#It only took 33 years bless him

[buckttommy]

Thomas Brodie Sangster is finally starting to look his age.

#It only took 33 years bless him #jack watches the artful dodger #prev. evcndiaz (temporary url change)

[supernovafics]

requesting for the ill be there for you universe! the kids are coming over so steve and r plan a lil dinner party… well they make the dinner together… and its just a little too domestic…. bonus if they end up dancing to some silly song on the radio because arent we all a sucker for dancing in the kitchen 😭😭😭😭😭 the kids walk in on them and are like 🤨🤨 those two need to get together now so baddddddddddd

𝐌𝐀𝐘𝐁𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑

"i'll be there for you" universe masterlist

pairing: bestfriend!roommate!steve harrington x fem!reader

word count: 1.6k words

warnings: explicit language

summary: in which a new year’s dinner at the apartment sparks a bet— that you and steve are completely unaware of— among the friend group 

author's note: thank u for the request !! happy new year<33

general note: everything in this universe/series can be read as standalone oneshots but to understand the full “lore” it would prob be best to read the other stuff too<333

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Winter 1986

Steve heard the knock on the door first; you were way too engrossed in singing along to the song that was loudly playing to notice the sound. 

He maneuvered around you in the kitchen to go answer the door as you took a quick peek in the oven to check on the lasagnas. 

It was your idea to have this “New Year’s dinner” at the apartment— since you and Steve had been sick during the holidays and couldn’t see anyone, this was to make up for that— and Steve agreed. Of course, Robin and Eddie said that they would come, and then the kids were an immediate yes as well. 

Even though your and Steve’s collective cooking skills were not the best, you both still wanted to attempt and cook something for everyone, instead of simply ordering a couple of pizzas or takeout from some place. So, you got a lasagna recipe from Miss Johnson that she promised was very basic and couldn’t really be messed up; and so far, she’d been right. Although you did initially have to remake the sauce because of a mess up that you fully blamed on Steve and he fully blamed on you. But, after that, everything else luckily went fine. 

When Steve opened the door and you looked over to see everyone bounding into the apartment, it was then that you remembered just how big the friend group was— you could only imagine what that elevator ride up to the apartment had been like. 

“Is this The Breakfast Club soundtrack?” Robin asked, laughing as she slipped off her coat.

“Yes,” Steve answered. “This is what I’ve been subjected to for the past week.”

You immediately rolled your eyes at his words, which you somehow managed to hear over the loud music. “Oh, shut up, you were just singing along to the last song with me.”

“There’s only some truth to that,” He said as he walked over to the record player to turn the music down a bit. 

Everyone settled at the dining table that Steve’s mom bought for you two for the Thanksgiving dinner that you’d been forced to have here with your parents— that was still somehow a memory that lingered harshly in the back of your mind, like most interactions with your parents did. The table was only meant to fit six people, so the desk chairs that normally sat in your bedrooms were pulled out and placed at the table, and then two foldable chairs were borrowed from your other next door neighbor; this guy in his mid-sixties who would have weekly poker nights with his friends. You would continuously joke around with Steve and tell him that he should join in on the poker nights. In response, he’d always simply roll his eyes at you because you knew that he was bad at poker and he’d also rather not spend his Tuesday nights with random old men. 

Mike walked over to you and handed you a tupperware full of what you could tell were gingerbread cookies. “Since you missed the Christmas party, my mom wanted me to give these to you.”

You immediately smiled. “Holy shit, God bless that woman. Please tell her I said thank you.” 

He nodded at that and then went over to the table, sitting down next to El. 

Steve went back over to where you were in the kitchen and started reaching for the tupperware, but you immediately shooed his hand away. When he simply pouted at you, you rolled your eyes and then opened it so that he could grab a cookie, which he did and then broke it in half so that he could give a piece of it to you. 

“Is it just me or have they been acting extra old married couple lately?” Dustin asked, looking away from the interaction that just happened. 

“Oh, yeah, definitely,” Max answered almost immediately and pretty much everyone else simply nodded in agreement.

Neither you nor Steve were paying any attention to the conversation that was currently taking place barely ten feet away from you; instead you both were focused on finishing up the food. You were pulling one of the lasagnas out of the oven and Steve was grabbing the other before putting the store bought garlic bread in the oven— you both had figured that if the lasagna did end up turning out bad, there would at least be bread that neither of you had a hand in making to somewhat save the day. 

“I fully believe that this will be the year that they finally get together,” Lucas said, sounding very certain.

Robin shook her head at that. “No way. If they were gonna date, it would’ve happened already. Years ago, probably.”

She thought back to this past Halloween where you and Steve were dressed up in your Batman and Robin costume, and at some point during the night he ended up giving you a piggyback ride while you all were walking to some party, and she and Vickie were trailing a bit behind the two of you. She thought about how certain she had felt when answering Vickie’s question about if you two had ever dated. “They seem like they’d be perfect together, but I also think the world would implode if they ever tried something.” For the most part, that still felt entirely true. Even though it would’ve made complete sense if something happened, it still didn’t seem necessarily “possible” at this point— it felt like such a far-fetched idea.

“I’m gonna have to agree with Rob on this one. I don’t think they’ll ever actually get together,” Eddie said and then started laughing a bit as he said his next words. “Or it’ll happen twenty years down the road after they’ve both been married to other people and then divorced, and then they’ll finally realize that all they needed and wanted was each other.”

“Wow, that sounds like the most depressing movie ever,” Will told him. 

“I guess it wouldn’t be that sad since they would end up together in the end,” El said with a small shrug.

Eddie nodded. “Exactly.”  

“Okay, yeah, maybe that could happen, but I don’t think it would take that long anymore because things are so different now,” Dustin said. “They’re living together, they have a child together.” He gestured to Harold the Hamster’s cage that sat on the coffee table in the living room. “They’re practically already a couple. It’s inevitable now. Soon they’ll be married and there will be actual children involved, not just Harold.”

Robin rolled her eyes at his final statement. “They’re best friends. They’ve known each for like ten years.” 

“Yeah, which is just another reason why they’re definitely gonna end up together,” Lucas said. “Also, I can’t even remember the last time either of them went on a date, and Steve usually always talks about his dates.” 

“Actually, he was just going out with that girl last month,” Will chimed in. “Vanessa or something?”  

“And that ultimately led nowhere,” Max reminded him. 

Mike took a brief look over at you and Steve to make sure that you two still weren’t listening to the current conversation. “Okay, I have an idea. We should make this a bet. We each say when we think they’ll get together, and if it does end up happening we all give whoever got it right or was the closest five bucks.”

Eddie laughed before nodding. “I actually kind of like that idea.” 

“It’s a great idea,” Dustin said with a nod, and it didn’t necessarily surprise anyone when he pulled out a small notebook and pen out of his pocket because it somehow made sense that he would be the one to bring a notebook and pen to a dinner party; he was probably prepared for anything. 

He started off by saying February– because even though it was only a month away, it was in fact, the month of love— and then everyone started going around the table saying their guesses. Lucas said April, Max and El both said March, Mike said July, Will said August, Robin said a very certain “Never,” and Eddie finished by saying a playful and only slightly serious, “Twenty years.”

It was almost comical how oblivious you and Steve were to what was happening not that far away from you both. Instead, your attention was on grabbing enough silverware for everyone since the plates were already set on the table and Steve was pulling out some cups. 

“I think both of our moms would scold us for not setting everything out before they came,” You told Steve, laughing a bit.

“Very true. I guess our years of being forced to eat at fancy restaurants with them have truly taught us nothing,” He joked back and you smiled at that as you both walked over to the dining table. “We’re gonna bring over the lasagna in a second. What are you guys talking about?” 

“Nothing,” Eddie said casually as Dustin slipped his notebook back into his pocket, which was a subtle action that neither of you noticed. “Just some movie.”

Once everything was set on the table, you two went back to the kitchen to grab the lasagnas.

“The bread will be done in a couple minutes, so if the lasagna sucks we’ll eat that,” You said as you sat down in one of the two empty chairs left, which just so happened to be your desk chair. “Also, if it sucks, blame Steve, not me.”

He shook his head as he rolled his eyes at you and playfully poked your side before taking a seat in the other empty chair on the opposite side of the table. “If it sucks, blame both of us because this was a very mutual effort.”

Robin nodded. “Okay, got it. If this turns out to be the worst meal all of us have ever eaten we’ll make sure to hate both of you equally and not talk to either of you for at least a week.”

Luckily, the lasagna actually turned out pretty great.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

let me know ur thoughts<333

(requests are open for stuff you wanna see in the universe/series!🫶🏾)

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington fic #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington smut #steve harrington x you #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington x fem!reader #stranger things fluff #steve harrington imagines #steve harrington series #steve harrington x reader smut #steve harrington x y/n #stranger things fic #stranger things series #stranger things imagine #stranger things smut

[yourdoorisunlocked]

The Altruist Family Children - Headcanons

𝐀/𝐍: Some headcanons about Alastor x Reader's children in my AU <33

🎙️ Rowan and Louise are darling twins of the Altruist Family, your own little bundles of joy that grew up to wreak havoc across the neighborhood. Absolute sweethearts.

🎙️ They both look strikingly similar to their father, with deep gray skin, cherry red hair and gleaming yellow teeth, sharpened to the point, but their hair ends in tangles and curls, much like Alastor's when he was alive.

🎙️ Lousie is Alastor's little princess, of course, and he just adores doting on the little girl. Purchasing her whatever her little heart desires, whether it be trinkets and toys, her favorite desserts, frilly dresses and laced skirts – he'd spoil her absolutely rotten.

🎙️ Rowan, on the other hand, was quite the anomaly, at first. Raising a boy – as a father – were uncharted waters that Alastor wasn’t all too keen to tread, at first.

🎙️ Truly, Alastor was just little bit nervous apprehensive when he learnt that you would be having a boy, since his own experience with his father was rather... unsavory, to say the least. But when you sat him down, giving him all the faith and reassurance a man could ever need, well... how could he say no to his darling wife? 

🎙️ And so, Alastor resolves to raise Rowan as his dear mother, bless her heart, raised him to be – a gentleman. The first time Rowan opened the front door for you was the only time Alastor allowed a camera inside the house, or anywhere near his children.

🎙️ When your sweet little boy finally came of age – at a ripe eight years old – your husband took him out hunting. As much as you wanted to suggest that he wait a few more years, the giddy excitement Alastor exuded while polishing his favorite rifle, preparing for a full weekend of spending time with his son, was just too endearing for you to say no to him. 

🎙️ So, every weekend, Rowan and his father would disappear for a few hours, only to return at near twilight lugging some sort of Hellbeast behind them, and their prey only grew in size each year. And by the time Rowan turned thirteen, it wasn’t just wild game that he and Alastor were hunting. 

🎙️ You cut their hair. No questions asked.

🎙️While Louise refuses to get down into the mud and dirt with her brother and father, she adores gardening and growing her own flowers, and has a collection of books on poisons and toxic plants. You humored her fascination with toxicology and allowed her to grow a collection of poisonous flowers, so long as she kept them far away from the kitchen. 

🎙️ Family dinner nights are a given, especially when Alastor does the cooking. There'll be a jazzy swing number playing in the background, while Louise helps her father prep for the meal, and you'll be laughing and dancing with Rowan in the living room.

🎙️ Sometimes, whenever the children play with you, Alastor would lurk just around the corner, watching you with such softness in his eyes, before they drift down to your stomach. You were so good with them, perhaps you'd grace him with another?

𝐄𝐧𝐝 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬: AHHH I'M KICKING MY FEET RN- THESE TURNED OUT SO CUTE AND I LOVE ROWAN AND LOUISE!!

This turned out to be so long 😭 I just have so many ideas for this AU, I can't wait to release the oneshot

𝐓𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭:

@starsformydarlingmazel, @chitter-chatter, @hazzbindarlingg, @darkangel582, @matrixbearer2024, @prosciuttosblog, @frog-fans-unite, @mysterypotatoink, @burgerflipper72, @chibikochannumberone, @strawberry-gothic, @roboticsuccubus83, @lulurubberduckie, @fangirlanxiety74, @viviannagiorgini, @localmsifan, @justtnat, @karolinda007-blog, @mglawwica, @wonderlandangelsposts, @saitisfied, @repostingmyfavs, @weirdflower2024, @montis-posts, @sirens-and-moonflowers, @theperfectmangovoid

@slytherin4ever, @i-love-jafar, @itzlochnessie, @mariaclarade-la-cruz1, @susvale, @valentique, @twismare, @robin-the-enby, @v3n7s, @forbidden-sunlight, @leathesimp, @matemor, @groovybear99, @frompeach, @moonmark98, @nyxnightshade7656, @sushigogo, @crowleysthings, @zombiesnips-blog, @sirens-and-moonflowers, @impulsivethoughtsat2am, @ashdaidiot, @crybabycat1, @repostingmyfavs, @crazii-saber-wolf, @reikamasama, @dudesorriso, @speckle-meow-meow, @alastor-simp

@maggotzdilemma, @cassidywinters

#alastor x reader #hazbin hotel x reader #alastor the radio demon #alastor imagines

[saturnznct]

finding out you’re pregnant again | ldh

➸ request from anon; heyy i luv all ur works!! it's exactly what im looking for, so cute! also if you still take requests? could i request reader finding out she's pregnant which she didn't expect and announcing it to husband haechan? him being lovey-dovey with reader all excited about the baby, kissing the whole fluff 😁

➸ note; aw bless you anon tysm! hope this is what you were looking for <33

➸ word count; 1223 words

➸ dalgun; aged 8, kyungah; aged 3, sunhee; in the womb lol

➸ warning(s); none

nct masterlist

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⋆✦⋆ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

You felt awful. Donghyuck never showed you any signs of stress. His life was so busy, even at his older age, he worked hard as a singer and member of NCT, and even harder as a father to your two young children, Dalgun and Kyungah, who were eight and three years old. He loved his life, he had everything he could possibly want, but you knew things were a lot for him to deal with. The two of you had already tried to take a breather when your daughter Kyungah was born, moving back to Donghyuck’s home of Jeju for a short time. It was beautiful, life was quiet and idyllic, having picnics on the beach and playing in the fields of pink muhly together. But, Donghyuck was constantly called back to Seoul for work, so it was decided that Seoul was the best place for your family to be together. Donghyuck worked so hard to provide for your family, schedules took up large amounts of his day. He would only ever occasionally reveal his worries, telling you that he wanted to be there for your children more and how guilty he felt at his own absence. So now, when you’re staring down at a positive pregnancy test, another type of sick feeling settles in your stomach. Surely this would add so much more weight to Donghyuck’s stress. 

‘Mummy/mommy?’ Kyungah knocks on the bathroom door, interrupting your train of thought. You quickly shove the test under a stack of flannels.

‘Hi sweetheart,’ you open the door, ‘sorry I went away for a few minutes.’

Kyungah doesn’t seem to mind, ‘will daddy be home soon?’

‘I don’t know, angel, why don’t we give him a call?’

‘Please!’ Kyungah crawls onto your bed, sitting up against the headboard, you sitting down beside her and pulling up FaceTime on your phone.

‘Hi baby,’ Donghyuck picks up after a few rings. He’s hunched over his phone, black North Face puffer almost swallowing him whole, black mask pulled up around his face. His eyes look heavy and worn, clearly from his long day.

‘Hi daddy, someone wanted to say hi,’ you pan the camera to Kyungah, whose head is resting on your shoulder. Donghyuck’s eyes brighten at the sight of your daughter.

‘Hi Kyungie,’ you can’t see his mouth, but you can tell how widely he’s smiling.

‘Daddy, are you nearly finished?’ she asks, you stroke her hair as she cuddles you.

’I’m nearly done, sweetheart,’ he confirms, ‘I took my makeup off, look.’

He pulls his mask down slightly, showing a red spot on his face that would usually be covered with concealer, making Kyungah giggle.

‘Just wrapping up, then daddy will come straight home.’

‘Okay,’ Kyungah smiles, ‘I made you a drawing today.’

Donghyuck’s eyes widen, ‘ah, thank you angel, I can’t wait to see it.’

‘Kyungah, honey, why don’t you go make sure it’s all ready to give to daddy?’ you suggest, wanting to speak to Donghyuck alone for a minute.

