#take him to dungeon bonding time phil!!!

[angelpaperclip]

Chayanne not beating the secretly-clingy allegations. Wandering off on a wild goose chase for a pond when he was really looking for a dungeon. When your tasks are almost done but you don't want your dad to leave so you make up excuses to stall amiright

Ever since the grappling hook task that Phil & Fit got changed because it would be near impossible to complete in a day (apparently BBH took near a week to get his) I thought "wouldn't it be funny if Chayanne's admin was the one to suggest that one because he knew it was hard to get but maybe then Phil would be forced to do like a 12 hour stream to get it."

Maybe I wasn't far off lmfao

#take him to dungeon bonding time phil!!! #my dream scenario would be if they invite etoiles along #qsmp #q!philza #q!chayanne #clip.txt

[fantomcomics]

What's Out This Week? 9/13

Thanks to everyone that came out for our SPX Party!

Almighty TP - Edward Laroche

The year is 2098 in a THIRD WORLD AMERICA ravaged by economic collapse, environmental disaster, and internal conflict. Del, a young volunteer working triage at a field hospital, is abducted by a ruthless motorcycle gang. Her only hope is FALE, an ex-military private contractor hired to find and bring her home. ALMIGHTY is white-knuckle thrill ride that will have fans of the genre begging for more.

Black Cloak TP - Kelly Thompson & Meredith McClaren

Essex and Pax are two Black Cloaks investigating the murder of a beloved prince of Kiros, the last city in the known world, before it topples into chaos. Mayhem. Murder. Mermaids. What more could anyone want?

Bloodborne: The Bleak Dominion #1 - Cullen Bunn, Piotr Kowalski & Werther Dell'Edera

In the plagued city of Yharnam, hunters Gretchen and Abraham search for their missing protégé. Under the blood moon, a scourge of beasts stalk the streets, and a new threat lurks around every corner. The duo must venture deep into the depths of the chalice dungeons in order to find Lucien, but malignant and ancient horrors await them. Will they find him? And what terrifying surprise awaits them if they do?

Club Kickout: Into The Ring! Vol 1 - Steph Mided

When the school principal cancels Sasha's gaming club, she's devastated-but not alone. Turns out theater, cosplay, and choir clubs are canceled too, and tons of kids are left without a space to let their creativity shine. Just when Sasha thinks all hope is lost, a class project leads her and her new friends somewhere they never expected-a local wrestling match-where costumes, secret identities, and catchphrases abound. It's there an idea is formed. Enter Club Kick Out. But not everyone is on board with this flashy new club, so when Sasha and her friends take their performances too far, trouble starts brewing. With friendships on the ropes and an unexpected injury in the ring, it looks like the end for these up-and-coming performers. Can Sasha and her friends reconcile and come together in time for Club Kick Out to give the school a match they'll never forget, or is this young club officially down for the count?

Coda #1 (of 5) - Simon Spurrier & Matias Bergara

In this brand new adventure in the Eisner Award-Nominated apocalyptic fantasy world of Coda, the despondent bard Hum finds a slice of tranquility with his wife, the Urken named Serka, in an ever-darkening, magic-less apocalypse - or so it seems.

Prophecies of paradise and the return of magic? Hum is skeptical, while Serka faces difficult moral decisions on the road, with winter quickly approaching...

Unsupervised GN - Tauhid Bondia

Unsupervised is the second book of Crabgrass, a comic strip set in the fictional town of Crabgrass Drive, and chronicles the close friendship of Kevin, who is white, and Miles, who is black, and the many stumbles and breakthroughs they encounter growing up together. The main characters exemplify the resilience of the bonds we form when we are young, and are a reminder of why we remember those times fondly. Crabgrass is also a thrilling exploration of the adventures and mischief that children can get into when allowed to roam. Set in an ambiguous time before cellphones and the internet, the strip finds a way to connect to the old and the young without alienating either.

Creepshow Vol 2 #1 (of 5) - Garth Ennis, Phil Hester, Becky Cloonan, & Guillem March

The smash-hit horror anthology based on the hit Shudder TV series is back and CREEPIER than ever!

In the debut issue, master of the macabre GARTH ENNIS (Preacher, The Boys) and superstar creator BECKY CLOONAN (Wonder Woman) team up for the very first time to deliver a disturbing tale of the unborn! Then, freaky PHIL HESTER (Gotham City: Year One) tells the story of a grieving son who bends the laws of nature to see his mother one last time this can't end well!

Do-Over Damsel Sets To Conquer The Emperor GN Vol 1 - Sarasa Nagase, Anko Yuzu & Mitsuya Fuji

Although Jill's engagement to the Crown Prince should have guaranteed her a happy life, she is instead sentenced to death by her very fiancé! However, moments before her death, she is sent back in time to the party that determined her fate. In a desperate bid to avoid her doom, she proposes to the man behind her, but that man turns out to be none other than an enemy from a neighboring country, the Dragon Emperor, Hades!

Drawn To Change The World GN - Emma Reynolds

An illustrated middle grade nonfiction graphic novel anthology by #KidLit4Climate founder and UK author-illustrator Emma Reynolds. The book features profiles of sixteen different diverse youth climate activists who have been campaigning for change all over the world, and each profile is illustrated by a different illustrator, with extensive front matter and back matter materials.

Forged TP Vol 1 - Greg Rucka, Eric Trautmann & Mike Henderson

Meet the Forged, elite warriors in service to the Eternal Empress. It's a routine recovery op on a distant world. What could possibly go wrong? Spoiler: Just about everything!

The Alternates #1 - Patton Oswalt, Christopher Mitten & Scott Hepburn

Mary the Multi-Monster! The Tripper! Crab Louie! Kid Curious! Persona! Formerly the offbeat b-list superheroes, The Alternates, who seemingly sacrificed themselves to stop an invasion from another dimension. Instead they were transported to a mirror reality where they lived complex lives in a more four-dimensional existence-expanding both their powers and consciousness. Five years later they've returned to Twilight City, struggling to reacclimate to their old lives in a traditional two-dimensional superhero world withdrawal from the vivid ones they left behind. When elements from this alternate reality turn up as a dangerous new street drug, some of the heroes band together to destroy it, while others succumb to its temptation.

Hour Of Need GN - Ralph Shayne & Tatiana Goldberg

In the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale, legend had it that should danger ever come to Denmark, the mighty warrior Holger Danske promised to wake from his centuries-long slumber to protect its citizens. When the Nazis move to round up young Mette and her fellow Danish Jews in a surprise raid in 1943 after years of letting Denmark rule its people, her father must make life and death decisions to save his family. Overnight, they have become refugees at the mercy of the complete strangers they meet during their escape. The mythical Holger Danske's promise to the Danish people manifests in the compassion and bravery of a school teacher turned resistance leader and other ordinary citizens who bravely defy the Nazi regime to come to her rescue in her hour of need.

Kamen Rider Zero-One GN Vol 1 - Brandon Easton, Hendry Prasetya & Derrick Chew

The further adventures of the new Tokusatsu TV show Kamen Rider Zero-One! Features a brand-new villain, RAGNAROK, created exclusively for this collection!

Arturo Hiden is KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE! Along with his trusty humagear companion Izu, he's saved the world numerous times as the insectile superhero! But when his company HIDEN INTELLIGENCE is attacked by the mysterious RAGNAROK, Arturo must not only face the volcanic cluster cell-powered villain but also his own past...

The Last Barbarians TP Vol 1 - Brian Haberlin & Geirrod Van Dyke

In a world where your guild means everything, classless Sylv is labeled a Barbarian. She's a jack of all trades who can fight, pick most pockets, and cast a spell or two. But without official membership to a guild, she's barred from having adventures. No adventures means no money, and no money makes it awfully hard to support herself and her 7-foot-tall disabled brother. But when an underhanded cleric says he's got the quest of a lifetime for her, she can't really say no (even if she knows she should). It'll take every skill she's got to stay alive, save a child, prevent the fabric of the universe from being ripped apart, and prove that being multiskilled isn't totally barbaric.

MMPR TNMT II TP - Ryan Parrott & Dan Mora

Six months after the Teenagers With Attitude and the Heroes In A Half Shell teamed up to defeat the unholy alliance of Rita Repulsa and Shredder, a new threat forces them to reunite!

Unlikely alliances and unlikely sanctuaries abound as the Rangers and Turtles put their heads together and create a secret weapon... but it might change them in ways they can't come back from!

Forbidden alliances collide as radically enhanced, mind blowing Zord combinations battle it out, and reunited friends face Krang as a true force to be reckoned with-but will it be enough to send him back to Dimension X?

Darkwing Duck: Negaduck #1 - Jeff Parker, Ciro Cangialosi & Joshua Middleton

"I am the screeching fingernail on the chalkboard of justice. I am the sour ball in the candy jar of goodness. I am NEGADUCK!"

He's the exact opposite of DD in every way... evil, nefarious, dedicated to stealing lollipops from kids and not helping grandmas across the street! And now, he's ready to begin a reign of crime and terror the likes of which St. Canard has never seen - except... dang it, all of the other villains are ripping off his ideas! What's a criminal mastermind to do when the city's thick with other criminals, stealing his shine? Why, take his villainy on the road, of course!

Old-Fashioned Cupcake GN - Sagan Sagan

Thirty-nine-year-old Nozue went from living a routine, melancholic life of sleep and work to spending his days in bliss with Togawa, his younger subordinate. Now six months into their relationship, the two have graduated from dates at a pancake shop to spending their nights together, but when a coworker spots Togawa wearing one of Nozue's ties to work, it sends Nozue spiraling into doubt about the feasibility of their relationship.

Roaming GN - Jillian Tamaki & Mariko Tamaki

Over the course of a much-anticipated trip to New York, an unexpected fling blossoms between casual acquaintances and throws a long-term friendship off-balance. Slick attention to the details of a bustling, intimidating metropolis are softened with a palette of muted pastels, as though seen through the eyes of first-time travelers. The awe, wonder, and occasional stumble along the way come to life with stunning accuracy.

Star Wars The Mandalorian The Manga GN Vol 1 - Yusuke Osawa

Years after the fall of the Galactic Empire, a solitary bounty hunter is given a simple mission. Find and return The Child to the remnants of the Imperial Forces. This mysterious orphan has a power that can possibly turn events in their favor, and acquisition of that power is paramount. Instead, the bounty hunter goes on the run with The Child to protect him from the forces that would do him harm. Here is the story of The Mandalorian, and his desperate quest to save The Child and himself.

Torrent TP - Marc Guggenheim, Justin Greenwood & Rico Renzi

Michelle Metcalf is CRACKERJACK, the world's most happy-go-lucky hero, until tragedy forces her to cross the line from hero to vigilante, setting off a never-ending battle that pits her against the world's most vile criminals and THE PRAETORIANS, its greatest heroes.

