#actually you should check out blindfold chapter 10

[north-park]

The best Kyle characterization is never in style or Kyle-centric fanfics it's always in bunny fanfics where he is tangled in a side plot and he is biggest idiot on earth who can't see the most obvious shit before him and needs Kenny to explain the everything for him

[inupibaldspot]

Saviour : Chapter 21

"Why is it that every time you train with Vice Admiral you get injured so much?" Zack sighed as he put a band aid on Emilia's forehead. The child in-front of him had a bruise which now attained a blueish color and a bulge. "It never happens when Bogard-San trains you."

Emilia raised her hands and  pressed on the band-aid and nervously laughed. "Garp-san has always been rough with his training. I used to run away from him when ever I got the chance back in Goa Kingdom."

"So.." Zack continued as he started putting his stuff back into the first aid box. "What was the training this time?"

Zack mentally prepared himself. Garp had always made up stupid training because he always felt left out when Bogard would train Emilia.

Just last week, the old man tied Emilia on a rope and threw her out of their marine ship.

"Gah?!" Zack shouted, panicking as Emilia, almost drowning ,  struggled to stay afloat since her arms were also tied up. "What are you doing Vice-Admiral?! Emilia will drown!"

"GAHAHA!" The old man crossed his arms and laughed proudly. "With this training Emilia will become one with the sea and become much stronger!"

"You do realize that doesn't make sense right?!"

"Huh...Are you doubting my training?" Garp stopped laughing and glared at Zack making him shiver under his gaze. "Guess you also need some training."

Garp also tied a rope around Zack and threw him off the ship and anyone who questioned his training method. And at the end of the day more than half of squad were in the sea, struggling to survive and fighting off any sea monsters.

"He blindfolded me and made me put of some ear plugs to cancel the sound. After that he beat me with my kendo stick." Emilia pouted. Although it might sound insane and impossible to counter back,she did think it might be helpful.

Without sight or hearing ability you start paying attention to every detail making you haki much stronger. But at the level she was in, all she got as a full on beating from the merciless Vice admiral.

Zack sighed. He goes too far sometimes but we cant go against him...

Just then something crossed his mind. "Emilia are you free during our break next week?" He smiled.

"You do know I am 10 turning 11 years right? How old are you?? 30?" Emilia said in a stoic tone. "And you call your self a marine..heh..."

Zack stilled for a moment before his face turned red in embarrassment at what Emilia was implying. "That's not what I meant! I'm not asking you on a date!!! Also I'm just 23!"

Emilia bringing her hands covering her mouth giggled. "I was joking" she then look at him in his eyes and smiled. "What is it?"

"I uh..." Zack scratched his hands at the back of his hands face blushing a bit. "I thought I would like you to meet my girlfriend"

Emilia eyes widened a bit.

"You know we have started dating for a while but I liked her from way before and ..." The man continued on.

"Why" Emilia's soft voice questioned making the guys stop his ramble.

"Why not?" Zack said as he smiled. "We've known each other for almost 2 years now Emilia and now I want the two people precious to me meet, that's all!"

This was the first time in a while,at least ever since she left Goa kingdom, her heart filled with joy giving her a giddy experience.

"No that not what my question meant. Why would anyone be dating you??" Emilia lied, just to tease him  abit.

"I swear you're nice to everyone except me."

"That's because I feel comfortable enough to do that to you"

.....

"Emilia!" Garp called out looking at the girl who was simply looking at the sea with a dazed look. The weather was good and she didn't have anything to do.

Hearing her name being called out she turned around and faced Garp, slightly tilting her head.

"Starting tomorrow we will have a break of 3 days. I'm thinking of going to Goa Kingdom" Garp said as he put his hands in his pocket and walked towards the girl. "Do you want to come as well? You can meet the boys."

"No." Emilia simply said

"Eh...what did you say." His eyebrows knitted her asked. She didn't want to go with him...or meet the boys...? Was his precious granddaughter in her rebellious phase...?

"I've made plans with Zack so I'm going with him tomorrow." Emilia explained.

Zack who heard the conversation,gulped loudly.

Garp's face was blank for a few seconds before he shouted.

"ZACK!!! HOW DARE YOU STEAL MY PRECIOUS GRANDDAUGHTER AWAY FROM ME?!".

...

Emilia walked beside Zack. They were currently in marine ford headquarters and as some of you may know beside the Main offices at the center there are residential areas at the sides.They were currently headed there.

Emilia looked at Zack holding a bouquet in his hands,a small smile on his face, obviously looking forward to meet his lover. Emilia also noted that she didn't have to walk fast next to him unlike when she did when ever she was walking beside Garp or any of the other grown ups. Zack simply slowed his pace down so that's she could walk without rushing him self.

Soon they reached in front of a door of a small house. Inhaling deeply Zack knocked. This man was really out there getting nervous to see his own lover. This almost made Emilia want to tease him then and there.

Few seconds later the door creaked open. A woman with short blonde hair and green eyes appear her face showed a surprise expression at first and then a wide smile formed.

"Zack!" The woman laughed and opened her arms and jumped towards the man attempting to hug him.

"Wait Claire!!!"

"AH!!! THE BOUQUET!!!"

......

"Hehehe Sorry about that." Claire said, face a bit red,blushing. "And you are?"

"My name is Emilia. Ainsworth Emilia." Emilia replied as she sat down on the chair of their dining table. "Currently I'm waiting to get older so that I join the marine. Till then I will still be with the marine crew but I wont be able to do any official work." She explained assuming that Claire will soon ask what she was doing with the marine.

"Eh? Marine. Directly at the age of 13?"Claire gasped "How old are you right now?"

"I'll be turning 11 soon."

Claire eyes widened and the strayed to look at Zack asking for confirmation.

"Sorry the say this but she is right. That little girl doesn't act liked her age at all. Even her strength is like an elephant"  Zack sighed "Must be from Garp's side of the family" he muttered as he picked his cup from the table and sipped on his tea.

Emilia eyes widened slightly... She forgot to tell him Garp and her aren't related by blood...

"You!" Claire raised her hands and smacked the back of Zack's head making his choke on his drink and Emilia winch at the sound of him getting hit. That must have hurt.

"What was that for?" Zack managed to say in between his cough,hands at the back of his head rubbing it to sooth the pain even abit.

"You should never compare a lady to an elephant,dear!" Claire shouted. "On top look at Emilia! There no denying that girl is really beautiful! Super cute!!" She pointed at  Emilia.

Zack's eye twitched and look at Emilia only to get annoyed at her giving him a smug expression. This brat is enjoying this...

"Claire,I didn't notice that at all!" Zack said as he held Claire's hand. "That must be because no one is more beautiful than you" Zack said ,hoping his lover wont be angry at him anymore with this cheesy line. Emilia really tried her best to hold back her expression. She almost gagged in disgust at the show of affection in front of her.

Claire eyes widened and a blush formed on her face. "Oh you!! You make me blush!" Claire brought one hand on her face,smiling and the other hand slapped Zack making him fall from his chair.

"ACK!"

.....

Emilia watched Claire chop some vegetables. Right now Claire was making lunch for them. Zack had currently went out to buys some meat, Claire wanted in her beef stew.

"Do you want me to help,Claire san? " Emilia asked as she walked towards the blonde woman.

"Claire is fine." She corrected Emilia." And Emilia you're the guest. You can just sit down and relax. Besides I'm almost done chopping these up haha."

Emilia didn't move. It made her feel abit awkward, going away when someone was working also since back in Goa kingdom, it was Emilia who did most of the cooking,after all those boys were horrible at it.

"Emilia..." Claire said as she put her knife down and walked towards the sink to wash her hands. "Can..Can you tell me how Zack is at work?"

Emilia said nothing for a few seconds.

Claire laughed abit. "You see..." she started "He never really talks about these and always avoids talking about it... He isn't strong at all but he always wanted to be a marine. He accepted his weakness and so then studied really hard so he can get in as a navigator in the marine."

"But he probably still feels abit insecure by it." Claire's eyes dropped and smiled sadly. "But for me...Since I knowing how hard he always worked always made me proud of him..."

After that there was a brief silence.

"He is weak." Emilia said. Claire's eyes widened at the girl's bluntness. "Even I can also probably beat him. He panics every time we face an enemy..."

"But then he always makes sure to check up on me and make sure I am safe...He is the friendliest and kindest person in the crew. Even when I joined that crew, he was one of the first people who treated me as a person and not a burden since most thought of it that way as i am a child."

"He is also very knowledgeable" She continued. "He really taught me alot related to navigation. He is also one of the few people who I've opened up to."

"He gets frustrated when I make fun of him but then he never actually gets angry. That's the kind of person he is.Everyone on the ships likes him." Emilia smiled. "So I don't think you have to worry, Claire. And even if there is danger,I'll be sure to protect him."

Claire teared up and kneeled down to hug Emilia ,smiling "Thank you, Emilia".

If me and Zack will ever have a child, I want the child to be like you, Emilia.

"I'm Back!"

Zack shouted from the entrance and walked directly towards the kitchen. "Here Claire."

"Thank you ,darling." Claire said taking the grocery bag from Zack, kissing his cheeks and walking towards the kitchen.

"Emilia." Zack called out. "Follow me" he said and walked towards another room.

Confused but nevertheless Emilia followed Zack in a room. Zack opened the room. It was filled with boxes stacked one on top of another. Zack then crouched down and took out one of the boxes. A rectangular looking box which was quite long.

He blew on top of the box to make the dust go way and then opened it.

"What is it?" Emilia questioned curiously, trying to peek to see what was in the box.

"Here" Zack pulled out the item and handed it to Emilia.

"A sword..." Emilia was surprised.

"It was my grandfather's. He used this when he was also in the marine." Zack explained. "My dad didn't want to be a marine so this sword was directly given to me by my grandfather before he passed away."

"Is...Is it okay for me to have this?" Emilia asked gripping gently on the sword. "It must be precious to you..."

"It is." Zack smiled. "But I don't know how to use this nor do I think I can ever fight."

Zack brought his hands up and placed them on Emilia's head. "Besides it's always better to make use of things. Take good care of it,Emilia"

"I will."

"Also Emilia " Zack continued,making the girl look at it. He closed the previous one box and slid it to it's original place. "That sword has a name."

"A name..." Emilia whispered. This sword was a meitou.

"The name is Tenryu" He said. "Beautiful name,isn't it?" The question making Emilia nod.

Emilia was touched. For Zack to give something of such importance for him to her.

"But it looks like you'll have to grow more,for you to use it. Hahahaha" Zack laughed. "That sword is longer than you."

Maybe now was the moment to see if the sword got blunt or not. Emilia glared at Zack.

Just then Calire called out from the kitchen saying the lunch was ready. The food was delicious, The couple infront of Emilia were cheerful and kind. This made her feel as if she was back...back in her own world...

I miss them...

......

A/N: This chapter and few coming chapter will have alot of time skips and few more new characters which are not there in the canon One Piece will be introduced.

So I would like to apologize in advance if that may bore you.

Anyways Thank you for reading and Be Safe! 

[tiramisiyu]

【未定事件簿】 Tears of Themis: 【夏彦拜访剧情】 Xia Yan’s Personal Story 1-4 Translation

Translated parts: Xia Yan’s Visit Chapter 1: 1-1 / 1-3 / 1-4 / 1-6 / 1-7 / 1-9 / 1-10 / 1-11 / 1-12 / 1-13 Translation Masterlist: here

Video: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1fA411J7cW?p=3

A quick explanation of how this feature works is that each boy has their own section that you can “Visit”! Part of it is like MLQC’s GSH feature, where you can talk to the boys (with Live2D!) and raise intimacy by interacting with them. The other part of it is a storyline that centers on the MC running around with the respective boy to deal with a certain case or situation.

Commerce Street

MC: Are you sure it’s here?

Xia Yan: Of course I’m sure.

--

[Flashback]

After Xia Yan looked at the message that Sphinx sent to me, he arrived at the answer very quickly.

Xia Yan: A likeliness that symbolizes “justice” – one is the mythical beast Xiezhi*; another is the goddess of justice, Themis.

Xia Yan: The riddle uses “her”, so we can directly exclude the possibility of it being the mythical beast.

MC: But if it is Themis, then “her gaze” doesn’t make sense.

MC: Goddess Themis’s eyes are blindfolded. The motto of law, “Order is the cloth that blindfolds justice” came from this.

Xia Yan: But Themis wasn’t born in the heavens as blind. Not all the likelinesses will have a blindfold…

Xia Yan: I’ve got it! Come with me!

[Flashback end]

--

Xia Yan: Look over there.

I looked towards the direction Xia Yan was pointing. There was a sculpted fountain of the twelve Titans of ancient Greek mythology.

At the 8-o-clock position on the fountain, there was a statue of an unblindfolded Themis.

MC: The fountain in the middle of this street is so small – most people wouldn’t notice the statues on the fountain. How did you think of it?

Xia Yan: There aren’t that many statues of Themis in Stellis City, and only this one doesn’t have a blindfold.

Xia Yan: Plus, have you forgotten – we came here to play when we were young. You even dropped your new hairclip in the fountain, and it was me who grabbed it out for you.

MC: I even did this kind of thing when I was a kid, huh… I really can’t imagine it now.

Xia Yan: That time, you cried so miserably that uncle told us the story of the twelve Titans to soothe you.

MC: Dad really is too much – he actually left it to you to grab the hairclip. Mom must have gotten mad at him.

Xia Yan: I move pretty fast, after all – by the time uncle and auntie noticed you were crying, I had already grabbed the hairclip back.

Xia Yan: In fact, I feel like I was pretty lucky.

Xia Yan: Though my parents departed early, I was fostered at your home. The parental love and warmth of home that I got was no less than any other kid.

Xia Yan: The most important is that I could accompany you in growing up.

Xia Yan’s words made a bit of inexplicable fluster flash in my heart. I subconsciously turned the words back to him.

MC: My mother and your mother were best friends, after all, so this is what we should have done. Let’s stop talking about this – we should go to the place that the riddle points toward.

Xia Yan: Following the gaze of goddess Themis… there, Libra Bookstore.

MC: The heavenly scales also have meanings of fairness and justice. Our lawyer’s badge is the “Thorned Heavenly Scales”. The riddle must definitely be hinting to this place!

Bookstore

MC: Uh… so what should we do now? Look for the wooden box?

Xia Yan: The total floor area of this bookstore is over 5000 square meters. If we rely on just us two to look for the wood box…

Xia Yan hadn’t finished speaking when his phone sounded.

Xia Yan: It’s a new message from Sphinx.

Xia Yan: “Help me send my greetings to that group of rabbits from Pisa, and invite them to sing one line from “O Sole Mio”** for me.”

Xia Yan suddenly put down his phone and looked all around, vigilantly looking over every person who walked past us. 

Xia Yan: We just got to the bookstore when he sent the message. Could it be that he’s following us?

Xia Yan: I didn’t notice anyone suspicious within sight… could he have gotten into the monitor system?

MC: Right now, we don’t know what his physical characteristics consist of. Even if he’s right in front of our eyes, we wouldn’t be able to recognize him.

Xia Yan: Oh well, let’s look at the riddle first.

I returned my attention to the riddle, missing the fleeting sharpness in Xia Yan’s eyes.

MC: I know “O Sole Mio” – it’s a very famous Italian song. But what does this have to do with rabbits?

MC: Plus, “O Sole Mio” was written in Naples, not in Pisa.

Xia Yan: Pisa… rabbit…

Xia Yan: I got it, it’s the Fibonacci Sequence!

