#latter tribulations

[prommytheus]

by the way the title spirit of justice has always bothered me. not only are you repeating the word justice fucking again in your titles but Spirit of the Law was already a phrase

[noxianwilled]

me: girl is a gun is a katarina song

also me: if she's in love with someone she'll be utterly and endlessly devoted this woman doesn't know how to do anything in halves

[standskeleton]

FINAL PART Little Book Open by Randall Frushour

Revelation 10 Daniel 9

FOR ALL ANYONE KNOW

There importantly at least, for Gentile perspective are ten titleholder kings or kingdoms, in ownership of businesses and voice in conduct of the 7 head ten horn beast of Daniel 7 and for supporting mention, in Revelation 13. Revelation says the seven heads are seven mountains so unless these would be the seven hills of Rome we're then talking about the continents.

Daniel 7 describes four terrifying beasts, with the fourth possibly representing converging technology. In contrast, Revelation 13 delineates two distinct beasts. The first is a digitalizing, technological, empirical system, akin to the fourth beast of Daniel 7. The second is a man, potentially a gentile ruler, who wields power equal to the first beast, subduing or overtaking three of the ten kings and kingdoms. This interpretation implies that the significance of the first beast in Revelation 13 endures until the end of the forthcoming 1,000 years, which you find valid and praiseworthy.

The two halves of the 70th Week should ideally span 7 years, but it's more likely that they describe the completion of the entire 70th Week.

Additional, to note for above paragraphs, that I requested Chatgpt for an opinion of my viewpoint.

Chatgpt:

I understand your point that the text may intentionally leave certain aspects incomplete, possibly to allow contemporary Gentile rulership to piece together the prophecy for the benefit of civilization's survival. It's a thought-provoking perspective that highlights the ongoing significance and relevance of these prophecies.

Book of Isaiah, another prophetic text alongside Daniels, adds some real depth to the discussion of the end times with the phrase "add ye, year unto year." Isaiah ponders how long these days or years may extend, as we ponder whether they have already begun. This contemplation arises in the context of the Great Tribulation or the days of the Rapture when it's believed thereafter the sun will cease to shine.

In today's era, where every aspect of scripture is scrutinized, even in considering factors like climate change, gentile architect-scientists often find value in the Bible as a source of potential clues. While the Bible may provide an outline, the ultimate choices and actions rest with this generation. It's

important to prepare for the challenges ahead to ensure the survival of our species.

The discussion of faith and works is also relevant. While salvation is often emphasized as being by "faith without works," it's essential to recognize that works, devoid of faith, lack true meaning. This sentiment is reminiscent of the Lord's words on the Mount of Olives, where He mentioned that "if those days had not been shortened, no flesh would be saved, but for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened."

I don't see it how that Christians think they all, but we all, won't be already up to ears in trouble, yet before the rapture happens so considering the Lord's words That "our days, should be shortened because no flesh would be saved" and there, he saying, if "for the elect's sake they, days then are shortened", even so appointed. Decided upon and so determined!

And we know for the Lord's point made that it be the rapture that makes for the escape, told "the blessed hope be", looked for and awaited and is found in Daniel chapter 12 verse 12. And through the verses 10 - 13 nuanced. But those troubled times are upon all. Anyway well, how it is we look around we are into the birth pangs. The prophecy in these verses in Jeremiah 4:31 and Matthew 24:8.

In the broader context of what many consider to be the last days, or end times, we are experiencing a period marked by significant events that spark numerous questions and discussions. The prophetic warnings regarding the Lord's Controversy and His pleas with Israel, as outlined in Hosea 4, have a timeless resonance. This controversy extends to all the inhabitants of the land.

Hosea chapter 4, specifically verses 1-2, sheds light on the situation: "because there is no truth, mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. And by swearing, lying, killing, stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood touches blood."

The enduring relevance of these ancient prophetic writings serve as a testament to the enduring importance of understanding and reflecting on the lessons and messages contained within them. They provide valuable insights and guidance for those seeking to navigate the challenges and uncertainties of the present era.

We can continue our discussion regarding the 70th week and the 70 Weeks of years, particularly concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, as mentioned in Daniel 9:24. The question of its imminence, the possibility of its resolution today, and its potential significance in signaling the end of Israel arises. From what we have witnessed so far, it seems that interpreting these events may be somewhat out of context in accordance with God's Word. Nevertheless, the Scriptures do mention "the end shall be appointed," raising curiosity about who will determine it, how it will be appointed, and in what broader context.

It's clear that Israel occupies a central role in the context we are discussing. The more we study and contemplate, the more evident this becomes.

The words of Habakkuk resonate with us today, urging us to comment and respond. He says, "I will stand upon my watch and set myself upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me and what I shall answer when I am reproved." This underscores the importance of being attentive and thoughtful in our responses, just as he sought understanding and guidance.

Habakkuk's message applies to all of us today, as we engage in commenting and writing responses on these matters.

BARD Put It This Way

Habakkuk 2: 1-2 addresses us peculiarly today, as we comment and write responses. He says: I will stand at my watch post and station myself on the rampart, I will keep watch to see what he will say to me, and how I may reply when I am reproved. In other words: I will stand here and watch, waiting to hear what God has to say to me, and how I should respond when he corrects me.

Habakkuk is a prophet who is struggling to understand why God is allowing the wicked Babylonians to prosper, while his own people, the Israelites, are suffering. He is also struggling to understand his own role as a prophet.

In these verses, Habakkuk is saying that he is committed to listening to God and responding to his correction. He is willing to be reproved, even if it is painful. He knows that God is sovereign and that his plans are always good, even when he cannot understand them.

Application For Today:

We can learn a lot from Habakkuk's example. When we are struggling to understand why God is allowing certain things to happen in our lives, we can turn to him in prayer and ask him for wisdom and understanding. We can also commit to listening to him and appropriately responding. God loves us and he wants us to grow in our faith. He is always willing to help us, even when we make mistakes. End stop.

FINISHED SCRIPTURE

And the Lord answered me and said, write the vision and make it plain upon tables (ebook, app, texts, email) that he may run (execute the plan) that reads it.

For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak and not lie. Though it will tarry wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Habakkuk 2: 1-3.

I believe that half of the 7 years mentioned in verse 27, which the mighty king confirms, plays a varying role in determining the appointed end of our world as would prophetic scriptures have it. However, the last half of the 7 years remains undetermined. It's possible that we are attempting to connect these two halves to form a complete 7-year period, potentially representing the 70th week, although the verse doesn't explicitly confirm this. There are, of course also, 69 other weeks of precise mention.

Doesn't it seem the term "post-millennium" you hear is a contradiction, implying the millennial reign of Christ has already happened? However, those who hold this view are incomplete in their description of the central millennium theme. The millennium is predominantly in scope about Israel appearing glorious as on the whole as its holy land and her people, the residue and remnant, such post Rapture, restored as priests all over the earth. They will be returned from all over the world and strengthened to Him forever throughout the ensuing 1,000 years. In that time period they will know, honor, and worship Him Jesus, Yeshua their Messiah.

It is possible that some of these Jewish people may not have recognized Jesus/Yahushua/Yashua before the rapture. They may have evaded taking the mark of the beast, but still found themselves on Earth after the rapture. On one idea before leaving, I do have no information on how far below ground one without the mark of the beast taken would have to go to evade the rapture or let alone, go below ground to evade getting the mark. The truth is nobody will be forced to take it as near all anyway will long to take it just to remain in their existence if not even to prosper. For that, great prosperity the doors will open and regardless or nonetheless they for their personal preference. There are two possible outcomes here: either they took the mark of the beast in days in front of the Rapture, or they did not, but began to see the Lord Yeshua out of faith of God Jehovah, while left behind. In either case, they Jews, would be part of the remnant.

Bard Goes On Rewrite

The term "post millennium" is a controversial one and there is

no single agreed-upon interpretation of it. Some people believe that it refers to a period of time after the 1,000-year reign of Christ, while others believe that it refers to a period of time during which Christ's reign is gradually being established on earth. The posting writer seems to be taking the latter view, arguing that the millennium reign of Christ must happen before anything post should event. However, there is no clear consensus on this issue.

My Last Word, while I agree "post millennium" as a term is up to each individual to interpret the meaning, I should override the bots in their keep of a better context for the message point I was getting at, come on!

BARD and CHATGPT may not have understood that, so I digress.

[giftofshewbread]

Looks what's here, God help us all !

[kdmiller55]

The Latter Days

1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him 3 and say, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. 4 And I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of…

[tongue-like-a-razor]

Brother's Best Friend - Part 11

Jake Seresin x F!Reader

A/N: Fair warning: I didn't have much time this week so this was a bit rushed and definitely not my best piece of work, but I really wanted to do at least *something* for the holidays!

Summary: The trials and tribulations of falling for your brother's best friend.

CW: New Years Eve party, banter, fluff fluff fluff

WC: ~2300

Part 1 | Masterlist

“So,” Bradley starts slowly, drawing out a suspenseful silence with a smirk as he butters his toast. “I met study group guy.”

You look up from your plate in alarm, your fork halfway to your mouth, and awkwardly meet your brother’s gaze.

Jake, who’s just set his food down to your left, picks his coffee back up, ready to make a quick exit.

“Uh, where?” you ask, trying to sound casual, but you’re so nervous that your voice wavers.

“Here,” Bradley replies with a grin as he makes his way to the table. “He came by to see how your exam went.”

“Oh?” You gulp anxiously.

“How considerate of him,” Jake notes moodily, setting his coffee back down and giving you a look.

“I agree.” Bradley sits down. “I think he wanted to compare study strategies,” he continues, then clears his throat. “Since the two of you didn’t end up studying together.”

Jake’s eyes go wide as he lets out a feigned gasp. “You didn’t?”

You give Jake an annoyed look and then glance back at your brother who is watching you with a pair of raised eyebrows. “Yeah,” you nod, “about that. Umm, the thing is…”

“You lied?” Jake brings a hand to his chest as though this revelation continues to shock him.

You glare at him irritably. “Partly.”

“Which part?” Bradley enquires, biting into his toast.

You sigh. “The part about study group guy.”

Bradley grimaces. “Why?”

“Yeah,” Jake chimes in, finally taking a seat. “Why?”

“Because I obviously made the wrong decision studying at home,” you retort, eyeing Jake bitterly. “And I just needed somebody to blame.”

Jake watches you cautiously, likely wondering if you indeed think you’ve made a mistake. Good.

“So, you bombed your midterm, big deal.” Bradley waves a hand. “We wouldn’t judge you. Guess that means he won’t be attending tonight’s party.”

You purse your lips. “Nope,” you confirm. “I’ll be all alone.”

Jake tries to catch your gaze as you rise from the table. “We’ll be here.”

“Aren’t you gonna bring your girl?” Bradley asks.

“Nah.” Jake waves a hand.

“Why not?”

Jake eyes you pointedly. “Not really sure where we stand, to be honest.”

You gasp theatrically. “Oh dear! Trouble in paradise?”

Jake throws you a flat look and grumbles, “Well, she’s sort of hard to read at times.”

