#clinging to their firstborns like life preservers

[hyperblue]

tim, after making a clone child as an escape from the darkest place in his life: i think i finally get it why you are so insane about dick

bruce, who was peacefully eating his breakfast: ...i'm not sure if i know what you mean

tim: *literally just leaves without further explanation*

[lovelykhaleesiii]

Could I request Aegon II x wife!reader, where after B&C but before Rook’s Rest, Aegon and wife!reader are stressed by the war and loss and blame each other, and end up sorta hate-fucking/make-up sex on the small council table. Knife kink would also be a plus.

Misery & Forgiveness.

PAIRING: King!Aegon ii Targaryen x Queen!Wife!fem!Reader

WORDS: 1,351.

WARNINGS: references to grief/loss [of a child], mourning, mentions of death, p in v sexual intercourse, unprotected sex, degradation kink, swearing, knife kink, breeding kink, angst!!!!!!

A/N - in light of the official trailer and seeing my angsty anguished man, this request seems very fitting to write for. let me ease your mind baby 💖🙏🏻 also belated little birthday shout out to one of my dearest friends on this hell site @bucknastysbabe thank you for putting up with my shenanigans and changing my life, ily xoxo

Mayhaps if Aegon had been there, if he had only just stayed in the confines of the Keep, his presence, a formidable one, by your side and the accompanying guards at your ever close bay, mayhaps, your firstborn son would still be present... Breathing.

"It's your fault, Aegon... Your fucking fault."

The arctic tone in your broken voice was tangible enough to make Aegon tense. Lke venom to a wound, his body stiffened with each word you had uttered.

It felt as though time had ceased since the awful, bloodshed night: gradually losing any ounce of sense, struggling to recollect except for fragments of the tragedy itself. The torment deranging your mind, with the thickened concoction of grief, sadness and rage. Rage you inflicted towards no one other than Aegon, himself. The same Aegon, who had proclaimed his everlasting love and duty towards you, and the children you may bear in future. A man that took his place as King, and ultimately his royal vows before the omnipresence of the Gods and man, who promised to protect, preserve and honour your place as his wife.

There was once a time, you had undoubtedly believed this: clinging to his every word with such certainty. Only to be led astray with the brutality of reality.

"His blood, Aegon... His innocent blood is on your hands. Make no mistake, the guilt you bear will be a punishment the Gods see fit—"

Desolately, you sat slumped amongst the furnished, wooden seats of the once purposeful Council chambers, which now felt as though the vast hollow and emptiness of the room itself, was nothing beyond a swallowing void, with no other purpose than as proving to be an empty room amongst the many strewed along the endless, stony corridors. In your bare hands, the torn, lifeless fabric, the same cloth that your beloved eldest born had worn that same night, laid carefully sprawled against your lap. Remnants of maroon messily stained across the soft fabric: twisted as it was, the realisation that his scent still remained lively brought a wave of reassurance and calm over you. A warmth that you had once felt when you would, or could, hold him in your arms.

"My baby boy—"

"Ours... He was our son, Y/N. You do well not to forget that you are not the only one grieving."

The naked palms of your hands stung raw against the sturdy timbre of the table. Radiating what felt like the heat of the past year's summer, seeping with vexation. Standing your ground, as you steadily focused solely on your defeated husband sat upon the opposing end. Aegon had an odd way of displaying any emotion that was not remotely intertwined with lust or desire. He loved you, you could not deny this nor did he ever expel the love for his children, however when it came to the raw, harsh realities faced by the cruel hands of the Gods... Aegon was a different man.

"Fuck you! May the Gods sentence you to fucking Hell, Aegon. For the crimes you've committed to this family. For the torment you've elicit unto us. Failed not only as a King, though as a father..."

With a sudden snap of his neck, a rapid instinct to his movement, Aegon reciprocated his attention towards you. Glaring at you since you'd been summoned into the council chambers. Although his violet eyes seemed foreign, as though they belonged to a strange onlooker. For the manner in which he saw you now, was one he had never invoked before. Aegon often looked towards you with lust, love and affection. His gentle eyes seemed to exhibit a persistent warmth onto you, and yet now... His presence was ever so chilling.

"Is that so? Is that truly what you think of me?"

Despite the sincerity in your words, silence was all that you could muster. With now merely droplets of grief swelling in your eyes, as you weakly let them stream down... How the Gods could be so cruel, for how much of your son was mirrored in Aegon's face.

"Come here," the unwavering note in his husky voice was deceitful enough to compel you to do so, finding yourself standing before the man you embraced as husband.

As Aegon stood formidably, his hand slowly noticed towards his waist, before pulling out the dagger that had rested on his belt in its leather red sheath.

Trepidation had succumbed, taking a step back in reluctant defence, although Aegon's free hand had gripped your wrist instinctively, holding onto for dear life.

"Do not think that your words will go unpunished just because you are my wife... Need I remind you of the etiquette you are to show me. The respect I'll surely fuck out of you."

Your heated breath felt retched with each heave, feeling the very effort, the sheer contraction of your muscles enabling each breath. Aegon's lavender orbs paralleled mesmerising remnants of amethyst, and yet cut just as sharp: lingering over your meek body, with a certain morbid lust.

Lifting the blade to your exposed chest, where your gown was subtle enough to tease at your accentuated bosom, its chilling steel blade petrified you, as though a winter blizzard had vanquished you. Even the very act of thinking, you had thought, would unsettle Aegon. Without so much as a warning uttered, he seized your preserved state and carved open the dress and corset with it, with a precision that proved Aegon just as much as an efficient striker as his younger brother.

"Hmm, my wife... The whore with a sharp tongue and pretty face. And these tits—"

"A-Aegon, not now—" You shakily whimpered: the hand that remained firmly gripped on your wrist, had now snaked its way around your body: with the other still tied to the dagger, explored, tracing every fine curve and crevice of your exposed front.

"Now you wish not to argue, is it? What's changed? Too stupid to fuck and fight at the same time, my sweet thing? Is this how I get you to shut up, dearest? My fat cock in that tight cunt of yours is enchanting enough for you?"

"A-Aeg, o-our baby— I-I n-need you, more than ever—"

The flat surface of the Valyrian blade had now reached further below for your liking, yet ever so cautiously with his lightest touch, hovering the glacial, flat blade over your entrance.

"Ughmf— Making a mess on your Grace's heirloom, huh? The slut that you are for your King, yes? Oh, the things that I let you get away with Y/N... Now let your King fuck the misery out of you."

Disposing the blade with a haste and harsh throw across the table, the loud clatter of it hitting against the wooden surface: Aegon's free hands, with a ferocious and swift motion lifted you atop the edge, as he hastily undid his trousers. The hard bulge had been a distinguishable sensation throughout the discourse, intentionally pressing and grinding himself against your lower abdomen and hips, needily sapping for you to feel him in his vulnerable state.

"If the Gods see it fit and bless you with another babe, it would seem that the Gods have not yet rendered me a pitiful father... And I shall prove it to you."

Vigorous thrusts that rendered you feeble and shaky, succumbing to his every bit with each overpowering movement: craving for more as his fat, pulsating cock dug itself deeper inside of you, feeling it make its burrow deeper into your cunt, deep within the pit of your stomach almost.

"Fuck, Y/N! I-I failed you, f-failed this family... L-Let me make it up now... Good girl, good slut—"

The hot mess spoiled below, spewed across your meaty thighs and Aegon's, and yet as he spilled his seed deep inside of you, caving over you as his hulking weight dropped over you with a warmth and protection that you had been yearning for since your loss.

"I meant it, Y/N... Forgive me, do not think— That I wanted this for us... Take my word, or take my life."

general taglist [bold means I could NOT tag you] - @fan-goddess @malfoytargaryen @bibli0thecary @m1ndbrand @connorsui @elegantsplendour @sylasthegrim @arcielee @s-we-e-t-t-ea @sahvlren @watercolorskyy @hypnos-daughter-certified @urmomsgirlfriend1 @backyardfolklore @snowprincesa1 @darylandbethfanforever9

Aegon ii taglist - @who-told-you-this-was-butter @f4ll-for-you @jawline-of-steel @daughter-of-the-stars11

credit for the divider - @/benkeibear

[avversiera-writes]

try again; in every day we breathe life [tobirama senju/you] - EPILOGUE

Chapter 10: Epilogue - The World As He Fixed It

Summary: A new member is added into the Senju family, and you finally find out what your husband is up to. 

Word Count: ~5k

also available on AO3. 

