Nephew quotes poems

so for context me and my ex started dating in january 2023. it was a really good and healthy long distance relationship (NY to FL) and i took many trips to see her and i even went on vacation with her family. we ended in october 2023 in a pretty bad way, but we’ve decided to stay friends. i’ll be honest i never really lost feelings for her, just kind of forgot about them. we started to get close as of recently like facetiming and snapping and stuff but two days ago she got back together w this guy that had ghosted her in april. she still texts me all the time and still wants to facetime me all the time, like for example, she told me that she wants to call today but her bf is coming over so she will call me once he leaves. i have a feeling she still finds me attractive because i catch her staring at me on facetime and also when i send her a snap i look good in she responds with a “🫢” face (not the emoji). anyways we talked yesterday and i asked her if the guy knows about our friendship, she said no. for context he’s a co worker of hers and he knew that we were together for 8 months so if he sees my name in her phone he will know who i am. i told her that if he finds out we’re talking even if it’s completely platonic he will probably break up with her as it is always a red flag if you are still friends with exes if your in a relationship. she said and i quote “im not gonna tell him and if he finds out im just gonna say it’s a different (my name).” i told her that it makes me feel weird and she said “listen it’s not a big deal stop worrying about it.” more context, before i knew about her and this kid, while they were still talking she texted me stuff saying “if you lived here in FL things would be different” (aka if i lived there we’d still be tg) and she also wrote a poem on her spam insta that she stated i was the good path for her yet she always takes the bad paths etc etc (she sent me a screenshot of it and said “you are the good path that i wrote about”) this was all while they were first talking. i know she actually likes this kid because of the way she talks about him but i also don’t know if she still likes me.

I (F38) am separated from my husband (M49), with a child (F6) and trying to work it out. I unexpectedly fell pregnant and it’s a big mess. I’m high risk being older and on medication difficult to come off. My husband and I are in shock and have a lot to sort through. Telling our family and friends is going to come with lots of questions and potentially upset people.
A few days ago I told my sister as she is the only person I know who has gone through the emotions of an unplanned pregnancy (she was 19 at the time). I said it’s only early, and even without the other complications I wouldn’t want to tell anyone until the first trimester is over. Please keep it private.
Well… she told my 13yo niece who immediately told my 7yo nephew. “Couldn’t help herself”
I’m pissed at my sister. Kids can’t relied on to keep these things to themselves, it’s not fair on them to try. Pushing aside that our whole family will probably find out in a matter of days now (we live interstate to them all) our 6yo daughter who won’t know she’s getting a very much wanted sibling until first trimester is over. In case of the worst, and because she will tell everyone and sundry before we’re ready.
So I told my sister that she shouldn’t have done that and her response was if I didn’t want her children to know I shouldn’t have told her and why haven’t I told my daughter?
I put the boundary down that because she broke my trust, I won’t be trusting her with any other private information because she’s said she will tell her children. Second, that her kids can’t FaceTime my daughter (they live interstate) until we tell her at 13 weeks, just over a month.
She’s said if I’m going to shame her the I can f*ck off out of her life and now posting on Facebook quotes about the power of stepping back from relationships etc. My nephew has been trying to call constantly repeatedly since he found out. AITAH?

I am not even talking about scriptural problems within the bible, You don't have to open a single bible to start seeing the problems,
1-) The Problem of Salvation and Faith (Why the plan of salvation is ridiculous, and has failed)
I.The ridiculousness of the plan
A. Demanding blood for remission of sins Heb 9:22 - Why is this the terms that god insists upon? Isn't he the architect of the parameters regarding sin, punishment, and forgiveness? Is he not able to forgive sin without blood sacrifice? Can he not say, “No blood sacrifice necessary, I just forgive you?”
B. God sacrificing himself to himself to save us from himself by creating a loophole in the architecture for condemnation he engineered in the first place? This is your solution for a problem in which you yourself are the problem. It’s like a doctor stabbing people to be able to operate and save them.
C. Dying for someone else's crime does not equal justice in any court.
D. The sacrifice was not a sacrifice at all :

1. Jesus is said to be eternal
2. He spent a few days in misery out of his billions of years plus of existence
3. He spent a minutiae of a fraction of his existence suffering knowing he would be resurrected after the ordeal and spend eternity in divine luxury, and that somehow provides him justification to sentence us to trillions of years of eternity suffering without end?
4. Jesus is a supernatural immortal who suffered temporary mortal punishment and then sentences mortals to supernatural eternal punishment if they do not receive his sacrifice.
5. Why is three days of punishment followed by eternity in glory sufficient for all the horrible deeds any man has ever committed, but billions of years suffered in hell by a good moral person who does not believe due to lack of evidence is not sufficient?

2-) Nature of The Christian god
I. He is supposed to be an all Powerful and All mighty being and yet he died on a cross by his own creation (If you see someone claiming to be god and then you saw him hie before your very eyes, How on earth are you supposed to conclude anything else other than "This guy is a liar"?)
Modern Christians would respond to this saying "Only the Human part died, The Divine part wasn't affected"
Which again, doesn't make any sense :
A. Even when assuming a human sacrifice is somehow necessary for salvation, The sacrifice of 1 Human being can never be Enough to atone for the sins of all of mankind since Adam and Eve till the return of jesus.
I found a Coptic pope explaining this issue in detail, Here is a link to his book, https://st-takla.org/books/en/pope-shenouda-iii/nature-of-christ/propitiation-and-redemption.html
Quoting from it : "The belief in the One Nature of the Incarnate Logos is essential, necessary and fundamental for redemption. Redemption requires unlimited propitiation sufficient for the forgiveness of the unlimited sins of all the people through all ages. There was no solution other than the Incarnation of God the Logos to offer this through His Divine Power.
Thus, if we mention two natures and say that the human nature alone performed the act of redemption, it would have been entirely impossible to achieve unlimited propitiation for man's salvation. Hence comes the danger of speaking of two natures, each having its own specific tasks. In such case, the death of the human nature alone is insufficient."
It's very clear that saying only the human part died doesn't make any sense, Even according to the Christian theology itself.
B. The Trinity is based on a false idea
I know, It's a classic Argument against Christianity but you can't deny that it's an actual damning argument against the Christian theology.

