#And I don’t want to take someone else’s beautiful design because I may not be apart of that clan/family history | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

padfootagain · 2 years ago

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Like Tracing Lines

Hello ! Today, we’re answering an anonymous request for the Darkling : “A Darkling request, please. May I have a Durast artist!reader who's extremely introverted. She just wants to draw in somewhere quite to draw designs, etc. especially she doesn't want anyone to see what she's drawing or who. And it only got worse when the sun summoner came.

You can choose how this goes, as long as it's a happy ending sksksk. I just really want an angst with an eventual happy ending, and I really love your writings Ridjsjsjs”

Thank you so much for your request, anon! I hope you enjoythe fic I’ve written for you!

I hope you all like this cute piece! Let me know what you think!

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Pairing: The Darkling x reader

Warnings: a tiny bit of angst, hurt/comfort, an awful lot of fluff

Summary: The Darkling has always kept an eye on you, from afar, although he doesn’t admit why. But when the Sun Summoner arrives at the Little Palace, your lonely habits seem to grow exponentially, and he is more and more worried about you.

Word Count: 2074

The Darkling’s Masterlist – Main Masterlist

You don’t worry yourself over the time you spend on your own, nor the fact that your self-isolation has increased these days. After all, people are used to it. You’re introverted, possibly too much so. It’s simply reassuring, to be left alone.

The life in the Little Palace can be crowded, sometimes. For someone as introverted as you, it is often too much. You find solace and peace in drawing, though. Mostly designs, sometimes sceneries, even portraits, every once in a while.

It’s soothing. Tracing lines on paper, forcing them to take shape, adding shadows, adding life. It’s therapeutic, at this point.

Everyone at the Little Palace knows that your drawings are off-limits, though. No one has ever been granted the right to look at them. You keep their beauty hidden for your own eyes; not out of selfishness, but simply because you assume that no one would understand them. Not the way you do.

After all, you see the world through the eyes of a Durast, and a talented one at that. You and David work a lot together, mostly because you are both equally talented and curious about everything. But if his world translates mostly through numbers and long silences, yours bubbles out of your fingers and spills into shapes on paper.

But when Alina Starkov arrived at the Little Palace, a little too eager to make friends, she asked about your drawings. And it would have been fine, because she was new, and couldn’t know that you preferred to keep your drawings to yourself. You closed up a lot more when she insisted, though. And when she started to ask you regularly what you were currently drawing you grew quieter than usual, folded yourself back into a pocket-size version of your own self that you could hide away in your bedroom, in the safety of the Fabricator laboratories, or in long walks under the moonlight, when it was too dark for anyone to be awake.

If people did notice – which you doubt, in all fairness – no one spoke a word about it. You reckon that only a handful of Fabricators care about you enough to notice anyway.

You’re mistaken, though. There is someone else who cares, a little too much to his own liking, even. There is someone who has noticed the way you disappear these days, the way you try to look even smaller than before, to look invisible, avoiding to be noticed.

There is someone else who has noticed, and he is worried.

Of course, he has noticed. The Darkling has been away from the Little Palace for a few months now, fighting battles, planning the next phases of the wars. When Alina arrived, obviously, he brought her home, joining back his War Room, the safe halls he had built centuries before. And even if he shouldn’t have rejoiced at the thought of spending time with you again, he did.

There is something about you, he can’t explain it. Something soothing, something quiet, something… good. The type of goodness he once longed to protect, the kind he had spent a long time fighting for; until the weight of time and suffering darkened his soul and blinded him.

He found back some of the brightness of his earlier days in you, though. Something that made him long for something beyond himself, for something he couldn’t have.

Peace. Quiet. A normal life…

You have grown closer over the past few years, you working closely with him as a Fabricator. You are friends, or even, a little more than that, even if none of you care to admit it.

Of course, he noticed the way you fled, even before him. Only a few days after Alina’s arrival, and you were already spending hours locked away in your room, hiding in the library…

He knows too well what it is to hide, and he doesn’t want you to do so. Not to this extent, at least. You seem frightened, these days, and he can’t have that.

He’s built the Little Palace in hopes to banish fear from Grisha’ faces. He can’t bear the sight upon your features…

When you disappear again, right after dinner, he can’t take it anymore. Instead of heading to his room, he follows you, using his shadows to remain unnoticed. Until you’ve settled in an alcove, in a deserted corner of the library. He remains quiet, out of the light of the small candle you’ve brought along, and he watches you as you take a sketchbook and a pencil out of your pocket. You’ll be drawing, perhaps the moon, the stars, the trees beyond the window against which you’re resting your shoulder now. Perhaps some new idea plaguing your mind. He catches himself before he can hope that you could think of him…

He lets his shadows vanish, slowly, he calls back the darkness to make himself visible. He purposefully drags his feet over the stones to make a little noise, as to not surprise you too much. You freeze as you hear the noise, slowly turn to him.

And he shouldn’t think about the way the light plays with your eyelashes, the way the warm golden light of the candle mingles with the silvery one of the moon to bathe your features in a perfect light. He shouldn’t think, then, about how beautiful you are. About the way he longs to reach out. About how he doesn’t feel so lonely, now that your gaze has caught his. He shouldn’t think about the way you visibly relax as you recognize him. He shouldn’t hope that you like seeing him, here, by your side. He shouldn’t long for it.

And yet, there he is…

“Good evening, Y/N.”

His voice is low, cold, a tone unreadable. As usual. You grin.

“Good evening, sir.”

He chuckles, looks up at you.

“There’s no one else, Y/N.”

He notices the way your breath catches before you speak, but doesn’t acknowledge it. He’s too old to claim such details as victories.

“Good evening, Aleksander.”

You share a smile, the kind brighter than the ones he gives everybody else but you.

He walks closer again, standing by the wall without leaning against it, facing you.

“Is there something I can do for you?” you ask him, closing your sketchbook in a hurry.

But he wasn’t looking at it. He knows better than that.

“You could answer my questions.”

You raise an eyebrow in surprise, but let him continue.

He crosses his arms before his chest.

“Why are you hiding this way?”

You avert your eyes, fiddling with your pencil.

“I’m not hiding more than usual. You know me. I enjoy being on my own.”

“But you usually spend less time alone. Is there something wrong?”

His voice grows concerned, even if it is tainted with its usual coldness, the one that usually makes his emotions unrecognisable. He allows himself to let just a speck of his armour down with you though, just enough to let you guess that his worry is genuine.

You shrug, but his stare is heavy on your frame, making you bend your head and shoulders, and you can’t hold back when he’s like this: presence too strong, almost unbearable…

“I… I’m quite bothered by Alina Starkov.”

He frowns, seemingly puzzled.

“Am I asking too much from you? Are you and David too pressured?”

“No, no, no! That’s not it! It is simply… it’s stupid.”

You’re surprised when he walks closer, and even more so when he reaches for your chin, a tender hold between his thumb and his index finger. You don’t resist when he guides your head upwards, making you look at him, irises as dark as his shadows…

“What is it, Y/N? You can tell me. I’ll take care of it.”

There is something threatening in his voice, a tremor that’s never there when he speaks to you. But he doesn’t speak of you, then. He speaks of what he will do to whoever dares to hurt you…

You smile.

“It’s truly nothing. I’m just… being extra-shy.”

You heave a sigh, but Aleksander doesn’t have to encourage you again, you continue on your own.

“Alina is asking about my drawings. A lot. Too much. She doesn’t seem to understand the word ‘no’.”

You give him a humorous smile, but you seem too fragile for it to be genuine.

He nods, a small frown creasing his brow.

“I will talk to her,” he says, but you shake your head.

“It’s nothing. I’m sure she doesn’t even mean any harm. I’m just… It’s personal, you see. Maybe it’s silly, but it’s like… having someone read your diary or… your mind even. If it makes sense. It’s silly, isn’t it?”

You expect a harsh answer, you don’t know why. Because Aleksander has never been harsh with you. On the contrary, if his tone is always cold, he’s never said anything mean or hurtful to you. His voice is often a little lower, you like to believe it’s even a little warmer… but then again, you like to long for unreachable things.

You’re oblivious to the fact that his voice is warmer when he speaks to you.

The harsh answer doesn’t come. Instead, his fingers slide from your chin to your jaw, up to cup your cheek. His thumb is tender as it strokes your skin. There is a rush of power coursing through your vein because of his amplifying qualities, but you barely notice it, the feeling hidden by your pounding heart and the intensity of his stare.

No matter the butterflies in your stomach, or the rush of your heart, it still feels reassuring, his feathery touch across your cheek. Soothing. Almost like tracing lines on a page.

When Aleksander speaks again, you’ve never heard his voice so soft.

“It is not silly. We all have our secrets, and our own ways to deal with our demons. I will talk to Alina, make sure she does not bother you again. I want you to feel safe in these halls. I do not want you to feel like you need to hide, not here. Not when you are under my protection. Do you understand?”

You nod, although you’re not sure to understand. Not the full extent of his words, at least.

You’re disappointed when his touch disappears, his fingers slowly slipping down the length of your cheek, the pads hanging at your jawline a moment longer, but he reluctantly pulls away, eventually.

“You should rest,” he goes on, his voice colder again, his tone difficult to read, back to its usual mysteries.

You nod, and he turns to leave. You don’t know what comes over you when you call for him again.

“Aleksander!”

He stops, slowly turns to you. There is something puzzled in his frown.

You have no idea where the strength is coming from, but you speak the words anyway.

“Would you like to take a walk? With… with me?”

His puzzle frown turns into a surprised raise of his eyebrow.

“Now?” he asks, and there’s something almost amused in the way the corner of his mouth curves upwards, just a little bit.

“I mean… unless it is too late…”

You fall silent, and he adores seeing you this nervous. It’s endearing.

He shouldn’t let you in so easily. But then again, you look lovely, under the lights of the candle and the moon, and he longs to touch your skin again, no matter the excuse that would allow the contact.

He offers you his open hand.

“Shall we?”

The grin you give him is brighter than any light Alina could ever summon.

And he knows that he is making a mistake as soon as your fingers brush his palm. He knows he is making his own life immensely more complicated that it ought to be by letting you in. He should be focused on seducing Alina Starkov, on looking for the Stag, on planning his wars, on planning his next move against the king.

But then again, your hand is warm against his cold one. Your skin is smooth, your touch reassuring, and you make his heart skip a beat, in a way it hasn’t jumped for decades, maybe even for centuries.

Perhaps, just this once, just for tonight… just for you, he could make his life a little more complicated. Perhaps, just for this once, he could make himself a little weaker, a little more vulnerable… just for you.

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Taglist : @reg-arcturus-black @wolfmoonmusic

#the darkling #the darkling x reader #the darkling x y/n #the darkling x you #the darkling fanfic #aleksander morozova #aleksander x reader #aleksander x y/n #aleksander fanfiction #the darkling oneshot #fanfiction #fanfic #writing

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beestriker015 · 1 year ago

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Elesa x male s/o headcanons

Being a famous model as well as a gym leader, Elesa is no stranger to people vying for her affections.

Unfortunately for them, she is already in a relationship with someone whom she loves dearly, that being a handsome young man named s/o.

Elesa met s/o on a sunny afternoon in Nimbasa City when she had time off from the gym and her modeling career.

While wearing a disguise to avoid being bothered by her fans and the paparazzi, Elesa accidentally ran into s/o as he was leaving the Pokémon Center.

“Oh my gosh! I am so sorry! Are you alright?!”

She asks the young man while offering him a hand after knocking him over.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just try being a bit more careful ok?”

He says with a small smile while accepting her hand to pull himself up.

“Thank you. My name’s s/o by the way.”

“Nice to meet you s/o, I’m….Elise.”

She greets him after quickly thinking up a fake name to use.

“Tell me, why were you in such a hurry Elise?”

Looking at the ground feeling slightly embarrassed, “Elise” chuckles awkwardly before answering.

“T-to be honest with you s/o, I was just really excited to ride on the Ferris Wheel. I haven’t done so in a long time because of how busy I’ve been lately.”

“You don’t say? Funnily enough, I was on my way there to ride it too! Now this may sound like a strange question, but would you perhaps like to ride it with me?”

Thinking for a moment, the incognito gym leader/model smiles and nods.

“Sure! After all I do owe you for running into you a minute ago s/o.”

“What are we waiting for then, let’s go!”

Gently taking her hand, s/o leads “Elise” to the Ferris Wheel before they get on it together.

Needless to say, the two had a really fun time and enjoyed each other’s company a lot as they talked about various things including their wins on the Battle Subway, favorite pokémon, and fashion tastes.

Once the ride was over, s/o gave “Elise” his number in case she ever wanted to hang out again, causing her to blush a little as they parted ways. “H-he gave me his number! W-why is my face heating up so much?!”

She asks herself before looking at the piece of paper with s/o’s number on it, a smile unknowingly making its way onto her face as she inputting the digits into her Xtransciever before heading back to her place.

Unsurprisingly, Elesa kept in contact with s/o and continued to spend time with him since then whenever they both had the time, leading to the two slowly catching feelings for one another.

