#the ram that ate grapes

[chorastar]

okay sooo i just tried to make tanghulu with my sister and cousin and it.. did not go to well

my cousin has done this before, so we at least somewhat knew what we where doing

but my mom likes to keep only raw sugar so we just used that

guys do NOT USE RAW SUGAR IT WAS AWFUL

it also burns quicker than the white sugar my cousin used when she tried it so that was fun 😊

also maybe dont use cotton candy grapes bc it tasted weird

in conclusion dont use raw sugar use white sugar (the raw sugar randomly has a honey taste.. weird)

[everlasting-rainfall]

Ok so I’ve been playing Pony Town for the past few days and I’ve found that it really sucks over there, the One Piece fans that I’ve encountered have been really freaking toxic on there

From telling me that my Crocodile design is “Ass” and “Looks like he cried all his mascara out” to telling my Comfort OC that her Dad (Doflamingo) hates her when she’s a legit child to someone telling me that Cringe Culture is alive and even seeing people lusting after canonically underage characters like Carrot and Shirahoshi

Plus that’s not mentioning how the person who insulted my Crocodile design proceeded to turn into their Crocodile design to “Show me how it’s done” or how the person who told me that “Doflamingo hates you” told me to stop having my character cry because it felt like they were in a movie and then proceeded to yell at me when they said I wasn’t canon and I assumed they weren’t RPing anymore... Fuckin asshole...

So you know what? To make myself feel better, I’m going to ramble on about some of my One Piece OC’s...

MINORS DNI: DO NOT INTERACT AT ALL

!-Trigger Warnings-!

Yandere, Kidnapping, Sex, Delusions, Pregnancy, Noncon, OC x Canon, Toxic Characters, Attempted S*icice, Mindless Rambling, Implied Male Pregnancy, Dofuwani

!-Trigger Warnings-!

MINORS DNI: DO NOT INTERACT AT ALL

So the first one that I have is named Arabella and she’s an author that I based the Pages AU off of as she writes love stories about a Marine that Akainu likes to read a lot, she dresses very old fashioned and ate a Devil Fruit that gives her abilities like a Ram and I ship her with Akainu, Fujitora, Kizaru, Aokiji, and Aramaki so in a lot of cases, Aramaki has a tendency to kidnap Arabella for Akainu and that’s how they meet with Aramaki deciding to sex her later because “What better way to be closer to Akainu then fucking his wife?”. They also move into her house in a lot of scenarios *usually against her will* and chaos ensures big time like Kizaru wrecking her house by accident or Punk Hazard 2 being created inside of her when Aokiji and Akainu decide to fuck her at the same time

Their relationship causes Arabella a lot of headaches as well so she really only likes spending her alone time with Fujitora as he doesn’t bother her when she tries to write and a lot of the time, she kinda wants to leave but she can’t because they absolutely refuse to let her go to the point where she’s not allowed to be on her own. In case you can’t tell, I’m a big fan of Yandere’s

The second one is Oakleigh and she is a nurse who took a job being a medic for the Germa Kingdom after being fired from her last job over a false accusation of malpractice, she doesn’t have a Devil Fruit like Arabella but she’s pretty good at what she does regardless as she has managed to chase down multiple people who need medical treatment and has even managed to drag Judge into her office at moments

Speaking of Judge, that’s who she’s shipped with and the two of them barely spoke before he found himself in her infirmary due to passing out as Judge was very depressed when Sora left him for Zeff taking the kids with her so when Judge woke up, he just saw this bespectacled face with blonde hair and blue eyes so he thought it was Sora at first until he realized that it was Oakleigh who he had never spoken to before

She offered to be his semi therapist until he could recover as he didn’t want to go to an actual one and he agreed to it causing multiple visits until he wound up falling in love with her which is when he forced her to marry him causing Oakleigh a great deal of surprise

Their relationship isn’t the healthiest as Judge has a tendency to call her “Sora” during sex and also Oakleigh tried to poison herself at the wedding by feeding herself a drink that had grapes in it which she’s allergic to but at the end of the day, Judge does in fact love Oakleigh in his own twisted manner and the boys see her as their stepmom whenever they come over. It’s just that Oakleigh doesn’t know what to make of this relationship and kinda wants out so she can go back to being a medic instead of a Queen

The third one is Lyra who is a Mortician, she doesn’t have a Devil Fruit either and she suffers from severe Phasmophobia which is kind of a problem as I ship her with Absalom aka that guy from Thriller Bark who tried to marry Nami while she was unconscious or asleep or whatever because I don’t remember

Absalom kidnapped Lyra from her morgue after he was wheeled in as the town believed him to be a dead body only for him to sit up on the table causing Lyra to promptly pass out from fear as “Holy fuck, that dead body just moved” and let’s be real. Who the hell wouldn’t pass out upon seeing that shit? She should have passed out upon seeing his body for the first time

When she woke up, she was in a wedding dress and being kissed by him as the audience of zombies clapped their hands for the newly married couple that were now going to celebrate their wedding night which involves a very strange feeling cock pounding in and out of Lyra’s body as Absalom holds her up against the shower wall due to her trying to hide in the bathroom under the guise of a shower to avoid him

Absalom doesn’t really have to worry about keeping Lyra with him as she’s terrified of Ghosts plus by the time that Perona isn’t around anymore, Stockholm Syndrome has already set in and she’s completely in love with him to the point where they stay together but a lot of scenarios have her winding up as a single mother to her and his child after Absalom is killed for his Devil Fruit but in some happier ending scenarios, Gecko Moria has Hogback bring Absalom back to life like how he did Cindry

The fourth one is named Lyric and she’s actually Lyra’s cousin but the two of them don’t talk much as Lyric is an Acrobat at the traveling circus under the name Gliding Lyric. She doesn’t have a Devil Fruit either but she doesn’t need one as she’s managed to appear like she’s had one for years as she’s able to throw entire dumpsters full of rocks when pissed off. She also has a voice claim and it’s that one TikTok audio of a cosplayer of Roxanne Wolf telling the viewer how they stop kidnappings

Like I said Lyric works at a circus where she’s an Acrobat and she’s shipped with a good number of the Blackbeard Pirates like Teach himself, Laffitte, Van Augur, Burgess, Doc Q, Catarina Devon, Shiryu of the Rain, and Avalo Pizzaro who wound up meeting her after they came to the circus because they were bored and wound up being the only ones there because their presence scared off everyone else that wasn’t a worker

When it came time for the Big Top show, Lyric did her act but fucked up the last trick where she ties a cord to her leg and glides above the crowd before coming back up and landing in her partners arms for the finale so it caused the cord to come loose and she fell directly onto Shiryu like face first into his chest but she tried to play it cool and act like it was planned as she struck an awkward pose after Shiryu wouldn’t let go

It was that night actually that they wound up kidnapping her burning down the circus in the process and declaring her to be Crew Wife meaning that she’s married to a good amount of people on the ship, she’s taken up the role of being an entertainer on the ship though so she can hopefully one day get them all partying so hard that they pass out and she can escape even if they constantly breath into her skin that they love her and they care for her

Lyric also has a very short attention span when it comes to adults and absolutely adores children to the point where she keeps candies on hand to hand out to little kids that happen to come up to the “Clown Lady” but she tries not to let it show around the Pirates as she fears that it may give them a reason to start trying to knock her up as she’s already had to kick Burgess off of her multiple times when he tries pinning her against the nearest wall and showing her just how much he loves her

The fifth is a lady that goes by the name Harmony, she ate the Soft Soft Fruit which allows her to make anything around her incredibly soft from sounds to objects and even people if she so wanted to but she really only uses the Soft Soft Fruit for Sounds as she has incredibly sensitive hearing. She’s also the cousin of Lyric and Lyra with Lyric being the eldest, Harmony being in the middle, and Lyra is the youngest Harmony is shipped with Scratchman Apoo who took an extreme interest in her after seeing at her at a very classy club on stage singing her soft tunes wearing that Orange and Yellow of hers, she just so happened to be singing a love song that caused Apoo to think that she was singing directly to him which she wasn’t but that’s besides the point

For his stay on the island, he kept going back to see her each time that she performed until he and his crew had to go so it was late one night when he tried to serenade her with a song of his own only for it to hurt her ears because he was very, very loud so as an apology for hurting her ears, he decided to kidnap her and take her with him onto his crew claiming that he could show her all kinds of soft and sweet music

Harmony honestly kinda wants to be able to head home and forget that this ever happened but we all know that she isn’t getting away from him any time soon as he just drags her back when she tries to leave causing some very heavy irritation plus there’s no going back now as she’s a wanted woman due to being with him for too long and being considered a member of his crew as a result

The sixth one is Mabelle and she doesn’t have a Devil Fruit either but she does however have the ability to read minds due to being a member of what’s known as the Long Ear Tribe who can read peoples thoughts on command, she also has a voice claim which is Mommy Long Legs from Poppy Playtime which I feel makes sense as Mabelle is basically a doll due to having encased herself in a porcelain shell that she claims is her real body

She comes from a town where Beauty Standards for women are incredibly high so in order to meet them, she’s encased her entire body in porcelain to look absolutely perfect even while she’s just working as a costume maker for the town and a very skilled one at that as her rental costumes are very popular despite that a lot of people find her odd despite her perfect face

She’s shipped with Shanks and Benn Beckmann (occasionally Mihawk) and how she met them is Shanks came into her place one day after being pretty badly injured, he couldn’t go to the hospital because he’s a pirate so he asks her to fix him up which although hesitant. She obliged and stitches up his injuries

He’s grateful but accidentally breaks off a big portion of her face when goes to throw an arm around her in a hug, she screams and runs to the backroom prompting him to follow her. He sees her trying to fix herself and stops her, asks what she’s doing and she explains what’s going on to him only for him to tell her that she doesn’t need any porcelain to look beautiful as even with the little that he can see right now. She looks beautiful

It touches her deeply when he says that and she actually winds up on his ship acting as the mom to Luffy and Uta, one of which has a tendency to eat the porcelain on her body like it’s chocolate. She has a deal going on with them as well where if she doesn’t put anymore porcelain on, they’ll break off a small piece of her shell everyday until she’s exposed but if she does then they get to take everything off of her. It’s part of a thing to help slowly raise her self esteem so she can get out of her porcelain shell

She’s somewhat learned to not read Shanks mind though especially when he’s looking at her as it goes something like this... “Sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, Mabelle being pregnant, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, Mabelle being pregnant with Uta, sex, sex, sex, What about pregnant with Luffy? What would that look like?, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, doggy style, sex, sex, sex, wait is that Buggy?, Buggy, Buggy, Buggy”

The seventh one is Ivy and she doesn’t have a Devil Fruit either, she’s a worker in Water 7 where she works as a typical Office Worker who has a semi out there style of fashion due to the fact that she heavily loves the style of Decora Kei but can’t always dress in it, she also decorates her house in purely Dreamcore which makes her feel very relaxed

She’s actually shipped with CP9 as she’s in a relationship with Lucci, Kaku, Kalifa, Jabra, Blueno, and sometimes Kumadori. She met a good number of them while she had been hired to sort out some paperwork for the Galley-La company which heavily put her on edge to the point where she was stressed and didn’t have the energy to get all dressed up like normal

