My Thoughts on Political Correctness

As a disclaimer, I have no problem with being compassionate about people's problems.  The world needs so much more compassion these days.  That being said, it really sucks when I, as a writer, find myself worried because I decided to include a black character in my latest project.  She is not a token character, she is not my way of making sure I have a character that represents minorities.  She is a character.  Who happens to be black.  I didn't even plan it like that, she just ended up telling me, "Oh hey, this is what I look like!" and I was like, "Oh, hey, that's great!  Thanks!" (Yes I talk to my characters.  And they talk back.  Whoever said writers are sane?)
However, since creating this character, I have been plagued by worries.  What if people take issue with the way I portray her?  What if people think I'm racist because of the way I have her act (even though any way she acts is just THE WAY SHE WOULD ACT IN REAL LIFE!!)
Look, I get it.  Racism is real, and it's bad, and it sucks.  But not every white person practices it.  Not every white person condones it.  And I'm kinda sick of constantly worrying about saying the wrong thing.  I'm sick of people judging each other by the color of their skin, because yes, this promote-minorities-by-hating-majorities crap is just contributing to everyone compartmentalizing everyone else.  Is it really so fracking hard to judge based on talent and aptitude rather than what one person's race did to another person's race over a hundred years ago?  If people want equality, maybe they should stop trying to tear down everyone but themselves.
Okay.  Rant over.

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

King Lamoni's Father

Wow, sorry guys, there was a funeral and I've been trying to get back on schedule.  Which I am attempting to do now.

After a few days, Ammon received a revelation from God, telling him that Aaron, his brother, and a few of the men they'd brought with them, were in prison in a neighboring province called Middoni.  He went to Lamoni to ask if he could leave and try to free his brother, at which point Lamoni proved what an amazing friend he was by telling Ammon that of course he could go, but it would be easier if Lamoni went with him, because the king of Middoni was a friend of his and would be more likely to listen to him.
While they were travelling, they were stopped by Lamoni's father, the king of all the Lamanites.  He'd come to demand to know why Lamoni had missed his feast (which Lamoni actually was unconscious through, if my timeline is correct).  When Lamoni explained, he was shocked to find his father was angry.  He started going on about how Lamoni was an idiot to trust a Nephite, and that he had to go back with him this instant and on and on.  And then came the clincher: he ordered Lamoni to kill Ammon.
Remember when I talked about what an amazing friend Lamoni is? (And of course, there was the little thing where the last person that tried to kill Ammon was struck down dead.  Instantly.)
Lamoni flat-out refused, and his father was angry enough that he drew his sword to kill Lamoni.  Ammon quickly stepped in and told his father that if he killed Lamoni, he would be shedding innocent blood, to which the king replied that Ammon was right.  Lamoni was innocent: it was Ammon that had corrupted him.  The king attacked Ammon instead, and I assume we can all guess where that went (again, last guy dropped down dead?)  Ammon bested the king and had his sword to his throat.
The king begged Ammon not to kill him, and he would give him anything he wanted, up to half his kingdom (which I always found funny, half the kingdom if you let me live.  Only half, mind you, I can't be giving up the entire kingdom even if I'm about to die.)  Ammon instead said that if the king would let Lamoni govern the way he wanted, and give orders for his brothers to be let out of prison, he'd let the king go.  Obviously, the king thought this was a great idea, and they all went on their merry ways.

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

Birthday!

So, guess what yesterday was?
IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY!!!
Honestly, I don't actually do much to celebrate my birthday.  It's more of an excuse to do whatever I want.  Which I tend to do anyway. ;)  Still, I had a good time.  It's not every day my amazing sister Mia bakes me chocolate cake. :D
Highlight of my day, though?
When my niece Ann brought in a gift bag and couldn't wait for me to open it.  And what was inside?
This:

Kar and Ann made it for me!  Isn't he adorable?!
Yep.  It was a good birthday. :)

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

Lamanite Women Are Amazing

After Lamoni fell into what looked like death, he laid still for three days.  Some people wanted to bury him, but his wife came to Ammon privately and confided that she believed Lamoni was still alive.  She begged Ammon to tell her if her husband was ever going to wake up (btw, can I just insert that I absolutely adore Lamoni's wife?  She has such a tender love for her husband, which is something you just don't see often in royal couples.  I think their relationship is just beautiful!).  Ammon, astonished at the amount of faith she put in him, told her Lamoni would wake the very next day, and so she continued to wait for him.
True to Ammon's word, Lamoni woke and started exclaiming about the mercy and love and glory of Christ, and immediately began to preach to the inhabitants of the room, including his wife, their servants, and Ammon.  Eventually, everyone, including Ammon and Lamoni themselves, were so overcome by the Spirit that they fell into a coma.  Again.
Except for one of the queen's handmaids, a girl named Abish.  Abish had actually been a believer thanks to a vision her father had, but because the Lamanites hated the Nephites she'd had to keep her religion secret.  Now she finally saw a golden opportunity to share her beliefs, and she grabbed it with both hands.  She ran from house to house telling people to go and see what had happened to the king and his household.  Unfortunately, the effects were... less than she had expected.  People certainly went to see, but when they got there, they couldn't agree on what had happened.  Some said the king was cursed because he'd let a Nephite into his household, some said that he was being punished for killing the servants who'd had their flocks scattered, and some (ie, the robbers who'd survived Ammon's defense), claimed Ammon was a monster.  One of them was angry enough with Ammon (who'd killed his brother, who I think was the leader of the robbers) that he actually tried to kill Ammon.
Except, you know, Mosiah, Ammon's father, had obtained a promise from God that his sons would be protected while they were in the wilderness.  When the robber lifted his sword to kill Ammon, lying helpless on the ground, he was struck dead.  Instantly.
This of course sent the rest of the people into an uproar, and no one would touch anyone who had fallen until Abish came back.  She, heartbroken at what she had hoped was the perfect missionary opportunity, took the queen's hand, hoping to do something.  And actually, it worked.  The queen woke up, praising God.  She took Lamoni's hand and he woke up, praising God, and he turned to start teaching those who had gathered.

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

Snow White Conspiracy

So, when I watched Snow White as a child, there was something that always bothered me: the Prince's castle was in the freakin' clouds.  Don't believe me?