Elesa was the first to realize her feelings, which presented a problem.

“How can I think of s/o that way! He’d never return my feelings because he thinks I’m someone else. We’ve grown pretty close over these couple months, so maybe it’s time I tell him the truth. I just hope he understands and somehow accepts my feelings.”

Sending s/o a message via her Xtransciever to meet up somewhere in private, s/o eventually arrives with a questioning look on his face.

“Why’d you want to meet me here Elise, is something going on?”

“I’m sorry s/o, but my name’s not Elise.”

Taking off her disguise (which consists of a hat, sunglasses, and designer scarf in case you were wondering), s/o is shocked to see the beautiful model/electric gym leader in front of him.

“Y-you’re Elesa! I don’t understand, why would you lie to me about who you were all this time?”

“S/o, a lot of people only like me for my looks or my careers rather than for who I am as a person, so I put on a disguise and used a different name to avoid being recognized. When I met you, I was scared that you would be like everyone else if you found out who I really was, but I know you well enough now to see that you aren’t like that. I was always planning on telling you, I just didn’t know how until now. Believe me s/o when I say that I truly enjoyed all the time we’ve spent together, so please….don’t hate me for lying to you.”

Getting over his initial shock, s/o wraps Elesa in a comforting hug, making her blush from the contact.

“I don’t hate you at all Elesa. I understand why you did what you did. Besides, I couldn’t possibly hate the woman I’ve….fallen in love with.”

Hearing those words causes Elesa to tear up as she breaks from the hug and looks at s/o with a smile.

“I love you too s/o!”

He returns her smile as both of them share a passionate kiss, thus beginning their relationship. As a couple, Elesa and s/o are very openly affectionate, neither of them shying away from kissing and cuddling in public. Dates consist of either spending time alone together while watching movies, or partaking in double battles as a couple on the Battle Subway.

Early on in their relationship, Elesa introduces her boyfriend to her closest friends, those being Emmet, Ingo, and Skyla, who thankfully get along with s/o quite well.

(S/o does his best to comfort his girlfriend when Ingo suddenly disappears one day without a trace, but she and his brother Emmet never stop mourning the missing Subway Boss.)

Despite not being a trainer himself, all of Elesa’s pokémon love s/o, especially her two Emolga who enjoy perching on his shoulders, which their trainer gushes over every time they do so.

“That’s so cute! I need to take a picture of this s/o! Don’t move!”

S/o is always extremely supportive of his girlfriend, whether she’s doing a gym battle or a photo shoot, which Elesa is very much grateful for.

“Thank you for being there for me today s/o, I appreciate it greatly.”

He smiles and gives her a quick kiss on the cheek.

“No thanks necessary babe! I’ll support you in whatever you’re doing no matter what! What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t?”

She smiles and kisses him back, happy to have such an amazing partner.

Jealousy in their relationship is uncommon, but definitely exists.

Elesa gets jealous whenever one of her gym trainers (or sometimes the occasional challenger) flirts with s/o or make comments about him, which he wastes no time reassuring her about.

“One of the girls was talking you up today s/o, I would’ve lost my cool if it weren’t for the gym battle I was having being so intense.”

She huffs in annoyance as s/o hugs her affectionately.

“Pay them no mind babe. You’re the only woman who has my heart Elesa, I love you and you alone.”

S/o gets jealous from all his girlfriend’s fans, which Elesa admittedly finds kinda cute.

“Must your male fans act like shameless simps! Some of the things they say just makes my blood boil Don’t they understand that you’re in a relationship?!”

Elesa giggles while calming down her angry boyfriend with a shoulder rub.

“Aww, no need to get upset dear. My love shines only for you. You’re the light of my life, and nothing or no one will change that.”

Speaking of her fans, Elesa will not tolerate anyone speaking ill of her boyfriend.

“I don’t appreciate what you just said about my s/o. Who I date is my choice, not yours! Now either apologize to my boyfriend and keep your opinion to yourself or leave!”

It always makes s/o’s heart flutter when Elesa gets protective of him, and he’ll do the same if any of her fans get out of line.

“Hey! I saw where your hand was going pal! Try touching her like that again and I’ll break every bone in your body!”

Only on special occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries will s/o and Elesa ride the Ferries Wheel, as it holds special meaning to them both because it’s where they first met.

For their second anniversary, s/o proposes to Elesa while they ride the Ferris Wheel, earning a very emotional response from her.

“This is the most romantic thing ever! Yes! Of course I’ll marry you s/o!

She exclaims gleefully with happy tears in her eyes before pulling her boyfriend turned fiancé into a warm embrace and kissing him repeatedly.

When it comes time for them to get off, the engagement ring on Elesa’s finger shimmers in the moonlight as she walks home with her beloved s/o, the love she has for him shining brighter than a thousand suns.

#pokemon #pokemon x reader #pokemon black and white #unova #unova region #pokemon gen five #pokemon elesa #gym leader elesa #male reader #pokemon x male reader #elesa pkmn #elesa x reader #elesa x male reader

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comatosebunny09 · 2 months ago

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Maybe I’m not fully understanding what the complaint here is but if as you said you’re writing for yourself what’s the point of seeking validation from strangers and as far as I know part 2 is a compliment because it’s someone saying they liked it so much they want more

I’ve discussed this ad naseum, anon.

It’s not solely about seeking validation. Art is literally a discussion. What I consider good may not be your definition of good. How do you expect your favorite writer to grow or remain motivated enough to keep posting stories if you’re not letting them know why?

To some, yes, “Part 2” is a compliment. To me, it’s a passive-aggressive way of demanding that I churn out updates solely for someone else to consume without taking the time to appreciate it. It makes me feel like because I write as a hobby, I am expected to do it all the time like it’s a job.

If I take the time to share 1000+ words of prose, someone can take the time to comment keyboard smash, a string of emojis, or a simple “Beautiful.” To me, that provides more insight on how someone feels versus simply demanding more.

Perhaps I haven’t been articulating this well, so I’ll break it down how I explained it to my husband.

Imagine baking cookies as a hobby. You don’t ask for anything in return. Baking is just your vice. It helps you detox after a long day, keeps you focused, is your stim, or however you choose to define it.

With that, imagine being invited into a room each day to bake cookies. The room has everything you need, from the materials and ingredients, an oven, a place to rest while your cookies bake, an inviting atmosphere, and even little baggies to put them in once you’re done.

Imagine this room also has a one-way window. You can’t see outside of it, but anyone outside can see what you’re doing. You don’t let that bother you, so you get to baking.

You play your favorite playlist while you get to work. And you’re happy because it’s what you love to do. You’re in this room for however many hours, doing what you enjoy with minimal complaints. All you care about is the process that goes into baking and the result.

You’ve finally finished. The cookies smell delightful and taste amazing, and you even took the time to dress them up with icing and intricate designs.

Let’s say the earlier window has a slot for you to put your cookies out in the hallway so people can stop by and sample them. Again, you don’t know what’s out there, but there’s at least a table for you to showcase your cookies.

You put out about three dozen of them, tidy up the room, and leave for the day, confident that you’ve made some bomb-ass cookies that others will enjoy.

You come back a couple of days later. This time, you’re allowed to enter the building you bake in through the main entrance. You walk into the hallway where you’d placed your cookies, and maybe, like, four cookies are left over. Holy shit! Someone liked your cookies! You have no idea who took them, if they were eaten, if people liked them, or if someone chucked most of them in the trash.

Regardless, you don’t let that notion deter you from continuing your cookie-baking cycle all over again. But let’s say you’ve been coming to this room, baking these cookies without question for weeks. You’re starting to lose motivation, so you leave a suggestion box or a link to your socials for people to leave feedback the next time you finish.

You return a few days later with a few notes in that suggestion box.

“Hey, great cookies! 10/10!”

“Omg! These were so good! My kids love them!”

“Make my cookies all the time, please!”

The feedback is good, and it has you smiling like an idiot. You’re even more motivated to make more cookies. But let’s say later down the road, you’re no longer receiving similar suggestions or constructive Google reviews or DMs. Imagine that, suddenly, you were getting requests for “more.”

No idea what they’re asking for more of. More of one type of cookie? More of a specific flavor? More cookies in general? You receive even more suggestions and comments like this as time passes, so much so that they outweigh any positive (or constructive) feedback you used to get.

Pretty soon, you say fuck baking cookies for everyone else. They’re asking for more but not telling you why they want more. So you go back to baking cookies in your own kitchen, content with eating them yourself or sharing them with friends and family you know will appreciate them.

Yes, that was a long, arbitrary story. But that’s the best way I can explain my view of this epidemic.

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worshipper-status · 2 years ago

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💙Tips from a Worshipper💙: How to Make a Shrine

Hello! I hope you’re having a good day! This post is an idea I’ve had for a while so here’s my guide to making a shrine for your own darling! This post isn’t the be all end all to shrines but it’s tips and advice I’ve gathered from doing my own thing for a while. Feel free to add your own tips in the tags of this post if you reblog it. I’d appreciate it a lot!

1.) Get a shoe box or a larger gift box if you want more space.

This is entirely for practicality purposes. You don’t want to have a full on shrine in your room, in case anyone ever visits you or goes in your room. It’s inconvenient and annoying to have to take it down and put it back up, if there’s a possibility someone may want to go in your room. This is particularly useful for me, because my beloved knows I identify as a yandere but I get self conscious about her seeing the things I do because of it, so keeping it in a neat enclosed space to take out and do what I please and then pack it up and put it away when I’m done helps a lot both mentally and for practical reasons.

2.) Consider the materials you want for it. Don’t be afraid to have fun with it!

Your darling deserves a beautiful shrine! If you have photos of them, print them out and line the walls of the box with them, or simply just leave them in an envelope inside the box to flip through when you want. Maybe if you’re artsy, decorate the inside of the box with markers and pens. Get some stickers and slap those on the side of the box. Maybe there’s something you associate your darling with? Put imagery of those in there too! My beloved associates me with sharks and associates herself with eevees so there’s a lot of that going on in mine. I often leave a candle in the shrine to take out and light whenever I’m doing anything with it. Bonus points if you know what your darling smells like so you can grab a candle with a similar scent. Other things I leave in the shrine are things I use to symbolize tokens of affection, so crystals, rings, jewelry, art pieces I’ve drawn for her, gifts my darling has given me, printed screenshots of text conversations with my darling that make me happy, etc. This is very individualized to you and your darling, but if all else fails, just fill it up with things you associate them with. Do they really like bunnies? Bunny themes. Is there favorite color green? Green everything. Do they like nature? Nature motif.

3.) What’s the purpose for the shrine? Adjust accordingly.

Maybe you just want the shrine as a storage space for things your darling has given you? Or maybe you want to use it as part of a nightly routine to make sure no matter what you’re giving your beloved the proper amount of love and affection and wishing them goodnight. Maybe you just want a space to express that obsessive side of you in peace, and then be able to pack it up and put it away as a coping mechanism for your obsessive thoughts. No shame in any of these options! But make sure you’re designing it to help you with these things. I tend to use mine as more of a place to express my obsessive side in peace and then pack it up and move on with my day, kind of as a way to satiate the thoughts. So what I did was I made a lock for my box. Yeah it’s not really functional, you could easily just rip open the box to see what’s inside, but it helps me make that mental distinction of, this is Worshipper time, and this is not Worshipper time. For nightly routine type shrines (or daytime whichever you prefer), I recommend having a pre determined nightly routine for this. Maybe every night, you talk to the shrine like it is your darling to get out thoughts you never said earlier, maybe you read off an honoring poem, maybe you just brush your hair in front of the shrine while daydreaming about your darling doing it, anything works, just make sure you have the things you need handy, such as keeping a printed poem in the box, or a hairbrush, or whatever else suits you.

4.) Does your darling know you’re a yandere? Are you brave enough to ask them for things?

I know I’m lucky to have a darling that knows I’m a yandere and for the most part supports it. However, we are currently long distance (yeah, I know, it’s killing me) so I can’t get gifts from her often. However, once we are living together, I know I will not be afraid to ask for tokens of affection for the shrine. This is going to involve me stealing her hoodies (we’re the same size in clothes lol), maybe a few strands of hair from the bathroom sink, any little doodles or notes she leaves around, etc. This is also for those people lucky enough to have a vial of blood from their darling (I wish TwT). Give it an honorary display in your shrine for when you’re not wearing it. But yeah, if there’s anything in specific you want your darling to give you and you know they’d be willing, ASK FOR IT!

5.) Consider a digital shrine!

I’ve actually just started curating my digital shrine and I think it’s a really good option for people! I have mine on a private discord server that’s just me and pluralkit. I use this server for mostly keeping track of my daily life stuff, system things, recipes, to do’s, etc. But at the bottom of the server, I have a separate channel for my shrine! It has all the selfies I’ve saved and gathered from my darling, images I’ve grabbed online that I feel embody our relationship, screenshots of convos, various poems and writings of mine, future ideas for dates and otherwise. It has been way easier to put together and curate than the physical one, and I actually enjoy it quite a bit more. It’s a lot easier to make a daily thing, and a lot more fun for me too. I love scrolling through the internet and grabbing things to add to the shrine, throwing my own writings in the mix, and knowing that no one else is going to see it because it’s in a private discord server and unless someone gets onto my computer or phone, I’m fine.

