I think that race has no place in politics or government. Student aid, monetary assistance, debt forgiveness, etc. Should be distributed based on factors such as disability, poverty, income, and not race. Disadvantaged groups are mixed races, and disadvantaged groups should be targeted directly. Racial groups, while on average may be more disadvantaged, have people all over the spectrum making it an invalid standard to use to decide who deserves aid.
We should not be literally colorblind, obviously we continue to see race and culture. However in a legal sense, it means that all are treated equally. Opportunities should not handed out based on race, and ones race should have no impact on legal outcomes.
The idea of compensation for enslaved ancestors or other atrocities committed by an institution against a group of people is one i agree with. Compensation is deserved, however this again should not be raced based. Using the enslavement example, while all those enslaved were African American, not all African Americans are descendants of slaves. Descendants should be compensated because of their ancestry, not because of their color.
Aid should be given to people because they need it, not because of the color of their skin. Race is the color of your skin, and itself does not warrant aid. Things like minority scholarships and diversity quotas that give money based on race and not based on need or merit are wrong and take away from those that are in need.
At the end of the day, people are people. One race, the human race and all that.

I took a break from this app because it was time for my monthly break from social media entirely, and before I came back I decided to create a nairaland account because I wanted to contribute to a particular conversation. I must admit, Reddit seems like Wonderland in comparison. In fact, while I was fighting for my life on that forum, I fondly thought about redditors like MountainChemist, and I truly missed him. I missed everyone I'd ever disagreed with here.
First of all the population is staggeringly male. Of course, that's the case with Reddit as well. But Nairaland has a population of 6% active women at most. I think I met all the women there in the three days I spent there. And omo. was a crime to be a woman there. Reddit has nothing on that forum. Any posts made about women made them out to be all ashawos. A lady was killed? She was probably a deserving prostitute. A lady got a scholarship? She's a future whore, why would she deserve it? A man wanted advice on a valentine's gift for his girlfriend? What a simp. Why would he spend money on a whore? You're not allowed to have civil conversations, everything must descend into insults slinging back and forth. Tribalism is peak there, with an overwhelming majority of Tinubu supporters against a vocal minority of Peter Obi supporters who wish each other the worst. 4chan doesn't stand a chance.
You can't block anyone that harasses you. No active mods either. Only the toxic survive there, and the only men who aren't cussing you and your mom out are looking to smash. I shall never return.

To note, this is a continuation of the sagas I wrote that took place after the Cell Saga. The two sagas were written with inspiration taken from MCU Peter Parker's arcs in Far from Home and No Way Home. The goal was to develop Son Gohan into a proper lead for the show. If you'd like to check them out, here are the links!
Bojack (Far From Home) Saga: https://www.reddit.com/fixingmovies/s/sK5zOnJ0oU
Broly (No Way Home) Saga: https://www.reddit.com/fixingmovies/s/R3sGOqdbIv
There are many things I find wrong in the Buu saga:

1. Goku coming back: This derails the narrative tremendously as he snatches back the torch from Gohan. He's going to play a role, but he will stay dead.
2. Gohan's writing: In canon, we ended up with a rusty, goofy, badly written character who lost all the development from the previous sagas. He became a useless disappointment and did not uphold his role as a protector of the earth. This won't go anywhere near that direction.
3. SSJ3 and fusions: These elements were unnecessary as they did nothing to solve the plot and only provided fluff. This can be introduced in Super, but that's another story.
4. Goten and Trunks SSJ: I wasn't a fan of how they easily transformed, treating it as an easy power-up. Here, it will be earned.

What I want to do here is combine the Buu saga with Fusion Reborn. For that movie, there are tons of elements at play that can be used to make the grand finale of Dragon Ball Z, more grand. The goal here is to increase the stakes, trim all the unnecessary fat, give everyone a chance to shine, and keep the main focus on Gohan. I also want to replace Buu with Janemba, as I find him much more threatening due to his unique abilities which would be perfect to challenge Gohan. It's also here that we avoid the rinse-and-repeat problem that came with Buu and his many forms.

Without further ado, here is the...... Janemba Saga!

Seven years have passed since the climactic battle against Broly. Gohan, now a young adult, has diligently pursued a delicate balance between his studies and training. During this time, he has honed his Super Saiyan 2 form and significantly elevated his combat skills. However, he deliberately restrains his power, refusing to succumb to the depths of his inner rage. Gohan believes that his technical prowess alone will suffice, opting to suppress the primal fury within him. Despite his reservations, Gohan attends a prestigious private school on an academic scholarship, alongside his steadfast companion Videl and their circle of friends. Gohan has embraced the responsibility of preserving peace on Earth as a valiant hero, adopting the mantle of Saiyaman. His suit has undergone a sleek redesign, shedding the theatrical poses in favor of a more streamlined appearance. Functioning as a dynamic duo reminiscent of Superman and Batman, Gohan and Videl tackle the city's crime wave together. Videl, having mastered her ki abilities under the tutelage of Piccolo, has grown stronger over the years. Glimpses of their everyday lives reveal the struggles of Gohan as he endeavors to balance the demands of school, training, and personal relationships. Amidst the challenges, he harbors a subtle resentment towards his duty, as it often encroaches upon his cherished personal time. Nevertheless, Gohan persists, fueled by his unwavering determination to live up to his father's legacy.
However, the tranquil facade is shattered when a harrowing turn of events unfolds. The narrative transitions to an otherworldly realm, distinctly separate from Earth. A mysterious figure cloaked in darkness materializes, none other than the malevolent wizard Babidi. Harnessing the unholy power of dark magic, Babidi establishes a sinister connection with his loyal minion Dabura, the King of the Demon Realm. United in their nefarious purpose, they orchestrate an audacious invasion of Otherworld, intent on freeing the formidable demon Janemba. Ages ago, Janemba had been sealed away in this celestial realm by the Supreme Kais. Babidi's malevolent ambition revolves around shrouding the universe in eternal darkness. To achieve this nightmarish vision, he plans to infect the denizens of Earth using the insidious Majin spell, thereby expanding his dominion across countless planets.
In the midst of this burgeoning chaos, Gohan, disguised as Saiyaman, finds himself investigating a peculiar incident involving the possession of one of his dearest friends. Videl, resolute and fearless, engages in a fierce battle against the malevolent puppeteer controlling Sharpner. With unwavering confidence, she urges Gohan to let her confront the threat alone. Sharpner, his strength unnaturally augmented, puts up a formidable resistance, but Videl's experience enables her to subdue him without resorting to fatal measures. As Sharpner awakens from his trance, Gohan seeks answers regarding the enigmatic force that had seized control of his friend. Sharpner reveals that a voice called Babidi had whispered malevolent commands into his mind. Armed with this critical information, Gohan summons Vegeta and Piccolo to join him in unraveling the unfolding crisis, embarking on a journey towards the epicenter of the ominous power emanating from a series of potent and wicked ki signatures, ultimately leading them to Babidi and Dabura.
Meanwhile, Earth becomes a battleground, besieged by an onslaught of resurrected zombies, soldiers, and former villains who once terrorized its populace. Though the trio finds themselves torn between aiding their beleaguered planet and confronting the imminent threat directly before them, they know their immediate priority lies in thwarting Babidi's scheme. Distracting them with his grandiose monologue, Babidi probes their minds, seeking susceptible individuals to manipulate. Initially targeting Vegeta, Babidi redirects his attention toward Piccolo, sensing his inherent duality as a being born of both good and evil. With a combination of Babidi's insidious spell and the lingering malevolence of Piccolo Daimao, the Namekian warrior struggles to resist the overwhelming influence. His powers surge exponentially beyond their previous limitations, clouding his judgment and driving him to confront his former student, Gohan. Amidst the shock of this unforeseen twist, Gohan assumes the responsibility of awakening Piccolo from his trance-like state, determined to restore his mentor's clarity. As the battle rages on, they sense a tremor that reverberates throughout the planet, an unmistakable ki signature brimming with icy coldness, signifying the presence of a singular entity—Janemba.
Bracing himself for the impending clash with this malevolent force, Gohan prepares to face Janemba head-on, while Piccolo embarks on a personal mission to neutralize Babidi. Meanwhile, Vegeta remains locked in a fierce struggle against Dabura, the Prince of Saiyans confronting the King of the Demon Realm. The confrontation unfolds with brutal intensity, and Vegeta finds himself teetering on the edge of defeat. Sensing his adversary's advantage, Dabura unleashes a legion of demons to tip the scales further in his favor. Pushed to his limits, Vegeta fights valiantly, but the odds appear insurmountable. Dabura, consumed by arrogance, revels in his imminent triumph, announcing his intention to unleash the full might of the demon horde upon Earth. Faced with the dire consequences of such a cataclysm, Vegeta musters every ounce of desperation within him. In a moment of self-sacrifice, he unleashes a devastating attack upon Dabura and his minions. The resulting explosion weakens Babidi's forces, repels the encroaching Demon Realm, and safeguards their dimension from untold chaos and devastation.
(Note: I wanted to keep Vegeta's sacrifice but make it matter and count. In canon, it didn't stop Buu, and he sent himself into cold oblivion on a lie. Here, he makes a difference in the long run and has a definitive redemptive moment. )
Startled by the sudden disappearance of Vegeta's powerful ki, Trunks defies the protests of his comrades on the Lookout and rushes towards the chaotic battleground. His heart pounds with trepidation as he races through the smoke-filled air, only to be confronted with the lifeless body of his father lying motionless on the ground. Overwhelmed by a torrent of despair and seething rage, Trunks' trembling hands reach out to shake his father awake, his desperate pleas echoing through the desolate landscape. But his efforts prove futile, and a profound sense of loss engulfs him.
In the midst of this heart-wrenching moment, a surge of raw energy courses through Trunks' veins, igniting a transformation that surpasses the boundaries of his mortal self. Radiating an aura of vibrant golden light, Trunks ascends to the legendary state of the Super Saiyan. His eyes ablaze with determination and fury, he is now ready to face the battle that lies ahead.The scene shifts, revealing the remaining Z-Fighters locked in a perilous struggle against hordes of relentless zombies. Fatigue weighs heavily upon their weary bodies as they fend off the relentless onslaught. Suddenly, a streak of intense power streaks across the sky, and Trunks descends before his comrades, newly transformed and brimming with indomitable strength. A burst of energy erupts from his fingertips, shattering a ki blast launched by one of the zombies, diverting it harmlessly away. In the eyes of his adversaries, astonishment mingles with mockery as they behold the sight of a mere child standing before them.Unfazed by their taunting laughter, Trunks addresses his comrades with unwavering resolve. He declares that he will shoulder the burden of the battle, vowing that not a single life will be lost on this day. With unparalleled speed and precision, he charges towards the encroaching horde, obliterating each zombie with astonishing ease. Their forces crumble beneath the might of his wrath, and the battlefield is transformed into a graveyard of defeated foes.As the last of the zombies falls, Trunks relinquishes his Super Saiyan form, his energy spent and body drained. Collapsing to the ground, he succumbs to exhaustion, his breathing ragged and labored. In this moment of vulnerability, Yamcha, recognizing the young warrior's valor, rushes to his side and gently lifts him from the battlefield, cradling his battered form with utmost care.
(Note: Kid Trunks' transformation is a direct reference to when Future Trunks found Gohan dead after the battle with the androids, and then he transformed. )
While this tumultuous event unfolded, the responsibility of safeguarding the Lookout fell upon the young shoulders of Goten. As time passed, a sudden intrusion disrupted the tranquility of the platform, as a malevolent henchman, infused with the dark power of King Cold, materialized before him. Though momentarily shaken, Goten summoned his courage and engaged in a valiant struggle against his formidable adversary.Initially, it appeared that Goten held his ground admirably, skillfully countering the attacks launched by the nefarious duo of Salza and Dore. However, their sinister coordination gradually began to overpower the young warrior. In a devastating display of force, Salza executed a malicious kick that sent Goten hurtling towards the precipice of the Lookout, teetering on the brink of unconsciousness.
Witnessing her son's battered and vulnerable state, Chi-Chi, consumed by a mixture of horror and fury, lunged at Salza in a desperate attempt to defend her child. Yet, her efforts proved futile as Salza callously seized her by the throat, mercilessly constricting the life from her. From his weakened position, Goten, wide-eyed and mouth agape, struggled to remain conscious, his mind besieged by the conflicting emotions of impending death and the weight of disappointment.
In that critical moment, he closed his eyes, his teeth sinking into his lip until blood stained his mouth. His trembling hands clenched into tight fists. And then, something within him snapped, unleashing a primal force that lay dormant within.Goten vanished, replaced by an embodiment of unbridled rage. Transformed into a Super Saiyan, his furious aura radiated with an intensity that defied comprehension. With a surge of unrestrained power, he propelled himself towards Salza, obliterating his malevolent foe with a devastating blast that eradicated him from existence. Undeterred by the remaining henchmen who sought to avenge their fallen comrade, Goten engaged them with a newfound ferocity.In a breathtaking display of combat prowess, it took mere moments for Goten to dispatch his adversaries, consigning them to the depths of the afterlife. Unaware of his mother's watchful gaze, Chi-Chi bore witness to the astonishing transformation of her once-innocent son, her heart filled with awe at the unfathomable power he now wielded.
(Note: This is a reference to when Superman had attacked Zod for attacking Martha in Man of Steel. With this, Goten is able to break out of his shell and experience some development. I also did not want Chi-Chi to die, but to have it be close. This way, she can witness firsthand her son fighting to avenge her and realizing that his saiyan blood kicked in to save them all, which would lead to some development towards her accepting that they have the natural power to fight, but also protect. )
Simultaneously, amidst the chaos, Piccolo found himself embroiled in a fierce battle of magic. His objective was to shatter the impenetrable barrier erected by his adversary, Babidi, to halt the relentless proliferation of Majin-infused beings. The odds were stacked against him, but with unwavering determination, Piccolo summoned the strength to rupture the barrier, ultimately delivering a fatal blow to Babidi. In doing so, he succeeded in halting the insidious spread of the Majin curse.Meanwhile, Gohan, driven by an overwhelming surge of power in his Super Saiyan 2 form, charged headlong at the formidable Fat Janemba, intent on swiftly ending the confrontation. Displaying remarkable valor, Gohan engaged his adversary with all his might, momentarily gaining the upper hand in fleeting bursts of fury. However, Janemba's energy continued to surge unabated, gradually overpowering Gohan and relegating him to a defensive stance.With the battle reaching its climax, Janemba unleashed a devastating onslaught aimed at obliterating the planet. In a desperate bid to protect all that he held dear, Gohan fearlessly interposed himself between Janemba's lethal assault and the world, extending his arms wide as he summoned the last vestiges of his ki to create a resolute energy shield. The technique demanded one final act of defiance, compelling Gohan to redirect the unleashed energy back towards Janemba, propelling the malevolent entity backward and teetering on the precipice of annihilation. Yet, the maneuver exacted a heavy toll on Gohan, leaving him grievously injured and drained of consciousness, hurtling through the sky and crashing deep into the untamed wilderness.
(Note: This maneuver is a mix of what Gohan did against Broly in Movie 10, and what Future Gohan did in his last battle against the androids.)
Subsequently, Supreme Kai, recognizing the dire condition of the young warrior, transported Gohan to the realm of the Kais. As Gohan gradually regained consciousness, he found himself surrounded by the presence of Supreme Kai, Kibito, and his father, Son Goku. Unbeknownst to Gohan, while the realms beyond had been engulfed in pandemonium, Goku had valiantly sought to subdue numerous formidable adversaries, most notably Broly. Upon learning of Gohan's presence on that distant planet, Goku implored for the opportunity to visit his son, a request that was granted amidst the bittersweet reunion.During their heartfelt meeting, they shared the weight of overseeing the turmoil ravaging Earth, realizing that Janemba still lingered, amassing the remnants of malevolent ki left unvanquished. Panic washed over Gohan as he urgently expressed his need to return to Earth, but his pleas were met with cautionary words from his loved ones. They acknowledged his unpreparedness to face Janemba anew, warning of the potential consequences should he engage the foe prematurely. Supreme Kai disclosed his true intention in bringing Gohan to this realm—to unlock the dormant power lying dormant within him. However, the process demanded a profound reconciliation of Gohan's dual nature as both human and Saiyan. To initiate this transformative ritual, Gohan would be immersed in a meditative trance within the sacred confines of a cascading waterfall, which would serve as a mirror reflecting his true self. Only then would he embark upon the arduous journey of unlocking his latent potential, fully aware that failure could result in dire consequences, even death.
Nervously, Gohan steeled himself for the imminent trial, drawing strength from the unwavering support of his father. With resolute determination, he approached the cascading waterfall, where Supreme Kai initiated the trance, enveloping Gohan in an ethereal aura of introspection.As the ritual commenced, Gohan's gaze fixated grimly upon vivid recollections of his past battles, struggling to reconcile the moments when he had succumbed to his own wrath. Before long, a projection materialized, representing his suppressed Saiyan essence—a separate entity demanding to be acknowledged. A tumultuous clash ensued between the two facets of Gohan's being, with the young warrior faltering in his attempts to gain the upper hand, for each surge of anger only fueled his other self. Finally, a profound realization washed over Gohan, piercing through the haze of conflict. He ceased resisting and, instead, extended a hand of acceptance and understanding to his Saiyan counterpart, embracing the essence of his true nature. In that transformative instant, the boundaries dissolved, merging into a harmonious unity. Gohan's eyes fluttered open as he awakened from the trance, reborn in his newfound Ultimate Form, his essence finally whole and indomitable.
(Note: Yes, this is a direct reference to Naruto obtaining true mastery of his nine tails form in Shippuden. I did not like Gohan's canon mystic ritual because it did not feel earned. He just sat around for a long time doing nothing and gained nothing from it. I wanted to fix that. So here, he went through a more direct ritual at the risk of death to be able to unlock his true abilities. )
In the midst of these events, Trunks and Goten find themselves under the tutelage of Piccolo within the formidable Hyperbolic Time Chamber. News reaches Piccolo that Gohan is undergoing a transformative process to unlock his latent potential, but the looming return of Janemba threatens to disrupt their plans. Exiting the chamber, Trunks and Goten emerge stronger than ever, having mastered their Super Saiyan forms and honed their teamwork to near perfection, compensating for their inherent power limitations.As Janemba crosses paths with them, the clash erupts in a spectacular display of martial prowess. Individually, they stand little chance against the overwhelming might of Janemba, but when united, a different narrative unfolds. Their combined efforts aim to sustain the battle long enough, providing Gohan with the precious time he needs to complete his ritual. Piccolo assumes leadership, valiantly holding his ground, although it becomes increasingly evident that Janemba possesses a distinct advantage. Piccolo strategically diverts Janemba's attention, creating openings for Goten and Trunks to launch coordinated assaults that vex their adversary, even if their impact is minimal. Nonetheless, every second counts.
In a fateful turn of events, Janemba unleashes an assault that overwhelms Piccolo, incapacitating him and leaving only Goten and Trunks to face the malevolent entity. Swift as a phantom, Janemba materializes in front of Trunks, delivering a devastating blow to his abdomen, leaving Goten as the lone defender. Standing tall, Goten defiantly assumes a battle stance, mustering his courage. However, before Janemba can unleash a devastating attack upon him, an unknown figure delivers a powerful kick to Janemba's head, hurtling him towards the distant mountains.
The camera pans, revealing the figure to be none other than Gohan, resplendent in his newfound form.
(Note: This entrance directly mirrors that of Future Gohan when he was about to begin his final battle against the Androids!)
A wave of elation washes over Goten as he beholds the return of his beloved elder brother, while Trunks and Piccolo visibly exhale with relief. Gohan and Piccolo exchange a brief but meaningful exchange, Gohan acknowledging his newfound strength while Piccolo recognizes that Gohan has ascended to an entirely different echelon. Janemba regains his footing, reemerging before them, demanding their attention and focus. Gohan asserts that he will confront Janemba directly, urging the others to evacuate. Though reluctant, Piccolo and the young warriors comply, dispersing to various parts of the world to address the chaos that plagues their surroundings.
With an air of fury, Janemba charges at Gohan, his fist extended menacingly. Yet Gohan intercepts the attack, seizing Janemba's fist in a vice-like grip, and in a flash of teleportation, they are transported to the dreaded realm of H.F.I.L. (Home For Infinite Losers).
(Note: I have Gohan teleport Janemba because at least this way their battle will not damage Earth. Also we will assume Gohan has figured out some sort of Instant Transmission movement like Goku.)
The eyes of Earth's denizens, the Kais, and the denizens of the Otherworld are fixated on this pivotal moment, the culmination of a battle that will determine the fate of the universe. And so, the clash commences, a cataclysmic struggle that echoes through the very fabric of existence.
In a breathtaking display of power, Gohan initially dominates the battle, effortlessly overpowering Janemba with his newfound might. However, the tables turn when Janemba unveils unexpected abilities: space-time manipulation and a formidable sword. Gohan is caught off guard, unsure of how to counter such unorthodox tactics. Desperation and frustration consume him, causing his control over his own power to slip away.Amidst the chaos, Gohan experiences a moment of revelation, a surge of understanding regarding his opponent's abilities. He realizes that in order to anticipate Janemba's next move, he must heighten his senses by channeling his ki, allowing for precise timing and swift reactions. With this newfound clarity, Gohan regains his composure, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Seizing an opportunity, Janemba materializes before him, poised to strike with his sword. Yet, in a stunning display of strength, Gohan catches the blade with both hands, shattering it into pieces.
The tide of the battle begins to shift, albeit slightly, in Gohan's favor. Frustrated and bewildered, Janemba exclaims, "Just what...are you?!" Gohan responds with unwavering resolve, proclaiming, "I am the hope of the universe. I am the answer to all living things that cry out for peace. I am the protector of the innocent. I am the light in the darkness. I am truth. Ally to good! Nightmare to you!"
(Note: I'm taking Goku's dubbed speech against Frieza and repurposing it for Gohan. As he's inherently more the justice-driven hero archetype rather than the fighting maniac that is Goku, it makes more sense. We'll just assume Goku gave Frieza the manga version of his speech. This is also the most pivotal moment of Gohan's journey as he comes to terms with being a protector. Throughout the show, he's been struggling between his desire to be a scholar and his responsibility to be a hero. That dubbed speech is exactly the moment that Gohan's arc comes full circle. Here, he finally embraces what he was always meant to be..... the hero.)
With renewed determination, Gohan launches various assaults in a bid to defeat his formidable adversary. However, his attacks fail to inflict lasting damage, and Gohan himself begins to exhaust his ki. It is then that he realizes the true nature of Janemba's existence—he is an embodiment of pure evil ki, unlike any opponent Gohan has faced before. A desperate plan takes shape in Gohan's mind. Mentally reaching out to his friends and even Videl, he calls upon them to gather their ki, reminiscent of the Spirit Bomb technique. Initially, only the Z-Fighters respond, but their combined energy proves insufficient.As Gohan valiantly defends against Janemba's onslaught, he mentally pleads with the people of Earth to lend their aid. Uncertainty and doubt cast a shadow over the crowd until Hercule steps forward, berating them for refusing to support the man who once saved them during the Cell Games. Revealing the truth of Gohan's identity as the Delivery Boy turned hero, the tide of public opinion shifts. People extend their hands, offering their energy to their savior. Shocked by the sudden turn of events, Gohan is relieved by the surge of ki coursing through him, providing a momentary opening to kick Janemba away. The collective assistance grants Gohan a substantial reservoir of energy, which he then summons forth, infusing it with the very essence of his soul—a daring and perilous maneuver.
Driven to his breaking point, a furious Janemba ascends into the sky, conjuring a colossal sphere of malevolent ki capable of obliterating the entire universe. Gohan remains calm, his gaze fixed upon the impending cataclysm. With unwavering resolve, he declares, "This is the end for you, Janemba." Closing his eyes, Gohan raises his left hand above his head, conjuring a radiant sphere of rainbow light. Seizing the opportunity, Janemba hurls his devastating attack towards Gohan. Sensing the imminent danger, Gohan's eyes snap open as he crushes the ball of energy in his palm. Swiftly pivoting, he hurls the fragmented energy towards the oncoming attack, effortlessly piercing through it, and hurtling towards Janemba, finally eradicating the universe's peril once and for all.
(Note: This is the same technique as Kid Buu's Planet Burst move, the one that destroyed Earth. I also repurposed Gogeta's stardust breaker technique for Gohan as I feel it makes sense for him to have it. It also makes him stand out from Goku even more in this case.)
As the dust settles, Gohan maintains his energy long enough to witness Janemba's demise. A triumphant smirk graces his face as he remarks, "Heh, looks like I finally did it." Exhausted, he collapses to the ground, almost completely drained. The onlookers erupt into joyous cheers, celebrating Gohan's hard-fought victory. Supreme Kai teleports Gohan from the depths of H.F.I.L back to Earth, specifically to the Lookout, where his family and friends eagerly await his return. In a heartwarming scene, Gohan is enveloped in embraces and expressions of relief. It is here, amidst the warmth of their loved ones, that Gohan and Videl share their first kiss—a tender moment of connection and celebration.Meanwhile, the Dragon Balls work their magic, rectifying the chaos caused by Babidi's dark influence. The majority of those who perished are revived, yet there are exceptions, including Vegeta. Accepting his fate and determined to atone for his past deeds, Vegeta expresses his desire to continue growing stronger in the afterlife, entrusting the protection of his family to his son. Tearfully, Trunks vows to make his father proud, with Goten stepping forward to support his friend in this emotional moment. Fond farewells are exchanged as everyone prepares to return to their respective homes.
Gohan and Goten engage in a heartfelt conversation, their bond as brothers strengthening. However, their exchange is interrupted by Chi-Chi, who unexpectedly interrupts their conversation. To their astonishment, she expresses pride in their valiant efforts to safeguard the world, finally relenting and granting them permission to train and protect. The three embrace, their family united and resolute.In a different realm, Vegeta stands before King Yemma, awaiting judgment. To his surprise, he is granted an Otherworldly body, a result of Goku's recommendation and Vegeta's ultimate sacrifice that tipped the scales of justice. With this second chance, Vegeta is granted the opportunity to train ceaselessly and, more importantly, to settle his unfinished business with Goku. The final scene between Goku and Vegeta unfolds, their fists colliding in a charged confrontation, their image freezing .( mirroring the intensity of Rocky and Apollo in Rocky III, leaving their ultimate showdown to the imagination.)
A decade passes, marked by a time skip. Tien and Krillin have established their own martial arts schools, dedicated to passing on their unique styles to the next generation. Goten and Trunks, under the tutelage of Piccolo, diligently train to harness their extraordinary powers. Gohan, now a respected scholar, has married Videl, and together they have a daughter. At home, Videl imparts the basics of combat to their daughter, Pan. Gohan, having just finished delivering a lecture on energy at the university, senses a disturbance reverberating across the planet. Instinctively, he rushes to the rooftop, pressing a button on his wrist. In an instant, he transforms into his iconic Saiyaman costume, soaring into the horizon with a mischievous grin. He breaks through the fourth wall, symbolizing his unwavering resolve to protect and inspire.
The screen fades to black.
The End.
There we have it! My final wrap-up of the MCU Peter ParkeGohan development journey! Honestly, I did have thoughts of just going straight into revising the Buu arc, but I felt there was more to be done before that. Gohan needed to go through the development I gave him in my two written arcs as there were lessons there that shaped him.
I also felt that a trained Gohan, who is naturally intellectual, would be a perfect antagonist in Janemba. He had to learn to outsmart him, and not just have it be a straight-up slugfest.
What do you guys think? Share your thoughts below!
u/fatherandyriley
u/dgenerationmc

