#god help purge this sinner soul of mine

[loyalflutist]

The Importance of Education (F!Byleth x Edelgard - NSFW)

Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: N/A Words: 7,698 Summary: Edelgard must learn everything around her in order to become an efficient emperor for the Adrestian Empire. However, what she didn’t know was just how inexperienced she is in the form of passionate lovemaking.

A/N: It’s been 6 years since I’ve last sinned. Have fun with this! I feel like my age is slowly catching up to me since I’m having even more difficulty writing in this genre compared to my 17-year-old self back then.

--

Education is important to a person’s growth. Without it, a person’s growth is stunted. Types of conversations would be limited. Actions would lack variety. The next generation would lose plenty of opportunities and lessons. Lacking education could easily lead to ostracization from the community. The consequences are fatal. However, a human’s brain is unable to store countless information. It isn’t a supercomputer. A supercomputer wouldn’t even be able to store limitless data into its system either.

That means it’s okay to not know everything, right? Dimitri, Claude, and even her professor, Byleth, admits that there was nothing wrong with this.

“Edelgard, even I don’t know everything. My family has ruled over the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus without worldly knowledge. I am certain I can follow after their footsteps.”

“Nothin’ wrong with not being the all-knowing-goddess, right? Sometimes it’s better to be ignorant. Knowing too much could lead to your downfall…”

“Edelgard, there’s so much to learn in this world. As a professor, even I don’t know everything. I don’t even think I’m a good professor— Oh, you flatter me. I’m glad you think otherwise. Still, I learn alongside my students. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, okay?”

For Edelgard, this is unacceptable. She must allow her brain to absorb all that it could. For the Adrestian Empire future emperor, a single detail not known could very well lead her nation into demise. The 18-year-old was like a sponge. Various tactical plans and ideas were tested in chess duels. Subjects ranging from complex physics in the field of magic to survival skills needed for the wilderness are mastered. Extracurricular activities such as the art of being a seamstress and singing in a choir are sought after. Interactions with Byleth’s colleagues and volunteer positions (such as being a weekly chef at the monastery’s kitchen) expanded her social network.

Edelgard snagged at every single piece of knowledge like a hungry beast.

She would become an emperor.

She would reclaim what her father had lost.

She would lead a fulfilling life with her lover, Byleth.

Yes… Knowledge was especially crucial for their relationship.

It was a dinner during the time of her birthday that led to the planted seed. Edelgard had not hoped for much. Actually— she foresaw that there would be no results! They had spent countless hours together, but none dare led to a relationship beyond platonic. A student and a professor. A noble and a commoner. A princess and a mercenary. The only thing they had in common was their status as warriors on the battlefield. Otherwise, they were never on equal footing.

Edelgard wanted to close the gap. The birthday date was the most opportune of time to confess her amorous sins to the very person she fell for. A small cake dashed with whip creams and decorated with strawberries sat between the two. Had it not been for the cup of sweet herbal tea found in the mountains, Edelgard would have lost so much of the confident composure. The tremors in her delivery, the rapid heartbeat, the occasional twitch from her eye, the chewing of her lower lip, and the gnawing fear were evident.

“I love you, Byleth.”

Dread overcame her thoughts as the older female no older than by three years hardly reacted. There was no flushing of the cheeks, there was no change to the respiration rate, there were no subtle movements… She simply stared back at the recently-turned 18-year-old. Edelgard had balled the hands on her lap into fists. How humorous. Was her professor disgusted with her? Same-sex relationships were not uncommon, but that does not mean everyone agreed to it. It just wasn’t their preference.

The girl remembered her palms becoming clammy. Edelgard felt her mouth go dry as that particular reason crossed through her mind.

What if Byleth wasn’t into girls?

“I love you too, Edelgard.”

But it never came to that. Byleth embraced Edelgard’s forward nature and never once shamed the young lady of her sexuality. The unfolding scene almost felt like it came out of a left field. Yes, to an extent. Byleth had never once expressed romantic feelings to any of her students or colleagues. Not even Sylvain or Dorothea could rattle the ex-mercenary with their flirtatious personality. To respond with a smile, a tinge of pink discoloration upon her cheeks, and the sudden hug was not how her professor would have acted!

What Edelgard had forgotten was Byleth’s true nature. Despite the facts that a concrete slab has more expression than Byleth in her waking hours, underneath the stoic demeanor is that of a young woman who wishes to be with others. The mercenary life and community that she used to surround herself with thickened the outer shell. Making allies was easy. Making friends was not.

Edelgard had noticed how much time the instructor met with Jeralt and Manuela during days off after Byleth’s explanation.

“I didn’t know how to approach you.”

She was, in a way, emotionally stunted. Expressing them was difficult as she was used to concealing them as a mercenary. That stunt came to erode and was replaced with growth during the first two months at the monastery. The cheeky personality that everyone has come to adore bore fruit. What Byleth was not prepared for was the concept of love. Yes, she loves her father. However, the older male would always remark to his colleagues and curious students from all three Houses about the lack of physical affection she showcased to him.

“Love is a foreign concept to her,” he shook his head after Edelgard had approached him one day. “I can tell how she is feeling, but only because I’m her father. I could only hope she meets someone special like my wife to help break her out of her shell.”

Edelgard had no way knowing that that special person was none other than herself… and she would have never known had she not initiated.

They shook hands on a deal. The two made a promise to keep their relationship a secret until Edelgard graduated. Both did not want to be at the center of gossips, especially in the case tension arises between the three nations and church. Comically, Byleth and Edelgard were unable to pry the hands from the rest of the Black Eagles as their curious nature were too much to handle. Not that the Black Eagles weren’t supportive, of course. They cheered on for the two and sealed their lips about the private affair to the rest of the students and staffs. Even Hubert gave the green light… once he had given Byleth a long, brother-like lecture on dating Edelgard in private.

“If I ever see, hear, or sense Edelgard in distress because of you, I will have no choice but to remove you.”

How brotherly of him!

Nevertheless, nothing could prepare her for a very green relationship with her professor. Textbooks held little to no knowledge about love. In lieu of it, fairytales and wondrous legends substituted the dense material. It’s unfortunate that the ones she’s heard of never went beyond a kiss… Not that Edelgard even knew that you could do something more intimate than share a pleasant peck on the lips. It was only recently that she decided to pursue this new concept thanks to the encouragement from Ferdinand and Dorothea.

“So long as Hubert doesn’t hear about this, then you’re totally fine!” Dorothea chirped when the three ate lunch together. The fashionable commoner tucked a stray brown hair behind her ear as she sipped on her juice. “Still, I can’t believe that you didn’t know about THIS.”

“It’s a shame my rival is so oblivious about it,” Ferdinand shut his eyes and shook his head, a hand rested on his temple. “My Edelgard won’t be able to get married and have kids!”

Edelgard’s brow twitched.

“How entertaining for you to speak like I am not present,” she stared at the male. “I am also not yours, Ferdinand. I have—”

“Teach,” he finished. His eyes opened and a playful grin ran across his lips. “Yeah yeah, we got the message.”

“If you had known, I prefer you focus that energy on finding someone special yourself.”

“Relax~ I will. No promises that it’ll just be as scandalous as yours with Teach~”

“Ferdinand! Why must you make everything a competition between us both?”

Before the two nobles were able to launch into verbal warfare, Dorothea immediately interfered with a long and theatrical “okay!” It’s astonishing that no one else in the cafeteria turned their heads towards the noisy trio’s direction.

“Goodness, both of you, please have some class!” the young lady scolded. It was something of a sight to see someone in her social standing act this way. It almost feels like the role was temporarily reversed… Dorothea shifted her focus onto Edelgard and raised an index finger up like an older sister. “Edelgard, I recommend that the best time to attack is during the evening.”

“I can’t do it now?”

“Unless you’re a rabbit in heat, I suggest you do this privately with the professor. I’m sure you don’t want anyone to hear you both.”

And so Edelgard heeded to their advice after one last review of her battle plan with Ferdinand and Dorothea. She admits, there were three moments in her life where she felt the jitters. The first was the inevitable fate of becoming an emperor for the Adrestian Empire. The second was the dangerous practical lessons against bandits and rebels of the monastery. The third is facing Byleth with an outlandish request. Edelgard felt the palms of her hands moistened. She placed them on her lap and did her best to wipe the sweats away, only to no avail.

Should she back away from the plan? The rubbing of her palms increased its pace. No… That wouldn’t be right. All that hard work of owing her shameful romantic inexperience to Dorothea and Ferdinand cost dearly. Edelgard’s hands slowed down to a stop. Maybe she should delay this. But how long can she push it back?

The sun eventually began to set on a Friday evening as she pondered long and hard. Time was running extremely short. Edelgard needs to decide her next course of action right here, right now. As for her professor, the young lady in her early 20s had just finished preparation for tomorrow. This upcoming weekend consisted of the usual field trips to train for Saturday and a day off for Sunday. It was the usual schedule as a teacher.

‘ Why am I always out on the field, but the other professors aren’t? ‘

Correction: it was the usual schedule as a teacher for Byleth exclusively. Because she was a professional mercenary alongside her father in the past, it made her an ideal model to guide the future prince and princess of their nation compared to other educators. Though Manuela and Hanneman were in charge of the Blue Lions and Golden Deers, they weren’t frequently chosen to handle sensitive missions and tasks ordered by the archbishop herself. It was always “Byleth this” and “Byleth that.”

Byleth loves to teach her students. She really does. She may have various hiccups in her teaching methods, and she is eccentric due to her lack of knowledge in social normality, but she cares for her students. Though it doesn’t hurt to have a break for a bit… right? The other professors were cycled through in a way to spread their workload for Saturday. Why can’t she have that same treatment? She can get tired too!

A weary sigh. The instructor adjusted her hold on the notebook. At least there’s Sunday to look forward to… Byleth let a small smile crack through her frustration. She continued through the empty field and into a hidden narrow passage as a short-cut, her mind set on spending this luxurious day off with fishing on a Sunday.

An imaginary thought bubble floated above her head, a poorly doodled version of Byleth smiling with a fishing rod in one hand and a fish in another. Oh, how she misses this peaceful hobby. Maybe she should invite Edelgard out too.

That seems to have brightened her dull features. The thought bubble began to include the poorly drawn noble shuffling next to the teacher. Edelgard also held a fishing rod in one hand and a smaller fish in another. Just like Byleth, she too was grinning from ear to ear.

‘ Let’s do just that. ‘

She nodded to herself.

“Aren’t you lovesick.” The familiar voice of Sothis pierced through Byleth’s eardrums. As if by magic, Sothis appeared out of thin air and floated beside the walking teacher. The young girl crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. “You’ve changed since you and Edelgard hooked up.”

It has always intrigued Sothis of Byleth’s and Edelgard’s relationship. Although the green-haired care more for the professor whom she has always watched since the time of birth, she cannot help but find more questions than answers. The concept of love is complex. Not everyone views it the same way as the next person. When Byleth struggled with her emotional attachments towards Edelgard before the confession, Sothis had always comforted her. She knew it was not in her place to tell the young woman what was right and what was wrong. All she could do was lend a listening ear.

Just what exactly drew Byleth to Edelgard, and what drew Edelgard to Byleth? The two had opened up to each other during the birthday date, but Sothis excused herself to sleep out of respect. Now she feels a tinge of regret for the missed opportunity. Not that it mattered much in the end. Whatever sweet nectar they poured together taught her host to express more of her emotions. She was even able to chuckle and laugh! It was a huge improvement from the teasing smirk that glossed over her lips for a split second.

Sothis let out a sigh. “Frankly, I’m in awe that you are able to keep your relationship under the rug.”

Byleth shot a glance at the floating woman. “I think it’s best no one outside of the Black Eagles know about this,” she murmured. “I won’t know what to do.”

“Feel free to use a bit of my power to get out of it if you’re ever in a pinch. It’s meant for battle, but I’ll make it an exception this time around.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Sothis sure acts like a mother to Byleth. Then again, she’s been with the professor since who-knows-when. At birth? After birth? When she became a teenager? No one knew the answer, especially from Byleth herself.

Now out of the short-cut route, the teal-haired spotted her bedroom. Unlike her father and other professors, her sudden transfer into the educational institution gave Rhea and Seteth little room to prepare a private office. The best they could do was squeeze her into a spare commoner room on the dormitory’s first floor. It was small, but warm and cozy at least. The last thing Byleth needed was to share rooms with an unfamiliar face on the first day.

She stood in front of the locked door and fumbled for the key in her pockets. Since it was a Friday evening, many students and staffs all congregate in the cafeteria for today’s special menu, prayed to the Goddess Seiros at the church, and visited the marketplace. The remaining few were either sneaking outside of the monastery’s safety net for a little adventure of their own or practicing in the training arena with Catherine or Shamir. That meant all dormitory floors were completely empty, save it for Byleth.

As Sothis watched Byleth unlock the door, the instructor went back into a blissful, vivid imagination of fishing with Edelgard. Now the scrawled image of the teacher and student sat next to each other on the wooden platform, their fishing rods out and ready for an exciting session.

‘ I hope we can catch a big fish to cook and eat. ‘

“Byleth.”

The daydreaming sequence came to a screeching halt. Byleth tumbled backward from tripping on her own feet and let out a faint yelp. Sothis couldn’t catch her host. The transparent arms aren’t exactly used for catching anything physical! Luckily, Edelgard was there to catch her. Just like a noble figure in various stories, the shorter female had swooped in, Byleth landed into the shorter’s chest face-first, and Edelgard’s arms wrapped around the older woman.

