#Kingdom focus ministry

[aethon-recs]

Themed Rec List | Tomarrymort Recs by Horcrux ⚡👑🏆🔒💍

I wanted to put together a rec list of Harry/Tom fics with a core focus on horcruxes outside of Diary Tom (the most popular horcrux) and Voldemort himself. Please enjoy these 22 fics that feature one of Tom's horcruxes and their special relationship with Harry.

There’s a ton of interesting variation that can be explored within a Harry and horcrux Tom ship — from where the horcruxes are located and when Harry can conceivably meet them in canon (for example, the Cup horcrux is harder to access than the others); to what age they were made by Voldemort and how that would shape their personalities and interactions with Harry; to the different magical properties that they might embody, depending on the vessel that was chosen.

Finally, it looks like Scarcrux and Locket are the most popular choices (after Diary Tom), and we absolutely need more Cup horcrux fics!

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⚡ Scarcrux

Amensalism by @cindle-writes (E, 6k, complete)

Scarcrux becomes sentient after the encounter in the Ministry in Harry's 5th year and takes Harry for an adventure.

Bolide by @vdoshu (T, 3k, complete)

On October 31, 1981, a tiny piece of soul attaches himself to Harry Potter in order to survive. This is his story.

Creatures of the Dark we are by @hikarimeroperiddle (M, 28k, complete)

Banished to his cupboard at age 4, Harry learns to listen only to the Voice in his head. Its teachings warp all Harry could have become until no more than dark magic and devotion remains. Visions of a wraith with red eyes complicate matters, especially when Harry and the Voice follow it to Hogwarts so Master can get his hands on the Philosopher’s stone.

Eulogy by @meles-merrivale (E, 6k, complete)

You run through the things you have to do for the day. It is, admittedly, a very short list. Wake up. Be clean. Be ready. An empty life, some might call it. You don’t. It is the life He has given you, and so it is what you deserve.

last rites by @cindle-writes (E, 5k, complete)

Harry has an hour before he walks to his death in the Forbidden Forest. The horcrux in Harry’s scar decides to take matters into its own hands.

Look at me. by @crowcrowcrowthing (M, 1k, complete)

A dark night of the soul.

Pitch Black by @kagariasuha (E, 2k, complete)

The proximity of Horcruxes can influence anyone - especially Harry.

sandpaper kisses, paper cut bliss by @xodahafez (E, 27k, WIP)

Harry Potter survives the Killing Curse, but so does the horcrux within him. And this horcrux has been dangerously infatuated with Harry for seventeen years.

saw you in a dream by @duplicitywrites (E, 2k, complete)

Harry has had this dream before.

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👑 Diadem

A peculiar way of fitting together by @being-luminous (T, 2k, complete)

“Aren’t you going to ask me why I’m wearing a diadem?”

Dance Me On and On by @duplicitywrites (E, 19k, complete)

In his first year at Hogwarts, Harry overhears Quirrell interrogating Binns about an artifact from over a thousand years ago. Five years later, Harry uncovers Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem in the Room of Requirement and finds himself pulled into a kingdom in the throes of a mysterious masquerade ball.

In Just a Moment, You’ll Be Mine by @dividawrites (E, 34k, WIP)

Tom has been stuck inside the Ravenclaw's Diadem for decades, alone, with nothing but his slowly fading memories. One day he feels a pull towards someone and gets interested. And then he gets obsessed.

Death is not an Escape by @whitepinkdandelions (T, 2k, complete)

The Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw is full of endless wisdom, so it only makes sense that it gets its hooks into Harry much faster than the rest of them.

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🏆 Cup

Thirst by @obsidianpen (E, 27k, complete)

Things go awry when the trio beaks into Gringotts. Harry finds himself trapped, locked in the Lestrange vault, wandless and alone... With a horcrux.

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🔒 Locket

Arson by @rudehellion (M, 8k, complete)

The hunt for Voldemort's Horcruxes is going poorly. In need of some space to think, Harry offers to take the first watch over camp and slips out into the snowy night. Unable to shake his dark thoughts, Harry finds himself drifting and he begins to dream. What he sees changes everything.

knock it off (part 1) / crave gets slaked (part 2) by @theonceandfuturequeenoftarts (E, 6k, complete)

At some point during Harry's time with the Dursleys, pain got crossed with affection. A kick from Dudley or having his arm yanked by Uncle Vernon at least means they’re acknowledging his existence. It’s not love, but it’s something. Too bad for Harry he carries that through to his less dysfunctional relationships.

The Cost by Blood_Stained_Fingers (M, 8k, complete)

The cost of making a horcrux was steep and when Voldemort manages to kill Harry, destroying the horcrux within, Harry finds out the exact price of losing a piece of your soul. It made a cruel joke that if Voldemort loved his horcruxes, Harry should love them too.

The Dead of Night by @cybrid (E, 6k, complete)

An empty house. A glint of gold. A dream. Or: running away from Privet Drive goes terribly for Harry.

The Ties That Bind by @mosiva (E, 8k, complete)

Harry finds the locket at Grimmauld Place, but it has a curse laid on it. When Harry triggers it, he finds himself trapped with the locket version of Tom Riddle, both of them stuck within the enchantment until they can find the way out. Or so Harry thinks.

Whole by Emriel (E, 20k, complete)

The horcrux hunt goes wrong and Harry fails to destroy the locket horcrux. Tom Riddle hands him over to the Dark Lord as a present for they know he holds part of their soul. In their care, Harry learns that feelings, no matter how toxic, are hard to get rid off.

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💍 Ring

Personal Assistant by @phantomato (E, 10k, complete)

“And that’s it? I call ‘Tom’ and you show up?” “Yes,” Tom answers.

shelter from the storm by @cindle-writes, @duplicitywrites (E, 7k, complete)

After being left behind by the Dursleys, Harry stumbles upon an empty shack in the middle of nowhere, where he finds a mysterious ring underneath the loose floorboards.

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[honimello]

Instant Crush//Possum Kingdom

Stalker!Cardinal Copia x Sister of Sin!Reader

Summary: He’s been watching you for so long, he can’t wait any longer. He has to have you. (Loosely inspired by the songs Instant Crush by Daft Punk ft. Julian Casablancas, and Possum Kingdom by the Toadies.)

Words: 4,955

Warnings: NSFW 18+, DLDR; Dead Dove‼️intense voyuerism, stalking, obsession, kidnapping, dubious consent/noncon, copia is an unreliable narrator, innocence kink, outcast/evil copia x popular reader slightly cliche, PiV, masturbation, severe stockholm syndrome, mention of lactation

A/N: I don’t know if I would say this is the most intense fic out there but i think it would still be good to put the dead dove do not eat warning on here lol also thought of the ministry having catacombs like halfway through the fic and now i can’t stop thinking about how cool that would be lol

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“And we will never be alone again… Kinda counted on you being a friend, can I give it up or give it away?” // “Make up your mind, and I’ll promise you I will treat you well, my sweet angel.”

He doesn’t know how it got to this point. The Cardinal can just barely see himself in the reflection of the window pane in front of him, but how can he focus on his own practically-drooling visage when he can watch what’s on the other side of the glass?

Copia knows he shouldn’t watch, but he can’t really help it anymore. He really doesn’t know how it got to this point, watching you bent over your bed with an undeserving Brother of Sin. It would make his blood boil if he didn’t love the sight of it so much. You look so beautiful like this, ass pressed up against this rugged Brother, your sweet little face scrunched up in pleasure. Oh, if only it were him making you feel like that. He’s just glad someone’s doing it, even if it’s not him. At least he gets to watch.

Copia’s cock begins to tent his cassock just a little more as a muffled moan of yours floats through the cracked window sill. How divine, he thinks, why would such an angel spend their time in a pit of demons? This was the fourth Sibling you’d been with this week, and he just can’t seem to wrap his head around it. You’re such a sweet little thing, and they are always so dirty.

His train of thought is cut short when he realizes your big, innocent eyes are locked on his own. He can feel his heart sink all the way to his feet. You look scared. Yet, you don’t say anything to your partner, just continue to stare into his lustful, depraved gaze. He can’t quite tell what sort of expression is on your face other than shock and fear, but there’s something else indistinguishable mingled in there. It’s not until you arch your back and your eyes roll back into your skull that he knows— arousal is hot in your gaze and it’s bringing you over the edge.

It’s like watching a tsunami, or, more relevantly, an angel fall to earth. It’s breathtaking in so many different ways. He can’t help it when his cock twitches, his cassock becoming unbearably sticky. You’re just so beautiful like this, he doesn’t even need to touch himself.

Copia watches on as your partner cleans only himself up and leaves you on the bed with a halfhearted promise to return at a later date, but you couldn’t care less. How long had he been watching you now? The Cardinal tries to recall when this all started.

You were new to the Ministry but had quickly become a sort of people’s princess. Everyone loved you, especially Copia. You had enchanted him with your big eyes and sweet demeanor. Although, it was never directed towards him, he was quite used to this and hadn’t expected any sort of kindness from you. He knew he didn’t deserve it. He had spent his whole life manipulating and fighting his way to where he was now, but soon he wouldn’t be just a Cardinal anymore.

People knew to tread carefully with him, they thought him disgusting and frightful. A part of him was glad for this, it made his job easier. There was a reason everyone called him the Rat and it wasn’t because of his defined nose. If someone were in his way, he wouldn’t hesitate to ruin their lives to come out on top. He’s a liar, a snitch, a traitor, a backstabber, a Brutus, a Judas, if you will.

Ah, yes. Now he remembers. It was fall, he had just finished teaching his Latin class. He was locking up the class room, the night sky shining down on him from a nearby window. A chill ran through his spine. He could hear you, you’re short heels clicked on the linoleum in a strange and specific way that was unique to you. He had been casually watching you in the past week of you being there, any time he found himself in your presence he couldn’t look away.

And here you were, you had stopped in your tracks the second you noticed him. He could practically smell the fear on you, so as he turned to face you, he tried to keep a neutral expression. Even then he knew he didn’t want to scare you, not like how he scares the others. No, he wanted to scare you in a different way. A way that makes you clench your thighs together and beg for release.