That is in the clouds.  I never quite understood what that was supposed to be, but then I was thinking tonight, and I think I figured it out:  Snow White never came back to life.  When the Prince found her, he was dead.
So, yeah, I get that the dwarfs saw him and everything, but how do we know they weren't a) dead themselves, either killed in the storm or from old age, or b) seeing a ghost?
Thing is, I actually didn't watch Snow White for the entirety of my teenage years because when I was a kid I saw a bonus on the DVD.  I may not be remembering it right, but I remember something about the skeleton in the Queen's dungeon being the Prince himself (if I'm wrong correct me).  And I mean, it makes sense if the Queen wanted to make sure Snow White couldn't be woken, that she kill the man she saw falling in love with her in the castle courtyard.  Which means that the Prince taking Snow White to his castle actually means they were finally reunited in death?  And he was taking her to a place where they could be together forever, because they would never have to be parted again?
My my, I feel morbid tonight. ;)

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

Preaching to Lamoni

After Lamoni heard his servants' story about Ammon he was terrified.  He was convinced Ammon was the Great Spirit, come to punish him for killing his servants when they failed to defend the flocks before.  He asked where Ammon was, presumably to figure out just how much time he had.  Can anyone guess where Ammon went after defying a ruthless band of robbers?
He was getting Lamoni's chariots ready for his trip to his father's feast (he was a minor king under a major king, who in this case was his father). 
When he finally came in, everyone just stared at him.  He tried to back out, but one of the servants said Lamoni wanted him to stay, so he waited for Lamoni to explain what he wanted.  For an hour.  Lamoni couldn't figure out what to say to this man he thought was a god.  Finally Ammon, though the Spirit, realized what Lamoni was wondering and started to explain things.  No, he was not a god, but he had been given some of God's power in order to defeat the robbers.  He explained that he'd come to the Lamanites to share God's message, and Lamoni asked to hear it.  After Ammon explained about the creation and the plan of salvation, Lamoni was so overcome by the Spirit, he fell to the earth, and most people assumed he was dead.

By the way, if there are ever concepts discussed here you would like explained, just leave me a comment and I'll try to do a post about it.  Thanks muchly!

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

Frozen: What it Did Right

It is no surprise to anyone who knows me that I love Frozen.  In fact, my coworkers all wanted to know exactly when I'd seen it because they all guessed that it was something I'd be excited (and hence, amusing) about.  On the other hand, I've heard a good deal of people talking about how disappointed they were in the film.  I can see where they're coming from, but the fact remains that it's probably the most popular Disney movie since The Lion King.  Why, you may ask, is it so popular if so many people thought it wasn't really as good as it could have been?
My explanation is this: The creators of Frozen gave every audience member someone they could relate to.
Think about it: the characters are presented with a problem, namely that Elsa has locked herself away (later it evolves to the kingdom being frozen, but for now let's focus on Elsa's introvertive behavior).  We are then presented with several reactions to her solitude:
We have Anna, who doesn't have a complete understanding of why her sister refuses to see her and thus assumes it is her fault.

Anna's is the reaction of a friend or close sibling who watches a friend struggle, say with depression, and just can't understand what exactly is going on.  And because pushing and prodding often leads to someone lashing out, or a lack of trust, these people can often be left not knowing just what it is they've done wrong, when in fact, none of it is actually their fault.

We have Elsa herself, who believes she is a danger to everyone around her and therefore locks herself away in order to protect people from herself.

Elsa has been told she needs to keep her powers - which are tellingly influenced by her emotions - hidden, because if she doesn't, everyone will hate her.  She believes if she can just learn to bury her fears and her passions behind an (ironically) icy exterior, she will finally be worthy of love and safe to be around.  Part of her is hiding from Anna to protect her, but another part of her honestly believes she's not good enough for Anna, and that the kingdom would be better off if she weren't part of the plan.

Then of course we have the irritating, want-to-punch off-a-boat people who manipulate other peoples' emotions for their own benefit. 

Let's admit it, we can all relate to Hans in some way sometimes (btw, isn't this picture great?!).

We are then introduced to calm, collected Kristoff, who is able to see past the conflicting emotions and look at the problems logically.

Kristoff is the one who can see the entire problem: yes, Anna was in the wrong to accept Hans so quickly, but Elsa was also in the wrong.  He doesn't quite understand why these two are fighting, but he can understand that this needs to be fixed, and he's willing to help.

And last, but not least, we have the slightly clueless but endlessly wise Olaf.

Olaf is the one who may not understand the complexities of human pain, but often surprises us by understanding on a profound level the beauty of human love.  He looks as if he's naive on the outside, but underneath the bright smile, he really does understand the seriousness of the situation.  The thing that sets him apart is the hope and optimism he brings to the table, the unshaken faith that things are going to turn out right in the end.  He's the shoulder you want to lean on, because he's the one who is never going to give up on you.

One problem: five different perspectives.  Five different people that everyone in the audience would be able to relate to in some way.  I think this is what makes Frozen so popular.  It's not a story about two sisters and their problems.  It's a story about you.

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

Shatter Me

So, I'm a huge Lindsey Stirling fan.  Love her music, love her videos, everything.  So you can imagine my excitement when her latest album came out!  This is the titular piece, Shatter Me:

I love this piece, so much!  The power behind it, the intensity, even the steampunk feel!  And I saw an interview where she said the song was meant to convey the emotions of trying to be perfect and flawless.  I just think it's beautiful!
The rest of the album is pretty awesome too, just fyi.  I think my favorite is Sun Skip. ;)

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

Defending the Flock

Aaahh!  Soooo many apologies, it's been a crazy two weeks.  I've hardly had time to think!  Ugh.  Anyway, thanks for your patience, time to (finally) explain what happened with Ammon and Lamoni's flock.

Ammon and the other servants were taking King Lamoni's sheep to the water when they were... well, interrupted.  A common form of plunder among the Lamanites was to scatter someone else's sheep and then hide them in your own flock.  Hard to prove, and highly effective.  And sadly, this wasn't the first time robbers had actually stolen from their king, because once the other servants saw that the sheep were scattered, they panicked.  They explained to Ammon that the last time this had happened, Lamoni had the servants in charge killed. 
Ammon, being a) a priesthood leader and b) a former prince and therefore all-around general leader, was able to rally his fellow-servants and find all the missing sheep.  The servants were overjoyed, of course, but the robbers were... less so.  They came to scatter the sheep again, but this time Ammon was ready for them. He grabbed his sling and managed to kill six of them before they quite knew what was happening.
Seriously.  He killed six before they could even manage to figure out he was shooting at them!
Well, now they were seriously ticked off - understandably - so they went after him with clubs.  Which I think is safe to say was a mistake, because he had a sword.  Every time a robber tried to club Ammon, he cut off their arm (I get the feeling this lot wasn't too bright).  He only killed one of them with his sword, however: their leader (which comes into play a little later on in the story).
When he had driven the robbers off, he calmly finished watering the sheep and went back to Lamoni's palace.  The other servants were a little less inclined to nonchalance.  They were a little bit freaked out by everything they'd just seen, and they knew they had to tell the king.  As proof of what had happened, they gathered up all the arms Ammon had cut off and took them to Lamoni to strengthen their story.
The king was terrified.