“Because you’re illiterate?” you retort.

Bradley snorts while Jake scoffs in offence. “Dump her!” Bradley cries as you bring your dishes to the sink. “Life’s too short for mysteries.”

Jake sighs. “She does love to keep me guessing.”

Bradley shakes his head in disapproval after taking his last bite. “She’s playing games with you, man. It’s not worth it.” He gets up and follows you to the sink. “How ‘bout you? You need a date for tonight?”

“Huh?” you say in surprise, having been under the impression that your turn under the microscope was over.

“Remember that dude you met at the Hard Deck last summer? The one you said was ‘so hot’” – Bradley visibly shudders – “I just found out that he’s into you.”

“What dude?” Jake asks abruptly, his posture instantly going rigid.

“The one from 22,” Bradley clarifies. “The backseater. Forgot his name.”

“The douche from Michigan?” Jake makes a face and quickly rises from the table. “You think he’s hot?” he asks you incredulously.

Before you have a chance to respond, Bradley continues. “Apparently he ran into you last week at the café?”

You blink between Bradley and Jake as the latter approaches. While it’s true that you saw one of Bradley’s colleagues the previous week, you’ve since forgotten all about that encounter, because the very next day was when Jake had finally made his move. You start to back out of the kitchen but both Bradley and Jake follow you out. “I have some errands to run,” you say quickly.

“Nothing’s open,” Jake reminds you.

“Do you want me to invite him tonight or not?” Bradley asks, already scrolling through his contacts.

Jake elbows Bradley aggressively. “You’re seriously trying to get your sister laid?”

Bradley cringes. “Dude! Don’t go there!”

Jake stares at Bradley. “What do you think is gonna happen?”

You scoff at Jake incredulously. “Excuse me?”

Jake turns to look at you and places his hands on his hips with an impatient exhale. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I just don’t want her to be alone on New Years!” Bradley exclaims, still looking down at his phone.

“She’s not gonna be!” Jake cries desperately.

“I don’t want the date, Bradley,” you say, putting on your shoes despite having absolutely nowhere to go.

“Why not?” Bradley enquires.

“I just don’t. I’m fine with being alone.”

“You won’t be alone,” Jake repeats, the frustration in his voice noticeably mounting.

“I thought you liked him,” Bradley says, slightly deflated. Clearly, he assumed that he was doing you a favor.

“I don’t even know him,” you say. “I just thought he was good-looking, that’s all.”

Jake makes a face. “He’s not.”

You roll your eyes. “Appearance is subjective.”

Jake stubbornly shakes his head but makes no further comment.

“Okay, so why not give him a chance?” Bradley presses. “It’s not like you’re seeing someone. Right?”

You give Jake a quick glance before conducting a thorough examination of your own shoes. “Well, kind of.”

“Kind of?” Jake asks, slightly panicked.

You continue studying your feet. “I think.”

“Who is he? What’s he like?” Bradley asks.

“Uh,” you stall, “he’s alright.”

Jake lets out a muffled cry. “Alright?” he asks and you try not to wince at his utterly obvious outrage.

Meanwhile, Bradley raises an eyebrow. “Wow,” he says wryly. “Sounds promising.”

“What else?” Jake says quickly.

You look up at him in disbelief. “Occasionally aggravating.”

Bradley appears puzzled. “Why are you with this guy?”

Jake squares his shoulders. “He must be extremely handsome.”

Bradley looks back at you. “Is he?”

You roll your eyes. “He’s cute.”

“Cute?!” Jake exclaims.

Bradley laughs. “I really think you should give my guy a try.”

Jake crosses his arms over his chest and stands up taller. “I’m sure there’s more to this guy than just… his looks.” He’s blatantly searching your face now, as if Bradley isn’t even present.

You start to nervously fix your hair in the mirror at the front door. “I’m not interested in your guy, Bradley.”

“Why not?”

“Because…” You sigh resignedly while Jake watches your reflection. “I… I like my guy.”

Jake stares at your face in the mirror as if this is news to him. Then, his mouth slips momentarily into a smile before he sucks in his cheeks to hide it.

Bradley grimaces. “Why?”

“Because, he’s…” another reluctant sigh, “…he’s a good guy.”

“That’s kind of vague,” Jake comments, still trying to suppress a grin.

You shoot him a glare while Bradley chuckles. Then, he says, “Alright, fine. Maybe in a couple of weeks when you’re single again.”

Jake looks at Bradley sharply. “Why would she be single again?”

“Come on, when was the last time my sister liked a guy enough to stay with him long-term? She finds something wrong with everyone she dates.”

Jake shifts his weight uncomfortably. “Maybe this one will stick.”

“Doubt it.” Bradley shrugs.

“This one’s different, Bradley,” you say quietly, turning to face them again.

Jake looks back at you. “He is?”

“How so?” Bradley asks.

You pause, hesitant to reveal the truth. “He… makes me feel…”

Bradley watches you dubiously. “Pretty?”

Jake also takes a stab: “Aroused?”

You let out a weary sigh and lock eyes with Jake. “Safe.”

He stares at you with a stunned expression while Bradley nods approvingly.

“Happy,” you continue.

This time, Jake doesn’t hide his smile, but Bradley raises his eyebrows as though your response has surprised him.

“Strong,” you say.

“Wow,” Bradley mutters.

Jake lowers his gaze with a grin, but you decide to add, “And aroused, I mean –”

“Oh god!” Bradley exclaims.

Jake chuckles, glancing up at you again.

Bradley shakes his head. “I get it, you’re in love. But, Seresin – I just remembered: I’ve got the perfect girl for you!” He holds up his phone, beaming.

…

Bradley decides to invite the perfect girl just in case because he can see how much his dear friend has suffered at the hands of his mysterious lover. And the perfect girl just happens to be Jake Seresin’s exact type. You try to ignore her flirtatious behavior while Bradley all but pushes Jake in her direction. Your brother seems so keen to set Jake up, you start to wonder what his vested interest might be.

There are enough people in attendance that you can watch Jake without worrying about anyone noticing that you’re staring. So, you pour yourself a fourth martini and head back into the living room to see what your brother’s best friend is up to. You barely make it past the couch, however, when someone you’ve only met once in your life takes your hand and starts encouraging you to spin under his arm.

You glance over at Jake, whose date is also trying to get him to dance. Taking a sizeable gulp of your drink, you follow through with the spin and smile uncomfortably at your new dance partner. The room is bustling because the ball is about to drop and everyone has gathered for the countdown, so you’re forced to crane your neck every so often in order to check on Jake.

He notices your new friend right away, locking eyes with you despite his own supposed date trying to monopolize his attention. You wish you could steal a moment with him when the new year arrives, but Bradley would notice his friend’s absence in a heartbeat considering he’s been tailing Jake all night, making sure that he was having a good time.

When the champagne flutes start making their rounds and the crowd erupts in an enthusiastic countdown, however, Jake separates from his friends and starts making his way through the bodies toward you. He nods his head in the direction of the hall before he’s even come near you, inviting you to join him. But you glance back at Bradley and see that he is already searching for Jake in the crowd that’s suddenly doubled in size as everyone has made their way into the living room.

You shake your head at Jake regrettably. The last thing you need is for the year to start with Bradley walking in on the two of you making out.

Jake gestures more vigorously with his head, urging you to follow and, when you refuse, he moves closer and reaches out to grab your hand. You don’t resist when he pulls you in and, before you can check to see if Bradley has finally given up his search, the clock strikes midnight, and Jake takes your face in his hands and kisses you right there in the middle of the living room amidst the explosion of cheers that welcome the new year.

You hope there is enough commotion in your vicinity to obscure the way Jake’s hands slide sensually down to your neck and then take your shoulders as he steers you through the crowd out of the room, his lips avidly devouring yours the entire time. Somehow, the two of you make it out without even looking up and, once you’re more or less alone, Jake mutters, “Your brother is getting real fucking annoying.”

You chuckle as he plants kisses along your jawline. The two of you are still moving through the house, into the darkness of the entry hall. “He’s been extra involved today,” you agree.

“He’s been fucking annoying,” Jake repeats, sucking on the side of your neck as you come to a halt in the foyer and he wraps his arms around you.

“He’s your best friend,” you remind him.

Jake presses you gently against the front door and licks your earlobe, whispering, “Who the fuck were you dancing with?” You giggle and feel his lips spread into a smile against your skin. “Oh, you think that’s funny?” he asks, and you feel his tongue on your ear again. “You think it’s funny that I had to actively restrain myself from socking him?”

“What about you?” you say, still laughing. “You were with that girl all night!”

Jake whimpers into your neck and his hold on you tightens. “All I wanted was this.” You close your eyes when his mouth finds yours once more. “My new year’s resolution is that I’m never gonna stop kissing you,” he mutters between pecks to your lips.

You giggle again and then sigh, slightly pushing him away. “What are we going to do?”

“I just told you what I’m going to do,” he says, going in for another kiss.

You turn your head and he ends up kissing your cheek. “This is how we’re going to spend the new year? Sneaking around? Hiding in dark corners?”

Jake exhales slowly, resting his forehead on your temple. “I’m going to tell him,” he assures you.

“What are you going to tell him?” you ask, hoping that this question might lead Jake to reveal the nature of your relationship as he sees it.

He leans away from you and looks you in the eye. “That I make you feel aroused, of course.” Your jaw drops in outrage and you let out a yelp that quickly turns into a cackle. Jake is grinning widely, pleased with the effectiveness of his joke. Then, he draws you closer and his face changes shape. He squares his jaw and you see the evidence of a nervous gulp in the bob of his Adam’s apple. “I’m gonna tell him that you’re the girl I told him about,” he says, his tone low but steady. You gaze at him in silence, afraid to move a muscle lest he reconsider the sudden sincerity of his words. “The one I can’t stop talking about.” He swallows again. “The one I’ve been obsessing over.” He pauses to study your reaction as though he’s afraid he might be scaring you off. “The one that I – uh” – he takes a deep breath and then lets out a chuckle, shaking his head. He takes your hands in his and weaves his fingers through yours, tugging you forward until his lips connect with the tip of your nose. “Oh god, Baby B,” he says, leaning into you affectionately. “I should probably stop talking now.”

*That's all folks! Happy New Year!*

Read Part 12

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[comicaurora]

I rewatched an old charity stream and had a question: do you think My Immortal was genuine?

I didn't at the time I read it, but at this point, having watched a BUNCH of videos about fake My Immortal authorship confessions where every single one of them claims it was a joke and Bad On Purpose, my contrarion ass is inclined to believe it was, in fact, legitimately sincere on the part of the writer.

Sometimes a thing gets written because the writer really, really wants it to be good and make sense to the audience. Sometimes a thing gets written because the writer profoundly enjoys the act of writing it, and the audience is entirely secondary. Most writing is usually a combination of both motivators, but early online fanfiction especially skews heavily towards the latter; things get written because the author 100% loves writing it, exploring what they're putting in the story, etc.

