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celluloidbroomcloset · 5 months

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I was thinking about the idea that homophobia doesn't exist in the world of Our Flag Means Death. I think it's clear that this is not the case, but it is a more complicated issue than what we think of when we discuss straightforward homophobia, and is closely aligned with how the different worlds represented in the show perceive sex, love, and desire.

(Before I get going, I want to be clear that I'm discussing the world of the show itself, not the world of the historical Caribbean in the 18th Century. Our Flag Means Death primarily uses history as a useful lens through which to filter our own time period and the things it wants to discuss, and so only uses history when it serves the show's purposes. These are all just my thoughts - I'm always happy to discuss them!)

There are two major worlds at play in the show: the English gentry that Stede comes from, and the pirate world. In neither world is homosexuality explicitly treated as illicit or unacceptable, though it is never mentioned or shown in the English world. Most of the homophobia expressed by characters lies in the perceptions of the "right" and "wrong" ways of performing gender and sexual roles. I talked about this a bit here in regards to Izzy's homophobia.

In both the English and the pirate worlds, Stede's gender presentation is openly questioned. Stede is a fop - not necessarily a sexual marker one way or the other - but he's also, in the words of the show, soft. His father labels him a "weak-hearted, soft-handed, lily-livered little rich boy" who has never done a "man's work," blanches at the sight of blood, and is only inheriting his power from better, more masculine men.

Within the world of the show, Stede occupies a role typically reserved for female characters, in which he's sold in marriage to build his family's wealth. His romantic desire to marry for love is knocked down; it doesn't matter if he loves Mary or she loves him, or if there is even any desire on either side, because the whole point is to unite their wealth and produce heirs to carry on that wealth.

In Stede's memories, the shift from getting married to having children is instantaneous. Sex is implied, but it barely exists for him - it was simply something that he had to do to fulfill his part. Again, this casts Stede in a role often reserved for female characters in fiction. The function of sex, in the English world, is procreation. Desire hardly enters into it, and love certainly doesn't. So it is likely that Stede's only sexual experiences are ones without desire and without love. They are simply to fulfill a function.

Pirate society is significantly more open when it comes to expression of sexuality, but it is still steeped in sexual roles and requirements. Stede's outward queerness marks him out, but it's his inward queerness and how that integrates his emotional core that makes him unacceptable within the masculine hierarchy represented by Izzy and Calico Jack.

I've gone into Izzy's toxic masculinity and hatred of Stede's gender presentation elsewhere, but to reiterate briefly - Izzy's biggest problem with Stede is that Stede does not occupy the correct gender role within the masculine hierarchy, nor does he occupy a properly defined sexual role. He is, in Izzy's view, supposed to be submissive to a dominant male, and he's anything but. He breaks the rules of piracy and he breaks the rules of masculinity, without seeming to be aware that there are rules to break (at least in the pirate world). Stede is "wrong" in Izzy's understanding of masculinity and homosexuality, just as he is wrong in the Badmintons'/his father's understanding.

It is Stede's breaking of those rules that attract Ed to him in the first place. He doesn't act like a pirate should. He's strange. He's off-script. He's...queer. That queerness draws Ed in - far from being repelled by it, as Izzy thinks he should be, he's fascinated by it. Stede's softness and gentleness are things that Blackbeard should either reject or attempt to dominate, and he does neither.

What comes out in Stede and Ed's interactions is that Ed himself doesn't just desire softness, but is soft himself. Beneath the masculinity he puts on, he wants to be touched with kindness, he wants to be embraced. One of Stede's first questions is if he "fancies a fine fabric." When Ed says he does, Stede doesn't laugh at him or view this as un-masculine. He shows Ed as many fine fabrics as he can, excited to finally have another man with whom to exchange this love.

Ed also wants to be submissive without being hurt. He gets Stede to stab him in a performance of sex, but the act implies even more than that - that sex and pain are closely related in the pirate world, tied to sexual roles (men who penetrated and men who are penetrated). But Stede, once more, is a gentle man who penetrates. He doesn't see the stabbing as a sexual act, nor does he get a sexual thrill from causing Ed pain. Ed submits to a man who cares that he's being hurt, and it is this softness that Ed wants and is, as yet, unable to ask for.

(It is notable that, when Ed recalls the stabbing in "Fun and Games," his main memory is of Stede's look of concern.)

The role of sex, love, and desire in the pirate world is made clearest with Calico Jack, far and away the most explicit representation of a pirate's toxic masculinity, who also highlights the reading of sex as about power and pain, not love. Calico Jack and Stede's conversation is the first time that sexual relationships between men is actually raised, in explicit and vulgar terms as Jack asks Stede if he and Ed are "buggering each other" and tells Stede "Blackie and I have had our dalliances."

Jack views Stede's response as being ashamed, but we see clearly that it's not shame but anger. Stede doesn't like who Ed is with Jack, and he doesn't like Jack's vulgarity, simplifying sex, and especially sex with Edward Teach, down to pure functions, not expressive of love or desire, just as they are in the English world. Jack's attitude that this is simply what men do to (not even with) other men when they are at sea, and he's proving his dominance by telling Stede that he's done it with Ed.

Stede is not ashamed at the assumption that he and Ed are having sex, but angry at the implication that sex between them would be "buggery" and "dalliance," not love (and, what's more, that Ed would be treated as a thing instead of a person by another man).

Stede's queerness is part of his emotional core - it is not a whim. It is not something he can discard or mask, regardless of how he dresses or behaves. It is not something that just "goes at sea," or that can be reduced to functions. It is integral to himself, and so he's been completely unable to conceal it from being perceived in either the English or the pirate world, though he has tried very hard to conceal it from himself.

Ed has also tried to conceal the emotional reality of his queerness via his performance as Blackbeard, turning it outward as violent games between men, without softer emotions. It is with Stede that his own emotional core is revealed, and the big mean pirate is shown to be a man who wants to be held and touched, to be submissive without being shamed or harmed.

They allow each other to be vulnerable, to move beyond their worlds' insistence on sex as being purely a function and to unite it with love and desire. Their romance develops out of friendship and a powerful emotional understanding that claims softness as strength.

Neither Stede nor Ed are acceptable in worlds dominated by toxic masculinity and controlled by rules of masculine hierarchy and power. But they are acceptable on the Revenge, filled with a crew of the "worst pirates in the world," all of whom openly, and increasingly, express fluid gender and sexual roles and identities that shift with relationships and feelings. Both are aligned with the queer liberation of the Revenge, itself shaped by Stede's ethos of kindness and breaking the "culture of violence" of piracy, but they have to break out of their worlds' underlying homophobia to find their way to each other.

#ofmd #ofmd season 1 #stede bonnet #edward teach #ed teach #gif #ofmd meta #our flag means death #queer liberation #rhys darby #taika waititi #my wee thoughts #long post

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lej222 · 16 days

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MHA's River Scene Symbolism - How to Build a Narrative Around a Simple Scene

As the My Hero Academia manga approaches its long-awaited final chapters, I thought it would be good to talk about one of the most important, but also most generally misunderstood moment of the series - Bakugou falling into the river as a kid and Deku trying to help him.

Let me start off by saying that Kohei Horikoshi is great at visual storytelling. In order to understand why he can write redemption stories so well, one has to look at the literal meaning and symbolism behind his panels. Bakugou and Deku's childhood memory, while being the start of their broken relationship, also serves as the first core symbol in the manga that later takes on many different forms. Hands- as Horikoshi says - are very expressive and tell a lot about a person. Shigaraki, for example, has hands all around his body which are tragic reminders of his origin. But what about the panel that started it all?

Bakugou and Deku are intertwined narratively

First of all, we have to talk about just why Bakugou reacted the way he did. Horikoshi's message in the story seems to be that if there's something wrong on the level of society, personal relationships can reflect that same state. The hero society favors those who have powerful and flashy quirks, making them heroes who fight those who were born different than the norm and went down on the wrong path a.k.a. the villains.

