Food cheat charles kingdoms of camelot

huhu im sorry, long post ahead. i really have a hunch that my bf is hiding something from, if not cheating, maybe something that he knows would hurt me and i want to ask some tips on how will i prove it.
so my bf suddenly became secretive of his phone, he wouldnt let me borrow his phone and it has happened two times alr, i am now sure because the second time it happened, nagkasakitan na kami. so to make you guys understand me better, ikkwento ko yung nangyari the first and second time it happened.
ths first time it happened, out of nowhere, i asked if i can borrow his phone and he said why with a continuous nervous laugh, gosh i still remember how his face looked like, and i replied “wala lang may ichecheck lang ako” he replied “anong checheck mo” sabi ko “lahat” then paulit ulit na batuhan ng ganong tanong. just a disclaimer that we dont really check each other’s phone every time we would see each other but he knows how much i overthink, so before, if i were like asking abt a girl who made me jealous, he would just simply assure me with his words and let me check his phone, but i dont really go thru his phone that much because i trust his words but when that happened, all the questions on why i wanted to borrow it, i was sad and asked him if may tinatago ba siya, he just replied na wala raw and i asked again kung bat ayaw niya ipahiram, sabi niya wala lang din daw, ayaw niya raw talaga. nung unang beses, walang pilitan na nangyari, he let me go thru his phone pero siya ang maghahawak, yun ang gusto niya that time. so he opened his fb and i went thru the recent searches and i saw two unfamiliar girls from his recent searches so i asked who was it and why niya sinearch, and he just simple said na cm niya bef sa prev sch niya and di niya raw sinearch yon, nasa suggestions lang but i am not dumb, i know kung sinearch mo yon or talagang nasa suggestions lang, syempre nakita ko under recent searches eh so i kept asking him kung sinearch niya nga ba and sabi ko di ako magagalit kasi di naman big deal, wag lang kako siyang mag lie 😅 so ff sa next na pangyayari, hinihiram ko ulit phone niya and paulit ulit talaga yung kabadong niyang laugh, pero nahawakan ko na naman and nung ioopen ko na yung ig app niya, bantay sarado talaga siya, and eto na, nung inopen ko yung messages icon, bigla na lang niyang inagaw and tumatawa talaga siya nervously and alam mo yung nilalmbing niya ko, syempre nawalan na ko ng gana non, the third time na ichecheck ko ulit yung phone, siya na ulit ang naghawak and when i said na patingin ng archives niya sa messenger, bigla na siyang nagagalit and he kept saying na “palagi ka na lang naghihinala sakin” so ako sinasabi ko na kung ayaw niya kong maghinala lalo, ipakita niya pero nagagalit lang siya so dun na, as in nawalan na ko ng gana, i kept asking him kung bat ayaw niya talaga ipahiram and pualit ulit lang yung sagot niya na “wala lang.” so para na lang umiksi yung kwento, napaamin ko siya sa chat and totoong sinearch niya yung girls, sabi niya na natakot lang siya sa magiging reaction ko kaya raw siya naglie, so ibig sabihin alam niyang may mali sa ginawa niya, pero as ive said, di nga siya big deal kung umamin lang siya di ba? kung pwede lang mag attach ng photos kung gano kahabang pilitan yung nangyari 😫
so eto na yung nagpalakas ng hunch ko, the second time it happened, so syempre medyo off na ko sa nangyari before kaya di ko mapigilan yung desire ko na macheck phone niya. bibili siya ng food sana namin outside and i asked him na iwan niya phone niya, and he then again asked why and i said may checheck lang ako and biglang ba naman akong nilambing with nervous laugh again, then sabay sabing ayaw niya raw, sobrang habang pilitan yung nangyari kasi ayaw niya talagang ipahawak, may time na naaagaw ko pero pinipilit niyang kuhain to the point na ayun na nga, nagkasakitan na kami, then fast forward, napakalma niya ko pero di ko pa rin nakuha phone niya, naging ok kami non, pero di nawawala sa isip ko and i kept saying sa self ko na mahuhuli ko rin kung ano yung tinatago niya. hindi ko alam if ang babaw non pero nasasaktan ako and affected talaga ko, pag uwi ko non umiiyak lang ako and wala talagang gana pero sabi ko sa sarili ko na di ako titigil hanggat wala kong nalalaman.
so btw, he is consistent on assuring me na wala raw siyang tinatago and ako lang mahal niya, maeffort siya sa ganon niya and sinasabi niya rin na di niya raw talaga alam bat ayaw niyang ipahawak phone niya sa akin. gustong gusto ko siyang paniwalaan, pero alam niyo yung di ako matatahimik hanggat di ko talaga macheck phone niya.
if umabot kayo here, would some of u mind giving me tips kung pano ko makakalkal phone niya? bukas kasi, ill visit his house and of course magbbond pero and una ko talagang goal is mahawakan ko phone niya kaya gusto ko rin siyang makita.

