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gemsofgreece · 4 years

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10 Greatest archaeological discoveries in Greece the previous decade (2010 - 2019)

*You can see original Greek article by Pengy Riga here. This is a summary of what I read there translated in English and closer to my personal tone.

10. Possibly the oldest Homo sapiens skull in Europe (2019).

The skull was found in the caves “Apedema” in Mani and it was estimated to be 210.000 years old, five times older than any other Homo sapiens skull found in Europe. According to another research the skull comes from a transitive phase between Neaderthals and Homo erectus. This discovery invites the reexamination of the time the first men left Africa and spread to Europe and Asia as it might have happened way before we thought.

9. Ancient wooden artifacts (2011, 2013, 2014).

These include a wooden statue of a woman found in the Temple of Artemis in Brauron (5th Century BCE), the coffin of a young person from the Archaic Era (610 - 480 BCE), a small statue of Hermes and more than 550 other wooden artifacts and objects from the Hellenistic Era (150 - 86 BCE) in Piraeus. What is so important about all these findings is that they are made of wood, which naturally decomposes easily and quickly, so wooden archeological findings are very rare.

8. Neikó, the possessed lady of Síkinos (2018).

In the remote island of Sikinos there is an impressive mausoleum of the late antiquity. It was turned into a church during the Byzantine Era and remained a functional church till recently, when it closed for the public because it needed extensive restorations. During the restoration project, archaeologists found for the first time the unlooted tomb of a high-class woman, to whom this mausoleum was apparently dedicated. The woman was buried with all her dearest and most precious belongings but the tomb was so well hidden that it escaped all three known invasions throughout the centuries and was found accidentally when a wall collapsed in 2018. The tomb was not in the regular crypts of the mausoleum but hidden in a blind spot between two walls within the building. Her tomb was also sealed tightly, her skeleton was found in an unusual position and sulphur and tar were placed on her chest. It seems that she was believed to be possessed so they had taken precautions to ensure she wouldn’t rise after death. Nevertheless, she was loved by her family, judging from the beauty of her Mausoleum as well as the memorial scripts found in the monument. Her name was Neikó.

7. Ceramic plaque with verses from Homer´s Odyssey (2018)

The plaque was found in Ancient Olympia and has 13 verses from the Odyssey. It is estimated to originate from the Roman Era, before the 3rd Century AD. It might be the oldest Homeric text of that length found in the Greek territory and the only one carved into pottery. It was included in “Archaeology” magazine’s list of the 10 most important discoveries for 2018.

6. Tomb of Casta in Amphipolis (2014)

Easily the discovery that drew the most attention worldwide and a neverending archaeological and political thriller to this day. This is the largest burial monument ever found in Greece, in east Macedonia. It has a perimeter of 500 meters, four underground rooms, sphinxes in the entrance, two big Caryatids that would block the intruder from entering the last room with their arms, a beautiful large mosaic that depicts Hades kidnapping Persephone and finally four skeletons, belonging to two men, one old woman and a child. The excavation drew so much attention that it was abused for political reasons and it basically happened livestream, as the entire nation would watch the progress in the news every day. This inflamed the war between the two leading political parties, it messed up the excavating process itself and it caused unprecedented animosity amongst archeaologists and historians. The greatest reason for the fights was the initial disagreement for the dating of the monument as well as the identity of the dead found in it. Depending on their political affiliations, half the politicians and scientists would jump to wondrous conclusions without evidence while the other half would downgrade the importance of this discovery beyond belief. When the government changed, the Tomb of Casta was inexplicably and mysteriously abandoned. Only the local people kept protesting and pushing the authorities to continue the excavations. Since then, the leading party has changed again and the new government promises to continue the work as quickly and efficiently as possible so that the monument will open to the public until 2022. The scientific community has at least agreed that the tomb dates back to the late 4th - early 3rd Century BCE. There are many extremely optimistic estimations about the identity of the dead and equally many counter-arguments. Hopefully, we’ll eventually get some objective answers as the excavations continue. It’s been realised that excavations should continue in all the area as it is suspected that the Tomb of Casta is not the only monument waiting to be unearthed there.

5. Daskalió of Keros (1963 - 2018)

Daskalió is a settlement on the westmost cape of Keros island. Multiple excavations have taken place there from 1963 to this day by the University of Cambridge and the British School of Athens. The excavations have revealed a prehistoric shrine and settlement, densely and skillfully built. The shrine and the artifacts found in the excavations date to the 3rd millenium BCE, which makes Daskalió according to Cambridge professor Colin Renfrew the oldest known coastal shrine in the world. The findings suggest this was the work of an expert architect and the infrastructure on the location was based on a well planned project. Furthermore, there are indications that Daskalió was an important center of metallurgy. However, they imported the metals they used from other islands which also suggests nautical expertise.

4. The eternal couple of Dirós (2015)

The skeletons of two young adults, a man and a woman, were found in an embrace in a hill in Dirós. Double burials with the dead embracing are extremely rare and this one is one of the most ancient found, if not the oldest, dating back to 6000 - 3800 BC.

3. The Underground of Thessaloniki (1986 2013 till forever)

If Amphipolis is a political thriller, then the underground of Thessaloniki is the national comedy. Thessaloniki is the second largest city in Greece and thus has a bad need for a subway. The creation of a subway began in the 80s and... it’s still in the process, making the (future) subway of the city a Greek meme and a joke everyone at this point understands. However, there is a solid reason for this delay. Back in 2004 the archaeologists warned that the subway routes that were planned to be dug under the city’s central part should be modified because the area was of extreme archaeological interest. They were ignored and eventually the works were interrupted by the unavoidable discovery of Ancient Thessaloniki. Some of the most impressive findings are the largely intact main roads of the city, such as the Roman built Decanus Maximus and the Byzantine built Middle Avenue, which survived till the 18th century. Crossroads, houses, shops, graveyards and monuments have also been found. Scratches on the roads made by carriages can be seen. More than 300,000 artifacts were discovered, such as statues, jewels and other small objects. Now the fate of the underground has also become a political game as the two leading political parties fight on whether the artifacts should remain on their spot undisturbed which would make the subway’s creation harder and more dangerous or they should be removed until the subway is complete and then returned to their original place with a claimed accuracy of 90%. What’s certain is that when (or if) the subway is complete, the ancient city will be easily accessed via the metro, visible from its windows and there will also be the option to walk on the ancient roads.

2. The Tomb of the Griffin Warrior (2015)

A grand tomb was found next to the Mycenean palace of Nestor in Pylos. A skeleton was discovered in the tomb along with no less than 3500 burial gifts. The gifts were weaponry, jewels and other objects exclusively made of valuable metals and stones. Not a single plain object was found, such as a ceramic amphora for example. Many of the artifacts are made in typical Minoan style which invites a reevaluation of the relations between the Minoans and the Myceneans. The monument took its name from an ivory plaque depicting a griffin, a power symbol for both Pylos and Minoan Crete. The tomb dates back to 1500 BC and it is the best evidence of wealth in prehistoric Greece found in the last 63 years. The most important finding however is that of a tiny seal, which is unique because it’s a masterful work of miniature art that resembles the much later classical Greek art. Archaeologists deem impossible the creation of this gorgeous piece of art without a magnifying glass. The art depicts two warriors, one slitting the other’s throat with his sword. The imagery has elements that suggest an event resembling those from the Iliad - which suggests that this event depicted on this tiny seal in the Griffin Warrior’s tomb was part of the inspiration of the oral lore of the Homeric epics that began in the following centuries. It is obvious that the dead man was a most influential figure of his era.

1. Necropolis of Fáliron (2012-2016)

The most macabre discovery makes it to the first place. The largest part of the necropolis, a mass graveyard, was found already in 1913. Numerous people were executed there with the violent method of Apotymbanismós (Αποτυμπανισμός) that might have inspired the Roman crucification. A century later, in 2012, the excavations expand and unearth thousands of different burials spanning from the 8th - 4th century BCE. The most sensational discovery would happen in 2016 though; a mass burial of no less than 80 prisoners, tied and placed next to each other. All were young men of good health and were not executed with the method of apotymbanismos. Based on the evidence, the mass execution took place in the middle of the 7th Century BCE and these men must have tried to take over the rule of Athens. This was an unstable political era in the Athenian history indeed. This discovery was included in the 10 Greatest Discoveries for 2016 in the magazine Archaeology.

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fly-pow-bye · 4 years

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What’s Airing On Cartoon Network? (July 2020)

While June was a slow month for Cartoon Network, no thanks to HBO Max taking Summer Camp Island and seemingly most of Cartoon Network’s 2020 lineup, July is a bit more interesting. Alongside the return of Mao Mao, we also get the return of Apple & Onion as well! More after the break.

Apple & Onion

The second season of Apple & Onion starts on July 20th.

July 20

Champion - Apple and Onion need to get rid of a problematic dog they thought was a horse. (6:00 PM)

July 21

Falafel's Passion - Apple and Onion must stop Falafel from humiliating himself on a national TV show. (6:00 PM)

July 22

Hole in Roof - Apple and Onion must repair the hole in their roof before the impending storm of the century. (6:00 PM)

July 23

Patty's Law - Apple and Onion must look after a sick Falafel in order to go parasailing. (6:00 PM)

Bakugan: Armored Alliance

July 5th

Final Battle! Dan vs. Ajit/Secrets Exposed - It's time for the event everyone in Los Volmos has been waiting for, The Bakugan Battle League finals! Then, with the winner determined the celebration is cut short when Phantom Thief Storm crashes the party by stealing everyone's Bakugan! (6:30 AM)

July 19th

The Director/Queen Ebony - Everett Ray reaches out to Lia with an opportunity that seems too good to be true. Then, Lightning learns of a street cat named Ebony, threatening them to do her bidding or face the wrath of her Bakugan! (6:30 AM)

July 26th

Here Comes Haavik/The Fusion Bakugan Arrive - An evil shapeshifting alien has landed in Los Volmos and he has a group of robot mechanoids on his trail trying to bring him justice. Then, Chad and Trey challenge Dan to rematch but this time they have a few tricks up their sleeve. (6:30 AM)

We also get an advanced listing for an episode in August.

August 2nd

Sophie, the Bakuganist/Midnight Train Battle! - Magnus is on the trail of the illegal Baku-brawling devices and is looking to cut off the supply at its source. Then, Sophie Judson Warfield is working to put an end to all Bakugan brawling. Her latest target is the Awesome Brawlers.

Craig of the Creek

A week before, Cartoon Network suddenly scheduled four episodes of Craig of the Creek on the last week of June, which rolls into July. For the sake of completion, I’m going to put them here, too.

June 29th

The Ground is Lava! - When an intense game of "The Ground is Lava" breaks out, Craig must carefully traverse the Creek to save his sister. (10:00 AM)

June 30th

Council of the Creek: Operation Hive-Mind - Hive Mind - When bees take over the Trading Tree, Craig must assemble the Council of the Creek to avert disaster. (10:00 AM)

July 1st

The Bike Thief - Craig investigates the theft of the 10 Speed's bikes in hopes of finding the culprit! (10:00 AM)

July 2nd

Craig of the Beach - Craig gets to hit the beach with his friends and family, but starts to get worried his Dad is more fun than him. (10:00 AM)

Mao Mao, Heroes of Pure Heart

For the first time since October of last year, Mao Mao is finally getting some new episodes.

July 6th

Mao Mao's Nakey - When MM loses his clothes while trying to scale the Ruby Pure Heart, he has to get back to Sheriff's HQ by daybreak. (12:30 PM)

July 7th

Lucky Ducky Mug - When Adorabat and Badgerclops break Mao Mao's favorite mug, he gives them the silent treatment. (12:30 PM)

July 8th

Lonely Kid - When AD has trouble making friends at school, MM tells her the story of how he made his first real friend - BB. (12:30 PM)

July 9th

Try Hard - When the Sky Pirates take Mao Mao and Badgerclops hostage, it's up to Adorabat to save the day. (12:30 PM)

July 10th

Scared of Puppets - Mao Mao is scared of puppets. (12:30 PM)

July 13th

The Perfect Couple - When Mao Mao accidentally breaks up the most perfect couple in Pure Heart Valley, he has to figure out how to get them back together. (12:30 PM)

July 14th

Adoradad - When AD's dad forbids her from working with the Sheriff's Dept because it's too dangerous, AD sets out to prove that she can take care of herself. (12:30 PM)

July 15th

Badge-a-fire Explosion - When BC comes out of a rare state of hyper-focused creativity, he may have made something that could destroy all of PHV. (12:30 PM)

July 16th

Zing Your Heart Out - When Adorabat starts to aggressively heckle everyone with her new zing power, she threatens the entire kingdom. (12:30 PM)

July 17th

Strange Bedfellows - After an insane battle, MM and OS end up in the same hospital room. But even in full body casts, the sworn enemies continue the fight. (12:30 PM)

Ninjago

We may not get new episodes of a certain other LEGO-related cartoon, but we do have new episodes of Ninjago, starting with a full hour of them on July 19th.

July 19th

Would You Like to Enter Prime Empire? - While investigating a heist, the ninja discover Prime Empire, a legendary unreleased arcade game that suddenly takes control of all other games in Ninjago. (11:00 AM)

Dyer Island - When the ninja connect Jay's disappearance to Prime Empire, they set out to Dyer Island to seek answers from the game's designer, the elusive Milton Dyer. (11:15 AM)

Level Thirteen - Cyrus Borg discovers a shocking secret about Prime Empire, while the ninja battle an escaped Mechanic in their attempt to reach Level Thirteen and enter the game themselves. (11:30 AM)

Superstar Rockin' Jay - Now inside the Prime Empire game, the ninja find themselves in unfamiliar territory, ignorant of the rules of this world, as they try to find Zane and escape Unagami's army of Red Visors. (11:45 AM)

July 26th

I Am Okino - Inside one of the game zones, a Samurai named Okino faces a crisis of faith when he repeatedly fails to lead a series of Masters to victory, causing him to lose all hope, until some familiar ninja arrive. (11:00 AM)

The Glitch - In order to stop Unagami the ninja must obtain three Key-tanas, the first of which is hidden in the game zone Terra Kerana, one of Prime Empire's most dangerous game environments. (11:15 AM)

August 2nd

The Cliffs of Hysteria - While being chased by Unagami's dreaded Red Visors the ninja must climb the 'Cliffs of Hysteria', however, they make a startling discovery: Unagami is converting players into energy cubes in order to build a portal into the real world! (11:00 AM)

The Maze of the Red Dragon - Still in the game zone Terra Kerana, the Samurai guide Okino has to choose between helping his allies the ninja, or obeying the evil orders of his Master, Unagami. (11:15 AM)

Teen Titans Go!