1. God is all knowing but Jesus wasn't all knowing (mark 13:32)
2. Jesus is supposed to be god, but he is praying to himself to save himself with cries and tears?? (Luke 22:41-44)
3. Jesus is god but we can't say he is good because only god is good?? (Luke 18:18-19)
4. God can't be tempted by evil (James 1:13) but yet jesus was tempted by satan?? (Matthew 4:1)
5. Jesus is god but he can't do a thing on his own?? (John 5:31) 6.Jesus is supposed to be the same as the father, But their teachings are different? (John 7:16)

And so many more, Throught the bible i can't help but notice the intense number of verses which clearly states Jesus can't be god.
3-) The Problem of a Historical Jesus (Why we don’t know the actual historical Jesus)
I. No contemporary historical evidence,
A. No historian alive during Jesus day wrote about Jesus despite ample opportunity

1. The kings coming to his birth
2. Herod’s slaughter of baby boys
3. The overthrowing of money changers
4. Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem where he is declared king by the whole town.
5. Darkness covering the whole earth for hours on Jesus’ Death
6. The earthquakes at Jesus’ death
7. The rending of the temple veil at Jesus’ Death
8. The resurrection of Jesus that was seen by 500 witnesses.(Only Paul claims that, even tho he never met jesus)

II. The Gospels are contradicting, late hearsay accounts
A. Mark, the earliest gospel, was written at least after 70 A.D. (referencing fall of temple) by a non-eyewitness, and makes numerous cultural and geographical errors that a Jewish writer would not have made such as locations of rivers, cultural customs regarding divorce, locations of towns or Jesus quoting from the greek Septuagint etc. (see geographical and historical errors in this link, https://holtz.org/Library/Philosophy/Metaphysics/Theology/Christianity/Criticism/Bible%20Problems%20by%20Packham%201998.htm#ERRORS )
B. The other gospels all copied from Mark. Luke and Matthew contain over 70% of Mark and mainly make changes in attempts to fix blatant errors made in Mark and to correct Mark’s poor grammar.The writer of Luke even reveals to us in Luke 1:2 that he was not an eyewitness, but that the story has been passed down to him.
C. Four where chosen by the church father Iraeneus because he believed the earth was founded on four pillars and so too, should the gospels be founded by only four accounts.
Iraenus also revealed the names of the Gospels in the late second century, without any reason to assume they where the authentic authors - no one knows who actually wrote them!
D. John was initially considered heretical by the early church because of its variation from the synoptic but was overwhelmingly popular amongst Christians and so was included.
E. The book of Revelations was also considered heretical by many :
For centuries The Revelation was a rejected book. In the 4th century, St.John Chrysostom and other bishops argued against it. Christians in Syria also reject it. The Synod of Laodicea: c. 363, rejected The Revelation. In the late 380s, Gregory of Nazianus produced a canon omitting The Revelation. Bishop Amphilocus of Iconium, in his poem Iambics for Seleucus written some time after 394, rejects The Revelation. When St.Jerome translated the Bible into Latin, producing the Vulgate bible c. 400, he argued for the Veritas Hebraica, meaning the truth of the Jewish Bible over the Septuagint translation. At the insistence of the Pope, however, he added existing translations for what he considered doubtful books: among them The Revelation. The Church in the East never included the Revelation.
4-) The early church did not seem to know anything about a historical Jesus. Huge amounts of disagreement over Jesus in the first hundred years :

1. Some churches didn’t even believe he had a physical body, prompting Paul to write about that very issue.
   
2. There was an enormous debate between all the major early churches as to whether Jesus was divine or not, this was settled at the council of Nicea by the Roman Emperor Constantine.
   

5-) Which Bible?
A. Over 450 English versions of the bible All are translated using different methods and from entirely different manuscripts
B. Thousands of manuscripts disagreeing with each other wildly in what verses and even books they contain.
C. Different translations teach entirely different things in places, some often leaving out entire chapters and verses or containing footnotes warning of possible error due to uncertainty about the reliability of the numerous manuscripts.
Take a look at this example, 1- Revised standard version 2- Revised standard version Catholic edition 3- NEW revised standard version Updated edition 4- NEW revised standard version Catholic edition 5- NEW revised standard version, Anglicised 6- NEW revised standard version, Anglicised Catholic edition
How many attempts would it take to finally get it right ?!
6-) The Morality of the bible
I don't like using Morality as an argument because i believe it's a subjective thing, But I cannot help but notice how the morals of the OT and the NT are completely contradictory
In the OT god was Angry, Vengeful, Demands war, order genocides, Ordered the killing of children and even the ripping open of pregnant women.
But in the NT he somehow became loving, a father figure, saying if anyone hits you you shouldn't even respond back.

