#Chapter14

[browneyesandhair]

Correct Bridgerton Quotes

Colin: It is necessary. For God's sake, Penelope, I arrived with you. I made it abundantly clear that I required your presence in the room, and I practically shoved Felicity out the door to fetch her watercolors. Why on Earth would anyone think that I wanted Felicity?

Lady Featherington: I love Penelope, of course, but -

Colin: But do you know her? She's lovely and intelligent and has a fine sense of humor. Who wouldn't want to marry a woman like that?

Penelope: *whispers* Thank you

[theformulaforsuccess]

Join Douglas Vandergraph as he dives deep into The Six Ghosts of Fear - lessons from Chapter 14 of Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. In this enlightening video, Douglas unravels the six most common fears that hold us back from achieving true success and shows you how to overcome them. Whether it's the fear of poverty, criticism, ill health, loss of love, old age, or death, understanding these fears is the first step toward mastering them. Don't let these "ghosts" stand in your way—watch now and start your journey toward a fearless, prosperous life.

#ThinkAndGrowRich #NapoleonHill #OvercomingFear #PersonalDevelopment #SelfImprovement #WealthBuilding #MindsetMastery #FearOfPoverty #FearOfCriticism #SuccessMindset #DouglasVandergraph

[3schia]

CHAPTER 13 

“ENTER THE COMPANY” 

[JANUARY 2015] 

“Yes, you must be his favorite employee... 

Once you get accepted, you will leave my home.  

I’ll find you a solo apartment in Madrid. 

Steven is aware that I’m living here in Barcelona.  

He should never have any idea that we know each other.  

You must live in Madrid, so he won’t find you suspicious when you start approaching him.” 

“I know, right.” 

“These coming weeks, I’ll teach you to drive. We’ll buy your own car tomorrow.” 

“Really? Yey!” 

“Well, it’s part of the plan... And hey, prepare yourself today, we’ll buy your office attire, and all the other things you’ll need. You must look more formal. I also bought you a perfume.” 

“I don’t wear perfume, actually.” 

“I also noticed that, but you must...  

Then, I’ll give you tips to pass the interviews.” 

--- 

[MARCH 2015] 

Welcome, self, to VenZon Corporación! 

Isla, the financial analyst. 

The coworkers are just fine. 

It’s good to meet people with different personalities.  

Introverts, extroverts, and ambiverts.  

There are also weirdos, serious, comedians, etc. 

Here I met a very friendly and sweet girl, Jasmine, who became a friend of mine. 

We’re the ones who eat lunch together. 

We became closer as time passed. 

- 

Then, here’s a project of the company that’s about maximizing profitability. Our group is composed of six members: me, Charlotte, Emma, Zoe, Toby, and Rey.  

We started thinking about it... 

Everyone contributed their ideas, especially Emma, Zoe, Rey, and me. 

Then, here’s a sudden request by Steven and Jazon to present the output to them, though it’s still ongoing. 

I thought it would be among the four of us who contributed most that would present, but guess what?  

This bratty Charlotte insisted on presenting it to Steven and Jazon when we had the meeting, making the impression that most ideas came from her. LOL. 

Another toxic trait I discovered about them was that when I put a wrong question in the file wherein, we have individual tasks of the same aspect, two other coworkers expressed their concern to me by telling me that they heard conversations about it, saying that it's wrong.  

To me, what is the point of saying it out loud when I'm not around and my other coworkers who were not part of the project are hearing it?  

Why not just send me a private message so I can correct it myself?  

Besides, it’s just one mistake out of five questions I constructed there.  

But the funny thing is, when I opened the file, all the other questions they put in their respective tabs were like the questions I put in there.  

It's just that each of them just revised the sentence. 

?????  O_o  ????? 

So, I was like, “Ha?” XD 

Is this a normal attitude in the corporate world? 

For the desire of proving to others that they are wiser than me (if that’s their belief in being wise, LOL), they failed at considering this so-called “empathy”.  

What kind of world do we live in? 

We failed again as humans XD 

-- 

ISLA: So, yeah. That’s what happened. Steven and Jazon are not noticing me that much. 

GRAY: Well, you must find ways for them to notice you more, especially Steven. You have no choice but to outpower them.  

ISLA: I’m making ways. 

GRAY: We came this far, Isla. Do better. 

--- 

One day, we have this examination, which is an important part of promotion. 

Jasmine was just beside me. The questions are being reflected on our laptops all at the same time. I heard Jasmine whisper answers to some questions, making me think that those were her answers, so I just copied them since she’s more experienced than me. 

After the exam, the results just reflected on our screen with our original answers and the correct ones... 

I got 8/15 

Jasmine got 12/15 

“I thought C was your answer to question number 4?” I asked. 

“I also thought of that, but I had a change of mind.” Jasmine answered. 

Then, I sneaked a look to her answers in the questions in which she whispered answers.  

And guess what?  

She got the correct answers to those certain questions, while I got the wrong ones. 

Instead of questioning her again, 

I just ignored it even if I was obviously misled by her! 

Maybe her head got hit by a rock that made her a psychotic bch?  

Or maybe she had a seizure before?  

Hmmm. 

Well, it doesn’t matter.  

But one thing is for sure, she’s a toxic manipulative bch! 

--- 

One day, Jasmine invited me to her 28th birthday celebration.  

I didn’t want to come, but she insisted, so I came.  

I just said to myself that after this, I would make a move to distance myself from her. 

- 

So, here we are at their home, and I met her dad, Victor. 

A lot of her friends came to her birthday party, as well as his dad’s neighbor friends. 