“Hello, Sorella.” He said, watching you carefully. You were stiff, like maybe just the sight of him alone had turned you into a statue. He looked off to the side, where he presumed you were heading to. “Ah, on your way to my fratello, eh?”

Terzo’s office was just down the hall from his, and of course a beautiful Sister of Sin like you would visit him late into the night. He saw you fidget where you stood, you stared at your shoes in fear of meeting his eyes. Your voice came out wavering and hushed.

“N-no, il mio Cardinalé. I was on my way to see you.” Your voice was so soft he almost thought he misheard you for a second, but no, oh no, he hadn’t. Now he’s nervous. What could you possibly want to do with him? He was afraid if he thought too much about it he might pitch a tent in his very revealing, tight pants. Seemingly, to spare him, you continued. “Sister Imperator gave me some paperwork she meant to give you in the meeting this morning. She said it was important.”

You held out the stack of papers with a shaking hand, and he couldn’t stop himself from brushing his gloved fingers against yours as he took it from you. Your eyes were so wide, staring up at him with such fear and reverence. And even after he thanked you and you had walked away, he stood in the hallway dreaming of that look.

Yes, this was when he had started following you. From this point on he couldn’t stand it when you were out of his sight, he had to know where you were and who was giving you the pleasure you deserved. So, as he snapped out of his daydream in the hall, he stalked off into the Ministry corridors.

The Cardinal did his best to stay quiet as he caught glimpses of you turning corners and weaving in between the Ministry’s ornate marble pillars. He followed you into the dorm wing, hesitating just around the corner so he could take note of which door you entered. The butterflies in his belly became more and more present as he realized just how lucky he was. Your room was at the very end of the hall, directly next to an exit, and he knew for a fact that there was a window peering into your room.

He exited the wing, and came face to face with what would soon become a sort of second home to him. A bench directly under the window to your room. Copia cupped his hands around his eyes as he pressed his forehead into the window, trying his best to see into the room with how dark it was. A breeze racked its way through his body, but he warmed up fast when he saw you exit from your bathroom.

Steam spilled from the little room, you had started a shower. His heart began to race, you were grabbing a robe from your dresser. Were you about to?— Oh, yes. Yes, you were. You had pulled your habit right over your head after removing your wimple, the vision in front of him could only be likened to holiness. A beautiful angel, clad in dark lace and nylon. You bent forward, presenting your full ass to him, you rolled down your stockings and pulled them off your legs.

The mirror on your dresser gave him the perfect view of your front as well. It sent a jolt of terror through him though, when he had noticed the window reflected perfectly in the mirror, but it seemed your curtains hid him from view. He heaved a sigh, watching as your hands skimmed over your tits, plucking each bra strap and letting them snap back against your skin. He could see the little flinch you made each time you did it, it had him twitching in his pants.

Finally, you slid the straps off your shoulders and reached behind you to unlatch the bra entirely. It fell to the floor unceremoniously, giving him a full view of your chest. And what a view it was, his hand skimmed its way down to his crotch, palming at his hot erection. Your breasts were soft and caught the beautiful glow of the candle on your dresser like an oil painting.

He didn’t have much time to admire you before your hands made their way down to your panties, playing with the band resting on your full hips. You slid them down your legs, bending over once more. Your cunt was slick and glistening in the candlelight. He started to drool. He hadn’t felt lust like this in quite some time, his work had taken the forefront of his attention. But now? You were the only thing he could think of, work wasn’t even a thought anymore.

You slinked off into the bathroom, finished undressing, and he wondered if you would touch yourself in the shower. He wished there was a window in there too.

That night, as he lay in his bed, wet cock in hand, he imagined what it would be like to touch you, to shower with you.

And even as he sits outside your window now, he still wonders what it would be like to give you the pleasure he so desperately wants to give you. Watching you with your little toys and your inconsistent partners can only satiate him so much.

You lay in your bed, covers pulled all the way up to your nose, still staring at him. You look so enticing. He’s not sure he’ll be able to stop himself anymore. A couple weeks ago he had found a way to unlock the window from the outside. He had taken his fair share of your dirty panties from your hamper, and now… Now he wanted to take something else.

His lithe hand creeps down to where he knows the window is cracked open, the latch never quite closed fully, and if he could wiggle his finger underneath he could push the latch off completely. So, he did. The expression on your face makes him hard again, the squish of the cum staining his cassock is barely a thought to him with how strained his cock is once more. He sees tears well up against your long eyelashes.

He starts to shush you, trying to comfort you as he slowly slides the window up. He bends his head down, and slinks into your room. Soon, Copia is standing next to your bed. You haven’t moved an inch, though the tears have slid down your plump cheeks. He doesn’t know what to say, he wants you to feel better. He wants you to come back with him to his chambers. He wants you all to himself.

Only now does he realize he’s said this aloud. This snaps you out of your paralysis and you lunge for the door to your dorm. He’s much bigger than you though, and he’s caught you within seconds of your attempt. He presses your naked body close to him, you try to claw at his arms and scream but his thick hand has clamped over your mouth.

“Shh, shh, angioletto mio… You don’t need your little playthings anymore, bravetta, you have me now.” He presses his lips against your ear and whispers to you, pressing sporadic little kisses to the shell of your ear in between his words. “Shh, shh…”

Copia rubs his face into your soft hair, his voice rumbling like a cat. You continue to try and wiggle your way out, but he just slowly pulls you down to the ground, arms encasing your entire upper torso in a tight grip. He’s finally caught you and he’s not letting you go.

He continues to shush you, his voice a mix of comforting and terrifying. He gently presses you down into the floor, your body now lain flat, face pressed into the ground.

“Don’t move, little one. Your Cardinalé needs to do something.”

Your heart plummets to your stomach at the insinuation, but thankfully, he steps away from you and walks over to your dresser. You think of making another break for the door, but you know he would just catch you again so you decide to play the obedient role for now. He appreciates this as he pulls two long, thick ribbons from your dresser drawer. He had seen you play with another Sibling with these before and he had fantasized about them since.

Now, he can finally use them on you, like he has a wanted for quite some time now. He stalks back over to your body, straddling your hips and trying not to think of how good it feels for your plush ass to be pressed up against his balls. His fingers wrap around each of your wrists and he binds you with the red ribbon. It’s tight and inescapable. He moves down your legs and does the same with your ankles.

As he goes to stand above you, your little voice stops him in his tracks.

“C-Cardinalé?” Oh, the waver in your voice makes him feral. He’s so glad he could give you such a beautiful tremor. He hopes he’s riling you up just as much as you are to him.

“Sí, bravetta?”

“…”

You squirm under him, the sight of your breasts squished up against the floor is driving him insane. What soft nipples, he thinks, if only I had the time to worship them now. He nudges your hip with the tip of his dress shoe, urging you to continue as he’s sure he only has so much time to get you back to his chambers.

“I-I’m so scared, il mio Cardinalé.” Copia kneels back down, carding his fingers through your hair as he presses up against you once again. He gently lays kisses on your shoulder, his mustache tickling your skin.

“Oh, piccolo angialetto mio, there’s no need to be afraid. Shh, just relax now…” His hand rustles around in his cassock for a few seconds, making your blood run cold, but he pulls out a thick leather strap and fastens it against your mouth, effectively muffling any sound that may come out.

He pulls you off the floor, and carries you bridal style out of your room and through the exit he knew so well.

The entrance to the Ministry’s catacombs was a little bit into the edge of the woods near the gardens, not far from where your room had been. Sister Imperator had given him the long-abandoned chamber within the catacombs when he had become a bishop. The last tenant used to care for the burial sights down there, but after his death the entirety of the catacombs has been left untouched.

Sister had offered Copia an upgrade within the upper clergy chamber hall but he had declined, he’s grown fond of the stench of death.

So, as he pushes the large wooden doors open with his back, he encourages you to close your eyes. Many of the coffins and effigies were open or broken apart, and he would hate for you to see something so grotesque. He wants you calm and comfortable down here.

He traverses the old stone steps down into the ground, the old torches had been updated to be electric, the fuzzy warm light has always looked so cozy to him. Even as it reflects off the cold, stone walls. His chambers are down a few more twists and turns, you try to memorize them but it quickly becomes hard to remember. It dawns on you that maybe only the Cardinal knows how to traverse these caverns.

Copia comes at a stop in front of a large, heavy door, he sets you down gently on the freezing stone floor to unlock it with a skeleton key. He pushes it open far enough that he can carry you through safely.

There’s a large, extravagant bed in the middle of the room. All the furniture in the room seems to be Victorian, and of the same set. It looks much more comfortable than the rest of the catacombs. He strides over to the bed and lays you down on the soft covers, turning back to the door to lock it.

Copia watches as your chest rises and falls rapidly, the realization that you’re completely alone with him now dawns on you both. You’re trapped, he could do whatever he wanted now. He could do everything he’s dreamed of. But first, he has to make sure you really can’t escape. He had bought a collar and leash quite some time ago when he had first had the idea to bring you here.

The sight of it makes you wail, though the sound is muffled by leather. As he leans forward to fasten the collar, you try to scoot away but it’s not enough. He has you collared within the next second, and he slides his fingers down the chain leash, pulling it up to the bed post closest to you. He wraps it around the post and locks it in place.

“Hm… There. How does that feel, piccolo angialetto mio?” He unties the leather strap from your mouth, letting all the little gasping sounds you’ve been making float through the still air of his chambers.

“P-please, please, Cardinalé, please, let me go.” You beg, hyperventilating and whimpering. He’s a little disappointed in you, such a sweet, obedient thing and yet you can’t answer a simple question? Maybe he needs to ask it again.

His gloved hand sidles up against your throat. He gives it an experimental little squeeze making your eyes widen in fear. His gaze is like looking into the sun: wide, bright, and burning. He never looks away for a second.

“I said. How. Does. It. Feel?”

You know you have to answer him.

“I-it…It’s okay, Cardinalé… It doesn’t hurt.” You pray to Lucifer that that’s what he wants to hear. It seems it is, as his hand loosens its grip and slowly, softly, slides down your clavicle and ghosts over your breasts. His eyes are wild and deranged, you can see spit gathering against his bottom lip as he ogles your chest. His fingertip traces the shape of your breast, then comes back up to gently rub your nipple. Guilt and shame burns in your belly as a little involuntary moan escapes your throat.