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

Selling it Back

So, as a college student, obviously I want to save as much money as possible.  I like financial security. ;)  Therefore, when the end of the semester comes around, I, like the rest of EVERYONE, try to sell back my textbooks at the bookstore.
Ha.  Good luck with that.
The most annoying thing about selling back textbooks?  The most expensive books are the ones they won't take back.  I mean, seriously, you lure us in with the promise of half our money back at the end of the semester, and then you won't pay up on the ones we really need?  Aaaarghghgh!!!!
No, of course I'm not bitter.
So I naturally didn't have high hopes when I went to sell back my textbooks this semester.  And I was right: they wouldn't buy back any of them.  Not one. single. textbook.  Although to be fair, the ones they were most likely to buy back were the ones I actually decided to keep (hated my anthropology class, but the books we read were actually quite fascinating).
What surprised me most, however, was the reaction of the clerk I was trying to sell them back with.  Like I said, I hadn't really expected much when I went in, so when she couldn't buy any of them, I shrugged it off and made a joke about burning the ones I really hated.  Her response: she gave me a $10 gift card to the bookstore and said thanks for not chewing her out.
I was surprised, obviously, and then when I thought about it, I was a little exasperated.  I mean, really people, she's a college student too, here!  It's not her fault the university is stingy, have none of you ever worked in retail before?  Honestly!
Yep.  Textbooks.  What a flippin' joy.

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

Superman vs Clark Kent

I was thinking recently about Superman, and I realized something.  Everyone likes to talk bad about Lois Lane because she was in love with the hero (Superman) and barely gave the "regular, ordinary guy" (Clark Kent) the time of day.  People say she was shallow for only noticing the hero, the one with all the glory, but the thing is, they don't realize that's who Superman was. 
The thing about Superman is that, when he was mild-mannered, normal every-day Clark Kent, that was when he was putting on an act.  That was when he was lying.  Lois was in love with who he really was: strong, confident, and willing to put his life on the line to save other people.  She wasn't enticed by his lie, because she could tell that Clark Kent wasn't actually genuine.  He was always putting on a front, always hiding.  Superman, on the other hand, was always himself.  He knew who he was, and he wasn't afraid of it.  That's what attracted Lois Lane.  Not his good looks, or his chivalrous behavior (though both are good ;) ), because honestly, Clark Kent both had the same thing.  Believe it or not, they are the same guy.  The difference was that one put up a front, and one was honest about himself.
That's not to say I don't have my problems with Lois Lane (seriously, how many times do you have to get your butt saved before you learn to be a bit more careful when you get your stories?!), but I actually think she made the right choice as far as men go.  Pick the man who's going to be honest with you, because you never know what the fakers are hiding.

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

The Song Caster

What better way to celebrate the end of finals, apologize for my absence during said finals, and kickstart summer than by introducing an absolutely FABULOUS new book?

Without further ado, I am excited to announce the fourth book in The Wilderhark Tales, by Danielle Shipley:

The dull doom of impending marriage at his back and a reticent royal at his side, remarkable minstrel Gant-o’-the-Lute is off in search of adventure, and you can be sure he finds it – complete with much music, magicked maidens, and a dangerous power so great, Lute might for once find himself outmatched.

The Song Caster

Book Four of The Wilderhark Tales

<> ~ <> ~ <>

An enchantress’s curse turns a spoiled royal into a beast; a princess’s pricked finger places her under a hundred-year spell; bales of straw are spun as golden as the singing harp whisked down a giant beanstalk – all within sight of Wilderhark, the forest that’s seen it all.

You’ve heard the stories – of young men scaling rope-like braids to assist the tower-bound damsel; of gorgeous gowns appearing just in time for a midnight ball; of frog princes, and swan princes, and princes saved from drowning by maidens of the sea. Tales of magic. Tales of adventure. Most of all, tales of true love.

Once upon a time, you knew them as fairytales. Know them now as Wilderhark’s.

And of course, we can't forget the lovely Ms. Shipley:

About the Author:

Danielle E. Shipley’s first novelettes told the everyday misadventures of wacky kids like herself. …Or so she thought. Unbeknownst to them all, half of her characters were actually closeted elves, dwarves, fairies, or some combination thereof. When it all came to light, Danielle did the sensible thing: Packed up and moved to Fantasy Land, where daily rent is the low, low price of her heart, soul, blood, sweat, tears, firstborn child, sanity, and words; lots of them. She’s also been known to spend short bursts of time in the real-life Chicago area with the parents who home schooled her and the two little sisters who keep her humble. When she’s not living the highs and lows of writing young adult novels, she’s probably blogging about it at www.EverOnWord.wordpress.com. Her first novel, “Inspired”, is now available through J. Taylor Publishing.

I was fortunate enough to be offered an early read, so I can tell you with absolute surety that this is one of the best books I've read in years.  There's joy and pain, lessons and loss, and above all, love (because really, what fairy tale is complete without it?).  If you haven't read the first three, get with the program, people, because these books are great!  If you have, then you most absolutely must read this latest in Wilderhark adventures!  Book details are as follows:

 Full Title: “The Song Caster (Book Four of The Wilderhark Tales)”

ISBN: 978-0-9891846-3-2

Genre: Young Adult Fairytale

Length: Novella (212 pages)

Release Date: Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Future availability: Paperback (Amazon.com) and eBook (Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com)

Add “The Song Caster” to your Goodreads shelf today!

Also, if you like free stuff, you should check out Danielle's blog for updates on her launch week giveaway!  Always lots of fun! :)

Fare thee well, friend!

Mira 

P.S. For those of you expecting a Book of Mormon story today, that will be up as soon as I regain the energy lost in the scramble of finals week. :) 

Ammon!

