#i have no other ways to promote it. story promotion is not my forte

[t3tr0m1n0]

click here to read a short story by me... it's brief it lacks context it's introspective & weird. content warning for frank references to suicide/self-harm

okay let me try something a little different

[aliypop]

Soldier Boy: Chapter 5: Step In These Arms

Word count: 1,677

Prompt: December 25th, 1957 Elvis Presley receives his draft papers moments after his Engagement

Warning: None so far

Note: So how are we liking the story so far

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6

Taglist:

@darkmoviesquotespizza

@sissylittlefeather

@richardslady121

@thegettingbyp2

@presleyenterprise

@dkayfixates

@rjmartin11

@thetaoofzoe

@your-nanas-house

@zayurir

@60svintage

@sillybookmarks

@leapresley

@everythingelvispresley

@dreamondina94

@elvismylove04

@pocketfulofpresley

@elvispresley1956

@poeandmoonknightgirl

July 1958 Fort Hood, Texas

Several months had passed, and Elvis was slowly finding his footing in the routine of life on the base. The weekends offered him a temporary escape; he often sought refuge at Fadal's, which felt like a second home where he could lose himself. During the weekdays, he returned to his family's warmth, checking in on them to ensure everyone was doing well. Yet, despite his efforts to adapt, there was an undeniable void in his heart—a longing for someone who remained far away, not in Texas with him. He didn't want to burden anyone with his feelings of emptiness, especially since he knew she had her own career to pursue, but the ache of her absence lingered as a constant reminder of what he was missing.

Turning on the radio, Elvis heard an announcement, one close to what you'd hear back in Memphis,

"That's right, y'all. The iconic Pink Ford Fairlane convertible is in the wind,"

Elvis could feel his heartbeat quicken. Only one other person he knew had as many cars as he did, and her name started with a C.

Cecelia's Pink Ford was in the wind as Daphne was sleeping in the back, and Rosa and Carlotta were humming to songs on the radio,

"I don't see why you're so happy-go-lucky about Elvis..." Carlotta grumbled as Cecelia kept driving. She'd sometimes wondered why she kept her in the passenger seat.

"Two things in mind: Coca-Cola and a Quarter," Rosa remarked playfully from the back seat, noticing the rush of color that crept to Cecelia's cheeks. Rosa couldn't help but chuckle at the reaction while Carlotta, tilting her head in confusion, interjected, "What does a soda have to do with Elvis?" With a mischievous glint in her eye, Rosa shifted her gaze to Carlotta, a smirk spreading across her face. "Well, my little Latin Lover," she began cheekily, "It's more about his Cock-a-Cola and—

"Okay, no more talkin about my fiance's soda pop plus a quarter and then some." Cecelia blushed as they got to Fadal's place. Cecelia and Fadal had been great friends. Thanks to her mother and promotional skills, no one would know that Cece and her Vagabonds The Garnets were in town, not even Elvis, or so she had thought. Now, like herself, Elvis hated surprises, but she figured he'd like this one.

"So... wait, were we talking about his Polla..." Carlotta questioned,

"You’d prefer a cold Coke bottle over my fingertips…” she teased, glancing sideways as they strolled up the gravel driveway. The sun glinted off the hood of a sleek car parked nearby, its presence hinting at the fact that they weren't alone—someone was definitely home. Cecelia’s curiosity was piqued as she felt the familiar buzz of anticipation tinged with uncertainty in the air.

"And the view of the Fairlane was lost..." The radio host sighed as Elvis grumbled, maybe she was on tour somewhere else, or maybe it wasn't her at all, as Elvis turned the radio down, The sound of lively chattering drifted through the air, breaking the stillness of the room. He stirred in bed, curiosity piquing his interest, and swung his legs over the edge. As he rose, a mixture of hope and anticipation filled him; perhaps it was a handful of enthusiastic fans who had managed to track down his secluded location. With a determined stride, he made his way to the door, eager to discover who awaited him on the other side.

"Sometimes.... Cecelia wasn't listening as she kept walking towards the door,

Rosa leaned back, a soft smile playing on her lips as she began to speak, “You know, I could really go for a nice tall glass of Coke—” But her words trailed off when the door swung open. There stood Elvis, framed by the doorway, still clad in his crisp uniform. The sight of him was nothing short of striking; he exuded an air of pride and a newfound confidence that she had never witnessed before. His hair, once styled with a flourish, was now cut shorter, giving his handsome face a sharper, more regal look. As he moved toward her, something deep inside Cecelia stirred, a longing to embrace him and never let go. He was undeniably transformed into a new man, yet there lingered traces of the familiar Elvis she adored—the glimmer in his eyes and that unmistakable warmth that tugged at her heartstrings. She felt an overwhelming mix of admiration and affection.

Elvis gently wrapped his arms around Cecelia, drawing her closer as he pressed his lips to hers in a soft, lingering kiss. The warmth of the moment enveloped them, creating a bubble of intimacy that seemed to shield them from the world around them. "Is that the coke you want?" he asked playfully, his breath mingling with hers.

Cecelia chuckled lightly, a spark of mischief glinting in her eyes. " See... It's not about the bottle, Carlotta. It's about the flavor," she replied, a touch of seriousness in her voice that added depth to her words. As she spoke, she nestled her head against his shoulder, feeling safe and cherished in his embrace.  Carlotta had begun to roll her eyes as Cecelia and Elvis chuckled.

With a smile, she turned to the other girls nearby and declared, "Good night, girls!" Her voice was warm and inviting, but the tender moment between her and Elvis lingered in the air, leaving a sweet aftertaste as they shared one final glance before the evening came to a close.

"Someone's feeling thirsty..." Rosa teased, a playful smirk dancing across her lips as she watched them stroll away.  

"What was that all about?" Elvis inquired, his arms comfortably cradling Cecelia against his chest.  

"Oh, just a little nothing, baby... nothing at all," she replied softly, her cheeks flushing with warmth as she leaned in to kiss him again. Their lips met, sweet and lingering, as his hands tangled gently in her hair, igniting a spark between them.  

"You look absolutely beautiful tonight," he murmured, his eyes sparkling with admiration.  

"And you look worn out," she observed, her fingers tracing delicate circles on his cheeks as he leaned into her soothing touch.  

"Couldn't sleep a wink without you by my side," he confessed, his crooked smile radiating warmth that melted her heart.  

"Then let’s get you out of this stuffy uniform and into bed where you belong,” she suggested playfully, her voice a soft whisper of mischief.  

"Yes, captain..." he replied, the promise of a shared moment hanging in the air between them.  

"Where are we supposed to go!" Daphne pouted,

"Midge isn't far she'll take you three to the hotel..." Cecelia responded,

"And where are you staying?" Carlotta shouted,

"Really it's obvious where she's staying..."

As the evening began to turn to nightfall there was Elvis, lying in Cecelia's lap, he was in his pajamas as she was in one of his shirts, the pair cuddled up together in a lover's embrace,

"Then I was playin' guitar and I-I..." Cecelia looked down as she heard him snore, "Elvis...Elvis!" She shouted. Softly, he woke up,

"Huh?"

"Did you fall asleep with a sandwich in your mouth?"

"What! No!..." He looked down as she laughed, "Maybe I did..." He kissed her arm taking in her scent. There was nothing like being in the arms of the woman he loved.

As the weekend passed and the Weekday started, Cecelia said her goodbyes to Elvis as she then kissed her lover goodbye, "Don't forget to stop by and tell Mama hi." He smiled as she chuckled,

"Who do you think I was hanging out with from Monday to Thursday."

"I should've known." He chuckled, "How's she doin'"

"Well... she's got this cough about her." Cecelia sighed, "Nothing bad, but nothing good either."

August 1958, Memphis Tennessee

"Mr. Presley, I rushed over as soon as I heard," Cecelia exclaimed, her footsteps echoing down the sterile corridor of the hospital ward, which prominently displayed the sign indicating it was the whites-only side. Though the segregation made her arrival challenging, she had her clever ways of navigating the restrictions. As she entered the room, the familiar scent of antiseptic mingled uncomfortably with the anxiety in the air.

"Star Shine, is that you?" Gladys's voice trembled with a mix of surprise and warmth, her frail figure barely supported by the bed that seemed too large for her dwindling frame. Vernon stood close by, gently ushering Cecelia towards his wife, his expression a taut mask of concern.

"Yes, mama, it's me... How are you feeling, honey?" Cecelia inquired softly, her heart aching as she noticed Gladys's labored breathing. The doctors had stigmatized her condition as hepatitis brought on by excessive drinking, yet even Elvis understood that his mother rarely overindulged.

"I don’t think I’m gonna make it..." Gladys’s voice was barely a whisper, filled with resignation.

"Oh no, you can't say that! You have to hold on. You need to see me and Elvis walk down that aisle, to hold your grandkids, and..." Cecelia's grip tightened around Gladys's hand, her voice cracking with emotion. Gladys squeezed back, her fingers surprisingly strong despite her frailty.

"Sweetheart, I ain’t gonna last much longer, especially with Elvis going off to Germany..."

"Don't remind me," Cecelia huffed, frustration mingling with fear in her eyes.

"No... Listen to me. We need to prepare for what if there’s a war..." Gladys coughed weakly, the sound echoing ominously in the small room as Vernon and Cecelia leaned closer, their concern palpable.

"He’s going to be fine because we’ll pray," Cecelia assured, mustering a brave smile despite the rising tide of panic in her chest. Vernon nodded in agreement.

"What she said," he added, his voice steady but laced with unease. Pulling Cecelia aside, his expression grew serious.

"Cece..." he began, his voice dropping to an almost conspiratorial whisper.

"Yes..." she replied, feeling a swell of anxiety.

"Think you can break the news to Elvis?"

Cecelia hesitated, her breath hitching in her throat. "I... I don’t know..."

"Hello, operator Fort Hood please ..."

[ateez-ana]

i have the time of my life fighting dragons with you

relashionship with ateez members

san

silly slly duo dumb and dumber

Ana and San share an energetic and enthusiastic friendship. They are always up for trying new things and pushing each other to have fun. Their energy is contagious, bringing a lively atmosphere to the group.They bond over their shared love of performance. They often practice together, refining their choreography and stage

They bond over their shared love of performance. They often practice together, refining their choreography and stage presence. Ana is impressed by San's powerful dance moves and acrobatic skills, and San admires Ana's captivating stage presence and ability to connect with the audience.

They often engage in impromptu dance-offs, breaking out into silly moves and exaggerated expressions that bring laughter to themselves and those around them. Their playful competitions might involve mimicking each other's dance moves, attempting ridiculous dance challenges, or even incorporating props into their routines.

Their friendship is filled with inside jokes and playful nicknames that only they understand. They might refer to each other by silly monikers related to their personalities or inside references from their shared experiences

Whether it's playing board games with ridiculous rules, attempting wacky challenges, or participating in silly competitions, San and Ana always find ways to have fun and be goofy together. Their games might involve making funny faces, trying to eat a snack without using their hands, or even attempting to build the tallest structure out of marshmallows.

build pillow forts in the dorm's living room, creating a cozy haven where they can share stories, watch movies, or simply relax and enjoy each other's company. San, with his warm and caring personality, can become a comforting "pillow" for Ana

Ana jokes about San's muscles and always scolds him saying that he is going to get sick if he doesn't wear clothes.

mingi

Ana is mingi biggest simp, During an interview, the interviewer might ask Ana about her favorite member of ATEEZ. Without hesitation, Ana's face lights up as she declares Mingi to be her ultimate bias.

