heeyyyyy. i made a lambsona and ive started drawing some of the followers from my stream run! yippee!!! here's most of my assorted doodles so far :D we also FINISHED the pngtuber to have up while we play cotl, and its SOOO FUUUUN AAAA. think im gonna add more expressions for her :D ALRIGHT. might have accidentally streamed for 12 hours so its lunch and then bedtime. nighty night! ^^

Old Faith 6🟢

It didn’t take long for the Bishops to return from their search of the forest again. The whole cult was looking for the missing Bishop. Many people were still searching for him in this moment. Shamura stayed behind this time in the event that he returned before they do.

“Please, on Gaia’s soul, please bring him back safely. Bring my baby brother back safely”

He thought. While he was thinking that, Leshy had just teleported back to his little palace with Noelle on his back. He had to act fast to avoid detection.

“Come, hide here for now”.

This was clearly a bedroom of some sort. A bedroom of a forest dwelling bishop. Vines everywhere, some very cool nicknacks and other stuff. She didn’t get a chance to take it in, because she was stuffed in a crawl space temporarily.

“There is some food in there, don’t be loud. I will be back as soon as possible, okay?”

He said. Noelle nodded. Leshy then pulls his bed back in front of the crawl space. No one really comes inside besides him. He gets out but before he announces himself, he cuts the stitches from his abdomen to make him bleed. Some spots have healed, except this one. Kallamar would have to look at this one.

“B-brother…”

He said weakly. Bishop Shamura turns to not see Heket or Kallamar. But Leshy! He leaps from his throne to his brother.

“My brother! My baby! Are you alright?!?”

He said. He was bleeding from his abdomen, so he was hustled to medical care immediately.

“PHYSICIANS! QUICKLY!”

He shouted. Heket and Kallamar returned shortly after. Apparently they weren’t allowed to scold him until further notice.

While Kallamar was treating him, he was also lifting some residue from his body. Someone tried to treat him

“Whomever tried to treat you was clearly unskilled”

“It clearly was enough to get me home”

“ you are in no position to say that! We were worried sick about you!”

Heket said sternly. Leshy looked away

“I know, this…girl convinced me that my injuries were too dire for me to leave so I stayed.”

Everyone’s heads perked up. Someone actually was able to break his stubbornness?

“Well, if that’s the case, whomever it was did stitch some very important areas closed. Not well, but they are closed and not infected. I guess…it does beat finding you dead. Alright, that should do it. Now I want you to rest and not leave your palace for a couple of days-“

“Weeks”

“Oh, right. Your grounded until further notice”

Usually Leshy would go against it, but then he remembered that he literally had a lamb in his crawlspace so he didn’t fight it. Again, also unusual. Leshy leaves to go back to his palace with the assistance of Heket.

“He’s acting weird, right?”

Kallamar said. They both nodded.

“You think that girl…that girl did something to him?”

“To Leshy? Nonsense! I’ve never seen him lavish attention on anyone like that. You think we need to find that girl?”

Shamura shuts all of that down

“The cult is too weak right now. Leshy having a little playmate isn’t on the agenda unless it impacts his work. I’ll go check on him when I have time”

They said. Leshy returns back to his palace and sneaks into the crawlspace. Now the crawlspace is honestly pretty cool, according to Noelle. Sure it’s a bit dusty but it was honestly like a hidden room. It has a bed, a chest, a few books on a bookshelf, some old board games and some mementos. He finds Noelle with a book in her hand.

“Oh hey! What’s up? Check this out! This is the lady I saw that gave me the wings!”

She showed him the book. Just more confirmation that she is telling the truth. It was Gaia.

“Wow, even you got to meet her. What was she like?”

Leshy said as they spoke. She told him about Gaia, only what she knew, since she didn’t know much about her. Gaia, then hearing them talking, chimed in from Noelle’s back

“-so let me get this straight, your trapped somewhere after Shamura sealed you?”

“Yes, there is a lot of the story that we haven’t explained yet, but for the time being, this is how we can communicate”

Leshy understood, but soon he hears someone calling him. It was Shamura

“Go, Noelle and I will be quiet”

She said as Leshy bolted out and moved his bed back to its original spot. Noelle was now back behind Leshy’s room. She decided to take a nap, since she technically didn’t eat or slept since they left. She didn’t realize she was tired until she hit the pillow.

TBC

This post got me thinking about Pete and religion.

Fall Out Boy lyrics are full of Christian religious imagery. You kind of get the impression that Pete was raised in a household where he was just casually surrounded by all of this STUFF, that he absorbed and turned over in his lyrics. I mean, “Knock once for the Father, twice for the Son, three times for the Holy Ghost”... (West Coast Smoker).

He’s preoccupied by Heaven as an exclusive party. The idea shows up again and again. The Black Cards (I *love* the Black Cards stuff, I need to devote a whole thing to Black Cards at some point) have an entire song called “A Club Called Heaven.” On “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Fame,” “Heaven’s got a gate full of metal detectors.” On “Thriller,” he shows up with his plus one to the afterlife.

But Pete’s not entirely sure he’s getting into that party. In fact, usually Pete puts himself in Hell: He might be dancing in a club called Heaven, but he knows the doorman in Hell personally. The road to his house is paved with good intentions in Hum Hallelujah (which is, of course, traditionally what the road to Hell is paved with); “we’re just Hell’s neighbors” in America’s Suitehearts (if we’re not in Hell, we’re right next door, and that could be Heaven but I don’t think so). To get on St. Peter’s list, you need to lower your standards, says Rat-a-Tat. This is what Pete Wentz lyrics do, a simple sentence like that is LOADED with meaning. Because after all, his name is Peter, and it could be Peter Wentz’s list he’s referring to there, and it could also be the list to get into Heaven, and it could be that getting on Peter Wentz’s list doesn’t actually take that much (lower your standards, I’m never getting any better than this) and it could be that it’s St. Peter at the gates of Heaven who needs to lower *his* standards (again: I’m never getting any better than this).

(My absolute favorite Heaven/Hell lyric, though, is when Pete throws in Purgatory, that place in Catholicism where you go to do penance for your sins before you’re let into Heaven: On w.a.m.s. Pete writes, “My head’s in Heaven, my soles are in Hell, let’s meet in the Purgatory of my hips.” The glorious beauty of the sex innuendo being the *purgatory*: what you have to get yourself through to get to actual Heaven. ugh, Pete Wentz kills me sometimes with the way he uses words.)

He left his conscience pressed between the pages of the Bible in the drawer, but what did it ever do for him? So asks XO, and the gorgeously ambiguous phrasing of those lines KILLS ME. What’s the antecedent to the “it”? His conscience, sure, that’s what he’s thrown carelessly in the drawer. WITH THE BIBLE. Which could also be the “it”: What did that whole faith thing ever get me anyway?

But he wants it *so badly.* My second favorite lyric from Hum Hallelujah (a song that is nothing but excellent lyrics is “I love you in the same way there’s a chapel in a hospital.” There is SO MUCH packed into that line. SO, SO MUCH. And one of the things in there is the ambiguous irresistibility of faith: Sure, maybe the chapel is a last-ditch effort when nothing else works, or maybe that chapel is the ONLY thing that works and the only thing that matters in the whole place. I love you like that, like I don’t know if you’re all I’ve got left or you’re the only thing that matters, and I don’t know which it is but wow, either way, it would be great if you gave me a sign. Ugh that liiiiiine. “Have you ever wanted to disappear and join a monastery?” asks 20 Dollar Nose Bleed.

“I will never believe in anything again,” says (Coffee’s for Closers), but who really believes that? The temptation of belief creeps up in between the proclamation (”kick drum beating in my chest again,” “preach electric to a microphone stand”), undercutting it in the same way that its over-repetition in the song starts to ring hollow (Pete doth protest too much). The comfort that religious people get from their faith in God, Pete wants that. But he can’t get there. He’s always hedging his bets (“in case God doesn’t show” --Thnks fr th Mmrs). He’s always doubtful of God’s good intentions if He is there (”when the world ends, will God go down with it?” --What a Catch, Donnie).

So he tries to find substitutes for this faith he doesn’t have. “My words are my faith,” says Hum Hallelujah, but then, immediately afterward, “To hell with our good name,” so that’s how much actual trust he thinks you should place in that. “We’re a bull and your ears are a china shop.” Look at what a mess my words can make in there if you let them in; that’s what faith does to you, buddy. His gospel is the gospel of giving up (Arms Race). “Follow the disorganized religion of my head,” says West Coast Smoker. “I can work a miracle,” boasts Uma Thurman. “I’m the holy water you have been without,” says Fourth of July.

But he’s not really what he wants to believe in. “We’re saints just swimming in our sins,” Twin Skeleton’s reminds everyone. “If we pray to the Lord,” goes the outro on w.a.m.s., “does he sing on a stage?” Maybe rock and roll is what he should be believing in? “I’m the last damn kid still kicking who still believes,” claims Save Rock and Roll. “I will defend the faith, going down swinging.”

All of which brings us to MANIA. Religion, faith, belief is ALL OVER MANIA. In fact, the entire album is constructed as a journey toward finding the thing you believe in, the thing you have faith in, and finally settling in to cling tight to it. The first song on the album, Stay Frosty, Royal Milk Tea, is struggling with loss of things to believe in: “All my childhood heroes have fallen off or died.” (Champion later has the same theme: “I’m young enough to still believe, but young enough not to know what to believe in.” The most explicit Pete has ever been about his journey toward faith.) But then, in the second song, Last of the Real Ones, the lyrics have found someone to revolve around, someone to be with forever: “the ultra-kind of love,” that ultimate faith. But it’s not quite there yet. There’s doubt in there. “Tell me I’m the only one even if it’s not true.” “There’s been a million before me.” The bridge is expert Fall-Out-Boy song ambiguity. “I’m done with having dreams, the thing that I believe / you drain the fear from me.” Is that “I believe that you drain the fear from me”? Or is that “I’m done with the thing that I believe”? The song’s phrasing lets it be both at once, both a proclamation of faith and a proclamation of doubt, all at the same time.

But things get better. We eventually get to “Church.” An entire song where the religious imagery is pitched toward love (or blowjobs, like, same thing, maybe, for Pete Wentz). “If YOU were church, I’d get on my knees, confess my love, I’d know where to be, my sanctuary, you’re holy to me,” is the refrain of the whole song. It can’t get any clearer than that. Pete Wentz has found what he wants to believe in, and it’s the YOU (whoever that might be ahem just saying that in “Sunshine Riptide,” the she says “I love you ‘til I don’t,” while the You is the “truest feeling yet”). The other enduring theme in MANIA is fakeness and pretend: fake tears, fake friends, people you’re pretending with and around. That theme shows up in Church, too: “I’ve got a few more fake friends and it’s getting hard to know what’s real.” But in Church the proclamation of faith is in the chorus, which means that no matter how anxious Pete gets himself in the lyrics, he resolves back to the central belief: I’ve got you, I know where I should be. YOU’RE what’s real, right here, forget everyone else. 

AND THEN we get Heaven’s Gate. Which revisits Pete’s favorite idea that Heaven is a party he’s going to have to try to crash. But here the song is all about how he’s no longer aimlessly looking for something to believe in; he’s found it: “I’m a missile that’s guided to you.” Maybe he’s gotten it wrong, that he’s chosen the You as his thing to believe in, that the only thing he wants is Your love, but if he’s gotten it wrong, he’s got faith the You is going to get it right and give him the boost he needs into Heaven. “Honey, please come through” and take me along with Your awesomeness, because I’ve decided it’s You I’m going to follow, Your dreams I’m going to make come true, and I’m not going to try to detox from You anymore, I’m just going to go all-in on this whole thing, and in the end, if I don’t make it on the list, will You slip me a wristband?

The album closes out with Young and Menace, with “I’ve lived so much life I think that God is gonna have to kill me twice,” which is such a beautiful bookend to “I read about the afterlife but I never really lived” in Saturday, like, ugh, that always kills me, look how far Pete Wentz has come, and then finally into Bishop’s Knife Trick: “I’m yours, ‘til the earth starts to crumble and the heavens roll away.”

Let’s go back to the places that we never should have left.

Idk, maybe you could read this as: Pete Wentz finally found something to believe in, and it ended up being the person who hasn’t left his side in 20 years, the person he’s never had to pretend with, the person who’s been there through all the fake friends, the person who’s golden and amazing and DEFINITELY going to get it right when Pete doesn’t. I mean, maybe you could read it this way.

The Smarter Witch

Synopsis: You like to consider Hermione your academic rival but things begin to fall apart between the two of you when Malfoy and friends start asking questions. The reader is in Slytherin sorry.

Pairing: Hermione Granger x fem!reader (can be read as romantic or platonic)

Words: 3.5+

A/N - I’ve been rewatching all the Harry Potter Movies at the cinema recently and I think i like it more now than I ever did before. This is my first HP story so go easy on me, okay? Comments are appreciated and requests are open!!

Warnings - Swearing, excessive use of the word mudblood... i think that’s it. 

"Granger," You call out, shoving your things into your bag as quick as humanly possible before charging after her. The crowd of other students growing the distance between you as you slip between them but not without almost crashing into people a bunch of times along the way. "Granger- wait." You try but she continues to walk away with Potter and Weasley beside her. You eventually manage to push your way through until you're walking in step with the trio. The girl stands in the middle, guarded by her two best friends.

"Hey," You offer them a smile, "Guess who got a perfect?"

"How?" It's instinctive to turn your nose up when it comes to Ronald Weasley. Not because of his social status like Malfoy suggests but you just found him rather... irritating. You completely ignore his question; breaking formation, you get ahead of the group and begin to carefully walk backwards so you can focus on the girl. She looked anywhere but at you, however, she had a smirk on her lips. Small but visible.

"Only because Snape favours you," The brunette proclaimed. This was routine for the two of you as of late. Always making excuses as to why the other came out on top. Only because of this. Only because of that. It was never as simple as just studying and doing well.

"You're just jealous that I'm a genius." You insist, your smile growing as you teased your own brilliance. Her head shakes a little.

"Since when were you, two friends?"

"Nobody said anything about friends Weasley-" You growl, your once happy expression morphing into one of pure distaste as you look at him. Spinning gracefully on your heel, you begin to walk normally again. "Since I'm so much smarter than you, I can help you study if you need it."

"I don't need any help from the likes of you, thank you," The likes of you? Did she mean a Slytherin? Or just someone who was smarter than her? Although you didn't actually believe you were smarter... well, not entirely anyway. Hermione Granger was often proclaimed as the smartest in your grade, didn't matter how hard you worked; you'd never quite be the promising young witch everyone seemed to think she was. Which is why you find yourself constantly competing. If you can prove to her you were smart then maybe everyone would see you as more than just a Malfoy crony.

You slap your hand against your chest just above your heart; stumbling backwards as if she just shot an arrow straight through. "Oh, how you wound me, Miss Granger. Care to share how well you did? One hundred percent?" She wouldn't have done badly at least not by everyone else's standard of bad. "Ninety maybe?" You turn back to them, coming to halt directly in front of the girl. "Merlin's beard Hermione, don't tell me you got less than eighty? That would be a travesty."

"if you don't mind, we're a little busy." She hadn't answered the question and as she walked around you, you expected she wasn't going to. "Come along Harry," she took his hand. "Ronald." And his before marching away. You watch them as they go, a smirk lingering before slipping off in search of your friends.

Come Friday afternoon and you found yourself in the great hall. The busy castle was beginning to calm and few people sat in the tables alongside the two of you. You take a sip of some water as you watch the gears in her head turn, debated her next move. At this point you already knew you would win; you always did. While everything else was more of a competition; Hermione Granger surprisingly wasn't all too hard to beat at Wizard's chess. Your Fridays together we're brilliant times to chat though, you'd often sum up any achievements from the week just to see who's doing better.

"I can't believe you beat me in history of magic again- I spent hours on that stupid essay. I basically lived in the library."

"I can help you study if you like," she offered, her eyes not leaving the board as she ordered her bishop forward. You watch as the chess piece moves along the board.

"You're not funny Granger," you tease, ordering your knight forward to take down her bishop. "Check,"

A paper ball hit the back of your head, drawing your attention away. Pansy stood with a wide grin on display, you ignored her and returned to your game but Hermione was also focused on your friend. "I think she wants your attention."

Another paper ball collides against your head. You sigh loudly before turning and mouthing 'what?'

"We're going down to the black lake? You coming?" She asked. "Or are you too busy with the Gryffindor?"

"just give me a sec." You wave her away, turning back to the other girl. "Have you moved?" She nods a little, her hair bouncing with the movements. You examine the board trying to figure out who she had moved but it didn't really matter. With a final move of your queen, the king was knocked off the board. "I do believe that is checkmate."

"I'm beginning to think you're cheating."

"Me?" You ask, pretending to be offended by the notion. "Never. How little faith you have me in, Granger."

"Slytherins are known for being cunning."

"We're not all cheating monsters, my dear sweet Gryffindor. Some of us actually have a conscience."

"I find that hard to believe," Her lips were curled into a cheeky smile. You'd never quite noticed the way her eyes crinkle when her smile is so big or how teethy it was. It was adorable. 

"I gotta go- same time next week? Maybe I'll even let you win."

"I don't need you to let me win,"

"You sure?" Nothing more than a harmless joke as you stand. "How many times in a row have I won now?"

"Slither away," Hermione smiles as you back away towards Pansy. You had to admit, you did firm Hermione to be intriguing.

Being in the same year, meant you actually saw Hermione rather frequently, however, your actual interactions were limited. Yes, you played Wizard's chess together every Friday but other than that, you basically only had very short conversations. It was like being in two completely different worlds simply because you were put in different houses. This school had a weird obsession with separation by houses. You were a proud Slytherin as were you friends but your ambition to branch out was often looked at as beneath some of the others. It was dinner time and you sat at the Slytherin table but your focus was pulled towards a certain familiar Gryffindor student. She just happened to be sat in your eye line, so you couldn't help but amuse her from afar. With funny faces and playful winks. Her most common reactions were shakes of the head or rolling her eyes but you knew secretly she enjoyed the teasing.

"Are you even listening?" A sharp elbow slams into your side. You bite back a groan as you shove the boy gently.

"The hell Draco,"

"What are you staring at?" There was a particularly bite behind his words but you'd grown used to how aggressive he could come across. He was always trying to be the alpha and frankly, everyone let him be. You simply shrug at his question; grabbing an apple and taking a bite.

"What did you want?"

The grey of his eyes flickers in curiosity as he tries to figure out what had you so distracted. When you look across at Granger, she's chatting to Ginny Weasley about something.

"Sometimes I wonder if the sorting hat got it wrong with you," He muses. "Should have put you in Gryffindor since you're so obsessed with Potter."

"Says the boy who never shuts up about him." You fight back. You couldn't care less about Harry Potter or his chosen one status. You knew Malfoy hated him though; it was a little weird just how much.

"You gravely misunderstand my interest in potter."

"I don't care if you have a crush on him Malfoy," There are a few snickers around the table but he's definitely not laughing.

"Don't be ridiculous." He growled, leaving the table. It was only a joke. You follow after him along with the others.

After dinner, you're lounging in the common room. One leg hooked over the arm of the couch as you read a book all about dragons. Fascinating creatures.

"So are you and the Gryffindor friends?"

"Who?" You question. Not even looking at the blonde as he sits down beside you.

"Granger." He confirms. "Pansy thinks you have a crush or something?"

"Pansy is a liar." The joke isn't as funny when it's against you. Your feelings towards Granger was nobody else's business but your own. You were often left conflicted when it came to her. You roll your eyes, sitting up straight. "I just like proving that I'm better than her."

"You spend a lot of time with her," Goyle adds.

"So?" You finally lower your book. Your brows knitted together in a clear frown as you scan the room. A few people had invited themselves into the conversation. "I spend a lot of time with you but doesn't mean I wanna get into your pants,"

"I don't know why you associate with any of them." This was beginning to feel like a lecture. Why do they even care who you hang out with? You didn't care much for the boys but you liked Hermione. She was kind, funny and really smart. You enjoyed the little time you ultimately spent together but if you admitted that, they would crucify you.

"They'd probably say the same about you lot," you state. Bringing the large book back up to cover your face. "Now if you don't mind, I'm trying to read here,"

"You can tell us if you like her," Pansy contributes. "I mean we all know you have a soft spot for the weak."

"Are you taking pity on her?"

"Maybe she wants to start hanging out with Potter. Can you imagine?"

You grit your teeth, not at all reading the words on the page in front of you. They're just trying to get a rise out of you.

"I can't imagine anything more pathetic," Malfoy chuckles followed by a few of the others. "They're an embarrassment to the wizarding world if you ask me. Parading around like they own the place-"

"We're nothing okay?" You slap your book shut. "Not friends or secret lovers or anything, I would never date someone so.... dirty." The word slipped out before you had a chance to stop. You didn't see her that way; she was much too grand to be considered dirty. And you couldn't care less about pure bloodlines. It didn't make her any less of a fantastic witch. "I'm not joining Potter's Merry band of monkeys, so just drop it okay." Ignoring the snickers and hushed whispers, you march off to bed.

It's the Friday following your little session in the common room. You forgave them all of course; you always did. There was no point in being angry at them over some harmless teasing. You had the chessboard set up and even brought along a pack of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans but she was running late. Normally it was you showing up late; very unusual behaviour from someone known for punctuality. But as time ticked on and you were still left alone, you began to realise she wasn't going to turn up. Packing everything up, you decide it'll be best to search for her; something bad must have happened for her to not show at all.

"Weasley," you shout, jogging up to Harry and Ron who seemed to be missing their third arm. "You seen granger?"

"Why?" Asks the redhead. Harry presents you with a smile.

"None of your business," you spit at Ron. "Have you seen her or not?"

"Last we saw her she said she was heading to the library," Harry answered. You offer a grateful smile but you can't help but wonder why she's decided to head to the library. Was there a test you didn't know about? Was she trying to get the upper hand? Surely she could have just told you that instead of having you wait.

"Thanks, Harry," You skip along to the library but the journey proves pointless when you discover she isn't there either. You would be lying if you said you had searched particularly hard before giving up though. There was always next week. With a defeated sigh, you head back towards the common room. Luck must have been on your side because you spot her on the way back. Perched on a ledge with her head in a book. Typical Hermione Granger.

"I've been looking everywhere for you," you announce as you walk towards her. "I thought we were gonna play wizards chess so I could annihilate you again." The faintest sniffle hit your ears and you froze. Was she... crying? Shit. You don't do well with criers; you never know how to handle situations when people cry. It's always so... awkward. "What's wrong?"

"Go away." Her voice is quiet but echoes through the empty corridor.

"Granger?" You closer to her now, leaning against one of the stone columns.

"I said go away," Her words are harsh; she shoves her face further into the book. Was she trying to hide the fact she had been crying? It was pretty obvious at this point.

"What's up with you?" You wonder, folding your arms over your chest.

"I don't want to talk to you,"

"What did I do?" The confusion is very clear in your voice. You'd hardly even spoken to the girl recently so how could you have possibly upset her.

"You're as bad as the rest of them, now leave me alone," Sharp words as she grabbed her things and stormed off. As bad as the rest of them? What did that even mean? Pushing yourself upright, you follow after her.