Odd, isn't it, that we go from one of the saddest stories in the entire Book of Mormon to one of my absolute favorites?  Alma and Amulek had gone out to preach again, and you'll never guess who they ran into.
Go ahead.  Guess. 
They ran into the sons of Mosiah!  You know, the ones that disappeared into Lamanite territory all those years before?  They'd finally come home!  And they'd brought a few friends along with them...
When they left for Lamanite country, they decided to split up in order to reach more people.  Their spiritual leader (at least, I assume so from the text), Ammon, decided to go to what was called the land of Ishmael.  Now, in this particular province, the Lamanites had a custom where they captured any Nephite in their lands and took them to their king, Lamoni.  He would decide whether to throw him out, kill him, or imprison him.  However, when Ammon was brought before Lamoni and they asked why on earth he had decided to go wandering around in Lamanite territory, Ammon told them that he merely wanted to live among the Lamanites for a while.  This impressed Lamoni so much that he actually offered to let Ammon marry one of his daughters.  Ammon, however, declined and simply offered to be Lamoni's servant.
His first test came while he was watering Lamoni's sheep.

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

Extra Teacher

So, I take piano lessons from my sister-in-law, Kar.  Most of the time, by the time I come she's already put her little girl, Anne, to bed, but this past Wednesday she was still up, and my poor brother was swamped with enough homework that Kar felt bad about pulling him away to put Anne to bed, so she actually let her help "teach".
Cutest piano lesson EVER!  Anne repeated everything Kar said, even if she had no idea what she was saying, in her adorable "little girl" voice, and it was ADORABLE!!!
There was a point where my brother actually did come out to see if he should put her to bed, and she gave him the funniest pout and told him Mommy said she could see the lesson.  If you've never seen a little kid glare, it's the greatest way to brighten your day (don't ask me why, logically it should be terrifying).

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

Ammonihah

Hey guys.  I know I'm late posting this, but... well, this is probably the saddest story in The Book of Mormon.  I wanted to make sure I got it right.

Alma and Amulek started preaching again in Ammonihah, and actually had an incredible amount of success.  Except, when the righteous start having success, the wicked start to feel threatened.  The leaders of the city, including Amulek's family, stoned the believers, threw the men out of the city, and burned their wives and children.  They forced Alma and Amulek to watch.
After that they locked Alma and Amulek in prison and tortured them for days.  Finally, Alma prayed, and the prison fell to the ground around them.  It killed the men torturing them, but left them unscathed.  They were able to get out of the city all right, but then it fell to them to explain what happened to the men who had been forced to leave their wives and children in the city.
Unfortunately for Ammonihah, God does not leave vengeance for long.  Not long after Alma and Amulek went back to Zarahemla (Alma housed Amulek the same way Amulek had housed him), Ammonihah was destroyed by Lamanites.  It was such a horrifying destruction, they didn't have time to bury all the dead, and the entire region started to smell like rotting corpses.  The city couldn't be rebuilt for years.

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

Ruthless

This weekend I had the rather unique opportunity to work with a type of villain I'd never had the chance to experiment with: someone with nothing to lose.
Every other villain I've worked with so far has had some reason to at the very least keep the protagonist alive and relatively healthy (he accidentally tied his power to her health.  He was one of my relatively stupider villains).  However, in my current project I have a pair of villains, mad scientists, who are sadly stuck in backs story (so far).  These men had absolutely nothing to lose, and so had absolutely no reason not to be as cruel and  heartless as they wanted.
It was both exciting and terrifying.  Really.  They were scaring me.
It was just a strange experience, channeling a character with so little restraint.  Though that might admittedly have had something to do with the fact that I felt an irrational anger towards stupid clients (seriously, how hard is it to sign a blasted paper?!).  In any case, I think if my characters ever actually turn out to be real and come to haunt me, I'll be dead.  These guys are ruthless.

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

Amulek

Oh badness, I am sooooooo sorry, many many many apologies for leaving it like that, these last couple weeks have been a complete nightmare.  But, I'm back!  Again, so sorry.
*ahem*  Shall we continue?

A few years after Alma took the judgement seat, he started to notice that the members of the church were beginning to turn wicked.  In an effort to stop this, he decided to give up the judgement seat entirely and gave it to a man named Nephihah, then started traveling around the Nephite country to preach to the church members.  Everything was going really well, until he came to a city called Ammonihah.  Nearly all the people there had completely rejected the church, so when he came to preach, they threw him out.  He was on his way to the city Manti, feeling like a failure, when one of my favorite scripture encounters EVER happened.
An angel appeared to Alma.  Again.  As a matter of fact, it was the exact same angel that had chewed him out all those years ago.
I can only imagine the panic he felt then, since last time he saw an angel he was immobile for three days.  However, this particular visit was a bit more on the positive side.  The angel told Alma he was doing great, that God was pleased with him.  Then he told him to go back to Ammonihah, because there was still work he needed to do there.
Alma obeyed, but he had to sneak in, since they had, you know, thrown him out and all that.  While he was walking, he ran into some "random" guy in the streets and asked if he would be willing to feed a hungry prophet (I think hospitality rules must have been much friendlier in this culture than in ours).  The man, Amulek, was genuinely eager to help Alma, and told him he had a vision where an angel showed him Alma and told him that if he would house him, his household would prosper.  Alma spent several days with Amulek, but soon the both of them went out to preach to the people of Ammonihah.
They had no idea what was coming.

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

An Anniversary

I didn't actually realize until my sister mentioned visiting the grave, but today is the one-year anniversary of my friend Tyler's suicide.  I still remember the shock it was getting that text, the hollow feeling, the disbelief and the unbelievable grief.  I remember Mia begging me not to drive home from campus, having Kay pick me up.  I remember putting my sunglasses on even though it was cloudy so no one would ask me why I was crying.  I remember watching the way my brother's face changed when he found out what had happened, that one of his best friends was gone.
I remember the funeral, everyone there who had come to remember him.  I remember his mother wailing at the graveside.  I remember not letting myself cry then, because I was the driver and I had to keep my eyes clear for the road.  I remember months afterward of it constantly waiting in the back of my mind, the hurt and the loss and the fear that somehow I was responsible.  I remember just briefly catching the detail that he'd died wearing his fencing shirt, and the overwhelming sense of relief when I realized that he died in his fencing shirt.  That no matter what had happened in his life to lead him to such a choice, at least those of us at the fencing center were a bright spot. 
I remember the first time I went to his grave alone, when my world was crumbling around me and I had nowhere else to turn.  And I remember keeping him in the back of my mind when I finally decided to see a therapist about my depression.
Suicide affects everyone.  Remember not to judge.

