#-daily but not literally being in the same house and same boat for the rest of their lives. bc if stan was ok with ford asking for that-

[kanyniablue]

hws characters & belief in the supernatual

we’re not done yet w/ the headcanons

this is about interpreting the individual characters, not a statement on whether any real-life beliefs are true or not.

a.merica:  extremely superstitious but doesn’t believe he is.  every plane he’s ever flown, ship he’s ever sailed, and gun he’s ever carried has good luck charms.  his bomber jacket has lucky patches.  he wouldn’t let a rocket launch without first making sure the commander has lost a poker game.  and of course, no matter how secular he claims to be, he’s got religious--mostly protestant christian--imagery out the ass.  he’s got lucky rocks, lucky shoelaces, lucky underwear, lucky breakfast foods.  he particularly likes reverse-lucky things, saying black cats or the number 13 are actually good luck for him.  these are all “for fun”...except he would never go without them.  he half-believes in ghosts--moreso when he’s just watched a horror movie or it’s the middle of the night--but he’ll go on a ghost hunt at any time for any reason, just because it’s fun to believe (no i don’t believe he has a phobia of ghosts.  i think most of the things that cause him to feel real fear are too intense to be “fun,” so he likes horror movies and roller coasters and everything that can give him a thrill with no pressure).  he loves cryptids and gravity hills and the bermuda triangle, more for what they represent than what they actually are--finding bigfoot would just mean discovering a new species, which is great and all, but thinking bigfoot might be out there somewhere means you can go bigfoot-hunting or think you saw one in the background of a blurry photo.  his roommate is a literal space alien, but like, bro what if that was a ufo just now???

e.ngland:  he’s a sailor, of course he’s superstitious.  add into that how he can apparently see and talk to spirits, practices magic, and has sites like stonehenge across his land, he’s just going to outright tell you he’s not going to whistle on a boat and that he wants you to refer to macbeth as “the scottish play.”  he only gets upset about it, much like everything else he gets upset about, if you laugh at him.  the bigger question is, does he believe in the rest of the world’s superstitions or are they “silly legends and old wives’ tales” while his are real, and the answer i think is an “everyone else’s is fake until something happens right in front of me.”

f.rance:  he loves things like love locks on bridges (until they cause the fence to collapse) or visions from saints (esp jeanne d’arc), but he doesn’t necessarily believe they’re real.  more that it’s very romantic to think they’re real, and if something as strange as a Nation can exist, who’s to say other mystical things can’t exist too?

c.anada:  he has some old beliefs about where you don’t want to fuck around and find out--if you want a successful hunt you don’t insult the prey, if you don’t want to freeze to death you don’t talk back to general winter--but for the most part he doesn’t have that sort of belief system.  he’s a lot more about what’s directly in front of you and what it means in literal terms.

c.hina:  his grocery list always includes snacks for wandering spirits.  if he hears a strange noise in the house he talks to it like it’s a person, just in case it is.  he consults fortune tellers before buying a new cellphone.  his house is carefully organized for most harmonious energy flow right down to the color of paint on the walls.  yao lives by the rituals he’s made for himself, some of which are so ancient or personal to him that even the humans who study ancient chinese culture & mythology have never heard of them.  it’s not myth for him any more than tying your shoelaces to make sure you don’t trip is a myth--you do it because you know how these things work; you’d be foolish not to.

r.ussia:  he’d tell you no and furthermore any sort of supernatural belief is stupid, but don’t leave him alone in the middle of the woods where there might be...something.  this is mostly from after his revolution--in earlier days he’d have anything from good-luck hunting gear to lucky gambling dice.  he still has a lingering belief that talking about wolves makes them more likely to show up.  he couldn’t say why, except that it’s such an old fear even modernization couldn’t get rid of it.  he’d also never disrespect general winter, which is a theme with northern Nations.  (he’s also got his lucky rocket launch ritual, as mentioned in that ripley’s article i linked before...😒...)  much like alfred, he’s less scared/interested in a physical, literal being than he is in the concept--more afraid of being afraid than of dealing with an actual monster.

j.apan:  you’d be surprised; as someone who loves ritual and whose mythology is known the world over, kiku tends to disregard supernatural belief.  he’ll join in the activities surrounding holidays and ceremonies, but that’s more for the joy of participating than because he thinks it will actually change anything.  in his past he fully believed in all the things that caused those rituals to come into existence in the first place, but nowadays he considers them more “cute” or “fun” or “cultural” than “necessary.”  if one of the others comes over to his house looking for yōkai or something he’ll join in, but mostly in a mildly amused way.  not that he’d say that out loud, obviously; that’d just be impolite.  he is however sometimes outright rude to yao about his devotion to rituals, claiming he’s living in the past or holding up their business.  they’ve known each other long enough they don’t sugarcoat how they talk to each other.

north & south i.taly:  these two are super superstitious.  feli consults his horoscope for daily business and has good luck charms for everything from the weather to love to money to traffic.  he’s a gambler and a fisherman, he’s not taking chances.  lovi is a weird mix of catholicism-to-the-point-of-paganism and ancient roman rituals--not that he’s sacrificing animals to the gods, but it wouldn’t be unusual to see a miraculous medal and a roman god’s icon both hanging from his keychain.  they frequently swear by a broad selection of saints, they always eat lentils on new year’s, they’ve got a million idioms and hand gestures they themselves only half-remember the origins of.  they also get into arguments as to which of them is interpreting such-and-such sign or saint the ‘correct’ way.  feli also starts brushing off on kiku & ludwig when he hangs out with them; he’s just so into it they subconsciously start doing the same things he does.

g.ermany:  extremely no-nonsense, practical, matter-of-fact...except for how he’ll talk to his computer as if he can convince it to work better.  oh, and don’t take candy from strangers living in gingerbread houses or offering to take you to your grandmother’s house.  and much like alfred & ivan, he’s not scared of ghosts or monsters until he hears a bump in the night.

p.russia:  in his early years when he was devoutly religious, he was constantly praying, lighting candles, following his book of hours...usually after “smiting” a bunch of “heathens,” but like, it’s moral when he does it...but as time went on he became more interested in what could be scientifically proven.  even still early european science was a mix of magic, religious belief, and nature, and he basically did the same things as before except now he claimed it was all an experiment instead of all for the Glory Now And Forever Amen.  i firmly believe he lost his faith in any sort of religion by the end of WWI and nowadays he’d laugh off most of his past beliefs as ridiculous superstition.  since he ‘died’/got laid off from being a Nation he’s more interested on where the line between Nation and normal human exists, and where that goes past nature and into the supernatural--things he never really thought about when he could rely on his super-healing to keep himself alive and could feel his citizens’ emotions if they were strong enough.  those diaries he keeps have a lot of notes and observations along those lines nowadays.

#headcanon #hetalia #hws america #hws russia #hws england #hws china #hws france #hws canada #hws italy #hws japan #hws prussia #hws germany #hws romano

[inquartata30]

WIP Whenever (Sunday)

tagged by @natsora tagging @joufancyhuh  @jennserr  @1esk19  @forlornmelody  no obligations

This started out as a writing exercise where you’re supposed to rewrite an existing scene from a different character’s POV. However, Safira wanted to go further back than I’d planned—far enough where she could confront Indah, her father, over why she’d broken up their family two decades before. And then she wanted to continue forward from there, too. This and other scenes from it actually do fit within Tessera canon.

Indah would already know she was here. Eventually, she would come out to speak. But ‘eventually’ was difficult to measure, and Safira didn’t feel like staying in one place as she waited for it. So, she wandered into the cave with the skittering spiders, skirted the calm pool on the other side, and then shuffled her way through the keyhole passage.

White-capped waves slamming violently into the cliffs greeted her just outside the small cove. Safira cursed under her breath at the cloud bank looming over the darkening horizon. She should’ve checked the weather report before coming. A nasty storm was churning inland, and the bay could only protect so much before even it was overwhelmed. Yet, here she stood, out in the open. Sighing, she turned and headed back, following the same path she’d taken to the shore. 

Indah was waiting for her when she emerged from the cave. Safira retained pride in the fact that she hadn’t literally jumped when she’d caught sight of her father.

“I half-expected you to come inside. You have that look about you,” Indah said mildly.

“What look?”

“You’re a bow strung for a hunt. There is a wrong in the world that must be righted. There is a foe who must be confronted.”

Safira waited. This was how Indah spoke, at times. The pacing of a poem and there was at least one line left to go.

It never came. Indah fell silent.

In that silence, they walked to the sheltered stretch of beach at the back of the bay.

The wrongness of the silence chafed, but it wasn’t what could be righted and it wasn’t what Safira was here for. Since Indah was smart enough to know exactly why she was here, Safira went straight to it. “Was it something Sula did?”

“Your mother did nothing wrong.”

“Did you know Eirian thinks it’s her fault? Over a decade and she still believes it is.”

“She holds no blame.” Every answer measured, infuriatingly mild, not a single note of defensiveness or accusation. Yet, the equanimity that had been part of Indah for as long as Safira could remember wasn’t there, either.

Safira had plenty of upset and accusations for them both. She had to stop gritting her teeth to continue. “I didn’t say it was rational. But it’s hard for a forty-year-old child to grasp that it isn’t her fault that her father left. Left and then never returned, as if she wasn’t worthy enough to deserve her father’s presence in her life.”

“Of course she is.”

“Your actions say otherwise.”

Indah didn’t reply, her eyes focused on the mouth of the bay.

When it became obvious that Indah had no intention of answering, Safira moved to the next question. “Why haven’t my sisters and I been allowed to see Thaia?”

“Does it matter why? You found a way to circumvent it, after all.”

“Not just me. Meir went to one game, but refuses to attend more because she can’t guarantee she won’t lose her temper and try to find you. Eirian went with me for two before she missed you and her little sister too much to bear. Sula can’t go because you barred it though litigation. But I won’t miss a single game that I’m given the opportunity to see.”

“Why?”

“Because even though I may be a stranger to her, I won’t accept her being a stranger to me.”

The jab struck true. The flex of Indah’s jaw belied it. “Are you here to present me with my own guilt?”

Safira’s hands curled into fists to prevent herself from throwing them outward in exasperation. “I want you to help me understand.” 

“Understand what?” Indah was still looking at the mouth of the bay and the roiling ocean beyond.

“Why you’ve insisted on irrevocably breaking our family.” Safira’s temper rose from the pit of her stomach, but she shoved it back down. Yelling wouldn’t help. “Why you won’t allow Thaia to know that the rest of her family exists, much less spend time with us. Why you’ve never said a word to any of us since you left, even though you sent Meir and me daily messages when we were out on assignments. Our squadmates gave us shit every time, but we didn’t mind because we knew our dad loved us. Now, though? Now you bear so little resemblance to the father I knew that you’re a stranger. I want to know why. Help me understand.”

It was long minutes spent gazing at the sea before Indah said, “I have no explanation to give you.”

“Try. Please.”

“You misunderstand.” A rueful smile quirked at the inadvertent wordplay, but it vanished in the short time between waves crashing against the rocks. She finally faced Safira, the glow from the eezo granules in the sand bright enough to add a blueish tint to eyes the same hazel as Safira’s own. Except… there was a dullness to them that Safira had never seen before. Like the life behind them was merely a faint and fading echo of what it had once been. “No explanation exists. Neither for me, nor for you.”

Safira’s shock stole her breath, leaving her question scarcely audible. “You tore our family apart and you don’t even know why?”

For an instant, Safira believed there would be an answer. The initial lift of Indah’s chin. The pause indicating thought before speech.

That was it.

Another wave crashed ashore. Receded. Rivulets of water ran through the sand in its eager return to the sea. The wind picked up, the bite of the storm carried within it.

Then Indah was striding back to the house, back to Safira, broad shoulders slightly slouched. Not in Safira’s entire life had she witnessed Indah’s posture anything less than perfect while standing.

Still, she could scream as she watched her father walk away. Again. Wordless, whereas Indah’s mind had once shaped words like a sculptor’s hands did clay. She thought of that twelve-year-old child she had seen earlier today, her youngest sister, searching the stands of the small field used for the youth skyball league, searching for any sign of her mother. The crumpled face and downcast eyes that followed, when that same child accepted that her mother wasn’t there. She thought of Eirian twenty years ago, struggling through adolescence and the fresh wound of her father’s sudden, complete, voluntary absence. The sting of it a constant companion for months, years, as she tried and failed to accept that it wasn’t her fault. A similarly crumpled face and downcast eyes and neither of them deserved any of it.

Who was this person?

Not the person for whom a younger Eirian had labored in secret to make a gift. A painting. Safira had seen it, mere days before their family shattered. It had been their father standing over her beloved bay, eyes dancing in the way they only did when basking the combination of the bay and presence of her bondmate along with their enthusiastic, happy and often over energetic daughters. Lined up with her at the cliff’s edge were the three eldest, all in various states of laughter. The detail of Sula below, waiting in the boat, both arms wrapped tightly around a toddler desperately trying to heave herself into the water. The frenetic energy of their littlest sister had been perfectly conveyed in pigment. Eirian had been so proud, brimming over with impatience to give it to Indah as a celebration of her 750th birthday in a month’s time.

Days later, it was in tatters, ripped up by Eirian’s own hands. If Eirian created art after that, none of them were ever privy to it. Another loss tallied the rest that would never be recovered.

Wind swept the waves across the bay, stray droplets from the whitecaps catching Safira’s cheek as she continued to watch Indah walk away. Watched the retreat of this unkind stranger who’d replaced her father. 

The looming storm broke. Put to paper by Indah’s hands, it might’ve been poetic. For Safira, it meant cold, waterlogged clothes by the time she reached the skycar.

#wip tag #tessera #safira calfuray #matriarch indah #indah kallistrate #thaia kallistrate #sometimes it's easy to forget that thaia's three older sisters lost their father when Indah broke up the family #poor Eirian was still just a kid

[jenomark]

I also have a another question (last one I promise 😬😂). I’m curious as to what’s your favorite variety show moment of each member (when I say variety it can be a tv show, a vlive, something from their YouTube channel, stuff like that)-🥰

Taeil: I have two for Taeil, and they’re both NCT Life related. The first is when Jaehyun was saying nice things about him, and he cried. Taeil is so loved by everyone, and it shows!!! The second is his Hey Mickey cheer leading dance.  He’s really cute, and honestly, he has the cutest little legs. 

Johnny: Him getting to be back home at his parents house will always be my favorite moment, because it’s the most sentimental. That JCC episode almost made me feel like I was coming back home. Like, the emotions I felt while watching it were very real. Also, it’s made me happy to see that Johnny’s friends are his home away from home.

Taeyong: NCT U: The Story of ‘YESTODAY’. It’s one of his favorite songs to have written for, and it’s a song that’s also really meaningful to me. As an animal lover, the part with him and the birds is my favorite. The fact that he also loves animals makes me feel so warm inside.

Yuta: Before I start, can I just say that his laugh is so sweet. I loved him in the Abnormal Summit program. I only linked a small part of the show, but if you can find the rest, it’s worth a watch just for him. I couldn’t stand the other people on the panel, but Yuta sticking up for people’s rights really tells me how good of a person he is.

Kun: It’s hard just choosing one for him. I love watching everything he’s in because the dynamic always changes. He adapts really well no matter who he’s with, which is the mark of a good leader. I would love just a VLIVE with him and Taeyong alone talking about being leaders, but until then, this is my favorite VLIVE with him in it.  Honorable mentions: Dream Plan, NCT LIFE Seoul Trip.