Parodies are almost always written with the former motivation, with the audience reaction being centrally focused. A parody writer envisions their audience picking out their clever jokes and laughing along with their insights. Jokes aren't generally made purely for the joy of telling them, but for the laugh they receive in response.

I think My Immortal reads like something firmly from the latter category; a young teenage girl gleefully enjoying writing everything currently appealing to her - looking hot in rad outfits, going to cool concerts, hunky boys kissing her (and maybe… each other??? 😳) and generally dealing with the trials and tribulations of being the center of the universe. Fanfic is exactly the place to indulge that impulse, and I hope she had a great time writing it. And maybe indulged in a spellchecker eventually.

[folkdances]

let’s talk about franziska and grief in justice for all.

the narrative that the games, at first glance, appear to be pushing is that franziska is aware edgeworth has not committed suicide. she repeatedly affirms this, most notably in turnabout bigtop, when she tells phoenix that she believes her brother to be alive and hiding somewhere. however, one thing we need to keep in mind is that franziska and edgeworth were not shown to be close in the interim between jfa and the prequel cases in aai — in fact, it would go against both their characters and the writing of their relationship for them to have kept in much contact at all.

franziska is, if anything, rooted in the past. her hair is cut almost boyishly short and choppy. she carries around a whip because she is so used to being spoken over and ignored, having started her career so young. her youth underlies her every professional achievement; and if not her youth, then her lineage. her physical design is meant to reflect the uniform of a jockey, and taking her aristocratic surname into account, it makes sense: horseback riding, obsessive as it is, remains a pastime for the social class she inhabits. it’s only logical that, in the absence of a real connection with her brother, she would base her understanding of his character on the most recent version of him that she knows, being the vain and easily affronted rookie prosecutor wracked between ambition and guilt that she grew up with. she has no way to know how to fill in the gaps between a suicide note and the brother she knew, because to her, there is no gap to fill in; it seems a logical conclusion to her brother's story and life that he would rather run away than face his own failures. it is consistent with the younger version of edgeworth that we see in trials and tribulations. it is difficult to reconcile that individual with someone who might actually take his own life, at least outwardly speaking. franziska has no hands-on knowledge of her brother and his mental state beyond what she might have seen in the press or heard filtered down from her father. it’s only natural that she draws the conclusion that he simply turned tail and ran away in order to preserve his dignity. it is an obvious conclusion to make.

however, this interpretation completely overlooks the fact that franziska is not stupid. she is well aware that her brother had very recently been 'betrayed' by the man to whose standards he strived to rise to almost his entire life and is aware that the driving force behind this desperation to prove himself was his father's murder. manfred von karma was their father; there is a tendency in both the games and their surrounding fanbase to portray the senior von karma as being nothing more than a teacher and mentor, but if we examine the (limited) dialogue the three share in aai, edgeworth and franziska address von karma as one might a particularly volatile and austere parental figure, and he responds in kind. he employs and underlines a pattern of the same types of verbal abuse and neglect present in many fictional case studies of the paternal abuser; to edgeworth, he shows the former and to franziska, often the latter (what comes to mind is a piece of dialogue wherein franziska, aged 13, asks her father if he will attend her courtroom debut, to which he responds, "i'll consider it"). she frequently demonstrates her emotional intelligence, again, particularly as a child, such as a short exchange in which von karma berates edgeworth rather cruelly and is met with silence. rather than let the topic linger, franziska very deliberately changes the subject, asking von karma who he thinks is the culprit behind the current investigation. later, when edgeworth thanks her for it, she acts as if she does not know what he's talking about.

back in the 'present day', her insistence that she defeat phoenix wright in order to avenge her family name is also rendered moot; franziska places a lot of pride in her family name, but her defense of her father is lackluster at best. she, too, is left to grapple with the weight of his legacy and has (seemingly) decided that her father simply does not live up to expectations. he instilled in her such strong convictions regarding the meaning of the law and the von karma family name, and it only makes sense that, once he failed so utterly to exemplify them, she would instead shift her understanding of those convictions onto herself and the only other person she believes she can see those qualities in, being miles edgeworth.

the initial theory, that franziska believes edgeworth to be in hiding, while a version of the truth, would not appear to be the truth to someone who has repeatedly demonstrated the emotional intelligence and understanding of the subject necessary to read between the so-called lines; to me, it is obvious that franziska believed, at least in large part, that edgeworth really had killed himself, and her actions and dialogue in jfa shift subtly into a much more interesting light if one runs with this interpretation. she goes from presenting herself — something i'm going to touch on in a moment — as an almost cartoonishly dense and vain girl into someone desperate to deny the truth staring her right in the face; that she has been virtually abandoned by every figure she loved and trusted in her life, left to uphold a legacy with no room for error, bound to rules so straight-edge and self-imposed that no single person could ever walk only in their light. anyone would resort to staunch denial — and franziska, so attached to her past, does so with aplomb.

finally, i want to point out that it's very easy to take franziska at face value. as unfortunate as it is, she's only present in four games — aai, aai2, jfa, and t&t — and she usually isn't in the majority of cases in those games. there is a stark yet subtle difference in her comportment in the investigations games, though, which can be very clearly explained: in every game she speaks to the player character, and in jfa, the player character is phoenix wright, her self-ascribed enemy. it makes complete sense that she would present herself a certain way, speak in certain manners, and act rash and overconfident in front of him, because she hates him.

all this to say, franziska is a very potent case study of grief and how it can change people, especially when that grief gets caught up in a messy tangle of ambition and a legacy whose stipulations border almost on mania. also, i love her very dearly and thought this would be interesting to talk about. obviously, this is not the entirety of the situation, as i mostly focused on franziska's relationship to edgeworth, but i think this is long enough as is.

[rottenrosethorns]

I see your looking for request, so I was more than happy to show up in your inbox

I came up with this randomly - anyway. Leon plans a weekend getaway/vacation for him and the reader. Somewhere where they can go swimming (beach,lake etc etc). Leon needs to relieve some tension. Leon and the reader share romantic night swim together totally on a whim, and just enjoy each other’s company, and tiny bit of smut just to top it all off.

much love x

Pairing: Leon Kennedy x afab!reader 

Genre: Fluff, Smut 

Synopsis: Disaster after disaster, Leon’s weekend plans seem to come to an unfortunate end; however, you convince him to try one last resort at a secluded campsite off the side of the road. 

Word Count: 4.4K 

Warning: 18+ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT; swimming, bugs, unprotected sex, vanilla romantic sex 

A/N: all of my a/n are like “sorry for taking so long” and “it’s longer than expected” lmao. Thank you anon for requesting, i hope you like it! I really hope i got the romance translated through the story (if its subpar, im sorry, im tragically single LMAO) 

__________

- masterlist - 

__________

“Hey, hey, look at me,” You reached across the center console to cup Leon’s cheek and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, “Everything’s going to be okay, alright?”

Your voice hushes into a comforting whisper as you rubbed Leon’s cheek with a sad pout. Thankfully, your kiss seemed to soften his disarray of emotions as his frustrated wrinkles eased away as he let out a quick huff. Leon’s eyes were set looking through the windshield, avoiding your eyes at all costs as he wanted to avoid you picking up on his embarrassment. But, even without looking at him, you always knew what emotion he was feeling. You could clearly tell that Leon was disappointed in himself despite your attempts at reassurance. Leon sighed loudly, resting his elbow on the driver’s door as he looked down with his forehead resting in his left hand, “Everything was supposed to be perfect.” 

Optimistically, you tried to offer him a smile, but even you knew that you couldn’t argue with him about that one. Nothing was ever perfect, but this weekend trip was far from smooth sailing. Leon – being the vacation desperate man that he is – took the first chance to get out of town and booked a picturesque shoreside cabin for the extended weekend. It’s been way too long since he’s had a break, and all he wanted to do was spend time with you while reconnecting with nature. Well, the latter part was more so a suggestion from Leon’s therapist to which you essentially forced him to start seeing. Although he deemed it unnecessary even with his success of departing from the hardships of his trauma, Leon only agreed to comply with the treatments if you were doing them with him which included you enjoying the calmness that nature offered as well. A win is a win, you suppose. 

However, not everyone could be winners without losing once or twice, and Leon seemed to be on a streak today. With the cabin site a hefty four hours away from home, you were bound to run into some mishaps. But those mishaps quickly turned into mayhem as you faced the tribulations of Leon losing and finding his wallet, changing a flat tire on the highway, getting pulled over and let go with a warning, nearly missing a deer kissing the front bumper, and much, much more. Leon felt like he was fighting for his life more so on this road trip than being on an actual work mission. The only difference being that his enemy was the invisible universe instead of the normal mutated creatures and undead humans. 

Upon struggling to reach the cabinsite, Leon was relieved to pull into the parking lot of the front office and finally settle down after the hectic events of the day. But as if his trip couldn’t get any worse, the receptionist at the cabinsite pitifully informed you both that Leon’s booking confirmation never went through and that there were unfortunately no vacancies for the rest of the weekend. So now, you were both back in Leon’s car as he tried his best not to blow a fuse from the abundance of misfortunes. 

Just as you were about to respond back to him, your eyes shifted from Leon towards your phone screen that just lit up from being drained of its battery. Leon mistook your untimely silence as if you were condemning him at fault for being the reason why this trip was so disastrous. As he went to shift away from you, you quickly reached out and embraced his hands in yours, “We’re still going to have fun, okay? We’ve got a couple hours until sundown and I think I have an idea.” 

“You sure? If you don’t want to, we can go back home,” Leon offered with a downward turn on his lips. As much as he hated the idea of going back home and sitting idly within those same four walls of the house, Leon didn’t want you to feel as if you were being forced along with him to share the unexpected hardships of the road-trip. 

“Didn’t you say you wanted to reconnect with nature?” You laughed to yourself, already finding the imagery of Leon frolicking in the grass like some Disney princess amusing, “Let’s go here, I saw it on the way.”

Leon leaned over to look at the location you’d pull up on your phone, showing a small and secluded campsite hidden on the side of the road. Leon inspected the images with a skeptical look, “Are you sure? Those pictures seem kinda old, what if it’s not what it looks like anymore?”

You shrugged, “Then, we’ll find out and see.” 

“We don’t even have camping supplies.”

“Then, we get them.”

You and Leon stared at each other in silence as the proposition sunk in. After a moment, Leon sighed and started the car’s engine to drive off wherever you directed him to go. A part of him hoped that you wanted to tell him to turn around and go home, but the other part of him still wanted the weekend events to work out. After a bit more convincing, you managed to dissipate all his doubts and initiated yourself to take the responsibility for the rest of the trip. Although he was disappointed that his plans fell through, Leon couldn’t bring himself to put in more effort in the trip. During the ride, you constantly reassured him that nothing bad would happen although you both knew you really couldn’t promise that. It didn’t stop you from believing nonetheless. 

You directed Leon for a while until the car stopped at the nearest department store where you gathered all the necessary camping supplies and whatever food you wanted to last you the weekend. Thankfully, Leon’s mood started to brighten up as he chose your favorite snacks and even offered to buy you a cute stuffed teddy bear to keep you company. Was he slightly jealous that you were beaming at the plush? Maybe. But, he’d buy you anything to keep that smile on your face. 