Whatcha checking out this week, Fantom Fam?

#comic books #wotw #comics #comic book #comic #what's out this week? #manga

[metfell]

OK OK IVE GOTTEN UR ASKS I WILL DISCUSS THE MYSTERY DUNGEON AU.

LONG FUCKING POST INCOMING. AND MAJOR MAJOR FUCKING SPOILERS FOR POKEMON MYSTERY DUNGEON EXPLORERS.

tommy is a zigzagoon. he is the human from the future. he wakes up on the beach and is found by tubbo, who is a skiddo bc my heart demands it. tubbo has his special artifact, and convinces tommy to become part of an exploration team with him, after fighting off george (abra) and sapnap (pangoro).

they make it to the guild, run by techno (emboar) with phil (corviknight) as the chatot of this au. the two meet the fellow guild members: fundy (nickit), jack manifold (pawniard, niki (houndoom), puffy (mega ampharos), billzo (pancham), aimsey (sentret), freddie (sandshrew??? this ones up for debate let me know), and a little half shiny zorua named ranboo.

dream is our team skull skuntank and dusknoir and darkrai, because while i wouldnt have liked it all being one man in the main game, having it be dream in this au makes it so much more premeditated, which is VERY c!dream. hes on the dream team with george and sapnap, and he is an albino zoroark (ALSO I JUST SAW THE HISUIAN ONES HELLO?? YEAH HES THAT. THATS COOL AS FUCK I HADNT SEEN IT YET). he doesnt know who tommy is at this point by the way, but he does know its fun to bully him and tubbo, and so they hop on the expedition for fogbound lake.

meanwhile tommy and tubbo quickly bond, and when they head out to fogbound lake, they are teamed up with ranboo. they become quick friends, but ranboo is not a part of the team yet. we will get there trust me. eret is the guardian of fogbound lake, and is a galarian articuno. they summon an illusion of kantonian articuno to fight, and tommy and tubbo defeat it. eret tells them and the rest of the guild about fogbound lake, and to keep it a secret.

news breaks out about time starting to stop in various parts of the region, and they say that there's an umbreon on the loose, stealing the time gears. yeah. thats wilbur. they all start working together to apprehend wilbur, going to the northern desert to meet foolish, who is a galarian zapdos (but he can still shoot lightning trust me. i make the rules.) he tells tommy and tubbo that wilbur is heading to niki (galarian moltres) in the crystal cave.

before leaving, dream talks to tommy and tubbo, and learns who tommy is. he smiles under his mask.

they head to the crystal cave, and they manage to trap wilbur. wilbur has no idea who who tommy is because he isnt the human he knew from the future, and tries to attack and kill tommy. they capture wilbur though, and dream moves to take him back to the future, but not before grabbing tommy and tubbo as well, dragging them in.

they wake up trapped in the future, and the scene plays out exactly the same as canon. they are tied to posts with rope and sableye slash their way through it slowly. wilbur breaks them out, and theyre on the run again. wilbur learns who tommy is, and breaks down, shocked at what has happened to his partner in crime, and horrified that dream essentially made them try to kill each other. wilbur tells them that the time gears needed to be stolen, to be put back in the temporal tower in order to fix time, before it ends up like the bleak future theyre in. the three of them run and hide from dream and his sableye, and make it to karl, a celebi, who can take them back. however, before they can escape, we meet dialga, aka dream xd. xd shatters the first portal, and dream nearly has them, before karl martyrs himself for them, opening up a second portal, and sending them back to the past.

the three are in hiding now, not wanting to let anyone from the guild know about their presence out of fear of being arrested when time is of the essence. but they soon realize that they cant do it without the help of the guild, and go to phil and techno for help. after they gather all of the time gears, techno and phil bring them to brine cave, which is where i have combined a second plot thread together: crescelia is now also the role of lapras, and is kristin. she saved techno years ago when the two were exploring the cave, and phil calls in a favor from her. kristin takes them to the hidden land, where i decide to make make my first plot difference. because the idea of separating wilbur from tommy breaks my fucking heart, im having karl aka celebi come through the time hole and drag dream through. yes its not as impactful as when grovyle lets go of his partner, and hands you over to your new one. but consider: they are brothers your honor.

the three of them then go to temporal tower, and fight xd. they defeat him, and even though time is saved, because tommy and wilbur were never meant to exist now- what with the future being prevented- they start to disappear. and ill put in a direct quote from when the main character in pmd dies and just. ough.

Player: Thank you for everything [Partner]. I'm glad we got to train together at the guild. I'm glad we got to go on adventures together. I'm glad... I got to know you. I'm so lucky I got to be your friend.

Partner: I feel the same [Player]! To me, you're more important than anything!

Player: Yes, I feel the same way. Even after I disappear from here, I will never forget you. [fades away]

so tubbo returns home, tommy and wilbur gone. he wants to continue being a guild member, and so he forms a new team with ranboo. the two grow close, and one of the pokemon they end up fighting together is a dubwool named schlatt, who had rigged his base with blast seeds. crushing them, tubbo got caught in the crossfire, his body permanently covered in scars from the explosion. ranboo helps him recover, and the two grow so close that they do indeed get married, fall in love, and end up with a mimikyu that mimics a tepig that they named michael.

months later, tubbo goes back to the beach where he and tommy first met, and breaks down, missing his friend. xd (who was freed from the corruption once time was fixed) sees this, and feels regret. he brings back tommy and wilbur, and the two sob, embracing each other once again.

not going into the postgame plot because this post is already massive ill do that another time LMAO

#mcyt pmd au #long post #my aus #mcyt

[drake-the-incubus]

/rp

EDIT: Added a read more, the post had been originally written on mobile

For context, unless stated otherwise for the most part, this is the roleplay dynamic.

Ayyy, been seeing some Dream SMP takes on Tommyinnit’s character development that are pretty uh, piss poor. I want to point some obvious things out to people. Especially following the Technoblade/Tommyinnit team disbanding.

Techno isn’t right. Techno was certainly not in the right there, and Tommy didn’t do anything that regressed his character either, his entire character came to a development.

Let’s Start by pointing out that Wilbur has posted their Dungeons and Dragons Alignments, where Techno is Lawful Neutral and Tommy is Chaotic good. (For sake of the post, Tubbo is Lawful Good.)

So I’m going to break down exactly what was going on there and how it developed the characters.

If we go by Technoblade first, I’m seeing a lot of people say he’s better than Dream- he is- and therefore Tommy shouldn’t have left. Which is true, Techno is better than Dream, but he’s just like Wilbur. Watching from Technoblade’s POV, you notice that he starts carrying a book of the To-Do List he intends to do with Tommy. Outlining that he wants to destroy L’Manburg and tried, at almost every chance he got, to convince Tommy to do so.

Tommy said no, he didn’t want to destroy L’manburg, because he cared for it. He outright said no, he JUST wanted his discs back.

Techno concedes, saying Tommy doesn’t have to participate, only after failing to convince him many times.

Techno the entire time, tried to convince Tommy that Tubbo wasn’t his friend, that Tubbo obviously doesn’t care for him. (Not true, as Tubbo literally mourned him and thought he was dead and it destroyed him.) Which is EXACTLY what Wilbur did.

This is an isolation tactic. Techno used ANY means necessary to try and recruit Tommy. Because his character doesn’t care about interpersonal relationships so long as he gets his goal- possibly excluding Phil. His entire character sticks to one set of Morals and set of laws he’s self imposed. (Canonically refusing to truly give up violence).

1. Governments are bad.

2. Governments must be destroyed.

3. The means justify the ends so long as it destroys the government.

Technoblade’s character gets a lot of sympathy, which is cool, but I want to point out while he personally was felt betrayed, he never was.

Techno from the start, was anti-government. Willing to destroy it all so long as another country was never rebuilt. That was his only condition.

Except he KNEW everyone else wanted L’manburg back, that’s what the fight was about. It was very transparent that everyone else was working for L’manburg back.

The three people who wanted it destroyed? Wilbur, Dream and Techno.

Techno wasn’t betrayed, he chose to ignore the goals of his allies until it came time that everyone took back L’manburg. He ignored knowledge that was given to him plenty of times, by Tommy himself even. They wanted L’manburg back. Techno talks of betrayal, but when Tommy points out that Techno betrayed them, he falters and excuses himself.

Which brings Tubbo into the mix. Tubbo was an ally, and he was working with them, WILLINGLY, to give information because he wanted to take down Schlatt and return L’manburg to how it was. He was trapped, scared and wanted help. In the festival, when Technoblade shoots him, THAT is a clear act of betrayal. Techno kills Tubbo, at Schlatt’s orders, betraying Tubbo and Tommy’s trust in him as he worked, clearly, for the other side, against their collective goals.

Techno claims the ends justify the means, and that he was under mild amounts of peer pressure. This is an example of his character. He doesn’t feel bad for hurting his ally, because they got something out of it. If it suits him, he WILL hurt his allies to get ahead in his goals, and he will say anything to justify it.

Tommy’s character cannot agree with this. He values friendship the most, and would give up his goals for his friends, as a true Chaotic Good, he values his friends and the people around him, over any law or morals, and would break his laws and morals for it.

He couldn’t understand Techno shooting Tubbo, because he wouldn’t. There wouldn’t be a force on the SMP that could make him shoot Tubbo in Techno’s place. They have too widely different views, where Tommy values friendship and people, Techno values ideals and goals.

So, we’re not even done and this is pretty long, let’s cover Tommy and the discs. The entire plot device for season one and two.

Tommy’s attention to the discs are goal oriented, to get back his discs no matter the costs, yeah? Except I feel like some of you have no idea where this goal came from. Tommy gave up the discs before, despite fighting for them desperately, so his friends could have L’manburg. He fought desperately, to have those discs back initially, as a war against Dream.

“Before this, before everyone, before L’manburg, it’s always been me and you, against Dream.” Tommy to Tubbo, before the Pogtopia vs Manburg war. (Might not be a true quote.)

This isn’t just a cute little moment, Tommy CARES for Tubbo deeply, they’re some of the closest friends on the SMP. He fought Techno because Techno killed Tubbo. It was personal for him, that is his best friend and he would do anything for him.

Tommy does, do anything for Tubbo, promising that no matter what, it will be the both of them. That they will always be together. This isn’t showing his hero complex, this isn’t a show of some inherent flaw. This is Tommy’s closest and most valuable interpersonal relationship. Chaotic Good Tommy values his friendships deeply.

So when Techno continuously tries to pressure Tommy into believing Tubbo and him aren’t friends, that Tubbo doesn’t care, and so they should hurt Tubbo to get the discs back, Tommy refuses. He refuses over and over again, claiming he trusts Tubbo will give back the disc.

