#of hope

[wiirocku]

Romans 15:13 (NKJV) - Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

[foggysirens]

okay so andor has reached its season finale, and for a show that each week we've all been logging on to rave about how each episode takes us to a new height, this episode was absolutely cinematic in the way that they pulled it off yet again.

this episode really brought together all the elements of the show that made it feel so real, so unfiltered and raw within the lens of the star wars universe. andor has not once held back in its depictions of the fascist acts of the empire, of capitalism and colonialism and of the systems that they all create together and uphold. andor has not once held back in showing us the very real stakes in the rebellion. hell, they had a whole episode on the sacrifices that must be made. we've gotten to see so much setup and growth for the rebellion as we know it and this final episode strings it all together in such an emotional way.

because throughout the show they've been showing us the rise of the rebellion in so many ways. the heist, the prison, the ordinary acts of ordinary people who bond over hatred of the empire. and the reappearance of nemiks manifesto is something im so grateful for because it reminds us just how important these seemingly isolated events are because "...the frontier of the rebellion is everywhere, even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward." and it just drives home that the fight is everywhere, it all means something. that the face of oppression is indeed a fearful and weak mask. a shoddy wall waiting for a stone. it just takes one moment, one shot.

and then we get to ferrix. we get to the funeral and i don't think i have ever seen a better example of just how important community is in the fight against fascism. they walk the streets with colour and music, pushing against the boundaries that had been set for them, coming together to uphold their customs and traditions quite literally in the face of the empire. not backing down and it shows us just how important that is. how they come together to fight together. and the chills i got from maarvas speech, "the empire is a disease that thrives in darkness, it is never more alive than when we sleep." because doesn't that just hit so close to home?

and i think again that those words really just encapsulate the message behind the show and behind star wars as a whole. the fight against the dark. asking us "can you hear us? are you listening? you need to wake up." and it's done with so much love, something else that i've always said is key in star wars. love for community, love for family, love for friends. the unyielding belief in the good of others that we got to see time and time throughout the show as cassian inspires others to keep going while also finding a fight to keep himself going too.

that's all to say that the andor finale was amazing. the show as a whole was spectacular, a feat in storytelling and worldbuilding that, even if it's not your favourite star wars show, elevates all the others by watching it. i can only hope season two is just as good because this show was truly something special.

[all-about-the-tea-parties]

Hang on... did the dudebros *not* enjoy the yassification of the Wheel of Time?

[generouswindow]

Tomorrow is a Place

by SANNA WANI

We meet at a coffee shop. So much time has passed and who is time? Who is waiting by the windowsill? We make plans to go to a museum but we go to a bookshop instead. We’re leaning in, learning how to talk to each other again. I say, I’m obsessed with my grief and she says, I’m always in mourning. She laughs and it’s an extension of her body. She laughs and it moves the whole room. I say, My home is an extension of my body and she says, Most days are better with a long walk. The world moves without us—so we tend to a garden, a graveyard, a pot on the windowsill. Death is a comfort because it says, Transform but don’t hurry. There is a tenderness to growing older and we are listening for it. Steadier ways to move through the world and we are learning them. A way to touch your own body. A touch that says, Dig deeper. There, in the ground, there is our memory. I am near enough my roots. Time is my friend. Tomorrow is a place we are together.

[ifiseeitcoming]

the Rapture, they call it.

that moment when someone becomes so entranced with the beauty of this world that all else ceases to matter. that moment when they realize the joy that comes with simply being. that moment when suddenly, life for the sake of life is enough. when the ups and the downs settle into stillness. into peace. when everywhere they look, all they can see is beauty in its purest form. even in the struggles, the beauty they see intensifies. they can never go back to how it was, to how they used to perceive the world. messes become creation. brokenness becomes the seed of hope. fear becomes peace. sadness becomes joy. out of death, they see life.

the Rapture, they call it.

i finally understand why.

[wiirocku]

Psalm 119:114 (NLT) - You are my refuge and my shield; Your word is my source of hope.

[wiirocku]

Romans 15:13 (ESV) - May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.