• In Conclusion: I don't think Christianity can be accepted as the truth by any logical person (Even most convert stories i heard were basically "I saw jesus in a dream" or "The holy spirit held my hand")

There is so many Theological confusion, A salvation idea that makes 0 sense, Lack of any form of historical critirea of knowing what is true manuscripts and what is hearsays (The authors of the gospels are all Anynomous),
There is even disagreement within Christianity itself about what stories go into the bible (Many stories have been found out to be false like John 8:1-11 and Mark 16:18)
https://textandcanon.org/does-the-woman-caught-in-adultery-belong-in-the-bible/
The lack of consistency on literally everything makes it one of the least convincing religion in my opinion.

Hello.
My name is Flaviu E. Hongu. Some people including myself choose to spell my name as Flavius instead. I am what most would call a white dude. I was born in Romania in a fully Romanian family, and was raised by said Romanian family.
I would like to address specifically the people who use the term "cultural appropriation". There has not been even one case I've ever seen of someone saying cultural appropriation that wasn't a mistake. In every occasion I saw people partaking in and appreciating culture, not stealing it.
There have been cases where the person saying cultural appropriation has been actively racist to multiple groups of people, like when someone accused a young girl of mocking a culture for making funny faces while dancing their local dance. Well it turns out those "funny faces" that you criticized are actually part of the dance itself, and you made a fool of yourself and everyone who says cultural appropriation because you've just insulted their local dance.
I swear to god this is infuriating. Culture has always been meant to be shared, appreciated, mixed and changed. That's the whole point of culture.
My own Romanian culture is a mix of Roman (as the name suggests), Greek, Slavic, and also a huge chunk of Dacian which is the native tribe that inhabited the land before Romans conquered it.
By existing as a Romanian dude, am I fucking appropriating the Romans' culture for speaking my literal native Romanian language which comes from the Roman language? Am I appropriating the Slavs for being part of an Orthodox culture and using words such as slavă, ispravă, duhu sfânt, and slobozie? Am I appropriating the Slavs when the only word for clock in Romanian is ceas, which comes from the Slavic word for time? Should I still be speaking the Dacian language that the Romans eradicated and wearing only robes and herding sheep because I'm a native Romanian?
Or I'll do you one better, I live in Spain now, and I've been living here for most of my life, so I developed an appreciation for their culture. I think lentejas, garbanzos, and cocido are some of the most delicious shit humans have ever invented. Am I appropriating their culture when I unironocallh cook those dishes because I LOVE them? Or am I appropriating their culture whenever I speak their language, enjoy their music, read and quote their books, sing their poems and dance their dances???
The only way something can be qualified as cultural appropriation is if some group of people begins to do something that was developed by another group of people and then forbid and ban the original creators of thst practice from doing the thing.
I've never seen that happen in real life, and I don't thing it's even possible. If you ever feel like saying cultural appropriation, I think you mean cultural appreciation.
If I ever visit the US and see someone who isn't Romanian wearing my country's cultural clothes I'll LOVE IT. And if I walk down the street and see a dude wearing Adidas, doing the balkaner sitting, holding a bottle of home made țuică, going like "BA FRATE CE FACI MĂ?!" with a thick US accent and then he yells "SUKA BLYAT OH KURWA" and starts doing the Rasputin dance I will die of laughter right then and there, I will then join the dude in his comedic act, I will provide some original, real balkaner energy and will drink the țuică with him because it's funny as shit and I love that he even knows that much about my culture.
That's not appropriation. No one can appropriate my culture because no one can stop me from doing it and if they do it, I'll love it.
However what I did observe was that this "accusing people of cultural appropriation" thing is only ever done to white people. Like according to their logic a Kenyan cannot dance tango, and a Chinese can't play the piano, but no! They only ever target white people, and sometimes mock and disrespect the culture the white people are APPRECIATING out of sheer hatred for whites and full on ignorance.
As a matter of fact, according to their logic, if you aren't white you cannot and should not be wearing sneakers, pants, shirts, t-shirts, or glasses, you should not be using the English language, you shouldn't use cars because they were invented by a German, you shouldn't even be using phones and computers because it's a white cultural aspect.
Fucking bullshit I tell you.
The reality is that these people never ever target someone who is not white or someone partaking in other white culture. And I've heard them say things like white people have no culture which is why they feel the need to steal other's. Which is the most stupid and ignorant and even offensive thing I've heard. As a Romanian dude with a super rich culture, who also knows about the culture of other balkaners and the other countries surrounding my own, which are all inhabited by whites with a very very different culture, I feel invalidated. Do they think US culture is the only white culture? And also, they're even more ignorant than that because saying white people have no culture is like saying Americans don't have an accent. You don't hear the accent because it's YOUR accent and to YOU it doesn't sound different. And same as that, they don't consider American English culture a real culture because they see it every day.
People like that are actually just racists and hateful of white people and are using cultural appropriation as an excuse to insult white people and harass them for no reason at all. They are no better than the white racists, and their claims of white people having no culture is insulting and invalidating to the thousands of cultures that white people do have, all different from each other.
So, if you're the kind of person to say cultural appropriation, don't ever say that shit again, go ahead and stuff your stinky mouth with sarmale that you cooked yourself, go and put on an ie, go and dance a good horă and go put an entire oină bat in your ass.