"What's gotten into you?"

"Just some filthy mudblood am I?" Venomous words spat at you with the speed of a viper. You stumble back a little; she's never been so angry with you. Tears spill down her rosy cheeks."Malfoy told me what you said- Guess I should have known better considering your so-called friends. You're just as cruel as the rest of them."

"Hermione..." you sigh softly. You couldn't exactly defend your fellow Slytherin friends. "Why do you believe him anyway?"

"So you didn't say it then."

"No, I did," you shrug a little. "Well I said you were dirty, I didn't say... that word."

"Mudblood- Same thing though right? You think you're so much better just because you're of Pure blood."

"I didn't say that, I-"

"Just stay away from me." Her tone has you backing down from the fight. You consider following her as she charges off down the hall but instead, you go back to the dorms.

"You're a right git," you exclaim, storming into the room, grip tight on the book you launch at his head. Platinum blonde hair darts of the way.

"What the hell."

"You told her?" All eyes are on you as you confront him.

"What are you on about?"

"Hermione- you told her I thought she was dirty."

"Your words, not mine." Draco shrugged a little. A huff of a laugh passing his lips which pissed you off even more. 

"I-," you look around, picking up a pillow and tossing it at him. "You are such a pain in the ass."

"Why do you care about that filthy mudblood, you said you don't even like her?"

"I don't even like you and yet we're best friends," You shout, looking at the coffee table you grab a mug and aim at the boy. Draco's hand shoots up in defense.

"Don't you dare throw that at me or I swear-" He fought back. You lower your hand and so does he then you throw it anyway, hearing it break as you collapse on the couch. "You don't need someone like that." He muses as he cautiously approaches the couch.

"We can't all be insufferable snobs Malfoy," you grumble, rather casually considering what just happened. "You mess up everything for no bloody reason"

"Probably shouldn't go around calling her dirty then," He argues. "I didn't make you say that..."

The boy hovers over the back of the couch and you shove him away. "I hate you."

You realise you have to be the one because Malfoy's not about to admit he did anything wrong. And you know at the end of the day it was your fault for saying it in the first place. You retire to your bed, no longer watching to deal with other people.

For the next week or so Hermione avoids you like the plague. You'd obviously see her in some of your classes but when you'd try to speak to her after, she'd rush out before you had a chance to so much as saying hi. If you managed to catch her gaze, she'd stare daggers; if looks could kill you'd be six feet under by now. You'd sometimes find her in the library, it was the one place she could cause a scene but neither could you. When you tried to whisper to her, she'd completely ignore you. You were beginning to miss the limited interaction you hard; Half the fun of studying was ultimately doing better than her in the end.

The girl was alone today, searching the shelves. The library was fairly empty and it was getting late. You take the opportunity to make some paper birds and send them fluttering over to her. One by one until she whispers yells at you to stop. You chuckle. Doing it again. This develops into a habit throughout the next couple of days. You'll send paper birds her way, just to get a reacting out of her. You start writing little messages on them too but you don't think she ever reads them before setting them on fire.

It becomes abundantly clear she's not giving in and therefore one day during breakfast you abandon your table and enter what Malfoy would consider enemy territory. Pushing Neville aside to sit next to Hermione. A bunch of lions look to you like you'd just entered their den without permission; in their defense, you never sit here. Hermione gets up to leave but not before you can grab her wrist.

"Can you please stop ignoring me," she yanks out of your grip, walking away to leave you surrounded by kids you've only ever spoken to in passing. You groan loudly.

"What happened between you two?" Ron asked.

"Do you ever keep out of other people's business Weasley or do you have some obsessive need to weasel your way into everything."

"Just tryna help, jeez."

"If you must know, Malfoy told her that I referred to her as a... y'know."

"Mudblood?" Harry continues for you.

"I called her dirty but I didn't mean it."

"Thought you weren't friends anyway," Ron wore a smirk like he caught you out or something so you just ignore him.

"Now she's ignoring me. I just want her to talk to me."

"Have you apologised?"

"How can I apologise if she won't bloody talk to me, Harry? I thought you were supposed to be smart." You comment, dropping your head against the table. "I've tried writing notes but she burns all of them. I'm running out of ideas, I can only be so charming."

"Can't really help you there," Ron replies.

"All the boys in this school are so bloody useless," you sigh dramatically, slamming your hands on the table to push yourself up. "You’re her best friends and you can't help? Pathetic."

You debate joining the others but you decide against it and leave the great hall. You're not hungry anymore.

"You really should stop sending paper birds," The voice catches you off guard, whipping your wand out before realising it's her.

"I'll stop if you talk to me again," You counter, lowering your wand.

"I'm not ashamed of my parents."

"And you shouldn't be." Your head falls, "I really am sorry for what I said, it was definitely a peer pressure thing and I was stupid." You blurt out. "Malfoy can just be a lot sometimes and I was trying to study so... I don't think you're less than just because your parents are muggles Hermione. Not even a little." You take a deep breath. "I just want my friend back."

She hesitates. "Oh, so we're friends now huh?"

"Only if you want to be," You shrug. There was part of you that wanted to say maybe you like her as more than that but you kept it to yourself; at least for now. "I understand if you don't like... I was really shitty."

"So Friday then?"

"What?"

"Wizards chess? I think I may be able to beat you now, I've been practising."

"Pfft not likely," You tease, your smile growing. "Friday sounds good."

// NEXT

What Is Hope

This Platform Address is about finding hope in the midst of struggle, especially struggle for liberation. It was written for the Washington Ethical Society by the Rev. Lyn Cox and delivered on December 12, 2021. This Platform Address, in part, prepares the people of WES for a Moral Monday assembly the following day.

In this morning’s reading, we heard about “hope” as a transitive verb from the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II. Bishop Barber has been a force in movement building for justice for a long time now. While I’m not a full-time movement builder myself, I have been present for a few of the actions of the Poor Peoples Campaign, and before that with Repairers of the Breach. I have been inspired by the capacity for hope in all of the organizers and witnesses who come together to declare a new vision of who we can be as a community, as a society, as a country, as a world.

Sometimes I have the strength and energy to participate in an embodied way, and sometimes I don’t. Each one of us can be a wave that goes in and out with the tide, as long as we keep being an ocean of acceptance, gathering to send energy to each new wave going in, and to lift up with potential energy the waves returning.

I’d like to speak about hope today. Some of us need to draw from hope to hold out a vision of the world that can yet be. Some of us need hope to sustain the relationships, the communities, and the institutions that are holding people together during these difficult times. Some of us need hope to get through the day, to care for ourselves and the people we love in a personal way. I’ll be drawing from examples of justice making, and I want to be clear that hope is for all of us. You do not have to earn your inherent worth. Your path to creating a world where love and justice cross all borders might be caregiving, or science, or statistics, or direct service, or mutual aid, or actually physically creating the infrastructure our community needs, or something else. We can respect each other’s paths, and not beat ourselves up for failing to travel every path at the same time. Hope is for everybody.

When we seek change in coalition, we collaborate with people of many different faiths and no faith, each one speaking out of their own tradition about what moves them to be part of the movement. We each need to reach down to the roots of who we are and what our mission is in this life, because the status quo is not set up for this work, and the energy has to come from somewhere. Dr. Barber speaks eloquently from his tradition, but hearing him does not mean we have to draw from the same roots. Instead, it can inspire us to look to our own and answer in response based on the legacies and communities that energize us as Humanists.

For instance, when Dr. Barber speaks of hope, he might bring up a story from the Biblical book of Zechariah, comforting and energizing his people who were trying to put the pieces of themselves back together after a time of oppression; or from theologians like Walter Brueggemann or Reinhold Niebuhr, who speak about faith and realism. Those stories and essays can help illuminate points in our own philosophy, even if the texts that Dr. Barber references aren’t part of our own canon.

As Humanists, we act based on the philosophy that people are ends in themselves. People should not be used as means to an end. Each human has inherent worth and dignity. Part of our work is to humanize the spaces we go out into, to create spaces where inherent worth becomes more evident. In humanizing the spaces we inhabit, we help dismantle obstacles to human thriving like racism and other forms of oppression. An economic system that exploits the many to increase the wealth of the few is a system that uses people as a means to an end and is unacceptable in Humanist philosophy.

Therefore, if we declare ourselves to be Humanists, we have some responsibility for helping to make that philosophy a reality, to call attention to the places where human dignity is being disrespected and to increase the momentum of the world of interdependence and justice that we know can be.

When we look back at the first generation of Ethical Culture, and admire the institutions that were founded in that period that showed respect and care for people who had been previously regarded by the upper class as disposable, the point is not to rest on our laurels and brag about our ancestors. The point is to remember that the supreme ethical rule was never meant to be exclusively about individual interactions. Act in such a way as to bring out the best in others, and thereby in yourself. Yes, certainly, treat individuals you meet with care and respect and curiosity to bring out their best. And also realize that bringing out the best in people on a large scale requires that our society be built upon justice and compassion. Nobody can bring out their best in a situation of oppression, poverty, war, coercion, or environmental devastation. And so those who declare—as an axiom—the worth of human beings have a responsibility to bring a just and compassionate society closer to fruition. Again, there are many paths for doing that, political activism is only one, and we need to coordinate those paths and see ourselves as part of something larger.

This is where hope becomes difficult. As Humanists, we are also a people of data. We are a people who respect concrete research; we aspire to take an unflinching look at the world as it is. We don’t rely on promises or predictions or fantasies, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a vision for a different future. Felix Adler exhorted us to sing, to “Hail the Glorious, Golden City,” to imagine a gleaming society where justice reigns, where wonders abound, where people collaborate in unity of purpose. It is OK to have an imagination. And, yet, if we unveil the depth of suffering and injustice at work in the world as it currently is, and compare the data with that vision, we can easily become discouraged. True hope—the hope of staying the course, the hope of refusing to let dehumanization win even when we know what we are up against, active hope—is not easy.

So let’s be sure we’re framing hope consistently. Hope is not wishful thinking. Hope is not pretending things are OK. Hope is not glossing over the grief and pain around us and within us. Quite the opposite. Hope is strengthened when we can bear witness to suffering, to be in companionship with one another in the midst of pain and setbacks, and to keep doing the right thing anyway. Hope is staying committed to the values we have declared in our Statement of Purpose, acting on those values even when we cannot be assured that our vision will prevail in the short term. Dr. Cornel West puts it this way:

This hope is not the same as optimism. Optimism adopts the role of the spectator who surveys the evidence in order to infer that things are going to get better. Yet we know that the evidence does not look good. The dominant tendencies of our day are unregulated global capitalism, racial balkanization, social breakdown, and individual depression. Hope enacts the stance of the participant who actively struggles against the evidence in order to change the deadly tides of wealth inequality, group xenophobia, and personal despair. Only a new wave of vision, courage, and hope can keep us sane-and preserve the decency and dignity requisite to revitalize our organizational energy for the work to be done. To live is to wrestle with despair yet never to allow despair to have the last word.

Dr. West and others refer to being “prisoners of hope,” people who can do no other except the next, right thing in pursuit of justice. He is speaking of a commitment to act toward justice, to be held by ancestors and promises and community. It’s partially a Biblical reference, and even if we do not share the same relationship with that source, I hope we can identify with the strength of a commitment to values held in our community yesterday, today, and tomorrow. It’s a hope based in action, not speculation.

If we do not have assurances, and we don’t have illusions, our hope has to come from somewhere else. And one of the places it comes from is our interdependence. We get that hope from each other, and from the world of relationships we inhabit. That’s not as simple as trading platitudes with one another. It means caring for one another and the earth as best we can. In the reading we heard earlier from Dr. Barber, the practice of community care both spread hope among the people and energized the sharers of hope. When we create practices and spaces of humanization, places where those who are despised by the dominant society are treated as worthy and capable agents in their own lives; when we learn and perpetuate practices of respect and care, we are creating pocket universes that can grow into aspects of the glorious, golden city.

Our Pastoral Care Associates create hope by being present, by being peer listeners. Our Welcome Team and Zoom Ushers create hope in the way they hold us in community and hospitality. Our Tech Team creates hope in the unbelievable feats of science and engineering that allow us to weave our community together across time and space. Our Earth Ethics Team creates hope in holding out a different way to be in relationship with each other and the planet. Our Immigration Justice Team, Afghan Welcome Team, and Global Connections Team create hope in their border-crossing practices of love, support, and empowerment. Our Widening the Anti Racism Lens team creates hope by reminding us that we can humanize this space as we un-learn and dismantle the white supremacy culture we’re swimming in. Members of our Board of Trustees create hope by doing the unglamorous work, day in and day out, of creating and sustaining the container of this community, a place where we can meet to seek the highest. Our education staff and volunteers create hope by conveying this vision and these values to a new generation of Humanists. All of this is part of the work of humanizing, of opening up new pocket universes that connect to the glorious golden city. All of these aspects of hope link us together as part of something larger than our individual selves, larger than this community, larger even than the Humanist movement.

There are many paths in the practice of hope. If your hope-making activity is caregiving, teaching, caring for institutions like WES, or simply surviving when the world tells you your survival is inconsequential, your hope-making is vital. And. If you have energy for social change, there are plenty of hope-making opportunities there. Activities aimed at social change—direct action, public witness, electoral organizing, policy work, union organizing, and other forms of social justice—encompass some of the practices for hope.

If you have been by the Meeting House on 16th Street, you may have noticed the return of the immigration justice banner in front of the building. Even with regime change, there is still a need to advocate for human rights in immigration policy. We know that reproductive justice is under threat. And we know that any goals we have for justice and for the wellbeing of the people of this country rest on voting rights, which are also under threat. So-called labor shortages and supply-chain issues are being used as excuses to roll back labor protections, living wage initiatives, and environmental protections. Passing the Build Back Better act in the Senate, before Senators leave for a recess, would be a first step to addressing some of these issues, along with the For The People Act and restoring the Voting Rights Act. For all of these reasons - environmental justice, economic justice, voting rights, immigration justice - the Poor Peoples Campaign is calling those who are able to come to Capitol Hill tomorrow. UUA President Susan Frederick Gray will be there. Our friends from UUSJ will be there. I’ll be there. Our contingent is meeting up at 10:45, and the main event is at noon. If you would like to come along, sign up at SideWithLove.org. And if you can’t make it, but you want to know what else is coming up to address these issues, go to SideWithLove.org and sign up on the Action Center.

We may not achieve our goals. Short term success would be nice, but that’s not the deepest well from which we can draw hope. We increase the strength of our hope by showing up for each other, in whatever way is possible for us in our own time and place. Being at Capitol Hill tomorrow or watching the livestream is creating hope because it is demonstrating to the other people involved that we are not alone. All of the ways we humanize the spaces we inhabit are practices of creating hope. We might not win. But we might. And, even if we don’t achieve our legislative goals in the short term, we’ll be building a movement for the long term. Dr. Barber reminds us:

Dr. King said we are called to be thermostats that change the temperature, not thermometers that merely measure the temperature. Gandhi said first they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, and then you win. And the truth is, every movement that has ever changed America began when electoral politics, the majority, and even the law were antagonistic. The abolition movement didn’t have the majority with it, or the politics, when it bagan. The women’s suffrage movement didn’t have the majority when it bagan. The fight against legalized lynching didn’t have it. The fight for Social Security the battle to end segregation and Jim Crow, the campaign in Birmingham, the Greensboro sit-ins, Selma, the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the 1965 Voting Rights Act, none of these efforts was popular. None of these efforts had the Gallup poll with them. None of these efforts had political sway with them. But what changes the country and what changes the world is not just electoral politics, but moral movements that change the atmosphere in which electoral politics have to exist.

(Revive Us Again, p. 77)

I don’t know what will happen legislatively in the short term. I do know that my own resources for hope are increased when I can stay in touch with the network of relationships that sustain me, keep me rooted in my values, and help put my hope in context with the inspiration of the past and the future people and planet to whom I am responsible. I know that when I practice gratitude for communities like this one, where we are surrounded by people practicing hope-making activities, it’s a little easier to do the next, right thing. I know that I am not alone in holding a vision of a world of love and justice, a world where the inherent worth of people and our relationship with the planet are both evident in the fabric of society. Humanizing the spaces we inhabit is a hope-making activity. Let us be Humanists for hope. May it be so.

Icon, Saints&Reading: Tue., Apr., 27, 2021

April 14/27

Holy Apostles Aristarcus, Puden and Trophimus of the Seventy

All three are mentioned by name by the Apostle Paul.   Aristarchus is mentioned in Acts 19:29, Colossians 4:10 and Philemon 24. He was bishop of Apamea in Syria; St Paul calls him 'my fellow-prisoner' and 'my fellow-laborer'.   Pudens is mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:21. He was a prominent Roman citizen who gave refuge to Christians; his house was first a place of refuge for the Apostles, then one of the first churches in Rome.   Trophimus is mentioned with Pudens in 2 Timothy 4:21, and in Acts 21:29, where we learn that he was from Ephesus. He accompanied the Apostle Paul on some of his missions.   All three, like St Paul, were beheaded during Nero's persecutions.

Apostle Aristarchus of the seventy

Apostle Trophimus of the seventy

Apostles Aristarchus, Puden and Trophimus

The Holy Martyr Ardalion (311)

     The Holy Martyr Ardalion accepted death for Christ under the emperor Maximian Galerius (305-311). Saint Ardalion was a talented mimic actor.      One time at the circus he played the rolй of a christian. The actor, on the intent of the play-author, was to at first refuse to offer sacrifice to idols, but later to consent to renounce Christ. Along the course of the action they suspended him upon a wooden torture device and tore at him with iron hooks. He so naturally depicted the suffering, that the spectators were delighted and loudly declared their praise of his artistry. Suddenly the saint ordered all to be quiet and declared, that he actually was a Christian and did not renounce the Lord. The governor of the city tried to explain the matter thus, that Saint Ardalion was continuing to play the rolй, and at the end of the show he would renounce Christ and offer sacrifice to the gods. But Saint Ardalion continued to confess his faith in Christ. Then the governor gave orders to throw the martyr onto a red-hot iron-pan. Thus did Saint Ardalion merit a martyr's crown.

all texts© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.

ICON:The Vilensk Icon of the Mother of God

     The Vilensk Icon of the Mother of God was written by the holy Evangelist Luke. For a long time it was in the family of the Greek emperors at Constantinople. In 1472 Sophia Paleologa, spouse of the Moscow GreatPrince Ivan III (1462-1505), transferred the icon to Moscow. In 1495 the GreatPrince blessed his daughter Elena with this icon before giving her in marriage to the Lithuanian king Alexander. In honour of the transfer of the icon to Vilna a feast was established 15 February. Later on they placed the holy icon in the John the ForeRunner church, in which princess Elena was buried. And afterwards they transferred the icon to the Vilensk Holy-Trinity monastery.

Matthew 24:36-26:2

36 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. 45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. 47 Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. 48 But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, 51 and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

1Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. 6 And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!' 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' 9 But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' 12 But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.' 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. 14 For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.' 21 His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.' 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.'23 His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.' 24 Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.' 26 But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 'So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. 29 'For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 'And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 31 When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 'for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 'When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You? 40 And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' 41 Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 'for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 'I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'44 Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' 45 Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

1Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples,2 You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.

Hickman’s X-Men One Year In: Part 2: The Dawn of X

And we’re onto part 2. Since it took me a while to talk about Hickman’s Series outside of Giant-Size and the setup here, that’s in part one if your curious, I split this little retrospective into two parts, with this part here talking about the rest of the books. This isn’t to say they aren’t great, many of them are, it was just easier to do this as a two parter so with HIckman himself out of the way how did his hand picked batch of talented writers handle the lofty status quo he set up?Find out under the cut. Pax Krakoa baby. 

Mauraders Okay just to get this out of the way this is my second faviorite x-book running, after X-Men itself and it often equals it and far and away the best tile of the run and restored my faith in Gerry Duggan.  Duggan is not a bad writer and I blame the messy finish of his otherwise awesome guardians run with infnity wars on marvel trying to cram other characters into it and then a weird mash up idea that while cool, kept the guardians out of their own damn event and from confrting a now mad gamora, but that and deadpool made me forget the guy is a good writer and can do great things. Maruaders however won me back to him with intrest.  A unique concept, the x-men as pirates helping ferry goods to krakoan allied states and ferry trapped mutants from hostile ones, is fucking awesome. The only thing missing is nightcrawler and it’s clear hickman has other plans, though I still feel he shoudl’ve been on the boat as he has both the relation to kitty pryde and pirate pedgree that fit in perfectly.  Speaking of kitty after years of writers misusing her due to having a crush on her as a kid and shoving her into half baked romances with peter quill and her ex peter rasptuin, the latter failing so badly that marvel pulled the plug on their wedding because fans clearly didn’t want it, and battling my own reluctance ot see her front and center again, Duggan makes good use of her again: Kitty is given the unique hook of the portals not working for her and no one, even her old friend Doug after he gets back, being able to figure out WHY. Though I do hope Doug does show up here and explain it more, as him being kitty’s best friend once is rarely brought up since he got back and it’s silly it hasn’t been. But rather than take this on the chin Kitty strikes up a crew consisting of big sister Storm, first class graduate x-man, badass gay and kitty’s friend and ex iceman, bishop who reluctantly joins as her bishop more on that in a second and the best of them by a mile: Pyro. The original, finally brought back and given some intresting backstory: he was the first mutant brought back and felt good about it..t ill he realized that despite sacrificing himself to save a, if your familiar with the various cartoons this will be baffling but trust me, reformed senator kelly as Pyro himself was dying from the legacy virus, only to find out they did him first because they considered him expendable basically and naturally was upset over that, drunk a bunch of the liquor kitty smuggled in, for logan naturally, and passed out and then joined in on the rescue mission that formed the team because why not and stayed because it was a great offer.  Speaking of offers with a new purpose, Kitty accepted her old enemy Emma Frost’s offer to be red queen, which includes a seat on krakoa’s council and was basically emma’s way of saying fuck you to her old cohort who she was forced to bring back on to handle the seedier side of Krakoa’s dealings via his underworld connections, sebastian shaw. Emma is the fincical  backbone of krakoa, having the shipping connections to get the flowers in and out and now having kitty to handle the stuff she can’t and do some of the shipping, as well as again tell Sebastian, who naturally wants both gone and is pissy at Emma being so far ahead of him, wants gone. And while he’s seemingly succeded with kitty I not only have every expectation that while ressuection is failing to work on her she’ll be back, but that trying to murder one of the most beloved x-men whose consdiered family to among others three of krakoa’s captains, bishop after this series, four of their council, five if you include Doug whose best friends with both his left arm which is also a deadly space robot and the very place they live on. The only reason he’s not going to die 80 times in increasingily horrifying ways is because the five can’t take on that kind of workload and one murderous ass beating from half of krakoa and krakoa itself is close enough. 

