SF/RK Ponderings and Such

I honestly don't know how to start this thing off, so I'm just going to do it this way. I have been mulling this topic over and thinking about it for only a day, but it's something I really like thinking about and that thing is this: how much I like the songs on a couple of albums put out by a couple of my favorite artists. A bunch of us, myself included, just recently (10 days ago at the time of my writing this actually [it ended about this time too {~11:00-11:30 p.m.}]) attended a concert, as part of their joint Looking for America tour at the New Orleans House of Blues headlining Switchfoot and Relient K. These two are arguably two of the most popular names in Christian music or offshoots or alternatives thereof (heck, they both [moreso Switchfoot as far as I know] are known in the mainstream). It's almost been two years since we went to go see just Relient K, well they were the only BIG name playing and they were the headline for the concert that was part of their MMHMM 10th anniversary tour, and that was when I truly got hooked on them; when I say "get hooked on them," I mean I religiously listen to ALMOST exclusively that album in particular to get immensely familiar with it and incorporate it into my being. As far as Switchfoot is concerned, I've known about them for about as long as Relient K (since I was about 12 or 13, really [I just never "listened"to their music {which low key, I really regret because both are absolutely phenomenal groups}]). It was this summer when I started working at Delta Pathology that I "really got into" Switchfoot, just as the concert was the same for Relient K, and that was specifically for their The Beautiful Letdown album. What really fueled this was that a tad prior to my getting hired by Delta, I found out both SF and RK (sorry, guys, but I'm just going to type their initials now) were both going on tour together and that in turn meant they both churned out new albums respectively. Truth be told, I listened to both of them in full before the concert at some point in the months leading up to, but I didn't listen to them as religiously as I had for MMHMM and The Beautiful Letdown for a few reasons: (1) MMHMM and The Beautiful Letdown spoiled me in that those two were the first albums from their respective artists that I listened to and fell in love with and so I have that "first exposure bias" (let's call it that for now, but I'm positive there's an actual psychological term for it) for those two albums that I'll tragically yet purposely set the standard for subconsciously for whenever I listen to future albums released by the two bands. That's not to say that any new material is bad or worse by any measure, they could even be better for all I know, it's just I'm more familiar with the older material that somehow sits as "the standard," (2) because of my familiarity with those two albums, I just love those sounds and I just want/wanted to marinate in them because I'm a real creature of nostalgia, the familiar, and the old and I really need to force myself to look at new, new in terms of merely my being exposed to the item or items in question, things, and (3) I was allowed to have earphones in while I worked to play music to listen to on my phone while I worked and I took as much advantage of that as possible and THIS is where my soaking in The Beautiful Letdown comes into play. Now, I've said ALL OF THAT just to come to this point: I've listened to both MMHMM and The Beautiful Letdown backwards and forewards and have internalized most of if not all the lyrics both offer AND because I'm a guy for rank and file, I'm going to give my take on a ranking list of the songs for both albums. Before I get into it, seriously, Where the Light Shines Through and Air For Free are great albums so please listen to them in full (I bring them up because those are the new albums that the two bands are currently for as of now being released by SF and RK respectively) because they're kicking.Just a disclaimer, just because a song may be the lowest number on the list doesn't mean that the song is bad, in fact I may love it (truth be told, I love all the songs on both albums and I LOVE both albums and I will be singing them and my praises of them until the day I die), there would just be songs I prefer over it for one reason or another and this applies to certain mixes such as acoustic versus non-acoustic or a remix/alternative versus a non-remix/non-alternative (those will be accounted for on these lists). Also, my perspective of these albums is skewed because I love them and I know they're popular, but I'm not sure how popular they are, BUT (again) I'm sure that both MMHMM and The Beautiful Letdown are arguably the most popular albums for both respective bands. I could be wrong, and some may offer their differing opinions without my dissent, but that's how I see them. Without another tangent to go on, let's get started shall we?

I'm going to start with the album, and therefore group, that I started with being RK and MMHMM in its original form and not the 10th anniversary form (14 songs versus 23 or so songs respectively). I will list them from not-favorite all the way down to favorite; mind you it won't be easy especially towards the "climax" of the list. I will also list where on the disc/in the album the song lies for the sake of reference. I'm listening to this album while I write this by the way and I'm probably going to do the inverse for SF and The Beautiful Letdown.