Loving you was like being in the middle of a big black hole. A stillness. Afraid to move because any shift and the chaos and complete darkness around me would swallow me up and I didnt know how long it would be until it would spit me back out again.
There was a comfort in the familiarity of your cold absence. Days at a time, because I did or said something you didn't like. You called it indifference and I called it punishment.
"You're too much. Too intense, too sensitive, too clingy and overbearing" You'd tell me when I would lay out my heart for you. Send you long paragraphs about how I felt about you. Sometimes poems that expressed perfectly how I felt about you. When I would beg to see you because I just really needed a hug from you and to be near you. Or when I'd call, because I just wanted your voice to be the last thing I hear before falling asleep.
When I'd ask why you've been ignoring my messages you'd say because talking to friends is a privilege not an obligation. That my topics of conversation weren't of urgency or importance. And that's when it clicked. If you analyze, the majority of conversation isn't that of urgency or importance.
What you meant to say was my thoughts and feelings weren't of importance to YOU.
You could be talking about anything, things I don't know a thing about and I would still listen, you being all I could see and hear. Because if its important to you, whatever it may be, its important to me.
That's the difference. ............................................. No matter how much I want a future with him, no matter how badly I wish it, it's not going to happen.
Not everyone we love is going to love us the same way back, or love us at all.
And that's okay. I'm working on understanding and coming to terms with that. But you know what, it's hard. Its hard letting go. Sometimes I find it hard to cope, like a child having a meltdown when they dont get what they want.
So if you have a piece of advice you can spare or a song or a quote or whatever that helped you move on at one time, please share it with me♥️

Is it ok if I read NAB bible for study and understanding, but read KJV for literature? KJV read like poem, but obviously (for me) difficult to understand. I feel when I want to quote something, I usually go to NAB, but for understanding, I usually go to NAB

I have been dealing with my child's dad for years. He's always been into some shady not so legal job opportunities. He told me he had stopped when his rights got taken away in court. After a while I started giving him time with our child. That was about 4 years ago. About 2 years ago he started taking our child and my additional child (not his) for parenting time. I went to pick them up and he was still sleeping. When I went into my ten year olds room there was a white substance all over the table next to him along with blow torches, a sifter and a bank card.
I was irrate. I took my kids out of there. We were outside when my ten year old told me their phone was in the dad's car. I went into the car and there was illegal substances. I said no more visits.
That was almost a year ago and I've stayed strong even though my kids ask for their dad. I told him that he has to get on the right path. Well he tried to convince me he was.
On Halloween he rolled up with his new girlfriend wearing an outfit not appropriate around little kids (you could almost see her 😺). He had his 2 year old nephew in the car. They got out and I could smell the alcohol on them. They carried a large cup with a lid which very obviously had liquor in it. (Just to be clear.. he wasn't invited. He came looking in our neighbourhood for us)
We somehow made it through trick or treating. My new partner was blown away by the outfits, the alcohol and the attitudes. When we were leaving we stopped at the church for hot chocolate. Someone was talking about a car running in the parking lot. We look over and sure enough it's his car and he's no where to be found. The car was running, the door was open and he wasn't there. He was in line for the bouncy castle.
Fast forward to a week ago. I took my kids to the theater and my son had told his dad we were going. His dad showed up. He didn't see us so he left. I later told him that it's inappropriate to just show up to our outing without being invited. We could plan something another time. He asked to take our son to the pool and said no. We could find something to do together. He said so you're denying me our son and I said yes. It's not safe. He said that's okay that's all I need. (Implying he's going to take me to court.)
That night I was checking my son's phone ( I always check to make sure hes only doing things he's supposed to be doing) and noticed his dad's Facebook was linked to my son's phone. He's obsessed with his facebook. On it were many many conversations about people needing his illegal services. I screenshotted them. There were over 25 screen shots.
Today my daughter called him to ask him to play an online game with her. He said no and texted me that he wasn't going to fight to be their dad. I said okay. All I have ever asked is that you get on the right path. No response. He then went onto his Facebook and posted a status about not being able to see his kids. It made me mad. All he has to do is choose a better profession. Of course everyone is offering their sympathies.
It took everything in me not to comment as him about his mistakes and choices but I resisted. I didn't want the blow back from it as he has a ton of keyboard warriors. However, I still got my petty revenge.
He is against LGBTQ+ (I am not) and he hates the prime minister with a passion. So I went to every drag queen pages and followed them. Not only did I follow them but I made them a high priority. I also searched up broke back mountain fan pages and followed them. Finally I searched up fan pages for the prime minister and made them high priority. I went back to his wall and sure enough, local drag shows were popping up, quotes about being LGBTQ+, pictures of same sex couples were there and finally a big picture of our prime minister's face. Oh and I also changed his Facebook dating preference to women 80-100+.
So satisfying to know that his whole feed is going to be everything he is against. It's the little things in life!

So I've been on here a while. This post is probably gonna be the most honest I've ever done. Got in a fight with my mother a little bit this morning ( I don't scream or get violent) my nephew knows that I'm lonely but won't just settle because I feel like my moral compass isn't worth compromise. I want someone need someone who sees me for me I'm disabled I live at home because of my medical needs and cannot work due to those problems. My nephew a 14 year old little asshole constantly berates belittles me calls me gay and a 40 year old virgin .. A virgin I am 40 I am not. Sex shouldn't be a throwaway one night stand with multiple partners in my opinion. I've been a single parent quote unquote since his mother decided drugs were more important. But today I told my mother I don't care how lonely I am it's either him or me because I can't stand being bullied by someone who I live with and pay for. And I was kinda just very much dismissed... it makes me feel very unseen.

I go to a classical school where we are required to learn latin or greek. I’ve taken latin and greek for two years each and so (that’s probably why) administration has asked me to read a latin speech or poem and translate at graduation. I’ve been given a segment of “De Officiis” by Cicero but I don’t feel like it is completely right for graduation even though it sort of makes sense (my school puts an emphasis on truth, beauty, and goodness in our senior year as we have to write a thesis about it). Are there any really great latin speeches or poems that anybody knows of that i could use for my graduation speech?

