#bride of the typhoon

[cookie-nigel-dolan]

Instagram : subsub0206

[cheellart]

"Hate is like a typhoon. It begins as a breeze at the sea that is swallowed by darkness. Then deepens. Energizes and grows ever stronger. Swirling and raging until it's ready to strike.

But hate alone wasn't enough. It took one more ingredient: Love...

poisoned by betrayal, to bring so much bloodshed and woe to create the onryō."

-Blue Eye Samurai / The tale of the Ronin and the Bride (2023-) 怨霊

[greetingfromthedead]

Wedding Bells (Vash x Bride!Reader)

Plot: You didn't really think too hard about your wedding day, planning to perhaps sign a paper and then go celebrate with drinks, but both you and Vash had made a promise to Lena and Granny to include them and once Meryl and Milly found out, the event took on a life of its own.

Series: [prequel - Wedding Bells], [Part 1 - Little Feet], [Part 2 - Pitter-Patter]

Pairing: Vash x Bride!Reader

Raiting: Everyone

Tags: post-Trimax (no major spoiler), fluff, happy ending, wedding, found family, love of your life

Word count: 3k

Author's Note: I went with a slightly "nontraditional" approach, mixing different wedding customs together as that's partially how I imagine things on No Man's Land to be (a blend of different Western (sorry) traditions), but I did lean more pagan and Celtic since I am self indulgent.

This has gotten a bit out of hand. You think to yourself as you look out the window at Kasted City. You can't believe how much the city has changed since you were last here. Repairs have been made, and everything looks as good as new. The last scars left by the bandit infestation have been wiped away completely. The city is thriving once again. You stand in the middle of the room on a chair, and the narrow window only reveals a small glimpse of the landscape. You lean forward, trying to see more, but immediately get pricked by a sharp needle.

"Ow!" you complain before settling back.

"I have told you time and time again to stand still! Stop fidgeting so much!" Granny scolds you as she makes the last alterations to your dress. "I'm almost done with the hem."

This was supposed to be just a little homecoming to fulfill your promise to Lena and Granny. Vash had sworn that when the time came for the two of you to finally tie the knot, they would be included. In your mind, it meant that you return to the toma farm, perhaps sign a piece of paper, and go to have a drink, but it turns out that word travels fast. Especially when it comes to the Humanoid Typhoon and his companion, who have touched many people's lives. Meryl made quite a fuss when she found out about your plan, and Milly was close to tears when she got the impression that they weren't welcome. So you assured them it would be nothing fancy, but if they wanted, they were more than welcome to join. You get the feeling that's where the cat got out of the bag.

When you got to the city this morning, you were greeted with a buzz of excitement and anticipation. You brushed it off as just something unrelated to your arrival, but as you made your way to Granny's ranch, it had been decorated with streamers and bows. Lena and Meryl were hanging up a giant sign adorned with both your and Vash's names, and you felt a shiver run down your spine. You knew this was going to be a day to remember. While a hint of tread creeped into your soul, you turned your head to see your beloved fiance's face light up at the sight before him. A smile crossed his face, and you knew that whatever happened next, you would face it together. That's when Granny appeared, and after a warm welcome, you were separated from your dearest.

Granny and Lena had been working on a dress for you. It's simple but elegant and made with love. There are no extravagant embellishments, but you could see the care and effort put into every stitch. They also showed you the tiny pocket on the inside of your dress at the back of your neck that had a 5 cent piece in it. They did not, however, elaborate further.

From Granny's care, you move on to Meryl's, who makes you sit by the window to do your makeup. She chatters about all the preparations for the wedding as she carefully applies your lipstick. The others come and go, busy with preparations yet desperate to catch a glimpse of you.

"Done!" Meryl proudly proclaims, but she tilts her head and looks at you thoughtfully. "Something's missing…"

Her piercing gaze makes you nervous as you try to figure out what she is talking about. Suddenly, her eyes light up, and she reaches to remove her earrings.

"Here! These will work well! But I want them back!" She grins as she hands you the long golden earrings. You take them hesitantly as you look at them.

"Thank you, Meryl!" You smile up at her as you turn to the mirror and put them on.

"I see you have something borrowed. How about something blue?" A new voice speaks up from the door behind you, and you whip around in your chair.

"Luida!" you exclaim in surprise. She smiles her signature calming smile at you.

"It's good to see you again," she says and comes closer. "My, you look gorgeous!"

A slight blush colors your cheeks as you thank her for the compliment. Your eyes trail downward slightly, and you see something in her hand. Before you can ask, she lifts it up and removes some paper from around a brilliant blue bouquet made from the flowers she grows on Home.

"I meddled a bit with them; they should be preserved in time as they are, and hopefully they will never wither," Luida says softly as she hands you the beautiful flowers and you take a whiff. The scent is sweet and fresh, filling you with a sense of calm and happiness.

"I too have something for you," Milly says, coming closer with a slightly nervous look. "Or rather, Livio sent it with his apologies since he couldn't make it today."

"Oh, that's okay. Someone had to stay with the kids and birds." You smile, but then look at the little box Milly puts in your hand. "What's this?"

"Something old. Livio wanted you to have this since you and Mr. Priest were so close. He said he had this since the orphanage; apparently, it's the only thing he had from his birth parents. After he passed, Livio held on to it but always intended to give it to you." You hear the tears threaten to roll down her cheeks in Milly's voice. She has always been the emotional kind. You open the box, and inside you find a small cross pendant with no chain.

"Thank you, Milly! And give my gratitude to your dear husband too!" You smile at her reddening face as she tries to keep it together. You pick up a safety pin from the vanity and carefully fasten the cross to the inside of your dress's neckline, close to your heart.

"So, we have something old, something blue, something borrowed, and a 5 cent piece! We're only missing something new!" Granny said with glee, and before you could start to protest against any more gifts, Lena appears with a giant box.

"Lucky, we received a parcel a few days ago, and it's addressed to you!" She announces happily as she holds the box towards you. You hesitate for a moment, your fingers hovering at the edge of the box, before you remove the lid. The inside still doesn't give you a clue as to what this could be, as the item is carefully wrapped in paper, on top of which lays a small card. You pick it up to read it.

My dear!

The wonderful news has reached us here at Misdon! We are all so happy to hear that our two biggest heroes are getting married! You saved our lives and our livelihood! The whole town will forever remain in your debt, even if you didn't save the rest of the world too! We wish we could attend, but times have been busy, so we send you this gift. I hope you like it. Everyone pitched in and did a little bit!

Your friend,

Adeliene

You are reminded of your adventures in the mining town of Misdon, where bandits tried to take over the crystal mine. You and Vash had your hands full driving them out, and you had to personally protect Adeliene, the daughter of the mine owner. You even took a bullet for her. You carefully remove the paper to be greeted by a blinding shimmer. The sunlight from the window hits the content of the box and sends dots of light dancing all throughout the room. Everyone gasps at the sight. You touch the delicate translucent fabric and let your fingers run over the hundreds, if not thousands, of small crystals sown onto it. They look like constellations.

"This is gorgeous!" you whisper in awe as you continue to admire the intricate design.

"Alright! I can't wait to see it on you!" Lena seemingly shakes with excitement. "But first, we need to fix your hair!"

The young girl puts aside the box before quickly moving on to grab the hairbrush.

"We should get back! Let's make sure everything is perfect for the big day." Meryl announces and drags Milly away by the elbow, Luida quietly following them. You remain in the room with Granny and Lena, who fill your head with hairpins and finally fasten the veil to your hair.

"You are the most beautiful bride I have ever seen in my long life. We are truly blessed to call you part of the family, my love!" Granny squeezes your shoulders as you sit in your chair and gives you a kiss on the cheek. Gratitude swells in your chest as you thank Granny for her kind words and embrace her tightly.

"The big goofball is wholly your responsibility now!" Lena chuckles, giving you a playful nudge with her elbow.

As you are left alone in the room, you stand up and take a long look in the mirror. You can't help but feel a rush of excitement for what the future holds. Your face is covered by the light fabric, and as you let your fingers run over the delicate lace, the room is filled with sparkling lights dancing on every surface. This is not how you imagined the day going—to be surrounded by your friends and family, turning this day into possibly the most magical one of your entire life.

It doesn't take long for the music to start sounding from the parlor, signaling for you to make your entrance. So you head out through the backdoor as instructed and walk around the building to the large saloon style doors at the front of the house. The music sounds more clearly now and you can hear the chatter of the guests inside. You're not sure if Granny saw you from where she sits behind the piano or if someone else spotted you and signaled her, but the music changes. The beautiful melody has a different rhythm, and everyone knows to quiet down.

You take a deep breath and clutch the bouquet of flowers tightly. Two men push the sides of the doors and keep the doorway open for your entrance. All eyes turn to you, and gasps of adoration fill the space. The people standing on either side of the aisle are all people you've left a mark on. You have saved them in one way or another, and today they are here to pay their respects and celebrate with you. If you looked at them, you would see people from Kasted City and the neighboring villages, people from far and wide, but your eyes are on the dark haired man waiting for you at the end of the red carpet.

Vash's eyes are wide, and you can see the moment his lips part for a gasp. His gaze is so filled with love and adoration that you feel tears prick at the corners of your eyes. You can't believe this is happening to you. You have found such a wonderful man, and you're about to vow your everlasting devotion to each other in front of all these witnesses. And as you look into his eyes, you know that this is just the beginning of a beautiful journey together, despite everything you've been through already.

He wears a dark burgundy suit jacket, and you are sure Granny had a hand in his attire. From the chest pocket, poke out a few crystal flowers and small silver stars, catching the light and sparkling at you, mixed together with the blooms of red geraniums. He looks magnificent and handsome, and you can't help but smile at the thought of Granny and the others conspiring to make him look his best for this special occasion. You see the tears well in his eyes as he looks at your approach, and he takes half a step forward as if wanting to run towards you and lose the distance as soon as possible. However, he holds back, his emotions overwhelming him, and he lets out a small sob before brushing the tears away.

The tall windows on either side of the parlor cast light on you, and the warmth stroking your skin makes everything else fall away. In your mind, there is only you and him. Together, as always. As you reach him, a smile is painted on your face, so wide it almost hurts. He reaches out his hand, and you gently take it, feeling the electricity between your fingertips.

"My beautiful Stardust! You make the night sky jealous!" he says as the two of you stand there, basking in each other's presence, knowing that you are each other's forever.

Meryl, who has taken in her position as officiant, lets out a small cough to wake the two of you from your trance. You take another step forward without letting go of the man you love, ready to start the next chapter of your lives together.

Meryl begins the ceremony, speaking with a warm and calming voice that fills you with joy and excitement. She thanks the guests and begins to share heartfelt words about the love and dedication you both have shown towards each other. But you can barely hear her as you steal glances of the man standing beside you. His handsome silhouette and glimmering eyes as they meet yours fill you with butterflies. You can feel your heart racing with anticipation as he gently squeezes your hand.

"My dear friends, the bride and groom, I ask you to look into each other's eyes," Meryl speaks, and you turn to face your soon-to-be husband. The love and adoration in his eyes overwhelms you, confirming that you are about to marry the person of your dreams. He still holds your hand, but lifts it up a bit as he faces you. "Will you honor and respect one another and seek to never break that honor?"

"We will," you both say devotedly.

"Will you share each other's pain and seek to ease it?"

"We will."

"Will you share the burdens with each other so that your spirits may grow in this union?"

"We will."

"Will you share each other's laughter and look for the brightness in life and the positive in each other?"

"We will."