Emma is easily one of the books best parts, being written back as she should: An anti hero who while quick with a cutting quip, truly cares for her charges, and mutantkind as a whole and has grown from the monster she started as or even the kind of person who’d use a therapy session from a desperate man having issues opening up emotionally after apocalypse used his body as a rental car to convince him to fuck her.  And yes that’s how things started with Scott and Emma and yes it’s really fucked up and yes the story treats it as such, though I still wish Scott would get actual therapy, but as Linkara recently pointed out in his House of M Review the Marvel and DC universes weirdly lack therapists for the most part and thus it was left on my mind the last two weeks.. and yes I know DC tried but when your final product at trying to serious tackle mental health is heroes in crisis.. I award you no points and god have mercy on your soul.  But while Emma and Kitty get the lions share of the focus the rest of the group is enjoyable, well done and intresting, if not given many arcs to themselves, but still have enough character moments to counterballance that. The standout of the rest of the crew is easily Pyro, taken from “why is he still dead despite being super popular and used in a heavy role in X2 that’s garnered fans of that version to this day and bafflement he became a foot note in the next movie and used in every adaptation” to fun side character with a skull on his face and a love of booze and setting things on fire. He’s finally given the respect he deserves sorta and while I hope more is delved into his ressurection angst, he’s a ton of fun and it again makes me wonder why it took 20+ years to bring him back, but i’m glad the right person did it. The rest of the crew are fun with Bishop being another standout.  That being said part of the reason there isn’t a lot of focus is simply because in additoin to our brave crew the book is juggling a LOT of characters.. the morlocks and calisto, both given a proper treatment after wya too long, jumbo carnation a minor character from morrisons run who was introduced in the same issue he died is emma’s designer, shinobi shaw and christian frost, the latter I question why a main relative of one of marvel’s a-list mutants who was one of marvel’s earlier gay characters hasn’t been used in a big way till now but no time like the present, Sebastian and the people he shares his big bad spot with Homines Verde aka those tweens who ran the hellfire club during jason aaron’s run because the man is nuts and who I only seemd to liked, brillinatly revamped as a racist replacemnt for the hellfire club and so far a clever threat. The book is just stuffed iwth good characters, beautiful art, and a great tone that combines spectacular humor with really good story and worldbuilding. It’s also a nice contrast to hickman’s stuff: don’t get me wrong I love hickman’s writing style but it’s nice to have something JUST as good.. but with a cheerier tone and less weariness to it, while still not lacking weight. I can’t wait to see where this goes.. it’s a pirates life for me. 

Excalibur:  Like most of the dawn of X-Line outside of fallen angels, more on that in a minute and even then that had an intresting new directoin for betsy braddock, I was pumped for this one. A team I loved: While I struggled to find a run I loved with Claremont’s run having Brian Braddock be a raging dick whose terrible to his girlfriend and gets away with cheating on her and Claremont not really bothering to explain Saturnyne or other characters and their history with Brian well to us yanks who never had the chance to read those tales.. though why stories by alan moore and chris claremont haven’t been republished properly or in epic collections is beyond me. Warren Ellis, who I now loathe for being a scheming weasel who treated women like garbage, had a decent run with plenty of warlock, in a weird phase where he thought he was doug, Moira and Wolfsbane stuff I loved.. but also had 30-40 something pete wisdom shacking up with 18 year old at most kitty pryde, with Pete at the time being basically Warren Ellis badass self insert character, and given recent revelations i’m pretty sure he damn well knew kitty was just 18 and even if he didn’t having his own fanfic character deflower her is just all kinds of EWWWWWW. He also had Colossus, fresh of being a villian for a while for understandable reasons, nearly beat pete into a coma in a jealous rage over the ex.. the ex he dated while she was still a minor, and left because HE , and editorial, was uncomfortable with it for damn obvious reasons. I can see why fans like to see her as bisexual and pair her with Illiayna.. I mean why the fuck not? They have better chemistry than most of he hetrosexual intrests and are paried because of that and not because the writer wanted to make out iwth kitty as a teenager and forgot “oh yeah she’s fictional and i’m 40!”  Christ thank god for Gerry Duggan.  But yeah moving on from that I was still pumped as a magical x-men book with Besty Braddock now captain freaking britan, and apocalypse on the roster. And rictor and jubille? nad rouge and gambit I guess.. I don’t knokw if they fit but whatever. Sign me up. The actual result is a mixed back. I do like Tini Howard’s work here to a point: Betsy gets good character stuff and theres actually good tension from the fact that the new captain britan is no longer primarily a british ctizen, and the book brought back a character I felt marvel needed to do more with: Jamie. if you don’t know, Jamie is betsy and brian’s, her brother and the former captain britian, older brother who went insane due to his powers and thus just goes around in his underwear convinced reality isn’t real and he can do what he wants and the tension with Jamie refusing to have anything to do with his brother for no good reason is really good. Rictor and Apocalypse are likewise good sensable additons: Rictor turns out to be a natural to being a druid which is a nice twist and makes sense given when he lost his powers the biggest issue with that was loosing touch with earth after having a connection to it be a vital part of him for years. Apocalypse as an ominus chess master slowly securing magic for mutantkind with some goal we’re about to get answers to is really investing and adds a layer to his character, that much like doctor doom he’s as much sorecer as he is scinetest and given the guy’s immortal, it dosen’t feel like it was pulled out of nowhere.  The problem is the other half of the cast.. dosen’t really work. I fucking love Jubilee, a faviroite of mine as an xman despite not being a huge 90′s x-men cartoon fan, just feels kinda shoe horned in. Her son becomes a dragon and she worries about him constantly, but her worrying about her son possibly not being a mutant on mutant land could be done in any other x-book, and fraknly I feel her personality would fit better with the maruaders, and it’d be intresting to see kitty and her on the same team since both really haven’t interacted. Here she just feels like “well tini wanted jubilee and no one else did soooo I made her son a dragon to justify getting her”. I feel more could be done and hope Tini has better plans for her. Rouge is one of my faviorte x-men and All New X Factor and Kelly Thompsons work with him and Rouge made me like Gambit again, and I DO love their marriage and it was a way better idea than the one Guggenhiem had planned.. but while the idea of Rouge being reborn is intresting and all, she still dosen’t really get to do much and like Jubilee just feels weirldy out of place while Remy has that plus he’s annoying, as while he’s the only one rightfully supscious of apocalypse he also won’t shut the fuck up about it for five minutes. Ig et where he’s coming from  but it dosen’t make him less annoying. These aren’t bad characters, but sof ar they just feel weirdly out of place in a magic based book and unlike Rictor tini hasn’t made any of htem but Rouge feel in place. 

That being said I could ignore that more.. but the villians are also week. So far at least, as the return of Satyurne has given the book it’s first good antagonist.. but what I feel drags the book down the most from it’s potential is the bad guys; Morgan Le Fay is the first antaognist, being mad at apocalypse’s intrusions and corrputing Brian.. but her motives are just so boring: She wants power and to rule, she hates mutants... while “hates mutants” is a qualifier for every other antagonist so far, she just feels bland.. Tini just dosen’t make her feel like a good antagonist and it’s a shame as mutant hater or not she’s something DIFFRENT from the throngs of mutant hating conspiracies, mostly from russia in the other books... she’s just so bland it dosen’t work. And after her is Cullen Bloodstone who as far as I can tell is written out of character.. haven’t read his book but I had both a friend confirm it and having read his marvel wiki entry, it just seems like an odd turn to have him be a racist asshole. But even with all my problems and underwhelm here.. I still WANT the book to get from okay to amazing, and feel it genuinely has the potetial. I’ve seen books sharply improve after a rough first arc, Duggan himself showed me that with his Guardians run. Sometimes it just takes time for something to truly blossom and I have a feeling even with my issues, with x of swords coming up howard’s going to flip it all on it’s head and leave me standing there gasping like a moron. I have hope for that. And if nothing else the book is at least UNIQUE. And not in a trainwreck way: by giving mutants a piece of the magic pie and having them tackle far weirder threats, it’s at least doing something new and it probably lands for other people if not me, and if nothing else it does brian 80 times better than the claremont run did. not a high bar but I do like the character and it’s nice to see him take such an intresting path, and the same goes for Betsy. Tini’s still got magic to do, and I have a feeling it’s going to take me by storm very soon. 

Fallen Angels: Now for the other half of the coin as it were. Some fans weren’t happy about Betsy getting her old body back, and yes Psylocke wasn’t orignally asian but a white british woman bodyswapped iwth a japanese assasian and yes that’s as ludicrious and unteitonally offensive as it sounds, because horrible implications of said Body Swap or not, Psylocke was one of the few asian superheros of note. So to compromise , Hickman and co decided to split the diffrence: Betsy would come back and get a rank up to captain britan, while Kwannon, said assasian, would take over as Psylocke. Hence Excalibur above and fallen angels here and I was excited about it. The Body Swap thing went on a decade too long and this way fans got the character they knew as Psylocke in another book while the face they recognized would finally get some fleshing out. I was excited about that and while probably the least excited about this book of the intitial 5, it did have an intresting lead, two characters I did like (Kid Cable I grant was only under hickman who turned him from that brat version of cable who killed the one I really love to a good character in his own right), and an intresting antagonist in a sentient machine.  In practice it was okay. The best I can say is that writer Brian Hill DOES do a great job taking a mostly minor x-character and really fleshing her out and making her engaging and Kwannon’s quest to save her daughter is really compelling.. but the premise of those who don’t fit with krakoa dosen’t work with the roster given. Laura Kinney is not only sticking with the x-23 name after dropping the wolverine mantle for no reason previously, something Hickman fixed as soon as he realized how fans felt for her apperance in the main book, while Cable feels nothing like the far more fun version from Hickman’s X-Men and later Duggan’s Cable. Add in Husk and Bling who do deserve to be on a team but feel out of place here, and it just.. is okay. The book has an intresting angagonist and a great lead, but just dosen’t work as a team book and would’ve been better off being JUST about kwannon herself, who is far and away the best part about the book and i’m glad she got fleshed out. Not TERRIBLE but nothing special and it’s a shame given the antagonist, whose name I can’t even remember at this point, is intresting and ties into mutantkind’s greatest enmies being man and machine accoridng to house and powers.. basically a decent concep twith a flawed execution. Maybe hill’ sbatman and hte outisders run is better. I need to get on that. That being said the premise and idea is so far being done well in Hellions which we’ll get to, even if I’m being cautious really getting into the book with Zeb Wells track record. But more on that in a bit. 

X-Force: Time to make noise, bad guys leave us no choice.. you know the rest. But yeah X-force. The concept here grabbed me, having X-Force rather than just be the black ops squad but be literal black ops for krakoa, was really great and fit the brave new world.. what worried me was the writer, Benjamin Percy. Now a lot of x-fans probably knew him from the much beloved “Wolverine: The Long Night” podcast, which i’ve heard is utterly fantastic as is it’s followup.. but I hadn’t heard it, and had only heard of Percy from DC comics where under his belt was an okay teen titans run and a not very good and politcally unsubtle green arrow book. And i’m not against politics in comics it just wasn’t done at all well there and the “oliver queen looses hif ourture due to a shadowy conspiracy thing” was already done better by jeff lemire. So yeah I was going to give this a chance but figured like those books it’d start strong and then peter out.  I. Was. Wronnnnggg. X-Force is easily one of the best of the dawn of x and uses said premise well. It started a bit roughly, mostly becasue the first arc idnd’t make clear x-force didn’t exist yet but was a great origin story: a squad of military commandos working for a shadowy consirtum who become x-force’s big bad, plunge onto Krakoa and massacre a bunch of mutantas and assinate charles xavier. He comes back, though it’s trickier for obvious reasons, but it’s clear from this, and from wolverine and kid omega’s sucessful investigation and finding domino, that this can’t go on and thus X-Forces is formed; The intellegence and black ops arm of Krakoa and the one arm of it’s goverment exempt from the ‘dont’ kill humans rule”. What followed was nearly a years worth of fast paced adventures with good character stuff: Wolverine is in his element, kid omega, while I had my doubts due to quinten being way overused , turned out to be a perfect choice basically being a more compitent teenage sterling archer, cocky and loving this but also really good at his job, while Domino gets a great arc dealing with her trauma over her mutalation and having some of her power stolen by the shadowy masked dickheads while Colossus deals with his trauma over what went down when he rescued some Russian mutants, with the book slowly building up new threats and towards a showdown with Russia, something that’s also been built up by conflicts in Wolverine and Mauraders, which again makes the world of x feel more like an actual world instead a bunch of comics in one cast herd.  Jean Grey is good for intellegence, though by now seems to have noped out as she couldn’t take the toll, it’s not for everyone and most notably after 5 or 6 years of being treated worse and worse and written worse and worse and becoming a bigger and bigger piece of shit Beast is FINALLY put in the right spot: his darker turns aren’t ignored but he’s back to being an actually intellegent hero as X-force’s director, still a bit greasy but now for good reason and without a god complex or some such bullshit and with a tiny bit of his humor back. Not much else to say really, X-Force is well paced, enjoyable and gritty, getting the spirit of the team at it’s best down right while doing something fresh with it. 

New Mutants (Ed Brisson) Last one, New Mutants is the odd duck of the dawn of x line in terms of how it was launched. Fallen Angels ended up being a mini series both due  to Hill being busy and it’s cast being needed elsewhere but will presmibly get a follow up later, but it’s not the ONLY mini series in the line with Fantastic four/x-men, the giant sized one shots and now Empyre: X-Men all debuting in wave 2. New Mutants however is the first book to change writers and said writer STARTED in the middle of hickman’s run, partly due to scheduling delays but even before that it was partly by design and those issues haven’t been collected yet, with hickman’s short run being collected first. So you have a run that builds off what Hickman started but with it’s own ideas that started insidei t and suprisingly it .. really works.  While I do think there are better books in the line Brisson’s new mutants is enjoyable, combining humor and character work. New Mutants focuses on the sextant, which was first brought up in hickman’s run, the series of habitats for younger mutants on krakoa that the new mutants look out for, and while the original new mutants are in space, Armor decides to try and bring some old friends in to join in paradise with the help of Glob Herman, that big pink guy with a visable skeleton and eyes, and Maxine and Manon, who in the tradition of layla miller were created for an event and not great htere but turned out amazing under the right writer.. who I think also wrote that event but whatever, a pair of empaths and telepaths who have trouble grasping the right ethics for using their powers.  The four go to get one of my faviorite x-men back: BEAK! I missed him even if he’s weirdly suddenly repowered. Beak and his wife Angel only haven’t joiend in with their kids because his dad’s sick, and things soon escalate when a bunch of criminals try holding them all hostage and it’s up to boom boom, bored since everyone left her alone, to save the day! After that we deal with Magik rangling them and the team’s new mission statment: not wanting ot mess up again like she did with beak, who did join them but not without loosing his dad and then his memory of his dad thanks to the twins misguided efforts, Armor still wants to try welcoming new mutants in with the vetrans help, and thus we have our puprose: focusing both on how these younger mutant 20 somethigns of various ages from early to late work together to make a better world nad help their own get back to this world. it’s intresting.. I’m not in love with it like mauraders or x-force, but it’s still pretty good and their first big foe so far, DoX, a blog that well.. doxes mutants that haven’t arrived yet, seems to be intresting. Not much to say just pretty good and and better at mixing comedy and character stuff, and getting the cast right. Ed Brisson had already proven himself on old man logan, but this cements him as one of the hottest new x-writers around and i’m glad he was given a book here. He’s also succeded in making me actually like Glob Herman so that’s a plus. 

Fantastic Four/X-Men The first title of wave 2 and easily one of the best, right up there with mauraders nad probably JUSST behind it and ONLY because i’ts a mini series, giving the X-Men their first real step into the rest of hte marvel universe. Sure the 4 had cameoed in the first issue and there’s been mentions of krakoa in other books and one off issues but mostly Krakoa really hadn’t impacted anything.. but that first issue also set things up with Scott’s conversation with Sue Richards

Yeah and in case those who haven’t been aware of what’s going on with the FF lately and either remember franklin as a 6-11 year old or wondered why the hell he was suddenly a teen when they read this crossover, it’s actually simple; At the end of secret wars the Richards family was put on a bus, also so marvel could shove the ff as a proper team out the door due to the whole fox rights thing, and when Dan Slott had brought them back.. and cleverly had more time pass for the richards than for the 616 proper, so he could age Franklin up to his late teens and Valeria up to her early ones, allowing the richards children to actually age since Franklin’s age always had to stay vauge due to marvel’s vage and wobbly time scale. This way they get both consitant ages and more agency.  But the return also came with a price as Franklin, who if you didn’t know is so powerful he can create whole universe and shape the sturcture of the universe, had his powers break saving his family, and thus since he came back, he’s onlyg got so much of them left in the tank before they run out entirely, and it’s been an issue for him in Slott’s run as he worries about being the normal human in a fantastic family and comes to a head here, though rather than Hickman himself, who as mentioned last time has a marvelous track record with the family or FF series writer dan slott Hickman choose a wild card for this, though had both Hickman and Slott’s permission to do whatever he wanted: Chip Zdarsky, a modern marvel for marvel who’d writtne the four in marvel two in one but for some reason didn’t get the main book and this book makes me hope whenever Dan Slott bows out he gets his turn and while this is his first x-men work, Zdarsky proves he’s just as good here as is in most of his work on Howard the Duck, Jughead and Star Lord.. a weird selection I know but all classics. 

With this power outage, Franklin is worried his dad is, at least subconciously, not really trying to help him and to make matters worse teh x-men show up to offer their help.. and Franklin his birthright. The arguments made by both sides are great and I will be covering the series in full soon but in a nutshell the four dont’ want to give up their son/nephew, Reed dosen’t trust Xavier and feels he wants to use his son’s powers while the x-men feel it’s franlin’s choice and he’s old enough to make it, he belongs with them and he’ll be safer there. It also works because Franklin understandably isn’t swayed by either as neither is reallyt alking to him more at him, especially his parents .. and only tries the gate when Kitty Pryde, the two  bonded back in the 80s and a young franklin stopped her from comitting suicide long story but really moving, is the only one to tell him it’s his choice. This dosen’t go quite well though since Reed Richards, father of the year, decided to make a device to mask his son’s mutant gene and no one, including his own family, is happy about htis.  Naturally Franklin, with Val’s help, runs away.. and then as if it couldn’t get worse DOOM shows up wanting to help so now it’s a three way dance between them for hte fate of franklin. The series has gorgeous art form the dodsons a really damn compelling story and great setup for further stories for both lines and feels like the best of both franchises. It’s the x-men’s first huge impact on the rest of the marvel universe,a nd it feels like it with the ending showing that and showing this might not be the last time both sides crossover. It’s everything you could want from a crossover and i’m only being so brief because I want to review it soon as a huge fan of both groups. Easily one of the best x-men stories of the line and one of the best stories for both groups period. 

Wolverine:  We’re onto the final two, and Percy’s second book and the first solo.. and it’s logan again! Makes sense though: Wolverine only just came back from the dead, and while both is daughter and alternate future self carried the woverline banner for him, the original hasn’t gotten his own ongoing in some time. And so far.. it’s pretty good> the first issues a bit messy due to it’s lenght, but overall the book is intresting and has Logan graple with being the best at waht he does and if he can be better or if he deserves paradise while also delivering a compelling solo mission teaming Wolverine up with a federal agent who resents mutants. it also does some good world building, explaning why Krakoan drugs have things like wait lists (they want to control production closely both to avoid having the flower taken away and for quality control), and expanding the russia subplot while using Dracula of all people as a major antagonist, which is clever especailly since this isn’t his first rodeo with the x-men. Just a fun book wiht loads of promise.

Hellions: NOt much to say here as it’s hard to judge after two issues, buti f nothing else this series brought back the delightfully batshit Nanny, who just with last weeks issue offered to nurse Greycrow (who had his name changed from scalphunter because of course marvel did why wouldn’t they) and falling down. It combines humor with an odd but well thought out cast and makes Alex Summers intresting without making everyone else assholes, a hard but earned feet. If it continues to be good.. I dunno, especially since i haven’t been impressed by any of zeb wells other works especially his new mutants run, good god that one’s am ess, but so far he’s winning me over with a clever concept and roster full of deep cuts.  Final Thoughts:  I won’t be covering Empyre: X_men, though I did enjoy it and i’l save that one for next time. For now this has been a hell of a year of x-men comics, with even the weaker books still having something intresting and none being outright terribule and only one had a bad grasp on some of it’s cast and for a line this big and expansive, that’s a gold medal achivment. After YEARS of stasis the x-men have finally risen again better, bolder and stranger than ever. IS every book A+ gold star etc etc, no, but what’s important.. is that it’s all DECENT. There’s enough standout books to make it work but as i’ve made clear what isn’t the best of the best is still good or decent. There’s nothing bad, no one phoning it in or not giving an effort, everyone is trying thier hardest and succeding on SOME level even if not completely and that.. that’s truly amazing and I look forward to more of it as this line continues. Pax Krakoa and hopefully i’ll see you again. 

(( You know, using the year to research for this blog has been kind of fun in a lot of unexpected ways. ))

(( It started out with me trying to figure out more about the viking age and the local folklore of Scandinavia specifically. That’s where it all began since I wanted to better understand what I was writing.

So I start noticing a few repeating patterns cropping up; ‘’And then Chri.stianity changed this concept and we don’t know what the pre-christian context is anymore.’’

But I didn’t want to read the bible so I decided to push it aside for a while. And then I started to build a narrative around the witch hunts and demons and started to read up on Demonology and the witch hunts. And realized demonology was in large part just a thinly veiled excuse for medieval priests to be xenophobic and sexist.

And so I decided; I should probably look into that! Since so much of folklore is connected to Chr.istianity, I have demon characters, I use the witch hunts, I can’t ignore it. I might as well read the bible to understand the context behind the changes, maybe it’ll give me some answers?

It took me a while to do so, but I did it. I read the entire thing. I McFreaking did it.

 Aaaaaaaaaand I learned nothing from it. I didn’t understand what I was reading, but I was... less than thrilled about what I read, no denying that.  Well, ok, I learned that the devil wasn’t a part of the Old test.ament. The Old tes.tament doesn’t mention demons at all! The New Tes.tament, however, do mention demons a few times.

Sa.tan didn’t become the character they became in Ch,ristian belief before year 500 with little to no basis on what the bible said.

But the bi.ble said nothing that would clue me in on the local folklore, at least. No, I needed to go further into the history. I needed early history on Chr.istianity and  how the O.rthodoxy was established and how it spread across Europe before I got some clues on that.

So I decided to look at videos published by Yale for a semester they did on how to read the old testament, to actually understand what I read. And I’m so glad that I did, holy shit, all those nuances flew right over my head as a modern atheist reader. And then their course about the historicity of the New testament. Very fascinating, actually.

It was about how the early church tried to find their footing, learned that the Ne.w-Test.ament is terribly A.nti-J.ew. That the Ch.ristian faith mainly used the Je.wish Bible to springboard a path to make their NEW RELIGION more valid in the eyes of the Romans who squinted hard at new religious movements. 

Then I went down the rabbit hole of ‘’historical J.esus’’ for a bit, and that was kind of fun. Pfft. But basically, what I came to conclusion is that: J,esus might have existed, we don’t know, but for arguments sake let’s say he did. That in old Roman beliefs, and in a lot of places around the world, was that people could be raised to the status of Divinity. 

