#my friend finished reading the kingdoms yesterday and we ended up talking about the huge Weirdness of her female rep

[watchmakermori]

Womanhood as a prison in Natasha Pulley novels

I know that a great deal has already been said about Natasha Pulley’s portrayal of female characters, because even her most ardent fans (and I count myself among them) are often highly critical of how women are written in her stories - or, more aptly, written out of them.

But I think there is more to be said about how not only female characters are presented, but how the very concept of femininity is portrayed, via both the characters’ dialogue and inner thoughts. This analysis will reference all of Pulley’s books with the exception of The Bedlam Stacks. I’m excluding it on the grounds of it having little to no major female characters, but if any Bedlam superfans have any insight to add, please do reblog and contribute.

One of the main criticisms of Pulley’s women is their overarching similarity, so let’s briefly consider those commonalities. They are mostly educated, career-driven scientists (Grace is a budding physicist, Agatha a surgeon, Anna a much more experienced physicist). They are usually unnattractive by conventional standards; Grace is described as looking ‘like a boy’, Pepperharrow refers to herself as being ugly, Agatha is ‘tall and flat-chested’, and Anna’s introduction mentions that she has a ‘blonde buzz cut’ and is somewhat overweight.

They are also generally emotionally cold and poor caretakers, especially in contrast to the male characters. Joe’s wife, Alice, is noted to resent their daughter and engage with her far less than he does. Similarly, Shenkov is significantly more child-orientated than Anna. Agatha forces Missouri to watch a man having his throat cut, because she believes him too gentle for war. Said female characters may also show distaste for softer, more vulnerable women. Takiko Pepperharrow speaks of her mother like this (The Lost Future of Pepperharrow, p. 72): 

Saying yes and simpering all the time was silly - her mother did that and even noticeably anxious ducklings walked over her mother

She isn’t the only person to speak of her mother with a degree of pity and distaste. Grace claims that to argue with her own mother feels like ‘slapping a kitten’ - Mrs Carrow is presented as too meek to understand her own powerlessness, to the point that she considers it an achievement to leave the house alone. In the epilogue of The Half Life of Valery K, Valery himself describes the pitiable housewife Cecilia as being ‘just as stunted as his own mother’. Similarly to Mrs Carrow, the aforementioned Cecilia is not presented as fully aware of how small and restricted her life is - her happiness rests on the outcome of a dinner party, nothing larger than that.

The common thread between these pitiable characters is that they embody traditional womanhood - they are married, they are subservient to their husbands, and they have children. Perhaps the most notable - and interesting - trend amongst Pulley’s female charcters is that they invariably have a complicated relationship with marriage, caretaking, and/or childbearing.

Pulley’s novels frequently frame motherhood (along with other traditionally feminine pursuits and behaviours) as an obstacle to the female characters’ goals. In conversation with her mother, Grace talks about the prospect of marriage in the following way (The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, p. 102):

“Wives have duties. If I have children I’ll go insane for a year and a half - don’t look like that, you did, with James and with William, it was terrifying - and that will be a year and a half of weeping over nothing and a brain made of soup in which I can’t work. And then it will happen again with the next child, and then slowly I won’t want to work at all, and I’ll always be soup...”

In Grace’s mind, having children is a barrier to her academic pursuits. She is fiercely certain that giving birth will not only reduce her brain to ‘soup’, but that the impact will be permanent - she will lose herself to motherhood, and it will take away her drive and her intellect. Similar sentiments can be found among other female characters, such as when Takiko observes the following (The Lost Future of Pepperharrow, p. 175):

All her sisters had had children, and all she’d learned from it was that people with children turned inward. She didn’t see any of them anymore.

Once again, there is the sense that motherhood steals from women. It takes them away from themselves by turning them inward, and also from other people in that they lose contact with family members. The Half Life of Valery K foregrounds Anna’s perspective on motherhood (p. 137), which is probably the most extreme of all:

..she had told him straight up when they got married that she wasn’t a natural mother, that she didn’t do well with small helpless things, because she had been trained to care about electron microscopes, thanks, and obviously she would gestate him a small helpless thing to look after if he wanted [...] but there would be no talk of staying home, nesting, or maternal fussing, because frankly that was nothing but weakness of character in a woman...

A significant part of this passage is the notion that Anna is not a natural mother because she has ‘been trained to care about electron microscopes’. Not only does this again put scientific pursuits and childrearing in opposition (you may care for one, not both), the verb ‘trained’ suggests that this behaviour is learned, as though she has been educated out of maternal desires.

At this point in the analysis, I would like to specify that discussing these ideas in fiction is not inherently problematic or anti-feminist. It is vitally important for women to be free to reject motherhood, and by extension it is good to see female characters who are unapologetically unmaternal and unfeminine. When I first read The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, I adored Grace’s character for this - I loved her arrogance, her stubbornness, her distaste for marriage, her coarseness. Even the fact that she looked down on other women made her fascinating to me, because we just don’t see a lot of multi-faceted female characters who act in this way. She was complex and interesting without being a Strong Female Character™ to look up to - she was allowed to be wrong and wildly dislikable.

Where I take issue, however, is the fact that we have never seen an alternative to Grace in all five of Natasha Pulley’s novels. She is yet to write a significant female character who is complex and important despite being more traditionally feminine - there are no women who are scientists and dedicated mothers, who are career-minded and gentle, who are fiercely independent and hopeless romantics. It is one thing for Grace and other characters to disparage the poor, oppressed housewives in their society, but it is another thing entirely for the narrative itself to disparage these women. A woman without an education is still a fully-realised person with her own internal life. Women who cannot attain much agency are still as complex as those who can, yet Pulley’s stories never quite acknowledge this.

Which leads me onto the overarching portrayal of womanhood in Pulley’s novels. I’ve always been hesitant to assume too much based on singular characters, as I do think it’s imporant to recognise that a character’s perspective is not a proxy for the author’s. But after five books, the patterns are undeniable, and I think they’re more marked in The Half Life of Valery K than they ever have been. Consider the quotation below, taken from p. 30:

[Valery] never knew what to say when women pointed out that they were women and that it was, generally, awful. There was a knee-jerk human instinct to say it couldn’t be as bad as all that, like he would have to anyone who was feeling blue, but it was one of those instances where it really was awful, and trying to say it wasn’t was somewhere on the spectrum between stupid and criminal.

Valery offers an invariably bleak perspective on womanhood, which is in keeping with the attitudes of the female characters in Pulley’s books. Not only is womanhood described as miserable - Valery also claims that to deny the truth of this is either ‘stupid or criminal’. There is no space to take a more positive view on femininity. 

Being charitable, we could view this as a (heavy-handed) condemnation of sexism and patriarchy, and I do think that this is Pulley’s intention. But it’s worth considering that she does not discuss other marginalisation in this way. Despite the homophobia her numerous queer protagonists face, nobody goes on a similar tirade about the misery of being a man who loves other men. The trials and struggles are acknowledged, but queer love is still rightfully shown to be beautiful and privately joyous - in a way that being a woman never is.

Instead, womanhood in Pulley’s novels is oppressive and inescapable. Even a young girl’s fingernails cannot be neutral - they too represent the trappings of patriarchy (The Half Life of Valery K, p. 274):

“I can’t do it,” Tatiana said to her own laces. She studied her fingernails. “My tools of the patriarchy are getting too long.”

(This is an utterly bizarre thing for a little kid to say, by the way).

Towards the end of the novel, a carriage full of female prisoners is set upon by male ones, which is portrayed almost as an inevitablitity - we do not get a scene of exactly what happens, because the outcome is obvious enough to be implied. This outlook on the inevitability of violence against women is never challenged at any point; Valery only emphasises it in the final pages of the novel (p. 369):

every doctor he worked with and laughed with in tea breaks probably had an identical wife, all of them keeping women like bonsai trees

The messaging across Pulley’s novels is that of womanhood as a prison. There is little to no joy to be found in it; it results in confinement, loss of the self, isolation from others, and exposure to physical and emotional violence. Women who ‘succumb’ to marriage and children are given little voice in her stories - they are pitiable, ‘identical’ lost causes, called ‘stunted’, compared to kittens and bonsai trees. The only female POVs are that of women rebelling against conventional femininity, who are ambivalent or outwardly resentful towards caretaking, childrearing, and reliance on others. And even these women do not get to take up a great deal of space; all of them serve as obstacles to the central romances and all of them are written out to secure the male characters’ happily ever afters.

I do not believe that Natasha Pulley has malicious intent in how she writes female characters. It is important to address misogynistic violence and the ways in which the institution of marriage has restricted and oppressed women, and I believe she does try to do that. But there are ways to explore this issue whilst still acknowleding the variety of women’s experiences - and, crucially, showing that there is more to femininity than suffering.

But it requires time and space. Natasha Pulley has no hope of doing this if she does not start deviating from her usual archetypes - her stories need a better quality and quantity of women. While I live in hope of improvements to her female representation, I would be lying if I said I was optimistic.

[ourflagmeansdeth]

haircut / bolin x reader, soulmate au

summary: Your trip to Republic City doesn't turn out as expected, and you and your roommates find yourselves in the middle of Kuvira's attack. Three short vignettes of backstory, all wrapped up with an impromptu haircut and a sweet introduction.

a/n: oh my lord :) this was so challenging and fun to write! the only ideas i seem to ever have are also the ones i don't know how to approach, so writing this was a doozy. i’ve never written any AUs but soulmate aus have always been a personal fave. i hope that yall enjoy this one as much as i do, its less bolin-centric and takes a bit of patience, but i think it's very sweet! thank you for all your support on my previous works as well, it means a whole lot to me <3 additionally, i now have 100+ followers on this blog! thank you so much, yall :) love u all, stay safe!

read on ao3

On your 18th birthday, you got your mark. You woke up eager, jumping out of bed and stripping your sleeping clothes off to see where it had appeared. At first, you panicked— it was nowhere to be seen, rubbing your hands along the backs of your legs and arms, hoping the friction would urge it to surface. After what had felt like hours of checking in every corner of your body in the mirror, you gave up and wrapped yourself in a blanket, walking out of your bedroom in search of your mother.

With tears in your eyes, you hugged your mom as she wished you a happy birthday, taking a deep breath and engulfing yourself in her calming scent. Upon seeing you crying, her face washed over with concern as she asked you if you’d found your mark yet. You talked through your doubts, suggesting that you might not even have a soulmate, and that no mark was ever supposed to appear, and that it just wasn’t meant to be.

“Y/n, don’t be foolish,” she reached for your hand and gave it a squeeze, “let’s check together.”

You pulled the blanket up and turned your ankles, checking on the soles of your feet, your toes. You huffed, pulling it up around your thighs and spinning unenthusiastically for her to check the backs of them. You dropped the blanket down, reaching up to slip it down off your arms.

You exposed your shoulders, your mother lifting your arms to check your armpits, in between your fingers, along your collarbone. She spun you around with her hands, checking the skin on your back. She pushed the hair on your neck forward and placed a finger on the nape of your neck, chuckling.

“Looks like we’re going to have to plan a trip to the earth kingdom sometime soon.”

.

You hadn’t left the Northern Water Tribe for your entire life until you turned 20. Living with a few childhood friends in a shared apartment, you all dreamed of one day traveling to Republic City and living it up for a couple days, Republic style. The spirits had just arrived in the City, and you all wanted to see them before the government did something to rid them, having heard great stories of large vines and friendly spirits speckled along the bustling streets.

You heard good reviews about Varrick Industries’ blimp flights from the Northern Water Tribe to Republic City, but the technology was just a bit too new (and therefore expensive), and a local fisherman offered to give you all a ride on his boat in exchange for a bit of work during the trip. You had known the fisherman to be a little unhinged, but you didn’t complain.

The four of you planned on staying at an inn not too far from the pro-bending arena, which was a huge deal, since all of you listened to pro-bending matches on the radio together religiously. Every Friday night was an event, where you helped your roommate, Tonauk, cook a large meal for everyone as a celebration of the week’s end. As all of you sat down for dinner, you would discuss your theories for the night’s matches, turning the radio on after you all had finished.

You all had to go out and buy new clothes since your wardrobes were too warm for the weather in the city, modifying a couple items of clothing you never wear, chopping off the sleeves on a lightweight tunic. You figured you could do a bit of shopping while on your vacation, but hey, things were probably cheaper here, anyway. You packed up your bags and wished to have a safe journey, and a nice, relaxing week in Republic City. It felt so strange leaving the one place you’ve been your entire life, but it felt like it was time, and you were ready.

.

To put it shortly, the trip to Republic City was an absolute disaster. The boat ride over was actually pretty bearable, though— the fisherman had the four of you working the sails most of the time, which was second nature to you, the child of a fisherman. Upon your arrival, you discovered that an angry spirit occupied the room you had reserved at the inn, forcing the four of you to opt for a cramped two-bed on the first floor. It wasn’t the best of circumstances, but you all were determined to see it through and still have a good time.

Where things really went south was when Kuvira arrived. It had been about three days into your vacation, and your roommate Niko insisted on taking a ferry trip to Air Temple Island. It was a gorgeous day and the sun felt so good on your skin, the breeze caressing your face as it flowed past you.

The four of you were absolutely clueless to what was happening in the city— the looks of concern on the Air Acolytes’ faces as you leisurely strolled through on your tour of the island, the crowds of people boarding boats in droves when you arrived back at the ferry. As you walked towards the dock, an Acolyte approached your group and told you to leave immediately, and that the city was being evacuated.

The ferry ride back to the port was probably the most stressed you’d ever been in your entire life. You and Tonauk were waterbenders, but Niko and Kala weren’t, and if they got caught up in some twisted Kuvira shit, you would never forgive yourself if you weren’t able to save them. How should we have known Kuvira was here? How were we supposed to know that “Oh, Kuvira’s coming, so let’s all silently up and leave”? It didn’t make sense, and now you were really in danger, and you felt the horrible weight of putting your friends in this situation. It was your idea to go to Republic City, but you hadn’t thought about the possibility of this happening.

That was when you had heard Niko curse something under his breath next to you, and you looked out across the water. Kuvira was here, alright— and she brought a giant mecha suit that was aiming its arm in front of itself. You covered your ears as the blast that erupted from it echoed across the water. Holy shit.

.

You were absolutely sure that you were going to die. Since the buses and trams across the city had closed down, the four of you were on foot, making your way to the train station. You all crouched and sheltered yourselves as you heard another blast close by. When the coast was clear, you all turned a corner, happening upon a stressed, scrambled group of airbenders. You hurried to offer a hand to them as they picked themselves off the ground.  It took a while to realize what was all happening in front of you. You saw that you were about 200 feet from the giant mecha suit, which you had assumed caused the airbenders to crash. Holy shit, is that the avatar?

“Excuse me? You’re not supposed to be here.” A stern voice chided from behind you.

“Yeah, what’re some civilians doing around here anyway?” You turned to look at who was speaking: two men, both eyeing your group up as you helped an airbender to their feet.

“We were making our way to the train station. We didn’t know there was an evacuation.” Tonauk defended, stepping forward.

“You didn’t know?” The green eyed one looked at Tonauk in disbelief. “We’ve been evacuating for days— There was a city-wide radio broadcast… that played aloud to the entire city.”

You recalled that you were on a day trip out to a park outside the city yesterday and probably completely missed the broadcast. “Ugh!” you exclaimed, “That’s why our ferry tickets were so cheap.”

“People will really do anything for money nowadays, huh?” Niko muttered.

“You guys went on a ferry?” the taller of the two questioned, disappointment spread across his face.

“Oh, my god,” the green-eyed one chuckled. “They went to Air Temple Island and didn’t know there was a city-wide evacuation? Like, we’re straight up under attack right now.” He gestured to the mecha suit, which had just blasted a building a block away. Kala scoffed.

“Guys?” Oh my god, it really was the Avatar! “We’d love to get to know you, but we uh, have something that we really have to deal with right now,” she forced a smile, gesturing for the two boys to join her. They turned and ran to the rest of their group, circling up to strategize.

Before you could mutter something about how some people in this city are just so impolite, the building next to you started crumbling. Tonauk attempted to shelter the four of you by drawing water up from the sewer cap nearest you, but there wasn’t enough to provide good cover. That was when you were knocked out momentarily by a few bricks that had fallen, coming to seconds later and realizing that you were stuck underneath a pile of rubble. Your hair, grown long for many years despite your mother’s wishes, was now trapped underneath some kind of machinery that had fallen from the building. Your face was stuck against the rubble beneath you. Your arms were free enough to pull the rest of your body from the bricks that held it down, but your head would not budge, your cheek pressed against some kind of electrical unit.

“Hold still!” the green-eyed boy’s voice echoed in your ears as he attempted at moving the weight on top of your hair. “Dammit, I can’t move it! Why do they make these things out of platinum?” he groaned.

“Just cut it off!” you managed to squeak out.

“If you say so,” he began, reaching in his pocket to pull out a foldable knife. You craned your neck to pull your hair taut. With one short swoosh, your head was free, but the man above you didn’t move. “I, uh…” he trailed off.

“What is it?” you picked yourself up, scanning the scene around you, relieved to see that your friends had survived.

A blush spread across his face as he reached an arm up to rest behind his head. Or, was he...? You reached up to press the earth emblem on the back of your neck, now exposed from your new haircut. “Oh my god, turn around.” you ordered him, as he turned, folding his popped collar down. You gasped to yourself as you saw that the water emblem was printed across the nape of his neck. “I, uh…” you echoed him.

“Really need to… get going?” he finished for you, “But I’m really confused, so like, if we both make it out of this alive, my friend Varrick is having a wedding, and you should come.” he turned around and his eyes sparkled, reaching out his hand to give yours a shake. “I’m Bolin. And you are?”

“Y/n,” you exhaled, giving his hand a squeeze. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You as well,” he glanced over at his group. “Okay, gotta go. Not sure where the wedding is, but come to Air Temple Island if all else fails. See you then!” Bolin gave you a reassuring smile before running off.

You looked behind you, at your friends, who were now staring at you dumbfounded. “Nice haircut.” Kala gave you a thumbs up as you walked back towards them. Bolin and the others ran off down the street, towards the mecha suit.

“So… he’s like, your…?” Niko suggested.

“I… don’t know,” you stuttered, straightening out your tunic. “but I do know that we have a wedding to go to, so let’s get the hell out of here.”