His eyes snap up to yours… He liked that. You can see the urgency in his face, he wants you to do it again. His fingers circle your nipple once more, and it’s so sensitive. Your cunt isn’t on your side, it’s slick and aching. You bite your lip to hold back any other sound that may sneak out. It seems he likes this just as much.

Copia leans even closer to you, his lips ghosting over the skin of your tit. His mustache tickles as he hovers just over your stiff nipple. The tip of his tongue inches out, grazing against your areola. His spit is hot and dries cold, making you shiver in the warm light of his chambers. What is wrong with you? How could you possibly be turned on by this right now?

You had noticed how he was always around, always hanging on your every word even if they weren’t being said to him. You had wondered if he truly was watching you, and tonight you had finally seen him. But it didn’t scare you as much as you thought it would. In fact, it had driven you mad. The sight of him drooling and humping the air as he watched you getting railed, it had done things to you. It made the cock in your pussy almost redundant as you spasmed and creamed all over it.

The thought of having Copia’s cock to cum on flashes in your mind, doing nothing to stop you from giving in to him. His mismatched eyes look up at you reverently, he starts to suck gently on your tit, letting out little whimpers and moans as he does so. His hand trails down your belly, on a certain path to your flushed and pulsing clit.

Any effort to refuse him has gone out the window, you have no idea how long you’re going to be here with him. It would do you no good to pretend you don’t like it as much as he does. Moans spill from your lips as his gloved fingertip gently presses against your clit. He draws little circles on the hot bud, making it twitch and pulse. You whisper his name in poorly contained ecstasy.

He shushes you once more in a placating gesture, his hot tongue laving over your nipple. You’ve had many partners over the years, but none of them felt like this. His hot mouth is what you imagine Hell must be like for the most devout of Satanists.

He continues his ministrations, vaguely wondering if he could get you to lactate if he treats your teat kind enough. He trails his tongue over to your other nipple to give it some much needed attention, and his cock jumps when you let out an airy gasp, your bound arms twitching in place. He suddenly realizes then that you’re still tied up at the wrists and ankles and a wave a guilt washes over him.

“Oh, piccolina, I’m sorry. Let me free you.” He pulls his mouth away from your tit, making you whine in protest. He sneaks his hand under your body, untying the ribbon as fast as he can and turning down to your ankles to untie that ribbon as well. It feels good to spread your arms out next to you and let your legs fall open for your Cardinal.

“What a beautiful girl.” He whispers in praise, his hand sliding back in between your legs. Your fingers toy with the grucifix hanging from his chest as he plays with your clit once more, suddenly it doesn’t feel so fair that you’re naked and he’s not.

“Copia?” You whisper breathlessly, catching his attention immediately. He mindlessly rubs your clit as he faces you with a quizzical expression.

“Sí, bravetta?” His voice has grown husky and his right pupil is blown wide while the other stays the same as it always does. He looks worried, like he’s done something wrong which feels morbidly ironic to you and you can’t help but let out a quiet giggle.

“Will you undress, il mio Cardinalé? I want to see you.” Your desperate voice betrays your neediness, and he looks almost smug at how well he’s riled you up. He barely has any room in his head for any insecure thoughts that crop up, his only thought being to make you happy. So, he pulls his hand away once more, though to start unbuttoning his cassock now.

He gets it about midway to his belly before he starts to pull it off his shoulders and let it fall to the ground. What greets you is freckled shoulders and hairy pecs hidden by a white tank top, and his signature tight, red pants.

His cock looks huge straining against the fabric, it makes your mouth water in anticipation. There’s a little wet spot where you assume the tip is, and it somehow makes you even slicker than before. His nimble fingers start to undo his pants, pulling out the tucked in tank top and tossing it over his head. With his pants fully unbuttoned, he takes a glance at you and sees that you’re transfixed. It looks as if you’ve been put under a spell, watching intently as he fumbles around to try and pull his pants down and off his legs.

His dick is even more pronounced in the tight black briefs he wears, it looks about as thick as your wrist and as long as your belly button to your clit. He looks at you hesitantly, like he’s not sure if you truly want to see all of him but there’s nothing more you want in this moment, not even escape.

He pulls the gloves off his hands, finger by finger, drawing it out as much as possible. Just so he can drink in the desperate look on your face, he knows he won’t have much resolve to tease you once it starts. His newly bare fingers slip down his pudgy, fuzzy belly and hook under the band of his briefs. He strains the band and lets it snap against his skin like he’d seen you do with your bra straps, and he watches intently as you let little gasps out each time he does it.

Copia pulls the band down, revealing his bush with every slow inch. The sight of the base of his cock takes your breath away, and soon enough the entire thing has flopped out and smacked against his belly. It’s monstrous. You want it like nothing else. It suits him.

He crawls over you and straddles you then pulls your legs around his hips, letting the tip of his flushed cock rest ever so gently against your throbbing clit. You whine and squirm, gripping the covers below you and he tuts gently.

“Patience, piccolina.” He warns, but both of you know there’s no real danger behind it. This is better than anything he could’ve imagined, why would he get upset with you for being just as eager as he is?

His cock catches against your aching hole as he tries to rub your clit with it and it makes you both gasp. He lets out a drawn out moan as the tip pushes gently against your cunt, it pops and slides in about an inch and he can’t seem to catch his breath. It’s been so long it feels like it’s the first time, and maybe it should be because no one has ever been like you. Sí, he thinks, this’ll be my new first time.

Just his tip sits nestled in your heat and it starts to make you feel fuzzy and needy, you start to whisper incoherent pleas. He knows what you need but he needs to take this in just for a few seconds longer, so he brings his thumb up to rub against your clit. You’re both moaning like desperate whores, and he can’t help the whimpers that fall from his lips whenever he feels you clench down on him.

He starts to slide in further, you’re so wet it feels like there’s no resistance at all. It feels like home to him, like this is where he really belongs. Here with you, in you and around you. He falls forward to rest on his elbows above you. His hips start to rock gently against you, pushing in further and further with each thrust.

“I-I love you, angialetto mio.” He whispers against your lips, pressing kiss after kiss on them. “I have loved you for so long.”

“I know, Cardinalé… Mmm, yes, just like that.” You groan as the head of his cock starts to nudge against that spot inside of you, pulling you closer and closer to the edge. “I-I… Oh, Copia, I love you too.”

You don’t know what’s come over you. You’re not in the right headspace, you never would’ve said that before. But maybe that’s okay, you think, maybe this is where I’m meant to be. You pull him closer, pressing your chests together and kissing him deeper. His tongue asks entrance into your mouth and you let it, you explore each others tongues as he fucks into you faster.

The sound of your wet bodies slapping against each other and the moans let out between breaths is the only thing that can be heard in the chambers, and as he continues to pick up speed and depth it feels like you just might scream. He’s hitting all the right places, rubbing all the right spots and your eyes roll back into your head. His face is scrunched up in concentration and pleasure, his sweat dripping down onto your own sweaty skin.

“Oh, bravetta, I’m so close.” He whimpers pathetically and he brings his hand back down to rub tight circles on your clit once more, aiming to push you over the edge with him.

“Yes! Yes! Copia, please!” You’re almost there too, your breathing is short and fast as your heart thumps in your chest, your clit throbbing. His thumb nudges the very tip of your clit and that’s what does it. It feels like molten lava has spilled over you from your head to your toes as he grunts loud and jerks his hips forward once, twice, and a third final time as he unloads deep inside you. Your walls spasm around his thick cock in ecstasy and soon enough the reality of the situation starts to set in.

You don’t know how long you lay there silently gazing off but when you come back, Copia has cleaned you both up and wrapped you up in the covers. He is gazing at you lovingly and it makes you sick to your stomach. There’s no getting out of here is there?

You wait til he falls asleep to cry.

“Now I thought about what I wanna say, but I never really know where to go. So, I chained myself to a friend.” // “Give it up to me, give it up to me. Do you wanna be my angel?”

——

[firefly-ghoul]

BEACH DAY WITH THE GHOULS + COPIA!

I have been so excited to share this! It took waaaay longer than expected the write. I’m so sorry for the long wait but here it is!

Rain

This fish is running to the water as soon as they arrive at the beach. He is so excited to be at the beach seeing how he in a saltwater ghoul. He also brought his surfboard with them, eagerly anticipating riding the waves. After he gets his fill of surfing he heads to deeper waters. He dives down and just chills on the sea floor for a few minutes. They find all sorts of stuff on the sea floor like kelp, starfish, urchins, crabs, fish and sea anemones. Eventually he returns to the shore with many shiny stones. He gives everyone these little stones

Phantom

Phantom Is just digging giant hole. Not a small one inch deep hole, it’s one that you can full on climb in. Phantom’s got a shovel and a dream of finding treasure and that’s all he needs. And the shovel isn’t one of those dinky little plastic shovels He actually stole one of the real garden shovels from the ministry. Phantom does eventually have to stop digging for treasure after copia got on to him about the giant hole being a safety hazard. He sulks for a few minutes before joining Sodo in making a sand castle. His off getting buckets of water whenever sodo needs some for the castle mote and building material such as shells, sea weed, and rocks.

Sodo

Sodo is here for one thing and one thing only, and that is to build the perfect sand castle. He has a tiny shovel and a bucket beside him, and his focus is unparalleled. He even built a big mote with the help of phantom. Soon he and phantom noticed cirrus and mountain building a sand castle not too far from them. The second sodo sees them the competition is on. He starts making a hole ass sand kingdom. The war is vicious as the two sand kingdoms fight vigorously.

Cirrus

Cirrus originally was swimming / floating with the other ghouletts sitting in matching tubes, fruity drinks in hand, Just chitchatting. But then out of the corner of her eye she noticed sodo and phantom making a sand castle and thought “I am going to go cause chaos”and immediately got to work. Cirrus now is building an elaborate sand kingdom with Mountain who she somehow convinced to help her. She lays out the plan for their kingdom and they are determined to outdo Sodo and Phantom.