Then, I roamed outside their house to see their plants.  

They have plenty of it.  

And then I heard their two neighbors gossiping at the back of their house... 

NEIGHBOR 1: I heard Jasmine’s mom finally has a new husband. 

NEIGHBOR 2:  Yeah, good for her. 

NEIGHBOR 1:  Why do you think they broke up? 

NEIGHBOR 2:  We don’t know the real reason why. But we know Victor has an attitude. He’s full of himself. A narcissist. Like... He can’t accept being outshined by others, he always competes, and he always wants to be the favorite.  

NEIGHBOR 1:  No wonder Jasmine is with him when she’s supposed to be with her mother. 

NEIGHBOR 2:  We’re not sure, but that may be a reason. Do you think he’s just gay? 

NEIGHBOR 1: I don’t think so. 

The saying, “Fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree,” is damn so real. 

That dark side of Jasmine has finally made sense to me. >_< 

Like f*ck?

What a toxic gene? XD 

You can run, but you can’t hide, Jasmine XD 

Then I finally made the move to distance myself from her by joining other close coworkers I am working with. And guess what?  

Since I’m the one who looked for new friends, some coworkers expressed that they are on the side of Jasmine by limiting their interaction with me, without knowing what truly happened in the past.  

Besides, she’s more approachable and friendly compared to me.  

So, yeah! I’m the villain of the story in the eyes of people who don’t know the full story!  

What kind of world do we live in?!  

Full of f*ckng playing the victim! 

Jasmine, the $htty psycho bch, you know what you did –,^  

You will continuously deny it to others,  

but you can never deny it to yourself –,^ 

--- 

[AUGUST 2015] 

And then here’s an individual project given by Steven to propose ideas that will boost sales, which we will individually execute.  

I came up with the idea of establishing a stronger digital presence.  

Other coworkers came up with ideas such as making new cups’ designs,  

reusable cups for a 5% discount, gifting more rewards, etc.  

This will be observed in the coming months to see which idea will yield the most profit. 

- 

“Happy 33rd Birthday, Gray!” 

Chess – work – chess – work. 

That’s been my life for a couple of months. 

“Merry Christmas!” 

“Happy New Year!” 

- 

“What happened? ”  “Well, based on the survey, the best idea generated a 10% increase in profit.” 

“How much increase has your idea generated?” 

“Ten!” 

So, what’s the 6th ordinance, Master Libra? 

#TheFifthOrdinance 

#JasmineTheSilentKillerTheGaslighter 

#FruitDoesn’tFallFarFromTheTree 

#YouKnowWhatYouDid 

#TheFeelingWiseCoworkers 

#IslaTheFavoriteEmployee 

CHAPTER 14 

“MAKE THEM SECRETLY HATE EACH OTHER” 

[FEBRUARY 2016] 

“First, make the two of them fall for you.” 

>>> Executed! <<< 

ISLA: They are both showing motives. 

But, you know, Steven has too much pride. 

GRAY: Just act like you don't feel it.  Make it a bit obvious to Steven that you and Jazon are dating secretly. With that, he will find more ways to be closer to you. Remember, he’s a Scorpio. Scorpios are known as jealous, possessive, and overly emotional in love. 

ISLA: How? 

GRAY: Jazon likes giving purple dresses to his ex-girlfriends.  

ISLA: He gave me three just this Valentine’s Day. 

GRAY: Wear it in your office.  

ISLA: Okay, I will.  

GRAY: Have movie dates with Jazon. 

ISLA: Then?  

GRAY: Just continue doing it. Make them secretly hate each other.  

ISLA: Alright.  

~ dates, dates, dates ~ 

--- 

“Nice dress!” Steven said. 

“Thanks, Sir!” 

- 

ISLA: Steven gave me an individual project. He told me to keep it to myself. 

GRAY: Oh! That’s just his technique, so you can have an exclusive meeting. 

ISLA: Yeah. That’s what I also feel. He often looks at my purple dresses. He’s approaching me more than the other coworkers. 

GRAY: Just do your best on that project. I’ll help you. 

~ work, date, work, date, work, date ~ 

STEVEN: Isla, come to this address on Sunday. Present to me your project. 

ISLA: Esperanza Librería? Is it yours? 

STEVEN: Yeah. 

ISLA: Oh, nice. 

- 

And then it’s Sunday... 

I simply presented my project to him, and he praised me for it. 

After this, we had our lunch just in his library. 

“What do you usually do on weekends?” Steven asked. 

“Hmm. Just hanging out sometimes and watching movies.” I answered. 

“With?” 

“Hmm. Friends!” 

“Oh. What kind of movies do you watch?”  “Love stories. How about you?” 

“Sci-Fi movies.” 

“Oh. You really are a serious type.” I said.  “Not really.”  “Wews!”  “Why do you say so?” Steven asked. 

“Hmm. I just feel.” I replied. 

“That’s how most people see me.”  

“Because that’s how you usually appear. Well, of course you have sides that you can only show to certain people.” I said. 

“Right!” Steven replied. 

“Well, you can show me that side.” 

Steven laughed. ~ 

“Are you free this coming weekend?” He asked. 

“Where are we going?” I asked. 

“Where do you want?” 

“Anywhere you want.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah!” 

“Aren’t you dating anyone?” He asked. 

“I’m not.” 

“See you this weekend. Come to this address.” 

“Is it your home?” 

“It’s not.” 

- 

ISLA: I'm getting Steven slowly. How can I finally make him mine?  

GRAY: I know one of his weaknesses.  

ISLA: What?  