"Dear bride and groom, as you bind your souls together here, in front of people who adore you, may your spirits be joined in a union of love and trust. Above you are the stars, and below you is the earth. Like the stars, your love should be a constant source of light, and like the earth, it should be a firm foundation from which to grow. Let your love guide you through the darkest of times, and may it always be a beacon of hope in the storm. Do you have vows of your own you would like to share?"

"Yes," Vash speaks as his eyes stay on yours. "My love, you are the one person with whom I can share all that I am. I promise to trust you and to be honest with you. I promise to listen to you, respect you, and support you. I promise to laugh and play with you and grow and bend with you. I promise to cherish every day we have together. I promise to do all of this through whatever life brings us—richness or poverty, health or illness, through good times and bad—until the end of my days. And beyond this, I will cherish and honor you through this life and the next."

Lena steps forward with a small pillow, and Vash takes a golden ring from it. He releases your right hand, and you take your flowers into it so he can gently slide the ring onto the ring finger of your left hand. He bows down and places a small kiss on the band. You have Lena take your bouquet so you can tightly hold onto both of Vash's hands, feeling overwhelmed with love and joy.

"My love, I choose you. We shall walk side by side, through sunshine and storms, health and sickness, good times and bad. We will meet whatever comes together. Under the starry night sky and in the scorching desert heat. I promise to love you forever and a day. My love, I choose you to be my partner in life and always. Our love endures, forever and a day." You make your promises while looking into his tear filled eyes, your own vision blurring from the emotions too. You pick up the golden ring and slide it on his prosthetic hand. You whisper, "I will never leave your side, no matter what challenges come our way."

"And with that, I pronounce you husband and wife!" Meryl's cheerful voice sounds over the room. "You may kiss the bride!"

Vash carefully takes the edge of the veil between his fingers before he lifts it up, revealing your face completely. He lets the veil fall over your head and gently takes your face into his hands, planting a soft kiss on your lips to seal your marriage. You feel overwhelmed with love and happiness as you realize that this is just the beginning of your life together. The whole room erupts into cheers and applause, celebrating your love and new journey as a married couple.

As he pulls away, you look into his tender face, and he mouths a silent I love you. Lena hands back your bouquet, and hand-in-hand, you walk through the room again, now with Vash by your side. Feeling like the luckiest person in the world, you head out of the parlor as the people gathered throw colorful confetti at you. Further away, from the city's chapel, you hear bells echoing over the desert.

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[thaliajoy-blog]

Blue Eye Samurai characters and the four elements - some thoughts I've had since there are four core character in the story.

Ringo seems like Earth - he's sturdy, solid, as much physically (despite his disability) as mentally. He is very much grounded in his beliefs and rather is the one who changes others, like Mizu. He is the character in the story whose character & goals don't change immensely, he remains steady - he wants to be great and useful, and despite differences with Mizu he near constantly stands by her and goes back to her. Also he's a cook & a healer , giving him a nurturing aspect.

Taigen : That's were it gets interesting ! Taigen at first seems like fire. Relative to Mizu he's presented as a violent bully, vicious & destructive, and later a proud man, quick to anger and single-minded. But we do see that he has evolved positive qualities too ; he has a sweet relationship with Akemi & truly cares about her. He develops respect for Mizu. Which to me means he's swapped element ; how he complements Akemi matters in this. But his own desire to cut his way "out of the net" of his poor upbringing and seemingly predetermined future makes him close to the element of air, as in like Akemi, he seeks a form of freedom. Him embracing the kind of lif were Akemi & him run away from her family & his duties/honor together, confirms it to me.

Akemi : originally the one I'd associate to air. She's the most constrained out of the three protagonists,and the one yearning the most for freedom. She's associated directly to a bird in a cage, which she sets free and emulates when he flies away. But like Taigen, she shifts ; they actually swap, as Taigen renounces ambition while she embraces it in from of a burning bulding. What element better associated to power than fire, after all ? She literally is compared to a sun goddess in the series (and that is related to her sexuality and the way she wields it to take control).

Mizu : this seems like the most forward given her name, since it means water ; and to first explore that there are some two similar quotes from both Blue Eye Samurai & Memoirs of a Geisha that convey the vibe pretty well : "being on your own, you could be like water. Impossible to catch" (The Tale of the Ronin and the Bride) // "[My mother] she told me I was like water. Water can carve its way even through stone, and when trapped, water makes a new path..." (Memoirs of a Geisha). Especially that bit about being trapped & carving your way out of that situation. Mizu really feels like she's capable of anything with her blade. She can be anything, like water can take any shape ; like water Can find its way anywere, so does she. They are both flexible, obstinate and resilient. But then, there is the burning in Mizu's heart. How Mizu's inner conflict and désire for revenge is likened both to her most naturel element (a storm in the soul, a typhoon, a breaze at sea swallowed by darkness...) And to fire (the fire in you rages beyond control). She is water but she is raised in a forge, she knows fire & how to use it intimately ; her relationship to fire is not just negative and destructive, there is actually a meaningful aspect of creation & art through fire in her story (the 2d and 7th episode show that well) but of course, she is the reason why the city of Edo burns at the end. She is mixed, made of two clashing elements that rage in her, like her japanese side clashes with her white side.

[to-be-loved-by-death]

My current sapphic Japanese cinema masterlist:

Blue (2002) - youtube

Typhoon Club (1987) - youtube

The Cherry Orchard (1990) - youtube

The Cherry Orchard: Blossoming (2008) - youtube

Helter Skelter (2012)

Love Exposure (2007) - internet archive

Tag (2015)

Black Lizard (1968) - youtube

Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (2021)

Antiporno (2016)

Tokyo Decadence (1992)

Summer Vacation 1999 (1989)

Dream Girls (1994) - youtube

Manji (1964) - internet archive

With Beauty and Sorrow (1965)

Girls of the Night (1961)

A Bride for Rip van Winkle (2016) - youtube

Tomie: Forbidden Fruit (2002) - youtube

Topless (2008)

Maria Watches Over Us (2010)

Sailor Uniforms: Lily Lovers (1983)

The Scent of Pheasant’s Eye (1935)

Afternoon Breeze (1980) - youtube

Kakera: A Piece of Our Life (2009)

The Forest of Love (2019) - netflix

Keiko (1979)

The Story of Pupu (1998) - youtube

Love/Juice (2000) - youtube

Sayonara (2018)

The Adolescence of Utena (1999) - internet archive

Night’s Tightrope (2016)

Queer Japan (2019)

Angel in September (1994)

[tcfactory]

Party Planning and Other Deadly Hazards I

5k words of Shang Qinghua bonding with Linguang-jun over being overworked and underappreciated

For the sake of this story, Mobei is roughly 15, Shang Qinghua and Linguang-jun are both 18. Shoutout to @mysteryteacup, whose analysis posts convinced me of the potential in "Linguang-jun is Very Young, Actually". Our Mobei-jun's birth name is Mobei Xuebao (Snow leopard), Shang Qinghua is Shang Cangshu (Hamster), Linguang-jun is Mobei Taifeng (Typhoon)

Also on AO3.

It all started with a small change. You see, Shang Qinghua's shizun made a reckless promise that whoever could push a medicine deal through with the Black Mire Sect - a minor sect skirting the edge of demonic practices by specializing in gu poisons - would take over as his new head disciple. The sect was situated right on the borderlands between the human realm and the northern demon kingdom and they were very reluctant to trade away any of their precious poisons, because they faced constant harassment from a lesser tribe of Snowtusk Boar demons just on the other side of the border. Clearly whoever could get them to agree to a deal would have to be a naturally gifted negotiator!

Usually Airplane ignores these kinds of risky assignments, but the temptation of skipping three years of backstabbing, social climbing and manual labor was too tempting. Besides, he knew how to solve this one. It was one of the wife plots in PIDW so Luo Binghe could marry the sect leader's beautiful daughter.

Step 1: Get rid of the boars. He could, of course, not do this on his own. No way. However, through the power of authorial knowledge, he could tip Mobei-jun off that the tribe stole one of the ancient artifacts of the Mobei clan after a chaotic battle and hid it away in their stronghold. His prince was a little skeptical, but Qinghua had not led him astray yet in the few months since he became his spy. The next time they met, Mobei-jun was generously splattered with pig demon blood and he was proudly holding a crystal necklace that could control all the ice sheets of the northern sea at once, apparently.

So that was that for the boars.

Step 2: Wait a little for the other local demon tribes to fight out who gets to settle in the newly vacated prime location. Shang Qinghua made a passing comment about how the Silkwing tribe could supply a 'generous benefactor' with the highest quality fabrics in the entire northern kingdom and would you look at that, this conflict got resolved much quicker than in PIDW.

Step 3: Introduce the sect leader and their new, much more agreeable, demon neighbors to each other. The Silkwing tribe happened to be a tribe of crane demons who, just like the Black Mire Sect, specialized in insect keeping. Their most prized specimens were the various demonic moths and spiders they cultivated for their silk, but they kept a wide variety of other critters as well. It was a match made in heaven! (Or rather in one of Master Airplane's caffeine fueled all-nighters, just so Binghe could meet a cute bisexual crane girl at the negotiations and turn the whole adventure into a two-brides-special wedding.)

Step 4: Profit! Trade agreement in hand Qinghua showed up at his shizun's house and received his much deserved promotion. The whole plan went off without a hitch, job well done, success and happiness all around! The next morning he moved into the head disciple's apartment and breathed a sigh of relief that he no longer had to live in fear of someone discovering his association with Mobei by barging into his bedroom without knocking.

If only that was the end of it.

-----

Shang Qinghua has barely settled into his new duties as head disciple when one morning Mobei-jun grabs him straight out of bed, before he could comprehend what's happening or put on some actual clothes, and drops him off somewhere in the Northern Palace.

"Baobao, what in the fresh hell did you bring me?!"

The outrage cry comes from a stressed looking demon youth who stares at Qinghua like someone handed him a dead rat instead of a report. He's obviously a Mobei relative, his black hair glossy with a blue-ish sheen and his demon mark a bright teal, but his hair is done up with feathers and beads in the style of the wind demon tribes.

"Qinghua. He's good at organizing." As if on second thought, Mobei-jun snarls at the other demon boy, showing all his teeth. "He's mine. If you hurt him, I'll kill you."

After that he wordlessly stomps away, leaving the equally confused human and demon behind.

Shang Qinghua wants nothing more than to ask a million questions right now - where is he? why did Mobei take him here?? who's the other guy??? - but now that he's more awake than asleep he's suddenly realizing that the room is extremely cold and he's only dressed in his sleeping robes. Are his toes turning blue?! His toes are probably turning blue.

"Here." A delicately carved box is shoved in his face, open and full of uniform black pills. "Aurora Pepper pills. I asked to borrow the domestic staff from Xiao Bao’s castle, but if you are the only help I get, I want you not to freeze to death."

"My lord, are they safe for humans?" They should be. It's one of the plot devices he made up so the Wives could visit the North and still wear their ridiculously skimpy outfits without dying, but who knows what an ice demon would have mixed into them. Shang Qinghua carefully picks just one and pops it in his mouth anyway.

"No idea, they were for my mother. You are a cultivator, are you not? You can survive a little poison."

If this demon is as young as he looks - as young as his outfit leads Qinghua to believe, which is somewhere between fourteen and twenty - then his core is not yet settled. Even if the ice demon parentage runs stronger in him - which is obvious, he's wearing the equivalent of summer robes for northern demonkin - he would have bouts when his core slants towards wind and he would find the cold of the north unbearable for a few days. So this is likely his own stash of pills he offered one from, which is awfully nice when one of your kin just dumps their human on you.

"This lowly one thanks the young master for his generosity!"

