#DEFINITELY ANOTHER REASON WHY HE WAS FALLEN HE TEMPTED NOT JUST 1 BUT 2 MARRIED WOMEN AWAY FROM THEIR HUSBANDS

[sidsinning]

IM SCREAMING HE DID NOT JUST

ADAM TAKE THE L HOLY FUCK

#hazbin hotel #SWEETIE SHORT KING LUCI KNOWS HOW TO PLEASE A LADY FELLAS TAKE NOTES #WENT FROM DAD TO DADDY HERE #IM CRYYING THE X2 CUCKERY OF HEAVEN #DEFINITELY ANOTHER REASON WHY HE WAS FALLEN HE TEMPTED NOT JUST 1 BUT 2 MARRIED WOMEN AWAY FROM THEIR HUSBANDS #THE SAME HUSBAND #IM CRYING X2 #lucifer morningstar #He is top 2 fighting against alastor as my fav rn #hazbin hotel spoilers #the show must go on #sidrabbles

[loki-hargreeves]

Loki x Reader - Married in Secret ENDING 2

Warnings: Fluff, kind of implied smut but definitely mostly fluff Word Count: 1K Summary: Read part 1 first! This is choice #1 of three possible endings you can choose from. Author’s Note: This won’t make sense unless you read the [main part] first :)

YOUR POV

After you had been pronounced husband and wife, it was a real mission to get all the way to the shore without being noticed. At first, you tried to sneak your way like you had done so many times before, but Loki’s golden gear and your wedding dress were sure to catch attention. So with a little help of his magic, Loki disguised the two of you. That definitely made things much easier. 

Eventually, you made it to the docks. The sun had set and the sky was a deep shade of blue. The stars were hanging above your heads and the air was cool, which felt lovely. During all that time, you wondered what Loki was possibly up to. 

He stopped walking when you reached a boat that was scattered with flowers. You saw a closed basket inside and two lanterns. The sight made your heart flutter in your chest with love and excitement. Despite Loki’s serious and sometimes cold exterior, he was so sweet and romantic. 

Loki was the first one to get in, only so he could assist you. It wasn’t easy walking around in a wedding dress. 

He offered you his hand, “Do you trust me?” 

A playful smile appeared on your face when you grabbed his hand, “with all my heart.”

Just like that, the two of you get inside the boat. You sat down comfortably as Loki worked on getting you further onto the water, away from everything and everyone else. The wind was making small ripples on the surface on the water, which crashed with the ripples the boat created. Soon enough, you and Loki were closer to the mountains than you were downtown of Asgard. 

Being in the middle of the water was comforting. No one could bother you there.

Loki sat down right next to you and the balance of the boat wasn’t disturbed at all. In the midst of the cool air, it was nice to feel his body warmth against yours. It definitely tempted you to cuddle against one another.

“This is lovely,” You admitted softly. It was dark, but you could see a sparkle of light in Loki’s eyes. He was worried you wouldn’t like this, but now that he heard that, he was relieved. 

“It’s only one part of my surprise,” Loki let you know as he grabbed the basket. He opened it, revealing all the food and drinks that were hidden inside. There was even cake in there, which you were delighted about. “There is a little getaway waiting for us on Midgard. I know a secret pathway that will take us there. I assure you, it’s quite nice and no one will find us there. We can spend the next week all by ourselves,” Loki explained to you as he grabbed two glasses from the basket and filled them with wine. 

As he finished explaining that, he handed you a glass which you grabbed with joy. It was nice to have something to drink after the long walk you had taken earlier. 

“Loki that’s amazing,” You could hardly believe what you were hearing. How and when had he made all of these things fall into place? “You’re amazing,” You added quickly, meaning what you said. He was truly like no other and you felt so lucky to be with him.

“For us,” Loki raised his glass in the air.

“For us,” and so did you. The two of you didn’t break eye contact as you tasted the wine. It was sweet and not too dry. You had to take another sip of the delicious drink, allowing it to coat all your taste buds.

Loki looked at your dress again, the dress that just screamed you, but it also made you look like a queen. He couldn’t believe how beautiful you looked. He could hardly believe that you had wanted to marry him. His heart was so full of love for you that it almost hurt. 

“I’m glad we did this,” Loki admitted after a while. He put his glass down, trusting that it wouldn’t fall over. The boat was quite still by now as it floated freely on the water. The wind was calming down and the water was becoming clearer, showing your reflection on the surface, even in the dark. 

“Me too,” You agreed. Getting married in secret was the best decision you had made in a long time. A huge, formal wedding wouldn’t have been special. It would’ve been a show and the entire day would’ve been spent by pleasing others and pretending to be something you were not. 

Loki used his magic to grab the two lanterns. That’s when you put your glass down as well, grabbing the other lantern from him. It was something quite simple, but you were excited nonetheless. As you inspected the thin material of it, you saw something special. Your names were written inside a heart. It was incredibly cheesy and you had not expected that from the god of mischief himself. Funny, after all these years, he could still surprise you.

“I love you, Loki,” You let him know, tearing your eyes off the heart for a moment. 

“And I love you,” Loki returned the sentiment shamelessly and leaned in to press a soft kiss on your forehead. And even after all these years, he could still make you flustered. 

A green flame lit around his pointer finger, which burned bright enough to make everything else look green for a moment. He lit his lantern and then yours. Once the two flames grew, he lifted his magic from his hand. 

“Ready?” He wondered.

You simply nodded as an answer. Then simultaneously, you both raised the lanterns up in the air and watched as they kept going higher and higher up in the air, until they looked tiny from where you were sat. The green lanterns moved toward land, but you doubted they would reach it. Perhaps they would float to land and some lucky person would find them. You wondered how long it would take for the rest of Asgard to find out about your marriage. It would be interesting to watch the chaos unfold. 

As you watched the lights, you put your head on Loki’s shoulder. His strong arm was wrapped around you and his hand rested against your hips lazily. There was no other place in the nine realms and beyond you’d rather be than right there with Loki. 

You wondered where on Midgard you would go. Perhaps to Norway? Or would you explore new places you had never seen before. How would you get there without Heimdall finding out about your secret little getaway? Surely, Loki had something figured out. He always seemed to be several steps ahead of everything else. 

“Did you mention something about cake earlier?” Loki seemed to remember what you had said when eh first revealed he had a surprise for you. 

“I most certainly did,” You smiled now. Who didn’t get excited about cake? 

“Well, lucky you,” Loki reached into the basket, “I have exactly what your heart desires, my dear,” He declared as he pulled out the cake. It was decorated with your favourite berries and candies and it looked absolutely scrumptious. 

Soon enough, the cake was before you and you and Loki had your forks. It was just for the two of you, so there was no point in cutting it and using plates. You dug into the cake at the same time, and since it was your wedding day, you fed each other the first bites.

You almost poked Loki on the cheek with your fork, which made you want to laugh, but you didn’t want to choke on the sweet cake. It practically melted in your mouth. 

“Norns, that’s a good cake!” You moaned in delight and wanted to take yet another bite. 

Loki on the other hand, wanted to hear more of those beautiful sounds that came out of your mouth. “Is it that good?” He shot you a flirtatious look. 

You took a second bite of the cake and closed your eyes, trying to tease him by eating in an overly dramatic way, “it’s really good, Loki,” you confirmed with a silly voice. It was difficult to hold back a grin as you put on your little show. 

“If you think the cake is good, just wait until I get my hands on you,” Loki teased you right back with a bold statement. Oh, you were certain he was going to make you lose your mind. But of course, two could play that game. 

You leaned closer to him and kissed his cheek, then you pressed your lips against his jaw, his neck and eventually his sweet spot that always seemed to turn his legs into jelly. 

Loki wanted more.

But you pulled back with a cheeky little smile and decided to focus on the cake again.

“What?” You turned to face him. You could feel his eyes on your skin. Was he surprised?

“Nothing,” Loki wiped the look off his face. He quite enjoyed this. “I’m just thinking about what I might have to do with you.”

“I assume that you won’t tell me?” 

Loki grabbed his glass to taste his wine once more, “I wouldn’t want to spoil a surprise, now would I?”  

Always so mysterious. 

And it was one of the many reasons why you had fallen in love with him. A day with Loki was never a boring day, and you would spend the rest of your days together. 

A/N: can you tell that I love that one scene in Tangled?

#Interactive fic #loki x reader #loki fanfiction

[slytherinsnekxvii]

let's talk about lily evans. she's an interesting character—or rather, the case surrounding her character is quite interesting.

i honestly don't know if i can say i dislike her. by all means, she should be a fan favourite, and she is... but for some rather intriguing reasons.

for one thing, due to the fact she's hardly expanded on in the series, certain parts of the fandom have been forced to either take the few qualities that she displays canonically and amplify them to the extreme (eg. immediate righteous anger at the slightest hint of injustice in fic) or create an entirely new personality (eg. no, i didn't actually disapprove of your pranks, it was just sexual tension). of course, the option of creating a new personality is much more tempting when you can just add amplified canon traits on the side.

for another, her relationship with james sometimes seems likes it's being weaponized against snape and his fans. i've seen arguments that go like "haha, snape just wanted to fuck lily, but james got her in the end anyway, sucks to be you", and not only does it entirely reduce her to an object, it feels like they don't even care about the relationship, the dynamics or the characters. she's basically a plot device.

and thirdly, half of her characterisation in fic is to be a peter stand-in. we don't like the rat man, so let's take the pretty girl and put her in place of the guy who was canonically a member of the marauders, even up until he was named secret keeper. suddenly, she's a prankster and an enabler.

but, snek, you may say, all of that is fanon lily, tho. you just explained that people seem to like her because they just put any personality they want into her as long as she's at least vaguely a good person. you would be right.

let's look at canon lily. she's described as the brightest witch of her age, most everyone speaks favourably of her. in fact, the only people we see actively disliking/being upset with her are petunia, out of jealousy and the invasion of privacy concerning her letter, severus, who lashed out and used a slur that also applied to him in a moment of serious distress and apologised after, and well, pureblood supremacists by virtue of her being muggleborn. interestingly enough, even this dislike manages to develop everyone's character more than it does her own.

as a teenage girl myself, let's look at her actions as a teenage girl. not necessarily in chronological order because I'm writing this at 2am and my memory is already mediocre at best.

1. she's done well enough in school to be considered trustworthy and responsible enough to be a prefect.

okay, i can respect that. a good few of the prefects at my school were really just appointed based on how much the teachers liked you, but at hogwarts, there's so few of them that they must put at least a little effort into it, so i'll move on.

2. she does not press for details when informed that her best friend's life needed to be saved by someone who has been publicly tormenting him for years

now, see, there's no reason why she needs to play therapist. it's not her job, she's just a girl, and we know that snape wasn't supposed to talk about the incident, so he would've been stuck if she had asked for an explanation. however, i also feel like she doesn't seem particularly concerned about his wellbeing, and when he brings up his concerns about lupin, rather than ask for proof, she dismisses it. which, fair enough, i would hate to listen to someone talk about the same thing over and over and over, but, i also feel like the fixation on a theory like that would be cause for concern.

3. she dismisses the actions of a group known to play tricks that harm people and have specifically been tormenting her best friend on the basis that they don't use dark magic

first, i'm going to establish what i usually assume dark magic refers to. aside from jinxes, hexes and curses, i also include anything that produces an effect similar to any of the unforgivables (takes away your life, your free will or your ability to feel safe in your own body, such as when you're in excruciating pain), and magic that would require a sacrifice of some sort.

when snape tries to point out the danger in what the marauders do, she insists that they don't use dark magic. and they don't... but they do use illegal magic. she then argues against the company that snape keeps, which, again, to be fair, is justified considering mulciber's done something to mary macdonald... it's also not a particularly realistic ask. snape probably shares a dorm with these guys, and he's a poor half-blood so he's already on the outs. as far as he knows, any dissent will be met with him getting hexed in his sleep. but, i digress.

given that the marauders have been shown to be doing extremely dangerous with little regards to anyone's safety, and actively tormenting her best friend, i disagree with her choice here. on the other hand, she's made her own friends in gryffindor and perhaps she sees a nicer side of them that we don't get to. she's justified in her actions, but i still disagree.

4. she intervenes when her best friend is hung upside down by a spell of his own invention at the wands of the people who have tormenting him for years

she does object to the marauders' treatment of him, and she does try to get them to let him down. if i were in her position, i would absolutely do the same. i respect the decision to stand up for her friend.

5. she does not seriously attempt to help him or punish the marauders

i do not respect how she handled it. at any point, she could have drawn her wand. but, snek, you say, perhaps she didn't want to get involved physically. she wanted to follow the rules. in that case, at any point, she could taken points, assigned detention, or sent someone to get a member of staff. she does none of those things and i viscerally disagree. if we were ever friends and someone tried to hurt you, i can assure you that i would try to at least see to it that they'd be punished, even if it wasn't immediate or by my own hand. lily, however, chooses to argue rather than take action.

6. she smiles when severus gets hung upside down

chances are, it was more than likely an involuntary reaction, like laughing when your friend has fallen over. however, the fact that it was intentionally written in seems like it's mean to be an indicator that the friendship was already falling apart.

7. she comments on her best friend's poverty and uses a name that's been used to make fun of him after he calls her a slur that also applies to him

she was 100% within her rights to be upset by being called a slur. it is never okay to use slurs. the only situation in which a slur could possibly ever be appropriate would be if you were an oppressed group attempting to reclaim said slur which is not at all what snape was doing here. he was experiencing cruelty, being humiliated, publicly, for no reason beyond existing and he was in distress, choking on soap and upside down. it was damaging to his pride, especially when james suggests that he needs lily to fight his battles for him (paraphrasing) which is an emasculating statement to make, especially to a teenage boy. so, snape lashes out with the most hurtful word he could think of, which happened to be a slur that also applies to him. lily was 100% justified in being upset about this, and she retaliated in kind. she was very much allowed to say what she said. i understand that she was hurt and angry and i respect that, especially as i can't guarantee that i would not have been just as upset in that situation.

