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hiswordsarekisses · 7 months

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This is long but SO GOOD!!!!!

There’s an old story of the ancient philosopher Thales of Miletus who fell into a well while he was contemplating the heavenly bodies. All his grand intellectual aspirations resulted in a pratfall of humility. Kierkegaard likewise tells the tale of notable professor who, in the pontification of grand ideas of the cosmos, was oblivious to a drop of sweat that dangled from his nose. And there have been times in my life when I have meticulously studied Scripture and was so engrossed in theological matters that I somehow forgot that God was really present! In such moments, if I were suddenly interrupted, I would likely fall into a moment of peevishness and irritation. It would be comical if it weren’t so sad and disappointing, and yet there is a message in the pain that should not be missed....

What do we do with our inconsistencies, those “lapses” of faith that expose what we are actually believing at the time? These are gaps or incongruities between what we might say is true and what our behavior otherwise reveals. For instance, we may say that we trust God with our lives, and aver that we believe that the Almighty works all things “together for our good,” but inwardly we are filled with impatience, anxiety, and even dread. We are vaguely conscious of our dissimulation at times; we feel the tension that something is not right about us; we sense that we are not who we want to think we are. We may even suspect that we are inwardly divided, unstable, and afraid of what is hidden within our deepest hearts. But we tolerate our pretenses. We may ask ourselves “what would Jesus do?” and then find reasons to excuse ourselves; we may affirm: “When I am weak, then I am strong,” and then “think twice” in fear over circumstances that we do not understand...

So how do we deal with this contradiction between what we are and what we ought to be? How do we reconcile what “is” with what “ought” to be? In other words, how do we “practice what we preach?” We all experience the “gap” between the real and the ideal not only in the social and political world around us, but also - and more profoundly - as duplicity within our own hearts. Alas, how can we no longer be “two-souled’ or double minded? How can we be set free from the influence of the “shadow self”?

These are not questions about theology or doctrine, but about emotional and spiritual maturity, that is, they are matters of personal character. When Yeshua said that the truth would set you free, he didn’t mean that you would find freedom by studying theology as much as by undergoing transformation of the heart. Theology is important, of course, but primarily as a means to the greater end of knowing God “bekhol levavkah,” with all your heart, “bekhol nafshekha,” with all your soul, and “bekhol me’odekha,” with all your might. The essential reason for learning about God is be in heartfelt relationship with him, after all, and that will lead to transformation of the way we live - that is, how we think, talk, and make decisions, and so on. Spiritual truth is “existential.” How we live life reveals what we truly believe.

When we are born from above, we are given a new nature, and the “seed” of eternal life is implanted within the soul. Heart transformation, however, comes through time, as a matter of undergoing “reproof” and “correction.” This is sometimes called the process of “sanctification,” which means walking uprightly in the way of holiness. The Lord is likened to a potter and we are as clay in his hand (Isa. 64:8). Life on the “potter's wheel” can be messy, unsettling, and sometimes excruciatingly hard, but it is God's sovereign work to form your life according to his design and purposes....

God gives us the Scriptures to help us know his heart, as it is written: “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). Here we note that the Hebrew word for “reproof” is tochechah (תּוֹכֵחָה), from a root (יכח) that means to test or judge the quality of something. God’s reproof reveals the gap between our behavior and his standard of moral and spiritual truth, and when we are reproved by God, we understand how we fall short of his will. The Hebrew word for “correction” is mussar (מוּסָר), from a root (יָסַר) that means to chasten or punish, though always with the aim of developing godly character. God will sometimes allow us to undergo affliction, for instance, to teach us patience or humility. “Training in righteousness” means being instructed, as a child, in what is upright, true, and honorable.

Narrowing the gap between what we say that we believe and how we actually live is an ongoing process for us in this life. The world, the flesh, and the devil are forces that weigh us down to keep us profane and fallen, but God provides his Spirit and he instructs us to walk in the victory of faith. If we ignore or rationalize the gap, however, that is, if we allow the inner conflict and dissonance to become deeply rooted within our souls, we run the risk of becoming either self-deceived or embittered over the struggle. Bitterness is especially dangerous because it can result in abandoning the life of faith altogether (Heb. 12:15).

The test of faith is a matter of the heart more than the head. Things such as fear, pride, or ungodly desire can overrule our profession of faith, and we “forget” our calling before the Lord. The battle is found within the heart. Courage and moral allegiance is more powerful than intellectual conviction regarding matters of temptation.

The inner conflicts are real. The battle is for our souls. Many of us have truly felt or experienced the glories of God’s love, and we want to believe and to walk in the light of that love... So we try various things to know God or recapture our hope. We study, read, think hard, pray, attend services, and so on. But as we try again to be spiritual or religious or self-assured, we may become bound, weary, and feel like a failure... We suspect that we have failed God, failed ourselves, and failed others. We go dark, ashamed, and anxious, but we try yet again, and again, until we are distraught and in agony of heart.

Yet this cycle or undulation is part of the test of faith, this agony of trying and failing, encountering our shadowy duplicity of heart, descrying yet again what we really are on the inside, and crying out for deliverance from our faithlessness, our hypocrisy, our fecklessness, and our despair... Paradoxically, because we cannot help ourselves, we continue trying, lamenting, confessing, and persevering - despite ourselves - and in the lament of the struggle to be who God says we are, we begin to surrender to a deeper heart or way of being - broken, humbled, brought face to face with our powerlessness and need - and it is then that we discover the healing hand of God is at work...

“You do not know what spirit you are of...” (Luke 9:55). Yeshua’s words imply that each of us has the responsibility to know ourselves (γνῶθι σεαυτόν), and to learn to endure (and overcome) the natural motives and focus of our hearts. We collide with the truth of our spiritual condition in the midst of our daily frustrations, as we experience conflict, opposition, and the inner groan that arises from pressures and disappointments. Spiritual growth means learning to transcend our negative reactions, to stop cursing our conflicts, and to awaken to the blessings that surround and pervade our way. It requires a miracle.

If we are able to find the courage, our failures and brokenness may be used by God to purify the intentions of the heart by helping us to be more honest with ourselves. We begin to realize that we are more vulnerable than at first we thought; that our faith is not as strong as we imagined, and that our motives are often mixed and unconscious. Illusions are striped away; idols crumble; deeper levels of selfishness are uncovered; and the gap between our words and our deeds is exposed yet again... It is one thing, after all, to intellectually think about faith or to idealize spirituality, but it is quite another to walk out faith in darkness. Yet it is only there, in the rawness of heart, that we discover what we really believe and how our faith makes traction with reality...

There is a “hidden blessing” (ברכת סוד) that comes from our troubles. When we learn to accept that we are accepted despite ourselves, we find God’s Presence and can breathe in his peace and love, despite the sorrows and grief of our lives. When we come to the light, and do not deny the truth about our condition, we can honestly ask the Lord for healing (Heb. 4:16). When we seek for the good - and even bless the struggle - we express our trust that God is using our trials to help us grow and to bring beauty from our ashes (2 Cor. 7:10). “O Lord, I need you for everything, every last thing. Please meet my great need for You, for without you I am nothing.” Amen, “turn us back to you, O LORD, so shall we be turned” (Lam. 5:21).

Contrary to the assumption that the life of faith should always be triumphant, we all inevitably will experience various setbacks, pratfalls, troubles and challenges in our lives. This does not mean that God does not care for us however, because on the contrary, this is by his design; a plan supervised by God's love and blessing, and the afflictions we therefore encounter are part of his work for our good (Rom. 8:28; Heb. 12:6). We descend in order to ascend. It make seem counterintuitive, but the heart of faith gives thanks for all things - the good as well as the evil (see Job 2:10). We affirm: "This too is for the good," yea, even in the midst of our struggle, no, even more -- precisely in the midst of our struggle -- for this, too, is for our good. Faith is the resolution to trust in the reality of God's goodness even during hard times when we feel abandoned or lost (see Isa. 50:10). The Lord uses the "troubles of love" (יִסּוּרֵי אַהֲבָה) for our good - to wake us up and cling to him all the more, since this is what is most essential, after all...

God forbid we should give up now, friends. Faith “sees the unseen” and believes that the day of our ultimate healing draws near. You are in good hands as the Lord forms your soul for the glory of his purposes... Stay strong and keep your hope alive. !מחיל אל חיל

[ Hebrew for Christians ]

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literatemisfit · 4 months

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LiterateMisfit's Doctor Who Journal

Series 1, Episode 2 "The End of the World"

The second episode opens with the Doctor and Rose in the TARDIS, allowing us to begin familiarizing ourselves with this iconic space that the first episode spent so much time hiding from us. Rose is thrust into a situation that is entirely out of her depth, travel in space and time, and is faced with a total lack of control. Perhaps sensing this, the Doctor kindly lets Rose choose where they are going ("Backwards or forwards in time?") and, with all of history to choose from, Rose is given some semblance of comfort with the power to control their destination.

The Doctor, unsurprisingly, immediately begins showboating. When Rose chooses to travel forwards in time and suggests one hundred years in the future, the Doctor challenges her ("That's a bit boring though, want to go further?") and when she agrees, although uncertainly, he begins to push her expectations, encouraging her to once again think outside the box ("Ten thousand years [...] the New Roman Empire"). Rose is somehow an expert companion on her first trip in the TARDIS because she picks up on his arrogance and brings out his petulant nature ("You think you're so impressive" / "I am so impressive!"), a classic dynamic between the Time Lord and his companions.

When they arrive at their final destination, five billion years in Rose's future, the Doctor ensures that this first experience with travel in time and space is special for Rose. She asks, apprehensively, "Where are we? What's out there?" but the Doctor does not answer. He only gestures to the TARDIS door and allows her to discover this new place for herself, not providing any information or any explanation, and instead grants Rose the chance to be a true explorer.

Once Rose exits the TARDIS and investigates the room, her insatiable curiosity begins to butt up against a gradually-building feeling of being overwhelmed. This should be impossible, this can't be real, we seem to hear her thinking. The Doctor reveals that they have travelled so far into the future that they are going to be present on the day the sun expands, the day the earth is swallowed by it: the end of the world. And the Doctor makes a moving existential comment that we, the audience, feel all-too keenly, especially now in 2023 ("You lot, you spend all your time thinking about dying [...] but you never take time to imagine the impossible, that maybe you survive").

