#also yesterday i came 2 an epiphany

[heytinskatin]

Foster Family

[amuseoffyre]

I was watching the bts videos yesterday including the making of the opening credits and Mr. Anderson said “We added plaques to the back of chairs and Neil chose who to honour on them”.

He’s referring to the chairs we briefly see in the theatre where Aziraphale is doing his magic act:

Left to right: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and The Crow Road by Iain Banks.

I want to focus on these three in a row specifically because Neil chose to put those books there in that order and I had something of an epiphany last night about it all when insomnia was chewing on my toes.

These three books have also been mentioned out loud in the show in episode 2 when Gabriel is reorganising the shelves:

“It was the day my grandmother exploded” - The Crow Road

“It is a truth universally acknowledged-” - Pride and Prejudice

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” - A Tale of Two Cities

For those unfamiliar with the books, I’ll do a quick potted summary of each, with a focus on why I think they’re relevant and especially why the order of the chairs in the theatre feels relevant.

A Tale of Two Cities

Set during the French revolution with one lead who is an aristocrat who has stepped away from his class and background to support the less fortunate than himself because he disagrees with the way they did things. Also, he changed his name because he doesn’t want to be associated with the place where he came from.

The big culmination of the books is when said man is betrayed and set to be executed, but his friend takes his place. There is very literally a body swap by someone who looks very like him in order to save his life. This body-swap is done out of love.

aka - season 1.

Pride and Prejudice

Two people from very different class backgrounds have a very very bumpy start to their relationship because of misinterpretation, miscommunication and a lot of external pressure put on them by the rules of their respective societies. Both of them have different information and because of that, both of them are seeing exactly the same situation very differently. One of them tries to express his affection, but does it so badly that the other tells him there is no chance she will join him.

aka - season 2

The Crow Road

A young man tries to solve a mystery of someone’s disappearance using only the papers they left behind, with said young man’s background rooted in faith and belief in a higher power. There’s also a secondary plot about emotional growth into a more mature and more fulfilling relationship.

(And wouldn’t you know it, it’s the book handed to Muriel by Crowley, who tells them they’ll like it, and the Metatron comments on it)

aka - season 3

Needless to say, I am quite excited :)

[riansdiary]

My Favorite Loa/Manifesting Analogies

(my own analogies and analogies from other loa bloggers)

Hi everybody! 🤗

Or should I say...

Dearest Gentle Readers 💎

I'm back with a new post for you! This is the result of me trying to make myself understand the law of assumption better. I was internalizing and thinking deeply about manifesting and I just came up with the best analogies to explain things better to myself! The best way to understand it better is to take a break from Tumblr and internalize it in your own time! This is why bloggers say that you don't need to read anything more or over consume. You might actually explain it to yourself in a better way suited to you as you take a break from Tumblr!

I've been making analogies to help me in manifesting and I wanted to put them in one place including my new one as well! I also have a new epiphany and I thought I could put it here as well! It's similar to an analogy anyway!

Before that, I have something slightly more esoteric and I wonder if you want me to make a post for it so I'm just gonna let you decide and put a poll on here.

Basically, I learned from @nonbinarydeity to talk to my subconscious mind. Your subconscious mind is also your higher self. It has more answers to your questions about the law of assumption than anyone else in the community.

Here is the post where I learned about this! I think you should read it first to get an idea about this. Every time I asked my subconscious something, I wrote it on my notes app so I can read it anytime and remember the answers I got. Now, I wanna ask if you guys wanna see the answers from my own subconscious mind. It's mostly about manifesting. It sounds like me but at the same time it knows more than me and it has been helping me find out why I was ever having trouble with manifesting.

So here's the poll:

Why don't we start?

#1 The planting analogy (by @remcycl333)

This one is not from me but it's my favorite analogy so far and credits to @remcycl333 for this amazing analogy! I read it from her post and I wanted to share this because I know it will help a lot of people. I'm also putting what I thought of this! Here's the original post where I saw this analogy. Here is the plant analogy from her post:

My thoughts:

Persisting is like you finally letting your plant grow and not digging it up or checking it or thinking that it's not growing. You let the old story die by not giving it any attention. I'm letting my plant grow and watering it. But technically you know it's gonna end up growing right? A plant always grows.

#2 The newspaper analogy (mine)

Here is my original post for that but I have more information to share about that! I feel like it's important to share this additional information about this analogy!

When you are manifesting, you are like a newspaper writer except that you don't just write one column, you write everything. Let's say that you don't like what you're seeing and you wanna change something. What does the writer have to do? Write, of course. That is equivalent to you doing your technique whether that be affirming, deciding, commanding your subconscious mind or visualizing and more. Now, when you want something, it immediately manifests in imagination aka the 4d internal world. Manifestation is instantaneous in the 4d. So yes, when you affirm even for the first time it's already real and manifested in the 4d or imagination then it will be reflected by the 3d as long as you persist.

Let's talk about you wavering and finding your manifestation in the 3d. That is basically the writer looking at yesterday's newspaper angrily bcs they want to see the latest but he forgot something didn't he? He's the writer. All he needs to do is write and naturally it will be printed and now they can see the latest news.

This is also another good way to see it. The writer looking for the latest news and getting frustrated when they see the older editions is like you when you waver or dwell in the old story. The writer is focusing on the older editions instead of writing but he has a job right? The writer having to do his job is like the 3d doing its job which is just copying, following and reflecting your 4d which is your mind, your thoughts, your assumptions and imagination.

See, the 3d has no choice but to do its job like the writer. The writer then forgetting that he has to write the news had no idea but to just copy and print more of yesterday's news because that's what he's focusing on. If you keep looking at the old story then what happens? You get more of the old story. You're printing more and more of what you don't want. I hope you're getting this easier now with this analogy. Focusing on the old story, wavering and checking the 3d will get you more of the 3d.

What do we need to do to get what we want then, Rian? Well, you need to write and leave the old edition behind. Again, this sentence also works for what you want. The 3d has no choice but to reflect you. If the writer writes a new edition and persists on it then they will get the latest news! If you think, know and assume you have it and persist. It will naturally materialize but do not focus on that matter because you do have it if you say you do no matter what the 3d shows right now because it follows whatever is in the 4d.

I will give you the biggest manifesting tip I have! This is how I've been getting what I'm manifesting! Just think, assume, know or do whatever technique works for you but after that, go and do what makes you happy. That will distract you from checking the 3d or focusing on circumstances. Also if you technically have it in the 4d which you do, why not be happy now? Please do the things that make you feel good and make your heart happy. I recommend rewatching your favorite childhood movies because I know it's nostalgic and will make you happy. It doesn't mean to force yourself to be happy but it's to do things that will make you feel good. That means distracting you from the 3d and old story. It is a way of persisting and loving yourself because you deserve it. It is a form of self-care.

This is literally what I did when I manifested those crackers. What did I do? I said "I have the crackers. It's in the pantry" then later on my dad and brother came home with a pack of the exact crackers I wanted without me telling them what I wanted. What did I do after I reminded myself it's in my reality now and it's done? I relaxed into the knowing that it is done. I laid down and relaxed. I watched my favorite childhood movie which is Sleeping Beauty and so I distracted myself from checking or dwelling in the old story. It also made me feel better and not worry or get anxious about my manifestations. That's all I did, I considered it done and relaxed. I left the 3d alone and let the plant grow aka my manifestation.

#3 The online shopping analogy (i thought of this too but I know other bloggers have talked about it as well)

Here's my official post for it and I'm just gonna let it speak for itself because everything is in that post.

#4 Buying a new shirt analogy (mine)

I'm sure everyone has replaced and discarded one of their old clothes or shirts right? Okay so then you bought a new shirt and what exactly happened after? Yes, you wore your new shirt and stopped wearing the old ripped one. You might have turned it into a rug or recycled it another way. This is similar to being in the state of wish fulfilled or being the version of you who has that desire.

Let's say your old shirt is really old and disgusting so you decided to buy a new one. Similar to us not wanting what we're seeing and wanting something new for us. The old damaged shirt is the old story and the newly bought shirt is the new story. Meaning the old shirt symbolizing what you see in the 3d and the new shirt symbolizing you assuming you have what you want. When you buy a new shirt, you wouldn't go and wear the old one right? In manifesting, it's like that. I was thinking about my desired face. We need to eliminate and forget about the old story so what do we do? We wear the new shirt aka accept my desire that I already have a new face, my desired face. You wouldn't go back to wearing the old shirt when you bought a new one right? So you toss it out or make it into a rug. Completely forgetting and not paying attention to it anymore.

Yesterday, I was in the bathroom thinking of creating a new analogy to help me not dwell on the old story. I started thinking of an analogy for undesired things. For those things and the old story, you just need to stop talking or thinking about it and let it die off. Whatever you focus on grows so do not pay attention to anything you don't want because if you do, it'll stick and stay in your reality but if you don't feed it any attention, it'll die off and go away on its own. Think that it's a hater, think that it's someone saying crazy stuff to you when you know the truth that your desires are facts. If you don't give it any attention, it will die on its own and go away.

I read a great post from an amazing blogger and I will link their awesome post here. When you do your techniques, do not consider them a technique and think that it's a reality already! You create your reality and you are the writer. Just affirm as if it's true and you're telling a story. Stop thinking of it as a technique but think that it's already a reality. Don't think of it as a technique but think that whatever you're affirming, assuming or visualizing is already true and that it is a reality now and that it already happened despite what you see. You just never back down from a decision you made. I said I have my desires and that's it. It's in my reality now. Whenever I affirmed, I didn't think of it as a technique but that it's already the truth. Oh yeah, I love that Dad has a six figure salary at home job and it's stuff that he's an expert on so it's literally child's play and super easy for him to do.