Technoblade uses the framework Dream made, by the way, to accomplish this. He takes Tommy’s fragile mental state and uses that to his advantage. He does what Wilbur does, and almost succeeds. Tommy falters, believing momentarily that Tubbo doesn’t care. Something Dream was trying to convince him of in his isolation. Which isn’t true. Tubbo, upon learning Tommy is dead, is in disbelief and despair.

Let’s talk about the hostage situation for a moment. Tommy tells Tubbo off for not coming to his beach party, and that he was never visited, never received letters, and he was told the same thing from Tubbo as Wilbur said; “I wasn’t invited. I did send you things.”

The broken relationship we see? It’s falsely constructed by Dream. That bond exists still, fractured because someone came in with the intentions to break and destroy Tommy’s interpersonal relationships and manipulate him.

Tommy’s exile arc, was an abuse arc. Tommy was regularly abused by Dream. Techno profited off it, and used Tommy’s fragile mental state to try and achieve his goals, not even trusting Tommy until, in his fragile state, they both threaten Fundy. Techno sees this as commitment to the cause.

Tommy wanted his discs, Techno wanted L’Manburg destroyed.

So when the community house was destroyed, and we get that scene with Techno going with Tommy, they both have a moment. But I’ll address that in a second.

First, Tommy rushes in to defend himself, saying he didn’t destroy the community house. That he was innocent.

Tubbo doesn’t believe him. Why? Because Tommy does this. Tommy destroys things, he burned George’s house (taking the fall for Ranboo), he did plenty of things.

Tommy and Tubbo fight, and Tommy says, “the discs were worth more than you ever were”. This line, I’ve seen it interpreted many ways, one being he used to value the discs over Tubbo, and another being his values as a character.

It’s neither, by the way. It’s a heat of the moment comment, it shocks Tommy into silence, he instantly regrets it. He hates that he said it. Tommy’s goals, in that moment, change, based on his alignment. His goal doesn’t matter, if it’s hurting the people he cares for. It’s hurting Tubbo, it’s time to get rid of the goal.

In that instant, the discs do not matter. They mean nothing. Tommy doesn’t care for them. This is the moment that he GROWS as a character. Instead of obsessively wanting the discs and harming his friends for it, he is willing to let them go so he can foster his friendship. His arc, comes to an end. He doesn’t choose to be a hero again, that’s not what that is. No, he chooses his friend, the one he’s put so much faith and trust into, over something he has realized doesn’t mean more.

He tells Tubbo to give the disc to Dream, because he doesn’t care about them anymore, the sentimentality he has with them and Tubbo mean nothing if he loses Tubbo. Chaotic Good, he chooses the people over his goals and morals (which change on a whim).

Techno, who was using the discs to get Tommy to cooperate, who only recently thought Tom y and him were equals, is enraged because he can’t understand it. He can’t understand Tommy giving up his goal, because he couldn’t. His goals and ideals, they never went away in retirement, he was always wanting to destroy the government, he was planning it behind Phil’s back even. Everything he did was in preparation for a war. I think, even without the execution, Techno would have gone back to his ideals to destroy the government.

Which is why Techno, is angry. He feels betrayed, because once again, the outcome that was obvious happened, and someone stuck to their own words. Tommy would never harm Tubbo, and he wasn’t going to help Techno against L’Manburg.

But Tommy doesn’t do it maliciously against Techno, willing to even try and stay friends, showing he still cared for him. Tommy values his friends, including Techno in that moment.

What Techno sees is Tommy’s betrayal, Tommy broke their alliance because his goal is gone. “Help me get back the discs.” Tommy said when they made that deal. That no longer applies, Tommy was never intending on helping with the destruction of L’Manburg or the death of his friend.

Techno, once again, convinced himself that he would be assisted in his goal despite the vocal outcry against it.

So what does Techno do? He gets revenge. He teams up with Dream immediately.

That’s Techno’s character. Interpersonal bonds mean nothing if they get in the way of his goal, but he doesn’t go out of his way to purposefully destroy them. The MOMENT Tommy isn’t with him, Techno doesn’t have an issue with Dream or what he’s done.

Techno willingly teams up with Tommy’s abuser, because he gets his goal.

Tommy, who still cares for Techno is in shock at this. He sees Techno as a friend, like Tubbo. This hurts him.

Techno, later, even goes on to say he doesn’t care for friends so long as the people he’s with share his ideals, ending into the extreme of his alignment.

Techno has never been a good guy. He’s an antagonist of the SMP. Particularly, he’s not a villain, but antagonist. He’s an obstacle. Not via his person, but his goals.

And he wins, and he tells Tommy, “you never saw me as a person, only a weapon, you betrayed me twice now”.

Tommy, who has seen them as friends, after Techno broke their friendship off the first time with the withers, counters, “and what of Schlatt and what you did to Tubbo”.

Which Techno dismisses as, “in the past” and “it doesn’t matter”. To Techno, it’s not relevant how he treats others, his betrayal to other people doesn’t matter, just the perceived betrayal towards himself.

In the end, Techno is blinded by his beliefs. They controlled him to the extremes. To the point where he would burn any bridge made to keep them.

But Tommy? Tubbo? They gave up L’Manburg, to make their own little place. No vocal apologies were given, yes, and they should address that, but they gave up the country to be together as friends.

And for anyone wondering, Tommy and Tubbo are friends again, through action. Tommy, contrasting his words, gave the discs up to repair his friendship.

Techno, true to his word, destroyed the country and killed anyone who stood in his way. Even going out of his way sometimes to target Tubbo and Tommy.

In short, Techno was a second Wilbur to Tommy, and it shows that some people ignored the subtle manipulation attempts to achieve his goal. Is he as bad as Dream? No, not even close actually. But he’s as bad as Wilbur.

I also want to point something out on ages. Techno is canonically an adult. Tommy is a child, a kid. He’s a kid. The dynamic between them was skewed.

Techno saw a kid, in distress, and in a poor mental state, and tried to manipulate him.

When the kid figured out he didn’t want his goal anymore, he backed out. Techno punished him, by repeating what would be a huge source of trauma for him.

Techno tried to destroy L’Manburg, and succeeded. And he told Tommy that, “you could have just sat out”.

Tommy couldn’t. Because Tubbo is, and always will be, his closest friend. He values his bonds, but he promised Tubbo it was the two of them.

As Philza is the exception to Techno’s alignment, the promise to Tubbo is the exception to Tommy.

There was no betrayal, but a shift in goals and ideals from Tommy, which lead to Tommy and Technoblade no longer needing to be allies.

The narrative isn’t supposed to be black and white, that’s most of the characters. Techno being a big perpetrator of this. The narrative is a morally Grey area, where you can side with whoever you want.

That’s it, that’s the meta.

- Signed, A Techno and Tommy apologist

#Dream SMP #Meta Analysis #text post #Technoblade #Tommyinnit #Tubbo

[downywrites]

“It’s payback time.”

Hello there, folks. It is I, a bird. With a keyboard. Bird says hi. Enjoy fic. (Please note-there is swearing.)

The sound of hooves clopping loudly on the cold castle floor echoed as Schlatt weaved through the long corridors. His heart pumped loudly in his ears as he tried to gain speed as much as he physically could without slipping on the smooth stone. He heard the sound of feathers rustling behind him, making him speed up his gait more in a feeble attempt to escape from his pursuer. “Leave me alone, you piece of shit! We’re adults, you bird-brained idiot!” 

The pursuer in question chuckled as he pursued, his feet hitting the floor much more gently than the cloven-hooved man. “Adults still have fun too, you know~ Come here, Schlatt!” He called, signature wings tucked close to his body to increase his running speed. Schlatt’s eyes widened and he screeched to a halt right before hit a wall. He searched frantically for an exit, cursing quietly under his breath. “Out of all the areas in this godforsaken castle, I had to find the one area with no exits? What the fuck is this castle made for, just to confuse people?” 

He turned to see King Philza, ruler of the Arctic Kingdoms, standing at the only hallway exit, wings spread menacingly. “Heya, Schlatt. How ya doing, mate?” He ignored the winged hybrid, trying to run past him in a desperate bid to escape. Philza used his wings to block his path, pushing him down smoothly. “Gotcha.” He pinned his arms with one hand. He immediately started tickling Schlatt’s sides, poking and pinching firmly. Schlatt burst into instantaneous laughter, curling in on himself and bleating angrily at him. “Yohohohou fuhuhuhucking bihihihitch of a bihihihird!”

 He struggled and bucked, trying to escape him. Philza ignored his swears and curses, tickling at his tummy and sides with his wing tips. “Tickle, tickle, little ram boy. So cute!” “Ihihihi’m nohohot cuHUHUTE!” He was so focused on his tickling techniques, so intent on his goals, that he had loosened his grip ever so slightly on his hands. Schlatt grinned. He pulled at his hands in one quick jerk, slipping out of his grip and grabbing where blindly at where his wings protrude. As he clutched and squeezed, soft and hard muscles squishing gently under his fingers, Philza stopped tickling him with a loud squawk. He tried reaching for his hands, then at his arms, but it was already too late to stop him. He rolled them over, still massaging Philza’s wings roughly. “This is what you get for being such an unruly prick of a ruler!” He risked letting go of his wings to scratch quickly at his melt spot, in the hopes of weakening the hardcore warrior. It had the desired effect- Philza loosened up a bit, his laughter going up an octave in turn. “Ehahaha, Schlahahatt, nohoho!” 

“Schlatt, yes! Revenge, motherfucker!” He continued teasing and scratching at the bird man’s melt spot, until his wriggling and squirming had all but subsided. He looked into his dazed and tickled-silly eyes, smirking. “Is that all you could do? I think you can do better than that, birdie.” An idea popped up in his head, his ears flicking in excitement. “So, little birdie, do you think your little ‘dungeon’ would be helpful? I mean, nobody goes down there anyways. Perfect for us~” He sing-songed, grabbing and hoisting the bird man over his arm, with a bit of a struggle.

 As he walked to the dungeon entrance, he continued to tease and prod at his melt spot, making sure Phil didn’t awaken from his ticklish daze. The man in question barely attempted to escape from him, making small little huffs and calls in between his laughter. As they descended into the barely-used ‘dungeon’, Philza began to put two and two together. He started squirming on his shoulder, protesting weakly under his breath. However, the ram wasn’t as weak as he looked, keeping him on his shoulder with ease. Once he reached a good room, he let go of him, letting him tumble to the ground unceremoniously. Philza attempted to escape, only to fall back to the ground with a squeak as Schlatt scribbled over one of his feet as he crawled on the floor. Schlatt grasped one of Phil’s ankles, pulling him onto an interrogation table with both hands. He flipped the bird man over, attaching restraints and chains with resounding clicks and clinks. At this point, Philza was genuinely struggling to escape, but try as he might, the bonds held firm. He looked over his shoulder in slight fear, but his wings blocked the view. He cursed his anatomy, not willing to unfold his wings and give Schlatt the advantage. 

