#I know Levi and Isaac were popular at a point | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

shyrose57 · 3 years

Text

Changed Tales:

The Village That Went Mad/A Not Too Bad Town: A little village in the wood, run by Mayor Jimmy, and his wife, Helga, a mischievous shapeshifter. The two have a young son named Salem. Other residents of the village include Miles, a rich cattle breeder, Patch, a blind cat hybrid who was formerly a soldier in the Red Eyed Villager wars, Cornelius, a wandering traveler who settled down in the town after meeting Patch, Bob, the local builder, Jack, a farmer who produces most of the village’s food, and Robin, a young and talented doctor who’s quickly making a name for himself outside of the village.

The Lost City Of Mizu/The Region Of Mizu: A region of the distant future, most well known for it’s capital, The City Of Mizu. It’s a popular tourist sight, both due to it’s amazingly preserved records of history, as well as being one of the few accessible underwater cities open to tourists. It’s residents both live and work here, typically as historians, or tour guides.

The Masquerade/A Regency Ball: A social gathering in the late regency era, hosted by Billiam the Third, who’s most well known for his ‘Red Grounds’, a vast garden surrounding the estate filled with many beautiful and exotic red flora and fauna. It’s attendees were Lyaria and Oliver, two close high class friends from London, Sebastian, a wealthy wine seller, James, a big name business man with a reputation, and Drew, a friend of James who was invited to the party as a plus one.

The Wild West/Beauty Of The West: A large town in the west, and a popular place for people to visit. It’s main attraction is the Celestial Saloon, a large saloon that offers a variety of drinks, games, and other activities. It’s a place well known for wealthy aristocrats to wind down in, and is funded by Billiam. The town is also known for being surprisingly safe, with Sheriff Sherman working with the local bandits to make sure other criminals keep their distance.

The Haunted Mansion/Cold Spot Club: A club that searches out haunted places and urban myths to check them out themselves. It’s located in the City That Never Was, and consist of Greg, the mayor’s son, Ash and Zachary, twins who work in a cafe for a living, Joey, a social jock who’s got a good eye for detail, Porkums, a hat maker who works in the family business, Francis, a kind baker who owns a cafe, Rash, a student who works part time at the library, and Gump, a construction worker who’s somewhat known as the neighborhood cryptid.

The Pit/Subbin’s Capital: Subbin is a militaristic empire who’s culture heavily integrates combat and battle into it’s people’s life styles. That’s why it’s Capital’s main attraction is The Pit, a gladiator ring personally funded by Porkius, where people can choose to fight for money, fun, or simply to learn how to.

Assignments:

Ranbob: Dream, DreamXD, Drista, Mamacita, and Mexican Dream.

Cornelius: Dream, DreamXD, Drista, Mamacita, Mexican Dream, and Foolish.

Hubert: Dream, DreamXD, Drista, Mamacita, Mexican Dream, and Eret.

Isaac: Karl, Quackity, Sapnap, George.

Cleetus: Karl, Quackity, Sapnap, George.

Benjamin: Karl, Quackity, Sapnap, George, Bad, Skeppy, Ant.

Charles: Karl, Quackity, Sapnap, George, Ranboo.

John John: Ranboo, Tommy.

Ranbutler/Moon: Ranboo, Tommy.

Zachary: Ranboo, Connor, Tubbo, Ghostbur.

Ran: Ranboo, Techno.

Sebastian: Bad, Skeppy, Glatt.

Levi: Punz, Purpled, Ponk.

Laggius: Fundy, Sam.

Oliver: Fundy, Niki, Eret.

Lyaria: Niki, Hannah.

James: Sapnap, Drista.

Mason: Sapnap, Connor.

Jack: Quackity, Connor.

Patch(Catboy): Hbomb, Antfrost, Tubbo.

Billiam: Techno, Philza.

Sherman: Techno, Philza.

Watson: Techno, Philza.

Greg: George, Connor, Glatt.

Ash: Tubbo, Tommy, Ranboo, Ghostbur.

Robin: Tubbo, Puffy, Ponk, Purpled, Foolish.

Jackie: Tubbo, Purpled, Jack, Charlie.

Bartholomew: Jack, Tubbo.

Genevieve: Niki, Hannah, Callahan.

Things:

Oliver and Lyaria have known each other for quite awhile, and she thinks of him somewhat as a mentor, as he took her under his wing when she was introduced to this world. Both have a lot of dirt on people, though they rarely make use of it, preferring to make fun of their dress or arrogance instead from the side.

Ranbob is a bit of a loner. This stems from the fact that he was born with a weak Pearl, that cracked the first, and last, time he ever attempted to teleport. If it ever broke, he’d suffer from Perma-death. Seeing as teleportation is more or less instinct, he was forced to learn how to show down his instincts and distant himself from them in order to avoid accidentally doing so. This has more or less made him seem odd to others, and he himself doesn’t understand how to react to some of their more instinct-driven gestures, having long since suppressed his own.

In other words, he has no idea what he’s doing. Luckily, there’s quite a few Enderman hybrid on the server that do.

The Tales character appear before Tommy visits the prison and dies. Because I would like to attempt to redeem Dream a tiny bit, and y’know, I don’t think you can really do that after he murders Tommy. So, that just never happens here.

Jackie’s father runs an old rickety inn called Bee ‘n Boo, which he intends to pass on to Jackie. However, Jackie’s passion has always been fighting, so, knowing his father would disprove, he fights in the Pit in secret.

Levi is a gardener who fights in the Pit to keep his skills sharp, as well as earn money when he’s not on the job. He’s got a special touch with plants, and quite the green thumb.