The undesired and old story? What do you mean? They're literally nothing and nonexistent. If you focus on your desires being true now and leave the old story and never touch it again, think of it as nothing then you won't have anything to use to think against the new story. If you focus on doing what makes you happy, you're taking your attention away from the old story and letting it die. It's like you decided to finally let your plant grow and not dig it up or check it or thinking that it's not growing. You let the old story die by not giving it any attention. So when I affirmed about me having all my desires now and being a master at manifesting and manifesting being easy to me, I stopped thinking of it as a technique. It's just the truth for me now. I started talking as if it's really the truth now and it's facts. I'm letting my plant grow and watering it. But technically you know it's gonna end up growing right? A plant always grows.

I'm gonna keep adding any other analogy I make or my new favorite ones that can help everyone understand the law in an easier way.

I will leave with the proof for my success story in this post. I manifested getting paid to exist and I finally was able to convert half of my cryptocurrency to actual online cash! I only converted half of it to save the rest for later. This is thanks to my Dad who is so really good in technology and he discovered this app with my uncle and they recommended that me and other family members install it. We went through a strict verification process which includes verifying your identity and making sure that it is you that's in your ID. It failed once but I manifested that it will be processed successfully! Now most of us in my family are earning money from that app just by tapping a button every day. Once you tap it, it will start giving you points as it runs in the background. I'm really happy about this manifestation!

That's all and happy manifesting! I'm just gonna assume that this will help everyone! Thank you for reading!

Yours Truly,

Lady Rian Whistledown 💋

[soft-potatoe]

had a literal epiphany yesterday at like 2 in the morning and came up with a Dreamling AU that will send me straight into hell. (jesus!hob x dream as his usual self)

so anyway may I present to you the first dialoge snippet 🫴

"I keep dreaming about tearing it all down you know, about forcing people to be happy for once, to forget their shallow rules, their useless morals. Everyone is a hypocrite, everyone is a sinner before an all-knowing god."

He answers and juts his chin out, broadens his shoulders as if he's fighting a real battle and not just one of wits.

"Very insightful for a fisherman from galilea."

Hobab snorts at Oneiros' dry response and takes another swig of his mug. He's impetuous with that, too. Drinks so fast that wine escapes his lips and runs down his throat in glittering rivulets.

"I am many things, my dear Outis, a fisher, a carpenter, occasional sheperd of sheep and pigs." "And a sinner?"

Oneiros asks, and tilts his head in a manner that could be an insult or an invitation. Alluring him to another night in the embrace of his arms or tempting Hobab to betray himself, to deny his own words. Challenging him to insult himself as he insulted his fellow men or to claim the same righteous honour, he judged them for clinging to.

But Hobab's lips spring into a smile, as easy as foal to its mother. His face painted in a gentle red by the oil lamp's shine as he raises his mug to the heavens above.

"And a sinner!" He echoes Oneiros' words into the tavern.

(Please keep in mind that I wrote this while white specks appeared at the edge of my vision) (yes this is going to be a gruesome mixture from life of brian, that one amazing art of @alexxuun about hope!hob being jesus and the literal bible)

-> i am also still kind of very lost in terms of plot and actual storyline, so i am extremly open for input -> so please feel invited to comment or dm me if you have thoughts on how this AU could work

(Ps: google says the hebrew name Hobab means "favored/beloved, fitting don't you think?, also outis means 'nobody' in greek, it's what oddyseus calls himself when he's at that one eyed giants home)

(Pps: please note that i am not doing this to offend anybody, i'm just writing this to put my 18 years of catholic church membership and 8 years of christian private school to good use)

[failureofmylife]

I won’t say

that I had some kind of epiphany but for years I have had all my passwords (that I cannot remember) in a database, and in december - when I had stroke 2 - that memory went *boom* and vanished. And it did not come back. I spent half of december and half of january in the hospital, trying various passwords daily. No luck. When I came back home, I had a stroke of luck about two weeks in and got back ONE password, which let me log into my own computer. This lead to me coming back here. Which was nice (at least for me) but I’d say 80% was still lost in the fog. The main database was still offline and it stayed offline.

BUT yesterday, after going to bed in a horrific cold spell, a phrase popped into my mind and lo, it was my Lost Password to unlock the big database of passwords.

So while it is still wayyy too cold (outside AND inside) and I am freezing, I am also doing a small jig and making copious notes so that if/when that memory vanishes again (it is still flaky) I will be able to get it back faster. But for the first time I genuinely feel some hope.

I’m taking small small steps, but parts of me are coming back.

[contemplatingnight]

Blooming Season

Hey Tumblr,

So I'm gonna tell you something that I have not been feeling in a while..

Yeah it's still going to be a rambling post, but now there's a light by the end of a tunnel.

Yesterday, I just got "slapped" by myself, to myself, and for the sake of myself. It was kind of an epiphany moment where after a very very veryyyy long time, I just realized what should I've done, how I'm feeling about everything, about my past, my current moment, and my future, and the things I should and should've been done.

Fast forward and recap, within these past 2 years in my current role, I've launched 5 projects with the total of ~30ish SKU in which it all generated >20mEur. Sounds a very busy life and tiring right?:) On top of that, all of the projects marked with all achieved green KPI. Also, in every year, there'll be awarding night session for those who are "perceived" as remarkable employees. So it's like "employee of the year". And guess what? To put the cherry on top, in both years..... I. didn't. even. get. one. :)

So last year when I didn't get the award, I was very very very angry, in despair, and even cried so hard to my boyf because after all the struggles that I've encountered, the sleepless nights, the silent bullying, the negative sentiments, critics, deadlines, and everything in between, I still didn't get the award.

I can say that it critically damaged me in a way I'm evaluating how I see myself as a person. For so long, I've seen myself with what I've accomplished in life. A reward, a target, a rank, whatever you can accomplish that's where I see myself. So, after all of the hard work that I've done, and I still didn't get the reward, I was seeing myself as a failure and an estrange. Because at that time, I was thinking, "Why people won't nominate me? Why people keep rejecting me? What have I done wrong?" and it's very very damaging to myself. Being the kid who always see themself in that way is very damaging and excruciating.

After that, I promised to myself that when next year came, which was this year awarding session, that thing won't impact me as much as I felt that night.

Fast forward to this year awarding session, I still didn't get it.. Even though the only "senior" player left is me in the category. :) To be honest, at that time, that negative self talk comes again.. But this time, it felt more like a betrayal. I was betrayed and cheated from the game that I didn't even get a chance to begin with. The game has been corrupted by the ones who handles the power that I was not on the same level to begin with. Where I had no one at that level to defend me. I was feeling very sad, angry, but this time feel more on the betrayal.

Buttt because of that, I realized that the game has been unfair from the start, so why do I keep playing and pushing the losing game? It's not me who's wrong, who's uncapable, who's bad enough, who's weird, and who's not achieving. But the game itself. A bit of relieved arise me from that thought.

Hence a couple days ago, after I gave myself a slap-talk, I know what I'll be doing and how I'm feeling about it.

I'm no longer want to feel like I'm drowning. I won't let myself be drowned, where I know there are things around me that can save me and help me grow where I wanna be. I won't let myself be foolish to thinking by staying in the same drowning river, I'll get to the pot of gold, not knowing if the pot of gold even existed from the start or am I be the one who get more damaged by staying still in a drowning river for the gold "chips" that I've collected along the way. I won't let myself to not take actions about my life.

I have to start taking actions. I will start taking actions for myself. I will step out from the drowning river and seek for my destiny.

Whatever life throws at me, at least I'll keep moving and not staying stuck and still in a drowning river, not having a clue, lifeless, and handleless about my life.

I don't know if I'll encounter another pot of gold, a tiger, or else, but my life is short and I won't look back at my life, seeing I was just like a still log floating in the river.

I have to take actions for myself.

This is my blooming season. I will take care of myself and I will achieve what I want in life. I won't be fear of losing something to uncertainty.

More trusting on God and the universe is how it feels like, but with confidence that this is my time to shine and I got what it takes!

Bismillah.

Love,

-A :)

[poetinacity]

Days With You

Woke up on a Sunday

Your t-shirt over me

Saw the time, it was 5.58

Turned around and saw you sleeping soundly

Your little lips parted letting out the air

Smiled to myself thinking how this came to be

Yesterday you were a dream and now watch you be all dreamy

Held you close, breathing in your sweet smell

You smiled a little and put your hand in my hair

Woke up on a Monday

Felt your arms around me

Had to let go but almost didn't want to leave

You whined in your sleep and tried to hold on to me

I kissed your cheek and told you have to go baby

Came out of the shower and saw you weren't in your bed

Smiled to myself cuz i knew where you exactly might be

Got dressed, went to the kitchen and saw you make my morning tea

Told me all your plans for the day while i munched on the food you made for me

Middle of Tuesday

And I already feel exhausted

My eyes search for you but I know you're not here

Saw the time it was lunch, time to have some time with friends

My mind wanders to you, you might be a little busy

Took my chance and texted, cuz i just couldn't anymore resist

2 seconds later my phone ringed, told my friends "go ahead, it's a call from him"

Heard your voice and felt you took all my worries away

You told me you missed me and I felt my heart skip a beat

It's not one sided, he loves me, just had an epiphany

Evening on a Wednesday

And i still have so much to do

Oh, how I wish if i could just already see you

Heard my friends giggle on the other side of the room,

One of them told me, they were looking down waving at you

I rushed outside and saw you stand with some snacks

You told me i thought you'd be hungry and they also left me early

Took you inside made you meet all my friends,

Took you away cuz I wanted you all by myself

I offered you could leave since i had a lot to do,

You told me you'd wait for me i don't want to be without you

Had an epiphany it's not one sided and you love me too

Pouring rain on a Thursday

And I couldn't leave

Called you I'd be late, you don't have to wait for me

My friends offered a ride but I couldn't take it

Regretted it cuz the rain didn't want to be easy on me

But you knew I can't ask for help so you pulled in front of the street

Saw your car and suddenly relief washed over me

You shook your head as you saw running to you

I said "you're a life saver! What I'd do without you, I love you, OMG!"