[flesymetahiq]

While I am preparing answers to the romance Ask, here is a small excerpt from Elinor’s childhood, you guys said that you were interested, well, let’s see, I hope you like it :3

Maybe bad English warning xD

Perhaps rude words may come across

The story is written on behalf of Elinor

In the mentioned moment, Elinor is 12 years old by the way

First meeting

—Stupid old man, — I thought, dragging my feet like a body devoid of soul, — The sun had not yet managed to peek out from the horizon, as my forehead had a date with this stupid, thick stick, I hate it! — my thoughts gradually turned into grumbling, as I was a bit afraid that my far from adequate grandfather could be anywhere, sometimes it seems to me that the walls, the earth on which I walk and the sky that spreads over my head, all this is his ears and eyes, then where is he from always knows about everything I do, how does he know about my every move? - He says, "protect the weaker, but at the same time he always hits me - a small, innocent gi .. I did not have time to fully regret myself , because I suddenly heard the screams of the Butcher.

— Here you are, you petty scum! Come here as you get earful from me! And then from your grandfather in addition! — There was a sensation that at that moment I was looking not at the another angry old man running towards me, but at the Gorgon, who turned me into a motionless statue with her sinister look. At first I did not understand what was happening, and maybe I could be understood, at the moment I was between reality and dream, as it dawned on me here. I abruptly remembered that yesterday, I found somewhere a whole tank of yellow paint, and decided to paint the shop of that same Butcher, because it always seemed boring and gray to me, he had to say thank you to me, but in the end he runs to me, obviously not with the best of intentions? And then tell me that there is justice in the world! Naturally, I did not stand like a frightened sheep, cornered, since I was a very dexterous and nimble girl, this old senile never caught me. However ... he threatened me with my grandfather, he would get me out of the ground, I stopped right there, waiting for the butcher to catch up with me. I began to wave with both hands so that he would not beat me. Finally, the butcher caught up with me, at this moment he couldn't touch me even with his finger. He stopped a meter away from me, grabbing his knees, the old man began to eagerly swallow air.At that moment I could hardly restrain laughter, because I understood that this was very inappropriate. I was not afraid to put my hand on the poor man’s shoulder, and solemnly greeted him.

— Good morning, Mister Akuya! Right? You looking very depleted.

— I...—he answered with difficulty, — I am.. I'm Akadzuya

— Mister Adzuya!

— Akadzuya!

— Akadu?

— Listen girl, I know what games you're playing with me now, and ... - He did not finish, because his lungs again demanded to be filled with air.

— Mr. Kakadu, let me help you, I will cure you, — I said sweetly, putting my hands on the old man’s shoulders, whispering a spell, light began to come out of my hands, — I will cure you of everything, you will be strong , you will run as if you hadn't two legs, but as on four legs! I swear! You know I'm magician, right?

I heard that this old man is far from being smart people,but he was very close to the rude beasts. He had already forgotten about my pranks, my proposal was noticeably interested in him, because he really knew that I was not an ordinary girl, I was just as good as any, but I own magic.

— You said strong?

— Yes, exactly! But, on one condition — you will forgive me and don’t tell anything to my grandfather, in addition, I will promise never to paint your shop again!

— Right! — The Butcher remembered, and he almost grabbed me, but he stopped right there, my offer was too tempting, — Okay, little bastard, so be it, you heal me and make me omnipotent, and I forget about what you done.

- Great! That decides me! - I replied joyfully. Although many people tell me that I look like a little angel, in reality I'm little devil. I remembered that a week ago I found a spell that turns one animal into another, I decided to practice and turned squirrels into hares, and other animals (except hares), too, for some reason I managed to turn everything into these fluffy, eared cuties, however I haven’t practiced in human yet, but people are still animals too, so I didn’t see much difference at that time.

After all, I promised that this old donkey will run as if on four legs? I always keep my promises! Closing my eyes, I whispered the following spell, after which I removed my hands from the butcher's shoulders and stepped back a couple of big steps. I imagined a hare, fluffy, old with huge ears, its fur is not completely snow-white, it is with brown spots, a very cute hare - a butcher, and what was my surprise when I opened my eyes and saw that hate that I had imagined! I was so glad that I managed to turn a donkey into a hare, without any serious practice at all! I wish grandfather saw this, yes, he would be extremely mad at me, but I'm sure he would appreciate my abilities! Maybe...

Clasped hands, I jumped with joy and hare— butcher was jumping too, a thousand lights sparkled in my eyes, my first steps to becoming a great magician! Unlike me, a hare, a hare butcher jumped on the spot not from joy, but from panic and fear, he just couldn’t say anything and even did something to me, which made me very happy.

_ That's all, Mr. Akadzuya, now you can run on all four paws! Believe me, you are now much quicker than me, as I promised, and judging by your solemn dances, you feel very good! Well, do not thank me, I am always happy to help! - Playfully giggling, I headed further where I was going. But the hare Akadzuya began to chase after me, running ahead. He sometimes got on two legs, supposedly threatening me, seriously? Did he continue to threaten me even as a small defenseless animal? Fun. Naturally, I did not pay attention to him, I too lost in thought about how talented and unique I am.

The sun was gradually peeking over the horizon, scattering its rays anywhere. The dew on the grass began to shine with almost all colors. The light cool breeze seemed to be the conductor among the orchestra of the leaves of delicate cherry trees and mighty sycamore. I did not have time to blink, as whole flocks of birds occupied the sky, each of them, large and small, tried to shout out to each other, although it was a kind of war, it was quite beautiful and harmonious. For a couple of days of arrival in this village, I managed to remember the local surroundings, given that the village was far from small, probably because the nature of this place was breathtaking. Indeed, if you live in a boring palace and the maximum where you can take a walk is your garden, it would be very difficult for you to remember places like this village.

Grandfather came here with me after I put forward my claims regarding my dream. I always used to talk about my dreams, and probably my grandpa and all the adults around me in the palace, simply could not stand the opportunity ... What kind of dream would you ask? Well, my father Viktor is the ruler of a large kingdom called the Augusei, but besides all this, he is a real hero who almost every day saves someone’s lives, he participated in many battles against the monsters and evil demons that this Kingdom is infesting with, and looking at him, I always wanted to become the same, I made an idol from my father. Every year I see him less and less, only seven years ago we were inseparable, he often told me about his adventures, read bedtime stories, played with me, joked and was just a friend who was always with me. Now .. Now I’m a little lonely, my father has a lot of things to do and problems, and he haven't simple free minute but I know.. he still cares for me. Somewhere deep down in my heart, I am very offended by him, although I try to understand him, but this does not repel my respect and pride for him, especially the dream of becoming like him.

Dad often talked about my late mother Akane, whom I vaguely remember, since she died when I was still very tiny. She was a very sweet, kind woman, so my father loved her madly, after her death, I would not be surprised that he was very depressed by grief, but this did not stop him from smiling warmly at the sight of me, indeed, I never saw him sad, all what I can do is guess what he feels when he looks at me and remembers her ... After all, I look so much like my mother..

I am also sure that my mother was a wonderful magician, because my father did not possess any superpowers at all, but he was an excellent strategist and fighter. And my mother’s father, that is, my grandfather Fuji, whom I managed to grumble in the morning, was also a magician, and most likely a fighter. After all, in addition to spells, he promised to teach me various military techniques. Old Fuji is very responsible and strict, so I don’t like him, sometimes it seems to me that he hates me ... (However, this is not so at all).

It was to this village that he brought me, because there is a great landscape, in addition to valleys and rivers, the village is surrounded on all sides by mountains, which makes it safe and even impregnable, and the air in the village adds strength, there are also a lot of my distant relatives, who also have something to learn. It was just to them that I headed along with the hare Akadzuya.

Oh sure ... Grandfather said that he has a couple of students with whom he will introduce me, we will be a team! Or maybe we will even become good friends! This was so pleasing, because like this I never was in team, for some reason, everyone around tried to avoid me, both children and adults, but why, I still can not understand. Sometimes I thought, because I am very energetic and like to make all kinds of disgraces, well, well, I'm not the only one, right?

Then why is everyone so aloof from me? I hope my team will not avoid me .. Anyway I will try my best!

Approaching a large wooden two-story house, grandfather said that it was called Engava, I first saw such houses, and indeed the architecture and people in this village made it seem like I was in a completely different world, everything was unusual and unfamiliar to me here, but it even pleased me. Like many children, I really liked to learn something new.

Before I came to the veranda of this house, I went through a fabulous garden that didn’t look like a garden in which I spent most of my childhood, I won’t say that my garden was any worse, I’ll just remind you to see similar gardens full of trees with pink flowers, for me it was an innovation.

Before I came to the veranda of the house, I went through a fabulous garden that didn’t look like a garden in which I spent most of my childhood, I won’t say that my garden was any worse, I’ll just remind you to see similar gardens full of trees with pink flowers, for me it was an innovation.

When I stopped at the threshold, my grandfather met me, his gaze was oddly soft and calm, he ordered me to leave my shoes on the threshold, which I did.

- What is it? - Suddenly asked Fuji looking at the Butcher,who was turned into a hare, and who was reaching for my grandfather, as if he wanted to say something to him. Honestly, I completely forgot about him, so my grandfather’s question made me sweat a little.

- Ahhh ... It's .. - I said uncertainly, yes ... yes,I found him on someone's garden bed, thid robber was gnawing someone else's cabbage, and so that farmers would not make a chop from him, I decided to take him for a while, you don't mind grandpa?

I had to lie, although I sounded very confused, my grandfather did not suspect anything, at least ... At least it seemed to me ...

Sighing, my old man continued.

- So be it, then take him and wash, you never know where he went besides dirt.

- You do not mind?! Is that true?! Thank you, Grandpa! - Today will definitely be a day of surprises! The butcher, although he did not like it at all, nevertheless, I managed to catch him quickly and attach him to myself so that he would not run away - But what about ... well ... Your another students? How many students do you have, generally? Do you have them for a long time? Are they my peers?

— Less questions and more work,— grandfather sharply answered, pointing with his hand to the other door, — The bathroom is over there, you will wash this animal, and then I will explain everything.

— Ah ... although what was I hoping for? Grandpa... at least torture him, will still remain the same grumpy grumble. Well, okay.

I led the hare into the bath, he was still resisting.

—I think it’s a pity to learn, and ... and ... I’m ashamed, — I said quietly while closing the bathroom door so that he wouldn’t run far and grandfather would not hear my conversation, — it’s true, but, you see, I’m very ... I was scared when you threatened me with my grandfather, so let's agree, I will look after you a little while you ... well, while you’re a hare, and then I will turn you back into a human, and then we will leave, and I won’t touch you and your shop either! Even ... even wash the paint, just do not tell grandfather! - I folded my hands and bowed in apology, somewhere I saw that someone were doing something like that , I was not used to it, but it would be more unusual to get some kind of punishment from my grandfather, - Please! In any case, I will turn you back into a human!

The butcher guarded his ears, his eyes looked strictly at me, but soon he relented, in any case he didn’t know what could be expected from me, so we both had nowhere to go but a compromise. And this, to be honest, really pleased me.

Fifteen minutes later, I left already with a hare shining with purity. At that time my grandfather was talking with some unfamiliar elderly lady, who, having seen me, bowed.

— Madam Elinor, it’s good to see you, oh, it's looks like...I ... I see Akane in front of me, — embarrassed, I did the same thing, the old woman, with difficulty straightening up, she began to wipe a tear from her eye and smile warmly.Akane? Does she know my mother? Maybe she is just one of these distant relatives that Fuji was talking about. I said nothing, because my whole body was constrained by that inconvenience and the shame that I experienced , I found it strange and could not justify my reaction — will you stay with us for the summer? Yes? It’s wonderful, this place is so good, so fresh, beautiful ..

— Yuna,— my grandpa interrupted het ,recalling that she had stepped back a little from an important topic.

— Oh, yes, excuse me,I always talk about silly things. well,as you understand my name is Yuna,nice to meet you,I will take care of you, and young Madara and Tsunobi, while Mr. Fuji will have important things to do.

Madara ? Tsunobi? This is must be my team! I can't wait to see them!

I wonder what other “important” things are there besides training my old grumbler has.

I didn’t ask further, the fool knew that I want to finally start training and getting to know this mentioned guys. Therefore, Grandfather immediately went with me to another room where two of my peers were waiting for us.

These were two boys, a blond with a fairly long hair, who looked at me with his angry, bright yellow eyes, over which lush black eyebrows and a brunette stretched with even longer hair and dark blue, kind eyes.

- G.. Greetings! - said the dark-haired bowing to me, - My name is Yamata Tsunobi.

— Pleased to meet you, Tsunobi, my name is Elinor, you can call me just Ellie, If you want.

Tsunobi was noticeably embarrassed and even blushed, his face resembled a huge tomato, but Madara looked away from me somewhere on the wooden ceiling. Very gentlemanly.

— And then,— I continued looking at the blond boy— you're Madara,am I right? I'm glad to meet you too...

- Did you bring a hare for lunch? - muttered Madara. Akadzuya immediately flinched, but I reassured him, clutching to myself.

- Nothing like this!

- Then why drag any rubbish to training? How stupid it is.

We just saw each other, and I already began to dislike him, even with a teacher he is not ashamed to talk to me like that! But in response, I just smiled.

- Well ... But you are also present at the training.. so why not?

Madara clearly did not understand my joke ..

- So what?

- Yes so .. nothing

— Enough, Grandfather interrupted us, — after all, you didn’t come here because of conversations, did you? After you introduce yourself to each other, I must to tell you something..

[dailyaudiobible]

04/08/2020 DAB Transcript

Deuteronomy 32:28-52, Luke 12:35-59, Psalms 78:56-64, Proverbs 12:24

Today is the 8th day of April, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it's great to be here with you today as we continue our journey through holy week. We move toward…we…we move toward this weekend, which is I was is one of the most important days in the…in the history of the world, Easter and today is the day of Passover. So, we just observe that, mark that as we continue our journey forward through this week, through this month and through this year. And turning to the Scriptures we pick up where we left off yesterday no matter what's going on and that's…that leads us back into the book of Deuteronomy and I believe we’ll be concluding the book of Deuteronomy on Good Friday this year. So, let's get to that. We’re reading from the Christian Standard Bible this week. Deuteronomy chapter 32 verse 28 through 52. And by way of reminder we’re in the middle of a big song that Moses is teaching the people.

Commentary:

Okay. So, some of the most important advice about how we are supposed to live our lives right now right here is…well…comes from the lips of Jesus through the gospel of Luke today. So, Jesus says, “you are to be like people waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once. Blessed will be those servants the master finds alerts when he comes.” Okay. So, who is the one who is alert, right, the one who is awake with their eyes open to see, eyes to see because there awake and not asleep? And a lot of the time when we read a passage like this we think in terms of like cosmic destiny, like return of the Lord. We should be ready at any time for Him to split the eastern sky and come riding on a white horse and the end of all things and the beginning of new things and all of this…this is what we're thinking. We should be ready for this at any time. But is this the only time the Lord comes? How often are we raising our hands in worship and moving back and forth on Sunday and asking for more of His presence and for us to be able to see what we need to see because we have generally become unaware that we can never escape His presence and all we can do is become aware of it, it's always with us. I mean we’re always needing to go into His presence but what…what about went on about when He comes for us as a Father, as a friend, as a counselor, as a comforter? What about when He comes for us? Are we even paying attention? Do we at all have eyes to see? Are we alert at all? And isn't this central to what Jesus has been saying all along? “Wake up, open your eyes, open your ears. Something is happening among you now. Don't miss this. Don't sleep through this.” Jesus goes on to tell us, “blessed is the servant, whom the master finds doing his job when he comes.” And then listen to this, “truly I tell you”, which is Jesus saying, “I'm telling you the truth”, “He, God will put Him in charge of all His possessions.” In other words, if we are awake, if we have eyes to see, if we are looking for the movements of God and His kingdom in this world and we are able to see those things and we are awake and we are aware we are collaborating and we are participating then we will fully begin to realize we lack nothing. The God of all things is entrusting His possessions to us. That’s pretty huge. Then Jesus says some…some other things that are pretty huge. “I came to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already set ablaze, but I have a baptism to undergo.” And He's referring exactly to what we’re going through as we go through this holy week. He says, “how it consumes me until it is finished. Do you think I came here to bring peace on the earth? No. I tell you, but rather division.” So, how does this work because we see Him as baby Jesus, the Prince of peace? How can He be saying these things? What does this mean? As we've learned, if we have eyes to see and ears to hear, then we can see the repercussions of the light coming into the darkness and the darkness first, not comprehending it then rejecting it, then trying to destroy it. Jesus then becomes this living metaphor for our struggle forward to wake up, to be aware of what's going on, to be light in the darkness and stand as a witness against the darkness exposing the darkness, knowing that the darkness is going to try to stamp out the light. But if lights keep flickering, if lights keep going on all over the world then at some point the light overcomes the darkness. And Jesus is telling us to be awake, alert, ready because the light is going to bring fire on the earth. And the funny thing is, these are the kinds of things we also pray for. We sing about them. “Send your holy fire upon us.” It's just going to consume everything that is in the darkness, including everything that is false within us. This is what we’re asking God to do and He’s saying “I’m doing it and I'm going to continue to do it” but we just so rarely embrace it. We run for comfort. We run into hiding. We want to go back to sleep. But Jesus comments on that. He's like basically, “you can…you can tell when rains coming. You can tell when it’s gonna be hot. You know how to read those signs, but you can't see the sign of the present time all around you. You just keep looking for somebody to tell you what time it is. Wake up.” And then He goes on to talk about a judge, like “if you’re…if you’re gonna go with somebody that is your adversary before a judge, own it, fix it, don't…like fix it before you go before the judge. Like, own this. Be awake. Stop waiting for everybody to do everything for you or to get into a position where a decision is made for you that is not the one that you are after, but now there's nothing you can do about it.” And fundamentally what Jesus is telling us in today's reading is, “own it. This is your life. It is a gift, wake up. It's not happening to you. You're happening to it. The darkness cannot…no matter how it rages against you…cannot come against you as long as you are in the light. Don't let the light go out.” In another passage, Jesus said, “you are the light of the world.” Own that, be responsible for that, be awake and alert. And I can't think of anything more poignant for a day like today as we move through Passover and Maundy Thursday and Good Friday and Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday as we move toward the end of this season of Lent where we’re sitting with the cost of our sin and what it took to set us free for Jesus then to be telling us, “own this, live into this, be awake, be alert, have eyes to see.” There’s nothing more poignant for us.

Prayer:

Father, we invite Your Holy Spirit into that. We've been asking over and over for eyes to see and ears to hear, and we thank You for the way that You are waking us up. But what we see in the Gospels is that light is a disrupting agent to the darkness. It shakes things up no matter what. And although people are drawn to the light, the light exposes the darkness and normally we slink back into the darkness because everybody else is hiding too. And, so, come Holy Spirit as we move through these days, these days that have so significant of an impact on our hearts because of the things that we’re commemorating and observing. We invite Your Holy Spirit to shake us fully awake and let us own our lives before You knowing that You are not withholding anything from us, but we are withholding plenty and that…those things that we are withholding from You are the things that are the chains that, they’re things that are enslaving us when we are free. So, come Holy Spirit shine the light of truth within us, into all of the dank corners and the deep basements of our lives. Bring Your light. We trust You. Awaken us we pray. In Jesus name we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, it is home base, is where you stay connected. So, in…in times like these it's really important to stay connected and that's always possible.