Ana playfully teases him about his love for naps, his tendency to get lost in his thoughts, or his occasional clumsiness, If the interviewer tries to tease Mingi or suggest a flaw, Ana steps in like a protective shield. She passionately defends his honor, highlighting his strengths and positive qualities, leaving no doubt about her unwavering support and admiration for her friend.

They attend concerts and music events together, enjoying the shared experience of their favorite artists and genres.

They engage in friendly banter and lighthearted challenges, adding a touch of humor to their interactions, They might tease each other gently, poking fun at each other's quirks and habits in a playful way.

Following the news of Mingi's hiatus, a wave of emotions washed over Ana. While concerned about her friend's well-being, she also understood the importance of prioritizing his health. Despite the physical distance, they remained connected.

Ana regularly sent Mingi encouraging messages, filled with well wishes and jokes to keep his spirits high. Video calls became their lifeline

Ana, known for her nurturing personality, might send Mingi thoughtful care packages His favorite snacks and drinks to bring a taste of home and normalcy to his routine.

Cozy items like blankets or self-care products to promote relaxation and well-being during his recovery. Small, personalized gifts that remind him of their friendship and the bond they share.

A Stronger Bond After Hiatus she was so happy that he was back during their first concert together she start crying in his first line and at the end she was hugging him afraid he was going to disappear.

Their bond would emerge even stronger, having weathered the challenges of distance and prioritizing each other's well-being.

[sleepyricee]

Fic Writer Review

Thanks for the tag @reviiely !! I'm a small (semishira) fic writer but very proud to be part of the community so I'll give this a shot.

How many works do you have on AO3?

I've written a grand total of 13 (all SemiShira heh). My writing inspiration comes in spontaneous bursts.

Your top 5 stories by kudos/likes?

1) A Sleepy Shirabu - 127

I'm glad that this one is at the top, since it's one of my favourites. It also promotes my username in a way, since I'm a sleepy person. I relate to this fic in my SOUL. Whenever I reread it, it takes me back to surviving on one hour of sleep. It felt like a daze but also sparked my creativity levels so yay.

2) Coffee and Chaos - 82

My second fic ever ayyyy. I actually wrote this down before typing it up. It didn't turn out as planned, but was still entertaining and I absolutely adore coffee shop AUs so I'm glad this one is getting noticed.

3) Pucker Up - 76

My first attempt at a 3+1 fic. Also one of my first attempts at writing kiss scenes. I found it quite cute so I'm glad other readers do too.

4) Trustfall - 67

This is a silly little fic that popped up in my mind and I loved it instantly. It's pretty short but was very fun to write and reread. I'm tempted to start a series where the Shiratorizawa Volleyball Team just do random challenges to improve their teamwork skills.

5) Brownies with you - 67

I haven't baked brownies in a painfully long time, but I thought of this when my sister mentioned how one of her classmates was always baking brownies. My first thought was "wow, it'd be amazing to room with her" and my second was "wait, this could happen in the Shiratorizawa kitchen" and thus this fic was born.

Do you respond to comments? Why/why not?

YESSS I LOVE COMMENTS!! I'm just terribly late with my responses but I'll always reply to them <33

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

I'd say "Still missing you" but I haven't really written many angsty fics. Angst isn't my forte and I'm such a sucker for fluff.

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

Possibly "Under the shade, by the lake" but most of my fics have fluffy endings. I just like this one the most :)

Do you write crossovers?

Nope but I'd love to try writing a Haikyu ship in a Harry Potter au. I've seen a couple and am so in love with how people have written them. I'd highly recommend "Of polaroids and peanut butter cookies" (semishira being so so cute in Hogwarts)

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Nope. Everyone is honestly so sweet, lovely, and supportive.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

No. I'm into writing wholesome stories with witty banter and chaos.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I hope not lol. If I have, then I'm completely clueless about it.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

No but I feel like that'd be pretty interesting. I'd love to hear different linguists pronounce the characters' names.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No. Currently, I feel like I'm better as a solo writer. Maybe in the future, I'll try co-writing out.

What's your all-time favourite ship?

SEMISHIRA ACKSDN MY OTP (if that wasn't obvious) I thrive off their bickering and their dynamic is so fun to write.

What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

Definitely "His Feathered Dreams" which I started approximately one or two months ago and still haven't completed.

What are your writing strengths?

Fluff. So much fluff. Featuring Shirabu being sleepy/overworking himself.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Dialogue without a doubt. I struggled with dialogue when I started out, but I can see some improvement. It's pretty difficult for me to keep everyone in character, but writing conversations is honestly really fun.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

That'd be pretty fun. I can imagine Oikawa or Hinata slipping into Spanish on occasion, or Lev and Yaku speaking Russian. I don't know Russian but I know bits of Spanish so I could try experimenting.

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?

This question feels crafted specifically for Ushiten. I love their unconventional pairing so much!! In fact, I'm planning a Christmas themed fic for these two and I'm looking forward to the results (I'll try to keep them as cannon as possible lol)

What's your favourite fic you've written?

Either "A Sleepy Shirabu", "Under the shade, by the lake" or "Hypocritical Oath". I honestly love these so much. I think I was in the zone while writing them, and all of these are pretty wholesome (or at least have a wholesome ending).

All of the people I would've tagged have already been tagged, so I'll end my lil review here. Thanks for reading till the end <333

[goshdangronpa]

sorry to barge into your inbox, but I'd love to hear your take on Ibuki's childhood!

No need to apologize! My inbox is always open, especially for those who want to talk about Best Character.

So I just reread what I wrote for my friend (shout-out to @specificyeetcapacity !) and I should clarify: what I wrote is her life story before HPA. Not strictly about her childhood, per se, but it does include it! Gonna put it all under a Read More.

Here's a vision I have of how Ibuki Mioda grew into her current self ...

She was always a free spirit as a kid. Chipper, energetic, and friendly. She was always well-liked among her classmates just for being herself. Her parents tolerated it, and they nurtured her various phases until an interest in music won out, but they believed she'd grow out of it. They were firm about it. So were her teachers, less enthused about her individuality, and so were other authority figures in her life.

And she learned. Going into whatever is the Japanese equivalent of middle school, she tamped down her impulses in front of others, fitting in like a big girl should. But there was always music, and perhaps it was that withheld desire to express herself that fueled her hours of daily practice. Then came the band: she and a few like-minded girls found each other, jammed for fun, and realized that they're actually pretty good (especially Ibuki). They got serious.

Sometimes, it takes years. Sometimes, it just takes one viral video of one performance, starring a guitarist who, though fairly composed, can't contain her near-virtuosity with her instrument nor her exuberance. (Think of that Nyango Cat drummer video.) Suddenly, record deal. Hit singles. Nationwide tour. All in quick succession. The band becomes the hottest name in light music, a rep that only gets boosted when management promotes them as being in competition with another band comprised of all boys.

But Ibuki doesn't mind that other band - she digs their music. This whole battle of the sexes thing is ... phony. But her group sees the perks and plays into it, so Ibuki must too. Can't stand out, remember? Gotta be a team player, follow the crowd, and that's how you find success. Then Ibuki’s tastes lead her away from light music and toward a heavier sound. But she can't explore it - light music is their forte, their bread and butter! Don't mess with the money, don't mess with the formula, just dial down the Ibuki a little and keep strumming your silly songs! Doesn't she care about unity?

Yes. She does. A band needs a sense of unity to achieve harmony and reach their goals, and without it, they'll spend more time squabbling instead of making music. So, at the height of their fame, she leaves the band.

It's the hardest thing she's ever done. Never mind the challenges of going solo, which have taken down many a frontperson with way more years and experience. She connected with her bandmates, her friends, more than anyone before, and she severed that very connection herself. But then, they weren't letting her be herself. Maybe they never got to know who she really is, because she had to tone it down for the sake of ... who? Not herself, now that she thinks of it. For all the fun she had, for all the success she achieved, it also brought her a lot of pain. No matter what, not everyone will like her or vibe with her. Even when she tries to be someone different.

Then she receives a priceless recognition of her talent. Hope's Peak Academy extends her an invitation to join the student body as the Ultimate ... Light Musician. Well, she won't say no to the invite. Buuut she won't keep pretending to be something she's not. They won't get the Ultimate Light Musician. They'll get Ibuki Mioda, the maniac metalhead with devil horn hair, abrasive tunes about things like teen pregnancy, and a whole lotta personality.

She's as sweet and energetic as in her kid days. Maybe more so after the way some people have treated her, giving her an even greater empathy along with some sharper powers of observation. What's changed is just changing back to being unapologetically herself ...

Even if she does get lonely sometimes.

Thanks for asking for my take! I'd be happy to hear what you think as well. Feel free any time to barge into my inbox or message me :3

[fat-fuck-hairy-belly]

I'm finishing my playthrough of Divinity Original Sin 2 and I'm kinda disappointed. Not with my experience with the game, but rather with the lack of replayability. Like, the game should have a ton of replayability value. All the main quests are set up as a puzzle with multiple ways to solve it, which should promote replayability. This time I've escaped Fort Joy by using the teleportation gloves to sneak into the dungeons, but I wonder what would have happened if I helped the elves or just fought the guards instead. This time I mastered the source by helping the necromancer and sparing the dwarf, but I wonder what would have happened if I made a deal with a demon instead, etc.

But you are forced into doing most of those quests in a single playthrough by the leveling system. I've escaped Fort Joy by doing the quest for Withermore dude and then gotten a purging wand by going through the dungeon with the illusionist skeleton, leaving the other options for future playthrough. I also did all the side quests and encounters like helping the burning pigs and fighting all the skeletons. But then I came to the final fight if the act with Alexander and I was 2 levels below them and was just getting wiped out no matter how I tried to fight them or set up the battlefield before the fight. So I had to go back to Fort Joy and do all the other escape quests, I had to go back and do all the other purging wand quests.

Same in act2 where you only need to do two source masters, but you end up doing all of them in one go anyway. Same with act 3 where you can work with Alexander or the Black Ring or go through all the temples yourself, but you end up doing it all anyway. The only exception seems to be act4, but that's only because it mostly ditches the whole multiple choices scheme altogether.

I'm finishing the first playthrough and I find myself not really wanting to do another one, despite really enjoying the game. The only reasons for me to play the game again would be to see the stories for Ifan and Beast. I don't even want to try building my character different because between my 4 party members I've already explored the 4 main archetypes that the game offers. I guess playing a necromancer would or summoner would be different from a wizard, but not THAT different.

Kinda disappointed considering that when I was initially going through the first act I expected I'd be replaying this game like 4-5 times.

[terraxcloud]

Clerra hints in FF7 Rebirth so far

I have been wanting to continue writing more, but I was waiting for the script of Act 4 Chapter 7 Part 2 of DFFOO to release at dff.ooo, but that still hasn't happened...so I'll ignore it for now.

The demo footage from the Tokyo Game Show has arrived. I originally didn't expect anything, but it makes sense that the demo shows the flashback and Junon since they were shown in the trailers already.