MC: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21… starting on the third number, each number is the sum of the prior two numbers.

MC: I know about this number sequence, but how did you think of it using “Pisa” with “rabbit”?

Xia Yan: At the very beginning, the Fibonacci Sequence was drawn from the example of how rabbits breed, so it was also called the “Rabbit Sequence”. 

Xia Yan: “Pisa” thus points to the researcher of this numerical sequence, Leonardo Fibonacci. He was also called Leonardo of Pisa.

MC: So it’s like this. If so…

>The riddle’s answer is related to number-related books (incorrect)

>Suggest that changing the sequence of numbers is the essential part to solving the riddle

MC: The answer to the riddle should have something to do with number-related books, right?

I checked the bookstore’s shop map.

MC: The number-related books are all on the third floor. How about we go up and look?

Xia Yan: That’s not right; the latter half of the riddle says, “invite them to sing one line from “O Sole Mio” for me.” This should be hinting that we need to make changes on the sequence.

Xia Yan: I speculate that the answer of the riddle isn’t a book – instead, it’s a set of numbers.

>The riddle’s answer is related to the electronic books 

>Suggest that changing the sequence of numbers is the essential part to solving the riddle

MC: The riddle also has a second half, saying “invite them to sing one line from “O Sole Mio” for me”…

MC: Could this be hinting at us that we need to make changes on the sequence?

Xia Yan: I’m thinking in the same way as you. The way to change the sequence is hidden in the song verse.

Xia Yan: The answer to this riddle should be a string of numbers.

--

TL Notes:

*Xiezhi are found in East Asian mythology.

** “My Sun”. 

[aurora-teez]

|Chapter 4 | Utopia~ An Ateez Fanfic Story~

Poseidon. God of the Seas. Keeper of the Trident. Founder of Atlantis. Keeper of all the secrets of the Seas. Why did he tell me that I am the only one to find the Island and the Chest. I do not understand at all. Why is this happening to me? For so many years, no one has spoken of the island or even had the courage to search for it. Now that I am, I am told that it was my...Destiny. What did he mean that my father never told me about who I am? Is he implying that I am somehow connected to the Sea? My father must have known something. Why would he leave me so many clues to the island? 

“Did you just say Poseidon?”, Violet asks me, helping me up into my chair putting a blanket over me.

 “Yes Violet. As soon as I sat down, I looked up at the stars and the moon and then a huge pulsing headache started and then I started shaking and having like a seizure or something. Then, I passed out and my consciousness woke up and I was on an Island surrounded by water. Then, Poseidon told me that all my life, I was drawn to the sea because of something my father did not tell me and how I can unleash power that no one has from the Sea and find the chest”, I tell them holding my head. 

“That is really scary and yeah...did he say anything else?”, Seonghwa asks me. 

“Well...he did say he would “visit me again” when I see the Northern Constellation in the sky better known as Cygnus and he will reveal something else to me”, I say to them. 

“Ok so now it seems that we are going north but nothing has show up in the sky yet so how about we all just rest here until we see it?”, Violet suggests smiling.

 “Good idea, bring blankets and pillow from the laundry room up here please”

 “We got it”, Jongho and Seonghwa say going to get them from their side where the room is. 

I go to the kitchen and boil some milk and grab a platter and put 10 metal mugs on it. Whenever I would have a nightmare or something, my mother would always give me hot chocolate. I open the cabinet and see a whole carton of chocolate. Ahh the King knew how much I love chocolate. I take 2 chocolate bars and melt it into the milk and add some cinnamon. Then I pour them into each mug and carefully carry them up to the deck. I walk upstairs and see them all wrapped in blankets and pillows comfortably on the deck and Jongho set up a place for me next to him. Aww that is so sweet. 

“Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Oh I made hot chocolate for everyone.”, I pass each of them a cup.

 “Yay!!! You know how much I love when you make it”, Violet says almost bouncing up and down like a happy bunny. 

“My mother would make me hot chocolate whenever I was sad or had a nightmare or simply because it was cold and I wanted to give you guys some. I know that we started on the wrong foot but I really appreciate you all being here. I think going on a journey with only me and Violet would not have been this eventful lol. Also, it seems like you all are not so cruel well not yet but anyways yeah”, I say and sit down next to Jongho.

I noticed that he put an extra blanket underneath on the floor so I would have cushion. Aww he is so sweet. I swear. 

“So while we are waiting to see the constellations, I was thinking I could teach you something if you’d like?”, Jongho says giving me a lock and a hairclip and a sharp pin from the handle of a sword . 

“Sure, why not?”, I look at the items in my hands. 

“One of my skill sets are lockpicking. I can get into almost anywhere and anything. Locked doors, locked chests, 4 digit code locks, ciphers, you name it.”

 “Interesting, That is actually very resourceful.” 

“So i would like to teach you how to pick a lock with simple items, you may not always find a key so you may have a hair pin and the pin from the handle of your sword which you already know you can remove and put back in.”, Jongho says laughing. 

San’s POV 

I do not understand what she sees in him. I mean Jongho is my friend and basically my younger brother and I care for him, yes. But I mean wouldn’t she want more of a man seeing that she is such a strong, sexy woman. I just feel so jealous inside. Most people fall at my feet, none I ever wanted because they were just too desperate. Emerald is very different, but I like that about her. Hmm.. I wonder what I should do.

Back to Emerald’s POV 

“Ok so you want me to do this blindfolded?”, I ask Jongho raising my eyebrow. 

“Yes, You have opened it successfully but it may be dark in a room you are in or you are tied up or something. So just try it”, He says and takes off his scarf from his wrist that he wears as a bracelet and puts in over my eyes not too tight but just right.

 “Ok..”, I focus on where the lock hole is and I push the pin through it to hold it open and i use the thin pin to twist it and it unlocks. 

“Oh my gosh you did it!”, Jongho yells and hugs me.

 I am a bit surprised at first but I hug him back. He is super sweet. I have never felt this way about a man before. All of them before have tried so hard to gain my attention but he didn’t. He got my attention by being himself.

“Thank you for teaching me”, I say smiling and I feel my cheeks get pink. 

“Guys, look. Isn’t that a constellation?”, Mingi exclaims pointing to the sky. 

I look up at the sky and I see the Cygnus Constellation in a sky full of stars. Me and Violet both studied astronomy and star navigation as children. She is much better than me. I see her and Seonghwa looking at the star maps trying to point out the names of the stars to check if it is the constellation. 

Violet’s POV 

I am really surprised at how much Seonghwa knows about the stars and navigation. He also is a very funny person. He reminds me of those tiny little hummingbirds. Very cute but also dangerous. He is dangerously handsome..Wow. Anyways back to the stars. We both are looking at the map.

“So the top star is Deneb on the tip”, I say looking at Seonghwa. 

“Then the bottom star is Eta and the far right is..”, He says squinting his eyes. 

“Vega”, We both say at the same time. We both gasp and run over to Emerald.

 “Hey Em. That’s the constellation, Cygnus” 

Jongho’s Pov

Oh my goodness, I wonder if she will have another seizure and headache. I hope not. I do not like seeing her in so much pain. I have never felt this feeling before. I mean yes, the boys are like my older brothers but she is different. I feel like it is my obligation or my destiny to protect her. To me, she is the only Green Emerald in the world that shines bright in a sea full of diamonds. 

“Well I guess now we just wait..”, Emerald says and she holds her head in her hands and suddenly, something emerges from the water shining and lands on the deck. 

Is that a stick? Trident? Oh my gosh...she was right. It is Poseidon!

 “Can all of you see him?”, I ask looking at him in shock.

 “Please do not be frightened. I told Emerald I would visit her but I meant all of you as well. Sorry for the headache, part of seeing beings I guess”, He laughs. 

“Well it’s ok. So what is it you would like to tell me? Well... us?”, She asks him.

 “Well now that you see the Cygnus Constellation in the sky is a clue of some sorts. You are going in the right direction but there is something you need to remember for finding the chest. TO RELEASE THE POWER, ALL MUST BE DIVIDED.”

 “Divided? What in the world does that mean?”, She asks him.

Emerald's POV

 “You will know when the time is right. You may not know it yet but the Sea will speak to you. You will know eventually. But may I speak with you alone for a moment before I go?”, He asks me quietly waving his hand to motion to the other side of the side.

I walk over to the right side of the deck and sit down. I notice his eyes are a greenish blue. Very bright but dark at the same time. 

“What is it?”, I ask him with my eyes narrowed. 

“Well It is about Jongho actually”, He says.

 “Jongho? What about him?”, I ask nervously. 

“Well I mentioned before that your father never told you something about who you are. You have a strong connection to the Sea, stronger than even a fish who was born there and well most creatures with sea connection have mates or soulmates as you humans call it”

 “Ok.. so...” “So I am saying that I sense that he is yours. Your connection and great knowledge of the sea gave you a bond with him. It is real rare. I have not seen this in all my years as God of the Seas”

 “Wait... I knew there had to be a reason. I have feelings that never happened before until him and we seem to both love the sea” 

“Yes dear Emerald but I will leave you with this- You always need your soulmate. Both of you are one in heart and soul. You may feel that it is strange to feel so much for him but it is not. It is Destiny” 

“Thank you, Um...Will you visit again?”

 “Maybe. I will try to relive the headache but you can always speak to me and I will answer in your mind”, He says and smiles. 

“Thank you” 

“You’re Welcome. Goodbye All”, He plunges himself back into the water being carried by a wave and sinking down. 

Well that was certainly interesting and insightful. I walk over to Jongho. I feel that I should just confront this now before something bad happens. 

"Jongho, could you please walk with me? I need your help with something."

 "Sure." he followed closely behind me to the kitchen, listening to me talk on the way.

 I suspect that Jongho may have taken a liking to me, but he hasn't seemed to show any interest. But... Poseidon said that he is my soulmate. How is that when he hasn't even showed a sliver of interest? I couldn't figure it out.

 "Could you help me reach that thing up there? I need it to mix the batter for dessert tonight." I asked.

 "Emerald, I'm not much taller than you, how am I going to reach that?" he laughed, looking at me as I blushed. 

 "Well, I figured you could give me a boost up there so that I could reach it myself." I said softly. 

There were very few times in my life where I had been shy and flustered, but now was definitely one of them. I couldn't get the words of Poseidon out of my head. "Soulmate."

 "Are you blushing?" he chuckled. My eyes looked up at him and I straightened my posture. 

 "No. I would never do something so silly and childish." 

 "Really? Then why are your cheeks red and why are you smiling every time you look at me?" he asked, smiling at me as he looked down at me. 

 "I-... Help me get the damn mixer please. I didn't bring you in here to be mister knight in shining armor and make me flustered." I said quickly, pushing his shoulders down so that I could get on them. He held me tightly and stood back up so that I could get the mixer. 

 "Got it!" I exclaimed, slowly being lowered back down to the floor by him. 

 "Is that all?" he asked, straightening his jacket. "If you want to stay and keep me company, I would not say no." I flirted lightly, giving him a pleading look.

 "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were flirting with me Captain." he smirked, sitting down in the chair at the dining table.

"Jongho, I still have the ability to throw you off my ship. Don't push it." I sassed.

 "Calm down. I didn't mean anything by it. I'm just playing with you." he chuckled, glancing over at me as he played with his fingers.

We both made small talk for a few moments before silence fell over the room. Jongho could tell something was on my mind, but he never said anything. Only stayed in thought as he watched me cook.

 Jongho's POV

 Something was up with her, but I couldn't tell what. Should I kiss her yet? No, it's too soon. I haven't even made a move yet. She would kill me even if I did. She is so strong willed, independent, and confident. So am I, but I've never met a woman in my entire life that is as strong and confident as she is. And sexy too. She's very attractive to me - her eyes being her most noticeable and beautiful feature. She almost hypnotizes me every time she looks at me, and I can't help but just be amazed by her. But does she feel the same way? I may never know.

 "Hey, is something bothering you Emerald?" I asked, noticing how her eyebrows were scrunched as he continued to make the batter.

 "Gosh, is it that obvious?" she laughed. 

 "Yeah it is. What's going on? You can talk to me about anything you know." She looked at me and I could see a sliver of trust build in her eyes as she inhaled to speak. 

 "When Poseidon came to this ship and spoke to us, none of you saw it but he pulled me to the side and talked with me." she explained, pausing for a moment.

 "And? What did he say? Does he have a map for us to follow to find out what happened to your father?" I asked.

 "No... He told me that... Oh my god I don't know why I'm so flustered right now. This is so embarrassing." she blushed. 

 "Hey, it's okay. Take your time." 

 "He said that we're meant to be soulmates. You and me Jongho." she looked at me to gauge my response.

 "Did he?" 

 "Yes. And I don't know how to take that because I don't know how you feel about me. I know how I feel about you, but that means nothing if you don't feel the same." she rambled on shyly. 

I could tell that she was uncomfortable and shy revealing her feelings to me, but I didn't care. She was confirming what I had assumed all along - she liked me as much as I liked her. 

"Yes. And I don't know how to take that because I don't know how you feel about me. I know how I feel about you, but that means nothing if you don't feel the same." she rambled on shyly.

 I could tell that she was uncomfortable and shy revealing her feelings to me, but I didn't care. She was confirming what I had assumed all along - she liked me as much as I liked her. I got up from my spot on my chair and started walking towards her.

 Emerald's POV 

 He was walking towards me. Why? Was he mad because I revealed how I felt about him? How stupid of me... 

 "Jongho, what are y-" soft lips were pressed against mine and I stopped what I was doing. He backed me up against the counter and held my face in his calloused hands, tilting his head and deepening the kiss briefly. He pulled away.

 "Are you telling me that you've had feelings for me this entire time? And now we're destined to be soulmates by the god of the sea?" he asked breathing heavily. 

 "That is exactly what I'm saying." I giggled, looking into his eyes and smiling.

 "It's about damn time." he smirked, going back in and kissing me harshly. His hands snaked their way down to my hips and rested there, squeezing every now and then when I nibbled at his bottom lip. This kiss held so much passion in it - days and days of pent up emotions being let out in one simple action. 

 He groaned when my hands traced down his front and ghosted over his crotch, his hands coming under my thighs to hoist me up effortlessly and walk me to the chair he was sitting in. 

 "You have no idea how long I've waited to do this." he breathed, smirking as he went down to kiss my neck, a feather light moan coming out of my throat.

 I took his face in my hands and straddled him as he sat back down, sticking my tongue back in his mouth as his hands rested on my ass, squeezing it possessively.

 "Jongho, we need you on deck. There's som-" I heard a voice in the hallway and looked up to see San standing in the doorway. I quickly got off of Jongho's lap, wiping my lips of his saliva as he smirked up at me with his back to San.

 "There's something Seonghwa needs help with. Now." San said sternly, looking at me with sadness and almost a hint of anger in his eyes.

 "I'm coming." Jongho popped out of his chair and straigtened his pants before walking out of the door. 

 "Thanks for that mental image." San told me, clenching his jaw as he walked away. 

 "San wait! I-"

 "Don't even worry about it. I got that message loud and clear." he brushed me off quickly, clenching his fists as he walked with Jongho down the hallway.

 Now what? Talk about a rock and a hard place... 

“Oh my goodness...what in the world?”, I blink my eyes and touch my lips blushing thinking of how good of a kisser Jongho is. I mean I have never kissed anyone before and I mean..Wow. Glad to see he feels the same way as me. I have never been so happy. 