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And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement can dial 877-942-4253 or just hit the Hotline button in the app, which is the little red button at the top and you can begin to share from there.

And that's it for today. I'm Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hello DAB family this is your brother __ calling from Nairobi Kenya just to say thank you so much for your prayers. I’m a long-time listener and for a while was busy with my activities. I’ve been traveling and yeah, I was not listening for a while but now I’m back. I thank God for the DAB family and for the prayers and for this community that it’s not affected by this coronavirus at this physical time that the community of DAB is more efficient because it’s been working online all this time, all these years __  community. We thank God for the blessings, we thank God for everything. Thank you so much for your prayers. God bless you.

Hi family this is his little Cherry in Canada and I’ve really been thinking a lot about the Holy Spirit lately. When Jesus left, He promised His disciples that He would send to them the Holy Spirit and He called him the comforter or some translations say advocate, helper, encourager. It’s hard to accurately translate that word because it’s so rich with meaning. But boy, I could use the comforter right about now and maybe you can too. I have been confronted by how shallow my devotion is, by the uncertainty and the fear that has gripped the planet and I’ve been swept up in it. And I just realized that God is giving me an opportunity to get to know in a deeper way the person of the Holy Spirit, the comforter. And I’m not talking about something denominational because some denominations talk a lot about the Holy Spirit, some not as much, but I realize now that the Holy Spirit is at work everywhere. I have been so comforted recently by the Catholic liturgy, which surprised me. But the Holy Spirit has been given to every disciple of Jesus, every believer and I need to know Him in a deeper way. So, Lord that’s my prayer for myself and for all of us, that we would get to know the comforter, the encourager in a way that actually lifts us up, out of fear. Lord, make it real, make it personal and comfort our hearts. I pray in Jesus’ name.

Aloha from Hawaii, I’m Robin first-time caller but I was inspired by Free Indeed from Maryland who encouraged us this week not to ignore calling in if we were prompted by the Holy Spirit. And I actually did feel prompted several weeks ago and started to call but then I didn’t follow through. I am just so touched by many people who share on this format, but I wanted, especially Tammy in Kentucky with the foster son to know that I’m praying for you and also your foster son and your family. Sierra in Florida who I think is a newer believer and you are so excited, and you planned to go to the mission field and then our whole world was changed with this COVID-19. I really believe one day Sierra you will go on the mission field but maybe right now the mission field is taking care of your unbelieving grandfather. And I know that that’s…that’s difficult but I’ll be praying for you. Diana Olive Brown I just love your sweet voice and every time you say “shalom, shalom” I just smile. All of you other faithful and passionate prayer warriors, you’re really an inspiration. I just so love all the various accents and the different styles of prayer. I’m so honored to be a part of this group and join believers around the world as we just plead for God’s mercy and healing upon our world. A personal prayer request is the healing of the dear friend’s chronic back pain. Thank you for that. And Aloha Kaya Koua. God is...

Hello Daily Audio Bible family today is April 4th just got finished listening to today’s broadcast and through the second to last chapter of Sneezing Jesus…Jesus. Anyway. in this…today’s broadcast, Slave of Jesus came on. He encouraged us to share the link to Sneezing Jesus. And I took a leap of faith and I shared it with my brother Danny with no preamble, no explanation just in faith that God will do something with that and will change the heart of my atheist brother like the same way that he changed the heart of Slave of Jesus who was also an atheist at one time. So, hope you join with me in prayer for my professed atheist brother, that he would…that this link would spark something in him that would open his eyes and his ears to the truth. So, as Brian has said just about every day this year, “come holy spirit, gives us eyes to see and ears to hear.” And Lord may You give those eyes to my brother and may You soften his heart to receive what he sees and what he hears and may he be a blessing to You one day Lord and __ in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hey everybody it’s Lisa the Encourager, just wanted to call in today after hearing the sweet woman that called in about her 13-year-old daughter and her 16-year-old daughter that were suicidal…who had suicidal thoughts. And her 16-year-old daughter was in a very dark, dark place. So, I just want to pray for these two sweet girls and their mom. Dear God I just pray Lord Jesus that Your hand will be upon this mother Lord and You will help her to be able to divinely say the right things to her daughters to get them into a place where they can be connected with the Holy Spirit and I pray…I pray Lord Jesus…I’m begging You God, I’m begging You from the bottom of my heart God to remove what thoughts take them there Lord God. Help them to see You God and help them to know that their loved and needed and their mother wants them to be a part of her life forever and that they are going to have something special, that they’re going to be able to bring to this world. Lord help them to see that, that they are needed and loved and wanted. And You God mostly help them to see You Lord, help them to understand how much You love them and how much You have for them and how much You are gonna bring into their lives. Lord, help them to see the future, help them to see what they can look forward to in this world Lord through You Lord Jesus in Your eyes. Please God change their heart. Please God help them to understand…

This Healing Shattered Fragments. I’m scared to ask for this and it’s just wrong to even ask but as someone who experienced satanic ritual abuse, I am struggling with __ awake until Easter. I’m struggling to believe that healing is even possible from horrendous abuse like this. I’m struggling with the memories that have come with the abuse and the lies and I just need to know that God is still there. and He cares and He sees me and healing is possible. And I can’t…I can’t do this alone. Can’t reveal the secret that Christians are afraid to talk about, I just need someone to pray…

[preoccupiedpens]

Dream Hunters Chapter 4: Push and Pull

AFTER YESTERDAY’S MISSION, Daisuke, Riku, and Jack unanimously agreed to spend their rest day by absolutely doing nothing productive at all. As usual, Daisuke decided to hang out at the shrine of Maria. He’s basically a self-proclaimed elven guard of the shrine by now.

           “Are you sure you do not want to find another place to hang out?” Pinelia asked.

           “Naaah. I’m good at the shrine. Besides, I can act like its personal security guard.” Daisuke casually replied.

           “Oh well, as long as you’re not spending your free time here at home. I’d rather see you do nothing with your friends than doing nothing here.”

           “Awwwww. You really are the most supportive mom.”

           Daisuke and Pinelia laughed it off.

 As soon as Daisuke reached the shrine, he paid his respects to Maria, the champion of Yora village. Today, he brought his runestone of Laniagaea Vol. 1. He has already finished reading the book years ago, but he never gets tired of reading it all over again. Seeing the illustrations of other countries from all over the world is what matters to him. It gives him the motivation to continue and improve, all for the sake of visiting various places and bringing back the wooden statue of Maria.

           Somehow, the book also contains some information about the rise of treasure hunting in the world. According to the book, there was a period in time when most of the countries closed their borders to foreigners, the Dark Ages. But soon, one country decided to travel the whole world to discover new things, meet other races, exchange knowledge and technology, and hopefully form alliances. This country was known as the Arcobaleno Kingdom.

           Arcobaleno Kingdom has been a very advance country. They pioneered land and sea exploration. Soon, many countries followed their footsteps. Government and nobles funded the explorers. Those that wanted to explore but have no funds became adventurers and formed guilds. And then those who became notorious for traveling to deeper unexplored lands and even trespassed into different territories became what’s known as treasure hunters. He was busy reading his book that he didn’t notice someone went inside the shrine.

          “You really are not difficult to find, you know.” Jack said.

          Daisuke raised his head and saw Jack. “Hmmm. And you’re not the kind to visit the shrine.”

          “Well, we actually came here to see you.”

          “We?”

          Outside, Riku is standing at the observation deck. Like Daisuke, she also likes the view from that spot. Seeing the panoramic view of the southern part of Yora village, the ever-busy harbor, and the calm sea. Daisuke and Jack went to the observation deck to meet Riku.

          “Oh! Hey Daisuke.” Riku smilingly greeted Daisuke.

          “Yo. What’s up?” Daisuke replied.

          Riku explained that she and Jack would like to train him for the upcoming Seeker Trials. As they have observed, Daisuke’s weakness is his poor mana control. The first time Daisuke failed the trials, he was easily overwhelmed by his opponent. The second time, he managed to win the combat trial, though it was a sloppy one. He created trees all over the place, and even managed to downright destroy the whole stage. And since the result of the combat trial does not certainly depends on the winner and loser of the match, Daisuke still failed the trial.

          “I know we all decided to just loaf around. But Jack and I thought that we could just use our spare time to, you know, help you.” Riku added.

          “So, what do you say, Daisuke?” Jack asked.

          “You guys…” Daisuke was tearing up, then hugged Riku and Jack. “I love you guys!!”

          “Ugh...” Riku and Jack sighed in unison.

 They went to the Eastern Beach, the same beach where the Fishbone Hunters landed to siege the island. The beach has a great view of the sea. The sand is white and fine. Coconut trees are everywhere. This is where Riku and Jack decided to train Daisuke.

          “The thing is, you used too much mana yesterday.” Jack told Daisuke.

          “Yeah, I sensed it too.” Riku confirmed.

          “I know. I’m just unable to control my mana output.” Daisuke told them. “It’s like, when I try to use a bit of mana to produce a seedling, a torrent of mana will come out, and a sapling or even whole mature tree would emerge.”

          “The key to clear the combat trial is not just to win, but to show that you can survive the battle. Evading an attack is and getting out of an impossible battle is not a sign of weakness.” Said Jack.

          “Basically, the combat trial is to test our creativity on using our power and of course mana management.” Riku added.

          “Great. Now what am I supposed to do?” asked Daisuke?

          Jack faced him. “He have practice combat trial. You and I.”

          Daisuke agreed, thanking his friends for always helping him. While Jack served as his opponent, Riku served as the referee of the match. She will decide whether Daisuke will pass the trial or not.

          “Remember Daisuke, the goal is not to win but to use you power efficiently.” Riku reminded him.

          “Got it!” Daisuke replied.

          Riku then gave the signal. “Begin!”

          Daisuke was the first to charge. Riku has always taught her to imagine his body like a faucet and his mana the water. He only needs to open the faucet slightly to let a few drops of mana to drip. This is what Daisuke tried to do. He tried to produce a sprout, which he successfully did. Jack saw it and prepared to defend himself.

          Jack taught Daisuke about different applications of elven power in combat. They could fight either in short, mid, or even long range. Depending on their mana control, short range would be the most efficient. But of course, many elves are skilled with their power usage.  They would only need to consume a certain amount of mana to create a weapon made of plants. Jack used his power to create a tree branch from both of his arms, and at the end of the branches were huge jackfruits. He created a Jackfruit Mace, a weapon based from his father’s Durian Mace.

          Daisuke continued to let his mana flow on the sprout he created, until it became his signature Wooden Arm. He used this arm to punch Jack, but Jack timed his move well and managed to whip the wooden fist with the right Jackfruit Mace. When Jack saw the Daisuke lost balance, he continued to hit Daisuke with his left Jackfruit Mace. Luckily, Daisuke managed to create a left Wooden Arm and used it to block Jack’s follow up.

          “That’s two Wooden Arms now, Daisuke.” Jack changed his stance. He started to spin his right mace, getting ready for his attack.

          Daisuke removed both his Wooden Arms and ran towards Jack. This time, Jack was the first to attack by throwing the spinning mace towards Daisuke. Using his mana, he produced more branches to extend the mace until it reached Daisuke.

          But Daisuke managed to dodge by growing a tree directly under him, launching him through the air. When he was high enough, he used his power to punch midair. And when he did, a tree came out of his right arm towards jack at high speed. The tree changed shape, resembling a fist. But even before Jack could get hit by the extending wooden fist, it suddenly stopped. Daisuke landed and unable to stand.

          “Two Wooden Arms, one mature tree to dodge, and another mature tree to attack midair.” Jack enumerating the actions of Daisuke earlier. “What do you think, Riku?”

          “Well, he basically wasted mana again.” Riku responded.

          Daisuke tried to talk but was out of breath. He was now just lying down on the sand of the beach.

          “You got carried away again Daisuke.” Jack said, sitting next to Daisuke.

          “For comparison,” Riku now sitting as well next to Daisuke. “Jack used his mana to create two maces, while you created four trees from afar. You are essentially using your mana as the necessary energy to force the trees to grow.”

          “I tried to do same thing when I threw you my mace.” Jack added.

          Daisuke was trying to speak, but it was inaudible.

          “Well, you recharge your mana quicker than the rest of us. We can continue after you have recovered.” Jack told Daisuke.

             “Yeah. You just need be pushed a little bit more. We’re sure you’ll improve in no time.” Riku smilingly added.

          Daisuke mumbled something that seems to agree on Jack’s and Riku’s words.

          The three of them stayed at the beach until night time, training Daisuke to control his mana. Jack would have a sparring match against Daisuke, while Riku would remind Daisuke about the proper mana control. And while they were training, a silhouette can be seen that seems to be watching the three.

 That same night at the Council House, Sequovas was preparing to go home already when Durant approached him to talk.

           “The day of the trials is coming soon.” Durant picked up a book and handed it over to Sequovas. “Your son is still yet to clear the combat trial.”

           “What is it that you really want to talk about, Durant?”

          “Daisuke does not belong here and you know it.”

          Sequovas stopped from cleaning up his stuffs. “I would rather have him stay here on the island than let the greedy humans get him.” Said Sequovas. “It was you, wasn’t it? You brought those humans here.”

          “And I am the one who told her scouts.”

          “You are out of your mind, Durant. Bringing humans here? You are lucky that I have no intention of telling this to other council heads so you better stop this now.”

          Sequovas and Durant are now speaking face to face. Both of them are emitting a faint amount of mana, though enough to cause a pressure that could push anyone.

          “You speak like I am the only one guilty of something. Tampering with the Seeker Trials is also punishable. Still, I am thankful for you not reporting me. But you must understand that I am only trying to protect our people.”

          “To protect from a kid?!”

          “To protect them from a potential attack from the avatar of an Ishvara.”

          Sequovas was infuriated from the claims of Durant, causing his mana to break the floor from where he was standing. The amount of pressure could have blown Durant away, but Durant’s mana protected him.

          “From this point, Durant, you might want to consider the next words coming from your mouth.”

          Durant lowered his mana output. “I know you are the one who keeps pulling Daisuke to fail. You keep on messing with his already pitiable mana control. I will not reveal him that. But I will keep telling Jack to train him to pass the trials.”

          “And I will do everything to keep Daisuke on this island. I will not let anyone use him as a weapon.”

          “So you would rather have him rampaging here on our island? Threatening the lives of your people?”

          Sequovas finally lowered his mana output and continued to clean up his stuff. He then breathed heavily and faced Durant. “If that time ever comes, I will be the one to put an end to his life. Not you, not Mahogry, not anyone from this island. It will only be me.”

          “Sequovas, trust me, I know how you feel. There are no words to describe the pain of losing a child. Believe me, I know. But you have to understand; there is no escaping destiny. Whether or not he learns to control his power, he will eventually turn into an Ishvara. The likes of him are cursed to die a painful death over and over again. Daisuke is no exception.”

          “I will no longer warn you again, Durant. I am not the one you wanted to be an enemy.” Sequovas took his satchel and left the Council House.

[princessgracekelly1956]

Daily Mirror - 16 June 1958

William Hickey joins with Photonews

For once let’s look closely at a single week-end... when a big name captures the kingdom

This Super Sinatra ‘rocks’ the Rainiers

MONTE CARLO, SUNDAY

This has been Frank Sinatra’s week-end in Monte Carlo - the swingiest, zingiest affair since that famous “swell party” that climaxed his film “High Society.’ And his Hollywood co-star Grace Kelly was the leading lady of this Wow of a Week-end under her new billing of Princess Grace of Monaco.

The excuse, if excuse were needed, was last night’s world premiere of his latest film “Kings Go Forth.” But this was the least exciting part of this Riviera fiesta that by tea-time yesterday had transformed this near-deserted little principality into a sun-drenched rendezvous for a thousand stars and celebrities.

By plane, car, and train they arrived, some having flown direct from Hollywood to support this giant of show business. And their journey was lavishly rewarded by one of the greatest song shows anyone here had ever heard.

At the gala supper after the film Sinatra left his seat next to Princess Grace and bounded on to the stage. He ran through a dozen of hid best-known numbers while the princess sat, hands clasped, eyes gleaming with excitement behind her spectacles and a smile curling the corners of her mouth.

In the huge, hot room of the International Sporting Club, with its waterfront decor, I could have heard a diamond drop as the 40-piece orchestra led into “When Your Lover Has Gone.”

Laughter in Mandalay

Then the mood switched to laughter as Sinatra ad-libbed his way through “The Road to Mandalay,” embroidering Kipling’s original with lines like “There’s a Burma broad a’settin’.” and “The cat gets a crazy thirst.”

After this one Sinatra must have noticed the puzzled look of Prince Rainier, who several times leaned across the table decorations to ask his wife for a translation into ordinary English.

For before going into “All the Way,” Sinatra hitched his trousers and said: “Sorry, I don’t speak enough French to explain all the words, but if any of you don’t understand just speak to the cat next to you and she’ll help you dig it.”

After three-quarters of an hour Sinatra finished with a tremendous beat-up of “The Lady is a Tramp,” leaped off the platform, and sloped back to the table where the Rainiers were leading the cheers and cries of “Encore,” “Bravo,” “More.”  

He had promised it would be “a swingin’ night,” and there was an “I-told-you-so” look in his twinkling blue eyes as he acknowledged the tumult with a loose wave of his hand and a triumphant smile.

She whispers in his ear

As he sat down to gulp a drink, Princess Grace whispered in his ear. Two seconds later he was back on stage, gripping the mike and saying; “That was supposed to be it, but I’ve a request from our lovely lady of the evening. We haven’t rehearsed this but here is ‘You Make Me Feel So Young.’”

Then, turning to the musicians who were fumbling for their parts and looking confused, he chuckled: “Just read, boys. Don’t get nervous! But if you ‘blow’ this you are, out of the team.”

This was Sinatra - casual, confident, uninhibited to the point where he almost goes too far were it not for his enormous charm.

INTRODUCTION

To introduce him Noël Coward had broken off his conversation with Somerset Maugham. He said: “He is one of the great artists of our time. His taste is impeccable - I have never known him to make a false move.”

The gala party didn’t start until nearly midnight - the film had started nearly an hour late. So everybody was in a “let’s eat” mood when they got to the supper tables.

But the shouts of “Service, please,” and “Champagne” died into a breathless silence as the Rainiers came down the stairs.

Applause for the Rainiers

Princess Grace looked warm and lovely with a new crisp-curl short hair-do, rose-pink lipstick to match her high-necked gown of faille, a white mink wrap, and a spattering of diamonds and pearls that somehow looked discreet, although the stones were huge.

