#going thru my saved videos and found this one again it always makes me laugh. I mean if you know where to look…… | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

asthmark · 4 years ago

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❝ 10 things i know about you ❞ l.jn

synopsis → there are ten important things you learn about lee jeno during your time in quarantine.

request → “if you're still accepting requests, can u make a domestic roommate!jeno? 🥺🥺 thank you and have a nice dayyy”

word count → 7.1k (bruhhh)

sharing an apartment with lee jeno isn’t ideal.

it’s not that he’s a lousy roommate or that you disliked him in any way; you just didn’t know him. you had first met through a mutual friend. they knew jeno was looking for someone to split rent with and that you happened to need a place to stay. they promised you he would give you privacy and assured jeno you were excellent roommate material. with that, arrangements were made and soon enough you moved in together. of course, it was a bit awkward at first but you two eventually got used to each other’s presence. although you were never in the same room for too long and oftentimes went days without speaking, you coexisted.

for a long time, you only knew a couple things about your roommate. for example, you were aware of his strong love for cats, especially his pet calico, seol. you also knew he kept the freezer stocked with pizza rolls that he would use as energy when he stayed up all night playing video games.

what you didn’t know, however, was that you would be spending the next couple months locked in your apartment with him. on top of that, you would begin to learn more things about him—his life, his personality, his feelings.

there are ten important things you learn about lee jeno during your time in quarantine.

1. he’s a heavy sleeper.

at 10:28 in the morning you find yourself seated at the dining table in the kitchen, spooning froot loops into your mouth. as you stuff your face, you scroll through your phone for entertainment. you decide to open instagram first but you quickly find that to be a mistake. as soon as you open the app a picture of lucas and who you thought was his ex-girlfriend greets you. if that was bad, the caption hits you like a ton of bricks.

@lucas_xx444: should have never left you

in only five words, lucas has completely erased the months you spent dating. it meant nothing to him. sure, things hadn’t ended things the best way but going right back to his toxic ex and even admitting to missing her—now that was a new low. was this his way of getting back at you? his way of making you hurt just like he had throughout your entire relationship? the thought alone leaves you feeling sick.

you decide you’ve already had enough social media for one morning so you decide to check your messages instead. your friends usually left a couple of them overnight. to your surprise, you find that your main group chat has accumulated 241 messages.

[10:48 am] you: good morning i see u guys have been vry chatty

[10:49 am] yeji: ur finally awake!

[10:50 am] yuna: we thought u died lol

[10:50 am] lia: YUNA

[10:50 am] lia: NO

[10:51 am] ryujin: the timing for that joke could not be worse

[10:52 am] yuna: humor is my coping mechanism leave me alone

[10:52 am] you: ??? what happened

[10:53 am] chaeryeong: we left msgs for a reason dummy read them!!

[10:53 am] you: umm there’s over 200 and im not abouta read all that

[10:54 am] yuna: well then lemme break it down

[10:54 am] yuna: the world is ending :)

[10:55 am] you: welp it was about time

[10:55 am] lia: why r u guys like this

[10:56 am] yeji: there’s been a covid-19 outbreak and it’s spreading like wildfire so the government issued a stay at home order :/

[10:57 am] you: omg WHAT

[10:57 am] ryujin: ikr it’s crazy we literally can’t go anywhere

[10:57 am] chaeryeong: and we can’t get boba today either ;( i was so looking forward to that

[10:58 am] ryujin: let’s pls take a moment of silence for all the current and future boba dates that will have to be cancelled

[10:59 am] yuna: no way am i gonna let some wannabe flu make me go boba-less i’m still going out >:(

[10:59 am] lia: ...ur joking right

[10:59 am] yeji: what color casket do u want yuna?

before the groupchat can distract you any further, you place your phone down on the table. you sit back in your chair and let the newly revealed information sink in.

you were stuck inside.

you sigh before standing to clean your dishes. as you’re scrubbing away at your bowl, you feel something brush against your leg. you smile, not even having to look down to know it was seol. the cat would often wander into your room or sleep next to you when you watched tv on the couch. in fact, you were pretty sure you spent more time with seol than his owner.

you gaze at jeno’s room. as always, the door is shut. you wonder if you should let him know what was happening. you two usually kept your distance but you figured that the circumstance you found yourself in was an exception. you quickly dry your hand and shuffle towards his room.

you knock once, quite softly. you assume he’s asleep so you try again, this time a little harder. still, no avail. the third time you put even more force into it. by this time, seol has found his way beside you and claws at the door.

“jeno?” you knock a fourth time. “jeno! lee jeno!”

after more shouting accompanied by incessant meowing, you hear some muffled movement. moments later the door knob twists open and there stands your roommate with disheveled hair and a robe that had obviously just been thrown on his body. seol has taken the open crack in the door as an invitation inside the bedroom.

jeno blinks a couple times as he watches the feline get himself comfortable on his bed. he turns back to you, looking slightly disoriented. you’re not sure if he’s half asleep or your sudden presence has thrown him for a loop. his voice comes out raspy when he asks, “was he, um, bothering you or something?”

you shake your head, vigorously. “that’s not why i came. it’s just that my friends told me that there’s been some kind of virus outbreak and we’re supposed to stay home. so, i thought i’d let you know.”

his face softens. “oh, cool.” suddenly, the look changes. “not the virus thing! that’s totally not cool. i meant, it’s cool that you let me know and stuff. you just saved me a huge freak out so, uh, thank you.”

you smile and nod. “no problem.”

jeno’s eyes linger as you retreat back into your room down the hall. the sound of his door shutting is heard only once you’re out of his eyesight.

2. he can cook better than you.

most of the time, you would go out to eat dinner with your friends in the evenings or at least stop by a drive thru. obviously, this was no longer possible in the midst of a pandemic. you found that to be incredibly frustrating as you sat on your bed, stomach empty. no matter how badly you wished to fix it, your laziness had gotten the best of you. apart from that, you already knew how unlucky you were when it came to cooking—the memory of burning noodles at lia’s house one night had been permanently seared into your brain.

you almost believe your mind is playing tricks on you when you catch a whiff of pasta in the air. for a moment you think it’s your next door neighbor, taeyong, cooking again. you knew he was quite the chef. but, the smell is getting stronger by the second and you decide it must be in your apartment.

you wander into the kitchen, only to find jeno standing over the stove. he’s stirring red sauce in a pot when he notices you watching him.

“oh, hey,” he greets with a polite wave.

you can only stare at the rest of the kitchen—pots, pans, and ingredients all over the place—in utter awe.

he chuckles, awkwardly. “yeah, sorry about the mess. i’ve been told i’m a decent cook but i can never seem to get the tidiness down.”

“no, it’s not that. this just all seems so... professional.” you sniff the air once more. “smells amazing, too.”

he smiles, sheepishly. “thanks. are you a fan of spaghetti?”

you nod.

“good. i wanted to make something you’d like.”

“you really didn’t have to,” you say, leaning against the fridge. “i mean, i’ve never done anything for you.”

he uncovers a pot to check on the pasta. you watch as hot steam rises out of it. “what about this morning?”

you can’t help but laugh. “that most certainly does not count. you’re making an entire meal. that takes a lot of effort.”

he waves a hand, dismissively. “i used to cook a lot with my old roommate, doyoung. the guy was an asian gordon ramsey, i swear. so, yeah, this is nothing too crazy. and i really do enjoy it.”

“well, i’m still gonna repay you.” you fold your arms.

he looks away from his dish to raise a brow. “is that so?”

you nod in confirmation. “definitely.”

“tell you what, if you wash the mountain of dishes that are gonna be left over, we’ll be even.”

you stare at the sink that’s already overflowing with dirty kitchen tools. that wasn’t even half of it. “uh, sure, sounds good.”

he laughs at hearing the uncertainty in your voice. “that’s the spirit.”

3. he’s allergic to cats.

the familiar sound of soft purring is what pulls you attention away from the movie playing on your laptop. already knowing exactly who it is, you launch yourself off your bed to allow your furry guest inside.

“hey seol. what’ve you been up to?”

the calico meows, almost as if he were responding to your question. you close your door and go back to your original position. you notice seol sitting directly in front of your bed, looking up at you with wide eyes.

“come on up.” you pat your sheets, invitingly.

he obeys and stretches before laying down beside you.

“have you ever watched ‘avengers’?” you ask, eyes going back to the explosive fight scene on the screen.

this time, seol doesn’t even bother humoring you with a meow. he stays silent with his head tucked into his paws.

you scratch his head and his tail wiggles. “i’ve gotta stop asking you questions.”

both you and seol’s heads snap towards the door when you hear a knock.

“come in!” you call out.

jeno swings open the door. his eyes briefly scan the room before landing on the furball on your bed. the unmistakable look of adoration shines in his eyes when he sees how lovingly you caress him.

“seol! what are you doing in here? bothering y/n?” the cat jumps off your bed and towards his owner standing in your doorway. jeno scoops him into his arms and faces you. “i’m so sorry. he saw me running a bath for him and bolted.”

“it’s all good. he’s a great movie buddy. besides, i could always use the company.”

jeno curiously glances at your computer screen. “is that ‘avengers’?”

“yep. i’ve seen it like a dozen times.”

“same here.“ he pauses. “hey, if you ever need a movie buddy—like you know, one that talks—just let me know.”

your face lights up. “i’m gonna hold you to that.”

”i hope so. well, if you’ll excuse me, i’ve gotta give this guy a bath.”

seol yowls as if he understands the meaning behind the words and attempts to escape jeno’s grip.

“here we go again,” he mumbles under his breath.

you snicker at the sight. “looks like you could use some help.”

“oh, no. it’s fine. he can just be a little bratty someti—seol!”

in the blink of an eye, the feline has successfully hopped out of his arms and made a run for it.

jeno gives you an exasperated look before rushing off to catch his runway pet. you find yourself caught up in the excitement so you follow him, the two of you now in pursuit of the calico. you’re sure the image of you both chasing the fluffy animal around the apartment looks like something straight out of a comedy. even you and jeno can’t contain your laughter when he finally catches seol only for him to slip out of his hold a second later. this exact situation repeats itself a couple times before you finally get lucky.

“i got him!” you screech. “jeno! oh my god! what do i do?”

“bathroom, bathroom, bathroom!” he chants in response.

you head in that direction with jeno trailing behind you, ready to catch seol if he somehow manages to get out of your death grip. you bend over the bathtub, slowly lowering the cat into the water. it’s clear he doesn’t have a problem with making a fuss as he wails and flails his limbs around.

after a while, he finally calms down enough that you can lather him in shampoo. jeno insists on scrubbing him, arguing that you had already done way too much. you sit back on your heels, observing the way the seol leans into his delicate touches.

“looks like he likes it now.”

“he likes to make a big deal but he ends up enjoying it every—“ jeno cuts himself off with a sneeze.

“tissue?” you offer.

he shakes his head. “that’s okay, thanks. i’m used to it. i’m just surprised my allergies haven’t acted up ‘til now.”

“allergies?” you echo.

“yeah, i’m allergic to—“ another sneeze. “cats.”

your eyes widen. “really? and you still have seol?”

“i could never get rid of him. he’s too good of a boy. isn’t—“ sneeze. “that right?” he tickles seol under his chin.

“wow. you must really love him.”

“so much.”

“he’s lucky to have you.”

“what about you? you get both of us. doesn’t that make you the luckiest?”

you snort. “i guess it does.”

4. he makes a good shopping buddy.

“i have officially cooked everything we have.”

“i can order some takeout, if you want?”

he juts his lower lip out and gives you puppy eyes. “but i like to cook for you.”

you laugh at his expression. “oh god, you look like that one pouty emoji people use when they try to be cute.”

he sits up. “did it work?”

you nod and pinch his cheek.

he yelps. “ah, stop! you’re acting like my grandma!” he manages to get out of your grasp. he rubs his face, soothing the spots you had squeezed. “seriously, though, we really do need to stock up on food.”

“i’ve already been looking into it.” you show him the screen of your phone. “says here you can still go shopping as long as you wear a mask and try to stay six feet away from other shoppers.”

he cringes. “i don’t know if i like the idea of being so close to so many people.”

“i can go by myself, then,” you suggest with a shrug.

he doesn’t hesitate to deny you. “no way are you going alone.” his possessive tone has you staring at him curiously so he adds, “you know, in case you can’t reach something on the top shelf.”

the teasing comment paired with his innocent smile makes you gasp in disbelief. “lee jeno! that’s low! and to think i almost thought you were worried about me.”

“who said i wasn’t?” he smiles at you again before standing up. “i’m going to find us some masks and then we can head out.”

once you arrive at your local grocery store, you find it to be packed. everyone seems to be in a hurry, grabbing things left and right.

“wow, it’s already gotten crazy,” jeno mumbles, stopping to stare at the flood of people that rush by.

you don’t hesitate to scold him. “well, don’t just stand there! we gotta get our stuff before there’s nothing left!”

without another word you slip into the frenzy of people. jeno struggles to stay behind you. after almost losing sight of you a couple times, he walks a little faster to catch up and places his arm firmly around your waist once he does. you look up at him, your mask covering your slightly agape mouth.

being the gentleman he is, he apologizes. “sorry but i don’t want us to get separated.”

you can only nod and mumble, “good idea.”

jeno pushes the shopping cart with his right hand and holds your figure with his left. once in a while, you’ll break apart from each other to grab an item you need but once it’s in the cart, he’ll make sure you end up in the same position. after an hour or so, you’ve grabbed enough and you decide it’s time to pay.

despite the mask she has on, you can tell the middle-aged woman behind the cash register has a big smile on her face once she catches sight of you and your roommate.

“well, just look at you two.” she sighs. “how cute.”

“oh.” you glance at her then jeno then her again. “oh, no. it’s not like that.”

you attempt to move yourself away from jeno only to find his grip to be so incredibly strong that you almost begin to think he’s trying to hold you in place. once you finally detach yourself from him, you begin loading your groceries onto the counter for the employee to scan. she does so, but not before giving you a displeased look.

“oh really? he holds you like that because you aren’t together?”

jeno assists her in placing the scanned items in bags. “i didn’t want to lose her.”

she pauses scanning a can of tuna to stare him down. “darling, that sounds like a line from a cheesy hallmark rom-com.”

you can’t help but chuckle. “what he means is that there’s a lot of people here and we didn’t want to get separated.”

jeno adds, “desperate times calls for desperate measures.”

the woman adjusts her glasses. “well, you do certainly seem desperate to have her close to you.”

jeno doesn’t say a word as he continues bagging but his smile reaches his eyes.

5. he works out.

why did the pandemic have to hit in the middle of summer?

you often asked yourself this, complaining about how inconvenient it was. especially on the days that made your apartment feel like it was on fire. the days that required a thin tank top and shorts. even then, you found yourself to be drenched in sweat.

you sprawled your arms and legs farther on the sofa, the leather material proving to be very uncomfortable. it was either that or your bed with the warm cotton sheets that stuck to your body. just thinking about it brings you discomfort. the only relief you could think of was a cold shower. you would have already taken one if jeno hadn’t been hogging the one bathroom in the apartment.

“jeno!” you yell.

silence; other than the sound of the water running.

“lee jeno!”

the water stops, temporarily for him to shout back an answer. “what?!”

you wipe at the sweat that has accumulated on the bridge of your nose. “hurry up! i’m melting!”

the water starts back up again and you groan. hoping to distract yourself, you pull out your phone. the group chat with your friends is surprisingly silent so you go to instagram for some entertainment. this time, your ex-boyfriend’s post isn’t the first thing you see. it takes you some scrolling but you do end up seeing another one of his pictures.

it’s simply two intertwined hands with a black and white filter. you identify the one on the left as his and although you aren’t as familiar with the one on the right, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out who it belongs to. contrary to the last, this photo has no cheesy words for a caption, just a red heart.

but, your stomach doesn’t drop. you don’t feel hurt, either. obviously, you still don’t enjoy seeing him just because of all the awful memories that came with it but other than that, you feel unaffected by the image.

in fact, you feel so confident in yourself that you block him.

you’re surprised you hadn’t done it sooner. you had known you didn’t need him in your life any longer so why keep in contact? you feel like a huge weight has been lifted off your shoulders when you press the red button that would keep him and his girlfriend out of your life. you knew with your whole heart that you didn’t need to see either of them.

before, a bit if you had felt the need to keep an eye on him. to see how he was handling the breakup and torture yourself with the fact that he didn’t seem to care. now, you could say you truly didn’t either. you didn’t need him or his stupid pictures. you had other, better things.

your friends.

your cat (yes, you considered seol to be yours).

your roommate.

you had to admit, jeno was the best thing on that list. quarantine had brought you and him significantly closer and you were over the moon about it. he was so wonderful that you kicked yourself for having lived with him for so long without ever really getting to know him. but it was easy to say you two were making up for lost time seeing as you spent every waking moment together. the record long showers jeno took being an exception, of course.

the moment the door to the bathroom opens, you rush into your room and quickly grab an oversized t-shirt and loose pajama pants to change into after your shower. you nearly drop them when you’re met with jeno’s soaking figure in the hallway.

his hair is damp and you can clearly see how long it had become. his skin looks healthy and moisturized, lotion among other skin care products had probably been applied. what really has you in a shock is the fact that the towel barely hangs below his waist. the droplets of water that fall from his hair and down his neck trail down his chest and toned torso towards the only area he has bothered to cover up. his bulky arms are also slightly wet, his veins popping noticeably. he shakes his head in an attempt to rid his hair of any water. then he runs his fingers through it, his muscles flexing ever so slightly as he does so.

“dude!” you exclaim, without a second thought. “you’re ripped!”

he smiles, his round cheeks growing at the unexpected praise. the way he could have such a rugged body but soft-featured face puzzled you to no extent. “thank you. i lift sometimes.”

“sometimes?” you repeat. “don’t be so humble! you’re basically hercules!”

he clicks his tongue. “ah, c’mon. i’m just an athletic person.”

you keep admiring his physique. “clearly.”

“oh god,” he groans, obviously flustered. “you’re looking at me like you’re gonna eat me or something.”

you hold yourself back from making a less than appropriate innuendo. “no comment.”

his eyebrows shoot up in disbelief. “quarantine is really making you go crazy.”

you point a finger at him. “you try being stuck inside with your hot roommate!”

“trust me, y/n, i know all about hot roommates.”

you tilt your head, acting purposefully oblivious. “are you talking about doyoung?”

“what? no i—“ he sighs. “you know what, just take your shower.”

6. you can’t say no to him.

jeno ruffles his black locks with his hand and frowns.

you give him a disappointed look. “knock it off, you’re gonna get dandruff in your soup.”

he ignores your comment. “i look like a hobo.”

you pause, spoon halfway to your mouth. “this i know.”

“y/n, this is serious!”

“okay, okay. what’s the issue?”

“i already told you! i’m a bum!”

“you? a bum?” you pause to think about it. “i mean, mentally? maybe. but physically? no.”

“my hair, though. it’s so long.” he grabs a strand of it and pulls it to emphasize his point.

you shrug. “if having lots of hair is the standard for being a bum, i think most of the population is.”

“i want to cut it,” he announces.

“you should,” you say, pointing your spoon at him. “wanna know why? because if you mess up, no one will ever know. other than me, of course. but if you pay me enough i’ll let you forget it.”

he smiles at the joke for a moment before he leans forward and his face goes serious. “will you help me?”

“what? no way. i’ll mess up. and it’s only funny if you do it.”

he pouts. “please?”

you stir your soup around. “just watch some youtube videos. after three, you’re automatically a professional.”

“i want you.”

the statement has your neck snapping up from your bowl to him. the smug grin on his face lets you know that he was well aware of the double meaning behind his words. it was clear he was trying to fluster you enough to get a yes.

“you think you’re flirty enough to straight up brainwash me into doing stuff?”

“well, i wanted to say that to you anyway but... kind of?”

you feel a smile creep onto your lips at hearing the genuine tone in his voice. you down your last few spoonfuls of soup and quickly stand up. jeno looks up at you, eyes hopeful.

“finish your dinner. get the scissors. meet me in the bathroom.”

not even ten minutes later, jeno practically dances into the bathroom, a pair of red craft scissors in his hand. he sits on top of the toilet lid, figuring that’d be the easiest way for you to reach him. you walk in moments later.

“i’m pretty sure we’re not supposed to be using these types of scissors for hair,” he mumbles as he hands you the sharp utensil.

you twirl them in your hand. “oh, definitely not. do you want to wait then?”

he shakes his head, his shaggy bangs swaying with the movement.

“alright, let’s get this going then.” you thread your hands through his thick locks to collect some of it in between two of your fingers. you bring the scissors forward and snip the small amount just to test the waters.

you slowly begin to get more comfortable and once you feel like you’re in your element, things begin to speed up. you move and cut faster but with efficiency. you do the spots on the back of his head and work your way forward. when it finally comes time to touch up his bangs, your small bathroom proves to be an inadequate spot to be doing this.

you end up standing balanced inches above jeno’s thighs that he’s pressed together tightly in an attempt to give you more room. you’re constantly readjusting your stance and when he notices, his hands go to your hips. you know he’s just trying to help you stay upright so you do a decent job but you still inhale sharply at the feeling of his hands on you.

not long after, you’re standing next to jeno as he inspects himself in the mirror. his fingers flick his newly shortened bangs around.

“not bad.” he tilts his head in a new angle and nods. “looks super good to me.”

you tuck the scissors into your back pocket with a relieved sigh. “oh thank god. i didn’t want to tell you before we started but i only watched two youtube tutorials on trimming hair.”

he runs a hand through his hair with a chuckle. “now that’s truly worthy of praise. and a tip.”

you raise a brow. “oh yeah? what’s th—“

he cuts you off by pressing a chaste kiss to your forehead. he pulls back and drags his thumb over the skin that has come into contact with his lips. “thanks again.” with that, he leaves you standing in the bathroom, eyes wide and face warm.

7. he has six best friends.

“can i borrow your laptop?” asks jeno, from outside your door, nearly breathless.

you look up from your book. “uh yeah, sure.”

he rushes in your room and takes the item off of your dresser. “do you happen to have zoom on it?”

you shake your head and he groans. without another word, he disappears, running off into the living room. you hear his frustrated sighs as the minutes pass and he attempts to download the application. you finally decide to go check it out once it becomes too much to bear.

“it sounds like you’re in pain over here,” you comment.

he runs a hand through his hair. “i’m supposed to meet with my friends through a zoom call but it’s so complicated.”

you put a hand on your hip. “bet you five bucks i’ll be able to get it in five minutes.”

“are you kidding? i might be technologically challenged but i’m not stupid. i know you can do it fast, just help me out already, would you?”

“alright, grandpa.”

you type and click away at the screen, jeno watching you do so, entranced but equally as lost.

“well, i was wrong,” you say after a couple moments, leaning back in your chair.

“you couldn’t get it?” asks jeno, worriedly.

“no, it’s not that.” you click something on the screen and the app opens. “turns out i could do it in three.”

he rolls his eyes and shoos you out of the chair. he sits down and enters the code and password for the zoom meeting. it takes a minute, but he finally connects. you count six other people in the call. they all immediately cheer at seeing jeno and you hear them excitedly exclaim his name.

“hey guys,” he says, a smile already reaching his eyes. “it’s so good to see your faces.”

they all nod to agree. you get a good look at each one of them and realize they’re all boys. your eyes read over each of their display names.

mark me in ur heart

hyuckie~~~

moomin enthusiast

nananananana

chnele

lil huddy

“nice name, jeno,” ‘moomin enthusiast’ guy comments, snickering slightly. “glad to see you finally came to terms with it.”

‘jenojam’, his name reads. the rest of the group laughs, also teasing him about it. you assume it’s some kind of inside joke.

the self proclaimed ‘lil huddy’ furrows his eyebrows. “wait, did you choose that name yourself?”

jeno simply nods in response.

he glares into the camera. “donghyuck, you told me i had to put this as my name or else it wouldn’t let me connect!”

donghyuck—or ‘hyuckie~~~’, you presume—shrugs. “oops. guess i was wrong.”

you laugh at the humorous exchange. it seems like the sound has drawn some attention to you when ‘nananananana’ speaks up, eyes trained on you.

“um jeno? don’t you want to introduce your guest?”

jeno beams, dragging you closer into the frame. “i’m sure you all know about my roommate. say hi, y/n.”

you do so, waving and smiling politely at the group.

“you know, even though we used to always hang at jeno’s, i don’t think we’ve ever actually seen your face,” ‘chnele’ says, tilting his head.

you agree. “me neither. i’ve mostly just heard you guys.”

the ‘mark me in your heart’ boy sheepishly rubs his neck. “sorry. we tend to be a little loud.”

‘chnele’ lets out a high pitched screech of a laugh. “only a little?”

“i recognize that laugh!” you blurt. “i would hear it all the time!”

”that’s our little dolphin,” coos ‘hyuckie~~~’.

“oh god, stop. i hate that stupid nickname.”

“it’s well deserved.”

“i think you should apologize to y/n for being a nightmare to her eardrums.”

“and ours, for that matter.”

“what about all your little freestyles? i’ve had to sit through hundreds of them and i never got an apology!”

“because they’re not bad! could you do any better?”

“you’re a soundcloud rapper, i think anyone could.”

jeno turns to you as the bickering on screen gets louder and louder. “this is gonna be a long call.”

once the group has moved on from roasting the life out of each other, you’re able to engage in some good-natured conversation. jeno teaches you the names and the other basics about the group. some points that stand out about the group is that mark is the oldest, renjun specializes in contemporary dance, jaemin inhales six cups of coffee on the daily, and chenle is insanely rich.

“what about jeno?” you ask them. “anything i should know about him?”

“he’s allergic to cats but the idiot still adopted—“

“she already knows about that, renjun,” jeno chuckles.

“oh. well. that’s pretty much the only interesting thing about him.”

jisung pipes up. “oh wait! he works out religiously too!”

you and jeno share a look. you burst into laughter and he simply glances away, slightly embarrassed. “oh yeah, i know that all too well.”

“and what about the unhealthy cooking obsession?”

you nod at mark’s question. “that too. he cooks dinner almost every night around here.”

renjun purses his lips. “he already cooks for you? wow. he must really like you.”

“you think?” jaemin asks. “didn’t you read any of the messages in the group chat? he’s practically in love with her. his words, not mi—“

“okay! i think it’s time for us to go! bye guys!” jeno doesn’t even give you a chance to say your own goodbye before he’s clicking the ‘end call’ button in the bottom right corner.

you give him a confused look. “what was that all about?”

“they’re crazy.” he laughs. “well, if you need me i’ll be in my room screaming into my pillow for the next couple hours.” he dashes off leaving you standing alone, trying to comprehend what had happened.

8. he‘s a great listener.

jeno has officially replaced seol as your movie buddy, not that you have a problem with it. you thought it was nice to have someone you could actually converse with but of course, you make sure seol still sits in.

“what i’m saying is that iron man just wants to protect his team.”

“well, if they sign the accords, they basically surrender themselves to the government.”

“and?”

“you don’t see a problem with that? see, captain america knows what he’s doing. he’s literally an avenger—“

“so is iron man!”

“let me finish! so, he’s an avenger, right? he has the best judgment because he’s saved the world countless times. he knows how to operate his team and do the right thing.”

“okay but there’s casualties. and that’s what iron man is trying to fix.”

“how do you save the world and not have casualties?”

“you just—“ your phone rings mid argument and you raise your finger towards jeno. “this isn’t over.” you put the phone to your ear, not bothering to check the caller id. “hello?”

“sweetheart?”

you feel a chill go up your spine. was it him? no, it couldn’t be. you had blocked his number shortly after you did so on all your social media.

“baby, don’t be so shy. i know you’re there.”

you can’t hold back. “please don’t call me that.”

he chuckles, breathlessly. “oh, c’mon. you used to love it. you still do.”