“Are you alright, Professor?”

Byleth blinked in Edelgard’s embrace. A flash of heat trickled into her cheeks.

“You startled me!”

“I apologize for my carelessness. I did not mean to scare you like that.”

“That’s okay.”

The two parted—Temporarily, that is. Byleth was about to reach out, touch Edelgard’s face, and lean in for a small smooch. It was their usual way of greeting each other when no one was around. Since Edelgard had also saved her from the doom of falling, she would express gratitude too. Instead, she was greeted with her back against the dormitory building’s wall near her room, nose centimeters away from her girlfriend’s, and her girlfriend’s hands planted near her head. Since the future lord is shorter than Byleth, from the distant, it looked like Edelgard was bullying the educator. For Byleth, she thinks otherwise!

Edelgard became rough! She’s taking dominance! Just what in the world is going on?!

Their breaths tickled each other’s skin. Edelgard’s expression remained firm. Byleth’s features deepened its shade of red. Beads of sweat begin to form on the teacher’s skin. She gulped. Soon, she felt the corner of her lips quiver. If there was ever a moment when the usually stoic woman would melt into a puddle of mess, it would be whenever Edelgard becomes intimate.

“El? What… do you think you’re… doing?”

“Wall slam.”

Byleth’s eyes nearly boggled out of its sockets.

“…excuse me?”

“This is a wall slam.”

Oh goodness, what is Edelgard trying to achieve here?! Byleth knew what a wall slam too, by the way! The professor isn’t THAT dense! Byleth felt her breath hitch as the young lady leaned forward. She braced for a kiss… only for the student to near her ear. Then, with a tinkly whisper,

“I want to have sex with you.”

“…”

Did she… just…

No, that can’t be it.

“…”

…she said it, didn’t she?

Byleth felt her entire body freeze up. The heat was already unbearable from their proximity, and the ex-mercenary’s hand loosened. A notebook fell onto the cold slab underneath their feet with a faint thud. Other than the item, the air became still and the silence filled it. Byleth heard her heartbeat thumping. It was slow but abnormally loud to the point it reached her eardrums. She’s never been this shook in her life. Not even in the heat of battle, littered with death-defying injuries and mental fatigue had ever shaken her to this extent! She shakily exhaled. Their eyes stared into each other once Edelgard separated from her ear.

“Did you… just say you want to have sex with me?” she blinked. “That’s what I heard… or think I heard, right?”

“Do you doubt me, Byleth?” Edelgard tilted her head. “Your silly expression says otherwise.”

She wasn’t wrong. The Adrestian Empire’s princess hit a bullseye instead. Granted, the teacher had fantasies about doing it with Edelgard, but never really initiated it. Two things had held her back: if Edelgard was ready and if there was ever a time to do it. Having their first time be a quickie would be a real buzzkill. The older female gathered scraps of her logical processes to formulate a rare, squeaky response.

“It doesn’t hurt to double-check.”

It’s no good. Byleth can’t seem to tear her gaze away from Edelgard’s. Those eyes that smolder with intensity, the way the noble angled her body towards the other, the double entendre questions that follow afterward, Byleth is powerless against the empowered female. If anything, their roles are clearly reversed. Another dry swallow came from the teal-haired. That was Edelgard’s cue to affectionately kiss her teacher. Abrupt, but it was much needed. Their eyes closed momentarily at the moment. Another tender kiss on the lips. Simple, but it always seems to draw upon pleasure.

When they parted with bated breaths, Byleth embraced her lover once the other lowered her arms. The instructor buried her face into Edelgard’s shoulder. She deeply inhaled the subtle flowery fragrance. It was not long until she nuzzled into her school’s dark uniform.

“Are you sure about this?” she quietly murmured. “I don’t want you to feel rushed.”

If anything, it would kill Byleth if Edelgard was under the impression that this was a must. Patience is a part of a relationship. She could always wait until Edelgard was ready. Besides, they’re at the midst of growing tensions within this continent. The girls’ love affair could always be in the back burner. The youngster squeezed her girlfriend in response.

“I wanted this, Byleth. If anything, it was my decision.”

There’s nothing wrong with forgetting about the war, even if it’s just for one night.

“Hubert would never allow this though,” Edelgard grumbled. “If he catches us, I don’t think he’ll ever let me out of his sight ever again.”

“Let’s not get caught then.”

When they entered into Byleth’s bedroom, the youngest did not hesitate to lock the door from behind. The room was lit with a nearby lantern. Decorations hung about in the room of the good memories Byleth’s made during her time as a mercenary and as a mentor. Stacks of books and scrolls were tucked in the corner. The desk hosting a personal journal and calendar for the school year. By coincidence, the room upheld an amorous vibe. The professor had to pat herself on the back for keeping the room this way most of the time. It would be awkward if it were a preference to chaos.

Byleth was just able to toss her notebook onto the desk’s surface when she felt a rough tug. The role reversal continued as Edelgard shoved her lover down onto the tidied mattress. Hands by her head, Byleth’s covered chest rose and fell with each breath. The ex-mercenary was opened to the noble. The princess climbed on top of Byleth like a sly cat.

It was clear who was dominant at this moment. Byleth cracked a brief smile in admiration of the brave young lady. The first step into bypassing the boundary and it would be Edelgard who leads. Though there was one little thing Edelgard had forgotten to disclose... and it became prominent when their staring session lasted longer than five seconds.

“El?” she breathed. “Have I lost you to my beautiful eyes?”

“Perhaps.”

But nothing was advancing. The two were fixated in their current position. Not a single inch had budged, and not a single disturbance was felt. She allowed a couple more second tick by from the nearby wall clock.

Still no progress.

Byleth raised an eyebrow.

“Um… Edelgard—”

“Professor, I don’t know what to do next.”

…oh. So, it appears that it slipped from Edelgard’s mind on how inexperienced she is. Ferdinand and Dorothea may have taught her the ropes of getting their professor heated and riled up, but they obviously left out the more explicit contents from their explanations. A shade of red, albeit from embarrassment, discolored the noble’s cheeks. Byleth readjusted her posture so she was able to cup Edelgard’s face. The movement caught the leader of Black Eagles off guard. Then, the educator squished her cheeks.

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?” she chuckled. “Tell me the truth, El. The reason you want to have sex is that you want to learn more about it, am I wrong?”

Edelgard’s facial features twisted into a mix of shame and timidity. Her eyes began to shift around as she mumbled, “Yes.” And what better way to learn about it than with someone you love? Besides, her classmates told her that it was the next step in bonding together. Edelgard clearly wants their relationship to strengthen without it becoming stale.

“Good girl.” Byleth immediately nuzzled with her girlfriend’s nose. They made brief contact with their foreheads before the teacher slid her hands down to the female’s side. Edelgard let out a yelp once their positions flipped. Now on her back, the youngster’s respiration rate picked up knowing what will happen next. Her professor straddled the noble and began to shed her thick overcoat. “You chose the right teacher.”

Frankly, Byleth had never done this with someone. That doesn’t mean she hadn’t witnessed it being done.

It was accidental. She swears upon the Goddess of Sieros that it was purely an accident. The mercenaries never had roots and were always camping and sleeping outdoors. There was barely any sort of privacy, yet kids were being reproduced in her father’s group. Clearly, the members demonstrated intercourses at the quiet times during nightfall. The majority of the mercenaries were at least courteous enough to step away from the camp so their loud moans and groans weren’t heard. Unfortunately, the minority did it right at the premise. Byleth had seen it all from beginning to end as a teenager.

Traumatizing as it may be, at least she’s gained valuable knowledge. Now it was time to put it to use with someone she deeply cares for.

The older woman had now rid of all her armors and stylistic leggings, leaving her left with a white undershirt and wear. Observing Edelgard, she placed both hands on the female’s abdomen.

“How do you feel?”

“Excited… but also scared,” the noble breathed.

“Scared?”

“I’ve never done it and I’ve never heard about this till today.”

“Huh. How did you learn about it?”

“Ferdinand and Dorothea.”

Byleth blinked. “Why am I not surprised.”

“You aren’t?”

“Ferdinand is always a gentleman who tried his best to woo the ladies. Kind of shocked that he still hasn’t found anyone—well, aside from you, that is. Dorothea is always flirting with everyone, so that was predictable.”

“You know them all too well.”

“It’s my job to know my students,” she shrugged. The professor leaned down and proceeded to undo Edelgard’s top attire piece by piece. As her fingers worked on the buttons, Byleth’s eyes twinkled. “That means I get to know more about you too.”

Edelgard felt beads of sweat fly out of her head.

“Byleth, please go easy on me…”

“I will.” Now that the buttons are off, the ex-mercenary gave a quick peck on the girl’s nose. “Let me know if it’s too much for you. I can stop at any time for you.”

“Okay.”

Once Edelgard nodded, the teal-haired started with the first step. A kiss is in order. They may have smooched many times, but none of them rivaled this one. It started off as something simple. Their lips captured one another. Eventually, Byleth’s tongue began to poke, prod, and suck at the sealed sensitive body part. Edelgard’s eyes widened and her lips instinctively parted for a groan. This newly-form entranceway easily allowed the mentor to slip her tongue in. Accompanied by the hand motions of slowly feeling and brushing the student’s concealed chest, sides, stomach, and arms, this eased Edelgard into a world full of bliss.

“Mm…”

They parted. Hot, fast breaths tickled their noses as their eyes were fixated on one another. Then, they resumed where they left off, their tongues tangled and tasting each other. Faint moans came from Edelgard as she realized just how good it felt. It was nothing like she’s ever experienced in her lifetime! For Byleth, she was somewhat in awe of how she’s making the princess tingle from her touches. Edelgard would groan into her mouth as she pressed onward. No wonder why the mercenaries were always trying to hook up with one another outside of battle. This felt amazing.

“I… I never knew you can kiss this way,” Edelgard panted in-between. “Byleth, please teach me more.”

The professor felt an inner switch click on. It was rare for the rising lord to plead. Byleth felt a strange desire to hasten through the lessons and go straight for the main course. However, she internally squeezed the animalistic cravings to a minimum and planted a peck on the student’s lips with a smile.

“I’ll teach you everything, El.”

The second step, the neck. Byleth leaned in to plant soft, fluttering kisses upon the exposed skin. Edelgard felt the heat rise from her head and crawl down to her core. It was different from receiving it on the lips. Although it was not as sensitive as the pink flesh, their current circumstances intensified her sense of touch. She gasped when her teacher gently sucked on areas where she pressed her lips. It was ticklish. The student immediately grabbed ahold of Byleth’s arms and curled her fingers inward, her body slightly squirming.

“Sensitive, aren’t you?” Byleth breathed upon the bare skin.

Edelgard intentionally tightened her hold on the dominant figure. Between her groans, she mewled, “S-Stop asking me those—ah, those questions.”

Byleth’s eyes darkened like a predator. “You’re too cute.”

The next step was one of the sensitive parts of a human’s body. As they were females, their size was far bigger than those from their male counterparts. Byleth’s hands slowly spread apart the upper uniform as she continued to occupy the girl’s neck, allowing the bountiful, now-bare breasts to bare themselves into this world.

She distanced herself to get the full view of Edelgard’s upper body. The pair are so pure and in pristine shape. Not a single battle scar tattooed themselves on the girl’s skin. (Excluding a surgical operation near her ribcage and arms. Those scars had mostly faded.) Compared to the instructor’s battle-worn body, Edelgard was the definition of perfection. Byleth let the word “beautiful” slip from her mouth. This caused the beet red noble to cross her covered arms almost instantly.

“Do we really need to include this in the curriculum?”

Byleth laughed quietly and gently urged Edelgard’s arms apart. It took some time, but the merciful strength conveyed its message successfully. The white-haired exposed herself once more to her teacher with quivering lips. Edelgard had absolutely no idea what was going to happen next as her teacher continued to shed her top attire. She resisted the temptation to flee half-naked from the bedroom.

“Ah!”

Her breath got caught in her throat. The aristocratic female was startled by her lover’s hands’ contact with her breasts. Though they’ve touched each other before when tending to their wounds or bathing, none of them were meant for reasons far more intimate. Edelgard nearly slapped those naughty hands away. The female fisted the bedsheets in lieu of it. Byleth proceeded to massage the mounds with great care as if she were making pottery. She encompassed the pair and gave it a squeeze. A moan escaped from Edelgard. The instructor’s thumbs soon toyed with the hardened tips, rubbing them with her index. Another moan crackled out from her girlfriend. Seems like the mentor is doing something right. Pleased, Byleth continued to pour affection into them as the noble squirmed underneath. Had it not been for the professor’s straddling, she would have been bucked off the mattress!

Hickeys were carefully littered amongst the royal’s neck, the tortuous pleasant waves continued to assault the young lady. Edelgard’s fists tightened its hold on the crumpled bedsheets as Byleth’s adventurous hands twitched and toyed the sensitive tip of her breasts. Another blissful wave washed in while her mind narrowly focused on the electric touches. She jerked from the ministrations as it grew rougher. Whimpers and ragged panting disrupted the perfect imagery everyone envisioned from the noble. Words won’t ever accurately describe this burning desire to moan every passing second.

One hand was eventually removed. Although it should’ve eased the intensity, it was, instead, substituted with Byleth’s mouth.

“Hnngh!?”

Byleth swirled her tongue around it and gave it the occasional suck. Such a foreign object that circulates around the tip of the prized area, this drove the younger girl crazy. Edelgard squeezed her eyes shut and stifled a much louder groan. Any lingering fear that possessed the student now eroded away. These touches sent chilling sensations that shortly transformed into sweet, burning euphoria.