14.) The Only Thing Worse Than Beating a Dead Horse Is Betting on One (Track #5 - I put this here because even though I enjoy it [and it's the only song that I only know half of because wtf is that rap at the beginning {low key I like it and think it's cool}] I don't think it entirely fits the rest of the album because of the former part of the song)
13.) My Girl's Ex-Boyfriend (Track #6 - This song is fun to sing to, like the rest of them, but the only fault I have with it isn't its fault: my girl doesn't have an ex so I just can't relate, but it does make me reflect on my relationship with her and make me happy that I scooped her up/she chose me before any other fellow could've waltzed onto the scene)
12.) Maintain Consciousness (Track #11 - I love the jams and nonstop talking/singing flow this song brings and I've nothing against it, I just have most of its peers higher than it)
11.) Life After Death & Taxes (Failure II) (Track #13 - This song knows how to rock and I love the message it brings)
10.) Which to Bury; Us or the Hatchet? (Track #8 - I know a couple people seriously love this song for many reasons [the nature of a friendship or the general "bipolar" nature of the song to name a couple] and I appreciate that)
9.) High of 75 (Track #3 - this song just straight up plays the metaphysical card to perfection and has a profound effect of almost always bringing a smile to my face while I listen and daydream to this song)
8.) This Week the Trend (Track #12 - this song just feels right and this is why it sits at the top of the bottom 50%)
7.) I So Hate Consequences (Track #4 - a serious come-to-grips message with a decent tone to it puts this song at the bottom of the top 50% for the album in my eyes)
6.) Let It All Out (Track #9 - this song has a wonderful message that I love to pieces and brings the feels, I just prefer the feels that its cousin a couple places ahead puts on me)
5.) The One I'm Waiting For (Track #1 - it's one of the more notable and recognizable songs of the album and of the songs RK have done in general and it strikes a particular "rock" chord that I enjoy)
4.) When I Go Down (Track # 14 - This song just brings the feels for me and it hurts that it's not in my top 3, but top 5 suits me fine)
3.) More Than Useless (Track #7 - This song brings the heavy and the right message I really wish I heard while I was a teenager and the crap I put myself through during my high school years)
2.) Be My Escape (Track #2 - This would be my number one if it weren't for the reason I give for my #1; Be My Escape is simply one of my favorite introspective jam songs of all-time)
1.) Who I Am Hates Who I've Been (Track #10 - As if this is a surprise?! This song is so special to me because it's the only song of RK's that I've known about besides the Sadie Hawkins Dance since I was in middle school and it just hits me right in the heart every time and will forever hold the number one spot in my heart; that and it balances just the right amount of light and heavy [referencing Where the Light Shines Through right there] tones so much to perfection; I'm a sucker for very heavy music, but RK hit a very nice sweet spot for both the heavy and the light and this song is a culmination of that [honorable mentions to Be My Escape, Which to Bury; Us or the Hatchet?, More Than Useless {the heavy king of the album}, I So Hate Consequences, and Life After Death and Taxes (Failure II)])

Here's a previous ranking I gave of the album back on the 9th of December of 2014 and you can definitely see that stuff has moved since then:
1.) Who I Am Hates Who I've Been (#10)
2.) More Than Useless (#7)
3.) When I Go Down (#14)
4.) This Week the Trend (#12)
5.) Be My Escape (#2)
6.) I So Hate Consequences (#4)
7.) The One I'm Waiting For (#1)
8.) My Girl's Ex-Boyfriend (#6)
9.) High of 75 (#3)
10.) Maintain Consciousness (#11)
11.) Which to Bury: Us or the Hatchet? (#8)
12.) Life After Death & Taxes (Failure II) (#13)
13.) The Only Thing Worse Than Beating a Dead Horse is Betting on One (#5)
14.) Let it All Out (#9)

Now that I've mapped out how I feel about MMHMM, it's time to get to what honestly, is my preferred/favorite album between the two, being The Beautiful Letdown by SF, (ironically enough, I've been intimate with this album for only about 5 months or so compared to the 2 years of the other) and this is in part due to 2 reasons: (1) this album is more bass heavy and easier to groove to in my opinion and can be heavier in a few parts (which again I have an affinity for) in both the "effectiveness" of the lyrics and the sway of the music and (2) this album just simply inspires a lot of nostalgia in me (yes, it is and I am that simple). I will be ranking the songs on the deluxe version of this album (in part that's the only version that Spotify offers/the one I'm just used to listening to and also in part, the first album list just feels incomplete to me if we're not including Monday Comes Around, the alternative version of Dare You to Move, and the acoustic version of Meant to Live). So now without further ado, LEGGO!

