#bad reason for a gap year <3 thanks king so glad i was the only one present for the mental breakdown you watched me have 3 times over school

[lark-in-ink]

Ugh ok you know I understand that.  Talking To Dragons was the first of the books published  (enchanted forest chronichles by patricia c wrede) and thus Dealing with/Searching for/Calling on Dragons were technically prequels.  So Cimorene marrying King Mendanbar was a foregone conclusion from the start.  It was unavoidable. And in a watsonian perspective. I have nothing against the man. if I was Cimorene’s friend in real life I’d be all like “hey, glad u found someone to marry who meets your parents’ expectations thus somewhat mending the rend betwixt you but who you also genuinely both like and love” but. 

BUT. 

Thematically.  From the themes of the book. Cimorene just ~happening~ to find an appropriately aristocratic husband (just a cool magic one who isn’t a pompous asshole) after she took such risks to get away from all that SUCKS MAGIC DONKEY SHIT. Nearly thirty years from my first reading later and I’m STILL mad at that even though king mendanbar is objectively a total hottie and I’d do him.  Here is a list of better people for Cimorene to have wound up with, thematically, than King Mendanbar:

Morwen.  Obviously.  (I forget how old she was so if necessary in this alternate version she can be younger if necessary to not make the age gap creepy but I recall the vibe being reasonable there). 

Princess Alianora

Kazul

I dunno like. Some wizard’s son? Who was all like “hey this is bad actually, I do not want to despoil the magical environment and make dragons sneeze. I’m gonna make a clean break with my family and learn to be a witch instead” (Not in a transgender way just in a learning different magical techniques without regard to traditional gender roles)

...fuck it, same but actually in a transgender way.

I forget if being a witch was gendered in those books or if it was just that wizards specifically were patriarchal.  or what. I remember about gender shit in those books was that dragons got to choose theirs and I was SO fucking jealous.  They’d grow in 2 or 3 horns depending which they picked. 

Seriously though, Kazul?

Nobody at all because like.  Yes some people are aroace and even if you are not.  You might still wind up happy just having a life where you’re managing the royal library and chilling with your witch friends and dragon friends kwim??? She SAID she doesn’t want to get married at all. maybe she’s not just objecting to the asshole knights and princes and actually does not want to get married. 

OK I realize that the Kazul thing might just be me being a monsterfucker but. Please.

Some random guy. Any guy who is neither a knight nor a prince or king or duke or whatever.  (And who treats Cimorene right obvs.)  Maybe a nice scribe, or an assistant chefyou know, who can groove with her interests.  Like I know it awfully looks a lot like I’m pulling for Cimorene to be in lesbians but that’s just because the only acceptable men I recall from the books are the knight whats-his-name who marries Princess Alianora and uh. King Mendanbar.  Who as we have established is cool if we were talking about real life but we’re talking fiction and we’re talking Themes.  by the Themes it’s ok if she marries a guy as long as he is absolutely an unnacceptable match for a princess.  Though the ex-wizard would be better because they’d have matching baggage. 

Though if we’re talking Themes then Cimorene being a lesbian is just making the subtext text. I don’t know. Maybe I’m projecting?  Am I projecting?

I’m not even a lesbian!!!   I wanted to be a dragon. Preferably one that could shed and re-grow horns at will.  Or has like five of them because fuck you that’s why. 

Cimorene should wind up in a polycule with Morwen and a dragon with five horns fight me

the dragon with five horns also fucks king mendanbar. And Kazul

in conclusion, I should not be this drunk on 1 (one) glass of wine. Thank you for your attention to this matter. 

#GO TO BED LARK YOU'RE DRUNKW

[lunawings]

King of Prism SSS Episode 9 commentary (Alexander)

FINALLY!!!!! Finally I can talk about a few big things from this series I have been dying to talk about....

...............What did I sign myself up for. 

A quick rundown of what it says here: More and more people are becoming interested in the street-style and choosing to be street-style stars since the Prism King Cup. In the graph, the gold portion is academy-style and the silver is street-style, before -> after the Prism King Cup. Below it points out that Kazuki and Hiro’s “sparking” scores from the Prism King Cup (the Prism Watch data) were equal and suggests Schwartz Rose needs to step up their game in the street category. 

Every time I laugh at this. 

Every time I feel kinda bad afterwards. 

But

So Ace was entered as an official participant. It says “reserve”, but still. I guess that may have helped to make Joji’s score possible and not break the system. 

(In between writing my episode 5 commentary post and now, I got to read the interview with the director in spoon2Di where he confirmed that Joji’s high score was only because Ace joined in what was supposed to be a solo show.)

Flashy, huh. We’re going with flashy this time for “charachara”.... Okay. (Better than gaudy I guess.)

I love this so much. Kakeru coming outside just to watch Taiga exercise and get all sweaty and all that. I wonder how long he stood there. Or rather I wonder how long he watched with binoculars after heading back inside. 

I’m such a dumbass. After episode 3 aired someone pointed out that this is Taiga’s mom vs. Alec’s mom, and my excuse for not noticing then was that it’s in the background and such. (Can’t pause the movie in the theater and didn’t think to check it afterwards.) But here the camera actually pans over them slowly, so yeah I have no excuse. 

But regardless. Amazing!! 

Another thing I didn’t catch in the theater. But I have never had a reason to know the Japanese word for asthma before. I’m glad that gave him an actual reason for being sickly instead of just.... sickly child syndrome. 

As long as you’re happy, Victoria. 

But really though, their relationship is pretty damn interesting. 

I wonder if she knows he borrowed her clothes. 

No I don’t know why these grown-ass men have nothing better to do than pick on an actual seven year old child...............

So uh. This line confused me for the longest time. The way he says it, I really thought he was giving “Daikokuno” as another last name and I thought it was some kind of DJ KOO reference I didn’t get or something. 

But thanks to Crunchyroll I finally realized.... ITS A PLACE. He’s just saying where he’s from, and that’s how Alexander is able to find him. GOOD LORD IM SUCH A DUMBASS.......... Another point for Crunchyroll. 

HE BIKED ALL THE WAY FROM YOKOSUKA TO YOKOHAMA

Okay so now that I have the luxury to pause this, as soon as I did I opened up Google Maps in another window, zoomed in and....

WELL THEN 

At least I finally know where it is

BUT DAAAAAMN

Fuck asthma am I right

It wouldn’t give me the cycling time, but yeah, you can imagine. 

They only have this one image of Rei doing a jump and gosh darn they are gonna use it to the fullest. 

So during this scene and the next people cheer for Rei in the theater, but nobody really knows what color he is. There was a whole lot of variation at the beginning before people (in Nagoya at least) finally settled on red. (For the flames maybe? I don’t know if it’s official.....)

Alexander actually had a flashback to this moment on Prism Rush during the Road to SSS 9 event. I reblogged it recently on my @prism-rush blog trying to disguise it as part of my Alexander birthday spam. (It wasn’t.)

YEAHHHHHHHHHHH BOY

So if you have no idea where the heck this egg came from and what it is..... Rainbow Live.

But anyway. 

I can finally FINALLY talk about this!!! Even though I knew it would probably be all over Twitter, I really wanted to protect this spoiler on Tumblr if I could. It was such a big deal to me when I saw it in the theater and I really wanted you guys to have the opportunity to be as blown away as I was. I could not possibly think of anything to say about it that wouldn’t be a hint, so all I could say all this time was just that Alexander’s episode has “a surprise” in it.... SURPRISE!!!

But yeah, when I saw this for the first time I thought it just came out of NOWHERE. Total shock! I thought this was not predictable at all!

But then it hit me. All of a sudden I remembered something. Something important.

Again, in Road to SSS event 9....