"Hmph. At least you have manners, unlike your master." The youth retreats behind a desk piled so high with scrolls and bamboo slats he’s barely visible behind them. "Qinghua, was it? This lord is Linguang-jun."

"Answering, this one is Shang Qinghua, head disciple of An Ding peak." He thanks his survival instinct that he manages to fold into a bow before his surprise shows on his face. Based on the nephew abandonment incident he always pictured Mobei's uncle as someone much older.

"An Ding? Good. Maybe you will be of use, after all." Linguang-jun gestures for Shang Qinghua to join him at the desk. "On account of his sudden spirited showing in regards to the Silkwings and the recovered artifact, my royal brother has finally taken interest in his third-born son. To welcome him to court he ordered a feast to be held, the success of which will determine Mobei San's standing in court and reflect on this lord’s qualifications as an organizer."

"Forgive this lowly one for the question, but why is the Mobei-jun's own brother in charge of such affairs? It should be the duty of the royal seneschal." Or perhaps the queen consort. Since he never had to write a wife plot with any member of the main Mobei clan he might have handwaved a lot of the court related worldbuilding. Still, he's certain there were at least three or four people who had to be unavailable before such a task would land on the desk of the king's brother.

"This lord is the seneschal," Linguang-jun says in a dejected voice. A pained frown slips past his not-yet-perfected mask of stoicism and Shang Qinghua realizes that 1. Linguang-jun is very, very young to be filling this position and 2. he’s probably one stroke of misfortune away from an anxious meltdown. This Qinghua can relate, kid. "My royal brother's temper has decimated his household and, in his paranoia, he refuses to replace the staff he kills. Ever since this one's mother passed three years ago, he has been tasked to fulfill every duty pertaining to household management, including those of the late queen consort."

After looking over a crumpled scroll detailing all of Linguang-jun's current duties, Shang Qinghua has a sudden understanding why the demon resents his brother so much. It’s not just the duties of the royal seneschal, he is doing the work of at least five different people, all of them near full-time jobs in their own right!

"Sorry kid, you are clearly too young for this shit." He didn't mean to say it out loud, but luckily for him the demon doesn't react to the irreverent tone beyond an agitated twitch of his eyebrows. "All right, let’s see what we have to work with."

It proves to be very little. Shang Qinghua looks over the list of the available staff (too short), the amount of food and other supplies Linguang-jun managed to drum up since his brother saddled him with this task last evening (not nearly enough to feed the obnoxiously long guest list) and the time available to them…

“He wants you to put together this party in three days?!” For someone who had only been a vague shadow with malicious intent in the back of Shang Qinghua’s mind whenever he thought about the dangerous demons he might run into while serving his prince, Linguang-jun is rapidly gaining a lot of his sympathy. “Can you even get all these guests here in three days? Jiuzhong-jun lives two months away even if he takes the fastest horses!”

For a royal prince’s introduction to court it was important to get as many of the bigshots present as possible, so they could all take a good look at him and decide if they wanted to try to sic their own spawns on him for a courting chase or not. Jiuzhong-jun doesn’t have any children yet, but he has plenty of nieces he could try to marry out into other clans. He would never miss the chance to come and gawk at the introduction of a Mobei prince.

“Mhm. Xiao Bao has that part covered. While we make this feast happen somehow, he’s going to spend the next two days transporting in all the guests with his portals.” Linguang-jun digs into one of his many piles of scrolls and shoves one detailing the scheduled arrivals into Shang Qinghua’s face. “At least the issue of housing them until the party solves itself on its own. Granny Oxbones is the reigning queen of the guest wing and she wouldn’t accept my input on where to put all these guests even if I bothered to offer any.”

Airplane carefully files it away in the back of his mind that when Linguang-jun gets stressed enough he still refers to his nephew with familiar nicknames as something to consider later, and tries to focus on the task at hand. So the current Mobei-jun hasn’t eradicated all of the old servants - the kitchen and housekeeping staff escaped his paranoia, as well as most of the guards and the hunters - only the ones in the highest positions. That should solve at least part of their problems.

“Okay, so we only have to handle decorating the feasting hall, source a fitting outfit for my prince and get the food ready.”

“What about the serving staff? I don’t have enough people to cater a party this big.”

“That’s easy, have the guardsmen fill in. Let them do something more than standing around and gawking. If there are complaints about the task being below them, tell them that they can take from the leftovers, most of the guests will be too busy brawling or scheming to eat anyway.” Demons love to eat, same as everybody, and even a bite or two of the delicacies served at their lords’ table should be ample temptation to get the guardsmen on board. “But this does mean that we need to make sure that the food is great. Does Linguang-jun have the menu from either of the elder princes’ introduction feasts? No reason to break our brains coming up with something new, nobody will care as long as the food is good enough.” It’s still an awful amount of work for three days, but it’s not undoable if he can tap into the Mobei clan’s supply network and doesn’t have to account for whatever happens to the guests before and after the feast. 

“I think I have the menu for Mobei Er’s feast somewhere.” Linguang-jun abandons the desk to rifle through one of the filing cabinets dominating the walls of his study. “We will need to substitute some of the dishes, because that feast was in winter.”

“Still better than having to write the whole menu from scratch.”

“En.”

“Does Linguang-jun have any suggestion where to get my prince a suitable outfit?” For the lack of anything better to do, Shang Qinghua starts organizing the scrolls left on the desk. Linguang-jun’s handwriting is very similar to Mobei San’s, but nothing at all like the blocky characters of the current Mobei-jun. They probably learned from the same ice fairy tutor, which further confirms how absurdly close they are in age.

“I have something arranged with the Silkwings,” Linguang-jun calls back over his shoulder, halfway disappearing into the cabinet as he digs among the stored scrolls. “But - Hah! Found it! - Qinghua has to be the one to convince Mobei San to go. He won’t go anywhere if this uncle tells him to.”

“Ah.”

“Don’t just gape at me,” Linguang-jun says, smacking him reasonably lightly over the shoulder with the scroll until he gets the hint and takes it. “Take this down to the kitchen, then tell your master that if he doesn’t want to go to his own feast wearing my old robes, then he should go visit the Silkwings, the sooner the better.”

Shang Qinghua pales at the idea of wandering the main Northern Fortress alone. “I- this servant worries that the kitchen staff will not heed his words…”

Linguang-jun seems to consider this for a moment, but he finally comes to the conclusion that his life is easier if his nephew’s pet cultivator doesn’t come to harm. He digs around in his desk until he produces a bone hairstick with a bead and a feather dangling from it. “If you wear this, the staff will know that you are working for this lord. Ask a maid for directions and be quick about it!”

True to Linguang-jun’s words, the staff is nothing if not cooperative once they realize that Shang Qinghua is working directly with him to stop the upcoming party from crashing and burning. The demon aunties and uncles running the kitchen fill him in, between tallying all the ingredients they are going to need for the feast and plying him with sweet treats, that the staff has been in a panic ever since the first orders about the feast came in. There is the grim threat of death hanging over their heads if the end result isn’t impressive enough and Mobei-jun feels humiliated by their showing. Apparently this is going to be the first bigger event Linguang-jun is organizing on his own, without the help of his late mother, and his staff is worried about sabotage.

“Does Linguang-jun have many enemies in court?” Shang Qinghua asks, lifting a tiny demon granny up so she can take stock of one of the too tall ingredient shelves.

“He has one and it’s more than enough! Mobei-jun never got over it that his late queen mother birthed one more son after the acceptable period for fratricide was over.” Airplane was proud of that world building detail. Obviously no demon lord wants to have any relative who might challenge his claim, but eradicating the entire extended family is a very fast way for a clan to die out. So, following a leader’s grab of power, there’s a socially acceptable five years when they can murder any relative they can catch, but once that’s over they are expected to limit themselves to those who challenge their position. “I tell you, daozhang, it’s not a coincidence the feast is happening when the hunters are away and we are low on supplies! And what is the king doing instead of procuring a beast for the fighting showcase of his son? Drinking and lazing around in his quarters, that’s what! Poor Xiao Bao, such a sweet snowflake, this old granny worries that his entry to court will be ruined!”

-----

Shang Qinghua is still turning that around in his head when he goes to find Mobei Xuebao later - It took almost no effort to get the grannies to reveal his prince’s birth name. Such a cute name for such a fierce demon! Airplane jokingly wrote it on the margin of his drafts, but he never expected the System to take it and run with it - carrying a big mug of fortifying ice slushie.

His prince looks beyond exhausted after opening portals all over the demon realm since morning and he accepts the refreshing drink without so much as a growl. He does, however, hiss angrily at Qinghua when he recognizes the hairstick stuck into his bun. “How dare he claim you?! You are mine !”

“Ah, my prince, please be calm! It’s only a token so the staff won’t eat me. I am to return it once we are done here.” Qinghua is actually not sure about that, but better not aggravate his prince when he’s in a possessive mood.

“You’d better.” He stops trying to rip it out of Qinghua’s hair, but he still stares at it angrily while Shang Qinghua rattles off the details of the arrangement made with the Silkwings. Mobei shows no enthusiasm for getting new court robes tailored, but at Qinghua’s insistent nagging he makes an affirmative sound that yes, he is going to go, now stop asking .Airplane is not perfectly sure what the kitchen aunties put in the slushie, but Mobei’s mood almost thaws by the time he eats the last of the sweet berries they added to it. A wonderful good mood that lasts for all of five minutes before Linguang-jun turns the corner and yells at both of them.

“What are you still doing here?! Don’t you have things to do other than standing around?” Linguang-jun is flushed a pale pink from exertion and possibly frustration. He’s dressed for a hunt, carrying a Japanese style longbow almost as tall as him and a quiver of elegant, black-feathered arrows. It’s fascinating to see how Airplane’s throwaway details got implemented into the world - he made a passing note that Mobei’s grandmother was an eastern wind demon, then he made one of Binghe’s wives a wind demoness based on a Japanese princess and bird motifs and poof! The world combined these two details into multicultural Linguang-jun. He has to bite his tongue before he could ask Linguang-jun if he had a katana somewhere.

Mobei is clearly not happy to see that his uncle is gearing up to leave.

“Good time for a hunt, uncle,” he sneers. Linguang-jun sneers right back.

“ I am going out to fetch our hunting expeditions back so we have meat to serve at the feast. Someone has to, unless Baobao would prefer to play pretend with snow and ice and berries!” They both flinch, which is interesting. Clearly that’s a reference to a formerly fond memory. When Linguang-jun continues he’s not meeting their eyes and looks just a little sheepish. “Go get your rags, nephew. My reputation rides on the success of this feast. I’m not going to sabotage it.”

It’s hard to tell what Mobei Xuebao is thinking, but his expression seems a lot less murderous than a minute ago. “Take Qinghua with you,” he says, ignoring completely the way his cultivator freezes up. “He has a sword. He can fly high and scout for you.”

What is this? It almost sounds like an olive branch! If only it wasn’t poor Airplane being handed over like a cheap token of reconciliation, it would be great .

Linguang-jun gives Shang Qinghua a hesitant look, but Mobei chose a good way to sell his pet cultivator: Linguang-jun might be part wind demon, but even he can’t fly very high. Give Qinghua one more of those pepper pills so he doesn’t freeze in the icy wasteland and he can track their hunters down in a snap!

Before he can mount an argument about the general fragility of humans and the dangers of the desert, he is grabbed by the arm and the next thing he knows, he’s being swept up by Linguang-jun’s black wind. Nothing can compete with Mobei’s portal powers in terms of speed, but this is not too shabby either, and unlike the shadow portals, being turned into wind doesn’t make him sick. Perhaps because he doesn’t currently have a stomach to feel sick.