Mountain

Don’t get mountain wrong he loves beach trips, he really does! He however doesn’t like all the sand that sticks to his skin. He does enjoy seeing all the other ghoul having a blast. Eventually though the sounds of the beach make him sleepy. he closes his eyes. He listens to the waves cashing against the sand. The sounds of his pack mates excitement, the birds chirping. But soon his peace is interrupted when cirrus walks over where he is lounging. She asks him to help her make a sand castle. He tries to turn down her offer until she uses his weakness against him…forehead kisses! so after that he reluctantly joins her in the sand war. After an hour and a half of non stop kingdom building they get bored.. yeah they get bore! It’s the mont anticlimactic end but you can’t blame them they don’t have that good of a attention span, it’s lucky they even made it this far. but eventually they come to a truce. And after the all that hullabaloo mountain finally can take his peaceful beach nap.

Aurora

She starts out the day tube floating with the ghoulettes until cirrus left to start some drama. The rest of the group dissolve not long after that to do there own things. Aurora ends up doing all kinds of crafts. She brought paint with her and is painting on sea shells that a given to her and, ones she finds. She’s making cute little sun catcher with sea glass, sea shells, and driftwood. Aurora also makes some seashell candles with the help of sodo once he’s done with his sand war. She’s got him to heat up the wax while she put wicks in the shells. Ones she crafts till her harts content she gets in the water again and starts playing Marko polo with the other ghouls.

Cumulus

Cumulus brought a hand full of books and has layed out a beach towel in the perfect sun bathing spot. She made sure to bring a horror mystery book that cirrus lent her earlier that week. She lies on her towel, occasionally glancing up to enjoy the view. She especially loves listening to an ocean waves as she reads. After she fishes the book she goes and takes a dip to cool down. She later joins Aurora in collecting sea glass and shells, contributing tidbits she finds interesting to Aurora's crafts.

Swiss

Swiss is playing volleyball with anybody who joins. Multiple ghouls throughout the day play a couple of games before needing a break from the direct sun. All except sodo (when he joins him) who is enjoying the sun just as much as Swiss. Once he gets bored of volleyball he’s running to the water and challenging anyone to a chicken fight. Eventually he convinces sodo rain and cirrus to join him. Rain on cirrus shoulders, and sodo on Swiss’s shoulders. It was a vicious battle but eventually he and sodo won three out of five. They both were super obnoxious about their win the rest of the day.

Copia

Copia is siting on his beach chair under his umbrella relaxing with big shades on. Every now and again a ghoul will come bring him a trinket and he’ll obviously act like . He’s got a pile of shells painted and not, sand dollars, sea glass, driftwood, pretty rocks and a couple small fish rain hunted for him. He also has a trash bag full of plastic and other litter the ghouls had picked up. He periodically look up to make sure the ghouls haven’t gotten them selfs in to trouble. And he most certainly will have to get the ghouls out of trouble, be it phantom and his treasure hunt, or rain catching to many fish. But overall copia would say is was a successful beach day

[aoimeru14]

I'm usually more calm about this sport, but today's race makes me want to sort of rant (and hear what y'all think)...

Serious question, do you genuinely think that McLaren actually has a strategy? (Any kind of strategy) (Please comment on it, I'm genuinely curious to hear your thoughts)

No, because now I'm starting to think that they just play Jenga during the briefing and then tell the drivers "Do what you want, you are your own man now. But remember, Papaya Rules" and then proceed to play Galaga at the pitwall during the race.

I'm saying this because even if McLaren objectively has the best car/drivers combo on the grid, it seems like they still don't have a plan on how to use it and what they want to achieve with it. (Like, today they achieved results just because the drivers aren't tractor drivers) (and no, it's not the same as Ferrari. They have clear goals, just poor strategies, from time to time, for achieving them)

You think they learned after Hungary, but no.

You think they came to a resolution after everyone, especially their direct competitors, told them about WDC, but no.

Today none of the pit calls made sense (most of them were just plain data feeding/asking for feedback) and this leaves me wondering:

"why I still cannot figure out what they want to do with this 2024 season in terms of strategy/goals?"

(Also, they clearly don't have a clue on how to start p1-p2).

Italy Sky sports commentators seem to think just like me because they kept asking the same question to everyone on the grid.

Am I really the only one who saw today as an easy p1-p2? Like, everyone was so confused/slow during the race and the drivers were clearly left by their own devices...

In the realm (of dreams) in which a strategy/goal actually existed, then the pitwall should have done more, in my opinion. They should have given more clear instructions to both drivers, especially before the actual race...

Yes, i'm also (but not only) talking about that risky, premature and overly aggressive pass in lap 1 at the chicane.

NO, it is not Oscar's fault, he just wanted to prove that he is a good driver. We know sweetie. You still have a lot to learn and today it showed. The fault is on the ones who instructed him, a rookie, that he COULD do it so aggressively and early in the race, risking both of the cars like that. (Thank you Lando for braking and saving it)

No, really, If that's what they are cooking for winning WCC then, oh boy. We are screwed.

Let's remember the clownery of: "Yes, we don't have a first driver, that's toxic behaviour. We let them race each other".

Yes, I agree.

You have a really good lineup so, why not? BUT there must be limits, for god's sake... There must be a strategy behind it. Look at what could have happened to BOTH cars... IN LAP 1.

That 1v1, so early in the race, didn't make sense strategy wise (and, in fact, just helped to open a position for Ferrari to slide in. Very "Ministry of Defense of the Papaya Kingdom" behaviour from everyone involved).

It was clear that today Piastri was feeling it, even more than Norris. He could have had all of the laps in the world to challenge Lando AFTER they secured a P1-P2 by distancing themselves from the Ferraris...

Also, why on earth do they still ask the drivers "Are we still on plan A or B?"... Guys, it's your job, YOU HAVE ALL THE DATA IN FRONT OF YOUR NOSE... YOU are the one who should know if your drivers are in a position in which they can safely do two pits or just focus on one and manage the tyres (yes, I'm positive that that was the full extent of the two impossible-to-decipher master plans... Call them MI5).

To quote Max Verstappen: "Can people in the background please be awake? it's important."

Speaking of the data... I unfortunately also think that the real reason behind why they had to rely so much on the drivers for feedback was also because they didn't harvest enough data for the medium (and so, acquiring solid data concerning the race pace) during free practice. From what I saw they preferred the soft all friday, obviously for a perfect pole at quali, and sacrificed all Saturday morning for petty strategy (sandbagging, really? In this economy?!).

Speaking of "In this economy"... (Yes I'm still not done ranting, I just recharged my battery for the last nail in the coffin, like Lando taught me last GP)

Ok, today was bad but what makes me more upset is the fact that McLaren's lack of ideas (and today's podium positions) slightly undermined both of the drivers chances to p1-p3 in WDC. (Yes, both. I would really like to see Piastri getting P3 in WDC in his second F1 season. Very demure, very polite cat.)

For those wondering, no, I'm really happy that McLaren is achieving all these points this year, it's been a while for the Papaya house and they really worked so hard to achieve this and more.

But this car/driver combo has not only proved to be suited for being on upper side of the grid, it's real winning material. So real that the beasts (us and, why not, the drivers) are getting hungry for victories. Let's just keep this mentality and translate it to a solid plan, because we don't know how long will it last. Maybe next year would be 2022/2023 all over again. Let's win everything while we can.

ALSO this lack of plans, Championship wise, is also starting to build up on drivers. We can see it on Oscar's tendency to be impulsive at times and Lando's struggles with believing in himself and performing accordingly. Does he really have to start ignoring the pit wall and go full multi21 for the WDC? Does Oscar have to do the same to win and prove that he can do better than whatever Hungary was? No.

The fact that none of the other McLaren strategists/team principal seem to acknowledge the harm that this lack of long term plans/goals is doing to everyone is what is making everything worse. And no, saying that Lando could do a Vettel Is not how you solve the problem. Same goes for "Oscar Is ready to help, if asked". Same goes for guilt-trapping Lando and calling him childish when he does not comply.

No, no one has to sacrifice something. No, one IS sacrificing something. Why is it always about blaming the other driver? Stop with this narrative. It's pure and simple gaslighting, the reality is that you have a rocketship and zero plan on how to use it at the fullest.

All for what? favouring constructor? That's really the only plan you have? Guys, do you know that if you do strategies that help the drivers (also WDC wise) you mathematically also get points for the WCC, right? That's how it works...

And yes, i really think that p1-p3 in WDC was (and maybe is, I don't know... Don't feel like I want to do the calculations right now) doable with the right strategy (and Verstappen constantly on a one-wheeled tractor, let's be realistic).

Both Norris and Piastri deserved a P1-p2 today, and both of them deserve to be adequately followed for the WDC (even if they cannot achieve P1. P2 and P3 is still LOVELY). Wouldn't it be more gratifying for them and their careers than just a podium?? That would be a real PAPAYA RULES in my opinion. (Of course drivers like to win, so probably they are ok with anything if that means holding trophies, but still... THINK BIG WHEN YOU CAN)

That said, even if I'm a McLaren fan (maybe I should correct it as "McLaren's drivers and engineers fan" now, we'll see), I'm still really happy that Leclerc won (sorry, i'm italian. Today, and just today, I'm also a tifosa too, forza Ferrari!).

Just a little pissed to see that we still don't have a plan other than a stupid propagandistic slogan... (Yes, I decided to risk my life on this site doing this ranting BECAUSE of that stupid slogan).

Sorry for the yapping/ranting, I hope I didn't offend anyone. Love y'all, and don't take anything too seriously, it's just a sport.

As anyone, I just want to see the team I'm rooting for improve, especially now that we have a NASA rocket in the house.

Also, McLaren fans, pls don't fight each other, let's be less toxic than our favourite team. The drivers didn't do anything wrong today and, even if it is difficult to admit it, they are just two twenty-something years old acting like their age living their dream/passion.

That said, I'm really curious to read your thoughts/opinions on today's race and ideas for possible future strategies. I see it often on Reddit and never on Tumblr, let's show that we too can get technical!

See you (?) for the next GP... Hoping McLaren does come to their senses.

[mariacallous]

Donald Trump’s fans and critics alike have compared him to some of history’s most famous rulers: Cyrus the Great, Adolf Hitler, King David and more. 