So, for folks who follow my @prism-rush blog, remember that one Alexander PR where he was looking into a box? And nobody knew what was in the box? But  there was something weird following him? I even mentioned it and my confusion over it in my summary of that event. WELL GUESS WHAT.

We finally know what was in the box don’t we.  

I asked a friend to see the card story to fill in the blanks and see if there were any obvious hints to what was going on at the time, and it’s just mentioned as a strange animal he picked up. Alexander struggles with what to do and not really wanting to take care of it, but then he asks himself what Rei would do..... (Whether he could see Momo at that time, I do not know ahah....)

So in the beginning after seeing Part 1 in theaters I said on Tumblr that the Road to SSS events from Prism Rush didn’t have much to do with the SSS anime, and most of them didn’t and still don’t. All of course except for Road to SSS 9, just that one, which ended up being way more important than I would have ever imagined. And this isn’t even the only reason either, there is also--

SO UH anyway Road to SSS 9 took place in June, so this flashback is taking place in June DURING Road to SSS 9. A very roundabout way to dating the episode, but really cool. I like how Road to SSS was significant after all. 

And another surprise for me. In the theatrical version he’s not glowing here. They wanted to emphasize that he’s powering up I suppose eheh. I was really freaking out about this in the stream chat. SO COOL.

To the right of his little dragon house you’ll see some “dorayaki” because.....

Although they never actually mention it in the anime, his name is Dorachi. (Confirmed on Twitter.) 

(Note: Dorayaki is also the favorite food of classic Japanese character Doraemon.) 

Even though Dorachi doesn’t talk in this episode, in the theatrical special video for Alexander he talks A LOT. An UNFAIR amount. So much I do not remember most of what he said since I only saw it once and it went by so fast. 

But his real name is very long (like the manager names from PriPara) and he talks about spreading the prism sparkle. I’m sorry, that’s honestly all I remember right now.

Will he show up again in the main anime before the end?

(Okay yes.)

And at least they gave you guys was a bit of original(??) art of him in the new ending. 

WHATEVER THEY MAKE OF THIS CHARACTER I WILL BUY IT 

Okay moving on....... 

Urrgh..... okay so.............. When I first was watching this with you guys in the stream I was like UGH because I don’t think “flashy” fits here at all. I really wished they had stuck with “playboy” since it would work better with this scene. 

But then when I watched it again, I realized they already used “flashy” once in this episode to describe Kazuki’s sweater, and it did kinda work there. 

If we go back to my episode 3 commentary, my main complaint with Crunchyroll’s  translation of “charachara” was actually less about the words they used, and more about how it just wasn’t consistent. 

This episode..... is consistent.

..................

................................

Another point for Crunchyroll. 

I officially cannot complain about the subs in this episode. 

Another little thing in SSS I have spent way too much time thinking over is how Joji got here. 

In every episode up until now, it’s always been Louis seen walking beside Jin like his pet. But in this episode. JUST THIS EPISODE.... it’s Joji instead. 

I think the reason is because Louis is performing next, so he has to rest (since he’s not exactly in the condition he once was.....) So Joji scooped up the opportunity. 

Whatever the reason, I find it really interesting. 

HERE IT IS

My all time favorite Alexander face

In a weird way I actually think he’s cuter here than in the Prism King Cup

This song.... was not quite what I was expecting for Alec, but I love it. No part of me anticipated he’d just launch into a ballad but WOW. I just love how they picked something that really shows off his beautiful voice like this. Alexander is in my top three singing voices in King of Prism (1: Hiro, 2: Taiga, 3: Alexander) so I loved hearing him belting this out. 

Now time for my like.... 4th(?) embarrassing confession in this post.... I had no idea this song was a cover until like AN HOUR before this episode aired. You guys were playing TRF songs in the stream, the original came on, and while y’all were like “what should we watch next” I was sitting there like “!!!!!!!!FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF”

Well, it’s a new song to me. And I think it’s perfect for him. 

Poor Joji and his inconveniently timed fruit. 

He finally gets to spend time with Jin, and he just can’t get a break. 

I love the generation gap here. Kazuki’s existence has been so big to Taiga he can only think of Kazuki. But Kazuki and Hijiri are able notice the subtle differences that make this an OG Rei move. 

I could certainly spend a whole lot of text speculating why Alexander did not change into his battle suit, but I won’t waste your time and just admit I have no idea. I’m glad he doesn’t, since it keeps the spotlight on Alexander since HE CAN’T PERFORM ONE GODDAMN SHOW WITHOUT TAIGA BARGING IN ON HIM BUT MMMRGGHGHG

TAIGA YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER

Yeah I was SO MAD about this when I first saw it at the midnight showing.

A lot of people change to green when Taiga comes out, but I do not. This is the only battle where I cheer for Alexander the whole time.  

Not only was I mad at Taiga for being so dumb, but just mad at the whole concept of Taiga barging into Alexander’s one show to do basically the same jumps we saw in Pride the Hero again..... 

But.....

Nowadays I forgive my idiot son. And I hope you do too. 

This wasn’t the moment I forgave him. No, that’s coming later. I was mad at him for an entire month. But yeah. 

He’s just so confident and everyone believes in him................................

So Alexander breaks the street-style curse and gets a damn good score. Higher than Taiga’s original score. 

But just like Joji’s score was due to Ace, I can’t help but think Alexander’s score was a good deal due to Taiga.........

I had a feeling this would happen. 

I knew long before Part 3. 

Even back when I had only just seen Part 1.... I just knew the tables would turn in this episode. 

Maybe it would be difficult to guess by watching week-to-week, but for me having Alexander’s episode as the last episode of the theatrical Part 3 just seemed like it would be WAAAAAY too much of a coincidence otherwise. So I had a strong feeling Schwarz would come out ahead at the end of this one. (I didn’t guess the reason would be because Taiga would get a penalty, but yeah.) And especially because the performances are kind of out of order to make this work? Up until now I thought all of the Schwarz Rose boys performed first, but Yu was up before Alec? And Louis is up next. Maybe it wasn’t a guaranteed thing that the Schwarz Boys always go first, but I noticed it.  

So up until now score has not mattered much as Edel Rose has just sailed on though. But now it does. It matters a lot. 

So this is the second surprise of this episode, and why I was saying it’s the beginning of the chain of events that lead to the end.

But about score mattering now, one of the reasons I have been questioning Taiga’s score the whole time is because I knew this was going to happen. So I just.... I just hope Taiga’s score wasn’t lower to begin with on purpose for mathematical reasons so they could get their desired progression of the overall score or something. IDK.

I don’t blame Rei for not figuring it out right away. Even though I KNOW this is Alexander, I still have trouble connecting his younger and older selves. I mean, getting muscular doesn’t make your eye shape completely change does it....?

Poor Kazuki. He doesn’t care.

So if I interpreted this episode correctly.... 

This was Alexander’s official transition from an antagonist to a protagonist. (Or just to a normal rival at least.)

During the first two movies and for a good long time of Prism Rush, he always played the part of the villain. But once Road to SSS started that began to change. We saw him reminiscing about Rei, making awkward conversation with Louis, struggling over forming a duo with Joji, etc. So I had a strong feeling they were taking his character in this direction, but this right here was the official turning point I believe. 

No more destroying stadiums. From now on he’ll be spreading the prism sparkle with Dorachi. 

And still trying to beat Kazuki but you know. 

So I don’t have a source handy (if someone challenges me to find one I’ll dig it up) but I remember I read one time that Alexander was actually originally a character that was only created for the first movie. But then they realized they had to keep him on when he was just so popular. 

So if you have ever supported Alexander, this episode was for you. Fans make King of Prism possible. 

So.... one more thing I guess. Something I learned from the Minato episode was that even if I ignore controversy and specifically state I don’t want to talk about it, it still finds its way into my inbox anyhow. So I might as well get this over with I guess. 