Here's a list of general stuff followed by miscellaneous Clerra stuff (#7 is biggest):

Climbing is a part of this game.

You can swim in basically any source of water to reach islands.

Yuffie is recruited during the boss fight that involves Priscilla and it seems like the artificial respiration minigame will be done with Yuffie (?maybe?). They were playing it safe there I suppose.

A giant bird creature (i'll just call it "the condor") snatches one of the black cloaked figures. I feel there was always a hint that Zack should be snatched up by something bird-like and fall on some flowers thanks to what the WoFF DLC scene involving Serah showed (search it up on YouTube if you want) and the fact that the condor appeared before Zack's scene in Intergrade's ending (which is why I mention it). There is a little more information about birds and Shinra involving the "Fonadu" enemy. Also, Fort Condor is now an island (it's may be important for Clerra, but that's a long story).

Priscilla is similar to Rikku. In fact, I felt she was so similar that I can literally just say that my crazy theory has been proven right. Rikku is designed after Yuffie and Priscilla, which is why both of them are now involved in the same scene and already know each other. It may not seem important now, but if Rikku appears in DFFOO, it will be. Plus, it's "lore"...in a way. My original theory started with why the concept art of Priscilla looked similar to Rikku (specifically the hair) and why in X-2 Rikku says she once had a crush on someone which was never ever figured out to be anyone except one guy which couldn't possibly be (yes, it's actually Cloud, thanks Nomura).

Rhonda, the mayor for the town under Junon has clothing that is similar in composition to Terra. She has the pink cloak "scarf" around her neck, interesting earrings, a ponytail, and a piece of clothing wrapped around her waist mimicking Terra's sash. She has a tattoo on her left arm as well, but I didn't know what it was. I'd assume there'll be something involving her with this Clerra storyline in Cloud's timeline. The hair bangs of Tifa, Priscilla, and Yuffie are also similar...they may be imitating Cloud's hair in a way. This isn't a new thing since Terra's hair in Dissidia (2008) also imitates Cloud hair (it's very subtle, but you won't un-see it once you notice it and how it goes away in Dissidia NT). Another character will likely be Kyrie in Zack's timeline (and maybe Jessie again if she exists). Priscilla's hair and clothing look more like Terra's now.

The synergy attack with Cloud & Aerith ("Firework Blade") looks like Terra's "Riot Blade" attack from FF6 (three energy beams are shot from Cloud's sword)...however, the most important detail is extremely important. The attack has the 5-petal flower spammed into existence. This flower is always found on Terra's hints: the flowers on Miss Folia's shirt, a promotional Dissidia Arcade image with Cloud, Terra, and Onion Knight, on the New Year 2020 card with mouse Terra, and on Yuffie's clothing in Advent Children. I think this flower is one of the many 5-petaled ones on Terra's leggings.

So, it looks like Riot Blade, and it only has this specific flower involved in it...this is the most important Clerra clue so far, period, in anything. Sure, it could just be a five petaled flower because it's Aerith's attack, but the main difference is that it is MANY. The Yuffie flower hint is very old, btw.

Now, about Zack's timeline...

In Zack's timeline, Elmyra hints that the world may be "ending". The tornado that destroys and incapacitates the others in that timeline is involved in the end of FF7 with Meteor coming close. The case may be that Zack's timeline is Sephiroth winning.

With Sephiroth's words at the end of the trailer, this means that instead of "going to another world", he will bring two worlds together (FF6 and FF7's worlds). This is hinted at in Opera Omnia where worlds actually are merged into one ALL THE TIME, although Sephiroth mentions he wants to travel to other worlds. It could be that Terra (and maybe others) will just appear in the world, but it seems a bit silly to think of it like that...for now (it was one of my original joke theories from early 2020).

Many people were surprised by what Sephiroth said about the Reunion being "worlds merging" and the general assumption is that the timelines are the worlds, but no one is anticipating anything related to Clerra despite all the hints that have been ignored.

The thing is, following the pattern, Cloud in his timeline is with Aerith doing the "FF7 game story". It makes sense that Zack would be doing the opposite thing with Terra in the "FF6 game story" that Cloud is missing from (as he's the original main character of FF6 and Zack was the originally planned "personality" of Cloud for FF7 before they decided on FF6 Cloud and made a big mystery on who's "the real Cloud").

I know that's hard for anyone to believe, but I guess you'll see for yourself...

Still, I don't know WHEN Terra will appear, but it's completely possible it will happen in Rebirth as all the puzzle pieces are set with Zack's timeline along with DFFOO chapter 4 is building up something and the hints are getting too strong for them to continue the secret for four or so more years. Also that Terra statue will be shipped soon that costs as much as a car...obviously, that can't be ignored (will it ship November 2023? I remember it being that.)

Many people like to focus on Cloud, Zack, and Sephiroth (theorists especially), but don't seem to notice that the three are distinctly tied to Terra, Aerith, and Jenova.

[repo-net]

hey look it's repo posting about his ocs again haha

God, how many years has it been since I last posted about an OC on this blog? Almost 2, huh. Don't worry Aoyama, you're still one of my golden boys and I'll always love my street kid. But for now, I want to show you all a little something I've been working on.

So, I know there's like a 99% chance none of you care about wrestling the same way as I, but I know you've at least heard of WWE and what it's about. And one of my biggest dreams is to write a full-fledged story with my own characters and story. One of these stories is a story about a young and dreaming child that's a nobody from a faraway island watching TV one day and stumbling upon professional wrestling, and being inspired to become one as well and become the champion of the world of wrestling and be recognized by everyone. I should mention that in this universe, wrestling isn't 'scripted' the way it is in real life. What differentiates the protagonist's plot though from your usual rise to the top storylines that most of these 'underdog' stories have is that his story doesn't end after becoming champion, but rather; it's just getting started.

After becoming the champion and still not getting the recognition and respect he feels he deserves, he starts to break down into a flame of insecurities and he crumbles into a shattered man that will do anything to stay at the top. Basically; he goes from the hero you wanna root for to having a whole ass villain arc. It's sick as hell, dude. He undergoes a whole character development to character derailment story and I think breaking down the protagonist in such a way is a unique take to have when writing this story. Wrestling is such a cheesy and emotional genre that has some really grounded and touching moments when it's given a chance too, and with the absolute variety of characters that come out of it from the badasses to the horrorshows to the comedy acts, they all have their role and this massive number of tropes and acts I can take inspiration from makes for an absolute perfect long story to write with tons of different characters with their own arcs clashing together. It's gonna be amazing one day, I promise you.

While I do have a doc that has a few of the ideas and stories with only a handful of the absolute pile of characters and timeline I've already built for it in my head, I want to shine the light on who I consider one of the best pieces of writing I'll ever come up with. She's my pride and joy and I fucking love her. This is the first half of the story's main antagonist and the undefeated champion for our protagonist to overcome; Reyna.

(used Koikatsu to make this model)

Name: Reyna

From / Age: Calamba, Philippines / 30

Finishers: Lucena Spear (A twist on the spear, where instead of shooting her body towards her opponent directly, she does it from the back and plants them onto their front on the mat. Like a shot in the back/a backstab, which is a very common theme in her story from her rise to being the champion and her reign as one. Named the Lucena Spear as José Rizal died in Lucena by getting shot in the back.) (pin) and the Santiago Lock (a rear naked choke. Named the Santiago Lock as the aforementioned Rizal was locked and imprisoned in Fort Santiago during his time.) (submission)

Story: A group of three friends find each other while working in a small wrestling promotion in Southeast Asia as they develop and hone themselves. Whiro, a deceitful and talkative man with a brain beyond others who knew how to get in his opponent’s heads by bringing up their history and knowing how to personally attack and break people. Ares, a bloodthirsty, violent, and thrill seeking fighter who loved nothing more than a match that put her and her opponent’s body on the line in extreme stipulations such as street fights, cage matches, etc. who had a rather tame demeanor outside of battles. And finally, Reyna; a generally silent and calm but powerful woman able to down even the toughest of fighters in the world. Usually repressive in her emotions, she tended to do most of the heavy-lifting in the group, and was incredibly protective of her two friends, willing to destroy and go to war for each of them, protecting them from intruders that could influence the three of them.

In spite of her usual restrained emotions, Reyna does have a darker side to her that can get as sadistic as Ares and as manipulative as Whiro that occasionally seeps through her facade when her emotions crack or she feels she or her friends have been wronged, but as far-gone as all three of them were, they kept each other in check and truly did love each other like family. They were like soldiers-in-arms, and all of them had a consistent win record over each other in 1-on-1 matches - Whiro usually had Reyna’s number because of his ability to wear her down emotionally and force her to make bad decisions in the ring, Ares regularly beat Whiro as he couldn’t intimidate her and her love for a messy fight overpowered any psychological warfare he tried to inflict, and Reyna consistently overwhelmed Ares by simply being too strong and physically better than Ares no matter the match type the lunatic would choose. They’d eventually all get scouted into FightFrenzy, the world’s largest wrestling company to showcase their talents. 

Reyna racked up win after win against impressive, credible opponents with strong records and fan favorites, which turned a few fans against her because of her ‘boring’ personality and how every single match consistently went her way convincingly. Whiro had been a bit of an enigma and a heel among the audience despite his worse record, as his sly way of winning matches had turned some people off from him. He didn’t really mind playing such a villain though; he was having fun. Ares had quickly become a favorite among the crowd as she had quickly gained respect from the viewers and backstage for never backing down from any challenge against her, no matter how dangerous it got. Each of them continued to develop their profile.

Whiro’s record continued to rollercoaster into a rather uninspiring 3-3, getting into the most matches as he tended to start trouble with people the most, giving more people reason to fight him in the ring. Ares had gone 3-1, as she still needed time to recover in between the absolute bloodfest her matches tended to have and was pretty feared backstage by most people due to her nature. Reyna would eventually continue to be undefeated and sit at a comfortable 5-0, even having beat the booker’s son twice in one night (though it only counted as one win on her record). This pissed him off to the point where he’d make a decision that would change the course of the company - and that was getting involved with some backstage politics to break the three apart. Despite how cunning Whiro was, his insecurity of having to stand next to two people who was either universally respected or an undefeated and powerful fighter had been slowly getting to him, knowing full well he could never be the number 1 guy in the company so long as he was involved with them.

And so, after Whiro suffered an embarrassing loss one night and getting involved with the booker’s son backstage, who promised him a path towards the top so long as he were to leave and stab the other two in the back. His insecurities getting the better of him, he accepted, and the next night, as Reyna was preparing for her next match, she got beat down from behind by Whiro, putting her out of action for a week. Ares, who had just walked into the scene, was too shocked by the initial sight of Reyna on the floor as Whiro stood with a steel chair in hand, ended up getting taken off-guard and was beaten to hell by him too. The group imploded, and the three of them would go their separate ways. And without being around one another to keep each of them stable, everyone in the trio went off the rails and lost themselves more and more, becoming more distant from people and refusing to trust others easily.