‘Okay!’ Kyungah shuffles off the bed, toddling away towards the shared playroom.

‘Are you alright?’ Donghyuck suddenly looks concerned, wondering why you’d had Kyungah leave.

‘I don’t know,’ you answer truthfully, ‘had a super long day.’

‘You look exhausted,’ he sighs, and you laugh dryly.

‘I am. I- can we talk when you come home?’

‘Are you sure everything’s okay?’

‘I just want to talk,’ you know you’re likely worrying him further, but you don’t have the will to say that things are okay.

‘Alright, we’ll talk,’ he hums, ‘I love you, I’ll be home soon.’

‘I love you too,’ you smile weakly, ‘I’ll see you soon.’

Donghyuck arrives home less than an hour later, both of your children running to meet him at the door.

‘Hey, you guys should be in bed! It’s too late to be this excited,’ Donghyuck takes the both of them into his arms regardless, squeezing them and pinching their sides.

‘Come on, you two, let daddy breathe.’

The kids remove themselves from Donghyuck, but are still excitable.

‘I think it’s your bedtimes,’ Donghyuck announces, the two kids groaning.

‘But you just got here,’ Dalgun whines.

‘Bedtime doesn’t change,’ Donghyuck shakes his head, motioning up the stairs, ‘lets get ready for bed, Lees.’

The kids go through their bedtime routine, you and Donghyuck supervising as they brush their teeth and wash their faces, each sleepily wandering to their bedrooms.

You both read a story to Kyungah first, with her being the youngest, Donghyuck kissing her forehead and murmuring a ‘good night, angel’ before flicking on her nightlight and leaving her to sleep.

Dalgun, being older, only takes a kiss and a cuddle as a goodnight, before you and Donghyuck are left alone.

‘Hey,’ Donghyuck wraps his arms around your waist from behind, ‘you okay?’

‘I have to tell you something,’ you mumble, ‘sit down.’

Donghyuck removes himself from you, sitting down on your bed.

‘I- I didn’t feel too well, the other day,’ you begin, standing in front of him, fidgeting with your fingers.

‘I know,’ Donghyuck nods, ‘do you still feel unwell? Do you need me to stay at home with you and the kids? Because I can-‘

‘Hyuck, I thought I might be pregnant.’

Donghyuck’s eyes widen, ‘you think you’re pregnant?’

His expression is hard to read, he looks equally shocked and unnerved.

‘Hyuck, I know I’m pregnant.’

His face grows softer, but he still doesn’t react much.

‘I’m sorry,’ you begin to ramble, his head snapping up, ‘you’re so busy. You work so hard for us and you have so much on your plate, even without the children, I mean, we already had to leave Jeju, I should’ve been more careful and-‘

‘Hey, don’t say that,’ he’s grinning, arms reaching out to hold your waist, ‘come here.’ You hide your face in his neck, feeling some slight reassurance as he reaches a hand to your hair and begins running it through his fingers.

’This is good,’ he’s smiling widely into your head, ‘this is a good thing.’

You sniff, tears swimming in your eyes, ‘but-‘

‘No, stop that,’ Donghyuck gently pulls you down onto his lap, ’I know it may feel like I’m so busy all the time, and I’m sorry. I have honestly been thinking recently that I need to cut down, I miss the three of you and I miss Jeju. I’ve enjoyed my career.. but I want to be with my family even more.’

You pull away, reaching into the pocket of you hoodie to show Donghyuck the positive test.

‘Wow,’ he sighs in disbelief, breaking into the widest most genuine smile you’d seen from him in a long time, ‘we really made another baby.’ He presses a long kiss to your cheek, arms still secure around your waist.

‘I’ll start cutting down,’ he declares, ‘before it’s too late, we’ll move back down to Jeju. Give our children the life we’ve always wanted to give them.’

‘You love your work..’

‘I love you, Dalgun, Kyungah and this baby so much more.’

‘We love you too,’ you smile tiredly, lifting your shirt a little.

Donghyuck practically melts, despite the fact there’s no change to you yet.

‘Oh, angel, I would do anything for you,’ he tilts your head down, kissing you deeply, before sinking down and kissing your stomach, ‘and all of our babies.’

#dad!haechan #dad!donghyuck #haechan dad au #dad!nct #nct dad au #haechan x reader #donghyuck x reader #haechan scenarios #donghyuck scenarios #haechan imagine #haechan reader insert #haechan fic #haechan blurbs #haechan fluff #donghyuck fluff #haechan fanfic #haechan x y/n #nct fluff #haechan timestamp #haechan soft hours #nct x reader #nct 127 x reader #nct dream x reader #haechan #lee haechan #lee sunhee #lee dalgun #lee kyungah #nct dream fluff

[devilscastle69]

panic! at the drugstore (j/jk, nanami)

hiiiii @ezynse merry xmas, happy new year, happy day. <3

im ur secret santa. <33 i hope u like this fic. ily. i want u to know the j key on my keyboard is challenged so i wrote "Goo" by accident sm ToT

(sorry for the title i dont even rlly listen to them i- )

please keep this to sneeze kink blogs only! 18+ only!

Summary stuff:

Fandom: J/JK

Characters: Nan//ami, Go/jo, Ijic/hi, Yu/ji,

Pairings: slight nana/go. in the way la croix has flavor

Good future AU (no bad stuff, everyones an adult. set in 2023)

As soon as Nanami detected Gojo’s presence, he should have turned on his heel and left. Instead, he’d gone into the drugstore, reasoning that the necessity of his trip outweighed the aggravation it’d cause. He wasn’t naive enough to hope he’d get out of here without any additional psychic damage but maybe he’d luck out and Gojo would— 

“Nanami!” Gojo sang from a few aisles over. This was starting to play out like one of his nightmares. Verbatim. “Wow, you shop here too?!” 

“Not anymore.” 

Gojo laughed easily and brushed off the obvious rejection with a wave of his hand. “Oh, don’t act like you’re not happy to see your best buddy!”

“I have no such thing.” Nanami sighed and drew out a cough in the process which he managed to muffle into the sleeve of his jacket. Anyone else would have read the room and left him alone, but Gojo continued to chatter on at a volume unfit for the public space they were in. If only he’d move back a few centimeters so Nanami could escape without having to push past him and potentially causing a bigger scene than they’re already causing. He’d already used up his energy—both cursed and otherwise—at work today and he was quickly fading. 

 For the first time, he wished he could focus on the bubblegum pop blasting through the speakers with its sentiments of Sakura blossoms and old times; it would beat trying to follow the embellished story Gojo was telling. He pinched the bridge of his nose. To make matters worse, the temperature change had caused the congestion that had mostly settled by the end of the train ride over here to return with a vengeance. His nose threatened to drip and he risked a small sniffle. Immediately, he recognized it as a mistake when the lingering prickle sharpened and traveled deeper into his nose.

As if he hadn’t sneezed enough today. 

“And after all that I got some wagashi at this great place near the hospital, Great Luck right? And haha it was! Anyway, the point is… I got some stuff for Yuji, but then I got hungry waiting for the car so I figured I’d better make up for it.”

Nanami made a point of checking his watch as a last ditch effort for a polite departure, less for Gojo’s sake and more for the sake of everyone else in this godforsaken store. But most of all for his own sake, considering he’s quickly losing the battle against the pertinent tickle up his right nostril. “I don’t have time to talk,” he said evenly, breath only wavering once he’s gotten the last word out. 

Unfortunately, Gojo clasped his shoulder, refusing to let him leave. “Did you take the train here? We could carpool instead, Ijichi is—”

“ht’KKxt!” Nanami interrupted with a poorly restrained sneeze directed into the sleeve of his jacket. 

“Bless you!” Gojo’s head lolled to the side; he had the decency to release him, but otherwise didn’t move out of his personal space. Nanami nodded and turned away. “Wow, that sounded painful. You okay?”

It was. “hGNXt’ch! h’kKt…chh.” Damnit. “Hh- kmpht’Chhh!” He might not have been able to see Gojo’s eyes, but he sure could feel them on him. This tickle just wasn’t going to quit until he let it out, and he’d rather end this as soon as possible. “h’eSCHh!” 

“Oh bless you.” Gojo, ever uncaring of displaying any decorum, took zero steps away from him. He examined him from a few different angles, tapping his chin as he hovered. “Bet I can guess why you’re here today!”

“Excuse me.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed small circles all the way into the inner corners of his eyes and tried to ignore the heat that had risen to his ears. His head pounded even harder than it had before. 

“Always so formal, huh?”

Always so inappropriately casual, huh? Nanami glanced at Gojo’s basket and its contents: strawberry shampoo, bags of candy, winter apple body wash, face masks, moisturizer, cotton candy flavored lip gloss, and more items he couldn’t quite make out, but surely none of them were essential enough to inconvenience Ijichi in the way Gojo was. Everything he’s learned about Satoru Gojo has been against his will, and now he’s horrified that his brain was wasting the time wondering if he’s one of those people who can’t go to the store and truly buy one item.

“So, how was your—”

“I don’t have time to talk. Excuse me.” Risking a shoulder check, Nanami walked towards the aisles. He tried not to sniffle more than strictly necessary and tried to ignore the extra set of footsteps behind him. Key word was tried.

“Oh wow, you really sound terrible.” Gojo said sympathetically, continuing to haunt Nanami all the way to the cold and flu aisle. “How long have you had that cold?”

Why did it have to be Gojo?

“Stop following me.”

“You forgot your basket, though.” 

So he did. “I don’dt need that much.” It was true, but Nanami accepted the basket anyway from the pouting man. 

“Mm, really? You kinda sound like you’re dying, y’know.” Gojo wandered around the aisle and picked up a box of medicine that he held up to his blindfolded eyes. “No offense.” A man started walking in their direction, took one look at Gojo, and immediately turned around. Nanami released a small forlorn sigh through gritted teeth.

“I’ll be finde.” he said, clearing his throat. He could curb the hoarse quality his voice had taken on, but the congestion was something he’d have to live with for now. “You mentionded Ijichi is waiting?”

“Yeah, so hurry up, Nanami!”

“I will n’dot be ri-ridi’hhgg wih—” He’d gotten distracted and hadn’t noticed that the itch from before had been slowly respawning. Gojo gave a questioning hum as Nanami his knuckle to his nose, sniffled sharply, and cleared his throat again. “I will not be riding with you.”

 “Aw, not with me?” 

Nanami shot him a glare. All of his efforts were in vain because the urge to sneeze returned with a vengeance and demanded his attention in a way that put Gojo’s efforts to shame. The prickle spread like wildfire through his sinuses, and in spite of his efforts in snuffing it out, he’d allowed himself to get distracted enough to give the enemy the advantage. “Hh-!” He inhaled sharply before shoving the back of his wrist up to his nose. “nGhthsCH! hh’NGXTCHh’ueh!” That last one had been particularly loud but had been just as unrelieving as its predecessors. “hehH’TSChhiuh!”

 Gojo patted his back. There was a warmth to his palm that Nanami could feel even through the layers of fabric acting as a buffer between them. “Bless you.” Using only his free hand, he easily broke the seal of a travel pack of tissues on the shelf and nudged a few tissues into Nanami’s palm.

“You’re supposed to pay first.” In spite of the protest, he fixed his glasses that were in danger of falling off his face and accepted the tissues; by noon, his handkerchief had become unusable and he’d already gone through the tissues he’d accepted at the train station this morning, so his options were limited. He turned away for a moment to blow his nose. While his efforts were productive, they did little to kill the taunting buzzing in the back of his nose. He pinched his nostrils shut from behind the tissue and willed the tickle to recede.

“Not yet! Hey if I buy your stuff will you ride with me? Wouldn’t you get back sooner that way? Oh, bless—”

“hh’MPHtchh!”

“—you again!”

He took a moment to massage the bridge of his nose in a silent apology to himself for the poor attempt at stifling before clearing his throat and bringing up sodden tissue to wipe the lingering moisture from the red rims of his nostrils. 

No amount of free cold medicine would make spending his free time with this absolute menace in a small enclosed space worth it, but at the same time it’d be less aggravating for him to just go along with it in the long run. Gojo’s already made it clear he has no intention of leaving him alone. He gave half a nod and picked up the first bottle of cold medicine that he saw and a bag of face masks and took a few steps in the direction of the check out. 

“That’s all you’re buying?” Gojo asked. His lips formed an exaggerated frown and his forehead wrinkled as if he was bewildered by Nanami’s shopping habits.

Nanami was too busy fighting a losing battle against the threat of another sneeze to tell Gojo to stop adding more items to the basket, but he managed to shoot him a pointed glare before his expression crumpled. “Hh- hehhH- …mPHTtshhiuh! Pardon,” he said more out of habit than anything and wiped his nose again, “I have more than enough now.” 

“So frugal.”

He supposed the cough drops, vicks, lotion tissues, vitamins, and nasal spray wouldn’t hurt, especially if accepting them will get Nanami out of here faster. Since he’d already opened the tissues, he figured he might as well put on one of the masks in the pack. His glasses immediately fogged and he tucked them into his inner coat pocket.

After they’d approached the register Gojo told the cashier they would be paying together and nuzzled his cheek against Nanami’s shoulder in an intimate way. He’d smack him later. 

The cold pierced through Nanami’s coat as soon as they opened the door. As annoying as this situation is, he can’t say he’s upset that he won’t have to walk back to the train station. They turned a corner and Gojo pointed out the car. 

“I know, I know.” Gojo opened the door to the passenger side and abruptly wrapped an arm around Nanami’s shoulder, yanking him into the field of vision as if he’d run away. “That took a little longer than I said, but look who I ran into!”

“Nanamin!” Itadori called out from the back seat with a cheery wave. Nanami is just as surprised to see him, though he’d mostly tuned out Gojo’s story. “No way, what a coincidence!”

Nanami shot Gojo a withering look and gave a slight bow to Itadori. “Itadori-kun…” 

“Think fast!” Gojo called out and threw a bag of candy at Itadori. 

He caught it easily. “Wow, thank you, Gojo-sensei!” 

“Gojo-san, we were meant to be back over a half hour ago—“

“Ijichiiii, you need to relax. Seriously, you’re already getting frown lines, that’s no good. Look, I even got something for you. Tadaaa~” He dropped a pack of instant udon into his lap and a face mask and made himself comfortable in the passenger seat. “Can you drop Nanami Kento-kun off first?”

“Don’t call me that.”

Ijichi sighed and took a moment before he half-heartedly thanked Gojo for the gifts. Then he turns to look at the backseat. “Of course, Nanami-san.” He and Nanami shared a quick glance as the cause of their stress tore into his own pack of candy and ate it noisily. 

“Oh, why are you wearing a mask, Nanamin?” Itadori asked as Nanami sat next to him and put on his seatbelt. “Do you have a cold?”

“It’s alright,” Nanami assured him and cleared his throat, “just a mild one.”

“I dunno if mild is the right word there, Nanamin.” Gojo interjected as Ijichi finally started driving.  

Itadori’s face fell and Nanami sincerely considered kicking the back of Gojo’s chair, though he was too busy pinching his nose shut over the fabric of the mask to stifle a sneeze that had nearly escaped his detection. “hGXxt’chshh!- excuse me.”

“Bless you. I hope you feel better soon.” Itadori frowned and offered him a piece of candy. Nanami shook his head and Itadori shrugged and ate it himself. 

“You’re gonna pop an eardrum like that,” Gojo chastised, clicking his tongue.

All of this was past the point of the nightmare he’d thought he was having earlier and was starting to veer into the fever dream category. Perhaps in more ways than one. Gojo flicked through the radio stations until he found what he was looking for and started singing along with a pop song. Itadori joined him and they pointed at each other while Nanami reflected on his life choices and folded his arms more tightly over his chest.  

Nanami glanced at Ijichi’s GPS. Twenty minutes of this felt like a death sentence. His limbs had started aching a few hours ago and now that the adrenaline was long dead and he was sitting again, he felt it in full force. The sudden urge to lean his temple against the foggy window arose and he indulged in it, ever so slowly pressing his forehead to the window. 

While Gojo was especially pitchy, the noise at least took the focus off of Nanami as he muffled a series of throat-tearing coughs against the crook of his arm. His lungs gave a slight whine as he regained his breath and he could feel the silent attention the other three men were giving him. 