“no, i don’t. actually, i don’t want to hear your stupid pet names or stupid voice or see any of your stupid posts. just go bother your girlfriend and leave me alone.”

you notice jeno perk up beside you out of the corner of your eye. he must have been caught off guard by your irritated tone.

as always, lucas is unaffected by you. “i’m being nice and giving you a second chance. i even called you behind soyeon’s back.”

“is that something i’m supposed to reward you for?” you scoff. “congratulations, you’re now awful, toxic, and a cheater.”

he growls. the sound was familiar. in your relationship, if you heard it you knew he was going to snap at you until he had the satisfaction of making you cry. “i know you miss me so don’t say things you’re going to regret later. because even when you’re back in my arms, i won’t let you forget it.”

the thought of being back with him made you feel icky. but the fact that he sincerely thought you would crawl back to him set your entire body on fire. “are you joking? i was always aware of the fact that you treated me like the dirt you walked on but do you seriously think that lowly of me?”

you’re rendered speechless and apparently, so is he because the other line stays silent.

“i wouldn’t go back to you if you were the last person on earth,” you spit. “you treated me horribly, wong yukhei. i won’t ever forget it. move on. i have.”

you glance at jeno, his expression more serious than you’ve ever seen it. his eyebrows are furrowed and his eyes are trained on your cellphone. the glare he gives the device is so strong you wouldn’t be surprised if even lucas could feel it, wherever he was.

you hang up and block the number, wishing to never talk to him again. you toss your phone onto the sofa with an exasperated sigh. you find jeno’s gaze to still be focused intensely on it.

“if you gave lucas that look, i’m pretty sure he’d cry.”

he breaks his concentration, eyes going to you instead. his entire face softens. “all i’m going to say is he better pray we never cross paths.”

“well, if you happen to, call me up. i wouldn’t mind helping you beat the crap out of him.”

jeno chuckles for a second then lowers his voice to a whisper. “he was really bad to you, huh?”

you nod. “he messed me up. i hate to admit it ‘cause i know i was stupid to stay with him for as long as i did.”

your roommate shakes his head. “don’t say that. it’s not your fault he messed up the best thing that would ever happen to him.”

“i thought i was the problem for so long, jeno. i was so blinded by love. then, i realized there was no way he truly cared for me when he treated me like i had no heart to be broken.”

jeno scoots towards you and rubs soothing circles into your arm. “you have such a big heart. and i can’t tell you how sorry i am that he took advantage of that. i’m sorry that you were stuck with someone so insecure and ignorant. please, don’t think about him anymore.”

you hold in your tears. you refused to cry over someone like lucas. “i know. i try so hard not to.”

jeno holds your head into his chest. his arms are placed securely on your back. “oh, baby.”

when jeno uses this pet name on you, it feels so completely different from lucas. you could tell me meant it. he wasn’t using it to make you stay a little longer, to assure you he loved you. strangely enough, you do not need to be convinced of that. you feel like you have known it for a long time.

9. he likes to be the big spoon.

you’re not sure how he’s done it but you end up falling asleep in jeno’s arms. you assume it had been so long since you had been cradled and rocked so delicately that the foreign yet extremely delightful sensation knocked you right out. even seol is deep in sleep, laying down peacefully at your feet.

you relish in the feeling of jeno pressed right into your back. he fits so perfectly against you that it reminds you of a puzzle piece. to be exact, the moment when you connect the last two pieces and the full picture becomes complete. that was how you felt—complete.

with jeno’s soft breaths tickling the back of your neck and his soft snores filling your ear, you know there’s nowhere else you’d rather be. his arm that is wrapped around you makes sure you can’t escape his embrace. you are positive that even if you had the liberty of doing so, you would stay exactly where you were.

you lean farther back into your pillow, closing your eyes. you let every thought fade away as you try to fall back asleep as soon as possible. you wanted the moment you found yourself in to last as long as possible.

10. he has feelings for you.

jeno mumbles sweet nothings into your ear as he toys with your hair.

it just seemed right to him. like something he was meant to do with you. he had seen these types of things in films and shows before. it was intimate and touching, the scenes were always meant to tug at the audience’s heart strings and show how in love the two characters were. perhaps, even though you lay asleep in his arms, he wants you to finally know.

“honestly, being inside with you all the time is kind of the best. i know the whole virus situation is less than ideal but being able to spend so much time with you... that’s all i could ask for.” he pauses. “isn’t it so crazy how before this we were all weird and awkward around each other? well, i guess we still kind of are. that’s mostly my fault so... sorry. i just don’t know how to act around you sometimes. we’re barely getting close and i’m already this attached to you. as jisung would so kindly say, ‘i’m simping’.” he chuckles to himself. “all jokes aside, i really do like you. ever since you moved in here all cute and nervous, you’ve taken your own little place in my heart, as cheesy as it sounds. and these past few weeks, you just keep on taking up more and more room in there. not that i have a problem with it. i just...” he stops as if he doesn’t know how else to express his feelings. “really, really like you.”

“thanks.”

you feel him jolt then abruptly stop stroking your hair. there’s silence until he asks, “you don’t happen to be a sleep talker, do you?”

you shake your head.

“and did you hear like, a lot of what i said?”

“only the important stuff. like how awkward you are and how much you like me.”

“o-oh.”

“but don’t worry. it’s mutual.”

you feel his relieved breath hit the skin of your neck. “that’s the best thing i’ve heard all day.”

you tilt your head back and stare at him, confused. “what, did you seriously think i wasn’t into you?”

he shrugs. “i was too busy simping, i guess.”

you can’t contain your laughter at the use of the slang. “park jisung would not be proud.”

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steponmepinkjun · 3 years ago

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I NEVER FINISHED MY STORY OMG. ok so i left off at being too proud to tell my friend she was right and kpop fucked hard. the difference between u and me is that i’m too good of a liar. too good. i kept up the “i hate kpop it’s cringe” facade for ALMOST TWO WHOLE YEARS, I SHIT YOU NOT. why? bc my dumb ass, extra ass, dramatic ass self thought “ok if i’m gonna have to deal with the embarrassment of admitting i’m wrong, i better do it in such an extra ass way it’ll knock ur socks off so hard that YOULL be the one embarrassed not me.” the original plan was to learn the entire choreography to bts dope, bc it’s the song that she told me to listen to and inevitably the song that got me into them, but later switched to bts fire bc i saw too many of those “choreo matches w any song” videos, and then her birthday party came up. and here’s the real kicker. her birthday is April Motherfuckin Fools. so it would be So Perfect for me to reveal my kpopism as a birthday present And a april fools prank in one. so i was Set on the Reveal being on april 1st, but the day rolls around and god that choreo is so fucking hard and i am Not a dancer. never have been. so i abandon that and go ykno what… i’ll do it Next Year. BC MY BITCHASS WAS LIKE NO THE MOMENT IS TOO PERFECT TO DO IT ON A NORMAL ASS DAY ITS GONNA BE ON APRIL FOOLS ON HER GODDAMN BIRTHDAY OR NOT AT ALL. a year rolls by, i’ve told most of our friends except her and they’re all in on it, i’d made so many subtle kpop references to her without her realising they were fully intentional and had too many scares where she almost figured me out but i lied my way out of it, and i’d given up on showing off with choreography bc i couldn’t make that shit look good. i’m not a dancer. i am, however, a rapper, and a damn good one, so i inhaled the agust d mixtape and decided i’d just rap the eminem of kpop’s anthem at her face. in korean. and change the lyrics at the end (if u haven’t listened to agust d, the bridge repeats “i’m sorry” a lot) to “i’m sorry i kept this from u for so long” and “i’m sorry i actually ult got7 not bts” (this was like the april after skz debuted ok i was holding onto got7 for dear life knowing full well skz we’re going to convert me smh) and the best part? she never saw it coming. her official present was a cd with a bunch of kpop on it but she thought it was just a personalised mixtape for her so i told her to play the first song out loud and she knew the song Instantly. it has a long intro so she was like “i guess u did listen when i recommended u this song!! i knew you’d like it since u like rap so much!!” and then i started rapping and i shit u not. she started SCREAMING. like the initial reaction was her jaw dropping and then instinctively covering her mouth but when i kept going and she realised i wasn’t fucking around she just fucking screamed like a banshee. at the end during the sorry bit i threw off my jacket to reveal a got7 shirt on the inside and she fell off her chair and started rolling around on the floor. needless to say it was every bit as satisfying as i thought it’d be LMAOOOO afterwards her ass was like “I CANT BELIEVE U HID THIS FROM ME FOR OVER A YEAR” and when i tried to explain my ego couldn’t take the “i told u so” she was like “you know i wouldn’t have made fun of you for it right? i would just be glad you’re not hating on my boys anymore” so basically i’m a big dramatic fool and she was always too good for me.

don’t mind the weird spaces here my ipad is being all fucky wucky w me rn. damn sad to hear ur sideblog experience didn’t go so well, i’d have shown u the cool side of the fandom if i knew 😤😤 leading u thru the cursed halls of kpop stan tumblr like a sketchy tour guide that’s actually 3 small raccoons stacked on top of each other like a trench coat, like “over here we have the fanfic writers that honestly need to publish a book, over here we have the gif makers that are responsible for my entire camera roll, if we take a quick swerve past the death threat anons and the twt fanwar screenshots - mind ur feet bub the 14 year olds were tryna make a grab for ur ankles - ah here’s the holy grail of shitposts, you might be here for hours, to the right we have the weird aussie side of the fandom that projects our childhoods onto chanlix but also all the members as we decide what their life in australia would’ve been like, and down there is a secret trapdoor to the blogs w endless random headcanons that will make you laugh, cry or blush depending on if the author woke up and decided to choose violence today. enjoy your Stay!” but then again i’m not so active on tumblr anymore (ngl you’ve become the highlight of my tumblr experience these days, interaction wise,) so maybe all my Local Hotspots are inactive now. i know a bunch of them are, it’s sad. “i don’t fw stan twitter for the same reason i don’t hang out in meth dens” oop. guess i’m a meth addict. no but i get u i rly do, it’s a hellhole out there, but the fact that things get shared and spread a lot easier than on tumblr and how short most things have to be (therefor keeping up w my adhd attention span without having to resort to the mental torture that is tiktok, with the added bonus of not always needing headphones.) that i just. couldn’t leave if i tried. maybe i should try being active on tumblr again but it’s a dying site in comparison.

“their music doesn’t consistently hit for me as much as skz” i’m sorry we can’t be friends anymore. what. what. you don’t dramama ramama ramama hey? you don’t feel a little jealousyyyyyy, naega anin? you don’t shoot out, shoot out, shoot out, or aremdaeun love killa love killa? you can’t be your hero du du du du du du du du du dududu? u disappoint me. literally like everyone i know who likes skz music likes mx music like it’s a rite of Passage. they’re kindred spirits, monsta x music is like skz’s music’s cool but mildly heterosexual older brother. neither of them know what a bad song is it runs in the family. and both their music runs in my VEINS. whenever i describe my music taste they’re always the first two that come to mind, skz being my number 1 bc they are my best boys but mx bc of the Flavour. pls listen to the entire the code album then get back to me 😤🙌 ok but fr ur so right they are 7 of the finest men i ever seen (yes i say 7 bc i’m including wonho cause he deserved better and i’ll die on my ot7 bullshit.) like don’t get me started on them either LOL i LITERALLY downloaded that one insta video of changkyun working out his back n arm muscles w his tattoo showing bc i needed that shit saved for Science. they could do Anything w me like frfr. yes vixx is the bdsm contract group i’m telling ya they wildin. or at least they were. it’s been years since their last comeback idk what they’re doing anymore tbh. and yeah that makes sense, savouring the hyperfixation i feel it, but also i’m so attached to skz that i never let it die. like i hyperfixate on other things and other groups but i will Always go back to skz cause they’re my homeboys. hell, they’re my home. being a predebut stay i’ve spent more time w skz than most of my actual family members at this point. but that’s just me you do u boo xx just know that if ur anything like me ur never letting go once skz it’s been my longest lasting fixation cause they hit like Nothing Else Do. ik i’ve already said that but i cannot stress it enough. they’re really special. i’m gonna stop here before i get all sappy and emotional bc i really love those boys so fucking much and i don’t drop the L bomb often. SIDE NOTE I WOULD LIKE TO SEE UR LIST OF GROUPS RANKED BY THORSt. i need to judge ur Taste. and omg cat&dog is such a guilty pleasure song bc the lyrics make me cringe so much bc while pet play can be fun they be doing it in more of an “i’m an innocent soft dogboy uwu” kinda way that just Does Not Sit Right with me. it comes back to the objectifying of asians that asians themselves don’t help in industries like these and maybe i’m looking too far into it when rly it is just wholesome n cute or maybe they are into some pet play shit idk idc i will bop to the song regardless but i will not acknowledge the lyrics nope.

YOURE RIGHT THO SKZ’S OPENNESS IS IN FACT, A BIG DEAL, i’ll grab them for u if u want but i found these twt threads of skz supporting the lgbt community and i just felt a special kind of happiness man like sure the delusional part of me likes going “haha they’re gay” bc my brain likes to imagine them as my polycule of mlm boyfriends bc sometimes thats what gives me the serotonin to get me thru the day ok don’t judge but also bc it’s nice knowing that yes i’ll never know them personally, but at least i can support them knowing they’d respect my gender identity and my pronouns, they’d respect who i choose to love, and that’s already more than the general public can say so shit, it is special! it’s special that they don’t treat being cishet like the norm - they constantly remove gender from their songs and speech entirely, they don’t assume all stays are female anymore, we don’t talk abt the babygirls incident cause we got babystays in the end outta that ok, and it’s just. so refreshing and important to me bc i can’t get that anywhere else!! like my semi ults are the boyz and while i love them very much and there’s no way all 11 of them are straight i refuse, i do get just a little bit sad whenever they she/her their fandom by default and call them their girlfriends n shit even tho i do still identify as a girl, i’m also genderfluid/nonbinary/transmasc, and i have a very love/hate relationship w my womanhood and rarely use she/her pronouns, cause it’s like, do you not see me? see us? the ones who aren’t cishet women? i mean i know kevin does bc he congratulated a fan who came out as nb but it’s just not the same as the openness we get w skz. like how do i trust cishets i could be supporting them as a queer person when in reality they’d call me a slur. what would i know, behind the screen? so it’s so good that skz go the extra mile to make it a safe space for everyone. this is already long enough i will reply to the second half of that ask in another message… tomorrow cause it’s 1am and i’m tired gn -felix bi anon

I'mma have to start putting these under a readmore so that i don't absolutely make everything who is still following me for some reason go totally fucking insane 😂

NDJDHWJJAHFNAKBSJSBFBHHDBDNAJD YOU HAVE NO IDEA THE FACES I WAS MAKING READING THIS, I WAS FUCKING CACKLING AND GASPING EVERY OTHER SENTENCE SO HARD THAT I SCARED THE CATS NDJWHSHSB the fact that you went "oh you want me to get into kpop? Give me a hot minute, and I'll give you a whole ass private concert for free" biduehsjdbd biiiiiiiiiiitch you're a fucking ICON, I stg I could NEVER 😂 (and not just because I couldn't find a tune if you gave me a printed set of Google maps directions and that I embody the steriotype that white people can't dance, like my sister kept sensing me tiktoks of the whole "dance like a white girl" trend going lmfao look it's you and eventually I was like "sis please this trend has me feeling like being white is a disability and these mothafuckers are being ableist 😭 also I could NEVER be that on beat so yall ain't even doin it right 😭😭😭😭"). Tbh if I told one of my friends (lol what friends, i got jokes) to get into Skz and they showed up at my bday and performed the entirety of I Got It I would simply shower them in money and go "aight everyone else go home, you are no longer needed, you are being laid off, your position has been eliminated, we're downsizing, the company is moving up and you're moving out, you are not qualified for this role any longer, best of luck with future endeavors" 😊

I think part of the reason I can't deal w Twitter is the exact reason I refuse to leave tumblr, in that I've been on tumblr since 2006 and twt since 2008, and tumblr literally has not changed at all, not even a little, whereas going from the early days of twt where there were no corporate sponsorships or ads and you had to manually copy and paste someone's tweet and @ them to retweet it, to how it is now, like 90% ads and showing me shit from the timelines of people I don't even fuckin follow n whatnot, it's just not enjoyable. Idk how anyone finds anything on twt, it confuses and frustrates me because I am old and have not adapted well to technology changing 😂 But arguably, the skz fanbase doesn't want me on skztwt anyways so like it works for both of us lmfaooo. I am old and cringey, and also still think of twt as stream of consciousness whereas tumblr is your teenage bedroom where you can decorate the walls with anything that interests you. I do really love the nonsensical kpoptwt shitposts tho fhshsbdjjss like it is a very specific flavor of mental instability that I enjoy immensely 😂 OH and also I initially misread part of that and thought you were saying you actually irl do meth and I was like 😳 WHAT DO I SAY TO THAT. HOW DO I HANDLE THIS. Like how do I express like "I wasn't being judgy of people who use substances cause I've been there but I was just being insensitive 😳" And then went back and reread it and was like WHEW, IM JUST AN ILLITERATE FOOL 😂😂😂😂 ejeywhdhrhjwbfbdjshdhdhd I spent like an hour bwign like "IS THE REASON WE GET ALONG BECAUSE THEY'RE ON METH???? WHAT DO I DO WITH THIS INFORMATION??????" hrhehshe I am literally a fuckin idiot it's fine

It's not that I don't fw them, it's more like... Okay so like there is no situation in which I am going to skip a skz song if it comes on shuffle. You will not ever catch me NOT in the mood to listen to Sunshine, if God's Menu comes on we are THROWIN the meager amount of booty meat I got hither and thither, I could be in the happiest mood of my life but if Ex comes on I will stop to SOB. And I'm not like that with most music, so mx just falls into the category of "there is a time and place." Idk why but it just doesn't forcibly grab hold of my heart and ass the way skz always does. I really don't WANT my skz fixation to ever end, but I know that eventually it'll stop giving me dopamine bevause my brain is my worst fucking enemy 🙃 like my arcana fixation is to date the longest running hyperfixation I've ever had, going on almost three years, and I used to not be able to spend every single second of every day thinking about Asra, but now... I just feel nothing when I look at arcana stuff. As you can probz tell by the fact that I hardly post arcana anymore 😂 So I know that eventually all my happiness will end, it always does, I can never stay just as obsessed with something as I was for long. I CANT SHARE THE LIST BECAUSE I DONT *HAVE* TASTE YET 😭 I'm basically just compiling a list of any group someone tells me I should look into, ranked by how strong the kitty purred upon googling pics of them 😂 My mom read my ass to FILTH over txt lmfao she was like "they're not that adorable. Maybe your standard for adorableness has gone down with You Know Who still on hiatus 🤔" bfjwhdhd like MOMMAAAAA THE LIBRARY IS CLOSED 😂 she attacks me any time I even hint at stanning other groups, she is a skz purist and stans skz only, unofficial Momma Stay of All Stays keeping me in check lmfao.

I feel like skz really do follow thru on their promise that they're a safe space for stays, it's nice to see that they hold space for anyone and everyone in their fanbase and do it in a really simple and elegant way, I feel. Like they never make it seem like "okay here are the fans and here are the token weirdos that were only recognizing to make a buck off of them" the way a lot of artists make it feel like 😑 like they don't go out of their way to act like it's some revolutionary act to do the bare minimum of not shitting on certain parts of the fandom, if that makes sense. They feel very "yeah, of course we love all our stays, this is a welcoming space for literally anyone, that's how it should be, that should be normal," instead of like "Hi fans we love you 😊 and special shoutout to you ell gee bee tee folk, make sure to buy my rainbow merch after the show!!!" you know? Like, they're the friends who would never make you feel weird or different for some shit, the friends that take the attention off you if something they know ur sensitive about comes up, instead of weirdly snapping at whoever brought the unfomfy thing up which ruins the mood and makes you feel tiwce as bad, yk? They just give off this vibe that they, and the space they create with their music, is just a genuine and chill place to be and hang out and relax and bond. I feel like they'd be the friend group that is so goofy and sweet and silly and accepting and lovely and always makes you feel loved and excited to be alive 🥺 They are all good noodles 🥺🥺🥺

#felix-bi-anon #asksteppie

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nad-zeta · 5 years ago

Text

Match up 🌠

Ahhh your match ups are so thorough and well written I am in love! I'd like to get one for myself if I could bother you🌸 I also hope I'm doing this the right way otherwise I'm so sorry 😭💕

I'm 20, female, dark chestnut hair currently in a short bob/bangs, brown eyes which can sometimes look kinda brick colored, round glasses... I'm 168cm and more thin than curvy.

I'm an INFJ-T with an emphasis on the the turbulent. Kidding- but really I love alone time. I'm a very naturally nocturnal person, I love spending time with people in bursts but I usually can only handle being around calmer people for a longer time. When I'm alone I have a lot of passions I like to work on, studying Japanese, music composition, guitar, playing strategy games, drawing and writing... If I'm needing physical stuff I like to try and self teach choreography from videos when I can. Depression+anxiety have been known to get in the way of these passions for sure- but in the past years I've sought a lot of help+treatment and while I'm not a generally positive person internally- I'm alright 😌💕

When I am with people, I tend to try and be very bubbly and kind- most people know me as a very silly and caring person(but 100% scatterbrained, and a constant worrier- I would lose my head if it wasn't attached to my shoulders). I have a lot of trouble accepting any of that- but I have some very supportive people in my life banging it into my head... I am very easily flustered, and usually end up at the receiving end of teasing. I do pretend to dislike this, and I'm genuinely very flustered but truth be told- it's funny for everyone involved so I'm okay with it~ I do wish I didn't turn red in the face so easily though...

Worrier coming thru here... I don't know if this is too rambly or anything, feel free to let me know- but thank you so much for having these open and doing such great work with them. 💕

Hi, there love! Awwww you make me blush thanks so much for the kind words <3<3! I Hope you are doing well! Here is your long-awaited matchup! Sorry for taking soooooooooooo long..... Hope you enjoy it and have a good day!😊 💕

So I match you with……………. Mitsuhide

The night you saved Nobunaga from the fire; you ran for your life. After meeting Nobunaga and Hideyoshi, all you wanted to do were flee, and you did. You had run away so fast that you almost flung yourself of a cliff… Thank goodness for Yukimura! You were so startled and freaked out luckily there was a friendly face among all the unknowns, and that would be Sasuke. He explained the whole concept of time travel to you and asked if you would like to stay with him. You looked at the bunch of strange men, and they all looked fall less intimidating than the few you had met from the Oda forces. You smiled at Sasuke and gave him a small nod. And so you journeyed your way back to Kasugayama castle with the strange lot.

They were an odd bunch of men, but you had come to really love them and adopt them as your new brothers. The people of Kasugayama castle love your sweet, silly caring personality. You and Kenshin had especially hit it off due to your interests in strategy games. Kenshin had taken his role of overprotective brother very seriously. He will be the one to pull you out of banquets when he sees you getting tired from all the interaction. He is always there to help you and protect you whenever you are in trouble, and he would always send his army of bunnies to comfort you whenever you are feeling sad.

One day you were out in the market shopping for some sake and sweet buns for the banquet that night. You were having a good relaxing time window shopping when some unusual music caught your attention. You followed the music and your eyes widened in awe when you saw a troop of dancers performing. You walked closer to get a better look, and your breath caught in your throat when you saw the most beautiful man you had ever seen, perform a dance. The choreography and music were spot on and almost made you want to dance along to the music with them. You felt absolutely mesmerized watching the white-haired man dance. His eyes locked with you for a brief second and you could have sworn that he gave you the smallest of smiles before he looked away. When the show was over, you were going to congratulate the troop on a beautiful show, but there were way too many women swarming around the men, so you decided to rather make your way back home.

As you were walking back, the white-haired dancer ran up to you and grabbed your shoulder to stop you. “Little mouse it seems you have dropped your coin pouch”. Your eyes widened in horror; it must have fallen during the show, you profusely thanked the mysterious man. Mitsuhide was definitely intrigued by this little mouse he had stumbled upon. He started to tease you and was most amused by the way your face broke out into the most beautiful blush. The two of you had some tea together as a thank you for returning the coin pouch to you. Mitsuhide teased the shit out of you during the whole tea date, not that you minded you found that you really enjoyed his company. After tea, the two of you parted never to see each other again, you had to admit that thought made you feel a little sad on the inside.

One day Yukimura and Sasuke announced that they were going to go to Azuchi to spy on the Oda forces. You low key wanted to go along for the adventure. Needless to say, it took some time to convince Kenshin to let you go, but he couldn’t say no to his dearest sister’s puppy dog eyes. You were so happy and excited that he agreed. You and Sasuke entered into Azuchi disguised as performers while Yuki went disguised as a merchant. You were super excited to be able to use your skills, bringing joy and smiles to all the people around you. You and Sasuke would put on a little performance every afternoon. You danced and played the guitar. And Sasuke performed a one-man play.

As you were dancing during one of your performances, you saw a familiar face in the crowed smirking up at you. “My my little mouse, I never expected to stumble upon you this afternoon, much less witness your beautiful talent”. Mitsuhide invited you back to his Manor for some tea and card games. Which you really enjoyed considering you have been playing strategy and card games with Kenshin, so you definitely gave this sneki boi a run for his money. You really enjoyed the calm aura he gave off; you could talk to him for hours without feeling exhausted. You and Mitsuhide landed up staying up all night chatting and laughing, he was low key surprised when he looked out the window to see the sun almost rising. “aren’t you tired little one”. “Nope, I’m just naturally nocturnal, plus it's in the peace of the night when I get the most work done”. He simply smiled his kitsune like smile at you and offered to walk you back home. On your way home, the two of you stopped and sat down on a park bench watching the sunrise together. The two of you spent a lot of time together after that night. Both of you would always “coincidentally” run into each other all the time and land up hanging out for hours.

Mitsuhide both loved and was concerned for your scattered brain clumsiness. He would constantly worry about you when you weren’t near him. He could swear you would lose your head if it weren’t attached to your shoulders. Whenever the two of you are together, he would insist on holding your hand “can’t let my dearest mouse get lost now, can I”. TBH at this point, Mitsuhide was madly in love with you, he loved your sweet, caring nature. He loves how you could talk his ears off for hours. He also really loves the small doodles you draw on the napkins in the various teahouses the two of you have been to.

He knew you were close with the people in Kasugayama, but he couldn’t help but be attracted to you and feel the need to make you his. One day Yukimura announced that the three of you had been summoned back to Kasugayama, you were honestly so deflated. You had just fallen in love with Mitsuhide, and now you had to go back home. You sat with Mitsu in his manor the day before your departure. He could tell that something had been on your mind. You had told him EVERYTHING. Honestly, he knew of your connections to Kenshin, but he was truly shook when you mentioned that you were from the future. You had also told him that you honestly didn’t want to leave just yet. Little did you know this fox was ten steps ahead of you and had already plotted a plan.

When you said goodbye, Mitsuhide sent you off with the sweetest smile and a small kisses on the forehead, nose and finally lips and promised to see you again soon.

You were back in Kasugayama’s garden playing with the sweet army of bunnies when a small fox appeared carrying a letter. IT WAS FROM MITSU! He had said that we would see you soon. Little did you know the sly fox was in a meeting that very moment with the god of war. They had come to an agreement that Mitsu was allowed to see you, but if he ever hurt you, or if he causes you any tears, Kenshin would hunt Mitsu down and kill him. Mitsu smiled his fox smile and agreed. You were summoned to your brother’s room and boy oh boy were you confused when you saw Mitsuhide sitting there, without Kenshin having a sword at his throat threatening him. Kenshin asked if you loved the fox and when you replied with a small nod. He smiled at you and gave you his blessing. You couldn’t help but ran up to Kenshin and gave him the biggest bear hug thanking him. The second part of the agreement was that the two of you were to attend a farewell banquet for you that night.