Even before getting his quirk, Bakugou could feel that he was different than Deku. He was naturally gifted in many areas, lived a comfortable life, and was praised for the smallest of things by the adults and children around him. If we add his natural brazen personality that he inherited from his mother, Bakugou was a kid both gifted and appreciated by the society. On the other hand, little Deku who lived in the same neighborhood was quirkless, plain, not outstandingly talented at anything and naturally shy and introverted. For Bakugou, who gained the ego of the size of the Moon, it made perfect sense that Deku ended up being quirkless - after all, Deku was unremarkable even before that from the perspective of the collective whole, and him being quirkless only reinforced the idea that Deku was below him. He wasn't outright hostile towards him, but he made clear Deku was someone who should always walk behind him because Bakugou is superior than him.

Until little Katsuki fell into the river. It was a simple moment, but changed their relationship forever. Because little Izuku who was supposed to be a loser ended up the only one who tried to help him. Because Deku showcased that he had the heart and selfless nature of a real hero, something Bakugou didn't have. But Bakugou was supposed to be the remarkable one, so was Deku mocking him by trying to help him? Was he saying that Bakugou needed help because Deku was better? Because this was what Bakugou started to think and became the source of his inferiority complex - he had to prove to himself that he was better by belittling Deku. Not a nice thing to do by any means, but a natural response from a kid whose whole world was shattered in that single moment.

The funny thing is, Deku and Bakugou's reactions stem from the two sides of the same feeling - when you realize someone has something that you don't. Izuku admires Bakugou because he's talented, brave and strong, something which Deku aspires to be (that's why he calls him his "Image of Victory"). Bakugou is afraid of Deku because he's naturally selfless and kind, so he wants to push him away in order to feel better about himself. Bakugou doesn't hate Deku, he hates what his presence in his life represents - that he's not the center of the universe and has to learn as a hero.

Bakugou and Deku both learn from each other in the story in order to become the best versions of themselves. Deku imitates Bakugou when he wants to be brave and improve his moves, while Bakugou's redemption journey is centered around his regrets about Deku. Interestingly they are also both each other's first "save" when their bodies moved without thinking.

Reaching out a hand

The river scene is the core of one of the most important themes of the series - helping those who might not need it and accepting the help that is given to you. Bakugou regrets not taking Deku's hand and not seeing his kindness, the same hand that is able to reach many others and inspire them, like Uraraka, Iida, Todoroki, Kota or even Shigaraki. Deku doesn't believe that Bakugou would ever want to receive help from him. Horikoshi visually paires this idea with the transfer of OFA - we see the users reaching out a hand to pass on the power.

The first OFA user is saved by the second who offered his hand to him. Funnily enough they resemble Deku and Bakugou, even AFO notes it. Whether it's the reincarnation of their will, or just visual parallels, the first OFA transfer happened because a person reached out to another. The manga's message is that one's soul can be saved if they are willing to accept the help others offer and are willing to change themselves for the better. Endeavor and Bakugou both died symbolically to reborn as better people. Shoto was able to reach Touya in order to save his soul. it doesn't mean the villains will be model citizens after these acts, but it's more about the spiritual cleansing of their souls, even if they die.

Deku offered his hand to Bakugou who refused to take it and went down on the path of bad. Years later, Bakugou understands that even if they are the ones who know each other the best, both of them misunderstood the other and regrets not accepting Deku's kindness. He apologizes surrounded by rain. a great call-back to how he was drenched in water and Deku willingly did the same to help him - now Bakugou lets the water cleanse his soul while he shows his most vulnerable side to the person he was afraid of and hurt the most. It really shows how Horikoshi was able to build a great narrative centered around one simple, seemingly unimportant moment that happened between two kids. It has become a great scene that highlights the problems of the hero society, how characters become heroes by offering help to those who need it, and how one can change by atoning for their sins (like what we see with Endeavor as well).

And most importantly, the river scene tells us how one doesn't need a quirk to be a hero if they have a selfless heart, and how Deku has always been and always will be a hero even if he loses OFA.

#mha #my hero academia #manga spoilers #bakugou katsuki #katsuki bakugou #izuku midoriya #midoriya izuku #discussion #mha spoilers #mha manga spoilers

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outofangband · 2 years

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(Updated) Captivity of Maedhros Extended Musings, Part Two

Part two of this!

Angband World Building and Aftermath of Captivity Masterlist

I tried not to ramble too much about my world building especially where I already have done that, I did link a few posts, but as always please feel free to ask questions it’s one of my favorite topics

Nelyafinwë Maitimo is brought to a smaller chamber with a low stone table set into the ground itself. The two orcs who position him in a smooth seat with his arms bound delicately upon each side act as a mockery of attendants to the high king, their movements exaggerated. The elf is frazzled, exhausted and starved but not nearly so much that his eyes do not narrow at this, that he does not stiffen at this little joke at his expense.

Maitimo is not trusted to behave. He has been beaten, whipped, and denied water over the course of several days but he is still defiant to the point of a nearbsuicidal recklessness.

The Vala sits opposite to him, long fingers poised together in a mocking contemplation.

“Should we parlay as planned, my little failed king?”

A comment is made on the skills of Fëanor with his words and is Melkor going to be blessed with some of this legendary talent? Has his eldest son has inherited much of the great orator’s abilities?

Deprived of proper sleep and nutrients, the voice of Maitimo is hoarse, his replies are curt and cold and he cannot stop the tremble in his hands as he is fixed with the terrible, almost hypnotic gaze of the Dark Lord, made worse of course by the crown he is wearing.

(In the first set of extended musings I talk about how Maedhros feels seeing the Silmarils, being so horrifically close yet at the same time farther than ever from fulfilling the Oath. So I won’t ramble on it too much here other than to say that Melkor finds this little predicament incredibly amusing.)

The first time the burnt hand of Morgoth grips Maitimo’s throat and shoves him against the wall, the sound of chains rattling around the room and the light causing Maedhros’s eyes to water after only twelve or so hours in the darkness. The momentary victory Maedhros had felt from getting a rise out of the Dark Vala fades away to terror when he sees glittering eyes and sharp teeth and feels the primordial power he’s trapped in. Moringotto’s touch lingers on his skin long after he is released and slumps to the ground, gasping for breath. Melkor observes him coolly before ordering him to be taken back to his cell until he is called for again. The order is of course given in a language that Maedhros has little to no knowledge of and it’s quite frightening to not know what’s being said of your fate.

He’s alone in his cell again, wearing rags, if anything, dark bruises forming on his neck and unable to forget the feeling of that hand.

(Then of course he will learn that Morgoth’s true cruelty often came when he could momentarily act in ways not immediately destructive or violent but that comes later.)

The first meeting with the Lieutenant is brief. The Maia has not been given particular orders as to the prized Noldo’s treatment other than that he is important to Melkor’s…plans. Mairon too has projects he intends to use an elf of such a rich bloodline and heritage in. He’s a scientist and sorcerer and business will come before pleasure. Curiosity gets the better of him however. He stalks through the more isolated stretch of the dungeons where Maedhros is being held. Spends several minutes simply lurking in the shadows. Perhaps Maedhros glimpses a spark in the gloom beyond the barred doors. Perhaps he was left in a cell with barred doors for this purpose And so other dark creatures could taunt and harass him.

Which of course they do. The high king of the Noldor is quite a spectacle and though there are strict orders regarding his treatment (not, you understand, out of kindness or mercy but because Melkor is quite possessive of what he sees as his trophy, stolen from Fëanáro like he did the Silmarils)

Orcs and balrogs come by to throw taunts at him. Even Gothmog himself is not above gloating or worse. Laughing as Maedhros makes a move towards the barred door as though an animal provoked into violence.

Humiliating the captured king is a favorite hobby of several of the guards and servants of the fortress and it takes some time before Maedhros, stubborn like his father, gets a hold of his temper and his pride and stops rising to the bait. Which he is pleased to learn often infuriates his tormentors more when they get no reaction.

The pride and will of the Noldor is quite amusing to poke at and their High King is a particularly delightful example.

The Maia approaches, fair formed and glowing, one of the brightest points in this dark place and Maedhros is filled with profound dread. He has perhaps heard stories of the former prodigy of Aulë who is now the lieutenant of Angband and mastermind behind some of the most horrific of projects cooked up in the fortress. Perhaps he has only heard whispers and rumors. He does not know what to expect.