The Horus Heresy Book 18: Deliverance Lost by Gav Thorpe So last week, we got a lot of response and we would like to explain that we only hated it because we worked ourselves up talking and discussing it and coming to the realisation it didn't add up to a good book. I hope that clarifies things 😃
18 books in and we get our first full one from the point of view of the Raven Guard. The “Night Lords who got some therapy” have not been having a good time with Isstvan V and the massacring of their forces. We get to see what is required to try to rebuild a legion following the betrayal and then what happens when there is more betrayal.
This book builds upon the short story “The Face of Treachery”, also written by Gav Thorpe (go read our previous review Horus Heresy Book 16: Age of Darkness, an anthology : 40kLore (reddit.com) and give us an upvote hint hint) with the Alpha Legion setting up sleeper agents within the Raven Guard, which turns out to be highly useful as a new secret weapon is developed. Perhaps even more so than “Legion”, this story shows just how devious the Alpha Legion are.
‘What do you wish to ask of me, my son?’ ‘The Raven Guard verge on being a spent force, but I would rebuild them if I had the chance,’ said Corax. ‘Yet I cannot spare a warrior from the fighting to come, nor the time to raise up a new generation of the Legion. I seek your permission to launch attacks against the traitors, to mark our final passing in the glory of battle.’ ‘You wish to sacrifice your Legion?’ The Emperor seemed genuinely surprised. ‘In what cause?’ ‘I do not do it out of woe but necessity,’ explained Corax. ‘I must atone for the failure at Isstvan, for it will tear me apart as surely as my wounds did, if allowed to fester in my heart. Forgive me, but I cannot defend Terra, idly awaiting my fate to come to me.’ The Emperor did not reply for some time, his brow creased slightly with deep thought. Corax waited patiently, eyes fixed to the Emperor’s face. ‘I concur,’ the Master of Mankind said eventually. ‘It is in your nature to cry havoc and wreak the same upon your foes. Yet there is no need for sacrifice. I am reluctant, but you have my trust, Corvus. I will grant you a gift, a very precious gift.’
And another quote that we loved:
‘In Egypt's sandy silence, all alone, Stands a gigantic Leg, which far off throws The only shadow that the Desert knows: "I am great OZYMANDIAS," saith the stone, "The King of Kings; this mighty City shows The wonders of my hand". The City's gone, Nought but the Leg remaining to disclose The site of this forgotten Babylon. We wonder, and some Hunter may express Wonder like ours, when thro' the wilderness Where London stood, holding the Wolf in chase, He meets some fragments huge, and stops to guess What powerful but unrecorded race Once dwelt in that annihilated place.’
The primarch considered the words, but could not divine their meaning. His mentors on Lycaeus had taught him of poetry, of rhyme and metre and cadence, but he had never quite been able to see the appeal. Poems reminded him too much of the work-songs the prisoners had invented to keep up their spirits while they had hewn with pick and laser drill at the unforgiving stone of the penal colony. The last three lines left Corax feeling disquieted, though, as if the Emperor had suspected that his Imperium could not endure any more than the great empires of mankind's long history.”
Synopsis
“When I was a young boy My father took me into the city To see a marching band He said, "Son, when you grow up Would you be the saviour of the broken The beaten and the damned?" He said, "Will you defeat them? Your daemons, and all the non-believers The plans that they have made?" "Because one day, I'll leave you a phantom To lead you in the summer To join the black parade” Corvus Corax M31.1312
The Raven Guard are still barely alive on Isstvan V and are rescued by Commander Branne, who was guided by prophetic dreams. Beyond two ships sent back to Deliverance, his homeworld, Corax and his remaining forces head to Terra to see the Emperor. That’s good.
However, the Alpha Legion have surgically modified some of their Space Marines to look like slain Raven Guards and even implanted memories into them, to act as sleeper agents and pass on relevant intel. That’s bad.
Corax meets with Dorn and Malcador, and learns that the Emperor is a little busy currently and is unable to meet with him. Getting annoyed Corvus is met psychically by the Emperor, who gives him knowledge of how to access the remains of the ‘Primarch Project’.
With this knowledge Corax can restore his legion, possibly to even greater strength than before Isstvan.
But to get the knowledge, the Raven Guard have to get through a technological Labyrinth that is constantly changing and preventing them access (essentially a ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ moving maze). Corax uses his massive super duper primarch brain power and solves the labyrinth to keep it open. Inside is the ‘Primarch Project’, which can be used to make new Space Marines and quickly mass produce them.
The first of these new marines, dubbed the Raptors, are trained and deployed, striking a Word Bearer garrison hard. Estimates project the traitor legions will be outnumbered in months.
The Alpha Legion cannot allow this, so they rebalance the scales. A genetic poison, concocted from daemon blood, is introduced to the Raptors gene seed.
Soon the Raptors show rapid signs of mutation, morphing into hideous crowlike monsters. There is a certain irony that they resemble the same mutated Word Bearer possessed marines that struck them down on Isstvan. In a show of mercy or desperation, Corax allows the Raptors to remain. It is likely they will serve their legion until their use is no longer required. Omegon (the other primarch of the Alpha Legion) then attacks the gene seed project and chaos breaks out as the sleeper agents emerge and start slaughtering everything in their way. The mutated Raptors are released to fight back and prevent the Alpha Legionnaires escaping. Luckily, a Mechanicum super soldier has arrived to pick up the gene seed and I'm sure he is an upstanding member of society who can be fully trusted….
Corax is annoyed but determined. The remaining Alpha Legion agents are discovered and executed. It is time to strike against Horus and an unlucky unit of Emperor’s Children are wiped out by cunning lightning strikes and feints. The Raven Guard are victorious and plan to harry the Warmaster’s forces in their slow advance on Terra….
Review: Good ideas that do not always come together into a great plot. We genuinely really like this book but there are a few parts that just don’t work.