The next morning you were off with Mitsu to start your new life together. The Oda forces welcomed you with opened arms. Finally, someone to keep their resident kitsune in check. Mitsu loved you so much and spent every second of everyday showering you with affection. He would always be there for you, especially when you were feeling anxious or insecure. He would wrap you up in his warm arms while soothingly stroking your silky hair. He would whisper words of reassurance in your ears to help ease the anxiety. Your favourite place in the world would be in is his arms. You love how Mitsu even respects your alone time, giving you some space when he sees that you need some time to recharge on his own

The two of you can often be found spending time together, whether it is just the two silently sitting in his room, enjoying each other presence or time spent cuddled in each other’s arms. One thing is for sure, and that is you are truly happy with the sweet kitsune and that you had found your new home

Other potential matches.................... Kenshin

Hope, you enjoyed it, love! 💕@tsuki-no-usagiii

#matchups #ikesen matchup #match ups #akechi mitsuhide #mitsuhide akechi #ikemen sengoku mitsuhide #mitsuhide matchup #submission

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topimagines · 6 years ago

Text

CCC

Summary: never look for conflict for the thrill

A/n: it's long, poorly written, and has no plot. the ultimate writing checklist. took me an entire week to write, I annoyed my aiding teacher with the clicking during class

Wc: 4k+

She was very quiet. People always asked what was wrong with her, if she was deaf or mute, why she never talked.

She did talk, just not to people outside of her bubble. She found it was easier to do that than to try to interact with people because people were very mean.

Tyler, her best friend, always took it upon himself to help her. It had always been that way, ever since they met. The two six-year-olds immediately clicked, and y/n’s parents always knew Tyler was special.

He got her to talk to him, and no one else had ever done that outside of the family.

When Tyler offered her a job as his makeup artist, she got so excited. She wouldn’t have to talk to anyone that she didn’t know, and she would be on tour with her best friend.

“Tyler, wake up,” y/n shook her best friend by the shoulder. The bus had stopped and they were now at their next stop in the tour, “Ty, come on.”

“Hmm,” he groaned, “five more minutes, peach, please.”

Y/n loved that nickname. It made butterflies explode in her belly and her face heat up more than ever. He started calling her that after her 14th birthday when she received Paper Mario and forced Tyler to help her play it. She was never as good at video games as he was. He called her peach after Princess Peach (she had commented that she wished she looked like Peach, but Tyler said she never had to worry about that, Peach wasn’t as pretty as y/n.)

“Nuh-uh, Tyler, Josh said that if you sleep ‘til noon, you’ll ruin your schedule and we’ll all have to stay up with you,” she continued poking him, trying to get him up.

Or you could climb in with me, “Fine, but I expect something out of it,” he finally rolled and looked at the girl, we could cuddle until sound check. God, she was beautiful. She had obviously been awake for a while; her makeup was done and her hair styled to perfection. Sleep all day in each other's arms, only get up for food and water, maybe ask Josh to pick up some food and we can all sit on the couch and watch that new show you like. He rarely went a day without thinking about her. (if he did, it was because she was with him.)

He only wished she was his, so he could ask her every question and said every statement that had been on his mind since they were twelve.

“we can get Taco Bell if you want to,” she replied. He didn’t get enough time, in his opinion, to admire her because she turned away and started going toward the front of the bus. She knew exactly what that did, it forced him to get out of bed. He wouldn’t let her go out alone when he was awake, that hadn’t happened since she left for college and he started his music career.

Even then, they spent every spare moment talking and once she got back, they were even more inseparable.

Tyler sighed, one day he would be able to tell her. until then his fantasies would suffice.

Josh was the only other guy she talked to on tour. (Actually, that wasn't entirely true, she said please and thank you and excuse me when she needed to, her mother always raised her to have manners.)

Tyler would be lying if he said he wasn’t terribly jealous every time Josh made her laugh so hard she started crying, or hug him and whisper things in his ear. These would make Tyler pouty and gloomy all day, but eventually, she makes it better by giving him the attention he craves.

It was their day off, and all Tyler wanted was to hang out with y/n and Josh.

But she wanted to go out and have some fun. So here Tyler was, sitting in a booth with a Mountain Dew in front of him, watching as Josh and y/n joked around quietly (y/n refused to raise her voice in public).

The waiter came to take their order and gave y/n a dirty look when Tyler ordered for her. That was no big deal, Tyler was used to that, she never ordered her own food unless they were in a drive-thru. (Even then, sometimes she would switch seats with Tyler or make him talk loudly to the speaker from the passenger seat.) It was a big deal when the waiter refused to take her order because she wasn’t talking.

“Can’t she order herself? She’s not a child!” the waiter chided, and when Tyler repeated the order again, he didn’t write it down.

“Are you seriously refusing because someone won’t talk to you?” Josh asked, the dirtiest look on his face.

“Well, she ain’t a child, now tell me what you want, miss,” the waiter replied.

Tyler saw her swallow, opening her mouth and closing it while she panicked. She didn’t like this at all, he was being so mean, and this had never happened before.

“I think we’re just going to pay for our drinks and leave if you’re going to be rude,” Tyler snapped at the man, standing up, “I don’t know who you think you are, but you messed with the wrong person, dude.”

Josh took out his wallet, throwing a twenty onto the table before, he too, stood up. The three walked out of the restaurant and got into the car. y/n had her head down with tears in her eyes and held onto Tyler’s hand. Tyler sat in the back seat with y/n while Josh sat in the front seat, driving.

Once they were settled, y/n burst into tears.

“Why can’t I just be normal?” she cried. Tyler hugged her, she laid her head on his chest, tears staining the fabric of his t-shirt.

“No, peach, don’t say that.”

“If I were normal, you guys would be able to eat without having to worry about me,” she cried. (They always asked her about her food before they dove into theirs. If they didn’t ask her if she liked her food, she wouldn’t say anything and pick at it until they were done and say she wasn’t that hungry.)

“Peach, there’s nothing bad about that,” Tyler knew he was lying. How would she function if he or Josh wasn’t there to help?

“I don’t want to have to rely on you forever! I’m so dysfunctional, you should just leave me! Maybe then I’ll learn to be normal.”

Josh spoke up, “no one is leaving you, y/n.”

“you should.”

Days like that made her miss her dog because he didn’t mind cuddling with her until she stopped crying (he was a German Shepherd, so he was basically just a big teddy bear), and she didn’t feel bad for smothering him with her blubbering.

Things weren’t really the same. Tyler saw it, Josh saw it… hell, the fans saw it. They commented on his photos with their concerns. She didn’t know what was going on with her, she felt herself withdrawing from Tyler in the same way she withdrew from her family in middle school. But even then, she still had Tyler.

She did their makeup in silence, barely looking either of them in the eye. She didn’t participate in group activities; she just went to her bunk or hotel room.

Tyler didn’t know what to do.

“You’re gonna have to talk to me,” Tyler cornered her while she was cleaning her makeup brushes. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights, wide-eyed, and frozen in her spot.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Tyler,” she whispered, finally continuing what she was doing.

“But you do, y/n,” he mocked her use of his name, “you’ve gone and shut me out, and that’s not what we do around here.” She didn’t reply, her already clean brush suddenly getting dirtier and dirtier as she looked at it more. “Are you listening to me?”

“I would prefer not to,” she murmured. Tyler took the brush away from her, sitting it on the counter.

“What did I tell you when we were kids?” he asked. She rolled her eyes

“We’re in this together, Peach,” Tyler whispered to her. They had just started high school, and she already hated it. Everyone picked on her and Tyler for… everything.

Over the summer, y/n had hit a growth spurt and grew two inches (it didn’t really make a difference, but somehow everyone noticed), her bra size grew slightly, and her face had blown up with acne. She was a walking target.

Tyler had also grown quite a bit, he was now the tallest boy in most of his classes and the scars on his cheeks from acne were red and bumpy (y/n found out how to help him with those, so they were going away, slowly but surely, but they were still there.) He didn't think too much about the teasing, but he knew his best friend did.

“Even if you get famous?”

“Especially then,” he intertwined their fingers and kissed her knuckles, she blushed. “Because for you, I’ll step to a dude much bigger than me.”

“You’d end up so messed up, Ty,” she giggled, squeezing his hand.

“it’d be worth it,” he pulled her closer. The bed they were sharing was big enough for each of them to have their own space, but everyone knew that wouldn’t happen. The two constantly stayed cuddled up to one another, which did weird their parents out and they forbade it. (What they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them.)

“At the expense of being humiliated in public, you want to still be with me?” her eyes widened, “I-I mean, be my best friend.” Nice save, she reprimanded herself.

If Tyler caught that, he didn’t say anything. Baby steps.

“Of course,” Tyler scoffed, “I promised you I would always be here, and I intend to keep that promise.” She smiled up at him, only slightly, but there was pure happiness beaming from it.

Y/n really enjoyed the show that night, bobbing her head and singing along. Tyler looked over and smiled at her as often as he could, asked if she was ok by shooting a thumbs-up her way, and made sure she always had a water bottle in her hand.

“Tyler,” she started, “can we please go to that little market in the small town an hour away?”

“Why, peach?”

“They sell candles and soap and some vintage posters, I just want to look around and see if there’s anything I can buy for my apartment,” she asked sweetly. Tyler smiled at her, she always did this when there was a shop she was interested nearby.

“Tyler, they sell emu meat!” “But, they make natural perfume, it says they have vanilla on the website.” “Josh said he’d go with me to the Pommes Frites place, do you want to?”

She was so perfect, to him, in every way.

It had been a few weeks since their pow wow and y/n thought she and Tyler were getting closer to what she wanted without either of them prompting it.

But then, Tyler met a girl.

Amanda was beautiful, kind, and talkative. She was a lighting technician they had brought in after their other one went on maternity leave. She would be on tour with them for the rest of that leg. Tyler, being the nice guy, he is, introduced himself on her first day because she seemed lonely. He later invited her to dinner, and then brunch, and then a movie, and then a bar… and it continued for weeks.

y/n felt replaced, (although she knew she wasn’t, it still felt like it.) Her best friend didn’t have the same amount of time he used to, for just them, anymore.

Josh felt for her.

“You can talk to him,” Josh said while she blended his eye shadow out, sloppily.

“I know.”

“Then why don’t you?” He gave her a look. Her parents gave her that look when she would complain about a teacher forcing her to speak up or talk in front of the entire class.

That look that told her, she would have to suck it up and do something because no one else was going to take care of it for her.

“I’m just going to let it happen,” she sighed, “I waited too long and he met someone else, it happens.”

“God, you’re so stupid,” Josh scoffed. Tyler went on and on about how in love he was with her, Josh had really started to get annoyed, “you both love each other but you’re too stubborn and he’s too soft.”

She shook her head, “he doesn’t like me like that, Josh, let’s just drop it.”

Josh rolled his eyes.

She didn’t mean to. The bus was a communal space, everyone came and went without knocking, and she knew she was allowed in there because all of her stuff was in there.

Why couldn’t she go get her phone charger and the makeup she forgot in there?

Because Tyler and Amanda were having a quick shag in the back of the bus, that’s why.

She walked in, thanking Jeffrey (the driver) for opening the door because it was locked and he had a key. Josh was waiting outside, leaning against the side (he was already scrolling through his phone when she was with Jeffrey, not even concerned with why the bus was locked in the first place and whether there was a murderer hiding in there ready to spring out at her. Maybe, she watched too many Criminal Minds episodes for her own good, but she really loved Mathew Gray Gubler.) She didn’t see anything at first and didn’t hear anything, either. So, she assumed Tyler and Amanda were hanging out in the green room.

She opened the door to the storage area in the back (that’s where her stuff was) and was up-fronted by the sight of Tyler ramming his dick into Amanda with his hand covering her mouth. She squeaked and back up out of the room.

“Oh god I’m so sorry!” she covered her eyes with her hands.

“Don’t you know how to fucking knock?” Tyler yelled, “Get the fuck out of here!”

She quickly ran out of the bus, spouting apologies. Once she got off the bus, Josh was already standing in front of the door, concerned by the sudden shouting, “What happened?”

“Nothing! Let’s just go,” she spoke quickly, tears ready to fall at any second.

“Sorry, I can’t come to dinner with you and Josh,” Tyler seemed to apologize a lot recently. If it wasn’t for accidentally being late to get his makeup done, it was for not being able to keep plans. He was always out with Amanda or… in with Amanda. He hadn’t mentioned the incident, and she was very glad. She was so embarrassed when she got off that bus.

(Josh tried to tell her it wasn’t her fault, the bus is a communal area, everyone is off and on it all day, they should have known not to have a quickie in the storage area. That made her feel only a little better.)

“It’s OK,” Josh answered for her, she only smiled at him sweetly, “you can just join us next time, yeah?”

Tyler thanked them and headed off toward the tour bus. Amanda was waiting for him.

Instead of going to dinner, Josh dragged her to a bar he heard a lot about, and she didn’t remember much of what happened after the second beer, she later figured it was because she was already a lightweight and she hadn’t eaten since breakfast and only had two pieces of sushi off of Josh’s plate.

The next morning, she woke up in her hotel room with a killer headache and a weight holding her down by her waist. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and looked to her right. A tuft of curly hair peeking out ever so slightly from under the blankets.

She screeched, throwing his arm off of her and jumping out of bed. That was when she realized she was nude. The sudden noise of her scream and the ruffling of the sheet woke Josh up, who looked at her just as she wrapped said sheet around herself.

“What the fuck?” he said groggily. Then his eyes widened. “did we?”

“I don’t fucking know!” She whined, “do you have clothes on?”

“…. yes,” he looked guilty.

“Really?” She felt reassured for a second.

“No,” he confessed. She scoffed, pivoting on her heel and taking off to the bathroom. The bathroom was a mess, and there were two condom wrappers sitting in the sink, each of them without their original contents.

“Oh god,” she suddenly remembered their make-out session in the bathroom. She had gone to brush her teeth, giggling about the taste of the last cocktail she had drunk (it was sex on the beach) but Josh had another plan. She could still taste the alcohol in the back of her throat with something… salty.

She didn’t want to think too far into that.

She quickly got her toothbrush and attacked her teeth with it.

When she exited the bathroom 20 minutes later, her hair and body freshly washed, Josh was sitting on the bed, fully dressed. She went toward her suitcase across the room. She changed into fresh underwear and a bra, Josh, apparently, had seen a lot worse than her backside last night, so suddenly she wasn’t as self-conscious as she once was.

“We couldn’t have been more obvious with our little… escapade,” he sighed, “people all over Instagram and twitter keep tagging me and asking questions.”

“I’m so sorry,” she sat next to him.

“You don’t have to be, it takes two to tango,” he locked his phone and wrapped an arm around her waist, “It’s just as much my fault as it is yours.”

There was a knock at the door. Josh dropped his arm when she got up to answer it. Tyler was at the door, his hands tucked into his pockets, looking off into space.

“Yes?” She asked.

“Is Josh in there? We have sound check soon,” he didn’t look her in the eye. She couldn’t blame him. Josh walked toward the door, and nodded, saying he was just about to leave.

He kissed her on the temple before he stepped out, “I’ll see you later, okay?”

She nodded in agreement and said her goodbye’s, and shut the door, not even wishing Tyler a farewell. The men walked to the elevator together and as soon as they stepped in, Tyler snapped.

“You slept with her?” he asked, although it was more of a yell.

“Yeah, so what?” Tyler was surprised by this response, the accusatory tone, “Aren’t you fucking that girl… Amanda, is it? You and y/n are not together, she’s a big girl, she can do what she wants!”

“You told me you didn’t feel anything for her!” Tyler yelled.

“You told me you loved her! Apparently, that’s not enough for either of us to keep our dicks in our pants,” Josh snapped, “At least I have balls enough to admit that what I did was bad, admit that it was wrong. You yelled at her for walking in on you fucking someone else, in a tour bus that everyone has free range of, and haven’t even apologized for it! You’re mad at me for taking care of her while you’re off doing god knows what with the girl you talked yourself into liking.”

“I didn't-”

“She’s just basically a fucking replacement for y/n! And when you finally admit that to yourself, this shit will get a lot easier.” The elevator opened up at the bottom floor, Josh got off before Tyler.

“She’s not a replacement,” Tyler said under his breath. They walked to the car that was going to take them to the venue.

Josh didn’t speak to Tyler for the rest of the day.

y/n didn’t talk to Tyler either. Amanda could tell Tyler was struggling and tried to reassure him.

“Baby, they are just selfish, I mean, why else would your two best friends have sex with each other? I thought there would be some bro code thing about that.” That didn’t help.

Josh knew it wasn’t a good idea, but y/n insisted she was ok with it. They were sat in her new hotel room, in a different city. She initiated the kiss, and Josh just followed along.

“You’re just using me to get back a Tyler,” Josh said in between kisses.

“Does it hurt?” she whispered.

“No.”

“Then shut up and kiss me,” she kissed him again.

“We can’t do this anymore,” Josh said when y/n greeted him with a kiss. weeks had passed and she had ended up in bed with Josh more often than not, and she refused to look at anyone else. All her attention was on Josh.

“Why?”

“I’m just a rebound,” Josh intertwined their hands, “And you know it too. You’re just trying to get back at Ty.” She knew he was right, and she nodded in response. “So, talk to him. Amanda is gone, he hasn’t talked to her since she left.” (Esther, the original light tech, had come back from maternity leave earlier than expected, her husband decided to stay home with her instead.)

He left a few minutes later, leaving a sweet kiss on her temple. Almost like clockwork, ten minutes later, Tyler knocked on the door.

“Can we talk?”

Tyler sat on her bed, next to her. Neither talked. She was looking down at her feet, her socks didn’t match. She knew how much Tyler hated it when she did that, and all she wanted him to do was get onto her and make her find all of her matches and put them together.

“So… you and Josh?” he awkwardly asked.

“Not really,” she whispered, “you and Amanda?”

“…not anymore.” There was another awkward moment of silence, then Tyler spoke once again, “I missed you.”

“Then why didn’t you try to talk to me?” She asked.

“You seemed busy with Josh.”

“You seemed busy with Amanda.”

“My god, we’re shit friends,” Tyler laughed. She giggled too, agreeing. “I’m so sorry, peach. For ignoring you and yelling at you… and ditching you. The day after you and Josh started to… you know,” he paused, “the day after, Josh really did me in, made me see how shit I was being.”

“Sounds like Josh. And I’m sorry for ignoring you and not trying to communicate.” Tyler reached out for her and she hugged him, tucking her face into his neck.

“Is that all you wanted to talk about?” she whispered, not wanting to ruin the moment. He shook his head, murmuring back a 'no.’

“I wanted to tell you something I’ve been holding in for years,” he said, pulling away from the hug to look her in the eye, “I’m in love with you.”

That night was a turning point for the two.

Of course, she still couldn’t talk to anyone outside of her bubble. (No love was strong enough to cure selective mutism, even though The Big Bang Theory kind of made it seem that way.)

The two were so, so happy after that night. They spent the rest of the tour attached by the hip way more than they used to be. Then, a few months later, the tour ended and they all went back home. Tyler had promised her at some point they would move in together, rent out a house with a big back yard so her dog, Buddy (who was with her mom until she returned), could run free, especially if Jim was to visit. She would furnish it and make it her home and Tyler would get his own room and an office.

She was laying on the couch, a TV show playing quietly in the background as she read the latest Erik Larson book.

“Tyler,” she called to him, “can you come here?”

Tyler yelled back, “Yeah!” and went downstairs.

“Can you go get me my drink, I don’t wanna get up,” she smiled the smile she knew he couldn’t refuse. He scoffed at her and left the living room to get the cup of water off the counter. The cup, although it was just a simple plastic one with a galaxy design (it was from the dollar store), it reminded him how much he loved her. She would leave for tomatoes that she needed for dinner that night and come home with new dog toys, cute dishes, puzzles, and no tomatoes.

“Here, you lazy bub,” he handed the cup to her. She happily took the cup and singsonged a thank you.

“Aren’t you gonna come cuddle with me?” She asked sweetly.

“How could I pass that up?” he said, laying a sweet kiss on her lips before sliding onto the couch next to her, pulling her as close to him as possible.

He never wanted to let go.

#tyler joseph #tyler joseph imagine #tyler joseph fanfiction #tyler joseph fluff #tyler joseph x reader #josh dun #twenty one pilots imagine #twenty one pilots fluff #twenty one pilots fanfiction

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dameunabananna-blog · 5 years ago

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As a Kpop Idol

-oc: Cho Sanghee (last, first)

-stage name: Echo

-black hair —> brown hair

-hazel eyes

-company: CUBE

-members: 6

-roles: main dancer, lead singer, leader

-concept of group: creative

-group is popular after 2 years

-1st BTS member to notice Echo was J-Hope. He was intrigued by her casual, yet noticeable style and dancing.

-#1 fan is RM. He loves the way she composes the song lyrics and music. To him, she’s the backbone of her group, and everything she seems to do inspires him.

-The 1st member who asked for her number is RM. After exchanging numbers, they have coffee dates (as friends) and talk about their lives, careers, and futures.

-Jin is the member who fell at first sight for Echo. She’s his ideal type— she’s a hard worker, cooks, cleans, is organized, weird in her own way, and he thinks she’s cute and sexy.

-During BTS’ 1st meeting with her and her group, Soulmess, Suga was the one who hugged her 1st. Why? Even he didn’t know. He believed that she was a teddy, so he couldn’t ignore his bold feelings.

-V is the one who asked her out for dinner. 😱 What could this mean? Echo couldn’t reject his invitiation to food— and making a new friend. At first, that was what it was.

-After awhile of hanging out, Jimin and Echo become besties. They don’t hesitate to support and encourage each other. Jimin is the 1st boy idol she’s 100% comfortable with.

-The one who gives her advice and helps her with her serious problems is Suga. Even though he is sometimes rude to her (playfully mostly) and will reject the thought of giving her a hand with something simple, she knows that she can always rely on him. Suga may pretend to hate her, but he knows his limits.

-Her mentor is Suga (again lmao). Not only does he help her with her dilemmas, but he also helps with improving her music production and gives her tips for finding ideas faster.

-Echo and Jin enjoy taking selcas. She’s grown comfortable with him because they can be goofy and beautiful in their selfies and pictures. Furthermore, Jin is the one who encourages her to appreciate the way she looks. Fans are not sure if they should suspect if they’re secretly dating or not.

-Although Jungkook hates being called ‘oppa’, he forces Echo to call him that knowing that she hates calling other older boys ‘oppa’. After V introduced themselves to each other, they’ve acknowledged to each other as friendly rivals (in food, games, etc.)

-V and Echo are found having V-Live streams almost every time they visit each other. In their videos, they can be seen goofing off and laughing 95% of the time. You can tell they enjoy each other’s company, although there’s times where Echo is being a blank statue and V is still in his weirdo mode. Fans find it entertaining to watch.

-Despite their busy schedules, Jimin, Jungkook, and Echo have sleepovers from time to time. They do board games, Overwatch, watch movies, and have pillow fights. Jimin and Jungkook sleep on one bed while Echo sleeps on the other, which disproves of the rumors of them having a polygamist relationship.

-After awhile, fans suspect V and Echo dating. They continue to support and adore the ship, Taehee, by posting cute and funny moments they share onto a variety of social medias.

-J-Hope has become extremely protective of Echo. Other than the BTS members, he doesn’t let any other male idol approach her in any way. This is because he knows she was traumatized when an idol tried to rape her. (It was good he was there to save her :) Although she has mostly recovered from it, J-Hope can never forget that incident.

-To show his undying love for Echo as his family, Suga made a rap for her about how she was so annoying and somehow makes him smile.

Here: (Drive Thru, Idiot)

It’s definitely the concept bringin'

Handle it, got so far gone

What to say, I believe is my command

Nobody ever could handle me

Takin' notes and keys she said hi

I gave you reason to pretend

Feel now every time one time for love

That's where I need, she's my friend

How to jerk it 212 and 310

Lose myself to the smile

Won't you roll with me that's the time

Drive thru idiot... you idiot

You're gonna meet your destiny and with the uh

Uh 'cause that's how I feel

Breath away on the line roll back go roll

Freeze the line but I'm afraid, don't be influenced

How to jerk it 212 and 310

Lose myself to the smile

Won't you roll with me that's the time

Drive thru idiot... you idiot

Arms tonight I, I, I, I i could feel

The flame of her laughter down on the floor

Sleep ya body right here (referring to the couch), girl

To keep it— hush, no questions on warmest affection

How to jerk it 212 and 310

Lose myself to the smile

Won't you roll with me that's the time

Drive thru idiot, idiot... you idiot

-Jin is the one who anonymously sends Echo flowers. BTS and Soulmess already know it’s him except for the clueless Echo.

-Ever since Jin and Echo acted in a K-Drama together, they’re known as the K-Drama couple. Some fans began shipping them because of the heart shaking moments of the series. It was their first time officially becoming actors. Although Echo was 100% acting, Jin knew he didn’t have to.

-RM, J-Hope, and Echo spend their times together during a short holiday in Thailand. They take many pictures and videos of the sights and ridiculous moments of Echo and J-Hope being crazy.

-Eventually, it is proven that V and Echo are dating. Fans start demanding a K-Drama with Sanghee and Taehyung in it.

Most of this was inspired by a BTS video game or door or whatever you call it. Yee

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bike42 · 4 years ago

Text

IAT 5/20 thru 5/24/2021

So excited to be back on the trail - seems likes it’d been a long time since we’d been up north, and finally we are into full spring.

Earlier in the week, we got the sad news in that Lynn’s father passed away, so she and Kent had to cancel. George Sanchez, BrightStar owner from Austin who is joining us in Tanzania, had already made plans to travel to Wisconsin to hike with us, so we decided to go ahead with the trip, and several of us have offered to Lynn that we’ll travel back up there in June to repeat those segments with her. Gary, Dan and Tam had met George in October of 2019 when he was in Wisconsin for the BrightStar owner’s conference, but Lynn and Kent still haven’t met him.

George flew into Madison Wednesday evening. Jeff and I picked him up, had an easy dinner at home and probably too much wine and bourbon since we had an early departure Thursday morning!

As we were approaching Antigo Thursday morning, Gary sent a text saying the meeting spot didn’t have a clear spot for parking, so he drove around and found the Town of Rolling Town Hall building with a large parking lot. The Knickmeier’s joined us there, and we shuttled to the Town of Polar to start our trek for the day. The weather forecast called for good chance of rain the next 4 days, so we were prepared with rain gear, and had to stop to don our poncho’s after just about 3 blocks!

Much of the next 12-15 days of walking will be on CR’s (connecting routes) with just a few segments (trail) here and there. We can walk faster on the roads, and when they’re quiet county roads, its also easier to carry on a conversation – so they’re not all bad. Once again, I was grateful for our group decision to hike the whole trail in consecutive sections – otherwise it’d be tempting to cherry pick the nice trail segments and procrastinate on completing the CR’s.

I like to walk the CR’s in my “trail runners,” and I use a fanny pack with water bottle holders. It also has space for snacks and rain gear. Today, I’d strapped on an umbrella, and that along with a light poncho worked great. The rain came and went – generally, if you took your poncho off, it’d come back!

At one point, Dan and Tam and I were walking three-abreast. I was on the left side, and to my left, I heard a deer crashing through the trees. To our dismay, she bolted onto the slippery asphalt right in front of us. Her hooves were slipping and she fell hard, onto her side – and then slid across the rest of the road. When she reached the right-side shoulder, she righted herself, stood, and bolted back into the woods. Other than gasps, we were all speechless. We walked to where she fell as there was a white swath left on the pavement – it was hair! Besides that, her hooves had made grooves in the asphalt. What a shock, but we were so relieved that she was able to get up and run off into the woods – no doubt, with some severe road-rash!

The rest of the trek was uneventful – quiet roads, some farms, mostly wooded areas. Our plan was to take a break and drive back to the Dixie Diner in downtown Antigo for lunch. Our original plan was ten miles, but we’d covered thirteen to our new parking spot.