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Anglestan
Augustus 5, 1923
Facility 9, Mancheston
Colonel Jacobs
His hands flew through the folders General Jorgenson and Colonel Thatcher had. There were dozens of them, stacked upon each other all filed in alphabetical order. It had only been a few days since he had woken up from his coma and visited his home— now his mother’s grave. He clenched his fists at the thought. The grief and rage threatened to bubble and spill over once again. He took a deep breath and dragged out the exhale, almost to the point where he had emptied out his lungs.
He was the only one with clearance, and so he couldn’t disclose any of what he learned with his team. They would simply have to trust him and his judgment. Which he was sure they would do. His hands went over one of the folders skimming through it. There were multiple secret projects, but the ones with the most notes were Project S.T.A.R, Project L.U.N.A.R.I, Project R.E.V.I.V.E, Project D.A.W.N, and Project T.E.M.P.L.A.R.
The colonel decided to start with the most notes and papers. Project D.A.W.N.
He skimmed through the notes, reading through some of the details and highlighted words. Project D.A.W.N, the espionage project Thatcher had started placed two spies in Verlin who were to report directly to a Crescent general named Sienna Moretti who was apparently on humanity’s side.
So I was right. There was an espionage element. With the recent attacks and Thatcher’s death, however, it’s safe to assume that it had somehow failed. Either they got found out or they betrayed us. Both seem very likely, but if they were found out, it would be possible that they had died.
He read through all of it before setting the folder down. There were no new notes recently. He sighed and assumed that Project DAWN was a failure. Whether or not the agents were still alive and well, it was too risky to check if they had been compromised. It was better to assume that they had been and cut all contact. The only way to find out now was to go there himself and check. I can’t contact them again. There’s no telling if it would still be Moretti or the agents who would see my messages. It’s a big risk, and judging by the state of things, best to assume it failed.
He picked up another folder. This one had the label ‘under development’ on the folder. Project Templar. He opened the folder and was instantly met with a blueprint and drawings of a massive bipedal machine. It looked humanoid with strange proportions and was supposed to be standing at an impressive 30 meters, or 100 feet. The Titanic Engine Mech for Personal Land Assault and Reconnaissance.
It was apparently a joint project with the Church of Sol, utilizing new and advanced technologies he hadn’t heard of. A 203mm Gatling cannon on one arm, while the other had three different weapons. A massive firestarter that utilized a new type of fuel mixture that could theoretically spew flames a kilometer away using a high-pressure nozzle. The fuel was ignited using an electrical spark. The second weapon was a high-powered light weapon that fired a single powerful beam of focused light that was even further amplified by layers of focusing lenses that could increase its output several times. Its third weapon was… a dust domina?
Mark read through the specifications of the so-called ‘sand cannon’ weapon. It was a massive cannon that accelerated tiny particles several times. Each particle was to be electrically charged, and it would travel at immense speeds. Near impossible speeds. The resulting impact of a microscopic particle at such speeds would be enough to form a small crater and punch through armor like it was nothing. This weapon would fire multiple at the same time, which could literally eat away at anything on the opposing end.
In terms of secondary weapons, the titan had two missile launch chambers in front of its shoulder each containing about 40 missiles, and two massive howitzer cannons on top of it. Both are 800mm in caliber. It had massive stumpy legs that served as bunkers for a small platoon on each leg. Each leg had machine dominas and 155mm cannons. Its chassis held two nuclear reactors inside providing for its power and weaponry. Its armor was the thickest and most ridiculous he’d ever read. Two meters of heavy steel armor.
How far are we in terms of technology? This thing looks like it came out of an H.G. Wells sci-fi novel. He thought, shaking his head. It was over the top, but there was no denying its combat capabilities. If it was already under-developed then it must be the first prototype. This has already been approved. Guess I better see it for myself later and check how it's coming along. Construction apparently started just a few months before the invasion.
Next was project L.U.N.A.R.I. It was a project involving Six. “Huh,” he said, continuing to read on.
The Light Undone: Nocturnal’s Adaptive Resistance Initiative. As he read further, his eyes widened. The reason why Six was so special wasn’t just because of her immunity to all strigoi weaknesses, but because of her impressive ability to turn any true born strigoi like her. She could transfer her strain like any other strigoi and transform them into a version of hers. It however only seemed to work for naturally born strigoi. The new species of ‘half-breeds’ were called ‘Blessed Children’ as Thatcher had coined in the folder.
The plan was to turn all willing true-born hemolite strigoi into these blessed children. Able to withstand the sun. Immune to silver. Free from the dependency on blood. They could remove all the weaknesses of the strigoi and after the war— make it possible to integrate them into society as normal citizens living on the surface. The project folder also made mentions of a city-wide draft in Dante and highlighted the possibility of turning all Dantenite true born strigoi into these blessed children and renaming them as ‘Lunari’. A mix of the dark and the light. The light of Sol reflected in the children of the night.
“Thatcher, what the fuck have you been up to…” Mark whispered to himself.
While it was true that it could help in the war effort by utilizing Six and the dantenite population, it would also invite some unforeseen problems and consequences. Would humanity be okay with the Lunari? Would the world even be ready for them? Strigoi who were immune to the sun. They wouldn’t be impossible to kill, but they would be immensely more powerful if we were to take away their inherent weaknesses. This is a gamble. Its gain would only be seen during the war period, but its unintended effects on society could be catastrophic.
He frowned, setting the folder down. It was obviously Thatcher’s main plan; seeing as all her moves could be traced to the path of the eventual completion of this project. It seemed dangerous in the long run, but the duskwalkers and dantenites had been monumental in the war effort. Maybe it was the time the world started to accept them more. Isolation and segregation was definitely not the way to disperse fears and foster understanding.
If Thatcher thinks this is the next step forward… then I’ll put my faith in her plans.
Next up was Project S.T.A.R, or the Superior Tech and Adaptive Resistance. An upgrade to the current hemolite weapons and gear by using new researched studies. The Starfire Pattern Domina. The SFD-23 This thing features a new loading system and magazine, ditching the rotating cylinder most domina used, or the rotating helix magazine design of the current hemolite standard BM-16 domina.
The new domina had its magazine like a box… a strange design but it was certainly easier to handle than the bulky cylinders the helical mags used. In terms of ergonomics, it was smoother and fit more. Its placement however was on top of the domina, just above the barrel. Most of the weapon were to be made of lightweight polymers and the barrel itself were to be crafted out of reinforced aluminium. In addition to that, it had a 10-inch bayonet attached to it.
There were other new things as well, such as the composition of the bullet. Looking at the conceptual cross-section designs, Mark read through its description and how it would function. A .308 cased telescoped bullet covered in a silver jacket with break-away petals surrounding the main body. Inside the jacket was a penetrator core that was to be made of depleted uranium. It had a small amount of incendiary compound and… powdered white phosphorus behind an explosive compound. The thin silver jacket would deform and trigger the explosive compound inside the body. It would blow up causing massive internal damage and release the incendiary materials into the body with the flecks of powdered white phosphorus. The penetrator core could still potentially keep going and hit a second target, or punch through heavily armored targets.
Part of the new Project S.T.A.R was overhauling the armor and gear of not just the Hemolites but the Hunters as well. Starfire Mk 1. Carapace Armor. Carapace? It looked like plates of steel covered in a rubberized coat. It was supposed to be slipped on over the original hemolite body armor. It added a spring-loaded wrist blade to the gauntlet, a thicker coat made of resistant materials, and added extra padding for the knees, shoulders, and elbows.
However, the hemolites weren’t the only ones mentioned in the folder. It was to serve the Hunters as well. “Hunters…” Mark said. “August’s group is part of this initiative too.” He flipped through some of the pages. There were blueprints and drawings of an armored suit. A mechanized suit even smaller and more compact than the jotunn units. The Mark 1 STR battlesuit. It was supposed to hug the wearer’s frame and increase their overall power. It was supposed to be built of titanium alloy and a heavy steel frame with composite armor. It had a cooling system, life support systems that could recycle bodily fluids, and an exoskeleton frame that could increase the wearer’s strength and speed.
However, the real eye-opener was Thatcher’s notes. She had been ranting about the new human evolution, and how the Hunters were the first of the ‘Solari’. She wanted to enhance human genetics and push past the peak of human ability to reach greater heights. Implants and restructuring of the anatomy to make it more efficient. Using the blood of the goddess herself. She must have lost it. These are the ramblings of a lunatic. At least… if she didn’t mention the goddess. Why was the goddess important here?
The writings ended with the words: “See Project R.E.V.I.V.E, for more details.”
Mark eyed the final folder. His hands shook as he reached out to take it. Flipping it open, his hands nearly dropped it in shock. The goddess Helena was alive. There were pictures of her naked form floating in a giant tube of fluid. There were more of Thatcher’s ramblings and excited rants about the possibilities of such a discovery. Resurrection, Enhancement, and Veneration: Implementation of Visionary Evolution.
The goddess is alive?! According to the file, she’s currently under the Cathedral of New Lundun. Not only that, but the file also detailed the extraterrestrial tech that lay beneath the cathedral. So the goddess is real and she’s— not really a goddess, but rather, a vampyr who created herself a human body to stand in the sun, and decided that it wants to be on humanity’s side… what the fuck.
Mark’s frown and confusion only increased as he read on. Thatcher’s notes seemed to nearly descend into madness as she had written about creating ‘the first hundred’, alluding to the 100 members of the Hunters division. Her plan was to revive the goddess, and with her help and expertise in genetics— use her DNA to transform the Hunters into demi-humans. Super soldiers. Literal children of the goddess Helena. They would then don the STR battlesuits, the first of the superhuman warriors to defend humanity. Solari.
Their lightning-speed advancement into technology was heralded by studying the alien tech, which deepened the understanding of physics and engineering. Nuclear technologies, chemical warfare, new material sciences, the mechs, and walkers, it was spearheaded by trying to reverse-engineer technology centuries ahead of our own… for the past hundred years. It wasn’t completely stolen, however. More or less borrowed ideas that had been made into our own with our own designs and implements. Still, the speed at which the Church and the military had deciphered such advancements all by themselves was… impressive to say the least.
Still, the fact that the goddess was alive, and could be brought back was big news. Checking the file for details, he found that the previous general, Jorgenson, had already approved this project. It was their next step as soon as they returned from New Amsterdam; which never happened.
If Helena was alive, then she could end this war swiftly, or at the very least help greatly like she once did during the War of Darkness. Having the goddess back would throw a massive wrench in the Crescent’s plans. It would certainly be something they wouldn’t expect. Not even I expected this, since many sources say that the goddess had already ascended to watch over humanity, while conspiracy theorists claim she had died in battle and that the Church was worshiping a corpse. This could be the trick up our sleeves that no one would even consider.
The colonel quickly got up from his seat and gathered the main files he had read. He placed them in a bag and rushed outside of his office in Facility 9. He went over to a nearby room and flicked the lights on. “We need to go,” he said. In an instant seven hemolite soldiers got up from whatever they were doing and instantly stood in line.
“Sir! Whatever you need of us, sir,” the group said in unison.
They were Hemo-1. His former squad members. He had taken up Louis' suggestion that they be his personal security detail. It was a shame that he had basically placed the best hemolite team out of commission, but after all he had been through he convinced himself that he could be just a little selfish. He didn’t want to lose any more friends. Not on his watch. Not while he was in an office, and they were out fighting.
“We’re going to New Lundun. Better pack up, it’s going to be a long night.”
“Mark,” Olivia said.
Jacobs turned to her direction and gave her a nod.
“Colonel, sir, may I ask where in New Lundun?”
“Liv, you don’t need to do that with me. Please. I give all of you special permission,” the colonel groaned. “It’s so weird. I mean, ‘captain’ was bad enough, but now you’re acting like I’m an authority figure.”
“You… are, though,” Emma shrugged.
“I’m your friend, and Liv I’m literally your partner. Unless you have some kind of weird fetish, save it for later.”
Olivia grinned, shaking her head. “Duly noted!” she chirped.
“That’s better,” Mark chuckled. “Now come on, we have a cathedral to visit.”
“Uhh, I’m not sure if you noticed, but we’re kinda… strigoi?!” Louis groaned. “I’d burn the moment I step in that place! Plus, it’s coated in silver! Anything I even touch will give me burns!”
“Oh come on, Lou. You have fucking gloves on. As long as you’re not a clumsy dumbass you’ll be fine… oh wait.’
“Uh huh, just sayin’ what I think, boss.”
The group headed out and Mark said something on his radio. He then sat on the ground, making his joints pop. The rest of the squad shrugged and followed his example, sitting down on the grass and waiting for… nothing. Charles and Zach looked at each other in confusion. “Uh, sir?” they asked. “Aren’t we supposed to be heading out and traveling right now?”
“Oh yeah, we’re just waiting.”
“Foooor…?”
The colonel gave them a smirk as a loud noise began to make itself known. A hummingbird transport appeared out of the distance and stopped right above them, slowly descending into the grass. “Being colonel has its perks,” Mark said with a smile. He stood up and hopped inside the hummingbird as soon as it landed. “Come on now! We’ve got work to do! Last one aboard buys everyone food later!”
Emma zipped in before Mark could even finish his sentence, followed by Olivia, Phineas, Charles, Zach, and then Louis, who sadly took too long to process what the colonel said, and lagged behind.
“Aw, man! Fuck this shit.”
“Rules are rules, Lou. Prepare your wallet later.” Mark grinned.
With a smile, the colonel pulled Olivia to his side, who blushed for a moment before shaking her head. “Take us up! New Lundun Cathedral! How long would it take?” he asked the pilot.
“About an hour and a half!” The pilot replied. “Less if you want to get there as soon as possible!”
“Take your time! The night’s still young.”
The hummingbird started to lift up, taking them into the air. The group settled down in their seats and watched outside the open. Mark opened up a bag inside the hummingbird and took out some ear muffs built for a strigoi. Extremely loud noises were damaging for a strigoi’s enhanced hearing, so the military started implementing ear muffs for them after complaints from early deployments of the hemolite squads.
The trip didn’t take too long. In only an hour and twenty minutes they had arrived at the safe zone of New Lundun, heading straight for the cathedral. The night mass had just ended and people were leaving the cathedral. “Looks like we made it in perfect time!” Mark smiled. They hovered for a few minutes in the air before eventually landing down right in front of the statue of Helena.
As soon as they landed, the colonel and his group left the hummingbird. Mark instructed the pilot to wait for them. He went straight for the cathedral with his group following behind. He entered inside, clearing his throat. “Hello?”
“Well this is surely unexpected,” an old man said, walking up to greet them.
“Great Grandfather Aurelius. It’s uh, an honor.”
“Please. The honor is mine… I see you’re the new colonel. Yes, I’ve heard the news,” he said. “Would you mind telling me your name, young man? As well as your companions, if they feel so. I usually don’t allow duskwalkers here but, I have nothing against them. I’ll make an exception for your group.”
“Thank you, Great Grandfather,” Mark replied. “I am Colonel Mark Jacobs. These are my friends and security detail. Olivia, Zach, Phineas, Charles, Emma, and Louis.”
“I see, and what brings you here?”
“Since Thatcher’s demise, I was given access to her research and project folders upon taking up the title. I’ve learned about what’s under your cathedral,” Mark cleared his throat. “Would it be alright if we could see it? I’d like to check it for myself. Of course, under your permission and guidance, Great Grandfather.”
The church head looked from Mark to his companions. He pulled a slight frown and hummed. “Do these companions of yours have the clearance? Surely, we wish to keep our secrets hidden,” he said. Mark nodded.
“They do not have clearance to know what is in Thatcher’s folders and her findings,” the colonel nodded. “However, I give them permission to accompany me, and should they discover things for themselves, then you have my word and my trust that I can keep them from spilling state secrets.”
The Great Grandfather gave a short pause before ultimately relenting. “Very well,” he let out a sigh. “Follow me.”
Aurelius walked behind the altar and pulled the same lever, which opened the same staircase leading underground, where Jorgenson and Thatcher had once gone. “Over here, colonel,” he said. “I do not know you completely yet, but this is a big deal of trust I am giving you. Perhaps you would be the one to do things that Thatcher could not have.”
Mark nodded, he and his group followed the Great Grandfather down the staircase. It led down to a massive underground facility, with numerous priests, researchers, and scientists. Libraries, records, instruments, and artifacts of old. It was a treasure trove of learning.
“So,” Aurelius cleared his throat. “What would you like to know about?”
“This isn’t all of it,” Mark said. “Thatcher mentioned a living, breathing, Helena.”
His group behind him let out a soft gasp, but they tried their best to hide their surprise.
“Hm,” the Great Grandfather nodded. “Perceptive young man aren’t you? Very well.”
They were then led into another room, behind a set of heavy blast doors. If the whole group were trying to hide their surprise then, now they could barely contain it. Even the colonel stared awestruck at the things he had seen. Despite the near-magical objects around them, the true shock was the massive starship at the end of the hallway. “It’s impressive isn’t it?” Aurelius said. “All of the goddess’ artifacts and items at our disposal, to use and learn from, to integrate into our own. This is why Anglestan is the most powerful nation in the UHT in terms of development. When it comes to industry, however, that would go to the UNA. But we share our secrets with them. All our advancements are handed to them first before any other nation.”
“This is all amazing, Great Grandfather,” Mark replied. “But this is not what I’m here for.”
“No, it’s not.” Aurelius nodded.
He led them to another room, one that was sterilized and sported advanced machinery. Things that Mark had never even seen. There were screens with luminous green texts that appeared in front of it. Large panels with numerous keys, levers, and dials. Graphs of all sorts and beeping monitors. In the center, was the very thing he had come all this way to confirm. A large cylinder filled with liquid, sporting tubes and pipes connecting to its base. Inside was a woman of large proportion. Four arms, two legs, and six wings. In her bare chest was a symbol of the sun that seemed to glow dimly.
“There she is, there’s you goddess.”
Neither Mark nor his group spoke a word. He walked up to it, eyeing the woman inside. It really is her. Down to the last details. Golden hair, six limbs, six folded wings, and she looks massive. Probably as big as her statue just outside the cathedral. This is it. The very goddess in the history books, the one spoken about in legends and the one worshiped in the Churches of Sol.
“Can we free her?” he said.
The Great Grandfather nearly choked on his spit upon hearing those words. “Free her?! That could kill her! We don’t even understand this technology, let alone control it!” he said pointing at the panels. “The machines you see here are the best and most advanced we have based on what we can reverse engineer, but even then, the consequences of tampering with its functions may be disastrous!”
“I understand, Great Grandfather,” Mark said. “But we are in a dire situation, and the goddess may be our hope of turning this around. Whatever secrets of her tech that you don’t understand, wouldn’t she be able to teach us directly? What good is she floating around in Sol knows what?”
“That is her miraculous healing fluid. She had already built this contraption centuries ago in case anything were to happen to her, that her body’s natural healing could not sustain,” Aurelius said. “During the War of Darkness, Helena was struck with a weapon so deadly, her very cells began to tear away. The Reaper. Dealt to her by Absolem the progenitor. Her flesh was peeling from her body, and she began to decay whilst she still breathed. She entered this contraption and gave strict instructions to the Great Grandfather at the time, not to interrupt the healing process. The machine that monitored her, however, began to fail over time.”
“So this… these screens and panels…”
“Is only what functions we can understand. We took it upon ourselves to rebuild and study it the best we could. What we have right now is only a cheap imitation of a technology we do not fully comprehend,” he said. “It took us decades to even figure out the fundamentals and create a working prototype of this machine. By some miracle, the goddess’ healing process had remained even while we replaced components of technology ahead of ours.”
“But you know how to free her, don’t you?”
“I… yes.”
“Great Grandfather Aurelius,” Mark began. “We can end this war. Imagine what we could do with the goddess fighting on our side. We could advance even further, we could finally end the bloodshed, and we can show humanity that there is still hope. Imagine how people all over the world would feel seeing as their goddess has returned.”
“I wish I had your enthusiasm,” Aurelius said. “But it is simply too risky. The Church’s duty is to protect Helena and her legacy. We keep her alive, literally and figuratively. She nearly died the last time she was involved in a war. Would you risk losing the goddess?”
“Would you risk humanity losing?”
The Great Grandfather fell silent, looking back at Helena floating inside the tube, then to the panels that controlled it. He frowned and let out a long sigh. “The goddess said that we should not interrupt it. That it would end as soon as it was finished. Maybe we should trust her words.”
Mark shook his head. “I don’t spot a single blemish on the goddess. Not a single scratch,” he argued. “You said it yourself that the machine had begun to fail and you replaced components. How would you know that the thing that’s supposed to wake her up was not tampered with? Think about it. What you may think is a useless piece may be integral to the whole machine. Or maybe your replacements were not up to the task. Just because nothing’s happened doesn’t mean its functions have remained whole.”
“Young man, we simply cannot gamble with the goddess’ life here.”
“Have you no faith? Great Grandfather?”
Aurelius stepped back in shock. Mark’s companions looked at each other, clearly surprised as well. “Mark… I don’t think we should keep arguing with—” Olivia tried to say.
“No,” the colonel said firmly, cutting her off. “Great Grandfather Aurelius, do you think that Helena will not be able to pull through if we wake her? How long has it been? A century? How much longer will we wait? She may be immortal but humans aren’t.”
“I'm sorry, but the chances of failure are too high. The probability of her—”
“I don’t care about the probability! Would you rather put your faith in a statistic?!” Mark raised his voice. “I lost my mother to this war! My friends! My job! My eye, and almost my life! I’ve put mine on the line out there! You don’t know what it’s like out there! Was my mother’s death just a probability too? Was she just a statistic to you?! That as long as the numbers are good, no matter how many are lost, we are ‘winning’?!”
“Mark—!”
“No, Liv! He needs to know what’s really going on out there!” he spat. “Great Grandfather, with all due respect, but you don’t have a damn clue what it’s like to be in the field. You’re a man of faith, aren’t you? Take a risk. Everyone else has.”
Aurelius stood there, dumbfounded. He bit the inside of his cheeks and clenched his fists. “For your insolence, I would have had you flogged and stripped of your rank,” he glared at the young colonel. However, his features slowly softened, letting out a soft sigh. “But I have never seen such conviction. Mighty is your faith.”
The Great Grandfather moved over to the panels and reached into his robe, pulling out from around his neck a key with the symbol of the sun. He inserted it into the machine and turned. A beep sounded, right before Aurelius pulled a lever. In an instant, the fluid inside the glass chamber began to drain out into the tubes under it. Slowly, the chamber emptied and all that was left was the nude form of the goddess sitting in the glass.
“Did it work?” Louis asked, stepping forward and looking at the woman.
Aurelius stayed silent, his hands shaking in anticipation. Mark moved toward the glass chamber, when suddenly, the glass opened up like a door, releasing a fragrant mist. They stood there, watching for a whole minute. Nothing. At first nothing. The Great Grandfather looked like he was about to break down. His knees shook as he covered his mouth, thinking that he was responsible for the death of Helena.
That was when… a soft sound was heard. Movement. Olivia immediately went over to Mark and stood in front of him. Ready to protect him should anything happen. Slowly, the goddess moved more, her arms inched to the side.
Then, her eyes opened.