After Young of Prism Alexander was revealed to have light skin, someone told me a theory that mixed race children are sometimes born with lighter skin which darkens as they grow older. So up until her design was revealed, I had always imagined Alexander’s mother as a black woman. 

So yeah. I don’t know the reason for his darker skin color now. 

But I’d like to point out that in this episode being pale was associated with being weak and unhealthy, while darker skin was associated with being healthy and strong and just leave it at that. 

And thus ends Part 3. 

Next week begins.................. what I have been dreading for a long time............

So...................

So up until now I have been pretty tight-lipped about spoilers. But once episode 10 airs, the floodgates will pretty much be open. Episode 10 and episode 11 are so connected it’s really hard to talk about one without the other. I mean, once you know about episode 10, I seriously might as well. So after episode 10 airs, at the bottom of my commentary post and after a warning I plan to share some episode 11 spoilers. 

Because I have been through this......

And I know how it’s gonna make you guys feel......

And since I was lucky enough to get some answers right away, I’m going to give you guys those same answers for those who want them so you don’t have to just sit on episode 10 for a week. I am not that kind of a monster. I won’t put you guys through that. 

So after episode 10 ends, take a deep breath, cry it out if you need to, and get some tea. 

I know how you’re gonna be feeling. I know. Don’t send me a panicked anon ask right away. Give me a little time. Hold on. 

#king of prism sss #kinpri #king of prism #king of prism shiny seven stars #alexander yamato

[bhbookreviews]

Revival by: Stephen King

Finished: 2/4/2018

Alright, time for some more Stephen King. I’ve heard many good things about Revival and was excited to dive into this 400 page book. Here’s what I thought:

Overview: Revival starts off in 1962 and a young Jamie Morton (age 6) is playing with some toy soldiers in front of his house. He meets the new minister of the small town that Jamie lives in. Charles Jacobs preaches in Harlow, Maine, for 3 years when tragedy strikes and he denounces his faith. Due to what happened, Jacobs thinks it best to leave and never return. Jaime thought this would be the last time he sees the minister, but fate has something else in mind.

Writing: All of this book is told from Jamie’s point of view as he recalls important events of his life, going all the way from 1962 to 2013. A large majority of this book is told as a sort of coming of age story and it doesn’t start to really show any big horror elements until the last 100 pages. That being said, I thought the writing in this was fantastic and the trials that Jamie must overcome are truly heartbreaking. This is a much more melancholic novel than a lot of other Stephen King books. I thought the story was presented in a way that I couldn’t help but to be compelled to read more. I just had to know what the master plan is. This book is about death, faith, and interest can quickly lead to obsession. Very interesting topics, I loved the subject matter.    

Characters: The two main characters in this story are Jamie Morton and Charles Jacobs, with some supporting characters sprinkled in. First of all, I have to say that these are some of King’s most interesting characters that I’ve had the pleasure to read about. These two characters are complex and interesting enough to keep the book chugging along until the very end. Secondly, the supporting characters in this book were actually pretty sparse compared to other novels written by King. This isn’t a bad thing though. Mostly because it gave the reader some time alone with the two big guys. Any time there was a conversation between Jamie and Charles my mind would instantly focus on what was about to transpire. Along with It, I think that Revival is an amazing example of character development done right. Neither of the main characters are flawless and must overcome hardship in their own ways. It was so intriguing to jump forward in time 10 years and see how a particular character dealt with what had happened so long ago. Jacobs is probably one of my favorite Stephen King characters. This is mostly because he is a very sympathetic character and you can’t help but to feel bad for the guy. 

Pacing: Even though there isn’t a whole lot of action until the last quarter of this novel I thought this book was tightly paced until the very end. I think King accomplished this by not straying away from Jamie and Charles. This book is focused to a fine tip and it was easy to digest. The only complaint that I have is that I actually wish the book was about 50 pages longer than what it is. I thought there were some pretty large gaps in Jamie’s history that I was actually pretty intrigued about. I particularly enjoyed high school Jamie and college Jamie and wish there were more. Like I said, this book was tightly paced and I appreciated this book even more for that reason. 

Enjoyment: King knocked it out of the park again. One of the many many reasons why he is my favorite author is because he creates such interesting and layered characters. You never know what they are going to do because of how human (or the contrary sometimes) they are. I would say that Revival is mostly a coming of age story, with your normal Stephen King horror sprinkled in towards the end. If you read this you can tell that this book had a lot of inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft and I thought that was a lot of fun to read. This book made me mostly sad, but there were times where I was happy when Jamie was happy. If a book can make me feel those kind of emotions, then I say I enjoyed it quite a lot. 

Ending (Don’t worry, no spoilers): Absolutely crazy. Worth all the buildup. 

My Final Thoughts: I was pretty skeptical going into reading this book, but I heard numerous praise for Revival so I knew I would eventually get around to reading it. As it turns out, I‘m glad that I read this book and I think that it will stick in my mind for a pretty long time. I recommend this to people that enjoy: Frankenstein, anything to do with Lovecraft, coming of age stories, and books that make you think about life and death. I wouldn’t recommend this to people that: don’t like when things are contrary to their interpretation to your religious beliefs, don’t like sad books, or people that don’t like horror (this book is pretty tame on the horror, but still). 

P.S. I must thank any and all that just read this review and I just want to say that I hoped you enjoyed my thoughts on this particular novel. If you have any questions or concerns be sure to message me. Until next time!

#revival #stephen king #horror novels #book review

[spectreblanc]

THE "NO"MANCE OF NOCTIS AND LUNAFREYA AND TABATA'S DISASTROUS ENDING

Okay, here we go. I didn't expect this to get this long, but Tabata must be exposed!

NOCTIS AND LUNA ARE NOT IN LOVE

This may come as a surprise to some people, but Noctis and Luna are not lovers in FF XV. Repeat, they are NOT in love. Many fans, including myself, were really disappointed about how their "romance" was handled in the game FINAL FANTASY XV and it's sister productions, FFXV BROTHERHOOD and FFXV KINGSGLAIVE. The story builds strongly off of the platonic relationship of Noct and Luna. But the bizarre lack of communication, a 22 year time-gap and a cringe-worthy conclusion to their "love" story makes Noctis and Luna the crumbiest FINAL FANTASY couple in a long list of crumby FINAL FANTASY  couples.

Without further ado, let's just get to the evidence.

ARRANGED MARRIAGE

To begin with, their marriage is officially arranged by the Niflheim Empire, namely Ardyn. (Who is the main bad guy.) There's no telling if any wedding would ever have taken place between them under other circumstances, and furthermore, no evidence. So we're off to a bad start. (Btw, have we cracked why Ardyn even planned this?)

TWELVE YEAR TIME GAP

Twelve years is a long time to have zero verbal communication with your potential lover. Even longer given that they were kids at the time, and any real romantic connection would have been highly unlikely. (Not to mention creepy) And while it's hard to say how long they were together even then, it wasn't long enough to make much of an impression on young Noct as we see throughout the story. (The only thing that made an impression on him about his time in Tenebrae were the snack cakes he had!) And while exchanging dog mail (You've heard of snail mail? Same thing, but with dogs) might be enough to keep a childhood friendship going, there's no plausible reason it would ever blossom into love. The fact that the writers push that cheesy, head-over-heels, fake true love on them after the credits just came off as insulting. (Fake true love? My bad.)

Moving on.

PLATONIC LOVE

Those are the key words here. Before the game's release Hijime Tabata described Noctis and Lunafreya's relationship as "platonic". (NOT the Romeo and Juliet thing he had planned for Versus XIII) A description he should have stuck to, but decided to change it to Romeo and Juliet  at the last second. The VERY last second. Like literally the LAST second of the game. And, man! Did the whole thing ever get screwed up large! It became a major, MAJOR weak point in the story.

Evidence time!

-They have NO adult scenes together.