Genevieve is a professional fighter who originates from Subbin. Though she often returns, she spends more of her time outside of the empire, mastering new styles and honing her abilities. She’s also Jackie’s role model.

Ash and Zachary tend to unintentionally spook people a lot. They walk incredibly quietly, know a lot of scary stories, can tell when somebody is nearby, and occasionally talk in sync with no prior planning. Hilariously, Techno is probably the most weary of them.

They’re also both bat hybrids, though for most of the time, those traits remain dormant, so the most people notice is that they have really good hearing, not too great eye-sight, and pointed ears. They’ve also got little bat wings hidden under their jacket, but nobody really notices those. Under a lot of distress, their traits manifest more, typically rather violently.

Ranbob is also pretty short. He inherited more of his mother’s genes than his Enderman father, so though he has some Enderman traits, it’s not many.

He’s incredibly weak to water though. His mother was a third blaze, and both parents passed down that particular weakness, except doubled. He inherited both a fair amount of heat resistance, and his golden eye from her side.

Hubert is an old childhood friend of Billiam’s, and the two took in Moon when he ended up lost and injured nearby. They even helped him get home to his brother John John. Moon ultimately decided to continue working for Billiam, having grown close with them, though he keeps in contact with his brother.

56 notes · View notes

pamphletstoinspire · 6 years

Photo

Understanding The Bible - A Practical Guide To Each Book In The Bible - Part 42

Written by: PETER KREEFT

NINETEEN

________

Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King: Hebrews

No one but God knows who wrote Hebrews, or to whom. The clue in 13:23 seems to point to Saint Paul. But for a variety of reasons, most scholars no longer hold to Pauline authorship of Hebrews. However, the jury is still out.

Hebrews seems to be addressed to Jewish Christians who were undergoing persecution for their new belief and were tempted to abandon their faith in Christ under this severe testing (10:32-34), though it had not yet reached the point of martyrdom (12:4). The author argues the need to hold fast to Christ as Lord and Savior—the very essence of Christianity.

As Romans is the world’s first systematic theology, Hebrews is the first apologetic for the Christian faith. Apologetic here does not mean “excuse” but “defense”; not “I was wrong” but “I am right.” Hebrews argues for the superiority of Christ in every way to pre-Christian Judaism, to prevent Jewish Christians from choosing the shadow over the substance, the promises over their fulfillment, the arrow over the bull’s eye.

The author emphasizes Christ’s threefold office as prophet, priest, and king—the three Old Testament offices that foreshadowed Him. It emphasizes both His divinity (1:1-8) and His humanity (2:9-10; 2:14-18; 4:15; 5:7-9; 12:3; 13:12). The overall theme is like that of Colossians: the all-sufficient greatness of Christ (compare Hebrews 1:3 with Colossians 1:15-20).

Along with Genesis, 1 John, and John’s Gospel, Hebrews begins with one of the four great first verses in the Bible, which reveal a total sweep of history: “In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son.” This beginning sets the theme for the whole book: Judaism is not wrong but fulfilled and completed in Christ and the Church, through whom God has spoken a new Word. The author constantly quotes God’s (Old Testament) Word, as Matthew does, for a similar purpose (to convince and convert Jews). He has a high, holy, and practical attitude of existential urgency toward the Word. It is not just “proof texts” but the present, living speech of the present, living God. “Take care, brethren. . . . ‘Today, when you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts’ ” (3:12, 15). This Word is described (in 4:12-13) as “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit [do you know that difference?], of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are open and laid bare to the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”

The whole point of the Old Testament Word, according to Hebrews, is to point to Christ. It is incomplete in itself (11:39-40). The Old and New Covenants are strikingly contrasted in 12:18-24, as Paul contrasts law and grace in Romans. By the way, the more I compare Hebrews and Paul’s letters, the more I see Paul in Hebrews—if not his authorship, at least his doctrine.

Christ is shown to be superior in every way:

1. He is superior to angels, for they worship Him (1:4-2:18).

2. He is superior to Moses and Joshua, for they are creatures, while He is the Creator (3:1-4:13).

3. He is a better priest than the human priest Aaron, for His sacrifice was once for all (8:1-10:18). His priesthood is greater than that of Levi, akin to the priesthood of Melchizedek (4:14-7:28). The Old Testament priesthood and liturgy were symbolic of Christ and of Heaven (8:1-5).

It needs to be pointed out here that the medieval penchant for interpreting Scripture symbolically is rooted in Scripture itself. Some modern exegetes turn it upside down and interpret symbolically not the symbol (the Old Testament) but the reality symbolized (Christ’s divinity, Resurrection, atonement, and Second Coming).

4. He is superior to the Old Law, or Old Covenant, for His Blood takes away our sin (8:1-10:39). As a consequence, we have real, objective access to God, and felt, subjective confidence (10:19-20).

The most famous chapter in Hebrews is chapter 11, the great roll call of the heroes of faith, the Christian hall of fame. It begins with the famous description of faith itself (v. 1): “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” See the passage 2:8-9: “As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see Jesus”. Faith goes beyond the seen, but it begins there. It is not like a blind date but like a marriage.

The faith-works controversy is solved (without even being posed) by seeing faith as a thing that works, that acts. “By faith Abraham obeyed. . . . By faith the people crossed the Red Sea. . . . By faith the walls of Jericho fell down. . . . through faith [they] conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received promises, stopped the mouths of lions” (11:8, 29, 30, 33, emphasis mine).

Faith and hope are virtually identified in the passages and 11:14-16. Here “faith” includes hope. In 1 Peter 3:15, “hope” includes faith. Hope is faith directed to the future.

