had just happened. A minute ago you’d been yelling at each other, and now your body was feeling pleasantly light post-orgasm.

“What was that?” you asked him curiously, slowly sitting up on the bed.

Matt was running his own hands through his hair, his shoulders heaving. “You tell me,” he panted out, shooting you a little smile. “You’re the one who got aroused from an argument.”

You felt heat rise to your cheeks, your gaze dropping to the floor. “I told you I can’t help my reaction to you,” you mumbled, embarrassed. “Even when you’re apparently pissed at me.”

Matt walked over, coming to sit on the bed beside you. “Hey,” he whispered, wrapping an arm around your waist and pulling you into him, “I’m not–not pissed at you,” he began, still trying to catch his breath. “I just…I don’t want to see you get hurt. Okay? I love you and I can’t even imagine if something were to ever happen to you. I wouldn’t–”

You saw his eyes snap shut, brows pinching together. His lips twitched and you saw his throat bob as he swallowed roughly. Pulling him into yourself, you held him as he burrowed into your neck.

“I can’t let anything happen to you,” he whispered into your skin. “Not you.”

“I’m sorry,” you apologized. “I’ll tell you next time.”

For a moment you just sat there together, holding each other naked and silent. Your head eventually lowered onto the top of his, eyes closing.

“So that was our first argument,” you muttered.

“Yeah, it was,” Matt murmured. “I’m sorry I yelled, sweetheart. Even if you did seem to enjoy it.”

You laughed lightly above him, eyes still closed. “I have to admit, that was the most satisfying argument I’ve ever had,” you told him.

“I won’t argue with that,” Matt agreed.

“You sure?” you countered cheekily. “Because if you did, maybe that could be the most satisfying argument you’ve ever had.”

The pair of you burst into a fit of hysterics on the bed together, Matt laughing loudly beside you. The sound eased any worry you might’ve had after that argument.

When the laughter subsided, your gaze dropped to the carpeted hotel floor. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," you whispered. "I didn't think you'd be this upset. I was planning to tell you after the entire Christmas trip because I didn't want to potentially cause problems. I'm not trying to hide things from you, Matt."

"Sweetheart," he began slowly, "when it comes to dangerous people like Backman, you need to be careful. Everyone you talk to about them, or anyone involved in the company you speak with, it's all being kept track of. I'm honestly a bit worried about the fake article. They're not stupid, sweetheart."

"No, but articles fall through all the time," you countered. "Ellison already corroborated a story with me about how a different piece took precedence and we're tabling the other article for now. After Christmas I'll be emailing them with a sort of consolatory message about it. They won't even think twice."

Matt sighed heavily, shifting so his head was resting along your shoulder. You leaned your head back atop his, your gaze once again on the hotel floor.

"I hope you're right," Matt whispered.

#matt murdock x reader #matt murdock x you #matt murdock x fem reader #matt murdock smut #matt murdock series #matt murdock fic #matt murdock fanfic #daredevil x reader #daredevil x female reader #matt murdock #fftd

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dapurinthos · 2 years

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more about blood of eden naming because i have sunk my teeth into it, especially on how they use the names of destroyed and mythical places.

the wings/cells

merv: also alexandria, antiókheia in margiana, marw al-shāhijān. located in iran. inhabited from c. 2000BCE, a holy site to zoroastrians, one-time capital of the islamic caliphate, razed to the ground in 1788/9.

ctesiphon: also tyspwn, ktesiphōn. located in iran iraq (sorry, my geography of this area begins with sumerian cities and ends with aššur). founded c.120BCE, capital of the parthian, sasanian empires. besieged in the battle of al-qādisiyyah in 637CE, became a ghost town afterward.

troia: troy, illios, wiluša. the one heinrich schliemann “““excavated”““. located in turkey. inhabited from c. 3600BCE, the troy, the one we all know, hektor, akhilleus, kassandra. the milawata letter. destroyed multiple times over the millennia, the last being in thee roman era.

lemuria: mythical lost continent beneath the indian ocean, proposed by philip sclater, later appropriated by occultists. identified with the lost continent of kumari kandam by some tamils, which is believed to be their ‘cradle of civilization’ where the population was solely tamils.

mu: also a mythical lost continent, name also used interchangeably for lemuria and atlantis, the product of the mind of augustis le plongeon.

further, we see we suffer use the following names for other military cells in chapter 27:

saaftinge, zoar, birmingham, maputo, taree, memphis, taksa, calakmul, valencia, opava, dundee

normal cities, to us. however, to the people of blood of eden, these are all mythical, lost places regardless of the reality of merv, tyspwn, and wiluša. they are at a remove of ten thousand years. they are in the space between the fall of roman troy and the re-discovery of it, though there can be no rediscovery, only stories. much like australian aboriginal stories stretch back before certain parts of australia were underwater, blood of eden preserves the names of places that have been obliterated by the nuclear bombs, by whatever john continued to do to earth to have it so completely covered by water except for canaan house.