While they dash through the desert, Linguang-jun quickly fills Qinghua in: they need to recall three hunting parties, all of them within a day’s travel by horse from the castle. “There are others out hunting, but they are too far to make it back for the feast. And after we are done, I’m going to leave you somewhere out of the way and catch a Diamond-Clawed Tundra Devil.”

“Ah. For the fight showcase?”

“En.”

“Isn’t it the king’s duty to procure whatever his son is to fight?” His question is met by minutes of sullen silence so he startles when Linguang-jun finally deigns to speak again.

“There’s a wolf-bear-hybrid prepared at the palace. Da-ge wanted to give it to one of his concubines as a pet, but the lady has much better taste than to take a mangy mutt like that.” Qingua can’t see Linguang-jun’s expression, but the derision is obvious in his voice. It’s unclear if it’s directed at the concubine or his brother. “It would be acceptable prey for a less skilled prince, but Xiao Bao deserves better.”

“Huh. You really adore your nephew, don’t you? I figured he was wrong about you.” If he lives to tell the tale, Shang Qinghua is going to blame his current immaterial state for the failure of his brain-mouth filter. Never startle the person carrying you at high speeds!

He’s not even surprised when he tumbles painfully onto the snow, Linguang-jun standing above him with a murderous expression, the bow raised as if he’s ready to beat the hapless cultivator with it. “Does he still go around telling everyone about- even his pet cultivator?!”

“No! No, my lord!” He suspects it’s only because Mobei San doesn’t consider Qinghua important enough to fill him in about his backstory, but it’s technically true. “Servants gossip! I heard it from the servants in Mobei San’s castle!”

Linguang-jun lowers the bow, but his face colors with either indignation or embarrassment. He’s more expressive than Mobei, but it’s still not easy to read him. “Good. Do not ever dare to gossip about this lord! Understood, you, you…” He looks at Shang Qinghua sitting in the snow like a plump, bruised peach, face almost disappearing into the soft pelt the kitchen aunties dressed him up in. “You hamster!”

Airplane can’t help himself: he laughs. Then, when the laughter finally feels like subsiding, he notices the baffled face Linguang-jun is making and laughs some more. “Forgive me, my lord. I am not laughing at you. Except. My name does happen to be Shang Cangshu.”

The absurdity of it all finally douses Linguang-jun’s rage and the demon huffs a laugh. “Of course it is. Should I get a bowl of sunflower seeds for you tomorrow, hamster-daozhang?”

“I prefer melon seeds! But worry not, my lord, I can bring my own.” It must be a good sign that Linguang-jun is teasing him. A little bit of harmless farce is always good in anxiety-inducing situations, and the demon appeared to be on the verge of exploding all day. “I do have to wonder, though… I heard that when that incident happened, Mobei San was around four? So you must have been a rather young child yourself.”

Linguang-jun gives a tense, awkward nod and a scene starts to unfold in Airplane’s mind. This is not something he had written, but it is something he could have, if he ever tried to put Mobei-jun in the limelight for a while. Emboldened, he continues: “Traveling at the speed of wind as you do must not leave a lot of room to change course if, say, a tear to the human realm suddenly opens up in front of you. It must have been a terrifying experience, for both of you. Easy to lose track of each other in an unfamiliar world, hostile territory or not.”

Linguang-jun turns his head away, clearly trying to school his expression into a blank mask, but he is too worn down and anxious to manage it. He looks disarmingly young like this; just a teen with too much work on his plate. “He refuses to so much as speak to me unless he has no other choice. What does it matter how it happened? I admitted to trying to kill him.”

Of course he did. For Mobei San to survive an assassination attempt - a smart one too, leaving him in the heart of a cultivator sect that has a longstanding feud with the Mobei clan - was a testament to his talent even at such a young age. If Linguang-jun admitted that it was an accident, it would have only painted him as incompetent, which was the fastest way to political suicide even before he could officially get into court. “Ah, but he lent you this servant, hasn’t he? I think my prince doesn’t hate you as much as he wants to.”

“Hah! That will not save my neck when my nephew becomes Mobei-jun and comes to eradicate the threats from the family.”

“No! He would not kill you, I’m certain of it.” As he wrote it, Mobei-jun at the time of his ascension was secure under Luo Binghe’s wing and didn’t bother to go after any of his relatives - unless they attacked first, that is. “Leave it to this Qinghua, I will smooth this misunderstanding over in no time!”

The look of doubt Linguang-jun gives him almost hurts. “Wait until after the feast before you try. I’m short enough on staff without you getting yourself killed.” The demon makes a sharp gesture with his hand and a burst of wind pushes Shang Qinghua to his feet. “Up you get, hamster-daozhang. We have work to do.”

It all falls in place like a well-oiled machine after that, even the hunt. Turns out that Diamond-Clawed Tundra Devils are really fascinated by flying cultivators for some reason. The beast stands on its hindlegs, reaching fruitlessly for the flying sword, and doesn’t even notice Linguang-jun sneaking up on it until he traps it in a qiankun box. They work well together, Shang Qinghua and Linguang-jun, and the demon stays cordial - almost friendly, even! - to his nephew’s pet cultivator in the following two days.

-----

“I’m so glad that it went well, my prince!” Qinghua sighs a few days after the feast. He’s trying to subtly rescue some of his paperwork from Mobei, who decided that he wants to have this conversation while sitting on his human’s desk. “I wish I could have been there to see, but my shizun would have noticed if I was missing any longer and, let’s be honest, the chances of someone mistaking me for a side-dish were much too high…”

Mobei hums something vaguely positive, then very indulgently lifts one of his hands so Qinghua can remove the papers from there. “Good work.”

“Thank you, my prince! But I really didn’t do much. Your uncle did most of the work.” By the end of the third day Linguang-jun was openly bemoaning that he wanted to go to bed and sleep for a century. Airplane can only hope he got some rest since.

Mobei Xuebao growls at him in warning, clearly not happy with the direction of the conversation, but Qinghua has dealt with so much shit in the last week that he’s too tired to be properly intimidated by empty threats. “No, really! I know he had a horse in this race, but he really wanted you to have a cool ‘welcome to demon court’ party. He caught the Tundra Devil for your fight and he certainly didn’t have to do that!”

“That was Taifeng-shushu?” There’s no better way to describe Mobei’s expression of surprise than ‘cute’. It’s a good reminder that despite his frosty disposition and already powerful physique, Mobei Xuebao is also still a teenager. (Airplane is not geeking out over learning Linguang-jun’s name, he is not . Mobei Taifeng was on his list of potential names when he brainstormed for Luo Binghe’s right hand man, before he even started writing - a character who eventually got split into Mobei-jun and the OG Shang Qinghua, because Tired™ second-in-commands who try to betray their employers so they could have one good day of rest please were more of a comedic relief trope and that didn’t fit the tone of the story.)

“Yes, my prince. This servant was there when Linguang-jun chose and captured the most impressive beast from the pack.” He was so picky about it too! He made Qinghua fly over the Tundra Devil pack five times before he identified the biggest one and by that time the beast noticed the flying cultivator. That’s how they found out about its fascination with the shiny spiritual sword.

Thinking about Linguang-jun reminds Qinghua of the hairstick he conveniently ‘forgot’ to return. He puts it in a plain box and pushes it to Mobei Xuebao. “My prince, I had no chance to return this to Linguang-jun, so you would do this servant a great favor if you passed it along.” Mobei makes a soft noise as he pockets the box, looking almost smug that Qinghua is, indeed, returning the token. His good mood makes the human a little reckless about how far he’s willing to push this matter. “My prince, I know you have no reason to trust this servant on matters of your family, but I have heard many rumors and hearsay while in the Northern Palace. I think there might be a misunderstanding between you and your uncle, so if you could talk to him openly when you return the hairstick-”

“Qinghua has not led me astray so far,” Mobei interrupts, his eyes narrowed. “This prince will talk to his uncle. But if Qinghua is mistaken…” He lets the sentence hang ominously in the air, but the sentiment is clear: if Shang Qinghua is wrong, then all of his credibility is ash.

“I understand, my prince.”

It's going to be fine. It has to be! Otherwise the System would have interfered, like it always does when he's about to alter the plot.

Right, System?

[inkcurlsandknives]

Part 2 of my messy Bi-panic love triangle, I bring you a SAINTS OF STORM AND SORROW Marriage of convenience aesthetic! Preorders and Netgalley request links are up in my profile! If you love a he falls first, he falls harder in an epic Filipino Fantasy 🌊⛈️🔥inspired by shaman lead rebellions against Spanish colonization you need Saints!

Lunurin, a mestiza stormcaller, hides in a convent—from the Inquisition branding her a witch, and the Goddess of Storms, who sings of drowning colonizers.

When she’s discovered, a marriage-of-convenience might save her from the Church, but not her Goddess. A typhoon is brewing in Lunurin’s bones. Freeing it will destroy the violent colonizers, but also the family she found in the convent and her new marriage.

Art and image credits to

Chermae with bride and breakfast

Tampuhan ("Sulking"), an 1895 painting by Juan Luna

SARAIYA 2017

@mikaawaii.desu

Mayari and Apolaki

[somereaderinblue]

Meryl Stryfe came to Julai Academy to achieve her dream of becoming a prince in hopes of uncovering the identity behind the prince who saved her in her darkest hour. Instead, she’s dragged into a series of duels, power grabs & dark secrets. And at the eye of the typhoon is Vash Saverem, the Geranium Bride with the power to revolutionize tomorrow.

I did it. After seeing fanart of Meryl in this outfit, I took it as a calling & write a Vashmeryl RGU AU because just like VW, my first fic for them has to be set in a super niche self-indulgent AU too.

[aesopsharpmybeloved]

I'm gonna be greedy and ask for both

😺 and 🎇

Ok <3

Worshipping in the house of God & Slow morning tenderness

Yes, I am quite aware these are most likely supposed to be headcanons and I'm writing short fics. Oops.

Also, why are these two written like this? I don't know, I've no clue what I'm doing uwu

written for the NSFT Emoji

NSFT GET LOST CHILDREN

tw: cunnilingus, handjob, blasphemy in church, cum-eating, Song of Solomon

😺 - Eating pussy

Bringing you pleasure with his mouth is got to be one of Father Paul’s most favourite activities. In his opinion, there’s just something nearly magical about being able to press his lips against, run his tongue over, and close his teeth gently around the place where you’re the most vulnerable, the most sensitive. It’s one of the proofs of the absolute trust you have in him, and Paul always goes above and beyond to prove to you he is worthy of this trust.

You came to see him one evening, after you returned from the mainland, finding him in Saint Patrick’s. The church was nearly dark, only a few candles by the altar illuminating the priest’s tall form. He turned around to face you when he heard the door open, and smiled one of his softest smiles. You walked slowly among the pews, then climbed the few steps separating you from your lover.

Paul pulled you in then, his large hands settling on your lower back, his lips closing in to capture yours. Steadily, he manoeuvred you until your backside hit the edge of the altar. One hand left you, so it could move the things behind you upon the altar to the side, before coming back to touch you. Paul grabbed the back of your thigh and squeezed it, motioning for you to jump up and sit. So you did. 

Between unhurried kisses, you told one another about your days, until you were ultimately tired of talking, and focused on only using your mouths for delivering more kisses instead. The Father’s lips then took to travelling, sliding over to your ear, your jaw, coming to bite on your pulse point - making your heartbeat increase and your breathing quicken. The priest gave you an intense look, before he stepped back and kneeled before you and the altar.