"Why Did Jesus Die on the Cross?"

The main reason Jesus died on the cross was to defeat Satan and set us free from his oppressive rule. Everything else that Jesus accomplished was to be understood as an aspect and consequence of this victory (e.g., Recapitulation, Moral Influence, etc.).
This understanding of why Jesus had to die is called the Christus Victor (Latin for “Christ is Victorious”) view of the atonement. But, what exactly was Christ victorious from, and why? To find out the answers to these questions, we have to turn to the Old Testament, as that's what the apostles would often allude to in order to properly teach their audience the message they were trying to convey (Rom. 15:4).
The OT is full of conflict between the Father (YHVH) and false gods, between YHVH and cosmic forces of chaos. The Psalms speak of this conflict between YHVH and water monsters of the deeps (an ancient image for chaos) (Psa. 29:3-4; 74:10-14; 77:16, 19; 89:9-10; 104:2-9, etc).
The liberation of Israel from Egypt wasn’t just a conflict between Pharaoh and Moses. It was really between YHVH and the false gods of Egypt.
Regardless of whether you think the aforementioned descriptions are literal or metaphorical, the reality that the Old Testament describes is that humanity lived in a “cosmic war zone.”
The Christus Victor motif is about Christ reigning victorious over wicked principalities and Satan's kingdom, and is strongly emphasized throughout the New Testament. Scripture declares that Jesus came to drive out "the prince of this world” (John 12:31), to “destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8), to “destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb. 2:14) and to “put all enemies under his feet” (1 Cor 15:25). Jesus came to overpower the “strong man” (Satan) who held the world in bondage and worked with his Church to plunder his "palace" (Luke 11:21-22). He came to end the reign of the cosmic “thief” who seized the world to “steal, and to kill, and to destroy” the life YHVH intended for us (John 10:10). Jesus came and died on the cross to disarm “the principalities and powers” and make a “shew of them openly [i.e., public spectacle]” by “triumphing over them in [the cross]” (Col. 2:15).
Beyond these explicit statements, there are many other passages that express the Christus Victor motif as well. For example, the first prophecy in the Bible foretells that a descendent of Eve (Jesus) would crush the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15). The first Christian sermon ever preached proclaimed that Jesus in principle conquered all YHVH's enemies (Acts 2:32-36). And the single most frequently quoted Old Testament passage by New Testament authors is Psalm 110:1 which predicts that Christ would conquer all YHVH’s opponents. (Psalm 110 is quoted or alluded to in Matthew 22:41-45; 26:64, Mark 12:35-37; 14:62, Luke 20:41-44; 22:69, Acts 5:31; 7:55-56, Romans 8:34, 1st Corinthians 15:22-25, Ephesians 1:20, Hebrews 1:3; 1:13; 5:6, 10; 6:20; 7:11, 15, 17, 21; 8:1; 10:12-13, 1st Peter 3:22, and Revelation 3:21.) According to New Testament scholar Oscar Cullman, the frequency with which New Testament authors cite this Psalm is the greatest proof that Christ’s “victory over the angel powers stands at the very center of early Christian thought.”
Because of man's rebellion, the Messiah's coming involved a rescue mission that included a strategy for vanquishing the powers of darkness.
Since YHVH is a God of love who gives genuine “say-so” to both angels and humans, YHVH rarely accomplishes His providential plans through coercion. YHVH relies on His infinite wisdom to achieve His goals. Nowhere is YHVH's wisdom put more on display than in the manner in which He outsmarted Satan and the powers of evil, using their own evil to bring about their defeat.
Most readers probably know the famous story from ancient Greece about the Trojan Horse. To recap the story, Troy and Greece had been locked in a ten-year-long vicious war when, according to Homer and Virgil, the Greeks came up with a brilliant idea. They built an enormous wooden horse, hid soldiers inside and offered it to the Trojans as a gift, claiming they were conceding defeat and going home. The delighted Trojans accepted the gift and proceeded to celebrate by drinking themselves into a drunken stupor. When night came and the Trojan warriors were too wasted to fight, the Greeks exited the horse, unlocked the city gates to quietly let all their compatriots in, and easily conquered the city, thus winning the war.
Historians debate whether any of this actually happened. But either way, as military strategies go, it’s brilliant.
Now, there are five clues in the New Testament that suggest YHVH was using something like this Trojan Horse strategy against the powers when he sent Jesus into the world:
1) The Bible tells us that YHVH's victory over the powers of darkness was achieved by the employment of YHVH’s wisdom, and was centered on that wisdom having become reality in Jesus Christ (Rom. 16:25, 1 Cor. 2:7, Eph. 3:9-10, Col. 1:26). It also tells us that, for some reason, this Christ-centered wisdom was kept “secret and hidden” throughout the ages. It’s clear from this that YHVH's strategy was to outsmart and surprise the powers by sending Jesus.
2) While humans don’t generally know Jesus’ true identity during his ministry, demons do. They recognize Jesus as the Son of God, the Messiah, but, interestingly enough, they have no idea what he’s doing (Mark 1:24; 3:11; 5:7, Luke 8:21). Again, the wisdom of YHVH in sending Jesus was hidden from them.
3) We’re told that, while humans certainly share in the responsibility for the crucifixion, Satan and the powers were working behind the scenes to bring it about (John 13:27 cf. 1 Cor. 2:6-8). These forces of evil helped orchestrate the crucifixion.
4) We’re taught that if the “princes of this world [age]” had understood the secret wisdom of YHVH, “they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Cor 2:8 cf. vss 6-7). Apparently, Satan and the powers regretted orchestrating Christ’s crucifixion once they learned of the wisdom of YHVH that was behind it.
5) Finally, we can begin to understand why the powers came to regret crucifying “the Lord of glory” when we read that it was by means of the crucifixion that the “handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us [i.e., the charge of our legal indebtedness]” was “[taken] out of the way [i.e., canceled]” as the powers were disarmed. In this way Christ “triumph[ed] over” the powers by "his cross” and even “made a shew of them openly” (Col. 2:14-15). Through Christ’s death and resurrection YHVH's enemies were vanquished and placed under his Messiah's feet, and ultimately His own in the end (1 Cor. 15:23-28).
Putting these five clues together, we can discern YHVH's Trojan Horse strategy in sending Jesus.
The powers couldn’t discern why Jesus came because YHVH's wisdom was hidden from them. YHVH's wisdom was motivated by unfathomable love, and since Satan and the other powers were evil, they lacked the capacity to understand it. Their evil hearts prevented them from suspecting what YHVH was up to.
What the powers did understand was that Jesus was mortal. This meant he was killable. Lacking the capacity to understand that this was the means by which YHVH would ultimately bring about the defeat of death (and thus, pave the road for the resurrection itself), they never suspected that making Jesus vulnerable to their evil might actually be part of YHVH's infinitely wise plan.
And so they took the bait (or "ransom"; Matt. 20:28, Mark 10:45, 1 Tim. 2:5-6). Utilizing Judas and other willing human agents, the powers played right into YHVH’s secret plan and orchestrated the crucifixion of the Messiah (Acts 2:22-23; 4:28). YHVH thus brilliantly used the self-inflicted incapacity of evil to understand love against itself. And, like light dispelling darkness, the unfathomably beautiful act of YHVH's love in sending the willing Messiah as a "ransom" to these blood-thirsty powers defeated them. The whole creation was in principle freed and reconciled to YHVH, while everything written against us humans was nailed to the cross, thus robbing the powers of the only legal claim they had on us. They were “spoiled [i.e., disempowered]” (Col. 2:14-15).
As happened to the Trojans in accepting the gift from the Greeks, in seizing on Christ’s vulnerability and orchestrating his crucifixion, the powers unwittingly cooperated with YHVH to unleash the one power in the world that dispels all evil and sets captives free. It’s the power of self-sacrificial love.

Why Penal Substitution Is Unbiblical

For the sake of keeping this already lengthy post as short as possible I'm not going to spend too much time on why exactly PSA (Penal Substitutionary Atonement) is inconsistent with Scripture, but I'll go ahead and point out the main reasons why I believe this is so, and let the reader look further into this subject by themselves, being that there are many resources out there which have devoted much more time than I ever could here in supporting this premise.

"Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:"-1 Corinthians 5:7

The Passover is one of the two most prominent images in the New Testament given as a comparison to Christ's atonement and what it accomplished, (the other most common image being the Day of Atonement sacrifice).
In the Passover, the blood of the lamb on the door posts of the Hebrews in the book of Exodus was meant to mark out those who were YHVH's, not be a symbol of PSA, as the lamb itself was not being punished by God in place of the Hebrews, but rather the kingdom of Egypt (and thus, allegorically speaking, the kingdom of darkness which opposed YHVH) was what was being judged and punished, because those who were not "covered" by the blood of the lamb could be easily identified as not part of God's kingdom/covenant and liberated people.
Looking at the Day of Atonement sacrifice (which, again, Christ's death is repeatedly compared to throughout the New Testament), this ritual required a ram, a bull, and two goats (Lev. 16:3-5). The ram was for a burnt offering intended to please God (Lev. 16:3-4). The bull served as a sin offering for Aaron, the high priest, and his family. In this case, the sin offering restored the priest to ritual purity, allowing him to occupy sacred space and be near YHVH’s presence. Two goats taken from "the congregation” were needed for the single sin offering for the people (Lev. 16:5). So why two goats?
The high priest would cast lots over the two goats, with one chosen as a sacrifice “for the Lord” (Lev. 16:8). The blood of that goat would purify the people. The second goat was not sacrificed or designated “for the Lord.” On the contrary, this goat—the one that symbolically carried the sins away from the camp of Israel into the wilderness—was “for Azazel” (Lev. 16:8-10).
What—or who—is Azazel?
The Hebrew term azazel (עזאזל) occurs four times in Leviticus 16 but nowhere else in most people's canon of the Bible, (and I say "most people's canon," because some people do include 1 Enoch in their canon of Scripture, which of course goes into great detail about this "Azazel" figure). Many translations prefer to translate the term as a phrase, “the goat that goes away,” which is the same idea conveyed in the King James Version’s “scapegoat.” Other translations treat the word as a name: Azazel. The “scapegoat” option is possible, but since the phrase “for Azazel” parallels the phrase “for YHVH” (“for the Lord”), the wording suggests that two divine figures are being contrasted by the two goats.
A strong case can be made for translating the term as the name Azazel. Ancient Jewish texts show that Azazel was understood as a demonic figure associated with the wilderness. The Mishnah (ca. AD 200; Yoma 6:6) records that the goat for Azazel was led to a cliff and pushed over, ensuring it would not return with its death. This association of the wilderness with evil is also evident in the New Testament, as this was where Jesus met the devil (Matt. 4:1). Also, in Leviticus 17:1-7 we learn that some Israelites had been accustomed to sacrificing offerings to "devils" (alternatively translated as “goat demons”). The Day of Atonement replaced this illegitimate practice.
The second goat was not sent into the wilderness as a sacrifice to a foreign god or demon. The act of sending the live goat out into the wilderness, which was unholy ground, was to send the sins of the people where they belonged—to the demonic domain. With one goat sacrificed to bring purification and access to YHVH and one goat sent to carry the people’s sins to the demonic domain, this annual ritual reinforced the identity of the true God and His mercy and holiness.
When Jesus died on the cross for all of humanity’s sins, he was crucified outside the city, paralleling the sins of the people being cast to the wilderness via the goat to Azazel. Jesus died once for all sinners, negating the need for this ritual.
As previously stated, the goat which had all the sin put on it was sent alive off to the wilderness, while the blood of the goat which was blameless was used to purify the temple and the people. Penal substitution would necessitate the killing of the goat which had the sin put on it.
Mind you, this is the only sacrificial ritual of any kind in the Torah in which sins are placed on an animal. The only time it happens is this, and that animal is not sacrificed. Most PSA proponents unwittingly point to this ritual as evidence of their view, despite it actually serving as evidence to the contrary, because most people don't read their Old Testament and don't familiarize themselves with the "boring parts" like Leviticus (when it's actually rather important to do so, since that book explains how exactly animal offerings were to be carried out and why they were done in the first place).
In the New Testament, Christ's blood was not only meant to mark out those who were his, but also expel the presence of sin and ritual uncleanness so as to make the presence of YHVH manifest in the believer's life. Notice how God's wrath isn't poured out on Christ in our stead on this view, but rather His wrath was poured out on those who weren't covered, and the presence of sin and evil were merely removed by that which is pure and blameless (Christ's blood) for the believer.
All this is the difference between expiation and propitiation.