Fare thee well, my dear, dear friend.
Mira

Changing Hands

This is where things really start to change in the Book of Mormon.  Up to this point, the Nephites had been ruled by kings, but that was about to be thrown out the window.  You see, after his sons repented, King Mosiah asked his people which of his sons they wanted to be king (just as a reference, their names were Ammon, Aaron, Omni, and Himner), and the people chose Aaron.  See, the thing is, Aaron didn't want to be a king.  In fact, none of them wanted to be king.  They all felt so awful about what they had been doing they decided to go on a mission... to the Lamanites.
Mosiah was obviously terrified for his sons' lives.  These were the people that had been trying to eradicate the Nephites since they got off Nephi's boat!  So he prayed, and God promised him that, so long as he was faithful, his sons would not be harmed.  With this in mind, Mosiah went to the people and explained what his sons had decided.  When they wanted him to make one of his sons be king, he set down a few truths: 1) Being a king is freakin' hard!  You have to be responsible for everyone in your kingdom, and if someone doesn't want that responsibility, the people have no right to force it on them.  2) As a king is responsible for everyone in his kingdom, it places an unfair amount of blame on him if the people turn wicked, because 3) 9 times out of ten, if the people are wicked, it's because the king has been giving a poor example.  Mosiah proposed that he could remain king until he died, but when he did, the people should start electing their rulers.  That way it was their fault if they elected someone wicked, and no one who didn't want to rule would be forced into that position.  The Nephites loved the idea, and Mosiah became one of their most celebrated historical figures.
And so the Book of Mosiah ends, with Alma II becoming the first ever high judge (leader of the country) after Mosiah's death, and the four Nephite princes disappearing into the lands of the Lamanites.

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

Rainbows

So, I was walking to the parking lot from campus the other day and found something rather strange. 
It had been a rough day.  Lots of therapy, and I was rather emotionally drained.  On the other hand, the day was lovely, we just had about a week of sunshine and warmth, so that was rather cheery.  Mostly I was just trying to decide how I was feeling as far as my emotions went, when suddenly I spotted balloons.
To get to my usual parking lot from campus, you have to cross a rather busy road.  To avoid accidents, the university built a couple bridges over the road for the students to use.  As I walked toward the bridge, my eyes were caught by the bright yellows and pinks of balloons.  I assumed it had something to do with student body elections (yeah, those are this week :P), but when I got closer I noticed there was also a "rainbow" made of streamers running along the walls of the bridge.  All along it someone had taped up encouraging rainbow quotes.
Well, at that point, my mood had been decided.  That was a happy day. :)

Oh, and there's this awesome blog post you should all check out by Danielle Shipley!  I was so excited to read it: http://everonword.wordpress.com/2014/02/27/in-which-i-risk-uniting-a-divided-world-in-disdain-for-me/

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

Alma the Younger

Told you I'd explain!  After years of living in Zarahemla, Alma and King Mosiah ended up being pretty solid friends.  Which of course meant their sons ended up being pretty solid friends.  Sort of.  It never mentions why (this is only an abridgement of a much larger record, after all), but eventually Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah left the church.  Something interesting my institute teacher has said, you can leave the church, but you can never leave it alone.  Basically she explained that those who leave the church in outright anger over something can't stop coming back to tear it down.  That's what Alma the Younger (I'll just call him Alma II for now) and his friends were up to.  They were constantly trying to pull people away, destroy the church.  For the son of a prophet to be trying to destroy the church... that hurts.  Alma I was praying constantly for his wayward son, and... well, his prayers were certainly answered. ;)
One day while Alma II and Mosiah's sons were out and about destroying the church, an angel appeared to them.  He spoke, and the ground shook.  Alma II fell to the ground in terror, and the angel told him to get his sorry butt out of the dirt (okay, so he didn't actually say that, but seriously), both literally and metaphorically.  He told him he was there because his poor father had been praying his aching heart out for him, and that if he didn't get his head on straight, he was going straight to hell (random insert: I just find it amusing that most of the time, when an angel appears to someone in the scriptures, he tells them not to be afraid, but in this instance he tells Alma II "you'd darn well better be afraid, punk!).
Alma II was so terrified by the experience that he fell to the earth, couldn't speak, and lost the use of his limbs.  The sons of Mosiah had to carry him to his father, who gathered the saints to pray and fast for his son.  I can imagine several of them had to wonder why he bothered, but hey, that's neither here nor there.  After three days (symbolic much?), Alma II finally woke up, praising God and saying he had been forgiven.  From that time forward, he and Mosiah's sons dedicated their lives to preaching the gospel... and this is where the real begins!

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira 

They All Look Stupid...

You know, you run across some interesting people when you work in the library...
Yesterday I was sorting books in the Jr. Mezzanine, when suddenly a little girl, probably about ten years old, comes up.
Her: "Hey, what are these?"
Me: "Uh, books that haven't been shelved yet.  Did you want to look at them?"
Her:  "Okay."  Three seconds later, "I don't think anyone will want these books."
Me: *eyebrows raising* "What?"
Her: "Nobody will want these?"
Me:  "...Why not?" as I glance over the books I've shelved over and over and over.  Trust me, people are reading these.
Her: "They just look stupid."  She points out one from a series I shelve nearly every time I volunteer.  "Like this?  This just looks stupid."
Me: "... Okay."  Go and find the kinds of books you actually want to read, then, and let me finish my perusal of my eventual competition in peace.

Fare thee well, friend!  And don't judge books by their cover!
Mira

Alma in Captivity

So so sooooo many apologies for forgetting to post yesterday!  What with no school over Presidents' Day over here, I thought it was a Monday.  In any case, here we are, only a day late!