But on the eve of the election, a celebrity pastor named Jonathan Cahn wants his evangelical followers to think of the Republican candidate as a present-day manifestation of a far more obscure leader: the biblical king Jehu, who vanquished the morally corrupt house of Ahab to become the 10th ruler of the Kingdom of Israel. 

“President Trump, you were born into the world to be a trumpet of God, a vessel of the Lord in the hands of God. God called you to walk according to the template; He called you according to the template of Jehu, the warrior king,” Cahn told the hundreds of Christian leaders who gathered last week for the National Faith Summit outside Atlanta. He also shared a clip of his prophecy about Trump on his YouTube channel, which has more than a million followers. 

What Cahn means — and why at least one scholar of the Christian right says he is worried — requires some background. Cahn, 65, is the son of a Holocaust refugee and grew up in a Jewish household in New Jersey. When he was 20, he says he had a personal revelation that led him to Jesus, and he eventually became the head of a Messianic congregation, blending Jewish rituals with Christian worship and a focus on doomsday prophecies. 

Cahn helped popularize the interpretation of 9/11 as an apocalyptic biblical allegory. In his telling, the terrorist attacks were akin to God’s rebuke of the biblical nation of Israel, and they happened because God wanted the United States to revert to a time before legalized abortion and gay rights when religion held a more central place in society — or else. His book on the topic, “The Harbinger,” came out in 2012 and spent months on The New York Times bestseller list. 

Cahn continued to release commercially successful books, and combined with his social media activity, he established a growing and enthusiastic audience for his prophetic warnings. 

Then Trump came along. During Trump’s first term, many evangelical Christian supporters explained his lack of religiosity by comparing him to Cyrus, the pagan ruler of ancient Persia, who served as God’s agent by, according to the Bible, helping the Israelites return home from exile. In 2018, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, amid an effort to build stronger ties with the evangelical movement, praised Trump as a modern-day Cyrus. 

But Cahn had spun a different prophetic narrative about the new American president. He released a book called “The Paradigm” a few months after the 2016 election, which cast Trump as Jehu, the biblical king who took control of and restored the Kingdom of Israel, whose territory largely overlapped with parts of present-day Israel and Lebanon. Just as Jehu killed the idol-worshippers who had taken over the kingdom, Trump would “drain the swamp” of Washington and “make America great again.” In this contemporary rendition, Hillary and Bill Clinton play the role of Ahab and Jezebel, the evil rulers who had led the kingdom astray. Jezebel is also seen as wicked in the Jewish tradition, but she is far more prominent as a symbol in evangelical discourse today, representing feminism, sexual promiscuity, and moral decay. 

In the 2024 election, Biden’s replacement with Harris as the Democratic candidate challenging Trump allowed the template of Jehu-versus-Jezebel to get updated and become salient again. 

Two weeks before Cahn spoke at the National Faith Summit, an ally of his named Ché Ahn evoked the comparison at another mass religious event. Ahn heads Harvest Rock Church in Pasadena, California, as well as a network of thousands of ministries all over the world. He is a leader of a spiritual movement known as New Apostolic Reformation, which aims for Christians to dominate society and government. Major Republican figures like Mike Pompeo, Sarah Palin, and Josh Hawley have visited Ahn’s church, reflecting the growing influence of Christian nationalism on the Republican party.  

On Oct. 12, Yom Kippur, Ahn appeared at the “Million Women March” event on the National Mall, speaking before a crowd of tens of thousands with many wearing prayer shawls or blowing shofars — traditionally Jewish symbols highlighting the movement’s overlap with Messianic Judaism. 

“Jehu will cast down Jezebel,” Ahn said, and prophesized a victory by Trump over Harris.

The social media user who brought the recent Jehu comparisons to wider notice through posts on X is Matthew Taylor, a scholar of the Christian right at the Institute for Islamic, Christian, & Jewish Studies, a Baltimore-based Interfaith research and advocacy group, dedicated to “[dismantling] religious bias and bigotry.”

“Since Harris became the candidate this summer, we’ve seen the Jehu image really rise to the surface much more,” Taylor said in an interview. “This is the story [Cahn and Ahn] want running through their followers’ heads, their lens for interpreting the election and its aftermath.”

In the grim biblical story, recounted in the book of II Kings, as Jehu ascends the throne, he kills Jezebel by ordering her thrown out of a palace window, after which he stomps on her body, which is then eaten by dogs. The new warrior king then goes on a killing spree, slaying the families of Ahab and Jezebel and other Baal-worshiping pagans who had despoiled the kingdom.

“Jehu came to the capital city with an agenda to drain the swamp,” Cahn said in his speech, addressing Trump, who also spoke at the National Faith Summit. “Jehu formed an alliance with the religious conservatives of the land. So, it was your destiny to do the same. Jehu overturned the cult of Baal by which children were sacrificed. So, God chose you to overturn America’s cult of Baal, Roe vs. Wade.”

Cahn and Ahn did not respond to a request to their ministries from JTA to discuss the theology of their recent statements. 

Neither pastor elaborated on the analogy they were drawing and neither made an explicit call for violence. But Trump has generated widespread concern by speaking of retribution, calling his political opponents “the enemy from within,” and talking about using the military against political enemies if he wins. 

Given the riots that took place at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 after Trump challenged the election results, and his ongoing promotion of electron fraud narratives, independent experts and government agencies are warning of increased political violence. Many Jewish leaders are particularly concerned because Trump recently blamed Jews for his potential defeat.

Taylor says the pastors’ followers would be familiar with the biblical story of Jehu and he believes that they are priming their audience to accept violence during the election or afterward.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, that surfaced the Jehu prophecies, Taylor voiced his alarm. 

“If Trump wins in this election, the Jehu ‘template’ tells Trump’s Christian supporters: some real-world violence may be needed to purge America of her demons,” Taylor wrote. “If Trump loses this election, particularly to Kamala Harris their ‘Jezebel,’ the Jehu template prescribes vengeance.”

[holdupjack]

Stop Playing Hero

——————

Pairing: Hermione Granger x Fem!Reader

WARNING: Angst/Death/No Comfort

——————

Third Person P.O.V:

It was quiet in the Weasley home as everyone tried to relax from the trauma experience they had just gone through, George being treated for his injuries.

Y/n stood outside, her eyes staring off into the darkness of the night. Her mind raced as she recalled everything they had gone through up until this point.

"Darling? Are you alright?"

Hermione stepped out into the cold night, and she the door behind her. Y/n looked at her with an anxious expression, her arms crossed across her chest.

"That was a close call" she responds and Hermione furrows her eyebrows before nodding in agreement.

"Yes, but we made it" Hermione states as she got closer, then she noticed the shake of her girlfriend's hands.

As she went to grab them herself, Y/n says something she never expected to come from her lips.

"I'm going on the front lines"

Hermione's eyes shot up to Y/n's, finding no joking manner behind them. She felt as though a rug had been slipped out from under her.

"Uh, no you're not" Hermione states no-demands. Y/n huffed out a shaky breath, it puffs in front of her.

"Harry and I were talking-" Y/n starts, but the looks of anger and confusion on Hermione's face was enough to make her pause.

"Harry? Harry has no right to convince you to put yourself on the immediate path of death!" She yells as her eyes flickered towards a window behind them.

Harry quickly dips out of her sight.

"It would be more beneficial if I went back to Hogwarts and helped McGonagall with preparations," Y/n says and Hermione continued to stare at her in disbelief.

"Y/n, you belong right here, next to me!" Hermione retorts and Y/n rolls her neck as growing agitation built up within her.

"That's the point! I'm distracting you! Hell, you almost got killed in the Ministry because I was lagging behind!" Y/n yells as they stood in front of each other.

"So! I'd rather almost die together than not know where you are!" Hermione yells back as she went to grasp Y/n's hand again, but she stepped away.

"No. You need to focus during all of this, you and I both know the boys will die without you." Y/n responds as kept her distance from the love of her life.

"I can do both-"

"NOBODY CAN DO BOTH AND SUCCEED!" Y/n yells as she felt the heat of her anger form around her head.

"That's why kingdoms fall and governments crumble! It happened with Cleopatra, the Spartans, and now the Wizarding World!" Y/n continued as her anxiety forced a tear to fall.

"Shit" she whispers as she quickly wiped it away, Hermione tried to step towards her again, but Y/n kept her distance once more.

"Dammit Y/n! Stop walking away from me!" Hermione yelled as she tried again, but the space between them stayed the same.

"I'm going whether you want me to or not" Y/n states with a glare, but Hermione could tell it was just a front.

"No, you're fucking not" she replies as a tear of her own escaped her. She couldn't help it.

All she imagined was losing her Y/n, while she was none the wiser while out in the world playing hero with her friends.

"You'll distract me more if you're not here! Don't you get it? I need you with me, my love, please don't leave me wondering if you are alive or dead." Hermione pleads as she expresses herself through her hand motions.

Y/n gulped slightly and let a few droplets run down her cheeks, her heart aching to just selfishly give in to the dangers she would undoubtedly bring to Hermione.

"I love you more than anything, you know that right?" Y/n whispers and for a moment Hermione thought she had reconsidered, but she noticed a look in her eyes that she's never seen before.

This was goodbye.

All it took was a simple incantation under her breath, and she would be just outside the ground of Hogwarts, but Hermione has always been a step ahead of her.

"Accio!"

Y/n's body lunged forward as she was pulled towards the Gryffindor, who quickly wrapped her arms around her fleeing girlfriend.

"Hermione, let go!" Y/n struggled as she tried to place her feet back on the ground and push the girl away.

"Never." Hermione whispered into her chest as she squeezed Y/n tighter. It took every bit of resistance to not give into the embrace she's loved since the fourth year.

The spell gave out not long after, causing Y/n to land back on Earth, but she didn't move for a while. Letting herself enjoy the desperate grasps Hermione would alter every few seconds.

She was either trying to find a better grip on Y/n, or this was silent begging.

Y/n wasn't sure.

"Hermione, please don't make me push you away" she whispers into the girl's ear, who just began to cry, now realizing there was nothing she could say or do to make her stay.

Y/n slowly grasped the arms that have held her in the middle of many nights and pulled them away.