“So, Philza.” Schlatt’s booming voice made him flinch, wings tightening in their folded position. “Not so kingly now, huh? I ain’t a real citizen here, ya know. To all of your maids and butlers, all I am is a tiny little ram you keep as a pet.” He dug his fingers into one of his folded wings, rubbing at the down underneath. “That means that they’d never, ever believe that your little rammy would ever be able to truss you up like a prize pig, eh? Speaking of pigs.” He traced little shapes over his captive’s wings, delighting in the way that they shivered under his touch. “I think Techno’s out and about, isn’t he? I don’t think he, or any of your sons, for that matter- are going to come to your aid. It’s just me and you now. Any regrets?” 

Phil, for good measure, was already giggling and hiccuping, squirming in his bonds as if that would change a thing. “Nohoho, plehehease! Schlahahatt!” “Please? Nah, I don’t think so. This is too good of an opportunity to give up, hm?” He drew a little face in his feathers, leaving them ruffled in his wake. Schlatt dragged his hands from the king’s wings down to his sides, tasering him. He watched the royal’s face contort into a forced-back smile, grinning evilly. “How does it feel to be on the receiving end, Philee? Coochie, coochie coo, my king~” 

Philza whimpered slightly at the baby talk, blush burning brightly on his face. “N-no, Schlatt...nohohoho bahahaby tahahalk!” He shook his head, his bucket hat shifting dangerously on his head. Schlatt saw this and, with a dramatic flourish only the ram could muster for such a foolish thing, he scooped it up, placing it on his head haphazardly. “Whoopie, I’m the king now! Bow to your ruler, Phil…. Oh wait, you can’t.” 

He dug his fingers back into his side, squeezing at the closest hip. The reaction was instantaneous. Phil bucked and arched his back, wings extending out like a black curtain to either side of him. “EhEEE! GihihiHIve mehIHI MiHIhi hahahat bahahack!” He snorted at that, balancing the hat precariously on one of his curling horns. Quickly taking advantage of the outspread wings, he dug his fingers into the inside of one, making sure that he dug deep enough into the feathers to poke at the muscle beneath. Once he had done so, he raked through the feathers, dragging his fingers over the sensitive muscles roughly. The bird hybrid tugged desperately at the chains, laughter making his whole body quiver like a worn-out violin. The wings themselves trembled, attempting to fold back in and away from the ram. He grabbed at the wing he was stroking, holding on to the crook of the wing firmly. “Oh no you don’t, you fucking pigeon.” He chortled at the feeling of the feathers fluffing up in annoyance underneath his hand. “IHIHI’M A EHEHEHAGLE, YOHOHOHOU FUHUHUCK!”

 Schlatt ignored him in favor of digging his fingers deeper into his feathers. The king squawked, flapping his trapped wing and dislodging the other hybrid’s hands. He retracted them fully, tightening them so much they shook slightly with the effort. Ram ears flicked in annoyance, and Schlatt huffed a bit, stomping his hoof slightly at the recalcitrant lee. “Why, you little-” His eyes drifted to the king’s exposed back, and he rubbed his hands together, chuckling darkly. From the corner of his eye, he saw Phil’s feathers stand on end in alarm, which made him even more certain of his next move. He strode over to the other side of him, hooves making loud clopping noises as they struck the floor. “Hey Phil? I always wondered why you had such an exposed back on all of your clothes. After all, weren’t you oh so very ticklish there?” He dragged one finger up his spine, delighting in the little shivers and nervous giggles he got in response. “But now that I’ve been in your shoes, worn your crown, I think I’ve found out why, oh great king of the Arctic.” 

He reached the small of his back, rubbing circles just around the melt spot teasingly. He leaned to the side, whispering into his ear. “I think this great king, the powerful warrior, yearns to be wrecked. Tickled until he can’t speak. He wants someone to rub and tease at his wings until he can’t breathe, can’t call for help. You love this, don’t you? You should give up on escaping, Philza. You’re mine.” He growled the last words, delighting in the way the warrior startled from his sudden tone change. 

Philza whimpered loudly under him, pulling one wing over his face in embarrassment. “Y-yohohohou…” His whole body shook with the effort of not bursting into hiccupy laughter from the circling. His eyes pricked with tears. If he wasn’t chained down the way he was, he would’ve wiped them off in annoyance. A good king should never cry in front of their subjects. Then again, was Schlatt a subject? I mean, he did essentially just wander in with Tubbo at his heel. They- 

He was quickly snapped out of his thoughts by a hand ghosting over the muscles of his back, the anticipatory giggles escaping from his mouth before he could stop them. Schlatt growled playfully, mimicking the emperor’s favored form of informing his sons of his mood. He started counting down, fingers wiggling just barely over the king’s shivering back. “10, 9, 8, 7…” As the countdown got closer and closer to zero, Phil got more and more nervous and giggly. He pushed the wing covering his face more into his mouth, effectively muffling his giggles. Schlatt frowned at that. “5..nah, that’s enough.” He started roughly scribbling all over his back, pinching and scritching at the base of his wings. He marvelled at the texture of the downy seams there. It was perfectly soft, similar to the feeling of a downy, silky pillow’s innards. 

Philza’s wings flicked open fully, unable to resist the instinctual reaction. He shrieked, tears pricking at his eyes again. “EEEEAAAHAHAHA hic SCHLAHAHAHAHAT! NAHAHAHA- hic NOHOHOHOHO!” He bucked and squirmed, only to force Schlatt’s hands deeper into the sensitive plumage. The ram hybrid in question continued his onslaught, poking and prodding at every spot that made his laughter hitch up a notch. Soon enough, there were genuine tears rolling down Phil’s face. 

At this point, the bird hybrid’s blush had reached his ears and down to his collarbone, tinting the lighter flesh a tanned pink. His wings had all but gone limp, hanging gently over the edge of the table and flapping gently when he gained enough energy to. Schlatt ignored the signs of his subject’s stamina flagging, choosing instead to mess with more areas around and slightly below the back. Once he heard his hiccups cease, however, he finally slowed to a stop, letting the winged man rest. He watched Phil’s chest rise and fall in shallow, stuttering heaves, before deciding to flip the man over. He placed him back in the cuffs, about to lock the last one in, only for Phil to grab onto his hand tightly. 

He flicked his ears back, scared of the punishment he knew the emperor could bring upon him, but the only thing he felt was a small, unsteady circle on the meat of his thumb. He looked down to see a panting, smiling, tear-stained face, as regal and poised as he was undone by the rough tickling. “Schlahahatt, Ihihihi’m ahahalright.” He grinned widely at him, wings opening slightly from behind him. Schlatt looked at him, unsure. What if this was a trick? A ruse? If he manages to get me down here, he might execute me. I’ve never had to deal with a fucktard ruler like him before. He shook his head, moving to undo the restraints before he got into a deeper pile of shit. The king’s hand tightened, making him gasp from the sheer strength behind it. Didn’t this man just get wrecked?

 Philza’s voice echoed in the room. “Schlahahatt. Ihihi.. Ihihi wahahant thihihis.” He looked back just in time to see Phil avert his eyes, blushing again from his intense (and confused) gaze. He looked at his form, simply admiring how weak and vulnerable he looked in the bonds. He was so used to seeing this very same form sitting on his throne, helping people with their work, being kind and caring in every manner to the people of the Arctic Empire. He had seen him in many a fight in the castle, wings out and spread like a living cape, sword shining like a beacon of hope in the darkness of night. He had listened to his booming voice, powerful and noble, yet rustic and warm with the sweet undertones of honey. He had seen it all from afar, heard of his deeds far and wide, long before he ever set hoof in the area. And here he was, holding such power and control over such a noble warrior, the one whose wings could reach the sun. For once in his life, he could not find a single snarky word to say, not a single thing to do. He could not move and break this peace, yet this man, the king with many names, had beckoned him forward to finish the job. He felt as if he were the one vulnerable and at someone’s mercy, not as if he was the one holding the rope. 

He stepped forward robotically, closing and securing the last shackle. He stepped back, looking straight into the king’s confident, sky blue eyes. “A-are you sure I can do this to you, your majesty?” He managed to croak out, ears flicking nervously. He nibbled a tiny bit at the skin on his knuckles, shifting on his hooves. Phil nodded, hair bouncing up and down a little as he did so. “You may, Schlatt.” As he moved forward towards the bound man, Phil whispered under his breath, just barely loud enough for his sensitive ears to pick up. “Just remember, you’re going to pay for that stunt you pulled earlier, no matter what you do here.” He stepped back a bit at that, bleating in surprise. The winged man chuckled at his reaction, grinning sneakily at his captor. 

Schlatt narrowed his eyes at him, stepping close to his face. He whipped out his hands from behind him, making Phil close his eyes instinctually, before untying his (as in, Tubbo’s, but he still hasn’t noticed the loss of it yet) scarf, pulling it over the king’s eyes. He secured it, tickling gently under his chin as he pulled away. Phil was definitely not expecting that, yelping long and loud at the sensory deprivation. He tucked his head into his shoulders at the gentle tickles, already laughing. The inability to see where Schlatt was going next was already killing him. “Schlahahahatt! Nohoho, plehehease nohoho!” 

Schlatt raised an eyebrow at that. “Oh? Begging already? What happened to the ‘noble king’ act you were sporting a few minutes ago, hmm? Was that all bravado? Oh, please.” He started tracing shapes over the man’s torso, gently tickling there, and moving downwards to his belly. As he did so, he started getting more and more random, until he was scribbling and pinching all over his tummy haphazardly, reaching the same frenetic pace as before. Phil was already tearing up from this. Even though none of these spots were as bad as his back, the blindfold made it impossible to see where the ram would poke next. Every poke and scribble made him buck in the restraints. His mind screamed at him for deciding to let Schlatt do whatever he wanted. He could kill you anytime. Thankfully, he had already known that Schlatt wasn’t going to harm him. He had checked the ram’s pockets before they had started, stating that ‘he didn’t want him to attempt to steal anything and eat it as they went’. He had found no weapons or anything that could be used to kill him, so he waved that thought off with ease. He won’t touch me. He cares for me. He smiled in genuine happiness, trilling and cooing in the back of his throat in unadulterated joy. 

The ram hybrid smiled, continuing to tickle at his tummy and sides. “Having fun there, Philza? I think you are~” As if he wanted to prove his point, he dug in a little harder, causing the bird hybrid to buck up more into his hands. His laughter went squeaky from underneath him, making him chuckle darkly. “Ohh, coochie, coochie coo! Doesn’t it feel good to be the one getting wrecked for once? Revenge is so sweet.” 