Chapter 1 - Now | Chapter 2 - Then, part 1 | Chapter 2 - Then, part 2 | Chapter 3 - Now | Chapter 4 - Then | Chapter 5 - Then | Chapter 6 - Now | Chapter 7 - Then | Chapter 8 - Then | Chapter 9 - Then | 

“We do not have to go,” Tobirama says quietly as he shuffles around behind you, as you put each clothing material you have under scrutiny. 

 You whirl towards him in confusion. “Why not? This is concerning your nephew. And your newborn grand-niece .” 

At that, your eyes perk up in excitement for him. Tobirama has actually long lived enough to witness a new generation of his family, and his brother’s grandchild, and you reckon there will be more to come. 

 You step closer to him, and he watches you intently as you do. “You are now a grand-uncle.” 

Tobirama’s hands come up to your elbow gently. “You know why I am thinking twice about visiting.” 

 Your eyes wander down to his collarbones and you find yourself unable to meet his eyes. “Tobirama, I will be okay. I am happy for you.” 

Tobirama’s hands fall away, and you turn away from him to look at your clothes once again. You can feel his eyes poring over you, but you shrug it off. 

 “Besides, they are your family,” you say to him, and then, the two of you leave it at that. 

The walk towards Tobirama’s nephew’s home is peaceful, but you walk with trepidation. You are not sure how you will react once you finally get to meet Tobirama’s grand-niece, though you have been managing quite well enough until that day you passed out in the street. Sometimes it is hard to control what enters your mind or what your body decides to react to. You are not the fortitudinous shinobi you once were anymore, even if you have kept close to its principles. Your thinking has changed, and despite the painful reminder, your body has never been the same as before either. 

 However, in every breath you take, a will so resilient keeps you going. 

“You know,” you start, your mind making up the words to say as you speak. However, you keep going and it feels just right. “There are many civilian families that have shinobis as their family members, and are unbelonging to any clan. I think we must...do better in supporting them.” 

Tobirama glances at you, letting you know that he is listening. 

 “What I mean is. I know that we cannot replace lives, but we must offer some relief to those who have lost their children, their parents. We must do better. I know that I no longer serve as a shinobi, and I may never get to know what our people go through, but we must start somewhere.” 

 Tobirama nods, and you can practically see his mind brainstorming for ideas, but then he stops and he gives you a small smile. “I think that it’s brilliant. Since it is your idea, I will help you instead. You can take the reins on this one. All the directives are yours. I only serve to make your vision happen.” 

 You look at him in surprise, but it is fitting in a way. Tobirama has always been the one with the plans and the oversight to everything, but this, giving you this to work on, is a bigger step closer to share his ambitions. Even if you have been helping Tobirama as Hokage, there are times where you cannot do so, but this is different. This new goal requires Tobirama to step back a little. 

 Tobirama is doing something for you that he once solely reserved for his brother, and maybe, maybe, despite all these years of serving the village, the two of you can finally do something for each other.  

You cannot help your smile widen in excitement. “Thank you. I will blow your mind!” 

 Tobirama narrows his eyes at that. “Not exactly the words I want to hear. A thank you is enough.”

 You roll your eyes, and nudge his arm with your elbow. “Have you no faith?” 

 Tobirama raises an eyebrow. “Well, for one. You are quite disorganized sometimes.”

 “Okay, okay,” you let out a chuckle. “But I have learned a lot from you. There is order to my chaos, too, you know.” 

 “Tell that to my alphabetized files in my office,” Tobirama immediately retorts. “And my color-coded books and scrolls. My labelled drawers and boxes.”

 “I get it, my gods, you and your drive to just be the best at everything!” 

Tobirama had the nerve to look smug. 

“Wow!” You exclaim sarcastically. “You are liking this, aren’t you? Bragging about yourself? Your ego knows no bounds.” 

 “Well, I am the best at everything. That is a fact, my darling,” Tobirama mockingly says, and you freeze at the endearment. 

Tobirama rarely says these things, and it has caught you off guard. He keeps on walking ahead, widening the gap between the two of you. 

 “Do you see me right now?” You yell towards him. “I am shaking my fist at you!”

 “Get in line, my love,” Tobirama says again and your mouth drops, aghast. 

 “Who are you?!” You cry out. You jog towards him lightly to catch up. 

Tobirama actually laughs, the sound small and a little rough, but it sends you to roll your eyes. 

“Gods, you have changed,” you comment under your breath. 

 Tobirama shrugs, and then he bumps his shoulder against yours. “In more ways than one, but we are always evolving. We never stay stagnant for long.” 

 You spot the house of Tobirama’s nephew, and for once, you do not feel like something is pressing on your chest to make it cave in. Maybe Tobirama had used this moment to lift your spirits up in the way he knows how. 

 You are grateful for it. 

//

When the two of you had arranged your slippers just outside the door to the main living room, the two of you immediately heard Hashirama’s booming laughter. You share an amused look with your husband, and together, the both of you made your way over to them. 

 You see Hashirama holding his newborn grandchild, and you cannot help the smile spreading across your lips. The wonder in his face is infectious, and the room lights up in excitement, as Hashirama beckons his brother to come closer. 

 Tobirama hesitates, but when he gets close enough, Hashirama reaches over and pulls his hand, and proceeds to deposit Tsunade into his arms. 

You watch as Tobirama’s eyes widen a fraction as he stares at his grand-niece in his arms. He touches her forehead gently with a finger, and he immediately looks at you. His face may look indiscernible to others, but you can tell that he is excited. He beckons you to come closer, and you do, and the two of you look at the new addition to the Senju family. 

“She is beautiful,” you comment quietly. 

 You are aware that others look at you with some degree of alarm, but you pay no mind. Of course, they are allowed to feel that way, given that you had moments where you freak out, but you are completely calm now, and you are just happy for your husband and his family, even if there is a tone of bittersweetness catching at the back of your throat. 

“Would you like to hold her?” Hashirama inquires, as you place the back of your hand on Tsunade’s cheek. 

 “Maybe later,” you reply, seeing how taken Tobirama is with his grand-niece. 

After meeting Tsunade, the rest of the family gather at the dining table while the parents attend to their newborn. Tobirama excuses himself, having to run to his Hokage duties for the rest of the day, and after chatting with Hashirama and Mito, you also leave to get home, suddenly feeling exhausted from the many interactions with people. Usually, you are able keep up appearances in long social events, but now, every word you utter is exhausting. You wish that you can go back to how you were, and you hold on to that, trying your best to pull up the charisma you once wielded, and while you are victorious in putting up such a convincing facade, you cannot control what seeps in through your wall. 

 When you step inside your home, it is quiet. It is the kind of quiet, where you know that you are totally alone. There is no breath of a sigh, no footsteps, no doors sliding open and close. You stare at the winding hallways of your house as you pass by them, noting how undisturbed they look, how blue and cold. 

 Then you head upstairs, taking it step by step, until you are passing by your bedroom, and towards the room designated to your firstborn. 

You stop by the door, and when you finally enter, the sight immediately brings tears to your eyes. The folded blankets, the stuff toys, the crib, the rocking chair, and the books in the room remain untouched, and they have been gathering dust for a while. 

 Your palm grazes across the surface of the crib, and rests on the tiny pillow situated on one side of the crib. The mobile that hangs above the crib, filled with dangling cranes and dragons spin aimlessly and without sound. 

You let out a sob that you have been holding, but they are not from anger or bitterness. They are to mourn what could have been, what you have lost. 

 You let your tears run, and you let it go and course through you. You feel more of what you have been trying to run away from, because you know that sooner or later, you would have to face it. 

 The pain does not let up, but you feel something . It burns and soothes you at the same time, picks at scars but slowly heals it, with time. 

Your eyes go around the room, where dust motes swirl where the light rays are beaming upon a surface. You spend a few more minutes in the room, but when you begin sneezing, you finally decide to leave it and opt to study up on the new project you proposed to Tobirama earlier. 

 You want to give your all on this one, and besides, you know you can use the work. You need to pour your effort and your restlessness into a new direction, because you never want others to feel as you do, as Kimiko does. 

Maybe in a way, you no longer know what goes on in the lives of those who go into the field, but you were there once, and you understand the difficulties of just trying to make it out alive. 

 It is always life we cling to, and what makes us driven to preserve it. It is our silent prayer, even at the brink of death. 