For the first time, we are introduced to the concept of alien technology, excepting the Doctor's TARDIS. Everything Rose is surrounded by is futuristic and unknown to her and us, and, like Rose, we both want to know more and find ourselves confounded by the idea. When Rose is faced with a variety of alien races, albeit in silly and camp Doctor Who costumes, it does seem to be a lot to take in ("They're just so alien"). Even more so when the alien gifts and conventions, which include being spit on, prove to be a real exercise in ultimate open-mindedness.

One of my favourite Doctor Who conventions is the use of science fiction to make meaningful social commentaries and this episode is full of them. As the camera zooms in on the base they have arrived on, we hear on the loud speakers: "Guests are reminded that Platform One forbids the use of weapons, teleportation, and religion". The comparison made between weapons and religion, suggesting that they are both too dangerous to allow on board, was particularly satisfying to me as an ex-catholic. For Rose, this announcement leads to a fundamental ethical question ("So, when it says guests, does that mean people?" / "Depends what you mean by people." / "I mean people, what do you mean?" / "Aliens."), are aliens people?

During the course of the episode, Rose finds out that, yes, aliens are people, although sometimes too much like people. Rose wonders, if today is the day that the earth dies, why there are so many people present to witness it. Shouldn't this be sad? Shouldn't the Doctor stop it from happening? But the Doctor cannot stop the fact that the earth has had its time. Nevertheless, Rose cannot fathom why the death of her planet has become an event that people want to enjoy ("The great and the good are gathering to watch the planet burn" / "What for?" / "Fun! Mind you, when I say the great and the good what I mean is: the rich"). And so we are introduced to the fact that, in the Doctor Who universe, issues of class and economic inequality are not a purely human experience. Aliens are people because aliens are susceptible to the same immoralities that we recognize in ourselves.

Delightfully, we are introduced to the Doctor's psychic paper with a perfectly brief explanation ("Shows them whatever I want them to see") which elicited giddiness from this viewer, just like the shocking reveal of the Face of Boe as a guest, whose entire story arc immediately unfolded in my head as I watched him enter the room. The Doctor's identity also begins to come into focus as Jabe, one of the alien guests, discovers that, for a reason that will become clear by the end of the episode, his race is "impossible!".

Rose is introduced to the last living human, Lady Cassandra O'Brien, who shares laughably incorrect facts about human history which we, and Rose, know to be false, showing us just how far away from human she really is, at least by our standards. While there are important social commentaries made through the use of this character later on, the first one rings a little hollow in 2023. It is revealed that, because Cassandra is so vain and obsessed with her looks, she has had over seven hundred surgeries to essentially remove any sign of her humanity, leaving her looking like a flat tarp of skin, veins, eyes, and a mouth.

As a woman who would have, in 2005, wholeheartedly agreed with this sentiment at the time, being unconventionally androgynous myself and, admittedly, rather sexist about other, more feminine women, I do find myself coming up against my updated views about women and the beauty industry while watching this episode. We understand better, nowadays, how the beauty industry, run by men, pressures women into making unhealthy and, at times dangerous, decisions about their looks. While part of me wants to hate Casandra for this, I realize that I now just feel sorry for her.

As Rose is faced with so much new information in such a short space of time, she becomes overwhelmed by all of it. She finds solace in the one person that she can relate to: the lower class plumber named Raffalo who, to Rose's shock and dismay, is essentially treated like a slave who has no rights, not even to communicate ("You have to give us permission to talk"). Seeing as Rose is an outsider to Platform One and its guests, she is of course friendly towards and curious about this new character.

It is in speaking with Raffalo that Rose realizes just how far away from home she is and how foolish she was in running away with the Doctor, whom she barely knows ("Don't even know who he is. He's a complete stranger"). And of course, it is this staff member that is the first victim of the villains of the episode, tugging on our sympathies as we, and Rose, lose the one person we felt we could trust.

The Doctor reunites with Rose and shares with her the classic information about the TARDIS's telepathic field that affects those that travel in it and translates alien languages in their minds. I was pleasantly surprised that Rose immediately brought up the issue of consent, having her mind modified without her knowledge, by which later companions seem to strangely not be bothered. Rose's feelings of betrayal lead to an argument with the Doctor and his own emotional outburst about his identity ("Tell me who you are!" / "This is who I am, right here, right now, all right?") hinting once again at his dark past.

Faced with her current predicament, of being impossibly far away from home, Rose resolves the argument with a gentle joke, revealing her vulnerable and frightened feelings to the Doctor ("Don't argue with the designated driver") which he accepts and kindly offers comfort in return: He modifies Rose's mobile phone and has her call her mom in a beautiful Doctor Who time-travelling mobile phone network loophole of sorts, which I find entirely enjoyable. Rose is emotional at hearing her mom's voice and has an existential revelation ("Five billion years later and my mom's dead") but ultimately understands that, while her mom is impossibly far away, she is also just at arms' length with the Doctor by her side.

When Jabe meets Rose, we have the first example in the new series of a character making the assumption that the Doctor and his companion are married or otherwise together as more than friends, which is a pleasing long-running joke; for a man and a woman to be so vehement about their lack of feelings towards each other.

Jabe, to me, personifies our relationship with the environment as she is the direct descendent of the tropical rain forest, another point that hits home more strongly in 2023. Jabe sacrifices herself to save everyone in the end, making her, the embodiment of the natural world, quite literally the opposite of Cassandra. Jabe and Raffalo are the first of many innocent deaths. Wealth and power are pitted against the environment and the working class in this episode, a very familiar piece of imagery for today's audience.

In line with this sentiment, Cassandra reveals herself to be a racist supremacist, claiming that she is "the last PURE human", juxtaposed strangely with the unnatural state of her body. She is a classic evil villain, making light of having murdered her husbands and engineering this entire plot for financial compensation ("Five billion years and it still comes down to money") to pay for her many future surgeries.

Before Jabe's death, we see for the first time the Doctor being truly seen and his traumatizing past, the Time War, being acknowledged with compassion ("I know where you're from [...] It's remarkable that you even exist. I just want to say how sorry I am" / "Stop wasting time, Time Lord"). We actually see the Doctor tear up, showing us that there is more about him and his grief that we don't yet understand and hinting at the weight of his burden.

This emotional coming together triggers outrage, after Jabe's ultimate sacrifice, from the Doctor. Hurt and emotional, he offers Rose no comfort when they are once again reunited after her first brush with near death in the sun room. He is too angry and, finding a moment of calm only to inform Jabe's people of her death with more kindness than he affords Rose, he is hungry for revenge. In his anger, even with Rose's plea for mercy, he lets Cassandra die ("Help her." / "Everything has its time and everything dies"), but an audience who is not watching the series for the first time knows that with these words, he speaks of Gallifrey, of the Time War, and of the overarching theme in Doctor Who that everyone the Doctor loves will die and he will live on alone.

After the Doctor comes down from his rage, he finds Rose again and ensures that she is, at last, cared for. Rose is upset because the planet, her home, was destroyed and they were all too busy fighting off a murder plot to pay their respects ("All those years, all that history and no one was even looking"). This leads to a much-needed conversation between the Doctor and Rose. He brings her back to the present as reassurance that the planet is still here, her family is still safe, and she has not truly lost anything. He comforts her with the familiarity of home and, of course, the smell of chips.

But the Doctor needs her to understand him. The familiarity of home exists for her, but not for him. He can never go back to his home planet and be reassured that everything is still there waiting for him, and so he challenges Rose once again with an existential truth that she may never experience ("You think it'll last forever. The people, the cars, and concrete. But it won't. One day, it's all gone, even the sky"). And at last, he has to choose to be vulnerable with Rose so she can honestly understand who she is travelling with, and her insatiable curiosity turns to compassion ("My planet's gone. It's dead. It burned like the earth. It's just rocks and dust, before its time" / "What happened?" / "There was a war and we lost" / "What about your people?" / "I'm a Time Lord. I'm the last of the Time Lords").

At the end of the episode, Rose is conflicted. Should she go home to the safety of her family? Should she lean into her insatiable curiosity and hunger for adventure? Her thoughts are interrupted by the smell of chips and they both realize that what matters most in this moment is the here and now and the comfort of living in the present, both literally and figuratively. We know, of course, that Rose will continue to travel with the Doctor, but they need to spare some time to rest and process. And so, they choose to go on living.

#my reviews #me #doctor who journal

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chickadee-chariot · 6 months

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📚🗓️📣 for the music ask game :3

~🥀

🥰😚🌿

📚 A song or album I could write a term paper on is Pyramid by Jason Webley. This song makes me chew on the walls in a very existential way. I'm passionate to the nines about what I consider to be a defining pillar of humanity, that is storytelling. The relationship between the teller and the listener. The degrees of separation between them, and how those degrees can shape a story to something wondrous, or render it unrecognizable. When is a living story altered enough to be called false? To whom does such a condemnation even matter?

Storytelling as a collaboration, or transaction, willing or not. The ordeal of being known. The ordeal of being known wrong. Or right. Where is a legacy, between the truth of the dead and the name by which we call the dead? Someone who doesn't want to be remembered. Someone who doesn't care if it's fiction as long as they are remembered. Will it please me when someone lights a candle and says my name?

The versions of ourselves we loan out to others to be held, that bear our names but only fractions of what those names mean. The futility of wanting to be fully understood by another the way you understand yourself, and the futility of being upset by that.

The reasons we cry, remember me in your songs. The reasons we beg, forget all I ever was.

What is the devotion of a stranger worth to you? How might it feel, when that devotion is worth castles of gold to them, if they carry an idea of you that is no more or never was? What ownership do you have over that? What would you tear down to claim it? No pre-judgement should be inferred here. Some things ought to be torn down. But then Sometimes integrity is cruel.

The difference between a person and a character, in cases where there is any difference at all.

The urge to disappear rather than be looked through unseen. The inability of the living to stop reinventing the dead. The inability of the listener not to participate in the singing of the song.