So, in order to get this last bit of the story, we'll have to back-track a little, to when King Noah sent his armies to kill the people of Alma.  They were warned by God (doesn't specify how, but I've heard some fascinating theories), and the new church fled into the wilderness.  They lived in peace, prosperity, and righteousness for years... until the Lamanites searching for Limhi found them instead.  The Lamanites had gotten all turned around and lost, and they promised Alma's people that if they showed them the way back to the city of Nephi, they would leave them alone.
But guess who sucks at keeping promises?
The Lamanites enslaved the people of Alma, but they treated them as well as might be expected.  That is, until the king of the Lamanites decided to send some new management.  You will never, in a million years, guess who he sent to rule over Alma's people. 
The priests of Noah.
Seriously, where the crap was the Lamanites' common sense?  "Oh, you Nephites who hate the fact that we have enslaved you are giving us extra wine?  As a gift?  Sounds legit, thanks!  Oh, you [insert insult because I can't think of one good enough for these men that doesn't include several swear words] that kidnapped our daughters and forced them to marry you want to be rulers over other Nephites?  Sure, go ahead!"
*fuming*
So, yes, the Lamanites did find the priests of Noah, but before they could kill them, the priests sent their new wives (the Lamanites' daughters) out to plead for their lives.  Somehow, they managed to get the Lamanite king to like them, which is why he appointed them rulers over Alma's people.  You know, Nephites ruling Nephites.  Except, he apparently didn't know about a grudge the priests might have against Alma.  See, Alma used to be one of Noah's priests, before he stood up for Abinadi and was thrown out of court.  Apparently, one particular priest, named Amulon, had a bit of a problem with that.  He wasn't allowed to actually kill any of Alma's people, but he certainly tried to work them to death, and he forbid them to pray.  Of course, you can't actually tell every time a person prays.  I mean, how many times have we sent a quick, "Hey, help me out here!" heavenward?  So OF COURSE Alma's people continued to pray.  For a while they were left in captivity, as a trial of faith, but they were strengthened until they couldn't feel the workloads Amulon was giving them.  And after a while, God told Alma to gather the people during the night, because he was going to make sure the Lamanite guards slept until they could escape.
Alma's people wandered in the wilderness (it never specified how long), until they "stumbled" upon Zarahemla (and I use quotation marks because really, do you think they weren't being guided there the whole time?).  Finally the Nephites were all together again, and good thing too, because Amulon and the other priests of Noah, as well as their children, spent their lives fueling the Lamanite hatred of the Nephites. 

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

More Music!

Hey, so remember that post I did back in December where I posted music and wanted to know what you guys came up with?  I thought I'd do it again, only this time I actually remembered to put in a link to the song. ;)  Tell me what you guys get in the comments!

1)Dragonheart Theme

2)To Die For (The Lion King)

3)Frozen Heart (Frozen)

4)Ballad of Serenity (Firefly)

5)Iris (Goo Goo Dolls)

6)Make Up Your Mind/Catch Me I'm Falling (Next To Normal)

7)No Way Out (Brother Bear)

8)Shadowland (The Lion King - Broadway)

9)Chow Down (The Lion King - Broadway)

10)Can You Feel the Love Tonight (The Lion King, and yes, this is John Barrowman. His voice!)

11)Endless Night (The Lion King - Broadway)

12)Pompeii (Bastille)

13)Titanium

14)King of Pride Rock (The Lion King)

Yes, I was on a Lion King kick.  No judging! *squinty eyes*

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

I Know Yo... No I Don't...

So, I was at my old high school to see my sister's choir concert on Thursday, and I could have sworn I saw one of my old high school friends.  One of the really cool guys that would hold the doors open for everyone before seminary.  I thought he was still on his mission, so I was really excited!  During intermission I ran over.
Me: "Hey, how are you?!"
Him:  *Awkward stare* "I'm good..."
Me: *Expectant grin*
Him: "Um... I would be lying if I said I remember your name..."
Me: *Thinking, he's been gone for a while, no big deal* "It's Mira!"
Him: "... You know my brother, don't you?"
Me: *Quickly turning red*
Yeah, turns out he really is still on a mission.  And looks incredibly similar to his brother.
I mean, he was totally cool about it, we both just laughed it off.  But still.
Awkward.

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

An Escape

So, quick recap.  The Nephites in Zarahemla sent Ammon and a group of explorers to find the settlers who went back to the Land of Nephi.  Long story short, they found them in bondage, paying tribute to the Lamanites.  They needed to find a way out, ASAP. 
The idea came from Gideon.  He went to King Limhi and said, "Hey, you know how we pay a tribute of wine to the Lamanites every month?  Why don't we try getting them drunk?"  So Limhi, Ammon, and the others gathered everything together, and that night they gave the Lamanite guards an extra ration of wine.  They slipped out of the Land of Nephi, and Ammon and his brethren led them back to Zarahemla.
Unfortunately, their flight meant the Lamanites went looking for them.  They didn't find the people of Limhi, however.
They found Alma.

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

Many Kinds of Swans

So, I had to see a dance performance for my humanities class, and one of the options listed was the school's performance of Swan Lake.  Having never seen a ballet before, I thought I'd give it a go.
Ho. ly.  Wow.  I came out kind of addicted to ballet.  Odile was amazing, as was Von Rothbart.  Both were just great!  And I have to say, the guy playing Prince Sigfried?  So cute!
So you'll never guess who I ran into during a play the next week.
There was this guy sitting in front of me, and I noticed he had a jacket emblazoned with my school's ballet logo.  And his name was the same as the danseur's from Swan Lake (danseur is the technical name for a male ballerina).  I looked at Kay and Ash like, "I think it's him!" and they were like "talk to him!"  Which I did, right after the play ended.  Can I just say, bad idea?  I was crying and I had a runny nose, and he was cute...
Anyway.
Yes, it was "Sigfried", and he was actually super nice!  It was great to meet him, if only because he's one of the few guys I've run into that was genuinely interested in meeting someone new.  Totally made my night.

In other news, the next of the Wilderhark Tales is out!  So excited!  Sadly, I haven't gotten my copy delivered yet, and can therefore not describe it nearly as well as its author.  You can check out her words on it here!  Can't wait to read it!

And finally, on a completely unrelated note, for those of you have been following my Tuesday posts, I found this online today and thought it was absolutely hilarious: http://www.ldssmile.com/2014/02/08/first-book-nephi-summed-gifs/  Enjoy!

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

The Daughters of the Lamanites

Of course, the Nephites weren't out of the woods.  Far from it.  Noah's priests had escaped into the wilderness, and they were ready to start making more trouble.  You see, there was a certain place in the wilderness that the Lamanites' daughters liked to go to for a bit of fun and dancing.  The priests of Noah, led by a man named Amulon, were world-class creepers, and they spent a lot of time watching these girls dancing.  One day, they decided they weren't content just watching, and they kidnapped twenty-four.  Twenty.  Four.
(Trying desperately to keep a wild angry rant about just how sick these men were from taking over the post djkal;sdkfjalsdgjalskdhf;laskdjfl;sldkfj!!!!!!!!!!!)
The Lamanites, not knowing about Noah's priests, blamed Limhi's people, and tried to attack them.  The Lamanites were defeated, but while the Nephites were searching among the dead, they found that the Lamanite king was still alive (serious fail, Lamanites, just ditch your king halfway through a battle?).  A lot of the Nephites wanted to kill him, but Limhi instead had him nursed back to health, and asked him why the Lamanites had attacked them.  When he found out about the missing daughters, Limhi and Gideon realized that Noah's priests were likely to blame.
The Lamanites came to attack again, but their king, having discovered they had wrongly attacked the Nephites before, went to them and explained what had happened.  They left the Nephites in peace, but still in bondage.  They tried several times to escape, but they were stuck, true to the prophecy of Abinadi.
This was the situation they found themselves in when Ammon and the other Nephites from Zarahemla found them.