The exhortation of Chapter 12 is the practical consequence of chapter 11: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (12:1-2). The Greek word for “witnesses” means (1) martyrs, (2) those who testify, as in court, and (3) those who see or observe, implying that these saints are now watching us from Heaven. How would you feel if you saw thousands of eyes outside your window?

There is a weighty consequence to such a weighty theology of such a weighty Christ: “How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” (2:3). No more urgent and heart-stoppingly serious passage exists in all the world’s literature than Hebrews 12:25-29. It concludes with a vision of God’s essential nature as “fire”, just as Moses saw Him in the burning bush, and as Pascal saw Him on the night he met Him: “God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, not the God of philosophers and scholars” (Pensées, 913). As C. S. Lewis says of his Christ-figure Aslan, “He’s not tame. But he’s good.” Goodness is not tame. The essential root of modernist theology is right there, in the taming of God.

Chapter 12 also contains one of the greatest exhortations on suffering and its meaning ever written (vv. 5-12). This short passage says more about life’s most popular problem than most complete books on the subject.

Chapter 13 gives us one of Scripture’s many classic passages on the need to be countercultural (vv. 11-14). This is as necessary today as nineteen centuries ago, for the only difference between the old, pre-Christian paganism and the new, post-Christian paganism is that the new version knows more and is more responsible.

Other not-to-be-missed gems in this diamond mine of a book include the following passages, all of them surprising points to learn something new from, not soporific reinforcements of what we all know already:

■ Hebrews 2:11, on our participation in divine life (compare Jn 15:5; 2 Pet 1:4);

■ the passage of 2:14-15, on how Christ destroys not only death but also the fear of death and the bondage this fear keeps us in (what we really fear is not death but Hell!);

■ Hebrews 2:18, on how fully and thoroughly human Christ is;

■ the passage of 5:8, on how even Christ had to learn obedience through suffering (George MacDonald says, “Christ suffered, not that we may be freed from suffering but that our suffering may be changed into his”) ;

■ Hebrews 6:5, on how we already taste “the powers of the age to come” (Heaven), like appetizers;

■ the passage of 9:22, on the need for death and blood and sacrifice to take away sin—contrary to modern, “enlightened” religion, every ancient religion knew this in its bones;

■ Hebrews 9:27, a definitive disproof of reincarnation;

■ the passage of 13:2, on the sacred nature of hospitality and the disturbing proximity of angels; and

■ Hebrews 13:8, on God’s opinion of “new” Christianities.

The central theme and thread holding all these pearls together is the center of all reality, Christ. Hebrews’ essential message is life’s essential message: “Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus” (12:2 NEV), for “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever” (13:8). Hebrews goes down to bedrock.

#understanding the bible

1 note · View note

chucksandjeans · 3 years

Text

2020 in Review and Goals for 2021

This has been a challenging year. I say that with the utmost respect for people around the world who have had it way worse that I had but, in all honesty, it’s been tough. I don’t know how many times I’ve tried to separate out the days from the months and the weekends from the weekdays. For this year-end review, I thought about going off on a rant. That would have been easy because it was a sh!t year. But, I decided against that. The previous sentence will be the only and last negative thing I’ll pen in this entry because I truly believe that 2020 delivered many moments of positivity and hope for a world that was growing increasingly disconnected. Let’s put the sad stuff away. This means putting aside COVID19, the passing of icons and visionaries (RIP Kobe, Chadwick B, Sean C, RBG, George F), forest fires, political dohickeys, etc. For the first time in many years, humankind was up against common enemies and it united the world. The most uplifting part of 2020 was worth seeing, even if it meant we all had to see it from afar.

My daughter was born in January and I am grateful to see her grow up every single day. She was born the day just before the first COVID19 patient arrived at the very same hospital she was born at. Lucky much! I originally had plans for bachelor parties, work trips, going to the office (which seems outrageous now) and many other things, but I would not trade any of those for my daughter’s time. It has been incredible to share in Leia’s every day with my wonderful wife and mother of my child. I am lost for words when I think about how I will likely spend less time with my next child(ren) when life goes back to normal (fingers crossed). The three of us became closer than I could have ever imagined, and we built those memories in our first home. This home has an abundance of memories of 2020 and I am thankful for this house for keeping us safe, warm and loved.

RELATIONSHIP - A

Staying at home with a newborn was tough but rewarding for Celine and I. Many friends, family and literature conjure up how draining it is on a relationship to raise a child. It is indeed personally draining physically and mentally, but it is not draining on our relationship. In fact, it has strengthened our relationship. I continue to be impressed every single day with this woman who has brought strength, kindness and patience to our child in addition to being a fantastic partner to me. We were unable to climb big physical mountains this year but we certainly are scaling the mountain of life in a more coordinated and stable fashion than ever before.

PARENTHOOD (new category) - B

Being a father is difficult. The fun stuff is easy - playing, tickling, carrying - but almost everything else is hard. This applies to feeding, pooping, wiping, teaching, and anything else you can think of. I have the basics downpat but I must admit that my ‘intermediate’ parenting skills are lacking. To make up for it, I have read a few books that talk about parenting best practises but I realized that these books are just opinions of other people. There is no one obvious parenting method that trumps all else. I kept the baby alive this year and as the years go by, I’ll need to come up with some specific principles to live by so that I can pass the right values on to her.

FAMILY - A

There have been limited chances for this category to shine in 2020 with various lockdowns in place. I can probably count how many times I have seen family on my toes and fingers and it’s been a constant battle in my head of whether I should listen or not listen to public health guidelines that are telling everyone to not mingle with those outside of your immediate household. During the lockdown, is it better to see family or not see family? Should we just see them anyway because we are family, but risk infection and super spreading? Is one good and the other bad? I don’t know, but for the most part, I have done what I think is best to protect my family, even at the expense of loneliness. I hope that I made the right decision(s).

