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Phantomfluteplayer

A collection of my art
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Earlier this Summer, I was given the opportunity to travel to Germany for a couple of weeks. It was probably one of the most fantastic trips of my life. It was SO neat seeing the birthplace of the church I am a member of (The Lutheran Church). I was able to stand in Martin Luther's living room in Wittenberg. I got to see major places in his life and it was REALLY cool. Well, I am finally getting ready to upload the pictures, so your message centers may be flooded with Germany pictures. I figured I would offer a journal as an explanation. Anyway, hope you enjoy the pictures!

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Pottermore

4 min read


A week and a half ago, I was lucky enough to have my Pottermore account activated. I was SO excited. When I logged onto the site, I enjoyed what I was reading on the site, really enjoyed getting my wand (Maple and Phoenix Feather 12.5 inches, slightly springy) but was really ready to be sorted. I was about to be sorted by questions the queen herself, JKR, had come up with. I would finally know once and for all which house I would be in. I wanted to be and expected to be in Hufflepuff. I had grown to love the house over the past four years and even (completely coincidentally) had gone to a university whose colors were yellow and black (Texas Lutheran University for those who are interested). However, if I wasn't a Hufflepuff, I was sure I would be a Ravenclaw, or maybe even a Gryffindor. So, the moment of truth arrived. I tried answering the questions as honestly as I could and then...I was sorted into Slytherin. I couldn't believe it. What had I done wrong? I wasn't a Snake. Just...no.  It couldn't be! I wasn't a dark witch! I went through an hour or two of panic then I noticed a post in the common room "Find Slytherins of Pottermore on the Book of Faces." Book of Faces? What's that? Oohhh...Facebook. You can't give links to outside websites in Pottermore. So, I figured, what the heck, I will join the group and I did. When I joined the group, I found a whole bunch of really awesome people posting on there. I quickly came to realize that just because I was sorted into Slytherin, doesn't mean that I am a bad person. It meant that the sorting hat saw that I was destined for greatness. I could do destined for greatness. I am okay with that. While it may not have been the house I originally desired, I am now proud to call it mine. I still hold a soft spot for the Badgers, but I am okay with being in Slytherin. It's a good house with good people. And one last reason I am okay with being a Slytherin: Severus Snape. Enough said. :D

In honor of being in Slytherin, I formed the group :iconpottermoreslytherins:. If you have been sorted into Slytherin on Pottermore, come, check it out. Just put your Pottermore username in your request to join.

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Journal CSS made by caybeach
Brushes by gvalkyrie
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First off, If you know anything about me, I am a HUGE fan of the TV series Castle. I have been watching since it premiered a little over two years ago. I will admit, I started watching because I saw that Nathan Fillion was starring in it. He is one of my favorite actors ever. From then on, the plot sucked me in and I haven't stopped watching since. The show has grown so much since it premiered.  I find myself amazed at how much this show has grown and how loved it is. Recently, I have been thinking about how it got to be that way.
:bulletred:First, it has excellent writing. Each episode has an interesting plot while making us care more and more about each of the characters. They write in the growing tension between Castle and Beckett without making it cheesy. They also keep the plots believable while still pushing the limits. Even when there was a bomb about to destroy New York City and the surrounding areas, they sold the concept. They made the fans at least question whether this has happened in their own lives.  These are some talented writers.

:bulletblue:Secondly, they did SUCH an excellent job in the casting process. Nathan Fillion is an excellent choice to play Castle. I first saw Fillion on Firefly/Serenity. He did a great job playing Mal and definitely was up for the task of playing Castle. I hadn't seen Stana Katic previously to Castle, but man has she grown into Beckett's character. Jon Huertas and Seamus Denver just make Esposito and Ryan so endearing. Susan Sullivan's portrayal of Martha explains so much about why and how Castle became the way he is. All together, the cast has great on screen chemistry and I want to keep watching.