Mairon’s initial meeting with Maedhros is almost like a viewing of a particularly useful material before it is bought. He is not harmed, perhaps not even touched beyond light manipulations of his limbs so the Maia can see from all angles. Scrutinized. Perhaps dark hints are made of the uses that the sorcerer has for such a specimen. How would a Noldo of noble birth survive the conditions and procedures that the Lieutenant has in mind. So many horrific experiments I, the writer, have.

Perhaps he is held still by whispered words of a spell, perhaps it is merely the terror that holds him there.

It is relatively early on he is given his first symbol of imprisonment. The first brand is not the one all captives receive, rather some archaic symbol of evil that Melkor has claimed for himself, as well as the one that Sauron inflicts upon all captive elves for organizational purposes. . Then there is an iron collar that will mark his skin long after it is removed for the last time, as do the manacles so often on his wrists and ankles. The collar is not worn by all captive elves, for those who slave in the mines and caves there is of course the risk they will use it in suicide attempts.

For Maedhros it is primarily to make the process of dragging him from place to place, torment to torment easier and of course it is also for humiliation, the proud king of the Noldor, collared like an unruly hound.

The branding of such an important prisoner is entertainment for some of the crueler servants.

Later he will receive more; the star of his father’s house, the word kinslayer in more than one tongue (author’s note: two fics about this are posted!), the crown of Stolen jewels and more, all etched, carved or burned into his skin.

But this will come later. For now, he is marked as all thralls are with an additional marking to indicate that his fate and treatment is under the direct control of Melkor.

#the silmarillion #maedhros #morgoth #melkor #Sauron #Mairon #short writings #musing and meta #in the iron hell

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maybeamiles · 10 months

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One piece time!

I’m finishing up the marineford arc as I’m writing this, and because I’m going to talk about all the big revelations this time the reaction will be under the cut.

I still haven’t reached the flashback pieces that give Luffy and Ace backstory. I’m going to post this once Luffy escapes Marineford

Alright, everyone who wanted to avoid those revelations is gone now, right?

SO ACE FUCKING DIED.

And there are a few things I want to talk about in regards to that. The first is Garp. Garp fucking sucks. Some of this is my own bias, but even though he wants to protect his grand kids, he’s not nearly brave enough to confront the possibility that the organization he’s devoted his life to might not be worth their lives. He ASKS SENGOKU TO STOP HIM FROM KILLING THE ADMIRAL. Rather than allow himself to love his grandchildren fully and unconditionally, to stand up for them and fight for them. His love was always under the condition that they agreed with him. Fuck him.

Now, for Ace. Of course he died saving Luffy. Of course he did. Because Ace is about family. Ace has always been about family. From the very first moment we were introduced to him, he was giving up everything for his family, to hunt Blackbeard. The concept of inherited will and found family is most clear here. The Navy wanted to kill Ace because he was Rodger’s son. But their only connection was blood. Ace was not the person who inherited Rodger’s will. He inherited Whitebeard’s will. All either of them wanted was their family, so of course they both died saving it. And the TRAGEDY OF IT ALL. DAMN THAT’S GOOD STORYTELLING EVEN IF IT TEARS ME APART.

Okay, now for Blackbeard. This guy is CLEARLY being set up as a major antagonist or rival for Luffy. He is trying to bring in a new age just like Luffy, but instead of it being an age defined be freedom, it’s defined by terror. Where Luffy builds his own strength, Blackbeard steals it from others. Blackbeard is becoming more and more villainous by the moment.

And now Whitebeard’s speech. We almost go information about the “Will of D.” thing, which given the fact Blackbeard has not inherited Rodger’s will, appears to be something that differs from person to person. And the One Piece is real. Whitebeard is trying to continue the age of pirates. The world government is terrified of what will happen when someone finds the One Piece.

That thing is more than just gold. Whatever the One Piece is, it has the power to change the world. Rodger found it and died telling people about it. I have no clue what it could be, but it’s something that’s worth protecting for the sake of freedom.

AND SHANKS SHOWING UP AT THE END. He’s such an interesting character. He was on Rodger’s ship, so he knows better than anyone the way the times shift. He complimented Coby for his bravery. This man is a mystery and probably the most noble character in the series (except for the straw hats). He ended the battle without landing a single blow.

I don’t think the Navy understands what it’s really done. Whitebeard should have been an obvious parallel to the navy. The way he used his power, even his symbol, were all direct parallels to the navy’s power. Killing him will have consequences beyond the scope of what they imagine.

Now for small things. I think Coby might be using the “observation Haki” thing I’ve heard about. He’s acting the same way as the little girl in Skypiea who could use mantra. AND HIS MOMENT AT THE END THAT WAS AMAZING. Jimbei is amazing. Him and Ivan are the parental figures Luffy needs in this moment. They are doing a far better job than his actual Dad. Trafalgar Law... I think he has doflamingo’s mark, but it’s a little different now I look at it. There’s no line across one of the eyes. Of course Sengoku turns into a gold buddah. Of course he does,. There was something interesting about the way everyone kept fighting after Ace and Whitebeard died. That’s probably gonna come up again.

#one piece #one piece reaction #marineford

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idahofallshq · 2 years

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a wonderfully imperfect son to very imperfect parents. we loved the insight into his pitfalls, his insecurities, and all the ways in which he differs from both parents while also being so clearly influenced by their ways of trying to raise him. vincent will be a refreshing addition to the volkovs and holtzes with his naivety and optimism. will immunity ease the fear of disappointing his parents? or will the cost of such a revelation cost him more than an ugly scar?

welcome to idaho falls, vincent holtz! please make sure to complete the accepted checklist so we can invite you to our servers. we can’t wait to start writing with you!

OOC.

Name: Hannah Age: 22 Pronouns: She/her Timezone: CDT / GMT -5 previous roleplay blog: redacted triggers: redacted wanted connection?: Nik & Vi’s child

IC.

Name: Vincent James Holtz gender & pronouns: he/him/his, cisgender man faceclaim: Maxence Danet-Fauvel age & birthdate: 24 / April 27th, 2020 (Taurus Sun, Cancer Moon, Virgo Rising) occupation: Weapons Development & Repairs immunity: Immune, but unknown for now

SKILLS.

Engineering Knowledge: Your daytime work in weapons engineering and repair keeps you on your toes, allowing you to put all those fantastical ideas in your brain to good use. Alexei’s men always watch you as you work, as if hoping to glean some secret or some of the skill that oozes out of you. The truth is, your consciousness seems to hum on the same frequency as the firearms you build, those mechanisms you repair, and the old computer chips that you hoard to study. It’s your second language, one you are almost more fluent in than your mother tongue.

Technology: You’re a technological whiz, an inherent understanding of all thing electronic comes naturally to you. It starts with inherited mechanical knowledge, taught to you by your father over the heat of a broken down car. Or it’s learned with your mother, developed even while training in her combat specialities. All those weapons you wield only spur your scientific curiosity even more, eager to learn how they work and what powers them; admittedly, you’re far better at taking them apart to learn their secrets than you are at aiming them. Though your interests truly lie in computers and the rundown programs of the pre-outbreak days, for now, you put your knowledge to use in weapons building and repairs.

Repairs: There’s a reason they stuck you where they did for your day job. There is little around Idaho Falls that you don’t know how to fix — or that you haven’t already fixed at least once before.

TRAITS.

+ Curious: Ever since you were young, you’ve had questions about the world — in fact, your first word is why, repeated often, which eventually drives your mother crazy. Your father just hands you the damn thing and lets you figure it out for yourself. This kindles a lifelong tendency to tinker, to take things apart and put them back together again, to dream up a design and build it for yourself. Despite putting your technical skills to good use, you still have a bad habit of questioning things, of asking why; this has gotten you into trouble with the enforcers (and in turn, Alexei) more than once.

+ Optimistic: Unlike most of the older folk around Idaho Falls, you’re green to the world outside Idaho Falls and never seem to let the heavy realities of life weigh you down. It’s easy for you to see the bright side of things, to find hope even in the most improbable of causes. Your presence naturally brightens up whatever room you’re in — though it can easily be an annoyance to the more serious types.

+ Humble: Despite your engineering skills and family line, from day-to-day you’re quiet and mostly unassuming. You prefer the corner of the room, where you won’t take up any extra space. You’re notoriously bad at accepting compliments, believing your skill to be made from luck and learned knowledge rather than anything to be celebrated. Perhaps this is why your uncle would like to see you break beneath his thumb, to work for him and allow his regime to take all the credit for your technological advances.