Doyoung: The VLIVE episode where Doyoung, Jungwoo and Mark are playing the balloon popping game. I’ve mentioned it before, but that sweater he’s wearing kills me. I really love the way Doyoung is around both Jungwoo and Mark, like, their chemistry is amazing. There are so many moments that I love regarding him, but this one stands out because I first saw it when I was falling for Doyoung.

Ten: Literally, every single dance video he has ever done. Watching Ten dance feels like a privilege. My favorite has got to be the ‘Devils’ dance practice. He’s so powerful with the way he moves. Like with the rest of WayV, I think Dream Plan is also worth a watch.

Jaehyun: There is this part in the K-pop Stars React To Try Not To Sing Along Challenge where he loses during a song. Everything about him dancing to that song is so adorable. When he stands up and moves his arms in front of Taeyong and Doyoung, who are trying not to cave, I just get heart eyes for him. 

WinWin: The one NCT Life episode where he’s cooking in the kitchen. He’s wearing a yellow shirt, Jaehyun is wearing an orange shirt, and WinWin tries to say ‘Lemon’ but he pronounces it as ‘Nimon’. It is, without a doubt, the cutest mispronunciation in the whole world. WinWin has come so far with his language skills, like, he tries so hard, and I’m just always so proud of him. 

Jungwoo: The Hit The States episode in Atlanta, with Doyoung at the Aquarium. I’ve watched that video an insane amount of times. At this point, it’s the thing that has given me the most comfort over the last few months. I love seeing them two together. Doyoung hitting his head on the glass, then Jungwoo doing the same a second later is peak comedy. DoWoo both interacting with random children, them singing on the ferris wheel (I had that Boat song stuck in my head for months before I realized what it was from), them revealing their personal bucket lists, all makes me very soft for the boy. Honorable mention: the video where Jungwoo, Taeyong, and Jaehyun went to the elementary school, and the Capilano Suspension bridge video.

Lucas: The yoga VLIVE with Lucas, Jungwoo, Yuta & Doyoung. Lucas is so damn funny in this. I’ve tried following the yoga routine, and I can’t because my stomach hurts from laughing so much. I don’t even think he means to be funny sometimes. Honorable mention: Every Dream Plan episode. He has a really warm personality, and watching him be himself has been such a pleasure.

Mark: It’s Dangerous Outside The Blankets. He laughs with his whole body, and him laughing while that drone was stuck on the ceiling is the sound that greets you when you enter heaven. Also, seeing Mark without make-up (and his lil’ mustache 😤), cooking, playing around and being happy makes me very happy. 

Xiaojun: The behind the scenes video to WayV’s ‘Let Me Love U”. When he smiles, it really feels like everything in my life will turn out good. I really enjoy him playing around with his friends, getting to be a part of something that makes him happy.

Hendery: The SMROOKIES ‘Re-born’ ep.2. It’s special to me because it was my first real introduction to Hendery. I knew he was going to be one of my favorites the first time I watched it. Hendery imitating the sound of a cats belly when it’s purring is the cutest thing!

Renjun: I thought really hard about what I wanted for his. There are a lot of moments that stand out, but the one I’m most proud of is Renjun getting to be a part of his own radio show. I just linked an episode from awhile ago, but honestly, every episode so far has been great. It’s nice to see him getting the recognition he deserves.

Jeno: Jeno’s NCT DREAM challenge video. I think what he did for the challenge was really cool and impressive. This whole video, though it is short, really highlights Jeno’s drive to succeed, and his discipline. He keeps trying and trying until he gets it right, which I find super admirable. Also, see Jaemin’s answer.

Haechan: This may come as a surprise, but he means more to me than any other member. When he was injured last year, I took it kind of hard. Not having him for months made me feel grateful for all of the content we do get. My boy works very hard. I hope one day I’ll get to thank him for all of it. It’s not a video, but a voice VLIVE that I happened to catch live, on Valentine’s Day (in Korea). I was getting ready to shower when it came on, and I just remember laying on my floor with my phone up to my ear trying not to sob.😭

Jaemin: The Best Day with NCT DREAM. This whole documentary-type program really touched me. The reason I put it under Jaemin’s is because I know how he loves to volunteer, and that kind of love he has for other people can really be shown in this program. He’s a special person, and I really hope all of that kindness he dishes it find its way back to him a million times over (Jeno too).

YangYang: In the one Dream Plan episode, Ten did something really sneaky during a game and tricked him. YangYang could have reacted with annoyance-like other members would have- but he reacted with such a genuine innocent naivety, that it actually broke my heart to watch. I think this is the moment when I realized how special YangYang was. He trusted Ten so easily. 

Chenle: His interactions with HRVY in that one NCT Daily. Chenle went out of his way to make their guest comfortable by talking with him in his limited English, trying to include him in group things, and just being so friendly towards him. 😩😭

Jisung: The Dancing High episode where he did the Barcode dance with Jang Yoonjun. You can feel his passion through the screen. I remember seeing that for the first time, and realizing how much he’s grown as a dancer, a performer, and as a young man.

#Anonymous #nct #nct 127 #wayv #nct dream #taeil #johnny #taeyong #yuta #kun #doyoung #asks #ten #jaehyun #winwin #jungwoo #lucas #mark #xiaojun #hendery #renjun #jeno #haechan #jaemin #yangyang #chenle #jisung #🥰 anon

[sweetsmellosuccess]

Sundance 2021: Day 1 & 2

Films: 5

Best Film of the Day(s): Summer of Soul

Coda: It is mostly a truism that the festival tends to start things off on Thursday night with a genial offering, to whet the appetite, as it were, for the vastly more far-reaching, and oft-madcap rest of the program. Sian Heder’s sweetly realized light drama, about Ruby (Emilia Jones), a high school senior in Gloucester, MA, who works in the early morning non-school hours on her father’s fishing boat, and full-time as the only member of her family, including mom (Marlee Matlin), father (Troy Katsur), and brother (Daniel Durant) who isn’t deaf. Balancing out her workload, she joins the choir, in order to be able to spend time with her crush, Miles (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo), and turns out to have significant enough talent that her flinty music teacher (Eugenio Derbez), encourages her to apply to the prestigious music college in Boston of which he is an alum. Formulaic, to be certain, but moving nonetheless, with fine performances from the family  —  in keeping with the film’s own set-up, all but Jones actually deaf  —  and a strong sense of their relationships, especially between Ruby and her father. Heder’s screenplay also plays out the difficult dynamic between Ruby, and the rest of the hearing world, as the lone interpreter and defender of her family. As she puts it, they can’t hear themselves being laughed at, but she has no choice. It’s certainly glossy, but it’s also heartfelt, as in one pivotal scene, as Ruby performs a moving duet with Miles for the choir’s big show, Heder unexpectedly douses the sound for a few long moments, giving us a moving sense of what her parents get to experience during their daughter’s moment of artistic triumph.

Censor: As the title suggests, Prano Bailey-Bond’s discreet horror flick is about the idea of repression  —  what we want to cut away from the ugliness of the human experience. Set during the Thatcherite ‘80s, during an era where “video nasties” had become the topic du jour of cultural critics and political wankers, suggesting the sudden proliferation of demented, ultra-violent straight-to-video releases in the UK was somehow leading the country into sadistic nihilism, as opposed to their representing the result of Thatcher’s choking brand of right-wing oppression. Enid (Niamh Algar), a censor working for the government to render such films as Asunder, and Violent Coda properly palatable to the squirming masses, by excising excessive eye-gougings, brutal rapes, and disembowelments just enough to pass the board. She’s already living with her own past demons, a younger sister who disappeared in the woods under her watch years before, leaving her family shattered. Bailey-Bond shoots the film until the very end, as if underground, even while literally outside. Enid makes her way through the tube stations, and pedestrian tunnels, to her windowless office, and back again, with overhanging branches, overpasses, and canopies keeping her away from contact with the outside world. Creepy  —  but notably restrained in its own depictions of violence, save for the grainy, 4:3 imagery Enid has to make her way through at her job  —  Bailey-Bond’s film works well as a half-remembered bad dream from a similar tableau as Peter Strickland, but doesn’t quite have to chops, visually or in its surreal storytelling, to push it past those boundaries. It’s gripping enough, but doesn’t stick with you terribly long.

Summer of Soul (...Or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised): In 1969, during the Summer of Love, when white hippies and counter-culturalists were grooving to Woodstock, and NASA had successfully landed whitey on the moon, an entirely different sort of cultural fusion was taking place in Mt. Morris Park in Harlem. A performer and concert promoter named Tony Lawerence conceived of the event, a big outdoor stage where for six consecutive weekends, people could flock to the free shows that featured Jazz, Afro-beat, blues, R ‘n B, gospel, Motown, and funk. More than 300,000 attended the concerts in total to watch legendary performers including B.B. King, Mahalia Jackson, Max Roach, Mavis Staples, Gladys Knight, Hugh Masekela, a 19-year-old Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone, and, in the sort of fierce performance that defined her live presence, Nina Simone, but even though the shows were meticulously filmed, the footage had never found an outlet, until now. Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s directorial debut doesn’t just present the artists’ performances (though it certainly could have), but adds insight from some of the surviving artists, and some of those in the crowd who witnessed them. He also works to put the shows into the cultural context of the time, when a rare mixture of political outrage, multicultural strength, and a dawning of the Black Pride movement created a fulcrum for Harlem, and Black people all over the world. Hippies got the press, and much of the mainstream media coverage, but Thompson makes a strong case as to how the same repressive forces that lead to the explosion of the counterculture movement amongst white college students and young people, also affected the rise of rebellion and tide-shifting in communities of color. Watching Jackson and Staples perform a riveting version of MLK’s favorite gospel song, “Take My Hand, Precious Lord,” in the wake of the black leader’s assassination, or Simone rip into “Backlash Blues” is to witness the shift of cultural winds, as they whipped across a steamy, jam-packed park in Upper Manhattan.

John and the Hole: The title is, on first blush, terrible, but as with several things in this confidently enigmatic coming-of-a-kind-of-age tale from Pascual Sisto, there’s more to it than that. What initially sounds dumpy becomes somewhat cannily constructed: It’s meant to evoke a kind of modern myth vibe, along the lines of “Jack and the Beanstalk.” As it turns out, the film’s refusal to explain itself becomes a significant strength. John (Charlie Shotwell), is a 13-year-old kid from a wealthy family outside of Boston. Skinny and stammering, he’s also difficult to read, either by his parents (Jennifer Ehle and Michael C. Hall), or his older sister (Taissa Farmiga). Which is why, when John’s family wake up one morning at the bottom of a deep, cement shaft  —  part of a bunker built in the woods near their house  —  after having been drugged, and dragged there by John, their reactions run from mildly surprised to mildly upset. John leaves them down there, occasionally stopping by the edge to drop down food, water, and jackets, while he lives on at the main house, zipping around town in the family’s Volvo SUV, and taking out cash when needed from his dad’s ATM card. At first, he finds it liberating  —  eating a mound of chicken nuggets, endless pizzas, and leaving the mess littered around the house, as he attempts to stave off suspicions  —  but, eventually, he gets lonely, and realizes he prefers their company to being on his own. There’s maliciousness implied in his actions  —  a frequent shot looking up at John from inside the pit keeps re-establishing the peculiar power dynamic in the family  —  but nothing happens, it appears, that can’t be taken back. Sisto shoots the film sumptuously, drawing out the beauty of their immaculate house in contrast to the mess it slowly becomes under John’s ambivalence (an idea neatly echoed with the rest of the family down in the bunker, who quickly become filthier and filthier until the mud and grime seems etched into their pores). What conclusions it may draw are difficult to ascertain, in keeping with the nature of the project, but there is the definite sense that the nuclear family, as rigid as the formation may seem, remains a useful tool for healthy emotional growth after all.

In the Earth: Shot in the summer of 2020, in response to the pandemic (director Ben Wheatley explained pre-screening that he wanted a film that “reflected the politics of the times”), the film is loaded with imagery of madness and obsession. Or, you know, what happens to the human mind when it’s forced to stay in place for months at a go. Set in the near future, when a different and even more deadly virus has devastated the planet, the story concerns a scientist named Martin (Joel Fry), who needs to head deep into a boreal forest to find a research lab headed by a former flame (Hayley Squires). He is aided by a guide, a forest ranger named Alma (Ellora Torchia), who takes him on the supposed two-day trek. En route, however, they run into trouble in the form of Zach (Reece Shearsmith), a crazy devotee of the forest gods, and what he believes are their ritualistic demands. Breaking free from him, they arrive at the research lab, only to find similar insanity. Wheatley’s film feels rushed in places, and is violently incoherent in others, but its sense of immediacy is acute. With its characters having plunged into bizarre cryptic conspiracy theories, having plunged deep into the Boreal heart of darkness, and the sense that reality has been splintered, it ends up being a pretty fair summation of current life and times. It might not hold up under much scrutiny years from now, but it could hardly be more of the moment in the meantime.

Sundance goes mostly virtual for this year’s edition, sparing filmgoers the altitude, long waits, standing lines, and panicked eating binges  —  but also, these things and more that make the festival so damn endearing. In any event, Sundance via living room is still a hell of a lot better than no Sundance. A daily report.

#sweet smell of success #ssos #piers marchant #films #movies #sundance 2021 #virtual film festival #summer of soul #in the earth #john and the hole #coda #censor

[datingintampafails]

Chapter 22: Jaden*

“Better Together” Jack Johnson

I matched with Jaden*, and based on his main picture, a professionally taken headshot, I got the feeling this guy was out of my league for sure. I matched with him one time, my opening message being about his eye color, with some adjective I cannot remember, but the 24 hour window expired before he responded. A couple days later I saw him profile again, matching for a second time, my opener this attempt was simply “hello again.” He answered with “Let’s hang out.” I ask him about his intentions and he says no clue, asking me about mine. After explaining myself, he says he is “in the EXACT same boat.”

After that, I tried to get him to fill out the dating application. He refused, despite me telling him essentially I’d be asking the same questions anyway. He said he would rather learn about each other in person, which is fair. Since this is more or less the same time as Allen*, I tell him the same thing regarding waiting to get tested before I go out and meet anyone. He says “that’s nice of you.” I suggest instead a virtual drink and he just replies that he hates these times. I agree but acknowledge that at least I’m trying and once I’m negative we can get drinks in person. He asks when I took the test and I admit that I haven’t taken it yet and am getting it the following day. “At least you’re honest” he tells me. I tell him I don’t see the point of lying, which he says is a “good trait.” I make a joke about him being a realtor and that his job is not lying but putting positive spins on things and he finds that really funny for some reason.

I request that since he wouldn’t take my dating application, if I can at least ask him the most important question. He says “Yes” then “I do not like anal.” I sent him a full line of “haha”s. “Oh wait that wasn't the question sorry haha” was what he said next. Funny. “That’s a very important answer too… I’m glad” I tell him. Then I asked the actual important question, regarding children, and at first he said “I want kids, couple, not for at least 5 years or so.” I give him a “womp womp” essentially saying, wrong answer. I explain myself and then he says “Lol that'll probably be my path. [Kids are] too pricy and I want to travel and build my career.” The question with this 180 remains, is that how he really feels or is he trying to appease me? Either way it seems one of the answers was a lie or at least less truth.

After this, I send him five messages, two related to what he said, one saying I like his vibes and want to go out once my test is back, a follow up after he doesn’t reply a day later saying “if you’d like to of course,” and then “officially no rona” two days after the previous message when I got no responses. I figured this dude was bored, but he hadn’t unmatched me yet so I figured I’d still sort of try. He finally responds to that last message with a “yesssssssssss.” He tries to make plans for that afternoon but I tell him I’m working. I ask him about Saturday night, he says he has no plans so far and I say “You do now” with a wink emoji. We plan the night, settling on me cooking dinner and having some drinks at my place. I thank him for motivation/a reason to clean my house. The reason that I chose night, is I actually have a date scheduled as well with another guy for lunch.