She wound up meeting the undercover agents of CP9 while she was there and even ran into Jabra a few times who was pretending to be a citizen, they actually wound up liking her quite a bit and asked her on a date after a while which made her incredibly ecstatic so on the day of the date, she was running late but eventually showed up in full Decora Kei causing them all to go silent which she assumed was a bad thing until Lucci plucked a pin that looked like a leopard off of her and pinned it to him before offering his arm to her

Of course though, things don’t last forever as the events of Water 7 happen and they all disappear with the destruction of Enies Lobby causing Ivy to think they’re never coming back so she leaves Water 7 and goes to a small island where she becomes a fashion designer for the people living there as they like her style

Eventually she does meet back up with her partners but it’s after they’ve joined CP0 causing them to become extremely possessive of her to the point where it scares her especially when Kaku grabs her arm when she tries to get out of bed in the middle of the night to get some water or when she notices Kalifa stalking her from afar on an outing

Ivy actually does actually have a scenario where she basically gets a bad ending and it’s where a Celestial Dragon takes an interest in her and wants her, she winds up becoming a slave despite pleading with them to save her. They always tried to tell her that they would find a way to get her out of this but she eventually died resenting the people that she once called her partners as “You promised you wouldn’t let anything hurt me, you lied” so now they’re tormented by visions of her in their dreams which are of course Dreamcore

Luckily though that ending never comes as typically they keep her far, far away from their job as CP0 agents

The eighth one that I have currently is Saffron who also doesn’t have a Devil Fruit and isn’t really anything all that special beyond being a college student whose trying to make ends meet by babysitting the young child of Doflamingo and Crocodile while they’re busy taking care of other things as those two pay good money despite being absolutely terrifying people

Saffron is currently shipped with King, Queen, Jack, Black Maria, Who’s Who, Page One, Ulti, and Sasaki who wound up infuriated by her existence at first as they wanted to babysit the kid due to Kaido absolutely adoring the child but after meeting the babysitter, they almost immediately fell in love as she was a great person to the kid and answered every question that they had when they popped out of nowhere to test her

Eventually when it came time to leave, Saffron kissed the kids forehead and left only to be stopped by King who tried to propose to her causing a great deal of shock that only grew greater when everyone else stepped in wanting to marry her as well only to culminate in a giant fight between all of them 

Saffron took the opportunity to escape and ran off only to get a call a few weeks later saying that Doflamingo wanted her to babysit again because his daughter missed her, she tried to decline but he told her that she didn’t have a choice and he’d see her at 7 so she showed up and put the kid to bed an hour later before trying to hide in the bathroom only to be found

Cue being forced to marry a group of extremely dangerous people as they had all come to an agreement that they would share her which terrified her especially when they wanted to fill her with their dinosaur eggs (kittens for Who’s Who, Spider Babies for Black Maria, and Mammoth Children for Jack) Doflamingo winds up forcing Saffron to live with them as a live in babysitter although now his daughter has to deal with the fact that she can’t sit on her babysitters lap anymore due to the fact that she’s gotten “fat” when she’s actually very heavily pregnant with multiple eggs

Sometimes Saffron isn’t the babysitter though in scenarios and is actually a camp worker for the local summer camp when Doflamingo’s daughter wants to go there for the summer only for the Beast Pirates to take an interest in Saffron when they come to check on Doffy’s daughter

The very last one is named Willow and she doesn’t have a Devil Fruit either but she is a very talented farmer and forager who can catch fish with her teeth, she lives on an island with no one else but her father who forces her to do literally everything and has killed her hopes and dreams so much that Willow has a tendency to hallucinate an idealized version of herself in the form of an entity known as Witch as Willow wanted to be a witch as her dream

Willow is shipped with Gol D. Roger, Silvers Rayleigh, Scopper Gaban, Portgas D. Rouge, and Shakky and how she met them is that the ship had completely run out of food and they couldn’t catch anything as they didn’t have anything to use for bait other than hoping that something would bite Shanks or Buggy if they hung them off a hook but that idea was quickly off the table

In comes this island that looks great out in the middle of nowhere and it seems like they’re saved as someone spots a small farm on the island that looks abandoned but still growing food, they B-Line for the island and the crew immediately starts taking items for the ship only to be confronted by an annoyed Willow wielding a metal rake

They explain themselves and she allows them to take some food as long as they don’t touch anything from a certain part, it’s all happy and the harvest continues as Willow watches them occasionally making conversation with the women who ask about her injuries only for Willow to let it slip that her dad hurts her

Commence kidnapping as she’s thrown over Roger’s shoulder and claimed to be the crew wife much to her surprise, she watches as the Pirates take the rest of the food that she asked them not to and they sail off with her as their prisoner according to her when she’s legitimately Roger’s newest spouse

Sometimes in the scenario where they meet Willow, she’s actually seen right off the bat and Roger is immediately infatuated with her to the point where he asks Buggy and Shanks if they want another Mom and when they agree. He tells them to go to Willow and act like she’s their Mom which they do as they ask her to prove which one is colder the north or South Pole which confuses her especially when they call her Mom when she says she doesn’t know, they call out for Roger when she starts acting strange according to them and Roger pretends that she’s been his S/O for years allowing for an easy kidnapping

Ok, I feel better having talked about all of them like that... Sorry for going on this long ass tirade about my OC’s, I truly just wanted to talk about them and make myself feel better after realizing that Pony Town is shit for meeting new people a lot of the time...

I do have other crushes like Dalton, Caesar Clown, Eustass Kid, and others but I don’t have OC’s for them so I’ll talk about them another time... Maybe... Probably... Who knows...

[nysus-temple]

[Nysus' essays + Sources + tags masterlist]

🍇≈🍇≈🍇≈🍇≈

Hi. Welcome to my ramblings.

In case you wanna support me a bit more, you may buy me a coffee. You're not forced to, tho. Sharing my blog is a whole lot already ♡

For my stuff outside of Tumblr, my carrd is here.

My sideblog for videogames is odysseusvoid, I'm not very active.

Languages I can (or try to) speak:

Español | English | Deutsch | Ελληνικά

You may ask me anything, I don't bite (usually).

> Essays list:

· Sources:

The *drama* of using Pseudo-Apollodorus as a source.

Regarding Persephone and Dionysus ( 1 )

Dionysus "Fun facts"

Dionysus and Artemis ( 1 )

The 'ideal of beauty' regarding the Greek Gods

Dionysus' pronouns drama

Wikipedia is not a primary source

Pentheus' bullshit

Dionysus' anger

Demeter and Dionysus

Regarding Persephone and Dionysus ( 3 )

Melinoe

Dionysus' lesser-known myths

Sithon and Pallene

Pan and Dionysus

Penelope and Odysseus

Ariadne is NOT a goddess.

Guys I said she's not.

Odysseus' family tree shenanigans

· Ideas:

The whole Demeter-Poseidon-Persephone thingy.

Persephone's Family

Regarding Dionysus and Hades ( 1 ).

Arthur and Morgana ( 1 ).

Arthur and Morgana ( 2 ).

Helios, Selene & Eos.

Dionysus and Artemis ( 2 ).

Regarding Persephone and Dionysus ( 2 ).

Regarding Dionysus and Hades ( 2 ).

Apollo concepts.

Regarding Dionysus and Hades ( 3 ).

· Other ramblings:

HERMES AND DIONYSUS

Helen and Odysseus

ULTRAKILL's references to Greek folklore.

ULTRAKILL's references to Greek folklore (2).

Helen's shenanigans ( disscusion ).

My Odyssey editions.

The Greek alphabet ( rant ).

The ram that ate grapes (Chapter XXXIX fragment)

Favourite Greek Mythology couples

Songs that I relate to Odysseus

> Tags list:

· Dionysus' companions:

# ram mom (Persephone tag)

# ram dad (Hades tag)

# ram wife (Ariadne tag)

# ram husband (Hermes tag)

# hunting pals (Artemis tag)

# ??? [ Apollo doesn't have a tag for now :( ]

· Dionysus' tags:

# dionysus lore

# dionysus art

# dionysus picrew

# dionysus text

# dionysus meme

· Other tags:

# the gang (Apollo, Artemis, Hermes and Dionysus)

# celestial trio (Selene, Helios and Eos tag)

# the twins (Apollo and Artemis tag)

# primordial (Like Gaia, for example)

# odypen (Odysseus and Penelope)

# odysseus (i ramble a lot about him)

# the odyssey (my favourite work ever!!)

[awideplace]

Portions from my reading this morning in Deuteronomy that stuck out to me / 32:2, 13, 14, 18, 39

May My teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb. He made him ride on the high places of the land, and he ate the produce of the field, and He suckled him with honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock. Curds from the herd, and milk from the flock, with fat of lambs, rams of Bashan and goats, with the very finest of the wheat— and you drank foaming wine made from the blood of the grape.

You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you, and you forgot the God who gave you birth.

"See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no god beside Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of My hand."

[thestreamofconsciousness777]