FRIENDS - A+

With the backdrop of 2020, I think I did a splendid job with friends. I have delivered on my goals of reaching out to friends as much as possible and “hanging out” virtually to play games and chats. I organized a few outdoor gatherings at parts when the lockdown was lifted in the summer. I did good.

CAREER - A

I embarked on a new journey in 2020 and learned new skills and gained new experiences. It was a rewarding year for personal and professional growth. I am proud of myself for managing the fast-paced and always-reorging style of Square. Case in point, I am working for my third manager already in only 12 months in my role. I’ve managed to build strong relationships and inched closer to gaining clarity on my ambitions.

TRAVEL - A

We did a fair bit of exploring in 2020. Despite not being able to travel very far, Celine and I took it upon ourselves to maximize the opportunities that we had. I have let go of my prior country counting practise as I learned that what’s most important about traveling is experiencing new cultures and seeing new things off the beaten path, no matter the country. We became tourists in our own neighbourhood, Toronto and surrounding areas, Prince Edward County, and Bruce County to hike and see everything we could, all while lugging our growing baby. We used a stroller, a front baby carrier, a back baby carrier, and a shoulder baby carrier, hoisting a bag of Leia’s clothes and stuff to see what we could. It was a great year to get used to traveling with a baby. We are ready for international travel once the pandemic is over.

HEALTH - B-

I started a habit with Celine last summer of sharing, just before bed, three things that we are thankful for that day. We call it ‘daily affirmations’. We have built this into daily routine and it has worked very well to inject positivity into our day. Other than this mental wellness commitment, my overall physical health regime was tossed out the window with COVID19 and no access to a gym or proper equipment. I blame COVID19 but I really can only blame myself. I learned that I am very much a gym rat that enjoys quick bursts of workout in 45-60 min sequences. This can be bench press for 3 sets of 10 and squats for the same, but asking me to do HIIT or workout videos in my house with light dumbbells or bodyweight exercises just doesn’t do it for me. I have been bad at adapting to new workout regimes.

FINANCE - A

This year was great for the finances. Not having any ‘extra’ expenses, like vacations, in-person shopping and dining, our spending has never been lower. Celine’s been on mat leave and, surprisingly, despite lower family income, our budget has been healthy. Square stock also did well which delivered unexpected surprises, but this was serendipitous so I am not giving myself credit for that one.

PERSONAL - A+

I had a lot of time this year to “do me”, with the lockdown and all. I did not take as much paid-time off as I would have liked but in the time that I had, I was able to think deeply about my life and what I want to achieve. That’s a big plus. I also read a solid number of books, blowing by my stretch goal of 5 books. I read 11 (list below), with 7 in the last 2-3 weeks, thanks to my new Kobo Clara HD! I find the reading exhilarating and much more useful than watching TV shows, which I did a lot of too this year.

Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built - Duncan Clark

Tools of Titans - Tim Ferris

The Innovation Stack - Jim McKelvey

Good Strategy/Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters - Richard P. Rumelt

To Pixar and Beyond - Lawrence Levy

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother - Amy Chua

How to Raise Successful People - Esther Wojcicki

The Ride of a Lifetime - Robert Iger

Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber - Mike Isaac

Born a Crime - Trevor Noah

How Will You Measure Your Life? - Clayton M. Christensen

Range - David Epstein (currently reading into 2021)

2021 and Stretch Goals

RELATIONSHIP

Preamble: I recently read a book called ‘How Will You Measure Your Life’ and there was a concept that I wanted to implement. It’s called ‘jobs to be done’. It’s a popular framework in the product development world to tangibly describe what a product does for a user a.k.a. what does a user hire a certain product for. What does the customer need the product to do? The book draws connections to marriage such that partners think about the job that their partner needs them to do. For example, instead of “I’ll clean the house so that my wife doesn’t have to”, the concept asks that we first think about “what does my wife need me to be/do”, and then do that. It’s a simple but powerful way of putting the other person first.

I will think about what my wife needs and wants me to do before I make any assumptions using something like the ‘jobs to be done’ concept.

I will support my wife in her personal and career endeavors.

I will encourage my wife to be creative, ambitious and honest with herself so that she can find her path.

I will be an attentive and caring husband, and try to be positive in the most difficult situations. I will listen first and offer an opinion if suitable in the situation.

I will be cognizant that my wife is stressed from taking care of the baby and try to relieve her stress as much as possible.

I will recognize milestones and also everyday events because life is short.

Stretch: I will create and capture more memories outside of Instagram, through writing, photos or videos.

PARENTHOOD

Preamble: There are various schools of thought on parenting that have some similarities but more stark differences. Specifically the “Western” and “Chinese” schools have opposing tenets, and generically there are more studies not specific to raising children that pose another theory. In the coming year, I’ll digest a few more of these parenting hypotheses, come up with a set of strategies and principles, and align with Celine on tactical steps to take to get there.

I will read 2 to 3 more books on parenting techniques.

I will create a set of strategies, goals, principles and priorities for us and Leia to follow.

FAMILY

I will be more present to foster the most harmonious balance where possible.

FRIENDS

I will build on strong social bonds by reaching out, staying in touch, physically or virtually seeing friends, and recognizing special moments.

I will not be non-existent to friends.

I will think about my friends’ ‘jobs to be done’ and try as much as possible not to project my own expectations onto them.

Stretch: hang out with 1 friend per a month and recognize special moments with handwritten cards and gifts.