Labyrinth is an odd design choice; why have a primarch project that can only be solved by a primarch? It is very odd to seclude it in this particular way. Why not stick it on Mars in the Labyrinth? This is the second Labrinth the Emperor is keeping secrets in; why!? It doesn’t really achieve much by keeping it in there. Do we really think Pertarabo or Magnus would not be able to solve it if they turned up? Then they take the super secret project to a world currently experiencing a rebellion…Brilliant, just brilliant. Why not do the mass recruiting experiments on Terra until it is working? It might have made more sense to steal it and raise the stakes and betray Dorn and Malcador, but working for the greater good of the Imperium. It is a minor thing but it slows the book down considerably and you know Corvus is going to solve the puzzle, so there is no tension.
The attack on the Emperor's Children is such bolter porn. The attack on the Perfect Fortress is so not Slaaneshi; it's just a place that needs attacking by the Loyalists and is never mentioned again. Where are the weird palaces of pleasure and the civilians being turned into drugs?
Tinfoil Hat Time We do not have an answer to this one - but did the Alpha Legion send psychic messages to Deliverance? Because if not, why bother to have sleeper agents to a dead legion that was trapped on Istvaan V? Tinfoil Hat Time
I really enjoyed the scene where an Alpha Legion sleeper agent is nearly unmasked during combat training. He uses a move that is only known to the Alpha Legion, and is questioned by the other marines. “I saw someone use it on Isstvan” - he says and teaches the other Raven Guard. Internally he knows Alpha Legion marines will die due to his lapse in concentration.
I do fully sympathise with Omegon on throwing the whole Cabal plot out of an airlock.
Score: 7.5/10 - An solid good book with interesting ideas that just has a few issues from ideas that do not really make sense. We would recommend rereading this one for the cool bits and maybe breezing through the weirder bits. We are incredibly happy to meet Corax and have a more humanised primarch character who considers what they are doing and thinks about it.
Cover: The motion blur on Corvus is superb. He does look like a grim dark Beatle with that mop top unfortunately, but it does seem to suit him. Space marine is looking the right way finally. It might be set in the Perfect Fortress, but we are not 100% sure.
Heresy Watch: In the aftermath of Isstvan V, the Raven Guard have been decimated but Corvus has escaped and is determined to carry on harassing Horus with hit and run strikes. As a giant invisible birdman, he demonstrates he is more than capable of it. Interestingly, the Emperor’s Children stationed at the Perfect City seem to still be protecting the civilians there. The Alpha Legion are fully acting for themselves; they prevent the Raven Guard using the modified gene seed, give Horus flawed intel for it and end their relationship with the Cabal. They are acting for themselves. The Emperor is struggling to deal with the mess Magnus created and has to psychically communicate through Malcador (apparently 2 years before it happens. Let's not bring that up again).
Legion Watch/Number of Book(s):
Dark Angels: 4
: 2
Emperor’s Children: 7
Iron Warriors: 5
White Scars: 2
Space Wolves: 4
Imperial Fists: 8
Night Lords: 3
Blood Angels: 1
Iron Hands: 3
: 2
World Eaters: 9
Ultramarines: 5
Death Guard: 4
Thousand Sons: 5
Sons of Horus: 8
Word Bearers: 9
Salamanders: 2
Raven Guard: 4
Alpha Legion: 5
The Emperor: 7
Another entry for Rogal Dorn. Major characters from various traitor legions show up in the novel, inflating their count. Salamanders and Blood Angels are still forgotten about.
Tropes Watch: Are we the baddies?: 33
The Emperor has a ever shifting Labyrinth containing his secret projects, which has serious Bond villain vibes.
The Alpha Legion literally replace their faces with dead Raven Guard to become undercover agents.
It's definitely not gay: 19 “The Emperor reached out a hand and Corax felt hot fingers upon his brow. Energy flowed through the primarch, knitting his shattered bones, stemming his pouring blood, healing wounded muscles and organs. The primarch gasped, filled with love and adoration.” C’mon man, that's your Dad…. Given that description of injuries shouldnt Corax already be dead? Anyway?
How not to parent 101: 23
Oh Corvus. The poor guy is a little crazed in his quest to get the Raptor project working and it all goes horribly wrong. It was a big gamble and it did not pay off (due to Alpha Legion sabotage but still…)
The Emperor psychically meeting with Corax is an afterthought! And only when Corax gets mad. The son has literally returned home from hell and is confronted by evil stepmother Malcador who says that “dad is way too busy”. If The Emperor cared he would have put plans in place to send a message, help, or even just ask if Corax is ok?
Erebus!!!: 17 Besides the actual Erebus being here and worming his way as usual, Athithirtir is bloody annoying and tries to order Omegon to follow the Cabal. He fully deserves his fate, having alerted the Alpha Legion to what the Raven Guard were doing.
“Alpharius sat down, reluctantly accepting the Warmaster’s invitation, darting a warning look at Erebus just as the Word Bearer opened his mouth to speak. ‘Save your posturing for those that are swayed by it,’ said Alpharius. ‘Your change of loyalty proves the vacuity of your proselytising. You are privileged to stand in the presence of your betters, and should know not to speak until spoken to.’ The primarch enjoyed the contortions of anger that wracked the First Chaplain’s face, but Erebus heeded the warning and said nothing.” All it took was a primarch to finally shut him up.
Does this remind you of anything?: 32
Vicente Sixx (the Raven Guard Chief Apothecary) also doubles up as a singer and bass player in his spare time. His covert name is probably Dr Feelgood.
The super secure labyrinth is basically a one shot DnD dungeon.
Idiot Ball: 1 New trope this week after we keep noticing it. Why did the Alpha Legion sleeper agents stick around after the attack? They knew the Raven Guard knew there were agents, and they all get identified by their DNA and killed shortly thereafter. The Alpha Legion seem to be either amazingly smart and well prepared or absolute idiots. The Custodes have had it for weeks, so it's nice for someone else to have it. There is an argument for someone holding the Idiot Book for every book and we may list them all next week....