im 16 and my girlfriend is 15 (we have been together for 3 months). When i was at school today i got a text saying my childhood cat was dead, i went to my grandma’s house and immediately broke down crying to the point it was hard to breathe. After texting my girlfriend she came to see me during lunch and comforted me and my grandma, after she went back for her last class we took my cat to get cremated and i cried even more and wished my girlfriend was with me to cheer me up. after dropping my cat off we went to pick her up and i saw she was with her friend that i will call “H”, i hate that girl so much since she’s disrespectful towards me even when i buy her food and she even tried making my girlfriend cheat on me multiple times!! (idk why shes best friend with such a hoe that likes me and my whole friend group) anyway i think nothing of it and i go to her house, then i see “H” posted a story in the school bathroom and my girlfriend is taking pics with her boobs out! i felt so betrayed and its not the first time she posts like that but at a time like this? i think its fucked up and i got very pissed at her. She said “i was trying to distract myself from the trauma” and “i was fixing my bra i didn’t mean to take pics like that” it seems like shes just an asshole

Like $15 from Amazon.
Quickest, easiest way to know how many calories are truly in your meals rather than relying on a buncha random Reddit people to guesstimate how many calories you’re consuming because the reality is literally none of us really know. Like the scale of your photo could be maximized/minimized just by the angle/distance of your phone camera, etc etc etc etc meaning that your food could look way smaller than it actually is in person, or it could look way bigger. Your food could be battered in oil and other mystery sauces and stuff that we don’t know about as well which can easily up the calorie count too.
also also people tend to naturally underestimate how many calories are in foods (such is why there are now more fat people in the world than skinny).
Eating at home is also great versus eating out when you’re trying to lose weight. You save money, you know how many calories are going into your body (obvi if you have a food scale, which I recommend highly). I think some people should just be counting their eating out days as cheat days instead. Like it’s chill to enjoy a meal out, but again literally no one will know truly how many calories you’re consuming.
Eating out like once a week also isn’t going to make you gain weight, you literally have to consume thousands and thousands of calories during your cheat day to gain weight (that is if you’re in a caloric deficit, and weighing out your foods which I don’t rlly think anyone is doing on here, which is why you may not see consistent weightloss results like you would if you scaled out ur food). If you do gain weight, it’s probably water weight that’ll go away in a day or two.
Also calorie labels that companies put out aren’t gonna be completely accurate, depends on the scoop of the worker, etc etc etc.
Sincerely,
A chick who has lost 26 lbs and uses a cheap food scale to weigh out her foods that keeps perusing this sub and it’s making me feel sad lol

Coming Soon (Premium / 21st May 2024):

• 2Xtreme (PS4/PS5)
• G-Police (PS4/PS5)
• Worms Pinball (PS4/PS5)

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Coming Soon (Extra / 21st May 2024):

• Cat Quest (PS4)
• Cat Quest II (PS4)
• Crime Boss: Rockay City (PS5)
• Deceive Inc (PS5)
• Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4)
• Stranded: Alien Dawn (PS4/PS5)
• The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame (PS4)
• The Settlers: New Allies (PS4)
• Watch Dogs (PS4)

​
Leaving Soon (18th June 2024):

• TBA

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Additions:

• January 2024
  • Hardspace: Shipbreaker (PS5)
  • Just Cause 3 (PS4)
  • Legend of Mana (PS4)
  • Lego City Undercover (PS4)
  • Rally Cross (PS1)(PS4/PS5)
  • Resident Evil 2 (PS4/PS5)
  • Secret of Mana (PS4)
  • Session: Skate Sim (PS4/PS5)
  • Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun (PS4)
  • Star Wars: Episode 1 The Phantom Menace (PS1)(PS4/PS5)
  • Street Fighter: 30th Anniversary Edition (PS4)
  • Surviving the Aftermath (PS4)
  • Tiny Tina's Wonderland - Next Level Edition (PS4/PS5)
  • Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong (PS5)
• February 2024
  • Assassin's Creed Valhalla (PS4/PS5)
  • Jet Rider 2 (PS1)(PS4/PS5)
  • Lego Jurassic World (PS4)
  • Lego Worlds (PS4)
  • Need for Speed Unbound (PS5)
  • Resistance: Retribution (PSP)(PS4/PS5)
  • Roguebook (PS4/PS5)
  • Rogue Lords (PS4)
  • Tales of Arise (PS4/PS5)
  • Tales of Symphonia (PS3)(PS4/PS5)
  • Tales of Vesperia (PS4)
  • Tales of Zestiria (PS4)
  • The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition (PS5)
• March 2024
  • Blood Bowl 3 (PS4/PS5)
  • Cool Boarders (PS1)(PS4/PS5)
  • Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot (PS5)
  • God Eater Burst (PSP)(PS4/PS5)
  • Jak and Daxter The Lost Frontier (PSP)(PS4/PS5)
  • Jojos Bizarre Adventure AllStar Battle R (PS4/PS5)
  • Lego DC Supervillains (PS4)
  • Marvel's Midnight Suns (PS4/PS5)
  • Mystic Pillars: Remastered (PS5)
  • NBA 2K24 Kobe Bryant Edition (PS4/PS5)
  • Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy (PS4)
  • Resident Evil 3 (PS4/PS5)
  • Super Neptunia RPG (PS4)
• April 2024
  • Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare (PS1)(PS4/PS5)
  • Animal Well (PS5)
  • Construction Simulator (PS4/PS5)
  • Dave the Diver (PS4/PS5)
  • Deliver Us Mars (PS4/PS5)
  • Lego Marvel's Avengers (PS4)
  • Lego Ninjago Movie Videogame (PS4)
  • MediEvil (PS1)(PS4/PS5)
  • Miasma Chronicles (PS5)
  • Nour: Play With Your Food (PS4/PS5)
  • Oddballers (PS4)
  • Raji: An Ancient Epic (PS4/PS5)
  • Star Wars: Rebel Assault II (PS1)(PS4/PS5)
  • Stray Blade (PS5)
  • Tales of Kenzera: Zau (PS5)
  • The Crew 2 (PS4)

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Removed:

• 21st May 2024
  • Absolver Downfall
  • Abzu
  • Adr1ft
  • Ashen
  • Darksiders: Warmastered Edition
  • Darksiders Genesis
  • Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition
  • Darksiders III
  • ELEX
  • ELEX II
  • Final Fantasy VII
  • Final Fantasy VIII Remastered
  • Final Fantasy IX
  • Final Fantasy X
  • Final Fantasy X-2
  • Final Fantasy XII Zodiac Age
  • Final Fantasy XV Royal Edition
  • Horizon Zero Dawn
  • How to Survive 2
  • I Am Dead
  • Jotun
  • Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning
  • Last Stop
  • Minit
  • Monster Jam Steel Titans 2
  • MX vs ATV Legends
  • My Friend Pedro
  • Observation
  • The Artful Escape
  • The Messenger
  • This is the Police
  • This is the Police 2
  • World of Final Fantasy
  • Wreckfest

​
Blog Posts:

• January 2024
• February 2024
• March 2024
• April 2024
• May 2024

I have had an extremely tough childhood and teenage years going through a very bitter divorce of my parents. Being the elder sibling, I took up a lot of responsibilities and practically brought myself up. I was forced to become mature beyond my years. Having an emotionally abusive mother and a carefree father meant I had to constantly walk on eggshells and was blamed for everything wrong happening in our lives. I still remember them fighting once between themselves on 'kispe gaya hai ye' simply because I hid a test paper where I had scored less marks, while they continued to accuse each of being lying cheats. I have always been branded as not being good enough, a liar, ugly etc. I am 27 now however and finally almost practically out of that mess. I live life on my own terms and there is this truly liberating feeling about it. I can do things on my own and do anything I want, however I want. I can drive my car far away to just have an ice cream and come back, I can make my favourite food dishes at home. I have a really good job (touchwood) which I have worked extremely hard for. This job enables me to live the life I aspire to, without taking on responsibilities. Now, I am dating a wonderful girl who comes from an extremely secure family which has always been financially well off. I have spent weeks living at her house too with her parents who are absolutely the sweetest. I consider her mother closer to me than my own. The problem is, she wants kids in the near future which is just extremely hard for me to even consider. I just feel I have taken on responsibilities all my life and I cannot be bound by another responsibility for 18-20 years. I honestly do not have it in me to do that. I have no strength to bring up another person while I am still healing. I might sound selfish but I think I have sacrificed a majority of my life for people who don't deserve it. I finally want to live for myself. She knows this and understands me but I am afraid that there will be a point when a decision will have to be made. Her parents expect grandchildren. I just hope to have healed enough both emotionally and mentally to even consider such a decision.

Dear A,
I was inspired to make a comment in the following post in UnsentLetters 5 months ago. And since it has sent me on a journey back to a time that I had first loved you. To J :
Op you sound like my ex, the detail you have written in your post are scary familiar….
But if you were to be the person I knew.
I remember sharing with you eternal sunshine of a spotless mind and the curious conversation we had after.
I recall our breakup being incredibly difficult for me and looking back I regret going no contact indefinitely. I wish I reached out to you when I saw you walking down the hallway outside of the labs. When I caught your eye as I was waiting in line at IKEA I wish I came up to you and said hi and asked how you were fairing during the pandemic. I miss your beautiful eyes and your cute smile when you would look up at me while we shared a hug.
I’m very sorry I was not strong enough to push through the emotional heartache of our breakup and quickly attain a healthy baseline for myself. It was very difficult for me to plan to have any meeting with you knowing that you were then dating a new guy from your same school. Comments and rumors from mutual friends didn’t help in this regard when they shared with me that your new boyfriend overlapped with the last months we were still in a relationship.
In spite of all this I forgive you. And I forgive myself. Every day I think of you. I think of you when I grab a poke bowl to eat. I remember the first time you shared with me your personal vegan poke bowl recipe topped with siracha vegan mayo sauce. I remember our trips to whole foods to visit the frozen food section to get the edamame for the poke bowls and then grab a raspberry talenti and nada moo mint chocolate chip ice cream.
Every time I would pass the water tower, we visited on our last date I remember the cute photos I took of us with my Nikon DSLR, I still have those photos.
Every time I see a dog that has a white patch of fur across their neck and is wearing a bandana, I think of Rio your rescue dog you adopted in the middle of our relationship. I miss Rio, and his energetic antics and his zoomies from couch to bedroom and back again to couch. Hope Rio is doing well.
If by some chance this is Petite Biscuit, please reach out to me. I will welcome a phone call or text. Wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
Current day 5/16/2024
Not sure you can see my reply, but I have reached out to her(A) and she responded, with excitement, if anything we are following each other on Instagram again, and she's happy and successful at a new job in a new city. I am happy for her.
But I'm struggling right now, I feel as if I have fumbled this reconnection, I totally forgot about how I was a terrible partner in the midst of all that cheating from her. Like how I didn't support or validate my partner when she needed emotional support, nor was I reliable and I definitely did not prove by example what a supportive man can be like in a stable relationship. But you know of course it was not a great foundation to begin with. This is me just being hard on myself.
I have been in two relationships since dating her and I do know the above issues were discussed in previous therapy sessions, but I just forgot because it's no longer an issue in relationships I have now. But I could tell she was cold, and it was only two days after my first contact I realized she is waiting for me to bring up an apology and for me to tell her how I recognize I was wrong for the above things. My replies to her comments when we started talking again were just more examples of my lack of emotional empathy toward what she was saying, now it could just be distance of time, or that I don't recognize the person I'm talking to. but it definitely reminded me of how we were incompatible at the end. Honestly, I don't feel it is merited for me to apologize to her(A).
I cherish those memories but communicating online is insufficient for me, it's not the same as meeting in person. Even still it's been a suggestion from me if their ready to meet in person I am open to that. But I'm not optimistic on the results.
I set out from December of last year with a goal to unpack the mess I have contained within myself about this past relationship. And I am reminded that my life as an individual has grown in a direction, I couldn't have imagined at the time I was with her and if we were still together, I probably would not have obtained my most recent accomplishments. I probably would be stuck. But now I am free.
Take care A, you can stay on my Instagram if you want.
The guy with the deep brown eyes and the hopeless romantic,
-J