“Can you breathe okay, Nanamin?” Itadori asked, patting his shoulder. If it were anyone else, Nanami would have batted the hand away, but doing that to Itadori would feel like kicking a puppy and it's not like he was heartless. While most people become hardened and jaded after living the life of a jujutsu sorcerer, Itadori remained as kind and genuine as ever over the years. 

Instead he nodded. “Yes. Don’t worry.” 

Itadori gave him a thumbs up. The singing continued and he pitied Ijichi for how long he’s had to put up with Satoru Gojo today. 

To Gojo’s credit, he toned down the singing, but Nanami almost wished he’d go back to his caterwauling, because his nose had chosen that moment to betray him yet again. It itched like mad and putting pressure on the tip of his nose did nothing to chase the feeling away. He did his best to muffle it into his sleeve anyway, hoping the extra layers would do anything to make it less intrusive than he knew it would be. “Hh- hgzt’SChhiuh! heHMPHhshh’ieuh!- pardon me.”

“Aw, bless you,” Gojo chimed in, stretching out his seatbelt as he turned his body around to face him. “Do you want my jacket, Nanamin?” He puckered his lips.

This time he let his shoe dig into the bag of Gojo’s chair. “No.”

Ijichi quietly turned up the heat. “Give him a break, Gojo-san,” he said tiredly. 

The rest of the ride quite literally blurred together as Nanami fought to keep his eyes open. With the heat on, his chills were kept at bay, and it was easy to drift off to sleep. He jolted and shook himself awake at least three times before the familiar building came into view, and the third time, it’d been because Itadori was saying his name to get his attention. Ijichi pulled up closer and stopped the car. Nanami thanked him for the ride and held up a hand to stop Itadori from offering a side hug. 

“Get well soon, Nana—”

Nanami shut the car door and ignored the rest of Gojo’s sentence. Getting into the apartment was a blur, but it wouldn’t be the first time he’d come home in rough shape, relying on autopilot. He immediately hung his jacket and loosened his tie, and then he removed his face mask, cringing as he pinched away the lingering moisture from his nostrils. He’d done his best to avoid rubbing his nose all day, but his efforts seemed to be in vain considering how sore it still was. 

As much as he wanted to just collapse into the couch, his discipline won out and he managed to undress. Though, not without challenge. “huhh…HGSCHh’uh!” He sneezed all over his chest, too slow to cover in his exhausted state. Undeniably, it was a relief to be able to sneeze freely in the privacy of his bedroom. “hh-...hDJtSchh’euh! hhaH’DTzSHhh’ih!” 

He found the tissues from the bag and blew his nose, letting out a slight hum of relief as some of the congestion came free. His eyes still ached and with a quick dose of medicine, he was ready to close them. He laid in bed with the extra throw blanket atop the comforter and waited for the chills to die down so he could sleep.

It  was restful for the first few hours. As he’d anticipated, he woke up in the early hours of the morning coughing, hair clinging to his forehead with sweat, and his mouth bone dry. 

3 AM. 

It was too early for this. He forces himself into the kitchen to fill a tall glass with water and to find a few more items from the bag. He took the cough drops out and put one in his mouth and placed the rest of the bag on the bedside table. 

Somehow knowing that he needed as much sleep as possible hindered him from doing so. He drifted in and out of sleeping for the entire morning, occasionally walking up mumbling something incomprehensible. 

He was finally asleep until his phone went off a few minutes past 6 AM. It wasn’t his alarm, but an obnoxious ding.

Gojo: 

heyyy nanamin~ 

… Nanami clenched his jaw as he watched the animated ellipses bubble and waited to see what could possibly be so important to disturb him.

Gojo:

good morning! 🌞hope u get some rest today hahaha :D you sounded awful 🤒dont go dying </3

Typically jujutsu sorcerers have about as much paid sick leave as he would’ve had at his former company: basically none. What kind of fucked up—

Nanami frowned, realizing he’d missed some other notifications, including the ones canceling his mission for the day. It’s easy to put the pieces together. He had to put the phone down to sneeze a few times, and it continued to ding throughout his fit.

Gojo:

we’ll have to go out when youre better!! next friday?? theres a new barcade i wanna try and then KARAOKE!!!!!! :DDD

Gojo:

Nanamiiiiii D: 

Gojo:

don’t leave me on read

Gojo:

bless youuuuu :3

Gojo:

no i cant hear u im just guessing

Gojo:

was i right?? o.O 

Nanami silenced his phone and went back to sleep, deciding to address the new situation, along with the strange feelings that’d started coming up, later. For now, at least he could relax. 

Nanami:

Thank you.

#snzfic #snz #sneeze kink #my writing #j/jk #cold snz #sneeze fic #snz fic

[rivalry-trope-enjoyer]

In this life... (Pt. 1 ?)

Summary: Getting married and married life with Welt Yang, domestic, fluffy and wholesome hcs <3

The Proposal:

It took him a while to propose! Taking into consideration how much he's seen within his lifetime, he was very patient and methodical as to when he would be able to pop the question. It kept you on edge, but when time came down to it, it was more than worth it.

It was a private proposal, but extremely personalized and thoughtful gesture. He snuck in an extra scene in a preview of his new Arahato animation with just the two of you at the screening where the mechs shoot fireworks instead of rockets that spelled out the question into the stars.

Welt was so nervous about it the entire time on what you would say. While drafting out a plan, March and Himeko definitely teased him a little bit about the unique idea, but neither could contain their excitement for when it would happen.

When you said yes Welt couldn't believe what he was hearing, smiling fondly at you and barely able to contain his excitement. He holds your hand gently and presses soft kisses against your knuckles, swearing to you that you won't regret this as well as several other sweet promises to be the best husband he could be for you (and boy does he fulfill that promise).

Once word got out that you've said yes, March gave the idea to celebrate accompanied with a commemorative photo.

The Wedding:

Everything runs smoothly thanks to him.

It was a collective effort for the both of you to plan it, fulfilling as many wishes as you had on any possible wedding dreams you’ve had, while also combining it with some of his own!

He volunteers to do lots of the nitty gritty as to how those dreams were to be fulfilled, making the calls and scheduling, it takes off lots of pressures off your shoulder (bless him).

The venue would be on the space station, a beautiful display of the galaxy and well-decorated area. There would be ships that would help get various friends across the galaxy to arrive and watch you two get married and to celebrate!

His vows are very sweet, the kind that’ll pull not only your heart strings but the audience’s as well, every word carrying it’s weight in gold.

March is wailing at this point.

The reception to the two of you was such a blur. Both of you were in a collective daze over the fact you were married, and your dreams made you question if what just occurred was a mere dream, too.

Yet waking up to a peacefully slumbering Welt, your now husband, was an indication that this was as real as it gets.

The Life:

Welt is such husband material;;

Even before you two were married, he already starts calling you his spouse, his lovely wife/husband before the day even comes <3.

Lays awake at night talking about all the sweet and domestic things to happen in the future, adopting any pets, possibilities of children to raise together.

Welt wakes up earlier than you without fail, and you wake up every morning to the smell of freshly brewed coffee/tea wafting in the bedroom that he prepares for you, ready for the second you wake up.

It’s his way of waking you up gently if you have places to be <3

Some days he’ll wait for you in the kitchen reading up on some past history studies or comic books just so he can share a nice morning with you before he has to do any sort of work.

“How did you sleep last night, honey?” “I hope it’s not too early for you” “Any thoughts for dinner later tonight? I was thinking of going on a grocery run later in the day” “We could go and see a new movie together. It’s about…”

Welt wants to spend as much time with you as possible as your husband. He wants to make sure you’re feeling loved and cared for every second you’re together <33. Now that he doesn’t do as much of the adventuring as he did years prior, all he has is time, and is intent on spending it all with you.

There was one time where Welt was running late for a task at hand and he was rushing to get out of the house. He managed to do everything he needed for you but forgot to dress for the bad weather he had to greet him.

“Wait, dear, you forgot your scarf!” once you manage to stop him by tugging at his coat sleeve, you quickly wrap his token scarf loosely around his neck and messily draping over his shoulders.

Such a simple act of kindness and Welt was absolutely smitten. He gives you a small peck on the lips, not having much time to thank you before bolting off to work.

Welt started leaving behind his scarf on purpose so you could help him with it. It felt like an act of endearment, although he’d never admit it he forgot on purpose until you just wordlessly figure it out on your own.

“Oh, honey… you could easily do this yourself, you know.”

“But like all things in my life, my love, it’s much more fun with you.”

#welt yang x reader #welt yang #hsr #hsr fluff #honkai star rail #hsr imagines #welt x you #hsr welt #hsr x you #hsr x reader #x reader #honkai star rail fluff #honkai star rail fanfic #honkai star rail welt #I LOVE DILFS AGAGAGA #honkai star rail x reader #hoyoverse #welt x reader

[traumxrei-archive]

【 the shape of one's heart 】

author's note: hello and welcome to yet another leona kingscholar fic sjkdfjsf (the amount of l/ve i have for this man...unimaginable !!) part a birthday fic, part a character study, and part fluffy romance, i hope you enjoy reading <33 (UPDATE, aug 3: i rewrote the ending of iv. capture >:333)

characters: leona kingscholar x gn! prefect, ruggie bucchi, jack howl, falena kingscholar, cheka kingscholar

word count: 4.5k

tags: leona character study !! (or an attempt at one), happy birthday to dummy lion, your honor i love him therefore i psychoanalyze him, fluff is justice, but also there's angst, so watch out haha—, him and prefect are just <333, i. ii. iii. are mostly char study n iv. is where most of the romance lies

[ or read it on ao3 ]

i. gloves

It all started with an innocent question. "Why do you wear gloves all the time?" Leona blinked at them, yet he gave no answer. Instead, he recalled the first time he felt the coarseness of sand against the palm of his hands.

His unique magic came to him violently; suddenly. It really did feel like a sand storm had swept him up into the air, his body all but pinwheeling from the loss of control. He remembered his vision shaking with anger that the younger him couldn't contain; the laughter and mocking of some petty servants still reverberating in his ears.

He remembered bumping into a vase, his fingers lightly brushing against its smooth surface before it dissolved into grains of sand; falling through his fingers as if it never existed in the first place. He reeled back in horror, grabbing onto anything to cushion his fall. It just so happened that he grabbed a fistful of drapery; all of which fell in a shower of sand around him.

When he looked up he could see the servants scattering away from him, terrified looks on their faces. He remembered being scared of himself, vision blurring as he explained to Falena and his father what happened.

That was the day King's Roar first surfaced. A Unique Magic was supposed to be a blessing, and yet…it never felt that way to Leona. If anything, it felt like another burden was added onto his shoulders. (The rumors around him began to grow even larger, and it wasn’t rare for him to hear that he had “the power to destroy their kingdom.” Leona simply tried to ignored them.)

Leona started wearing gloves not long after that. He couldn't control his power all that well for the first month or two. The gloves gave him enough time to react; if he felt them turning into dust he could let go of whatever or whoever he was holding.

Even after all those years, the habit stayed. Every day he tugged on leather gloves, feeling a minute yet present comfort at the feel of them. He only ever took them off during Magift matches. The only potential casualties were the Magift disc and his magic pen after all.

(Leona tried not to recall the feeling of skin flaking underneath his touch; the intention to hurt finally winning over his rationality. But whenever he saw the scar on Ruggie's arm he could only remember the memory with bitter remorse. Never again, he vowed.)

He flicked the herbivore's forehead for asking, "Shut up, 'm tryna nap." Leona let his eyes close, taking in a breath of air free of the unsettling heat of sand. He no longer had to be concerned about losing control, but that didn't make his power any less terrifying. His gloves flexed with his fingers as he stretched, cushioning his head as he dozed off once more.

ii. dreams

Leona didn't dream. Sleeping was sleeping for him. It was simply an activity to pass by listless days. Still, it was impossible for him to escape every dream.

Sometimes, dreams would find him; a little too sweet and inviting. Promises of glory and recognition. Of crowns placed within treses of brown. Of emerald eyes casting its gaze upon something that was finally, truly his.

Leona hated dreams. When he would wake up, all he could do was try convincing himself that it wasn't real. That it was a truth that he wouldn't ever get what he really wanted.

And what did he really want? A second prince that was labeled a failure of a student; what could Leona Kingscholar want? No matter how he claimed he didn't care, the want still simmered in his veins— stifled yet present.

Leona wanted. He wanted so much that it almost hurt to breathe. But he was blessed with the intellect to know that he couldn't get those things he wanted.

Many called him stupid and lazy for being such a promising mage yet wasting away within NRC's botanical gardens. But they didn't know of the effort that Leona put into getting to where he was.

The days of his childhood he spent studying. Enduring the royal tutors who always compared him to his brother and berated his intellect. The nights he spent poring over books in the royal library on his own volition; trying in vain to find a way to take the throne as his.

(Sadly, Afterglow Savanna valued birthright, and try as he might, the only way to take the throne was to overthrow his brother or...kill him. The younger him had shivered at the thought of it. Even if he resented Falena to hell and back, he couldn't ever try to kill him.)

Even his simplest dream of winning a school Magift tournament was completely destroyed by the future King of the Valley of Thorns. Yet another person that reminded him of Falena. It was the nth bitter reminder that he could never truly be first in anything. And after being disappointed at every turn, maybe Leona Kingscholar didn't see a point in dreaming anymore.

So if someone were to ask him what his dream was, there was a chance Leona would answer with "I have no dreams."

"-ona. Leona," There was an arm shaking his shoulder. Leona let out a disgruntled groan, opening an eye to see who disturbed his nap.

Oh. It was just them.

"Herbivore," Leona acknowledged, voice still hoarse from sleep. "You're late."

The herbivore stayed quiet for a moment before they spoke, "Sorry about that, I took up part-time at Sam's during lunches." There was a slight pause before they continued, "But what happened? Were you having a nightmare?"

"What makes you say that?" Leona sat up with a yawn.

"You were frowning really hard in your sleep," There was a finger poking at his brow. "Even your forehead was all wrinkled."

"Mm," Leona dismissed the question. "It wasn't a nightmare." The herbivore didn't seem all that convinced by that answer, but they let it go.

Leona Kingscholar didn't dream. But maybe he had to remedy that statement. There was one dream that sprouted deep within him lately that he didn't completely hate, even if he knew it was impossible to fulfill. He hoped that these simple days at NRC would never end.

iii. visitor

Visitors and Leona Kingscholar shouldn't ever exist in the same sentence in Leona's humble opinion. So it was easy to imagine just how excited Leona was when Crowley barged into a Magift Club practice he had to announce he had a visitor. He left another third year in charge, swearing under his breath all the while.

And it was even easier to imagine how simply overjoyed he was to see Crowley holding up a little ball of fur that was guaranteed to give him a headache.

His nephew lit up at the sight of him, "Ojitan!"

He held the giggling cub away from him, scowling, "Why the hell is the brat here?"

"Now, now, Kingscholar-kun!" Crowley tutted, eyes curving into gleeful crescents. "His majesty, Falena asked me for a favor, and his highness will only be here for a day, nothing more, nothing less. I've also taken the liberty of excusing you from all classes today."

"Oh right!" Crowley's clawed fingers snapped. "I almost forgot, I enlisted the help of some very capable personnel to assist you."

He heard the huffing and puffing even before they appeared in front of him. There they were, out-of-breath like they ran all the way to the fields from the main building. Leona debated tossing Cheka into their arms and making a run for it.

"This– This is the... life-threatening emergency that only I could take care of?" Their voice sounded indignant, and Leona felt his ears twitch the slightest bit.

Maybe he could put up with it. Just for today. Besides, he got a free pass to skip class for the day and he could spend it all with the herbivore? Obviously, it was a win-win situation— if only Cheka wouldn't absolutely annoy him.

"Here," Leona dropped Cheka into their arms. "Crowley'll pay you a standard rate per hour so you'll get your money's worth. Follow me." He knew that they would follow if he mentioned money. For some reason, they had been working themselves so ragged that even a certain hyena was complimenting them about it.

They ended up in Leona's room, the kid blabbering some nonsense about how he was the "greatest uncle in all of existence" and how he "worked hard so that Papa would let him visit cuz it was almost Ojitan’s birthday."

Leona sprawled out on his bed, watching the kid cautiously looking around his room. They took a seat at his desk, glancing between him and the brat every once in a while, "So I just...play with him...?"