He asks me about weed, if I smoke, getting Peter* flashbacks here. In my blurb about my feelings on weed, I specifically tell him “I prefer not on one on one time that someone be high.” He simply says “I dont act like a little stoner but I get it” I ask follow up questions which lead me to finding out he habitually, daily, smokes marijuana. I ask him about how that works during the COVID pandemic, he says that the price has gone up but otherwise it’s the same. I then inquire about what he’s up to that night. No response.

Then it’s past midnight and officially Saturday, the day we are supposed to meet up. I ask “Sooooo gameplan?” No response. I don’t want to keep messaging and messaging, so I just see if he will come back out of the woodwork. The guy that I was supposed to have lunch with messages me around that time saying unfortunately he cannot make lunch anymore, so that’s cancelled. I don’t see the point in telling Jaden* that my afternoon has freed up or anything like that.

When the day comes, my friend invites me to the beach and I say I’ll come since my daydate was cancelled and “I’m pretty sure that I’m being stood up for my nighttime date as well so I don’t care.” As we drive up to the beach, I see that lady and her two kids from when Ethan* and I was at the beach. I’m sure it's them. I’m weak in my vulnerability so I actually break down and text him, telling him that I spotted them. I do not expect a response. My friend and I had a good time at the beach, but got rained out so our four hour trip turned into only two. It was really hot outside though so we were okay with it being cut short. Still no word at all from Jaden*.

Now when it is 6:30pm, I feel that officially I have been stood up. By this point, I'd already cooked dinner and had finished it, so even if he did magically appear I would tell him too bad. I message him to redeem myself, “Well if you actually wanna meet up let me know. I’m pretty busy so my time is valuable” I also add a stone faced emoji, because I’m sick of this shit, frankly. An hour after that, he messages me “hey!!” I for some reason don’t get the notification, and when I check my phone about 40 minutes later, I just reply “lol hi.” An hour and a half after my response, he gives me his number and asks me to text him. Here’s some screenshots.

My phone rings and it’s him. “Are you in an SUV?” I am and I jump as a figure appears to my left, it is him. The lightning storm going on has transgressed into a full on rain. We quickly hug hello as he escorts me to the door and the safety of no rain.

Once inside, I am greeted by his lab, a really nice pupper that I give lots of pats to. I’m then introduced to his friend. Jaden* offers me a drink, I let him make me a drink with some local rum. It is made way too strong, and I add some of my sparkling juice to the mixture to try and soften it up. It marginally works, but I just slowly sip on it.

Both Jaden* and his friend are outgoing and friendly, we talk about random stuff, shoot the shit. Honestly, thus far I am getting along better with the friend, not in a romantic way, but just a regular way. Jaden* is a little too talkative, occasionally interrupting, and loud. I cannot tell if he is drunk, high, or whatever, but he just seems a little off. Since I have no baseline of what he is like sober, it’s hard to tell. Jaden* brags about me, essentially saying that I was so nice and awesome and was going to make him dinner, which I make a point of adding “oh don’t worry I still made it, I just ate it myself” to be cheeky. He continues talking about miscellaneous other stuff, mostly things I cannot connect to at all, as it relates to other mutual friends the other two have.

He stops at one point and says “oh! You said I have some explaining to do so here you are” and he goes on to say that he went to watch the Barcelona soccer game with friends, and upon them winning, continued the celebration with drinking all day, he repeats a few times, “it’s not a good excuse, but it’s an honest one.” I shrug and say “I mean that’s okay.” He goes on to tell another similar story about when he was in college and skipped hockey practice, again like “it’s not a good excuse but it’s an honest one.”

Then another friend comes by, it’s a female. She is nice and seems to be long time friends with them both. They (meaning the two friends of Jaden*) are discussing plans to go to another bar or something in a little, but they end up sticking around for another hour and a half. Jaden* mentions he’s hungry (munchies??) and upon looking in his fridge, there’s nothing to eat except literally lunch meat. He eats the lunch meat, offers me some, which I decline, and actually goes back a second time to eat the rest of it after 5 minutes. He complains he’s still hungry so I say I’ll look up food options for him. He orders food (McDonald’s) and offers me to get whatever I want, I’m barely hungry so I opt for some small fries and a small frozen coke.

Jaden* has prepared some weed and puts it in a vaporizer, him and the male friend partake, both myself and the other woman decline. He now brings out a guitar and tries to play the beginning of a song, making us all guess what it is. He plays so sloppily and in combination with the guitar being out of tune, I have no clue. He repeats the set of notes like five times before revealing it’s the beginning of “that one Jack Johnson song.” Upon later googling, it was “Better Together.” He asks everyone if anyone knows anything on guitar, I sheepishly go “oh I used to play as a kid, I know like one song.” I take the guitar and play the one song I know by heart on guitar in fast succession, Beethoven’s Fur Elise. They’re all just staring at me blankly, confused that this quiet chill chick just whipped out legitimate guitar skills out of nowhere. I also continue to just strum on the guitar while everyone talks, just to have something to do. Jaden* takes the guitar back to try and tune it with some app on his phone. He complains about how the app doesn’t really work to tune it and that it is still out of tune. The guitar gets put away.

Jaden* now is complaining about how he “ordered his food an hour ago and it’s still not here;” it has been fifteen minutes. His friend believes him; “it has not been an hour” I say so as to not sympathize with him. He is again bragging about me, and talking about how nice I am and that he liked that when we were talking on Bumble. The flattery is something I’m immune to but I thank him. Next he goes into a long winded story about when he partied with Justin Bieber back when he was dating Selena Gomez, “he could have had any girl he wanted at that party” he attested, “but he didn’t and he even went upstairs to talk to her on the phone. Biebs is loyal.” Also don’t really care about Biebs so I was not impressed by this anecdote. We did randomly bond over liking old Adam Sandler movies, specifically my favorite, Little Nicky, and agreed we’d watch that tonight. Randomly his dog jumped up on the couch next to me and I noticed that the dog had a boner, which was awkward and I pushed him away so I wouldn’t get humped.

The friends finally left a little before 1 am, I told Jaden* that I wanted to get going by 2 since I had stuff to do the next day and needed to get back to my dog. He says that’s fine and then gets mad about his food still not being there after at this point long enough to bitch. Now that he’s a little closer to me, I can smell his breath and it is horrid. It smells just like butt. I assume from a mix of the smoke and alcohol he had been drinking all day.

He calls McDonald's and gets in an argument with the lady. It’s really weird and off putting. On the phone he is saying how he’s worked at restaurants and know how the system works with delivery services, and the fact that they’re “still working on it” means such and such. They claim it’s already been picked up despite the app saying it hasn’t. He says he is just going to order from somewhere else. I’m arguing with him that nowhere he orders food from is going to get there quicker at this point and to just wait. Finally the UberEats updates and it will be there in 10 minutes which calms him down. He remembers he has a cookie and goes to eat it. I do find it pro status that he microwaves the cookie for a little bit. He asks me if I want some, I say sure, but then he tries to spoon feed a piece to me. I go with it; the cookie is actually pretty good. He offers me another piece, again spoon feeding it to me. A little weirdly intimate.

We go back to the couch to finally start Little Nicky. I’ve seen this movie countless times at this point so it’s not super important that I pay attention. He briefly rubs my shoulder and it feels good, I try to convince him to give me a full shoulder rub, and offer one to him as well. He gets his, I successfully break out a knot in his shoulder. When it's presumably now my turn, I get that same shoulder rubbed for maybe one minute, then he stops. Disappointing. He attempts to kiss me quite a few times, and I unenthusiastically peck/kiss back, but again, his breath is rancid so I’m not trying to get too close to that.

The food finally arrives. There’s no straws so I tried to open the top of my coke and it accidentally splattered on the (brown) couch. I run to the kitchen to get paper towels and come back to clean it. I apologize and he says it’s ok.

He’s eating his food, and is of course to my dismay chewing with his mouth open/smacking his lips, so if it wasn’t already a no go, it now officially was. I stay with my promise to just hang a little longer though. He snarfs down his food, I eat some fries and eat my frozen coke with a spoon. He’s done eating and we go back to spooning to watch the movie. He keeps lighting kind of humping me, which is just super weird, and I ignore that it’s happening. He seems to be completely flaccid which makes it even stranger.

After maybe 15 minutes, I notice that he’s no longer really laughing at the movie or doing anything, I peer back and realize this dude is sleeping. Great. I just lay there and continue to watch the movie. Honestly, I almost drift off to sleep a few times too; it’s late and I’m bored/tired. I check my watch and it’s now 1:58am. I start to get up and say “ok it’s almost 2, I gotta get going.” He awakens and grumbles at me.

He becomes legitimately angry at me for actually following through with what I said I was gonna do. “What the hell I thought we were gonna hang?” I tell him that like I came over but told him we weren’t hooking up so that shouldn’t have been an expectation. “I see, leaving at exactly 2, wow.” I’m just gathering my things and not saying a word. He mumbles at me and I cannot make out half the words he says, but says something like “I don’t think I’m the guy you’re looking for.” I respond, “I can’t really understand you right now, but yeah that’s okay.” It is clear to me this guy is not compatible with me whatsoever.

I’m still trying to be more or less not a total bitch, so I give him a peck on the forehead goodbye. I was holding my open frozen coke, so unfortunately in leaning over I again still had a little of the drink on the sofa. Whereas last time he was calm about it, now he is pissed. “AND YOU JUST KEEP SPILLING SHIT ON MY COUCH! GET IT TOGETHER!” He is being a jerk and I am no longer standing by and being friendly, “I’m gonna fucking clean it up again chill out, damn. You don’t have to be such a fucking asshole” He repeats yelling at me about his couch, that is the same color as the beverage so besides it looking wet, it will not stain. “Whatever” I say. I double check I have all my things, as the last thing I would want to do is have to come back here to get a belonging of mine. He is staring at me as I do this like “hurry up and leave. ”As I have my things and I’m about to head out the door, he randomly becomes nice again, “alright catch you later” “probably not,” I respond as I close the door behind me.

I shake my head to myself as I leave and at least the rain has stopped. I actually even feel tears sort of welling in my eyes. I am tired of having such terrible experiences, getting slack from guys I barely even know, having to put on a smile, some make-up, and put myself out there, just to be treated like shit. I drive home without incident, I think about blocking his number, but I figure that can wait until tomorrow. I get home a little before 2:30am, greet my dog, let her sniff me since I smell like another dog at this point, before changing into my pajamas again.

Later that morning, I get a text from Jaden*:

I have no reason to continue the conversation after that. I figured I would be honest because, why not. If I can at least try and teach him a lesson for the next woman, then my suffering will not be for nothing. Another night I won’t forget, similar to Peter*, but at least he did have a clean apartment before I came along.

#dating #bumble #hinge #tinder #relationships #tampa #tampabay #stpete #south tampa #dating apps

[eekispyykes]

Mr Sparklepuff Feline Obituary 5.1.2020/Abridged

Mr Puffs 4-2002-  5-1-2020

by Michael Bench

Mr Puffs was an excellent friend and adventurous hiker. He loved to be outdoors. A ferocious mouser ; he did an arc'ing jump on mice and chipmunks from 2 clumps of brush away. The porch frankly stank from all his gifts. An amazing climber and very fast sprinter crossing a square acre in about 3.5sec. Some would ask why he was named as such and close friends know the whole story. A primary point was so people had a good vibe about him and would let him be. In the past two years  he had cancer of the face that spread. He had been treated with surgery to remove the tumor. At a shade over 18yo, he set to rest as every night he was shivvering in normal home temp and couldn't keep weight on; refusing to leave the couch; hating being put in pet clothes/infant flannel.

2017-2020 were tough years for him adjusting to a new stray friend we “adopted” from the wild. They were startingn to get along. It played into the stress.I feel bad about this. it split us up somewhat.  My younger cat was more forceful about claiming me. It weighs on me; Frankly it seemed like a few rape attempts also that difficulted the social cue of ‘normal cat spooning”.. Mr Puffs was able to get out on a van ride of Fogelsville,PA about three months ago. He also gave some love to his plush hedgehog toy. He gave it a consensual drilling every once a while or daily.

What you should know about Mr Puffs:

:My grilling deputy  and trout inspector

:Loved to play the mysterious thing under blanket or newspaper game

:Love to play the mysterious tapping fingers under the many basement stairs game

:Fine taste in music and loved being my karaoke fan. Love you buddy. Not very keen on Tv after Keenan Michael Keys left Animal  Planet's morning show.

:Enjoyed less usual faire like potatoes and adored bbq chicken pizza; he could handle medium wings. He WAS WARNED each time and kept him away from it till it was obvious he wanted it. Honey ham, turkey, .. and salami**. Mind you, he has never been overweight and was complimented by his first vet for muscle tone. It's his compliment to own.

:Enjoyed jumping apartment building gaps while in town: we had to rough it for a month in a storage facility after an unexpected eviction.. which we then would go for walks 1a-3a to get his exercise and water the landscape mulch at 11th street Fred Meyers. There's a little marsh back behind the store that became our little daytime haven.

:His Hiking career started in Eugene, OR. We would go night walking ,w/o a leash and whenever someone was coming he would detour off the sidewalk and into the nearest house’s bushes.. This was optimal because he would get back on the lit sidewalk and learn to keep course. This advanced to 5-7 mile hikes from U Oregon campus to Hendrix park and back. One trip such trip he was panting so he didn’t really want to run away anywhere or into traffic fortunately.. The sun had come out of the cloud cover and heated things up above the usual. We stopped at an icecream place on the way back on the edge of campus: Agate and 19th. Even though he was tired, he was a smart and collected guy. so he slinked to the back of the shop till I came back out..It was like escorting the supermodel of manly cats.  It was at this time I knew leashes or more distant locations were necessary.  

:While we were driving back to Pennsylvania, he decided to have a playfrenzy on the dashboard while I was in heavy traffic nearabouts of Nebraska/Rushmore on the interstate.

:Short story : Since he now had room in the yard to runaround Puffs tested his speed and momentum to get up tree trunks. Our front yard had a medium sized maple oak something. Mr Puffs ran up the tree and alarmed a family of nesting doves. The doves and Mr Puffs seemed to flee the tree foilage each in horizontal directions at about 8ft off the ground.  

:Other than a shoulder injury from a fight of somesort, he was very durable. His parent's owners had coined him 'Jaco” after the famous bass player.. A green -eyed Russian Blue tuxedo, angular white paws.  with little white hairs across his coat. At times I also referred to him as “Cactus Jack”. Massive front incisors like a miniature sabertooth. I pitied the rabbits who he caught which were still squealing.

:Another Short Story. I coaxed my mom to live a little and put that front addition on the house she always wanted. She got an enclosed porch. Theres an open porch on the back of the house also. When the framing was done.. I went out to the backyard to enjoy the night sky, I heard nothing. When I turned around I had two bright eyes scaring me  to the ground. From 9ft, the top of the roof porch he looked at me Apparently Puffs had climbed the 8ft of framing from the work table, crossed the rafters, crossed the whole house roof and decided to voyeur me on the other side of the house. I was very glad he didn't tempt the electric lines whose pole he had tried to climb other days.Stressing moments on me as well.

:Puffs became a pro at taking baths since 2017, and getting nails trimmed at the same time. The trim helped him jump (getting pad purchase)  and helped the furniture too.