14.) Ammunition (Track #4 - It's a solid jammy-rock song with a fantastic reflective societal message; I'd rank it higher, but I [as I've stated a couple times before in other places to denote the same thing] simply like the sound of the other songs more than it)
13.) More Than Fine (Track #3 - This track brings some nice light-hearted jams to the table that's just absolutely virulent and I love it)
12.) Adding to the Noise (Track #10 - Got to love songs that analyze socio-economic and cultural effects of technology on people. It straight up tells you that if it's not contributing positively [adding to the noise as the title says it is], then you should turn off whatever is playing it. It's awesome that it was written with such in-depth awareness, I find.)
11.) Monday Comes Around (Track #12 - This track brings some really groovy jams to the table that takes me to the beach in my mind's eye on the shores of Southern California and we all know that's a groovy place to be; it also deals with honesty, identity, and time management [if you're being hyper-realistic] if that's also your deal [as is mine] so that's nice)
10.) On Fire (Track #9 - It's a worship song... it's a BEAUTIFUL worship song. Enough said)
9.) Twenty-four (Track #11 - It's another worship song that I find just slightly more BEAUTIFUL than the previous entry on the list.)
8.) Meant to Live (Track #1 - Please refer to the explanation for the next entry on the list to briefly explain this one)
7.) Meant to Live - Acoustic Version (Track #14 - I really think that this is the way the song was meant to be played and listened to [I know you see what I did there {low key it was completely on accident when I first thought of it}] and this song just resonates with me in general, this rendition just does it better in my opinion)
6.) Redemption (Track #6 - I love this song because it speaks to the reality of a walk with Christ [Twenty Four, On Fire, Dare You to Move just to name a few also do this as well]; it is ranked higher than some and lower than some simply because of its musical presentation [not like its a problem, but as we all understand is merely a personal preference on an artistic venture])
5.) Gone (Track #8 - This is a wake up call song and I love wake up call songs [the whole album is just FILLED with them for crying out loud] and it merely states that time is an extremely precious and finite resource we should do our hardest to not squander [among a couple of things that it talks about explicitly or implicitly]; that and I love its sound... well, that AND the bridge that leads into the end of the song is SUPERB and is a blast to just spontaneously burst into singing)
4.) This is Your Life (Track #2 - This is truly a deeply thought-provoking, heart-moving, spirit-convincing song right here. Over the couple of years [this song and Dare You to Move are exceptions to what I said earlier as I've known about these two songs for a few years {the latter more than the former though}] and the volumes that it speaks to me and the wisdom the Lord imparts through it is absolutely tangible. It breaks my heart that it's not my number three on this list because number three just slightly edges it out, but you'll see why in a moment)
3.) The Beautiful Letdown (Track #7 - There's too much for me to say to sing the praises of this track; let's start with it's a joyful cry of the acceptance of the human condition of sin and wrong doing and mistakes and that we can do better by the help of Another [being Jesus Christ by "carrying a cross and a song to where I don't belong"] with the acknowledgement that this is not our home. That's just great, right? We're sick, restless, wandering creatures in need of permanent shelter and healing of our blight; I said earlier that this song is a "joyful cry" and it is in that telling God we happily accept that we are dirty and that allows us to be humbled so that he may cleanse, sanctify, and root us where we ought to be, but until then, we'll always collectively be The Beautiful Letdown)
2.) Dare You to Move - Alternative Version (Track #13 - Please refer to the reason for place #1 and it'll be the same with this spot; the only differing factor is I prefer the sound of this rendition just SLIGHTLY less than the other. It's funny because just as I was finishing up talking about that rendition in the last sentence, that same song started to play <3)
1.) Dare You to Move (Track #5 - Although I COULD write an entire paragraph [or book] on why I adore this song, I'll keep it sweet: the message is simply just so ingrained in my heart and if it can also bring me to tears while  I think about all of my mistakes and accomplishments or I'm feeling nostalgia for nostalgia's sake, then it earns some serious cookie points from me. This song has, in part and for lack of better words, helped give my life some added meaning and it is something I treasure and just hold so dear to my inner being. My feels have feels have feels that feel feels because of it.)

So this is one way of looking at the album as a whole, but to get a more clear picture of how I rate the individual songs as unique entities while discounting any extra renditions, I will now produce a second list for this album for you to truly get a look at how I see these songs "for real."