And Moses proceeded to speak in the hearing of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song until their completon: "Give ear, O heavens, and let me speak; And let the earth hear the sayings of my mouth. My instruction will drip as the rain, My saying will trickle as the dew, As gentle rains upon grass And as copious showers upon vegetation. For I shall declare the name of Jehovah. Do YOU attribute greatness to our God! The Rock, perfect is his activity, For all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness, with whom there is no injustice; Righteous and upright is he. They have acted ruinously on their own part; They are not his children, the defect is their own. A generation crooked and twisted! Is it to Jehovah that YOU keep doing this way, O people stupid and not wise? Is he not your Father who has produced you, He who made you and proceeded to give you stability? Remember the days of old, CONSIDER the years back from generation to generation; Ask your father, and he can tell you; Your old men, and they can say it to you. When the Most High gave the nations an inheritance, When he parted the sons of Adam from one another, He proceeded to fix the boundary of the peoples With regard for the number of the sons of Israel. For Jehovah’s share is his people; Jacob is the allotment that he inherits. He came to find him in a wilderness land, And in an empty, howling desert. He began to encircle him, to take care of him, To safeguard him as the pupil of his eye. Just as an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its fledglings, Spreads out its wings, takes them, Carries them on its pinions, Jehovah alone kept leading him, And there was no foreign god along with him. He kept making him ride upon earth’s high places, So that he ate the produce of the field. And he kept making him suck honey out of a crag, And oil out of a flinty rock; Butter of the herd and milk of the flock Together with the fat of rams, And male sheep, the breed of Ba'shan, and he-goats Together with the kidney fat of wheat; And the blood of the grape you kept drinking as wine. When Jeshʹu·run began to grow fat, then he kicked. You have grown fat, you have become thick, you have become gorged. So he forsook God, who made him, And despised the Rock of his salvation. They began inciting him to jealousy with strange gods; With detestable things they kept offending him. They went sacrificing to demons, not to God,  Gods whom they had not known, New ones who recently came in, With whom YOUR forefathers were not acquainted. The Rock who fathered you, you proceeded to forget, And you began to leave God out of memory, the One bringing you forth with childbirth pains. When Jehovah saw it, then he came to disrespect them, Because of the vexation his sons and his daughters gave. So he said, ‘Let me conceal my face from them, Let me see what their end will be afterward. For they are a generation of perverseness, Sons in whom there is no faithfulness. They, for their part, have incited me to jealousy with what is no god; They have vexed me with their vain idols; And I, for my part, shall incite them to jealousy with what is no people; With a stupid nation I shall offend them. For a fire has been ignited in my anger And it will burn down to Sheʹol, the lowest place, And it will consume the earth and its produce And will set ablaze the foundations of mountains. I shall increase calamities upon them; My arrows I shall spend upon them. Exhausted from hunger they will be and eaten up by burning fever And bitter destruction. And the teeth of beasts I shall send upon them, With the venom of reptiles of the dust. Outdoors a sword will bereave them, And indoors fright, Of both young man and virgin, Suckling together with gray-haired man. I should have said: “I shall disperse them, I will make the mention of them cease from mortal men,” Were it not that I was afraid of vexation from the enemy, That their adversaries might misconstrue it, That they might say: “Our hand has proved superior, And it was not Jehovah who worked all this out.” For they are a nation on whom counsel perishes, And among them there is no understanding. O that they were wise! Then they would ponder over this. They would consider their end afterward. How could one pursue a thousand, And two put ten thousand to flight? Not unless their Rock had sold them And Jehovah had surrendered them. For their rock is not like our Rock, Even our enemies being the ones to decide. For their vine is from the vine of Sod'om And from the terraces of Go·mor'rah. Their grapes are grapes of poison, Their clusters are bitter. Their wine is the venom of big snakes And the cruel poison of cobras. Is it not laid up with me, With a seal affixed to it in my storehouse? Vengeance is mine, and retribution. At the appointed time their foot will move unsteadily, For the day of their disaster is near, And the events in readiness for them do make haste.’ For Jehovah will judge his people And he will feel regret over his servants, Because he will see that support has disappeared And there is only a helpless and worthless one. And he will certainly say, ‘Where are their gods, The rock in whom they sought refuge, Who used to eat the fat of their sacrifices, To drink the wine of their drink offerings? Let them get up and help YOU. Let them become a concealment place for YOU. SEE now that I—I am he And there are no gods together with me. I put to death, and I make alive. I have severely wounded, and I—I will heal, And there is no one snatching out of my hand. For I raise my hand to heaven [in an oath], And I do say: “As I am alive to time indefinite,” If I do indeed sharpen my glittering sword, And my hand takes hold on judgment, I will pay back vengeance to my adversaries And render retribution to those who intensely hate me. I shall intoxicate my arrows with blood, While my sword will eat flesh, With the blood of the slain and the captives, With the heads of the leaders of the enemy.’ Be glad, YOU nations, with his people, For he will avenge the blood of his servants, And he will pay back vengeance to his adversaries And will indeed make atonement for the ground of his people.

Dueteronomy 31:30 & 32:1-43, NWT

With A Stupid Nation I Shall Offend Them

[felidthing]

tiramisu ram

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Remember the days of old,    consider the years of previous generations...

1 Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak;    hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. 2 My teaching will drop like the rain,    my sayings will distill as the dew, as the droplets on the grass,    and as the showers on the herb.

3 For I will proclaim the name of the Lord:    Ascribe greatness to our God! 4 He is the Rock; His work is perfect;    for all His ways are just. He is a God of faithfulness and without injustice;    righteous and upright is He.

5 They have acted corruptly to Him;    they are not His children, but blemished;    they are a perverse and crooked generation. 6 Is this how you repay the Lord,    you foolish and unwise people? Is He not your father, who has bought you?    Has He not made you, and established you?

7 Remember the days of old,    consider the years of previous generations. Ask your father, and he will show you;    your elders, and they will tell you: 8 When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,    when He separated the sons of man, He set the boundaries of the peoples    according to the number of the children of Israel. 9 For the Lord’s portion is His people;    Jacob is the allotment of His inheritance.

10 He found him in a desert land    and in the howling waste of a wilderness; He led him about, He instructed him,    He protected him like the pupil of His eye. 11 Like an eagle stirs up her nest,    that flutters over her young, He spread out his wings and took him;    He lifted him on His pinions; 12 the Lord alone guided him,    and there was no foreign god with him.

13 He made him ride on the high places of the earth,    and he ate of the produce of the fields; He made him suck honey out of the rock    and oil out of the flinty rock, 14 butter from the herd,    and milk from the flock,    along with the fat of lambs, and rams of the breed from Bashan,    and goats,    with the best of the kernels of wheat; you drank the pure blood of the grape.

15 But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked;    you grew fat, you grew thick;    you are covered with fat. Then he forsook God who made him,    and devalued the Rock of his salvation. 16 They made Him jealous with strange gods;    with abominations they provoked Him to anger. 17 They sacrificed to demons, not to God,    to gods whom they knew not,    to new gods that recently came along,    whom your fathers did not fear. 18 You have forgotten the Rock who begot you;    you are unmindful, and have forgotten the God who gave you birth.

19 When the Lord saw it, He despised them,    because of the provocation of His sons and daughters. 20 He said: I will hide My face from them;    I will see what their end will be, for they are a very perverse generation,    children in whom there is no loyalty. 21 They have made Me jealous with that which is not God;    they have provoked Me to anger with their empty things. And I will make them jealous of those who are not a people;    I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. 22 For a fire has been inflamed by My anger,    and it will burn to the lowest part of Sheol, and shall consume the earth and its produce,    and ignite the foundations of the mountains.

23 I will heap misfortunes on them;    I will use My arrows on them. 24 They will be starved by famine,    and consumed by plague and bitter destruction; I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them,    with the poison of crawling creatures in the dust. 25 The sword outside and terror within will destroy both the young man and the virgin,    the infant along with the man of gray hair. 26 I said, “I want to cut them into pieces,    I will cause the memory of them to disappear from among men,” 27 however, I feared the wrath of the enemy,    that their adversaries would misunderstand and say, “Our hand is victorious,    and the Lord has not done all this.”

28 For they are a nation devoid of counsel;    there is no understanding in them. 29 Would that they were wise,    so that they understood this,    so that they would comprehend their future! 30 How should one chase a thousand,    and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them,    and the Lord had given them up? 31 For their rock is not as our Rock;    even our enemies themselves concede this. 32 For their vine is from the vine of Sodom    and from the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of poison;    their clusters are bitter. 33 Their wine is the poison of dragons    and the deadly venom of cobras.

34 Is not this laid up in store with Me    and sealed up among My treasures? 35 Vengeance is Mine, and recompense;    their foot will slip in due time; for the day of their calamity is at hand,    and the things to come hasten upon them.

36 For the Lord will judge His people,    and relent in regard to His servants, when He sees that their power is gone    and there is no one left, whether restrained or free. 37 He will say: Where are their gods,    their rock in whom they trusted, 38 which ate the fat of their sacrifices    and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them rise up and help you    and be your protection.

39 See now that I, even I, am He,    and there is no god besides Me; I kill, and I make alive;    I wound, and I heal;    there is no one who can deliver out of My hand. 40 For I lift up My hand to heaven,    and say: As I live forever, 41 if I sharpen My flashing sword    and My hand takes hold on judgment, I will render vengeance on My enemies    and will repay those who hate Me. 42 I will make My arrows drunk with blood,    and My sword shall devour flesh, with the blood of the slain and of the captives,    from the heads of the leaders of the enemies.

43 Rejoice, O you nations, with His people;    for He will avenge the blood of His servants and will render vengeance on His adversaries    and will be merciful to His land and people.

44 Moses came and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he, with Joshua, the son of Nun. 45 When Moses finished speaking all these words to all Israel, 46 he said to them, “Set your hearts on all the words which I testify among you today, which you shall command your children to be careful to observe, all the words of this law. 47 For it is no idle word for you, because it is your life, and by this word you will prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess.”

Moses to Die on Mount Nebo

48 The Lord spoke to Moses that same day, saying, 49 “Go up to this mountain of the Abarim, to Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab opposite Jericho, and look at the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel for a possession. 50 Die on the mount where you go up, and be gathered to your people, just as Aaron, your brother, died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, 51 because you trespassed against Me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah Kadesh, in the Wilderness of Zin, because you did not treat Me as holy in the midst of the children of Israel. 52 Nevertheless, you will see the land before you, but you may not go there, to the land which I am giving to the children of Israel.” — Deuteronomy 32 | Modern English Version (MEV) The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House. Cross References: Genesis 18:25; Genesis 25:8; Exodus 4:7; Exodus 12:26; Exodus 14:25; Exodus 34:9; Leviticus 26:7-8; Leviticus 26:20; Leviticus 26:22; Leviticus 26:30; Numbers 13:8; Numbers 15:30; Numbers 27:12; Deuteronomy 1:19; Deuteronomy 1:37; Deuteronomy 3:27; Deuteronomy 4:6; Deuteronomy 4:26; Deuteronomy 4:40; Deuteronomy 8:8; Deuteronomy 9:23; Deuteronomy 29:18; Deuteronomy 29:21; Joshua 15:1; Judges 10:6; 1 Samuel 12:9; 2 Samuel 1:22; Job 20:16; Job 29:22; Psalm 7:12; Psalm 8:19; Psalm 78:58; Isaiah 27:11; Isaiah 31:9; Isaiah 47:7; Isaiah 48:11; Lamentations 1:20; Daniel 1:8; Matthew 17:17; John 8:41; Romans 2:5; Romans 12:19; Romans 15:10; Acts 14:15; Acts 17:26; 1 Corinthians 10:20; Hebrews 10:30; Revelation 4:9; Revelation 12:14; Revelation 14:20; Revelation 15:3

[kpopmakesmequestionmylifechoices]

VERIVERY - Get Away | Weird details & connection to old MVs | MINCHAN IS THERE! | secret French message on cake!

They are observed by a strange flying sphere.

As in Tag Tag Tag MV, Kangmin tells us (?) to be silent, which still and again hints on him having a secret.

One of them runs through the forest and gets kidnapped, someone puts a bag over his head.

The person who kidnapped him wears this strange compass watch. | Minchan had a compass in Thunder and G.B.T.B, the compass always pointed to Kangmin |

In the tent we see all 6 boys, sitting around a round table, while being observed by the sphere.

Yongseung has a letter, it reads as follows (I'm leaving out some parts):

"My dear friends, we are confident that you remember us, for we have always been with you [...] we would like to present you a small gift [...] quaint but delectable meal [...] is your job to find the key to that party [...] a hint: Each possess a small point. [...] 7 will make a large point will open [...] able to enter [...] Merely imagining the glorious spectacle makes our blood tingle with excitement. We will be waiting for you.[...]"

It's signed with a name, I on the first look thought it means Viktor, but it's likely that the first two letters are a VR an the rest idk. Looks like a VRtoR to me, if anyone can decipher it pls comment.