The Content of Paul's Gospel Message

When the New Testament writers talked about “the gospel,” they referred not to the Protestant doctrine of justification sola fide–the proposition that if we will stop trying to win God’s favor and only just believe that God has exchanged our sin for Christ’s perfect righteousness, then in God’s eyes we will have the perfect righteousness required both for salvation and for assuaging our guilty consciences–but rather they referred to the simple but explosive proposition Kyrios Christos, “Christ is Lord.” That is to say, the gospel was, properly speaking, the royal announcement that Jesus of Nazareth was the God of Israel’s promised Messiah, the King of kings and Lord of lords.
The New Testament writers were not writing in a cultural or linguistic vacuum and their language of euangelion (good news) and euangelizomai would have been understood by their audience in fairly specific ways. Namely, in the Greco-Roman world for which the New Testament authors wrote, euangelion/euangelizomai language typically had to do with either A) the announcement of the accession of a ruler, or B) the announcement of a victory in battle, and would probably have been understood along those lines.
Let’s take the announcements of a new ruler first. The classic example of such a language is the Priene Calendar Inscription, dating to circa 9 BC, which celebrates the rule (and birthday) of Caesar Augustus as follows:
"It was seeming to the Greeks in Asia, in the opinion of the high priest Apollonius of Menophilus Azanitus: Since Providence, which has ordered all things of our life and is very much interested in our life, has ordered things in sending Augustus, whom she filled with virtue for the benefit of men, sending him as a savior [soter] both for us and for those after us, him who would end war and order all things, and since Caesar by his appearance [epiphanein] surpassed the hopes of all those who received the good tidings [euangelia], not only those who were benefactors before him, but even the hope among those who will be left afterward, and the birthday of the god [he genethlios tou theou] was for the world the beginning of the good tidings [euangelion] through him; and Asia resolved it in Smyrna."
The association of the term euangelion with the announcement of Augustus’ rule is clear enough and is typical of how this language is used elsewhere. To give another example, Josephus records that at the news of the accession of the new emperor Vespasian (69 AD) “every city kept festival for the good news (euangelia) and offered sacrifices on his behalf.” (The Jewish War, IV.618). Finally, a papyrus dating to ca. 498 AD begins:
"Since I have become aware of the good news (euangeliou) about the proclamation as Caesar (of Gaius Julius Verus Maximus Augustus)…"
This usage occurs also in the Septuagint, the Greek translations of the Jewish Scriptures. For instance LXX Isaiah 52:7 reads, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news (euangelizomenou), who publishes peace, who brings good news (euangelizomenos) of salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.'" Similarly, LXX Isaiah 40:9-10 reads:

"…Go up on a high mountain, you who bring good tidings (ho euangelizomenos) to Sion; lift up your voice with strength, you who bring good tidings (ho euangelizomenos); lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Ioudas, “See your God!” Behold, the Lord comes with strength, and his arm with authority (kyrieias)…."-NETS, Esaias 40:9-10

This consistent close connection between euangelion/euangelizomai language and announcements of rule strongly suggests that many of the initial hearers/readers of the early Christians’ evangelical language would likely have understood that language as the announcement of a new ruler (see, e.g., Acts 17:7), and, unless there is strong NT evidence to the contrary, we should presume that the NT writers probably intended their language to be so understood.
However, the other main way in which euangelion/euangelizomai language was used in the Greco-Roman world was with reference to battle reports, announcements of victory in war. A classic example of this sort of usage can be found in LXX 2 Samuel 18:19ff, where David receives word that his traitorous son, Absalom, has been defeated in battle. Euangelion/euangelizomai is used throughout the passage for the communications from the front.
As already shown throughout this post, the NT speaks of Jesus’s death and resurrection as a great victory over the powers that existed at that time and, most importantly, over death itself. Jesus’ conquest of the principalities and powers was the establishment of his rule and comprehensive authority over heaven and earth, that is, of his Lordship over all things (again, at that time).
This was the content of Paul's gospel message...

Justification, and the "New" Perspective on Paul

The following quotation is from The Gospel Coalition, and I believe it to be a decently accurate summary of the NPP (New Perspective on Paul), despite it being from a source which is in opposition to it:

The New Perspective on Paul, a major scholarly shift that began in the 1980s, argues that the Jewish context of the New Testament has been wrongly understood and that this misunderstand[ing] has led to errors in the traditional-Protestant understanding of justification. According to the New Perspective, the Jewish systems of salvation were not based on works-righteousness but rather on covenantal nomism, the belief that one enters the people of God by grace and stays in through obedience to the covenant. This means that Paul could not have been referring to works-righteousness by his phrase “works of the law”; instead, he was referring to Jewish boundary markers that made clear who was or was not within the people of God. For the New Perspective, this is the issue that Paul opposes in the NT. Thus, justification takes on two aspects for the New Perspective rather than one; initial justification is by faith (grace) and recognizes covenant status (ecclesiology), while final justification is partially by works, albeit works produced by the Spirit.

I believe what's called the "new perspective" is actually rather old, and that the Reformers' view of Paul is what is truly new, being that the Lutheran understanding of Paul is simply not Biblical.
The Reformation perspective understands Paul to be arguing against a legalistic Jewish culture that seeks to earn their salvation through works. However, supporters of the NPP argue that Paul has been misread. We contend he was actually combating Jews who were boasting because they were God's people, the "elect" or the "chosen ones." Their "works," so to speak, were done to show they were God's covenant people and not to earn their salvation.
The key questions involve Paul’s view(s) of the law and the meaning of the controversy in which Paul was engaged. Paul strongly argued that we are “justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law” (Gal. 2:16b). Since the time of Martin Luther, this has been understood as an indictment of legalistic efforts to merit favor before God. Judaism was cast in the role of the medieval "church," and so Paul’s protests became very Lutheran, with traditional-Protestant theology reinforced in all its particulars (along with its limitations) as a result. In hermeneutical terms, then, the historical context of Paul’s debate will answer the questions we have about what exactly the apostle meant by the phrase "works of the law," along with other phrases often used as support by the Reformers for their doctrine of Sola Fide (justification by faith alone), like when Paul mentions "the righteousness of God."
Obviously an in-depth analysis of the Pauline corpus and its place in the context of first-century Judaism would take us far beyond the scope of this brief post. We can, however, quickly survey the topography of Paul’s thought in context, particularly as it has emerged through the efforts of recent scholarship, and note some salient points which may be used as the basis of a refurbished soteriology.
[Note: The more popular scholars associated with the NPP are E.P. Sanders, James Dunn, and N.T. Wright. Dunn was the first to coin the term "The New Perspective" in a 1983 Manson Memorial Lecture, The New Perspective on Paul and the Law.]
Varying authors since the early 1900's have brought up the charge that Paul was misread by those in the tradition of Martin Luther and other Protestant Reformers. Yet, it wasn't until E.P. Sanders' 1977 book, Paul and Palestinian Judaism, that scholars began to pay much attention to the issue. In his book, Sanders argues that the Judaism of Paul's day has been wrongly criticized as a religion of "works-salvation" by those in the Protestant tradition.
A fundamental premise in the NPP is that Judaism was actually a religion of grace. Sander's puts it clearly:
"On the point at which many have found the decisive contrast between Paul and Judaism - grace and works - Paul is in agreement with Palestinian Judaism... Salvation is by grace but judgment is according to works'...God saves by grace, but... within the framework established by grace he rewards good deeds and punishes transgression." (Paul and Palestinian Judaism, p. 543)
Sanders has coined a now well-known phrase to describe the character of first-century Palestinian Judaism: “covenantal nomism.” The meaning of “covenantal nomism” is that human obedience is not construed as the means of entering into God’s covenant. That cannot be earned; inclusion within the covenant body is by the grace of God. Rather, obedience is the means of maintaining one’s status within the covenant. And with its emphasis on divine grace and forgiveness, Judaism was never a religion of legalism.
If covenantal nomism was operating as the primary category under which Jews understood the Law, then when Jews spoke of obeying commandments, or when they required strict obedience of themselves and fellow Jews, it was because they were "keeping the covenant," rather than out of legalism.
More recently, N.T. Wright has made a significant contribution in his little book, What Saint Paul Really Said. Wright’s focus is the gospel and the doctrine of justification. With incisive clarity he demonstrates that the core of Paul’s gospel was not justification by faith, but the death and resurrection of Christ and his exaltation as Lord. The proclamation of the gospel was the proclamation of Jesus as Lord, the Messiah who fulfilled Israel’s expectations. Romans 1:3-4, not 1:16-17, is the gospel, contrary to traditional thinking. Justification is not the center of Paul’s thought, but an outworking of it:
"[T]he doctrine of justification by faith is not what Paul means by ‘the gospel’. It is implied by the gospel; when the gospel is proclaimed, people come to faith and so are regarded by God as members of his people. But ‘the gospel’ is not an account of how people get saved. It is, as we saw in an earlier chapter, the proclamation of the lordship of Jesus Christ….Let us be quite clear. ‘The gospel’ is the announcement of Jesus’ lordship, which works with power to bring people into the family of Abraham, now redefined around Jesus Christ and characterized solely by faith in him. ‘Justification’ is the doctrine which insists that all those who have this faith belong as full members of this family, on this basis and no other." (pp. 132, 133)
Wright brings us to this point by showing what “justification” would have meant in Paul’s Jewish context, bound up as it was in law-court terminology, eschatology, and God’s faithfulness to God’s covenant.
Specifically, Wright explodes the myth that the pre-Christian Saul was a pious, proto-Pelagian moralist seeking to earn his individual passage into heaven. Wright capitalizes on Paul’s autobiographical confessions to paint rather a picture of a zealous Jewish nationalist whose driving concern was to cleanse Israel of Gentiles as well as Jews who had lax attitudes toward the Torah. Running the risk of anachronism, Wright points to a contemporary version of the pre-Christian Saul: Yigal Amir, the zealous Torah-loyal Jew who assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin for exchanging Israel’s land for peace. Wright writes:
"Jews like Saul of Tarsus were not interested in an abstract, ahistorical system of salvation... They were interested in the salvation which, they believed, the one true God had promised to his people Israel." (pp. 32, 33)
Wright maintains that as a Christian, Paul continued to challenge paganism by taking the moral high ground of the creational monotheist. The doctrine of justification was not what Paul preached to the Gentiles as the main thrust of his gospel message; it was rather “the thing his converts most needed to know in order to be assured that they really were part of God’s people” after they had responded to the gospel message.
Even while taking the gospel to the Gentiles, however, Paul continued to criticize Judaism “from within” even as he had as a zealous Pharisee. But whereas his mission before was to root out those with lax attitudes toward the Torah, now his mission was to demonstrate that God’s covenant faithfulness (righteousness) has already been revealed in Jesus Christ.
At this point Wright carefully documents Paul’s use of the controversial phrase “God’s righteousness” and draws out the implications of his meaning against the background of a Jewish concept of justification. The righteousness of God and the righteousness of the party who is “justified” cannot be confused because the term bears different connotations for the judge than for the plaintiff or defendant. The judge is “righteous” if his or her judgment is fair and impartial; the plaintiff or defendant is “righteous” if the judge rules in his or her favor. Hence:
"If we use the language of the law court, it makes no sense whatsoever to say that the judge imputes, imparts, bequeaths, conveys or otherwise transfers his righteousness to either the plaintiff or the defendant. Righteousness is not an object, a substance or a gas which can be passed across the courtroom. For the judge to be righteous does not mean that the court has found in his favor. For the plaintiff or defendant to be righteous does not mean that he or she has tried the case properly or impartially. To imagine the defendant somehow receiving the judge’s righteousness is simply a category mistake. That is not how the language works." (p. 98)
However, Wright makes the important observation that even with the forensic metaphor, Paul’s theology is not so much about the courtroom as it is about God’s love.
Righteousness is not an impersonal, abstract standard, a measuring-stick or a balancing scale. That was, and still is, a Greek view. Righteousness, Biblically speaking, grows out of covenant relationship. We forgive because we have been forgiven (Matt. 18:21-35); “we love" because God “first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Love is the fulfillment of the law (Rom. 13:8, 10, Gal 5:14, Jam. 2:8). Paul even looked forward to a day when “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10), and he acknowledged that his clear conscience did not necessarily ensure this verdict (1 Cor. 4:4), but he was confident nevertheless. Paul did in fact testify of his clear conscience: “For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation [i.e., behavior] in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward” (2 Cor. 1:12). He was aware that he had not yet “attained” (Phil. 3:12-14), that he had to subdue temptation in his body, yet he was confident of the value of his performance (1 Cor. 9:27). These are hardly the convictions of someone who intends to rest entirely on the merits of an alien righteousness imputed to his or her account.
Wright went on to flesh out the doctrine of justification in Galatians, Philippians, and Romans. The “works of the law” are not proto-Pelagian efforts to earn salvation, but rather “sabbath [keeping], food-laws, circumcision” (p. 132). Considering the controversy in Galatia, Wright writes:
"Despite a long tradition to the contrary, the problem Paul addresses in Galatians is not the question of how precisely someone becomes a Christian, or attains to a relationship with God….The problem he addresses is: should his ex-pagan converts be circumcised or not? Now this question is by no means obviously to do with the questions faced by Augustine and Pelagius, or by Luther and Erasmus. On anyone’s reading, but especially within its first-century context, it has to do quite obviously with the question of how you define the people of God: are they to be defined by the badges of Jewish race, or in some other way? Circumcision is not a ‘moral’ issue; it does not have to do with moral effort, or earning salvation by good deeds. Nor can we simply treat it as a religious ritual, then designate all religious ritual as crypto-Pelagian good works, and so smuggle Pelagius into Galatia as the arch-opponent after all. First-century thought, both Jewish and Christian, simply doesn’t work like that…. [T]he polemic against the Torah in Galatians simply will not work if we ‘translate’ it into polemic either against straightforward self-help moralism or against the more subtle snare of ‘legalism’, as some have suggested. The passages about the law only work — and by ‘work’ I mean they will only make full sense in their contexts, which is what counts in the last analysis — when we take them as references to the Jewish law, the Torah, seen as the national charter of the Jewish race." (pp. 120-122)
The debate about justification, then, “wasn’t so much about soteriology as about ecclesiology; not so much about salvation as about the church.” (p. 119)
To summarize the theology of Paul in his epistles, the apostle mainly spent time arguing to those whom he were sending letters that salvation in Christ was available to all men without distinction. Jews and Gentiles alike may accept the free gift; it was not limited to any one group. Paul was vehement about this, especially in his letter to the Romans. As such, I will finish this post off by summarizing the letter itself, so as to provide Biblical support for the premises of the NPP and for what the scholars I referenced have thus far argued.
After his introduction in the epistle to an already believing and mostly Gentile audience (who would've already been familiar with the gospel proclaimed in verses 3-4), Paul makes a thematic statement in 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” This statement is just one of many key statements littered throughout the book of Romans that give us proper understanding of the point Paul wished to make to the interlocutors of his day, namely, salvation is available to all, whether Jew or Gentile.
In 1:16 Paul sets out a basic theme of his message in the letter to the Romans. All who believed, whether they be Jew or Gentile, were saved by the power of the gospel. The universal nature of salvation was explicitly stated. The gospel saved all without distinction, whether Jew or Greek; salvation was through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Immediately after this thematic declaration, Paul undertakes to show the universal nature of sin and guilt. In 1:18-32 Paul shows how the Gentile is guilty before God. Despite evidence of God and his attributes, which is readily available to all, they have failed to honor YHVH as God and have exchanged His glory for idolatrous worship and self-promotion. As a consequence, God handed them over in judgment (1:18-32). Paul moves to denunciation of those who would judge others while themselves being guilty of the very same offenses (2:1-5) and argues that all will be judged according to their deeds (2:6). This judgment applies to all, namely, Jew and Greek (2:9-10). This section serves as somewhat of a transition in Paul’s argument. He has highlighted the guilt of the Gentiles (1:18ff) and will shortly outline the guilt of the Jew (2:17-24). The universal statement of 2:1-11 sets the stage for Paul’s rebuke of Jewish presumption. It was not possession of the Law which delivered; it was faithful obedience. It is better to have no Law and yet to obey the essence of the Law (2:12-16) than to have the Law and not obey (2:17-3:4). Paul then defends the justice of God’s judgment (3:5-8), which leads to the conclusion that all (Jew and Gentile) are guilty before God (3:9).
Paul argues that it was a mistaken notion to think that salvation was the prerogative of the Jew only. This presumption is wrong for two reasons. First, it leads to the mistaken assumption that only Jews were eligible for this vindication (Paul deals with this misunderstanding in chapter 4 where he demonstrates that Abraham was justified by faith independently of the Law and is therefore the father of all who believe, Jew and Gentile alike). Second, it leads to the equally mistaken conclusion that all who were Jews are guaranteed of vindication. Paul demonstrates how this perspective, which would call God’s integrity into question since Paul was assuming many Jews would not experience this vindication, was misguided. He did this by demonstrating that it was never the case that all physical descendants of Israel (Jacob) were likewise recipients of the promise. In the past (9:6-33) as in the present (at that time; 11:1-10), only a remnant was preserved and only a remnant would experience vindication. Paul also argued that the unbelief of national Israel (the non-remnant) had the purpose of extending the compass of salvation. The unbelief of one group made the universal scope of the gospel possible. This universalism was itself intended to bring about the vindication of the unbelieving group (11:11-16). As a result of faith, all (Jew and Gentile) could be branches of the olive tree (11:17-24). Since faith in Christ was necessary to remain grafted into the tree, no one could boast of his position. All, Jew and Gentile alike, were dependent upon the mercy and grace of God. As a result of God’s mysterious plan, He would bring about the vindication of His people (11:25-27). [Note: It is this author's belief that this vindication occurred around 66-70 AD, with the Parousia of Christ's Church; this author is Full-Preterist in their Eschatology.]

Seven
...
In 1945, Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac were students at Columbia University and were lodging in Joan Vollmer’s apartment on West 115th Street. Kerouac, a Catholic who had gotten in on a football scholarship described Ginsberg as “this spindly Jewish kid with horn-rimmed glasses and tremendous ears sticking out…burning black eyes”; the two men had a brief, awkward affair. Their friend William Burroughs was living nearby, on Riverside Drive, and after Kerouac and Ginsberg set him up with their landlady, he moved in, too. The gaunt and lanky Burroughs was more than a decade older than Ginsberg and Kerouac, and already seemed, Ginsberg recalled, to have the “ashen gray of an old-age cheek.” The younger pair admired him, Ginsberg wrote, like “ambassadors to a Chinese emperor.” Kerouac hailed him as “the last of the Faustian men.” Burroughs returned the compliment by introducing the other members of the “libertine circle,” as they dubbed themselves, to drugs, sailors, porn, bathhouses, and Wilhelm Reich.