“You are altogether beautiful, my love, there is no flaw in you,” he cited from Song of Solomon, leaning his head to kiss your knee, slowly moving inwards, “How beautiful and pleasant you are, O loved one, with all your delights.” His lips pressed against your clothed core, making you shiver and reach out a hand, your fingers stroking Paul’s hair. You lift your hips a little, as clever digits hook around your underwear and begin pulling it away, hiking your skirt up at the same time to reveal your arousal to the priest’s hungry eyes. 

His face buries itself between your spread legs, open mouth kisses are planted along your damp folds. He moans deeply at your taste and you tug at the thick raven hair of your beloved. “I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey;  have drunk my wine and milk. Eat, friends, and drink; drink your fill of love” he speaks against your core, making you tremble with pleasure. His rich voice is mingling with your gasps and whimpers, echoing in the empty church.

He worships you like a deity, right there in the house of God. And perhaps you were God after all, and he was too, because what else is God if not love? You had no more time to ponder on such things though, for his mouth closed around your little lovebud and your head fell back in a sharp intake of breath. Your hips bucked unconsciously and two large hands came to grab them in a vice grip, fingers bruising the tender skin. A speck of dust wouldn’t fit between your heat and the priest’s face, there was no escape from those heavenly lips and their sweet torture. 

When you felt the coil inside you burst into a typhoon of lights and sensations, he drank from you deeply, greedily feasting on all you had to give him, long arms encircled you, and you sang his name to the heavens, calling out to your God. Your heart hammering and lungs burning with need for air, you quivered upon the altar, pleasure from your release pumping through every single artery, vein, capillary.  

Through foggy eyes, you looked at him, absolutely beautiful kneeling between your legs. Father Paul’s head was resting upon your thigh, large dark eyes looked at you both innocently and sinfully through thick lashes. Perfect cupid’s bow was damp with saliva and the proof of your pleasure, and the corners of his mouth were turned up slightly. Content, peaceful, adoring. Your hand, still in his now messy hair, began stroking through it once more, coming to run a thumb over his cheekbone. He leaned into your touch and closed his eyes. In the still and quiet of the little church you whispered:

“I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.”

🎇 - Orgasm

You loved it when he lost control. During every lovemaking there would come a moment when Father Paul would lose himself. Lose himself in pleasure, in your smell, taste, in the softness of your skin. It was then you knew he was close to his peak, his movements desperate, his mouth releasing prayers and curses. You thought he was beautiful, stripped of all inhibitions, unashamedly arching his back, begging you to never stop, and pleading for more, hands caressing everything at once and hips thrusting in reckless abandon. 

However, that didn’t mean you weren’t fond of the quiet, lazy mornings, during which you could take your time, slowly building up the other’s pleasure. One such morning, the priest was on his back, groaning softly into your willing mouth, tongues sliding against each other lazily. Your leg was thrown over his own and one of your hands was slowly pumping the Father’s manhood. You were delightfully warm, enveloped completely by Paul’s presence, by his arms, as the morning sun caressed your bare bodies. 

Paul looked angelic as you steadily brought him to his breaking point, his face blissful and so very open, cheeks flushed and beads of sweat gathering at his hairline. His eyes, darkened by lust, bore into yours intensely, parted reddened lips released soft sounds and choked gasps. His organ was throbbing in your hand, the tip sticky with pre-cum oozing out and dampening your hand. You licked into the priest’s pliant mouth, swallowing his pleasured sounds like a woman starved.

Finally, his arms tightened around your form, and he parted from your mouth to release a long sigh against your lips, his breath hot on your face. His eyes had such wonder in them, so much love, you could nearly see fireworks going off there, as he tried to keep them open to be able to look at you. Two ropes of cum spurted out of the priest’s cock and landed on his belly, more seed then wept out, running down your hand hotly. His thighs trembled slightly as he emptied himself, more sighs leaving his lips along with words of love and tenderness. 

You released the softening shaft, bringing your stained hand to your lips and licking the priest’s cum off. Paul greedily pulled you into him, making you share with him the product of his lust. You nestled into his arms, laying your body onto his own, uncaring of the mess on his stomach. “Mhm,” he hummed happily, hands stroking the warm skin on your back, “good morning, love.” You smiled against his pulse point and craned your head to steal another kiss.

I hope you enjoyed reading. You can also read this on my AO3, as well as all of my other Father Paul stories.

If you wish to request any of the emoji prompts, feel free to slide into my ask <3

[bonjourxrenae]

Re: YGO x Utena AU

So - I do have a little bit of this written, and I’ll link to the document, but ehhhh I figured I’d get some ideas out here

If you want see another cool YGO x Utena AU (aka, the one that inspired me to write my own!) there's this concept!

Ahhh, I dunno… I like the concept of Utena Sword Duel in the Cool Dueling Arena in the Forest, But Also The Duel Monsters Are Here, and the story having both elements and beats from their respective source materials (the Duels are foretold and eventually the protagonist will have to duel End of the World in a bid to gain the power of world revolution; becoming the Shadow Game Heir and stopping the great and terrible evil from destroying the world) but logistically I had trouble making it all Work

Yugi is obviously our protagonist - our Utena. Yamiyu is the Rose Bride(groom) - our Anthy, and Atem is firmly in the role of Dios (Yes, this is a primarily Puzzle-based AU)

The Student Council are the Millennium Item wielders, but they really don’t correspond with anyone from Utena’s student council… Closest association I could get is Pegasus to Mikage but he wouldn’t be on the council so much as he’s a professor at this AU’s Ohtori Academy

Kaiba would be president (naturally), but he doesn’t really fit Touga to a T… if anything he’s a mix of Saionji and Touga. (I will listen to Nanibito mo Kataru Koto Nashi on repeat thinking about what those lyrics mean and SOBBING) But I imagine he does the same Suicidal Duel tactic/acting like the King who met Yugi in the past to shake him, and sort of gets sucked into the mind games of End of the World and phasing into his past life as Set (to a degree) once he gets the Rod back

I also love thinking about Mokuba as Nanami (give that boy a sword and a knife hehehe) and then he essentially takes over the Student Council while Kaiba goes on an Obsessive Depression Bender after losing to Yugi AGAIN. And I need Mokuba to uncover all the fucked up shit behind The Rose Bride and the Nature of the Duels please...

I like the idea that Kaiba’s on he Student Council despite not having a Millennium Item… I think by rights he should have the Rod, and the idea of it being Stolen would be a plot point in a chapter

(speaking of the little shit who stole the Rod) Having Malik as, like, all the motivations of the Black Rose Duelists but with Miki's motifs... just feels right to me. I also imagine the duel split into two parts - one with him and the other with both him and Yami Malik (as another Rose Bride??) I was just stuck on which monster/spell cards to associate with his duel. I had it in my mind that he'd use a combo of Helpoemer and the Mystical Space Typhoon (Spira Mirabilis plays in the BG) but ehhhhhhh

Isis in a mostly Juri-based role... with the themes of Finality, Fate Set in Stone, No Such Thing As Miracles... idk, it wasn't really vibing in my brain, and I was having trouble placing her motives clearly. But I like the idea of her in the Student Council and her suddenly trying to get a handle on the situation with Malik (also I struggled figuring out which monster/spell card to associate with her hrmmm... in my document it's Spiria but EHHHH)

... I don't even know where to even put Shadi hhhhh maybe as a Shadow Player??? idk idk

and then obviously there's the Bakurae, and I can't really do them justice ??? because Ryou is on the Student Council and is the unwitting duelist in a Miki-aligned role, while Yami Bakura is another Rose Bride scheming on the sidelines, puppeteering Ryou with Dark Necrofear and Dark Sanctuary (until Ryou fights back with Change of Heart), and hastening the duels to the final duel for Revolution

TKB/Zorc is Akio/End of the World. Because of course he is. I do refer to him in my documents as The Man In Red, while Atem (Dios) is wearing mostly whites and royal purples.

AS FOR ANZU, JONOUCHI, AND HONDA... they have all been relegated to some aspect of Wakaba - but Jonouchi is especially The Wakaba (the one that attempts to punch out Kaiba and accidentally gets into a fistfight with Yugi) Honestly, if I had the time, I'd like to see all of them becoming Black Rose Duelists and having Yugi absolutely struggle with these duels because "no!!! these are my friends!!!" but Yamiyu is here like "aibou, you have to draw your sword!!!"

Anyway, that's where most of my thoughts were - and then there's the matter of the themes of 'princes' and 'witches' and trying to make those same motifs work with 'kings' and 'thieves' and I just got really tired trying to figure it out

But if you're interested in what I have written for this, you're welcome to check it out here: [Dust and Gold]

[bougainvillea-and-saltwater]

TES Summer Fest Day 3: Starlit

You'll Be In My Heart

Summary:

I will tell you the story of the traitorous Dragon Priest who ever truly served one single dragon and no other—the woman he fell in love with; his own Dragoness, the sun-eyed bride of flame, the one who redeemed him from a death everlasting. But in every tale, little one, this one has also a twist: it was he��who was first destined to rescue her from a demise, even if they both found out many years later.

✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ Guided by the moonglow and a starlit sky, the First Dragonborn comes to realize that not even the confines of Oblivion can prevent his spirit from finding its evermore destiny.

Rating&Warnings: Teen And Up Audiences. Some (mild) descriptions of the near-death of a newborn child, and some fleeting references concerning changes in Miraak's physical appearance/emotional state in Apocrypha.

Wordcount: 2,006 words

@tes-summer-fest, thank you for this lovely event! 🥰

This one-shot is below the cut and you can find it posted in Ao3, too!

There are no stars in Apocrypha.

Miraak, the First Dragonborn of an Aedra and the First Servant of a Daedra in equal measures, knows this all too well. Much to his despair, he has conceded to it for eternities unending now—or is it perhaps hours, minutes, or mere heartbeats of a second ever since a reel of obsidian-black ink engulfed and swiped him forever from a place asunder in two and smeared in blooded snow? This, he could never really say; time is a thing most whimsical in Oblivion, anyhow. When he is courageous enough to raise his eyes from the intricate filigree full of scattered pages below, to this caricature of a sky aloft, all he damns himself with is a canopy green and swirling, like a poisoned typhoon, like a polluted abyss, and in the place of the moon and stars he once marveled, named, and dreamed under somewhere in Frostwood's ice-sprinkled tundra, now there are only the boneless limbs, and the demon-like, sleepless, ever-watching eyes of the Woodland Man, as his fellow Atmorans called him; the Gardener of Memories, of Knowledge, of Fate—the Gardener of Men, is his most precise name.

His body does not function in Apocrypha; his heart does not beat, and so the blood in his veins does not flow—instead, it lies stagnant with no other option but to adjust with the ink puddles beneath his feet, altering him into a Seeker clad in the tainted flesh of a death-pale man, little by little. His body does not hurt in Apocrypha; if he ever felt any sensation, it was nothing more than the phantom pain one feels upon a limb they have already lost. His body has no need for sleep in Apocrypha; his eternal damnation is to always remain awake, watch how everything changes around him, and how it remains the same.

But, why now, does Miraak feel something changing? 

For the first time, a pain keen and penetrating and endless rends through him. It reaches the very depths of his dragon soul that wails its reverberating suffering across Oblivion, it carves him like a razor with a scalding and rusty tip, and it knocks his breath out. As he falls to his knees that crack under the weight of his body, his heart thunders like the drums of a tribal war dance beneath his chest, down his ribs, in his ears, in his face, in every fiber of his being, everywhere, everywhere, setting his blood alight and moiling. 

On his knees as he is, his neck and head jerk up against his will as though in a forced slumber, in a trance, his hood and mask slipping and clattering to the stale floor, freeing his waist-long all-tangled hair, and before his bottomless eyes roll in the back of his head, he manages to catch a thing most curious: the evermore swirl of Apocrypha's sky has now ceased, the immense double-pupils of Herma-Mora nowhere to be seen, and everything is frozen and standstill and put out.