"Make sure he doesn't get hurt either," Leona gave a deep sigh, seeing his phone light up with a call from his dearest brother and ignoring it. "Oneesama would kill me if he got hurt."

"Right," They nodded, trailing off to follow Cheka's wanderings.

Leona spared another glance at Cheka's sunset-colored hair. The sight of it had been burned into his memory ever since they first met.

Leona blinked and he was back to being seventeen, still living in the confines of the palace. He had rejected the invitation in NRC, still hellbent on trying to find a way to get himself to the throne. (How utterly foolish, he now thought.)

The hallways were filled with the sound of celebration. Usually, Leona wouldn't take interest in what was going on in the palace. But this time, the fanfare came to find him. There was a knock on his door, Falena's attendant telling him that the King had called for him. He should've known that something big had happened when even he was smiling.

Yet it wasn't until Falena was ushering him towards a cot (newly installed) and seeing his Oneesama resting in bed (sweat beading at her brows) that Leona really understood what was going on.

It felt like a kick to the chest when he saw him for the first time. Bright yellow and orange hair, rounded nose, and a pudgy face. Brown rounded ears that were a little too big, dressed in royal colors. The spitting image of Falena with a sprinkling of Oneesama, condensed into a child.

"This is your new nephew," Falena had said, his voice sounding so far away. "The naming ceremony won't be until tomorrow, but I'll tell you his name beforehand: Cheka Kingscholar."

Cheka Kingscholar.

This tiny little cub whose hand was a tenth of his was now the new rightful heir of Afterglow Savanna. He thought that he had at least a year before something like this happened, but it seemed like his time had been cut short.

He couldn't help but run away; away from that room, away from the child, away from Falena, and far, far away from everyone who would be able to see the tears streaking down his face.

On the day of the naming ceremony, Leona slinked through the halls, avoiding the guards and servants who busily moved about. He didn't want to get caught and dragged out to face the people after all.

Suddenly, his ears picked up a sharp wailing noise. He turned a corner, following the noise to a room. The door clicked open easily and he recognized it immediately.

It was his nephew's new room. And sure enough, there Cheka Kingscholar was, complete with tears rolling down flushed cheeks and fluffy ears flattened against unruly hair.

"Why're you crying, brat?" Leona leaned over the crib, watching as the baby kept crying. "You've got everything I ever wanted to have... A loving family, the right to the throne, and everyone adores you." He reached a hand forward, gripping the edge of the crib.

He inhaled sharply. And gave the crib a gentle push, letting it rock the slightest bit. Slowly but surely, the cries came to a stop. When he looked down, Cheka's sparkling eyes were staring at him. The kid had the audacity to let out a giggle he saw him, grabbing at his hair successfully.

"What? Are you laughing at me?" He raised a brow, steadying the crib. He had to admit that the brat was a little bit cute even if he was tugging a little too hard at his hair.

Leona paused before voicing his realization, "Hey, now that you've taken my succession rights, you better become a better king than I could be." He found that he couldn't bring himself to hate this little cub, despite him bringing an end to all his dreams.

There was a lump in his throat as he kept speaking, "So don't bother with me, alright? I'll just be your scary uncle that never visits. So...just forget about me."

At that point, Leona realized how pointless it was to talk to a literal baby. He quickly left the room, watching the door for a few minutes until he saw Oneesama enter the room.

And within the same week, he walked into NRC's Hall of Mirrors for the first time; the Mirror frantically shouting that his soul perfectly matched Savanaclaw. There were times when Leona felt bitter. Where he would long for the throne yet again, but he knew it was a hopeless endeavor.

"Ojitan! I've got something to give you!" Leona blinked away his daze only to be met with a brightly smiling Cheka.

He turned up his nose, "Do it quick, screech box, I’ve got things to do."

"Like sleeping," the herbivore commented drily; though he mercifully chose to ignore it this time.

"Here!" Cheka pushed something right at his face. "Open it now!"

It was a card, written in messy handwriting and punctuated by random doodles and spontaneous bursts of glitter. Leona looked at the drawings in a daze. There was a figure that was clearly Cheka, along with his parents. And right next to Falena was a figure that looked suspiciously like him.

"Happy Early Birthday!" Cheka cheered, climbing right into his lap. He nuzzled his face right into his neck, little arms wrapping around Leona’s shoulders.

"Brat," Leona said in a warning tone, pushing at the cub's face. "My birthday isn't for a while, but...thanks." He could see how Cheka lit up at the praise, practically bouncing and planting a kiss on his cheek before running back to the herbivore.

"He said 'thank you'!" Cheka preened as if a 'thank you' from him was worth thousands of thaumarks. They said something in return but Leona wasn't listening. He was still staring at the hastily drawn picture, the paper creasing where he held it too tight.

Even if it felt like a burden, family would always be family to Leona. That was the reason that he couldn't raise a hand against Falena, even if he was an ever-present thorn at his side. And that was the reason why he couldn't send Cheka away, even if he disturbed his peace.

(And if that card ended up in the confines of one of his rarely-used drawers, safely preserved with a protective spell, then well...Leona wouldn't know anything about it.)

iv. captured

“Checkmate.”

“Urk,” The Savanaclaw student in front of him winced as he stared down at the chessboard. “T-that was fast…”

Leona let a smirk spread on his face as he watched the student reset the board. He loosened his bolo tie as he sat, resting his chin in an open hand.

“Wow, I’m starting to get goosebumps,” Ruggie’s voice couldn’t have been any farther away from admiration. “Is this your fortieth win today?”

“Forty-first,” Leona corrected, his eyes languidly combing the room for a certain face. “I’m taking a break now.”

As Ruggie continued to fuss with his ever-growing pile of presents, Leona went back to searching the crowd. Quite a lot of people had come for the celebration of his birthday.

But the one he was really looking for was…running around serving drinks.

Leona bit back a sigh. Of course they would be one of the people working in this crowd. Hell, even that busy-bodied octopunk wasn’t lifting a finger for his birthday. It was half-amusing and half-frustrating to see.

His ears twitched as he heard footsteps approaching him, and there was Jack. A plate piled high full of meat rested in the burly freshman’s hands as he shifted from left to right.

“Uh…” Jack coughed. “I thought Leona-senpai might’ve been hungry, so I got you something.”

He stared at Jack before, tilting his head to the table, “Put it down there, pup.”

“Please don’t call me that,” Jack said, though Leona could see the stable swish of his tail behind him. “I got a variety of meat for you, senpai. So happy birthday and I promise I’ll catch up to you in spelldrive soon.”

He watched as Jack left. If Jack was a chess piece, Leona was sure he would be a knight. Knights move in their rigid L-shape, yet it is a powerful piece. They can be the very force that topples the stability of a game. They’re able to break through defenses that other pieces might not be able to touch.

Leona rolled his eyes at the thought. Was it because it was his birthday that he was feeling sentimental? Anyway, all he knew was that Jack was undoubtedly a part of his pride; the small circle of people that Leona let befriend him.

“Eh~ Leona-san not finishing a plate of meat in two seconds?” Ruggie’s voice reached him faster than the lightness of his steps. “Next thing I know you’ll tell me you went vegetarian, shishishishi~”

“Shut it, Ruggie,” Leona stabbed a fork into a steak, his fangs cutting through the meat like butter. “And go get me a drink while you’re at it.”

“But, Leona-san, wouldn’t you rather get a drink delivered to you by your precious little herbivore?” Leona wasn’t sure what part of him betrayed his thoughts; his tail, ears, or even his expression but Ruggie burst into laughter. “This is so rich! Give me a sec, it’ll be a special service since it’s my boss’ birthday.”

“Oi, Ruggie—”

But before he could even utter another word, Ruggie had sped off into the crowd. Leona sighed for two reasons: one, because he almost felt sorry for all the people Ruggie had mugged in the crowd, and two, because Ruggie was a little too observant at times.

If Ruggie was a chess piece, he would be a pawn. That might be cruel to say, but pawns are a formidible piece. They might go unnoticed like infantry in a war. And yet only pawns are able to sneak through the board to bring another queen into the battle. An expert at rallying allies and an unseen giant in chess. That was the pawn.

Leona placed his fork on the table, before speaking, “You’re a hundred years early if you wanna sneak up on me like that.”

“How did you- Never mind,” They shuffled in front of him, carrying a tray of drinks. “What would you like to drink?”

“Hmm?” Leona felt his tail rising into the air, though he didn’t stop it. “Aren’t you supposed to be more polite to the birthday boy?”

Their brows furrowed, “You didn’t even like being called the birthday boy!”

“And what? I can’t change my mind on that?” Leona felt a slow smirk grow on his face the more they looked like they were about to deck him with the drink tray.

“Alright.” They took a breath. “Happiest of days of birth, Leona Kingscholar! If you would be so inclined to state your preference of beverage, I shall happily acquire it for you.”

Leona’s smirk twisted into a frown, “Never do that ever again.”

There was a small smile toying at their lips before they put down a glass, “Fine. Here, I heard this drink was your favorite.”

“You’re gonna leave just like that?” Emerald green eyes softened just a little upon meeting their gaze. “Don’t tell me you didn’t get your favorite lion a gift, herbivore.”

They sighed in what Leona thought was exasperation, “Of course I did. It’s sitting in your room.”

“Then let’s go.”

“Huh?” Leona had to admit, seeing their eyes blinking at him in confusion like that was pretty damn cute.

“C'mon herbivore, let’s ditch the party for a bit,” Leona stood up, casting a spell on both of them while he waved a hand. This way people wouldn’t be able to see him leave.

“Wait a sec, what about the cake?” They blurted, hand secured in Leona’s own. And for once, Leona was glad he wasn’t wearing his gloves, relishing in the warm press of his palm against theirs.

“I don’t like sweets,” Leona reminded, leading them through the hallways of the Savanaclaw dormitories.

“I know, but— why am I coming with you anyway? You could open it by yourself, can’t you?” But at that point, Leona had already made up his mind.

“Indulge in me for a little, herbivore,” Leona’s expression filled with mirth. “Tonight’s supposed to be a celebration for me, right?”

“You— I seriously think that you’re overdoing it on the birthday boy thing,” They grumbled as the pair finally made it into the privacy of Leona’s room. The sounds of the party gently trickled in through Leona’s open windows, and he spotted their gift easily.

It was a small box, a simple piece of twine with a tag completing the present. He started to shake it, only to be interrupted by their gasp, “Wait! It’ll break if you handle it carelessly!”

Leona raised a brow, “’S it really that fragile? Fine, I’ll open it carefully, alright?” They nodded, looking infinitely more nervous now, though Leona couldn’t fathom why.

Inside the box was a smaller metal box. He turned it around in his hands, “What am I supposed to do with this?” They hesitated, before pressing one of the buttons on the side.

An image flickered to life on a holographic screen. He poked a finger through it, watching the display distort around his fingers. The pictures changed every few seconds, each one more surprising than the last.

“It’s…a photo album,” They handed the box back to him. “There’s a lot of pictures in there, I dug some up from the school newspaper and magicam account. There are also pictures I got from his majesty, Falena too. I had the device commissioned by Ignihyde, which is why it’s so…futuristic looking.”

“It must’ve cost a lotta money,” Leona said quietly, unable to take his eyes off the pictures. There were pictures of him as a child sprinkled amongst his memories in NRC. There were even pictures that were no doubt their work; evident from the way Leona recognized all his favorite napping spots in the background.

“That’s right,” They nudged at his elbow. “You should appreciate my hard work.” And it hit Leona right then and there that the reason they had been working so hard— the very reason they needed all that money in the first place— was because of this very gift in his hands. There was a lump in his throat as more and more pictures passed; the memories flashing in his mind both bitter and sweet.

“I do,” He placed the box down, turning to face them. "Thank you.”

The thanks that left Leona’s lips were more sincere than he was expecting. But Leona wasn’t surprised anymore considering these complicated feelings that swirled around his heart. He already tried suppressing them; acting unfairly mean, and arrogant towards them, even going as far as ignoring them for a while. But to Leona, it felt even worse to be without them than it was to have them around, even if they didn’t know of his feelings. So he swallowed his self-deprecation and anxiety in order to stay with them. He had already made up his mind to let those feelings stay, even if he wasn’t equipped with the knowledge to adequately express them.

Ah, but if they were a chess piece, would they be the queen to his king? The king was quite lazy. The most important piece, and yet he doesn’t move around all that much. He was always being protected by other pieces, whilst the queen was free to move around as she wished. The queen was fitting for them; in the way they ran head-first into battles they might not even win. Though, there was something bothering him with this thought.

Another possibility entered his mind not soon after: what if they were his king?

If they were chess pieces in Leona’s imaginary game, it would make the utmost sense if they were the king. The king was no doubt the center of the game. A piece to be protected at all costs, lest the game is lost. Just like how they were always in the center of everything and everyone here at NRC. And if they were the king, then he would willingly become their queen. Because for them, there wasn’t anything Leona wouldn’t give.

“The Leona Kingscholar thanking little old me?” Leona let his tail swat at their face. “It was a joke, really! I’m just glad that you liked it. I wasn’t sure if you’d like this type of gift.”

“This type of gift being…?”

“A sentimental gift,” A smile tugged at their lips. “I guess there are even days where the great Leona Kingscholar feels sentimental.”

And instead of refuting it, Leona simply agreed, “I guess there are.”

Matters of the heart seemed to elude him, but for them, Leona was willing to be a fool in love. They had somehow captured him, disarming all of Leona’s carefully constructed defenses and taking his heart as their own. 

Even now, as they blinked at him, completely unaware of his internal dilemma, Leona couldn’t help but bump his head against theirs in fondness. The little squawk they let out at the sudden motion only served to make him smile, though he quickly hid it with a turn of his head.

“Watch the rest of it with me,” The offer was whispered; as if Leona was too afraid to break the silence that had surrounded them. They nodded, and Leona was all too happy to shuffle towards the pillows on his bed. After getting in a more, mm, comfortable position— which entailed using the herbivore as a pillow— he was content to watch the pictures change. He offered up a couple of comments on a few pictures, earning a few hums in reply. 

Leona didn’t get to cut the cake with his dorm mates that year; much to the disappointment of many. To him, it was the first birthday that he truly felt like he belonged. And those memories were more precious and infinitely sweeter than the taste that any expensive cake could bring him.

thank you for reading ! i hope you enjoyed and once again, happy birthday to leona kingscholar <333 if you'd like to read more, check out my masterlist >:DDD

#/trau writes #/trau fics #i'm doing this for the lion man #that's my mantra rn sjdfkjskf #legitimately sick as i'm editing #oof sorry if the ending sucks #i'm literally so fucking sleepy help #leona kingscholar #leona kingscholar x reader #leona x reader #leona kingscholar x you #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland headcanons #twisted wonderland x reader #twisted wonderland fics #twst fics #twst x reader

[blair-the-juggalho]

Ah! My love, you have once again opened ur requests for get me through life and bless me 🙏🙏

May I oh so request the Ericson gang (except the kiddos, we ain't do that here m'lady) x reader who can be that happiest person ever, energy is an all time high and very positive

BUT BUT

They tend to crash and burn a lot, they're like a four year old who ate to many pixie sticks in a club, and have a habit of burning out and finding their s/o and just...kinda falling asleep on em!

HEAR ME OUT! HEAR ME OUT!

Imagine: Mitch for example, doing idk what and here comes us happily tap dancing our ass in and just climbing onto his lap and falling our ass to sleep

If that makes sense! With my love, my one and only 🤭

YES OFC OMG THATS SO ME YOURE ALWAYS ON SPOT

Anything for you my love! I hope you enjoy <<33

SOZ FOR ANY MISTAKES I CANT READ TODAY!

Sorry if I messed this up No1 gal!