A lot of roman emperors had been made Deities that way. That gods could have children with humans and those children could become gods too. That this was a thing that could happen, and was a commonly held belief that wouldn’t be difficult to understand for the average person at the time. 

But since I’m getting tired of reading about Ch.ristianity, I jumped back to viking age. Which is just more Church history, electric bugaloo part 2, if we’re going to be completely fair. It’s not like there’s a lot of history to go around that’s not centered around the religious shift. 

The myths are highly Chri.stianized too. So we kind of just have to take them for what they are. BUT. There are hints to the pagan past there. So I read about Seidr. (From a modern practitioner, so there was a lot of New Age themes in there, but I’ll read up more factually academic oriented book on Shamanism soon. )

But you won’t believe how many doors just learning about shamanism does to the reading of the myths. Seidr\Shamanism with a dash of Animism is the very foundation, the building blocks to the myths. One has to understand shamanism and animism in order to understand the myths on a more intimate level outside of a modern person’s perspective. 

And I was so delighted to realize that for 1. Freya gets a much greater importance in the grand scheme of things. She barely has a presence in the myths, so this discovery was GREAT! 2. It sets up the world view as a much more focused way.  3. It showcases gender in a very different way from what is usually considered the ‘’popular’’ image in modern day and age. Women were practitioners, religious authorities, they would be REALLY important people in the local tribes.  4. Odin is a practitioner as well. Which, I don’t know about you, but I can dig that and the implications they bring.

Then we can move on to the demonization of pagan concepts with that as a springboard. I had this realization earlier, reading about demonology, but pagan concepts were just twisted into becoming demons for people to stop connecting with them. 

Pagan holidays were changed to have a Chr.istian meaning. Jòl\Yule In Scandinavia was in January or February. Then some king decided that he wanted to move it to December to celebrate Jesus together with the rest of Europe. 

Which in later years resulted in them demonized the ANCESTRAL SPIRITS who would come from the afterlife, to the mortal world, to celebrate Jòl with their living relatives. Eating the food that was left as offerings so the ancestral spirits could have their festivities, eat and drink, while the living slept.

...By turning them into criminals, suicide victims, people who hadn’t gotten baptized, those in Purgatory, and all the others the Church didn’t like. Saying that they will take your soul or kill you if you weren’t careful. Which I’m still not over.

But we can’t talk about the Christianization of the Vikings in Norway without mentioning Saint. Olav Haraldson, or Olav the Holy.

Olav was a rather interesting figure. You can literally not read up on Folklore  without him popping in to say hello. So why is that? 

Well, essentially, he started out as your average person, born by a king in Norway. What was then expected by the sons of a King at that time, would be to go on a viking raid, so he went to England and terrorized King Æthelred for like... 20 or so years. A king who had been dealing with Vikings terrorizing England for over 50 years.

Olav, funnily, became friends with the King. Was baptized by the King, and swore to be his loyal body guard for as long as he lived. 

Then he went back to Norway, bringing with him a Bishop from England to help him make the case for Chri.stianity in Norway. 

He went to all of the Kings he could gather, went to the local governmental bodies and stated his case. And it wasn’t difficult to convince the local Kings to accept Chri.stianity as they most likely had been exposed to Christianity in one way or another. Whether it’s from foreigners entering the shores along the coastal lines, or from having gone on Viking Raids\trading with others. 

Olav, of course, killed people who didn’t agree with him in a good old fashioned ‘’BELIEVE OR DIE’’ crusade, but shhh.

So when he died, at the battle of Stiklestad, the Bishop he had brought with him made him a Saint. Yeah, we’re returning to that dude. 

The Bishop made him a Saint for ‘’taming the vikings’’ and ‘’showing them the light’’. And so, Olav was then turned into a propaganda figure to further the Christian agenda. All with a great divine story and all, with the inclusion of tying in the story beats of Jesus’ life to his character for extra effect.

He was deemed THE ideal leader. The image of HOW a King SHOULD be. The image of a righteous man who did right before God. (Which, funnily, made the Swedes take over the throne as a consequence because no one could measure up.)

They said that when he died, his killed who had gained some injuries through the fight, was the first to notice Olav’s divinity. That his injuries had healed completely. And that once he realized he had battled and killed one of God’s chosen ones, he fled to Jerusalem to repent for his sins.

Then 1 year later after he had been buried, they dug his body up and placed it within the church Nidarosdomen. And the moment his body found its new resting place, he healed the ENTIRE TOWN from all their sickness and pain.

Yeah.

So after that, people began to use Saint Olav’s name to replace the old faith by retelling the old stories. You can pretty much in large part pinpoint where some pagan themes got altered during those retellings. 

The Jotun, who were intelligent chaos spirits challenging the order the gods represented (which is... eh, the duality aspect between chaos and order is a christian concept, but it’s what we got) became stupid Christian hating Trolls. Just as an example. Some myths were basically copy pasted with his name inserted into them.

Olav took over the role of both Odin and Thor. And was considered superior to both. He was better at killing the jotuns than Thor was, so Thor gave the mantle to Olav himself...

-

Which got me to the Paganism side of things. Where I found a statement that went something along the lines of ‘’Maybe the Landvettir\the spirits are being hostile because of how forcefully Ch.ristianity came, forcing a new way of life. Severing people’s spirituality, their connection with nature, the spirits? And then went on to disrespect them at every turn, treating the land spirits as demons for the crimes committed by humans.

And, like... I like that, it makes a lot of sense, actually. 

-

Moving on to a different but related topic; witch hunts and the Scandinavian Devil. 

The Scandinavian devil most likely originated as a pagan concept like most things. What that original source is, we’ll never know. But what I find hilarious about the old concepts of the Devil is that they’re represented as ‘’eeeeeeeeevil’’ for...

1. Giving people money and food. 2. Gave women and other outcasts more autonomy and power. 3. Was the midwife to women who gave birth outside of wedlock. And encouraged women to kill said children, children who likely would be unwanted, would ruin her reputation, would push her out of the local community. They basically offered a late abortion through infanticide is what I’m getting at. 4. Taught people how to read and write. 5. Made people question the church’s power structure. 6. Created a space and community where outcast of the society could throw away social expectation. 7. Sexual liberation. (Though the Scandinavian devil was highly sex repulsed and fled from even sexually obscene language. This is more of a... the devil from other places in Scandinavia thing. ) 8. Taught magic. 9. Told their followers to be unpleasant and harm others who slighted them. 10. Took your soul, your heavenly ticket to paradise.

The devil wasn’t a saint, but I just find it hilarious that all of the things they did were deemed bad when in a modern context they were doing really good things.

Which then connects them to witches. The church thought women got kids with the devil. Then they realized, wait, Demons can’t get kids. It’s a succubus\incubus, who helps the devil get the kids. By using the sperm of human men, corrupting it, and then inserting it into women.

And the Succubus\Incubus is their right hand man. Yes. Logic.

And so on, so on. That’s not even touching the anti-semitism that went on during the time, but I’m focusing more on the folk lore aspect of things at the moment.

I dunno.  I just find it interesting how it all connects and I’m not even half done researching everything I want to research.

22nd June >> Mass Readings (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada)

Saturday, Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

    or

Saints John Fisher, Bishop, and Thomas More, Martyrs

    or

Saint Paulinus of Nola, Bishop

    or

Saturday memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Saturday, Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Colour: Green)

First Reading

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

'My power is at its best in weakness'

Must I go on boasting, though there is nothing to be gained by it? But I will move on to the visions and revelations I have had from the Lord. I know a man in Christ who, fourteen years ago, was caught up – whether still in the body or out of the body, I do not know; God knows – right into the third heaven. I do know, however, that this same person – whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know; God knows – was caught up into paradise and heard things which must not and cannot be put into human language. I will boast about a man like that, but not about anything of my own except my weaknesses. If I should decide to boast, I should not be made to look foolish, because I should only be speaking the truth; but I am not going to, in case anyone should begin to think I am better than he can actually see and hear me to be.

In view of the extraordinary nature of these revelations, to stop me from getting too proud I was given a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan to beat me and stop me from getting too proud! About this thing, I have pleaded with the Lord three times for it to leave me, but he has said, ‘My grace is enough for you: my power is at its best in weakness.’ So I shall be very happy to make my weaknesses my special boast so that the power of Christ may stay over me, and that is why I am quite content with my weaknesses, and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and the agonies I go through for Christ’s sake. For it is when I am weak that I am strong.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 33(34):8-13

R/ Taste and see that the Lord is good.

The angel of the Lord is encamped

around those who revere him, to rescue them.

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

He is happy who seeks refuge in him.

R/ Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Revere the Lord, you his saints.

They lack nothing, those who revere him.

Strong lions suffer want and go hungry

but those who seek the Lord lack no blessing.

R/ Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Come, children, and hear me

that I may teach you the fear of the Lord.

Who is he who longs for life

and many days, to enjoy his prosperity?

R/ Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Gospel Acclamation

Matthew 4:4

Alleluia, alleluia!

Man does not live on bread alone,

but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Alleluia!

Or:

2 Corinthians 8:9

Alleluia, alleluia!

Jesus Christ was rich,

but he became poor for your sake,

to make you rich out of his poverty.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 6:24-34

Do not worry about tomorrow: your holy Father knows your needs

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘No one can be the slave of two masters: he will either hate the first and love the second, or treat the first with respect and the second with scorn. You cannot be the slave both of God and of money.

‘That is why I am telling you not to worry about your life and what you are to eat, nor about your body and how you are to clothe it. Surely life means more than food, and the body more than clothing! Look at the birds in the sky. They do not sow or reap or gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they are? Can any of you, for all his worrying, add one single cubit to his span of life? And why worry about clothing? Think of the flowers growing in the fields; they never have to work or spin; yet I assure you that not even Solomon in all his regalia was robed like one of these. Now if that is how God clothes the grass in the field which is there today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, will he not much more look after you, you men of little faith? So do not worry; do not say, “What are we to eat? What are we to drink? How are we to be clothed?” It is the pagans who set their hearts on all these things. Your heavenly Father knows you need them all. Set your hearts on his kingdom first, and on his righteousness, and all these other things will be given you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

—————————-

Saints John Fisher, Bishop, and Thomas More, Martyrs

(Liturgical Colour: Red)

(Readings for the memorial

There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Saturday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading

1 Peter 4:12-19

If you can have some share in the sufferings of Christ, be glad

My dear people, you must not think it unaccountable that you should be tested by fire. There is nothing extraordinary in what has happened to you. If you can have some share in the sufferings of Christ, be glad, because you will enjoy a much greater gladness when his glory is revealed. It is a blessing for you when they insult you for bearing the name of Christ, because it means that you have the Spirit of glory, the Spirit of God resting on you. None of you should ever deserve to suffer for being a murderer, a thief, a criminal or an informer; but if anyone of you should suffer for being a Christian, then he is not to be ashamed of it; he should thank God that he has been called one. The time has come for the judgement to begin at the household of God; and if what we know now is only the beginning, what will it be when it comes down to those who refuse to believe God’s Good News? If it is hard for a good man to be saved, what will happen to the wicked and to sinners? So even those whom God allows to suffer must trust themselves to the constancy of the creator and go on doing good.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 125(126):1-6

R/ Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap.

When the Lord delivered Zion from bondage,

it seemed like a dream.

Then was our mouth filled with laughter,

on our lips there were songs.

R/ Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap.

The heathens themselves said: ‘What marvels

the Lord worked for them!’

What marvels the Lord worked for us!

Indeed we were glad.

R/ Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap.

Deliver us, O Lord, from our bondage

as streams in dry land.

Those who are sowing in tears

will sing when they reap.

R/ Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap.

They go out, they go out, full of tears,

carrying seed for the sowing:

they come back, they come back, full of song,

carrying their sheaves.

R/ Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap.

Gospel Acclamation

Matthew 5:10

Alleluia, alleluia!

Happy those who are persecuted

in the cause of right,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 10:34-39

It is not peace I have come to bring, but a sword

Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth: it is not peace I have come to bring, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man’s enemies will be those of his own household.

‘Anyone who prefers father or mother to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who prefers son or daughter to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me. Anyone who finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

——————————

Saint Paulinus of Nola, Bishop

(Liturgical Colour: White)

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Saturday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading

2 Corinthians 8:9-15

He was rich, but became poor for your sake, to make you rich out of his poverty

Remember how generous the Lord Jesus was: he was rich, but he became poor for your sake, to make you rich out of his poverty. As I say, I am only making a suggestion; it is only fair to you, since you were the first, a year ago, not only in taking action but even in deciding to. So now finish the work and let the results be worthy, as far as you can afford it, of the decision you made promptly. As long as the readiness is there, a man is acceptable with whatever he can afford; never mind what is beyond his means. This does not mean that to give relief to others you ought to make things difficult for yourselves: it is a question of balancing what happens to be your surplus now against their present need, and one day they may have something to spare that will supply your own need. That is how we strike a balance: as scripture says: The man who gathered much had none too much, the man who gathered little did not go short.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 39(40):2,4,7-10

R/ Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.

I waited, I waited for the Lord

and he stooped down to me;

he heard my cry.

He put a new song into my mouth,

praise of our God.

R/ Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.

You do not ask for sacrifice and offerings,

but an open ear.

You do not ask for holocaust and victim.

Instead, here am I.

R/ Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.

In the scroll of the book it stands written

that I should do your will.

My God, I delight in your law

in the depth of my heart.

R/ Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.

Your justice I have proclaimed

in the great assembly.

My lips I have not sealed;

you know it, O Lord.

R/ Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.

Gospel Acclamation

Matthew 5:3

Alleluia, alleluia!

How happy are the poor in spirit:

theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 12:32-34

It has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘There is no need to be afraid, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom.

‘Sell your possessions and give alms. Get yourselves purses that do not wear out, treasure that will not fail you, in heaven where no thief can reach it and no moth destroy it. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

———————————

Saturday memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary

(Liturgical Colour: White)

First Reading

Genesis 3:9-15,20

‘The offspring of the woman will crush your head’

After Adam had eaten of the tree the Lord God called to him. ‘Where are you?’ he asked. ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden;’ he replied ‘I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.’ ‘Who told you that you were naked?’ he asked ‘Have you been eating of the tree I forbade you to eat?’ The man replied, ‘It was the woman you put with me; she gave me the fruit, and I ate it.’ Then the Lord God asked the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman replied, ‘The serpent tempted me and I ate.’

Then the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this,

‘Be accursed beyond all cattle,

all wild beasts.

You shall crawl on your belly and eat dust

every day of your life.

I will make you enemies of each other:

you and the woman,

your offspring and her offspring.

It will crush your head

and you will strike its heel.’

The man named his wife ‘Eve’ because she was the mother of all those who live.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

1 Samuel 2:1,4-8

R/ My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

My heart exults in the Lord.

I find my strength in my God;

my mouth laughs at my enemies

as I rejoice in your saving help.

R/ My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

The bows of the mighty are broken,

but the weak are clothed with strength.

Those with plenty must labour for bread,

but the hungry need work no more.

The childless wife has children now

but the fruitful wife bears no more.

R/ My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

It is the Lord who gives life and death,

he brings men to the grave and back;

it is the Lord who gives poverty and riches.

He brings men low and raises them on high.

R/ My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

He lifts up the lowly from the dust,

from the dungheap he raises the poor

to set him in the company of princes

to give him a glorious throne.

For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,

on them he has set the world.

R/ My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

Gospel Acclamation

cf. Luke 1:28

Alleluia, alleluia!

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee!

Blessed art thou among women.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 1:1-16,18-23

The ancestry and conception of Jesus Christ

A genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham:

Abraham was the father of Isaac,

Isaac the father of Jacob,

Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah, Tamar being their mother,

Perez was the father of Hezron,

Hezron the father of Ram,

Ram was the father of Amminadab,

Amminadab the father of Nahshon,

Nahshon the father of Salmon,

Salmon was the father of Boaz, Rahab being his mother,

Boaz was the father of Obed, Ruth being his mother,

Obed was the father of Jesse;

and Jesse was the father of King David.

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,

Solomon was the father of Rehoboam,

Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa,

Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat,

Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,

Joram the father of Azariah,

Azariah was the father of Jotham,

Jotham the father of Ahaz,

Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh,

Manasseh the father of Amon,

Amon the father of Josiah;

and Josiah was the father of Jechoniah and his brothers.

Then the deportation to Babylon took place.

After the deportation to Babylon:

Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel,

Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud,

Abiud the father of Eliakim,

Eliakim the father of Azor,

Azor was the father of Zadok,

Zadok the father of Achim,

Achim the father of Eliud,

Eliud was the father of Eleazar,

Eleazar the father of Matthan,

Matthan the father of Jacob;

and Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary;

of her was born Jesus who is called Christ.

This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfil the words spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son

and they will call him Emmanuel,

a name which means ‘God-is-with-us.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

A lot of the discussions about AoX and the stuff said about the X-Tremists has altered my view of some elements of all that, I’m not gonna lie. The X-Tremists definitely isn’t what I initially thought it was, and in the context of all the X-Men being heavily brainwashed and operating based on a selectively altered sense of self and reality, even if I still don’t agree with it, I GET the intention behind picking gay and bi characters to be the cast of this particular book. 

Like, I can understand how when focused on the end goal rather than the set up, there’s a satisfying payoff to it being gay and bi characters pissed at being shoved back into the closet who are the ones best positioned to figure out what’s really going on and fight back against it once they do. I can connect those dots, see how that story choice makes sense and has the sense of catharsis Williams talked about getting from writing it. From the angle of gay/bi characters fuck shit up because they’re not gonna take society or some higher authority determining who they can and can’t love, that fits.

In a lot of ways, its the compulsory sexuality story I’ve ranted for months about wanting to see in regards to Bobby’s situation and the fact that Jean’s actions are ultimately the reason he spent so long in the closet.

BUT. At the same time....that’s kinda the problem?

Because that story I talked about wanting to see with Bobby, it didn’t come from nowhere, I didn’t just go ‘oh hey what if.’ It came from just putting together the pieces that were already there. Everything needed to tell this particular story about being pissed at someone overriding your own sense of self and telling you who you needed to be for the sake of society, the timeline, whatever....it was already there. In the main universe. Already written. Every single element needed to tell that specific narrative was already in place.

Completely unacknowledged.

And I think that’s a big part of where my cynicism comes from, beyond just not trusting Marvel as a whole. Because the fact that this specific narrative was already laid out, already in play, hell, already the fallout of a Grey’s choices and mucking around with Bobby’s head.....without it ever being addressed, its hard to see how a five issue mini (that needs at least an issue or two to set up the revelations to the characters) can do for that narrative spread out among three gay/bi characters what nobody bothered to do with just one character in three years worth of opportunities.

(And if in the end it turns out by the time all of this is over NOBODY in-story has drawn the parallel between this and Bobby’s own narrative even before all this, like.....that’s gonna bug.)

But anyway. When you look at it from that perspective, as essentially the same narrative that was already set up and put in place and then completely overlooked for Bobby already.....then its hard to see this as anything other than gratuitous. Because that was already this same narrative, WITHOUT the fascist imagery and associations. Bobby already had every reason to be pissed - just needed those reasons to be raised and acknowledged - WITHOUT needing the trauma of being made unwillingly complicit in storm trooper actions heaped on top of how much he would already be fucked up from just the forced closeting. The painful catharsis of watching a gay hero push back against forces trying to make him something other than he is and wants to be, it was already locked and loaded ready to go - WITHOUT the trauma part of that narrative needing to be added to two other characters’ narratives additionally.

It just feels...unnecessary.

Like, I can’t stop fixating on that damn armband, is one of the things. I understand the in-story logic, that its ultimately one of the clues that makes them wake up to the realization something is very wrong, for Bobby to be wearing that. I understand that the intention there is for it to be a motivating factor for Bobby’s anger, making him intensely furious that this was done to him, put on him. But the thing I can’t understand is what makes the armband necessary to do all that?

Its not needed in order to leave bread crumbs for them to see how things are messed up and where. There are other options available, other ways to portray how things are different or wrong. I’ll never agree its necessary for THAT to be the thing that makes Bobby enraged. Like look at everything I was saying about his main universe storyline. Why not just use this to allow Bobby to have a different perspective on his lack of agency in all that and the how and why of his staying repressed for so long, have this second instance of telepathic meddling with his sense of self make the first more clearly obvious to him. Isn’t that already more than enough to make Bobby furious and intent on beating the fucking shit out of Nate Grey because he’s sick of not knowing how much of his sense of self is actually HIM and how much of it is the result of telepaths sticking their nose where they don’t belong, without any hint of remorse?

When its your perspective that the more offensive elements of this story aren’t necessary, its all but impossible to look at anything else. They’re the elephant in the room. The things your eye can’t stray from in those ‘what in this picture doesn’t belong’ games once you find them, because its so painfully obvious then that they don’t belong.

And the other thing, the big thing that I’m really upset at seeing so many other white LGBTQ+ readers dismiss or just trivialize....personally, I find it impossible to find empowerment in three white gay/bi characters who are used to police the romantic and sexual relationships of characters of color and especially LGBTQ+ characters of color. I get that this isn’t on Williams, that it wasn’t her choice to have the X-Tremists arrest Bishop and Bling specifically, that those happened in other books. But this is an area where editorial oversight - used properly - would not only be useful, but I honestly believe was NECESSARY. If you’re gonna tell a story like this, do an event like this, play with these themes specifically and talk about how its meant to explore intersectionality, about how intersections of power affect how an individual interacts with society and its institutions....you need to bring your fucking A game, and this event just didn’t. At all. 

You need to be conscious of the fact that Marvel has given its readers, particularly its most marginalized ones, NO reason to have any faith in them, give them any benefit of the doubt, after they’ve spent the better part of 20 years deliberately driving this franchise into the ground because they didn’t get any of the X-Men movie profits. Editorial absolutely NEEDED to be aware of the nuances of this story and be prepared to step in where necessary to prevent things like what happened with Bishop and Bling interfering with the intended point of the X-Tremists mini and costing it more readers. There should have been someone watching all the pieces, someone whose JOB it was to look at the script for NextGen and hand it back and say no, Ed, you can’t have the X-Tremists arrest Bling, you need to pick someone else, pick a straight white character. We’re not having three white gay/bi cops arrest a black lesbian teen for impure thoughts. Nuh uh, no way. Not happening. Same with Bishop. If he absolutely had to be imprisoned in order for the events of Prisoner X to unfold, there should have been a different reason, rather than a random out of the blue pairing with Jean Grey that gets him locked up and her a slap on the wrist. Like, how about the fact that Nate Grey - being from the Age of Apocalypse - is aware that Bishop being a time traveler enabled him to know the AoA wasn’t how events were supposed to happen, and preemptively locked him away because he was afraid Bishop would be similarly able to see through this altered reality and warn people?

Like, when you have a character LITERALLY playing God, as in that’s the entire narrative....deus ex machina isn’t a problem. It’s your actual story engine. You can set the stage however the hell you want and Bishop can be wherever the hell you need him to be with the only reason being Nate Grey arranged for him to be there because that’s where he wanted him to be, fearing he could be a threat.