GRAY: Every man's weakness.  

ISLA: Sex?  

GRAY: Is there anything else?  

ISLA: Fine.  

. 

. 

. 

GRAY: Are you sure about this? Aren't you afraid? 

ISLA: I have nothing to be afraid of. MY FAITH IS DEAD, AND SO AM I. 

GRAY: Why do you say so? 

ISLA: I felt tired living this way, in so much pain. 

My old self was gone.  

I'm just existing in this body.  

I don’t even know who I am.   

They say...  

Pisces people are forgiving. But I guess... I am an exception. 

--- 

ISLA: I’m tired. 

GRAY: You can’t be tired until we make it. 

ISLA: Are you a blessing from Above? Or a curse in disguise? 

GRAY: It’s up to you how you’ll see me. To me, you are my ally in this mission. 

ISLA:  Why would I be good if the world was bad?  

GRAY: You're not bad, Isla. You're just put in this situation. I'm the one who's bad.  

ISLA: No, you're not, and I feel it. There were just people not worthy of your kindness, but you know? They are not the only people in this world.  

GRAY: You're also not bad, and I feel it. There were just people not worthy of your kindness, but you know? They are not the only people in this world. 

. 

. 

. 

I'm older than you, but I keep learning from you.  

ISLA: Me, too...  

GRAY: Do you sometimes wonder why some righteous people live shorter lives than the bad ones? 

ISLA: Yeah, of course. 

GRAY:  Do you think it’s unfair? 

ISLA: Yap. But this life is mysterious. Everything really happens for a reason. The righteous may live shorter, maybe because they are finally worthy of seeing the light. While the others may live longer since they are not yet worthy of it. 

GRAY: But that’s not always the case. 

ISLA: I know. I’m just giving you a different perception. What’s one lesson from me that you’ll never forget? 

GRAY: It’s to set aside principles when it’s a matter of life and death. Is it inspired by your life’s experiences? 

ISLA: I once lost someone when I chose religion over money. 

GRAY: Can you tell me exactly? 

ISLA: Well, that’s a happening in my life that I don’t want to remember anymore. That’s one reason why I want to become rich. That’s when I realized that there really is a deeper reason why the brain was placed higher than the heart... I am not like this before. But pain really changes people. 

ISLA: What if let's just forgive them? 

GRAY: How about justice for Faith? 

ISLA: I don't know. Auntie Mercedes seems fine now anyway. 

GRAY: She is. But we are not. This is the only way to get justice, and I will work like a slave until the grudge fades away. I'm the one who's supposed to be in a coma, not Faith. 

. 

. 

. 

ISLA: When can we visit Faith again? 

GRAY: Let’s try tomorrow. 

--- 

ISLA: That head trauma is a $ht.  

. 

. 

. 

Do you sometimes feel tired? 

GRAY: Of course.  

. 

. 

. 

Can I really trust you? 

ISLA: Of course. 

GRAY: Of course, what? 

ISLA: Of course, yes. You can trust me. 

GRAY: Won't you betray me? 

ISLA: Why would I? 

GRAY: It seems like you don't want to continue it. 

ISLA: I want to. 

GRAY: Then why did you tell me to just forgive them? 