Everyone clapped as the prince, in a dinner jacket, guided her to their table, where the rest of the party - including Tina Onassis, Frank Ross and his wife, better remembered perhaps as actress Joan Caulfield, and Arthur Krim, head of United Artists - was waiting.

Sinatra’s date the Marquise de Portago - sat at another table with the Peter Lawfords.

Curt Jurgens and his constant companion Simone Bicheron were there. Lex Barker in a white dinner jacket, had just flown in from Rome. Mr. and Mrs. Howard Keel, Mr. and Mrs. Michael Wilding, Mai Zetterling, Delphi Lawrence, Adrienne Corri and April Olrieh from England, laughed at the gay tables.

Don Loper, from California, was squiring Betty Furness, who wore a flue-brush wig for some reason.

The real king of the party

But there was no doubt that even in the presence of his royal friends Frank Sinatra was king.

As people congratulated him on his film performance, he said: “It’s strange, I know that film so well by now - but I cried.”

This was Sinatra - the man with the tender heart who does many kindnesses that are never known.

Mrs. Ross, who has known him for years told me: ‘He’s a paradox. Although he talks like a gangster he is a truly gentle man.

‘He always works in reverse - if somebody wants him to behave this way or do a certain thing he will do just the opposite. It’s his game, and you have to play it his way.”

Certainly it all worked out his way last night.

A date at dawn...

The Rainiers danced till 3 a.m. Then at dawn today Sinatra invited a few friends back to the suite she was sharing with the Lawfords - a suite I had left at 6 a.m. yesterday. He was in an exuberant mood. “That Grace is just adorable,” he said. “And her prince is really charming.

“Do you know, he went out of his way to say ‘Thank you for having us - it’s been such a wonderful evening.’ Man, it was a gas, wasn’t it?”

SEA FOOD

I had joined him on Friday at an eve-of-premiere party in the open air at a sea-food restaurant at Cap Martin.

Sinatra, co-host with producer Frank Ross, sat with Mr. and Mrs. Peter Lawford at a table a little apart from the main group - which included Hedda Hopper, Leonard Lyons, Ludwig Bemelmans, and Earl Wilson.

He played the perfect host, until, hemmed in by serenading guitarists and flamenco dancers, he decided he’d had enough.

“Let’s go back to town,” he said. “I hear there’s a big crap game going on at the casino.”

There was no big dice game, but when a few late-nighters straggled into the casino bar he stood drinks until 2 a.m. yesterday and then took some of us back to his suite.

The man who likes company

While his records played softly in the background, he drank Bourbon whisky, defined a “broad” as ‘a “loveable dame,” and wandered out on to the balcony to describe the thin crescent moon cradling a star as “a ring-a-ding version of the Turkish flag.”

We argued about where an entertainer’s private life begins and ends. “I left Rome,” he said, “because everywhere I went someone stuck a camera in my face.”

This was Sinatra - the man who loves company in the small hours, who sits up all night and sleeps all day.

THE SINGER

Some wit has remarked that Sinatra’s is the only place you wear a black tie and take sunglasses.

When I left at 6 a.m. yesterday the sun was up looking like thunder out of Mentone ‘cross the bay.

But The Singer was sitting alone taking off his shoes with one hand and trying to get some jazz on a transistor set with the other.

A cigarette for a baton

Next time he appeared was around 5 yesterday afternoon to rehearse the band specially flown down from Paris.

In an open-neck orange shirt, white linen jacket and dark trousers, with his straw snap-brim hat tilted sometimes back, sometimes forward over his eyes, he drilled the musicians in every nuance of the arrangements while waiters laid tables, electricians tested lights, porters humped in flowering plants, and 50 flashlights blinked from the wings.

With a cigarette for a baton he raised his arms and spread them wide to indicate the full surge of a crescendo.

With arms crossed or hands stuck in pockets to prevent, I suspect, the trousers sliding right off his slim hips, he whistled or beat time with his foot for two hours - but always with a curious stillness that never wasted gesture.

After “Moonlight in Vermont” he nodded “C’est bon” and gathered up his music. He had an hour before he was due at that premiere.

This was Sinatra - the perfectionist who, though he plays no instrument and cannot read music, has developed his own incomparable technique for songs with a snap or songs with a sigh.

[teachingoutsidethebinary]

Let’s Get Out of Here Part 5: Hollywood Studios

Summary: Y/N takes Bucky to Hollywood Studios. Then, Bucky surprises her with a dinner request.

Characters: Bucky Barnes, reader

Warnings: none

Word count: 2473

Read previous parts here

Bucky woke up the next morning with the energy of a kid on Christmas morning. After a full day at Animal Kingdom, you had both called it quits shortly after dinner. Bucky was pretty sure he hadn’t slept this well in months. He looked over and saw you still sleeping peacefully. After your stunt with the pillow yesterday, he decided it was the perfect time for payback.

He climbed out of bed and crept up to yours. With one swift motion, he yanked the covers off you and began yelling.

“WAKE UP Y/N!” You shrieked as he shook the bed and pulled your pillow off the bed. You tried pushing him away, but he anchored his metal arm against the boxspring.

“Bucky, I’m going to kill you!” you half laughed-half shouted. Bucky eventually stopped his assault and collapsed on the bed laughing. You shove his shoulder. “I hate you,” you gasped. Bucky got up and walked over to the bathroom. “No you don’t!” he called over his shoulder.

You both got dressed and opted for a quick breakfast at a cafe inside the hotel instead of an elaborate buffet.

“No monorail today?” Bucky asked as you walked outside of the hotel towards the buses. You shook your head as you finished off your breakfast sandwich. He scrunched his nose. “Why are we even staying in a hotel with a monorail if we never use it?” You giggled and patted his shoulder sympathetically. “Don’t worry, Bucky, I promise you’ll get more rides on the monorail.”

A short bus ride later, you reached your destination. “Hollywood Studios?” Bucky asked uncertainly as he got off the bus. You gave him a playful shove forward. “Trust me, it’s going to be awesome!”

After you scanned your MagicBands to get into the park, Bucky looked to you for direction. “Okay, great Disney guide, where are we going?” You spun him around and pointed. Palm trees framed the entrance to a huge Chinese building. Bucky admired the intricate designs on the exterior as you led him inside.

Movie posters covered the walls and big set lights hung from the ceiling. Costumes lined the hallways and Bucky actually recognized quite a few. He had always been interested in movies, but he didn’t have much time for them back in the 40s. You two watched movies together all the time at the Tower, and he had now seen all the classics. The ride’s car had long rows, and you and Bucky slid into one near the middle.

“I love this ride,” you whispered, as the lights dimmed and the car began to move. Bucky could totally see why as movie sets came to life on all sides of him. The cast member recited facts about the different movie sets and you watched Bucky’s enthralled expression. The ride stopped in the middle of a gangster-type movie set. Bucky was too busy looking around to notice the cast member get out of the cart.

All of a sudden, an old-fashioned car pulled up Bucky swiveled his head to see the cast member standing near a mobster. Fake shots fired into the air and the animatronics began to re enact a stereotypical gangster betrayal scene. The cast member disappeared and the mobster took her place.

“This is so cool,” Bucky breathed. Now that the drama was over, the ride continued to travel through old movie sets. Bucky liked the mobster as their tour guide, and he really liked listening to the facts about different sets. He hummed along to the Wizard of Oz, tapped his foot to the beat during Mary Poppins, and nearly peed his pants when the Alien monster jumped out at their cart.

All too soon the ride ended, and you both walked back into the harsh sunlight. Suddenly, screams filled the air and Bucky whirled around looking for the threat. “Did you hear that?” he implored. You nodded unconcerned. “It’s the Tower of Terror ride. See?”

You pointed to a large pink tower that vaguely resembled a hotel. Lights flashed and moved down the tower as more screams filled the air. “Are we going on that?” Bucky inquired. You turned red and looked down at your shoes. “Um, it goes to the top of the tower and then drops really fast,” you mumbled, shrugging your shoulders. “I’m not a big fan, to be honest, but I’ll go on it if you want to.” Bucky thought about it. He didn’t remember a whole lot about falling off the train back when he and Steve fought together, but he distinctly remembered the feeling of falling. In fact, that feeling often woke him up from a nightmare. He didn’t have the desire to experience that again while he was awake.

“I’m sure there’s plenty of other things to do, right?” he asked. You shot him a grateful smile and nodded enthusiastically. You grabbed his hand and pulled him to the left. “Come on!” you exclaimed. “It’s time for a roller coaster!” Bucky kept your pace and his heart beat with excitement. If this was going to be anything like the Everest ride, he was going to love it.

You led Bucky to a large guitar sticking out of the ground. He was confused. “Um, Y/N, are you sure we’re in the right place?” he asked, looking around. “I don’t see the roller coaster tracks anywhere.” You rolled your eyes and pulled him over to the line anyway. “Well, my friend, that’s because this particular coaster is inside.”

You walked into the building attached to the guitar and were bathed in a soft purple light. Rock music boomed through the speakers as you wound your way to the roller coaster area. Bucky stepped up to the fence separating him and the coaster cart and watched it launch off. It looked fast. Bucky liked fast. He was jumpy with excitement as he impatiently waited for your turn to get on the ride.

After you were strapped in, Bucky tapped his foot ready to go. He barely paid attention to the sign above the track entrance that talked about a traffic jam. A cracking voice counted down, and then you were off.

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster was immensely faster than Everest. Bucky’s head was forced back against the headrest as the ride careened through dark tunnels. He could barely see anything in front of him. He let out an excited whoop as he felt his whole world go upside down. You screamed next to him and shouted along with the music playing. The coaster went right through the middle of the iconic Hollywood sign and blasted past highway billboards. Bucky gripped his seat harness tighter as the cart turned in a tight corkscrew. The ride teased him by slowing down then immediately picking up speed, zipping through twists and turns.

The invisible singer crooned, “Going down…” and Bucky felt his stomach sink as the ride dropped down a steep hill. Being in the dark heightened the ride’s experience, and you were both disappointed when it was over. This time, Bucky insisted on paying for the picture the ride took as it launched off. Bucky’s expression was one of shock while your mouth was open in a half-scream.

You took a break from thrill rides to show Bucky the different interactive shows the park had to offer. You cheered along with Indiana Jones as you watched how the various movie stunts were created for the movies. Bucky smiled proudly as you both watched young Star Wars fans get trained to be Jedis by the different actors. You insisted on watching the Storm Troopers march, even though they were “the bad guys”, as Bucky called them. After you made Bucky sit through the Frozen sing-along, he put his foot down and demanded a lunch break.

“Oh come, on it was only a 20 minute show! It wasn’t that bad. You just need to let it go,” you sang as you walked up to 50’s Prime Time Cafe. He just shook his head and pretended to ignore you.

Walking into the restaurant was like stepping back in time. Chintzy wallpaper, rounded TVs and 50’s era knick-knacks covered the cramped wall space. A waiter came up decked out in checkered attire and led you to a small table in the back. After sternly reminding you to eat your vegetables, he left you to look at the menus.

“The food is meant to be like TV dinners,” you explained, noticing Bucky’s puzzled expression over the bizarre food options. He decided to get the chicken and mashed potatoes while you ordered a vegetable lasagna. The food was surprisingly delicious and Bucky ate almost everything.

“Aren’t you going to eat your vegetables first?” you teased when Bucky said he wanted a milkshake. He firmly shook his head and you couldn’t help but laugh. He had no idea what was coming…

The waiter came back and you both ordered chocolate milk shakes. He shook his head after Bucky ordered. “I’m sorry, but you need to finish your vegetables first, young man.” Bucky stared at him, then at you, and back at him again. “What?” he asked incredulously. The waiter clicked his tongue and repeated, “Only kids who finish their vegetables get dessert. I’ll come back in a few minutes.” He walked away and left Bucky dumbfounded and you doubled over laughing.

“Come on Bucky,” you wheezed. “Eat your veggies!” Bucky couldn’t believe it. Only a sadistic person would deny someone a chocolate milkshake. He was 100 years old, dammit! If he didn’t want to eat his vegetables, he wasn’t going to.

The waiter came back with two milkshakes but only put yours down on the table. He gave Bucky a disappointed sigh when he saw the vegetables still on his plate. “Looks like someone isn’t getting their shake,” he said. You sipped yours innocently and groaned in pleasure at the taste. It was official, Bucky was going to kill you. He grabbed his fork and jabbed it into the pile of greens on his plate. He quickly stuffed them into his mouth and forced a smile at the waiter.

“There we go!” the waiter congratulated. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?” He left Bucky’s milkshake and walked away. As soon as the waiter was out of sight, Bucky spit the contents of his mouth into his napkin. You choked on your milkshake as you laughed.

“I’m a damn super soldier,” he muttered, sipping his cool shake. “No one tells me to eat vegetables.” You shook your head. “You’re such a child,” you replied.

“I hate you.”

“No you don’t.”

Bucky sucked down more of his delicious shake. “No, I don’t,” he conceded.

You spent the next few hours wandering around the park. You asked another tourist to take a picture of you and Bucky standing together under the big wizard hat. Then, you competed for against each other during the Toy Story Mania ride. You were both excellent sharpshooters and racked up nearly perfect scores.

You waited in line to get a picture with Woody and Buzz from Toy Story. Bucky really loved the “give me a hand” line from the first movie. Before T’Challa had created his permanent arm, he used to throw his temporary prosthetic metal arm at Steve whenever he asked Bucky to give him a hand. Steve blamed you for MONTHS for putting that idea in Bucky’s head. So, of course, when it came time to take the picture, he and Buzz both pretended to detach their arms. It was the first time Bucky showed his arm in public, and you couldn’t have been happier. For once, he seemed completely comfortable with himself.

“I’ve been making all the decisions this trip. What do you want to do tonight?” you asked as you and Bucky walked back to the bus. Bucky tilted his head thoughtfully as he considered your question.

“Can we eat by the water?” he finally asked. You stopped and looked at him, surprised by his question. He looked at you nervously, waiting for your response.

“Yeah, Buck,” you said, softly, “we can eat by the water.” You paused and looked around the parking lot. “But we need a different bus.”

The sun was beginning to sink in the sky as you walked across the boardwalk. After taking the bus to Magic Kingdom, Bucky finally got his monorail ride to the beach resort. You suggest a few restaurants, but when Bucky saw the small pizza shop with outdoor seating, he declared it to be the perfect spot for dinner.

“This pizza is amazing!” you exclaimed. You gave Bucky a thumbs up. “Excellent idea, Bucky.” Bucky chomped on his slice, chasing the cheese that stubbornly refused to come off.

“What made you want to eat by the water?” you asked. Bucky shrugged. “I don’t know. I watched people running next to the water by the hotel yesterday. It just seemed neat.”

“You know, I’ve been coming here for years, and I don’t think I’ve ever done this,” you said.

“See? There’s a reason you brought me along,” Bucky teased. You playfully kicked him under the table. You finished off your pizza and stood up.

“I’m going to get some saltwater taffy. Do you want to come?” Bucky looked around the boardwalk.

“Actually,” he said, “I think I’m going to hang out here for a bit.”

“No problem,” you replied. “I’ll bring you back a few flavors.” You waved and walked over to a small candy shop. Bucky watched you disappear and turned so he could see the water. He stood up, threw out his trash, and started walking.

Bucky stopped at the barrier that separated the edge of the dock from the water. Leaning against it, he took a deep breath and let his whole body relax. The warm breeze tickled his skin and he shivered involuntarily. The sun had almost completely set by this point, and the twinkle of the lights from the boardwalk reflected off the water’s glassy surface. Despite the bustle of activity behind him, the moment was so serene. All of his worries were gone, all of his past was forgotten, and in this moment, James Buchanan Barnes was at peace.

“Careful, someone might push you over,” you chuckled, coming up next to him. You set your bag of taffy down on the ground, and placed your arms on top of the barrier. Bucky wrapped his arm around you and pulled you close.

“Thank you,” he whispered, “for all of this.” You rubbed his back and stared out at the water with him.

“I don’t say this enough,” you started, “but you’re my best friend, and I’m really glad you came with me.” He looked down to see you smiling up at him. He chastely kissed the top of your head.

“Yeah, me too.”

[geekycaswrites]

I’ve posted the third chapter of Heartlines at AO3. Read it here.

Chapter 3 – So Beautiful Like This

Bilbo slept in the next day, too exhausted after having his first class with Balin. He made his way slowly to the kitchen and found Bombur there, who only laughed at his sleepy face and made him something to eat before he could go on with his day. Balin said he’d be going with Thorin and Thráin to Esgaroth to meet with Bard that day, so he gave Bilbo some homework to do while he was absent. Taking advantage of the fact he’d probably spend the majority of his day on the library, Bilbo went there determined to talk to Ori about his crying. Which he knew was completely tactless, but Bilbo was curious and Ori was really nice.

Entering the library, Bilbo took a while to finally find Ori, putting some books on a higher shelf. Bilbo waited, not wanting to startle Ori and make him fall with the books. Ori, however, noticed his presence and smiled, but kept on working. Once he was finished, he looked at Bilbo again, noticing only now the other was waiting for him.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t realise you wanted to talk.” He said apologetically. Bilbo just smiled, waving his hand dismissingly. “Is there anything you need? Maybe to find a book? I know where each and every book is, so it won’t be a problem.” Bilbo just chuckled then.

“I don’t need anything.” At Ori’s confused face, Bilbo smiled sheepishly before continuing. “I was actually curious about something.” He stopped, then, not knowing how to approach the other man. Ori then waved his hand for Bilbo to follow him and they sat together on a table. They were alone in the library so Bilbo thought it would be wise to start talking soon. “Yesterday I was here with Balin and… I don’t know how to say this without being blunt, but why were you crying?” He finally blurted out. Ori seemed shocked and just kept looking at Bilbo, which made the prince a bit anxious. “I mean, you don’t need to tell me, of course, I was just curious and worried▬”

“He’s my brother.” Ori cut in and it was Bilbo’s turn to look shocked. “The thief. He’s my middle brother.” He looked down and Bilbo noticed he was about to start crying again, so he let one of his hands rest on the other’s shoulder in a way of reassurance. “I don’t know why Nori wanted to steal from Mirkwood, but he had behaved well for so long after King Thrór’s death. I don’t know what passed through his mind for him to do something so stupid.” Bilbo had no idea what to say. He remembered what he had felt when he heard the story, and he also remembered he called him a murderer. “The only thing I’m sure is that he had no intention in killing the Queen of Mirkwood.” At this, Bilbo frowned.

“How can you know?” His voice was low, somehow afraid of saying anything stupid ▬ which it seemed like he did, for Ori looked almost scandalized at him.