With the help of the booker’s son and the structure slowly favoring him to open up a path towards the champion, Whiro climbed the rankings before eventually winning the big one, and was now the new champion in the promotion. Satisfied with himself, his ego grew and he personally offered his first title defense against Ares in a Loser Leaves match as his obsession with getting into people’s heads and making things personal made him thirsty to get one up on Ares. But she had seen absolute hell ever since then, still being the barbarous wrestler that she was. Happily accepting, Ares takes down and ends Whiro’s reign as quickly as it started in a feel-good moment in an intense match, as Whiro could only watch on with a broken spirit as his contract was terminated and he was exiled from the company. After becoming the champion, Ares grew some newfound friendships in the back as plenty more had respect for her for being at the top, and her reputation as a fighting champion made her a likable figure. These relationships and her win over him helped her overcome her trauma from Whiro's actions and she had grown more mature as a person.

Reyna on the other hand continued to fall apart. She still hadn’t gotten over Whiro’s betrayal, but she targeted anyone but the people in her former friend group, going after the booker’s son, the executives, Whiro’s peers and people he’s fought or talked to. She blamed them for influencing him and convinced herself that he had been broken by them, and bottled up the rage and hate she had for how the entire situation went down as she became the most dominant force the company’s seen in a long time, all fueled by Whiro’s betrayal. Sitting at 9-0 and being granted a shot at the title by the booker against the champion Ares, the stage was set for the final chapter of a very personal and bloody fight inside a steel cage in an “I Quit” match, where the only way to win was to destroy your opponent so badly that they had to mutter the words “I Quit”.

Despite all of Ares’ attempts as she left Reyna wounded and hurt, she just couldn’t find a way to put Reyna away for good as she always got back up. Without Ares and Whiro to keep her calm, Reyna had finally come unhinged and had left Ares into a bloody, immobile mess as she did everything to try and make Ares declare her surrender. But Ares refused. The fight went on, before a spot where Reyna landed a vicious Lucena Spear against Ares quite literally broke a segment of the steel cage off, enough to leave Ares unable to move her body. But she was still awake, still breathing, and that much was the motivation she needed to not say she quits. With Reyna dragging the two of them to the ring, she took the part of the steel cage in her hand and held it over Ares, asking her to say she quits. And again, Ares didn’t give in. After telling Reyna to ‘go fuck yourself’, the challenger flipped the champion on her back, and was about to stab through Ares’ back with the spiky part of the steel cage.

Until… from the crowd, Whiro came crashing through the part that had broken in the cage, having fought off security to get to the ring and pushed Ares away and dragged her into a corner, sitting her up, stopping Reyna from landing a blow that could’ve ended her life. He looked gone. Messy hair, looking like he hadn’t slept in months, and his body had taken a toll for the worse. As the moment set in for Reyna, she looked Whiro in the eyes and broke down into an emotional mess at the sight of him. As Ares was a confused and injured mishmash, Whiro tries to bridge the gap between the three of them as he tried to talk to Ares to explain and mediate the situation, but just as he was talking to her, Reyna had taken him from behind after ripping the wires off of the steel cage part she had and locked him into a Santiago Lock, choking him close to death as she had it wrapped and locked around his neck.

Begging for Reyna to stop, Ares finally gave in and yelled “I Quit” with tears in her eyes, as Reyna threw Whiro’s unconscious body in the corner across from the now dethroned champion. She stared Ares down, and all of the emotions that she had held back for years; ever since being the silent one in the group that did most of the work to the eventual incident that broke their group, she beat the hell out of Ares until she was knocked out. With her former friends laying on opposite sides of the ring, Reyna took the championship belt in her hand, raising it and stood tall in the center to a sea of boos erupting from the crowd, as the new queen’s reign of terror had just begun. Ares and Whiro were never seen in the company ever since then, having been hospitalized and their careers having likely ended. And that was how Reyna had turned into the sociopathic, undefeated champion that she is today.

------------------------------------

"Take this title? Off of ME? I've done everything you can do in this business. If you run into a wall and hurt yourself, don't blame the wall. You want to be recognized so badly? I'll leave your name in the history books in the long list of people that I've conquered when I retire as the greatest of all time."

"This entire industry runs off of me! You say this is your ring? This is MY sport, and you live in MY universe!"

Her personality will speak for itself once you've read her story, anyways. This is only her backstory too of how she became the champion that she is today; her story and what she does in the main storyline is still under work, but even that is coming out fantastically. Reyna (and this entire thing, really.) is a character that I just look at and feel so much fulfillment every time I see her. Everything about her just works in the way I want it to.

Anyways, that's all for now. I know this post is lengthy and I'm a little doubtful anyone even read it, but I just really wanted to share this because the whole project means a lot to me and I hope that one day, I can look back on this post and say; "Goddamn, look where I came from."

[despair-to-future-arcs]

So is there any lore behind the Sonas or is that spoilers? I.e. did they live in the DTFA world before dying and then getting promoted?

You mean regarding my abilities in the story and the lore? Well, I do have some abilities and same with Mitsubachi as well but our story is that we didn't die or anything, we were like this since death's creation.

Mostly my abilities are a bit more on the magical and mental side of things, I often do levitation along with control of the car or any vehicle base on how many are going to either be reborn or sent to the void - I do often judge those that have died for the sins they committed and help them through any trouble and come to terms with their deaths.

There are some that refuse to accept what they did, some will deny it or not admit their sins which does lead to me to sending them to the void, which often ends with force and that's usually rare but given this is the tragedy; it's... rather common sadly and I don't like doing it much since it does take a lot out of me and I have to show it to the other residents, I also have to turn into a form if need be if they are proving to be trouble; the reason I take on this current form is that it's easier to talk to.

Yeah, as say - our abilities mostly is about judging others for their sins and deciding if that person should go to the realm to be reborn or sent to the void.

If curious of me, I mostly help with opening portals if that person is to be reborn back into the world or be sent to the void.

But I'm not exactly a huge fan of sending people to the Void either but as say, if others see what happens when you don't realize the error of your ways - you'll be sent there which I guess fort he others the person that is sent to the Void could be an example for what happens if you don't realize what you did wrong.

Also yes, if asking - I do have another form if curious, but I usually take on this form as it's much cuter!

[theblogofruth]

"The Dead Husbands." From the Book of Ruth 1: 8-10.

So long as the Moabites, the traditions kept by the synagogue and the state promote friendliness and pleasantness we have room to evolve. If a popular fad like Pro-Life, for example, which is illegal anyway turns society upside down and pisses people off, we change the tradition and look ahead.

We continue to dig into ways to implement the Shoftim in the Book of Ruth, "The Assistant Vision". Now we discuss a girl's best friend, a dead husband:

8 Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the Lord show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me.

9 May the Lord grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.” Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud 10 and said to her, “We will go back with you to your people.”

There are, surprise, rules in the Torah about dead husbands, "dead beliefs." The Number for a dead husband is 360, גו‎אֶפֶס, goeps, "dread over the way the hands, feet, and roots are going, the trunk may follow" = "a nation that is in mourning."

If you take away a woman's husband you have to provide her with mandrakes= enough boy booty for a Mormon compound...From Vayetzei:

15 But she said to her, “Wasn’t it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?” “Very well,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.” 16 So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You must sleep with me,” she said. “I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he slept with her that night.

Mandrakes are "love bringers", which according to the Book of Job must be made of gold. If it's not gold, it doesn't belong in Fort Knox, people...

"Unused verb דוד (dwd) probably meant to gently swing, dandle, fondle. Noun דוד (dod) or דד (dod) means beloved or loved one, and may also describe one's uncle. The feminine version, דודה (doda), means aunt. Noun דודי (duday) literally means a "love-bringer" and describes a mandrake. Noun דוד (dud) refers to a kind of pot or jar (perhaps one that was rocked or stirred?).

It may or may not be that the noun יד (yad), meaning hand, also has something to do with this root."

Unless one really falls in love, one cannot possibly understand the meaning of life or the Torah or any of its offshoots.

SO Leah, the Leader seduces the follower using the virtues named in the Torah, which are to be found and wielded by women in the field as expertly as with the men. We don't know if Eve was in love with Adam or not, he was Mr. Right Now, so it's possible she was not. The rest of the Torah, which has many love stories in it AKA the Mandrakes have a lot more to say about men, women, and each other.

2. If a woman is unmarried a dirty man will do. From Emor:

21 The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean for any of his people who die, 2 except for a close relative, such as his mother or father, his son or daughter, his brother, 3 or an unmarried sister who is dependent on him since she has no husband—for her he may make himself unclean. 4 He must not make himself unclean for people related to him by marriage,[a] and so defile himself.

--> The Sons of Aaron are Nabab "vanity, to pierce" and Abbihu "He is my father": "Pierce the doubt in God's Image."

The closest relatives to these are Eleazar and Ithamar, "God has helped me with my big fruitful tree."

People who die lose their ego selves in the Fire of the Temple, and one must never touch the dead UNLESS the person is dependent on the influencer for further development.

Then one can intercourse and marry with said influencer. Nobody is perfect, some people will never even be close.

If vanity is keeping marriage of the Traits from happening, strike the vain person down. If humility is available, the person and his influencer will prosper.

3. The Main Office on a dead husband and an unmarried girl comes from Ki Setzei:

5 If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her. 6 The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.

->This does not refer to strange shoes and bizarre ceremonies for marrying a barren widow with a broken hip. It means just because we have Reuben but no longer have Simeon, "Leadership but not Rule of Law" does not mean we stop working at it. Without continuity of faith and practice, civil society ends:

From Vayishlach:

30 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”

2 Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?”

7 However, if a man does not want to marry his brother’s wife, she shall go to the elders at the town gate and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to carry on his brother’s name in Israel. He will not fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to me.” 8 Then the elders of his town shall summon him and talk to him. If he persists in saying, “I do not want to marry her,” 9 his brother’s widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, take off one of his sandals, spit in his face and say, “This is what is done to the man who will not build up his brother’s family line.” 10 That man’s line shall be known in Israel as The Family of the Unsandaled, meaning he will walk the earth without victory over Egypt.

11 If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, 12 you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity.

->This is probably just what it sounds like, but the underlying meaning has to do with why Jacob and the angel wrestled and he sprained his thigh.

“A man wrestled with him until dawn broke.” The contest lasts for hours on end. They grapple with each other,6 casting up dust7 all the way up to the divine throne.8 The angel realizes that he cannot overpower Jacob, so he “touches [Jacob’s] thigh” and dislocates it.

As dawn breaks, Esau’s angel must join his colleagues to sing to their Creator."

= Beliefs, the providence of the male gender must be practiced in reality and beliefs change as one ages. A woman without beliefs is a pariah, a man without an Israeli way of life is also a pariah.

Chief amongst these and why we are discussing it so early in the Book of Ruth is sexuality must be friendly, it can be casual and mean nothing but it must take place among persons who are friendly with each other, the ritual, whatever its mandrake must not violate the laws in the Torah. Neither a woman nor a man can have a dead husband failure to believe in or fulfill one's fantasy bonfire romance even if it just changes life but does not endure all of one's life. There is always next time.

One could presume Ruth, "friendly assistance" is one of the Mandrakes that will help.

The Values in Gematria are:

v. 8: Go back to your mother's home. Leah was a big huge whore. Be like your mom. The Number is 12351, יבגהא‎ ,‎yabagha, "this one will betray you."

v. 9-10: May the Lord grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.

The subject matter of Ruth is similar to the Shoftim, "good taste" which is helped by good judgement, but unlike the former, good taste is a kind of talent. It can be learned but there must be an instinct. Unfortunately none of these occur without a few tests of time. Time has ups and downs, births, deaths, marriages, divorces, empty nests and remarriages.