ISLA: I just wandered... Never mind.  

~~~ 

[SEPTEMBER 2016] 

“Ready to play?” 

“Of course.” 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

“Triple kill!... I mean...” 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

“Check!” 

. 

. 

. 

. 

“Congrats, Miss Pisces, the Chess Master.” 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

So, what’s the 7th ordinance, Master Libra? 

#TheSixthOrdinance 

#IslaTheTwoTimer 

CHAPTER 15 

“BE HIS GIRLFRIEND” 

“To someone like Steven, sex is not enough. He has a standard... 

The first four ordinances are the ultimate keys for you to finally be his girlfriend. 

Steven is actually a chess master;  

He’s a gambler; 

His two ex-girlfriends are both ballroom dancers; 

and he’s a professional skydiver.” 

ISLA: It’s finally making sense now. 

GRAY: That’s why you just have to follow me... 

In the office, let him notice that you are watching online chess tournaments. With that, he will invite you to play. And no matter what happens, the Pisces should win the game...  

He has so much pride in it, so he will surely invite you again... and again... just to win... 

Just expect that among these four, this will be the hardest.  

That’s why I made you focus on mastering the game. 

. 

.  

He’s also good at gambling, though not as good as me. They go to casinos occasionally. So, if he knows that you also gamble, he’ll be more interested in you. 

. 

. 

At every year-end party, everyone performs. 

Find a coworker who can perform tango with you. Wear red. 

. 

. 

And last, Steven is a professional skydiver. For now, upload this video to your social media. 

ISLA: What’s that? 

GRAY: A compilation of all your skydiving videos. Upload it so that it starts getting a lot of views. And he will soon see that when he gets interested in knowing you more. When it happens that you get closer, he will surely invite you for a tandem skydiving. And don’t forget to upload photos at Casino Millionario! 

ISLA: So, what should I do first? 

GRAY:  Are you willing to take a risk?  ISLA: Yeah... 

GRAY:  Then, do the first ordinance. 

--- 

And here I am watching online chess tournaments every day during lunch breaks. 

I’m wearing earphones so that I look busier. 

In just a few days of doing it, I got the attention of Steven. 

And I know he notices me watching chess tournaments. 

Other days passed, and he finally approached me about it. 

“Do you play chess?” Steven asked. 

“Yeah” 

--- 

GRAY: Have you found a coworker whom you’ll perform tango with? 

ISLA: Yeah! We’re practicing already. It’s just a few days left before the year-end party. It will be on 17th, Saturday. 

GRAY: I hope you get the best performer award so Steven will admire you more. 

ISLA: We’ll try our best. 

And hey! While watching chess tournaments earlier, Steven asked me if I’m playing chess. So, yeah. He’s getting curious about it now. 

GRAY: Good! 

---- 

Then here’s the day of the year-end party... 

I put a lot of makeup on, and I am wearing my red tango dress. 

And then we’re about to perform. 

I feel a little bit nervous. But I must do my best for it. 

I’m trying my best not to look into the eyes of people, so I won’t get distracted. 

And then we’re done! 

People are clapping, as well as Steven. 

I have a good feeling about it. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

“And the best performance award goes to... 

Isla and Bryan!” 

YAY!!! 

“Congratulations!” 

“Congrats, Isla!” 

“Congrats, Bryan!” 

People greet us. 

Then I suddenly texted Gray... 

“Hey! We got the best performance award!” 

“Wooooooooooooooooo!” 

--- 

A day after the party, Gray asked me to go to his home.  

So, I suddenly took a bath and prepared myself to travel. 

When I’m about to enter my car, I receive a message from Steven. 

“Hey. Can we meet today?” 

“Why?” 

“I want us to play chess.” 

“Where are we going to meet?” 

“Here at my office.” 

“Okay, I’ll be there in a few minutes.” 

So, I messaged Gray... 

“Hey! Steven is inviting me to play chess in his office today!” 

“Oh. Meet him. Let’s just meet after. Good luck, Miss Pisces!” 

“I got this!” 

“Yeah! No matter what happens, the Pisces should win the game. Always remember that Isla.” 

“I know...” 

--- 

This is one of the most-awaited parts of vengeance.  

I know this will be one of the hardest. 

But yeah, at least I did my best to master the game. 

Tok.. Tok.. Tok.. 

Then Steven opened the door. 

“Ready to play?” Steven asked. 

“Of course!” I answered. 

Instead of flipping a coin to know who would have the white pieces, Steven told me that I could have them. So, I accepted it. 

And yeah... I am doing my best to relax so I can focus.  

“No matter what happens, the Pisces should win the game.” 

. 

. 

. 

I got a lot of deep sighs... 

Steven looks so relaxed. 

He’s using a lot of strategies... 

And he turns quicker than me. 

Nevertheless, I’m trying my best not to feel too pressured  

so I can make wiser moves... 

. 

. 

. 

With the kind of strategies he’s using against me... I really can’t deny that...  

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

He’s really great in this game... 

. 

. 

. 

. 

And then here we are at a point where he seems to have more possibility of winning the game, but... 

Yeah... “No matter what happens, the Pisces should win the game.” 

I feel like I still have hope. 

So, I continued using strategies.  

I should not give up.  

“We came this far, Isla.” I told myself... 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

After almost two hours of the game... 

Steven asked for a draw. 

Yeah! I was able to make it a draw. 

[a phone call] 

Trrt trrt.. Trrt trrt... trrt trrt... trrt trrt. 

“Where are you?” 

“In the office.” 

“Can you go here?” 

“Why?” 

“You’re not visiting me... Christmas is approaching. Come here.” 

“Okay, I will.” 

-

“Your mom?” I asked. 

“Yeah.” Steven answered. 

“Let’s play the other time. Your mom is asking you to visit her.” 

“Okay, let’s play tomorrow after work.” 

--- 

And then we separate ways. I made sure that he wouldn’t see me going somewhere else.

I went to the nearest mall to park my car for a couple of minutes. And then I texted Gray... 

“Hey! We ended up with a draw.” 