8. even when the threat of sexual harassment is made, she still does nothing

i get it, at this point, she's hurt, she's mad, she wants him to suffer since she's a teenage girl and teenage girls hold grudges like it's nobody's business, but... i definitely couldn't just stand by and watch it happen. she basically just let them go through with it.

9. she does not accept her best friend's apology for calling her a slur that also applies to him, effectively burying the friendship

she is, by no means, obligated to continue being friends with him. however, if i were in that position, and the apology was sincere, i would take the friend back.

10. she goes on to date and eventually marry the guy who bullied her former best friend for his entire school life

no. i disagree. but, snek, you say, james changed. no. he didn't. we know, that at this point, james was still going after snape behind lily's back. you can say that she didn't know, but that means that she would have allowed james to lie to her and that doesn't sit right with me bc a relationship built on lies is a relationship that is going to fall apart, especially when your partner has been disappointed by your actions before. you can say that she did know, and that proves that she simply didn't take her responsibilities as head girl seriously enough to stop the head boy from harassing people when she explicitly told him not to. the point is, no. there is no way that this would have worked out as a long term relationship. james is too comfortable lying to her. i can't even say she was justified. there is no circumstance where i personally see this as okay for anybody involved.

alright, so, essentially teenage lily was justified in (most of) her actions, even if i find them questionable.

adult lily dies at 21, while saving her son, but her death also helps save the wizarding world. good job. she, as expected, did what any good mother would.

and that's canon lily.

my thoughts: she's a perfect example of why writing tips are so adamant on making sure people try to show and not tell. we were told that lily is meant to be good and pure and lovely, but the author never bothered to actually prove that, so what we're left with a dissonance between what we see and what we know.

as a result, i still don't know if i truly dislike her. her actions are justified, but they don't match with what we've been told, and we don't have any other information to go off of. at best, i can say for certain that i disagree with many of her choices, despite understanding why she would have made them (except for marrying james potter, uggghh, the only good thing to come out of that was harry and the saving of the wizarding world by extension, ig).

thanks for reading all that, btw! hope it made sense :)

#meta #lily evans #lily evans potter #anti lily evans? #just to be sure #james potter #severus snape #harry potter #thoughts #my opinion #not sure what i should tag this as #im tired and have to get up for work in like #five hours lol #anti jily #im sorry but i really can't do jily

[nalyria]

God Michael! 🤣🤣 I finished playing Shadows of Saintsfour about two days ago during the Freeplay event and my LI was Michael.

I played SOS awhile ago but didn't get pass season 1 because I thought the series was super predictable which made it boring, but WOW DID IT PICK UP IN SEASON 2, esp 3!!! I can't believe it got better within those 2 seasons. I thought the story would be dragging on for no reason, but was pleasantly surprised that season 3 and season 2 were tied together with 1. And they existed in one cohesive story! I can't believe that I would have never, and I mean NEVER, would have touched this story again if it wasn't for the Freeplay event. I completely underestimated this story... I would have missed out this gem. Now I see why this is one of the more well-liked and popular book of the app now.

That being said, I love Michael. No not love, I ADORE him. Seriously.

I never screencap game moments but I had to for Michael. I never felt so much adoration for a character that made me want to do this 🤣🤣. I love the romantic scenes between MC and Michael and the conflict that was presented in season 2. And his asshole-douchery flaw....

In his next line, he says he's worried about you. He's just worried, but still Michael, no need to bring your girlfriend's friend down. ESPECIALLY WHEN THAT FRIEND HAS BEEN WITH HER THROUGH THE THICK AND THIN THAN YOU DID IN SEASON 2 and 1!!! (ofc Michael saved MC's life in season 1, but Derek has been sticking with MC when Michael hasn't, which is alot)

However, his sweetness towards MC is altogether too much. I wish he had more interaction with her friends tbh. But now I present the last line (I think) and perhaps the best from Michael...

So sweet 💕. Gosh he is still fallen head over heels for us 😳😭 like the first time. The sex scene with him was also so sweet... the line said everytging about him is familiar, yet there is something new to discover. 🥺I love how protective he is of MC and how absolutely loyal he is to her. He runs away with her FFS!!!! He leaves a gang and family with an equally traumatized brother just to be with her. He leaves everything for MC and if that doesn't scream Bae material, I don't know what else. He is the epitome of a ride or die partner and I cannot, I don't think, can feel the same attachment to the other LI's in this book. Probably John though lol.

I was super anxious during the train station scene because I thought I didn't have enough points with Michael for him to run away with me and the writers made it seem so, so I tapped pretty fast, half reading the lines in trepidation. When I read that he actually came and then we held hands as the train departed... my heart... 😭💔💔💔💔 RC don't play with my heart like that 🤣🤣🤣

That aside, I wish Michael had a bigger role in season 1, 2, and 3. He did in season 1, but he stopped appearing frequently, esp in 2 and 3. I thought he would appear more often because he's MC's bf. And it would make more sense for both of them to search together. Even unromanced, it would still make sense for Michael to hang with MC's group because they're the only ones who are really actively looking for Bobby. This would have led to more dynamics and interest in MC's friend group..alas, this didn't happen. A missed opportunity IMO but I suppose his absence could be explained by this: he has his own life. Lol. Or a different way of doing things. Still doesn't really make sense to me, but oh well. I still very enjoy his route and his development nonetheless.

I also wish other LI's had more moments with MC. I heard Stephanie was sidelined, not sure though because it was as though the main love interests would only appear around the time our chosen love interest appears. Not sure how much that is true since in season 1 I didn't romance her. Strange how she barely appeared in my route though. I thought she would help us more or become part of the gang, but she didn't. Disappointed because I would have def liked another best friend besides Candy and again, more layer to the friend group. Her interaction with Michael would have def be interesting.

I also wish that non-romanced main love interests appeared more than the Black dragons. To me, I don't think their role fit with the story very well if you think about it. Luke and Stephanie def would. Stephanie's grandma is acquainted with Mrs. Hill and is a witch; Luke's family's hold over the cursed painting. I wish the black dragons' appearances were at least shared with the non-romanced ones. Like I wish I knew what Luke and Stephanie were up to in detail. It was seriously strange for Luke to not be around when Bobby was missing and that he never tried contacting us. In both seasons 2 and 3, I couldn't stop wondering what they were up to and missed them (although Luke drugged us lol).

So imo, the black dragons' role should def be less than Luke and Stephanie. Definitely weird, but it is what it is.

Speaking of the Black Dragon's, Aaron is a hot daddy. Like GOD DAMN. I couldn't help but flirt and kiss with him although I was scared that it might ruin my relationship with Michael 🤣🤣🤣. Cherry.. i would like cherry if he was drawn better. At first, I couldn't like him because of his sprite but his personality is ahh, so mischievous, I love it. I would have picked Aaron over cherry though LOL.

I would replay season 3 to romance them again, but the scenes are very few and I already played most of them. I'm just missing their final sex scenes really, so it's not really worth it to replay the entire season just to get their ending and final sex scene lol.

I can't bear to cheat on Michael with Aaron or cherry, I can't do him dirty like that. Like for FFS, Aaron married Luke's sister and we never, at least imo, build the same heart wrenching connection we do with Michael compared to them. And the fact that he freaking left everything in his life for 10 years to be with us!! Like nooo I can't!! 🤣🤣 there aren't enough scenes with the side characters to justify the cheating 🤣🤣 Michael is too gentle and sweet for the hurt.... but i did cheat on him with Derek HAHHAHA mostly because 1996 Michael wasn't available so I thought something happened so I was like ALRIGHT GUESS WE FUCKIN'. I was tempted to choose Derek over Michael because Derek has been with us more than Michael has. Not to mention, he really cares for MC. Wish there was a 3p ending with both of them 😭😭 they're both super loyal to MC and would lay their life down for her.

The same thing with John too. I can't bear to see Michael grieving over MC and MC picking John over him... can you imagine Michael dying and finally seeing his dearly desired dead gf in DreamWorld but only to see her gettin' it down with some guy who tried to kill everyone in the past? 🤣🤣🤣 nah man I can't do him dirty, especially when Michael saved us from the Faun. Speaking of that event, it was weird that there wasn't a conversation/consequence from Michael who saw John kiss us LOL. And he definitely heard us talking about the intimate moments we shared HAHAHAHA. Though, John's short route is terribly cute. I really enjoyed it tbh. Surprised that we didn't have any repercussions for cheating on Michael with him. Moving on, I watched his ending on YouTube and it was super bittersweet.😭

I honestly like his route a bit more than Aaron's. Or equally. Can't decide! Aaron's route is basically MC still in love with her old crush who used to intimidate her and was exciting since he's someone you wouldn't acquaint yourself with, especially as a young, inexperienced student. And then coming back as a mature woman, and still knowing that you're in love with him and he is still too, ah so cute. That moment you share with him in the snow on the swings 💕💕. Honestly I feel like that moment MC needed a proper adult figure to comfort her so that scene was a bit weird and made me think, hm, MC is probably crushing on him because he is older, hot, and is sort of providing a parental comfort to her lol. In my HC universe, MC crushes on him, but it quickly dies because she was vulnerable in the moment. I'm happy that that moment didn't escalate any further and that Aaron didn't chase MC unless MC did in the end. It would have been very weird because it would have been a moment where he, as an adult figure, take advantage of MC. Then again, it's fantasy/fiction. To each to their own eh? I still enjoyed it. I honestly could personally relate to the line where Mc says that the experience and age (something like this) provided comfort to her, so that moment felt awfully sweet to me.

In the end, there could only be so much you can push in in a story game app.

I still really enjoyed this story. Despite the flaws I pointed out, I love this story to every bits. I find this much more entertaining than SOTF, so I'm glad that it is written the way it is. Perhaps I should write a post about SOTF in the future since I'm close to finishing it, but I don't think I will since I don't like it much.

#romance club #shadows of saintfour #the shadows of saintfour #SOS

[ashbelero]

Obey Me!

~Theology Corner 2

✨Seven Princes✨

You guys seemed to really enjoy my last theology exploration into Obey Me! So I thought maybe I’d do a little more. Part 1 - https://otomeman.tumblr.com/post/618068151319543808/obey-me-theology-corner-so-we-already-know

First, why am I into theology/what qualifies me to talk about it? Not a lot. My dad’s a pastor but I don’t practice, and a lot of this comes from Catholic canon, which I’m also not associated with. But I find the whole thing fascinating and I’ve read a lot about it because quite frankly, this shit is an aesthetic. Anyway, let’s move on to deep dive #2.

We’re all very familiar with the seven brothers of the Devildom and the story that says they were angels who fell from heaven (except Satan who is made of rage and angst). Now, that IS true about Lucifer, the eldest... But I found myself wondering why the others were chosen for that role. Had Beelzebub ever been an angel in church canon? Why were these demons chosen for the seven seats out of hundreds of others? Was it just because they had cool names? And were they really associated with their respective capital sins?

Let’s start with the idea of the seven brothers first. Yes, there are seven demons considered to be the seven Princes of Hell. Specifically, the model that Obey Me! uses is from classifications of demons written in the 16th century.

Around this time period, theologists were very into the idea of creating a hierarchy of demons in hell, with most agreeing that Lucifer is definitely their leader. Originally, I thought they had gone slightly off of the text The Lanterne of Light, written in the early 15th century, which is among the first that names the princes of hell and their associated sins. The Lanterne’s princes are:

Lucifer (Pride)

Beelzebub (Envy)

Satan (Wrath)

Abaddon (Sloth)

Mammon (Greed)

Belphegor (Gluttony)

Asmodeus (Lust)

Seeing this, my first thought was that they’d taken this model and worked off of that. We can see some of them (Lucifer, Mammon, Satan, and Asmodeus) are in line with the game, but Beelzebub and Belphegor have different sins associated with them, and Abaddon is nowhere to be seen.

But after further digging, we find that there’s a later, although apparently less-used, text written in 1589 by Peter Binsfeld, a German bishop and witch hunter (badass, but he was actually kind of nuts). Binsfeld’s classification, known as The Princes of Hell, not only names the seven that we know but also the same sins they’re written with, in this order:

Lucifer (Pride)

Mammon (Greed)

Asmodeus (Lust)

Leviathan (Envy)

Beelzebub (Gluttony)

Satan (Wrath)

Belphegor (Sloth)

Okay, so this is clearly the source material they used - the only slight difference is the brothers’ birth order/seat order. Interestingly enough, this also seems to be the material used in Supernatural season 3 and on (which I haven’t seen). Could the developers have picked it up from there? It’s entirely possible.

Now what does Binsfeld’s classification say about the demons, and were any of them ever considered angels at some point?

First of all, the demons were not just representative of their respective sins, but also the primary source of temptation to those sins. Their entire job is to tempt humans and get their souls into hell. That doesn’t necessarily seem to be a concern to the Obey Me! crew, but then again... we are the ones coming back to play this game every day. Maybe they’re on to something after all.

Now we’ll go one by one through how the Princes of Hell are represented. This is a bit more difficult because not only are translations of Binsfeld’s work rare, but it’s hard to track down the original texts at all. Some of this is speculation, some is based on similar writings of the time.

- Lucifer -

Lucifer is the easiest to find info on, and the one who most canons seem to agree on. Some biblical texts use Lucifer as another word for Satan or the Devil, but considering Satan is a separate entity in Binsfeld’s text, we can assume that’s not the case here. I’m not gonna go into history or origins at the moment; that a story for another day. But the parallels between the game and mythos are pretty basic: Lucifer was the first angel to fall from heaven after attempting to restructure power, and is now the ruler of all demons in hell. This is close to our lore, with the only difference being that Lucifer actually serves Diavolo - but there can’t be any doubt who’s in charge among the brothers.