After leaving Harvard in 1936, Burroughs had enrolled at the University of Vienna’s medical schools, Reich’s alma mater, with vague plans of becoming a psychoanalyst, but his stay was dominated by the administration of arsenic shots for the syphilis he had contracted in America, which left him feeling nauseated and depressed. He left after a semester. Back in New York, Burroughs was analyzed by Paul Federn, who had been Reich’s first therapist but whom Reich came to consider his nemesis. Burroughs was institutionalized in 1940 after he chopped off the tip of his finger in a Van Gogh - like gesture of unrequited love (Bellevue psychiatrists diagnosed him as a paranoid schizophrenic). Burroughs’s parents gave him an allowance of two hundred dollars a month on the condition that he seek further help, and in 1946 Burroughs was undergoing narco-analysis with Dr. Lewis Wolberg, who used nitrous oxide and hypnosis to stimulated the unconscious.
Burroughs would return from his sessions with Wolberg to practice “wild analysis” on his friends, interpreting their dreams from the comfort of a wing chair. He also played a game that parodied the Reichian character analysis that he’d become interested in. The group would play an adaption of charades to facilitate the exploration of the onion layers of their personality armor. Burroughs referred to these exercises in amateur dramatics as “routines.” For example, underneath Burroughs’s public persona as the distinguished heir of an important St. Louis family lurked a prissy, lesbian English governess (“My dear, you’re just in time for tea. Don’t say those dirty words in front of everybody!”). Scratch the governess surface and you reached Old Luke, a gun-toting, tobacco-chewing sharecropper from the Deep South (“Ever gut a catfish?”). The last stratum, at his very core, held a silent Chinaman, a contemplative, impassive character who sat meditating on the banks of the Yangtse. Ginsberg’s hidden self was “the well-groomed Hungarian,” and Kerouac liked to play the naïve American lost in the sophistications of Paris.
Alfred Kinsey met Burroughs, Ginsberg, and Kerouac on one of their nocturnal trips to Time Square through their friend Herbert Huncke, the male prostitute who coined the term “beat” and introduced Burroughs to recreational drugs. Kinsey paid Huncke
Taking advantage of the proximity of Cott’s office to his father’s home, and still buzzing in the mouth, Ginsberg chose to come out during a posttherapeutic visit. “You mean you like to take men’s penises in your mouth?” his father said unsympathetically. But Cott thought homosexuality a perversion, as Reich did, and was working toward establishing heterosexual primacy rather than trying to persuade Ginsberg to come to terms with his queerness. “Frankly I won’t trust that kind of straight genital Reichian,” Burroughs wrote in disgust at this dogmatism. “Feller say, when a man gets too straight he’s just a god damned prick.”
Cott terminated Ginsberg’s therapy after three months because he continued to smoke pot against the doctor’s advice. Ginsberg though cannabis an integral part of his aesthetic education; Cott feared that it would lead to a psychotic episode. The summer he quit therapy, Ginsberg began experiencing auditory hallucinations. “It was like God had a human voice,” Ginsberg wrote of his transcendental experience, in which he discovered his calling as a poet, “with all the infinite tenderness and mortal gravity of a living Creator speaking to his son.” Consumed by a desire to share his amazing experience, Ginsberg crawled out onto his fire escape and tapped on the next-door neighbor’s windows, declaring to the two frightened girls inside, “I’ve seen God!”
His father, still reeling from the discovery of his son’s sexuality, feared that he was suffering from the paranoid schizophrenia that had caused his mother to be institutionalized in Pilgrim State, a mental hospital on Long Island. She also heard voices, feared her husband was trying to poison her, hallucinated Hitler’s mustache in the sink, and thought spies were following her. When Ginsberg entered Reichian analysis, she was reportedly banging her head against the wall so ferociously that the doctors recommended a lobotomy.
Ginsberg phoned up Dr. Cott, his former therapist, and told him, “It happened, I had some kind of breakthrough or psychotic experience.” Cott, who followed Reich in rejecting the talking cure, and who was obviously still angry at Ginsberg for choosing pot over therapy, said, “I’m afraid any discussion would have no value” and hung up on him. Soon afterward, when Ginsberg was involved in a car chase in a stolen vehicle that ended in a dramatic crash, he was encouraged by a law professor at Columbia, where he was still a student, to plead insanity. Dr. Cott appeared in court to testify to his mental instability, and two months later Ginsberg was admitted to the Columbia Presbyterian Psychiatric institute, where he stayed for eight months.
During Ginsberg’s hospitalization, Burroughs wrote to Jack Kerouac to ask him to find out from Ginsberg what the “gadget made by Reichians” looked like. “I want especially to know its shape and if there is a window, and how one gets into it.” Kerouac doesn’t seem to have been much help in providing a blueprint. Burroughs built his first accumulator in the spring of 1949 when he was living on a rented farm in Pharr, Texas, with Kells Elvins, a friend from his Harvard days. They were both enthusiastically reading Reich’s The Cancer Biopathy and decided to build an accumulator in the orange grove Kells owned in the Rio Grande Valley. Built without recourse to any plans, the resulting device included some curious innovations. “Inside was an old icebox,” Burroughs explained, “which you could get inside and pull on a contrivance so that another box of sheet steel descended over you, so that the effect was presumably heightened.” It took them a few days to construct the box. The result was eight feet high, much taller than the ones Reich manufactured: “It was a regular townhouse,” Burroughs recalled.
The pair took turns sitting in the accumulator and obtained, Burroughs wrote, “unmistakable results.” Burroughs wondered what the Mexican farm laborers thought of this strange box that they entered “wrapped in old towels,” and came out of feeling “much sexier and healthier,” “with hard-ons.” Burroughs and Kells also made one of Reich’s smaller shooter boxes, with a funnel, which they used as a supplement to the big box. Their DIY was, Burroughs admitted, “a very sloppy job,” but it still have a powerful “sexual kick.”
"I have just been reading Wilhelm Reich’s latest book The Cancer Biopathy,” Burroughs wrote excitedly to Kerouac. “I tell you Jack, he is the only man in the analysis line who is on that beam. After reading the book I built an orgone accumulator and the gimmick really works. The man is not crazy, he’s a fucking genius.” Kerouac described Burroughs enthusiastically promoting the box in On the Road (1955). According to Kerouac, Burroughs said, “Say, why don’t you fellows try my orgone accumulator? Put some juice in your bones. I always rush up and take off ninety miles an hour for the nearest whorehouse, hor-hor-hor!”
Burroughs used an orgone box on and off for the rest of his life. (There is a picture of the rock star Kurt Cobain waving through the port-hole of Burrough’s last box, a scruffy, patched-up shed that he kept in the garden behind his house in Lawrence, Kansas.) In the 1970s he wrote an article for Oui magazine entitled “All the accumulators I have owned” in which he boasted, “Your intrepid reporter, at age thirty-seven, achieved spontaneous orgasm, no hands, in an orgone accumulator built in an orange grove in Pharr, Texas. It was the small, direct-application accumulator that did the trick.”
….
Perls concluded that any positive claims for the orgone box were attributable to the placebo effect. “I invariably found a fallacy,” he said of the orgone box users he met, “a suggestibility that could be directed in any way that I wanted.” Reich, Perls thought, had made a major contribution in giving Freud’s notion of resistance a body, but he erred in trying to make a verifiable reality out of the libido. “Now resistances do exist, there is no doubt about it,” Perls explained, “but libido was and is a hypothesized energy, invented by Freud himself to explain his model of man.” He thought Reich had hypnotized himself and his patients into the belief of the existence of the orgone as the physical and visible equivalent of libido.
Perls found that users of orgone boxes usually exhibited some paranoid symptoms. “Then I had another look at the armor theory,” Perls went on, “and I realized that the idea of the armor itself was a paranoid form. It supposes an attack from, and defense against, the environment.” Perls criticized vegetotherapy for encouraging the formation of paranoid features by encouraging the patient to “externalize, disown, and project material that could be assimilated and become part of the self.” Orgone energy, Perls concluded from his investigations into the orgone box, was “an invention of Reich’s fantasy which by then had gone astray.” The realization that the Reich he had met in New York was different from the one he had known in Europe, and that orgone mysticism was at the crackpot end of science, was tinged with melancholy. “The enfant terrible of the Vienna Institute turned out to be a genius,” Perls wrote in his autobiography, “only to eclipse himself as a ‘mad scientist.’”
In his own elaboration of character analysis, which he called Gestalt therapy, Perls turned the idea of armor around: where Reich had come to see character armor as a defense against a hostile external world, Perls saw that same layer of self as a shield for one’s own true drives - a straitjacket designed to safeguard against explosions of excitement from within. Thus, it wasn’t a shell to be crushed but something integral, to be owned. (Laura Perls said they tried to convince Rosenfeld to give up his box, that he could increase his physical vitality and mental agility “entirely on his own, without external devices.”) He wanted his patients to be aware of their bodies, to feel the present vividly in the “here and now,” to be “authentic,” to act on their desires.
Perls got his patients to act out their feelings so that they could assimilate and take responsibility for them. He had originally wanted to be a theater director - he’d been a student of Max Reinhardt’s when he was growing up in Berlin, and he’d become closely associated with the avant-garde Living Theatre troupe in New York. Julian Beck, a founder of the Living Theatre, explained to Perls’s biographer, Martin Shepard, of Gestalt therapy, “[Perls] had something in mind that was halfway between the kind of performance we were doing [direct spectacle, aimed at challenging the moral complacency of the audience] and therapeutic sessions.”
“You are my client,” Perls told one female patient. “I care for you like an artist, I bring something out that is hidden in you.” He described therapy as if it were a magic trick; the rabbit he claimed to pull out of the hat was a person shorn of the “neurosis of normalcy” and all the bourgeois niceties associated with it. This person, he hypothesized, was confident enough to be selfish, to act on rather than repress all her desires, whatever the social consequences. All the energy that others wasted on repression and concealment, Perls thought, should be available for creative self-expression. Another of Perls’s patients recalled, “Fritz loved some types - open bastard-bitch - open defenses, that type. He didn’t like anyone who would placate him or be too good to him or used good-girl or good-boy defenses - that drove him up the wall.”

Perls’s views ,and some of his methods, were much indebted to those pioneered by Reich in the thirties: Perls would habitually accuse his patients of being “phony” and was deliberately aggressive, much as Reich had been with him. Yet, his observations about the paranoid deviations in Reich’s terminology and thinking were painfully perceptive, precisely because he had built on those very ideas.
In 1951, Perls, Paul Goodman, and a Columbia professor of psychology named Ralph Hefferline published Gestalt Therapy: Excitement and Growth in the Human Personality. Rewritten by Goodman, and bearing all the hallmarks of Goodman’s exasperating style, the book blends Reich’s ideas about energy blocks and flows with Sartre’s cafe philosophy to create an American brand of existentialism turned therapy. The authors intended their self-help book to provide the reader with the tools for revolution: “In recommending [these experiments] to you,” they warned of their mass-market therapy, “we commit an aggressive act aimed at your present status quo and whatever complacency it affords.” They promised immediate liberation, without the hard grind of political struggle; all you had to do was unleash your “authentic” self.
The “excitement” to which the subtitle of the book refers is a generalized libido, an elan vital that is seeking various outlets, not all of them sexual. Life, for Perls, was a series of “unfinished” or “undigested” situation, frustrations that were all waiting their turn for satisfactory closure. “After the available excitement has been fully transformed and experienced, then we have good closure, satisfaction, temporary peace and nirvana,” Perls summarized his position. “A [mere] discharge will barely bring about the feeling of exhaustion and being spent.”
It sounded very like the Reichian orgasm. But for Perls, excitement was no longer exclusively genital, as it was for Reich, and this shift only served to open up numerous other slipways to pleasure. In Reich’s view, the libido theory was an inviolable article of faith. In broadening its range to celebrate oral and anal pleasures, Perls heralded a polymorphously perverse and heretical vision - one that, ironically, would prove particularly amenable to exploitation under capitalism.
In 1952, Perls, his wife, Goodman, Isidore From, Elliott Shapiro, and two others founded the New York Institute for Gestalt Therapy, headquartered in the Perleses’ apartment and with treatment rooms at 315 Central Park West. The seven founding members met on a weekly basis for group therapy. There was no bureaucratic hierarchy and everyone, including Perls, was subject to the honest criticism that was seen as the key to self-discovery. It was a very public form of character analysis: members of the group would draw one another’s attention to every repression or hang-up, none of which was to be tolerated.
Elliot Shapiro, an ex-boxer and the head of a psychiatric school attached to Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, brought a friend to one session; Shapiro’s friend said he “had never witnessed the aggressive and profound battling that went on in those groups. Nobody, virtually nobody, was safe at any time.” Shapiro recalled, “We hammered at each other, and hammered, and hammered - every week. And it was the most vigorous hammering you can image….If you could live through these groups and take the corrections, the insults, the remarks…” Not all the participants had sufficiently thick skins to take such brutal candor. The psychotherapist Jim Simkin left the group because he felt that everyone was “loading elephant shit on him,” as did Ralph Hefferline, a coauthor of Gestalt Therapy.
To promote this new school, Perls traveled from city to city, introducing an audience of psychiatrists, social workers, and other interested parties to his “here and now” philosophy. He taught groups in Cleveland, Detroit, Toronto, and Miami how to be sensitive to their bodily needs and to follow their impulses, to be honest and unalienated. He’d be sharp and confrontational as he pushed his awareness techniques on the participants: What are you doing now? What are you experiencing? What are you feeling? Isadore From, who was part of the original New York group, remembers that these occasions were often very dramatic, with “a lot of shaking, trembling, anxiety” - effects that he thought were the result of the audiences’ hyperventilating under the strain of Perls’s relentless goading and questioning.
The New York Institute of Gestalt Therapy also ran public seminars, including one by Goodman, “The Psychology of Sex” (“What you can’t do, teach,” he said with a laugh). Following Reich, it was thought that neurosis could be treated by exposure to sexual pleasure. Goodman made this his area of expertise and people with sexual problems were often referred to him. One was a man who was worried about the quality of his orgasms after prostate surgery. Another thought he might be homosexual; the bisexual Goodman got his penis out and demanded that the patient touch it to help him make a diagnosis. In so doing he was no doubt influenced by Hitschmann, the Viennese analyst who once asked Perls, then tormented by sexual inadequacy, to show him his penis .
In one of Goodman’s group sessions, when someone complained of the lack of sexual companionship, Goodman went around the circle and set up a week’s worth of dates. “See, that wasn’t so difficult,” he reassured her. He was not beyond offering his own neurosis-busting services to patients of either sex, and once agreed to accompany a patient who invited him on an all-expenses-paid trip to Europe. He joked about setting up a College of Sex so as to put his vast experience to educational use. “I’m a sociopath,” he wanted a potential client. In a diary entry written in 1957, Goodman looked back on the previous decade and concluded that he’s made a “false cultus-religion (an obsession)” of sex: “The sexual act itself had just about the meaning of a ritual communion sacrifice.”

Warning this is a long one. If anyone has seen Gilmore Girls, please picture my grandma as Emily Gilmore because I seriously don't know how they were able to capture my grandma so accurately.
This morning, I (22f) had what feels like a huge blow out with my grandma (74f) over text this morning. For a big background, I am my grandmas only living descendant. My birth mother died when I was 3 in a car accident, and she was my grandmas only child. My mother struggled with bipolar disorder and was in an abusive marriage with my father. After she died my grandparents attempted to get full custody of me and the result was visitation under grandparent rights. The court petition is available online and can be found by searching my full name, which is so great for me. Obviously, there was bad blood between my grandparents and my father. I grew up in the middle, scared to show that I loved my grandparents but also slightly distrusting of them because the stories they would tell me were different than what my father would.
I have tried to set boundaries with my grandma in the past. She calls me by my dead moms name occasionally. I ask her not to, she still slips up and does. She's inviting me to go to my moms grave, I don't feel comfortable doing that. She makes me feel guilty about no one putting flowers on their graves when they die. She's convinced I'm bi-polar despite me having been tested 3 times and being diagnosed as not bipolar. She will make passive aggressive comments about not only my but my boyfriend (23M) of 4 years weight and stretch marks. I've told her that we both struggle with eating disorders. After graduating I went from being 120lbs at 5'7 (underweight) to being 190lbs (overweight) in 4 years, some of the weight gain was healthy then the past year and a half I've put on the majority of it, becoming unhealthy. The past year and a half I have also had severe mental health struggles. I have ADHD, depression, and anxiety. I struggle to do a lot of basic things. I was seeing a therapist but then my insurance changed so I am trying to find someone new. I am on medication. I am actively getting help.
My grandma will call me 20 times in a day regularly. She'll text me more than that. When I haven't answered she has called my boyfriend at his job. She will harass my boyfriend and demand to know what I do every hour of everyday, despite him being at work apparently he's my babysitter. It is negatively impacting our relationship because he feels he's being forced into a parent role. She ruined a job interview for me one time because she wouldn't stop calling during it. I am terrified for her to show up unannounced. Luckily we live 4 hours away from each other, so I think I have a safe enough buffer. However, every weekend for the past month she has been trying to come and stay for the weekend.
Now on to the main confrontation/issue. My grandmas mom, my great grandma, offered to give me 1k a month so I could focus on finishing my degree (after this semester I have a semester & then a class left.) My only condition was that I focused on school. This morning my boyfriend sent me a text that said I needed to talk to my grandma as they were withdrawing their financial support. He sent me screenshots of their texts, I am going to transcribe them best I can without making this post too long. I feel like its getting long already lol.
GM to BF: We'll pay for her therapy. She needs talk & medicine. Her psychiatrist should do both. But the monthly 1k, so she doesn't have to work while she's getting the rest under control hasn't helped her. I'm afraid it has given her too much time alone, which is bad for her. I've worried that helping her not to have to work was a bad idea. She does much better with interaction. Maybe encourage her to come over, or take a trip with me during the next 3 weeks (my summer classes start). She needs interaction. She was much better in high school because she was so involved.
BF to GM: Will do, she has been looking at getting a summer job.
GM: Doing the monthly may be hurting more than helping. She wasn't even successful with her classes, even without the outside job. I THINK she would do things if she was here. Crafts, cards, all the extended family. Right now we're just paying her to stay home and read. I don't think the 1k will continue. It was for her to do her classes without having to work through December.
BF: I'd text her and mention that. You should talk to her SPECIFCALLY about losing the 1k.
GM: But it didn't work so why would we still do it? Classes were supposed to be her job. She completed 10 of 18 hours. She didn't do her weekly progress reports and didn't send us her finals. Never once. If that was her "job" paying her weekly, and anyone else as her boss, would she still have that job?
BF: I don't have that answer. I can't speak for her on those things.
GM: You know the answer is no. This is not helping her. This is a face to face conversation. Her story is not what I know to be the truth as I related to you.
GM: I know she lost her scholarship and just isn't telling us. I'm sure she's not proud of it. I told you earlier, that I knew she was in a bad place. That was when I needed to help her. Not after it was too late. She just said there was a cap on the amount of scholarship and she's used it. She's getting a student loan to finish. I'm proud of her for doing that instead of asking us. BUT, what I've pieced together is what I said earlier. And her loan is because she has to pay back the scholarship and tuition going forwards. Right now is the best time for her to transfer(to a college where she lives.) I knew we were in trouble when she sent me a photo of a stack of books she checked out from the library. I had zero time to read books when I was a college student, and I didn't have a job in addition.
BF: While that may be true, you also were in different classes. It's good for her to have time to do things she likes when she's not in class.
GM: I had a social life with other people. I did not stay isolated. She does well with others. Alone drags her down. Just like her mom. A powerhouse when she's involved. Depressed and anxious when she's alone. She's become totally reliant on you. She's lost her independence and drive. I know its flattering you want to be her savior, but for different reasons, its crippling for both of you.
BF: I don't want to be her savior. I really don't.
GM: Rescuer
BF: I really want more than anything for her to be self reliant so we can both lean on each other. I just know at the end of the day I will always support my girl.
GM: That's best but she has to let go & stand up. Develop a broader network to build strength, You are her core! Like a center pole in a tent. Now she needs the other stakes to have the support.
I took 14 credit hours this semester and I only dropped 1 class that was 2 credit hours because I could take it in the summer and lighten my load. I passed all my other ones with As & Bs. I misspoke to my grandma about my scholarship. I told her it was 5k and then I was out but in actuality it was 20k, 5k per semester not total. I've used 4700 so far. That still doesn't explain why she thought I had lost it but ya know. I see my friends at minimum once a week. I have 6 close friends I regularly see. I text with them daily. I grab dinner with them. I game online with them. I attend class 2 times a week. I only see my boyfriend 2 nights a week and on Sundays, and we LIVE together.
My grades conveniently became available online at the same time this conversation was sent to me. So I took a screenshot of my grades and sent them to my grandma.
OP to GM: Here are my grades. I also sent them to grandpa. Thanks so much for believing in me, not. You are the last person I want to see or talk to right now. BF showed me everything. When I am read to talk I'll let you know.
GM to BF: I cannot believe you did this. Now she is furious with me & won't talk to me. I told you that in confidence. You need to fix this. That's not good things for her to know out of context.
OP to GM: Actions have consequences. The consequence of your action is that I am not speaking to you. If you continue to message BF, I will be blocking you on his phone. Not only today, but previously, has been highly inappropriate. I am NOT a child. I do NOT need babysitting. I do NOT need rescuing by you. You are NOT my savior. Stop trying to be.
GM: *Long message trying to re-explain how the messages were worded.* I told BF you're smart and a powerhouse! I just want to see your independent spirit and get you there again. I am your biggest supporter. You're misinterpreting this.
OP: BF screenshotted everything and sent it to me before I ever said anything to you. I don't know how reading exactly what you have been saying about me is misinterpreting things. Please stop messaging me.
When I was in high school I was awake from 6:00am-2:00am. I was in 10 clubs/sports, all honors classes, I was starving myself, I slept less than 4 hours on average. I was a walking zombie that was living off a strange energy that being starving & sleep deprived creates. I was miserable. I was depressed. I was anxious. I only had time for friends in school. If you didn't have a class or lunch with me, you never talked to me. I struggled with school work at home because my adhd. I was not a powerhouse, I was fighting to survive everyday and I feel like I used up every piece of energy I'll ever have then.
This is where we left off. I feel guilty confronting my grandma about it, and feel like I should apologize. But like I said to my BF after he got upset with me for him being in the middle:
Its an incredibly overwhelming relationship that has baggage older than I am which has been put on me my entire life. It has been like this my whole life, except that until I was 18, I was the middle. I know it's a lot, but this is how she is. She is an intrusive controlling and manipulative person, while it may from from a place of care, she still is those things. Herr loving me and being kind to us does not take away the hurt and pain that she causes me. It is not care and love when there are stipulations to that care and love. She's constantly weaponizing my dead mom's mental illness against me. She wants to send me money so I don't have to work and can focus on school but when that actually helps me then I'm not nearly busy enough for her liking. She's also creating a hostile environment where I can't express if I am struggling because then it'll be "I told you so" and then I'll have to drop out of school because they'll stop providing financial support.
So reddit, AITA for confronting my grandma about her texts to my boyfriend?