Philza nodded his head wildly, making the ram chuckle even more at the intense looking movement. He moved to his hips, digging his nails into the strong bones there. He watched his king buck up and screech with laughter at the new movement, one hoof stomping happily in return. He squeezed and scribbled over the man’s hipbones, delighting in the honey-warmed laughter he got there. He wondered how the emperor could have such a smooth and comforting laugh, even when he was being tickled silly by one of his so-called ‘subjects’. He continued to rub and tease at his hips, enjoying the light pink trails that he left as he went. He moved back to his stomach, scratching with his thumbs over his abs. He gently rubbed at the scars, marvelling at the texture but wincing in empathy at the idea of how he had earned them. 

To Philza, this was the most torturous yet heavenly thing to have ever happened to him. Never in his lifetime on the throne had anyone ever dared to fight back, much less restrain him and blindfold him in this manner. Sure, he had many a tickle fight with his sons before- but they’ve never, ever decided to go this far with him, even in the most intense of moments. Yet here he was, at the mercy of a hybrid he had met not long ago who had absolutely no affiliation to the throne nor the country. If he was anyone else, he would have been worried, afraid even, of this person, this enigma of a creature. 

Fortunately (and unfortunately), he was not anyone else. He was not afraid of such a creature tumbling into his life, instead adopting him as one of his own and treating him similarly. He loved him dearly, and he was overjoyed to find that this rude, often grumpy ram hybrid called Schlatt truly loved him back. He knew that he wasn’t supposed to do this. He knew that his officials would have been concerned at his lack of safety, but he knew the truth. He knew that trust comes from powerful vulnerability. So, instead of snapping the restraints he knew exactly how to break, he sat there, wiggling in blissful agony as Schlatt dug into his most ticklish scars.

 He didn’t remember how long he was there, tears streaming from his eyes, wings unfolding and refolding. He didn’t remember when Schlatt finally finished, unshackling him and rubbing at his chafed wrists, mumbling apologies. And he certainly didn’t remember when he drifted off to blessed unconsciousness, cuddling with the ram on the now-warm interrogation table, no. What he did remember was awakening to see a now very trussed-up Schlatt, hanging from his wrists just barely on a stool, with two of his sons growling at him menacingly. “W-wait, boys! T-techno, Wilbur! We can t-talk about this, right?” He looked desperately at the king, ears flicking back in fear. He got up from the table, wings stretching out fully behind him. As he walked forward, wings dusting the ground as he went, he grinned at the terrified hybrid. “Remember what I said earlier about what I’d do to you for yesterday?” His eyes glimmered with mischief. “It’s payback time.” And so, the ram’s laughter echoed through the dungeon, bouncing off of the restraints that so tightly bound the king, sealing his fate for that morning (and the day after, for good measure).

Thank you for reading. Bird thanks you.

#mcyt tickle #downywrites #lee!philza #ler!schlatt #dsmp tickle #my writing #sfw tickling

[dangermousie]

Book Rec - it's a high fantasy this time!

I am very picky about my high fantasy if for no other reason that it tends to be a huge time investment, being usually multi-volume, with each book the size of a brick. Well, that and the fact that the flavor du jour appears to be grimdark and that’s not my thing at all. 

So coming across a series I love is an awesome thing and one I pretty much must share. So here we are, with me about to gush about a five-volume (it’s complete) series by Phil Tucker called Chronicles of the Black Gate. 

Set in a very imaginative and well-developed world that follows the doctrine of Ascension (think castes and reincarnation, taken to extremes), we watch over the course of the series how this world (already brutal, strained and unfair) slowly and inexorably falls apart due to a kragh (think troll) invasion and then awakening of demons… Interestingly, the one series it reminds me of (though the settings are completely different) is Jim Butcher’s Alera. Think beautiful world building, characters driven by extraordinary strength of purpose, epic battles (battle descriptions are one of the books’ major strengths), tragedy, magic, revolts and redemption. And of course (you know me) love. Even though romance is not primarily or even secondarily focus of the series, the two OTPs are basically everything I ever wanted and then some.

The story has six narrators and I list them in order from most to least fave though I like all of them.

Asho - do you like Spartacus? So do I. Asho is a Bythian which, in that society’s belief system is the lowest caste, enslaved and treated little better than animals. Yet Asho gets taken out of Bythos by Lord Enderl Kyferin, a monster of a man who disregards society, on a whim, and made a squire. As the story starts he gets knighted by Ascendant’s Grace (think the Pope’s second in command) for battlefield heroics creating pretty much an impossibility in that religious system - a Bythian knight. Throughout the books, Asho discovers he’s a sorcerer (if there is one thing worse than Bythians in that belief system, it’s sorcerers), embraces atheism, fights to free his people, to save the world. He has more raw power than anyone else in that universe but what drives him is his will and his sense of justice. He has never met an oppressed person or group he doesn’t want to save. Basically think Jesus, if Jesus had a giant sword and was 1000% done with your shit. Oh, and his magic forms a bond with Kethe Kyferin, daughter of Lord Kyferin, who derives her power from what that society views as a heavenly force. Hmmm. Asho x Kethe 4evah. Seriously if you like OTPs that express their bond through battling evil together, this one is for you!

He kissed her back, but softly, and then broke the kiss and rested his brow against her own. “After this is all done,” he said, his breath mingling with hers, “are we going to be together?” “Yes,” she said. “A house, perhaps. You and me, lying naked in our bed. Sunlight coming in through the window. Endless afternoons doing nothing but being together. No danger. No death. No pain. No - no suffering.”

“No suffering,” she echoed, growing more scared.

“Yes. Together. Yes.” He traced the line of her jaw. “Far from this Empire. Far from the Virtues and White Gates and Black. Far from your mother and the Ascendant. From the cycles of Ascension. From all this madness that makes us hate and kill and hurt and maim.”

“Yes,” she whispered.  

Lady Iskra Kyferin - Lord Kyferin’s widow, she has no magic, no sword skills, but she can still take you apart. She is amazing. As the story starts, Iskra revels in her husband’s death, ready to be master of her own life at last. That goes sideways and Iskra continues to fight everything that comes along for her family, for the world. Along the way she becomes a rebel countess, a heretic empress and Ascentant’s Grace (aka military leader of the empire.) She is basically the queen of everything that is awesome. 

Ser Tiron - he used to be one of Lord Kyferin’s best knights but Lord Kyferin annihilated his entire family for something so incredibly petty and pointless, I cannot even describe. Tiron basically went nuts and Kyferin locked him up in a dungeon as a way to torment him even worse than death. At the start of the series, Iskra, desperate for support, releases him from the dungeon for a promise to support her. Through the books, Tiron struggles with loss and madness, grief, rage, and a sense of meaning and emerges a complete badass on the other side. Also, he rides a freaking dragon! Oh, and Iskra x Tiron is everything. It’s one of my all time fave ships now. 

“Iskra,” he whispered, hands hovering over her, unsure what to do, whether he should touch her. Then he leaned down and enveloped her and pulled her into a tight embrace, burying his face against her neck. “You came back. You came back.” The snarling animal that has been raging at his core retreated by slow degrees.

Iskra breathed in deep, raw gasps, then her arms moved around him and she hugged him back, deep sobs wracking her frame, sounds of outrage and horror. “Tiron,” she whispered, her voice a rasp like his own. “Tiron.”  

 Lady Kethe Kyferin - Iskra’s daughter, Kethe’s lifelong dream is to be a knight, something no women do in that society. Through the books she has a crisis of faith (or two), discovers she is a “virtue” (someone who is considered holy for being able to channel certain kinds of power), defeats hordes of enemies and becomes Asho’s soulmate. Pretty darn cool. 

Magister Audsley - he is a scholar who discovers all sorts of abilities and truths about society. Can’t really say more without major spoilers. Oh, and he has a flying cat.

Tharok - the kragh leader, the one who spearheads the invasion into the human world and who may be controlled by a demonic power. Or not. I started out bored with him and ended up liking him.

Anyway, go read, now! It’s on Kindle Unlimited.

#books #fantasy books #book recs #fantasy recs #phil tucker #chronicles of the black gate

[scithemodestmermaid]

okay so i’m taking notes on microsoft’s conference

watching it here

so i have that aperture science core plushie i made next to me for this, because i was doing some restitching on her, just wanted to set the stage anyway

prepare montage pictures

outer worlds, right off the bat!  are we still mad at outer worlds?  idk and idc.

october 25th release date for outer worlds...except for steam, but let’s not mention that part....

outer worlds still looks dope, don’t get me wrong.

i don’t know what is going on with bleeding edge, but i’m terrified.  also intrigued.

THE ONE PERSON WHO “WHOO’D” FOR ORI, HIGH-FIVE TO YOU

were there actual boss fights in the first ori?  i don’t remember, it’s been a real long time since i played it.  i just remembered it being like a disney.

someone in the live chat just said, “it’s fallout 5!”

....wait, is this minecraft 2?

a minecraft dungeon crawler?!

minecraft dungeons looks fun, but i’m only just now getting back into og minecraft and i prefer its pacing and the ability for housebuilding so i think i’m sticking with that.

phil spencer is getting todd howard levels of cheering right now.

just noticed he’s wearing a psychonauts shirt.  HMMMMMMM

oh its the droid boi

jedi fallen order right now, they got one of those big four legged mechs and its covered in vines and you get to pilot it apparently and that right there hypes me up.

DOOOOOOOOOPE STAR WARS

ooh a scaries?

a dog in a scaries, that does not bode well it better not die.

ITS A BLAIR WITCH GAME

CYBERPUUUUUUUUUUUNK 2077, BOYOS

don’t stick your gun in your buttcrack, kids, that could end terribly

NO NOT JACKIE.  i liked him in the 48 minute thing.  

whoa the other guy was a backstabber, who’d a thunk it

bawss friggin fightin

KEANU REEVES????

HOLY CRAP IT REALLY IS KEANU REEVES

hello i may or may not have a crush on keanu reeves, but that’s basically everybody

i already was gonna get this game but if he’s in it, then absolutely must buy.

he’s even wearing a cyberpunk 2077 shirt, <3

seriously, he’s a cyberpunk king, friggin neo is in this game.

he is having so much fun right now.