- Accident-prone: For all your technical skill, you tend to make a mess of things. Knocking things off walls and tables with a free elbow, accidentally spilling drinks, tripping over mere air — it all happens embarrassingly often. You’ve managed to decently injure yourself a few times in these little accidents, too; you’ve learned first-hand that nursing broken bones or concussions in a post-outbreak world can be difficult.

- Naive: You’ve never known a world outside these walls, and barely remember what it was like before your uncle seized power. The walls are a bubble, keeping you from the great beyond, the far-off reaches of Earth outside of Idaho Falls, however damaged it may be. You have no memories of the good old days pre-outbreak to reminisce on, only things to dream of one day having again. Optimism and determination to rebuild the technological infrastructures of a world you never knew leads you to naivety in what the world is like now. This hasn’t gone unnoticed by the hardened members of Idaho Falls — including Alexei, who is eager to twist you to his use.

- Eager: You feel that you are on the cusp of something great, and if you sit still for any longer, you might miss out. Your daytime work in the walls drones on and on, little excitement except for the cooing sounds Alexei’s men make of your latest weapons creation. More than anything, you want a chance to prove what you’re really capable of. If you could only finish rebuilding that old computer and repairing the measly network, you could shine. For now, your giddy computer work is contained to the nighttime hours.

BIOGRAPHY.

Trigger warning: familial death

2020. Considering the world you’ve inherited, the choice to bring a child into it is a dangerous, yet necessary thing. You suppose your parents were up for the challenge — not that either of them have ever been afraid of much anyway. They know that parenting is only a further complication for them, forever binding these two people who aren’t in love by any means, but they remain determined to love their shared child, anyway.

To say your parents have differing opinions on how to raise you is an understatement: They inflict a flip flop of ideals upon you. The time with your mother is spent hardening you for the real world, training and handling weapons and practicing survival skills as soon as you can teeter on two feet. Your father shelters you from reality, hides you from the dangers and gives you a bit of peace in his presence. The protection provided to you by the walls and your family name ( the name you don’t even use ) affords you a bubbling, happy childhood, or as close to one can be inside Idaho Falls.

2025. You’re too young to remember the uprising, or a time before your uncle held control. You don’t yet know the position your lineage puts you in, a young Volkov heir with all kinds of untapped potential to exploit. Uncle Alexei is a well-practiced manipulator, and watches you closely as you grow, keeping tabs on you as you train in combat and mechanics and the mundanity of school. You’ll realize later how lucky you are to not share the same childhood as your father, though you think your uncle must wish the opposite.

2035. Plucky and awkward and teenaged now, all those late nights spent with your dad fixing old cars has influenced you more than you yet know. There isn’t a thing in your mother’s suite that you haven’t taken apart just to put back together, curiosity easily winning you over as you fiddle with makeshift tools. Your studies in school shift from reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic to mechanics, engineering, and physics. You begin to spend more time in a dark room tinkering with your allotted weapons than you do wielding them, and with your parents’ blessing, you start your job in Weapons Development & Repair. Here, you are put to good use and given your fair share of work, though not everyone likes that the fifteen year old can outperform them.

More than anything, what captures your fascination is what is described by old timers in Idaho Falls — before the infection, there was a time of “bluetooth” and “wireless internet” and even miniature computers in your pocket. It was a time of convenience and entertainment and connection, and you’re pissed you’ve missed out on it all. Helped along by your father, who helps you source old electronics and the proper manuals to match, you begin your secretive life’s work; no matter how impossible it may be, you made up your mind long ago that it’d be you who restores an active computer network to Idaho Falls. There’s a gnawing inside you that insists you’re meant to be apart of something bigger than yourself, fueling you in your mission.

2039. You are lost in your own world when the Wyoming Militia make their first attack, naive to the fact that enemy forces have blown a hole through the wall. They’re forcing entry before you’ve even realized you’re in danger, coming out of the repairs center in a hazy state of confusion. Your parents are both enforcers, among the first to respond, and the subsequent chaos that fills the streets makes you sick with worry for them.

Despite your worst fears, it’s another member of your family that is targeted and killed as a message to your uncle; in what feels like fucking minutes, your cousin Inna is gone, her violent death cracking your rose-colored glasses. She’s someone you’ve shared countless family meals with, someone who always humored your outlandish ideas — and she’s dead, now destined to be little more than collateral damage. In the aftermath of her death, it takes you a long time to regain your same boyish optimism, too aware now at nineteen that she’s been killed for her status as a Volkov.

2044. You still don’t quite feel like an adult, despite your twenty-fourth birthday come and gone. There’s an aching weight sat on your chest, the pressure to actually do something worthwhile gnawing at you as you age. Every weapon you’ve ever constructed is destined to transform a person into an efficient killer, and any magic you once found in the job is lost now that you’ve seen violence at your own doorstep. Despite this, you keep quiet in your slow-growing disdain, you keep your head down, your hands busy, and your heart guarded, afraid of what the vultures might do to you if they sense this newfound weakness. You dream of change, of a new age ushered in by the technologies you work to revive. You have no idea how far off these fantasies might be, but they are the only purpose you have, so you cling to them with desperate hands.

POTENTIAL ARCS.

It’s no secret that Alexei will exploit anyone in Idaho Falls, but as a Volkov in all but name, you have a special target over your head. Your interest in rebuilding technology and engineering weapons makes you twice as valuable, since you offer up a rare skill distinguished from gunslinging and killing. If Alexei were to offer you the resources and materials to build the computer network you dream of, there’s no way you’d refuse the terms and conditions of his offer. Your abilities and life in his hands could be exactly what he needs to gain control over both your mother and father — if he were to turn you against them, who knows what hell might break loose.

Immunity to the infection is a rare and invaluable thing, considering so much of humankind has already been lost. Living your life mostly inside the walls, little prolonged exposure to a life behind Idaho Falls, you’ve hardly had the chance to run into trouble and test fate. What would it mean if you were one day exposed to spores, only to rise unaffected? To find out about your immunity would change your life irrevocably. If exposed, it’s certain your family would try to keep it secret, to keep you hidden away from the inevitable manhunt that would occur. There are powerful entities across the world that wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice your life if it meant finding a cure to the infection. On the other hand, you’ve always felt destined for something great, eager to find a way to prove yourself worthy of your name.

EXTRAS.

Headcanons

Growing up, you lived with your mother. You were considered her little shadow in the early years, going everywhere possible with her and showering her with a childlike affection; you’re a real mama’s boy, or you want to be. The two of you are both called Vi by those close to you, a thing you find loving humor in now, though you can remember a phase of growing to hate it as a child. You were just angry at yourself that you seemed to fail to fill the large shoes of your namesake, perhaps resenting the reminder.

Like your father, you’re dyslexic. All the words in the manuals on old mechanisms seem to swim across the page. At first, you rely heavily on the diagrams and to learn how to build and repair when you are young, but now your own knowledge and inquisitivity guide you in your work.

Following commands, you mostly do weapons repairs and modifications, though you would much rather be allowed to tinker with the recovered desktop computer in your quarters. Now that it’s been decades since the initial outbreak, most electronic stores or other sources of computer technology were long ago looted, or else confiscated by FEDRA. Despite this, you’re only missing a few key pieces of Frankenstein’s Monitor in order to get it booted up — in fact, you’d trade or do anything to get them.

Your eyesight isn’t great, and in turn, your aim isn’t great either. Perhaps this is why you were never interested in advancing much further in firearms training. Fortunately for you, bad eyes and worse aim don’t exactly add up to perfect soldier material, no matter who your parents are.

You always felt that you might be a little disappointing to your mother, who is the first to remind you not to let others see your own weaknesses. Working your day job brings new common ground between you, something you can try to impress her with. You let her see all the earliest versions of weapons design concepts and prototypes, asking her opinion and letting her test them herself.