‘the flood, you know? You can wash things clean. that’s all the end of earth was … making things clean’, says john, and that’s what he did. he re-enacted the story of atra-hasis, of utnapištim, but there was no one to speak through the reed wall to save humanity even though, through the ages, it is very likely that the story of john destroying the earth became their new flood myth, their ‘god decided the world was too populous and was going to destroy it, and we are the chosen people who managed to survive.’ the whole of earth is mu, is lemuria.

#nona the ninth spoilers #ntn spoilers #blood of eden #LOOK I HAVE A LOT OF THOUGHTS ABOUT WHAT BOE'S MYTHOLOGY MUST BE LIKE #also about how the greek flood myth might tie in because one of the survivors is named PYRRHA

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beebopboom · 2 months

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Refined by Fire

annndddd we are back folks with the Death of one Agnes Nutter

Awhile ago @justhereforthemeta made this post about Agnes having some parallels to Jesus which is what really got the wheels turning in my brain in the first place and well now here we are

but just to recap-

Check out part 1 for a list of all her prophecies that we know of and all the artwork I could find referenced in her book

In part 2 we started to dive into where she was getting her prophecies from through some clues left in her book and on her work bench

but now we are going to look into the events surrounding her death

There is something poetic about the last true witch in England and all her prophetic work going up in flames. Even moreso that Agnes Nutter knew her fate and yet she still went out on her own explosive terms

But let's just start with the basics

Fire

Biblically speaking fire is seen as a symbol of God's presence and a tool for their judgement - to either purify or destroy

But generally speaking it is a symbol of transformation, purification, and rebirth

Pentacle

Now something interesting Agnes wears to her death - other than roofing nails and gunpowder - is a pentacle. From my understanding the main difference between a pentacle and pentagram is just the circle on the outside

At their core pentacles - no matter the symbol on the inside - are objects of evocation. Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa summarized their use as,

“fore-know all future, and command whole nature, have power over devils, and Angels, and do miracles”

Going back a bit to the actual symbol on the inside - the pentagram was actually an early symbol for the five wounds of Jesus represented by the five points. This was a symbol of the church and could be used as a symbol of protection against demons and witches

Now it wasn't really until the 1800’s that this symbol started to be associated with the more modern interputation with witchcraft and even then it was only associated with “evil” when inverted.

There is a long history with this symbol with tons of different meanings - from the body of man to the elements with a common theme of mind over matter - but at the time of Agnes’s death, 1656, it had not yet been associated as a symbol of witchcraft as far as I am aware but I’m willing to accept that maybe it was just an oversight or that I’m reading too far into it as it really is just a small detail.

Offering

A burnt one to be exact - now just hear me out I know we are going off the rails a bit

Yes burnt offerings are laid out to only be certain animals but there are instances of human ones as well - Jephthah’s daughter for example and well, Jesus.

Not that the show skips out on the animal burnt offering just look to the Job minisode plenty of examples there - the goats supposedly destroyed in the explosions only for them to be transformed and the whole ass ox upon the altar - but anyway

Jesus’s sacrifice on the Cross is seen as like the Ultimate Burnt Offering apparently. Burnt offerings were typically used as a way to atone for wrongdoings, to show appreciation and a way to appease God - the act of completing giving oneself over to God.

But because Jesus died on the Cross people no longer had to atone. With the burnt offering Jesus accomplishes the Will of God - completely consumed and ascended to God - he restores humanity relationship with God.

So upon the altar that they willingly went to, they were tied. For they knew the reason of their death and called out,

Father, please. You have to forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing

And let my death be a message to the world. Come. Come, gather thee close I say, and mark ye well the fate of those who meddle with such as they do not understand.

Those around them are unaware of the consequences of their actions - one begs for their forgiveness, the other cast judgement onto them.