Hermione watched in horror, not wanting to believe that the first person she wanted to save, was going to leave her in a limbo of 'what if's'.

"Kiss me goodbye" Y/n whispers as they stood face to face.

A breath left Hermione, it sounded so shaky that Y/n had thought it was her heart audibly quivering.

"This is not a goodbye, you know that." Hermione replies as she placed her palms on either side of Y/n's face.

"My beautiful Y/n" she whispers with a soft sob, as her imagination continuously shows her the worst of her nightmares. The ones that she didn't need to sleep to see.

"I'll see you later Bookworm" Y/n whispers against her lips as they kissed.

It was long and sweet.

When they broke apart and cradled each other in a tight hug, Hermione began to whisper in her ear.

"Everything in my mind is telling me to tie you up so you don't leave, but I know it wouldn't matter. You have always been so hard-headed, and that's one of the many, many, reasons I fell in love with you." She began, her lips kissing Y/n's shoulder in between the pause.

"But...please my darling, I'll do anything for you to stay" she pleaded so softly, Y/n just buried her face into her neck as a way not to cry.

"After all of this is done, we'll meet at our spot in the library, I have hidden something that will make up for everything," Y/n whispers as Hermione ran her fingers through her lover's hair, trying her best to remember every small wave, curl, or pattern.

"Do you promise? To be waiting for me when this is done? So we can go together?" Hermione whispers back, as they backed away enough to look at one another.

"I promise"

Hermione felt her lip quiver again, not caring that the prying eyes of her friends burned behind her.

It took everything for the two to finally separate from each other, both of their hearts breaking simultaneously.

"See you later, I love you Hermione" Y/n whispers.

"I love you most" she replied.

They shared one final look before Y/n just disappeared, leaving Hermione standing alone in the cold.

It took her a few minutes to stop crying, feeling her soul screaming at her to go get Y/n wasn't making it easy.

When she did regain her composure, granted red puffy eyes included, she walked back into the house.

Everyone stood around the first floor in complete silence, Harry standing not that far in front of her.

"Where's Y/n?" He asks, and everyone tenses.

Most had heard the conversations he and Y/n have had over the last week. They all had told him to leave well enough alone, that Hermione would probably kill him for putting those thoughts in her girlfriend's head.

Now, he had made his bed, and he was damn sure going to sleep in it.

Hermione walked up to him, and for a split moment, they stared at each other. Then she coldcocked him upside the jaw, almost making him want to pass out from the force.

He stumbled to the ground and cradled his jaw, yet no one rushed over to help him. Hermione stood over the boy and glared, her anger made him feel like the room had gone up a few degrees.

"You selfish prick. If she dies...god forbid I get my hands on you" Hermione whispered with such venom, Harry was sure it going to drip from her mouth.

She then walked away, afraid that she would do more than just leave a bruise on his chin.

——————

Much Later

Hermione now hid in the forest with her friends, Ron sat by the radio as he listened for any updates from the castle. Lee Jordan's voice haunted Hermione's nightmares, each day she feared to hear her girlfriend's name amongst the list of the dead.

Harry had kept his distance from his female companion, knowing that she truly hated him for the time being.

He feared to hear Y/n's name.

They had spent almost nine months searching for the Horcruxes, and each day being away from her girlfriend had gotten more exhausting,

Every once in a while, she would be able to retrieve a letter from Y/n, or the time they had spotted each other for a split second outside of the grounds of Hogwarts.

She had never been so happy to just look at Y/n.

It was now late into the night, and Lee started to speak again, making everyone freeze inside the tent, and for Ron run back in from outside.

"Only one death has been recorded today" he started as Ron stared at his Radio.

"Earlier this morning, a rouge group of highly skilled students set off to help the people of Irondale. Eye witness accounts say that an Army of Death Eaters stormed into the Hamlet around two in the morning. They killed many that tried to fight, and stole most of their resources." Lee says as they heard the rustle of a paper in the background.

"Then a group of students rushed to their aid once word got to the castle. They fought valiantly when they arrived. A set of six students killed more than double their own battalion. Unfortunately, while most of the enemies retreated, one had snuck behind the student and killed them instantly." He sighs as another paper rustles, Hermione held her breath.

"I regret to inform the friends and family of Y/n Y/l/n, that she has fallen in the field of battle"

Hermione stared wide-eyed at the radio, Ron turned away as his stomach tightened. Harry looked down at the ground, the guilt was undeniable.

"No" she whispers as she picked up the radio and held it up to her ear.

Maybe she heard it wrong?

"Again, I regret to inform the friends and family of Y/n Y/l/n, that she has fallen in the field of battle"

The device tumbled to the floor as Hermione stared at the table in front of her. Her mind screamed in agony that only she could hear.

"Excuse me"

That was all she said as she turn towards the small area where the cots awaited her and entered it quickly. As the flimsy fabric fell back to block the view of her, she began to quietly cry.

Ron let a tear of his own fall as he walked back outside, leaving Harry alone to wallow by himself.

Hermione tried to stay quiet, for the safety of her and her friends, but wails of sorrow escaped her without consent.

It was so loud and painful that Harry and Ron had covered their ears, the sound of her hurt only made it worse.

She could only think of her Y/n, who now lay dead in some cold makeshift morgue in the school.

Alone.

Her knees buckled, making her stumble to the ground, almost feeling as though she might never get up from it

The heaving of her chest made it sound like she could barely breathe, and the shaking in her body didn't help her either.

Maybe she was dying of a broken heart?

Sadly, she hoped so.

The boys didn't bother her for the rest of the night.

——————

A few days later

The war was over, and everyone began to claim the bodies of the dead...including Hermione.

She had to take her Y/n home.

When a student guided her to the dungeons, she found the DIY morgue full. It was horrifying to witness.

Luckily, Magic had stopped the bodies from rotting away, keeping them mostly the same for the families to identify and claim.

The student pointed to the very end of the row beside them to their left. Hermione spotted the pair of shoes she had gotten Y/n two Christmas's ago, they poked out from under a white cloth.

With a soft 'thank you', she made her way towards the body. She heard the door close somehow behind her and suddenly felt eyes on her.

At least, none that she could see.

Her feet felt heavy. Like concrete.

Each step made the loss of energy almost unbearable, but she did make it to Y/n. There was a wall next to her, where Hermione could just sit without having to pull her into the walkway, or accidentally lean onto another body.

Slowly, she sat down next to the covered body on the floor. Hermione took a deep breath and revealed the face that was underneath.

There was her Y/n, somehow still full of color and undried blood.

They must have frozen her body rather quickly.

"Hello my love" she whispers as tears immediately blinded her.

It looked as though she was just sleeping, and at any moment she would wake up and tell Hermione how sorry she was for making her worry.

She never did wake up.

Hermione noticed cuts and scars that were never there before, with blood and dirt still staining her face as well.

"My sweet Y/n, what did they do to you?" Hermione choked out as a shaky hand pushed away the strands of hair in her face. Questions she wanted to ask filled her mind, but she knew they would never be answered.

It must have been an hour of staring, and crying, before she spoke again, in a hushed voice.

"I haven't gone down to our spot yet" she whispers as a sniffle escaped her.

"I'm slightly afraid of what I'll find" Hermione explains as she grasped Y/n's hand.

It was still warm, and no Rigor Mortis.

Again, she thought Y/n could have been alive all this time, but she felt no pulse on her wrist.

"You told me that if this were to happen, to not fix the memories of your parents...I won't" she starts as she remembered them meeting up to spare their parents from the danger and grief they could face.

"I know you want to be buried in Hogsmeade, so I'll buy a plot just for us," Hermione says as she rubbed her thumb against the side of Y/n's hand.

She had no plan to find someone else to be buried beside. Hermione would never settle down, useless it was with Y/n.

So, she never did.

Instead, she sported the last name of her favorite girl up until the day she died.

"Granted, I never thought it would be you who would go before me...and never so soon" she continued as her eyes began to well up again.

"I'm sorry my love, but you'll have to stay here for a week or so until I'm able to get right to a plot of land in Hogsmeade" Hermione hummed as she gently squeezed her hand.

"Ms.Granger? I'm sorry, but Professor McGonagall needs to speak with you."

Hermione looked up to find the student peeking from the door, giving a remorseful smile.

It took every bit of prayer and self-control to put that sheet back up and walk away.

Everything in her was screaming to stay by her side.

——————

Hermione had finally gotten into the library, her eyes wandering around her once favorite hideaway.

Now it just held memories that hurt too much to think about.

She opened the door to the restricted section and walked down to the bottom floor. The library was eerily still, the lack of magic made it seem so devoid of life.

In the corner was a table that had a stack of papers on it. When she got close enough and noticed what was on them, she began to cry again.

It was letters.

All from Y/n, talking about her days at Hogwarts, what it's been like to be apart from one another, the rouge group she had joined to help the villages around Hogwarts, and missions she had gone on.

Hermione sat down as she sobbed, barely taking in the first sentence of the paper in front of her.

It took her a while to read them all, each one short, but full of emotion. She could hear Y/n's voice inside her head as she read them.

They all ended in:

"I love you, Hermione, always."

So, she kissed each one and whispered back:

"I love you too"

When she got to the final letter, an hour or so later, she noticed the date and took a breath of anxious air.

It was the day she died.

"Dear Hermione,

I was awoken around twenty minutes ago, and it's currently 3:42 A.M. Allison Velgo said that Irondale is under attack by the group we've been tracking the last few weeks. I only have maybe a few more minutes before we quickly make our way there, but I know that this could go very badly. This is going to be a battle within itself.

So, as a way to ease my mind, I wanted to let you know that I've hidden your present between the pages where we fell in love.

I love you, Hermione, always.

See you later.

-Y/n"

Hermione pushed away the letter and curled up in the chair she sat on, sobbing quietly.

She's never felt so alone.

She wanted her parents to hold her and tell her everything will be alright, while Y/n held and kissed her hand, saying that this was all just a bad dream.

Did she even want to know what her Y/n had left for her? The letters destroyed her as much already.

The more she cried, the more it seemed that she never would stop. It took longer and longer for her to calm down.

She eventually did stand up and looked around the room they'd hidden in for many years together. It didn't take long to find the book Y/n was talking about, it was one of Hermione's favorites.