You heard me. Lunafreya and Noctis don't appear as adults together ONCE in the game, the anime, or the movie. Nor  have they EVER met as as adults. They never exchange ONE spoken word. In fact the story goes out of it's way to show them together as children, reinforcing the platonic nature of this relationship. -Even in the children scenes there is no foray into a romantic relationship between them. -Even in the scene which could have been interpreted as romantic when Noct says: "All I wanted was to save you." he is again a child. This is deliberately platonic.

And to counter all this platonic love and reluctance to commit is:

-A creepy afterlife wedding scene complete with a dutiful-looking kiss. -Luna crying. (I'm not saying love couldn't have survived twelve years, but for crying out loud, they were children! The way she cries over him and bemoans their fate is purely ridiculous. And quite unlike her character in KINGSGLAIVE, but let's not open that wound.) -Noctis crying. (Although he's crying more for himself.) -And even more dog mail! But with stickers this time?

I for one, wouldn't have minded a platonic romance between them. I think it would have been not only more realistic and believable, but would have stood a lot stronger chance of working with these two characters. But even that was rather botched in the final version of the story. Lookin' at you Tabata.

AGE DIFFERENCE

I'm not going to go too deep about age difference. Luna being the elder by four years is not a large enough gap to make a difference if these two had any real feelings for each other. But it is worthy of taking note that Lunafreya's age WAS changed for the final game... Coincidence? Maybe. It DOES reinforce a sibling-like relationship when taken with all the other evidence. Just sayin'.

NOCTIS DOES NOT WANT TO MARRY LUNA

Noctis voices his opinion on the matter many times throughout the game  Even though he never comes right out and says "Sucks to the wedding!", we kinda get what he means... Take a look at these quotes:

1. -Cindy: "Congrats on yer weddin'!" Noct: (unenthusiastically) "Not hitched just yet..."

2. -Ignis: "Her Ladyship (Luna) seems amenable to the prospect." (of getting married) Gladio: "And Noct here likes the idea." Noct: "Ehh..." Prompto: "What's that? 'I do'?" Noct: "Buzz off."

3. -Iris: "...Besides, you already have Lady Lunafreya." (speaking of being Noct's girlfriend.) Noct: "..."

4. -Prompto: "You must be so psyched to see her!" Noctis: "Luna?" (Yeah, idiot, who do you think he means :p) Prompto: "Yeah." Noct: "Well, we need to make sure she's alright before anything else..."

5. -Ignis: "Wont be much longer now Noct." (speaking of getting to Altissia and Luna) Noct: "Yeah..."

6. -Prompto: "I'm real glad for you (Noctis) that Luna's safe and sound." ☺ Noctis: "Yeah..."

7. -Gladio: "That's it! You gotta marry her! After this, we'll see about the ceremony." Noct: "Uh, yeah. I'll think about it." (Seriously, I'm not making this up! This is real dialogue from the game! )

8. -Girl: "Were you excited to marry Lady Lunafreya? Because she was excited to marry you." Noct: "Thank you."

9. Prompto: "I wonder how Luna's doing?" Noct: "Who knows." Prompto: "Who knows? You don't know????!" Ignis: "Of course he does. Noctis is more concerned about her than anyone." Noctis: "Going to bed now." (No love or affection is EVER mentioned. He even shows a lack of concern over her situation and even her general wellbeing! The bros care more about her!)

-In the first scene with Regis, Noctis seems grumpy and bitter and doesn't make any promises about watching his manners around his "bride-to-be". -Overall he is gloomy and quiet when it comes to his imminent nuptials. -In BROTHERHOOD Ignis has to all but force Noct to "Write back to Lady Lunafreya."

(And we never get to see what Luna and Noct say to each other because they never talk, sorry.)

Okay, I get that Noct isn't an over-exuberant kid, but honestly, he never shows one once of enthusiasm! Quite the opposite as we see.

LUNA DOES NOT WANT TO MARRY NOCT

Absolutely she doesn't. Every time she talks about him it's about when they were kids together. She misses those times, but never says anything about missing Noct himself. Or loving him for that matter. Her affection for him is all platonic and stems from the time she spent with him when they are children. But don't take it from me. Let's look at the evidence. -Luna: "I wish we could laugh together as we did when we were children." -Luna: "I do not wish to guide him. Merely to stand beside him." -Her farewell "Dear Noctis" is the first (and last) time she says something endearing to him. But, yeah... talking to the eight year old again.

-In FF KINGSGLAIVE she is especially indifferent to him. She shows minimal interest in seeing Noctis. -Is very reluctant to comply with Niflheims's wishes concerning the arranged marriage. "What cause does the Empire have to see me wed to Noctis?" -Has this look on her face like "Do I have to?" when discussing the arrangement with King Regis in his throne room. -Makes it abundantly clear that she is only here because of her duty and destiny. Not once does she say she even likes Noctis, let alone wants to marry him. -In BROTHERHOOD we learn that Luna knows very little about Noctis. Just that he's too busy to play with his schoolmates. She doesn't even know that Prompto isn't Noct's bestie at the time. -Absolutely nothing of a romantic nature.

And seeing as our main heroine of FFXV said only 849 words over 90 sentences in the game, (253 of them as baby!Luna) there's not much support coming from her section.

NO ENTHUSIASM OR MENTION OF THE WEDDING

Not from either of them. They are both stiffly formal through the dog letters and neither says ONE word about the wedding, let alone being happy or excited about it. There's honestly not ONE part where either of them shows enthusiasm! There is nothing in their dog notes but stiff formality. (Seriously, are they even friends? I'm starting to wonder...) It's called the "Lover's Notebook " in the description, but no words of love are ever written in it. Even in the most favorable of the answer choices. (Luna is surprisingly more vague than Noct!)

Luna: "My prayers are with you Noct." Noct: "I received it Luna, thanks!"

Luna: "I just left Tenebrae." Noct: "Finally gonna see you after all these years." (At least Noct acknowledges that they haven't seen each other in a while. Hmph!)

Luna: "I await you in Altissia." Noct: "See you there."

(And I haven't tracked down the exact words for all their notebook exchanges, but there's certainly no mention of the wedding or love... things.) -And absolutely NO mention to each other about the little fact that THEY'RE ENGAGED!! Like literally neither even hedges at it. -The wedding dress scene in Altissia is a bust. Noctis is all hands in pockets and grunts. -In Luna's speech she bursts the crowd's bubble by announcing she's here to summon the Hydrean and not wed Noct. :p

ALL ROMANTIC BONDING SCENES CUT (THEIR BONDS WERE CUT!)

(And given to other characters I might add, but that's a discussion for another time.) Such as the few scenes we had with him meeting Stella, who later became Luna, and the whole Romeo/Juliet romance that was set to take place in VERSUS XIII.

Following stats courtesy of fellow blogger @rsasai : (Read her in depth analysis of Luna and Noct's relationship here)

-Ray Chase (Noctis voice actor) says zero words to Luna. Zero. None. Not even ONE. -Noctis says... 92 words to Lunafreya in the entire FFXV game. Total. That's 18 sentences. All of them baby!Noctis. -Lunafreya (who was grossly cut out of the game; discusion for another time) says less than 900 words in the entire FFXV game. -Only 242 of them to Noctis. -Over 3 scenes. (Yeah.) -700-775 words about her duty and destiny as oracle. -The two of the have only 3 minutes of screen time together. (That's 180 SECONDS!!!!!!) All of it spent as babies or in flashbacks.

FREE SHIPPING ON NOCTIS AND LUNA

But forget all the reasons they aren't in love. Let's look at all the reasons they ARE! Everyone in the game ships them! (Except Noct and Luna that is). Take a look:

-The bros, (who just assume and tease Noct alot): [Insert every bro-teasing-Noct moment] -Ravus, (who is obviously out of touch with his sister): "Show him (Noctis) the truth of your heart." -Glauca/Drautos, (Who doesn't know anything at all): "Pity you couldn't see your beloved Noctis." -Some hopelessly romantic random fangirl of Luna's: "Lady Lunafreya really wanted to marry you!"