I hear not a single person has compared Kamikaze to Emigree haha I revised most poems and remains was not one of them. Also did not know enough quotes for poppies.

So during English literature paper 2, my friend was stuck on what poem to compare kamikaze to, so I pulled out my grandma’s ashes and started crying loudly, and he looked over and understood to compare to remains. I also pulled out some weed + a toilet and put my drink and weed in the toilet to remind him of the quote “the drink and the drugs won’t flush him out”. Is this cheating or am I fine?

I wrote >nine pages. I remembered alot of quotes, more than I could use. I had alot of analysis and great vocabulary. Although sprinkled in some sarcastic jokes throughout my paper to keep things fresh and original. For the Lord of the Flies question, I made a joke where I quoted the scene where Jack gets down and sniffs the ground to locate the pigs. I joked something like "When what is essentially the second in command of the civilization is intensely sniffing the floor looking for sows, like a drunk who has lost a bet, that isn't exactly a good sign for the island.
Later on when the poem about trees came up, I wrote that "since most trees outside of area 51 don't have shoulders, we can assume this is a metaphor."
When there was the quote "The furnace never gets heated" I wrote "Jaan isn't just complaining about the cost of living here, it is actually a metaphor for..."
When there was the line that "the washing never get's done" in my analysis I wrote in a joke about how the washing piles up like cars on british rural roads (its because they are in dire need of repair).
The rest was all filled with the same sarcastic lighthearted jokes. I was never mean at all or like actually offensive. I mean I went to bed at 4:45am and woke up at 7am I needed something to get me through it. I think my jokes were hilarious and added to my essays and they never got in the way at all of the analysis. My brother says I am gonna get marked down for it and I'm cooked, but I think the examiner will enjoy my wit, because that's what english is all about. Why punish actual originality in favour of formulaic answers with no soul at all? My english teacher legit said you can use humour in your writing if you can pull it off well.
Chat am I cooked?
Ps. I'm not putting this in the megathread nobody likes them

i used 4 😭

So the inspector calls question was easy plus I planned my thesis and essay beforehand
Also the unseen poetry went okay. It wasn’t good nor bad as I did a better analysis than usual of the “the washing is never done” poem, however for the 8 marker I ran out of time so only could analyse the form of each and a quote for each taking up half the page. But I probably only lost 5 marks max which is like 1 per big question so that’s ok
However, I am worried about the poetry anthology question as i for some reason compared kamikaze and war photographer for and said that kamikaze is about an internal conflict and that war photographer was about the inability to express the horrors of war and have an effect on the public. I have no clue why I did this as i revised Storm on the island, Ozymandais, kamikaze and war photographer. I was about to revise remains but I didn’t have time which would have been perfect 😭. I did mention about the form and structure of each poem. I also managed to do a decent amount of language analysis but not enough. However, my arguement was extremely messy because there was not enough things I could properly compare so things I mentioned where usually quite disconnected. How many marks will I loose for this?

Similar to the state of Egypt during the events of TW Pharaoh, the Assyrians find themselves in a web of heirs and usurpers, all fighting over a power vacuum in the wake of a monumental leader. The following is a summary of these kings from what we know, which sadly isn't much; despite how much the Assyrians did write down, translation is hard work, and there are hundreds of tablets which possibly elaborate on these events in greater detail simply collecting dust in an archive somewhere.
Tukulti-Ninurta
The King of Assyria was practically born a conqueror. He secured his inherited lands in the Levant to the west and Urartu to the north, sent troops forth to far-off Dilmun to the south and Meluhha to the east, and thus became King of the Four Corners of the Universe. By the blessing of Shamash, he personally captured the Kassite ruler of Babylon and "trod upon his neck like a footstool," taking the city for himself, stealing the idol of Marduk from his temple, and thus became King of Sumer and Akkad. And when the Elamites also sought the throne of Babylon? He slew them as well, for none can stand greater than the King of Kings.
The King of Assyria is old now, and the self-indulgent poems detailing his divine conquests and personal feats cannot save him. His decision to crack down on a Babylonian revolt by raiding and looting the city's temples has strained his goodwill with the populace and priests. Now, he resides in a new capital city of his own design, Kar-Tukulti-Ninurta, just two miles north of the original capital on the opposite bank of the Tigris, where he has stolen away the idol of Aššur in an attempt to retain his legitimacy...
Aššur-Nadin-Apli
One of two sons of the King of Kings, the prince Aššur-Nadin-Apli would depose his father and seek to rule as a "faithful shepherd" of the Assyrian empire, establishing new shrines to the gods and rerouting the Tigris to improve agricultural yields for the capital city. His reign would only last a few years and would be succeeded by his young son, Aššur-Nirari.
Ilī-Padâ
The young Aššur-Nirari required considerable help from the grand vizier (sukallu dannu), a royal right-hand to the King of Assyria who is traditionally themselves the King of Hanigalbat, in this case a veteran statesman who has served since Tukulti-Ninurta's reign. It is notable that Ilī-Padâ sent provisions to Karkemish, another Mitanni vassal-kingdom (although one under the Hittites) to help fight against Aramaean raiders.
Enlil-Kudurri-Usur
The other son of the King of Kings, the prince Enlil-Kudurri-Usur has watched the reigns of his brother and nephew with displeasure. The enemies of Assyria stir, the Kassites having crowned a king-in-exile bent on reclaiming Babylon, and the grand vizier Ilī-Padâ has too much influence. What is a prince to do other than violently usurp the young king and his advisor before meeting the Kassites on the field of battle?
Ninurta-Apal-Ekur
The son of the ill-fated Ilī-Pada bides his time in the lands of Kardunias as a natural ally of the Kassites, relying on King Enlil-Kudurri-Usur's failure to defeat the Kassite king at Babylon and subsequent capture by his own men as an opportunity to march his forces to the Assyrian capital. Can he claim kingship over all of Assyria by ancient descent and usher in a new golden age for its people?