I have said very little about any of these things, mostly asked questions. Those are the questions I would write about. :]

Oh also, the other answer to an album I would write an essay on is uh...the entire musical score of lotr as created by Howard Shore and others...with particular attention to the use of elvish and other languages and the meanings their translations add.....I'm so normal about that...I'm totally not thinking about the words hidden in all the mt doom scenes that make me want to claw my chest open....nope....

I thought that was a bit TOO obvious ;]

📅 A song that calls up a specific time and place for me is Blue Ocean Floor by Justin Timberlake. That song will always take me back to warming up in the dance room at school, the backs of my hands brushing the floor in a wide arc. The wideness of the light in the only tiny room we had, and the firework curls of my beloved dance teacher. 🥰

Tesselate by Alt-J shares a similar space also with a time in my life when looking at fanart on tumblr was the hilight of my day.

📣 A lyric that feels like it is specifically calling me out is from Frozen Pines by Lord Huron:

And it feels like I've been away for an era

But nothing has changed at all

And it feels like I've been with you, oh

But what did we do, and where have you gone?

Far and away from being all poetic and shit, Ouch. That's a little too real.

#thank you love 💚#ask games #answered #music

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dailyaudiobible · 1 year

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12/16/2022 DAB Transcript

Micah 5:1-7:20, Revelation 7:1-17, Psalms 135:1-21, Proverbs 30:5-6

Today is the 16th day of December welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian and it is great to be here with you like every day, wonderful to have a place to come around the Global Campfire and be together and move forward together. And moving forward today doesn't lead us into any brand-new territory. We will complete the book of Micah in the Old Testament and continue our journey forward in the book of Revelation in the New Testament. And, yup, there will be some discussion about what we’re reading in Revelation at the very, very end, As I mentioned a good many times, several years ago we took that path and stuck with Revelation and kind of…what I realized was we had to basically skip the minor prophets and that so much territory. And, so, I went back and found those and so I'm kind of composting what we talked about in Revelation at the very end after the prayers. And, so, that'll be there. But right now, we are here. And, so, let's dive in and take the next step forward. We’re reading from the English Standard Version. This week Micah 5, 6, and 7 today.

Commentary:

Okay. So, as we complete the book of Micah it comes at a really really good time because there's some things in Micah that not only really speak to the time of year that it is, but also to our…our very lives. One of the great existential questions that we ask ourselves, whether we form it as a question and make it words or whether it's just this kind of inner thought is, what does God really want from me? It's an interesting question to explore at this time of year because so many of us are trying to get so many of the people that we love what they want. In fact, we may be so focused on that and so focused on how to pay for all of that, etc. etc. that we don't even think about what God might want. What does God want? But from the book of Micah before we can get to what God wants, we have to consider what he does not want. But really before we can even get to that we have to begin with a very said question coming from God. “Oh, my people”, God says, “what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me.” The interesting thing about those questions are that we don't normally think of God asking that kind of stuff. How have I made you weary? What have I done to you? We can see ourselves saying that to God, what I done to you? And in the passage, He’s saying. “Oh, my people”. He’s talking to everybody. But if we personalize it, which every time I come through this passage, that's how I read it. Oh Brian, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me. And it just makes me reflect back over a year of ups and downs like life is and victories and also valleys. And, so, wonderful times of adoration and worship, but also times of complaining. So, this is a convicting passage because in so many ways it's as if God were asking like, what else do I have to do to show you that there is a way and I love you and I will lead you if you would follow me, if you could obey me. And even in Micah, God, right after He says, how have I wearied you, He says things that He's done. I brought you up from the land of Egypt, I redeemed you from the house of slavery. I sent you Moses and Aaron and Miriam, I sent you leaders. And then he says, remember what Balak king of Moab devised. And we remember Balak and Balaam. And Balaam was summoned to curse the Israelites at the insistence of King Balak and he couldn't curse God's people, but he did tell Balak what he could do, which was to seduce them away from God. Each one of us could hear a list of our own of the things that God has done that we should be profoundly grateful for. And, so, just to even think of him saying, what have I done to you, that’s pretty sad. And it reads that way because it's supposed to read that way. That's where we’re being led because then Micah immediately sort of in response to God saying, what have I done to you and the realization that what God has done to and for us has been for and to our good. And, so, in response, Micah’s saying essentially like what does God want? What can we give him back? What are the expectations? And, so, I quote from Micah. ““With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” And of course, it's not what He wants. And then we find out what He does want. “He has told you O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you, to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God.” There it is. Like, clear as it could possibly be coming out of the pages of the Bible what God wants, that we would do what we know is right, that we would act justly, that we would love mercy. And its just in the last couple of days we were talking about how merciless we can be. He wants us to love mercy, and He wants us to walk humbly with Him. This is such a good time for us to begin to contemplate these things, not only in our immediate behaviors with those that are all around us in a crazy holiday season, but this becomes at a time of year when bigger thoughts are arising. Our rhythm is disrupted. We’re moving in all kinds of directions but we are ultimately moving to the new beginning of a brand-new year. And, so, to carry with us into the brand-new year what God wants as a baseline is so helpful. And it's not beyond our reach. It simply requires our vigilant self-control. He wants us to do what we know is right. He wants us to act justly in every way, in a macro level, in…in a way that governance is done in cities and states and countries, nations, kingdoms all around the world, but on a more micro personal level in our own lives. Be just. Bring justice. Act justly and to love mercy. We love mercy when it is bestowed upon us. We don't always love it when we’re required to offer it. We’re supposed to love it and to walk humbly with God, to be aware of his ongoing pervasive continual presence in our lives, to be aware of it, to know that He has invited us to collaborate to be a part of His story to love our brothers and sisters in His name. This life-changing. As simple as it is, this is life changing stuff if it is the way that our lives are going, if this is where we are aiming our lives - to pay attention to this, to walk humbly with God, to love mercy, to act justly. And, so, cheesy as it might be a in terms of trying to think of what we’re going to wrap up and put under the tree for God, at least we know what He wants. And we can give it to Him, even if that means we have to sacrifice a little, sacrifice a little of our pride, sacrifice a little of our arrogance, sacrifice a little bit of our indifference, or sacrificing all kinds of cash to get everybody else what they want. This isn’t going to cost any money. It’s not that it's not going to cost, but it's not going to cost us any money and can and will change our very lives. So, let's consider that today as we continue forward into this blessed joyous season that we are in, heading toward Christmas.

Prayer:

Father, we love You, we adore You, and we are convicted by what we are seeing in Micah today. We do love You. We worship You. We do adore You. But we are also confronted by the ways that our selfishness and self-absorption rears its ugly head in our lives. But we think of the questions that You asked through Micah - what have I done to You, how if I made You weary, what have I done to make You tired of me? The answer Lord is nothing. It's on us and we know it and just the question being asked from Your lips is so convicting. You have provided for our every need, and we are here because of Your mercy and grace in our lives. May we make some changes so that we begin to realize that we are worshiping You by the way that we love one another and take care of one another, by the way that we act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with You. Holy Spirit, come and let this sink deeply into our consciousness and into our spirit, that we may make changes that we can make and surrender to You in the ways that we cannot make these changes, knowing that You are in the process of transforming us. We pray this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, that is the website, and that is where you can find out what's going on around here unless you are using the Daily Audio Bible, which you can download from the app store that is associated with whatever smart device that you use. Just look for Daily Audio Bible and you can download the app for free. And, so, check that out.

It's Christmas time around here. I'm sure everyone in the world pretty much knows that and that pretty much everybody in this community probably knows that. It’s Christmas time around here. And, so, that's what's going on around here. The Daily Audio Bible Christmas Box is available for 2022. And that is full of goodies, some for you to keep, some for you, maybe to give away. You can check that out at dailyaudiobible.com in the Shop or using the app in the Shop. Just find the Christmas category and you'll find the Christmas Box there in the Christmas category. It's kind of getting down to it though for Christmas for shipping. And, so, these next couple of days are like…we’re going to do one more shipment out at the beginning of the week and that's as far as we think we can go to have things arrive for Christmas. You can certainly order them as long as we have them, but for arrival for Christmas we’re kind down to it. So, heads up on that.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if being around the Global Campfire is meaningful then thank you humbly for your partnership as we approach these last weeks of the year. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app. That's the little red button up at the top or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that's all for today. I'm Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

This is Protected by His Wings in Tennessee. This prayer is for…the Lords laid it on my heart to pray for those that don't ask for help, who don't call in requesting prayer requests, who maybe as a child asked for help and didn't get it. Maybe they have an alcoholic mom or a drug addicted father and they had to bathe themselves and fix themselves breakfast and they had to take care of their siblings and get them dressed for school and make sure they got on the school bus and they didn't do any extracurricular activities because they the parent was too drunk to get him to school or they had to make sure they had to get their mom cleaned up from the vomit before their dad got home or who would be injured and their parent was…was too drugged out to help them and get them to the hospital. This prayer is for you whether you are that child or whether you were that child. Dear heavenly Father, we pray for those who feel abandoned, who feel alone, who feel unloved. Dear Lord, as I spent my 52nd birthday with my mom not calling me because she was too drunk, I chose joy because God You have blessed me immensely and given me a life beyond measure with peace and hope and joy. And that's thanks to You sending Your son to die for my sins. Dear lord give everyone out there who hears my voice Your hope in Jesus’ name.

I have a 26-year-old child that's nonverbal autistic that I have placed…which is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life…placed him in the care of a state facility which is Brenham Supportive State Living Center. I need…I need much prayer. He has behavior issues. He is nonverbal. He has good cognition but poor expression. I need everybody that has no idea how difficult this is…I need prayer. I really need prayer. This child is my life and I want him back home. Have you ever heard the phrase it takes a village? Sometimes it takes a village. This is that scenario.