:Another quick story. Cats can swim. I took him to go swimming in the creek and that went pretty good the first time. (Must always be on leash. And probably use partially inflated swimmy muscle). He was really comfortable in the water if it was shallow(2.5ft). The problem with the creek is its near a road so don't be near roads even with the leash on.  He was swimming a good crawl in about 4ft.  A fish mustve brushed his foot because he panicked and started jumping out of the water like a bass on a hook. I literally had to swing him in the air (with leash) and onto the shore into some leaves and grass. There's some fault in not being close enough to him to pick him up out of the water directly. He swam pretty good and at range.  To ease that trauma.. (nearly heart attack probably; that went sour) , I let him calm down. At a much shallower area no taller than his knees(5-6”) I set him into the stream without much resentment and just petted him to get him calm.  (He wasn't a lap cat before that either.) At that point the swimming  got shuttered for downhill walks and other casual stuff.

: On similar climbing points.. even till about 2015, he liked to jump the gap from the upright piano top (4ft) to the top of the entertainment center (7.5 ft) plus the hallway gap of  3.5 ft and he was really solid at it. Would stay up there for a while and then jump down onto the sofa table (3 ft tall).. He was always calculating a new feat. When that one item stopped being in his wheelhouse it was clear he was getting bothered/ annoyed and the stress of a cat territory issue wore him down.

If you were to be near him, you'd end up watching him. This statue of a male cat with really long tail. Not lemur-long but really long.. a gray panther. And, maybe you'd try to pet him since he looked inviting. Yet, you wouldn't get much petting done. He'd probably tolerate two brushes and then give your hand a carving with his claws, hiss at you and find a new place to observe the room,  That said, he would cruise the neighborhood looking which apartment I might've visited, slink in and check out how other people decorated. A very dignified personality, sometimes to the point of indignant.  He was  a cat you'd want to clone over and over because he was just that cool on himself. Cloning him was on the slate too until those type of businesses were closed with political force.. He actually inspired a jazz song  (currently in midi form) that I’ve yet to record. I was tore up about his first cancer surgery so I started writing. Hope that will be out soon enuff. I hope this can help you appreciate Mr Puffs. He was buried at a spot he chose. It was nearby a set of brush he would choose to hide in hours near the middle of  hikes.

.. he loved to hide.  Back in Oregon I'd take him  in the van with my mentally handicapped clients. He'd be set loose to get his relaxation in. By the time it was time to leave. he wanted to stay. He hid in bushes and culverts. I learned very quickly that such outings had to be local or I'd be driving back hours to go get him at night or worse. Once I knew that, we'd take rides on the bus to the edges of the bus line and just chill on hills overlooking boating lakes. Fern Ridge Reservoir had a nice pine overlook off Territorial hwy.  He really enjoyed outings and variety. Maybe thats what kept him interested as a matter of longevity. I want to end on that.  He showed me lessons in best intentions and good in the bad.. and murdering all my Egyptian spiny mice within hours of acquiring them and their replacements. Its not like I wouldn't have gotten him a feeder mouse but there were plenty stinking up the walkway as it was. I'm blessed to have spent that month sheltered in a renta-shed with him. It seems the alternative .. without having enough for a pet deposit elsewhere (that moment) was to lower my standards for the landlords daughter and by whatever 'influence' she had. 'evicted us for periodic renovations”. So, eventually we chose instead to leave and he got a brims of fieldmice, chipmunks and forest romping. I hope that was an appreciated choice. He liked city life too. Should you choose to tribute to Mr Puffs, I welcome it. He’d be the type of cat Dos Equis beer would be looking for if he actually drank it.

Hope you’re feeling better, Puffs; BFF 

#cats of tumblr #cats of twitter #BFF #most interesting cat in the world

[updcbc]

July 14, 2019 - “Deliverance from Darkness: The Demon-Possessed Man” Mark 5:1-20

Click READ MORE to read the full sermon.

Introduction

We have a common Enemy whom we have taken for granted. Satan, the devil, is real and alive and at work relentlessly to deceive the world and destroy the people of God. As the master of deceit, Satan appears as angel of light, but inwardly he is a roaring lion bent to devour anyone.

Throughout the Scriptures as written in the gospel narratives, it was during the earthly ministry of Jesus that recorded the staggering presence and intensified activities of Satan and demons. We firmly stand on three fundamental reasons. First of all they knew that Jesus came to establish the kingdom of God to neutralize the domain of darkness. Secondly, they knew who really Jesus is. The poor carpenter from a remote village in Nazareth was not an ordinary human being.  Satan and his demons knew that Jesus the Messiah is the incarnate eternal Son of God in heaven, the Almighty Creator of the universe and the sovereign Lord of all creation. This great mystery was hidden from mortals as Jesus dwelt with human beings. And thirdly, Satan and his demons knew that Jesus came to redeem people from the powers of darkness and usher anyone who believes and repents into the kingdom of God. The Devil and all his demons used all their powers on every front to derail and destabilize the redemptive work of God in Christ. Yet, as light cannot be overcome by darkness, so Jesus rules above all authorities and powers of darkness. The encounter of Jesus with a demoniac (Mk. 5:1-5) showed his dominion over demons (5:6-13) and delivered a man from the grip of Satan (5:14-20). We now enter the territory of the Enemy. In our faithful study of the Scriptures may God protect us from the Evil One.

A.  The Demoniac in Gadara (5:1-5)

The encounter of Jesus with a man in Gadara was a direct confrontation with demons. Such encounter was beyond natural realm for mortals to comprehend and handle. The graphic power encounter unveiled the presence of evil spirits on earth to deceive and destroy human beings.

 1. The Region of Gerasenes

In the earthly ministry of Jesus, he had traveled in the province of Judea teaching the kingdom of God and making miraculous wonders as a great crowd followed him. Jesus told his apostles that they would cross over the Sea of Galilee. While they were on the boat a violent storm hit them. The disciples feared for their lives. Jesus spoke to the wind and the waves and all was calm. The apostles were filled with wonder. The disciples have yet to comprehend that Jesus is God and Lord over nature. Having crossed over to the other side of the sea, the apostles have yet to internalize that he is the same God and Lord over spiritual and demonic beings. The gospel narrative gave this account, “They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes” (Mk. 5:1). The region was also called Gergesenes or Gadarenes.

The locality where Jesus had crossed over Galilee was Gadara. This was a city about six miles (10 kilometers) southeast of the Sea of Galilee. Gadara was primarily a Greek city of the region of the Decapolis and the capital city of the Roman province of Perea. The ruins of Gadara, present-day Um Qeis, included two theaters, a basilica, baths, and a street lined with columns. Gadara was an ancient large and beautiful city. Jesus had a clear purpose coming to the city of Gadara.

2. The Demon-Possessed Man

On the seashore at Gadara, Jesus encountered a demon-possessed man. Mark wrote in his gospel account.

“When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.” (Mk. 5:2-5) 

Luke wrote in his gospel record.

“They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs.” (Lk. 8: 26-27)

Matthew gave a parallel account.

“When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way.” (Mt. 8:28)

It can be observed that both Mark and Luke spoke of one demon-possessed man while that of Matthew cited two demon-possessed men. The difference on the same historical account should not be taken as a contradiction. The variance upholds the freedom of the gospel writers based on their intent of the particular event. It appeared that in the gospel narratives of Mark and Luke, they have focused on the one man because of his significant role in the ministry of Jesus in the Decapolis.

In this biblical perspective, we focused our study on the man recorded by both Mark and Luke. The Scriptures gave weird descriptions about the man. First of all, he was demon-possessed. An evil spirit took control over his body, mind, emotion and will. This meant that the man greatly suffered for while he remained conscious of his personal being he was powerless to act on his own volition. Secondly, the demon that possessed the man was hyper violent. The violence of the demon was contained to the possessed man inflicting harm to his own self. The man daily cried out aloud and cut himself with stones. Thirdly, the demon that possessed the man was very powerful. No human being could subdue him and he easily broke chains tied on him. And fourthly, the demon had possessed the man for a long time. In such woeful state the man lived in the tombs naked and the people were much afraid of him. For sure the demon-possessed man was known throughout the region.  

B.  The Encounter with Jesus (5:6-13)

The encounter of Jesus with the man was phenomenal. It revealed who Jesus is and demonstrated his divine authority over demons. The eyewitnesses were filled with awe and dread.

 1. The Demoniac Trembled Before Jesus

The demoniac trembled at the feet of Jesus. Mark and Luke gave a similar account in their gospel narratives.

“When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won't torture me!’For Jesus had said to him, ‘Come out of this man, you evil spirit!’” (Mk. 5:6-8; cf. Lk. 8:28)

Matthew, in his parallel account, made a record of the pleading of the demons to Jesus. “What do you want with us, Son of God,” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?” (Mt. 8:29)

Two astounding revelations were written on this biblical account. First, Jesus is the Son of the Most High God. The evil spirit recognized Jesus and he prostrated at his feet. The Scriptures teach that demons, together with Satan, are fallen angels who rebelled against God and cast out of heaven. Secondly, demons tremble at the word of Jesus. The evil spirit was filled with dread when Jesus commanded him to get out of the man. And thirdly, demons are certain of their eternal doom. The evil spirit pleaded to Jesus not to torment him before the appointed time. In light of the teachings of the Scriptures, the appointed time for the final judgment of all demonic powers and human evildoers will take place at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Satan himself is fully aware of this. It is written in the Book of Revelation that the devil “is filled with fury because he knows that his time is short” (Rev. 12:12b). So he works without rest.

 2. Jesus Asked the Name of the Demoniac

The encounter of Jesus with the demon-possessed man unfolded a horrible fact beyond human comprehension. Mark gave this record.

“Then Jesus asked him, ‘What is your name?’ ‘My name is Legion,’ he replied, ‘for we are many.’” (Mk. 5:9-10a)

Luke wrote a parallel account.

“Jesus asked him, ‘What is your name?’ ‘Legion,’ he replied, because many demons had gone into him.” (Lk. 8:30)

The word “legion” as understood in the time of Jesus was a principal unit of the Roman army, consisting of 3,000 to 6,000 infantry troops and 100 to 200 cavalrymen. In this particular case, the biblical record speaks of the literal meaning of the word legion in a strict military sense. The poor man in Gadara was inhabited with many demons—not dozens or hundreds but of thousands! Imagine a man possessed by a thousand demons. This staggering truth is inconceivable for us human beings.

 3. The Demoniac Pleaded with Jesus

The demoniac trembled before Jesus and made his desperate plea. Mark wrote in his gospel narrative, “And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area” (Mk. 5:10b). Luke gave a parallel account, “And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss” (Lk. 8:31). The word of the evil spirit gave us a glimpse of the spiritual world. In the scriptures, the word “Abyss” is also known as the bottomless pit or chaotic deep. Abyss is the prison of disobedient spirits. When Satan rebelled against the Most High God in heaven, many of the myriads of angels followed in his rebellion against their Creator. Multitudes of the fallen angels were cast out of heaven. And many of these fallen angels were imprisoned and tortured in the Abyss. An angel from heaven ruled over the demons in the Abyss. The name of the angel of God in charge of the Abyss is Abaddon in Hebrew and Apollyon in Greek, which means “Destroyer” (Rev. 9:11). The legion of demons knew of this dreadful prison and they desperately pleaded with Jesus not to order them to be cast into the Abyss. At the Second Coming of Jesus, Satan and all fallen angels, including those imprisoned in the Abyss, will be thrown into the Lake of fire and they will be tormented day and night forever (Rev. 20:10). The legion of demons knew of their eternal doom. They begged Jesus of their temporary freedom on earth.

4. Jesus Cast Out the Demons

Jesus had given the order for the demons to come out of the man who had become their dwelling place for a long time. Now they were filled with dread if Jesus would cast them out to the Abyss. They made a desperate plea which Jesus granted. Mark wrote in his gospel narrative.

“A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The demons begged Jesus, ‘Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.’ He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.” (Mk. 5:11-13; cf. Lk. 8:32-33) 

Matthew gave a parallel account.

“Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. The demons begged Jesus, ‘If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.’ He said to them, ‘Go!’ So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water.” (Mt. 8:30-32)

When Jesus commanded the evil spirit to disclose his name, he was compelled to tell the hard truth about his true identity. The name of the evil spirit is “Legion.” Look closely at the number of the herd of pigs. The poor man—and the other man—were inhabited with “about two thousand” demons! We give a careful thought on this dreadful account. Jesus allowed the legion of demons to go into the pigs than for them to indwell a human being. The rushing of the pigs into the lake was not merely a commotion among the herd being possessed by the multitude of demons. Rather, it was an intentional, communal and outrageous movement of the legion of demons that showed their true evil character bent to destroy primarily human beings without sparing animals.

In her book, The Beautiful Side of Evil, Johanna Michaelsen speaks of the devil as the master of deceit. Likewise, demons are deceiving spirits. What is the beautiful side of Satan and demons? They appear as angels of light to deceive and allure people on what seems to be true and good. Inwardly, however, they are roaring lions looking for victims whom they can devour. This calls for utmost vigilance. The utter destruction done by the demons to the herd of pigs is the ultimate end Satan seeks to inflict on any human being in any corner of the world. Whom should we anchor our faith and entrust our life? Jesus Christ alone whom the demons recognized as the Son of the Most High God can save us from our sinfulness. And Jesus Christ alone can deliver us from the powers of darkness. This was true to the man whom Jesus delivered from the legion of demons. What Jesus did for the poor man—he can do it for us.

 C.  The News in Decapolis (5:14-20)

The breaking news about the demon-possessed man spread like a wildfire. The peoples in the Transjordan region were gripped with fear.

 1. The Breaking News in Gadara

The people in the city of Gadara were dreadful. Mark wrote this account.

“Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.” (Mk. 5:14-17) 

Luke made a parallel narrative.

“When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. Then all the people of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear.” (Lk. 8:34-37a)

Matthew gave this gospel record.

“Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.” (Mt. 8:33-34).

Based on these three gospel narratives we can see the bigger picture. The flash report was done by the caretakers of the herd who witnessed the event. The whole community rushed into the scene. They saw the man dressed and sane seated at the feet of Jesus. And they also saw the thousands of pigs floating on the lake. What was their response? They were overcome with fear and pleaded Jesus to leave their place.  Why were the people overcome with fear and pleaded to Jesus to leave their region? For sure they were not afraid of the man who was delivered from demons for his deliverance made them safer in their community. They were afraid of Jesus whose power to cast out demons could spell economic disaster for them as a community. Hog-raising was their primary livelihood. Around two thousand pigs lost instantly. At present average value of hogs cost them a staggering loss of eight million pesos! Out of dread the Gadarenes pleaded for Jesus to leave their place.

2. The Command of Jesus

Jesus never forces himself on anyone. He made his decisive and graceful exit in the sight of the people. Luke wrote in his gospel account.

“So he got into the boat and left. The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, ‘Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” (Lk. 8:37b-39a).

Mark recorded a parallel narrative.

“As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, ‘Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.’” (Mk. 5:18-19)

This is the most touching part of the story. The man begged to go with Jesus in deep gratitude of his deliverance and his wholehearted devotion to Jesus. But Jesus forbade him to do so. Instead he sent him away home to be with his loved ones and share to them the great wonder and abounding mercy of God on him. This brought indescribable joy and peace inside his family. Indeed, Christianity begins inside the home.

 3. The Good News in Decapolis

The man took Jesus at his word. “So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed” (Mk. 5:20; cf. Lk. 8:39b). The man became the first Gentile missionary whom Jesus had sent to preach the good news of the kingdom of God. And the name of Jesus our Lord and God was made known among the Gentiles in the region of the Decapolis. 

Conclusion

The encounter of Jesus with a demon-possessed man in Gadara reveals the dreadful reality of Satan and his demons actively at work in an unsuspecting world. It is inconceivable on our part that a certain man was possessed by a legion of demons! Jesus cast out the demons. The man was delivered from demonic possession. He went home and became the first Gentile missionary who shared the gospel of Jesus Christ to his own people. We give a careful thought on the spiritual world.