“How? He’s my brother. Of course I’d know if he was capable of killing. It was an accident if he really did it. He may be a thief, but he is not a murderer.” And at that, he was already crying and Bilbo had no idea how to react to that. He wanted to believe Ori because he probably did know his brother better than anyone else in the kingdom, but at the same time, he couldn’t stop thinking the thief did kill her in the end, regardless of being an accident or intentional.

Bilbo kept on comforting Ori with light strokes on his back as the man continued crying for a longer while. When the worst of it stopped, Bilbo withdrew his hand, and although Ori was still sniffling and some tears still fell from his face, he already seemed a bit better. They remained in silence until Ori could control his own breathing, and Bilbo tried a small smile.

“I reckon you haven’t spoken to him since what happened, then?” Bilbo asked, and Ori shook his head, still sad. Bilbo hummed, considering if there was anything he could do for his friend. “Do you think if we went to Mirkwood and spoke with Thranduil he’d let us have a word with Nori?” Ori’s eyes went comically wide and, again, he looked scandalized, but Bilbo thought it was a valid idea all the same. “Thranduil doesn’t hate me. Maybe I could try to convince him.” Ori frowned and looked down, but after a moment, he looked up with hopeful eyes at Bilbo.

“Would you really do that?” His voice was small and Bilbo opened his mouth to reply that yes, he’d do it, but Ori continued. “It could be dangerous and I’m not sure King Thráin and especially Prince Thorin would be keen of this plan. Also, it could only infuriate Thranduil even more in regards of Erebor and even damage the alliance he has with your kin, Bilbo.” Ori was right, although Bilbo disliked that fact. Sighing loudly, Bilbo let a hand run down his face.

“I’ll think of something okay? And when I do, you’ll be the first to know.” Ori’s eyes were filled with tears again, but for the first time in a long time, he opened a smile, which made Bilbo smile as well.

“No one ever even considered doing anything like that before, Bilbo.” The other said slowly, and Bilbo noticed how much Ori was grateful, which made him even more determined to do something for him. He wasn’t sure how he’d talk to Thranduil, even if it was only to have a letter delivered to him. However, he’d have time to think now that he was living in Erebor. “Thank you.” Ori finally said.

“You don’t need to thank me.” Ori just shook his head as if Bilbo was being daft ▬ what he probably was, if he was completely honest with himself. “Now, I need to study. I’m afraid Balin won’t forgive me if he finds out I’m not studying.” They both chuckled, and with a nod of his head, Ori stood up and went back to his work. Bilbo also stood up and went to gather the books Balin had recommended for his reading.

The rest of the morning was spent in complete silence and Bilbo found himself absorbed by the books he was reading. Erebor had an incredible story and although he hadn’t exactly learnt how to rule a kingdom until now and what it took for one to rule, he found that it was incredibly easy to understand everything that had been done in the beginning. He was still stunned that the Durin family had for the majority of its existence lived in mountains and the technology, how they made everything worked was wonderful. A bit confusing though, Bilbo reasoned. He could understand the intentions and the thought behind every decision, but it would always be a mystery to him how they managed to have pipes running inside the walls of a mountain. That part wasn’t important for him to know though, and he moved on for the topic he needed to study: the Durin’s lineage. As soon as he started to read about the family, someone sat on the table by his side and Bilbo frowned, looking up until he saw Frerin smiling at him.

“I personally came here to tell you lunch is about to be served. Thorin and the King will spend the day in Esgaroth so they won’t be lunching with us. Let’s?” Bilbo smiled and nodded, closing the book he had just opened and as he was ready to start putting all of them in a pile, Frerin put a hand over his. “Leave it here. It’s kind of Ori’s job to put the books away.” Bilbo opened his mouth to say that he still had hands, thank you very much when Frerin started talking again. “I know you should come back to study again, but then I thought I could start training you?”

“Training?” Bilbo asked, taking the books regardless and going around putting them back in their places – if he wasn’t coming back, there was no need to leave them all in a heap on the table, even if it was Ori’s job to collect them and put them away. Frerin sighed and followed him around. “You mean like, with a sword?” So far, nothing had been said to when his training would begin, but he guessed it made sense to start now.

“Actually, what’s your weapon of choice?” Bilbo frowned and looked up at Frerin as he put the last book away. Chuckling, Frerin continued. “I mean, do you prefer swords? Hammers? Perhaps archery, since you’re small? What do you like best?”

“I…” Bilbo thought for a moment, wondering what he should reply. Technically, he had never used any of them, apart from wooden swords when he was little, so he wasn’t sure what to answer. “I don’t know?” He didn’t want to choose one because he didn’t even know if he’d be good with any of them. “I guess I’m good at throwing things?” Bilbo was a bit unsure if that was relevant, but Frerin laughed and gave him a couple of taps on the shoulder, leaving the hand there as they made the way to the dining room. He didn’t particularly mind that Frerin was all touchy feely, but the problem was that it seemed as if Frerin was flirting with him and that was wrong on many levels.

“Then I guess we could see how you are with a bow. It’s all about aiming.” Bilbo doubted it was all about aiming as he said, but he would never know unless he tried. He could throw rocks, paper balls and other small objects single handed and he was good at that – playing games always came in hand that quality, but people already didn’t usually like him, winning the games didn’t make him their favourite person in the Shire. “In the battle field, I’m afraid you won’t be able to throw many things. We could try a hammer too, but that’s way heavier and you need to keep your grip in it. It’s not only throwing.” Frerin explained and Bilbo hummed.

They ate with the Queen, and Bilbo and she spoke warmly about his researches so far and once they were over, Bilbo followed Frerin to the outdoor training space. Some people were sparring, others fighting among themselves with all sorts of weapons and Bilbo just looked, noticing how well built and huge every single one of them was – Bilbo wouldn’t last ten seconds against any of them, even if it was just training. He stopped to look at Frerin, really look at the man, as he looked at the bows and arrows they had, probably trying to figure out which one would be best for his small body and short arms.

Frerin was different from Thorin. Not only because of the hair – that bright, lustrous blonde hair falling on his back. It wasn’t the same length as Thorin’s, but he also had beads in his hair – his were red – and two braids at each side of his face that connected in the back, ending in a single braid. His beard was also shorter than Thorin’s, but it suited Frerin’s face well. His blue eyes, though, were the same colour as Thorin’s. His built was also different. Thorin obviously had some muscle under all those regal clothes he had to wear, but Frerin seemed to be even bigger. He wondered if his two arms were the same size as one of Frerin’s, because the man was huge, which made Bilbo a bit taken aback. Frerin smiled at Bilbo as he brought the bow and arrow he chose and that was another thing that was different. Frerin was often smiling and his smile was always warm and open, even if sometimes it made Bilbo uncomfortable, whilst Thorin’s smiles were guarded, reserved, his face usually stuck in a stoic expression.

Bilbo’s attention returned to the present when Frerin started laughing and he couldn’t help but blush. He needed to stop contemplating everything around him – most specifically, the men around him – and focus on what people were saying. “I’m sorry, I was a bit lost in thoughts.” Bilbo smiled sheepishly, but Frerin seemed not to mind.

“I hope you were thinking of me.” He winked and Bilbo blushed even harder because yes, he was indeed thinking of the other man, even if he was actually comparing him to Thorin. “So, wanna start?” He said as he pointed to the target that was in a fair distance from them. Bilbo nodded, taking the bow and one of the arrows and he paid extreme attention as Frerin explained how to hold the bow and the arrow and how to position both arms and hands and how he needed to focus on the target and Bilbo honestly thought it was easy. Besides, this was long range fighting, which was probably the best option for him, since he had no other training and wasn’t all that physically fit for battle.

However, he found out a second later that he was terrible at it. The arrow flew to a complete different direction and he was even shocked to see how far he got from the target. Frerin hummed and tried to explain again, taking a different bow and a new arrow. Bilbo looked as Frerin explained, using himself as an example, showing him even how to best put his feet on the ground and Bilbo smiled when Frerin shot and the arrow hit the exact middle of the target.

“My weapon of choice is hammer, though, but I’ve been training since I was two. Fake weapons, of course.” He laughed good naturally and Bilbo could only chuckle. Most people there probably fought their whole lives, some even going to wars and battle. Meanwhile, Bilbo had lived the most domestic life a prince could have. He obviously didn’t regret it, but now it was expected of him to know how to fight and he was obviously behind. “We have the whole afternoon. We can train with the bow and arrow for a while longer and if it doesn’t work out, we try other things. Alright?”

“Yeah, okay.” All the other tries were as bad as the first and, exasperated, Bilbo sighed. Frerin chuckled, obviously getting highly amused with him for failing – and it was not funny. A moment later, after another terrible attempt at hitting the target, Frerin showed a hammer that didn’t seem all that heavy and it looked small enough to fit Bilbo’s size. The hammer was obviously heavier than he had anticipated, but he looked as Frerin showed him how to hold the hammer, when to put force and speed in the throw, how to hold it back. Bilbo tried to repeat what he had just seen and a moment later he was on the floor, the hammer no longer in his hand. As he threw the hammer, it was too heavy for him to keep holding it so he let go, but his body was being projected forward and with the lack of weight from the hammer, he ended up falling. Frerin laughed again and Bilbo sent him an annoyed look, but Frerin helping him stand up and explained again.

“Like this.” Frerin said as he positioned himself behind Bilbo, holding both of Bilbo’s hands as he held the hammer. “Remember to have a firm grip, unless it’s your intention to actually throw the hammer at someone. It’s not the best idea in the middle of a battle, because you might lose sight of it or perhaps someone will catch before you do and use it against you.” Bilbo nodded, frowning and blushing as Frerin got closer, his warm body heat reaching Bilbo, making him feel a bit awkward in that situation with his future brother-in-law. However, Frerin might actually be doing this to help, so he kept quiet, listening to the instructions. “You have to put strength and velocity to the throw, but you also need to keep yourself upright, okay? Let’s try it together and I’ll hold you if you start falling.” Frerin helped with the hammer and Bilbo had the sudden realization that the hammer was probably weightless to Frerin, seeing how swift the weapon moved with his help. Frerin let go of his hands, but kept his own next to his shoulder, probably to intervene in case he lost his balance again, but just as he was moving his arm, trying to do exactly as he had been told, a grave voice threw him off and he fell to the ground, Frerin quick to help him.

“What do you think you’re doing, Frerin?” Thorin asked, voice thunderous, eyes seething, Bilbo noticed, as he looked at his own brother. “Were you taking advantage of him?” Thorin got to him just when Frerin had stood him up and Thorin’s hands came to Bilbo’s arms and pulled him against his own chest, making him blush. Thorin, however, didn’t seem to notice, eyes glued to his brother, the rage he felt palpable between the three of them and his words seemed to stir something in Frerin, making him just as angry.

“What’s your problem? I was helping him with training, we were trying to—“ Frerin was interrupted by Thorin.

“You were taking advantage while helping him.” Frerin looked even angrier at the accusation and Bilbo wondered how Thorin would react if he commented on it, but it was clearly a fight between brothers and Bilbo decided to keep quiet. Not to mention that being so close from Thorin, one hand on his chest, the other on his waist as Thorin held him close, an arm possessively wrapped around his shoulders was wonderful. “And a hammer? Really? He’s going to use a sword.” Bilbo’s heart started beating even faster and he finally looked up to see Thorin more properly, but Thorin still seemed to have forgotten Bilbo was there. “I have a sword being made especially for him. One that will pair up with my own. He is my future husband, Frerin, and I am not letting you get him.” Frerin opened his mouth to speak but apparently Thorin was done, because he started walking, pulling Bilbo with him, making him almost jog as he gave long strides with those huge legs of his.

They made their way inside of the mountain in silence, Bilbo unsure of what to say, but decided to keep quiet as he waited for Thorin calm down enough for them to talk. They walked until they were in front of Bilbo’s room and even then Thorin hadn’t let go of him. He looked up, noticing as Thorin grimaced and he frowned. However, Thorin was letting go just then, eyes everywhere but Bilbo and that made the short man worry.

“I apologize. My conduct was not polite and I shouldn’t have brought you to your room. I’m not implying you should be locked up in here. I also probably should have asked your weapon of choice before ordering a sword to be made. As far as I know, you could hate it.” Bilbo’s heart deflated then as he realized Thorin hadn’t remembered yet, but he tried his best to keep his most impassive face as the man continued to speak. “I know I’m not the best host and I’m certainly not the best option for you to marry, but I can’t let Frerin do these things. If he’s ever making you uncomfortable, you have the right to tell him so or, if you prefer, you can talk to me and my father and I will discuss matters with him.” Thorin finally looked at Bilbo then and he couldn’t help but smile.

“Before anything else, Thorin, would it be okay if we continued the conversation inside?” He pointed to his own room and Thorin looked around, noticing that there were guards and people could be eavesdropping, so he nodded and followed Bilbo inside. They sat at the small loveseat near the bed and Bilbo turned slightly so he could look at Thorin properly and he watched Thorin mimicking his action. He smiled once more before speaking. “I know you weren’t thinking when you brought me here. You probably thought I would be safer from Frerin if I stayed here, which makes sense, but I didn’t think you were trying to lock me up.” Thorin seemed to relax at these words, but he kept attentive eyes on Bilbo’s face. “And you’re being a terrific host and I must tell you that you are doing a good job wooing me. It’s not the best situation, sure, but you are doing great.” Thorin seemed to blush slightly at that, but he didn’t move a muscle on his face, even his eyes were locked on Bilbo’s. “Frerin was not taking advantage of me, though. You shouldn’t worry about that. I can speak my mind and I will in case Frerin does anything inappropriate, but when you saw us in the training space, he was genuinely helping me because I had just fallen and he didn’t want it to happen again. We had tried archery before, but… Well, let’s just say it wasn’t meant to be.” He chuckled and finally Thorin opened a small smile.

“I know I shouldn’t, but I’m actually glad none of these worked. I… haven’t even thought when I ordered your sword, the model already clear in my mind. I do hope it fits you better, though. And…” Thorin looked at his hands that were resting on his lap before looking up again. “And I could be the one helping you with training? It’s usually Dwalin’s or Frerin’s job, but since it’s my weapon, I thought it would be a good opportunity for us to spend some time together.” Bilbo was ecstatic at that thought, but he did not miss the other part of the idea – that way, Frerin would also spend less time with Bilbo.

“That sounds great. And I think I’ll be better with a sword. I used to play with a wooden one when I was younger.” Bilbo said, a bit sad that Thorin couldn’t remember about that night that they had met, but it didn’t hurt to share more about his childhood, even if Thorin should already know. “Not that it means anything, of course, but I’d be more familiar on how to swing a sword rather than try archery again.”  He chuckled and it was delightful to see Thorin open a smile at that; it was a still reserved smile, but Bilbo could see it was also fond. When Bilbo noticed he had a besotted smile on his lips, he cleared his throat and looked around before looking back at Thorin. “Balin told me the story about how you ended a war.”

“Ah. Yes.” Thorin averted his eyes at that, probably reminiscing. Bilbo didn’t want to bring up such a painful experience for Thorin, but apart from that one tale – and from what he remembered of that day in the Shire – Bilbo knew nothing about the older man. “The kingdom had many losses that day.” Not only the kingdom, Bilbo knew. Thorin and the royal family lost someone of importance to them, someone who was their blood, and not only the King of Erebor. “However, it was a blessing in disguise. We’re now in much more thriving times now.” Thorin looked at Bilbo again at that, but his expression was a stoic wall once more.

“Could you tell me more about you? Perhaps something from your childhood? Although, anything you’re comfortable sharing would be amazing to hear.” Thorin frowned in confusion, probably not understanding why Bilbo would ask such a thing, so Bilbo was quick to add: “Only if you want, of course. I could tell more about myself. Or, uh… If you want to leave, that’s alright too. Whatever you prefer.” Thorin nodded, and Bilbo saw the side of his lips twitching, probably to form a smile, but Thorin held it back.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Bilbo.” Bilbo’s heart flipped inside his chest at having Thorin call him by his name. “I have never been much sociable, not like Frerin or Dís. Frerin is charming and liked by everyone and Dís doesn’t accept any sort of different treatment for being a woman, so she can be very outspoken about the things she wants. She doesn’t back down. I wish you could meet her.” Bilbo smiled at the words, noticing that Thorin clearly was very fond of his siblings – even of Frerin, who was currently getting on his nerves.

“I’ll meet her one day. Couldn’t you take me to visit her someday? I know you’re busy, but…” He trailed off, but Thorin visibly perked up at that.

“We can. She’s pregnant right now, so probably when we have word of the birth day, we shall go there to pay her a visit. But it won’t be for a few months yet, so I’ll have to see if I can take a week off my duties and go there with you.” Bilbo was ecstatic to think that Thorin was willing to go on a small trip with him just so he could visit Dís. The weather, however, was not going to be good for a trip for a while. Soon snow would start to fall. “How about the things you want, Thorin? Frerin is charming and can charm his way to accomplish the things he wants, and Dís is determined and will fight anyone who tries to deny her dreams. And you?” Thorin averted his eyes, eyes falling to his own hands.

“I… mostly do what I’m told. Like this marriage. Not that… Not that I’m completely against it, you’re a lovely man and has proven to be a respectable prince thus far. But it’s different from the other times I’ve courted other men. I’m the future King, after all. I need to do what’s best for the kingdom.” Bilbo understood what Thorin meant; Thorin was a great man, though really reserved, and even though Bilbo was enjoying this, part of him still hated that in the end, they would have to get married, regardless if they were in love with each other or not. The pressure made things complicated. However, Bilbo had to admit to himself that his stay was better than he had previously imagined.

“Do you only like men?” Bilbo noticed that Thorin had said ‘men’ instead of ‘people’. It would explain why he was the one getting married with Thorin, instead of a princess or even a noble woman that could give him heirs. If Thorin had a more diverse interest, surely the King would have chosen a woman.

“Yes. You… don’t?” Thorin frowned, looking at Bilbo in confusion. “Are you… unhappy with the match? Would you have been happier if you were with a woman?” Bilbo shook his hand and brought a hand to Thorin’s, giving it a fond squeeze in the hopes that would calm him down.

“I do like men. I just like women as well. I’m not really picky actually. As long as there is attraction and they have a good heart, I don’t care much about anything else.” He wanted to point out that not only Thorin was a gorgeous, very fit man, but he also seemed to be good and honest; pure of heart, in Bilbo’s opinion. But he thought he would probably make a fool of himself. Thorin, apart from being a bit possessive whenever Frerin was around, he didn’t seem to have a crush on Bilbo.

“I see.” Thorin murmured, eyeing Bilbo from the corner of his eyes, a frown still on his face. Bilbo wondered if he had a problem with that. People in the Shire didn’t really think much of one’s sexuality; not when the whole Kingdom loved anything that could give them pleasure – like food, sleep, nature and, of course, sex. However, Erebor was far, far away from the Shire and their thoughts about it might be different – or perhaps it was only Thorin’s view on it. However, before he could say anything, Thorin sighed and spoke. “I tried wooing women before. A few. And there wasn’t really any attraction. With the men, there was attraction, but…” He stopped and looked at Bilbo with such intent it almost took Bilbo’s breath away. “But none of them, men or women, had a good heart fit for a ruler.”