As the Dixie Diner, we were greeted by the young waitress that said she remembered us from last month – not sure if that’s good or bad! It was fun seeing the menu through George’s eyes – but there we a lot of questions that we couldn’t answer. We’re not completely sure our waitress correctly answered the questions, but she got points for enthusiasm! She described “broasted chicken” as “like deep fried pressure cooker – like Kentucky Fried Chicken but better.” The oddest thing was a “Hot Hamburger,” which was white bread with a cooked hamburger patty, mashed potatoes on top of that, and gravy over everything. George also wanted cheese curds, and most of us had regular cheeseburgers or BLT’s. Food was so so, but it was great to have a break from walking the road, and as usual, we had lots of laughs.

After lunch, we picked up the Knickmeier’s car, then dropped it at the end of our route. We walked an additional 3 miles, of course with the rain coming just about as soon as we’d set out! Then a quick drive to the Dells of Eau Claire county park where I’d reserved a campsite for the next three nights. We knew it was going to be a rustic site (no showers, and vault toilets), but we were surprised to hear they still had the water turned off “due to COVID.”

Dan and Tam made dinner while we set up camp. Jeff and I took our Big Agnes two-person and gave the three-person to Gary and George (although before night fall, Gary decided he was going to hotel it in Antigo, as Dan and Tam had already planned that. It was a yummy dinner, and great together time anyway. Jeff and I had this blue sofa-thing that we’d gotten as a reward from MS fundraising. We had a lot of laughs watching Gary try to fill it with air.

Dan and George had started a fire, and we had a beautiful evening with no bugs. Only issue was I’d forgotten the chocolate for the S’mores!

Before the hotellers lefts, we scrounged all the water everyone had from their bottles and gave them the empties to fill at the hotel – needed enough water to make coffee and breakfast!

Just before dark, I saw a black cat walking down the road. As he/she approached, we could hear her meowing. I went out to see if she would approach me, and she was very friendly - rubbing against my legs. She followed me back to our site, and stayed with us about 20 minutes - jumping onto our laps and also onto our picnic table - sampling the left-over cheese curds and macaroons! Then she moved on. Jeff checked with the other campers to see if she belonged to them - they said no, but she’d visited them too. She seemed well groomed and healthy, not like a feral cat, but comfortable in her surroundings!

We retired to the tents about 9:30p, it was mostly quiet, save a hot rod truck now and then zooming down the nearby highway.

Overnight there was rain, mostly light, but some heavy. We stayed dry and snuggly in our two-person tent.

I awoke just before my 6am alarm, and dressed for the day, donned my raincoat and left the tent. It was a beautiful peaceful morning, with no one else up and about from the 4-5 campsites that were occupied.

Due to our limited water supply, first priority was a French press of coffee - then we used a little water for instant oatmeal (mixed with yogurt and homemade granola). Just a little water left over to do the dishes, and Tam brought water for our bottles and camelbacks for today’s hike.

We set out in two cars; really nice that the car shuttles are easy this section of our trek! We walked a quick 4 miles of CR before entering the Plover River segment. Of course, we got about a quarter of a mile and the rain started. We quickly donned our ponchos, yet the rain remained light.

Shortly after starting the segment, most people stashed their rain gear. The canopy of the trees was thick enough, and we got a few drops, but not much to worry about, and the day was heating up.

The segment had varied terrain - hills, beautiful large granite erratics, swamps, boardwalks, areas that had been logged. I’d thought the spring wildflowers along the road were amazing, but in the forest, it was truly magical. I found myself dropping back to just get lost in the beauty of the day: flowers, a cacophony of birdsong, and a comfortable warm day.

We crossed the Plover River a few times, once with a rock-hop, and I know I wasn’t the only one in the group that wished it had been more challenging!! Towards the end, we walked across really cool boardwalks, twisting around the trees. We lingered to look at the swamp a bit, but it was just starting to get buggy so we kept moving.

After the segment, we drove back to camp and ate lunch, which gave us the energy to push on to do the easy 3-mile CR and Dells of Eau Claire River segment. Its always fun to be camping on the actual route!

The Dells of Eau Claire was beautiful, but on a gorgeous Friday late afternoon, it was overrun with people! Few were walking on the Ice Age Trail, but there were dozens gathered along the river – some fishing, most just messing around in the water. Many of the rock formations reminded us of Devil’s Lake – but the beauty was accompanied by the awesome sound of the water rushing over the rocks. We lingered along the river, then a footbridge brought us to the other side, where we picked up the pace as fast as we could over rocks and roots. That side of the river reminded us a lot of the Grandfather Falls segment along the Wisconsin river.

Back to camp for dinner – Jeff and I had made the fixings for a burrito bar, so there was time to have a beer and snacks and unwind before dinner. After two long days, Jeff and George decided to head down to the “beach” above the dam and bathe in the Eau Claire River – they came back refreshed. Tam took a shot at inflating the “air sofa,” and the video Gary took was hysterical as the smoke from the fire gave it a mystical effect. We had a great dinner and lots of laughs. We got a text from Lynn letting us know that she and Kent were going to join us for the next two days – great news!!

The hotel gang left, and Jeff, George and I enjoyed some time around the fire – turned into a gorgeous evening. Friday night, and the campground filled up, but nothing too rowdy.

Saturday morning, we had a little more time since we were meeting Lynn and Kent at 9AM at the start of the Thornapple Creek Segment. We had a plan to make eggs and pan bread for breakfast, but there was an issue with the stove (gas leak in a valve?) and we were lucky just to heat a little water for oatmeal and coffee. When the hotellers arrived, Dan and Jeff borrowed some tools from the neighbor and took the stove apart, but it’ll still need some work. We shuttled two cars to Hatley, and drove back to meet Lynn and Kent. Hugs all around – so great to have the gang all together.

Kent is doing well mending his shoulder, but still playing it safe skipping the segment treks – he’ll join us tomorrow on the CR. We had 0.8 mi of road and we started out fast. When we turned to walk an easement along a farm field, I stopped to put on my low gaiters – good thing because we were soon slogging through a swamp. The swamp had 18” high grass, and soon we were picking ticks off our legs – ugh. We always joke that Dan is a “tick magnet,” but George gave him a run for his money today! We probably had about a mile of the ickyness, but soon we were out to logging roads and farm fields and it was better.

Being Saturday, we encountered 5 people – that’s a lot for the northern sections of the IAT. We stopped to chat with two folks for a bit – a women from the Twin Cities and her brother from Sheboygan. It was their first day of hiking the IAT, but they were excited to hear our tales and are going to try to do the whole thing too.

We moved seamlessly to the Ringle Segment, and were disappointed in no segment signs on either of todays sections. We encountered some boy scouts that were doing trail maintenance – fun to chat with them a bit and thank them for their work. The Ringle Segment was well maintained, with sections of thick woods with eskers, and also sections that went close to homes and farms. We went past a house where a guy named Tim was on his riding lawn mower. He stopped to entertain us for a bit with stories and jokes.

Eventually, the sound of the birds was replaced by the sound of heavy machinery. At first, I thought we were hearing Highway 29, but it was actually the sound of equipment at a landfill. The trail skirted the edge of it, and as we got downwind, the smell was awful. From there, we turned onto the Mountain-Bay State Trail and walked that to Hatley. The day was sunny and warm – well above 80, and the trail was in the sun. By the time we got to Hatley, we were parched. We got into the cars and went in search of cold beer – which we found around the corner at the “Barrell Inn,” along with some local color. We had a beer, and Jeff and George bought a six pack to go and we headed back to camp with a plan to meet the gang for pizza in Antigo that evening.

I joined Jeff and George for a river-bath – it was cold, but refreshing and felt good on my feet and sore muscles – three days with long miles so far! We had a beer at our camp, then drove to meet the others at BB Jacks in Antigo (recommendation from the bar earlier). We had fried appetizers, salads, and too much pizza. None-the-less, we followed it with a DQ stop anyway. Lots of laughs. On the drive back to the campground, we checked out an auto museum as well as a yard with some really bizarre sculptures. Both were attractions that we’d buzzed by a few times already, but this time I was driving!

Back to camp, I opened a bottle of wine and we had S’mores with dark chocolate – yum. We stayed up around the fire for a bit, yet its no wonder that I had trouble falling asleep when I did go to the tent (beer, pizza, ice cream and s’mores!!!).

Sunday morning, we had a plan to meet the gang at 8am for a few hours of road walk. We got up early, packed up the tent. Jeff was getting the stove ready and I found that the French press had broken in its box into many little pieces of glass. I grabbed my phone and found a café 10 miles away – so we woke George up, packed up quickly and headed to Trucks Place in Birnamwood where we found a friendly waitress and great food.

Perfect timing – we all arrived at our meeting place at the same time. Quick shuttle back to Hatley and we were trekking along County Highway Y – which will be a CR that we’ll have to complete next time, but we knocked 5 miles off today.

Dan and Tam, and Lynn and Kent were going to drive back to what we’d hiked on Thursday so catch them up a bit, we headed back towards Madison to get George to the airport. Along the way, he actually found he could switch to an earlier flight which would get him home at a decent hour.

During these few days, I reflected on how awesome it’s been to experience the northern IAT for all 4 seasons now. I don’t have a favorite – there are things I like and don’t like about each of them, but what I like best I guess is the variety.

It was neat to share with George and find that I do have a pretty good knowledge of many plants and the forests in general. I can recognize an old native forest, and can easily see when one has been logged and replanted. I’m sad when I see invasive species introduced to pristine forests, but I know how easily it can happen. I’m not so great at the geological terms that go with the glacial landscapes, but I’ve learned a few things (eskers, erratics, kettles, moraines). As we walked along the edge of quite a few farms, we saw great examples of fields with rocks – some that look like they’re being “farmed” for landscaping boulders. Farming in northern WI is tough – not just due to the shorter growing season, but wow what a lot of rocks!

We had a great variety of IAT experiences for George over these 4 days, everything but a beaver dam crossing and hiking in the dark! It feels like an accomplishment to be getting closer to home. We have five days planned in June, and after that we should be able to make day trips.

#IAT

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danfanciesphil · 7 years ago

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They r both exorcists and pinning for each other aznd on one of their missions? Are they called missions? Well, the demon attacks one of them and spooky prompts happen!

yesSSSS

allow me to create this phantastic au

Most of the time, their jobs are boring.

Leaky pipes creating strange stains on the walls. Ancient, badly constructed houses making eerie groans as the woodwork bows and creaks. Families of squirrels or bats creating nests in the hollow spaces between walls. Drafts from badly fitted windows pushing ornaments off of shelves.

You name the spooky happening, Dan and Phil have probably seen it, investigated it, and found a non-supernatural explanation for it.

Dan & Phil Spiritual Investigations™.

They call themselves spiritual investigators, or exorcists, but most days they’re debunkers. Sometimes they’re exterminators. Occasionally they’re plumbers or handymen - and very, very rarely, they actually encounter, and have to deal with, a real supernatural entity.

See, what neither Dan nor Phil realised prior to starting this business together, is that most of the time, ghosts just aren’t that bothered with the living. Poltergeists are an uncommon occurrence in modern times, as it’s not often that spirits have enough of a grudge against the living to make their lives hell.

“We got into the wrong profession,” Phil jokes for maybe the hundredth time as he and Dan stroll out of Mrs Pasteur’s house.

She’d called them complaining of flickering lights, strange humming noises, and weird staticky areas around her house that made her hair stand on end.

“To be fair, we probably saved her from getting a nasty electric shock,” Dan says wearily.

“Way to put a bright spin on it,” Phil says with a giggle.

Dan rolls his eyes, but smiles. Phil sighs heavily, unlocking the car and ducking into the driver’s seat. Dan climbs into the passenger side, feeling far less positive about the situation now that he no longer has to smile sweetly for the client.

“I can’t help but think we’re qualified to do a bit more than pop round to tell old ladies to replace their dodgy generators.” Dan complains, resting his head against the seat with a sigh.

“Ah, there it is.” Phil says, turning the key in the ignition. He offers Dan a sympathetic smile. “Knew my pessimist best friend was in there somewhere.”

A warm, glowy sensation pulsates low in Dan’s belly, as it always does whenever Phil refers to him as a best friend. It comes, obviously, with a pang of yearning for Phil to think of him as a little more. Or a lot more, actually.

As usual, Dan turns away from the feeling, stuffing it deep down inside of him.

There’s simply no use pining for something - or someone, in this case - that will never be.

“Hey, cheer up,” Phil tells him, ever the chipper of the two. “I’ll drive back via the McDonald’s drive thru. Fries make everything better.”

Dan turns to him, offering a weak smile. “Okay.”

That evening, they receive an email.

This in itself is strange, because it’s 2017, and who even emails anymore? Most of their clients get in touch via phone, Facebook, or Twitter. They’ve received the odd letter, and on one memorable occasion had an honest to god fax sent their way.

Dan opens their business email with a frown, putting his glass of wine down for a moment. He checks the time on the corner of his screen. It’s 11:03pm.

Pretty late for a client to get in contact.

“Hey, we just got an email,” Dan says; he feels Phil look up from whatever he’s doing on his laptop on the other end of the sofa.

“Really? Who from?”

Dan glances at the sender email address. “Someone called Brian Coulter.”

“How’s his generator?”

Dan snorts, rolling his eyes. He scans the email vaguely, not really expecting to find anything worth their time. “He’s twenty-nine, lives alone, two cats…”

“The dream.” Phil sighs, and Dan laughs, though his heart stings a bit.

He and Phil don’t exactly live together by choice, he knows, as flats are expensive in London, and it makes sense for them to share this tiny place than struggle to afford two separate ones. It’s a convenience thing too, because they’re business partners, and it means they can use this place as an ‘office’ as well as a home. Dan gets it, but he likes living with Phil. It’s painful to be reminded of the fact that if Phil had a choice, he probably wouldn’t choose to live with Dan.

But again, there’s no point in sulking about it. Dan pushes the thoughts away.

“He’s been experiencing some weird things ever since he had a lucid dream a few nights ago.” Dan mutters, skimming the long paragraphs of this guy’s rambly email. “Skittish cats, knocks on his door in the night, objects moving around, whispering noises… oh, he attached a video file.”

Phil sits up straight, shuffling closer to Dan so he can see the screen. Dan immediately grows warm, swallowing as he feels Phil’s chest and shoulder press against his. They’re both in thin t-shirts and loose sweatpants. They wear comfy clothes around the flat as much as possible because they dress in suits for work, and those are as uncomfortable as hell.

Phil’s t-shirt is space-themed, with a massive kitten on the front shooting laserbeams out of its eyes. Dan loves that t-shirt with all his heart. He loves Phil in it even more.

“A video file?” Phil asks, obviously unaware of Dan’s sudden shift in mood.

Dan can hear one of their hearts beating so loudly it’s like it’s vibrating his bones beneath the skin. He tries to ignore it, moving the mouse shakily to click the attached file.

A thirty second clip plays. The camera is completely static, as if left on a shelf somewhere. A fairly normal-looking apartment interior fills the frame, entirely devoid of activity aside from a cat wandering across the floor at 0:23 seconds.

Phil turns towards Dan, obviously perplexed. Dan can feel Phil’s eyes boring into him, but he doesn’t trust himself to look Phil in the face when he’s this close.

“I don’t get it,” Phil says. “Go back to the email.”

Dan does, and they both read it through silently. At the bottom, there’s a P.S from Brian.

‘P.S. I attached a video in case you need proof or whatever. Not sure how this all works. Watch carefully, focus on the curtain by the back window. I leave a camera running overnight now to catch anything weird that might be happening while I’m asleep. This was taken at about 3 in the morning.’

“Okay, go back to the video.” Phil instructs, so Dan clicks it again. “So the curtain by the back window… there it is.”

Phil points to the place on the screen, and Dan nods, clicking play. They watch avidly, zeroing in on this one spot.

At around 0:13 seconds, they both gasp. First, the curtain twitches. It’s a very slight movement, barely noticeable unless you were looking closely. Then, in what is possibly the most disturbing thing Dan has ever witnessed, a small, white, claw-like hand curls around the very edge of the curtain.

Dan closes the video, sick with terror. He whips around to face Phil, utterly traumatised.

“Oh my God.” Dan says, his own expression mirrored in Phil’s glazed blue eyes. “That was the creepiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Hoax?” Phil croaks out.

Dan shakes his head firmly. “I don’t think so. There’s no way someone was behind that tiny curtain, it didn’t even reach all the way to the floor.”

“Worth checking out?” Phil asks, though he looks a little scared of the prospect.

Dan stares at him for a moment, waiting for his pounding heart to slow. “Definitely.”

Brian turns out to be a nice guy, which is a shame, because he is definitely, without a shadow of a doubt, being haunted.

He’s a bit nerdy, and obviously kind of a loner, but he’s pleasant and grateful to Dan and Phil for helping. He offers them tea, which they accept. He starts boiling the kettle and then pours milk straight down the sink instead of into the prepared cups, so Phil generously takes over.

“Sorry,” Brian says to them both, sitting down at his kitchen table. Dan takes a chair opposite, smiling in sympathy. “Haven’t been getting much sleep since… well. All this.”

Dan nods in understanding. “Don’t worry about it. Phil makes a cracking cuppa.”

Phil turns round to grin at them both, and resumes the tea-making with a happy hum.

“So, what do you guys, like, need?” Brian asks them.

The dark circles around his bloodshot eyes speak wonders about his state of mind at the moment. As do the shakes wracking his whole body. Dan wants to give the poor guy a hug.

At that moment, a cat jumps up onto Dan’s lap, making him yelp. Phil laughs at him, and Dan glares in response, stroking a hand over the cat. He can’t help it if he’s a little on edge right now. This whole apartment is giving him the creeps.

“We don’t need anything from you, Brian, don’t worry.” Dan tells him. “Just a bit of time to cleanse the place. Maybe you could go round to a friend’s for a while?”

“Oh, well, I’m not sure if anyone I know will be free right now-”

“Oh, not right now.” Phil interrupts, placing a cup of tea down in front of Brian. He hands Dan his mug too, and Dan takes is gratefully. It’s just how he likes it, of course. “We’ll have to come back at night. That’s when entities are most prevalent. About three in the morning, usually.”

“Three in the morning?” Brian exclaims, shocked.

Dan nods, grimacing. “Spirits tend to have most power when the veil is at its thinnest. That’s when the living world is at its quietest.”

“When everyone’s asleep.” Phil adds. “Well, everyone sane, anyway.”

“God, you guys must have such crazy lives.” Brian says, shaking his head in wonder. “How do you cope?”

Phil chuckles, and Dan sighs as he strokes the cat on his knee. He wonders what Brian would do with the knowledge that, generally, their lives are shockingly mediocre. The cat starts to purr.

“We’ve got each other.” Phil says unexpectedly. Dan sips tea, trying not to dwell on the words.

“I can’t believe you brought pyjamas.” Dan says with a chuckle.

Phil turns around, the picture of indignation in his Buffy the Vampire Slayer shirt and baggy Muppets pyjama bottoms. He pushes the glasses up his nose with a huff.

“You’ll be sorry when it’s bedtime and you have to sleep in your suit.” Phil says, turning back to fiddle with his monitor.

“We’re not supposed to be sleeping!” Dan protests. “We’re here to catch a ghost!”

“So what were you planning to do until 3am?” Phil asks. “Braid my hair? Share first kiss stories? Snuggle?”

The blood rushes to Dan’s cheeks so quickly it makes him feel a little dizzy. He turns away with an eyeroll, not trusting himself to respond for a few seconds.

“I just like to maintain at least an air of professionalism is all.” Dan says haughtily, making Phil laugh.

“Is that why you’ve taken your suit jacket off to make a bed for the cat?”

Dan glances over at Pepper, Brian’s grey bobtail cat, with whom he’s made a close bond already. Pepper is currently curled up on his suit jacket, it’s true, but it’s not really fair of Phil to say that Dan specifically put it there for him to lie on.

“He likes my smell, okay?” Dan says huffily, and Phil giggles, walking over to him.

Phil leans in, burying his face in Dan’s neck and takes a long sniff. Dan squirms, batting him away, though he can feel his heart racing.

“Yeah, can’t really blame him to be honest.”

“Shut up,” Dan mumbles, and Phil laughs. “Are we ready to go?”

“Yep,” Phil says brightly, “all set up. Alarm will go off as soon as any electromagnetic disturbance is felt.”

“Not that it’ll wake you up,” Dan grumbles. “Mister I-didn’t-hear-the-postman every fucking morning.”

“I’m a heavy sleeper!” Phil argues, though he’s giggling. “You can wake me up anyway. You’ll be next to me, after all.”

Dan’s heart stutters, and he almost drops the audio equipment in his hands. “Um, what?”

“You’re not really planning on staying up until three, are you?” Phil asks, tilting his head to one side.

Dan thinks about it, and quickly decides that staying awake until the wee hours, alone, in a haunted apartment does not sound like fun.

“Um, no, probably not I guess.”

“So, we’ll have to share.” Phil says matter-of-factly, shrugging as though it’s nothing.

“Share…”

Phil raises an eyebrow. “Yes, share. Share the bed.”

Dan’s heart actually stops for a moment, he’s sure. “R-really?”

Phil gives him a weird look. “Unless you see another bed in here?”

“I could take the sofa…” Dan says, glancing over at it unsurely.��

It’s barely big enough to fit Brian’s other cat, Cayenne, who is currently sprawled across the length of it.

“You’re not taking the sofa.” Phil says firmly, his voice weirdly harsh.

Dan just watches in surprise as Phil walks past him to the kitchen for what is no doubt his tenth cup of coffee of the day.

End of discussion, apparently.

“Are you sure you don’t wanna take your trousers off?”

“Stop trying to get me out of my pants, Phil, Christ.”

Phil giggles, but Dan doesn’t think he could laugh if he tried. “I just think you’re gonna be uncomfy-”

“I’m fine.” Dan grits out, and Phil stops talking, mercifully.

This is unbearable. Dan was expecting a trying night, but the idea that he might have to share a bed with Phil in a haunted flat never even occurred to him.

He and Phil have shared a bed once before, a couple of years ago, when they took a case in Scotland. They never have any money - this job, unsurprisingly, does not pay well - so they’d booked a room in a hostel, not realising they’d have to squeeze into one bed.

There had been another bed in the room, which is why they booked it, but they hadn’t realised that this other bed would be occupied by two other hostel-ers.

The other guests had been a young, tipsy couple on holiday. They’d had what they probably thought was quiet, muffled sex several times throughout the night. Dan hadn’t slept a wink, and spent the whole night trying not to relate the sexual noises filling the room to the boy beside him who he’s been desperately in love with since they met.

Until now, Dan has thought of that night as the worst of his life. This might take the crown, however.

“Are you scared?” Phil asks out of nowhere.

“Not really,” Dan says, truthfully.

“Yeah, me neither.” Phil admits. There’s a jostle as Phil moves around. Dan is facing away from him - an act of self-preservation - but he can still sense Phil’s every movement and breath. “It’s early though.”

“Just don’t scream if you hear something.” Dan says, and Phil laughs.

“We both know you’re the screamer, Dan.” Phil jokes, then pauses. “That sounded way dirtier than I intended.”

Dan groans; this night is going to kill him. Whether he dies of frustration or the ghost is anybody’s guess.

“Not like I would know, I suppose.” Phil says thoughtfully.

Dan wants to curl up and die, suddenly. What the fuck is Phil playing at right now? He turns over, against his better judgement, to stare at Phil in bewilderment.

“Sorry, is that an area you’re interested in?”

Phil grins, his tongue poking out through his teeth. “Well, since we’re having a slumber party, might as well share secrets.” Dan just stares at him in wonder. “Are you?”

“Am I what?”

“A screamer.” Phil answers. “In bed, I mean.”

Dan blushes hard, but it’s dark, so he doesn’t think Phil notices. “I’m not answering that.”

“That’s a yes.” Phil says around a laugh. He pokes Dan in the side, making him yelp. “Knew it.”

“Oh, fuck off.” Dan growls; he should turn back to face the other way, he knows, but he can’t make himself look away from Phil’s tired, mischievous face. “What about you, then?”

Phil grins again, winking at Dan. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

Yes, Dan shouts in his mind. I would.

“No, actually, I don’t care.” Dan lies easily. “Now let’s go to sleep, for fuck’s sake. We’ve got to fight a damn ghost in a few hours.”

Phil giggles, but, mercifully, shuts his eyes.

A scraping sound wakes Dan up.

It sounds like metal dragging across stone. It’s grating and rough, sending shudders through Dan’s whole body.

He reaches for his phone, which he put on one of Brian’s bedside tables. It’s only as he moves that he notices there’s a weight across his middle. He freezes, mind instantly projecting to the ghost, but then he remembers he’s not alone in this bed.

He swallows, trying to make sense of the situation. He reaches down to touch whatever it is draped over him. The first thing he feels is warmth. He knows instinctively what it is, and he wants to cry, suddenly.

This isn’t fair.

Dan shifts a little, trying to feel out how trapped he is. Phil’s arm is completely wrapped around him. Dan realises for the first time that he can feel warm, soft gusts of air across the back of his neck.

Breaths, Dan realises.

Phil’s breaths.

Dan’s heart picks up its pace.

Phil is basically spooning him right now. What the fuck is he supposed to do in this situation?

He grabs his phone, praying that the movement might stir Phil into moving away from him, even unconsciously.

The time reads 3:02am.

The grating noise sounds again, reverberating through the room, cutting through Dan’s sleep-fog. He clasps Phil’s forearm out of instinct, heart pounding suddenly.

“Wuh?”

Fuck, he woke Phil up.

“Phil, there’s something outside the door.”

“Where are we?”

Dan rolls his eyes, struggling to turn over. Phil’s arm is a dead weight over him, practically pinning him down. He manages to get himself laying on his back, after some shifting.

“We’re at Brian’s, remember?” Dan says. “We’re here to de-ghost his flat.”

Phil yawns, shifting about. His arm tightens around Dan’s middle, pulling him against his chest.

“Hm, sleepy.” Phil says, then buries his face in Dan’s shoulder.

“Phil, wake up.” Dan says through gritted teeth, trying to ignore the ache in his chest at having Phil willingly tug himself closer to Dan in this context. “There’s a fucking ghost outside.”

Not knowing what else to do, Dan kicks Phil in the leg. It works, and Phil yanks his arm away from Dan’s torso with a yelp.

“Ow!”

“Shh!”

“What the-”

An enormous bang resounds through the air, sounding like something throwing itself at the bedroom door. Dan squeals, scrambling upright.

“Fuck, that’s-”

“An angry ghost, yeah.” Dan finishes. “Come on, let’s get up.”

Phil nods, seeming a little bleary still. He finds his glasses and slides them on, then joins Dan in vacating the bed. Together, they move quietly towards the door.

“I don’t want to open this door.” Dan says.

“Me neither.” Phil replies. “Maybe we should just go back to bed?”

Dan is in the middle of sending Phil a scornful look that he’s pretty sure is lost to the darkness when another enormous bang strikes the door in front of them.

“Fuck!” Dan cries. “I wish it would chill the fuck out.”

“Excuse me?” Phil says loudly. “Mister ghost? Or Miss ghost, whomever. Please could you stop banging on the door. We’re going to open it now and neither of us are very good at dealing with jump scares.”

“Phil, you are the worst exorcist ever.”

“It’s stopped banging on the door, hasn’t it?”

Dan rolls his eyes, but has to admit that there is a significant lack of banging right now. He takes a deep breath, then reaches for the door handle.

“Wait!” Phil says, sounding panicked.

Dan looks at him expectantly, waiting for an explanation. “What?”

“Don’t die.”

Dan just stares. “Thanks.”

Phil nods at him. God, Dan thinks, this night is so fucking weird.