After the letter is read, they round up in the forest. | As in G.B.T.B, the circle symbolism is strong in here |

Whatever now the "key" was, they apparently found it and could open a gate | that's when those forks appear ... But the forks ain't the keys are they hahahahaha |

They wake up in an empty room, but on beds. It's 7 beds, the one in the center is empty. | Minchan's bed? |

The gate is open now, a black hole in the ground, there's a red cloth floating over it/falling into it. | Minchan held a red cloth, the exact same, in G.B.T.B. In G.B.T.B he was about to drop the cloth but then tightly grabbed it so it couldn't fly away. Did he now lose it? Did G.B.T.B predict the future? Is Minchan the mastermind behind that all, and that's why he always knows the correct way by using the compass? |

Someone left his shoes there. If you compare it with pic 7, it's Kangmin's shoes. There's fog coming outta the shoes. | In Tag Tag Tag, Kangmin suddenly was barefoot and seemingly possessed by ? The evil? He left into the dark without his shoes, Minchan was the only one who noticed it, the one who watched him leave |

The freaking kidnapper (?) comes to the hole/gate, we don't see his face.

Hoyoung observes the members, INCLUDING himself (!) on a screen. | The CCTV symbolism from previous MVs and my beloved TV that appeared in almost each MV are back |

Note that there arguably are 2 different Hoyoungs. One that is with the other members, and the one who observes them. Observer-Hoyoung has another style, glitter in his face and blue eyes. | In Tag Tag Tag there actually were two Hoyoungs as well, one in a mirror world and one in the actual world. |

Observer-Hoyoung wears black gloves. The kidnapper wore black gloves as well (see pic 3 and 4).

For whatever reason Kangmin seems weak and Dongheon has to help him walking.

Dongheon wants to drink sth but ends up handing the glass over to Kangmin without taking a sip.

Kangmin attempts to drink Dongheon's drink, Yongseung for whatever reason watches him.

The cake has French writing on it, it says Tirez-moi de lá, which translates to "get me out of here". | Note: "lá" actually means "there", and usually you'd rather say "Tirez-moi d'ici", as "ici" means "here". Interestingly, photo MV already used the word "there" where you actually would have had to use "here"... |

Yongseung gets angry and destroys the cake. | There's some strange fog above the table, the same that came outta Kangmin's shoes |

We get to see the scene in style of a thermographic/infrared camera. I believe that's the point of view of the observer sphere.

Dongheon suddenly randomly appears with an apple. The lyrics of the song basically deal with an irresistible temptation, the apple always has been used as a symbol for temptation. But what tempts him?

They fall in some low-key delirious state in which they eat whatever they can find, almost animalistic. At some point some of them seem to lose interest, Gyeheon drops his fork, Yeonho pours wine (?) on the floor.

It's still observed in CCTV style, interestingly now not only by Hoyoung but ALL MEMBERS!!!

Kangmin enjoys himself a lot, but then wants to grab the srly weirdest food on the table: Toast. It seems totally out of place, next to all that fancy food.

Dongheon gets angry at that and rams a fork into the toast. The others watch the scene without really caring. | The entire scene seems to be about greed, in my eyes. Wouldn't that, alongside the apple, be a somewhat biblical reference tho? |

Following the fight over the ...toast..., Dongheon aggressively pushes Kangmin against some metal lattice/cages idk. After a weirdly sexually suggestive (???) almost kiss (???) he wants to stab Kangmin with the fork...

Now things however get complicated. The outfits changed. The Kangmin that ate the grapes wears another outfit than the Kangmin who wants the toast. Same with Dongheon and his apple. In the apple scene, he wore a different outfit than in the toast scene. The outfit in the toast scene and in the fight scene are the same. Arguably, it's the same clothing style like Observer-Hoyoung wore since beginning.

The newly clothed Dongheon now also fights with Gyeheon.

At the same time, members who wear the initial outfit, passed out and lie on the floor.

Newly clothed Dongheon wants to stab Gyeheon with his fork...There is a bathtub.

Observer-Hoyoung stops Dongheon (still new clothes) from killing Gyeheon. In the close-up one sees that Dongheon also has glitter on his face, like Observer-Hoyoung previously.

They all are in the CCTV room, watching how Dongheon (IN OLD OUTFIT HOWEVER) passes out.

The bathtub is in that CCTV room.

Everything hints on the existence of 2 different versions of each member. The clothes and room change might show us when we see the original members and when we see the low-key violent and corrupted members. | Note that the entire mirror world / 2 versions of the group have already been a theme in previous MVs, I wrote that down in a previous post |

CCTV members leave the...base. Everything suddenly seems very space-ish. A connection to G.B.T.B.?

The members in the old, simple outfits, are tied to chairs, sitting in a circle. The center chair, like previously the bed, is empty. Minchan's chair?

The CCTV members, wearing the fancy outfits, aim with guns at them.

Kangmin is the only member opening his eyes. When looking at his eyes thoroughly, one notices that his iris has a very strange pattern and a structure that one usually knows from screens.

A very short shot at the end shows a spiral-like way, literally spiraling down. The interesting thing however is that there's a person with a bag over his head, walking down that way without seeing anything, stretching his arms forward - arguably to find his way through touch because he literally can't see. That DEFINITELY is the member that was kidnapped in the very beginning. My assumption still is that the kidnapped person must be Kangmin. With the kidnapper I'm not sure, it might be Minchan (because compass and cloth) but could also be Hoyoung (because gloves and 1st observer). Maybe they even worked together?

Conclusion:

1. Ever since Tag Tag Tag sth is wrong with Kangmin, it seems that he's forever locked into some dark and lonely world and the others constantly try to reach to him but somehow don't manage to do so.

2. They definitely made sure to implement Minchan in the MV, even if only indirectly.

3. There again seems to be a good version of verivery and an evil version. Why ? What do they want ?

4. The letter is utterly creepy. It seems as if someone wants to play with them. To play a nasty and dangerous game, but I have no idea what the purpose it.

[musetta3]

One Word Prompts - Monster. Any pairing, please :)

I have for you a piece featuring my MC from my original novel, Zere Iandruil. 

A rumble sounded up ahead. Her bait had worked; the qatal lumbered towards the sheep, its sinewy tail dragging in the dust. It was a female, by the mottled plumage. An unusually large one, given to… Zere turned and gagged. The qatal’s fangs dripped with acid, the beak crunched the sheep’s skull with an audible snap. She blinked to keep the bones out of her head.

The acid was burning holes in the canyon floor.

She was actually standing there, watching a sheep melt, because of the string of regrettable decisions known as her life.

Apparently eyeballs contained snot, and skinned-grapes-bits that turned her stomach as much as the damned qatal’s table manners.

“Come on. It won’t slay itself, fool,” she said to herself. Zere set her jaw and wove her favorite spell. The conjured arrows struck true. “Got you,” she cried, rushing at the beast.

The qatal screamed, flapping its huge wings as it writhed in pain. It spun and knocked her to the ground. Zere rolled away and stabbed it in the leg. Talons as long as falchions slit her gambeson down the back. She ducked as the talons came at her again, circling to the other flank. Another blow to the underbelly would do it. Another blow—Her sword was gone.

“Damn it,” she muttered. White lightning shot down her spine and sent her into spasms as the qatal swiped her. She fell forward, face first. There was no time to rest, to accept the pain. She rolled under the beast, covering her face.

‘Keep moving,’ Zere told herself. ‘You must keep moving.’ But her arms felt thick, her hands numb as she clawed at the dust and dragged herself forward. A silver glinting under the beast’s tail answered her. Thank the gods. She dodged a foot and crawled forward. The acid soaked through her leather trousers as she crawled, ate holes in her flesh. She gritted her teeth. The pain would have to wait. 

One, two, three strikes she landed as she hacked at the beast’s abdomen. With a screech the qatal whirled around, rearing before falling forward with a hissing groan. Zere dodged and landed another blow, her chest heaving. A smile crept across her face. She’d be the first to ever slay a qatal. The Goddess was smiling on her that day, it was certain. She circled to the back and prepared for the final blow.

A dull, muted thud sounded from behind her, like a heavy stone falling into a bed of feathers. Before she knew, the qatal spun, ramming her with its wing. She was flying, propelled forward at an astonishing speed. She didn’t have time to react, to even think before an elephant tusk ran her through, and darkness consumed her.

[quotesfromscripture]

Bite the Hand that feeds them

He set him atop the heights of the land,  And fed him with produce of the field;  He nursed him with honey from the crags,  With oil from flinty rock;  Curds from the herd, and milk from the flock,  With fat of lambs and rams;  Bashan bulls and goats,  Together with the choicest wheat-- You drank fine wine from the blood of grapes.

Jacob ate his fill;  Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked.  You grew fat, bloated, and gorged!  He abandoned God who made him,  And scoffed at the Rock of his salvation.  They made him jealous with strange gods,  With abhorrent things they provoked him. 

- Deuteronomy 32:13-16 NRSV

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

4th July >> Mass Readings (USA)

Saturday, Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time 

    or 

Saturday memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Saturday, Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Colour: Green)

First Reading

Amos 9:11-15

I will bring about the restoration of my people Israel; I will plant them upon their own ground.

Thus says the Lord:

On that day I will raise up

the fallen hut of David;

I will wall up its breaches,

raise up its ruins,

and rebuild it as in the days of old,

That they may conquer what is left of Edom

and all the nations that shall bear my name,

say I, the Lord, who will do this.

Yes, days are coming,

says the Lord,

When the plowman shall overtake the reaper,

and the vintager, him who sows the seed;

The juice of grapes shall drip down the mountains,

and all the hills shall run with it.

I will bring about the restoration of my people Israel;

they shall rebuild and inhabit their ruined cities,

Plant vineyards and drink the wine,

set out gardens and eat the fruits.

I will plant them upon their own ground;

never again shall they be plucked

From the land I have given them,

say I, the Lord, your God.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 85:9ab and 10, 11-12, 13-14

R/ The Lord speaks of peace to his people.

I will hear what God proclaims;

the Lord–for he proclaims peace to his people.

Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,

glory dwelling in our land.

R/ The Lord speaks of peace to his people.

Kindness and truth shall meet;

justice and peace shall kiss.

Truth shall spring out of the earth,

and justice shall look down from heaven.

R/ The Lord speaks of peace to his people.

The Lord himself will give his benefits;

our land shall yield its increase.

Justice shall walk before him,

and salvation, along the way of his steps.

R/ The Lord speaks of peace to his people.

Gospel Acclamation

John 10:27

Alleluia, alleluia.

My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;

I know them, and they follow me.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Matthew 9:14-17

Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?

The disciples of John approached Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth, for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. People do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

———————————-

Saturday memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary

(Liturgical Colour: White)

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Saturday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading

Genesis 3:9-15, 20

I will put enmity between your offspring and the offspring of the woman.

After the man, Adam, had eaten of the tree, the Lord God called to the man and asked him, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself.” Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked? You have eaten, then, from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!” The man replied, “The woman whom you put here with me– she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it.” The Lord God then asked the woman, “Why did you do such a thing?” The woman answered, “The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it.”

Then the Lord God said to the serpent:

“Because you have done this, you shall be banned

from all the animals

and from all the wild creatures;

On your belly shall you crawl,

and dirt shall you eat

all the days of your life.