- Mammon -

Mammon is an interesting demon in that he wasn’t personified as an actual demon until much later in theological history; the word “mammon” simply means money or wealth. I’d love to go further into mentions of Mammon as a concept and sin in the bible, both old and new testament, but let’s stick to this for now. However, we can find stories that describe Mammon as a fallen angel - the reason for his fall being his obsession with the gold paving Heaven’s streets over his love of God. As a demon, he tempted humans to sin through promises of wealth. Our Mammon doesn’t seem to be very good at that.

- Asmodeus -

Asmodeus, or Asmodai in some translations, was almost always a demon of lust in Judeo-Christian theology, and featured prominently in the stories of Tobit and Solomon - Ooh, sound familiar? We’re not going into Solomon’s connection to the game today, but later. It’s not altogether clear how Asmodeus tempted humans to sin (aside from a lot of interrupting weddings by killing the groom), but later depictions show him as a beautiful young man with a limp... this limp being caused by the fact that one of his legs is a rooster’s. (Yeah. Can you imagine? I assume our Asmo got this fixed up somehow.) He’s only ever mentioned as being an angel once, however - by Pope Gregory in the 6th century. There’s no other implication that he was ever fallen. So that’s an interesting note.

- Leviathan -

The most interesting thing to me in Leviathan’s appearances is that the gigantic sea-dwelling demon is often considered not only the water parallel to the land-dwelling Behemoth, but also... female. But while this is in a number of depictions, there’s also hundreds of others. Leviathan was a figure in many religions, although these all seem to simply point towards the sea serpent rather than the demon or Prince of Hell. In catholic theology, he was said to pose a threat to all of God’s creation by devouring it, or swallowing it up in the waters of chaos. It wasn’t until the 13th century that Leviathan was given the role as a demon of envy by St. Thomas Aquinas; this was the version used by Binsfeld, placing Leviathan in charge of punishing the envious.

- Beelzebub -

Beelzebub is another one whose lore is pretty expansive, known by many names and titles. He was commonly associated with disease, though some biblical references to him as a Philistine god say that his title as Lord of the Flies was because he kept the flies away from the sacrifices laid out for him. He’s incredibly prominent in theology and tends to take on the roles of many other demons depending on the text, even being synonymous with Lucifer, Satan, and Mammon at times. Binsfeld’s classification is the first and one of few that assigns him to gluttony, where in others he represented envy or pride more commonly. The idea of him being a fallen angel seems to originate from the Testament of Solomon, but this also associates him with the morning star and appears to be another that interchanges him with Lucifer.

- Satan -

Fittingly, there is a massive amount of overlap between Satan and Lucifer in theological records. Both are described as a fallen angel that rebelled against God and subsequently was cast into hell to rule there in numerous different records. But there’s a lot more references to Satan in the bible than there are to Lucifer - possibly because satan was simply a Hebrew word meaning “accuser” or “adversary”, where ha-satan was more of a definite article to refer to the demon prince himself. In Christian translations, these were usually merged into one. Surprisingly, it’s hard to find any specific descriptions of Satan as a prince of hell; at the time of Binsfeld’s writings, he was mostly viewed as an object of witchcraft, a generalized devil, and often a subject of mockery in a good deal of entertainment media. Not hard to understand why he’d be associated with wrath in this case, as he was by many other classifications.

- Belphegor -

Belphegor’s lore is all over the place. He’s originally described as a demon who seduces people to him by suggesting ideas for inventions to get rich off of, though Binsfeld writes of him as one who tempts with laziness. His etymology is similar to Beelzebub’s, sometimes written as Beelphegor, roughly translated to “Lord of the Gap/Opening”, though it’s not abundantly clear exactly what this title means. It’s possibly because of this naming connection that he and Beel were written as twins. He’s also another one of the princes who was commonly depicted as a beautiful young woman when he appeared in the human world. Looking into beliefs around Belphegor outside of Christian theology turns up some... interesting details, but we’ll gloss over those for now. In a rare depiction of him as a prominent figure of hell, he was sent out to the human world by Lucifer to confirm whether or not it was possible for humans to live in married happiness; ultimately, Belphegor decided this was a groundless rumor. This could be something referenced in his hatred of humans in the game.

So that’s what we know about the brothers based off of one of the more obvious source materials for Obey Me! In future Theology Corners, we’ll explore the demons as depicted in the Testament of Solomon and what the King of Israel has to do with our highly suspicious bishie sorcerer.

#theology #obey me #obey me! #theology corner #obey me shall we date #obey me swd #obey me! shall we date? #obey me otome #otome #demonology #obey me hcs #obey me headcanons #fan theory

[ranxiaolong]

The Woman who fell in Love with the Stars - Chapter 4 - Wish Upon a Falling Star

Chapters: [1] [2] [3] 4 [5]

Sneak Peek: Myths about shooting stars granting wishes were thoroughly untrue; shooting stars were as unreal as the wishes they were supposed to grant. A shooting star implies the star continues its trajectory. Yet those brilliant streaks of light in the sky are falling towards earth, burning up in the atmosphere before (often) disintegrating completely.

Wishes to stars were meaningless, you learned that a long time ago, but you supposed the ritual of it all still kept that slowly-dying hopeful fragment of your mind alive. If a star would grant your wishes, that would truly be a miracle. You paused, hands clasped, eyebrows furrowed and eyes screwed tightly shut.

You pondered, searching for something you could ask of the stars that they might grant you. If the stars felt kind—if they would give you just one thing��

Notes: Hi everyone, thank you so much for bearing with my wacky update schedule! I hope you all enjoy this chapter! (Did I really have the audacity to update this chapter on Valentine's day? You bet your pretty face I did.) ❤️

You sighed, contemplating the stars. You lay in a grassy field, a small hill not far from your flat. Whenever you wanted a few minutes of peace outside at night, that was your go-to spot. The grass was soft and the view pleasing. It was the place with the clearest vision of the night sky—your equivalent of a secret hideout.

As a light breeze passed, you pondered your love of the stars. It really was an odd choice. There were so many other things you could have fallen for, so many interesting things right there on Earth, yet what you were most fascinated by were the celestial beings in the sky. 

Was this what Icarus felt when he fell in love with the Sun?

The Sun was the brightest star from your perspective, purely through close proximity, yet your fascination lay with the stars light-years away. It would have been less ridiculous to fall in love with the Sun. The Sun could be relied on, it would always appear. You should have fallen for the Sun.

Another sigh fell from your lips.

The pull of starlight was always too great for you to resist. Soft, distant, mysterious. The light of the stars always lured you into chasing more.

But the light from the stars was cold. The Sun was warm, it’s rays holding you, guiding you. The stars were distant. The light of the stars could guide only if the sky was clear. If there was anything to obscure the stars, you would be plunged into darkness. However, even on cloudy days, the Sun’s brilliant light managed to penetrate through the coverage. Even on gloomy days, the Sun would force its way through to let you see.

A bright burst of light shot across the black canvas, bringing your mind back to the stars before your eyes. 

A falling star.

You brought your hands together to make a silent wish. Wishes to stars were meaningless, you learned that a long time ago, but you supposed the ritual of it all still kept that slowly-dying hopeful fragment of your mind alive. If a star would grant your wishes, that would truly be a miracle. You paused, hands clasped, eyebrows furrowed and eyes screwed tightly shut.

What were you to wish for?

There was only one streak of light, so you could only wish once. 

What would you wish for?

Wishing for the Doctor was unreasonable. Wishes were unreasonable by definition, but to wish for that felt like an utter extreme—like you were tempting the universe to unleash something upon you that you could not yet even imagine. It would be tempting fate.

How were you to wish upon a star that the stars would return your love? 

You pondered, searching for something you could ask of the stars that they might grant you. If the stars felt kind—if they would give you just one thing… 

You breathed in deeply, your wish made on the exhale leaving your lips.

You wished for the hurt to stop. It almost didn’t matter how. You just wished desperately for the pain to stop.

————

Yaz’s mother held out a drink for you to take, a fresh cup of tea in the white mug. You accepted it gratefully from your chair at her dining table.

“Thank you, Mrs. Khan.” You smiled.

“I told you, Najia is fine. You’ve been Yaz’s friend since the both of you were below my waist!”

You laughed softly, “Sorry, I’m just so used to calling you that, I’m not sure I can call you anything different.”

Najia smiled warmly at you before turning to Yasmin, a slight crease in her brow. “And Yasmin, I told you to bring your friends around more often.”

Yaz rolled her eyes.

Najia sighed, sitting next to Yaz on the couch. 

“Are you seeing anyone?“

“Mum, stop.”

“What? You never tell me anything. The only way I seem to get answers is by asking people you know or pressuring you in front of them.”

Your gaze is on Yaz, whose eyes look up to yours, connecting for a moment.

There’s a strange lightness in your chest that lasts for a fleeting second.

That was odd.

Najia casts a glance between you and Yaz. “Are you two together?”

Yaz choked on her drink, sputtering.

“Mum!”

While Yaz had her coughing fit, your hand waved the thought away, a light smile on your lips, “No we aren’t together, Mrs. Khan.”

Yaz’s mother deflated slightly in disappointment for a brief moment before smiling again. “Well, regardless, feel free to stop by anytime, we don’t see you come by as often as we’d like. I feel like you don’t pop on by as often anymore. Yaz never brings her friends around much.”

Yaz groaned, cheeks still red from her lack of air, “That’s because you embarrass me every time I do bring anyone.”

You chuckled into your cup.

Yasmin’s mother waved her off, “I just get worried about you. I want to make sure you’re making friends.”

A long-suffering sigh exited Yaz’s chest. “Mum, I’m not twelve.”

“I just want to see you happy, darling.”

Sonya snorted as she walked into the room, sitting down at the table with a mug in hand, “She’s married to her work, don’t expect her to come home with anybody anytime soon.”

Yaz shot her sister a glare.

Yaz’s mother hummed, “But I would be happy if you find somebody nice to settle down with, If you want that sort of thing. I just want the best for you.”

“Mum, stop it.”

“What? I want grandkids to spoil.”

Yaz moaned into her hands, face flushed.

You laughed cheerfully at Yaz’s expense, a warm smile splitting your face, eyes crescenting with your grin.

“And you never tell me anything, for all I know, you could have been dating her.” Yasmin’s mother nodded your way.

The odd lightness bubbles forth within your breast, quickly dying out again.

Yaz’s eyes flitted to you momentarily, a darker blush settling across her cheeks as she goes back to berating her mother for always being so invested in her love life. “Mum, I told you to stop sticking your nose in my life like that. And don’t bring her into it. She has to deal with enough.”

Your giggles slowly died out in your cup as you took another sip of tea. You look up from the rim of the ceramic, catching Sonya’s gaze.

Sonya studied you with squinted eyes.

Your brows furrowed in confusion, “What?”

Sonya leaned forward from across the table, “I don’t understand why she doesn't just tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

Sonya sighed exasperatedly, “You two are absolutely hopeless.”

“Hey!” You cried indignantly, ”What’s that supposed to mean?”

Yaz walked over, stopping a few paces away from your chair, arms loosely crossed. “What’s going on over here?” Her eyebrow raised, glancing between the two of you.

“Your sister is being cryptic and I can’t tell if I’ve just been insulted or not.” You groaned.

Yaz sighed, exasperation laid into her tone, “Sonya...”

“It’s all right,” you chuckled, “can’t imagine it was that important. Just something about some secret you are apparently keeping from me.”

Yaz’s eyes widened in alarm, glaring at Sonya, “Don’t you dare.”

Sonya rolled her eyes, “I didn’t tell her anything. But you probably should. If for no other reason, it’s almost painful to watch you drool over—”

Yaz’s hand slapped over her sister’s mouth.

“I don’t drool over—” Yaz turned her head slightly, biting her tongue. Her eyes closed as she exhaled heavily through her nose.

“Gaze longingly after? Stare after like a lovesick puppy?” Sonya all but batted her eyelids mockingly.

“Stop.” Yaz’s tone was sharp, her eyes furious.

Sonya shut her mouth.

“Hey,” you interjected warily, “I’m sure it’s all good, yeah? Nobody told anybody anything. Not even sure what this is even about, but we can all be civil here.”

Yaz looked back, her chocolate irises connecting with yours, a kind of urgency and desperation in her eyes you didn’t remember seeing before.

“She really didn’t?”

You shook your head.

“Whatever it is, I can tell it’s important to you, so I won’t push. But do tell me if I can help. You’re my best friend, Yaz.”

Sonya glanced between the two of you.

Yaz let out a resigned sigh. 

“Thanks.” She says your name with a strange tint in her tone. You don’t quite know how to place it, so you tuck it away in the back of your head, something to think about later.

You smiled brightly. “Always.”

————

You were running. Your heart pounded in your ears as you lept over a branch that obstructed your path, the forest dark, moonlight casting random splotches of much-needed light through the leaves. You continued to run, not turning your back. Every second you didn’t spend running…

You gasped as something ice-cold wrapped around your wrist, short spikes digging into your arm. You struggled against the firm grasp, the freezing appendage refusing to let go. You turned in the creature’s hold, face pailing. 

The face of the creature was bug-like, hexagonal compartments glinting disturbingly in the faint light of the moon. Its long greyish-blue body towered a good two feet over you, head bobbing up and down slightly. The pincers of the creature’s mouth clicked together rapidly in a menacing fashion. You gulped, looking down, the praying mantis-esque arm biting down into your forearm. 

The creature raised its other arm, moonlight flashing across the tough exoskeleton. Your eyes snapped shut as it sliced downwards, a cry for help leaving your lips.

You bolt up from your pillow, heart thundering in your chest. Your pulse roared beneath your skin as your eyes rapidly scanned your surroundings. Without thinking, you unlocked your phone and clicked on Yaz’s number, bringing the phone to your ear, still breathing heavily.

As the phone rang, your heart rate slowly began to return to normal. 

This was stupid.

Your mind began to process the situation. 

What were you doing?

You kicked yourself mentally.

It was just a bad dream and you weren’t six.

You sighed, continuing to harshly berate yourself internally.