Bilbo wondered if that meant he thought Bilbo had a good heart or if he doubted Bilbo would prove himself worthy, but he couldn’t just ask that. It would be highly inappropriate and impolite. The thought, however, made Bilbo more determined to prove himself, to show Thorin and his family – and kingdom – that he could be Thorin’s perfect match. From what they had conversed before, Thorin did find Bilbo attractive, even if a little.

“Can I ask you something?” Thorin nodded slowly, slightly fearful of what Bilbo might ask. “Why do people look oddly at me? Bofur and Bombur gave me this… look. I just… I’m curious to know what that was about.” Thorin had given him the same look, but Bilbo didn’t want to pressure him to answer if he was uncomfortable with it. And even though Thorin had just said Bilbo seemed a ‘respectable prince’, maybe he had been doing something wrong. Thorin’s lips twitched again, but this time he let himself open a small, embarrassed smile.

“So far you’ve been showing such a great heart, Bilbo. You treated Bofur and Bombur with respect, yes, which is to be expected, but not only that.” It was Bilbo’s turn to frown and Thorin squeezed his hand, making Bilbo blush when he realized they were still holding hands. “You talked to them as if they were your equals. You didn’t look down on them, didn’t use your title as prince or even the fact that I’m courting you as an excuse to belittle them.” Bilbo was still utterly confused.

“I… don’t understand, Thorin. My father is a commoner, you must know that, right? Even though my mother is still a princess, my father has not accepted any noble title. And growing up, I was part of both worlds. I didn’t look down on people then, I’m not going to look down on people now.” He said, still frowning and Thorin nodded in agreement.

“Yes, I know. But you’re the first in ten years to treat them like the good people they are.” Bilbo gaped, incredulous. One would think that being near royalty would make you more prone to care about one’s people’s feelings, but apparently many people were just selfish. Bilbo wondered how many of them had used Thorin to get a place in the royal family, to become Queen or King. And the thought made Bilbo angry. He couldn’t care less about becoming a King – in fact, he’d rather not become one at all, he much preferred the simpler life – and he didn’t want to be treated any different just because he was courting Thorin and might, one day, become King too. “I’m glad you have such a good heart, Master Baggins.” Ah. So Thorin was back to calling him like that, although Bilbo should count himself lucky because Thorin was smiling at him. A small, but sincere smile. Bilbo had to hold his breath for a moment, because the want to lean over and kiss Thorin was becoming unbearable.

A knock on the door made both of them jump and Bilbo belatedly noticed Thorin had been closer, as if leaning towards him as well, but now the magic was broken and Thorin wasn’t even looking at him anymore. Bilbo sighed and went to the door, opening it and seeing a guard there. “Prince Bilbo, dinner is served.” Bilbo thanked him and looked over his shoulder to look at Thorin, who was now standing up.

“Should we?” He smiled and Thorin nodded, smile gone, a small frown on his face. Bilbo wondered if any progress they had made was for naught and if they had gone back to the start, why? They were having such a heart warming conversation, and now Thorin was back to giving monosyllabic replies to all his attempts at conversation, which was frustrating.

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For the rest of the week, Thorin was busy with his father and the Kingdom and Bilbo decided that instead of bothering him or walking around, he’d stick to the library and study as Balin expected of him. Most of his days were spent either reading books about Erebor – and anything that might be useful for a future King – or talking to Ori about any and everything. Ori was an extremely sweet guy, a bit awkward and shy, but he had a fire in him that Bilbo found endearing. Besides, seeing him with Dwalin was even more amazing, as the man taller than Thorin and had big muscles all over – and a bald patch on the top of his head. But with Ori, the man was so sweet and delicate it was incredible to see.

The two times Dwalin spent a few minutes talking to Ori, Bilbo made sure to warn them if anyone came closer to the library and gave them a little of privacy, but it was very sweet that Dwalin didn’t treat Ori any differently in front of Bilbo. He still smiled and held his hands and looked at him with so much love that Bilbo was a bit envious, if he was honest.

Since Thorin had promised he would train him once his sword was ready, Frerin didn’t insist on giving him classes, but he still tried to flirt with Bilbo whenever they crossed paths. Bilbo, not interested, just rolled his eyes or shrugged it off. Frerin didn’t seem upset that his advances weren’t working, but he also didn’t force Bilbo to do anything he didn’t want. So all in all, the man was nice, funny even – charming, as Thorin had said – but clearly not Bilbo’s type.

It was almost two weeks after they had had that conversation in his room before Thorin actually came to him. Well, sent someone to find him, actually. The guard asked him to meet Thorin at the training range, and although Bilbo was already expecting to find Thorin there with his new sword, he was still nervous, heart fluttering in his chest. He smiled when he reached Thorin, who nodded at him.

“Master Baggins. Here is your sword.” Thorin gave him a sword in a beautifully detailed leather scabbard and he held it for a moment before taking it by the hilt and taking it off to see it and he gasped at the design. He had never had a real sword before, but whenever he saw the Knights back in the Shire, their swords were plain and simple. His grandfather had a more detailed one, but this one was stunning and Bilbo was speechless for a moment. He looked at Thorin, who was blushing and trying to avert his eyes, seeming anxious. He cleared his throat before speaking. “Did you like it?”

“Yes!” Bilbo exclaimed, almost too loudly, which made him admonish himself mentally. “Thorin, this is the most beautiful sword I’ve ever seen.” Thorin blushed even more, if it was possible, and he pointedly looked at anywhere but Bilbo for a moment before taking his own sword and lifting it so Bilbo could see the same details on a different sword. They looked very alike, but Thorin’s was longer, probably due to his height and strength, while Bilbo’s was smaller and seemed lighter. He blushed when he realized that their swords were a reflection of what they were going to become.

“Should we train now?” Thorin said in a hoarse voice, looking at their swords as if they held all the answers. Bilbo, feeling excited beyond belief and as happy as he could be, nodded enthusiastically. Thorin finally looked at him then. “Good. What you need to be mindful when handling swords is the strength you put on your wrist and how. It can sprain your wrist if you’re not careful. Also, you shouldn’t be afraid to use it. Even if you don’t know how to properly wield it, you can flail it about or try to stick it in your opponent.” Bilbo rose an eyebrow at that, noticing now why Frerin was the one responsible for the training, and not Thorin – he might be an excellent fighter, but he was an awful teacher. “Why don’t we just… Try battling each other? Attack me and I’ll defend myself. I promise I won’t attack you. Not today.”

Bilbo hesitated for a moment but nodded. It wasn’t like he had never wielded a sword before – although they had all been wooden swords – so he thought he would just do what he thought was right. He was terrified of hurting Thorin, but he didn’t want to displease Thorin and do an even worse job of fighting with a sword just because he was afraid of hurting someone who not only had fought in a war, but had also killed someone.

The first swing of the sword was terrible, he could tell, the sword way heavier than he was prepared for – although it was lighter than the hammer Frerin had tried to teach him –, not to mention that it had been years since he had last touched a sword. Thorin easily defended himself and Bilbo tried again, gripping tightly at the swords hilt. They continued that for a while, Bilbo trying to attack and Thorin defending like it was nothing, until they heard a loud yell.

“UNCLE THORIN!” They both stopped and look in the direction of the high pitched, childish voice and Bilbo saw a small boy with long blonde hair running to them at full speed. Before he could enter the training area, however, Frerin appeared and got the child mid-run who gasped before giggling and hugging the other man. “Uncle Frerin!” Bilbo looked at the child to Thorin and he noticed Thorin had a mouth open.

“Uncle? Is he...?” Bilbo started, but when he looked back at the child he was answered when he saw a short – although probably taller than Bilbo, but then again, who wasn’t taller than Bilbo in Erebor? – woman, long blonde hair filled with colourful beads and a very pregnant belly. This must be Dís, then. Thorin put his sword away and Bilbo did the same, before they made their way outside to greet them.

“Dís! What are you doing in Erebor?” Thorin asked as he hugged her, hands falling to her belly to stroke it gently, but eyes still on her; meanwhile, Frerin was playing with the child, who was currently upside down and giggling like mad. Looking back at Dís, he noticed the woman rolling her eyes fondly before turning to Bilbo.

“You must be Bilbo Baggins, am I correct?” At his nod, she came closer and hugged him – and yes, she was slightly taller than him, how was that even fair? “It’s a pleasure meeting you. I’m Dís and that little rascal is Fíli.” She turned back at Thorin then and gave his cheek a soft tapping. “I came, dear brother, because of your letter. And I arrived at a good time, too, seeing that you were doing a poor job teaching this young man to wield a sword. You were never good teaching people.” Thorin blushed but she only smiled, turning once again at Bilbo. “Would you mind if I came in your trainings with Thorin? I wouldn’t fight, obviously, but I can give you more verbal input while Thorin demonstrates.”

“That would be lovely, actually.” He noticed Thorin fidgeting at his side and when he looked, it seemed Thorin had an odd expression on his face and Bilbo feared he had offended him somehow. However, Thorin spoke softly, clearly apologetic.

“Am I really that bad?” Bilbo opened his mouth to deny it and apologize, but Dís and Frerin started laughing, both of them looking at Thorin. Fíli had stopped the giggling and now just looked from his mother to his uncles, trying to understand what was going on.

“Darling, you’re amazing with a sword, but you’ve never been good with people, which means that your teaching techniques weren’t the best.” Dís said fondly and Thorin nodded, although he didn’t say anything. “Besides, that’s exactly why I’m here.” At that, she gave Thorin a wink and a nudge, eyes roaming to Bilbo quickly and Thorin blushed even more.

“Dís, you shouldn’t be travelling during your pregnancy. When we first got your letter about the new baby, you’ve said you’d only come after their birth, and yet, here you are.” Thorin admonished her and Dís pouted, crossing her arms, but Thorin continued. “When I sent you the letter, I was expecting another letter back, and not you. Not that I’m not happy to see you, but you should think more about your health and the baby’s.” With that, he turned to Frerin and put his hands up, Fíli quickly throwing himself to Thorin’s arms and hugging him tightly when he noticed that was what Thorin wanted him to do.

“I’m not sick, Thorin, I’m pregnant. It’s true that I had felt awfully unwell when I was pregnant with Fíli, morning sickness haunting me every day, but this one’s not making me go through the same thing. He, however, started moving and it seems like he can’t stop moving. It’s annoying sometimes, but it doesn’t mean I’m an invalid. I can travel, I can assist you training Bilbo.” She said with such authority in her voice that Thorin visibly deflated, which was amusing and inspiring. Dís really did what she wanted and that was a remarkable quality – Bilbo knew he’d like the woman quite a lot.

“He?” Both Frerin and Thorin asked, eyes wide. “How can you tell?” Frerin asked, giving Dís a hug and then stroking her belly just like Thorin had done and Bilbo couldn’t help but find it adorable that both men were so tender with their little sister and her new baby.

“I don’t want to be one of those people—” She said, wrinkling her nose before shrugging. “—but I know it’s a boy.” She smiled fondly then, putting her hands on her own belly and stroking it gently. "Besides, he’s growing much like Fíli has. Do you remember my belly then? It’s much the same like it was then. I saw some pregnant women who gave birth to girls later and the belly was rounder. Both Fíli and this one grows more to my front.” Both men looked at her middle for a moment with matching frowns and Bilbo noticed then that they were, indeed, brothers. Frerin and Thorin were different not only from appearance but also from personalities, but apparently there were some things you couldn’t help but mimic your siblings. “Now, let’s go in? I miss mom and dad and I know someone who’s crazy to see them.”

When she looked at Fíli, he screamed and climbed out of Thorin’s arms so he could run again, this time to the mountain’s doors. They all chuckled at the image and then slowly started making their way back to the castle. Frerin and Dís made small talk about her trip and her pregnancy some steps in front of Bilbo and Thorin. Bilbo gasped silently when he felt a hand on his free one and he looked to find a blushing Thorin pointedly looking forward. Bilbo smiled, blushed as well, and they walked hand in hand back to the castle.

Bilbo was glad that they were making progress again.

[musicprincess655]

Queen of His People, Ch. 6

Pairing: Ushiten

Rating: T

Tags: a/b/o, royalty

read on ao3

Every time I hear @pkmnshippings has had a rough day this fic gets 5% gayer than planned. Good luck on your exams babe. 

Satori tilted his head back, letting the sun wash over his face. It was starting to get almost unbearably hot, but he wanted to take the time outside before he was forced to hide from the heat inside. The direct sunlight would probably cover him in freckles, if it didn’t burn him first, but he’d retreat to the shade soon enough.

“Hello, Satori.” He looked up to see Wakatoshi in front of him, holding white flowers in his hands. “May I join you again?”

Satori gestured for him to sit, and Wakatoshi sat cross legged in front of him like he had a few days ago. He had to admit, he hadn’t been sure the other man would seek him out again, and he was trying to keep a handle on his excitement. Usually the princes and Hajime were the only ones who actively sought out his company.

“Your hair looks pretty like that,” Wakatoshi complimented him, and Satori felt the blush rise in his cheeks. “How did you braid it yourself?”

“Oh, I didn’t do this,” Satori told him, waving his hand and hoping it distracted from his face. “Tobio was here earlier, and if he doesn’t have something to do with his hands, he has a hard time sitting still. This just gave him something to do.”

“Tobio,” Wakatoshi repeated. “That is Kageyama Tobio, the younger prince, is it not?”

“Yep!” Satori confirmed. “He’s a good kid, but he’s young and he’s got too much energy. I told him if he wanted to sit with me he had to stop fidgeting, so I let him braid my hair so he would sit still.”

“It looks good,” Wakatoshi said.

“You seem to have the same problem,” Satori teased. Wakatoshi froze, smile spreading on his face, bringing out that dimple that Satori still wanted to poke.

“Caught me,” he said. He let his hands go back to playing with the flowers in his lap. “These are for you, actually. They’re just not finished yet.”

“For me?”

“Yes.”

“Why are you bringing me flowers?”

“Because I want to.”

Satori tried to calm his fluttering heart. He didn’t know if Wakatoshi meant what he was implying, but he couldn’t let his imagination run away with him. Instead, he watched for a few minutes as Wakatoshi wove the daisies together, fingers surprisingly nimble for how strong they looked.

“May I?” Wakatoshi asked, leaning forward. Satori nodded, unsure of what he was agreeing to, but thinking that whatever it was, he’d probably agree regardless. Wakatoshi tested the daisy chain around his head, nodding in satisfaction at the fit, before pulling back to weave the ends together.

Satori sit still as Wakatoshi rested the flower crown on his head. Wakatoshi considered him seriously for a moment, before smiling again.

“Pretty,” he said, and Satori blushed. “I’ve never seen hair your color. No one else here has hair like yours. It’s beautiful.”

“It’s unusual, isn’t it?” Satori laughed nervously. Wakatoshi didn’t seem to notice.

“How is it so bright?” he asked. Satori considered him carefully. He looked earnest enough, and not at all like he was making fun of Satori. There was every chance he really didn’t know.

“My mother had an affair with someone from Karasuno,” he said bluntly. Wakatoshi looked appropriately abashed, and opened his mouth, most likely to apologize. “No, it’s fine. Everyone else here already knows, it’s not like it’s some huge secret.”

At least he was assured that Wakatoshi really hadn’t known, because he looked guilty for having asked. He took a breath and went on.

“I don’t know who she had the affair with, and I don’t really care to know. Whoever it was hasn’t done anything for either of us since, so as far as I’m concerned, he doesn’t matter. But now I have red hair. Apparently it’s pretty common over there.”

“That’s why you live in the castle?” Wakatoshi asked. Satori nodded.

“As you might imagine, my father isn’t the biggest fan of me,” he said. “My mother loves me, but it’s kind of hard to do that and deal with my father at the same time. My father took me here when I was eight, maybe trying to marry me off as soon as possible or at least get the palace to take me on as a page, but I met the prince and his…well, Hajime was just his best friend at that point. They were a little older than me, but they were nice enough. Since we were friends, the king let me stay.”

“Doesn’t that get lonely?” Wakatoshi asked.

“Maybe sometimes,” Satori admitted. “Tooru is usually too busy learning how to run the kingdom, and since Hajime is his knight, they’re always together. Tobio has gotten a lot more fun, he was only a baby when I came here, but he’s always running around and he’s still just a kid. But they’re all my friends.”

“I’m sorry,” Wakatoshi said simply. Satori looked at him. He didn’t look like he had pity in his eyes, which was nice. Satori didn’t want to be pitied. He didn’t pity himself. He liked his life well enough, and he didn’t regret living in the castle. He was happy here, even if he was lonely sometimes. “You didn’t deserve to have all that happen to you. And I’m sorry for asking.”

“Like I said, pretty much everyone here knows,” Satori shrugged. “You’re not bothering me by asking. It’s not like I’m upset about it or anything. I like it better here than I did at home.”

“Where is home?”

“My family has an estate about ten miles south of here,” Satori told him. “It’s called Rowanwood. That’s where my mother and father are now. I haven’t been back in years. It’s nicer here at the castle. More space outside.”

“Rowanwood?” Wakatoshi asked, a spark of recognition in his eyes.

“You know of Rowanwood?” It was such a small estate, it was bizarre to think Wakatoshi would know it by name.

“Iwaizumi mentioned it to me yesterday,” Wakatoshi said. “Specifically, he mentioned that if I ever called you a name with Rowanwood, he would deal with me himself.”

“The bastard of Rowanwood?” Satori asked. Wakatoshi shifted uncomfortably.

“I would never call you that,” he promised. “That would be rude.”

“Hajime is as protective as ever,” Satori smiled.

“You’re good friends,” Wakatoshi noted. Satori nodded.

“We’ve known each other for a long time,” he said. “Turns out, the three people Hajime is close to are all omegas. Well, besides his sister Maiya, but she’s older, so he doesn’t hang out with her as much as he does with us. It’s no wonder he grew up protective of all of us. He’s worrying for nothing, though. No one’s called me that in years. It’s not really how the people here see me anymore. I’m just the strange boy who’s friends with the princes and likes to keep to himself. I’m just Satori.”

They sat quietly for a moment. It was uncomfortable, and that was maybe the best thing about it. Satori wasn’t used to being around people who were content to sit in silence. It was part of the reason he kept to himself so much. Most of the people around the castle felt the need to talk if he was in the same room as them, and sometimes he just wanted to be quiet.

“Hey, do you want to see something cool?” he asked, breaking the silence. Wakatoshi started, but nodded. Satori stood up to lead him deeper into the gardens. He’d spent so long wandering that he could probably find his way around blindfolded, but he went slowly to make sure Wakatoshi could keep up.