The sequel to the legendary “Night Begins to Shine” premieres in July.

July 10th

Night Begins to Shine 2: You're the One - The elderly Titans decide to take one last trip to the world of Night Begins to Shine only to encounter a new villain ruling the land, Ultralak. In order to stop Ultralak, the Titans must find three music stems. (6:00 PM)

#apple & onion #bakugan #bakugan battle planet #bakugan armored alliance #craig of the creek #mao mao heroes of pure heart #ninjago #teen titans go #cartoon network #fpb news

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mysteryofren · 4 years

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The First Order Will Be Finished

chapter 33 of So Happy Together

Masterlist

note: i feel like this is the worst chapter ive written but im sad the first order is going to be ending soon :( i also involved some real life events in here bc obi-wan would be a die hard blm activist. anakin is an all lives matter bastard i dont care what you say.

The day was finally here. Phasma was leaving tomorrow afternoon, and you all had 1 last day as a whole group.You all had slept over at your grandfather's house. You decided to stay there for the summer, and so did Elaine. Your grandfather was camping with you all, but he had to work so he wouldn't be able to help at Amilyns. You woke up and tiptoed out of your room. Peeking into his room you saw he was still in bed. He usually left for work at about 9. Looking at the clock on the wall you saw it was only 7:30. You walked to his bed and gently shook him awake.

“Good morning my dear.” he said through a yawn.

“Can I get the keys to the truck? We might need it to help Amilyn move furniture.”

“Of course they're in the den on the table beside my chair.” you nodded and went to get the keys when he called out to you.

“Come back.” you walked back to the bed beside him, and he grabbed your face and pulled you to him. He kissed your forehead, and smiled before laying back down.

“I love you pop pop.” you said.

“I love you too. Have fun, and i'll see you tonight.” you walked out the room and headed downstairs. You got to the den and saw Gideon sitting in his bed. He usually slept with you, but every now and then he would get up to walk around or go to his bed. He stood up once he saw you, and trotted over. You scratched him behind his ears, and grabbed the keys from the table. Gideon followed you as you walked outside. You picked up a stray ball and chucked it out towards the forest. He ran after it, and you continued walking to the shed. After you opened it you grabbed the tents you knew were in there. You walked over to your car, and placed them in the trunk. Going back you noticed Gideon had given up his ball and had begun chasing a squirrel. He ran around a tree trying to see where it had gone when he saw it he began baying at it. You walked over to him, and patted his back when he sat down and just looked up the tree. Going back to the shed you grabbed the sleeping bags that were also stored in the shed.

You weren't sure why he kept so many in the shed. When you camped as a kid there were only 3 of you, but he had 2 tents, and 6 sleeping bags. Maybe they just kept them around in case they lost some. After you had your car packed up you went back inside with Gideon. Your grandfather was in the kitchen eating cereal. He was in his pajamas and was scrolling through his phone.

“Have you seen all those protests happening recently?”

“Not really, I haven't been on social media lately, why what's happening?”

“Just another innocent man being murdered by police.” He held the phone up to you as you looked at the article.

“Thats horrible.”

“Yes I know. It seems as though not much has changed from when I was your age.” he had a sad look on his face. You walk over to him, and hug him before heading upstairs.

Once you reach your room you see Phasma and Elaine are still asleep. You wake them up, and let them know you guys are leaving in a few minutes. You go to your closet and look for something comfortable to wear. You pick out a pair of plain black leggings and a baseball t-shirt that used to belong to your dad. You walk out while Elaine, and Phas get dressed, and go downstairs to feed Gideon. He laid next to the cupboard where you kept his bowl. As you brought it down he perked up, and went to the spot where you kept his food. Before putting it down after filling it you crushed up his meds and sprinkled them over his food. You placed it down and he eagerly began eating. Grabbing his leash you walked to the den and picked up his dog bed. This was going to be Gideons first time camping with you, and you knew it would be a fun little surprise for him. You walked out of the house and put them in your car with the rest of the camping supplies.

When you came back in, Elaine and Phasma were downstairs already. You smiled as you asked them.

“You guys ready to go?” Phasma looked sad. You knew it was because it was her last day.

“I guess,” she replied. “I just don't want today to end. When I come back everything will be different.”

“It will be, but we won't be.” Elaine said as she hugged her. You all headed out to the truck and drove to the address Amilyn had given you for her new store front. It was deeper in the city, and was way bigger than her last place. It was on the corner of a building so it was the size of 2 stores. Perfect for how many patrons she had gotten since you met her. Once you got there you parked, and saw Hux was already there. You get out, and walk in with the girls and see him on a computer with Amilyn.

“Damn Red you got here fast.” Elaine teased him.

“He's helping me pick out art to hang in the cafe. Isn't he the sweetest?”

Phasma went over and patted his back. “He sure is.”

He smiled at her and kept looking with Amilyn. You saw some chairs stacked up by the door and went over and grabbed 3 of them and set them up by the couch. You all sat down and looked at art for about an hour before you heard a car pull up.

“Matt and Kylo must be here.” you said as you looked out the window. First it was the sound of 3 car doors closing that seemed weird. Then you saw 3 people get out of the car. Matt was the first to walk in. Then Kylo. to your dismay the last one to walk in was Ben. He smiled at you while he walked in. You smiled back knowing this was going to be the hardest day ever.

“Hey sorry we're late we had to stop at the store and get camping gear for us.” Matt said as he walked over to Elaine and kissed her.

“You guys are camping with us? I thought it was only you going with us for that.” you said to him as he finished greeting everyone else.

“Yeah. Mom heard me and Hux talking about it and told me to take them. I don't even think they want to be here.” Kylo was giving you a smirk that had Han written all over it.

“Oh I want to be there.” He said while still looking at you. Ben looked at him with anger in his eyes. He hit Kylos shoulder. Kylo looked at him and gave him a shrug.

“Alright, well, why don't we all get started while Hux keeps looking for art. Phasma, Matt, and whichever one of you is Kylo, help me get the curtains up over the window.” they all nodded and gathered together. She looked at Ben standing alone.

“I'm sorry I don't know your name.” she reached out to him to shake his hand, and he took it.

“Im Ben Ma’am.” he shook her hand and she smiled at him.

“Well, Ben, I have some ovens I need moved around in the kitchen. Do you think you could do that for me?”

“Course. I just need you to tell me where you need em” He responded.

“Alright Elaine, and Rose do you guys think you can set the tables up?”

“Yeah no problem.” Elaine said, You both walked over to set them up. Luckily they stayed built during the move. All you had to do was move them to their rightful places. Sadly there weren't enough tables to make the cafe look full.it was clear she was going to need more. You walked into the kitchen where she was helping Ben move the ovens around to let her know.

“I ordered some more yesterday. I'll just put them in whenever. Do you think you could help Ben finish this? I'm gonna see what else needs to be done.” you nodded and took her place helping Ben with moving the last oven.

“So you excited for tonight?” he asked as you both began to move the heavy object. You figured if you act civil the night will go by quick.

“Yeah. I just wish we had more time. All of us together. I'm worried about Hux going so far away.”

“He's gonna be fine. He's smart. I know Matts really scared about Elaine leaving.”

“Me too. We’ve been with each other for 4 years.”

“You were only in 8th grade when you got here?”

“Yeah it was before Luke did away with the middle school program.”

You guys finally got done moving the oven and went into the main area to help more. Surprisingly you guys didn't take most of the day to get everything done. Amilyn had given you a few more things to do before it was close to time for you all to go. You had gotten almost everything set up except the few tables that were missing and the art Hux had ordered. You all sat on the couches she had set up. You had ordered pizza for everyone and you all sat with each other and ate.

“So what are you all doing after this?” Amilyn asked as she bit into her slice.

“We're heading to my grandfather's house to pack up for tonight.” you answered.

“That sounds fun. I can't believe this is my last time having all 5 of you with me.”

“6 actually.” Kylo corrected.

“Oh yeah Kylo is a first order member now.” you informed Amilyn. Ben looked confused for a second before he spoke.

“Wait, he's a part of your group now? He's barely here!”

“Well all of us like him and he didnt fuck any of us over.” Elaine said passive aggressively while she took the last bite of her pizza into her mouth. Matt hit her shoulder and looked at her.

“Well it's true.” Ben looked sad for a second before going back to eating. You had told Amilyn what happened between you and him a long time ago so she knew what Elaine meant.

“So Kylo when do you go back to school?” Amilyn asked, trying to get to know the newest member.

“School starts again in august, but i'm going back in about 2 weeks.”

“Oh good, at least I have time to get to know you.” She smiled at him and he attempted to smile back, but didn’t do so well.

“Well I do have something I want to say.” Amilyn put her pizza down on the small table in front of the couches.

“I have never in my life met a group of such amazing men and women like you guys. Hux, you are so smart, and kind. You are nothing like your father, and you will always be better than him.” she said facing him. He got up from his spot next to you and walked around the table to hug her.

“Elaine. You're such an extraordinary young woman. You are so beautiful, and you're so talented. Your personality is the biggest I've seen ever in my life and I know you're going to do so many things with your life.” you looked to Elaine to see she was crying and hard. Matt held her while she cried and Amilyn continued.

“I never had kids with my husband. We never wanted any. You all are the closest thing to children I have, and I couldn't ask for a better group of kids to love.” at that point you all got up to go hug her. All of you piled onto her, with the exception of Kylo and Ben. Amilyn had started crying too at some point while you all held onto her.

“We love you amilyn. I don't know what I'm gonna do when I can't come here whenever I want.” Elaine said through her tears. You all got up, and you ran out to the truck to get your bag. You came back inside with it, and pulled out your camera. You handed it to Ben and grabbed Kylo's hand. You dragged him back over to where Amilyn was sitting. You sat him down, next to Amilyn, and sat next to her as well. Hux sat on the other side of you between the arm of the couch and you. Matt, Phasma, and Elaine got behind the couch, and crouched down to get in closer. You wrapped your arms around Hux, and Amilyn while smiling. Once Ben took the picture he handed it over to you.

The image developed, and you all looked at it. This was one of the last pictures you guys would take as a group. The last time you all would sit and talk with Amilyn. You handed the small photo over to her. You explained that you wanted her to have it to remember your last day as the first order with her. The last time she would have you all in one place together. The time came. You all had to leave. Amilyn had to go home to get some more paperwork done before she could officially open. You and the girls got into the truck, and Hux got into Matts car with him and the other boys. You began the drive back to your grandfather's house, and tried not to cry. It was 4 in the afternoon. By this time tomorrow. The first order will be finished.

tags: @wumboho @pylopenpolo @duty-isnt-always-honour

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aaallliiieee · 4 years

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Idk processing some thoughts:

This post discusses dieting/body insecurities. Pls don't read this if you're gonna judge me!!! I just wanna share my feelings ok I know they're not great but whatever who cares. I don't have anyone to talk to irl about this stuff so I'm processing it here and if you don't like it just ignore me lol

So I'm kinda struggling with how I want to use this blog... for so many years I've just had a standard "thinspo" blog that I've always kept secret, used on and off through periods of dieting interspersed with periods of binge eating, but they kept getting deleted and so now I'm conflicted bc I'm 24 and I don't want to keep spreading toxic diet culture, but at the same time I've been steeped in toxic diet culture for so long that I feel like it's almost a hobby and it's like weirdly fun?? Which is fucked up lmao but I guess it's understandable bc my mom is 52 and she's been on and off different diets my entire life, she keeps saying things like "I've been on a diet since 8th grade" and is always starting a new diet for every vacation or upcoming event etc, so I guess I must've internalized it at some point bc I've also been dieting since 8th grade and always starting new diets for different seasons and holidays etc...

But anyway so now that it's summer and July is about to start and it's hot outside and there's not really anything else to do bc of the pandemic, part of me just wants to jump back into another diet and exercise plan, I don't really need to lose much weight but I can definitely be eating better and tone up some muscles, and my first instinct is to just go back to my standard format of blogging my weight and workouts every day, keeping a food log and eating as little as possible, focusing on mostly protein and veggies etc, but then I worry about how I'm being judged by all the anti-diet people on Tumblr now, and I tell myself I shouldn't be interacting with non-diet blogs while blogging about dieting, but I'm also kind of tired of the toxic diet content and I want to branch out into other health and wellness topics, and I wonder if I should even be blogging about my weight and diets at all or if I'm just being narcissistic and perpetuating this cycle of toxic diet culture under a blanket of ~health and wellness~ quotes/pictures...

I know I should actually be focusing on creating a healthy lifestyle for myself and figuring out how to have consistency this time, instead of just repeating the same diet-binge-diet cycle over and over... I want to be adding all these healthy habits into my lifestyle but I'm lacking the discipline and motivation to sustain it, and part of me feels like if I can just think it all out, I can create an ~optimized lifestyle plan~ that will take care of everything and I just need to follow the plan every day, but honestly I've created so many lists/goals for myself over the years and it only works for a few weeks before I fall off, so maybe it's just impossible to live up to such a regimented schedule like that for the long term? But it's not impossible for some people, and if I lived alone I could probably do it, but then I wonder like am I being a crazy wellness fanatic to be fantasizing about this ideal lifestyle where I live alone and only do healthy things lmao when really I should be thankful that I can share my life with such a nice man who loves me, and realistically what I need is to find balance between my wellness goals and my relationship and my social responsibilities and my artistic ambitions... I usually feel overwhelmed by the need to balance all of those aspects and instead of taking care of my responsibilities I waste so much time either watching TV to ignore everything, or just like sitting around on Tumblr/Pinterest fantasizing about a life where I don't have to do anything besides the art and wellness activities, and then when I decide "ok I'm gonna get my life together and take care of all these responsibilities" I usually just get sidetracked into an overly restrictive diet which just makes everything else even harder lmao but at least it's easy to see numerical progress on the scale every day... Other things aren't so easy to see progress and so it's easier to ignore them until they become a giant problem that's overwhelming to deal with...

The main problem is that I'm constantly overthinking everything and I'm stuck in my head all the time, instead of working towards making real meaningful progress on real meaningful goals, in a sustained effort over time... I'm not going to find what I'm looking for on Tumblr so idk why I keep coming back here thinking I'll find it this time... But I'm also lonely and I want to share my inner monologue with people bc it's like I'm living two separate lives, the outer surface and the inner suffering, and it's just hard bc I want to stop suffering inside but it's too hard to make all the changes at once and idk where to start... in the past I started with dieting which works for a little while but then I keep letting it go and starting over in a few months rather than continuing on to the next level lmao. And like I hit my GW 3 years ago and I've been mostly maintaining it this whole time so why can't I move on to the next level yet!!