CAREER

I will continue to think about my career structurally and critically to deliberately plan out my path. I am entering my mid 30s so the next move or two have to be career moves.

I will consistently evaluate my skills and proactively find ways to fill the gaps, either through structured learning (courses), unstructured (books) and/or experience (asking to lead a project).

Stretch: meet at least 2 new people every month who can help me in my career or gives me new ideas; discuss international opportunities with Square

TRAVEL

Find a new travel goal that revolves around cultural exploration. I want to love to travel immensely again and give that gift to Leia.

Go at least one place with Leia on the plane.

Stretch: Take Celine and the baby to San Francisco for a few weeks.

HEALTH

I will find a new workout regime that I am deeply passionate about. It can be cycling or running up and down the street with a box of weights. In any case, I have to love it and stick with it.

I will choose to eat healthy food more often. In particular, this means more fish, chicken, vegetables and legumes, and less red meat, fried foods and dairy products.

I will eat more fruits and drink more water (at least 2L daily).

I will workout at least twice a week.

FINANCE

I will continue shifting the finances on a monthly basis to ensure that Celine and I are tracking towards our retirement goals.

I will spend less money on products and more on experiences.

I will cut back on impromptu purchases.

I will continue saving money for myself, Celine and the baby.

Stretch: plan for investment property.

PERSONAL

I will keep learning what it means to be a husband and father.

I will dedicate time to self-improvement through reading 24 books this year (2 per month) that span a wide range of topics, from non-fiction to fiction.

I will focus on what I can control and push out things that I cannot control. I worry too much so this will help me reduce mental stress.

I will be a better listener and only dish out tough love sparingly.

I will continue documenting my career ambitions and philosophies in my journal at least 2x a month.

I will clean the house once a month. This means wiping the windows, vacuuming and mopping the floors, bleaching the sink, etc.

I will not leave my shoes and jackets everywhere, and will not leave the lights on if I don’t have to.

Stretch: I will read 36 books (3 per month) this year.

FAVOURITE MOMENTS OF 2020

Driving around the city with Celine a week or two before Leia was born. We went for brunch, went shopping, and had some delicious dinner at Pinky’s Ca Phe. It was a simple day but oh so memorable.

The day just before and the day Leia was born. I woke up and Celine “surprised” me by telling me that she thought her water broke (lol?). We rushed to the hospital and the doctor told us to come back at 7pm that night to start the labour process (if it hadn’t started already). We went home, hung out, took a shower, had a quick nap, had pho for a quick dinner and then got ready. It was the beginning of a long night. Then, watching Celine deliver Leia, and holding her in my arms throughout the first night. I was so tired that I was delirious. Maybe that’s why it felt like a dream.

Watching Leia interact with my parents. Leia has taken a liking to them and it fills my heart with warmth and joy. It also feels like I gave my parents one of the best gifts they could ask for - a smart, healthy and happy grandchild.

Hanging out in the basement, which is essentially Leia’s playroom. All of it.

Walking to the beach.

Each and every day that I woke up to my wonderful wife and child. Leia smiles every so widely in the mornings, making cute sounds and greeting me. It’s a shot of caffeine in the morning, even after a possible poor night of sleep filled with Leia making funny noises.

Making trips to Prince Edward County and Bruce County.

Seeing my parents and in-laws after weeks and months of lockdown. Humans are not wired to be alone, and definitely not wired to say no to seeing family or waving to them behind a window.

Hanging out with my boys before Ryan’s wedding and the wedding itself. There was so much love and joy that day.

Doing ‘normal’ things, like going to the mall, eating at a restaurant, playing golf and having out with friends at the park. Seeing friends at the park, even socially distanced, felt amazing.

Seeing a new administration installed at the White House.

Reading the news about the vaccine being discovered, manufactured and now distributed across the world.

1 note · View note

laurendzim · 7 years

Text

London is going all butterbeer over 20th anniversary of Harry Potter

LONDON – Do you know which Harry Potter characters share their names with ancient constellations? What’s the incantation for the levitating charm? Do you know your Bowtruckles from your Basilisks?

Because there will be a trivia test.

It has been 20 years since J.K. Rowling charmed readers of all ages with the publication of the first Harry Potter book, and it seems many of us are still spellbound.

To mark the anniversary, the British Library has swung open its doors for “Harry Potter: A History of Magic,” a new exhibition that explores the history behind the wizarding world.

Others, too, are paying tribute. On June 26 – exactly 20 years to the day since the first book was published in the United Kingdom – Harry Potter was trending worldwide on social media. On Saturday evening, the BBC aired a documentary that includes a rare interview with Rowling. Before, during and after Halloween, millennials are slipping on robes and raising a celebratory pint to the boy wizard they grew up with at unofficial Harry Potter pub crawls (combining two of Britain’s popular pastimes: drinking and dressing up in costumes.)

Not that it takes much to motivate Potter enthusiasts. Last month, for instance, thousands of Muggles descended on Platform 9¾ at King’s Cross station to mark the day that Harry Potter’s son Albus left for Hogwarts. For those truly potty about Potter, there is the “Making of Harry Potter” studio tour, next to the film studios where all eight films were made, which in the lead-up to Halloween is hosting feasts in the “Great Hall” with pumpkins and cauldrons full of lollipops.

The latest draw is the exhibition at the British Library, which sold a record 30,000 tickets even before its opening last week.

The show delves into the historical links with the fantastical world dreamed up by Rowling – who studied classics and French at university – by exploring the wider cultural context in which the books are set. For those able to harness their inner Hermione, the library is hosting “quiz nights” to test visitors on their wizarding knowledge.