The Number is 12170, יבא‎‎ע‎, yaba, "your wish, your want, your desire."

Hidden in the bedrock of the complex issue of what to do about a dead husband is to know betrayal when one sees it coming and to pursue one's wish, which for all Jews is called Shabbos.

Shabbos, cure for a dead husband is just not possible on one's own:

"There are two distinct roots of the form שבע (sb') in the Bible. However, when the Masoretes began to mark the text of the Bible with vowel notations (and they started doing this about a thousand years after the Bible was written in its final form), they made one group of שבע (sb')-words sound like sh-words, and the other group like s-words.

The result is one group of words that are related to the verb שׁבע (shaba'; dot to the right), and one group of words that are related to the verb שׂבע (sabea'; dot to the left). But remember that to the people who wrote the Bible, and for the first thousand years of its existence, there was no difference between the two:

The marvelous root שבע (sb'; now spelled as שׁבע, shb', and pronounced with a sh) splits two ways in meaning, or rather: lends its numerical meaning curiously to the act of taking an oath:

This root's primary derivative is the feminine noun שבעה (shib'a), denoting the ordinal seven. Our word is used as a number, in combination with other numbers, and in combination with the words מאה (me'a, meaning hundred) and אלף ('elep, meaning thousand) to form the numbers 700 and 7000 respectively. The common plural שבעים means 70. In Job 42:13 occurs the variant שבענה (shiba'na), which has an unexplained inserted letter nun.

This feminine noun's masculine counterpart is the noun שבע (sheba'). The masculine version also means seven but isn't really used unbound. Instead, it occurs mostly in one-word combinations and constructions (and names):

The masculine version of seven, שבע (sheba'), in plural: שבעים (shib'im) means 70 (Genesis 5:12, Exodus 24:1).

The feminine version of seven, שבעה (shib'ah), in the dual form: שבעתים (shib'atayim), means sevenfold, or seven times. This word occurs seven times in the Bible, from Genesis 4:15 to Isaiah 30:26.

The feminine adjective שביעית (shebi'it) and the masculine adjective שביעי (shebi'i), both meaning seventh (Exodus 21:2, Joshua 6:16).

The masculine noun שבוע (shabbua'), indicating a period of seven. This seven can be days (Genesis 29:27, Deuteronomy 16:9) or years (Ezekiel 21:28).

At some point, the masculine noun שבע (sheba') turned into the verb שבע (shaba'), meaning to swear or take an oath. It occurs 184 times in the Bible, most notably in the Beersheba incident, where Abraham and Abimelech swear peace and Abraham marks this by surrendering seven ewes to his friend (Genesis 21:28).

BDB Theological Dictionary explains the connection between these two separate meanings by explaining the act of swearing with seven oneself, or bind oneself by seven things. Of course, the most predominant usage of the number seven is in the creation week. It's always been a mystery where the Jewish week came from — the day, the month and the year are all references to cosmological phenomena, but the week appears to be a strictly theological expression. By creating everything in seven days, God takes an oath (also read our studies on the creation week.)

The verb שבע (shaba'), meaning to swear, yields two derivatives, although these are probably the same word spelled slightly different: the feminine nouns שבועה (shebu'a) and שבעה (shebu'a - which is spelled identical to the feminine version of 7, but pronounced slightly different), both meaning an oath (Exodus 22:10, Deuteronomy 7:8), and once a curse (Isaiah 65:15).

The root שבע (sb'; now spelled as שׂבע (sb') and pronounced with an s) means to be sated or satisfied with food. It's used literally for people who have (or don't have) enough to eat (Hosea 4:10) or drink (Amos 4:8), but also for the earth sated with rain (Proverbs 30:16), a sword drinking its fill with blood (Jeremiah 46:10). Our verb is also used for fillers other than food: Harlotry (Ezekiel 16:28), plunder (Jeremiah 50:10), an observation (Isaiah 53:10), the goodness of God's house (Psalm 65:4), sons (Psalm 17:14). And also it may denote an excess: of honey (Proverbs 25:16), tossing (Job 7:4), poverty (Proverbs 28:19), shame (Habakkuk 2:16), and the list goes on.

The derivatives of this verb are:

The masculine noun שבע (soba'), meaning satiety (Ruth 2:18, Proverbs 13:25) or abundance (Psalm 16:11).

The feminine counterpart of the previous noun שבעה (sab'a or sib'a), also meaning satiety (Isaiah 55:2, Ezekiel 16:28).

The masculine noun שבע (saba'), also meaning sated or satisfied (Genesis 35:29, 1 Samuel 2:5, Job 14:1).

=

"An excess of honey cures the curse."

Without Shabbos, satiety, Judaism has no proof its practices are worthwhile. So a dead husband, while sad is just another chance to carry on Israel's name in some vastly improved way.

[anothershittydiaryblog]

The Zo story 2

Ok. So.... Beginning of the end.

The relationship between me and Zo started to follow a pattern of one person being generally happy in the relationship and home life while the other wasn't. When I was happy I spent more time working and socializing with my friends while delegating some housework between both Zo and myself. While Zo spent time doing some cleaning and taking care of our pets. When Zo was particularly happy he spent just about every waking hour playing a video game, having sex with me, or at work. While I spent my time working, cooking, cleaning, doing the laundry, managing the finances, getting the groceries, and doing literally everything for myself him and the pets on top of having sex with him whenever he asks. My "happy time" would last about a week or two while his would last for months. I would I would ask for help with some of the household activities. He would "step up" for about two weeks, get super frustrated that he couldn't keep up with the things I was asking him to do. Have a meltdown. Then I would step in and save the day by doing all the things he couldn't handle for a week for the next couple months. Rinse. Repeat.

If you know anything about me personally, (hopefully no one who reads this does), you'll know that my dream has always been to travel for work. I wasn't really too picky as far as what the job was just as long as I got to travel while getting paid I was happy. I knew with the way my life was going, taking care of Zo like I was his parent, I may never be able to achieve that goal. How could I trust that he could take care of the things that I was taking care of while also being gone all the time. How was I supposed to take care of his needs? What about my beloved pets who would take care of them?

Then one day at work I was scrolling through one of the hundred sites the company I work for uses. This time I was looking on the page with all the job openings. Company wide. I usually use this page to see if there are openings in cities that would be fun to move to like Atlanta or Miami. This time I typed "travel" in the search bar. There was only one result. The description seemed pretty strait forward. "Traveling Training Site Supervisor" Sounds official too. And it's a corporate position. "Huh. I wouldn't hurt to apply" So I did just that.

When I got home that day I brought it up to Zo that I had applied to a travel position. He didn't seem elated but who wants to hear that their girlfriend wants to travel the country instead of stay home and take care of you. The conversation ended with us coming to the conclusion that it would be good for me. If, and that's a big I F, I got the position it would be a big promotion and decent bonus. We would be spending less on groceries and he would pretty much have the place as a bachelors pad. He told me he could hold down the fort while I was gone and I agreed to pick up where he left off when I got home and that we would do what it takes to make it work.

Three interviews later I was told that I got the job. This was the happiest that I've ever been. I would fly out to a new city on Monday, work through the week, then fly home on Friday. I'd have the weekend to spend with Zo and my friends and family. No more 12 hour workdays, no more late nights up doing house work and cooking and laundry. I didn't even need to go to the grocery store anymore because I could finally afford to get them delivered. There was just a few things that I noticed that weren't so perfect.

When I would come home for the weekends I immediately noticed how unclean it was. Let me clarify something: I would make sure the apartment was perfectly clean and spotless before I left for my next work trip. So every bit of mess that would accumulate was stuff from the 5 days I was out of town. Zo's mess. But I was a damn near perfect partner and would clean it all up for him. I found it kind of strange that he wouldn't tell me that it was getting messy around the place in our daily video calls but I wasn't too concerned.

The worry came when I started noticing the dog. I love my dog. I begged for a dog for almost a year before we finally got one. So of course I made sure she was taken care of. She has many food allergies so I had to spend a lot extra on her food and she was older so I made sure the place was accessible to her. I even converted the extra room to the dogs room. One day I came home and I noticed that the dog was looking skinnier than I remember her being. Zo told me that she ran out of food and he had been meaning to go pick some up for her. "Why didn't you tell me that? I could have had some delivered before she ran out." I said. "Well I wanted to handle it because I know how hard you've been working..." or some other bullshit came out of Zo's mouth. I just made him promise to make sure She eats before anything else came out of his mouth. As her caretakers we can easily figure out our next meal even if we don't have any money but she relies solely on us to feed her. I don't even want her to feel like she cant rely on us. He agreed and we moved on.

More weeks went by as we adjusted to our new lives. Now I was travelling on Monday morning, teaching through the week, Flying home on Friday, then cleaning the entire apartment and making sure the animals, the groceries, the laundry, the car, and the finances were taken care of through the weekend. Zo claimed that me leaving put twice as much work on him than before. He felt like he couldn't do all the stuff I was doing when I was home. I tried to explain to him that actually it was less stuff. When I was home I taking care of myself, Zo and the animals. Well Zo jus had to take care of himself and the animals. Anything that could be handled remotely, like finances and groceries, I still handled. He told me I didn't understand. I didn't. What he was trying to convince me of just didn't make sense to me.

I also noticed in our daily calls that Zo was acting different. He worked a night so depending on what part of the country I was in I was usually calling him while he was on his way to or already at work. The call where he was at work I could see his face clearly and honestly... he looked terrible. I noticed the dark and heavy bags under his eyes. Maybe he hadn't been sleeping but he always assured me that he was fine. He would also get really sad all of a sudden to the point where I would get uncomfortable. He would even get upset enough to cry while on the phone at work.

Things ultimately came to a head when I went to Seattle for the first time. When I came to Seattle for the first time it was near the end of a five week stretch of me barely being home. I was spending every waking hour at home cleaning, even omitting sleep to get the place looking perfect. I was very worried about my dog because at this point she was looking very malnourished. My 4 year old pet rabbit had even passed away while I was gone. I noticed that the groceries that I had ordered weeks ago had never made it past the front door and Zo was really only eating foods like popcorn and tortilla chips.

One night while I was home and Zo was working we were on the phone. Zo had said something to me that seemed too scary to ignore. He said "Before I met you, I felt like a vegetable. Like my life was going nowhere. I was either going to live off my dad forever or kill myself. But once I met you I didn't feel like that anymore. Since you've been gone I've been feel like like a vegetable again" I didn't know what to say at the time except "Are you planning on hurting yourself in some way?" He said no. "Well have you told anyone else that you're having these kinds of thoughts? Like a friend or your dad?" "No" He said "And if I did tell my dad he'd just tell me that I'm a looser. I don't want him to know that I feel like this". I just said ok. He made me agree to not tell his dad. I did even though I knew I was going to tell his dad anyways.

I waited for him to get home to ask him again about what he said and his behavior was erratic. He would break down crying every time he looked at the calendar posted on the fridge of the dates that I would be traveling. Then would go back to celebrating the fact that I was home in a particularly disconnected way. It took several hours for me to convince him that he needed to sleep. He hadn't slept at all through the night because of his job. As soon as he was asleep, I snuck out to sit in my car and called his dad. I told his dad that Zo was showing signs of going through a mental health crisis and I believed he was going to hurt himself or others. Changes in behavior, changes in sleep and eating, thoughts of suicide. His dad, who lives an hour away happened to be less than ten minutes away. Seconds had passed before his dad was at the door.