#worshipper's oath #yandere tips #yandere #irl yandere #yanderecore #yandere boy #yandere thoughts #yandere coping #yandere community #bpd yandere #real yandere #male yandere #actually yandere #actual yandere #obsessive thoughts #obsessive love #obsessive love disorder

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rippersz · 1 year ago

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I will love you like this:

I think, during my last moments, decades from now, when the sun has gotten hotter and the Earth has started melting like ice cream left out for too long, I will close my eyes and dream of you. I think, even then, after robots have grown to mimic the sound of your voice and after acting has gone out of perpetual style, I will plug in a USB of the old episodes I saved - just to watch you again. And I think, after the air becomes uninhabitable and the trees turn purple and the world goes black, I will still remember the way Prometheus put the oceans into your eyes. Surely, one day, you will know of all the ways in which I love you; but right now you’re none the wiser. Let me rectify that, if I am able. Let me tell you, plainly, that I love you. And let me tell you, unplainly, that I will love you no matter what.

No matter the distance. Or the time. Or the circumstances that get in the way. No matter the outcome of all this and no matter whatever anticlimax that may come about. I will love you no matter what the future holds - and if it doesn’t hold anything, and will instead crumble to the ground grasping for a straw or a blade of grass; well I will love you then too.

And I will love you no matter the popularity you gain, and no matter the amount of drama you get pulled into. And I will love you even if the drama finds you - or even if you cause it yourself.

I will love you if the media stays on your side or shifts toward a different opinion. And I will love you even if your career crumbles because of it or if it instead fades into a quiet thing of the past. I will love you if you give up acting. And if you take up painting. Or writing. Or designing your own clothing. And I will love you even if you decide to do none of that and would prefer to spend the rest of your life in a quiet cottage alone. Or with him.

And I will love you if you marry him. I will love you if you have a beautiful big wedding or a beautiful small wedding and I will love you if your dress is the traditional white- or if you step out of the box and wear some other creative color. And I will love you if you don’t wear a dress at all. I will love you if you wear a suit instead and I will love you if the two of you match and I will love you if you do none of that and wear no dress and no suit and decide never to marry him at all. I will love you if you marry someone else instead. I will love you if you have a change of heart. I will love you if you have children with either of whoever. And I will love you if you choose to adopt. And I will love you if you don’t want marriage and if you don’t want children and if you don’t want to adopt and if you’d rather die beside friends, family, and a menagerie of pets. I will love you if you don’t really like cats. And I will love you even if you can’t appreciate the acquired scent of a ferret.

And I will love you even though we are different. And I will love you because of the differences. And I will love you despite the differences. And despite the rifts said differences may cause between us. I will love you if there never is an ‘us’. I will love you if there never comes to be more than this. I will love you even though I am young. I will love you even though you are older. I will love you even though it is impossible to say so. And I will love you despite the impossibility of it all. And I will love you despite the recklessness of it all. And I will love you despite the pain. And the ache. And the missing. And I will love you even if I must miss you for the rest of my life. And if somehow I know you one day, then I will love you then too. I will love you even if your laugh is not as loud and boisterous as it seems. And I will love you if you’re a quiet person at heart. And I will love you if you can’t stand silence and I will love you if you can’t stand noise. And I will love you if you talk to me forever. And I will love you if we never exchange a single word.

I will love you if I never meet you. And if I never know you. And I will love you if you never meet or know me either. And I will love you if we meet all the time and see each other every Friday. I will love you until Friday isn’t a word anymore, and until the universe itself resets, and until the Andromeda and Milky Way galaxies collide. I’ll love you past that, as well. Until we’re all swallowed by a black hole or by the sun’s implosion. I will love you through the heat of sweltering days and through the chill of winter’s deep-freeze. I will love you when the weather is nice, and when everyone is kind to each other, and I will love you if Summer is your favorite season and if you can’t stand the cold that Autumn brings. I will love you if Spring spells out your name. And I will love you if you hate the sound of rain and can’t help but flinch when lightning strikes.

I will love you through those storms. And through those evenings. And those days. And I will love you during every minute, and every second, and every millisecond that spans between the minutes and every milli-minute that spans between the hours. I will love you until all such hours melt into years and eventually into decades, and past the point of centuries.

And I will love you if you’re in Japan. Or Milan. Or even South Africa. And I will love you if you wear silk. Or velvet. Or satin. Or even some odd combination of cotton and tulle. And I will love you if you never wear designer clothing ever again - and if you never step foot on another runway - and if you decide to dedicate the rest of your life to sweatpants and hoodies.

And if somehow I die before you, before all of that, then I will love you from beyond the grave. I will love you from beyond the rot. And beyond the veil of death. I will love you no matter where I am; behind silver gates or behind fire and eternal damnation. I will love you even if I am set aflame, and if you greet the clouds of the silver city after your own death. I will love you if you go first and if I stay alive and I will love you so hard then that you will consume me entirely.

I will love you even after all of that as well.

And if the cure for death is somehow found, and we all get to live forever, I will love you until Armageddon takes us away. I will love you into my thirties and I will love you into old age. I will love you if I lose it all and I will love you if I gain everything I’ve ever wanted.

I will love you if I never grow out of this phase, and I will love you if I surpass my own expectations- as high as they are. And I will love you if you don’t do the same, and if you shrivel up instead, and become a hollow shell of yourself. I will love you if life turns sour and if the days get gloomy and if the nights get lonely and all you can do is cry. I will love you while you cry. I will love you while you laugh. I will love you while you scream and while you shout and I will love you while you mourn and grieve and explode in joy. I will love you if you never feel joy again. And I will love you if you feel joy every moment of every day. I will love you even if you find that that doesn’t feel fulfilling enough, and if you start yearning for sadness again. And I will love you through that sadness.

And I will love you through the madness. And the horror. And the terror of the world. And I will love you through the poisoning of the oceans and through the deforestation of Earth. And I will love you despite the fact that it’s all burning. And despite the fact that nothing matters. And if it turns out that that’s wrong, and that everything does matter in the end, then I will love you at the end. And the beginning. And the middle. And the prologue. And the epilogue. And I will love you at the table of contents and the glossary and even at the works cited.

I will love you no matter what happens.

I will love you no matter who dies first.

I will love you even if I think I don’t love you.

Because that’s not possible.

And we both know I love you despite that, too.

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- Rip x

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#rippersz #fanfictionwriter #ripleyrambles #for her #lemony snicket inspired #i will love her no matter what #shes so lovely #sweet woman #gentle soul #the ink in my pen and breath in my lungs #poetry #poem #prose #love #love poems on tumblr #love poems #love prose

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roomsofangel · 1 year ago

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CHAPTER SIX

someone, somewhere, somehow .ᐟ

wc 1.4k

if you’d like to be added to the taglist please either send an ask in my inbox or leave a comment to be added to the taglist! reblogs and comments are also very appreciated! ^_^

chapter warnings mentions of mental health, san mentions s*icide, san is telling y/n part of his side to their history

this chapter solely surrounds san and y/n!!

you knew it wasn’t a good idea.

everything leading up to this point screamed at you to turn around and hex yourself for even considering this — choi san was not the type you should be messing with right now, but you needed answers.

what did he mean? what was he implying?

something in your bones reassured you that he wouldn’t dare raise a finger on you — you were safe.

though, you had a dagger you stole from seonghwa’s bedroom drawer wrapped and tucked in your boot. better safe than sorry.

seonghwa.

you knew he would be angry with you, envisioning his expressions when you confess your wrongdoing.

but he would understand

he had to. he will.

right?

moving your hair out of your face, you knocked twice — something you and san agreed on to indicate it was you and not someone else, apparently, unsurprisingly — he had a long list of enemies.

the door opened to reveal him, dressed in a black silk button up that had three undone and loosened, his black slim dress pants having the fabric tucked in a bit — your spine shuddered, his eyes half lidded with seduction while his smile grew to show more teeth, “y/n, come in,” voice radiating richness

shaking your head as if it would help erase the thoughts, you walked inside and took in the room, the white walls that had endless oil paintings from different time periods — “beautiful,” you admired before you felt a pair of hands on your shoulders, sharply inhaling you turned to face him, chest against chest unaware how truly close you two were, “this visit is strictly for answers, san, not…” your voice weakened when your eyes locked with his

“am i just that alluring?” he teased, “i was taking your jacket off, i thought you were hot because your face was red,” he laughed a bit before gently setting you aside that caused you to stumble a bit, his grip making sure you stayed more in place than you initially would, leading you down the long hallway

sliding your jacket down your tired shoulders, you propped it up on the coat hanger before making any more moves, soaking in all the flashy interior designs san had in his home. it all made sense. the home truly looked as if it belonged to him.

“thirsty?” he asked, breaking the silence, glancing over his shoulder towards you

you respond with a head shake, declining the offer while following him to sit on the loveseat — swallowing your nerves, fingers laced with the strings of your bracelet, “tell me what you were going to before seonghwa kicked you out.”

san’s brow lifted, appearing amused, “how were you so sure i was going to elaborate?”

clearing his throat, he shifted his body to get more comfortable, “your energy recognizes me, doesn’t it?”

off guard, your lips unconsciously parted, unaware that you were only growing inches closer to the man in front of you, “i don’t know what you mean,” hands finding their way to his hardened chest

“if it didn’t, y/n, why are you feeling me up?” his laugh rang through your ears, snapping you out of a drunken stupor and moving away as quick as you fell intoxicated, “you may not remember, but your soul does.”

“enough with the vagueness, san, i came here for more answers.”

this only amused him more it seemed, “so cute, my y/n is seeping through more and more,” his eyes flickered to your lips before back to your doe eyes, “very well, just scoot over,” he clenched his teeth

nodding, you softly apologized and scooted just as told, watching him exhale a deep breath, “do you want to know how we met?”

and again, you nodded.

his face scrunched, eyes flashing through different emotions before he met your gaze, “i can’t give you an exact time period, y/n, but this was your first life, where it all began,” his hands clasped together

“you had these… crazy abilities that made hongjoong drawn to you first,” san made a facial expression to exaggerate the crazy part, “the two of you were inseparable, he introduced you to seonghwa as friends only,” bitterly laughing

“what happened?” you frowned

“believe it or not, i was royalty,” he amused, leaning to the side so he could pull the blanket that hung over the couch, motioning if you wanted to be covered as well, you nodded and the two of you were draped in the soft sheet, nearly forgetting that this wasn’t supposed to be a sleepover with a bedtime story, “we were supposed to marry.”

you looked at him, examining his expressions and all you read was agony, your hands sweated, chest pains running down to your fingertips — looking at him made you feel the pain he possibly felt during the storytelling, “go on,” you quietly encouraged making him softly laugh

“but you loved seonghwa more than you ever did me,” he sighed, “i was the only human in this shitty game of cards, i should’ve known that even if i had the upper hand, he would manage to come in regardless.”

“me and him shared a good fair share of words, some i’m not regretful for, some i am,” he looked at his lap, “but that’s when i met wooyoung, i begged him to help me with you.”

his body tensed, recalling the events leading up to his future demise, “hongjoong found out and it all backfired,” voice cracking, your body immediately went to comfort him and his eyes widened at the action, “i killed myself because i couldn’t handle the pain,” unable to hold in the quiet sobs

“how did you become this?” you asked, holding his head on your chest, hearing the quiet sniffle

“hongjoong saw this as a better punishment — after what i told seonghwa,” he shook his head, nails creating crescent moons on your open palm, “i’ll never admit to this to anyone else, y/n, but,” he shifted his body and cupped your cheeks

your eyes looked into his glossy ones, “i don’t know how to be the person i was back then, all i know is to be the monster hongjoong made me to be,” his voice weakened

“how do i know you’re not trying to make me feel bad for you, san?” you asked him

san stayed quiet, not giving you an answer and instead — you felt the pressure of his lips onto yours, the softness stained with salty tears that had ran down his face, your blood ran cold.

“san…” you whispered against his lips, hands finding their way to rest on his chest, gently pushing him away

you could’ve sworn you watched him go through the five stages of grief — his eyes watching you as if he just processed what he just did, standing on his feet with the blanket falling off of your lap, “y/n, i think you should go.”

“san?” you stood and tried to catch his hand in yours but he retaliated

“go!” his voice echoed off the walls, earning yourself to flinch and step back

and you did.

you made your way down the hall and out the door, allowing yourself to stand outside his front door and stare at the full moon that illuminated the trees.