Perhaps the most exciting aspect for fans is the scores of items donated by Rowling herself, including original handwritten extracts from various Potter books with lines crossed out and annotations from the author.

There are also a number of intricate drawings (yes, she can draw). For instance, there is a map of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, complete with a Quidditch field, a lake with a giant squid and a whomping willow tree that she writes on the paper “must stand out.” Another note shows her pondering different ways students could be sorted into the houses at Hogwarts – including ghosts, a riddle, statues or a “sorting hat” that she sketches along with a song.

Many of her items are dated from before she found a publisher – she was turned down eight times before Bloomsbury took a chance on her – and they illustrate just how vivid and richly imagined the Harry Potter-verse was from a very early stage, complete with its own consistent logic and rules.

The “first review” of her work is also on display. Alice Newton, the 8-year-old daughter of the founder of Bloomsbury, wrote on a piece of paper: “The excitement in this book made me feel warm inside. I think it is possibly one of the best books an 8/9 year old could read.” The day after she penned the note, Bloomsbury agreed to publish “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.”

October 24, 2017 Klain: He who must be named

October 15, 2017 Hogwarts Express rescues stranded family in Scotland

October 10, 2017 Jennifer Lawrence as a picnic table, Jim Gaffigan as Captain Morgan: How celebs do Halloween

The exhibit is lined with book wallpaper and is dimly lit. Cauldrons and tea cups “float” from the ceiling, and an invisibility cloak is, apparently, hanging from a hook. It’s organized by the school curriculum at Hogwarts, so visitors explore rooms dedicated to subjects including potions, herbology, divination, astronomy and defense against the dark arts.

The potions room, for instance, features the Ripley Scroll, a 20-foot-long manuscript from the 1500s that is a kind of instruction guide on how to create a philosopher’s stone, a substance that reputedly could turn base metals into gold and grant eternal life.

“It helps bring stories to life to see the real concepts behind them,” said Alexander Lock, a mustachioed historian and one of the curators of the exhibit.

Leaning over the glass case containing the scroll, Lock pointed to an image depicting a black stone, a white stone and a red stone. He noted that Sirius’ last name is Black, and that Albus (Dumbledore) is Latin for white and Rubeus (Hagrid) is Latin for red.

The scroll is displayed alongside the tombstone of Nicholas Flamel, a name shared by a character in the first Harry Potter book. On loan from the Musée de Cluny in Paris, the headstone was reportedly found in the 19th century at a Parisian grocery store where it was being used as a chopping board.

The real-life Flamel was a Parisian landlord and bookdealer who died in 1418. After his death, rumors surfaced that he was an alchemist – his work was referenced by Isaac Newton – who had unlocked the secret to creating a philosopher’s stone.

“I heard when they extracted (Flamel’s) tombstone, they didn’t actually find a body, so it could well be true,” said Lock, smiling.

In addition to borrowing artifacts from other museums, the library draws on its own rich collection to display ancient books like “Liber Medicinalis,” which features the earliest recorded use of “abracadabra,” a charm thought to have healing powers.

In the herbology section, there are ancient manuscripts on mandrakes, plants with roots that look humanlike. In “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” Professor Sprout asks her students to wear earmuffs when replanting baby mandrakes because of their insanely loud cries.

Indeed, it was long believed that when the root of the plant was yanked from the ground, it would scream and kill anyone who heard it. According to a 15th century book on display, the recommended way of harvesting mandrakes included the use of a horn to drown out the shrieking.

In the astronomy room, which is dominated by a 400-year-old celestial globe, visitors discover the constellations that share names with characters in the book, including Bellatrix LeStrange and Sirius Black.

Keen stargazers will know that the brightest star in the night sky is called Sirius, also known as the Dog Star.

The reviews so far have been generally strong, with many critics noting the breadth of material on display. Some have said that it doesn’t “hang together” as a whole or that younger children may become “fidgety” near the end – but most agree that Potter fans will gobble it up.

For her part, Rowling said it was “wonderful” and appeared to be particularly taken by the tombstone of one of her characters. She tweeted a picture of it with the caption: “Guess what this is? I’ve just seen it and was mesmerised …”

All of this is fair game for the Harry Potter quiz night. If you do portkey over to London and find yourself participating in one, facts that may come in handy: Draco Malfoy and Remus Lupin also share their names with the constellations; Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa is the spell for levitation; and a Bowtruckle and a Basilisk are very different creatures.

“Harry Potter: A History of Magic” is at the British Library until the end of February 2018. It transfers to New York’s Historical Society next October.

from News And Updates http://www.denverpost.com/2017/10/29/london-going-all-butterbeer-over-20th-anniversary-harry-potter/

0 notes

jimblanceusa · 7 years

Text

London is going all butterbeer over 20th anniversary of Harry Potter

Because there will be a trivia test.

It has been 20 years since J.K. Rowling charmed readers of all ages with the publication of the first Harry Potter book, and it seems many of us are still spellbound.

To mark the anniversary, the British Library has swung open its doors for “Harry Potter: A History of Magic,” a new exhibition that explores the history behind the wizarding world.

The latest draw is the exhibition at the British Library, which sold a record 30,000 tickets even before its opening last week.

October 24, 2017 Klain: He who must be named

October 15, 2017 Hogwarts Express rescues stranded family in Scotland

October 10, 2017 Jennifer Lawrence as a picnic table, Jim Gaffigan as Captain Morgan: How celebs do Halloween

“It helps bring stories to life to see the real concepts behind them,” said Alexander Lock, a mustachioed historian and one of the curators of the exhibit.

“I heard when they extracted (Flamel’s) tombstone, they didn’t actually find a body, so it could well be true,” said Lock, smiling.