“Oh. Who asked for it?” Gray asked. 

“Steven!” 

“Nice. It’s still good! Come here!” 

“Coming!” 

And then here I am at Gray’s home. 

ISLA: Wow! Did you cook all this? 

GRAY: Yeah! 

ISLA: Yum! 

GRAY Tell me about your game. Was it intense? 

ISLA: Really intense! I almost gave up. 

GRAY But it’s a tie. 

ISLA: Yeah. In the first hour of the game, he seemed to be closer to winning, but I managed to outwit him. 

GRAY: You’re doing really good. 

~ 

ISLA: It’s tasty! You really have a talent for cooking ha. 

GRAY: Thanks! 

--- 

And then it’s Monday... 

After working hours, I went to Steven’s office. 

“Let’s start.” Steven said 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

And here we are again. 

The energy is still almost the same, but Steven looks more focused this time. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

But if I was able to make it a draw in our first game, what more this time? 

. 

. 

. 

Besides, I have known a lot of his strategies. 

. 

. 

. 

Yeah.  

. 

. 

. 

“No matter what happens, the Pisces should win the game.” 

. 

. 

. 

I must admit. It’s hard to totally outwit him. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

After almost two hours... 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

“Check!” 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

I really can’t believe this. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

F*ck! 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

I won. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

“Congrats!” Steven said. 

. 

. 

. 

“Thanks!” I replied. 

“Let’s play again on Saturday morning, at my home. I’ll message you the address.  

Will it be fine for you?” Steven asked. 

“Oh... Yeah.” I answered. 

“Bye for now?” 

“Yeah! Bye.” 

- 

Then I went to the comfort room just to text Gray... 

“Hey!!!” 

“What?!” 

“I won!!!” 

“F*CK!!! Let’s celebrate!” 

“He’s inviting me to another game on Saturday morning. And guess what?”  “WHAT?” 

“We’ll be playing at his home. He will message me the address!” 

“Can we meet now?” 

“Where? I’m a little bit exhausted. It’s intense, you know?!” 

“I’ll go to your apartment! I’ll just book a car.”  “Okay. See you!” 

--- 

And here is Gray... 

“The best Pisces in the world!”  “I know, right!” 

“Barbeques for you!” 

“Thanks!” 

“So, tell me about your game.”  “As usual, it was intense. Steven looked more focused this time. But yeah, I won!” 

“Yown!” 

“It was tiring, you know?” 

“I know that’s why I bought you barbeques” 

“Sweet!” 

“So, tomorrow after work. Continue learning, okay?” 

“Yeah, I will!” 

“You’re finally getting his admiration, Isla.” 

“I also feel that” 

“You have to be stronger this time. You always have me.”   

--- 

And then it’s Saturday... 

I feel a bit nervous while driving to Steven’s mansion... 

But I came this far... 

And here I am...

Before leaving my car, I ate a lot of nuts. 

“Have a seat.” Steven said. 

We had our breakfast first, though I already ate at my apartment. 

And we went to a room that seemed to be designed for playing chess and card games. 

. 

. 

. 

And... 

. 

. 

. 

Let the battle begin! 

. 

. 

. 

As usual, it was intense... I know Steven prepared a lot... 

But I also prepared tho 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

“We came this far, Isla. We came this far...” I told myself. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

His moves this time are a bit unexpected. 

It’s like I’m battling with a different person. 

Maybe he figured out my moves and strategies... 

So that he could outwit me. 

. 

. 

. 

F*ck 

. 

. 

. 

It’s hard. 

. 

. 

. 

I feel like I could lose anytime... 

. 

. 

. 

“Will he still be interested in me if I lose this time?” I asked myself. 

. 

. 

. 

“Focus, Isla. Focus...” 

. 

. 

. 

And... 

. 

. 

. 

F*ck... 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

The Pisces lost this time. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

“Congrats...” I told him. 

“Thanks... It was intense ha... You seem to know a lot, Isla... So, I’ll just tell you when we can have another game.” 

“Okay!” 

“Thanks for today. Please get that wine. I bought that for you.” 

“Oh. Thanks!” 

- 

When I got home, I scrolled to my social media and received a follow request from Steven. I followed him back so I could also see his posts. 

“Hey! Do you gamble?” He asked.

“Sometimes! Just for fun!” 

“You also do skydiving?!”  “Yeah! Why?” 

“I gamble a lot, and I’m actually a professional skydiver.” 

“Oh. Nice! You do a lot!” 

“You, too! It’s so nice to know more about you. You’re amazing tho!” 

“Thanks! You, too!” 

“Can we have a tandem skydiving this coming 24?” 

“Yeah!” 

- 

I texted Gray... 

“Hey! Steven followed me, and he saw my casino photos and skydiving video.” 

“Nice! Hey... You’re not answering me about your game!” 

“Well, I lost this time. I’m sorry! But he’s inviting me for a skydiving trip this coming 24!” 

“Yes! This is it! We came this far, Isla.” 

--- 

“Let’s have some fun today!” Steven said.  “What are we going to do?” I asked. 

“Wanna go to Casino Billionario?” 

“Oh. Let’s go!” 

Then, we gamble a lot... 

“That was fun! See you tomorrow?” 

“Yeah!” 

- 

And here’s the day of our skydiving. 

I did this a lot, but I still feel nervous.  

Is it because I’m with a demon? LOL. 

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! 

Yeah! XD  

That’s the shout when there’s a demon skydiver at your back XD 

After this, we had our lunch at a fine dining resto.  

--- 

“Merry Christmas!” 

“Can we celebrate the new year together? Steven asked. 

“Yes, of course!” 

- 

“Happy New Year!” 

Then...  

We eat... eat... and eat. 

And we had a lot of drinks. 

Steven then asked me... 

“Can you be my girlfriend?” 

“Oh. Yeah!” 

This is it... 

Then, here I am now, not just his employee, but a girlfriend.  

Since Steven is a very private person, he asked me to keep our relationship private.  

Yeah. That’s another mission accomplished! 

--- 

“So, what’s the 8th ordinance, Master Libra?” 

--- 

“Will you marry me?” Steven asked. 

“Yes!” I answered. 

#TheSeventhOrdinance 

#IslaTheGirlfriend 

#IslaThe Fiancée? 

[solomonyau]

what it's like inside my mind - Chapter 14 : 'An Honest Letter To My Writing'