//

After jotting down your ideas and the beginnings of a plan for this new project of yours, you take a break to wander around the house aimlessly. You go into the connected rooms where you and Tobirama are currently building an extensive library and a personal museum for arts and Tobirama’s inventions, taking mental notes on what you ought to change later, when the two of you get the time to uncover more of the artifacts that your husband and his clan has collected over the years. 

 There are some weapons and supplies gathered in the last room, since the two of you shared the obsession of collecting them and learning how to use them. 

 Then, you make your way to your husband’s study. You stop by the threshold, not really stepping in just yet. 

 This room definitely speaks for Tobirama. It is neat and clean, and just as he had bragged, his books and his scrolls are all organized, and in alphabetical order. The files are labelled with his best handwriting, since he has a gorgeous penmanship. Better than yours, in fact. 

 You smile at that little detail about him. Even now, you are amused by all the qualities that he has. You should be used to him by now, but every day is a new day with him; re-learning him is not exhausting to you. 

You opt not to go in, and instead, you go back for your things downstairs, and take it up to your bedroom to work on. As you lie on your bed and draft your official proposal for this project, your eyes flit to the ceiling and the papers around you. The day feels slow, and the heat of the afternoon sticks to you like a daze, and the next thing you know, your eyelids are feeling heavy, and your limbs give to your side, wrinkling a few papers. 

//

Tobirama stares at the corpse in front of him, covered in tags that are marked by his own handwriting–they are his seals, and they are intricate and sprawling across the tags. They fan out, connecting to the next seal, and to the next one, until it is covering the whole corpse. Tobirama takes a deep breath, and he releases it slowly, focusing his chakra. 

 He closes his eyes, willing this to work, because it has to. 

 He takes the DNA of the corpse and smears it to a scroll, and he brings his hands together and begins to the weave signs. 

 However, when he puts a hand on the scroll, nothing happens with the corpse. He waits, because it is what he does a lot whenever he is doing his experiments, but nothing happens. His patience has run thin, and Tobirama lets out a shout of rage and brings a fist down on the table under him. It gives, along with the corpse and the papers and chemicals situated upon it. 

Tobirama racks his mind. Something is still missing. 

By now, he has figured out that he needs a soul and the dead body’s DNA. For this past year, he has been doing his best to reconstruct the corpse into a tangible body, preserving it to this very moment. He has taken limbs and other body parts to make it look human, and it has come down to this moment. 

 And still, there is nothing. 

 Tobirama needs to finish this. He needs to see this to the end, but he is stuck. He does not know what else he can do. Hell, he does not even know where to begin now. 

He sticks his hand backwards, feeling out the wall, and when he comes in contact with it, he rests his back on the cold wall of his lab and he slides down. 

 He stares at the mess in front of him, feeling like a failure–a feeling that he detests so much but it hangs on him like a death sentence. 

He has been losing sleep, missing out on his life and his family for this, and yet, it yields him no results. 

Tobirama is tired, but it is not his time to rest. 

 He runs a hand down his face, feeling haggard, but an idea sparks to his mind that it almost makes him laugh. 

Of course, this did not work because he is attempting to summon something from another plane of existence, the afterlife. 

 He has been going about this all wrong. No, he does not need a dead body, nor all the seals that he has made for it. He just needs their essence, and a sacrifice. A living one. 

 Tobirama actually does laugh this time, but it is not a jolly sound. It is metal grating against metal, it is low, sinister and more of an outburst–a response to all the troubles that he has been keeping inside for a long time. 

 He presses his palms to his eyes, and he digs it in, until his eyelids begin to look white. His body shakes, and his heartbeat hikes up until he feels it bounding on his neck. 

He has his answer, but why does it make him like he just lost? This should be his victory. This is something good. 

 Right? 

 He has been telling himself that this is the right thing to do. The only way to do the right thing. Yet it fills him with emptiness. 

However, he feels himself descend into this emptiness. He dives into it, face first. His hand reaches for the first paper he can touch, and a pen that happens to roll closer to him. 

He writes down his thoughts about the Edo Tensei, about his assumptions and what he can test. He knows that he cannot use the living, because this village will take notice. They will have to be enemy shinobi. His thoughts disgust him–because he is only inconvenienced by the fact that he cannot use the people around him, and he has to look for a sacrifice somewhere else. 

 The thin line of what he can and cannot do begins to blur and Tobirama feels the madness that he is engulfed in. There is no difference between him and his enemies, as there are no bounds to what he will do to preserve what he has. He believes to be fighting for the good side, yet his enemies will claim to be doing the same thing. 

His mind jumps from one thought to another, when he thinks of the underground prison that holds Kimiko and where other prisoners from outside the village get detained.

Tobirama’s hands begin to shake, but he wills them still. Then, he stands up. He feels his success spread through his chest, and he pushes back against what is telling him to stop. There is no stopping. 

 He rushes there, the door to his lab slamming open as he flies through the dingy, underground hallways. 

The lights are dark green, and the walls are black, the paint fading and peeling away; they curl at the top and they look almost like fingers clawing against the wall. The air is thick with moisture, and his steps echo loud in his ears. 

 Finally, he arrives in front of Kimiko’s cell. 

He hears Kimiko’s foreboding laugh. 

“Come to finish the job, Lord Nidaime? Like you have done with the other prisoners?” Kimiko says, her voice raspy, like nails against a blackboard. 

Tobirama grits his teeth. This scene is almost too familiar to him. 

“So it didn’t work?” Kimiko asks in a hushed voice. “With all the bodies you have added to your kill, you still cannot turn things around?” 

“I know what I have been doing wrong,” Tobirama drones on, his voice sounding cold and detached. It does not even feel like his own, but it sounds like his. 

Kimiko approaches the bars of the cell, her appearance exactly like a corpse. 

 Tobirama looks her stone cold in the eye. “Miura Kimiko, as the Hokage, I hereby sentence you to death.” 

//

You wake with a gasp, and the papers on you fall to the ground. You are covered in sweat, and it soaks the front of your shirt, like water has been splashed on you. You wipe the sweat from your brow with the back of your hand and you stare at the space in front of you. You let out a sigh, and you glance at the space beside you. 

 No Tobirama. 

 And the nightmares are back. 

Your heart squeezes, and you swing your legs over the bed, deciding to get some fresh air. 

For a while, you stand on the engawa, looking at the night sky and the low-hanging crescent moon. A howl hoots nearby, but other than that, it is quiet. You watch the streets from your house, as you can see it from where you are standing, but there is no sign of Tobirama coming home. 

 You cross your arms. It is very late. You wonder what is keeping him at work. You know that Tobirama rarely sleeps these days, and when he does, the hours are short and far in between. 

Suddenly, there is knocking on the front gates and you rush to open it and see who is behind them. It cannot be Tobirama, since he has a key. 

When you pull the gate open, you find Mito behind it, and you step back with wide eyes. 

“Where is Tobirama?” She asks, a perturbed frown etched on her elegant, pristine face. 

 You shake your head. “Not here.”

 Mito takes a deep breath and she composes herself. “I apologize for coming by so late. Hashirama has gone missing again. He is not in the village.” 

 Even though Mito is calmer than the ocean, you can sense the urgency behind her words. She never really loses her composure. 

 Your vision gets faraway for a second, and then it focuses on the dark streets of the Senju compound, which leads to the village. 

“Us and our missing husbands,” you try to joke, but the tone of your voice sounds dead. 

 Mito’s eyes flash to you with concern. “I can come with you, if you’d like.” 

 You turn to her slowly, a sense of vertigo hanging on the center of your forehead. It takes a moment to process her words, but you shake off your stupor. You want to brave through your fears. 

“I can manage, thank you, Mito,” you say. “If Hashirama comes back, it is best he finds a comforting face.” 

 Mito stares at you, but she does not object. “Be careful.” 

You give her a wry smile. “Our Senju husbands are a handful, aren’t they?” 

 Mito sighs, and she reaches for your hand. “Thank you.” 

//

The whole walk towards the Hokage office is filled with your uneasiness, and the paranoia that the shadows are about to jump at you, but you get there nonetheless. The first thing you notice is that the Hokage mansion is quiet. There is no one here, and when you get to the office itself, Tobirama is not there. 

 You stand outside the office doors for quite some time, until you finally get your legs to walk you towards the direction of Tobirama’s lab. 

 You hate going in there, as every aspect of the lab seems like a danger to you. It is the place where Tobirama spends the most time conjuring up jutsus, his very own controlled environment, that sometimes blew up because of his doing. It is suffocating in there and no light is permitted unless Tobirama puts up lanterns. 