One night in the fourth year, they had snuck down there to do some research for Harry during the competition.

Hermione had finally found an answer to the clue and had pushed the book to the middle of the table so Y/n could see. They both leaned over to the middle of the table as she began to recite what she had found, pointing to the paragraph.

When Hermione had finished her explanation, she looked up to only have her nose brushed against the softness of Y/n's cheek.

Y/n just smiled softly.

"You know, I find you absolutely mind-melting" she whispered as their eyes stared at one another.

"You do?" Hermione asked as Y/n hummed.

Then, a small kiss was shared between them.

Hermione had deemed that their love was stored in the pages of the book from that day onward.

Now it seemed Y/n had left something else within them.

She sat back down at the table and let out a shaky breath, her fingers slowly grabbed the pages with one hand and began to let them slip from her thumb.

It halted in the middle of the book, the page they had kissed over, and what was waiting inside is something Hermione had dreamed and feared.

A ring.

Quivering breaths escaped Hermione as she took it into her hands. It wasn't anything storybook size, but it was perfect for her.

It had a small note attached to its metal band, it was short and sweet, but it punched her in the gut like an MMA fighter.

'I promised to meet you here at the Burrow, now will you promise to meet me at home every night?'

"Fuck" Hermione whispers as she leaned away from the table and began to cry once again.

This time, she didn't think she would stop.

[saltoftheearth5x2]

Acts Ch 1

I decided to start reading through the book of Acts, and I'd like to share a few notes that I have here.

Background knowledge:

Acts was written by Luke in the years around 60-90 CE.

He wrote the book of Acts for Theophilus (who I believe was a Roman Governor), who wanted to know more about what the big deal was about with Jesus and the Christians.

It is a historical record of the beginning of the church and Saul's conversion

Acts 1 (NIV)

Jesus Taken Up Into Heaven

1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

If you have accepted Christ, then you have been gifted (baptized in) the Holy Spirit. With this gift, you should let the spirit lead to baptize others.

6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

(Verse 7) God has a plan for you. He may not have revealed it to you, but there is still a plan. So do not be worried when things seem to go "off course", because things are going exactly how God wants them to.

9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

We spend to much time looking back to Jesus instead of looking ahead to where he's going to be. We focus on his work in the past, and not the promise of his work in the future. He is coming, so why do you live in the past and not the present? He us coming, so why do you sit and wait? He is coming - and soon.

Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas

12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

It is important to pray on big decisions that you're going to make. Look for guidance from the Lord, so that you'll chose his path.

15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) 16 and said, “Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17 He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.”

Just like how the predictions of Jesus's life came true, so will the predictions of his return. I recommend reading Revelations; there's a lot of good knowledge in there.

18 (With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. 19 Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)

No sin shall be left unpunished. Though the punishment may not be immediate, it is still going to come. However, Jesus died on the cross to take that punishment for us. Praise the Lord.

20 “For,” said Peter, “it is written in the Book of Psalms:

“‘May his place be deserted;

let there be no one to dwell in it,’

and,

“‘May another take his place of leadership.’

21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 22 beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”

23 So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles

(Verse 24) The Lord knows our hearts. He knows every thought, every desire, every feeling. He knows us wholly and fully. He knows our best and our worst, and he still loves us completely.

And that's all I have in Acts 1.

I hope you enjoyed this mini Bible study with me. If this gets enough interest, I may continue through the book of Acts.

If you have any questions regarding the Christian faith, please ask me in my ask box. I am not a perfect person, but I will try and answer your questions as best as I can. We all have much more to learn, myself included. So please, do not be shy.

God bless!

[saras-devotionals]

Quiet Time 9/25 + 9/26

What am I feeling today?

A little nervous, I have my first mental health exam this morning and although I think I’ll be fine, I still always have a little nerves. Also feeling challenged, I have a new discipler in my life and I know she’s really going to push me. Which is good! But I know I can be stubborn and disobedient so I pray my heart is soft and open to whatever she challenges me to do in regards to my walk with God.

So still pretty nervous, I have my final lab check off today and I really wish I got to practice more. I’ll pray through it because nothing is impossible when I have God! I also have a deposition today that I’m also feeling nervous but again, we’re meant to give all anxiety to God.

ACTS 1 NIV

‭‭Acts‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.””

Jesus stayed with them for forty days and continually gave proof that he was alive during that time, that he genuinely rose from the dead! Also, he kept speaking of the kingdom of God and gave them instruction to wait in Jerusalem so that they may receive the Holy Spirit (which is what we recibe through baptism).

‭‭Acts‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬-‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.””

We are not meant to know the time and the date which is fine by me, I never enjoyed speculating because it felt fearful to a lot of people and like there’s no point to live now if the world is going to end. Anyways! Our mission here on earth, the great commission, is to go and make disciples! That’s the focus, yes we know that Jesus is coming back but we should not be so caught up in what will happen at a time we don’t even know when we can be doing work for Him right now.

‭‭Acts‬ ‭1‬:‭21‬-‭26‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.” So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.”

I like the way they prayed here and how they prayed before making a decision! Saying that God knows everyone’s heart and to show them which one He has chosen🙂‍↕️

I think the practical here is to pray through each decision but to be specific with it, present your requests in a way that you could have an answer from God.

JAMES 1:5-8 NIV

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”

This will be me this morning! I must pray over everything! Like I said, I have my lab check off and I will absolutely be prayer for God to give me the strength, wisdom, confidence, and skill to complete it all to the best of my ability. I trust Him because He has never let me down before!

[angedemystere]

You know what’s the most tragic part of Judas storyline on The Chosen? Part of Judas always felt like he didn't belong in the group, and he was kinda right. Jesus had high hopes for all his apostles except Judas.

Watch out, I got a long reply to this!

I don't feel that so much about Judas in season 3. It would've been nice to see him getting close to a couple of the disciples, like we see with John and Thomas. Even so, he was involved with the group from the start. It's more in season 4 I can see how he doesn't seem to be as "in tune" with the group.

But here's something to keep in mind: this idea that Jesus had "high hopes" for everyone except Judas may be something we, the audience who knows the story, are projecting.

In terms of being supported or elevated, sure, Simon Peter and John have had special attention, but I'm pretty sure Judas has had as many one-on-one onscreen moments with Jesus as most of the disciples. And ALL the disciples struggle on some level with Jesus's mission and identity. That's a huge part of the story that's not unique to Judas.

What I see the show doing is showing how, yes, Jesus is not holding Judas's hand through every moment whenever Judas wants to improve the ministry through fiscal strategy. But Judas is also failing to internalize the things Jesus has said point blank. He tells Judas to think back to the Sermon on the Mount. Judas doesn't follow up on this; instead he goes to Hadad, his former mentor, for advice. Yes, Judas is a tragic and very relatable figure.

But let's not pretend Jesus is orchestrating Judas's downfall or letting it happen through neglect. He's given Judas many opportunities to better understand the mission, as have other disciples (Simon Z, John). Judas is getting in his own way to that understanding. He keeps defaulting to what he thinks he knows and how things should be done and is frustrated when his input is exposed as faulty.

Judas keeps thinking in worldly terms - and that makes sense. Most of us think in worldly terms. Christians often think in worldly terms without realizing it. That's why we have to keep going back to prayer, to Scripture, and putting aside how we would do things to focus on how God wants us to do things.

The very first experience Judas had as a disciple of Jesus was the two-by-two mission where they did not take anything, ANYTHING, with them. This approach taught them to fully trust in God's provision, and they continued to do that when they reunited. Judas doesn't fully internalize the lesson, or he finds God's degree of provision unsatisfying when he keeps thinking about bringing about an earthly kingdom with Jesus on an earthly throne.

And this attitude is not singular to Judas - many Jews at that time thought the Messiah would drive out the Romans and establish a new Jewish kingdom on earth. John and Big James believe this, too - that's why they ask Jesus to sit "at your right and left hand." And what happens? Jesus is pissed. He's angry and frustrated and heartbroken because they think he's come to be an earthly king, not the kingdom of Heaven, despite everything he's been teaching them.

It just so happens that Judas isn't willing to revise that belief in the face of all the ways Jesus is renouncing that vision of the Messiah. The fact Judas still believes Jesus is the Messiah at this point is quite amazing.

I feel for Judas in his struggle and see how his character flaws are pushing him in a dangerous direction. As for Jesus, I think he shows his love for Judas in the show, even if he's not sitting Judas down for lengthy heart-to-heart chats.

[kafirchristian]

God nowhere speaks of making Christmas a part of Christianity, nor does He say to celebrate His Son's birth. He does tell us, though, not to add to His worship anything that is a tradition of the heathen. Such additions hinder rather than enhance our journey to God's Kingdom.

What are the fruits of keeping Christmas? Has Christmas helped to glorify God? Has it clarified and aided man's spiritual life? We have a record of the fruits of the Jews' additions. Their intent may have been better than those who accepted Christmas into Christianity, since they at least attempted to obey the law of God. Still, when Jesus walked among them, they did not recognize their own Messiah! Adding to and subtracting from God's Word changes God's intended focus.

Christmas is no better. When the so-called Christians added Christmas to Christianity, it had nothing to do with true Christianity at all. It was a ploy to win converts from paganism. It was a deliberate grab for power. From the beginning, Christmas, rather than promoting the true God and His way of life, has only led people away from the truth.

Peter writes that we are redeemed from these very traditions (I Peter 1:18). These traditions, inherited from our fathers, are a part of our culture. Jesus used His ministry to repudiate every addition, subtraction, and distortion that had attained any kind of specious, "divine" authority, and He did this by clarifying and magnifying the truth. Christmas seems to have "divine" authority because "Christians" are doing it, but it is part of a world that is anti-God, anti-Christ. It is not a part of what God has shown is true.

John W. Ritenbaugh

[theprayerfulword]

July 1

Proverbs 2:8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of His saints.

Hebrews 13:5-6 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you," 6 so that we confidently say, "The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid, what will man do to me?"

Psalm 7:1 O LORD my God, I take refuge in You; save and deliver me from all who pursue me,

Isaiah 43:1 The Lord says, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine.”