We froze on the spot and suddenly the rain stopped too

You asked me to say it again and I whispered again in viridity

You came closer, melted your lips into me

Told me you loved me too, it was real this time and not an epiphany

White clouds on a Friday

But I felt like a rainbow

I could still feel your touch and your confession in my veins

My friends all ask me why my face is glowing

I tell them nothing but they catch the lie slowly

My heart beats a little faster now and my stomach has butterflies

The petrichor from the rain reminds me of you now each time

A smile dances on my lips as I make a call to you

You pick up in a heartbeat making me die in felicity

I tell you I love you and you say it back to me

This was all real it wasn't an epiphany

Night on a Saturday

You decided to binge a show tonight

Picked up a random and your eyes had that light

We cuddle and your touch starts to electrify

Before we knew it, the movie was just a background noise

We kiss and laugh and kiss again,

You say something funny while you make me yours again

Cuddled to each other, I pulled your t-shirt off the floor

You told me I look dreamy with only your clothes on

I blushed to myself and you pulled me in

Told me you'd love me always

That's when I slept right on your chest

I hope you spent all your days like this around me

One day you'll get down on your knee, just had an epiphany

[stpaullutheranchurch]

january 15 2023

2023 Epiphany 2, January 15th

Old Testament: Isaiah 49:1-7

Psalm: Psalm 40:1-11

Epistle: 1st Corinthians 1:1-9

Gospel: John 1:29-42a

Sermon Text: John 1:29-42a

Sermon Title: “The Lamb of God”

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

At His baptism in the Jordan River, the focus of last Sunday’s sermon, Jesus was being revealed by the presence of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove and the voice of the Father declaring from heaven, “this is My beloved Son with whom I am well pleased”. (Matthew 3:17b) John, who witnessed these things, now boldly speaks of Jesus; “on the next day (when) he saw Jesus coming towards him … (he said) Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”. (John 1:29) John the Baptist had already confessed to the crowds, “I am not the Christ”. (John 1:20b) He is telling them; this Jesus is the One you should follow, not me.

We sing these words about the Lamb of God, every week in the liturgy and we join with the angels in the book of Revelation saying “Salvation belongs to our God and to the Lamb” (Revelation 7:10b) “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain , to receive power, and wealth, and wisdom, and might, and honor, and glory, and blessing … forever and ever”. (Revelation 5:12, 13b) The saints of God are those who have “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” of God. (Revelation 7:14b)

In saying that the Lamb, Jesus, takes away the sins of the world, John is affirming the doctrine of “universal atonement”; that the sins of every person in the entire world, throughout human history, were placed on Jesus on the cross and that He “desires all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth”. (1st Timothy 2:4) Martin Luther wrote, “For these sins, He is willing to suffer and die, that our sins may be forgiven and we may attain eternal life and blessedness … anyone who wishes to be saved, must know (and believe) that their sins have been placed on the back of this Lamb of God”; who has no sin of His own.

We are saved by faith; because of the “precious blood of Christ … a Lamb without blemish or spot”, (1st Peter 1:19b) “like a lamb that is led to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:7) as the prophet Isaiah foretold it. So, as the Lamb of God, Jesus had to be true man in order to suffer and die, to atone for our sins, and the sins of the world, on the cross. He also had to be true man in order to perfectly keep God’s Law and commandments perfectly for us. This is called His passive and active obedience. Jesus is also true God as John now makes clear.

Now, John had previously (earlier in this chapter) spoken to the crowds saying that Jesus is the One, “who comes after me, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie”. (John 1:27) Here again, he repeats, “this is He of whom I said, after me comes a man who ranks before me , because He was before me”. (John 1:30) John is again bearing witness to Jesus’ divinity, of His eternal nature, that He has existed from all eternity. Earlier John had testified that “Jesus was in the beginning with God”. (John 1:2). Scripture also declares “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, and today, and forever”. (Hebrews 13:8) So, Luther also taught in the Small Catechism, “I believe in Jesus Christ, (who is) true God, begotten of the Father from all eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary”. (2nd Article explanation)

John the Baptist continued to speak of the Lamb of God saying, “For this purpose, I came baptizing with water, that He might be revealed to Israel”. (John 1:31b) John was not about promoting himself, but rather, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness; make straight the  way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said”. (John 1:23) John preached “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3b) and pointed all people, including his own disciples, to Jesus.

That was the whole purpose of his ministry. The faithful preacher of God’s Word will do same thing today; point people to Jesus and Him alone for the forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life. As the Holy Scriptures affirm, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name (than the name of Jesus) under heaven, given among men, by which we must be saved”. (Acts 4:12)

Again, “John bore witness, I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove and remain on Him … He who sent me to baptize, with water said to me, He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain; this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and have borne witness, that this is the Son of God”. (John 1:32-34) To bear witness (here) simply means to tell the truth. John saw this at Jesus’ baptism, as we heard last Sunday. The Father’s words from heaven; “this is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17b); which John also heard; prove that Jesus is “very God of very God, begotten of the Father” as we just confessed in the Nicene Creed.

John continued to preach Jesus to his disciples, “and the next day again, John was standing with two of His disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked by and said (as he had said the day before) Behold, the Lamb of God. The two disciples heard him say this and they followed Jesus”. (John 1:35-37) John rejoiced when his disciples followed Jesus, for that was why he came. “He must increase and I must decrease”. (John 3:30) God worked through His Word and witness of John the Baptist to cause his own disciples to follow Jesus; who is the only way to the Father. Salvation is found in Christ Jesus alone.

Now, “Jesus turned and saw them following Him and said to them, What are you seeking? And they said to Him, Rabbi (which means teacher) where are You staying. He said to them, come and you will see. So, they came and saw where He was staying, and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour”. (John 1:38-39) (which is 4 P. M.) They gladly respond to Jesus’ invitation; even though they do not fully know what following Him will involve; for they too will suffer abuse and persecution and martyrdom for the sake of their faith in Jesus.

Who were these two disciples of John the Baptist? “One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him; we have found the Messiah, which means Christ”. (or the Anointed One) (John 1:40-41) Even before going with Jesus, Andrew was so sure of who Jesus was that he bore witness to Him as the Christ to his brother first. “He brought him to Jesus and Jesus looked at him and said, so you are Simon, the son of John? From now on you will be called Cephas, which means Peter”. (John 1:42) The other disciple is unnamed, but is assumed by most to be the Apostle John, who never mentions himself directly in his Gospel.

If we read further in John 1, we would see this pattern of bearing witness to Jesus continue as, “Jesus found Phillip and said to him, follow Me … (then) Phillip found Nathanael and said to him, we have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote; Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph”. (John 1:43b-45) When Nathanael asked “can anything good come out of Nazareth? Phillip (invited him) saying; come and see”. (John 1:46) While talking to Jesus, Nathanael gave the great confession of faith, “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (John 1:49)

So, we have seen John the Baptist bear witness to Jesus, calling Him the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29b) and how the word world indicates universal atonement; that Christ Jesus died for the sins of all people who have lived or ever will live. We again heard John speak of Jesus, not just as a man, but as “the Son of God” (John 1:34b); God in human flesh; “and there is salvation in no one else”. (Acts 4:12a) Finally, we heard of some of John’s disciples begin to follow Jesus and then go and tell others about Him, bringing them to Him.

Notice the pattern of how people come to follow Jesus and believe in Him for eternal life; it has nothing to do with their goodness or righteousness or self-preparedness; They simply heard the Word, the Gospel, preached and the Holy Spirit did the rest; for we confess in the Catechism, “I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in my Lord Jesus Christ or come to Him, but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel”. Before Christ saved us, we were “dead in our trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). And “no one can say Jesus is Lord, except in the Holy Spirit”. (1st Corinthians 12:3)

For most of us (maybe all of us), we were saved when someone brought us to Jesus, in the waters of baptism, just as Andrew brough his brother Simon Peter to Jesus. As John the Baptist said, Jesus is the One “who baptizes with the Holy Spirit” (John 1:33b). He now gives the Holy Spirit to all who are baptized into the name of the triune God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “He saved us … according to His own mercy , by the washing of regeneration and the renewal of the Holy Spirit”. (Titus 3:5) Therefore, baptism is a means of grace; As is the Lord’s Supper, the Sacrament of the Altar. Which we will receive momentarily.

As Luther wrote in the Small Catechism, “these words, “given and shed for you”, show us that in the sacrament, forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given to us … whoever believes these words, has exactly what they say; the forgiveness of sins”. Therefore, Luther exhorts us saying; “We must never regard the sacrament as a harmful thing from which we should flee, but as a pure, wholesome, soothing medicine, that aids you and gives life in both body and soul … why then do we act as if the sacrament were poison that would kill us of we ate of it”. (Luther, Large Catechism, “Sacrament of the Altar”, par. 68)

(Therefore) “even if a scoundrel receives or administers the sacrament, it is still the true sacrament; that is, Christ’s body and blood, just as truly as when one uses it worthily. The Sacrament is founded not on human holiness (of those who administer or receive it) but on the Word of God … which is not rendered false because of an individual’s unworthiness or unbelief … no one can change the Sacrament, even thru misuse”. (Luther, L. C. “Sacrament of the Altar”, par. 16-17) So, even if the pastor who administers the Sacrament or the person who receives it next to you is a hypocrite, all who believe these words of Jesus receive forgiveness of their sins and strengthening of their faith.

Of course, the means of grace that is included in all the others is the Word of God, Holy Scripture, the Bible. Holy Baptism is described as a “washing of water with the Word”. (Ephesians 5:26b) The Sacrament of the Altar also needs to include Jesus’ “words of institution”; but the Word of God itself is a means of grace. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing through the Word of Christ”. (Romans 10:17) “You have been born again … through the living and abiding Word of God”. (1st Peter 1:23) “The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword … discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart”. (Hebrews 4:12) These and countless other verses affirm that reading and hearing the Word of God, which is divinely inspired and without error, is a means of grace.