_____________________________________________

The extinguished light slowly returns to him, and Miraak is on his feet, feeling no pain this time—on the quite contrary, all he feels is an unexplained calmness, that sort of peace one makes with themselves when they have a clear purpose to fulfill, an inescapable destiny written in the skies before they are even born. Though, there is a more crucial difference now: that light growing its sheen above his head, is not of Apocrypha, its sick green shade is no more, neither on him nor anywhere about. 

That light is a delicate, silken caress, limning and bathing him in a milky luster; it reflects flawlessly on his marble skin, burns up the ebony pools of his eyes with a silver flare like a celestial fire, and mirrors his ashen-white hair like an iridescent halo, until it becomes one and whole with his very being, and he looks like—like a lokzii, the eternal entourage of the Divines in Aetherius.

That light, is the light of a starlit needlework, embellished with smaller and larger seams, each representing a distant luminary and various constellations connecting the galactic dots between them. The starglow mingles with the radiant rays of a moon so full that, for an instant, Miraak thinks it is not a mere moon but the heart of an Aedra, expanded and centered inside the night sky's velvet embrace.

And there are stars anew. 

Real ones, he then realizes in awe.

Is he—is he back to Nirn? So soon? He has just set in motion his pursuit of enchanting the Skaal Stones with his Bend Will, so his hypnotic influence on the people of Solstheim in toiling them all day and all night long, fueling his return with the sacred ancient power of the All-Maker could have been... not nearly enough to help him escape the confines of Oblivion yet!

"I am lost and adrift," he looks up at the moon and speaks to it as if it were a living person, a fleshed guide. "It has been millennia since I last marveled at the sky, you see, and I cannot recall how it is to follow the path of the stars. Care to show me the way?"

And as if heeding his plea, a moonbeam flashes above him and starts to forge the route—or maybe it is his feet that begin to move first, and he becomes an astral walker with a destination untold but predestined and familiar-to-soul all the same, damning on the boundaries of his hellish prison and spanning through Nirn. As the case may be, the stellar canopy overhead will burnish brighter, as though all the stars together suddenly went supernova, momentary converting the night into day, the moon into the sun, when Miraak finds himself by the heavy, wooden gates of a building—a mead-hall that has the shape of a lavish... longship, a shield-adorned one at that, exactly like the ones once swayed upon the sun-shimmered seawater of Jylkurfyk's harbor; like the ones heroes-of-old sailed across the Sea of Ghosts to meet their coveted plunder at the other side.

He cannot help but recognize the midnight firmament's apparent signal to him, and so Miraak passes through these gates, stepping inside the mead-hall. Like an intangible specter he wanders within, and even though his view continues to be softly wreathed by the white-blue moonglow that escorted him to this place, he is completely indiscernible by every person dwelling there. His hands may graze against theirs as he glides his way amongst them, though he is naught but a whispering zephyr to them, a wisp of shadow, and they are but scarcely limned figures, fleeting forms in his eyes. 

Everyone and everything, ephemeral thready presences all around. Except—

Except for a newborn girl, her mirage so clear to his vision as though he faces his reflection in a grand soul gem; a girl with few red tufts upon her delicate crown, set in an oak-timbered cradle chiseled into wolven motifs, next to a bed that smells of blood, wolfsbane, and primrose. A girl that does not get to be held and protected by her mother's loving arms, nursed from her breast, and put to sleep by her soothing lullaby; all because—because Arkay claims her first.

Death has stretched its bloody talons towards the child who just met the world outside the womb, though earlier than she was meant to—always so hasty, always so impatient, the little fool, Mother Mara have mercy on her—and thus she bears a tiny and too-frail body, a listless surrender on her limbs, an ill pallor on her cheeks. A lily, she is; an ivory bud on the edge of withering.

This infant will be dead before the night is done. 

Be not afeared, soothes Miraak as he bends over the crib—it is his very dragon soul that it is speaking at this moment, while his human voice does not make a sound, his lips, not even a stir—death's darkness shrinking aside, life-light prevailing. I will tell you the story of the traitorous Dragon Priest who ever truly served one single dragon and no other—the woman he fell in love with; his own Dragoness, the sun-eyed bride of flame, the one who redeemed him from a death everlasting. The knuckles of his hand brush the child's soft cold cheek in the most feathery caress. But in every tale, little one, this one has also a twist: it was he who was first destined to rescue her from a demise, even if they both found out many years later.

And then, silent like a prayer and thunderous like a battlecry, he says: Whatever Light I have left in me, let it pass to her; let her be saved and live.

If the stellar-burst he saw by the time he found the gates of the mead-hall was like a supernova of all stars exploding as one, the forceful blast he sees after these very words leave his dovahsil is equivalent of— 

Realms crashing together, galaxies spinning in interstellar dust, nebulae forming new stars over and over again—

Newborn constellations—a shimmering crescent with a fraction of its disk slowly illuminated by direct sunlight, until all Miraak beholds is the moon and the sun united, bound together, rising up up up the starlit sky, finding its place amidst the constellations of the Ritual and the Lord— 

Uncreated Light that blinds and redeems him all at once— 

And in the end?

In the end, two eyes previously sealed shut, now open wide.

Two eyes, of pure molten sun. 

_____________________________________________

A violent inhale plunges down Miraak's lungs, chest heaving and falling by vigorous turns, and he blinks his strained eyes. For some unfathomable reason that he cannot recall no matter how much cognitive effort he puts forth, he is not standing on his feet; instead, he is sprawled upon Apocrypha's moist pages, his body numb and drained, his muscles aching and shaking as though he'd just traversed miles and miles away. His hair is free, his face is uncovered, hood and mask gone, even if he always made sure to conceal his countenance—no, his shame—ever since he set foot in this nightmare.

He bares his teeth and glares at the familiar abyss floating above his head, to his left, his right, behind, in front of him, and everywhere all at once. "Why am I like this?" He croaks, trying to get himself up, but the effort goes in vain, his legs giving up and falling to his back again. "What have you done to me, you foul bastard?"

And while Miraak would have expected some ambiguous but no less sharp rejoinder, Herma-Mora merely narrows his prominent gigantic eyeball in a way that makes him appear infuriated, as if... as if he likewise does not know what to respond to Miraak's demand. As if he is just as baffled as his Servant. 

"I am the Demon of Knowledge, Guardian of the Unseen, Knower of the Unknown. No knowledge can evade me forever," he rumbles in the end, almost like he's struggling to assure himself, of his own influence on his very sphere; one would even say he sounds fretful. "Have no fear, dear Champion, and this one shall reveal itself, sooner or later." 

Twenty-six years later, a woman will read a Black Book and fall into Apocrypha. She will be stunned by the Dragon Priest's spells in what they both thought to be their first encounter, and down at his feet as she is, she will raise her face and look at him straight in the eye—and for the second time after five millennia, his heart will beat once more. Twenty-six years later, she will kiss his lips and confess her soulful love with a bard's ballad. 

Titles, triumphs, praise, power, and pain. All in the shape of hers.

A woman so different and yet so same as him.

Death-grazed, fire-blessed, a clawed-and-teethed spirit.

A Dragoness—

Sun-eyed.

[cookie-nigel-dolan]

Vengeance of the Bride  //  Episode 85

[blueflyingturtleontheway]

touching prompt 42 for gabe and isa please !!

"It's fine, this is fine, everything's fine," Isa repeated under her breath as she paced around her room. She had already changed into the right dress, packed the present and left the guitardeon by the door so she wouldn't forget it. There were still two hours to the party, so substracting the time needed to drive to Amara's house and the braiding itself, it still left Elena over an hour to get there.

A sudden knock on the door pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Come in!" she called out and sighed in relief at the same time. "Finally, I was afraid you wouldn't- oh it's you Gabe." Her shoulders immediately dropped when she noticed him walking in.

"Uh, yeah I wanted to tell you I just got a message from Elena, she said the meeting is dragging on and she probably won't be able to come back as soon as she had hoped. Is... everything alright?" He asked as Isa flopped into a chair and loudly dropped her head on her dressing table.

"Everything's just splendind," her voice was muffled by the wood. She heaved a deep sigh and finally leaned back on the chair. "I just really hoped Elena would help me with my hair."

"Oh," Gabe scratched the back of his head. "Should I call the royal hairdresser?"

"No, no, I don't want it to be that fancy." Isa quickly shook her head. "It's not such a big deal anyway."

"Than maybe I could go get your abuela?"

Isa shook her head again.

"No, she went out with abuelo today, so you wouldn't find her anyway." She sighed again. "I suppose I'll just go" she flung her arms out and let them flop back into her lap "like this."

"Well... maybe I could be of some help?" Gabe finally offered, hesitantly.

Isabel slowly raised her head only to send him an incredulous look.

"you could be of some help... with my hair," she asked him carefully, like you'd ask someone who just said that iron is lighter than copper. "You do realize I'm talking about briding my hair for a party."

"Yeah," Gabe chuckled nervously. He was starting to regret his offer.

"Do you even know how to braid hair? Or... Do a crown braid, for example?" She still sounded unsure, but he could hear a tiny bit of hope sneaking into her voice.

He exhaled quickly and called on his best smile.

"There's only one way to find out, isn't there?"

Slowly, almost against herself, Isa returned his smile and excitement sparkled in her eyes.

"Now do you have like, a drawing of this hairstyle or something?" Gabe clapped his hands walking over to the dressing table. "I might be a bit out of practice, but growing up with my cousins we often..."

A few hours later

"Wait, are you talking about a real hen? A real, living hen? And it just stayed there?"

"Yup," Gabe's voice was muffled by the hairpins he held in his mouth. "Of course we thought about going back and - hold this for a moment now" he interrupted quickly handing her another strand of hair. "We thought about going back and looking for the owner to give it back, but honestly, we had no idea where it even actually came from. Add to that all the trouble with mooring the raft, then walking probably a whole day upstream - and anyway we wouldn't leave it for so long, we were extremely paranoic someone would steal it, though realistically speaking I don't think anyone would even want to steal it," they both chuckled "but the thing is, we had no idea where it could even come from. I mean almost everyone there keeps chickens, so if we'd go and..."

"I'M SO SORRY I TRIED TO LEAVE AS SOON AS" the door slammed into the wall, pushed with the power of a hundred typhoons, revealing Elena, with a frantic look in her eyes. "Possible..." her voice trailed off as she took in the scene before her.

Isa was seated on the floor, her dress carefully evened out so it wouldn't crinkle, and she held her head tilted a little forward so Gabe - Gabe - (Elena rubbed her eyes here to make sure she wasn't hallucinating) was sitting on the bed above her and braiding her head.

"Hi, Elena." He waved to her quickly with his free hand.

"Don't worry," said Isa. "Gabe told me you'll be late, but luckily he could help me with my hair do."

"I mean, I don't know how to a crown braid, but Isa said two braids connecting into a low bun will be good enough, so." He fell silent for a moment, pinned down a few last strands of Isa's hair and finally leaned down. "Alright, I'm finished! Let's see how it looks like from the front though."

Isa let out an enthusiastic "woohoo!" and they both walked up to the big mirror by the wardrobe.

Elena finally recoverd from her shock and also waled by to them, looking over her sister's hair.

"Are saying you did all this? I mean you can actually... do hair nicely? Honestly I wouldn't suspect you actually knew your way around elegance..." she mused, looking between Gabe and Isa.

"No, I'm pretty sure Gabe actually got under some spell of Mateo's, but I'm not complaining for now," she said, beaming at her reflection.