You were a grown woman, you didn’t need to call somebody. It was pathetic. It was just a bad dream. It was stupid to call Yaz. It’s not like she could do anything about it—not like you actually wanted her to—but—

Just as you were about to bring your phone down to end the call, Yaz picked up.

You stuttered into the speaker, struggling to come up with an excuse for waking her up at the ungodly hour. “Ahh, sorry. Sorry. I was about to hang up the phone.”

“‘S okay,” Yaz mumbled groggily, “‘S it ‘n emergency? Do ‘ou need an’thing?”

You could hear faint rustling on the other end of the line between Yaz’s sleepy words.

“No. I’m sorry for calling you in the middle of the night. It’s just that I had a nightmare and I woke up, and I don’t know why but I called you and I’m so sorry for waking you up for something as stupid as this and—”

Yaz cut your increasing ramble off, “Shhh-shhh-shhh. ‘S all right. I don’t mind.”

Yaz waited patiently on the other end of the line for you to calm your nerves.

“Do you want t’ talk ’bout it?”

You shook your head, then realizing she couldn’t see you, verbalized your response. “I don’t want to keep you up, but—”

Yaz’s voice was soft, “You’re not a bother. You can tell me.”

You felt tears well up in your eyes. A slight hiccup left your trembling lips.

Yaz called your name out softly. “Are you crying?”

“I’m sorry,” you immediately respond, “Sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize.”

You couldn’t help the last few apologies that slipped past your lips between your shaky breaths.

“Thank you.” You replied faintly, a slight crack in your hoarse voice.

Yaz hummed tenderly into her phone. “Always.”

The nightmare had faded, but your heart was still rapid within your breast. 

It was just a lack of sleep. That must be it.

————

The soft smell of grass brushed over you, your eyes roaming the night sky. It was nice out; the stars unobscured. 

The slow pulses of light shone, your focus floating amongst the constellations.

Your gaze drifted across the sky, eventually dropping, finding the constellation of Scorpius. So obsessed with the nebula residing just south of the belt of Orion, you hardly paid attention to the main antagonist of the old myth. You followed the curl of the scorpion’s tail. It was fascinating how people came up with shapes from the placement of the stars to tell stories to better understand the world around them.

Your brief thoughts fell to the mythical man that was pasted in the stars. Zeus admired him so much that his image was immortalized in the glittering sky. You wondered if Zeus plastered the Doctor’s image in the stars as well, every thought of the stars becoming thoughts of the Doctor.

The Doctor’s constellation was the entirety of the endless drops of light in the night sky. 

If Icarus was doomed to love the Sun, would you forever be doomed to love the stars only to crash back to Earth? The stars had lured you in. You had been drawn in by the stars’ tempting glow. The twinkling lights fanned dreams filled with wonder, dreams of fascination and of love. Your wings were forged from your affections and you flapped towards the heavens, eager to greet the iridescent lights.

With wings tipped in space filled dreams, you flew up towards the stars. But dreams were fragile, crafted from wax and string as the mold to pour your accomplishments into—wings made of feathers and wax do not last. You had flown too close to the sun. The brightest star in the sky burned your wings and let you fall. You were naïve to believe the stars would catch you.

The sun never caught Icarus, and the stars would never catch you.

————

You laughed with glee at the adventure Yaz was relaying to you. The Doctor had taken the gang to a planet that, to instill a sense of contentment amongst its citizens, had a kind of gaseous substance that tricked the brain. If inhaled or eaten, the substance caused people to hallucinate the things they desired the most (or at least in that moment).

The culture of the planet was to treat guests to a banquet, and their culture believed it was a kindness to show people what they desired to see. In theory, it sounded fantastic. In practice, however...

Ryan had apparently started to hallucinate about a large tub of fried chicken following him. You had found the image hilarious, the man swatting at an imaginary container and his outrage that every time he tried to pick up a piece his hand would pass straight through or he picked up some other food that tasted exactly nothing like what he saw. The Doctor had finally deduced that the acceleration of the effect was a chemical most likely contained in the food, so despite the starving fam, none of them were allowed to eat the banquet set before them. 

“I was just sitting there, starving for nearly three hours.” Yaz groaned, head falling back, back against your dining room chair. Her eyes had flickered to yours, a small smile of contentment blooming on her features at your elated expression.

You giggled, “Was food the only thing you guys saw?”

Yaz shook her head, sighing. “No. I think for a world like that, those aliens didn’t process the chemical the same as us. They went on with their lives in a generally happy mood, but some of the things we saw after a lot of it got into our system…” Yaz trailed off, her expression dropping, eyes intent upon a spot on the table despite her forlorn features.

You sat forward, prompting Yaz to continue.

Yaz sat, looking intently at her hands, “It started getting really hard to just be there. Graham and Ryan kept on seeing people passing by as Grace. It started not just being objects that we saw or things that made us happy, but things we missed or lost as well. We started seeing people. I felt like I was about to go mad.”

Your brows furrowed. 

“You would also see situations… they wouldn’t exactly be hallucinations, but they became so clear in your head that—” Yaz bit her lip. “You thought they would happen, it was so believable, you became almost certain that they would happen. Even if you knew they wouldn’t.”

You wavered, not sure if you wanted to sate your burning curiosity that bubbled at her words. “Did you see anybody?”

Yaz hesitantly nodded.

“Can I ask who?”

Yaz paused.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” you added quickly, “From what you were telling me, it’s probably a touchy topic.”

Yaz looked up before her eyes dropped back to her clasped hands. “It’s alright. It was just a silly wish.”

“Water, water everywhere?” You offered.

Yaz’s gaze fell on your face again, something unreadable in her eyes.

There was most definitely something that came more to mind than just some food she couldn’t eat on the alien planet. There was something she desired that she couldn’t have. 

Whatever it was, Yaz deserved to have it.

The thought immediately passed through your head. Yaz had helped you through so much. She deserved any wish she could possibly have.

“Nevermind.” A blush rose to Yaz’s cheeks, her face turning away quickly.

You let it go, though your mind still resting on the rosy hue that adorned Yaz’s cheeks, wondering what—who—she saw.

————

Your eyes meandered across the sky, grass brushing the back of your neck softly. Silver dots across the bluish-black backdrop had you plunged into an internal debate. The past few months had been rough, the sense of abandonment probably the worst of everything you felt. The feeling of being cast aside by the woman you loved still fresh despite the start of the whole ordeal being nearing four months ago.

Had it been already?

It felt like so much longer.

Your eyelids slid closed. Time seemed to pass by so much more slowly when you weren’t always traveling in the blue box. 

Yet, despite such thoughts, you were glad for the slow pace. You weren’t sure how well you would have handled it all if you were forced to move through your emotions and faster than you already were. 

Gratitude towards Yasmin bubbled in your chest. If it weren’t for your best friend, who knew where you would be. Losing the Doctor was a lot more than just losing a woman you fancied: it was losing the night sky as a whole. It was having to lose the stars. 

If you could think of some way to properly repay Yaz, you would do it in a heartbeat. Nothing seemed great enough to repay the woman who helped you through your love with the stars.

When you opened your eyes, a flash of light darted across the velvet sky. 

There had been quite a lot of falling stars as of late. You must be passing through the residual line of rocks and ice left from another object orbiting the sun. Thoughts of falling stars filled your mind. Another wish nagged at the back of your head. 

You begged the stars to listen to your request. Even if they could do nothing about your own plights, you hoped they would at least listen to this one. 

Please grant Yaz’s wish. Please let Yaz be happy.

————

As you sat on the stairs leading up to your apartment next to Yaz, two steaming mugs of cocoa in hand. You offered one to your best friend, who thanked you softly. Your baggy sweater drooped over your body, doing a decent job of protecting your frame from the cool air nipping at your skin. Your cheeks were slightly rosy due to the night air. 

“I’m not sure if it’s incredibly bad luck or if this is just some big cosmic joke that the universe is playing for laughs.” You nursed your cup close to your breast, a sigh leaving your chest.

Yaz raised an eyebrow, “What’d you mean?”

You shrugged, “The whole situation, really. Seven and a half billion people on the planet and I fall in love with an alien.”

Recognition lights in Yasmin’s eyes, her gaze quickly averting to her cup, fingers tightening around the handle. “Oh, that. Yeah. Odd how that works out.”

Your dry laugh was mirthless, self-pity in your eyes. “Maybe I’m just not cut out for love.” 

You miss how Yaz’s eyes dart across your crestfallen form.

“I mean, there’s an entire world of people I went and fell in love with a star.”

Yaz barely managed to bite her tongue, words nearly tumbling out from between her lips that would be hard for her to take back.

What if you were looking at the wrong stars?

Yaz wasn’t sure if they were words she would want to take back.

“I’m sure there’s a star that would fall for you.”

Your mouth went dry as your eyes connected with Yaz’s, her irises intently on yours.

You quickly shook your head, praying your chuckle didn’t reflect the sudden skittishness you felt well up inside of you, “No, no. I—I’m not worthy of a star.”

A frown tugged at your best friend’s lips. “You’re worth all of the stars. Just because she doesn’t think you’re worth it, definitely doesn’t mean that you’re not.”

Your heart raced in your chest, your palms damp.

Why were you suddenly so nervous?

You quickly turned your head, resting your mouth in your palm to partially cover your face indiscreetly, hoping Yaz hadn’t noticed the heat rising in your cheeks.

“Thank you.” You mumbled into your hand.

Yasmin’s eyes were soft, her kind smile caused your stomach to become impossibly light when you turned back. “You deserve all the stars in the universe.”

You fought the fluttering in your chest.

Your eyes turned to the stars. There was no sadness when you looked at them. For the first time in nearly four months, no melancholy.

The lightness in your breast was just due to looking at the stars.

Your cheeks burned.

It was the same lightness you had when you looked at the stars.

————

You gazed longingly up at the night sky while laying on the grassy hill, dots of light twinkling back. A quick dash of light zoomed past, quickly being swallowed by the darkness as it fizzed out of existence. 

A falling star.

You breathed in deeply, the crisp cool night air and the smell of damp grass filling your nostrils. 

To you, Yaz was like a falling star. She was there to give you a blazing glimmer when your eyes were glued to the cold glow of the dewy drops in the sky. 

Yaz was able to bring the light and gently place it into your hands.

In a world where the stars were trapped above like a spiderweb in the sky, Yaz managed to pluck their rays and set them in your palms.

Myths about shooting stars granting wishes were thoroughly untrue; shooting stars were as unreal as the wishes they were supposed to grant. A shooting star implies the star continues its trajectory. Yet those brilliant streaks of light in the sky are falling towards earth, burning up in the atmosphere before (often) disintegrating completely. 

But despite the resolute answer of the myth, Yaz somehow managed to grant nearly everything you could have ever wished for. She cared for you when you were down, she provided company on lonely nights, and she was a shoulder to cry on when the pressure became too much. Yaz was always there, a falling star that landed in your arms. You held out your palms and she landed in an explosion of fireworks.

Your heart fluttered within your breast.

Yaz fell into your reach, she fell from the sky into the mud to bring you back up to look towards the stars. Yaz shone brilliantly, brightly, breathtakingly, beautifully. 

Yaz shone like the stars.

————

As Yaz recalled her latest adventure enthusiastically, you could see all the stars of the sky shine in her eyes, all the planets untold, all of the excitement you wished you shared. Your gaze fell slightly, trailing down her face, ultimately landing on her lips. You forced your gaze upwards, berating yourself internally. Yaz was just a friend—your best friend—looking at her like that was inappropriate. Your mind briefly flickered to the Doctor. You had thought that about her, too. Suddenly your mouth tasted bitter.

You didn’t notice the frown that began to tug at your lips. Yasmin’s ramblings halted, noticing your expression.

“Is something wrong?”

You jumped. “What? Nothing, nothing. It’s just,” you weren’t quite sure of how to finish your sentence, “I was remembering something unpleasant.”

Yaz frowned. “Nothing to do with me, I hope?”

You shake your head quickly, “No! Not at all. Of course not. I was just reminded of—I was thinking about—“

“The Doctor?”

Your eyes widened in alarm.

“I’m not an idiot. I can tell.” Yaz smiled sadly at you. “If me talking about my adventures with her makes you uncomfortable I can stop.”

You shake your head vehemently. “God no, I don’t want you to stop. I love hearing about all the things you get to do—get to see. I just wish I could be there with you.” You fiddled with your fingers, eyes glued to your hands in your lap. “I love watching you tell me everything, you always look so excited and happy and—the stars you’ve seen seem to be reflected in your eyes. I feel like I’m there with you, but it makes me wish I could actually have been there too.”

You glanced up from your hands to Yasmin’s face, and you were startled at how intently she was looking at you. You couldn’t quite identify it, but the look of awe and wonder in her eyes made your body tingle. You felt like you were swimming in her dark eyes.

Yaz leaned forward slightly, her eyes still locked with yours. You felt your pulse quicken, breath becoming slightly more erratic. You hoped she didn’t notice. The woman’s eyes briefly fell lower on your face before flickering back up. Your breath caught in your throat.

“I’ve been waiting for so long,” Yaz’s eyes seemed to be searching yours. What she’s looking for you didn’t know—what you were denying to know—refusing to hope. “I thought that it would only be her.” Yaz let out a breath, “I thought that she would be the only one who could match up to the stars in your eyes. The one who you would look at like you looked at that nebula.”

The look of awe Yaz gave you was soft, the emotion in her eyes everything but spoken aloud.

“I never thought I’d ever see you look at me the way you look at the stars.”

You faced her fully, unable to tear your eyes away from her chocolate pools. Yasmin leaned closer, her eyes flickering down again briefly and you lick your lips, her breath lightly fanning against your mouth.

“You need to tell me if you want me to stop because I don’t think I can otherwise.”

You could only swallow thickly in response. Yaz’s chest brushed your shoulder, faces centimeters apart, lips a hair’s breadth away from one another. She slowed, waiting, giving you enough time to decide to pull away before your lips collided.

You didn’t.