The spare hand massaged the supple mound one last time before it casually left the premise. Byleth had another goal in mind as it trailed downward. It tickled Edelgard in midst of her sexual high. Her fingertips brushed upon the hems of Edelgard’s skirt. That snapped the royal’s eyelids open as her professor raised her head. Their eyes locked with each other. One was breathing as though she ran a marathon, one was breathing as though she had completed a meditation.

“Edelgard… how are you feeling?”

“Spare me the questions, Professor,” the princess scoffed lightly. “You know I can’t answer that.”

“That’s okay. Your body told me everything.”

“You—”

Edelgard wanted to grab her teacher’s cheeks and pull on them. It wasn’t a very regal way of handling the cheeky attitude of Byleth, but the girl was already flustered enough in her current state, she needn’t any more of it. The ex-mercenary bit the bottom of her lip as she glanced at the skirt. She lifted herself up from straddling Edelgard and clung to the edges of the clothing.

“I’m going to take these off.”

“…okay…”

She didn’t sound sure. There wasn’t any resistant… So that means Edelgard gave the green light. Still, the flushed girl’s expression held a mixture of other emotions. Byleth smirked as she slowly pulled down the piece of article. Pop quiz time.

“As your professor, let me give you a pop quiz.”

“Byleth, really?”

“You’ve asked to be taught.”

“I didn’t mean it THAT way!”

Edelgard shifted her legs as the skirt bypassed her knees. Though her cheeks are flamed, the white-haired felt the tension in her core slightly loosen. She frowned and felt irritated. This was going to kill their mood. Luckily, Byleth isn’t so oblivious as to leave her lover sexually frustrated. The teacher has seen it happen one too many times with her old mercenary allies.

A flick of her wrist chucked the dark skirt out of the way. Now working on the red tights, Byleth presented the question.

“How are babies made?”

“…I’ve always thought the Goddess Sieros bestowed them to the parents.”

“Who told you that?”

“Rhea.”

“Urk…”

That was awkward. Dorothea and Ferdinand could at least help their teacher out by explaining this to Edelgard! Or rather, the blame should be entirely placed on Rhea. Who in Fodlan would use the goddess to explain this natural phenomenon? Sure, the archbishop is a holy maiden that should not be tainted. But wasn’t the main point of the Officer’s Academy was to also teach students the reality of the world? An imaginary bead of sweat ran down the side of her face as she finally took off everything except the undergarment. Byleth gave a little huff.

“That’s wrong. This…” Byleth placed her finger on Edelgard’s exposed stomach. With an index finger, she slowly dragged its tip all the way till it hit the white barrier. It was somewhat moist on the single layer that protects the most treasured part of a woman’s body. The noble jolted and gasped as Byleth gently rubbed the wet fabric with a single finger. “This is how babies are made.”

Edelgard scrambled after a response. Any kind of response, really, to hide the squeaks and inconsiderably loud pants that emitted from her direction. It was a mind-boggling experience. How could a single finger tapping and rubbing lightly spark so much pleasure? It was like firecrackers! A long groan resonated from her throat when Byleth vertically swiped the slender finger at a lazy pace.

“Byleth— Hah…"

It was getting out of hand. The younger girl knew that body wanted this. This body wanted to embrace the spicy touches and feel her teacher’s touches to its fullest extent. As much as Edelgard wished to stay dignified in the middle of intercourse, her desperate expression and wiggling body says otherwise.

“I-It feels good,” she whispered.

Byleth’s eyes blackened once more as she had both hands pull the last lower garment out of the way. Just like the skirt, it was flung to the floor. She then leaned forward and closed in on Edelgard’s ear. Sweet nectar dripped from her faint words. Edelgard shuddered in response.

“I’ll make sure you feel even better, El.”

There was no hesitation in her next action. Using the same index finger that had pressed against the white underwear, Byleth copied her original move set on the bare flesh. The slender finger continued to swipe up and down, left and right with flicks. Unbearable gratification of such delicious feelings shot up from that one spot all the way to Edelgard’s brain in flashes. Edelgard struggled to keep her voice down as her body squirmed. This caused Byleth to drape an arm over one of the legs to keep her girlfriend from launching her to the opposite side of the room. Of course, this was to make sure she has plenty of space to work on the sensitive folds.

“Byleth— Agh!”

Nothing was stopping the pleasure train from crashing in. Soon, it was getting difficult for the young lady to keep her respiration rate consistent. Edelgard’s heart was pounding wildly against her chest. She feared that she might overheat from the session! Alas, that was not the case as she had enough willpower to stay conscious from the sudden spike in euphoria. A cry left Edelgard’s mouth when Byleth’s thumb pressed against the clit. She applied pressure at the nub a few times in successions before resting it between her index and thumb.

A pause. Byleth glanced upward. Past the naturally spread legs, the partially clothed Edelgard trembled. The student’s chest rose and fell at a fast pace, back still laid upon the soft furniture. Edelgard’s gaze was jumbled as she could hardly think. This small break won’t last forever, though. They were in the middle of the course.

“This is the most sensitive part of a woman’s body,” she explained and pinched the clit. That elicits another outcry from Edelgard. Byleth kneaded it between her fingertips as if it were a small ball, causing the poor noble to jerk her hips upward. Byleth grunted. The professor applied extra force into her arm in order to keep the legs from sending her to Brigid. “Y-You see, when we are in our mother’s womb, both male and female don't have noticeable sex during development.”

Not that Edelgard was paying any attention to the lecture. The sensation was powerful and overwhelming. If a man derives extreme pleasure from his testicle, then for a woman, it would be their clitoris. (As Byleth elaborates in the background, it’s an underdeveloped version of a male’s testicle.) It was building up. The strange, alienated bubble that kept on producing tiny fireworks within her core increased its intensity.

“Nnngh—! Byleth!”

“…so as you can see, it’s something to keep in mind.”

“Byleth!”

How could her girlfriend still be chatting away while she’s pleasuring her?! Edelgard would like to have a word with her professor, but she was too bothered to care. All forms of her sanity were thrown right out the window when Byleth slowed her rubdown. The teal-haired woman faintly smiled at the frustrated Adrestian Empire’s princess. Oh, how much she loves Edelgard. Just hearing her scream out her name is music to her ears.

“I’m surprised you’re all riled up from my fingers. There are other ways to make you feel good too.”

“What are you— Hey, w-wait! Don’t go down there— AH!”

This was a first for the ex-mercenary, but she decided to tackle it head-first. The fingers were replaced with something drastically different. A strong, but small, muscular muscle had just brushed its rough surfaces against Edelgard’s most prized area of her body. This made the noble twitch and shake from the new texture. Euphoria coursed through her vein as blood pooled into the fleshed. The noble immediately reached down to hold onto her older girlfriend’s head. Byleth was seen to have both of her hands strongly grip against the thighs of the other female, her face buried at the blooming flower. A couple of licks were given before Byleth paused once again. Edelgard hitched her shoulders at the hot breath in the private sector.

“The mercenaries weren’t wrong… it tastes interesting.”

“BYLETH!”

What is wrong with this woman? Her socialization skills really need some improvements, especially with bedroom talks. Had it been someone else other than Edelgard, they would likely have left Byleth a long time ago! Despite the strange wordings and phrases slipped past the professor’s lips, the teal-haired ignored her girlfriend.

‘ …what do I do next? ‘

Throughout the entire session, it was a lot of work for Byleth. She may have enjoyed it just like Edelgard, but it was her first time too. Memories of the mercenaries work on each other, male or female, threw suggestions into the air. She had to pick and choose what was most appropriate for their current situation. Besides, Byleth didn’t want to sour their first make-out session.

‘ I’ll finish this. ‘

The relentless assaults resumed as she secured her hold on Edelgard’s legs, her fingers digging into the thighs. Byleth indulged once more into tasting the girl’s wet folds. Her tongue ran against the exterior surface in all sorts of direction, a little sloppy in terms of techniques. That matter not to Edelgard. Edelgard right now was battling against the embarrassing noise that proudly proclaimed how pleasant Byleth’s tongue was on her right now. The fireworks were gradually becoming larger and the sparks jolted at an even interval from the sex organ to her core. Her fingers tangled with teal locks as her back arched here and there.

When Byleth buried her tongue into the moist entranceway, Edelgard harshly squeezed her girlfriend’s head.

“A-AH! Haa— Haah! B-Byleth! Oh, Byleth— AH!”

Each thrust that came from the boneless body party went as deep as it physically could. Edelgard repeatedly forced her instructor’s face into the private region. She was intoxicated by pleasure, and she allowed raw instincts to dominant her reasoning. For Byleth, she did her best not to suffocate in Edelgard’s nether region. She responded by pushing against the thighs in order to gain better access. The woman then licked the inside of her walls like a drunken sailor. Edelgard’s bodily fluids were leaking out in preparation for the ultimate climax, the young lady shaking uncontrollably similarly to her moans.

A short-lived scream was heard from the shorter female whenever Byleth’s tongue wiggled and curved either upward or downward. Hearing her girlfriend’s cries turned on the older woman. Though she had never masturbated before, that thought did cross through her mind for a split second. Nonetheless, she shook it off and paid her upmost attention to Edelgard. She expelled her bliss by aggressively tackling the sensitive nub like a suckling.

“H—Haaah! Byleth— I… I can’t— Hah! I can’t hold it— HAH!”

It was driving Edelgard past insanity. Byleth’s tongue and mouth showering love upon her lower region between the legs was all that occupied the student’s mind. Nothing more, nothing less. She breathed rapidly as if she were in a marathon, and the young female arched her back once more. Byleth knew that she was about to be shoved over the edge of the cliff. Who better to do it than the teacher herself? She removed her tongue from the core and focused her entire attention on the clitoris. Enveloping her lips around the small nub, she gave it a few, strong sucking as if she wanted to drain the girl.

“Byleth—! I-I’m— A-AH!”

The fireworks gave a barrage of explosions as the student immediately sat up, curled forward, and trapped Byleth between her legs and partially dressed upper body. Her entire body stiffened as it bore through the explosive sensuality. The professor kept marching forward with the assaults in hopes of dragging her girlfriend’s Cloud Nine experience as long as possible. When Edelgard released her hold and plopped back onto the mattress, Byleth raised her head and felt her body vibrated from the impact. Although she was out of breath from the laborious efforts, that was nothing compared to the white-haired.

Byleth crawled over to the side of Edelgard, faced her, and laid down. As they tried to refuel their lungs with the necessary oxygen, the professor reached out to place a hand on the girl’s chest. It was beating wildly like a horse.

“Are… Are you okay?”

Edelgard wasn’t able to quip in until her breathing slowed down to a reasonable interval. She swallowed and turned her head over to Byleth. She blinked and… smiled.

“I’m more than okay, Byleth.” There was another pause before she added an additional remark. “If anything… I should thank you for teaching me about sex.”

A chuckle emitted from the professor. “Believe it or not, this was my first time.”

“Really? I am honored to be your first. However, you seem experienced enough to have done it with someone else.”

“Back when I was a mercenary, I’ve picked up some of these tips and tricks.”

“…so you’ve watched a couple go at it.”

“It was an accident.”

“Sure, it was. Sure.”

The two then fell into silence, their eyes interlocked with each other. Byleth then leaned in to place a gentle kiss like that of a swan on Edelgard’s lips.

“If you’re up for another lesson, I’m always free for you, El.”

“Since you’ve brought up that offer…” Before the 21-year-old could open her mouth, she found herself straddled by the royal figure. Edelgard began to strip the rest of her upper attire and proclaimed, “I think it’s time I show you what I’ve learned today.”

Meanwhile, Sothis peered from outside of the bedroom's door, her eyebrows raised higher than the ceiling.

"They're STILL at it?! I just woke up from my nap while they had their fun! Guess it's time to sleep again..."

#loyalflutist #one shot #os #fan fiction #fire emblem three houses #f!byleth x edelgard #lEMON LEMON SQUEEZY LEMON PIE #god help purge this sinner soul of mine #(lmao psych it's not gonna happen is it) #edeleth #lemon the lemonade

[themysteriouslou]

To the deep ends

I wrote this as part of an angst war between @elusetta @foofygoldfish and me. Another good motivation was noticing that there are few bunker ending fics where the deputy explores their grief following the death of their friends. So, my deputy is going to be the guinea pig of this little experiment of mine, hope you enjoy it!

The days in the bunker went on smoothly.

Or at least, she perceived them that way.

It was difficult to guess how much time had passed since the bunker's doors had closed to the outside world. Joseph had removed Dutch's body one day after she had woken up from her blackout, muttering about giving him eternal rest once and for all. The hours following it, though? They felt the same to her, without any change that would point out something anew.

One thing she could be sure of was that, if she was careless enough, she could lose the perception of time in that dark box that kept her safe from "God's wrath". She had to keep herself constantly alert to the sounds of the radio, to some errant paper that had flown from the desk where Dutch had kept his things, to the calendar that was too far away from her eyes to see. Leslie knew she could ask Joseph, and she could almost picture the scene in her mind's eye; him going and coming through the door, the rosary around his wrist tinkling with his footsteps, approaching her to give her to drink (or eat, or just to watch her without uttering a word). If she concentrated long enough, she could see herself looking at him and asking what day it was (how long have we been here?) But it wouldn't work.