In my too many years as a fitness trainer, I have never, nor do I ever intend to present myself as an expert on what, why, or how to eat. Did you notice I didn’t use the word diet? I promise not to do that now.
A few months after Joyce died, I went on a particular eating program that rhymes with doom. While she was sick, I gained around forty to fifty pounds. I barely exercised, and I meditated inconsistently at best. It felt right to go on this eating behavior program. It was great. I lost a lot of weight over the next six or seven months. I got back into walking and running, and I started meditating regularly again. I learned a lot of good things about food and behavior modification in that program.
However, my AFib recurrences became more frequent and severe. My cardiologist referred me to a surgeon to do an ablation. [^\1])](app://obsidian.md/index.html#fn-1-c06978af1ff3a8f0) It was an overnight procedure. They also ordered an endoscopy for the following morning to make sure there were no burns to the esophagus from the previous day’s operation. I was also continuing to experience gut issues, but I’d experienced those for many years, so I was not concerned until that endoscopy revealed some troubling problems with my gut. Surprise!
Just in those five days, I lost eighteen pounds. It didn’t come back. I kept losing weight over the next few months until I weighed less than when I was a freshman in high school. I was not well. I realized later that I had developed an eating disorder. I’ve since learned that I’ve had an eating disorder for most of my adult life. But straight white protestant men don’t have eating disorders. Right? Wrong. Go to any gym, and you will see a lot of eating disorders. Often, it will be the trainers. The male trainers. Over the next two years, I managed to gain all that weight back plus more for good measure.
I lost over thirty pounds after my surgeries in March of this year. As I regain strength and stamina, I’m also regaining my appetite. Both the healthy and the not-so-healthy kinds. And that weight is starting to come back on.
I am tall and always have been. For as long as I can remember, I was told I needed to eat more because I was so tall. That programming is hard to let go of. Most of my poor eating habits involve eating too late in the evening, eating too fast, and giving in to my cravings for sweet pastries. I eat more greens and less fatty foods than most Americans, but that is not saying much.
Next week, I will begin working out in earnest as I am cleared to exercise more. That will help; it always does. But weight management begins and ends in the kitchen. Eating well, for me, means eating with intention and gratitude. Eat slow and appreciate what my taste buds are experiencing. Flossing at 8:00 p.m. is a great trick to keep me from late-night snacking. (It’s okay to cheat when I’m out at social events. Those are the rarity.) Seems simple, no? It’s not. But neither is life or caring for life. It takes persistent work, forgiveness, acceptance, patience, and gratitude. Most of all, it takes practice, a healthy practice.

1. A cardiac ablation is a slow and tedious laparoscopic procedure that involves cauterizing nerve pathways in the heart to prevent the nerve signaling system from getting all ADHD and forgetting what to do next.

hello. I'm Rosa Pennitt, a 33-year-old computer engineer from the UK, currently working in London, and I've come to realise that there are many students living the dream I've always dreamed of, in a country far away from London, called South Korea.Having been to South Korea, it's been an amazing experience and I have nothing but praise for the country.Growing up, my family didn't have much money. I had to take out student loans until I graduated from university, and I managed to graduate by applying for jobs on campus, working part-time at the library, and getting some government funding. If I was very good, I could get a scholarship, but I wasn't that good, and I was accepted to the school I applied to first, so the scholarship was very hard to get.
I've been working in the field of computer engineering since then, and I've had a variety of careers, and I'm currently working for a company that works as a team. We build and maintain software and hardware, such as developing new programming and building a server room for a project, and I'm working on the hardware side of things.
Recently, a project with a large company in the UK was successfully completed, and all employees were given time off, and we were all given generous holiday pay, so everyone was encouraged to go abroad.I always like to go to new cultures and experience new things, and this was a pretty big project, and we completed it ahead of schedule, so we were given a long holiday and generous holiday pay.
I have a friend named Lily, who I've been hanging out with in my neighbourhood since I was a kid, who is now settled in Korea and working as a lecturer at a university there.
When I told Lily that I was going to take a long leave of absence and was considering staying abroad, she asked me to come to Korea at this time. She always talked about how much she liked Korea, and I was curious about Korea, so I said yes.
After finishing the project, during the few days when I had to go back to work to complete various paperwork at the company, my colleagues had all made travel plans to different places, and I mentioned that I was going to go to Korea this time.
I was taking a break from work, grabbing a cup of coffee from the vending machine and relaxing in the waiting area when he approached me and asked me, "Are you travelling to Korea this time? How many days are you going to be there?" I wondered why he was so interested, given his negative comments about Korea.
"I'm going to Korea for about two weeks, and my best friend from childhood is a professor there, so I'm thinking of getting her help."For some unknown reason, Richard, who had been talking negatively about Korea, didn't let my story go.
"Korea is just a subset of Japan, its culture is not as good, its development is not as advanced as Japan's," he said in one short sentence, which was very offensive to me.I didn't stand still either. Lily, who lives in Korea, has told me many good things about Korea and how it is better than the UK, and her examples were specific and she didn't seem to be lying, so I had a positive opinion of Korea, and even though I haven't been to Korea yet, I found Richard's comment very rude.
"My friend Lily has been living in Korea for four years, she knows so many good things about Korea, and she often tells me about the excellence of Korean culture, so Richard, on what basis do you talk about denigrating other countries?" Richard seemed confused by my unexpectedly strong words.
He hesitated, then said, "I don't know because I haven't experienced it myself, but I find it hard to believe that Korea is good, because I'm going to Japan next time, and I'm sure I'll have a better experience there than in Korea." I didn't want to get into another argument with Richard, so I just walked away.
I thought he was just a low-level person who was talking bullshit and tried to move on, but his words kept coming back to me.No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't understand what he was saying, and I regretted coming back to him without giving him a proper response.I should have just stood my ground and shut him up! But I felt that going back and arguing with Richard now would only give him an excuse to fight me and put me in a worse position, so I had to suck it up and let it go.Of course, during my trip to Korea, Richard paid a heavy price for his remorse, but I'll tell you about that in a moment.
I had to get over the offence, and the day finally arrived to board the plane to Korea.Before I left Korea, I had come to think of it as a minor disagreement.Getting on the plane to Korea was exciting and anticipated in itself.Meeting Lily at the airport, reuniting with her after so many years, and welcoming her to Korea, I could see her relaxed and content with life in Korea.
With her guidance, we began our tour of Korea, a truly exotic country, a whole different world, and I could see why she raved about it.
The roads were clean and well-maintained, the public toilets were almost always clean everywhere you went, the food was delicious, and there were plenty of experience zones where you could experience the amazing cultural industries that Korea has to offer. I also visited several of the country's large shopping malls, which were all beautifully designed and built with an eye for aesthetics.
On my tenth day in Korea, I had fully adjusted to the time difference and was soaking up the Korean atmosphere that I was hoping that time would pass more slowly.
Lily insisted that we go to Gwangjang Market, which is one of the most popular spots for foreigners, but she said that even if you don't go there, you can find all the food sold at Gwangjang Market in other places, and to be honest, vendors who charge foreigners unfairly have been in the news recently, and when I saw the news, I thought that I had been victimised many times.
Lily didn't want me to go to Gwangjang Market because she said that it was the place where even Koreans are unfairly charged. However, the atmosphere of Gwangjang Market was very different, so I convinced her to go to Gwangjang Market after promising her that I wouldn't buy anything at Gwangjang Market, but just watch.
As expected, there were quite a few foreigners at the entrance of Gwangjang Market, including many Europeans and Americans, but also many people from other Asian countries besides Korea. Lily was disappointed because she said that in Korea, most of the prices are scouted and 99% of the stores are transparent, but there are some merchants who take unfair advantage of the market and ruin the image of Korea.
I was surprised to hear Lily's story because unlike other European countries, Korea is a country where foreigners don't have to pay more for goods and food, and where prices are set, so I was surprised to hear that there are places in Korea where people who do this kind of dirty business.
From a foreigner's point of view, Korea is a country where people are not perfect and there will be people who behave badly, but from a foreigner's point of view, Korea is a country that has been transparent in its consumption, where you have to eat expensive food at the gwangjang market, where you are treated unfairly, but where you have paid very honestly everywhere else. If it weren't for Lily, I would have been a victim of such a scam here, and I felt that such injustices shouldn't happen anymore.
Although I didn't buy anything or eat anything here, I felt that the atmosphere of the Korean market was different and there was a lot to see. Lily also wanted to buy things and eat food here, but she emphasised many times that we should be satisfied with just looking around.
After walking slowly, we walked back towards the entrance of the market and saw a familiar figure in front of us, which I almost recognised as Richard, who hadn't shaved in a while, had a scruffy beard, and was dressed in a plain outfit, standing still on the side of the road, looking at his mobile phone.
Actually, Lily knew about Richard, because when I was in Korea, a colleague of mine, Richard, told me that there was a person who said that Korea was just a subordinate country of Japan, that it was culturally and economically backward, and Lily was very upset about that, and she asked him if he had ever been to Korea or Japan, and she was very upset to hear Richard's bullshit. She made me understand from the very beginning that what Richard was saying was complete bullshit, that the United States was a subsidiary of the United Kingdom.
I told her that there was Richard, the characterless man I had told her about.I was surprised, and she was very surprised.If he was going to Japan, why is he here? I approached him cautiously.I looked at his face and silhouette several times to make sure it was him, and then I was sure it was him.Dear Richard, are you lost? Can I help you? I didn't ask him in an aggressive way, but in a friendly way, because you have to be careful and friendly to get what you want.
Richard was very surprised and smiled at me, very happy to see me. I introduced him to Lily, who was next to me, as a friend of mine who lives in Korea, and although Lily had already heard about Richard, this was her first introduction to Richard.
Richard arrived in Korea this morning and said that it was his first time here and that he couldn't get used to the different atmosphere from Japan. I asked him if he hadn't just been living in Japan and was going back to England, and he made an unrecognisable fat face. I knew something was up right away. I suggested to him that if we hadn't already eaten, we should join him for a meal, saying that it was a great coincidence to meet a colleague in Korea and that we must have a lot to talk about.
I wanted to take my time to hear Richard's story about why he came to Korea.I didn't want him to give away the fact that he had hostile feelings towards Korea, that Lily and I knew, and that he thought very badly of it.Slowly, as I listened to his story, he relaxed and began to tell me that he had actually had an unfortunate experience in Japan.
He said that he was walking down a busy street in Osaka, and he wanted to go to a bar by himself, but he didn't know much about Japan, so he was wandering the streets, wondering which bar to go to, when he was approached by a Japanese man who was smiling at him. At first, he didn't realise he was a tout, because he didn't look like a typical tout, he wasn't dressed in fancy clothes, he just looked like an ordinary office worker.
Richard said he was looking for a pub nearby, and the tout said he knew of one, and led him to it, where he drank contentedly by himself. He said he enjoyed the quiet atmosphere, the lack of people but himself, and the small Japanese-style bar where he drank at his leisure.He said he drank as much as he was satisfied with, and when he asked for the bill to pay and leave the bar, he realised that he had been charged a ridiculously high amount of money.8 The bill was for about 10,000 yen, and it was very expensive, including the tax, and it even included the drinks and snacks that I didn't drink.
He said that he could never pay, but they wouldn't let him leave because they didn't understand him or didn't speak English.
When Richard insisted that he couldn't pay, and shouted that he was going to call the police, they started to bring more empty glasses to the table where he was sitting, and even brought some dirty plates as if he had already eaten the appetisers, and threatened him.
Richard said that he was able to get out of the situation after settling the bill for 50,000 won. After being scammed in Japan, Richard quickly lost interest in travelling, and the next day he went to another place, but there was nothing in sight, and he said that he couldn't bear to think about what happened yesterday.
He said he came to Korea not because he liked Korea, but because he just wanted to get out of Japan, and I came to think that it was a very good thing that we didn't let him enter Gwangjang Market.
Lily and I comforted him, and then I took him around Seoul with me for the rest of the next few days, showing him the conscientious, clean, and friendly side of Korea that I had seen, but also the incredibly developed side of Korea.
Starbucks in Korea is like a place where a lot of people are working on their laptops, doing their work, a little bit like a school library, and it's very quiet, and then Richard and I saw two Korean students, who were programming and coding, and they were struggling with something.
Richard and I, who have already endured a long period of bumps in the road in our careers, could tell that they were trying to solve a task set by the school, and at the same time, we were curious about what they were building and what they were doing.Richard first said to the Korean students, "I'm actually a working programmer, and I'm here to help you because you seem to be stuck and not making progress.
I sat down with the two Korean students, and we had a chance to talk about things.They were freshmen in college, and I didn't have much to offer them programmatically, but I could tell that they had a really great vision and were working very hard.It's kind of creepy to talk about the conversation with them, so I won't go into details, but I felt like I was seeing myself in the past, because I was in a very similar position as a college student, struggling financially and having to study.
I talked to them about the programming industry and gave them a good vision of what they could do if they tried hard enough, and I also remember giving them a dessert to end the meeting.
It was very meaningful to have the opportunity to interact with these students and not just go back to Korea as a tourist.
After a few days of enjoying Korea, he even arranged for me to fly back to the UK with him, as he had been travelling alone in Japan and had been victimised by a scam, so he was very emotionally distressed and relied on me as a colleague.
So at the end of our time in Korea, I said goodbye to Lily, and he said goodbye to Lily, and we were sitting next to each other on the plane, and we were heading back to the UK.
And I asked him a question, do you realise now that before I went to Korea, you said that Korea was a subordinate country of Japan, that it was a very flippant thing to say, and that it could have hurt a lot of people?" I said sharply and firmly.He said he had nothing to say, that he thought he had been punished for what he had said, and that he had been thinking about what he had said the whole trip, and that he was grateful that he had said it now.
Richard acknowledged that his comments were very flippant, saying that he had never been to Korea and had never been to Japan, but that there was no reason for him to think that way."I was very quick to judge Korea, and after travelling around with you and experiencing it firsthand, I realised that I was wrong. Richard's sincere apology softened my feelings towards him, and I actually thought he felt the same way, because when the three of us were travelling around Korea with Lily, he would often say things like, "I really like Korea," "Korea is amazing," and "I didn't know that before, why didn't I know that before?
Richard's flippant remarks were very wrong, but I also felt that he was not a very human being when he reflected on his experiences in Korea and Japan. If he doesn't make flippant remarks again, I think he would be a good colleague to work with.
After returning to the UK, the project team came together again, each with their own wonderful experiences, and talking about them was like travelling the world indirectly for a few days, and I heard a variety of stories, and Richard was the loudest, and it was funny to see how loudly he said he loved Korea.
He promised not to say anything rude, so he didn't tell me about his scam in Japan, but I don't know if it was because he was ashamed of what happened to him, or if he decided not to say anything bad about other countries.This was my travelogue about Korea, and I would like to write about it again if I go to Korea again in the future.