Once satisfied with the purchase, you both departed the parking lot and drove until you found yourselves going down a tiny dirt path. The further you went down the road you started to second guess whether or not this was a good idea. It was a good half of a mile drive from the main road, and you were skeptical if there was even going to be a nice scene at the end of the road to settle in. The dirt road quickly started to disappear as the path became more and more overgrown as if no one had driven over it for quite some time. You cringed at the sound of the tree branches scratching the sides of Leon’s car as the edge of the forest got narrower. You really didn’t want the campsite to be bad and dampen Leon’s mood even more. You knew how much he needed a break, and you wanted to help make that happen. 

As you progressed deeper into the forest, the sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach worsened. Leon seemed to notice your skepticism, “You sure this is the right place?”

You let out a nervous giggle, tightening your hold around your teddy bear, “Yes?”

Leon shook his head, unsure whether or not to believe you, yet he continued to drive forward blindly. You felt yourself holding your breath in anticipation as the thick trees looming over the road started to clear up. You lurched forward in your seat, rubbing your eyes from thinking that you saw something in the distance. As Leon approached, a laser flash of the sun’s reflection flashed your squinting eyes before you started to piece shining ripples on a water’s surface, “Is that a lake?”

Upon completely entering the clearing, your eyes were welcomed with a wide yet humble campground peacefully secluded from the main road. The campsite was equipped with a circle of rocks acting as a firepit with a small path leading down towards the sandbank and access to the lake from a wooden dock at the shore. Utterly breath taken from the sight before you, you awed the sheer capacity of the view. The lake was essentially crystal clear surrounded with rocks, cliff ledges, assortment of lush green trees, and a mountain. It was exactly what you’d see in a painting.  

Leon pulled off to the side, parked the car, and hopped out eagerly to deeply inhale the fresh scent of pine. You quickly followed after Leon and leaping into his arms for an open hug while laughing, “Is this okay?”

Leon snuggled into you, feeling happy for the first time today, “No, this is perfect, maybe even better than the cabin.” 

Leon tightened his arms for a moment as a silent thank you for your suggestion before putting you down and turning to soak himself in the view as well. While he was looking away, you couldn’t help but put yourself at ease from watching the smile on Leon’s face grow as the relief washed over him. 

You kissed his cheek and glanced at the campsite again, “Let’s set up for dinner before the sun goes down.” 

You and Leon tagged team setting up the tent and making dinner before sitting yourselves at the edge of the dock to eat and relax. 

“Can you believe that there’s places like this that actually exist?” You breathed a sigh of awe as you watched the reflection of the setting sun shimmer against the breeze induced ripples on the lake's surface. 

Unfortunately, your moment was partially ruined by some flying insects invading your vision and coming a bit too close for comfort as you swatted them away chaotically. Just as your bravery was set to dissipate, Leon aided in swatting the small swarm away. Shivering from the imaginative feeling of bugs crawling on your skin, you groaned in discomfort while rolling your eyes, “My knight and shining armor.”

“Is this your token of gratitude?” Leon feigned hurt by putting a hand over his heart dramatically, “Even after I aided your distress?”

You pushed him away with a laugh, yet your arms returned to rub them over your skin subconsciously. Even when you knew you were safe, you still felt vulnerable, especially out in the open, “I hate bugs.”

Leon hummed in acknowledgement as he intensely peered out into the scenic lake before perking up suddenly, “I have an idea!”

You eyed him suspiciously, moving your torso away and holding your hands up cautiously, “Uh-oh.”

“It’s not even dangerous,” Leon rolled his eyes, “Come on, it’ll be fun.”

You blinked, “Yeah, I don’t know about that one.”

“When have I ever put you in danger?”

“Let’s see,” You pointed each finger up, counting off the events as you recalled them, “Vegas, New York, LA – oh, don’t forget China too!”

“Alright! Alright!” Leon huffed with an exaggerated pout, “You have a point.”

“I always have a point,” You smiled in triumph, “Now-”

Leon cut you off by suddenly standing up and offering you a hand. You peered at his hand for a moment before shifting your eyes to his as you both silently communicated. Eventually, you decided to take his hand and let him lead you to wherever he planned to; however, instead of helping you stand up like you anticipated him to, Leon had pulled you forward and used the momentum of your imbalance to throw your body against his as he engulfed you in a hug and threw your bodies into the lake. 

Closing your eyes and holding your breath, you were completely submerged in the cool water. As quickly as it happened, you felt Leon’s hands grab your waist and help you break the surface and take a deep gasp for air. 

“Seriously, Leon?" You wiped the water droplets off your face and pushed your hair back,  "What are you like ten?" 

Leon’s hands moved from your waist to the back of your thighs and guided them to wrap around his waist as he floated around in the water. Leon smirked as you securely wrapped your arms around his neck, afraid to drift too far from him although you were safely near the shore’s edge, “Feels nice, doesn’t it?”

You were about to question what he meant by that before you realized that the cool sensation of the water wore off the icky feeling of the bugs crawling on your skin. Upon seeing your face, Leon laughed in satisfaction, knowing that he was right. 

“Shut up,” You mumbled. 

Leon leaned into you closer, teasingly hovering his lips near yours, “What was that?”

“I said-” You took your chance to release his neck, cup a pocket of water in your hands, and splash Leon in the face. 

Leon released you, giving you a chance to swim away before becoming a victim to his revenge. You can’t remember how long you were in the lake for, but you definitely are going to remember the memories of laughing and smiling with Leon for the rest of your life. Before you knew it, the sun was barely over the horizon as the black and blue sky began to overtake the pink and orange hues. While distracted from looking at the sky, Leon swam towards you. 

“Come on, you’re getting cold,” Leon helped you gain your footing as you both trudged towards the firepit soaking wet. 

You squeezed out the hem of your shirt in efforts to reduce the amount of water on you; however, you remained drenched no matter how much you twisted and wrung the fabric. Turning towards Leon, you meant to ask him which bag he packed the towels to retrieve them but was promptly stopped upon seeing him sling off his shirt and wringing it out. You gulped as you watched the veins trailing down his arms to his hands enhanced as he tightly gripped the fabric of his shirt. Now with the moon high in the sky, Leon’s bare skin seemed to glitter as his muscles flexed. 

You felt like you would’ve stayed there forever had your thoughts not been interrupted from Leon’s chuckle, “Can I help you?”

Adverting your eyes and clearing your throat loudly, you awkwardly pointed towards his car, “Um, I'm gonna get the towels. Which – uh, which bag did you put them in?”

“I didn’t pack towels.”

“You,” Your jaw slacked, “You what?”

Leon shrugged, taking a nearby stick and propping it upwards in the ground near the fire and hung his shirt to dry, “I figured the cabin would’ve provided some, so I didn’t pack any.” 

You stood there dumbfounded, knowing that Leon did have a point despite his lack of preparedness, “We can’t stay wet like this, we’ll get sick.”

“There’s a fire right here,” Leon stated like it was obvious before hooking his thumbs around his waistband and stripping himself from his pants and undergarments. 

You gasped loudly, turning your back towards him as your wide eyes did their best to avoid being flashed, “Leon!” 

Your voice echoed out into the forest as Leon’s boisterous laugh filled the air as he slung the rest of his clothes over another stick, “Come on, it’s not like you haven’t seen me naked before.” 

Heat flushes your face as you bite the inside of your cheek from the imagery of Leon being completely unclothed, most times from events when you both were getting intimate, “T-That’s different!” 

You knew Leon rolled his eyes from the tone of his voice, “You can turn around now, I’ve got clothes on.”

Slowly, you peeked at Leon, making sure he was telling the truth before committing to fully view him. True to his word, Leon had dressed himself with his previous outfit hanging near the fire. He handed you your clothes he managed to grab and set up another row of sticks to set your wet clothes to dry. 

When he noticed you were still frozen in place, Leon asked, “What’s wrong?”

Quietly, you mumbled, “Can you turn around?”

Leon paused his movements before a wide smirk flashed across his lips, “What was that?”

“I said,” You huffed, annoyed, “Turn around!” 

Leon snickered at your embarrassment but ultimately complied as he turned his back towards you and patiently waited until you handed him your sopping clothes to be hung on his makeshift clothing line. Once you finished dressing and hanging your clothes to dry, you noticed Leon shuffling about inside the tent. You watched as Leon basically disassembled the bedding setup and placed it outside near the campfire, “You know those are supposed to go inside the tent, right?” 

For a while, you tried to decipher what he was doing while urging yourself not to scold him for placing the sheets on the dirt. Leon would set the sheets in one spot, crane his neck upwards before moving the sheets to another spot before doing the same thing again and again until he settled on a spot to his liking. He was a bit of a perfectionist and his wide smile proved that point even more as he sat down and patted the spot next to him eagerly. Playing along, you seat yourself next to Leon and follow suit as you both laid on the sheets to look up at the night sky. There you saw the blanket of darkness with billions of stars that seemed to glow brighter than it did in the city.

“See the big dipper?” Leon took his hand and placed it over yours with your pointer outwards as he stretched your arm out towards the sky and traced the shape of the constellation, “And, there’s the little one.” 

Leon continued to look up at the stars and educate you about the history of each constellation and the mysteries of outer space. You listened intently, soaking every story and fact that he had to tell, “Since when did you know all this stuff? I thought you hated astronomy and horoscopes.”

Leon shrugged, “I do, but then I watched this documentary.”

You laughed incredulously before returning to awe at the glittering specks above you, tracing the constellations’ patterns over and over again. From the forest to the lake to the stars, you felt at peace in the countryside and a part of you wondered whether you could make a life with Leon out here far into the future. While looking at the stars, a quick linear flash of light darted across the tail end of the Little Dipper, “Leon, a shooting star! Make a wish!” 

Instinctively, you brought your hands up to your chest in a mock prayer while dragging Leon’s hand in yours as you closed your eyes and made your wish. After a moment of silence, you turned towards Leon, only to be surprised that he was looking at you the whole time. Leon chuckled at your reaction, “What’d you wish for?”

“I can’t tell you, silly, or it won’t come true.”

“Fair,” Leon said without glancing away at you, “You want to know what my wish was?”

“It won’t come true if you tell me,” You said in a hush just above a whisper, noticing the twinkling in Leon’s eyes became brighter than the stars above you.

“What if it already came true?” 

Leon’s eyes traced the features of your face as the campfire’s flames illuminated your complexion. Slowly, Leon brought up a hand to cup your cheek as his thumb softly traced your bottom lip, “Can I kiss you?”

“You don’t have to ask,” You whispered. 

Immediately, Leon pressed his lips to yours in a loving embrace, only moving his lips slowly as if to slow down time and relish the feelings of this moment. You melted into his kiss much like all of his others, but you yearned for more as you broke the kiss to straddle his lap. Sitting up, Leon rested his hands at your hips as you wrapped your arms around his neck and deepened the kisses you gave him. Grinding yourself onto Leon’s hardness, you helped each other take off your shirts before Leon dove forward to pepper kisses along your neck and collarbone. You arched your back, easing access for Leon to leave a few marks behind. Leon trailed his hands up and down your exposed back before dipping them into the hem of your shorts and gathered the fabric of your underwear in a gentle tug, causing the friction to rub against your clit. 