But what was San so upset about? I mean I was apologizing for the scene he saw but what message did I give him? I should ask but that is for another day.I have to finish cooking dinner and dessert. 

Gosh Jongho... what are you doing to me?...

Jongho’s POV

Well that was really interesting.Her lips are as soft as cotton and sweet as honey. The way her lips are perfectly pink matching her light brown melanin skin. Looking into her Emerald gems makes her even more beautiful. Hmm... I do wonder what is up with San. He look as if fume were coming out of his ears. 

 Emerald’s POV 

Now I am cooking dinner, I noticed that Seonghwa and Violet are doing some star navigation so I wanted to give her a break. I am thinking about what Poseidon meant by “TO RELEASE THE POWER, ALL MUST BE DIVIDED”. Is it a person? Thing? Place? or Analogy for something else? 

I have no idea...

Author’s Note: Hi there!! Thank you all again to those who have discovered my story and have supported it. I want to give a very huge shout out to my dearest friend, @hwaseongatiny​ who is the character portrayal of Violet in my story. She wrote the kissing scene between Emerald (Character portrayal of me) and Jongho. She is such an amazing writer and I can tell she loves expressing herself through writing. Thank you for helping and supporting my writing. Love you!😁💕

[superpuppies]

Hobbit High

Chapter 6: Ori’s Stash

Fandom- The Hobbit

Characters- Ori X Dwalin, Bilbo X Thorin, Fili, Kili, Dori, Nori, Gandalf, Thlandral, Legolas

Rating- PG15

Word count-2,408

Archive Link- https://archiveofourown.org/works/10027448/chapters/57583495#workskin

Summary- While Ori sleeps Dwlin helps himself to a few of the fantasizes Bilbo had dreamed up for Ori.

Hey all, here’s the newest from my mind, please keep in mind that I do have dyslexia and I really do try to fix all spelling mistakes but some will always slip through. If you spot some please let me know and I will do my best to correct it. Thank you.

Once Ori was nicely tucked, well half tripped half dropped on to his bed and curled into his blankets. Dwalin took a moment to look around the room this marked the first time he would spend an extended amount of time in Ori’s room. Nori had almost always seemed to find a reason to pester his baby brother when he knew Dwalin was on his way over, though Dwalin himself had always hovered in the door way. Dwalin heaved a sigh and actually looked at the room he now stood in. The walls were painted a soft earthen brown, lined in waist high deep oak bookshelves except next to the window where a small oak computer desk sat and on the opposite wall where the bed laid it’s claim. Only a few posters where scattered above the bookshelves, of some of Ori’s favorite comics and novels that had been turned into films. There was one that surprised him though, nestled in the corner next to the closet was a poster of Sailor Mercury and Sailor Saturn posed back to back ready to defend their calmly reading counter parts. The poster made Dwalin smirk; it was oddly girlish yet not quite as it was also the only one that had any female presence or a human one for that matter.

Glancing at the bookshelves a three-inch binder labeled algebra glared back at Dwalin from midway between the bed and the closet. He crossed the room and carefully pulled the binder from the shelf. Opening the binder with a mixture of feeling both dirty and ridiculous, he was a bit surprised to find that it was actually full of stories instead of math, just like Nori had said. He was not however surprised that there was a small table of contents with only dates and page counts, the fact that each story had its own matching labeled divider certainly helped.

Dwalin turned on the bedside lamp and flicked off the overhead before settling with his back against the bed the binder on his lap. He picked a divider at random and opened to the story of 3-27, no title was on the actual story itself, which made Dwalin sigh. Truthfully how was he supposed to have any clue what this was about without a title? Dwalin wondered, then supposed that titling them and bringing them to school was probably too much of a risk. With another sigh he let the lack of title go and started reading only to stop and double check that there wasn’t something that came before, because the story just seemed to jump right in.

Ori bit his lip to keep the groans from pouring out of him but it did very little to stop them. Dwalin tightened his hold on the slender red heads hips as he pistonned into him harder. Dwalin let out a guttural sound and pressed Ori’s face harder against the cold slick desk top.

Dwalin stopped reading; it was weird and confusing reading about himself like that. Yes, he understood what was happening but he just didn’t understand why and it didn’t look like he would be getting an answer any time soon. He flipped to another story deciding that 3-27 was not the place for him to start. He skipped over two and stopped on 4-10.

Five twenty in the evening the Ri house is as quiet as the rest of the street as Dwalin, a local football star makes his way up to the door and rings the bell. The door is opened moments later by the middle Ri boy, Nori, who greets his friend with a mischievous grin. “Good you made it.”

“I live two streets over, why wouldn’t I make it?” Dwalin grumbles as he walks into the house.

“Right, right. I just meant as fast as you did is all.” Nori smiles shutting the door. “Now come on I want you to see this.” Nori starts up the stairs with Dwalin just behind.

“This better not be anything stupid. I had to make ridicules promises to get out of the house.”

“No, no you’re gonna like it. Trust me.” Nori said smiling standing at the far end of the hall his hand on the doorknob of his older brother’s room.

“Why are you going into Dori’s room?”  

“Because that is where it is.” Nori smirked then opened the door and shoved Dwalin through it before walking in himself and closing the door. Dwalin caught his balance and turned on Nori but quickly turned back as his mind said it had seen something very unexpected.

Dori sat on the end of the bed an oddly dark smile set into his usually kind features, as the fingers of his right hand brushed softly over the top of a very naked, tided down, blindfolded and whimpering Ori’s foot. Dwalin’s mouth went dry at the sight of it which made speaking more difficult than it should have been.

“What the-“

“Hmm, I was pretty sure you wouldn’t make it.” Dori chuckled. Dwalin tried to start again but words failed him and so he fell silent as Nori wrapped himself around Dwalin’s shoulders.

“The last couple of times we were playing Dori and I found out a little secret.” Nori rested his head on Dwalin’s shoulder and whispered in his ear. “Would you like to know it?”

Dwalin twitched away from Nori, uncomfortable with his friend’s moist hot breath brushing against his skin. “What the hell is going on?” Dwalin finally managed to get the words to form shaking Nori off of himself. Dori’s chuckle caught him off guard and tore his eyes back to the eldest Ri.

“We’re playing.” Nori stated as if it were obvious.

“Playing what?” Concern tainted Dwalin’s voice.

Dori sighed as he stood. “Do you want to know the secret or not?” Dori stated, hovering at the end of his bed waiting. While Ori murmured and searched for the now lost contact as much as his bindings would allow. Dwalin gave himself a moment to think and then with a slight lowering of his head asked.

“What’s it about?”

Dori smirked confidently. “Well no, I didn’t say anything about giving you clues. It’s either you want to know or you don’t. There is no half knowing in this.”

Dwalin exhaled heavily, running his hands over his face. Yes, he did want to know in fact at this moment he wanted to know a lot of things, but no, he was also pretty sure he didn’t want to know. He could make guesses at a few things here, ones he was sure would be quite accurate. It would be nice to just turn around, return home and act like this hadn’t happened, like his friend didn’t have his brother bound naked to a bed like it was a normal thing. But he knew he couldn’t just go back to how it was before, he wouldn’t be able to forget, just let it go. It would bother him, yeah he could guess and hypothesis but he wouldn’t know and that would eat away at him. “Yes.” He finally said quietly with his eyes locked on the carpet.

Nori laughed out right as he started for the bed.

“Wow, I really thought you were going to back right out of the room.” Dori said with a smile that almost resembled his usual one. Dwalin looked up as the two older brothers settled on opposite sides of the bed. “No backing out now though, Dwalin.”

Nori ran his hand slowly up Ori’s left leg, over his thigh then slowed to play on the hip bone. Ori bowed into the touch biting his bottom lip to stifle his wanton moan. Dori smirked as his fingers began to play across Ori’s stomach. Ori quickly lost the fight to stay silent and gasp sharply before falling into a panting groan as sensation attacked him from both sides.

Dori leaned in close to Ori’s head and hooked a wire around his pinky, giving the wire a gentle tug and earphone dislodged from Ori’s ear and tumbled down the pillow. With a low and darkly smooth voice Dori stage whispered. “You’ve been a very good boy, Ori, waiting so patiently. Now you just need to do one more thing.” Ori let out a shuttering whimper that sent anticipatory shivers down Dwalin’s spine and played in the back of his mind. Dori smirked watching Dwalin’s reaction as he continued. “Tell us who you want, who, you really want.”

Ori’s lip quivered slightly but slowly and very softly he began to speak. “I, I want… Dori.”

“Liar!” Dori growled slapping Ori hard across the face as Nori removed his hands from Ori’s thigh. Disappointment clouded Nori’s face as he stood beside the bed looking down on his younger brother though Ori couldn’t see it. Ori remained silent and Dori smiled proudly at that as he leaned back over his youngest brother. “Let us try this again, Ori. Who do you want?” Ori’s cheeks tinted pink and he turned from his brother, had he been able to see he would have realized he was looking right at Dwalin. “Ori.” Dori demanded.

“Dwalin.” Ori blurted out, looking as ashamed as he could without actually curling in on himself.  Dwalin simply gawked; he couldn’t wrap his head around what he had heard. Both Nori and Dori smirked. Nori watched his friend with interest as Dori spoke again. “I think that can be arranged.” With gentle fingers he pulled the blindfold from Ori’s eyes. Ori was still facing Dwalin and as Dwalin realized what Dori had planned he stepped forward with a panicked.

“Wait.” Ori’s eyes snapped open at Dwalin’s voice an odd tension of horror and want played over his body.

“Would you rather him blind?” Dori asked raising an eyebrow. Dwalin didn’t answer as his eyes ran unabated over Ori’s skin. “Dwalin.” Dori snapped pulling Dwalin’s attention back to the question and his eyes away from Ori.

“No.” Dwalin sounded a bit unsure of his answer.

Nori moved right up against Dwalin’s side and ran his hands down Dwalin’s arm. “So you do want him then?” He smiled slyly.

“Stop pawing at me!” Dwalin snapped pulling his arm away from Nori’s grasp.

“Come here, Dwalin.” Dori called him closer to the bed, Dwalin hesitated.

 The bedroom door cracked opened and Nori peaked his head in. He smiled at the back of Dwalin’s head as he quietly entered the room; he knelt down on the edge of the bed and leaned over Ori then Dwalin’s shoulder. “What you reading?”

Dwalin jumped at the sound of Nori’s voice next to his ear. “Holy crap, man! Don’t do that.” He hissed turning to Nori. Nori simply shrugged reaching past him and thumbing back a few pages.

“Oh, you don’t want to read that one it’s weird. Nori said standing, crossing back over to the book shelf and grabbing an unmarked binder. “These, however, are some of my personal favorites.” Nori said walking back over and settling next to Dwalin, as if it were perfectly normal to have favorite stories about one’s brother and best friend in sexual situations. “This one has you and Thorin getting drunk then sneak up here to have your wicked way with Ori and Bilbo.” Nori chuckled flipping through the pages in search of that particular story.

“Aren’t there any stories where I’m not taking some sort of advantage of him?” Dwalin groaned.

“Not in this house.” Nori shrugged still flipping pages. “He just doesn’t see you for the giant teddy bear you are.”

“The wha? I am not.”

“You are. I’ve seen how you’ve turned down any girl that’s come to you with an offer. I’m still not quite sure how you manage to keep them liking you, I mean Thorin’s got that rumor that he’s got a girlfriend from that stupid archery going for him but you, you got nothing .”

“Well, thanks for that.” Dwalin set a pouting glare at Nori. “So he really thinks I’d use him?” Dwalin continued sadly looking up at Ori’s sleeping face.

“Seems that way.” Nori shrugged. “I guess he figures it’s the only way he would get any attention from you. You know like if you used him for some sort of stress relief” Nori let his sentence fade as he turned to look at his friend. He was sure he hadn’t seen Dwalin looking so defeated since they had lost the homecoming game by two points back in freshman year. Nori cleared his throat bringing Dwalin’s attention back to him. “So you’ll just have to show him that he’s wrong.”

Dwalin half smirked as he looked at the story Nori had stopped at. “So, I’m drunk in this one?”

“Yep.” Nori smiled. “Apparently Dori’s not so good at locking up his scotch.”

“Scotch? I would have thought him more of a brandy man.”

“Schnapps actually but in this particular tale Scotch.”

“Schnapps? Really?”

“Yep, Butterscotch and apple are his preferred.”

“Your brothers are something else.” Dwalin said shaking his head.

“Yeah, well, you know.” Nori handed Dwalin the binder. “So, you gonna read it? I should really get back or Bilbo’s virtue might not make the night.” Nori stood but waited for Dwalin’s answer.

“I don’t know, I’ll think about it.”

“Alright but he’ll never know so you may as well use it while you can.” Nori shrugged and closed the door behind him.  

Dwalin thumbed the upper corner of the page for a moment trying to decide whether or not to start this story. With a soft huff he placed the binder on the plush sand colored carpet and climbed up onto the bed behind Ori. Dwalin spooned himself as close to Ori as he could without actually touching the boy. He watched Ori’s chest rise and fall but all he could think of was the dark bruises still forming beneath the thin layer of t-shirt. Dwalin was sure he was just as responsible for them as Fili and Kili were. With another huff Dwalin leaned over Ori and turned off the light.  Settling back on the bed Dwalin allowed himself a moment of creepy stalker behavior and sniffed Ori’s hair. It smelled of the apple blossom shampoo he had seen in the tub and of Ori himself, the earthy clean of paper, ink and charcoal. Dwalin drifted off to sleep a small smile on his face.

[namjuicyy]

A Father’s Love - Chapter 10 [FINAL]

Masterlist | Requests are open.

Genre: Angst, fluff, smut.

Genre of this part: Fluff.

Word Count: 1.9k.

Summary: Single father, Namjoon, struggles to keep his idol life and his private life separate. When he meets you, everything changes.

Warnings: None.

ONE YEAR LATER

The American leg. It was their longest stretch of the entire tour, and during the middle of it, Namjoon was visibly losing the will to live. He gave his all onstage, of course he did, but as soon as the curtains had closed he was close to collapsing. More so from emotional exhaustion rather than physical.

Manager Sejin gave you a call, asking if there was any way that you could fly out to him, join them in America and stay with them for as long as you possibly could. You missed your man. It had been an incredibly long time since you'd seen him... in fact, the longest time. Haneul had taken his father's spot on the bed and cuddled up to you and daddy's Koya pillow. Haneul was usually okay with Namjoon leaving. Of course he missed him, but never this much. So, you thought you'd take Sejin's offer up, and organised to surprise Namjoon in the middle of their tour. Because he needed you, and you and Haneul needed him.

Haneul had never travelled overseas before. He had nothing, so, while he was out at playgroup, you went out to the shopping centre to get some things for the trip: a small suitcase for Haneul, plus one of those adorable Ride and Roll carry-on suitcases that you knew Haneul would love. Sure he was a little mature for his age, given that the majority of people he knew were adults, but he absolutely loved everything he should being a child. The suitcases were packed by the time you had to go and pick him up, the tickets had been sent via email, the Visas had been sorted, you were pretty much ready to go. So, after picking Haneul up from playgroup, you took the detour to the airport and surprised him there and then.

He cried at the prospect of being able to see his daddy again. They were happy tears, of course they were, and despite his crying, he was practically running through security, moaning at you because you were going too slow. He didn't want to sit on his Ride and Roll, but it got to the point where he was running through the airport, you had to force him to sit on it just so you knew where he was.