YOU R BREATHTAKING

APRIL 16th, 2020, BOYOS

wow no cheers for an official release date, screw you guys too.

is this animal crossing?

is this animal crossing with permadeath?

spiritfarer is animal crossing with permadeath, pass it on

BATTLETOADS MUSIC

a new battletoads game, and it is NOT 3d?  props.

legend of wright has a cool art style, but idk seems a bit too artsy for me, and thats saying something

okay the camera needs to stop pulling away from the screen cuz when it does that i cant see crap

wait theres a pathologic 2?

everyone in live chat is making this joke so i will too...the name’s bond, sarah bond.

people are also begging for keanu to come back.

xbox game pass for pc is available today, so that’s nice.

okay so you mentioned master chief collection, when exactly is it coming out?  not gonna say, okay then.

ten bucks a month, not bad.

xbox game pass ultimate puts them all together at no additional cost, so thats cool.

if you start today, it’s one dollar, extremely impressive.

wait so this is actually a game?  i thought they were just bsing it and showing real world footage for something.

the only flight simulator i will play is the one at the local historical museum, sorry.

everyone in the live chat is too distracted by that song that was playing during the montage, the one that was like “are you game game game, are you game game game,” except it was easy to mishear “game” as “gay” so they’re taking that and running.

this is exactly what i imagined colorado to be like.

is this fallout colorado?

oh its wasteland 3.  so i was pretty close.

matt booty?  HMMMMMMM

no one is listening to mr. booty, they’re just cheering his name.

well double fine productions has finally sold out.  well, i mean they sold out a while back, but now its literal.

they’re gonna show psychonauts???

tim schafer is one of those rare humans that has never changed physically, he looks the same as he did ten years ago.

they are indeed showing psychonauts 2, did any of yall get your backing rewards yet?

why are they pushing loboto so much?  did the fans really care about him so much back in 2005?

MORE STAR WARS?

ITS STAR WARS LEGO YAAAS

over 9000?

thats literally all i know about dragonball, is that theres a guy and his power level is over 9000.

is frieza mewtwo?

what am i lookin at here, is this top-down alan wake?

12 minutes is top-down alan wake, pass it on

deer with light up antlers

i have a feeling way to the woods is symbolism

who is this girl and why is everyone cheering?

gears of war, ah yes, the game so controversial that conservatives stopped harassing halo.  that’s all i know about the franchise.

all of this is french to me, i have no idea what any of this is.

what in the heck is going onnnnnn?????

wait is that dave fennoy?

wrestling superstars to play the new game mode?  que?

the terminator is just casually in gears of war.  okay.

car game.  great.

oh wait no, i was bamboozled, its a controller commercial.  for their new controller that looks a heck of a lot like the steam controller.  HMMMMMMM

people are still begging for keanu to come back.

never played the first dying light, but that sequel looks spiffy

oh, HERE is the car game.  complete with a random car just chillin on stage.

WAIT ITS LEGO AND THEYRE PLAYING EVERYTHING IS AWESOME, YOU NOW HAVE MY ATTENTION

and the random car just chillin on stage is made of lego, so i’ll take it back thats astounding.

.....but i just wanna kick that lego car’s door and watch it fall apart, i’m chaotic evil apparently.

funko pop, oh i can tune out then.

state of decay 2, i will not trust these devs after the moonrise fiasco so piss off with this game.

sega?

what is this, where is sonic?

phantasy star online 2, k

who tf is smilegate?

what tf is crossfire x?

(i took a break here but i don’t think i missed anything that i would’ve cared about)

oh borderlands, woooow.  another anticipated title brought low with epic games anti-hype. 

but it had claptrap and leg gun in the same scene so that makes it good.

look claptrap is the only part of borderlands that i like so lets move on.

miyazaki and rr martin???

let me give you a hand.  i’m not even apologizing for that joke.

some in the chat pointed out there’s not been gameplay so far in this conference, and thats interesting.

anyway elden rings or whatever.

is this it?  no halo or banjo?  

oh new gaming console, optimized for gaming....didn’t they just release a new xbox?

developers taking about we totally get gamers, we are going to get rid of loading screen because no one is patient.

i know i sound bitter but do understand, i am totally interested right now with the specs and the construction and all that, tis related to my major so yeah.

scarlett?  what a weird name for a console, but i genuinely hope that’s not just a placeholder i want a console with a human name.

next console is project jeff.

people in live chat are already confirming skyrim for the scarlett.

xbox is 18 years old?

also HALO NOW.  and its releasing with the scarlett.

plot twist: this is the master chief without his suit, just a dumpy white guy.

he aged ten years in five minutes, are we sure this isnt death stranding?

CHIEF

guys i found a master chief, he was sitting outside my window and he looked sad, like no one had fed him or anything in a long time, can i keep him?

yo i am hyped okay, i was big on halo when i was an obnoxious teen, my friends used to do halo 2 parties and i’d try to keep up.

and i guess that’s the end of the conference.  good selection of games, interested in that project scarlett, and all in all okay with it all.

still no banjo.  :-/

#sci's e3 experience

[murfeelee]

Bang, Marry, or Kill: Disney Princes

I was organizing my downloads from @silsharkie84’s Disney uploads, and it got me thinking about a conversation I had with someone once about which Disney princes I’d Bang, Marry, or Kill.

And since I have nothing better to do with my life, I decided to make this post.

KILL

Let’s just get the annoying ones out of the way. I would totally kill, because these guys got on my g-d nerves:

10: John Smith (Pocahontas) - freaking bigot. Totally foreshadowed Mel Gibson’s racist-a** tirades. Not only that, but they completely romanticize his story and his FACE, cuz RL John Smith was NOT that fine. At all. I’d totally Marry John Rolfe though; I liked the sequel, I don’t care. At least Pocahontas actually married Rolfe IRL. I doubt she and troll-face Smith were banging IRL though. Unless he raped her, which wouldn’t surprise me. Anyway, he’s not even royalty! He and Pocahontas didn’t even stay together in the cartoon, why is he considered a Disney Prince, the hell?

9: Prince Charming (Cinderella) - the man was useless. His castle’s the most interesting thing about him -- and everyone calls it Cinderella’s Castle anyways, so nya-nya. Freaking tool. I mean, how are you so “in love“ with this chick, yet you don’t even BOTHER with asking her name, her address, her zodiac sign...NOTHING. A few dances and you know you don’t know the first thing about Cinderella, but you wanna marry her? Then you couldn’t even be effed to hunting her down yourself -- as if she’s the only wench in the kingdom who wears Size 6 shoes. Would’ve served him right if Lady Tremaine’s feet fit in them just fine! XP (I LOVE Shrek’s Prince Charming though! Totally Bang him! XD)

8: Naveen (Princess & the Frog) - jfc, I’d take Dr. Facilier over this guy; Keith David’s the best. Disney just HAD to go and make their first black human prince an idiot though. Yeah, Naveen’s hella pretty, but he’s broke, shiftless, a frikkin frog for a good chunk of the movie, and did I mention he’s an idiot? I see you, Disney. <_<

HONORABLE MENTION: Prince Hans (Frozen) - THIS SNAAAAAKE! Omg I did NOT see that coming! I would have MARRIED him! Omgomgomg; that was the best part of the whole show, next to that song people won’t let go of. (Pfft) I don’t like Kristoff at all, but THIS mofo...? KILL. On SIGHT. Before it’s too late!

Bang

7: Eugene (Tangled) - possibly the funniest and most fully realized prince (consort) Disney ever made. But the man’s a total clown. I could never take a guy like that seriously. I’M a total clown! I know clowns when I see them! We’d probably have some booze-induced romp and wake up hungover the next day, freak the eff out, and solemnly vow to NEVER mention what happened for as long as we both shall live, amen, pass the toothpaste.

6: Prince Eric (Little Mermaid) - Eric is actually the hottest Disney Prince -- MALE, Period -- I think they ever made. Totally swoon-worthy. And his castle is swaaanky~! But ISTG this Judas has zero sense, and is just as vapid as Prince Charming. You were barely conscious and this girl dragged your guppy butt out of the freaking ocean, and you barely got a good glimpse of her, but you’re ready to devote the rest of your useless life to finding her, rather than getting with the perfectly adorable (though albeit mute) chick WHO IS THE SAME REDHEAD YOU’RE LOOKING FOR YOU BLIND FOOL?!?! Omg spare me. Ursula/Vanessa didn’t even have red hair! So, yeah, he’s an idiot. But a hot one. 10/10, would do again.

5: Prince Ali/Aladdin (Aladdin) - if you’re gonna be a broke street rat, at least be the best street rat, y’know? Aladdin was probably the smartest Disney prince EVER. A bit of a liar, so we’d have to work on that “Do You Trust Me~~” shtick, but yeah. He just had a rough life (thanks to his jerkface SEXY BAMF daddy, Cassim, the King of Thieves, who I would immediately Bang, but not Marry, since Cassim ditched his wife to go treasure hunting and she died and Aladdin had to grow up an orphan all those years, the eff, frikkin scrub). But Aladdin’s freaking cute, so if I was some lonely street ratress I’d tap that. Even though I was squicked out when I heard that Disney based Aladdin’s face on Tom effing Cruise, which made me vomit a bit in my mouth. But yeah.

HONORABLE MENTION: Phoebus (Hunchback of Notre Dame) - He’s not a prince since Esmeralda’s not a princess, but he was hot, and up until Tangled I thought he was the funniest love interest Disney had. I loved his antics with his horse Achilles, and his general reactions to the shenanigans going on in that abysmally underrated show. I can’t decide if I’d just Bang him or Marry him, cuz he made me feel so bad for Quasimodo, who I would certainly Marry. But Phoebus is definitely getting Banged.

MARRY

4: The Prince (Ferdinand/Florian) (Snow White) - The original True Love’s Kiss. We know next to nothing about this dude and his magic lips, but you know what? The woodland animals liked him, and the dwarves liked him (and they hate everybody), and Snow White liked him, so I like him too. And he dressed really well, so he was probably loaded.

3: Prince Phillip (Sleeping Beauty) - I know Sleeping Beauty’s my favorite Disney film EVER, but Phil only barely gets a pass into my Top 3/4, and that’s mostly because 1: anyone who can defeat MY BISH Maleficent is a BAMF, and 2: I liked his scenes with his horse Samson -- which were interestingly enough lampshaded with Eugene and Maximus, AND Phoebus and Achilles -- I see you, Disney! But other than that I thought he was just alright. I didn’t hate him. And 3: I love his impromptu “duet” with Aurora in Once Upon a Dream; dude could sing.