You sigh, as you step through the winding underground labyrinth. This place gives you more chills, since you know Kimiko is also here. 

 Come to think about it, this place is too quiet. There are no signs of life. Not even the rush of labored breathing. 

The hairs on the back of your neck stand up, and you tread cautiously towards Tobirama’s laboratory. 

 As you get closer, you hear sounds of struggle and of things getting broken and slammed from impact. 

 You snap alert and you hurry towards the door. You pry it open, and just as you find Tobirama, you see him take his kunai and lodge it against his enemy’s neck, and through brute force, his kunai digs deep into the neck and through it, severing the head. 

You stop in your tracks, and you watch Tobirama step back to observe what he did. You begin to taste bile at the back of your throat. 

 The body that he decapitated did not spray blood nor crumple to the ground, but it begins to be made whole. Ashes fly to it, remodelling the original form until it looks human. 

You gasp, and Tobirama whirls around and sees you. 

“What are you doing here?!” Tobirama demands. 

 His voice makes you step backwards. 

The being regards you, and probably from the animosity of Tobirama’s voice, it reacts by charging towards you. 

 You let out a strangled scream, and your instincts make you step to the side, but before it can go near you, it is dispersed and a crumple piled of ashes fall to the ground. 

You feel the burn of acid go up the back of your throat, and before you know it, you turn to your side and you begin to hurl your insides. 

 Your mind draws blank. 

When you are done, you wipe the corner of your mouth and you look at Tobirama, who is regarding you with a cold expression. 

“What is this?” You rasp out. Your eyes feel cold, and your hands are numb. “What did you do?” 

Your gaze wanders through the lab, and you see corpses on the examination table, papers strewn on the floor, unraveled scrolls spread out over desks, and another corpse on the floor, covered in tags. 

“Tobirama…” You trail off. Your heart drops heavily to your stomach. 

  Your husband dwells in the dark, my lady, and in the shadows, he plays god with the dead . 

 Tears begin to gather in your eyes, and your vision gets blurry. 

Why don’t you just die and see what I mean? 

“Did you...did you bring me back with this? You said I died…” You murmur in disbelief. And hurt. 

 Tobirama can see how repulsed you are and with that, he swallows back his emotions. 

“Tobirama,” you snap, this time with anger. “What the hell is going on?” 

Tobirama stares at you coolly, and you hate that expression of his. It is like he is in battle and he is analyzing the fight to come up with a brilliant strategy. 

 “I created a new jutsu,” he replies. “It is our safeguard. This can help us at war.” 

Your eyes widen in horror and you step towards him. “Help us? At war? There is no war! Isn’t it our goal to have no more wars? So we can stop fighting and go home alive ?!” You practically scream at him. 

 Tobirama is eerily calm and you loathe it. You know that he is shutting down. However, his words do not match his expression. 

“Elder brother is dying,” he says quietly. “This is the only thing I can do.” 

 “No!” You shout. 

 “This jutsu,” Tobirama starts. “This will ensure that no more lives will suffer. This jutsu raises the dead to create an unstoppable army. Now tell me if that is not a good thing.” 

You press a hand to your eyes, trying to drive away the images of the corpses around you. 

“They are just dead bodies,” Tobirama says, detached. “They are dead . I can control them.” 

 “No, shut up!” You snap. “What did it take? Huh? What did it take for your good thing to happen?” 

Tobirama’s eyes narrow. “If you are disgusted, then you are free to leave.” He crosses his arms. “When Hashirama is gone, this village will be vulnerable.” 

 “Your brother is dying, and this is what you do? Make a solution to bring him back alive?” You step closer to him, and Tobirama backs off in surprise. 

He expects you to run off and to leave him. 

 “There is no cure,” he finally snaps. He wanted you to go because it is easier to deal with what he has done without you. 

 “Then why do you spend so much time with the dead? Why can’t you go and spend time with him? For the gods’ sakes, he is out there!” You put your hands on him and you push him back. “Tobirama, do you even hear how insane you sound? How can you rationalize this? Are your dead brothers just dead bodies, then? Our baby girl? My late students?!” 

Tobirama takes it, and his face breaks open with the emotions he has been holding back. 

“This is the only thing I can do! The only way to make sure this village is protected! If my brother goes, then the world becomes our enemy!” 

 “Senju Tobirama!” You scream on top of his voice, and it silences him for a moment. “Is there no end to this?!”

 Tobirama glares at you, and you cannot unhear how broken he sounds. He finally loses it. “THERE IS NO END!” He explodes, and his voice rings in the room.

You take your hands and you slam them against his chest, once, twice, with you biting back your tears. The two of you are breathing hard, and you feel Tobirama’s heartbeat underneath your palm. You ball your hands into a fist and you slam them against his chest again, unable to say anything else. 

 “Why don’t you go?” Tobirama pleads. “Please, just go. Leave me alone, leave me be!” 

You let your tears fall from your eyes. “You, Senju Tobirama, have no faith in yourself, and you are breaking my heart. You set up this world, you made it so that we can have peace, and we will continue to work on that. Peace is not all about strength!” 

 You meet his eyes. “You are wise. You are brilliant, and all the good things a shinobi must be!”

 Tobirama shakes his head, feeling his eyes prick with tears. His chest tightens painfully. “I have not done enough!” 

 You grab the front of Tobirama’s shirt and you clutch it harder. You feel like if you let go, you will lose him to this madness. “Nothing will never be enough, not in this lifetime or the next!”

Tobirama grabs your wrists. “How can you say that?” 

 “Because we will never know what happens next! We are only humans, Tobirama. If you are a god, then by all means, raise the dead, bring back our dead child, control everything you can control.” 

The two of you fall into silence. 

 Tobirama wanted you to turn away because he does not know how to handle the grace you are giving him. He did not want to deal with your disappointment, so he wanted you to feel repulsed. 

 However, he is met with understanding and compassion, and he cannot wrap his head around that. He wants to flee.

Tobirama’s forehead falls to yours, and you feel his tears on your cheeks. “ Elder brother is dying,” he finally says, but it is with acceptance. “He’s...going to leave me.” 

 It breaks his heart. Nothing can ever prepare him for Hashirama’s death. He still needs his elder brother. They are one hell of a duo–there is nothing in this world they cannot accomplish. He does not want to be alone, or be left behind. No matter how much he isolates himself, he values his family above all, and there is nothing in this world that he wants other than for his family to thrive and to be happy. 

“Yes,” you tell him quietly. “But he is out there.” 

You grab Tobirama’s face, and you make him face you. “And he needs you to bring him back home, alright?”

 Tobirama stares at you, looking painfully lost. It is a rare sight to see him so vulnerable. “I do not know what to do. I do not know. I have spent all my life knowing, and I don't-I don't know anymore.” 

You feel his exhaustion in his body and his words, the way your touch makes him lean further towards you and give in. 

 “Yes, you do,” you reassure him, and you caress his high cheekbones with your thumb. “Yes, you do. So go to him.” 

 Tobirama shakes his head, and he places his big hands over yours. “I am sorry.” 

You know how heavy the crown Tobirama wears, how it bears down on him that it drives him insane. It is not like his fears for the future are unfounded. You understand where he is coming from, but you cannot stand here and let him waste away giving his life effort among the dead. You understand so much that it hurts. The pain of being on fire pales in comparison to this. 

You wipe his tears away. “And...I love you. No matter what.” 

 Tobirama squeezes your hands, but he is still looking down at the distance between the two of you. “That is terribly naive of you.” 

 “Well, you know me,” you whisper. 

 “Thank you,” Tobirama murmurs, and finally, he feels a kind of peace settle over his shoulders. It is a comfort that he will spend the rest of his life with you. 

 He knows that he cannot waste your grace, and he will do whatever he can to be worthy of it. 

 Tobirama kisses your forehead, and you close your eyes as he pulls you into his arms. When you open them, you are back in your own home, and he takes off to go find his brother. 

//

You wait for Tobirama’s return in the engawa, the cold morning air of near dawn making your nose runny. It smells of dew now, and the sky is beginning to turn into a lighter shade of blue that makes you see the green of the grass and the leaves of the trees. You stare off into the distance, worrying for him, but you know that he will be back. He has always made good on that promise. 

 Finally, the gate opens and you see Tobirama walk in. 

He pauses from where he is and he looks to you. You see the shadows on his face that cuts his features into sharp details–the way his cheeks hollow and his jaw juts out like a knife–he is always beautiful, no matter what. 