Leon pulled back for a moment, chest heaving from lust, “Are you sure you want this?”

“This isn’t our first time,” You giggled, running your fingers through his messy hair. 

“I know,” Leon said with his eyes flickering from your eyes to your swollen lips, “I’m just checking.”

“For?”

“If you want this,” Leon hesitated, pressing his lips in a fine line, “If you want me.”

You sat back, arms dropping to your sides as you peered at your lover confused. Leon rarely ever questioned your reasoning for staying with him despite all his history and his flaws. But, it was when the crackle of the fire paired with an extra large flicker of flame flashed the raw emotion of uncertainty in Leon’s eyes when you understood that it was the insecurity of all his history and all his flaws which clouded his mind with doubt. You had to step back and see things from his perspective for a moment. Of course, Leon was used to disasters in his everyday life, but now with all the great memories he’s created today, he was scared to lose it all now that the night was coming to an end. 

Knowing this, you smiled at him, holding his jawline with both hands as you pressed a passionate kiss to his lips. Leon responded with equal passion, but you could still sense a twinge of doubt within him. You pulled away, just enough to hover your lips over his as you rested your foreheads upon another, “Let me show you that I want this, that I want you.”

Leon gulped, eyes flickering between yours before slowly nodding and letting you take the lead. Taking his hands off your hips, you slid off his lap to fully undress yourself and guided him to do the same before reclaiming your place. You sat back, allowing enough space for you to dip your hand between your legs to grab Leon’s dick and slowly pump him at the base. Leon took a sharp inhale, eyes focused on your working hand. It didn’t take him long to get fully erect before you trailed your hand further up his shaft to drag his tip and spread your lubricant from pussy lips to clit. You spread the slickness along his shaft, causing him to hiss from the ease, “Don’t you need to prep? I can-”

You hushed him, “I’ll be fine, I need you in me right now.”

Leon twitched at your words, salivating from your eagerness. He didn’t want to lose his composure so quickly especially since you seemed to be holding on so well, but he was just as desperate to be in you and you were for him. Taking him back in your hand, you raised your weight in your knees and positioned yourself to take him in. Slowly, you sank down, allowing yourself the luxury of the initial painful stretch before using your body weight to bottom out. Leon’s face contorted with pleasure, using every ounce of self control that he could muster not to move your hips up and downwards as you took a moment to adjust to his size. Leon closed his eyes, taking shaky deep breaths in and out. 

You knew it was evil, but you purposefully prolonged your adjustment just to see Leon in this state. You found it endearing to see him so frustrated as you essentially cockwarmed him, but you knew you couldn’t keep this up for too long before Leon would turn the tables on you and make you regret testing his patience. So, with one last look of desperation on his face, you finally pumped your hips against his and took all of him. You hugged his wide shoulders and bit down on his skin as you dragged your walls against his veiny cock. The heat of your core plus the heat of the fire ignited a flush within you as the ember glow filled the air around you. 

Leon chose to show his appreciation by gripping your waist to push you back and leaving open mouth kisses on your breast and nipples. You arched your back, using his shoulders to hold for leverage as you continued to pump yourself on him. You could feel yourself beginning to tightened as you approached your finish and surely Leon could feel it too; however, Leon repositioned his hands to lift you off of him and on the blanket, so that you were lying on your back. 

“I was almost done,” You looked up at him with a pout from your stolen climax before a moan from your lips pierced the air as Leon entered you again. 

“I know, baby,” Leon hovered over you, lips on the shell of your ear as he whispered, “I just wanted to show you how much I wanted you too.”

With newfound passion, Leon rose back up and relentlessly pounded into your cunt. Your eyes rolled to the back of your head with pleasure as you gripped his veiny forearms to keep yourself from shifting away due to his force. You cried out into the night air as your moans and whimpers became lost in the wilderness. Lost in the feeling of Leon’s heavy thrusts, you hadn’t realized he took your hands in his as he continued his pace. 

“Please,” You gasped, “I’m almost there.”

You felt the familiar clench in your gut as Leon aimed at an upwards angle, deliciously pressing against your g-spot. You gripped his hands harder as you begged him not to stop. Leon edged you on by whispering more dirty thoughts in your ear as he groaned between his speech. Once again, Leon’s lips found your their way up and down your neck before leaving hickeys around the soft skin of your breasts 

“Cum, baby, cum for me,” Leon thrusted one last time into you, hips stuttering as he held your hand and pushed himself impossibly deeper into you. You moaned loudly as you wrapped your legs around his sides and clenched around him as he pumped into you. You both laid there, taking a moment to catch your breaths before removing yourselves, cleaning up, and laying covered up to bask in each other’s after sex glow by the fire. 

“Thank you for a memorable weekend,” Leon caressed your cheek, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” You kissed him lovingly and snuggled into his side to share his warmth. Although the fire was more than enough, it could never compare to the warmth and comfort that Leon gave you. 

“What should we do tomorrow?”

“Probably, get that tire properly fixed.” 

[pennyserenade]

PEDRO PASCAL MASTERLIST.

( spotify playlist ) 

one shots:

woman taken by the wind ( e )

desire is a delicious thing.

foreigner’s god ( e )

screaming the name of a foreigner’s god, the purest expression of grief - hozier

( spotify playlist )

one shots:

take me where your heart is  ( e )

even in a big world, there’s not much else to do but be fascinated with one another.

flesh & blood ( e )

javier peña has never been the best at deciding what’s good for anyone but sometimes, just sometimes, he can figure it out for himself

i remember you well ( e )

there are memories that haunt and there are memories that merely linger; what they were that one summer is the latter to Javier.

life could be a dream ( e )

to outrun being human is not sensible. its their constant state of being and something that they are reminded with frequency. so, they’ve stopped trying at that. instead, javier and this woman have decided to embrace the pain of being human together. its a wicked game, sure, but no worse than realizing separately that they are one lonely drop in a big ocean.

series: 

scenes from a marriage ( finished ) ( e )

javier peña is a dea agent naively navigating his way through life in colombia. as if life is not complicated or risky enough while he partakes in the search for the infamous pablo escobar, javier has decidedly fallen in love. these are the scenes from his marriage, full of trials and tribulations, set in colombia, circa 1979–1993. anthology series, but definitely better if read in order.

drabbles:

time of the season ask ( m )

( spotify playlist )

one shots:

ungodly hour ( m )

‘til the cows come home ( e )

jack daniels is the sort of man lucky enough to happen upon beautiful women’s windows, and she is the sort of woman unfortunate to want men who do that. it’s been working beautifully ever since he did.

series:

his girl friday ( on-going ) ( e )

when agent jack daniels discovers that his partner alicia fitzgerald (better known as pinkie to jack, because of her preference for pink champagne) is to be married, he decides he must do his very best to save her from the life of the mundane. 

( spotify playlist )

series:

losing dogs ( on-going ) ( e )

frankie morales knows he isn’t the most perfect man, but he’s found someone who cares for him despite it. a friend. a lover. this is a collection of one shots about the same couple, but they can all be read separately.

( spotify playlist )

one shots:

it’s never over ( m )

dieter asks you to go to the opening night of his play and you do. for this he rewards you handsomely.

only backwards ( e )

it has been 6 months since you last heard from dieter bravo. this time he comes back to you with a black eye and he asks for too much. it is just like always.

you can(t) always get what you want ( e )

your relationship with dieter (albeit the very loose definition of the term) has finally landed you in the tabloids. he attempts to make it up to you 

three’s company ( e ) 

the world is slowly descending into madness all around you, so you decide to give in and go with dieter to his latest poor decision: a franchise movie filming in england. one night while there, you both sweep another into this odd half-hearted, life-long tryst you've got.

the hollywood hedonist method ( e )\

dieter's movie is bad and he looks to you for a quick fix to a long problem.

[sepublic]

I think the Collector attacking King and the others over a misunderstanding actually works out, in hindsight of the finale. Because a paranoid Collector forcing King to choose between them, and Luz & Eda, caused King to choose the latter; And this led to the Collector recognizing they couldn’t figure out how to get what King has with Eda and Luz, which is why they listen to the LEK trio afterwards to find out how to make it happen.

Seeing the trio laugh together and bond even during the tribulations pushed the Collector to lower their guard, and essentially ask, and truly listen. Because they want to learn and are lonely and desperate enough to push aside their borders, and learn on someone else’s terms. That willingness to have honest, real conversations with real people, is supported by Luz’s photos (courtesy of the memory tweezers from last episode) beginning with her rejecting Adegast’s echo chamber, itself also consisting of puppets;

In other words, the Collector’s arc in the finale really does go back around to being about Luz’s growth (and a retrospective on our main trio’s journeys), and what allows Luz to accomplish her dream shortly afterwards, something also set up in the same episode as the Adegast memory; That’s what the finale to this show, her show is about! And the Titan is not the only watched who’s watched The Owl House in this meta way, now so has the Collector.

So the misunderstanding actually catalyzed the Collector’s development, rather than go against it. The immediate conflict led to the Collector realizing, perhaps more quickly than they otherwise would’ve, that there was something wrong in their dynamic with King that more adventures couldn’t just fix.

Plus, it’s not as if the conflict is resolved by just clarifying what King actually said —this is never even addressed and didn’t need to be— and at its core it’s just a misunderstanding; It’s also very much the Collector’s pride refusing to learn what King is telling them, or at least making painstaking progress because earlier in FtF, King DOES talk to them and they just brush him off. The way the two left off —even before the eavesdropping— still had a lot of work to go through.

So the resolution is about addressing the very real problems that King himself was still struggling with. It was resolved by discussing the issue with the Collector’s behavior in general and them listening, because that talk would’ve happened anyway. In the long run, the misunderstanding, also very much manipulation when you have Belos as a factor, amounted to the nightmare sequence and at least three games. Which isn’t much but it IS enough time to go possess a Titan’s corpse, alas.

But yeah, it’s not as if there was nothing wrong with the Collector and suddenly there was. There WAS a problem and the frustration was always something that could’ve motivated the Collector to lash out anyway, because they still hold power over King and might’ve decided they were tired of his games as they were Belos’, which they say as much too. How else could they be as susceptible to Belos’ manipulations if the Collector didn’t already have a latent, paranoid jealousy towards Luz, and interpret her return as a threat?

[ym-loreposting]

Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Timeline Placement

Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is a crossover between two mystery gaming series... Professor Layton and Ace Attorney. Officially, this game is set in its own parallel world separate from the canons of either series, as stated by Shu Takumi (the creator of Ace Attorney and a writer for the crossover itself):

4Gamer: Did you decide on a particular point in the timeline of the Gyakuten Saiban series where the Naruhodo and Mayoi in Layton Kyōju VS Gyakuten Saiban come from? Takumi:  Not really. In the Gyakuten Saiban series, there is a clearly defined timeline, but this is just a game for fun, so it is set in a parallel world that is unique to Layton Kyōju VS Gyakuken Saiban.