I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and hers;

He will strike at your head,

while you strike at his heel.”

The man called his wife Eve, because she became the mother of all the living.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd

R/ My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

“My heart exults in the Lord,

my horn is exalted in my God.

I have swallowed up my enemies;

I rejoice in my victory.”

R/ My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

“The bows of the mighty are broken,

while the tottering gird on strength.

The well-fed hire themselves out for bread,

while the hungry batten on spoil.

The barren wife bears seven sons,

while the mother of many languishes.”

R/ My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

“The Lord puts to death and gives life;

he casts down to the nether world;

he raises up again.

The Lord makes poor and makes rich,

he humbles, he also exalts.”

R/ My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

“He raises the needy from the dust;

from the dung heap he lifts up the poor,

To seat them with nobles

and make a glorious throne their heritage.”

R/ My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

Gospel Acclamation

cf. Luke 1:28

Alleluia, alleluia.

Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you;

blessed are you among women.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Or:

cf. Luke 1:45

Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are you, O Virgin Mary, who believed

that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Or:

cf. Luke 2:19

Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed is the Virgin Mary who kept the word of God

and pondered it in her heart.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Or:

Luke 11:28

Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are those who hear the word of God

and observe it.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Or:

Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, deserving of all praise;

from you rose the sun of justice, Christ our God.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Or:

Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are you, O Virgin Mary;

without dying you won the martyr’s crown

beneath the Cross of the Lord.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Either:

Gospel

Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23

For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham became the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. Boaz became the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse, Jesse the father of David the king.

David became the father of Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon became the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asaph. Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah. Uzziah became the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amos, Amos the father of Josiah. Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the Babylonian exile.

After the Babylonian exile, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel the father of Abiud. Abiud became the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor the father of Zadok. Zadok became the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, Eliud the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.

Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,

and they shall name him Emmanuel,

which means “God is with us.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Or:

Gospel

Matthew 1:18-23

For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,

and they shall name him Emmanuel,

which means “God is with us.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Or:

Gospel

Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

Take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt.

When the magi had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.” Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, Out of Egypt I called my son.

When Herod had died, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” He rose, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go back there. And because he had been warned in a dream, he departed for the region of Galilee. He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, He shall be called a Nazorean.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Or:

Gospel

Matthew 12:46-50

Stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, here are my mother and my brothers.

While Jesus was speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers appeared outside, wishing to speak with him. Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak with you.” But he said in reply to the one who told him, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Or:

Gospel

Luke 1:26-38

Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son.

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Or:

Gospel

Luke 1:39-47

Blessed is she who believed.

Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

And Mary said:

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;

my spirit rejoices in God my savior.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Or:

Gospel

Luke 2:1-14

She gave birth to her firstborn son.

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town. And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:

“Glory to God in the highest

and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Or:

Gospel

Luke 2:15b-19

Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.

The shepherds said to one another, “Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Or:

Gospel

Luke 2:27-35

You yourself a sword will pierce.

Simeon came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:

“Lord, now let your servant go in peace;

your word has been fulfilled;

my own eyes have seen the salvation

which you prepared in the sight of every people:

a light to reveal you to the nations

and the glory of your people Israel.”

The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted and you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Or:

Gospel

Luke 2:41-52

Your father and I have been looking for you.

Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Or:

Gospel

Luke 11:27-28

Blessed is the womb that carried you.

While Jesus was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” He replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Or:

Gospel

John 2:1-11

The mother of Jesus was there.

There was a wedding in Cana at Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told them, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” So they took it. And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from although the servers who had drawn the water knew, the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Or:

Gospel

John 19:25-27

Behold, your son. Behold, your mother.

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[kaitycole]

Letting Loose - Part Three

Summary: Madeleine’s stay in Turkey comes to an end.

Word Count: 1700

Pairings: Madeleine x Nash, Leo x Katie (sorta mentioned)

Rating: NSFW, fluff, heartbreak

Tag List: N/A

They head back to the hotel after an eventful day of walking around the small town. They explored a small farmer’s market where Nash convinced her to take a grape and eat it, they ventured into thrift shops and spent a decent amount of time ducking the paparazzi.

           They flop down on the couch, letting the exhaustion wash over them. Nash looks over at her, her cheeks and nose red from the sun and her hair thrown up in a bun, still damp from skinny dipping.

           She looks over at him, his shirt damp from sweat with a sloppy bun on his head. If he wasn’t already tan, she was positive he’d have red burns on him as well.

           “Thank you. For today.”

           “Of course, love.” He puts his arm around her shoulder and she leans into him.

*                      *

           “You are mine,” he grunts into her ear. His hot breath lighting her nerve endings on fire, she feels herself getting wetter.

           He turns her around and pushes her forward, her hands gripping the sides of the cold porcelain sink. Quickly, he jerks her legs back, pushing his cock into her. She lets out a small gasp as she adjusts to his full, hard thrusts.

           His hand snakes around her hip, his fingers beginning to tease her clit while his other hand slides up her back, his fingers tangle into her hair. She lets out a deep moan as he roughly pulls her hair, jerking her head upwards causing her to look into the mirror. She makes eye contact with him; his eyes darken with lust.

           Biting her lip, she spreads her legs wider apart as she pushes back into him. He groans as he begins to thrust harder and deeper into her causing her to moan in reply.

           Still teasing her clit, he untangles his fingers from her hair long enough to wrap them around her throat. She tries to look away, but he keeps her head looking straight into the mirror. He pulls out almost completely before ramming back into her and she starts to feel herself coming undone. She feels herself clenching around his cock as her rams into her, her moans getting louder and louder as she squeezes her eyes so tight she swears she’s seeing stars.

           Her hands to start to slip off the sides of the sink as she lets out a string of moans that are laced with his name. He can tell she’s at the end and quickens his thrusts again as he squeezes her throat. She starts groaning and grunting as her legs begin to shake, her breathing more rapid, before one deep thrust sends her over the edge. She screams out his name, barely able to stand on her own or grip the sink. She feels herself cum all over him as his thrusts lose rhythm, before he spills his cum inside her.

           “Now, whose are you?” He pulls his softened cock from her, causing her to inhale quickly.

           “Yours,” she whispers as he takes her into his arms, carrying her to the bed.

*                      *

           They had spent the last eight days together, dividing their time between adventuring the streets so Madi could learn to let loose and being intertwined in each other’s arms. Neither one dared mention the fact that Madeleine was due back in Cordonia tomorrow, which shocked them both. Both of them assumed it was just an infatuation that lead to a drunken one-night-stand.

           There’s this calming feeling, this comfort about being around and with Nash that Madeleine doesn’t want to let go of. For Nash, being around her brings out this desire to give her everything she wants and needs while protecting her at all cost.

           She rolls over to her side, not sure if he’s even awake, “Nash?”

           “Yes, love?” He rolls over, facing her even though the darkness of the room covers each of their faces.

           “I leave tomorrow.”

           “I know.”

           “I don’t want to.”

           “I know.”

           “Tell me to stay.”

           Nash pulls her to the middle of the bed before he rolls on top of her, using his knee to spread her legs apart before he pushes up into her. She lets out a gasp as he kisses her neck and slowly rocks his hip into her.

           They’ve been wrapped in each other’s arms and bed sheets several times over the last eight days they’ve spent together, but not like this. This time they weren’t just having sex, they weren’t fucking, this time they were making love.

           She moans softly against his neck as he softly groans into her ear between kissing her. His long hair is down, which each thrust it brushes up against her side, causing a ticklish sensation. His hand slides over and starts to gently brush his knuckles against her clit as she continues to moan in pleasure.

           Her rolls over, pulling her on top of him; looking up at him, he feels this deep sense of warmth wash over him. He leans forwards, kissing her deeply before she begins to slowly rock her hips against his. It’s not long until her speed picks up a little and she feels herself tightening around him as he spills himself into her. When she slips over the edge, she falls forward onto his chest. He pulls her tight against his chest, kissing the top of her head as they both drifted off to sleep.

*                      *

           Madeleine sits at the dining room table listening to her parents bicker. Her father couldn’t believe the magazine stories about her and Nash, or Mr. Man Bun as the tabloids coined him. He was going on and on about her honor and how no noble would want her now that she was tainted and of course he had to add just how disappointed in her he was. While her mother disagreed with her father, saying it was about time she let loose and enjoyed life.

*                      *

           Nash sits there at the bar, knocking back another beer. He’s lost count of how many this would make, but he isn’t very considered. It’s only been a week or so since Madeleine left, going back to her life as a noble and him becoming just some faint memory.

           He watched her change so much in their short time together. Going from a shy girl who made each move with hesitation to this confident woman, ready to take life the horns. Most of that was her own doing, but he still liked to think he helped her. That he was a part, even if it was a small one, of her becoming an even more amazing woman.

           Lost in thought, he doesn’t see his group of friends walk in and up behind him.

           “Still pining over that countess or whatever she was?” The dark-haired man hits him on the shoulder.

           He doesn’t say anything, continuing to nurse the beer in his hand. His buddies’ conversation buzzes in the background as he thinks of their last morning together.

           He wakes up first, careful not to let his stirring wake her. He loves seeing her this peaceful, the day’s problems not yet getting a hold of her. Often, he wondered what she could be dreaming of, but he usually settled on the idea that she was at her happy place. Wherever that may be.

           Saying goodbye is never easy for anyone, Nash was no exception to this. There was an unspoken understanding that this goodbye was a final goodbye. How often could a countess escape her life and mingle with someone so beneath her station. Just thinking of watching her walk away, suitcase in hand, cause tears to pool in his eyes.

           As gently as possible, he climbed off the bed and slips on his jeans and t-shirt. In a perfect world, they would go back to the café he took her to and while eating she’d decide to stay longer, maybe even forever. They pick a place on the map and move there, content with a life that was shaped around just the two of them. But alas, this was not a perfect world.

           Leaning down, he places a soft kiss on her forehead which causes her to roll to her other side before letting out a gentle sigh. He leaves a note on the nightstand, hoping she’d understand why he left this way and that he meant each word he penned on the paper.

           Before he can change his mind, he slips out the door, leaving the woman he had fallen in love with, sleeping with the words: “Until next time, love” scribbled beside her.

           His friend bumping into him brings him back to reality. He throws up a gesture for the bartender to bring him another beer.

           “Man, you got it bad,” his friend teases him, but failing to get a reaction from Nash, “Let it go, man, she was just fuck.”

           Everything moves in a blur, but he comes to when he grabs his friend’s collar, shoving him into the wall, “Do NOT speak about her like that.” He lets him go before he drops cash on the bar and storms out of the bar.

           I need to see her again.

*                      *

           It’d been the same argument for the last four weeks that she’d been home. Every meal was riddled with the whiplash of approval vs. disapproval. Her father continuously had suitors coming to the dutchy in hopes she’d quickly make a match to erase this black stain she apparently brought onto the family.

           However, this morning was different, she didn’t know if it was the constant anxiety she was feelings or the eggs that she ate, but her stomach wouldn’t settle. She quickly excuses herself, rushing to the bathroom where she throws up her breakfast.