Keen stargazers will know that the brightest star in the night sky is called Sirius, also known as the Dog Star.

“Harry Potter: A History of Magic” is at the British Library until the end of February 2018. It transfers to New York’s Historical Society next October.

from Latest Information http://www.denverpost.com/2017/10/29/london-going-all-butterbeer-over-20th-anniversary-harry-potter/

0 notes

symbianosgames · 7 years

Link

At its inception, player death was something of a necessity: a way for the arcade cabinet to enforce the collection of quarters. Life was a commodity, and if you wanted more of it, you had to pay. As games moved out of the cabinet and into the living room, that idea persisted, first through the direct ports of the arcade games, but then as an established convention. The “Game Over” screen was a staple of video games, and it’s been tenacious.

As with most conventions, it’s not questioned nearly enough. When accepted as essential, player death robs the player of the chance to recover from failure, to push through an unwanted or unfavorable situation to reach a satisfying conclusion further down the line. As an industry, we’ve attempted this narratively, with player choice being increasingly pushed to the forefront of story-focused games, where bad decisions aren’t punished, but supported just as much as the good. However, mechanically speaking, we’ve been far more stagnant -- if only because conceptually the alternative is that much more difficult to comprehend.

“In a game where killing is a systemic verb, I feel like death is certainly [important],” Clint Hocking answers when I ask him if player death is essential. “You can certainly create a contrivance around it; you can have an infinite number of buddies who rescue you in Far Cry, or you can be possessed by an elf wraith from a thousand years before, and you can increment forward on failure.”

With that latter example he’s referring to the recent example of an alternative to player death being a fail state in Shadow of Mordor, where, narratively, the player dies at the beginning of the game. Any subsequent mechanical deaths are accepted by the game, and in some ways encouraged, as it progresses time by three days and allows Mordor’s procedurally generated orc armies to reshuffle and regroup.

Both Far Cry 2, of which Clint Hocking was the creative director, and Shadow of Mordor offer an attempt to subvert the mechanical convention of player death resulting in that disruptive “Game Over” screen. The former responds to the first player death after a save point by having your "buddy" (a fellow morally ambiguous mercenary) come in and rescue you, dragging you away from a firefight and plunging a medical syringe into your chest, getting you back on your feet and back into the fight. The caveat there is that your buddy is now in the field of combat, and suddenly an actor in it; they fight, and they can die, resulting in them being systemically removed from the game.

"You have skin in the game at that point, because it's a friend or ally that's going to be lost if you don't deal with the consequence of your failure."

“Now you’re playing for real stakes.” Hocking explains. “When you’re playing a game and you die, sure, you have lost some time, but with most games today you don’t even get reset more than 10 feet back. With this game it was more to say that now there’s a real stake. Now this buddy rescue has happened, now your ante is on the table. Now, if you don’t deal with that situation… you can just run away, but if you do that your buddy is sacrificed, they’re gone. You have skin in the game at that point, because now it’s a gameplay asset, and hopefully it’s more than that, hopefully it’s a friend and ally, that is going to be lost if you don’t deal with the consequence of your failure.”

And that idea of consequence is at the heart of what’s lost when the player-death-as-failstate is followed. While it flirts with the borders of the concept of ludonarrative dissonance, more importantly it interferes with the flow and impact of the interaction between mechanical systems and narrative context. It’s telling that Mordor struggled itself during a few of its more story-driven missions, taking away the immortality of the player in favor of more actively controlling the way it told its story.

“I’m certainly not saying we found the ideal solution for [player death],” says Michael De Plater, director of design on Shadow of Mordor. “It’s something we’re thinking about a lot moving forward. The way in which death is treated is a key part of the style and tone of the game. We had a goal which was to keep time moving forward and create new opportunities and a motivation for revenge against an enemy who took you down. I love the trend for roguelikes now, and how they handle death and failure.”

Roguelikes, for their part, have certainly popularized the idea of death and consequence, albeit it in a way that is less engaged in telling an authored story, but rather allowing one to emerge out of systemic interactions. The likes of Spelunky, Rogue Legacy, and The Binding of Isaac all are fully aware that death will be frequent and necessary for progress, and build the games around that concept.

Fundamentally, this is where the crux of the problem lies, in the tension between authored and unauthored game time. The more control the game tries to exert on any one moment, the more rigid it becomes in regards to the possibility space. The more systemic and unauthored, the more it can support and cushion failure and failure states. One of Far Cry 2’s greatest strengths was in building failure into the experience, from the jamming weapons, the malaria attacks and the propagating fire, to the buddy system and the way it embraces consequence.

According to Hocking, this was present in his design ethos going all the way back to the original Splinter Cell. “I fought as a level designer really, really hard to say 'I think all of these “Game Overs” you get from being detected by a guy, or failing to hack into a computer, are all terrible, and really frustrating experiences.'

"If I’m Sam Fisher and someone detects me I don’t just throw up my hands and say, 'Oh well, I guess we can’t prevent the war in Georgia, the nuke’s going to blow up and everyone is going to die.' I probably try to kill that person and adapt to the situation. The reason they were there was because as designers and developers we couldn’t support the failure cases. We didn’t have workarounds for what happens if the player gets detected in that situation. So we just had to gate them with Game Overs.”

"The reason they were there was because as designers and developers we couldn't support the failure cases."

The difference between recovering from being detected and recovering from being "killed," though, would seem to be the reason one has been consistently rectified and the other hasn’t. We’ve reached a point where instant failure in stealth games is mostly a thing of the past, most exemplified by Dishonoured’s generous possibility-scape when it comes to raising alarms and adapting to situations. But importantly, the difference mechanically between one and the other really isn’t so large. Instead it’s a conceptual problem; we can imagine, instantly, how Sam Fisher would react to and recover from being discovered, whereas we can’t do the same when he’s shot and killed.