12.) Ammunition (Track #4)
11.) More Than Fine (Track #3)
10.) Adding to the Noise (Track #10)
9.) Monday Comes Around (Track #12)
8.) On Fire (Track #9)
7.) Twenty-four (Track #11)
6.) Meant to Live (Track #1)
5.) Redemption (Track #6)
4.) Gone (Track #8)
3.) This is Your Life (Track #2)
2.) The Beautiful Letdown (Track #7)
1.) Dare You to Move (Track #5)
*Disclaimer: I am fully aware that "Dare You to Move" is not a unique native on this album, but is in itself a remix of its predecessor on SF's Learning to Breath album called on there by "I Dare You to Move". Between the three renditions of the song, I value the original as highly as I do the non-alternative version on this album because they both, not saying the alternative doesn't strike the same chords (just not as hard, as the other two, but still very hard because of what this song means to me), do the same thing to me but in different ways with their differing, unique tones. I seriously love this song/these songs. <3

Alright, guys. There you have it. My takes on both of these albums and as many musings and feelings I can currently muster on them in the dead of night/dark of the day. Again, please remember that ranking these things wasn't easy in the slightest and even slightly hurts to visualize things this way, but don't worry; I just need to stop overthinking these albums and deconstruct this product in my mind and everything will be as it should be in this respect. Please tell me what you thought of my list either in the comments, or if you know me personally and have my number (which let's be honest, you do) feel free to text me or whatever. Thanks for reading this long, atypical post of mine! See you next time and hopefully with a new iteration of my story "The Seven."

Fury and Lamentation

                On the Eastern shores of a dark, warmongering nation on a dark continent on a dark world stood a tall, stone bunker. Although it is stone on the exterior, it has a rather homely interior. However, any and all furniture and just about anything precious to be named has been utterly destroyed and obliterated and smashed to smithereens. It’s jagged, outside faces are only slightly illuminated by the brief flashes of crimson lightning which adds a mere touch of needed contrast against the mighty gloom of the realm.

This abode plays host to only one inhabitant and this inhabitant is a war criminal; to be more specific, rather ironically, a war criminal who is also a war hero. The enraged beast that is now a warped husk of rage went by the name of Lugekai the Unyielding who served as one of seven prime generals for the kingdom of Draykmer. Aside from Lugekai, the names of the other six were Kosh the Wretched, Mar the Bloodchiller, Relun the Malicious, Uzgarn the Unbridled, Brylf the Unholy, and Nezrov the Merciless. This extremely technologically advanced kingdom, prior to world domination in-part thanks to Lugekai, was a ravenous, powerful nation on the smallest continent on the globe. It was due to the nigh immortal High Emperor that Draykmer was so hungry for territory and blood whereas Lugekai, his like, and all beneath him helped to seek and feed that insatiable appetite.

Whenever Lugekai sent his massive legions to the fields of death, he was always at the front lines valiantly and nobly leading his troops to victory. Anytime he was present in a battle, it would always end in triumph at the tips of his towering, double-bladed sword staff and there would never be such a thing as a “prisoner of war” for whoever stood against his Liege, he would personally see to any and all after-battle executions as he believed the newly acquired territory for Draykmer demanded a tribute and blessing of blood. This led to him gaining admiration and fealty from all his underlings and great respect among those who sat in the higher echelons of the nation.

Unfortunately for Lugekai, the vast majority of his prime general peers grew rabidly jealous of his accomplishments and undertakings and sought to destroy him, so to this end, they took to the chambers of the High Emperor and falsely accused him of high treason against the throne. They slandered his name and expertly crafted schemes to successfully frame him in the Court of the Eternal Justicars where the High Emperor also served as Chief Magistrate. There was nothing Lugekai could do as his hearsay could pose nothing to the powerful testimonies of his former colleagues linked with the false evidence they provided. As the High Emperor delivered his verdict, the prime generals laughed with much spite and hatred in their guffaws at the downfall of the one who they once called comrade; it was on their cackles that Lugekai would swear vengeance on their blood.

The High Emperor in his sentencing decided to forgo executing Lugekai as  thanks for the contributions he had made to world domination, much to the dismay of the other generals who sought his head on a stake on the highest peak of the tallest spire of the Imperial Palace. Instead, he was permanently banished from the realm and forced to live in exile in this bunker. It was contracted by the High Emperor himself to be built with specific parameters offering full amenities for Lugekai to comfortably live out the rest of his live in blissful luxury; to enforce that he stays in exile, however, a chip was implanted into his body while under sedation, so that he may not discern the location and rip it out, to make sure he does not venture out too far from his “home.” (If he were successfully able to locate the chip and remove it, the capital of Draykmer would be instantly notified of this and move to take care of this problem.) They permitted him to keep his terrifying sword staff so as to be able to hunt food. However, after only a short period of time, his anger against his former Emperor and his colleagues grew an undying inferno of rage and fury that would never quench even upon their deaths or even at the collapse of Draykmer itself. His previously hot blood in his angst grew so boiling hot that it eventually began to influence the environment in that it became more arid and brutal. In his anger, he would destroy virtually everything in his entire residence save for a few items his sanity had somehow convinced him were necessities. Day in and day out for decades, whenever he isn’t seeking something to eat (where he mercilessly slaughters animals as prey), he would incessantly scream and roar and swing his sword staff as if he were still fighting battles as he had sought with every fiber of his being to murder swathes of flesh and blood that was anything nearly the same as his.