2: The Beast/Prince Adam - I'm just gonna come out and say it: Is it just me, or was this dude sexier as The Beast than he was as a human? O_O

Awwww yeeeah.... I’m sorry, maybe I need to pray for my soul a little bit, but I’m just saying. Beauty and the Beast might just be the greatest Disney cartoon of all time, IMO. The Beast was freaking COOL, fighting packs of wolves and nonsense to save his bae. Also, his castle was THE BEST. Oh, so Cinderella’s castle has a ballroom -- EFF that wack-a** ballroom! The Beast’s was WAY better! It’s GOLD PLATED! He’s got enchanted servants on standby and feasts with FRENCH CHEFS and everything! Not to mention, it’s got a LIBRARY. AND there’s a dungeon. Talk about GRAVITAS. The Beast would totally go medieval on someone, I love it. Belle’s over there crying and mess. I’d be like HALLELUJAH, such a step up from Gaston~~! ^0^ The wild part is that apparently the whole story is supposed to symbolize arranged marriages, where the bride is terrified of her seemingly “beastly“ stranger of a husband, but over time gets to know him and realizes he’s not a complete and total douchelord. Just 75% douche and 25% lord. Which is way better than Gaston’s 100% doucheness, amirite.

HONORABLE MENTION: Kocoum (Pocahontas) - I kid you not, I rage-cried when Kocoum died. This SEXY HALF-NEKKID WARRIOR WITH TATTS OMFG TAKE ME NOOOW! Pocahontas was a complete IDIOT; I’d Marry his #FOINE behind and give him an effton of babies! Sexy warrior babies! *shrill battle cry* That was the most aggravating death ever, Disney. What a waste of good genes.

#1: LI SHANG (Mulan) - I would bite this man. I bought that crappy straight-to-video sequel just so I could keep staring at Li Shang, I’m not even lying. He was fully realized, hot as all get out, could kick the tastebuds out of the Huns, had THE BEST SONG Disney ever gave a dude, and I’m sure I said he was hot, right? Well, it bears repeating. Marry. Wed. Espoused. Eloped. Mated. Bonded. Holy Matrimony. SINFUL Matrimony. Everything. We’re doing it all! SIGN. ME. UP.

Lawd have all the mercy. Make whatever you frikkin want out of me, Shang! (*3*)/

So, how about y’all? Which cartoon characters are y’all pervving over?

#nonsims #non-sims #Disney #questionnaire #RANT ALERT #mini rant

[geminireb]

Were you called to the Good Life?