Demons know Jesus and they tremble before him. In light of the Scriptures, we enter the world of spiritual beings. Among the creatures of myriads of angels, Satan and fallen angels made an irreversible decision and irredeemable rebellion against God. They were cast out from heaven down to earth. When the legion of demons saw Jesus they recognized him as the Son of God and they trembled at his feet.

Demons are evil spirits bent to destroy human beings. A legion of demons inhabited a man to destroy his life. Satan and demons masquerade as angels of light but inwardly they are ravening wolves in sheep clothing to deceive and destroy individual persons. Their primary agents are false teachers and scheming evildoers who are experts in twisting the Scriptures and turn away peoples from the gospel truth.

Jesus alone can deliver us from any foothold of demons. Jesus delivered the man from legion of demons and he proclaimed the gospel of Christ to his family and countrymen. The Enemy can have a foothold in our unbelief, pride, bitterness, hypocrisy, greed, covetousness, indulgence, lust, infidelity, insincerity, indolence and occult activities. From any demonic influence we come to Jesus for our wholesome deliverance.

I grew up from a religious family surrounded by so called spiritual powers at work within our clan. From my father’s side I had an aunt who was known as a medium who communicated with spirits. From my mother’s side I had a close relative who was known as a faith healer who had a direct contact with spiritual beings. Our family had no conscious involvement with these spiritual powers at work within our kin. My father had much reservation on mediums and faith healing and he did not entertain their existence. Such worldview on his part was unsettled when a crisis hit our home.

I was then in my second year in college. Religious as I was, yet my father and mother noticed that I could hardly concentrate in my studies and bewildered with my failing grades. Such unusual development disturbed them because I had excelled in my studies on primary and secondary levels. I had nothing to explain to them. Then one morning my aunt who was a medium unexpectedly arrived in our house. To my surprise she went close to me and held onto me with a glaring look in her eyes. She told my parents that a spirit closely accompanied me day and night and caused much disturbance in my life. Out of desperation my father decided that I would go through a spiritual cleansing rite.

Inside our house, our relatives prepared a sacrificial altar laid on the floor. On it were lit candles, a chicken, boiled eggs, cooked glutinous rice, cigarettes and wine. I stood before the altar. I was surrounded by at least four relatives led by my aunt. She offered a prayer and they fell into trance. Her body shrieked and started singing and dancing around as she touched me from head to foot. She was accompanied with the other relatives doing weird movements as they feasted on the offerings laid on the altar. The neighborhood watched in silence. My parents stood nearby in bewilderment. And I had no idea what was really taking place.

Then my aunt stopped and gazed at me with fiery eyes. And she spoke before the crowd. Obviously, a spirit was speaking through my aunt who served as a medium. The spirit claimed he saw me when I came to a resort in our hometown for a day of outing with my friends. The spirit took a special notice on me. Since then the spirit accompanied and watched over me day and night. Then the spirit warned that he will take my life should I pursue my dream to become a priest. Yes, it was on my fourth year in high school that I was qualified and enlisted to a vocation of priesthood—my childhood dream. My father, however, did not give his consent. Instead of entering the seminary, I enrolled in a university.  

Then the spirit gave a final demand before he would leave at that given ritual. The spirit spoke, “Bring to me the shirt he wore when he came to the resort so I can bring it with me.” I could hardly recall the shirt which I have used. Several shirts had been brought to my auntie but she rejected them one piece after the other. When a certain colored shirt was brought to my aunt, she grabbed it swiftly, wrapped it hard around her body and danced around rejoicing. Then she ran outside our house toward the foot of a coconut tree at our front yard. There she passed out.  

After the cleansing ritual did I feel better? No it was not. I became more religious and struggled a lot with my studies. I was utterly desperate and cried out for deliverance from my sinfulness and restlessness. In 1980, on my fourth year in college, the gospel truth spoke in my heart, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16). I received Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord. At last, I found peace and rest in God! I sealed my loyalty to God with a simple ritual. In solitude I took a lily flower. Then I vowed, “Satan, this flower belongs to you. But from now on, my whole life belongs to Jesus alone.”

#God #Jesus #Christ #updcbc #sermon #sermons #church

[asterinjapan]

Peach cental

Good evening from the city of peaches!

Today was a travel day, but it was the least cumbersome of all my travel days, so I still had time to Do Stuff. So I’ve been busy, and I’m definitely going to bed early considering I have already reserved a train ticket for tomorrow at 8:30, haha.

So, from Fukuoka to Okayama! Here we go. As it turns out this entry got long, so apologies in advance...

I got up early to have breakfast in peace, had a very quick check-out, and proceeded to make my way to the station. I think this might be the first day my legs are legitimately protesting, and that’s mostly because I had to drag my suitcase with me. Thankfully, my hotel is pretty close to the station, and the entrance for the shinkansen trains is nearby as well. Of course, I was way too early, so I watched the Nozomi (the fastest of the shinkansen, which I can’t use with m JR pass) come and go before my train showed up, the Sakura.

It was a little under two hours to Okayama, passing Hiroshima and Fukuyama on the way. Fukuyama castle is a literal stone’s throw from the station, but I noticed the main tower was partially covered, so I’m glad I went to see that one last year already!

After a smooth trip, I arrived at Okayama station and all but went deaf upon exiting, because there were all kinds of events going on. Today is a national holiday (Health and Sports day I think), so I guess that had something to do with it. Also, it’s hot! I was already regretting my warm pants, but what can you do.

I’m staying in the same hotel as last year, which is very easily found from the station anyway, so that was only a quick trip. In the lobby, I took out the necessities for my ‘daily backpack’ and then asked if I could leave the rest of my luggage here, as I was too early for check-in. Thankfully I could, haha, because I had Plans that would be significantly troublesome if I had to drag my suitcase with me.

So, out of the hotel I went, following the Momotarou street down to Okayama castle! Okay, two things: Momotarou is everywhere here. He’s a character from a folk tale, in which an elderly couple found a giant peach in the river and upon cutting it open, a boy jumped out. They raised the boy as their own and he ended up becoming a hero, as he teamed up with a dog, pheasant and a monkey and went on to defeat ogres. His name is Momotarou, which basically means ‘peach boy’. The story is more or less set in the region – there’s a prince called Kibitsuhiko whose story might have inspired Momotarou, and the shrines dedicated to him can be found in Okayama. I talked about this for a bit last year too, when I stayed in Okayama for the first time. Anyway, this has a predictable result: peaches and Momotarou everywhere. So down from Peach boy Road, onto the castle!

I visited the castle last year with my friend, but there was a little something we didn’t get to do, so I was taking this chance to rectify that.

Upon arrival however, it turned out there was a festival of some kind going on. Fun atmosphere, but it did mean it was pretty busy, hmm.

Into the castle I went anyway! They want you to start the tour on the top floor, so I meekly followed that advice and made my way down. The Thing I wanted to do would start again at 1 PM, so I took my time exploring the different floors and reading the Japanese signage (not a lot was translated except for titles, but I found the general guide boards pretty easy to follow). There was also a special exhibition with works by Masago Kimiya, who has an affinity for drawing historical figures from the Three Kingdoms and Warring States eras. I had no idea what to expect, but these works were beautiful! They look more like glamorous photos than the stylized portraits from back then, and to top it off, the hall told the story of Ukita Hideie, who completed the castle after taking over from his father. He was a big name, actually. (History lesson to follow!)

The little states making up Japan until 1600 were at constant war with each other, called the Sengoku (Warring States) era. Attempts to unify the country were made by Oda Nobunaga and then Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Hideie sided with them and ended up being one of Hideyoshi’s five counselors, along with a guy called Tokugawa Ieyasu. Yeah, there he is again, That One Guy. Anyway, after Hideyoshi was assassinated, Ieyasu took control and two camps emerged: the one on Ieyasu’s side, and the loyalists to Toyotomi, including Hideie. At the decisive battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Ieyasu’s side won, unified Japan, and Hideie was to be punished. He fled to what is now Kagoshima until he was eventually betrayed and exiled to the island of Hachijojima, Tokyo, where he lived out his life until his 80s (!). His wife, princess Gou, stayed loyal to him and kept sending him support (like food, since rice barely grew on the island) until she passed away.

Later the castle went to the Ikeda clan, and it was being maintained until the Meiji Restauration in 1869. The Meiji government wanted to break with the samurai era and actually tore down a lot of castles, although it left Okayama castle alone, filling the outer moats and leaving the rest as it is. In 1945, bombers destroyed the castle as yet with the exception of the Tsukimi Yagura (watch tower for moon watching), and so the current reconstruction is from the 1960s. The lion-fish on top are gilded now, but in the old days, the main keep had gilded roof tiles too. It was thus also known as the Golden Crow castle, since the exterior is mostly black.

Whew, so far for a lot of history, haha. Can you tell I really like this castle? I definitely do. So much so that I read up on it, haha, although the exhibition hall was also very informative and had information in English.

On the second floor, there were some photo spots and the Thing I wanted to do: dressing up as a feudal era princess! Okay, look, the kimono on display is really pretty and the dress up is free, come on, I’m not gonna pass up on that opportunity. I had to hang around here for quite a while, as I was about an hour early, but once it was time, I was first in line! And wow, they’re not playing cheap here even though this is free. I got dressed up in a fancy kimono, got to pose all over the special room, got a wig on, got dressed up in another fancy kimono, and overall really got to make the most out of this experience. I checked my camera; there are literally a hundred pictures on there! One hundred! Wow.

So that was a really fun activity and I’m really glad I came back for it. I got a castle parfait at the café (with peach, of course, I was surprised they even offered strawberry as a different choice), and then went back outside again. I think the festival had a stage for a Momotarou something or another, geesh…

I made my way back to the station, foregoing checking into my hotel as I had another destination in mind: nearby Kurashiki!

You might remember last year’s floodings which hit Japan hard. Kurashiki was one of the cities hit, and so we didn’t end up visiting despite how close it is. So now for a second attempt, I took the local train bound for Kurashiki, which took like fifteen minutes. Told you it was close, haha.

Kurashiki is mostly known for its Bikan historical area, which is the old merchant quarter from back when the city became a river port and was so important it was placed under direct control of the shogunate. Many of the buildings are 17th century style wooden warehouses, now filled with restaurants and shops for the most part. There are also some curious museums nearby. (There was also a little shop with a board outside for figure skater Daisuke Takahashi, and that’s how I found out that both he and Keiji Tanaka hail from Kurashiki, haha. The more you know!)

I mostly went for the views, which were definitely a treat once I found the Bikan historical area: the description ‘Venice of Japan’ is surprisingly apt. There are tourist boats going through the canal area and they’re beautifully framed by the willows here. It’s also apparently a very popular backdrop for cosplayers, since I saw a TON of people dressed up as their favourite characters and posing for pictures here, haha. Guess that’s what I get for going on a holiday. It was fun to see though!

Nearby was Ivy Square, also aptly named as it contains buildings overgrown with ivy. It was the area where the first modern cotton mill of Japan was built, and the company from back then is actually still active.

I only wandered around here for a short bit though, and then found one of the little museums I mentioned. I hopped into the Momotarou Karakuri museum! Yep, peach boy strikes again. Karakuri apparently refers to a type of doll, which I did indeed see here, but the museum itself as a strange mix between optical illusions and a museum of Momotarou memorabilia. Not the first combination I would have thought of myself, but the staff was enthusiastic and led me through the illusions (all Momotarou/peach themed of course), encouraging me to try them out and taking a picture with my head through a giant peach, so now I can pretend I’m Momotarou myself, haha. Granted, the illusions weren’t super new, but they were very open about that (‘trick first invented 150 years ago’ listed), and it was still fun going through them. Next was a delightfully trippy little maze full of ghosts and ogres, since Momotarou had gone on a quest to defeat the ogres after all. I got better scares out of this one than out of the self-proclaimed haunted house in Huis ten Bosch, Sasebo some years ago, haha.

I was then led upstairs, which was very interesting as this was the museum part, showcasing all knids of Momotarou goods dating back hundreds of years in some cases. There was also a little English book with the story on display, and apparently they made a Mickey Mouse set at one point with Donald, Goofy, and Chip and Dale as the animal companions, haha.

This was a nice little break. Parts of it were definitely aimed at kids, but that didn’t make it any less fun.

 I had another museum planned, but I was getting rather tired, so after a quick round on Ivy Square, I walked back to the station. This time just taking the main road, because I had tried to take the shopping street route on my way here, but I somehow managed to – uh, mess up on going right ahead and had to google Maps my way out, oops. So the walk back to the station was significantly shorter, ahem.

After a matcha latte at the station, I went back to Okayama and decided to reserve some tickets for trains. Of course I had to secure my one-way trip to Tokyo, as that one will take about 4 hours, yikes. I should arrive at Shinagawa station around 12:30 now, plus half an hour added to get to Ikebukuro, so at least that’s not the entire day wasted on trains, haha. Although the shinkansen are super nice. There’s enough space for me to put my luggage in front of me, although it can get a little cramped for hours on end.

And then my second ticket: tomorrow, to Matsuyama! This is also quite the trip, over 2.5 hours, but it’s just one train, so I can hop on, doze off, and hop out at the terminal station, haha. I wanted to visit Matsuyama last year, but due to the same floodings, it was impossible at the time. And so I wasn’t going to wait much longer and made it my first daytrip from Okayama this time.

Anyway, after checking in to my hotel, I went back to the station for dinner, lamented the fact that one of my favourite restaurants from last year was closed for renovations along with a big part of the food court, found a different restaurant, and promptly ordered their super cute Halloween plate, haha. And now I’m back at the hotel for tonight!

 I suspect my report and photos will be up a little late tomorrow, ahem. Have a good evening, see you!

#report #japan 2019 #report: japan 2019 #report: travel #places: okayama #places: kurashiki

[cook-the-beans]

As I said in a previous post, you shouldn’t visit Bali thinking about the beaches, if you want great beaches, look at other Indonesian islands or even other countries in southern Asia. Said that what a better place to be than a city that doesn’t have a coastline, and is really well located to visit the best places around the island of Bali.

I’ve found that Ubud offers the best location, great and affordable accommodation and abundant vegan food options. Out of all the cities in Bali, Ubud is the best, not because is the most authentic one (far from that) but because it has good quality affordable touristic infrastructures in a perfect location to do days out to other places in the island. Within relatively short driving distances you have temples, museums, mountains, waterfalls, rice terraces, and many other natural sights.

The downside of Ubud is that feels a bit like the city is entirely set up to tourists, unfortunately, most places in Bali that offers good/affordable accommodation nowadays are like that. Although I still found that Ubud offered a good middle ground between touristic and local.

About Ubud

Ubud is located in the Gianyar region of Bali and is surrounded by lush rice paddies, and is one of the cultural centers of Bali. Ubud is extremely popular among tourists and a hub of yoga, spas and, vegan food.

Ubud like the rest of the island of Bali is a multi-religious place, but the predominant religion is Hinduism, called Agama Hindu Dharma, a blend of Shivaism and Buddhism. Their religion is a world apart from the Hindu religion in India. Ubud, like the rest of Bali, is home to countless temples, and their everyday life is inextricably intertwined with colorful and fascinating religious practices.