Hi this is Victoria Soldier just calling to pray for some of the DABbers. I wanted to say Merry Christmas and wanted to give you life and favor to everyone, those that are really going through, my precious sister who called the other day and was crying and she just didn't feel like she could hold on any longer because during these times a lot of things come to your mind because there's a little more time at home and with the COVID. But I want to pray for my precious sister. I didn't remember her name. And I also want to pray for God's Gal in Minnesota. I want to pray for Carol in New Brunswick. I wanna pray for all of…I want to pray for that husband and wife who wanted to have a baby and pray that God open up her womb like he did like he did Sarah and give them the baby that He has a special purpose for, a special purpose for them to raise in the way of the Lord. I just ask you to continue to pray for all of the people. Pray for Blind Tony and Joe the Protector and for those…those young people who are going to school and being bullied and even those in the prison. Gracious Father we just ask You to have Your way. You're a God of all grace and mercy and truth. We just ask You to heal those that've been going through cancer. Father, we just ask You to deliver. We just ask You to strengthen those that are going through, those that have lost loved ones and don't know how…don't have the strength. You say that when we're weak You are strong and Lord we ask You to strengthen them. We asked You to guide them. We ask You to give them life and favor. O, Father somebody today that don't know which way to go somebody…

Dear DAB family this is your sister Ashley from California. And y'all, I just wanna say that it is such a blessing to be a part of this community, especially this time of year. And Brian and everybody on here that puts this together, thank you guys for faithfully taking care of this and helping us to continue on and press on to finish this and finish it well. And for those of you who are struggling, guys just keep…do what you can. God sees us and He…He knows exactly what we need to hear right at the right time. But I just wanted to come on here and I wanted to see thank you Brian for the blessing of teaching at the end of Revelation at the end about Revelation. So often when I read revelation it just…it goes so fast, and I am not able to catch it and really apply it. So, I just wanted to say thank you for that. It is a butt kicker. I feel like it is doing the burpees of the Bible as far as like spiritual development but it is a blessing because even though you may not like it and they're not fun it helps you become stronger. So, I just wanted to say thank you for that. And I am just so grateful you guys because with the DAB this is now my fifth time finishing a Bible and this year was so special because I got to read halfway through with my grand mommy before she passed away. And it has helped keep me going as my son Jackson has had his ALL Leukemia. So, I love you DAB family and bye.

Hello, this is Glen from Orlando. I'm saying a prayer for my brother who says he lost his job and he can't provide for his family and he's on unemployment and his money is running out. I just want to give you some advice, having been there myself. Give it to God. Pray like it's already been done. God will give you that job that you're looking for. He's done it for me so many times in the past where I've felt the exact same way. You can get through this. Fall into the arms of Jesus and let Him give you peace. Then when he does give you that job you'll know it was a miracle and you can praise and glorify His name. God bless you, my brother. I'm praying for you.

Deep Dive into the book of Revelation:

Part 4

Okay. So, let's take a quick look at what we read in Revelation today. As I said when we began this book, its interpretations are many. And that's a gross understatement. And these interpretations in no way agree with each other in a lot of cases because we have lots of complexity in prophetic utterances and in symbolism and no way to concretely determine time. So, our goal here isn't to interpret every nuance of the book of Revelation, or any of the associated Old Testament visions and apocalyptic prophecies that exist. We’re just trying look at things as we go along to keep ourselves rooted in the story and have a bit of context so that we can engage with the text. So, there were seven seals and Jesus, depicted by John as a lamb, was able to open these seven seals. And we've seen six of them, opened. Four of those seals represented horsemen and their riders who were tasked with unleashing unrest upon the earth. The fifth seal had to do with those who had been killed for holding on to their faith, martyrs. And the sixth seal seems to depict the end of the cosmos as we know it. So, we’re expecting this seventh seal but that's not what we get today. We will get to the seventh seal, but what we have today is a discussion on people who are sealed. So, we had these four horsemen that were sent into the earth and then as we began today's reading, we have four angels who are standing at the four corners of the earth restraining the four winds of the earth. And most scholars would agree, this…this is symbolism that is meant to show that they have power over the earth. And then another angel rises up from the East and…and mentions that the earth or the sea of the trees shouldn't be harmed until the servants of God are sealed, that the seal of God will be placed on their foreheads. And the number of those to be sealed are 144,000, 12,000 each from the named tribes of Israel but the tribe of Dan and the tribe of Ephraim are omitted…are omitted from this list. And it gets…it…It gets pretty complicated here, this hundred 144,000. You’ve probably heard of the 144,000 in a lot of ways before. And there's a wide range of speculation among scholars, and entire church denominations have been formed out of interpreting this. So, if you take a literal view of the book of Revelation then 144,000 people, 12,000 people exactly from specific tribes will get the seal of Christ. And these are all ethnic Jewish people who know the tribes that they come from, which would be rather complicated because when the northern kingdom, the kingdom of Israel, the 10 tribes there were taken into exile by Assyria, they’re lost, like they’re lost to history. And when the southern kingdom, which would be Benjamin and Judah, were taken into exile by Babylon, they were eventually able to go back and they were paying close attention to the Levites, like to the priestly tribe. But tribal identity was mostly lost. So, if John is talking about ethnic Jews then then it's complicated. And if we were taking a presentist attitude interpretation, like this is all happening or this is about to happen then it's kinda complicated to find 12,000 ethnic Jews who know the tribe that they are from in this day and age, and it would be equally is difficult to find 144,000 ethnic Jews who live in modern-day Israel who are believers in Jesus. The number’s more like 10% of that. Just for a little perspective I mean, there are mega churches in the world that contain more people who are professing to be followers of Jesus than all of the believers who live in modern-day Israel put together. And for those who don't take 144,000 as a literal number, some would say that this represents all ethnic Israel, all those who are ethnically Jewish will be saved at Christ's second coming, while others would say the 144,000 isn’t a literal number. It's a figurative number and it represents all who will be sealed, the people of God and the formation of a new and true Israel. And I'm…I'm not gonna upack that conflict right now. Like, we’ll wait until we get into Paul's letters next year because it would take us down a bunny trail that would take way too long. So, I think it's safe to say that most but not all scholars do not take this 144,000 number to be a literal number with exactly 12,000 people from specific tribes. Like this is more of a figurative speech representing God's true people. And part of that comes from what comes next. So, we have this 12,000 from all of these tribes numbering 144,000, and we get to the end of that. And then John says after this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people and language which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the lamb and they were robbed in white with palm branches in their hands. So, if the number’s just 144,000 then the next thing we know we have people without number. No one can number them. So, more than 144,000 which leads some scholars to say, okay there’s 144,000 and those people are being sealed in this time of testing, this tribulation, and they’re the remnant army of God. And then we move to this other visionary experience, where the host of heaven, all the souls standing before God and before the Lamb, from every nation, tribe and tongue are standing before God. And we can easily think these are the ones that had been martyred, but that's not the…then the ones that are martyred aren’t talked about here. So, who is this throng of people dressed in white if they’re not the 144,000 and they’re not the martyrs? So, we get an answer that as we read along. One of the elders, so one of the 24 elders asks John who they are. Who are the people robbed in white? Where did they come from? And, so, John's like, sir, you know. So, he’s saying like, you would know but I don't know. And, so, the elder tells him. These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. So, these are the ones that stay true. And some interpret this as that these are the true children of God descended from Abraham. God's promise to Abraham was that he would multiply their descendants and they wouldn't be able to be numbered. So, these are the children of God who have come out of the great tribulation. So, if we’re interpreting this futuristically then there is a great tribulation to come that's can be very, very, very difficult on the earth, but if we’re a little more pragmatic in our interpretation then tribulation has been around a while and Christian specific tribulation has been around since Jesus. And enduring that and growing strong because of it and allowing it to shape us and build character and make us true is part of the metanarrative of the New Testament. Either way, this throng of people from every tribe and nation and tongue are before the Lord and they have washed their robes and they have become white, and they have washed them in the blood of the Lamb. So, to look at this literally would present some challenges. Like if…if you wash a robe in blood, it's not going to come out white. And where did they get these robes in the first place? And…and where can one acquire one of these robes, it becomes difficult to make literal. Symbolically, the interpretations are that, you know, those who wash their robe in the blood of the Lamb, and it comes out white, that is representing the ongoing work of sanctification, the process of becoming pure and clean and Christ like, which requires endurance and perseverance and all the things that we’ve been talking about all year. And for those people, beautiful, beautiful imagery is given. These people serve God, day and night in His sanctuary in His presence. And the one seated on the throne will shelter them and they won't hunger anymore, and they won't thirst anymore, and the sun won't beat down on them and strike them anymore and…and…and heat won't hurt them anymore because Jesus the Lamb who is at the center of the throne will be their shepherd. He will shepherd them. He will guide them to springs of living waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. And I think that is beautiful no matter how you're looking at this book, no matter how you're interpreting this. It's a beautiful picture that in the end there is God's presence and things are as they should be, and nothing is lost and there is no lack, and tears will be wiped away by God himself, which is where we end today in the book of Revelation,

Prayer:

Father, once again we’re inviting you to speak through all that we’re reading in your word and we’re taking it all in and inviting you. And it is our hearts desire to be one in that wrong with people from every tribe and nation and tongue. We want to be one of them and we have the clear picture that we must endure and that we must remain true and that our lives can’t be spent just trying to be one in that throng but one of many that you were able to reach and love and rescue because you were able to work through us. Come Holy Spirit. Give us the eyes and the ears of the kingdom. May we each be responsible for a great cloud of witnesses celebrating before your throne. Come Jesus we pray. In your holy name we ask. Amen.

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on-poetry · 1 year

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On Tenderness in Fiction

Excerpted from the December Fiction newsletter for Writers.com. Enjoy!

Short Story Recommendation: “Confessions of a Shinagawa Monkey” by Haruki Murakami

Read it here, in The New Yorker.

This story is peak Murakami—a Japanese author who often straddles the border of Surrealism and Magical Realism. In this story, the narrator meets a talking monkey who has the ability to steal the names of women he loves. For most authors, this story would sound impossibly silly. For Murakami, it's so believable, you might meet this monkey tomorrow.

In speculative stories like this one, the intrusion of the fantastical into everyday life often acts as a metaphor for something. Only this name-stealing monkey—who himself was not born with a name—is "out of place" in an otherwise normal world. What does he represent? How should we understand him vis-a-vis the unnamed narrator? And what makes this story so successful?

