A Letter to J K Rowling

 

You’re being a lot nastier than you think you are.

Your trans posts, this post, and even your scraps with Donald Trump all come across as you trying to puff yourself up at someone else’s expense!

This is not how you started. Even now, there is still an idealism glowing within your earlier work. It still has the potential to encourage people to be strong in the face of danger.

What you’ve been doing in the last decade… runs contrary to that.

I had some sympathy for you, because I know all too well how fear and pain change people. Getting mad at people who’d threatened you and endangered you is understandable. Working through anger and pain isn’t easy. That being said…

You still have a responsibility to NOT take things out on innocent people.

Failing to distinguish between the asswipes who hurt you and innocent people is a slippery slope. First you were angry at the people who threatened you. Fair enough. Then you called out what you saw as abuses of power. Sometimes, you were right and sometimes you were wrong. Again, fair enough.

But then, you shifted your anger to ALL trans people for even existing.

Now, you’re going after people like me. As far as I know, we asexuals did NOTHING to you.

Not. A. Single. Thing.

You used to know the difference between an instigator and an innocent.

Out of respect for the good your writing once did, and out of respect for the good you used to do, I send this warning:

You are destroying your own legacy by punching down so much. Whoever suggested this particular post is NOT your friend, and most likely envies the blessings you gained by your work.

Giving Thanks for God's Found Family

Our thanksgiving celebration was a pleasant but quiet one.

I tried something new. I made cranberry sauce, which came out quite nice. Homemade sauce tends to be more intense than what you get from the store. It has a greater depth of flavor and the only remotely dubious ingredient would be the cane sugar!

We also made a pleasant discovery. Gluhwein Winternacht wine improves if it sits undisturbed for a year. It is pretty nice the first year, but give it a second year and it sweetens and mellows out. It will be a bit stronger so watch out for that.

We cooked the turkey our favorite way. We stuffed it with onions and apples, covered it, and roasted it. They do a great job of keeping turkey moist and impart a lovely flavor and aroma.

On the other hand, we also got a few reminders that “the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.”

Last night, I felt the urge to look the saying about blood and water.

No one is entirely sure where it came from, but it appears to date back to medieval times and seems to be inspired by Scripture and an old German adage.

The adage was about the importance of family, while the scriptural passage is about being a part of Jesus' family.

Let's read Matthew 12:46 – 50.

46 While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him.
47 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”

48 He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”

49 Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers.

50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Jesus explained part of what following Him means. Jesus made a found family; that's actually what Christianity is! He has some blood kin in there, like His mother and God the Father, but he also counts the apostles and anyone else following Him as His brothers and sisters. The thing is, as Christians, we are also siblings to each other too.

It sounds obvious, but it bears repeating.

That shy guy down the street who's more comfortable with cats than humans? If he's God's man, then he's your brother. That one kid who loves anime more than you do? If she's chosen God, then she's your sister. The poor family who has trouble making ends meet? If they chose God, then they're still your brothers and sisters.

The question is what makes family? Most would say love… and they'd be at least partially right. Going by the context the verse above was in, I'd say commitment is a big part of it too. Going by the context of verse above, it sounds as though the Jesus' genetic siblings turned on Him for being “controversial” and “not getting along” with the authorities when they told Him to stop preaching and stop helping people in God's name. Translation: His genetic kindred denounced Him when the going got tough.

John19:26 - 27 describes an interesting event at the Crucifixion. Jesus entrusts His mother to the apostle John. It doesn't come through in English, but according to the theologians I found, He used covenant language in that verse.

John 19:26-27 New International Version (NIV)

26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman,[a] here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
Footnotes:

1. John 19:26 The Greek for Woman does not denote any disrespect.

It matters because Israel has a long history of covenants joining people for life. Many of you probably already know about David and Jonathan. (David's family life wasn't great either) This page has some interesting points about Jewish covenants - http://www.bac2torah.com/covenant-Print.htm

God is not shy about making a covenants, and He always follows through. If you've chosen Him, He says you're family. As long as you choose Him, He chooses you.

So, the next question: What is love?

Thankfully, God's given us a nice comprehensive checklist in the form of 1 Corinthians 13. Let's read it.

1 Corinthians 13New International Version (NIV)

13 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

2 f I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part,

10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.

11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.

12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Footnotes:

1. 1 Corinthians 13:1 Or languages
2. 1 Corinthians 13:3 Some manuscripts body to the flames

Above is a list that will tell you if someone loves you or you love someone else. The above scripture also gives us a pretty decent outline of who God is as a person.