Like seriously, doesn't anyone care about what Noct and Luna want???

NO CHEMISTRY

Not that something as subjective as chemistry should come into this, but I must touch on it briefly as there is some science to it. Just for myself, I find a romance falls utterly flat unless the characters in question have a realistic basis for their love and that unexplainable, unexplorable bond we call "chemistry ". There was just no chemistry between these characters. (Although it's sometimes hard to tell seeing as how they never cross paths) Yes, chemistry exists, but since it's rather unpredictable on screen, we'll just look at the things that can help it along a bit. Character history and backgrounds, for instance. If properly matched, or starkly enough contrasted, this can help form an invisible bond that the audience doesn't even realize. Which brings me to my next point.

BACKSTORIES CREATE AN EVEN GREATER DIVIDE

Luna comes from a very different background than Noctis, and we get that she has had a rough childhood at the hands of the Niflheim and her treacherous brother. We see this especially in KINGSGLAIVE where Luna has this really mature, rock solid outlook on her duty, her calling and life in general. Her mother was brutally murdered before her very eyes and her brother becomes a puppet of Niflheim. She lives in an enemy-controlled state and has obviously has had a rough time of it being loyal to Lucis and all, with no one nearby to support her. (Maybe Gentiana). On top of all that becomes the youngest Oracle in history and goes about healing the people at the risk of her own life! Seriously, this girl is as tough as nails to go through what she has and still come through as resolute as ever. She then witnesses the deaths of King Regis and Nyx Ulric, and the fall of Insomnia! Then makes the journey to Altissia with the ring, by herself awakening the Astrals as she goes, all without getting caught by the Imperials!!!! She's a very, VERY special girl. Now we have Noctis. Aside from being attacked by a Marilith when he was a smol boy, he's never had much hardship. He's always been spoiled by his father and friends, and as in BROTHERHOOD (the animated web series) we see he's kind of a brat. Not eating his veggies and sleeping in too long, stuff like that. And that's okay, Noct is a typical millennial. (or the FFXV equivalent thereof.) The point is that the differences in his and Lunafreya's separate upbringings make them all but non-compatible.

AAAND... AN EXTRA TEN-YEAR TIME GAP...

And if you thought the first twelve year time-gap which kept them apart was weird, then brace yourselves: Introducing ANOTHER time gap. This one AN ADDITIONAL TEN YEARS! Yep, it's ten more years before Noctis dies at the end of the game and he and Luna apparently meet again in the afterlife. So now it's like they haven't seen each other in TWENTY TWO YEARS! That's twenty two years of NO COMMUNICATION.

Yup! Sure, now let's get married because why not?

Okay, now this is just getting stupid.

(I'm actually laughing right now because this is just so ridiculous! LOL)

FORCED LOVE!!!

Yes, friends! The love is forced. Now that we've established the fact that Tabata was undoubtedly going for platonic love--- he goes and throws a confusing afterlife wedding scene in there, completely undoing the platonic relationship that he had just spent the entire game building up!

Okay, I get that Tabata felt bad about squeezing Noctis and Lunafreya into a purely platonic marriage, and it's not like their romance couldn't have evolved into true love along the way, if that was what this story was about, but clearly it wasn't if all the aforementioned platonic-ness is anything to go by. Seriously, make up your mind man. Their sibling-esque relationship was understandable, realistic and just what the story needed up until that point. And seeing as how the story doesn't even need them to marry to work as it should, I still cannot fathom why Tabata built up this super obvious platonic relationship only to try to introduce romance at the last second. I can't understand it... I just can't UNDERSTAND it!

IN CONCLUSION

Maybe Noctis and Lunafreya IS a better love story than TWILIGHT. After all their love survived... (and let's go through the list one last time)... an arranged marriage that neither wanted,  twelve years of no communication save for dog mail, no adult time together, having all their romance scenes given to other dudes/girls/cars, free shipping, forced love, no chemistry, Hajime Tabata's wrath, NOTHING in common backgrounds or otherwise, and additional ten year time-gap, and death itself!

If anyone has any idea what Tabata was doing, then PLEASE! COMMENT!

So, please note that this isn’t a hate blog against Noc/tuna just because I ship something else. These are real stats. This is horrible storytelling. And it’s insulting. As an audience who pays good money for our games, we have a right to better stuff.

That’s my take.

#Lol #I just said Noctis 33 times #And Noct 31 times #I'm seeing stats everywhere #lunafreya nox fleuret #noctis lucis caelum #ffxv #ff xv kingsglaive #ff brotherhood #Final Fantasy #romance #rant #stats #platonic #love #no chemistry!

[todokori-kun]

Here’s my proper reply :)

*hugs back* I love talking to you toooo you’re such an awesome friend *ugly tears*

Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that too. I guess the only explanation is that some part of Kaneki’s body is still human, since he IS an artificial ghoul. Though I have to wonder how Touka can be sure the kid needs human food….it seems she hasn’t told Ken or anybody else so she couldn’t have gotten advice/info about it, and though Touka’s no idiot it’s not like she’s an expert on biology.

I wonder if Ishida’s going to be like ‘lol sorry the kid’s basically full ghoul and Touka’s been poisoning it with human food in the womb’

(jk, jk, but really)

Or wait, crack theory (please don’t take this seriously, it isn’t meant to make sense):

You know those theories that Uta isn’t actually 100% ghoul (or at least not a 'normal’ ghoul)? So, what if it was Uta back in THAT chapter. I mean, he’s been trolling Ken since the first series so…

And Touka somehow found out about the whole thing and still wants to keep the kid, which is why this is happening.

Wow, it would actually be awesome if Eto adopted the kid and raised them to understand what it means to be a part of both the ghoul and human worlds! If she was planning to pass on the title of the OEK to the child but ended up growing too attached, giving them the childhood she never had and telling them that though she’s crowning them as the new 'King’ she wants them to truly live- “Bridge the gap between the two worlds, become a leader and a spark of hope for those who need it, but never lose sight of yourself and your happiness. Martyrdom doesn’t pay, you know?”- because their father, Kaneki, failed to do so and that was what ruined him.

I think the hair suits Chris Hemsworth pretty well (OTL I have sinned, forgive me Queen Luna) but it doesn’t suit Thor…? Idk. He doesn’t look like Thor anymore haha

I feel like they’ll let it grow back in later movies, though :)

I agree that their canon bond is supposed to be platonic (possibly goes deeper than that, just not in a romantic way) but the fandom can dream ^^ I actually don’t mind either way because I ship Clint with Laura (his wife) as well.

Well, not exactly. Sharon’s still a pretty minor character but I think she had a lot of potential until that romance just killed it (I mean, she doesn’t have much of a personality, but she had one pretty cool scene in Civil War (before the Notp happened) that made me like her).

Don’t you dare I need someone to ship Stoki with me, please ;-; don’t leave me alone with all this pain

I’m glad you enjoyed the comments about Kanae ^^ (sorry I’m in an evil, gloating cinnamon roll mood today)

Oh, we’re actually pretty similar then! I mean, I have a few artists I could say I’m a fan of (Lana Del Rey, Lorde, Marina, Fall Out Boy) but most of the other songs I listen to are just chosen at random from all over the place.

If you liked Still Sane, though, I recommend Lorde’s new album (Melodrama)! It’s been years and she’s finally back :) there’s a song called 'Liability’ on the album that I really relate to and also reminds me of Kaneki ;-; I’ve also been obsessed with 'Perfect Places’ and 'Sober’ for a while now.