“what are you doing out here?” an unfamiliar voice spoke, your nose twitching before you turned to face whoever it was coming from the right side of you

the male had what seemed to be freshly dyed red hair, his gaze intensely stuck on you before his expression turned from cold to soft, almost as if he had just finished processing that it was you

“y/n?” he questioned

you nodded in response, wiping the tears with your sleeve that managed to escape

the male in front of you looked at the large home and then back at you, as if he was trying to connect dots before sighing, “i’m wooyoung,” he introduced himself

“let’s get you home to seonghwa, okay?” his hand extended for you to take, and you looked at him for a moment

exhausted, you took his hand and walked with him to the vehicle he had, “weren’t you visiting san?” you questioned

“he can wait, he sees me all the time,” he laughed, not making any form of eye contact or even bothering to look at you, letting you get in his car first before looking behind him to the house, shaking his head and getting in himself

the two of you sat in silence, wooyoung starting the car and all that filled the air was the quiet music he had playing, “don’t worry, y/n,” he spoke

turning to glance at him, head leaning on the window, you watched him stare ahead, index finger tapping on the steering wheel, “i won’t tell seonghwa you were here.”

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allyallyorange · 9 months ago

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The amount of inspiration and motivation you give me is CRAZY. I always gotta manifest that you posted something before opening this site because I wanna see your stuff so bad.. can you tell I'm a BIG lover of your art and plot............

Literally HOW do you make your AU's SO GOOD?!?!?! (I'm trying to make my own ateez AU and I rlly don't know where to start.....)

HI OMG! This is so adorable 😭😭😭 I really appreciate messages like this!!

As for how I make my AUs/how I approach AUs,,, honestly I think I’ve just consumed so much content in my youth plus my aspirations to work in the animation industry have made me kind of understand storytelling to a degree, so I think it’s fun to take some ideas from content I like and change it to make a whole new story

Like for AT AU obviously there is no Adventure Time character that will perfectly align personality wise with a member of Ateez, so instead of wildly changing someone to force them into the exact role of Princess Bubblegum for example, or make someone Jake, I just take ideas from the series that I really enjoyed (post apocalypse, magic, cursed character, platonic familial relationships complicated backstories and potentially morally grey characters) and then let that inspire me to relate it to in this case, Ateez.

For Mafia au I had a lot of help brainstorming that but I think the root of ideas comes from maybe like. I see a picture and I do a doodle. Then my brain thinks of other things I kind of know/want to see within that world. I drew Jongho and Mingi in mafia au before anyone else and before it was a big au with fics to go with it. After the drawing I kept having more ideas and then @nnnnnnnothingtoseehere had ideas and suddenly it grew. I watched a lot of mafia/crime movies/series during the pandemic tbh so I had lots of inspiration. AUs like this are fun cus while AT AU directly is inspired by a pre-existing series, this AU is just based on an idea and there are a bunch of sources of inspiration!

Then for my Cowboy au that’s kind of like. My own little project. I’m kind of thinking I may eventually change designs around to make it not an au but an original “project” just for something to put in my portfolio. Of if people really liked it maybe I’d do something with it. But sometimes the beauty of an AU over an original project is people already know and love the characters which takes a lot of the work presenting new characters and hoping people enjoy them. Anyways, yea for this AU as it is rn, it’s just born out of my love for the western aesthetic. Also during the pandemic I watched a ton of spaghetti westerns as well as newer westerns and I found I just really love the vibe. Even when I don’t love the movie it’s really the vibe that I enjoy, couldn’t really explain why haha 🥲. I then realized I strongly dislike drawing horses and in fact (controversial opinion but it is my own) I’m not really a big fan of horses so I thought I’d lose interest quickly if I had to force myself to draw horses for certain drawings. I decided to do motorcycles instead just cus I thought it’d be more enjoyable for me to learn how to draw that than horses lol. So then the AU became lik the. Futuristic Cowboys and then that’s how it got the way it currently is

As for making the story it definitely helps to have someone to riff off sometimes. I thought of most the ideas for AT AU story wise by myself but when I was first coming up with it I was sharing all of my ideas with my younger sister, and occasionally she’d get an idea too, or expand on something a little bit. I don’t really know how to explain the way I come up with the overall story I think I just decide on a bunch of bullet points that I want to happen just ideas in the void. Then I think of major plot points I want to happen. Then I think of dynamics of characters. Then I just start organizing those ideas. Not necessarily in that order but those are the kind of starting points I guess!!

That was a long explanation haha I’m sorry! Hopefully it helps a little! Good luck making some fun AUs!!

#ask

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outsidereveries · 2 years ago

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blackpink: checking the current energies of their contract renewal and the girls’ future after their current contract’s expiration + yge’s check-up

disclaimer: my reading may not be accurate because of changing energies and me not interpreting everything as correct as i can. i do them just for fun.

i used frida kahlo 110th anniversary’s deck on 23rd february (2023).

— blackpink’s contract renewal reading (will they renew, will it be extentes by yge..): 4 of cups rx, 10 of swords rx, 5 of cups rx, 5 of wands, 3 of swords rx, 9 of cups rx, queen of pentacles, queen of cups and the star with ace of wands as the bottom card of the deck

i personally think the girls’ contract won’t be renewed. since 4 of cups rx shows sudden amount of opportunities and the next cards are transformation, stepping back in their feet, obstacles/competition, financial loss, nightmare/failure, organising, caution of focusing with the emotions, it looks like yge will burn in the hell. /s

jokes aside, after blackpink leaving, yge has to prepare to lose many money and it’s obvious they have no plan b.

— jisoo’s future career reading after contract negotiations/renewal: 7 of cups, 6 of wands rx, knight of wands rx, 7 of wands rx and knave of cups with the empress as the bottom card

she has so many options that she has to be careful of choosing. so careful that she could lose money. it can show that she won’t be satisfied with the profit she’s earned. she will be unfocused because of this. either she will have some activity that will love so much to the extent she’ll have less profit as she wants, or she’ll experiment with something that will make her lose money. i don’t think that could be a scandal that will make her lose some fans, a part of her audience since knave of cups is in the end of the reading (of course, if knave of cups is another person apart for jisoo) and knight of wands is just her being unfocused. they aren’t even next to each other, so it could be not significant thing at all.

i do think at first she’ll take a route that jisoo won’t be satisfied in the end, possibly in acting because it feels like everyone wants jisoo to be an actress and she has that vibe and so on, and so on. her choice at first might involve traveling, could be something that will make her work in the outside (just not in buildings) and if she decided to act again, she’ll feel the competition. she can learn some important lessons here that might lean to her wishes being somewhere else. i believe she’ll switch in the beauty, art and fashion industry in some way. she could be a model, fashion designer, she could even have her own brand (doesn’t matter if it will be makeup line or fashion brand). it’s possible that she’ll step aside in the music since i don’t see her being singer with these cards. she can release some singles from time to time. knave of cups and the empress shows that she’ll be in these industries rather than music. just anything involving venus-oriented profession/activity/hobby.

her future is bright but it will take some time. possibly in korea. not in yge.

— jennie’s future career reading after contract negotiations/renewal: queen of swords, the emperor, 3 of wands, 7 of cups and 6 of wands rx with the empress as the bottom card

her future after contract talking decision thing seems a biiiit brighter, however 7 of cups and 6 of wands rx also appear here.

look, she might receive support, advice or critic from someone. possibly older woman? maybe her mother? since jennie will do well if she listens to her, it looks like she’ll need advice. she could be overthinking about her future.

she’ll work hard and will be persistent. possibly older man will help her, so i do think she’ll rely on her connections but she’ll have to be cautious of how she’s spending money.. she might love to spend money a lot.

tbh, it seems like she’ll definitely travel. i don’t think she’ll be on vacation because she’ll choose something that could make her feel that she’s made a mistake. possibly she and jisoo will be on the same route. she’ll have to be so careful that she’ll lose money.

her relying on people she knows might not be her best option. could take different route than we will ever actually realise. it seems she wants to create a business that’s profitable. the only hint we have is that it might be in the fashion/art/beauty industry. anything else indicates to her being own manager, her being ceo, her investing her time to this idea she has. she might be influencer after all, although her route will be really, really different. i don’t see her in the music/acting industry at the moment (apart from the tv series she has role) because she really is so into this thing she has in her mind.

her future is also bright, however it might be risky for her at first because of her ambitions. will leave yge. at the moment, outside of korea. probably america/europe? (not specifying countries on purpose)

— rosé’s future career reading after contract negotiations/renewal: knave of swords, 5 of cups rx, temperance, queen of wands and 4 of swords with the chariot as the bottom card

like everyone else, her ideas and creativity will also be delayed. she has to be patient to see the needed results in the future. rosé will get back to her feet, so i do see her leaving yge and possibly moving to another company whenever she’s ready. she will be so calm that you will be shocked how patient she actually is at that time. i’ll be so proud of her 🤧 (crying for joy bc she is so emotional)

anyways, she’ll jiggle from idea to idea, from project to project that everyone will be actually amazed of how she’s working. she was waiting for the time to come. she wants this. she’s ready for this, after some time… she can feel some stress when she’ll release everything she’s working on.

rosé seems to stay far from her parents in australia after the contract talks. will definitely leave yge, she’s definitely energised. although i do thought before she’ll be outside of korea, there’s possibility of her to stay there. she’s definitely more optimistic than before.

her future seems filled with work. i don’t quite know if that’ll be successful to her money-wise since there’s no hints of it. she’ll definitely stay in the tv and media industry, however at the moment she won’t experiment in another industry and will take her own path. there’s also no hints of traveling but there are signals of long-distance work so that’s why i assume she can also stay in south korea.

— lisa’s future career reading after contract negotiations/renewal: 7 of swords, 9 of wands, ace of wands, 10 of pentacles and knight of swords with the 6 of swords as the bottom card

my heart is aching. someone is talking behind her…

i’ll be honest. lisa is in trap but not by the rest of the members (the girls look like they will work, work and work and they’re so far from thinking in this way we possibly have no idea). i do think yge is thinking allegedly the worst things about her. she has to fight. she wants all the money she’s earned. remember that manager who took 100 milion won from her? there might be even more money everyone in yg entertainment took from her. she’ll take then back, don’t worry. she will fight back before leaving. that’s on her mind first, it seems that her future career-wise comes next. however, she might be short of money if she’s spending them left-right.

lisa will get everything that belongs to her. will leave yge after getting everything back to her. eventually she won’t renew. outside of korea.. possibly back in thailand? there are chances of her working in usa/europe but i don’t think she’ll take this route.

yg entertainment’s check-up and what’s going on with them at the moment: wheel of fortune, 5 of pentacles rx, 8 of cups, 3 of wands, knight of wands rx, 7 of wands rx and king of swords with the lovers as the bottom card

big changes are comimg to the company. they'll be more active and it looks like they struggled for a bit. they are walking away from a idea that they no longer find fulfilling (it might be about blackpink). treasure recently added dates for their tour so 3 of wands is about them. however, they are jumping from job to job. they are definitely unfocused, it feels like blackpink's desicion've shaken them up. yge didn't protect something as they should. could be about blackpink, could be about awards, brand reputation rankings.. it can be about many things here. an older person holds their staff to his high standarts (possibly their founder is here? dark hair and eyes.. their current ceo could be here too)

the lovers as the bottom card of the deck, though, can be about business between 2 people that will be mutually beneficial. it can be also an outcome about the reading and they'll have to choose what they'll do after blackpink leave.

thanks for reading! i am open with comments and discussions both in asks and in the comments! have a fullfiling and nice day!

#outsidereveries #kpop #kpop tarot reading #tarot kpop #kpop tarot #tarot reading kpop #blackpink #blackpink kpop #kpop blackpink #blackpink reading #reading blackpink #blackpink tarot #tarot blackpink #contracts tarot #tarot contracts #career tarot #tarot career

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beelzebuddy-catan · 2 years ago

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The Not Entirely Human-Human Exchange Student pt. 2

Summary: Cass manages to shock the student body at RAD when she makes her first pact with Mammon. She doesn't have time to think about it as she begins uncovering the dark secrets haunting the House of Lamentation. Warnings: Swearing, mentions of death, heavily implied sexual content Spoilers: Lesson two and Lilith's status Characters: Cass (OC), Lucifer, Mammon, Levi, Satan, Asmo, Beel, Lilith, Diavolo, Barbatos, Solomon, Luke, Simeon, Preta (OC), and Vassago (OC). Notes: (1) Lilith is absolutely a little shit (affectionate) who just likes pulling pranks and messing with people she loves. (2) I love the idea of MC finding Mammon's credit card without Lucifer's hint. Part One • Next Part

“Call me by my name,” she demanded.

“Fuck,” Mammon hissed, eyes wide. “Is this all ‘cause of the pact?! Listen to me hum-” he stopped, as if he physically couldn’t finish the word. “Hu-hum-FINE, Cass!” They stared at each other, Mammon catching his breath. Cass wondered how much energy it took to fight off whatever control the pact had over him. “Look, just because may be in control of my body doesn’t mean you own my mind.”

“I don’t want to own you,” Cass said, surprising him. “I literally only asked you to call me by my name. I’d expect even demons to have that level of decorum.”