Here is the history of the land:

1. ⁠Before Israel, there was a British mandate, not a Palestinian state
   
2. ⁠Before the British Mandate, there was the Ottoman Empire, not a Palestinian state.
   
3. ⁠Before the Ottoman Empire, there was the Islamic state of the Mamluks of Egypt, not a Palestinian state.
   
4. ⁠Before the Islamic state of the Mamluks of Egypt, there was the Ayubid Arab-Kurdish Empire, not a Palestinian state.
   
5. ⁠Before the Ayubid Empire, there was the Frankish and Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem, not a Palestinian state.
   
6. ⁠Before the , there was the Umayyad and Fatimid empires, not a Palestinian state.
   
7. ⁠Before the Umayyad and Fatimid empires, there was the Byzantine empire, not a Palestinian state.
   
8. ⁠Before the Byzantine Empire, there were the Sassanids, not a Palestinian state.
   
9. ⁠Before the Sassanid Empire, there was the Byzantine Empire, not a Palestinian state.
   
10. ⁠Before the Byzantine Empire, there was the Roman Empire, not a Palestinian state.
    
11. ⁠Before the Roman Empire, there was the Hasmonean state, not a Palestinian state.
    
12. ⁠Before the Hasmonean state, there was the Seleucid, not a Palestinian state.
    
13. ⁠Before the Seleucid empire, there was the empire of Alexander the Great, not a Palestinian state.
    
14. ⁠Before the empire of Alexander the Great, there was the Persian empire, not a Palestinian state.
    
15. ⁠Before the Persian Empire, there was the Babylonian Empire, not a Palestinian state.
    
16. ⁠Before the Babylonian Empire, there were the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, not a Palestinian state.
    
17. ⁠Before the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, there was the Kingdom of Israel, not a Palestinian state.
    
18. ⁠Befroe the 12 tribes of Israel there was independent cnanists city kingdoms not a Palestinian state.
    
19. ⁠Actually, in this piece of land there has been everything EXCEPT A PALESTINIAN STATE. The land of Israel has been populated by the Jewish people since 2000 BC. Here's the timeline, in case you didn't realize that its there homeland, . 2000BC Abraham chosen as the father of the Jewish nation 1900 BC: Isaac, rules over Israel. 1850 BC: Jacob, son of Issac, rules over Israel. 1400 BC: Moses leads the people back to Israel. 1010 BC: King David unites the 12 tribes into one nation. 970 BC: King Solomon, son of David, builds the first temple structure in Jerusalem 930 BC: Israel is divided into two kingdoms, the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah. 800s BC: The rise of the prophets 722 BC: Kingdom of Israel is conquered by Assyrians. 605 BC: Kingdom Judah is conquered by the Babylonians. 586 BC: Solomon's Temple is destroyed by the Babylonians. 539 BC: Persians conquer the Babylonians and take control of Israel. 538 BC: The Jews return to Israel from exile. 520 BC: The Temple is rebuilt. 450 BC: Reforms made by Ezra and Nehemiah. 433 BC: Malachi is the end of the prophetic age. 432 BC: The last group of Jews return from exile. 333 BC: The Greeks conquer the Persian empire. 323 BC: The Egyptian and Syrian empire take over Israel. 167 BC: Hasmonean's recapture Israel, and the Jews are ruled independently. 70 BC: Romans conquer Israel. 20 BC: King Herod builds the "second" temple 6 BC: Jesus Christ is born in Bethlehem 70 AD: Romans destroy the temple After that, the people were captives to the Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, and Crusaders. Through all of these events, the Jewish people continued to live in Israel. There were more or less of them, depending on the centuries, but there was never a time when the Jews didn't live in the land. They stayed, they built their communities, they raised their families, practiced their faith and they suffered at the hands of many outside rulers, but they always kept their faith. It is what sustains them, even now. In 1948, the UN established the State of Israel, the nation of Jews. Don't buy the Palestinian lies that they are entitled to the land. It simply is not true. ERETZ-ISRAEL [(Hebrew) - the Land of Israel] was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here their spiritual, religious and political identity was shaped. Here they first attained to statehood, created cultural values of national and universal significance jews always lived in the land there wasn't a time where they didn't live there and lot of jews do dna tests and it's show that they are originally from Israel example: Are you serious? Based on DNA analysis, my family originated southern Israel and the migrated to Syria at about the conclusion of the Roman conquest. From there, they migrated to Spain and Portugal and then to Russia. In Russia, their names changed and they immigrated to the US in the mid-1800s. It has been common that Jews changed their last names in an effort to fight antisemitism. Jews originally trace their ancestry to a confederation of Iron Age Semitic-speaking tribes known as the Israelites that inhabited a part of Canaan during the tribal and monarchic periods. Modern Jews are named after and also descended from the Israelite Kingdom of Judah Jews are originated from Judea Modern Jews descended from the ancient Canaanites. Hebrew originated from the Canaanite language modern Jewish groups show more then half of their ancestry as Canaanite there was never Palestinenian state Since 1964, they have been referred to as Palestinians the Palestinenians come from Jordan, syria, Egypt, Lebanon and more countries tell the arab occupiers to go back to there original countries!!!! Palestine has never been a state, a nation or a country. It was a geographical area belonging to the Turkish Ottoman empire before 1918. The Turks lost in WW1 and the League of Nations gave it as a protectorate to Britain as part of the British Mandate for Palestine. Britain handed the responsibility to the UN in 1947. The UN suggested a partition plan (UN Resolution 181) that separated the region into a Jewish homeland and an Arab land The Jews accepted and created Israel. The Arabs refused, declared war on Israel and have been waging war on Israel and refusing any offers of their own nation
    

The word Palestinian is Latin for Philistine and actually means “Invader to the land” That makes as much sense as renaming a house Burglarland and the Burglar claiming the home he was robing now belongs to him and the original owners are occupying it.
You are basically saying the word thief means new owner plisthim come from Crete Greece and they extinct The Palestinenians come from the middle east but you all are pretending it’s solely from one specific country in the Middle East which just isn’t true as your own DNA test even shows (primarily Egyptian and Jordanian, as is expected). Interestingly enough tons of Jewish DNA tests have also shown Middle Eastern (directly from the area of Israel in southern Levant) ancestry despite being Ashkenazi (and obviously Sephardic and Mizrahi) yet I hear lots of people claiming the same, that ties to the area are questionable and should "go back to Europe"
If you’re going to downvote at least explain which part you feel is wrong other than “this went against my narrative

Here is the history of the land:

1. ⁠Before Israel, there was a British mandate, not a Palestinian state
   
2. ⁠Before the British Mandate, there was the Ottoman Empire, not a Palestinian state.
   
3. ⁠Before the Ottoman Empire, there was the Islamic state of the Mamluks of Egypt, not a Palestinian state.
   
4. ⁠Before the Islamic state of the Mamluks of Egypt, there was the Ayubid Arab-Kurdish Empire, not a Palestinian state.
   
5. ⁠Before the Ayubid Empire, there was the Frankish and Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem, not a Palestinian state.
   
6. ⁠Before the , there was the Umayyad and Fatimid empires, not a Palestinian state.
   
7. ⁠Before the Umayyad and Fatimid empires, there was the Byzantine empire, not a Palestinian state.
   
8. ⁠Before the Byzantine Empire, there were the Sassanids, not a Palestinian state.
   
9. ⁠Before the Sassanid Empire, there was the Byzantine Empire, not a Palestinian state.
   
10. ⁠Before the Byzantine Empire, there was the Roman Empire, not a Palestinian state.
    
11. ⁠Before the Roman Empire, there was the Hasmonean state, not a Palestinian state.
    
12. ⁠Before the Hasmonean state, there was the Seleucid, not a Palestinian state.
    
13. ⁠Before the Seleucid empire, there was the empire of Alexander the Great, not a Palestinian state.
    
14. ⁠Before the empire of Alexander the Great, there was the Persian empire, not a Palestinian state.
    
15. ⁠Before the Persian Empire, there was the Babylonian Empire, not a Palestinian state.
    
16. ⁠Before the Babylonian Empire, there were the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, not a Palestinian state.
    
17. ⁠Before the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, there was the Kingdom of Israel, not a Palestinian state.
    
18. ⁠Befroe the 12 tribes of Israel there was independent cnanists city kingdoms not a Palestinian state.
    
19. ⁠Actually, in this piece of land there has been everything EXCEPT A PALESTINIAN STATE. The land of Israel has been populated by the Jewish people since 2000 BC. Here's the timeline, in case you didn't realize that its there homeland, . 2000BC Abraham chosen as the father of the Jewish nation 1900 BC: Isaac, rules over Israel. 1850 BC: Jacob, son of Issac, rules over Israel. 1400 BC: Moses leads the people back to Israel. 1010 BC: King David unites the 12 tribes into one nation. 970 BC: King Solomon, son of David, builds the first temple structure in Jerusalem 930 BC: Israel is divided into two kingdoms, the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah. 800s BC: The rise of the prophets 722 BC: Kingdom of Israel is conquered by Assyrians. 605 BC: Kingdom Judah is conquered by the Babylonians. 586 BC: Solomon's Temple is destroyed by the Babylonians. 539 BC: Persians conquer the Babylonians and take control of Israel. 538 BC: The Jews return to Israel from exile. 520 BC: The Temple is rebuilt. 450 BC: Reforms made by Ezra and Nehemiah. 433 BC: Malachi is the end of the prophetic age. 432 BC: The last group of Jews return from exile. 333 BC: The Greeks conquer the Persian empire. 323 BC: The Egyptian and Syrian empire take over Israel. 167 BC: Hasmonean's recapture Israel, and the Jews are ruled independently. 70 BC: Romans conquer Israel. 20 BC: King Herod builds the "second" temple 6 BC: Jesus Christ is born in Bethlehem 70 AD: Romans destroy the temple After that, the people were captives to the Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, and Crusaders. Through all of these events, the Jewish people continued to live in Israel. There were more or less of them, depending on the centuries, but there was never a time when the Jews didn't live in the land. They stayed, they built their communities, they raised their families, practiced their faith and they suffered at the hands of many outside rulers, but they always kept their faith. It is what sustains them, even now. In 1948, the UN established the State of Israel, the nation of Jews. Don't buy the Palestinian lies that they are entitled to the land. It simply is not true. ERETZ-ISRAEL [(Hebrew) - the Land of Israel] was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here their spiritual, religious and political identity was shaped. Here they first attained to statehood, created cultural values of national and universal significance jews always lived in the land there wasn't a time where they didn't live there and lot of jews do dna tests and it's show that they are originally from Israel example: Are you serious? Based on DNA analysis, my family originated southern Israel and the migrated to Syria at about the conclusion of the Roman conquest. From there, they migrated to Spain and Portugal and then to Russia. In Russia, their names changed and they immigrated to the US in the mid-1800s. It has been common that Jews changed their last names in an effort to fight antisemitism. Jews originally trace their ancestry to a confederation of Iron Age Semitic-speaking tribes known as the Israelites that inhabited a part of Canaan during the tribal and monarchic periods. Modern Jews are named after and also descended from the Israelite Kingdom of Judah Jews are originated from Judea Modern Jews descended from the ancient Canaanites. Hebrew originated from the Canaanite language modern Jewish groups show more then half of their ancestry as Canaanite there was never Palestinenian state Since 1964, they have been referred to as Palestinians the Palestinenians come from Jordan, syria, Egypt, Lebanon and more countries tell the arab occupiers to go back to there original countries!!!! Palestine has never been a state, a nation or a country. It was a geographical area belonging to the Turkish Ottoman empire before 1918. The Turks lost in WW1 and the League of Nations gave it as a protectorate to Britain as part of the British Mandate for Palestine. Britain handed the responsibility to the UN in 1947. The UN suggested a partition plan (UN Resolution 181) that separated the region into a Jewish homeland and an Arab land The Jews accepted and created Israel. The Arabs refused, declared war on Israel and have been waging war on Israel and refusing any offers of their own nation
    

The word Palestinian is Latin for Philistine and actually means “Invader to the land” That makes as much sense as renaming a house Burglarland and the Burglar claiming the home he was robing now belongs to him and the original owners are occupying it.
You are basically saying the word thief means new owner plisthim come from Crete Greece and they extinct The Palestinenians come from the middle east but you all are pretending it’s solely from one specific country in the Middle East which just isn’t true as your own DNA test even shows (primarily Egyptian and Jordanian, as is expected). Interestingly enough tons of Jewish DNA tests have also shown Middle Eastern (directly from the area of Israel in southern Levant) ancestry despite being Ashkenazi (and obviously Sephardic and Mizrahi) yet I hear lots of people claiming the same, that ties to the area are questionable and should "go back to Europe"
If you’re going to downvote at least explain which part you feel is wrong other than “this went against my narrative

Here is the history of the land:

1. ⁠Before Israel, there was a British mandate, not a Palestinian state
   
2. ⁠Before the British Mandate, there was the Ottoman Empire, not a Palestinian state.
   
3. ⁠Before the Ottoman Empire, there was the Islamic state of the Mamluks of Egypt, not a Palestinian state.
   
4. ⁠Before the Islamic state of the Mamluks of Egypt, there was the Ayubid Arab-Kurdish Empire, not a Palestinian state.
   
5. ⁠Before the Ayubid Empire, there was the Frankish and Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem, not a Palestinian state.
   
6. ⁠Before the , there was the Umayyad and Fatimid empires, not a Palestinian state.
   
7. ⁠Before the Umayyad and Fatimid empires, there was the Byzantine empire, not a Palestinian state.
   
8. ⁠Before the Byzantine Empire, there were the Sassanids, not a Palestinian state.
   
9. ⁠Before the Sassanid Empire, there was the Byzantine Empire, not a Palestinian state.
   
10. ⁠Before the Byzantine Empire, there was the Roman Empire, not a Palestinian state.
    
11. ⁠Before the Roman Empire, there was the Hasmonean state, not a Palestinian state.
    
12. ⁠Before the Hasmonean state, there was the Seleucid, not a Palestinian state.
    
13. ⁠Before the Seleucid empire, there was the empire of Alexander the Great, not a Palestinian state.
    
14. ⁠Before the empire of Alexander the Great, there was the Persian empire, not a Palestinian state.
    
15. ⁠Before the Persian Empire, there was the Babylonian Empire, not a Palestinian state.
    
16. ⁠Before the Babylonian Empire, there were the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, not a Palestinian state.
    
17. ⁠Before the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, there was the Kingdom of Israel, not a Palestinian state.
    
18. ⁠Befroe the 12 tribes of Israel there was independent cnanists city kingdoms not a Palestinian state.
    
19. ⁠Actually, in this piece of land there has been everything EXCEPT A PALESTINIAN STATE. The land of Israel has been populated by the Jewish people since 2000 BC. Here's the timeline, in case you didn't realize that its there homeland, . 2000BC Abraham chosen as the father of the Jewish nation 1900 BC: Isaac, rules over Israel. 1850 BC: Jacob, son of Issac, rules over Israel. 1400 BC: Moses leads the people back to Israel. 1010 BC: King David unites the 12 tribes into one nation. 970 BC: King Solomon, son of David, builds the first temple structure in Jerusalem 930 BC: Israel is divided into two kingdoms, the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah. 800s BC: The rise of the prophets 722 BC: Kingdom of Israel is conquered by Assyrians. 605 BC: Kingdom Judah is conquered by the Babylonians. 586 BC: Solomon's Temple is destroyed by the Babylonians. 539 BC: Persians conquer the Babylonians and take control of Israel. 538 BC: The Jews return to Israel from exile. 520 BC: The Temple is rebuilt. 450 BC: Reforms made by Ezra and Nehemiah. 433 BC: Malachi is the end of the prophetic age. 432 BC: The last group of Jews return from exile. 333 BC: The Greeks conquer the Persian empire. 323 BC: The Egyptian and Syrian empire take over Israel. 167 BC: Hasmonean's recapture Israel, and the Jews are ruled independently. 70 BC: Romans conquer Israel. 20 BC: King Herod builds the "second" temple 6 BC: Jesus Christ is born in Bethlehem 70 AD: Romans destroy the temple After that, the people were captives to the Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, and Crusaders. Through all of these events, the Jewish people continued to live in Israel. There were more or less of them, depending on the centuries, but there was never a time when the Jews didn't live in the land. They stayed, they built their communities, they raised their families, practiced their faith and they suffered at the hands of many outside rulers, but they always kept their faith. It is what sustains them, even now. In 1948, the UN established the State of Israel, the nation of Jews. Don't buy the Palestinian lies that they are entitled to the land. It simply is not true. ERETZ-ISRAEL [(Hebrew) - the Land of Israel] was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here their spiritual, religious and political identity was shaped. Here they first attained to statehood, created cultural values of national and universal significance jews always lived in the land there wasn't a time where they didn't live there and lot of jews do dna tests and it's show that they are originally from Israel example: Are you serious? Based on DNA analysis, my family originated southern Israel and the migrated to Syria at about the conclusion of the Roman conquest. From there, they migrated to Spain and Portugal and then to Russia. In Russia, their names changed and they immigrated to the US in the mid-1800s. It has been common that Jews changed their last names in an effort to fight antisemitism. Jews originally trace their ancestry to a confederation of Iron Age Semitic-speaking tribes known as the Israelites that inhabited a part of Canaan during the tribal and monarchic periods. Modern Jews are named after and also descended from the Israelite Kingdom of Judah Jews are originated from Judea Modern Jews descended from the ancient Canaanites. Hebrew originated from the Canaanite language modern Jewish groups show more then half of their ancestry as Canaanite there was never Palestinenian state Since 1964, they have been referred to as Palestinians the Palestinenians come from Jordan, syria, Egypt, Lebanon and more countries tell the arab occupiers to go back to there original countries!!!! Palestine has never been a state, a nation or a country. It was a geographical area belonging to the Turkish Ottoman empire before 1918. The Turks lost in WW1 and the League of Nations gave it as a protectorate to Britain as part of the British Mandate for Palestine. Britain handed the responsibility to the UN in 1947. The UN suggested a partition plan (UN Resolution 181) that separated the region into a Jewish homeland and an Arab land The Jews accepted and created Israel. The Arabs refused, declared war on Israel and have been waging war on Israel and refusing any offers of their own nation
    

The word Palestinian is Latin for Philistine and actually means “Invader to the land” That makes as much sense as renaming a house Burglarland and the Burglar claiming the home he was robing now belongs to him and the original owners are occupying it.
You are basically saying the word thief means new owner plisthim come from Crete Greece and they extinct The Palestinenians come from the middle east but you all are pretending it’s solely from one specific country in the Middle East which just isn’t true as your own DNA test even shows (primarily Egyptian and Jordanian, as is expected). Interestingly enough tons of Jewish DNA tests have also shown Middle Eastern (directly from the area of Israel in southern Levant) ancestry despite being Ashkenazi (and obviously Sephardic and Mizrahi) yet I hear lots of people claiming the same, that ties to the area are questionable and should "go back to Europe"
If you’re going to downvote at least explain which part you feel is wrong other than “this went against my narrative

I love history, ever since I was a kid I’ve had a deep passion for it. They’re exciting stories but the added fascination is that it’s true and these events really played out. Any other infps who are history buffs and if so, what’s your favourite period? Growing up I loved the medieval era, in my teens I was fascinated by WW1 and now I’m really interested in The Wars of the Roses.
For me too, I love the domino effect of history. Everything since the beginning of human civilisation plays into each other somehow, meaning your life, your descendants and your ancestors lives are interconnected as the events during their life impacted your present day, and the events during your time affects your descendants.
On a global level, it would be something like the west vs Russia situation today in 2024 which was born out of the Cold War in the late 20th century which was born out of WW2 in the 1940’s which was born out of WW1 and the treaty of Versailles in the 1910’s which was born out of competing empires and old monarchies in the 19th century and so on….that’s fascinating how we can keep going back and back through history with everything having a cause and effect which led us to where we are today as a species. Anyone agree?

