Note to readers: This is an alternate reading from the Three Year Lectionary, and may not match up with the readings your church uses this Sunday.
2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 – For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing. … At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Paul is looking back over the years he has served Jesus, and he is content. He knows that soon he will die—executed for Jesus’ sake. While we can’t say he’s happy with that outcome personally, he considers it a worthwhile sacrifice—something like the ancient custom of pouring out wine at the same time as a person sacrificed an animal on God’s altar. In Paul’s mind, the true sacrifice is the faith and love of the churches he has been able to plant for Jesus during the years of His service; and his own life is the drink offering that goes along with that much greater gift.
The older I get, the more inclined I am to look backward and take stock of what I’ve been able to accomplish for the Lord who loved me and gave Himself for me. Perhaps you do this, too. Because we love Jesus, who willingly suffered and died to make us children of God; and because He rose from the dead, we have Him forever, and we know we will never be separated from Him. And so in love, we do what we can to serve Him—to thank the One who loves us so much.
As I look back, I see a checkered history, some of it good and some of it not so good. Paul did, too. After all, he had been a persecutor of the church! But he is content to let Jesus cover His former sins with His own blood, and take what we’ve done and make it better—something He can use and rejoice in. Because we all know that whatever good we’ve done has been done in the Holy Spirit. If it is not from Him, it is worthless.
What about you? What things do you look back on for the Savior you love? What has He forgiven you? What has He blessed you with, by doing something good through you?
WE PRAY: Dear Jesus, You know my life. Forgive what is bad, and bless what is good, and take all of it into Your hands. I am Yours forever, because You bought me with Your own life. Thank You. Amen.
Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.
Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished! Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!
Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.
Today Belovedest had to bust the teenagers for playing "the penis game" in the library.
[You say the word increasingly loudly, in turns, until someone loses the game by being told to cut it out or being asked to leave.]
The weather's getting colder, but I have evolved myself an outfit to wear outdoors for lounging while the weather's in the high 50s F -- my slightly ratty plush bathrobe underneath my much more windproof corduroy floor length duster. And the ta'al fingerless mgloves Mama knitted for me, in rainbow stripes. They're just the thing for keeping my hands warm while I'm on the phone.
I've discovered I do enjoy cauliflower "wings", even though I don't enjoy chicken wings.
The scooter has arrived. I am plotting how best to bedazzle it. It does have its own USB power outlet! It also has head and tail lights. It's better for approaching counters than the wheelchair, since the tiller is so close to me.
norabombay points out that given all the poorly supervised international visitors who have been in and out of the White House, they're going to have to take it down to the studs when they refit it for #48 to use. So the general devastation in the East Wing is small potatoes as far as outrage fodder. And anywhere that the last major update was 1947-ish must really need some yanking out of the century of the fruitbat.
My legs are doing better. In part this is because I stuck ibuprofen in my nightly pill box, since I'd been waking up with aching legs and shouting knees pretty consistently.
Medication: the medication definitely has some activity. The main activity seems to be that my appetite has been fading in and out of "did we recently have chemo?!" mode. I'm tempted to give myself a week off every few weeks.
Makeup: currently waiting on a liquid formulation of the eyeshadow that promised to match the eyeliner, because the color is fantastic and I want it in a wide brush. I guess the powder can work for blending it out. (The powder just does not want to cooperate and layer on thick enough to get the color shift effect, even with a wet brush.) My skin continues to behave itself better than my ability to use foundation; there are only a few spots where I want to color correct if I'm doing Full Battle Makeup.
Games: keeping up with all the Gems of War events is sometimes tiring, but it does make winding down my brain at night much easier than other things I could be doing.
Perfume: went through my massive perfume spreadsheet and filled in the formulation for all the BPAL (which is the same except for that one spray). Cracked myself up at some of the descriptions I've left. One particular exceedingly long-lasting one ( Read more... )
However, the sheer amount of activities that Blooket can replicate is dizzying for people who remember the heyday of Vine. The people behind this program have really thought about making these games enjoyable for a wide variety of players. They accounted for the difference in problem solving or processing among the students. It’s easy to see why so many players rush to earn coins as quickly as possible. (Keep in mind Blooket So, let’s explain Blooket for all my older folks that missed out on the new craze.
Dani Chambers who voices Becky Blackbell (One of my favorite characters in the series,) is taking time off voice acting for voice therapy as stated on a post she made on X:
"This isn't permanent but when my voice comes back I can pop back in," Chambers said. "I'm currently in voice therapy to work on getting back to my normal range. But for now, Becky (and other baby voices) will be voice matched."
The announcement came hours before Season 3 of Spy X Family premiered on Crunchyroll.