He didn’t say anything at first, but his frustration seemed to fade. “Where is it?” Cass tilted her head in confusion. She already gave him his credit card, what else did he want. “The mark?” Silence. “You really don’t know anything about pacts do ya? When you make a pact, you have a mark to show it.”

His eyes fell to her hand, as if he already knew it would be there. She followed his gaze to her left hand. Oh. Wrapping around her pointer finger was an intricate golden design. It faded towards the top, the design tightening at the base. It almost looked like a ring, a sigil resting in the middle like a stone. Cass gasped, taken aback at how beautiful it was.

Cass glanced down at the map Lucifer had given her and back up at the hallway. At this point she’d be lucky if she found her classes, let alone found them on time. Apparently giving the new student a tour was too kind for demons.

Her morning hadn’t gone great. Besides having no idea where she was going and Mammon being missing, she’d been assigned to wake him up earlier. She’d ended up just poking him in the face, only to be thrown to the floor. Now, she was lost in a giant school, no idea where to go. She shoved the map in her bag, deciding to go in what she thought was the right direction and hope she got lucky enough to run into someone she knew.

“Hey, that’s the human everyone’s talking about.” She heard someone whisper but opted to stay still. “Can’t believe Mammon got assigned to watch over her.”

“Doncha think that’s pretty lucky for us? We can devour this human before even Beel does, and they won’t know it was us.”

The first demon snickered in response. Before she could take a step, they started to jeer and catcall. Cass swung her backpack over her other shoulder, walking up to the demons with a cheery smile. Their cocky demeanors only grew.

“If you so much as even try to touch me, I will rip off whatever appendage of yours I can find, be it your arm, leg, horn, tail, whatever, and shove it so far up your ass I can pull it back out your throat. Then, I’ll pour holy oil into any open orifice and light it on fire while you’re still alive. And, as you burn and the light leave your eyes, the last thing you’ll see is me enjoying a glass of ice water.” Cass blinked her eyes innocently, her smile never faltering. “Do you happen to know what the cafeteria serving today?” Her smile finally fell as she stared into the second demon’s eyes, not blinking as she finished. “I’m caving barbecue.”

Neither of them moved, shock rooting them in their place. A third demon, standing off to the side stifled a laugh. Their black horns and eyes stood out against their pale skin and white hair. Whoever they talking to looked equal parts impressed and disinterested. Cass flashed them a smile before walking towards where she hoped her class was. She only took a few steps before someone fell into step next to her.

“Hey, you’re Cass, right?” She cast him a look but didn’t respond. He laughed before continuing. “You don’t have to be suspicious of me. I’m Solomon, the other exchange student. When I heard Mammon was looking after you, I thought Lucifer was just messing with you. Now, I’m not so sure.”

Cass stopped and crossed her arms. Something felt too convenient about the only other human showing up next to her right when she needed help. “I can handle myself with demons. Mind telling me where 2122b is?”

“You’re asking for my help? But you’ve got the great Mammon!” Cass didn’t miss the sarcasm lacing his tone. “Why should I just give you that information?”

“Help another human out? You are human still, aren’t you?”

“Hmm,” he smiled. “There are times even I’m not so sure. After obtaining the ring of wisdom from someone in a very high position and forming 72 pacts,” he paused glancing at her, “I became a wicked sorcerer. Or, that’s what they say about me. I am fairly sure I am still human. I’m happy to prove it to you if needed.”

Cass twirled a piece of her hair and giggled, taking a wild guess he was the same Solomon written about in theology. “It’s no wonder you got 700 women to marry you, you’re so charming.” She rolled her eyes and walked away without giving him another glance. She was stopped again after a few steps by Lucifer. “Morning?”

“It seems you’ve already become something of a celebrity. Is your plan to simply threaten any demon who talks about you?” Cass hummed, not really caring to have a conversation when she still didn’t know where her fucking class was. Honestly, if threatening demons who treated her like dirt or a meal was how she survived, that’s how she survived. “While I understand it is inevitable you associated with Solomon, you should know he can’t be trusted. Unlike you, he can wield powerful magic and will try to subjugate even a powerful demon given the chance.”

“Got it, I can’t trust the only human here, but demons are good.” Cass went to step around him before pausing, remembering her conversation with Levi yesterday. Lucifer had hidden Mammon’s credit card, the credit card needed to make a pact with Mammon. Maybe she should just come out and ask him where it was.

“Is there something you want to ask me?” Lucifer smirked, as if knowing she needed something from him.

“Where is room 2122b?” She asked. Maybe she could get Lilith to tell her.

“Is that all? I would have thought you had question about Mammon.” Cass didn’t answer, not giving him the satisfaction. “If you go down this hall and take the first right and it’ll be the second door on the left.”

“Great, thank you,” Cass said, going to her first class of the day.

As much as she wanted to focus, she couldn’t. While the material was interesting, it was too much being thrown into a new world. Especially considering she’d been told she’d be living with seven brothers but had only met six.

At this point, all she knew about the final brother was he had long, greyish indigo hair with white tips and was comfortable enough to fall asleep leaning against Beel. Given his brothers were avatars of the six of the seven deadly sins, she assumed he was the avatar of sloth. It probably wasn’t abnormal for him to fall asleep against anyone.

The rest of the day was a cycle of thinking about each of the brothers and how to find Mammon’s credit card. She should have just asked Lucifer. She had to look up what a credit card was. How was she supposed to find one hidden in a strange, unknown house by a strange, unknown demon? The only seemingly valuable thing she’d come across was freezing credit, which seemed like a good option if Lucifer didn’t want Mammon to spend money.

“If I was going to hide a credit card to freeze someone’s spending, where would I put it?” Cass said out loud. She was lying upside down on her couch, head hanging off the edge. “It’s not literally frozen. He’s been around for centuries. It has to mean something else.”

“Does it though?” A voice interrupted her thoughts. Cass opened her eyes to see Lilith floating upside down, staring at her. “Look, I love Lucifer, but he finds dad jokes a bit too funny.” Cass didn’t answer, unsure what dad jokes were. “Predictable jokes, puns?”

Cass spun around. “Are you saying he literally froze Mammon’s credit card? Wouldn’t someone have found it by now?”

Lilith didn’t answer, simply giving Cass a look before disappearing. Was everyone in the Devildom cryptic as hell? It was past midnight. If she went to the kitchen now, there was a chance she wouldn’t run into anyone. It was probably safter to go now than in the middle of the day.

Cass tried to be as quiet as possible going to the kitchen. Luckily, she didn’t run into anyone. Part of her had debated texting Levi but decided against it. If Lilith was messing with her or her hunch was wrong, she’d rather he not know about it. She managed not to scream when she ran into Beel as she walked into the kitchen.

“Why you going to the kitchen so late?”

She was drawn to Beel. Despite the fact that he expressed less emotions than the other brothers and was harder to read, something about him felt safe. She could tell he was a caring person, or demon, he just had a harder time of showing it.

“I was just getting a glass of water,” Cass lied. She wasn’t sure why. Something told her Beel wouldn’t care why she was in the kitchen. He huffed in response, going to leave. Suddenly she remembered the picture, the indigo haired demon slumped against Beel in the picture. “Hey, Beel, can I ask you something?”

“What?”

“Diavolo said I’d be living here with you and your brothers. He said there were seven of you, but I haven’t met your youngest brother. I was wondering–”

“Don’t ever mention him in front of Lucifer” Beel cut her off “ and don’t bother asking the rest of us. We don’t talk about him. Even though he’s our brother, we have to treat him like he doesn’t exist, it’s not fair,” Beel trailed off. Another crack. “But since no one can defy Lucifer, that’s that. Besides, it’s not any of your business.”

Cass reached out, grabbing Beel’s arm as he went to leave. “I know it doesn’t mean anything, and I’m just this random human forced to live with you, but if you need someone to talk to,” Cass paused, looking up at Beel. He didn’t say anything, but for a moment, it looked like he wanted to. “Have a nice night, Beel.”

He didn’t say anything, just nodded before walking out of the room. She should ask Lilith next time she appeared. Despite not talking about the seventh brother, it clearly weighed on Beel. The longer she was in the Devildom, the more she started to think she might be an empath. She was trapped in a house with six broken demons who needed help and was beginning to feel like her purpose was to help them.

“That’s not important right now,” she whispered. One thing at a time Cass, damn. Start with the credit card and pact and move on to whatever the fuck was haunting these demons after.

She checked to make sure Beel had actually left before opening the freezer. She was certain Lilith was messing with her when she looked into the nearly empty freezer. Beel must have eaten everything possible, because it looked like the only thing left was ice. Well, ice and what looked like freezer burnt ice cream from God knows how long ago. She shoved it out of the way in frustration.

As she went to slam the door shut, a glint of light caught her eye. Buried in ice, underneath the ice cream was a golden credit card. She pulled it out, but was unable to read the name. It had to be Mammon’s. Why else would there be a credit card in the freezer. She threw the frozen card in the sink, running hot water over it.

As the ice melted, she sighed. Step one, complete. Now she just needed to get Mammon to agree to a pact. When Levi first suggested it, she hadn’t really cared much either way. Pact or not, she was still stuck here with no memory. As she thought about it at school, though, she realized it would be nice to have some level of control over her situation, as well as someone on her side in the Devildom, willingly or not.

Cass sat on the edge of the counter, waiting for the ice to melt. When the ice was almost gone, she picked the card up. Sure enough, in silver lettering was Mammon’s name. Cass stared at the card, wondering what her next move was. It wasn’t until she heard his gasp that she realized Mammon had walked into the kitchen.

“IS THAT GOLDIE? DIDJA FIND MY CARD HUMAN?” Mammon yelled, rushing towards her. He went to grab the card, but Cass shoved it into her back pocket before he could. “Whadda think you’re doin’?”

“Leveraging your card for my benefit?” Mammon looked at her in disbelief. “Make a pact with me, and I’ll give you your precious card.”

“NO WAY!” Mammon snapped. “What makes you think The Great Mammon, one of the rulers of the Devildom would ever make a pact? Let some human be the boss of me?”

”Oh Luuuuccccifffeeeer,” Cass called.

Mammon’s eyes widened in fear, hand going to cover her mouth. He stepped between her legs, eyes pleading with her to be quiet. He didn’t move for a while, maybe waiting for his fear to subside or until he felt he could trust Cass not to say anything.

“You’re serious right now?” He asked, pulling his hand away. Cass nodded, though she wasn’t. “Fuck, fine.”

He stepped back, hand going to his belt. It took a second for Cass to register what he was doing. “Um, what the fuck are you doing?”

He glanced at her in disbelief. “What do you think?” Cass stared at him, eyes wide in confusion. “I thought ya wanted to make a pact.”

“Yeah?”

Mammon threw his hands up in frustration. “Are ya aware of a different way to make a pact?”

“I guess I don’t know how to make one.” Mammon stared at her. “I literally don’t even know my last name, what makes you think I’d know how to make a pact with a demon?!”

“I’d expect ya to look it up at the very least.” When Cass didn’t answer, Mammon rolled his eyes and continued, “pacts gotta be consummated.”

“Oh,” Cass answered, “OH!”

“Havin’ second thoughts?” Mammon asked, hand going to grab his credit card from her back pocket. “We don’t have to do anything ya know? You can give me my card and we can forget this ever happened.”

Cass smacked his hand away. “It’s not a second thought. It’s just,” she paused, not sure how to phrase it. “I just, I don’t have my memories.” Mammon didn’t answer, waiting for her to continue. “I don’t know if I’ve done, if I’ve ever, you know.” She gestured in the space between them.

Before she knew what was happening, Mammon’s hands flew to the counter beside her. His grasp was so tight that the butcher block split in his grip. “Don’t, don’t say things like that to a demon.” His voice was quiet, like he was trying his hardest to restrain himself. Cass didn’t answer, not sure what he meant. He continued, not meeting her eyes. “I’m a demon.”

“Oh really?”

Mammon scoffed, the counter cracking more under his grip. “Ya can’t say things like that to a demon. Our whole thing is corruptin’ humans. Do ya realize what your doing to me right now?”

“Oh,” she repeated, “OH!” Mammon didn’t answer, almost as if he was trying to calm his erratic breathing. “Fuck it,” she breathed. Mammon’s head snapped up, finally meeting her gaze. “Let’s make a pact.

His hands left the counter at the speed of light, grabbing her hips pulling her closer. Their lips met in a bruising kiss. Before Cass had time to process what was happening, he had lifted her off the counter and was moving towards the door. Her arms tightened around his neck, clutching to him as if he was going to drop her.

“Wh-what, what are you doing?”

“You think I want any of my brothers comin’ in and seein’ ya this,” he scoffed, “fuck I’m surprised Asmo didn’t smell you and come down here already.”

“SMELL?” She gasped, but Mammon didn’t answer. Before she knew it, they were in his room and she was being thrown on his bed. Levi wasn’t kidding when he said he was fast. She barely had time to catch her breath, let alone stop her head from spinning before Mammon was kissing her again. And so, her first pact was made.