Please read the following text allowed with a Scottish accent:

MY BRAIN AINT BRAININ’

Twdg Ericsson gang with a reader who’s energetic but gets burnt out

Violet

Now this girl is just watching every crazy thing you do either giving you a loving eye roll or a stressed out very love filled sigh <<33

She can’t keep up with you but she loves watching you go crazy and scaring the shit out of Ruby

It’s so funny to her-

She’ll be chilling in her dorm and you burst through and waddle over to her

Climbing into her lap and then falling fast asleep

“Oh fucking god finally-“

She’ll sit there and let you rest for a few hours as she just lets her mind wonder and relaxe

And when you wake up you’re back to fully energy mode

“The walkers alive huh?” She jokes

She finds it adorable

This girl might play a tough act and tell you to chill out some times but DONT EVER she loves it

Especially because at some point you’ll come back to her for a good rest and relaxation

Mitch

It took him time to get use to all your energy

But he did like it when you got all sleepy because then he could actually spend time with you and relax

So anyway, he was sat him his dorm room just chilling (because as much as he loves you there’s no way he’d let you sit on his lap or cuddle him in public. Mans got a reputation!)

And you come happily skipping in!

Mitch lets out a jokey sigh and puts down his knife he was carving

You sway about like a silly billy for a bit before climbing onto his lap and falling asleep

Ok now he’s confused

He held on to you gently and just sat there for a few minutes thinking about what tf he’s meant to do…

Are they actually asleep???

He’d gently call your name or gently shake you

Well Shit.

You’re asleep.

He lays down with you and waits for you to wake up

Honestly he enjoys the calmness of this situation

Louis

Now Louis, OUR GOD HIMSELF

HE CAN MATCH YOUR ENERGY LIKE A PRO!!!

He was so happy to have someone like you!

But when you get burnt out? You get burnt out together.

You know that joke that’s summat like “if you’re on your period then I’m on my period, it’s a uterUS!”

That’s him when it comes to literally everything

So you’ll both be in your dorm cuddling each other and falling asleep on each other

Everyone’s like “where’s Louis and (name)?

And someone’s (probably Mitch or Vi) are like “they probably finally crashed. Thank the heavens they give us a brake.”

As a joke ofc they all love ya!

When you two wake up it’s all a rise and repeat cycle baby!

Marlon

Marlon knew you where always up and running and found it really cute!

Even if he’s worried you’ll braking something or run into someone and start a fight by accident

But much like all the other he can’t keep up

He has important work to do!

So he watches you outside the head teacher’s office with a smile

This one afternoon you prance into his office and walk right up to marlon

He can tell you’re just about ready to crash

You sit on his lap before totally blacking out, fast asleep

He quietly laughs and shakes his head

He picks you up and places you on his bed in the office and joins you so he can rest with you

He finds it as equally adorable when you get all tried and will do whatever he can to make sure you’re ok

Aasim

He can’t keep up with you!

I mean don’t get me wrong he loves you but he spends his time watching you instead of joining in with you

But he’s always a few steps ahead

He can tell when you start getting tired

And my man practically teleports next to you

“You finally ready for bed?”

You lean against him, already feeling your eyelids getting heavier, you nod and he drags you back to your dorm

He just sits next to you and chills out with you

He will also stay in the room with you while you sleep incase you wake up

He’ll make sure to be quiet too

Omar

Omar likes to stay put making food all day, so he can’t really join you in whatever crazy shit your usually up too

Instead he just watches you from his cooking station, smiling and laughing as you dance about and do stupid parkour on the picnic benches

This is has gotten good at picking up on your body language btw

He can tell when you’re starting to get tired

You cheerfully walk over to him as he’s cooking and just lean on him

You either fall sleep standing up, using him as something to lean against

Or you fall on your ass when you tried to sleep

Omar laughs and carries you back to your dorm as quick as he can

He loves you but he can’t leave food unattended!

Omar’s even already prepared a meal for you so you can eat then have a rest

If you’ve gotten sleepy after he’s finished making food then he’ll sleep next to you, holding you tight

Ruby

As much as she admires when your energetic she’s just stood there in shock

“Now how the hell can you have this much energy in the morin’?” She jokes

She does love how positive you are!

It truly brightens up the pace and cheers her up so much!

But when you start getting burnt out she’s instantly by your side and sits you down so you can rest on her

just before you’re about to sleep she gets you up and walks you (or carries you if you’re too gone) to bed

She makes your bed and gets you all cozy

“See? I told you this would happen, sugar! You need to take more care of yourself.”

She already has a drink and some food ready for you when you wake up!

She knows you could use a boost of energy after your crash

Also I’m sorry but you’re not allowed coffee when your hyper (you don’t need THAT much energy…)

Hyper or burnt out, she’s always there to help you!

Brody

This girl is always on her toes with you

She usually can’t keep up with you when you’re energetic

She just watched you go crazy while she sits and laughs

She truely does find your energy adorable!But whenever you burn out?

She totally understands!

You’ll come up to her and rest your head on her shoulder

She already knows that means you’re ready to sleep

She’d wait until you’re fully out of it

AND BY SOME GREAT POWER OF THE GODS

She finds away to drag you’re fast asleep self all the way to bed

She’d cuddle you while you sleep and wait until you wake up

Brody gives you a gentle kiss on the forehead and softly laughs

“Finally awake? I’m not surprised! Your burning more energy than you already have! You should be more careful, sweetie.”

You never actually listen tho-

And she’s not surprised

Honestly she actually likes it when you get burnt out (as bad as it sounds) because it’s when you two share the most intimate and relaxing moments between you too

#twdg #the walking dead game #twdg x reader #twdg louis #twdg mitch #twdg marlon #twdg omar #twdg ruby #twdg violet #twdg aasim

[love-toxin]

OK but Bully Eddie's dad probably engraved the “I'm only mean to you because I like you into his head.” so man's took that and ran with it. Wayne is shaking his head. also feel like Wayne treat Angelface so kindly. He'd be so excited to be a grandad 

100000% what i was going for ehe <33 my iteration of bully!Eddie heavily relies on an extreme influence from his dad, but to a lesser extent than just being a carbon copy of him because Eddie's got some idea of what it's like to be on the receiving end. character development, empathy, and all that.

and absolutely, Wayne's been trying to grind that mindset out of Eddie for years, but strong habits are tough to break so he tries to just set a good example. but he'd find Angelface to be such a sweetheart, he'd think you're a blessing to Eddie and would try to step in as a good father figure to you, too. buying your favourite cereals to keep in the trailer since you're over so much, and picking out a mug for you to use that even Eddie isn't allowed to touch. he'd probably get a bit jealous that Wayne pays so much attention to you, but then again it's kinda cute to see you two chatting away on the porch.....you looking happy for once, looking relaxed....it's a little cathartic.

Wayne knowing he's gonna be a grandad makes it even sweeter. he comes home with little baby outfits all the time and brings toys and furniture over to your trailer when Eddie moves you both into a new one, always insisting he's found some bargain he couldn't pass up until he's bought you most of the stuff you'll need for the new arrival. and he forces Eddie to practice holding the baby since he knows the kid can be a bit heavy-handed, and when they're squabbling and Eddie demands to know why you don't have to practice with a damn cantaloupe in a blanket, Wayne just answers him with something along the lines of "that girl's gonna be a fantastic mom, she handles you just fine. now try again, so you don't give my grandbaby any brain damage."

#eddie munson #eddie's angelface #eddie munson x reader #bully!eddie munson #st 4 #stranger things #ellie writes #anons #wayne munson

[feedingtheflockministry]

Four Criteria the Messiah Must Fulfill

by Jews for Jesus | July 01 2000

So what’s the deal with the Messiah? For many, the Messiah figure seems like an ancient Jewish version of Superman—a childhood hero on whom most of us have long since given up. But according to the Talmud and the Jewish Scriptures the Messiah is not only real, but should have arrived a long time ago.

Maybe a Messiah who never comes is not such a big deal, but a God Who breaks His promises is a very big deal. The detailed messianic timetable in Daniel 9 allows us to explore solutions to these questions. Not only is there much more to be known about the Messiah, but we can know exactly when to expect him!

Fact One: The Messiah would arrive in a certain time frame.

The details of when Messiah will arrive are written in the book of Daniel. This prophet lived during the time of our exile in Babylon and received a vision that the Messiah would come 483 years after the command to restore Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple:

From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until an Anointed One [ad mashiach], the ruler [nagid], will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will be rebuilt with a plaza and a moat, but in difficult times. (Daniel 9:25, CBS)

The “clock” on these 69 “weeks” (units of seven years) began ticking when Artaxerxes issued a decree to Nehemiah to rebuild the Temple and restore Jerusalem (Nehemiah 2:1-8). While other decrees went out, this was the only one that involved both the Temple and Jerusalem. History records this took place in Nisan (March/April) of 444 B.C.E. That would mean the Messiah would appear by 33 C.E. History does not record anyone, other than Yeshua (Jesus), who was from that time period and claimed to be the Messiah.

Fact Two: The Messiah would come before the destruction of the Second Temple.

Daniel predicted that after the appearance of Messiah, “…the people of a prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary” (Daniel 9:26, JPS). We know that occurred when Titus’ Roman legions marched on Jerusalem in 70 C.E., destroying both the city and the Temple. The Talmud teaches that at that time people believed that the time of Messiah had already come, but because of the sins of the nation the messianic kingdom was withheld at the time it should have arrived.

The school of Eliyahu taught: Six thousand years is the duration of the world. Two thousand of the six thousand years are characterized by chaos; two thousand years are characterized by Torah, from the era of the Patriarchs until the end of the mishnaic period; and two thousand years are the period of the coming of the Messiah. That is the course that history was to take, but due to our sins that time frame increased. The Messiah did not come after four thousand years passed, and furthermore, the years that elapsed since then, which were to have been the messianic era, have elapsed. (Sanhedrin 97a and b [emphasis added])

Other passages support the understanding that the Messiah would come while the Temple was still standing. The psalm is one of the Hallel Psalms which praises God for His deliverance of Israel and of Israel’s leader, the king. Israel was rejected by its enemies, as was its king.

Hoshienu—Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We have blessed you from the house of the Lord [emphasis added]. (vv. 25,26)

The only way that they could bless the Messiah from the house of the Lord was if the Temple was still standing! Ironically, these are the same words the Jewish people used to greet Yeshua when he rode into Jerusalem the week before Passover (Matthew 21:9–12).

Haggai, who was in Jerusalem as the Second Temple was being built, made the messianic prediction that the “glory of this last temple is to be greater than that of the first” (2:9).1 And Malachi confirmed it: “Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his Temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come” (3:1). Twelfth century Jewish scholar, Rabbi David Kimchi (also known as Radak), equated Malachi’s messenger of the covenant with the Messiah.2

According to Daniel, the Temple would not only be standing at Messiah’s appearance, but it would be destroyed soon after. That Temple, which was originally built by Ezra and beautified by Herod, was where Yeshua did most of his teaching and claimed to be the Messiah. The New Testament records the painful words of Yeshua to those who spoke of how beautiful the Temple looked after its refurbishing under Herod: “These things which you see—the days will come in which not one stone shall be left here upon another that shall not be thrown down.”3 Yeshua was pointing to Daniel’s prophecy being fulfilled. Less than 40 years later the destruction of the Temple was so thorough that, to this day, the exact location of the sanctuary is unknown.

Fact Three: The Messiah’s lineage could only be identifiable while the Temple stood.

The coming of the Messiah had another time constraint: it was connected to his descent from the tribe of Judah.

The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; [emphasis mine] and to Him shall be the obedience of the people. (Genesis 49:10)

This well-recognized messianic prophecy indicated that Judah was to retain its identity until Shiloh (one of the names for the Messiah according to rabbinical literature) was to come.

Apropos the Messiah, the Gemara asks: What is his name? The school of Rabbi Sheila says: Shiloh is his name, as it is stated: “Until when Shiloh shall come.” (Sanhedrin 98b)

According to the book of Ezra (1:5-8), Judah’s position was maintained throughout the 70 years of captivity in Babylon. It was also intact back in the Land, until the Romans made the kingdom of Judah a Roman province. While there was a provincial government in place, about 50 years later (in 70 c.e.) that too ended.

Not only was the Messiah to be from the lineage of Judah, but more specifically from the house of David: “I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to My servant David: ‘Your seed I will establish forever, And build up your throne to all generations’” (Psalm 89:3-4 NKJV). This messianic prophecy clearly refers to a descendant of David. Proof of such lineage was destroyed when the Temple was destroyed.

And while we do not have the Temple records, we do have the record of Yeshua’s family tree in the accounts of his life by both Luke and Matthew. They both identify that he is from the house of David. We don’t know anyone else who lived at that time and claimed to be the Messiah, who is descended from the tribe of Judah and the house of David, apart from Yeshua.

Fact Four: The Messiah would be cut off.

The Daniel prophecy (9:26) says that after the seven weeks and sixty-two weeks, the Messiah would be cut off, but not for himself. This phrase “cut off” meant to be killed or destroyed, often used in the Tanakh to describe how a sacrificial animal was ritually slaughtered (Gen. 15:18; Jer. 34:18).

The idea that the Messiah would die was not new to Judaism. Isaiah wrote of one who would suffer and die for the sins of the people: “…For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.”4 Psalm 22 graphically portrays death by crucifixion, a method of execution not known to the author writing one thousand years before Yeshua was crucified.

Could it have happened just as Daniel so carefully predicted? Counting 483 years after Artaxerxes’ decree would bring us to 33 c.e. The Temple was destroyed in 70 c.e. That leaves a window of 37 years in which the Messiah from the tribe of Judah and the house of David could come. Not only that, but he was to die a violent death at that time.

Has Messiah Already Come?

God promised our people a Messiah, and He gave us a way of computing the time he’d be coming. Think about it. If Daniel is right and the Messiah came before the destruction of the Second Temple, that means we have to admit that the Messiah has already come. And if he’s already come, then who is he?

He had to arrive before 33 C.E, while the Temple was still standing, needed to be an identifiable descendant of David, and would be killed before the Temple was destroyed. The details of these facts together present some of the strongest evidence that he has in fact already come. The only person who fits that description is Yeshua from Nazareth.

Yes, for a Jewish person to consider the idea that Jesus might be the Messiah seems extreme. But every single one of us has been there and we’ve all come to believe that Jesus is exactly who he claimed to be.

If you’re unsure, why not ask God? The same God who communicated to us about when the Messiah would come and who he would be wants to reveal the truth to you, but it requires an open heart. He says, “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” (Jeremiah 33:3). Do you have the courage to call out to Him?

#jews #jewish #judaism #hebrew #hebrew bible #scriptures #israel #messiah #finding the truth #truth #just the facts

[dollystuartwrites]

Stray Gods - Chapter 32

Pairing: Gods!OT8 x !F!Reader

Genre: romance, friends to lovers, polyamory, mystery, supernatural, angst, fluff, smut

Wordcount: 3814

Chapters:  [1] - [2] - [3] - [4] - [5] - [6] - [7] - [8] - [9] - [10] [11] - [12] - [13] - [14] - [15] - [16] - [17] - [18] - [19] - [20] [21] - [22] - [23] - [24] - [25] - [26] - [27] - [28] - [29] - [30]   [31] - [32] - [33] - [34] - [35] - [36] - [37] - [38] - [39] - [?] MASTERLIST

Summary: With no memory of who you  were, you wake up in the woods, only to be found by eight unusually handsome men. With no information of the past, the guys decide to take you in and take care of you for the time being. But that time becomes  years, and as time passes, you start to notice that there is something  different about them... and something different about you...

Warnings: angst, praise, thigh riding, kissing, fingering, overstimulation, lovebites, bad/miscommunication, low self-esteem, swearing, name-calling, dry humping, college, degradation, gods, special powers, vaginal sex, oral sex (f&m), mentions of contraception (condoms&thepill), injuries, mentions of death (but no character deaths), virgin!reader, teasing, orgasms, poly relationship, semi-public sex, daddy kink, strength kink. I've probably forgotten some so let me know if I did and I will add more as the story progresses.

Taglist: @eastleighsblog @tangerminie​@speedybagelmongerpasta​ @swittyregan​ @septicrebel​ @jiimout​

Special thanks to my beta and cheerleader Millie.

Waking up in Changbin’s arms was utter bliss. His sweet pouty lips were slightly parted, and once again, you couldn’t help but be in awe of his beauty. You couldn’t believe how lucky you had been with him, with all the boys, with life, or this existence or whatever it was. You would’ve counted yourself lucky if you had simply been able to live in the same timeline as them, but having them as your friends and lovers was more than you could’ve ever wished for. Even though you knew you had been destined to be with them. Even though you knew you were a Goddess, and they were Gods, and you had picked them beforehand, it still felt like a blessing that you were forever thankful for.