But seriously, white LGBTQ+ fans need to shut the absolute fuck up about the instances with Bishop and Bling and stop talking over fans of color when they bring them up. Stop trying to minimize it or handwave it away as no big deal, like, that is ugly. That is just, plain UGLY. Stop telling fans of color and LGBTQ+ fans of color any issues they have with white characters arresting black characters for ‘impure’ and ‘barbaric’ thoughts and relationships...like, stop acting like these things are no big deal or that they’re not big ENOUGH of a deal to take away from the empowerment you get from three white gay/bi characters’ narratives. Stop saying the latter is what they should be focusing on, as if its the only variable here that matters, and that they’re just blowing things out of proportion.  Some readers developing a dislike for Bobby because they have to read and see him being depicted the way he is at the expense of characters of color - even if its not ‘his fault’ - like, some readers not wanting to read or see Bobby in stories for awhile or ever because they just can’t get that image out of their head, that’s a valid and understandable reaction to what’s on the page, what they can’t avoid if they want to take in this story on any level at all. Its a reaction EARNED by the narrative choices made overall, and if its not a reaction the narrative wanted to earn, different narrative choices needed to be made.

Honestly, the more I think about it, if this event was going to happen like it or not, if writers had to just make the best of it as much as they could, knowing editorial wasn’t going to be interfering on their behalf when other writers used their characters in ways detrimental to the first writer’s intentions....Bobby, Jean-Paul and Betsy should have been in the cast of Prisoner X, I think. Like, they shouldn’t have been the secret police, the guilty parties motivated by outrage at being used to hurt others like them, they should have been part of the ones who already had plenty of motivational outrage based entirely on experience with being told their love was impure and wrong.

LGBTQ+ characters IMO were already a natural fit for seeing through Nate Grey’s changes to reality, to be arrested for engaging in romantic and sexual relationships in defiance of society’s laws and arbitrary morals. It could have easily been built into the event itself that Nate Grey (who has never identified as anything other than straight) viewed the world through a heteronormative lens. And thus when ‘eliminating’ love and memories of it and things like that, he did so according to a straight person’s perception of what that looked like...and thus potentially overlooked where LGBTQ+ peoples’ experiences had taught them how to keep a secret part of themselves hidden away at the core of their being, their mind, where no one would stumble across any truths they weren’t ready to reveal. LGBTQ+ characters were already a natural fit to be caught breaking the rules of this society instead of keeping it to themselves and staying safe if they started to suspect something was wrong with the way things were....because they were the ones who had already defiantly pushed back against unjust rules and restrictions the first time they realized something wasn’t right with the way society told them they should feel.

The same is true of characters of color of any sexual orientation, given past laws against interracial relationships - I’m not expanding on that not to exclude them, but just because imprisonment narratives have a different context and history with characters of color and that’s not my lane.

But like, if the event was structured to remove the variable of mutant oppression and thus explore intersections of power when everyone was on the same field in that respect, its disingenuous to make up forms of oppression to highlight the flaws in a dystopian society when existing marginalizations already exist once the mutant metaphor is removed. Those already marginalized in our society should be the ones marginalized in that society, else you end up with a ‘what if straight white people were the oppressed and sympathetic’ narrative that nobody asked for. And I do suspect that part of the way AoX is structured IS intended to reflect that, to have LGBTQ+ characters like the X-Tremists and characters of color like Bishop play key roles in toppling Nate Grey’s dystopian vision....I just don’t believe making any of them the secret police works in FAVOR of that rather than against. If your marginalized characters are united by common experiences of being oppressed by straight white mutants once they in turn are no longer oppressed by humans, then you also eliminate the stuff I was talking about earlier, the issue of having an oppressed group fight to put things back to where they were more oppressed. Instead of SPLITTING your characters’ identities along different axes, with the world according to Nate Grey being better for them in the sense that they’re no longer persecuted for being mutants but worse for them because it tries to restrain their sexualities...they don’t need to prioritize between their marginalizations at all. These characters don’t have to ‘sacrifice’ a world in which they aren’t oppressed for one where they are, if they’re still oppressed by that society as gay and bi individuals even though they’re no longer persecuted for being mutants. That’s still messy as hell for a variety of reasons this long fucking post doesn’t need to see their unpacking added to it, but like....

Sigh. Thing is, I know I have a tendency to go off and running in some AU direction like “this is what I would do if I were writing this story” every time I’m critical of shit. Its honestly not because I think I’m the greatest writer ever or oh my ideas are so much better than everything else. 

Its just....I don’t know how else to say it, even though it fails to sink in every damn time I have a variation of this argument...I’m not critical so I can hate things, I’m critical cuz I want them to be better. I don’t come up with different ideas for how else to tell a story BECAUSE I’m critical of it and hate it as is. Its the reverse. I’m critical of stuff BECAUSE I can’t turn off my writer brain and I can see where things could be better or at least fail in new and different ways than the same old repeated mistakes (and thus at least get us closer to better, by eliminating more of what doesn’t work).

Like, I’m just so fucking tired of being talked about like I’m this bitter angry dude who just hates everything and is never happy with any content ever. I’m not angry and loud when I criticize shit because I’m thinking like “This thing you like offended these three people and thus its fucking terrible and you should feel bad!” I’m angry and loud when I criticize shit because I’m thinking “This thing you like offended these three people AND IT DIDN’T FUCKING HAVE TO. THAT CAN BE AVOIDED.”

I don’t posit all these alternative scenarios when I criticize shit because I’m thinking that doing it any way other than my way is bad, and I’m just an egotistical jackass who will never be satisfied with any work other than his own. (LMAO, hell no, I’m insecure as hellllllll about my work, like lolol. How critical I am of other shit is nothing compared to how critical I am of my own).

Point is, when I do that, I’m only doing it to say like....see, look. Here are alternatives. If I can find some, other writers can too.

But other writers have to LOOK for alternatives in order to find them. They have to have a REASON to write things differently than what they already wrote. THAT’S WHAT CRITICISM IS FOR. TO GIVE THEM THAT REASON. TO TELL THEM THIS DOESN’T WORK THE WAY IT IS, BUT IT COULD WORK IF YOU DO SOME OF THESE THINGS DIFFERENTLY.

And when people say “lmao some of you just need to go the fuck outside, like calm down and let people enjoy shit for a change,” what that ACTUALLY sounds like to some of us is “well this thing works for me as is, and thus I see no reason to care about it being better for the people it doesn’t work for or actively offends.”

It’s honestly depressing as hell how many people on this site smugly reblog that “I don’t know how to explain to you that you should care about other people” post, only to turn around and five posts later complain about criticisms of a show they like and are perfectly comfortable with as is.

Its not about telling you that you should never enjoy anything ever. Its not about saying well this thing offends us, and if we can’t enjoy it, nobody should.

Its just like.....its great that you enjoy this thing but wouldn’t it be better if you could still enjoy it and all these people who AREN’T able to enjoy it because of these reasons could now enjoy it more too?

People shutting up about the ways content offends or hurts them or people just settling for sucking it up and dealing with the microaggressions in a creative work, like those things shouldn’t be necessary in order for you to enjoy content or be comfortable with what you’re reading or watching. 

And if it is, that’s a you problem and if you could PLEASE stop projecting it on to people who just want things to be better and more enjoyable across the board - like that’d be great kthxbai.

Neverwinter Nights 2 Journal....

Alright, I went through the Coven of Hags. I wasn't expecting much - it was basically a string of nonlinear challenges to get to the front of the line, and I had to fight the last group as the group of undead refused to budge or speak to me. No matter, I turned their Vampires into Chickens and killed the rest.

But upon gaining council, the hags trapped me in a dungeon - The Skein. Around here I'm feeling the Fighter's lack of Diplomacy, and so am improving my Intimidate skill as I level.

The atmosphere here is thick. It's dark, dank, and dripping with water. A mad hag is somewhere beyond, cackling and screaming as you explore. I really like the concept, and it's unnerving at first... But the hag just talks too much, and after a while it gets sort of annoying rather than scary. A shame, but an excellent first impression.

The Skein is kind of rough at places... My wizard Safiya is hanging back near the start, buffing me with a Persist Haste while I venture fourth. By using Stealth, Tracking, and Search I wander through the area alone, without much issue aside from a group of hags who's magic eventually wore me down enough that I had to use my Telthor Leg Bone to become Ethereal and retreat until I regenerated... For some reason I didn't want to stay locked-on to attack them, either. Still, being worn down once and retreating to use a Ring of Regeneration gives me about twice as much HP as I actually have, and I have 480 HP, so... Not too much three hags can do against that while I attack them with my Reaper's Despair sickle, haha. At another point, I brought out a bow and started sniping an elemental that couldn't reach me.

I also encountered a group of NPCs surviving in this desolate dungeon and actually got a (Search) dialogue check to call out someone's bluff, which was neat. I found they were listening to "The Sleeper," a drow trapped in an eternal slumber who periodically babbles exposition.

I made my way through the Skein, and made my way to the Hag. Her boss fight was interesting; at one point she took over Safiya and I had to defeat her, but being a wizard the melee fight was one-sided. I wonder what would have happened if I was alone? In any case, it seems the hag was placed here for a relationship with a human that she loved, which birthed Gann. In this playthrough I never met him, so.... Whelp. Interesting information, nonetheless. I elected to kill her before the madness returns - Neutral, remember.

Killing her gave me the ability to travel into dreams. Weird, but sure. I travelled into The Sleeper's nightmare, and she begged me to kill her as the hags trapped her in eternal slumber due to dream traveling. Since I am neutral, I decided to to kill her, as well - I might have freed her if I wanted to slaughter the coven of hags above, but she's right in her assessment that the knowledge they have is too valuable.

From there, I went upstairs, fought some hagspawn, and entered into the dream of the coven...

(...)

The coven first sent me on a stageplay at a dreamscape of the theater my and Safiya are staying at, where we reenacted Akechi's defeat at the hands of the god of death. My character was told to improvise, but I didn't know my lines... Akechi didn't flee nor fight, though, and given the god of death is DEAD and replaced by a new death god I suspect Akechi's involvement.

The crowd turned hostile, and so I had to reenact Akechi's punishment and fight off various monsters. Afterwards, the actors playing Akechi's allies told me they would wait for his return and go through the gate when needed.

After that, a portal opened. I followed it to see the slumbering people maintaining the Slumbering Coven, who you could see in the real world before I entered this dreamscape. I entered the human's mind, and he wanted to gamble over a game of "Hells," essentially Mastermind. I beat him three times in a row by keeping track of everything in a note document and analyzing everything.

...After that, I exited to find the other two people gone and a new portal opened. I followed that one as well.

Beyond that was the Red Mage Araman that usurped Safiya's college, standing at the Betrayer's Gate I had found and cleared earlier. Safiya, or someone that looks like her, soon joins him... As expected, Araman is the brother of the child I met in the vision I had earlier (It was hinted at there,) who turns out to be Akechi the Betrayer (Which was at best a theory at the time.) Also as expected, we need to find the Silver Sword of Gith in order to open the gate beyond to the Fugue Plane and the Wall of the Faithless. I found that, being quite thorough, most of the preliminary questions I could inquire about were things I knew already... But now, everything is coming together. We have confirmation that all this is connected: The Spirit Eater Curse, the Sword of Gith, Akechi and the Crusade against the Wall of the Faithless.

Akechi explains that he previously betrayed his god to help his brother. Dream-Safiya knew the betrayer, and he wanted her safety. Akechi "suffered for her love" in her words. We know from earlier that Akechi had turned his back on his faith because his wife, who worshipped no god, died in a magic accident bricked into the Wall of the Faithless. If the woman who looks like Safiya in this dream is indeed that women, that means she may have been successfully removed from the Wall by Akechi during the last crusade?

I have a small argument with Araman here - He says he cannot betray his god again, I tell him that the betrayer would not want them to fight. Araman says that suffering cannot be avoided, and the universe cannot be torn asunder for the sake of one soul. I say "You're hiding behind philosophy and abstraction. However you justify yourself, you've betrayed your brother's trust." He declared that some choices are simply wrong, with love only making it harder to oppose, and that Akechi's quest is selfish and that he did not consider the conesquences. He says that the woman who looks like Safiya, too, "sows suffering in loves name and would have the heavens fall if love was served by this."

Then he attacks. I made short work of him, and the woman who looks like Safiya fades away after thanking me.

Uhh, you can choose to say his hand was forced,  and he is not to blame, or that the gods should be obeyed, or that love is most important... But I'm neutral in the most "Gods and demons, get the hell off my planet" sense, and not schmaltzy enough to support love for loves sake. The Wall of the Faithless is planar dieties imposing their will on mortals, which is inherently unjust to my neutral views.

After that, I exited and took care of the two other people maintaining the Hag Coven's barriers... An Illithid who I had to help escape a maze, and a wizard trapped in a contract with a demon. I got 2500xp each, and a dream dagger I used to kill a pit fiend later.

And then, more plot: The portal brings me to the Wall of the Faithless where we meet Bishop again - An athiest, he is fused into the wall. Apparently he died after escaping the final battle, when the ceiling caved in on him (Since that data is not kept in the expansion, you basically just select what happened in a dialogue choice.) Despite being encased, sentient and awake, inside a wall, he's as sarcastic as ever and in a pitiable state.

He tells me that the wall of souls waits for me to lead the crusade, but he believes it to be a pointless endeavor and waits to be devoured to nothing. Then he drops a bomb on us: When taken over for just a moment by some outside force, he sees us inside the wall.

After fighting a pit fiend, I took a mask fragment from his body.

(...)

So, what does this all mean? I have theories...

- First: If I'm following correctly... the Sword of Gith should be at the college of Red Wizards, taken from us in the theater we explored earlier. The owner of the theater we were staying at, and her Red Wizard contact, had sent gargoyles to get us before the start of the game, extracted the silver shard in our chest, and placed us in Okko's Burrow to intentionally receive the curse. Maybe.

- I... Think this may have been a gambit to force us to continue the Betrayer's Crusade, as we reforged the Sword of Gith, and the point of removing the shard from my character's chest and giving her the curse was to complete the blade so I can lead the crusade once more. Araman led a coup in response, to stop our crusade at any cost. Hence, the Red Wizards, now mostly led by him, are our enemies and we will have to fight many to get the Sword of Gith

- The connection between Safiya, Araman, and Akechi explains why she was sent to find us in the Burrow, and how she got inside, at the start of the game Safiya was sent to get me and bring me to her Mother (Edit: Aunt) at the theater, who would have explained the situation, maybe, and brought me to the completed Sword of Gith? But that was interrupted by Araman's flunkies which resulted in the people we had to see dying.

- What's more, the spirit eater curse... Either that was the punishment Akechi endured for his treason, and so he bound himself inside the den and kept his spirit from leaving, or the Spirit Eater Curse is not a curse at all, but something Akechi made intentionally to fight the gods. Or, a third option, it may be the result of a soul being ripped from your body, hence why I am in the Wall of the Faithless. I think the way to cure myself of this affliction is probably to get my soul back from the wall, in any case.

- I don't know yet if Safiya is the same person who was plucked from the wall, perhaps extending her life via her specialized Transmutation magic, or if she is being earnest in not knowing about current happenings or why she was sent to find me. She doesn’t seem like it, at the very least.

EDIT: I played another like, five minutes and cleared the area and got some confusion cleared up. Wah

Anyways...

I left the Wall of the Faithless and spoke to the Coven of Hags, now physical and willing to speak.

The white and red twins were Lienna and Nefris. Nefris is the mother if Safiya and former head of the Red Wizard college, and they were twins...

Uhh...Did we not know that already? I guess I just assumed.

Apparently, they wanted to end me of my affliction. They show me what happaned... The two approached the coven and wanted to know how to cure the affliction, which they were told was indeed an affliction doled out by the former god of death. So I must find the God of Death's corpse, go into his dreams, and find a cure for the affliction that way (Which I have a STRONG INCLINATION is going to be "Get your soul/Akechi's Soul back from the wall of the faithless)

Alright, that reveal... Debunks a few theories I had, but strengthens a few others. Also I think I'm confusing a few of the characters, wuh. It was the white mage who died, not Safiya's mother? Right then...

I spoke to Safiya afterwards who cleared up a bit. - Araman hasn't succeeded on a coup against Safiya's mother, and Safiya's mother was the person in the dream. That means the Red Wizards aren't our enemies... Quite yet - Safiya is safe, then, and just an agent of her mother. - Akechi's allies for the fight are a demilich, a dragon, and a celestial. They were referenced elsewhere. - Since the twins were trying to cure me, they aren't part of a conspiracy.... However, It doesn't seem to make sense that I got the curse for entering Okko's lair in that case. If the Gargoyles took me from the crumbling area in Meredelain to the Theater, and then to Okko's Lair, I would have had to have the Sprit Eater curse before I was in there? No? Unless I was placed there and THEN moved. Mmm.... I think I'm missing something. This will clear itself out in time.

Oh! And Safiya asks to train me now that we're close. First she sharpens my mind and gives me a free +1 INT and a +2 on spell save DCs. Now my Intelligence is 16. ...A shame I don't get skill points for it. I also leveled up, and have 570 HP

THE DEGENERATE’S GUIDE TO COLLEGE FOOTBALL TV WATCH ‘EM UPS 2021: WEEK THREE: THE END OF THE BEGINNING OF THE END

We’re still really in the early middle of the year. Sure, Oregon looked powerful against Ohio State but it’s possible Ohio State just hasn’t found it’s footing yet and the Ducks just peaked. Shit happens like that every year, more or less. You can pretty much count on Bama to win 10 and not much else. That only applies to football. The continued stratification of social classes, the accelerating collapse of natural systems that support human life, the complete lack of representation the average American in our freedom loving democracy- you can count on those things. Football is different, though: wilder but more ordered while somehow being better and stupider than real life all at the same time. It’ll be fun to all more or less die together, I think. So let’s get to the games!

I forget the business reason for having more major OOC games that actually stay on the schedule but we’re reaping the rewards for now. You know the rules: eastern times, average vegas odds at the time of writing, prediction abilities are bad on a good day, there’s supposed to be a weekly RTARLsman post but I haven’t done a real one in about 21 months, formatting errors up to and including listing the teams incorrectly aren’t worth pointing out because nobody’s coming to fix them anyway. I don’t expect professionalism out of you so don’t ask it out of me.

Saturday, September 18

Matchup                      Time (ET)        TV/Mobile

NIU at 25 Michigan     12:00pm            BTN

It’s easy to say Michigan is due for a self-inflicted dick kick the trick is to predict ahead of time when exactly the embarrassing, season-unraveling loss will come. I don’t think it’s today but I also don’t have a lot of faith in Michigan to cover a 27-point spread.

UAlbany at Syracuse     12:00pm        ACCN

I find it hard to believe Albany’s football program is in such disrepair that they don’t even warrant a line against Syracuse. I think we’ve had five 1AA-over 1A upsets so far this season. I couldn’t possibly watch this game but I’ll keep an eye out for it on the ticker. Syracuse is bad enough to lose anywhere to anybody.

  Tennessee Tech at Tennessee   12:00pm    ESPN+/SECN+

I should probably find a site that lists the good games at the top of each time slot instead of this free for all.

Western Michigan at Pitt     12:00pm    RSN/ESPN3

Pitt has actually looked pretty good so far but they don’t have an AP ranking yet. I can’t say much for this matchup so I just assume the Panthers cover the -14.5 and get a little number next to their name next week.

15 Virginia Tech at West Virginia     12:00pm    FS1

This is actually of some interest to me. Virginia Tech is ranked 15 on account of beating UNC but it’s not hard to imagine that neither the Hokies nor the Heels are actually worthy of a ranking. WFV is favored at home but still might trigger some couch burning and “upset” talk with a win. The Mountaineers are this week’s new collection from Homefield Apparel so expect some magic!

Boston College at Temple        12:00pm     ESPNU

Old Big East rivalry game. Nobody can look away.

Chattanooga at Kentucky         12:00pm     ESPN+/SECN+

I thought Chattanooga had moved up to 1A but there’s no line listed for this game so I guess not.

8 Cincinnati at Indiana           12:00pm            ESPN

Indiana was good last year and maybe that was just a once-in-a-generation fluke but I’ve still got visions of the Hoosiers toppling Cincy and ruining their theoretically possible playoff run. I’m assuming the Bearcats won’t play anybody else better than IU this year but that’s just a guess backed by historical precedent which isn’t a thing you should really use to gamble on college football.

16 Coastal Carolina at Buffalo    12:00pm      ESPN2

Chanticleers vs. Bulls, the eternal struggle writ in football. I don’t think the CSUNY school is particularly good this year but Coastal being favorited by 14 points in an early kickoff road games still feels like a trap to this sharp.

Michigan State at 24 Miami (FL)     12:00pm    ABC

Surprisingly to me, this is the fifth all-time meeting of these two schools. Just as surprising to me, Miami has never before lost to Michigan State. Weird but makes sense if you think about it, this will be the fourth out of five matchups played in Miami. As near as I can tell, Sparty tried to use the Canes the same way Notre Dame used to as an in-season bowl game but bailed on the idea when they kept losing. To be fair, Sparty’s record in bowl games isn’t that much better than their 0-4 against Miami. The last time these two met was 1989 when Percy Snow was on his way to the Butkus Award and Miami was on their way to a third National Championship. The Hurricanes team was pretty well-stacked but is probably the least remembered of their title teams. It did feature future Hall of Famer Cortez Kennedy and a freshman OL that would go on to be September 2021′s hottest head coach in cfb, Mario Cristobal. This year’s Miami roster might look good in 30 years but right now they’re a little messy. D’Eriq King is only 8 months removed from ACL surgery (if you watch the game you will hear about this several hundred time) and has so far looked bad on his throws and a touch slower than he has in the past. Which makes sense given the timeframe but does not generally bode well for Miami’s prospects for this season.

Nebraska at 3 Oklahoma         12:00pm         FOX

If Oklahoma is a real title contender they are gonna lay Nebraska the fuck out. I’m scared of the 22.5-point line just because I don’t think the Sooners defense could stop Bishop Sycamore but it’s not crazy to think Nebraska can saw their own dicks off to the tune of a four-score loss.

New Mexico at 7 Texas A&M     12:00pm       SECN

Fuck. Jimbo must be stopped. I hate this Aggies team. UNM isn’t the team to do it but somebody along the way has to throttle aTm or this season is going to become a plague the likes of which we haven’t seen since... well, now, I guess.

UConn at Army                 12:00pm         CBSSN

Reading this matchup aloud five times in a mirror will kill college football.

Southeast Missouri at Missouri      12:00pm       ESPN+/SECN+

The southeastern part of the state will travel to within the bounds of the state for a classic football game somewhere within the borders of the state.

Minnesota at Colorado            1:00pm         P12N

I’m not completely disinterested. It’s weird and doesn’t have any national impact. Not much more you can ask for in a game you probably can’t find on your TV.

Nevada at Kansas State          2:05pm          ESPN+

Hell yeah, this is trash. Nevada is a road favorite! Take KState all the way.

Purdue at 12 Notre Dame         2:30pm          NBC

Notre Dame has looked a little bit of a mess so far but they’ve won both of their games. Not the worst position to be in. Purdue has also won both of their games. I don’t want to get my hopes up just yet but it seems like the Irish are riding the razor’s edge just asking to be pushed off. Keep an eye on this score, maybe the good people of the world will have something to celebrate in the late afternoon/early evening.