One of the oldest and most effective attempts to solve this problem can be found in Planescape: Torment, where the player character begins the game in a morgue, apparently having recovered from being dead and cold. Throughout the game your immortality is emphasized and even used as a narrative device, memories and facts from your past bubbling up to the surface in the desperate recollection in the moments preceding death, life literally flashing before your eyes.

“With Torment, there was the added complication that one of our goals was to “tell the story of what happens after the death screen,” Chris Avellone says. He was lead designer on Torment. "And in the context of the story and the arcane physics that caused the Nameless One to be immortal, a perma-death didn’t make any sense either -- instead, it seemed more appropriate, narratively, that the Nameless One would wake up somewhere else (technically a time cost).

"But then, I got excited about the possibility that it could be used as fast travel ('Hey, I need to go back to the Mortuary fast, or back to the merchant area') and even a puzzle element, and could take you to new locations or allow you to get through areas mortals couldn’t, as long as you allowed yourself to die (which we didn’t use very much in the game, unfortunately).”

The result of this creative approach to player death meant that, once you accepted the conceits and contrivances of Planescape: Torment, there was very little to get in the way of you experiencing the game. While there were still a few "hard" fail states, they were few and far between, meaning that the majority of the time the experience was unadulterated by the "gates" that Hocking mentioned.

However, that doesn’t mean that Avellone believes that death and failure states need to be removed from games. “I don’t consider the divide between player death and story to be a bad one, and in fact, adds adrenaline and urgency into a situation that may lack drama when you know that there’s no real fail state. Furthermore, it’s an understood mechanism of the genre, especially for RPGs. I do feel there’s more interesting things to do with death that sometimes narrative can give context to (it sure did for Torment, and I believe it will for inXile’s Torment: Tides of Numenera as well).

“There needs to be a consequence and a fail state -- if there’s nothing to lose, then a lot of narrative tension dissolves as a result. I think there are other consequences you can levy on a player (and many games do) but you have to be careful in how they are presented or else they will simple cause a reload as a result.”

"The possibilities of what your game can be and what your game can say is astronomically larger. It means you can be more than just a power fantasy."

One interesting case of "other consequences" is actually found in the Mass Effect series, at the end of the second game. While combat in the Mass Effect games isn’t trivial, it can be fairly unthreatening, especially on the lower difficulties. But at the end of Mass Effect 2, BioWare instead made it about your narrative and tactical decisions, rather than your performance in any one fight. Suddenly, companions that you had spent dozens of hours getting to know where exposed and vulnerable based on decisions you made -- decisions which were far enough back that a simple reload would revert hours of progress. They were essentially leveraging your patience for narrative strength, and it paid off extremely well -- even if it was hard to swallow when your favorite character bit the bullet.

“I think a lot of players are raised on games that are pandering to the power fantasy.” Hocking says, when I ask why we haven’t seen more experimentation in regards to player death. “I think when you try to do things that are more challenging than that, or more questioning of that -- or undermining it, playing it against itself -- you will get negative reactions.

"And you get negative reactions almost universally at first, so the question is, what percentage of the players are willing to suck it up for half an hour and realize what is going on? I think once you get over that hump, though, the possibilities of what your game can be and what your game can say is astronomically larger. It means you can be more than just a power fantasy, which is great.”

The rise of the Souls games, currently culminating with Bloodborne, is certainly encouraging when it comes to the idea of a developing player understanding of what death can be in games, as well as a deconstruction of the power fantasy so often extolled by them. While the attitude towards death in those games is certainly one that won’t work for the vast majority, it is an alternative that’s taken root in the minds of the audience.

Far Cry 2, for its part, could certainly be argued as a dis-empowerment fantasy, with the increasing moral ambivalence of the player character and the world around them echoed systemically as your plans are driven awry by the constant interference of its systems, from out of control blazes to weapon jams, to a range of other interactions.

After so much discussion with the people behind some of the most successful attempts to alter the convention of player death being a fail state, I realised that death is more of a symptom that is caused by an inability, whether financial or creative, to create the systems necessary to accommodate player failure and recovery. It’s no easy task to fundamentally change what is expected when the health bar goes down to zero and it all goes dark, not least because of what has been the case for so long.

But to at the very least question it, so that checkpoints and “Game Over” screens aren’t in your game before there’s even been a discussion, is the way that more interesting and compelling interactions will be pursued and realised. Even something as simple as Prince of Persia: Sands of Time’s rewind mechanic was a revelation at the time, allowing players to manipulate a system to reattempt a difficult jump or encounter without the brusque interruption of a “Game Over” screen.

The thing is, the game is going to go ahead, whether the player dies or not. No matter how many times they see “Game Over”, the game isn’t over unless they decide to turn it off. Otherwise they will just keep pushing ahead, wrestling with that screen until it doesn’t appear, and the "canon" version of the story is cemented by a save point. Now victory is assured, always was assured, and any failure is relegated to the narrative beats that were set in stone before the player even started. Letting go of that adherence to victory, to success, is going to, and has, made things a lot more interesting. Failure, and recovery from that failure, is fun.

#IFTTT #Blogger

0 notes

symbianosgames · 7 years

Link

"You have skin in the game at that point, because it's a friend or ally that's going to be lost if you don't deal with the consequence of your failure."

"The reason they were there was because as designers and developers we couldn't support the failure cases."

"The possibilities of what your game can be and what your game can say is astronomically larger. It means you can be more than just a power fantasy."

#IFTTT #Blogger

0 notes