Despite this, there are several clues in the crossover that allow it to be placed in the timeline of both series. It is a fun exercise which I will be going over here. Spoilers for both series and the crossover follow.

The crossover in the Professor Layton Timeline

The timeline of Professor Layton consists of the six original games featuring Hershel Layton as the protagonist (Curious Village, Pandora's Box, Lost Future, Spectre's Call, Miracle Mask and Azran Legacy), the movie Eternal Diva and the titles Layton Brothers: Mystery Room and Lady Layton: Katrielle & The Millionaire's Conspiracy. These last two are set several decades after the original titles and feature Hershel's adoptive children. New World of Steam, which is set to release in 2025, is set a year after Lost Future, the original game that is set latest in the timeline.

There are no exact dates or years given for the games in the Layton series, but the time between each is more or less known. Relevant for the crossover is that Luke, Hershel Layton's apprentice, uses his design from the original three games, which are all roughly set within the same year. Layton also has the university office he has in these first three games, as opposed to the office he has in Spectre's Call, Miracle Mask and Azran Legacy (which are all set before the original three games).

Left: Luke's design in the first three Layton games and in Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. Right: Layton's office in Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (top) and Layton's office in Lost Future.

Left: Luke's designs in Spectre's Call, Miracle Mask and Azran Legacy. Right: Layton's office in Azran Legacy.

A fun fact here is that in original versions of Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Luke used his design from Spectre's Call. But nonetheless, these details place the crossover somewhere between Curious Village (the first game chronologically where Luke has his original design) and Lost Future (where Luke leaves Layton's side to go live in America). We can get more specific however.

In the crossover, Layton and Inspector Chelmey of Scotland Yard know each other. This detail places the game between Pandora's Box and Lost Future, as Layton and Chelmey meet each other for the first time in Diabolical Box. Chelmey supposedly also appears in Curious Village, but is later revealed to actually be Don Paolo in disguise.

So in conclusion, a hypothetical placement of Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney in the Professor Layton timeline would look like this:

The crossover in the Ace Attorney Timeline

The Ace Attorney timeline consists of two main trilogies and two duologies of spin-offs. The first trilogy is set in the latter half of the 2010s and consists of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Justice For All and Trials and Tribulations. The second trilogy is set seven years later in the mid 2020s and consists of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice. The two spin-off duologies are the Great Ace Attorney and Investigations series, the former of which is set about 100 years ago in the late 19th century and the latter of which takes place a month after Trials and Tribulations.

The timeline of Ace Attorney is more rigidly defined, as each case in each game specified the dates it takes place and each year is known (aside from those of the two Great Ace Attorney games, but those do not really factor into the placement of the crossover as they are set in the distant past).

There are a few references to events in the Ace Attorney timeline in Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney. The first turnabout of the game, the English Turnabout, features a character called the PC Badger, the mascot of the Metropolitan Police. He is based on the Blue Badger, which received the design the PC Badger is based on in Rise from the Ashes (the final case of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney), placing the crossover after.

Later, during the Golden Court, Phoenix Wright cross-examines the parrot Cracker. He comments that the situation feels oddly familiar, referencing the events of Turnabout Goodbyes (the fourth case of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney), where he cross-examined the parrot Polly. But given Rise from the Ashes is after Turnabout Goodbyes chronologically, this doesn't say much.

The crossover also has references to Trials and Tribulations. Maya Fey says the catchphrase 'Zvarri' a few times, which she picked up from detective Luke Atmey in the Stolen Turnabout (the third case of Trials and Tribulations). And when they are exploring ruins under Labyrinthia, Maya can comment that some of the statues there look similar to a statue of Ami Fey at Hazakura Temple. This is a reference to Bridge to the Turnabout, the final case of Trials and Tribulations, and so would place the crossover after Trials and Tribulations. While the statue also appears in the Stolen Turnabout, Hazakura Temple is never mentioned in that case.

But this makes things complicated, as Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney can only be set during a pretty small window of the timeline. Bridge to the Turnabout takes place from February 7th to February 10th of 2019. Meanwhile, in Apollo Justice, it is shown in the flashback portion of Turnabout Succession that Phoenix lost his defense attorney's badge on April 19th of 2019. During the events of the crossover, he is still a defense attorney.

So the crossover has to take place somewhere in that two-month window, but we can narrow it down further. During the credits of the crossover, it shows Phoenix defending a case back in America and standing in court against his rival, prosecutor Miles Edgeworth.

This is notable because during Trials and Tribulations and afterwards, Edgeworth is abroad studying foreign judicial systems. He only returns briefly to America during Bridge of the Turnabout to help Phoenix during the case. In the first Ace Attorney Investigations, which is set in March of 2019, it is revealed that Edgeworth went back to traveling abroad after Bridge to the Turnabout. He only returns to America during the events of Investigations and mentions he spent the previous month away from his office.

Investigations takes place from March 12th to March 17th and its sequel, Prosecutor's Gambit, takes place from March 25th to April 8th. Given how busy Edgeworth is during these days and the fact Phoenix and Maya can be seen in the background doing their own things in both games (The Kidnapped Turnabout in Investigations and Turnabout for the Ages in Prosecutor's Gambit), it seems rather infeasible the crossover takes place in these time frames. That leaves the 8 days between the two Investigations games and the 11 days between Prosecutor's Gambit and Turnabout Succession as possibilities.

The crossover takes place over the course of six days (including the prologue in London). Phoenix and Maya arrive in England per plane and it takes 10 hours to go from Los Angeles to London (and about 14 to 15 from Japan if one wants to take the Japanese versions of Ace Attorney into account). So an extra day can be tacked onto that, coming out at a total of 7, as Phoenix and Maya arrive in London during the first day the game takes place on. The crossover thus most likely would take place between Prosecutor's Gambit and Turnabout Succession, as that gives a few days to spare, tough a placement between the two Investigations games is possible if one assumes that Phoenix and Maya travel to London during one of the last days of the first Investigations game.

[catboygirling]

note that I said least favorite - if you think one game is objectively terrible but you dislike another one more, go with the latter!

feel free to elaborate and explain your reasoning in the notes, but keep it civil and remember that everyone has different tastes <5

[giftofshewbread]

Beginning to Come to Pass

 :: By Daymond Duck  Published on: May 27, 2023

The Book of Revelation begins with these words, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw” (Rev. 1:1-2).

The Book of Revelation is:

The Revelation of Jesus Christ.

A list of things to show God’s servants.

A list of things that MUST happen.

A list of things that MUST happen shortly (in God’s timing).

A list of things that an angel showed to John.

The Book of Revelation is the Word of God.

It is the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Here are five major signs in Revelation chapter 13 that MUST come to pass during the Tribulation Period:

One, a global power MUST come into being.

13:7 says, “Power was given him [to the Antichrist] over ALL kindreds, and tongues, and nations.”

An unelected person MUST be given power over all nations.

This is the New World Order; the Great Reset; the coming world government.

Two, a global false religion MUST come into being.

13:8 says, “And ALL that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

Every lost person MUST worship the Antichrist.

This appears to be where the unbiblical global ethic is going (the LGBTQ agenda, the woke culture, abortion, etc.); the coming world religion; Mystery Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth.

Three, there MUST be a Global Population Reduction.

13:15 says, “And he [the False Prophet] had power to give life unto the image of the beast [a statue of the Antichrist], that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.”

This appears to be AI (Artificial Intelligence); a computerized talking statue that will reduce the population of the earth by ordering the death of ALL that refuse to obey their government and worship an idol.

Four, there MUST be a Global Marking System.

13:16 says, “And he causeth ALL, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads.”

There MUST be a global Mark that identifies (ID’s) the lost supporters of world government.

This is probably where face scans and hand scans are going.

The desire for a Mark to identify everyone that has been vaccinated appears to be a step in this direction.

Five, there MUST be a Global Economic System.

13:17 says, “And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”

ALL must take the Mark, or they cannot buy and sell.

Everyone MUST be required to support the government if they want to buy and sell.

Replacing cash with a digital currency is the ultimate goal.

In Dan. Chapter 4, we read that God caused King Nebuchadnezzar to lose his mind.

His hair grew like feathers.

His nails grew like claws.

He crawled around in a pasture like an animal on all fours.

He grazed grass like an animal.

His body stayed wet from the dew.

This lasted for 7 years.

Why? So “the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men” (Dan. 4:17, 25, 32).

So, the living will know that:

God is in control.

God raises up leaders.

God brings down leaders.

God puts the leader He wants in charge.

God even puts bad leaders in charge.

In response to a question about His Second Coming and the end of the age, Jesus said, “When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28).

As the end of the age nears, there will be a generation that can see the signs beginning to come to pass (Matt. 24:32-33).

Our generation is seeing the five major signs in Revelation chapter 13 beginning to come to pass.

It is not a coincidence that these five major signs are shaping up.

It is the Revelation of Jesus Christ beginning to come to pass.

Here are more events that seem to indicate that Tribulation Period events are beginning to show up:

One, concerning the possibility of corruption in Washington: on May 19, 2023, former Pres. Trump’s deputy National Security Adviser, K. T. McFarland, said the U.S. Dept of Justice (DOJ), FBI, and CIA are planning to rig the 2024 presidential election.

McFarland cited the Durham report, the 51 former CIA agents that signed a letter saying Hunter’s laptop is Russian disinformation, the FBI’s protection of Hillary, the FBI’s protection of Hunter, the Congressional investigations, and more.

According to McFarland, these agencies have done it in the past, and they will do it again because they are terrified about what will happen if a Republican becomes president.

(My opinion: On more than one occasion, I have stated my belief that there is no telling what they will do to keep Trump out of office and bring in the New World Order. America is in trouble, and we know world government is coming.)

Two, concerning how divided America has become:

> In Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis continues to indicate that she intends to bring charges against former Pres. Trump, attorney Rudy Giuliani, and sixteen Republicans for trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

> On May 17, 2023, it was reported that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has introduced legislation to impeach FBI Director Christopher Wray for using the FBI to intimidate, harass and trap U.S. citizens who are deemed to be enemies of Pres. Biden’s policies and for shielding Hunter Biden from prosecution.

> On May 17, 2023, it was reported that Rep. Anna Paulina Luna has introduced legislation to expel Rep. Adam Schiff from Congress for constantly saying there is evidence that Pres. Trump colluded with the Russians, but the Durham investigation found that there is no evidence, and the story was made up by Hillary Clinton’s campaign committee.

> On May 18, 2023, it was reported that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene intends to try to impeach Pres. Biden because he is compromising the security of America by refusing to enforce U.S. immigration laws and secure the U.S. Border with Mexico.

Three, concerning corruption in the FBI: on May 18, 2023, a former FBI agent, Steve Friend, told a Congressional committee the FBI manipulated data on the Jan. 6, 2021, demonstrations at the White House to create the impression that domestic terrorism is a nationwide problem in the U.S.