“I told my brother about the Edo Tensei,” he tells you the moment he gets closer. “We are going to seal it away, and make it a Forbidden jutsu.” 

 “That, you should,” you reply wryly. It has been a very long night. “It cannot fall to the wrong hands.” 

 “Yes,” Tobirama agrees. 

The two of you make your way towards your bedroom, and once you are in the confines of your bedroom, your walls fall away. Tobirama walks to the corner of the room, his back to you. The two of you let the silence settle, and you approach him, and quietly slide your arms around his waist and lean your head on the space between his shoulder blades. 

 Tobirama lets out a long sigh, and he rests his arms over yours. 

“What do we do next?” Tobirama asks quietly. 

 “We don’t have to do anything just yet,” you reply, and you plant a kiss on his back. 

Tobirama turns to face you and slides his arm around your waist and sidles you up against him. Tobirama’s tired eyes pore over yours, and the hardness of his stature fades away. He melts into you, and he finds your lips against his. 

 Tobirama pulls away, and he grazes a thumb over your cheek. “Okay.” 

 “Okay.” You blink at him. 

Tobirama leans towards you again, and he kisses you softly. Slowly, he walks the two of you to the bed, and he gently lays you down on your back. 

 Your fingers trail down to the hem of his shirt, and you draw it towards you to take it off. Tobirama tosses his clothing aside, and he leans over you again, his naked torso pressing against yours. 

“You cried,” you whisper, your fingers tracing the bone over his eyebrow. 

 “You did as well,” Tobirama murmurs. 

“Don’t you ever ask me to leave you,” you rest your palm on his cheek. “Then, I will really cry.” 

 “I told you not to cry over me,” Tobirama rolls to his side, bringing you along with him. 

 “How could I not? Quit asking me for impossible things.” 

Tobirama stares at the ceiling, unsure of what to say next. He clutches you to him like an anchor locking its ship to one place. 

 “I want to do right by you, and my brother, and this village,” Tobirama starts, his voice low in his chest. “But I get lost in it. This world is too harsh, and sometimes it takes a mile to move an inch.” 

 “Will you still stand by me, after everything?” Tobirama glances down at you. 

You hold Tobirama and you press your cheek against his shoulder hard. These words are binding, but it is your vow with him. Come what may, but it is with readiness you face these challenges with him. You see him clearly, and you are only beginning to get the scope of what he is prepared to lay down to protect those he loves. He is flawed, and you acknowledge that. You know that your husband is capable of making the hardest moves even if the world will hate him for it. You will not always agree with him, but you believe in his vision and the way he hopes the world can be in the future.

And that makes him human. Perhaps more than anyone you have ever met or have known in your life. 

 The thing is, there is no black and white in the lens that Tobirama sees the world in. You have learned that not everything is simple, that some things just cannot be fixed no matter how hard you search for answers. 

 The two of you need to accept that in order to move on. 

“Until death do us part,” you whisper to him. 

 END.  

coming soon: “touch your heart” (their first meeting and how they fell in love)

[dlamp-dictator]

Let Me Tell You About Tsubaki Yayoi

Tsubaki Yayoi was not the firstborn child of her generation, but merely the first to survive.

The Yayoi family is a family of nobles. One of the twelve great ruling families of the NOL known as the Duodecim, is a family known for their preservation of bloodline and strong views in purity of lineage, as this purity and bloodline has led to the family having many strong and elite users of Ars Magus, magic through scientific means. As such, Yayoi children aren’t so much born as they are bred, with only the skilled and talented users of Ars Magus being allowed to bear children for the family. This practice has made the Yayoi family with a small but highly elite family of soldiers and warriors extremely skilled in both martial and magical capabilities. 

However, this gift turned into a curse. 

As the pool of suitable mates shrank, the family only grew smaller and smaller. In desperation, they went to inbreeding. And like many noble families of this practice, health deficiencies and low birthrates were abound. Many of Tsubaki’s siblings had perished long before she was born due to their fragile bodies. However, Tsubaki was different. Strong, healthy, and a capable user of Ars Magus. A miracle child, and she was beloved, cherished, and spoiled as if she was the first born. But despite this treatment Tsubaki didn’t grow up bratty or arrogant. She was kind, learned young woman with high moral and sense of justice. And of those morals was only one real rule she was told to keep with her. 

To obey the Imperator, the leader of the world government, without question.

But before her days as military officer began, before she even entered the military academy, she was still a sheltered child. A sheltered child with only her family, her teachers, and her fellow nobles to keep her company. At least, until she met someone new. 

A boy, Jin Kisaragi. Not only a fellow heir of his family, but one of the few people that tolerated Tsubaki, despite his cold and conceited personality. It was in this chanced meeting, and one Jin had tried to shrug off, but the young and tenacious Tsubaki had forced the young man to open up to her, and the two became close, as close as siblings would. Granted, this bond was more due to Tsubaki’s stubbornness and childish clinging to a brother figure than her charisma, but within her then-tiny world of only family and officials, Jin was the closest thing she had to a friend at the time, even something close to crush as well, if a childish one.

And throughout her childhood Tsubaki was raised as any noblewoman would be. She was studious in both martial and literary arts, she was taught etiquette and manners befitting a lady of her stature, she was turned into an influential and beloved member of upper society, a noblewoman of the highest caliber.

And like all young girls, Tsubaki had a fun and rowdy school days. She attended school, she made friends, she lived carefree, with only her duties as a student council member being her main stressors. And there she made met Noel Vermillion and Makoto Nanaya. One a shy girl who could barely speak a sentence without stuttering, the other a bombastic and excitable firebrand whose bestial looks contrasted her carefree nature. Though it took a lot to get Noel out of her shy shell and to get Makoto to look beyond Tsubaki’s title and lineage, the three were soon inseparable friends. And these two were another set of people that opened Tsubaki’s small world.

But the good times never really last. 

After graduating the military academy, Tsubaki was placed in the Wings of Justice, a branch of the government that is not officially on paper. A secret task force, specially tailored to punishes criminals both within and outside the government without question as a secret police. As a woman raised to follow the will of Imperator without question, this was a well enough position for Tsubaki. It’d be a chance to distribute justice to those that the public couldn’t see or learn about lest a panic happen. It’d let her crush traitors and enemies of the state both within and out of the NOL. It could be a noble way to uphold her justice.

 However, the Wings of Justice are often seen as garbage disposal units due to their nature of cleaning up problems and rebels, and treated coldly by most of the military. 

And in this group, she was tasked to kill her best friends. 

Jin Kisaragi, now a seasoned war hero and practically her brother, had deserted the military for personal glory. Noel, one of the first friends she made outside of her family ties, had assisted a world-class terrorist. Due to these acts, they both had to be purged for the greater good and to keep the NOL’s reputation as a force for good intact.

This was devastating. Not only had her brother deserted, but her best friend had aided a criminal of the highest order. There had to be some explanation, right? This had to be some sort of misunderstanding, right?

Right?

Right?

... 

.... 

...

Alas, a mission is a mission. But who knows? Maybe Tsubaki can get Jin to explain himself in a way that makes sense. Maybe the intelligence on Noel was wrong or mishandled. Jin is a Major, a war hero. There’s no way he’d desert the army, much less to pursue personal glory at the drop of a hat. Jin was many things, but a glory hound and violent person was neither of them. And Noel? The poor girl shook like a leaf when having to talk to friends, let alone a terrorist, let alone save him. And besides, she was the secretary of Jin. If anything, she was probably trying to save Jin in the crossfire. This... this had to be a massive misunderstanding. She could go to Kagutsuchi, get things cleared up, report to the nearest military branch, and get this all squared away. 

But... just in case...

Izayoi, an ancient garb and weapon of Tsubaki’s family. A weapon that can steal the light of both opponent and user alike, and grant its wielder control over light. It was the one thing she had that could put her on equal footing with the war hero Jin and the mystically talented Noel. Even if it costs her sight and life. But that wouldn’t happen. It was just... insurance. Just in case. Worse case scenario only. An argument might spark, sure, especially with Jin, but the chances of her actually crossing swords was just impossible. 

It wasn’t going to happen right?

Right?

Right?

...

...

...

Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. Never meant to be. 

Her brother was a traitor, just a selfish man after his own goals by his own means. Her best friend shouldn’t have even existed in the first place and took Tsubaki’s place by her brother’s side. And in the end, her belief meant nothing. Her justice meant nothing. Her life meant nothing. What could she do? What could she believe in? What was right? What was justice?