Agnes does not take her fate of going out quietly. If her death is be an offering, of the start of the end - well what better way to go than with a bang

All her neighbors that she helped heal had all turned on her and called for her death - so she gave them their judgement through explosion and roofing nails

Her village got a completely new start with her death - a chance to be better

also fun fact the Hebrew word for "burnt offering" actually means to “ascend” mainly referring to the smoke that would rise and the smell would appease God

(also maybe there is something to be said about how they were early for Job and late for Agnes)

Gold

but Agnes’s story hardly ends with her death - No her work lives on but we aren’t here to talk about her prophecies but rather something she gives in return for keeping them safe

Gold Coins

she leaves a letter each for the two men we see having to keep track of the box containing the further prophecies and when those letters are opened out drops a gold coin

They each have a different reaction to the gold coin - one acknowledges it and then continues on to his letter the other reads letter first and then scrambles to grab the coin and leave.

Now gold in general is a symbol of God’s glory and is associated with a divine presence. It can also represent material and spiritual wealth.

but it’s probably worth mentioning The Parable of the Ten Gold Coins yeah?

In this Jesus tells of a nobleman that gives one coin each to ten servants and tells them to use it while he is gone and when he gets back the first one had turned his one coin into ten, the second had turned his into five, and the third hid his in fear of losing it. The first two are praised and rewarded while the third is punished.

The message from this is that of how people are to use the gifts given to them in order to produce results for the Kingdom of God whenever it comes around. People are to use their gifts wisely, responsibility, and productively.

Now remember those two men from earlier - one using the coin and predictions to build a successful law firm and the other almost seems like a punishment? Where is our first/middle man? The Device family? I would say so

*kicking at the door with Job parallels* Not now

Originally I thought this was a lesson of greed but this seemed to fit slightly more. Also way to hammer in that you are a divine presence Agnes with the gold

Agnes has rigged her Wheel of Fate and I hope she is raising some hell up in Heaven - she certainly succeeded on Earth

————————————————————————

and that’s a wrap on her death. Join in next time for the finale where we will dive into the legacy left behind - family, masonry, ……and what’s up with Maggie?

#good omens #good omens 2 #good omens meta #good omens analysis #good omens theory #the nice and accurate prophecies of agnes nutter #agnes nutter #should I have waited to post this not at four in the morning?#probably #hopefully things are explained well enough

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onlyluxalo · 2 months

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Hiiii! Can I request some Hc for Welt Yang catching their shy!s/o singing by themselves. (Maybe the crew is on Jarilo-vi. Reader kinda just wanders into the snow planes to watch the aurora but also because it's far enough that no one would hear reader sing to their hearts content)

Thanks!

💐 anon

I guess emoji anons is what I’m working with that now lol

I hope I did my best! 👍

Gn reader and older reader implied!

Welt Yang with shy reader that sings hcs

Id like to think when Welt took a stroll in Jarilo-VI since him and reader agreed to take a small break from the “young ones” to get away from the chaotic ness as they did their own thing on the planet.

When Welt was done doing whatever he was doing (probably checking some books in Belobog), he was going to find reader so they could go back in the Express in one piece.

Welt couldn’t find reader anywhere in Belobog so he decided to go out of Belobog and go out into the Outlying Snow Plains knowing it was a quiet area since he knew reader well enough due to not liking crowded and loud areas.

As he walked further into the snowy plains, we could hear the sound of someone’s voice that he recognized due to his enhanced hearing as a Herrscher, but he couldn’t pinpoint what they were saying or talking about until he got closer.

Then Welt heard the sound of reader singing. But to not alarm them, he decided to hide behind the stone wall and listen to them.

Welt hasn’t heard someone sing like this in so long that it reminded him of Heinrich (his mother) that almost made him feel like going to sleep since reader’s singing sounded nice and calm as he had a gentle smile on his face.

But about another 30 minutes later, Welt had to interrupt readers singing despite him not wanting to but he had to so the other Express members didn’t get worried about them.

But when he made his presence known, reader became red in the face as they stuttered, trying to lie about them singing and all that but Welt interrupted them,

“It’s okay rakas, your voice was lovely.”

He said that with a cute smile (I’d imagine) as reader is happy that Welt enjoyed their singing as they gave Welt a smile in return before they held hands, going back to the Astral Express.

I hope I did well for shy reader 💐 anon! :)

Rakas means “Dear” in Finnish!