"Why do my talents always go unrecognized," he shook his head and chuckled.

Okay this is much longer than the other ones, but IT WAS A TRAP YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE GABE AND ISA.

Prompt lists

[pooma-bible]

Greetings in the matchless Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

VISION 04: The Eternity of God: The New Heavens and Earth and the New Jerusalem (Part 01) – The New Heavens and Earth and the New Jerusalem!

Rhema Word: Revelation 21:1-2 (NKJV) “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also, there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

Let us pray. Our Gracious Loving Father, thank You for giving us an opportunity to meditate Your Word today along with Your children who have been called to live a holy life, Father. I commit everyone who are all meditating this message into Your mighty hand Father. Bless them and give them the oneness of Spirit and make their heart as a good land to receive each Word which is living and active Father. Thank You Holy Spirit for helping us to understand the in-depth treasure of Your Word and helping us to live a life as per Your Word Lord. We give all the Glory and Honour to You only Father. We pray in the mighty Name of Your beloved Son Jesus Christ. Amen.

DIVISION OVERVIEW: What will eternity be like? What will it be like to live with God forever and ever? This chapter of Revelation tells us. All the bad and negative things of this world are going to be conquered and destroyed. All the pollution and impurities, all the ungodliness and evil, all the suffering and pain, all the corruption and death – it is all going to be erased, eliminated, and done away with. The day is coming when there will be no more (a) impure government; (b) corrupt religion; (c) bad leaders; (d) painful suffering; and (e) sin and temptation.

This is the glorious message of Revelation. God is going to take satan and all the ungodly and evil of this world and destroy them. God is going to make a new heaven and a new earth. God is going to make all things new. And when He does, there will be (a) no more tears; (b) no more mourning; (c) no more crying; (d) no more pain; and (e) no more death.

We will be meditating this great chapter of Revelation in following three parts, in next three weeks, starting from today:

VISION 04: The Eternity of God: The New Heavens and Earth and the New Jerusalem (Part 01) – The New Heavens and Earth and the New Jerusalem!

VISION 04: The Eternity of God: The New Heavens and Earth and the New Jerusalem (Part 02) – The New Jerusalem, The City of God (Part A): Its Description!

VISION 04: The Eternity of God: The New Heavens and Earth and the New Jerusalem (Part 03) – The New Jerusalem, The City of God (Part B): Its Citizens and Provisions!

Let us try to meditate on the first part VISION 04: The Eternity of God: The New Heavens and Earth and the New Jerusalem (Part 01) – The New Heavens and Earth and the New Jerusalem! on the following, with the help of our Holy Spirit, today:

(1) The New Creation, The New Heaven & The New Earth:

(2) The New City of God:

(3) The Immediate Fellowship With God:

(4) The Perfection of All Things:

(5) The Citizens:

(1) The New Creation, The New Heaven & The New Earth:

The Bible says in Revelation 21:1 “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.”

There will be the new creation, the new heaven, and the new earth. The heaven and earth that we know are going to pass away.

(i) all the heavens above – the sun, moon, stars, and planets – are going to be destroyed and remade. God is going to make a new heaven. Think what this will mean. There will be (a) no more violent thunderstorms, typhoons, hurricanes, or destructive rains and weather; and (b) no more stars or solar systems that are burned out.

All the heavens above will be remade, created anew, and made alive. Think how glorious and beautiful the heavens look now when we look on a starry night. But imagine what they will be like when God recreate them in all the glory and magnificence of perfect universe. All things within the universe will be alive and reflect the glory and splendour of God Himself. Think about the light and brilliance and splendour and glory of all the heavenly bodies when God recreates the heavens. Yes, we cannot imagine the glory and beauty. It is beyond our finite minds. But note the significant point: the Scripture declares emphatically that the heaven is to be remade and recreated into a new heaven.

(ii) The earth is going to pass away. There is going to be a new earth. The present earth is defective; it is cursed. The earth suffers under all kinds of natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, destructive storms, floods, scorching heat, deserts, famines, diseases, and death. But the day is coming when God is going to remake the earth. God is going to create a new earth. Think what this will mean.

=> No more disasters or destruction.

=> No more thorns or thistles or unfertile an unproductive soil.

=> No more hunger or thirst.

=> No more disease, decay, erosion, or death.

The new earth will flourish and be fruitful, bearing all the good that can be imagines. Think how beautiful, green, lush, productive, and fruitful it will be. Think how peaceful, serene, and comfortable it will be. Think of the security and provision, the abundance and overflowing of every good and perfect gift – the fullness of life that will be possible upon the earth. The earth will be new, perfected by God in every conceivable way.

Note the statement, “there was no longer any sea”. This can mean one of two things. The sea will be eliminated, done away with, and the new earth will have no sea. Or it can mean the same thing that is meant with the heavens and the earth. The heavens and earth and the sea are to pass away and be made anew and recreated. The sea that causes devastation and destruction will be destroyed right along with the earth and heavens; but when they are recreated, the sea, being part of the earth, will be part of the new earth, part of the new creation.

A perfected earth is beyond our comprehension. But it is exactly what Scripture declares is going to happen. God is going to create a new earth as well as a new heaven.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew 5:18; 24:35 “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” … “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

Apostle Peter says in 2 Peter 3:10-13 “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”

The Bible says in Isaiah 34:4; 51:6; 66:22 “All the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll; all their host shall fall down as the leaf falls from the vine, and as fruit falling from a fig tree.” … “Lift up your eyes to the heavens and look on the earth beneath. For the heavens will vanish away like smoke, The earth will grow old like a garment, and those who dwell in it will die in like manner; But My salvation will be forever, and My righteousness will not be abolished.” … “For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the Lord, “So shall your descendants and your name remain.”

(2) The New City of God:

The Bible says in Revelation 21:2 “Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

There will be the new city of God, the holy city, the New Jerusalem. The idea is that the New Jerusalem will be the capital city in the new heaven and earth. It will be the place where the very presence of God is symbolized. God’s presence, of course, will be manifested everywhere in the new heavens and earth, manifested in all of God’s glory and majesty. But the holy city will give believers a place with which to identify as they serve God throughout the universe. The next verse shows this. The heavenly city is the tabernacle, the very presence of God that comes down to dwell with man. The point is that God has prepared His own capital city to sit upon the earth. It will apparently be from the New Jerusalem that Jesus Christ will rule the universe and require His servants (believers) to occasionally visit and report on their work (Rev.21:24-27). The Lord’s throne will sit in the New Jerusalem and from there He shall rule and reign throughout all eternity. Note that the city comes down out of heaven. It is not constructed here on earth; God has it built in heaven and then moves it to earth. Note also that is it said to be as beautifully prepared as a bride is for her husband. This points both to the beauty of the city and to our longing desire to have God’s presence right here on earth with us.

Remember that Jesus Christ told His apostles that He was going away to prepare a place for them. There is the possibility that He was referring to His preparing the New Jerusalem (John 14:2-3).

(3) The Immediate Fellowship With God:

The Bible says in Revelation 21:3 “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.”

There will be immediate fellowship with God. The very tabernacle of God will be set up right here on earth. The tabernacle is a picture of the tabernacle of the Old Testament, the worship center of Israel, the place where the very presence and glory of God dwell in a special way. The picture is this: when the New Jerusalem, the capital city of eternity, is moved to earth, then the very presence and glory of God will dwell and live right here upon earth. When the new Jerusalem is established upon earth, God’s glory and presence will be forever upon earth. God’s presence will never again be dulled or removed from the presence of people.

The one thing for which man longs is the presence of God, the glory and fullness of God in all the abundance of life. Man may not know it, but the longing of his heart is for God. Man tries to fill his longing with all sorts of worldly pleasures and possessions, but nothing satisfies – nothing but God. His presence and glory. Until man allows God to fill his heart, he goes through all kinds of negative experiences:

=> lack of purpose, meaning, and significance;

=> emptiness, questioning, and wondering about life;

=> routineness, dullness, and feeling drained;

=> insecurity and fear and failure.

But when man gives his life to God, he begins to fellowship with God and to experience all the fulness of life. The point is this: in the new heaven and earth the presence and glory of God will dwell with man all the time. Man will never be without the presence and glory of God. He will always experience the fellowship of God’s presence and glory. Note how strong the fellowship will be as we see in Revelation 21:3 “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.”

Four things are said:

=> The dwelling, the tabernacle of God, the very presence and glory of God, will be with men.

=> God will dwell with them.

=> They will be His people.

=> God Himself will be with them and be their God.

Think how wonderful it will be: we will never be without the presence and glory of God. We will have the immediate presence of God and be able to talk ad share with God face to face: to fellowship and commune with Him; to laugh and rejoice with Him; to praise and worship Him; to serve and work for Him – all face to face. God says He is going to live and dwell with us; He is going to take over the management of our lives face to face, guiding and directing us day by day, face to face throughout all of eternity. We shall serve and work for God face to face, be under His immediate presence and fellowship. This is what eternity will be like, what the new heaven and earth will be like. The presence and glory of God will be living and dwelling with us right here on earth.

(4) The Perfection of All Things:

The Bible says in Revelation 21:4-6 “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning, and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.”

There will be the perfection of all things. Note two things:

(i) Life will be perfected. This means that the body of man will be perfected; so, will the environment and earth. Life will be totally different from what it is now. The very life and utopia for which man has longed will be a living reality. All the sufferings and evil of life and all the bad and negative experiences of life will be gone. Scripture explains the change in the most beautiful and striking way: it declares that “God will wipe away every tear from their [believer’s] eyes”. Imagine a world so perfected that there would so perfected that there would never again be a tear shed. Look at what Scripture says: Revelation 21:4 “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

=> There will be no more death: no more aging, murder, killing or war. No more miscarriages or dying children, no more dying mothers or dying fathers, and no more parents who have passed on. No more funerals or cemeteries or burial grounds. Everyone will have a spiritual body a body that will be perfected, made incorruptible and immortal, perfect in strength and honour. There will be no death in the new heaven and earth. God will wipe away the tears of death.

=> There will be no more mourning: no more brokenness, disappointment, regret, guilt, failure, weakness, inferiority, inadequacy, or incapability. No more homelessness, starving, hunger, or thirst. There will be nothing to make us sorrowful. We will be capable and able, successful, and fruitful, confident, and secure. There will never be a regret or failure to make us sorrowful. We will be perfected. We will be able to live and serve to the fullest degree without any shortcoming whatsoever. God will wipe away all the tears of sorrow in the new heaven and earth.

=> There will be no more crying: no more disappointment, arguing fussing, cursing, divisiveness, drugs, evil, immorality, separation, bitterness, burdens, or heartache – no more bad things that cut the heart and cause the heart and eyes to cry. Every life will be perfected. Everyone will be perfected and live together in love, joy, and peace – never causing hurt to another person. God will wipe away the tears of crying.

=> There will be no more pain: no more diseases, accidents, distress, pressure abuse, beatings, fights, afflictions, or agony. No more emotional or physical pain. No more of anything that causes pain of any kind. God will wipe away the tears of pain.

But note why? It is because God creates the universe. It is because “the old order of things has passed away”. God cannot state it any clearer: the earth as it is now going to pass away. Note again how clear and exact Scripture describes what God is going to do: “Revelation 21:4 “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

How do we know for sure that God is going to recreate the universe? How do we know that God is going to perfect life for us? The next point tells us.

Lesson: Just think! Life will be perfected. The day is coming when God is going to perfect human life. He is going to make a new heaven and earth, a perfect heaven and earth; and He is going to perfect all believers. Everything – all of heaven and earth and all that is therein – shall be perfected. There is no greater hope than this glorious promise of God, the promise that He is going to perfect the universe.