Knowing that these are the means by which God gives us His gifts of forgiveness of sin, life and salvation, it is important to know where God has told us we are to (normally) receive them; for our Lutheran Confessions condemn those who “imagine that God draws people to Himself … justifies them and saves them, without the hearing of God’s Word and without the use of the Holy Sacraments”. (Epitome, Article II, par. 13) “God has ordained Word and Sacrament as the ordinary means … to accomplish this end”. (Solid Declaration, Article XI, par. 76)

Therefore, “so that we obtain saving faith, the ministry of teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments was instituted”. (Augsburg Confession, Article V, par. 1) So, the church, in the Divine Service, is where we receive these gifts from our gracious and merciful God. Therefore, we are to as Luther declared, “not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it”. (Small Catechism, 3rd Commandment explanation) Here is where “the Messiah, the Christ, … the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:41b, 29b) comes to us, every time we gather.

He promises to be here and thru His means, “He will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful”. (1st Corinthians 1:8-9a) His Word is always true. “The peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7) to life everlasting.

[mercy-burning]

A Strange Request

Part of Mercy’s 1k Celebration: A collection of Spencer Reid x Reader requests to celebrate 1,000 followers.

Pairing: Spencer Reid x fem!Reader Summary: Reader gets a rather strange request from Derek’s girlfriend Category: FLUFF, with discussion of sex, so still 18+ probably, just to be safe Warnings: discussions/topics of sex, one paragraph of blink and you’ll miss it female-receiving oral sex Word Count: 2k

Full Request: “...a fluff about reader is friend with Derek’s girlfriend, and she ask her if spencer (s/2 - s/3) can teach him where the clitoris is because reader had already told her that spencer is very good in bed... Baby Spencer Teaching Derek How To Make A Woman Cum is so funny to me” —anonymous

MASTERLIST | 1K MASTERLIST

NOTE: Just came here to say, first of all, thank you all so much for reading and enjoying my content, it means the world to me. I love you guys 🥰 Also, this request??? I was dying thinking about it, and I laughed pretty much the whole time I wrote it, so I hope you like it as much as I do!

I will be posting the rest of the requests I get throughout the month of March, so you have until February 28th to send one in if you’d like to! More information on that can be found HERE

It wasn't really normal for Y/N and Kelley to talk about their sex lives. They'd brought it up in conversation a few times, but it was never a regular thing.

So when Kelley came over to Y/N's apartment Friday night after a cryptic text stating that she needed to talk to her about something 'weird but important,' she had no idea that her weekend was about to get very... informative.

"Is everything alright?" she asked Kelley, handing her a glass of wine. The two of them sat on the couch and Kelley shrugged.

"I mean... Yes, everything's fine, but...I have a sort of, uh... weird request."

"Yeah, you mentioned that," Y/N chuckled, bringing the glass of wine to her lips. "What's up?"

"Well, basically... I can't orgasm."

Y/N almost spit the wine out of her mouth. Thankfully she was able to get it down, though not without choking slightly. "Huh?"

"Well, okay, I can orgasm it's just that... I can't when I'm with Derek. And at first I thought maybe it was me, but I tried on my own and I can do it just fine. It's just that when Derek and I are together, he can't... make me cum. "

"Well, I... Okay. I'm not... What do you want me to d—oh!"

"Oh! Y/N, no, I didn't mean that I wanted you to... No, um... Sorry, that's not what I meant. Look, I know you've said before that Spencer is really good in bed, and I was wondering if you could maybe ask him to talk to Derek about it, like... give him some pointers or something."

Y/N really didn't know what to say. But she tried really hard to say something that wasn't an incoherent mumble of surprise. "Wow, uh... I mean, I... Yeah, I can ask him, but why don't you just talk to Derek about it? He's a good guy, I'm sure he'd be more than willing to hear you out if you just communicate with him..."

Kelley sighed, setting her wine down. "I know, but... Well, it's just that every time I try to talk to him about it, I chicken out, and I know you said Spencer knows what he's doing, so I figured I'd ask you..."

She could tell that Kelley was embarrassed, so Y/N reached out to hold her hand. "Hey, Kel, it's okay. You know I'm happy to help. And I'll talk to Spencer about it, but I really think you should try talking to Derek yourself, too, okay?"

She nodded, a small smile adorning her face. "Okay."

***

Repeating this conversation with Spencer was going to be... well, weird, as Kelley had put it. It really was a strange request, but Y/N was more than willing to help out a friend in need, especially if it meant said friend was going to get laid like she deserved.

She just had to figure out how to bring it up. The best way was probably to just sit down and talk about it, but she didn't want to spring it on him at random.

So, she used decided that maybe some... inspiration would be good.

She studied her boyfriend as he went down on her that night, paying attention to how his fingers felt as the pushed and curled themselves into her, how his tongue explored her like a paintbrush exploring a canvas with beautiful precision.

And when it was all over, she laid beside him and stroked his hair, smiling. "You're so good at that," she mused. The praise put a smile on his face, as it always did. But he became suspicious when she took it too far, adding, "Seriously, you should teach men how to properly please a woman."

"Y/N?" Spencer asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"What?"

"You're trying to get at something, what is it?"

"Well, uh... this is probably going to sound really weird, but you have to hear me out, okay?"

"O—kay?"

Y/N sighed, a small shake of her head following. "Well, I talked to Kelley yesterday, because she had something she wanted to talk to me about, and, uh... she said that... Oh, wow, this is so fucking weird—ShewantedtoknowifyoucouldteachDerekhowtomakehercumbecausehe'sreallybadatit."

She blinked, and Spencer blinked back at her, the two of them laying together in silence for a good ten to fifteen seconds.

And then he started to laugh.

"W—What? Is that too weird? Because I told Kelley she should just try talking to him, but she really wanted me to ask you because I'd mentioned how good you are, and she just figured since you two worked together and that we're all friends that you wouldn't have a problem telling him about everything, an—"

Spencer reached out to brush the back of his hand across her cheek. "Hey, slow down, okay? Look. The idea that I have to teach Derek Morgan of all people how to make a woman cum is just... It's funny to me, and surely you understand why... And besides, how would I even bring that up? It's not like I can just walk up to him and be like Hey, Morgan, your girlfriend thinks you suck in bed and she wants me to show you how to do it right."

Y/N blinked up at him again, and he blinked back, the both of them starting to realize how that sounded.

"Yeah, maybe don't lead with that," she said, patting his arm. "Look, you guys talk about your sex lives sometimes, right? I mean, you're both guys in relationships, I'm sure it's come up at some point."

"No, Y/N, not really," he said, clearly exasperated and most decidedly not thrilled about the idea of talking sex with his co-workers.

Still, she sighed. "Spence, please? I told Kelley I'd talk to you about it, and she's really desperate here. Besides, it would be rude to let Derek Morgan of all people go around thinking he's great at sex when he's really not, don't you think?"

Spencer really seemed to think about that for a moment, before huffing a laugh. "Actually that sounds pretty funny to me."

Y/N slapped his arm.  "I'm serious! At least do it for Kelley's sake... The poor girl deserves to feel good, right?"

"If I do it, can we end this conversation?" he gave in, clearly not in the mood to talk about their friends' sex life.

"Wait really? You'll do it?"

Spencer sighed. "Yes, I'll do it. It's most likely going to be more awkward than this conversation, but I'll do it."

With a laugh and a quick kiss to the lips, Y/N pulled him closer and said, "I love you, you know."

***

He hoped he wouldn't have to do much talking at all. Which is why he brought a bag of books on female anatomy and pleasure. He tried for the entire train ride to work to figure out the best way to even bring it all up, but when he actually stepped into the bullpen, he almost froze up with nerves.

He spotted Derek from across the room and in a split second decided that it would be best to just rip the band-aid off.

So, he briskly made his way over to his friend and set the bag of books in front of him on the desk. "I want to preface this by saying it wasn't my idea. Kelley and Y/N were talking about some stuff, and they asked me to talk to you, so I'm just going to give it to you straight. These are for you."

"Whoa, kid, slow down. What did they want you to tell me?"

Spencer looked around nervously before taking a deep breath. "Well, um... Y/N and I were talking last night, and she said that Kelley had this weird request for her, and, um... I guess she wanted Y/N to ask me to talk to you about... um... how to have better sex?"

He said the last part very quietly and immediately looked down at his feet. When he looked back at Morgan, he almost looked like he'd been petrified, actually frozen in time with the blankest expression ever seen.

"What?" he asked just as blankly.

"Please don't make me say it again," Spencer signed.

"Reid, I don't know what you mean."

"Look, I know this is really weird, trust me, I know, but I, uh... I wrote out some detailed notes for you, and there are also some books in that bag, so it should help."

Derek looked down at the bag and then back to Spencer, still puzzled. "I... You're not serious... This is some kinda prank, isn't it?"

"I swear it's not, just... Look, after sex, has Kelley ever stayed in the bathroom for like ten minutes or longer?"

"Excuse me?"

"Just answer my question!" Spencer whispered harshly, still looking around to make sure no one would hear.

"Reid, I'm not— Oh... Oh... No..." The journey that Derek's face took almost Spencer feel kind of bad for him, though he'd be lying if a large part of him didn't find this whole thing absolutely hilarious.

"But like I said, I have things to help you," Spencer rushed out. "It's not... Look, maybe it would be better if you just talked to Kelley about it... In the end it's all really about you two, and if you don't have communication coinciding with your sex life then chances are it's not... very good."

"Kelley wanted you to talk to me... That's what she said?"

"Well, yeah, I guess so. Y/N told me that she said she couldn't... you know, finish when she was with you and she wanted me to talk to you about it."

"Why?" It was obvious that Derek was having a hard time believing all of this, even after having the epiphany.

"I don't know, I guess Y/N told Kelley at one point that I was good at it? Look, it's not a big deal, just... read the stuff I gave you, and it should help, and then we never have to talk about this ever again, okay?"

Still grappling with everything he'd just learned, Morgan muttered out an, "O—kay?"

"Good talk," Spencer said quickly, turning around and getting out of there as fast as he could.

***

Later that week, Y/N and Spencer were watching a movie on the couch, and things had been... fairly normal considering all that had happened the previous weekend.

A knock sounded at the door, and with neither of them expecting any company, they paused the movie and answered the door together, swinging it open to find Kelley standing in front of them with a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of wine.

Before either of them could say anything, Kelley handed the flowers to Spencer and the wine to Y/N, a smile on her face. "Sorry for stopping by on short notice, but I just, uh... I wanted to thank you guys for helping me out... You know..."

"Oh!" the couple said at the same time, a bit of heat creeping up on both their cheeks.

"Yeah, it wasn't a problem," Y/N said.

"Really," Spencer reassured.

"Yeah, I know it was, uh... a strange request but it really did wonders, and we talked over everything, so, it's, uh... It's all good now. So, thanks again. I just wanted to bring over some gifts to say thank you."

Even though the whole situation had been rather out of their comfort zones, Y/N told Kelley with earnest, "Happy to help."

She left, and Spencer and Y/N set their gifts on the coffee table.

"What did you tell Derek, exactly?" she asked curiously. "You never did tell me what happened."

"Oh, um... I just gave him some books, and I wrote out some notes for him."

With a smirk and a loving gaze, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close. "They must have been some pretty damn good notes if it warranted presents..."

"What can I say, I'm a good note taker," he said, returning her smile.

"Well, I think I'll have to be the judge of that. Show me what you got, smarty pants..."

Let's just say that by the end of the night, Y/N knew Kelley was in good hands.

[jmrothwell]

Where I Belong - Pt 3

This was supposed to be a one shot but it got a little lengthy. So I broke it into 3 (much shorter) parts. I am so bad with titles.

________

Summary: The boys try to figure out what it means to haunt something.

Pt 1, Pt 2, Pt 3

_______

“Can a ghost’s haunt be a lifer?” It wasn’t exactly how he intended on greeting his boyfriend. However, after yesterday and comparing notes with the guys it seemed the most likely scenario. Alex just needed to double check, despite how sure Reggie and Luke seemed to be. Willie the godsend that he is, just went with the flow of conversation like this was how they always greeted each other.

“You think your haunt is a,” Willie stopped. His head subtly shifted in a nod as he looked like he had an epiphany, “Julie.”

“What? How did you get that so quickly?” Alex realized his voice had gone up in pitch. He just couldn’t do anything about it. “It took us weeks.”

“Alex,” Willie’s voice went softer and he had forgone the nickname. Probably in an effort to help ease Alex’s anxiety. His voice was nice like that, and Alex loved when Willie uses his actual name, on the rare occasions that he does. Willie continued on, his voice now shifted to a long suffering tone. “The first conversation you and I ever had was 70% you talking about Julie. That night I took you guys to the club, before you all got distracted, it was like every 5 minutes one of you had to remind me of your gig with Julie. Over the past few months, if you weren't talking about the band, you were talking about Julie”

“Well when you lay it all out like that it seems obvious.” Alex mumbles, his own brain remembering back to the first night the guys had literally dropped into Julie’s life. How, no matter how hard she kept trying to push them away, they just couldn’t seem to stop bothering her. Then all his questions and concerns began to flood back, “Ok, but what does this mean?”

Willie shushed Alex as he brought him into a side hug, “Having a lifer haunt isn’t unheard of. Rare but not unheard of.”

Alex nodded, he was tired of being on the special end of ghostdom. Sure it meant he apparently was capable of doing amazing things other ghosts could only dream of. It also meant no one ever had answers for him. He hated not knowing things. The unknown was terrifying and filled with too many scenarios that his brain loved to torment him with. So it was a mild relief to hear that in this instance he wasn’t alone.

“So, when a ghost's haunt is a lifer there are usually limited reasons why.” Willie continued, of course he could tell Alex had more questions, angel that he was. “One, they were closely tied to the lifer when still alive. Or two, the lifer is somehow connected to their unfinished business.” 

Alex frowned. Julie had often thought somehow her mom had connected her to the guys. It would also make sense that if their unfinished business was music related they would need a lifer who could make that happen. However, as he thought each option over they didn’t sound or rather feel quite right. “There isn’t a third option.”

“Not that anyone has heard of, hotdog.” Willie grimaced slightly but kept his tone neutral. His hand made comforting circles on Alex’s back.

“Of course not.” Alex sighed. He leaned into Willie. “I think I'd like to worry about that more tomorrow and just enjoy some time with you. If that’s ok?”

“That’s more than ok, hotdog” Willie’s head came to rest on Alex’s shoulder. Alex then understood some of what Willie had been explaining before. Some of the anxiety he didn’t even realize that he was holding onto died a little. Sure they had their haunts that would always feel like home, but that also didn’t make this any less special. It didn’t make this feel any less right.

_________

OVERALL STORY AN: JATP Fanfic Masterlist;  I had read a “know that it’s probably magic” on AO3 by thessaonlike(starblessed). I guess this is my brain's way of playing with the same idea but from the guy's perspective. Also this story came out backwards. Like that last part was the first thing I wrote, so I kinda backwards engineered the story into existence.

[semischarmed]

Chrysalis, Part 2

“Yeah... Steph broke up with me.” I say to him, trying to bring some of the old Kyle’s feelings out to show some semblance of distress but there is nothing to bring out. Instead, I cannot help but go from a fake pout to a giggle. It obviously reads a bit creepy, but Red takes the awkward situation well, nervously laughing to match my giggling before giving a sympathetic grimace. “Oh man, I’m real sorry about that bro, I know you two were super close. Fuck Steph. Maybe we can hang out or do whatever dude, just kind of get your mind off things” he states, as he reaches for a shoulder pat. I reciprocate by pulling him into a hug, much to his surprise, stating “Thanks man, for everything, I don’t think I can be alone right now”. And I never will be.

“Yeah man, anything you need, I’m here for you.” He warmly replies back, giving me a pat on the back. In our embrace, I take a whiff at his chest, remaking on his flavor. Woodsy, fresh cut grass, just a bit acrid and the smell of fresh rain. God he smelled good. I took another deep inhale, moaning imperceptibly before trying to slip inside him. Instead, I am met with disappoint at my inability to get inside my big bro. He pushes me back from my extended embrace with a slight crinkle in his nose, again treating the awkward situation in stride. “But uh, maybe take a shower first” he laughs. 

———

Richard Levi- or “Red” as he was better known- was my Big Bro at Sig Chi. Though, from Kyle’s old memories, it actually wasn’t until I met him a fourth time that I found out his name wasn’t really just “Red”. Apparently, the previous frat president was also a Richard and a less confusing name had to be chosen for the then-freshman. The frat had taken to calling him ‘Red’, on account of his fiery red hair and soon after, the entire school had caught on. Though it was mean-spirited at first, Red never seemed to have been bothered by it, and by the time I arrived, there had only been one “Red” in the frat. Beyond that, my body knew very little about his Big Bro. From these memories it was fairly obvious that he has been trying to connect with the old Kyle after they had been paired, though Kyle was relatively disconnected in their conversations. I’m not even sure why the old Kyle stuck around with all the frat stuff to be honest, since apparently this seemed to occur with all the other members of the frat. If anything, Kyle seemed to only open up around Steph. That is, until I became Kyle. The new Kyle was confident. He was attentive. He was social. In a sense, Me being him had allowed for ‘Kyle’ to be greater than the sum of his parts, we succeeded in areas where the other could not. Where Kyle was oblivious, I was not. Where I could not succeed socially in school, my newly confident self as his body could. In a sense, we completed each other through my possession of him. And I loved every moment of it.

I’ve been living through my forever host Kyle for a few weeks now and it has been nothing short of fantasy. From hanging out with my frat bros to getting hazed to winning a few more games. All of it was worth it. All of it made life feel like life. Even the mundane feels great in his shoes. Waking up, brushing my teeth, exercising. Just living. Knowing it was me inside, me in his skin, using his hands, walking his legs, breathing in his lungs. Ecstasy.

A few of his-well, my- friends noticed the new and improved Kyle. Friendlier, less reserved, smellier. That last bit might have been my fault. I love Kyle, all of him- and that included his musky, putrid odor which has only intensified since his possession. With me running the show, this meat-suit can’t help but respond in kind by rewarding my constant ecstasy in this body with a steady stream of its pheromones. It also probably didn’t help that I had a penchant for covering myself in my team’s scents and for avoiding any of his deodorant. In any case, I found it hot, I wanted people to know what this flesh of mine was. I was Alpha. I was living testosterone. Athlete. Me.

Still, I wanted to make sure I truly did have him forever. My old body had the ability to slip into others and ever since I had become Kyle, this new body has not been able to replicate the same feat. I speculated it was just a byproduct of my fairly recent acquisition but it’s been a few weeks now and I still haven’t had any indication that this body retains my old ability. Of course this came with the worrying thought that, despite all my preparation, all my effort, Kyle was still just a pile of flesh that my old body was just wearing temporarily. No. I can’t think in that way. This is me. I am Kyle.

So of course, I’ve been testing my old abilities in this body, trying with every hand shake, every shoulder hug, any physical connection with someone to get inside them. I’ve been fucking tons of cute guys on campus too, though no one in Sig Chi seems to have noticed. Either that or they had another reason to not bring it up- perhaps they were trying to avoid an awkward situation. In any case, despite all these attempts, I’ve had no such luck with my little possession crusade. At least, I hadn’t until last week. 

The last time I fucked Mark- some cute rando on the 8th floor of my dorm- I left a little of my cum inside him. In just that split second, I felt his mind and body open up to me, and I took advantage of that brief glimpse to jam just a bit of my arm inside. That was when I had my first epiphany. Of course. Me-in-Kyle was like a new body, not just me possessing him, so it only made sense that I had to rebuild my old abilities from scratch. Still, possession in this new Kyle body seemed to operate differently. Maybe it was the extra power from his vitality, but I definitely seemed to maintain the tiniest bit of residual control over Mark. Nothing too crazy, just very slightly influencing some of his decisions the following week like what he wore or making sure he didn’t tell a soul about the half possession. This had some application. My old body had been able to possess groups of people before, though it had some limited uses. For one, they had to be somewhat close to each other, and at some point, I could no longer maintain that state and my physical form had to reconvene, ending the session. This? This was different. Even now I can feel the traces of my control over Mark. Kyle’s sperm must be really fucking virile. Mixed with my latent ability for possession? We were potent.

Before I could ponder what I could do with this new power, I began to feel a bump in the back of this body. Cosmic correction perhaps? Whatever it was, I felt myself being separated from Kyle. From Me. At least, most of myself was overcome with an intense numbness akin to the separation after a possession. One of my arms remained tethered to him, preventing the force from removing me Kyle’s body fully. 

This, of course, chilled me to the bone. I didn’t just possess Kyle... I became him- if we were separated what would happen to each of us? For one, I embedded myself into him, became the crevices of his mind and self. Whatever would left over without me wouldn’t be Kyle or me, so much as it would just be a pile of living flesh. Likewise, what would become of me? The guy who no longer had a separate physical form from Kyle. I looked at my arms, quaking in fear at the events that had just transpired. What I did to me, to Kyle, truly was against the natural order of the universe. Was I on a ticking clock then? Doomed to one day disappear for my sin? I stared at my arms again. That was when I had my second epiphany. I smiled wickedly. So that’s how it was.

Chrysalis. That’s what I called my special little device, my glorified sleeping bag meant to catalyze the process of forever tethering me to Kyle. I have long since disposed of the thing, but it was clear I had need for another run of the Chrysalis. Or rather, a chrysalis. 

The second epiphany came in the arm that I had used to test possession through Mark, the arm that had kept me tethered to my true body, against the natural order. The second epiphany was that I was not complete. It was the need to balance the scales. A separate possession and container were need for me and Kyle to be one. Two became one. So, in much the same respect, what I needed was to balance the books. What I needed was to fully possess another as Kyle, thereby fulfilling the cosmic debt. “One” will stay as one through a process that fulfilled both my of requirements of container and possession. I need to possess someone. I need a human Chrysalis. And I knew just the guy. I immediately started masturbating. I’m gonna need a lot of cum.

So, that’s where I am right now. I’ve been hanging out with Red, nearly every day, making us closer, all the while slipping bits of my seed into him. I started out with just a bit in his water bottle during one of our gym sessions, when he wasn’t looking. God it was hot. I watched him choke a little too, when his mouth came across my wad of goo but nevertheless he downed it like a champ. He laughed the whole thing off but I could tell he was a bit disturbed by whatever was in his bottle. I was able to will him to hug me a half second longer than usual. 

Another time, I baked some nice cookies with a bit of me-juice in them. He found them delicious. I couldn’t help but moan a little when he first bit into it. He moaned too, before sheepishly stating “my bad bro, these are just some really fucking good cookies.” I played along, giving him a “Aww thanks man. Made these special, just for you”. He willfully ignored my wink after.

Half a week ago, I slipped a bit in his shampoo bottle. That was pretty kinky, until I realized he had just washed it all off. So yesterday, I put a big extra batch in his sandwich when he wasn’t looking. That one was apparently extra potent. He took his first bite- big, messy- getting a dribbling of  “Mayo” over his beard. Instinctively, he motioned to wipe it off with a napkin, but stopped him. He watched me quizzically, as I began to scoop the mayo sucking on the little extra I got on my index finger before stuffing the rest in his mouth. “The fuck? Dude...” he chuckled gently as I felt both heat and tension increase. He was huffing, entranced, taking moist, shallow breaths as I tug on his beard, pulling his head closer to mine. “You need a bit more” I whispered, as I began to unbuckle my jeans. Red snapped out of it, pushing me away, whispering “wait... what the fuck man, what was that?” For a few brief moments, we just sat there in awkward silence. He glared at me, before closing his eyes and taking a deep sigh. “Uh, look, I... won’t tell anyone at the frat. ok? Just... don’t ever do that again. Anyways, I don’t even swing... well... Besides-“ he chuckled, returning to his normal self and tousling my hair “You’re my little bro. That’s, kinda... like... incest, you know?”

This one’s a fighter. By now, there’s gotta be a pint’s worth of my cum swimming inside him. Whenever he hangs out with me, I throw a little here and there. A quick squirt here, some extra cream in his coffee there, maybe a little extra icing on that cake. I make sure the parts of me inside him wriggle inside, get him extra hard, slam his brain with some extra dopamine around my scent. By all accounts he should be squirming in ecstasy when I’m around. But Red... he’s a cut above the rest. No matter what I do, he seems to just shrug it off. The most I’ve ever seen was maybe a gaze linger half a second too long.

It’s been a few days of this and I already feel the slightest dull sensation in my body. The universe trying to correct itself. Still, I have faith in my plans. He’s almost ready, I think. And if he isn’t ready, I’ll make him ready. I want this day to be special. The day I become Red and the day I truly become Kyle. 

—End Part 2—

Next one should be up relatively soon...

[lamaery]

more character sketches and studies I did today and the day before yesterday... 

I had a bit of an epiphany regarding foils for Dalinar and Szeth. Josh Brolin as he appears as Cable in Deadpool 2 comes veeeery close to how I picture Dalinar in my head. Also since I am rewatching Lord of the Rings with my Dad I came to the conclusion that there is someone who could probably portrait Szeth equally crazy and tormented but actually have him become sympathetic over time... Elijah Wood has the freaky eyes for it. (also he can do the scary smile extremely well...)

Also Vathah and Gaz whom I’ve wanted to draw for some time now. I am relatively happy with how they turned out here. That droopy mustache just happened while I sketched Vathah, but then it seemed to have always been there... colored versions may follow...

[mcheang]

Secret Santa Clause

This is a rough draft but it is basically a salty Christmas fic...at least I think it counts as salty?

The class is holding a Secret Santa event on their class group chat. Knowing Chloe, Caline states the following rules:

1. The budget for each gift is 20 euros.

2. You must give a present once a week.

3. The present must be thoughtful. (This was aimed at Chloe since last time she just gave out her photos, hand me downs and autographs.)

Imagine Marinette’s surprise when she receives Lila’s name in her secret Santa email. Groaning, Marinette is silently grumpy for a while until she hits an epiphany. The presents have to be thoughtful, but the receiver doesn’t necessarily have to like them.

And Marinette can use this loophole to her advantage.

Marinette has Alya swear secrecy because she only hates Chloe and Lila so the suspects for who she has to give presents to were obvious once Alya noticed Marinette’s sour mood on the phone. In return, Marinette promises to give nice gifts and will even let Alya inspect them.

1st week: Lila received a commonplace but newly released Ladybug purse. She feigns joy but Marinette knows Lila hates Ladybug even more than her. So while Lila is cooing over her ‘BFF’ merchandise, inside she is really....

Lila suspects Alya, Ladybug’s #1 fan might be her secret Santa. She doesn’t suspect Adrien because he knows she doesn’t like Ladybug and is too nice to give her a gift she wouldn’t like. Lila doesn’t suspect Marinette because if she would give Lila a piece of clothing, it would be really cheap but the ladybug purse cost about 20 euros, so yeah.

Meanwhile Marinette receives colourful beads she can use for her designs.

2nd week: Marinette gives Lila an experiment of her Dad’s baking that she vetoed for Christmas sales because girls like Chloe would scream at the sight of it. It is a tin of one large, sinful fudge brownie stuffed with caramel and marshmallow.

Marinette gives Alya a small piece and the latter approves. Marinette knows Lila can’t trace the dessert to her bakery because they don’t sell it. Alya gladly provides Marinette with the nondescript brownie tin. When Chloe and Adrien smell the brownie, one runs away from carbs and fats while the other bangs his head on the table and reminds himself of what he cannot eat. Lila just munches on it without care. Again she doesn’t suspect Marinette because she thinks her rival would just get her cheap chocolates, not a rich dessert.

Marinette herself gets beautiful hair ribbons. Like seriously...are these really below the budget?

3rd week: a cheap silver pearl bracelet that matches her earring. It seems harmless but Lila is still irked at being turned into a clam. She hates seafood and pearls because it reminds her of her third failure and humiliation. This time Lila can’t hide her initial reaction. She shied away from the pearls. Upon noticing her classmates’ confusion, she claims she thought the pearls were real and didn’t want to be the cause of so much monetary loss.

Marinette receives Christmas roses and wonders if her secret Santa is a secret admirer.

Christmas Eve: time for the reveal. The class meets up at a party in the park. So when Lila looks around for her secret Santa, she turns around to see a smirking Marinette saying, “Merry Christmas, Lila.”

Lila is surprised and feigns pleasantness. “Oh Marinette, you're my secret Santa?” Lila starts going over her list of presents. Marinette knew she was a liar and somehow found out she hated Ladybug- probably via Adrien. And the brownie was super rich which meant now Lila had to work out like crazy if she wanted to lose the excess fat. Plus, everyone knew about the clam incident. All along it had been Marinette spitefully giving her those “nice” presents.

“Yup.”

“Where’s my present?” The grand finale that Lila would have to grit her teeth and smile over. Oh Marinette will pay for this.

“Look behind you.” Alya was beaming at her friend, so proud Marinette made an exception during the holidays. Lila is suspicious of Marinette’s wide grin.

“Hello, Ma Bella.” Mrs Rossi smiled at her Daughter.

“Mum?” Lila gaped. Uh oh.

“I managed to convince your mom to spend a few hours off work to spend more time with you. I hope you like your present,” Marinette explained, barely hiding the smugness Lila knew she was feeling.

After talking it over with Alya, Marinette learns Mrs Rossi is constantly absent. She also knew Mrs Rossi was the perfect person to expose Lila.

Lila was panicked, she had to get her mother out of here before her classmates started asking about her work. She can claim to want some alone time with her Mother. Revenge against Marinette can wait.

But before Lila could usher her mother away, the latter spots Adrien and goes “Oh you must be Lila’s Boyfriend. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Cue silence... then Chloe’s screech of fury.

“WHAT?”

Adrien looked surprised and horrified. “What?”

Marinette covered her mouth to muffle her laughter. “What?”

Lila laughs nervously. “I may have exaggerated that part, Mama.”

Mrs Rossi blinks. “Oh. Well then, thank you for keeping in touch with my Daughter when the school was shut down. Honestly, the incompetence of Ladybug and Chat Noir to have let the akuma run rampant for so long...”

Lila was aghast, silently plotting Marinette’s gruesome murder.

Caline was shocked. Shut down? What was Mrs Rossi talking about?

The classmates were furious. Incompetent? Their saviours? Who did Mrs Rossi think she was?

Adrien was denying the accusation of checking up on Lila, AND clarified he had only ever talked to her before her return to school via facechat, with the class, during school, when she was travelling to Achu with her Mother.

Mrs Rossi pauses, stunned, then turns to her Daughter. “Lila?”

Marinette: I should have brought chocolate popcorn.

After the whole exposure was revealed, Caline escorted the Italian Mother and Daughter to the principal’s office to discuss the ramifications of Lila’s lies. She asked the class to continue their festivities without her.

The class was silent from the event. Their Friend has been lying to them for months, had taken advantage of their kindness.

Marinette watched Nino comfort Alya, her face unreadable.

“Hey.” It was Adrien’s voice. Marinette turned to him.

“Hey yourself.”

“You planned this whole thing, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t plan Mrs Rossi to come at first. I was just going to ask Jagged to make a surprise visit.” And expose her for not knowing the rock star at all.

Marinette held Adrien’s gaze. She would not regret her actions. Lila had gotten her expelled, had gotten Kagami akumatized, and was a downright bully.

“Good.”

Marinette startled. She did not expect that answer.

Adrien rubbed his neck, “After she framed you, I made a deal with the devil. Either she got you back in school, or I end our friendship.”

Marinette felt a smile tug on her mouth. “You couldn’t find a way to prove she was lying either?”

Adrien shrugged. “I admit she is a master at lying, so I refused to play that game with her. I’ve been hoping she would slip up but that didn’t happen at all.”

Marinette grinned now. She kissed Adrien’s cheek on her tiptoes. “Well, thank you for helping me get back into school.”

Adrien cheeks were red. So cute. He stuck his hands out. In them was a worn sketchbook. “Merry Christmas Marinette, from your secret Santa.”

Marinette was the one blushing now. “You mean...you were secret my present? I mean, you were my Secret Santa?”

Adrien smiled softly at Marinette. “I was really happy to be the secret Santa for our Everyday Ladybug.”

Marinette’s smile was painfully wide now. She took the offered sketchbook, opened it, and saw rough sketches of outdated clothing. Wrinkling her brow, Marinette flipped through the pages, wondering why Adrien was giving her this.

Then she came to a certain page and saw a certain signature.

The shrill scream she emitted was louder than Chloe’s.

“An original Gabriel Agreste sketchbook?” Marinette looked at the old thing like it was the holy grail.

Adrien laughed. “Yeah, he didn’t mind giving it up. Of course, I had to find it in the attic first but the effort seems well worth it, given your reaction.”

Marinette took a deep breath, regaining control of herself. She looked up at Adrien again and, before her nerve failed her, asked, “Would you like to grab hot chocolate with me?”

Adrien beamed. “Nothing would make me happier.”

They walked out.

The class was left staring after them. In the previous silence, they heard the entire conversation. Marinette had been right all along and she had been a victim of Lila’s. Only Adrien successfully helped her get back to school.

Alya sobbed, guilt eating her alive. She was a terrible Best Friend.

The others were feeling horrible too. How could they ever make it up to her?

Nino took charge. He consoled Alya but said in a loud voice for them all to hear, “We’ll make it up to her. Someday.”

The rest nodded. Only Chloe was somehow silent before they realized that Alix had knocked her out when the blond looked like she was going to start screeching at Marinette for asking Adrien out.

Cue Sabrina starting to wake her BFF up.

Caline returns and informs the class that Lila has gone home. She does not mention the punishments the liar had gotten but insists they continue the Santa Claus event.

when school reopens, Lila is revealed to have been expelled.

Before that, Alya and everyone else but Chloe apologies to Marinette. She forgives them all.

Marinette finally breaks down the spite behind her gifts to Alya. Her BFF is so proud and even shrieks when Marinette admits her hot chocolate Friend-date yesterday ended in a mistletoe kiss.

Adrien meanwhile has a dreamy, rosy look on his face and doesn’t respond when Nino waves his hand up and down in front of him.

I kind of feel bad that their Christmas Eve was ruined, but oh well. For the record, the hair ribbons are costly because they use real silk and Swarovski crystals, but Adrien didn’t spend a dime on them because he just got them from free since their are Gabriel accessories. Gabriel doesn’t care.

For the record, Adrien’s secret Santa was Max. Lila gave pink stuff to Rose.

[buh-lock-ay]

My very specific favorite part(s) of every song in Act 1 of bare: a pop opera

Idea stolen from @ilovetheater24601

Not gonna lie I had trouble choosing just one part for a lot of songs. Also some things are specific to the **2013 LA Production** sorry not sorry. I also had to explain some so it got long. Again, sorry not sorry.

Epiphany: Timothy, Romans, Corinthians, Leviticus/Hate the sinner hate the sin, created in His image. Abomination! Abomination! Abomination!

You & I: **The last chorus when Peter sings You take my hand leaving me breathless and he does a little riff on “breathless” while Jason goes on with take a look in these big blue eyes so you’ll understand and then they harmonize together on and know why we whisper in the hallways, I’ll be with you always**

Role of a Lifetime: 1) Am I a savior or a phase? Am I here to damn you or to help you navigate this maze? ✨KEY CHANGE✨ Where confusion is a crime, so you fill your life with sound and if you dance like hell you hope you’ll never touch the ground. 2) **When Payson Lewis not only moves the entire song up a whole step but ALSO changes the notes slightly on in the silence will he stay? One day he’ll realize and he sings the tonic high note on “day” it gets me every time

Auditions: 1) The Thy drugs are quick thus with a kiss I die/A plague on both your houses parts. 2) Jason and Matt’s harmony on my life were better ended by their hate (the LA version changed this which was stupid)

Plain Jane Fat Ass: Keeping society so ill-at-ease and loving her role (Bonus: Jonah and Katie performing this at the Reuinion Concert gives my LIFE because Jonah is so sassy)

Wonderland: 1) I got your back but I won’t babysit, I don’t need that shit 2) **When Lucas makes an X with his arms on enhance your X experience**

A Quiet Night At Home: 1) I love that the cello part is the melody from Once Upon A Time (thank you @fairest-of-them-all for pointing that out to me) and that that melody is also in the piano just 2 beats earlier than the cello. 2) always thinking, thinking, sinking never dancing (which btw is a callback to Role of a Lifetime and also I finally have that part down on piano and it’s the hardest part of this song)

Rolling: **Peter and Jason grinding on each other while Peter is shirtless**

Best Kept Secret: honestly I just really love the soft guitar part at the beginning and end

Confession: 1) Matt questioning Can a sin be right? If something that you saw goes against the law, do I tell? It gives me some hope for him. 2) “Let’s just put yesterday’s rehearsal behind us. New day, new attitude, 3, 4” because that’s literally me every day to my students

Portrait of a Girl: Stipped bare beneath all the layers when Matt and Ivy finally come together in harmony

Birthday, Bitch!: 1) The fact that Nadia wrote a damn 4-part harmony song for a girl she supposedly hates. 2) That these hoes can sing 4-part harmony perfectly with zero rehearsal time while at least partially drunk/stoned/both and yet struggle with it sober during R&J rehearsal 3) BITCH BITCH BITCH BITCH BITCH 4) **The way Payson Lewis thrusts his hips on BITCH BITCH BITCH BITCH BITCH**

One Kiss: You do know I’m misunderstood? (I feel like this line is always overlooked tbh)

Are You There?: This is my favorite song of the entire act and yes all 3 of these favorite parts come from the LA version BUT it’s my favorite song in the Soundtrack too. 1) **The fact that the first chorus is Peter on the low notes and Matt on the high notes but the second chorus it swaps with Peter on high and Matt on low. 2) The slight harmony change on the second chorus but I don’t know where I’m going and I don’t have any guide specifically because “and I” is unison and it’s unexpected 3) One day he’ll wake up and realize all he needs is me is always great but the way Payson sings it is The Best™ and that’s that**

911! Emergency!: “Now that was 2,000 years ago, I’m talkin’ what has he done for me lately?!”

Reputation Stain'd: Why the devil came you between us? I was slain under your arm.

Ever After: The Contrast between Peter and Jason’s parts. Instrumentation-wise, Peter’s part is very simple and minimal, whereas Jason’s is much more complex and has a lot more to it.

Spring: I’ll be the onnnnne with a gunnnnnnnnn

One: Are you there? Please pick up the phone. I have never felt so all alone. Left with paper, courage all alone. Crawl inside, and want to die alone.

[bootlegsymphony]

The Multilayering of Nagito Komaeda's character. A (100% serious) shitpost.