When his dad came in I woke Zo up and told him to come out to the living room. His dad sat us down and we talked about the new job I had, and Zo's job working nights, we talked about the rabbit being dead and Zo admitting that he was responsible for her death. Then his dad asked him if he was having thoughts of hurting himself. Zo looked at me then to his dad and said no. I don't know if his dad believed him or not but then he asked him if he was taking his Zoloft. Zo said no. His dad then told him to get the bottle and take one for me and his dad to see. Then Zo's dad made him refill the prescription so he would have enough to last him for another ninety days. After that his dad hugged us both and left.

Zo immediately went into the bedroom and slammed the door. I knew he would be mad at me for lying about not calling his dad. I felt it was more important that someone other than me knew he was struggling. Zo came back out the room and started yelling at me. He said that I had betrayed his trust and that he wasn't sure if he could trust me anymore. I told him that I would rather loose his trust them watch him lose his life. A few weeks prior we had just left a funeral for his eleven year old cousin that took her own life. No one knew she was suffering. I didn't want that to happen in my home next. He then broke down crying saying he doesn't know why he's so mad at me and he didn't want to be mad at me. He knew I did the right thing but he couldn't stop feeling the way he did. I suggested to him that he go to a crisis center but he was offended at the idea of going to an inpatient mental health facility of any kind. I dropped the subject and was gone to Seattle again the next day.

While I was in Seattle I had met Sunshine for the first time. They were the total opposite from Zo in almost every way. Smart, organized, clean, very attractive, worked a great job, and did I mention how attracted I was to them. I haven't told them or anyone else this but I knew I was in love with them from the first night I spent with them. I was so nervous when we went back to their place that I sat across the room and had to be invited to the bed. The sex was unlike anything I had experienced before. I literally cried when I orgasmed the first time that night. The next morning they made me breakfast: it was eggs with toast and ham, avocado, and a golden kiwi.

Of course I told Zo what I had experienced but he wasn't happy for me. I could tell. While we were in a polyamorous relationship for the three years we were together he had never put in a real effort to meet anyone else. He would swipe on dating apps for a few days and then get discouraged when no one would message him back. After I told him about my night with Sunshine he went online again and actually met someone. The girl he met honestly looked eerily similar to me. Short, dark skinned, heavy set, big tits, cute round face, and round glasses that looked just like mine. I remember joking with him and saying "You definitely have a type"

Zo had texted this girl for about a day before inviting her over. Since I was gone I was only getting second hand accounts as to what was going on in the apartment. He claimed that he had found a second wind of sorts. That he was extremely motivated to clean and cook and take care of things that he had put off for months. He told me that he LOVED this girl. A bold claim for only a few days of texting. I noticed that he was reaching out to me through the day. This was odd because he's supposed to be sleeping during the day. I kept note of how many days in a row he was texting me and once it got to day three I got really worried. I kept asking him if he had any plans to sleep each day and he would always say "After I finish cleaning I'll take a nap before work." Those naps never happened. Then the day she was supposed to be coming over came. He drained his entire bank account to buy wine and and snacks and dinner and candles for the supposed romantic evening he had planned. I remember he called it "husband treatment". Something I had never gotten from him. In the three years I had been with him all the housework I had requested from him was too grueling of a task for him to do. He had only cooked dinner a handful of times, and he had definitely never done laundry or cleaned the bedroom.

He picks her up, bringer her back and apparently they had sex till the sun rose. He called me next morning while she was sleeping to tell me how wonderful the night was and that he was in love with her and gave her "husband treatment" and that he had never felt so great. He also had some ideas that I should listen to as well. He told he he wanted to sell my car... the car I just bought 4 months prior. After selling my car he wanted to trade it in for a truck . . . Of course I said no. The reason we agreed on a car was because we needed a fuel efficient vehicle that was generally inexpensive to maintain. Even after trying to rationalize my take he wasn't trying to hear it. He just got mad and started yelling at me on the phone sayin that I don't trust him with the finances and that he's got it planned out perfectly. Why wont I just let him do what he wants? I never drive my car around he does. I was confused because something didn't seem right. The conversation got cut short because he had to take this new found love of his home.

I spent the day traveling home myself. Rental car return and two flights later I had landed. When I called him while on the plane he old me that he hadn't left home yet. We lived 2 hours away from the airport and it was late. There was no way I was going to wait that long. So I called my sister to come pick me up who was fifteen minutes away. When I relayed the message to Zo he was LIVID. Angrier than I had ever heard him before. He screamed and screamed without letting me get two words in. "Why is it whenever I have a plan you don't want to go with that? How come you always decide what we do? Why cant I get what I want sometimes? I don't want to drive two hours to your moms to pick you up. Just wait at the airport for me." I couldn't do anything but cry and agree. I told my sister nevermind and reluctantly waited at the airport.

Jeez this is getting long but I'm not doing a part three.

When he pulled up to the airport he was clearly upset. His eyes were bloodshot and surrounded by dark circles. He started driving away erratically, so bad that I was scared we were going to wreck. I ask him if he's ok and he starts ranting about how he never gets the things that he wants and people never go along with his plans. I must think he's stupid for not trusting him to buy a truck. He put forth all this effort and money into the girl he was trying to impress but she didn't want him so she was going to have to pay him from now on... I was thrown for a fucking loop when I heard that. I told him I knew a short cut to get us to our next stop before we go home and directed him to get off on the next exit. I had him pullover into a random parking lot and he immediately hopped out of the car sat on the sidewalk and started crying. I'm not going to lie... For a second I thought about getting in the car and pulling off without him. He was scaring me and I wasn't sure if he was going to get any worse. He had never yelled at me like he was yelling just then and I knew I had to get out of that situation.

I didn't do it though. I should have. Instead I comforted him. Hugged him and kissed him. Told him that no matter how much effort you put into things people are going to take their own path. I thought maybe the girl rejecting him was his biggest concern at the moment given all the things he was saying. He got into the car. We made our pit stop and we drove home. The drive was no better than before except I was behind the wheel instead. The whole drive he was ranting and screaming about wanting to buy a truck and how I didn't trust him and how I needed help. ME! He kept going and going until I stopped trying to rationalize with him and just told him to stop talking until we got home. I had plans to invite a few folks over to celebrate the fact that id be home for a while then going to Miami to celebrate my best friends birthday. Zo was supposed to come but he never requested off from work...

When we got home he calmed his behavior down some. My friends could feel something was off too but was too nice to say something. We could feel the tension in the room. That night we all drank, smoked and did shrooms. Around two in the morning everyone had either left or found a place to sleep for the night. And I was headed to bed myself. Zo was wide awake. I told him I knew he hasn't slept for 5 days and should come to bed since he'd be off until I left town again. He got in bed with me and I was fast asleep until I woke up with him on top of me again. I jolted awake but was too intoxicated to do anything. For some reason whenever I do shrooms it makes me very wet. Dripping onto the floor like in hentai wet. I felt him slide in but I really couldn't move or say anything. I was being violated again by him. This was the last time. He kept me up all night, using me... I couldn't do anything until the next morning when I finally started to sober up.

I wish I had it in me to confront him about what he did but honestly his behavior that day was something out of a horror movie. I had to work remotely that day so I stayed in bed with my laptop all day. He spent the next 24 hours going back and forth in and out of the bedroom ranting and screaming and crying at me. I knew he was gone. The person that was in my home wasn't the same person that I had built my life around. His rants became more and more erratic. He was contradicting himself every time he spoke. Claiming nonsense as fact. He had even told me that he was done with me because I had cheated on him with Sunshine and that his sexual encounter with his girl was different because she was going to be paying him for the night they had spend together. He ranted about having plans to get into sex work so he could feel appreciated and bring home more money. And at this point he was going to buy TWO trucks and a motorcycle...

At this point I started recording him and sending the voice memos to people. I thought he was going to end up hitting me at the end of all this. So I recorded and put people on the phone to hear what he was saying. Sunshine heard some of his rants and told me I needed to find a way out and I agreed. By the time we made it to day two of my time at home, he had kept both of us up for a second day in a row. Well this was his 7th day without sleep. He was the angriest I had ever seen him and I've never been so scared of him. He made me sit in front of him while he screamed in my face. I couldn't do anything but sit there and cry, He called me ugly over and over again. He told me that he was going to take my car and have sex with the other girl in it. Then he said he was done and leaving me for good. Then he pointed to the gun in the corner of the room. "I'm going to get YOUR car and speed down the interstate so I can get pulled over. I'm going to talk SHIT to some cops so they can SHOOT and KILL me. If that doesn't work I'm going to come back here and use that gun. You understand?" Then he left out the front door.

I immediately called his dad. I couldn't even speak. I just cried and said he was going to kill himself. While his dad was on the phone Zo came back through the front door to tell me that he hated me and should go pick that girl up now and bringer back so I can watch her have sex with him. Then maybe ill learn how to treat him. His dad called the cops.

I called my mom and all my friends to come. They got there in what seemed like minutes but probably hours. I was still in shock. My mom told me to pack up all my stuff and that I was leaving. So that's what I did. I packed up as much of my stuff as I could and left. I got a few texts and calls from Zo when he realized that the cops were looking for him. He told me he hated me one last time. I put my stuff in my moms truck and she took me to the airport just in time to make my flight to Miami.

I was gone.

[imactuallyadog]

Oh boy. A post from me. Someone you don't know. Ah man. Where do I start?

I'll start with my job. I've been with this restaurant for close to two years now. It's located in Florida and is one of the hottest tourist traps, except they don't like being labelled as such. I used to love my job. I used to brag about my job so much. But things started changing just after a shift in one of the management positions. See, the manager I had at the beginning was really nice. Soft. Understanding. Laid back. Chill. Then a hurricane hit Fort Meyers and she had to relocate to help her parents. She had no idea when she would be back. A new manager came in and I got bad vibes automatically.

Now, I didn't have personal beef with this new manager until a couple months in. I sent an email to one of the assistant managers detailing everything that the actual manager said or did to me and included "If you ask a couple of my coworkers, they will also have horror stories." What this manager will do is state how much she does not like drama but then will purposefully take the pot, throw in some weird ass ingredients, and stir it with a smile on her face as she watches the pot boil. Separations started happening. Rumors began to fly and we all began questioning each other which made no sense. It became toxic. But that was just the beginning. They promoted someone to becoming a second assistant manager and everything got worse. The second assistant manager had been noticing things happening for a while and decided to speak out against it in a meeting with HR. However, the meeting ended with "You can either continue here as a cashier or you can leave." She decided to stay as cashier, in hopes that at least she'll get her bonus. She did not get any bonus. Adding on to this, the supervisors usually get a bonus. Half now, half in December. The supervisors ended up getting less than they had ever gotten vs the normal employees ended up getting more. I was a normal employee for about half the summer.