So, this time the key is to not just get sucked into another restrictive diet under the guise of progress lol, this time I have to focus on something else like creating a habitual daily practice of exercise and meditating and creative work, hold myself accountable to doing it every day until it's second nature, and then once this is established add on the next goal, don't try to do it all at once bc we try that every time and it never works lol

Tldr I just really struggle with this whole human existence thing!!!! If you read this far tell me what you think I'm open to anything you wanna throw my way lol thx for letting me shout this into the void y'all ~

#personal

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hua-fei-hua · 4 years

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2, 9, 13 & 14 for wip asks~

2. How long have you been working on your WIP?

music of the moment as a standalone piece? technically, that doc was made january 4th or 5th, 2019, and it was stopgapped pretty quickly, on around january 8th, 2019, early on into chapter two when i still wanted them to be a competitive marching band.

my band never did competitions, so i don’t have any personal experience, but our sister school did, so i did some convoluted string pulling that i could only do thanks to the fake dating shebang (i.e. the “i need my almost fake boyfriend to ask some questions for me before i can continue writing” phase), but then blah blah blah messed up big time and ended up accidentally starting the 2019 hiatus instead

i actually couldn’t touch moment for a long time afterwards bc it reminded me of the dumb things that happened that soured the friendship btwn me n my almost-fake-boyfriend, but i cranked the gears up after a while and started making notes and separating it from those events in like late january, early february

and then i started writing it again in around mid-march, when quarantine hit

if we’re talking about when the idea came about uhhhh apparently 12/29/17

9. Who is your favourite character to write?

hmm. i’m actually having a lot of fun writing from kirishima’s perspective in rhythm rn!! typically, bakugou is my favorite though, so i wouldn’t be surprised if i had more fun writing him when we get to his chapters later.

i got curious a while back abt which characters i tend to write more, so i made a spreadsheet, and apparently i write from todoroki’s perspective a lot! at least when it comes to sparklers chapters. oneshots are more likely to be told from momo’s perspective, and considering orchid, i think it makes sense that most of my longer works tend to be told from her persp.

when it comes to moment, i think that i like writing kaminari more bc he has more opportunities for comedy.

in general, i tend to hop around between characters’ perspectives a lot. chapter eight of orchid i remember was pretty hard for me to meet my word minimum at the time, 2k, bc it was told entirely from momo’s perspective. i’m getting better at this sort of thing, but in general, my stories tend to be told from multiple perspectives

13. Are there scenes that you cut already?

yup! spoilers ahead. obviously.

from rhythm chapter 3:

“What? No! I have sweet, beefy arms, not sweet, beefy legs.” “Your fault for skipping leg day. Bet.” “Make me.” “Fine then, I will.” Bakugou grabbed his hand (temporarily stunning Eijirou), gave it a violent shake, grabbed his backpack, and then took off running.

also from rhythm chapter 3:

“What?! Then why did we walk here?!?” “I don’t know!!” Eijirou laughed. So this is what it was gonna be like to date the drum major, huh? This is what it was gonna be like to date Bakugou fucking Katsuki.

there are a couple more from moment and even later on in rhythm, but they’re not as fun

14. Tell us about an upcoming scene in your WIP that you’re excited about.

moment chapter 23, titled “all i want for christmas (is you)”. it’s not so much a plotty chapter as it is a breather chapter in the middle of the, uh, shitstorm that is the tour arc for Bb, so i wouldn’t consider it to be very heavy spoilers, as it just showcases a bit of peak kamijirou before their relationship progress starts getting rough.

anyway, there are two parts to this chapter that i’m really looking forward to, since it covers their winter concert in like, december. one of them has to do with this thing we do in band, the “sock check,” which is when the uniform managers go around and make you pull up your pants a bit to see if you’re wearing black socks. so, you have mina wandering around the band doing sock checks (bc she’s uniform manager, which is also a plot relevant thing that’ll come up in the next two chapters of moment), and she gets to kaminari, kirishima, and sero dicking around in the back and she’s like “sock check”

and so kaminari and the boys start rolling up kaminari’s pants really really far to show that he’s wearing really really long black socks, and mina’s like “cool okay” but the guys are like “Wait no no no it gets better” and she’s like “nope i’m good i don’t need to see more” and she walks away, and all the guys look at kaminari, who has his pants rolled up to the thigh to reveal that there are little pikachus and lightning bolts all around the top of his knee-high black socks, and kirishima’s just like “dang, and we even shaved your legs for this too”

the other thing i’m really looking forward to in this chapter is when kaminari convinces jirou to sneak up to some of the stagehands’ platforms backstage while the rest of the band is playing “all i want for christmas is you” to watch their friends play, and it’s this really nice and pretty moment where kaminari just kind of watches her enjoy herself and it’s beautiful and everything is working just perfectly for that one night

as for smth i’m looking forward to in rhythm, this is gonna be a really vague spoiler, but it would probably be this one moment in chapter 19, titled “drafty rooms” where bakugou ends up sketching a picture of kirishima laughing. and idk man i just think about that moment like once a week at least even though it’s so long from now bc it’s like a Moment(tm), man, it means something to bkg

#asks #Bb spoilers #rhythm 19 (drafty rooms) also takes place as like this breather during the tour arc but it's plottier #it's one of the few bakugou-centric chapters that are told from his perspective #i didn't put the pov alternating tag on rhythm but it really is mostly told from kirishima's perspective #there is one chapter of moment that is actually told from momo's perspective to get away with having plot happen on both kaminari and jirou #and then the epilogue will probably? be jirou's perspective but i might alternate a bit #oh i'm also excited for the rhythm epilogue!!#spoilers (obviously) but they have a midnight beach trip!!#funny enough rhythm 30 is the last chronologically while 31 (the epilogue) is second-to-last chronologically #stardust-make-a-wish #long post

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i-know-i-am-there · 5 years

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My review of Destination Eurovision 2019's final

Bonsoir Tumblrrrrrrr ooooh yeaaah xD

And here was the final show ! Let's go for my final review :

1st to go was "Là-haut" by Chimène Badi, whose performance I think was a bit better, she really needed to get out of this box, but the dancer was just useless and irrelevant imo. I got extremely surprised that she was the 2nd favorite of the televoters ? Anyway, I'm happy that she's happy so we're all good lol.

2nd was my favorite and it breaks my heart that there cannot be more than one winner... for me, "Allez leur dire" (aka "Le Petit Nicolas" but whatever) by Silván Areg was the best package. The one who was 100% sure to stand out at Eurovision. This style and this scenery would have been unique on this event. I'm a bit disappointed that he was only the 6th fav of the televoters - though the 2nd fav of the international juries and thaaaat says a lot ! I've seen a lot of people in other countries really cheer for him, so overall I'm still happy. Thank you Silván for your song and performance ! I will probably continue to follow him because he's pretty cool 😎

3rds were The Divaz who are freaking amazing, they had a catchy song they were beautiful they sang perfectly they were charismatic just aaaaaah I also almost cried when one said that her dress cracked 30 seconds before going on stage and that without her friends she would have gave up like 😢 They were definitely a strong act, honestly the only one who reaaaaally makes me want to dress like this, sing and dance haha they're just a bundle of joy and love and I'm grateful that they participated !

4th was Emmanuel Moire with "La Promesse", and while it's one of my fav studio versions, and that the performance isn't bad itself (in fact the first few "pour un homme" he sings are always very powerful, this line sang live by him makes me shiver), it's just not enough remarkable. Quite surprised that he didn't do better in the televote considering he arrived first last week. This whole experience was apparently fun to him, and I appreciate who he is and this song. Good for him !

5th was Doutson singing "Sois un bon fils" that we renamed Sois un bon chat because since the song is not really captivating we got distracted by our cat in the living room tbh. Hmm, well, I like him but his song is generic imo. The story of the song is sweet though, his mom must be happy !

Seemone was 6th with "Tous les deux", the fav of the juries but only 3rd of the French people if I'm not wrong. She was more confident this time ! I got less emotional too, but honestly she's captivating, she does have a beautiful voice and her song was nice. I thought she was going to win, and I wouldn't have minded. She deserved it too. However I'm not sad for her, because she's gonna be a bit more famous now, and I feel like André Manoukian will maybe collaborate with her or produce her, and foreigners mostly loved her. Best wishes for the start of your career Seemone !

Wooo and 7th was the lucky number tonight since Bilal won with "Roi" ! Seeing he was very behind Seemone after the jury votes, I told myself it was impossible that he caught up the 40 points difference, because in my head they were going to have about the same amount of points and Bilal wouldn't have got enough. However it didn't go like this lol, he actually got 150 points which is kinda cray cray and his 200 precise points satisfy my brain x) I appreciated wayyyyyy way more his performance tonight, he sang better and it was much more emotional. Though I would like it even more if there wouldn't be the dancers because he doesn't need them, they didn't add anything to the performance... I don't know how he'll do at Eurovision, it depends on what the others bring I guess. But honestly I kinda don't care about how he'll place, because in the end it brings me a smile to see him really living this adventure, being all excited and motivated ! I cannot wait for him to show us all around the backstage of this Eurovision, the pre-concerts that he'll surely do, the other singers he's gonna meet. It's gonna be cool ! A last thing : he slayed that Fuego cover, very interesting one. Good luck Bilal !!! ☺️

Lastly, we still gotta talk about the 8th one, Aysat and her "Comme une grande". A very big improvement on the singing, it made it ten times better I believe. I don't remember rn what her cover song was bc it's 2:30am ragazzi i am sleepy af all I do remember is that she actually can s i n g like s i n g powerfully. So uh yeah she's good, and her song in studio version is quite a bang, but maybe the style has difficulties being translated on a stage, I have no idea. Maybe the staging/the screens behind were not the best. Though she's awesome, very smiley and she loves food so much she thanked the people of the staff making food and she half said she wanted to go to Tel Aviv in order to eat in the restaurants there lmao. She's just great really.

I also need to mention Angélina who was there too, and I am quite disappointed she didn't sing... but oh well, at least they reminded everyone that she ruled at Eurovision Junior ending up 2nd 😄

Anyway as I said I'm sleepy rn but I am happy about the show. It made me nostalgic to see the handsomes Madame Monsieur sing Mercy one last time on this stage. I am proud of them for this past year, merci :) Have a good night/day you all ! And a good Eurovision season ! Now on to the Sanremo festival

#Destination Eurovision #Destination Eurovision 2019 #de 2019 #me #my review #review

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strapcats · 6 years

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Thicker Than Water (Part 9)

↬ Genre: Gang au, angst, drama, eventual fluff

↬ Pairing: Jeongin x Chan

↬ Word Count: 4,322

↬ Description: Dépaysement- (n.) When someone is taken out of their own familiar world and pushed into a new one.

–

Yang Jeongin is a young Busan runaway with a sharp tongue.

Bang Chan is the easily-offended leader of a crime syndicate.

Read on Wattpad // Read on Archive

Part(s) One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine

The bus screeched quietly to halt as Chan parked the vehicle and turned off he rumbling engine. The drive was shorter than what Jeongin imagined, but longer than he would’ve liked. They were about a block away from a large urban complex, long since abandoned. It wasn’t very wide, like the Clan’s was, but it was taller, about three stories high. There were rusty fire escapes on the outside walls and a little bit of fencing around the perimeter, though it seemed that it was very torn up and didn’t serve much purpose. Closest to them was the alley where Jeongin was found, a couple of dumpsters and a large metal bolt door that Jeonign faintly recognized as where he first met Felix. Chan got up warily from his seat and began to give orders to the team.

“Alright. Felix, get to high ground around the side of their building, take Jisung with you and he can break off to scout closer up to the warehouse. Changbin and Minho, stay close with me, I’m going to get on the roof and see if I can gather any information. You two stay on the ground and stay sharp. Seungmin, stay in here with Hyunjin and work on intercepting any communications, see if you can pick up any radio waves, just the usual stuff. Woojin will also stay here, behind the bus setting up medical. Jeongin, come up to the roof with me and await orders.” He spoke quietly and all the boys started grabbing their gear and leaving as their roles were assigned. Jeongin was a bit unhappy with his given role, it seemed like he wouldn’t be doing much on this mission, just sitting out awkward silence with Chan.

The team moved to their positions. Felix and Jisung scurried out of the bus first, checking their surroundings quickly before crouching low and running across the open road to the other side. They seemed to share a couple of words before running across the street again, Felix ducking into the alleyway and Jisung continuing to run towards the main building. Felix’s large sniper rifle made it difficult to run, though he seemed to handle it with grace and ease as he found a way up a nearby building and began to hop between roofs and buildings, finding a spot that was far enough away from the base to not be seen, but still close enough to be impactful. The blonde boy finally settled down in a falling apart apartment building on the north side of the building, making sure that his spot aligned with Jisung, as they seemed to be running together, though they were far apart. They had clearly done this before and had perfected the skill. The building was run down, with broken windows and split walls, and Felix resided just inside a room on the 8th floor. Jeongin watched with squinted eyes as he set up his camp, eventually clearing off the ground a bit with his boot and sliding his rifle into position. He squatted down and then laid down behind it on his stomach. He lined up his scopes with the main entrance, but with a wide enough view so he could just barely see Jisung, making sure he wasn’t blind to any event regarding the other boy. His deep voice rang through the linked earpieces, confirming he was set up, followed quickly by Jisung confirming the same thing.

Woojin was the next out, grabbing a duffle bag from his seat and hopping out of the bus only to stop and begin setting up his station right behind it, safe and out of sight. Changbin and Minho grabbed their gear from the seats and got out of the bus, taking posts at each end of it, and Seungmin opened his laptop and moved over so Hyunjin could sit nearer to him. Seungmin slipped on a pair of heavy duty headphones and moved the microphone down to his mouth. Chan looked to Jeongin and nodded before grabbing his own gear and getting out of the bus. Jeongin followed suit, if not a little more cautiously than the others. He wasn’t sure what to do, then he heard a voice behind him just as he was about to exit the vehicle. He turned to see Seungmin sliding off his headphones so they hung around his neck.

