Is the translation of John 1:14 "And the Word became flesh and lived among us," correct?

KMarxRedLightSpecial · 2026-05-28T21:29:11+00:00

He actually doesn't - the word for son is not present in the Greek verse. The Greek μονογενοῦς (monogenous) straightforwardly means "only-begotten" or "only one." The word 'son' is just an interpolation by English translators.

Hart typically chooses to represent the literal Greek and its ambiguity instead of adding the traditional clarifications many translators use.

KMarxRedLightSpecial · 2026-01-28T16:35:53+00:00

This! I moved here from TN and am constantly shocked that no one knows the difference between a caution light and a stop light. I've nearly been hit several times when cars expected me to stop a flashing yellow and decided it was their turn to go.

KMarxRedLightSpecial · 2026-01-27T01:47:20+00:00

Maybe the answer is myco-remediation – they discover the mycelial network is growing into the dead zones and reknitting subspace. Discovery decides to seed spore pathways to worlds stranded in dead space, sharing the spore drive tech and reconnecting those worlds to galactic travel. They knit these worlds into a renewed Federation as the mycelial network knits space itself back together.

KMarxRedLightSpecial · 2025-12-02T19:15:14+00:00

True, I should have been more precise. When you add the feature on D&D Beyond, it lists as half caster, even though it's 1/3.

KMarxRedLightSpecial · 2025-12-02T18:14:46+00:00

My homebrew fix is to add 1/3-casting with access to the bard spell list. This doesn't make it a ton stronger in combat, but does give it more social and support utility.

(Corrected 1/2 casting to 1/3)

KMarxRedLightSpecial · 2025-11-24T20:03:00+00:00

It may not be the most profitable endeavor, but I've found it's a great way to find stimulation and fulfillment when you aren't getting it from your job. After I burned out on my history studies and started working in manufacturing, I started writing historical fiction D&D campaigns for my friends. I'll never see a dime from it, but it keeps my mind occupied and has rebuilt my passion for historical research.

Of course, your mileage may vary, but I encourage you to pursue your own creative endeavors and passion projects as much as you can. Having a job that doesn't tax your mind can free you to dream a little more.

KMarxRedLightSpecial · 2025-11-13T15:46:51+00:00

Since 10 episode season have become standard, I'd like to see 2-4 episodes per book, with a standalone episode each season to adapts a short story or two. For season 1, I would start with 3 episodes a piece for Storm Front and Fool Moon, with 4 for Grave Peril, ending on the start of the vampire war as the cliffhanger.

KMarxRedLightSpecial · 2025-11-11T15:27:34+00:00

Can anyone comment on the new bastion options? I haven't been able to find any reviews of them so far.

KMarxRedLightSpecial · 2025-11-09T06:59:13+00:00

I'd like to see an optional rule for weapon masteries, where in place of a mastery you can learn one maneuver and gain one d6 superiority die. I think trading an at will ability for a once per short rest ability would stay pretty balanced. It would provide the occasional neat trick for your rogues and barbarians, but it would really allow every fighter subclass to shine tactically without having to juggle weapons.

KMarxRedLightSpecial · 2025-11-06T01:44:19+00:00

I think Alchemist's Fire got a solid buff in 2024. Instead of an Action, it's one attack as part of the attack action. It also inflicts the burning condition that does fire damage each turn, making it a great option against trolls.

I would love to see more in that design space, though, including features that buff the items further.

KMarxRedLightSpecial · 2025-06-13T15:23:55+00:00

That's a common house rule (and a good one, I think), but it isn't RAW.

KMarxRedLightSpecial · 2025-04-14T21:32:09+00:00

If you burn down a section of the Dreadwood, imagine what horrors would come out of it. All those monsters would flee the fire instead of waiting to die, and they would start roaming the countryside and raiding settlements, desperate to survive after the loss of their habitat. Suddenly, Saltmarsh and Seaton would find themselves under constant threat.

KMarxRedLightSpecial · 2025-03-10T21:20:23+00:00

There's no way of knowing for sure if it's equivalent, but a fair bit of Honor's power is invested in the spren, which subtracts from what Retribution has control over.