Adding on to this list, I know that in certain areas of this particular restaurant, tips are part of the job. In this certain area, we had tips for years. I mean years. However, our tips had gotten taken away. This manager that we work for in this particular area has said multiple times "You guys get paid way too much." At the time, I didn't understand why she would say that until it was revealed that supposedly, the money on the bonus checks came from Google Reviews. Now, that doesn't quite make sense because we had been making some bank before we switched systems and in the area of this restaurant I work in, we had been close to our sales of last year. So something isn't adding up here. We also had a "customer service test" to see how our customer service is. We ended up being the best area of this restaurant for our customer service. Me and the second assistant manager had gotten called out because we killed it. Then a week later our tips got taken away. Now, like I said, in certain areas of the restaurant, you tip. You don't NEED to tip in my area which happens to be retail. But the fact is.. why is the best place with customer service getting punished?

My favorite memory so far while working for this job is the fact that I recently shaved my head for no other reason than to just shave my head. I am a female. If you had a slight clue to who this is, you'll know now. I had recently volunteered to take pictures promoting stuff for this restaurant. Imagine my surprise when the person who took my pictures pulled me to the side and said that the owner's son said he liked the pictures but would prefer for someone else with LONG hair to model. It had nothing to do with my face tattoo or my neck tattoo. It had to do with my HAIR. It's a natural color that I dyed. But the problem was with how SHORT it was. According to this person, the GM of the restaurant stood up for me as well as the photographer. How sure I am that this is true? I'm not. The photographer is a Scorpio though and we know about SZA right? I love that queen to death but she can not tell the truth to save her life. SZA, not the photographer. Even if 5% of this was true, I need to get this out there. My fury has no bounds when it comes to this restaurant. I love working in restaurants but this.. Everyone fucks each other, everyone is two faced, everyone is coked up, and everyone sucks. But because I'm limited in my job choosings, due to having a face tattoo, it's taken a bit longer than I'd admit to quit.

I am angry. I am at a loss.

Cooperations do not care about your happiness and neither do greedy owned businesses. There are small businesses that do give a shit about you but this one in particular... They do not give a single shit about you. I can not wait to quit. They're gonna have to order a cease and desist letter because I will not be quiet.

[jreynoldsward]

Writing accountability post #17

[caption id="attachment_2585" align="alignnone" width="500"]

Ugh, another monthly accountability analysis day.[/caption]

I suppose I should be easier on myself because I had a convention and travel to manage, and they didn't happen during the same time period. But I was also wrestling with gut problems for part of the month. While I'm getting it under control, that still sucked up time and energy. I didn't get much promotion done, and as a result I didn't make much in the way of sales this month. Not my usual thing. But...this was also the month where a lot of the promo stuff I've been doing slowed down. My doing, primarily.

However, I did get the paperback edition of Becoming Solo posted. I am in the last part of Federation Cowboy (which was supposed to have been wrapped up in April). The Cost of Power has become a series and may be the one that wraps up the Martiniere Multiverse. I need to think on it some more, especially since I suddenly got a notion about Gabe not being the first Martiniere to find refuge in the Pacific Northwest. One of his ancestors, Etienne Martiniere, escaped the French Revolution by becoming a fur trapper, was at the Hudson's Bay Company in Fort Vancouver for a while, and founded the Canadian-US Martiniere family branches.

Well, I'm on my way to getting somewhere with all this, I suppose. I'm becoming more and more fond of Federation Cowboy, because it's really heading for some interesting elements. I'm about five thousand words out from the climactic confrontation, which means I'm on the slide down to resolution of this story. Will I write more in this world? Probably. One pair of characters, Blackburn (a military intelligence rabbit), and his interpreter, Laura Richardson, have appeared in a couple of other short stories. But at the moment, once the story ends...it's on to other things.

May is going to be a month heavy on planning. And on promotion.

We'll see how it all works out.

[jayfortheday]

Your Vance Hopper one shots are single-handedly fueling my obsession with that movie, so I thought I’d request a one shot (or head canons, you pick) where he’s been dating the reader for a while and he finds out that they are really into crystals and witchy stuff.

If you don’t get around to it, that’s totally cool though :)

Ghosts And Junk (Vance Hopper)

Pairing: Vance Hopper x GN!Reader (romantic)

Word count: 591

Description: After six months of dating, Vance discovers one of Y/N's obsessions, witchcraft