She had already tried, step by step, but the words refused to come out of her mouth. Her lips were glued together, and the air in her lungs (wasted, of course it was) did nothing but remind her that she was no more than a doll whose strings had been torn apart: soundless, motionless, and useless.

What remained of those efforts was him leaving the room and her making a futile attempt to extend her hands, a plea on the tip of her tongue: stay. Because if Joseph stayed, her memory would give up the chance to torment her. Please, don't leave me. Don't go.

But he never saw her doing that gesture, and Leslie hadn't the strength to repeat it when she was in his presence. Both were tired and preferred, somehow, to coexist without really interacting with each other. A kind of symbiotic relationship, one that ensured their survival but prevented them from interacting with the person who had caused the most damage in their lives.

Isn't that right, Joseph? She thought, hearing his restless gait in the continuous room. I complied with everything you predicted, and even so, it's difficult for you to see day after day the sinner you swore to convert to the cost of your family.

The sinner that took everything from you, just as you took everything from her.

And she understood, she really did, and she didn't blame him for it.

After all, every time she made the slightest attempt to blame him, something inside immediately reared its head at her, compelling her to close her eyes, to hold her breath and wait. Wait for the surrounding sounds to die out, for the lights to flick down like a candle's flame—and then, stillness.

She had enough self-awareness to understand that her psyche’s silence wouldn’t last long. It never did. It creeped on the edges of her consciousness, reminding her of the words branded in her memory since she woke up in Dutch’s bunker.

The world is on fire and it’s your fault.

"Breathe," she whispered, the sound echoing through the empty room. Her throat felt hoarse when she took in a deep breath—when was the last time she swallowed?—and held it, allowing the lungs to expand and fill with the smell of ashes and humidity the bunker carried. It cleared her mind for a brief second, made it easy for her to listen to the pounding of her heart. She was alive, breathing and well. However, at what cost?

Joseph claimed that God was purging the earth for them, that He was making sure they received a new and blank start. A pure one, where they would replace the bad with the good. Where they could forget.

But how to start again if everything reminded her of what she had loved and lost?

She didn't even have to access her own mental space to remember it—the images assaulted her daily, regardless of whether she was awake or trying to sleep. She saw towers of fire rising from the forests. Saw the white church where everything had begun die out in a pile of dust before her eyes. Saw their faces, both known and not, frozen in time with the same widen-eyed, mouth-opened expression.

And yet, nothing could beat out the dreams.

...

Sharky was sitting next to her, roaring with laughter as they drove alongside the Henbane River, Johnny Cash blaring out of the speakers and a host of peggies following them closely from behind.

"C'mon, Les, you can't tell me you've never tried it!" She couldn't take her eyes off the road; hands firmly curled on the steering wheel, yet responded to his playful tone without missing a beat.

"Driving with music at full volume as I go through a horde of cultists? No, Sharky, I haven't had time to attempt it."

He laughed; the sound muffled by the wind as he leaned out the window and pulled his flamethrower with him. Looking through the rear-view mirror, Leslie saw the cultists trying to keep themselves out of the fire's range. It can't be helped, she mused, returning her vision to the road. I would've rather lost them the old way but desperate times call for desperate measures.

The outlaw patted her hands affectionately, a mischievous glint in his eye. "You are in good hands; Dep. Uncle Shark will teach you everything he knows."

“Only if you don’t call yourself uncle ever again.”

...

"Les, isn't it a little... too much?"

Leslie looked away from the landscape below them, raising her eyebrows in brief confusion. Looking at her through the rear-view mirror, Nick sighed deeply, releasing Carmina's controls to make a gesture with one of his hands.

"I mean that monstrosity of a bag you're carryin' in your hands."

"Pregnant women need protein, Nick," she beamed lightly, squeezing his shoulder to remind him to look forward, "I'd rather stuff your fridge to the brim than having Kim and the baby missing some delicacies to eat. That ain't to do, don't you think?"

He grinned, “You don’t have to go to all this trouble for us.”

"I want to. Now, keep your eyes on the front view—if we crash into a tree and die Kim's gonna revive us just for the sake of killing us again with her own bare hands and that's somehow an even more terrifying thought than the cultists doing it themselves."

...

It was in that moment she opened her eyes.

It wasn't the typical movie scene where someone jerks awake from a nightmare. She wasn't screaming her lungs out because of something her mind made her see. She wasn't sweating profusely, nor was she wondering if whether it was a dream or an actual incident.

She knew it was real. She knew it with the same certainty she felt when she saw those faces, mirages of a previous life where she didn't feel alone. (Where the world outside was bright and hope was just around the corner. Where she could do things right...)

It wasn't a nightmare, too. The images were too vivid, too precious to have been one. That much she did know.

Trembling, Leslie tested impulsively the shackles that had her bound to the bedpost, only to find her wrists free of the metallic cuffs. Joseph must have been sure she wasn't going to attack him as soon as he took the chains off. He must have known that she…

You’re weak, a voice uttered in her ear, a soft and deep cadence that made her think of red (the color of his hair, of his burns, of the lights in the trial rooms, of the blood dripping down on Eli's forehead). And you know what happens to the weak.

“I do.” Curled up in the bed, hands tightly drawn to her body in an attempt to stop her shallow breathing from taking ahold of her being, she darted her sight from the radio to the ceiling in quick succession until everything blurred out. “Believe me, I do.”

Morpheus didn’t look for her again, nor did he do it the following nights.

It was for the best.

Joseph was bound to notice it sooner or later.

And, in all honesty, Leslie was right to assume it would be the former option.

"You haven't been eating well," he said, as she put her meal's leftovers in a tupperware.

Her fingers twitched lightly, holding onto the food container as carefully as she could. His gaze burned the back of her head, making her want to face him. It's all on the eyes, she thought, they're called the windows of the soul for a reason.

And that was the exact reason for which she turned away every time he was near her. He would notice the slight frown in her mouth, the dark bags under her eye sockets, the tiredness of her features—she didn't doubt Joseph was a perceptive man, one who knows exactly what a person is going through just looking at them.

He would know.

And she couldn't let that happen. Not yet.

"It's just your imagination," Leslie assured him, looking at him over her shoulder. Yup, he's effectively burning holes through my skull. "I'm okay."

You've always been a terrible liar, but at least you can look like you've got yourself together.

"Now, if you excuse me..."

She didn't see the tight-lipped expression that settled on Joseph's face once she left the room, but it didn't matter.

She would get acquainted with it soon.

...

"No!"

"As you hear it! It's only a matter of time, Ladybug. The Monkey God has not forgotten me, we just have to wait." Hurk clapped his hands, visibly satisfied at his audience's stunned countenance.

The two were enjoying a pair of beers in the backyard of the Fort Drubman, taking a break from the fighting as soon as Drubman Senior’s truck Nancy —Leslie gripped the mouth of her bottle strongly, almost sneering at the thought of the traitor that sold her and her colleagues to a conflict neither of them wanted to happen. Fuckin' Nancy— was safely back in her owner’s hands. It was just her and Hurk chilling in the sun, listening to the chirps of the birds and the sound of wind through the leaves of the trees…. until Hurk deemed the silence to be boring and dreary, and started telling her stories about his exploits around the world, about being part of a Resistance group in the past and crucially helping the hero when they needed him.

She suspected Hurk embellished some parts of his story, but it truly didn't bother her. The places he went were exotic but dangerous and she wondered, in awe, how Hurk was still alive following that. Dumb luck or an actual Monkey God protecting him? No one will ever know.

"Are you still in contact with Ajay after what happened in Kyrat?"

"Sometimes, though I haven't heard of him since the county closed off to the outside world," Hurk opened his mouth, but then closed it and looked at her, furrowing his brows in contemplation. "Now that I think about it, you two are very similar. You're both bull-headed and fight like mad dogs when you see people getting threatened by others." He nodded to himself, in agreement with his own train of thought, "Yeah, you two would totally be each other's best friends, after me, of course."

Leslie shook her head slightly at his words, amusement still openly evident in her mien. "Should I take that as an insult or a compliment?”

"Whatever you wanna make of it, Ladybug." Hurk stood up, stretching up and sighing at the feel of his joints popping into place. "Now, what d'you think about going to blow some peggie stuff up?"

…

"Adjust the angle two inches to the right." Grace advised, watching her from the shadow of a tree.

Leslie nodded, closing her left eye and rotating her body slightly to the right, until she was aiming where she wanted it to be. Focus. She breathed in and pulled the trigger.

The thunderous noise of the shot made her grit her teeth and left a buzzing in her ears, but when she looked at the target, her hands tightened around her weapon’s handle in glee. Straight at the bullseye.

A calloused hand touched her shoulder. Grace was smiling at her, a proud smirk lighting her usual stoic face. “That was good, Les.”

Her lips quirked upwards, sighing deeply as she strapped her rifle to her back once more. “You’re a good teacher, Grace.”

“Have you done this before?”

“Opa used to take me to his and Dad’s hunting trips.” A wistful expression flickered in her mien. It’s a shame he’s not here anymore, her eyes wandered up to the sky, almost picturing in the clouds the solemn weathered face of a man who had been dutiful until the end, but then again, had he been alive Eden’s Gate would be shitting bricks and running to the next hill in fear, no doubt about that. “We had – have – a sniper rifle back at our house, but it was my Gramps’s and there were few occasions were we took it with us. Most of the time we used standard rifles with suppressors.”

“I see.” And Grace understood, she truly did.

The former Olympic champion gazed at her companion and observed her posture attentively. Having been in the Army made her knowledgeable of certain aspects of body language—how the behavior of her colleagues or targets changed at the drop of a hat in the face of adversity and weariness. The deputy could fool anyone else with her composed semblance, but she couldn’t fool Grace. She wouldn't let her.

“Come with me.”

Leslie looked at her, confusion briefly flashing across her face, but she followed Grace without a second thought. “Where are we going?”

“We are not far from Fall’s End. You need to eat and rest if you wanna take the cult down,” after a quick scrutiny, she nodded to herself, walking to the motorcycle stationed at the side of the road, “and perhaps a bit more practice at target shooting with that sniper rifle. I know a place for that—my Pop and I used to go there to practice our aim when we felt stressed. A change of air will do you good.”

“… Thank you”.

“Don’t mention it.”

...

Fool, you absolute fool!

Hands gripped onto the mattress underneath her body until her knuckles turned white, a way to keep herself from slipping away, to reminds herself she couldn't go back. She could still feel the wind playing with her hair as she and Grace rode through the highway, her hands placed firmly on the motorcycle's handlebar and the sight of Holland Valley's gorgeous landscape in front of her. The colors, the sounds, the warmth of the sunlight on her skin... Everything felt so utterly vivid that one might think it was reachable.

Oh, she wished it was. Please, let me return, she begged, shutting her eyes so tightly it almost hurt. Please, please, please... Tremors shook her body with the force of ocean waves, making her gasp and loosen her strong hold on the smooth textile to grasp at her neck. Count!

Uno, Due, Tre... She inhaled quickly, oxygen making its way to her lungs and brain. Quattro, Cinque, Sei... She sat up, holding her own head between her hands, giving into the structure she made to cope with the dreams. All she had to do was to breathe.

Had someone decided to seek her out, they would've found her in the darkness of Dutch Roosevelt's former bedroom, her face giving nothing away while she looked at the ground with a focused but blank stare.

She was there, but at the same time... she wasn't.

You will not hide any longer.

"I know," she muttered, digging her fingers through her hair. Flashes of people and places played like a movie inside her head.

Mary May's gleeful expression when she saw that she managed to get the Widowmaker back.

Pastor Jerome sitting next to her in his church's steps and giving her gentle encouragement to never doubt herself.

Boomer nearly barreling into her the second she returned to the town from the mountains.

Kim smiling at her from a wheelchair and putting her daughter in her hands, asking if she wanted to be the godmother.

Believe me, I know.

…

"Come on, dear, you can't tell me you haven't had any experience when it comes to hunting meat, if you know what I mean."

She sighed, pulling leisurely the line of her fishing rod back to her. "Addie..."

"Don't "Addie" me, young lady.” Adelaide chided her, and then quieted down. Perhaps she forgot what she was going to say? The hopeful tone of her thoughts was, nonetheless, swiftly stifled as the Chopper Queen looked at her once more and waggled her eyebrows, a lewd smile blooming in her face. “I worry about you, when was the last time you had a bit of the old in-out, in-out?"

That absolutely prompted the reaction she was looking for: the deputy turned to face her so quickly she nearly fell into the river. It’s a shame I don’t have a camera with me right now Adelaide thought gleefully, watching her companion making an effort to stare anywhere but at her. Of all the things that could’ve encouraged a response, this one’s the quickest yet.  

"Addie!” she spluttered, morphing into the true portrait of mortification. “Th—That’s private!”

The older woman threw her head back and guffawed, slapping her thighs as if she had heard the greatest joke ever told. “That’s a good one, honey! You can tell aunt Addie everything, y’know. And for your information, it’s a small county, no one is private here about their matters, so you don’t have to feel ashamed of it.”

"For your information, trying to fight a cult seriously lowers my opportunities to "hunt meat", as you say,” Leslie huffed, raising a hand up to her neck to rub it absently. It was warm and she didn’t doubt for a second it went red the moment she was caught off guard the way she had been.

"You're doing a lot for us, Lessie.” Adelaide touched her shoulder and squeezed, “and we’re grateful for it. I just want you to have some fun. It mustn’t be easy to be the figurehead of the Resistance and you’re so young—you shouldn’t be going through this,” her voice lowered in volume, gaze wandering to the rippling waters below them in contemplation, “any of this, if you ask me.”