If I’m being honest, about what I truly think of you,

I’d believe that this shallow depth of water that run beneath our feet will lead us to submerging ourselves,

Where the constant ticking of the clock will drowned out by blurred gunshots,

Wounds bleeding, gushing from the foresight of eternity

Pleading - to patch of bullet holes that were left within me, 

Filled- by the sorrow of constant sad songs Pulses - beating profusely faster by the minute

Shadows - echoing their cries of being left behind

Ligaments - bursting from their origins of where they were originally attached

Tattoos - bleeding from the needles that carved them

Sown hearts - screaming for their atriums & ventricles

Muscles - cramping at the sight of you 

Now isn’t this all anticlimactic..

I wouldn’t dare call myself a poet yet, for I have yet to surgically remove & repair these lessons that you have bestowed upon me

Giving me the morphing power of a power ranger,

Ranging my scopes, to fight the battles of the unknown, 

Splitting votes, about whether my honesty has been put to rest like the Pope

For better or worse, my message has yet to be sent to you so

If I’m being honest, about what I truly think of you,

I’d paint the world in white, for the monotone brightness that you seem to love so much would break these chains,

Allow the ink from my pen to be swerved on your skin, 

Dowsing colours from these black paintings only known to me,

Painting the world, with a glory of sunshine,

Extension of hands, reaching out to the abyss, 

Grabbing onto flask, to erupt these chemical reactions called love,

So this is my letter to you, 

For when dusk turns dawn, & my skin turns pale

As my withered hands reeks of arthritis, & I have yet learned to fail, 

Just know that these unspoken words of mine were ever so meant to reach the depths of you,

For I have only known to write letters, to the places where I have once left you. 

[mindoverjohn]

Chapter 14 has begun Plotagon scripting. As choosen #VintageVideoPodcast will be featured as PreRoll for #YourMyAd .. My trailer will be undergoing an update to reflect the changes in this season, as the current version has been a tease. #MindOverJohn #podvertising

[meemoop]

The Veiled Boy, Chapter14: The Terrifying "Thank You," out now on ao3!

[qianqiancandyjar]

Struggle of the Caged Bird (Yokai Ninja AU Chapter14)

Some explaining:

Originally Randy was wearing a Carpfish's Eye on the neck. It can't be took off and makes him colder in winters. If you remember, it's broken in chapter 2.

The barrier thing is based on a headcanon from my Ninjavember 2023. It's my AU, sure I put it into use. ;)

List

[rhetoricandlogic]

Review: The House of Discarded Dreams

by Anil Menon

In Ekaterina Sedia’s novel, there is a striking passage where the heroine Vimbai invokes the Rafflesia, an endoparasitic plant with flowers that “looked like slabs of meat and stank of rotting flesh.” Inextricably entwined around the host plant’s life support systems, the parasite is completely embedded inside the host and visible to the outside world only in the form of its grotesque flowers. The House of Discarded Dreams splits our veins to show us the oneiric parasites that suck us dry, prospering as we wither, flowering in our ruin.

We give these dream parasites various names. For Vimbai, a second-generation American whose immigrant parents came from Zimbabwe, the dreams take the shape of guilt. Guilt at not being American enough and guilt at being too American. Like many children of the Diasporas—Asian, African, Hispanic, and European— she’s caught in-between, an African soul trapped in a new world body. Her mother, an Africana scholar, is harsh, loving, driven, irascible and hyper-sensitive to history. Her father is weak and ineffectual. Unable to take the daily blowouts any more, Vimbai moves out into a rental. Her two roomates are decidely odd. Felix, for example, has a black hole that doubles as hair (perhaps a play on Cosmology’s no-hair theorem for black holes). Her other roomate Maya has her familiars, critters that are a cross between foxes and squirrels. The house begins to float away. A Psychic Energy Baby downloads itself from the telephone wires.

Though the exuberant fantasizing is fun, it sometimes leaves the novel with insufficient constraints. It’s a problem intrinsic to the fantasy genre. If fantasy adheres to rules and regulations, then it’s just an alternate Earth with an alternate physics, chemistry and biology. But remove the rules and regulations,and there’s always the risk of adhockery. It’s a tough tightrope to walk, and Sedia’s novel occasionally teeters. For example, there’s a scene where Vimbai is being drowned in a lake by the catfish (Chapter14). Along comes the Psychic Baby who saves her by sucking the lake dry. It isn’t that this sort of thing is unusual in fantastic literature. Indeed, there’s a Hindu myth involving the sage Agasthya that’s quite similar. Nor does it have to do with the specific solution: the story’s context makes it clear why the solution requires the Psychic Baby to drink the water and not, say, make ice from it. The problem really has to do with the long sequence of such events. Myths and fairy tales are short. But at novel length, the techniques of symbolic fantasy can be wearisome.

To be fair, Sedia is very careful with her images. The basic set of events is quite sparse and mostly play with water, light, drinking, drowning, body traumas and the insides/outsides of things. And she never wavers from her central question: what does one do if one’s dreams are not one’s own, but parasitic dreams, life-sucking dreams embedded by one’s heritage, parents, and the Other. In Vimbai’s case, these parasitic dreams are primarily due to her mother and to a lesser extent from the American society around her.