           What on earth…wait…

           She pulls up an app on her phone, looking at this month before swiping to last before she pales. There’s a pink box under her sink, she pulls out a foil pack before opening it. She sits on the side of the tub, suddenly feeling very faint, before hearing her timer end. Picking up the small plastic test, her whole world stops.

           Two pink lines.

[muselixer]

ask meme - things my friends said ! ( volume four )

from October 2019 - December 2019 warnings: language, ns/fw themes, alcohol mentions, drug mentions change pronouns as needed! under the cut for your dashboard convenience

“That man took geometry.” “Have a blast, Freddy Krueger.” “Face God and walk backwards into the saltiest circle of Hell.” “Jerrypicking: You only pick guys named Jerry.” “I dab. Would you like to see?” “WE HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE GRAPES TO COOL.” “It’s hard to find scholarly sources on memes.” “Oh, prison!” “I retract my blep for twenty dollars.” “Nebraska’s not real.” “Don’t lick me, you criminal.” “My relationships are like Jeeps: unstable and changing with the slightest wind current.” “Listen, I’m a dumb bitch, you have to understand.” “It’s too late to leave at 10:30, so you HAVE to leave at 11 now.” “Damn, Japanese medicine is hardcore.” “Yeah, you do tend to piss a lot.” “Every wall seems fine, and then a fuckin’ Kyle shows up.” “Man, you put a microwave beat behind this, it’ll be sick.” “I was gonna say you look like Hagrid but a midget with a drinking problem, then I remember he already has a drinking problem.” “My sister? Kidnapped. Now I’m an edgy bitch.” “I’m not gonna take away your virgin roll.” “I wanna steal all the grapes and put ‘em in my room.” “Right, cabbage is poor people lettuce.” “Cabbage is like... non-trendy kale.” “You are like seven grapes.” “A melanin-American called me the gamer word in a Cabela’s.” “Bold new taste: RAM truck.” “Don’t wanna pay your bill? Just submerge it in ranch!” “Oh, Facebook. You diseased mother fucker.” “Hot take, Hitler was a brainlet.” “The Hobbit was a war crime.” “I just let fate decide and let the cream hit the back of my throat. It’s a strange experience.” “Look at me like I’m gay, not like I’m crazy.” “That’s a hot take, thank you.” “He’s not a homie.” “It’s like playing Marco Polo but the person you’re playing with has been dead for four years.” “It’s time to clock out of life.” “It’s illegal language Pokemon cards.” “Don’t fucking ask me questions, I’m stupid.” “If my name isn’t changed to ‘cheese boy’ in your phone, I’m gonna fucking riot.” “I didn’t expect the pen to go in so easy.” “Who needs heroin when you can dab?” “I’d say opioids are stronger than dabbing.” “Did you bring enough tiddy for everyone?” “So you’ll get his extra skin.” “You can’t kick me out! I’m already banned from Mattress Firm!” “Okay, but if I wasn’t ace, I’d be a total ho.” “Now, the urinal is a much harder concept.” “IF THE HUMANS DON’T LEAVE, THEY’LL RELEASE THE VAMPIRES TO THE PUBLIC.” “We are NOT about to lose a goliath to a fucking toilet.” “Stalin will steal your girlfriend.” “I was gonna say, my life is like a lamp, but you know, it never attracts anything good.” “I’m really good at SITTING and REACHING.” “It feels like a rabbit.” “We are CRACKHEADS, not dumbasses.” “I feel like Bruce Wayne, if Bruce Wayne was a twat.” “YOU MOTHERFUCKERS, YOU’RE SHITBAGGING ME.” “Tight. What’s a million dollars feel like?” “I’m not gonna pay reparations for your fucking potatoes.” “I don’t know what it is but it’s not marinara sauce.” “Do I look like a fucking panini to you?” “Oh, sorry, I’ve never played the mined crafts.” “I feel like a dried up red gel pen. Don’t ask me what that means.” “No real giraffes were harmed in the making of this painting.” “So violent, and over a triangle.” “You either die a monster or live long enough to become the monster fucker.” “YOU CAN PUT A RACCOON IN YOUR ASS!” “We had a fight club in the bathroom.” “Goals. Oh, I’m talking about something else. I also want my kneecaps shot out.” “HE GAVE HER A FREE PREGNANCY, AND HER PUSSY DIDN’T EVEN STRETCH!” “I can’t stop not breathing.” “Well then he’s not a school shooter, is he?” “If we’re both fuckin’ manic, who’s gonna keep track of what time it is?!” “I’m gonna go eat a pinecone.” “The lights said sit the fuck down.” “Oh, I just dabbed really hard.” “I have jaundice!” “I have your corn.” “Self care is yelling about your spiral, man. That’s it, that’s self care.” “I’M the offensive boy! I’M the one who doesn’t get invited to Christmas!” “I like my coffee crunchy.” “If my jokes don’t land, my hands sure fuckin’ will.” “There’s a vibe up in this bitch and I don’t know what it is but I feel it.” “Are you a pretzel? ARE YOU A FUCKING PRETZEL?” “THERE WAS A HUMAN IN THE SENTIENT TRASH CAN?!” “Okay, time to learn about this multiverse strip club.” “On behalf of cool people, LEARN THE DIFFERENCE.” “I like having feet.” “I’m gonna boycott life.” “I’m in the ‘it’s complicated’ phase with sleeping.” “And what happened to that? Now you can’t count.” “They’re called helmets because you’re met with hell when you put one on.” “Hold the fuck up, I’m putting everyone in buckets. Go the fuck to sleep.” “Oh, I’m gonna commit. ...A FELONY.” “I am but a fucking shit lawyer.” “Damn, people be posting.” “You are not fish! You are boy!” “I feel like... the tacos I ate earlier... are singing opera in my stomach.” “I’m gonna go bankrupt and it’ll be my own fault.” “Piss like a normal bitch.” “I might have a death wish, but I don’t have a blood kink.” “Go pee your pants before your mother does it for you.” “Please don’t fuck the slime. Please. Do not. Fuck. The slime. Thank you.” “I’ll seek therapy for my cursed furby images.” “Oh my god, tequila tastes like THAT? Shit.” “Papa John’s a single daddy now.” “Being a person supersedes being a skeleton.” “Y’know, y’know, it’s fine, because being a part of a cult is better than being a part of this family.” “No, no, okay, listen. You go to Red Lobster, ALONE. You turn to the waitress. And you say, ‘I will have the macaroni and cheese’.” “You’ve heard of elf on a shelf, now get ready for bitch in a ditch. It’s a picture of me, in a ditch.” “Oh dear god, when cockatiels are next to printers.” “OH MY GOD... I’M NEW BOOT GOOFIN’.” “I’m going out the way I went in: STRAPPED.”

[nysus-temple]

The harvest has been brought forward this year. After all, the grapes weren't ripe yet.

The ram that ate grapes, fragment from Chapter XXXIX Happy Valentine's Day !

"Dionysus…?" —asked the one with the helmet, leaning out from behind a tree.— "Are you awake?" "Now that I've heard you, yeah". Hermes stayed next to him, stood up. "Aren't you going to sit down?" "Huh? Oh, I guess…" He sat down, staying in a fetal position, resting his hands on his knees. The one with horns rested his head on the trunk of the tree, closing his eyes with a sigh. "Tell me something, Dionysus…" "Something". The one with winged sandals smacked him lightly on the arm. "Ouch. Fine, I hear you". "I really like to travel, I am the one who protects travelers for a reason" —he said— "but somehow, regardless of where I go, I always end up going back to Olympus". The horned god said nothing, he only opened his eyes, looking up at the sky, with his head still resting on the trunk of the tree. "It's my house, my home. My family is there." The taller one looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "The twins, my father, my stepmother, all my stepsiblings… From time to time I like to visit my mother, of course, but my stay with her is always temporary... I return once more to Olympus at the end". The other turned his head to stare at him directly in the eyes. "And, well, I suppose that you will also want to return home after everything that has happened... To you". Dionysus straightened up, letting both arms fall on his own legs. "Yes, I do want to". Hermes kept looking at his own hands, not knowing where to rest his gaze. "I… I've been a little ahead of the farewell, I know… But anyway, we'll see eachother another time, then". The one with the horns raised an eyebrow, looking at him in confusion. "Why are you looking at me like that? I mean, we will see each other again even if you return to Hades and such, but…" "To Hades? Is that what you understand by my home, Hermes?" The one with the helmet blinked several times, fixing his gaze on his companion in that moment. "That's my parents' home, not mine" —he explained.— "Of course I'll be there with them, just like you spend time with Maia". He stood up a little more, until his back rested fully on the trunk of the tree, instead of just the head. "But my home will always be Olympus. It's where you and the twins are, and I need you with me more than ever now". The shorter one smiled a little, nodding. "Yes" —he chuckled, crossing his legs.— "I admit that it reassures me to know that we are still important to you, despite everything that you have seen and heard… And felt". Dionysus narrowed his eyes for a while, then closed them completely after tilting his head back. "Staying on Olympus is the right decision to make now" —he said.— "It's what will allow me to be close to you." Hermes was startled, opening his eyes wide. "What…?" The one with horns stood up without answering. "Hey! Dionysus!" The aforementioned held out a hand. The shorter one looked at him arching an eyebrow, putting on his face an expression between annoyance and bewilderment at not being answered and not understanding what he was trying to do. "... What do you- ?" He looked up to meet his eyes. His eyes were still the same amber color as Persephone's, they hadn't changed in all that time. Dionysus still had his dark, tousled hair, falling to his shoulders. And the two horns decorating his head. "Since I set foot in this world, what has always filled me with happiness the most has been to have you between my arms, while that smile full of joy decorated your face". Hermes blinked several times while hearing him say all those words, he knew that he had heard them before. He grabbed Dionysus' hand to return the gesture, standing up quickly. And getting a surprise when the other pulled his arm to draw him towards his chest. "And if the mount where the gods dwell wasn't Olympus, I would have returned there anyway if you were a part of it". He could feel the blood pumping through Dionysus' heart. He listened to the pounding, the pounding of that heart that was once the last thing that remained of Zagreus. But Zagreus wasn't there anymore. Just Dionysus. And him.

[leal-5]

Tomb of Time Destiny Chapter 23

Juvia POV

A knock sounded at our door, and then a male servant peeked in. "Misses," he said. "We're here to escort you to the games."

"Come in," Erza said, waving him forward. Another came with him.

"Can you walk? Or should we carry you to your settee?"

"Let Juvia try to walk," I said, taking hold of each of their arms, but when I came to my feet, my knees crumpled beneath me and I felt a wave of nausea. From the pain? Or was it the medicine?

Luckily, the men had a firm grip on me and carried me on my bed to the hallway, with Lucy, Levy, and Erza right behind us.

"You okay?" Levy whispered to me.

"Y-yes," I said. I lifted my hand to my head. A wave of dizziness was there, then gone.

The doctor appeared then. Why hadn't I noticed him before? "Are you sure this won't exhaust you?"

I was sitting there, suspended in the air on a bed. It was all I could do not to laugh.