“Tsubaki Yayoi... Fall not into darkness. For I shall be your light.”

So... Why Talk About This

I’ve had Tsubaki on my mind a lot recently. I was watching some Continuum Shift storylines and Tsubaki’s always hits me. I like Tsubaki a lot, both as a character in the game and as a character in the story. Her being in the Blazblue world does a lot to ground a lot of the overly complicated lore in the world. It shows that the Duodecim is an actual noble family with rules, a public face, and has people that within that need to not act like self-centered asshole and do whatever they want, Jin. It shows that the NOL is an actual military government with standards that needs its soldiers acting in a proper manner, and will eliminate them if they cause too much of a fuss. It shows that all these special weapons deal quite the toll on people’s psyche and wellbeing for the power they give. Much like how Makoto’s existence shows how hard it is for normal people in the Blazblue universe to have a decent life, much like how Kagura’s existence shows that there is political turmoil within the Duodecim, Tsubaki’s existence shows the more noble side of the NOL and the duties they have to uphold for the sake of keeping the fractured peace as a world government.

And then Chronophantasma happened and ruined everything.

Okay, I’m being somewhat facetious here, but Chronophantasma did start the trend of ignoring everyone that wasn’t directly related to Ragna’s story. I’ll save my discussion on that for another day, but in just terms of Tsubaki...

The Izayoi was revealed to be an anti-Observer weapon, hard-countering Rachel, Amane, Noel, and arguably beings like Tagamahara. This is not discussed or utilized further beyond mentioning it.

Izayoi has the ability of Immortal Breaker, which can kill extremely powerful beings like Rachel, Terumi, Amane, and essentially anyone save for Izanami, Jin, and Hakumen. This is only discussed and utilized once to my memory.

With Jin as injured as he is in Central Friction, the Power of Order -basically the strongest plot armor in Blazblue canon- is slowly transferred over Tsubaki as she’s the next best fit for... y’know, Peacekeeper of the Planet’s Will to Maintain Order. She essentially becomes an SMT Order-Aligned protagonist and this is barely mentioned to my memory.

I could go on, but this is a celebration of Tsubaki’s character, not a critique/whining about post-Continuum Shift’s story progression. Anyway, I like Tsubaki. Quite a bit. If we ever get another mainline Blazblue title I really hope to see her in it. 

But for now, I’ve got a few more drafts to finish up, so I’ll see you all later.

[kentparson]

“When Pontius comes to kill the king upon his throne….I'm ready for their stones”

“You make a poor excuse for a king,” Kent murmurs. It seemed like the hollow throne room had a way of echoing his words back to him, giving him an unsettling awareness of how alone they were.

He takes Jack’s chin in his gauntlet clad hand, taking care to leave divots in his freshly shaved chin. “What would your father have to say about you hm? My firstborn,” he mocks, circling around Jack, as Jack’s body sits limp against the side of the throne, “‘Entrusted with the Zimmermann Kingdom. To guide us out of the darkness and into the light.’” He laughs to himself, adjusting his sword by his side as he crouches to Jack’s height.

“Isn’t that what daddy said. ‘Entrusted. With. The. Zimmermann. Kingdom.’”

Jack’s breath quickens as Kent loosens his grip. He tries to gasp out an apology, but he can only register a sharp pain in the side of his face before his body connects with the cold floor.  The crown that only sat upon his head for mere hours, crashes onto the floor next to him.

“Look at you,” Kent scoffs. “Too intoxicated to fight back.” He walks towards him, chuckling. “A dose of laudanum here, a dose there. Enough to prove to the Maester that you were fit to rule my kingdom.”

Jack registers that Kent sits next to him. The opium in his system has him far too muddled to truly comprehend what Kent is saying. He knows he’s relieved that the crown, now skewed on its side on the floor, is no longer weighing him down. He knows he’s cold. He knows the familiar feeling of Kent running his fingers through his hair is now, no longer comforting, as the grooves in his metal gloves are scraping against his scalp. He knows he’s failed. He knows that Kent hasn’t let go of the handle of his sword since he walked into the throne room, to see him, on what should be the most celebrated day of his life, still clinging to the side of his throne, hours later. He knows-

“Stop thinking and fucking listen,” Kent says as he uses Jack’s hair for leverage and slams his head into the stones of the castle that Kent’s ancestors built. 

“Your family made me a prisoner in my own home, in my kingdom, for nineteen years. For nineteen years, I have been forced to look at the Zimmermann banner hanging on my father’s walls. For nineteen years I have been a ward - a slave - to your family.” He rises. “Your obsession with your own shortcomings have left you deaf. The kingdom knows of your worthlessness. I have heard their whispers.” He brandishes his sword and places his hands above the Parson sigil he has carven into the wooden handle. He bows his head as he takes a knee.

“I will be their Pontius.” He mummers in prayer. “I, Kent Parson, first of my name, natural-born heir to the throne, swear to preserve the peace of this land. I cast aside all selfish ambition and pledge myself only to the good of the Parson Kingdom. I swear to guide us out of the darkness and into the light.”

Jack tries to push himself up onto his shaky arms, but fails, as Kent continues to chant above him. “P..P-Please, don’t,” Jack forces out. His breath is shortening, constricting against his chest. “Kent.”

Kent pauses. “What would you do in my place. What would you do if everything life owed to you was stolen; your family, your throne, your kingdom. What would you do?”  He spits out.

“Mercy.” Jack’s vision disfigures as he tries to focus on breathing and the man before him.

Kent shakes his head. “Mercy,” he parrots. “There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others.” He rises.

[yourgodmoments]

Two Paths to Eternity - part 3

While we continue upon the blessed path, as eternity approaches, the fruits of our godly walk will open our eyes to the everlasting promise:

The one who lives righteously and speaks rightly, who refuses profit from extortion, whose hand never takes a bribe, who stops his hears from listening to murderous plots and shuts his eyes against evil schemes - he will dwell on the heights; his refuge will be the rocky fortresses, his food provided, his water assured. Your eyes will see the King in his beauty; you will see a vast land. Is.33:15 - 17. CSB

Yet even upon the cusp of our approach to the City of God, we must be wary; because the devil will never give up until we enter the heavenly gates - assaulting our free wills until that moment, hoping for a change of heart. The enemy wants us on his accursed path. He will threaten, make promises, and shower us with lies, saying that Christ will never return. Satan will hold our sins up in front of us to make us feel unworthy for salvation.

It is at these very moments that we must cling to the mercy and forgiveness of our Savior, and to the promise of His deliverance. The devil is no match for our God:

…the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Rm. 16:20 NKJV

Do not rejoice over me [amid my tragedies], O my enemy! Though I fall, I will rise; thought I sit in the darkness [of distress], the LORD is a light for me. Mic. 7:8 AMP

So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you. Jas. 4:7 AMP

Still, the devil may return and threaten you with hell itself - claiming that it is your destiny (not!). Why not? Because God is covering your journey:

He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me… Ps. 23:3, 4. NASB

We must shake off our worldly attachments and keep our eyes on the prize:

But whatever former things were gains to me [as I thought then], these things [once regarded as advancements in merit] I have come to consider as loss [absolutely worthless] for the sake of Christ [and the purpose which He has given my life]. But more than that, I count everything as loss compared to the priceless privilege and supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord [and of growing more deeply and thoroughly acquainted with Him - a joy unequaled]. For His sake I have lost everything, and I consider it all garbage, so that I may gain Christ… Phil. 3:7, 8. AMP

“…For what is highly admired by people is revolting in God’s sight.” Lk. 16:15 CSB

When we walk our godly walk, we must stop at every opportunity to put our biblical knowledge to work; otherwise, it avails us not at the gates of heaven:

Knowledge [alone] makes [people self-righteously] arrogant, but love [that seeks the best for others] builds up and encourages others to grow [in wisdom]. 1 Cor. 8:1 AMP

Christian love is a doing:

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” Jn. 14:15 NASB

For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. Jas. 2:26 NASB

When you make those stops along the way, to serve God by serving others, your path to eternal grace is covered by the love of Jesus. Remember too, that there are many ways to serve, the chief one being to share the gospel, so that when we reach the end of our journey, we will have done our part in filling the kingdom of heaven with new brothers and sisters in Christ:

“Already the reaper is receiving his wages and he is gathering fruit for eternal life; so that he who plants and he who reaps may rejoice together.” Jn. 4:36 AMP

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Gal. 6:9 ESV

Run [your race] in such a way that you may seize the prize and make it yours…we [do it to receive] an imperishable [crown that cannot wither]…so that, after I have preached [the gospel] to others , I myself will not somehow be disqualified [as unfit for service]. 1 Cor. 9:24, 25 & 27. AMP

Above all and through all, if we keep the faith, we cannot be kept from reaching the end of our journey:

Above all, lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Eph. 6:16 AMP

The LORD is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life - whom should I dread? Ps. 27:1 CSB

We are walking on the blessed path to eternity, forsaking the path to the eternal curse:

…our way is not that of those who shrink back to destruction, but [we are] of those who believe [relying on God through faith in Jesus Christ, the Messiah], and by this confident faith preserve the soul. Heb. 10:39 AMP

Finally, the grace of God, the love of Christ, the exhortation of the Holy Spirit and the angels, will merge with your faithfulness, godly behavior and perseverance; and you will stand victorious at the gates of the City of God. And God eagerly awaits every child:

…as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. Is. 62:5 NKJV

Praise God, you have arrived!