Vimbai’s mother is a fascinating character. In the grand narrative of the Hardworking Immigrant Citizen, there are two things of special interest. As the scholar Bonnie Honig pointed out, the immigrant is the only citizen to “explicitly consent to the regime.” Regular citizens may have the luxuries of resistance and dissent. The Immigrant, however, cannot complain about the status quo because they came voluntarily. The second (related) point of interest is that the Immigrant’s dream is assumed to correspond with the State’s interests. But in Sedia’s novel, Vimbai’s mother is an immigrant who neither consents to the regime nor embraces the standard immigrant dream. She’s inconvenient, exasperating and not very grateful. She is also fully three-dimensional. For me, Vimbai’s mother made the story. Iwould have liked to have seen a lot more of this fascinating woman. Perhaps this book should have been her story and not Vimbai’s.

Perhaps it is. When we follow Vimbai in her attempts to free herself, to make sense of her existence in what shouldn’t be– for her– the New World, what we are also following is a mother who seeks rest. In this journey, Vimbai is assisted and harassed by a variety of frenemies—an old grandmother, totem animals, ghosts of universes past, and the presence of good and evil everywhere. But most of all, it’s her mother who guides her to the resolution.

The writing is occasionally a little rough, especially at the beginning, where there’s a marked lack of precision and cohesiveness. The first chapter could have used a more careful editorial scan. For example, this sentence with its unclear pronouns:

“She wished she would pay as half as much mind to Vimbai’s problems and worries as she did to the white men trying to hijack her department.” (p. 9)

But these problems mostly disappear in the later chapters, and the narration is more cohesive and to the point.

Perhaps the point is a moral one. I disagreed with Sedia’s thesis—or rather, the implied author’s thesis– that the “good” includes a non-judgmental respect for the past and its beliefs. In the novel, things get their aura from their connection with the past, from their humility and from knowing their place.The new, the modern, the forgetful and the aggressive are the problem, not the solution. Thus Vimbai’s beloved animal is the tortoise because it does not “chase after things” and is “satisfied with what it has”and is “never aggressive and yet gets its way.” (p. 292) This immediately disqualified the tortoise as my favorite animal, but then again, an author is not obliged to respect the reader’s preferences.

We could imagine a different Vimbai. A Vimbai who takes a bulldozer to that termite-ridden ancestral house. One who couldn’t care less about colonization, old myths or her parents’ inexhaustible regrets. One whose beloved animal is herself. A Vimbai who might one day lead a nation much like herself: noisy, brilliant, future-oriented, pulsing with the blood of immigrants. On the other hand, this is no longer a fantasy.

The House of Discarded Dreams is a courageous novel. It avoids easy cliches, it’s driven by powerful conflicts and its solutions are not necessarily pleasing. It’s condescending to give the novel extra credit because Ekaterina Sedia, an author of Russian origins living in the US, chose the African disapora as her setting. But I’m very glad she did.

Review: The House of Discarded Dreams

by Anil Menon

[steve-rogers-fanfiction]

Modern Royalty: Chapter 14

Steve Rogers / Bucky Barnes Story

Follow the tangled romances and secrets of Steve Rogers, Sarah Carter (Blake Lively), and Bucky Barnes in this captivating Marvel fanfiction series.

Click the link for more:

https://steverogersfanfic.blogspot.com/2024/05/SteveRogersFanfic-ModernRoyalty-Chapter14.html

[aston-axo]

I think I found it!

https://www.americanacademyns.org/Assets/35fc4fd6-e12f-4670-9e3d-ab07daebdfc5/636988018786570000/chapter14-2-53-pdf

It's a pdf so you'll have to download the paper

Let me know if the link isn't working or if it isn't the right one

I downloaded it 👀 this is gonna be my bedtime reading tonight just the graphs and diagrams are making me excited to look at!

This is both 1) utterly fascinating thank you for finding this so much this stuff just utterly grabs my attention and 2) this is going to be so useful for my fic *wheezes*.

Thank you again !! I'll see about adding more of my thoughts after I've read it.

[rohanitecomics]

Chapter 14: "House warmer" 🐢 https://rohancomics.com/dandelion/parttwo-chapter14/1/

Dande VS Ukko 🔥⚡

Biggest chapter since the first one! Comments and shares appreciated~

[shootmewithasilverbullet]

M O O N L I G H T I N G chapter14

[fanficfanatic000]

eddie munson x female reader

Chapter14 (i really l) Story: I just moved to hawkins )

Goes with Story of s4

18 plus

don't read if under 18

"That thats what I lo……really like about you" He gulped and hoped you didn't hear what was said. You went to speak but you got interrupted by the others rushing into the van robin:"steve drive!!!!!" They were trying to get away from jason and his other freind. "Okay lets see what you guys got. " You search through the bags dustin:" we got a shot gun, 2 bats, nails, knifes, bear trap, lighters ,gasoline. And bug spray ."

You grabbed the little gas can,a bat, nails and a lighter. Steve: "we're here " You all jumped out of the van turns out you were at the hills of hawkins near the woods You walked over to a log with all the weapon making supplies and you sit down. Eddie:"heyy " his body towering blocking the sunlight his brown hazelnut eyes looking at your eyes. his dark curls fall over his shoulders like wave against the sand. This man is beautiful. "Hi eddie" He sat himself down to your right "whatcha makin?" "Oh hm its gonna be a bat with nails." You say as you hammered a nail into the wood. "Then whats the gas for?" He raised an eyebrow curiously. "Well after i get all of these in im gonna soak it in gas, so fire bat with nails" "Okay well im gonna go mess with dustin bye " He ran off hm? I wonder what that was about

Eddie pov: Steve: we're here Everyone jumped out of the van Oh there she is. She seems to have an idea to what she's making hmm? Let's go find out. The close he got the faster his heart rate got. "Heyy " wow she looks so cute "Hi eddie" her voice was soft and sweet It sent electricity through my heart. He sits down. "Whatcha makin?" "Oh hm ist gonna be a bat with nails " She hammered it in in 2 seconds Hm "whats the gas for?" The way her necklaces hang perfectly on her breasts it's beautiful . she's beautiful wait is she talking to me? Yep! Oh no fuck I'm hard I hope she doesn't notice quick think of somthing "okay well im gonna go mess with dustin bye" run munson run! Okay its gone not hard now just don't think about her.