“Where are we going?” Wakatoshi asked.

“To see something most people don’t get to see,” Satori told him. “No one bothers to leave the paths. It’s a shame really, the best stuff is off the path.”

He knelt down, pulling up the bottom of a hedge. Wakatoshi crouched next to him.

“It’s through here,” Satori explained. “You have to kind of scoot under the branches.”

Wakatoshi gave him a suspicious look, but obligingly scooted his way under. Satori followed when the sounds of shuffling stopped, and was greeted with the sight of Wakatoshi staring around in awe.

They were in the middle of a meadow, with the sounds of a brook babbling nearby. Wildflowers were scattered all around, and the trees cast it in shade with breaks of sunlight piercing through here and there.

“What is this place?” Wakatoshi asked.

“It doesn’t really have a name,” Satori admitted. “The head gardener here is named Hanamaki, and I’m pretty good friends with him. At least, he’s willing to talk to me if he’s not busy. This place used to be better groomed, but it’s a lot of work for him and his people, and no one but me really comes here anyways. He lets the hedges around here grow, since there’s no real point in trimming them if no one’s here to see them. Tooru, Hajime, and Tobio all know about it, but they mostly leave it to me.”

“It’s so peaceful,” Wakatoshi sighed, running his hands through a patch of sunlight. It dappled golden across his skin. He turned to face Satori, mouth pulling down in a frown. “Your flowers got snagged.”

Oh. Satori hadn’t been paying the crown much attention, but it had gotten skewed when he’d crawled under the hedge. The fine weaving hadn’t gotten ruined, though. Wakatoshi carefully set it back in place, brushing a loose strand of hair behind Satori’s ear.

“You have so many freckles,” he said.

“I like to be outside,” Satori told him, a little breathless. “The sun brings them out. I have to come here to hide in the shade sometimes, though, or else I’ll burn.”

“The freckles are beautiful,” Wakatoshi said. “Like stars on your face.”

“You’re cheesy,” Satori laughed, though it wasn’t derisive. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were trying to court me.”

“What if I told you I was?”

Satori let his jaw drop, freezing in place. What? Wakatoshi couldn’t possibly be courting him. No one courted him. He was too different looking, not pretty enough for an omega, too strange.

“Why?” he asked in a whisper.

“Because you made me laugh with your stories,” Wakatoshi told him. “And your hair is like fire, and even when you’re not trying to, your mouth is in a smile. Your eyes are red, too. I’ve never seen eyes like yours. And because you never questioned letting me spend time with you. You’re fun to spend time with. And…”

“Gods, do you really have a list?” Satori asked, face probably as red as his hair. “I can’t possibly be that interesting.”

“You have no idea how fascinating you are, do you?” Wakatoshi asked, but he was smiling again.

“I can’t believe you’re actually courting me,” Satori said. “Alright. Fine. What’s next on the courting agenda?”

“I’m told you like chocolate ice cream,” Wakatoshi said. Satori perked up at the promise of his favorite food. “I would love to go get you some, but unfortunately, I’m still lost in these gardens, and you’d probably end up having to find me. So, if you would allow me, I’ll escort you to get some ice cream.”

“Don’t get all formal on me now,” Satori laughed. “Just…take me to get ice cream, then.”

Once they scrambled their way back out, Wakatoshi held out his arm for Satori to take. Oh. He was serious about escorting, as if Satori was a fine noble. Technically, yes, he was a noble, but he almost never acted like it, and most people didn’t particularly treat him like it, if people meant Hajime, Tooru, and Tobio.

Wakatoshi was happy to let Satori chatter away about anything, occasionally offering a response but mostly letting him talk. Satori tried to control his heartbeat. This beautiful alpha, for some reason, was courting him. He couldn’t believe his luck.

[lexacourtney]

So, maybe I’m a * tad * late in getting this post up. I honestly wasn’t sure if I was going to do it, since June is basically over. Well, here we are!  June has flown by, which makes sense since time seems to be absolutely meaningless anymore, but it’s crazy to think that we’re coming up on July, with 6 whole months behind us already. It feels like New Years Eve was just yesterday.

If you follow this blog, you’ll know that I’ve been reading a lot, and I’ve read so many good books already this year. I’m really excited for what the second half of the year is going to hold!

I stumbled upon this tag – I think over on Twitter – but I loved it! Sofi over at A Book A Thought did this tag, and while I wasn’t directly tagged, I wanted to do it. I’m using all the same questions she did so make sure you go check out her post to see her answers, it’s fantastic!

Now it’s time to jump right into this post, and I’ll get to do some reflection on the books I’ve read so far in 2020!

What is the best book that you’ve read so far in 2020

Honestly, there have been quite a few, but I have to go with a new to me author- Breeana Shields who wrote The Bone Charmer. Way back in January I was moderating a signing for Brigid Kemmerer and I found out that Breeana was going to be there. Not wanting to be uniformed, I read her book, which had been out for a little while, and I absolutely loved it! I had no expectations, I’d heard no one talking about it, and it blew me way. It was one of my first 5 star reads of 2020 and I HIGHLY recommend it.

Related Links: Book Review: The Bone Charmer (The Bone Charmer #1)

Book Review: The Bone Thief (The Bone Charmer #2)

What has been your favorite sequel of the first half of the year

This one is easy, and it’s been months and I’m still not over it. Greythorne by Crystal Smith. What she did in this book can be so hard to do and do it right, and she’s a freaking genius. I could not put this book down, and I still think about the ending, and everything that happened and how it works with the large scope of the story. I mean, it was so damn good.

Related Links:

Book Review: Bloodleaf (Bloodleaf #1)

Book Review: Greythorne (Bloodleaf #2)

Is there a new release that you haven’t read yet, but you’re excited to

The Boundless by Anna Bright! I’ve been dying for this book ever since I finished The Beholder last year. I need to know what happens next, and I do finally have a copy in my possession and after my current read, it’s next. No more waiting. I need to know how Selah’s journey will end. I need more Torden and the crew of The Beholder. I can’t wait to see what magic Anna has woven into this book.

Related Links:

Book Review: The Beholder (The Beholder #1)

Launch and Signing

What is your most anticipated release for the second half of the year

Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin. My friend was lucky enough to get an eARC and I’m so jealous. Serpent  Dove was one of my favorite reads of last year, and I need, need, need to know what happens next for Lou and Reid. I’m ‘sell my soul’ desperate to read it, and fall is too far away. I just want to go back to that world.

Related Links:

Book Review: Serpent and Dove (Serpent & Dove #1)

Check out Sammy’s (We Write at Dawn) Review for Blood & Honey

ARC Review: Blood & Honey (100th Post!!!)

What is your biggest disappointment so far

Okay, so I have 2 answers for this one – well, actually a few, but I’ll keep it to my 2 biggest.  Havenfall by Sara Holland and Song of Storms by Kayla Maya. I’m doing 2, since I was super excited for Havenfall and it just fell so short. My review for this book isn’t nice. The second book, Song of Storms is probably my least favorite book I’ve read so far in 2020. The author reached out for an honest review and the book was A Mess. Both of these books were just giant misses for me, and I really wish I hadn’t wasted the time reading either of them

Related Links:

Book Review: Havenfall (Havenfall #1)

Book Review: Song of Storms (Song and Storm #1)

What is your biggest surprise so far

I have to pick 2 again. The Crow Rider by Kalyn Josephson and The Obsidian Tower by Malissa Caruso. I wasn’t the biggest fan of The Storm Crow when I read it last year. It was a so-so read. This second installment had me hooked and begging for more. I’m so annoyed it’s only a duology, I could read more books easily. I went into The Obsidian tower a little wary. I’d requested it off Netgalley ages prior, was approved, but by the time I chose to read it, I wasn’t really excited. By about halfway through, I was utterly hooked, and loved the writing style and the story and I’m dying for the next one.

Related Links:

Book Review: The Storm Crow (The Storm Crow #1)

Book Review: The Crow Rider (The Storm Crow #2)

Book Review: The Obsidian Tower (Rooks and Ruin #1)

Who is your fictional crush from this year

 I know the question implies ONE, but there are so many!

Aren from The Bridge Kingdom. Matthew Fairchild from Chain of Gold. Jack from Where Dreams Descend. Jaxon from Crave.

Related Links:

Book Review: The Bridge Kingdom (Bridge Kingdom #1)

Book Review: Chain of Gold (The Last Hours #1)

Book Review: Where Dreams Descend (Kingdom of Cards #1)

Book Review: Crave (Crave #1)

Who is your new favorite character?

Lara from The Bridge Kingdom / Traitor Queen . She’s freaking amazing. Everything she went through, everything she does and goes through, to how she atones and makes amends for it all…phew. She’s beyond freaking skilled, is a badass, cares deeply and fiercely, realizes her mistakes and that her actions have consequences…she loyal and passionate and adamantly refuses to give up.

Related Links:

Book Review: The Traitor Queen (Bridge Kingdom #2)

A book that made you happy

You’d Be Mine by Erin Hahn. Yes, this book has some sadder moments and deals with some heavy topics, but it was so good, so epic. I legit finished and squealed. I love it so much and if you haven’t read it yet, you’re seriously missing out. Annie and Clay are like, Johnny and June epic and it’s the perfect book to read in the summer. It felt like a summer country concert and those are always fun!

Related Links:

Book Review: You’d Be Mine

  Your favorite book to movie/tv show that you’ve seen so far

 I guess I don’t have one? I can’t think of any. I’ve not been watching as many shows/movies recently. I enjoyed P.S. I Still Love You, but I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite.

What is the most beautiful book that you’ve bought

Bone Crier’s Moon by Kathryn Purdie. I think it’s stunning (if you haven’t seen the cover to book 2, it’s even more gorgeous) and I’m a huge Charlie Bowater fan. It’s also a fantastic book, so make sure you check it out if you haven’t already!

Related Links:

Book Review: Bone Crier’s Moon (Bone Grace #1)

What is your favorite post that you have written so far this year

⭐️ Book Signings – Anna Bright, Brigid Kemmerer & Breeana Shields

⭐️ Weird Phenomena

⭐️ I’m on an Ad!

⭐️ My Experience as A Reviewer

⭐️ Animal Crossing: New Horizons Book Tag

⭐️ Nostalgia – Twilight and The Hunger Games

⭐️ Journal Tours

So, I have quite a few posts (outside of reviews) that I absolutely loved writing. Each of these posts have done pretty well, and I’m thrilled. Most of these took hours to write up, then type up, and probably another handful of hours collecting and taking photos. I’m always thrilled when posts that maybe don’t directly pertain to books/reviews do well.

What are 6 books you want to read by the end of the year

Hopefully you all enjoyed this tag and thank you once again to Sofi for bringing this tag to my attention! I tag anyone who wants to answer these really fun questions! Let me know if you do, and I’ll come over and give your post some love!

      Mid-Year Freak Out Book Tag – 2020 Saw this over on @SofiBookLover's blog, and I had to do it! #newpost #blogpost #bookpost #bookblog #books #blog #blogger #bloggerswanted #bloggerstribe #bloggingcommunity #bookish So, maybe I’m a * tad * late in getting this post up. I honestly wasn’t sure if I was going to do it, since June is basically over.

[dailyaudiobible]

11/25/2017 DAB Transcript

Daniel 1:1-2:23, 1 Peter 3:8-4:6, Psalms 119:65-80, Proverbs 28:14

Today is the 25th day of November. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It’s great to be here with you as we close the books on another week. And one month from today is Christmas day. So, we’re kind of in the thick of it. Things are speeding up and we’ll be covering a lot of territory in the Scriptures over the next month. And the new territory we’ll wander into today is in the form of a new book. We finished the book of Ezekiel yesterday, which brings us to the book of Daniel. And Daniel is a prized book in the Old Testament for its narrative style and the history that it covers and because it's been mined for millennia in the search for the end times, eschatological studies, because of Daniel's visions. And Daniel was a contemporary of Ezekiel. So, he was carried away into exile when Jerusalem fell to Babylon in 597 B.C. He was obviously favored by God and was a gifted young man as he became an advisor and an authority in the Babylonian kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar and then beyond him. So, Daniel was respected and gifted. And the first half of the book is a narrative about Daniel's life and some of the richest stories in the Bible are in these first six chapters. They demonstrate faith in God, God showing up, even in exile. The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego thrown into the fiery furnace, the story of Daniel in the lion's den are contained in the first part of the book of Daniel. And then, the second part of the book shifts to visions that Daniel had - prophetic visions of four great world empires. And Daniel was not a prophet, like, that was sent to Israel, like, for or against Israel. The visions that he had, although they’re in the context of Israel, weren't Jewish, particularly. And if eschatology, the study of the end, is something that you're interested in or something that you're a student of, then the book of Daniel is one of the centerpieces of your study. And whether the end times is your passion or not, the book of Daniel is rich in the heritage of God's faithfulness and is beautiful in the way that its narrative is constructed. And, so, we begin. We’re reading from the New International Version this week, which is today. Daniel chapter 1 verse 1 through 2:23

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and for the rhythm that it is in our lives. We thank You for this week, that we've expressed gratitude and thanksgiving and considered all that we have to be thankful for, which is substantial to say the least. And we thank You for the season that we’re moving into of contemplating the mystery of your arrival. So, we find ourselves entering into a busy season, full of all kinds of activity, and all kinds of emotion. And we just acknowledge, this is where we are, and we also acknowledge the peace and wholeness of Your Holy Spirit in this busy and fragmented season. So, we invite You, Holy Spirit into all of it, asking You to illuminate the path forward for us in all that we do think and say. May we represent You well and Your kingdom in this world, in this season. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website. It’s home base. It’s where you find out what's going on around here.

And what's going on here, right now, is the Daily Audio Bible Christmas Box and its availability. We do one of these every year and pack them full of resources that you can kind of open up and pick and choose what you want to keep for yourself, what will help you in your life, and what you want to give away as gifts. And we’ve talked about that a couple of times. What's in the Box this year? So, there’s some music for the season. First up, music for the season of Advent, the month before Christmas, just that is intended to put us in the place of longing, to put us in the place of longing like the Jewish people were longing for a Savior to come at the time that Jesus came, but to also put ourselves and acknowledge the season of longing that we’re in for Christ's return, His second advent, His second arrival or coming, which is what Advent means. So, there's music for the season, just contemplative music to keep your spirit and your mind focused on what's going on. Then there’s the family Christmas CD, which is full of Christmas carols, beautifully and lushly orchestrated. I love it. And it's a great contemplative record for the season as well. There’s a couple of copies of Sneezing Jesus in the Box as well as a book called The Road Back to You, written by my friend, Ian Cron. And I talked about that little yesterday. It’s been one the most influential books for me this year. And so influential and helpful that I wanted to bring it to this community. So, that's in the Box. The Daily Audio Bible Christmas bulb for 2017 is in the Box. And that's the only place to get the Christmas bulb. We do them every year for the Christmas Box. And, so, the one for 2017 is in there. A Black Wing pencil is in there. Those are paired with our writing journals and all of that. And, so, we thought we'd give everyone their own Black Wing pencil. You will have a choice of our Wind Farm coffee or tea. So, our tea selection for this year is honey bush and rooibos and our coffee is the Daily Audio Bible blend that's roasted exclusively for us. And a pack of 20 of the Daily Audio Bible Christmas cards along with the envelopes that go with them. Those are all in the Box. It's a great Box this year.

And speaking of Daily Bible Christmas cards, those are available individually in the Daily Audio Bible shop as well. They come in packs of 20. We make them new and exclusive every year. And there just a great way to invite those that you love that are in your sphere to take the journey with you, although you don’t have to do that. I mean there Christmas cards. The only thing is a Daily Audio Bible about them is just on the back where you'd find Hallmark. But there not like a blinking neon commercial for Daily Audio Bible at all. But they’re a great opportunity for an invitation into the Bible next year with your friends and family. So, those are available and you can’t get them…I mean…they’re $5, $5 for 20 cards…so…you know…you can’t get them cheaper than that. And we do them every year for just what I said, they’re a great opportunity for a personal invitation to experience the Bible together in community, like we've been doing all year. So, they’re in the Christmas Box, 20 of them, but you can get as many as you want in the Daily Audio Bible shop, individually as well.

And some cutoff dates. One is important. It is 29th of November and, I mean, today is the 25th, so just a few days from now. That is the international shipping cutoff date for the Daily Audio Bible Christmas Boxes. That is the date that we feel like that's the last time that we can be confident that things will arrive for Christmas to you internationally. You can certainly order after that, but we’re just giving you a heads up. So, just keep that in mind if you live outside of the United States.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, then what new way can I come up with to say how grateful and humbled we are that we get to be here doing this together as a community, bringing God's spoken word to whoever will listen to it, wherever they might be on this planet, whatever time it might be of day or night, and to continue to foster community around that rhythm. If that is life-giving to you, thank you for being life-giving to what we’re trying to do here every day. And thank you profoundly. There is a link. It's on the homepage of dailyaudiobible.com. If you prefer the mail, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And as always, if you have a prayer request or comment 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

And that's it for today. I'm Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayers and Praise Reports:

Good morning DAB family. This is Joyful Noise from southern California. I am calling you with what I consider a huge prayer request and can’t even believe I am asking this of you. So, our daughter turned 21 yesterday, and out of all of our kids I would say that I really question her salvation. She is a darling spirit. I love her, of course, we all love our children, but there has definitely been a separation from her family to her…and she finds ways to separate, like not coming home during the holidays, not spending time with us, finding ways to take on jobs or extra classes even during the summer and even during the holidays. She just doesn’t want to be around us anymore and, although, she is a super achiever and she  works very hard in her college, I would say based on worldly values, she is doing just fine, but I really have to question her salvation. And as I was out in nature yesterday, waking up very early the morning of her 21st birthday, and heading out into God’s creation celebrating, and really crying out to Him for her as I have been for months, God made clear to me that I was to pray fervently for her every day of her 21st year. And I know we all pray for our kids, but this was like a command for her soul. And I’m so scared I’m going to drop the ball. It feels like so much pressure and I’m just asking for my prayer warriors to partner with me in this. I know it’s so much to ask and you all have your own things but if you could she’ll get a second day. Between today and November 19th, 2018, pray for her. Her name is Zoey, which means eternal life. And I really have to believe that.