“Hey, Jeonginnie, you’ll be alright! Bang Chan chose this mission because he knew it was low-risk. He’ll keep you safe, just remember your training, and don’t freeze up. I’ll be with you the whole time, and BC will cover you. He knows you’re the most vulnerable, but you’re also the most valuable right now. Don’t stress.” Seungmin spoke smoothly, his lovely smile pulling through and shining light on Jeongin’s worries. He tapped his headset as he talked about being with Jeongin all the way and the youngest member nodded lightly. He took a deep breath and smiled back at Seungmin before giving him a thumbs up and exiting the bus.

Chan was speaking hurriedly to Woojin, who was nodding at the leader’s words. Jeongin walked up and nodded at BC, who then walked to the entrance of the bus and closed the door tightly before hitting the side of the bus as some kind of signal to Seungmin and Hyunjin. Jeongin then heard a hiss and a loud click that he could only assume was a high security pressure lock, making sure that the contents of the bus were secure, even if their mission was compromised. Then the leader and the youngest member walked to the back of the bus and tossed their larger equipment up to the roof. Jeongin looked at BC expectantly, and the older rolled his eyes a little before getting on one knee and locking his hands on top of his elevated knee for Jeongin to use as a lift. The young black haired boy did so with ease, much to his surprise, and then moved farther from the edge, moving the supplies as well. Before he knew it, the bus rocked a little and he saw Chan jump to grab a handle on the top of the bus and then walk his feet up the back end of it. He pulled himself over the edge rather easily and joined Jeongin on the roof.

The older man set up the area, opening a small laptop with a live feed of a building somewhere. Jeongin guessed it was somewhere inside of the Purity Ring base, and he watched carefully as Chan flicked through multiple channels, changing the camera, Seungmin had hacked the security feeds. There seemed to be nothing of interest, just blank hallways and empty rooms. The leader kept clicking through the different cameras until he landed upon a kind of conference room. There were the 10 members sitting around a large, black table and before Jeongin could question it, Seungmin’s smooth voice came through the ear pieces.

“They’re talking about when to attack our base. Momo is taking ideas from the other members, they seem to be deciding on a date soon, maybe April? May? No no, definitely April. They’re saying mid-to-late april. Also something about the Bangtan Syndicate, but i can’t quite make it out, wait, they’re quieter now…” Seungmin spoke hurriedly, keeping up with the conversation but then slowed. The feed Jeongin and Chan were watching showed Heize leaning over to whisper in Hyunah’s ear, and then the message travelled non-verbally to Momo to looked dead into the camera. Jeongin’s heart leapt into his throat in fear. He saw the Ring’s leader pick up a gun from the table and cock it, never once breaking eye contact with the camera. Jisungs voice sounded over the voice channel.

“Hey guys, we’ve got company. The building just went into lockdown.” Jisung spoke frantically, with short breaths as if he was running. “Felix! Am I covered?!” He yelled in a panicked voice. Felix confirmed that he was safe and soon the young man’s lean frame came into view, running at full speed. The alarm for the compound could now be heard, and a clear stir went through the Clan. Chan cleared his throat. Before speaking into the earpiece.

“Remain calm, we know of to handle a firefight. Felix will keep us covered as best he can without drawing attention to himself and we will do our best to get out with less bloodshed than them. Our main goal is not to wage war, we just need to get out unscathed. They’ll follow us if we go now, so give them hell until they back down a bit. Their defenses probably aren’t the strongest yet, since they’re gearing up for April. Keep cool, and stay; don’t stray.” The leader spoke calmly into the member’s ears, easing some of their apprehension. Jeongin was still bubbling with anxiety, as he was barely trained in basic combat, let alone going against the second strongest syndicate in the city. Apparently, his fears were obvious. Chan clicked his earpiece to mute and pulled out various pieces of a minigun as he spoke.

“Relax Fox, we’ll keep that pretty face of yours in tact. The don’t know you exist yet, so we have to use that to our advantage. Stay low and out of sight unless we really really need you, okay? You have a ton of potential power over them, once you become as good as the rest of us. Don’t get hurt.” BC spoke softly as he hurriedly assembled his weapon, glancing towards the building every now and then in apprehension. Jeongin nodded at his words and felt a bit relieved he didn’t have to go headfirst into a firefight. Though something about Chan’s tone struck him as odd. There was something different about it, almost like there was… remorse? Care? Maybe even concern and protectiveness. Jeongin was a little bit floored by the expression on his superior’s face because he had never seen it hold so much genuine emotion. He gulped and nodded slowly before moving to the back of the bus and placing his weapons on the edge. He glanced back at Chan before hopping off, landing with a barrel roll to break his fall. Chan then tossed his weapons down to him quickly before nodding again and disappearing from view. Jeongin decided to go to Woojin’s station, as it was invisible from any line of sight from Purity Ring’s base.

Woojin was hurriedly moving things around and making sure everything was ready to pack up in a hurry before looking to the young member. They shared a knowing look and Jeongin squatted down next to one of the medical crates. He checked his guns’ magazines quickly to make sure he had full rounds, and then looked up to find Woojin sliding on a bulletproof vest and checking his magazines as well.

“I’m going into the fight, but I’ll be back if anyone needs me. Stay put, newbie.” He spoke hurriedly before reaching into a crate and grabbing a few grenades and hooking them on his vest. He cast one more glance to Jeongin before speed walking to the front of the bus where Changbin, Jisung, and Minho now stood. Jeongin heard a loud thump and knew that Chan had just gotten off the top of the bus. From where he was, Jeongin could see Seungmin and Hyunjin frantically locking down the surveillance equipment and packing it up, before the hacker unlocked the bus doors and Hyunjin exited, before closing them again; Jeongin decided he would be safer in there. He crouched and walked over to the doors knocking in a cryptic pattern before they opened just enough for him to get in, before they were perma-sealed once again. The black haired boy made sure that he stayed low enough to not be seen through the dark tinted windows, as to not blow his cover. Seungmin recommended that he be his bodyguard, since Seungmin wasn’t trained very far in combat. Jeongin agreed. That’s when muted voices came through the earpieces, and both boys knew that someone had cranked up their mic sensitivity so that the three youngest members would be able to hear what happened.

Before all the others stood eight of the ten Purity Ring members, sporting combat gear and weapons loaded as heavily as the Clan’s. All of them had gang tattoos, messy-looking open circles on their upper biceps. They stood in line, making sure too appear ever-intimidating.

“Look at you, naughty boy. Snooping through our security cameras, how rude!” A high pitched voice spoke. It came from Momo, and as she spoke, she stepped closer to Chan, looking him up and down and then running a finger from the middle of his chest up his neck and then flicking off of his chin. She had an evil smirk on her face, and Chan growled unhappily. “Just as feisty I see, should I make you learn how to behave again? I’d do so happily…” She purred gruesomely, making Jeongin almost gag at what she was insinuating. At this, Felix turned on his laser sight, so a small red dot appeared on Momo’s forehead. Now it was Chan’s turn to smirk at Felix’s protectiveness, and Momo tried to look at it, going cross eyed in the process. Chan crossed his arms and put his weight on one of his feet, which angered Momo as her gaze returned to him.

“I don’t know about you princess, but we aren’t itching for a fight. If you’d let us go peacefully, I won’t have to slaughter your men like last time.” He spoke with cutting ferocity, and Momo visibly winced at the mention of her previous members, the wave of uneasiness rippling through the rival gang like a tsunami. Chan noticed. “Oops. Sore topic?” The black haired man said cockily, and that sent the other group over the edge. Momo lunged at BC and the man moved out of the way swiftly, and the other gangs took this as a signal to attack.

Gunshots sounded through the streets, and members of both gangs were dodging bullets and shooting them just as quickly. A female cry was heard, it was Yoojung. She collapsed onto the rough asphalt, the new wound on her leg bleeding profusely. She yelled for Jinwoo and miraculously, the previously hidden man appeared and ran into the fight to get the youngest member out of the fight. Chan pointed him out and an array of attacks began to be moved from other members to him, but he was fast enough that all he was hit with was a couple of bullets on the back of his bulletproof vest. Chan looked behind him toward to bus to check on it’s state just as a clip from a minigun hit one of the windows, shattering it and leaving a hole that disintegrated any idea of security for the boys inside. The leader yelled out to protect the vehicle, and to try to get away. The fight backed up until they were nearly surrounding the bus, and Seungmin warned over the intercom that a police squad was on its way.

“Felix, converge on our location! And Seungmin, open the doors! Hyunjin, you get in first, then Jisung, then Woojin will grab his stuff and get in. The rest of us need to cover them until they’re secure, then get in ourselves. Don’t get hit!” The leader spoke loudly over the communication system, and the members replied with confirmation immediately, and far off, Felix started packing up his gear as quickly as he could. Woojin moved for the frontline to the back of the bus where he quickly locked everything up into bags and crates while Changbin and Minho covered his position, keeping Purity Ring at bay. Hyunjin followed orders and got to the bus, and Seungmin opened the doors briefly before closing them again. Jisung followed suit, and then as Woojin was moving his materials, He was hit in the chest. He stuttered backwards, dropping his bag, but quickly wincing as he picked it up again and got into the bus. Once inside, he collapsed onto a seat and breathed heavily, trying to control the sharp pain on his torso.

The shootout continued as Felix was seen running from his hidden location at the abandoned apartment building. Hyunah saw him and ran toward him, blocking his entry to the vehicle. He slung his partially disassembled rifle onto his back and pulled out a couple of daggers. Him and Hyunah duked it out, him eventually pinning her to the ground with one dagger to her neck and the other held pristinely in his hand, just grazing her cheekbone, giving it a small cut. He took any visible guns off of her and tossed them far away, and then got off of her hips and blew a kiss before jogging to the vehicle. He entered it easily and with that, Minho and Changbin came in as well, leaving only Chan still outside. Jeongin became worried.

“BC, get your ass in here, we’re ready to go, we have everyone!” Seungmin yelled out the broken window to the tired man who was waging war on the rival gang to the best of his ability. He was doing phenomenally well, his lithe body moving swiftly and strongly through attacks from multiple members, but he seemed to be in a trance-like state and didn’t respond to Seungmin’s pleas. He seemed to be losing, and everyone was on edge, calling out to him, hoping he would end his battle and come home, but he didn’t. Instead, he took a shot at Momo, ho happened to pull her own trigger at the same time; but Chan was tired and his trajectory was off, so he missed horribly while Momo’s bullet hit it’s target as he tried to dodge it. The team gasped, as some of them had seen him get hit but none of them had seen it this bad.

Their raven-haired leader toppled to the ground, his engraved 9mm clattering on the ground with him. His arm raced to his shoulder, holding it in agony, as he hissed out murmurs of pain. The Clan inside the bus fell into panic, and all started trying to get out and help their friend, but the doors wouldn’t open. Seungmin tried time and time again, but the doors failed every time. Woojin and Changbin were yelling, Jisung was in shock, Felix was trying to strategize and Jeongin felt like crying. Seungmin was doing his best but everyone stopped their panic as they heard a loud thump and a couple of grunts.

Jeongin had jumped out the broken window. He was the only member small enough to fit through, and though the jagged glass gave him some serious gashes, he made it out and he was now resuming the fight Chan had refused to give up. He picked up Chan’s gun and shot a couple bullets directly into the air before taking out his own glock and defensively pointing them at the Purity Ring members. The fighting stopped for a moment as a wave of confusion rippled through the rival syndicate. Momo stepped forward slowly, examining the young boy.

“Come one step closer, I dare you!” The runaway snarled at the gang, but directed at Momo specifically. She smiled maliciously and took another step. Jeongin’s hands hook dangerously, and he pointed one of his guns at the ground near her feet and shot it, as if in warning, but the Ring’s leader didn’t even flinch. His entire body was trembling and he realized his fellow members were shouting at him. He quickly made a decision and tossed Chan’s gun through the open window and holstered his own before ducking down and grabbing Chan’s uninjured arm. The leader winced visibly and yelped a little in pain before they moved as quickly as they could to cover. Gunshot sounded again, and Jeongin heard and saw bullets whizzing past him. Thankfully, he managed to get to the safe side of the bus before he got hit himself and banged on the door. Seungmin had managed to override his own lock and they opened with ease, letting in the pair of men before closing again sharply. Changbin was already at the wheel with the engine started, and the fighter stepped on the gas as soon as they were both inside. Gunshots hit the back of the reinforced vehicle, denting it visibly, but never penetrating the surface completely. Soon, they were far enough away that it was clear they weren’t in danger any longer.

Jeongin was seated in the back of the bus, completely in shock as he stared at his blood-soaked hands. The world was going in slow motion, and there was a harsh ringing in his ears. BC was laid on the ground in the middle of the vehicle, and he was stitching up his leader’s wound as best he could without the proper materials. He ended up butterfly sewing it and wrapping the entire area with gauze before making his leader sit up and rest his back against one of the seats. He had ice taped around his own body, the packs on his blood-bruises from the bullets on his vest most likely. The blonde man continued to tend to BC in the smallest ways, from wrapping him in a blanket to whispering kind words of comfort to him. Jeongin’s ears were still ringing when they parked in the warehouse’s garage and everyone started unloading.

He couldn’t make his body stand up, like his boot-clad feet were glued to the floor of the bus. His eyes started to water, and as all the members came and went with loads of gear, Woojin and Felix came back together to get the last of the surveillance equipment. Woojin grabbed it all and left, leaving Felix alone with Jeongin in the small space, the latter standing a little ways away from the former and looking at him with a kind of forlorn distance in his eyes. The platinum blonde boy sighed in a kind of self-conviction, and then walked to Jeongin and squatted down a little to touch his hand. The younger flinched impulsively, before looking up at Felix with tear stained cheeks making small trails on his skin through the dirt and sweat that had made a layer of its own. Jeongin’s mouth moved in a manner like he was trying to speak, but no words wanted to come through. Felix nodded and moved to touch his hand again, but Jeongin stood up quickly. As he was about to take a step, his vision went dark in a sickeningly familiar manner and he fainted into Felix’s body. The older man caught him with ease as he sighed again and then picked up the young boy bridal style and took him out of the bus and into the warehouse.

Jeongin awoke about and hour later, placed on his bed, tucked in. When he awoke, he hardly remembered what had happened, until he looked down and saw his hands, caked in now dried blood, the dirt on his clothes, the stinging in his eyes from his previous tears. Fainting had put him out of shock, but now he was falling back into it and it felt worse. His chest began to tighten, his muscles felt tense and immovable. His breathing quickened and his body began to tremble again. He started hyperventilating, and his hands found their way to his hair, gripping it around his ears as if covering them would stop the echoes of gunshots and the vision of Chan’s shoulder getting hit with that 9 mm. He didn’t hear when his bedroom door screeched open, he didn’t even feel a pair of arms wrap around his shaking body. The only thing that pulled him out of his thoughts was a smooth voice telling him to breathe slowly.