Notes: Ah, Yes. Metaphors have a way of taking this story by the throat, don't they? I bet a lot of you are getting pretty sick of my stringing-you-along-at-the-pace-of-an-iceberg shit, aren't you? I try to act badass yet I'm all blushes and giggles and this soft crap is what I post. What a blow to my reputation.

Ahhhh, but if nothing else, the rest of you like the show for its commitment to the stars, the fascination to the heavens and all its endless splendor? Right? Right? Let me and my cheesiness live.

Aaaaaaanyways, I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter! And I love hearing your guys' feedback! I want to know what you loved, what you didn't, what would you possibly shout at anybody in this story as your emotions are put on edge! Please tell me! Until next time, ciao!

Tag List: @oster-hagen , @creativefangirling123  , @wonders-of-the-multiverse , @skittle479 , @actuallyanita​ 

#doctor who #Doctor Who fanfic #13th Doctor #13th doctor x reader #13 x reader #Yasmin Khan #yaz khan #yaz is an amazing character #far too many stars metaphors #I did update this story on valentines #pining #yaz x reader #yasmin khan x reader #haha I bet none of you expected that when you suckers started reading this story #I'm sorry I was joking please don't leave me #the woman who fell in love with the stars #wish upon a falling star

[yoon-kooks]

Little Things

Pairing: Yoongi x Reader

Genre: FriendsToLovers!AU, FWB, Fluff

Summary: You never thought a casual one-night stand would lead to six months of friends-with-benefits shenanigans, nor did you believe that something as simple as borrowing his hoodie would make you question your feelings for him.

Word Count: 2.4k

A/N: this is day one of my yoongi fluff week 2.0!! tomorrow ill be posting a short dogwalker!au ft. min holly ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ check out the official myg fluff week post for the full schedule~!

When the rustling of sheets finally settles after a long night, it’s all routine. First you cuddle your bare body up to his and listen for your heartbeats to slow. Then you stare longingly, waiting for a kiss. And when you finally get the kiss, you never want it to end—the feeling of his tender lips against yours. But then it does, and the two of you have a moment of silence to cherish each other’s company.

“I should get going now,” you break the silence, running a delicate index finger along his chest.

Yoongi waits until your finger has made its way up to the tip of his chin before nodding. Your lips can’t hold back a tiny smile and giggle. It’s always so funny how the two of you don’t have much to say once the physical intimacy ends, and yet, there’s this unspoken feeling that lingers between you and him.

And after giving the boy one final smooch on the cheek, you sit up in the bed and stretch. The boy, too, knows that’s his cue to get cleaned up and dressed. You enjoy the view as he rolls out of the blankets first to slip on a fresh pair of boxers.

“Hey Yoongi, can you toss me my underwear please?” you ask innocently, still waiting beneath the warmth of the blankets. His eyes glance over at the bottom corner of his bed, the designated spot where all your clothes got tossed aside amidst the sex. But in the aftermath, your clothing seems to have disappeared.

“Help me look for them, Lazy.” Yoongi sneaks another peek at your exposed chest before handing you a heavy black mass. It isn’t until you unfold the black mass that you realize it’s one of his many hoodies. One of the hoodies you’d always wanted to try on when he wasn’t looking because it looked so soft and comfy.

You slip the hoodie over your naked body, thankful that it covers just below your ass cheeks. Although you really want to check yourself out in the mirror, you instead help the boy gather your clothes that had somehow scattered across the bedroom. A sweater is found on the floor, jeans thrown over the chair, a cute bralette hanging over the computer screen, and lace panties in the hand of your friend with benefits.

Snatching your last garment out of Yoongi’s hand, you smirk. “I’d put these back on, but they’re probably all dirty now. So I won’t~” Instead of putting any of your own clothes back on, you shove them into your bag and opt to make use of Yoongi’s hoodie. The boy picks up on your naughty intentions and pulls the hood over your head, perhaps to trap in the warmth.

“Are you going to be warm enough like that on the way home?” Yoongi starts digging through his dresser for some sweatpants you can borrow along with the hoodie. “It’s cold out tonight, you know.”

“It takes like five minutes for me to drive home, so I think I’ll be fine, Yoongi. But I appreciate the thought,” you giggle at his sweet gesture. The two of you might only be acquaintances who use each other for sex, but he’s definitely the most thoughtful boy you’ve come across. You can recall so many instances in which you were on the receiving end of his soft side, like the time he helped you cover up a bad hickey with makeup, or how he disses the annoying coworkers you always rant to him about. And part of you envies the lucky person who’ll someday be blessed with all his love and affection.

“Fine, but just remember to return my hoodie when you have time,” he puts on a pouty lip as he walks you to the door.

“Nah, I think I’ll keep it forever. Thanks,” you stick your tongue out and wave goodbye with sweaterpaws.

-

When you awake the next morning, you’re nice and toasty thanks to Yoongi’s hoodie. It’s so comfy, you had fallen asleep in it as soon you laid down on your bed. And for a solid ten minutes, you roll around your bed contemplating whether or not to “accidentally” steal Yoongi’s hoodie and claim it as your own.

After coming to the conclusion that theft is never the answer, you change into a clean set of your own clothes and toss Yoongi’s hoodie into the washer along with your dirty laundry. You suppose you should be a good person and return the hoodie all clean and neatly folded. But until the laundry is done, an idea pops into mind. You pull out your phone and text the boy.

[9:27AM] Y/N “are you free for dinner tonight?”

[9:29AM] Yoongles “why yes i am”

[9:30AM] Yoongles “was there somewhere in particular you wanted to get food from?”

[9:30AM] Y/N “just come to my place 💃”

[9:33AM] Yoongles “oh 😳”

[9:33AM] Yoongles “omw 🏃‍♂️”

[9:35AM] Y/N “NO NOT NOW you horny fucker”

[9:36AM] Y/N “LATER.”

[9:37AM] Yoongles “later 🤤”

You can only shake your head with a smile as you toss your phone aside. Smiling like an idiot seems to be becoming a bad habit the more you interact with Yoongi.

“Hey Y/N, I’m expecting a package today with some, uh, adult toys, so answer the door if someone knocks. I’m gonna be out with Jimin. Thanks in advance~” Your nosy roommate, Taehyung, pops his head into your room and chuckles when he sees your face. “Oh shit, you’re smiling like an idiot again… Let me guess—Yoongi finally asked you to marry him?”

“Yoongi and I aren’t like that,” you throw a heart-shaped pillow at the boy.

“Funny, you said the same thing after you had that fateful ‘one-night stand’ with him. Half a year later and you’re still sleeping with him,” Taehyung shrugs as if your love life is any of his business. “So, naturally, the next step after friends with benefits would be for y’all to date, yeah?”

For a moment, you really do consider the possibility of being that lucky person who could call Yoongi their boyfriend. But at the same time, you’d worry that your relationship with him wouldn’t last outside of the physical intimacy. “I really don’t think so, Tae.”

Taehyung frowns, chucking the pillow back at you. “Whatever you say, Y/N. But I’m just saying when you got home last night, you looked awfully happy and cozy. Enamored, even.”

“That’s because he let me borrow his hoodie…”

“Yeah, but whenever you borrow my clothes, it feels a lot more malicious and petty than heartfelt, you know.” With an overexaggerated hmph, your roommate backs out of your doorway.

“It’s just… different.” Because your world is somehow different when Min Yoongi’s involved.

-

As soon as the clean laundry comes out of the dryer, you’re so tempted to wear the toasty hoodie one last time. You slip your arm in the sleeve “just to test how warm it is fresh out of the dryer”, and the coziness only reminds you more of the boy who let you borrow it in the first place. He’s sweet, he’s gentle (except in bed!), but he’s not yours.

You slowly retract your arm from the sleeve with a disheartening feeling, but pause halfway out of the temptation that never seems to fade. You really shouldn’t be playing around with something that doesn’t belong to you, and yet, it’s something you can’t let go of.

So maybe, just until Yoongi shows up, you’ll secretly wear his hoodie to keep warm as you run to the grocery store and start preparing dinner in the kitchen…

Knock. Of course someone has to knock on your door right when you’re about to start prepping dinner. You seriously contemplate whether or not you should ignore the inconsiderate person who had the audacity to interrupt your mission in the kitchen. But it might be Taehyung’s dildo, so you suppose you should answer the door.

“Oh,” is all you can say when you open the door and see Yoongi eyeing you up and down in his clothes. You’re caught red-handed.

“Cute hoodie you got there.” He gives you a nod of approval as if he wasn't the one who bought it in the first place. But maybe this means he doesn’t mind you wearing his stuff. Maybe he likes the way it looks on you.

“Thanks, it does look pretty cute on me, doesn’t it?” you play along before switching back to reality. “What are you doing here so early? I told you to come by for dinner, not lunch. The only reason why I bothered to answer the door was because I thought it was Tae’s dildo. I haven’t even started preparing the food yet and-”

“Wait, two questions: 1) Dildo? And 2) you’re making dinner?” Yoongi tilts his head with wide eyes. “If I had known, I would’ve brought over drinks or dessert… maybe a fruit tart or someth-”

“No… We’re making dinner. Together,” you stop him from rambling on. “And yes, dildo.”

After dragging the boy into the kitchen, you throw a spare apron at him. He leans against the counter looking awfully boyfriend-like, waiting for the head chief to give him directions.

“You can chop the vegetables and I’ll handle the noodles and broth, okay?” You walk him around your kitchen, briefly going over where cooking utensils and ingredients can be found. He nods with a chuckle over how serious you are about cooking dinner together.

“Yoongi, come here,” you say an hour later, once the vegetable soup is just about ready to come off the stove. With a tiny spoon, you scoop up some broth and feed it to the boy. “How is it?”

“Hmm…..” He smacks his lips and takes his sweet time in giving you proper feedback. “Can I have another taste?”

You dip the spoon into the pot and hold it out for Yoongi taste once more. Except this time, you pull the spoon away just before he can taste anything and stick it into your own mouth in triumph. Your smirking lips keep the spoon in place, taunting him.

He steps a little closer, backing you against the counter, until he has a grip on the spoon. Tugging gently enough for you to fight back, he laughs at you “You’re ridiculous, you know that?”

You shrug, still keeping a tight hold on the spoon between your lips. It’s only when his face draws near yours that you weaken your grip and allow the spoon to slip out. Because there’s something else you’d rather have between your lips than a fucking spoon.

With a spontaneous kiss on the lips, you give Yoongi an innocent smile before forcing him to get the bowls and another spoon. And once the soup is all dished out, you lead him to the couch with bowls in hand.

“Ooh, it’s good, right?” you ask while slurping up a long noodle.

“It’s only good because someone did a phenomenal job chopping up those veggies.” He leans over to wipe off the tiny bit of broth that had splattered onto your cheek. “What made you want to cook soup all of a sudden?”

“Because it’s nice to have something warm when it’s cold out?” you chug down a good amount of your broth. “And because I wanted to share something with you, as thanks for letting me borrow your hoodie last night.”

“And you’re still wearing it, by the way.”

“Well do you want me to take it off now? During dinner?” You set your soup bowl down on the coffee table and teasingly tug at the bottom hem of the hoodie.

“Maybe a little later?” He flips the hood over your head again. “You’re free for the rest of the night?”

Nodding, you pull a blanket over yourself and snuggle up to the boy as he finishes up his soup. That unspoken feeling lingers again.

“Y/N,” he says once his empty bowl is set down on the table next to yours.

“Yeah?” You throw part of your blanket over his lap as he settles back onto the couch with you.

“Cooking was fun.” He runs his fingers along your back in a soothing motion. “It’s a good thing I came early, right?”

“Let’s do it again soon. I want to try making tacos next time,” you yawn.

“Okay,” is the last thing you hear him say before drifting off to sleep. Cooking with a friend was a lot more exhausting than you had anticipated. But like the boy said, it was fun. And it’s the little things like that that you appreciate so much about your relationship with Yoongi.

-

“Y/N.” In the midst of your slumber, you feel something soft poke your cheek but you decide to ignore it.

“Y/N, wake up.” You feel something shake your shoulder but you decide to ignore it.

“Y/N, c’mon on.” You feel something warm against your lips that you can’t ignore. So you kiss back.

“Mm… What time is it?” You stretch your body out, still in the arms of someone warm.

“It’s seven in the morning, and I have to be at the studio in half an hour,” Yoongi’s soothing voice almost puts you back to sleep until you realize you’d slept right through the night with the boy on your couch.

“No you don’t,” you giggle, rolling yourself on top of the boy to give him a couple of love bites. And after a rather affectionate hug, you finally let him go. “Just kidding.”

“Haha, very funny, Dork.” He flips the hood over your head once more before heading to the door. “Thanks for the soup. I enjoyed last night.” A night without the obligations of friends with benefits.

“Me too.” As he opens the door, you remember something, “Wait, Yoongi. Your hoodie.” You start struggling to get the oversized black mass over your head until he stops you.

“You can keep it,” he laughs at you.

“…You’re really letting me keep it?” Your eyes brighten. “But that’s such a boyfriend-thing to do, you know.”

“I know. Do you want it or not, Dork?”

“I want it!” you hiss at him. “But does that mean you don’t mind if we’re something more than just, uh, friends who fuck a lot?”

“You mean like dating?”

“That or, umm… Yeah that.” You shrink yourself in the hoodie. “Like, we can make tacos together and stuff.”

“We could do that,” Yoongi nods. “It’s actually been on my mind for a while now.”

“Mine too.” You throw your arms around the boy’s neck and send him off with a dozen kisses on the cheek.

#bts scenarios #bts fanfic #bts fluff #bts friends to lovers #yoongi fanfic #bts fwb!au #bts imagines #yoongi x reader #yoongi #suga #bts #bangtan #the little things

[disastrousbarnes]

Not without you

Pairing: (Dad) Steve Rogers x Reader

Warning: None

Summary: Ever since Steve lost Angela he hasn’t been the same, live hasn’t been the same. The only reason he was still doing this was for his kids, because they need him. So when a new chance at love comes on his path, will he take it? Will either of them take it?  