You put your hand on his cheek, your thumb caressing his soft skin, and Changbin stirred. He opened his eyes, revealing their magical brownish-red colour. A soft smile appeared on his lips as he noticed you were awake’ too and stroking his face.

‘Good morning, my love,’ he whispered softly. You smiled at his words.

‘Good morning,’ you responded. Changbin moved his hand to cup yours for a moment, closing his eyes and savouring the feeling of you touching him. Softly he took hold of your hand and moved it from his skin, guiding it towards his lips to kiss the back of your hand.  

‘Did you sleep well?’ he asked you as he moved your hand to place it back on his cheek again.

‘Very,’ you answered, ‘You?’

‘Better than ever before,’ he said, grinning peacefully. He pulled you in close for a moment, and you nestled your face into his chest, taking in the warm, homey smell of him.

‘You were amazing last night,’ he said after a moment of silence, holding you close. You could feel yourself blush but knew he couldn’t see.

‘You were amazing,’ you said shyly, prodding his chest with your finger, and he chuckled. You could hear the rumbling in his chest.

You stayed nestled in his arms for a little longer. Besides sex and kissing, having the guys hold you closely was the best feeling in the world. You felt safe and relaxed like you belonged there. Which, in a way, however crazy the thought, you apparently did.  

‘Binnie?’ You said after what could’ve been a few minutes or hours. Changbin grumbled in response to let you know he had heard you. ‘What time is it?’ you asked.

‘Hmm,’ Changbin sounded. Without letting go of you, he scooted over to the side of the bed, where both of your phones sat on the nightstand. You could feel him reaching over you to pick one of the phones up and check for the time.

‘Time for breakfast,’ Changbin groaned. You could feel him putting the phone back on the nightstand before he let go of you to stretch himself with a yawn. ‘Sorry babydoll, can’t skip the most important meal of the day,’ he said, finding your eyes and giving your cheek a playful pinch, which made you giggle.

‘Actually, I’m pretty hungry too,’ you admitted. Changbin arched a brow playfully.

‘Really? Are you saying you’re dumping me for food? Don’t you wanna cuddle some more?’ he said with a pouty face and an aegyo voice. You gave him a playful indignant look.

‘But you just said-,’ you sputtered indignantly. Before you could finish your sentence, he rolled you over, pushing you softly on your back as he hovered over you.

‘I’m kidding,’ he chuckled, placing a soft peck on your forehead. You giggled once more, and Changbin rolled over to sit up at the edge of the bed. You got up to sit next to him.

‘Want me to get some clothes from your room?’ Changbin offered as he started putting his socks on. You shook your head quickly.

‘You know I much rather steal your clothes,’ you said playfully, but you meant it. Changbin grinned widely. Now and then, the boys would complain about how much you always stole their favourite clothing items, but you knew secretly they all loved it. Even Hyunjin, who often nagged you about it, somehow seemed to place his (and your) favourite shirt always at the top of the pile of clean clothes, making it oh so easy for you to find. However, you had seen the looks on their faces whenever you wore something of theirs. A mixture of pride and amusement would cross their faces before they would quickly roll their eyes and complain about how they had wanted to wear that specific item today, and they had been looking for it for ages.

Changbin rummaged through his closet and handed you a pair of clean joggers and a sweater. He already provided you with a clean pair of boxers yesterday after showering, and although big, they fit you comfortably enough not to have to get new ones from your own room. Changbin got dressed as well, and even though you had seen a lot of him last night already, you could still not keep your eyes off him.

‘Like what you see?’ he said boldly, but the light pink shade on his cheeks didn’t escape your notice.

‘Always,’ you said, getting up and walking over to him. You grabbed his upper arm, and he flexed his muscle. Even with two hands, you probably wouldn’t be able to fit around it. You looked at him in awe.

‘So strong,’ you muttered, more to yourself than to him, as you used your other hand to gently squeeze his other upper arm. Changbin’s cheek flushed even darker, but he looked incredibly proud and pleased with himself. As he should, in your humble opinion.

Changbin was holding your hand when the two of you arrived downstairs. You walked into the breakfast lounge to find all the others already sitting at the table. And with all the others, you did mean all the others. It was almost as if yesterday night’s (or more like this morning’s) get-together had never finished, and the boys simply had moved location. The two groups were scattered around the table, the members mixed up and talking with each other. The only reason you were sure they had stopped and gone back for at least a few hours of sleep was that they were all wearing something different. Hyunjin looked like he was still half asleep, and Jungkook’s hair was such a mess it was obvious he hadn’t bothered to brush it yet.

‘Good morning,’ Changbin said cheerfully as the two of you met the group. The both of you were met with kind greetings.

‘Hey! No hogging!’ Minho said teasingly when he noticed the two of you holding hands.

‘Yeah, dude, no hogging,’ Han went along playfully.

Changbin pulled a face but let go of your hand.

‘Do I get a say in this?’ you asked with a chuckle.

‘Definitely not,’ Han said, shaking his head and pulling out the empty chair beside him. You tutted at him but still went to sit next to him.

You looked around the table. Everyone was already eating and talking. Changbin went to sit next to Chan, who, to your happy surprise, was talking with Namjoon. The fact that you had come in holding Changbin’s hand seemed to surprise no one. Not even the other group had batted an eye at it. Not even when Minho had said something about it. Did they know?

For a moment, you felt slightly awkward about it, the idea of the other group knowing the relationship you had with your boys. But you decided to shake it off. There was no use in lingering on it; besides, they either did not care or did not mind - or both.

‘Slept well?’ Lady asked you. She was seated opposite you and, unlike most of the others, was already neatly dressed.

‘Erm, yeah, I did,’ you said, blushing slightly. ‘You?’

‘Bit short, but I’ll survive,’ Lady chuckled. Seeing her here suddenly made you remember a question you had had since earlier, which you had forgotten to ask her before.

‘Lady, I have another question,’ you began. She smiled at you and nodded.

‘Shoot away,’ she said, taking a sip of her coffee.

‘Well, when I, erm, arrived here on earth, I couldn’t remember anything about, you know, before. Is it always like that?’ you said, feeling a bit stupid for some reason. Lady nodded as she drank her coffee, and her answer made you feel slightly less stupid instantly. ‘Oh, okay. But why do we forget? Why don’t we remember who or what we are? I mean, the guys do know when they arrive, why not us?’ you said, feeling almost like it was unfair. Lady put her cup down.

‘That is a great question,’ she said, smiling. ‘And it’s also one I do not have an answer to.’

Her response made you feel slightly stunned.

‘I might know a lot, but I certainly don’t know everything either,’ Lady chuckled, seeing your stunned face. ‘I mean, I have theories, but I don’t know whether any of them are true, of course,’

‘What are your theories then?’ you said eagerly.

‘Well, one of them is that we kinda need to figure it out for ourselves,’ Lady said thoughtfully. ‘Like, our jobs as Goddesses are pretty intense,’

Minho made a sniffing sound, and you looked at him. He quickly straightened his face and looked away from you, but you had seen it. You kicked him under the table, and when he looked at you, annoyed, you returned his gaze with the same look.

‘Anyway,’ Lady said, clearly not missing the situation and the other side of the table, but there was still a small smile around the corners of her lips, ‘I think it’s necessary for us to do some self-discovery before we can guide them properly. Like getting some experience and understanding what it’s like to be human and how the world works before we take care of others,’

You nodded slowly, thinking about it.

‘However,’ she followed up, ‘Your story kind of debunks that theory, I think,’ she admitted.

‘Why?’ you said with a frown.

‘Well, all the other Goddesses I’ve met took quite a while before they remembered, and then it took them another while to find their Gods. But you, you found them instantly, and they immediately took you in, even though they didn’t know you or what you were,’ Lady said, frowning slightly. ‘It’s the first time I’ve heard about it. And the fact that it took you about what? Three, four years to figure everything out? That’s the fastest anyone’s ever done it, as far as I know,’ Lady said.

‘She’s a smarty pants,’ Han said, putting his hand around your shoulder and smiling proudly.

‘But I didn’t figure it out,’ you said, now also frowning. ‘I mean, I kinda figured out they were Gods by accident, but I never really understood what I was until I met you,’ you said.

‘True, and another hole in my theory,’ Lady admitted. ‘As I said before, all other Goddesses I’ve ever met figured out they were a Goddess before they recognised their Gods,’

You felt slightly uncomfortable, knowing that your journey hadn’t been the way it should have supposed to be.

‘It does, however, make sense with my other theory,’ Lady said suddenly. You looked up at her.

‘You might remember how painful it was to cross over,’ Lady spoke. A sudden memory crashed through your brain and made you cringe slightly. Minho and Han instantly looked at you, not missing your discomfort. You nodded, unable to stop your grimace. ‘Well, it could be something like a trauma response made by our human bodies,’ she suggested. ‘Our human bodies can’t take such a force, and the trauma of it might cause us to forget for a while, like some sort of protection maybe.’

‘That could make sense,’ you said thoughtfully.

‘Either way, I’m not sure if we’ll ever know the answer. There are still questions I’ve never found the answers to. We might be Goddesses, but we can’t know everything,’ she spoke wisely as she shrugged.  

You smiled.

A phone rang and Lady pulled hers out of her pocket.

‘Oh, my taxi is here,’ she said when she looked at the message.

‘Taxi?’ you said, surprised. Lady looked at you with a sad smile, getting up.

‘I’m leaving today,’ she said, her tone of voice apologetic.

‘Wait, what?’ you said, surprised, getting up as well.

‘Yeah,’ she sighed sadly, ‘There are some things I need to do.’ She pressed her lips together and looked at you.

‘Go time?’ Namjoon asked from further down the table. Lady nodded at him. Instantly all the other guys stopped their conversations and got up.

‘We’ll see you off then,’ Hoseok said with a soft face.

‘Will you be coming back?’ you asked quickly, as all the other Gods gathered around her. Lady shook her head apologetically.

‘But you have my number? You can always call and text me. I might not always reply instantly since I’m always busy, but I’ll always be there for you, sister,’ she said with a wink.

Even though you felt sad that she had to leave, you understood. You nodded, smiled and waved at her as she and the guys left the room to wave her goodbye.

The following days you spend mostly with the guys. Now and then, the other Gods joined your group for activities like dinners, hikes or sports. Changbin, Chan, Namjoon and Jungkook trained together every morning.

On Thursday afternoon, the boys decided to hold a baseball match on the pitch nearby. As usual, you went along to referee. After three matches, unsurprisingly all won by Seungmin’s team, the guys decided to call it a day regarding baseball. After dinner, since it was still light and warm outside, most guys decided to stay in and lounge at the poolside for a bit.

‘You guys go behave like children; I’m going out,’ Seungmin said when the nine of you arrived back at the hotel.

‘Where are you going?’ you asked curiously.

‘I wanna go take some pictures. There are a lot of really nice spots here,’ Seungmin said.

‘Can I join you?’ you asked. Seungmin looked slightly surprised by your request but then shrugged and nodded.

It was nice to spend some time with Seungmin. Although he wasn't very talkative because he was focused on taking pictures, you still enjoyed your time with him. It was quiet and calm for once.

‘I would think you’d prefer to take pictures of the sky or something instead,’ you told Seungmin when he took a closeup picture of a bush with small white flowers. Seungmin looked up and blinked.

‘Just because it’s my speciality doesn’t mean I don’t get to have other hobbies,’ he said savagely. ‘Quite narrow-minded of you to think like that.’

You pouted at him, but you weren’t offended at all. You knew Seungmin too well for that.

‘Besides, you’ve seen me take pictures before; you didn’t tell me I should’ve been taking pictures of the sky instead back then,’ he added.

‘But that’s because I didn’t know or realise what,’ you said, quickly looking around and slightly lowering your voice when you continued, ‘what you were back then.’

‘And because you do know now, you expect that it has changed?’ he teased. You shrugged. He did have a point. You knew about his interest in photography. You had seen him take pictures of the other guys, of you, of plants and flowers and of pretty views and urban sights. You even had a few of his photos hanging on your wall back in your room. None of them were of the sky nor had anything to do with the weather.

‘Why do you like it?’ you asked curiously.

This time it was Seungmin’s turn to shrug. ‘It’s calm, easy. Doesn’t cost much effort, and it’s not too loud,’ he said. You chuckled. Although he was one of the younger ones, he did look down on the other’s behaviour now and then. Not that he didn’t have his own moments of craziness. But in general, he could be more composed than the others.

You leaned back against a tree as you watched him take another photo. Seungmin turned around, checking the screen of his device for the result before he noticed you. He tilted his head slightly like a puppy trying to understand something as he stared at you.

‘What?’ you giggled.

‘You look pretty like that. Can I take your picture?’ he asked. Feeling slightly taken aback but flattered, you nodded. You didn’t take pictures often, especially not of yourself, but whenever someone else took your photo, it always made you feel extra awkward. You did your best to look natural and keep the pose and facial expression you had had when Seungmin had turned around, but it was hard. However, after trying a few different angles, Seungmin seemed satisfied and came over to show you.

‘Here,’ he said as he came to stand next to you and showed you the end result. The angle did indeed make you look good, and you couldn’t help but smile at the picture.

‘It’s nice,’ you nodded, feeling your cheeks slightly redden.

‘Shall we take one together?’ he suddenly asked fearlessly. Even though it wasn’t a big deal, it did make your heart bounce a little faster. You nodded, and Seungmin came to stand next to you, putting his arm around you. He pulled you in against him and leaned his head on top of yours. Before you could even realise what was happening, you had already heard a click. Seungmin checked the screen.

‘Oh, your eyes are closed,’ he noted. He brought the camera in front of the two of you again, and you quickly looked at the lens, trying your best at a “normal” smile. There was another click, and Seungmin checked his screen again. ‘This one is nice,’ he said, sounding satisfied. You looked at it as well but noticed there was a strand of hair that looked kind of weird.

‘No, wait, let’s retake it, my hair-’ you began, quickly trying to fix it.

‘It’s fine,’ Seungmin said, and out of nowhere, he planted a soft kiss on your cheek. ‘I’mma use it as my wallpaper,’ he said cheerfully, as he was already walking away, looking for a new spot to photograph. The butterflies in your stomach made you unable to protest any more, and you simply followed him.

After a few pictures of views and a wild squirrel, Seungmin returned to plants and flowers. He was just about to take a picture of a small blue flower when you tried to lean over to see it better. Something sharp and painful brushed your arm, and you hissed. Instantly Seungmin jumped up and turned around, noticing your arm. He put his phone away and grabbed your arm softly, inspecting it closely.

‘It’s just a scratch,’ you said, checking it for yourself, but noticing it wasn’t much, ‘It’s nothing.’

Seungmin shook his head. ‘You’re so clumsy,’ he said, clicking his tongue. He let go of your arm. ‘Gotta get it disinfected to be sure,’ he stated.

‘No, Seungmin, it’s fine, really,’ you huffed. It had barely scratched the surface of your skin, and although the lines were slightly red, there was no blood. But Seungmin didn’t take no for an answer. He grabbed your hand and pulled you away from the thornbush that had scratched you, walking in the direction of the hotel, not letting go of your hand. Even though you thought it ridiculous to go back or disinfect for such a small scratch, you still didn’t protest. You knew it would be of no use anyway. Instead, you entangled your fingers with Seungmin’s and let him drag you back.

Silently and carefully, Seungmin applied the cotton bud with the cream on your scratches. You looked around Seungmin’s hotel room. As usual, it was immaculate, compared to both your and Changbin’s room. You felt warm air brush your skin and looked back at your arm. Seungmin was blowing on the ointment he had applied. It didn’t sting at all.

Unlike his savage words sometimes, he often had times like these as well, where he was simply soft and sweet. He put down the cotton bud and grabbed the plaster he had prepared for you, unwrapping and meticulously putting it on you, oh so carefully.

When he was done, he looked up and smiled at you.

‘Thanks,’ you said, your voice coming out unexpectedly soft. Possibly because of how light you felt with all that fluttering in your stomach and head. Seungmin gave a curt nod and got up to throw the remnants of the products away.

‘Where do you wanna take pictures next?’ you asked, feeling slightly guilty you had cut his hobby session short.

‘It’s already getting dark outside; the lighting won’t be good anymore,’ Seungmin noted, pointing at the darkening sky that was visible through his curtains.