He looked up slightly to see ruffled platinum blonde hair again, and he sighed a little. Felix was murmuring sweet nothings to him much like Woojin was to Chan on the bus, and they soothed him slightly, but just his friend’s arms around him grounded him more than anything else. The younger boy leaned into his touch and found comfort in his warmth, though still shaking, his breathing had began to slow and return to normal, as well as the ringing in his ears stopping. Felix now shushed him calmly and rocked him a little bit, making sure he calmed down thoroughly before speaking.

“Heya kid, you alright now? I was gonna come clean you up but I didn’t expect you to be having a panic attack. You’re safe now, though.” He spoke, a little bit awkwardly, since it was clear he wasn’t sure how to handle the younger boy. Jeongin smiled softly, his eyes still leaking tears but his mind was calming down. He nodded and stood up, Felix following his movement and keeping hold of his arms to steady him, like he was made of glass. The pair walked to the main bathroom and went to the one bathtub in the room, and Jeongin took off his nearly ruined shirt. Felix blushed and looked away subconsciously, then looked back shyly to see Jeongin sitting on the edge of the tub and leaning over to turn on the water, checking the temperature as he did. Felix sat down next to him and grabbed a washcloth from the rack and dipped it in the water to scrub his face clean. After he did, he gave it to Jeongin to clean is torso and hands, and once he was finished, the older boy suggested he take a shower, to which he happily obliged. After a long, warm shower, Jeongin dried off and returned to his room, getting into pajamas and wrapping himself up in comfort blankets before falling asleep just as the sun was coming up.

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temsology · 3 years

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If this works out (which I’m praying it does) I’m going to miss dressing up everyday. It’ll prob make me wanna go out every now and then too. I remember last time even on a day off I’d wear something similar to my work clothes and my dad dead used to think that I was about to go or just came in from work. Or when my cousins would want me to go out with them I’d have the toughestttt time getting ready because I felt so ugly wearing ”real” clothes because I was alwayssss dressed in some sort of athletic/leisure wear because of work. I told my SM that I miss coaching. I really do. And ironically enough I caught a IG live tonight after work of one of my fav coaches I have on ig (who’s actually from out here) and another coach who’s trying to get teams into HBCU’s (which is amazing). I’m really so in need of something that nurtures my heart and coaching was one of those. But I have to have standards and I have to have a goal. I don’t want to start off solely coaching though. Because I do need to be retrained and developed as a coach. When I was initially trained as a coach I kind of moved quick. From having zero experience except for taking classes as a kid and dancing throughout my youth I got the job. But never coached a day in my life and it was 10+ years since I took my last class. But I managed to find myself assistant coaching pre team and team practices, having my own pre team class as well as everything else that came along with it. Anddd I was being trained as a coach by Olympic coaches, an Olympic athlete and other international former athletes/coaches. But I was so drained. It was amazing that they saw potential in me. But I didn’t know what really was the deal inside that gym until after I got the job. I went in there so clueless. It started off as I need a job for some months and this is a place I used to take classes at. Also, a few years prior I had friends who worked there and told me I should apply but I never did cause I didn’t think it was really for me. So years pass and I finally apply and I get it and I excel but bc I intially went in with a set mindset that I was only going to be there for 6-7months it got tough after that 8th month. I was out of momentum and energy. And only made it to the end of the 9th month. like a day or 2 into the 10th month. I was so sickkkk. Sooooo sickkkkk. So this time around I’m thinking I have to set a goal. It was the same with my current job. My goal was only 1 year and I just made 2 years this past week. Like after that first year I was over it, but it was bearable because of COVID and I literally only had not even a full 2 month quarantine. And with the new limitations and rules that were implemented, I got through this second year. But now things are really opening back up and I’m like nahhhhhh. Nahhh! I can’t do it. I’m not a people person. I can be around people but I don’t like excessive interaction and with this pandemic, interaction has become limited which was an absolute blessing to me. Made it easier for me to be myself. Because I don’t really like to speak or be in close proximity with others, I don’t like eating around others or others eating around me really. its just been amazing. Honestly. But Im in need of more personal interactions. Too many people for too many hours for too many days has been doing something to me that I’m getting sick of. Lol. Of course I’d love to be home or elsewhere and make money in my sleep but I’m not at that point in my life just yet. So something that I truly love to do. Literally the only job I loved. Like I loved it and felt it in my heart ohde when I used to coach. Like literally how my heart used to feel sometimes was like how in the movie the grinch‘s Heart grew. It really used to feel like that when I would coach. I feel like it had a lot to do with the fact that gymnastics was always #2 for me. I had to knock dance down another one. Cause dance was literally only because my parents couldn’t continue with gymnastics payments (they’re sooo expensive!!!) esp if I was going to start team (which was my only route cause I

was too advanced for all of the classes). So because gymnastics meant so much to me specifically cause I couldn’t continue it when I was younger and a good number of things I leaned to teach my kids I didn’t know how to do myself but I could teach them it was amazing. And just by coaching I learned sooo much and it improved and motivated my workouts and Fitness. But I didn’t go in with a committed mindset it was a “for now type of thing” to me so I failed miserably at the end of it. I have more of a direction to where I wanna go with coaching now since I have experience. I wanna choreograph floor routines. I love floor and its the closest to dance routines out of all of the events. the owner of my last gym wanted to start a dance class for me to teach so he literally turned part of the toddlers play area into a dance studio. I wasn’t ready for that though, it was too much and overwhelming and it showed and I just got sick and left. It’s like the vision was amazing but those were never my plans. And they sprung onto me so quick and everything happened soooooo fast. And I just had to pause it and get off the ride. Wrong timing cause a lot was happening during that time too that was as equally important. so I diverted my attention to something else that I believed was more important and it didn’t lead me down the wrong road, I found so much I loved too that I wouldn’t know I’d enjoy if I didn’t trust the intuition God gave me. i probably should have just left when I planned too instead of attempting to take on more than I could handle. But what’s did is done and I’m ready to try it out again. Similar story to my current employment. First experience with this company was good but went horribly south so I made the choice to walk away, lived my life, gained more experiences, came back and everything went great. And now this has become the longest job I’ve held (consecutively) because working with a program for 4 years but only during the summer breaks does not count. But now it’s like, I still want to move on farther but not this way. I feel like I need a redirection, get my life and my mind onto a new page and then go from there and see where I’m at. Yeah I want to “retire by 30” = “stop clocking in and out on someone’s time”) but logically speaking ...can I do that in the next 2.4 years? when I tell my dad that he‘s like okay I believe you can do that but also laughs and says that he thought he was going to retire at 35 and that’s when he ended up having kids and getting married and didn’t retire for another 25 years. so I tell him he basically just retired his single life. But that’s my thing... like I literally want to retire clocking in and out on somebody’s time. I’ll work with you, but I’m not working for you. But I’m tryna figure out the details. I think very far ahead and miss out on what’s in front of me. But my future has always been important to me. I never wanted to get so warped up in the present that I don’t prepare for what’s to come. it always felt like my parents didn’t prepare for me/us when they were younger. i mean, they made it work I guess but being the oldest all that was heavy and it was like I was to blame for what had unfolded bc I was the first and if it wasn’t for me they just might have walked away from each other. Idk, I just don’t want to make those mistakes. So I’ve always been stuck in the future. And it’s like no one is on the same page as me. Hell, I’m not even on that page probably. But i read books and packets backwards anyway. you learn more about the story reading it from the end first That’s how the beginning makes more sense. I am also very okay with people telling me storylines before I’ve read/watched something or seeing something from the middle on. but I’ve been asked once why I take tests from end to beginning. i Actually start at the beginning , jump to the end then fill in the middle. But it makes more sense. I told them that at the beginning you’re given an intro of what it’ll all be about. At the end its usually a summarization and The middle is a bunch of the same

questions asked in different ways. The beginning and end give you an idea of what you’re about to get into. But I say all this to say, I believe my next experience will be a life changing one and I have every intention to make sure it guides me into the direction God is aiming me towards. Stability and execution should be my focus right now. Stability and execution. Sounds good to me.

#Re reading this and seeing all of these punctual errors are so cringy #But idc #Lol #this isn’t a paper I gotta turn in #I’m not getting no grade or check for this

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blamingslaveryon · 6 years

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Slavery: Who is to Blame?

At a recent social event I got the opportunity to chat with a teenager who is taking a US history class. As an ancient historian whose research over the last ten years has mostly focused on slavery, I decided to ask her what she had learned about the topic. Knowing that little effort is made to fit it into the big picture, that is, into the global history of slavery, I shouldn’t have been too surprised to hear her say that the British were unfamiliar with slavery until the time of the American colonies (untrue), that slavery was invented in the 17th century (also untrue), and that there had never been slaves in North America (also untrue; I will get back to all of this later in my blog). I felt it was my duty to enlighten the girl, so I spent some time lecturing her before finally letting her go back to being a teenager and gluing her eyes and fingers to her smartphone. The very next day I got my hands on a high school textbook and read, among other things, that before the trans-Atlantic slave-trade began, Africans practiced slavery but it was a “mild” kind, that it was more like European feudalism, and that all slaves were treated like “family.” I was also able to confirm the source of most of the teenager’s misinformation. All this inspired me to write a blog on the history of the institution of slavery which, although no longer legal in most parts of the modern world, is still practiced. As always, it follows the law of supply and demand. And although exact statistics are hard to come by, estimates made by the Polaris Project indicate there may be 21 million enslaved persons world-wide. But those are just estimates. *************************** Slavery is at least 5,000 years old, or perhaps more than twice that old. According to some scholars, the origins of this institution can be traced back 12,000 years, to the time when (many) humans made the transition from nomadism to sedentism, in other words, when they no longer moved about nearly all the time, hunting and gathering, and settled down, usually to become farmers. That’s when accumulating goods on a larger scale became an option. And it was a small step from being the proud owner of a goat or two, a hut, and a spare pair of sandals, to owning other human beings. Other scholars, such as Gerda Lerner (The Creation of Patriarchy, 1986), tell us that, some 5,000 years ago, women became a sort of slave “prototypes.” It was around this time that many ancient societies created patriarchy, and women became commodities, exchanged or given in marriage to men from other tribes. It was also around this time that it became customary in wars to kill enemy males and enslave their women, that is, to turn them into property (they would include the women’s young children too). Eventually it dawned on those people that males could and should also be enslaved as a source of income and/or free labor. We don’t need to agree one hundred percent with either one of these views. But we have evidence of slavery going back thousands of years and being practiced all over the globe. In trying to organize my thoughts I ran into several difficulties. I could not write about “ancient slavery” and then about “modern slavery” (meaning roughly from the 15th century onward) because the institution has followed an unbroken line. “Ancient slavery” didn’t disappear, only to be replaced by “modern slavery” later on. Also, in an attempt at dealing with, and staying within, geographical regions, I realized that slaves were not always supplied locally. The slave trade network has always had numerous and far-reaching tentacles. But around the 3rd century BC, humans began to be enslaved, owned, and traded in previously unheard-of numbers. With that in mind, I will begin in the “Old World” with the long period that preceded the mid- to late-Roman Republic before writing about the 3rd century changes. Sumer’s Code of Ur-Nammu (22nd century BC) regulates various aspects of slavery. No written code appears out of nowhere and simply “invents” a practice. Rather, a practice (in this case, slavery) can be around for centuries and be regulated by unwritten customs before the need arises to carve them in stone. Exactly how far back it went in the region of Sumer is not clear. And we do not know what percentage of the population was made up of slaves. Babylonia’s Code of Hammurabi (18th century BC) also regulates slavery, as do texts from the nearby Hittites, but again we have no statistics. And the warlike Assyrians left behind reliefs showing them taking slaves, something they did in rather large numbers after their victories. In Ancient Egypt, during the Middle Kingdom (which started in the 21st century BC), Asian slaves were being imported, but slavery was hardly new among the Egyptians of that era. From the New Kingdom on (starting in the 16th century BC) it became widespread, until about 10% of the population consisted of slaves, many of them Africans coming from south of the Sahara through the kingdom of Nubia. And one must not forget the time when the Hebrews (Habiru) were enslaved in Egypt until their departure traditionally thought to have taken place in the 15th century BC. The Hebrews were not only the victims of enslavement at some point, but they also owned both Hebrew and foreign slaves. Some evidence for that is found in the book of Exodus. In the Hellenic world (which we incorrectly refer to as “Greece”) there are records of slavery among the Myceneans of the 12th century BC. And in the city-state of Athens of the 5th century BC, somewhere between 7 and 20% of the population was made up of slaves. Although many of them came from Thrace, Scythia, and Asia Minor, they may have simply been purchased there but had their origins farther away. Ancient African cultures south of the Sahara owned slaves, usually taken as prisoners in war. And while some were kept, others were sold elsewhere, for example, Egypt (see above). Starting in the 5th century BC the Greeks and later the Romans began taking slaves in North Africa. Farther to the east, in ancient China of the Qin and Han dynasties (starting in the 3rd century BC) some men were sentenced to become public slaves, after being castrated, and sometimes their families were also enslaved. In ancient Rome, the second king, Numa Pompilius (8th century BC), regulated what jobs should be performed by slaves. That was three centuries before the Laws of the Twelve Tables (5th century BC) provide us with written evidence about slavery. Although initially the numbers of slaves in Rome were small, they quickly increased with the wars of conquest, beginning in the 3rd century BC. Soon aristocrats were acquiring and using large numbers to work their land. By the 1st century BC, about 30% of the population was made up of slaves, and in the 1st century AD there were perhaps 10 million slaves empire-wide. Although for many reasons the percentages dropped over the next couple of hundred years, in the 5th century AD we still find individuals, such as a noblewoman named Melania, who owned more than 30,000 slaves. *************************** In the 5th century AD, even as the leftovers of the Western Roman Empire fragmented and turned into many Germanic kingdoms, slavery and the far-reaching slave trade continued throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa, and even expanded. New land routes were added to previous ones (like the old trans-Saharan route), and ships carried slaves across the Mediterranean, the Aegean, the Black Sea, the Red Sea, and the Indian Ocean, usually in both directions. In the 8th century AD the Vikings and the Arabs began playing an ever more active role, both in ownership and the trade, and later other Muslims would join them. Some cities and towns became famous for their slave markets: Zawila south of the Sahara in the 8th century, Dublin in the 9th century, Prague in the 10th century, Verdun in the 11th century, Novgorod in the 12th century, Venice and Genoa in the 12th through the 15th centuries, and Lagos in Portugal in the 15th century. It is probably hard for nearly every person living in the 21st century accurately to say: “I know who all my ancestors were” or “I’m Danish or Irish or Spanish or whatever.” Here are a few examples to illustrate that: English slaves went to Italy and Spain, Irish slaves to Iceland and the Islamic empire, African slaves to Arabia and India, Slavic slaves to Byzantium, Korean slaves to China, Chinese slaves to Portugal and India, Portuguese slaves to Muslim Spain, Franks, Anglo-Saxons, and Russians to markets all over Europe and the Near East to be resold elsewhere. (See Note 1 at the end of this blog.) **************************** So far I have focused on the “Old World,” but slavery also existed in the “New World.” Yet, the dynamics changed after Columbus’ voyages. The Maya peoples of Mesoamerica owned slaves, often those who had been captured in war, although we have no statistics about percentages of the entire population. The same can be said about the Aztecs to the north, the Inca, the Tupanimbá (in Brazil), and the Tehuelche (in Patagonia) to the south, and the Caribs (in the Caribbean), among others. And what about the Americas farther north? Slaves were owned by many cultures in what are currently the United States and Canada. A few examples include the Comanche of Texas, the Creek of Georgia, the Yurok that lived along the coast from California to Alaska, the Pawnee, the Klamath, the Haida and the Tlingit of Alaska, and the Nootka of Vancouver Island. It is estimated that among some tribes in the Pacific Northwest, 25% of the population was made up of slaves. When the European voyages of exploration began in the 15th century, the dynamics of the slave trade and slavery itself changed. Not only did Spanish, Portuguese, English, French, and Dutch ships, among others, create new routes, but most of the slaves taken to the “New World” came from the African continent south of the Sahara. But it was not the Spanish, Portuguese, English, French, and Dutch themselves who went into the heart of Africa to take slaves. They merely acquired them at markets along the coast and transported them elsewhere. There were plenty of nations with slaves to sell: 30% of the population of Senegambia was made up of slaves, in the Islamic states of Mali and Ghana also 30%, in Bornu (in central Africa) about 40%, perhaps 90% in Arab Zanzibar (which, due to its location, was a convenient place for the creation of its large slave market; it is estimated that 80,000 Africans died each year before reaching that market). Other peoples with large numbers of slaves were the Ashanti, the Yoruba, and the people of the Kingdom of Kongo. But even those nations that had fewer slaves participated actively in the slave trade. Many of them waged war for the sole purpose of acquiring slaves, or else they organized raids: the Oyo Empire, the Kingdom of Benin, the Imamate of Futa Toro, the Kingdhom of Kaabu, the Ashanti Confederacy, the Kingdom of Dahomey, and many others. Then they sold their slaves to the Europeans, and most of them were taken to the Americas (somewhere between 12 and 20 million). Trading in slaves was not seen as something wrong, and statements have survived, made by African rulers, one of whom said the trade had been ordained by God himself (king of Bonny in present-day Nigeria), while another one said the trade was the source and glory of his people’s wealth (king of Dahomey But while this was going on, the Muslims continued buying slaves and sometimes capturing them themselves, then taking them overland (across the Sahara) or on ships crossing the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. Including the ones they sold to Europeans, they benefited from the sale of 25 to 35 million Africans. They also continued enslaving others, including Christians during the Ottoman wars. And Muslim pirates raided coastal cities in addition to taking ships, for the purpose of taking captives and selling them into slavery. In the 19th century, one country after another abolished the slave-trade, and then slavery itself. However, it took some African countries until the 20th century to follow suit. By then, countless individuals had been enslaved and sold, and used and abused, all over the world. Many still are, although outside of the context of legal slavery. **************************** Now I come back to the question which I posed in the title of my blog: Who is to blame for slavery? My readers will probably agree that there is no simple answer. Blame the Sumerians? The Egyptians? Slavery was hardly new when they began leaving evidence of slave-holding and trading more than 4,000 years ago. The Romans bought, sold, and used them on a much larger scale than other peoples, but they did not come up with the institution of slavery. Whether it was a byproduct of private property or of patriarchy, it had been around for a long time. We cannot blame the Mongols, the Arabs, the English, the French, or the Spanish either, despite the changes they made to trade and/or ownership. The same goes for all the individuals all over the globe who have participated in a system that was perceived to be OK. But we can blame those who, despite the fact that they operate outside the law, enslave and sell human beings in the 21st century. And I want to encourage all those who are aware of trafficking to speak up. **************************** Note 1. Being forcefully transported from one’s place of origin is, of course, not the only reason why our ancestors moved. The search for better land or opportunities, as well as the need to escape persecution, religious or of another nature, are a few other reasons that account for that. Note 2. As the reader may have noticed, no attempt has been made to describe the many ways in which a person could become a slave, or about how slaves were treated in different parts of the world at different times, and even in the same part of the world depending on a number of factors. But there are some excellent books that go into a lot of detail, including the following: Five Thousand Years of Slavery (Marjorie Gann and Janet Willen; 2011), and Slavery and Social Death (Orlando Patterson; 1982).