:bulletgreen: One other thing that I LOVE about this show is how much the producers interact with the fans in their lives. They put out books written by "Richard Castle" for fans to read. Richard Castle has a twitter account (WriteRCastle) that posts updates usually (but not always) related to the episodes that aired the past week or are going to air in the next couple of days.  Recently, they even made a fully interactive, functional website for Richard Castle (RichardCastle.net). Through all these ways, the writers make this not just a show but a part of peoples lives. It is quite genius marketing.

Through all this and more, Castle has become a favorite show for many people across North America, if not the world.  I plan to continue watching until the series finale which hopefully will be a LONG way down the road.

How many of y'all are fans of Castle? What makes you a fan?

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It was in junior high that I first started to realize that not every relationship was like that of my parents. I started realizing what homosexuality was. I had friends who began to realize that they had feelings for those of the same sex. In the confusing time of middle school, it was difficult for them to sort through all the emotions that came with this discovery. I have had homosexual friends with a wide range of stories. Some came out to their parents and they were shunned. Others had families who loved and accepted them for who they were. I started forming my own opinions on the issue in high school as I started developing concrete ideas of what I believed as a Christian.

In mainstream Christianity, it is sad to say that homosexuality is largely frowned upon as a sin. In my heart though, I couldn't believe this. These people are some of the most harshly judged people I know about in many circumstances. Why would they choose this lifestyle? No, they are born this way. God created them the way they are. God doesn't make mistakes and he loves all. Therefore, it is no mistake, no sin, for them to be homosexual. I personally believe that no shape or color of love is wrong. God calls us to love so we should love all. That also means that even if some people love in a way that is contrary to Adam and Eve, that is okay. They love and that is the important part.

The reason I write this is because of the recent suicides by the homosexual boys. It breaks my heart that they didn't feel the will to go on because of who they chose to love. That is just sad and wrong on the parts of the society surrounding them ladies and gentlemen. We should love them and support them as they discover who they are. To any of my watchers who may be homosexual, don't give up hope. I am a senior in college and I have some great friends who are homosexual. They are loved and accepted for who they are. Don't give up hope. It does get better.

A couple of ways you can show your support:
news.deviantart.com/article/13…
moonbeam13.deviantart.com/jour…

Skin by jennyleigh
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I don't know how many people read my journal but I like to write in it anyways. It's an outlet for me.

Anyhoo...I have been doing an internship in youth ministry this summer. As some of you watchers may know, I am a theology major and am planning on going into youth ministry. I have been loving my internship. I think it's what I am meant to be doing. Our VBS begins this week. Thus, an insane week for me begins. It is (mostly) fun though.

Unfortunately, due to the internship, I have not had that much time to sit down and just enjoy nature and take pictures. I have gotten a few pretty nice photos which I plan on submitting though I haven't had a chance to really focus on my art sadly enough. I guess that is part of growing up though.

I have been on this site for five years and I know I have grown up a lot since I first began here. I got a profile on this site just after completing my sophomore year of high school. It's actually kind of funny looking at how much I have improved as a photographer since then. I do hope to continue to improve as time permits. I still love photography. It is one of my God given gifts I believe.

Anyway, I just wanted to get my rant over dA's "new" layout off my user page so you get this journal entry. :)

Stamps!
Support Photography by Reioko Powered By Canon - Stamp by Habjan Deviant Photographer - Stamp by Habjan Nature Photographer Stamp by greenspy I Know Stamp - Revamped by EvilSaku Gay Rights Stamp by Raven-LaLupa teddy stamp by findyQ Artist's comments stamp by Shutsumon Christian by NaujTheDragonfly Day Dreamer Stamp by Sora05 Hello, my name is.. by cfryant The Procrastination Stamp by Busiris
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Featured

Germany (and Pictures!) by Phantomfluteplayer, journal

Pottermore by Phantomfluteplayer, journal

Reasons I Attribute to Castle's Success (spoilers) by Phantomfluteplayer, journal

Love takes many forms... by Phantomfluteplayer, journal

Life Flies By... by Phantomfluteplayer, journal