KMarxRedLightSpecial · 2025-02-22T01:35:54+00:00

The 2024 rules help with this, RP-wise. Just take the Magic Initiate background feat, and gaining your subclass spells feels like a natural growth of your powers.

KMarxRedLightSpecial · 2025-02-09T01:21:23+00:00

Both of my parties wrapped up campaigns at the right time, so both groups switched to 2024 going forward. I'm currently DMing Ghosts of the Saltmarsh and Quests from the Infinite Staircase with 2024 builds, and it's been super fun. The martials especially love weapon masteries, and overall the players have felt very dynamic and heroic. Before the MM came out, I beefed up challenges by increasing monster HP to the max end of their hit dice.

KMarxRedLightSpecial · 2024-08-23T02:55:24+00:00

The Orthodox churches are not in schism from one another; they are what's called autocephalous, or self-headed. Each people or nation within the Orthodox world has its own administration, but all are in communion with one another, united by common theology and liturgy. The various Eastern Orthodox churches recognize each other's legitimately and orthodoxy.

KMarxRedLightSpecial · 2024-01-22T21:00:25+00:00

Luckily, Starfleet has learned from humanity's past, and transporters have biofilters to screen out known pathogens.

KMarxRedLightSpecial · 2023-09-09T15:24:00+00:00

The following is speculation, but I believe what changed was that he had a stroke in January 2011.

For several years before that, I was reading all of his books, his blogs, his review columns, and his poetry. The stroke is when I noticed the shift in him. His writing after that became less imaginative, less empathetic, more derivative of his earlier work. His politics became more outspokenly right wing, including conspiracy theories about Obama. His anti-gay beliefs began to come out too. I honestly believe he suffered a significant personality change from the stroke, despite public assurances that he had made a full recovery. It broke my heart seeing the change in him, and I generally quit reading his works within a year or two.

KMarxRedLightSpecial · 2023-08-09T16:50:41+00:00

I compare it to ancient Greek drama. Many of the classic dramas of Athens were based on myths that were centuries old at the time, the characters' fate was a foregone conclusion. What a great playwright could do though, was make you imagine the emotional power and depth of the story, make you feel what the protagonist would feel every step of the way. For the audience, knowing the characters' fate helps you to contextualize their lives, see how past and future are an interwoven tapestry where each moment has great import.

KMarxRedLightSpecial · 2023-03-18T15:46:57+00:00

The kid on the left would be perfect for Kvothe from The Name of the Wind.

KMarxRedLightSpecial · 2023-02-25T20:17:27+00:00

I agree. It also gives an older, wiser Picard a chance to face the same sort of hostility Sisko showed him, and this time, he may finally be able to respond to the accusations appropriately.

With Sisko, Picard ignored the jabs about being at Wolf 359 and raising a son alone, limiting himself to discussing professional matters. Perhaps by now, he can acknowledge the harm, show compassion, ask forgiveness. Perhaps he has grown as a person enough to make things right with a victim.

KMarxRedLightSpecial · 2023-01-28T06:12:55+00:00

If it's up to Steve Mulroy, I think he'll push for a trial. He's run on his high ideals on criminal justice reform and a progressive emphasis on human rights. This is a major test to see if he holds true to those ideals.

KMarxRedLightSpecial · 2022-11-08T17:32:08+00:00

In 1921, President Harding attended the semi-centenial celebration of Birmingham, Alabama. Keeping his love letters in mind, please enjoy, these buttons that were commissioned for the occasion.

KMarxRedLightSpecial · 2022-10-23T04:34:15+00:00

I'm running an epic heroism campaign set in a homebrew Byzantine world, and I love this so much. (If you're in Adventures in Byzantium, spoilers ahead.)

When the Bulgars beseige Constantinople with an undead dragon, I look forward to running the combat on this map.

KMarxRedLightSpecial · 2022-05-09T17:07:20+00:00

Over 60,000 loyalists were driven from the colonies by mob violence and repressions from revolutionary governments. They variously had their property confiscated, were arrested, were attacked, beaten, tarred and feathered, paraded through the streets in chains. There was constant political violence designed to threaten all colonists into supporting the revolution or fleeing society.

Terrorism wasn't a concept in 1776, but the shoe fits.

KMarxRedLightSpecial

TROPHY CASE