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cheswirls · 6 years

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a quick sum-up of che’s future career plans, bc reasons

im halfway through the dive!! anime show that came out this summer season, and i’m having a lot of thoughts, and plus i finished going through all the footage i missed today of skate america while i was at a bball game, and it’s made me realize different things i guess?

it might be mid-long length so its going under a cut, but to gain intereststart off, this is all about my desire to be an athletic trainer for the usa olympic center at colorado springs, co !

ive been an at(now when you see that abb. you know what it means hah!! not assistant teacher hmm) student since my freshman year of high school, and i’ve loved it a whole bunch. back then i was set on going to columbia U for their writing program, and i wanted to major in graphic design afterwards/during/it wasnt super planned out i was a fr. i didnt know what bfa or mfa stood for yet. it wasnt until end of sophomore year than i thought about being an at for realsies.

but i also still loved gd. so there was a confliction there.

junior year i took a break from working volleyball in the fall and did my one and only year of football and it was terrible primarily bc the team i worked with didnt know how to function as a group and half the group were selfless bitch whores but like thats another storyyy, secondly bc i jus really discovered i didnt care abt football at all. it was mostly for the experience and i gained it and i liked it bc i hung out w a lot of people from helping out w varsity (i was one of two our of the five juniors that had been there since my fr year and was only on jv bc it was my first year w football, but one of the seniors had to work a bunch so when they needed an extra person i was the one w the most experience so i was w them a lot,) point was it was fun!!! and you have fun w ppl you like that you dont work w all the time and i shouldnt say fun bc lots of times it was awful,

basically! it was fun being w the varsity trainers which were the seniors and the other junior that had been around since fr year. volleyball was fun but it had always been a one-at-student-per-team sport , so it was different jus being w other ats that shared the same team and not the same sport(which in the us is made up of at least three different teams, a fr,jv,and varsity). it was a more open environment and so it inspired a lot of talk with the at grad students we had that semester (we got 3-4 every semester in a partnership w the D1 uni in town, it was always cool to hear stories from them!) and anyway i remember talking w a couple of the grads one practice and we were discussing all the different occupations athletic trainers could have, and what they wanted to work with in the future, and the topic veered towards professional sports and the olympics.

i thought it was really cool when we were talking about it, and then we got busy and it flew out of my mind. i dont remember when it came back and became a focus, but sometime before my senior year, i had decided i wanted to work at the olympic level.

real quick i mentioned gd and the struggle, so to bring that into focus, my junior year i took a whole bunch of different tech classes (gd&i, compsci, webtech) and in one of those, i had the opportunity to go to a ... i cant remember what the term was for it, but it was kinda an event for gd students and it had a little competition and stuff, and it was really fun! nd you got a lot of info abt the community college hosting it and i learned their program was really good, so the gd versus at internal struggle continued, and i remember talking to my sponsor teacher (she actually taught all three of my tech classes that year aaa i loved her) about how i didnt know what to do and shit and i dunno what she told me but like, i think she was trying to be encouraging but she basically said it was up to me, like she didnt try and nod me into a direction, that i can recall.

so SOMEHOW bc i honestly cannot remember, by senior year i’ve decided that im gonna jus fuck it and pick BOTH and double major in gd and athletic training. AND i had it all planned out, where i was gonna get a degree in gd and open up an online business, and then go into a masters program for at and then enter into the olympic field.

by this point creative writing is still cool and a great hobby but i couldnt possibly double major AND have a minor that’d be too much. id still love to take a cw course tho one day.

basically a buncha crazy stuff happened that first semester but by winter break i had an acceptance letter to a uni a couple hours north of home with a good accredited undergrad program (accredited basically means you graduate w a masters in four years so its fasttracked which woulda been great but uh..) and by the time i found out that next semester that they were doing away with the accredited program i was already too emotionally invested to consider panic-switching(panic bc it was february and id already been admitted hah...) but i decided it’d be okay. basically if you dont remember/werent around one of my school’s head ats died in a car crash died around early october ‘16. she went to undergrad where i go now, and i’d talked to her about it september that semester wondering if she knew anything abt their program and uh surprise, she’d done the same program small world. after the funeral in november and a ton of thought i applied there. (november was.. crazy in general last year. rly crazy)

may was when i started adding on sports to the future olympics job, bc i started thinking about it and after finally getting a friend to watch yuri on ice, he started making his was through all of sochi’s figure skating stuff, and then the 2010 vancouver olympics, and i decided i wanted to recap a bit on that too.

the 2010 olympics was really my first experience with figure skating. i’m a west texas gal and so theres not a lot out here to get exposed to, so seeing these best-of-the-best class sports was fun, and the earliest experience i can remember of such. i was in fifth grade so i dont remember a ton, but i do remember being captivated by korea’s yuna kim, who won gold that year in fs. shes an fs legend at this point, so if you’re into figure skating and don’t know who she is, go look her up. you wont be disappointed.

in 2012 was the london olympics. i remember a lot from it, like watching the opening ceremony with my parents and seeing the queen jump out of a helicoptor(which is like,, still cool to this day wow) and being fascinated my michael phelps and all the swimming he did so grandly. it was also my first real exposure to diving. the oldest i could recall anything abt the sport was at a pizza hut somewhere.. in town i think, and i was w my best friend at the time and my mom was there so i think maybe we were on the way back from the lake??? sounds right, i think. and we were talking abt how i always held my nose when i went underwater bc i didnt know how to not get water all up my nostrils and be underwter(and i still dont to this day aha) and she mentioned like, joining a diving team would be cool! would help me get over it and all! and i like recalling it dunno what she was talking abt bc we lived in dirt city nothing so i highly doubt there was or is any sort of diving sport happening. swimming, yeah maybe, there were lessons at pools and bodyworks areas around town, competitive teams im not sure tho, but not diving like at all so??? dunno.

so my next and technically first real experience with it was watching the london olympics. and i thought, wow, this is so neat!! i watched from that one day like the opening events, and i think i was old enough to search online like yea i had a laptop by then so i looked up the schedule for the things i wanted to see most of, and i ended up watching i think most of the diving events (i missed a couple for.. archery, i think? maybe?) and absolutely loving it. iunno what it was, maybe something i never thought i could do?(bc not hold my nose?? while i dove???????? scaryy) but i enjoyed it a bunch.

i was older when sochi was a thing, my 8th grade year. i was able to appreciate things a lot more. when i tuned into events, tony hawk and snowboarding were the main focus, but figure skating was on a lot as well. i had a tv in my room by that point, so if i didnt like what was playing on the main tv, i could go watch another event. i learned a lot of names and faces through that, and so while my bff was watching it our senior year if i was with him id point out skaters and their nationalities and stuff, like yuzuru hanyus always been a modern day household name w figure skating, but i leanred abt him BECAUSE of the sochi olympics, and he was one of the ones i’ve never forgotten. i really really liked it, so much that i watched worlds after, and around the same time my fr year, i tuned in to just the worlds championship again. i didn’t pick up trying to watch grand prix(which is their regular season, for those unaware) season until my junior year, and most of it was day-or-two-late videos from youtube, since the ice channel i think it a paid-for thing (i still dont know much abt it hah) and nothing was on tv otherwise, aside from the skate america event. but since that first time after sochi, ive always been around watching worlds fs near the beg of each year. i’d familiarized myself by senior year with the fs world, and actually,

early (i think march?) of my junior year, i searched up trying to find a figure skating anime at the time. and what did i find?? ginban, the only figure skating anime at the time. i watched like maybe all of one episode, it was abt a girl who shared her body w the ghost of a former figure skater while she was competing in events, and it was.. okay? lackluster, in the animation dept, but it was a 2005 show so.. yeah.

so after that i was like kk that wasnt good lets find another. and i didnt. not yet, anyway. instead, i found an announcement for violet evergarden’s animated adaptation, and yuri on ice, a realistic adaptation of the sport of figure skating. thats bolded bc its important. i found that shit abt yoi before it even had a promo poster, certainly before the pv came around that got everyone hyped up. i found it bc i was looking for figure skating in the first place. in fact, i think when the pv came out and got popular, i didnt even relate it to the upcoming fs anime i’d read about previously. it took me a bit to connect the dots.

watching yuri on ice at the same time as the gp 2016 season was surreal, but really interesting. i got my bff into it before the second to last episode came out, and i only remember that bc he finally showed any interest when he found something on twitter abt it being gay (newsflash/// hes gay, and before yoi his fav show was no6 bc that was as close as it got. he still rly likes it, we both do, but his solid favc is now definitely yoi. representation matters and all) and was like well now i HAVE to watch it and i was all yes it ends soon so pls. and he watched it twice in a weekend, and thrice before the finale came out, and then a few more times after that, iunno how many times but certainly more thn i have(i went back after the .. maybe ep 10? w/e ending had the after party reveal that changed everything, so i went back to analyze everything before the next ep) and between the week of 11 and finale 12, he started watching the sochi fs competition, and then the 2010 after the show ended w ep 12.

seeing this great fs show and getting a friend into the world of figure skating really renewed my love for it all. before the semester went out i went back and watched the reruns of the sochi fs stuff. and by may i’d decided i wanted to cosider that to be the sport i worked with.

with diving, it took a similar twist. in the form of the rio 16 olympics. i was all over that shit, i downloaded an nbc app on my phone so i could watch events live while i traveled with volleyball to a tournament in dallas and while i was at practice w them at home and generally jus away from the house and a tv. i planned that shit out had a schedule and everything for what i was watching live, and a lot of it was swimming, but a whoooole lot of live stuff was the diving.