Unbeknownst to Lugekai, he was not alone in the all-consuming pit of perpetual insanity. At the same time of Lugekai’s ousting, a second conspiracy was unfolding by the hands of the same prime generals who seemingly extinguished Lugekai. On a plateau far out on the Western coast was a decrepit outpost built onto and into a cliff side overlooking the evil, wretched waters that surrounded the entirety of the small fatherland. Anything that may seem like a piece of furniture or decoration or appliance has rusted, corroded, or rotted into oblivion. This forsaken alcove played home to the desolate shell of a being that had previously gone by the name of Xykarr the Callous. In the elite ranks of Draykmer’s commanding military heads, he played as liaison to the prime generals from the High Emperor as Xykarr was one of His Majesty’s chief advisors.

“Why would the prime generals seek to depose one of the High Emperor's chief advisors?” one might wonder. Well the answer is a very simple one: they did not agree with Xykarr’s politics. Xykarr was a very cold and calculating individual who only thought for the best of His Majesty and the empire that was under his feet; he was only interested about iron-clad maintenance of the realm and not so much the expansion of the empire. As for why the High Emperor would choose Xykarr as liaison to the prime generals is because His Majesty believed that Xykarr would prove to be a sort of “leash” for the generals so as to manage their continued conquest for global submission. Almost anything that the generals sought to accomplish or do had to go through Xykarr and this led to rather powerful strain between himself and all of the seven.

Just only half of all proposed plans of attack and spoils of war treatment and distribution were approved by Xykarr. This led to some considerably serious butting heads, especially so between Lugekai and Xykarr. Xykarr heavily detested of Lugekai’s indiscriminate, destructive slash-and-burn and take-no-prisoners methods so much so that he, during earlier campaigns, approached the High Emperor about his disapproval of Lugekai’s tactics. Obviously the reason that Xykarr was antagonistic to Lugekai was due to his clear thinking that the latter was barbaric and wasteful of potential resources such as agriculture and indentured workforces. In response to this, the High Emperor summoned Lugekai to his chambers to contract with Xykarr specific parameters and requirements that would permit his allowance to dispense of the enemy as he so pleased. Lugekai, as expected, grew incredibly furious with  Xykarr, but had to become compliant with his demands due to the latter’s ties to His Majesty and the other six prime generals learning of the meeting and the contents of the discourse. The High Emperor gave Xykarr a weapon of his own for self-defense should any prime general or any other assailant seek his life: a wicked, double-bladed scythe that joins together at the center that could be broken in two and reassembled at will.

How Xykarr fell from grace with the High Emperor was a nefarious scheme concocted by every prime general with the exception of Lugekai, who was away from the capital on an extended conquest campaign. Xykarr was regal, but he actually had a soft spot for the impoverished in his city. He fell in love with and married a slave girl for whom, upon marrying, bought her independence. In this process, he also bought and freed her brother along with his wife and children. Xykarr had three children with this woman: two boys and a girl. The problem arises from Draykmer’s law stating slaves may only be bought and sold for labor, commodity, or as a concubine and are to never be freed. Xykarr broke this law for he had love for this woman and her family, while by contrast being cold and unforgiving towards others. The prime generals congregated in secret to scheme against him, and they did so by hiring a bounty hunter to dig up dirt on and capture anyone of interest to His Majesty’s advisor. That this person did and more: he captured them, bound them, tortured them, and surrendered them to the generals per his orders. The prime generals then set up a trap for the advisor by luring him to a location to confront them, as they had someone leak this information to him so as to be bait. However, unbeknownst to the advisor, they also indulged to the High Emperor about someone in his cabinet that has broken Imperial law and lied to His Majesty’s face on such matters. In this scheme, they had His Majesty wait in the shadows, hidden from the advisor’s sight, so that they may catch him in vice and the High Emperor may see and hear his confession. The prime generals brought the nearly ten individuals, bound, gagged, and needing medical attention, to the confrontation obviously to shut the jaws of the trap. They demanded that he’d pay them a large sum for their release; Xykarr did indeed pay the price. As he surrendered the money, Imperial guards per the orders of the High Emperor, whose presence was made known as the trap sprang shut, assembled and arrested the advisor and his family.