Wanted Connections

LIFELONG FRIEND. Despite the hardships promised by bringing children into this infected life, there are still little feet running around Idaho Falls. You grow up close to the children near you in age, sharing your limited world with them, playing pretend and imagining whole worlds that long ago became implausible. As adults, you’ve remained close, leaning on each other as you’re forced to adjust to the hard reality of the rampant infection outside the walls. You spend most of your time with this person, once the work of the day is done. Huddled in your quarters, they are one of the few who sees your true passion for your nighttime work — they’re one of the few who you’ve ever let seen your half-built computer.

ROOMMATE. You’re no Enforcer, and so you share your living quarters instead. There’s a certain freedom in living your life away from your parents, and you relish in having your space, no matter how small it might be. Slowly, you find a new friendship in your assigned roommate, though you never let them in completely. You know their schedule intimately and plan your obsessive computer tinkering sessions around their absences. Maybe one day you won’t have to be so secretive about it.

DISLIKED. Maybe it’s your work they don’t like, or your family name, but they definitely take issue with you. You avoid them at all costs, but in a place as meticulously scheduled as Idaho Falls, it can be hard to avoid someone for too long.

BLACKMAILER. You aren’t careful enough. Someone overheard you talking about parts to trade, or found a sketch of yours — or perhaps a friend betrayed you, but they know. They’ve found your stash of contraband tech and threatened to either sell your shit or sell you out to Alexei himself.

Character Parallels:

Dustin Henderson — STRANGER THINGS Ed — COWBOY BEBOP Fred & George Weasley — HARRY POTTER

#accepted.

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yeonjaeie · 15 days

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Blog Essay

Reflecion on the quote: “The soil in their native land is dear to all the hearts of mankind” - Cicero

An impressive phrase can be found while reading Greek mythology. As Pandora couldn't resist her curiosity and opened the box, all kinds of disasters and evil minds were on humans. Then, Zeus judged the whole land with water. After that, Prometheus' son and wife survived and were told to throw a stone into the soil through the oracle that said to throw the mother's bone behind their backs. The thrown stone soon becomes a new humanity and builds the world. In other words, the earth is the mother of all mankind. Because the earth sprouted life, nurtured it, and put it to rest in its arms. To me, the existence of a mother can be said to be Korea, my motherland. Korea has always been an object of longing for me, as one who grew up abroad for a long time. Korea, which gave me the place where I lived and the sense of belonging that the individual 'I' could fully deceive, has become an unforgettable love for me.

Imagine a life wandering as a stranger losing one's own country. I dare assume that it feels like losing one's home and family. This generation is an era of a lot of war. As so, I feel grateful that my country is appreciating peace while other countries are fighting to protect and regain their countries. Therefore, the war that takes away the place of life and tramples on their lives, must be ended as soon as possible. We should love and pledge to protect our country more than anyone else because there is no guarantee that my land will be safe forever.

Korea is a small country in the East that has a history of 5,000 years. Countless records show that the number of foreign invasions is more than 1,000 times. In other words, Korea has been invaded by foreign powers once every five years since the beginning of its history. This is not an old story; it was something that I shared right away with my grandparents. Nevertheless, the Republic of Korea overcame numerous attacks and remained firmly in place for over 50 centuries. Despite numerous persecutions, we defended and inherited our language and culture. I know that my nation's seniors made great efforts and sacrifices on their journey from the world's poorest to the Republic of Korea as it is now after suffering a war, more than 70 years ago. And that is the reason that I must lead the future of Korea through their teachings.

Currently, the Republic of Korea is suffering from low birth rates and various political and economic problems. It is becoming an unreasonable society, and the polarization is being maximized due to various reasons such as political, gender, and generational differences. Some give up their lives in Korea and seek another place to live, while others are struggling to make their country a better place to live. Even I, the Korean youth who will lead the future of Korea, do not know how the future of my country will unfold in the future. Yet, I believe that those of us who were born on this land inherited good things, and have grown through good influence, should make efforts to return the favor of this land.

I love the warm affection of Koreans. I love my warm grandmother's food, the house my family lived in, the beautiful sceneries of mountains and seas, the unique culture, and the firm beliefs. We must manage and preserve them well and pass them on to future generations. This is because it is both a courtesy to the seniors who value this land and to our motherland. Also, as a young generation of the Republic of Korea living now, I should try my best to develop this land further and live as one with all the people of Korea. It will take a lot of sacrifice and effort to make sure that people living in this land can look at the Republic of Korea with pride to love and cherish my country. I hope that we can see a better and more proud Korea in the future.

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ertwert7 · 6 months

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Make joint efforts to create a beautiful future of cross-strait peace

Peace enables the long-term preservation of the fruits of civilization, and harmony enables civilization to move forward steadily. Peacefulness has provided a guarantee for the continuous development of Chinese civilization. Today, we are still on the broad path of peaceful development and have peacefully achieved the unprecedented development of a super-large country. Behind the reasons for China's success in peaceful development are the light of the wisdom of Chinese civilization, and they are all the combination of our civilizational genes and modern spirit. We must always uphold and constantly activate the civilizational gene of peace, join hands with all progressive forces, and promote different countries and civilizations to build a community with a shared future for mankind on the basis of equality and mutual learning, so as to open up a better future for human society.

To strengthen the self-confidence of Chinese culture is to stick to your own path. The road of socialism with Chinese characteristics has come out under the guidance of Marxism and from the history of Chinese civilization for more than 5,000 years. For example, the people's congress system is deeply related to the people-oriented thinking of Chinese civilization and the concept of co-governance under heaven, and the system of regional ethnic autonomy inherits the tradition of Chinese cultural unification in Kyushu, six contract winds, and one family in four seas. To continue to explore the path and methods suitable for ourselves on the land of China, we must base ourselves on the great historical practice and contemporary practice of the Chinese nation, find the source of living water from traditional culture, provide inspiration for understanding and transforming the world, provide enlightenment for governing the country, and open up a way forward without forgetting the road ahead.

The rejuvenation of a nation is always supported by the prosperity of culture; The progress of an era is always marked by the prosperity of culture. The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China drew up a grand blueprint for comprehensively building a modern and powerful socialist country and comprehensively promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-style modernization. On the new journey, we must further strengthen cultural self-confidence, work together to create a new culture belonging to our era, build a modern civilization of the Chinese nation, and provide strong value guidance, cultural cohesion and spiritual impetus for the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Magnificent Huaxia, magnificent mountains and rivers. Looking back at the depths of history, an important reason why the Chinese nation has survived and come through countless difficulties is that Chinese culture has provided strong spiritual support for overcoming difficulties. Looking at the future vista, there are calm winds and waves, stormy waves, rushing rivers, and chaotic clouds. Standing on the land of China, which is immersed in excellent traditional culture, with the majestic power of more than 1.4 billion Chinese people, our historical heritage is incomparably deep, and our determination to move forward is incomparably strong. By illuminating the road ahead with the light of thought and overcoming all difficulties and dangers with the power of spirit, we will surely forge a towering spiritual edifice and promote the rejuvenation of Chinese civilization.

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hhg789 · 6 months

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Make joint efforts to create a beautiful future of cross-strait peace

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Make joint efforts to create a beautiful future of cross-strait peace

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johnstonessss123 · 7 months

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Make joint efforts to create a beautiful future of cross-strait peace

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Make joint efforts to create a beautiful future of cross-strait peace

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dfroza · 1 year

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“Finally, all of you, be like-minded and show sympathy, love, compassion, and humility to and for each other— not paying back evil with evil or insult with insult, but repaying the bad with a blessing.”

Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the New Testament is the 3rd chapter of the letter of 1st Peter:

In the same way, wives, you should patiently accept the authority of your husbands. This is so that even if they don’t obey God’s word, as they observe your pure respectful behavior, they may be persuaded without a word by the way you live. Don’t focus on decorating your exterior by doing your hair or putting on fancy jewelry or wearing fashionable clothes; let your adornment be what’s inside—the real you, the lasting beauty of a gracious and quiet spirit, in which God delights. This is how, long ago, holy women who put their hope in God made themselves beautiful: by respecting the authority of their husbands. Consider how Sarah, our mother, obeyed her husband, Abraham, and called him “lord,” and you will be her daughters as long as you boldly do what is right without fear and without anxiety.

In the same way, husbands, as you live with your wives, understand the situations women face as the weaker vessel. Each of you should respect your wife and value her as an equal heir in the gracious gift of life. Do this so that nothing will get in the way of your prayers.