Authors note: This is the first time I have felt up to writing in a long time, so hopefully you’ll enjoy this first chapter as much as I have enjoyed writing it. FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS WELCOME 

Wordcount: 829

TAG LIST IS OPEN!! So if you wanna be tagged just message me x

Chapter: 1; The dark hole of internet stalking

-

Steve is standing in the kitchen preparing dinner when Luke runs into the house. The seven year old is jumping up and down excitedly, “Daddy, daddy! I made a new friend today!”

Steve was about to put on his best fake smile when he realizes he was supposed to pick Luke up from school. Fuck, he forgot, again. What kind of dad forgets to pick their kid up from school? Angela never would’ve forgotten to pick them up, a voice in the back of his head reminded him. “Luke, who brought you home?” “Oh miss Barnes” The kid answered, he was waiting for his dad to let him talk about the new kid in class. His new friend.

Steve however was thinking of completely different things. Barnes, the same last name as his childhood best friend Bucky. Bucky who he hadn’t talked to since he left for college a little over 19 years ago. It wasn’t like his friend hadn’t made an effort to reach out, Steve just never reached back. Not because he didn’t care about Bucky, but he had finally gotten out. He was out of the crappy neighborhood in Brooklyn where they grew up. He got out. Bucky didn’t, Bucky stayed behind, taken care of his mother and sisters. At least that was the plan when Steve left all those years ago.

Last he heard Bucky joined the military.

Steve squatted down, now on eye level with his son, “Who is miss Barnes? You know what I’ve said about getting in the car with strangers.”  There weren’t many rules in the Rogers household, but not trusting/engaging with strangers when you’re not with mom or dad was definitely one of them.

“Miss Barnes is my teacher”

“Wasn’t Miss Jacobs your teacher?”

“Daddy, don’t be silly,” Luke chuckled, “Miss Jacobs was my teacher when I was little, I am a big boy now.”

Another teacher? Wasn’t he in Miss Jacobs class right before Angela died. It was 2019 now, so that was what? 6 month ago, oh god that’s 2 years ago. Had it really been that long already? It couldn’t have been.

His wife had died 2 years ago? It felt so surreal, but when he thought about, how big all of the kids were getting, how much she had already missed. How much he had missed. Suddenly it hit him how absent he had been from everything. Physically he had been right there, but mentally? No where to be found.

Steve sighed, “Yes, the biggest”. He ran his hand trough his hair as he got up. As soon as Luke got the chance he told his dad all about Joshua, his friend, Steve endures it all, nods, laughs, does everything he is supposed to do and sends the kid to the living room. To do his homework.

 Steve attempts to focus on making dinner, but he can’t seem to get Luke’s new teacher out of his mind, or Bucky. Before he can stop himself he sticks his head into the Livingroom. “Hey Lukey do you know Mrs Barnes first name?”

“Yes, Y/N” The kid said, barely looking up from his paper.

Y/N the name sounded awfully familiar.

 That night, after dinner, after putting the kids to bed, Steve went down the dark hole of internet stalking. He started with Facebook; Y/N Barnes. Finding her couldn’t be that hard right? How many people could possibly names Y/N Barnes.

Turns out that number is 247. Two hundred forty seven possibly candidates.

Steve would love to say she was the one on the top of list, she wasn’t. He honestly didn’t even know why he was looking her up, if it was for Bucky he could’ve just looked Bucky up. For a moment he was tempted, he already typed in James Barnes. James, Bucky’s actual first name. A name Bucky hated and never responded to. At least back then he didn’t, who knew what he responded to now. Is he married? More importantly is he married to her? To Luke’s teacher. God that shouldn’t even matter, Steve dropped him, he dropped Bucky.

 “Dad?” Steve had fallen asleep at the dining table. When he woke up he saw his oldest daughter, Peggy, standing in front of him. “Dad are you okay?”

Steve sat up straight, letting out a big yawn. ‘Yes, yes, of course. What time is it?”

“It’s 10 P.M.”

10 P.M., he only grabbed his laptop 1,5 hour ago. God he probably fell asleep within 10 minutes. Hadn’t even found Luke’s teacher. Then it hit him, he could just drop Luke of at class tomorrow and actually just see her.

“I’ll drop Luke off at school tomorrow” He told Peggy, who usually had the task of dropping her younger siblings off. With that Steve stood up, gave his daughter a kiss on the forehead and went to bed. “Goodnight.”

That was possibly the first time in 2 years that Steve had a solid night of sleep.

-

Read chapter 2 now!

#Steve Rogers #steve rogers x reader #Dad!Steve #Dad!Steve Rogers #dad steve #captain america #captain america au #captain america imagine #captain america x reader #Avengers #avengers x reader #avengers x you #avengers x y/n #steve rogers x you

[fgodestinyawakenings]

EOR SE.RA.PH Singularity: Act 4

Leaving the final Act and epilogue... Hopefully this can be done before going back to JP, especially given Reines Case files is ending way earlier than Seraph. I’m heading out for Doujima in the weekend, and grinding for Eater X is going to be hell

Act 4 (1/4)

After beating Caesar... It’s still not surprising that there’s more Servants left on the rear side, Cat. Then again... At least no one fell for his smooth-talking this time round. If anything, yes, Cat is one of our iron chef in Chaldea Kitchen!

Gaining Lip immediately as Tamamo Cat’s next disciple... Thankfully she avoided going to actual Beni-Enma’s Hell’s Kitchen to learn. Seeing Melt happy for Lip being able to speak up without worrying on other’s opinions, she eventually appreciate Gudas for not killing her back then. And that’s no way to shoo Emiya Alter away, Cat!

Cat’s case is still surprising for me so far. None of them are Alter Egos class yet potentially to be one... Or given in Lostbelt there’s already one debatable to be either Assassin or Alter Ego. Something that surprise Melt never realized it until now, except Lip

Melt then explained to Cat what part of BB they were based on as she and Lip are completely different from each other. In basic term, Melt is a sadist and Lip is a masochist which hence they are a good pair to each other.

Emiya Alter returns once Melt finished revealing more about herself, asking if Suzuka is the only Sentinel left. With Melt’s guess on where Suzuka is, our next destination is to head for the spine

Before Emiya Alter suggest we take back BB’s advice to defeat Suzuka again the same way we defeat Lip. But, aside from the issue Suzuka has with the original Tamamo... Hope Tama Cat has a way to beat her down then

Act 4 (2/4)

A dead end instead of a path to the Spine... A good question to learn.... It turns out Sakurament is basically QP where BB make us do the dirty work to collect all even if it’s not necessary. Yeah, I didn’t church allowed sending asshole Arnold to talk to us too, Cat

No shit, we don’t even know about Seraphix in the first place. Anyway, looks like Arnold got the map of the Planetarium we’re looking for. I think he’s more than just cog in the machine, Emiya Alter.... But, we’ll need to settle that later. I think there could be worse people to be in charge, Melt...

Though, we got 25 hours+ left aka 15 minutes before Seraphix sink to the bottom. Thank you for your concern, Lip. But we need to focus on the bigger issue to find Suzuka and get to the planetarium. Guys, Gudas really appreciate your concern for them, BUT LET’S NOT DO SOMETHING CRAZY AS DECIDING TO THROW THEM OUT FOR SERVANTS TO EAT AS MUCH I’D LIKE TO!

And despite their bickering or so, both Lip and Melt are really close to each other. Or, at least once they develop more sense of self and others, they really care for each other a lot. Also again, you’re hiding something, aren’t you, Melt? Nevertheless, we’re still trusting you, no matter what

After Melt giving another talk to the Gudas about herself, we move on to find Suzuka!

Act 4 (3/4)

Reaching to the temple soon... We’re definitely close with Tama Cat confirming her presence. Emiya Alter briefly mentions about who Suzuka is and her historical deeds in the past. To be honest, I don’t know who’s real or not but Tamamo originally IS a nine-tail fox.

Lip’s turn to mention about her tragic love story that she was known for. Yeah for someone supposed to be intellect, I’m guessing all of it went to her high school chunnibyou. Though have to admit, her strength is something with her bloodlust craving for fights.

At the mention of Masters.... WE DEFINITELY HAVE NOT SEEN A SINGLE ONE ASIDE FROM GUDAS! What the hell?! This is still one of the biggest mystery that has been yet to solve...

Anyway, reached her temple at last. Suzuka is right there all ready to kick our ass again. Before that, where’s your Master, Suzuka? .... Okay, looks like she don’t even know who her Master is.... Regardless, we’re not letting you touch Tristan to settle your score for the Holy Grail.

5~6 turns later... That’s some fucking gimmick to keep herself alive until the finals of the Holy Grail War. Wait Melt... Before we throw that key away, there should be a way to use it from that defective AI. And shut up, Arnold! Spectators should just keep quiet and watch!

And you, Suzuka! Are you okay being that stupid, useless and inferior AI’s Servant?! YEAH, I’M CALLING YOU A FLUNKY, CHUNNIBYOU! Tama’s right, you’re nothing but a puppet to that stupid AI right now! If you’re really planning to follow your Master’s wish, then let’s end this properly!!

Thanks to Tama Cat’s trap... Time to unlock her heart! I’m feeling sorry for Hakunos at this point.... Relax we don’t event want to do this. Blame the fucking writer who needs everything to be a sex scene.

One showdown of Suzuka and her boyfriend Hijikata later.... Not so fast on the dramatic suicide, Suzuka! Yeah, you’re definitely way too dramatic, Suzuka! There’s such thing of people dying of a broken heart... But, you’re perfectly fine! For a previously married divine goddess, there’s nothing about you like a high school girl...

Argh enough drama! Cat, do your job and smack-talk some sense into her! And we’re the winner, so we decided you get to live or not. And, we take the former of you living to join us! I’ll pass on your friend request... Social media been avoiding weird people to add later on Facebook in particular

Before we go back, another earthquake? Wait... This is..... The Demon God Pillar Zepar!! Why the---What the fuck?! It turned the whole area upside down!! We’re saved, but Melt took the hit for Gudas!!!

I don’t think they can understand us, Lip! And if we’re at the lowest... Oh fuck that’s where Zepar is supposed to be reborn!!!

Eight hours before we bottom! And we’re already long before you start yapping, Arnold! We’re going to save Melt, so no, we’re not going back without Melt! Lastly, you’re not even the boss of us so peace out!

Suzuka’s direction is helpful now we can get back to business. Enough of arguing who’s coming, and don’t you implied Lip’s weight, Suzuka! It’s just you and Gudas, so do your job properly.

Meanwhile, Melt woken up to remember she fallen while saving the Gudas. The Rejection Calf aka the Disposal area... Her legs broke from the fell back there. Her body has really hit her limit ever since the arrival of Gudas. Closing her eyes, she reminiscence her memories with the Gudas and more about her true thoughts.

Thankfully, the Gudas picked her out of there before she got destroyed once and for all. Gripping tight of her hand and ignoring the harem yapping, we got to get out of there before 3 Shapeshifter, 3 Eaters and 1 fucking giant Rider boar coming at us!!!

.... And there’s more! Yup, I agree with you there, Suzuka. THIS IS COMPLETELY FUCKING BULLSHIT!!! Hey, don’t forget the rope to get us out of there!! And... The rope was cut?! What the hell?!!

But... Tristan is here and he managed to save us! Oh right, you flew with that harp of yours in Halloween event.... That’s another way to get us out of there, or not. Let’s create a camp session until someone picked up up. Tempting to beat Arnold, but that’s a goner. Wait, Cruel Thenar... Melt’s former workplace? .... I guess a pathetic AI decided to use her brains for once to save us

Ah typical loser who decided to squish the final two contestant just to get her reward. Well, where’s our supposed next battle with you? Now? Yeah yeah, you may have a certain thing like Tiamat, Goetia and so on. You’re in the end just an AI who felt the need to better herself than everyone at how fucking weak you really are. A sad case, truly.

Hold on, mistake? Weren’t you the one started this whole stupid mess?! How the hell did things fucked up!! And knew it, obviously she’s going to send us down than up

Meanwhile... Good thing Arnold’s not a Master, otherwise, I’d like to see him the first Master get betrayed and screwed by his Servant. Considering he heartlessly get both his Director and Deputy Director killed... And now trying to get Gudas to obey him by force

And since Emiya Alter is here? Or the one who betrayed us too.... Yeah, thank you for doing everyone a favor to kill him. It’s about time someone needs to kill off that irritating character. And Mable? Oh why her?! Wait... You killed them to prevent Animusphere experiment...?

But the voice that attacked Emiya Alter... OKAY WHAT THE FUCK? That’s like an interior of a demon pillar! I thought we killed that!! This person talking to Emiya Alter is someone he knew well, given how they now spoke about themselves...

And the bloodied past, of Emiya Alter... Taunting him as the whole screen now turned bloody too. So, they are the ones who killed Gawain too! Whatever Emiya Alter have his reason, he needed to kill them in our world since he already know what they will be like in a certain distant future.

Act 4 (4/4)

Definitely right at the bottom of where Melt’s workplace originally is... At the most painful landing ever. Melt then explained Cruel Thenar was once a place to excavated oil... Aka finding leylines in truth. Oh, you want us to enter your heart?

That makes things easier in a sense. Nah, it’s fine, it’s more annoying to beat around the bush, Lip. Yeah we got the key after we ripped off from that AI before falling down. Well... At least, we got a job to do. Oh please, not all of Gudas are interested in woman. There’s this called of “I’m gay and my life is hell in a harem manga”, so there. With Lip’s advice, time to enter her heart to unlock this area!

And WE’RE FUCKING DONE WITH HER! DW just give us a fucking Anti-Alter Ego class already!!! But with that down, Melt then showed us a way to the Planetarium via her territory. And.... We’re back at the front! That’s enough rest, you’re coming with us back to the church. So keep quiet or we’ll drop and break your legs here!