Xykarr and his family were both tried in the Court of the Eternal Justicars with the High Emperor himself acted as presiding judge. His Majesty passed the same verdict that he had on to Lugekai: permanent banishment from the realm. Upon the family, the High Emperor sentenced them to death for high treason against the kingdom of Draykmer by participating in the breaking of its laws. To add insult to the infinitely deep injury in Xykarr’s forlorn heart, His Majesty ordered them to be beheaded live in court for all to see with the former advisor having a front row seat to the event. This broke Xykarr’s heart for all eternity. There was no anger towards the High Emperor, but he could hear the deep, bellowing howls and laughter of the prime generals; these jeers he would never forget and only moved to cement his hatred for them and embed his sorrow. There was only remorse and regret for his endangering and damning of the precious ones whom he had held so dearly. He hated himself for condemning them in his supposed sin against Draykmer. Immediately after the dissolution of the trial, Xykarr was sedated and implanted with a chip similar to that of Lugekai’s. Also, just as Lugekai before him, he was held in prison in the capital while the contractors hired by His Majesty added in the furnishings to the outpost that was to play home to Xykarr for the rest of his days. Same as Lugekai before him, he was permitted to keep the weapon that His Majesty had previously bestowed upon him for the purpose of seeking out and hunting prey to consume.

As time passed, he would wither and grow thin due to his agony suppressing his desire to eat. He decayed into a desolate, derelict vessel that was so far gone that only sorrow and hatred for himself and those who brought about his banishment kept him alive. The depression that overwhelmed the forecast of Xykarr’s heart grew deeper than the Abyss of Gehenna. His howls of pure agony filled the canyons and valleys for miles around as his wounded heart grieved permanently scarred, as he had seen, by the sin he forced onto others. In his unending screams and weeping, tears poured as a deluge from his face. Just the same as Lugekai, his emotional state began to influence the environment around him: the atmosphere became saturated with water in the air, on, and in the ground. As the seasons would pass, the water would either evaporate to create thick water vapor, condense back to liquid, or freeze into jagged, solid ice. This proved to be torturous for the décor of his prison as the water, ice, and gaseous water would move to rot, corrode, and rust all in his abode apart from the stone; however, this does not mean that the stone was safe from his sorrows. The water in the ground moved to soften the stone and lead to erosion that would in turn lead to the falling away of the alcove home as the centuries passed.

Strangely enough one day, both Lugekai and Xykarr simultaneously, but separately of one other, decided they’ve had enough of imprisonment and they want to seek their revenge: one for regaining his pride and the other for atonement. They both get up from where they were sitting in their respective locations, Lugekai in the East and Xykarr in the West, with their respective weapons in hand and leave with  seemingly superbeing-like speed; one fueled by undying rage and the other bottomless anguish. Of course, Draykmer had been notified of their escapes and mobilized a capture fleet to intercept each former allegiant. For days, they would run at hypersonic speeds across the continent in each other’s direction as if somehow instinctively attracted to one another as they both traversed the continent, never stopping to rest or eat or drink for their minds were clear and honed on a single goal. This goal was the annihilation of the very symbol that oppresses them.

On the dusk of the fifth day since they had broken away, they finally neared each other and turned their incomprehensible dashing into mere walking. Two miles separated them, but they saw each other and recognized immediately who the other  was. At once, they barred their weapons and made a mad dash at one another. Their weapons clashed and clanged as they viciously and brutally laid siege upon the other’s person. Though their spirits were destroyed asunder and their souls gone, their logic resurfaced by the power of their hatred for one another and those who forsook them. The dusk, overcast sky became thick with dark clouds and red lightning crashed as their conflict erupted. The weather was controlled by emotions as it began to rain fire and ice from the morose heavens, but this occurrence did not dampen the dire causes of the two combatants. “Why did you seek my destruction?!” shouts Xykarr to Lugekai as they exchange blows. “I did not!” he roars back, “but I’m pleased such a roach as you has been shown his place!” “Lies! Surely you conspired with the other six to ruin my life!” insists Xykarr as their weapons are locked together. “As much as I would’ve loved to, I did not for I was at war doing what I wanted that you had not!” yells Lugekai in retort. “How can YOU come at me with such an amusing accusation when you yourself are also responsible for my downfall?!” says Lugekai. “I know not what you’re talking about! No matter how much I hate you, I never would want you ousted for you were a powerful asset for the throne!” replies Xykarr. “A likely story…” replies Lugekai as he breaks away from Xykarr.