Pay attention to the narrator, how he seems to be a vessel for the story's oddities. But wait, shouldn't all characters be unique, believable people? Certainly—and this one is, too. We learn a lot about this narrator based on the questions he asks the monkey. It's never stated, but the narrator also seems to be a lonely person. Why else would his line of questioning veer so quickly into matters of the heart? Why else would he believe something so impossible—that a monkey can steal a woman's name, fold it into his own heart in such a way that she forgets the word people call her?

I think we learn the most about the narrator when he says this:

"Theme? Can’t say there is one. It’s just about an old monkey who speaks human language, who scrubs guests’ backs in the hot springs in a tiny town in Gunma Prefecture, who enjoys cold beer, falls in love with human women, and steals their names. Where’s the theme in that? Or the moral?"

This kind of meta-commentary rarely flies in fiction. Here, it works, because the narrator isn't realizing how much the monkey's story reflects his own psyche. Great fiction, particularly surrealism, does this: reveals the landscape of a character's personality.

I would argue that there is a theme here, though a lot of it comes down to the reader's own interpretation. I think that the monkey is a character that many readers can relate to: unable to find love among his own species, and incapable of being loved by any other, he resorts to desperate measures to keep his own heart warm. Sure, he feels guilty about hurting some of the women whose names he's stolen, but what would happen to his own heart if he didn't steal them? What do we do, as people, when we don't feel loved and accepted, to fill the time between now and when we'll finally belong? To go on living despite one's existential loneliness is no mean feat, and though we try to carry on while causing as little harm as possible, survival always requires sacrifice.

Of course, the monkey might represent something entirely different to you. That's the power of fantastic fiction, such as this: its metaphors are like jewels spinning in the light, showing us something different each time we look at it.

Notes on “Storytelling and the Art of Tenderness” by Maria Popova

Storytelling is sometimes described as a type of empathy work. In her acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize in Literature, Olga Tokarczuk takes this a step further, describing storytelling as an inquiry into tenderness—the type of selfless love that connects us to one another, or even connects our humanity to the universe around us.

Tokarczuk writes that there is an "endless system of similarities" between ourselves and the world around us. This is the case at both a micro- and macroscopic scale. It's true: societies flourish like bacteria in petri dishes, and our own brains resemble the connections of galaxies when we zoom out far, far away. This act of metaphor, this meaning-making is hardwired into our psychologies. What's more, it's at the core of literature.

Our instructor Jeff Lyons describes a story as "the combination and interplay of character and plot that is a metaphor for a human experience leading to emotional change." So, a story is a metaphor, and a metaphor is an act of tenderness, finding selfless connection between two seemingly discrete things.

Stories are bridges connecting us to our shared humanity—and beyond. In Murakami's story, the narrator's attention to the monkey's strange story is also a form of tenderness. And, that monkey's story being a metaphor for our own loneliness is Murakami's way of reaching into the void and there, somehow, touching us.

Why do we tell stories? No two writers have the same reason, and I doubt that "tenderness" is the word that comes to mind for many of us. Nonetheless, tenderness is at the core of this work—both the work of writing and the work of reading. if you're stuck on where to take your story next, or even where to begin, imagine your pen reaching into the murky stillness of the universe, and touching someone on the other side.

Read Maria Popova's essay here: https://www.themarginalian.org/2022/11/21/tenderness-olga-tokarczuk-nobel-prize/

Fiction Writing Tips

Here are our newest articles for fiction writers:

The Six Core Elements of Fiction Writing

What is Speculative Fiction?

Character Development

#on writing #on fiction #writing tips #writing ref #creative writing

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risesabove · 2 years

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@excellentexecution // continued !

in the end, they had all got what they wanted, hadn’t they? the nexus had been a thorn in the side of the roster for months now, making their presence felt through carnage and mayhem. the message had been simple enough: fall in line or get crushed beneath their boot, and not many among them had been so lucky to come out of those attacks unscathed. for one night only, they were the vanguard set to rewrite the script and alter the landscape that had become fraught with danger. they had won, those aligned with john, and though adam knows he should feel some sense of pride in righting the wrongs of those who had stepped out of line, the only feeling that he could seem to conjure up was… emptiness. they weren’t friends — they were common allies and nothing else, and there was no sense in pretending otherwise.

after the final bell rings and cena’s hand is raised in victory, the mood in the locker room is far too jovial for adam to bear. not bothering with packing up his gear for now, he’d come back for it once most of the boys had cleared out. he needed some space to clear his head and allow the adrenaline rush to crash and bring him back down to earth. he’d fought well tonight, he knows that, but there was a part of him lately that kept being drawn back to the same question: how much was he leaving on the table every night, and why?

it was surprisingly cool in LA that night… or maybe it was just that the venue was stuffy, or his blood was running a little too hot — whatever it was, the fresh air was an instant relief to the inner turmoil he suddenly found was trying to force its way out. was it selfish of him? this business, this life — it was everything he had worked and sacrificed for, had given him so much in return for his blood, sweat, tears, and soul, but he couldn’t help wondering how much he had left. chris would tell him that everyone has these thoughts, but they’re stupid and there was no use in dwelling on them, and perhaps he was right.

from behind him, a door opens at the same time the statement leaves his mouth. of course someone would’ve come looking for him; it had only a matter of time, and if he had to, he would simply brush off the existential feeling as emotion getting the best of him, even if that wasn’t quite the truth. dropping his chin to his chest, adam’s shoulders slouch forward slightly, as if in preparation for whatever was coming next. chris unleashing his pent up frustration over being taken out so early, probably, or maybe if he was really lucky, it would be the nexus to put his face through the windshield of stephanie’s rental car.

it was neither, and adam wasn’t sure if that was better or worse; the violence was easy, and he had learned how to tune chris out. bret… well, that was far more difficult. when bret spoke, he listened, even if it wasn’t always what he wanted to hear. realizing that bret had actually heard him, adam looks over his shoulder with a curious gaze before allowing his attention to drift back to the night sky. “friends, family, lovers… they all come and go, but this is always waiting for us like a cruel mistress, knowing we’ll come crawling back for more because we can’t help ourselves.” there’s a sad smile ghosting along his mouth, and he wants to ask bret if maybe it would’ve been easier to leave if he hadn’t gone out with a chip on his shoulder…

but he hesitates, and instead, concern fills the space between them. just listening to bret, adam works his teeth against the inside of his cheek for a moment, brow furrowed as his stare settles on twinkling lights off in the distance. he knew what chris was and he wasn’t blind to it. that partner of his had shown his true colors time and time again, and only a fool would allow themselves to get wrapped up in him and fall for false promises like loyalty. he knew the type of monster chris was, because he was so much worse.

turning his head to look at bret once again, adam works his fingers through sweat-dampened hair, subtle amusement lighting up his features. “how do you know i’m not manipulating him?” the question comes out gentle; bret wasn’t a target of his hostility and he’d done nothing to draw his ire. besides that, bret might be the only person who could speak to him this way and actually knock some sense into his thick skull. respect was a funny thing like that. “eleven years, he and i—“ he starts, then stops, shaking his head to himself. “i know what chris is capable of, hitman. first opportunity he gets, he’ll be there to put a knife in my back.”

straightening his shoulders, adam’s next words come out as confident as he’d felt all night, lethal and to the point: “it’ll be just a little difficult to accomplish with mine pressed to his throat.”

#003. ✭ verse: the rated r superstar #003. ✭ replies #excellentexecution #// loooove this so much 😭😭😭

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mindsofphilosophers · 3 months

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Exploring the Greatest Philosophers in History

Throughout history, there have been many thinkers who have pondered life's big questions and left a lasting impact on how we understand the world. These philosophers have explored topics like reality, morality, and the meaning of life. Let's take a look at some of the greatest philosophers of all time in simple terms.

Socrates: Socrates was an ancient Greek philosopher known for asking lots of questions. He believed that questioning things could help people find truth and live better lives. His ideas about ethics and the importance of self-examination have influenced philosophy for centuries.

Plato: Plato was a student of Socrates and a teacher of Aristotle. He wrote dialogues where characters discuss important philosophical ideas. Plato's most famous work, "The Republic," talks about justice, the ideal society, and the nature of reality.

Aristotle: Aristotle was another ancient Greek philosopher and a student of Plato. He was interested in everything from science to ethics. Aristotle believed in using reason and observation to understand the world, and his ideas have shaped Western thought for thousands of years.

Confucius: Confucius was a Chinese philosopher who lived over 2,000 years ago. He focused on ethics, emphasizing things like respect for elders, honesty, and living a balanced life. His teachings have had a huge impact on Chinese culture and philosophy.

René Descartes: Descartes was a French philosopher from the 17th century. He's famous for saying, "I think, therefore I am." Descartes believed in using reason and skepticism to figure out what we can know for sure. He's often called the father of modern philosophy.

Immanuel Kant: Kant was a German philosopher who lived in the 18th century. He wrote about ethics, knowledge, and the nature of reality. Kant believed that our minds shape our experience of the world, and his ideas have influenced many areas of philosophy.

John Stuart Mill: Mill was an English philosopher in the 19th century who believed in individual freedom and the importance of happiness. He thought that actions should be judged by their consequences, and his ideas have shaped modern ethics and politics.

Friedrich Nietzsche: Nietzsche was a German philosopher who lived in the 19th century. He wrote about topics like morality, religion, and the meaning of life. Nietzsche is famous for his idea of the "Übermensch," or superman, who creates their own values and lives life to the fullest.

Jean-Paul Sartre: Sartre was a French philosopher who lived in the 20th century. He was a key figure in existentialism, which is all about individual freedom and responsibility. Sartre believed that we create our own meaning in life through our choices and actions.

Simone de Beauvoir: Beauvoir was a French philosopher and feminist who lived in the 20th century. She wrote about topics like freedom, ethics, and the role of women in society. Beauvoir argued that women have been historically oppressed and called for gender equality.

These philosophers have all made important contributions to our understanding of the world and ourselves. Whether they lived thousands of years ago or just a century ago, their ideas continue to shape how we think about life, morality, and the human experience.