I thought of this timeline for an alternate history where the CSA won the American Civil War, the idea of this timeline was less about realism and more so a commentary on the Lost Cause Myth and a deconstruction of what many nationalists paint America and the CSA.
Pre-Civil War (1776 - 1860):
Most Americans are the same as before the Civil War, but the Industrial capacity of the North is somewhat less due to another economic crash that struck the Northern states. This fueled the Southern idea of secession.
The American Civil War (1860 - 1865):
The Civil War history is somewhat similar, but the CSA did manage to break the blockade and gather more resources from the British and French, that was until they cut ties when the Emancipation Proclamation was made. In a stroke of luck, Robert E. Lee managed to invade Washington and capture Lincoln in 1865. He held Lincoln for ransom forcing General Grant to surrender leading to an end to the Civil War.
Reconstruction Period (1865 - 1870):
Sherman's March to the Sea left a significant wound on the Confederacy, but he was cut short as he and his men fled North to rally the leaderless Union. The CSA made quick progress, first, they annexed multiple Northern territories, but couldn't control all of the North due to their lack of power and guerilla warfare.
The CSA made quick work of punishing their captured enemies, there was an execution starting with Lincoln and Grant, followed by the executions of Black Union Soldiers, Abolitionists, and West Virginians. This was to assert their power over the populace, but that wasn't enough. They also forced Northerners into ghettos called Carpetbagger Zones to make room for Southerners moving into the conquered territory.
The CSA then changed to be a more central government, reforming into the CoA with the Head Sovereign at the top surrounded by the Plantation Clans, all of them being various Aristocratic families. To prevent abolition movements, they set it in law that you cannot hold office or run for office without owning at least 10 slaves, and they set it so that no one could go above the Plantation Clans status unless owning a plantation with slaves. They also made it illegal to pay nonwhites for labor.
Many Asian immigrants were also enslaved to build railroads and work in gold mines, Irish immigrants were forced into ghettos just like the Carpetbaggers.
The CoA then used the captured factories to rebuild their economy and infrastructure as well as making a treaty with the remaining Unionists to recognize Southern Independence. Leading to a difficult ceasefire.
With the North out of the way, the South decided to carve an Empire for themselves.
Westward Expansion (1871 - 1876):
The Westward Expansion as the Confederates call it or the Native Wars as Northerners call it, was the CoA's military campaign into the West, they had betrayed their Native allies and enslaved them.
They then pushed forward West, they massacred many tribes, enslaving the survivors and forcing them to assimilate into Southern culture. Many of these tribes proved to be elusive and soon many of them fled North to the Union.
Around this time, the last Union states and Native American Nations all joined forces and became the Free Tribes of the North, Sherman was then elected as King of the North.
Around this time, they also managed to make Mexico a puppet state by first setting economic ties with the new Emperor and then making Mexico economically dependent on the Confederacy, then they had a small number of troops occupy the capital and officially annex the country, they then brought the rest of their army to enslave the Mexican population.
Latino-American War (1877 - 1888)
The CoA made diplomatic ties with the Empire of Brazil, and the two joined forces to conquer and colonize various parts of South America, the fighting was long and heavy and over 250,000 Americans and Brazilians died with over a million Latin Americans being killed in the fighting. Afterward, large portions of South America were conquered by either the CoA or Brazil. They also jointly occupied some territories.
Brazillian Americans were then made into "Honorary Whites". Something that originally was going to be given to Cherokee Natives.
Their expansion was halted due to the French and British believing their South American colonies were endangered, but the CoA and Brazil offered to buy the colonies so long as all the nonwhites in them were deported, and an agreement was made.
After this conflict, there was a new law that made Christianity the state religion banning all other religions, forcing people to convert or they'd die, be deported, or be enslaved.
Many Catholic and Jewish Americans started to emigrate from the country in droves, many going to Europe, the North, or Hawaii. A large portion of Catholics and Jewish people went to Hawaii where the Hawaiian government accepted them.
Economic Crash of 1889
It turned out that when your identity is built off slavery and go into a massive war, your economy will be messed up. Both Brazil and the CoA went through an economic crisis, which resulted in them trying multiple ideas. One of these ideas was the CoA passing an Act which stated that all farms and plantations that grew cash crops like cotton must also grow wheat to prevent famines.
Colonization of South Africa (1889 - 1900)
The CoA and Brazil decided to fix their economy they could go out to colonize Africa, restart the slave trade, and profit from it. When they launched their invasion, they allied with South African kingdoms to help them conquer smaller tribes and nations. Britain and France both threatened war if they expanded up North or touched their already established colonies, so a treaty was made preventing them from expanding further into Africa. However, they did manage to make multiple territories in the region to help restart the slave trade, getting their economy on track. They also were willing to trade with other European countries with their cash crops. Britain refused, but other countries agreed.
Around this point, the CoA grew to dislike the British and vice versa, foreshadowing upcoming events in the next century.
Invasion of Japan (1905 - 1906)
The CoA wanted to expand its influence overseas, so it turned its attention to the Empire of Japan, Japan around this time had defeated Russia and started a massive colonial movement across Asia, the CoA offered to buy Taiwan but Japan refused then they offered to buy Korea but Japan refused. The Head Sovereign, Austin Jackson, then declared war. Hoping to conquer and enslave all the Japanese people there, only for the CoA military to be destroyed in the battle, over 2,000 Americans and Brazilians died in the conflict and only 300 Japanese soldiers died. Eventually, negotiations were made between Imperial Japan and the CoA, and both countries restored good ties, the CoA even freed all their slaves of Japanese descent and declared all Japanese Americans to be "Honorary Whites" just like Brazillian Americans.
Colonization of the Middle East (1918 - 1920)
The CoA helped fight in WW1 and wanted to profit off it, during peace negotiations, some of the allies wanted to establish a Jewish homeland, but the CoA wanted all the formal Ottoman Empire territories to themselves, to punish the people there for the Ottomans' persecution of Christians and Whites. This angered many allies, but a compromise was made where the CoA would have most of the Middle East if they steered clear of the Jewish colonies.
Thus starting a brutal colonial campaign where the CoA enslaved and killed thousands of Muslims and Arabs, the event was considered bad even by Confederate standards.
War of the Emerald Isle (1926 - 1926)
At this point, the CoA had grown tired of Britain's interference, to them it seemed that the British were stopping the American Empire from growing across the world. Britain also grew to distrust the CoA, seeing them as a threat to national security, they only tolerated each other cause they both kept true to their treaties.
But, the last straw was when the Head Sovereign, Clayton Samson, decided to launch a colonial campaign into Ireland. The initial claim was that they wanted to turn Ireland into a protectorate and "bring civilization to the Irish," but in reality, they wanted to make a puppet state for a possible invasion into Britain. It's also possible that Britain wanted this invasion to happen.
When the Confederates invaded, they went through an entire month of fighting from the shores, to the beaches, all through the city until they managed to officially annex Ireland and place an ambassador as President.
They then herded the Irish citizens into camps, the plan was to keep them there until they set up farms in which they would be forced to work until they assimilated into their society.
Britain secretly funded a resistance movement called the Emerald Brigade which staged a long guerilla war against the Confederate Colonists. Eventually, it seemed like the Confederates were losing, and they had plans for another invasion backed up by Brazil, but the British government had enough and threatened war if they didn't leave Ireland. Samson had plans on calling back the campaign, but the Plantation Clans had enough and believed in the honor of war over the shame of cowardice. This led to a quick 6-month war in which the British-backed Irish effortlessly defeated the Confederacy, setting an example to the world not to mess with the British Empire.
Economic Crash of 1930
The war took a heavy toll on the CoA's economy leading to an economic depression, the only ones who didn't suffer were the Plantation Clans who managed to keep their wealth by selling off slaves and getting investments in the ongoing slave trade. The CoA also continued to rely on their colonies across South America and trade with Brazil.
To save their economy they also decided to start slave trades in other places like in their colonies in Asia, where the biggest export from Asia ended up becoming... women, they also started a slave trade with their Japanese allies.
At this point, the only countries that remained allied or had any ties with the Confederates were Brazil, South Africa, and Japan.
Vietnam War of 1933
This was a proxy war between the CoA and the British Empire in which the CoA tried to invade Vietnam with their Brazillian and South African allies, but the British Empire armed the Vietnamese to help defend their homeland. Adding another empire (Or three actually) to Vietnam's list.
Other Proxy Wars between Britain and the CoA (1933 - 1939)

• The Brazillian Invasion of Israel: Brazil had a massive Anti-Semitic movement that eventually led to them invading Israel, the CoA kept their involvement under wraps not wanting to endanger their hold on the Middle East, so they only funded the invasion. Which failed obviously since it's Israel...
  
• Colonial Wars: African nations and tribes all started to fight and the British and Confederates both chose sides to fund
  
• Latin American Resistance: Areas that Brazil and the CoA jointly occupied started to rebel with Britain funding the rebels.
  

WW2 (1939 - 1949)
The CoA still had close ties to the Imperial Japanese, but they also had ties with Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. Hitler, Mussolini, and Hirohito even visited the CoA and talked with the Head Sovereign, Wilson Lee. The Axis leaders introduced fascism to the CoA, which the country adopted readily. They also funded and supported the Axis Power's expansionism during WW2. There was also an Axis Slave Trade, where the Nazis, Japanese, and Italians traded slaves for weapons and resources.
The CoA got Jewish, Romani, African, Chinese, and Korean slaves in exchange they provided weapons and funding. Eventually, Britain's navy started interfering causing a small Naval conflict between the powers which ended with the Axis Slave Trade ending.
WW2 still lasted longer due to the lack of nuclear bombs in this timeline as well as the CoA not interfering militarily, but they did often resist invasions from the Allies within their colonies.
When Japan surrendered in 1949, there was a part of the peace treaty that stated that it would give the CoA all its colonies in China and Korea, but this part was erased by the British.
The CoA, despite the Axis's defeat, refused to free the slaves they had purchased from the Powers, leading to them being fully condemned.
Japan eventually cut all ties with the CoA and formed a political and military alliance with Hawaii. Hawaii also gathered ties with Britain, making the possibility of the CoA annexing the island nonexistent.
Despite this, Japanese Americans remained "Honorary Whites" and were not reduced back to slave status.
Uprisings in Africa
The Second World War inspired many protectorates in Africa to ban slavery, something that horrified the CoA, this also led to massive rebellions in territories owned by Brazil and the CoA. Eventually, 50% of their African allies had gained independence and cut ties.
Northern Conflicts/ Age of Willaim (1950 - 1980)
For over a century, the Free Tribes of the North had been staging a guerilla war against the CoA, they've also been smuggling escaped slaves from the South and their South American colonies and taking them either in their land or to ship ports to be free. The CoA countered this by capturing the coastlines in the East and West, but the Tribes just moved them to Canada.
When William Davis became Head Sovereign, the tribes expanded their network across the Confederacy's empire, from South America to the Middle East, to Africa, and to Asia. Hawaii also became a station for the Free Tribes.
William Davis decided to make plans to invade the North and exterminate the Free Tribes but around this time a man named Sherman J. Grant, a descendant of Ulysses S. Grant was elected as King of the North.
It's safe to say the Confederacy's days are numbers with only Brazil and a couple of small kingdoms as their allies to help them.
What do you guys think?

Greetings all,
I'm new to this sub-reddit. I'm sincerely grateful that this community exists. You seem like open-minded, cultivated and positive people, it's been a pleasure to read your discussions. As I am a newcomer, I'm not completely familiar with the norms of this sub-reddit, so I sincerly apologize if my post is inappropriate. So I want to start with a trigger warning: this post will address sensitive topics that are susceptible to disturb or offend some Muslims. In particular, I will express some negative views about Prophet Muhammad (although I will always try to speak of him respectfully).
I am a young adult raised in the Muslim faith, and I used to be a very devout child. Over the years though, espeically in my late teenage years, I have moved away from religion. I've never identified as an atheist, but in my everyday life and belief system, nothing could distinguish me from one. But in recent years, I have came closer to my religion. I've returned to fasting during the month of Ramadan, reading the Quran, learning Surahs by heart, praying from time to time, and reconnecting with my faith. I also spend a lot of time reading academic scholarship about islam (from historians, linguists, sociologists, anthropologists...).
Let me now get to my point. While I'm happy that I'm reconnecting with my faith, I must admit that I'm struggling to reconnect with everything about Islam. I think that on a deep level, I believe that God exists, that he is One, that he is All-Merciful, that there is an afterlife, and that most of the teachings of the Quran are beautiful. I also think that Prophet Muhammad received divine revelations by God and that the Quran is the word of God (for most of it). But there is one fundamental aspect of (orthodox) Islam that I just cannot subscribe to: it's the idea that Prophet Muhammad was a perfect man with no flaws, who never made mistakes.
I'm now quite familiar with the generally established biography of the Prophet. And I think that some of his actions are just morally unjustified, especially in war contexts. I don't want to dwell to long on these actions, you know which one I have in mind if you ever read an ex-muslim rand about the Prophet. But briefly, I can mention the mass killing of Banou Qorayza men and the assassination of the poet critics of Madinah.
The goal of my post is not the have yet another debate about the actions of Prophet Muhammad, the internet is already full of them. But I want to ask a question that is fundamental to me, and that I think more Muslims should ask themselves. This question is: Does Islam require us to consider Prophet Muhammad as a perfect individual with no flaws? I feel like the debate over the life of the Prophet are often binary: either you are a Muslim and find justifications for all of his actions, or you are an Islam-hater or a bitter ex-muslim when you find that some of his actions were unjustified. I think there might be a middle ground here.
At this point, I see Prophet Muhammad as a real Prophet, who received divine revelations by God. He was sincerly inhabited by God's presence, and honestly did his best to spread the message that God revealed upon him. I do think that he was an unusually beautiful person for his period and context: highly intelligent, compassionate, and driven by a deeply-entrenched sense of justice. This explains why he was followed, and probably why God chose him. But I do not think he was perfect. Prophet Muhammad was a man, as he often tells us. Profoundly a man. He is probably the Prophet that we know most humanly. In other religions, Prophets are often celestial figures, in Christianity Jesus is even a God. Even in the Quran, former Prophets are not known in their intimacy. Whereas we know Prophet Muhammad intimately. We have a book descended by God that makes us look at the world through his eyes: when we read the Quran, we hear what he himself heard from his Lord. And from the traditions we know very intimate details of his life, even down to the trivial disputes he had with his wives. Prophet Muhammad was a man, and no man is perfect. Especially not a man who was tasked to build a new religion in the face of adversity in the harsh context of 7th century Arabia. During his prophetic career, the Prophet faced countless traumas; he dealt with wars, treacheries, people fomenting behind his back, and enormous pressure. Again, the Prophet is a man. As a man, he can feel anger, pride, resentment, violence, thirst for power and I think he certainly did in his life. Why not imagine that he was flawed like most of us? His human emotions has led us to make mistakes, like us. I even think that he might have been tempted to invent a few verses for his own benefit (I'm thinking about unusually convenient verses, like the one allowing him to marry Zayd's ex-wife). Think about it: who wouldn't be tempted? Any man in this situation would be tempted to use his position of power and prestige to nudge things in his direction.
Contrary to the classic ex-muslim/islamophobe rant, I don't think this is necessarily in opposition to islam. I still think that Muhammad was a Prophet, that he spread the message that God sent him. I know that Muslims who idealize the Prophet usually support their view with the Quran verse that describes him as "the best of examples". Well, I do think that Muhammad was indeed a wonderful example on many aspects. He founded a beautiful religion, stood up against the powerful in his native city, encouraged people to free their slaves, to share with the poor and treat all humans with respect. But a person being an example does not necessarily mean that the person is perfect, and that one should follow every single aspect of their behavior. And what the Quran also says repeatedly, is that the Prophet is just a man.
In conclusion, here's my take: why should Islam be synonymous with the perception of Prophet Muhammad as a perfect man who has no flaws? God has chosen to talk to humans through other humans. As the Quran says: if Earth was populated with angels, he would have sent an Angel prophet. God seeks to speak with us despite our imperfect nature, because he is the Most-Merciful. As the Quran repeats, had God willed it, he would have made us all perfect creatures, of perfect believers. But no. God makes us strive towards Him. He makes Himself a quest for us, but he provides signs through myriads of ways for us to reach Him. One of them is send us Prophets, humans he chooses for reasons that only He knows, who inspires to speak to our souls. But these Prophets are still human: even when inspired by the divine, they retain their limitations--including potential flaws. I think this is because God wants to speak at our level but God is Most Knowing. I think this is what makes Islam such an interesting and intimate religion, the one that feels truest. In Christianity, Jesus is a God, an ethereal being that feels so disconnected to me. But Muhammad is not that. He is a man, and I can feel his Manness, I can feel through him the experience of being an imperfect creature trying to reach out a perfect entity, despite my flaws and my sins. Why don't we celebrate Islam, and celebrate Prophet Muhammad, without seeing him as a perfect person?
That's what I wanted to share. I'm curious to know what you guys think. Did you ever think about Prophet Muhammad in these terms? Do you think it even makes sense? I'm not really sure... Is there any school of thought that supports similar views? I'm well-aware that this is a highly controversial take on the role of Muhammad in islam. And I'm sorry if I have disturb or offended some of you.
Peace be upon you and looking forward to read your answers!