Meanwhile, Chambers will still be providing her vocal talents to other characters in the show. Alongside voicing Becky Blackbell in Spy x Family, Chambers has also been in the English dubs of Solo Leveling, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, and several video games, including Pokemon Masters and Genshin Impact. - gamesradar
A problematic myth about writing is that it comes from novelty. If we want to write, we need to have new material, right? If we have a new experience, an adventure of some kind, then we’ll have a story to tell or new things to present. While travel encourages me to see with new eyes–a jarring dislocation usually heightens awareness–seeing anew can happen anywhere. I think about Thoreau, who walked almost every day for years in the same vicinity, and who wrote, “Two or three hours’ walking will carry me to as strange a country as I expect ever to see.” You don’t need to be someplace new to see–or hear, or taste, or smell, or feel–something new.
– Maggie Smith, Dear Writer
My day 22: Finished my Yuletide sign-up. \o/ My sister's coming over this evening to watch Fringe and Bluey with me. \o/
When you check in, please say what day(s) you’re checking in for. You can join in or take a break at any time; you’re always welcome back. And please let me know if I’ve missed you.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is still a year away, and the fan-theories surrounding Sadie Sink’s character continue to swirl. Today, Internet sleuths were trying to figure out some “leaked” images of the actress from the Marvel movie’s set. The pictures in question had Sink done up with some camo pants and a familiar looking skull insignia.
As you would imagine, people lost their lids in short order, but we have reason to believe those images aren’t real. Still, this seems like the latest moment of the people online wishing on various stars. Still, the idea that Sadie Sink would be playing The Punisher’s protege Rachel Cole is a wild sentence to even type out to be honest. We would be so deep in the Marvel character grab bag that casual fans might not even understand that they’re supposed to be excited about this reveal online.
I’ve seen a lot of horror films, especially the mainstream Hollywood films. I’m starting to run out! Looking for recommended films that truly make you afraid to leave your bed at night, afraid to be alone in the house. 👻
It's wrong and bad and wrong and I don't like it. She was little just yesterday! Now she is not little, and her sibling is even less little, and I just don't understand how that happened.
We had a roast chicken a few days ago, then adrian_turtle used some of the leftovers to make a salad with greens, pieces of chicken, and grapes. cattitude just turned the remaining leftover chicken into matzo ball soup.
There will be homemade chocolate cake later, because Adrian wanted to check whether the springform pan would hold cake batter. We eat well around here.
Sinking in a gentle pool of (checks label) créme brûlée craft cream liquor. After all, why not? Why not get rush tickets for Orfeo ed Euridice at the Canadian Uproars Co.'s Saturday matinee? Or even just order a ticket? Well, because rush seats are SRO at the back thus perfect for walker users. But if I can see where the seats are, might buy a full price one even with blocked sightlines. I know I've been at the Four Seasons Centre at least once-- s-i-l's partner flaked on her for I forget what opera a good eighteen years ago and she took me, so I know the acoustics are better than the quondem O'Keefe's. And if I'm to be chained to a walker for the rest of my life, it's time I learned to work around it.
Otherwise did little bursts of housework today so a couple of foot-dragging things got done, so go me, I suppose.
Thank you so much for writing for me and, most of all, for sharing one of my tiny fandom loves!! I adore all these canons and am sure to enjoy whatever you come up with. I’m only including a few prompts in case you’re the kind of writer who likes them; please don’t feel bound by them. If you like, you can use them as jumping-off points for something quite different.
I’m china_shop on AO3. Treats are enabled and welcome!
And now, on to the prompts! I've patched these together in a bit of a hurry; more verbiage does not indicate preference!
Time of Fever: Go Hotae, Kim Donghee(Feel free to use your preferred romanisation for their names!)
What it is: a 6 x 20-minute-episode BL Kdrama about two high-school best friends pining for each other. It's gorgeously acted and shot, and the characters have a lot of interiority: Go Hotae has just lost his father and moved from Seoul back to his small hometown; he's an athlete, a terrible student, and very sweet. Kim Donghee, bright, artistic, and abused by his father for being gay, comes to live with Hotae and his mum. He tries hard to conceal his crush on Hotae. We get to see Hotae's growing awareness of Donghee. Here's episode 1, and the rest of the show is linked at the bottom of the page.
Prompts: * I love the idea of Hotae tracking Donghee down in Seoul (after all, Hotae lived in Seoul for a couple of years, right? he can find his way around). Whether they actually run into each other or not, I feel like there's a lot of potential here. Maybe Hotae writes to Donghee saying to meet him, and Donghee stakes out the cafe, sees Hotae waiting, but can't bring himself to make contact (angst, angst). Or maybe Hotae follows Donghee to Itaewon or Jongno and watches him meet friends in a gay bar - and decides to make his presence known (or not). Or Hotae comes to the university dorms on Donghee's birthday and insists on celebrating with him, and revelations ensue. So many possibilities!! * Another kiss during their school era days -- maybe when they wake up in the bookshop together -- and the complications that ensue. * Magic realism fix-it to help them communicate: bodyswap, telepathy, etc. * Angst - possibly involving Donghee's mother's expectations that he not be any trouble to Hotae's mother, or situational-appropriate internalised homophobia, or just misunderstandings.