‘Oh,’ you breathed, feeling even more guilty.

‘Besides, I got all the shots I wanted to,’ he said carelessly. You weren’t sure if he was just saying that because he noticed your guilt or because he meant it, but you were still thankful he said it.

‘Oh. Right then,’ you said, slightly unsure what to do and got up as well.

‘Wanna watch a movie?’ Seungmin offered as he took his phone out of his pocket and connected it to the charger. You were happy to take any reason not to go back to your own room but stay with him instead, so you agreed immediately.

To your surprise, Seungmin propped up the pillows against the back of the bed and laid down on it, petting the spot next to you as a way of telling you to come to sit with him. Having already walked over to the couch, you quickly walked back, smiling at him sheepishly. Your heart had been pounding slightly, but as soon as Seungmin wrapped his arm around you again and you scooted close to him, it calmed down slightly, in a good way. It felt safe with him. Warm and at home, at ease. Being at his side felt good.

Without having to use the remote control, Seungmin switched on the tv.

‘You really have gotten the hang of that electricity thing, haven’t you?’ you giggled as you saw him flick through the channels with ease without having to lift a finger.

‘It’s rather convenient,’ he nodded with a smile. You put your head on his shoulder and your arm around his chest, feeling comfortable and happy with him while he flicked through the channels, looking for something for the two of you to watch. 

WRITERS NOTE:

Thank you for reading so far :)

My apologies for the inconsistent uploading. Besides writing I still work four days a week and have college one day a week. Most of my spare time is spent studying so I don't have a lot of time to write. After finishing a chapter, it also has to go through a wonderful and lovely beta LittleMissMillie2003 with whom without, this story definitely wouldn't be as good as it is today. Obviously, this precious beta writer also has a life, which means the chapters also sometimes take slightly longer before they can be posted.

I expect that I won't be able to upload as regularly or systematically as I used to. Sometimes you might get three chapters in three days, and sometimes you might have to wait for a week. I wish it could be different but I hope, despite the irregular uploads, you will still be able to enjoy this book.

I still have quite a few things planned, so it will definitely go on for a while longer.

Please enjoy :)

Lots of Love,

Dolly

#straykids #stray kids #stray gods #stray #gods #skz #skzoo #bang chang #lee felix #hwang hyunjin #han jisung #lee minho #kim seungmin #seo changbin #jeongin #I.N. #i.n skz #i.n. stray kids #i.n. fluff #steve harrington fluff #fanfiction #stray kids fanfic #fan fic #fanfic #ff #bangchan #christopher bang #felix lee #leeminho #leeknow

[antisociallilbrat]

It's Mike time baby, he needs some love

-Mike and Bill take scenic drives all the time. In the book Mike's dad would send him to different places around Derry to find or see cool or interesting things and because of that Mike found a lot of great views and he and Bill would take his truck to those spots and just read or talk or cuddle together. Mike is a very astute observer of his friends and so whenever he notices that something's bothering Bill, he whisks him away to these beautiful spots he finds.

-Bev loves to take Mike on days out. She calls them "Adventures". She loves finding new restaurants or coffee shops they've never been to or seeing indie movies she's never heard of at local theaters. Even in a clown-less universe, Mike still spent a lot of his formative years working on the farm instead of having fun so she's trying to make up for that now for him.

-Mike and Eddie take random classes all the time. They love picking up new skills. It started when Eddie got everyone CPR certified and they saw an ad for a cooking class on the way out and they're the only ones interested. Then follows knitting and gardening and dance and so on.

-Mike and Richie both took a gap year before heading to college. They didn't feel ready and so instead they went on a cross-country road trip together. Mike had seen so little in his life and he was so excited. Richie took enough polaroids to fill two albums and was in charge of the music. Mike picked all the stops and was adamant they see every dumb local attraction they could.

-Stan gets Mike incredibly invested in birdwatching as a hobby. At first Stan thought he kept offering to go with him because he's kind, but Mike eventually started getting his own gear and his own bird book, he packed them lunches, and then he found them a local group of birdwatchers for them to join. They stand out a bit as 20-somethings in a group made up of seniors, but that doesn't bother them. Stan still insists they go with just each other about half of the time though.

-One year for Mike's birthday, Ben built him a chicken coop in their backyard. He knew that Mike was happy to be in the city with his friends, but that he was definitely a bit homesick for the farm. Ben helped him hatch some chicks and raise them. They both cried tears of joy when their first chick hatched. Each of the Losers got to name one. The Loser's cook only with Mike's eggs from that day forward.

Rose everytime you grace my inbox it's absolute blessing- and to bring some love for Mike while you're at it <33 aaaaa okay okay

-Mike is so the guy to take long rides to clear his head and I'm happy to think about him including Bill on them. Sometimes they talk, sometimes they listen to music, and other times they just drive in silence with the windows rolled down and breathing in all that open space

-I read this point and the first thing that popped into my head was that 'treat yourself' meme and yes these two do that. They treat themselves to new restaurants and experiences but i can also see them being thrift shop buddies? They've definitely done the bit where you go to like goodwill and pick out silly outfits for the person you're with. They have a good time with it

-Eddie and Mike taking random classes is top tier. Yes they both know how to make pottery, knit, scrapbook and they've taken at least one intro class of a foreign language. It's just fun and sometimes they'll flip a coin to see what's the next class they're going ot.

-Speaking of scrapbooking that came in real handy with this one. Mike and Richie taking a cross country road trip aaaa. I can see Mike sitting in the passenger seat with a map and circling every little tourist trap he wants to go to and him and Richie both being genuinely excited over the littlest things, it's such a sweet image <3

-Stan and Mike birdwatching :( Mike loves animals so of course he'd actually get excited about this and the boy already loves to learn so he eat ups every fact Stan gives him about birds. And honestly these are the two losers that would hang out with a group of seniors- it's very on brand for them. Stan already dresses like an old man and all the old ladies love Mike bc he's so charming. Stan may or may not be jealous.

-Something about how Mike and Ben are already kinda seen as the 'mother hens' of the losers and then them raising actual chickens...and yes Mike has all the kisses for Ben when he sees that chicken coop and the chicks they hatch might as well be their actual children let's be honest

#aaaaa always a pleasure rose! #excited to see what you'll drop in my inbox next #thanks for the ask rose! #sam answers asks #mike hanlon #ben hanscom #beverly marsh #bill denbrough #stanley uris #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrack #poly losers club #it 2017 #it 2019 #hanbrough #hanzier #hanslon #mikverly

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Sunday, December 24, 2023

december 11_december 24

Week of Holy Forefathers:

The Sunday that falls between December 11-17 is known as the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers. These are the ancestors of Christ according to the flesh, who lived before the Law and under the Law, especially the Patriarch Abraham, to whom God said, “In thy seed shall all of the nations of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 12:3, 22:18).

VENERABLE DANIEL THE STYLITE OF CONSTANTINOPLE (490)

Saint Daniel the Stylite was born in the village of Bethara, near the city of Samosata in Mesopotamia. His mother Martha was childless for a long while and in her prayers she vowed that if she had a child, she would dedicate him to the Lord. Her prayers were heard, and Martha soon gave birth to a son, who was without a name until he was five years of age.

The boy’s parents desired that since he was born through the good-will of God, he should also receive his name from God. They took their son to a monastery located nearby and approached the igumen. The igumen gave orders to take down one of the service books, and unrolled it at random. He found the Prophet Daniel (December 17) mentioned in it. Thus did the boy receive his name. The parents asked that he might remain at the monastery, but the igumen would not accept him, since he was still only a small boy. At twelve years of age, saying nothing to anyone, the child left home for the monastery.

His parents were happy when they learned where their son was, and they went to the monastery. Seeing that he was still going about in his worldly clothes, they besought that the igumen should clothe him in the angelic garb. That Sunday the igumen fulfilled their request, but permitted them often to visit their son. The brethren of the monastery were astonished at the saint’s ascetical efforts.

Once, Saint Simeon the Stylite (September 1) visited the monastery. He foretold to the young monk that he too would undertake the feat of pillar-dwelling. Saint Daniel continued with his ascetic life in seclusion. When the place of a new exploit was revealed to him in a vision, he withdrew into the Thracian wilderness together with two disciples. They set up a pillar, upon which Saint Daniel dwelt for 33 years. People thronged to the pillar, the unfortunate and those who were sick, and all received help and healing from Saint Daniel. Byzantine emperors also sought the prayers of the holy ascetic. The most notable of the saint’s predictions was about a great fire in Constantinople. Saint Daniel possessed also the gift of gracious words. He guided many onto the path of correcting their lives. The monk reposed in his eightieth year.

Source: Orthodox Church in America_OCA

St NICON THE DRY OF THE KIEV NEAR CAVE( 1101)

Saint Nikon the Dry, the son of rich and illustrious parents, gave up everything for Christ and became a monk at the Kiev Caves monastery. In the year 1096, during the incursions of Khan Bonyak, he was taken into captivity with some other monks. The captors treated Saint Nikon harshly, while waiting for a ransom to be paid. When the saint refused to be ransomed, his masters began to torment him with hunger, and left him exposed in the heat of summer and the cold of winter. He was mistreated and beaten every day for about three years, for his captors thought he would change his mind and send word to his relatives, asking to be ransomed.

The saint gave thanks to God for everything, and once said to his tormentor that the Lord, through the prayers of Saints Anthony and Theodosius would return him to his monastery within three days, as Saint Eustratius (March 28) had predicted while appearing to him.

The captor cut the tendons in Saint Nikon’s legs and set a strong guard over him. But suddenly, on the third day at the sixth hour, the holy captive became invisible. At the moment the guard heard the words, “Praise the Lord from the Heavens” (Ps. 148).

Saint Nikon was transported to the Dormition church, where the Divine Liturgy was being served. The brethren surrounded him and began to ask how he got there. Saint Nikon wanted to conceal the miracle, but the brethren implored him to tell the truth.

Saint Nikon did not want to have his fetters removed, but the igumen said, “If the Lord had wanted you to remain fettered, He would not have delivered you from captivity.”

After a long while Saint Nikon’s former master came to the Kiev Caves monastery and recognized his former captive, who was withered from hunger and the loss of blood from his wounds. He came to believe in Christ, and accepted Baptism. After receiving monastic tonsure, he became a novice under Saint Nikon’s direction.

Saint Nikon died at the beginning of the twelfth century and was buried in the Near Caves. Though he did not enjoy good health in this life, his holy relics were glorified by incorruption. His memory is celebrated also on September 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

COLOSSIANS 3:4-11

4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. 5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. 8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.

LUKE 14:16-24

16 Then He said to him, "A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, 17 and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, 'Come, for all things are now ready.' 18 But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.' 19 And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.' 20 Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' 21 So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.' 22 And the servant said, 'Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.' 23 Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 'For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.' "

Commentary of the Church's Father:

Theophylact of Ochrid AD 1107 : Because the man who sat at table with Him had said, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God, the Lord teaches him at some length what it means to feast with God, and tells this parable. By a certain man the Lord means His Father, the Lover of man. Whenever Scripture alludes to God's power to punish, He is called a panther, a leopard, or a bear [Hos. 13:7-8].

But whenever it alludes to God's love for man, He is presented as a man, as is the case here. Since the parable treats of God's extreme love for man and the divine economy of the Incarnation which He worked in us, making us sharers of the Flesh of His Son, the parable calls God a man and this divine economy a great supper. It is a supper because the Lord came in the last days, as it were at the evening of this age. And this supper is great because great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of our salvation. [I Tim. 3:16]

And he sent his servant at supper time. Who is this servant? The Son of God, Who assumed the form a servant and became man, and as a man is said to have been sent forth. Notice how He did not say "a servant," but instead, using the definite article, the servant [of his.] Christ is the One and only Servant Who in His human nature was perfectly obedient and pleasing to God. For Christ is pleasing to the Father not only as Son and God, but also as Man. He is the only Sinless One Who carried out all the counsels and commandments of the Father and fulfilled all righteousness, and in this sense is said to serve God the Father. He alone can be called the true Servant of God. He was sent at supper time, that is, at the appointed and proper time.

For there was no other time more opportune for our salvation than the reign of Caesar Augustus, when iniquity had reached its peak and it was critical that it be cleansed. Just as physicians allow a festering and malignant boil to burst and release all its foul pus, and only then apply the medication, so too it was necessary that sin first display all its forms, and then the Great Physician applied His medicine. For this very reason the Lord waited for the devil to fill the full measure of iniquity, and then the Son of God took flesh and healed every form of iniquity by every aspect of His holy life. Therefore He was sent at that hour, that is, at that comely and opportune season of which David says, Gird Thy sword upon Thy thigh, 0 Mighty One, in Thy comeliness. (2)

Certainly the sword here signifies the Word of God [Heb. 4:12], while the words upon Thy thigh indicate His Nativity in the flesh which was in comeliness, that is, when the time was right and seemly. He was sent to speak to those who had been called. Who are those that were called? Perhaps this refers to all men. For God has called all to the knowledge of Him, by means of the order and harmony of visible creation, and by means of the natural law. But those that were called are also, more specifically, the children of Israel, who were called through the law and the prophets. In the first place, then, the Lord was sent to the sheep of the house of Israel. [Mt. 15:24] The Lord was saying to all the Jews, Come, for all things are now ready, when He proclaimed the good tidings that the kingdom of heaven is at hand [Mt. 4:17], and among you [Lk. 17:21].

And they all with one accord began to make excuse, that is, as if at a signal. For all the leaders of the Jews refused to have Jesus as their King, and thus were found unworthy of the supper, one because of his love of wealth, and another because of his love of pleasure. The man who bought a piece of ground and the man who bought the five yoke of oxen signify those who love wealth, while the man who married a wife signifies those who love pleasure. Furthermore, the man who bought a piece of ground signifies the man who cannot accept the mystery of faith because he is governed by the wisdom of this world. The piece of ground represents the world and, in general, nature, and the man who must go and see his piece of ground is he who sees only nature, and cannot accept what is beyond nature.

Therefore the Pharisee, for example, "sees his piece of ground," that is, he looks only at the laws of nature and cannot accept that a Virgin gave birth to God, because that is beyond nature. Because they are examining this "piece of ground," that is, nature, none of those who boast in external wisdom have recognized Jesus Who made nature new. The man who bought five yoke of oxen, and tested them, also represents a man who loves the material world. He has yoked the five senses of the soul to the five senses of the body and has made the soul into flesh. For this reason he is concerned only with the earth and does not desire to commune of the rational Supper, for as Wisdom says, How can he get wisdom that holdeth the plough? [Eccles. (Wis. of Sirach) 38:25]

He who stays behind because of a wife is a lover of pleasure who has devoted himself to the flesh, the mate of the soul. By cleaving to the flesh he cannot please God. You may also understand these things literally. We also fall away from God because of fields, because of yokes of oxen, because of marriages, when we become so attached to them that they consume our whole life and we are carried away even to the point of shedding blood over them. Then there is no divine thought or word that we can practice, or even comprehend

#orthodoxy #orthodoxchristianity #easternorthodoxchurch #originofchristianity #spirituality #holyscriptures #gospel #bible #wisdom #saints

[summerfrwrks]

IDK IF YOU'RE STILL OPEN FOR REQUESTS HUT HEAR ME OUT ON THIS:

HUNTLOW/WINTER BUT HUNTER IS MEETING WILLOW'S DADS FOR THE FIRST TIME :D

anon i basically imagined a whole fanfic idea from this ask alone and i can't wait for uni to be less hectic so i can plan that fic out ahhhhahsdfja

for context, this type of HCs is made with the thought that huntlow/winter is already official (the typical invite to the house for a family dinner) <33

gilbert and harvey have my whole heart, they love willow so much (they literally quit their jobs on the fly, just to homeschool her the moment she was expelled like that dedicATION-) and they want the best for their only daughter

of course that internally pressures hunter to no end cause like,,, how would you know if you are enough for someone's only daughter? belos definitely didn't leave much room for hunter to have a love life when he was the golden guard, so meeting the dads?? what do you do??

sure hunter has been exposed to other parents. there's amity's parents, luz's mom, and there's eda. but they're not his girlfriend's parents-

hunter totally took way too much time fixing his hair before the meeting ("is this too neat? ugh this feels like i'm trying too hard. [does a different style] well this just shows like i'm not trying hard enough [groans in frustration]")

of course uncle darius comes to the rescue <33 ("you want a clean but classy look, but not too classy you're not going to a ball you just want to be presentable to the men whose blessing can make or break your relationship." [cue distressed hunter tm whimper])

between gilbert and harvey, girlbert is definitely the friendlier one

"i heard you have teleportation magic of sorts, that's very impressive" [cue in hunter stammering cause we all know this boi ain't used to receiving compliments]

harvey being the more "stern" one is keeping up a good streak of not being easily impressed but he's attentive to the things hunter say and do

"so you were the golden guard" and a "you really left your position just like that, huh?" along with a "so you met my daughter under false pretenses? to recruit her?"

the first one wasn't so bad, and the second kind of put him on the spot cause that's a lot of baggage, but that third question scared hunter to his core but before he could explain himself, harvey just boomed

"and she's the first person you wanted to include in the best coven!" harvey is absolutely beaming with pride. questionable tactics aside, it technically was the most elite coven around at the time. and technically willow wasn't the first person he wanted to recruit but she was the first serious candidate hunter wanted and that's what counts more. plus, willow was in the abomination coven because harvey told her there were "better opportunities in that track" so it fits. harvey wants willow to have the best offers and hunter met her because that's exactly what he's willing to give

thank titan that harvey's loosening up too, because it comes to the best part

"we actually met b-because of flyer derby, sir-"

"GILBERT, OH MY TITAN, THEY'RE LIKE US! GET THE ALBUMS!"

that's really all it took and harvey is absolutely gushing as he and gilbert reminiscence about the early years of their relationship plus their flyer derby team

"we were the ghouls and gilbert was the absolute best with our defensive tactics! the other team always have a hard time trying to get our flags." harvey praised his husband, "he was the one that chose our team name too."