They fell silent as they observed the sun melt into the horizon, both of them lost in thought—mulling over the war, their comrades and the people they had to fight to liberate their home from the cult.

“Addie?”

“Hmm?”

“Can I stay at the marina?” she cleared her throat. “Just for the night, if you…”

“Of course, sweetie,” Adelaide stood up and extended a hand to her, helping her get to her feet. “You don’t even have to ask.”

...

She should’ve known it was a bad idea from the start.

"Damn moose,” Jess cursed, wiping the sweat from her brow. “I swear they're everywhere.”

Finding a spot in the Whitetail Mountains where they could hunt wasn’t the hardest part of the day, the region being overflowing with wild animals of all kinds all the time of the year as it was. In fact, she guessed they should count themselves as fortunate: in one of the bags they had brought from the small market at the Baron Lumber Mill laid the skins of two deers and a coyote, in the other, their meat. A productive and calm day, indeed.

Or so they thought, until they heard the gunshots.

“Shit,” Les crouched down behind a bush, rummaging through her backpack till she found what she was searching: her binoculars. She felt Jess duck out by her side, waiting patiently for a report of their surroundings. “What do you see?”

“Cultists on their quads,” she pressed slightly to zoom in, furrowing her brow in concentration. “They… They’re leaving.”

“A shame, really,” Jess flexed her fingers around her arrows, as if conjuring up pulling them out and making of these peggies her own shooting targets. “Hopefully they’ll remember they forgot something and come back here.”

Leslie chuckled, standing up lest her legs went numb, and extended her hands to Jess, who accepted them right away. They were ready to part back to the mill to gather the rewards of their work.

That was the moment they noticed the mooses.

Two big, strong and shaggy mooses that looked pissed off and were looking right at them.

Fuck!

The deputy pulled her sniper rifle from her back as one of the mooses charged at her. Body tense and mind working at an alarmingly fast pace, she surrounded the hostile mammal, looking through the sight of the rifle and pulling the trigger.

The moose fell to the ground with a dull thud.

“Are they usually this aggressive?”

“Only when they’re startled by something." The huntress adjusted the angle of her arrow, squinting until her eyes became thin lines, cold blue peeking from behind her lashes.

She shot. And the beast was dead in an instant.

Leslie approached the dead carcasses, slowly and carefully.  God forbid they were still alive and decided to kick her in the face as their last act of revenge. Her hands were placed at the inside of the mooses’ elbows and waited.

Nothing. She sighed in relief, and then examined the carcasses intently: the bodies wouldn’t fit inside their bags. They were too heavy and huge for it, which meant they would have to call someone to help them carry it back at the mill. We have to skin them immediately, too. For one, it would cool the meat and prevent the sourness of the bone. For other, it’d be a lot easier to remove the hide while it was still warm. It had been years since she watched her father, uncles and Opa do it, but she would manage. She always did.

She was about to call Jess, to look over her shoulder and ask for rope, when her eyes fixed on the antlers. A little smile spread across her face, visible enough for Jess to notice it.

The younger woman tilted her head and squatted down beside her, furrowing her eyebrows in slight confusion. “Why are you smiling?”

"It's nothing; it's just that it reminds me of a joke my Opa used to tell me." Leslie smiled nervously, clearing her throat and trying to keep her face as straight as could. "Do you know why moose have such large antlers?"

Jess kept looking at her, waiting for the punchline that'd follow.

"To have better radio reception!"

Silence followed her awkward attempt to light up the mood. Way to go, Grünewald, way to go.

But then, she saw Jess’ lips quirking upwards and turning her gaze away from her, eyes crinkling in contained laughter.

Maybe the joke wasn’t as bad as she thought.

...

You were weak. The memory of a giggle ringed in her ears, a distant sound from world consumed by the flames, rising from the grave to taunt her. And you were selfish.

The dream morphed. Instead of a remote forest in the Whitetail Mountains by Jess’ side, she was standing in front of the closed doors of a church—a church she knew all too well. Eyes adjusting to the light the moon provided her with; she saw the Marshal and Sheriff Whitehorse prepared to enter the church, from where chants could be heard beyond the building’s walls. Amazing grace, how sweet a sound…

The night of the arrest. A shiver went down her spine, fear holding a tight grip on her heart.

Leslie looked at the marshal and the sheriff and the urge to grab them and pull them away from those doors was overpowering. She felt the words building inside her chest: the request to go back to the chopper, where Staci was waiting for her. You’re not going to come alive from this if you go through that door.

But her body refused to cooperate with her. She was a prisoner of her mind’s set-ups, reminders of the possible what-ifs that could have happened had she walked away. She gripped the cuffs in her hands tightly, hands trembling by the sheer force of her grasp, and went forward.

Except that, just before she entered the church, a hand touched her elbow, stopping her in her tracks. Joey Hudson gave her an encouraging smile and muttered, low enough for her to hear:

‘You’ll be fine.’

She wasn’t the Joey she remembered, the one who was filled by so much rage and pain against those who broke her.

No, she was the Joey who gave her advice about how to survive in the station without going crazy in the first try, the one who snarked at hers and Staci’s antics, the one who became her first female friend in the county.

The Joey from before.

No…

Another hurricane of colors surrounded her; the church’s doors slowly moving away as a new image replaced it.

She was running through a bunker, looking for… someone. Someone important to her. She had to find them before Jacob’s men noticed the trail of dead bodies left in her wake. She promised him she would come back for him. 

And she did.

A sheen of sweat covered her body, soaking darkly into her clothes along with the grime and blood from battling the Soldier on that mountain. Hurry! She walked into a room quickly, almost barreling into the figure strapped at the lone chair in the center of the room.

Staci Pratt opened his eyes with difficulty, the wounds in his face still leaking blood. When he looked at her, it was as if he was seeing a miracle, as if her presence were but just as dream.

‘Rook, are you real?’

Her throat tightened, swallowing down a sob as she inspected him. Oh, Staci… Sweet Staci Pratt, the first one after Whitehorse who welcomed her to the station. He had always been kind to her, even when he was teasing her at all times of the day, leaving a mug of coffee at her desk every single morning without fail. They broke him. He broke him. Oh God…

As she reached for her fellow deputy’s bonds, she was pulled away from the bunker, Staci’s hopeful face fading into black before her frantic eyes.

No, no, no!

As soon as the scene changed, Leslie found herself in the pilot seat of a truck. She saw the walls encircling the Hope County Jail coming into view, people pouring out of the structure to take care of their injured and dead.

Sound gradually started reaching her ears. She blinked once, twice, thrice—and turned on her seat to listen to the person speaking to her, hands leaving the steering wheel to rest on her lap.

Earl Whitehorse was sitting on the copilot seat of the truck, exhausted but alive, face reflecting the fondness and pride he felt for his junior deputy. His eyes wrinkled around the edges when he smiled at her, patting her hands as a proud father would to his daughter.

‘A lot of good people died, but everyone here, all of us, we’re alive because of you… and I’m damn proud of you.’

Tears gathered in her eyes at his words. She struggled with the invisible bindings that didn’t let her reach for the sheriff. There were so many things she wanted to tell him. So many, and the dream gave her the opportunity to do it. She just needed to try harder….

Just as she managed to raise her hands to him, everything dimmed out.

Until all she could see were a succession of images. Images she thought she forgot, except she hadn’t.

Cameron Burke was staring at her, a finger on the trigger of his gun. His hands were extended to his sides and his posture displayed an alarmingly openness that chilled her to the bone. ‘I told you I didn’t want to leave’; he spoke, voice carrying a dejected touch to it. She dared to glance to her right side, horror striking her chest at the sight of Virgil Minkler’s lifeless body beside the table where he and the marshal had been playing cards before.

Stop.

Tammy Barnes was giving her speech at Eli’s funeral, her voice trembling as she recalled how her dear friend helped her when she needed someone the most, the one who gave her a second chance to be useful. Once she finished, she looked straight at her and walked up until they were standing face-to-face, her eyes shining from unshed tears. ‘It wasn’t you. Eli knows that.’

I killed him, and he knew.

Tracey was looking at her through the window of the truck, a soft expression that she wasn’t used to see exposed in her mien. She didn’t think there was a more capable person to fight against the cult as Rook, not after everything she had done for them. ‘You saved a lot of people here today, Rook. Don’t forget that.’

In the shadow of a tree, in a meadow somewhere in the Holland Valley, Cheeseburger laid his head on her lap, purring happily when she scratched him behind his tiny ears. Leslie grinned down at him, placing a gentle kiss on his brow. ‘I know you’re tired, but I promise that soon all you’ll have to worry is how many salmons I’m going to bring you. You like that, don’t you?’

Peaches was running alongside her, sprinting past one of the forest trails she had accidentally found in her hunting trips. There hadn’t been calls over the radio for her, no one was in need of a rescue, and the cult had retreated briefly to rethink their strategy. Enjoying the warm rays of the sun as the autumn breeze played with her hair, the deputy halted her steps, closing her eyes and just breathing in the fresh air of the mountains. Life’s good.

You’ll be the one who decides what happens. You were the start, and you’ll be the end.

Hands reached out to her body from the dark, shaking it at a persistent rhythm. Deputy…

You did everything he said you would do. And you didn’t even know it. You had no fucking clue.

The movements intensified, trying to rouse her from her slumber.

May God have mercy on your soul.

…

She stirred awake and sat up, blinking to chase away the blurriness of her sight. Where was she?

Her hands flexed tentatively from one place to another, feeling the soft textile of the couch under the pads of her fingers. She didn’t remember falling asleep on it, but then again, neither she remembered walking away from her room to the bunker’s living room/kitchen mix.

So much for swearing sleep off.

“My child…”

Her muscles stiffened.

Oh, fuck.

“Deputy…” His voice was a whisper, but she heard him well. It was difficult to not do so, when he was at her side and blocked the bluish light of the aquarium, giving the shadow her sensible orbs needed to see. “Was it a nightmare?”

He saw her hesitate, close her hands strongly over her trousers and give out a shaky sigh.

The deputy had always tried to stay composed in his presence, to hide her emotion behind a strong and inscrutable mask she had created to give others the security they needed. The security she needed. He saw it in his church, that fateful night when the county’s sheriff department came to arrest him and pull him away from his faithful, and he saw it the night she refused to accept his peace offer.

But the grief had been consuming her for days—once he went through his own time to grieve for his siblings and his faithful, he noticed it, in every movement she did. He didn’t have to look at her face to know what was happening to her. He already did.

Joseph breathed in, and drew her in close, holding her against his heart so she could listen to the beating of his heart. Constant, even. He looked at her face and was almost startled to see her eyes welling up, figure slightly shaking in his arms. She was holding back.

He wouldn’t let her.                                                                                                 

“You don’t have to hide it anymore.”

The silence in the room was deafening for a second.

Then, brick by brick, her walls came tumbling down, leaving behind a rawness borne of an open wound that hadn’t been given the chance to heal.

As much as she tried to let it out little by little, as much as she tried to control it, the pain came out from her throat in the form of a silent howl, sobs wracking against her chest with such intensity that she clung to Joseph in an attempt to steady herself. She pressed her forehead against his skin and wept bitterly, her sight turning the world into a blur of color until all she could see was gray.

“I want to go back” she choked on through the tears. “Please, let me go back. They’re dead. They’re dead and I see them everywhere. I want to correct this, please, let me go back.”

Joseph’s arms tightened around her middle, before whispering in her ear.

“You can’t.” He stroked her hair, pulling it away from her face carefully, kindly. “They’re dead, but they aren’t suffering anymore. They’re with the Lord now, in a place where there’s no pain, where they will not lack anything. And one day,” his voice took on a fierce tone, “one day, we will meet them again. I promise you that.”

She nodded, blinking away the tears to look at the newspaper clippings and photos she had collected from Dutch’s former war room. Boomer, Sharky, Grace, Nick, Hurk, Jess and Adelaide stared at her over Joseph’s shoulder, smiling contentedly at her.

Someday, we’ll find each other for a second time. But until then… wait for me, guys.

I love you.

#I TRIED #good writing? I don't know her #I apologize for the mistakes you may find there #*rolls up her sleeves* oh well #Deputy Leslie #Joseph Seed #Junior Deputy #Nick Rye #Grace Armstrong #Sharky Boshaw #Hurk Drubman Jr #Adelaide Drubman #Jess Black #mentions of #Jacob Seed #John Seed #Faith Seed #Kim Rye #Mary May Fairgrave #Jerome Jeffries #Eli Palmer #Virgil Minkler #Cameron Burke #Earl Whitehorse #Joey Hudson #Staci Pratt #Boomer #Cheeseburger #Peaches #Far Cry 5

[redladydeath]

The Master of the Heavenly Yard singable lyrics

Song

[1. Epilogue]



In our time, we have done naught but
 Make all the same, pitiful mistakes 
During these thousand years of evil



“Oh, if only”, that old wish
 Cannot hope to ever be granted now;
 Punishment has now been released



You sev’ral hundred million human souls
 You several hundred million villains


Can the blame for this unhappy end be laid on any single person?
 Those who think it to be so are the real “sons of bitches” in the end



Looking back on our long story 
I wonder if we’ve left something behind? 
In this journey of a thousand years



But in the end, I know that
 The answer will never appear to us
 So instead I will go to see you



[2. The Hunt for the Deadly Sins]



In the center of a dead world ruined by sin 
Evils Theater floats high above the wasteland
 The souls of men, women, and the young gather 
To worship the black box that has now appeared there



The one who leads them is the man once called “Gardener” 
Who dictates to them the mission they must embark on 
If they wished to resurrect their dead world
 There was a great and noble task they must do



“Hunt down those once possessed by demons and see that they’re completely destroyed
 Eliminate the cause of this, the contractors of humankind’s most deadly of sins!”