Camille Paglia writes about Coleridge that while his conscious mind strives for virtue, he is answered by his unconscious, which is older, evil, and seems to endure? Here is the quote and it is in relation to his poem Christabel:
"Coleridge's conscious mind wills the victory of virtue. But his unconscious replies: evil is older and will endure."
Do you contend that we are all governed by our unconscious, which, receiving signals from perhaps the reptilian brain, is incited to malice intent?

Your engagement is a unique moment that signals the start of a wonderful adventure with your partner. While the ceremony honors your love and commitment, the ambiance and decor help to establish the tone for the event. Incorporating cultural themes into your engagement decorations can give your celebration a one-of-a-kind and significant touch, making it even more memorable for you and your guests.
When it comes to engagement stage decoration, infusing cultural elements offers a myriad of opportunities to showcase your heritage and traditions. Here are some ideas to inspire you:
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1. Traditional Textiles and Fabrics: Adorn your engagement stage decoration with traditional textiles and fabrics that reflect your cultural heritage. Whether it's vibrant silk sarees, intricate embroidered fabrics, or rich tapestries, draping them elegantly can instantly transform the stage into a visual masterpiece. Incorporate these fabrics as backdrops, curtains, or even as table runners to add depth and dimension to the decor.
   
2. Symbolic Décor Accents: Include symbolic decor accessories with cultural importance. For example, if you have Indian ancestry, add decorations like diyas (traditional oil lights), marigold garlands, or beautiful rangoli designs to give the stage a sense of authenticity. Similarly, if you're celebrating a Persian engagement, use significant things such as mirrors, candles, and vibrant textiles inspired by Persian art and culture.
   
3. Cultural Artifacts and Artefacts: Showcase cultural artifacts and artifacts that tell the story of your heritage. This could include antique vases, sculptures, handcrafted pottery, or heirloom pieces passed down through generations. Displaying these treasures on the engagement decoration not only adds visual interest but also creates a sense of nostalgia and connection to your roots.
   
4. Traditional Music and Dance: Set the mood for your engagement ceremony with traditional music and dance performances that reflect your cultural heritage. Whether it's a lively Bollywood dance performance, a graceful ballet inspired by classical music, or a spirited folk dance, incorporating these elements can add an enchanting ambiance to the celebration. Consider hiring engagement decorators who specialize in cultural entertainment to ensure an authentic and captivating experience for you and your guests.
   
5. Culinary Delights: Treat your guests to a culinary journey through your culture by incorporating traditional dishes and delicacies into the engagement decoration. Create a themed food station featuring regional specialties, street food favorites, and decadent desserts that pay homage to your heritage. From spicy curries and savory snacks to sweet treats and refreshing beverages, the culinary delights will tantalize the taste buds and leave a lasting impression on your guests.
   
6. Customized Signage and Calligraphy: Personalize your engagement stage decoration with customized signage and calligraphy that showcases meaningful quotes, blessings, or phrases in your native language. Whether it's a romantic poem, a traditional blessing, or a heartfelt message, incorporating these elements adds a touch of authenticity and sentimentality to the decor. Work with engagement decorators who specialize in calligraphy and design to create bespoke signage that complements the overall theme and aesthetic of your celebration.
   

In conclusion, incorporating cultural elements into your engagement decoration not only adds a unique and personalized touch to your celebration but also honors your heritage and traditions. Whether it's through textiles, decor accents, music, food, or signage, infusing these elements creates a rich tapestry of experiences that reflect who you are as a couple. So, embrace your cultural identity and celebrate love in style with a decor that truly speaks to your hearts and souls.

If you're not planning to pursue English any further, hurray! This is the last Literature paper you'll likely ever sit in your life. Do your best!
If you are, don't worry! You've likely been studying a lot as is to secure your grade and it will all pay off, as someone who does Language and Literature A Level. Just to make sure you're extra confident, if you're already up, have a quick read through all your poems again just to memorise any last key details you think will be helpful. AIC is the easiest part of the exam, imho, so just go over a couple of quotes. Don't go into full-blown analysis at this time, save it for the exam!

Or am I gonna have to at least memorise quotes for a grade 4, sorry if it’s a stupid question I have never passed an English literature paper before and I want this to be my first, do I talk about language (similes etc) or literally just similarities? (Section B as well)

I'm cooked.