Also Finnish speakers please correct me on anything when using Finnish! :>

#honkai impact 3rd x reader #honkai star rail x reader #honkai impact 3rd #honkai impact x reader #honkai star rail #joachim nokianvirtanen #welt yang x reader #honkai impact 3rd welt yang #hi3 welt x reader

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dxmoness · 11 months

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HEY HEY-

( This is like an idea inspired from the rp chats I have with oc and ai Rezef- You already know who am I)

An engaged enemies to lovers with Rezef Hill? Where name comes from a noble household that has a great influence in the empire- That at first they were like on each other's throats but then they began warming up and become allies as they share the same goal of just wanting to overthrow and humiliate the heinreich duchy? But then meanwhile they continue with their plan to make Rezef the emperor with name's help, the two of them just happen to start falling in love but don't know how to bring that up due to the fear of rejection?

You can make it either a drabble or hc, Idm! And pls take your time <33

Your health matters 🫶

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐈 | 𝐑. 𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐋

[ AUTHOR NOTE ] Hope this doesn't flop 🥹

[ WARNINGS ] murder, hateful attitude + thoughts.

[ READER PRONOUNS ] she/her

[ WRITING STYLE ] desideria · long fic!

I hate you. That was all Name could think as she watched herself get married to him. The crowned prince stood in front of her, his eyes filled with absolute hatred.

"I do." Those words. Hollow, empty words. None of them meant it. When he leaned closer to kiss reluctantly, their lips interlocked in a barely meaning anything way of kissing.

The post wedding ball was a blur as the two were escorted for their first night together. The moment the door was closed, Rezef lashed out. Pissed off. She ducked his hit as he seemed aggravated.

"Looks like someone's mad." Name mocked as Rezef looked at her with pure hatred in his eyes. He steps closer before he grabs a fistful of her hair. "Shut up." He practically shouts as he pulled her hair. Tears swelled as she was completely in pain but her pride prevented her from those near waterworks.

Rezef smiles sadistically as he lets go of her hair before he sat down on the bed. His sapphire eyes ablaze with anger. "Now. Shall we discuss what we'll do in this relationship?" His tone meant no talking back as she could only so much as bob her head in assent despite wanting to lash out so much words towards him.

He grins with delight as he nods. "Good." He chuckles darkly. "As we both know we hate each other, I don't love you and you don't love me." She nods at this again. It was true. "Since this is the case we will only act like a couple when our parents are near. When they aren't, we'll act like complete strangers. Understood?"

She nods in affirmation. "Understood." Rezef smirked. "Very well, looks like we've come to an agreement now. Be a good doll and sleep on the floor tonight." Fuck you. She said mentally as she watched him lay down and get comfortable.

The next day she awoke from a very exhausting night. She barely got any sleep, she sighed as she rubbed her back.

This was gonna be a long life now that she knew what she was dealing with.

The good thing was that they rarely came close. Separate rooms, different schedules. Everything fit right where they should. No problem problems for everyday activities as they had different duties and they were rarely called for tea with emperor.

It was perfect. Until they both found the interest of taking down the Heinrich duchy a similar goal. This was when they decided to join forces. And only for this moment, once it was over they would go back to the old schedule.

That was what they originally thought. Because when they managed to figure out how to fit each other's talents and strengths to the puzzle. This started the relationship they thought they'd never make. The feelings they thought would never be brewed.

Rezef was quick to notice on his feelings when Name was around. He was more relaxed than before. It was if she lifted burdens of the things he couldn't do as she just fit right in. Watching her work her magic, theorizing and strategizing needed and unneeded attacks where enough to make him see that he needed her for the Empire's sake. Even for his own.

As for Name, Name found his actions ever so startling when all the bickering stopped. She found favour in his perfectionist views when it came to the number of agents to place in the mission or the people they should trust.

When it was over, could they possibly do what they promised to each other then? Just the small thought of returning to their once fruitless marriage tore each apart.

So they wouldn't. But they couldn't tell each other their reasons. In fear of being still hated by the other.

"Rezef?" Name looks up to see her husband by the door of her room. It was an odd sight. Much more unusual for the guards by the door, she thinks as she gets up.

Rezef watches her come closer. He does not deny that she was beautiful. He was lost in the thought of admiring her that he hadn't realized what Name asked. "What?" He blinks finally returning to reality.

"Are you okay?" She repeated the question. "Yes." "Then what are you-" Rezef couldn't hold himself any longer, his lips pressed on hers engulfing her into sharing a heated and passionate kiss. One that told both of them what they needed to know.

They were in love and there was no denying that now.

tagging, @sxnful-rage

#— story of the stars · fics 📖#• . desideria · long fics!#rezef hill x reader #rezef x reader #rezef hill #the villainess is a marionette x reader #the villainess is a marionette #THIS SUCKS ASS

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