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

Therapists

So, I had a startling realization last night. See, I've started seeing a therapist for my depression recently, and as I was writing last night, I realized that writers are a bit like therapists for their characters.
I know a lot of writers will say that their characters are great therapists.  As far as my characters go, I disagree.  They tend to fight with each other and whine and complain even more than I do (which is saying a lot).  When I write, it's like they're coming to me with all of their problems, and even if I can't fix them, I sit and listen to them and let them talk through all their issues.  Having never been to therapy before and therefore having nothing to compare this experience to, I thought it was just the way I wrote. 
Now, I'm beginning to wonder just who is working for who in this author/character relationship. ;)

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

Noah's Demise

After Alma and the other members of the church fled into the wilderness, the rest of the Nephites began to chafe under Noah's reign.  He was wasteful, cruel, and a drunk to boot.  People wanted him gone, and eventually, someone took the initiative.  A man named Gideon attacked Noah, and actually chased him all the way up the tower he'd built.  I don't know if Noah's guards all abandoned him or what, but Gideon was on the verge of killing Noah when the king looked out the window and realized an army of Lamanites was coming to attack them.  He convinced Gideon to let him live so he could "protect" his people: and by protect, he meant lead everyone in fleeing the city.  Of course, with women and children and old folks trying to keep up, people were falling behind, and Noah ordered the men to leave their families.
O.O  Yeah.  I really hate Noah (for clarification, this Noah has no affiliation with the one from the Old Testament, because that Noah was awesome!).
Naturally, because they were proper fathers and husbands, there were plenty of men who flat-out refused, including Noah's own son, Limhi (remember him?).  There were, of course, some men that did leave with Noah, but the majority stayed behind to protect their families.  These men who stayed had the idea to have their (very attractive) daughters beg the Lamanites to spare their families, and it worked like a dream.  They were taken back to the city and forced into slavery, but at least they were alive.  Limhi was crowned as a subordinate king, and the people paid half of everything they gained to the Lamanites.
However unfortunate their circumstances were, they were infinitely better than what happened to Noah.  The Lamanites told Limhi to deliver King Noah to them, and so Gideon lead an expedition to find him.  What he found instead was the group of men who had left with Noah and his priests.  They told Gideon that not long after they left, they felt really guilty about leaving their families behind, and they wanted to go back.  Noah forbid it, but there's this funny little thing about ruling: you've got to keep the people liking the way you rule.  Obviously, everyone was fed up with Noah, and they fulfilled Abinadi's prophecy by burning Noah at the stake.  They tried to do the same to his priests, but they fled into the wilderness.
Noah's death was good enough for the Lamanites, and everyone returned home happily.  Or at least, most did.  I'm pretty sure all those men who ditched their families had some pretty ticked off wives to deal with.  Honestly, I'm not sure I would be able to forgive something like that.  Of course, I doubt I would marry the kind of man that would ditch me like that in the first place, so there you go.  Unfortunately, their (relative) bliss couldn't last, because Noah's priests were still out there, and they were about to make life... difficult, to say the least.

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

Comforting

I've discovered something odd about myself: I hate when people touch me, but physical touch seems to be my form of comfort.
See, I have four brothers and three sisters.  With that many siblings, you don't generally want people touching you, because it tends to end up being something unpleasant (ie, tickling).  You get jumpy when people get close.  During high school, however, I had a couple really good friends who were very much touchy sort of people.  Not in an awkward way at all, they just liked giving hugs, and personal space bubbles seemed to evaporate when they were around each other.  It was amazing how much it helped me during high school when I was dealing with a rather nasty bout of depression.  There's this transfer of love and compassion for each other when you touch, and it really helped pull me through.
Of course, lately I haven't been extremely touchy.  I tend to pull into my shell a little when I start a new experience, which college definitely falls into.  I keep to myself, don't really talk to too many people.  And I certainly don't let too many people touch me.  That is awkward, and if you're touching me without my consent, it means you're a creeper and I want you as far away from me as possible. ;)  However, I have also been more than usually stressed out lately (last semester was full of ups and downs and loop-de-loops that left my emotions all knotted and ugly), and I haven't really been able to deal with it as easily as I would like to.
I was pondering all of this stress during church today and wondering just how I was ever going to move on, when Kay asked if she could braid my hair.
O.O  That doesn't happen often, people braiding my hair.  My two older sisters were in high school by the time I started kindergarten, my mother didn't have much time to do my hair with so many other kids she had to take care of, and my little sister knew as much about hair as I did: squat.  Which means having someone play with my hair is a huge treat.  Not only did the gesture mean a lot to me, but while she was braiding, I was able to let go of some of my stress and put a little bit of order back into my life.
So yeah.  Physical touch is paradoxically extremely comforting.  Just don't try it unless I'm comfortable with you. ;)

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

War

There I was, playing music from Wicked on my flute ("Wonderful" is so much fun!), when the notes were interrupted.  By screams.
Of course, those screams were then followed by laughs and the sound of my two younger siblings' voices, so I didn't panic too much.  Turns out they have apparently stockpiled a collection of nerf guns and decided they wanted a war.
So.  Much.  Fun!  We decided to use our floor and the one above us, to give us a little more room to run around in without actually hurting anyone coming in the building.  We did teams for a little bit, and then we had all-out war.  I nearly won, but unfortunately, my impatient side got in the way (though that may have been because I had fifteen minutes before I was supposed to be volunteering at the library).  I think the best moment was when Jake, my little brother, were on a team.  I heard noise behind the door to the third floor, so I jumped behind it to wait for my prey.  The door opened slowly... then slammed up against me.  Panicking, I took a wild shot, and my assailant withdrew, only to try it again five seconds later.  And of course it turned out to be Jake, who thought I was Kay, who neither of us could find forEVER! 
Yep.  Looking forward to doing this again. :)

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

Alma the Elder

Sadly, that title will have to be explained in a later post, but it will make sense.  I promise. ;)
After Abinadi's death, Alma (the one priest who stood up for him), was in the wilderness, writing down what Abinadi had preached.  After a while, he snuck back into the city and began preaching in secret.  Eventually, the group listening got large enough they couldn't keep meeting in the city, and they started meeting in a place called Mormon.  They started a church, they were baptized, they were happy.
Unfortunately, there were so many people sneaking out to meet that King Noah began to notice.  He sent spies to find out what was going on, and when he heard that Alma was preaching to the people, he tried to have the people killed.  They were warned, and they fled deeper into the wilderness.  Noah couldn't find them anywhere, but he did have what he wanted.  The church could no longer have any influence in his kingdom.
However, as we see so often in the scriptures, once a society destroys all righteous influences, they no longer have anyone to protect them.