---

Cass stared at the ceiling of Mammon’s room. She’d expected there to be something more to making a pact besides saying something in Latin and sleeping with the demon. Cass glanced at Mammon, who was lying next to her, also avoiding her gaze.

“That was,” he started.

“Unexpected?”

“Sure,” he answered, but something in his voice told her that wasn’t what he was thinking.

He got up and started getting dressed. Cass sat up, holding the sheet up against her, not really sure what to say that could break the tension. She didn’t know how pacts work, much less what it meant to make one. Was this Mammon’s first pact with human? She almost asked but stopped herself. Why did it matter?

“Um,” Cass said, breaking the silence. Mammon looked over his shoulder but didn’t say anything. “Is it, can demons, can I get pregnant?”

Mammon’s movement froze, eyes widening. After a moment, he started dressing, moving faster than before. Cass didn’t move, terror rushing through her. Something in his response told her it wasn’t the risk of pregnancy that had him moving like that.

“Mammon?” He didn’t respond. “MAMMON!” Finally, he looked at her. Her voice fell quiet under his gaze, “what happens to humans who are pregnant with demons?” Again, he didn’t answer, her question only making him move faster. Panic rushed through her. For the first time since arriving in the Devildom she honestly felt afraid. “MAMMON!” She said, summing as much energy as he could. “Am I going to die?”

He kneeled next to her, hands cupping her face. He looked at her with genuine emotions, and it scared the hell out of her. “No, do you think the Great Mammon would let that happen?”

Cass fought back tears. He looked as unsure as she felt. Fuck. Why hadn’t she thought of that earlier? It hadn’t even crossed her mind. Why would it have? She didn’t know anything about demons and humans. It was the uncertainty in Mammon’s answer that scared her. Had he acted like he didn’t care about her, that would have been better, more comforting.

“Stop.” Mammon’s voice pulled her from her thoughts. He held her eye contact, concern laced in his gaze. “You’re gonna be fine, okay? I’ll talk to Lucifer, and he’ll know what to do. It’ll be fine.” It sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than her. “I’ll go now, okay?”

Mammon made a move towards the door and Cass stood, grabbing the closest shirt she could find. Mammon opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when he saw her dressing. She didn’t notice his staring at first, flinching under his gaze when she finally looked up.

“Sorry, I just grabbed something. I figured it’d be faster than trying to find mine,” she said, pulling at the edge of his button up nervously. It was large enough that it was falling off one shoulder, the hem landing midthigh.

She tried taking a step towards Mammon but lost her footing. He was by her side in an instant, catching her. “Ya really think your going to be able to walk to Lucifer’s room?”

“Well, I’m not just going to sit around here waiting.” Mammon and Cass held a silent starting contest before he finally resigned, scooping her up bridal style. “Wha–?”

“I’ll just carry you.”

Cass didn’t bother arguing, knowing already how much faster it would be. She closed her eyes, turning her head into Mammon’s chest feeling a wave of motion sickness at his movement. It wasn’t until she heard a knock that she opened her eyes. A moment later, the door swung open revealing a disappointed Lucifer. It looked like he was about to start scolding whoever had knocked on the door when he must have realized why they were there.

---

Cass stared at the fire behind Lucifer. He’d been lecturing Mammon for the last hour, occasionally passing a condescending comment her way. She was having a hard time concentrating on anything he said, though. She couldn’t shake Mammon’s reaction to her earlier from her thoughts.

“Can’t ya do this later?” Mammon hissed. “There are more pressing issues.”

“If you had any semblance of self-control, there wouldn’t be.”

“I had self-control, considerin’ she was going on about being a virgin. Don’t act like you wouldn’t have done the same–”

“I wasn’t going on about being a virgin. I literally said I have no memories–”

“I don’t care what the circumstances were.” Cass looked away from Mammon, trying not to roll her eyes. Lucifer handed her a small vial. “This potion will prevent pregnancy. I had some made on the off chance you surprised us and made a pact. Though, I didn’t expect it to be so quick.”

As she drank the potion, Lucifer muttered something in what sounded like Latin. “Well, the potion is most effective before being intimate, it won’t hurt to take it after.” He handed her a piece of paper with something written in a foreign language. “This is a spell to help strengthen the effects. Any demon will be able to perform it with ease. Well, any demon worth making a pact with. I’ll work with Barbatos to make more potion, should you end up needing more. Please try to refrain yourself until then, no matter how hard you find it.”

“EXCUSE ME? Thanks for the potion, though I could do without the haughty tone.” She stood up, glaring at Lucifer. “Ass,” she said under her breath as she stormed towards the door, letting it slam behind her.

Cass groaned, falling into her bed. Of all the things she expected to happen that evening, that wasn’t one of them. She rolled over to look at the time when she saw Lilith sitting on the edge of her table. She was grinning, feet swinging beneath her.

“He likes you,” she laughed. “Lucifer.”

“He has a funny way of showing it.”

“Yeah.”

“Wait, Lilith, you’ve been here for a while, right?” The ghost nodded. “Can you tell me about their seventh brother?”

Lilith’s feet stopped moving. She sighed, jumping off the table to start pacing. “No.”

“Seriously?” Cass demanded.

“shhhh.” Lilith glared at her. “They can’t know I’m here.”

“I thought you wanted me to help them! I can’t help them if I don’t know anything. Why is everything a secret?”

Lilith looked at her with understanding, but it only made Cass angrier. Why did it feel like she was playing a game where everyone knew the rules except her. It was frustrating enough talking to the brothers, but at least she could understand their perspective.

They didn’t ask her to be here, Diavolo did. Lilith, on the other hand, asked her to help. Cass’s only goal was to survive for the year and try to get her memories back. Despite wanting to help the brothers, if they didn’t let her, she couldn’t force them to accept her help.

“I want to tell you, I do, really.” Against her better judgement, Cass believed her. “If you know too much about them though, they won’t trust you. You have to earn their trust, or they’ll just shut you out more. They’ve been burned in the past, which is why they act that way.”

“Can you tell me anything? How do you know them? Why can’t they know you’re here? You told me you’ve tried contacting them before. What changed?”

She didn’t say anything for a minute. “Fine, but you can’t tell them. At least not yet.”

---

Asmo had been laughing for the last ten minutes, despite Satan telling him to quiet down. Apparently, Cass making a pact with Mammon was one of the funniest things he’d heard in a while. She was too busy replaying her conversation with Lilith to care about the little insults he was making towards her.

So, Lilith was their sister from the Celestial Realm. Well, that explained her ethereal nature and why she cared so much about them. Honestly, Cass should have seen it sooner given how many similar features she had to the brothers.

“If they know you knew about me, they won’t trust you. They’ll be angry and resent you.” It made sense. While Lilith wouldn’t tell her what happened that led to her being a ghost in the Devildom that her brothers couldn’t see nor what made their dynamics so bizarre, Cass understood why she couldn’t tell them. She knew they all had their defenses built so strong it would take a miracle to break through them.

“I don’t know what’s more surprising, an average human like you making a pact with Mammon so fast or you teaming up with Levi to make it happen.”

“All that matters is I got my money back from Mammon AND my figurine. I’ll finally be able to buy the Blu-ray box set of Journey to the Devildom: The Tale of a Little She-Devil and her Reluctant Companio! The initial rounds even have tickets to a live event,” Levi said.

“I never thought I’d see a human win over Levi, but here we are,” Satan mused, speaking over Levi.

Levi stopped mid rant. “Excuse me?! Nobody won me over. Especially not some non-otaku normie human. We had a purely business relationship due to our aligned interests.”

Levi huffed, crossing his arms and glaring at the center of the table, refusing to meet anyone’s eyes. Cass didn’t miss the blush appearing at Satan’s words though. She also didn’t miss the way Beel was trying to sneak food off her plate, though she used sneak lightly. She pushed her plate towards him, not having much of an appetite.

“You know, we should be careful or we might find ourselves in a pact with Cass as well. If you had to choose one of us to forge a pact with next, who would it be, Cass?”

She glanced at Asmo before her eyes flashed to the other demons at the table. She didn’t care to have the pact she had, let alone more of them. Besides, the question seemed like a trap. She’s certain no matter how she answered it would end with one of them insulting her.

“None of you, I’m not interested.”

“WHAT?! Do you know how offensive that is? It’s as if you think we’re not worth making a pact with. Yet you made one with that stupid, poor excuse of a dem-” Asmo was interrupted by Mammon smacking the back of his head. “OW! I can’t believe you STRUCK my beautiful, beautiful head! Not even Lucifer has done something like that!”

“Stop callin’ me a poor excuse for a demon, you pea brain. Y’all think you’re so great. None of this would’ve happened if Lucifer hadn’t taken my precious Goldie away from me and hidden her against her will.”

The brothers responded in disgust to Mammon personifying his credit card. Cass wasn’t sure Levi was one to talk considering his unnerving infatuation with an animation or Asmo given his self-obsession. She was just grateful the conversation was no longer focused on her. She wasn’t in much of a mood to talk. Besides, Mammon seemed to have more of knack of sticking his foot in his mouth than her. His mocking of Lucifer continuing despite him standing behind Mammon.

“You know, he’s so stupid it’s almost sad,” Asmo noted as Mammon rubbed his head where Lucifer had hit him.

“It’s almost like we’re being punished by having him as our brother.”

Lucifer sat down, speaking directly to her, ignoring his brothers’ continued squabbling. “Cass, I didn’t say it last night, but it’s quite the accomplishment managing a pact in such a short time.”

“Well, I supposed if you hadn’t been too busy implying I was a whore, you would have gotten around to it.”

Lucifer chuckled, shaking his head. “Perhaps, but Diavolo will be pleased regardless.”

“Oi, human!” Cass rolled her eyes at Mammon’s voice. “Don’t sit there with your heads in the clouds, we gotta go.”

Cass pushed her chair out, knowing her three options were to walk with Mammon, with the other brothers, or alone. Surprisingly, Mammon was the safest or quietest option. She followed him out of the dining room towards the door, not bothering to tune into his complaints.

“Hey, don’t go thinkin’ you can ignore the Great Mammon just ‘cause you managed to make some pact, human!”

Cass stopped in her tracks glaring at him. “Seriously?” He huffed, sticking his arms out. “You still won’t call me by my name?”

“No, I won’t. You’re just a lowly human, come back in a million years and maybe I’ll consider calling ya by your name. Learn your place, ‘cause if you don’t, I swear I’ll make you my next meal. Let’s go, human.”

“Call me by my name or I’m not going,” Cass said, crossing her arms.

“What makes you think I care if you go?”

“Call me by my name,” she demanded.

“I don’t want to own you,” Cass said, surprising him. “I literally only asked you to call me by my name. I’d expect even demons to have that level of decorum.”

“How did–”

“When you woke me up yesterday,” Mammon answered, not looking away from her hand. “The mark appears where you first touch a demon.”

---

Mammon didn’t say much after they left. He did keep looking at her hand, taking in the mark. Cass didn’t blame him. It almost seemed to catch the light like real gold. She traced over it, but it didn’t feel like anything. She had been starting at it since she’d gotten to her first class.

“Whenever an important announcement is made, the demons around here couldn’t care less. Yet, rumors spread like wildfire. The uproar about the new exchange student hadn’t even subsided, and now this.”

“Don’t say that Barbatos! This gossip ensures everyone is watching this human, making it harder for any demon to go after Cass’s soul.”

“Which is especially important given Mammon’s not doing a very good job as a guardian.”

Diavolo sat across from Cass. “I must say, I can’t believe you managed to forge a pact with Mammon. That’s no small feat.”

“I suppose it stands as proof that you chose well bringing this human here, Lord Diavolo,” Barbatos praised.

“Sometimes I wish I could trade a certain idiot brother of mine for Barbatos,” Lucifer said.

“It is sometimes said that a truly wise man does not flaunt his talents, he keeps them secret.”

Barbatos smiled at Lucifer, but it had a mocking aura to it. Lucifer scoffed, as if the very thought of Mammon having any talents was laughable. Cass tried not to smile at the reaction. He really did act like the protective older brother.

“I’ve heard it said that the most thick-headed child is always the cutest.”

“I don’t even want to think of Mammon as my child.”

“See how he doesn’t deny the part of Mammon being cute.” Cass looked up at the unknown voice. His laugh sounded almost like music. “Out of all seven of you brothers, you are, without a doubt, the most troublesome.”

“That almost sounds like a compliment, Simeon.”

“Well, it’s not,” another unknown voice interjected. Cass was surprised to see what looked like a ten-year child in front of her.

“Allow me to introduce you, Cass,” Diavolo said, noticing her surprise. “This is Simeon and Luke. They are our exchange students from the Celestial Realm. As you can probably guess, they are angels.”

“Well, Simeon is an angel. Luke is more of a chihuahua.”

“I am NOT a chihuahua,” Luke yelled. “I may be a low-ranking angel, but I’ll have you know that I report directly to Michael the Archangel!”