I was 17 and in my last year of high school when I met my boyfriend 20 at the time on yubo. A bit of background he love bombed me in the beginning and I didn’t wanna date him but he begged me to give him one chance and if he messed up that chance I would never have to speak to him again. He did this knowing he had already lied to me about his age (he said he was 19 and only told me after i had turned 18).
There have been many many issues in our relationship one of the biggest being his family. They are anti vaxx and during covid in Australia you could not leave your house if you weren’t vaccinated so I celebrated anniversaries and birthdays without him it was very tough during covid era, I paid for a lot for him since he was not allowed to work either. His family also did not accept me being vaccinated and lectured me every time I went over for years.
I have mental health issues and during that time (2020-2022) I was really struggling but have now gotten better. He did not judge me but also was just never really understanding or helpful. even to this day I can never go to him with my problems because he just does not understand he doesn’t even try he just says “i’m sorry” and gets upset.
we have many many issues including - he has always hidden his phone from me - i’ve gotten messages from multiple girls about things he’s done in the past - he yells, has a temper, is easily irritable - he lies all the time about everything i think it’s compulsive - he acts like a child - cannot do simple tasks (brush teeth, clean) - he needs help with everything ‘important’ eg. if he needs to send a message to his boss he needs help from his brother, his brothers girlfriend and his mum - his room is so dirty that i get physically sick when i sleep in there (lips swell, eyes itchy, blocked nose, can’t stop sneezing, eczema) - he never listens - many many more
Even through all this I love him though. I have never felt more comfortable with someone and I know I can be myself he is always there for me even though he doesn’t understand.
A month ago i found out he has been messaging girls using my old phone that i gave him on snapchat for 8 months even over my 21st birthday.
I have recently gone off some medication and have changed completely as a person.
we very much bonded over food as our families are both health freaks and he is a chef who is also overweight and i was on medication that made me crave bad foods.
ever since going off the medication i have lost 7kg and i can’t even eat anything without feeling sick.
when i confronted him long story short he threw a tantrum and threatened to kill himself. i tried so hard to break up with him. i was terrified.
unluckily at that point we had planned a trip to europe with his family and i had already paid a lot of money for it. i decided to give him a second chance because he sounded like he was really going to change but i fear i have been manipulated again.
i gave him the chance and since then have spent thousands more on this holiday.
i really want to stay with him i am so scared to be alone we have been together for so long i don’t know who i am without him. i lost all my friends because of this relationship i have only one friend left. but i know that i just can’t keep doing this i am so unhappy i do not trust him at all i do not feel happy at all. i just also do not want to have to start over in a new relationship when i was ready to get engaged with him next year and move out.
i am basically going overseas with him and his entire family (where we are going lives all his auntys cousins grandparents everyone) then deciding when we come back if i want to stay or not as people say you see the best and worst of someone when travelling. i am pretty sure it’s not going to work though unless i completely forgive him and forget everything he has done.
when saying all this there is also a part of me probably my heart that loves him so much and doesn’t care and still feels as if i can change him and is just ready to be with him forever no matter what. i also am not good at confrontation and i am very submissive i will never be assertive so this is very difficult for me.
i can’t break up with him at my house because he will say he’s going to kill himself and he lives an hour away from me so i don’t want him to die on the drive home i think he only option is to do it at his house but his parents are always home and always listen to what we are saying because his room is next to the lounge and kitchen and you can clearly hear everything. i could probably do it in my car outside his house but i kind of don’t want to drive home because i will also be very upset and crying .
i know he will probably manipulate me into staying with him is there a better way to go about this?
also my mum is very upset that i am going overseas that is a whole other issue she is a difficult person and already thinks i’m throwing away my money. she also does not know anything that is going on at all. so if i break up with him i won’t be able to go home and cry or anything i’ll have to pretend i’m happy and that ‘i found myself in europe’ or whatever and say that we are just not meant to be together. if i cry and stuff and say he cheated she will say i wasted my money on the trip and i shouldn’t have gone and bla bla bla.
anyway this is very difficult and i’m not really sure how to go about it so any advice would be great. even advice on how to get through this if you think that we can because preferably i do not want to break up but i also just don’t feel happy anymore.
i feel like i am growing and he is not.
any advice or thoughts are welcome i would love to know if anyone has gotten through anything like this or if it just never changes at all and also how should i break up with him when he’s a manipulator and i’m very easy manipulated.
thank you!!

I was looking for some advice on what I can to better my life. I live in yhe U.S. and two years ago I met an amazing women that would spend time with me. We ended up dating and been dating for about 2 years now. She had 4 kids from a pervious relationship (the bf cheated on her and left her and is no longer apart of their lives) we have had one kid and now she is pregnant with our second. When I met her and started living with her it was in a small trailer home and the kids were sleeping on the floor. With my work income and her benefits for being Native American we were able to get into a low income housing. Downside is we are a family of six right now and the house is very very small. It's better then what we had in the trailer but it's not comfortable living. We have 3 bedrooms and 1 and half bathrooms. Our rent is not crazy and bills are expensive I'd say my monthly rent and bills is about $2,000 a month. When we moved in I was let go from current job the day we moved in and started instantly looking for a new job. I did find a cushy job working for the state in admistrative work but I found out even though it's the most I have ever made hourly mostly worked in retail in the past. I only make about $2,500 a month. That's only $500 for gas for two cars, stuff that isn't food because we luckily get food stamps. I picked up a second job because we were struggling financially and was able to get a retail job as my second job. I know work 7 days a week. I try my best to get Hoildays off. Now I make about maybe $3,200 a month but I'm working non stop and I hate it. I miss my family and this has caused a lot of stress on my girl friend because I am not around to help around the house. I also feel like a father am failing because I'm not home enough for the kids. My girlfriend thinks I am cheating on her too because her ex cheated on her with a coworker and she fights with me almost every day about it. I just want to make enough money to support us, get us into a house that is big enough for us that I preferably own, and can be home more but I have no idea what I can do. Any alive would be appreciated. Also I apologize for spelling mistakes and Grammer errors am righting this as quickly as I can in a break room.

Once upon a time there lived a girl named Gessica McEarls. She came from a family with very little. One day the father left to go to another castle far far away, to live with his new wife. The mother was left all alone to raise her daughter, Gessica. The Mother tried to find work, but because she had a reputation for telling tall tales and loving ale and spirits too much, she was never successful. The King took pity on some in his Kingdom, and despite Gessica's reputation, the King made sure that they had enough food to survive, garments to keep them warm and straw to make beds to lay their heads on.
Many years went by, and the daughter was now married with her own children. Gessica had two daughters. She lived in a one-room moss-covered hut in a small shire hours away from the Castle. This shire was designated by the King to be where those that received his generosity would dwell.
Gessica made meager attempts to find a job. She found herself partaking of the spirits a bit too frequently, just like her mother. Gessica suffered from the same affliction as Pinocchio. The more lies she told, the longer her nose grew. Oh, but she loved to tell tall tales. The taller, the better. The tales were about nothing specific, she simply found lying to be enjoyable. It could be about anything and anyone. One day, a servant walking past Gessica's hut overheard her telling a very horrible tall tale. She had heard the rumors around the Kingdom that Gessica was never to be trusted. The servant knew that Gessica could never tell the truth, even with her nose growing with every lie. The servant went straight to the Kings Regent and told him that Gessica was now spreading lies about the Queen. This enraged the King!
The King asked his son, Prince Charming to visit the home of Gessica McEarls with a message. The next morning the Prince set out on his journey from the Kingdom to the shire. He knew the shire because he was often tasked with bringing a harvest of grain, fruits, vegetables and garments to the destitute. After many hours on horseback, he arrived. He jumped off his horse and headed straight to the hut. His servant tended to his prized horse. He knocked loudly on the door. A child opened the door, dropped her doll that was in her hand and said "Oh it's the Prince, Prince Charming, welcome Your Royal Highness" as she curtsied. Gessica ran to the door, grabbed the Prince by his arm and pulled him inside. The Prince had never been treated this way and was not pleased. He said in a booming voice "Ma'am, let go of my arm AT ONCE!" Gessica let go of his arm and gestured him to a chair next to the table where they ate. The Prince explained that the King had been advised that she was speaking ill of the Queen. He told her that the King was furious and would give her only one chance to redeem herself from destruction and that she was to never lie again. He said that if she did, the punishment would be harsh. Her mouth would be sewn shut, and her fingers bent. Gessica thought and thought while the Prince stared at her, and she finally said "OK, your Royal Highness, I will never tell a lie again!" With that proclamation her nose grew and grew and grew. The Prince stood up, and yelled 'You lied! Now you will come with me! We will have your children tended to while you serve your punishment!"
Prince Charming grabbed Gessica, put her on a horse that was tied to his. Her hands and feet were bound with the King's finest fabric. They made the long journey back to the Kingdom. When they arrived, the Prince immediately took her to the King. Gessica curtsied as best as she could and cried "Your Majesty, I didn't mean to tell a tale! Please forgive me!" The King stood up and looked down on this poor wretched soul. He declared that she was to serve a severe punishment for her lies about his beloved wife, the Queen. The punishment would be to have her mouth sewn shut so she could no longer speak lies and her fingers bent so she could no longer write her tall tales. She will live as a servant in the castle for one year. After the year served, she will be brought back to her hut. The King knew that Gessica was a horrible mother and wife. He punished her further by taking her children and husband away. He granted an upstanding family within the Kingdom the honor of raising her daughters. They would be surrounded by love, nurturing, respect and given the attention that they so deserved. The girls would be taught how to be fair maidens. Gessica's husband was granted an immediate divorce by the King. During that year, he found his confidence and fell in love with a beautiful princess from another Kingdom.
The children lived happily ever after. The husband lived happily ever after. However, Gessica did not.
Gessica never told or wrote a lie again. She lost her children and her husband. No one trusted her. She lived her life all alone.
THE END
Written by "The Bee" (I did write this, impromptu)