His spirit followers begin to move out
 “The hunt for the Deadly Sins” cannot hope to be stopped now



[3. The Princess Sets Out]



Lying before the princess are
 Her ministers within a sleep like death 
It is the result of the Sleep Princess’ “Gift”


The one who had once protected 
Her has now gone out of her reach
 As the gardener’s troops come to take her away



A nun with hair as white as the snow appeared astride the girl’s old horse Bearing the girl away from the troops
 They begin a new journey



But I’ve tired of
 Only waiting for someone to rescue me 
I’ve spent all my lives only being protected


This time though, if I go
 And accomplish everything on my own
 I’ll glow with pride 
So now I’ll finally go to see you



[4. The Heroes]



“Just what in the world is this thing we call evil?” 
The ones who let the seven sins into themselves
 Their desire to destroy should have died with the world
 But despite all
 They still continue, unchanged



“Can we really never forgive the sins of the past?”
 There’s still one person willing to raise her voice
 With determination to stop the Gardener’s plot 
The heroes and the commoners
 Raise their phantom swords into the air



Justice, love, dreams, evil too
 Forget it all and change it into a song
 Punishment’s already been dealt and at last the end has come 
But now is the time when we will
 Fight to defend what we believe
 And make sure humankind’s mistakes won’t repeat again



[5. BLACKBOX]



The forbidden black box floating in the sky
 We will now see it open 
It contains the power to purify all
 Or to reset the whole world



People’s souls are after all no more than data
 Able to be altered by gods if need be 
The springs of the black box begin to go round and round
 And everything melts away into oblivion



That vortex is something that no human person can defy 
It’s a law programmed into it by it’s creators, the gods At this point there is no one aside from one of the gods who
 Has any hope of possibly stopping it’s destruction



There is still one person in this desolate world
 Who has continued to live on 
Taking aim at the box, what was fired from her gun
 Was a single bullet made of gold



Who is the person that she’s thinking of
 While she gazes at the plummeting black box
 As black fireworks dance around in the sky?
 It’s a signal that the old era of the gods has finally ended
 At long last
 And time begins to move forward again



[6. Not Eve]



This is the story of our world’s “ta eschata”
 Where oh where shall I begin to tell it from?



My name just so happens to be…
 My name just so happens to be…
 My name just so happens to be…
 My name just so happens to be…



I am…?



[7. The End of the Capriccio]



The three had at last arrived at the theater To the princess, this last place was 
Both where the mastermind of it all dwelt And a place that she had once called home



Those like the gardener are puppets after all, The true enemy she should defeat was
 The one who dwelled inside of the doll: The girl of the miniature garden



Ah, Gear, won’t you tell me why you still waste time Protecting her even though we all know that
 Her true identity is not that of the one You’ve been seeking out for millennia?



If you people say you will get in My way then I shall not be kind to you
 For I am the prideful princess, I am The Daughter of Evil, first and third of sin



Finally, the time of the end has now arrived 
The tower bells let out their final mournful tolls 
The Heartbeat Clocktower is the one to blame, sin long since carved into its hands 
It matters not what type of person they are, be they commoner, royalty, or sinner 
If they oppose me, then purge them all!

“Now, bow down before your princess!”


[8. Reunion]



In our time, we have done naught but
 Make all the same, pitiful mistakes
 During these thousand years of evil



At last, the two of us have finally been allowed to meet again
 The girl who stands here’s name is…



The Ma



[9. The Evil Becoming Pure]



The girl whom the boy had long been attempting to seek out
 That woman had taken over her body, mind, and soul
 The witch, who had attempted to absorbed the seven demons
 Seeking to be a pure being, had found some new targets



Just before she vanished, the Clockworker’s Doll had
 Resurrected the witch’s will and allowed her to live on
 While he was pulled into the black box the gard’ner cried out
 A final ultimatum to the boy who remained behind



“If you truly wish to save the world, then kill that girl who the witch has absorbed! 
Kill The Daughter of Evil and those the witch assimilated as well!”



With this the boy is urged to a final decision
 Tell me boy, which will you choose, the world or your dear sister?



[10. The Boy’s Choice]



“Just what in the world is this thing we call evil?” 
A question someone once asked
 All people of this world are filled with selfishness and greed



I know that I am the same 
I am only human 
But I promise you, you and the world; I
 Will obtain them both!



[11. Re_birthday Truth]



Thanks to my strong determination a miracle came about on a whim 
I watched as a small bottle fell out of your hand and came to me
 Unfurling the message that you had sent me “Come now and save me this one final time!” 
I can’t help but laugh a bit It’s just so like you



I promise it’ll be alright, because I 
Will always protect you no matter what 
But listen now, can’t you hear? The world is no longer our enemy


Now, give me your hand and I’ll give you mine, let’s move forward together
 For the sake of the new world and for the sake of you



Now come
 Just look up at the sky above
 The world is just 
The moon reflected on a mirror 
The time has now come
 For those of you looking our way 
From beyond there
 To awaken from this dream at last

#redlady speaks #evillious chronicles #i have kind of fixed feelings on this #i'm really proud of certain parts while others were just... impossible #so fast...

[ruffoverthinksthings]

There's something I have to ask you that has some of its roots far before Descendants, but seriously....wtf is up with Frollo?! I'm interested in his character because of his deep complexities for a Disney Villian (never mind the Hugo novel), but why cant he get a grip on raising children and building a healthy family? Even as a product of the medieval era , that can't be an excuse for his dysfunctional relationships with others(progressive people like Esmeralda and Phoebus existed back then 1/2

Mymain question to you is ,what do you think it is about him that cantsee the pain he causes to claudine/ not esme and the entire HONDcast? What ever happened to him in his childhood ( nature vsnurture), that makes him nearly impossible to reach past his veil ofdarkness. Even in his attempt to redeem himself in the eyes of hisLord, with Claudine, is he forever delusional? Can he change in thisuniverse and what would it take? 2/2

There’sthree key concepts that explain why Frollo still can’t redeemhimself, see the pain, the suffering, the wrongdoing he’s causingin the name of God and his ideas of what is “Good.” These are:

CognitiveDissonance

TheMyth of Redemptive Violence by Walter Wink, and

SexualSuppression in the Catholic Church, and the ideas of ReligiousLeaders being beyond the common man

Allof these are actually easily explainable using the lyrics ofHellfire:

BeataMariaYou know I am a righteous manOf my virtue I amjustly proud

BeataMariaYou know I'm so much purer thanThe common, vulgar,weak, licentious crowd

Thentell me, MariaWhy I see her dancing thereWhy hersmold'ring eyes still scorch my soulI feel her, I seeherThe sun caught in her raven hairIs blazing in me outof all control

Here,we see what Frollo thinks of himself: a saint among sinners, a man ofstrong faith in a land of unbelievers, someone who does Good whereasthe rest fall into Temptation and Sin.

Likemajority of the leaders of the Catholic Church, and especiallybecause it’s in the Medieval Era, he is seen as someone who isinherently above his fellow man, better, purer, more virtuous, whichis why he deserves to hold his position, and use all the power andinfluence that affords him.

Butthen, Esmeralda comes along, he is tempted by her beauty, and herealizes that he is not as invulnerable and incorruptible as hethought he was.

Unfortunatelyfor all of us, he refuses to take responsibility for it.

It'snot my faultI'm not to blameIt is the gypsy girlThewitch who sent this flameIt's not my faultIf in God'splanHe made the devil so muchStronger than a man

Here,he refuses to believe that there’s any fault in him, that he isstill prone to temptation despite his beliefs; rather, he engages inwhat is called “Scapegoating,” putting all the blame inEsmeralda, going so far as to irrationally cast her as some wickedenchantress with powers that he doesn’t stand a chance ofresisting, than just a woman he is fully capable of getting over.

However,that involves him admitting that he was wrong about his belief thathe is incorruptible and “holier than thou,” and he wants toprotect that idea, more than he actually wants to be it, simplybecause it’s less distressing for him.

Thisis called Cognitive Dissonance, the stress someone experiencesfrom having a belief or more than directly oppose their actions andbehaviours.

Otherexamples of Cognitive Dissonance are:

Someonewho believes themselves a healthy person despite having a pack-a-daycigarette habit;

Someonewho buys a product or a service and it doesn’t turn out nearly asgood as they thought it would, so they make all manner of excuses andjustifications to make it better (in their minds); and

Someonewho stays in a relationship that has long past its expiration date,because they don’t believe themselves to be someone who gets it“wrong” with something as important as romantic relationships.

Peoplesuffering from cognitive dissonance often find ways to “spin”things and defend their original beliefs, rather than reevaluate whatthey thought was true and their identity. Rationality, logic, orconsistency ceases to matter to them; sparing themselves from thedistress that they were wrong or are acting against their beliefstakes priority above everything else.

Withthe above examples:

Thesmoker convinces themselves that cigarette smoking isn’t reallythat bad for their health (it’s actually worse);

Thatthe price, the manufacturer, or some other quality of the product orservice automatically makes it better despite the reality of it, likewith the exploding Samsung phones incident, and people refusing toreturn them in spite of the danger to themselves and everyone else;and

Thatthey can still salvage the relationship, that all the problems andissues are not nearly as bad as they are, and that they simply haveto try harder.

WithFrollo, he chooses the Myth of Redemptive Violence.

Inits essence, it’s “Good Vs Evil,” “The Final Clash,” theBook of Revelations where the forces of the Righteous do battle withthe Wicked, purging all that is unholy and ushering in a new, betterworld, or bringing all those deserving into heaven.

It’sinteresting because you see this constantly with all of Disney’sfilms with a classic “Villain” antagonist: there’s PrincePhilip slaying Maleficent; Tiana and Naveen outsmarting Dr. Facillierand letting his Friends from the Other Side do their thing; andTarzan doing battle with Clayton.

Theymay or may not have a direct hand in bringing about theirdoom—Clayton accidentally hung himself because of his refusal toaccept Tarzan’s help, for example—but it’s always VERY clear tothe audience that A) the protagonists are “good” people, B) theantagonists are “evil” people, and C) there is no redeeming the“villains,” there’s only killing, jailing, or trapping them inan enchanted lamp, because they will never turn to good.

Asstated above, Frollo believes himself to be a righteous man, theepitome of goodness, the Holy Servant of God, and people that don’tfit into his worldview are declared “Wicked” and must beslain. He has killed numerous gypsies, has been responsiblefor the death and/or suffering of numerous innocent civilians, andalmost drowned Quasimodo in a well, if it weren’t for the ArchDeacon warning him of his hypocrisy.

Inhis views, there is no salvation, no forgiveness of the sinner, noramending for your wicked ways—there is only judgment, and yoursentence is death.

Protectme, MariaDon't let the siren cast her spellDon't let herfire sear my flesh and boneDestroy EsmeraldaAnd let hertaste the fires of Hell!Or else let her be mine and mine alone

Here,Frollo shows just how extreme and devoid of nuance his sense ofmorality is—either you live, or you die. He also shows more of hisCognitive Dissonance and Redemptive Violence once more, where hepleads that—against the customs and the traditions of the church,and the scandal that would erupt— Esmeralda be “given” to him.

Thisis especially poignant as the Catholic Church has a massive,well-known history of suppressing sexuality and policing the sexualbehaviour of their followers and especially their ordained leaders,usually to disastrous results.

Insteadof giving them a chance to it in healthy ways, or to treat havingsexual urges as a natural thing, the Catholic church paints it asweakness, a flaw in you, a sign that you have failed and that you areshameful, awful, and a sinner for having them in the first place.

“Shaming”someone is the BEST way to get someone to do the thing you’reshaming them for—as you cut their self-esteem, and make thembelieve that they are weak and deficit in some manner, the morelikely they will be to do the vice or the crime because they want tofeel better, and the more likely they will accept that they truly AREbeyond saving, that there’s no hope for salvation, so fuck it,let’s do the thing.

Itgets even worse in the ending of Hellfire:

HellfireDarkfireNow gypsy, it's your turnChoose me orYourpyreBe mine or you will burnGod have mercy on herGodhave mercy on meBut she will be mineOr she will burn!

Here,Frollo shows the depths of his hypocrisy and the amazing mentalacrobatics he’s performing, saying “God have mercy” whilstpromising the opposite of mercy: death, or enslavement.

Here,Frollo shows that he’s no longer following the doctrines, the laws,or the traditions of the church, what God decreed or Jesus relayed tohis followers.

Here,Frollo shows that all he truly follows is what he believes to beRight—what is Right for him.

Iassumed that this behaviour follows him onto the Isle, where he has avery warped sense of religious morality that is really just hisselfish desires, being justified in his eyes by tacking the name ofGod onto it, much like Richard “Rick” Ratcliffe.

Whycan’t he get a grip on a loving marriage, relating in healthymanners to people, and building a loving family life for Claudine?

Because,like the rest of the Villains, he wasn’t marrying and having kidsfor unselfish reasons, he was using his ex-wife Salome to satisfy hissexual needs, is still using Claudine as a means to fulfillhis broken dreams and ambitions, and is unconsciously using them bothto serve himself first and foremost.