Nearly a decade after Ja’vassa had founded Dragon’s Keep Academy and after his children had grown old enough to leave for their own journeys, the Dragonborn had decided it was time to move on with his life. He had spent nearly two thousand years playing a dominant force in Tamriel’s politics and culture, and now it was time for him to move on. There were no longer any villains to slay, quests to undertake, treasures to be looted, and while he enjoyed his time as a teacher for Skyrim’s youth, he was ready to open the next chapter of his life and retire to a life of scholarship and study. This Khajiit may still have been known as an incredibly deadly warrior, he no longer cared for the mercenary lifestyle, even if he loved the adventures that came with it. It was now time for him to continue his pursuit of knowledge in honor of his Lord, and with this, he resigned from headmaster of Dragon’s Keep and ultimately decided he’d leave Rkung-Zel as well, leaving it and everything inside it to the ones who served him, soon heading for the Tower of Mzark where he had AHO docked, the grand Dwemer Airship would serve as his new home and base of operations, aiming to use it to store his research journals, weapons, apparel, food and everything else he might need when he’s traveling across Tamriel and for when he finally decides it’s time to travel towards Akavir.
As he traveled about, from province to province in search of knowledge, he began to explore the possibility of visiting Oblivion realms that haven’t revealed themselves to the mortal realm yet. While Akavir would provide some intriguing adventures, he admittedly found himself more interested in leaving Nirn itself, even if just temporarily. Of course, there were a few problems; traveling to Oblivion, especially uninvited, is extremely difficult, even for wizards of his caliber, and then there was also the difficulty of attempting to transport his massive airship into Oblivion with him, if that's even possible. This led him to digging up each and every single research journal of his that he could find, delving deep into various studies that involved daedric runes and portals in an effort to see if what could be done. Though, even for as isolated as Tower Mzark was, opening a massive portal in the middle of Skyrim would likely bring some unwanted attention, so he boarded AHO and set off in search of an isolated island off the coasts of Tamriel, eventually finding an uncharted island off the coast of High Rock, far enough that he’d be undisturbed while creating this portal.
Nearly a year after he discovered the island and began his experiments, he was successful in creating and opening the portal, but unfortunately, opening it required a great deal of magicka, likely meaning that once he entered, it’d be a few days before he’d be able to return, regardless of the danger. As he would with any dangerous dungeon dive, he equipped himself with his Infinity Sword and his good armor, soon entering the portal with his grand airship. However, as he entered, a new problem arose. For reasons unknown, AHO began to quickly descend towards the ground and when it seemed that disaster was swiftly approaching, Ja’vassa engaged the ship’s emergency procedures that allowed it to safely land on the ground, doing major damage to the land around it.* Fortunately for him, the pilot and its contents were relatively unharmed. The Dragonborn was slightly shaken up, and as he went outside to inspect it and assess it for any damage it may have sustained. AHO was largely undamaged, but now Ja’vassa was left with the unusual problem of being stuck in a world not his own with a ship that seemed to be out of commission for the time being. Everything on the inside was still functioning as it should, but the thrusters seemed to have been completely dead. Unsure of where he was and struck by a sudden wave of exhaustion, Ja’vassa slumped down beside a tree in an effort to regain his strength, and once it returned, he’d explore it to his heart’s content.
Once he was finally able to recover and begin exploring, he had made his way towards a nearby city, but froze upon arriving at the city gates. In the many long centuries he’s lived, he’s never, ever seen a city nearly as large. The Imperial City, Solitude, Torval, all of it seemed tiny in comparison; he quickly found himself overwhelmed by the sight and briefly returned to the forest to collect his composure. He knelt beside a small lake, using the gentle sounds of the water to relax himself, though as he was relaxing, he had been approached by an unusual creature that appeared to take an interest in him. It wasn’t too uncommon for wild animals to approach him, as many often came to him for both peaceful and not so peaceful reasons. Bear and saber cat attacks were common, but he occasionally found himself attempting to attract wild rabbits and foxes to his side purely in an effort to pet them, the odd creature that approached him was no exception.
Strange as it was, Ja’vassa found himself enamored by it and attempted to touch it, but the unusual animal was a little shy of him, keeping its distance. Slightly disappointed, he’d shrug it off and attempt to approach the city once more, but as he entered the city gates, he found himself receiving strange looks with few people willing to speak with him. Being unable to receive any information, he decided to return to the crash site to try and figure things out. He couldn’t employ his Alter Body spell, since he was incapable of changing his racial appearance, as he rested by the ship with his journal in hand, the odd creature had joined him, seemingly studying the Khajiit in an effort to learn if he was hostile or not. After determining that Ja’vassa was friendly, it approached, allowing itself to be pet by the Dragonborn. Slightly enamored by the little animal, he decided to ignore his writing for a bit and focus on the creature, thinking that perhaps it would give him some ideas.
So, in this plot, it involves Ja’vassa accidentally becoming shipwrecked in the Pokemon universe following an experiment. At first, he’s only able to befriend [Pokemon - Listed Below], seeing as he’s not able to get much help from the locals in [local city], at least this is until Y/C comes to investigate the crash site, meeting with the Dragonborn. Understandably, Y/C is a little suspicious about the six foot tall, talking catman, but after speaking with him, they discover that Ja’vassa isn’t here for malicious reasons. Y/C teaches him about the world around him and winds up convincing him to join them on a journey around [region]. Ja’vassa becomes massively interested in the prospect of training these strange creatures, but has little interest in the competitive side of things, aiming to befriend Pokemon just for the fun of it. He’ll partake in battles if he has to, but would prefer not to, as he claims he’s done more than enough fighting back home.
In the Pokemon universe, Ja’vassa’s team will vary from region to region, but down below will be the ones he’ll always have, often being his starter. Regions can be discussed prior to play, but Unova, Sinnoh, and Johto get priority. Regardless of what region will be used, AHO will serve as his base of operations and his home. Ja’vassa is unlikely to partake in any battles unless he absolutely has to, largely serving as a mentor of sorts to whoever he travels with, offering advice regarding adventuring and survival, even if he knows little about the new world. Romance is entirely possible, but not at all required.
Kanto: Nidoran-M/F (Varies from RP to RP) (Will arrive in the Viridian Forest.)
Johto: Pichu (Will arrive in the Ilex Forest.)
Hoenn: Ralts (Will arrive in the Petalburg Forest.)
Sinnoh: Cherubi (Will arrive in the Eterna Forest.)
Unova: Purrloin (Will arrive in the Moor of Icirrus)
Kalos: Espurr (Will arrive in the Santalune Forest.)
Alola: Popplio (Will arrive slightly to the north of Hau'oli City.)
Galar: Snom (Will arrive in the Sleeping Weald.)
Paldea: Tatsugiri (Will arrive near Lake Casseroya.)

Chapter 1
Tears
​
There were many things they never told her about the cure.
Rain fell heavy on the bridge as a cloaked woman hurried over the trench of Skingrad. She glanced over the side, marveling at how quickly the city's runoff was flooding the entryway. True to its reputation, this was the most impregnable settlement in Cyrodiil outside the Imperial-
She stopped. A flash of lighting illuminated her face. Her small horns and angular features betrayed her Bosmer heritage. But her eyes, wide with fear, glowed pale gold as the light faded. She stared intently at the boulder below, desperate to spot the figure she could swear had just been there. Three seconds, and the expected clap of thunder prompted her to hurry on.
"Hard night to be out, miss" said the woman behind the bar at the inn. "Especially for a little thing like you."
The inkeep looked kindly at the young woman in front of her, studying those strange eyes. Solid black like some sort of nocturnal creature. A Wood Elf, alright. The poor thing was soaked through. Once she was satisfied with the girl's gold for the room, of course, she compassionately ordered her maid to run a hot bath and lay out some dry nightclothes. She also happened to be working on a fresh batch of cider and her famous spice cake, and so she offered to send some up to her room when finished, free of charge.
Such kindness overwhelmed the girl, who stammered her thanks and refused, at least, the cake. Despite not eating in over a day, she wasn’t hungry. She was hardly ever hungry, anymore.
Zealné, after warming her frozen bones with a bath and cider, laid over the covers and stared into the ceiling. The old linens felt like the finest silk on her cleansed skin. Even as her body sunk into the gentle comfort, she could only quietly curse herself. In a hundred and forty-six years of bloodsucking, she had become quite adept at little tricks of illusion to conceal her vampiric eyes, and to control unwitting victims.
If only they warned her about the eyes… They were mortal, almost, but nothing like before she had turned. Her new mortality was decorated with pale amber irises. Unassuming enough, but they changed drastically at night, turning a pale gold. When the light caught her eyes just right, they flashed gold from the back of her pupils, enough to give the appearance of a vampire. She learned quickly that even an ex-vampire could not walk freely among mortals.
After all she went through to be free of that life, after spending months plotting her escape from her Clan, and the sacrifices necessary to restore her mortality, she still had to resort to all the same tricks to survive. At least she took it easy on the charm spell, she assured herself. She still had to pay the woman for her room, right?

• ​

Mist covered the streets in the early morning. A pale autumn sun hung low, deceptively cold behind hazy rose wisps, clinging to the horizon. The little elf stepped out and squinted in the brightness. The cure had saved her from burning in the sun, but she found she could never quite get used to the light. Or perhaps she was just tired, she thought, sighing. She hadn't slept a full night since the day she was cured. Nor could she recall ever dreaming. Pressing forward, she had much to do before she could attempt a nap in the afternoon.
The School of Julianos opened at ten. Zealné risked being seen, but needed supplies for whatever journey lay ahead of her. She suffered the morning to spend the last of her gold at the market and secured her haul at the inn behind an illusory sigil.
Precisely on schedule, the city echoed with first bell. Class was in session. Zealné hid among the throng of worshippers eager to resume their studies, and slipped in unnoticed.
In his office, Father Cantus Acutulus kept his back to the elf girl seated behind him. The midmorning light drifted lazily through the window, warming his office and giving him a most splendid view of the West Weald. Plots of grazeland, vineyards, orchards, and crops, islands of fall-colored trees between them, stretched for miles over the city’s walls. But today, his focus was on the shimmer of gold reflected in the glass before him.
"I'm afraid I have to deny you access to our records, Miss Erulind." He said, in an even tone.
"But..." she carefully replied. "this is the house of Julianos. I thought you welcomed inquiring minds."
"We welcome scholarship, yes. We especially encourage the young to seek our knowledge." The man turned to face her. His eyes were piercing, but not hostile. "But you will not tell me what it is you are looking to study."
"I told you, I-"
"What you told me was a lie, miss. Just like your name, and just like those eyes."
Zealné tensed, but didn't act. Focusing magicka into her palms, incantations and equations filling her mind, ready to launch a flurry of spells if she needed to. But she prayed she could still talk her way out of this. Her magic was strongest in the sun these days, but her body couldn't hope to keep up a drawn out fight in its exhausted state.
"Those illusions are impressive. But you're not the first errant student to try a charm spell on me. And no glamor can hide a curse that powerful from a reflection."
"... I can-"
"Relax, child. I know you aren't a vampire." The graying man said, sitting himself formally at his desk across from her. "At least, not anymore."
The Bosmer studied the priest's face. Instinctively, she sniffed the air. Though her senses were pathetically dulled since the cure. A vampire can smell blood from miles away. A Bosmer should be able to smell adrenaline. All she could smell were old tomes, leather bindings cooking in the sunbeams. Perhaps a hint of wood varnish? Still, she chose to trust her instincts, and lowered her guard, just a bit.
"The God of Logic teaches that Truth, above all else, is the most sacred gift of men and mer. To distort the truth will lead even the most practiced of thinkers down the Path of Fallacy and misinformation. I recognize your need to hide what you are, miss. But I cannot allow you to bring false pretenses into our archives."
Amber eyes studied his grayish blue. In the day, she merely had an unusual eye color for a Bosmer. But she had been cold and wet and shaken the previous night, and unwittingly convinced the innkeeper that her eyes were black, as they had been before she was Turned. A moment of nostalgic weakness. Most humans in this part of Tamriel had never seen a Bosmer without at least a quarter Altmeri blood before. Her alien black eyes and horns would likely be a curiosity now, and so she had to keep up the glamor all day. Seeing how her lies had turned against her, she thought that Julianos' teaching was perhaps well-founded. Still..
"Let me offer you this. I swear to you right here that I shall not divulge your mission or your identity to anyone. On my life. If you tell me the truth. Right now."
Nineteen months of running, of concealment, and the guilt of a new mortal soul had fallen away. Somehow, this stranger had cut through her defenses with precision. She left out many details, but tears fell into her lap as she nonetheless blurted out her story.
"So the Lyrezi Clan is still after you?" asked Cantus, softly, when her tears had stopped and enough silence had passed.
"They want revenge for leaving them."
"And you believe you can find a way to stop them in our archives?"
"...yes." Her throat was dry. "My clan is bound to Molag Bal through an altar in our.. in their lair. It flows with our combined mortal blood. Mine is still mixed in."
"And that is how you believe they can track you?"
"Yes. Even without being one of them... I'm still connected. I can feel them, closing in around me. But there's stories of an artifact that-"
"The Font of Julianos!" the old priest interrupted, eagerly. "Yes, I have studied its legends extensively. A humble inkpot, blessed by the Father of Wisdom, that vanishes whatever ink is put inside. All of it. Even when it is already written down. An instrument of confession."
Zealné paused for a moment, comparing this version to her own. "We called it the Well of Secrets. But it's supposed to be an artifact of Herma Mora, and it specifically erases the bonds of blood. Dunmer used to use it to cut off disinherited children from calling on their ancestors."
"There are many versions of the legend." the priest nodded. "In any case, your plan is quite fascinating! But there is one problem with it. When you were cured... did they tell you about your blood?"
"I... they didn't tell me anything."
"Well, have you considered that there may be side effects to being an ex-vampire?" He asked a little too excitedly. His enthusiasm too thick to see her glare at him. "Your Clan may not be after you just for petty revenge, or even to protect their secrets!"
She watched the priest in bewilderment as he hurried over to his own personal bookshelf. For the first time, she actually saw that they were all dedicated to vampire lore. Copies of tomes she had seen a thousand times in her Grandmaster's own study turning violet in the light of the setting... When did the sun start to set?
"Yesyesyes, it's right here!" He said, excitedly flipping through a tome. When he was satisfied he had the right page, he turned toward the girl, carrying the open book in one hand, and in the other, a metallic clamp with a needle at one end. "Black soul shines like the sun. Blood with a stolen life is aetherium vitae!"
The sun set below the horizon and navy ichor slowly dripped down into the purple sky. Zealné could feel her magicka flow restricting as the night dulled her power. She noticed the faint glow of sigils, now showing through abstract patterns in the rug, carved into the desk, the door, even scratched faintly into the glass of the window. She recognized them all. Illusion magic. Dulling her sense of time, charming her and misdirecting her attention. How did she not notice this? Was this mortal better than her?
Even as she tried to bring herself to run, her body felt sluggish. Exhaustion started to overwhelm her mind as he cautiously approached her with his device.
"I have spies throughout this city, miss. Trained to spot vampires, cultists, and other servants of the Princes. But when they described you, well... I knew we had quite the opportunity."
Sleep. All she wanted was to sleep…
"Your blood is more valuable to a vampire lord than a thousand healthy thralls. But so few bodies can survive resurrection after undeath. No wonder they're after you! But imagine what we can learn from you! How can one corrupted soul be repaired by another? Where does all the raw power go? Perhaps with your help, we can learn how to cleanse the scourge of vampirism for good!"
Just a pinch. The device clamped around her limp arm barely felt like a needle. This was much nicer than the first bite.
"You, my dear, are truly one in a mil-"
The tip of a dagger stuck out through the front of his robes where his heart should be. His black and green vestments, dulled in the darkness, began to turn shining scarlet in her eyes. The priest stood in shock for a moment, until a small hand reached around him, and pulled it from his heart. A dark-haired adolescent stepped around the body and pushed it thoughtlessly over, hitting the floor with a dull thud.
"Are you serious, Zee?" They said. Their playful eyes glowed the color of the harvest moons. She saw their fangs glint as they tasted the priest’s blood on their dagger. "You of all people fell for this?"
"Alistair." She said with some effort, shaking the cobwebs as the sigils’ power faded with their caster's life. In a moment of clarity she summoned all her feeble stores of magicka and her hands lit up with fire. "Don't come any closer!"
"Relax, Zee. You're safe." The kid said, assuredly. "Like I'd give you over to the boss."
"Don't play games with me, Al! I know the whole Clan is tracking me. The Grandmaster wants me dead!"
"Oh no. What he wants for you is much worse. And not just for leaving. Now come on. This lunatic's got some kind of secret police all over the city. They're bound to figure out something went wrong soon."
"I'm not going back! Forget you saw me!"
They looked at her with a mix of pity and understanding. "Zee..." they finally said. "Everyone was pretty mad when you left. I was too... but I know why you did it. And as soon as I found out what he plans to do to you, I got out too. I even have a new crew now."
Zealné didn't notice when the sound of shouting and spellfire started filtering in through the window. But the howl halted everything, just for a moment. A bloodcurdling siren that was soon joined in chorus.
"Speak of the daedra."
-------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 2
The Butcher
​
The child hurried through the back alley that night in Alcaire. Their hands nervously fondled the hilt of the dagger hidden in their sleeve. They had been abandoned by their friends at the seedy tavern across town, and had to find their way home in the dark alone. Easy prey.
ꍩꌅꂵꂠꋊ silently crept over the rooftop, sizing up her target. An unworthy opponent for a Hunter of the Green, but an all-consuming hunger compelled her to press on. She cursed what had become of her. With a lifetime of training, she could have gone days eating only insects before her body was taken from her by that damnable clan. Now she was stalking rooftops, chasing human children.
She remembered how they stalked her for weeks, driving her each night farther away from her people, deep into the domain of the Ouze. Unfamiliar territory. She slept during the day, above the canopy where she thought she'd be safe. But after weeks, she was too hungry and exhausted to realize how much cover lay just below her perch, and she was pulled under just as she had lulled herself to sleep one early morning.
They forced her to drink their mingled blood, and after three agonizing days, she turned. She was reborn in a cell, already starving, and still they let her waste away. When they finally threw some helpless thing into her cell with her, all she could think about was tearing out its throat. Her captor's voices relentlessly repeated their Creed into her mind. It took days, but they had beaten her. She killed the poor manling. Sustenance brought her clarity for a day, enough to know what would become of her. Soon, she was going mad with hunger again, until she broke and fed. Again. And again.
By the time they let her out, she was willing to do whatever they wanted for fresh blood. She swore loyalty to Clan Lyrezi, and was rewarded with one final indignity. One baritone voice silenced the others in her head. He reached into her head and sealed away her true name. She was given a new name, seared into the same part of her brain, in memory of an Aldmeri saint. She tried her best to refuse. To summon her own name when she thought of herself. But all that surfaced was noise.
ꌅꐞꈼ꒒ꇒ could no longer hold back. Licking her lips, she stepped forward, knocking a loose shingle off the roof. The child spun around and stared at the spot where their stalker stood and saw only stars. Careless! The invisible vampire would never have made such a mistake in life! All she could do was wait for the poor thing to drop their guard again so she could pounce.
*Mrowl\*
The young vampire had failed to notice the black cat sharing the roof with her. It growled and hissed directly at her. The mortal stared at the cat for a second, then back through her. The faintest shimmer of the stars behind her gave away the disguise. Eyes filling with fear and realization, they bolted for their life.
Zealné cursed. She leapt off the roof, dropping her cloak and started firing spells at the kid, who rolled and dodged with surprising grace. They were good. And Zeal… and ꂦꋖꍩꂑꈼ was completely at the mercy of these instincts. In life, she had learned to see herself as an animal. As equal to the animals she hunted. To trust her instincts in battle. But a starving beast makes a foolish hunter and she was starving. She ceased fire, and focused on bridging the distance between them. She was faster than the kid. Much faster. But they knew these streets better and ducked down another pathway just in time for her to overshoot. Twisting her momentum, she quickly rounded the corner and followed her nose to the child. That last bolt of lightning definitely seared flesh. The smell of death was easy for her to track now. Easier than ever.
Her nose guided her to the castle gardens. Every poisonous plant that could grow in this climate was available there. The new Duke obviously had a hobby. From what she’d heard of Iliac Bay politics, the elf had little doubt how he attained his position. But this child was very good. Her senses were quickly overwhelmed by a whole bouquet of death! It was an excellent place to lose a vampire. Her new clan must have a reputation in this country. It was then she remembered these gardens should have been carefully guarded. Where the hell were the guards?
Subtly rustling leaves gave her prey away. The child had shifted their weight, just for a moment, while ducked behind a hedge on the far wall of the garden. Memory flashed in the vampire's mind of a similar mistake she had made weeks ago. It cost her own life as well. She played like she hadn't noticed and kept walking. Then, using all her new instincts, she seamlessly wove the darkness around her as she crossed a pillar, vanishing from sight. Though her heartbeat was an unchanging dirge, she felt something akin to adrenaline rush to her head. At last. Blood. Blood! Blood! BLOOD!
Zealné was on the pathetic thing in only a second, just as it realized its mistake. It struggled vainly against her strength. She fed, and almost bled it dry. Almost… She let the darkness fall away from her, savoring the kill. She wanted the blood-sack to see its grinning doom. They looked into eachother's eyes, and… Zealné saw the golden glow of her own reflected in the gloss of this child's tears. It.. they were worthy prey. They fought with a clear head and a strong will to live. They gave her an honorable hunt.
Something streaked down the vampire’s cheek. She felt it run cold from her eye. A drop of it fell and splashed on the child's pale, sunken face. It was blood. Even her tears were dead. The dying child breathed shallow, their jaw twitched as they fought the blood loss to say what they knew would be their last words, but Kyne wouldn’t spare them enough breath.
Zealné knew she had taken too much. She never intended to kill for those creatures. Not ever. But this manling would die, convulsing and helpless, if she did not end their suffering. She drew her dagger. A ceremonial blade of the Hunt made of bone and obsidian. She once used it to reward a worthy foe with a swift death, and then as cutlery to devour the body. Other cultures found the practice barbaric, but to her people it was kindness.
Eating wasn't an option anymore. Even if she spared the child this suffering, she would have to leave the drained corpse to rot. Her hand shook. Her religion didn't account for this. What was right? She couldn't let her failure stain the child's death. She couldn't let them…
-
"An interesting choice" the Grandmaster's voice echoed in her mind as she walked away from the dagger, buried in the soil outside the Duke's poison garden. "You are quite honorable. That was one reason why I chose you. On the other hand, you were far more reckless than we expected. I wanted you for your skills as a hunter, Miss Zealné. Perhaps I was wrong."
Zealné ignored him. He took her from her home. He took her name. Her life. Her religion. He would not take her pride. Not ever.
-
In another city, in another era, a Bosmer woman slowly stirred from her fitful slumber. Her amber eyes surveyed the stone room she found herself in. Daylight bled through cracks in the trap door over the stairs in the corner. Dusty shelves overladen with baking ingredients lined the walls. She sat up. Evidently, she had slept on the floor, a sack of flour for a pillow. A large, scratchy coat had been placed over her as a blanket. It smelled like wet dog.
"So.. you're finally awake." Alistair greeted her from atop another crate in the other corner, playing with a set of calipers they'd found. "You were out for almost a day."
This news should have caused her to panic. The events of that night flashed in her mind, but it was drowned out by one thing.
"I had a dream!" She exclaimed out loud to herself. Her first dream since she turned all those years ago. Her heart beat faster with excitement. Did this mean she was becoming… more alive? Was she not finished yet?
Alistair carefully closed the calipers around their fang, playing like they were going to pull it out.
"Grd drea’, I hophe." They said casually, before quickly losing interest in the bit.
"Just…” Zealné studied them for a moment. “Just memories."
Her hand was shaking again. She gripped her wrist to steady it. "Why don't I remember what happened? How did we escape the city?"
"We didn't." They hopped off the crate and gave her an admonishing look. "It was going well at first. Then you started lagging behind. So I paralyzed you, and Hjalmek carried you on his back. But that crazy priest's spies cut us off. We were lucky to make it into the sewer."
"Who's Hjalmek?" She replied, pushing past the indignity.
"He's the guy who figured out you hadn't eaten in days. He's making breakfast."
"I had a stamina potion! If you had let me take it-"
"You didn't eat anything, Zee. You would have thrown it up. You're mortal now, remember?"
A palpable silence fell on the two. Static filled the room from her resentment pressing against their annoyance. This was not how their relationship was supposed to go. She protected them for over a century! Their hotheaded permanent adolescence, a constant liability. When did they get more mature than her?
The cellar door burst open, dispersing the charge. Down the stairs came a large, hairy nord in tattered clothes, a frilly apron splattered in blood, and a copper platter in hand. The disheveled man barely fit under the ceiling at his full height. His icy stare may have seen even more death than she had, and his muscles bulged in odd places, showing the wear of repeated mutation. Zealné tensed at the sight of him. He would have been a deadly opponent even at the height of her power.
"It sounded like arguing down here!" his booming voice opened with a grin. "Hope that means you got your appetite back!"
Hjalmek proudly unveiled his creation. She covered her nose and looked in horror at the layered mess of raw, bloody meat and marrow. Its revolting stench made her gag.
"What?" he asked, hurt. His imposing presence melted away as he fretted with the dish. "I-I promise this isn't a werewolf thing! I was served this in Silvenar! I heard you were from Valenwood.."
Zealné cursed herself. The sting of her lost culture cut into her soul.
"I can't… anymore."
"Oh… Oh gods, I'm so sorry!” The nord cried in a panic. “I didn’t think… I… How about some… porridge?"
"Thank you."
The Bosmer clutched her stomach, waiting for the offending smell to dissipate, and for the changeling to be out of earshot.
“A werewolf, Al?” She finally said, as quietly as her terror would allow. “Really?”
“Werewolves, actually.” They laughed, “The other two couldn’t make it into the city before the lockdown. We got a message out that we’re alive. Just waiting for them to secure a meeting place.”
“And what’s to stop them from killing us? After all our history?”
“They have their reasons, Zee. You’ll have to ask them.”
Zealné was having none of this, but the vampire refused to give any more details about their new “pack” except that they had only worked together for a few months to track her down. They were almost strangers, and still Al vouched for them. This tugged on her stupid mortal heart. They had only ever shown this kind of loyalty to her before. She put her life on the line for them when they were turned against the Grandmaster’s wishes, and countless times since. But how could she possibly trust a pack of Hircine’s dogs? She wanted to respect their judgment, but she was afraid and pushed back, pressing for a better reason to risk everything for whatever plan they had cooked up.
A gentle knock on the trapdoor interrupted their bickering. Zealné tensed, realizing she hadn’t sensed the intrusion. It definitely wasn’t Hjalmek, but somehow it smelled similar. It was familiar, too…
“Sorry to interrupt, dearies.” Came the kindly voice of the innkeeper as she descended the stairs, breakfast tray in hand.
“You!”
“Yeah, it’s me.” The woman laughed. “Nice work on that charm, kid. Not a lot of witches can get past my defenses. Now, you try that again, we’re going to have problems.”
Zee didn’t know how to respond to that. The tension was cut by the smell of hot food in her hands. She had made an effort to tune out the wonderful aromas since she awoke. She realized then that this must be the same inn she was staying at. The familiar spice of the cider still lingered in the air, calling to her from the floor above. But there were eggs and porridge already within reach, and she felt instincts, not unlike the ravenous thirst she felt as a vampire start to creep up on her mind.
Maddeningly, the woman placed the tray atop Al’s last perch and stood between it and the starving girl. “You can eat, but I’ll have a look at ya first.”
She had been through too much to let some old mortal slit her throat. Ignoring the screaming of her instincts, she attempted to appear disinterested.
“Thank you” She said, unconvincingly, “But I’m fine.”
The redguard woman just laughed. “Sure ya are. I’m lookin’ anyway, love. I’m sticking my neck out for ya. Ought to know if yer likely to survive to be worth it.”
Without waiting for the girl’s retort, the woman examined Zealné with care. No one, living or otherwise, had been so close to her without violence since she was alive. Earlier, even… Her fear slowly subsided as the feeling sparked something long dormant in the back of her mind. A sense-memory. She recalled flitting images of auburn hair and a noble set of antlers, silhouetted by a break in the canopy. The figure loomed over her, but she felt so safe.
The moment ended instantly when her lips were unceremoniously parted to inspect her canines like some lapdog. Alistair’s cackling prompted her to swat the hand away. She would rather starve than be gawked at any further.
“Alright. S’pose you’ll live.” said the woman with a look of warning before conceding. “I already had a batch going, but Hjalmek seasoned it and made the eggs. Seemed embarrassed to bring it down himself.”
While Zee devoured her breakfast, Nestra introduced herself, urging the Bosmer in vain to go slow. Though she hardly had time to enjoy it, the memories seared into her brain of the first good meal she had eaten in a century and a half. The porridge had fresh weald berries and cinnamon. The yolk ran down her chin as she noted the perfect portion of salt, minced garlic, and flakes of some sort of herb, though she didn’t know what kind. She suppressed a tear as she finished. Nestra had left, and Al sat themself down cross-legged in front of her.
“Alright, then.” They said. “Here’s the plan.”