The Bible says in Revelation 7:17; 21:4; Isaiah 25:8; 35:10: 51:11; 60:20; 65:19 “For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” … “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” … “He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the Lord has spoken.” … “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” … “So, the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness; sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” … “Your sun shall no longer go down, nor shall your moon withdraw itself; For the Lord will be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be ended.” … “I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people; The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, nor the voice of crying.”

(ii) God assures us that He is going to perfect all things. He gives us three assurances:

(a) God Himself assures us. Note that God Himself spoke from the throne of heaven and declared emphatically that He was going to make everything new: Revelation 21:5 “ Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

(b) God’s Word assures it. God gave a double declaration. He declared that His Words are true and faithful. By true, He means true as opposed to false. He is not lying. He is God; therefore, what He says will happen. By faithful, He means that He will do exactly what He says. We can all count on it. And note: God instructed John to write down all that He said. God wanted us to know about His promise of a new heaven and earth, of a perfected body and life, and He wanted us to be assured of His promise.

(c) God’s sovereignty assures it. How? By the power and sovereignty of God. God declares “ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End” (Rev. 21:6). Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and means “the beginning”, and Omega is the last letter and means “the end”. God is declaring that He is the beginning and the ending, the creator of all things. Yes, all things have their beginning in Him. And He is the end of all things, the consummation and goal and the end and objective of all things. All things find their meaning and being in Him. And He spans all things just as the beginning and end span all things. Therefore, He can do as He wills.

The point is this: God has willed a new heaven and earth. Therefore, He has already spoken it into being. He has already declared, “It is done”. Yes, the clock is set, and the event is fixed. The minutes of time are ticking away, and the hour will come when the set time arrives.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew 5:18; Luke 21:33 “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” … “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”

Apostle Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:24; 1 Corinthians 1:9 “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” … “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Psalmist says in Psalm 146:6 “ Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, Who keeps truth forever.”

(5) The Citizens:

The Bible says in Revelation 21:6-8 “ And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

There will be the citizens of the new heaven and earth. Note that God Himself is still speaking. What He is saying is important, so important that He must make the declaration Himself. It is too important to have an angelic messenger declare the message. God tells us who the citizens of His new heavens and earth will be. But note something else as well: He tells us who will not be. Yes, God warns us that not everyone will live in the new heavens and earth, not everyone will be acceptable to Him. But He shows us how to make sure that we are acceptable, that we do receive the right to become citizens of the new heavens and earth. How?

(i) The citizens of the new heavens and earth will be those who thirst for life. God says that he will give the water of life to all those who thirst after it. That is, the person who thirsts after life will be the person who will receive the water of life. God is going to give life to the person who thirst after it; He is going to give the spring of the water of life and give it freely.

To thirst after life means that one thirsts…

to know the life that God wants man to live;

to know the life that God gives;

to know the fullness of life that is in God Himself;

to know the hope of life that God has planned for man;

to know the perfection of life that God longs for man to live.

Simply stated, to thirst after life means to thirst after the life that God gives to thirst after God Himself. It means…

to know God; to fellowship, commune, and share with God;

to know the salvation, forgiveness, and cleansing of God;

to know the hope, assurance, and security of God;

to live for God, to obey and follow God.

The person who thirsts after God will be a citizen of the new heavens and earth.

(ii) The citizen of the new heavens and earth will be the overcomer. The overcomer is the person who overcomes this world and remains faithful and loyal to Christ. It means the person who remains pure and follows the Lord Jesus Christ. The overcomer is the person who conquers all the temptations and trials of life. Two great promises are made to the overcomer:

(a) He will inherit all this, all that the new heavens and earth offer.

(b) He will be a son of God.

Apostle John says in John 1:12; 1 John 1:3 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” … “That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

Apostle Paul says in Romans 8:14-17; Galatians 4:7; Philippians 2:15 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” … “Therefore, you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” … “That you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.”

(iii) The fate of the people who will be rejected is clearly spelled out. What a tragic list it is:

(a) The cowardly: those who do not confess Christ because they fear what others might say, those who are afraid to give up the world and deny self; those who fear taking a stand for Christ; those who fear to fellowship or become identified with Christian people.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:32-33 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.”

Apostle Paul says in Romans 10:9; 2 Timothy 2:12 “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” … “If we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us.”

(b) The unbelieving: those who do not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Saviour of the world, those who reject Jesus Christ and His death upon the cross for their sins; those who profess Christ, but live hypocritical lives, who show by their sinful behaviour that they do not really believe Him.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said in John 3:18; 8:24; 12:48 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” … “Therefore, I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” … “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.”

Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:4 “Whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”

Apostle John says in 1 John 2:22-23 “Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”

(c) The vile: those who are worldly and who live worldly lives; those who reach out to touch and taste the impurities and lusts of the world; those who are stained and contaminated and polluted with worldliness; those who refuse to separate from the pleasures and possessions of this world and refuse to turn to God.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said in Luke 21:34 “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.”

Apostle Paul says in Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 6:17-18; Titus 2:12-13 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” … “Therefore, “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” … “Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Apostle John says in 1 John 2:15-16 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.”

Apostle James says in James 4:4 “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

(d) The murderers: those who kill and take away the lives of others.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew 19:18 “He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’”

Apostle Paul says in Romans 13:9-10 “For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbour; therefore, love is the fulfilment of the law.”

Apostle John says in 1 John 3:15 “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”

(e) The sexually immoral: those who are sexually impure; those who commit sexual immorality or have sex before marriage; those who commit adultery and homosexuality and all other sexual acts that God forbids; those who look and lust, read and lust, think and lust.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew 5:27-28 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Apostle Paul says in Romans 1:27; 13:14; Ephesians 4:19 “Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.” … “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” … “Who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.”

Apostle Peter says in 1 Peter 2:11; 1 Peter 4:2-3 “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.” … “That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.”

(f) The one who practice magic arts or sorcerers: those who engage in astrology, witchcraft, devil worship, spiritism, seances, palm reading, fortune telling, and all other forms of false beliefs that claim to reveal and control one’s fate, life, and destiny.

Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:13; Galatians 5:19-21 “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” … “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Prophet Isaiah says in Isaiah 8:19-20 “And when they say to you, “Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,” should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead-on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”

(g) The idolaters: those who worship idols, whether idols made with one’s hands or just conceived in one’s mind; those who have an image of what God is like and worship and follow that image instead of following the God revealed by the Scriptures; those who put the things of this earth before God; those who give their primary attention and devotion to someone or something other than God.

Apostle Paul says sin 1 Corinthians 10:14; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:5; Colossians 3:5-6 “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” … “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” … “For this you know that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.” … “Therefore, put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience.”

The Bible says in Revelation 21:8; 22:15 “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” … “But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.”

(h) The liars: those who tell falsehoods and do not tell the truth; those who deceive and mislead others; those who are gossips and talebearers and who pass rumours along.

The Bible says in Psalm 63:11; Proverbs 19:5; Isaiah 44:25; Revelation 21:8 “But the king shall rejoice in God; everyone who swears by Him shall glory; but the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.” … “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who speaks lies will not escape.” … “Who frustrates the signs of the babblers, and drives diviners mad, who turns wise men backward, and makes their knowledge foolishness.” … “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Any person who does not repent and turn away from these things – any persons who does not turn to God for forgiveness of these things – any person who does not forsake these things – that person will not enter into the new heavens and earth. He will not be a citizen of the new heavens and earth. Where does he go? Scripture is clear in Revelation 21:8 “They shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Let us introspect ourselves.

Shall we thank our God for infusing us a hope – a picture of victory of the Lamb of God, of His beloved Son Jesus Christ?

Shall we thank our God for showing visions that show the glorious triumph that lies ahead for those who follow His beloved Son Jesus Christ and endure to the end?

Shall we thank our God for giving us victory through His beloved Son Jesus Christ over evil and bringing righteousness and godliness and His Kingdom to reign upon earth?

Shall we thank our God for revealing the fact that all the bad and negative things of this world - all the pollution and impurities, all the ungodliness and evil, all the suffering and pain, all the corruption and death –all are going to be erased, eliminated, and done away with?

Shall we thank our God for revealing the fact that there will be the new creation, the new heaven, and the new earth?

Shall we thank our God for revealing the fact that when the new Jerusalem is established upon earth, God’s glory and presence will be forever upon earth?

Shall we thank our God for revealing the fact that life will be perfected so that there will be no more death, no more mourning, no more crying and no more pain?

Shall we thank our God for revealing the fact that the new heavens and earth will be those who thirst for life and for the overcomers as God is going to give the spiring of water of life freely to them?

Shall we thank our God for revealing the fact that the cowardly people, unbelievers, vile, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters and liars will not inherit the new heavens and new earth?

Shall we submit ourselves to our God for helping us to TURN TO HIS BELOVED SON JESUS CHRIST FOR SALVATION BEFORE THE END COMES?

Let us Pray: Our Heavenly Gracious Father, we thank You for helping us to understand about VISION 04: The Eternity of God: The New Heavens and Earth and the New Jerusalem (Part 01) – The New Heavens and Earth and the New Jerusalem, today, Father. We thank You Father for infusing us a hope – a picture of victory of the Lamb of God, of Your beloved Son Jesus Christ, showing visions that show the glorious triumph that lies ahead for those who follow Your beloved Son Jesus Christ and endure to the end, giving us victory through Your beloved Son Jesus Christ over evil and bringing righteousness and godliness and Your Kingdom to reign upon earth Father. We thank You Father for revealing the fact that all the bad and negative things of this world - all the pollution and impurities, all the ungodliness and evil, all the suffering and pain, all the corruption and death –all are going to be erased, eliminated, and done away with, for revealing the fact that there will be the new creation, the new heaven, and the new earth, beside revealing the fact that when the new Jerusalem is established upon earth, Your glory and presence will be forever upon earth, Father. We thank You Father for revealing the fact that life will be perfected so that there will be no more death, no more mourning, no more crying and no more pain and that the new heavens and earth will be for those who thirst for life and for the overcomers and You are going to give the spiring of water of life freely to them, Father. We thank You Father for cautioning us that the cowardly people, unbelievers, vile, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters and liars will not inherit the new heavens and new earth, Father. Father, we commit ourselves wholeheartedly today and help us to TURN TO YOUR BELOVED SON JESUS CHRIST FOR SALVATION BEFORE THE END COMES. We thank You Father for filling us with Your joy, peace, and hope, for accepting us when we approach You through Your beloved Son Jesus Christ besides being merciful on us and loving us so much and predestined us to receive Your promise of glory through Your beloved Son Jesus Christ, Father. We give all praise, glory, and honour to Your Holy Name. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

God bless you all.

[thaliajoy-blog]

Blue Eyed Bride

Tonight, a demon dreams his dream again -

This bride is losing the will to care. Typhoon

Daughter, merciless blade, her chest

Is clawed and raked, her eyes ablaze and

Simmering, her kisses bloody and raw.

A man spit in her eyes. Blinded storm ;

From her heart's blood, demon's cruelty

And a thousand birds of fury arise. Arise,

And fight life. Now, smile, and kill everything.

(I) Water : "Hate is like a typhoon. It begins with a breeze at sea...that is swallowed by darkness."

[to-be-loved-by-death]

what other sapphic japanese films have a similar aesthetic or plot to blue (2002)?? thank you💖

Love this question, thanks anon!

If you like Blue, I’d definitely recommend:

• Love/Juice (2000)

• Afternoon Breezes (1980)

• A Bride for Rip van Winkle (2016)

• Typhoon Club (1985) - this one is less sapphic centred but exceptional!

• Angel in September (1994)