Good News Magazine

Were You Called to the “GOOD LIFE”? Albert J Portune   

The primary target in life for some has become the things of this life — its fulfillment and its security, its rewards and satisfactions. Without realizing it, we often let this happen. But this is extremely dangerous! Just what are God’s primary purposes for His people? How much should we expect to get out of this life?    WHEN TRIALS, tests and problems arise in people’s lives, the immediate human tendency is to think things have somehow gone wrong — that things aren’t the way they ought to be.    Irrationally, when we don’t have the peace of mind, security, happiness, recognition or stability we may expect and desire, we automatically tend to feel that things are off kilter, that something has gone awry and that nothing is right!    Perhaps doubt begins to enter our minds — we begin to doubt God’s promises, His Word, or His love and concern. And always when trials really get “hot,” some begin to question, “Is God really concerned about me? Does He care? Or is He far off and uninvolved with my problems?” Time for a Straight Look    Brethren, if God means for Christians to “coast” through life satiated with blessings, then He has miserably failed His people down through the centuries of history!    From the pages of the Bible, and as particularly summarized in the eleventh chapter of the book of Hebrews, we find that God’s people have always suffered trials and tests.    "Some, through their faith, escaped death by the sword. Some were made strong again after they had been weak or sick. Others were given great power in battle; they made whole armies turn and run away. And some women, through faith, received their loved ones back again from death. But others trusted God and were beaten to death, preferring to die rather than turn from God and be free — trusting that they would rise to a better life afterwards.    "Some were laughed at and their backs cut open with whips, and others were chained in dungeons. Some died by stoning and some by being sawed in two; others were promised freedom if they would renounce their faith, then were killed with the sword. Some went about in skins of sheep and goats, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in dens and caves. They were hungry and sick and ill treated — too good for this world" (Heb. 11:34-38, The Living Bible).    The Apostle Paul was stoned, shipwrecked and imprisoned. Can you imagine his feelings — his possible moments of depression, loneliness, discouragement? A man that is in bonds and imprisoned has no outward security, happiness and peace of mind. God allowed Paul to have personal trials, inconveniences and difficulties just as He does you and me. Paul was not always “blessed” by having a warm home, luxurious surroundings and a loving family to share them with. He didn’t measure God’s love for him by the degree of physical comforts and benefits he enjoyed (Phil. 4:11).    Yet Paul was an apostle of God. And God was with him — even in prison! Our Real Objective    Throughout history, God’s people have looked forward to blessings and rewards in the Kingdom of God, instead of this fleeting physical life.    But why should this be? The answer is simple: in all the history of His dealings with mankind, God’s objective with His own people has never been primarily the rewards, security, wealth, peace of mind, longevity, happiness of this physical life. He wants much more for us than these temporary blessings!    Now I am not saying that God does not bless His people. God does want to give us blessings in this physical life. When the circumstances are right, and when security and peace and tranquility and blessings will tend toward the greater good God is working to accomplish in and through us, God will bless and bless tremendously! There have been times in history when Christians have enjoyed peace and quiet, and many of the things human flesh desires. For awhile!    Most of us in God’s Church today, relatively speaking, have been tremendously blessed.    But let’s remember that God is far more concerned with what is being produced in our lives for the World Tomorrow than He is with our personal satisfactions on a day-by-day basis. We need to learn that lesson now, and we need to learn it deeply and profoundly. WHY Should We Endure?    In I Corinthians 15:13 the Apostle Paul declared: “But if there be no resurrection” — that is, if there be no World Tomorrow, if there is no thousand-year millennial reign of Christ in the future — and then after that an ETERNITY of living, of building; of having security, happiness, tranquility, peace and purpose — “your faith is vain.” If that is not coming, then you and I are simply fools for believing so. And if there is no World Tomorrow, you might as well get all you can out of this life WITHOUT enduring afflictions and trials!    If you don’t have a future worth sacrificing for in this life, then you are a fool not to eat, drink and be merry.    But there IS such a future for God’s people!    There is a future for the dead, and for those who give up all in this life. Christ did rise from the dead!    Tragically, some have begun to put their confidence in the things of this world but without really realizing it. They reason: “I have my little niche here to take care of me when trouble comes and I am buffeted, this nest egg of mine will protect me,” and they begin to trust in their possessions to give security. But God says the day is coming when men will flee to caves, flinging their gold and silver to the moles and bats! (See Isa. 2:19-20; Ezek. 7:19; Zeph. 1:18; Rev. 6:15.)    So, whatever your situation may be, however insecure or unhappy you may feel you are at the moment — and I think there can be a lot of insecurity from time to time in your life, a lot of unhappiness (those people in Hebrews 11 weren’t always happy being beaten, hanged, burned, sawn asunder, either) — regardless of your state, your condition, your trials, hang in there! Don’t give up the ship. Don’t become sour or discouraged. You were called to “endure hardness” (II Tim. 2:3). So shoulder your cross — whatever individual cross each of us has been given to carry — and follow Christ who set us the example. Faith — the Key    Even though there are a lot of unknowns, a lot of disturbing and upsetting circumstances that make life difficult — even though there are many things you may wonder about — remember, the Christian life is a work of FAITH. We deal in faith. And faith should be very real to us. It is not a nebulous, wishy-washy thing. Faith is a vital power in our lives — a power that can change attitudes, alter circumstances, move mountains!    Do you feel like you’ve “given up a lot for God’s Work”? Do you sometimes dream of all the wealth, prestige, recreation or power you might have acquired if you had not been called into God’s Church? Perhaps you had a business that has since grown into a multimillion-dollar corporation.    I did!    Perhaps you might have been a great success in this world’s eyes.    But wait a minute. What attitude should we have toward such things? The Apostle Paul expressed it well: “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ” (Phil. 3:8).    Is that our attitude, brethren? Or are you overly worried about your physical life, your job, your future, your family security?    What did Jesus say about those who are anxiety-ridden about such things? “… O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (Matt. 6:30-34).    And when Peter told Him, “Lo, we have left all, and followed thee,” what did Jesus reply? “And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting” (Luke 18:28-30). Who Is a Fool?    Was Ezekiel a fool when he lay on his side and cooked his tiny rations over a dung fire, for week after week and month after month? Was he a fool when he scratched around on the ground on a Babylonian brick, portraying a siege against Jerusalem as a testimony for the people? Was he a fool when he dug in the wall in the middle of the day portraying the future?    Was Hosea a fool when God told him to go out and marry a prostitute and raise children by her? Was he a fool to “wreck” his life?    Was Isaiah a fool and a jibbering idiot as he walked up and down the streets of Israel naked, with his buttocks blazing whitely in the sun, to portray a lesson to Israel?    Was Moses a fool to give it all up when he had it “made” as the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter, an heir to the kingship of Egypt, eligible to inherit all the riches and possessions of Egypt? Was he “insane” to serve God in the wilderness, despised and reproached even by the Israelites?    How about Jeremiah? Was he a fool when he spent much of his life as a persecuted criminal, being branded a traitor by the authorities of Judah and imprisoned in a cistern of mud armpit deep?    Were all the rest of the prophets fools? Were Elijah and Elisha fools? Was Jesus Christ a fool?    No, they weren’t fools at all, although they would certainly have been called “fools” by the world today.    The Apostle Paul was no fool. Yet he wrote to the Corinthians, whose eyes were too much on physical rewards and pleasures: “All of you, no doubt, have everything you could desire. You have come into your fortune already. You have come into your kingdom — and left us out. How I wish you had indeed won your kingdom; then you might share it with us! For it seems to me God has made us apostles the most abject of mankind. We are like men condemned to death in the arena, a spectacle to the whole universe — angels as well as men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, while you are such sensible Christians. We are weak; you are so powerful. We are in disgrace; you are honored. To this day we go hungry and thirsty and in rags; we are roughly handled; we wander from place to place; we wear ourselves out working with our own hands. They curse us, and we bless; they persecute us and we submit to it; they slander us, and we humbly make our appeal. We are treated as the SCUM OF THE EARTH, the dregs of humanity, to this very day” (I Cor. 4:8-13, The New English Bible).    What about you and me? Are we willing to be “fools” for Christ’s sake? Or is our chief desire to be looked up to by men, admired, applauded, respected, esteemed? Jesus did not seek praise, honor or adulation from men.    Brethren, we should be thankful that for the moment God has blessed, prospered and protected His Work, and that He has blessed His ministers with the tools to do their work — that it appears we may perhaps have a period of peace and prosperity ahead of us for awhile, and that, right now, we don’t have to go hungry, thirsty, clothed in rags and tatters, to do God’s Work.    But no one — whether minister or laymember — should set his heart on physical rewards in this present temporary life — on status, prestige, new homes, new automobiles, money and all the trappings of wealth.    Our lives should be LIVING SACRIFICES for God’s Work — humbly striving to serve God with our whole heart, no matter what the circumstances, or what men think. Is It Really Worth It?    Is eternal life and the Kingdom of God worth sacrificing for now? Is it really worth all the effort, strain, struggle, suppressing the self, denying the flesh?    The Apostle Paul felt it was. He asserted: “And if children, then heirs: heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Rom. 8:17). Then he added, undoubtedly with real emotion: “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (verses 18-19).    What will this glory — this splendor — really be like? How great will it be to make our sufferings of the present pale into pallid insignificance?    Paul was contemplating our future glorified condition when he declared, “No wonder we do not lose heart! Though our outward humanity is in decay, yet day by day we are inwardly renewed. Our troubles are slight and short-lived; and their outcome an eternal glory which outweighs them far” (II Cor. 4:16-17, NEB).    In the book of Revelation we are given a glimpse of this tremendous glory. The Apostle John was shown in vision what the saints would be doing in the World Tomorrow. He said: “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years” (Rev. 20:4-6).    Blessed and holy is he that qualifies to be in that first resurrection of the dead. For this person there isn’t going to be any more death penalty. There won’t be any more “old age” to provide for. There just won’t be any more of the needs of human life. Because that person will have POWER, and will have LIFE INHERENT within himself!    So if in this life God calls on us even to be beheaded for the witness of Christ, the reward will be worth it!    In Revelation chapter two, we learn more about our future reward: “And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning star” (Rev. 2:26-28).    It is as if God looked down and said: “Look, I am going to rule the world soon, and I need kings and priests and governors and rulers. Because I want to make a beautiful world — a world of peace, order and security — a world of happiness and true liberty in law — I am going to give to the kings, priests and governors that I select, power and strength and office and honor and authority. I am going to give them all of those things so that a world of peace and harmony and tranquility can be produced.    "I will give them REAL POWER, Including a rod of iron to smash rebellious nations if necessary.”    God further says to you: “Will you be one of them? Will you be one of my rulers and kings, priests and governors, if I train and prepare you? If I put you on the training program, and qualify you, so that eventually I can give you POWER, honor and glory, will you be willing to go all the way — to sacrifice, suffer and deny yourself now, for awhile, so you can have real power and honor and glory then?”    When you were baptized, you said, in effect: “Yes, Lord, I will.” And then the rigorous training program began. God began to put you through trials, tests, circumstances, challenges, experiences.    Why?    So that later on when you are over other human beings, when you are a king and a priest, then you will be able to understand what is in people’s minds in their trials. For you will have experienced it all yourself!    That is why God puts us through all of this training, brethren. Believe me, there are no other human beings on this earth that go through trials exactly like TRUE Christian people go through! We Need the OVERVIEW    David knew this to be a fact — and it was hard for him to understand it at first. He complained to God: “My feet had almost slipped, my foothold had all but given way, because the boasts of sinners roused my envy when I saw how they prosper. No pain, no suffering, is theirs; they are sleek and sound in limb; they are not plunged in trouble as other men are….”    It was with keen feelings of astonished wonder that David beheld the prosperity of the wicked. Then he compared his own life to theirs, and for a moment he thought: “So it was all in vain that I kept my heart pure and washed my hands in innocence. For all day long I suffer torment and am punished every morning. Yet had I let myself talk on in this fashion, I should have betrayed the family of God. So I set myself to think this out but I found it too hard for me, until I went into God’s sacred courts; there I saw clearly what their end would be” (Ps. 73:13-17, NEB).    We ARE in an intensive training program. Our endurance, patience and attitudes are tried and stretched to the limit sometimes. We have been challenged and tested, and our minds have run the gamut of thought and apprehension and concern.    But you know what?    That’s good!    It may not feel good, it may not seem good, it may be upsetting and disturbing — but it’s good. God is doing all this to see how we will react. To see what we are made of — to determine our mettle. He is uniquely preparing us to deal with any and all real, human problems in the World Tomorrow.    What a mistake we will make if we relate the unique circumstances of our lives to this life ONLY. What a mistake we make if we say to ourselves, “I’m not happy. I want to conform to the life-style of my neighbors or business associates. I’m not getting the peace and satisfaction and tranquility I would like to have.” I tell you, you will rarely get these things anyway, whether inside or outside of God’s Church.    You may get them a little less often in God’s Church. But what fantastic awareness, knowledge and understanding we develop if we say to ourselves, “Thank God that my mind, my patience, and my thought processes and my whole being have been tried to the limit. Thank God for my trials, my tests, my experiences — even the bad ones. Thank God my character is being purged, purified, refined as gold and silver. Thank God I can see the PURPOSE for my sometimes mind-reeling, brain-numbing, harrowing trials and tests. Because these things are preparing me for a glorious, transcendent reward in the Kingdom of God for ever and ever and ever!” “Ninety-Day Wonders”    In World War II, when I was in the service, we had a desperate need for officers, commanders and leaders of companies and battalions. Schools were established to prepare officers in ninety days! Some of you who have been in the service remember we used to call them “the ninety-day wonders.” They would come out still wet behind the ears, figuratively speaking. They were “green,” inexperienced and soft. You couldn’t depend on their decisions under fire because they had no practical experience.    Some were hard and intolerant and others were weak, loose, dirty and undisciplined. What a travesty on rulership! They were in most cases, pathetic, unqualified officers. If they ever became good officers they learned to be so by the practical experience they got after their schooling, right out on the front lines!    One lesson I can understand from that experience is that God isn’t going to have any “green,” untrained, “ninety-day wonders” as kings and priests in the World Tomorrow. He is going to have leaders in the World Tomorrow who have learned by being human. Why? Because they are going to deal with human beings for a thousand years.    God’s rulers, kings and priests are going to be people who have been through the training and the experience of being human. Who have gone through trials that are unique. Trials that have been hard to wrestle with. Situations that involve sadness, sacrifice, unknowns, discouragements, insecurity. People who know people. People who can understand people. People who when given the power and the authority that God promises, will be perfectly qualified for the jobs they will be given in the World Tomorrow. They will be able to understand human emotions and human situations in a way that human beings who have not been called and have not had the Spirit of God could never do. Are You Still Following Christ?    Jesus told His disciples to count the cost (Luke 14:28). And He told them, “Follow me.” When you were baptized, you were told to count the cost. You determined to follow Christ, and so you were baptized.    But is your heart still 100 percent dedicated to God’s Work, to following Christ, despite all the trials and tests you have had to endure?    We read in Philippians 2:5: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” What kind of mind, thoughts, attitude did Christ have?    Notice, from the New English Bible: “For the divine nature was his from the first; yet he did not think to snatch at equality with God, but made himself NOTHING, assuming the nature of a slave. Bearing the human likeness, revealed in human shape, he humbled himself, and in obedience accepted EVEN DEATH — death on a cross” (Phil. 2:5-8).    Consider that pristine example, brethren. It is obvious Jesus did not seek the fulfillment of His physical life as an end. Nor did He seek to become buffered against the future. He knew He was on this earth for a much greater purpose.    Don’t misunderstand. It is not wrong to experience the blessings of this life, as God provides! It is not wrong to have happiness and peace of mind and tranquility and other blessings. And it is not wrong to have security if you use it rightly! Jesus had a measure of good things. He had good clothes, He ate good food and drank good wine. But the focus of His mind and life was not on this earth nor on the accoutrements of this physical life.    Jesus knew, as we do, what it is like to be human. He knew what it was like to be weak. (He was unable, remember, to carry that physical cross of wood all the way to Golgotha.) Jesus also knew what it was like to be tired, hungry, upset and sad. To be in pain. To be hated. He went through persecution, and the pain of the cross for us.’    What will Jesus’ reward be? Notice: “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9-11).    Because Jesus suffered death for us, He is now crowned with glory and with honor (Heb. 2:9). He will soon return to this earth as King of kings and Lord of lords, reigning over all nations (Rev. 19:11-16).    While He walked on this earth 1900 years ago, Jesus was tempted just as we are. And He is therefore able now to help you when you are wrestling with a particular trial. He will succor, comfort, encourage and strengthen you. “For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted” (Heb. 2:18).    He will intercede with the Father for you, saying, “Father, I know what it is like — I’ve been down there, I’ve been through it. I wrestled with the identical problems. So Father, forgive him and have patience with him — and he will make it!” To The Wall!    Let’s face facts. Is it really absurd to be a Christian? To some people, of course, it is. But to us, it is not.    We have the REAL truth. This is it. There is nothing else. Don’t give it up for a handful of nothing, as Esau did.    The early apostles were so convinced of the reality of God’s Kingdom that they rejoiced even when they were whipped, beaten and thrown in prison.    Even so, when trials, tests and troubles seem to take you right to the wall, then realize that the very fact that you are at the wall is proof that you are one of God’s children being prepared for the World Tomorrow! Yes, it is proof    Trials don’t always come as a sudden gigantic cataclysm. They can be a problem you wrestle with in your own mind, that no other human ever knows. They might seem to carry you to the very breaking point! You may wonder how much longer you can hang on, you may be down on your knees praying, meditating, looking for an answer — a way out — and suddenly you realize why this trial has come upon you. Then you say to yourself, “Because I am a son of God, it’s right that I be tried. Because the Bible says, ‘Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials’” James 1:2, RSV).    Remember Peter’s words: “For it is a fine thing if a man endure the pain of undeserved suffering because God is in his thoughts. What credit is there in fortitude when you have done wrong and are beaten for it? But when you have behaved well and suffer for it, your fortitude is a fine thing in the sight of God. To that you were called, because Christ suffered on your behalf, and thereby left you an example” (I Pet. 2:19-21, NEB).    Jesus saw trials in the right perspective. He didn’t fight back carnally in His life. He didn’t accuse, He didn’t start movements and campaigns to “get even” with someone. He understood why He had to go through trials, so He endured them all.    Can YOU follow His example — and overcome every trial with resolution and absolute trusting faith in God?    Notice Hebrews 12:1-4: “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.”    Go on! Endure! Consider Jesus who endured such contradiction of sinners, such adversaries, such ridicule, reproach, scorn, abuse — you have not yet endured the same degree of infamy.    Brethren, don’t faint when your mind is stretched to the limit. Don’t faint when your back is to the wall. God tests and spanks every son whom He dearly loves (verse 6). These things are necessary so that we may become kings, priests and governors in the God Kingdom, and rule with justice, wisdom, compassion and patience.    Let’s lift up our hands which hang down and the feeble knees which sometimes knock together (verse 12). Let’s put our minds on the truth and the reality of what life is all about, and not be turned aside from our purpose and lose our heritage.    Let’s rededicate our lives as LIVING SACRIFICES for God’s Work, and prepare to receive the future “big payoff” which God wants to give us!