Oh my XD reading that reminded me of one of my older MCU characters who was pretty bad: it’s been a while so I’ve forgotten most of the details, but I remember she had a cat theme (her powers were probably something like enhanced agility??? and claws??? I think?) and was this super edgy anti-hero who shouldn’t even have been allowed to work with SHIELD in the first place but you know, terrible OC logic. She’d stand on top of buildings and make angsty speeches with her impractically long hair flowing in the wind…. and of course she had this intense love-hate relationship with Loki that was just full of unnecessary drama.

(Again, I don’t really remember much about my old OCs (conveniently forgot all my worst creations haha) so I’m just guessing here ^^;; I think this is mostly the sort of cringe-worthy stuff I came up with though)

Nara sounds cute! It’s admirable that she doesn’t get discouraged and tries her best even with guys like Yuuri and Phichit around :) I’d love Kya (that’s her name, right?) also seems really cool- her powers are a nice twist on the old 'communicating with/controlling animals’ thing :D

Whew, I’m glad Tatsuo didn’t get lost ^^ I accidentally erased his 'profile’ like two or three times when I was trying to send him to you and I was getting really frustrated…was he ok?

Also I was trying to make his profile a bit 'light’ and funny but I probably failed lol

And since you said you wanted to see my suffering TG OC, I’ll send you Naomi now! :) And maybe some of my other OCs with her, because I love creating characters and end up making some for almost all the fandoms I’m in even if I have no intention of ever using them (Naomi and Tatsuo are probably going to be confined to our conversations because I have no idea how I’d use them in a fic).

Ayyyy the blog is so pretty ! ! ! <333333

Wow, first you somehow associate me with my favorite color before I ever told you that’s what it was, then I choose the character you most relate to as your icon…? This is weird but also strangely cool, if that makes sense lol

I actually learned to play Merry Go Round of Life on the piano a while ago and my teacher told me it was a waltz-like piece, so I should try to stay true to that (needless to say I failed miserably for quite a while haha). You’re right, it’d be lovely to see a couple dancing to it :)

(Why am I imagining Yumikuri waltzing to that song ;-;)

((This is my favourite hug gif of all times))

I mean, yes, Kaneki is a half ghoul, but he’s more powerful than some full ghouls, not to mention his Rc levels are as high as a ghouls. I think that getting a Kakuja also ‘helped’ him to bridge the gap between half-ghoul and more or less-ghoul. However, since it is an incomplete Kakuja.

This is all so confusing ;-;

That wouldn’t surprise, me honestly. It would make fans suffer more and what does he like more than suffering?

OH MY You’re totally right! When a healthy baby is born, with black hair and always has his kakugan activated (I don’t trust Uta’s explanation of it), Kaneki starts to doubt some things.  Not to mention, he never actually slept with Touka, so how the fuck would the kid be his?

Honestly, if Eto adopted the kiddo and gave it a beautiful childhood full of wonders and fun, somewhere away from Japan, I’d forgive Ishida everything, including (maybe) killing Hide, or, at least, if he’s not dead, keeping Hide away from us for so long.  She’s George Washington here. ‘Dreams of dying like a martyr?’ ‘Yes’ ‘Dying is easy young man/lady, living is harder’ So she encourages them to live, despite how hard it is, because the world is cruel, but also beautiful.

YES! It suits Chris, but not Thor! Which is why they should’ve given him a wig, at least =3= Oh well, all that’s left to do is wait for it to grow back. Hopefully it will.

Oh, I see. Then, it truly is a shame that the writers decided to go through with the ship of her and Steve :/

Heh. I’ll see...  Idk when I’ll watch Civil War, tho. Soon, probably

The only reason why I want to see Re animated is because of Urie and Kanae. That’s it, as long as those two get so much as 5 seconds of screen time, I’ll be happy.

Alrighty, I’ll make sure to listen to the album soon ^^

Oh wow, that’s certainly an interesting OC...  So, angsty catwoman in MCU? Sounds exactly like something I’d make, just with wolves instead of Cats (i had an unhealthy obsession with wolves (and werewolves!) when I was younger ;-;)

I recently remembered my Fairy Tail OC. You ready for it? Idk which one’s worse, this one or the FMA one ;-; A dragon slayer (which is already a very Sue trait), but she didn’t have one element. Oh no, she was the QUEEN dragon slayer, which meant she could use any element she wanted *nods head* See, that was my worst problem when making characters. I was more or less tame with looks and I tried to give them character flaws (but it usually made them endearing, whoops), yet I just had to give them powerful abilities or something.

Now that i think about it, I’m glad I never made an OC for TG. Now that would’ve been a show. Waddaya say we make the biggest, most sueish character we can think of?  Let’s see, to begin with, they would definitely have a chimera Kagune. Now, the most kagune a ghoul can poses, as far as we know, is 3, but why stop at that? The glorious character should definitely have all 4!

At one point, I stopped writing down my OC stuff. Now I’m very thankful about that, since it means I forgot most of it.

Aw, I’m glad you like the characters ^^ Honestly, as a writer, one of my first impulses when watching something is either to make an AU (for the show’s characters or for characters from other shows thrown into that situation) or to make an OC. So, Nara and Kya are one of the more recent ones.

Tatsuo is a magnificent bastard, if I’ve ever seen one. Seems like either the guy who’d immediately become my problematic fave or the character I can’t stand. Keep them coming huehuehue I definitely enjoy reading about other people’s OCs! I can’t wait to see Naomi! And feel free to send me other ones as well ^^

Thank you! I’m glad you like the new blog ^^ I wanted to change the palette to something lighter and more summer-like, so I think pastel yellow was a nice choice ^^

We are connected 

Oh, that’s so cute! I never had the will to print the sheet music out, honestly. I’m too lazy for my own good :p

Why are you giving me the feels™ :))

#evans #submission

[liinos]

Every time my dad tries to give me a talk I leave wanting to throw myself out a window 😂

#'you need to think long term' haha neat i do not conceptualize the future <3 #me being like if i go straight into another school year it will mentally be bad for me and him being like well you dont know that thats a #bad reason for a gap year <3 thanks king so glad i was the only one present for the mental breakdown you watched me have 3 times over school #my parents constantly saying shit like we understand the way you think and then literally just not understanding anything 🤩🤩🤩 #its a gift at this point truly 🤩🤩 #'youre lazy and unmotivated' yes and apathetic <3 i hate school but clearly thats a hint you wont pick up on <3 #also not him ragging on about how i shouldnt settle for just being average sir i have NO aspirations to be anything but #i literally just want an average life that is it #the worst part is 😂 ill probably seriously consider not taking the gap year and then ill want to *** i literally hate it here #but thanks for continually telling me all im good at is school and writing papers its doing wonders for my self worth truly

[blackchristiannation]

LISTEN: Whyte House Family Devotions: A Prayer for the Family, the Church, the Nation and the World #320 (Friday, April 6, 2018): “Know the Bible,” by Billy Graham

https://soundcloud.com/danielwhyteiii/whyte-house-family-devotions-prayer-for-the-family-church-nation-world-320-4618