According to Friend, the FBI “has refocused counterterrorism from legitimate foreign actors to political opponents within our borders.”

As I understand it, Friend was saying the FBI is now putting less focus on prosecuting terrorists that are coming into the U.S. from other nations (especially across our border with Mexico) and more focus on prosecuting U.S. citizens as terrorists for disagreeing with the Biden administration.

According to the article I read:

There is mounting evidence that the FBI may have been involved in inciting the Jan. 6, 2021, demonstrations.

The FBI participated in trying to shut down the Hunter Biden story.

The FBI participated in censoring people and companies that have posted unfavorable information on social media and the Internet.

The FBI participated in the lie Hillary Clinton’s campaign committee made up about Trump colluding with the Russians.

(More: On May 23, 2023, it was reported that an IRS whistleblower has come forward saying that the IRS is participating in a coverup of Hunter Biden’s finances. So, the FBI and the IRS are both being accused of wrongdoing. Hunter reportedly flew in a private jet to a court hearing to tell the judge he is too poor to pay more child support.)

Four, concerning corruption in the FBI: on May 19, 2023, it was reported that Kevin McCarthy, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, said a report filed by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) shows that the FBI improperly used warrantless searches more than 278,000 times between Jan. 6, 2021, and the year ending Nov. 2021.

More than 278,000 improper searches of mostly ordinary citizens who oppose abortion, the gay agenda, vote conservative, etc., in 11 months (about 800 a day) is not an occasional mistake by a poorly trained FBI agent; it is an FBI agency deliberately running amok under the direction of a bad leader that should be held accountable.

Five, concerning a loss of respect for America: on May 19, 2023, in response to more U.S. sanctions on Russia, the Russian government banned 500 U.S. citizens (former Pres. Obama, at least three U.S. Senators, 45 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, several members of the U.S. military, several members of the media, and others) from entering Russia.

Russia declared that it was banning these people because the U.S. government is persecuting U.S. citizens for protesting Biden’s certification as president on Jan. 6, 2021.

It is Vladimir Putin’s position that the J6 protestors were people that went to Congress with political demands, not a crowd of robbers and rioters that should be thrown into jail on dubious charges.

Six, concerning a normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel: on May 17, 2023, it was reported that two U.S. officials said:

The Biden administration is pushing for a Saudi-Israeli peace deal in the next six to seven months.

A Saudi-Israeli peace deal would lead to normalization agreements with other Arab nations.

A Saudi Israeli peace deal will include a “Palestinian component” that Israel will have to agree to.

It is unclear how far Israel will go to secure a peace agreement in the Middle East.

(More: On May 22, 2023, it was reported that Israeli Prime Min. Netanyahu and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) have talked to each other on the phone about normalization, but there was no progress.)

(More: On May 23, 2023, it was reported that MBS is demanding that the U.S. enter into a military alliance with Saudi Arabia, the U.S. agrees to a Saudi civilian nuclear program, and that a peace agreement includes the Two-State Solution between Israel and the PA before he normalizes relations with Israel.)

(My opinion: At some point in time, there will be a breakthrough, and a covenant will be drafted that divides the Promised Land. The covenant will be for seven years of peace, it will be confirmed by a global leader who is the Antichrist, and his confirmation will mark the beginning of the Tribulation Period. The fact that the U.S. is pushing for a peace treaty and the two leaders are talking to each other about it could ultimately lead to a breakthrough that God will not accept (Dan. 9:27; Joel 3:2; I Thess. 5:3.)

Seven, concerning the Battle of Gog and Magog: on May 22, 2023, it was reported satellite pictures and videos show that Iran is building a new underground nuclear site that will be too deep for typical U.S. or Israeli bunker-buster bombs to destroy.

Considering that Iran is continuing its quest to build nuclear weapons, this increases the need for an attack on Iran (which could lead to the Battle of Gog and Magog).

(Note: On May 23, 2023, Amir Tsarfati reported that Israel appears to be preparing for a pre-emptive strike against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hezbollah is an Iranian puppet.)

Eight, concerning a falling away from the faith at the end of the age: on May 17, 2023, it was reported that more than 3,200 congregations have disaffiliated with the United Methodist Church since 2019 over the denomination’s acceptance of same-sex marriage and ordination of non-celibate LGBTQ clergy.

Thousands of members have chosen to leave the denomination because others have chosen to ignore the Bible on these issues (and the same thing has happened in other denominations).

Nine, my last article (titled Completely Irrelevant) says, “On May 10, 2023, it was announced that the European Union’s main executive body has given the government of Netherlands permission to force half the farmers in Holland to sell their land to the government because the government wants to take their land out of production and seize their cattle to reduce air pollution. Have you got that? The government is planning to use the climate change scam to take control of about one-third of Holland (half of 70% = 35%), idle the land, and get rid of the cattle.”

On May 17, 2023, Pres. Biden’s climate czar, John Kerry, addressed the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s AIM for Climate Summit.

According to Kerry, one of the most well-known, disrespected, unpatriotic politicians in America, agriculture production is responsible for one-third of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, and a reduction in emissions must be put front and center in America’s quest to defeat global warming.

As I see it, a deliberate one-third reduction in food production will cause food shortages, soaring prices, famine, multitudes of deaths, and it will have a negligible impact on the unproven scare tactic called global warming.

I believe we can already see some of this beginning to happen.

Ten, concerning the World Health Organization (WHO) Assembly meeting in Geneva: in an article that was posted on May 24, 2023, Leo Hohmann wrote that Michele Bachmann was present, and she had this to say:

Two documents are under consideration that will shift a large amount of power from sovereign nations to the UN WHO Director General when he declares a health emergency or a potential health emergency.

The two documents are:

300 amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHRs).

The Global Pandemic Treaty (Biden calls it The Global Pandemic Accords because he wants to avoid a vote in the U.S. Senate).

As of the date of Hohmann’s article, May 24, 2023, Bachmann said there had been no opposition to anything in the documents, there had been a lot of support for the documents, and the U.S. delegate had spoken in support of the documents.

According to Bachman, this is what will likely happen:

Both documents will clear the current WHO Assembly meeting and be passed on to the UN General Assembly for discussion and changes in Sept. 2023.

The UN General Assembly will present recommended changes to the UN in Jan. 2024; if there are any recommended changes, they will be voted on, and there can be no changes after that vote.

Both documents will go back to the WHO in Feb. 2024 to discuss what that organization hopes to do after they take a final vote.

The WHO will take a final vote on both documents in May 2024.

This is a complicated process, but if all of these hurdles are passed as expected, there will be no going back.

Finally, are you Rapture Ready?

If you want to be rapture ready and go to heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this.

[frostfires-blog]

Módào Zǔshī Hanakotoba Analysis Part 1

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-> 1) Gentian

-> 1.1.) Gentian Flower Symbolism:

Gentian flowers (Gentiana) are called lóngdǎn (龍膽) in China. They grow in the highlands, where the air is pure, inspiring an aura of dignity and refinement. They mainly symbolise loving someone despite their grief or melancholy. However, they also represent courage, perseverance, hope, and tranquillity given that they grow tenaciously despite the challenging conditions present in the alpine places in which they occur. In Japan, gentians are called rindō (竜胆) and hold the meanings of justice, serenity and loving someone despite their grief in hanakotoba. The latter of which is said to be derived from the flower’s vivid, blue-violet colour that evokes the image of sadness. In Western floriography, gentians symbolise love, intrinsic worth, humility, sincerity, passion and devotion.

-> 1,2) Gentians In MDZS:

In the Cloud Recesses, the Gentian House, the residence of Lan Wangji's deceased mother, is named after the field of gentian flowers growing around it—“the area around this cottage was abundant with purple gentians. The flowers were dainty and delicate, and their colour was vivid and captivating, capable of ensnaring the hearts of all who wandered there. They seemed to emit a faint glow under the night’s dark sky. The sight was beautiful, like a dream, an illusion” (MXTX, v. 3, p. 179). The symbolic meanings of gentians tie in well with Lan Wangji‘s character arc and his feelings towards Wei Wuxian. Like the gentian flower, he exudes dignity, humility, serenity, and refinement. Throughout the series, he has shown his immense sincerity, devotion, and passion for his love interest. Lan Wangji suffered not only the loss of his soulmate, but also the agony of watching that person descend into darkness and sorrow while knowing there was little he could do to help. This relates to the gentian's symbolism of loving someone despite their grief and melancholy. Before Wei Wuxian's full grasp of Lan Wangji, he was often characterised as gloomy and distant—“furthermore, no matter how thoroughly Lan Wangji was praised as an unrivalled rare beauty, nothing could help the fact that he looked profoundly embittered, as if he had lost his wife!” (MXTX, v. 1, p. 73). This further ties into the gentian’s more sombre symbolism.

-> 2) Pine

-> 2,1) Pine Tree Symbolism:

Pine trees (Pinus) are known as sōng (松) in China. They are considered a symbol of evergreen sentiment and everlasting affection because of their longevity and evergreen leaves. In Japan, pines are called matsu (松) and symbolise of immortality, hope and sympathy in hanakotoba. In Western floriography, pines symbolise resilience, longevity, hope, renewal and pity.

-> 2,2) Pine Trees In MDZS:

In the novel, it is mentioned that pine trees grow in the Cloud Recesses where the Gusu Lan clan resides. Despite their seemingly cold and calm demeanour, many members of the Lan clan are noted to be very passionate and sentimental—therefore pine trees are a fitting symbol given their association with evergreen sentiment and everlasting affection. One of the clan’s many rules states that “only in the presence of your fated person, in the presence of the one your heart belongs to, can you allow yourself to be free of restraint” (MXTX, v. 2, p. 198). This rule is a prime example of the value the clan places on sentimentality. Despite many trials and tribulations, Lan Wangji’s love for Wei Wuxian remains strong and unwavering. Even thirteen years after Wei Wuxian's death, Lan Wangji's adoration persists, despite the apparent reality of never meeting again in this lifetime—“just as he always had, Lan Wangji looked at him… And forever after, his eyes could never move away from him again” (MXTX, v. 5, p. 170). This further ties into the pine tree’s symbolic meanings of resilience, longevity, renewal, evergreen sentiment, hope and everlasting affection.

-> 3) Magnolia

-> 3,1) Magnolia Symbolism:

Magnolias (Magnolia spp.) are known as mùlán (木兰) in China. They are considered to represent dignity, perseverance, and honour. Additionally, magnolias are utilised in traditional medicine and are believed to represent purity and beauty. Magnolias are also symbolic of the arrival of spring and are thought to bring good fortune and happiness. In Japan, magnolias are called mokuren (木蓮) and are associated with sustainability, persistence, sublimeness and a “love for nature” in hanakotoba. In Western floriography, magnolia flowers represent perseverance, dignity, honour, majesty, pride, and nobility.