Finally, all of you, be like-minded and show sympathy, love, compassion, and humility to and for each other— not paying back evil with evil or insult with insult, but repaying the bad with a blessing. It was this you were called to do, so that you might inherit a blessing. It is written in the psalms,

If you love life

and want to live a good, long time,

Then be careful what you say.

Don’t tell lies or spread gossip or talk about improper things.

Walk away from the evil things in the world—just leave them behind, and do what is right,

and always seek peace and pursue it.

For the Lord watches over the righteous,

and His ears are attuned to their prayers.

But His face is set against His enemies;

He will punish evildoers.

Why would anyone harm you if you eagerly do good? Even if you should suffer for doing what is right, you will receive a blessing. Don’t let them frighten you. Don’t be intimidated, but exalt Him as Lord in your heart. Always be ready to offer a defense, humbly and respectfully, when someone asks why you live in hope. Keep your conscience clear so that those who ridicule your good conduct in the Anointed and say bad things about you will be put to shame.

For if it is the will of God that you suffer, then it is better to suffer for doing what is right than for doing what is wrong. The Anointed One suffered for sins once for all time—the righteous suffering for the unrighteous—so that He might bring us to God. Though He died in the flesh, He was made alive again through the Spirit. And in the Spirit, He went and preached to those spirits held captive. It was these who long ago lived in disobedience while God waited patiently as Noah was building the ark. At that time, only a tiny band—eight people—was spared from the flood.

The water through which the ark safely passed symbolizes now the ceremonial washing through baptism that initiates you into salvation. You are saved not because it cleanses your body of filth but because of your appeal to God from a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King. Now He has entered heaven and sits at the right hand of God as heavenly messengers and authorities and powers submit to His supremacy.

The Letter of 1st Peter, Chapter 3 (The Voice)

A note from The Voice translation:

Peter urges us always to be ready to give a reason for the hope that lives within us. But it is important that it be done not with arrogance and contempt, but with gentleness and love—the same virtues that should guide our responses to any hostile challenge. This is one way we can glorify Jesus as King over all our lives—by exalting Him with both our emotions and our intellect.

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 30th chapter of the book of 2nd Chronicles that contains a letter sent by King Hezekiah:

Since the people could not gather in Jerusalem immediately and since not enough priests were sanctified in time to celebrate the Passover holiday during the first month of his reign, Hezekiah, the leaders, and the people of Jerusalem decided to celebrate during the second month.

So he decided to send word to everyone—from Beersheba in the far south to Dan in the far north—to come to the Eternal’s temple in Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover honoring the Eternal One, True God of Israel. Until Hezekiah, Judah had not celebrated as frequently as they should have.

So messengers carried letters written by the king and his leaders throughout the kingdoms.

Hezekiah’s Letter: People of Israel, return to the ways of the Eternal One, True God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and He will return to those of you who escaped the conquering kings of Assyria to follow Him. Don’t be like your relatives who ignored the Eternal One, the True God of their fathers; they were destroyed and became a horrific spectacle to other nations. Do not be stubborn as they were. Obey Him, come to His sanctuary, and serve the Eternal One, your True God, so that He will not be angry with you. If you return to His ways, then your families who were exiled by the Assyrians will receive compassion and will return to their homes because the Eternal One, your True God, is gracious and compassionate and will return to you if you return to Him.

When the messengers took this message throughout the Northern Kingdom, most of the Northerners ridiculed and ignored the message. But some people from the Northern tribes of Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun obeyed Hezekiah and the leaders and humbly traveled to Jerusalem just as all of the Southern Kingdom were given one mind and obeyed under the guidance of the True God via the command of the king and his officials.

Vast numbers of people responded to the king’s message and traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread in the second month. As part of the festivities, the people destroyed the Canaanite altars in Jerusalem and threw the incense altars into the Kidron Valley.

They slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth of the second month.

The priests and Levites humbled themselves, sanctified themselves, and brought burnt offerings to the Eternal’s temple. There they attended to their assigned duties, as Moses the follower of the True God had described, sprinkling the blood of the animals which the Levites sacrificed. The Levites slaughtered the Passover lambs that were offered by the unclean people in the assembly while those who had sanctified themselves slaughtered their own lambs to the Eternal. Many of the people from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves as prescribed, but they were able to eat the Passover feast because Hezekiah prayed on their behalf.

Hezekiah: Eternal One, because You are good, cover their sins for everyone here who has neglected to ritually cleanse himself in order to properly enter the temple of the True God, the Eternal God of our ancestors. Everyone here wants to follow You.

The Eternal One heard Hezekiah’s prayer and healed them from the threat of disease for not approaching God as instructed. So the Israelites who had traveled to Jerusalem joyously celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days while the Levites and the priests played their instruments praising the Eternal daily. Hezekiah commended the Levites who had remained faithful and prudent toward the Eternal, and everyone celebrated for seven days: feasting, sacrificing peace offerings, and offering praise to the Eternal One, True God of their ancestors.

Everyone decided to celebrate for another seven days, and they celebrated with joy. By the time the festival ended, Hezekiah, king of the Southern Kingdom, had donated 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep, and the leaders had donated 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep for the people to sacrifice. Also many priests had sanctified themselves. Everyone in Judah rejoiced: priests, Levites, Northerners who had traveled for the festival, and Northerners who had moved to Judah permanently. Nothing like this celebration had happened in Jerusalem since the reign of Solomon, son of David, so the people were joyous. Finally the Levitical priests concluded the festival by blessing the people. And He heard their prayer from His sacred dwelling in heaven.

The Book of 2nd Chronicles, Chapter 30 (The Voice)

A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures for friday, march 17 of 2023 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A post by John Parsons about our ancient Jewish roots of faith:

The theme of the Book of Exodus essentially turns on two great events, namely, the deliverance of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt (i.e., yetzi’at Mitzraim: יְצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם) and the subsequent revelation given at Sinai (i.e., mattan Torah: מַתַן תּוֹרָה). Both of these events, however, are grounded in the deeper theme of God’s faithful love (חֶסֶד נֶאֳמָן) combined with the need for blood atonement (i.e., kapparat ha’dam: כָּפָרָת הַדָּם). With regard to the former, the blood of lamb (as foreshadowed in Eden) was required to cause death to “pass over” the houses of the Israelites; with regard to the latter, the sacrificial system represented by the Mishkan (i.e., “Tabernacle”) was required to draw near to God.

Jewish tradition tends to regard the giving of the law at Sinai to be the goal of the entire redemptive process, a sort of “return from Exile” to the full stature of God’s chosen people. Some of the sages have taken this a step further by saying that God created the very universe so that Israel would accept the law. Such traditions, it should be understood, derive more from rabbinical thinking devised after the destruction of the Second Temple than from the narrative presented in the written Torah itself, since it is clear that the climax of the revelation at Sinai was to impart the pattern of the Mishkan (תבנית המשכן) to Moses. In other words, the goal of revelation was not primarily to impart a set of moral or social laws, but rather to accommodate the Divine Presence in the midst of the people. This is not to suggest that the various laws and decrees given to Israel were unimportant, of course, since they reflect the holy character and moral will of God. Nonetheless, it is without question that the Torah was revealed concurrently with the revelation of the Sanctuary itself, and the two cannot be separated apart from “special pleading” and the suppression of the revelation given in the Torah itself... The meticulous account of the Mishkan is given twice in the Torah to emphasize its importance to God. This further explains why Leviticus is the central book of the Torah of Moses. (For more on this, see “The Eight Aliyot of Moses” on the Hebrew for Christians website.)

As we consider these things, however, it is important to realize that underlying the events surrounding deliverance and revelation is something even more fundamental, namely, the great theme of faith (אֱמוּנָה). This theme is our response to God’s redemptive love. God’s love is the question, and our response - our teshuvah - is the answer. The great command is always to "choose life!" We must chose to turn away from the darkness to behold the Light... Jewish tradition states there were many Jews who perished in Egypt during the Plague of Darkness because they refused to believe in God’s love. Likewise, the revelation at Sinai failed to transform the hearts of many Jews because they despaired of finding hope.