He pulls open the door quickly, thinking of it like ripping off a plaster. As he expected, there’s nothing on the other side. Cayenne is still sprawled on the couch, and Pepper is perched on a nearby table, looking wary but otherwise fine.

“Have you got the sage?” Dan whispers to Phil, who nods.

“In my pocket.”

“The crystals?”

“Uh huh.”

“Have you checked the EMF meter?”

“Oh, no.”

Dan nods, and Phil creeps back over to the bedside table, where he’s left the EMF meter. He studies it for a moment, then looks up at Dan, looking alarmed.

“Not good.” Phil says.

Well, Dan could probably have guessed that.

“Burn the sage.” Dan instructs him, and Phil nods, fumbling around in his pockets for the herbs and lighter. “And follow me.”

With the familiar scent of smoking sage trailing after them, Dan and Phil make their way trepidatiously out of the bedroom, eyes darting left and right for any supernatural sightings.

“Nos eiciant vos,” Phil murmurs. “Ab hoc loco.”

He repeats this several times, and Dan tries not to concentrate on how creepy it sounds.

They stop in the centre of the room, looking around in fear.

“Do you hear anything?” Dan asks in a whisper.

“No,” Phil replies. There’s a silence. One of the cats yawn. “Dan?”

“Yeah?”

“Was I…” Phil pauses. “Was I spooning you?”

The question slaps Dan around the face; he’s totally unprepared for it. “Uh, kind of.”

“Oh,” Phil says. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Dan says quickly, though it isn’t. “Let’s just get on with this, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Phil echoes. “Must’ve been a subconscious thing. Didn’t you try and push me awa-”

A screech splits the air, and something shatters above them. Dan covers his face with his hands, sure he’s about to be cut with glass or shrapnel. He feels something wrap around him, and realises belatedly that it’s Phil, shielding him with his body.

His hands fall from his face in surprise.

After a few moments, Phil steps away, clearly still panicked. “What the fuck just happened?”

Dan turns his face up towards the ceiling, noting the overhead light has gone out. “I think the bulbs in that light shattered.”

“This is one pissed off ghost.” Phil says, looking a little pale.

“You just…” Dan starts to say, but trails off. You just saved me.

“Just what?” Phil asks.

“Never mind.”

“So, shall we do the ritual, then?”

“Yeah,” Dan says, feeling a little dizzy for some reason. “Light the candles.”

They set it up hours ago. A big, bold pentagram on the wall, made with duct tape. Fifty candles dotted about the room, special extra-sensitive audio equipment, crystals, and an orb given to them by a shaman they’ve worked with in the past that serves as a connection point to the other side.

Dan recites the usual incantation, and they wait, cross legged on Brian’s floor, trying to concentrate on the spiritual energy around them rather than the cats wandering over their laps, poking their noses at the various herbs and trinkets laying about the place.

“You do that so well.” Phil says in admiration, looking so proud that it makes Dan squirm under his gaze.

“Do what so well?”

“The recitation. You sound just like you’re supposed to.” Phil tells him. “Just like they sound on TV.”

“Um, thanks.” Dan says, feeling uncomfortable. “Okay, so I’m gonna ask it who it is now.”

Phil nods, turning towards the largest candle, which they’ve placed in front of them.

“Quis es?”

They wait.

The candle flickers, and the EMF meter shows some disturbance. Dan nods at Phil.

“Ask what it wants,” Phil tells him.

“Quid vis?” Dan asks.

Again the candle flickers.

“Okay, let’s play that back.” Phil says, picking up his laptop, which displays the audio recording. He pauses it, and drags the playbar back to the start.

They crowd close to the laptop to listen.

Phil smells warm and syrupy; Dan tries not to focus on it.

The audio is distorted and difficult to make out, but Dan’s voice comes through clear as a bell.

‘Quis es?’

‘Timor tuus ego sum. Ego tenebris.’ A muffled, scratchy voice says.

Phil stops the recording, turning to Dan. “What did it say?”

Dan gulps, feeling his hairs stand on end. “I think it said… I am your fear. I am your dark.”

“O…kay.” Phil says, eyes widening. “Creepy AF, got it.”

He presses play again.

‘Quid vis?’ Dan’s voice asks.

‘Ut quid te timeret.’

Phil stops the recording, turning to Dan expectantly.

Dan really wishes he never learned Latin, at this point. “It said it wants to know what we’re afraid of.”

“Bloody hell.” Phil says, then leans forwards to blow out the candle.

This, it turns out, does not sit well with their new, invisible friend.

The windows begin to rattle, and the candles around them snuff out in a big gust of wind. Something rakes a claw mark through the pentagram on the wall.

Again, inexplicably, Phil hurls himself over Dan’s body, using himself as a protective shield. The windows stop rattling after a moment, and Phil sits up, looking Dan in the eye.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m- why do you keep doing that?”

“Doing what?”

“You keep dramatically diving in front of me, like you’re my bodyguard or something.”

“I don’t want you to get hurt.” Phil says like it’s an obvious answer.

“But what if you get hurt?”

Phil just scoffs, and Dan’s eyes bulge.

“Phil, you don’t need to protect me, I’m f-”

Something very strong, very ephemeral, and very scary shoves into Dan’s chest, winding him. It hoists him up off the floor, suspending him in mid air for a moment before hurling him, as if he were a potato rather than a fully grown man, across the room and into a mirror on the far wall.

Dan hears some cat-like growling, a splinter of glass, and someone shouting his name. Then, everything fades away.

Dan wakes up in Phil’s arms, and for a moment he thinks he must be in Heaven.

“Are you an angel?” Dan asks, head spinning wildly.

He can’t make sense of his surroundings. Everything feels filmy and floaty, like he’s watching himself from above.

Phil laughs, but there are tears streaming down his face. Dan reaches up to wipe them away, and Phil closes his fist around Dan’s fingers.

“Not yet,” Phil replies, smiling. “How do you feel? Are you in pain?”

Dan shakes his head. There’s a strange sensation on the back of his skull, like someone has numbed it. It feels wet too, and Dan reaches to touch it, bewildered. There’s blood on his fingers when he pulls them away again.

“Wha’s going on?” Dan asks, his voice sounding slurred and peculiar.

“You hit your head.” Phil tells him. “Don’t worry, I’ve called a doctor. You’re going to be okay.”

Dan tries to remember where he is, but can’t seem to place himself. What’s the last thing he remembers? He thinks he can vaguely recall waking up in bed beside Phil, but that can’t be right. That must have been a dream.

And a ghost, yes. A really mean ghost.

He and Phil must be working a case right now.

“Did th’ghost get me?” Dan asks, feeling panicked.

“Yeah,” Phil replies, smiling sadly. His pretty blue eyes are all watery; it doesn’t look right. “The ghost got you. It’s my fault, I should have protected you.”

“Not your fault.” Dan says crossly, irritated that Phil could think this about himself. “I’m clumsy. Where’s the ghost now?”

“I sent him away, don’t worry.”

“How?”

“Exorcised him, didn’t I?”

“No,” Dan says, shaking his head. “You’re crap at Latin.”

Phil laughs, nodding. “You’re right, I am totally crap. But I did it somehow.”

Dan hums contentedly. He doesn’t notice his eyes have slipped closed until Phil shakes him.

“Hey, Dan, don’t fall asleep okay?” Phil says, a concealed urgency in his tone.

“I’m tired,” Dan sighs, trying to keep his eyes open for Phil.

“I know, but you’re probably concussed.” Phil says; he sounds really worried. “Try and stay awake, okay? Try for me.”

Dan sighs in frustration, hating himself for being so weak. Because obviously he’d do anything for Phil. He tries to sit up a little, but Phil has him cradled in his arms still, so he can’t really move at all.

“Why didn’t ghostie get you?” Dan asks, still feeling very confused by the whole situation.

There’s a silence; Dan can sense that Phil is trying to figure out how to respond. He usually does that in awkward situations. Dan will just blurt the first thing that comes to mind, but Phil tends to take a few moments to just think about what to say, and how best to say it.

“Ghostie had its reasons.”

Dan’s brow furrows. He thinks back to the ghost in question, trying to remember any details about it. He thinks they did a ritual to speak with it, and he thinks it said something like ‘quod paves?’, which means ‘what are you afraid of?’.

“It wanted to scare you,” Dan surmises. Phil chews his lip, then nods. “I don’t understand.”

“Don’t understand what?” Phil asks.

“If it wanted to scare you, why did it hurt me?”

Phil sighs, then strokes a hand over Dan’s hair, smiling. “It wanted to give me the worst scare possible.”

“An’ what’s that?” Dan asks dumbly.

Someone bursts through the door, several someones in fact, and they lift Dan up, onto a sort of bed, and then into a van with bright, flashy lights.

Phil follows along, clasping his hand and not letting it go, which is so, so nice of him. He doesn’t have to do that, Dan thinks dazedly, but he clings to Phil’s hand anyway. He can apologise for the weirdness of it in the morning.

Later, after drugs and bandages and lights shone into his eyes, Dan is laying in a hospital bed. Phil is next to him, being very quiet because he’s not really supposed to be here outside of visiting hours. Dan has no idea what the time is anyway. Hospitals don’t really have night times.

“You spooned me,” Dan says, suddenly remembering.

Phil looks up, blushing faintly. “I didn’t realise you’d woken up.”

“I’ve been awake for ages-”

“No,” Phil interrupts. “I mean before. When I was… cuddling you at Brian’s. Spooning you, whatever. I thought I could be secret about it. I thought I could just hold you for, like, a few minutes, just to see, but I fell asleep. And you woke up before I could move away again.”

Dan is quiet, processing the words. “Just to see?”

Phil doesn’t reply.

“Just to see what?” Dan persists.

Phil shrugs awkwardly. “To see what it’d be like. To see how it would feel to wrap my arms around you in a big bed at night.”

Dan stares at Phil, utterly astounded. “Is that… something you think about a lot?”

“Before this case happened, I probably would have said no.” Phil says, and Dan’s heart crashes to the linoleum floor. “I mean, I would have been lying, but I would have said no.”

Cautiously, Dan scoops his heart back up, fitting it back into his chest. “And now?”

“I almost lost you, Dan,” Phil whispers, horrified by his own words. His eyes shine with moisture again. “I’m not going to waste any more time pretending I don’t have feelings for you. I know you probably know it already, and I know you probably don’t care, but-”

“Wait, what?” Dan interrupts, fixating on one specific part of what Phil just said.

“You’re the most important thing in my life, Dan.” Phil tells him seriously; Dan tracks over his face, looking for the mischievous, jokey glint in his eye, but there’s nothing. “The ghost could see it a mile off. That’s why it threw you across the room, because it knew that’s what would scare me most of all.”

Dan chokes around a sort of sob. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I love you,” Phil tells him bluntly. Dan lifts his hand, pressing his fingers to his lips. “I think I always have.”

Dan draws his hand away, then takes a deep breath in. “Kiss me then.”

And miraculously, Phil does.

Brian sends them flowers. He attaches a ‘congratulations’ card, a ‘thank you’ card, and a photo of Cayenne and Pepper. Dan sticks all three up on the fridge.

His head still throbs, but it’s getting better. Phil has been working hard and has made them a new website, and new business cards with their rebranded image.

Exorcism wasn’t exactly a stable income on its own, so they agreed to broaden their horizons a little. Their new advert reads:

Do you have an unexplainable issue affecting your daily life? Do you want to speak with professionals with broad skill-sets, open minds and knowledge of all things mysterious? Would you like your mind to be eased, your fears to be soothed, and your worries to be qualmed?

Look no further! For Dan and Phil are here to help you.

Specialists in explaining the unexplainable. Ghosts, spirits, demons, leaky pipes, faulty generators, … we have seen it all. If you have a ghost, we’ll deal with it. If you don’t… we’ll find the cause of your issue, guaranteed!

Prices vary depending on severity of case. Supernatural cases are extra.

Call us now!

Their phone has been ringing far more than they’re used to, and they’ve had to hire an accountant to deal with their business expenses and taxes, but it’s worth it. At the end of each long, stressful day, Dan and Phil come home to their shared flat, and fall into the same bed.

Dan has unearthed every last drop of his repressed desire, and he pours it over Phil each night beneath the covers, soaking in the surety of Phil’s devotion to him.

They laugh often about how long they spent pining for each other, both convinced that the other didn’t feel the same. They share the tale of the ghost shattering the back of Dan’s skull as a funny getting-together story with their friends, as if it wasn’t the most terrifying thing either of them went through, to date.

But Dan has never been happier. He couldn’t have pictured a better life if he tried, even if Phil does wrap him in a death grip each night, and eat all his cereal without asking nowadays, and give him hickeys that Dan has to awkwardly explain to clients the next day.

Phil is happy too, Dan can see it. He sometimes touches the back of Dan’s head in silent reverence, as though remembering how close he came to losing him. He watches Dan do simple tasks with a broad smile on his face, until Dan tells him to stop being a creepy starer. He cooks Dan elaborate dinners, and tells him how pretty he is at inappropriate moments just to make him blush.

On the rare occasion they encounter a ghost, Phil still throws himself over Dan, and Dan still can’t get over it.

“I can defend myself, you know.” Dan tells him after one such time, his heart racing from the jumpscare the ghost just gave them both. “You don’t have to do that every time.”

“I told you, Dan,” Phil pants, leaning in to peck him on the cheek. “I’m not losing you again.”

#anon #ellen answers #prompts #prompt fest #spooky week #phan au #this was really fun!#thank you!#exorcists #fluff #getting together

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sonicboomtube · 7 years ago

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Sonic Mania Review

Sonic Mania was the most anticipated Sonic title since Generations due to it not only being in the Classic Sonic style but as well as looking like an old school Genesis game! Is it worth the hype?

Background: Despite the Adventure, Advance, and Rush series, Sonic games that came out since were mediocre to down right atrocious. Things seemed to turn around in the main series with Sonic Unleashed (not counting night time stages) and Colors. The 2.5/3D platforming action proved to be a success and by Sonic's 20th Anniversary came Sonic Generations. This game brought in Classic Sonic along with his gameplay style. Many say it and Colors are the best Post-Adventure games ever.

Then they changed it up in Sonic Lost World and Sonic Boom trying to fix what wasn't broken. Both games did not sell very well and the latter was even considered worse than Sonic 06. Sonic was once again a laughing stock of the video game industry. SEGA did some rebranding the last couple years and they came back with an announcement of 2 new Sonic games. Sonic Forces, which has similar gameplay to Generations with a new gimmick and one that fans been asking for many years, Sonic 4! Well, it's not called Sonic 4 but it's a game that is worthy of that name. This is Sonic Mania!

Sonic fans turned pro Christian Whitehead and his Retro Engine and Stealth to help create a new Genesis styled game. Christian and Stealth previously worked on Android/iPhone ports of Sonic 1, 2 & CD and thanks to their success, were hired to work on this game.

Story: Sonic & Tails return to Angel Island as they sense a big energy reading there. They encounter Dr Eggman (Robotnik's) new line of robots, the Hard Boiled Heavies and they retrieve a mysterious ruby from underground. Then the ruby transports them (and Knuckles who encounters the robots shortly after Sonic and Tails) to Green Hill Zone. I am not sure if they transport to the old zones' timeline or if it's just locations. The storytelling is light since the gameplay is the focus. Like Sonic 3, the story advances within the game.

Graphics/Music:

The direction for the look and sound was to be a lost 32X/Saturn game and they have truly accomplished it! The animated cutscenes at the opening and ending are wonderful. Tyson Heese, who drew Archie's Sonic comics, also penciled these and it looks beautiful! Hyper Potions did the music too for the intro and trailer and is amazing!

The remix zones' look wonderful and even smoother than the Genesis version. The original zones look gorgeous as well! The special stages look like they are from a lost Saturn game. The animations in the characters, objects, and scenery are flawless! The frame rate is perfect and having the game in widescreen really makes a difference as it is easier to see what is in front of you. You can even add a CRT filter to get that nostalgic look of a 90s TV screen!

Generally, the music in the Sonic franchise is top notch and in Mania, it is no different. As with the visuals of the retro zones, the remix of zone's themes are as you remembered it but has more of a kick to it! The new zones sound great too like the jazzy Studiopolis, the western feel of Mirage Saloon, and the peaceful melody of Press Garden! They even released the soundtrack on Vinyl! It's that good!

Gameplay: If you have played the Classic Sonic games, then you'll feel right what home with Sonic Mania! The complaints about the games that tried to copy the classic gameplay style fell short of the Genesis days. (Sonic 4's floating physics, Sonic Rush's boost to win, Sonic Advance's bottomless pits, Sonic Generations scripted speed thru certain sections.) Fear not, all the controls are tight and not only exactly as you remember it, but in my own opinion are more refined. It has a good balance of speed and platforming. Playing the remix of the Genesis Zones while in part, are similar to the old games, feel fresh with new mechanics like in Chemical Plant Zone, bouncing off of colored floors to get to new heights or in Green Hill with the fire shield, can burn some bridges to get to new paths below. The new zones are also among the series' best. Studiopolis is one of my favorites of this game,.

The zones are also non linear so you can take any path you want to get to the end and it is also required to explore if you want to find special rings, hidden items, and shortcuts. Every character plays well thru each zone. The new move, Drop Dash helps keep your momentum of speed and also makes it easier to avoid enemy attacks. Knuckles can smash thru walls that Sonic and Tails can't to find more hidden goodies and shortcuts. What I like about Tails & Knuckles in this game is they can't just glide/fly thru a level with no problem. Yeah, it helps get you thru a bit faster but the game forces you not to take the cheap way out thru the whole experience.

The bosses are some of the series best. Mini bosses return at the end of Act 1. Act 2, you fight a hard boiled heavy, Robotnik, or a surprise challenge. Some of the classic bosses have a new twist as well. For example, the Death Egg Robot showing up at Green Hill Zone throwing bombs and extending it's arms to try and kill you or using Robotnik's machine from Hydro City in Sonic 3 against him.

Extras:

The bonus stages are the blue sphere rounds you can access if your have 25+ rings and hit a checkpoint. Half are straight from Sonic 3 and others are completely new. They aren't required to beat the game or give you the true ending but they give you medals to help unlock extras. I consider myself really good at these in Sonic 3 but some of the newer rounds were still a challenge. If you unlock blue sphere mode, if you play the Mania style, you get two new spheres. One is to teleport you to different parts of the round. A green sphere is like the blue one but you have to run over it twice to turn red.

The new special stages are found throughout the levels as giant rings like in Sonic 3 but the difference is instead of turning blue spheres into red spheres/rings, you have to chase a UFO by running over the blue objects. They fill a speed meter and can go up to Mach 3. Collecting rings increase the time of the stage. The control is a little stiff with the drifting but it isn't impossible though it is easy to bounce off things, fall off course, and run into spikes if you aren't careful. The trick is to find shortcuts and try to collect as many spheres early on.

You can also play the UFO stages via a level select code and extras menu if you need to practice. The good news is if you beat the game without getting all of the Chaos Emeralds, you can go back to your save file and keep the emeralds you have and retrieve the rest in the next run.

Other extras you can unlock are playing Mean Bean Machine, Time Attack, sound test, and debug mode. You can also play in different gameplay styles (2, 3, and CD.) You can also use the insta-sheild and super peel out but like debug mode, you have to select no-save mode. Its unfortunate for the & Knuckles mode but you can have Knuckles as the 2nd player for each player (and that includes Knuckles himself! Make sure you beat the game as Knuckles & Knuckles to get secret ending)

Spoiler After getting all 7 Chaos Emeralds, you can become Super Sonic, Super Tails (though doesn't have Flickies with him this time), and Super Knuckles. If you beat Titanic Monarch as Sonic with 7 Chaos Emeralds, you get to fight Eggman and the main Hard Boiled Heavy fighting over the ruby. You must keep collecting rings to stay alive. You lose rings if you get attacked or do a boost attack. It took me a bit to figure out how to play it but it's not too difficult but it is cool being part of an epic battle. Something about that ruby and the pose Sonic makes at the end of the good ending looks familiar. Hmmmm!

The Positives/Negatives of the Game:

+High replay value with multiple paths, collecting chaos emeralds, unlocking extras, and playing as all 3 characters +Very tight controls with great balance of speed and platforming +New moves like the drop dash are a welcome addition +Old zones feel new again with never before seen sections and challenges +New zones feel right at home with the classic era. Some of the series best +Music as always is top notch. +The majority of the bosses are some of the best of the classic era +The Easter Eggs +Blue Spheres and Mean Bean Machine are back +Sprite cutscenes and the Opening/Closing Animations are gorgeous

=Oil Ocean is one of my least favorite zones of the classic eras and would have preferred if they chose a different zone but the remix is an excellent rendition of it. =Wish there were more in game cut scenes between zones than what we got but what we got was wonderful. =I was happy with the amount of new zones we got and their quality but I wish there were one or two new zones. Oh well, maybe next game we can get more new zones.

-You still fall for some cheap deaths. Thankfully there aren't many bottomless pits like in certain Sonic games but it's very easy to get crushed to death (chemical plant and titanic monarch are the ones where it happened often for me) -While I liked the challenge of the special stages, I felt the controls should feel a bit tighter when turning. -Some of the bosses were tough to figure out how to beat. Some of it was rewarding when i did find a way to defeat them. There were a couple I had to look at let's play vids to figure it out. Like in Sonic & Knuckles, playing as Knux was difficult fighting against the bosses thanks to the height of his jumps.

Closing Thoughts:

Even the negative points of the game didn't really bother me that much and in no way, tarnish the quality of the experience. Some fans even claim that it is the best Sonic game to date! I am not sure if I agree with that but I do like it more than Sonic CD which was my #2 favorite Sonic game of all time and can understand why some fans place it #1! Whether you are a die hard Sonic fan, a causal player, or a noob, this is the game for you! I have really enjoyed this game and will come back and replay it as often as I can!

Sonic Mania gets 4 3/4 STARS out of 5! (9.5 out of 10 for those that score in 10s. A- that like letter grades.) See you next game!

#sonic the hedgehog #sonicthehedgehog #classic sonic #sega genesis #sega #sonic #sonic mania #miles tails prower #tails #knuckles the echidna #knuckles #robotnik #doctor robotnik #doctor eggman #eggman #Dr. Eggman #megadrive

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issabakugodrangeel · 7 years ago

Text

MONSTA X The Clan PT1 Lost: All In It For You (HyungWon Love Story) Chapter 1: My secret

Group/Paring: MONSTA X HyungWon X Aya (OC) feat. MONSTA X members

Summary: Aya is the daughter of Cho Jung the leader/Chef of the army. Aya always is disobeying her fathers order's and wants to follow her path. The only place she feels safe is when she's around the Monsta X gang. The gang her father despise the most.What happens when she starts to fall in love with one of the members? Will Aya be able to hide her relationship from her father?

Authors Note: sorry for sucky summary I can’t wright them that well. This is going to be a story about their all in music video because i really love that area and I’m going to try and do my best and follow the story the only think I switch is Hyungwon isn’t the son of the chef my oc is. I also be uploading this in my quotev account It’s still going to be the same.I also tried to make this into a movie based format so yea If you have any ideas for this also please let me know.

Theme Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNxPGbk-gwA

if it’s worded like this it means it's the characters narration

Aya's P.O.V

(Listen to this while you read this = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4JUQRt05NU&index=14&list=PLsIdbIB6IfA6lQ-t1mpe2V6_UTKSkjezm)

It was just a normal morning for me. Waking up browsing thru my social media. I don't know why since I don't have a lot of friends. If I have to count I'd say I only have 7 friends. They're a bunch of idiots but I love them. They always know how to make me smile. The only bad thing about them is. They in a gang not the kind of gang you thinking about. They made up a group to rebel against the army/government. We live in a poor country that doesn't make a lot of money. Everyday is a struggle to survive. That would be the case for most but for me everyone looks down on me just because my father is the chef of the army and my father is a despicable fearsome man. Don't get on his bad side or else you may not see tomorrow. Only Monsta X doesn't see me like that. They say I look like a fragile little sister to them. I join their X Clan right after they announce that Shownu would be their leader even tho Jooheon was the one to make the Clan up. They all agreed Shownu would fit the leadership better. I see everyone as brothers I never had since I'm an only child, but there's one member, I started to grow deep feelings for, and that is none other than Chae HyungWon.

Chae HyungWon has always been close to me ever since we first meet. He kinda save me life. I remember how we meet. It was a few months back where everyone was in starvation even my own family didn't have food. I was wondering town the entire day to see if I can find some sort of food. Till the point I was about to pass out of hunger dehydration near behind a house. That's when hyungWon came in. He took me with him back to his place with the other members where they had food. There is where I became a member of 'The X Clan' and bond with the other more. They told me their past I told them mind. They didn't mind me being Cho Jung's daughter. they didn't see me as a threat. Since then he's been the light to my darkness. He probably only sees me as a little sister the like the rest do. // you stop the background music here//

My smile grew as I saw the text from HyungWon

HyungWon: Are you hanging out with us again?

Me: Yea. I'm just gonna get a bite and then head out.

HyungWon: You know where to meet us. Remember to be careful

Me: I will most differently will do.

"Aya. Come down and eat!" My mother's voice was heard from downstairs.

"I'll be there in a minute." I shout back shutting my phone off throwing it on the bed. I went to my closet to pick up my backpack. I snatch my phone back and ran down the stairs.

"Hi boy!" I pet my dog Sora as he wagged his tail. He's a husky I found abandoned so I took him in. My dad was against it like always but my mom made him give in. I place his bowl in front of him and poor his food in. "Eat up boy." I rubbed his head.

"Morning mom." I went to kissed her cheek placing my bag on the chair next to me

"Morning sweetie how did you sleep last night?" My mother asked me placing the food on my plate.

" It could've been better. Where's dad?" I said with a not amused tone.

"He went for a walk he'll be back shortly."She replied going back to her cooking. I took a bit out of my food.

"I saw HyungWon last night when he dropped you off. He's a cute boy." My mother is the only person that knows that I hang out with them. I get along with her more than I do with my father. we have the mother father bond thing.

"Mom." I whine giving her a look.

"So you do like this kid." She turns to me smiling crossing her arms leaning against the counters.

"You could say that. But it's never going to happen. Dad won't approve it." I said playing with my food.

"Aya! you gotta stop thinking the negative and start thinking the positive. It doesn't matter if you get your father's blessing you'll have mine. Don't make the mistake I made. I didn't get to choose." My mother comes behind me and rubs my shoulders kissing the top of my head.

"Are you going to hang out with them again?" She asked me sitting down leaning closer to me. Resting her elbow on the table and her hand resting on the left side of her face. I nodded smiling a bit. "Yea but I don't know what we're gonna do today since we always do something different." I took another bit of my pancake

"I know I don't have to worry about you. I know they can protect you." We both smile at each other. My mother always worries about me since I'm always alone she might think I might do something bad.

To be honest I was a mistake. I wasn't even supposed to be born. My father didn't even want me. He wanted a boy first. But you don't always get what you want.

"Say, that Kihyun is pretty handsome as well.How old would you say he is?" Mom started to say I dropped my fork down. "Mom." i gave her a nasty glare. She started laughing. "He's way too young for you he maybe only be four years older than me but definitely not for you." I scold her. "Oh relax I was only kidding." She brushes my arm.

"What were you kidding about?" I rolled my eye once I heard that voice. My mother gets up from her chair to take his things and set him a plate.

"On how ridiculous you look with that uniform on." My mother lies I lightly smile. "Well I can't do nothing about it." He said wiping his sweat with a towel.

"I'm heading out." I got up grabbing my bag placing it over my shoulders. "Alright be careful okay." my mom said kissing my cheek. "Don't worry I will." I kissed her back. "Where are you going?" My father gives me a stern look. "I'm just going to go hunting." I lied.The best part is my father never knows when I'm lying. "Make sure you bring something good unlike what you brought last time." My father placed his feet on the table reading the newspaper.