Thesexuality that was Frollo’s downfall has not disappeared—it’sstill there, and I’d argue it’s actually stronger consideringthe constant state of stress and despair in the Isle that forcespeople to resort to their basest instincts, and engage in whateverwill give them some measure of relief.

However,instead of going the healthy route of acknowledging that he isflawed, and that he should return to attempting celibacy in spite oftemptation, Frollo merely twists his lustful desires into somethingthat would be acceptable in his beliefs, and that of hiscongregation.

Howdoes he achieve this? Marriage, with all the intercourse for thepurpose of reproduction, and reproduction only.

I’dimagine that, after becoming the only Catholicreligious leader alive or not yet renouncing his faith, and thedeplorable state of everything and the VKsbeing raised, he sees himselfas some kind of New Adam,meant to be the progenitor of anew race of “Good, Christian People” who would eventually becomethe inheritors of this wretched hell, take it away from the hands ofthe Demon Queen that rules it (Maleficent), and rebirth it as aparadise.

Beforeyou ask, yes, he could be the CELIBATE steward of this new world,taking care of his non-ordained congregation’s children, but thatwouldn’t let him satisfy his sexual needs, and is thus not anoption in his mind.

Andbefore you ask why he doesn’t get flack about this, all of thepeople on the Isle are criminals, and if you weren’t living in thedeplorable conditions they were BGU, you learn to loosen yourstandards right quick here.

That,and they can be manipulated easily and lead to believe that undercertain circumstances, marriage and sexual intercourse with Judgesare possible—a lot of these people can’t read, and have noconcept of critical thinking.

Whyis he like this with Claudine, raising her up to be an ideal ratherthan a person?

Becausehe know he’s old, he knows he’s weak, and he’s essentiallytrapped in his church and a small area around it in Temple Way—he’sunable to bring the fight to the Islanders (not including hiscongregation, because they’re obviously theexception), be it ideologically or especially physically, so he hasto raise an army to do it for him.

Claudineis not just his daughter to him, or his Flock—she is a Messiahfigure to them, the “child that will lead them” as the actualJesus Christ was, the true successor to Frollo’s church when heinevitably passes away.

Sowhenever she starts to deviate from his ideals (i.e. growing up to beher own person, independent of her father’s desires), he doesn’tsee it as cruel and manipulative to mess with her emotions likethis—he sees himself as a sculptor making sure that this livingclay does not end up malformed, that she is completely, absolutelyperfect in every waypossible.

I’dalso be remiss not to mention that poor nutrition, dementia, and oldage have taken a serious tollon him.

Ishis being a product of the Medieval Era an excuse for hisdysfunctional socialinteractions?

Itis, actually!

Phoebusand Esmeralda are shown to be progressives in the movie, but theproblem is, they’re still the exception,not the rule; the world ofFrance in 1482 is nowhere NEAR the level of multiculturalism anddiversity we see today.

Mostpeople of that erawill never even leave the towns they live in, let alone be able tohave the means to travel vast continents and entire oceans to meetpeople unlike themselves—and as European Spice Expeditions haveshown, the interaction is more likely to be lethalto the natives than friendly, let alone romantic.

There’salso the fact that if a foreigner lives in France, it’s usuallyfrom a slave trade of some sort or as part of a roving band of apersecuted minority, like Esmeralda and the rest of the Romanipeople.

Thetimes they live in are very xenophobic, with very black and whitemorality—there are only sinners and the faithful, and again, withFrollo, there is no room for outsiders like Esmeralda and the Romanipeople, whom he believes only deserve death.

Andagain, there’s also the fact that Frollo is a Judge, and alongsidehis religion and his authority, believes himself to be inherentlyabove and better than people, and that he cannot do anything wrongbecause he is of that high position, as only a “Good” person canhold that office.

Tohave a wicked, sinful man capable of cruelty and madness would beparadoxical, and would absolutely never happen! (/sarcasm)

Thisis why he can’t see the pain and the suffering he inflicts onothers with his actions—he simply believes himself to be BEYOND andincapable of doingevil.

Withthe question of nature and nurture, I won’t headcanon aboutFrollo’s childhood, since the Nurture has the lion’s share ofblame here.

He’svery old, he’s obviously a very senior member of the church, andhas a lot of respect—he has spent almost all of his life beingtreated as higher and better than his fellow man, he has massivepower other people, and the beliefs of his church (and consequently,himself) is that he is a reliable, infallible authority for what is“Good” and what is “Evil.”

Andas the saying goes, power corrupts.

Mostpeople behave in fear of some higher authority, be they the police,their parents, or that of your superior at work. Unfortunately forall of us, Frollo only really fears two people: the Arch-Deacon, andGod.

Thewords of the “commoners” matter not to him. Maleficent has longknown that these people are beyond reason or are not worth it, sodoesn’t exercise her authority. And even within hiscongregation—more of a cult, at this point, really—dissent isimmediately silenced, murmurs that “Father Frollo” might not beas virtuous and holy as they think he is shushed like a motherreprimanding her child during Sunday mass.

Toend this rather long, lengthy tirade, can he ever break free of thedelusion, and can he truly change his ways?

Realistically,no, and no.

Unlikeactual dogs, you can’t teach Frollo new tricks, especially onesthat contradict his worldview, and he’s already shown time andagain that he won’t accept any objective evidence that he’swrong—every action of his is justified to him, and that subjectivedecision is what makes it “Right.”

Itdoesn’t help that, as I’ve said in other headcanons and mentionedabove, the people of the Isle of the Lost tend to be the ones whohave lost all hope, and are desperately clinging onto whatever it isthey can for comfort.

Ifyou bring him to Auradon, and have him meet up with the (much sanerand reasonable, but not entirely) congregations of Auradon, it’dlikely end in shouting and claims of heresy and going against God.

Havingyour everything pulled out from under you and getting throwninto the great big unknown is terrifying and painful.

Andfor many people, they’d rather be wrong and not realize it, thansuffer that—thus, Cognitive dissonance, and belief in RedemptiveViolence, with both exacerbated by the Catholic Church’s stance on“deviant” sexual behaviour.

#Descendants #Disney #headcanon

[stevefinnell-blog]

Dear Brother Faull,

Do you believe the new doctrine many of the brethren have been preaching lately, that baptism forgives our past, present, and future sins?

I never heard the doctrine until the last couple of years and wonder what you think.

Answer:

I believe that the Scriptures speaking of our baptism refers to our past sins. I never heard of this new doctrine till about 5 years ago, but I have heard it preached 3 or 4 times since by some great friends of mine.

I believe it is a false conclusion and a very dangerous doctrine causing much misunderstanding and confusion.

Remission of future sins and baptism is neither promised nor stated in any verse of which I am familiar. So, I cannot believe it for faith comes byhearing and one does not hear “Your sins in the future will be forgiven you”.

The only promise that I know of that promise come years later in medieval days by those selling indulgences which so grieved Martin Luther. If this new doctrine is true that one is forgiven as soon as he sins, with neither Godly sorrow that leads to repentance, nor an acknowledgement of being a sinner, it seems our Catholic friends, when selling

indulgences, were selling snowballsto Eskimo’s.

I’ve never read where the new doctrine was used to refute the need of buying an indulgence. If the new doctrine is true, indulgences would be unnecessary as snowballs toEskimo’s.

When we were baptized, we entered into a relationship with the one who died for us. It is like marriage between a man and a woman. It is not the vows said at the marriage that grants forgiveness when one sins against the mate. It is because of the relationship that exists between them in marriage that there is forgiveness.

For a person to not repent or even acknowledge wrongdoing will not strengthen the relationship but doing so makes the relationship an open loving reality. The same is true of our baptism. It is not that original act that forgives us, but the continued relationship we have that is maintained by confession of our sins and the repenting of them.

Someone who says that “the remission of sins” means all past,present, and future sins are forgiven, is not right. John baptized for theremission of sins. Was John’sbaptism for the remission of past, present, and future sins?

Mark 1:4, “John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.”Why were his converts then baptized into Christ?

And how do we practice Matthew 18:15-17 on a brother that God has already forgiven when we go to him?

How do we gain the brother and how do we confront him before one or two witnesses if he is already forgiven?

Why would we tell the Church if God has already forgiven him? This doctrine would nullify Matthew 18’sinstructions.

Or how about one who sins against us and when he says, “I repent”,forgive him when God has already forgiven him?

Does God forgive him but not us?

Luke 17:4, “And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.” What if he will not repent? Did God forgive him without acknowledging his sin?

Or how do we disfellowship an unrepentant person for sins that God has already forgiven?

1 Corinthians 5:7-13, “7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavenedbread of sincerity and truth. 9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 10 Yet not altogether

2

THE GOSPEL UNASHAMED

October 2018

with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not toeat.12ForwhathaveItodoto judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.” The doctrine is incompatible with Church discipline.

Why pray for the brother who is committing the “sin not unto death” if he is already forgiven?

1 John 5:16, “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death? Why pray for one already forgiven?

Or, why does a forgiven man need an advocate if he is already forgiven of the sin?

1 John 2:1-2, “1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

And what shall we say of one who commits suicide? Shall we teach a Christian who is struggling withdepression, “all the sins you ever committed since your baptism will beforgiven”? Will it not embolden troubled souls to commit suicide? To do so is to forget that God has taught“you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” 1 John 3:15

When Simon, the sorcerer did what the Samaritans did he “believed and was baptized also”? He did what theothers did. But when he tried to purchase the power to give the HolySpirit, “20 But Peter said unto him,

Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. 21 Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. 23 For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. 24 Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.” --Acts 8:20-24

Why were his sins not already forgiven? He was told to repent and pray to God. He sinned and thus repentance and confession in prayer was needed to open the gates for cleansing of his sins.

Likewise, why did Jesus command the churches of Asia Minor to repent?Revelation 2:5, 16, 22, 3:3, 19. Were the guilty individuals already forgiven? T o teach the sins of Christians who are already forgiven because of their original baptism, is a dangerous doctrine.

Any man I have heard preach it, keeps insisting he is not preaching“Eternal Security”, but that is what it is because the doctrine cannot help but lead to that conclusion. Every time I have told someone of this new doctrine, the people say, “Well, thatwould be Eternal Security” or “once in grace, always in grace”!

Baptism is the point of pardon for thelost but it’s our relationship to theSavoir while we are walking in the light as He is in the light, that cleanses us for all sins. If we say we do not sin, we deceive ourselves but when we acknowledge we are sinners, we can trust Him to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Why? Because we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous one!

#READ MORE AT. steve-finnell.blogspot.com

[joannrochaus]

The latest from Israel: Why did Jesus have to die for us?

Benjamin Netanyahu seems to be in position to win a fourth consecutive term as prime minister of Israel.

As of this morning, 97 percent of the votes have been counted in Israel’s parliamentarian election. As I explained yesterday, no party has ever won a sixty-one-vote majority in the Knesset (their Parliament). The party leader who seems most likely to form a majority coalition with other parties will be given an opportunity to do so.

So far, that leader appears to be Mr. Netanyahu.

“I know that my Redeemer lives”

Yesterday we asked the question: Why don’t the Jews accept Jesus as their Messiah? There’s a related question that is especially relevant to American culture as well.

Job was confident: “I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God” (Job 19:25–26).

While life after death is affirmed in the Old Testament (cf. Isaiah 26:19), Judaism has evolved in its beliefs about the afterlife across the centuries since.

Rabbi Evan Moffic writes: “Heaven has [an] open door policy: Heaven is not a gated community. The righteous of any people and any faith have a place in it. Our actions, not our specific beliefs, determine our fate. No concept of Hell exists in Judaism.”

Rabbi Tzvi Freeman believes that “in the afterlife, the soul is liberated from the body and returns closer to her source than ever before.” During this passage, “the good deeds and wisdom the soul has gained on her mission below serve as a protection for her journey upwards.” Then, “at the final resolution, all souls will return to physical bodies in this world.”

Writing for Haaretz, Elon Gilad notes that “even today, Jews believe in different, often irreconcilable, theories of what life after death is like.” For instance, according to the Talmud (Eruvin 19b), most people go to a place where their sins are purged, then they are ushered by Abraham into heaven.

Additionally, some Jews do not believe in an afterlife at all. They claim that we live on through our influence in the world and in the memories of those who knew us.

Is Mother Teresa in heaven?

To summarize: Some Jews believe that we simply cease to exist at death. Others believe that the “righteous” go to heaven, either because they are considered sufficiently moral or because they pass through a purgatory-type cleansing process.

Either way, Jews are confident that there is no hell to fear and no atonement necessary.

This belief helps explain why Jews do not accept Jesus as their Messiah. As we noted yesterday, they are expecting a Messiah who will be a conquering hero rather than a suffering servant. As we have seen today, they also reject the need for Jesus’ death on the cross.

I make this point not just with regard to Judaism, but also because many Americans feel the same way.

Reportedly, 77 percent of people with no religious affiliation are confident they are good enough to go to heaven. In a poll taken a few months before Mother Teresa died, 79 percent of Americans surveyed thought she would go to heaven. However, 87 percent were confident they would go there.

Apparently, most Americans believe they do not need to trust in Jesus’ atonement for our sins to go to heaven.

What can we say to them?

What Jesus could do that Buddha could not

We know that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Why, then, doesn’t he forgive our sins just because he loves us? Why did he send Jesus to die for us?

God is also “holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8). His heaven is therefore perfect, a place where “death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

For us to be granted entrance into God’s perfect presence, our sins must first be removed. The debt we owe for them must be paid.

What is this debt?