in the hotel room in dallas the tv would always be on to w/e olympics events were airing at the time, either track or diving tho, one or the other, or recaps. quite a few girls ended up in the room in the evening and we’d all do stuff and watch in passing at the same time, and it was suuuuuper fun. watching the chinese women perform flawlessly and walk away w all the gold was fun, but finding a good commentator to actually say such was a disheartening challenge( one of the most memorable moments w live commentary that year was hearing a woman say of one of the chinese ladies that she’d done better before, after they revealed her personal best score ever like rly cmon be unbiased and jus passionate abt the sport youre covering pls.

ive always been super fond of the diving scene. it may not be as much as fs, but honestly, i wish i grew up in an area w a diving team now, or wish i could try it out now, bc thats how much fun it seems. i still wanna go up to the big city like 30min away from uni and learn to ice skate in the civic center there, but hands down if i had to pick a sport to join tomorrow or die i’d pick diving.

so also by may, and throughout the culmination of senior year, diving was the second sport on the olympic to-train-for list. you get a five-year contract w the olympics, now i think it’s usa as a whole and i think its by center so say, if i get a job in colorado springs i cant apply in another five years to chula vista or even like lake placid, but iunno for sure. the five-year thing is involved somehow bc i’ve heard it from a physical therapist and trainer-that-works-in-a-sports-med-clinic duo in one body named sarah, who’s been contracted out from the clinic by my high school since junior year also, bc she knows people who’ve worked w the olympics, and then another from church that worked w olympics that knows my family uh iunno how well but i know of him, i think he also works in the clinic as some sort of on-hand surgeon but a diff person than who sarah knew. so its five years somehow and then i’ll take my bfa in gd and open my online business and do that from a studio at home and look after my owl/cat pet combo.

since may, it had been ‘olympics, with either figure skating or diving’. and it stayed that for a long time. now, since a couple weeks ago, and this is again while gp season is happening for fs, its diving. i wanna work w the usa olympic diving team as their team athletic trainer, and i cant do it this summer bc i have to have completed two years of uni, instead of a certain standing, like be a junior, but so NEXT summer, before my senior year of uni, (i came in a sopho so 6 sem only ah) i’m applying for an internship at the center in colorado springs, and that’s the team i hope i work with.

now i tell people, diving, but if i get offered figure skating, i’ll take it, but diving is the goal now. if i love it and wanna continue professionally, great, i can do that and have an online gd shop. and if i decide i want something different? i’ll work olympics and then join w a professional-level figure skating i actually dunno how it works. coach, and their skater in turn. coach, with multiple skaters under them. a culmination of diff usa skaters. w/e, something in the professional fs world.

and thats uh, thats it! dive has been so much fun to watch, and i realize i talk a lot on here about working w basketball and being an at student in general and the vast majority have no idea what i mean, so hopefully this clarifies. thank you!!

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megabrocklesner1world-blog · 5 years

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Understand the Record of Scotland's Most Popular Poet on an Ayrshire Journey

There he was-no, he was not there, psychologically, his cousin, Axothea, he found in the morning. He'd recited his poems obviously; some to herself, a couple of today to his sister. Myron, son of Kritias of Hydra (an area in the Aegean Ocean, dating back again to the 12th Century BC, a maximum of twenty-five square miles, depopulated, then in the 8th Century somehow resurrected, with farmers, and herders, and sailors from Ermioni, who needed control of the area, then offered it to Samos in the 6th Century, and ceded it to Tizina, then and there), Myron had finished with an Ode to the Crow,fifteen-years previous now. A group of people can hear him also; his molars only pulling during his gums.

Poets really are a long-winded Famous Poet breed, all seeking to produce Olympia excitement with poetic jealousy, like a hornets nest. Today fifty-years later his poems continue to be recited on Hydra, Samos, Crete, Athens, Teos, Lesbos, quoted by tyrants from Miletus, Macedonia, Carthage. A glittering group of poets and actors today call themselves, "Myron Artists." Also the Persian elite know of him, all the way to Sicily his title is renowned.

However in those early dark times, after his father-a poet of the people-lesser known on the list of elite, than Myron would be over time, had died of ((Consumption ) (disease)),it absolutely was in his lungs, his mom had died of it a year earlier. The child or his cousin inhaled their father's infection, he had learned from the death of his mom, it absolutely was contagious, and his father had him avoid any near contact.

Today his cousin, whom Advocate was a year young compared to the poet to be, he was pledged to his creative artwork, likened to his father, want to like, like two peas in a pod. Glad, undoubtedly, he kept in Hydra, wherever everyone realized of him, and his parents, who were remaining innocently to rest wherever he can, and was never sought after for truancy. But prayed he did, to Apollo and Dionysius, to be as great a poet as Sappho, who had died maybe not but a quarter century before, or Solon who had died but ten years before he was born.

At dawn he and his cousin were up and about, greeted one and all civilly, and like so frequently, was offered a pot of watered wine, "For a boy's power," the pinnacle of the house said. And then he and his cousin, Axothea, discovered a corner available in the market place-as usually they did-for him to recite his poetry, and on her behalf to perform the lyre, as was their only way of help (he can write and read, while flow of the published term was not prevalent in those times, while actors and poets, had particular published scripts.) And hence, your day stretched out, as he recited his poetry, as though something special to Apollo, and Zeus.

"Sure, friend," I believed to my mind's vision when I found him give heart and heart to the god's-with his ode, "This does impress me."

A youthful and lovely lad, his cousin maintaining out of view but playing her lyre softly as he spoke his ode, as though he was alone. As I listened I sang his poetic words into my heart, I thought his libretto, as though I were on the list of crows themselves, I really could image them, weaving in and out of Apollo's event, chanting behind Homer's straight back, fighting to move away from the flames of Troy, I was thinking, daydreaming, aloud, he might have enchanted tigers, a sullen child certainly (and chanted "The Ode to the Crow").All exactly the same, he was not ready, how can he be at this kind of small age. Then he found me-here I was, a stranger and visitor to the land, pleasant-faced I was, what wicked was I wishing him, I would make him famous-that in itself has two sides-too usually, so frequently, it provides bountiful living, but a brief living; yes, I might make him famous, I really could see in his eyes, he never dared to think it. I, Datis of Carthage (Greek-Persian oratory tutor),I would make him the bard of the times, his occasions, I really could do this. The less he realized of me, the better down for him (it's named scruples), lest he despise me, for I had a language without hair onto it, and I realized the planet at big, the boys-strength was in understanding, commitment, undoubtedly, because of my era I would not function as heir to his fortune, until he died regardless of my teachings, delight of the feast may move a man down from his top, right in the midst of his ascension to the gods. So I viewed a while lengthier, "Let us walk together," I claimed, and he realized I was sent by Apollo, his eyes explained therefore, but he did not know all.

The Oct cool was in the breeze, the plants were getting pale, as cold weather neared, the sun was reduced on the Mediterranean, and Aegean Seas, Axothea viewed us from afar-, curious number doubt.

"I have the present of prophecy," From the telling the lad, that was relatively of a lay, I simply had contacts, and great information to talent.

Myron, son of Kritias of Hydra, claimed in a most afraid voice: "What is it that you see?"

"You are the poetic voice of Apollo's lizard," therefore I informed him.

"I have generally needed to be always a poet, probably a suitable one, if not great; but challenge maybe not tell my desires to anyone, lest they vanish never to get back; hence allow it be a desire, until with confidence, you can probable tell me how...?" claimed the wonderful lad, therefore constructed and innocent of the wilds of the planet, then he extended: "never have I heard the voice of Apollo's serpent, tries out poets expressing his words. And probably I hope them to be mine, anyhow."

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atoutlines · 6 years

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The Lowborn King ( Micah 5:1-5a)

Introduction:

Background to Micah: his prophetic ministry took place somewhere between the 8th and 7th century BC (cf. Micah 1:1). At this time, the Assyrians were the dominant super-power and primary enemy of Israel.

The message of the book: warning of divine judgment, specifically for the sins of idolatry, theft, lying, and murder.

I. The Promised King (5:1-2)

Verses 1 and 2 set up a stark contrast between the weak and humiliated king of Israel & the future coming Messiah:

The Weak & Humiliated King (5:1)

Micah gives a prophecy here of the future siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, to take place roughly 100 years after the lifetime of Micah. He envisions Jerusalem totally surrounded by troops & urges them to prepare for battle (“muster your troops, O daughter of troops.”)

The “judge” (King) of Israel (Zedekiah) is humiliated in the midst of this seige. They will strike him “on the cheek,” something like a “slap” that represents humiliation, embarrassment, and shame more than physical pain.

The King “from Ancient Days” (5:2)

The Lord now speaks directly through Micah here, and promises 3 things:

1. The Messiah will be born in Bethlehem

What is the significance of this? Even the Lord says, “you... who are too little to be among the clans of Judah.”

Bethlehem was really only known for one thing: it was the birthplace of King David. God promised David’s family would rule over Israel “forever” (2 Sam. 7). This was a well-known prophecy at the time of Jesus’ birth (cf. Matt. 2; John 7)

What is the significance of this “lowborn” birth? Jesus’ entire life is one marked by humility and service (cf. 1 Cor. 1:27-29). God consistently uses the “weak” to accomplish his great purposes.

2. The Messiah will serve God faithfully

“... from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel”

Unlike the failures of so many of the kings of Israel who have come before, this ruler would serve for the Lord in faithfulness.

3. This Messiah is from “old, from ancient days.”

This phrase could be a reference to a previous time in history. But how can someone is is being born also be referenced to as existing previously? This gets at the heart of the very reason we celebrate Christmas: the incarnation of Christ (cf. John 1:14).

This pre-existent yet-born king not only came as a human being, but in the divine plan of God he came in weakness, born as a baby, in a small meager town of Bethlehem, into a poor family.

Application: How is your pride this Christmas season?

The humble posture of the humble King means that the lives of his followers ought to be marked by this same humility (cf. Phil. 2:1-11). It is precisely in the humility of Jesus that we see his real glory; likewise, Christians are given this “same mind” (Phil. 2:5).

“The humble are the hungry who will turn to God to be satisfied” ~ Tony Merida

“There has never been a gift offered that makes you swallow your pride to the depths that the gift of Jesus Christ requires us to do. Christmas means that we are so lost, so unable to save ourselves, that nothing less than the death of the Son of God himself could save us. That means you are not somebody who can pull yourself together and live a moral and good life. To accept the true Christmas gift, you have to admit you’re a sinner. You need to be saved by grace. You need to give up control of your life.” ~ Tim Keller

II. The Already and Not Yet Kingdom of God (5:3-5a)

As Micah continues to describe the reign of the Messiah, the timing and exact order of events becomes difficult to track. There is a “progressive fulfillment” that will take place in Micah’s prophecy here, as we live in between the tension of the “already” of Advent and the “not yet” of the Second Advent.

Because of the disobedience of God’s people, “he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth.” This is likely not a reference to Mary, Jesus’ mother, but rather a metaphor for the city of Jerusalem and God’s people as a whole. When this “birth” takes place, the “rest of his brothers shall return,” speaking here of the people of God who will be saved through the work of the Messiah.

When will this happen? It is already happening now... but will one day find its fulfillment at the Second Advent, when Jesus’ brothers and sisters will visibly reign with him.

Verse 4 describes three aspects of the reign of the Messiah:

1. The Nature of His Rule: “And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God”

His rule will be like one of a shepherd. Shepherds were marked by the ability to be both tough, yet tender. We know that Jesus is the “Good Shepherd” (cf. John 10:11) who not only protects his sheep but lays down his life for his sheep.

“Christ then rules not in his Church as a dreaded tyrant, who distresses his subjects with fear; but he is a Shepherd who gently deals with his flock. Nothing therefore can exceed the kindness and gentleness of Christ towards the faithful, as he performs the office of a Shepherd.” ~ John Calvin

How will he be able to lead his people in this way? He will do so with the very power and authority of God.

2. The Extent of His Rule: “... for now he shall be great, to the ends of the earth.”

The tension of the “already” and “not yet” is seen here again; Jesus certainly reigns as King over all right now, seated at the right hand of the Father. However, his visible reign over the entire earth will be fully realized at his return. And this reign is not just over Israel; it will be over every tribe, tongue, and nation (lit. “every country”) on the earth.

3. The Results of His Rule: “And they shall dwell secure... and he shall be their peace.”

Those under the rule of the Messiah will live without danger or fear. They will dwell in complete security, without any threat of danger, oppression, and warfare. There will be peace.

Application: Are you at peace this Christmas season?

Micah here points us to a peace that transcends our circumstances. How do we find this peace? It is only in him... “he shall be their peace.” We often turn to all sorts of things to try to find our peace. Only with Jesus will we find an unshakeable, right now, real life peace that transcends circumstances.

The ancient promise of a Savior, born in the humble town of Bethlehem, “born to give us second birth,” that we celebrate during the Christmas season has present hope for our lives right now. Will we humbly turn to him to find our peace?

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survivorelsalvador · 7 years

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EPISODE 2 - The Resident Messiest Players (TM) In The World - Dana

(If a confessional is just a gif or a picture then it was most likely Veronica, winner of Jeju Island, uwu <3)

LILY

Pissed doesn't begin to describe how I feel about this fucking tribe. Literally two people are complete dead weight. Lexi and Kyle don't do fucking shit. Might I note I'm normally a very nice person ask my fellow comrades on Bahamas but this tribe sucks. Literal worst tribe I have been on and probably will ever be on. If this wasn't robs game I would probs quit. The only blessing is jake on my tribe but he also voted to get rid of Adrian so what the fuck. We will lose every challenge now and in fine with going home next so I can get away from the stupid people on this tribe. Lexi hasn't even messaged me back! Very rude. I have no respect. And I know I suck because I fell asleep last night but damn. Why couldn't they have at least voted for me last night to put me out of my misery???? Damn. Kyle and Lexi were excused from this challenge well fuck, you can be excused from my life! I'm so sorry Adrian I have failed you twice. I didn't see you going at all this week. I'm going to make sure everyone on this tribe loses this game because of this vote. I can't believe how stupid this tribe is seriously. I guess if Kyle and lexis plan is to lose every challenge then they are doing great. But yeah no I doubt it. Let's see if I blow up the tribe in the one world chat...