"Here you go Aya." My mother hands me a bag of food for the guys. "Why are you packing her food?" My father questions my mother. "She might get hungry later Jung." She explain to him. "She could always come home and eat." He went back to reading the paper. "Just ignore him." My mother whispers to me. "Was already planning on it." I told her.

"Damn it! Does Monsta X gang are at it again." My dad shouted making me jump a bit. "What did they do now?" My mom tried to play along. "The leader and one of his lackeys broke in a shop and stole all the money." My father stood up. I remember that yesterday Jooheon and Shownu were going to rob a store because Shownu's father got sick and he needed the money to help him get better.

"Maybe they had a good reason behind it." I said. "Yea good reasons. They are criminals. I try to safe people(yea right) and they do this." My father points to the paper. "They're just boys Jung." My mother went to clean the dishes. "Rascals more like it. That's not even it. I heard a rumor in town that they've been hanging out with a girl lately." My dad mentions i tense up a bit. "Do you know who it is?" I asked him trying to see if he has any idea. I don't wanna blow my cover. "No. All I know she's younger than all of them and keeps hanging around with that one tall guy. What's his name Hyung something. She's asking for trouble that's what." my father sits back down.

I started walking backwards staring at the ground. "Well I'm gonna go...bye!" I shouted running outside the door.

-Normal P.O.V-

Aya slowly started walking backwards after he father knows some strange girl is hanging out with Monsta X.

"Well I'm gonna...go....bye!" She shouted running outside the door fast as her legs could carry her.

"What's wrong with her?" Her father asked raising his eyebrow. Her mother smiles. "She's just being Aya. And I would appreciate that you would treat her like your daughter." Aya's mother turn off the sink and turn around to give her husband a look.

"What do you mean?" He asked confused sipping on his coffee. Yuri Sights. "I know she's not what you wanted but she is human Jung. She gets hurt. She really tries to meet your expectations but you keep treating her like dirt. One day she's going to find a guy she likes and run off with him. it's bound to happen." Her mother says going up the stairs to her to wash up. Jung just stood there blankly at the table.

Aya's P.O.V

As I was making my way out of the richest part of town, to meet the guys. I turn around adjusting the straps of my bag, to make sure no one was following me. I looked back at the time on my phone. I sigh in frustration. I was 20 minutes late and they hate it whenever I'm late. They won't hurt me or anything, it's just takes out the plans that we were supposed to do together.

Climbing down the stairs I felt my phone vibrate. I saw the caller ID and It was HyungWon. I clicked the answer button and placed the phone in my ear.

"Hello?"I answered. "Aya. Where the hell are you? Are you okay?" You can tell by his voice that he sounded really concern. I can hear the others chatting in the background asking if I'm okay. Now I really feel bad. "Don't worry. I'm perfectly fine I'm there just about to turn the corner." As I said that I saw them huddle around HyungWon with relief expressions as they heard me.Putting my phone down, I smile and waved to them as they all came running to me. Behind them I saw hyungWon relax more, as he also put down his phone. He then join the others too.

"What took you so long?" Shownu was the first one to ask. "Seriously, could've you just called us to make sure you were gonna be late. What if something happened to you." HyungWon raised his voice a little making all of us question by his sudden actions.

"So-Sorry." I stutter a bit looking down. "Relax,HyungWon. She's here now. That's all that matter." Kihyun told him. "Sorry." He apologies. I can tell he was still upset about it.

"So what happened?" WonHo asked breaking the awkwardness. "Oh yea, I was late because my dad knows there's a girl hanging around you guys and he found out that we broke into that store the other day." I explain the reason to them. "Did he found out that it was you?" Changkyun asked. I shook my head. "Luckily no he didn't but it's only a matter of time that he does."

I was beginning to get worried. If he ever found out that I've been hanging out with them, he would never let me see thru this.

"Is your grandpa okay?" I asked Shownu seeing he broke into the store to help his grandfather. He frown looking at the ground. I knew I should've asked that question. "He didn't make it." He breathed out trying to not show any of his tears. "Sorry." I softly said. He was really closed with his grandfather and he would do anything to help him get better, but he was too late.

"What you got there?" He asked pointing to the bag on my hand, trying to move on from the conversation. "Oh, right. Anyone hungry? Mom made you guys lunch." I held the bag up to them. They all had huge smiles on their faces. "O! Really? Aya, you're the best." Minhyuk patted my head. Kihyun took the bag from me as we made our way to the grass and stat in a circle.

"O! Looks like Kihyun hyung got a special lunch made for him." Jooheon notice that Kihyun pulled out a lunchbox that a sticky note on it with his name. I giggled a bit knowing my mother's secretly crush on him. "Aya I didn't know you liked Kihyun that much to make him a lunch all for him." WonHo teased me as the others laughed all except for HyungWon. "Shut up! My mom probably made that for you. She secretly has a crush on you."I told them my mother personally likes Kihyun the best. "Thank you, Aya. Let's up!" Kihyun said as everyone got their lunch boxes. "YES!" We all shouted.

Not too long into our eating I saw a couple of birds in front of us. I smiled at them. I got up and brought a piece of bread with me and slowly walked over to me. I felt HyungWon eyed my every moved. I threw some bread crumbs to them. They gather around and started eating them. In the corner of my eye I saw him smile at me. I blushed a little.

"Ah!Really. Aya is such a sweetheart. Right?" Minhyuk mentions my cuteness. "You'd expect her to be though in the inside but she's really caring." Jooheon agreed with him. "The two most qualities in a girl that I like." Changkyun teases along as well. He took another bit of his food. "Even her aegyo is adorable." Kihyun smiles. I decided to play along with them. I turn around to them while squatting and puffed my cheeks at them, making a cute face.

"AH!" They all shouted placing their hands on their chest as they were moved by it. I laughed. "Ah! Aya seriously you're too cute." WonHo wipes his tears away. Throwing the last piece to the birds I got back up dusting myself and sat in between WonHo and HyungWon again. "I'm not cute." I told them going back to eating my food. "I'd say those puffy cheeks makes it otherwise." HyungWon rubs my cheek harshly. I try to pull his arm away. "YA!!" I shouted. The other's laughed.

After cleaning up we packed everything. "So, what are we going to do today?" I asked them "Training." Shownu replied as he got his bag. "So, the usual." I said casually. “You know the routine.” He pats my shoulders. “Let’s move out.” He orders as we started heading toward our training area.

#Monsta X #monsta x scenarios #monsta x hyungwon #monsta x hyungwon scenarios #monsta x wonho #monsta x jooheon #monsta x i.m #monsta x all in #monsta x the clan

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johnchiarello · 6 years ago

Text

Sunday sermon

Sunday sermon 3-24-19

Psalm 27:13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

Video made 3-17-19-

https://youtu.be/DIwy0Myi-3k

https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMinODulbcBCKdgnsJ

https://www.bitchute.com/video/N83Qcy3swssp/

https://www.facebook.com/john.chiarello.5/videos/10205450339416116/

NOTE-

This is a ‘New’ post- meaning when you see it on 3-24-19- this is the first time I posted it. I will always add my past teachings as well- and if I have time a New teaching section. On Sunday’s [Like during the week] I also post past posts- these are teachings I have done over the years. Either way- my goal is to provide a ‘flow’ of teachings that hopefully benefit over time. I have learned that all bible based videos and teachings are worth re-posting, it’s not the same when I do news updates. I will still do a news update every so often- but all the bible teaching- history- things of value- you will see them again over the years. I just thought it would be good to give you this update so my friends can follow along. Also- I never ‘fake’ a post- or a date. The dates you see on the videos are the dates I made them- John

ON VIDEO

.Church Unlimited worship

.The story of Abraham

.The life of faith

.Obey

.Justification by faith

.The strange sign of the covenant

.The deep sleep- and the horror

.Then- the glory of God [Genesis 15]

.The ‘mystery’ of the 400 years- or 430 years [In Egypt] which one is it?

Exodus 12:40 Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.

Genesis 15:13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not their's, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;

[I explained it on the video- too much to write it all]

.Times of Grace- and trouble- these 2 go hand in hand

.The promised son [I taught on on Issac and Ishmael- and the meaning of it as Taught by Paul in Galatians]

.How should we apply it today?

.Not in an ethnic way

.Who are the enemies of the Cross that Paul speaks about?

.Deacon and the staff [The Philippians 4:13 connection]

.Victor Frankl

.How does the Luke 9 passage fit with the Genesis 15 passage?

.How did Peter know it was Moses and Elijah? [explained on the video]

.How did God ultimately fulfill these promises to Abraham?

.And to us as well

Blog- www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/john.chiarello.5?ref=bookmarks

Youtube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ4GsqTEVWRm0HxQTLsifvg?view_as=subscriber

Other sites- https://ccoutreach87.com/links-to-my-sites-updated-10-2018/

Cloud links- https://ccoutreach87.com/cloud-links-12-2018/

Youtube Playlist- https://ccoutreach87.com/youtube-playlist/

[Links to all my sites at the bottom of this post]

NOTE- Every so often some of my sites think I am Spam- or a Bot- I am not. My name is John Chiarello and I post original content [all videos and text are by me]. I do share my past posts from my other sites- but it is not spam- Thank you- John.

OTHER VIDEOS [These are the videos I upload nightly to my various sites- PAST POSTS below]

3-16-19 News update https://youtu.be/t_KF27OReyg

https://www.facebook.com/john.chiarello.5/videos/10205446735766027/

11-11-18 Sunday sermon https://youtu.be/gdMqCRsXIps

The Door- sheep- starfish https://youtu.be/qJXt_smn7jk

Ephesians 2 https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMhHRdUCZmDZ6EekUL

8-6-17 Sunday sermon https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-4Lk2UZ0Z9W5GpAk1hCiuiVWigw9sEhF/view?usp=sharing

God of the living https://www.dropbox.com/s/eejji3c71nt519a/1-24-17%20God%20of%20the%20living.mp4?dl=0

Acts 10 https://mega.nz/#!GeZwESwb!TfuLJ7YIgplPYeShvqIoY9CC_YPZ_EySwdL7xZxu108

Friends- Teaching https://dai.ly/x72gdm2

42nd St. NYC https://bit.tube/play?hash=QmaqQrftwiZhHUecHzdCLEBRVVnnDYQRtftcA27WfwTANb&channel=160276

2nd Samuel 6-7 https://www.bitchute.com/video/PHObSTfkGFBh/

Christ Church https://youtu.be/BPCRSfWatvQ

It is finished https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMgQk1IZSLLnUHmTF8

12-3-17 Sunday sermon https://www.dropbox.com/s/penks9kq7i7oqd4/12-3-17%20Sunday%20Sermon.mp4?dl=0

Just a box https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ixaw7qlHTliKAKtgGpnr6ri9u-UO_bHE/view?usp=sharing

Acts 9 https://mega.nz/#!2XpAhK7Y!qoqVn0BODsM209JE0BERCcY9Ae7d-Wlz4_i7WBc28h8

Galatians 5 https://icedrive.net/0/78sDxzaWIa

Isa. 11- Matt 3 https://www.dropbox.com/s/awy7mnpnwrajpxc/12-4-16%20Isaiah%2011-%20Matt.%203.mp4?dl=0

Matt. 23 https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMg2PbNvik7qAX_diU

Jonah- rev.- sam. https://youtu.be/Cgktm2lAY3M

Acts 3 https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMgQYRpvtXNu0C9B0z

The creed https://www.dropbox.com/s/zpilxwgdqje92p9/12-3-15%20The%20Creed.mp4?dl=0

Kings 5 https://mega.nz/#!OeJmxIbY!TNXIvqEI5NwPUs5rwB6hDz4gdv1RtmuIZUgIioAwdtk

Galatians 4 https://icedrive.net/0/72LwkqPFXk

9-10-17 Sunday sermon https://www.dropbox.com/s/szd8syk7xsjfmku/9-10-17%20Kings%2012-%20Sunday%20Sermon.mp4?dl=0

Kings 18 https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMgQi1vG3ym2Rod1vk

When the saints go marching in https://drive.google.com/file/d/122ErV3P2UdxKEddQnFDS2PfZcmCT28TS/view?usp=sharing

Samuel 25 https://youtu.be/5fYqiPxxZj0

Bondage breaker https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M6YKUI3d_Qfe8PLBf4xIskM7i_MjAk3r/view?usp=sharing

God of the living https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMgQG2onofzRJs5Tcj

Eat the bread https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMhG0mIyt1SRcoNI4i

The collapse of tower 7 https://youtu.be/8zQvR8sC6_A

1-7-18 Sunday sermon https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMcX_RR1U1bfeROjo

Kings 4 https://mega.nz/#!uXgTwQwY!4AOPwi1qTItguenM4RP9Mp3z1XPerkxyHLYIhmx5uE8

9-17-17 Sunday sermon https://drive.google.com/file/d/100RNz89uotXxoLREdy9BO3q7Qy6hD1Iw/view?usp=sharing

Real time teaching https://dai.ly/x72wzmb

Acts 8 https://mega.nz/#!jeh2Sa6B!2QmbVjyU4Tza7AZqvFipDpIiWV7fkU3f18QaQjWvctE

Galatians 3 https://icedrive.net/0/b9udN3tmJy

Day Kennedy died- North Bergen https://ln.sync.com/dl/0c5ac9840/9divhv5v-xq5rx2rz-ddy2nzqp-wh7u9kfz

12-23-18 Sunday sermon https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMiAorylDLvJ2sh_Nz

Revolution https://www.bitchute.com/video/us6c8PmAYD41/

1st Peter https://youtu.be/hKB_bQbmiNo

Isaiah 11- Matt. 3 https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMhGv8WTn5cNqVFc00

Church Unlimited- fathers day https://drive.google.com/file/d/12paGgJS1Coxsb6yzXmCEUBYJ2SR5oB9K/view?usp=sharing

1-6-19 Sunday sermon https://dai.ly/x72wzma

Juan from Mexico- North Bergen https://www.instagram.com/tv/Bu3gPHfn4Wg/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Kings 3 https://mega.nz/#!2SoRAIYY!1_veuM-xXPu6JK2Ztj5cqG02r3gR0TvcUGm_qAxmaP4

Galatians 2 https://icedrive.net/0/cfDSrGbq4N

9-24-17 Sunday sermon https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mh78AgK0nBpO9BMF5uWmDUwMSBq97-LX/view?usp=sharing

PAST POSTS [These are links and parts of my past teachings that relate in some way to today’s post- Verses below]

https://ccoutreach87.com/romans-links-1-2019/

https://ccoutreach87.com/hebrews-links-updated-10-2018/

https://ccoutreach87.com/galatians-links/

https://ccoutreach87.com/1st-2nd-samuel-links-updated-3-17/

https://ccoutreach87.com/kings-links/

https://ccoutreach87.com/acts-links/

GALATIANS 3 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. John 1 https://youtu.be/hhA-O_mb3Y8 Galatians 3 https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/1-3-17-galatians-3.zip ON VIDEO .Abrahamic covenant .Fulfilled thru Christ .Law [covenant] came later .1st promise stands .Law revealed sin .Faith in Christ justifies .Began in Spirit [faith] don’t go back to law [works] .Christ took the curse of the law on the Cross [tree] .Law was tutor- to bring us to truth .Jesus is the Truth .No more need for the tutor .Father of many nations .Legal and actual justification .Luther- Trent [16th century] .Legal fiction? .Mercy seat NOTE [new stuff below]. Today [1-9-17] I found out that a good friend of mine died. His name was Huey Martin. I saw Huey about 10 days ago- the first time in about 7 months. As he pulled up to Timons [mission] he beeped the horn- and waved for me to come over. I didn’t recognize him- the car window was tinted. So- I sat there and ignored him. I noticed he kept waving for me to come over- like he thought ‘maybe John is mad- in one of his moods’. Yes- the guys know me- and this has happened before. As I walked away- I heard someone yell ‘John- John’. I walked over to the car window- and realized it was Huey. I could tell he felt bad- like I was ignoring him. But I told him I didn’t realize it was him- and I talked with him for around 15 minutes. I could see he was not doing well- I put my hand on his shoulder- like a brother- and told him I would pray for him. I see his older brother- David Martin- every week. I just visit with David- fellowship- and pray with him. All 3 brothers are like family to me- Andy- David and Huey. I have had people ask me why I ‘hang out’ with some of the guys- because of their lifestyles. Over the years I had good talks with Huey- we laughed- he spent 3 days at the house once when he broke a rib. And yes- we talked about God and life. I will indeed miss Huey- He was my friend. Here’s a video I did about 2 years ago- Huey is in it https://youtu.be/R0ZNzDkvphc NEW- Paul makes the argument that God promised Abraham that he would bless [save- justify] the whole world thru one of his sons. Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. Ultimately that Son was Jesus- who came down the line- from the offspring of Abraham- Galatians 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

Then Paul says – The law [10 commandments and entire Old Covenant system] came 430 years after God gave Abraham this promise- Galatians 3:17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. Paul says ‘the scripture foresaw that God would justify the heathen thru faith- preaching the gospel beforehand’- Galatians 3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. Meaning- if the Galatians were going to revert to the law [get circumcised and put themselves under the Old Covenant] thinking that would make them pleasing to God. Then the first promise [to Abraham] wasn’t true- Galatians 3:17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. It’s a simple argument- saying God already promised that he would save the world someday- thru Jesus. And if the law- which was given later- could also justify man- then basically God would have lied. God is not a man that he should lie- Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Then the question is ‘why did God then give the law’? Good question- and I taught it when we covered the book of Romans- and in this chapter Paul teaches it again. The law was given till the seed [Son] would come to whom the promise was made- Galatians 3:19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. But after that Son [seed] has come- there is no longer any need for the law [covenant- which includes circumcision]- Paul teaches that the law was our tutor- to bring us to the time of Christ- but after the true teacher has come- there is no more need for a tutor- Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. The law simply revealed to man his sin until the time of Christ- Galatians 3:19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. The law is holy- just and good- But men are sinful. Therefore the law could never justify us. Its purpose has been fulfilled- to reveal to man that he is a sinner- unable to keep it- Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Then- when this purpose is fulfilled- we see the need for Christ- and the true purpose of the law is now accomplished- Romans 3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law. Simple. The law cannot save us- was never intended to save us- Galatians 3:21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. And now that Jesus has come- The only one who ever fulfilled all the law- Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

He himself saves us because he took all the transgressions that were held against man- and nailed them to his Cross- Jesus took away the ‘handwriting of ordinances’ that was against us- and nailed them to his Cross- Colossians 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

Paul concludes that we are justified by faith- that Jesus ‘hung on a tree’ [the Cross] and became a curse for us- Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: He quotes Habakkuk showing that the just shall live by faith- Habakkuk 2:4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. Galatians 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

And the law is not faith- but the ‘man that does them- lives under them’- Galatians 3:12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. The quotes Paul uses in this chapter are from Deuteronomy- the ‘law’ and they show us the gospel itself- Deuteronomy 21:22 And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: Deuteronomy 27:26 Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen. He warns the gentile believers- if you go back to that system- you are ‘falling from grace’- Galatians 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

We are all the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ- Galatians 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Amen.

PAST TEACHING I DID THAT RELATES- GALATIANS [Links] https://ccoutreach87.com/2016/12/26/galatians-1/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2016/12/30/2nd-samuel-3-homeless-friends/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/02/galatians-2/

https://ccoutreach87.com/hebrews-updated-2015/ https://ccoutreach87.com/justification-by-faith/ https://ccoutreach87.com/romans-updated-2015/

https://ccoutreach87.com/protestant-reformation-luther/ VERSES Galatians 3:1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? Galatians 3:2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Galatians 3:3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Galatians 3:4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain. Galatians 3:5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Galatians 3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Galatians 3:7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. Galatians 3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. Galatians 3:9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. Galatians 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. Galatians 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. Galatians 3:12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: Galatians 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Galatians 3:15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. Galatians 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. Galatians 3:17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. Galatians 3:18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Galatians 3:19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Galatians 3:20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. Galatians 3:21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. Galatians 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. Galatians 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Galatians 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. Galatians 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. ________________________________________

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: Romans 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: Genesis 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 1 John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 1 John 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. 16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. John 1 Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