“The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23; cf. Ezekiel 18:20). This is because death separates us from the holy God who is the only source of eternal life. It’s like cutting off a flower to place in a vase. It may look healthy, but it is dying and its appeal will soon fade.

Sin leads to death. This is why the payment for sin must be death. It’s why sinners are separated from God for all eternity in hell, a place of living death.

And it’s why we cannot pay this debt for each other. Because I have committed sins, I cannot die for yours. It’s as if I owe the hundred dollars in my pocket to the bank; I cannot use it to pay your debt and mine.

The only person who could pay the debt of our sins would be someone who never committed sins of his own. And only one person in all of human history has lived a sinless life. Not Muhammad, or Confucius, or Buddha, or anyone else. Only Jesus (Hebrews 4:15).

What held Jesus to the cross

This is why Jesus could die on the cross for our sins. And it’s why he had to die on the cross for us to be forgiven for our sins. When we make him our Lord and depend on his sacrifice to pay our debt and purchase our salvation, he gives us eternal life. Guaranteed.

D. A. Carson: “It was not nails that held Jesus to that wretched cross … it was his love for sinners like me.”

And you. And me.

The post The latest from Israel: Why did Jesus have to die for us? appeared first on Denison Forum.

source https://www.denisonforum.org/columns/daily-article/the-latest-from-israel-why-did-jesus-have-to-die-for-us/ source https://denisonforum.tumblr.com/post/184081836147

[denisonforum]

The latest from Israel: Why did Jesus have to die for us?

Benjamin Netanyahu seems to be in position to win a fourth consecutive term as prime minister of Israel.

As of this morning, 97 percent of the votes have been counted in Israel’s parliamentarian election. As I explained yesterday, no party has ever won a sixty-one-vote majority in the Knesset (their Parliament). The party leader who seems most likely to form a majority coalition with other parties will be given an opportunity to do so.

So far, that leader appears to be Mr. Netanyahu.

“I know that my Redeemer lives”

Yesterday we asked the question: Why don’t the Jews accept Jesus as their Messiah? There’s a related question that is especially relevant to American culture as well.

Job was confident: “I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God” (Job 19:25–26).

While life after death is affirmed in the Old Testament (cf. Isaiah 26:19), Judaism has evolved in its beliefs about the afterlife across the centuries since.

Rabbi Evan Moffic writes: “Heaven has [an] open door policy: Heaven is not a gated community. The righteous of any people and any faith have a place in it. Our actions, not our specific beliefs, determine our fate. No concept of Hell exists in Judaism.”

Rabbi Tzvi Freeman believes that “in the afterlife, the soul is liberated from the body and returns closer to her source than ever before.” During this passage, “the good deeds and wisdom the soul has gained on her mission below serve as a protection for her journey upwards.” Then, “at the final resolution, all souls will return to physical bodies in this world.”

Writing for Haaretz, Elon Gilad notes that “even today, Jews believe in different, often irreconcilable, theories of what life after death is like.” For instance, according to the Talmud (Eruvin 19b), most people go to a place where their sins are purged, then they are ushered by Abraham into heaven.

Additionally, some Jews do not believe in an afterlife at all. They claim that we live on through our influence in the world and in the memories of those who knew us.

Is Mother Teresa in heaven?

To summarize: Some Jews believe that we simply cease to exist at death. Others believe that the “righteous” go to heaven, either because they are considered sufficiently moral or because they pass through a purgatory-type cleansing process.

Either way, Jews are confident that there is no hell to fear and no atonement necessary.

This belief helps explain why Jews do not accept Jesus as their Messiah. As we noted yesterday, they are expecting a Messiah who will be a conquering hero rather than a suffering servant. As we have seen today, they also reject the need for Jesus’ death on the cross.

I make this point not just with regard to Judaism, but also because many Americans feel the same way.

Reportedly, 77 percent of people with no religious affiliation are confident they are good enough to go to heaven. In a poll taken a few months before Mother Teresa died, 79 percent of Americans surveyed thought she would go to heaven. However, 87 percent were confident they would go there.

Apparently, most Americans believe they do not need to trust in Jesus’ atonement for our sins to go to heaven.

What can we say to them?

What Jesus could do that Buddha could not

We know that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Why, then, doesn’t he forgive our sins just because he loves us? Why did he send Jesus to die for us?

God is also “holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8). His heaven is therefore perfect, a place where “death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

For us to be granted entrance into God’s perfect presence, our sins must first be removed. The debt we owe for them must be paid.

What is this debt?

“The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23; cf. Ezekiel 18:20). This is because death separates us from the holy God who is the only source of eternal life. It’s like cutting off a flower to place in a vase. It may look healthy, but it is dying and its appeal will soon fade.

Sin leads to death. This is why the payment for sin must be death. It’s why sinners are separated from God for all eternity in hell, a place of living death.

And it’s why we cannot pay this debt for each other. Because I have committed sins, I cannot die for yours. It’s as if I owe the hundred dollars in my pocket to the bank; I cannot use it to pay your debt and mine.

The only person who could pay the debt of our sins would be someone who never committed sins of his own. And only one person in all of human history has lived a sinless life. Not Muhammad, or Confucius, or Buddha, or anyone else. Only Jesus (Hebrews 4:15).

What held Jesus to the cross

This is why Jesus could die on the cross for our sins. And it’s why he had to die on the cross for us to be forgiven for our sins. When we make him our Lord and depend on his sacrifice to pay our debt and purchase our salvation, he gives us eternal life. Guaranteed.

D. A. Carson: “It was not nails that held Jesus to that wretched cross . . . it was his love for sinners like me.”

And you. And me.

The post The latest from Israel: Why did Jesus have to die for us? appeared first on Denison Forum.

source https://www.denisonforum.org/columns/daily-article/the-latest-from-israel-why-did-jesus-have-to-die-for-us/

[thetoorebelkidfan-blog]

Dear Brother Faull, Do you believe the new doctrine many of the brethren have been preaching lately, that baptism forgives our past, present, and future sins? I never heard the doctrine until the last couple of years and wonder what you think. Answer: I believe that the Scriptures speaking of our baptism refers to our past sins. I never heard of this new doctrine till about 5 years ago, but I have heard it preached 3 or 4 times since by some great friends of mine. I believe it is a false conclusion and a very dangerous doctrine causing much misunderstanding and confusion. Remission of future sins and baptism is neither promised nor stated in any verse of which I am familiar. So, I cannot believe it for faith comes byhearing and one does not hear “Your sins in the future will be forgiven you”. The only promise that I know of that promise come years later in medieval days by those selling indulgences which so grieved Martin Luther. If this new doctrine is true that one is forgiven as soon as he sins, with neither Godly sorrow that leads to repentance, nor an acknowledgement of being a sinner, it seems our Catholic friends, when selling indulgences, were selling snowballsto Eskimo’s. I’ve never read where the new doctrine was used to refute the need of buying an indulgence. If the new doctrine is true, indulgences would be unnecessary as snowballs toEskimo’s. When we were baptized, we entered into a relationship with the one who died for us. It is like marriage between a man and a woman. It is not the vows said at the marriage that grants forgiveness when one sins against the mate. It is because of the relationship that exists between them in marriage that there is forgiveness. For a person to not repent or even acknowledge wrongdoing will not strengthen the relationship but doing so makes the relationship an open loving reality. The same is true of our baptism. It is not that original act that forgives us, but the continued relationship we have that is maintained by confession of our sins and the repenting of them. Someone who says that “the remission of sins” means all past,present, and future sins are forgiven, is not right. John baptized for theremission of sins. Was John’sbaptism for the remission of past, present, and future sins? Mark 1:4, “John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.”Why were his converts then baptized into Christ? And how do we practice Matthew 18:15-17 on a brother that God has already forgiven when we go to him? How do we gain the brother and how do we confront him before one or two witnesses if he is already forgiven? Why would we tell the Church if God has already forgiven him? This doctrine would nullify Matthew 18’sinstructions. Or how about one who sins against us and when he says, “I repent”,forgive him when God has already forgiven him? Does God forgive him but not us? Luke 17:4, “And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.” What if he will not repent? Did God forgive him without acknowledging his sin? Or how do we disfellowship an unrepentant person for sins that God has already forgiven? 1 Corinthians 5:7-13, “7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavenedbread of sincerity and truth. 9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 10 Yet not altogether 2 THE GOSPEL UNASHAMED October 2018 with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not toeat.12ForwhathaveItodoto judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.” The doctrine is incompatible with Church discipline. Why pray for the brother who is committing the “sin not unto death” if he is already forgiven? 1 John 5:16, “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death? Why pray for one already forgiven? Or, why does a forgiven man need an advocate if he is already forgiven of the sin? 1 John 2:1-2, “1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” And what shall we say of one who commits suicide? Shall we teach a Christian who is struggling withdepression, “all the sins you ever committed since your baptism will beforgiven”? Will it not embolden troubled souls to commit suicide? To do so is to forget that God has taught“you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” 1 John 3:15 When Simon, the sorcerer did what the Samaritans did he “believed and was baptized also”? He did what theothers did. But when he tried to purchase the power to give the HolySpirit, “20 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. 21 Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. 23 For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. 24 Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.” --Acts 8:20-24 Why were his sins not already forgiven? He was told to repent and pray to God. He sinned and thus repentance and confession in prayer was needed to open the gates for cleansing of his sins. Likewise, why did Jesus command the churches of Asia Minor to repent?Revelation 2:5, 16, 22, 3:3, 19. Were the guilty individuals already forgiven? T o teach the sins of Christians who are already forgiven because of their original baptism, is a dangerous doctrine. Any man I have heard preach it, keeps insisting he is not preaching“Eternal Security”, but that is what it is because the doctrine cannot help but lead to that conclusion. Every time I have told someone of this new doctrine, the people say, “Well, thatwould be Eternal Security” or “once in grace, always in grace”! Baptism is the point of pardon for thelost but it’s our relationship to theSavoir while we are walking in the light as He is in the light, that cleanses us for all sins. If we say we do not sin, we deceive ourselves but when we acknowledge we are sinners, we can trust Him to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Why? Because we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous one!

[howtopleasegod]

The Love and Fairness of God, Part 5 of 7 - In all His Dealings with Mankind

This article was republished from WhiteRaimentEvangelismObey.blogspot.com. By John Foll, written 8/21/2017 to 9/06/2017. © Copyright 2017 John Foll

[* Please start with Part 1 of this series and read it in order, so everything makes sense.]

Sin will not Rise a Second Time:

Evidence that sin and sinners will not rise up a second time after their destruction:

(We are giving this to you from several different Bible versions to help you see it better.) “What do ye imagine against the LORD? He will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.” Nahum 1:9 KJV. “Whatever you devise against the LORD, He will make a complete end of it. Distress will not rise up twice.” Nahum 1:9 NASB. “Whatever they plot against the LORD He will bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time.” Nahum 1:9 NIV. “What do you plot against the LORD? He will make a full end; He will not take vengeance twice on His foes.” Nahum 1:9 RSV.

Can there be any doubt about the meaning of this text? If not read the verses 1-8 before it. Why is it that sin cannot rise a second time? It is because sin and sinners are no more! Note that the RSV says God will not take vengeance twice on His foes. Why? Because He will make a full end of all sin and all unrepentant sinners. This also speaks against what some people have believed that sinners will be given a second chance, after the probation of their life here, or after they have burned in hell for a while to purge away all of their sins. No way. And no, sinners are not eternally burning, and there is no hope of them ever being saved again, or escaping from the burning fire, because they will cease to exist in ANY form when they are utterly destroyed. Jesus also stated this same truth when He declared: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28 KJV. Can it be any more clear than what Jesus stated here? We are not to fear anything that man or devils can do to us, but we are to fear (reverence) Him who can destroy both the body and soul in hell. Here it is so clear that God has the power to destroy the body and soul in hell. This means that when God punishes the guilty sinner in the ‘fires of hell’ or ‘the lake of fire’ as described in Revelation, that the body and the soul will both be completely destroyed. It also means that the soul will not go on living apart from the body after the body is destroyed, because God destroys BOTH the body and soul in hell. There will be no endless burning of the wicked in hell. God will not take vengeance on His foes twice. Paul declares that the last enemy to be destroyed is death. “But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under Him.” 1 Corinthians 15:23-27 KJV. If the last enemy that is destroyed is death, how can sinners be punished endlessly after this? Paul clearly states here that Jesus will put down all rule and authority and power, and put all enemies under His feet. The phrase “put down all rule” or authority and power refers to the practice of killing the conquered foe of the enemy, so that they had no more power. Jesus said, talking about the future destruction of the wicked, “But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence." Luke 19:27 NASB. This represents the destruction of all sinners and evil angels, who did not want Jesus or His Father to reign over them. In the same way the conqueror destroyed their enemies, Jesus and His Father will destroy their enemies too in the Lake of Fire. After Jesus and His Father ‘slay’ their enemies, they cease to exist, just like the conquered enemies of the kings who were put down or killed. To believe in the endless punishment of the wicked, is to not believe Paul’s or Jesus’ testimony here. Even death is destroyed! John in Revelation also declares that death and Hades (or Hell) were cast into the Lake of Fire and destroyed: “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:11-15 NASB. Note the KJV says “Hell” instead of “Hades”. So we see that the Bible teaches that even Death itself, and Hell itself are destroyed in the Lake of Fire.

(To Be Continued!)

Click here for a Free PDF of this article!

#Sin #Not #Rise #Second #Time #Vengeance #Trouble #Distress #End #Full #Complete #Destroy #Body #Soul #Hell #Fear #Death #Enemy #Fire