The love we are called to is not mushy gooey thing. It is not a marshmallow feeling. It is not fickle emotion. Love is a set of decisions, actions, and principles all rolled into one concept. It takes discipline and strength to maintain, more than any human can hope to muster on their own. Thankfully God helps us to love as we should, if we ask Him. He knows all about love because He is Love. This is how we're supposed to emulate Jesus.

Many of you have a genetic family member or three in your life who do not try to love.

They may lie about you (Love does not dishonor others),

set you up for trouble (Love always protects, Love is kind),

decide that you don't matter and tell anyone who will listen as much (Love does not dishonor others),

be offended that you don't fit their preconceived prejudices(Love does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered),

rob you (Love is not self-seeking),

seek your harm (Love always protects, Love is kind),

and/or don't tell you that “deserve” to be treated as a human being (Love does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered).

These people may be an embarrassing mention on your pedigree, but they do not act like family if they do not love you. DNA alone does not a family make.

Thankfully, you're not alone. Jesus knows and understands. If you're His, you have another family.

By that same token, if we follow these rules and ask God to help us, we can love the people around us so much more than we can alone. Humanity gets better when we choose to love God's way.

Bible passages taken from the NIV Bible at BibleGateway

Updates and freebie news

There’s been a lot going on here. As you may have guessed, Mom and I had plans for last Christmas, but we ended up setting them aside when she had an emergency visit to the hospital. Thankfully, she came out it a lot better off than when she went in, even had some concerns allayed. She’s recovering quite nicely.

Christmas was unsurprisingly quiet, but pleasant. We pretty much took things slow. New Year’s Eve went the same way; the most exciting events of the night were home-made egg nog and a movie.

I’ve been on a huge Kingdom Hearts kick lately. I had been given the handheld games over the years, but hadn’t gotten around to playing them until now, because I didn’t know that they were fully fledged sequels and hadn’t been too thrilled with Chain of Memories. Birth by Sleep was interesting, fun, and answered several questions raised by the first three games. The story was a bit dark, but given its nature, that is to be expected. 

I’ve finally finished 358/2 Days. It’s pretty much an answer to the fans’ question “What happens when a new guy/gal is introduced to the Organization?” The answer seems to be that the poor sap gets showered in catty remarks and sarcasm, if they like him… or ends up running for her life if the Organization decides that she’s not human “enough” to respect. Roxas REALLY didn’t enjoy working for Xemnas. Needless to say, it probably explains Sora’s fury when he encountered Organization XIII’s remaining members; his anger was Roxas’s (and maybe Ventus’s?) anger. 

I played Birth by Sleep before playing 358/2 Days. Some scenes in 358/2 have a much more powerful punch if you play the games in that order. I think that Roxas really DID have a heart of his own, possibly two – specifically his own newborn heart, plus Ventus’s (hehe, does that make him a Time Lord?). He could have also just been Ventus, who would have been thoroughly disoriented from being forcefully separated from Sora when Xemnas/Xehanort found him.  

There are a few oddly realistic details in this colorful fairytale. However that's a topic for another day.

Speaking of which, all of that left me with a strong urge to build a few things, including a keyblade. 

I haven’t forgotten about the freebies. The two uniforms are pretty much together. I had to set back the release date because, in addition to the aforementioned hospital visit, the motion controls needed a serious overhaul. My original plan involved more body handles than these two currently have and came out very badly. I removed all but one handle and supplemented it with morphs. The tunics use the same maps. That should give you more options. You’ll see what I mean. :)

In any case, the Kunzite uniform is done and I’m fine tuning the other suit.( I will need to post an update, but it’s pretty much functional and you’ve been waiting a very long time) There are other goodies to enjoy, too. :) I wanted to post this stuff two months ago, but better late than never, right?

Christmas Treats

It's been a really busy Christmas season, but things are finally quieting down a bit. This year, I did something a little different for SantaPenguin. I made an activity for it this year. Mom also wrote a new story for the site this year. The first two chapters of it are up. They can be found here -> www.santapenguin.com There were more things I wanted to add to it, but there is always next year! :) I have also picked the freebies back up for the time being. I am rigging the Hiro3 version of the Four Kings' Uniform. I still have to make Kunzite's version (or add a morph), but it's coming along nicely enough. It fought me for quite some time; Hiro's rigging threw me for a loop. I've got it now, though, and may be able to show you how it looks in action soon. The Jupiter Boots are nearly done too. All that keeps me from posting them now is the lack of mat poses.