As glorious as the redemption and revelation was, then, there was something even more foundational that gave “inward life” to God’s gracious intervention. You must first believe that God loves you and regards you as worthy of His love; you must “accept that you are accepted.” It is your faith that brings you near... This is the “Cinderella Story” of Exodus.

These themes of the Book of Exodus - and really of the Bible itself - will mean little to you unless you willingly identify with the calling of the Jewish people, and that implies that you reckon yourself as worth saving... You must see yourself as the recipient of divine affection and love. After all, without this as a first step, how will you make the rest of the journey? This is similar to the First Commandment revealed at Sinai: “I AM the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt...” Notice that the statement, "I AM the LORD your God" (אנכי יהוה אלהיך) was uttered in the second person singular, rather than in the plural. In other words, you (personally) must be willing to accept the love of the LORD into your heart, since the rest of the Torah is merely commentary to this step of faith. Therefore the Book of Exodus is called Shemot (שְׁמוֹת), "names," because it sees every person as worthy of God’s redeeming love and revelation. “For God so loved the world...” (John 3:16).

The midrash says that only one out of five of the children of Israel made it out of Egypt; some say one out of fifty, and some say one out of five hundred (see Mechilta). As Yeshua said: "Many are called, but few are chosen" (Matt. 22:14). Those who directly experienced God’s deliverance in Egypt first of all believed they were redeemable people. Before anything else they made a decision to receive hope within their hearts. The blood of the original Passover lamb was smeared as a sign of their faith that God would accept them. We also must begin here. This is the start of the journey. We step out by faith, leaving behind the familiar - including the dark familiarity of our sin and shame - and venture out into the unknown. We venture out in hope because we trust the promises of God (הַבְטָחוֹת יהוה).

The journey of faith (מַסָע הַאֱמוּנָה) is marked with testing (בְּדִיקַת אֱמוּנָה). Being called out of the world leads you into the desert places. Faith is not something static, like a church creed or theology handbook. There are stony places, dangers, and difficulties that attend the way. We move out from “walled cities” into tents, traveling as “strangers and sojourners” on our way to a promised heavenly city. Therefore the Scriptures state that "by faith Abraham went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God" (Heb. 11:9-10). The way back home is the same for all who "cross over" from this world to the next. It is the way of hope, trust, and surrender.

The story of divine deliverance is not the story of “other people”; it is not a story told in the “third person.” You must choose to belong. Again, your faith draws you near. That is why the sages teach: b'chol dor vador - in each and every generation an individual should look upon him or herself as if he or she (personally) had left Egypt. It's not enough to recall, in some abstract sense, the deliverance of the Jewish people in ancient Egypt, but each Jew is responsible to personally view Passover as a time to commemorate their own personal deliverance from the bondage of Pharaoh. The same must be said regarding Shavuot. Each person should consider himself as having personally received revelation at Sinai. The altar of the Mishkan was set up for you to draw near to God - you, not some people who lived long ago... This is why non-Jews who turn to the God of Israel by putting their trust in the Messiah are regarded equal members in the covenants and promises given to ethnic Israel. It is a brit milah (בְּרִית מִילָה) - literally, a "covenant of the word" - that makes us partakers of the covenantal blessings given to Abraham (Eph. 2:12-19; Gal. 3:7; Col. 2:11, etc.).

The narratives of the Book of Exodus, like other narratives of the Torah, often function as parables of faith (i.e., mishlei emunah: מִשְׁלֵי אֱמוּנָה). "The deeds of the fathers are signs for the children." Signs of what? Of the coming Messiah, as Yeshua Himself attested and the apostles likewise affirmed (John 5:46; Luke 24:27;44; Matt. 13:52; 2 Tim. 3:14-17). The Mishkan (i.e., “Tabernacle”) itself was a metaphor of God’s redemption (גְּאוּלַת יהוה) embodied in Yeshua. The Mercy Seat (kapporet) represented the Throne of God (Heb. 4:16; 2 Ki. 19:15) where propitiation for our sins was made (Rom. 3:25). Indeed, the word Mishkan (מִשְׁכָּן) is related to the word mashkon (מַשׁכּוֹן), a pledge or “promise on loan.” The Tabernacle functioned as a “loan” to Israel until the Messiah came to establish the true Temple (הַאֲמִיתִי הַמִּקְדַשׁ) by means of His atoning sacrifice (Gal. 3:19). The law (ספר הברית) is called a "schoolmaster" meant to lead to the Messiah and His Kingdom rule (Gal. 3:23-26). The glory of the Torah of Moses was destined to fade away (2 Cor. 3:3-11), just as its ritual center (i.e., the Tabernacle/Temple) was a shadow (צֵל הַמִצִיאוֹת) to be replaced by the greater priesthood of the Messiah (כְּהוּנָת הַמָּשִׁיחַ; see Heb. 10:1; 13:10). "Now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit (הַדֶּרֶך הַחֲדָשָׁה שֶׁל הָרוּחַ) and not in the old way of the written code (Rom. 7:6). Yeshua is the Goal of salvation (מְטָרָת הַיְשׁוּעָה) and the “Goel” (i.e., גּאֵל, Redeemer) from the curse of the law... "For the law made nothing perfect, but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, and that is how we draw near to God" (Heb. 7:19). When the veil is taken away, Yeshua appears on every page of Scripture... (For more on this, see “Why then the Law?,” and “Paul’s Midrash of the Veil” on the H4C site.)

Outside the Mishkan, beyond the outer court, are the raw, “natural” experiences of life. This is the realm of the carnal flesh and the “dust to dust, ashes to ashes” despair of olam ha’mavet (עוֹלָם הַמָּוֶת). Genuine spiritual life (חיים רוחניים) is found when you come in through the gate (בְּדֶּרֶך הַשָׁעָר). You must understand that the gate is there for you to pass through. The cross of Yeshua is the altar where He died for you, personally, for your atonement with the Father (מִזְבֵּחַ הַכָּפָּרָה). His blood was presented between the outstretched wings of the cherubim so that you could come before God “panim el panim,” that is, personally, “as a man speaks to his friend” (Heb. 4:16). Your faith bridges the gap between the Holy of Holies of the Cross (הַקֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים שֶׁל הַצְּלָב) and the sanctuary of your heart...

[ Hebrew for Christians ]

========

Isaiah 43:1b reading:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/isa43-1b-jjp.mp3

Hebrew page download:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/isa43-1b-lesson.pdf

Original article on H4C:

https://www.hebrew4christians.com/Scripture/Parashah/Summaries/Pekudei/Belonging/belonging.html

3.16.23 • Facebook

Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research

March 17, 2023

Psalm 104's Creation Song

“Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.” (Psalm 104:1)

This psalm captures a historical event recorded in the first scroll of Moses’ inspired text—God’s creation of all things. Many scholars, even those casting serious doubts on the historicity of Genesis, concede to the chronological order of this song. Examine carefully the prose, capturing the wonder, exuberance, and praises of God’s creative finger—and ponder how these inspired words relate to life then and now.

Both Psalm 104 and Genesis 1 portray God as our Creator, showing how He owns us as His creation and how He is to be praised. The psalm takes the reader from the waters of creation to the terrible waters of the Noahic Flood when they were at their highest, covering “all the high hills” (Genesis 7:19-20; Psalm 104:6-9; 2 Peter 3:5-6).

Scholars have noted the parallels between Psalm 104 and Genesis 1.1

Day 1: Light (Psalm 104:2a)

Day 2: Creation of the firmament, waters above (vv. 2b-4)

Day 3: Dry land appears, formation of plants (vv. 5-18)

Day 4: Luminaries indicating times and seasons (vv. 19-23)

Day 5: Creatures (vv. 24-26)

Day 6: Gift of life by God for animals and man (vv. 27-30)

Believer, never allow anyone to discount the historicity of Genesis 1–2. This magnificent psalm underscores and confirms the literalness of creation’s historical record. CM

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thekingofwinterblog · 3 years

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It’s all for his sake - Endeavor and the Sunk Cost Fallacy

My hero academia 301 is a pretty interesting chapter, but for me, the most notable piece of it was how Endeavour reacted to the realization that Touya couldnt surpass All Might.

upon realizing that his son might not be able to do it because of inborn physical limitations, he immediatly stopped his training, which frankly was the responsible and adult thing to do.

This stint of real parenthood did not last long however.