"you know, dads, hunter was the one that thought of our team name. remember what i mentioned? the emerald entrails!"

a catchy name? a catchy name that's the main color associated with their daughter? yESSSSS-

it went better than hunter could've ever expected. yes he was a walking ball of anxious nerves but his entire journey with willow really spoke for itself about their relationship

plus harvey and gilbert aren't blind, they see how much their daughter loves hunter too. with how mutual that love and admiration is, how can they possibly not approve?

by the end of the meeting, gilbert and harvey gave hunter two things: (1) a blank album for him and willow to fill up themselves and (2) the recipe to willow's favorite comfort food ("if you ever upset her, which i sure hope you won't, this will easily get her back up to a good mood with you")

#huntlow #hunter x willow #toh hunter #toh willow #hunter the golden guard #willow park #gilbert park #harvey park #the owl house #disney #ship headcanons #THIS GOT WAYYY TOO LONG I AM TOTALLY GONNA MAKE A FIC OF THIS (hopefully before s3 drops wish me luckkk) #thank you anon!! #summer askbox #summer.txt

[bogglesgate]

YLLIS MULTIPLES OF 3 (asks)

OHO thank you so much!! <33 Putting it under a read-more because it got very long lol.

3. Did your Tav receive any formal or informal education? If yes, how well did they learn? If no, why not?

As a child, her education was pretty informal, but as thorough as it could be given that she and Ystran, up until she was about 19-20, lived fairly remotely in a forest nearby to Evereska. He did a lot of work as a guard/tough on the side, though, so he would leave for a week or so sometimes and always come back with a new pile of books she needed. It was important to him that she be educated, especially as a child when she first started showing interest in wizardry and it became clear she had a natural talent. She was (and is) a very quick study for the things that interest her.

She did receive a more formal adult education after she moved to Baldur's Gate and was taken on by a mentor, who was a small-time conjurer but nevertheless good at what he did. She only got about 2 years with him before the incident but it was very foundational and even though he was very vicious in cutting her off after she started getting suspicious, she still looks up to him and credits him for having helped make her the skilled wizard she is now. Everything else is self-taught.

6. What is your Tav’s favourite childhood memory?

It's less a specific memory and more the vibe of sitting cross-legged on a rock as a child and reading a book beyond her skill-level before Ystran called her in for supper.

9. What was your Tav doing when they were taken by the mind flayers?

Girl-rotting.

In seriousness, she was only about a year or two? off prying herself from the grips of her obsessive spiral, and so she was still in the process of picking up the pieces of her life and shattered sense of self. As for what she was doing the moment of being kidnapped, I flip-flop a lot but I kind of like the idea of her trying to relax at the park with her pipe for the first time in like 50 years and immediately getting snatched. Sorry girl.

12. What opinion does your Tav have about the Gods?

Ambivalent and often annoyed. She doesn't like any being having that much power, and she doesn't like how fickle and manipulative they are. The exception is actually Loviatar, because she did receive the blessing from Abdirak and it was the most straightforward experience she'd had with one of the gods before. Offer up pain, get a blessing. Honest and forthright exchange.

She also found the experience to be incredibly cathartic and she does occasionally offer up her pain to Loviatar in an amiable transactional way but she's also kind of a freak so take from that what you will.

15. What motivates your Tav to either embrace or resist the tadpole?

After so much time losing grip with herself, she is very leery of things attempting to tempt her into great power, especially when it comes with someone who has been lying to her from day one trying to push it on her.

18. What is your Tav’s greatest fear?

On a physical level, deep water. She loves rivers and baths and things but anything deeper than like mid-abdomen and she's checking out. She's not a very strong swimmer and she read too many stories growing up about sea monsters and things (I thought it was really fun when Halsin asked her fear and she was able to say krakens).

On a deeper level, grief. She's terrified of losing her loved ones again and the loneliness frightens her, and a part of that is that she's afraid that if she felt that kind of grief fresh, with the knowledge and power she now has, she wouldn't be able to claw herself out of another spiral. She was able to eventually let go of Ystran, but it took 50 years and who's to say it won't happen again?

(It wouldn't. She'd be able to resist it. It would be very painful and difficult, but she also has an actual support network this time rather than just the one person.)

(If they all died at once, however. Well.)

21. How does your Tav feel about love?

She thinks love, in all its forms, is the most important thing in the world, and is her motivation for almost everything she does despite her kind of reserved, seemingly closed-off mien. She also thinks it's the vital precursor to grief, so a part of her is made uneasy by the strength of her own love for people, but it's also something she refuses to close herself to because she doesn't see a point in any of it if she does. She's been deprived, she has a lot of time and loneliness to make up for, and she intends to make that her friends' problem.

24. What first impression does your Tav give off to strangers?

With her scars and false eye, and even to some extent her tattoos, she can give off a bit of a frightening first impression on appearance alone. Talking to her the first time, however, you get the impression of a quiet, reasonable, reliable woman. Both are accurate enough but they leave out that she is, at her core, a restless little freak of a woman.

27. How does your Tav feel about giving and receiving orders?

Giving, she takes on as a duty. It's a role she was unofficially placed in, and though she wouldn't have offered herself up for it, she takes it in stride and does her best. She can be a bit... unyielding sometimes, but she makes sure to be as fair and humble as possible.

Receiving orders, it depends highly on the person and the situation. She makes an active choice to trust the people she's working closely with, so if the situation calls for her trusting someone else's judgement over her own, she will hang back until her intervention is needed. The biggest example of someone she trusts to take orders from is Jaheira, and the feeling is mutual, so they're often sharing the role when they're together (it has never run so smoothly).

30. What are your Tav’s intentions/goals after the end of the game?

Reminder that this is based off of what I know about the end of the game, so it may change post-epilogue but. Firstly, she'd construct a tower in the Underdark as a home base that isn't her house in Baldur's Gate so that it's easier to stay with Astarion (though she is keeping that house, just in case, and does go back often). She'd pretty much just live with Astarion the rest of her life, researching a cure/way for him to walk in the sun, adventuring, getting into shenanigans. She'd meet up with Halsin as much as she can. I don't think she finds an outright cure, but she does manage to find a way for Astarion to walk in the sun again.

#my tav: yllis #ask games #thank you again!! waking up to this made my morning.

[basicsofislam]

ISLAM 101: Muslim Culture and Character: Embracing The World: Part 6

ISLAM AS A RELIGION OF UNIVERSAL MERCY

Life is the foremost and most manifest blessing of God Almighty, and the true and everlasting life is that of the Hereafter. Since we can deserve this life only by pleasing God, He sent Prophets and revealed Scriptures out of His Compassion for humanity. While mentioning His blessings upon humanity, He begins:

All-Merciful. He taught the Qur’an, created humanity, and taught it speech. (Al-Rahman 55:1-4)

All aspects of this life are a rehearsal for the afterlife, and every creature is engaged toward this end. Order is evident in every effort, and compassion resides in every achievement. Some “natural” events or social convulsions may seem disagreeable at first, but we should not regard them as being incompatible with compassion. They are like dark clouds or lightning and thunder that, although frightening, nevertheless bring us the good tidings of rain. Thus the whole universe praises the All-Compassionate.

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is like a spring of pure water in the heart of a desert, a source of light in all-enveloping darkness. Those who appeal to this spring can take as much water as is needed to quench their thirst, to become purified of their sins, and to become illuminated with the light of faith. Mercy was like a magical key in the Prophet’s hands, for with it he opened hearts that were so hardened and rusty that no one thought they could be opened. But he did even more: he lit a torch of belief in them.

The compassion of God’s Messenger encompassed every creature. He desired that everyone is guided. In fact, this was his greatest concern:

Yet it may be, if they believe not in this Message, you will consume (exhaust) yourself, following after them, with grief. (Al-Kahf 18:6)

But how did he deal with those who persisted in oppression and persecutions; those who did not allow him and his followers to worship the One God; those who took up arms against him to destroy him? He had to fight such people, yet his universal compassion encompassed every creature. This is why when he was wounded severely at the Battle of Uhud, he raised his hands and prayed:

O God, forgive my people, for they do not know.

The Makkans, his own people, inflicted so much suffering on him that he finally emigrated to Madinah. Even after that, the next 5 years were far from peaceful. However, when he conquered Makka without bloodshed in the twenty-first year of his Prophethood, he asked the Makkan unbelievers: “How do you expect me to treat you?” They responded unanimously: “You are a noble one, the son of a noble one.” He then told them his decision: “You may leave, for no reproach, this day shall be on you. May God forgive you. He is the Most Compassionate.”

The Messenger displayed the highest degree of compassion toward believers:

There has come to you a Messenger from among yourselves; grievous to him is your suffering; anxious is he over you, full of concern for you, for the believers full of pity, compassionate. (At-Tawbah 9:128)

He lowered unto believers his wing of tenderness through mercy … (Al-Hijr 15:88)

… was the guardian of believers and nearer to them than their selves. (Al-Ahzab 33:6)

When one of his Companions died, he asked those at the funeral if the deceased had left any debts. On learning that he had, the Prophet mentioned the above verse and announced that the creditors should come to him for repayment.

His compassion even encompassed the hypocrites and unbelievers. He knew who the hypocrites were, but never identified them, for this would have deprived them of the rights of full citizenship that they had gained by their outward declaration of faith and practice. Since they lived among the Muslims, their denial may have been reduced or changed to doubt, thus diminishing their fear of death and the pain caused by the assertion of eternal non-existence after death.

God no longer destroys unbelievers collectively, although He had eradicated many such people in the past:

But God would never chastise them while you were among them; God would never chastise them as they begged forgiveness. (Al-Anfal 8:33)

This verse refers to unbelievers regardless of time and place. God will not destroy whole peoples as long as there are some who follow the Messenger. Moreover, He has left the door of repentance open until the Last Day. Anyone can accept Islam or ask God’s forgiveness, regardless of how sinful they consider themselves to be.

For this reason, a Muslim’s enmity toward unbelievers is a form of pity. When ‘Umar saw an 80-year-old man, he sat down and wept. When asked why, he replied: “God assigned him so long a lifespan, but he has not been able to find the true path.” ‘Umar was a disciple of God’s Messenger, the prophet who said:

I was not sent to call down curses on people but as a mercy.

I am Muhammad, and Ahmad (the praised one), and Muqaffi (the Last Prophet); I am Hashir (the last Prophet in whose presence the people will gather); the Prophet of Repentance (the Prophet for whose sake the door of repentance will always remain open), and the Prophet of mercy.

Archangel Gabriel also benefited from the mercy of the Qur’an. Once the Prophet asked Gabriel whether he had any share in the mercy contained in the Qur’an, Gabriel replied that he did, and explained: “I was not certain about my end. However, when the verse: (One) obeyed, and moreover, trustworthy and secured (At-Takwir 81:21) was revealed, I felt secure.”

The Messenger of God was particularly compassionate toward children. Whenever he saw a child crying, he sat beside him or her and shared his or her feelings. He felt the pain of a mother for her child more than the mother herself. Once he said:

I stand in prayer and wish to prolong it. However, I hear a child cry and shorten the prayer to lessen the mother’s anxiety.”

He took children in his arms and hugged them. Once when he hugged and kissed his grandson Hasan, Aqrah ibn Habis told him: “I have 10 children, none of whom I have ever kissed.” God’s Messenger responded: “One without pity for others is not pitied.” According to another version, he added: “What can I do for you if God has removed compassion from you?”

He said: “Pity those on the Earth so that those in the heavens will pity you.” Once when Sa’d ibn ‘Ubadah became ill, God’s Messenger visited him at home. Seeing his faithful Companion in a pitiful state, he began to cry and said: “God does not punish because of tears or grief, but He punishes because of this,” and he pointed to his tongue. When ‘Uthman ibn Mad’un died, he wept profusely. During the funeral, a woman remarked: “‘Uthman flew like a bird to Paradise.” Even in that mournful state, the Prophet did not lose his balance and corrected the woman: “How do you know this? Even I do not know this, and I am a Prophet.”

A member of the Banu Muqarrin clan once beat his female slave. She informed the Messenger of God, who then sent a message to the master. He said: “You have beaten her without any justifiable right. Free her.” Setting a slave free was far better for the master than being punished in the Hereafter because of a wrong act. The Messenger of God always protected and supported widows, orphans, the poor, and the disabled, even before his Prophethood. When he returned home in excitement from Mount Hira after the first Revelation, his wife Khadijah told him:

I hope you will be the Prophet of this community, for you always tell the truth, fulfill your trust, support your relatives, help the poor and weak, and feed guests.

His compassion even encompassed animals. We hear from him:

A prostitute was guided to the truth by God and ultimately went to Paradise because she gave water to a poor dog dying of thirst inside a well. Another woman was sent to Hell because she made a cat die of hunger.

Once while returning from a military campaign, a few Companions removed some young birds from their nest to caress them. The mother bird came back and, not being able to find its babies, began to fly around, calling out for them. When told of this, God’s Messenger became angry and ordered the birds to be put back in the nest.

While in Mina, some of his Companions attacked a snake in order to kill it. However, it managed to escape. Watching this from afar, he remarked: “It was saved from your evil, as you were from its evil.” Ibn Abbas reported that God’s Messenger, upon observing a man sharpening his knife directly before the sheep to be slaughtered, asked him: “Do you want to kill it more than once?”

His love and compassion for creatures differed from that of today’s self-proclaimed humanists. He was sincere and measured in his love and compassion. He was a Prophet raised by God, the Creator, and Sustainer of all beings, for the guidance and happiness of conscious beings—humanity and jinn—and the harmony of existence. As such, he lived not for himself but for others. He is a mercy for all the worlds, a manifestation of Compassion.

He eradicated all differences of race and color. Once Abu Dharr got so angry with Bilal that he insulted him: “You son of a black woman!” Bilal came to the Messenger and reported the incident in tears. The Messenger reproached Abu Dharr: “Do you still have a sign of jahiliyyah (ignorance)?” Full of repentance, Abu Dharr lay on the ground and said: “I will not raise my head (meaning that he would not get up) unless Bilal puts his foot on it.” Bilal forgave him, and they were reconciled. Such was the bond of kinship and humanity that Islam created among once-savage people.

#Allah #god #islam #quran #muslim #revert #revert islam #convert #convert islam #converthelp #revert help #revert help team #help #islam help #salah #dua #prayer #pray #reminder #religion #mohammad #muslimah #hijab #new muslim #new revert #new convert #how to convert to islam #convert to islam #welcome to islam