Bahasa is the language spoken and the currency used is the Rupiah ($1=Rp.14.800)

I have spent 10 days exploring the island of Bali, always based in Ubud, I had a motorbike to go to different places every day. Please be aware that I don’t advise in any way that you rent a motorbike there if you don’t have experience, Bali, its not the place to learn how to ride one. I never ever seen so many people with motorbike injuries during my travels like I saw in Bali. Road conditions are rough and traffic a nightmare, on top of that there are no rules…

Out of the 10 days only two were actually spent in Ubud, what I think is more than enough if you are not planning to do anything special like a yoga retreat or a course. So here are the top things to do in Ubud

At the end of the post check also what to avoid 🙂

What to do in Ubud

Campuhan Ridge Walk (8.5km, ~3h/4h)

This place is a serene and beautiful green path for an easy hike early morning, the path starts at the Campuhan Bridge and has an amazing view of the jungle, rice paddy fields, small villages, communities, temples, and passes over the lush river valley of Sungai Wos.

This is worth waking up early for, you can go any time during the day but it does get hot and crowded, at least the first part of the path.

  The Puri Saren Agungis – Ubud Royal Palace 

It’s far for being a spectacular place but is the hub of all of Ubud’s cultural events. The entrance is free.

Saraswati Temple (Water Palace)

Its one of the most beautiful temple in central Ubud with a great little walkway in between lotus ponds leading up to the temple. The Saraswati Temple is a Hindu temple built in the 19th century to adore the Goddess Saraswati (The Goddess of Knowledge).

Jalan Goutama 

It’s a road packed with organic everything, from restaurants, bars, cafes, ice-cream shops, etc. and has lots of local warungs serving cheap and delicious food. Here you will find restaurants for all tastes, budgets and, diets.

Jl. Kajeng

A road with messages written into the street paving. It’s really nice to stroll up here and read the message of peace, love and ‘vegan propaganda’.

Ubud Market

The market is a great place to stroll around. If you go very early in the morning (what I recommend) you can visit the produce market in the far south-east corner, and this is as authentic as it gets (7h-10h). Later on, you only have souvenir stalls, with clothes, homewares, jewelry, and other miscellaneous bits and pieces. Prices are always fully negotiable.

Watch a movie at Paradiso Ubud 

Paradiso Ubud is the world’s first organic vegan cinema and definitely worth a try! There are daily movie screenings and the food is delicious.

Food

Balinese food is delicious, and anywhere you go in Ubud there will be delicious vegan options on the menu.

Ubud is blessed with an abundance of great eateries, although menus are a little pricey compared to the rest of Indonesia if you don’t scuffle around backstreets. Local warungs or Padang rumah makan (eating house) are great options.

Massage

There is a tonne of little spas lining the roads in the center of Ubud with very reasonable prices. Why not treat yourself with a full body Balinese massage? You can find prices as lower as RP70.000 to 100.00 ($4.70 – $6.80) for one hour massage.

Wander around 

This is true for any place you visit, stroll around without a plan or a schedule, and lose yourself through narrow streets.. Because Bali is a predominantly Hindu island, there is always something to see, experience and smell.. for example, each morning you will find hundreds of little boxes called Canang Sari filled with flowers, offerings and burning incense.

Unfortunately, there is also a downside here, Ubud has Jammed traffic from vehicles and pedestrians, severely uneven, damaged and broken sidewalks, broken drainage holes with jagged metal bars, sidewalk vendors, shop displays and sometimes even motorbikes. So you are guessing correctly, walking can be a challenge that requires energy and art.

Motorbike around the Ubud countryside

Bali is a small island, so renting a motorbike gives you the freedom and access to explore the Balinese countryside. On your way to places is easy to stumble upon local festivals, cremation ceremonies,  pass by beautiful structures of intricately-carved stone, people flying kites in the fields, beautiful rice paddies, waterfalls, mountains, markets, temples…

⛔️ what to Avoid in Ubud

Sacred Monkey Forest

This is considered a must-do for many, for me is a must not. You do not need to pay to go to a jungle and to see macaques in Southeast Asia, literally you can do it everywhere, for free and without the crowds.

Plus these monkeys are not as cute as they look in the pictures they can be scary aggressive. If you are still planning a visit don’t take anything with you that you aren’t prepared to lose, monkeys can open bags with ease and are professional thieves. They are well trained at efficiently robbing tourists.

I know I’m just telling you to avoid one of the most popular Ubud attractions, but trust me on this one.

Shopping

Well maybe I’m a bit suspect on this one because to be fair I don’t shop, I’m already carrying my small bag around with me, and the last thing I need is extra weight 🙂 plus Ubud is extremely expensive (for Indonesian standards) you will find the same things much much cheaper somewhere else.

If you are into shopping go to the market but be prepared to haggle. Even if you don’t want to do any shopping I still think that you should give the market a visit but early in the morning, because by afternoon it gets seriously crowded.

Don’t buy spices or coffee on the market, most of it is fake.

Sungai Ayung Valley (6.5km ~4h) 

This was sposed to be a great trekking through the lush, tropical river valley but sadly has become an extortion scheme.

When you arrive at the Sayan Terrace hotel, you take the path downhill, there you will find some locals that are blocking the passage with a gate and you can only pass through if you pay RP.150.000 ($10) per person. We refused to pay and they didn’t allow us to pass. So we headed up the hill and we did a different trekking around the same area but instead of the 6.5km took us 15km 🙂

Be aware that the locals carry large sickles or machetes (that they are not using as farming tools) but for the threatening effect.

how to get to Ubud

If you arrive by air, the best option is unfortunately to take a taxi. As you know is always hard to negotiate taxi fares so it’s probably best to have that arrangement done in advance. Most places in Ubud will offer that service, negotiate with them and skip the hassle at the airport in Denpasar.

In August 2018 the taxi fares from Denpasar to Ubud were around RP. 250.000 to RP. 350.000 ($17-$23)

Just get ready for a very slow ride from Denpasar to Ubud, the traffic is just unbelievable. Ubud is about the same distance and time from the nearest port, where boats go to Gili Islands and Lombok.

Where to Stay

My suggestion is to stay close to the center, in a place that includes breakfast, offers transfer and that rents motorbike, this will prevent that you get in one of those motorbikes scams. Ubud has plenty of options with a great relation between quality and price. Make some research and look at the reviews.

I stayed in a great central place, and still in a quiet street. The family was really nice and welcoming, the room was clean and comfortable, and the price excellent, $8 per night with breakfast (I’m happy to pass the name of the place if you want).

Extra notes  

To visit temples, you must be dressed appropriately which includes wearing a sarong, that is basically a long piece of cloth that you wear wrapped around the body and tucked at the waist. Just bring one from home so you don’t need to buy or rent one.

Small temples are all around the city and each temple is unique in its own way.

Don’t buy water bottles, Bali has a project for water refills. Download the app and find the closest location. Ubud has several places offering this service for free or for a small fee (https://www.refillmybottle.com).

Indonesia is an affordable place to travel but especially in Bali, you need to be extra careful to not spend more than you budgeted.  Prices offered to tourists are always inflated and haggling is the only option to bring it within reason.

ATMs can be found easily throughout Ubud.

photography – all rights reserved – Ana Rocha

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Ubud a great hub to explore Bali As I said in a previous post, you shouldn't visit Bali thinking about the beaches, if you want great beaches, look at other Indonesian islands or even other countries in southern Asia.

#Bali #Indonesia #travel tips #Ubud #vegan #vegan indonesia #vegan travel

[drews-diary]

21.08.19

today’s diary entry is gonna be weird. also hi, its been a while. a few days ago, i learned that the fourteen year old i tutor has a boyfriend. and while that is a perfectly reasonable age to have a boyfriend i just cant get over the fact that someone born in 2007 is already capable of typing let alone dating. I remember when my friends little brother who was also born in 2007 was crawling around and cried cuz he hit his head on the table. but to be fair that didnt really bother me too much as i always felt as though i was stagnant and things around me were the ones always changing. 

But then today i was listening to taylor swift’s old albums cuz i was feeling nostalgic and i listened to fifteen from the fearless album that came out back in 2009 and i realized that she released that song when she was around twenty which means she probably wrote in when she was in her teens writing about how she knows so much more than she did back when was starting high school that she wish she could tell her younger self. and i remembered listening to that album as a child and expecting myself to feel the same by the time i became an adult. yet here i am at 21 no thoughts head empty. and i realized that even if i met 15 year old me there is next to nothing i would want to tell her because i still feel like i am more or less still the same ignorant uninformed person. the only thing i would tell her is to stop fucking around and focus on school. 

i feel like i dont have as much experience as the other people around me. I never used to care that i’ve never been romantically involved with someone, but i always thought it would happen eventually when i got to college but a three semesters have passed and i have yet to take a single class on campus. 

to be completely honest the only reason i am even fever writing this right now is because i had a ice cream blending cold brew from starbucks this evening because i had to get up excruciatingly early for class registration (which i completely failed at) and had three tutoring classes today meaning i didnt have time for my daily afternoon nap so the coffee was the only thing making sure i didnt fall asleep during my last class. I purposely dont drink coffee regularly so that i can use it like a magic potion when i need it and the caffeine hits me like a bus. it has been six hours and i am still wide-eyed i should not have gotten a grande. today was also my first time trying coldbrew so there’s that. i was kinda grateful for the effects because it made sure i was awake for today’s episode of hospital playlist but now i kinda wanna sleep since i didnt get much last night and i would like to make sure i dont miss my class tomorrow morning, i have to get up at at least ten, but here i am typing this.and i think i am just going to keep going.

my family moved recently, and for the time being my entire room is surrounded by bookshelves because my brother’s bed is too big and we cant fix any bookshelves into his room and i am only using a mattress topper thing for the next few months. this is because i finally convinced my mom to let me throw out that horrid bed with the curved head and foot board with the flower decorations that always dug into the back of my head, neck, and back when i was trying to read. so that is the situation in my room until the end of the year when hopefully my brother’s whole situation will be over and we can finally go furniture shopping and switch rooms. (we are also currently living in each other’s room because his permanent room aka my current room cannot fit his fucking gigantic boat bed. actually i really love that bed i wish he was still young enough to use it its so cute.

i find our new neighborhood unsettling. like its probably because i got so attached to our old house that we lived in for nine years but i dont know. the place we moved to is a location that i used to spend some time in when we first moved to korea but i literally havent been here in nine years as mentioned earlier, and i am slowly piecing my memories of the geography as well as blending it with the incredibly limited knowledge i have of the nearby surroundings that i built riding the bus and when i was learning to drive because the school that i went to is kind of near our new place. anyways to get back to the subject this new neighborhood is full of too many happy families with these little kids that run around with their sticky little fingers flailing around. like hello we are still in the middle of a global pandemic i swear to god parents of little kids will go loose their minds when their children get sick yet they let them just run around spreading their disgusting little disease to the rest of us. ugh i hate kids. but thats besides the point the reason i think the new neighborhood feels dystopian is because all of the families, children and the elders too (why are there so many elders like i dont hate them or anything most of them are fine but like where are they all coming from?) look so happy. where are the depressed high schoolers and burnt out college students? my brother and i dont seem to have any friends in this bitch. anyways so the sheer amount of happiness that seems to radiate around me reminds me of books and movies like the giver you know or like the uglies series where you start off in this utopian-esque world until you find out that it is actually fake. its unsettling. 

okay now i am kind of tired good night. wait also the public transportation at our new place fucking sucks i know it’s pretty good by regular standards but i am used to subway stations, convenience stores, cafes and bus stops all being 30 seconds away from the entrance of my building. okay the bus stop took more like two minutes but whatever. and buses used to come every five minutes but now i have to walk at least ten minutes to the nearest subway station and the bus stops only have three buses and even those take so fucking long to arrive and they dont even arrive when they say they will they are always late which is why i end up fucking walking twenty minutes to the subway station because that way at least i can guarantee that i am not going to be completely late. unreliable ass buses.

fuck there’s a lot i dont like about my new neighborhood. oh wait we are also far from malls now i have to walk like half an hour to get to the nearest mall when at our old house i only had to walk ten minutes and the mall close to our new house is worse than the old one. this one’s movie theatre isnt even famous. but dont get me wrong i guess there are things i like about our new place like how you can call the elevator from inside the house or how there’s a gym and the fact that i now have ac in my room. i am just being a brat because i really loved our old house. it was perfect. even if i felt as though i was being burned alive during the summers sometimes. i also like my new blinds that let in light in the shape of constellations. 

i dont currently have a desk in my room so i dont know what im going to do when school starts again in a few weeks i guess i’ll have to take my lecture on the floor or maybe on the kitchen table idk.

[euroman1945-blog]

The Daily Tulip

The Daily Tulip – News From Around The World

Sunday 8th  July 2018

Good Morning Gentle Reader….  The day at the beach yesterday was fantastic, so good that I think I will do the same today, but as always, I have my faithful companion Bella to think about first, and she is eager to go for a walk… So out the door into the sultry heat of the night, cicadas frantically rubbing their back legs together break the silence of this Sunday morning, as we head towards the hermitage, one of our regular early morning walks, we walk under the arbor of the Flame Trees that when in bloom I am very allergic to, but all worries of that are long gone, all the yellow blossoms are laying dried on the floor… As we climb the hill, the church bells ring for the faithful, getting fewer everyday…at the top we pause and watch as a helicopter, lights ablaze sweeps over the ocean below, this is the time of the year the people try to cross the Straights of Gibraltar in rubber craft, and the drug runners try to cross in similar boats with more powerful engines at the same time, but Spain and Gibraltar work together to prevent this… Bella and I have had enough excitement for the start of a Sunday, so we turn for home, Coffee and Dog Food, await our arrival….

SHEERAN CHAPEL KNOCKED ON THE ED…. Ed Sheeran has been denied planning permission for a private wedding chapel in the grounds of his home. The 27-year-old chart-topper had hoped to wed fiancee Cherry Seaborn in the custom-built Saxon-style round tower at his estate in Dennington, Suffolk. But planning officials said the structure would cause "unsatisfactory visual impacts" and create "the impression of a second village church". It is not known if the couple will appeal or opt for an alternative venue.Suffolk Coastal District Council refused the application because the design would "be in conflict with the prevailing landscape character, creating the impression of a second village church". "This would result in visual conflict with the character of the existing local landscape," it added. The singer's application said the building would not be hired out and was solely intended for use by the owner. It justified the need for a chapel and said: "It is every person's right to be able to have a place of retreat for contemplation and prayer, for religious observance, celebration of key life and family milestones, marriages, christenings and so forth." Sheeran, who announced his engagement in January, has faced opposition from locals over the project. He had called in experts to check whether great crested newts could scupper his plans for the private chapel after concerns from people living nearby.The species has declined in recent years and is now legally protected. But, aside from the visual impact, planning officials also said it was not a sustainable development and would require artificial lighting in an area not currently polluted by light.Had the planning application been successful, Sheeran would have needed to obtain a wedding licence for the ceremony.

INDIA FAMILY FOUND HANGED FROM CEILING IN DELHI HOUSE…Eleven members of an extended family have been found dead in a house in India's capital, Delhi - 10 of them hanging from the ceiling, police say. A woman in her 70s was the only one found lying on the floor. Most of the dead were blindfolded and gagged with their hands tied behind their backs. What lies behind the deaths is unclear and police have not ruled out murder. But they also released a statement saying they had found evidence of "mystical practices" by the family. The full police statement refers to handwritten notes found in the house which pointed to "definite spiritual and mystical practices" that appear to have some links to the deaths. They are still waiting for the results of the post-mortem examinations, questioning neighbours and examining CCTV footage of the area.One police official told the AFP news agency it was "still too early" to know what happened. "It is an ongoing investigation and we haven't ruled out anything," he said. The family had lived in the Burari district of Delhi for more than 20 years, although they were originally from Rajasthan. They ran two shops on the ground floor of a three-storey building. The bodies were discovered by a neighbour when he went to buy milk on Sunday morning…. Well this gives a new meaning to “Come over the house and hang out with the family!” 