This is Patrick from Georgia. I wrote this down because I knew that I wouldn’t remember everything that In needed to say. I’m calling in today because God wanted me and confess my sins against this community. For years after I started listening to the DAB, I wouldn’t really listen to the prayer request part at the end of each podcast because my heart was so hard. Then God worked on me to the point that I was willing to listen to the prayer requests and even sometimes pray for them. At this point my hard heart struggled with and made fun of those warrior’s prayers that I considered to be too stereotypical and too religious. Also, in my heart, I made fun of people who sang on the calls. It took me a long time before I was able to start stopping myself when I would begin to start having such evil thoughts against those who called. But I still have them and I have been convicted of them significantly over the past few months. God has been dealing with me to call in over the past three of four weeks to confess my sin and ask for forgiveness. My heart is definitely not where I want it to be but I need to apologize to you all because I have been choosing to perceive the love that you give one another in such wrong ways. I’ve benefited from this community and the prayers of this community for so long now, I can’t tell you how grateful I am to you. But it ___ me to stop harming you with my own messed up heart and mind. So, for all of you prayer warriors and all of you angels who lift up your voice in song to the lord, please, please continue to do so. And to everyone in this community, please forgive me, for my hardness of heart and my judgmental spirit. Thank you.

Father God, we lift up the country of Zimbabwe to You. We pray Lord, for Your blessing on that country. May that country flourish. Father God, we lift up the leaders of that country and we just pray for wisdom Lord and we pray for peace Lord in this time of absurdity and transition. Father God, please be at work there. Please be at work in the hearts and minds of all of those involved and the hearts and minds of the people, that there would be peace, and that any change that comes about be done in a calm peaceful manner that serves the people of Zimbabwe. Father God, thank You so much for Your people thus. I pray Lord that You would be blessing them and helping them be a shining beacon of hope in that country. Father God, thank You for the countries around Zimbabwe as well. And I just pray for wisdom for those leaders and leaders around the world as we watch the situation develop. Please be at work Lord. Father God, we lift up to You, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip and thank you for their 70 years of marriage. Father God, thank You so much for marriage and for those people you’ve given is to care for. Please be blessing our marriages Lord and filling our hearts with love for our spouse. Father God, help us to be more like you. Give us a love for those around us. Help us to love You with our heart, mind, soul, and strength, help us to love others and let Your love shine for us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.  This is Beloved by Him in Gloucester, UK. Hope you have a blessed day wherever you are.

Hello Daily Audio Bible family. This is Kep from the UK. I’m calling with a prayer request for two people recently diagnosed with brain tumors. If you would please pray, that would be amazing. The first one is for one year old Lily who has a brain tumor that is affecting the part of her brain responsible for hunger. So, she is not gaining weight as well as from having ___. She is very poorly ___. Please pray for her and her wonderful family who are part of our church. The second prayer is a colleague of mine named Heather who has been diagnosed with a brain cancer affecting the front of her brain and particularly keeping her inpatient. This is a fast-growing cancer and we are all very worried for her. Please prayer for her temple healing. Thank you. Good bye.

Hi. My name is Gail. I love in Clayton, North Carolina and I just wanted to give some words to encouragement. Recently, I’ve been in prayer about how I can become close to the Lord and I have a very long commute in the morning. And yesterday at church it became clear to me that I should be using that time for my commute to be listening to the word. And this morning I woke up early and downloaded the podcast and listened to the podcast for today. And while I was listening to the podcast one of the verses, the scriptures that came through was, Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love endures forever - Psalm 136:1. And that is actually the memory verse that my family is currently using the November month for the Thanksgiving holiday. And it was just a wonderful reminder that when we seek the Lord He will follow through. And it was amazing to me, out of all the verses in the Bible, that that one today was the one that was spoken for the daily podcast. So, I would like to just give everybody encouragement to continue to seek the Lord and be in prayer. And I’m extremely thankful that I was able to reach out and listen to the podcast today and I look forward to continuing to listen to it in the future. Thanks so much for this wonderful blessing.

Hey. This is Bobbly from Louisiana and I’m with my son Lesly. I just wanted to say, it was so great getting to hear Brian speak about Sneezing Jesus in person. Annette, it was so good seeing you again and it was great to meet Tracey B. and Julie and her husband and Ron and his wife from River Valley church. We thought you all had a great church and we’ll be visiting again soon. We really love the DAB and we listen every day. We know all of your voices and we’re looking forward to getting together with the More Gathering. We’re praying for all of you and we stand in agreement for each of you as you call in. You all be blessed. Bye-bye.  

[dailyaudiobible]

02/08/2017 DAB Transcript

Exodus 28:1-43 ~ Matthew 25:31-26:13 ~ Psalm 31:9-18 ~ Proverbs 8:12-13

Today is February 8th.  Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible.  I'm Brian and it's great to be here with you for another step forward, another time together around the global campfire as we move through the Bible this year in its entirety.  And this week we’re reading from The Voice Translation and picking up where we left off yesterday where God is giving out instructions for what a tabernacle would look like, this central place, this central and portable hub for God to dwell in that will be in the center of their culture and civilization even as they are being formed in the desert.  Exodus chapter 28, verses 1 through 43.  

Commentary

In the book of Matthew it’s fascinating, because Jesus is finishing up this discussion he was having on the end times.  All this happens in Jerusalem and it is inspired by the disciples just marveling at the amazing temple.  So these guys are from Galilee far to the north, but Jerusalem is the holy city. It is like the most beautiful place they can get to, and so going there is just an amazing sensory overload and they are talking about it and Jesus  tells them everything is going to be on the ground.  No stone will be left unturned.  It is all going to be thrown down.  That is what spurs this conversation and this teaching that he begins.  So he is kind of finishing up that today by saying in the end where there is judgment people will be separated to the right and to the left, sheep and the goats and it is the sheep who will enter into the kingdom because they were vigilant, like we were talking about yesterday.  They were awake and aware and were willing and able to give their hearts to the least of these and care for them.  Jesus is saying “when that happens it is done directly to me. It is doing it to me.”  The goats don’t do that and it doesn’t work out.

So immediately after this conversation, which wraps up most of Jesus’ teaching, I mean, it is only a couple of days before Passover, so Jesus is about to be arrested, his freedom is about to be taken and he will be separated from his friends in very short order, so this is kind of wrapping up. As this is all going on, this woman comes and anoints his head with very valuable ointment.  The disciples’ reaction immediately is “what a waste! She could have sold that ointment for lots of money.  She could have given it to the poor.”  That is an appropriate reaction after the teaching that they just heard about the least of these.  They don’t want to be the goats, so they are reacting to this.  Jesus’ response is “it's good that you are concerned about the poor.  They’ll always be here with you, but I will not be.”  So it's not about running around handing out $5 bills to poor people that you can find with signs on the sides of the road always.  If that is what the Holy Spirit says to do, that is what the Holy Spirit says to do.  But it is not about running around trying to accumulate a number of good works to prove that you cared about the less fortunate, although that is important.  It is that what you do in thought, word and deed is something that you are consciously aware that you are doing for and even to Jesus and that we are in this world acting like Jesus.  

Isn’t the goal of being a believer to be Christ-like?  That means to be like Christ, to be like Jesus, to go into this world and be Jesus to them, which opens up the doors wide to possibility.  Jesus said “for when I was hungry you fed me.  When I was thirsty you gave me something to drink.”  These are tangible things, but there is more than just physical hunger.  There is more than just physical thirst.  Look around you.  Do a 360-degree spin and you will find the hungry and the thirsty.  We are all hungering and thirsting for something.  

Jesus said “when I was a stranger you welcomed me into your life, into your home. When I was naked you gave me clothes to wear.  When I was sick you tended to my needs.  When I was in prison you comforted me.”  These are all tangible, physical, real things, but they also speak to the spiritual deficit that is in this world that we are here to be like Jesus in.  We’re here to eradicate these things from the earth because they do not belong here.  They were never supposed to be here.  This was never supposed to be our reality.  It is so normal to us, after all of these millennia, that we don’t know it any other way.  So we see that we’re like the children of Israel coming out of slavery.  They don’t know anything else.  It is all they know.  Being a slave is completely normal to them, even if they don’t like it.  It is completely normal to them.  But when they’re called out into the wilderness by the mighty hand of God, they are grumbling about what was normal because now moving into freedom is uncomfortable.  It has to be contended for.  It has to be fought for.  

We find ourselves in the same situation.  We are here, the salt of the earth, the light of the world.  We have a huge job to reclaim this place as the hands and feet of Jesus in this world.  So yes, when we find hunger and thirst, when we find the stranger without a friend, when we find the naked, when we find the sick, when we find the imprisoned and oppressed, we have to be like Jesus and we have to do it like we are doing it for and to Jesus.  All of a sudden we see we are continually being remade.  We are continually being pulled toward freedom just like the children of Israel out in the wilderness.  We have a massive role to play and a lot is at stake.  There is so much more going on.  All of a sudden we find our place in a larger story, one that is cosmic and epic and vital.  

Jesus cements this stuff into place as he uses this woman who is anointing his head as an example, because he is like, “I'm telling you, the good news of the kingdom will go all over the world and wherever it does, this story is going to be told.  People will remember her because this is exactly the posture of heart I'm talking about.”  Once again the Bible throws up a mirror, full length, in front of us, and there is nowhere else to look but into our own eyes.  Is this true of us?  Have we seen the larger story?  Have we seen how important it is that we are here because there are hungry and thirsty and naked and sick and imprisoned people everywhere, but some of them only we can get to?  For some we may be the only kind hand of Jesus ever extended toward them in any way.

Prayer

Jesus, when we have a chance to see a bigger picture and that it is important that we are vigilant and aware and awake and walking with you intimately, intertwined in an inseparable relationship, we get an overwhelming sense of the larger story, that we’re a part of something bigger and it matters. Yet it is so much easier to ignore these things.  It is so much easier to lose ourselves in distractions.  But your word, oh your word, it will not allow that.  It is constantly before us, holding up the mirror, asking us ‘is this who you are?  Are you who you were made to be?  Is this the way you want your life to go?’  We’re always given the advance road ahead and we get to choose.  So we invite you to change the posture of our heart so that our heart beats like your heart, so that we are like you in this world, so that when we look around at those near and far, those who have been against us and those who have been for us, those who are near and those who are far away from us, that we look at them all like you do, as other creatures created in the image of God who each have a vital role to play in reclaiming the earth and bringing your kingdom.  When we sit out of our role of making the connection, that touch, being your hands and feet, then we not only hurt them, we hurt ourselves.  So come Holy Spirit, give us the posture of the kingdom, the eyes and the ears and the awareness of the kingdom.  Send your Holy Spirit upon us that we might walk through this day fully aware of our role in this story today.  Come Jesus, we pray in your name.  Amen.

Announcements

Www.DailyAudioBible.com is the website.  It's home base.  It’s where you find out what’s going on around here.  This is the last day, so today only my publisher has my latest book – Reframe, From the God We’ve Made to God With Us on sale in its e-book form for $2.99.  So wherever you get your e-books, whether you're like an iBooks user for Apple or you use a Kindle or you use a computer for that matter, you can get Reframe for $2.99 and read through that.  I think that it will help you.  I think it will help you.  So check that out.  If you're like I don’t really like book books, well, you can get it in book form or audio form or however you like to ingest your reading material, but the e-book is on sale like at www.Amazon.com or iTunes or www.ChristianBook.com or wherever you get your e-books for $2.99 today only. This is the last day of it.  So check that out.  

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that www.DailyAudioBible.com as well.  Thank you humbly for your partnership.  If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible App, you can press the More button in the lower right-hand corner.  And, if you prefer, the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996, Spring Hill, TN 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, (877) 942-4253 is the number to dial.  

And that’s it for today.  I'm Brian. I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.  

Community Prayer Requests and Praise Reports

I received a full day's pay for one hour's work.  A lot of people were angry.  They said the boss was a jerk, but I'm thankful for his mercy, his generosity, his grace.  There is nothing I’ve done to deserve such a fate.  The earth is the Lord's and the wholeness thereof.  I am that I am when I'm giving out love.  I rain on the righteous.  I rain on the thief.  Both have their problems and both get relief.  It's not about them or the things that they do.  My grace is sufficient for them and for you.  I am the potter and you are the clay.  Complain all you want.  It will still be my way.  Nothing you’ve done is deserving of love.  When I look, what I see is my Son from up above.  His blood is your garment.  It's his blood I see.  He gave up his right to bring you to me.  So sit back, relax secure in my grace.  If you know my Son, then you’re in the right place.  Complaining and grumbling are what humans do.  Some folks are happy but those folks are few.  The prize goes to those who endure till the end.  But all are my children and I love them all, amen. Thank you, dear Lord.  I could never repay.  I worked for one hour and got paid for the whole day.  Thank you, my Father.  BlindTony1016@gmail.com.  I would like to give a shout-out to Gigi, my little sister there with the seizures. Wow, your prayer really touched me. I see what Jesus was talking about, about the faith of a child.  And I really, really loved what you said about I believe, help my unbelief.  I felt you.  I definitely felt you.  Keep the faith.  Keep the faith.  And I would like to give a shout-out once again to the Hardins.

Hello, from beautiful Cincinnati, OH, this is Daniel Johnson, Jr., and I'm calling today.  I just listened to…today is Sunday, the first Sunday in February and I can’t remember the exact date, but it's Superbowl Sunday, so I should know what this is, but anyhow, I just listened to today's podcast and listening to the prayers and the prayer requests and a few calling in with encouragement, I just have to tell you it's so cool hearing all of this.  It just feels like it I'm getting a big hug from all of you just hearing this. And you’re not talking to me directly. But just hearing that we’re doing this and that we have this community going on, every time that I hear your voices it feels like a hug coming from you.  At the end of today's podcast there was Melisa from Alabama and it always feels like you’re…I mean, again, I think that is one of the things that cemented it for me was it feels like I'm getting a big hug from you, Melisa, from everybody that calls in and I just want to give a hug back.  So I'm going to sing a little bit.  [singing] I love you with the love of the Lord.  I love you with the love of the Lord.  I see in you the glory of our King and I love you with the love of the Lord.  [singing ends]  From beautiful Cincinnati, OH, it's Daniel Johnson, Jr.  God bless you and make it a great day.  

Hi Dabbers.  This is Mary calling from Melbourne, FL and I was listening to the community prayers today and I wanted to mention a few of them here.  Christy in Kentucky, I wanted you to know that we’re praying for your mom, Cynthia.  I know that she has liver issues and I know that it is really difficult for you at this time, but we’re praying for the doctors, that they will give good wisdom to you and that they will make good decisions regarding your mom.  And Bonnie from Virginia, when I heard you call in, I about jumped out of my chair.  It was so nice to hear from you.  And I understand that you’re not going to be talking about Vivek, but we’ll wait until you call again.  But you did mention that you’re having a job assessment tomorrow, February 6th, so we know that God works out of time and we know that he is with you so we are going to be praying that God will be with you, that everything that needs to be done will be done in Jesus’ name.  Don’t be nervous about it.  I have a scripture for you and it says that, Philippians 4:7, and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  So just trust the Lord and know that he will be with you.  I also wanted to pray for Christy from Ohio.  You said your dad had surgery on the 3rd of February, so it has already happened.  I just pray that he will be well.  I know that is a very difficult surgery.  I’ve had two knee replacements.  But he should take time because it does take time to heal.  And also you had said something about your company, your newspaper is being bought out by a larger company and you’re a little afraid that you might lose your job.  You just need to trust in the Lord.  Again, that same scripture, Philippians 4:7, that he is going to guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  So have faith in him and trust him to do all things well.  And I wanted to speak a little bit to Keith.  Keith, you called in and you said you were stuck in your faith, that you needed peace and forgiveness for things you’ve done.  I want you to know that the Lord is going to forgive you.  All you have to do is turn around.  He's right there.  And please read 1 John 1:9.  If we confess our sins…

Hi, my name is Susan from New Jersey.  I called a couple times before with anxiety, undiagnosed depression, insomnia, just kind of really didn’t seek any medical help for it, just seeking the Lord continually, always praying.  Anyway, today I was listening, February 5th, to Brian's commentary at the end and his prayer really touched me, so I just wanted to say thank you Brian for all your words today and what we do and what we say really does have an impact on what happens in our everyday life.  If we just stop and listen for the voice of the Lord instead of reacting immediately, give ourselves a chance to just take a deep breath and listen to what God has to say before we add any of our own input.  A lot of times for me it ends up with reacting __________ and just because of my own brain making too much noise.  So that was really, really helpful for me today. God bless you all.  Thanks for being there, DAB family.  Bye-bye.  

Hello Daily Audio Bible family.  This is Linda in Alberta calling.  I first called in August 2015 and some of you may recall I was so deeply distressed about my daughter with her dual diagnosis of mental health and addiction.  So many people, Not Ashamed, Laura in Southern California, Joe the Police Officer, Barb, Humbled in Texas, Linda in Southern California, Pastor Gene, Burning Bush, all of you prayed for my daughter and many, many others have also. I would like to let you know that she is 92 days in recovery now and she is working on a plan for her life.  She is rebuilding it really.  She is in a program with some woman who have the same past traumatic experience that she had.  She has been very fortunate to have weekly regular counseling.  To me this has just been more than I would have ever imagined.  Not to say that God isn’t big, because he is, but I just couldn’t imagine we could be having this in our life again with her and seeing her be so healthy because really it's a mother's nightmare seeing her child struggle so much.  One reason that I'm calling today is well, I wanted to give an update, but also when my daughter was in her addiction, she made some choices that now have put our family in great danger.  My daughter is really, really full of fear and anxiety right now.  I would like to ask that you would just pray for her safety and our safety and that she would continue well in her recovery and that her relationship with God which has been restored, that her roots would grow deep, deep down into him in her relationship with him.  Also that the evil one would be kept away from our family.  And I sure appreciate it.  I pray for each one of you as I hear you call in.  Thank you.  Linda.

Good morning.  Michaela from Gloucester UK.  I'm just calling to say hi really.  It's been a while for me, but I just wanted to tell you about where I’ve been because every now and then I find myself in a deep hole I’ve dug and I can’t see my way out of it.  It's only through God reaching down and pulling me out of it that I ever get out of it to begin with.  So back in the summer I had a good opportunity to serve God in a way I hadn’t really served God before and when I first got it, it was all excitement and I was really __________ about doing it, __________ would be great fun.  And then I took my eyes off God and then you're looking at the waves and how tall and how high they are and how scary it actually is and oh no, I can’t actually do this.  Because of my own strength I can’t do it, but with God's I can do everything and I kind of forgot that.  So I entered this downward spiral of sinking deeper and deeper and I'm digging myself deeper and deeper trying to get out of it by myself without God's help.  So I do this.  This is kind of a cycle at the moment when this happens.  Thankfully God has brought me back out again and I thank God so much for the people he has placed in my life, people from my church family here and my family family who are there to talk to me and drag me out of it.  And you guys as well, because at those times when I stop listening is when I really need to listen.  But when I do start listening again, you guys are such an encouragement and I thank you so much for that.  I thank God that even though I'm going my own way he still blesses me and does things so I can still him even when I'm in that dark pit.  So I just pray that he would shine with brightness in all of our lives.