I'm fine with an unhappy ending (even a fight) as long as it doesn't rule out the possibility of them getting together at some future date. Happy endings are of course very welcome!!!
Unintentional Love Story: Go Hotae, Kim Donghee, Yoon Taejoon(Feel free to use your preferred romanisation for their names!)
What it is: a 10 x 33-44 min-episode BL Kdrama about four young adults in small-town Korean. The background couple, Donghee and Hotae, are a coffee shop proprietor and a high-school dropout who works at his mother's restaurant, respectively. There's a lot of history and tension between them.
Prompts: I'm primarily interested in Go Hotae&/Kim Donghee, but I really enjoy Yoon Taejoon (and Ji Wonyoung) as a background pairing/supporting cast. I love their respective friendships with Donghee and Hotae, especially Kim Donghee & Yoon Taejoon.
* A get-together or established relationship moment for Hotae and Donghee at any point, including post-canon. * Exploring what it is that's holding Donghee back - and resolving this to reach a get-together. * Magic realism fix-it to help them communicate: bodyswap, telepathy, animal transformation, etc. Maybe Donghee receives a batch of coffee syrup that gives people unexpected powers?! * Anything about Kim Donghee and Yoon Taejoon making friends, being friends, critiquing each other's love lives and choices, supporting each other's businesses and relationships. (That "Dongee & Taejoon commiserating in a bar" scene is pure delight! Anything like that. :D) * Canon divergent AU where Go Hotae takes up swimming again, and somehow this changes how Kim Donghee sees him. * Trope fic! All the tropes! (Here are my trope rankings, though this is a few years out of date.)
What it is: a 2020 New Zealand LGBT-related independent drama film. After skipping town a decade ago, transgender activist Caz Davis returns to the remote, politically divided dairy community of Rūrangi, hoping to reconnect with his estranged father, who hasn’t heard from him since before Caz transitioned. He reconnects with both his high-school best friend and his high-school boyfriend.
Prompts: I'd love anything focused on Caz -- his guardedness and grudging vulnerability mashes my buttons! Caz/Jem, yes please! Caz & Anahera, for sure!
I really just want more of the world of the film and what comes after -- and all the complicated feelings and relationships therein.
Do they take on the town council about something else? Do they throw a tiny Pride event? Does Caz meet up with someone else in town with whom he has history? An old friend of his mother? Another trans person (maybe not out)? Happy ever afters/domestic fluff are also very welcome: Caz/Jem fight and make up? Adopt a cat? Have a dinner party?
For this one, if you're adding magic realism (eg, Caz's mother's ghost making an appearance?), please keep it gentle and grounded. Other characters and OCs welcome.
What it is: a light, secondary world, urban-historical m/m romance with guild politics and secrets, swordplay and skulduggery, and people being messed up by their rich guild-house families. The romance is "playful-enemies to lovers," ie, there are compelling reasons not to trust each other, but they like each other enough that they can't help teasing, admiring, and developing inconvenient loyalties, despite the suspicion. (I gushed about it here.)
Prompts: Canon divergence where something goes wrong for one of them, and they have to turn to the other for help before it feels safe to do so. (It's been a few months since I listened, so I can't remember how much that overlaps with canon, but feel free to riff off it. I'm about to re-listen to the audiobook.) An alternate get-together. A missing scene. Outsider POV. Another heist (on top of the ones in canon). Adopting a stray cat or dog. Dealing with (or helping) a member of the supporting cast with a problem.
Reel free to add SF or fantasy elements/tropes, eg, time travel, bodyswaps, ghosts, telepathy.
Otherwise, how about an AU, if you lean that way. I adored the connection, the vibe, the banter, and it would be fun to see that in a different setting. Matti and Luca in space? As pirates? In the high-stakes world of publishing? Sounds delightful! (No vampires, werewolves, omegaverse, mobster AUs or anything dark or gritty, please. And no fusions with other canons.)
김과장 | Good Manager (2017) (AKA Chief Kim): Kim Seongryong, Seo Yul(Feel free to use your preferred romanisation for their names!)
What it is: This is a 20-episode Korean office drama (available on VIKI) about corporate corruption, redemption, team as family, and enemies to lovers allies. It’s funny, dark at times, full of wordplay that doesn’t completely come across in the subs, and generally delightful. The ensemble is excellent. My mini-ship manifesto.