-> 3,2) Magnolias In MDZS:

In the novel, magnolias are primarily shown growing in the Gusu Lan clan’s Cloud Recesses, especially near the library pavilion where Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian studied in their youth—"The rustling yulan magnolia branches veiled the window and shut out the outside. But no matter how hard Lan Wangji fought it, Wei Wuxian’s spirited and boisterous laughter could not be so easily shut out” (MXTX, v. 1, p. 176). The magnolia’s symbolic associations with nobility, dignity and honour tie in well with Lan Wangji and the rest of the Lan clan’s values. MXTX has been reported as having developed Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji’s character traits in opposition to one another while keeping their core values and outlooks on life, morality and the world aligned. The magnolia’s symbolic meanings greatly exemplify this. At first glance, the tree’s symbolism of dignity, honour, persistence, majesty and nobility align greatly with young Lan Wangji’s character. However, these same traits also align well with young Wei Wuxian’s ideals along with the magnolia’s additional symbolism of happiness, pride and perseverance.

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╰┈➤ Part 2

╰┈➤ TGCF Hanakotoba Post Part 1

╰┈➤ Other Hanakotoba Posts

[Jeepers... I've been working on this on and off for months, xo I'm relieved to finally have it out... Please check out part 2 as well! Also, if you liked this post, check out my other hanakotoba analysis posts... Lastly, if I've gotten any of the kanji, romaji, hanzi or pinyin incorrect, feel free to correct me]

[aechii]

₍⁠₍ GOOD LUCK CHARM ₎⁠₎

{read part 2}

PAiRiNG ?! childhoodfriend!kylian x black!femreader

GENRE ?! romance , angst if you have 30/30 vision

SYNOPSiS ?! based on the prompt "you still wear that little bracelet i made you?" "it's like my good luck charm.." by @novelbear because i need fuel rn haha 😞

A/N ?! i was listening to infrunami by steve lacy while writing this, if it's too fluffy im sorry blame him. i think i need to stop writing in 2nd person pov cos it's NOT IT. so yh, this isn't good BUT i feed my consumers so yuuuuurp, HERE YOU GO 💀

~°~

if someone had told 8 year old you that your friendship with kylian, in all its deep-rootedness and proclamations of 'forever's, would meet its demise just short of your 17th birthday, you would've cackled like the wicked witch of the west herself, bearing your gapped teeth in complete humour.

your bond was imperishable, derived from unyielding interlocked hands and taut, warm hugs that you longed to ever drown into. everybody knew, if kylian was there, you would be stood right beside him as if you were his right hand man- no, but you were.

his second mother, you were called; as sweet as he was, he was hardheaded and stubborn, and there was never a week that didn't go by where you weren't, even as young as you were, chastising him for having an unrelenting mouth or fisted hands. it was his nature, no matter how much you told him to stop and he vowed that he would, but it made him, kylian, so really and truly, there was nothing that could be done.

as you both matured, entered highschool with newfound tribulations that you swore you would conquer together, you began to realise that maybe, he had priorities that, inevitably, meant that your time together was diminishing. it was glaringly palpable, to him, to you, and everyone that was on the outside looking in.

but you could see just how much he tried balancing the two. football and you, occupied so much space in his life that dropping one would leave a gaping intrusion, begging to be whole again. so, after evening training, you two found yourselves basking in the soft buzz of the 20th hour within the confinement of your room, music droning in the back with a gentle hum. it was times like this that made you appreciate kylian; just a growing boy from bondy, fighting to make a name for himself in something he loved so much, yet still had time for you. his other half, as he called you. it made your heart swell everytime.

"kylian, i swear, if you've taken the last é-"

he was quick to defend himself, "look! i took e not é." he showed you the small bead and you hummed in approval. he rolled his eyes, "always quick to accuse me of shit."

you gasped, taking a pillow and throwing it his head. he screeched, quick to rip it off him.

"no swearing, you know that! my mum's gonna hear you."

he looked down, noticing that his efforts had been chewed and spat right back out, "[y/n], you ruined my bracelet!"

you shrugged, continuing yours, "sorry, not sorry."

his glare was evident in your peripheral and you tried to hold back your laugh.

"if this is so funny to you," he threw the empty threaded strand unto the carpet, "i'm not doing it anymore."

he knew he had gotten to you as he noticed your eyes widen, stopping the task at hand.

"bro! i'm not gonna have one then, that's not fair!"

he snickered, "should've thought about that first." his arms were crossed, smirking.

you debated whether or not to stop and leave you both bracelet-less, or sacrifice your dignity and apologise. in the end, the latter ruled the verdict; this was something cute that you both hadn't done in a while, and this ocassional get together was supposed to be fruitful.

"fine, i'm sorry."

he grinned, picking up the string once again to begin his, "there you go, wasn't that hard, was it?"

you gave him a look, muttering his words as you mimicked him before saying, "just continue the damn thing."

2 hours later and you were sure enough to say that your fingers were absolutely aching, kylian vocalising his pain. god, were his whines so irritating.

"kylian, please just give me your wrist," you sighed. he shuffled closer to you, arm stretched out. you tied yours securely, making sure to keep the word you had put facing down. you both agreed to make it a suprise.

with his tightly tied to your skin, in which he later had to loosen due to your discomfort, you counted down before sliding them against your wrists to see.

"chef? that's cute," you beamed. it didn't matter that you were younger than him, you were always telling him what to do, and he had always jokingly called you 'boss'.

he smiled back at you, but then it fell as he looked at his, "[y/n]?"

you struggled to hold back your giggles, "what? you don't like it?"

he looked at you from the corner of his eyes, "petit frèrot? really? out of everything you could've used, you used that?"

laughing, you gripped his wrist, turning it to look at it yourself, "it suits you, kylian!"

"i'm not shorter than you anymore," he whined. it was a memory he hated being brought to light; you always had an inch or two on him up until you both hit 14, and somehow, you remained stunted yet he had grown to be a whole head taller than you.

"it's for... memory's sake, ky."

"i don't want to wear it."

you frowned, "don't be stupid, kylian. you're never taking it off."

his tone is indignant, "don't be too sure about that."

+_-

it may be fraying and fuzzed at the edges. it may be fading, colours that were once bright and vivid now ghosted and phantom, but you swore that if it was ever cut off, it would be the end of you too.

yes, you both no longer talked. it was an occurence so vigorously impactful that even your parents had ceased contact because if their kids didn't talk, why should they?

you knew that with the life that kylian had planned for himself, as much you both ignored it, there was no space in it for you. he had to travel to play in clubs that didn't reside within the borders of paris, or even france. your academics strangled you with deadlines and projects that had you begin to fade into the distance of kylian's mind, so he couldn't take the full blame for it. you were the reason why too, and you wished you had fought harder to sustain such a friendship.

no hard feelings were established, you presumed. the drift was gradual and something that couldn't be helped. you knew kylian wouldn't hate you, and he knew you wouldn't either.

you kept your tabs on him, however. he didn't know where you were anymore, hell if you were even alive, but with a name as big as messi's and ronaldo's, you would've been living under rocks if you didn't know how he was fending.

once every few months, you search him up. you would see he was doing well, and you would smile, pained with nostalgia, fiddle with the aging bracelet that seemed to burn its imprint into your skin, and close the google tab. it wouldn't leave your mind for the next few weeks, but you didn't mind. as long as you knew he was okay, then you were too.

+_-

football, as much as it was your ex best friend's, wasn't your forte. you didn't know a single team to name, or a player that wasn't the two infamous rivals, so finding yourself, clad in the white jersey of real madrid was completely unusual nature.

"it'll be fun, [y/n]," your friend had urged. it wasn't the first time kalani had begged you to watch a game of her favourite team, but this time, you decided to give in to her pleas and see for yourself.

"sure," you stated dismissively. you needed these 3 hours to pass as quick as they could, essays weren't going to write themselves.

the stadium atmosphere was suffocating, to be entirely honest. it was filled to the absolute brim with the blue and white opposing colours, to which you had no idea which team the blue was supposed to represent. you were only here for support, not the experience.

you could see the players training and preparing themselves on the pitch, seriousness punctured with banter and playful chasing. it reminded you of kylian again. you smiled at that thought.

then, as if time itself were a blur, kick off had started and instantaneously both team were hungry for the ball. you were, of course, rooting for madrid, and everytime the ball was in their possession, couldn't fight down the urge to scream with passion. it was like football had ignited something deep and buried within you, and it took you back to the days were you were screaming for kylian to score until your voice grew hoarse and dessicated.

+_-

you didn't even support the damned team yet you were completely drunk off victory. won with 2 goals to your name and the smile that had found its way unto your and kalani's faces hadn't left.

in a haze of excitement and thrill, she had left you to go to the toilet. you had no idea where you were, and you thought the safest place to go was back to the entrance.

"fucking hell."

the stadium was bigger than you thought, and with your short memory span, you had found yourself lost. how you couldn't even get the exit was beyond you.

in the distance you heard a cluster of voices, and your brain immediately thought to go in that direction, where there was people, there was help. your steps were hurried, you're sure you looked absolutely frightened out of your mind, and you quickly take the sharp left, colliding into a body.

"oh shit- i'm so sorry," you hurried out apologies. the person in front of you was quick to stop you, "no, no, you're good."

you stilled. age did absolutely nothing to the distinct accent of his. and it's then you drank in the sight of him fully.

"kylian?"

his face morphed into one of familiarity and utter shock, then his eyes widened.

"no way- [y/n]?"

you airily chuckled, still stupified, "in the flesh, ky."

his arms were quick to take you in them, embrace muscled and strong. your arms wrapped around his neck as you swayed from side to side.

a cough from beside you dragged you both back down from your reverie.

"kylian? who's this?" their voice was playful and the man rolled his eyes, grinning widely.

"achraf, this is [y/n], my best friend from early-"

"until you ditched me."

"i did not," he defended.

achraf chuckled, "won't be surprised if he did."

you laughed wholeheartedly, kylian groaning at his two best friends tag teaming against him.

"you two literally just met," his gaze was on you, fully coming to terms with the fact that you were standing right in front of him. no longer 16, but now 8 years later, unrecognisable but in the best way possible.

"how did you get here?" achraf asked, and you grinned sheepishly.

"got lost. i came here with my friend to watch real madrid and she ditched me to go to take a shit or something, i have no idea."

kylian huffed at you revelation, "siding with the enemy, i see. i thought you were my supporter."

you tried not to react to his words, but the growing seansation of butterflies made you feel nauseous.

"suck it up, ky. don't be a sore loser," you jeered, punching him softly in his arm.

he raised and eyebrow, "i guess i'll leave you here."

achraf was quick to deflect it, however, "no you're not. you're going to help this young lady and see her out, kylian," he tutted, "be a gentleman."

you smirked at your best friend, "listen to him, ky. he has wisdom to share."

he kissed his teeth, turning around to walk away. you grabbed his wrist to stop him, "okay, okay, i'm sorry!"

you laugh, squeezing his flesh as you felt something thin line his skin. you looked down and the sight of your sentiment, its state just like yours, left you breathless.

"you still wear that little bracelet i made you?" you couldn't stop smiling.

he looked at you, straight in your eyes as if his following words weren't enough. he needed you to feel the genuineness of it all.

"i could never take it off. it's like my good luck charm."

chef- boss

petit frèrot- little bro