NUDE MODEL'S WESTERN WALL PHOTO SHOOT SPARKS ANGER…. A Belgian artist has faced a backlash in Israel after posing nude in front of one of Judaism's most sacred sites. Marisa Papen posted the image of herself reclining naked on a rooftop overlooking the Western Wall in Jerusalem. The rabbi of the site described the incident as "grave and lamentable". Last year, Ms Papen was briefly detained after taking naked photos at an ancient Egyptian temple in Luxor. On her website, the young model describes her way of life as "a naked form of freedom where masks are torn off and thrown in the ocean". Many of her publicly posted images are nude modelling shots taken all over the world. In a blog post on Saturday entitled "The Wall of Shame", the model said her experiences in Egypt had made her want "to push the bounderies [sic] of religion and politics even further... [by] showing my personal religion in a world where freedom is becoming a very luxurious thing". She said her three-day visit to Israel had coincided with the 70th anniversary of its founding, and the controversial opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem in May. Photos from the trip showed the model in the Dead Sea and straddling an Israeli flagpole. But the most provocative image was of Ms Papen posing naked in view of the Western Wall. It is a remnant from the time of the biblical second Jewish temple and the most sacred place where Jewish people can pray. Jewish religious authorities were quick to condemn the photograph. The Rabbi of the Western Wall, Shmuel Rabinovich, told Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper: "This is an embarrassing incident, grave and lamentable, which offends the sanctity of the site and the feelings of those who visit the holy places." 

'HERO' DOG BITTEN BY RATTLESNAKE WHILE PROTECTING OWNER…. Move over K-9, there's a new superdog in town.Todd the golden retriever was labelled a hero for putting himself in harm's way to protect his owner - and was bitten by a rattlesnake in the process. Paula Godwin posted the story to Facebook, alongside pictures of Todd's swollen face, describing what happened."As we were walking down the hill I literally almost stepped on a rattlesnake. But my hero of a puppy Todd saved me."Todd was called into action when Paula found herself face-to-face with a rattlesnake on a hike trail in Arizona. "He bolted by my leg," she told the BBC. "That's when he was hit by the snake. "Todd was yelping right away, crying. I picked him up, ran down the hill with my other dog Copper, and we got him to the hospital within about 10 minutes of being bit. "He got the anti-venom quickly and was in the hospital for about 12 hours. "He for sure saved me from being bit. He's my hero." Paula explained that she was aware of the risks rattlesnakes pose where she lives, but said that this particular reptile was almost undetectable. "I am a native from Arizona," she said, "I know all the dangers, I am very vigilant of where I am and my surroundings. "This snake did not give any indication he was there. Usually if I hear that rattle I am alert and I am backing away. "I think he was just resting in the road - he was a grey speckled white rattlesnake, he looked just like the road. "I am so aware, so vigilant, but I didn't see him." Pictures of Todd have been widely shared online, with popular Twitter account WeRateDogs calling the puppy "a true hero".

MAN STUCK UP 32FT LAMP-POST IN BIRMINGHAM ENGLAND…. The fire service said they had no idea how the man got up the lamp-post. A man thought to have taken an illegal high became stuck at the top of a lamp-post and was rescued by firefighters.The man somehow scaled the 32ft (10m) lamp-post in Birmingham and became stranded at the top for an hour. Crews used a ladder from a hydraulic platform to get him down. A spokesman said they had no idea how he got there. The fire service tweeted he had taken an "illegal high" and the incident could have "ended very differently." West Midlands Ambulance Service said they were called to reports of a man in "a precarious position at the top of a lamppost" just before 22.00 BST on Saturday. He was treated for a hand injury and taken to Sandwell Hospital. And a West Midlands Police spokeswoman added: "We were called to reports of a man up a lamppost in Holly Road, Handsworth, at around 9.50pm. He came down around an hour later and was taken to hospital."

Well Gentle Reader I hope you enjoyed our look at the news from around the world this, morning… …

Our Tulips today are a little different, hope you enjoy...

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Sunday 8th July 2018 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in 

Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus

#Travel#News#Blog#Love#dog#Bella#Spain#Gibraltar

#travel #news #blog #bella #spain #gibraltar

[leisurelypanda]

To be honest, Steve didn't have any idea what was going on. One moment he was asking his boyfriend to have sex with him someday, the next he was scared out of his wits. He and Thor spent more time together than ever. It was a few days before Steve once again found himself with his shirt off and Thor tenderly kissing the scars left long ago. Just like before, he found himself feeling exposed and vulnerable. Unlike before, Thor removed his shirt as well and their chests touched. Steve trembled against him. Thor made no move, however, to press his advantage.

Not that it helped with Steve's arousal. And this second time, he could feel the evidence of Thor's. And that, more than anything, more than being with him or showing him his scars, more than the idea of standing up to his father, terrified him. The idea that someone could somehow want him in… that way.

He could barely sleep at night, going over what he said to him, wondering if he made a mistake, whether Thor really wanted him at all or if he was just a horny teenager. He wondered if he truly was falling for him or if he himself was a horny teenager. He wondered if he would ever really be ready when Thor was ready. He even wondered whether all of this was a good idea.

On the Friday before Thanksgiving, Steve awoke feeling like he hadn't slept at all. His alarm went off 5 times before his mom was forced to practically pull him out of bed so he could get ready for school. They barely got out the door to get to school on time. On the way to school, Steve looked down at his phone to see a text from his boyfriend. It made sense, he would usually have been at the meeting place 15 minutes ago by now.

Are you well?

I’m fine, I was just late getting out of bed, he replied.

I am relieved. See you soon :)

He smiled in spite of himself at the fact that Thor was worried about him. It didn’t help his conundrum, though.

“Mom, can I ask you something?”

“Of course, dear,” she said.

“How do you know when you’re... ?” he trailed off.

“When you’re what?” she asked.

“...in love,” he said. His mom, thankfully, didn’t laugh at him. She smiled knowingly.

“It depends. You might think about him constantly, you might feel really, really good when you’re around them, you might feel really, really stressed--”

“Well, if anyone can accomplish feeling really happy and really stressed at the same time,” he said. “I think it’s me.”

She laughed at that. “You make future plans with him--”

“Like Thanksgiving,” he interrupted again.

“Yes, like that,” she said with a smile. It had been years since they actually went somewhere with a Thanksgiving dinner. Bucky always visited family elsewhere, so it was usually just the two of them. “You might feel safe when you’re with him and things that might terrify you don’t seem as bad if you’re with him.”

Steve remembered the night Thor got him to go on the roller coasters at Coney Island. He hated it, but somehow it didn’t fill him with trepidation like it did. He’d do it again. That was to say nothing of the daily fear that he lived with that he wasn’t living up to Thor’s expectations or that he was somehow failing him. Thor had a… soothing presence. Even if it didn’t help completely, it did help some.

“I think I might be falling in love with Thor,” he said quietly. She smiled with sympathy.

“I know, dear,” she whispered, reaching out to squeeze his hand. “I know.”

“I don’t know what to do,” he confessed.

“Have you told him?” she asked.

“Well, a couple weeks ago I said I thought I was falling hard for him,” he said.

“What did he say?”

“He said he was in the same boat,” he replied. “But I don’t want to like… scare him off, you know?”

“Well, you don’t have to say anything just yet,” she said. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll be surprised.”

“I wish I could know for sure,” he said.

“I know you do,” she whispered. Shortly after she pulled into the school parking lot. “Now, dry your eyes and hurry on inside before you’re late to class.”

“Thanks mom,” he said, grabbing his backpack. “Love you!”

“I love you, too,” she said with a wave. -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steve didn’t get a chance to talk to Thor until school let out. For a school that was about to go on break, the teachers were oddly insistent that they get shit done. Except for Ms. Foster, who seemed to understand that at the end of the day, no one was really paying attention to physics. Not with a week off school so within reach.

“Have you been sleeping, älskling?” Thor asked after class.

“Not really,” he admitted as they trudged down to the parking lot. They made plans to hang out after school today, to celebrate a break from school. “I’m pretty sure I went most of the night without.”

“Is it your anxiety?” he asked.

Yes. “No, I’ve just been working too hard,” he replied. Thor raised an eyebrow but didn’t contradict him. He wasn’t sure whether that was a good sign or not. Besides, if the bags under his eyes were any indication, Thor looked like he was short on sleep, too.

“Maybe we can take a nap before we do anything else today,” Thor said. Steve snickered.

“Does the mighty Thor take naps?” he asked.

“The mighty Thor takes power naps,” his boyfriend replied with a grin. “Care to join me?”

Perhaps against his better judgment, Steve nodded as he stifled a yawn. He managed to last until they got to Thor's house. As soon as they were on the couch, Steve laid his head on his boyfriend's shoulder and fell right to sleep. -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steve was standing in the middle of a golden palace. All around him people wore garments that hadn't been seen in easily 1000 years. There were robes so regal he couldn't imagine the cost, warriors in armor that gleamed in the golden light. He couldn't help but feel like he was out of place until he looked down at himself. He was dressed in soft, form fitting blue robes with a burgundy tunic beneath.

He looked up and, to his shock, he stood in the middle of a crowded throne room. The people cheered. Steve immediately felt self-conscious being the center of everyone's attention. At the end of the hall in front of the steps ascending to the throne was… Thor… on a majestic, white horse. Clad in glittering black armor that outlined his muscular form, a long red cape that dragged behind him on the floor, and a hammer, of all things, he was the image of royal bearing. His boyfriend beamed at him as he approached.

When Steve arrived at the foot of the stairs, Thor dismounted and kissed him full on the lips to the adoring cheers of the public.

“Welcome,” a voice boomed. Steve jumped and looked up at the throne. It was Odin, but instead of looking like a thundercloud as he so often did, he looked kind, gentle even. Strangely, he also wore an eye patch and he held a great spear in one hand. Next to him on one side was Frigga, smiling down at him and Loki on the other. Tony was there too, and he looked as out of place as Steve felt.

“My firstborn son shall declare his intentions today before our court,” he intoned.

“Huh now?” Steve asked. Thor walked over to him and took his hand in his, lacing their fingers together as they so often did.

“My love,” he said in a clear, powerful voice. “I have never been happier since I have known you. Your beautiful heart and your warrior's spirit have enticed me like no other. With your blessing, I will make you my husband and consort. Will you have me?”

“Yes!” he cried. “Yes I will!”

“Let it be known,” Odin intoned. “That I, Odin All-father, bless and sanction this union!”

The throne room erupted in cheers and Thor captured Steve's lips in a passionate kiss. Then he lifted him up onto the horse. Steve gripped the saddle for dear life as Thor mounted the steed behind him.

“I have you, my love,” he whispered. He gripped the reins and drove the horse into a gallop. They rode through the streets, people cheering as they passed and they kept riding until finally they reached the limits of the golden city.

“Ready for the next adventure?” Thor asked. Steve smiled and laid a hand on his.

“Always,” he said. Thor moved the horse to a trot and they rode out into the gleaming sunset. -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steve awoke on the couch feeling somewhat disoriented. For one, he was lying down. His head was resting against something… not uncomfortable, but definitely too firm to be a pillow. He felt someone's hand in his hair and heard someone snoring softly above him. Another arm was resting protectively on his back. His arms were also wrapped around something warm. It was then that he realized that he was literally sleeping on Thor. Steve's body was nestled between Thor's legs and his head rested on his stomach.

Thor's breaths were slow and even. Steve was in the awkward position of wanting to cuddle with his boyfriend but also wanting to do something. With nothing better to do, he thought back on the dream he had. It wasn’t like most dreams he remembered. Most were bad, based in some kind of fear, according to Dr. Erskine. This one, this one was positively joyful. It was strange. The image of Thor as a kind of knight in shining armor seemed appropriate. It did fit somewhat with how he saw him. He reached for his backpack on the floor beneath him and took out his sketchbook. He was going to try and capture that image.

Trying to draw something from a memory as hazy as a dream was always challenging. He had already drawn Thor. That picture was more or less done by now. He just needed to make a few adjustments. Motivation to work on it had been fleeting over the past few weeks. He looked up an image of a white horse for a reference. Having only ever seen horses a handful of times, and then mostly in movies or videos, it was difficult at first. He managed to get the dimensions right after a few tries. Drawing Thor on top of it would be another challenge. He went through half a dozen sheets of paper before he was satisfied with the outcome.

In lieu of drawing dozens of separate, distinct faces, Steve decided to just draw the sun through a large, open window with Loki and Frigga in the background. He debated drawing Odin as well, but decided to forego it for now. Odin left a bad taste in Steve’s mouth. He couldn’t figure out why. The sun shone its rays down on the figures there, filling the room with the golden light from Steve’s dream.

Steve set the drawing aside and stretched his cramped hand. His fingers had long since formed calluses where he held his pencils when he was sketching. He looked over at Thor. He was still sleeping, none the wiser, evidently. His face was gentle, serene. Stray strands of hair fell across his face. His beard was getting a bit long, but it was well groomed and neat, not like the messy, scraggly beards young people seemed to have more often than not. He honestly couldn’t imagine him clean shaven. He found his beard too attractive to entertain the thought for long.

He leaned back against him. He relished the warmth of his body. Thor hummed and wrapped one of his arms back around him. Steve smiled and rested his head against his chest.

Then, whether it was bravado or if he was spending too much time with Loki, a wonderful, mischievous thought occurred to him. He moved up Thor's body and began to kiss his neck. His hand sneaked up to his hair and ran his hands through it, massaging his scalp.

Thor purred. Whether it was in his sleep or if he was beginning to wake up, Steve couldn't tell. But he took it as a good sign. He continued his ministrations, moving to suck at his neck and sneaked a hand up beneath Thor's shirt to feel his body. He trembled. This boldness wasn't usually his thing. Maybe Thor was rubbing off on him.

Thor hummed beneath him. He was beginning to stir beneath him. His hands began to roam over his body. Steve shivered as his hands touched his sides, trying not to laugh. His hands reached the small of his back… then went past it to rest on his ass.

“Thor,” Steve whispered.

“Steve,” Thor replied. His hands continued to grope him. Thor bucked his hips slightly and Steve gasped as he realized they were both hard. He bit his lip and moaned.

Thor's eyes fluttered open. His hands paused for a moment and Steve froze.

“Is this a dream?” he asked. He, perhaps hesitantly, squeezed Steve's ass. Steve moaned and jumped in Thor's arms as his boyfriend began to knead his ass. “If it is, it is a good dream.”

“No,” he whispered.

Thor paused and his hands rose up to his back.

“Please,” he whispered into Thor's ear. He pulled his hair, gently. “Don't stop.”

Thor regarded him for a moment. Then Thor kissed him and returned his hands to where they had been. It was the slow, lazy kiss of a man who had everything he wanted and Steve smiled against his lips.

“My little hero,” he whispered. “How brave you are becoming.”

Steve preened at the endearment. One of Thor's hands squeezed his ass again. The other snaked up below his shirt. Steve hummed as he felt Thor's callused hand caress the small of his back. He arched into the touch, pressing the evidence of his arousal against his boyfriend's.

“Oh my God!” he gasped. He blushed so much he thought his face would burst into flames. He tried to get away, but Thor pulled him close and rolled them over so Steve was trapped between him and the couch cushions. He was completely shocked when Thor began to rut himself against him.

Someone made a disgusted noise. He saw Loki covering his head with a hand.

“If you two must hump each other,” he said. “You might want to wait until everyone's gone or find somewhere private to do it.”

Steve hid is mortification in Thor's neck until Loki left.

“We can stop if you want,” Thor whispered.