"Juvia doesn't think so," I managed to say.

"Well then, here is another dose of pain medicine," he said, handing me the bottle.

I gladly took a swig, ignoring the unpleasant taste, if it continued to keep that horrendous pain away, then I wasn't going to complain.

We went out to the courtyard, and I was a bit shocked at the hundreds of people that lined the edge, all sitting in chairs and beneath tented roofs, shielding themselves from the sun. Simon smiled and strode over to us, his cousins at his side, as the servants set me on a platform. I just barely kept my squeal in when I noticed the way Jellal's breath caught in his chest when Erza stepped out in all her ball gowned glory.

I caught sight of his father, beside him sat Carmen's and Ava's father followed by Carmen and Ava themselves. I didn't dare look to see where Gray was.

Simon turned toward us and urged us to him so that two of us were on each of his side.

"Ladies and gentlemen," called Simon. "I present at last, the warriors that turned the tide for Fairytail, the she-wolves."

I had expected a cheer, applause, shouting. But what happened next was something I'd never forget.

Every man, woman, and child stood, and as one they bowed or curtsied, as if we were royalty before them. Just like in Mulan. It was deathly quiet, and in the hush, a wave of honor swept over me. I was overwhelmed. I glanced at Lucy and Levy, who looked like they were about to cry, lifting a hand to their lips.

"Fairy Tail is forever in your debt." Makarov said. "Whatever you need, whenever you need it, ask it of us and it will be yours."

"Thank you." Erza said after a moment. "We did only what anyone else in Fairy Tail would have done, had they been in our places. And we would do it again, for Fairy Tail."

He smiled and raised a goblet in the air. "Well said. With that, I declare these games officially begun." And then he rammed the goblet down, and it shattered into a thousand pieces across the cobblestones.

The crowd cheered and returned to their seats as the jousting line was erected.

We watched through twelve grueling rounds of jousting, wincing whenever the lance struck a man. As hardcore as we were, there was something about trying to pierce a man on a horse with a long lance that was a bit... unnerving. Several men somersaulted over the backs of their horses, sending the crowd into a riot of laughter and shouts.

But then Gray entered the courtyard on his steed. He rode over to Ava, and she rose and prettily handed him her hand, which he took and kissed. Gray never so much as glanced in my direction, which was a good thing because if he had he would have seen me hunched over, breathing heavily, and with my shoulders shaking slightly.

"I'm sorry, Juvia," Lucy whispered urgently, laying her hand gently on my arm. "But you need to pull yourself toge-" Lucy frowned when she was that Erza was also hunched over with her shoulders shaking. She shot a questioning glance to Levy, who looked as confused as she was.

"Are...are you laughing?!" They whisper-screech after they lean closer to us.

I fight back more giggles as I weakly shake my head in denial while wiping the tears from my face. "N-no," I clear my throat along with Erza.

"Of course not." Erza said after a moment when we finally regained control of ourselves. For about five seconds that is. All it took was my snort to send us into another fit of giggles.

"Okay, so Juvia and Erza are officially broken..." Lucy muttered while sweat dropping.

"I knew we shouldn't have stayed here so long." Levy muttered.

"N-no," I said, waving my hands as if to calm them down. "It's just that they always have these little corny chivalry moments that remind us of those ridiculous shows and movies you make us watch."

"We honestly didn't think they actually did things like that." Erza finished for me, still catching her breath. I had to bite my lip to prevent myself from laughing again. Levy sighed and excused herself to go to the bathroom and Erza accompanied her. Ever since the Bora incident she didn't want neither Levy or Lucy alone at any time while he was near.

Coughing, I adjust myself on my seat, wincing a bit from my wound, just as Gray was lowering his helmet. Was it my imagination or did I just see his eyes slide over to me for but a half second? No, impossible. I really need to stop imagining these things. We're about to leave after all.

His eyes were set dead ahead then, studying no one else but his opponent.

"Tell me when it is over," I whispered to Lucy, feeling another wave of nausea. The flag came down, the riders urged their horses into a gallop, and I closed my eyes.

I heard the pounding of hooves and then, impact. The crowd cheered. I peeked up and took half a breath when I saw Gray still on his horse. He was looking at Ava, and I looked there too. But she was staring at me, eyes wide and then narrowing in suspicion. Wah! Oh, nonono now she suspects! I looked over to Lucy.

"A cup of water," I whispered, lifting a hand to my head as another wave of dizziness passed through me.

She rose and then hesitated.

I blinked and dragged my eyes to look where she was looking. To my great surprise, Gray was there in front of me, still on his horse, helmet off, hair blowing about in the breeze.

"Juvia, are your alright?" he asked, his brows furrowed in concern.

Fighting back a blush, I smile weakly and say, " Fine, I'm fine."

He frowned and opened his mouth, but luckily the archery round was announced at that moment.

"Raise the handkerchief if you need to leave," Gray said, repeating our earlier agreement, then trotted off to the end of the courtyard.

Lucy was there then with my wate and I drank, glad to have something to do. I felt the heavy gaze of the crowd on me, assessing, wondering. Gray had paid homage to his bride-to-be, but in the end, as victor, it was me he had gone to. I silently cursed Gray for doing this to me. For confusing me. I cursed my sick stomach. If only I'd kept calm, had not shifted, I might not have caught his eye....

"Lucy, could you bring Juvia some bread?" I whispered.

"I'll send some back," she whispered, looking at me meaningfully. "I'm on deck."

I followed her glance to the ring, where ten targets were set up. When Lucy and Levy rose, the crowd went berserk, cheering, beside themselves to see her in action. Bora rose from Carmen's side, bent, whispered something in her ear, then left her. In the gap he left, I spotted the doctor, but when I caught his eye, he moved away, as if not wishing to be seen. I frowned, puzzling over that.

Such an odd guy.

"Are you worried for your sister?" Natsu asked, sitting beside me. He handed me a plate of bread, cheese, and grapes. "She sent you this."

"You are her servant now?" I asked wryly.

"In every way." He grinned. "She has captured my heart and now she'll capture everyone else's too. I'll have no hope to compete for her. Here, hold my hand," he said, reaching for my right. "Maybe it'll make her jealous."

I couldn't help but laugh. He was so melodramatic. And totally charming. I couldn't believe Lucy hadn't fallen for him, too. She usually liked the guys who made her laugh.

But then we'd both be torn. I watched as Gray took his seat beside Ava again, covering her hand with his. I slowly ate a piece of bread, forcing myself to chew and swallow. The medicine was probably hard on my tummy. If I had taken it in modern times, it'd probably come with the take-it-with-food warning.

The targets were set out, and when Lucy and Levy reached for an arrow in the quiver on their backs, the crowd went nuts again. I smiled as they drew their arrows, pulled, and let them fly at the master's count. Everyones struck within the first two rings of their targets, but my theirs hit dead center. The crowd applauded, and the archers counted out ten more paces, and again let arrows fly. All again were within the first two rings of the center.

Erza returned just when I saw Bora lean over and say something to Lucy. She paused, and I felt Natsu's hand tighten over mine. Then Bora turned and smirked in our direction. The skin beneath one eye was slightly purple where Natsu had decked him.

"Calm down, Natsu," I cautioned, holding on to him.

Erza nodded in agreement "She'll see this through to the end."

He said nothing, which was so uncharacteristic of him that I worried over it. I hoped Bora wouldn't dare to say anything more to Lucy or- God forbid Levy. I was sure I wouldn't be able to hold Gajeel back from pounding him. Also, they'll never let him win if he continues to goad them.

The archers walked ten more paces, let arrows fly, and three of them were eliminated, trudging out of the courtyard in defeat.

With seven left, pigeons were released, all painted in colors that matched the archer's arrow tips. They had to find their targets and bring them down. Levy let one arrow fly, and it missed the bird, but she was already taking aim again and, with the second arrow, brought the creature down just before it escaped over the wall.

The crowd exploded in shouts and laughter and excitement again. Only four had managed to come this far. I wondered for a moment if the emotions of killing a bird would slow them down, but with one look at their faces, I knew we were sunk.

Erza and I groaned.

They wasn't going to let Bora win.

"What is it?" Natsu asked, leaning toward me. "They're doing as great!"

"Nothing. Never mind," I said, shaking my head. I take another bite of bread into my mouth, chewed, feeling a pang in my gut and another wave of nausea.

What would happen if one of them was the victor? Who would be the victor? Lucy and Levy have always been very competitive with each other when it came to archery. Would it make Bora more of a lethal threat to us? It was all so complicated. His relationship with the Carmen's family, their relationship with Fairy Tail...

The games master was calling out the next challenge. Men on the allures above us were carrying hay bales bound to a leather shield. They would appear in random places. The first archer to stick five of them would be declared the victor.

"No," Natsu growled. "Of all the thoughtless, crass decisions..."

I bit my lip. It was too much like Phantom Lord. Too much like that night. Would they dissolve into tears? The others drew arrows across their bows. Two looked at Levy and Lucy with concern, as if guessing at what might have given her pause. The games master shouted his count, and arrows began flying. Bora struck one, turned towards them with a smirk. They tilted their chins in defiance before he turned and fired again, hitting the second. I gripped Natsu's hand, hard again.

The crowd hushed, watching the drama play out before them like a silent movie. They kept staring at Bora, who was aiming at a third moving target, narrowly missing it. Then as if snapping out of their stupor, they suddenly sprang into action, on the move, back to back, searching, locking onto their target, drawing once, twice, thrice, hitting three targets in quick succession.

They looked like true warriors.

Men shouted. Women shrieked. But I knew they heard nothing, acting like they were back at the castle that fateful night. Bora frowned and held a hand out to her, as if complaining about their method, but they both took their fourth down before he had a chance to bring his hand back to his own bow.

There was only one target left and they both aimed for it, their arrows meeting in the center of it in a tie.

Children ran out and surrounded them, arms up, dancing. The crowd followed, lifting them onto their shoulders. Nastu and Gajeel gave a loud roar of approval.

They blinked in confusion when it was over and their concentrated expressions disappeared into an apologetic look as if to say, 'Sorry! Couldn't help it!'

Erza sighed and I smiled.

After all, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

"Wait a minute- A tie?!" Lucy cried out, squinting at the final target.

"Again?!" Levy raged, crossing her arms and pouting. "And I was eager to see who the better archer was."

I could but throw my head back and laugh.

[thestreamofconsciousness777]

They are singing the song of Moses the slave of God and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and wonderful are your works, Jehovah God, the Almighty...

“And Moses proceeded to speak in the hearing of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song until their completion:

Give ear, O heavens, and let me speak;  And let the earth hear the sayings of my mouth.

My instruction will drip as the rain, My saying will trickle as the dew, As gentle rains upon grass And as copious showers upon vegetation.

For I shall declare the name of Jehovah. Do YOU attribute greatness to our God!

The Rock, perfect is his activity, For all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness, with whom there is no injustice; Righteous and upright is he.

They have acted ruinously on their own part; They are not his children, the defect is their own. A generation crooked and twisted!

Is it to Jehovah that YOU keep doing this way, O people stupid and not wise? Is he not your Father who has produced you, He who made you and proceeded to give you stability?