[caption id="attachment_40916" align="alignleft" width="156"] Daniel Whyte III[/caption] My family and I have had morning devotions, or family altar as some people call it, every day ever since my wife, Meriqua, and I were married 30 years ago. We have prayed and read the Bible together as well as other devotional books as a family, and it is the only reason why this family has stayed together, and the only reason why God has blessed our family and used our family in ministry all of these years. We read Ephesians 5 and 6 every morning as it relates to the role of each member of the family and how that we need to put on the whole armor of God to fight against the devil who is seeking to destroy our family and all Christian families, churches, and Christians. So, now after 30 years of doing this in our home, we are opening this up to others who don't have a family to pray with, who don't have a spouse, or who are single by choice, and to encourage all families who are still intact to go back to the family altar and have devotions together every morning. In these devotions, you may hear me deal with a temptation I'm facing in my life, you may hear me rebuke my wife about not doing what she should be doing, or you may hear me get on one of my children's cases about something they're doing. Don't be shocked; this is real life. SING "DOXOLOGY" Praise God from Whom all blessings flow Praise Him, all creatures here below Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost Amen Billy Graham said, “We do not fail to enjoy the fruit of the Spirit because we live in a sea of corruption; we fail to do so because the sea of corruption is in us.” ------ RECITE: "THE NEW APOSTLES CREED FOR TODAY" I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Maker of Heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell. The third day He arose again from the dead; He was seen alive by Mary Magdalene and the other women, the disciples and over 500 other brethren; He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth on the Right Hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen. ------ EPHESIANS 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. So far, we have discussed how fathers may provoke their children to anger by capriciousness, unreasonableness, favoritism, and selfishness. Steven J. Cole writes in his commentary on this passage, “Fathers may provoke their children to anger by criticism without praise. Some fathers are just negative and critical, no matter how well a child does. The child cleans his room, but there are a few things not quite right. The dad climbs all over him for the few things that are wrong, rather than praising him for the overall good job and then gently coaching him on how to make it even better. I always liked what Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson wrote in The One Minute Manager, 'Catch them doing something right' and praise them for it. I have tried to apply that to our children. Rather than criticizing them for things that weren't perfect, catch them doing something right and let them know how much I appreciate it.” ------- PRAYER ------- DEVOTIONAL PASSAGE: Psalm 122:1-5 I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord. 2 Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. 3 Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together: 4 Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord. 5 For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David. Regarding this passage, Matthew Henry writes: “The pleasure and profit from means of grace, should make us disregard trouble and fatigue in going to them; and we should quicken one another to what is good. We should desire our Christian friends, when they have any good work in hand, to call for us, and take us with them. With what readiness should we think of the heavenly Jerusalem! How cheerfully should we bear the cross and welcome death, in hopes of a crown of glory! ” --------- PRAYER FOR THE ESTATES 1. Clergy (church) 2. Government 3. People (citizens) 4. The press (media) 5. New media/Online journalists PRAYER FOR CHURCH LEADERSHIP - For all pastors, church leaders, denominational leaders, Bible teachers, missionaries, and ministry workers. GOVERNMENT LEADERS 1 Timothy 2:1-2 says, "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." President Donald Trump and his administration Vice President Mike Pence First Lady Melania Trump Second Lady Karen Pence All White House staff including: Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Justin Clark All leaders of federal agencies including: Federal Reserve System Chairman Jerome Powell All state governors including: Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts All city mayors including: Bay Harbor Islands, FL, Mayor Robert H. Yaffe All members of Congress including: Florida Representative Carlos Curbelo All law enforcement officials including: Bay Harbor Islands, FL, Police Chief Sean Hemingway All military leaders including: Defense Secretary James Mattis / General Joseph Votel, Commander of U.S. Central Command Leaders of nations around the world including: Madagascar’s President Hery Rajaon and Prime Minister Olivier Mahafaly For the peace of Jerusalem PRAYER FOR THE PEOPLE / CITIZENS PRAYER FOR THE MEDIA PRAYER FOR CURRENT EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD - For protection, provision, and salvation for the hundreds of people fleeing violence and crime in Honduras who are making their way to Mexico and the U.S. - For the recovery of the 4 people wounded in a shooting at YouTube’s headquarters; for the comfort of the families affected - For the comfort of the families of 7 people who were killed in a bus and truck crash in Egypt; and for the recovery of the 11 people who were injured. PRAYER REQUESTS Gary please save his wife; please heal him of his disability, chronic pain and memory loss Martina please have Nick C. to come to know You as his Saviour, please improve his hopeless situation and touch his heart Bill please bless him with a pastoral opportunity if it be your will THOSE WHO HAVE ACCEPTED CHRIST AS SAVIOR Trusila Hynes Bitengo THOSE WHO HAVE RECOMMITTED THEIR LIVES TO CHRIST Pascal Lineo Dorcas DEVOTIONAL READING: “Know the Bible,” by Billy Graham Isaiah 34:16 says, “Search the Book of the Lord...” A knowledge of the Bible is essential to a rich and meaningful life. For the words of this Book have a way of filling in the missing pieces, of bridging the gaps, of turning the tarnished colors of our life to jewel-like brilliance. Learn to take your every problem to the Bible. Within its pages you will find the correct answer. But most of all, the Bible is a revelation of the nature of God. The philosophers of the centuries have struggled with the problem of a Supreme Being. Who is He? What is He? Where is He? If there is such a Person, is He interested in me? If so, how can I know Him? These and a thousand other questions about God are answered in this Holy Book we call the Bible. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Now, if you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior, allow me to show you how you can place your faith and trust in Him for Salvation from sin and Hell. First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God's law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death…" Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Now that is bad news, but here's the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will. Romans 10:9 & 13 says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen. If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! I want to congratulate you on doing the most important thing in life and that is receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read "What To Do After You Enter Through the Door". Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." Until next time, May the Lord Bless You!

Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books including the Essence Magazine, Dallas Morning News, and Amazon.com national bestseller, Letters to Young Black Men. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry. He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University's Rawlings School of Divinity (formerly Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary). He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree. He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica since 1987. God has blessed their union with seven children.

#christian #devotions #family #pray #prayer

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1189

Monday, November 20, 2017

 Ottawa ComicCon put on a special edition Holiday con this past weekend so I went to check it out because it was FREE admission. Still had to pay $8 to park at the EY Centre though. The main reason I went was to pick up the book D&D&D (D)ungeons & (D)ragons & (D)oodles The Tabletop Fantasy Art of Tom Fowler since Tom was there. Much to my surprise Craig Taillefer was sitting next to him on one side and Ronn Sutton was on the other. I spent a happy half hour geeking out and swapping stories with them. After Tom signed my copy and generously drew a sketch inside I walked around the venue checking out the booths. It's been years since I've attended a con and I was impressed by some of the set-ups. Still, the comic vendors looked like the ones that sold stuff 30 years ago. Same tables of long boxes and makeshift walls for the wall books. I saw a lot of old Snail customers that I haven't seen in years. Some I recognized and some that I didn't. They all knew me though. The reaction of some folks was "what is he doing here?" looks that made me grin. I ended my sojourn hanging out with my Jee-Riz partner Chris as he helped at a friends booth. I can't say that I'll go to another con but I'm glad I went to this one.

 Action Comics #991 - Dan Jurgens (writer & breakdown art) Viktor Bogdanovic (pencils) Viktor Bogdanovic, Trevor Scott & Scott Hanna (inks) Mike Spicer (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). "The Oz Effect" concludes with the question of whether Mr. Oz was Jor-El or not left unanswered. Throw in a mysterious super powerful villain and it's more than enough to keep me reading. I liked Viktor's slimmer Superman. He looks more natural than the muscle bound version that Nick Bradshaw & Brad Anderson drew for the cover.

 Runaways #3 - Rainbow Rowell (writer) Kris Anka (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). It's time to catch up with Karolina Dean as Gert tries to get the team back together again. Karolina used to be one hot mess but she's a lot better now thanks to therapy.  I am really looking forward to next issue when the gang goes to find Molly, my favourite Runaway.

 Wildstorm: Michael Cray #2 - Bryan Hill (writer) N. Steven Harris (pencils) Dexter Vines (inks) Dearbhla Kelly (colours) Simon Bowland (letters). Michael's first assignment is to kill Oliver Queen. Yep, that Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow guy. His next assignment is to target another well known name. These characters are bad guys in the Wildstorm universe and I think that's cool.