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Sunday sermon

Colossians 2

Ephesians 3

ROMANS 2:14- 3:18- Paul says ‘you are called a Jew and are confident that you are a teacher and an instructor of the law’. Read my Hebrews commentary, chapters 5 and 6. It is interesting that Paul understood the teaching role that the Jewish nation was to play among the Gentile nations. In Jesus parables he also hits on these themes. Hebrews says ‘when the time has come [the appointed time of Messiah- Galatians 4] that you ought to be teachers, you have need to be taught the first principles again’. Here Paul tells them they are proud to be the ‘possessors’ of the Old Testament, yet thru their disobedience to it the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles [ouch!] Paul fully acknowledges the privileged role that Israel had, he himself was brought up with this ‘elitist/intellectual’ mindset. But here Paul rebukes them for not fully living up to the law. ‘Well brother, how could they live up to it? Paul himself says that this is impossible.’ If they carried thru with the receiving of Messiah, which their law spoke and testified of, then truly they would have been fulfilling the law as new creatures in Christ. In essence their indictment is ‘you never fully followed thru with your own law’! Now Paul will flatly say that circumcision and being the guardians of the law profit nothing. That the ‘circumcision of the heart’ is what matters. He says if the gentiles, who have no historical attachment to the law, if they do by nature the things in the law then they are ‘spiritually circumcised’ [set apart unto God]. But if the circumcised do not obey the law and character of God [thru the new birth] then it profits nothing. I want to note the strong disconnect between the way Paul speaks about natural Israel and her heritage, and how some in the American church present her. Paul, who himself is a Jew, makes it very clear that Israel is in a state of ‘danger’ by not receiving Messiah. Though he will admit their special place and role in history, yet he refuses to exalt her in her natural ‘state’ [of being]. Now Israel’s response to Paul [which by the way Paul interjects himself. I want to make a note here. Paul will give ‘both sides’ of the argument in his letters. He will say things like ‘and you will say to me such and such’. He actually try’s to add both sides of the conversation in his letters. Recently there has been some discussion on whether or not we can really understand the New Testament without fully knowing all the background and history of the letters. Some have said just knowing the letters are like hearing only one side of a phone conversation. To be honest this isn’t really true. The writers of the letters and the gospels lived in an ‘oral culture’. This is why Paul himself gives instructions on his letters being read- as opposed to saying ‘pass the letters around for everyone to personally read’. The point is we can understand a whole bunch of scripture just by reading it!] Now Israel asks ‘what good is the whole thing, why even have Jews or circumcision or any history with God at all’? Paul realizes that his whole argument for law and circumcision meaning nothing without a changed heart, that some would respond back like this. He in turn says ‘the law and all the history of Israel with God were very important! It was Gods way of getting his prophetic word [oracles] to man’. In essence God chose to ‘start a conversation’ with Abraham and extend it forward to his children. Over a long history of God interacting with Israel, God would speak thru prophets and ‘wise men’ and these prophetic words were being recorded [meticulously by the way!]. God would reveal himself and his purpose of Messiah thru these writings that came from this relationship [though rocky!] that he had with Israel. Now Paul will say ‘does their unbelief negate Gods promise’? No! Let God be true and every man be a liar. The fact that Israel as a nation were ‘not believing’ in their Messiah, didn’t effect the actual power of the Messiah to be believed on among the Gentile nations. A couple of things here; dispensational theology teaches that the Kingdom of God has been postponed until Christ’s return. I think this contradicts Paul’s argument. Paul said Israel’s unbelief could not negate the full purpose of God. The fact that Jesus rose from the dead and is presently seated at God’s right hand proves this. Also Paul will teach later in this letter that the actual reason why salvation has gone out to the gentiles is because Israel rejected Messiah. In essence Israel’s unbelief could not negate what God purposed to do all along. ·ROMANS 3:19-31 ‘Now we know that what things the law says, it says to those who are under the law… that every mouth may be stopped and all the world becomes guilty before God’. One of the questions that arise as a response to Paul’s gospel is ‘if the law cannot make us righteous, then why even have it’? Paul will consistently teach the concept that Gods intention for the law was simply to reveal mans sin to him. Man would have this ‘form’ of the law written on stone tablets and as he tried to live up to God’s standards he would come to the proper diagnosis that all men are sinners. This diagnosis would then lead him to a place of faith in Jesus. After he believes in Jesus he then fulfills the law naturally, out of having a new nature ‘yea, we establish the law’ [3:31]. I have found it interesting over the years to teach people this. To explain to sincere people, church goers. To say ‘did you know the bible says that no man can be saved by trying to obey Gods Ten Commandments’? I will always explain that this doesn’t mean that God wants us to break them! But when we come to the Cross we by nature keep them. These verses lay down the foundation of ‘justification by faith’. He that believes is righteous. To declare Jesus righteousness for the remission of sins that are past. Having faith ‘in His Blood’. Both Jews and Gentiles need to be made righteous thru faith/belief in Jesus. I want to establish this fact in your mind. Paul without a doubt describes this experience as being ‘justified by faith’. This is the same as saying ‘believing with the heart unto righteousness’. Later on [chapter 10] this needs to be understood when parsing the verses that say ‘with the heart a man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation’ many are confused about this, to get it right you need to see that Paul spends much time early on establishing the fact that ‘those who believe unto righteousness’ are justified by faith already! Below are just a few clips from Romans 1-3- I hope to hit on these in the video. Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Romans 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Romans 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Romans 2:13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. Romans 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Romans 2:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) Romans 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Romans 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Romans 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Romans 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; Romans 3:26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Romans 3:27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Romans 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. ROMANS 4-7 https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/2-11-15-romans-4-7.zip Video https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/700-galatians.wav?_=1 This is an old radio show I made years ago- thought it fit well with what I’m teaching now- you’ll need to use Internet Explorer browser to hear it. The apostle Paul quotes a lot of Old Testament scriptures in this letter- I hope to cover some of them on the video- but as you read these chapters- it would be helpful to read Genesis 12- 13- 15-and 17- these are the main chapters Paul uses in the life of Abraham to show Abrahams faith- and how he was justified by faith- before he was circumcised [Gen 15]. He will describe the faith of Abraham by using the story of Abraham and Sarah having a son in their old age [Gen. 17] – and talk about how the heirs of the promise- that Abraham would be ‘heir of the world’ was made to ALL THE SEED- meaning not just to his Jewish brothers who would believe- but also to the Gentiles- who were never granted the ‘right of the covenant’ [circumcision]. Paul explains that Abraham was justified BEFORE he was circumcised- so- he is the father of all the kids- even the Gentile believers who were never circumcised- but had the faith of Abraham. Now- there’s’ a lot I am trying to cover in this Romans study- for those who watch the videos- you will see that I’m also covering the divisions within Christianity- primarily those that arose out of the 16th century Protestant Reformation. I quote the book of James- and show how James says ‘was not Abraham our father JUSTIFIED BY WORKS when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar’. It’s important to see- that these words JUSTIFIED BY WORKS- are indeed used in our New Testament- in the videos I’m explaining this- but the point I’m making is James uses the account of Abraham- in Genesis 22- and shows us that the progressive work of ‘Justification’ can- and is- applied to the act of Abrahams obedience- and when God saw Abraham DO A JUST THING [a work] James says ‘he was then justified’- the same word used in the initial act of our Justification- seen in Genesis 15- ok- this might be a bit much to take in now- but over time when we get a better grasp on this- I believe it will help to foster unity in the Body of Christ. James 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? James 2:22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? James 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. James 2:24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. NOTE- As I do this study- I’m copying/pasting an old commentary I wrote years ago- I guess I should read the commentary first- after I penned the above- I read it- I basically covered the same thing- at least I’m consistent! ROMANS 4: 1-12 Now, Paul will use one of his most frequent arguments to prove that all men, both Jews and Gentiles, need to be justified by faith and not ‘by works’. The most famous singular figure that natural Israel looked to as the ‘identifier’ of them being a special people was ‘Father Abraham’. Paul does a masterful job at showing how Abraham was indeed justified by faith and not by works. The ‘work’ of circumcision came before the law. It would later become synonymous with law keeping [Ten Commandments] and Paul can certainly use it here as implying ‘the whole law’. But to be accurate this work of circumcision was a national identifying factor that Israel looked to as saying ‘we are better than you [Gentiles]’. Paul is showing Israel that God in fact ‘made Abraham righteous’ before he circumcised him! [Gen. 15] And the sign of this righteousness was circumcision. This meaning that Abrahams faith in Gods promise [a purely ‘passive’ act! This is very important to see. Later on as we deal with the famous ‘conversion texts’ we need to keep this in mind] justified him without respect to the law. God simply took Abraham outside and said ‘look at the stars, your children will be this abundant’ and Abraham simply believed this promise to be true. Much like the passive belief of Cornelius house at their conversion [Acts 10]. The simple belief in the promise of Jesus justifies the sinner! Now this fact of Abraham believing and being made righteous, before being circumcised, is proof [according to Paul] that Abraham is the father of ‘many nations’ not just natural Israel. All ethnic groups who HAVE THE SAME FAITH AS ABRAHAM are qualified to be ‘sons of Abraham/ heirs of God’. The fact that Abraham carried this justification along with him as he became circumcised, shows that all Jewish people as well can partake of this ‘righteousness by faith’ if they have the same faith as Abraham had. Jesus did say ‘Abraham rejoiced to see my day’[ John’s gospel]. In Gods promise to Abraham of a future dynasty of children, this included the promised Messiah. So indirectly Abraham’s belief in the promise of being the father of ‘many nations’ included belief in the coming Messiah. So according to Paul, all ethnic groups who have faith in Jesus are justified/made righteous. The very example Israel used to justify ‘ethnic/national pride’ [Father Abraham] was taught in a way that showed the truth of the gospel and how God is no respecter of persons. ·ROMANS 4:13-14 ‘Now the promise that Abraham would become the inheritor of the world was not going to be fulfilled thru the law [natural Israel] but thru faith [all who believe, both Jew and Gentile]’. I have spoken on this before [see note at bottom] and will hit on it a little now. The historic church can be defined for the most part as ‘a-millennial’, that is they interpreted the parables on the Kingdom of God and the promise of ‘inheriting the world [which includes the Promised Land]’ as being fulfilled thru the church. That Jesus established Gods kingdom and the church basically fulfills these promises by expanding Christ’s ‘rule’ thru the earth. Some historians saw the 4thcentury ‘marriage’ of Rome and Christianity as a fulfillment of this. During the 19th and 20th century you had the rise of Dispensationalism, a ‘new/different’ way of interpreting these land promises. Many good men showed the reality of Christ’s literal coming and pointed to a future time where Jesus literally sits on a throne in Jerusalem and rules all nations. These brothers are called ‘Pre-millennial’, they believe that Jesus comes back first [pre] and then establishes his ‘millennial rule’ on earth. The Premillennialists would see the Amillennialists as ‘replacement theologians’. They said that these brothers were taking the actual promises that God made to Israel and ‘replacing’ Israel with the church. In essence they accused the Amillennialists of spiritualizing the promises to Israel and saying the church would be the recipients of the promises. Now, both sides have truth to them, I personally believe the Amillennialists have a lot more truth! But I do see some of the good points that the Premillenialists made. I want you to simply read these verses [Romans 4:13-14, Galatians 3:18] and see for yourself how Paul does teach the reality that the promises to Abraham are to be fulfilled thru the church [spiritual Israel]. This does not mean that there is no future physical return of Jesus. But the body of scripture leans heavily on the Amillinnialists side. [see entry 703] NOTE- To be fair, some historic thinkers held to the Premillennial position. The majority were Amillennial. ·ROMANS 4:15-25 ‘For the law worketh wrath, for where there is no law there is no transgression’. I simply want to touch on the concept of ‘wrath’ being a very real part of judgment. One of the ways the gospel ‘saves us’ is by promising a future [and present!] deliverance from wrath. While death ‘reigned’ before the law was given, it wasn’t until the law where you had a clear picture of transgression and atonement. We will deal with this later in Romans. Now Paul once again hits on the theme of Abraham being the ‘spiritual father’ of many nations [all who believe] and how the promises of God to Abraham were to be fulfilled thru this ‘new race of people’ [the church]. Paul is careful to not demean Israel; he couches his terms in a way that says ‘God will fulfill these things thru the circumcision who believes [Jews] and the un-circumcision who believe’ [Gentiles]. I want to stress the very plain language Paul uses to show us that we should not be seeing Gods ‘covenant promises’ thru a natural lens. Christians need to be careful when they support [exalt!] natural Israel in a way that the New Testament doesn’t do. ‘To the end that the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is the faith of Abraham’. Now Paul tells us that when God made promises to Abraham that Abraham believed against hope. When all things looked really bad, he still believed. When he was 100 years old and Sarah around 90, he held to the promise [read my commentaries on Genesis 15-18 and Hebrews 11] and therefore God imputed righteousness to him. How closely are you paying attention to Paul’s free use of Abraham and Genesis? If you carefully read this chapter you see Paul ‘intermingle’ the story of Abraham being ‘made righteous upon initial belief’ [Gen. 15] and the later story of Sarah having Isaac [Gen. 17]. I think Paul was simply using the description of Abrahams faith, as seen in the Gen. 17 [and 22!] accounts of his life, to show the type of faith he initially ‘exercised’ [I don’t like using this term to be honest. God actually imputes faith to the believer at the initial act of regeneration]. The important chapters from Genesis that we all need to have a ‘working knowledge’ of are Chapters 12 [the initial promise], 15 [the oft mentioned ‘imputed righteousness’ verse], 17 [the receiving of the promised seed- Isaac], and 22 [the ultimate act of obedience that Abraham showed in offering up Isaac. This will be described in James epistle as ‘righteousness being fulfilled’. James, who is concerned about ‘works’, will say that when Abraham offered Isaac he was fulfilling the ‘imputed righteousness’ that God gave him earlier. James actually describes this as ‘being justified by works’{James 2:21} and James says ‘the scripture was fulfilled that saith Abraham believed God and it was imputed to him for righteousness’… ‘see how that by works a man is justified and not by faith only’. The classic view taken by many confuses the ‘justified’ part with the initial act of justification that Paul centers on. James uses ‘see how he was justified by works’ in a future ‘judicial decree’ sense; that is God having the ongoing ‘freedom’ to continually say ‘good job son, you did well’. The word justification is used in a fluid sense much like salvation. Christians need to be more ‘secure’ in their own assurance to be able to see these truths. When we approach all these seemingly ‘difficult passages’ in a defensive mode, then we never arrive at the actual meaning]. When we see the overall work of God in Abraham’s life we see the purpose of God in ‘declaring people just’ [initially ‘getting saved’]. The purpose is for them to eventually ‘act just’ [obey!] ‘Jesus was delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification’ thank God that this process is dependant on the work of the Cross! [see # 758] ·Romans 5:1-9 ‘Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God thru our Lord Jesus Christ’. There are certain benefits ‘results’ of being ‘made righteous by faith’, peace being one of them. Paul goes on and says we glory in hope and also trials, because we realize that thru the difficulties we gain experience and patience. Things that are needed for the journey, we can’t substitute talent and motivation and ‘success principles’ for them. We need maturity and God produces it this way. Those who teach otherwise have a ‘self inflicted wound’ their teachings are very immature! That is there was a ‘strain’ of teaching in the church that said ‘we don’t learn thru difficulty and suffering, we learn only thru Gods word!’ [that is reading it]. Those who grasped onto this false idea have produced some of the most unbalanced teaching in the church, stuff that even the younger generation is saying ‘what in the heck are these guys preaching’? If you by pass the difficult road, you will be shallow. Now Paul says ‘God commended his love toward us, that when we were sinners Christ died for us’ ‘being now justified by his death, we shall be saved thru his life’ [saved from wrath thru him]. Once again this theme pops up; ‘since we are justified, made righteous by believing with the heart, we shall be saved [continual, future deliverance] from wrath thru him’. I don’t know if you ever realized what a major theme this is in Romans? The ongoing, future ‘being saved’ is a result of ‘being made righteous’. Later on in chapter 10, when we read that the righteous call for salvation, we need to understand this context. Remember, when the two are linked together in the same verse, it is not saying ‘saved’ in the sense of some sinner’s prayer. It is speaking of the ongoing, promised deliverance [from many things, not just wrath!] to the ‘justified caller’. We have access ‘by faith into this grace wherein we stand’. Wow! That’s some good stuff, Jesus ever lives so that those who come to him are ‘being saved’ to the uttermost. This grace we are in is available to us all of the time, are we availing ourselves of it?