No one is here to greet us... Where did Mable and Arnold go? What the... Emiya Alter is not even here! Before that... Some AI dropped a nice invitation to go beat her up. Hey, it’s not like we didn’t beat her over and over again like she deserved it under Martha’s punch.

That’s right, Tristan. It’s gone far too long for this Holy Grail War. With Melt back at the chapel resting, we head off to the core to get Ruler Martha, Amakusa and Jeanne to gang up on her.

After we left, Melt then begans her own monologue. Thinking there should be a way out for Gudas, she hope Suzuka, Tristan and Cat eventually found a way to do so.

And really done for the day... Literally.... Because all my energy was wasted in walking with an eventually broken shoe, running back to my house to wear a new one before heading for my interview is gone. Plus, today’s also happened to be one of the many worst days.... I’m going to need sleep before grinding some quest for KP

#fgo #fate grand order #the shit I shit myself into #SERAPH singularity #SERAPH NA #at this rate one is going to be sacrificed for another... #and that's very tempting to skip JP at this point #but I'm already nearing to the end.... #i'm really worn out... OTL

[perditaalottachocolate-blog]

“Retired”, ML Reveal Week - Day 4: Comedic

Day: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |

(AO3 / FFnet)

It was a relatively peaceful afternoon at the [Classified] House for Retired Heroes in [Classified].

Queen Bee, a golden glitter surrounding her royal figure, was lazily watering her flowers and humming with her worker bees, instructing them on such important matters like which flowers were next in line to get pollinated and how much honey they should prepare this year.

At the pool Vixen lay stretched on a sunbed bathing in the sunlight and murmuring appreciatively, while Jade Turtle brushed her long silver tail, gazing at her affectionately and entertaining her with a playlist of his personal choice.

In the shade, at one of the small tables Gambit was losing a game of chess to a very content Aquaman.

Here and there you could spot other elder heroes relaxing, doing exercise or passing their time with leisure activities of the wide variety offered at the House.

There were however two exceptions.

A lean yet muscular figure, despite the obvious years it accumulated, was making it’s sneaky way to the meeting spot. Although he was casually steadying himself on his staff, there was a spring in his step that would put to shame most of the residents and some of active heroes out there too. The tight black suit was complimenting his feline posture, which is quite an achievement when you’re 99 years old. A white mane of wild hair was adorned with two cat ears, that were twitching excitedly in sync with a long tail, as the man neared his destination.

Another person, a female judging by the pleasant curves under the red suit, was silently tiptoeing from the opposite direction, the only telltale of her presence was a swishing sound of a yoyo string. She limped slightly, her hip apparently giving her some trouble. Her hair was almost white too, but with deep blue strands weaved into the silver bun.

They reached their spot – a small but spacious green alcove, embellished with pink Cobaea flowers – at about the same time, giggling excitedly at the sight of the other one.

Chat Noir bent in a bow, although he finished it rather stiffly with a slight wince at the pain that shot from his lower back. He wasn’t as flexible as he used to be 10 years ago.

‘My Lady is as charming as always,’ he purred with a saucy wink.

Ladybug bopped him on the nose without even bothering to look. She had 85 years of practice and could find Chat’s nose with her eyes closed.

‘Easy, Chat,’ she giggled lightly, like she was 14 years old again. ‘I still have a husband and from what I recall you too are still married, hmmm?’

‘Ah, yes,’ Chat’s grin dissolved into a love-struck smile. ‘The love of my life, my charming wife of the last 80 years.’

Ladybug scratched her chin thoughtfully. ‘80 years you say? She surely preserves well,’ the heroine nodded appreciatively but then added with a sly smile, ‘or did you replace her and didn’t tell me?’

‘My Lady, you wound me!’ Her partner put a clawed hand on his chest as if she shot him with an arrow. ‘How could I ever replace my better half?!’

He noticed her lips quirked in amusement, and quickly added. ‘But I still can compliment a fine lady when I see her, right?’

‘I suppose…’ Ladybug’s smile widened.

‘In that case… Your hair is as white as fluffy clouds, your teeth as perfect as 70 years ago, your skin is flawless like silk, ekhm-ekhm, sorry-‘ he had to pause because of a fit of cough, as he forgot again to breathe through the string of compliments.

The heroine blushed lightly and shook her head at his antics. ‘Ah, perks of owning a miraculous for more than eight decades.’

‘Now that you mention it, I do think my exceptional form may come from other sources than the ridiculously healthy regime my lovely missus enforc- I mean encouraged me to introduce all those years ago,’ Chat gnawed at his lower lip thoughtfully. Maybe he could win some pastry privileges back with that reasoning?

‘By the way, where is she?’

‘Who?’ Chat whipped his head, brutally detached from his daydream of a pile of croissants that years ago got banished from his diet because of such trivial reason as copious amounts of butter used in the baking process, which supposedly was causing his abs to expand outside of his belt.

‘Your wife, silly kitty!’ Ladybug’s laughter sounded like pearls.

‘I’ll have you know I’m a full grown cat now, Bugaboo,’ the 99-year-old kitty replied in mock hurt.

‘Old tomcat, you wanted to say,’ her sass was like wine and she had 85 years to hone it.

‘Rude!’ was all he could think of, still dribbling slightly at the earlier reminder of baked goods. ‘Anyway, she’s somewhere in our condo. Said she needed to be alone, and after 80 years a man knows when to give his woman some space,’ Chat casted his partner one of his most sly winks. ‘So I decided to sneak out and meet you, my lovely Lady.’

He unconsciously started to swish his tail under the bench, disturbing a little cloud of dust and leaves in the process.

‘How about your hubby?’

‘Oh, he’s taking his nap,’ Ladybug said dismissively. ‘And believe me, you don’t want to stand between my husband and his nap.’ Was there a hint of irritation in her voice?

‘I think we would get along just fine then,’ Chat grinned at her, aiming on lighting the mood. He wasn’t opposed to naps at all. Poor Mr. Bug definitely would not receive any nap-shame from this cat.

‘Probably,’ she casted him a strange look. ‘So. What do you want to do today?’

‘I thought I’d give that yoga thing a try,’ he said yawning discreetly. That nap actually sounded very tempting, with all that sunlight out there and the bees humming calmly in the background. ‘They say Nightcrawler is a pretty good instructor. Care to join me?’ Please say no, please say no, so that I can actually have my catnap.

‘Meh, not really my thing.’

Phew.

‘Then maybe you could-‘

‘No thanks,’ Ladybug interrupted his frantic search of an activity that would give him an opportunity to nap inconspicuously. ‘I think I’ll just practice with my yoyo.’

Chat’s lips stretched in his most impressive grin. ‘Is that so?’

‘Yup,’ his partner replied, a model case of innocence.

‘My Lady,’ he murmured, not having fallen for that trick in the last 50 years or so, ‘remember what happened last time you did that?’

‘I may be 99 years old but miraculously I don’t have dementia yet,’ Ladybug giggled.

‘Oh, so you do remember we had to call for firefighters to get you down from that roof after – and I quote - a tornado took you but thankfully you were able to jump onto that lovely roof just in time?’ Amusement dripped of Chat’s voice like treacle.

‘Oh. Yeah. That,’ Ladybug was totally unabashed by his teasing, but responded in kind. ‘In my defense I was hoping my knight in shining black armor would save me.’

‘At your service my Lady,’ Chat bowed his head, ‘but this cat is grounded and you know it. Jumping doesn’t agree with my bones anymore.’

‘Well, Superman did try to help me,’ she pointed out accusingly.

Chat casted a glance and the freshly repaired roof. ‘Yes and look, they already managed to patch the hole he made when he forgot to speed down,’ he snickered and Ladybug also gave a little laugh. That had been quite an afternoon.

‘Do you really want to do yoga?’ she asked when their giggles had died out.

‘Nah,’ the feline hero shook his head. ‘You know, I think your husband actually had the best idea.’

‘Catnap?’

‘Catnap,’ he confirmed with a satisfied smile. She knew him too well. ‘Care to join me?’

‘Kitty, if you see me taking a nap in the middle of the day, call a doctor,’ she nudged him in the ribs, then unhooked the yoyo from her hip and with a small wave she disappeared in the direction of the stables.

‘Cooeeee, Ladybug!’ Chat’s voice boomed over the greens of [Classified] House for Retired Heroes.

‘What is it, Chat?’ Ladybug replied from her spot on the top of the leisure center roof. Her yoyo was wrapped around a chimney of the stables, good few hundred meters away, while the end of the string was tangled somewhere in the trees surrounding that building.

‘I thought we agreed you’re not supposed to climb with your yoyo,’ the feline hero pointed out reproachfully.

‘Ugh,’ the red-clad heroine tried to stomp her foot, but remembered just in time that it wasn’t a good idea while perched on a narrow space of a rooftop. ‘This isn’t what it looks like. I’m just… I’m just enjoying the view is all,’ she explained nonchalantly, as if she didn’t spend the last two hours stuck three stories above ground level.

‘Really? Enjoying the view?’ Chat quirked his brow sarcastically, thought the gesture was lost under his mask. ‘You know my shower excuses when I was a teen were more convincing than that,’ he replied with a smirk.

‘Oh, shuddup Chat and help me get down,’ his partner replied exasperatedly.

‘How?’

Ladybug looked around, confused. ‘Can’t you just use your baton or something?’

‘Anything for my Lady,’ he grunted. ‘Even if my back is going to hurt for a week.’

‘Stop whining,’ the silver-haired heroine actually had the nerve to scold her rescuer. ‘I’m sure your wife will be more than happy to soothe that pain.’

‘She will,’ Chat grinned at the thought of his missus rubbing some herbal ointment onto his back and purred at that image alone. ‘But that’s beside the point.’

‘Are you coming or what?’

‘I’m coming, I’m coming,’ he grumbled and extended his baton.

‘Why did you do that, Kitty?’ he heard Ladybug’s half amused half disappointed voice, the source located about two meters above his current position.

Unfortunately he couldn’t see her, because his head, as well as the upper half of his body, was currently stuck in a large hole, the rest of him – tail and all – dangling hopelessly over the roof surface. His baton rolled to the attic floor and out of his reach.

Ladybug was still perched on the top of the roof, not daring to move.

‘I think they didn’t do a good job on that super hole after all,’ Chat complained from the depths of the attic.

‘Maybe you could try to cataclysm yourself out?’ the heroine suggested.

‘Well it is worth a try,’ her partner agreed. ‘But just a little catastrophe this time. I don’t think the management would appreciate us destroying the leisure center. And you are still on the roof,’ he pointed out.

‘Are you ready?’ he asked after slight readjustment of his position. ‘Here it comes,’ he warned.

‘Cataclysm!’ Ladybug heard a muffled cry she knew so well.

A large crack appeared between the tiles and sped its way to the top of the roof.

‘Well, that went smooth,’ Ladybug commented sourly. She was trapped from waist down in the floor, after the cataclysmed roof gave in and she dropped to the attic.

Although there was one improvement – as now she was inside the leisure center, she gained an unlimited view to the upper half of Chat, because he was still stuck in his hole.

And his ring was beeping.

And even though there was no doubt that someone would finally notice their absence or possibly a pair of legs dangling from the roof, this could take a while. Chat didn’t have a while. He had exactly three pads left.

‘Well my Lady, I guess that after 85 years the time has come to show you my unbelievably handsome face,’ the black-clad hero said conversationally, anxiously peeking at his ring. ‘You know, I wonder why haven’t we actually done this earlier?’

‘Tikki said it was dangerous,’ Ladybug replied bluntly.

‘Yeah, 85 years ago?’ Chat’s thoughts were galloping now. Distract her with something, maybe help will come in time. Ah, who are you kidding, have you ever had luck in such cases? his inner Plagg snickered at him.

‘So? She’s old. She knows what she’s doing, right?’ Ladybug was also nervously looking around. She felt gravity making a claim on her, as she started to slowly slip to the second floor.

‘It’s been almost nine decades,’ Chat noticed. ‘One would think after Hawk Moth…’ he trailed off when his ring gave the fourth warning.

‘After Hawk Moth there was LucySphere. And Gwydlien. And Hydra. Ugh, she was awful,’ Ladybug shivered in repulsion at the reminder of one of the meanest and ugliest villains in human history, at least according to Tikki. That had been when Vixen, Bee and Jade had come in handy. ‘Plus a handful of minor mind-controlling, magic-wielding, powerful-as-hell creeps.’

Somehow in all those years there never seemed to be a good moment for a reveal.

‘Yeah,’ Chat’s eyes glazed with memories of their epic battles. ‘Those were great times, my Lady.’

They both casted a glance at his ring, where the last pad was about to flicker.

‘Are you ready?’ the black-clad hero asked. ‘Here it comes!’

Green light filled the attic, temporarily hiding Chat under miraculous glow, but its fade was inevitable.

Ladybug blinked a few times before taking a good look at the figure immobilized in the hole above her, for the moment choosing to ignore the black, snickering kwami that settled on his holder’s head.

‘Eeeeek!’ she screeched in recognition.

‘Hi there, my Lady!’ silver-haired, green-eyed, bespectacled Adrien Agreste waved at her hopefully.

‘Unbelievable!’ she burst out. ‘How can you still look this handsome after being stuck in a freaking hole for so long! Life is so unfair,’ she sulked and crossed her arms over her chest huffing angrily. It proved to be not the best move considering the circumstances.

‘Wait? You know me?!’ Adrien exclaimed. ‘Hang on, you’re slipping!’ he warned, but it was too late.

By crossing her arms Ladybug shifted her center of gravity, which sealed her downfall. Red in the face, she involuntarily dropped down from the attic.

‘Hey, don’t leave me here!’

‘You know,’ the heroine seeped glaring up at him through the hole in the floor, ‘you should have just taken that nap, Adrien!’

With that she released her transformation. Adrien gasped at the familiar fierce blue stare piercing him with daggers, while Marinette continued.

‘And if you think I will rub anything onto your back tonight, better think again, honey!’

If you liked it, check out my other stories on AO3 or FFnet.