huhu im sorry, long post ahead. i really have a hunch that my bf is hiding something from, if not cheating, maybe something that he knows would hurt me and i want to ask some tips on how will i prove it.
so my bf suddenly became secretive of his phone, he wouldnt let me borrow his phone and it has happened 2 times alr, i am now sure because the 2nd time it happened, nagkasakitan na kami. so to make you guys understand me better, ikkwento ko yung nangyari the 1st and 2nd time it happened (huhu long story ahead).
ths first time it happened, out of nowhere, i asked if i can borrow his phone and he said why with a continuous nervous laugh, gosh i still remember how his face looked like, and i replied “wala lang may ichecheck lang ako” he replied “anong checheck mo” sabi ko “lahat” then paulit ulit na batuhan ng ganong tanong. just a disclaimer that we dont really check each other’s phone every time we would see each other but he knows how much i overthink, so before, if i were like asking abt a girl who made me jealous, he would just simply assure me with his words and let me check his phone, but i dont really go thru his phone that much because i trust his words but when that happened, all the questions on why i wanted to borrow it, i was sad. nung unang beses na nangyari walang pilitan na nangyari, he let me go thru his phone pero siya ang maghahawak, yun ang gusto niya that time. so he opened his fb and i went thru the recent searches and i saw two unfamiliar girls from his recent searches to i asked who was it and why niya sinearch, and he just simple said na cm niya bef sa prev sch niya and di niya raw sinearch yon, nasa suggestions lang but i am not dumb, i know kung sinearch mo yon or talagang nasa suggestions lang, syempre nakita ko under recent searches eh so i kept asking him kung sinearch niya nga ba and sabi ko di ako magagalit kasi di naman big deal, wag lang kako siyang mag lie 😅 so ff sa next na pangyayari, hinihiram ko ulit phone niya and paulit ulit talaga yung kabadong niyang laugh, pero nahawakan ko na naman and nung ioopen ko na yung ig app niya, bantay sarado talaga siya, and eto na, nung triny ko nang iclick yung messages icon, bigla na lang niyang inagaw and tumatawa talaga siya nervously and alam mo yung nilalmbing niya ko, syempre nawalan na ko ng gana non, the third time na ichecheck ko ulit yung phone, siya na ulit ang naghawak and when i said na patingin ng archives niya sa messenger, bigla na siyang nagagalit and he kept saying na “palagi ka na lang naghihinala sakin” so ako sinasabi ko na kung ayaw niya kong maghinala lalo, ipakita niya pero nagagalit lang siya so dun na, as in nawalan na ko ng gana, so para na lang umiksi yung kwento, napaamin ko siya sa chat and totoong sinearch niya yung girls, sabi niya na natakot lang siya sa magiging reaction ko kaya daw siya naglie, so ibig sabihin alam niyang may mali sa ginawa niya pero as ive di nga siya big deal kung umamin lang siya di ba?
so eto na yung nagpalakas ng hunch ko, the second time it happened, so syempre medyo off na ko sa nangyari before kaya di ko mapigilan yung desire ko na macheck phone niya. bibili siya ng food sana namin outside and i asked him na iwan niya phone niya, and he then again asked why and i said may checheck lang ako and biglang ba naman akong nilambing with nervous laugh again, then sabay sabing ayaw niya raw, sobrang habang pilitan yung nangyari kasi ayaw niya talagang ipahawak, may time na naaagaw ko pero pinipilit niyang kuhain to the point na ayun na nga, nagkasakitan na kami, then fast forward, napakalma niya ko pero di ko pa rin nakuha phone niya, naging ok kami non, pero di nawawala sa isip ko and i kept saying sa self ko na mahuhuli ko rin kung ano yung tinatago niya. hindi ko alam if ang babaw non pero nasasaktan ako and affected talaga ko, pag uwi ko non umiiyak lang ako and wala talagang gana pero sabi ko sa sarili ko na di ako titigil hanggat wala kong nalalaman.
if umabot kayo here, would some of u mind giving me tips kung pano ko makakalkal phone niya? bukas kasi, ill visit his house and of course magbbond pero and una ko talagang goal is mahawakan ko phone niya kaya gusto ko rin siyang makita.

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Synopsis:
Juliette Contzen is a lazy, good-for-nothing princess. Overshadowed by her siblings, she's left with little to do but nap, read … and occasionally cut the falling raindrops with her sword. Spotted one day by an astonished adventurer, he insists on grading Juliette's swordsmanship, then promptly has a mental breakdown at the result.
Soon after, Juliette is given the news that her kingdom is on the brink of bankruptcy. At threat of being married off, the lazy princess vows to do whatever it takes to maintain her current lifestyle, and taking matters into her own hands, escapes in the middle of the night in order to restore her kingdom's finances.
Tags: Comedy, Adventure, Action, Fantasy, Copious Ohohohohos.
Chapter 240: Private Gallery
My, how quaint.
An underground maze.
If it wasn’t dark towers laden with bats, it was underground mazes filled to the brim with all the upholstery recovered from the Summer Solstice Festival’s annual bonfire.
Here beneath a barn utilised as little more than a cellar door, black was still the new black. An unending panorama of dark embroidery and furnishings to match any budding empress’s humble beginnings, ensuring I remained busy offering all the slightly different variations of wrinkling my nose could perform.
The porcelain vases featuring motifs of the wrong season? A mild scrunch. The candelabras burning below 98% of their height instead of being immediately replaced? Hints of a sneeze. The golden silk carpets clearly stolen from the cathedrals of the Holy Church? … A nod of my head.
But what I could have no complaints about was a door still swinging upon its hinges.
Poetry in motion, it painted the picture of a baroness desperate in her haste to stumble over her dress as much as humanly possible. Excellent news. We didn’t need to break another door today.
A surprise.
After all, the baroness seemed intent on breaking everything herself.
Bwoomph.
The sound of a heavy object being dropped came crashing through.
And then another. And another.
A commotion to rival the scuffling of two rival sons at our reception hall. The cadence of chairs, small tables and then backsides falling to the ground as insults became slaps and slaps became a scene of disgrace, all the while my sisters and I watched and snacked on the walnuts.
Sadly for the baroness, I chose not to stand idly by as she roughly squirrelled away her stolen possessions. And neither did Coppelia, who rubbed her hands together in gleeful expectation.
It was still the most innocent gesture she’d ever made.
“Should we let her gather up the loot pile some more?” she asked brightly.
I shook my head at once, my nose aching from the ceaseless wrinkling.
“Absolutely not. Even a moment is too long in this burrow.”
“We could double back and ominously stamp our feet to make her go faster, too.”
“Or we could merely offer our supervision instead. Come. It’s time to end our stay in the countryside. As well as this baroness’s grand misadventure.”
Already dreaming of my bed, I lightly pushed the door open.
A moment later, I was met by the sight of an adventurer’s most wanton dream come to life.
Within the centre of a bedroom chamber, chests laden with silver and gold crowns sat waiting for the first lout to claim as hardship expenses for chasing cats in an endless circle. The chests gleamed with an organised lustre, winking in unison as though counted and arranged to the coin.
It was a sight which contrasted with the desperate movements of the baroness.
Only brief snippets of her could be seen as she went to-and-fro in another room, accessed through a parted bookcase. Through the opening, I heard hints of calamity. Heavy banging as objects crashed to the floor, joined by the sound of ragged breathing to match a servant dashing up and down my bedroom tower to fetch grapes for me in quantities of one.
“Haah … haahh … hahhh …”
And now my curiosity was kindled.
Things worth more than chests of crowns. What could she possess, I wonder?
Sweeping past the gleaming pile of silver and gold, I made my way towards the parted bookcase, and then peeked through to see our baroness performing one last act of defiance.
With her golden hair as dishevelled as her dress, she was kneeling beside an assembled pile of what were unmistakably paintings. A veritable mountain of them, all framed in gilded brass. The scent of oil, watercolours and various pigments struck me more than any whiff of alcohol I’d experienced today.
Clearly a gallery of sorts. A secondary trove of treasure, but no less valuable. Rare paintings were worth their weight in silver and gold as much as any of the coins gathered in the chamber.
And also, to my horror, much easier to destroy.
“Haah … haahhh … hahhhhh …”
The baroness didn’t even notice our presence.
So absorbed was she in her final act of petulance, her only concern was to raise her feeble arms, weakened by all the disdain it required to gather so many heavy paintings in one spot.
All to set it alight.
With a look of desperation on her face, she raised a single candle, readying to set the oil upon the canvasses ablaze.
“Noooooope~”
“–Aah?!”
The same candle which was promptly plucked from her hand by Coppelia, who required no prompting to stop the destruction of precious treasure.
The baroness jolted in shock at Coppelia’s sudden appearance behind her, and even more so at the playful smile leaning towards her. A heartbeat later, she swiped at the candle, tearing away the topmost half. But it was too late.
The flame had already been extinguished.
“Noo … nooooooooooooo!!”
The baroness cupped her hands around the top, offering a tiny breath as she hoped to ignite it like the fading embers of a hearthfire.
She failed.
I took a step into the hidden gallery, ready to offer the coup de grâce to round off this minor detour into my countryside. A final reminder to my kingdom’s nobility, that whatever their rank, none were too lowly to be ignored.
“Ohhohohohohoho … how pitiable,” I said, my hand barely covering my lips. “Instead of a vain attempt to flee, you choose mindless destruction instead. I suppose I’ve no grounds to fault on this. You were wildly successful. Only that it was your own schemes which came to ruin.”
I gazed at the crumpled heap of the baroness as she turned around.
Her grey eyes widened as she viewed me.
All of a sudden, what colour remained upon her face drained to the point where if she threw herself on her bed, she’d be invisible against the white linen. Her only method of escape remaining.
It certainly wasn’t in the gurgling she made.
“Ah … n-no … wait …”
Her voice petered out, whatever words she spoke fading like a mousy squeak in the distance.
Ugh. The standards I endured.
Despite attempting a final act of spite, she didn’t even have enough vigour left in her to transfer that into the most cursory of insults.
“Now, this right here is what separates the barony from the city nobility,” I said, well and truly exasperated. “You may despise your peers, but know that Lady Tolent and Duke Valence at least performed their roles as expected. They were rude until the end. You’ve a considerable amount to learn.”
With a sigh, I took a step towards the mound of portraits.
Given what I’d seen so far, I doubted if any painting here was worth what the baroness deemed worthy enough to hide away like a dragon’s favoured treasure. But I was open to being pleasantly surprised.
Who knows? Perhaps she’d pilfered more than carpets from the Holy Church.
However–
“Wait!!!!!”
The baroness scrambled to her feet, arms raised as she blocked my path.
Despite her sudden burst of life, no colour returned to her face. It was like a ghoul raised as a puppet, desperately heeding the command of its owner.
“You … You can’t look!” she said, quivering. “None of this … none of this is for you!”
My mouth widened at the gall.
… Why, so she did have some insult left in her!
To insinuate I wasn’t worthy of judging these paintings was far more wounding than any generic disdain she could level against my superior wealth, standing, beauty and shape of my hair!
After all, I was exceptionally confident in my curating skills!
Anything less would see my own works being met by a chorus of snivelling! Amongst all who resided in my kingdom, it wasn’t traitors who were the most fearless to my ire! It was art critics!
“E-Excuse me! Rest assured that I’m more than capable of judging the qualities of any painting! When it comes to my assessment of art, my valuation leaves no detail unturned!”
Somehow, the baroness paled even more. Her eyes quivered like ponds in a gale.
A moment later–
“You can’t!!!!”
She threw herself at me.
A slow, lumbering tackle to match her anaemic state. I stepped to the side as she hurled herself past me, falling to a heap by Renise’s feet.
The maid looked down. She didn’t wear a single hint of animosity. Only pity and sorrow. Truly, she was too kind to ever have been in the nobility. I feared for her current role.
Still, I gave a sigh, before leaning over the mountain of paintings.
“Uwah~ this is a new one.”
As the light from the doorway fell upon it, Coppelia offered a hint of what was to be expected. She wore a peculiar expression, her smile oddly fixed as she gazed down at the nearest one to face upright.
I joined her.
And then–
“Hmm.”
I blinked as I assessed it.
A moment later, I glanced over those nearby. And then those nearby them.
Not only paintings. But portraits.
All featuring the same subject. A girl with long, dark hair and vivid eyes.
Many featured a dress hinting at a summer’s day. Shafts of golden sunlight was a common theme, along with a backdrop of a pristine tea table, laden with a familiar array of confectionery. Carrot madeleines and carrot cakes. The same ones I tactically placed for everyone else to eat at my mandatory tea parties.
Indeed. That made sense.
Since this was assuredly my tea table being presented. And that girl with a pleasant smile, unblemished features, a regal bearing and warmth radiating from her very presence was me.
I dug inside the mountain of portraits, lifting up another at random.
Yes.
It was me. Again.
In fact–
Every single portrait in this heap was of me.
At least a hundred or more. All framed and recently placed upon the walls of a hidden room. A private gallery to a baroness–one who was a keen painter. A corner had been transformed into a small workshop. Unlike the one found in her tavern, this one was far more organised. Easels and brushes were neatly tidied away, cared for as much as the paintings that had been created here.
“Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!”
Ignoring the cry of despair behind me, I gazed at the heap of paintings, hand against my cheek as I considered the sight.
A short hum was all I required.
I turned to the stricken baroness upon the floor, her mouth wide as she waited for my judgement.
And then–
“Oho …”
I began to laugh.
“Ohoho … ohhohohoho …”
But this was no mocking laugh which spilled from my lips.
No … it was a laugh of pure delight.
“Ohhhohohoohhohohoohhohohoo!!”
True, nothing here was fit to be placed upon the Royal Villa’s walls. But few paintings were. This didn’t mean they were without merit. On the contrary, even a surface level impression of my face was worth more crowns than even a mosaic of the Grand Duchess completed by a thousand master painters.
But while better artists than her had painted me, few had painted more.
And this I could use.
Why … with this many paintings, I could fill up Soap Island with my imagery!
I could ensure that every tunnel possessed my permanent smile and watching eyes!
No matter where the soap miners hid, seeking respite from their days of hard labour and repentance, they could be met by the sight of my angelic face reminding them that I know and judge their every moment of unsupervised rest!
How … How wonderful!!!!
“A 7/10,” I declared. “Individually, they range between passable and acceptable. Except this one. There is something wrong with the nose. But when taken as an entire collection, the overall composition is greater than the sum of its parts. Alone, each is a verse describing a princess forced to adhere to her mandatory tea parties even as summer blooms a window away. But together, it is the sonata of a princess who continues in her duties without care to repetition or fatigue, reminding those whose hands falter when they should be mining soap that I do not rest, and so neither will they. Not an overly complex message, but then I wouldn’t wish it to be lost.”
Thus, I clapped my hands together in satisfaction.
“... Indeed, I shall put these portraits to excellent use!”
I waited for the gasp of relief which usually came with any of my scores which didn’t plunge into negative numbers. The baroness would not be destroyed by the world of fine art. Only ignored. The baseline criticism. She’d survive.
Providing, of course, that she ever woke from her stupor.
Looking down, I was appalled to see all the light had vacated her eyes.
Far from offering her gratitude, she lay collapsed in an untidy heap upon the floor, her body prone and motionless, her expression locked in morbid embarrassment, and with no signs of life other than the trail of drool which began to leak from the edge of her lips.
“Wow~” said Coppelia, leaning down to poke her cheeks. “You managed to kill her with just the laugh.”
I was appalled.
If this was the reaction to my satisfaction, I may as well be disappointed! That was always easier!
“C-Coppelia! I didn’t kill her! … Why, anyone who dies looking so slovenly would come back to life just to fix themselves!”
Also kneeling beside the fallen baroness, Renise gently shook the girl’s shoulder. Only a weak gurgling came out, wishing for an eternal night.
After a moment, Renise sent a slightly pained smile towards me.
“Um, by any chance … do you not have any thoughts regarding seeing so many portraits of yourself?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well … do you not find it odd?”
I looked at her in puzzlement.
“... No? Why would that be odd? Isn’t it natural that people would wish to paint me? I’m a princess. And an excellent one, too. Better me than a fruit bowl, surely.”
Renise blinked … just before raising her hand to her lips in a small giggle.
“Yes, I suppose you’re right.”
Words which advanced her on my family’s career ladder exponentially. I nodded profusely.
Mreoow.
At least until an unexpected sound filled the air.
I looked around in puzzlement.
“... Did I hear a cat?”
“Mmh~” Coppelia pointed towards the faux-vault door we’d passed. “More than one. There’s a whole bunch being kept nearby. It smells terrible.”
I threw up my arms in exasperation.
Why, no wonder the baroness sought the bliss of unconsciousness! It was to evade my utter disbelief!
The absolute state of my kingdom’s schemers!
First Trierport! Now Hartzwiese! To think it was an epidemic!
Just what were these people doing?! Truly, it’s one thing to undermine my kingdom. But that was a pale crime compared to their feat of singlehandedly fuelling the existence of the Adventurer’s Guild!
“It must be Tantrum and Peppy,” said Renise, far less aggrieved. “As well as all the others.”
I directed my bewilderment towards her instead.
“What is a … Tantrum and a Peppy?”
“They’re the names of the deputy guildmaster’s cats. The ones she was looking for. We should ensure they’re rescued before the night is done.”
I shook my head rapidly. No, no, no, no.
“I am not rescuing cats.”
“Hm? … Why not? Isn’t that the job of adventurers?”
“No, that’s the job of drunkards who mistake the commissions plastered on walls for requests to save a kidnapped princess. Besides, cats hardly need rescuing. Whatever bonds they find themselves in, they’re more than capable of slipping free by their own endless guile.”
Indeed, our only danger was that we tripped over a lazing cat hidden in the shade!
It’s a wonder they hadn’t escaped already. By the time we were done, I fully expected to see cats causing anarchy as they reclaimed the town, mewing from rooftop and windowsill with barely held contempt for the very people who fed them!
… Why, they should be ashamed!
“I see …” said Renise, with a hum of uncertainty. “Well, I suppose they’re known for their self-sufficiency. But even so, I feel that we shouldn’t leave them in the chance that their artfulness fails. There’s a very dangerous forest between here and the town.”
Coppelia clapped her hands together.
Her interest in the baroness severed, she leaned towards her next source of amusement, her smile alive with all the usual colours of the mischief rainbow.
“That’s right~ cats are pretty smart, right? There’s no way they’ll be caught by the slobbering horrors devoid of mercy and compassion which I kept from eating us.”
“Coppelia, you frightened them away with sticks.”
“Exactly. Sticks thrown using opposable thumbs which cats lack. And that means they know where they are on the food tree. They’re gonna stay here where it’s safe, waiting for the dumb humans to come fetch them like they always do, even though cats do nothing but hiss and scratch at them.”
I gave a cautious nod … all the while leaning further away.
“Yes, well, I’m glad you agree. We’ve no need to lift a finger to rescue them.”
“Mmh~ but even so, aren’t you willingly leaving gold on the table?”
“Excuse me?”
“I bet every cat has a poster somewhere up in the Adventurer’s Guild. That’s a whole bunch of change you’re leaving lying around that could be used for our apple strudel budget.”
I was aghast.
Not only at the suggestion our funds went entirely towards the apple strudels she ate before I could even touch them … but also because I knew exactly what Coppelia was doing!
My keen eyes could see through her deep subterfuge!
True, it was only prudent to ensure our personal finances were as secure as possible … but even so!
I had my pride!
In my darkest dreams, I still recalled the shame of rescuing a warehouse of cats in Trierport! There was no scenario in which I’d willingly suffer such humiliation again! Once my dignity was stripped, what was I, but a beautiful maiden without equal?
Indeed, I had no doubt in my mind!
I, Juliette Contzen, 3rd Princess to the Kingdom of Tirea, would absolutely not resort to saving lost cats!
“The Adventurer’s Guild will never be happier,” said Coppelia brightly. “I bet that in less than a day, a literal army of adventurers will be swooping in to claim all the free cats for themselves. They’ll be everywhere. Literally everywhere. Productivity will be at its highest. You’ll be actively supporting the livelihoods of all those guys you see drinking themselves into a coma!”
Renise blinked, then looked at me with an expression filled with new warmth.
“Oh, I see! You intend to leave these cats behind to be collected by new adventurers. That’s very thoughtful of you. I understand now. This must be how high-ranked adventurers help their juniors progress and gain confidence in their skills.”
Renise filled the ensuing silence with her smile.
And then–
She slowly waved a hand in front of my face.
“... Miss Coppelia, why isn’t she responding?”
“Oh, don’t worry about it. Her cogs get stuck every now and again.”
“I see … ? Should we do something or … ?”
“Mmh~ I’ll scoop up the striped ones! You get the normal ones!”
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Three big questions many Christians have.
If God is good:

1. Why does life depend on death to continue?
2. Why hasn't Jesus returned and made things right yet?
3. Why hasn't Jesus' teaching done away with suffering?

Life is a classroom to teach us how to be worthy of eternity. Eden represents life in its perfect, heavenly state. God created us in His image to teach us to be like Himself. Unity, equality, and love are distinct, but inseparable components of God. We must learn to value them to be worthy of eternal life.
We had everything we needed in Eden to create heaven on earth. We could have learned every lesson by interacting with God and Creation. The animals' traits teach us about character. The plants teach us value. The seasons teach us preparation and timing. Every lesson shows that patience and love give the greatest benefit. Healthy limits on these avoid their abuse.
The unity of Adam and Eve shows us why we must be like God to fulfill our purpose. (The other big lesson of "family" is to support the weak, Job 29:11-17, Acts 4:32-35) Adam is made in God's image. God gives Adam His own breath = spirit. (John 4:24) Adam has a surplus without a deficit to fill. This is the state God / Love is in without a Creation to receive His love. Adam sees his need when he cannot find a worthy partner among the animals. (Genesis 2:20) From his own body, God fashions a woman. Eve, was with Adam from the beginning, but not in a form that truly completed him. She is given back to him and they return to being one. (Genesis 2:23-24) We "leave and cleave" because this sacred relationship is the most important lesson we need to get before time runs out. We can learn to be one in the most joyful and painless way, if we keep marriage sacred and sinless.
Sin divides us. Every lesson on earth teaches us to distinguish between what brings life or death. All sin eventually brings death. We change our classroom every time we bring sin/death into it. We have to deal with the consequences as part of our lessons. The curses on the First Family, are lessons that teach what a god must patiently endure when his creation deviates from eternal behavior. (Psalm 82:6, Matthew 5:43-45, John 10:27-38)

• Adam (representing God)
• works the ground (earth representing Adam)
• to produce food (satisfaction for God's emptiness without a safe target for His love.)
• but it only produces thorns (Adam's selfish, destructive behavior)

This pattern continues throughout history; for example, we didn't have a "death-penalty" until we needed it to stop sin from spreading to all life. Once we realized, "an eye for an eye" would make the whole world blind, we were ready for the Healer, Jesus Messiah.
The questions:

1. "If God is good, why does life depend on death to survive?"

Death is a consequence of being unable or unwilling to sustain life. Sin is willful deviation from unity/equality/love. Sin leads to death of the innocent. It eventually will lead to the death of everything. It is stopped by the correction and/or punishment of the deviant death-bringer. (The difference is between willful sin and ignorant sin. Numbers 15:28-31, Romans 5:12-21, Luke 12:47-48, Romans 6:23)
The death-penalty is like surgery. It's a last-resort treatment to keep sin from spreading to healthy, life-supporting members of creation. There was no death in Eden until humans brought it in by sinning, instead of healing our world. (Genesis 1:28, Genesis 2:15) The flood account tells us that all life was corrupted by sin. It's why God resorted to destroying every land animal that didn't enter the Ark. (Genesis 6:11-12)
When man left the Ark, we received meat as food and the death-penalty for shedding innocent blood. This came about in order to weed-out the abusive and negligent. (I say "we" because we are all still one, as long as sin doesn't separate us.) Removing the sinful, and cleaning up after sin is part of sustaining life now. (Genesis 9:1-6) Creation is made whole again when its resources are put to use by those who submit to eternal laws, (Unity, equality, love. Proverbs 28:8) Evolution denies the Biblical account, so please know I don't judge anyone for believing our secular school teachers. Evolution can't account for things like this: "Deer saves rabbit from hawk." There will be no death in the age to come. (1 Corinthians 15:26, Isaiah 25:8)

1. "Why hasn't Jesus returned and made things right yet."

God is being patient with us. He doesn't want anyone that could be saved to be left behind. (Ezekiel 18:30-32, 2 Peter 3:9, Matthew 24:29-44) We have time limits on our lessons. Like babes in the womb, mankind has a fixed time in this age. We will become fit for eternity or we won't, depending on what we spent our lives becoming. We are all one. Each person's experience serves as a witness to what is, or isn't life-sustaining. (Ecclesiastes 9:10, John 9:4) We're wise to live by eternal lessons for the sake of ourselves and those connected to us. (Ecclesiastes 9:11-18, Matthew 25:1-13)

1. Why hasn't Jesus' teaching done away with suffering?

Sin creates suffering for everyone. That's why it's so evil. We have a free-will to choose death or life. (Genesis 2:9, Deuteronomy 30:19, Acts 2:38-40) Jesus taught us to do things that promote life, but we disobey Him. (Matthew 25:40, Proverbs 19:17) What we live and die to accomplish proves our devotion to love, unity and equality, or our lack of it. (John 11:7-10, 1 Peter 4:12-19)
Scripture references:
Life is a classroom meant to teach us how to be worthy of eternity.
Job 29:11-17 NKJV

11 When the ear heard, then it blessed me, And when the eye saw, then it approved me; 12 Because I delivered the poor who cried out, The fatherless and the one who had no helper. 13 The blessing of a perishing man came upon me, And I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. 14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a turban. 15 I was eyes to the blind, And I was feet to the lame. 16 I was a father to the poor, And I searched out the case that I did not know. 17 I broke the fangs of the wicked, And plucked the victim from his teeth.

Acts 4:32-35 NKJV

32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. 33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. 34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, 35 and laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.

The first family's form and situation parallel spiritual truths about God.
John 4:24 NKJV

24 "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

Genesis 2:20-24 NKJV

20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. 21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. 23 And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man." 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Every lesson on earth teaches us to distinguish between what brings life or death, in order to become like God. He is the source and example of unity, equality and love.
Psalm 82:6 NKJV

6 I said, "You are gods, And all of you are children of the Most High.

Matthew 5:43-45 NKJV

43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

John 10:27-38 NKJV

27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. 30 "I and My Father are one." 31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?" 33 The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God." 34 Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods" '? 35 "If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 36 "do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'? 37 "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 "but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."

The questions:

1. "If God is good, why does life depend on death to survive?"

Death comes from being unable or unwilling to sustain life. Sin brings death when those who could sustain life abuse, neglect or don't understand their duties. We all have a conscience. We know we owe our lives to someone who believed in supporting the weak, but some of us listen to our flesh anyway.
Numbers 15:28-31 NKJV

28 'So the priest shall make atonement for the person who sins unintentionally, when he sins unintentionally before the LORD, to make atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him. 29 'You shall have one law for him who sins unintentionally, for him who is native-born among the children of Israel and for the stranger who dwells among them. 30 'But the person who does anything presumptuously, whether he is native-born or a stranger, that one brings reproach on the LORD, and he shall be cut off from among his people. 31 'Because he has despised the word of the LORD, and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; his guilt shall be upon him.' "

Romans 5:12-21 NKJV

12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned-- 13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. 16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. 17 For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) 18 Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous. 20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Luke 12:47-48 NKJV

47 "And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48 "But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

Romans 6:23 NKJV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

There was no death in Eden until humans brought it in by sinning, instead of healing and taming our world. The flood account tells us that all life became irreparably corrupted by sin. We were put here to tame the animals, but instead, we led them by our bad example.
Genesis 1:28

Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Genesis 2:15 NKJV

15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.