…the city was pure gold, transparent like clear crystal. Rv. 21:18 AMP

…you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels [in festive gathering], and to the general assembly and the assembly of the firstborn who are registered [as citizens] in heaven, and to God, who is the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous (the redeemed in heaven) who have been made perfect (bringing them to their final glory), and to Jesus, the Mediator of a new covenant [uniting God and man}… Heb. 12:22 – 24. AMP

‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ Rv. 19;9 NASB

Goodnight and God bless.

[seven--secrets]

Worldend Dominator || Yumeko || Trial 5.2 || Re: Everything, Again

When Riley approaches and hugs Shigure, and then Yumeko, they accept it easily, clinging to her for a moment with a desperation. Like Riley was a life preserver thrown into stormy, unforgiving waves. Their only lifeline, and only for a moment, as she took her leave to return to Sibyl and Chioko. Leaving them adrift next to Shigure. Their hand slowly reaches for hers, behind the podium.

More words are said, theories, ideas. Contracts, Lighthouses. The order of hatred, the function of the rite, of the forge. Information floods their mind, every nerve is sparking as each piece is laid out before them. Cards being played from hands they have no way of knowing. Things are lining up and…

They’re afraid. They’re scared. But they can’t ignore it, the picture being painted. They need to speak up, don’t they. They take a deep breath to steel themself, and begin to speak once more. The truth is coming together, and they made a promise.

“Contracts are…A common feature in dealings with spirits, or demons, devils, the fair folk... There are countless fables across countless cultures about making bargains with the supernatural for one reason or another. Promising a firstborn in exchange for love, or power or freedom, is a common one…” They start, voice unwavering. They’ve had so much practice concealing their emotions in the past and it comes in handy here, perhaps for the last time.

Breathe. Breathe in and then out. Like the tide, in and out. “A lighthouse has many meanings, it can be a warning for one. To stay away from the cliffs, to not run into rocky outcroppings and wreck your ship. They can also be beacons, for those lost at sea. For those struggling among the waves, to help guide them home.”

Shigure’s hand is a lifeline now, anchoring them in this moment. “…I did not hate Robin, but I was terrified of him, after what I saw in his memories. And when we found Ryou-san’s body I… I wanted to destroy whatever had killed him. I was so filled with anger at the sight that I wanted his killer to burn. The situation changed later, when more truths came to light, but…” And that sentence trails into infinity, they’ve stopped being able to speak. Every word said hangs heavy on their shoulders.

[dailyaudiobiblechronological]

03/16/2019 DAB Chronological Transcript

Deuteronomy 14-16

Welcome to the The Daily Audio Bible Chronological. I’m China. Today is the 16th day of March. Welcome. And here we are finishing out the English Standard Version and that means that a new week is on the horizon and I have all of the praise hands for that. This week was just annoying. It was just like filled with a lot of like...I mean real talk...it was just filled with a lot of like anger and just a lot of frustration. And just you know, normal life things that aren't the best- that aren't super fun to go through. But it makes for...I think I heard it said, that whenever you have really bad days it really helps you appreciate the good ones and it can really give you a place of hope, and really just clinging onto like things that are good- like really seeking out for things that are good. And so I'm just hoping and praying that I don't even have to wait until tomorrow or Monday for things to be good, but really just believing that today's gonna be good and that the word is gonna be good. And it is good because it's the word of the Lord- but that it will especially be fruitful today. And so if you've had kind of a crappy week like me, man, I'm just praying for an abundance of joy and goodness today before we even get into the word. And so today we're in the book of Deuteronomy. We’re in chapters 14 through 16 and we finish out in the English Standard Version for today.

Commentary:

So today we read about Passover and this isn’t the first time that Passover is introduced. The first time time that Passover is introduced is in the book of Exodus and when it’s quite literally talking about that Holy Spirit passing over the houses that have the blood of the Lamb- the blood that is over the doorposts and the Holy Spirit would pass over and would preserve those homes, and was coming to kill the firstborn in every household in Egypt because of Pharaohs disobedience. And so that is still celebrated, you know that’s still honored- the Passover. And so we read about that and we read about the celebrations, and the Festival of Booths, and the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and all those different things. And it's really cool to get into, but I think really, it's so like the Lord to have something very intentional- celebration set up and to really celebrate what the Lord has done. But really I love that it's like a planned thing. It is planned to have a big feast. Kind of like in modern day, like what's the tradition now is to celebrate Thanksgiving. And well I guess, if you live in America, if you don't, then this is irrelevant. But just kind of like that is very scheduled feast and that's planned for. It's big. It's a big deal. Everyone in America partakes in it. And you know that's it- it's a celebration but to have a feast and celebrate what the Lord has done, and what he has brought us out from, and what he will continuously bring us from, I think is a really sweet thing to be in constant reminder of and not just leave it as a, wow, that was really cool, but as a celebration dinner. And I just think, man, that would be so cool just to have you know like in a community, in your own small groups, or whatever you want to call it, let's just have like a dinner and celebrate what the Lord has done in our lives.

Prayer:

And so Jesus, I thank you for your spirit of joy. I thank you that that is who you are and that is what you offer to us so freely. And I thank you that you actually promise that that would be our strength. So Jesus, would you just renew our sense and strength of joy? And Jesus, I pray that we would cling onto that beautiful truth that your joy can be our strength. Sometimes we can look at joy as being childish and being irresponsible, but I thank you that it's actually strength. And so Jesus, I just ask that you would be present in our day-to-day, in the mundane, and man everything in between- the lows, the highs, the days where it's just crappy and nothing really seems to be going the way that we wished it would. And so Jesus, I thank you that you're in it, and that you are celebrating over us. And so Jesus, would we just have a few moments with you to celebrate what you are doing in our own lives. And Lord, we just thank you for who you are and for what you're doing. And we are so excited to be a part of what you are doing not only in us, but in those in our community as well. And so we thank you, and we love you, and we praise you. And it's in your son's name we pray. Amen.

Announcements:

Dailyaudiobible.com is our website. It is a place of connection. That's where you can get connected and stay connected around in the community. So be sure to check that out. And as always, if we as a community can come alongside of you and be in prayer for you, that is what we are here to do. And we have a prayer request phone line that you can call in and leave your prayer requests. And they're played at the end of every day's podcast and then people listen and call back in and pray over you. The phone number for that is 800-583-2164. But that is all for today. I’m China. I love you and I'll be waiting for you here, tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Good morning. This is Melissa. I'm calling in response to Sheila, calling in for Rhomby. I'm a little behind at the beginning of March, but I just wanted to say thank Sheila for calling in. Your personal story really made a mark on me. I too, have friends and family who are either non believers or are content with their current relationship with their Lord, but are not involved in a community of believers. And your story helps me to understand that I can have just like peace being their friend, loving on them, and teaching me to invite them to different areas that they can be amongst different communities of believers. And so again, continue to call in. And we also pray for you- all of those that call in and even those who don’t.

Hello, this is Robbie, It is Well. I’m calling for Ashley and her brother David and Laura. I’d like to read a poem by...and may it give comfort.