#philosophy

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forgooby · 3 months

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I wrote this for my group chat, but thought I might repost it here too.

Being an artist has a interesting amount of leeway. You can really choose whatever path you want. You could make work to sell in a gallery, do large-scale grant-based projects, teach and make your work on the side, ect. Which is at the end of the day a privilege and a gift, but it also comes with a lot of ownership and decision making. So I've been having these conversations with my friends lately asking them what they want to do and what the path they're working on, and opening up about feelings of being lost a lot of times and overwhelmed by the options. And like good friends they often see this conversation as one of stress and anxiety and try and help me out of it, which is really kind and beautiful, but I think it also comes at a misunderstanding. It makes me think of Sylvia Path's fig tree (for those of you who don't know it/want to reread it again, here's a good comic https://www.zenpencils.com/comic/130-sylvia-plath-the-fig-tree/) where the narrator is so overwhelmed that she loses the opportunities she dreamed of. But I think the fig tree also needs to be retold. It puts this space of indecision and wonder in a dark and torturous position, but I think earnestly, those moments when you are able to sit with yourself and look at what you've done, and what you could do, are the most fulfilling and power granting positions to be in. I'm grateful of being able to talk to my friends about this and brainstorm together, but when we end up taking the easiest, shortest answer, ie "I think that's too big of a question for us to know", "we don't have to decide all of this right now", or "just take it one day at a time." we lose ownership over the path we decided for ourselves. And yes, there will be a lot of failure, and a lot of pivoting and redoing goal setting, but the next moment that you have space and time to sit and reflect and choose what direction you want to take, you'll have the confidence of knowing that you've done it before.

Hope is something that I don't think we talk about in civilian day to day living, it's for fairy tales and anime shows, but I think it's so important for happiness and believing that things aren't stagnant, especially in these troubling times. They say you need three things for hope: having a goal, a pathway to achieve that goal, and the confidence to complete these goals. When we take the short answer in moments of existentialism we lose an ability to envision a better future for ourselves. I understand and can empathize with sitting under the fig tree, but I think the story should be retold with the agency to appreciate the choices that the narrator has made so that we might do the same.

#existentialism #Shower thoughts #Fig tree #Sylvia Plath

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mister-e-filman · 4 months

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Miraculous: Year One

Autumn; Aftermath

After a little chat with Master Fu, Marinette, Bridgette, and Tikki (and even Alya) agreed to visit in order to train with him at least once a week. He told them that not only did he tell Adrien/Cat Noir the same thing, but also that whenever they felt like it, their kwamis would come visit him with news, information, etc. with Plagg telling him that "There sure is something off about that boy, physically speaking. I do not know why, but he reminds of Dusuu." and Tikki telling him "I do not believe I have felt so much quantic energy in a single room of humans in such a long time! Her classroom felt nice, like a spa! I felt every student radiating with that energy!" "I agree with you Sugarcube, all fourteen of those students just had that special Quantic energy inside of them," Plagg agreed.

The next morning featured a broadcast with the senator of France, Gérard Philippe René André Larcher saying, "The world has been so caught up with what both Ladybug and Cat Noir can do, that... no-one has asked what they should do. Let the record show that this committee holds them responsible." Marinette, Bridgette, Tikki, Adrien, Plagg, as well as everyone else were watching this special broadcast hosted by both Alec and Nadja with Alya as a special guest alongside Senator Larcher. "'They'll never answer to you. They answer to no-one. Not even I think, to god' is what you were gonna say, am I right, Senator Larcher? These questions have already been asked and answered back when Majestia was introduced to the world, what makes Ladybug and Cat Noir any different I ask you?" Alya asked.

"Well, considering every time your heroes save a cat out of a tree, you write a puff piece editorial, about a couple of superbeings who, if they wanted to, could burn the whole place down. There wouldn't be a damn thing we can do to stop them," Senator Larcher retorted.

"We, as a population on this planet, have been looking for a savior or saviors. 90% of people believe in a higher power. And every religion believes in some sort messianic figure or figures. And when these savior characters actually come to Earth, we want to make them abide by our rules? We have to understand that this is a paradigm shift. We have to start thinking beyond politics."

"Are there any moral constraints on these people? We have international laws. On this planet, every act is a political act."

"Is it really surprising, that two of the most powerful people in the world should be figures of controversy?"

"To have individuals engaging in the state level interventions should give us all pause."

"Human beings have a horrible track record of following people with great power, down paths that lead to huge human monstrosities. We've always created icons in our own image. What we've done is we project ourselves onto them. The fact is, maybe they're not some sort of demons or Jesus characters. Maybe they're just a couple trying to do the right thing," Alya finished, however Senator Larcher wasn't finished yet.

"They have the power to wipe out the entire human race and If we believe there's even a 1% chance that they are our enemy, we have to take it as an absolute certainty!" Alya rolled her eyes before coming back with, "Really Senator Larcher? The existential risk argument? They are NOT our enemy!" "Not today. 20 years since the first superhero appeared, Alya. We've seen what promises are worth. How many good guys are left. How many stay that way."

"What about Hawk Moth, Senator Larcher?" Alya asked thinking she had the idiotic senator. "Clearly a ruse for publicity. How do we determine what's good? In a democracy, good is a conversation not a unilateral decision. So, I urge both Ladybug and Cat Noir, to come to the Palais de Justice of the people tomorrow. To see those who have suffered. The world needs to know what they stand for. How far will they take their power. Do they act by our will, or by their own?" "Whatever," Alya said clearly pissed about the senator's lack of logic and denial of the existence of Hawk Moth despite evidence contrary to the belief. She got up and walked offscreen. Senator Larcher did the same just in a more cheerful mood and after he exited, the broadcast ended leaving Adrien, Plagg, Marinette, Bridgette, and Tikki in a cold fury.

Sabine then called up from downstairs, "Marinette, Bridgette! Alya's here!"

Alya was then heard saying from downstairs, "Don't worry, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng, I'll just head up."

When she was back with her bffs, she was grumpy but clearly tried to hide it. "People hate what they don't understand. But they see what you do, and they know who you are. You're not a killer. A threat? I never want this world to have you. Be their hero, Marinette. Be their monument. Be their angel. Be anything they need you to be. Or be none of it. You don't owe this world a thing. You never did. You understand me girl?" Alya explained to Marinette who nodded.

Marinette paced in her bedroom, her mind back on her school project, looking at her sketchbook and talking to Alya. "Derby hat, derby hat, derby hat, derby hat...! I don’t have any derby hat designs. I’ve got top hats, caps, even two-horned hats! Need a bere? I’m your girl. A sombrero? A bowler hat?" She gestured over to a completed bowler hat that was sitting on her desk. "No problem-o. But a derby?! You know what? It won’t even matter, 'cause I’ll probably make a total fool of myself at the event, most likely trip over my stupid derby and collapse on Mr. Agreste; give him a full-blown concussion and Adrien will hate me! I'll never be a world-renowned fashion designer. MY LIFE IS OVER!" Marinette continued to whine.

"All of this coming from my twin who as a child, dreamt of tailoring a hat for the friggin Eiffel Tower to protect it from snow. And did that not cause her to want to be a fashion designer?!" Bridgette sternly told her sister.

"For real, girl?" Alya asked which Bridgette dug out an extremely old sketch of which it was dated 19/02/2005. "Impressive Marinette! So... all of this over a derby hat? Let me see your sketchpad, girl. There must be something in here."

"Forget it, I’m a disaster zone. I’ll probably mess everything up in the end," Marinette whined.

"Wow! Girl, what are you talking about? These are some awesome designs! I didn’t know you had such mad skills, these are so amazing!"

"You are super talented, Marinette! You seriously have a good chance of winning," Tikki complimented.

"Only have nine hours until show time," Alya stated as she checked her phone, then she added, "Actually, I take that back because the school just sent out a message basically saying that because both Ladybug and Cat Noir will be in court, we've now been given a little more time to create these hats." "Not to mention time to think of what the hell we're gonna do for the whole court thing, you know?" Bridgette stated.

"Yikes! So much to think about! I'm off to my secret garden of inspiration. I’ll see you later," Marinette said in a panicked tone, she then ran into a wall. "AH! I'm okay. I'm okay, I'm okay," Marinette almost ran into another wall as she ran down the stairs, then screamed. Both Bridgette and Alya chuckled. "Wah! Mylène?!" Both Alya and Bridgette tensed up, gave each a look and proceeded to hide everything and anything relating to Ladybug that wasn't news or the like with Tikki hiding in Bridgette's pocket. "Come on upstairs Mylène," Alya called down.

Sabine, Mylène, and Mylène's father Fred.

"What did you say the name of the play is, Mr. Haprèle?" Sabine asked.

"Well, it's..." Fred started.

"It's called 'The Mime's Extraordinary Adventures,' starring the most talented, amazingly awesome actor and mime!" Mylène finished for her father.

"Come on, now," Fred beamed.

"My father! Give it up for Fred Haprèle!" Mylène announced proudly.

Marinette, Alya and Sabine then applauded for Fred.

"Thank you very much! Thank you, Mylène," he said.

"Well, congratulations, you must make your daughter very proud!" Sabine said proudly.

"Now all I need is my hat to complete my costume," Fred said after nodding to Sabine.

Marinette then grabbed the hat she designed and gave it to Fred while happily stating, "Here it is!" Fred then stated, "Thank you, Marinette! Saving me at the last minute."

He then mimed that the hat was inside a box. Fred opened the box and put on the hat after inspecting it. Marinette held the invisible box.

"Ha! I don't think Mylène was exaggerating at all!" Sabine exclaimed in delight.

"Why, thank you!" Fred said.

Marinette then addressed both Mylène and her father by saying, "I fixed the tear in it. I also sewed the pocket on the inside, just like you asked."

"You've done a perfect job. Thanks to you, I'll have my good luck charm right here next to me at all times. A photo of my beloved daughter," he told her.

"Aw, dad..." Mylène said as she hugged Fred just as his phone rang.

"It's Sarah, the place director," Fred told them before answering his phone. "Hello, Sa..." he started.

"Fred, where are you?" everyone could hear Sarah say from the phone.