I ship Kim Seongryong/Seo Yul so hard. I love what a mess they are, separately and together, and how they’re deceptively similar: both used to being the smartest person in the room; both pushing everyone away, Seo Yul with arrogance and anger, Seongryong by being a glib, mischievous chaos monster; both burdened with consciences despite themselves. They start off genuinely antagonistic but quickly come to recognise each other as worthy opponents. And then all the teasing, stolen kisses, and reluctantly joining forces! For these two, my prompts are for post-canon hijinks/get-togethers, but if you want to set something during canon, go for it!
If you don’t ship them, bickering friendship fic or forced-working-together fic, with or without other members of Business Operations, would also be great. I really love the ensemble, especially Choo Namho and Yoon Hakyung.
Prompts (feel free to interpret as gen or shippy):
Seo Yul gets dirty/drenched somehow and has to borrow (terrible, ugly) clothes from Kim Seongryong. Can he stand the teasing? Does he immediately disrobe again? How does it affect his day? How does Kim Seongryong feel about it?
Kim Seongryong or Seo Yul gets three wishes from a magical entity.
Coming out to each other – or Seo Yul comes out to Kim Seongryong, and Kim Seongryong is inappropriate in some way.
Third-party h/c, where one of them sees the other being (seemingly uncharacteristically) kind and comforting to another character, and it makes the first person realise their feelings.
The Spear Cuts Through Water - Simon Jimenez: Jun Ossa, Keema of the Daware Tribe
What this is: a fantasy novel (with m/m) about belonging and redemption and gods and (mostly human) monsters. Incredible storytelling, narrative voice, worldbuilding, everything. Somehow, despite its horror and grisly moments, this book has become a comfort listen for me. (The audiobook narration by Joel de la Fuente is *amazing*.)
Prompts: Keema is my absolute favourite. I would love anything about his past, present or future, especially if it came with added worldbuilding. (I'm fine with some horror elements if necessary for the story, but I'd prefer them not to be the focus, and in particularly, not leaning into the live-cannibalism side of things. A generally hopeful tone would be great.)
If you're feeling shippy, I'd really love a future moment for these two, slice of life or another adventure. Maybe they encounter another spirit or challenge. Maybe it's the after-effects of godliness, or some aspect(s) of their being gods lasts longer than they thought. Maybe it's just about their life on the road -- or do they find a home somewhere, a place to belong?
Thank you again! I hope this is helpful and that you have a great Yuletide!
Why does it feel like AMC’s social media is doing more to promote the in-universe book Interview with the Vampire than their critical darling television series Interview with the Vampire? The network woke up and chose hilarious bits (not bites) on the week that Talamasca: The Secret Order, the third installment in the Anne Rice Immortal Universe, officially releases on AMC and AMC+.
The fictional journalist has already had a PR scandal and neither Talamasca nor IWTV season 3, a.k.a. The Vampire Lestat, is out yet. As fans will recall, at the end of IWTV season 2 Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian) published the book based on his interviews with the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) and the vampire Armand (Assad Zaman), Molloy’s own independent research, and additional help from the secret organization called the Talamasca. The book became a bestseller, and the already prickly Daniel became a vampire. A televised interview in the finale ended terribly. It seems the optics have not since improved.
i know the movie is free on youtube but im seeing that about 11ish minutes are missing from it and ppl are saying that its really good without all the cuts.
5/5. Discussion by a surgeon about how poorly we often handle mortality – care for the elderly in general, and death for both the old and young.
Excellent. I’ve had this book on my radar for over a decade, but the last time I went to pick it up, I found out literally the next day that my father was terminally ill, and I noped out. He lived another eleven months, which was about five months longer than he was expected to, but it’s taken me nearly eight years to come back to this book. I’m very glad I did, though this is depressing and infuriating and did make me cry.
It is also incredibly useful. There is an aging person in my life whom it is likely my wife and I will need to provide care for when it is needed, and this book was incredibly grounding on what that might look like, and in supplying an ethical framework to think about it. It would be oversimplifying to say that the book argues for privileging autonomy over safety, because there’s more to it than that, but the points it makes about how so many elderly care facilities are designed for the psychological comfort of the residents’ families at the expense of the residents’ comfort and happiness is sobering.
Also notable for some candid and messy examinations of how doctors do and don’t approach mortality with patients. There are no easy answers there, as patient need will vary widely. Some need to hear it to be prepared. Some don’t ever want to hear it. But he offers up some really good advice on frameworks for decisionmaking in life or death situations that can, if done right, make things vastly easier for the family making hard calls.
Highly recommended.
Content notes: Terminal illness, death of a parent, medical gaslighting
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china_shop on AO3. Treats are enabled and welcome!