Remember the days of old, CONSIDER the years back from generation to generation; Ask your father, and he can tell you; Your old men, and they can say it to you.

When the Most High gave the nations an inheritance, When he parted the sons of Adam from one another, He proceeded to fix the boundary of the peoples With regard for the number of the sons of Israel.

For Jehovah’s share is his people; Jacob is the allotment that he inherits.

He came to find him in a wilderness land, And in an empty, howling desert. He began to encircle him, to take care of him, To safeguard him as the pupil of his eye.

Just as an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its fledglings, Spreads out its wings, takes them, Carries them on its pinions,

Jehovah alone kept leading him, And there was no foreign god along with him.

He kept making him ride upon earth’s high places, So that he ate the produce of the field. And he kept making him suck honey out of a crag, And oil out of a flinty rock;

Butter of the herd and milk of the flock Together with the fat of rams, And male sheep, the breed of Ba’shan, and he-goats Together with the kidney fat of wheat; And the blood of the grape you kept drinking as wine.

When Jesh’u·run began to grow fat, then he kicked.

You have grown fat, you have become thick, you have become gorged. So he forsook God, who made him, And despised the Rock of his salvation.

They began inciting him to jealousy with strange gods; With detestable things they kept offending him.

They went sacrificing to demons, not to God, Gods whom they had not known, New ones who recently came in, With whom YOUR forefathers were not acquainted.

The Rock who fathered you, you proceeded to forget, And you began to leave God out of memory, the One bringing you forth with childbirth pains.

When Jehovah saw it, then he came to disrespect them, Because of the vexation his sons and his daughters gave.

So he said, ‘Let me conceal my face from them, Let me see what their end will be afterward. For they are a generation of perverseness, Sons in whom there is no faithfulness.

They, for their part, have incited me to jealousy with what is no god; They have vexed me with their vain idols; And I, for my part, shall incite them to jealousy with what is no people; With a stupid nation I shall offend them.

For a fire has been ignited in my anger And it will burn down to She’ol, the lowest place, And it will consume the earth and its produce And will set ablaze the foundations of mountains.

I shall increase calamities upon them; My arrows I shall spend upon them.

Exhausted from hunger they will be and eaten up by burning fever And bitter destruction. And the teeth of beasts I shall send upon them, With the venom of reptiles of the dust.

Outdoors a sword will bereave them, And indoors fright, Of both young man and virgin, Suckling together with gray-haired man.

I should have said: “I shall disperse them, I will make the mention of them cease from mortal men,”

Were it not that I was afraid of vexation from the enemy, That their adversaries might misconstrue it, That they might say: “Our hand has proved superior, And it was not Jehovah who worked all this out.”

For they are a nation on whom counsel perishes, And among them there is no understanding.

O that they were wise! Then they would ponder over this. They would consider their end afterward.

How could one pursue a thousand, And two put ten thousand to flight? Not unless their Rock had sold them And Jehovah had surrendered them.

For their rock is not like our Rock, Even our enemies being the ones to decide.

For their vine is from the vine of Sod’om And from the terraces of Go·mor’rah. Their grapes are grapes of poison, Their clusters are bitter.

Their wine is the venom of big snakes And the cruel poison of cobras.

Is it not laid up with me, With a seal affixed to it in my storehouse?

Vengeance is mine, and retribution. At the appointed time their foot will move unsteadily, For the day of their disaster is near, And the events in readiness for them do make haste.’

For Jehovah will judge his people And he will feel regret over his servants, Because he will see that support has disappeared And there is only a helpless and worthless one.

And he will certainly say, ‘Where are their gods, The rock in whom they sought refuge,

Who used to eat the fat of their sacrifices, To drink the wine of their drink offerings? Let them get up and help YOU. Let them become a concealment place for YOU.

SEE now that I—I am he And there are no gods together with me. I put to death, and I make alive. I have severely wounded, and I—I will heal, And there is no one snatching out of my hand.

For I raise my hand to heaven [in an oath], And I do say: “As I am alive to time indefinite,”

If I do indeed sharpen my glittering sword, And my hand takes hold on judgment, I will pay back vengeance to my adversaries And render retribution to those who intensely hate me.

I shall intoxicate my arrows with blood, While my sword will eat flesh, With the blood of the slain and the captives, With the heads of the leaders of the enemy.’

Be glad, YOU nations, with his people, For he will avenge the blood of his servants, And he will pay back vengeance to his adversaries And will indeed make atonement for the ground of his people.”

Thus Moses came and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he and Ho·she’a the son of Nun. After Moses finished speaking all these words to all Israel, he went on to say to them: “Apply YOUR hearts to all the words that I am speaking in warning to YOU today, that YOU may command YOUR sons to take care to do all the words of this law. For it is no valueless word for YOU, but it means YOUR life, and by this word YOU may lengthen YOUR days upon the soil to which YOU are crossing the Jordan to take possession of it.”

And Jehovah proceeded to speak to Moses on this same day, saying: “Go up into this mountain of Ab’a·rim, Mount Ne’bo, which is in the land of Mo’ab, which fronts toward Jer’i·cho, and see the land of Ca’naan, which I am giving to the sons of Israel as a possession. Then die on the mountain into which you are going up, and be gathered to your people, just as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and got to be gathered to his people; for the reason that YOU men acted undutifully toward me in the middle of the sons of Israel at the waters of Mer’i·bah of Ka’desh in the wilderness of Zin; for the reason that YOU men did not sanctify me in the middle of the sons of Israel. For from a distance you will see the land, but you will not go there into the land that I am giving to the sons of Israel.”

Now this is the blessing with which Moses the man of the [true] God blessed the sons of Israel before his death.  And he proceeded to say:

“Jehovah—from Si’nai he came, And he flashed forth from Se’ir upon them. He beamed forth from the mountainous region of Pa’ran, And with him were holy myriads, At his right hand warriors belonging to them.

He was also cherishing his people; All their holy ones are in your hand. And they—they reclined at your feet; They began to receive some of your words.

(Moses laid as a command upon us a law, A possession of the congregation of Jacob.)

And he came to be king in Jesh’u·run, When the heads of the people gathered themselves, The entire number of the tribes of Israel.

Let Reu’ben live and not die off, And let his men [not] become few.”

And this was Judah’s [blessing], as he went on to say:

“Hear, O Jehovah, the voice of Judah, And may you bring him to his people. His arms have contended for what is his; And may you prove yourself a helper from his adversaries.”

And as to Le’vi he said:

“Your Thum’mim and your U’rim belong to the man loyal to you, Whom you put to the test at Mas’sah. You began to contend with him by the waters of Mer’i·bah,

The man who said to his father and his mother, ‘I have not seen him. ’Even his brothers he did not acknowledge, And his sons he did not know. For they kept your saying, And your covenant they continued to observe.

Let them instruct Jacob in your judicial decisions And Israel in your law. Let them render up incense before your nostrils And a whole offering on your altar.

Bless, O Jehovah, his vital energy, And may you show pleasure in the activity of his hands. Wound severely in their hips those who rise up against him, And those who intensely hate him, that they may not rise up.”

As to Benjamin he said:

“Let the beloved one of Jehovah reside in security by him, While he shelters him the whole day, And he must reside between his shoulders.”

And as to Joseph he said:

“May his land be continually blessed from Jehovah With the choice things of heaven, with dew, And with the watery deep lying down below,

And with the choice things, the products of the sun, And with the choice things, the yield of the lunar months,

And with the choicest from the mountains of the east, And with the choice things of the indefinitely lasting hills,

And with the choice things of the earth and its fullness, And with the approval of the One residing in the thornbush. May they come upon the head of Joseph And upon the crown of the head of the one singled out from his brothers.

As the firstborn of a bull his splendor is, And his horns are the horns of a wild bull. With them he will push peoples All together to the ends of the earth, And they are the tens of thousands of E’phra·im, And they are the thousands of Ma·nas’seh.”

And as to Zeb’u·lun he said:

“Rejoice, O Zeb’u·lun, in your going out, And, Is’sa·char, in your tents.

Peoples to the mountain they will call. There they will sacrifice the sacrifices of righteousness. For they will suck the abounding wealth of the seas And the hidden hoards of the sand.”

And as to Gad he said:

“Blessed is the one widening the borders of Gad. As a lion he must reside, And he must tear the arm, yes, the crown of the head.

And he will pick out the first part for himself, For there the allotment of a statute-giver is reserved. And the heads of the people will gather themselves together. The righteousness of Jehovah will he certainly execute And his judicial decisions with Israel.”

And as to Dan he said:

“Dan is a lion cub. He will leap out from Ba’shan.”

And as to Naph’ta·li he said:

“Naph’ta·li is satisfied with the approval And full of the blessing of Jehovah. Do take possession of the west and south.”

And as to Ash’er he said:

“Blessed with sons is Ash’er. Let him become one approved by his brothers, And one dipping his foot in oil.

Iron and copper are your gate locks, And in proportion to your days is your leisurely walk.

There is none like the [true] God of Jesh’u·run, Who rides upon heaven in help of you And upon cloudy skies in his eminence.

A hiding place is the God of ancient time, And underneath are the indefinitely lasting arms. And he will drive away from before you the enemy, And he will say, ‘Annihilate [them]!’

And Israel will reside in security, The fountain of Jacob by itself, Upon a land of grain and new wine. Yes, his heavens will let the dew drip down.

Happy you are, O Israel! Who is there like you, A people enjoying salvation in Jehovah, The shield of your help, And the One who is your eminent sword? So your enemies will cringe before you, And you—upon their high places you will tread.”

Then Moses proceeded to go up from the desert plains of Mo’ab into Mount Ne’bo, to the top of Pis’gah, which fronts toward Jer’i·cho. And Jehovah went showing him all the land, Gil’e·ad as far as Dan, and all Naph’ta·li and the land of E’phra·im and Ma·nas’seh and all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, and the Neg’eb and the District, the valley plain of Jer’i·cho, the city of the palm trees, as far as Zo’ar.

And Jehovah went on to say to him: “This is the land about which I have sworn to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘To your seed I shall give it.’ I have caused you to see it with your own eyes, as you will not cross over there.”

After that Moses the servant of Jehovah died there in the land of Mo’ab at the order of Jehovah. And he proceeded to bury him in the valley in the land of Mo’ab in front of Beth-pe’or, and nobody has come to know his grave down to this day. And Moses was a hundred and twenty years old at his death. His eye had not grown dim, and his vital strength had not fled. And the sons of Israel proceeded to weep for Moses on the desert plains of Mo’ab thirty days. At length the days of weeping of the mourning period for Moses were completed.

And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hand upon him; and the sons of Israel began to listen to him and they went doing just as Jehovah had commanded Moses. But there has never yet risen up a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom Jehovah knew face to face, as respects all the signs and the miracles that Jehovah sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Phar’aoh and all his servants and all his land, and as regards all the strong hand and all the great awesomeness that Moses exercised before the eyes of all Israel.

-Dueteronomy 31:30 - 32-34, NWT

I Will Sing and Make Melody to Jehovah