Kent State at 5 Iowa                 3:30pm         BTN

Iowa’s fifth? It’s too fucking early for this shit.

Florida State at Wake Forest     3:30pm         ESPN

0-2 Florida State goes on the road as a 4-point underdog to face 2-0 Wake Forest. Mike Norvell is really out on a plank right now and I am not sure he can safely find his way back to the deck.

Georgia Tech at 6 Clemson        3:30pm          ABC

Clemson’s got talent all over and Georgia Tech sucks but I’m still not sold on DJ Uigalelei as an NFL savior type of player. Or a national championship winner for that matter. He reminds me of EJ Manuel.

Baylor at Kansas                    3:30pm             ESPN+

Baylor is not good but the betting public is getting hip to the “bet against Kansas every chance you get” strategy so the line has jumped four points already this week and I wouldn’t be surprised if it makes it another couple before kickoff to get to 20+. Which is still probably too kind to the Jayhawks.

1 Alabama at 11 Florida           3:30pm           CBS

Bama has only had a couple of practice games against lower division opponents but they look as complete as any team I can remember from a talent/scheme perspective. This is a pretty good test and the 15-point line seems a little over-confident on the road in the Swamp. If the Bammers really do overwhelm the Gators then you can pretty much start planning on their return to the CFB Playoffs.

Tulsa at 9 Ohio State                3:30pm            FS1

Every week of every year I struggle to keep Tulsa and Toledo straight. Toledo is the one that almost beat Notre Dame last week. Tulsa is the one that lost to UC-Davis in week 1. Ohio State may be troubled on defense but that only matters against other top-tier teams. Having the line moving in Tulsa’s direction is absolute lunacy. If the Buckeyes can’t cover 25 points then they’re in real trouble. For now my guess is that Oregon is just better than we realized and OSU is going to be fine.

SMU at Louisiana Tech             3:30pm         CBSSN

This is my kind of counter-programming if nothing else is close. Not sure if there are some ponies down to have points shifting towards the Karl Malones but I think SMU is up to a two-score win.

LIU at Miami (Ohio)                    3:30pm          ESPN+

Sure, whatever you say.

USC at Washington State         3:30pm            FOX

At first I thought this was USC-UW and I was ready to emotionally invest in the drama but it’s just Wazzou. USC giving up on a playoff spot in week two to sit around and wait for Urban Meyer is going to be fucking hilarious when the Trojans end up getting jilted at the altar.

Idaho at Oregon State                3:30pm           P12N Oregon

Pac-12 Network Oregon. This implies the existence of a P12N Washington. I’ve seen the main network on TV before. It was fine if a little bit too “featuring Matt Leinart” for my tastes but seeing the weird way they’ve splintered their content is giving me a deeper understanding of west coast football fans that absolutely hate the Pac-12 Network.

Bryant at Akron                           3:30pm           ESPN3

Tune in to see some guy named Bryant touring around Akron.

Elon at Appalachian State          3:30pm           ESPN+

I hope App State runs this grifter out of their campus on a rail. The more bad stuff happens to Elon Musk the better off all of humanity will be.

Delaware at Rutgers                   3:30pm             BTN

Fuck me, this is just all the pain in the world masquerading as a sporting event.

Eastern Michigan at UMass         3:30pm          FloFootball/NESN+

I don’t have much interest in this game but seeing that it’s available on the Nintendo Entertainment System Network is intriguing.

Colorado State at Toledo              4:00pm           ESPNU

Toledo blew a huge opportunity last week so they’re ripe for a letdown but all signs point to Colorado State being incredibly bad at football this year.

Sacramento State at California    4:00pm          P12N Bay Area

P12N Bay Area probably reaches cable subscribers in like Vallejo and nowhere else in the entire world. When I put it that way it seems like exactly where this game belongs but it’s still not a thing that should exist. I mean the network but it’s true for the game also.

Northwestern at Duke              4:00pm              ACCN

Disgusting.

Mississippi State at Memphis        4:00pm          ESPN2

I think Memphis can knock down the SEC’s middle tier but I haven’t gotten a clear idea of either of these teams yet.

Georgia Southern at 20 Arkansas       4:00pm      SECN

Arkansas rose up last week because of the weird insistence by Lice Dad that playing a middling Texas team was the biggest game in school history. Arkansas has played in the SEC CG more than once. They’ve won a national championship. How does a guy that’s paid to be an SEC homer even make such a dumb statement and keep his job?

Ball State at Wyoming                  4:00pm             Stadium

I watched the CFB 150 episode about the Black 14 this week so now it’s all I can think about for Wyoming football.

Arkansas State at Washington       4:15pm            P12N

What the hell happened to UDub to fall back to this lowly spot? Did Chris Peterson just fall on his ass in recruiting?

Murray State at Bowling Green       5:00pm           ESPN3

This sounds like a sixties movie title for a spy agency thriller that could be mistaken for a comedy when not viewed through a then-contemporary lens.

East Carolina at Marshall                 6:00pm         Facebook

ECU is looking like a doormat and Marshall might be really good again but I would never in good conscience ever contribute to facebook’s good fortunes wittingly.

Fordham at Florida Atlantic             6:00pm             ESPN3

I want to love this game but I actually hate it.

Old Dominion at Liberty                    6:00pm           ESPN3

There is going to be so much COVID passed around this stadium.

Middle Tennessee at UTSA                6:00pm          ESPN+

Beautiful, horrible, unwatchable mess. This is where you go to feel like you are alone in the universe.

Troy at Southern Miss                        7:00pm             ESPN+

There’s also this.

Grambling State at Houston       ��       7:00pm             ESPN+

And this one.

Utah at San Diego State                      7:00pm            CBSSN

This is real entertainment. Twitter will be all over the next listing so I’ll be FOMO’d into watching that for a while but SDSU-Utah on CBS SN might be where I first dreamt up the concept of degenerate football. It was either that or a UFL game featuring a QB duel between Daunte Culpepper and Jeff Garcia.

South Carolina at 2 Georgia               7:00pm             ESPN

I’m waiting for Georgia to bumble. I’m counting on it. Georgia-Clemson was a classic early season game that somehow helps both teams in the rankings all year but ends up actually being a showcase of how shitty their offense are rather than a referendum on great defense.

UIW at Texas State                             7:00pm              ESPN3

I think UIW is a union trade school or something. So I guess I’m rooting for them.

Charlotte at Georgia State                 7:00pm              ESPN+

Charlotte’s semester in Atlanta would shape her life in ways that nobody could have envisioned when she left her family’s home in the late summer following her failed attempt to run a bakeshop.

FIU at Texas Tech                              7:00pm             ESPN+

Maybe I actually hate college football.

Florida A&M at USF                           7:00pm             ESPN+

USF could lose this. Worth checking on if you see an upset alert.

Furman at NC State                          7:30pm            RSN/ESPN3

Body bag game.

Utah State at Air Force                     7:30pm             FS2

Kind of neat degenerate game but, depending on the uniform choices, could be a bit monotone and tough to follow.

Virginia at 21 North Carolina             7:30pm             ACCN

The South’s Oldest Rivalry! Like most of the previous 125 meetings of these two school’s, this year’s game will mainly decide who sucks worse. Of course in the ACC Coastal being slightly less bad than your opponents is the winningest strategy of all. Go Hoos!

Stony Brook at 4 Oregon                   7:30pm            P12N

Great scheduling to follow up an emotional game with a body bag. I’m not being facetious, this is right where you need these games.

UAB at North Texas                          7:30pm           Stadium

Not gonna open an app or whatever to watch this but I bet it’s fun for off-brand college football.

Central Michigan at LSU                  7:30pm             SECN

LSU at home at night is supposed to be the best atmosphere in college football. Way better than a 19.5-point line against Central Michigan. What stage of LSU’s life cycle are we in right now?

22 Auburn at 10 Penn State               7:30pm            ABC

War goddamn Eagle, baby. Penn State is doing that stupid white out thing which, correct if I’m wrong again, only goes for the people in the stands. So they’ll all be dressed up in pretty much Auburn’s road colors to watch Auburn. I hate Auburn but I really hate Penn State.

Alcorn State at South Alabama          8:00pm           ESPN3

Things are looking rough for the rest of the docket.

Rice at Texas                                      8:00pm            LHN

A battle of equals.

Stanford at Vanderbilt                        8:00pm           ESPNU

Look at this American aristocracy horse shit. Fuck these schools and the teams of horses that carried them in.

Tulane at 17 Mississippi                      8:00pm              ESPN2

The racist south may just have the nation’s best QB. It’s a good year for Matt Corral to show off his arm strength because 2022 is not looking like a bumper crop of QB draftees at this far off date. He’s small for the position but Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield and Russell Wilson are all smaller. If the arm talent is real he could go #1 overall.

Jackson State at ULM                         8:00pm              ESPN3

Nope.

SC State at New Mexico State            8:00pm           FloFootball / CW El Paso

Sorry.

Oklahoma State at Boise State              9:00pm          FS1

Whoa whoa whoa. This is uniform heaven. And on the blue turf? Your eyes will burn. Embrace that feeling.

Northern Arizona at Arizona                  10:00pm          P12N AZ

P12N AZ. Holy shit. What the hell were these people thinking? This has to be the smallest demo ever targeted by a network.

19 Arizona State at 23 BYU                     10:15pm          ESPN

Seeing these teams face off as ranked opponents is very weird. Real late 80s vibe here. It’s titillating in its way. Might not even be the most fun game in the late night region.

14 Iowa State at UNLV                           10:30pm           CBSSN

UNLV is an absolute wasteland of a program. It’s kind of stupid, really. They aren’t in an unsellable spot and they don’t play the most rugged schedule but year after year after year they lose 9 or more games. Makes more sense than not having a good baseball program but there should be some G5 magic in Vegas. Iowa State is going to roll.

Fresno State at 13 UCLA                       10:45pm            P12N

Chip Kelly having UCLA as the premier program in L.A. is something I couldn’t have seen coming just last week but we’re there now. And Fresno State plays some wild offense that could/should make this the late night hangout spot. If you can find it. If you have this channel. That shouldn’t be a question! Fuckin’ a, Pac-12, what are you doing?

San Jose State at Hawaii                      12:30am            FS1

Technically a Sunday game but I cut the header because if you’re watching this there is an implicit understanding that it’s still Saturday. Not sure what’s going on with the kick time, though. I was under the impression that Hawaii games had to kick off by 11:59pm Eastern to count with the rest of the week’s games. Very odd. That’s really all I have to say about this game.

Evil Season 2 Episode 2 Review: A Is for Angel

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This Evil review contains spoilers.

Evil Season 2 Episode 2

Evil season 2, episode 2, “A Is for Angel,” finds a new twist in the series’ main thrust. It is a monster-of-the-week installment which may result in an exorcism, but this time the intruding influence is not demonic. Raymond (Brandon J. Dirden), a parishioner at St. Johns, is possessed by an angel, or so he claims. On the surface, it may appear the presence may not be as malignant as a servant of Satan, but it is equally diabolical.

The designation of angels and demons, black and white magic, is a form of spiritual racism. During the course of the episode, Dr Kristen Bouchard (Katja Herbers) brings up the evils angels have done, according to the Bible, at the behest of God. She even cites Saint Augustine. Ben Shakir (Aasif Mandvi), of course, just gives her a quizzical look. While the show only cites a few examples, the most prevalent being Sodom and Gomora, it becomes apparent collateral damage has been evenly distributed. Raymond begins his ascent into angelic possession with a similar idea, he is giving away all his earthly possessions to help less fortunate souls. Bishop Thomas Marx (Peter Scolari) assigns David Acosta (Mike Colter) the task of deciphering deviltry.

“Are you the angel that wrestled with Jacob,” David asks the intrusive force inside the all-too faithful follower. Brandon J. Dirden is incredibly effective as Raymond. He is there and he isn’t there, and plays his part in a nether region. We can’t see what he sees, but we believe in the conviction of his sight. The sad arc of the archangel’s intrusion on the marriage plays out in the eyes of his wife, played by Joniece Abbott-Pratt. They are cinemascopes into the family drama. Two months from giving birth, she dims the lights of hope incrementally until there is nothing bright showing in her future.

Her arc is disproportionally sad, but also prophetically reflective on the persistent sins of the present. Raymond’s idea of living biblically only sets restrictions on her. Her ultimate fate also suffers from a vastly mis-measured distribution. That’s a lot of salt for a little lady, even if she is with child. “Who are you to question God,” the archangel asks when David ponders the innocent victims of almighty wrath. “God is the measure of just.”

The justice portrayed is fierce, and it shows the evil of a jealous god. When it’s pointed out that Sodom would have been spared if there were ten righteous people there, Raymond, as the archangel Michael, says “But there were not.” Kristen is right when she says this man poses a danger to the community. The angel of death makes V-Ger from the original Star Trek look tolerant. There’s no appeasing some creatures, especially when they enforce the belief that rebirth can only come after devastation.

The post-apocalyptic city which appears in the visions of the second bowl is very well rendered, and benefit from its sparse presentation. David’s visit from the archangel is effective because of the naturalness of Acosta’s reaction. The special effects-rendered figure is impressive, evoking the more Biblically accurate representations of other angels. But it is the reverence and fear in David’s body which sells it. When he drops to his knees, it is chilling, but only as an afterthought. He doesn’t fall into terror. He kneels in respect. It is an interesting juxtaposition in a horror series.

Much of why Evil works to scare an audience is because all of the suspense is as tilted as the camera angles. A passing train is very creepy during Kristen’s talk with a homicide cop, but David can reasonably ask a towering Lovecraftian-looking-creature, “are you the archangel?” The juxtaposition of suspense is crucial to the overall effect, brightening the darker places illuminates the shadows and throws shade on everything.

As frightening as any of the conceptual possibilities are, the humor wins out. “A Is for Angel” features top comedic talent, Andrea Martin and Aasif Mandvi. Their most dramatic moments are made more real by the comedy which infuses it. It is everyday humor, commonplace in any workplace, family or subway car. It informs the performances, grounding them without ever becoming comic relief. For that, Leland Townshend (Michael Emerson) steals the episode, as he sinks deeper into divine comedy. It really all builds up to his confession, and he’s hardly sorry for his offenses.

“Take your dried-up ovaries and crawl back under the rock that you came from,” Leland tells Kristen’s mother Sheryl (Christine Lahti) as he breaks their engagement in a wedding planner’s office. He says he only dated her to hurt Kristen, and now that she’s feeling the pain, he wants to pay it forward. Leland’s fall from disgrace is even more comedic, as he finds Sheryl may not be quite as injured as he thought. He also starts to miss the promised marital bliss when he notices the more adorable aspects of his former fiancée which he overlooked. “Die you stupid pig fuck,” she writes in blood on the wall of his office, and he is so smitten he wants to rush to confession.

Of course, before Leland gets to circle jerk around his appointed priest, he has to face down Sister Andrea, who is offended by his hygiene. “Nuns are irrelevant,” he tells her. “Go off and pray.” By the time he is sitting back-to-back with David riffing on old sins, Leland is fully on. He closes his schtick with the gag about the woman of the “Black persuasion,” named Julia. He convinced her she was a burden on her family and friends after becoming terminally ill. We wonder how David can keep himself from landing the punch line.

All the characters get comedy bits. David has to sit through the retelling of the plot of Scarface during practice confessions. “My middle name is trouble,” Kristen gets to say with an almost straight face. Who does she think she is, Elvis? We can nearly discern a curl in her upper lip. The death of Orson LeReaux, a major sub-arc in the proceedings, continues to unravel in unexpected ways. One of the interesting things about Evil is how a main character is a killer. Regardless of how justified it may have been, it’s very rare that a hero in a show, who is playing a former district attorney expert no less, is actually concealing a capital crime. But it is also a mortal sin, and Kristen asks David about the killing in a roundabout way while Ben adds the suspense from the sidelines.

“Pain is for tourists,” Sister Andrea says, and gives David harsh advice with her tough love. She points out how millions of people talk with God every day through prayer, but the impatient soon-to-be priest is trying to “force God to talk to you.” Her first suggestion is to allow the most lucid of dreams to dance to the beat of a metronome. This allows David to astrally travel through the sandy desert of time in a subtly theosophical sequence bridging faiths. We see figures of an ornate lamp and a locust, which foreshadows things to come.

The scopolamine patch overdose diagnosis is perfectly valid, but it doesn’t explain the connections David makes with the archangel. It also doesn’t explain why Raymond was able to save a family of strangers from a car wreck, or how he knew to burn a probable pedophile. “A Is for Angel” confirms the commitment Evil has to ambiguous explanations. As long as there are more questions than answers, balance remains uneasily stable, and emotionally satisfying.

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Evil airs Sundays on Paramount+.

The post Evil Season 2 Episode 2 Review: A Is for Angel appeared first on Den of Geek.

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3 PERSON WHO ALTERED JESUS CHRIST STORY

THE 3 PERSON WHO ALTERED JESUS CHRIST STORY by Danny Caing Date Written: April 3, 2020

CHAPTER 1 THE OT3P SYMBOL

November 8, 2007: I was one of the great fans of OTEP since I got hooked on her music video, Ghost Flowers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO9b5mw381I). I noticed a symbol OT3P with the letter E as a number 3. One afternoon, while I was on fieldwork resting under a mango tree, suddenly I just wrote in my notepad the 3 symbols, OT1P means On The 1st Person, OT2P means On The 2nd Person, and OT3P means On The 3rd Person. There was something about the lyrics of the video "you will know me by the scars I bear." Nothing was coming out in my thoughts about what these 3 symbols mean to me at that time.

February 8, 2008: On OTEP's Eat The Children music video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxdBmH-SyPM), she was wearing a white veil, a moth on the side with the OT3P sign, and the_ascension word below. Then I realized that the three symbols were about JESUS. But who were these three people? Are they the disciples or women of JESUS? In that particular instance, I had a vision about the three symbols which stands for the three people who altered the story of JESUS CHRIST.

From the birth in Bethlehem to the death on the cross in Mt. Calvary, the story of Jesus was altered by Saul of Tarsus (OT1P On The First Person), Constantine The Great (OT2P On The 2nd Person), and Bishop Irenaeus (OT3P On The 3rd Person) .

In the Gospel of Matthew, you will find a word hypocrite seven times. Jesus will never speak this word to anyone, he was a very humble and kind to the Pharisees. Jesus was a Jew.

Saul of Tarsus was a Roman citizen who was converted into a Christian, by the time he claimed that Jesus appeared to him on his way to Damascus. (Jesus had already ascended to heaven and will return on the end of Age.) The Acts to Revelation writings were written by the Roman Empire. Some doctrines in the Acts by Saul of Tarsus contradict Jesus' teachings.

Bishop Irenaeus (Erroneous) altered the story of Jesus who created the conflicting scenario between Jesus and the Pharisee from the beginning of Jesus' story, and that the Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus.

Today, the Jesus Christ Movement is the Roman Catholic Church (Roman Empire). What matters most, the JESUS WORDS on the 4 Gospels are intact. Jesus was born and died as a Jew. The Romans tortured and crucified Jesus. They mocked a sign on his cross as King of the Jews.

It was noontime that Jesus was in the Pilate's courtyard. Romans usually washed their hands after eating. There were thirty-three Romans who wanted Jesus crucified. They were so angry and humiliated when Jesus drove them out of the temple. The Jews crowd were outside the Governor's compound, and the Pharisees stayed at the temple praying.

"The soldiers took Him away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium), and they called together the whole Roman cohort. They dressed Him up in purple, and after twisting a crown of thorns, they put it on Him; and they began to acclaim Him, 'Hail, King of the Jews!' They kept beating His head with a reed, and spitting on Him, and kneeling and bowing before Him.” (Mark 15:16-19)

Constantine The Great destroyed and burn all records of atrocities and genocide by the Romans to the million Christian-Jews. He declared the cross as the symbol of Christianity, not the fish, and established the ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.

CHAPTER 2 ON THE 1st PERSON - SAUL of TARSUS (OT1P)

The real Saul on the ACTS was a Greek-Jew, a tentmaker, a Jesus follower. He was an eccentric person in spreading the Gospel of Jesus from Jerusalem to Rome. When he proclaimed Jesus as the King of all mankind in Rome, they sent him to the Death Arena to be eaten by the lions. The Romans believed in only one king, the Emperor of the Roman Empire.

However, the Romans substituted a new Saul (Acts 22:25-29) to go back to Jerusalem in identifying all the Christian lairs and communities. Over one million Christian-Jews were crucified and killed for the entertainment in the Death-Arena in Rome.

The Roman-Central-Committee directly revised and altered the story of Jesus in the New Testament (with a little help from their scrupulous friend, the editor named Bishop Iraneaus (Erroneous).

According to Bishop Erroneous, Paul spearheaded in spreading the revised New "Roman" Testament of Jesus in favor of the Roman empire while murdering Christian and Jews at the same time. Over hundreds of thousands of Jews being suspected as Christians were put to death.

The letters of Timothy, Peter, John, James, and other Christian Leaders were the pieces of evidence sent back by fake-Saul to the Roman Central Committee. Immediately Roman troops raided the identified lairs, capturing all Christian families, brought them to the "Arena of Death" in Rome to be tortured and killed for entertainment. (Acts 9: 1-2).

At that time, Christians gathered in a circle by holding hands together, bowing their heads and praying out loud The Lord's Prayer. Then, one of the disciples of Christ (a group leader) would start speaking JESUS SAYINGS as everyone followed every word he/she had spoken. After the JESUS SAYINGS, they all started singing, dancing, praising THE WORDS OF JESUS!

The symbol of The Christian Movement was the fish. "Come, follow ME," JESUS SAID, "and I will make you FISHERS OF MEN." - Mark 1:17

The Holy Mass is a pagan practice of the Romans to their gods. It separates GOD within us, and worship instead of the CROSS, the Pope, the Saints, and the Virgin Mary! GOD IS WITHIN US!

There are at least 24 Paul's (a Roman spy) Contradictions of JESUS teachings.

CHAPTER 3 ON THE 2nd PERSON - CONSTANTINE THE GREAT (OT2P)

Under Constantine's rule, Christianity expanded throughout the Empire, launching the era of the Christian Church's dominance under the Constantinian dynasty. Constantine 1 was baptized only on his deathbed. Constantine's decision to cease the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire was a turning point for early Christianity, sometimes referred to as the Triumph of the Church, the Peace of the Church. At the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, Constantine looked up to the sun before the battle and saw a cross of light above it (in this sign, you will conquer). Constantine commanded his troops to adorn their shields with a Christian symbol (the Cross), and thereafter they were victorious.

Constantine directed the erasure on the atrocities and genocide records by the Romans against the millions of Christian-Jews. Altered Jesus' stories like Pilate washing his hands to indicate that he was not responsible for the death of Jesus on the cross. The choosing for freedom between Jesus and Barrabas, and Judas Iscariot as the traitor.

Constantine wanted to MAKE SURE that Rome did not put Jesus to death, but instead BLAMING it to the Jews.