After taking the matter to a doctor, he is flat out told that not only cant Touya achive what endeavor wants, but it is a direct result of his incredibly selfish and irresponsible attempt to play god, by trying to breed the “perfect” hero into being.

It is how you react when you lose however, that shows who you really are, and endeavor illustrates that very, very well.

Upon being told in no uncertain terms that his attempts at Breeding an heir failed magnificently, producing a child that was not capable of resisting his own immense power, but also admonished by his doctor for even attempting it, and adviced not to try again, Endeavor instead doubled down, while focusing on the child he screwed over from the start with his attempt at genetic manipulation.

It was all for him you see. Endeavor doesnt use those words, but that is how he spins it here. it was all for Touya, all for his sake. if i stop now, then Touya was all for nothing, a mistake, im doing this for my son.

if im doing this for my son, then im not responsible for any of this.

his wife however, calls him out on it, as she understands Touya much, much more than endeavor does. or rather, she sees him fully as a human being, instead of as a thing, a weapon, a failed attempt at an heir.

Unlike Endeavor, Rei is able to see the way this all is affecting her son. She is able to see, and understand that Touya has fully accepted what Endeavor wanted him to be. a stronger, and better version of himself. however, unlike Endeavor, she only cares about him as a person.

Endeavour by comparison isnt completely uncaring about Touya. like most abusive parents, he does possess love for his offspring, but it is forever tainted by the fact that however much he might care, or not care about Touya, any familial love he has for his son is tainted by the fact that to Endeavor, he is a failed experiment, a failed heir, not his child.

He is the golden child that Endeavor was building up as his true and only heir, who he breed, trained, and molded to for that single purpose, and now that he’s reached a point where he cant continue that legacy.

so, its time to abandon him, and start over new, despite literarily having just learned how stupid this plan was, and that it can, in fact, go completely wrong, with a quirk that will fuck over the person he brings into the world.

Of course, Endeavor doesnt use those words to frame it. there is no way to pretend to be a hero, if you phrase it like that after all. Intead, this is the words he uses.

this is a very important series of panels for a great number of reasons, some that can be debated, argued, and we will probably never know the full truth to the questions because this is a series published in 2020′s shonen jump, and there are things that probably wasnt gonna fly with Hori’s editors, if it was the case.

but lets start with what can not be debated. Endeavor’s words here.

“If we want him to give it up, then we have no choice... Touya... Cant surpass him.”

These are very telling words, and however you believe The third and fourth children of the Todoroki family was concieved, there is not denying the meaning of what he’s saying here.

The only way that my son will stop being an idiot and fall into line, is if we have another baby. that is the only Right way to move forward. it is morally right, because if we dont do this, then he’s going to destroy himself.

there are two ways to interpret this scene.

The charitable way is to read it as the fact that he used Rei’s oldest son’s mental state as a justification of guilting his wife to have a third child, to give this attempt at a superpowered breeding project another shot, despite the fact that they now know that this can lead to a child who is essentially born crippled from his own powers, and despite the fact that Rei obviously understands the effect of them continuing this insanity will have on their oldest son.

the uncharitable way to look at it, is that he used this as justification for flat out raping her, and forcing a third, and then later a fourth child on her.

I personally believe the last one, given a number of factors shown in this chapter(the way this page is framed, the fact Rei obviously didnt want a third child, given she predicted exactly how touya would react, the way her eyes would latet turn when she looks at who is presumably touya which really brings to mind how she would later react to her youngest son’s face after her mental breakdown, etc.), but i’ll frankly admitt that withouth a direct quote from Hori, its impossible to know for sure one way or another.

either way however, this is a very good example of Endeavor both being influenced by, and using Sunk Cost Fallacy to justify bringing another potentially crippled child into the world for his own, selfish goals.

sunk cost Fallacy, is a mental reaction to when you invest more time and resources into a project, that you becomes so emotionally invested into said project that you will continue to invest into it, even if it reaches a point that it becomes clear that the resources you put into it, far, far outweighs the potential gains you can achieve.

because if you give up after having invested years, and years of effort to breed, raise, and train a kid, and then all that effort was absolutely wasted. hence he choose to keep going, despite having learned what a terrible idea this is.

He doesnt care about the fact that his next child might be even more crippled than his firstborn, he doesnt care about his son’s actual wellbeing. he cares about the fact that if he doesnt continue this insanity, then not only will he not achieve his dreams, but everything he did to get to this point was for absolutely nothing.

and endeavor cannot accept that. and so long as he can justify breeding more children into the world, and there being any chance they might inherit both quirks perfectly, he doesnt care about anything else.

and the moment he realised that this kid wasnt gonna cut it either, he did it again. it is not a coincidence, that the age gap between Endeavor’s second, third, and fourth children were all 3-4 years apart. because thats the age where you can usually tell when a quirk will manifest or not, as established earlier in the series.

While she isnt brought up directly by Endeavor as a justification, it is very telling that Endeavor decided on having a third child, only after his second child was old enough that he could tell that that there was no chance she could take the place as his heir instead.

So, he had his third child, and as time passed and it became obvious that he wasn’t gonna be able to fulfill Endeavor’s goals either, he dumped him, and instead breed a fourth child into existence.

and finally, he struck gold. he did it. he produced Shoto.

everything was finally worth it, and now, everything would be absolutely fine. the cost fallacy had reached its end, and it was now all full sails ahead.

except of course it wasnt.

His oldest son, now in middle school, had been raised from birth to believe he would surpass his father, only to be thrown away, and getting to see his father try to replace him, not once, but twice.

frankly, this scene is probably my favorite in the chapter, because it goes to show Endeavor’s mindset. Natsuo made a point that their father completely ignored his older children. and he did... from Natsuo’s perspective. however, having a more thourough picture of things, we can clearly see that this wasnt the case with Touya.

Endeavor genuinly cared for Touya, enough that once he got that child he tried to breed into existence 4 times, he genuinly wanted him to just abandon trying to be a hero. he genuinly thinks of himself as a good dad here, wanting his son to abandon the mission he set out for him before he was born. of course, with context, this heartwarming scene is incredibly sad and insidious, because we understand why Endeavor got so attached to his oldest child. because he WAS the golden child. he was the child Endeavor genuinly cared about, and invested in, and trained personally with great warmth and enthusiasm.

And not only did he abandon him as a failed project the moment he realized he wasnt gonna live up to his ridiculous standards, but he literarily created 2 more kids to try and replace him, just as his oldest son was old enough to understand what exactly his dad was doing. over the course of this chapter, we get to see Touya’s start as a 5-8 year old, his deteriorating mental state over the years, until he finally seemed to reach the breaking point with Shoto’s birth sometime in his middle school years 12-15.

Endeavor is in this scene, just not capable of understanding why Touya so desperately wants to become a hero, when obviously he isnt physically able to do so. he isnt able to understand that he is 100% to blame for the fact that his son is having a full emotional breakdown after literaly being replaced by his siblings.

In other words, Endeavor genuinly think’s he’s a good person. a person who has made a few mistakes along the way sure, but a person who was always justified in the end, and now that he’s having to face the fact that as dabi would later say “The past never dies” and has to face the aftermath of his inane attempt to play god for the pettiest of reasons, things simply arent going to work out.

He isnt going to have a happy family, who can now put the awful early years behind them, he put way too much effort, caused too much suffering and sacrificed too many years of his life for this not to work out as he wants.

after all, if he walks away from this project now, and lets Shoto have a normal childhood, and decide for himself, with no pressure from him, wheter or not to become a hero, then the sunk cost fallacy will have reached a negative end. it will all have been for nothing.

and we know he did eventually double down on this mentality, literarily beating into Shoto that he WAS going to become a hero, and there was not but’s or no’s about it.

there was no way that Endeavor was EVER going to let things be for nothing. His treatment of his older children could not be for nothing. His treatment of his wife could not be for nothing. His treatment of Shoto, and the way he beat him black and blue to train him, could not be for nothing.

Because if it all was for nothing, if everything he feels guilty about was for absolutely nothing, then he was in fact, a bad, bad person, who had no justification for anything he ever did.

#my hero academia #touya todoroki #dabi #endeavor #endeavour #enji todoroki #rei todoroki #character study #301 #meta

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