Zechariah 9:16 The LORD their God will save them in that day, as the flock of His people. For they shall be like the jewels of a crown, lifted like a banner over His land—

Exodus 14:14 The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

May you never listen to the lies of the enemy, or accept his offers of peace, lest he entice you to leave the refuge of the Lord with a promise of worldly goods which last only until he comes to take you to his own land as slaves. 2 Kings 18

May you despise and scorn the enemy who comes against you with insults and defiance toward the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, and may you lift your praise to your King as the enemy flees in the face of your resistance. 2 Kings 19

May the Lord your God deliver you from the enemy's hand so that all the kingdoms of earth will know that the Lord alone is God. 2 Kings 19

May you seek out the Lord when the enemy makes his boast against you, and turn to God in humility and repentance as you stand on His word to receive the strength and wisdom to keep your focus on Him, never once answering the enemy's accusations or responding to his defiance. 2 Kings 19

May you take root below and bear fruit above in the zeal of the Lord Almighty, knowing that He will preserve you against all that the enemy will try to do, defending and saving you for His name's sake. 2 Kings 19

May you always desire and seek out the company and fellowship of fellow believers, members of the Body of Christ, for the Lord will strengthen and encourage, exhort and provoke to good works, each member by the ministry of the Word and the moving of the Spirit through each other member. Acts 21

My child, I am your help, your strength and your shield. Trust in Me, for I hear the voice of your supplication, and you are helped. Take refuge in Me, My dear one; trust not in the strength of man, which will come to an end, or in the power of princes and principalities, which will use you for their own purposes. Look and see, My querying one, and declare to Me if a single one of the good promises which I have promised to My people have failed to come to pass. Though you be brought low, yet have I saved you, leading you by a straight way to a city with foundations which I have designed and constructed, where I am the light, that you may dwell in Me, and I in you, and you shall sing for joy in the shadow of My wings. Depend on Me, My seeking one, for I shall set a guard over you that will not fail, but will keep your mind, your tongue, and your hands from the enemy. My Spirit will instruct you on how to bring a pleasing sacrifice to Me out of the meditations of your heart, the words of your mouth, and the deeds of your hands. I long to walk with you, My loving one, and share My heart with you. Do not hide, My trembling one, for My love covers you, and when I weed the garden of your heart, it is with tenderness and prudence in order to bring out the beauty that I see. Still your spirit, My precious one, and wait before Me that you may know that I am God.

May you feel no surprise at the troubles and fiery ordeals that come upon you, as though something unusual was occurring, for through much tribulation will you enter the kingdom of God as you take up your cross and follow Him, seeking for the will of the Lord to be done, which is the wisdom and counsel of God, and brings great joy and much rejoicing before His throne. Acts 21

May you sing to the Lord a new song of praise whenever the merciful gather together. Psalm 149

May you rejoice in your Maker and be glad in your King, praising His name with dancing and making music to Him. Psalm 149

May you rejoice in the honor the Lord shows you when He crowns your humility with victory. Psalm 149

May the praise of God be in your mouth and a double-edged sword in your hand as you are obedient in carrying out God's sentence written and pronounced against the principalities and powers of the air which set themselves against the will and ways of God, to inflict vengeance on His foes and punishment on His enemies, binding their kings with fetters and their princes with shackles of iron, casting down every vain thought that exalts itself against the knowledge of Christ. Psalm 149

Though the words of a gossip are swallowed greedily by many, may you have an appetite for the living Word which was broken for you, for it will be health and strength to your heart. Proverbs 18:8

[albertfinch]

October 8, 2023 - Exhortation

God wants you to be breaking through into new places as He is always calling you to come up higher in the Christ reality of your calling. All that is required is for you to get on God's frequency. Jesus told us that His sheep hear His voice, but we, as His sheep, must be in tune to His voice. We cannot live in compromise with the spirit of the world and expect to hear the voice of God.

Why?

Because that is being in tune with a different kingdom, a different sound, and a different voice. What does it take for us to get on His frequency? There has to be a hunger and desire for more of Him and a passion for revealing His Kingdom to a fallen world.

There are things you can do and mindsets that you can adopt that will facilitate this endeavor:

Come to understand your Christ identity through studying verses in the epistles of Paul that show you our inheritance due to Jesus' finished work on the Cross.

Ask, seek, and knock (Matthew 7:7) until you come to apprehend your Christ calling and begin bearing fruit that remains for God.s kingdom.

REPENT towards the heavenly example of anything you are doing that does not match up with Heaven. You live free from guilt and condemnation and enjoy a lifestyle of oneness with Christ and walking in the Spirit.

Simplify your current lifestyle so you have more time to focus on what the Holy Spirit is leading you to do in fruit-bearing for God's Kingdom. You may have to find new friends if the ones you currently have lead you in the wrong direction.

You lead others as you follow Him.

ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Saudi Arabia to visit Brazil and lithium power Chile

Saudi Arabia's mining minister will visit Brazil and Chile over the coming two weeks, the ministry said on Sunday, as the world's leading oil exporter seeks to expand its international presence in mining.

In Brazil, talks will cover mining, food processing, and aviation, while in Chile the focus is on lithium, needed for electric vehicle batteries.

"This aligns with the Kingdom's direction towards expanding the production of EVs," a Saudi government statement said.

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayaf will land in Brazil on Monday and leave for Chile, the world's second largest producer of lithium, next Sunday.

Continue reading.

[steveezekiel]

GOD'S MINISTERS AND THE PEOPLE UNDER THEIR LEADERSHIP 1

15 MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.

16 TAKE HEED TO YOURSELF AND TO THE DOCTRINE [teaching]. Continue in them, FOR IN DOING THIS YOU WILL SAVE BOTH YOURSELF AND THOSE WHO HEAR YOU."

1 Timothy 4:15,16 (NKJV)

• In this piece, I would be sharing some basic things about ministry which would be beneficial to anyone who serves in the church or ministry leadership.

- Endeavour to meditate on whatever is read here and do not trivialize it.

• As a minister of God, do not run after men, humans, but after God:

1 I WILL LIFT UP MY EYES TO THE HILLS—FROM WHENCE COMES MY HELP? 2 MY HELP COMES FROM THE LORD, WHO MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH" (Psalm 121:1 NKJV).

- Do not let the wealthy be your focus, but God. If you did focus on humans, you would be disappointed:

3 DON'T PUT YOUR CONFIDENCE IN POWERFUL PEOPLE; THERE IS NO HELP FOR YOU THERE. 4 WHEN THEY BREATHE THEIR LAST, THEY RETURN TO THE EARTH, AND ALL THEIR PLANS DIE WITH THEM" (Psalm 146:3,4 NLT).

- Let there be a gap between you and the people (Joshua 3:3,4). Keep your privacy, as a minister of God, and you should beware of the opposite sex.

- A male minister should not allow emotional attachment, especially the mature singles; the marriageable, or nubile beauties, or baby-mamas.

- Carry your wife along in all you do, that you may have peace in the pursuit of the assignment. Expose your spouse to the things you know, and help in building her up, and the gifts in her (1 Timothy 4:14).

- If you did not build her up and give her any responsibility, the devil might take advantage of that; borrow her and Use her as an instrument against you and the work you do.

- Women are good instruments, If you know how to handle them and build them up for the purpose of God. However, If you let them loose and allow them to do whatever they want, that is, you lost the leadership control in the home; they can easily be influenced and manipulated by the devil.

- They can get carried away and be used as instrument against you and the work (1 Peter 3:7).

- Take time to pray for your wife and other women under your leadership, and build them up as a vessel of Gold (2 Timothy 2:20,21); that they might be used for the expansion of the Kingdom of God—mostly the visions given to you.

• If your calling is pastoral, and your work is not under the denominational churches, possibly, you are the founder or pioneer of the church; you would need to discipline yourself to observe the office hours.

- You should have an office where you report to daily, where you do your administrative work and counselling; where you also attend to the people who may want to see you.

- If your work is shepherding, pastoral, you have to stay with the sheep and build your spirit in them; through the teaching of the Word of God and training.

- Ministry work is not about running around, If your primary assignment is pastoral. An Apostle, or an evangelist, or a teacher, can travel from place to place in fulfilling their assignments or callings; but a pastor should stay with the sheep—his or her traveling should be seldom.

- Ministry work is not about the number of places you are able to preach, but the numbers of people you are able to impact—affect positively with the Grace of God on your life.

- It is important that you:

a. Teach the people that God has given to you (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2).

b. Train them and build them up, both spiritually and numerically (1 Timothy 4:15,16).

c. Be identify with them and their needs (Acts 20:27,31; 2 Corinthians 11:29).

d. Take them and their needs to God in Prayers:

19 LISTEN NOW TO MY [Jethro, Moses' father in-law] VOICE; I WILL GIVE YOU COUNSEL, AND GOD WILL BE WITH YOU: STAND BEFORE GOD FOR THE PEOPLE, SO THAT YOU MAY BRING THE DIFFICULTIES TO GOD. 20 AND YOU SHALL TEACH THEM THE STATUTES AND THE LAWS, AND SHOW THEM THE WAY IN WHICH THEY MUST WALK AND THE WORK THEY MUST DO" (Exodus 18:19,20 NKJV).

READ: Hebrews 13:17

- The people you did not stay with, whom you were not committed to, would equally not be committed to you and the work.

• It is my prayer you will not miss it in Jesus' name.

- Should there be any ailment in your body, receive your healing now in Jesus' name.

- Whatever is contrary to your health is rebuked and rooted out completely in Jesus' mighty name.

Peace!

TO BE CONTINUED

STEPS TO SALVATION

• Take notice of this:

IF you are yet to take the step of salvation, that is, yet to be born-again, do it now, tomorrow might be too late (2 Corinthians 6:1,2; Hebrews 3:7,8,15).

a. Acknowledge that you are a sinner and confess your Sins (1 John 1:9); And ask Jesus Christ to come into your life (Revelation 3:20).

b. Confess that you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that you confess it with your mouth, Thus, you accept Him As your Lord and Saviour (Romans 10:9,10).

c. Ask that He will write your name in the Book of Life (Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:8).

- If you took the steps As highlighted above, It means you are saved—born-again. Join a Word based church in your area and Town or city, and be part of whatever they are doing there. Peace!