WILL

So everything's pretty chill right now, but I am worried that I've literally been carrying my tribe through these challenges so far like I got the highest score both times and this time in particular we may not have won if I hadn't done as well. We also got lucky that like half the other tribe didn't try or even do the challenge though but like.... yikes ugh I don't want people to rely on me too much or even think I'm some sort of challenge threat

ZAKRIAH

King of being a threepeater and not making an episode one confessional Well either way I'm back to get 8th for the third sequence season in a row

KAI

This round seems really quiet... I'm not sure if that's because everyone busy or something xD but I feel really left out of this tribe if they're not busy

WILLOW

Imdividual rewards kinda stress me out lmao

ZAKRIAH

I ain't winning this game

WILL

Like I'd say I'm sorry but Regan's really good at giving me new reasons to not trust her and be upset with her, like at least TRY to be a good sport and dont just leave one world every time something doesn't go your way? Like? Is that how the game works? No? That's unfortunate

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Anyways if I get voted out of sequence again because of Regan I'm literally gonna fight someone

JAKE

I have been doing terrible so far in this game. I've only played one of three challenges, and I went to tribal. I really want to step my game up, so that is what I plan to do.

LILY

One, sorry about that last confessional. I was so frustrated with how this game was going but damn did it turn around. I did really well in dolphin olympics and got to pick out of pretty much everyone. I was so sad I didn't get to play with chips in Bahamas so I needed this chance to be on the same tribe. Looking forward to meeting the rest of my tribe and hopefully be a lot better than last time Apopa. #PlayingForApopa

DANA

Writing a quick confesh now that we've swapped tribes and my tribe is complete. Listen, things were lookin STELLAR. Nicholas is one of the reward winners, and chooses me! My queen! I was so pleased! Nicholas is totally a fav and i'm thrilled to be on a tribe with him. At this point I know I have a pretty good pick and I'm immediately thinking about who I can get that will prioritize being loyal to me. I think of Zak and Willow first. I played with both of them in Solomon and showed them I was loyal by voting with them when we were all on a tribe together. The only problem? Willow and Zak are absolutely closer with each other than they are with me. At this point in the game, i'm thinking that's pretty irrelevant though, because right now I just need numbers. I know if I pick one, they will pick the other and that automatically gives me the ability to at least join up with them and force a tie on my new tribe. Assuming Nicholas wants to work with us in a vote, which he has since confirmed he does, we get a 4-2 majority. Sounds amazing. I end up picking Willow first, because she certainly has less experience in the game then Zak and in the event we hadn't gotten Zak, I think Willow is a safer bet. For example, on day 2 of the game Willow asked me how she should be playing one world... like if she should pm people or not... and that ask for guidance is something that is easy to work with. anyways, we get Zak too. And at this point I'm thinking. Have I ever been in a better position in a game? Like I have Nicholas on one side, and Zak and Willow on the other. I bring everyone together, and I am at the pinnacle of this alliance. Genius. Then Zak trashes my dreams of perfection and picks Regan. Idk if they are friends or what, but I've heard A LOT about Regan in this community. She 100% gets the benefit of the doubt right now from me, but I know Nicholas was NOT happy to see her. Then true tragedy strikes. Like I must have done something REALLY BAD in one of these games in my past life, because I am surely being tricked. Regan's pick has me contemplating my own mortality in this game and asking the survivor gods why I'm being punished. The unbelievable happens, and his name is Jaiden. So Nicholas and I JUST voted Jaiden out in Athena Bahamas, where he and I had a cracked relationship and he kind of snapped a few times toward the end. I know... HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?! I can't work with this snake. He's a nice guy, but I just wrote an 8pg confessional in Bahamas, most of which closely detailed every lie Jaiden ever told me. Moreover, he tried to fancy idol me out of Bahamas, and luckily another fancy idol brought me back in. There is just too much recent history with Jaiden for me to forget and trust him in this game. I mean I really feel like i'm having war flashbacks except they're not flashbacks at all and Jaiden is here squirming his way back into my life. Nicholas and I start going OFF in pms about how shook we are about this pick and how it literally makes our games so much harder than they need to be. Because even though Jaiden is King Mess, he is also great at getting idols and advantages. More to come later, but until then, I'll leave you with this: [6/12/17, 8:13:20 PM] nicholas: literally pour the bleach regan picked jaiden [6/12/17, 8:14:53 PM] Dana Barry (Bouvet Islands Host): I AM LITERALLY SCREAMING

RICHIE

whew i threw that reward challenge bc i did too well in the first immunity only because apparently im a spanish speaking icon??? but im so happy i didnt win the reward because it meant that i didnt have to be the first to pick a new tribe mate and draw attention to myself and i got picked by chips who is literally one of my favorite humans i've met in this world and i'm so excited to play together!!! and i picked ashton because i wanted to pick someone from my original tribe and after nicolas who was already chosen ashton was the person i talked to more during our short stay on the usul tribe.... now i have to talk to lily austin and jake but at least i feel content knowing that if we lose i dont think i would be first boot on this tribe???????

WILL

I'm literally sCREAMING three different people all sent me the same receipts of Regan ~~~exposing~~~ me for being a "liar" GHJKLK like this is SO funny to me that everyone's running to me with these (like obviously Nicholas and Dana are my friends but Jaiden?? wants drama! i love it!) this game is literally on day 3 and it has more drama than i was ready for oh my goddddddd

DANA

I'm dropping this conversation from tribe chat into confessionals because I was CACKLING when this happened. I'm just trying to keep things ~funky fresh~ in El Salvador despite being stuck with the resident Messiest players™ in the world @Jaiden @Regan. Tonight, I'm feelin like a true comedy queen though. Check this strategically placed comedic relief. [6/13/17, 10:57:27 PM] Regan: look [6/13/17, 10:57:31 PM] Regan: I just get messy in games [6/13/17, 10:57:49 PM] jaiden: well [6/13/17, 10:57:50 PM] jaiden: same [6/13/17, 10:58:03 PM] jaiden: Dana knows. [6/13/17, 10:58:05 PM] Dana Barry (Bouvet Islands Host): greetings jaiden [6/13/17, 10:58:22 PM] jaiden: I hope you send the right person to jury in Bahamas <3 [6/13/17, 10:59:07 PM] Dana Barry (Bouvet Islands Host): another friend will join u soon [6/13/17, 10:59:10 PM] Dana Barry (Bouvet Islands Host): maybe me [6/13/17, 10:59:16 PM] Dana Barry (Bouvet Islands Host): who can say [6/13/17, 10:59:26 PM] jaiden: we'll see [6/13/17, 10:59:54 PM] Rob (Salvador, Aegean, & Bouvet Host): It me [6/13/17, 11:00:03 PM] nicholas: hi [6/13/17, 11:00:32 PM] jaiden: Nicholas and Dana on this tribe? may as well accept my elimination [6/13/17, 11:01:00 PM] Dana Barry (Bouvet Islands Host): hey listen we’re winnin this challenge and not thinking about tribals [6/13/17, 11:01:25 PM] jaiden: :| [6/13/17, 11:01:32 PM] jaiden: I just don't know if I can believe that [6/13/17, 11:02:21 PM] Dana Barry (Bouvet Islands Host): pls i dont want anyone to go, we’re friends again, remember? [6/13/17, 11:02:48 PM] nicholas: same [6/13/17, 11:02:54 PM] nicholas: I’m here for a good tome [6/13/17, 11:02:56 PM] nicholas: time [6/13/17, 11:02:56 PM] jaiden: hmm. [6/13/17, 11:02:59 PM] nicholas: not a long time [6/13/17, 11:03:30 PM] jaiden: until you flip on a revote and tell everyone in our alliance to do the same and then continue to say "well I will do anything for ur game bc I don't want to win (sun) [6/13/17, 11:03:55 PM] Regan: Jaiden omg [6/13/17, 11:03:57 PM] Dana Barry (Bouvet Islands Host): idk her because i never did that :) [6/13/17, 11:04:01 PM] Regan: throwback to bbhell [6/13/17, 11:04:02 PM] Regan: because [6/13/17, 11:04:05 PM] Regan: Shelby said [6/13/17, 11:04:07 PM] Regan: the entire game [6/13/17, 11:04:10 PM] Regan: hey I don't want to win [6/13/17, 11:04:12 PM] Regan: you have to win [6/13/17, 11:04:15 PM] jaiden: but Nicholas sure did [6/13/17, 11:04:16 PM] Regan: and still didn't vote for me [6/13/17, 11:04:31 PM] jaiden: omg!!! Nicholas told me the same thing and still threw my game under the bus for his benefit!! [6/13/17, 11:05:01 PM] Dana Barry (Bouvet Islands Host): new game, who dis [6/13/17, 11:05:13 PM] jaiden: hurt feelings carry over hehe [6/13/17, 11:05:15 PM] jaiden: <3 [6/13/17, 11:05:30 PM] Dana Barry (Bouvet Islands Host): hmm interesting [6/13/17, 11:05:49 PM] nicholas: . [6/13/17, 11:05:56 PM] nicholas: jaiden are u literally inbred [6/13/17, 11:06:00 PM] nicholas: all offense [6/13/17, 11:06:08 PM] nicholas: I’ve been nothing but nice to you [6/13/17, 11:06:10 PM] jaiden: you're in bread binch [6/13/17, 11:06:25 PM] Dana Barry (Bouvet Islands Host): I am bread binch [6/13/17, 11:06:52 PM] nicholas: grrrrr [6/13/17, 11:07:24 PM] jaiden: go growl at someone else furry freak [6/13/17, 11:07:36 PM] nicholas: . [6/13/17, 11:08:31 PM] Willow: I have no idea whats happening ahh [6/13/17, 11:09:01 PM] Dana Barry (Bouvet Islands Host): we’re talking about themes for flags! [6/13/17, 11:09:05 PM] nicholas: yes [6/13/17, 11:09:12 PM] Dana Barry (Bouvet Islands Host): and Nicholas and Jaiden are in a lil tiff over it [6/13/17, 11:09:22 PM] Dana Barry (Bouvet Islands Host): because they both have a lot of passion for design [6/13/17, 11:09:27 PM] jaiden: actually I'm plotting my revenge, baby [6/13/17, 11:09:31 PM] jaiden: it's all about revenge [6/13/17, 11:12:11 PM] nicholas: anyways hmu when u learn to separate games! [6/13/17, 11:12:25 PM] Regan: OMG [6/13/17, 11:12:27 PM] Regan: guys want tea [6/13/17, 11:12:29 PM] jaiden: hmu when you know how to be a loyal ally in any of them!!!!!!!!! [6/13/17, 11:12:30 PM] Regan: do u want tea about will [6/13/17, 11:12:43 PM] Regan: okay so he was supposed to pick me [6/13/17, 11:12:48 PM] Regan: because we talked a lot [6/13/17, 11:12:57 PM] Regan: but unless I said id pick willa josh said he couldn't pick me [6/13/17, 11:13:02 PM] Regan: and also will said [6/13/17, 11:13:06 PM] Regan: because of jeju [6/13/17, 11:13:10 PM] Regan: hes never trusting me in a game [6/13/17, 11:13:15 PM] Regan: shows he cant separate games either [6/13/17, 11:13:24 PM] jaiden: is this a call out Regan [6/13/17, 11:13:26 PM] nicholas: him & jaiden would be good together huh [6/13/17, 11:13:26 PM] Dana Barry (Bouvet Islands Host): trust is all fucking relative [6/13/17, 11:13:35 PM] Dana Barry (Bouvet Islands Host): pls i dont even trust myself [6/13/17, 11:13:48 PM] nicholas: me This tribe is WILD. Have we talked about a flag? No. Will we lose? Almost definitely. I'm inclined not to even give a fuck if we lose, but then again, maybe someone handed Jaiden another Sapphire idol and my ass is out of here.

KAI

I mean... we didn't win HOWEVER WE DIDNT LOSE EITHER... so...

WILLA

Damn I thought our flag was cute but shit that other flag was incredible this should be a double tribal tbh send me home i got that flag in my brain that is enough for me cya

WILL

....anyways y'all need to stop trying to drag me into drama this isn't the game for that this is not the time nor the place

-----------

wow regan's really about to let some random get to her just by saying random clearly false things huh? that's... a look.... i love one world yes i do

JAIDEN

I'll send a longer confessional later but I'm gonna make sure Nicholas goes.

KYLE

regan is racist

AUSTIN

My only friends are basically ribbons who's acting psycho, Lexi who quit, regan who ppl hate, and Jake/Lilly. Also somebody wanted to pick regan during the swap but then didn't bc regan wanes to pick me so lols! I think I said this last time but I'm probably getting voted out for like 15th ish

NICHOLAS

ASHTON

Well I've still only talked to Richie so you know really doing good in that aspect. I'm happy he's on my tribe then cuz I don't think he will vote me out. Overall i'm worried im if my tribe loses But not too worried cuz i think i can get the target onto somebody else.

NICHOLAS

hi so there are 2 psychos on my tribe and i hope one of them leaves or i leave either way its going to be a huge win! yeehaw!

JOSH

HI I'M SUBMITTING SO I DON'T GET A STRIKE. So, I won the challenge that split us up into tribes so that was a wee bit iconic, if you ask me?? I chose to go with Will because he's who I have bonded with most and I really trust him so far. I think that him, Willa, Kai, & I are kind of an unspoken thing? Which I'm okay with them because I really enjoy them. I think that my tribe should continue to win immunity because we sl@y and it's kind of my arc in Survivor Sequence to not go to TC without immunity in the pre-merge phase. I CAN'T RUIN THAT STREAK?? I'VE COME TOO FAR FOR THAT TO HAPPEN. I think there should only be a few more people that have to go home before we merge. AND I HOPE that one of them is Regan. I love her but she is on some rant about how she wants me out once we hit merge and like?? She's blaming the fact that SHE DIDN'T KNOW WHO I WAS on why I didn't pick her. LIKE IT IS MY FAULT THAT SHE HAD NO IDEA THAT I WAS THIS JOSH. so now it's all my fault. i'm so mad. anyways. hopefully this next immunity is FUN.

MICHEAL

At first I had a solid allince then the tribe swap happened and everyone dosent really want to work together

RICHIE

lily made a really creative flag! we won! im happy to be safe! nothing else has happened !!!

WILLOW

I feel bad for loosing the challenge and majority wants Jaiden out but he's active and deserves to be here, and so I'm gonna vote him out anyway but

REGAN

So I will definitely do more around midnight. but I love my new tribe this tribal is so hard but i understand if go, but I think Jaiden is. WHo knows, I could be being lied to. I want nicholas to go because he likes to ignore me but he clearly wont because everyone loves him idgi. Like who are you?? ive been here for 2 years Im more of an icon than you

ZAKRIAH

I'm probably being voted out and if I am I'll be really sad bc I didn't get 8th or 16th :(

#ididntconsent

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