“God’s Precious Gift Returned”

God loaned me a precious gift

The grandest of them all

God’s greatest possession

So fragile and so small

I nurtured and I fed it

And so quickly it grew

It gave me so much pleasure

Like that I never knew

I promised I would lead it

in the way that it should go

A lesson in good living

that one cannot outgrow

For it is only borrowed

mine for just awhile

A season to enjoy

with my precious little child

Time has passed so swiftly

my precious gift is gone

Our season here is over

and I face each lonely dawn

Yet I can’t help but question

because it does seem so unfair

Did I forfeit my angel

up to heaven’s daycare

There’s a grave not too far away

right underneath a tree

containing the precious gift

God loaned to me

There’s a vase of silken flowers

not faded and wind burned

And carved upon the headstone

is God’s Precious Gift Returned

Dear heavenly Father, may we have granted peace for Ashley, David and Laura. And comfort that they can go through this month and through these years knowing that they had a wonderful gift. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.

Hi DABC family. This is...Praise from Southern California. I just wanted to call in and offer a prayer for a few of the callers recently. One of them was for the family of little Denver who passed away last month, and the anniversary one year baby whose birthday would be this month. So just really want to lift the whole family up and friends. I can't begin to imagine that loss and just the comfort that's needed during this time. And praise God that the family is all believers, so that certainly makes a big difference, but still the loss is just unimaginable. Also for the little...I think...I just hear it today on...I can’t think of her name...the little girl that’s having a heart condition and was released from the hospital before Christmas and now is suffering from I guess complications...heart failure. So just praying and lifting up that little baby and the family, of course, and the doctors that they be given wisdom. And the third prayer...was for The Burning Bush...know that I am lifting up your son and asking that God just give him strength and perseverance and just that whole focus on staying the path that he’s on, that God has set for him. And I just pray for you as a Mom. I know what it is to want to do all we can for our children and just make sure that they are living the life that God has intended for them. And so just pursue my sister and God bless you all. And you guys have a wonderful and blessed day. And China we love you so much. You’re just too awesome for words. Okay, have a good day guys. Bye.

[bydesigndevinediva]

Exodus 23:13 ESV “Pay attention to all that I have said to you, and make no mention of the names of other gods, nor let it be heard on your lips. Isaiah 44:6 ESV Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. Deuteronomy 6:14 ESV You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you— John 14:6 ESV / Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Deuteronomy 32:17 ESV / They sacrificed to demons that were no gods, to gods they had never known, to new gods that had come recently, whom your fathers had never dreaded. Exodus 20:1-5 ESV / And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, Exodus 15:11 ESV / “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? 1 Corinthians 8:1-8 ESV / Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— ... Deuteronomy 13:1-18 ESV “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the Lordyour God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. ... Exodus 20:3 ESV / “You shall have no other gods before me. 1 Samuel 5:2-7 ESV / Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon. And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place. But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. This is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day. The hand of the Lordwas heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory. ... John 3:19 ESV / And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. Jeremiah 7:9 ESV Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, 1 John 4:1 ESV / Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. Exodus 34:14 ESV / (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), Matthew 6:24 ESV “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. John 3:16 ESV / “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Isaiah 44:8 ESV / Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any.” Deuteronomy 32:39 ESV / “‘See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. Jeremiah 25:6 ESV / Do not go after other gods to serve and worship them, or provoke me to anger with the work of your hands. Then I will do you no harm.’ Isaiah 43:10 ESV / “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. Nehemiah 9:6 ESV / “You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you. Joshua 24:2 ESV / And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods. Deuteronomy 4:35 ESV / To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord is God; there is no other besides him. Psalm 18:31 ESV / For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?— Joshua 23:7-16 ESV / That you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them, but you shall cling to the Lord your God just as you have done to this day. For the Lord has driven out before you great and strong nations. And as for you, no man has been able to stand before you to this day. One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the Lord your God who fights for you, just as he promised you. Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God. ... Deuteronomy 10:17 ESV / For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. Exodus 18:11 ESV / Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people.” Deuteronomy 8:19 ESV / And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. Isaiah 45:5 ESV / 21 I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, 2 Kings 19:15 ESV / 21 And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said: “O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Exodus 12:12 ESV / 21 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. 1 Timothy 1:17 ESV / To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. Isaiah 46:9 ESV / Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, Deuteronomy 28:14 ESV / And if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them. Romans 1:25 ESV / 19 Because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. Isaiah 45:21 ESV / 19 Declare and present your case; let them take counsel together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me. 2 Samuel 7:22 ESV / 19 Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. Isaiah 37:20 ESV / So now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord.” Psalm 119:105 ESV / Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. 1 Chronicles 16:11 ESV / Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! 1 Kings 8:60 ESV / That all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other. Judges 5:8 ESV / When new gods were chosen, then war was in the gates. Was shield or spear to be seen among forty thousand in Israel? Deuteronomy 4:39 ESV / Know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. Genesis 3:22 ESV / Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” Romans 5:8 ESV / But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Isaiah 45:18 ESV / For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!): “I am the Lord, and there is no other. Isaiah 37:16 ESV / “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Leviticus 18:21 ESV You shall not give any of your children to offer them to Molech, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord. Romans 8:37-39 ESV / No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Exodus 32:1-35 ESV / When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” ... 1 Timothy 2:5 ESV / For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 1 Corinthians 8:4 ESV / Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” Jeremiah 35:15 ESV / I have sent to you all my servants the prophets, sending them persistently, saying, ‘Turn now every one of you from his evil way, and amend your deeds, and do not go after other gods to serve them, and then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to you and your fathers.’ But you did not incline your ear or listen to me. 2 Kings 17:31 ESV / And the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. Revelation 1:1 ESV / The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 1 John 4:7-8 ESV / Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. Jeremiah 29:11 ESV / For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Deuteronomy 5:7 ESV / “‘You shall have no other gods before me. James 2:19 ESV / You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ Zephaniah 3:17  The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Joshua 1:9 ESV Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Deuteronomy 6:15 ESV For the Lord your God in your midst is a jealous God—lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth. Revelation 2:14 ESV / But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. 1 John 4:19 ESV / We love because he first loved us. Ephesians 2:4-5 ESV But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— Galatians 3:20 ESV / Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one. Since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Acts 4:12 ESV / And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” John 17:3 ESV / 11 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. Zechariah 14:9 ESV / And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one. Amos 5:26 ESV / You shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god—your images that you made for yourselves, Hosea 13:4 ESV / But I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt; you know no God but me, and besides me there is no savior. Jeremiah 46:25 ESV / The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, said: “Behold, I am bringing punishment upon Amon of Thebes, and Pharaoh and Egypt and her gods and her kings, upon Pharaoh and those who trust in him. Isaiah 46:1 ESV / Bel bows down; Nebo stoops; their idols are on beasts and livestock; these things you carry are borne as burdens on weary beasts. Isaiah 45:14 ESV / Thus says the Lord: “The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to you and be yours; they shall follow you; they shall come over in chains and bow down to you. They will plead with you, saying: ‘Surely God is in you, and there is no other, no god besides him.’” Psalm 135:15-18 ESV / The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them! Psalm 78:58 ESV / For they provoked him to anger with their high places; they moved him to jealousy with their idols. 2 Samuel 22:32 ESV / “For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? Revelation 16:14 ESV / For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. 1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV / Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Philippians 4:19 ESV / And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. John 13:34-35 ESV / A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 5:44 ESV / How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Matthew 4:4 ESV / But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Joel 2:27 ESV / You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame. Hosea 9:10 ESV / Like grapes in the wilderness, I found Israel. Like the first fruit on the fig tree in its first season, I saw your fathers. But they came to Baal-peor and consecrated themselves to the thing of shame, and became detestable like the thing they loved. Ezekiel 8:14 ESV / Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the Lord, and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. Isaiah 37:38 ESV / And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword. And after they escaped into the land of Ararat, Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place. 2 Kings 19:37 ESV / And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword and escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place. 1 Samuel 7:3 ESV / And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” Judges 19:22 ESV / As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, worthless fellows, surrounded the house, beating on the door. And they said to the old man, the master of the house, “Bring out the man who came into your house, that we may know him.” Deuteronomy 13:2 ESV / And the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ Deuteronomy 11:28 ESV / And the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known. Deuteronomy 4:24 ESV / For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. Leviticus 20:2-5 ESV / “Say to the people of Israel, Any one of the people of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones. I myself will set my face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given one of his children to Molech, to make my sanctuary unclean and to profane my holy name. And if the people of the land do at all close their eyes to that man when he gives one of his children to Molech, and do not put him to death, then I will set my face against that man and against his clan and will cut them off from among their people, him and all who follow him in whoring after Molech. Exodus 20:3-4 ESV / “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Genesis 3:5 ESV / For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Jeremiah 32:35 ESV / They built the high places of Baal in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to offer up their sons and daughters to Molech, though I did not command them, nor did it enter into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin. #PandemoniumBroken