“Luke, calm down, there’s no need to make such a fuss.” Simeon turned to Cass, flashing a dazzling smile. Unlike the demons, there was genuine warmth behind the action. “It is a pleasure to meet you Cass, we’ve heard a lot of rumors!” The warning bell rang through the room. “I apologize for any trouble we’ve caused, Cass, but I look forward to getting to know you better.”

Diavolo and Barbatos followed Simeon out of the room. Lucifer looked like he was about to say something to Cass, but decided against it. Luke stayed behind, glaring at the door Lucifer had just exited through.

“Are you okay?”

“Never trust a demon, Cass, especially if that demon is Lucifer. I was against this exchange program from the beginning, especially bringing humans to the Devildom. You need to be safe, and Mammon certainly isn’t going to help.”

Luke’s hand landed on hers and he looked at her with so much concern it warmed her heart. For the first time since arriving, she felt there was someone that genuinely cared about her, not just cared about her surviving because Diavolo wanted the exchange program to succeed. Luke left without another word, leaving her to wonder how much him and Simeon and him knew about the brothers.

---

Solomon laughed, laughing down his cards. “Read ‘em and reap. It’s a straight flush.” Asmo groaned, throwing his loosing hand on the table. “That’s 183 wins for me!”

“Are you using magic?”

“I am but a simple human, an innocent lamb. I’d appreciate if you wouldn’t accuse me of behaving like you demons.”

“How can you say that with a straight face, Solomon? I think you may be the least innocent of all of us.”

“Is that truly what you think of me, Satan?” Solomon joked, shuffling the cards. “I must say, it’s lucky Mammon isn’t here, he likely would have broken my record-breaking winning streak by now.”

Satan nodded in agreement. “You’re right, considering he’s usually such dolt, he is surprisingly good at making money.”

“Shouldn’t you be a bit more respectful towards Mammon? You’re always putting him down, despite him being your older brother.”

A third demon sat down next to Solomon at his question. “Have you met Mammon?”

“See, even Vas knows how impossible that is, and he’s not even Mammon’s brother!” The warning bell rang. “You’re running a bit late today, Vas, Preta make you late again?”

“Actually, we ran into Beel and he was telling us about the pact the new exchange student managed to make with Mammon.” At his words, Satan and Asmo started laughing. “How did she manage that?”

“I honestly don’t know. She found Mammon’s hidden credit card on her own. Lucifer was quite impressed. He kept mentioning his surprise at breakfast,” Satan answered. “I think the rest of are just as surprised that Mammon actually agreed to make a pact.”

“It seems like everyone is acting like making a pact is a huge thing. Sure, it’s funny Cass tricked Mammon, but the pact itself isn’t that big of a deal. Take Solomon and me, we’re in a pact. You also have one with Barabtos and Vasago!” Vas scoffed at Asmo. “What? You must have had a reason to make a pact.”

“I lost a bet with Preta, I didn’t exactly want to make one.” Solomon smiled at Vas, knowing despite the reason behind the pact, they were actually quite close.

“I have to agree with Vas. Generally, demons are too proud to make pacts.”

“I’ve been very fortunate but can’t afford to be complacent. Otherwise, Cass might make a pact with Lucifer before I can.”

Asmo giggled at Solomon’s words, his demeanor showing a lack of concern. Both him and Vas were well aware of how Solomon was at this point. Satan shot Solomon a curious glance, but let it go. Solomon likely wasn’t concerned given he didn’t need to rush in making Lucifer like him. Though Satan doubted he’d ever win Lucifer over enough to agree to that.

“Judging from how Beel was talking, Lucifer is already growing fond of the human. Preta took a liking to her yesterday too. I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to befriend her.”

“We may need to give Cass a bit of a warning. We were already joking about Beel eating her, but Preta is a whole different story. Given Lucifer’s added a new favorite person to his list along with Mammon, he wouldn’t take to kindly to her being eaten.”

Solomon pocketed the pack of cards as Satan took his seat and the final bell rung. They were in for a much more interesting semester than any of them had expected when Cass was first chosen. Hopefully it continued to be positive surprises.

---

“Never trust a demon.”

Cass kept thinking about Luke’s warning. When Luke had left the classroom, the calming aura he and Simeon had lingered. She wanted to hold them at arm’s length. Being angels didn’t make her immediately trust them. Both of them had a sincerity about them that made it hard not to though.

It reminded her of Lilith. Just like Lilith, Luke’s warning held some hidden knowledge that he wasn’t willing to share. She didn’t need his warning though. She didn’t need to know his reasoning behind it. She already distrusted Lucifer. Unlike his brothers, it always felt like he was playing a game, never revealing his hand even though everyone else’s cards were showing. Lucifer had a hidden card up his sleeve that he wasn’t sharing with his family.

A soft voice echoed through the room, startling her. Lilith was nowhere to be seen. Though Cass wouldn’t put it past the ghost to pull a prank, the voice was unfamiliar. She stood on her bed, trying to get closer to the vent.

“Someone, please, help me.”

The voice was just as faint. She could barely make on the words. Why was there someone calling for help? Was it another ghost that nobody could hear? Or was it something all the brothers were aware of and just learned to ignore? Well, she couldn’t sleep anyways.

Cass walked through the halls on her toes, praying to whatever higher power might be listening that she didn’t wake any of the brothers. She paused every so often to check that she could still hear the voice, letting it guide her towards the source.

When the voice was at its loudest, she realized the path was a dead end. She wasn’t even sure what part of the house she was in. She stood in a short hall that ended with a window. There was a large family portrait hanging on one wall, opposite was the only door. It wasn’t unlocked but it was only a closet for storage.

“Help! Please!”

“I’m trying,” Cass whispered, not sure if they could even hear her. “Maybe there’s another hall I missed?” She closed the closet door, ready to backtrack when Lilith appeared beside the family portrait. “About time you showed up. Want to give me a hint to how to find the person in the vents?”

Lilith laughed, tapping the edge of the painting. Cass gave her a skeptical look before inspecting the frame. No fucking way. She pushed the painting to the side revealing an indent from a hidden door. Of course, this creepy house would have hidden doors and secret passageways.

Luckily the picture was light despite the size. Cass pressed on the door, not sure how it opened. There was a click and the door swung backwards, revealing a small room with a stone, spiral staircase with an iron railing. Cass’s jaw dropped staring up into the darkness.

Before she could even take a step, a gloved hand wrapped around her wrist, and pulled her back. She suppressed a surprise scream. Lucifer’s ruby eyes glistened in the dark. A smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. It seemed he was just as surprised as Cass to find someone in the room.

“This is no place for humans, you need to go back to your room.” He stepped around her, blocking the way to the stairs. Lilith lounged on the stairs behind him, rolling her eyes at his warning.

“Okay,” Cass said.

Lucifer took a step towards her, expecting to follow her out. Before she second guessed herself, she rushed under his outstretched arm, towards the stairs. Within a second, Lucifer had pulled her back, wrapping his arms around her, constricting her movement. His breath ghosting over her ear as he chuckled softly.

“You are quite brazen. You do know that don’t you?”

“I figured at least saying the answer you wanted would help you save face,” Cass answered, failing to escape his grasp.

“I’m not giving you a choice, Cass. Go back to your room if you value your life. This is the Devildom after all, you need to follow certain rules to ensure your safety.” He let Cass go without warning, causing her to stumble out of the room. She turned around in time to see the door close behind her.

“What are you hiding, Lucifer?” She whispered, staring at the door.

#obey me #obey me oc #obey me fanfic #obey me lesson 2 #obey me spoilers #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me livi #obey me diavolo #obey me satan #obey me asmo #obey me beel #obey me barbatos #obey me lilith #obey me solomon #obey me belphie #obey me simeon #obey me luke

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eliotqueliot · 2 years ago

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Puzzling It Out

For the May 31 prompt: Free Day! for @duckprintspress May Trope Mayhem

Fandom: The Magicians (TV); Relationship: Eliot Waugh/Quentin Coldwater

Warnings for canon-typical language and grief/regret; the "canonical character death" is Eliot's death in the Mosaic Timeline.

Summary: A story in verse. Eliot’s POV, reflecting on their lives at the Mosaic, as well as what happened in the throne room afterward. Yes, their hearts were broken then—but in the course of these reflections, Eliot realizes a few things. And makes plans. So—there's hope!

Also posted on AO3—link at the end.

Puzzling It Out

Each night I dream of that puzzle—

fruits of the orchard, often our child—

but always that puzzle with you on it.

Crawling the playing board or pacing with me;

standing by, or perched on the ladder,

perusing the journal to compare solutions, or design new ones.

But always you, you, standing there,

frowning or excited for some new possibility,

or on your hands and knees working the tiles,

gazing up at me with mischief from under that fall of long hair.

“We work”—our hearts in harmony, more often than we fight,

but I’ll take both: anything to get a glimpse of you while you’re still mine,

sharing peaches and plums, peaches and plums,

that sweet tang, the juice running down your chin,

all over your fingers—licking it off,

tasting your sweet lips, your tart bite, the witty sarcasm, the fond embrace,

throwing you over my shoulder or lifting you high like an airplane on my long legs.

Your snark, your wit, your kindness.

Your muscles rippling on a hot, shirtless day.

I want to continue that life with nothing but you:

no other place I ever felt at home or happy.

But you were my home, you and our son.

Our whole lives stretched out, and we lived each day fiercely

with love, even through the fights.

And then it all ended: not with my death,

though I’m sorry I grieved you—

but with your decision to start over—

without asking what I wanted.

(To be fair, I was dead and couldn’t answer.)

You arranged for a letter to reach High Queen Margo,

arriving in time, with all the information she needed

to stop our quest from ever happening.

She arrived holding the key it took us a lifetime to earn—

a lifetime of love, of happiness—

our lives together, just us. An adventure

there’s no need to go on, now—

we stopped before the clock, before we ever felt magic again

or tasted each other’s lips a second time,

our first time alone following the threesome.

Everything we know says it never happened:

everything we feel says it did.

Was it a dream? Was it real?

Why did you want to stop us?

Did you want to escape a life of toil? Me?

Did you think that we’d just start over, fresh,

even though I don’t know how to do this?

Even though you erased the one time we had enough time

for me to learn how to work past my fears, to believe it was possible,

to trust that someone could actually love me?

I love you so much that I’m fucking terrified,

and I don’t know how to get there,

how to get home from inside this tangled wood,

never having lived those lives I loved so much,

where I loved you so much (so many times)—

where the certainty of your love

was so much greater than all my fears.

I want so badly to touch your face, but this is the world

in which I have no framework, no certainty,

nothing but my love for you that was never returned,

not for years, not for flirting or threesomes,

not as far as I ever knew.

And my heart stutters trying to speak—

Even though all I want to do is go home—

home to you, to our peaceful lives of purpose, our child,

the beauty of all life

(it’s you, you, you)—

But I never can, because home doesn’t exist,

not anymore. Because I said “I love you, but.”

And you said, “Okay.”

And Okay, I’d give anything to take back what else I said,

all those lies and excuses, just me running away—

but I’ll be honest. I was happy. We were happy.

We loved each other. We lived good, beautiful lives.

And I didn’t want to leave you. I didn’t want to die.

But I died loving you. Watching you, awed by your beauty even then,

even though you didn’t know it. I died knowing I was loved.

That we’d made it. I’d beat the odds. Lived a good life. Been a good dad.

Husband to the most wonderful man in the world. In any world.

A task so hard it seemed impossible in our lives before.

I never could have done it without you. Without that quest.

Our lives dedicated to endless combinations of art.

Focusing on something else

so I could pretend not to notice love sneaking up on me.

But I noticed. I noticed. I savored every minute.

I loved you so much. Long before I could say.

Long after I stopped being able to say, in this place we are now.

A quest so hard I’d have said it was impossible:

true love, happiness. A family.

We solved it together.

It was the miracle I never dared to hope for.

I died loving you. Being loved. Old. Home. Happy.

And now…it’s nothing but a memory.

A secret shared between us. But even we don’t dare to speak of it anymore.

If you’d asked me, love, before you sent that letter . . .

I didn’t want to come back. Not ever.

Not to be separated from you like this.

Not to have that hard uphill climb

that I might never achieve again, not with all these odds stacked against me—

two royal marriages to contend with, our fucked-up fairy overlords,

alcoholism, the burdens of the crown—

my inability to speak my heart.

(Your ongoing pull toward Alice Quinn.)

My paralyzing fear. Jealousy.

All the things, reasonable and un-,

that have separated us once again,

stranded on different worlds:

you on Earth, and I in Fillory.

But, love, I’ve been puzzling this out.

I’ve had time to think.

To sort out not what’s possible,

but what’s important—enough to make it happen.

I have a plan.

There are keys left on this quest.

And I’m not a king any longer.

Let’s find the next one together, shall we?

You know you want to.

I have a flying boat…

for that boat quest you always wanted to go on together?

This time, I promise you:

together, we’ll find one more key:

and on the way…

I’ll unlock my heart and say

Yes.