"Yes, I had to pick up my hat!" Fred nervously explained.

"I need you here now!" Sarah could be heard shouting at him.

"It's not an excuse! I know the bus is leaving in less than a half hour, I'll be there!" he firmly told her before closing the call. "She's very nervous about how all this court stuff will affect the premiere. She's ready to blow a fuse! So I better get going. See you tonight at the Eiffel Tower, girls!"

"We can't wait!" Alya happily told him.

"Love you, Dad!" Mylène proudly said to her father who gently told her, "I love you too, my little souris."

Once Mylène and her father left with Sabine returning to tend to the bakery, the attention turned to the court stuff. "It definitely says here that both the Agreste's and the Dupain-Cheng's are invited to the hearing along with most of Paris. No doubt the ones who were the targets of the victims who got akumatized, and those who bore witness to last night's battle," Alya explained to both Marinette (who was grabbing at her hair panicking) and Bridgette (who was sitting cross-legged trying to figure out a way to keep their identity a secret while also attending the hearing). Tikki was staring out of the window wondering how Plagg was holding up before she said, "Hey, Marinette how about we go your secret spot to help you destress and maybe even continue working on your derby?" Marinette looked up at her kwami and nodded.

Over at the Trocadéro, Marinette was trying to get inspired to draw some designs. She drew something and then ripped the paper out.

Meanwhile, "Are you sure about this, kid?" Plagg asked his wielder after an intense moment of wondering how Tikki was holding up before looking over at Adrien who nodded. "Trust me Plagg. Félix and I go WAY back!" Adrien assured his kwami. Suddenly, there came a knock at Adrien's bedroom's window which startled Adrien, who then saw who was knocking, "Félix?" Adrien opened his bedroom window to let his cousin inside. Félix put out his hand for a handshake, but Adrien hugged him instead, as Adrien happily said, "Wow, you're fast! So good to see you again! Do you remember when we used to have so much fun pretending to be each other? Once they had my folks fooled for a whole weekend! We had such a good laugh afterwards!"

"Mm, yes I suppose I am fast. So, you said that you're going to court or something? But if that's the case why am I here, cousin?" Félix asked.

"Eh, we'll discuss it later. It must've been a long journey from London, you may want to rest a bit," Adrien said still clearly high on nostalgia as he picked up a basketball.

"Do you remember our shooting contests?" Adrien asked as he passed the ball to Félix, who, unenthusiastically, caught it with one hand and threw it into the hoop behind him. "So, how are things with Uncle Colt?" "My Mom filed for divorce while also making sure that she took some of Dad's things after the divorce was final, so happy ending there, but what about you, Adrien? You still always do everything your father tells you to do?" Félix asked.

"He's very... protective of me, though I did manage to break free enough to enroll into school," Adrien explained which made Félix smile and say "Well, good for you cousin!" he then hugged him.

"Oh! Do you have that chess board we used to play all the time?" Félix asked excitedly.

"Of course! Let me go upstairs and get it for us!" Adrien said before running upstairs.

"Well, I challenge you, so let the best man win!" Félix whisper-shouted all while Adrien searched upstairs, Félix started to frown believing that he was brought here only for nostalgic purposes.

"That's odd, I can't find it!" Adrien quietly called from upstairs.

Félix raised an eyebrow before whisper-shouting, "Okay then grab a deck of cards, since you're up there!" He then found a piece of goat's cheese, sniffed it, and frowned.

"You still doing magic?" Adrien asked from upstairs.

"Now more than ever, you'll see!" Félix whisper-shouted.

"How about karate? Are you still practicing?" Adrien asked.

"Of course! How about you?" Félix whisper-shouted. "Well, the last time I saw you, I knew nothing, but now I know a few moves, especially when they're combined with my fencing," Adrien explained. "That sounds cool!"

"Ah wow! You look just like twins!" Plagg blurted out. Félix quickly turned to spot Pagg, putting two and two together as to why he was brought there. "Hi, that is my hunk of goat's cheese! I have been maturing that baby for what should have been two weeks! Do you realize?! Two whole weeks! So kindly put it back how you found it, please!" Plagg sternly told Félix who did as he was told while not taking his eyes off of the little kwami. "Now I get it Adrien, you want me to pose as you while you be Cat Noir. Am I correct, cousin?" Adrien then peeked out from upstairs and nodded and then proceeded to climb down. "Félix, this is Plagg, he's what helps me become Cat Noir," Adrien explained to his cousin who nodded before going over to dress up like him. Félix grabbed the clothes and quickly but silently went to the bathroom leaving just Plagg and Adrien who was holding the deck of cards.

After a few minutes, Félix stood up, fully clothed. "So, how do I look?" Félix asked. Adrien gestured to his hair. "Ah." Félix then ruffled up his hair to where he looked exactly like his cousin.

Félix then went over to a mirror to take a look at himself accidentally bumping into Adrien's phone which turned on showing photos of Ladybug. "Woah! Of course you have a crush on that superhero," he said. Adrien blushed in embarrassment before changing the topic over to the court hearing to which Félix told him, "Well seems that we have a little bit of time before then so how about a magic trick?" Adrien nodded.

While Félix was doing his card magic trick for Adrien and his kwami. Marinette was busying herself with working on ideas for a derby hat.

"Geez, it’s hard to be creative under pressure," Marinette said.

"Marinette, you save the world under pressure. I think designing a hat should be a piece of cake!" Tikki told her.

"Hm, a cake derby hat. Stylish and tasty," Marinette wondered aloud. They both chuckled. Marinette kept drawing new designs and ripping them out. After a while, she got tired and looked up. It was Xavier Ramier, who was walking like a bird before sitting down on a bench ahead of her. He took out a brown paper bag and blew a bird call. A cluster of pigeons approached to the point where Marinette dodged one. Marinette waved to him, who waved back.

"How are you Mr. Ramier?" Marinette asked him. "Oh, just trying to enjoy my day before the trial later," he answered with a frown. "I understand Sir," Marinette replied while getting back to drawing, her eyes occasionally darting up at the pigeons that Xavier was sneakily feeding.

"What a unique character! He is like, a human bird. All he needs is a feather jacket to complete the look," Tikki quietly told Marinette.

"A feather jacket, hmm. Nice thinking, Tikki," Marinette whispered, prompting her to start drawing on a different piece of paper.

However, unbeknownst to her, Chloé was secretly watching Marinette as she was drawing. She then signaled Sabrina, who then proceeded to sneak behind Marinette, to take a picture of the design from her sketchpad.

Marinette then finished sketching and shouted, "Yes!" She held up a drawing of her finished design, which Sabrina snapped a photo of.

"Now that’s a derby!" Tikki said.

"Thanks, Tikki," Marinette happily said.

Sabrina then showed the picture on her phone to Chloé. "We're so awesome," she quietly said.

"We?" Chloé coldly asked as she snatched the phone.

"Oh right, sorry! You're so awesome, Chloé. When are we-- uh, you, going to make the hat?" Sabrina asked with a small hurt look that she tried hiding.

Chloé snorted before saying, "And ruin these nails? Of course not. Daddy’ll pay someone to do it." She walked off, with Sabrina following suit. Marinette soon returned back to Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie where she was in her room, working on her hat.

When the hat was almost finished, Marinette then realized that somethinis was missing. She looked under her desk.

Bridgette asked, "What are you looking for?"

Marinette answered with "A feather! Damnit, I forgot to pick up a pigeon feather for the hat! It has to have a feather!"

Marinette then ran back to the Trocadéro. The pigeons scattered, dropping feathers everywhere.

Marinette then picked up a feather and then let out a "Yes!"

As she was leaving, she accidentally ran into Roger.

Marinette quickly said, "Uh, sorry Officer Raincomprix, sir." She then left. Marinette made it back to her room just as her alarm went off... It was time for the Miraculous Ladybug and Cat Noir's court hearing. Marinette quickly put feather in a drawer and then transformed into Ladybug. Meanwhile over with Adrien, his alarm went off as well, causing him to say, "Plagg, claws out!" He transformed into Cat Noir, Félix looked at his cousin in awe. Both Ladybug and Cat Noir asked Bridgette and Félix respectively "Remember the plan?" to which both Bridgette and Félix nodded.

Over at the Palais de Justice, André Bourgeois was trying to get people inside calmly, saying "Alright, come on through. The Senate hearing is expected to get under way in any minute now."

Nadja Chamack was reporting the whole event, "Of course the big unknown in all of this is: Will Ladybug or Cat Noir show up? That is what they're really waiting to see. There are plenty of people, who would say they're their heroes."

In front of the Palais de Justice, the crowd was ecstatic as something approached from the sky. It was both Ladybug and Cat Noir. "Hello Milady. I tried my best to smooth down my hair but this is just a jungle!" Cat Noir told her.

"And there they are. The Miraculous Ladybug and Cat Noir are here. They're actually at the Palais de Justice. This is really a historic moment. Now we expect that these two will give some kind of a statement to the Senate, to the Parisian people, and of course to the world," Nadja stated.

"You ready Milady?" Cat Noir asked Ladybug who replied with "Not really." "Same here." Ladybug looked over at the crowd where she saw Bridgette walking towards the building all while being disguised as her civilian self. Same went for Cat Noir who saw Félix walking alongside the Dupain-Cheng's.

Ladybug and Cat Noir entered the building and walked toward the auditorium.

"No joking around, understand?!" Ladybug firmly told Cat Noir who replied with "At a time like this, I wouldn't dare!"

Ladybug and Cat Noir walked through the corridors, making everyone’s heads turn.

As the two superheroes entered the room walking, they go to the defendant's post.

Senator Larcher took his seat before saying, "Let me say at the outset that I am grateful to our witnesses for coming before us today."

Both Ladybug and Cat Noir noted Fred, Xavier, Ivan in the corner.

Senator Larcher then continued with, "You see, this is how a democracy works. We talk to each other. We act by the consent of the govern, I have sat here before to say that shadow interventions will not tolerate by this Committee. Neither will lies. Because today is a day for truth. Because only by speaking... er, I mran, only by working together, can we create a free and safe world. And as for what we have before us, they are a couple whose power is as of right now unbeknownst in their limits. This power is not innocent if left unchecked."