Do I want that? he wondered. It was hard to think clearly. He wanted the physical proximity. He wanted to be with Thor, but… was he ready for their relationship to go there? It wasn't like they would go that far today, but still, it felt like a big deal. He couldn't help the surge of anxiety as he realized what his answer was.

“Yes,” he said. “I want to stop. I'm sorry.”

Thor rested his head against Steve's. “You need not apologize, älskling,” he said. “We do not have to do anything you are not ready for.”

Steve closed his eyes and breathed in tandem with his boyfriend. He felt his heart rate begin to settle. He released a shaky breath.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

“It is no trouble, my little hero,” Thor replied. He kissed his nose and sat up. “What's this?”

Thor held up the picture of him from Steve's dream. Steve had managed to get the rough outline of the picture mostly done. If he wanted to, he could start sketching with colors.

“Oh. That,” he said. “It’s something knew that came to me.”

“Should I pose on a horse to help your process?” he asked with a grin. “I can ride a horse, if you want.”

“Do you happen to have a red cape as well?” Steve asked drily. "What about a suit of armor?"

“Alas, I do not,” he replied. “My heroic visage will be incomplete. I would like to see it when it is complete.”

“I can do that,” Steve agreed. “Speaking of completed drawings, I have this.”

He flipped to the page with the final edition of the picture he had started sketching some weeks back and handed it to his boyfriend. Thor held it gently.

“You did this with colored pencils?” he asked in amazement.

“It's not that impressive,” he said.

“Älskling, I do not know what you compare your art to,” Thor said as he gazed at the picture. “But you are too modest. This is amazing.”

“Thanks babe,” he said. He wasn't sure whether to believe him. He personally didn't think that his art was that impressive. But it was rude to turn down a compliment, he had learned.

“Do you mind if I show mother?” he asked. “She wanted to see it, remember?”

Steve fell back against the couch cushions again.

“Fine.” -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Whether it was empty flattery or if Frigga genuinely loved it, Steve wasn't sure how to react. Frigga stared at it for a long time, her eyes wandering over every little detail examining. He sat still and waited for any word of criticism. She was silent, though. He felt a bit like he was in the hot seat. He was trying not to fidget.

“Steve,” she said. “This is truly remarkable.”

“It's nothing special,” he said. “I mean, it's just some scribbles on a piece of paper. I can't make real art like you.”

“Steve, false modesty isn't attractive on anyone,” she said. “What you have here is art as much as anything I've ever done.”

“But--”

Frigga set down the drawing and took his hands in hers. For the first time, he noticed that she also had calluses from practicing her art. She looked into his eyes with such gentleness that whatever protest he had prepared died on his tongue.

“Sweetheart,” she said. “It's okay to be proud of what you've done. To be happy with what you've managed to achieve. This is something to take pride in. Don't be ashamed of anything that makes you happy.”

Tears welled in his eyes. He wished, very briefly, that he wasn't such an easy crier. It made him feel weak. Frigga looked at him for another long moment and drew him into a gentle, motherly embrace. It was a bit like hugging Thor, actually.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

“My dear boy,” she whispered back. “Anytime.”

#thundershield #stevethor #thorsteve #steve rogers x thor #marvel #avengers #Thundering Heart #Ballad of the Thundering Heart #fanfic #my work

[planet-inanity-blog]

Skeleton #9: THE PIANO

We lived in the basement apartment of an old hotel for a few months when I was 26 and she was 28. Or maybe she was 27 then -- I can't remember if it was before or after her birthday, but it was definitely June when we moved in. The stickiest June I could remember, and I had grown up in southern Florida, so that was saying something. Anyway, this was a temporary housing situation necessitated by the end of our old lease and the inopportune timing of renovations at the place we were going to be moving into. Apparently, one of her friends had a cousin who worked at this hotel and occasionally, while the owner was on holiday, rented out some of the more spacious hotel rooms (such as the basement suite) for half of the normal price, keeping all of the proceeds for himself. Evidently the bookkeeping wasn't very tight around here. It was peak tourist season in June, and the hotel was filled with rotund Midwesterners and the ever-present aroma of Banana Boat sunblock. Mostly, due to our semi-shady existence in the basement suite, we tried to stay out of the way of the other guests, blasting the free AC and binging on HBO shows, which were some of the only perks of living in a hotel. The only time we ventured beyond the ground floor was early in the morning to visit the continental breakfast on the fourth floor, which overlooked the green-tinged chlorinated water of the pool in the middle of the atrium. At the time of day we went, there were typically only a few older folks eating their yogurt and reading James Patterson novels, and they really didn't pay us much attention. Though it was not the most ideal living situation, we sunk into our daily routines and functioned reasonably well -- for a while at least. Then, we got bored. Bored of our premium cable access and bored of the things that you talk about when you have no (literal) windows to the outside world. We started to wander around late at night when the hallway lights were dimmed and often sat by the pool drinking makeshift cocktails from mason jars while we disrupted the moonlight that glinted off the surface of the water with the absent-minded paddling of our feet. One night, a Thursday, close to 3AM, she was explaining to me the time that George H.W. Bush vomited into the lap of the Japanese prime minister (which she had just learned about from a coworker), and I was trying very hard to contain myself and refrain from spitting bourbon and coke into the pool, when we heard the faint tinkling sounds of a piano being played from somewhere above us. With furrowed brows, we quieted down and looked at each other, quite perplexed, for as far as we knew, there were no pianos in the hotel, and not even a speaker system to play piano music over. Without a word, we got up and silently padded out of the pool area and ascended the central staircase, making sure that the concierge in the lobby was fast asleep at his desk as usual before proceeding. When we got to the top floor and were standing amidst the overturned chairs that would soon be occupied by granola-eating octogenarians, we paused once more and tried to ascertain where exactly this somber music was coming from. The song, perhaps Ravel or Debussy, was still very faint, but it was almost certainly coming from the direction of the bar. At first, we thought that the bartender might have stashed a radio behind the bar and had simply forgotten to turn it off when he left for the night, but after a careful search of the premises, we found nothing of the sort. And yet, it was clear that the sounds were emanating from some undisclosed source in our vicinity. Then, just as the song reached its melancholic climax, the piano music ceased, and there came the sound of something heavy slamming shut. The sound was singular and had an air of finality, and sure enough, after that the only noise that could be heard in the whole hotel was the gurgling from the cherubic fountain in the lobby. Perplexed but lulled into a sort of trance by the soft piano music and its abrupt finale, we left the breakfast area without a word between us and retreated to our basement dwelling to sleep. The next night, curious as to whether the haunting music would return, we repeated our late night ritual and again sat by the pool together, this time our conversation finding more empty space as we focused our attention on listening for any change in the sonic textures swirling around the atrium. Sure enough,  the music came back, but about an hour later than it had the night before when we were just about to give up and head to bed. This time the song was a slow jazz ballad, a piano arrangement of a Coltrane interpretation of an old jazz standard that I couldn't quite place.  Again, we climbed the central stairs to the fourth floor dining area, and again, we were dumbfounded as to where the music was coming from. When the song again stopped with a loud thud, we returned to our apartment and made a pact with each other to discover the source of the mysterious piano sounds by the time we moved on to our new apartment. From then on, though the piano did not sound every night (as far as we could tell -- we had to sleep too!), it came with enough consistency that we were certain we would be able to solve the mystery before we left our windowless hovel, but as the last month of our stay at the hotel came to a close, we still had garnered no more information that we had that first night. On the very last night of our stay, we decided in our obsession to go all in and stay up all night listening for the piano. Around 4:15 AM, she had fallen asleep in a lounge chair by the poolside, and I, having had too much espresso after dinner, decided to pace around the hotel for a bit to pass the time. Inevitably, after circling around the atrium on the second and third floors, I ended up on the fourth near the breakfast area. From the railing, I could see her still sleeping peacefully four floors below, and decided that instead of hanging around waiting for something that might or might not ever happen again to occur, I would like to curl up next to her for the last few hours of the night on the adjacent lounge chair. Just as I was headed back down the central staircase, I stole a glance at the bar and noticed a strong vertical shadow to one side of the liquor shelf that I had never seen before. Something about that shadow called to me in the dimness of the early morning and pulled me closer to it, and as I got within a few yards of it, I saw that the shadow did not exist on its own volition, but rather was caused by a panel behind the bar being slightly ajar. My curiosity got the best of me and I pushed on the panel in the direction it opened. Without so much as a creak, the panel yielded and gave way to an elegant staircase large enough for four or five people to walk up side by side. It was marble, or at least had a convincing marble veneer finish, and had elaborate golden banisters on either side and up the middle. The stateliness and cleanliness of this hidden area was so incongruous with the shabby nature of the rest of the hotel that as I ventured forward, I felt as if I had been instantaneously transported into another era in the hotel's timeline. I reached the top of the staircase and stepped out onto the floor of a small but decadent ballroom with the same marble and gold finish, dimly lit by a low-hanging glass chandelier. And directly under that chandelier, well, there it was, the phantom piano, a beautiful black grand with intricate floral engravings covering every square inch of the surface. My heart was racing and I could hardly contain my excitement -- I had to go wake her up and share my discovery! I spun around on my feet and started to bound giddily down the staircase two stairs at a time but... when I reached the threshold of the hidden doorway behind the bar, I had an overwhelming desire to play the piano first before alerting anyone else to its presence. Rationally, I thought as I shut the doorway and moved ponderously back up the steps, this didn't make much sense, for I had never played anything more complex than "Chopsticks" on a piano before, and I wasn't even sure I remembered how to play that. I knew that listening to play one of the jazz numbers she knew by heart would bring me much greater enjoyment, but still... I just had to play a few notes without anyone else around. Secret, precious, private notes, just for me. I sat down on the hard piano bench and timidly pecked at a high "A" with an index finger, and... there was no sound at all that accompanied the action, not even muted twang to indicate a broken string -- nothing! When I let go of the depressed key, it rose slowly back to meet the rest of keys, and as it did I suddenly had a mental image of all of the silent keys of the piano overlayed on the keyboard in front of my like the hazy spots you get from rubbing your eyes too long. Blinking, I tried to clear theses visages from my sight while my fingers, on their own volition, found their way to the working keys and curled into a preparatory position. It was as if I was watching this all go down through a pinhole camera, and that camera's pinhole happened to be my entire head, like a massive hole had been bored from the back to the spot between my eyes. My fingers, on a limited set of keys, started to play a sedate tune that I had never heard before, moving like drunken spiders in their sidesteps from one key to the next. Somewhere inside of me, a pea-sized disturbance was trying desperately to make me cease these automatic movements and call for her at the top of my lungs, but its pleas were silenced by the sheer density of the rest of my body, and I felt something in the thick, slippery, suddenly foreign skin surrounding me directing me to play the song to completion. But this desire was shortsighted, for as the song swelled to its mournful summit, the granule of resistance inside of me screamed and sputtered as the ebbing darkness started to press in around the edges of my pinhole view.  Then, as my fingers struck the chord marking the exact center of the song, the darkness was suddenly all-encompassing, and the thud that we had heard at the end of every piano session sounded and obliterated any protective layers that had surrounded my panicked core and it burst open easily, spilling the precious fluid of my being into the darkness with a final shriek at maximum volume. And then... though exhausted, I was finally able to force myself off that piano bench... or... at least that's what I intended my body to do. As the lid of the piano creaked back to its open position and my sight was restored, I found myself frozen in place, looking up at the ceiling of the ballroom from... inside the lid of the piano. As I looked about from side to side, I grasped simultaneously the reality and the impossibility of the space I now inhabited. Next to me, each packed neatly under their own piano string, I saw the saddened but knowing faces of a few people that I recognized as former guests of the hotel. I tried to speak to them, reach out to them with my body and voice, but no matter how hard I tried, my efforts folded back on my two dimensional prison like they never exited at all, and it was in this moment that I knew I would not be able to warn her even if I was only a few centimeters away from the first notes of her song.

[hihereami]

hey! firey here, ik ur in argentina but do you know about the venezuela thing? has it really gotten as violent as theyre saying it has?

Hello honey!

1- As you said, I'm from Argentina. Therefore, I'm halfaway the continent from Venezuela and, while my information comes from locals that emigrated here, news channels & local venezuelan and colombian reporters with youtube channels that my dad checks out every day, it can be sieged or veiled. I don't live close. I have mediums of info but at the end of the day, I'm more or elss in the same boat that the rest of the world.

2- There's an information war going on in/over Venezuela right now. Be careful with what you hear or read because everything is messed up, changed and edited. Check all your sources and try to filter.

3- Apparently, yes, the situation right now is dire. But it has been fucked up and catatonic for years. The first venezuelan immigrants I knew here in my country came circa 2013 (kinda?). Things were weird and slowly worse under Chavez's command, they told me, but when Maduro took over is like hell really broke loose. A lot has been going on. People have immigrated in mass and it's middle, professional class or students the ones I get to meet in Buenos Aires. Since 2014 I've been hearing about supermarkets being out of stock, medicine not being found, prices of things such as bread or water blowing up and people (professionals, too, not just working class people) scraping their salary to get to eat. Also insecurity grew in the country and I know someone whose father stayed in their house while the whole fam emmigrated because he didnt want to lose the house he'd worked so hard for. If he emmigrated,it'd be taken either by the goverment or by a gang or by the police. Also, people have been taken. It sounds way too much like the USA dictatorships in argentina in the last century that happened in latin america but, yknow, with Cuba/Russia/China as allies.

4- I have in my knowlege about the power shutdown a few weeks ago - that happened even in hospitals so people literally died over it and well, corpses are stored in hospitals in friges so... yeah, no power is no good. Maduro blames USA, USA blames Maduro, people all around the world defend the one they agree with ideologically the most and on and on and on. I have in my knowledge there's no clean water in many parts of Venezuela. If you want more insight on it, there are a thousand venezuelans filming it and posting on youtube.

5- USA along with Colombia, Brasil and the National Assembly (currently exiled in colombia and those who designed Guaidó as interin president) have been planning taking down Maduro for a good six months at least. There's a lot of logistics there and intelligence work I ignore. The main issue is that to take down Maduro, you have to take down the military power that surrounds him. Apparently, that's what's been happening lately & they could agree with the military to betray Maduro but it all came out so they had to try earlier. What's going on right now it's confusing as fuck and it mostly depends on what side you take your news from.

6- But "has it gotten as violent as they say its has". Yes. Absolutely. And its been like this for years but the media just decided to make noise about it now, when USA is going to intervene (and who the hell knows what will happen then?). It's worth noting how absolutely rich Venezuela is in soil, petrol, etc. One of the richest in the world. And all their petrol barrels go either to USA (last venezuelan dictatorship - bussiness w USA in the last few years w/ Chavez and Maduro) or to Cuba (they said on the TV that 300.000 barrells get exported to Cuba daily. Who knows.). I think its safe to say that the discussion, as many try to twist it (and this is my opinion) is not ideological. I'm sorry but there's absolutely no other ideology in whats going on that power and money. Try to make it a marxist vs capitalist issue if you dare but its not. Venezuela might have been a populist country, once, but it was never truly socialist. These are greedy & corrupt local politicians (and i mean...all of them) and these are worldwide political forces that want the power Venezuela's resources are. USA, Cuba, Russia and the Venezuela political/judicial/military power is to blame. And people are suffering from it and people are dying.

(But isnt that just Latin America? Thats the history here, a local greedy corrupt power and an external powerful force that wants to submit us and get our resources)

And its not pretty and information is twisted around by everyone and I personally cannot see a happy ending in the near future -- I hope all of those venezuelans who stayed can have a better life somehow but I dont know how. I can only receive those who got out in my country with open arms and treat them as any other compatriote.

#babbling babbling #askbox