#may trope mayhem #duck prints press #eliot waugh #quentin coldwater #quentin x eliot #the magicians #queliot #queliot fanfic #mosaic #Episode 3x05 #A Life in the Day

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cherryblossomventi · 2 years ago

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Thoughts on the new ep plus hopes under the cut

So, Ruby’s original outfit is heavily inspired by her mother, as in they’re incredibly alike and of course, share the same symbol. Though it’s interesting that their weapons differ (Summer has an axe and Ruby has a scythe gun)

As far as we know, a hunter’s symbol is… well it’s kind of like the picture on a Care Bears stomach or the cutie mark on a pony’s flank in MLP, it’s their little symbol that lets them stand out in a crowd and says something about them. And Ruby has been carrying around her mothers symbol this entire time, something I don’t think we see ANYONE else doing. As far as I know, symbols aren’t passed down.

And now Ruby’s lost her symbol and she’s met the Blacksmith, she’s trying to figure out who she wants to be, who she is beyond being Ruby Rose, Summer’s daughter. (It makes me wonder how often she was told that she looked exactly like her mother and what that could’ve done to her)

My thoughts are a bit messy but… I think Ruby’s gonna get an updated design, with her very own new symbol. I think it’ll either be butterfly based or wolf based, but either way, I think it would be beautiful if Ruby stopped being the Ruby Rose who takes after her mother, and starts being Ruby Rose, the one and only.

She’s been making steps towards distancing herself from Summer appearance wise for a while, even if she doesn’t realize. Her new outfits have changed in ways that feel more like, well, herself, and the lasted design update had her change her hair. It’s messier now, no longer proper like Summer’s.

Ruby’s been living under the shadow of her mother since she was a baby, Red Like Roses part 2 details how Ruby even resents this fact, that her mother left her, and I believe someone mentioned how Ruby’s newer outfits contain elements from Pyrah and Penny. Which, if true, is pretty sad.

She’s constantly looking up to the dead, putting them on pedestals and emulating them because she doesn’t think she herself is enough.

I’ve been asking this question a lot in my posts for this volume, ‘who is Ruby Rose without her roses?’ And, I still want to know that.

I want to meet Ruby, just Ruby, not a rose, not an emulation of a dead woman. And I can’t wait to see who that is, who Ruby looks like without her roses, the Ruby who doesn’t try to be someone else.

Isn’t this exciting? This potential change? I may be wrong, Ruby might not change that much physically, but I can’t wait to see Ruby free of those rose bushes that have been weighing her down since she first appeared in the Red trailer all those years ago.

#rwby #rwby9 #rwby9 spoilers

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magnalean · 22 days ago

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Make Life Easier with a Great Looking Lean and Toned Body

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dfroza · 7 months ago

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Today’s reading from the ancient books of Proverbs and Psalms

for july 5 of 2024 with Proverbs 5 and Psalm 5, accompanied by Psalm 16 for the 16th day of Astronomical Summer, and Psalm 37 for day 187 of the year (with the consummate book of 150 Psalms in its 2nd revolution this year)

[Proverbs 5]

My son, stay focused; listen to the wisdom I have gained;

give attention to what I have learned about life

So you may be able to make sensible judgments

and speak with knowledge.

You see, the lips of a seductive woman speak honey-sweet words;

they are smooth like oil and enticing.

But in the end, she is bitter,

turning the stomach and rotting the soul;

she cuts as deep as a double-edged sword.

She leads you down a path that can only end in death;

her steps lead eventually to the grave.

She does not travel the road to life and truth.

She follows a wandering path—

a rocky, pit-filled road that twists and turns—and she doesn’t even know it.

So, my children, listen to me.

Do not stray from my advice.

Stay away from her, far away from her path;

don’t even go near her door

Unless you are ready to hand over your reputation to someone else,

unless you want to spend the rest of your years at the mercy of some cruel person.

If you do, strangers will help themselves to your wealth,

and everything you have worked hard to acquire will end up in someone else’s hands.

Your life will end with groanings of remorse, of opportunities missed,

and your flesh and bones will be eaten up with sorrow, regret for worthless efforts.

Then you’ll say, “Why did I hate being taught?

Why did I turn my back on correction?

I disregarded all that my teachers said to me;

I turned my ear away from my instructors!

Now I am on the edge of complete and utter ruin

in the midst of the community.”

Here’s what you should do to be satisfied:

go home and drink in the pleasures of your own cistern, your wife;

enjoy the sweet, fresh water that has been there all along, flowing from your own well.

Take care. Should your own springs, your body, be freely shared?

Should your streams of water satisfy anyone in the streets? Absolutely not!

They should be kept pure for you and you alone,

not for sharing with strangers.

May your fountain, your sex life, be blessed by God;

may you know true joy with the wife of your youth.

She who is lovely as a deer and graceful as a doe—

as you drink in her love,

may her breasts satisfy you at all times.

My son, why get caught up in some other woman

and embrace the breast of a stranger?

You see, the Eternal sees our ways before Him.

He watches every move we make and knows where those paths lead.

The wicked will be snared by their own wrongdoing.

Their flaws will tie their own hands, and they will be dragged through life by the cords of their sins.

Because they have no discipline, their spirits die and their bodies will soon follow;

because they are immensely foolish, they wander lost and confused.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 5 (The Voice)

A set of notes from The Voice translation:

People are easily seduced, especially men. Everyone is vulnerable to sexual sin at some point or another, and history is strewn with the wreckage that results when the path of adultery is followed: bitterness, death, instability, loss, ruin. Time and again, these are the consequences of violating God’s instruction.

Wisdom recognizes the beauty of sexual intimacy. After all, God designed us as sexual beings. But for physical intimacy to retain the beauty of its design, it must be shared wisely. It is meant to be shared with someone who is your own. In marriage two become one (Genesis 2:24), so they belong together and belong to each other. In that safe place of belonging, one finds fulfillment. So a husband or a wife must partake only of the partner’s body and love. To seek intimacy elsewhere is foolish.

[Psalm 5]

For the worship leader. A song of David accompanied by flutes.

Bend Your ear to me and listen to my words, O Eternal One;

hear the deep cry of my heart.

Listen to my call for help,

my King, my True God;

to You alone I pray.

In the morning, O Eternal One, listen for my voice;

in the day’s first light, I will offer my prayer to You and watch expectantly for Your answer.

You’re not a God who smiles at sin;

You cannot abide with evil.

The proud wither in Your presence;

You hate all who pervert and destroy what is good.

You destroy those with lying lips;

the Eternal detests those who murder and deceive.

Yet I, by Your loving grace,

am welcomed into Your house;

I will turn my face toward Your holy place

and fall on my knees in reverence before You.

O Eternal One, lead me in the path of Your righteousness

amidst those who wish me harm;

make Your way clear to me.

Their words cannot be trusted;

they are destructive to their cores.

What comes out of their mouths is as foul as a rotting corpse;

their words stink of flattery.

Find them guilty, O True God;

let their own devices bring them ruin.

Throw them out, and let them drown in the deluge of their sin,

for in revolt they brazenly spit in Your face.

But let those who run to You for safety be glad they did;

let them break out in joyful song.

May You keep them safe—

their love for You resounding in their hearts.

You, O Eternal, are the One who lays all good things in the laps of the right-hearted.

Your blessings surround them like a shield.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 5 (The Voice)

A note from The Voice translation:

The various psalms reflect nearly every human emotion: unbridled joy, deep-seated jealousy, seething anger, hope, and depression. These are only a few of the emotions behind the poetry we hear expressed in individual psalms. Feelings and emotions are central to what it means to be human. We cannot escape them nor should we. Psalms invites us to take the emotions we feel and bring them before God. This book models how to come before God in times of sadness, brokenness, and joy. Psalm 5 is a cry for help and a plea for guidance by a person who suffered at the hands of an enemy. It talks about the morning as the time to pray and listen for God to answer. Like many laments, it begins with a cry but ends in confidence.

[Psalm 16]

A prayer of David.

Protect me, God, for the only safety I know is found in the moments I seek You.

I told You, Eternal One, “You are my Lord,

for the only good I know in this world is found in You alone.”

The beauty of faith-filled people encompasses me.

They are true, and my heart is thrilled beyond measure.

All the while the despair of many,

who abandoned Your goodness for the empty promises of false gods, increases day by day.

I refuse to pour out blood offerings,

to utter their names from my lips.

You, Eternal One, are my sustenance and my life-giving cup.

In that cup, You hold my future and my eternal riches.

My home is surrounded in beauty;

You have gifted me with abundance and a rich legacy.

I will bless the Eternal, whose wise teaching orchestrates my days

and centers my mind at night.

He is ever present with me;

at all times He goes before me.

I will not live in fear or abandon my calling

because He stands at my right hand.

This is a good life—my heart is glad, my soul is full of joy,

and my body is at rest.

Who could want for more?

You will not abandon me to experience death and the grave

or leave me to rot alone.

Instead, You direct me on the path that leads to a beautiful life.

As I walk with You, the pleasures are never-ending,

and I know true joy and contentment.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 16 (The Voice)

[Psalm 37]

A song of David.

Don’t be worried with evil workers

or envy the gains of people with all-wrong-upside-down ways.

Soon enough they will wither like grass,

like green herbs fading in summer’s heat.

Believe in the Eternal, and do what is good—

live in the land He provides; roam, and rest in God’s faithfulness.

Take great joy in the Eternal!

His gifts are coming, and they are all your heart desires!

Commit your path to the Eternal; let Him direct you.

Put your confidence in Him, and He will follow through with you.

He will spread out righteousness for you

as a sunrise spreads radiance over the land;

He will deliver justice for you into the light of the high sun.

Be still. Be patient. Expect the Eternal to arrive and set things right.

Don’t get upset when you see the worldly ones rising up the ladder.

Don’t be bothered by those who are anchored in wicked ways.

So turn from anger. Don’t rage,

and don’t worry—these ways frame the doorway to evil.

Besides, those who act from evil motives will be cut off from the land;

but those who wait, hoping in the Eternal, will enjoy its riches.

You’ll see . . . the wicked won’t know what hit them;

you’ll blink, and they’ll be gone;

you’ll go out looking for them, but you won’t find them.

But the humble-hearted will inherit the land;

they will take pleasure in its peace and enjoy its abundance.

How that wicked man devises evil against God’s righteous ones!

He grits his teeth, consumed by hate for the upright.

But oh, how the Lord laughs at him!

He knows the wicked man will get his; the day is coming.

The wicked unsheathe their swords, pull taut their bows;

the poor and needy are their victims,

and evil is on the prowl to kill those with integrity, God’s beloved.

But their swords will bend back to pierce their own hearts—

yes, their bows will snap in two.

The righteous are better off with the little God blessed them with

than living under the curse of the wealth of the wicked.

Their time is short, their arms will be broken,

but the Eternal will hold His righteous children high.

All their days are measured and known by the Eternal;

their inheritance is kept safe forever.

When calamity comes, they will escape with their dignity.

When famine invades the nations, they will be fed to their fill.

But immoral ones will find their lives cut short;

they’ll vanish as quickly as wildflowers in the fields.

Yes, enemies of the Eternal will vanish

like smoke into the cool night air.

Evil people borrow and never repay their debts,

while the good give generously from their hearts.

For God’s blessed children will inherit the land,

but those cursed by Him stand to gain nothing.

If you are right with God, He strengthens you for the journey;

the Eternal will be pleased with your life.

And even though you trip up, you will not fall on your face

because He holds you by the hand.

Through my whole life (young and old),

I have never witnessed God forsaking those who do right,

nor have I seen their children begging for crumbs,

Because they are always giving and sharing;

truly, their children are a joyful blessing.

Walk away from evil. Do good

so you, too, will enjoy never-ending life

Because the Eternal cherishes justice

and will not abandon those loyal to Him.

He will guard and care for them forever,

but any child born of evil will be rooted out, cut down, and destroyed.

Those leading God-pleasing lives will inherit His land

and settle there forever.

Wisdom fills the mouth of the right-living;

justice and truth roll from their tongues.

The True God’s law is imprinted upon their hearts,

and they do not stumble.

The wicked stalk God’s good ones,

looking to kill them,

But the Eternal will never leave them to the dogs of evil,

nor will they be found guilty when the verdict is read.

Wait for the Eternal. Keep to His path. Mind His will.

He will come for you, exalt you; you will inherit the land.

Before your very eyes you will see the end of the wicked.

I passed by a wicked man with a cold-blooded nature;

I looked, and he seemed as large as a cedar of Lebanon.

But then again, I passed that same way and there was nothing left of him.

I went out looking for him, but he was nowhere to be found.

Keep your eye on the innocent. Model your life after the blameless.

Everyone who loves peace has a future.

But sinners will be doomed.

The forecast for the wicked: utter destruction.

There will be none left, not one child of darkness.

The Eternal saves His faithful;

He lends His strength in hard times;

The Eternal comes and frees them—

frees them from evildoers and saves them for eternity—

simply because they seek shelter in Him.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 37 (The Voice)

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