Your pov: I wonder what that was about hm? You continue making your bat okay done lets see Robin and Nancy got guns steve also has a bat not as good as mine though eddie and Dustin made shields and spears The way eddie looks the bandana is tied around his head now unstead of tucked in his pocket. He darts a look at you only to see you were staring it gave you and him butterflies

Steve" all right lets go " you all loaded inside the van now ready for war.

[mymadmedleyw]

Fic-writing year-review for 2022- Alice version

Penner did a similar one and it inspired me to make one too, because it is fun to collect everything.

(I'm tired right now to develop it, but give me a day to heal from New Year's Eve and this entry will be shiny and contain some proper details about the fics too - also the link for those.)

Notes:

Green and Gold (GG) is a series of short-fics in what Dan and Dani lives together, try to find their place in normal daily life and meanwhile attempting to exist as siblings (of course neither of these works as easy as it sounds)

DA AU, called 'fate written in the sky' series, is also an au when both of them are hybrids. FYI, a female!PD au. My current obsession, I love exploring them.

January:

(in that month I finished in the university and while didn't post the fic in what I worked off my overall stress, I wrote some chapters for a once-coming DarkGray long-fic from what actually the Valentine one came - can't tell the exact word count I wrote)

February (6.650 words):

- Sailor, 6.650 words (part of a once-happening long-fic DarkGray concept; partly inspired by @ghost-pasta's DP Valentine prompts)

March (12.376 words):

- On The Line, 1.213 words (part of GG series)

- Two Side Of A Dream Coming True, 7.032 words (GG series; Dani grows fangs and her brother tries to help her; made for Side Hoes Week)

- Change in The Core of Heart - Chapter1, 4.131 words (GG; Side Hoes Week - Angela)

April (2.836 words):

- Not Him, 2.836 words (allowed to write and inspired by @dp-marvel94's take on a prompt)

May (15.474 words):

- Dani's First Mother's Day, 1.756 words (part of GG series; made for Mothers' Day)

- Bits Of The Past (collection of missed scenes from WTPH) - Chapter14, 5.544 words

- My family, my brother, 8.174 words (GG; made for DannyMay and DoMaystic event)

June (14.151 words):

- stars align - Chapter1 (DA), see entire word count in September (introduction of Astra)

- There Is An Exception To Every Rule - Chapter1-3 (GG), altogether with Chapter4 in July: 14,151 words (heavy talks within the siblings about old scars, connection to Vlad and so on, I just love it)

July (3.346 words):

- Maybe Not Just A Coincidence, 2.494 words (GG)

- Benefits of school detention, 852 words (related to Bang fic; Danielle Masters AU)

August (40.542 words):

- Bits Of The Past (collection of missed scenes from WTPH) - Chapter15, 3.007 words

- Snapshot, 3.949 words (GG)

- Down The Rabbit Hole, 33.586 words (made for Big Bang; parallel words, Danielle Masters AU)

September (13.630 words):

- gathering clouds, 5.419 words (DA)

- stars align - Chapter2, altogether word count: 5.468 words (DA)

- quarter to midnight, 2.733 words (made for Shiptember) (DA)

October (10.972 words):

- turning gears - Chapter1 (DA), w.c. see: November

- (un)defined by time, 5.610 words (made for Ectoberhaunt) (DA)

- eye of the god - Chapter1 (DA), 1.162 words

- one of a kind - Chapter1 (DA), 1.759 words (made for Ectoberhaunt)

- the worst beneath the legendary facade, 2.441 words (DA)

November (21.219 words):

- thorn of the dead rose, 1.233 words (DA)

- turning gears - Chapter2&3 (DA), word count altogether: 14.280 words (made for Ectoberhaunt)

- broken fate - Chapter1 (DA), 4.503 words

- death and death again, clockwise - Chapter1, 1.203 words (new, yet undefined au)

December (32.928 words):

- What The Past Holds - Chapter20, 21.966 words

- in her service, 1.544 words (DA)

- knight to serve his king, 9.418 words (DA)

Written-shared words on ao3 in 2022: 174.124 words (I didn't count the ones that are in docs, half-done but not shared yet, nor the DP Holiday Truce fic)

Conclusion: I saved a lot of money, because surely writing doesn't cost a penny, while going instead to handle mental problems through a therapist would have cost a lot otherwise xD But seriously, I might have a problem... It is nearly insane to write this lot.

[mistypurplespark]

THRONE-chapter14

After discovering Lucien's empty shack, the ordinary-looking man named Jackson acknowledged that even though Mag and Andre were not very helpful, they provided useful information. When Andre found only trash in the shack, Jackson identified the potential value of the items discarded by the rich in the dump site. Encouraged by the discovery, Jackson ordered his men to destroy Lucien's belongings and keep any money they found. Unwilling to waste time searching for Lucien, Jackson's gang proceeded to ransack his shack. Lucien, unable to defend himself, contemplated learning magic to protect himself. When Alisa intervened in the situation, she was attacked by the gangsters, prompting Lucien to finally take action and confront Jackson. In a physical altercation, Lucien attempted to overpower Jackson but was ultimately beaten and left bloodied on the ground. Despite his defeat, Lucien vowed to become stronger in the future. Jackson, recognizing Lucien's determination, advised him not to be too greedy and then departed with his men, leaving behind destruction and stolen money.

[caffedrine]

Keith Howell Master List

Main Story

Chapter01 Chapter02 Chapter03 Chapter04 Chapter05 Chapter06 Chapter07 Chapter08 Chapter09 Chapter10 Chapter11 Chapter12 Chapter13 Chapter14 Chapter15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter18 Chapter19 Chapter20

Romantic Route

Chapter21 Chapter22 Chapter 23 Chapter24 Chapter25 Epilogue

Dramatic Route

Chapter21 Chapter22 Chapter23 Chapter24 Chapter25 Epilogue

Events

From Now on, You're My Woman

Lucky to be Loved

Two Ending Bonus - The Secret Only the Bookmark Knows

He is Me and I am Him?! Featuring Leon Dompteur

The Beast Tempts the Rabbit Featuring Kagari Amagase