CHAPTER 11: [see commentary on Acts 21] END NOTES- JUSTIFIED BY FAITH. TORTURED- BY FAITH? REJECTED MONEY- BY FAITH? THEY ALL WAITED FOR THE CITY- THE CHURCH. ‘Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, FOR BY IT THE ELDERS OBTAINED A GOOD REPORT [JUSTIFIED]’ This is the key verse to the chapter. Paul will go on to prove that all the Old Testament figures that ‘pleased God’ did it by faith, and not by works! ‘Through faith WE UNDERSTAND that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear’ Faith is not ‘blind’. It informs and gives understanding. This understanding is real! Let me show you what I mean. All of the universe and creation had a beginning point. Science did not always know or believe this. Today science teaches this. It is called ‘the point of singularity/density’. Science has traced back the origins of all things and has found scientific evidence to prove that all things had a ‘beginning point’. Now if you were to ask science ‘what did you have right before the beginning point’? They are stumped. Some of course believe in God and will boldly proclaim him at this point. To the others they can not answer this question. Why? Because they realize, thru science, that matter is not infinite. Some have theorized that either all things always existed [which science has now disproved] or that at one point nothing existed [which science also teaches that if this were true then you would have nothing today. You can not get something from nothing!] So all true science has gone back to this ‘point of singularity’ and can not see what is right before ‘the point’. The Christian ‘sees’ God at this point! He ‘understands’ that by necessity there has to have been something that existed before creation, science teaches this. This something can not have been created also, because then where did the ‘being’ who created ‘it’ come from? So science teaches us that whoever got the ball rolling [Saint Thomas Aquinas calls this the ‘prime mover’] had to have been preexistent/ self existent in order to have done it. And we know that creation couldn’t have done it by itself, so therefore all reasoning and understanding leave us at the philosophical point of ‘there had to have been something/someone who existed forever in order for anything to be today’. So now you see how ‘by faith we understand that all things that now exist were brought into existence by someone who we can not see’. FAITH UNDERSTANDS! As we go thru the rest of this chapter I want you to focus in on all the references of justification by faith. You will be surprised [I think?] on how many examples Paul gives to Israel from their own history [his too!] on God justifying people by faith. I will also try and show you [if I remember] how this chapter links the division between Paul’s epistles to the gentiles [Romans, Galatians] with James letter to the Jews. James was one of the lead Apostles at Jerusalem [Acts 15] and the Judaizers who were always accusing Paul of preaching grace in a way that justified sin, they came out of Jerusalem. James and Paul were rivals in a sense. James had the difficult job of overseeing the Church at Jerusalem, who had all the Pharisees who believed, while Paul was preaching this radical message of grace. This is why James’s letter [book of James] focused so much on faith and works. James was seeing the Genesis 22 account of Abraham’s justification when he offered Isaac on the altar. James will say ‘see how Abraham was justified by his works’. While in Paul’s letters he focuses on the Genesis 15 account of Abraham believing God and being made righteous. James was not contradicting Paul; he was showing the actual outcome of the life of a person who was previously justified by faith. James was saying ‘When God made Abraham righteous [Gen 15] he later actually became what God made him!’ [Gen. 22]. Now when Abraham would later do righteous things, he only did them because he previously had faith in Gods promise. But the fact still remains that when Abraham did a righteous act, God still justified him [in a sense, God has the prerogative to say ‘good job son, I am pleased with you’ so this can be described as an act/function of justification]. Well, now that I already showed you all this, I guess I wont have to remember telling it to you later. The point is in this chapter Paul will go down and show all these examples of Jewish leaders acting by faith and doing righteous deeds. This sort of bridges the gap between the strong emphasis on faith in Paul’s letters, with the strong emphasis on works in James letter. Paul is telling Israel ‘yes, all the old saints did do good works that pleased God, but they did them by faith!’ ‘Faith without works is dead’ [James]. So in a sense this single chapter bridges one of the key divisions in the early church between Jerusalem and Antioch [Acts 13 and 15]. Note; I believe all the chapter references above are correct, I write all this from memory so you might want to go back and double check the references. I know all the stories are right. ‘By FAITH Able offered …by which he obtained witness that he was RIGHTEOUS…by FAITH Enoch was translated…he had this testimony that he PLEASED GOD…without FAITH it is impossible to PLEASE HIM [all these ‘please him’ references are like saying ‘being justified’ when a person is justified by God, God sees him as acceptable, pleasing. ‘Thou art my beloved son in whom I am well PLEASED’ God to Jesus!] By faith Noah… prepared an ark to the SAVING of his house…and became heir to the RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH IS BY FAITH [wow, he makes this one real plain] By faith Abraham…went out into a strange land…and sojourned’ interesting, both the aspect of ‘going out to a new land’ and ‘staying in it when you get there’ are both functions of faith. Let me throw in some practical stuff here. Over the years of ‘doing ministry’ I have seen and been a partaker of both of these experiences. Sometimes it takes an act of faith to uproot us from familiar territory and move on to the next level. And do you know what can happen next? The enemy will try to intimidate you once you get in the land of promise, and tell you ‘you cant stay here, look at all the people who hate you. Look at all the mistakes you made’ and it often takes an act of faith to STAY IN THE LAND. Don’t leave the land of your destiny; all true leaders will go thru both of these dealings. ‘For he looked for a city which hath foundations [Jesus is the foundation of this city!] whose builder and maker is God’ All of these great heroes of the faith were looking forward towards a future promise of being in Gods true church, the ‘City of God’ the Bride, the Lambs wife. Paul shows Israel that this 1st century appearing of Messiah was for the purpose of Israel coming into the ‘new land’ the Body of Christ. It is important to see this. There are many preachers today who are treating natural Israel as in if everything is just fine. It isn’t! They need Christ as much as the Muslim does. God was telling Israel ‘come into this new city’ [New Jerusalem versus Old Jerusalem] he wasn’t appealing for them to stay in ‘old Jerusalem’ and be a ‘completed Jew’. [I know this sounds harsh, but I want to emphasize to all my evangelical friends that Jews need Jesus, they play a special role in Gods plan, but ultimately they need Christ!] ‘Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed’ it takes faith to produce spiritual offspring! It might look impossible, but with God all things are possible. ‘Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky and the sand by the shore’ sometimes God will allow you to bring forth one ‘seed’ [person or act of ministry] and you will be surprised how much fruit can come forth from this singular effort. This is why it’s so important to simply hear and obey God. Often times in ministry we do tons of ‘leg work’ which is OK. But when God gives you an idea or mode of function that you weren’t even thinking of, go with it. These are usually the ‘little seeds’ that produce the great harvest! ‘THESE ALL DIED IN FAITH, NOT HAVING RECEIVED THE PROMISES’ I want to emphasize here that it is possible to live your whole life in faith without actually seeing the fulfillment of all that God has told you. Now faith does obtain promises [verse 33] but sometimes we also see things many years down the road and we must realize that the measurement of faith is not whether or not you are currently getting the actual promise. In the above [and below] verse’s we see Abraham and Sara being told that their offspring would number in the millions. They believed these promises, but it is obvious that they didn’t live to see it fulfilled, but they sure knew that after they were gone it would come to pass. So I want to exhort you to believe to see certain things fulfilled in your life time, but have some greater goals that you initiate while here on earth, knowing that after you depart they will be fulfilled. ‘And truly if they had been MINDFUL of the country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned’ what is Paul saying here? The greatest threat to the gospel taking root in the Hebrew community was the desire to go back to old law and culture. How many believers ‘revert’ back to an older form of church simply because they missed the old culture and ‘feelings’ that they had when they were younger? Many of the Jews would not go all the way with the gospel because they were ‘mindful’ of the good old days of law and sacrifice. I just watched a show the other day that told how even some gentile believers began celebrating certain feasts of Israel with their Jewish neighbors. While it is good to understand and see the significance of the feasts, yet we know Paul wrote the early believers and said ‘you observe days and times and feasts, and I am concerned about it’. So when we [or 1st century Israel] are ‘mindful’ of the ‘good old days’ then there is always a danger of going back! ‘By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac…of whom it was said in Isaac shall thy seed be called. Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure’ Abraham exhibited characteristics of the Father [God] as well as Isaac being a type of the Son [Jesus]. It’s interesting that these verses show that Abraham knew for a fact that God was going to give Isaac millions of children, Abraham also knew the voice of God so well that when he ‘thought’ he heard God say ‘offer up this boy’ that in the mind of Abraham, the only way these 2 things could be reconciled, is he came to the conclusion ‘I guess God will have to raise him up, being he has told me this boy will have millions of children, plus he is telling me to kill him’. Most of us would not have come to this conclusion! We would have doubted either the original promise, or said ‘surely this can’t be God telling me to offer Isaac’ [most likely we would have doubted the latter!]. There is a real important reason for Abraham to have been a real man of faith. God wanted this ‘picture’ of the offering up of Isaac for a type of the Cross and Resurrection. The only way he could have shown this example was to have had someone so radically filled with faith, that he would have come to this conclusion of ‘well, I guess God will just raise him’. It was necessary for the figure to have been truly fulfilled. It took Abraham many years of hearing and believing God before he would get to this stage. The part of Abraham’s mind that said ‘God will just have to raise him up’ was important for the figure to truly work. God knew he could only bring someone to this conclusion by arranging the whole scenario around a person of faith. It truly took a real person of faith to have come to the conclusion of resurrection as being inevitable! [For Abraham to fulfill the type of God, he had to have been convinced beyond all doubt that after he offered up his son, that he would be raised again. This is exactly what the Father [God] believed and knew about his own Sons death. So not only did Isaac fulfill the type of Jesus in this story, but Abraham also fulfilled a type of God!] [NOTE; Today is September 22, 2007. Israel’s Day of Atonement. I just heard a brother preach on the feasts of the Lord [I have done this also] but he preached it in a way that said ‘because God said you were to observe these feasts perpetually, therefore all gentile believers need to start observing these days’ he added ‘I know Paul taught the law passed and all, but these feasts are supposed to be forever because God said so’. How are the feasts ‘perpetual’? Thru the fulfilling of them in Christ! Paul makes this plain all thru the New Testament [as well as this letter!] I was surprised to hear the brother preach that the first 2 feasts [out of the 3 main ones] were fulfilled and memorialized, but the 3rd one [Atonement/tabernacles] has yet to be fulfilled! What? Jesus fulfilled Passover and Pentecost for sure, and they are still being ‘fulfilled’ God is still bringing people in thru the blood of Christ and the Spirit is continually being poured out on people, and of course the ultimate reality of our atonement thru our high priest is a daily reality [he ever lives to make intercession] that is ‘fulfilled’ all the time[ I understand what the brother meant, that both Passover and Pentecost were fulfilled at the Cross and the day of Pentecost, and Tabernacles still has a future fulfillment. That Jesus will ‘ingather’ all peoples to himself at the end. The way he said it was in a way that he said Atonement, the beginning of Tabernacles/booths, still has to be fulfilled. It really came out badly!] I just thought it worth noting that today is natural Israel’s feast day, and we hold this feast in reality 24/7!] ‘By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of pharaohs daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward…by faith the harlot Rahab perished not…’ I want you to see that faith in Moses situation caused him to forsake great riches and leave a successful future. This is in keeping with all the times Jesus called people in the Gospels ‘forsake all and follow me’ mentality. We too often equate the ‘treasures of Egypt’ with following Jesus; the scripture puts a different spin on it! Also Rahab ‘perished not’ because she ‘believed’. Paul teaches in Corinthians that those who believe are ‘being saved’ and those who don’t believe are ‘perishing’. I want you to see that Paul is really making a theological argument for ‘being saved by faith’ in this chapter. Even a harlot can be saved! Wow. The law seemed to have no mercy on someone like that! ‘Who thru faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, stopped the mouths of lions…women received their dead raised to life…others were TORTURED not accepting deliverance…others had mocking and scourging and bonds and imprisonment, they were stoned, cut in half, were slain with the sword… being destitute, afflicted, tormented…they wandered in deserts and mountains and dens and caves of the earth, ALL THESE [both the ones who shut the mouths of lions as well as the one’s who were tortured without deliverance] OBTAINED A GOOD REPORT THRU FAITH, AND RECEIVED NOT THE PROMISE’ Faith does not always cause you to be better off in this life. I am very familiar with all the verses of God blessing us and providing for us ‘the blessing of the Lord it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow to it’. I believe and claim these verses just like the next guy. I also don’t want to tell people ‘give your life to Christ and all will go well’ did it go well for the ones who were tortured not getting delivered? Sure did. It went well the moment they saw the face of God. The same for those who were cut in half. It also went well for the women who received their dead raised to life. The point is ‘going well’ is not always defined by your outward circumstance. We must see the overall biblical worldview of all things here being temporary, while all true spiritual riches are eternal. Moses actually was ‘less rich’ by the choice to follow Christ. But he was ‘more rich’ in that he fulfilled Gods purpose. It is important to see that many of these great heroes of the faith died without fully seeing the promise in this life. Now the last verse does say ‘that they without us should not be made perfect’ and this does show that the promise is now fulfilled thru Christ. We have all become recipients of eternal salvation thru Christ. The Old Testament patriarchs have ‘found that city’ in that we are all now members of the great ‘City that comes down from God out of heaven’ we are all in Christ today, even our Old Testament brothers who had faith. The point is don’t always measure a persons faith by their outward wealth and condition. James rebuked this idea in his epistle, he taught us not to show partiality to people who were rich while despising the poor. When believers see faith only from the standpoint of outward things, they are missing the true riches. Jesus taught that all these outward things were not the true riches; I am surprised how many believers spend so much time hoarding and storing things that will all pass away some day. Let’s close this chapter on a good note. Paul has offered Israel all of their Old Testament heroes as an example of being justified by faith. He is saying ‘look, all the great fathers of the faith pleased God, just like you have said and taught for ages. I am declaring unto you they were all ‘justified/pleasing to God’ by faith, not law’. Therefore if you want to follow the example of Abraham and Moses and all the other wonderful fathers, then you too MUST BELIEVE! END NOTES- JUSTIFIED BY FAITH. TORTURED- BY FAITH? REJECTED MONEY- BY FAITH? THEY ALL WAITED FOR THE CITY- THE CHURCH. This chapter is loaded with the history of the Jewish people- I could teach on each story- but that would be a bit much- So I pasted the verses below to show that the writer is saying ‘see- all of our forefathers were justified- received a GOOD REPORT- by faith’. Wait a minute- they DID THINGS- in these stories- Isn’t that WORKS? If you read the letter of James- and the letters of Paul- some scholars says there is a disagreement- Paul says a man is justified by faith- and not by works. James says ‘see how a man is justified by works- and not faith only’. If this letter [Hebrews] was written by Paul- then it’s a true masterpiece- because he is combining the examples that James uses [Rahab- and Abrahams Genesis 22 experience- which James uses to say ‘see how works justifies’]. So- to me- Paul would be saying ‘no- I’m not contradicting James- we both believe/teach the same thing’. If the letter was written by Barnabus- then it also is a masterpiece- because Barnabus might be trying to bridge the gap between Paul and James. We read about this tension in Acts chapters 13 and 15. This chapter is certainly not showing us how to obtain stuff [money- etc.] thru faith- because look at the examples- ‘Moses chose to suffer- and reject the wealth of Egypt- BY FAITH’- ‘SOME WERE TORTURED- SUFFERED- CUT IN HALF- by faith’- ‘CHOOSING TO not be delivered- because they had faith’. We also see the heavenly city- as the goal of the patriarchs- they were all waiting for THE CHURCH- the city that the apostle John spoke about in the book of revelation. The writer says ‘if they were mindful of the city they came out of [a reference to the law covenant- meaning if the Jews kept clinging to the law- the ‘city they came out from’- they will have a hard time moving on- into the New Covenant revelation of Messiah]. I didn’t quote verse 2- but we could teach modern physics from that one [the bible says all things were made from something invisible- modern physics has come to that reality in the 20th century- yet this verse was penned 2 millennia ago]! By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. So yeah- lots of good stuff in this chapter- but the main point is these ancients were justified by faith- the example of Noah and Abraham actually use that very language- salvation/righteousness [it’s a bit clearer in the King James Version- the above verses are from the NIV]. Yes- the writer is saying ‘everything is based on faith- and even our ancestors were justified by faith- they did all these things because they believed God- and God saw their faith- in action- and they too were made righteous- by faith’. By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning;[e] they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. 39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. CHAPTER 12: END NOTES- A HEAVENLY CITY. DON’T BE SAD, HE’S TREATING YOU LIKE A SON. NO REPENTANCE- OUTSIDE OF CHRIST THAT IS. CULTURE SHOCK IS HARD ON US ALL. ‘Wherefore seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses [all the heroes of the last chapter!] let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us’ a few practical things. Paul compares the journey to a marathon, not a sprint! The patient runner who paces himself will receive a reward. The sprinter will look good at the start, but you never see him again! I have been blessed by so many gifted people over the years. Some who were on radio, or were doing some type of ministry for the Lord. The gifts and callings were truly on these people. A few years would go by and they were no where to be found. Where did they go? Some of them jumped on the latest ‘Christian movement’ [I am not against movements from God, I just feel we get enamored by them and give up on the main thing the Lord has called us to] some walked away from the Lord. I have come to realize that God will put certain things in you from the early days, things that he predestined for you to fulfill before you were born. These are the things that you should be faithful to. Don’t abandon the original calling, it’s still there! You can spend your whole life leaving one ‘track’ and ‘sprinting’ in another. But God wants you to stay on the original course and run it with patience. It might not seem as glamorous or exciting as the newest race in town, but at the end you will receive a reward. ‘Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him ENDURED the cross, despising the shame and is set down on the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that ENDURED such contradiction of sinners…and ye have forgotten the exhortation that speaketh to you as children [remember what we said about this type of privileged language in Hebrews? It is speaking to Israel] my son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art REBUKED of him: for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If you endure chastening, God dealeth with you as sons’. Now, for many years I read this just like you. That God was telling Christians that he disciplines them. True enough. But in context what is Paul saying here? He spent 11 chapters ‘reproving’ Israel. He told them that all the sacrifices and wonderful holidays and family traditions are no more. That Messiah has fulfilled it and you can’t keep doing it. Now, how would you feel if some know it all preacher came along and totally dismantled your whole way of worship? And you knew in your heart he was right! You would take offence. You would feel like you just got ‘chastened’ up and down and all over. Your initial reaction would be ‘this is too much correction in one letter, I am tired of reading it!’ so Paul is telling Israel ‘Don’t take all this reproof the wrong way, Gods intent is to get you to move on with the program. He loves you guys; don’t forget that scripture [Old Testament] says ‘who God loves he chastens’ hey, God is just dealing with you as children who he loves’ get it? ‘We have had fathers of the flesh that corrected us…shall we not much rather be in subjection to the father of spirits and live?’ Paul is saying ‘you guys want to live [eternal life] then you need to submit to the correction the father is giving you’. ‘For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure, but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness’ Now, God does chasten believers for the purpose of holiness. Scripture says ‘those who have suffered in the flesh have ceased from sin, that they should no longer spend the rest of their days in the flesh pursuing the desires of the flesh, but the will of God’ ‘before I was afflicted I went astray, but after I kept thy word’ ‘thou in faithfulness hath afflicted me’ ‘though he were a son yet learned he obedience from the things he suffered’ ‘the captain of our salvation was made perfect thru suffering’ [the last 2 are in this letter, the others are some where in scripture, I just quoted them off the top of my head. As you can see I have some familiarity with this subject! Ouch] In context Paul is saying to Israel ‘you have tried to attain holiness thru legalistic means, by keeping the law [Romans 9-the last few verses] but until you submit to Gods chastening, and have faith in God, you will not truly have his ‘holiness’ [righteousness]. So God is disciplining them thru this letter so they will ‘believe and become righteous’ as opposed to staying in the old system of law. ‘Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous [old brother Paul, he sure knew how to understate things!] nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of RIGHTEOUSNESS to them that are exercised [or exorcised! Just kidding, but it can feel like this at times] thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down…and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame [broken] be turned out of the way, but let it rather be healed’ David said ‘restore to me the joy of your salvation that the bones which YOU HAVE BROKEN may rejoice’ The danger of chastening [both for Christians and Israel] is that we get so broken that we never fully recover. Paul is telling Israel ‘I know it’s been hard on you guys to hear so much rebuke. Don’t walk away totally discouraged. There is a danger that you might respond to Gods correction the wrong way. Lift up your hands, shake off the depression, and let yourselves be healed. God wants to restore you!’ ‘Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For you know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for HE FOUND NO PLACE OF REPENTANCE though he sought it carefully with tears’. This is another reason why reading Hebrews in context is important. One of the themes of this letter is ‘if you miss out on it now, you can’t repent later!’[Chapter 6]. We know that Pauls other letters to the churches leave open future repentance for those who have sinned. In Paul’s letters to the Corinthians we see this being done. But in Hebrews the idea is ‘if you pass on the Cross, you can not find repentance thru any other means. There is no other place for repentance’. So this is the reason why Hebrews has this theme of ‘no future repentance’ thru out the letter. Paul is certainly not telling Israel that if they decide to repent and accept Christ at a future date, they can’t! But he is saying ‘if you pass over this sacrifice of Christ, all the other ‘sacrifices’ and means of repentance that are contained in the law will have no future effect, remember Esau!’ ‘For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched…but ye are come to Mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem [the church]…and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Able’ Here Paul comes back to a ‘scarlet thread’ that runs thru out this letter. He says ‘hey, you think the first covenant was a fearful thing, watch out! If you disregard this covenant [Jesus blood] then you have gone against something that is much greater than the law’. Also the ‘blood of Able’ cried out from the ground for vengeance, the blood of Jesus cries out from heaven for mercy and forgiveness! It ‘speaks’ better things than that of Able! ‘See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth [Moses and the law] much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him which speaketh from heaven’ again Paul repeats themes he hit on earlier in this letter. He says ‘Moses spoke Gods Word [law] to you from an earthly mountain and place, you are come to a heavenly mountain [Sion-spiritual Jerusalem] and Jesus is speaking to you from heaven. This is much more strict than he who spoke from earth’. ‘Wherefore we receiving a Kingdom that can not be moved, let us HAVE GRACE, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: for our God is a consuming fire’ Though Paul doesn’t say it [I think he should have!] but this alludes to the ‘God’ of Moses day, who did not consume the burning bush, compared to the ‘God’ of today [new covenant] who will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire! This fits in with the theme of a harsher punishment for those who reject the covenant of grace as opposed to those who rejected the covenant of law. I know these themes are not popular, but this is clearly the way Paul is presenting them. I also am not saying the ‘God’ of the Old Testament is different from the ‘God’ of the new [this is the heresy of Marcion! I think that was his name. He was an early Christian heretic who comprised the first canon of scripture for a ‘new testament’ it included basically Paul’s letters, and he taught that The God of the new testament was different from the God in the old] but Paul is presenting the new covenant in a way that says ‘don’t neglect this new way of salvation, those who do will receive a harsher judgment than those who rejected the law’. END NOTES- A HEAVENLY CITY. DON’T BE SAD, HE’S TREATING YOU LIKE A SON. NO REPENTANCE- OUTSIDE OF CHRIST THAT IS. CULTURE SHOCK IS HARD ON US ALL. Once again we see the contrast between ‘he that spoke from earth’ [Moses- the law]- and he that ‘speaks from heaven’ [Jesus covenant is more strict- to those outside of it and reject it- because he has heavenly authority- Moses had earthly]. Hebrews 12:25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: The writer says ‘don’t be sad- God disciplines every son who he receives’- though this certainly applies to Christians- Hebrews 12:5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: Hebrews 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. Hebrews 12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? Hebrews 12:8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Remember this- though the message of grace and Jesus as the Messiah is wonderful- especially to us Gentile believers- Yet- it was indeed a cultural shock to the 1st century Jew- Why? Even though Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophets- yet in order for the Jewish person to accept this [Like the apostle Paul] He had to accept a real cultural change in the religion he practiced from his youth- He was being asked to stop the animal sacrifices- to ‘move on’ from the Law covenant- and to embrace Christ. Now- in reality- it would be the fulfillment of all that was contained in the law- but it’s often hard for anyone to ‘move on’ from former religious practices that are embedded in his culture. So- in context ‘Don’t be sad- God is disciplining you- showing you new stuff- and it’s tough for sure- but he does this with all the sons he receives’. We also see the promise of the heavenly city- As opposed to the earthly one. Hebrews 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, Hebrews 12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, The writer is speaking about the church- and how both Jew and Gentile are part of this spiritual community coming down from God out of heaven. And again we see the warning- of no repentance- for those who keep sinning. I stress that this is never taught to the Gentile churches- as a matter of fact the Apostle Paul wrote the Corinthians- about a sinning brother- sleeping with his father’s wife [his step mom]. And In the 2nd letter- this brother repented- and Paul exhorted the church to receive him back into fellowship. But to the 1st century Jew- still not fully in the covenant- he says ‘Hebrews 12:17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. In keeping with the theme of the letter- Jesus is now the only acceptable means of repentance- and if you reject him as the Messiah- and continue in sin- then yes- there is no repentance. Revelation 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Revelation 21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Ephesians 2:18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Ephesians 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; Ephesians 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; Ephesians 2:21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: Ephesians 2:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. Galatians 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. CHAPTER 13: Once again we will see an image in this chapter that Paul will take from the Old Testament and use to describe the sacrifice of Christ. It might even be the best image yet! But let’s start with some basics. ‘Let brotherly love continue’ the other day I was shopping at Wal Mart and saw some Cowboys shirts. I have a homeless friend who I have known for 15 years who loves the Cowboys [The football team!] So I bought him a 13 dollar shirt [they had a nicer Jersey for around 40 dollars, but I am not that spiritual yet]. So I bought him the cheaper one. Sure enough he’s been wearing it ever since! Sometimes it’s the little things, the ‘brotherly love’ stuff that we need to do. We are so obsessed with doing ‘religious stuff’ and attending ‘religious meetings’ and ‘tithing’ that we really do not see the underlying reality of going out of our way for others. We will read in this chapter the 3 sacrifices God does want from us, after all the teaching Paul does on ‘no more sacrifices’ he will give us the spiritual sacrifices that God requires of us. They don’t even touch what we think is important! ‘Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them’ a regular part of my prayer life includes praying for our fellow brothers and sisters ‘in bonds’. A few years ago a brother from our area got sent to jail for stealing money from a famous Christian mission that he worked for. I met him a few times over the years. He used to go to the church I attended. I really didn’t like him to be honest with you. I loved him as a brother, but a little to ‘I am a Christian, cant you see’ type thing. I don’t want to judge him, but this was how I felt. Well many years later when he got sent to jail he became the talk of the town. I started regularly praying for him and haven’t stopped since. This has been around 5 years or so. I also recently included some other Christians who also did some public crimes and were sent to prison, a girl who was found guilty of murdering her foster child. I also pray for those around the world who are in prison for the faith. True persecution. I want to exhort you to pray for those in bonds. Paul knew how hard it was, he was in jail often. ‘Marriage is honorable in all… but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge’ Paul made it clear in all his letters that he was not preaching a gospel of grace that condoned sin. He will say this time and again thru out his writings. He was accused of preaching a sinful gospel, but he wanted to make it clear that in all of his preaching about the law and sacrifices passing away, that in Christ people by nature will do what is right [Romans]. At the end of this great treatise to the Hebrews he makes it clear ‘don’t go on sinning’. ‘Let your conversation [lifestyle] be without covetousness; and be content with such things as you have: for he hath said ‘I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee’ Paul once again deals with avoiding a materialistic mindset. He isn’t urging them to believe God for millions of dollars, or to set a goal of what you want and then to use scripture to get it. He tells them ‘you have Jesus, so be happy. Don’t be always trying to find fulfillment in things, they pass away’. You will find this mindset all thru out scripture [read 1st Timothy 6!] so many Christians today think that this mindset is ‘tradition’. But it is in scripture! ‘Remember THEM which have the rule over you’ to be fair, I have done a lot of teaching in the past against the authoritarian one man rule over believers. I want to submit to you that both here, and in every other New Testament letter that leadership is always plural. It is ‘them’ not ‘him’. Also there are a few other passages that use the term ‘rule’ you could also interpret these as ‘those who watch over you, have care for you’ and use more amicable terms. There are actual reasons why the stronger language is used, I don’t really want to get into the whole thing here, but some feel it had to do with the time that the English bibles were being translated. The kings of the time [England] wanted to maintain a strong hierarchy within their ‘nation states’ as they broke away from the Papacy of Rome, and the translators made a conscious decision to use the more authoritarian terms to keep the people under authority. A whole book has been written on this dynamic. But for now I simply want you to see that Paul is addressing a community of people and saying ‘submit to the eldership of your area, they have responsibility for your spiritual growth, they will give an account to God. So listen to them’ this is not a verse to be used to justify the present office of the singular Pastor in the Protestant church! ‘Be not carried about with diverse and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them which have been occupied therein’ I like this verse. It summarizes so much of the Christian life. The whole point of this letter is to establish people in grace. To see that in Christ we have been accepted with God. Our main message isn’t all the interesting doctrines and stuff that we like to argue about. It really is Christ and Gods grace being freely given to us thru him. A lot of the reproving I do is not for the purpose [I hope not!] of just arguing about things that don’t matter, but it is for the purpose of bringing Gods people back to a platform of grace. I teach ‘you are not under the tithe [law] but give all you can in love [grace]’ we are all living our lives openly before the face of God, we shouldn’t be running around trying to ‘one up’ the next guy. Or showing everybody how smart or spiritual we are. We are all here to become more like Jesus and to simply see our requirement as living a thankful life and doing good deeds and sharing our goods with others [the 3 sacrifices that we will see later in this chapter!] I like this verse a lot! ‘We have an altar [the Cross] whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle [those under the tabernacle system, the law!] For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp [the main area where the tabernacle and all the holy things of God were located]. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate [right outside the City of Jerusalem at the hill of Golgotha]. Let us go forth therefore unto him [leave the Old Covenant and all of its sacrifices, and move on unto perfection found only in Christ] without the camp [outside of the rules and regulations of the law and all of its shadows], bearing his reproach [those who left their Jewish heritage for Christ suffered extreme reproach and ridicule from their friends and family. It was a very unpopular thing to do for the 1st century Jew] for here we have no continuing city [natural Jerusalem], but we seek one to come [spiritual Jerusalem]’ Paul sees significance in the fact that the bodies of the animals whose blood was used for atonement were burned outside the camp. There were different types of sacrifices that took place around the system of the tabernacle. Some were totally burnt [burnt offering] others were eaten [Passover] and for the one whose blood alone was used, these bodies were taken to a place outside of the camp and were disposed of by burning. It was purely a utilitarian purpose. They had to get rid of the bodies and they burnt them. Now Paul sees this as a prophetic symbol of Christ. Paul says ‘remember that place where those bodies were burnt? It is a type of Jesus who suffered outside of the city. It was showing that there would be a day where a sacrifice would be made, outside of the law system, that would sanctify all the people’! Amazing, once again Paul sees things in scripture that no body else is seeing, until now! Paul’s mind was consumed with seeing Jesus in everything. He sees hidden shadows of Gods preplanned coming of Messiah and how God all along would require people to ‘leave the camp’ and come unto Christ. In essence Paul is saying ‘even in the tabernacle system God prefigured a once for all sacrifice that would take place outside of the law’ Bravo! Also you will notice how Paul says ‘here we have no continuing city’ [Jerusalem] but we seek one to come [The heavenly city, the bride the Lambs wife, the church!] Paul does not do what many modern Evangelicals do. He does not exalt Israel’s natural heritage. Interesting that a first century Jewish believer [Paul] writing to a 1st century Jewish audience, downplays their ‘holy land’. If you go back and review everything in this commentary, you will see that there are no references to the prophetic significance to the land of Israel as a geographical ‘holy place’. As a matter of fact the main theme is ‘leave your dependence and cultural pride that comes from your natural heritage, and come into this ‘new city’ that all of our fore fathers were looking for’ there is this amazing lack of exalting the natural city of Jerusalem [which the New Testament calls ‘Sodom’ in a spiritual sense! Revelation] and a plea for all nations, including natural Israel, to come unto Christ. ‘By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased’ Paul gives us 3 main sacrifices that the New Covenant priest/believer can bring. Praise, doing good and giving of your goods and money to meet the needs of those around you [communicate means this here]. ‘Obey THEM that have the rule over you and submit yourselves’ again we see leadership in plurality. Every city has spiritual leadership, they are responsible before God for how they lead the people in their area. They are also responsible to bring the people to maturity and independence. A place where people are not co dependant upon leadership. I believe much of the modern system has failed in this respect. The modern system has actually taken these types of verses and used them to tell people ‘your main role is to come to church on Sunday and passively listen’ we have built this audience/ spectator mindset into people, and we have failed in this respect. ‘Pray for us’ I have found this simple request to be one of the most important things you can ask others to do for you. Enlist prayer support. Pray for me! Ask people to pray for you! We all need this desperately! ‘Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever amen’ What a great way to end this letter! It is thru the blood of Jesus Christ that we are accepted and perfected in every way. We can only live and function because of the blood! We have true forgiveness for all of our sins because of what Christ has done for us. Paul has penned 13 chapters of revelation showing us the great significance of Christ’s sacrifice. He has urged his fellow country men ‘come out from trying to make yourselves holy and acceptable, and receive the once and for all sacrifice of Christ’ he has trumpeted this theme all thru out this letter. I want to exhort you guys to see the sufficiency of the Cross. We get so caught up in what we are doing that there is a tendency to rely on ourselves and our own ability to change things [even us!] we need to re-focus on the biblical priority and necessity of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He truly is the way, the truth and the life. No man can come to the Father but by him! God bless you guys, John. Hebrews 13:1 Let brotherly love continue. Hebrews 13:2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Hebrews 13:3 Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body. [Try and do this- I have this verse painted on a sign in my yard- I have a consistent prayer time- early in the morning- it includes nations- world issues- many subjects that God is concerned with. During this prayer pattern- which I have done for 30 years now- I also pray for the prisoners- and this verse asks us to do just that. I have friends- even Pastors- who simply do not pray- regularly. I would encourage all of you- learn a routine pattern of prayer- not a selfish time where you focus on yourself and your needs [though that can be a small part of it]- but a prayer time that consistently covers the issues that scripture teaches us to be concerned with]. Hebrews 13:4 Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. [This past year- I have talked to my friends about this issue- sleeping around. Many of these friends- are still friends- but I felt my associations with them- sort of ‘overlooking’ this very issue- made them feel like ‘well- John will have to learn to live with it’- meaning they felt like I could still do ministry stuff with them- still hang out- all the things I have done for many years. But time is rolling on- and I fear that these friends- yes- even Christians- think this issue of adultery is a minor thing. The scripture makes it VERY CLEAR- that those who do these things cannot I inherit the kingdom of God. I am not trying to be mean to these guys [and gals] but this issue must be dealt with in this life- not the next. And I want my friends to get this issue dealt with- and that’s one of the reasons I have stopped ministry activity with some of the guys]. Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. [Over the years I have heard it taught that if you are content with what you have- you are in sin. Because you must believe God for increased wealth- to fund ministry projects. Many of the people who preach this are good men- but I fear the do not see it is a violation of scripture. This is just one- of many verses in the New Testament that warns against a wealth building mindset. The writer is saying when God meets our basic needs- and we show the world that our joy does not come from the things of this world- then that itself is a witness for God]. Hebrews 13:6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. Hebrews 13:7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Hebrews 13:9 Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. Hebrews 13:10 We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. [The altar ‘we have’ is the Cross- he is saying that if the Jewish brothers stay in ‘the tabernacle’- meaning the law covenant- then they can’t partake of the benefits of the final sacrifice of Christ- this verse is not talking about church buildings- as some have said]. Hebrews 13:11 For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Hebrews 13:12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Hebrews 13:13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. [The references to ‘without the camp/gate’ refer to the whole theme of this letter ‘you must go forth- move on from the Old Covenant mindset- and suffer the reproach of being a follower of the Messiah’- it was difficult for the early Jewish believers to embrace Christ. It brought scorn on them from family and friends- it was a price that many of us in the modern day don’t experience. So at the end of this letter the writer exhorts them to bear the reproach- become a believer in the Messiah- it will be worth it in the end]. Hebrews 13:14 For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. [He is speaking about the church here- I already pasted some of the verses in this post that show us this]. Hebrews 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. Hebrews 13:16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Hebrews 13:17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you. Hebrews 13:18 Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly. Hebrews 13:19 But I beseech you the rather to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner. Hebrews 13:20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Hebrews 13:21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:22 And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation: for I have written a letter unto you in few words. Hebrews 13:23 Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you. [Frankly- this sounds just like the apostle Paul- these are reasons why I still lean towards Paul being the writer of this letter]. Hebrews 13:24 Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you. Hebrews 13:25 Grace be with you all. Amen. Masada. Hadrian. Judaism in transition. Did they ‘move on’ ? Who was Elazar ben Yair? In the last video I spoke about what happened to the Jews after the letter to the Hebrews was written. In a way- the Jewish people made a transition- though forcibly- into some of the exhortations we read about in this letter- They no longer offered animal sacrifices- why? The Jews saw the destruction of their city and temple in AD 70 under the Roman leader Titus- Some continued to resist Rome- they took over the fortress of Masada- a great fortress built by the late King Herod- Herod the Great. They held the fort for around 3 years- until the Romans built a rampart to invade it. The fortress was built high on a cliff by the Dead Sea- The only way to get to it was from a narrow road- called the snake. It had no ‘hand rails’ or walls to protect you- it was built this way on purpose. So when the Roman soldiers tried to capture the Jews in the fortress- a small group could easily fight back- and hold the fort. So the Romans built this rampart- it took about 2 years- and right before they reached the fort- the Jews holed up inside killed themselves. They chose 10 men by lot- who would kill all inside the fort [women and kids too]. Out of the 10- they drew lots for one of them to kill the other 9- then he killed himself. Elazar ben Yair was the leader of the Jewish resistance- we read the account in the writings of Josephus Flavius- the great historian who too fought against the Romans. Here’s a quote from Elazar ben Yair “Since we long ago resolved never to be servants to the Romans, nor to any other than to God Himself, Who alone is the true and just Lord of mankind, the time is now come that obliges us to make that resolution true in practice …We were the very first that revolted, and we are the last to fight against them; and I cannot but esteem it as a favor that God has granted us, that it is still in our power to die bravely, and in a state of freedom.” Falvius wrote 4 great works [we read about this account in Jewish Wars] – after the rebellion was over- Josephus was brought to Rome- and he began writing his historical works in order to show the Romans that the Jewish people were a great people- with a great history. Many scholars refer to Josephus works [mostly Antiquities] because they give us history that we don’t find in the bible- it sort of fills in the gaps- and gives us historical context. The Bar Kokhba Revolt- The Jews had their last revolt against Rome around 130-132 AD- Under the leadership of Shimon Bar Kokhba they resisted Rome- Emperor Hadrian would eventually prevail- and ban the Jews from their land- and make laws outlawing Jewish religious practice. Over time the Jewish people learned/adapted to practice their religion- without Temple/Priest or sacrifice. The Seder meal became the memorial of Gods deliverance from Egypt- they use the bone of a lamb- but they do not actually have the Passover sacrifice [which the letter to the Hebrews exhorts them to do- to not practice animal sacrifices any more]. The priests were no more- but the people had Rabbis- one in particular tried to help the people transition after such a cultural loss. He taught them that the ‘new way’ of sacrifice and worship would be thru acts of charity- and prayer ‘sacrifice and offering I do not want’ a quote from the Old testament Prophets. So- in a way- the Jewish people did ‘move on’ from the Old sacrificial system- and embraced a ‘more Christian’ view of religion. Of course there are Jews today who fully embrace Jesus as the messiah- but over all- as a people- their Old Law system was done away- Today you have various forms of Judaism- ranking form the most strict- to the most liberal [we see this in Christianity as well]. But none of them practice ritual sacrifice any more- Some Christians [and Jews] actually believe the Temple will be restored- and at that time the sacrifices will be re-instituted. I actually do not hold to this end time view- But for now- that system has been done away with [or put on hold- if that’s your view]. And the ‘new works’ of religion- are charity and prayer and Mercy- The same theme we read in this letter to the Hebrews- 5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith , Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: Hebrews 10:5 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is , the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. Hebrews 13:15

ACTS 15- Amos 9:11 In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:Amos 9:12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this. https://youtu.be/rteq0keHKsQ Acts 15 https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/6-22-17-acts-15.zip https://ccoutreach87.com/6-22-17-acts-15/ ON VIDEO- .Key chapter .The argument .The agreement .Tabernacle of David .Free in grace- but not a license to sin .Written and oral tradition .Paul and Barnabus have a falling out .1st church council .visions played a role in setting doctrine [Peter and thee sheet vision recounted] .Yet we test the spirits- they are not all of God

PAST POSTS [verses below] https://ccoutreach87.com/james-2015/ http://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/p/protestant-reformation-luther-1766-lil_25.html My daughters non profit- https://www.facebook.com/jimwellscountypetsalive/ ACTS- https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/18/acts-1/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/01/26/acts-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/02/02/acts-3/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/02/09/acts-4/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/03/23/acts-5/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/03/31/acts-6/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/06/acts-7/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/14/acts-8/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/18/acts-9/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/05/07/acts-10/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/05/16/acts-11/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/05/22/acts-12/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/06/01/acts-13/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/06/14/acts-14/

(739)ACTS 15- Some brothers from Judea came down to Antioch and taught the believers that they had to be circumcised and keep the law in order to be saved. These are the Pharisees out of Jerusalem who became believers. They tried to put the gentile believers under the yoke of the law. Paul and Barnabas disagree strongly with this teaching. They decide to bring the question before the Apostles and Elders at Jerusalem. This is the first ‘church council’ in history. The ‘Jerusalem council’. At the meeting the dispute arises. Peter speaks up and recounts his experience at Cornelius house. How God showed Peter that he would justify people by faith, without having to become converts to Judaism. James chimes in and quotes a famous verse [famous now!] from the prophet Amos ‘in those days I will rebuild David’s tabernacle and all the gentiles upon whom my name is called will see me’. I want to stop here for a minute. On this blog I wrote a chapter on David’s tabernacle. It is in the booklet ‘The great building of God’ you might want to read it if you are not familiar with David’s tabernacle. I want to note that scholars disagree on what James means here. Some see ‘David’s tabernacle’ as the house or dynasty of David. Like Paul saying ‘house of God’ when speaking of ‘the family of God’. Others say this verse teaches the rebuilding of the Temple. The main reason James is quoting this verse is really not for the ‘rebuilding of David’s tabernacle’ section. It is for ‘all the gentiles who call upon my name’ part! James is agreeing with Peter and taking the side of grace when he says ‘look, even Amos said gentiles would call on Gods name’. Paul does this in Romans, he quotes the Old Testament prophets in context of the gentiles being accepted. So I wanted to just put some context to why James is bringing up this verse. But I also give credence to seeing ‘David’s tabernacle’ as speaking of the New Testament house of God [the Body of Christ] and Gods intent to ‘tabernacle in his people’. Acts does teach that Jesus has ascended and is seated on a throne that includes Israel as well as the whole universe! So in this context Christ can be seen as ‘building the tabernacle of David’ [spiritual temple of believers] that includes all ethnic groups. Yes, gentiles too can call upon his name! The Apostles and Elders and brothers all reach agreement and write a short letter and send Judas and Silas along with Paul’s group back to Antioch to read the final decree. They told the gentile believers they were not under the law and did not have to convert to Judaism to be saved. They did give four simple restrictions. Don’t eat meat with the blood in it, don’t eat food offered to idols or strangled animals. Don’t commit fornication. Basic requirements that later on will lose their emphasis as the church grows in grace [accept for fornication! God does require believers to walk in holiness]. Now this chapter is vital for every believer. The 16th century reformation restored the truth of people being saved freely by grace. Many Christians were lost in the legalistic requirements of religion. Many believers thought they could buy their way out of purgatory with money! Others thought they would be saved by keeping church law. This early church council gave freedom to the church in seeing herself accepted by grace. The church grew in her understanding of Gods grace. As God’s revelation of himself progressed thru out the early church, they saw him as being ‘inclusive’ not exclusive! The more they learned about God, the more they understood him justifying people freely. It is easy to lose the reality of God justifying man freely thru grace. No excuses for living in sin, but true acceptance and forgiveness because of Christ. This is truly the heart of the gospel. The first church council laid the foundation of Gods free grace. The gentiles at Antioch and the other towns were ecstatic over this decision. Truly the gentile churches are experiencing more freedom than the church at Jerusalem, after all they had the ‘Pharisees who believed’ at Jerusalem, and they weren’t willing to give up on their belief of the importance of the law and circumcision. They will haunt Paul thru out his life. After the letter is read, Paul and Barnabas continue to teach at Antioch and the 2 brothers who were out of Jerusalem are free to leave. Judas goes back, but Silas likes the freedom at Antioch and decides to stay. Paul says ‘lets go visit all the brothers in the cities where we preached’ Barnabas says ‘great, lets take John Mark!’ Paul doesn’t want him because he abandoned them on an earlier missionary journey. Paul takes Silas and John goes with Barnabas. The ‘visiting of all the brothers’ is also described as ‘visiting the churches’. Once again, the brothers [and sisters] in the cites are defined as ‘the churches’. They were called out groups of believers who were recognized not because they ‘attended church on Sunday’ but because they were followers of ‘the way’.

VERSES- 1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spiritswhether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Acts 15:1 And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. Acts 15:2 When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question. Acts 15:3 And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren. Acts 15:4 And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them. Acts 15:5 But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses. Acts 15:6 And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter. Acts 15:7 And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. Acts 15:8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; Acts 15:9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Acts 15:10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? Acts 15:11 But we believe that through the grace of the LORD Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. Acts 15:12 Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them. Acts 15:13 And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: Acts 15:14 Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. Acts 15:15 And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, Acts 15:16 After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: Acts 15:17 That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. Acts 15:18 Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. Acts 15:19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: Acts 15:20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. Acts 15:21 For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day. Acts 15:22 Then pleased it the apostles and elders with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas and Silas, chief men among the brethren: Acts 15:23 And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia. Acts 15:24 Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment: Acts 15:25 It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, align=top> Acts 15:26 Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 15:27 We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth. Acts 15:28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; Acts 15:29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well. Acts 15:30 So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch: and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle: Acts 15:31 Which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation. Acts 15:32 And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them. Acts 15:33 And after they had tarried there a space, they were let go in peace from the brethren unto the apostles. Acts 15:34 Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide there still. Acts 15:35 Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also. Acts 15:36 And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the LORD, and see how they do. Acts 15:37 And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. Acts 15:38 But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. Acts 15:39 And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus; Acts 15:40 And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God. Acts 15:41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.

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