#ml reveal week #comedic #reveal #miraculous ladybug #ladybug #chat noir #ladynoir #aged up characters #humor #fluff #retirement

[torreygazette]

Book Review: The Benedict Option

There should be a disclaimer here, some kind of spoiler alert, an announcement about my Lutheran biases. I went into the book in a curmudgeonly frame of mind, expecting to hate it, and finished it a couple weeks later actually crying because I felt so burdened by the law. I don't like the book, for different reasons than expected, but I will also plan on revisiting in 5-10 years to see how my perspective has changed.

It's still fresh in my mind, so I'm going to try and frame some of my major objections.

I know nothing about Eastern Orthodox (hereafter abbreviated as EO) eschatology, however, the concept that we need to completely redeem the world before Christ's return is found in many denominations, and I'm not buying that. #datpostmil (Am I doing this right?)

Single people are SCREWED. There's about two half pages in the entire book devoted to what you should do if you're A. not in a nuclear family and B. also not in holy orders, and that's basically 1. become part of a nuclear family or 2. get thee to the monastery/convent. DON'T TEMPT ME. More on that later.

This book outright says that the best place you can be on earth is living within a physically Christian community (have your church buy land! You can all have a plot!) and that once there, you should be patronizing the businesses of your church's members. Got it. Okay. Definitely not a cult, nothing to see here. Don't even get me started on why I should try and find a Christian mechanic to replace the Christian tires on my Christian car so I can drive more safely on the Christian roads. I wrote about this earlier in the year, in response to a TGC piece that had a similar concept. I thought we were supposed to, you know, be a witness where we were already, where God presumably placed us. Do we have freedom to move, to change jobs, schools, certain relationships? Yes. Should we necessarily? He thinks so. I don't, necessarily. Perhaps this is a difference in our understanding of how we interpret God's will.

If your church isn't giving you what you need, just start your own Benedict Option chapter (?!) (I have a knee-jerk reaction to this kind of talk. Do some research. Find a church that DOES give you what you need. It exists. Don't just start your own stuff, people.)

The book's accurately high view of homeschooling, cooperative/classical schooling, or private Christian school is nice, but where does this leave parents who are poor, or single parents who don't have the luxury of these options? "It's a sacrifice", the book says. Implying that if you're not willing or able to make the sacrifice, you must just not care enough about your kids.

"All work is sacramental if you're doing it right" = rather a sad view of the actual sacraments. I think this viewpoint can only lead to works-righteousness. If everything is a sacrament, nothing is a sacrament, and how do you know where it stops? Dreher has a tiny glimpse of the Lutheran view of vocation (which, interestingly, he credits to someone else, in the early 1600s), and it's just enough to be burdensome. What happens when, as a sinful human in a broken world, your work.... doesn't get done right? Wouldn't God be then displeased with your offering? Wait.... wouldn't this lead to a gradual negation of the work Jesus did on the cross? SEND HELP!!!!! I have fallen into a theological wormhole and can't get up!

Throughout the book, there is a subtle flirtation with the concept that your other vocations are just sort of second-best to being a monk or a nun. I get it: I frequently yearn to ditch my problems (men! family! mortgage! technology!) and retreat to the relative peace of a nunnery, where I envision myself with no possessions, making jam and beer, and getting to tell people they can't talk to me because I'm in a vow of silence. I imagine that Dreher, as the parent of teenagers, feels somewhat the same way: it looks romantic. Sorry, but no: God gives us these responsibilities, families, jobs, relationships, churches. We cannot abdicate them, no matter how appealing it is. Where ever you go, there you are, with your sin nature. In his version of these monasteries, the monks are apparently completely sanctified! How wonderful for them. If the author really wants to reinvent this particular wheel, I can suggest the Book of Concord, which I have found very helpful. I thought the EO had, you know, a more orthodox view of original sin. 

The author is super stoked about raising up another Benedict. Silly me: I thought God did the raising. Us going about any endeavor thinking "IMMA BE THE NEXT BENEDICT" surely has failure written all over it, right?

Getting married and having a family = great if that is what God gives you. God has not given me this. A focus on reforming the church/society/earth by means of the nuclear family leaves people like me (not to mention Christians battling same sex attraction, who get about one half-page) out in the cold, and this is part of why I found myself crying on the porch as I finished the book: sacrifice is not exclusively going against the stream by way of marriage and childbearing/rearing. Sacrifice of self for Christ can look like a myriad of other things, and I wish more of them were discussed in this book.

Things the book got right:

We should be more ecumenically minded. I realize there are barriers to complete, full fellowship while we are still on earth. I get that different denominations exist for good reasons. But where we can in good conscience enjoy Christ with our fellow Christians, we ought absolutely to do so. Where there is something good in another denomination, we can acknowledge that with thanksgiving, and give glory to God for it. (I might not go so far as to praise the Mormons for their kind of creepy ways of checking in on one another - sounds invasive...)

Our lives as Christians ought to be markedly different, with particular concentration on the areas of hospitality and education.

Surrounding yourself with people who believe and strive for the same things makes your life, well, not exactly easier, but more sustainable. Common goals matter. 

If you do not have a strong, orthodox faith yourself, don't expect your kids to. 

Unless unable to do so for medical reasons, you should probably be fasting on a regular basis. 

We need better Christian communities and we need to invest more of our energy in them.

We are surrounded by a dark and hostile world, and the best defense is seeking the things of Christ. Ultimately, the author and I disagree somewhat about what that looks like in practice. 

I read this book because it has brought up a number of conversations and questions within my circle, and I wanted to give it a fair assessment before joining those conversations. It has certainly been thought-provoking, if also saddening. May the Lord have mercy on us all. 

Okay! If anyone needs me I'll be on Facebook playing ConventVille! 

#The Benedict Option

[pcyxiukai]

Allegiance (Final)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 Part 16 | Part 17

Description: “I know what I want. I want you. In every sense of the term, I want you.”

Notes for update: Series finale

Warning: Sexual themes

Pairing: Byun Baekhyun x Reader

(Guys…..it’s over.)

Mobile Masterlist | Twitter

“You want me to - what?” My jaw dropped. He sat there calmly, taking another bite of his pancake before he answered me.

“You heard me.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “This is something I told you I wanted to do a long time ago. Besides, I hope that it’ll prove to you my true feelings since I’m…not the best at expressing my feelings.”

I sat there, stunned for a few moments before I looked up at him again, my eyes wide.

“Baek, you can’t be serious -”

“Sure I can be.” The facade of confidence broke, his eyebrows furrowing as he frowned. “I want you with me all the time. I want to call you my wife and I want to bring you to meet my family. I know they’ll love you.”

“I-I don’t know, I’m still in college and I’m not even working a decent job yet -”

“I know these things. If I was unsatisfied about that I would wait to ask you.” He replied.

“Why do you sound like you’re making a business deal right now?” I ran my fingers through my hair. “Baek, this…it’s not another deal. This is a long term decision, a life long decision, and I just…you can’t just take this like business.”

“I’m sorry, this is just…how I get. But I know exactly what I’m asking of you and I know what I want. I want you. In every sense of the term, I want you.” His voice had softened as well as his eyes. “I’ll get on the floor and beg if you want -”

“No, no, no, it’s okay. Stay seated, keep eating.” I sighed. “You know I love you. I just don’t think I can give you an answer right now.”

“That’s okay.” He nodded, looking down at his pancakes. “I can wait for as long as you need. Because I’m serious about this.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” He looked up at me immediately, reaching across the table and grabbing my hand with his. “You don’t have to be ready. You can wait as long as you want to answer.” I squeezed his hand and he smiled softly at me.

For some reason, I really couldn’t tell if he was serious.

It was barely a few weeks later and his question still weighed down my thoughts. What if I said yes and things ended badly again? Or maybe…maybe I was scared it would work out.

I must’ve fallen asleep during the movie we were watching, because when I opened my eyes, I was in Baekhyun’s bed, the dim light from his lamp the only thing keeping the room from darkness. I sat up slowly, stretching my arms out before rubbing my eyes.

“You’re up.” Baekhyun stood from his desk. “It’s late, go back to sleep.” He sat on the edge of the bed, his white shirt still tucked into his pants. His suit jacket hung on his desk chair.

“I’m not tired anymore.” I lied. “What are you still doing up?”

“I’m just catching up on work I haven’t been doing.” He brushed my hair behind my ear.

“Come lay down.” I tugged on his sleeve. “You work too much. You’ve got to get up early tomorrow, come sleep.” He leaned down and kissed my forehead, standing up from the bed and walking over to his desk.

“Fine, you win.” He said quietly. “I’m gonna change real quick.” I couldn’t be bothered to look away from him as he untucked his shirt, unbuttoning it before letting it fall from his shoulders. He opened his drawer and pulled out some pajama pants before he took the ones he was wearing off.

He turned around and made eye contact with me, a smile forming on his face. It was at that moment that it hit me. His tanned skin was accentuated by the dim light of the lamp. He was exactly toned but there were definite outlines of muscles on him. His eyes were dark, yet they were soft and filled with adoration.

It was like time was frozen as he stood there. He was beautiful and he was mine. He was willing to be mine forever, and I simply hadn’t given him an answer yet. Time came back to me once the bed dipped.

“Are you okay, love?” He whispered, pulling my body close to his once he laid down.

“What?” I asked. “Oh, yeah, I’m okay. Just thinking.”

“About?”

There was a long silence while I thought about it. What was I thinking about? How much my love for Baekhyun had taken over my life? I looked up at him, making eye contact before I answered him.

“Yes.”

“What?” He raised his eyebrow, but I could see the gleam of hope in his eyes.

“Yes, I’ll marry you.” I felt him tense as his eyes widened. He processed the information before a wide smile formed on his face.

“Really?” He looked like a kid waking up on Christmas morning. He moved out from under me to hover over me instead.

“Really.” I smiled at him. I couldn’t help but laugh at how his lips nearly attacked any skin he could reach, pecking along my face and my jaw. His hands moved to my sides, a squeal leaving my lips as he began to tickle me.

“Why didn’t I know you were so ticklish?” He laughed, his fingers seizing against my skin. “Fuck, I love you so much.” The smile faded from his face as he looked at me. “And now you’re all mine.”

“C’mon, you loser.” I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair. “You’ve got work in the morning.” He pouted, looking at me with wide eyes.

“I can call in tomorrow. For now I just want you with me, together. Just together.” His words were oddly convincing, but I knew he had a lot of work he had to complete.

“We can be together while you sleep, Baek.” I told him, cupping his cheeks before I pulled him down to kiss me. “I’ll make you breakfast in the morning, and maybe if you’re lucky I’ll bring it to you.”

“Yeah?” He grinned. “That sounds tempting, really, but I can’t get enough time with you. I think I’m gonna stay right here.”

“Over me? Like this? Aren’t your arms going to hurt?”

“It’s worth it if it’s for you.” The next few moments were silence, his smiling face just barely lit up by the lamp. He looked perfect. Being like this was normal for the two of us; his body lodged between my legs and unintentionally (at least right now) pressing down against me. It took one small movement of my hips for him to bring his lips back to mine.

“Baekhyun…” I whispered, looking into his dark eyes.

“Yes, my love?”

“I think I want to take you up on your offer.” I wasn’t sure if he understood, he just tilted his head with a raised eyebrow.

“Which offer?”

“Make love to me.” I bit down on my bottom lip and I saw him smirk as he lowered himself down to kiss me slowly. I allowed his tongue in my mouth without much effort on his part, our lips working together in the most beautiful way. One of his hands trailed up and down my side, making me gasp into his mouth.

“You don’t even have to ask.” He whispered before moving down to kiss my neck. “I’ll show you how much I love you.”

He wasn’t lying when he said he would last for hours.

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[citrus-roses]

I feel like you’re definitely a lesbian or like .. you accidentally saw a dick once without marrying the person & you’re so terrified/ in denial abt it when it really aint that deep fam

I’m attracted to men. Always have been. Definitely cannot wait to be married to a man in the future. Also even if I had attraction to women I would have no reason to hide it. I would confess my sinful desires and I wouldn’t act on the temptations be with a woman. I’d see the attractions as part of my fallen nature as a human. And I would view lesbian relationships rightly as sin before God confessing my sins to him and others. If I was attracted to women you best believe I’d be open about it because I’d show the world the right way to deal with those attractions which is to confess them to God and not act on the temptations to sin. I love God and I will never approve of what He has called sin ever again in my life because I love Him. I am not afraid. Jesus promises to forgive me if I had sinned in that way if I confess my sins and have faith in Him. Why would I hide that when I’m promised to be forgiven if I confess my sins as sins to Him? I am not afraid. Jesus promises grace and love through the gospel of salvation from sin. I have no reason to fear. Being a Christian doesn’t mean denying or hiding the fact you desire sinful things, it means acknowledging you have these sinful desires and seeing them rightly as sinful desires and confessing them. I wouldn’t take pride in them or see them in a positive light. But I would certainly not hide if I was in sin or desired to sin by acting in a homosexual way. If you think I would hide this you have misunderstood Christianity. Being open about who you are as a sinner and the sins you are tempted with is part of being a Christian. I am not afraid of being a sinner and admitting to being a sinner because Jesus came to save and heal sinners from their sins. I know a great savior from my sinfulness. I do not need to be afraid of admitting I need His salvation. He freely offers it to any who would believe and trust in Him. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.- 1 John 1:9Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.- James 5:16Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.- Proverbs 29:13Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.- Psalm 32:2I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah- Psalm 32:5No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.- 1 Corinthians 10:13The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,- Acts 17:30He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,- Titus 3:5For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.- Romans 6:23Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out,- Acts 3:19And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,- Romans 4:5Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.- Psalm 1:1-2Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.- Psalm 51:10“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.- John 3:16She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”- Matthew 1:21But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.- Romans 5:8For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”- Luke 19:10The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!- John 1:29All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.- Isaiah 53:6“And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" And Jesus answered them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."”‭‭Luke‬ ‭5:30-32‬ ‭