Like this: Prelude is almost normal, typical "zombies" like in typical shooter (filth and strays), the only strange thing is Malicious face and Cerberi (they do not like anything a human could create, unlike "zombies"), and also you're kinda worried about "Mouth of Hell" thing
Limbo completely shocks you, because it looks like humans built it, with these holo walls and speakers, and castle-like style, only strange thing is Hideous Mass, it looks weird and has the same stone-like skin like other demons (you probably know the difference between husks and demons at this point)
Lust looks normal at first but normality starts to break when you see Coprse of King Minos, and the Mindflayer that teleports...you've never seen teleportation before, so it means that it is from Hell powers
Gluttony is where shit gets real (lol), it's literally a dimension of flesh (P-3 prediction also), and you hear Gabriel, and from this point game becomes Bible 2, with angels, demons, God and etc.
Greed should not exist, because..well, it is a giant desert with SUN UNDER GROUND, and human objects of architecture drowning in the sand, a book mentioning Sisyphus (you probably know some King Minos's lore at this point), and Virtues (literal angels)
Wrath also shouldn't exist, there you meet idols, they look like Mary and Jesus, so another Bible reference, you get to "Charon's boat" (the ship), and you fight A GODDAMN KAIJU (also a demon, nut LARGE)
Heresy...I do not need to say anything
Violence, 7-1 does not look like anything human could create with Mannequins and MINOTAUR, 7-2 looks like WW1, but it ended 200 years ago....so it is time travel basically, 7-3 reminds me of heaven garden, but corrupted and invaded by Hell (maybe Hell recreated it just for fun), and 7-4 is A FUCKING 500 GAZILION TONNS MACHINE FROM FAR PAST 500 GAZILION MILES UNDERGROUND (at this moment you should be asking, is everything happening underground?)
So what I tried to say that ULTRAKILL has amazing feeling of descending into biblical madness, starting like "Yeah im a robot and i clear factory from zombies" and continuing like "wait wtf how is this...possible"

Welcome, new Einherjar! This message is sent to you straight from the hotel manager, Helgi! (Though Hunding may have had to help tone down the strong language.)
Welcome to our grand Hotel Valhalla! Odin's after death oasis. (not really.) Ignore Hunding's DEPRESSING spiel! You'll be living here forever, or atleast until Ragnarok! But that's alright! Pay not mind to Ratatosk, our giant squirrel friend! (Try not to listen to what Ratatosk says. You'll be more depressed.)
(NOTE THAT THIS IS PRESENT DAY. LOKI'S ESCAPADES HAVE HAPPENED ALREADY!)
Here we expect your utmost attention! We have the overview, roleplay rules, modmail items, and our links all right here!
ROOMS:
Your rooms will be specifically modified to fit your needs, desires, and personalities!
A good example would be: One whom enjoys swimming and water. There would be photos of said Einherji's life, but there would also be possibly a small pool in one area of the room, possibly a large bathtub in the bathroom. The bed would be standard of course, the usual green Hotel Valhalla bed spreads. And there'd be standard clothing in the closet, along with any clothing or accessories in which our Einherji friend enjoys having/wearing. There'd be paintings of water and the ocean and pools. It all depends on the certain person.
OTHER PLACES:
Other places include, but are not limited to:
•Dining hall •Main lobby •Front courtyard •Battlefield •Sports rooms •Yoga (TO THE DEATH) studio •Hallways •Lounges (many of them. Lounge to the death!!) •specified floor lounges (2 lounges per floor, floors dispersed by age group)
AGE GROUPS:
The age groups range around here: 540 floors: 10-14 year Olds (Oh lord Tyr, there's alot of them. What the Helheim?) - Floors 3 through 10 15-19 - Floors 11 through 19 20-25 - Floors 20 through 33
So on so forth
There are 540 doors leading to the 9 worlds. You must ask permission to be granted leave from the hotel.
(AS IN: modmail for it. If you're character is sneaking out, then you need not fill out Helgi's treacherous forms, which will have you writing and signing... TO THE DEATH!)
TO DO: 1. You must head to our Claiming Post to be deemed! (FILL OUT THE QUESTIONS!)

1. Introduce your character! Post an introduction that tells us all who this new Einherjar is! We look forward to slaughtering them on the battlefields! (Note from Hunding: Helgi insisted deeply that this remain. Please do not fret! You will revive! In 30 minutes minimum, 4 hours maximum!)
   
2. Check out the discord! Link is below with all other links!
   

MUST DO IMMEDIATELY! (OR THY SHALL BE KILLED EMBARRASSINGLY!):
×Be sure to read our rules! They are not suggestions nor recommendations, they are required! (You shall be punished greatly if thy does not follow!)
Certain Things Here Require Certain Mod Approval. Here are these things:
Weapons Which Are 'Rare':
~~ -Greek Weapons (why have those? VIKINGS!) -Specially Gifted Weapons (Ex: A weapon which Thor has bestowed upon you) -Weapons Made of Unusual Things (Ex: A rare metal) -Specially Enchanted Weaponry (Like Mr./Miss Fierro's original Garrote Wire, an enchanted/modified clay cutter.) -Weapons Of Real Mythology (Such as the Sword of Summer.) ~~
PLOTS:
~~ So everyone may have fun and write fairly, we do wish that your character not be 'main character' style such at Magnus Chase and his adventures to stop Loki. Everything here is ROLEPLAY. And we want our roleplays to be fair. If you wish to have your character go on a large quest, then you must modmail for it and the mods will consider it. YOU MUST PROVIDE REASONING! ~~
Immortals + Book Characters
~~ To aquire such things, you will have to modmail. Just like any other riordan-verse RP subreddit. If you wish to interact with, say, Heimdall. You want a selfie with him. You must modmail for it. If you want to interact with our lovely floor 19 members, such as TJ or Mallory, you once again must modmail. Be sure your reasoning and plot is sound when you request. ~~
Unlisted and Uncommon Godrents And Other Unlisted
~~ In Magnus Chase, we have characters such as Odin and whatnot. These people don't often get around and have kids. So you must modmail to become a demigod child of them.
Along with Valkyries, you must modmail to be one of our beloved Valkyries! And if you do, don't forget to list ehat item is their invisibility! (EXAMPLE: Samirah's hijab)
There will be Unlisted gods, you'll have to request for those as well. Approved gods will be found down in our links! ~~
DEATHS
~~ Everyone has a unique death which they died fighting. Magnus died fighting Surt, TJ was battling against the confederacy, Alex was defending someone against wolves. You have a unique death too! But, you must modmail for a death that takes place during a MAJOR event. Such as but not limited to: WW1, WW2, The Civil War, Chernobyl, etc etc. But be sure your description of the death is not too graphic. ~~
LEAVING
~~ If your character happens to want to leave the hotel for a day/week/wtvr, you must modmail. Make sure you specify whether they are sneaking out or are signing out with Helgi. This means if you wish to travel to midgard, Alfheim, etc, you must ask! ~~
~~ ASGARD IS ONLY BY GODLY INVITE, THIS TIES IN TO OUR GODRENT MESSAGE ABOVE! ~~
HOTEL STAFF
~~ This is a modmail specific role. You may modmail for a character you've made to be a staff member, like our... beloved... Hunding. (I'm not that bad. Helgi just hates me. -Hunding) ~~
floors
Certain floors are off-limits. Unlesd you have permission (modmail), you may not head up to them. These are the top floors, and rooms such as Helgi's office.
Relations
~~ You may be related to another demigod. That is a-okay! You can even be a descendant of a god! If you modmail! ~~
LINKS BELOW!
We hope you have fun! To the death.
~SIGNED: Helgi, Valhalla Manager

I am rewatching the show for nostalgia and there is one thing about S3 that annoys me so much.
Throughout S1 and S2, there were many moments where some obvious step would have solved all their problems but that was not really annoying (to me)...
But in S3, when they wake up Robert and try "everything" to stop the ceremony... One simple step to stop it, but I guess their scholarship is more important than great evil and the end of the world.
When they started going round, why didn't Patricia just pull the other way with force to trip everyone over? The ceremony would have stopped before they managed to finish it... Or call out Denby the night before when she showed the grandfather clock and demand to go upstairs, so they can prove to Joy and Jerome what this is really about. Victor wasn't there so they were 4 against 1 at that time.
That's not all; Nobody wanted to do it, so why fear Victor in the first place when he entered? If all else fail, why didn't they just call out Denby quickly explaining that she's an impostor? Sure the two wouldn't have listened but they did not even try. Days before the ceremony they should have just come clean that they can give the bracelet (since they did not know who the descendants are at that time) but only if Denby is taken out of the picture and that would ensure that good Robert wakes up. The adults do care about the safety of the children so in the end they could have come up with any compromise.
And about this bracelet too, when Eddie took off his jacket... Why bring it around with you? The adults already found Robert in the grave, so go back and hide it there. Nobody would have thought to check it there again.
So many simple solutions and they were just too dumb to do it. Don't get me wrong, I know storyline is important but the writers did not really catch how actual teenagers would act in this situation.

Des: A young witch is threatened into doing dirty work for the trix & Valtor. When enrolled into Alfea things don’t exactly go according to plan when she and five other girls are selected for a training program directly under the guidance of the winx. While she forms life changing bonds, our dear protagonist must walk on the thin tightrope between evil & good.

Disclaimer

This is an alternate universe, some things may not align with the show or the comics. Characters such as ‘Sapphire’ (Icys sister) do not exist. The Trix are all cousins and coven sisters & Directly descended from the ancestral witches. This takes place sometime in S3 when most of the winx have enchantix (Blooms is obviously still incomplete) This is after Valtor and the Trix took over cloud tower and are currently in & out of hiding, plotting their next big move.
The trix entered the mostly desolate cave, they’d lost against the winx once more. “Those stupid little fairies are getting more aware.. How are we supposed to do anything?” Stormy asked, sitting down on a rock. “One of us could go in disguise and infiltrate Alfea.” Darcy suggested. Icy scoffed. “That wouldn’t work, Bloom attacked some princess she thought was me in disguise off intuition alone. It can’t be one of us to infiltrate.” The other 2 witches rolled their eyes. “You always reject every idea that we come up with so we have to do it your way, I’m honestly so sick of it.” Darcy said, standing up and starting to approach Icy. “SILENCE!” Valtor shouted, holding the bridge of his nose.
“Darcy, I want you to pay attention to your surroundings. Look into the shadows, reach out.” He commanded, fixing his posture on the makeshift throne. “Why?” She questioned. “Just do it.” Valtor commanded. Darcy reached into the shadows and grinned maliciously. Darcy dragged out a disembodied body of shadows with pure white eyes and tossed it onto the floor. The shadows rescinded to reveal the true form of the intruder.
The Trix surrounded the intruder. A fair skinned witch around the age of 16 with long chestnut brown coloured hair tied into a ponytail sat on the ground, her green eyes darting around the cave. Suddenly the entire cave went pitch black for a moment. The cave quickly lit up once more as Icy quickly encapsulated the witch into a block of ice. The trix then charged up their magic and prepared to blast her.
“Bring the intruder over here. I’ve just come up with a plan.” Valtor commanded, The trix looked at him like he’d gone insane. “Well? You heard me.” The trix grumbled and pushed the block of ice towards him. With a wave of his hand, the block melted into nothing but a puddle, leaving a confused, cold and soaked witch on the ground. “I know you. During the siege on Alfea, you were hiding in the shadows, just watching. Cowardly move in most cases. But I disagree. You can be useful. I need someone on the inside of Alfea, but sending one of these 3 is too much of a risk. It’d draw suspicions if they stand out too much. Your powers are perfect for this. So I’ll give you 2 choices. Swear your undying loyalty to me, have all the power you can imagine..Or you can flee and I’ll destroy everything you care about. Just like I did with Domino. Though I’ll make sure to finish the job on the princess that time.” Valtors eyes bore into her form while he grinned maliciously.
She nodded her head hesitantly and kneeled. Valtor grabbed her wrist roughly and placed his mark upon it. Then he let go, leaving a bruise over the mark. She rubbed her wrist and stared at it. “Oh! I almost forgot.” He snapped his fingers, 2 black wrist cuffs with purple gems on each one appeared on her arms, one of them covering the mark. “What are these?” She questioned, admiring their beauty. “Ever heard of a dead man's switch? It's similar to that but only you die. If I sense even a hint of betrayal from you..” The cuff became transparent for a moment as the mark on her wrist started spreading a glowing black substance around her hand.
She held it up to her face and stared in terror, her hand had turned dark blue with hints of purple and was transparent. Her hand suddenly reverted to normal as Valtor just stood there, an evil grin plastered on his face. “Do you understand now?” He asked sternly, his gaze fixed on her fearful expression. She nodded nervously. “Good, now go.” And with that she quickly left.
“You three, While she’s at Alfea. Follow her, don’t interact with her unless she’s..off track.” The trix groaned.
The young woman stood in line, awaiting her turn to be let inside. “Next.” The vice headmistress called out as she approached. “Name?” She asked, glancing at her then back at the list. “Princess Fade of Evonis.” She said, praying she’d enrolled properly. “Go on and get your schedule from the front office and then proceed to the auditorium.” Fade nodded and adjusted her tiara as she walked into the school
. She glanced behind her and her eyes widened, Catching a glimpse of long white hair in the shadows. Was that one of the trix? She blinked again. There was nothing. She sighed.
After grabbing her schedule she entered the auditorium and sat next to a pair of girls, talking amongst one another. One had short beautiful golden hair and wore a royal blue dress with star symbols embroidered elegantly around the ends of her skirt. Another had dark brown hair and wore her hair in a bun.
She wore a dark red dress with white & gold accents around it. “Hello.” Fade said, smiling kindly at them. They looked at her.
“Oh hello! My name is Alyssa. I’m the princess of Callisto.” The other girl just smiled shyly at her. “Hi, I’m Lilly. I’m from Linphea. I’m here on scholarship..” She said meekly.
“I’m Fade, princess of Evonis. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” Before another word could be said, the distorted sound of a microphone silenced the whole auditorium. On a stage stood 6 girls. The winx.
(I did my best, Please tell me if you want more)

Hello;
On my mother’s side we descend from Austrians who lived in Böhmen and Mähren back at the turn of the century. My great grandfather fought in WW1 in an Austrian-Hungarian regiment and originated in Troppau (now Opava in Czech Republic). After WW1 Troppau became part of Czechoslovakia then Germany. After WW2 her family escaped to West Germany. My maternal aunt was able to become Austrian by proving that her grandfather was Austrian sometime in the 1980‘s I believe. My mother did not care as she had German citizenship already. Now i am wondering if I am eligible for Austrian citizenship as well (i speak fluent German) but am not German. If so, is it enough that my maternal aunt is Austrian or would i need any other documentation?
Thank you.