Genesis 6:11-12 NKJV

11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

There will be no death in the age to come.
1 Corinthians 15:26 NKJV

26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

Isaiah 25:8 NKJV

8 He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken.

When man left the Ark, we received meat as food and the death-penalty for shedding innocent blood. This came about in order to weed-out the abusive and negligent. Creation is made whole again when its resources are put to use by those who submit to the eternal laws of unity, equality, and love.
Genesis 9:1-6 NKJV

1 So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. 2 "And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. 3 "Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs. 4 "But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 "Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man's brother I will require the life of man. 6 "Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man.

Proverbs 28:8 NKJV

8 One who increases his possessions by usury and extortion Gathers it for him who will pity the poor.

1. "Why hasn't Jesus returned and made things right yet."

God is patient with us. He doesn't want anyone left behind unless its absolutely necessary.
Ezekiel 18:30-32 NKJV

30 "Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways," says the Lord GOD. "Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. 31 "Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? 32 "For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies," says the Lord GOD. "Therefore turn and live!"

2 Peter 3:9 NKJV

9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Matthew 24:29-44 NKJV

29 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 "And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 32 "Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 "So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near--at the doors! 34 "Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 35 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. 36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 "For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 "and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 "Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 "Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 "But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Mankind has a fixed time on earth. We will become fit for eternity, or we won't, depending on how well we paid attention to life's lessons.
John 9:4 NKJV

4 "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.

Ecclesiastes 9:10-18 NKJV

10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going. 11 I returned and saw under the sun that--The race is not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong, Nor bread to the wise, Nor riches to men of understanding, Nor favor to men of skill; But time and chance happen to them all. 12 For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, Like birds caught in a snare, So the sons of men are snared in an evil time, When it falls suddenly upon them. 13 This wisdom I have also seen under the sun, and it seemed great to me: 14 There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great snares around it. 15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man. 16 Then I said: "Wisdom is better than strength. Nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, And his words are not heard. 17 Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools. 18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war; But one sinner destroys much good."

Matthew 25:1-13 NKJV

1 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 "Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 "Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 "but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 "But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. 6 "And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!' 7 "Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 "And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' 9 "But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' 10 "And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. 11 "Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' 12 "But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.' 13 "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

1. Why hasn't Jesus' teaching done away with suffering?

Sin and suffering are inseparable. Our Teacher has done all He could to bring us into eternity despite our sinful world. He even provided a perfect example for us to follow. Sadly, some still use their free-will to choose sin. We must be able to manage a free-will to be safe to inherit eternity.
Genesis 2:9 NKJV

9 And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Deuteronomy 30:19 NKJV

19 "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;

Acts 2:38-40 NKJV

38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." 40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation."

Jesus explained that our response to His teaching should be to do things that promote life.
Matthew 25:40

40 "And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did good to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

Proverbs 19:17 NKJV

17 He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, and He will pay back what he has given.

What we live and die for proves our commitment to love, unity and equality, or our lack of it.
John 11:7-10 NKJV

7 Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." 8 The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?" 9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 "But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."

1 Peter 4:12-19 NKJV

12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. 17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 Now "If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?" 19 Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.

May truth and love guide us home.

Three big questions many Christians have.
If God is good:

1. Why does life depend on death to continue?
2. Why hasn't Jesus returned and made things right yet?
3. Why hasn't Jesus' teaching done away with suffering?

Life is a classroom to teach us how to be worthy of eternity. Eden represents life in its perfect, heavenly state. God created us in His image to teach us to be like Himself. Unity, equality, and love are distinct, but inseparable components of God. We must learn to value them to be worthy of eternal life.
We had everything we needed in Eden to create heaven on earth. We could have learned every lesson by interacting with God and Creation. The animals' traits teach us about character. The plants teach us value. The seasons teach us preparation and timing. Every lesson shows that patience and love give the greatest benefit. Healthy limits on these avoid their abuse.
The unity of Adam and Eve shows us why we must be like God to fulfill our purpose. (The other big lesson of "family" is to support the weak, Job 29:11-17, Acts 4:32-35) Adam is made in God's image. God gives Adam His own breath = spirit. (John 4:24) Adam has a surplus without a deficit to fill. This is the state God / Love is in without a Creation to receive His love. Adam sees his need when he cannot find a worthy partner among the animals. (Genesis 2:20) From his own body, God fashions a woman. Eve, was with Adam from the beginning, but not in a form that truly completed him. She is given back to him and they return to being one. (Genesis 2:23-24) We "leave and cleave" because this sacred relationship is the most important lesson we need to get before time runs out. We can learn to be one in the most joyful and painless way, if we keep marriage sacred and sinless.
Sin divides us. Every lesson on earth teaches us to distinguish between what brings life or death. All sin eventually brings death. We change our classroom every time we bring sin/death into it. We have to deal with the consequences as part of our lessons. The curses on the First Family, are lessons that teach what a god must patiently endure when his creation deviates from eternal behavior. (Psalm 82:6, Matthew 5:43-45, John 10:27-38)

• Adam (representing God)
• works the ground (earth representing Adam)
• to produce food (satisfaction for God's emptiness without a safe target for His love.)
• but it only produces thorns (Adam's selfish, destructive behavior)

This pattern continues throughout history; for example, we didn't have a "death-penalty" until we needed it to stop sin from spreading to all life. Once we realized, "an eye for an eye" would make the whole world blind, we were ready for the Healer, Jesus Messiah.
The questions:

1. "If God is good, why does life depend on death to survive?"

Death is a consequence of being unable or unwilling to sustain life. Sin is willful deviation from unity/equality/love. Sin leads to death of the innocent. It eventually will lead to the death of everything. It is stopped by the correction and/or punishment of the deviant death-bringer. (The difference is between willful sin and ignorant sin. Numbers 15:28-31, Romans 5:12-21, Luke 12:47-48, Romans 6:23)
The death-penalty is like surgery. It's a last-resort treatment to keep sin from spreading to healthy, life-supporting members of creation. There was no death in Eden until humans brought it in by sinning, instead of healing our world. (Genesis 1:28, Genesis 2:15) The flood account tells us that all life was corrupted by sin. It's why God resorted to destroying every land animal that didn't enter the Ark. (Genesis 6:11-12)
When man left the Ark, we received meat as food and the death-penalty for shedding innocent blood. This came about in order to weed-out the abusive and negligent. (I say "we" because we are all still one, as long as sin doesn't separate us.) Removing the sinful, and cleaning up after sin is part of sustaining life now. (Genesis 9:1-6) Creation is made whole again when its resources are put to use by those who submit to eternal laws, (Unity, equality, love. Proverbs 28:8) Evolution denies the Biblical account, so please know I don't judge anyone for believing our secular school teachers. Evolution can't account for things like this: "Deer saves rabbit from hawk." There will be no death in the age to come. (1 Corinthians 15:26, Isaiah 25:8)

1. "Why hasn't Jesus returned and made things right yet."

God is being patient with us. He doesn't want anyone that could be saved to be left behind. (Ezekiel 18:30-32, 2 Peter 3:9, Matthew 24:29-44) We have time limits on our lessons. Like babes in the womb, mankind has a fixed time in this age. We will become fit for eternity or we won't, depending on what we spent our lives becoming. We are all one. Each person's experience serves as a witness to what is, or isn't life-sustaining. (Ecclesiastes 9:10, John 9:4) We're wise to live by eternal lessons for the sake of ourselves and those connected to us. (Ecclesiastes 9:11-18, Matthew 25:1-13)

1. Why hasn't Jesus' teaching done away with suffering?

Sin creates suffering for everyone. That's why it's so evil. We have a free-will to choose death or life. (Genesis 2:9, Deuteronomy 30:19, Acts 2:38-40) Jesus taught us to do things that promote life, but we disobey Him. (Matthew 25:40, Proverbs 19:17) What we live and die to accomplish proves our devotion to love, unity and equality, or our lack of it. (John 11:7-10, 1 Peter 4:12-19)
Scripture references:
Life is a classroom meant to teach us how to be worthy of eternity.
Job 29:11-17 NKJV

11 When the ear heard, then it blessed me, And when the eye saw, then it approved me; 12 Because I delivered the poor who cried out, The fatherless and the one who had no helper. 13 The blessing of a perishing man came upon me, And I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. 14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a turban. 15 I was eyes to the blind, And I was feet to the lame. 16 I was a father to the poor, And I searched out the case that I did not know. 17 I broke the fangs of the wicked, And plucked the victim from his teeth.

Acts 4:32-35 NKJV

32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. 33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. 34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, 35 and laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.

The first family's form and situation parallel spiritual truths about God.
John 4:24 NKJV

24 "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

Genesis 2:20-24 NKJV

20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. 21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. 23 And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man." 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Every lesson on earth teaches us to distinguish between what brings life or death, in order to become like God. He is the source and example of unity, equality and love.
Psalm 82:6 NKJV

6 I said, "You are gods, And all of you are children of the Most High.

Matthew 5:43-45 NKJV

43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

John 10:27-38 NKJV

27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. 30 "I and My Father are one." 31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?" 33 The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God." 34 Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods" '? 35 "If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 36 "do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'? 37 "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 "but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."

The questions:

1. "If God is good, why does life depend on death to survive?"

Death comes from being unable or unwilling to sustain life. Sin brings death when those who could sustain life abuse, neglect or don't understand their duties. We all have a conscience. We know we owe our lives to someone who believed in supporting the weak, but some of us listen to our flesh anyway.
Numbers 15:28-31 NKJV

28 'So the priest shall make atonement for the person who sins unintentionally, when he sins unintentionally before the LORD, to make atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him. 29 'You shall have one law for him who sins unintentionally, for him who is native-born among the children of Israel and for the stranger who dwells among them. 30 'But the person who does anything presumptuously, whether he is native-born or a stranger, that one brings reproach on the LORD, and he shall be cut off from among his people. 31 'Because he has despised the word of the LORD, and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; his guilt shall be upon him.' "

Romans 5:12-21 NKJV

12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned-- 13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. 16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. 17 For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) 18 Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous. 20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Luke 12:47-48 NKJV

47 "And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48 "But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

Romans 6:23 NKJV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

There was no death in Eden until humans brought it in by sinning, instead of healing and taming our world. The flood account tells us that all life became irreparably corrupted by sin. We were put here to tame the animals, but instead, we led them by our bad example.
Genesis 1:28

Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Genesis 2:15 NKJV

15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.

Genesis 6:11-12 NKJV

11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

There will be no death in the age to come.
1 Corinthians 15:26 NKJV

26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

Isaiah 25:8 NKJV

8 He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken.

When man left the Ark, we received meat as food and the death-penalty for shedding innocent blood. This came about in order to weed-out the abusive and negligent. Creation is made whole again when its resources are put to use by those who submit to the eternal laws of unity, equality, and love.
Genesis 9:1-6 NKJV

1 So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. 2 "And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. 3 "Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs. 4 "But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 "Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man's brother I will require the life of man. 6 "Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man.

Proverbs 28:8 NKJV

8 One who increases his possessions by usury and extortion Gathers it for him who will pity the poor.

1. "Why hasn't Jesus returned and made things right yet."

God is patient with us. He doesn't want anyone left behind unless its absolutely necessary.
Ezekiel 18:30-32 NKJV

30 "Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways," says the Lord GOD. "Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. 31 "Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? 32 "For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies," says the Lord GOD. "Therefore turn and live!"

2 Peter 3:9 NKJV

9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Matthew 24:29-44 NKJV

29 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 "And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 32 "Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 "So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near--at the doors! 34 "Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 35 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. 36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 "For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 "and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 "Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 "Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 "But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Mankind has a fixed time on earth. We will become fit for eternity, or we won't, depending on how well we paid attention to life's lessons.
John 9:4 NKJV

4 "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.

Ecclesiastes 9:10-18 NKJV

10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going. 11 I returned and saw under the sun that--The race is not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong, Nor bread to the wise, Nor riches to men of understanding, Nor favor to men of skill; But time and chance happen to them all. 12 For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, Like birds caught in a snare, So the sons of men are snared in an evil time, When it falls suddenly upon them. 13 This wisdom I have also seen under the sun, and it seemed great to me: 14 There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great snares around it. 15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man. 16 Then I said: "Wisdom is better than strength. Nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, And his words are not heard. 17 Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools. 18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war; But one sinner destroys much good."

Matthew 25:1-13 NKJV

1 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 "Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 "Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 "but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 "But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. 6 "And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!' 7 "Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 "And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' 9 "But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' 10 "And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. 11 "Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' 12 "But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.' 13 "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

1. Why hasn't Jesus' teaching done away with suffering?

Sin and suffering are inseparable. Our Teacher has done all He could to bring us into eternity despite our sinful world. He even provided a perfect example for us to follow. Sadly, some still use their free-will to choose sin. We must be able to manage a free-will to be safe to inherit eternity.
Genesis 2:9 NKJV

9 And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Deuteronomy 30:19 NKJV

19 "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;

Acts 2:38-40 NKJV

38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." 40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation."

Jesus explained that our response to His teaching should be to do things that promote life.
Matthew 25:40

40 "And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did good to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

Proverbs 19:17 NKJV

17 He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, and He will pay back what he has given.

What we live and die for proves our commitment to love, unity and equality, or our lack of it.
John 11:7-10 NKJV

7 Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." 8 The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?" 9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 "But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."

1 Peter 4:12-19 NKJV

12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. 17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 Now "If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?" 19 Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.

May God's love guide us.