He was a bearable nightmare on the 13 hour flight from Incheon to San Francisco. He was so excited to finally see his dad again, he tried his hardest to stay awake. He was too afraid of falling asleep and missing it all, landing, getting in the car, seeing daddy. He did pass out, however, half way through his lunch to be precise. His head was almost dunking itself into his yogurt. He was so adorable. You took a photo of him before removing the yogurt from the small boy's path so he didn't actually look like someone's pudding.

Landing was smooth, and going through the airport was even smoother given that you both were privately escorted through security so that no one could get at you or your son. Manager Sejin was waiting the other side, taking your bags off you so you could strap a sleeping Haneul into the seat beside you so he could continue sleeping until you got to the venue. Sejin made conversation with you all the way there, telling you about Namjoon's slump and how he just didn't seem to be taking care of himself properly. You found yourself getting angry at him for his unprofessionalism, but you knew exactly how he felt. The only reason you hadn't gone into a slump yourself was because you had Haneul to take care of.

You woke him up just as you entered the venue, getting him to truly wake up before he lost his mind at his father. You made him remain as quiet as possible as you walked backstage, and Haneul took this a little too far, tip toeing as he made his way backstage, to make doubly sure that his dad didn't hear him.

The door to the artist dressing room opened, and you heard the boys laughing. They saw Sejin and started trying to rope him into some scheme they were plotting to bully Taehyung with. "Listen," he said holding his hands up, "what you lot do in your spare time is none of my business. However, Namjoonie, I need you to do me a favour."

"What's up?" Namjoon asked.

"I need you to stand here." He pointed to a spot in the room that made sure Namjoon was in the centre so everyone could see him, but more importantly, he could see the two of you as soon as the door opened wider. Namjoon disappeared from your view and you heard him stop walking, clearly in position. "Close your eyes."

"Oh God. Last time someone told me to do that, Jungkook shoved his ass in my face and farted."

The whole room erupted in laughter, Jungkook's hands clapping violently as he recalled his prank and felt no remorse for it.

"Trust me." Sejin's voice was soft, but firm. Namjoon obviously did as he was told, because when the door opened to reveal you and Haneul, he didn't move. Sejin moved out the way, "open them."

Namjoon's eyes snapped open and immediately focussed on you and then moved to Haneul. He dropped to his knees and opened his arms wide. Haneul didn't waste any time. "Daddy!" He screamed as he toddled towards his father, launching himself into Namjoon's chest and wrapping his tiny arms around Namjoon's torso.

Namjoon groaned at the impact, but didn't mind the slight pain as his son was wrapped up in his arms again. "Oh my baby boy." He breathed. "I missed you so much. Stop, let me look at you." He gently pushed his son off of him so he could hold his chubby cheeks in his large hands and stare at his son, taking in his entire appearance. "Look at you! You got so tall!"

"I am exactly a hundred and one centimetres." Haneul stated proudly. "Mummy checked."

At the mention of you, Namjoon looked up. He'd almost forgotten that you were there. He picked Haneul up and rested him on his hip, and made his way over to you. His free hand cupped your cheek and his lips immediately attached themselves to yours, keeping you locked to him in a very passionate kiss, just screaming how much he missed you.

"Get a fucking room, you two!" Hoseok shouted from across the room.

"Yeah, daddy, get a fucking room." Haneul repeated.

Namjoon broke the kiss immediately to gently scold his son for his poor use of language. You, on the other hand, had to leave the room so that Haneul couldn't see you laughing at his parrot-like behaviour.

You were there for the show that night, and Haneul got to see his daddy perform for the first time. He was completely enthralled by the stage and how the band performed. He couldn't look away, and screamed every single time he saw Namjoon, either on the stage or on the screen.

Their second night in San Francisco ended with Namjoon bring his son on stage for the endingment, because that's what Haneul asked. He wanted to see what his daddy saw, to know what it was like to be on stage with so many people looking at you. So, Namjoon obliged. And fans lost their mind when they saw the spitting image of Namjoon waddling onto the stage, looking incredibly excited to be there. Namjoon gave Haneul the microphone, as he held him on his hip, and asked him if there was anything he wanted to say. Haneul went shy in that moment, which was pretty much unlike him, but every time Namjoon tried to say something meaningful, Haneul took the microphone off him and placed a kiss to his cheek.

You and Haneul joined Bangtan for the rest of the American tour, bringing in a private tutor from Korea to teach Haneul things during the day, making sure he didn't miss out on his schoolwork. And when he wasn't with his tutor, he was with you and Namjoon, running around on the empty stage and screaming as loud as he could to make his voice echo around the stadium.

The boys had a final free day in New York before they were due to head to the next state, so Namjoon decided to make it special for the three of you. He blindfolded you, and made sure the location was a surprise. The summer breeze hit you as soon as you got out the car, and by the sounds of the people in the background and the cars driving passed, you knew you were somewhere really busy. He pushed you by your shoulders, making sure Haneul was following behind you, and kept you steady as you walked onto the dry grass. He stopped you, gently removed your blindfold, and you almost cried at the sight in front of you.

In the centre of Central Park sat a red and white tartan blanket, weighed down by a few picnic baskets and paper plates and disposable cutlery. Namjoon knew you loved intimate moments with people you loved, and he couldn't have made this any more intimate even if he'd tried. Inside the baskets were your favourite foods, there was some pizza, cakes, sweets, snacks, just general items that were easy enough to eat without the need for plates and fine dining.

His tone turned serious after your meal, as you both sat there and watched Haneul play in the dirt not too far away from you. "You know, I owe a lot to you." He began.

"No you don't."

"I do. We do. It's because of you we became happy again. You fixed me... us. When you left the first time, you had every right to, and I was so terrified I'd never see you again. Hannie was, too, you know. Though he didn't necessarily know you'd gone and been gone for long, he knew something wasn't right. He loves you. Perhaps more than I do if that's even possible. We're lucky to have you."

"I'm lucky to have you both. You invited me into your lives happily. You gave me a family when my own family was half the world away. I love you so much. I love you both so much. I don't ever want to imagine my life without you."

"Me either." He was quiet for a second. "Marry me."

"What?"

"Marry me. I knew I was going to spend the rest of my life with you, anyway. You're too amazing to let go. So why not make it official? I'm desperately in love with you, always will be. Marry me."

You didn't even need to think. The word just came out without you realising. "Yes." You saw his face light up and wash with relief. He held you close to him, tighter than he'd ever held you before. His hand went to his pocket and pulled out a box-less ring. Turned out he was going to ask you anyway. The ring, it didn't fit. Of course it wouldn't. He didn't check your size and used Jimin's hands as a guide. So with another hug, he promised you that you'd go together and get it sorted.

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw movement. You saw a familiar face with long hair that was let loose around thin shoulders. A face you recognised, laced with some emotion you didn't even want to register. It couldn't be. Was... was that Minji?

[dailyaudiobible]

03/10/2020 DAB Transcript

Numbers 14:1-15:16, Mark 14:53-72, Psalms 53:1-6, Proverbs 11:4

Today is the 10th day of March, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it's great to be here with you as we continue the journey, the next step forward into the week, into the Bible, into our lives. And what an honor that we get to do this together with each other around the Global Campfire. So, let's get to what we've come here for which is…which is God's word. We’re reading from the Contemporary English Version this week. Today, numbers chapter 14 verse 1 through 15, verse 16.

Commentary:

Okay. We've…we’ve talked about this before. We’re in a season on the Christian calendar called lent and this is a time of fasting and contemplation, meditation. It's…it’s an ancient tradition. And yeah there’s fasting. And yeah maybe it's, you know, candy bars that you’re fasting or television or whatever, but the point of the fasting is to remove something from our lives that maybe brings us pleasure, and use that time, use that space to contemplate the price of sin, to contemplate our lives, separated from God, to contemplate the state of the world in separation from God. And yes, this is a year where we’re looking for the good, where we’re looking for the kingdom, we’re asking for eyes to see and ears to hear. And yes, it's all around us. But no, this is not how things were intended to be. And there's a reason, it's our rebellion, it's our willingness to stay separated. And we see that on such clear display today as Jesus is the high priest's quarters. And yeah, while we were in Israel, like this story is really, really vivid because it's like less…less than two weeks standing in this place where this story happens and being down in the pit, you know, where Jesus is being held and understanding they’re spitting on Him and smacking Him around and blindfolding Him and asking Him to prophesy who hit Him. Just…I mean the cruelty…the cruelty of it all. And the people perpetrating this cruelty are God’s people, are the people that…that are in charge of the soul care of…of the people, of the Hebrew people. They’re instigating all of this. They’re missing that God was right in front of them. And, so, the high priest is like, “are you…are you the Messiah? Are you the Son of the glorious God?” And Jesus answers them directly, “I am.” And it's utterly and completely rejected outright, and He is sentenced to die. They missed it so badly and it's so sad and that's our story. That’s our story friends. It's been staring at us in the face and we've missed it so badly over the course of our lives in so many instances on so many occasions and it's so sad. And this season is for that. Like it’s a place in the year to go with that, sit with that, sit with the kinds of things that are actually painful about sin, like the things that we just try to repent and avoid go on. We’re supposed to actually sit here and understand, “this cost something. What kind of love is this? What kind of love is this that we’re talking about, that God would come as a human and be utterly rejected by creation and killed to reveal the state of the world and how backward things are to the way they were intended and to bridge that gap and make a way?” And, so as we go through this story in the Gospel of Mark, and as we go through this season…and believe me…like whether you're observing lent or not…like, that’s not in the Bible. Nobody’s telling you that you should be doing this. There’s just a reason there are rhythms that have traditionally been in the Christian year and this is one of those, for us to truly, truly appreciate what we’re talking about when we talk about what it took to bring us back, to rescue us from the darkness. And, so, as we go through this story this is an appropriate time to really focus our hearts attention and meditate upon this.

Prayer:

Jesus, as we go into this day, we’re considering You before the religious leaders who missed and we confess we’ve done the same thing. We've done the same thing many times and we are sorry. We, as Peter, have denied You more than three times, many more than three times whether in thought or word or deed. And we sit with that and we understand that this is what separates us and separation from You is indeed hopeless. And, so, Holy Spirit come. And as we move through our day help us to continue to remember this story - Jesus before the high priest, Jesus in the pit tied up waiting for what would come next. Help us to contemplate this moment and give it the gravity and reverence it is due. And we pray this in the mighty name of our Savior, Jesus our Lord. Amen.

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

[jasminekaurwalia]

About us

Let’s take a walk down our memory lane!

November 2020. It all started when Jasmine was updating her LinkedIn, hitting add on random Amazon people to build up connections, one of this those just happened to be a Puneet. Little did they know they both worked in the same building at alternate times at a point. Maybe it was faith maybe it was a coincidence or maybe he secretly was trying to kidnap? (According to him it’s the other way) Puneet used this as his way into her messages “Hi! I just saw your title and ... WFS in the bay area...how early are you pouring that wine these days? Lol” next thing you know they were talking on multiple platforms: Amazon messaging, instagram and of course the infamous LinkedIn. Then it became voice messages on Instagram throughout the day and a billion (not exaggerating) failed attempts to meet (totally Puneet). Let’s just say it took 4 months for an actual date. The first date: started off at Counter (burger place), archery and then walking in a park around a lake and sharing family values, goals, future ambitions and then a night of nonstop phabi with Puneet’s best friend and his at the time fiancé (shoutout to Manjot&Gurleen). This was the start to our love story. (Side more puneet totally kidnapped Jasmine as you can tell, so if you chose that answer, you got it right) The start to movie nights, yummy food (pizza, Thai), coffee runs, movies, drive thru movie adventures, dates, bowling, and so much more.

The Proposal. December 31st, 2021

Leading up to the day, the bloopers let’s call it.

-Ashmine(Jasmine’s sister) randomly insisting she needs to get her nails done and they need to be really cute.

- Ashmine telling her she should wear a dress, since it’s her birthday and heels (not random at all?)

- Jasmine’s dad randomly asking birthday plans and details about lunch and who is coming

- Puneet telling Jasmine they have to go to San Francisco to shop at Express

- Jasmine suspecting something and saying should we just wear gym clothes and be chill and Puneet insisting they have to dress up to take pictures

- Puneet telling Jasmine they are going to watch a 3 hour movie because it’s the perfect amount of time

So what happened? Jasmine was getting ready and checked to see how far Puneet was. He was outside but 10 mins went by and he didn’t ring the doorbell or call or anything so she ran out to welcome him in and instead found him awkwardly parked on the driveway flustered. That instance both Jasmine’s parents ran out, mom stayed outside and dad told her she needs to follow her right now and they have to talk. Tells her to go to her room and says okay “statue” and closes the door. (No idea why he thought this would work) Jasmine was like what on earth but figured it was some type of birthday surprise and went back to getting ready. Puneet and Jasmine get to San Francisco and yes they did go shopping. First at Macys where Puneet took 10 years I’m the bathroom (slightly aggregated) and then Express where he got slacks he changed into. They went to the movies (totally in a dress, heels, slacks, dressed up) and watched Spider-Man 3. After the movie Puneet randomly tells Jasmine he needs to blindfold her because they are going to a secret park and no one can know where it is. Yes he really blindfolded her, even took her out of the car and left her on the side to park. (She totally thought she was getting abducted that day) then he walked her up the steepest hill (in heels) blindfolded. Next thing you know she sees the red carpet from the tiny opening under the blindfold and the tears flow. (Ever heard of cry-laughing? Well it was invented this day because that’s all she could do) Puneet off the blindfold, helped her fix her hair, took her hands and his tears started, probably composed himself a trillion times but gave her the best proposal filled with love, a surprise of family standing behind and dogs with proposal bandanas around them. Magical fairytale start of the next chapter.

After an adventure of falling in love, facing trials and tribulations, realizing what wedding planning is haha we are both ecstatic to celebrate with all of you and share our love and meet all of our family members that we are gaining! See you all on October 7th, 2022 when Puneet gets to officially kidnap Jasmine for infinite and beyond. #nosekhonguessing

[novipedia]

How To Say Hunter X Hunter 23

With junko takeuchi, hozumi gôda, yuki kaida, annika odegard. Hunter x hunter is a manga created by yoshihiro togashi which began back in 1998.

Why I love Hisoka♥️ Hunter x Hunter Amino

It’s not an xx it’s an × ( a multiplication sign ).

How to say hunter x hunter. Given this, and the text is written in either japanese kanji or chinese (as @kuwaly beat me to pointing out), and the fact that there is a japanese translation provided, i'm going to conclude that the text is written in. He came up with the final name hunter × hunter while watching the television variety show downtown, in which the hosts often. Hunter x hunter is meant to run together just.

She was a hunter and died exploring the dark continent. His mother is alicia freecs. You say it twice in progression.

You need to watch hunter x hunter with blindfolds to miss the obvious signs that something is not okay with gon. Hunter x hunter anime return you’ll be able to watch the latest anime episodes of hunter x hunter in the last 2021 or early 2022. In one of hunter × hunter's merchandising products, the character's disguise/alias, gittarackur, is alternatively named as guitarakle.

Ո) (already deciphered as う/u). He had to continuously attend health check ups for his back which kept him from writing chapters for most of 2015 and 2016. Thematically, hunter x hunter is way more gritty and deals with realistic social issues a lot more than naruto.

Feitan's first language is chinese; At the end of the tape, when ging was going to tell him about his mother, instead of listening to it to the end, gon just stopped the tape and stated that mito was his mother. A good chunk of time in hxh is spent on showing the political, economic and social relationship of a wide variety of nations, ethnicities and even species.

I always say hunter hunter out loud(if i'm actually recommending it i'll mention the x though). Brainly user brainly user 10/07/2021 english high school answered hunter hunter or hunter x hunter? With his friends and his potential, he seeks for his father who left him when he.

However, only one of these is technically correct. Gon freecss (ゴン=フリークス) is the main character of the hunter × hunter franchise series. The story follows a young boy named gon freecss, who discovers that his previously thought to be.

A character from an amazing anime called hunter x hunter u should check it out. More japanese words for hunter. Its chapters have been collected in 36 tankōbon volumes as of october 2018.

He mostly lives with his aunt, mito freecss and abe. The story focuses on a young boy. When you hear the creator say it, he says it as ‘hunter [pause] hunter’.

Gon freecss aspires to become a hunter, an exceptional being capable of greatness. He speaks in sentence fragments in japanese while switching to his native tongue when angered. The boy wants to become a hunter himself to find his father.

The second is where you ignore the x entirely, saying simply hunter hunter. There is a lot of speculation as to whom his mother could be, but until togashi supplies the answer, we will never know. There are two ways to pronounce it:

Hunter × hunter (pronounced hunter hunter) is a japanese manga series written and illustrated by yoshihiro togashi.it has been serialized in shueisha's weekly shōnen jump since march 1998, although the manga has frequently gone on extended hiatuses since 2006. I read somewhere that the author says that you don't say, hunter by hunter or hunter vs hunter but hunter hunter. Gon was born on the day of may 5th as the only child and.

For those unfamiliar with hunter x hunter, the series was originally created by yoshihiro togashi. Yoshihiro togashi may have drawn the fictional cipher inverted by accident. How do you say it?

How to say hunter in japanese. You can still like the show, but you are doing yourself a disservice if you miss these details. Hunter x hunter gets really good in the york shin arc, which is the third one, but before that there is a really intense battle in the second arc that i'm sure you're going to like.

The first candidate for a hunter x hunter pronunciation is the popular hunter ex hunter, where you pronounce the x as, well, an x. Find an answer to your question hunter hunter or hunter x hunter? Here's the reference from wikipedia (under the production section):

After finding his father he goes back home to continue living with mito. He caught up this problem during his days of writing yu yu hakusho. In the hard test, gon meets leorio, kurapika and killua.

Hunter x hunter ‘s author togashi yoshihiro had to discontinue writing hxh for the past couple of years because acute pain in his back. In roman transliteration the long vowel [o] is usually indicated by ō, oo, or ou, so the hunter × hunter alphabet character that makes more sense to be used is the one that look like an inverted uppercase letter u (similar to: According to the hunter x hunter wiki:

As the manga became popular, it was adapted into anime series with the same name. The history of gon freecs, a boy who left home alone to become a hunter. Illumi may come from an italian word (illuminato) that means enlightened. however, his name may be related to the illuminati, who are often associated with goals of world domination.

How do you say it? Killua is a character in the anime of hunter x hunter. In short, hunter x hunter tells a story about a boy named gon freecss, who is living in a world of hunters.

He is the son of the famous hunter, ging freecss, and he is on a long quest to find his long lost father. With issei futamata, megumi han, cristina valenzuela, mariya ise. Illumi is also a manipulator, which fits with the.

According to the creator you just say ‘hunter hunter’ but most people do. * hunter hunter ( removing the ‘x’ from the title ) and: * hunter x hunter ( reading the title as it is ) this is a filler answer.

[crookedmoonlight123]

The Rain Woman Chapter 10 - When A Rain Drop Shatters

YAY! I finally installed Office 365 so i can now post my chapters here, italics and all! Enjoy!

Chapter 10 - When The Rain Drop Shatters

 A/N: Thankyou to the guest who reviewed every chapter :-D Much appreciated! And everyone else who has followed/favourited so far!  Enjoy!

   Juvia brushed her blue tresses this mornings revelations were a bit straighter in her mind, she hadn’t exactly wrapped her head around the idea but accepted it all the none.  Her father might just be crazy but there was no way she was going to help him, not one bit. A knock on her door signalled it must be time for dinner.  

 “Juvia is just coming!”  She called from the bathroom as the door clicked open.  

 “Our Master requests your presence for dinner.”  The velvety voice spoke, the one hooded figure Juvia never actually got the chance to lay eyes on.  

 “Juvia accepts.”  Juvia held her hands out as the rope and blindfold were put in place, she couldn’t go hungry and maybe she would get the chance to see her mother tonight, after all she couldn’t go hungry either.

 The trip to the house or mansion, judging by the size of the dining room it was probably a mansion; felt shorter this evening but Juvia imagined that was just because her mind was preoccupied.  The smell of food greeted her again as she stepped across the threshold and the blindfold and rope were removed but only once she was in the dining room, the lilac haired lady stood by the doors as Juvias father sat in his normal seat.  Juvia walked over without an invitation and took a seat herself, tucking her dress coat underneath her and adjusting her fur hat.  Before she could speak dinner arrived and was set out on the table, bowls of vegetables; roasted beetroots, parsnips, carrots and broccoli, trays of potatoes - sweet and normal, meats, fish and gravy boats were placed in front of her.  Juvia liked food but if Natsu was here he would be in heaven, it would seem her father had a feast for every meal.

 “Do you have a feast for every meal?” Juvia questioned, how much of it would go to waste?

 “Not every meal.  I don’t know what you like to eat so I ask my chef to prepare a selection.” He sounded almost fatherly.

 “Juvia doesn’t think that’s necessary and can give you a list of everything she doesn’t like to make it easier.” The watermage pursed her lips.

 “That’s very kind of you.”  Jimquin poured them both of a glass of wine next to their glasses of water.

 “Is mother not dining with us tonight? Surely she is hungry to.” Juvias navy eyes searched his for any trace of lies.

 “Not tonight, she wanted to eat alone in her quarters.” He paused to tuck a napkin into the top of his crisp white shirt.  “I think she is still bitter about the means in which she got here.” Juvia watched as he spooned beetroots and parsnips onto his plate before passing them over to her.

 “Juvia imagines you are probably right.”  The watermage believed him, she was annoyed herself.  They ate their meal in silence and Juvias eyes nearly popped out her head at the cake that came out after, a triple layer chocolate sponge, thick chocolate ganache between the sponge layers, covered in chocolate butter cream frosting topped with chocolate malt balls. Digging into the chocolate cake with lavish Juvia began to think about what her father had said this morning about trying to awaken her dark magic, he hadn’t asked yet but Juvia was sure he hadn’t forgotten.

 The watermage ate her cake slowly hoping to put off the inevitable but her plate still seemed to empty too quickly.  Once the plates were taken Jimquin set his brown eyes back on her, they seemed to harden and Juvia knew the question and argument were coming.

 “So Juvia, I am going to ask you again now you have had time to think about what I asked of you this morning, after all I would rather I didn’t have to lock you away before you complied.”  There was no gentleness in his voice now.

 “Juvia has already told you she won’t.” She gripped the glass in her hand tightly.  “Fairy Tail will come looking for her, they expect her back by now.”  The water mage smiled smugly at this fact relaxing her grip on the glass slightly.

 “Well I have something that might change your mind.” He now smiled smugly at her, Juvias heart pounding in her chest.  Jimquin clicked a power button on a remote as a picture appeared on a projector, it was of a cell but not hers.  The watermages eyes widened at the person on the screen, her cheeks flushed scarlet, the blood pounding in her ears. No it couldn’t be? Gray-sama?!  Why, how did they have him?

 “How!  Why do you have Gray-sama?” Juvia roared, the glass in her hand smashing as bits of it embedding itself in her skin causing red spots to appear in the palm of her hand as she pushed herself away from the table with such force she sent the chair she was sat on crashing into the wall behind her, she could feel her magic tingling viciously through her veins.

  Jimquin just smirked at her reaction.  “We found him walking the streets of Rhodonia, he must’ve been looking for you.”

 Gray-sama was looking for Juvia? Normally this sort of information would send her into a romantic fantasy but not now.  Oh Gray-sama, how could you be so stupid to follow Juvia here… why did you follow Juvia here… She clutched at her dress coat her navy eyes swimming with emotions.  “Juvia has a condition.” The words she spoke were cold and Juvia made yet another heart wrenching decision.

 “You let Gray-sama go unharmed, tell him it was mix up.  And release Juvias mother, give her money to rebuild her house and garden.” The watermages eyes never left her fathers as she put forward her proposal.

 Jimquin snarled.  “Your mother belongs here!” He growled slamming his fist down on the table, his cheeks growing red now to.

 “Those are Juvias conditions.  Then she will join you.” Juvias voice was not at all strong like she intended it to be, instead it was small and laced with sadness.

 What seemed like an eternity passed, the room thick with tension before Jimquin came to a decision.  “Fine I accept your terms.  But you should know that your mother will come back to protect you anyway, mothers always do.” He smiled triumphantly, he had won and now his plan would be set in motion.

    Gray awoke groggily, his head was pounding and as he reached around the back of head his to his raven hair he could feel the dried blood matting.  Just great!  I let my guard down and now I’m being held captive by Mavis knows who! Gray punched the hard stone floor in frustration as realisation hit him.  What if I’ve been taken by the same people who are after Juvia? She could be close by.  Gray felt at little at ease but also a little worried, what if she’d been captured for days, why and what would they have done with her?  A painful image planted itself in Grays mind, Juvia shackled up to a wall, eyes shut covered in cuts and bruises.  The icemage shook his head, the idea was ridiculous, she was only looking for her father not some mafia gang.  Standing up Gray decided to look around the cell for a weakness or way out, he tested all the walls but they were old solid brick, he checked the floor to see if there was some kind of tunnel maybe underneath it but there was nothing, he couldn’t even hear a single sound just deafening silence.  Juvia… Gray shut his eyes clenching his fists, he had to find a way out.

   Juvia didn’t sleep well at all that night, she had left the room quickly after her father had agreed to her terms stating that they would begin her ‘training’ first thing in the morning.  The watermage had tossed and turned in her bed her thoughts running wild, she had turned her back on Fairy Tail and Gray-sama again, but it was to keep them safe, it was for their good, she would miss them terribly, her heart ached at the thought of never feeling that happy again, that carefree.

 Memories of her and team Natsu in the tower of heaven flashed into her mind, how Gray-sama had said he wouldn’t mind her joining the guild, how her heart had sung with happiness, when Gray-sama had taught her how to eat caramade franks which she was hopeless at, when he saved her at Tenrou, the unison raid at the Grand Magic Games, the pool table they had been given on a mission, her chats with Lisanna and Gajeel, she’d miss seeing Levy and Gajeel finally getting together, Lucy scolding Natsu, Erza being fierce, Mira always smiling but most importantly her mundane times with Gray-sama, the walks around town, the random easy missions and the way her heart beat out of control when they were close.  Tears rolled down her cheeks, she was either going to wield dark magic which would surely impact her behaviour, alter her emotions some way; or become crazy from the process, either way she was doomed to lead a miserable life once again a life of rain and despair.

 Deciding to stop moping, not knowing the time, Juvia got up going about her morning process.  The watermage started by making her bed straightening it out meticulously it looked almost ironed, plumping her pillows until they were full and fluffy again before walking over to the little bathroom, she didn’t know if she would care about the little things after today so she wanted to spend extra time on everything.  Juvia made her way to the sink and brushed her teeth before slipped the pink nightie off her cream skin onto the little square eggshell blue mat in front of the shower cubicle and climbed into the steaming hot shower.  Sighing in relief Juvia relished the feel of the hot water pounding into her muscles forcing them to relax and unwind warming her to her core she felt almost human, almost like she was back at Fairy Hills.  Tilting her head up Juvia allowed the rays of water to wash over her face feeling like they were washing away her worries with it, the steam from the water was filling the enclosed cubicle it was otherworldly like all Juvia would have to do was walk through the mist to freedom.  Realising she was lapsing into a fantasy, bending down Juvia could just about see the bottle of shampoo and a bottle of conditioner on the edge, quickly applying the shampoo allowing it to lather and sit in her hair away from the shower rays for a minute she inhaled but no scent came to her, she missed the smell of her lavender shampoo it was so soothing, but this shampoo held no such remedy.  Deciding it was time to wash it out Juvia turned the head back to where she was standing washing out the shampoo, her hair feeling a bit dry from the product. Twisting the head away again so it faced the wall the watermage picked up the conditioner and worked it through her hair enjoying the silky feel as it untangled her hair and she washed her body with the shower gel.

 When Juvia finally stepped back out the shower she grabbed the yellow towel off the hook on the door, the soft fabric felt comforting as she wrapped it around her body plus another small one around her head the watermage had picked the softest ones she could find for today.  Juvia towel dried her hair quickly and made her way into the main room and changed into another one of her navy dress coats, this one she hadn’t worn yet, it was super warm as it had a thick fleece lining, the buttons were gold in colour and shaped into butterflies, the belt around the middle was the usual dark brown, the buckle gold to match the buttons, butterfly patterns were stitched around the side and on her shoulders was a thick shawl which again had been sewn into the dress coat for maximum warmth.  Juvia slipped on her thigh high boots she had only brought the browns one with her before wrapping her hair into another towel to dry.

 Juvia busied herself with seeing what had been placed in her drawers and what had been taken, she had all her clothes, a bento which she wished she’d known when she first arrived and some lavender shampoo and conditioner which made the watermage pout, she could’ve had the shower she’d wanted if she’d have checked out the drawers properly.  Once satisfied her hair was dry enough Juvia ran a brush through it before putting on the fur trimmed hat except she added the butterfly clip to it she had worn before the start of Grand Magic Games in Crocus.

 Juvia sat down on a wooden chair next to the chest of drawers crossing her right leg over her left surely it wouldn’t be long now until they called for her?  Chewing the inside of her cheek nervously sure enough the knock came and Juvia stood a little to quickly her sense firing on high alert.

 “Juvi-Juvia is ready.” She stammered as her heart pounded in her chest and anxiety scrambled her brain making her throat feel like it was collapsing in on itself.  The door clicked open and Juvias eyes were transfixed on the cloaked figure who walked through the door, their hood was down and Juvia immediately recognised the light brown of his hair and the eyes she’d seen before the cloak hood had come down, the eyes who had stalked and delivered her messages in Magnolia before she had set off on this journey.

 “The master is very excited to start so let’s not keep him waiting.” He made his way over so quickly surprising the watermage, he moved as fluidly as the wind.  

 Juvia didn’t say a word as the blindfold and rope were fastened, she couldn’t, she felt sad, anxious and hopeless, the emotions were choking back her words and breath.  Without another word they both made there way out the cell, the metal door clanging shut behind them, Juvia expected the stairs but none came, she felt dizzy from the sudden left turn they took before descending stairs the watermage didn’t think they could go any further underground.  Heavy doors shut behind her, the hinges groaning in protest, the smell of damp and mould hung thickly in the air, the blindfold and rope were removed and as Juvias eyes adjusted she saw that she was in a dark room lit with few lamps at the edges, at the back of the room was another door, a robust metal looking door, bright white light seeped from underneath it like the gates to heaven.

 “Juvia, good morning.” Her fathers now familiar voice floated towards her almost graciously.  “I’ve had some breakfast brought here for you so we can get going with the treatment, after all you will need some strength.  He gestured to a small table with a bowl and a variety of cereals on it, the cereal was certainly different to yesterdays over the top breakfast. “It’s simple and light as the process it strenuous.”  He sounding almost caring as Juvia took a seat and made herself a small bowl, she wasn’t really hungry but she to knew she would need as much strength as she could muster.  Her father had said treatment but yesterday he had called it training, but what difference did it make now?  Either way she had made her bed and now must lie in it.

 Finishing the last of cereal, the watermage stood up looking her father in the eye.  “Are you ready Juvia?” He asked nonchalantly.  Already making his way towards the metal door at the back of the room.

 “Yes father, let’s get it over with.” Juvia spoke, her fists balling, her heart pounding with every step, her muscles tensing as her body screamed at her to turn and run, to fight, to find another way, but Juvia was out of time, out of options, if she fought her mother wouldn’t be safe, neither would Gray-sama, as strong as Fairy Tail was, she had been taken down so easily, Juvia had no idea how many strong wizards were under her fathers influence.  If she tried to run or fight she didn’t want to think of the consequences when she was caught.  Finally the door loomed over her, the white light which seemed to heavenly to start with was now painfully bright burning into her eyes.  In the room computers and people dressed in white lab coats typing furiously were stationed to her left and on the right was huge tank full of a purple liquid which bubbled angrily at her.

 “Is the machine ready?” Jimquin was speaking to a male with blonde hair and a clipboard in his hand next to the machine, Juvia looked back behind her at the door, fear striking her heart.  What is Juvia doing?! Her mind screamed but before she could act strong arms on each arm yanked her towards the machine.

 “Your Gray-sama-” He spat the sama.  “Will be released as soon as you are submerged into the tank.” Juvia eyes grew wide, Gray-sama is still being held captive.  A mask over mouth supplying oxygen made her bre breathing become easier.  Next a dome was fitted onto her head, sticking to her scalp in various places, she could have sworn there were tiny needles in it.  A brace like body harness was fitted around her torso, rods going down her legs to the arches of feet, without warning Juvia was winched up and into the purple substance which was thicker than water and had a strange feeling, a lid was closed on top of the machine and Juvia closed her eyes, needles pricked into her skin all around causing her to squirm in pain, she felt the purple liquid against her skin.  Squeezing her eyes tighter she steeled herself for more pain.  Gray-sama…. Live for Juvia… smile for Juvia… Juvia will always love you…  Faint voices were heard outside the tank as shocks went through her body making her convulse, growing stronger with every second, Juvia at first felt pain, raw pain as every cell in her body was being targeted, the needles felt deeper and she was sure the purple substance must be going into her as her blood came out. After the pain came anger, what if her father didn’t keep his promise and hurt Gray-sama anyway?  What if she didn’t care after this process?  The watermages anger intensified, the shocking feeling dulled, a great energy burned inside her.

   Gray grunted as he fired his ice magic at the hinges on the door of his cell, if he could freeze them enough he might be able to shatter them and bust out of here.  Pouring more energy into his attack Gray was caught off guard when the door opened and 3 cloaked figures entered the room closing the door again behind them.

 “Chilly in here.” One of them commented.

 “You’re free to go.” Another one spoke.

 “We got mixed up, you’re not who we’re after.  It was hard to tell in the dark.” The voices sounded light hearted.

 A mix up?  “A mix up eh.”  Gray thought.  It could be possible.  He was led out the cell onto the street of Rhodonia Village, the sky was overcast, a light drizzle coated the village.  Gray tuned back to the hooded figures.  “Wait, do you know this girl?” He pulled out the picture

 “Nope, never seen her.  Your girlfriend?”

 Gray stared at them blushing.  “Uh, no… she’s a friend.  Tell me one more thing.  Do you know a Ray Bashfield?” His dark eyes raked over them.

 “Never heard of him.” Gray felt they answered a little to quickly.

 “You know there’s a storm coming, you should probably get going.” Another one of them urged him to go.  

 Gray grumbled before turning to leave his feet sloshing in the puddles as he walked, so what if a storm was coming he wasn’t going to give up, he would find Juvia even if it was the last thing he did… he missed her, her smile, the way she was so blatant about her feelings for him, it always made him feel warm and fuzzy on the inside even if on the outside he didn’t show it.  Gray shifted the tote bag on his shoulder, which he was grateful they returned to him, plushie and all, he wouldn’t admit how fond of the thing he was.  Gray would scour this street once more before moving onto the surrounding outskirts of the town, maybe there were some secluded houses out there?  Either way it was going to take longer than he would’ve liked.  But first, a call to the master to check in.  Popping the crystal out the tote bag, he waited for the screen to clear but instead of the masters face he got… Natsu….

 “Natsu! What the hell! Why do you have the masters lacrima?!” Gray shouted at the dragon slayer, raising his fist.

 “Hey Frosty! Nice to see you to!” Natsu scowled at Grays unwelcome. “It’s so not fair that you rushed off on some secret mission with Juvia!”  Natsu whined as an “They loooove each other” was heard from Happy in the background, Grays cheeks warming.  “I wanna come!” The pink haired wizard pouted now.  

 So Natsu doesn’t know the real reason yet.  “Yeah well, you’re help isn’t needed! Not with the damage you caused on the last mission flame for brains!” Gray defended.

 “NATSU!!!” A voice boomed, the masters.   “What are you doing with my lacrima?!” The master could be seen now making his way over.

 “Aw crap! Gotta go Frosty, see you if you need back up!” Natsu sprung off as the master threw a punch at him with a giant fist causing Gray to sweat drop.

 “Ah Gray.” He was calm now as he spoke to Gray, but his brows still stayed furrowed.  “How is it going?”

 “Uh good, I don’t think she is in this part of town, so I’m going to check another part.” He lied scratching his neck nervously, he had searched most of it.

 “Hm, well keep me posted Gray, I don’t want you running into trouble on your own out there.” The Master stroked his moustache.

 “Yes Master I will.” The lacrima cut off and Gray put it in his tote bag as he set off once again.

  A/N: So what will be the outcome of Juvia’ ‘treatment’ will she be the same with heightened powers? or how dark will she become?  Will Gray get there in time to save her?  Find out soon! Prepare for a heart wrenching few chapters next!

 Read & Review! ---> https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12261807/10/The-Rain-Woman

 CrookedMoonlight.

[snicketsleuth]

Was the sugar bowl empty?

Question: So, are there certain answers that haven’t been revealed? Is there an actual answer to what the Sugar Bowl is? Answer: The mystery of the Sugar Bowl is clear enough that one that about reader a year writes me and has figured it out, and that fills me with pleasure. That makes me think it’s not too obscure. If no one ever wrote me about it I would think, “Oh I didn’t do it enough.” But because one person a year who will write me and say, “I figured it out.” The whole answer of the Sugar Bowl is solvable. [A Series Of Unfortunate Questions with Daniel Handler” (Link), Interview of Daniel Handler by Dana Schwartz, 18th of January 2017 for Observer magazine]

After much consideration, rumination and meditation, I’ve decided to put the matter of the sugar bowl to rest. Given Daniel Handler’s recent comments on the sugar bowl mystery, I have no choice but to revise my opinions on the matter extensively.

There will be two articles on the topic:

The one you are currently reading deals with the sugar bowl as it’s presented to the characters of the series in-universe. It involves plotpoints discusses in “All The Wrong Questions” but details from this series are not necessary for the new theory to work.

The second one (Link) will analyse the themes, messages and allusions of “A Series Of Unfortunate Events” and the way they square in with the new sugar bowl theory. Hopefully this should convince people that it fits witthin the literary strategy that Daniel Handler intended.

Full disclaimer: although it’s been in the works since January,  this theory was partly written as a response to another article about the sugar bowl secret (Link). Its author, Jacob, attempts to combine two of my articles about the sugar bowl (the Horseradish Takedown and the Microphone Conjecture) into a more satisfying and unified theory. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a second opinion, it’s one of the most thorough analyses I’ve read on the sugar bowl in the last 10 years. Most interesting is Jacob’s comment that I’ve stumbled upon the solution of the mystery without realizing it. I would argue that Jacob's own insistence that many volunteers are wrong about the sugar bowl’s true nature, and that it may actually be worthless to most members of V.F.D., IS the key to the mystery. We just need to apply that deduction to the entire narrative, on a massive scale.

Because I now sincerely, truly believe the sugar bowl to be secretly empty. Or at the very least to contain something unimportant (sugar, for example). Most of V.F.D doesn’t know this. You might be asking yourself: “why would so many people risk their lives for a container whose contents are completely unknown, or sacrifice the lives of others for an object of no real value?”

That’s the wrong question. The question we should be asking is...

...”why wouldn’t they?”

Once upon a time, there was a secret society called V.F.D.

The organization had an enormous problem at its core: because it trained spies, it encouraged curiosity amongst its younger members, yet protecting sensible information was also key.

The hallways of the Wade Academy were tricky for sneaking, but I’d had a very demanding sneaking instructor. Our final exam began early in the morning, with our instructor entering a small cabin in the middle of the woods and sitting blindfolded in a folding chair. The woods were full of crackly dead leaves, and the floor of the cabin was covered in fragile glass figurines. To pass the class we had to sneak up on him by midnight. When he arrived at the cabin that morning, the entire class was waiting for him. I’d snuck into his office the night before and shared the location of the cabin with the rest of the students so we could sneak up on him before he even arrived. I received the top grade in the class and a three-month suspension. [Shouldn’t You Be In School?, Chapter Nine]

We are entering people’s homes, taking young children who show exceptional observational and/or notetaking skills, and isolating them, for long periods at least, from peope they know. We assign them to strangers and scatter them across the globe, performing errands that are perplexing to them, until their ankles have healed, until we know they can be trusted, and until we know that no one is searching for them any longer. Then, finally, we bring them to headquarters so they can learn the skills they need before they are reintroduced back into society, in order to make sure the world remains, as we say, quiet. [Lemony Snicket’s un-Authorized Autobiography, p.39]

To prevent volunteers in training from finding out too much and too soon, a diversion was set in place. It was V.F.D.’s own spin on the Santa Claus story, with a dash of Holy Grail thrown into the mix. The story went that the organization owned a mysterious an incredibly valuable object: the legendary sugar bowl. Whenever the apprentices asked what on Earth that sugar bowl contained, their mentors just shrugged and insisted that the truth was too terrible for children to learn.

“And you still won’t tell us why the sugar bowl is important?” Violet couldn’t help asking. “It’s not the sugar bowl,” Captain Widdershins said, “it’s what’s inside it. Aye! I’ve already said too much! Aye! There are secrets in this world too terrible for young people to know! [The Grim Grotto, Chapter Six]

"I don’t want you to understand,” the captain said, putting his arm around her. “That’s why I haven’t told you why the sugar bowl is so very crucial. There are secrets in this world too terrible for young people to know, even as those secrets get closer and closer. [The Grim Grotto, Chapter Four]

The promise of revealing that secret was used as a “reward” for good behavior. In reality, it was more of a way to shape and control these youngsters in the direction V.F.D. intended. Inquisitive kids wasted their time investigating the sugar bowl mystery, while the actually valuable intel was safe from their grubby little hands. Once they became full-fledged members, the adults were informed of this deception (although many teenagers realized the truth all on their own anyway) and carried on the tradition with their own apprentices.

Inside the enclosed safe are the documents and required materials for Disguise Training, Phases One and Two. Under normal circumstances, new volunteers like ourselves would not receive disguise training until our years of apprenticeship were finished, but we have not been under normal circumstances for quite some time. [The un-Authorized Autobiography, p.96]

Disguise Training Phase Two : Various Finery Disguises [...] Optional Materials: Sugar Bowl [The un-Authoriized Autobiography, pp.101-103]

Over time, the sugar bowl legend grew more sacred, more complex. V.F.D. acquired an actual sugar bowl and kept it hidden and secured within the Museum of Objects, even though it contained nothing important whatsoever. The volunteers, after all, had to keep up appearances. To build up on this tradition, mentors started not taking any sugar bowl into their tea or coffee, and instructed their apprentices to do the same.

“Sit down, sit down,” Kit said, taking a bite of a pastry covered in powdered sugar. […]“But this J. S. isn’t necessarily a wicked person,” Kit said. “Plenty of noble people would check into the Hotel Denoument and order sugar in their tea. Not to sweeten it, of course- tea should be as bitter as wormwood, my brother used to say, and as sharp as a two-edged swordbut as a signal. Our comrades and our enemies are all after the same thing-the Vessel For Disaccharides.” [Kit Snicket - The Penultimate Peril, Chapter Two]

[…] And in the coffee shop, located in Room 178, a villain requested sugar in his coffee, was immediately thrown to the floor so a waitress could see if he had a tattoo on his ankle, and then received an apology and a free slice of rhubarb pie for all his trouble. [Lemony Snicket - The Penultimate Peril, Chapter Seven]

It was all symbolic, of course: the truth was bitter as horseradish (or coffee), and “tea” was a synonym for “truth” in many variations of slangs. And one should never “sugar-coat” the truth with empty platitudes (or unhealthy disaccharides). There was a lot of symbolism involved: new members understood that the sugar bowl was a metaphor for the quest of knowledge. They eventually found out that the sugar bowl contained nothing yet meant something useful: a religion doesn’t need to rely on facts to inspire helpful advice. The V.F.D. saying that tea should be as bitter as wormwood and as sharp as a two-edged sword was actually a quote from the Old Testament. The insistence that volunteers should not put sugar in their coffee was also V.F.D.’s parody of Judaism’s dietary laws. That should have been enough of a clue to anyone well-read enough to realize the sugar bowl was nothing but poetic imagery:

3 For the lips of an adulteress drip honey And smoother than oil is her speech; 4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death, Her steps take hold of Sheol. [Proverbs 5:4]

“I also brought you some tea,” he said, revealing a tray containing a teapot and three cups. “I thought it might fortify you for the trial.” By “fortify,” the manager meant that a few sips of tea might give the children some muchneeded strength for their ordeal, and the children thought it must be Frank who was doing them such a favor. “You’re very kind,” Violet said. “I’m sorry there’s no sugar,” he said. “That’s quite all right,” Klaus said, and then hurriedly flipped to a page in his commonplace book until he found his notes on the children’s conversation with Kit Snicket. “'Tea should be bitter as wormwood,’” he read, “'and as sharp as a two-edged sword.’” The manager gave Klaus a small, unfathomable smile. “Drink your tea,” he said. “I’ll knock in a few minutes to bring you to trial.” [Lemony Snicket - The Penultimate Peril, Chapter Eleven]

But then the Schism happened, and the dream turned into a nightmare.

Because volunteers were now at each other’s throats, a great number of adults from the organization died and an enormous amount of knowledge was lost.

“It’s complicated and confusing,” Olivia explained. “They say that long ago it was simple and quiet, but that might be a legend. There was a schism in V.F.D., a great big fight between many of the members, and since then it’s been hard for me to know what to do. [The Carnivorous Carnival, Chapter Seven]

"Well, the Hotel Preludio is a lovely place," Kit said, "but the Hotel Denouement is more than that. For years, it's been a place where our volunteers can gather to exchange information, discuss plans to defeat our enemies, and return books we've borrowed from one another. Before the schism, there were countless places that served such purposes. Bookstores and banks, restaurants and stationery stores, cafes and laundromats, opium dens and geodesic domes- people of nobility and integrity could gather nearly everywhere." "Those must have been wonderful times," Violet said. "So I'm told," Kit said. "I was four years old when everything changed. Our organization shattered, and it was as if the world shattered, too, and one by one the safe places were destroyed. [The Penultimate Peril; Chapter Two]

This resulted in a “lost generation”: full-fledged members who had no idea the sugar bowl story was a hoax even though they now had already started training apprentices of their own. The legend, for better of for worse, had become fact.

"It was not always this way, Baudelaires," Dewey said. "Once there were safe places scattered across the globe, and so orphans like yourselves did not have to wander from place to place, trying to find noble people who could be of assistance. With each generation, the schism gets worse. [...]  Since the schism, all the research, all the observations, even all of the books have been scattered all over the globe. It's like the elephant in the poem your father loved. Everyone has their hands on a tiny piece of the truth, but nobody can see the whole thing. [The Penultimate Peril, Chapter Eight]

Our comrades and our enemies are all after the same thing-the Vessel For Disaccharides. [The Penultimate Peril, Chapter Two]

Their superiors could have stopped the whole thing, but V.F.D. was in such a state of disarray that the deception had to continue. Nobody truly believed their own colleagues anymore. They had more pressing matters to attend.

And then it got worse.

The children who were born at the time of the Schism had their own grievances. They had been raised with nostalgic tales of how great V.F.D. used to be before the Schism happened and volunteers started competing against each other. They had been, repeatedly, denied the most basic of information about their own organization because their mentors were afraid of leaking secrets to its enemies. And they were very, very reckless.

“How can you be certain?��� I sighed. “I’m scarcely certain of anything, Widdershins.” Widdershins gave me one last nod. “That sounds like apprenticeship to me,” he said. “None of us are certain of anything.” [When Did You See Her Last?, Chapter Thirteen]

First amongst them was Lemony Snicket.

Fed up with the organization’s current methods, Lemony staged a coup. He gathered a great number of young dissatisfied volunteers such as his siblings, Hector, Widdershins, Haruki, Josephine or Monty, and he devised a plan. They were going to steal the secret society’s most valuable asset for their own: the sugar bowl. With it, they would have the means and the gumption to restore the organization’s glory days.

“How much does your chaperone know,” I asked, “about your secret trip here?” He smiled at me. “You can’t tell them everything,” he said. “They wouldn’t understand.” “Who taught you that?” “You did, Snicket. Remember? You said we could make our organization greater than ever, but only if we stopped listening to our instructors and found new ways to fix the world. It was quite a speech you gave. It almost got you thrown out for good.” “Maybe they should have thrown me out. In Stain’d-by-the-Sea the world looks harder to fix.” “Remember what our associate said,” my associate reminded me. “No reality has the power to dispel a dream.” [When Did You See Her Last?, Chapter Thirteen]

“Exactly,” I said, watching Ellington frown out of the corner of my eye. “We represent the true human tradition, the one permanent victory over cruelty and chaos. We’re an invincible army, but not a victorious one. We’ve had different names throughout history, but all the words that describe us are false and all attempts to organize us fail. Right now we’re called V.F.D., but all our schisms and arguments might cause us to disappear. It won’t matter. People like us always slip through the net. Our true home is the imagination, and our kingdom is the wide-open world.” [Shouldn’t You Be In School?, Chapter Nine]

Naturally, the adults got wind of the plan but found themselves in an embarrassing position: if the youngest members realized the entire sugar bowl affair was a sham, the organization would descend into chaos. Dashiell Qwerty was one of the adults who realized the danger. He asked Lemony’s mentor, S. Theodora Markson,  to send him away to the most remote town possible where he wouldn’t cause any trouble. Gifford and Ghede, on the other hand, were talentless volunteers who had never been told the truth about the sugar bowl. Intent on capturing the prize for themselves, they failed to steal it from Kit Snicket. The young apprentice had been caught by the police during the heist and had no choice but to hide the sugar bowl in the city’s sewers. If she ever found out the truth about its true content, she kept her mouth shut. The organization had proven it was willing to go great lengths to keep up the deception: her brother had escaped at least one kidnapping attempt and she had been almost thrown in prison for her betrayal. V.F.D.’s status quo was, for the moment, preserved.

“The sugar bowl secret coul slip their minds entirely. This could lead to grave misunderstandings during coded communication, and we can’t afford that.” [R. - Lemony Snicket’s un-Authorized Autbiography, p.41]

A few years later, Lemony and his friends became adults. They were now a minority amongst the volunteers who knew the sad, sad truth: the sugar bowl mystery amounted to nothing. So why not use that deception for something more… useful?

The Schism had given rise to a number of criminals who exploited V.F.D.’s numerous resources to commit horrible deeds: their old classmate Count Olaf was amongst them. They were the volunteers’ greatest shame, but the organization let them free to do as they pleased as long as they didn’t leak any secrets. The Snicket siblings wanted to change that. They were going to lead the villainous volunteers into a trap, collect evidence on their crimes and throw them in jail for the rest of their lives. With the rabble out of the way, V.F.D. would finally prosper. But how?

The sugar bowl conspiracy was the perfect tool to ensnare Olaf and his allies. It just needed a little push in the right direction. Greed was after all their greatest weakness…

The second-greatest weakness was Esmé Gigi Geniveve, a student of Olaf. She was stupid, she was vain, she was materialistic: she was perfect. Lemony’s girlfriend Beatrice was assigned the task of gaining her confidence, trust and friendship. They would regularly meet for tea and exchange information about the organization. Esme would then spill all of Beatrice’s secrets to Olaf.

And I would hop like nobody has ever hopped before, if I could somehow go back to that terrible Thursday, and stop Beatrice from attending that afternoon tea where she met Esmé Squalor for the first time. [The Hostile Hospital, Chapter Two]

What a wonderful and profitable day! My former acting teacher will finally get his hands on not one but two enormous fortunes!" "Your former acting teacher?" Violet asked in horror. "You mean you've known Gunther's true identity the entire time?" "Of course I did," Esmé said. "I just had to fool you kids and my dim-witted husband into thinking he was really an auctioneer. Luckily, I am a smashing actress, so it was easy to trick you." [...]  "I want to steal from you the way Beatrice stole from me." [The Ersatz Elevator, Chapter Ten]

Most of this intel consisted in grandiose stories about the sugar bowl: how powerful it was, how valuable, how precious. Once Esme got her hands on it, she would finally become the innest person in the world! All lies, naturally. But Esmé believed them, and therefore Olaf believed them, and therefore all the villainous volunteers believed them. Beatrice was the one manipulating her, pretending to betray Lemony.

"Actually, the coffee isn’t bad,” one of the white-faced women said, “even if it is a little bitter. Could someone pass the sugar, please?” ‘Sugar?“ shrieked Count Olaf, erupting in anger. He stood up, grabbed one end of the blanket, and pulled as hard as he could, scattering all of Sunny’s hard work. Food, beverages, and dishes fell everywhere,and Sunny had to duck to avoid getting hit on the head with a flying fork. "All the sugar in the worldcouldn’t save this terrible breakfast!” he roared, and then leaned down so that his shiny, shiny eyes stared right into Sunny’s. [Lemony Snicket - The Slippery Slope, Chapter Six]

Lemony and his friends then led the villains on a wild goose chase. Kit had retrieved the sugar bowl from the sewers. Every time Olaf and his allies tried to steal it, they found out it had been moved to another place. And every time they failed, they would leave evidence of their crimes behind. Beatrice and her co-star Bertrand had managed to infiltrate Olaf’s troupe by that point. Olaf and Esme trusted them completely. During their performances, Beatrice would slip in information about Olaf’s activities in code, and Lemony, acting as a dramatic critic in the audience, would collect it.

When you take your bows after Friday’s performance, I will be sitting in the front row, but do not acknowledge me. As you take your bow, drop one of your hatpins off the stage. That will be the signal that it is safe to meet at the usual place for our midnight root beer floats. [The Beatrice Letters, B.B. to L.S. #4]

My darling Beatrice, reports are coming everywhere from Tedia to Paltryville that the performance of “My Silence Knot” are splendid, and that your performance as the Baticeer is the highlight of the show, even surpassing the performance of the Brae-man. More importantly, reports are coming everywhere from T. to P. that you have gathered nearly all of the evidence we need. [The Beatrice Letters, L.S. to B.B. #5]

After a while, Lemony felt they had found enough evidence. He asked Beatrice to marry him, which she accepted. He even went as far as to place fake sugar bowls at his own wedding venue, a V.F.D headquarter where his enemies would certainly show up:

Here at the Vineyard we want to please our customers, so the sugar bowls will all be in place, we promise you. [The un-Authorized Autobiography, p.84]

As a way of giving a final middle finger to Esme, Beatrice made sure she finally found the sugar bowl… only to steal it back from her at the very last minute. She probably never even found out its contents. And if she did it, so what? Esme was obsessed with her social status. She would have to play along this collective delusion, otherwise she would be forever branded as an idiot.

"Then you know all about the sugar bowl,” Esmé said, “and what’s inside. You know how important that thing was, and how many lives were lost in the quest to find it. You know how difficult it was to find a container that could hold it safely, securely, and attractively. You know what it means to the Baudelaires and what it means to the Snickets.” She took one sandaled step closer to Dewey, and stretched out one silver fingernail-the one shaped like an S-until it was almost poking him in the eye. “And you know,” she said in a terrible voice, “that it is mine. ” “Not anymore,” Dewey said. “Beatrice stole it from me! ” Esmé cried. “There are worse things,” Dewey said, “than theft.” [The Penultimate Peril, Chapter Nine]

But if this were a book about me, instead of about the three children who would soon run into someone they had hoped never to see again, I might pause for a moment and tell you about something I did many years ago, that still troubles me. It was a necessary thing to do, but it was not a nice thing, and even now, I get a small quiver of shame in my stomach whenever I remember it. I might be doing something I enjoy–walking along the promenade deck of a ship, or looking through a telescope at the aurora borealis, or wandering into a bookstore and placing my books on the highest place in the shelf, so that no one will be tempted to buy and read them–when I will suddenly remember this thing I did, and think to myself, Was it really necessary? Was it absolutely necessary to steal that sugar bowl from Esmé Squalor? [The Hostile Hospital, Chapter Six]

Olaf, feeling furious, kicked Beatrice out of the troupe, and gave the main role to Esme. Then Lemony, feeling cocky, published an article in which he slammed Olaf’s talent, revealed to the general public he was a criminal and informed everyone Beatrice had accepted his marriage proposal. This was the moment Olaf and Esmé realized they had been manipulated by Lemony and Beatrice from the very beginning. They had to act fast: Lemony was sitting on an enormous pile of evidence, which would soon be given to the authorities.

There was only one thing to do: framing Lemony for the crimes he was trying to expose.

And it worked. Lemony was on the run. Ruining his marriage and career was a small compensation for Esme’s and Olaf’s humiliation. The villains were now embracing their status as enemies of V.F.D. and started leaking the organization’s secrets through their pawns Geraldine Julienne and Eleonora Poe. Worse, Esmé and Olaf still had no idea the sugar bowl was a sham, and they started killing other volunteers to discover its location. Their bosses, the Man With Beard But No Hair and the Woman With Hair But No Beard enabled this. Because they had known the organization before the Schism, they suspected the truth but kept mom: this sugar bowl chase was the only way to control the destructive urges of their minions.

The woman with hair but no beard nodded. “Infant servants are so troublesome,” she said. “I had an infant servant once; a long time ago, before the schism.” “Before the schism?” Olaf said, and Sunny wished Klaus were with her, because the baby did not know what the word “schism” meant. “That is a long time ago. That infant must be all grown up by now.” “Not necessarily,” the woman said, and laughed again, while her companion leaned down to gaze at Sunny. [The Slippery Slope, Chapter Six]

Years later, Beatrice and her husband Bertrand tried to make amends for their mistakes. With Kit Snicket and Dewey Denouement, they devised an overwrought plan to collect new evidence on Olaf and ask for a retrial which would put all the villains in jail. They were, once again, going to use the sugar bowl as bait. Because of his treachery, they knew Olaf could potentially be corrupted. So they sent their children away to Briney Beach and invited Olaf into their home.

My discovery of a torn pant leg shows that Sunny, an infant and the youngest Baudelaire child, played a key role in the dinner party held at the Baudelaire mansion quite some time before it was reduced to a smoking pile of rubble. Third-hand reports suggest that just after the sugar bowl was placed on the table, Sunny shrieked, "Funcoot!", which either meant "My gums hurt!" or "I believe I may have seen someone lurking outside." [The Dismal Dinner, part 3.]

Recent discoveries support my suspicions about the fateful event hosted by the Baudelaire parents before their death. Near the end of the meal, baby Sunny Baudelaire looked out the window and began to cry with a clarity and force that would soon characterize her ability to bite things. Her cries alarmed a number of guests who were in the process of passing around the sugar bowl. [The Dismal Dinner, part 4.]

There, they made him an offer: information on his allies against the sugar bowl. What they hadn’t anticipated was that Olaf had by then figured out Beatrice and Bertrand had murdered his parents. He was never going to accept any kind of “deal” from them. He made sure to lit the Baudelaire mansion on fire and left.

Here and there, the children could see traces of the home they had loved: fragments of their grand piano, an elegant bottle in which Mr. Baudelaire had kept brandy, the scorched cushion of the windowseat where their mother liked to sit and read. Curiously enough, Mr. Baudelaire’s brandy bottle was found on the remains of the dining table, with no coasters nearby. This would indicate that either the coasters were burned beyond recognition, or the Baudelaires had received a visitor who had no manners whatsoever. [The Bad Beginning: Rare Edition, pp.12-13]

But Count Olaf just sat there as calmly as if they were discussing the weather. Certain kinds of weather-severe rainstorms, for instance-have a dampening effect on fires, which is displeasing to arsonists. There have been reports of alleged arsonists so reportedly displeased with the weather that they have been rumored to pound their beverages on an unprotected wooden table. [The Bad Beginning: Rare Edition, p.98]

Despite this tragedy, the plan had to continue somehow. But Kit, Jacques and Dewey had to find the sugar bowl first. It had last been seen in the hands of Beatrice, so the search for a potential survivor of the Baudelaire fire became of prominent importance. Eventually it found its way to the headquarters of the Mortmain mountains, then to the Stricken Stream, the Gorgonian Grotto and the pond of Hotel Denouement. And every time, the villains would arrive too late to acquire it. This was very much deliberate. Dewey was leading to a fake “last safe place” where all the villains could be trapped and forced to attend their own trial: the Hotel Denouement. There, the volunteers would produce all the available evidence and put their enemies in jail for good. Dewey had even acquired the loyalty of a Judge of the High Court to make sure everything went smoothly.

She handed it to Klaus, who unrolled the paper and squinted at it behind his glasses. ”'J. S. has checked in,’“ he read out loud, ”'and requested tea with sugar. My brother sends his regards. Sincerely, Frank.’“ [Kit Snicket & Klaus Baudelaire - The Penultimate Peril, Chapter Two]

"It is a shame,” agreed either Frank or Ernest. “If only there was something that could make the dish a little sweeter. I’ve heard that certain mushrooms are available.” “Sugar would be better than mushrooms,” Hal said unfathomably. “According to our calculations, the sugar will be laundered sometime after nightfall," replied the manager, equally unfathomably. [Lemony Snicket - The Penultimate Peril, Chapter Six]

All he had to do was to make the villains believe the sugar bowl was going to be delivered at the hotel, when it was in fact delivered as its secret underground library within the pond.

"It doesn't matter, Baudelaires," Jerome said. "Olaf won't dare unleash the Medusoid Mycelium unless he gets his hands on the sugar bowl, and he'll never find it." "I'm the only one who knows which words will unlock the Vernacularly Fastened Door," Dewey said, ushering the children back toward the entrance of the hotel, "and there's not a villainous person on Earth who has done enough reading to guess them before Thursday. By then, all of the volunteers will present the research they've done on Count Olaf and his associates to the prosecution, and all their treachery will finally end." [The Penultimate Peril, Chapter Eight]

Once again, the plan failed. The trial had to start in advance, before the protagonists and the entire evidence could be reunited. Then the Baudelaire orphans and Count Olaf made an unexpected alliance to burn down the hotel and escaped. Many villains died in the fire, but many volunteers as well.

If you read my theory about J.S.’s true identity (Link), and the one about the taxi driver (Link), then you know that Lemony was the one who ended up getting his hands on the sugar bowl. He was at the Hotel Denoument partly because the sugar bowl would be there, and could be used as a bait to confront judges with incriminating evidence against Olaf and to prove his own innocence.

I have at last learned the whereabouts of the evidence that will exonerate me, a phrase which here means "prove to the authorities that it is Count Olaf, and not me, who has started so many fires." Your suggestion, so many years ago at that picnic, that a tea set would be a handy place to hide anything important and small in the event of a dark day, has turned out to be correct. [Lemony Snicket to Kit Snicket - The Slippery Slope, Chapter Five]

But now Lemonyfinds himself with a moral dilemna: what is he going to do with the sugar bowl? His plan to steal it in order to lead V.F.D. failed. His plan to use it as bait to collect evidence on the “villainous” side of the Schism failed. His plan to bring it to the hotel and confront Olaf in a Court of Law failed. Beatrice’s plan to sell it to Olaf in exchange for information failed. Disasters and catastrophes, with so many lives lost or ruined in the process... and for such little results.

When I am able, I go out walking on Briny Beach very early in the morning, which is the best time to find materials important to the Baudelaire case, and the ocean is so peaceful that I feel peaceful, too, as if I am no longer grieving for the woman I love and will never see again. But then, when I am cold and duck into a teashop where the owner is expecting me, I have only to reach for the sugar bowl before my grief returns, and I find myself crying so loudly that other customers ask me if I could possibly lower my sobs. [The Carnivorous Carnival, Chapter Five]

Now that both sides of the Schism believe the sugar bowl is lost forever, maybe it’s time for the damn thing to fade into obscurity. No one must know he has it. With no prize to compete over,  the war within V.F.D will finally end. He will take that secret to his grave — for Beatrice.

Read the second part of this article here: (Link).

[lisarprahl]

10 Little Known Facts About Passing the CPA Exam

Editor's Note: This post was originally published December 2015 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness. 

  Taking the CPA Exam can be intimidating; after all, it’s a very difficult process to go through.  According to the AICPA, the 2017 CPA Exam Pass rate statistics so far tells us that on average, the pass rate is just under 50%.

  But that also means that there are 50% of people who are passing the Exam. In order to help candidates along that process, we have created some key tips and tricks to help you successfully pass the CPA Exam. 

  10 little-known facts about how to pass the CPA Exam:

  1. When to Take the Exam 

Sit now! There's still time to study for and pass at least one section of the current CPA Exam. We recommend taking FAR because the FAR Exam covers more topics than any other Exam part, and can be very overwhelming.  Because it is so time intensive, choosing to focus on this Exam part early on is a great tactic, allowing you to take the time you need to study without worrying about your 18-month testing window.  The good news is that FAR tests many of the basic concepts you’ll need in the other parts of the Exam.  Therefore, studying for FAR helps you build your body of knowledge, giving you a foundation as you move forward in the Exam process.

  2. Write Out an Exam Timing Schedule and Follow It

This is probably one of the most helpful pieces of advice you can use during your Exam process. Write out a schedule of how long each Testlet should take you, from the moment you start the Exam to the end. Figure out exactly how far along you should be and make sure you keep on track. 

Here is an example of scheduling your time during the AUD Exam: AUD (4 Hours – 5 Testlets)

Time (in hours counting down)     4:00 – 3:15    Testlet #1  3:15 – 2:30    Testlet #2  2:30 – 2:00   Testlet #3  -- Halfway Point: 15 Minute Break-- 2:00 – 0:60  Testlet #4  0:60 - 0:00   Testlet #5 

DOWNLOAD TIME STRATEGIES HANDOUT

By listing out your time, you are able to get an idea of where you are during each point of the Exam. For example, if you’re at 1:45 and you haven’t finished Testlet #2, you know that you need to start picking up the pace. 

  WATCH TIME STRATEGIES VIDEO

  3. Getting a Review Course is 100% Required

As you probably have heard, taking on the CPA Exam alone, without any study materials, is pretty much like putting on a blindfold, being turned around a couple of times, and then handed a dart to attempt to throw onto the board. Chances are, you’re going to miss the mark. Therefore, you want to make sure you do ample research on which CPA Review course you would like to use. Pick one that will help you retain information and provide the necessary study support materials that help you learn best.

  4. Keep it on the Down Low

Unfortunately, when you begin to tell others you are taking the CPA Exam, your friends and family may want to become “involved”. Find out when you’re taking the Exam, what part, how many sections you have passed, etc. Therefore, if you are up to explaining why you canceled your CPA Exam section or why a 74 is not considered a passing grade, go ahead and let everyone know. But, if you would prefer not to add the additional pressure of everyone wanting to know if you passed or failed the Exam, you do not need to divulge this information. Keep it to yourself. That way, if you decide you’re not ready to take on AUD next week,  its okay, you're allowed to change your mind. If you failed FAR twice, nobody needs to know this and you can continue on preparing to pass the Exam. 

  5. Don’t Study Using Only Multiple Choice Questions 

Once you start studying with a CPA Review course, you'll mostly likely be sifting through tons of multiple choice questions, finding yourself just guessing at 60-70% of them. This tactic will NOT help you properly prepare for the CPA Exam. Instead, focus on trying to learn the actual material and topics presented. 

Each CPA Exam section has Tasked-based Simulations. Task-based simulations are case studies that allow candidates to demonstrate their knowledge and skills by generating  responses to questions rather than simply selecting the correct answer. In other words, TBSs simulate real-life situations you would face as a CPA.  Therefore, in your review course, make sure to tackle all the TBSs as well as the multiple choice questions. 

  6. Figure Out If You Are a Morning, Day, or Night Person

This advice will be extremely helpful when you are planning the times to take your CPA Exam. For those who are morning people, they can take the test at 8:00am, right after a fresh cup of coffee. Others may prefer to take the Exam around 5:30pm to ease their nerves. Whatever time is best for you is when you need to schedule your Exam. 

  7. It’s Okay to Schedule Your Test…Last Minute

Most people think the best thing to do is schedule their CPA Exam as far out as possible. This way it forces them to study because they know they are limited on time before they sit for the Exam. But, as always, things happen, and most people just go into the Exam, having not finished the material, and come out with a 74 or less. Instead of going down this path, have an overall goal of when you plan to take the Exam in your head first. Then schedule the Exam when you are actually ready to take it.

Note: This tip will only work if you live in an area that has multiple Prometric testing centers. If you only have one testing center near you, then it’s more likely that your time slots will fill pretty quickly. However, if they do get filled, most of the time people end up canceling their Exam 5 days out and slots will reopen. Just keep checking the availability in your area to make sure you get your desired time and date.

  8. Reward Yourself for the Little Triumphs

The more time you spend studying for the CPA Exam, the less time you have for everything and everyone else in your life. Therefore, squeeze in some time to actually breath and have a little fun. Use this time as a reward for when you complete milestones in your study material or even pass a part of the CPA Exam.

If you are planning on knocking out 3 sections of the study material for BEC this week and by Saturday you are finished with the material, take Sunday off. Don’t look or even think about your study material and go out and enjoy your day. This will help you stay motivated to take on the next chapter or the next Exam. You can even plan bigger rewards for when you pass a section of the Exam, like take a short weekend trip to the beach, etc. It’s completely up to you, but make sure you celebrate the small victories to stay motivated. 

  9. Just Because You Don't Feel Confident During the Exam, Doesn't Mean You're Going to Fail!

Think positively! One way to ease your mind during the Exam is to remember that the AICPA includes pretest questions on the CPA Exam. So, if you're really struggling with one of the questions, it could possibly be a pretest question  that  won't count against your score. Also, always keep in mind that the better you are doing on the Exam, the more difficult the material becomes. If the material seems more challenging, then you're answering the questions correctly. 

  10. And Finally, Remember the Clock is Ticking

Once you passed your first Exam section, remember that the clock has started to count down. You have 18 more months from the time you pass your first Exam to finish the remaining 3 parts. 18 months sounds like a long time, but it will come sooner than you think. So, be sure to plan your CPA Exam strategy accordingly. ​

  We continue to wish everyone the best of luck on their CPA Exam journeys! Be sure to let us know when you pass, so we can celebrate your success! 

Related Articles:

What Type of Learner Are You QUIZ

  Feature on ACT Professors page 

from Accounting News https://www.rogercpareview.com/blog/10-little-known-facts-about-passing-cpa-exam

[ashleydpalmerusa]

10 Little Known Facts About Passing the CPA Exam

Editor's Note: This post was originally published December 2015 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness. 

  Taking the CPA Exam can be intimidating; after all, it’s a very difficult process to go through.  According to the AICPA, the 2017 CPA Exam Pass rate statistics so far tells us that on average, the pass rate is just under 50%.

  But that also means that there are 50% of people who are passing the Exam. In order to help candidates along that process, we have created some key tips and tricks to help you successfully pass the CPA Exam. 

  10 little-known facts about how to pass the CPA Exam:

  1. When to Take the Exam 

Sit now! There's still time to study for and pass at least one section of the current CPA Exam. We recommend taking FAR because the FAR Exam covers more topics than any other Exam part, and can be very overwhelming.  Because it is so time intensive, choosing to focus on this Exam part early on is a great tactic, allowing you to take the time you need to study without worrying about your 18-month testing window.  The good news is that FAR tests many of the basic concepts you’ll need in the other parts of the Exam.  Therefore, studying for FAR helps you build your body of knowledge, giving you a foundation as you move forward in the Exam process.

  2. Write Out an Exam Timing Schedule and Follow It

This is probably one of the most helpful pieces of advice you can use during your Exam process. Write out a schedule of how long each Testlet should take you, from the moment you start the Exam to the end. Figure out exactly how far along you should be and make sure you keep on track. 

Here is an example of scheduling your time during the AUD Exam: AUD (4 Hours – 5 Testlets)

Time (in hours counting down)     4:00 – 3:15    Testlet #1  3:15 – 2:30    Testlet #2  2:30 – 2:00   Testlet #3  -- Halfway Point: 15 Minute Break-- 2:00 – 0:60  Testlet #4  0:60 - 0:00   Testlet #5 

DOWNLOAD TIME STRATEGIES HANDOUT

By listing out your time, you are able to get an idea of where you are during each point of the Exam. For example, if you’re at 1:45 and you haven’t finished Testlet #2, you know that you need to start picking up the pace. 

  WATCH TIME STRATEGIES VIDEO

  3. Getting a Review Course is 100% Required

As you probably have heard, taking on the CPA Exam alone, without any study materials, is pretty much like putting on a blindfold, being turned around a couple of times, and then handed a dart to attempt to throw onto the board. Chances are, you’re going to miss the mark. Therefore, you want to make sure you do ample research on which CPA Review course you would like to use. Pick one that will help you retain information and provide the necessary study support materials that help you learn best.

  4. Keep it on the Down Low

Unfortunately, when you begin to tell others you are taking the CPA Exam, your friends and family may want to become “involved”. Find out when you’re taking the Exam, what part, how many sections you have passed, etc. Therefore, if you are up to explaining why you canceled your CPA Exam section or why a 74 is not considered a passing grade, go ahead and let everyone know. But, if you would prefer not to add the additional pressure of everyone wanting to know if you passed or failed the Exam, you do not need to divulge this information. Keep it to yourself. That way, if you decide you’re not ready to take on AUD next week,  its okay, you're allowed to change your mind. If you failed FAR twice, nobody needs to know this and you can continue on preparing to pass the Exam. 

  5. Don’t Study Using Only Multiple Choice Questions 

Once you start studying with a CPA Review course, you'll mostly likely be sifting through tons of multiple choice questions, finding yourself just guessing at 60-70% of them. This tactic will NOT help you properly prepare for the CPA Exam. Instead, focus on trying to learn the actual material and topics presented. 

Each CPA Exam section has Tasked-based Simulations. Task-based simulations are case studies that allow candidates to demonstrate their knowledge and skills by generating  responses to questions rather than simply selecting the correct answer. In other words, TBSs simulate real-life situations you would face as a CPA.  Therefore, in your review course, make sure to tackle all the TBSs as well as the multiple choice questions. 

  6. Figure Out If You Are a Morning, Day, or Night Person

This advice will be extremely helpful when you are planning the times to take your CPA Exam. For those who are morning people, they can take the test at 8:00am, right after a fresh cup of coffee. Others may prefer to take the Exam around 5:30pm to ease their nerves. Whatever time is best for you is when you need to schedule your Exam. 

  7. It’s Okay to Schedule Your Test…Last Minute

Most people think the best thing to do is schedule their CPA Exam as far out as possible. This way it forces them to study because they know they are limited on time before they sit for the Exam. But, as always, things happen, and most people just go into the Exam, having not finished the material, and come out with a 74 or less. Instead of going down this path, have an overall goal of when you plan to take the Exam in your head first. Then schedule the Exam when you are actually ready to take it.

Note: This tip will only work if you live in an area that has multiple Prometric testing centers. If you only have one testing center near you, then it’s more likely that your time slots will fill pretty quickly. However, if they do get filled, most of the time people end up canceling their Exam 5 days out and slots will reopen. Just keep checking the availability in your area to make sure you get your desired time and date.

  8. Reward Yourself for the Little Triumphs

The more time you spend studying for the CPA Exam, the less time you have for everything and everyone else in your life. Therefore, squeeze in some time to actually breath and have a little fun. Use this time as a reward for when you complete milestones in your study material or even pass a part of the CPA Exam.

If you are planning on knocking out 3 sections of the study material for BEC this week and by Saturday you are finished with the material, take Sunday off. Don’t look or even think about your study material and go out and enjoy your day. This will help you stay motivated to take on the next chapter or the next Exam. You can even plan bigger rewards for when you pass a section of the Exam, like take a short weekend trip to the beach, etc. It’s completely up to you, but make sure you celebrate the small victories to stay motivated. 

  9. Just Because You Don't Feel Confident During the Exam, Doesn't Mean You're Going to Fail!

Think positively! One way to ease your mind during the Exam is to remember that the AICPA includes pretest questions on the CPA Exam. So, if you're really struggling with one of the questions, it could possibly be a pretest question  that  won't count against your score. Also, always keep in mind that the better you are doing on the Exam, the more difficult the material becomes. If the material seems more challenging, then you're answering the questions correctly. 

  10. And Finally, Remember the Clock is Ticking

Once you passed your first Exam section, remember that the clock has started to count down. You have 18 more months from the time you pass your first Exam to finish the remaining 3 parts. 18 months sounds like a long time, but it will come sooner than you think. So, be sure to plan your CPA Exam strategy accordingly. ​

  We continue to wish everyone the best of luck on their CPA Exam journeys! Be sure to let us know when you pass, so we can celebrate your success! 

Related Articles:

What Type of Learner Are You QUIZ

  Feature on ACT Professors page 

from Accounting News https://www.rogercpareview.com/blog/10-little-known-facts-about-passing-cpa-exam