 Spider-Man Deadpool #23 - Robbie Thompson (writer) Chris Bachalo (pencils) Tim Townsend, Al Vey & Richard Friend (inks) Chris Bachalo (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). Spider-Man tries to arrest Deadpool and mindless mayhem ensues. So a typical issue of Spider-Man Deadpool. But wait, what's with this lovely art that looks like the old Doctor Strange comic book? Why yes, it's Chris Bachalo. I am so happy and will be ogling the rest of "Arms Race" with glee.

 Star Wars #38 - Kieron Gillen (writer) Salvador Larroca (art) Guru-eFX (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). "The Ashes of Jedha" starts here. We've got Luke, Leia and Han trying to contact fighters against the Empire on the planet Jedha. That's where the Empire wants to strip mine the planet's Kyber crystals. The partisans appear to not want to play nice though. We'll see how the gang gets out of this fine mess.

 Not Brand Echh #14 - It was difficult finding every issue of the 13 issue run of the original series on the spinner racks back in the late sixties but I bought and read every one that I could. This title made fun of my favourite Marvel comic books back then and this latest issue doesn't spare the House of (sometimes bad) Ideas. It got a couple of genuine chuckles out of me so that's about $2.50 Canadian per chuckle. Here are the comedy sketches and their creative teams. Secret Empire Abridged: Nick Spencer (writer) Scott Koblish (art) Nick Filardi (colours). Better Than Canon: Katie Cook (writer& art). Gwenpool Absorbs the Marvel Universe: Christopher Hastings (writer) Gurihiru (art). Marvel Behind the Scenes: Nick Kocher (writer) Brian Churilla (art) Chris O'Halloran (colours). Love Can Be Nuts: Ryan North (writer) Erica Henderson (art). The Not Next Issue Page: Chip Zdarsky (writer & art). Forbush Man Returns parts 1 to 4: Jay Fosgitt (writer & art). The whole issue was lettered by VC's Clayton Cowles (letters).

 Batman #35 - Tom King (writer) Joelle Jones (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). "Rules of Engagement" concludes with a terrific sword fight between Catwoman/Selina and Talia, Batman's ex. The verbal repartee was great and just as great was the one between Damian and Dick. My question is "where the heck did Holly come from?". I hope that this family adventure theme continues because I really like having Selina, Damian, Dick and Alfred around.

 Maestros #2 - Steve Skroce (writer & art) Dave Stewart (colours) Fonografiks (letters). This is a beautifully illustrated Game of Thrones and Wands with wizard warriors plotting against each other. There's a rekindled romance and a shocking twist that makes reading the next issue a must.

 Champions #14 - Mark Waid (writer) Humberto Ramos (pencils) Victor Olazaba (inks) Edgar Delgado (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Worlds Collide part 4. He's no Blue Fairy but the High Evolutionary pulls a Pinocchio on Viv Vision and all seems lost. The heroes fight through but there's still a ways to go to prevent total destruction. We'll find out what happens when Avengers #674 hits the racks on December 6.

 Aquaman #30 - Dan Abnett (writer) Stjepan Sejic (art & colours) Steve Wands (letters). Atlantis Uprising. The revolution starts here. Orin joins the rebel forces and King Rath becomes more unhinged. Meanwhile, Mera is in deep water. I am enjoying this book again. You should give it a try.

 Mech Cadet Yu #4 - Greg Pak (writer) Takeshi Miyazawa (art) Triona Farrell (colours) Simon Bowland (letters). It's all-out action as the four cadets and their robos fight against giant alien crabs and orders from their superiors. The General is not pleased. Let's see what happens to keep them in their mechs and not get kicked out of the program.

 Deadpool vs. Old Man Logan #2 - Declan Shalvey (writer) Mike Henderson (art) Lee Loughridge (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). This issue tells us why the two heroes are teaming up. Makes sense. I like these straightforward good guys versus bad guy stories with witty repartee that don't tax the brain pan too much.

 Superman #35 - Patrick Gleason & Peter J. Tomasi (writers) Travis Moore, Stephen Segovia & Art Thibert (art) Danei Ribeiro (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Hey, I thought Lex's armour was mostly green. The battle for the throne of Apokalips continues with Lois and Jon's lives still hanging in the balance. I still think that Lex will save the day in the end.

 American Gods #9 - Neil Gaiman (writer) P. Craig Russell (script & layouts) Scott Hampton (art & colours) Rick Parker (letters). This is like reading the novel again but better. The art enhances the story so much.

 Defenders #7 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) David Marquez (art) Justin Ponsor & Paul Mounts (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). This is the funniest comic book on the racks for the week. Yes even funnier than Not Brand Echh #14. Brian has a great sense of humour. I'm wondering now if all the great artists that he works with are also going to work for DC. That would be ideal for me because he really clicks with David Marquez and Sara Pichelli. The five page fight scene between Elektra and Iron Fist is the best I've ever seen. Just as good as watching Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon.

 Wonder Woman Conan #3 - Gail Simone (writer) Aaron Lopresti (pencils) Matt Ryan (inks) Wendy Broome (colours) Saida Temofonte (letters). Some sorcery is added to the swords this issue.

 Mighty Thor #701 - Jason Aaron (writer) James Harren (art) Dave Stewart (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). I must have missed Mangog's origin story back when Jack Kirby first drew him but Jason recaps it very well here. Mangog isn't the only long unseen character to pop up. The Odinson's best buddy reappears too. This issue is one awesome battle. The visuals are so striking I could feel each punch. What a great fill-in by James Harren.

 Super Sons #10 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Jose Luis (art) Scott Hanna (inks) Hi-Fi (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). I like the contrast between Jon's youthful enthusiasm and Damian's grim cynicism. The three year age gap feels like decades but each one is subtly influencing the other. This issue sets it up so that the two lads will be spending even more time together learning how to be heroes. This is one of my favourite comic books on the racks right now.

 Amazing Spider-Man #791 - Dan Slott (writer) Stuart Immonen (pencils) Wade von Grawbadger (inks) Rain Beredo (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I am enjoying this point in Peter Parker's life where things are going well for him. His relationship with Mockingbird is sweet and chaste. His new job is challenging. The super heroics aren't too over the top and he comes out a winner this issue. I know the good times won't last but I will feel good while it does. My fanboy crush on Bobbi Morse is even bigger now because of the way Stuart and Wade draw her. Sigh.

 Incredible Hulk #710 - Greg Pak (writer) Greg Land (pencils) Jay Leisten (inks) Frank D'Armata (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Return to Planet Hulk part 2. Hulk has to survive a gauntlet to save lives and he smashes admirably. It looks like next issue swipes scenes from the Thor Ragnarok movie. I am looking forward to that guest appearance.

 Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #297 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Adam Kubert with Juan Frigeri (art) Jason Keith (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Totally different Peter Parker. Totally different life from Amazing. The two titles aren't even trying for continuity and that's okay. I just want to read a good story and this one where Peter and Spider-Man are being pursued by the authorities is a good one. Throw in recent revelations involving Jonah Jameson and this fan is anxious to see what happens next. According to the next issue tease T'Challa will come calling.

 Star Wars: Darth Vader #8 - Charles Soule (writer) Giuseppe Camuncoli (pencils) Daniele Orlandini (inks) David Curiel (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). We are witness to some Jedi rage this issue along with finding out what the stakes are for the good guys. Wondering what Vader is going to do keeps me coming back.

 Weapon X #11- Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente (writers) Marc Borstel & Ibraim Roberson (art) Frank D'Armata (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). The Hunt for Weapon H concludes. Will Hulkverine be a good guy or a bad guy? The jury is still out on that. I like this team and am enjoying their adventures so far.

 Spider-Men II #4 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Sara Pichelli (art) Elisabetta D'Amico (inking assistant) Justin Ponsor (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Miles's search for his evil twin takes a terrible turn but he's got the Amazing Spider-Man helping out now. The two webslingers should be able to figure things out but you never know.

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