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

Son of Man

Guess who's got internet back?  Finally! 
And now that I have internet again, I wanted to put in a word about this trailer I saw when watching Saving Mr. Banks with Sarnic:

I am actually pretty excited about this.  For one thing, God has been absent from the media for so long, and frankly,  I find it incredibly refreshing that people are finally talking about their religion again.  For another thing, I think that their script is a nice reminder that Jesus does actually have a personality.  I know some people might be offended by the idea, but I think it's a great idea!  I can't wait to see it!

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

Abinadi

Many many many apologies for the tardy post, our Internet conked out just as I was trying to publish this last night.  So sorry, but here it is:



At the height of King Noah's debauchery, a prophet named Abinadi was sent among the Nephites in Shilom.  The first time he preached he was forced to flee for his life, but two years later he came back in disguise.  He stayed disguised long enough to enter the city, but it wasn't his mission to preach to the people.  He had been sent to preach to the king.  He revealed himself almost as soon as he was inside the city, and was arrested and taken before King Noah and his priests to be tried.  He gave a powerful sermon, one of the most powerful in The Book of Mormon (thus I won't try to paraphrase it here.  I couldn't hope to do it justice.  You can, however, find it in the Book of Mosiah). However, being powerful, it offended many of Noah's priests.  They tried to have him taken out and killed, but he suddenly glowed with the light of heaven, and the guards were afraid to touch him.  He hadn't finished his sermon, and God would not allow him to be touched until his mission was complete. 
He very nearly convinced Noah.  He was nearly set free.  Unfortunately, Noah had spent his entire life surrounding himself with the wrong people, and they convinced him that Abinadi should be executed for his insolence.  One man, however, did stand up for Abinadi: his name was Alma, and he was one of Noah's priests.  He understood that much of what Noah's priests were doing was wrong, and some part of Abinadi's sermon had touched him.  He tried to convince Noah to let him go in peace, but Noah turned on Alma instead and had him thrown out of court.  Afterwards Noah sent his servants to murder him, and Alma had to flee for his life.  As for Abinadi, he was burned at the stake.  As the flames were started, he prophesied that Noah would be killed in the same way he killed Abinadi, and that his priests and their descendants would be scattered and outcast through history.
The death of Abinadi has to be one of the worst tragedies of The Book of Mormon.  He gave himself up to King Noah, probably knowing full well what the consequences would be, and it's very likely he died without knowing just what good it had done.  Noah certainly hadn't been converted, and the people were just as hardened as before.  The thing was, Abinadi hadn't necessarily been sent to save Noah.  Of course, it would have been a great benefit to everybody, but I think (remember that is isn't church doctrine) that Noah was too proud and too far gone to ever be willing to listen to someone who told him he was doing wrong.  No, Abinadi hadn't been sent for Noah, because somewhere out in the wilderness, Alma was writing down everything Abinadi had spoken in King Noah's courtroom, and he was about to begin something that would change the world.

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

Snow... In Many Forms

He-hey, so guess what happened when we got a blizzard earlier in the week?  Yup, our internet is out.  Again.  UGH!  Luckily, Ash has made her phone a hot spot, so I can actually work online when she's here.  Hopefully things get fixed sooner than last time.
In any case.
I was recently re-watching Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and I realized something: this is a fun movie.  Seriously, I don't understand why so many people seem to hate it.  Snow White is actually a very realistic young woman (except for the fact that she married someone she'd only just met, but hey, that's Disney for you, right?).  I mean, think about it: if you were about to be murdered by the man supposed to be protecting you, only for him to break down and tell you that you're step-mother wants you dead, how could you not be terrified running through the woods?  And she has to be one of the most compassionate princesses I've seen.  She didn't decide to clean the dwarve's home because it was messy; it was because she assumed the reason it wasn't clean was because they were orphaned children, and she wanted to do something nice for them.  And say what you will about her innocence, she was only fourteen years old.  I only WISH half the fourteen-year-olds out there today were as innocent and kind as Snow White.
So I guess my point is, stop hating on Disney for making characters that are actually true to life.  Thanks!

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

King Noah

Zeniff's son, Noah, was probably the single worst choice anyone could have made for the next king.  Seriously, I have absolutely no idea how this man became king.  He decided he hated his father's religion and kicked out all the old priests, replacing them with lustful, greedy, ambitious creeps.  He taxed the people to near starvation to build a throne of gold, and he became a drunkard.  The one, single good thing he did for his people was to build a tower near his palace so he could see if the Lamanites were coming to attack them.  Everyone hated Noah, but unfortunately, he had quite a bit of influence on the people anyway.  They became hardened and ungrateful, forgetting all God had done in sparing them from the Lamanites during Zeniff's reign.  They were setting themselves up for destruction, but God always sends multiple warnings to his people, giving them time to repent before they destroy themselves.  His first warning to the Nephites during Noah's reign came in the form of a prophet called Abinadi.

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

P.S. Hey, so according to Google, today is the birthday of one of my absolute favorite authors, Zora Neale Hurston!  So.  Amazing!  I love her to pieces.  So Happy Birthday, though you have long since passed.  Hope to shake your hand in the afterlife!

Closed

... It's closing.  My library is closing.
Not forever, of course (I gave some of you a heart attack, didn't I? ;) ).  But it will be closed for maitenance in a few weeks.
WHAT THE CRAP AM I GONNA DO WITH MY SATURDAY?!?!
Seriously, I LIVE off of the library on Saturdays.  How am I going to survive my weekend without the two-hour break of solitude/checking out competition/ trying to decide what books to read if I ever get the time/ listening to the musical artists that perform in the storytelling wing?  I NEED MY LIBRARY, PEOPLE!!!!!!
Okay, freak-out done.  Mostly.  *sigh* If only there was a Renaissance Faire coming up or something.  Uuuugh!

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira