#and then he is given more power that also brings some uncertainty with it and that likely scared him cementing his departure for Parga

[mc-critical]

1.10 / 1.09

[yagirlpurplefox12]

Logan’s Firecracker

(Logan Howlett x Female Reader Insert)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“When you get to young Xavier, tell him to find me. Young me would have loved to have been in a school like that,” you pant out to Logan with blood dripping down your nose.

“(F/N)—!”

“Now go, I’ll hold them off.”

Tears start to make his vision blurry as he clenches his jaw…very unwilling to let you go but he knows he has to. The Sentinels have taken over and he has to go back in time to stop this from ever happening…but that means losing you…

“(F/N), I…”

Looking from his face to the door, you know the others are holding off as best as they can but dying at drastically quick rate. Focusing back to Logan, you give a small carefree smile and kiss him on the lips. The first and last kiss.

“I love you too. Now go fix the past and tell Xavier to find me. Bye, Logan.”

Getting away from his grasps, you salute the others in the room and lock the door behind you. In front of you is carnage and more Sentinels than before. Getting ready, you feel the space and gravity around you and send out a burst of gravikinesis force sending the Sentinels flying.

You know you are going to die like your friends before you. But be damn if you let them get to Logan and the rest of hope without a fight.

And a fight did you bring.

Along with a horrible death in the process.

But technically that never happened.

Now Logan stands in X’s office as he is given the details on what happened after 1973. Seeing Jean, Scott, and everyone else, he’s happy to have everything back to how it should have been. Though, there is one person on his mind he can’t forget.

“Logan, as I said before you have a class to teach. Now since you just learned about the changes, I’ll be in the classroom with you if you want.”

“That may be best,” Logan grumbles, still thinking about his girl. About you. A strong woman who made him realize love can come anytime and in surprising ways. A young woman originally from shield who had gravitational powers. You were also much younger than him meeting him when you were 23. But as the two years past with the both of you fighting side by side, more than a friendship blossomed but was never dealt with considering the uncertainties of death.

Arriving to the classroom, Logan notices some young friendly faces that either died battling the Sentinels or should be with Magneto instead of here.

After class greets him and Professor X and the bell rings, the door suddenly slams open and a flustered, short, young adult with a shit eating grin on her face chuckles nervously.

“Sorry I was late Logan, training got a little fun now that I can do some cool shit.” Professor X shakes his head at your language in front of the kids as the class laughs at your seemingly normal everyday behavior.

Seeing you, Logan can’t help but to feel that tight feeling around his heart and throat. Looking down at Xavier, the older bald man smiles at him and nods.

Logan then looks back at you and watches you.

“(F/N),” he starts, catching your attention.

“ I know, I know, language. It’s a hard adjustment.”

“How about taking over today’s lesson?”

Your eyes widen and you start to giggle out of nervousness and anticipation, “Wait, for real?”

He nods and tells Professor X he’s not needed.

‘How about you take the day off and be with her? Since you’re officially back now, I think you deserve some peace.’

Logan smiles and nods his head, Xavier now rolling to the door but not before telling you to behave. As he sits back and watches you teach the class in a VERY entertaining way keeping the young teens attention, he feels a burning sensation behind his eyes. He’s grateful he doesn’t remember anything after 1973, for it would honestly be super awkward if he had to see you as a child. He’s grateful Xavier listened and, just like he told Logan in his office before they headed to the classroom, Xavier found you just a week before you accidentally kills your family and everyone in the apartment building. He’s just really happy to see you, alive, and as geeky and animated as ever. Like you’ve never changed. No matter what pst or future, you’ll always have the lovely, bubbly spirit. Once class ends, Logan gives them homework and as Xavier promised he let everyone know there will be no history class for the rest of the day, surprising you.

“(F/N), how about we go out and enjoy our free day?”

“….really?”

Logan can’t help to feel flustered but he knows he has to do this, he doesn’t know if you feel for him the same as in the other timeline, but he would regret it if he never tried.

“Well I’m on my period and I’ve been craving strawberry ice cream and Puerto Rican food,” you slide up to him with the smiles he wants you to wear everyday as long as you live. He wonders if he himself before ever pulled a move on you, whether that is taking you out in a date or simply hugging you. He gives back your smiles and gives in to his feelings for you. Reaching behind your head, he grasps the back and messages between the lower part of your head and your nape. “Let me get you those well deserved treats.” Your cheeks flush from his actions and words but your smile only grows bigger. “Well, let’s go then! Oooh, and last week you promised me a ride on your bike, let’s go,” you grab his hand and he lets you pull him towards the garage. You answered is unheard question. He is meant to like you and from your hopping and smiling and even flushing his arm to your body, you are meant to like him as well. Your arms squeezes to him and you lay your protected head on his back the whole ride to the closest town that you said has Puerto Rican food.

It’s lunch time by then but since it’s a workday not many are out. He buys all the food you want and lets you feed him yourself of everything he never had. The whole day, the two of you were getting closer and closer. “Logan, are you feeling alright?”

“Hmm?”

The two of you are ending your day licking ice cream after spending and hour and a half at a book store. Piles of bags are next to him, every book he saw you remotely interested, he bought.

Had to get a lot of gay manga but if it makes you happy, it makes him happy.

“Well, you’re always so broody and very cold many times. You also have a tendency to yell at me and abuse the hell out of me during training, but for the past month or two you’ve been very nice to me…and today…I guess what I’m saying is don’t be an asshole and get my hopes up. I know you know I like you, I mean since I was 15 I’ve literally asked you to be my prom date every year. Was this day just to tell me that I’ll never have a chance or what?”

Logan freezes for a moment, and watches your face get saddened per second. He remembers from the other timeline of you being insecure about…well everything. You were just always joyful while making stupid untrue comments about yourself. He’s not gonna let you think like that.

Gently grabbing your chin, he guides your face to his and wait, seeing if you’ll object. Your eyes and the lick to your lips give him no objection. Moving forwards, both of your mouths collide to a deep and passionate kiss. Your bodies feeling the same tingle and longing. Dropping your ice cream to the ground, you grasp his hair, pulling to get a deeper kiss as he groans in your mouth. “I love you (F/N), I want to take you on dates every weekend, treat you like the queen you are, and god I want you so badly,” he states between kisses. You can’t help but feel for him the same, “I love you too Logan. I just can’t believe a hunk of a man like you would be interested in flabby me.”

“Don’t talk about yourself that way, you’re gorgeous inside and out,” he growls at you.

You guys headed home right after that, but Logan wants to take his time with you. To cherish you. You invite him to your room to watch the Child’s Play series, cuddling, and eating popcorn and snacks. He kisses your head and inhales your scent. He scents your shampoo, perfume, skin, and even the little musk of want coming from under the covers. “Love you Logan, can you sleep here, with me?”

“Of course, love you too you little firecracker.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[rwrbmovie]

BTS of #RWRBMovie: Alex's bisexuality

TZP via Glamour:

TZP: He's had sexual experiences with guys in the past, but he doesn't lead with it. I think it's not even top of mind. He's kissing girls at a New Year's party. And then Henry comes and kind of forces him to grow up and go, ‘Oh, I'm really into this.’ It turns into love, and his identity and family and relationships become even more important. I love that about Alex. Because who knows? If there's an alternative universe, who knows what would have happened if he didn't meet Henry? What if he didn't find a purpose or a higher path for himself other than just being a powerful politician?”

ML via Teen Vogue:

Alex's bisexuality is as important to who he is as Henry's homosexuality is. 

This is the story of a young bisexual man discovering that, in addition to being into women, he also — he kind of knows that he's into guys. He admits freely to Nora that he has messed around with guys before, but he's never really had the need to identify until he meets Henry. One of the things that was important to me is that line that he has in that scene with Nora, that “I can wrap my head around being low level into guys, what I'm really confused about is being into Henry.” That for me was key. I needed the audience to hear that, that we're not dealing with a person who's — Alex isn’t a closet case. Alex isn't confused. Actually, if there's anything Alex is confused about, it’s “why am I hot for my sworn enemy?” That's a more interesting story to me. Alex's bisexuality finally needs to be identified in order to articulate his feelings for Henry.

ML via Variety:

In both the novel and the film, Prince Henry first kisses Alex on New Year’s Eve, but Alex’s reaction changed significantly in López’s adaptation. In the book, the kiss sends Alex into a profound realization of his bisexuality, something he’d never given himself time to consider amid his feverish devotion to his mother’s presidential campaign and his undergraduate studies at Georgetown University.  In the film, however, Alex is older — he appears to be in law school — and takes Henry’s kiss in stride, in so far as his attraction to men is concerned.  “It was born of my decision to cast actors who are older than the characters were in the book,” says López. “I really wanted there to be some genuine stakes and gravity for these characters. If they were too young, you could just explain this away as puppy love. I wanted this movie to be about that first real romance of your life, the first real love affair, the first real love.” Rather than tell a story about a kid in his early 20s who is plunged into uncertainty about his sexuality, López says he wanted Alex to be someone who had messed around with guys but “has yet to have a reason to really understand himself as bisexual.” The director continues, “I wanted Alex’s angst to not be about his sexuality. I wanted it to be focused on Henry.”

ML via Metro Weekly:

One of the things that I think was so beautiful about the story that Casey wrote, is that Alexis such a refreshing character because Alex is so clearly, very definitively bisexual, and that he might even be, I think, maybe that sociologists would term him as bisexual preferring women. He just happens to find himself really preferring Henry, and it surprises him. There's a scene in the movie with Nora, in which he says, "I can wrap my head around being into guys, what I'm really confused about is being into Henry." And I love that there is such an easy acceptance to Alex and who he's attracted to. And that for me was something so unusual about the story and that was so refreshing, and I wanted to bring that to life.

ML via Pink News:

“One of the thing I thought was really refreshing about the book, is the idea that room can be held for people who desire men and women and the journey that Alex takes,” López said. “I really appreciate that in the novel and we’ve kept it in the movie. There is space made for Alex as a bisexual character.”

TZP via Newsweek:

TZP: And Nick and I were always in deep discussions with [Robbie Taylor Hunt] about this because the intimacy part is so important because Alex's arc as a character as somebody that has only dated women in the past—maybe a couple guy hookups—to not liking Henry to getting kissed by Henry and then having a relationship. It's just like, excuse me, the different degrees of comfort that Alex starts to have, this needs to be represented in in a proper way. And Robbie was with us the whole way. And Matthew was there. It was always a group effort, which I really respected. 

[illusianation]

Well. Helloooo! It’s been approximately 184 years since I posted any kind of meta on this site, let alone a TWD-related meta. But here we are, in the year 2024, no less. Nothing like The Book of Carol and Melissa’s return to bring some of us back. Unfortunately, it’s been a mixed bag, and current spoilers point to some really disturbing info about our beloved characters, specifically Daryl. The following is from a recent Twitter post made regarding Daryl’s character and thought it would be cool to post here, too.

CW: Daryl - relationships + trauma

There are so many feelings about the spoilers re: Daryl/Isabelle, and this post isn’t meant to invalidate any of them or defend the storytelling choices or retcon. Umm, no. Not at all. That’s a whole other post and many others have written extensively on the issues of show-running, creative consistency, and marketing of The Book of Carol. It’s not even about shipping, really. On the contrary, this post is to share some thoughts about Daryl as he is now, viewed a bit thru a trauma lens.

Before I start, I feel it’s important to note that I am an LCSW, or Licensed Clinial Social Worker, in the US.

A big part of viewing what’s going on with Daryl’s character is to start by posing some important questions: Where is Daryl emotionally? What’s going on in is his headspace? Is he clinging to what’s there in France because he feels utterly alone and resigned to his fate? What if Daryl is actually able to open himself up to Laurent and Isabelle in part because of his relationship with Carol and not in spite of it? What if he’s capable of connection & love with others precisely because his OG found-family showed him what it can look like in so many ways? Hear me out. It is a powerful thing to consider, especially given that Carol, Judith, and his family undeniably shaped Daryl, offering him his first real sense of belonging and trust. Now it appears totally lost to him - a devastating, compounded, and total loss. And he is NOT OKAY.

That doesn’t mean it isn’t OOC for him to connect with others the way he has and/or regress. As we know, trauma survivors like Daryl, especially those with histories of domestic violence, complex trauma, childhood abuse, and neglect, often find themselves in cyclical patterns of vulnerability. It does make sense that Daryl, even after growing in his relationships with Carol and the fam, might still be susceptible to getting involved in dysfunctional relationship dynamics (cough *Leah* cough) His need to care for others, while being a strength, also exposes him to people who might exploit that—whether intentionally or not. He is, in a sense, truly acting out of character.

In Daryl's current emotional state he’s completely unmoored (by a literal ocean of impossible distance no less) from his foundation of emotional safety, and has appeared to regress to the point of being unrecognizable to some. The idea that Daryl's protective nature and discomfort with intimacy coexists with an ability to be exploited by others, speaks volumes to the complexity of trauma responses and his arrested development. Daryl can embody fierce loyalty and affection, yet be caught in cycles of seeking out or gravitating toward what’s familiar, even if that familiarity is rooted in pain or dysfunction. There are not a lot of options for relational safety in the ZA. Isabelle, Leah, and even Rick, all in their own ways, represent that tug of codependency and trauma-bonding for Daryl. Not to mention, when there are children connected, his protective instinct becomes exponential.

Daryl’s current isolation, insecurity, and uncertainty about the depth of Carol’s love and his OG found-family provides a pretty valid underpinning for why he might be more open to a connection with Isabelle and Laurent, and even actively choose it when given the opportunity to go home. It’s not the arc that makes the truest sense for Daryl, but it is still very true to life in the way trauma can regress personal growth, even temporarily.

At the same time, it’s 100% understandable that this shift feels like a betrayal to Daryl’s character, as it undermines the progress he’s made and relationship choices he’s made in the past. The narrative may fall really short of pushing Daryl forward, instead choosing to revert to old tropes that fail to capture the nuance of his journey. By ignoring the potential for deeper, more layered storytelling, the show risks alienating viewers who’ve been invested in Daryl’s growth over the years. It already has, and I see y’all out there. 🫶🏼

Ultimately, it’s the tension between authenticity in trauma responses and narrative sense and progression that leaves the audience, Daryl, and most likely Carol, completely unsatisfied. IRL, growth is non-linear but in fiction, especially after so much buildup (and let’s face it MISDIRECTION) it’s not unfair to expect a clearer arc forward, versus regression into old patterns.

Hopefully, the progression will materialize in resolution which will in turn, lead inevitably to - truly actualized, authentic, and absolute love in all ways for Daryl with the safest, most accepting person person in his life, Carol. After all, Spain is still out there.

Part 2 Coming Soon: Carol and Survivors’ Guilt

[hannahbarberra162]

Can't Fix Fix A Broken Heart, Chapter 15

On Ao3 All chapters

18+ MDNI

I've been trying to show that they do like Y/N, but they also take what they want from her. I hope this makes it a little clearer.

I think Y/N's behavior is understandable, especially given her background. Marco is essentially doing good cop / bad cop to her, and it's working.

You were in utter agony. Thatch and Ace had been eating you out for what felt like forever. You had stopped squirming around, allowing them to position your body as they pleased. You didn’t have the energy for anything beyond screaming, cursing, pleading and begging for them to either leave you alone or to let you come.They took turns bringing you to the brink and letting you down again, never achieving what you so desperately wanted. Ace was experimenting with his fire power and heating his tongue for extra sensation, which added a new dimension of frustration. You were sloppy, wet, and sore and just wanted this all to end.

At some point your body couldn’t take any more, and you passed out in between their sessions. You felt your body being carefully wiped down with a soft towel. You were so over sensitized that even the towel made you jerk away. You were picked up and carried somewhere by large hands, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. You were placed in a bed, covered up, and you fell asleep when your head hit the pillow.

You came to a while later, unsure where you were. Looking around, you recognized it from before as Marco’s room. You looked around, and saw the pirate himself reading in an armchair. He looked up at you, and gave you a smile. You were unsure of what was happening, and the uncertainty made you nervous. Were you forgiven? Was he still mad? Were you in more trouble? You sat up in the bed and waited for him to tell you something, lest you get yourself into more punishments.

“How are you feeling yoi?” 

“Um, bad?” You were hesitant to answer, but you didn’t want to lie.

“Mmm. That’s not surprising. Come here, I want to talk.” Marco put his book down and gestured for you to come to him. You got out from under the covers and gingerly walked over to Marco. You already guessed where he wanted you to sit, so you carefully climbed up onto his lap. You were rewarded with another warm smile. He linked his hands around your waist.

“Y/N, I want you to know that my brothers and I care about you yoi. It may not be directed in a way that you are enjoying, but we’re trying to help you. You…aren’t mentally equipped right now to care for yourself. It’s not your fault yoi. You were under severe duress and torture for years, so it makes sense that you are still in survival mode. But, you don’t have to survive anymore, do you understand?”

You nodded but were also biting your lip. You understood what he was saying but weren’t sure what this had to do with all of them denying you an orgasm you desperately wanted. You decided to agree with him for now.

Marco sighed. “I don’t know if you understand why we’re so concerned. You need time to recalibrate back to any kind of normalcy. Your coping mechanisms helped you for so long, but you don’t need them anymore. You don’t have to do everything on your own. You don’t have to be afraid to sleep, or eat, or be anxious when you’re unproductive. We don’t need you to do or be anything beyond yourself. We want you to feel safe here with us, not have to constantly live in fear. We all want to help you move beyond some of your past so you can be happy again.”

You didn’t really know what to say. On some level, you knew Marco was right. You didn’t need your coping mechanisms anymore, and you needed to readjust to a more normal lifestyle. You weren’t sure how to set about doing that on your own, since your anxiety and fear controlled you. But their way was such a jumbled mess of kind actions, meaningful words, and dubious sexual contact. All mixed together, it left you bewildered as to what you needed or wanted from these men. You stayed silent on Marco’s lap.

Marco reached behind your neck and took off the necklace. You looked at him mutely.

“Your punishment is over now. It’s late, and time for bed. Tonight you’re with me, so we’re staying here. Would you like a cup of tea?”

You nodded, still not having said anything. 

“What are you thinking, Y/N,” Marco said as he cupped your cheek with one hand. He gave you a soft concerned look, and paused for you to speak.

“I don’t…I don’t understand what’s going on.” Marco tilted his head and patiently waited for you to continue. 

“I feel like…this is all so much for me. I want to be normal again too. I don’t know if I c-can be. I’m not try-trying to be bad. I don’t wa-want to be punished anymore.” You couldn’t help it, tears falling down your cheeks. He swiped them gently away with the pads of his fingers.

“I know you can be normal again, and you’re working so hard. You’ve come a long way already. I’m proud of you, and I know my brothers are too.” You cried harder at his statement and turned your face into his chest. No one said words of praise like that to you. You hadn’t heard anything like that since you were a little girl, and even then it was sparing. Even though he had tormented you hours before, you lapped up his praise. He let you cry on his chest and stain his shirt with your snot and tears. Marco rubbed your back soothingly with his chin on your head until you wore yourself out. He then picked you up and placed you on the bed.

“Did you want the tea?” He asked. You nodded. He went to go make it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marco POV

Marco wasn’t lying. Generally, he didn’t lie. Sure, sometimes he bent things a little, or omitted information, but he wasn’t a liar by nature. 

Everything he said to you was true. He did want you to get better. He was concerned for your physical and mental health, and he didn’t think you could accurately see yourself right now. He wanted to see you flourish into the woman he knew you could be - had been - and enjoy what life had to offer. He wanted to protect you, help you, and encourage you to shine. He had no doubt you would thrive with them behind you, pushing you out of your comfort zone. They would reward and praise you for all your achievements, whether big or small.

And yet…you also awoke something feral in him. Something protective, possessive, dark, and jealous. He did want you to feel safe- safe with only himself and his brothers. Yes, he was being a little manipulative, but it was all in your best interest even if you couldn’t see it. He wanted to keep you, no matter how selfish that made him. You belonged with them, and only them. You couldn’t protect yourself, that was obvious. But they could. They needed to keep you safe and protected, no matter what. You were a little bit of softness they could keep with them, and you needed to want to stay too. 

And even though your distress and agitation - both physical and emotional - bothered him on some level, he had enjoyed punishing you. He enjoyed dominating you, and forcing your submission. He relished the time he spent between your legs, tasting your divine heat. He delighted in turning you into a squirming, twitchy mess under his ministrations, begging him for release. He loved hearing you sobbing his name, beseeching him to let you come. He relished hearing you screaming when his brothers had their turns. 

All of these things were true at the same time. You were meant to achieve great things, you were meant to be theirs, and you were meant to be mastered by them. You just needed to see that. And this was the fastest way to show you.

Y/N POV

You were still quiet when Marco returned with two cups of tea. He handed you one, and you took it, blowing on the hot beverage. You drank it, thinking about what Marco had said to you. It was hard for you to gauge what of your own behavior was normal and what wasn’t. All your habits gave you a sense of safety, but when you really thought about it, maybe Marco was right. You drank your tea, and handed the empty mug to Marco. 

Marco set the mugs down and padded over to the bed. He got in on the other side, and blew out the lamp. Like Thatch, he pulled your back to his front, but not as tightly. You were wearing clothes, so you felt a little more comfortable. 

“I know you don’t like the dark yoi. And there’s not much moon tonight. But I thought this might help.” Marco’s arms lit in beautiful flickering blue flames. You gasped - it was so incredible to see up close. You reached out to touch his arm, looking at him to see if he would allow it. 

“Go ahead. It doesn’t burn.” You tentatively held out a fingertip and stroked the fire. It had a unique texture, like it was halfway between a feather and a flame. You stoked his arm for several minutes before you realized what you were doing.

“Sorry,” you mumbled, placing your hand down on his arm.

“No need to apologize. It feels rather nice. You can continue if you want.” You didn’t stroke his arm anymore, but you did watch the flames dance in the darkness. You felt relaxed, being held by the bright blue flames.

“I’m going to ask you something, but I don’t want you to feel compelled to say yes. Your punishment is over. Would you like to come? It’s your choice.” 

You looked up at him - you hadn’t expected that at all. You thought he was going to hold your orgasm above your head until…well you didn’t know what.

“You’re not going to stop? You’re going to let me come?”

“Only if you wish.”

You thought about it. You were still sore and spent from earlier, but the idea of ridding yourself of the pent up sexual energy you’d had simmering for hours was appealing. 

“Ok.”

“Are you sure? We can always wait.”

“No, I want to. Please.”

Marco POV

See what a good girl you could be with a little encouragement. You were already asking him so nicely to come. He had initially thought of forcing you to come over and over after denying you for so long. But that could be another game for another day. Right now you were feeling out of sorts and lost from his change in demeanor. He knew the rapid changes from enforcer to concerned lover were confusing for you, but everything had its reason. You needed a little bit of tenderness, and you’d feel more secure.

“Turn to me, Y/N,” he whispered to you. You turned over, looking up at him with those guileless eyes he loved so much. He was still producing flames, which charmed you. He gently moved your head to the side so he could fan your neck with his breath. His hands gently stroked up and down your side, as he brought gentle kisses up your neck to your ear. He turned your face and kissed you with slow passion on the lips, allowing you to kiss him back.

“M-marco I can’t take much of this, I’m already so worn out.”

“I know, love, I know. We’re almost there.”

He knew you didn’t have much more in you, but he wanted to enjoy the sweetness while he could. He dipped his hand into the waistline of your pants and stopped.

“Do you want to come on my fingers or my mouth?”

“Ah, I think…I think mouth?” You were blushing a deep red. Even saying something so basic could make you feel embarrassed. It was rather cute. 

“As you wish,” Marco said with a grin as he moved down the bed. He put a pillow under your hips and shimmied your pants off. He used his hands to open you up and keep you that way. You were still puffy and engorged from earlier, which was a wonderful sight. He didn’t want to keep you waiting, so he dove right in. In a few short strokes of his tongue, you were already close. He added two of his fingers into your tight channel, which had your pussy spasming. He could feel your cunt gripping and sucking on his fingers, trying to get more. He found your g-spot and started rubbing it gently. You moaned loudly and thrashed your head. Your legs were twitching and trying to close on his head.

“Ah, ah, please Marco, please keep going, please don’t stop,” your head was thrown back and your eyes screwed shut. 

“Eyes on me,” Marco ordered. He was sucking and licking and fingering you and wanted you to see it all. You opened your eyes and watched him. He intensified his efforts and watched you fall off the edge. You tried to keep quiet, but weren’t able to completely stop yourself from making noise. He drew out your orgasm endlessly, letting you ride the high until you started pawing at him to stop touching you. He desperately wanted to overstimulate you, but now wasn’t the time. You were sleepy and calm, drifting away in your own mind. He turned you back over, facing away from him, and brought you close to his chest once again. After a few moments of silence, you picked up your head suddenly.

“But what about you? Don’t you want…something?”

Oh. You were being a very good girl. And good girls get rewarded. 

[n-agiz]

TOLERATE ITㅤ boyfriend! fushiguro toji x gn! reader — angst [ 0.7k+ wc ] cws age gap + slight power imbalance + allusions to toji cheating on reader ! MDNI

ㅤhow toji went from loving you to only tolerating you was a mystery, the only thing you could do now being to decide whether you wanted to push through it and live with his indifference or leave him and search for something better.

recently, you had started to feel a barrier building between you and toji.

your story was long, the day you realized you had fallen for someone almost double your age one you would never forget, much less the one you realized your feelings were not only accepted, but also mutual. toji was like a dream come true — or at least for a while, he was — and at first you couldn’t help but wonder how you had managed to get so lucky.

he was mesmerizing, not only due to his looks, but also because of how he treated you, how gently he always held you and how understanding he always seemed to be, didn’t matter the situation. he worshiped you in a way no one else ever had, and naturally, you did too, putting him on a pedestal as if he was your own personal savior, your knight in a shiny armor. looking back, maybe you had given him too much credit all along — he was amazing, but everyone has their flaws and toji never tried to hide his from your eyes. you still saw him as some upper being though, someone worth the unconditional love and admiration you gave.

things worked for a while, toji appreciated your affection and you enjoyed giving it to him, but then a switch seemed to turn in his mind and something that he was once thankful for, something he reciprocated to the best of his abilities, turned into something he seemed to only tolerate.

over the last few months, slowly but steadily, toji had begun to grow colder, more distant. at first you assumed that maybe he was just tired, that him coming home later was really because of him having to do extra hours at work, but then doubt that he had someone else started bubbling inside your head, and you started to question everything about him.

you tried to save your relationship, bring back all the adoration you once had for him — you went back to trying to impress him, doing your best to make him happy, but nothing seemed to work, his feelings for you nothing but a sliver of what they once were, his actions not more than the bare minimum, descending to giving you just enough to keep you hooked instead of enough to make you happy.

maybe you were getting it all wrong — toji, your toji, the one you loved so much and the one who you once worshiped would never hurt you, at least not purposefully, so you were definitely getting it all wrong, reading too much into his actions and maybe even expecting too much out of him. yeah, that had to be it, you thought, it’s normal for relationships to slow down after a while, they settle down instead of always remaining in that initial honeymoon phase, so toji’s actions were more than acceptable — or at least you tried to convince yourself they were for a while, eventually reaching the point where you grew way too tired of everything, or more accurately, of the lack of anything.

leaving toji, as unbelievable as it sounded, started feeling like a viable option, the correct one, even. somehow, you still loved him. in one way or another, you still cared about him and desired him — but when did it start becoming too much? when did your delusions and possible what if's turn into hopeless wishing that things could still go back to normal, that the man you laid next to every night would somehow wake up one day and go back to being the one you fell for? the wondering and waiting around were worse than the idea of simply walking out of toji's life, which was unexpected, because leaving the one man you thought would be the one for you — the one you thought would be the love of your life — was an excruciating one, but somehow still less painful than living in doubt and uncertainty, so one day, after you had finally had enough and had gathered all the courage you needed, you told toji you were leaving, and although his reaction was more underwhelming than what you had hoped for, you were fine with it, not caring anymore about the fact that he didn't care either, now able to tolerate the thought that some things simply aren't worth fighting for, and that sometimes leaving and giving up is the best choice.

N-AGIZ '23ㅤ REBLOGS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED !

[eldritch-spouse]

Now I'm very interested in all the icons heats 👀 What's Cero's heat like? I love when characters who act dignified and in control losing it to their own basic urges

[I can't wait for people to shit on him in my inbox.]

TW: Verbal degradation; Cero is his own warning tbh.

Cero will occasionally take heat supressants.

The problem with that is, the larger one is, and the more powerful, the harder it becomes to suppress one's heats. Sure, you can brew a heat suppressor so potent that it muffles a Lord of Hell's rut, but that's not exactly cheap to make, it takes time, it's unreliable, unpredictable, and can have negative health consequences. Cero has been careful with his use of this treatment.

Usually, during heats, Cero has the manor mostly evacuated. He doesn't want anyone, not even his servants, to witness his sorry state. He knows he's going to peacock helplessly to anyone he sees, and that'll be the death of his ego right there. Cero, while not exactly a traditional nesting type, will surround himself with anything he's particularly proud of having, or things that represent his status, his honor. It's like a gross, self-flattering altar really.

Your marriage contract, if you still recall it, rushed and full of fervor as it was, had a vague clause about Cero's ruts. Said clause denotes that you are to follow any instructions related to it given to you in the future. And, even if you come to hate this (most likely), fact of the matter is you'll never have someone give you a more descriptive survival guide for their heats than Cero. The fear of uncertainty is null because everything you can expect is in those pages.

Pre-heat symptoms are subtle, but there. Most noticeably, Cero will become easily shaken by what people say about him. He'll grow obsessed with his looks and behavior, checking himself constantly, looking around like a crazy man. The demonlord becomes insecure, prone to petty outbursts over the slightest hint of offense to himself, and taking heavy blows to his self-esteem from a mere half-hearted insult. He's almost afraid of being around others, especially you. In fact, Cero will make himself very scarce around his Queen during this time.

At night, he orders the servants to arrange a guest room for you, and that's where you'll sleep for the remainder of his rut. Before you go to bed however, he shows up at your bedroom door and pushes towards you a neat file folder with several pages. You're ordered to read it, and he speed-walks away before you can see how sweaty he is. That is the file with all the information you need, as well as your schedule laid out for the upcoming days. All your personal needs are accounted for, and it's structured in a way that makes it look like nothing's even changed. You better make sure you respect the hours stated in those files, because if you're even a minute late with your timing, Cero will drag you into his room even if you scream bloody murder. One of the ways he stays sane is through keeping track of time, so you must always be on your toes.

Wear what he tells you to, bring him his meal after you eat, respect the breaks for basic necessities and sleeping. Show up at his room when the file tells you and listen to every little word he says- Or you'll get really hurt.

Although clouded in hormones, Cero behaves predictably. He expects reverence and timidity, complete obedience is demanded of you. Let it be known he has several whips, and there's a good chance he could use them during this time. If you manage to keep calm and respect these rules, you're treated to some egotistical sex for the most part, but you're also privy to some of the demonlord's more honest thoughts.

There are moments where Cero's confident attitude crumbles from the highs and lows of hormones. Moments where he'll throw himself at you on the verge of tears, naked, shivering with need- Begging you to tell him he's perfect, that you love him. Is he doing things right? Is he good enough? Do you want to fuck him? Is his cock any good? Is he half as immaculate as you? Pick your answers very carefully, because if you hurt him, Cero will take it out on you tenfold when he's no longer suffering a low.

When you leave his room at the scheduled hours, you'll hear Cero calling for you throughout the night. Sometimes they're sweet nothings, other times they're insults, degrading you- Why aren't you beneath him? As if you have anything else better to do, you whore. He doesn't mean them, and he says that in the files. You are to ignore him entirely. It's a bit hard to sleep when you can hear him fucking himself the whole night, but he specifies he needs those moments to... "Unwind privately".

Respect the schedule, stay obedient, and it'll mostly be fine. Go out of your way to be irresponsible and Cero will have to take over in his muddled state- Something you decidedly don't want.

[mxngldmxdnsss]

The Hunt - series

Chap 3. I Caught Myself - Recom Miles Quaritch

this song is so fitting goodness gracious I’m a fucking genius - paramore will make a huge appearance in this series also TIME SKIP!! bc I’m bad at writing day by day stuff 🙂

pairing - recom miles quaritch x omayikaya!fem! reader

cw! violence, sexual stuff but not too much to be the entire story lmao and miles being American

mature content ahead : proceed with caution!

This was so wrong you thought to yourself. It’d been at least a month since your capture and things hadn’t gotten any easier. So far you weren’t even allowed a room with a window because of a previous attempt to escape that only lasted a couple of seconds before being cuffed by the Colonel. His big hands wrapped your wrists as he dragged you back to your room.

His hands, you found yourself drifting back to the thought of them. They were huge, warm, and strong. His fingers thick to match them. And god, his arms, as if his hands weren’t more than enough. And his shoulders, so broad, adding more to his powerful demeanor. It felt so good that it was wrong. Wrong to squirm in your bottoms when he scolded you. Wrong to press your thighs together at night with the thought of him invading your sleep.

You’d be a disappointment to your clan, you knew this. But you just couldn’t help the way Miles knew which strings to pluck, all with a smirk on his face. It pissed you off, and turned you on at the same time. You began to crave seeing him everyday. Seeing his signature stupid smirk, and hearing his dumb, deep chuckle. It was pitiful almost, getting off on this man.

You needed a way to rid your mind of these thoughts, so when there was a suggestion from Spider for the crew to get to know some of the creatures of the forest, you were more than eager to tag along. But it was as if the Great Mother was playing tricks on you. Finding yourself partnered with Miles for this adventure. Each group was given things to protect themselves with, and a task. As childish as it sounded to them, they needed to bring back three items native to the forest, and describe at least one animal and what it looked like.

Begrudgingly, you began making your way deeper into the forest, Miles struggling to catch up. “You gon’ leave me out here all alone?” He asked. You huffed to yourself and shot Miles a glare. “You are too slow. With that pace you’d be dead within an an hour if a Thanator caught your scent.” Miles chuckled behind you, the sound bringing warmth to your face. “Oh, and would you mind filling me in on these, Thanators?”

You smirked to yourself and stopped dead in your tracks, taking your place on a branch. Miles stopped in front of you, taking a step back to allow you room to speak.

“Thanators is what your people call them, but to the Na’vi they’re known as Palulukan, the dry mouth bringer of fear. They are apex predators. More dangerous than any of your animals on Earth. Many other predators in these forests fear them, even we. An encounter with one of them is almost certain death.” You lowered your voice, watching as Miles’ eyebrows rose, and his ears twitched to every sound of the forest. It was almost laughable until you heard the low growl of a creature on the forest floor.

You were thankful you two had chosen to explore the forest from above. Whatever was down there, you certainly didn’t want it finding you. You chuckled nervously and hopped to your feet. “Well we’d better get going, you never know.” Sensing Miles uncertainty, you brought your hand up and patted his back, flashing him a smile before pulling your hand away.

You’d never been extremely scared of the forest, after all it was once your home, but the thought of all of the deadly creatures against just you and an idiot unfit for surviving Pandora made you worry. You took in a deep breath, continuing your journey deeper into the forest. Along the way, Miles picked some fruit, and nearly puked when he swallowed a mouthful of seeds. Which had you laughing until he spat a seed at you.

You spent the rest of the day explaining the forest, and eventually you and Miles spotted a Hexapede and decided that it would be your animal of the day. Making your way back, Miles explained some things you were confused about. You found it strange that these people needed so much technology, at home things were easier, faster without it. You preferred the traditional ways rather than the ‘modern’ ones.

Eventually you both made it back, finding that the last of the crew was filing in as well. You watched as Miles explained what you two found and saw, and felt some bit of pride for being tasked with being his teacher. On the ikran ride back, you looked down on the wonders of your home, wishing that you could somehow, get away and go back. But there was something pulling you to the sky people. Something that made you yearn to stay with them.

The thought stayed in your mind even as you sat down in your dinner. It confused you, these people had captured you, hurt you. Yet you found some happiness within it all. You guessed it was the Colonel, and for that you hated yourself. How could you betray your people like this. Enjoying your home with these monsters, demons. Even teaching them your language. It infuriated you.

How could these people, no, this man have such a hold on you. Your heart. You wondered if he even thought of you as something other than a guide and teacher. After they had no use for you anymore, they’d discard you. You meant nothing to them.

Balling your fists up, you got rid of the thought. You could not allow hatred to cloud your judgment. You needed Miles to see you. And you somehow needed to see him. If you could find a way to bond with Miles, build a friendship, you’d be able to find your way out of here and maybe buy your people freedom from the sky people’s wrath.

In the moment you cursed Jake Sully. Why did he have to bring this war to your people? Why did he continue to attack, continue to fuel their hatred for the Na’vi. They had already gotten what they wanted, the minerals beneath your home. And still they persisted, and now they were after Jake Sully once more. For their needs you were captured. Because of Jake Sully, Toruk Makto, your former clan leader.

You pushed your food away, no longer hungry for the food they gave you. You just wanted to go home. If you could go home you’d wish for nothing more for the rest of your life.

Sighing, you rose from your seat and made your way to your cot. The material foreign against your fingers. It was strange, all of it, these people had materials, everything and yet they craved more. Hurting Eywa to get it. You grimaced at the thought, the Great Mother, Eywa. You could not give up, you had to fight for her.

You bit your lip as you laid down, feeling the cushion dip with your weight. You lay there, thinking of the recom crew. Thinking of Miles.

In order to fight for Eywa, to help your people, you needed Miles. Whether you liked it or not, you would need to cozy up with him for the long ride. How you were going to do so, was a question within itself. You could try your best to befriend him, although his squad seemed to have a stronger friendship with him than you’d be able to achieve within a short amount of time.

You could try encouraging him to change, to see the other side of things, but he was stubborn. You could manipulate him, though you weren’t sure how that would work with your skills. Or you could try a different, more intimate approach. Something that couldn’t fail once a certain step was complete.

You could mate with him.

The thought made you shiver with a certain delight. It was almost too good to be true once you thought of it. However there was one flaw. Once you mated with Miles, there would be no going back. He would be your mate for life, and you could not change that. But the more you thought about it, the more you worried. Certainly your people would be understanding to know that you sacrificed your freedom and self to save them. But you weren’t certain that you would be accepting of it. Sure the fantasy of mating with Miles was something in itself but, in reality, it would be much harder than just becoming friends with him.

First you would need to get close to Miles, next you would need to establish a relationship with him, then you’d need to mate with him in the presence of Eywa to seal the deal. But after all of that you would have to convince him to stopping the operation. And that you knew would be a bitch. You sighed at this and rolled into your back. Just how in the world would you get close to Miles? And enough to get him to fall for you.

You closed your eyes, exhausted with the plan in your head. As sleep overtook you, you were unaware to the fact that along with this operation, Miles was tasked with the same thing. Miles winced at this thought, you were like a stone wall, just how would he make you his lifelong partner, and get you to betray your clan.

Chap 4. Thinkin Bout You

[alexanderlightweight]

You have a lot of really cool stories where the Nephlin have their own culture and courting rituals, but what about Warlocks?

i have so many thoughts about this and i do have some meta written about warlock customs and cultures because i have... basically a field index i'm trying to wrk on in my spare time.

one thing that i headcanon across my universes is that the consorts of powerful warlocks boost and aid warlocks in their power, contrl and spells based on the bonds between them. so depending on what the warlock and consort/s want is how the rituals are picked.

spoils of war

i hope you enjoy!

-

Magnus stares across the gathering, counting the many kings and High Warlocks and Elders who have gathered here to witness his bonding.

Nearly none were at his wedding — Magnus’ mentally sneers at the word — and that was by design. Why waste the time of the downworlds most powerful for what everyone knew the nephilim considered a farce.

Normally this kind of bonding takes months to plan to advance — but Magnus knows that if he waited the amount of time it would normally take — that Alexander will only drift further away.

That is something that Magnus cannot afford, not now while he ties up the last of his deals on earth and in this realm.

Around them every warlock who has a consort has brought them along, a sign of respect that Magnus demands of them and that they obey. Magnus ordered them to bring their consorts at witnesses, something that is rarely done and even more rarely obeyed as there is no true magick that will force a warlock to bring their consort.

This however, is different.

Magnus is the reason why their consorts will now have more safety and it is why they listen.

Why they honor Magnus and his own bonding.

Still, not a single consorts face is uncovered.

For all they respect him and each other, the personal intimacy of a consort is something most warlocks are loathe to share and Magnus — despite being a king of hell — is truly no different in that aspect.

The Council of Elders gathers and Ragnor and Cat stand tall and alone, but side by side. Neither are interested in the bonds required of a consort and three other unbonded Elders join them as witnesses.

Only half of the kings have consorts and less than a third of the High Warlocks are bonded.

It means that the majority of the warlocks gathered will be witnesses, but there is enough bonding magic already gathered that Magnus knows he can do what he wants. 

The types of rituals used depend on the depth of the bond being forged and Magnus knows what he wants from this bonding.

It means using not one of the oldest rituals, but one of the rarest due to the complexity of the rituals nature, the power it takes, and the rarity of the ingredients.

In the Labyrinth, Magnus descends the stairs, guiding Alexander down with a steady hand and magic that won’t allow his boy to trip.

No one can see Alexander’s gorgeous hazel eyes, or the way they often gleam with hesitant curiosity and wary intrigue. No one will see the uncertainty Magnus is sure is in his gaze. Or the evidence of how he hasn’t yet given himself over fully, not yet gifting Magnus with his trust and devotion rather than just his submission and obedience.

Alexander is magnificent and the mask only gives him more presence, the wings of the True Nephilim frame him as he walks and while his steps are confident and graceful, Magnus knows the tremors of his heart.

The array on the floor was painted with the mixed blood of both demons and angels and then coated with a seal made from the ash of nephilim wings and the tears of a siren.

The power and magic that has been singing in the array arches almost eagerly towards them and Magnus can feels Alexander’s shudder as it twines around him.

There is hushed, awed murmur when the ritual he’s picked is recognized. Magnus can feel both the surprise and the respect and also the confusion at his choice.

For tonight, Magnus will tie Alexander to him in the most intimate of ways so that Alexander understands that Magnus will not let even the thought of him go. For they will be tied together, even in their dreams and Magnus lets the silk made from his magic gleam with his power, forcing the others to avert their eyes as he kisses Alexander.

Magnus cuts his lip and then Alexander’s, using the stele that Jem had personally gifted him and that he’s yet to try on his consort.

With magic shielding them, he lets Alexander’s robe open and sears the demonic sigil of his house and name in a rune over his consort’s heart.

Magic captures Alexander’s whine of confused pain and Magnus steals his own name from a bleeding, beautiful mouth.

“Alexander.” Magnus croons and then he sighs, letting the robes settle back into place and the protection of his magic dissipates now that none can see Alexander.

It’s a pity that Magnus had to adhere to the standards of nephilim at their political ceremony, but that won’t be a problem going forward.

The small shard of Magnus’ soul that he carefully harvested is in the form of a little pearl and Magnus summons it, holding it out expectantly. Alexander hesitates for only a breathe and then he obediently opens his mouth.

Magnus pets over his tongue for a moment, spreading magick that Alexander’s whimpers at and then he smirks as every warlock and consort in attendance begin to hum.

The vibrations of magick continue throughout the entire chamber until the very walls are reverberating and Magnus’ own magic sings in his body as Alexander’s body accepts Magnus’ soul.

[agentrouka-blog]

I always thought Melisandre would be at least partially wrong about her vision beyond it being Sansa rather than Arya. The marriage part in particular; while Sansa is (set to be) betrothed to Harry Hardyng, she has no reason to flee the wedding, and assuming he dies, Littlefinger making his move so soon?

I think it may be correlation instead of causation (Littlefinger is preparing a wedding to either Harry, Robin or himself, while Sansa is leaving independently after learning about 'Arya' to the one person she knows for sure would help her rescue her sister, that being Jon - and Melisandre assumed it was the reason for her departure), the error compounded by Melisandre's knowledge of 'Arya' and her own interpretation.

Certainly she will not be even half right. A conflict is being set up and Melisandre will most likely end up near Dany (making her a one-off POV just to kill her in half a book seems odd) but GRRM has been careful to make a point about her fanaticism and free, mistake-riddled interpretation while leaving a true-enough core to serve as foreshadowing device.

Your post about Melisandre's use to manipulate Jon into trusting her was incredibly on point, but we also shouldn't forget her "daggers in the dark" vision. She is invested in Jon's survival for the reasons you laid out, but she can see what's about to happen, and it runs counter to her goals. So she needs to persuade him to trust her ASAP, to make him listen to her warnings, except it fails. The mutiny takes place, like she warned.

Which means Jon post-resurrection would take Melisandre's visions more seriously - and that can't be in this story, so she'll immediately be wrong about something that drove Jon for the second half of the book. Sansa, not Arya. Not a marriage, maybe not even fleeing (though I do think the Mountain Clan attack theory has merit). Either Melisandre's messed with him and maliciously lied to gain his trust (as far as Jon'll be concerned) or she is much too unreliable to make decisions on basis of her visions.

All of that will probably be revealed before Shireen burns and totally ruins any goodwill Jon would have for her, which in turn means he cannot possibly be Azor Ahai in Melisandre's eyes [I don't think Jon is AA, but Melisandre's clearly considering him subconsciously due to Jon obviously having SOME role to play while she's also clinging to her Stannis interpretation] - and in the meantime, dragon rumors reach Melisandre's ears...

Hi there!

Given all the uncertainties about the exact timing of the Northern plotlines coming up, I find it difficult to make concrete predictions about what will happen when.

But I do suspect that Melisandre will not go on as she has been up until now, especially not the same way as she did in the show.

For one, her plotline has been intensely intertwined with Stannis and how own choices relating to the prophecy and the power Melisandre was willing to invest on his behalf, as well as the things he was willing to let her do for his own gain. It's basically led to a destructive religious fanaticism that is bound to take on a life of its own very soon.

I don't necessarily think that GRRM intends to keep around Melisandre as an essentially unchanged character and simply aim her at a different target this time. The horror that is Shireen's murder - something GRRM has been building up to all this time since their introduction - is bound to have consequences for everyone involved, not just Stannis.

And she isn't needed to connect Dany to the story and prophecy of Azor Ahai. There's a basis for that in Essos already:

Haldon nodded. "Benerro has sent forth the word from Volantis. Her coming is the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy. From smoke and salt was she born to make the world anew. She is Azor Ahai returned … and her triumph over darkness will bring a summer that will never end … death itself will bend its knee, and all those who die fighting in her cause shall be reborn …" (ADWD, Tyrion VI)

Where Mel hailed from, others already wait in the wings.

Plus, the other angle on the prophecy:

 "No one ever looked for a girl," he said. It was a prince that was promised, not a princess. Rhaegar, I thought . . . the smoke was from the fire that devoured Summerhall on the day of his birth, the salt from the tears shed for those who died. He shared my belief when he was young, but later he became persuaded that it was his own son who fulfilled the prophecy, for a comet had been seen above King's Landing on the night Aegon was conceived, and Rhaegar was certain the bleeding star had to be a comet. What fools we were, who thought ourselves so wise! The error crept in from the translation. Dragons are neither male nor female, Barth saw the truth of that, but now one and now the other, as changeable as flame. The language misled us all for a thousand years. Daenerys is the one, born amidst salt and smoke. The dragons prove it." Just talking of her seemed to make him stronger. "I must go to her. I must. Would that I was even ten years younger." (AFFC, Samwell IV)

...and...

He was not a man to be refused. Sam hesitated a moment, then told his tale again as Marywn, Alleras, and the other novice listened. "Maester Aemon believed that Daenerys Targaryen was the fulfillment of a prophecy . . . her, not Stannis, nor Prince Rhaegar, nor the princeling whose head was dashed against the wall." "Born amidst salt and smoke, beneath a bleeding star. I know the prophecy." Marwyn turned his head and spat a gob of red phlegm onto the floor.  (AFFC, Samwell V)

Melisandre's role in Westeros was, I think, intended to introduce the prophecy and see its destructive potential and the subversion through to the bitter end with Stannis. This provides important context for when this prophecy is brought up with other people, specifically Dany but potentially also Jon. But that doesn't have to and likely won't be happening through Melisandre.

If she walks away from the murder of Shireen essentially unchanged, GRRM would severely undercut his own message about the prophecy.

"An ant who hears the words of a king may not comprehend what he is saying," Melisandre said, "and all men are ants before the fiery face of god. If sometimes I have mistaken a warning for a prophecy or a prophecy for a warning, the fault lies in the reader, not the book.  (ASOS, Davos V)

GRRM chose to focus much of his energy in Melisandre's single POV chapter on showing how a) wrong she is about a lot of things, and b) how much she is trying to compensate for a deeply traumatic past. Melony, lot seven. Much like Daenerys, she is avoiding a confrontation with the past, with her own choices and her immense pain, and focusing on what she believes she has achieved and will achieve. She ignores her own mistakes to a fault. If I look back I am lost. But look back she must in order for her character to have a cohesive arc.

Melisandre is likely to finish her story before ever encountering Dany, and it is likely to involve a harsh reckoning with her own path and failings and false certainties.

If GRRM has all of Team Stannis collapse in the wake of the prophecy, instead of sending Mel on as a straight continuation, he challenges the reader much more openly into questioning the worth and purpose of the prophecy entirely. The issue isn't Mel, its agent, it is the prophecy and how people react to it.

If Dany encounters the prophecy with Melisandre, the blame could be placed on Mel for leading her astray like she did Stannis.

If Dany encounters the prophecy independently, we will be watching a mirror to Stannis unfold, and it will open up a clearer invitation to compare the patterns of how this exact prophecy has influenced different people throughout the centuries of Targaryen rule all in the same destructive way.

It's a warning that is mistaken for a promise, and in this way, it became self-fulfilling.

[tulipisreading]

king of sloth by ana huang (kings of sin book 4)

⭐️: 5/5

🌶️: 3/5

🥵: 4.5/5

He'd never wanted anyone enough to chase them...until he met her.  Charming, easygoing, and rich beyond belief, Xavier Castillo has the world at his fingertips.  He also has no interest in taking over his family’s empire (much to his father’s chagrin), but that hasn’t stopped women from throwing themselves at him…unless the woman in question is his publicist. Nothing brings him more joy than riling her up, but when a tragedy forces them closer than ever, he must grapple with the uncertainty of his future—and the realization that the only person immune to his charms is the only one he truly wants.   *** Cool, intelligent, and ambitious, Sloane Kensington is a high-powered publicist who’s used to dealing with difficult clients.  However, none infuriate—or tempt—her more than a certain billionaire heir, with his stupid dimples and laid-back attitude. She may be forced to work with him, but she’ll never fall for him…no matter how fast he makes her heart beat or how thoughtful he is beneath his party persona. He’s her client, and that’s all he’ll ever be. Right?

First off, I ADORED this book. I adore this entire series, and can't wait for the next three. King of Wrath will always be my favourite, but this one surprised me with how much I loved it.

Sloane has been there since book one, and Xavier has cropped up a few times, mostly in book 3 if I remember right, and I couldn't goddamn wait to read their story. I was also surprised at how long it was at around 460 pages, the longest of the King of Sin series so far. It was well worth it though, as we get lots of both their family backgrounds, we get a lot of new characters, Sloane's background (which I was eating up oh my GOD) and a few other plot lines too. I particularly loved the emphasis on sisterly relationships, specifically how Sloane struggled with one sister and yet loved the other beyond belief, and how her friends are practically sisters to her as well. Often I think only difficult family relationships are shown in books, or sometimes the good ones are just glossed over, so I was glad Pen had a decent amount of page time. Xavier bonding with her also made my heart grow three times the size I think.

I also really enjoyed Xavier's family dynamics, though he definitely did not. His relationship with his father was really interesting, especially given how strained it was, but the loophole left in the will. I appreciate how Ana Huang wrote that part, the way we don't quite get all the answers, how like Xavier we have to just accept that it's happened, and we won't know why. In my opinion it really helped to immerse the reader in the story, because we're in the same boat as some of the characters. Xavier's growth as a character was one of my favourite things in the entire book as well, the way he went from coasting off his fathers money to wanting to make his own, to wanting to succeed by himself and wanting to be independent. Though I also loved how he admitted he likes the money, the allowance he gets from his father even as he tries to get away from his family. Like yeah, he didn't just suddenly turn entirely selfless and not care about the money.

That's something i always enjoy about the Kings of Sin series, because it's set amongst New York's elite essentially, all the characters are very comfortable with their wealth and have no issue spending it on what they want. There's no character that turns around and goes "I'm not like other people actually, I don't need anything apart from my tiny apartment and enough to pay the rent and bills :)" no they all like to be rich, and it's so much fucking fun to read about.

Sloane and Xavier's dynamic was absolutely perfect, no surprise there. Since it was Sloane's job to keep Xavier in line, I liked that she brought him down to earth a little bit, and that he brought her out of her shell a little. Another nice little touch was just that their dates weren't always out of this world. As I said they're all very comfortable with their wealth, but they went for dinner, they stayed at a hotel, they watched movies together, tried to bake etc etc. Though I love the other three books, Wrath had Dante renting out the entirety of the Botanical Gardens for Vivian for example, and Pride had Isabella taking Kai to an underground artists studio few people knew about. This was refreshing, having their first and arguably most perfect date be a movie night with snacks on a floor mattress.

I genuinely could not find many faults with this book. I'm sure there are some, and naturally there will be people out there who didn't like this one-but me? Fucking loved it. I loved it, I loved the first three, and I will love the next three. Also very excited to read The Striker, Ana Huang's new book based on Asher Donovan, the soccer/football player (???) mentioned a lot in this book due to Sloane being his publicist, but a few times in the Twisted series I think as well!

(Also, as expected, the smut was top notch 🤌🏻)

[neversetyoufree]

What's worring me more about noè being cut out by sade and teacher is he will get persecution because he's archiviste. He didn't got problems until now beacuse teacher's status and secrety but nothing woundn't stop sade/teacher expose him

Do we know for sure that the Archivistes are or were persecuted?

We know that they were wiped out at some point in the past (or at least that people seem to think they were wiped out), but I don't believe we've been given any details. We don't know whether they were killed purposefully due to their powers, or if they died out in some other circumstance. We don't even know what's commonly believed about how they died, regardless of whether the publicly known version is the truth. Nox just says they "perished long ago," and unless I'm forgetting something major, that's the end of it.

It's unclear whether the wiping-out of their clan was due to persecution, and we also haven't seen many other signs of persecution beyond their deaths (or causes for them to be persecuted). It's true that people don't all like the idea of having their memories seen, and especially not without consent, but that doesn't necessarily translate to all the Archivistes being despised either. I can think of quite a few reasons the senate, for instance, might find a use for them, which could have given them status and power. Or it could lead to them being despised by those in power, because a deceptive Archiviste could reveal their secrets to the world. We simply don't know.

And regarding Noé's past, he was "auctioned as an Archiviste survivor," but I don't think that necessarily means anything about the treatment of the Archivistes back when they were alive. Noé was already being human trafficked when they realized his status, after all. Of course his traffickers were going to take advantage of the fact that he was an Archiviste, because they're all dead, and that makes him a unique item (which makes him profitable). "The last living vampire with the power to see memories" is an easy thing to market, but that doesn't mean those same traffickers would be prejudiced against an adult Archiviste should they encounter one in different circumstances.

Noé can't even really keep his status a secret, since anyone that knows anything about Archivistes knows that they had dark skin and pale hair. As shown with Chloé, anyone knowledgeable that sees him will immediately suspect.

So overall, while it's certainly possible that losing the protection of his teacher could bring trouble for Noé in vampire society, it's not certain that he'd be persecuted as an Archiviste. There's really too much uncertainty about the issue to say much about it right now.

[nako-doodles]

i need your thesis on all the songs in the album i'm being so serious rn 😭 i'll rb it once a day for months and months don't deprive me like this of things i didn't even know i needed

ioaefjerjgioajo ill try my best aiofjoerjgiojao i was so annoying to my friends over my first impressions over all the songs so im gonna try my best to summarize my thoughts on these songs

joonie said this entire album was a recollection of everything hes done in his 20s aka the transformative years of his life and you can ABSOLUTELY hear the member influences (at first i heard the sope influences bc they have the biggest body of work so their style is most distinct but upon relistens its really a love album to his younger self (you can really tell its an evolution from rm and mono) and his members. ALSO i love how he modulates and changes his style and timbre to fit the style and quirks of his featuring artist? hes so fucking cool????? oh my GOD?????? anyways heres the impressions by song:

track one: yun ft. erykah badu very hot of him to start the entire album w 'FUCK THE TRENDSETTERS' the bassline the restraint of a laidback soundscape the reverb set to max the lines 'I wanna be a human / ‘Fore I do some art / It’s a cruel world / But there’s gon’ be my part' is so fucking insane? fuck. this song lyrically is all about uncertainty and the soundscape has a lot of space for growth and white space for art to be exhibited dare i say, its like the debut group's first stage? full of promises and expectations and uncertainty, but you march ahead regardless......what a sexy first song on the track track two: still life ft. anderson paak

BRING IN THE FUNK HELLS YEA VHOPE IS VIBING SO HARD RN I JUST KNOW IT now the empty space and reverb bassline is given some direction and happiness here. still life is a form of art and thus begins rm's first piece of art here in his lil art collection and joon accepting that things will come as they are and ppl will try to reduce him down to one thing, but hes still a fully realized human moving forwards like us all

track three: all day ft. tablo

ok this bassline and instrumental SCREAMS yoongi to me. the lil kick between verses the beats w the bassline the high melody line the bridge that sick transition from verse to chorus like no wonder tablo is here. i know yoongi draws lots of inspiration from epik high so it makes sense. sonically speaking this song takes the funky sounds of the previous track and condenses it and brings a hint of melancholy just in time for our next track. speaking on less fun notes, tablo is really the only other person who survived such vicious tonguelashing and emerged more powerful and a better person and im just glad joonie has someone to look up to.

track four: forgetful ft. kim sawol oh our queen of folk here to deliver some nice kindie chill vibes thank you i need it for our coming song mwah. here we slowly start to hear the funky bright poppy merge to a chill sound this song was for tae i just know it!!! sonically theres some fun stuff going on but it feels like a cooldown piece for the rest of the album. joonie really said i can pull off ALLLLLLLL genres.

track five: closer ft. paul blanco mahalia

the rnb influences the syncopation the pop beats i bet jk is having the time of his life singing to the chorus. the guitar and the beat and the piano makes me an immediate fan. also they modulated the message beep to be in the same key??? as the song?????? AND it gives us a diving board into the electronica of the next song and then the sound expands when joonie comes in???? i love it.

track six: change pt. 2

OOF KIM NAMJOON DID SUM NASTY WORK ON THIS SONG ITS SO GOOD ok ok ok so this sudden electronica synthpop isnt jarring bc joonie did a fantastic job ordering this album BUT you know whats the fucking kicker???? the way he arranged this song. on paper this song should NOT fucking work but it does bc they used the same chord from the synths as the piano that comes in later even tho it turns to double time half way thru the song and it would be amazing at there BUT(dont quote me on this) change and change pt 2 are either in the same key or are on relative keys AND if you listen to change ft wale which starts on the piano and goes to electronica, he does the exact opposite here???? fuck and the lyrics mirror each other as well????? fuckK

track seven: lonely

this is the love song to mono the reverb on that guitar the upbeat melancholy the tokyo forever rain vibes are THERE BUTTTTT hes added more complex transitions and layering? like even in this short amount of time hes grown exponentially fuck kim namjoon ur so sexy track eight: hectic ft colde

THIS IS THE HOBI SONG OF THE ALBUM YES KING GIVE ME THAT BOUNCY BASS AND HIGH AIRY SYNTH CITYPOP VIBES YES KING i NEEDD someone to give me a just dance x seesaw x hectic remix asap it would sound SO good. also as someone who listens to a lot of colde/offonoff, this collab is SO FUCKING good bc you can hear coldes influences as well? its so good my god the sax the lil touches the production FUCK. ANNNDDDDD they switched to double time again for this outro so the next song doesnt come in too jarring??? mr kim how did you fit so many genres into this album and yet they all belong together????? im in so much fucking awe man!!!!!

track nine: wildflower ft. youjeen

ive told you pretty much everything i wanted but fuck the production on this song is just so fucking good. the details. the expert control of the soundscape. the arrangement. i cant wait to hear vocal line sing youjeen's lines. i also love that he put his title song at the end bc hes at the end of his 20s. this is him currently. hes still growing and growing roots and stretching to the sun fuck man i cant believe this song took over my most played joonie song forever rain in a week.

track ten: no 2 ft. park jiyoon

and here we are returned to the starting spot but slightly to the left, like when you've walked thru the museum exhibition and am spat out the exit right where you started, but w the new insights and experiences that the you from an hour ago didnt have. joonie is a masterful curator and this song ouroboroses us right back to listen to this album again. the tongue in cheek of ending w 'no looking back' when im ready to replay this album again like you literally inviting me to replay this album youve made it a point to end like this?????? lmfao kim namjoon who do you take me for hmmm?????

if youve made it to the end here i love you nothing makes sense anymore i only know that i love kim namjoon and that ive had this album on loop and i STILL hear new things in it i have no words for how much respect and awe and love i have for this man. and when he said 'fuck the trendsetters' he really did it. he dabbled in ALL of the most popular sounds and genres you hear in the music industry, pulled it off w aplomb, and moved on. anyways i love kim namjoon.

[ziggyandleo]

I use ChatGPT to give me law school exam prompts and thought this might be helpful.

I've been obsessed with Supernatural lately, so I'm using it to stay concentrated on practicing for my contracts final. I'm going to go to more recommended practice tests maybe tomorrow, but having ChatGPT throw me some softballs is helpful to see if I get basic legal concepts and I have them down in my outline.

This technique is not limited to law students. You can ethically use AI to give you practice as long as you do your own work practicing.

You can also use AI to score your response, but I highly recommend reading through it and scoring yourself as well.

DO NOT feed ChatGPT any material from class that might be your professor/teacher's intellectual property unless they give you express permission. That could get you into some copyright trouble.

ChatGPT is only using Supernatural information that is readily available to it. This isn't necessarily new content, but it's fun to read and legally analyze.

I've included both ChatGPTs prompt and my own written response.

Without further ado:

ChatGPT's prompt:

Dean Winchester, a skilled hunter, makes a pact with Crowley, the King of Hell, seeking assistance in resurrecting his brother, Sam Winchester. The terms of the agreement involve Crowley providing a soul for Sam's resurrection in exchange for Dean's "favor" to be named at Crowley's discretion at a future date.

Crowley materializes the contract on parchment, inscribing it with mystical symbols, and Dean signs it in his own blood, indicating his acceptance. The contract explicitly states that the favor must be fulfilled when Crowley demands it, without any negotiation or refusal.

However, as the agreed-upon resurrection ritual nears completion, Sam expresses strong opposition to the terms of the agreement. He argues that the contract is unconscionable and against public policy, given the open-ended nature of the favor and the potential harm it could cause.

Dean, torn between his commitment to save his brother and the looming uncertainty of the favor, seeks legal counsel to challenge the contract's enforceability.

My response (the below is written by me and is not AI writing for me):

Here, there’s no question that a contract exists. There was mutual assent and consideration on both sides. It should be noted that with consideration, there doesn’t necessarily need to be a totally equally exchange as long as both parties bargained for what they got, and got what they bargained for. There was an active negotiation when signing the contract. This particular contract would be governed by common law and not the UCC because there are no movable goods involved.

The problem is the defense of unconscionability only provides a narrow escape. The contract has to be so one-sided that it can’t possibly be enforced. We’re going to go through different arguments aside from unconscionability as well.

Dean might argue that he was under duress when signing the initial contract. He was trying to get his brother back. What brings more duress than that? Crowley will doubtlessly scoff and say that duress requires threats or no reasonable alternative. He didn’t threaten Dean to sign the contract and there was a reasonable alternative—he could have let what was dead be dead. He didn’t have to bring his brother back but he wanted to. Dean will probably lose here.

Moving to unconscionability, Dean will have to prove both procedural and substantive unconscionability. Dean might try to argue the contract suffers from procedural unconscionability under Restatement. § 208—a contract is procedurally unconscionable if it (1) has a significant inequality in bargaining power (preventing a party from having meaningful choice or real alternative in setting the terms of the agreement), or (2), the contract involves some aspect of unfair surprise. I.e., there’s a term that’s purposely hidden.

Dean might say that there was a significant inequality in his bargaining power. Crowley is a demon with a lot of power and he’s just a human. He might bring up Walker-Thomas Furniture where the plaintiffs didn’t have financial sophistication but the furniture store duped them into putting themselves in more debt. The defendants in that case also didn’t really explain the terms to the plaintiffs. Dean will say that he had no way of knowing what giving his soul truly meant and he couldn’t fully understand the terms of the contract. Crowley will immediately point out that Dean has spent his life killing monsters and demons. He knows full well what giving his soul up means and that he’s hardly an innocent, unknowing party who can be taken advantage of and duped into contracts. Plus, he might add, he fully explained the terms himself to Dean.

Dean will come back saying of course he didn’t have meaningful choice or a real alternative, and Crowley will point right back to saying he could have just let his brother stay dead. As for unfair surprise, Crowley might add, Dean knew that there would be no ifs, ands, or buts when he comes to collect on the contract BEFORE he signed the initial contract. Dean might next bring up Lhotka v. Geographic Expeditions. The plaintiffs in this case didn’t have to purchase the tickets to hike on Mount Kilimanjaro. However, GeoEx didn’t give the late plaintiff any meaningful choice or ability to negotiate. They wanted the agreement to be signed without any modification and told Lhotka that all other travel companies did it the same. Lhotka, thinking he had no choice to shop the market, signed the liability waiver. Dean will say that he had no chance to modify the contract and might claim that Crowley said all crossroads demons do the same thing. Crowley might say this is ridiculous. Again. Dean didn’t have to make the bargain with him, and he did have a chance to challenge the terms. It would help if we knew exactly how the contract was bargained in deciding whether Dean wins or loses here.

Moving to potential Substantive Unconscionability, according to Restatement 2 of Contracts § 208, a contract is substantively unconscionable if the terms are overly harsh or one-sided against a party. This definition is a bit vague, so Dean will have to underline some caselaw to show what this means.

He might, again, bring up Lhotka v. Geographic Expeditions, which found there was substantive unconscionability because Geographic Expeditions unreasonably limited liability for people wanting to go on their expeditions to only being able to access any compensation by going through arbitration in GeoEx’s country (which they themselves probably don’t live in). Dean will claim that the contract itself says he can’t further negotiate. He has no way of challenging the contract if anything goes wrong—like if Sam dies again or starts killing people like a zombie. It might help to know if Crowley promised that Sam would come back the same.

Crowley’s response will probably depend on the exact terms of the contract. It could be as simple as a life for a life. But it could also indicate that Sam would come back exactly the same as he was. Either way, Sam seems to have come back as he was (in this prompt only. Not in the show), so Dean did get what he bargained for. There’s no point arguing about what-ifs. But still, a court might be persuaded by this argument from Dean, but they also might find for Crowley as well.

(ChatGPT scored this response a 20.5/25)

[asterigos]

GENERAL INFORMATION

► FULL NAME: Alizeh Roshan ► NICKNAMES: Ali ► GENDER & PRONOUNS: Cis Woman (She/Her) ► AGE: 37 ► BIRTHDAY: September 13 ► SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Homosexual ► OCCUPATION: Personal Assistant

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

► RELIGION: Atheist ► EDUCATION LEVEL: LL.M (master of laws; business law) ► ECONOMIC STATUS: Upper-Middle Class ► SPOKEN LANGUAGES: English (fluent), Persian/Farsi (fluent), Spanish (advanced), French (intermediate), German (novice)

PERSONALITY

► JUNG TYPE: ISTJ ► ENNEAGRAM: Type 3w4 ► MORAL ALIGNMENT: True Neutral ► TEMPERAMENT: Melancholic ► QUALITIES: Ambitious, Caring, Industrious, Logical, Patient ► FLAWS: Cunning, Guarded, Opportunistic, Perfectionist, Self-critical, Workaholic

BESTIARY

► SPECIES: Human ► POWERS: None

APPEARANCE

► FACE CLAIM: Sepideh Moafi ► HEIGHT: 5’5” ► EYE COLOR: Brown ► HAIR COLOR: Brunette (loosely curly/very wavy) ► TATTOOS: None ► SCARS: None ► PIERCINGS: Right earlobe (one), Left earlobe (two), Helix (two right side)

BIOGRAPHY

trigger warning(s): Infidelity (npc)

Alizeh was born in Iran to a low-income family that struggled to make ends meet. Her birth only signaled greater hardships to come for them all when her mother's plan failed. Her mother, Shirin, thought she’d found love and acceptance with a man who was already married. But like many young women, Shirin believed she could make him leave his wife for her, and like many young women she was mistaken. As soon as Zahir found out about the pregnancy he immediately cut ties with her and Shirin was left with a child she had only intended on using as a means of keeping Zahir around to have greater finances to use and fall back on. Shirin already had son, Jafar, whom she passed off as her nephew when her first husband left her for a younger woman so that Zahir would mistake her attempt at manipulation for benevolence. However, when Zahir left, Shirin couldn’t afford to take care of another child easily when she was already so hard pressed for money.

Because of this everyone in the family had to find some way to make money whether though legal means or not. As a child, few would hire Alizeh for legal work. At first she took up odd jobs and errands for a little bit of money that was always received in cash and never with any written documentation of it, but as she continued with it she began to suspect and later learn she was being paid unfairly for some of the tasks given to her. Thus, she turned to petty crime. Alizeh stole out of the pockets of tourists that passed through and trinkets from market stalls. She also stole food to try and stave off the hunger that was a constant presence in her childhood as was the uncertainty of when her mother could afford to make her and Jafar a filling meal.

Her mother recognized Alizeh’s skill with charming strangers to show her exactly what valuables they had on them for her to take note of and steal and came to rely on Alizeh to bring in the most money or material goods to sell. However, she always saw Alizeh as a reminder of a failed relationship and openly favored Jafar. Though she fed and clothed Alizeh, she never made any attempts to form any strong bond with her and often left Alizeh to her own devices and to, by extension, raise herself. Alizeh both understood and resented this. She could always sense a distance between herself and her mother and half-brother though, over time, became a little closer to Jafar as he attempted to still be on friendly terms with her behind their mother's back. However, all of this – from the reason she was born to being used by her own mother and looked at less as a daughter and more of a means to an end – took a toll on her self-esteem as she began to believe her worth could only be dictated in the achievements she could list off. Successes that were often tied to economic and social successes – and less of what made her as a person and what that brought to the relationships she could’ve had.

While Alizeh was still young, Shirin brought the family to America for a chance at a better life as soon as there was enough money scraped together to keep the three together. It was there Alizeh threw herself into her studies and strove to rise to the top: of her class, of her school, of any job she held. She studied criminal law as she wanted to make a difference and help those who were being unfairly charged at a second chance at life, to turn theirs around and make it something better. The more Alizeh learned and witnessed of the criminal justice system, and more so the more she practiced what she knew as an understudy to a lawyer, though the more cynical she became and the disenchanted with her initial, noble goal. She switched her focus to business law. It felt safer and she didn’t have someone’s future – what could be the rest of their life – weighing on her success or failure. Business law involved more politics of who to appease and who could be crossed, who could be more easily swayed and who would be an obstacle. And mind games. Lots of mind games. Her skills to navigate both had been honed all throughout her youth and now she had a means to put her skillset to greater use.

But she was still a woman, and a woman of color at that. The legal field was filled with men too busy puffing out their chests and seeing her as little more than a pretty face for Alizeh to truly shine as much as she wanted to believe she could. This pushed her to work herself to the bone to prove her worth, yet she still questioned if she wasn’t cut out for the work, if the men were right, if she would only embarrass herself later. Despite the harsh whispers of impending failure in her thoughts, Alizeh persevered. She never rose as high as she wished in the corporate world’s legal affairs, but she continued to try nonetheless all the while fighting her own self-doubt.

RELATIONSHIPS

► MOTHER: Shirin Roshan (unknown occupation) ► FATHER: Zahir Hashemi (businessman) ► SIBLINGS: Jafar Roshan (older half-brother; unknown occupation)

MISC. INFORMATION

► Strives to become a chief legal officer for a company. ► In more student debt from law school than she admits, but is conscientious when it comes to spending and always budgets so that she can pay off a decent amount of money towards her loans every month. She’s not deep in debt, but enough that she knew if she were to take up a job in a law firm she’d be paid more and be able to pay off the debts faster. ► Will always put up a pleasant demeanor unless provoked to behave otherwise. But being a patient person this can take some effort unless someone she cares about is targeted. ► Doesn’t let people close and she likes to keep it that way out of fear that her trust and caring will be weaponized and used against her. This along with failure are her two greatest fears. ► While she puts care into her appearance and tends to dress in a more business casual manner, she’s not vain nor materialistic. Her self-confidence is a façade to hide her self-esteem issues. It’s improved over time, but it’s still low and she’s quick to doubt and criticize both her own character and her capabilities. ► Doesn't keep in touch with her family and haven't spoken to them in a long time. She doesn't even know if they're still at their last known address. Although somewhat curious as to what her mother and half-brother are up to, she doesn't have enough interest to spend money, time, nor resources to search for her mother but may be more willing to search for answers regarding Jafar someday. ► Wary of men because of how much they belittled her or saw her as little else than a pretty face, which she’d been able to use to her advantage.

[allsoulspriory]

Prayer That Obtains

“So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. — Luke 11:9

There are many conditions for true prayer. For instance, it must be earnest. Sometimes we know we are on the line of God’s purposes when we may dare to be necessary. Prayer must be offered in the Name of Christ, i.e., it must be in harmony with the nature of Christ, which was devoted to the glory of God and the blessing of men. That Name will eliminate the ingredient of selfishness which will mar any prayer by whomsoever offered. Prayer must also be based on some promise of God, which is presented to Him as a check or note given to a bank.

All these are steps to the faith that obtains, for it is, after all, not prayer but faith that brings promises. That is why our Lord lays so much stress on receiving. Much of our prayer fails because we forget that He said, “Everyone that asketh, receiveth”; and again, “All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye have received them, and ye shall have them” (Mar 11:24).

So far as one can describe the process, it seems something after this fashion. The soul reverently kneels before God, glorifying and praising Him for His greatness and goodness. It is conscious of needing some exceptional gift which is promised. In the Name of Christ, it presents the request with the confidence of a child. With the earnestness of desire and speech, it unfolds the reasons why the gift sought is so necessary. But it does not leave prayer at this point to go away in uncertainty as to what the issue shall be. By an act of the spirit, the suppliant seems to receive the spiritual or even the temporal gift; and realizes that it has received, that the special grace has been imparted, to be discovered and used under the stress of need, that the temporal gift has also been received. However, it may be kept back until the precise moment when it can be delivered, in much the same way as a present may be purchased long before the time of handing it to its destined possessor (1Sa 1:15, 1Sa 1:18, 1Sa 1:27).

This is what Christ meant by “receiving,” It has a powerful effect on prayer because it makes it much more definite. It leads to praise because we can thank God for His gift. You must take as well as pray.

Prayer

We rejoice that our Saviour ever lives to intercede as our High Priest and Mediator. Through the rent veil, let our prayers ascend to Thee mingled with the fragrance of His merit in whom Thou art ever pleased. Amen.