*minor Danganronpa 2 spoilers ahead*

So I've been thinking why Komaeda's character fascinates and intellectually stimulates me so much and yesterday an epiphany came to me. In this post I'll sketch the idea very briefly.

There are roughly at least five layers of Komaeda's character that could have interested me, with differing extent of 'depth' or universal applicability.

Layer 1 is basically 'Komaeda has a striking character design' or 'Komaeda is a villain with some impressive presence'. Which I believe are opinions generally endorsed by users who don't vehemently hate Komaeda.

Layer 2 is when you know about his backstory, his beliefs and motivations behind his major actions. At this point you'll start to sympathize with him, and this point he's multi-faceted and complex, and far beyond a one-dimensional character.

Layer 3 is where you 'piece the puzzle together', where you pick up all the small aspects and nuances in his characterization and conjoin them with the 'diagnostic factors' in Layer 2, having experienced the standalone dynamics he manifested when he's on the move. And then you'll be able to see his character as a very well-designed and intricately coherent machinery, who both functions as his own being and serves certain rhetorical significance to the story's motif.

Layer 4 is, about 'meta narratives', about the phenomena his character created among the audience that explained, or justified Layer 3 further. For example how he's still largely distrusted by the fandom when he practically almost never told any lie, how his sharp perceptiveness and keen intelligence shone through his deep self-hatred and likely dementia and people still went 'oh he's not that smart it's just his bullshit luck', or how he loves so profoundly and genuinely and people brush it off as 'oh that fucker knows no love he just admires hope'. Yet they had the audacity to question why he hates himself so much.

( This layer might also include the idea that Komaeda is 'Ultimate Love', as his honesty, his pure ideological and emotional transparency is what inspires the true, unquestionable and unwavering love that brings people close to each other regardless of personal, cultural and societal barriers. It's likewise among his effects on the audience. )

And layer five is, roughly about a primordial power of life in pursuit of battling the universal increase in entropy I guess. But I am yet too paramecium-brained to properly demonstrate it as we speak.

In my past Komaeda writeups I mostly touched on Layer 2-4 and scarcely ever touched on Layer 1 or 5 for, reasons.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

[sparklyicecube]

Scorching Romance

I JUST FINISHED ONE OF THE BEST MANHWAS EVER AAAAAH

Why you should read it: a review? Suggestion? Anyways.

Name: Scorching Romance

Status: Completed!!!

Length: 90episodes (pretty long but it’s worth it I swear)

Genre: Highschool romance

Quick summary:

‘Cursed girl who is constantly hot meets cursed boy who is constantly cold.’

Ok so:

Despite the ‘cursed’ parts we honestly don’t have magic running rampant in this place besides the fact that our two main characters genuinely feel really hot and cold to the point that Ember (the girl and hot one) can heat stuff up and give burns with body temperature, but mostly it is set in our normal universe. The start of the whole thing is pretty slow-paced with me not really that invested, but not turned off by anything. It gets reaaally action packed eventually and I nearly cried ahahahah.

The author is genius. The characters are honestly not one-dimensional, no matter what the story tries to trick you into believing, and the best part is that they introduce sooooo many characters in but by the time the story ends, there are virtually no loose ends and you are invested in all their stories. They don’t take advantage of misunderstanding nearly as much as they could realistically actually do and it will make you squeal!

I would say the overall theme of the entire thing is forgiveness and owning up. The amount of times someone said sorry for doing something awful and I genuinely believed them, because that ‘sorry’ just held all that weight.

Ten outta ten would recommend!!!

Spoilers from this point on! (I rant about my feelings on it down here)

OKAY SO THEY ARE SO CUTE I SHIPPED THEM SO MUCH AND AAAAAAAAA

I loved the dynamic between them and I love how they ended up being really truthful to each other and Aspen didn’t lie even though he thought about it :...) they’re so sweeeet

I looked at the chapter number when their curses broke the first time and was like waiiiiit. I then also wondered whether the rest would be just fluff scenes (not that I’m complaining) but the author really said “BUCKLE UP IT GONNA GET SERIOUS”

The author put so many references to little things that happened and tied everything together so nicely??? Also Trevor, idk when I started rooting for you but you were real. You and Moxie should get together. (You will never make it as a kpop idol because your bullying scandals) 

I think overall, I really liked how it all came together and ended?? They even had that Rocky dude go with someone else??

The forgiveness/repenting aspect of the entire thing was really amazing. Aspen kept saying ‘sorry’ for so much at the start and throughout, yeah he was genuine but he was also overusing it. Later on, ‘sorry’ became such a powerful word that was used in such serious cases, like when Harry’s grandma cursed Ember or when Monica burned the place down.

Can we talk about Harry???

HARRY is BEST BOY

At the start, even though I knew that it was Aspen and Ember I was like ‘does Harry sorta like Aspen though?’ and low-key shipped it but then he said ‘he’s too good for you’ and there was the whole “I DO NOT LIKE ASPEN” when being bothered by Ember and I think that is actually really sweet. We never get the answer to why he sticks with Ember, well, at least not explicitly, but we definitely know why. 

1. He and Ember were childhood friends, he saw her deteriorate to such a serious state and is willing to stick with her because they’re friends (serious state being both her heat and her temper as he sees how she did actually attempt to be nice to people only to be backstabbed)

2. She’s been there for him when very few people have. When Aunt Monica left him Ember was right next to him, that makes them very close and also feel like they’ve been through a lot, and so are willing to stick to each other more.

Harry not having any romantic interests in Ember or Aspen just makes him so much more appealing, he teases them, is there for them, and we can see how amazing he is and without having any romantic unerlying agendas! Love fuels a lot of stuff in this manhwa but so does platonic love and I love that for him. I also don’t think Megan deserves him, because she is too immature and honestly, still hasn’t figured out love yet. (Especially with the ‘buying him ice cream was worth it’) like GURL have you SEEN his HOUSE he does not need a sugar parent. Even until the end she eats ice cream with him, which just shows she can’t open up to him and she was honestly pretty childish thoughout the whole thing. Either way I love how the author baited us several times with Harry for us all to be like ‘Could it be??’ and then ‘I knew it.”

AMBER AND ASPEN”S RELATIONSHIPPPPP

I love how the whole thing played out to be honest. At the start, I didn’t like Ember’s attitude, or Aspen’s attitude but they both grew so much as people and their character growth through was just so amazing! You could see so many parallel’s where Aspen stands up for himself, where Ember is more restained, it’s *chef’s kiss* amazing!

One of the best bits was when Aspen couldn’t bring himself to lie to Ember, which was what I feared. It seemed like the worst misunderstanding ever but Aspen managed to trust Ember enough and vice versa, showing how far they’ve come. The two of them are now able to banter and converse freely, which both of them trusting in their love and relationship so much! 

Aspen trusting Ember was the bit thing I think, if he couldn’t trust Ember they would keep having these issues, but Ember had grown to be more trustworthy and Aspen had grown to be stronger and have better self-confidence.

At episode 64 or smth where Ember’s curse broke and I thought ‘are they going to have another 30 chapters of just fluff?” (not that I’m complaining), and they didn’t, but the fluff they did have was so cute!!! Also when Ember collasped and hugged Aspen after ‘faking’ a relaspe *sobs* it was so cute :.)

This next part will be a collection of little observations I found (there are probably still more) that I though were super cool!

1) Aunt Monica’s cigareete. We see her throw it as a little thing like a (I’m leaving/I’m outta here) thing when we first find out that she was Harry’s aunt, then we later find out that Harry’s grandma cursed Ember because of a fire from a cigarette butt from him. At that point no one realises what happened yet. Then she has an epiphany when some person from some car throws at her when it’s all dramatic (I thought that was Lucifer or someone going to burn her originally but it was just a random person) and then we find out it was all her! We even find out that the fire happened on the day of her leaving and no one realised! Anyways...

2) Hypnosis. Monica says in her little ‘angels club’ thing that they must wear sunglasses all of the time lest they hypnotise people. I read that, realised that Lucifer was from there, then went ‘wait a second...’ because Lucifer hypnotised Moxie!!! Several times!!! Cool easter egg I love

3) Remembering things. Aspen didn’t remember Monica from when he was so young, only his mom did, because Aspen was 1. Young and 2. Monica didn’t have much of an impression on him. I like it when author’s decide how much people can remember because let’s face it, even when we’re not children we don’t remember what we ate yesterday morning. Also, Ember not remembering that Monica told Harry to think of her as his mom. Same logic, Ember was young and it had waaaay more of an impact on Harry than anything. More than that, Monica left the next day and it would seem like an irrelevant detail technically.

4) Names. I love how they actually tied in names with meanings, it made it so easy to remember the names and it also made it not really weird and obvious (I’m looking at you J.K. Rowling) but integral to the story. One could predict what role they had in the story by their name. Rocky’s name particularly threw me off a bit, because I could tell it was based off the ‘Rocky mountains’ but was unsure of whether that was related to ‘cold water’ and just decided that it was, but it wasn’t as Aspen’s. Making him just ‘water’ was really nice because it gave us reason as to why Ember seemed to be helped by him but also make him just out of the picture as well.

5) The ice storage. Making the bodyguards faint and be cold too, especially wen they didn’t really coma (or at least, the second one) because we knew you had to go in involuntarily to no be in coma, very good detail.

6) Aspen still having the misunderstanding that Ember was up on that roof saving him to this day because it was never disputed. Ever.

There are totally loads more than that but I need to re-read it a few more times to spot them I suppose!

I think the only hing I want more content of in the whole thing is from Aspen’s dad. His guilt after what he heard his son and wife went through, his bonding with Aspen, him and his family, I feel like that was the only thing that was left unfinished and that I’d want to see more of. 

Finishing it off with a- how are you reading this part??? You must really like reading me ramble. Anyway, that might or might not be all from me on Scorhing Romance, I’ve been getting into manhwas lately and especially finished ones (bcs duh) so these rants might come in a bit more frequently but who knows.

Bye!