In Matthew 21:12, He overturned the tables of the money changers. Jesus was arrested by the Pharisee guards during his outrage He made inside the temple, driving out 33 Roman vendors who were the superior race at that time.

The Jews washed their hands and feet before entering the temple's gate, a holy sacred place. The Roman vendors wanted the Pharisee to crucify Jesus. Judas Iscariot, one of the disciples of Jesus, gave all the money and precious things (silver coins & perfumes) to the Pharisees in exchange to settle down the damages. But the Roman mobs refused to accept the offer and still demanded Jesus to be crucified.

There was no such thing as the Last Supper, although Jesus performs ritual prayers at the supper. The Pharisees, most of them believed that Jesus was a Holy Man who made miracles things, tried to convince the 33 Romans with no avail. Jesus was sent to King Herod because they have no law to condemn Jesus. There was no such a thing as midnight Pharisee Kangaroo court. Jesus was arrested in the morning at the temple and then brought to King Herod before noon.

Upon hearing Judas' mysterious death, the Pharisee later used the blood money to buy grave lots for unknown persons. Judas was stabbed to death and hanged by the Roman mobs.

King Herod sent Jesus to the Roman Governor because he has NO AUTHORITY to condemn a man when it's the "citizens of Rome" who were demanding to crucify Jesus to death.

Pontius Pilate (in order to please his countrymen and also giving a "warning" to the Jews) had Jesus scourged almost to death, crowned with thorns, carried the cross and crucified to death.

In the New "Roman" Testament, the death of Jesus on the cross was highly orchestrated by the angry Jewish crowd. This is according to the Gospel of Bishop Erroneous!

On that morning Jesus was welcome by thousands of Jewish people in Jerusalem - Mark 11:8-10

Actually, there was total SILENCE all over the city when Jesus was punished to death, you can hear women weeping... some were praying... you can hear Jesus SCREAMING OUT LOUD in pain while being scourged in the pillar...

Barabbas was actually released two years after Jesus was crucified in exchange for two slave-women to a Centurion!

During Jesus's trials in the Governor's court, there were no Pharisees present nor hundreds of Jews, only a few 33 angry Roman citizens who were driven out of the temple by Jesus. There were only 33 witnesses in front of the Governor who ordered the execution of Jesus to the cross.

CHAPTER 4 ON THE 3rd PERSON - BISHOP IRENAEUS (OT3P)

He was the editor of the New "Roman" Testament, proclaiming that a Roman citizen named Saul was the leader in spreading the Gospel of Jesus or the Jesus Movement. A ridiculous testimony in Acts 9:3-6 stating that Jesus appeared to Saul on his way to Damascus is, in fact, a "VERY GRAVELY DANGEROUS STATEMENT" overlooked by Bishop IRENAEUS or ERRONEOUS.

In Luke 21: 27-28, Jesus ascended to Heaven after He Resurrected from the dead. It is the faith to all Christian that at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is at the end of the world. The appearance of Jesus on Saul was an irrelevant issue. Saul being a Roman citizen, a superior race, wanted to justify his conversion from a Christian murderer to a Jesus follower was absurd.

Judas was an educated person and whom Jesus trusted him as their treasurer. In Matthew 26:14-15, Judas Scariot betrayed Jesus in exchange for 30 pieces of silver was an unpredictable judgment and accusation. A very narrow twisted predicament alibi from a loyal man to a traitor.

In Mark 15:12-13, Bishop Iraneus altered the gospels of Jesus by blaming the Jews on the death of Jesus. The washing of Pilate's hands stands Rome position that they have nothing to do on Jesus' death, written ONLY on the gospel of Matthew 27: 24.

Proclaim the POPE as the head of the Church instead of Jesus. Millions were crucified, burned, and killed under the cross emblem. The original Christian movement logo was the fish.

Many Jews/Christians migrated to Europe and South America (now, The Latter-Day-Saints) in fear of being arrested and thrown to the Death-Arena in Rome.

In the Arena of Death, Christians and Jews were put to death as entertainment recess in between the gladiator's spectacle. They were burned alive, bodies chopped into pieces, skinned and boiled them, standing as arrow targets, and feed them to the wild animals. It was a horrifying murderous evil killing arena. You could smell the human blood and watched tens of thousands of inverted cross along the road to the arena, children, young and old Christians, and Jews crucified. The older ones were buried alive (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbAzKRohuvs).

The real story of Jesus in the New "Roman" Testament " was altered and revised by Bishop Erroneous and The Roman Empire Council.

Where is the logic here? A Roman citizen named Saul declaring as the Christian leader spreading the Words of Jesus while the Roman empire was killing millions of Christian and Jews at the same time. And at the end, these evildoers are the keeper of the Roman Catholic Church, not Jesus Christ Church.

The CROSS is the symbol of evil and death. Kingdoms against kingdoms, crusaders, dark ages, witch-hunt, inquisitor, holocaust, the war against other religions and sects, and even Prince Dracula is afraid of the cross, an object eviler than him. Billions of human beings have died because of the symbol of the cross.

Oh yeah wahkokok!

Music Background: "Jesus Words" by Danny Caing & Xzajyk https://soundcloud.com/earth-child-eyes-album/jesus-words-by-danny-caing-xzajyk

All Rights Reserved Copyrighted @ 2020 Wonderful Stories Limited

Ishgardian Orthodox wedding transcript

(( For the wedding of Rosaire Ledigne and Gwenneth Gilrouis, we attempted to create an “Ishgardian Orthodox feel” by adapting what we were able to find and translate of late medieval Catholic wedding customs, especially those from the Sarum Rite, with adjustments for game lore.

For those curious who were unable to attend or may be thinking of attempting similar projects in their own RP, below is a trimmed-and-edited transcript of the wedding for your reading pleasure, with ceremony parts in bold, plus select audience reactions. ))

Judielle Farendaire: "Lo, we assemble here for honoring, in the presence of Halone and all the saints, the joining together of two bodies, that of this man, Rosaire Ledigne, and this woman, Gwenneth Gilrouis, so that they may be made one body in the faith and law of the Fury."

Gwenneth Gilrouis steals a glance to her right, her own expression breaking into something that dispels the dumbstruck nervousness that had settled onto her face and shows instead a split second of unbridled joy -- and is that relief?  But, just as quickly as she’d dared to look, her attention is on Judielle again, all solemnity.

Judielle Farendaire: "Wherefore I admonish, by Halone, the Fury, all you present here, that if any among you there be who may know some lawful impediment to exist between these persons such that they may not be able to be joined together in lawful matrimony, let it now be openly declared and shown." 

Riven Pendragon flicks her gaze around, fingers flexing slightly. Kail Gerrad glances around the room at the last phrase, a dagger slipping out his sleeve...just in case. Gwenneth Gilrouis holds her breath despite herself, waiting. Judielle Farendaire blinks and narrows her gaze slightly on Kail in consternation. Martiallais Heuloix reaches over and gives Kail a nudge, shaking his head slightly.

Judielle Farendaire: "Likewise I admonish you both, as you will answer before Halone on the day you come before Her throne, that if either of you know any impediment such that you may not be lawfully joined together in matrimony, you now confess it." 

Kail Gerrad gives an innocent shrug, the dagger dissapearing as soon as it appeared. Gwenneth Gilrouis gives Judielle the slightest shake of her head, keeping her silence; smiling instead. Rosaire Ledigne breathes, drawing himself up tall, dignified. Azette Sejois smirks in approval towards Kail, then shifts her attention back to the couple-to-be.

Judielle Farendaire: "Let be displayed forthwith the license for solemnizing matrimony, exempted from the proclamation of banns, between the aforesaid Rosaire Ledigne and Gwenneth Gilrouis, in writing, with the seal of the Most Reverend Bishop, dated the twentieth sun of the Fourth Umbral Moon of the fifth year of the Seventh Astral Era." 

Judielle Farendaire: Judielle betrays a faint smile as she turns her gaze to Rosaire.  "Rosaire Ledigne, have you come here to enter into marriage freely and wholeheartedly, without coercion, to form a bond that lasts until death, and to accept the gift of children lovingly and to bring them up according to the law of Halone and Her Church?" 

Rosaire Ledigne: "I have." 

Judielle Farendaire: "Gwenneth Gilrouis, have you come here to enter into marriage freely and wholeheartedly, without coercion, to form a bond that lasts until death, and to accept the gift of children lovingly and to bring them up according to the law of Halone and Her Church?"

Gwenneth Gilrouis: "I have."

Judielle Farendaire: "Rosaire Ledigne, will you have this woman, Gwenneth Gilrouis, for your wife and spouse, and love and honor her, and keep and guard her, as a husband should a wife, and forsake all other women besides her and cleave to her alone, as long as you both shall live?" 

Rosaire Ledigne: "I will."

Judielle Farendaire: "Gwenneth Gilrouis, will you have this man, Rosaire Ledigne, for your spouse and husband, and love and honor him, obey and serve him, and keep him in sickness and in health, as a wife should a husband, and forsake and put away all men besides him and cleave to him alone, as long as you both should live?" 

Gwenneth Gilrouis draws in a breath; lets it out, staying the well of rising emotion.  "I will."

Judielle Farendaire smiles warmly to Gwenneth before saying, "As it is your intention to enter the covenant of Holy Matrimony, join your right hands and declare your consent before Halone and Her Church."

Rosaire Ledigne turns to Gwenneth to take her right hand gently in his. Again that staid expression dissolves, and he looks upon her with tenderness for a breathless moment before he summons the powers of speech.

Rosaire Ledigne: "I, Rosaire, take you, Gwenneth, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death us do part, if Holy Church will it ordain. And thereto I plight unto you my troth."

Shinorah Nightsbane nods a bit.

Gwenneth Gilrouis steps forward, extending her right hand and its barely perceptible trembling, and likewise, for much the same reasons, has trouble finding her words.  When she does, finally, they're given with an earnest smile.

Gwenneth Gilrouis: "I, Gwenneth, take you, Rosaire, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to be gentle and obedient in bed and at board, till death do us part, if Holy Church will it ordain. And thereto I plight unto you my troth." 

Judielle Farendaire: "May the Fury strengthen and bless the consent you have declared before the Church, so that what Halone has joined, no one may put asunder." 

Judielle Farendaire turns her gaze outwards to those assembled, outstretching her arms as she proclaims, "Let us praise the Fury."

Perrine Pepin: "Praise be to Halone." Martiallais Heuloix: "Praise be to Halone.:" Riven Pendragon: "Praise be to Halone." Keldorin Lumont: "Praise be to Halone." Aedos Valleritignon: "Praise be to Halone." Elliot Cadieux: "Praise be to Halone." Milloux Allard: "Praise be t' Halone." Brave Horizon's eye open wide. There was audience participation? Rosaire Ledigne remains in silent fascination, just looking at Gwenneth and smiling. Kail Gerrad glances around. Martiallais Heuloix simply nods. Seya Braisaux looks at her companion, Dogsbane. Shinorah Nightsbane: "Ah, so sayeth we all" Kail Gerrad: "Aye...what she said."

Rosaire Ledigne ... shakes it off, then turns back to Mother Judielle, producing for her inspection a small gold band. Such fine detail is likely visible only to her and to his bride, but etched on the surface is a motif of winding sweetbriar with roses in bloom.

Gwenneth Gilrouis stares up, wondering.  For a moment she seems about to say something, until she's jogged from her reverie and, from her own hand, passes toward Judielle a second, broad gold ring with care.

Judielle Farendaire smiles warmly to the both of them before procuring holy water, sprinkling it on both rings as she says, "Bless, O Fury, these rings, so that those who wear them may remain faithful to each other, abide in Your will, and live always in mutual charity. So may it be."

Keldorin Lumont: "So may it be." Aedos Valleritignon: "So may it be." Martiallais Heuloix: "So may it be." Perrine Pepin: "So may it be." Riven Pendragon: "So may it be." Seya Braisaux: "So may it be." Tristeaux Demorelle: "So may it be." Kail Gerrad: "So may it be." Milloux Allard: "So may it be." Shinorah Nightsbane: "So may it be" Azette Sejois hums something that sounds similar to those words. Brave Horizon: "S-so may it be," she says, a half beat later than everyone else.

Brave Horizon blushes and just decides to let the Ishgardians do all the talking from now on, she'll reply in her heart. 

Judielle Farendaire: "Rosaire, pray take the right hand of Gwenneth." 

Rosaire Ledigne ... can't... actually take Gwenneth's hand at the same he holds the ring, having only one good hand. So he simply extends the ring towards her; she must raise up her hand of her own accord to meet it.

Rosaire Ledigne: "With this ring I wed you, and this gold and silver I give you. And with my body I worship you, and with all my worldly goods I honor you."

Gwenneth Gilrouis blinks once, immobile as she watches her intended and...not quite getting the cue until the next moment when, lowering her eyes in a brief show of apology, she lifts her hand toward him. 

Rosaire Ledigne lowers his voice to a murmur as he touches the ring to her thumb; "In the name of Halone," and then to her index finger, "the Fury," and to the next finger, "and Her Blessed Spear," and then finally slides it onto her fourth finger, with her assistance: "So may it be."

Judielle Farendaire: "Gwenneth, pray take the right hand of Rosaire."

Gwenneth Gilrouis reaches up, taking one large hand in her very small own.

Rosaire Ledigne lowers his eyes, soft, to watch. 

Gwenneth Gilrouis: "With this ring I wed you, and with my body I worship you, and with all my worldly goods I honor you."

Gwenneth Gilrouis, with that same reverence, touches the ring to his thumb. "In the name of Halone.” She moves the ring to his index finger, "the Fury," she says, and then to his middle finger, "and Her Blessed Spear," and carefully works the ring onto his fourth finger and releases it with: "So may it be."

Judielle Farendaire turns her gaze to Rosaire expectantly.

Rosaire Ledigne spends a moment staring down at his hand before turning back to Mother Judielle, producing next a copy of the Enchiridion, its cover burnished and beautiful; a little clumsily, he balances it on his less-useful left hand while placing upon its cover two coins, one of silver and of gold. 

Judielle Farendaire solemnly sprinkles the coins of silver and of gold with holy water, proclaiming, "Bless, O Fury, these tokens that Rosaire will give to Gwenneth, and pour over them the abundance of your good gifts. So may it be."

Martiallais Heuloix: "So may it be." Aedos Valleritignon: "So may it be." Milloux Allard: "So may it be." Perrine Pepin: "So may it be." Elliot Cadieux: "So may it be." Kail Gerrad mutters in a lowered voice. Kail Gerrad: "What's with the coins?" Kail Gerrad: "oh and So may it be." Seya Braisaux: "So may it be." Riven Pendragon: "So may it be." Shinorah Nightsbane: "So may it be" Brave Horizon: "So may it be."

Rosaire Ledigne: "Gwenneth, receive these coins as a pledge of the Fury's blessing and a sign of the good gifts we will share."

Kail Gerrad: "Aaaaaaaah." Martiallais Heuloix nods slowly.

Gwenneth Gilrouis, out of reflex, reaches to assist, but stops herself just as she begins the motion, waiting instead to receive the book.

Rosaire Ledigne extends the Enchiridion to Gwenneth.

Gwenneth Gilrouis takes it with a held breath, not trusting her own hands, perhaps, and the faintest laugh escapes her when she doesn't allow it to topple to the floor.

Judielle Farendaire: "Let us pray."

Martiallais Heuloix lowers his head.

Rosaire Ledigne takes his cane into his right hand once again to help him make his way down onto the floor. Once kneeling, he lays it down beside him, then looks up at Judielle -- and then past her, towards the statue of Halone, in solemn piety.

Gwenneth Gilrouis sinks to her knees, the layers of her gown spread around her.

Judielle Farendaire raises her arms outstretched as the bride and groom kneel, proclaiming, "O Halone, Blessed Fury, Mother of Coerthas, Savior of Ishgard: grant Your blessing upon these, Your servants, this man and this woman, so that they might be armed with the power of Your heavenly protection and uphold the covenant."

Judielle Farendaire: "Bless, O Fury, this ring and this vow, so that they may ever abide in love and harmony and obedience to Your laws, and that through them Your will be done and the holiness of Your domain ever increased. So may it be."

Brave Horizon frowns at poor Rosaire being forced to kneel.

Judielle Farendaire joins the right hands of Rosaire and Gwenneth, saying, "Those whom Halone has joined together, let no man put asunder."

Judielle Farendaire raises her gaze once more to those assembled.

Judielle Farendaire: "Forasmuch as this man Rosaire desires this woman Gwenneth to be his wife in the Fury, and this woman Gwenneth desires this man Rosaire to be her husband in the Fury, and one has made the other a promise of holy matrimony, and have now both professed the same openly, and have confirmed it with the giving of rings to each other and the joining of hands: I pronounce that they be joined together with lawful and Halonic matrimony, and I confirm this, their marriage, in the name of Halone, the Fury."

Elliot Cadieux is pretty much ready to cry. Gwenneth Gilrouis' hand still quivers, though the man who is to be her husband may feel the light pressure of her holding on a little more tightly than she needs as she raises her other hand, briefly, to her eyes. Mandalina Bouchard isn't crying YOU'RE CRYING. Rosaire Ledigne squeezes back very gently, looking at her with a slight, crooked smile.

Judielle Farendaire raises her right hand in front of her, motioning the sign of the Fury's Spear as she proclaims, "Halone bless, preserve, and keep you; the Fury turn Her gracious countenance upon you and so fill you with all spiritual benediction, for the remission of sins, that you may so live together in this life and in the world to come. So may it be."  She cannot help but smile for the both of them.

Milloux Allard watched the two silently, guarded expression softening some and a smile forming, as she glanced between them.

Rosaire Ledigne takes up his cane again and uses it to push himself to his feet. It's a bit of a struggle, especially dressed, as he is, in his best finery; but he's practiced, and he manages, with considerable effort and a bit of worrying sway.

Brave Horizon pulls out a handkerchief and begins mopping up her leaking eyes. Perrine Pepin rises, her eyes on Rosaire, but he's got this! On his own! Good job! Aedos Valleritignon hops to Gwenneth's side to help her rise. Martiallais Heuloix likewise seems to be eyeing Rosaire but gives an approving nod when he rises under his own strength.

Judielle Farendaire turns to the opened doors of the main body of the cathedral and begins to walk forward in the full solemnity of the occasion. 

Gwenneth Gilrouis moves to rise, unwilling to release Rosaire’s hand, at first, but begrudgingly does so to allow him the easier mobility of rising up.  She casts a quick glance to Perrine, and then to Aedos, murmuring her gratitude as the knight helps her to her feet. 

Rosaire Ledigne comes up to his place at the right, looking first upon the statue of Halone and then towards Gwenneth, resting a rapt gaze on her, drinking deeply of this sight.

Elliot Cadieux || A psalm sung by a chorus echos throughout the hall as the assembly enters the sanctuary.

Elliot Cadieux: ♪ "Blessed are they that fear the Fury and walk in Her ways."

Elliot Cadieux: ♪ "For thou shalt eat the labors of thine hands; O well is thee, and happy shalt thou be."

Elliot Cadieux: ♪ "Thy wife shall be as the fruitful vine upon the walls of thine house,"

Elliot Cadieux: ♪ "Thy children like fruiting branches round about thy table."

Elliot Cadieux: ♪ "Lo, thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Fury."

Elliot Cadieux: ♪ "The Fuy in the First Heaven shall so bless thee, that thou shalt see Her mountain in prosperity all thy life long;"

Elliot Cadieux: ♪ "Yea, that thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon the land."

Rosaire Ledigne lowers himself to the floor once more, a little less gracefully this time.

Gwenneth Gilrouis takes a moment, once she stops, to catch her breath.  Watching Judielle, and in a mirror of Rosaire, looking to Halone -- though with the strange suggestion of a question on her face, before her gaze drifts to the right, where it stays on the groom as she sinks to the floor again.

Judielle Farendaire glances down to Rosaire with a twinge of a frown of concern. 

Judielle Farendaire raises her arms as she proclaims, "Halone, have mercy upon us," keeping them held aloft.

Aedos Valleritignon: "Fury, have mercy upon us." Rosaire Ledigne: "Fury, have mercy upon us." Martiallais Heuloix: "Fury, have mercy upon us." Elliot Cadieux: " Fury, have mercy upon us." Keldorin Lumont: "Fury, have mercy upon us." Perrine Pepin: "Fury, have mercy upon us." Gwenneth Gilrouis's static smile wavers into a rather obvious show of concern...which shifts to wordless encouragement.  "Fury, have mercy upon us." Kail Gerrad: "Woman leave us be." Milloux Allard: "Fury, 'ave mercy upon us." Martiallais Heuloix gives a quiet exhale. Riven Pendragon: "Fury have mercy upon us."

Judielle Farendaire: "Save Your servant and Your handmaid,"

Rosaire Ledigne: "Who put their trust in You." Aedos Valleritignon: "Who put their trust in You." Martiallais Heuloix: "Who put their trust in You." Martiallais Heuloix: "Who put their trust in You." Gwenneth Gilrouis: "Who put their trust in You." Perrine Pepin: "Who put their trust in You." Keldorin Lumont: "Who put their trust in You." Riven Pendragon: "Who put their trust in You."

Judielle Farendaire: "Send them help, O Fury, from Your Heaven,"

Rosaire Ledigne: "And evermore defend them." Keldorin Lumont: "And evermore defend them." Aedos Valleritignon: "And evermore defend them." Perrine Pepin: "And evermore defend them." Martiallais Heuloix: "And evermore defend them." Riven Pendragon: "And evermore defend them." Seya Braisaux: "And evermore defend them." Gwenneth Gilrouis: "And evermore defend them." Azette Sejois rubs her forehead at the prayer, hand shaking a little. Milloux Allard: "An' evermore defend them."

Judielle Farendaire: "Be upon them a tower of strength,"

Rosaire Ledigne: "From the face of their enemy." Keldorin Lumont: "From the face of their enemy." Aedos Valleritignon: "From the face of their enemy." Gwenneth Gilrouis: "From the face of their enemy." Seya Braisaux: "From the face of their enemy." Martiallais Heuloix: "From the face of their enemy." Milloux Allard: "From th' face of their enemy." Riven Pendragon: "From the face of their enemy." Perrine Pepin: "From the face of their enemy."

Judielle Farendaire: "Halone, hear our prayer."

Rosaire Ledigne: "And let our cry come unto You." Aedos Valleritignon: "And let our cry come unto You." Kail Gerrad mutters under his breath. "We've got yer back m'dear." Keldorin Lumont: "And let our cry come unto You." Gwenneth Gilrouis: "And let our cry come unto You." Martiallais Heuloix: "And let our cry come unto You." Perrine Pepin: "And let our cry come unto You." Shinorah Nightsbane nods in agreement and squeezes his hand. Milloux Allard: "An' let our cry come unto You." Brave Horizon shifts uncomforably as the prayer is recited.

Rosaire Ledigne bows his head. At the same time, one of the assistants steps forward, holding a pure white cloth. As he drapes it over the bride, it billows, covering her body entirely; the end he drapes over the groom's shoulders, partly covering him as well. 