Tags: fluffy

~~~~~~~~~~~

Vance sat in your living room, watching you wander around, looking for something. 

“Can I help? Whatcha lookin’ for?” He asked, his eyes following your movements. 

“I mean, you can try,” you sighed. “It’s a little rock, it’s kinda like a clear orangish color, I think?” You lifted the piles of magazines on the coffee table and looked under the cabinets by the TV. 

“Is it this?” Vance asked, holding up a small stone. 

“Yes!” You cried out, running over to him. “Where did you find it?”

“It was between the couch cushions, idiot,” he laughed, placing the crystal in your hand. “What is it anyway?”

“It’s a piece of citrine, I just got it like a week ago,” you explained, dusting off the stone. “My sister was probably playing with it, it’s not supposed to leave my room. I’m gonna put it back.”

You started to walk towards your room and you heard Vance follow you. You pushed open the door and walked over to a table on the other side of the room. 

“Woah,” Vance whispered as he looked around your room. He had never been in there before, you two usually spent time outside or at his house. The room was painted a standard white, but the walls were covered with ornate tapestries and plants were on almost every surface. On the table you stood in front of were more of the crystals. The table itself was draped in a piece of colorful fabric and topped with multiple rocks and small trinkets. 

“What’s all this stuff for?” Vance asked, stepping forward to examine your space more. “You secretly a witch or something?” He smiled at his own joke. You shrugged your shoulders.

“That’s one way to put it,” you said, still attending to organizing your crystals. Vance’s eyes narrowed. “Huh?” He didn’t quite understand what you were saying. 

“It’s a little hobby of mine,” you explained. “Crystals, and plants, all just parts of the Earth and it’s energy I really enjoy.” Vance still wasn’t quite getting it. 

“Each of these crystals does it’s own things. Like this citrine I got, it holds the energy of the sun and it’s supposed to bring you happiness.” Vance picked up the piece and examined it. 

“If you say so,” he said nonchalantly. He put it back down in his best approximation of the place he got it from. 

“Aren’t witches supposed to be about, like, ghosts and junk?” He asked, leaning back and sitting on your bed. You giggled a little. 

“That’s not really my forte, but I suppose they could be,” you said, flattening out the cloth over your table and going over to sit next to Vance. “If it’s that weird to you, just think of it like I really like colorful rocks and plants.”

“It’s not weird, really. Just never heard of it before,” Vance said, running his fingers through his hair. “You gonna curse me if we ever break up?” He laughed, leaning back on the bed. “Not that I’m planning on it.”

“Yeah, totally, the only reason I’m seeing you is to have an excuse to curse you,” you joked back, laughing. 

“I can’t say it’s not working though,” you said, standing up and working back over to your table. Vance hummed curiously. You picked up a pink rock and held it up for him to see.

“I got this piece of rose quartz about a week before we met.”

“What’s that one do?” He asked, cocking his head to look at it. 

“It promotes love.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed! I haven't really messed around with crystals, so I had to do some research into meanings and stuff, so sorry if any are incorrect, hope it doesn't ruin the story too much

I also watched the movie again today and it is still amazing every time. I gotta say, the scene in Gwen's dream where Vance is in the cop car and just looking around, he looks so pretty, he got no right to be that beautiful

[grantspectortrash]

Because I Want To

Pairing: Steven Grant x Reader

Summary: you both work at the museum and you both have a crush on one another. It's only after he goes missing for weeks, when he returns and you end up working inventory together and share your secrets.

Warnings/Tags: No warnings, just big old fluff, yearning and absolute heart eyes, hand-holding, kissing, mentions of Marc

Word Count: nearly 2.5k :)

A/N: credit to stevenrogered for the gif. This is my first time writing about Steven and I hope to the gods you like it. If I have explained/portrayed DID wrong or written it in any offensive manner please let me know!!

---

Being a giftshop-ist wasn't your ideal dream job. You worked long hours, you didn't really have a big passion for Greek mythology, and your boss Donna was a bit of a bitch.

All in all, you would've handed your notice in a long time ago. Yet, something stopped you.

It was easier to say something stopped you, instead of someone, because then you would have to admit the truth to yourself. The truth that you had known for a long time, yet just kept ignoring it. But it was the truth, and the truth could only be ignored for so long.

You had only stayed working at the museum for this long because of one overly shy, absolutely adorable, curly-haired guy called Steven Grant.

Steven was also a giftshop-ist, though he worked in the other shop, the one that sold all things Egyptian mythology related and was right next to the museum's only café.

That's why every day, without fail, you spent your lunch break sat at one of the tables at that café, pretending to watch the world pass by when you were really watching Steven. And today was no exception.

You sit there, facing the little gift shop. Your lunch is out on the table, but you merely pick at it. Your attention is all on Steven.

He's there in black jeans, a fun coloured shirt and a grey jacket. His nametag is upside down, but it was obvious he hadn't noticed. A group of kids, from the local primary school, gather around him as he picks up a miniature statue of an Egyptian god. He begins telling them the story of the god, who it is and why they were so important to the Egyptians.

The kids seem fascinated, and Steven's just as passionate as they are. Egyptian mythology is his forte to a tee, and you were amazed Donna hadn't promoted him to a tour guide. He knew everything there was to know, and he tells it with such excitement you can't help but smile as you watch him.

Steven's a little way off from you, so you can't hear everything he's saying, but he says something and the group of children laugh. It makes your heart beat unbelievably fast. How could someone who had such a hard time just talking to people easily excel at captivating an audience like that? You can't help but think Steven was just adorable.

Then, without realising you had been staring for so long, Steven catches your eye. He smiles and waves at you, and the group of children turn to look. You wave back, blush creeping into your cheeks. You hope that Steven hasn't noticed, and you turn your attention to your sandwich.

For the next ten minutes you concentrate on nothing but the pattern of the museum's floor underneath your feet. How could you have been so unsubtle? It was embarrassing, actually.

You wonder how many times other people had caught you staring at Steven, watching the way his curly hair bobs as he walks, or the way the muscles underneath his shirt flex every time he picks up a box of gift shop trinkets.

You're sure he's stronger than he looks, and you're also sure you are the only one who notices. Perhaps you were the only one who noticed a lot of things about Steven...the way he would sometimes stop to look at an exhibition and he would stare back at his reflection in the glass instead of looking at the art. Or the way he licked his lips slightly before talking to you. Or the way he tried to be friends with everyone, even if he wasn't very good at it.

You're so caught up in thinking about how endearing he is that you don't even notice him approach you.

"Hello." He waves at you as he stops just in front of your table. He smiles at you and you want to melt, just like you did every time Steven talked to you.

"Hi Steven, seems like you're having some fun today." You smile, nodding your head towards the group of children who had now left the gift shop with armfuls of random Egyptian looking merchandise.

"Yeah," Steven says, scratching the back of his head, "I can't help it, you see. Just love it."

There's an awkwardness in his voice, as if he didn't want to let on how much he enjoyed himself working there.

"May I?" He gestures to the chair in front of him. You nod and he sits down, pulling out a box filled with pasta and veggies from his bag.

As he adjusts himself in the chair the two of you knock knees slightly. He apologises, and you notice his cheeks redden a little. Yours probably look way redder, but you try not to think about it.

With sudden surprise, you realise you and Steven have never had lunch together, as most days your lunch breaks never align, and this was the first time you had ever been this close to him.

He smells like vanilla and freshly washed clothes, and you get the urge to move closer, to press your face against the crook of his neck just to smell him better.

"I took my break a bit early." Steven says, "You looked lonely."

"Oh bless you, you didn't need to do that." Your heart aches for him. He was so sweet, so caring, that you knew you would do anything for him.

"But, I wanted to." He looks up at you from his lunch, a couple pieces of pasta on a fork hanging between his lunch box and his mouth. His eyes are glorious pools of brown and you think about how you could never get bored staring into those eyes. But, you try to stay cool.

For the rest of your lunch break the pair of you eat together, making small talk and trying not to admit you both have wild crushes on one another, not that you know how he feels - yet.

---

You don't see Steven for another two weeks.

For the entirety of fifteen days, not that you had been counting obviously, Steven disappeared from the face of the earth. You asked Donna if he had resigned, and she said no but she promised to make Steven's life hell when he returned. You didn't have his number and no-one else at the museum were friends with him, so that just left you waiting and waiting, sitting at your stupid lunch table hoping he'd magically reappear.

So, when he does, you nearly go through the roof.

You're running late, as your train was delayed, and you so desperately don't want to get caught by Donna that you nearly walk straight past him. Then, he yells your name.

You spin on your heels, you mouth wide open. A torrent of thoughts abuse your brain. Relief, anger, love, and everything in between. He's looking at you sheepishly and his raised hand drops by his side when he sees your face.

"Steven, where have you been?" Your voice is an octave higher than usual, and you really can't tell if you're angry or relieved. Steven must sense it, because he looks at passing tourists as if asking for help.

You stalk up to him, and you stop just in front of him. Your chest heaves and suddenly, you're wrapping your arms around him in a tight hug before you can even think about what you're doing.

He lets out a small "oh", and tenderly wraps an arm around you. After a few seconds, where his hair tickles your cheek and his scent fills your nose, you pull away.

"I- I'm sorry." You weren't sure what made you do that. You hope he doesn't mind, and you hope you aren't blushing as profusely as you think you are. "I was worried about you."

A voice pulls both your and Steven's attention: "I don't know what the hell is going on here. Y/N, you're late. Get to work. You and Steven will have plenty of time to catch up later because as of now you're both on inventory tonight."

Donna is standing with her hands on her hips and an amused look on her face, as if catching you being late is the best thing to ever happen to her.

You nod, apologise to her, then apologise to Steven once more for your outburst, and you make your way through the museum. You leave Steven looking shocked, his cheeks flushed and his hands pulled into the sleeves of his jacket, casually hiding the bulge of his crotch. You don't notice that last one, but Steven does. He can't wait to see you later, to explain everything, and to maybe - just maybe - tell you how he feels about you. Marc yells at him in his head: Make the first move, idiot. She's obviously crazy for you!

The pair of you don't meet for lunch. Donna makes sure the pair of you are working overtime, and you don't cross one another's paths until the museum closes and it's only the two of you in the entire building.

Your palms are sweating by the time you get down the basement, where Steven is already working on his Egyptian inventory. He stands over a table, his jacket off and his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows. There's a scrape on his right arm, and it looks fresh.

He clocks you're standing in the doorway and gives a small smile. "Y/N, you okay?"

"Yeah...yeah." You walk into the room, finding the boxes upon boxes of your inventory, and try not to make too much eye contact. It's only when you feel Steven's eyes on you that you turn to look at him.

"I'm sorry-" You both speak in sync.

Steven shakes his head, amusement on his face. You let out a small laugh.

"I'll go first, yeah? Because you have nothing to say sorry for." Steven fiddles with a small teddy-bear in his hands. It's a hippo, some goddess you couldn't remember the name of.

You pick up a box of merchandise and come to stand next to Steven. His own box of stuff is sat on the table and you place yours next to his. You both work side by side as Steven starts to explain why he went missing.

"It's complicated, yeah? I'm not just a giftshop-ist. I'm, ah, um...how do I put this right?" Steven glances over at a bronze shield you have in your merchandise box. You can't see what he's looking at, and so you scan his face.

There's no grazes like on his arms, but he looks tired and there's something in his eyes that tells you he's having a hard time. Something happened while he was away. He bites his lip and he looks at you.

"You're gonna think I'm crazy." He shakes his head endlessly, as if shaking it will make you disappear and he won't have to say anything. But he doesn't want you to disappear, not really. He wants you to stay and he wants to tell you everything because you're the best thing that's ever happened to him. Of course, he doesn't tell you this.

Without thinking you put down the merch in your hands and you move to give his hand a squeeze. He drops the fluffy hippo.

"I won't think you're crazy. I promise."

He looks at your hand in his, takes a deep breath, and explains his disorder. He mentions Marc, and his job and their life together. He decides not to mention the big bird god that controls his life, because he doesn't want to scare you away. He doesn't want you to think that he's a madman. But, with your hand in his and the way you're looking at him, he can't help but be captivated under your gaze. He appreciates you more than you know, and once he's done explaining he doesn't even take a breath before whispering, "You're so pretty."

His eyes widen the same time your cheeks flush and your knees go weak. He drops your hand.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I tell you all of that and then I go and say that just like the gigantic idiot I am. Oh my gosh I'm such a numpty, I'm so sorry..."

He's rambling, animating his arms like the big, lovable dork he is.

"Steven." You say, trying to make him stop. He keeps rambling. "Steven." you say again, this time grabbing his upper arm and pulling him towards you.

He stops.

"It's okay. I don't think you're crazy. You obviously have a lot going on." Your hand is still on his arm and you can feel the heat of his skin underneath your fingers. Your thumb rubs slow circles against the fabric of his shirt. He looks from your eyes, down to where your hand is resting against him, and back at you.

He looks like a puppy - wide eyed and waiting for someone to love him. You close the distance between you.

Steven is about to protest, no doubt try to say how he shouldn't have said anything and he shouldn't have burdened you with the information, but you put your other hand to his lips to shush hum.

Your not sure where the confidence comes from, but you're pretty sure it's because you know you're the only person Steven has ever told this to. You're the only one who knows. You.

"Steven Grant, Marc Spector, whoever you are, I will always be here for you. Because I want to."

There's a look of relief on his face. He sighs, involuntarily sagging under your grip. His forehead touches yours and his hands find themselves resting against your hips.

"Thank you." He mumbles, "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

It's almost as if nobody has ever cared for him like this, as if nobody has even shown that amount of love to him before. You decide then and there to make sure he never feels unloved again.

You share your first kiss that night. And you share your first one hundred kisses, because as the pair of you work on inventory Steven can't help but keep stealing kisses from you every time you make eye contact. He makes you blush endlessly, and Steven himself seems flustered. It's like he got his first taste of you and couldn't get enough. You didn't mind, because the feeling was mutual. And, when you finally ask him why he's kissing you so much, in your unbelievably giddy high-pitched voice, he snakes his arms around you and kisses you again.

He says with a cheeky smile, "Because I want to."

[these-are-the-first-steps]

Here’s a random reylo ask for ya- did you ever have any theories/HCs early on in shipping reylo (cuz I believe you’ve said you were shipping since TFA) which you didn’t end up being into as much, or at all anymore as TST progressed?

Hello! Sorry it's taken me so long to get to this.

Story Time

So I saw TFA the second day it came out. I left rather bewildered- one, because a new actor I'd never seen before in my life (adam driver) gave such an unorthodox performance I couldn't stop thinking "The fuck does this guy think he's doing???" namely the interrogation scene where I don't think any other actor would have, nor could have, played it the way he did. I'm still shocked by the choices he made with his line delivery in that scene but in the best way possible. It's hard to explain. Anyway, that's one. Two also goes back to that scene. In middle school, back with Tokyo Pop was big, they held their very first manga contest for us regular american people to try our hand at Japanese style manga. Well, I felt like I could write, and my good friend at the time (she still is- we keep in touch!) could draw like a crazy person. So we decided to try for it. The only problem was, being middle schoolers, motivation and scheduling wasn't our forte. I did manage to write a short script excerpt of a story that had been brewing in my head for awhile at the time, and while I think I did eventually hand it over to her (I was suffering from perfectionism), the art never happened. We tried again in high school but then high school angst got in the way and it still didn't happen. Regardless, I still now had the only real concrete piece of writing for this story I had been sitting on for a couple years now.

Eventually....well, time moved on.

Cue "Star Wars: The Force Awakens", a sequel film I was INCREDIBLY skeptical about. I'd been watching star wars my entire life. My dad took me as a little kid to the big deal re-screenings of the original trilogy they did nationwide before the prequels came out. I had a lot of Opinions on this movie series. I had just moved to NYC and was out for a walk when I passed by Bloomingdales and saw, a bit to my shock, that their store windows were full of (allegedly) screen-used costumes and props from the upcoming TFA movie. I crept closer, had a look. Han Solo was the only thing I recognized. The rest? Unfamiliar. Alien. I had seen zero promotional images for this movie before encountering these windows and had only heard some things. I made guesses as to what everything was, before rounding the corner and being confronted with an irrationally tall costume. "Oh, is this the darth vader rip-off? lmao" (the only thing I had concretely heard about). "This guy had to be on stilts surely??" Kylo Ren. Funny at first, but the longer I stared at it, I shit you not, the more unsettled I got. I actually got *scared* staring at this costume. I took one very poor, very shaky picture, and basically ran away. (I regret not taking a better photo but oh well). I run into an article the next day at work about the movie and it happens to have the trailer and I decide, sure, ok, I'll give it a watch. Those windows were interesting at least. I basically had my tickets bought by the end of the day. So here we are, back to the theatre, sitting here as this audacious actor delivers the most ballsy performance I've seen the whole film as he interrogates the heroine, and I listen to what he's saying, and then, it hits me.

This. Is my story. These are my lines. I wrote this exact same exchange in middle school.

What the fuck??

This meant a lot of things to me. This meant that I knew where this story was going, and where it was going I liked very much. I went back to see the movie again a second time about a week or two later. I had to be sure-- I wasn't just imposing what was already inside my brain all these years onto a totally different story on the screen, was I? I watched, and waited. And sure enough....no, no it had to be it. These two? I know exactly how this is going to go down.

A few months later I visited back home and even managed to dig through a box and find my old script. I read through it, sort of shaking a little. My heroine- Light- had also been captured- by the Dark- and the song and dance were the same- Where am I? Does it matter? I can see everything. I'm not giving you anything. A summary, and as some years have passed again I have lost the print out in a box again, but some of the dialogue was ver batum.

I knew exactly where this new star wars story was going because I already wrote the damn thing in middle school, word for word, and if you thought for one second I wasn't going to tune in and defend this arc, that I never managed to get published myself at 13, with swords and shields and knives for my own personal middle school catharsis then you were dead wrong, my friend.

This may have seemed like a very round-about way of answering this question, but I wanted to give context, substance, because all of this ^^^^^ up here? It defines, explicitly, why I'm even here to begin with, and why I fought so hard from day one. There was nothing to abandon, or question, or shed. Because I already knew this story by heart. I had already written it!! And I still think ants and DLF and JJ Abrams and Terrio and the rest of those bastards can pry it from my cold dead hands, because truly they butchered my baby and while I may live with that, I'll never forget it.

Thank you for the ask, friend.