They proceed to not say a word again to each other for several hours as they continue to clash blades all the while as fire, ice, and lightning fill the air. After fighting for around eight hours, the Draykmer capture vessels sink from the heavens in between the clouds into view and hover a kilometer or so above the surface. They both momentarily stop their in-fighting to turn their attention to the new challengers. Every ship was as dark as night with purple color tones in appearance accompanied by sleek jagged features that dot the cylindrical hulls. Each ship carried a squad of infantrymen dedicated to apprehending a specific target. Each fleet carried four individual ships, both designed to handle one specific prisoner based on their attributes and abilities. Lugekai and Xykarr then turn their attentions back onto one another and they both signal to the other that they’re going to rout the recent apparition of their greater enemy. They began to clash blades with the enemy soldiers who move to overwhelm and surround the two combatants. However, the two forsaken warriors are able to discern the enemy’s agenda and motives and they move to intercept the other person’s pursuers. They succeed in eliminating the five thousand strong garrison sent to arrest them both. They then turned to the prison ships themselves who are beginning to turn around and re-ascend in retreat. Xykarr and Lugekai, with their superbeing prowess, leap into the air and dash to each ship. With just one fell stroke from either weapon, entire ships are cut into pieces and fall to the ground as wreckage, killing all crew inside.

After decimating the enemy, the two look to one another. “Perhaps you are not my primary enemy, Xykarr,” says Lugekai, “it seems to truly get what I want, I will now turn to eradicate those who deposed me in the first place. Although, given my knowledge of the circumstances surrounding my trial and charges, I was told that all of the other prime generals and the military liaison signed documents and presented evidence to a situation that was most incriminating. I was falsely sentenced to this hell! Are you truly responsible for this, former dog of the Emperor?!” “No! Certainly not!” Xykarr asserts. “You say the prime generals did this to you?! How very perplexing as they are directly responsible for my ousting as well! Here’s what happened to me…” Xykarr then moves to explain to Lugekai the circumstances that lead to their as-of-that-time two centuries long banishment. “When did these accusations befall you, Lugekai?” inquires Xykarr. Xykarr swears as everything becomes clear to him when Lugekai responds with his answer. “Our disgraceful oppressors have taken us and the High Emperor for fools!” exclaims Xykarr. “How do you mean?” presses Lugekai. “When did your accusations arise?” he asks of Xykarr. He replies in kind and as soon as Xykarr finishes telling his answer, Lugekai too sees the light. “So you’re telling me that the prime generals saw us both as threats and conspired against us simultaneously also hoping to turn us against one another in full knowledge of the contempt we held for one another?! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGHH!! The bastards! The fiends! Oh, I never knew they had such gall and guile,” vents Lugekai. “In their false evidence against me, they must’ve gotten a master scribe to forge and counterfeit your signature on the documents used to frame me!” he continues. “Exactly,” says Xykarr, “now that we both know the timetables, understanding the concurrence and coincidence of events, and the nature of our opponents, I now also understand that you most likely never knew what was going on in the halls of the Imperial city since you were out on a campaign.” “That is correct,” replies Lugekai, “surely you see that we are no longer enemies, but comrades in arms against a common foe. I swear on the honor I had that I shall fight you no more, Xykarr. I will not rest until the heads of Kosh, Mar, Nezrov, Uzgarn, Brylf, and Relun are broken open under our feet.” “I concur,” concedes Xykarr.

To their relief, they needed not to wait long. In the perspective of the prime generals, word that their prison fleets were immediately destroyed was obtained instantaneously. Given that global domination had been achieved, in the time since Lugekai’s and Xykarr’s banishments, the High Emperor and the generals concluded that it’s time to search out to the stars and conquer their worlds. To this end, the High Emperor commissioned for the creation of six extremely large capital ships for each of the six generals. Each ship measured twenty miles in length, eight miles in width, four miles in height, is armed to the teeth with cannons, legions of soldiers, hundreds of armored divisions, bombers, fighters, and a couple docking ports for frigates. Their appearance, much like the prison ships before them, are near pitch black with purple tones in coloration, but their shape was more so akin to ginormous, isosceles triangles. Upon first hearing word that they escaped from their banishment and the dispatching of the prison fleets, the six generals returned with haste to their dark home world to personally see to the recapture of the two; however, hearing of the destruction of the capture vessels only made matters more pressing.