Judielle Farendaire: "O Halone, O Fury, bless these Your children, and sow the seed of salvation in their hearts, that whatsoever they may learn for their betterment, they strive to fulfill in deed. Look, O Halone, down from heaven, and bless them, that they, obeying Your will, ever be under Your protection and abide in Your love unto their lives' end. So may it be." 

Gwenneth Gilrouis bows her head as well, allowing the cloth to fall over her; she holds her breath, her eyes welling as she stares down at the floor at her knees.

Judielle Farendaire: "O Fury, look favorably upon Your servant and Your handmaid. Let them receive the blessing of the Heavenly One, so their children to the third and fourth generations may be piously and virtuously brought up to Your praise and honor, and to do Your bidding on earth. So may it be."

Judielle Farendaire: "O Fury, grant unto Your servant and Your handmaid Your righteousness, that both this man may love his wife as You love Your people, defending and cherishing them, and also that this woman may be loving and amiable, faithful and chaste. O Fury, bless them, so that they may reach Your Heaven and join Your blessed. So may it be."

Judielle Farendaire: "Almighty Fury, pour upon Your servants the riches of Your grace, and sanctify and bless them, so that they may please You in both body and soul and in true love live together unto their lives' end. So may it be."

Rosaire Ledigne raises his head as the attendant lifts the veil off the couple. He picks up his cane to lever himself up onto his feet once more -- he may be tiring, for this time the procedure is much more laborious, and he grunts a bit trying to lift and steady his appreciable weight. But he manages neither to collapse nor to topple over backwards, even though his face in the dim candlelight has grown a bit sweaty.

Gwenneth Gilrouis releases the shuddering breath she'd been holding as the veil is removed from over her, and rises, slowly and half in a daze.

Judielle Farendaire offers Rosaire a reassuring smile. Perrine Pepin subtly shifts forward, ready but again not needed. Rosaire Ledigne returns the smile with what was probably intended to be a smile but looks more of an uncomfortable grimace.

Judielle Farendaire raises her arms once more, proclaiming, "May Halone, the Fury, keep you of one heart in love for one another."

Rosaire Ledigne: "So may it be." Aedos Valleritignon: "So may it be." Martiallais Heuloix: "So may it be." Perrine Pepin: "So may it be." Gwenneth Gilrouis: "So may it be," she whispers. Riven Pendragon: "So may it be." Tristeaux Demorelle: "So may it be." Kail Gerrad: "So may it be." Shinorah Nightsbane: "So may it be" Seya Braisaux: "So may it be." Judielle Farendaire: "May you be blessed in your children, have solace in your friends, and live in harmony with all Her people."

Rosaire Ledigne: "So may it be." Martiallais Heuloix: "So may it be." Perrine Pepin: "So may it be." Aedos Valleritignon: "So may it be." Seya Braisaux: "So may it be." Gwenneth Gilrouis: "So may it be." Keldorin Lumont: "So may it be."

Brave Horizon: "So may it be." Tristeaux Demorelle: "So may it be." Milloux Allard: "So may it be."

Judielle Farendaire: "May you ever be the instrument of Her spear and see justice done, so that all worthy may enter Her Halls."

Martiallais Heuloix: "So may it be." Rosaire Ledigne: "So may it be." Keldorin Lumont: "So may it be." Aedos Valleritignon: "So may it be." Perrine Pepin: "So may it be." Riven Pendragon: "So may it be." Tristeaux Demorelle: "So may it be." Gwenneth Gilrouis: "So may it be." Seya Braisaux: "So may it be." Kail Gerrad: "So may it be." Shinorah Nightsbane: "So may it be"

Judielle Farendaire: "And may all of you who are gathered here be blessed, by Halone, the Fury, and Her Blessed Spear."

Aedos Valleritignon: "So may it be." Keldorin Lumont: "So may it be." Martiallais Heuloix: "So may it be." Rosaire Ledigne: "So may it be." Brave Horizon: "So may it be." Perrine Pepin: "So may it be." Seya Braisaux: "So may it be." Gwenneth Gilrouis: "So may it be." Tristeaux Demorelle: "So may it be." Martiallais Heuloix dips his head in a nod, at that. Azette Sejois growls at that final statement and looks away from the priest. Aedos Valleritignon touches a hand from her forehead to her chest. Shinorah Nightsbane shifts a bit in her seat, smiling politely. Riven Pendragon: "So may it be."

Judielle Farendaire glance between Rosaire and Gwenneth with a wide smile before finally bidding all assembled, "Go in peace, sons and daughters of Halone, and by your deeds, bring Her honor and glory."

Martiallais Heuloix: "Praise be to Halone." Elliot Cadieux: "Praise be to Halone." Perrine Pepin: "Praise be to Halone." Keldorin Lumont: "Praise be to Halone." Aedos Valleritignon: "Praise be." Brave Horizon: "So m--praise be to Halone." Gwenneth Gilrouis: "Praise....praise be to Halone." Kail Gerrad: "Luck t'yer house." Riven Pendragon: "Praise be to Halone."

Rosaire Ledigne remains silent, turning to Gwenneth, a slight, uneven, but perfectly contented smile on his face. His hand cannot take hers, gripping tight to his cane, but he offers her his elbow instead. Gwenneth Gilrouis beams her gratitude at Judielle, bowing her head low before turning that bright, unbridled smile to Rosaire, and takes the offered elbow. Aedos Valleritignon claps for Rosaire Ledigne. Kail Gerrad claps for Gwenneth Gilrouis. Martiallais Heuloix claps. Riven Pendragon claps. Gwenneth Gilrouis beams with delight at Martiallais Heuloix. Milloux Allard claps for Gwenneth Gilrouis. Martiallais Heuloix nods to Gwenneth Gilrouis. Azette Sejois claps for Gwenneth Gilrouis. Martiallais Heuloix nods to Gwenneth Gilrouis. Azette Sejois claps for Gwenneth Gilrouis. Rosaire Ledigne spends another moment gazing at Gwenneth with that quietly awestruck look, then turns and starts to make his way out, steps slow not chiefly for practicality, but to savor the moment they are in. Aedos Valleritignon claps for Gwenneth Gilrouis. Brave Horizon nods to Arcian. She claps for the newlyweds, then reaches for her hankey again and just uses it to cover her face when she starts to openly sob. Judielle Farendaire looks on with a warm smile, breathing a quiet sigh of relief now that her first performing of matrimony, especially between two grown dear to her, has met its happy end. Gwenneth Gilrouis keeps her eyes ahead -- or at least, she tries; recalling something of a superstition.  But she spares a smile out toward the crowd, and the next up, overly-fond, toward her husband, keeping pace with him as they depart.

   (( The ceremony text was mainly “written” by me, with invaluable additions and help from the players of Gwenneth Gilrouis-now-Ledigne (@rose-in-the-stone), Perrine Pepin (@halonic), and Judielle Farendaire (@judiellefarendaire).

I pieced it together from various sources, mainly The Book of Common Prayer, a version of which is available free online. An extremely useful guide was Maggie Forest's personal article "Pro Sponso et Sponsa". I also adapted some text from a notarial record by Richard Watkins describing Katherine Parr's marriage, Latin translated by Janel Mueller in Katherine Parr: Complete Works & Correspondence. Various stages of a real-world Catholic wedding, either modern or period, were omitted for time considerations, because I did not feel comfortable FFXIV-izing them, or because we don't yet have adequate information about whether analogous rituals exist in Ishgardian Orthodoxy.

Special thanks to Judielle for coming in to play the officiant on short notice, Elliot Cadieux ( @theseventhdawn ) for handling the psalm and taking many screenshots for us (the second one above is his!), as well as all who attended or who wished to attend but were unable, including @erstwhile25, @scrollsfromarebornrealm, @mythrilreflections, @coerthanrobin, @elezenaccountant, @tinycatteandfriends, @bourgeoisfury, @snarksonomy, @brave-horizon, @arcianmartell, @necrologos, @faerie-apples, @dravanian, @elezendad, and @tonberryslantern. ))

Game #5: Kiss with a Fist

It was good to be home. The lackadaisical adventure that was Mike and John’s cross-country drive to Los Angeles was not so leisurely on the way back- as a matter of fact, their route from LA to Pittsburgh was as direct and, daresay, boring as Mike could manage. They didn’t really have time to take in the road like before, after all, and the lack of interesting sights served as a good deterrent for unnecessary stops. The plan had worked- they made it home in three days’ time. The first day back was spent falling back into their regular routine- sleeping off road fatigue, airing out the house that’d been shut up for two weeks, shopping for groceries to refill the fridge after emptying it of perishables before they left, and collecting their mail from their friendly neighbor, Todd. Mike liked Todd. The other nearby residents of the block were polite but curious about the pair of wrestling housemates living on their street, but Todd was an accepting sort and didn’t like to judge. After that, though? They spent every possible moment they could either in the garage or in the ring. They had something unusual to train for, after all- not only did John have a title defense this week, but Mike had their first EWC singles match. It was something that they found both indescribably thrilling and somewhat nerve wracking. They weren’t afraid of a fight, of course, but they had to admit that when it came to one on one ring combat, they were awfully rusty. They’d asked John to come at them more aggressively than usual. They’d been studying their opponent, Nick James, carefully, from watching what they could find on EWC TV of his matches to poring over their partner’s notes (he’d had the foresight to make notations on him the week prior, as James had been a potential contender). But there was only so far observation could go, and Mike needed to practice against an aggressive fighter. John, however, was a bit apprehensive. He knew what he was capable of, and Mike knew he knew. They’d done ring work together nearly every day since John first came to live and get settled in here, and Mike was well aware of the raw power that her best friend could exude. Yet, they’d always honed their skills as a team, and though they’d certainly sparred it was never terribly heavy. James was a fighter, though. Like Mike, he was a two fisted brawler with a broad streak of old school in his style who ate and drank combat. Still, familiarity wasn’t going to be enough. They couldn’t go in against a young, fresh fighter with any kind of ring rust: that would be just asking for an ass whooping of monumental proportions. Something more practical was required. I need to do this, they said. I need to win this. I win this and I make it crystal clear that I ain’t being held back, or stifled, or any other fucking ridiculous thing. I shut people like that up, put the whole fucking matter to bed like a swaddled-up baby. Come at me. I’m not scared. I trust you. So he came at them. He adapted on the fly, swapping out some of his holds in favor of strikes, mimicking their opponent’s style based on what he’d seen. They took some knocks but got back up, learning. Counter, dodge. Keep your footwork tight. You got a killer right, put it to use. Remember everything you learned from the old man. He was still holding back, Mike could tell. But he was holding back far less than normal. They were just fine with that- compromise was the soul of coexistence, after all. Besides, it just wasn’t in John’s nature to do them any kind of serious harm if he could help it. If by some fucked up circumstance they were ever to meet in the ring, they doubted he would lay a hand on Mike. Mike doubted if they could do a thing to hurt John, either. They’d said as much, after all, and had meant it with all their heart. They kept at it on and off for a few hours, despite the stubborn rain that kept dropping various levels of drizzle on their heads. The canopy of maple leaves helped, but not much. It was alright, though. By Mike’s logic, if they could fight on soaked canvas in the rain, than anything else should be cake. Finally, they decided to stop, reaching for a bottle of Gatorade and trying to catch their breath and make their heart stop racing so fast. They could feel a buzz through their whole body, a hum of adrenaline even though the rest of them was sore. Good, that sort of thing would keep them going later. Drinking deeply, they wiped their mouth on the back of their hand and grinned widely at the man across the ring from her. “Okay. I think I’m ready. Might wanna do that a couple more times before Monday, but yeah. I feel a lot fuckin’ better about this now. Thanks, bud. I couldn’t have done it without you.” Leaning back against the ropes, they looked up skyward, only to get a few fat raindrops smacking into their face. “Remember. Don’t overlook him. Having that opportunity snatched away from him will either make him hungry or worse. Desperate.” “Oh, trust me, I’m not. If I didn’t think there was somethin’ to this guy I wouldn’t be workin’ this hard. Nuh-uh. Like I told you before, I got somethin’ to fuckin’ prove here. But I’m a goddamn fighter. Nothin’ better than proving my point against another smashmouth scrapper like me.” They shook their head, scattering rainwater. “Hey. I know I’ve already asked a lot outta you today, and trust me, I appreciate it. But… heh. Since you know how to work the camera on my phone, would you mind runnin’ it for me for a bit?” John smiled warmly at them. “Sure.” “Say hey, EWC Faithful! It’s ya boy, Mike McGuire. If you’re missin’ my partner in mayhem, Bishop Church, don’t you worry- he’s a lot closer than you think.” A familiar, gentle voice piped up seemingly out of nowhere. “I’m filming.” Mike chuckled, flashing a huge grin. “So don’t you get any misconceptions, Faithful. NSFW ain’t going nowhere. Unlike, seemingly, the rest of the fucking tag division.” That grin faded off, being replaced by an incredibly annoyed expression. A finger tapped against a rope that’d been taped and re-taped heaven knows how many times. “Seriously, guys. What the hell. You all get kidnapped or something? I mean, me an’ Church are relegated to facing off against makeshift teams, or this week, not even teaming at ALL, because all’a y’all have decided to go fuckin’ AWOL! I mean, as much as I fuckin’ hate Collateral Damage… ugh, I just say their goddamn name and I throw up in my mouth a little bit… I at least have to give them a tiny crumb of kudos because they ACTUALLY FUCKING SHOW UP. Oh. And you know who else decided to appear out of the pit of humiliation they were tossed into? Fuckin’ Bulletproof! Enjoy your participation trophy, you fucking amassment of shitheads. It’s more than the rest of the division gets.” She huffed. “Garcia. How about taking that newly lit fire under your ass and taking us on? If Mucho Grande! wants to take a powder, hey, we’re here chomping at the bit. Get a partner. Don’t get a partner. Fuck, get Noon in there with you, see if that little butterball can throw a punch or two. Yank fucking Bennett off commentary and have him try to fuckin’ bore me to death. Just. Somebody. Freaking DO something.” She closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths, trying to bring herself down a bit. “But this week ain’t about the tag division. This is about me. Now, I don’t know if you knew this about me, Faithful, but this here is gonna be my first single in a looooong time. Like, literally years. I’ve spent my whole run here tagging. This is by choice. I love tagging. It’s fucking fun. But by doing nothing but tagging, I seem to have set the field up for certain… accusations. But not towards me- towards my partner. Now, Church can speak for himself, and has a couple times now on this subject. But since it involves me, I’m going to say my piece. I fight how I want, with or without who I want. I’m nobody’s ‘second option’. I’m nobody’s fucking hanger-on. And anybody who thinks I’m some seething ball of repressed fucking jealousy can come tell me that to my goddamn face.” A fist slammed hard into the opposite open palm. “I don’t single because that’s not what I’m interested in right now. I didn’t ask for this match. But fucking hell, I am going to fight in it. Not just because it’s my job, but because these naysayers need shut the hell up weeks ago. And for that matter? So do whoever’s out there being a patronizing little bitch, wringing their hands and going ‘poor Mike’. I am not being held back. Nothing or no one can do that to me because I wouldn’t fucking allow it. I am not being told to stand to the side, because my partner and best friend would never ask that of me. I am going to prove all of you fucking wrong and I’m going to do it by beating the living jimmies out of Nick James.” Mike looked thoughtful all the sudden, rubbing her chin and looking slightly upward. “So let’s talk about Nick James for a second. I like your style, pal. You love this business almost as much as I do, I can tell. You just love to get in there and fucking fight, and that? That’s awesome. And you know what? You ain’t half bad either. I saw your match with K2 last week, and sure, you lost, but you made a hell of a showing. I ain’t being fuckin’ facetious neither. Real recognizes real, bro.” There was a small nod, a slight sign of respect from one brawler to another. “Problem is, though, you’re an asshole. Which wouldn’t be that remarkable as assholes are a dime a dozen around here lately. But you’re a LAZY fuckin’ asshole. You know why Kross beat you? Because you know how goddamn good you are, and because you know you’re good you think you can fuckin’ coast. You don’t just want to win, you EXPECT to win because you’re so much fuckin’ smarter and better than everybody else. That kind of attitude drives me up the fucking wall like you wouldn’t believe, and I’ll tell you why.” She leaned forward. “Because I had that same rotten fucking attitude once upon a time. I was trained by a fucking literal legend in this business, so I thought I was hot shit. And you know what that got me? A win here and there, and otherwise, fuck all. And you, Mr. Mad Legend or whatever cockimaney bullshit you call yourself, have a wealth of raw talent any member of this roster would kill for, so you think YOU’RE hot shit. And that’s gotten you wins. Against Emma Louise and Grizzly Motherfucking Duggan.” Golf clap. Oh, the sarcasm, you can cut into it with a fork. “Yep. You beat a girl who can’t even be assed to do the tiniest basic fucking research on who she’s facing, and a guy who’s blown more shots than Draco Lazarus blows crackheads in back alleys. Good for you. But a guy like K2, you couldn’t get past that wall on skill alone. Maybe if you’d bothered to work a little harder. I mean, look around you.” Mike gave a small gesture, and the camera swept from left to right before settling back on her. “This ring? Yeah, I know it’s a goddamn eyesore. But it’s mine. It’s sitting in my fucking backyard. I’ve spent all afternoon in this ring, fighting, training, preparing. Preparing to step in those ropes and kick your ass. I’m going to keep doing this as much as I can spare between now and when we have to leave for Hotlanta. And if you’re not working as hard as me, I can promise you, that 1-2 is gonna turn into a 1-3 in a damn hurry.” She nodded. “So you better not fucking dissapoint me, James. You better give me the fight I’m working so hard to prep for. And if you lose? You’ll know why. Cuz I’m Not Slacking on the Fucking Work.” After they finished and cleaned up any Gatorade bottles they had laying around outside, Mike and John went in, cleaned up, and spent the rest of the evening chilling out, eating teriyaki noodles and fried tofu for dinner and then hanging out in the living room. John, naturally, had his nose stuck in a book (he seemed rather happy to have print and paper in his hands again), and Mike was idly flipping through the channels, staying on each a minute or two before clicking past. They rolled their eyes at the sight of a clean-shaven, wizened old man with a quavering, high pitched voice. “Oh. This fucking guy. NEXT.” They’re about to click onward when they catch what the old man is saying. “...a young man who, by turning to Jesus, escaped an unhealthy relationship and an unfulfilling life, despite being on one of the best football teams in America.” The picture did a soft cut to someone Mike thought, and hoped, they would never see again in their entire life. An airy voiced woman was saying things about a troubled past, rowdy college student, abusive relationship, landed in front of a jury. And then something changed his life forever. “You know, I thought I had it all.” He was sitting in a leather recliner, golden retriever at his feet. A nameplate designated him as ‘Steve Archer’, but Mike already knew that. He looked almost exactly as they remembered, the handsome son of a bitch, save some signs of age and his once perfect physique gone slightly to seed. But they’d know him anywhere. Everything else blurred, they could feel color starting to drain from their face, heart pounding damn near into their throat. “Think about it. I was professional football player. Championship caliber team. Believe me, I was making good money. Real good money. And you know what? I thought I was with someone real special. That all fell apart. You think you know someone, right? And then lies get in the way and they just tore me apart. There I was. Fired from a career I’d worked my whole life for. In front of a jury of my peers. I’d let a bad person influence me in ways that got me to that point. My lowest point.” Blurry stock footage of a jury, general courtroom scenes. Somewhere at the edges of Mike’s consciousness they thought they heard John asking them if they were alright, but they couldn’t even move, much less say anything. The narrator explained that Archer had got involved in one volatile relationship after another until it culminated one horrific night where Archer says he had to defend himself against an assault by his girlfriend at the time. The police at the time said otherwise and he was arrested and put on trial for aggravated battery. “I felt I was just seconds away from the end. So at that table, right next to my lawyer, I bowed my head. I clasped my hands. And I gave myself to Jesus. I asked for his forgiveness. I knew … I knew that He died for my sins. All of our sins. I prayed to God. Please help me, Lord. I can be better. I can change. I looked up and opened my eyes. The jury foreman read the verdict. Acquitted of all charges.” Steve wiped a tear from his baby blue eyes, and flashed that winning smile. The narrator resumed speaking, saying that after his pro football career ended, Steve went on to become a youth counselor in his hometown of Boston, advising trouble teens and dispensing advice on how to keep their relationships healthy, both with God and family. “If I could talk to myself from nearly fourteen years ago, I would. He was just drafted. Had the money. The fancy car. Even thought he had the girl. But I would tell him, he didn’t have anything without the grace of God. He was a pretty angry young man despite all of that wealth. So what advice would I give him? Forgiveness. Jesus forgave all those who transgressed upon Him. And I’d say forgive her, too-” Suddenly, the television exploded. The screen shattered and the set sputtered sparks before dying entirely, the victim of a heavy glass ashtray thrown directly into its center. Its flight had been accompanied by a horrible scream, something that was a blend of rage and utter terror. Mike’s eyes were wide, lips parted, breath panting, face ashen. They felt like they were freezing to death and burning alive all at once. Then Mike ran. They ran, yanking something out of the kitchen island junk drawer on their way out the sliding back doors, planting themselves by the backyard shed. The rain fell on relentlessly, patches of mud squishing under their bare feet. Despite the rainfall, they managed to get their lighter ignited, and one by one, smoked their way through the entire remainder of the cigarette pack that’d been untouched for months. They didn’t even realize that they were sobbing harder than they had in as long as they could remember. Once every last cigarette had been smoked down to ash, Mike’s terror and anger was joined by something else just as strong- shame. This wasn’t supposed to hurt anymore. This wasn’t supposed to scare them, HE wasn’t supposed to scare them. Numbly, they slipped into the shed and curled onto the dusty concrete slab beside the lawnmower. It had to have been over an hour before the door opened. Instinctively, they whimpered and pulled back as a large, masculine shadow fell over them, balling up even tighter. They didn’t speak a word, but the message was clear- don’t hurt me. There was a pause, and the figure crouched down to their level. In the dim light, they could see him clearly now. Eyes of a far prettier and gentler blue, an expression of soft concern. Their voice was very small, almost a mouse’s squeak. “...i’m s-sorry i b-broke the tv…” “I didn’t like it much anyway.” They didn’t laugh when they normally might have, but there was a tiny, momentary upward flick at the corner of their mouth, and they sat up, slowly. They kept quiet, though, save for the odd sniffle. “You knew him?” They nodded. There was so much she wanted to tell him. About who Steve was. What he’d done. But it wouldn’t come out of their mouth properly right now. They would have to spit it all out later, they knew. Just not right at this moment. “He was lying. On the show, I mean.” Another nod. “...he was always real f-fuckin’ good at that.” “I know how you feel. I hope you can understand that.” He paused as if he were carefully choosing his words. “I can leave if you would like.” “Please don’t.” Mike said it very quickly, as if, rightly, that was the absolute last thing that they wanted. John, in turn, looked them in the eyes. It was, to Mike’s recollection, the first time he’d ever done so: his gaze to her always seemed to land at their forehead, or just past their shoulder. Anywhere but in their eyes, a direct meeting of sky and emerald. The moment held in silence for a beat or two. He opened his arms and Mike all but collapsed into them, wrapped in the safest warmth they’d ever felt.