The entire hearing went as expected, with some people who were against them along with the rest who are behind them. And after Ivan, Mr. Ramier and Mr. Harpréle were finished telling of how each got akumatized and both saying that they both heard someone talking to them just before giving in to the akumas and then coming to after being deakumatized.

Senator Larcher took a deep breath and then proclaimed, "Ladybug. Cat Noir, if this Hawk Moth does indeed exist, then find him and bring him to justice." "It's what we're here for," Cat Noir said. Ladybug followed suit with, "Not for you Senator, but for them," she gestured to the Parisians before continuing, "the people need heroes whether they be super or not. Plus it seems very one-sided for normal cops going up against supervillains. Let us help!" Senator Larcher leaned closer to them and then sternly told them "You have one year to either capture or at the very least find Hawk Moth and if by September first of next year you fail, the both of you will be put behind bars permanently. Do I make myself clear?" "Inescapably," both Ladybug and Cat Noir replied. "Very well then, go," Senator Larcher said as he smacked down the gavel indicating that the hearing was over. As soon as they set foot outside of room, everyone else started following suit, and when they were outside of the building the two superheroes whisked away. Cat Noir went back to his room in the Agreste mansion and Ladybug went back to HER room. Both detransformed back into their civilian selves. Adrien had to hide in his own room until Félix returned so that he could go back home and Marinette had to slip on her pajamas to keep up the chårade of her twin being too sick to go. So she crawled back into Bridgette's part of the bunk bed and with that, her eyes shut...

…and a metal door opened. Marinette, who was now wearing a motorcycle helmet that had been painted red with black spots stepped out of it, in desert clothing over her helmet.

The door was that of a stone bunker in a seemingly desertic location, covered in ruins and barbed wire. Pillars of fire similar to volcanos surrounded the area. Marinette looked through a pair of binoculars.

A fleet of trucks arrived in the ruin compound. Marinette approached a truck as its back door opened.

Marinette then found here saying "Did you get any news on the Queen?"

"Yeah, we got news," the man told her before pulling out a handgun and pointed it at her forehead. "I'm so sorry," the man apologized.

Suddenly stormtroopers with a blood-red V as shoulder patches revealed themselves to Marinette and her allies.

The troopers then shouted to her "Get down! Get down! Now!"

Another soldier points his rifle at Marinette. She held her hands up, and by turning around saw her men being executed.

Marinette then screamed, "NO!"

Angered, she began to go on a brutal killing spree, gunning down and brutally beating the multiple stormtroopers working for their Queen. Although she managed to take down most of the stormtroopers while Paratroopers invaded the area and abducted many of her resistance fighters, Marinette was eventually overwhelmed by the remaining stormtroopers there who could barely restrain her. She snapped one of their necks but then was brutally (but barely) beaten down and restrained by the other stormtroopers. Seeing the damage that Marinette was inflicting on the stormtroopers and their inability to restrain her, a Paratrooper knocked her unconscious.

Marinette then recuperated to find herself chained up in the underground bunker with her remaining allies, eyeing them helplessly, once again just a witness for what was to come. The Queen herself then landed in the bunker with more of Marinette's allies, and her stormtroopers reverently bowed before their leader. After she had finished chaining up the last of her allies, the Queen approached Marinette, swiftly murdering the latter's other allies by ripping out their hearts. The Queen then unmasked the infuriated vigilante.

Queen V then lifted up the veil that was covering her eyes which Marinette realized are the same as the ones from her first vision; she was witnessing how she ended up there in the first place! "Do you remember what I told you when my father arrived Marinette? 'You will lose everything, I promise you' and I have fulfilled that promise," Queen V told her in such an eeriely calm tone.

"He was my world. And you took him from me!" Marinette's nightmare future self spat at her.

"We are done here! Come along now, Mari. I have some friends of yours who want to see you," Queen V said gleefully as she picked Marinette up and then after a long and torturous journey, Marinette found herself being chained up to where she started. Queen V then removed the helmet and brushed her hand against Marinette's cheek before scratching her face with her long, sharp claws.

Marinette let out a scream of pain which jolted her awake from the nightmare to see Tikki and Bridgette who told her, "Just to let you know, you were glowing blue for some strange reason. Now come on and get up, you only have an hour left to work on your derby hat!" That made Marinette bolt out of bed straight to her desk where she got back to work on her hat while occasionally checking the time.

Marinette took another brief glance over at the clock and thought to herself, There's no time to lose. I have less than an hour. As soon as she was finished working on her hat, she put it into a box and rushed over to Collège Françoise Dupont where everyone else was getting ready to present their own hats. Alya then tried calling Marinette but since she was already on her way, she of course didn't respond.

Where is that girl? Alya thought to herself.

Nathalie then walked into the classroom holding a tablet. "Hello, Mr. Damocles, I am Mr. Agreste's executive assistant Nathalie," she told the principal.

"Hello, miss. Pardon me, but where is Mr. Agreste?" Mr. Damocles asked. "He very rarely makes public appearances, so you're just gonna have to settle for this," Nathalie explained as she held up the tablet that had a live feed of Gabriel's face on it. "Thank you Ms. Sancoeur," he said.

"Ah, uh, hello Mr. Agreste. Welcome to our school," Mr. Damocles stammered.

"Adrien, take Nathalie around, please," Gabriel told his son who nodded.

Chloé gave a huge smile while she thought to herself, Ah, there's Mr. Agreste! He's coming this way. Mr. Damocles, Nathalie and Adrien go up to see Juleka and Rose's hat.

"As you'll see, Mr. Agreste, our students have poured their hearts and souls into their projects," Mr. Damocles told Gabriel just as Marinette rushed in and carried her box over to Alya. Marinette let out a sigh of relief.

"Where have you been?! You got your hat?" Alya asked quietly.

"Yep, right here," Marinette said as she took off the lid. Alya marvelled at it, then her expression darkened "What?" Marinette asked quizzically.

"It's the same as Chloé's," Alya answered while toward Chloé's.

Marinette's jaw dropped "What?!" she let out, clearly livid as the judges walked over to see Chloé and Sabrina's hat.

Chloé smiled innocently "Uh, hi Mr. Agreste," she said waving with a smile that looked like it was physically hurting her.

"Ugh, that thieving little bitch!" Marinette growled.

"Do you want me to take care of it?" Alya asked.

"I think I can handle this," Marinette assured her just as the judges reached Marinette's hat.

"Hm, turn the tablet back to Ms. Bourgeois' hat." They turned prompting Gabriel to growl, "Is this a joke?"

Chloé then pretended to act all hurt by whining "No fair! Marinette copied my design! It's scandalous, how could you do that?" She continued to fake cry.

Marinette calmly got up and stated "I apologize for the situation Mr. Agreste, but I can prove that this derby hat is MY original design."

Gabriel looked at her very intensely as he told her "Go ahead."

Marinette then proceeded to explain "Um, everything on my derby hat is hand-made-- from the embroidery, to the weaving of the band, to the stitching of the brim." Marinette could see Chloé recoil. "All done by myself. And last but not least, there's a special design element that only the true designer knows about: I signed mine," Marinette continued with her showing off her signature as did everyone else which infuriated Chloé as she knocked over her derby hat stand. Everyone turned to look at it on the ground, as Chloé ran out crying, "Daddy!"

Gabriel smiled before telling Marinette "Very exquisite creation. You definitely have the laboring hands of a hat maker, Miss..."

"Marinette," Adrien said as he put his hand on Marinette's shoulder.

Gabriel then continued with "Congratulations on your demonstration, Miss Marinette. You're the winner," Marinette looked at Alya and gasped.

Marinette then turned back, bowing and saying giddily, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Gabriel then announced "Adrien will wear your derby on our next advertising campaign." Adrien put his hands over hers on the hat. She gasped and blushed hard.

Adrien then congratulated her, saying, "Amazing job, Marinette." Marinette was blushing madly. Adrien began to put on the derby hat but he started to sneeze instead.

Adrien was then handed a tissue of which he wiped his nose with. "Uh-- sorry, I'm allergic to feathers. So, maybe we can replace the feather with a faux one instea-" he sneezed again, this time into the tissue.

Marinette looked surprised, then smiled before saying, "Gesundheit!"

Adrien sneezed again and waved as he left after giving a "Thanks." Alya and Marinette look at each other.

Marinette then let out a "Whoo-hoo!" before laughing with her entire classroom applauding her.

Later at night at the Eiffel Tower. The Mime show was about to start. Adrien saw Marinette and Alya and takes a seat. Marinette started looking at him with a big smile.

Adrien waved at her before saying "Ah, hey, you're here too, cool. Thought I was gonna end up sitting by myself."

Marinette didn't respond, still obviously entranced by Adrien; Alya smirked knowingly and the show then began.

After the show, Marinette, Bridgette, and Alya were outside of the theater, walking back to their respective homes while chatting. Marinette expressed to Alya her happiness seeing Adrien at the show. "I don't know which I liked more. The show or sitting next to my sweet Adrien!" "Maybe you should give him a call and ask him out to a movie," Alya suggested. Marinette then frowned before muttering "Do it while I still have the chance." Both Alya and Bridgette looked at each other in confusion. Tikki asked Marinette "What was it that you saw this time. Marinette?" Then Marinette was off explaining what she had saw in her latest vision. "Damn sis! That's pretty fucking brutal!" Bridgette exclaimed. "Say, how about we just focus on the near future instead of the far future, okay?" Tikki told Marinette. "Well, this is my stop girl. Tikki's right, think of something that's closer to happening, like Ms. Nightingale coming to Paris!" Marinette nodded and continued her way home with Bridgette.

Meanwhile, Hawk Moth wasn't happy. "That trial was not how I expected it to go. Not many strong negative emotions! Wretched parisians, wretched Ladybug and Cat Noir! I will destroy every one of you!" "Just let me know when you want my help. Just keep setting up this chessboard. You will have an entire army at your disposal while Ladybug and Cat Noir will not. Keep this up and before you know it, you will be victorious!" Mayura told him. "I guess," Hawk Moth muttered as he shrugged.

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