The six dreadnaughts descend from the clouds and become an overwhelming sight to behold. Lugekai and Xykarr need not wonder who were at the helms of those ships for they helped to design those flying mega-fortresses prior to their depositions. Even as these events unfolded, lightning, fire, and ice continued to pour, but more so now with even greater ferocity as Lugekai’s blood boiled hotter than even before and Xykarr’s blood ran colder than the poles. Just beholding these monstrosities made their skin crawl in a way that made them want nothing but to utterly ravage and destroy the threats that stand before them. Just as soon as the six ships began to open fire with their cannons and deploy their fighters, Lugekai and Xykarr dashed through the air at nigh supersonic speeds and they moved to eradicate the closest ship to them. They hacked and slashed through enormous chunks of the first capital ship and made simultaneous moves for the bridge which was now in free fall. Xykarr slashed the chunk in half, while coincidentally decapitating prime general Mar; Lugekai proceeds to grab the head of Mar and crush it asunder. He felt a second wind feeling the hot sticky mess that was formerly the head of an enemy. He vacates the free falling metal just before it makes impact with the ground. They then proceed to fall the rest of the ships in nearly the same fashion with each taking turns crushing the heads of their archenemies. As the final head pops and the last bit of wreckage crashes to the ground, they behold their macabre masterpiece and believe it to be a work of beauty. With this, they turn their attention north-northwest and resume using their superbeing speed to make haste for the capital of Draykmer. They will ascend through the capital to the High Emperor’s chambers and right the wrongs that were so incorrectly doled out to them. They move on with purpose in their hearts with nothing else to live for; nothing else rather apart from rage and suffering, hatred and anguish, anger and sorrow, fury and lamentation.

Musical Inspiration: “The Infection” - Disturbed

Untitled Worship Song

Even as my soul's besieged

You never let go of me

This life gives me more than I can bear

But You insist, and I comply, that I leave myself in Your care

Though this world and the enemy continue to belittle and push me from You

Your still, small voice forever holds me and pulls me through

Anguish, torment, and ruin ravage my fertile soils,

But continuously You open Your floodgates and let flow Your healing rain!

Your mercy erases my guilt

Your grace, it satisfies me

Your faithfulness quenches my fear

Your surging joy drowns my despair

Your peace quiets my uncertainty

Your longsuffering stills my discontent

Your love can't, won't, never will fail!

When my restless heart is shattered,

Your Word binds me together, mighty Carpenter!

I must truly learn of the depth, height, and width of Your love

For I can never be lost as long as I keep my eyes on You

Your mercy erases my guilt

Your grace, it satisfies me

Your faithfulness quenches my fear

Your surging joy drowns my despair

Your peace quiets my uncertainty

Your longsuffering stills my discontent

Your love can't, won't, never will fail!

You fashioned me in Your glorious visage, Yahweh, my Creator

You destroyed my iniquity and made me Yours, Jesus, my Master

You transform me into Your majestic likeness, Spirit of God

Your tower, fortress, shadow, wings, wind, light, all comfort me and are the safest places I can dwell

Forever, You bind me to Yourself and embrace me

Your mercy erases my guilt

Your grace, it satisfies me

Your faithfulness quenches my fear

Your surging joy drowns my despair

Your peace quiets my uncertainty

Your longsuffering stills my discontent

Your love can't, won't, never will fail!

MUSIC UPDATE

Hey guys, so I am trying to update more often this semester. Anyway I've been back at school for almost a week and classes start on Monday. So let's do some music updates. Currently (as in at this very moment) I  listening to Simon and Garfunkel.

I have been listening to a lot of Ben Howard, James Bay's new ep, and most exciting: the new NEEDTOBREATHE album Rivers in the Wasteland. It's sooo good! It was the most exciting part of the summer.


(That is cool cover art!)

It is my favorite album of the year. Mostly because it's NEEDTOBREATHE, but also because it's a great album. More heart Less Attack is possibly one of my favorite songs.

So you need to most definitely go take a listen to the album. Hopefully I can go to the show in Baton Rouge. That should be exciting. OK bye.

A Hope that Goes Unseen

Heather here. Greetings from an overwhelmed soon-to-be college student! After being gently encouraged all summer to put some time back into my writing, I've completed a total of one (1) piece. It's short, but it's on a theme that runs deep through all my work and through my very soul. I could write forever on this, but for now I'll post what little I have. Enjoy:

Zion

Zion

I'm scared out of my mind; I'm alone; I'm thirsty; I'm wounded. I'm wandering in this barren wasteland. I'm so weak that I stumble and fall to the ground a couple of times every few minutes. I don't want to die, but I feel as if I don't want to live either. I long to return home and return to those I love, but I can't. My darkness, chains, and debts wait for me there and chase me even here. They're no more than a day behind me in travel.

Elysha, The Awakened (The Seven)

Elysha, the Awakened

I'm floating in the air. I'm in this large, never ending space of whiteness. In front of me, it looks like some girl is sleeping in this bed. It's weird; the angle I'm at makes it seem like I'm above her. From time to time, she looks at peace and at other times, it looks like she's having a nightmare. I pity her. As I start to feel sorry all the more for her, I start to cry. One of those tears drops off of my cheek and splashes on her forehead. It was almost as if the sensation of splashing my face to wake myself up coursed through me..... As soon as this happens, I see this flash of light. I open my eyes bashfully as they still seem heavy with sleep. “Had a nice dream, princess?” asks one of my comrades.